Week 11

Lecture Summary:

This lecture was about Data, Information and Knowledge. Data can be defined as a fact. it must be unbiased, quantitative and representative. Data can either be sampled (eg-price, shares) or measured (eg-weather). Information can be defined as a collection of relating facts. It must inform, be relational and be meaningful. Information can either be historical (eg-almanacs). Knowledge can be defined as the range of what has been learned discovered or perceived (eg- white papers, press releases). It must show justification from the data and information and its origins should be clear. The following is the characteristics of these mediums:-

Data =

• Factual
• Non judgemental
• Transient
• No intrinsic meaning or value
• Non inferential

Information =

• Summary
• Relational
• Dimensional
• Permanent
• Has meaning

Knowledge =

• Judgemental
• Valuable
• Subjective
• Experimental
• Inferential

Tutorial Summary:

1. Research the terms data, information, knowledge and wisdom and record definitions for them.

I used the following website- http://www.dictionary.reference.com/

Data = Factual information, especially information organized for analysis or used to reason or make decisions.

Information = The act of informing or the condition of being informed

Knowledge = The fact or state of knowing, the perception of fact or truth or clear and certain mental apprehension. Knowledge can also be described as an awareness.

Wisdom = Having good judgment, or having the knowledge of what is true. Enlightenment and insight.

2. Use the drawing toolbar in MS Word to create a graphical representation of these terms

Screenshot of my representation:

By danijolly22 at 2008-05-27

3. How can the understanding of the relationship between data information and knowledge assist in your university study?

Using data, information and knowledge is a logical plan towards achieving successful university studies. Data is part of the research needed to be conducted in an assignment and needs to be extensive and thorough so that accurate facts are collected. The information part is planning the assignment. This area ensures that the data is meaningful for study. Information and data are can each prove the other one is factual. Knowledge is the understanding of all of the work that has been completed during the first two stages. This part is where summary's and viewpoints are made. The important linkages of these three terms in an assignment will assist in drawing up conclusions so a thorough understanding of the terms and relationships is needed, in order to do well at university.

4. List five organisations that collect information from their clients or the public. Why do they collect this information?

Doctors = To keep your health records to make sure you are not experiencing the same problems everycheckup, to know who you are, to know what medication you are on if you are on anything. These are just a few reasons they may keep your information.

CentreLink = To keep track of earnings and benefits paid so they know if people are receiving correct entitlements.

Banks = To keep track of peoples savings and loans. when applying for an account they must collect 100 points of ID to make sure youare who you say you are and not a scammer.

Universities = So they know how many students go to the university and to know who is doing course and to know what year they are in when they are doing there course and to make sure they pay their money for the course.

Car Sales Personnel = When asking information about a car they often take down your details so that they can contact you in the future if any deals or certain models are available. When buying a new car they record your phone number so that they can ring and remind you in six months time to come in for a service.

Reading Summary:

1. Systems Thinking

This can be found at the following URL - http://www.systems-thinking.org/dikw/dikw.htm

2. Otec

This can be found at the following URL - http://otec.uoregon.edu/data-wisdom.htm

Week 10

Lecture Summary:

Information management is the organisation of information. A major problem people now face is finding out ways how to manage information to make the retrieval of it quick and easy. The technology of computer processing power helps organise in formation, usually in the form of text, documents, images, web pages, bookmarks and presentations. Atom based format is like a hard copy of information eg books, papers ad reports. Bit-based format is electronic data and digital reproductions. the technology advances of today have allowed for most atom based information to convert to bit form. An example of this is internet banking, email and music. There are many ways to manage information. File extensions, folders, directories, meta data and search functions, to list a few. With the continual changing in technology, the use of bit based information is becoming more common. I believe it is the technology of the future and atom formats are going to be slowly phased out.

Tutorial summary:

1. Set up a favourites list that has 3 folders in it, each with at least two websites marked as favourites

Screenshot of my favourites list:-


By danijolly22 at 2008-05-25

2. Read the 'Being Digital' online archive. Do you think Negroponte's ideas are still relevant? Why?

I agree with everything Negroponte has to say. Yes i do think his ideas are relevant because what he said is still true today as it was 14 years ago. Around the world newspapers, directories, textbooks and magazines are continually being massed produced. Most business have realised the worth of bit-based data and are always seen upgrading there technology to provide the fastest service. Even so, there is no denying the world still relies heavily on atom based information. There will be a day where all our information is digitally provided but the complete phasing out of all atom sources would take centuries.

3. What are the pros and cons of using atoms and bits?

Atom-based pros =

• We know where it is
• Easily concealed
• Easy to protect
• Difficult to change
• Difficult to copy

Atom-based cons =

• Bulky
• Costly
• Difficult to edit
• Difficult to distribute
• Inflexible

Bit-based pros =

• Very flexible
• Very cheap
• Easy to edit
• Easy to mass produce
• Easy to broadcast

Bit-based cons =

• Easy to copy and steal
• Easy to fake
• Easy to alter and edit others work
• Unsolicited broadcast (spam)

Reading Summary:

1. Grazing the Net

This can be found at the following website - http://www.fno.org/text/grazing.html

"Grazing the Net' was an article explaining the issues involved with online schools. These are schools where students get most of their information, research and study from the internet. It is cheaper and more easily available than most atom-based learning formats. 'Free range' is often the term used to describe this style of learning because when searching the internet, children have endless possibilities of information that come from all types of viewpoints from all over the world. Lessons must be taught on how to sort through the load of information the internet provides but this in itself provides children with essential skills, that can be used throughout their lives. Online schooling has shown positive benefits; enhancing reading and communication skills, as well as making children more innovative. This modern way of learning will definitely be the way of the future.

Week 9

Lecture Summary:

Communication is a very important part of today's society. It takes place within networks and can be between individuals, between individuals and an organisation, within a business and also between a business and an external organisation. there are four types of communication. these are:-

• Synchronous = all parties are engaged in conversation at same time eg-phone call
• Asynchronous = parties take their turn in their own time eg-letters
• Place dependent = all parties have to be in the same place eg-online games
• Place Independent = parties can be anywhere in cyberspace eg-msn

ICT stands for information communications technology. This is used with mobile phones, ipods, laptops, video/tele-conferencing and electronic mail. Instant Message Clients like MSN are widely used thoroughout the world and allow users to instant message anyone, from anywhere, who is online at the same time. Discussion boards are similar but conversations are generally about a specific topic and can be accessed at any time. Even bigger than both these forms of ICT is emailing. This is usually in a form of a letter instantly sent to some elses web address. A major issue of this is emails can be easily forwarded to other people and most accounts recieve thousands of unwanted letters of spam (junk mail) each year. ICT will play a major role for not only university students but for everyone, now and in the years to come.

Tutorial Summary:

1. Visit the Google site - www.google.com and click on the GROUPS tab and enter a search term on a topic of interest to you. What term did you enter and what group(s) did you find?

I entered the term 'vegan' which is a person that does not consume or use any animal products. It is of interest to me because i am such a person. I found that the first two pages contained reliable vegan groups but after that it only found groups where the term 'vegan' had been written somewhere in the comments. Most of the groups were about the different recipes available and also discussions on how to succesfully maintain the vegan diet. There was also a couple about vegan health and raising vegan children. The first groups found were all about the actual vegan philosophy containing extensive discussions about different peoples point of view.

2. Investigate the messages posted on the topic and look through some of the bulletin boards containing them. Record your findings.

Most of the messages i found supported the vegan lifestyle and gave tips to living such a life as well as examples of recipes and their reasons why they are vegan. A few of the comments were anti-vegan but these usually had no substance to them and didnt provide any evidence to back up their opinion. They were mostly just one sentence lines persecuting vegans eg- "meat rules vegans drool". I feel if anyone wanted to turn vegan or wanted to find out more information these bulliten boards and groups will provide a load of information and support and are a great place to come to when in doubt.

3. Visit a podcast hosting site and look at one or two podcasts. What are the potential benefits of podcasts for university students?

I went to the site http://podcasts.yahoo.com/ and searched up dogs. most of the search results i found were videos about dogs in a comedy scene or songs entitled dogs. So i refined my search and found some podcasts that explained where the breeds of dog originated from and also short documentaries on how to train dogs. In terms of university i believe Podcasts have the ability to save alot of time because instead of turning up to a lecture a student can download the lecture podcast onto their ipods and listen to it when desired. There are alot of podcasts available to do with different topics and a student could use that as a resource in their assignments. Some students learn and absorb information better when they hear it, so through podcasts this may be a better learning experience and information system; for some people.

By danijolly22 at 2008-05-25

Reading Summary:

1. Guide to using email

The first was a website entitled "14 email do's and dont's- ways to make your messages more efficent and effective". This article describes how to make your email a more effective tool of communication and how you can structure the email to be a useful tool in communicating with somebody. i learnt that when writing an email the recipicent can actually take what you said the wrong way even though that was not your intention at all. i good way to prevent this is to not use any form of sarcasm and write directly to the point in an easy to understand manner. The second text was called Essential email etiquette this text describes different formatting styles for your emails and different ways of creating your email so it is set out correctly and also sets the right tones and stays on topic. Some of the subjects this website talks about arethe subject, addressing recipients properly, keeping messages pithy and attachments. The third was a video posted on youtube about how to practice good phone and email etiquette at work. it contains many tips and steps to help a person practice this good etiquette eg: always spell check your email before hitting send, it may save you alot of embarressment. The last was also a youtube video but this one was more about the problems of emailing. What people say in an email can often come back to hurt them, even costing people their jobs. Social networking sites use conversational text like lol-laugh out loud or btw-by the way, but email should be kept formal in the traditional format in order to convey what your trying to say correctly.

2. The problem with spam

Spam is the junk mail of emailing and is a big problem not only in Australia but worldwide. it usually clogs up email systems and unfortunetly important messages can go unnoticed or are accidently deleted with the spam. Spamming actually takes away recources from users and service providers without compensation and without authorisation. This website explains in detail all the different problems created by spam and provides hints and tips to help stop it from happening.

Week 8

Lecture Summary:

Microsoft Powerpoint is a computer program where the user can create slideshows that help them deliver a speech to an audience. The purpose of a powerpoint presentation is to generate energy, sell yor image, comand respect and give the audience certainty that what your saying is real. It contains compelling data that will survive scrutiny when the presentation is over and provides an emotional connection thats crucial to the success of the message being portrayed. Typical speeches contain an introduction a body and a conclusion. An effective introduction must first get the attention of the audience then discuss the topic at hand. A thesis statement is usually given before the transition into the body part of the speech. The body must contain the main ideas of your topic and discuss them in full detail; providing examples and outside research to back up what you're saying. the conclusion should be brief and tight, reviewing the main points of the presentation and re-asserting your thesis based on the facts presented. the powerpoint slides should not contain word for word of your speech but rather a summary or dot points of what you're saying. Keep it simple - less is more! Only add things that will enhance your speech; such as pictures and diagrams. It is wise not to use sounds unless they will definetly enhance what you have to say. When using colours make sure they dont clash or are too bright because that will more than likely distract the audience. the following is a list of strategies for audience involvement:-

• Pitch your presentation according to the audience
• Only use relevant and up to date examples
• Ask questions that will encourage the audience to think
• Try to keep eye contact at all times
• Speak clearly, pausing and emphasising correctly
• Rehearse and learn your speech

Tutorial Summary:

1. Go to Laura Guertin's "Online resources for how to prepare and deliver a presentation" and use this, as well as information from this week’s lecture, to make a "Top Five" list of strategies to help you deliver a top-notch presentation.

This can be found at the following web address: http://www.personal.psu.edu/uxg3/blogs/undergraduateresearch/2008/02/online-resources-for-how-to-pr.html

One = Make sure you have researched well on your topic, so when your saying your speech you know what you are talking about. This means you wont have to completly rely on your notes or aids and will beable to answer questions more effectively.

Two = Look at the audience when you are speaking. Make eye contact. If you are looking down at your notes alll the time the audience may lose interest.

Three = Ensure that you have practised your talk a few times over so you know what you are saying and how you will be saying it.

Four = Make sure your speech has a introduction, body and a conclusion. a well collected speech is more understandable and will help you know what point of the presentation you are up to.

Five = Don't go over the top with the powerpoint presentation or other aids. Use them as a backup and not as your entire speech.

2. Construct a PowerPoint Six Slide presentation on your ideas on how to give a low impact PowerPoint presentation

Screenshot of slides:

By danijolly22 at 2008-05-24


By danijolly22 at 2008-05-24


By danijolly22 at 2008-05-24


By danijolly22 at 2008-05-24


By danijolly22 at 2008-05-24


By danijolly22 at 2008-05-24


Reading Summary:

1. Powerpoint Tutorial

This is a fun and interactive way to learn about powerpoint. The site has used characters to explain and talk about how the program can be used. They have tried to make it fun by including jokes and using colour. The characters interact with each other and use this method to teach the reader. some of the things this website covers are:

• Toolbars
• Office assistant
• Powerpoint Vocabulary
• Hints and tips
• Examples
• Creating slides
• Inserting media

I think this website will be very good for young adults and children because it provides an easy to follow step by step approach to powerpoint and the characters teach all the different programs within powerpoint that can help make a good presentation.