Review Of On-Line Education

These are five educational websites that I have used, I have ranked them in order of 1 - 5. With 1 being the best and 5 the worst. Also, I have given a brief explantion to why i like/dislike the website:

1. BBC Bite size : I find this the most useful out of all the on-line education sites mainly because of the vast depth of knowledge there is on the website. It is good for revising because it tells you the most important facts then gives you a test on it to tell you how well you are doing. Also, it is based around what is found on the curricular, for example it looks at the poems you study in English and helps you to analyse it.
2. Wikipeadia / On-line Encyclopaedia : I find this useful because it has a lot if information on it and you can find what you are looking for extremely quickly. Also, most include images which help to understand what they are saying. As well as links to other relevant sites.
3. Learning Objects (e.g. The Timeline on the Science Muesem’s Website) : I find these useful if you want to find lots of information on the same subject e.g. the development on computers. Being on the internet means that media files can be attached, this is helpful because it makes remembering what you have read easier then if you were just reading blocks of text.
4. Simulations (e.g. NetFrog) : I find these useful because it means you can do experiments or things you might be afraid to do without really having to do them. It is easier to remember how to do something if you do it than if you read or are told it. But if you are to scared to actually do something or you cannot afford to do something than this is really good.
5. Sam Learning : I find it the most hardest to learn from Sam Learning because it there is very little to do. The only thing it lets you do is answer questions on certain subjects. But I find answering questions doesn’t mean that I will learn it. Also, it is multiple choice so sometimes you can get through by just guessing the answers. With this multiple choice if you get it wrong you can go back and do it again this time picking the right answer and therefore not learning the answer to the question.

Using A Simulation

These are my views on simulations on the internet:


I think the website Net Frog - http://www.longman.co.uk/gceappliedict/redirection_service.asp?ID=41 is a very clever idea for a website. The purpose of the website is to demonstrate the dissection of a frog and the practise before you do. The website is set out in sections, the first is the general practise you must do before dissecting a frog. This includes the equipment needed and health and safety issues. Next, is making the incisions into the frog. This is done by the website first telling you where to make these cuts and why to make them then you can then make these incisions yourself by clicking on a photo of a frog. The website uses lots of media to make the website easy to understand. There are explanations, in audio form, which are like lectures and talk you through what to do. There are videos which show you what is happening and links so you can try it for yourself. I think that this website is a good idea, because it is politically more correct then killing a perfectly healthy frog so you can dissect it, instead you can use the same frog over and over again. The website taught me that there are so many different things that you can do on the internet.

Explore Learning Objects And Stimulations

The website I used for this is http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/. Then click on ‘story-line’, then find ‘Age Of Ambivalence’.
The website is really interesting. The website was set up to help a-level students learn about computers and modern ICT. I think the website does this really well giving lots of information without using really technical language but also not patronising the reader using juvenile words. I also thought that using images as well helps you to remember what you are reading and makes you able to put the pictures to the words and understand what is being said.
The story-line moves along in chronological order making it easy to follow and understand. The first page is about the first personal computers, next there is a section on ‘early internet’, next ‘the first home computers’, next the ‘world wide web’ finishing with sections on computers and the internet in modern society.
Another fascinating thing I found on the website was an interactive section which all the previous sections but using different media such as videos and animations this makes understanding easier and helps to make the reader remember what they are reading. It is also easier than having to read large sections of text all in one go.
This website has taught me a great deal about online education. I now realise it is possible to find out about any subject you wish and there will always be something to help you learn and improve your knowledge.

Case Study - The Digital Divide - Asia Tsunami

This is my case study for modern communications and the south east Asia tsunami:


The tsunami which happened on Boxing Day, 2004 was caused by an earthquake which happened under the sea. The first people to know this were Americans studying for earthquakes, they sent out information via e-mail to as many cities, towns and villages in South East Asia as they could.
When the tsunami struck there was many different they presented information about the tsunami, there were e-mails, telephone calls, text messages, web sites were set up especially for the disaster and every news channel on the TV was describing it. E-mails were used to give signals of the disaster and for people to contact others, telephone calls were made to let people know of the disaster and to contact relatives also, text messages where sent to let people know that they were alright, web sites let people know of missing people, contained statistics an were a way of people contacting each other and on the news gave descriptions of what happened, and also had a ‘ticker’ which relays text messages and e-mails so people could find missing relatives.
Information was shared quickly, scientists in America e-mail people in Asia as soon as the earthquake happened saving numerous lives. Text messages allowed survivors to contact relatives and let them know they were alright; this was much quicker than having to wait until you could fly home or until main line phones were working again. Also, websites were set up almost instantly after the disaster allowing people to find out what had happened.
There was a greater interaction between organisations and individuals, the BBC received 30, 000 e-mails the day after the tsunami happened all relating to the tsunami itself. Also, news channels gave individuals up-to-date reports of what had happened keeping them in the know and also they had a ticker which allowed individuals to contact individuals. The Lonely Planet bulletin board was used so people could leave messages letting any one know they were alright and the BBC had similar bulletin boards.
Blogs were used to keep in contact over the tsunami period these brought together a virtual community were people could talk to each other all over the world who were worried, confused or looking to contact friends and family.
Modern communication systems were used over old fashion ones because for the main reason they were faster, e-mails can be received within seconds of them being sent as do text messages. Old methods mainly relied on word-of-mouth or using land line telephones which during most disasters fail to work. However, modern communications work because they travel through satellites which aren’t on the ground but in the air. Also, the information sent can travel a lot further distance than older methods due to these satellites which can be accessed anywhere in the world.
The services that were used were very effective. For example, a boy of two was recognised and rescued because a family member had seen him on the front page a website set up to find lost people. Also, hundreds of other people were identified and rescued from websites and news reports.

E-Commerce

This is my research on E-Commerce:


E-Commerce In Business

E-commerce business is a rapidly growing industry. The purpose of e-commerce business is to sell products of all types of nature over the web. An example of this, is the store ‘HMV’. HMV sell a range of goods from CD’s to DVDs on the high street, but they also sell these products online for a cheaper price. The target audience for this website is for all age ranges, who interested by music and film. However, the majority of its buyers are young adults. HMV fulfils it’s purpose by selling a wide range of products for a cheaper price than in the store as for many they contain no tax or vat. It also makes it easy for people to buy products by having simple screens and instructions, another way it sells products is by keeping people interested, as each product has a description as to what it is.
Another e-commerce store is play.com. Their aim is to sell games consoles and games at discount prices. It’s target audience is anyone interested in computer games and games console, however, most of these are older children. It fulfils it’s purpose by being easy to navigate with simple links and text which is easy to read. The stages to buying are well set out so that getting to the buying stage is easy.
Finally, JD sports sells not only on the high-street but also the web. Their aim is to sell famous brands of clothes. Their target audience consists of mainly teenagers and young adults, or anyone interested in fashion. It fulfils it’s purpose by having easy to navigate screens with good links. A good idea it has I previews so you know what you are buying, these show it from different angles.
The advantages of e-commerce to the customer are that they don’t have to leave their house as items bought are delivered to their house, this can be good because web sites show how many are in store so you don’t have to go to the shop to find they’ve sold out. However, when buying with a credit card, it is easy for people to get your credit card number and duplicate your card and use it for their own good.
The advantages of e-commerce to the business is that they don’t have to spend loads of money buying a shop in town when they can just buy a warehouse and distribute their products from there. However, not everyone can use or has access to the internet so they lose out on money from people who cannot use the internet.



On-Line Banking
The purpose of on-line banking is for customers to do all their banking form their house without having to go to the high street. An example, of this is virgin bank, which operates only on the internet. It’s target audience are for people who do have a bank near them or cannot leave their house for a particular reason, or for people who don’t want to go into town for banking. It fulfils it’s purpose by having easily navigated links and vital information at places where it’s easy to read. Accessing the right areas is easy to do because it is well signposted. Another example is, Lloyds TSB, it’s target audience is for people who are joined with them and don’t want to go to town to do their banking. It fulfils this by making it easy for customers to find what hey want to do. It is made very safe and secure and important text is highlighted. The advantages of on-line banking is that the customer doesn’t have to go to the often busy towns and high streets to do their banking. Another major advantage is there is no waiting in line and all the paper work goes through quickly. However, your bank details can be stolen and used in fraud. Also, if you make a mistake you cannot change it and you can’t withdraw money.

Usenet Newsgroups

Recently I have been looking at newsgroups on the internet and reflecting on what I have found, including limitations and benefits.
The main website I have found my information from is; http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Educator-Gold/browse_thread/thread/ca779ba0232fc372/594505033489b7bc?lnk=st&q=&rnum=2&hl=en#594505033489b7bc

The discussion was about the digital divide in America, and who are on each side of the divide. Who and what are causing his problem, and what is being done to close the divide. I found the discussion very interesting there were a lot of important statistics such as; 'only a fraction of minority households subscribe to broadband Internet: 14% for African-Americans.' I thought this was good because it gives a way to put what you’re reading into something that you can understand by using numbers.

I think these posts can be really useful if for example you were looking for other people who share the same interests etc. However, in this example it is useful as it bring awareness to a subject which is often ignored and makes people realise what is going in the world. Also it is good for people studying the digital divide as it has lots of facts and figures which can be used.

However, the web page talks about the divide in America, which has no interest to me living in the UK. This suggested that it may be hard to find specific UK pages.

First Blog!!!

Yo!

I'm Mike and I'm having a look into the 'Information Age' for my AS Level.

This blog is basically about all the online services available to me and what I think about them, benefits and drawbacks etc. And whether they meet the needs of the target audience. With any luck I shall be updating daily. But the chance are slim.

So Enjoy!! rrr
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