UPC0004 Week 12

Summary

Lecture

Tutorial
The five topics i chose to obtain copyright information about are games, artworks, music, renting out items, and TV and radio. By reading each information sheet I have found that the different issues for each topic that require to be copyrighted are similar to each other. This provides convenience in terms of remembering whether doing certain tasks that may be considered plagiarism are legal or not.

UPC0004 Week 11

Summary

Lecture
For this week's lecture we were provided with a pop quiz on the previous 10 weeks of this unit. Afterwards the lecture discussed the three terms data, information and knowledge, mainly focusing on their definitions and where they we most important in our society.
Tutorial

Definitions

• Data- The plural of the word datum (latin for 'something given'), which represents the individual facts, statistics or information gained through research or experience.
• Information- knowledge gained through research, study or communication.
• Knowledge- gained through study of various sources (e.g. books, articles, magazines) or through actual experience.
• Wisdom- knowledge of what is true and right. Can be gained through the study and research of information through all perspectives without bias.

Through the understanding of the relationships between the terms data, information, and knowledge, we will be able to interpret the different aspects of research thus combining each term, providing the potential to gain wisdom, which is a key resource when studying at university.

Five organisations which collect information from clients or public are:

• Government organisations (e.g. Centrelink)
• Financial organisations (e.g. banks, accountants)
• Educational organisations (e.g. schools, universities)
• Communication organisations (e.g. telstra, optus)
• Taxation departments

The reasons as to why these organisations collect information from clients or the public is to keep updated on their information, maximizing efficiency for services and calcuation of various fees or tax payments. By doing so, the organisations will be able to locate any individual person in the case of emergency in terms of finance, or education.

Reading Summaries

The two websites provided information on the definitions of the terms data, information, and knowledge. They also showed us that through interpretation of data, we are able to obtain information, and once understanding the information we will be able to gain knowledge, and by completing these three steps we are finally able to gain wisdom, an important factor when studying at university.

UPC0004 Week 10

Summary

Lecture
In this week's lecture we were informed of the different types of information management formats, the atom-based format and the bit-based format. The lecturer also discussed the various advantages and disadvantages through the management of bit-based and atom-based information.

Tutorial

After reading Negroponte's archive (http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/nn/bdcont.htm), I am confident to agree that his ideas are still relevant. This is due to the fact that as we progress through the years, although we are beginning to rely on bit-based form information, we still use atom-based information such as books, newspapers and magazines. This is because depending on the organisation or society we live in, we gain more benefit from using either bit-based information or atom-based information.



There are various 'pros' and 'cons' towards the use of atom and bit-based information. The main issue of atom-based information is the delay in transfer. An example this is atom-based mail, which may take up to several days in order to succesfully reach its destination yet also contains the risk of being lost in the process. For bit-based mail (e-mails) however, the message is sent almost instantly and can be read straight away once the e-mail inbox is accessed. The only main issue of e-mails is that there is a possibility that the confidentiality of the letter may be breached by internet hacking, which can usually be prevented by activating you're computer firewall. This shows that bit-based information can become a convenient alternate towards the transfer of information regardless of the minor issues which may be solved later on in the years.



Below is a screenshot of the favourites section of internet explorer which contains the websites from which i use most for each criteria:







Reading 1 Summary

The web article "Grazing the Net: Raising a Generation of free Range Students" discusses the new age, where students in our society are now provided with limitless amounts of information. It also informs the readers of the many benefits that students will gain throught the use of research using the internet; such as speed, efficiency and more encouragement towards students doing work and assignment with less hesitation.

UPC0004 Week 9

Summary

Lecture
For this week's lecture we were informed of different online communication applications and protocols, and we were also informed of the benefits of ICT (Information Communication Technology). Firstly, we were shown the different types of communication between people or organizations, and were then informed of the different types of communication methods we could use and their dependencies (e.g Bulletin Board, MSN Messenger, etc.). Afterwards we were informed of the differences between synchronous and asynchronous communication and some examples of ICT use for communication.
Tutorial

For the first task of this week's tutorial I was required to access the Google groups database (http://groups.google.com.au/) and enter a search term of my interest. The topic I chose to search was martial arts, the results I received provided a wide range of discussions related to martial arts. After viewing some posted messages I found that the discussions viewed the subject from many different perspectives due to the fact that anyone was able to post their own point of view into the bulletin board.

For the second task of the tutorial I was required to use a search term in order to find podcasts on that topic. The search term i used was 'podcasts'. This provided me with thousands of results which contained various audio information ranging from samples of music to audio interviews between certain people on various issues. This shows that podcasts are able to provide university students witht he benefit of gaining information in audio form which will help them interpret information easier depending on their ability to learn.





Reading Summary 1- Guide to Using e-mail


Reading Summary 2- The Problem With SPAM
The website http://www.caube.org.au/problem.htm discusses the issues of spam, and encourages the readers to consider this issue to be more important than society would normally think it as. The site provides different perspectives from which spam e-mail are an issue and how it will affect the internet society. Overall, the website is structured in order to greatly boost the importance of the issue on spam emails and provides a detailed argument on the disadvantages of spam.

UPC0004 Week 8

Summary

Lecture
In this week's lecture, we were informed on how to appriopriately structure and undergo a presentation in order to sufficiently educate the audience on the subject. We were first shown a short video (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1529637984) on how NOT to make a presentation. We were then informed of the different ways we can prepare a presentation and how effective certain presentations will be in order to succesfully inform the audience and make them remember the information from which we choose to show them.
Tutorial

UPC0004 Week 7

Summary

Lecture
In this weeks lecture we were shown how to appropriately use the EndNote application in order to create references in Microsoft Word. We were also informed of the complications we may encounter when using EndNote and the benefits provided from using it.
Tutorial

The online referencing guide provides detailed information and examples on how to create references, whether it be in-text or end-text referencing for various texts such as books, articles, emails, and web-sites. Five different types of references for electronic format material are:

Web page -
Technical specifications (iPhone). [n.d.] Retrieved November, 2007, from Apple: http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html

Article only in an Internet Journal-
Fredrickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimise health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html

eBook-
Wilkinson, R., & Marmot, M. (Eds.). (2003). Social determinants of health: The solid facts (2nd ed.). Retrieved December 2, 2007, from http://www.euro.who.int/document/e81384.pdf

Email-
Office of Research and Development. (1995). ARC large grant guidelines. Email December 2, 1995, from t.lampard@cowan.edu.au/Get ARCLG95

Lecture Notes Available Online-
Smith, J. (2002). PFF 1198 Lecture notes. Retrieved March 14, 2002, from Edith Cowan University, School of Nursing and Public Health website: http://www.ecu.edu.au/fchs/sonph/units/pff1198.html

Resource 1 Summary- EndNote
The EndNote document provides detailed information about the EndNote application and also provides a detailed guide on how to function is appropriately. It also shows screenshots in order to provide a more thorough example on how to use different functions on the application thus making it a very useful guide on how to use the EndNote application without any major issues.

Resource 2 Summary- 'Some additional endnote help'
The website http://www.endnote.com/support/ensupport.asp provides technical support towards various issues on the EndNote application. It is structured in order to immediately solve any issues which may occur when using EndNote by providing links towards popular issues from which people may experience when using this application. The site also provides contact information for further support towards certain technical difficulties the users may experience yet are not able to identify the support provided on the website.

UPC0004 Week 6

Summary

Lecture
In this weeks lecture we were informed of the different qualities of internet web-sites and the different techniques we could use to differ between valid and invalid sites. Three indicators of quality were sources documented, reforged or typed information, and links to other sources.

Tutorial

The ICYouSee website http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html is a guide providing information on the correct methods towards critical thinking to what we see on the Web. it provides six suggestions towards searching information on the web and six extra areas from which it is recommended to evaluate before using a source.

Strategies for using the web wisely:

• Make sure you are in the right place- Make sure that what you intend on researching requires the used of the internet or not.
• When in doubt, doubt- If you are doubting the source of information, find similary searches and compare to see whether or not it is valid information.
• Consider the source- Be sure that the creator or writer of the web pages is experienced in the topic and give proof that the source is deemed reliable.
• Know what's happening- Be sure to check whether or not the site is supported or sponsored by a certain organization and whether or not it will be deemed as bias information.
• Distinguish web pages from pages found on the web- Make sure the web page you are using is dedicated to the topic you are researching and will provide sufficient information to be a good source.

UPC0004 Week 5

Summary

Lecture
In this week's lecture we were told about the different search engines available on the internet and how to appropriately use them. We were also told about the different categories that internet information go into: the free invisible web, free visible web, and paid databases over the web.

Tutorial

Four Strategies to structure a good search:

• Look for an appropriate search engine.
• Think of proper keywords for better search results
• Be sure to use "and" or "not" to include or exclude results from the search.
• If needed use the "query by example" option or "find similar" sites to further search for more related topics.

The one strategy i used to find the above strategies was by reading through each page provided of the site http://www.monash.com/spidap.html and acquiring different ways to best structure a search. I found this effective due to the fact that i was able to gain knowledge of extra information about using search engines that i have not known whilst searching for these strategies.





Reading 1 - Robert Harris: "Web Search Strategies"

This site provides and overview of the internet's vast quantity of information and provides details on how and where to search for certain types of information. It also gives tips on searching for information without the use of a search engine due to the fact that not all web sites are indexed in a search engine thus becoming less efficient when searching for certain topics.

Reading 2 - The History of the Internet: (Chap 4 - Search Engines)

This site informs the readers of the history of the internet search engine which was first used in the year 1983. It then describes how search engines have developed over the years to become ore useful in terms of ability to find information over the web. The site also provides brief tips on how to search topics with the use of various keywords.

Reading 3 - Search Engine Optimisation for Companies

This site informs the readers of the SEO ( Search Engine Optimisation) analysis which constantly monitors information such as web addresses that are generated, and fine tunes them making them higher ranking thus appearing in search engines as compared to some sites that are left out.

UPC0004 Week 4

Summary

Lecture

During the lecture we were provided with questions about the WWW and were then lectured about the different functions on the internet and various entries used for web addresses such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), server, country and domain. We were also told of the different browsers to surf the web with and more importantly, the required tools to get onto and use the WWW.

Tutorial

The website http://www.haggishunt.scotsman.com/ attempts to appear authentic by providing various facts of about haggis every time the site is refreshed and further implies its authenticity by having a competition supported by three professional associations, Gleneagles Hotel, MPS and The Scotsman Publications Ltd.
Four points that give the site away as a spoof are:

• The ‘haggisclopedia’, which decribes a mythical creature and ways to hunt it although it does not exist.
• Haggis merchandise is sold which implies that the site is to attract people rather than to inform.
• One of the cameras provided on the site is from Times Square, New York.
• The ‘haggis facts’ section does not provide real information due to the fact that the haggis does not exist.
  

The website http://www.molossia.org/ attempts to appear authentic by posting links to their news articles on the home page and stating the site as an “official website”.

Four points that give the site away as a spoof are:

• The samples of the money the site says molossia uses are in no way real. (e.g the queen of genova picture on the 20 valora note is just an actress).
• There is no such event as the “Dead Dog War” in the history of Molossia.
• All pictures on the site contain only two people, a father and son.
• There is no such country as Mustachistan.

For the website http://www.martinlutherking.org/, based on the site name I assume that the site would contain facts on the life of Martin Luther King and how he became famous.

After having read the site, I find the information rather bias towards Martin Luther King, which views him as more of a sinner than a saint among society.

When comparing with other sites about Martin Luther King, the site provided seems more invalid due to the greatness portrayed in the other sites that support Martin Luther King's achievements during his time.

Reading 1 - A brief history of the internet

This article provides a detailed explanation of the history of the internet. This includes an explanation on its origin, initial internetting, commercialization, and how it revolutionized computers and communication.

Reading 2 - History of the World-wide Web

This site provides information about the history of the world-wide web and its achievements such as the development of Electronic Mail ( E-mail), search engines, and basic net data.

UPC0004 Week 3

Summary

Lecture

In today's lecture we were informed about the use of online libraries and databases and their advantages and disadvantages. One advantage would be the fact that it is up to date, and a disadvantage being that some library sites and databases require subscription before accessing.

Tutorial

Searching Database Hints and tips

• Check the Also search for related words box whenever unsure of name or international spellings.
• Use quotation marks to search one or more words that are found together.
• Converting your search into other language may improve search results.
• Using the 'not' command will exclude ads which contain the specified word (e.g. Journalist not Magazine).
• Using the 'or' command or comma will return ads which contain either of the words specified (e.g. Television or Journalist).
• With the 'and', '&' or space command, keywords separated by this will return ads containing both words (e.g. Television and Journalist, Television & Journalist, Television Journalist).
• Use brackets when searching for subsets or words when also using other words.
• Using the asterisk will return ads containig words starting with the keyword used (e.g. Tele* will give the result Television, Telephone, Telesales and Telemarketing).
• Use truncation in order to expand words.
• When searching for articles use references to locate the actual article.

I believe that the medline website www.medlineplus.gov would be used buy people who are worried about various symptoms and wish to have confirmation of the diagnosis before seeking professional medical help.

Reading 1 - Finding What You Want on the Web

This article is by Bill Thompson, a technology analyst, who is attempting to find a way in order to search information without needing the use of a search engine such as Google. He then write about how he has found a guide on how to choose the best search for information requirements thus coming to a conclusion that good online searches can't just be found by typing a few words.


Reading 2 - Bare Bones Lesson 7: Basic Search Tips


The site http://www.sc.edu/beaufort/library/pages/bones/lesson7.shtml provides tips on various method we can use when typing keywords into search engines for more concentrated results such as the use of the minus sign (-) to exclude certain topics from the search thus providing better search results.

UPC0004 Week 2

Summary

Lecture
For this week's lecture, we were informed of the various computer applications we would require use in order to complete certain tasks with maximum efficiency. Applications such as Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer would be most needed for the tasks we are to complete in this unit.

Tutorial
In this week's tutorial our task was to follow a guide in order to acquire the appropriate skills when using Microsoft Word. Our second task was then to create a timetable similar to that of a picture provided through the use of Microsoft Excel. Both tasks were fairly simple although some issues were experienced due to the lack of use of the applications.






Reading 1 - Using MS Word for APA tasks

This document provided a well detailed guide on both the basic and advanced functions of Microsoft Word for when completing tasks such as essays or referencing. Each section provides step by step guides to help the reader appropriately use different functions to design a good layout for a document.


Reading 2 - Graphic File Formats

This reading provides information on the different graphic file formats and the advantages and disadvantages for when an image file is changed into this format. It also provides information on which areas the file formats would be mainly used thus providing efficiency in that area.

UPC0004 Week 1

Summary

Lecture

During the lecture we were provided with a powerpoint presentation which gave us an introduction to the unit and the skills that we would acquire from completing it.

Tutorial

Today we started the unit by learning three tasks: creating a weblog, using imageshack and posting screenshots. All three objectives were fairly simple due to the fact that we were following detailed instructions and also because such tasks are basic when using the internet.

Reading 1 - PC Lube and Tune

The website http://www.yale.edu/pclt/default.htm is titled PC Lube and Tune, which is a Service Station and Convenience store, providing usable introductions, tutorials, and education on technical subjects for the readers.

Reading 2 - How Stuff Works

This site provides information on the PC (Personal Computer). The site includes various sections which inform the readers on the various parts and functions of the PC and includes a short video clip on how to operate the different parts.