The semantic web

The semantic web is known as an extension of the world wide web. The Web can do many things, like searching and purchasing etc but these tasks can only be performed with human direction as they were built originally by humans however the difference with the semantic web is that the information is understandable by computers. For example, it says on wiki 'The semantic web is a vision of information that is understandable by computers, so that they can perform more of the tedious work involved in finding, sharing, and combining information on the web'. The semantic web is supposed to make the services more defined and satisfy the needs of both humans and machines to use the web, however the data is not part of the web. In simple terms it can be described as a web of data.

If Education is taliored

I think that if education was tailored to meet everyone’s cultural and personal preferences then potential problems could arise. First of all education is meant to be challenging and as stated in the previous blogs it is there to stretch people so if it is altered to meet ones personal needs then could this just lead to 'lazy' tendencies and making the system too easy. I understand that it helps some, for example online learning in China which has increased the amount of people who attend Uni and graduate however for education to change everywhere completing for everyone’s cultural and personal problems it cause conflict. If their are different 'rules' and ways of teaching for everyone it could provoke feelings of jealousy or anger towards another who might be seen to having it 'more easy' or 'not being taught properly'. Also grading work could become very difficult and many opinions would arise on this and how it is done fairly and equally.
Like i have said online learning worked in China and some other countries but if this was the system for everyone, would this cause problems? Would it be too much to handle?
I think education meeting some peoples cultural and personal preferences is a good idea in some cases, for example disabled and less mobile people who would perhaps not attend education otherwise, and people who live to far away and cants afford to travel. However, to meet everyone’s needs and change for a lot of people would cause conflict and disagreements. Furthermore i think education is there to teach/stretch you in a serious and helpful way, not to accommodate all your comforts and make it really easy to do. There would be no point in education if it was 'easy'.

Wenger and Prensky

Wengers notions on practice communities were that everyone within this community shared the same interests, what mattered to them and was all about participation. This links to Prensky’s views on education, the digital native and the digital immigrant as they shared the same principle of different 'categories' for different groups of people. For example like stated Wenger explained how groups/cofp formed through what mattered to them and participation and this is similar to Prensky as he also 'grouped' digital natives and digital immigrants. Furthermore the digital natives supposedly shared the same 'interests' in that they we able with technology and had their own language. This is similar for the digital immigrants who are also supposed to be in one group of people who not as up to date with technology and struggle to enter and understand the zone of a digital immigrant.
Obviously their theories are completely different however the notions of them share similarities in that they are both based upon ‘grouping’ and the relationships, language and participating within these groups.

Week 9, Technophile

What will a technophile be like and what will they love in 2020... i had never really thought about what the world would be like in 2020. I suppose i assumed it would just stay the same, which is silly as the world has changed so much from 'the olden days', therefore isn't it likely to keep changing? With technology being the centre of a lot of things today and as i said in previous blogs it being such an important part of uni, i can only assume people will be working to improve it and come up with new inventions. Who knows what a mobile will do in so many years! or will we even still have mobiles? will some new gadget replace it. I think i technophile will have a great experience in 2020, lectures and seminars could mostly become online, social networking could go to new extremes, laptops will have so many more functions and probably end up being handheld. Mind you isn’t a hand held laptop at the moment just a mobile phone.
I think because i am still shocked at some of the things technology and phones especially can do i can't imagine the future! On the other hand…. What if everyone got so bored of technology and it became unreliable and faulty all the time, could time just stand still and there be no improvements by 2020. Could we even go back to old ways? I’m not sure.

Week 9, Neo- Luddite

A neo-luddite being someone ‘‘who distrusts or fears the inevitable changes brought about by new technology” and believes that the “technical systems have evolved to control us rather than to serve us” (http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/luddite.html) would fins it very hard to ‘get by’ in a university today. It would be frustrating as a lot of the university life both socially and academically is revolved around new technology especially the internet. For example to access most things to do with this course you have to look on the MCC homepage.. on the internet. Furthermore a lot of contact with tutors is via email, and timetable changes and notifications of changed are displayed in the internet to. The person would struggle to start the course if they couldn’t access the internet for timetable and other notifications about room changes etc. Furthermore they would then find the rest of course frustrating as a fair bit of it requires the internet for research and e-journals to actually pass the unit. In addition to this a lot of our group work is arranged over facebook or msn or by mobile phone. Infact the more I describe it the more I think about how much technology is vital for our course and Uni in general. Its not just the academic side that might be frustrating as well. For example when I came to Uni I didn’t have facebook or anything I thought it was just something silly but felt I had to get it at Uni to be involved properly. This was because my new flats mates would write in each others walls, and comment on each others photos from funny nights out together and I wasn’t able to join in on this ‘bonding’.
I suppose if it didn’t exist at all (new technology) we wouldn’t need it and would have other ways of teaching and having research, but it is here and we use it so much that it must be very hard for a neo-luddite to enjoy and get through Uni.

Week 9, threatens the notion of native/immigrant in digital culture

I think because of the way Prensky has categorised people, more people threaten his notion then assumed. His notion is mainly based upon age and that if you are 'younger' and born into the digital world then you are a native however if you are older and were born before this then you are an immigrant. Although it to some extent makes sense that if you were born into it you are native and if not then you are immigrant, however i don't feel its true for our society today. There are 'older' people who generally know a lot more than some natives for example my dad who i have already mentioned. Furthermore there are so many 'older' people (than us) who work in the technology industry, designing new gadgets all the time, software for computers, computers themselves, developing the internet. There is so much being done which is not necessarily by natives. Therefore i think someone who is threatening these notions are my dad perhaps and other peoples parents who have taught themselves how to uses 'new' technology and are even teaching others and furthermore any 'older' person who is working within the technology industry and for major i.t/new media firms.

Week 9, The youngest immigrant

This is a tricky one! Everyone around our age that i can think of are all digital natives. I had never really thought how important technology was until now when i realised that i can’t think of someone our age that isn't a native. I suppose it could be aunty in her 40's, who is trying to learn how to use the internet and texting etc, but she is learning very quickly. I often get facebook messages from her where she has used some of 'our native language' and she doesn't have too much problem texting either. Then there is my mum who i do need to help a lot with the internet and computers! I had to teach her how to text as well and still have to fix her phone problems, however when she texts she uses more 'native language - slang, code' then i do! Is she still a digital immigrant?

Week 9, The oldest native

The oldest digital native I know is my Dad. It might help that he did teach I.T but he knows so much more about computers and the internet then me, I always go to him to fix my computer, or ring him up when I have put yet another virus on it. I would say I am a digital native, but just because he s older doesn’t suggest that he is an immigrant, like Prensky suggested when he stated that Today’s adolescent is a native in a digital world to which adults can only hope to immigrate (2001). I don’t think my dad is immigrating, he was there before me and is still teaching me. He also has facebook! I know many of our parents are now getting it. Also it’s not just the internet which he is ‘up-to-date’ with, although he doesn’t like to admit it and makes up that his ‘new’ phones are for ‘practical’ reasons they always manage to be the newest one out at the time.

Week 9, Education

Education should stretch a person, in the sense that it pushes people to learn more and reach the next level academically. If education doesn’t stretch somebody then are they really learning anything? To just ‘float’ through something rather than ‘stretch’ could propose that the person isn’t learning anything just ‘ticking the boxes to pass’. I personally need education to stretch me otherwise I become bored, lazy, tired and wonder what I am doing here? I know people who don’t attend lectures or ‘stretch’ to do work and just think why am I at Uni and what is the point.
I was thinking if education does ‘stretch’ and it is a good thing, then does new media go against this slightly. As you could argue it is there to make things easier, and I am now blogging in the ‘comfort of my own home’, whenever I like, instead of being ‘stretched’ to attend a seminar in less perhaps comforting surroundings. However on the other hand, there is so much work set and so much to find out that perhaps it balances the ‘comfort’ and we are being stretched.
For me to be stretched needs some recognition, as in how do I know I’m being stretched and have done well if someone isn’t telling me my answers are correct. I right these blogs and wonder if I have just missed the point completely however in lessons you can get the answers straight away. A lot to think about. Do you guys think this course stretches, or encourages lazy traits?

Absract Journal 5

The article is based upon the computer ‘game’ Second Life. It discusses what it is about and peoples experiences/’success’ on it. It proposes that the power of this virtual world could become greater than that of emails and instant messaging.

Abstract Journal 4

This text takes into consideration the terms of digital immigrants and digital natives, but proposes that they don’t exist and in fact young people’s technology skills haven’t changed in a long time. It is a opposing argument to Digital natives.

Abstract Journal 3

This article looks at the internet and teenagers. The good and bad effects and they way they use it. The text suggests that teenagers are discovering new social ways and can have their brain stimulating by sites on the internet as well. It also touches on the effects of networking sites such as facebook in the workplace.

Abstract Journal 2

This article looks at the success of the artist Soulja Boy who claims to have made his success on You Tube. The belief is that because of his song being heard and played on You Tube so much the song became such a success that he became famous. The article is not written by the artist himself but does feature quotes for him.

Abstract Journal 1

The journal discuss' the different ages of people using the internet and the terms digital immigrants and digital native coined by Prensky. It is a general description of these terms and Prensky’s views and thoughts upon this. Students are the main focus's discussing how today they are not the same students in which the educational system was designed to teach, as they have moved forward in technology .

Journal References

1. Prensky, M. (2001) “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” Volume.9 (5) pp. 1-6. http://www.scribd.com/doc/9799/Prensky-Digital-Natives-Digital-Immigrants-Part1 [Accessed 13/3/09]


2. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/results?vid=8&hid=7&sid=0309f1bd-8692-4b0e-b9b0-3152f7e63bb5%40sessionmgr103&bquery=(youtube)&bdata=JmRiPWFmaCZ0eXBlPTAmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl [Accessed 13/3/09]


3. Tapscott, D. (2008) “The kids are alright” Vol. 389 (8606) pp98-98.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=17&hid=107&sid=0309f1bd-8692-4b0e-b9b0-3152f7e63bb5%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=afh&AN=35231871 [Accessed 13/2/09]


4.Vaidhyanathan, S. (2008) “Congenitally Digital?” Vol. 33 (1) pp76-77
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=14&hid=17&sid=92a6e24d-f150-4592-882f-cdefdba96bb0%40sessionmgr2&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=afh&AN=36512044 [Accessed 13/3/09]


5. Wallace, M. (2006) “The Future Of You” Vol. 24 (11) pp133-136. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=10&hid=7&sid=9e968540-5c93-4ea3-8830-395e6acc02bd%40sessionmgr8&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=afh&AN=22563875 [Accessed 13/3/09]

Website URLs

1. http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/sum2007/gifted/index.htm

2.http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/12/reconsidering_digital_immigran.htm

3.http://advice.cio.com/abbie_lundberg/digital_natives_in_our_midst

4.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/01/digital-divide/

5.http://pewresearch.org/pubs/70/digital-natives-invade-the-workplace

Week 8 - Article 5

I find that this article contradicts itself, for example at the start it says ‘’ worlds like Second Life are more than just games’’ and goes on to explain they can make anything and ‘anything else they can dream up’’ therefore if they are dreaming these things up they is it still not a game? As they are ‘dreaming’ and ‘inventing’ like you do on online games instead of buying and doing real things in the ‘real world’. Furthermore it says implies that emails instant messaging etc will never ‘’possess the power’ of the virtual world. But what if people don’t want the power of the virtual world? They may never ‘possess’ it anyway through choice and if email has the maximum power that person needs they ‘possess’ the only power they want and do not see past this.

Week 8 - Article 4

This article goes against the notion of Prensky’s theory that there are ‘digital natives’ and says they don’t exist.
The article says that the student’s computer levels haven’t budged in a decade. I disagree with this as ‘most’ students have had to have access to a computer for along time for work now, so we surely must have got better somehow? Even if its just students who have got faster at typing, through using the computer more, or learnt how to do a bit more on Microsoft word as they use it for work etc. Furthermore in university we have to learn how to use journals and access websites like them, to complete our courses and essays, so we must have improved in this way to. Also the article claims that ‘’every class has a handful of people with amazing skills and a large number who can't deal with computers at all," and I disagree with this to. Although I do not have evidence myself to prove the theory wrong I think it is quite bold to claim that this is the same for ‘every’ class.

Week 8 - Article 3

The articles says that because of the web teenagers are open to ‘’stand accused of being unread, bad at communicating, socially inept, shameless, dishonest, work-shy, narcissistic and indifferent to the needs of others’’. I disagree with this as can teenagers to stand to be accused of this anyway, is it really just the internets fault. The statement is very negative as well implying that because of the internet teenagers can be accused of being shameless and dishonest…. But why? The article doesn’t explain why, or on what grounds this statement was made. Also is says that ‘’the net is interactive, and, he says, stimulates and improves the brain’’ in comparison to television. However it may do this in some cases and websites, but not all, I find websites like facebook to actually distract me and allow me to spend time just looking around on it not being stimulated or productive. Furthermore it compares the stimulation to televisions however i disagree with this to as it surely depends on the programme? Certain genres of television may not be very ‘academic’ or ‘stimulating’ however there are many quiz programmes, documentaries and educational programmes there to perhaps stimulate or and help to learn.

Week 8 - Article 2

With out giving everything away I will just mention that the articles discuss YouTube. My criticisms of it that it implies the internet was solely responsible for a certain persons success. However this is a vast statement to make as can the internet alone be responsible, are there not phone calls in between and other media used along side to encourage the YouTube success? Or am I just being to picky? The author could have meant this as well, but just not mentioned it. I do think though it needs more detail to explain the success and not just ‘claim’ the internet alone was the only medium.
The article is also biased towards the persons success who they are describing and this could perhaps mean that his views for you tube are ‘so great’ because he is trying to ‘hype up’ the persons success.

Week 8 - Article 1

The journal explains the way of new media for ‘young people’ and proposes that “They have spent their entire lives surrounded by using computers, digital music players, video cams and cell phones’’. This just appears to be assumption, like the statement that children are spending “10,00” hours playing video games’’ These facts are stated to be on average to are not generalises the ‘whole’ of the ‘digital native population’ however there isn’t any clear reference to where this ‘knowledge’ has come from. These assumptions continue through the text, maybe they are fact, but there is no reference to this. Also although I found the text interesting and to cover a lot of different points there were generalisations made, for example “Our students today are all native speakers”, which states we are ‘all’ native speakers. Are we though?

Week 8 - website 5

This website looks at ‘natives’ in the workplace, however it is written in 2006 and if technology is changing as fast than perhaps suggested in other research then this might no be too up to date. The article first of all proposes that the ‘’typical 21-year-old entering the workforce today has, on average, included 5,000 hours of video game playing, exchange of 250,000 emails, instant messages, and phone text messages, 10,000 hours of cell phone use. To that you can add 3,500 hours of time online.’’ which is an interesting statement but there is nothing to support it and no reference to where these figures have come from. So are they true? Well I am 21 and they are definitely not true for myself. The criticism firstly being that the statement has categorised all 21 year olds, which I suppose isn’t ‘too bad’ to do, however there is not support or evidence to suggest where this assumption has come from, Leaving it very open to abuse. The website continues to discuss many different points but they are just the opinion of one person. Obviously it is ok for people to have their opinions and air them but criticising academically it is one sided and with a lack of support, just thoughts.

Week 8 - Website 4

This article was also up to date (2008) and in some parts took an ‘’affectionate’’ approach to the young natives and their work. However is did generalise natives to stand for everyone who is young using technology and made statements implying that every young person did the same thing and performed the same tasks. For example it said ‘’their fingers tap furiously on tiny keys, their eyes and ears fixated on moving images on sound’’, this may be true for some, but not for everyone surely? The words ‘furiously’ and ‘fixated’ help to perhaps exaggerate the person’s thoughts as well. This continued through the text with more references to a ‘generation weaned on the paper-free, wireless world spawned by technologies advances’ which I believe should be criticised as apparently the whole ‘world’ is affected by this. Are they?

Week 8 - website 3

There wasn’t too much to criticise in this article as the person themselves put question to some of Prensky’s thoughts but there were once again assumptions made, rather then fact. Furthermore the article proposed that ‘’Our Digital Immigrant instructors... are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language’’ which firstly goes on the fact that the new population are speaking an ‘entirely new language’ which may not be completely true? Furthermore it suggests that the immigrant instructor are struggling…. are they? and it once again speaks for immigrant instructors in general.

Week 8 - website 3

There wasn’t too much to criticise in this article as the person themselves put question to some of Prensky’s thoughts but there were once again assumptions made, rather then fact. Furthermore the article proposed that ‘’Our Digital Immigrant instructors... are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language’’ which firstly goes on the fact that the new population are speaking an ‘entirely new language’ which may not be completely true? Furthermore it suggests that the immigrant instructor are struggling…. are they? and it once again speaks for immigrant instructors in general.

Week 8 - website 2

The article implies that digital is an event which changes things so fundamentally that there is absolutely no going back. This is a statement without fact and doesn’t allow any room for other opinion as it says ‘absolutely no going back’. The author is implying no chance, not a ‘possibility’ which might have been a more rounded view to make. Also he implies that adults are “are terrified of your own children, since they are natives in a world where you will always be immigrants” which is too general again to take in to account all adults.” It also implies that digital immigration/native is ‘’cut off from all adult influences’’ and ‘’it disempowers adults, encouraging them to feel helpless” which is a big assumption to make for every single adult in the world. The article is fairly up to date (2007) and does take into account a lot of points however it is written by an ‘older’ ‘adult’ (perhaps an immigrant!?) rather than a ‘younger’ person so could be biased towards the feelings of ‘adults’ and not have experienced the life of a ‘native’ properly.

Week 8 - Website 1

The article notes that’s students are living in a world of new technology and that education must prepare students for a technology-driven world.
However the running comments through the article provoke that adults cannot even comprehend this new technology and I think this a bold statement to make. Firstly to imply that adults will never be able to work with the new technology is very negative in it self and furthermore categorising the whole of adults is too general. As although I do have to teach my mum everything about using a computer there are other adults in jobs which face new technology all the time and ‘some’ who know a lot more than ‘young people’ do.
It has noticed that Technology is changing daily. However I believe some of this is a bit over exaggerated, to imply that technology is changing every single day is more of a hyperbolic statement rather then fact perhaps, well there wasn’t fact to support it anyway.
The article also states that children ages 8 to 18 typically spend a third of their day, approximately 8.5 hours, using media including screen media, music, computers, gaming, and print. Once again this is way to general, I do have friends that spend a lot of time using media like this however there are others friends at universities doing art which do not require the media and who are based down by the seaside who spend their free time surfing and outdoor activities etc which not too much interest in TV and Internet.

Distance Learning - website

The website i have chosen is CPA Australia - https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3F57FECB-99293D36/cpa/hs.xsl/23643_ENA_HTML.htm. The website promotes online learning and identifies if to have 'a wide range of online courses it provides you with the opportunity to learn from home at a time that suits you'. The site says 'CPA is a finance, accounting and business professional with a specific qualification' and that in order to take part you must already have 'an undergraduate degree accredited by CPA Australia,. Therefore the website isn't a particular university nor higher education but training in finance, accounting and business but once again all online. The website appears very well set out and offers a lot of help and guidance towards what the courses will entail. For example there are tutorial demonstrations so the 'student' can see what they would have to be doing. It also offers an online library, whereby each student can select up to five books and have them posted or view audio visual material online. This seems like a good system where the 'student' literally can learn at home as the materials can be sent by post to them. The site also gives links to all the journals which would be needed.
I picked this site as i thought it would be interested to see what kind of education online is offered in Australia, and how different it may be.
I found this site interesting as it was still online learning, but not in typical school higher education that you would think, but online learning for people who have already completed a degree and want extra for the work environment. It is still academic though and like i mentioned provides library and publication services.

China - Distance learning

During the 1960's China undertook a new way of learning by introducing television universities (TVU's) which encourage distance learning. As 'weird' or 'different' it may seem 8,000 students graduated in the space of 6years. It was when China entered to the socialist modernisation project in need for more trained people that the TVU's were in demand, especially as the number of trained technicians of accounted for '2.5%' of the countries work-force.
When i first heard of distance learning i didn’t think much to it and wondered how it was really benefited anyone or their country. However after to reading why China had to have the TVU's it makes more sense. Their Higher education rates in enrolment were very low and the country needed for trained people to help the country through a stage and the TVU's did this by increasing the rate of enrolment and graduation in China for higher Ed.
Furthermore its be proposed that it need fewer funds that traditional teaching as well and this can only be a good thing? Furthermore in China they 'can train more people in a shorter period of time' helping everything run better. The Universities developed into radio and tv broadcasting, and PTUV's which could reach the rural areas. I used to think it wasn’t 'proper learning' and not beneficial however if it is reaching and encouraging people who wouldn’t and couldn’t normally attend Higher Education then it is a great thing. This is not just my opinion though it is mentioned in the article that from the radio and television universities '590,941 students have graduated'.
All the way though i have been questioning and wondering about how 'academic' the studies really are, and are they 'real' qualifications. The article goes on to say though that in 1986 students had to pass a national entrance exam. Furthermore 'presenters are chosen from key universities' and textbooks have to be used in order to complete the courses. There are tutors which you can see face to face as well which are responsible for correcting work. Finally during the practical technician course they are required to practical work in factories etc for the credits are awarded.
My only reservations are that the article doesn't mention any figures of cost or comparison to real universities, so i am unsure how much cheaper it would be? However it did mention no tuition fees and only paying for entrance to exams, but once gain i do not know how much?
The downside i can see is that with it all being technology run, you are relying on it not failing and we all no technology doesn’t always run smoothly and it even mentions in the article that there was 'delayed distribution of teaching materials' and 'shortage of staff'. However overall it has increased China's ratio of students from 0.7% in 1975 to 4% in 1987 which can only be a good thing for the country and its developing industry. I just wonder how long it will last?

6.1 CofP

A community of practice which I belonged to was a section of us that volunteered at the Oxfam vintage shop. The shop big shop for its kind and specialised in high street designers and vintage labels.
Wegner said that ‘CofP develop around things that matter to people’ and this is how our CofP formed. Although you would think that everyone who worked there cared for charity and this is what mattered to them, this was not the case. For some, they worked there to help themselves (I am not saying this is a bad thing, this was just there main interest), help pass time in their lives, some for work experience, however we were there because we wanted the shop to succeed. This was mattered to us, as we all loved helping and loved the shop itself and its clothes as this was what we were all into fashion wise as well.
Also Wenger said that CofP dealt with ‘different aspects of the companies competency’ and this is how we all worked to, as we all worked on the shop floor dealing with tills and presentation as this is what we saw would bring the shop the most success and profit; money for charity. However others would take on other jobs which satisfied their needs and perhaps formed other CofP.
Finally he also said that CofP was all about ‘participation rather than status’. For the CofP I was part of it was all about participating, helping each other and being part of it rather than status. This was firstly because we were all volunteers there to help not to get ‘promoted’ or anything and we had the same values of what mattered to us so participated together in this.