Week 10: The end of the blogs?

Okay so today is the last day of blogging o I thought I would sum up my experience of blogging and learning online.

As I had never blogged before this, I went into it with an open mind, and I must admit that I have enjoyed it. ive liked the fact that it has been somethinf different to do on this module rather than just essays essay essay and presentations, although I do know that we have an essay in this module too!

I feel the topics have been really interesting and i've enjoyed researching and blogging every week (even if it has been a little stressful some weeks). I've also enjoyed the group that I worked with, you all posted you blogs weekly and I enjoyed how we all got on and commented each other :)

All in all I think this was a good means of learning to experience. I personally do enjoy face to face interaction, I did enjoy the difference of this module to the othermodules on the course, although I don't think i'd like every module to be like this. It would be far too stressful! If I was to do this module again I think I would post my work earlier so that I could expand on comments that are made on my posts, and I also try to comment on more blogs. All in all i've enjoyed this module...roll on the Essay (eek!)

Thanks guys! xx

Week 10: Something Extra: ITunes- U?

Okay so I know that we've come to the end of blogging, but today I received an E-mail from Itunes. I had a little gander and thought that it was influtential to the new media topic so I thought i'd tell you guys about it. Cara perhaps our ideas about an I-Education and an I lap for a technophile in the future are beginning to be created! :)



The E-mail was telling me about Apples latest idea for itunes: 'The Itunes- U'. The ITunes U enables you to 'learn anything, any place anytime'. It's hard to believe but Apple have decided to feature free lectures, language sessions, audio books and seminars from various Universities all around the world along with various professional journals and websites!



The Itunes U application lets you access more than 60,000 audio/video files from universities, All of these lectures and audio books etc can be sync'd with your iPod, iPhone or iPod touch anytime of the day anywhere! Even though this may sound technical according to Apple you can "search, download and play educational content as easily as you do music, movies and TV shows". This notion once again relates to 'convenience culture'.

I think this just goes to show how the idea of E-learning and distance learning is developing at a phenomenal pace. It's quite hard to believe that some of the ideas that we all wrote about in last weeks post about what life will be like in 2020 might actually be coming true in 2009! See Cara, you and I thought our ideas were a little 'out there' but perhaps they're not as out there as we thought.

I've added the link on to the bottom so that you guys can have a gander. Sorry if it wasn't very interesting to you guys, I just thought it was pretty cool :) What do you guys think?

http://www.apple.com/uk/education/itunesu_mobilelearning/itunesu.html

Week 10: How does the semantic web differ from web 3.0?

Both Web 3.0 and the semantic web look to personalize the web. They also look at improving the usability of the web to enable easy navigation to the particular areas you are looking for. As we are now in Web 2.0, web 3.0 is seen to be an ‘improvement’ and is also seen to be the future. Web 2.0 seem to concentrate on the notion of interfacing, social networking sites and other mainstream ideas.
The semantic web is far more specific as a means of wanting you to access information quickly and effectively. This particular part of the web is also an individual product which could in the furture be added or encorporated into Web 3.0 to improve or support it. However later on in my post I will question the idea of Web 3.0 and the semantic web.

Here is a site with examples of silimarities and differences.
http://internet.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_web_30

It can also be suggested that Web 3.0 is far more powerful than Web 2.0. In an article that I read they have suggested Web 3.0 and the semantic web to be the same thing. Perhaps a combination of the two is being considered? I feel that a combination of both Web 3.0 and the semantic web would result in a very professional product with easy navigation and access to information. From my research i've found that Web 3.0 isn't necessarily going to be the fixed name of the future web, but instead Web 3.0 is a way of promoting it to a group of people who know that the web at the moment is known as Web 2.0. If they don't keep the name Web 3.0 I wonder what it might be called? (although web 3.0 does seem the common sense name)

I feel you should all have a read of this article and inparticular the comments which people have made at the bottom of the page. I found them very interesting!

Author Unknown (2007), Web 3.0 and beyond: the next 20 years of the internet, http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2726190.ece, [Accessed 25.03.09]

Week 10: What is the Semantic Web?

The Semantic web is an extension of the World Wide Web. The semantic web is also known as a ‘web of data’ and “enables people to share content beyond the boundaries of applications and websites”.

The semantic web looks at the idea of applications being needed to help us gain information over things that we are searching for. This type of web is suggested to be ‘smarter’ than the ordinary world wide web as it can help us find what we want quicker. It helps to specify the results we find when searching on the internet to the particular topic we’re looking for. The semantic web enables us to have “data as well as documents on the web so that machines can process, transform, assemble, and even act on the data in useful ways”.

I personally feel it will been as significant in the area of education as it will enable you to research and pin point sources quicker. It will also be seen as highly effective as digital natives understand and use this method of the web to the best of their ability. The idea of the semantic web seems highly professional and even though it will be some time before we see it working, it is obvious it will be highly influential on society.

Herman, I (2008), What is the Semantic web?(http://semanticweb.org/wiki/Main_Page), [accessed 25.03.09]
(Author Unknown), (2007)What is the Semantic Web?, http://www.altova.com/semantic_web.html, [accessed 25.03.09]

Wek 10: Education being 'tailored' to fit into cultural and personal preferences

When looking at our own culture, we have such a diverse group of people living in the UK it would be wrong to concentrate on our own British culture without taking into account others. There are various religions and cultures in our society which we must be educated on, as well as other cultures worldwide. If we didn’t have a knowledge of various cultures and groups our own culture would be damaged and create problems in various parts of our society. As the U.Ks population continues to develop so do are cultural and religious backgrounds.

This question could link to the previous question of education ‘stretching’ a person. Education should not only challenge a person to get the best out of their abilities but it should also broaden as persons learning in specific areas of our cultural knowledge. If we were taught our British culture then what would other people such as ethnic minorities with different cultures that live in the UK study?

Prensky could also be mentioned here. He suggests that education should be tailored around the indiviual and to young digital minds. The notion of tailoring education here is an example of trying to keep digital natives intrested through new means of education such as the internet etc. If this interest isn't here then some students won't be as encouraged to learn and understand various concepts which are being taught. The introduction of new digital technology does mean however that we can access information about various cultures and talk to people from other cultures on the internet. By easily accessing this information we can learn things about culture quickly and accordingly.

We are exposed to various cultures and religions in both education and in the workplace. If we were educated in issues soley tailored to our culture various problems would arise. If we are not educated in schools about the variety of culture in our society then students could result in feeling victimised for being part of a particular religion/culture or they might get bullied for being ‘different’ to other people. There is enough victimisation going on as it is and it would get much worse if we own knew about our own culture.

Also when we finish education we move on to getting a job in the developing business world. Knowledge of different cultures will be seen as an advantage as you will be able to communicate with a larger amount of people and have knowledge of particular topics based around cultures as it is something that you have learnt and developed.

Personally I feel the need to know about different cultures is a must! Cultures differ and vary depending whereabout you live, you have to adapt or at least know about these different cultures. Our society is multi-cultural and is continuing to develop it is essential we have an idea of some of these different cultures as they play a great part in our society.

Week 10: Question 2 (b)

b) To global access issues across countries and regions

For years now the internet has enabled people in various countries to be connected all around the world twenty four hours a day, allowing them to access practically anything that they want to find out about at just a click of a button.

There is the notion that not all countries/regions are as technologically developed as our country. In fact some are far more technologically developed such as China etc whereas others have limited access to digital technology. The idea of Less Economically developed countries (LEDC’s) and More Economically developed countries (MEDC’s) is implied here. Some countries do not even have the money to purchase these new digital technologies to allow them to develop. Many countries/regions might not even recognise the term ‘digital divide’ as some have little or no electronic appliances. This is highlighted by the theorist Lu who states “In developing countries, citizens do not have the disposable income to purchase the necessary equipment for internet access or and digital technology in general. It is not just the equipment; a literacy is also necessary to use it” (Lu, 2001).

In many countries the idea of become digitalised is not as important as issues such as health and poverty, implying that not every country or region is ready to be digitally caught up at this moment in time. This is an idea which could be isolating regions to get connected sooner consequently making the global digital divide greater. Again the idea of education can also be mentioned here. Online learning in some countries/regions is extremely limited.Children that are supposed to be 'native' to these technoliges have little or no access to this technology resulting in them not being able to use this technology effectively. Online communities, communities of practice and societies are also limited as people are unable to access the internet and interact with people who have similar or differing views and opinions due to various cultures. The idea of a digital divide not even being an issue in some countries can be suggested as they have no idea what Digitalisation is and therefore do not feel like they are missing out.

Both parts of this question imply how much we (the digital natives and immigrants) take the idea of technology for granted. Some of us feel like we’re missing out by not having the latest gadget. But what we should realise is that in some cases we have far more than other people. I feel that we are so native to technology today that if it went tomorrow we would have no idea how to carry on. Some LEDC’s have never even seen a phone or a computer or even have electricity in places, a number of of the gadgets that we have to them must seem unbelievable as it is something that they will have never encountered before. Hopefully more LEDC's will be able to catch up with technology at some point or at least get to a standard which will help to change their loves. If you think about China are far more devloped than us, so perhaps once we've reached China's idea of development perhaps some of the LEDC's will have reached to where we are now.

Lu, M (2001) “Digital Divide in Developing Countries” Journal of Global Information Technology Management, Volume 4 (3), pp. 1 – 4, http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=83155528&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1237463068&clientId=57096

Week 10: Question 2

What difference to all this might the 'digital divide' make? a) To socioeconomically related access issues within a society?

Digital divide is a term used to explain the ‘gap’ between people who access and benefit from digital technology and those who do not. England is planning for the ‘digital switchover’ on 2012 by enticing all household to get a digital receiver in their households to access digital radio and television channels etc before the analogue channels are switched off for good. This is hard for some generations as they cannot understand the concept of the digital switchover and cannot grasp the ideas of this new digital age. Presnky’s idea of digital immigrants can be implied here as the main number of people who cannot understand this new concept of digitalisation are of a different generation to the digital natives. This results in the being able to grasp and understand these new digital ways and ideas.

The economic crisis also has to be mentioned here. With the so called ‘credit crunch’, job loss and the decline in the economy the digital audience can be affected. People with lower incomes or that now have no jobs are unable to afford digital appliances to allow them to continue developing at the same speed as society. There is also the idea an amount of people who are unable to access digital facilities. As I mentioned in a previous post a few weeks Gordon Brown wants all households to have access to a computer with the internet and most to have digital boxes within the next few years to prepare for the digital takeover.

However many poorer places will still be unable to reach some areas. If they’re not careful the digital divide could get bigger rather than smaller. More needs to be done in the poorer areas of society. If not they will result in being left behind and will remain immigrants in a continuously developing society. Education must be mentioned here also. If families cannot afford to buy new digital appliances then their children will be unable to access a computer or the internet from their homes. This is ironic as these children are supposed to be digitally native to this new digital technology but instead are unable to be native due to their poorer background in society. The only way in which these children will be able to access digital facilities will be in schools, although they still might have limited time and access to it.

It is clear that digital technology is running at fast past and there seems to be no signs of it slowing down. The government are trying their best to close the gap on the digital divide but are now struggling due to problems in the economy. This year I think you can expect to see a lot more involvement from the government trying to engage all areas of the country into digitalisation.

Week 10: How might Wenger's notion on practice communities relate to Prensky's on education?

Wenger coined the phrase ‘community of practice’ and used it to describe groups of people” who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly”. This particular group of people has a ‘common interest(s)’ which enable them to enjoy discussions and each other’s ideas/opinions. This can be applied to education when you think of the group or community they are ‘learning’ more about it and how to take part in the group effectively and accordingly. He looks at the idea of learning not only taking place at schools/colleges but also with hobbies/activities and in the workplace. Wenger’s idea could also be applied to aspects of learning which are not only online but in meatspace face to face communication also.

Alternatively Prensky looks into the ideas of digital learning and the internet. Prenksy suggests the idea of a digital divide between digital natives (students) and immigrants (teachers). He suggests that digital education is lacking in teaching thus creating this divide between natives and immigrants. The natives have been brought up with this new method of learning, whereas the immigrants (teachers) have to try adapt and try to bring this type of learning in with the older methods to enable students to remain interested in what is being taught, whilst enabling their skills/and abilities to develop with society.

Both Prensky and Wegner look at the idea of educational online learning. There is also the idea of making education enjoyable. Both theories look at the idea of learning taking place in groups. This could relate to the idea of communities of practice being created to help discuss particular topics revolving around certain subjects that are being learnt. However they look at the idea of group work in separate ways: Prensky looks at the idea of digital natives being able to communicate learn in groups via SNS, IM and other digitally native ways. Whereas Wenger looks at face to face communication and he believes that there are various statuses within a community of practice. He implies that groups have an advantage from a leader. There is a link in perhaps Prensky’s digital natives (students) could create some form of community of practice to express their own ideas about their work to each other, resulting in learning away from immigrants (teachers). However, Prenksys immigrants could involve themselves in these ideas if they learnt how to use digital technology more effectively in education and learning allowing them to grasp new skills and abilities which will not only entice the digital natives into continue learning but to also allow themselves to obtain these methods and use them on a day to day basis.

Week 9: The Experience of a fictional technophile

(Sorry for this one being a little late guys)

Twenty years since the Millennium, time flies!! and things are very different...

University has changed for students like Nathan, and they love it! There is no longer the need to worry about getting up early for lectures and Nathan can study from the comfort of his bedroom. What with his handheld Apple 'i-lap' (a smaller version of a combined laptop, mobile, mp3, camera and tv) there is no reason for him to leave the apartment. He has his digital timetable in his i-lap programmed to let him know when his lectures and seminars are about to start. Online lectures, seminars and tasks are all distributed to Nathan through this device with his responses being sent back via E-mail (or a newer version of the e-mail). Not only can lectures and seminars be sent through this device but Nathan can even have a face to face or rather cam to cam tutorial with lecturers. The 'i-lap' is also great for keeping in touch with friends it even has its own extreme social networking site where Nathan takes part in 'Video meets'- the new way of catching up with friends.

What with the internet now being Web 3.0 and a new version known as Web 4.0 being worked on the world is more digitally modernised than ever. Meatspace interation is now only required once as week and unlike in previous years all but one module of Nathan's course is online. One upside is that there are plenty of trees around the beautiful campus and surrounding areas, paper is less important as like in most businesses nowadays notes are taken on their i-laps and assessments and presentations are sent via web mail or video mail resulting in the decline of printing appliances.

There's only one downside to this new university regime; Nathan's been having some problems with his essays. His tutor has told him to go to the Univeristy Library and look through books and journals there, but Nathan just can't be bothered he's waiting for the day when all books and journals are online so that he doesn't have to walk to the library and look through an amount of books to find sources. Its boring!!!

Okay so some some of this is pretty farfetched, well it sounds it anyway. But who's to say that this might not happen, noone really knows whats in store for our techno-deterministic society. Convenience is definately going to be a must in 2020, the easier the better. In ten years time il be 31 and there's no doubt in my mind that guys like Nathan will be new digital natives and i'll be a sad immigrant trying my best to get to grips with all the new technology. Actually i'll probably still on the 'old skool' as it will be seen to be facebook! Isn't it weird how things change?!

Week 9: The daily frustrations of a neo-luddite (part 1)

Below are just a few examples of the daily frustrations/problems that a neo-luddite would meet ona dialy basis. I think this question actually makes us realise how much take for granted and how much we rely on new media technologies on a daily basis. Would we be able to cope without them? If they weren't around I think I can say that our social and academic lives would be greatly affected.

A neo-luddite is someone who does not agree with the idea of technological development. They are “cautious to promote an early adoption of technology, and while they are not necessarily opposed to technology, they would prefer to see a more serious discussion of the role of technology in society” (Smith, 2003). I personally feel that a neo-luddite that is studying at university at the moment would struggle as various aspects of University life revolve around technology.

At university students are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to write essays on word documents and create presentations. All students have their own E-mail address which enables students and tutors to inform of any changes, problems, advice or developments. My fictional neo-luddite (Leah) would struggle with this as they would not know how to access her E-mail which could result in them her knowing important information.

Week 9: The daily frustrations of a neo-luddite (part 2)

Most universities also have a ‘portal’ or ‘blackboard’ for both tutors and students to interact on. It consists of a student timetable, dates for your diary, previous lecture and seminar notes, library catalogues and acknowledgements from tutors. These are up online twenty four hours a day and are easily accessible rather than having to go round finding lecturers etc. If Leah was against this technology she would be unable to access any of this information and would be limited to accessing certain facilities.

Leah would also have a very limited access to references and sources when researching for essays and dissertations. Even though she would have an amount of resources in the university library from books and journals there may be theories and journals online which might not come across in a book. She wouldn’t be able to browse the online journals or online library catalogue. This would result in her findings being very limited. Leah would also find an online module in her degree a problem as she wouldn’t be able to complete it, this could result in a very low mark or even failing that module.

Not only would the lack of technology affect her academic life, it would also affect Leah’s social life. She would be unable to contact friends and family through a mobile phone, E-mail, Social networking sites and IM resulting in her having to write letters to friends and family and waiting for them to reply this way also. If she was planning on going for lunch or on a night out with friends she would be unable to contact them if there were any changes to the arrangements. If one of Leahs friends was to mention that she had uploaded some pictures from an earlier night out to a social networking site such as Bebo or Facebook Leah would be unable to access/view them. If Leah didn’t use any of these technological appliances she would end up feeling left out and a bit of a recluse from her friends. Her friends/colleagues may get frustrated as to why Leah doesn’t wish to use these technologies and be literate with modern technology. This could result in possible arguments between friends and colleagues occurring and could permanently affect her social relationships.

Smith, S.E (2003) ‘What is a neo-luddite? Wise Geek. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-neo-luddite.htm [accessed 14/03/09]

Week 9: Threatening the notion of digital natives & immigrants

I feel my work colleague Sue is a person best known to me who questions/threatens the notion of digital natives and immigrants in society.

Sue is 49 and a Senior Pharmaceutical Dispenser for Boots. Even though she is 49 she has a good knowledge with the basics of Web 2.0. When she first began training to be a dispenser all of her exams were, labels on medicine bottles, and ordering/filing records were all hand written. However as society has developed so has her knowledge and understanding of learning. As with most aspects of working for a company like boots, staff training is continuous even if you have a particular status in the business. Most training materials now are computer based which has made Sue interact with computers more than she thought she would. Also labels and ordering in the pharmacy are now computerised but she still uses her old fashioned method of filing cabinets instead of folders on a computer desktop as sometimes computers can be seen as 'too complicated'. She also uses special pharmaceutical software on the pgarmacy computers. This software is complex and it takes a whilst to get a grasp of. Sue however knows this software inside out and teaches younger assisstants how to work this software. This could question Prensky's idea of immigrants and natives as aaccording to him an immigrant would be 'older' and have to learn something, where as in Sue's case she would be the native of the software who would be teaching people like me or other assisstants so we could be seen as 'immigrants'
ourselves.
She sends E-mails, joins online conferences and blogs and knows how to create word documents online but in some cases still prefers to write her own letters and write on pen and paper. She shops on the internet and looks for holidays on there too but also enjoys the ideas of browsing around the shops in town, and always books her flights from a travel agents rather than an online site. Perhaps because she spends so much time in her job talking to members of the public face to face etc that she too enjoys meatspace interaction. She also has a mobile phone and appears to text quite a bit she also has now signed up to Facebook and is getting to grips with both Mobile phones and Facebook to enhance her abilities. Sue has always acted very young which is perhaps a reason why she likes to keep up with the new technology. I do admire her for trying these new appliances, as she’s always been once to ‘jump in at the deep end’ so to speak. I think it is good that she is able to combine traditional and new technologies to things to work how she wants them to. From what I’ve noticed with her particular generation, many of them are combining the two areas like Sue and trying to get to grips with these new technologies as well as enjoying the ‘old’ ways.

Week 9: The Youngest Digital Immigrant (part 1)

The youngest digital immigrant I know is a girl that I used to go to school with. She is now 20 years old and like her other siblings she has a very limited knowledge of technology. Her age would imply that she should be a digital native, but her family background prevented her from being this so she is therefore seen to be more of an immigrant. Her parents are naturalists and prefer the simpler things in life and do not agree with technologies such as televisions and computers. They do not have either of these forms of technology in their household. This can be seen as very rare nowadays as most household’s now have at least one of each of these appliances. Only her father has a mobile phone, but it is a very simplistic model which is out of date and is only used in emergencies.

From going to school with her and her younger brother I noticed that she didn’t seem to mind that she was unsure of how to work these technologies. Although it was sometimes highlighted when friends or teachers would mention programmes on television or websites that she had never heard of and therefore struggled to answer or express an opinion about. Her uncomfortable nature with technological appliances was implied when we had to use computers and the internet more in school lessons, as it took her longer to grasp skills on the computer.

Week 9: The Youngest Digital Immigrant (part 2)

I do however feel that her parents influence over what she is accustomed to has affected her wider learning skills. She chose more written based academic A-Levels and the thought of wanting to pursue a degree at University was always an issue as she was unfamiliar with the technology which would be used whilst being there. She did however decide to try out university and managed with help to fill out an online UCAS application form. From what I know she has grasped the basics of writing essays on Word and Powerpoint layouts and knows how to access her E-mails. She doesn’t have facebook or IM, nor does she have a television in her room at University or a mobile phone. But she does however seem happy with what she does know and the fact that she doesn’t have these other technologies doesn’t seem to bother her. She concentrates on improving the basics of this technology and has never worried about not having the most popular electrical products. She never had them in the first place and therefore feels like she isn’t missing out on anything.

I would class this as an example of a digital immigrant as she is not entirely comfortable with the new technologies. Even though she finds the basics difficult, she tries her best to adapt some of these skills to enable her to do well in her education and further her career. It does make me wonder how she is going to behave and act when she has children, whether she will continue knowing the basics of this new technology and if she will allow her children to access the facilities which will be available to them.

Week 9: The oldest native...

The oldest digital natives I know are my sister and brother in law. They are both in their 30’s and they work in the I.T business. They work with this technology everyday and have no qualms about using it. In the late 1980’s early 1990’s the internet and new I.T technology became highly popular which influenced the field in which my sister wanted to work in. In 1991 she was 18 and took an A-Level in Information Technology and since then has pursued a career in the area of I.T and digital technology. There is no doubt that the idea of computers and the internet and have dramatically changed since then though! The concept of new technology and digitalisation is also very important to my brother in law as he is an I.T specialist for Microsoft. This new type of technology is highly important to him as if it wasn’t for computers and I.T etc he wouldn’t have such a successful career or even have a job in this particular field.

When comparing my sister and my brother in law I think it is fair to suggest that my brother in law may be a different type of digital native to my sister. As he works for a particular new media company he knows of upcoming and new technologies that my sister and I haven’t even come across yet. This suggests that he is in an exclusive group which is somewhat ahead of other digital natives, as he is already getting to grips and trying out new software and technology for his company that hasn’t been released to the general public yet. (I personally find that really exciting and I’m a little bit jealous of him to be honest!). As I mentioned in one of my very first posts I find it bizarre how he is given a new updated laptop every 3-4 months, with new software on it, to keep him advanced in his work. It’s strange that I think that Windows Vista is the most up to date software, when on his laptop he knows of ideas and trials of other software which is being tested which is even better than Vista.

Week 9: The oldest 'native'... (part 2)

To these two people technology doesn’t seem to be a hindrance. They use the Internet daily in their line of work, but also for booking holidays, finding car insurance, internet shopping, and have changed their bills from paper form to online bills. The idea of convenience is implied here as they can get practically everything they want to find or access at their finger tips and do not have to leave the house or trek to town to get what they need. They also use the internet on their mobile phones to enable to get their information ‘on the go’. I also know that they scrapped buying a daily newspaper as it is far easier to find out the news headlines and current affairs via the internet , television or DAB radio. They interact with friends and family mainly through E-mail, IM, Facebook, phone calls and texting (with the exception of when they contact my mum and dad as both my parents know how to use the internet or a computer), howvere they do still come and visit us face to face! Although I do have the odd webcam conversation with them now and again. They both have an Ipod each which they use on the go as a form of entertainment. The also use other gadgets around the household and in the work place.

I do wonder however that maybe they are a little too dependant on this type of technology, I know that if this type of technology was to disappear they could probably go back to the old traditional methods but the idea of this convenience culture wouldn’t be there.

Week 9: 'Stretching a Person'

In my opinion the concept of education 'stretching' a person relates to the notion of pushing or challenging the particular person to enable them to get the best out of their skills and ability. I feel 'stretching' is almost like challenging/testing you to limit so that you can gain the best our of your skills and qualities to get decent qualifications which will be used in future careers and life. Education is a very effectuve way of enabling a persons skills/ability to indeed 'stretch' as there are various ways of education appealing to an individual, whether it be through old academic methods of learning, newer methods of learning or a combination of the two. As education is so diverse it can easily affect a larger group of people. I feel that in a way education and social-determinism go hand in hand as you need an element of social interaction to educate yourself not only at schools and colleges but also at home and in everyday life.

I also feel that when you accomplish a specific goal or learn a particular skill, it provides you with an element of pride and confidence as youy have managed to succeed in pushing yourself to get the best out of what you can do. You also have a skill or 'knowledge' for life which can help in future opportunities.

I guess in a way you could suggest that 'E-learning' is a new way of stretching an individual as it is a new type of education which hasn't been encountered before. It allow students to come across and get to grips with a new aspect of learning. Traditional learning methods appeal to all ages and I personally feel that you continue to learn about new things every day. However unlike traditional learning there is the idea of 'digital learning' being seen as more limited towards older generations (digital immigrants) as they sturggle to get to grips with this new method. This is backed up by the idea of Prensky. I do however feel that there was a need for this new type of technology, it's almost like a 'brain traning' game, it's a new idea to try and interest an array of people into continuing to learn. I can only wonder what kind of education there may be in 5 years time as this 'new' type of learning might not be the current modern style of learning. There is no doubt that education is going to continue to chage and develop just like our own society is developing everyday.

Week: 8/9 Question 4&5 combined

Prensky, M (2006) “Listen to the Natives”, Educational Leadership, Volume 63(4) pp.8-13, http://centre4.core-ed.net/viewfile.php/users/38/1965011121/ICT_PD_Online/ListentotheNatives.pdf [accessed 13/03/09]

This article is again another example of the main theorist Marc Prensky. He continues to develop his idea of generations having different interpretations and levels of understand towards digital technology and learning. He refers back to his idea of the ‘digital native’ and the ‘digital immigrant’. The article is particularly aimed at the idea of educating digital natives as effectively as possible. He goes on to discuss how changes in the education system are needed to enable digital natives to remain interested in learning and continue to benefit from education.
It once again discusses the idea of a generation barrier between natives and immigrants and backs us Prensky’s notion that digital immigrants must be able to cope with the pace that both digital natives and digital technology are evolving at. There are few comments about ‘digital technology’ or digital learning being seen as a bad thing. Prensky obviously stands by the idea of digital learning being the best way to develop in an ever changing society, which as time goes on will become more and more dependent on digitalisation.



Moore, A (2005)"Digital Immigrant Or Digital Native?" NMK, Knowledge for the Media Economy, Issue , [accessed 13/03/09]

This article looks at the ideas as to how brands engage with their audience through digital media. It looks at ideas based around, accessibility, design and digital innovation and the ideas of 'socialmedia'. Various theorists are highlighted through the discussion in the article. The author goes on to disciss the way in which young people are accessing the news. Many of them are no longer relying on the morning newspaper but instead accessing the news ‘on demand’ through the internet and their mobile phones etc. The Author then goes on to discuss a ‘paradigmatic shift’ from how young people used to act in society (from before digitalisation occurred) to now in the 21st century. Moore (2005) (the author) states that “Technology enables us to go to market, and totally rethink how we might engage our audiences”. He also goes on to define a list known as the ‘four C’s’ thus being Commerce, Culture, Community and Connectivity. He suggests that these four ideas are vital to engaging an audience to be enticed to a product. He also suggests that there must be an element of good content, and high interest for this idea to work.

Week: 8/9 Question 4 & 5 combined

Prensky, M (2001) "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants", On the Horizon, Vol 9 (Issue 5) [accessed 13/03/09]

This article looks at the idea at how technology and education in society is changing and is written by the theorist who coined the terms 'digital natives/immigrants' Marc Prensky. New users such as digital natives and immigrants are created as a way of subcategorising the skills in which individuals have when looking at the concept of new media within different generations. Prensky refers to accents employed by digital immigrants to try and allow them to learn skills that the natives have. The article also looks at the ideas of education and the limitations between generations because of the development of new media.

The ways in which immigrants think and understand is very different to the natives due to the generation gap. Immigrants try to heed the ideas and methods of the natives but still prefer some of their own older ‘immigrant ways’, where as natives enjoy simple, quick methods which allow them to have instant gratification. If the immigrants want to continue to help natives to develop in their learning, they have to continue to try and get used to the new media/digital concepts which the natives find more interesting. They must try to continue and learn these skills as society continues to develop else the divison between the two groups may become even bigger. This is a very detailed paper in this field, providing a great amount of information based around the ideas of digital natives and immigrants.


Glogowski, K, (2005), ‘Blog of proximal development: Teaching. Blogging. Learning- Digital Pioneers?’ http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/2005/08/01/literacy-in-the-digital-age-part-ii/ [accessed 13/03/09]

This article establishes and discusses the gap between digital natives and immigrants through the difference of generation. It highlights some of Glogowski’s individual opinions as well as highlighting the works of Prensky and other theorists. He goes on to discuss the idea of how teachers are the “source of all knowledge and education but the electronic environment of knowledge-building changes that dynamic and allows the learner to see the surrounding world as an environment to be absorbed or - listened to”. He also went on to mention the notion that digital natives perceive reality through ‘oral listening’. However Glogowski’d doesn’t agree with everything that Prensky suggested: Glogowski argues that ‘the two categories of digital natives and immigrants do not accurately represent what is now happening in education’. This relates back to the an idea I mentioned in a previous post whereby theorists such as Prensky suggest that you have to be either a digital native or an immigrant, there is no area in the middle.


Adams, D (2008) ‘Gaga for Google in the Twenty-First Century Advanced Placement Language Classroom’ Clearing House Vol 82, Issue. 2. pg 96-98, http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ816791&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ816791 (12/03/09)

Once again this article looks at the idea of a gap between generations. He discusses how ‘immigrants’ (in this case teachers) have had to resort to using more digital methods in their teaching to help keep students (digital natives) interested in education. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, it is a case of adapting to the continuous development of our techno-determinist society and digital technology. This journal looks at how digital natives have changed from previous generations due to the fact that they have been brought up with this new medium. Adams looks at a programme known as the ‘Advanced Placement Language and Composition Programme’ that tries to include the Web and various applications such as Google Apps to learning.

Week: 8/9 Question 1: Digital Immigration

A ‘Digital Immigrant’ is the concept of a particular generation that has not been brought up around the ideas of new media or new digital technologies. Because of this they have a somewhat limited knowledge of new media preventing them to grasp the concepts/skills as easily as a digital native-ie the younger generation who’s life has been influenced and shaped by new media technologies such as computers, the internet and video games. A digital native is used to the common conventions and characteristics of this type of medium as they were born into this particular method of learning. Theis created a split between generations creating two different categories of users: ‘digital immigrants’ and ‘digital natives’. These divides can be seen between groups such as students and teachers, parents and children, older work colleauges and younger work colleagues.

These two terms were coined by theorist Marc Prensky in 2001. ‘Digital immigrants’ seem to struggle with the concept of grasping this type of medium where as the ‘natives’ on the other hand are comforatable with this techology as they find it the ‘norm’, quick and easy to use and use it on a daily basis. The word ‘immigrant’ is highly effective as this is indeed what an individual from the non-digital generation actually is; they have to ‘adopt’ the ideas of new media and try to adapt to technology as it develops. The theory created by Prenksy is supported and expanded by Robert O'Toole. Whilst using the main ideas of Prensky, O'Toole also came up with 12 characterisitcs in which he thought made someone a 'digital native'.

For some reason the idea of Prensky suggests that you are either a digital immigrant or native, there is no middle man. Surely this can be questioned? I think the idea s of Prensky are very interesting and they make you question whether you are yourself a complete ‘digital native’ and make you think of individuals that you know who may be ‘digital immigrants’. The is also the question of how ‘ahead of the game’ digital natives are in our techno-derterminist society compared to digital immigrants. Are they seen to have an ‘advantage’ over the immigrants or are some of the old methods which the digital immigrants are native to still effective? Possibly suggesting that these ‘languages’ that Prensky implies digital natives and immigrants use could perhaps meet together on some level and find their preferred method of learning.

O'Toole, R. (2006) 'Transversality: What does it mean to be digitally native?', http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/rbotoole/entry/how_to_make/ [accessed 13/03/09]

Prensky, M. (2001) 'Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants', On The Horizon, Volume 9 (issue 5), http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf. [accessed 13/3/09]

Week: 8/9 Question 2: Website Urls

Website 1: Digital Native
http://www.digitalnative.org/#about


Website 2: A Publication of the Michigan Virtual University
http://www.wisc.edu/depd/html/TSarticles/Digital%20Natives.htm


Website 3: Webpage from Warwick University
http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/rbotoole/entry/how_to_make/


Website 4: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins
http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/12/reconsidering_digital_immigran.html


Website 5: Webpage from The Guardian Newspaper, UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/oct/01/newmedia.media

Week 8: Website 5

This website features a news article is from a well known British newspaper. I found this a highly interesting article as it looks at the idea of the digital natives being ‘ahead of the game’ when it comes to employment in the 21st century. The writer of the article looks at Lee Rainie’s works about the impact of the internet on everyday life. The writer goes on to describe Rainie’s ideas of “today's 21-year-olds being 'digital natives': their formative years have spanned the period during which the internet and mobile phones became central to daily life. In comparison, their employers are 'digital immigrants'”.

The article also explains the rate in which digital technology has escalated over two decades. It also implies that it’s not only the age of the ‘native’ that is used to using this new technology but it is also their need to want to learn and try new things. It clearly explains the differences in ‘natives’ to ‘immigrants’.

It’s a very interesting article to read and would appear quite empowering to the digital natives as it implies that they have the new digital skills which have become “central to daily life”. Once again it was released in 2006 which does limit the reliability to 2009, but as it was only 3 years ago, some ideas mentioned may still be relevant to today. I’m 21 now and even though this article was written 3 years ago, I can still relate to what is being discussed. The article finishes with various ideas as to what is happening and what will happen in the future such as jobs having to be changed to support the new digital phenomenon. Even though the article is quite short and the mention of theorists is brief, it is still an informative article which allows you to know the basics of what it is to be a ‘native’ and an ‘immigrant’. This made me think of a question. Is it possible for an ‘immigrant’ to change to some form of ‘native’ as new technologies are created and begin to appear? Hmm just something to think about.

Week 8: Website 4

The third website I looked at is more of a blog. Even though it is a blog it highlights some of the writer’s individual opinions as well as highlighting the works of Prensky. He defines the ideas of what both digital natives and digital immigrants are. The writer obviously has been educated as there are pictures of books in which he has released about digital technologies based around blogging, convergence culture and gaming. This suggests that his ideas can be seen to be more reliable and valid. The particular writer of this blog mentions how he does not like the term ‘digital native’ or ‘digital immigrant’. He discusses various ideas of Prensky and relates them positively or negatively to his own ideas on the subject. He also looks at the ideas of the first website I commented on. He then goes on to define certain characteristics which digital immigrants have such as:

• To compute with an ‘accent’
• Being defined with a lack of ‘cultural difference’. This is seen as an obstacle which must be overcome to develop if they’re going to understand what is happening with new technologies in the modern world.

The idea of Digital immigrants being seen as "imposing old world standards on the inhabitants of a new world” which is going to affect their children’s achievements in education is also suggested by this particular writer. It’s interesting to find a site which not only supports the ideas of being digitally involved but also suggest limitations and ideas as to why it is also seen as negative. This particular blog was written at the end 2007. Many of the ideas discussed in the blog may still relate to todays ideas of digitial development, however some may be out of date already even though it was only published two years ago. This indicates the quick progression and development of digital technologies.

Week 8: Website 3

Again this particular article was written in 2006 limiting its reliability to 2009 which is one criticism towards its findings. This article is a blog from a well known University. The article goes on to define what it means to be ‘digitally native’. The writer also questions the idea of how we can create digitally native universities and schools. He then goes on to justify the positive aspects of the wider use of E-learning or ‘learning technology’. This can relate back to the ideas of distance learning and E-learning from the previous week. The article also explains where the writer heard the term ‘digital native’. Once again Marc Prensky is mentioned. From researching digital natives and immigrants I think it is right in saying that Prensky is a very influential theorist of the digital age.

The writer then goes on to outline where he thinks the University will be in five years time and defines what thinks it means to be ‘digitally native’. He then comments twelve characteristics/skills which the digital native apparently has to have. When I can add the link in week 9 I would like you all to look at these 12 skills and tell me how many you guys think you have, as I personally feel I have 6 or 7 of these characteristics. I myself agree with most of what the writer said in this article. It is very easy to read and to understand and makes you question whether you consider yourself to have all the characteristics of a digital native. The writer then goes on to conclude his ideas of digital native and immigrants and leaves a finale conclusion suggesting “perhaps becoming digitally native is more difficult than we expect”. What do you think?

Week 8: Website 2

This website looks at the idea of an age generation gap separating today's "Digital Natives" (in the case of this article students) from others such as teachers. It discusses how to make a distinction between a Digital native and other generations. The author explains the ideas of Marc Prensky which both agree and disagree with the authors own opinions. He relates these ideas to ‘personal life experience’. There is the idea of digital natives and other generations speaking a different ‘language’ or ‘accent’.

The website includes a counterargument suggesting that students cannot always perform advance searches of looking at resources on the web even though they have been brought up with this particular form of medium. The idea of digitalization affecting generations so much is questioned and the idea of 'legacy' is suggested to be a highly important factor. The argument of learning ideas without any influence from digital technology is implied. This can link to the idea that not every aspect of society at the moment revolves around digital technology, even though this technology is continuing to develop. The article also suggests that class and culture play a great part in usage of digital technology. Surely as mentioned with the e-learning in previous weeks, sometimes you have to find preferred method of learning?

However this article was published in 2003 limiting its reliability to 2009. Because of this what seemed to be ‘new’ or an issue in 2003 is no longer new or an issue to us 6 years later suggesting that some of the comments that have been raised in this article may or may not be relevant to today.

Week 8: Website 1

This particular website is completely dedicated to digital immigrants and digital natives. The website is based around a University research programme/project and is run by an academic team. Their aim is to provide support for young people who are growing up with this type of medium. When navigating around the site you can access articles, blogs, forums and social networking domains. This website is the element of a larger project which is being carried out by the University. They intend to research the way in which younger people interact with digital technology as part of their educational and everyday lives. The site also provides you with videos and publications based around digital natives and people who report on this particular field of technology.

This website has a very modern feel about it and is obviously updated regularly. This implies the modernity of the website as it is continuing to develop as digital technology is developing in society. It also suggests the moderinity of the opinions and results which are being suggested.

Week 7: Zambia- Africa

Education is a very important subject in Africa, if not a delicate one also. Disease is a highly recognised problem in Africa. One very common illness is Cholera. Cholera is a disease which is caught by contaminated water. It is extremely common in Zambia in the rainy seasons and has an effect on students being able to attend school . Other problems such as bad weather conditions, strikes and political disturbances prevent children from going to school and getting a decent educations. The statistics of how many children continue education is extremely worrying. Almost two-thirds of the children end their education at the primary level. One statistc that I did find shocking was that only 2 percent of the 20 to 24 age group enter a university or higher education.

This personally makes me realise how lucky we all are to have the opportunity to get such a good education which we sometimes take for granted. Many of us moan about having to go to lectures, school, college etc where as thousands of children in Africa would love to have the opportunity to get an education.

E-learning in Africa may be seen as a 'light at the end of the tunnel' so to speak. The constant cholera outbreaks mean that some schools close for an amount of time and sometimes don't re-open at all. E-learning can be seen as an alternative. During school closures children could access educational lessons from home which would prevent them from missing out on the little education that they have already. There are however some aspects based around E-learning that must be addressed. As Africa is a LEDC (less economically developed country) its electronic technology are limited, preventing them from having easy access to technologies such as computers and the internet. This could be one downside to the idea of E-learning.

Another problem that needs to be highlighted is the idea of 'educational elitism'. Much of the internet is overwhelmed with Western websites, with the English language overpowering the net. This could be one limitation towards learning in Africa as for many Africans English isn't their first language and would therefore struggle getting to grips with the complexity of the English language.

http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/index.php

Week 7: China

"During the early 1960s, soon after television broadcasting began to develop in China, the first television universities (TVUs) were founded in the capital." (Yuhui) I found this quote highly surprising; looking at the article discussing distance learning in China made me realise how far behind we are in our country. I can’t believe that they have so well developed in some distance learning/E-learning areas since the 1960’s. It was probably never even heard of in the UK during that time.

I do however think that China took a very risky chance introducing TVU's so quickly after television broadcasting began to develop. However this chance clearly paid off and there statistics back up the success of TVU's. " During the period from 1960 to 1966, more than 8,000 students graduated from the Beijing Television University and over 50,000 students finished single-course studies through its teaching programmes." (Yuhui). The success of TVU's increased and reamined popular as "In I975, the enrolment rate in China's higher education was less than 2 per cent, whereas in ninety-two other developing countries the rate was over 4 per cent.”(Yuhui).

I was also surprised to see how quickly new courses are added to China's E-learning facility.

"Enrolled all-subject students have totalled over 1 million, and all-subject graduates have amounted to more than 500,000.","By 1990, about sixty new types of multi-media course will be developed."(Yuhui). This just shows the impact of how New Media has developed and is continuing to develop to cater for more and more courses online. Increasing and adding more courses means that a wider group of students have the opportunity to study through E-learning. However one downside that I did notice was the percentage of how many people successfully graduated from E-learning degrees. It was quite low, which is a worry. But like all methods of education some don't work as well for some people as others. You just have to find your preferred method.

But are these TVU's good or bad? Again Yuhui higlights advantages and disadvantages of E-learning. One of the most positive aspects I noticed was that these E-learning courses are fairly cheap, which meant that more money could be spent on better resources rather than spending money on things that aren't as important. According to this Article it is clear that TVU's are highly successful and effective in China but I don't think they would necessarily work in all countries and for all subjects. Personally I think that I would not like to learn things this way. Maybe if I had been brought up with the whole concept of E-learning online then I would be more acceptable to try it and give it a go, especially if friends or other people I know were learning or had experienced learning in this way. As I mentioned in a previous post, there are constant debates about the lack of face to face interaction due to the high polopularity of the internet, and once again this is just another way of limiting discussion in 'meatspace'. It's nice to have some difference in your degree like an online module, but I feel the idea of an entire degree course being online just limits interaction and experiences that you would encounter in 'meatspace' (perhaps i'm just being old fashioned). Especially as you have to go out and work in 'meatspace' after you have graduated, many graduates might struggle to interact with other colleagues, as they haven't built up these skills during their degree as they were reliant upon the online learning.

http://www1.worldbank.org/disted/Technology/broadcast/tv-02.html

Week 7: Distance Learning & Me

I find the idea of Distance learning a highly interesting topic to discuss. As we are just over half way through this term and this module I feel it is a good time to reflect the idea of online learning as it is also the topic of discussion this week. So far I find blogging and online seminars/tasks to be quiet enjoyable. I guess it’s because it’s different from what we normally do in other modules. So far I find this new method of blogging and online seminars/tasks to be quiet enjoyable. I guess it’s because it’s different from what we normally do in other modules (you’re not stuck in the routine of going to lectures and seminars and writing notes and that’s it).

Of course there are obviously some advantages and disadvantages from Distance Learning.It’s very different front having face to face conversations with other members in your groups. I personally feel it is something that you have to adjust to. I enjoy the idea of blogging at my own pace ad deciding what I want to discuss in blogs etc but I’m unsure if I would like all modules to be like this. Okay, it is nice to have a bit of difference but I don’t think I’d be able to cope with all modules being online. Also as you structure the time and workload yourself it can be easy sometimes to drift away from having to post the blogs as you have to organise yourself to do it rather than it being placed on your timetable like other modules. I think distance learning/ E-learning is possible more acceptable on some course than others, for example this is a New Media culture module on a Media studies course, so you kind of expect to deal with the internet etc. Where as with subjects such as Maths, History and Biology I think it would be far more difficult to learn them online as sometimes more detailed explanations or interaction with students/teachers is needed. People talk about lack of face to face interaction or communication as it is and I feel that this just fuels these ideas.

However it does make me wonder what is to come with the whole concept of learning, if we’re already introducing aspects of E-learning into degrees, and schools I honestly don’t think it will be long until the old fashioned methods of teaching will disappear we will become more like china with E-Learning taking over education. Any thoughts?

Week 6: Website Analysis

The website I have chosen to analyse is the Official Website of The Leicester Tigers Rugby Union team. This website was created to keep the fans of Leicester Tigers up to date with various fixtures and news based around the team. When you first enter the site you immediately notice the colours which are being used: Green, White and Red. These three colours are a common theme throughout the website as they are the ‘teams colours’ and are also the colours of the actual strip that the Leicester Tigers wear for games. There are various hyperlinks which allows you to access particular areas of the site, where you can find out everything you need to know about the team.

It is a very professional looking website, which to some people would look difficult to use, but it is very well laid out and easy to navigate around. When you first type in the website address it leads to a page before the actually homepage. This page tells you the various areas of the site you can access and also tells you of particular offers that are on; for example one that is being advertised at the moment is an advert for Mother’s Day. When you click ‘enter’ you then get on to the main homepage of the website. The font used is striking, strong and bold implying that that is also what the Team is. This implies an element of power. Like a news programme the website has a new feed informing us of the latest news which is taking place to do with the team. It also has other professional new elements to the site such as a live feed, forum and videos. This allows a more entertainment based way of informing their audience with the information they want whilst also keeping them interested in the team. There are also interactive parts to the website such as the Leicester Tigers shop: selling memorabilia, poll votes to take and ticket sales.

The website is there to promote Leicester Tigers. The idea of the website is to also keep their fans up to date with fixtures, news, results and events revolving around the team. It can be accessed 24 hours a day. This website is the main source for getting information about the team. The occasionally have games shown on the television and have adverts in the local newspapers and such promoting the team but there are no television adverts etc to try and entice audiences to the team. It has topics and areas to entice a wide audience ranging from children to adults. It has various adverts on most pages of the site. These adverts are companies that sponsor the team. The entire website has the idea of a community built all around it, as the people that access this website all have the common interest of the Leicester Tigers. They also use everyday colloquial language to enable the site to be at the same level as its audience, it is easy to understand. Sporting terms are also used but these are usually expected to be understood by the audience as they are common expressions used in the area of Rugby Union.

Personally because I’m a Leicester Tigers fan myself, the website immediately appeals to me. As there are no television adverts etc to promote the team, this and newspapers/magazines are the only methods of advertising. As I was navigating around the site I also found out that you could access Tigers alerts on your mobile phone, which is another clever method of reaching your audience. The appeal for a user is to be able to go to a reputable website which will inform you with everything you need to know about Leicester Tigers and I personally feel it does provide you with a great amount of information. To appeal to an audience it also has to be attractive and easy to navigate around. The site is very well structured and the hyperlinks and search engine enabled easy navigation to the particular areas you wanted to look at. The pictures and videos of real footage also kept me interested in the site as it wasn’t all text based and so didn’t become repetitive or boring. I feel this is a very well constructed website which is highly appealing to their specific audience. I will definitely access this website again! TIGERS! :)

Week 6: My C of P

Sorry Guys had some Major problems with my blog this past week or so, one inparticular was it was marked as 'spam' when I updated my Security Software.

A meatspace C of P that I’m apart of is working as a Healthcare advisor at Boots. I work there when I’m at home from University during holiday time. We are basically a group or 'community' of Boots the Chemist Employees. As Wenger mentioned, I think that we are some kind of a 'joint enterprise'. We are 'bound' together by not only the Boots brand name, but also by friendship. There are various hierarchies or roles whilst working with this group of people such as a Store Manager, Team leader, Healthcare Advisors/ Dispensers, Sales and Operations Assistants and Pharmaceutical leaders. In my particular store we are a group of 18 ladies of all different ages and backgrounds. Everybody has a certain role to play in the ‘community’ enabling things to word effectively and accordingly. You’re ‘power role’ depends upon what status you hold in the 'community'. The Main ‘power’ is held by the Manager Esther and the Pharmacist Tracy. These two people inparticular have the highest trained qualifications. This can realte to the ideas of Wenger as they mention the idea of 'inspriational leadership' aka "leadership provided by thought leaders and recognized experts" (Wenger '98;7). However it is possible to change your power status in our 'community'. For example I first started as a Sales Assistant, but then trained and took 6 exams to become a Healthcare Advisor which enabled me to go up the . Even though there are various power roles within the ‘community’ we all help each other and work together to allow things to work properly in a day of work. We also know that we are there to help each other if is anything that we are particularly struggling with.

My C of P particularly concentrates around the idea of:

• The Community- One Manager but barious hierarchies of power
• The Practice- the idea of training to a particular standard to provide the best possible service for the customer and to keep the positive reputation of the particular company.
• The Domain/Area of field- The idea of being a part of this community to help the public/customer. Also learn different skills to provide the best service to the best of your ability and to reach deadlines which are set by managers/ line managers in each quarter.
• 'Bootlegged'- in some cases we could be bootlegged as we are told targets and goals to reach to keep our company/repertoire on top against other leading businesses.

The C of P that I am apart of is particularly formal; this is because we have a standard to maintain as we are a well known reputable company. Having this particular standard to adhere to means that we have to have good mannerisms, respect and loyalty to not only our ‘community’ but also to the people that we serve through this community- thus being the customer. I also feel that Boots is particularly strategic as like many businesses they have targets and a specific audience to reach. Whilst working with other employees friendships can occur in and outside of the workplace (‘community’). I personally feel that creating friendships in and outside of this particular C of P community enables things to run smoothly whilst working together, but it is also nice you can have a relationship out of the workplace. Like Boots has done for many years, our store/community enables a professional repertoire providing a good service to our public audience. These have been developed over time and will continue to develop aslong as the high standards continue.

Week 5: Bruns A

Produser A produser is the act of being both a producer and a user on the internet. A produser is someone who produces their own videos, blogs (new media products) and that contribute to aspects of the internet off their own back. They also use the internet to research information, shop and just browse the internet. Both of these aspects of being a produser are usually for pleasure and sometimes they are an aspect in their field of work. Examples of producing your own works are blogging, social networking and being a produser is a very popular thing at the moment as it allows people to discuss issues and opinions online in particular fields of interest that the user may have. It allows the user to have an aspect of free expression which is controlled mainly by them. It also enables them to create their own kind of culture which people can involve themselves in.

This can also relate to the idea of 'Open Architecture' as anyone can contribute into helping the internet to develop. The idea of 'Architecture' also implies that the internet may be a continuing construction. I personally think that the ideas of being a produser are going to do nothing but continue to develop along with the continual development of the internet. This however makes me wonder what can come next for the produser? Any ideas guys?

Week 5: Meikle F

I feel that the idea of the Net facilitating new types of media institution is very interesting to discuss. I personally agree with this view idea; the internet has bought so many new institutions to our lives already such as social networking sites, music downloading and avators. In the past these has never been heard of and probably would never have been used if it wasn't for the deveolpment of the internet. It is hard to imagine what life would be like without the internet and it's facilities as most of us depend upon the internet on a daily basis. The list of facilities on the internet are endless and will continue to develop as the internet progresses. I think the world would seem a very simple place if we didn't have the luxury of the internet and its accessories.

The internet bought a new way of promoting businesses and products at an afforable rate, which we have now discovered to be highly important as we are going through an economic downfall. I personally feel that internet gives you a modern feel and makes people and companies to feel modern and professional when using institutions based around the internet. You could also suggest that an istitution of 'free expression' has been created by the internet as there is finally a place where people can comment and express their own personal opinons without being bombarded by negativity. The success anf popularity of the internet can only increase if these institutions are allowed to be created and continue to develop.

Week 5: Meikle D & E combined

There is so much ‘open news’ on the internet that sometimes it is hard to decipher what is accurate what isn’t so accurate. As I mentioned in week 4’s blog: I think its the fact that because we’ve grown up with professional media companies such as the BBC, CNN and ITV, we consider these to be far more reliable and better quality than others. When looking at ‘open news’ you have to question who wrote the article and how reliable the source is. The idea of people being able becoming their own journalists and applying their own personal views (which may or not be biased) to a subject also makes you question the reliability of the source, especially when you know they are not being processed by professional editorial companies. However I suppose you could say that language is an important factor when looking at the quality of open news; if an article is well written, well structured and significantly accurate are you more likely to find it credible?

The idea of open news also made me consider ideas around the quality of the news on television. There are always rumours of the news being filtered by the government so stories are manipulated and interpreted in a different way. Even though this is taking place, the news on the television still remains popular- could you say that the quality of the news doesn’t seem to matter to some audiences anymore, as they kind of believe what they read is in fact ‘true’ and don't want to question or don't have the ability to do so?

Week 5: Meikle C

Even though DIY internet news is found both online and offline, I personally feel that is far more effective online. DIY is a way of various audiences and individuals to express themselves. As indymedia continues to develop it is highly significant in our society and culture. In a way it is almost as if the DIY internet is a separate culture to our own, but somehow they can both join together? (If you kind of understand what I’m saying) When I think of examples of DIY news I instantly think of blogging. This is a simple way of numerous people who research and start their own news allowing it to develop with various comments and opinions from other bloggers. You could almost suggest that it is far easier to adapt to online DIY news as it can be accessed easily by a larger audience, what do you guys think? I also think that by keeping update with DIY news you are always keeping up with new media technologies which will continue to develop online rather than in meatspace. This makes me wonder where DIY news will head in the future.

Sorry if you guys found this blog confusing! It’s a little difficult to express the point I was trying to make.

Week 5: Meikle B

I think it definitely correct in saying that there are new kinds of journalists online. “...newsgroups and weblogs are considered as additional sources of information retrieval, rather than as new avenues for new kinds of journalists to develop and publish new kinds of news” (paragraph 9). I think Meikle has an interesting approach here as my perception of new journalist revolves around audiences attempting to be professional writers. Like discussed in previous weekly blogs audience have access to become their ‘own’ producer, writer, investigator, director etc. By having this freedom on the internet the audience can feel as if they have more power in the virtual world than in meatspace as there is no one to stop them from doing so. As Meikle states the “audience members are transformed into researchers”(Paragraph 8). By being their own writer they also can express their own views and opinions into their articles and manipulate things that may have been said before. This is suggested by Meikle as he suggests “These researchers become comfortable with getting their news from a broader range of sources, to establish some as more legitimate than others” (Paragraph 8). Also on the internet they do not need any professional qualifications to write what they want.

However, you have to acknowledge the fact that these new kinds of journalists and their articles may be particularly biased. They may not be taken as seriously as other websites with stories written by trained writers.

Week 5: Meikle A

When I think of News on the web I think of websites like BBC News, CNN and ITV News. These examples are informative websites discussing headlines and current affairs that are going on around the world. These sites that I assume to be ‘news’ on the web adapt from their television counterparts. I feel that nowadays many people find it easier to find out news on the internet than buying a newspaper or watching it on television. The internet is updating every second so you know that you are accessing the most recent news, it is easy to check on a daily basis and is easily accesible from the home. Websites such as BBC, Sky, CNN etc also have video footage and audio articles to help entice the audience into viewing particular stories. With having extras like audio and video stories on their sites it is also a way of combining Radio, TV and the internet into one site. What do you think?

These sites have a good repuation of broadcasting appealing stories to their audiences. They have high standards of video, photography and journalistic input implying the high standards which they wish to obtain in all sectors of the media. Personally this makes me think that they are more reliable, as I would not expect regular members of the audience to be the writers/journalists. They most probably have a forum which allows their audeicne to express views and be the writers (indymedia).

Indymedia is based around the idea of the audience being the writers/investigators and writing their own opinions and stories. These are less reliable than the other new sites that I mentioned in the previous paragraph as many of the auidence will not have any journalistic/written experience. Although like most journalists they may have an air of bias in their stories.

Week 4: Music Sharing Online

Sorry for this being a little bit long guys!

It’s hard to keep up with the whole concept of music sharing online nowadays. Back in the days of CD’s and cassettes the only way of accessing or purchasing music was to head down to your local Woolworths (R.I.P) or reputable music store and buy them. Nowadays there has been a dramatic change in accessing and consuming music.

Once again new technology has changed the consumption of music. Thanks to the internet you no longer have to go to the shop and buy an album or wait for it to be released. You can now download entire albums at the click of a button, access them for free and even download them before they’re meant to be released in this country. The idea of being able to download music for free on programmes such as ‘Limewire’ may sound appealing, but it is illegal. There are some legal websites which you can buy music from such as ITunes and Napster. These sites usually sell songs/albums at a cheaper rate than in shops which makes them much more appealing to their audience. I have an Itunes account where I buy most of my music. It is cheaper than buying a single or album in a shop, but sometimes you can get carried away and overspend as all you have to do to purchase a song is click ‘buy’. 79p per song seems cheap but it can easily mount up! One thing I do miss when buying songs of the internet is that you don’t have a CD case. Sometimes it’s nice to have the actual CD and its case as you can lend them to friends and it’s nice to have a browse through the album sleeve.

Radio has to be mentioned here also. You can now access radio stations on the internet and through I-player. You can also buy DAB radios. This suggests that other medium are keeping up to date with this new popular way of music consumption and distribution.

There is also a legal music site called Spotify. Spotify enables you to listen to songs (but not download) without having to pay for them. It is legal as in-between each song they play advertisements. This is a way for people who cannot necessarily afford to buy albums from a shop or from internet sites to listen to their favourite music legally.

It can be suggested that these ideas have greatly changed popular music. Networking sites such as MySpace enable unknown artists from all over the world to create a profile and upload their music for everyone to listen to. This idea implies that anyone has a chance in the music industry. It also allows artists to create an online fan base. The days of having to send in a demo to a music company is being forgotten. Well known singers and bands such as Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys and Sean Kingston were all founded on MySpace, managed to get record details and have now taken the music industry by storm. Sites such as Youtube also help these artists to show their talents as they can create their own independent music videos and show gigs that they may have taken part in to wider audiences. Our society seems to revolve around music the moment, especially when it comes to television shows such as The X-Factor, Pop Idol and Orange Unsigned acts, as these too all enable people who think they have musical talent to show what they can do.

I personally feel that media companies will always be needed. Many of the artists that showcase their music on sites such as MySpace are aiming to get music deals with these companies. These networking sites are merely just a way of promoting their material quicker and to a wider audience. Also these companies have the knowledge of how to promote bands positively and accordingly enabling artists to get the best media coverage. This can only make you question what may be in store for the music industry as the Internet continues to develop; will it continue to change popular music?? Do any of you guys have any crazy ideas as to what may happen to music industry? Here’s a question for you, do you think any of this will it affect radio stations. Fair enough you can now access radio stations on their websites but could this be the actual end to the radio that we used to know and love before the digital change?

Week 4: Lister D

Net users can easily become producers of different cultures, especially when you consider the ideas of virtual communities. Various people from all around the world can discuss issues and opinions online and collect an amount of feedback. These opinions can be accessed easily by anyone. By having this free expression you can almost say that people are able to create their own kind of culture rather than having to go along with others which they may not completely agree with. However, where do these ‘new cultures’ come from?? Can they be spontaneously thought of from scratch or do they take on characteristics from other cultures? Any opinions guys, I feel this question is a great one to discuss!

Week 4: Lister C

As I mentioned in week 1’s blog, the idea of negative aspects of the internet need to addressed. Various ‘dangerous materials’ such as pop ups, spam, fraud and children’s safety all make you question how safe the internet really is. Views around the safety of the internet are highlighted every day. These ‘materials’ are easily accessible on the internet as you can access them much easier on the web than in real life. For example in real life a 16 year old can be asked for ID proving their age when wanting to buy an 18 rated DVD , whereas on the internet many sites just have a pop up or a block saying ‘Only access this site if you are over 18’ but still allow them to continue you as there is no way to determine how old they actually are.

Most users don’t realise that they have to have software such as antivirus software, firewalls and blocks to prevent these ‘dangerous materials’ being explored by the wrong people. Luckily nowadays anti-virus software is offered to you when puchasing a computer. There are also adverts on the TV, radio and the internet warning you of the dangers of the internet.This just goes to show that the so called ‘freedom’ of the internet isn’t always a good thing, as the wrong people can access things that they shouldn’t. It also implies that companies and businesses are trying to overcome this negative aras of the internet by warning you of the various security issues. Ideas based around identity fraud, bullying and paedophilia can also be mentioned here as these too are seen as ideas of dangerous materials. People can easily hack your computers and find personal information out about yourself such as bank details, your address etc and use them to in a negative way. It is weird to think that the ‘freedom’ that you have on the internet actually can be negative when it comes to people accessing your details and using them against you.

Week 4: Lister B

When considering the idea of a ‘public sphere’ I once again think of social networking sites, IM, blogs and forums. People from all over the world can easily contact each other. Before the internet the only means of communication was through things such as letters, telephone calls and telegrams whereas with thanks to new technologies nowadays it is so much easy to keep in touch and engage with people wherever they may be. Being in a particular public sphere enables you to discuss topics and interact with people who have the same interests as yourself, almost like an entertaining deabte. This relates to the idea by Habermas: “the mass media has played a key role in the dissolution of a healthy public sphere by replacing a discourse of critical reason with entertainment and spectacle” (Habermas cited in Lister et al (2007);177) This idea also argues against the idea of public spheres as it is implying that the idea of a public sphere use to be quite serious and professional where as now it seems to be taken less seriously.

I know I’ve mentioned this in previous posts but I really think we take this fantastic technology for granted. Most of us just sign on to social networking sites, IM or check E-mails daily without thinking how lucky we are to have such a technology. Would any of you guys be able to live without? Because I personally don’t think I could, pathetic as it sounds I’m pretty hooked on the whole social networking malarkey!

When the Internet first arose there may have been a few set backs or limitations which prevented from engaging with others as much as you would like to. However as technology has improved our means of communication on the internet has also developed. Equipment such as webcams, Skype, and file sharing has enabled the public sphere to be closer than ever before. I also feel that you still have to consider what is ‘real’ on the internet and what isn’t. False identities or false information could be seen as limitations of being in a public sphere as you don’t necessarily know whether all the information you access is true.

Week 4: Lister A

Online communities can also be known as a ‘virtual community’. They are groups of people that “...communicate on the internet and share a common interest, whether it is work, voluntary activity or play” (Abercrombie & Longhurst, 2007; 358). Each person in this community has similar interests which enable them to discuss particular areas and view opinions based around this. This can imply that the internet can be empowering as it allows groups of people to be confident and talk impartially about a particular topic/subject.

Personally I think that online communities can be both empowering and disempowering. It can be empowering in the sense that you can have your own personal profile with details about yourself. You also have things such as usernames and passwords which only you can use. In addition to this you have the ability to create your own profile and a representation of yourself which may be true or as mentioned in last week’s blogs be a ‘false identity’. These methods enable the user to have an element of power or authority over what is on their person page.

However the idea of disempowerment also has to be addressed when looking at online communities. It can be argued that online communities can expose various details of yourself such as your date of birth, address, telephone number etc. These can be easily accessed by other people in virtual communities which implies the idea of online communities being disempowering. The idea of things being perceived differently can be considered to be disempowering as people can interpret comments/opinions wrongly which is often out of the users control. It is quite easily for you to write something down jokingly in an IM conversation but the user who is receiving the comment could quite easily take it the wrong way as there isn’t some kind of ‘tone of voice’ to help imply what is being expressed. The idea of members of your online community not talking to you can be a little disheartening which could also apply an element of disempowerment.


Abercrombie N & Longhurst B.(2007) ‘Dictionary of Media Studies’, London, Penguin Books Ltd