Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Week 1 Session 1: Class Activity 5

JIG SAW for different computer communicative learning

1) Asynchronous Online Communication Tools

"Different Time, Different Place"

Examples: Blackboards, Discussion Boards, Blogs, Google Documents, E-mail, various Social Networking Sites, etc.

+ve: "Own time, own target", at your own pace, comfort of your home/wherever comfortable
-ve: students lack motivation to complete tasks on time, misunderstandings occur, requires internet


2) Synchronous Online Communication Tools

"Same Time, Different Place"

Examples: Whatsapp, Viber, FaceTime, Chat functions on social networking sites/google docs/discussion boards, conferencing systems (webcam, video conferencing), instant messaging, Real-Time interactions

+ve: keep in touch with friends around the globe, immediate response
-ve: requires internet, the need for parties interacting to both be present, lagging can cause misunderstandings


3) Social Bookmarking and Tagging

Social bookmarking is tagging a website and saving it for later. Instead of saving them to your web browser, you are saving them to the web. Tags can appear under tab such as 'most popular', 'newest', etc. Tagging is also usually by categories such as shopping, technology, food, news, sports, etc.

Examples: favourite websites, pictures with 'labels/tags', Twitter '#tag'

+ve: boomarks can easily be shared with friends, users can look at other categories of tags, easier to find items based on their categories, narrow down the items you are looking for
-ve: what may be a particular category for one many not be the same for another, needs the Internet


4) Social Networking

A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections.

Examples: Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, Bebo, Linkedin

+ve: get to make more friends, keep in touch with loved ones, learn more about various cultures, share interests
-ve: limited privacy options, need to be online


Week 1 Session 1: Class Activity 4

Mindmap

How computers affect my life at present and in the future


Your MS Word has to be able to open '.docx' format.

Sample of what you will see:











Thank you! ((:

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Week 1 Session 1: Class Activity 3

6 basic categories of Computers

1) Embedded Computers

Usually programmed to perform specific tasks. It typically includes a microprocessor and application software.
These are incorporated in devices such as handphones, music players, specialist hardware, IT networking hardware, household appliances, etc.





2) Mobile Devices

Has display screens, touch screen, mini keyboards, small and light enough to take around.
Examples: game consoles, handphones, digital cameras






3) Personal Computers

Any general purpose computer whose size and capabilities make it useful for anyone, anywhere. For personal use and not for servers/many users.
Examples: PCs (desktops), laptops








4) Mainframe Computers

Known to be huge, heavy duty, high reliability, used for large scale computer processing, can be used as a server (to connect to other networks, computers, etc)
Example: ATMs 





5) Super Computers

For high intensive functions such as weather forecasting, quantum physics, has niche functions, very specialised, calculates very quickly, and its processing speed is extremely fast.
Examples: weather forecast systems, AI player, etc

Week 1 Session 1: Class Activity 2

Reflection of Video

Computers are used for many things. For one they can be used to make videos, just like the one we saw in class today. In the video there were many forms of statistics; and guess what, computers are the ones that are used to come up with all those calculations and statistics. Also, computers perform many functions that surpasses a human brain like translating (it takes years to master a language), computing, searching for the various information (forms, types, examples, etc) through the Internet, prediction (using softwares and programmes to come up with many inventions not made in real life yet), designing (e.g. Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc), and we users have access to all sorts if data.

To me, computers do mean a lot, for example, a personal computer helps in assignments, passing time, creating projects, making gifts, amongst many other things. Yes there are positive and negative outcomes of using a computer.
Positively would be the opportunities we have to tie up and link with users of other countries, different timezones and continents; keep in touch with loved and not so loved ones all over, perform many tasks at a reasonably shorter amount of time taken than when not using a computer.
Negatively, computers take away some part of social life function in our human bodies. By spending so much time on computers and generally technology on the whole, we become anti-social. Sometimes it is not because we want it to happen but it just happens and sooner or later, it becomes a part of our lifestyle which would then be passed on to the younger generations.

Week 1 Session 1: Class Activity 1

INTRODUCTION

All about me(: