1.7 - How to add url to favorites - Activity 6

1.4 - WLAN's - Activity 7

They are mainly located in the USA and UK in cities that are densely populated. These have been created to offer free WiFi to the community, as well as for for people interested in using equipment and developing software relating to wireless networks and technology. You can find these services everywhere including McDonalds, Costa Coffee etc. This is because these days a lot of people take their notebooks and laptops to these places so they can work and relax/eat.

Many of these are made to serve people on the so called "wrong side" of the Digital Divide - being that they are not getting home access to the internet. This is so they can access it for free. However this is not entirely true as many people without internet access don't have internet enabled phones or laptops to take to these hot spots. However these groups are helping to close the gap in the digital divide by providing ICT related services where they were not previously available which is a great help to many communities (especially rural villages.)

1.4 - ICT at my library - Activity 6

At the Gosport town library internet access is offered for free (broadband) which displays a fast transfer rate. You have 30 computers to choose from with a time limit of two hours to accomplish your ICT needs. As well as internet access it also has basic software such as a word processor, spreadsheet and computing/mathematic program. This service is open to everyone who is a member of the library which is great if your internet breaks down or you don't have a PC. Being in a well known area in Gosport (the town center), it is highly publicized and advertised. To entice people it has a modern feel to it and even a cafe'.

1.4 - Research into my local communities ICT access - Activity 5

In Gosport there are quite a few sources of ICT ranging from community centers to the library. There are various disadvantaged groups who could probably benefit from ICT, even if it just means learning a few basic skills. These groups being poor/homeless people and families who cannot afford a computer, plus the elderly, who (in most cases) do not have the knowledge to use digital equipment as it wasn't taught to them because they were already old when it was introduced.

One of the initiatives in Gosport offered for disadvantaged people is free internet access in the library (located at the town), i have used these services and must say they are very helpful. There are 30 computers with free internet, all you need is a library card. Plus because the digitally disadvantaged may get stuck; library assistants are always happy to help.

1.4 - Initiatives to fund the digital divide - Activity 4

The purpose of getting digital technology in the elderly community and teaching them how to use it is so that the whole community becomes more diverse and elderly get to explore deeper into the worlds compatibilities making their lives more exiting.

This article relates to the digital divide because the digital divide is not only about poorer countries or poor people, it is also about the elderly (basically anyone who isn't usually considered when discussing digital technologies.)

It's main target clients are anyone who is elderly and do not have access or knowledge of digital technology (especially elderly people in rural areas.) This is because when advanced digital technology came around they were already "too old" to be introduced to it - the main reason young people know what their doing on a computer is because basic techniques are taught at school starting from junior school ages.

It's strengths is that this way the whole community will know how to use computers even if that just means using very simple applications with very simple techniques. Another advantage is to the economy because this may mean that more people will be buying PC's and laptops. However there are some disadvantages, one being that because it is a no charge service it may go-bust because it cannot be funded anymore. Another reason is that some elderly people may think that they understand the material covered whereas they may getting it wrong, this is a problem because e.g. if in the classes they are taught on (for example) Windows XP but they buy a PC or laptop that uses Windows 7 they may get confused thus wasting their money and time.

In order to improve this service they could make a box for volunteer donations which will keep the service alive. Also if an elderly person is considering buying a PC or laptop a worker from the service should accompany them to the shop when purchasing a new unit so they know that the problems i discussed earlier do not occur.

1.4 - ICT and pensioners in rural England - Activity 3

From this article http://www.bayhouselearning.co.uk/mod/resource/view.php?inpopup=true&id=14021 i have found that digital technology had made a significant impact on the couple (in the article) because of things such as online shopping (to save them time and energy) and simple word processing techniques help Clive write letters.

I don't think that their lives would be much poorer without the internet at home but it would take away their new business and recreational means away. For instance Dorothy enjoys going on such sites as http://www.friendsreunited.com and if this was taken away her life may become (in search of a better phrase) slightly more dull.

The computer being three miles away rather than at home would not be as useful as having one at home as you are always guaranteed access at home and you can go on it for as long as you want.

1.4 - Who studies computing subjects - Activity 2

In my Applied ICT class there are 6 girls and 8 boys, this shows that more boys at Bay House are more interested in ICT than girls (backed up with the fact that ONLY boys do the Computing course.) There are more men in ICT jobs too which is why more boys take it at A level.

1.4 - What is the impact of internet access for the homeless - Activity 1

The ways that access to the internet would change a homeless persons life are:

1)They could go on a job website to make it easier to find a job.
2)They could go on the government website and sign up for benefits.
3)They could use a map/search service to find a local free hostel or shelter.
4)They could use a very cheap website service to buy goods or food.
5)They could contact friends or family

Not having internet is not that much of a big deal. Many people get by without it, however if you think about what they are missing it becomes apparent that the internet is important but not essential. People are missing out on easier communication (via instant messenger and email)they are also missing out on tons of valid information.

The things that are more important to a person than the internet could be:

1)Food
2)Shelter
3)Family
4)Pets
5)Lifestyle

1.7 - Compare Subject Directories and Search Engines - Activity 2

In order to compare subject directories and search engines i have used the services of Google for both. In the subject directory i have created a path going from "Computers: Education: Internet: FAQ's, help, and tutorials."



The purpose of this is to find important information to do with my e-book. Here i have looked into HTML and CSS making - an important part of the e-book creating.




I then did the same search in the search engine service from Google.



I came up with similar results as those that were displayed within the directory search. To conclude - i think that the directory search is best for a detailed search such as the one used here. A search engine is better for quick searches for snippets of information or websites.

1.7 - Use a Subject Directory - Activity 1

Subject directory sites such as the "Open Directory Project" allow people to find what their looking for without scrolling through page after page in a search engine. I have used a subject directory on the site rather than searching to find internet world statistics for this year. The process is as follows:

1.3 - Data Response - Activity 2

"Women and information technology in Sub-Saharan Africa" is an eBook which describes the current state of ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa as-well as the situation involving, in particular, women.

A reason for the lack of ICT in this area is because of something such as telephones (and the shortage of them), Which is near enough the first thing you need if you want to connect to the internet, especially dial-up which is probably all they can afford. Furthermore, Africa is seriously lacking in fully ICT trained people so no-one can repair anything - let alone teach it. This is why people are not learning how to use it...because they're not being taught.

The project to develop ICT have been successful as it has not only trained people to use it, but it also has brought in a lot more computers which is steadily pushing Sub-Saharan Africa on the right side of the Digital Divide. However this (in some senses) has also failed because there are still a lot of untrained people. What's the point of having resources when you can't use them? Furthermore, the skills needed are not necessarily simple...by which i mean that it will take a lot more than simple skills to repair and program these machines.

One more problem is the lack of complex business skills because people can be hired with poor understanding of ICT, meaning bad decisions can be made and poorly designed systems are used which can create many problems, especially for people who have only just been trained to use it.

1.3 - What leads to being on the wrong side of the divide? - Activity 1

Guinea Biseau, Chad, Mali, Burkino Fasso, and Niger are on the wrong side of the digital divide. This is due to these countries being poor or their goverment spending money in the wrong way e.g on weapons rather than technology, relating to this is how the government is a major problem. Other factors include educational and knowledge.

1.2 - Access to Original Entertainment - Activity 10

Publishing original entertainment has never been easier because of websites like http://www.youtube.com videos can be posted displaying your form of original entertainment. However this form of original entertainment could never be harder to find (specific videos) as there are so many different types of it.
The most popular website for publishing original entertainment is http://www.youtube.com, the only way .....to b continued

1.2 - Business Communications - Activity 8

>>>>see presentation shown in class<<<<<

1.2 - Evaluate Your Communications - Activity 7

In my personal/social and working life i use communications in technology. In my life i use e-mail, mobile phone, instant messenger, web-cam and basic face-to-face communication. I seem to use communications in technology in my personal/social life on services such as Facebook and windows live messenger and occasionally hotmail more than in my working life, this technology is highly conviniant when i am not able to get out or i need to communicate someone who's location i do not know. Although i use communications technology more in my personal/social life i have found that recently (due to now being 6th form) i am using it a lot in my working life. For instance, in ICT classes i am using email to send documents to teachers and classmates and it sometimes is even part of tasks set in class or as homework. I find communications very helpful in all the aspects of my life as it makes life a lot easier and is a very efficient way to communicate.

1.2 - When Do You Use Mobile Phones - Activty 6

I use my mobile phone souly for personal/social use so my main purposes are just to text people to arrange meeting up, or calling someone to chat. I also use it for quickly taking photos/videos on-the-go and playing my little mobile tennis game. I usually use my mobile when I'm out because when I'm at home I just use the land line.
The main advantages of having a mobile is that you can contact anyone anywhere (if you have their information) for a cheap price. You can also play a game or run a fun application so if you're on the move then you wont get bored. The main disadvantage is that if you run out of credit or battery life then you can no longer use it.
My mobile fulfills my required purpose of it as i only really need it for texting and it achieves this very easily and well.

1.2 - When Do You Use email - Activity 5

I use email, mainly, at home and school. For home use i have two main email accounts. One for personal use and one for things such as eBay and Play.com, this way it is much easier to manage personal and business topics so i can reply/access them more quickly. For school use in ICT lessons it is required that i have an email account so teachers can contact me concerning ICT work. I access email (for home use) using WindowsLiveHotmail and school use via GoogleMail.
The benefits of using email for me is that it is an easy way to communicate and allows me to communicate with teaching staff at the school if i get stuck with something.The only disadvantage of my email is that it can often get cluttered with junk mail.
I feel that email makes me most productive when it is concerning work or business, however I'm least productive when it concerns just silly emails containing e.g. inside jokes between friends. The purpose behind email is to allow people to communicate in letter form but without having the effort of hand-writing one. With that said i think email achieves it's purpose and more because it can be used just sending anything including documents and images.

http://www.hotmail.co.uk


http://www.googlemail.co.uk

1.1 - Online Banking - Activity 13

I have investigated two online banks: http://www.barclays.co.uk http://www.natwest.com. The purpose of online banking is to allow users to do everything they would do at a bank, but online. It is more convinient if you cannot get out of the house and if you are disabled e.g. blind it has a web reading app to allow you to know what your doing.
It's target audiences are anyone that banks. If you are over 16 you can access online banking services on both sites. Although online banking also has a large target at disabled people who cannot get out to the bank.
Both websites achieve their purposes well as it is clear and well laid out so it is simple to use. However you do not get the same immediate help/interface you would with an actual person at the bank.
I can see know reason why it needs improving.

1.2 - Ambulance Services - Activity 2

Some ambulance workers have been forced to work in their ambulances throughout their shift. This idea was introduced so that paramedics could arrive at a scene faster than ever before. This idea was thought of off of the base that there were more crimes and injuries in certain areas so ambulance workers were positioned nearer to those areas rather than staying at the station until a call comes in. This means that on a slow day paramedics could be stuck in their ambulance all day without even going to a call. Although this is an efficient way to work it has caused problems within the workers and many complaints came in (basically as soon as it started in the 90's).
However, the new ICT is very effective. Even though the ambulance workers are having a hard time sitting in the ambulance all day; it is saving MORE lives, so think about which is more important? Furthermore, callers can be traced to their areas so if they are unable to continue speaking to a reciever, then paramedics can just go to the scene and find out the problem. Sat Nav's can get ambulances to the scene in the quickest possible way too.
I think that if the ambulance workers are more concerned about where they are stationed over saving more lives, they are obviously in the wrong proffession.

http://www.wmas.nhs.uk/
http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/A.Finkelstein/las/lascase0.9.pdf

1.2 - Tool Man - Activity 1

John is very clustered with items to help him with his job. He carries a large diary and an adress book, this can be simplified by using a small PDA which have built in planners to get him organised. This would allow him to store all of his contacts information in the adress folder and create a realtime diary which alerts you before and on the time of your appointments etc. He also carries a road atlas and various A-Z's. This can be simplified by using a Sat-Nav or a GPS enabled smart phone or PSP. These devices give you realtime directions to the exact destination you need to go, many of them also state various ways to get there, stating the quickest way. Furthermore, he carries many coins for pay-phones when he could be using a mobile phone, and because he uses phones often: he should be entitled to recieving a contract phone from the company he works for. He could (again) use a PDA for a calculator, or even just a modern mobile phone. Finally, instead of carrying around a bulky sales catalouge; if the company has an online catalouge and ordering system he can just use a laptop.
Although these various ICT appliancies will save him time and space, they may, however, cause a problem. It is possible that they can shut down on him or malfunction plus they need charging a lot, also if he isn't very ICT abled then he may get lost in it all. However, if he brings all of his old stuff with him too just to put under the seat, he can use it as a backup if the ICT fails.

1.1 - Online Entertainment - Activity 21

Because i have a regular access to the internet; i have used many forms of online entertainment. The online entertainment i have used in the past three months have included: Playstation 3 online gaming, msn instant messaging, youtube.com video service, Playstation 3 music video viewer, online pc games, bbc iplayer.

PS3 Online Gaming: The purpose of this is to allow PS3 owners to play thier games online with other people all over the world or even just with friends. This service is targeted at PS3 owners with internet access who are usually 14-30 years old. There are not many limitations of this service but it still doesn't completely fill its full potential because Playstation makers have promised that there is a lot more to come.

MSN Instant Messaging: The purpose of this service is to allow people to communicate as a simulation of talking face to face. The messages are recieved instantly after typing them so it is a quick and easy way to chat online. I think it completely fills its potential/purpose because it does exactly what it is supposed to do.

YouTube.com: The purpose of this service is to allow internet users to view videos of all almost genres for free. The videos are often in HQ and buffer quickly. I think that it fulfills its purpose quite well but could increase potential by adding an on site download service to save all of your favorite videos.

PS3 Music Video: This viewers purpose is to allow PS3 users to watch free music videos of thier favorite artists. It fulfills what its purpose is but videos can take a while to buffer and doesn't yet have a large enough store of varied music.

PC Internet Games: These are made to allow internet users to play a quick and free online game.............

1.1 - Downloading Goods - Activity 20

Items I have downloaded:

• Songs (MP3)
• Movies (DivX)
• Programs (iTunes)
• Plug-Ins (For Firefox)

I downloaded these items rather than pphysically buying them because they are either; hard to find in shops, cheaper online, easier to download rather than go out and buy etc.

I think the download service fulfills its purpose well as there are so many websites and programs from which you can download almost anything, and you can download things very quickly and easily.

However there are problems with downloading. For example; downloaded items may be in the wrong format, downloads can carry viruses which decay your computers system, illegal items/images can be carried with downloads.

1.1 - Investigate Goverment Services Online - Activity 19

Note: Click on image to enlarge.

Note: The brown coloured boxes are the topics and all other colours come underneath them.

1.1 - Macromedia Virtual Classroom - Activity 16

The Macromedia (or Abobe as its now known)online training environment is a resource which allows the user to learn about how to use Adobe products.

An advantage of learning how to use these products online instead of in a book or a class is that it is more convenient for the user and you can re-start it and go back on it as much as you like. The tutorials are always accessible from the website so you can learn when it suits you, which could be any time that is most convenient to the user.

A disadvantages is that it is not accessible to everyone, what i mean is that not everyone has internet access. However in order to solve this problem the user could visit their local library which usually supply computers where you can rent an hour of internet use - usually for free. People with slower connections may suffer too, with some tutorials taking the form of data heavy streaming video.

1.1 - Use A Simulation - Activity 15

http://frog.edschool.virginia.edu/Frog1/menu.html is an online Frog Disection Simulation website. The website starts with an introduction which then leads into a practise brief to prepare you for the disection. The purpose of the online simulation is so that you can be sure that you are disecting properly and will not destroy any of the frogs organs which would jepordise further learning about the frogs anatomy. The other purpose of the site is for curious users to be able to use the site if they have left school/no longer have right equipment for the procedure so they can disect a frog with professional equipment (but online). Although, in theory, the site matches its purposes i was disapointed to find that there is no interactive tool to ACTUALLY disect the frog online. It wouldnt take much effort to upload a simple interactive animated frog to disect.

1.1 - Explore Learning Objects and Simulations - Activity 14

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/ is an online education site for students. Its purpose is to help AS/A Level Students with thier subjects by getting right to the point in an easy to use enviroment. The sites "Stories Timeline" is a useful resource which allows students to navigate thier way through a range of different stories throughout time related to the evolution of technology in science in our world.
Although one of the sites purposes is to provide a straight to the point summary of a topic, it is a very text laiden website. However, i still think that the website meets its purpose because although it is a lot of text, it still is quite straight to the point. Many sources include images to help the students. The layout of the site features many links to related topics and back to the home page on every single page which gives students many options to speed up thier learning.

1.1 - eBay - Activity 12

eBay is the most used and most famous online auction site in the world. The purpose of eBay is to provide a service where anyone (over 18) can buy or sell anything! One of eBay's goals is "to provide our users with not just an easy way to buy, but an easy way to find," eBay's user system allows people from all across the globe to sell almost anything so people can often buy things that have been discontinued or hard to find in shops. I see that the target audience is those who are 18 and over because under 18's are not allowed to join due to possibly being naive and careless with thier accounts, however because eBay can sell anything (as long as it's legal) i think that anyone can be the target audience, including those under 18.
The auction system on eBay is separated into two catagories (1) Shops (2) Private Sellars. The eBay shops provide mostly 'New Products' as they are coming from a shop or storage area straight from the factory, and the buying option is a "Buy It Now" option only, which means that the customer does not bid on the item and just pays for it immediatley at a set price via PayPal. The Private Sellars sell thier own personal items which are mostly 'Used Products' and are mostly "Auction Only" which means that items are bidded on over a selected amount of time.
eBay fulfils its purposes well as it is very efficiant and raises few problems. It has over 15 Million users in the uk alone, and 212 million worldwide. Around 105 million items on sale at one time, and aproximately 6 million added each day. eBay is the worlds biggest online market place. The benifits of eBay is that it is a cheap service to sell unwanted clutter, and you can find most hard-to-find items. The limitations are that you have to pay a fee to upload items, and because it is so big it atracts scammers.
eBay is so succsesful because it is very efficiant, gained a good reputation, is cheap to use, and allows people to find things that may usually be hard to buy.

http://www.ebay.com.au

1.1 - Plan a Journey - Activity 10

I used http://www.thetrainline.com/ to plan a train Journey from Fareham train station (nearest to my destination) to Paddington train station (nearest to Tottenham Court Rd). The date of the journey was set on 18/09/09 and the first train at Fareham leaves at 12.40 which travels for 15 minutes to arrive at Havant. At 13.04 the train leaves Havant and at 14.23, arrives at Waterloo in London. The final train leaves Waterloo at 14.23 and arrives at Paddington at 14.59. It is then a 10 minute walk to Tottenham Court Road.
The price for this journey for an adult one way at a standard day single is £30.70, reserving seats are free so the final total is £30.70 and the journey will take 2.19hrs.
I found the source (http://www.thetrainline.com/) very useful as it made the journey very easy to plan. I particuarly liked the 'Station Finder' tool which allowed me to find the nearest train station to both start point and destination.

1.1 - Weather in My Area - Activity 11

Friday 18th September:

BBC Weather: Cloudy With Sunny Intervals
Met Office: Clear Skies
Actual Weather: Cloudy
-------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday 19th September:

BBC Weather: Heavy Rain
Met Office: Heavy Rain
Actual Weather: Cloudy, Short spells of Rain
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday 20th September:

BBC Weather: Sunny Intervals
Met Office: Sunny Intervals
Actual Weather: Sunny Intervals
-------------------------------------------------------------
Monday 21st September:

BBC Weather: Sunny Intervals
Met Office: Sunny Intervals
Actual Weather: Sunny
-------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday 22nd September:

BBC Weather: Cloudy
Met Office: Cloudy
Actual Weather: Sunny

1.1 - Use Usenet Newsgroups - Activity 9

Hosted on google groups, a discussion on the digital divide decreasing. In my opinion i would be right in the ball park if i said that many people asume that the elderly and poor are the only ones who dont usually have access to digital equipment, however there is a wider range of people without it. This topc shows opinions on the digitaly anorexic side of the globe. These discussions are very usefull in giving students a chance to explore different areas of ICT that they may not have seen before. Google Groups purpose is to provdide a service where poeple with similar interests can discuss their chosen topics (e.g ICT). These forums come from groups all over the globe and will usually conatain the opinions from people all around the world. For an A Level student this is an extremely useful resource.

i used this forum: http://matadorchange.com/digital-divide-getting-smaller

1.1 - Haiku Messages - Activity 8

Haiku Message Example

Text: Nevr dmp bt wite
Sanka nos al ht cleerins
Angry he enchnts

Translation: Never damp, but white,
Sanka knows all hot clearings.
Angry, he enchants.

1.1 - Share Blog Adress - Activity 6

I sent this email to 4 people which includes my blog url, they also all sent me theirs.

1.1 - Conduct an Online Discussion - Activity 5

I had an online discussion with Victoria McCormack about email which show 3 questions.

1.1 - Adding Links To Blog - Activity 7

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm

1.1 - How Email Works - Activity 4

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

1.5 - eBooks: Activity 1

Purpose:

The eBook; "Unleashing the killer app: digital strategies for market dominance" is about the progress technoligy is making. The book explains to reader the killer app which is something which takes over from an existing item by improving it .Examples of killer apps throughout history include the Welsh longbow, the pulley, the compass, moveable type, and the Apple Macintosh. The purpose of the eBook is to give readers 12 steps to appling killer apps to their own organisations to transform them into thriving business's which create their own.

Format:

The format of the eBook is HTML so it can be used on all internet enabled computers and PDA's alike.

Structure:

The structure of "Unleashing the killer app..." is a html page with all images and colours included in the paper back book. It is structured as a normal paperback but features interactive text.

Navigation:

The navigation is all scroll and click as it is only html. The scroll feature shows all pages going vertically down. There is also a links box, this has links to some key pages in the book.

Strengths & Weaknesses:

The strengths of the HTML is that everyone with access to the internet can view it, it is also very simply layed out thus making it easy to use. Its weaknesses is that it is HTML only so you cannot download it directly to an eBook reading device from the website.
Even though it...can only be viewed online it still fulfills its purpose as it gives readers an alternative way to read the book.

Starting the Applied ICT course

This blog has been created for my Applied ICT Course at Bay House Sixth Form. I chose the course because i have always had an intrest in ICT and believe it is a valuable and important part of the modern day. ICT is important to a lot of jobs so i chose ICT to get experience with different programs and techniques which may help me with future job choices. I rarely use ICT in the same way as at school, as i only use it for mail, music, and video. However my intrests in design will soon play a huge part of my ICT usage using CAD.