The Open University

The Open University was set up in Milton Keynes in 1969 to allow people who did not get a chance to study at university after school to access higher education through part time courses. The Open University "changed the face of education". It was different from the other universities because it was the first establishment to change higher education by allowing people who have left education long ago to continue learning and so improve their job prospects - this made a lot of difference as all of the other universities were aimed at students who had recently left education.

The Open University is also different from other universities because it facilitates distance learning. Even when the internet wasn't used by the Open University, students could send their work in the post to be marked.

The Open University links to the BBC because the BBC also used to show TV and radio recordings of the Open University's lectures. The students would do their work based on that and then send their work into the Open University that way.

Since the Open University first launched in 1969, over 1.6 million people worldwide became students and achieved their learning goals by studying with the Open University.

                                               

Websites I used:
http://www.open.ac.uk/

The History Of The Mobile Phone

The article "Faster, thinner, lighter... so what will we dial up next?" describes how mobile phones have altered the way we communicate.

As the article said, the phones we used to have - Nokia phones that were nicknamed "brick phones" - "did little else but ring and bleep". This shows that the first mobile phones were only ever used for ringing people and sending SMS text messages. The phones we have now are not like that but, surprisingly, twenty nine per cent of people aged over forty five still use their first mobile phone.
Now mobile phones are described as "powerful mini-computers" which "bear little resemblance to the clichéd 80s brick phones".
Nowadays, mobile phones are as the article's title states: "faster, thinner, lighter". The majority of people these days "rely on them for everything" as "there are now very few tasks we undertake that don't involve our phones", such as "keeping track of appointments" or "keeping us entertained at the gym".
The article says that "phones have become the centre of our universe", and that "the age of the phone as a calling device is well and truly over". As the article said, they are much more like "mini-computers" these days and, as the article said, the phones being made now are so different that many of us "look back with fondness on our first phone", and "get all nostalgic". This is not exactly surprising when you consider that, by the age of fourteen, seventy six per cent of eighteen-to-twenty-four year olds owned their first phone. They grew up with them.
More people own mobile phones nowadays as they are cheaper, people have more disposable income, and mobile phones are more widely viewed as an acceptable means of communication.
Here is the article:

 

Nowadays, there are many different types of phone. While basic phones, such as some of the early Nokia mobile phones, were very popular, after, phones such as blackberries with their qwerty keyboards were even more so and, nowadays, smartphones, such as touchscreen phones, even more than that. Because the phones are becoming more and more advanced with new technology, their usability and functionality have vastly improved, meaning that they can be used almost anywhere.

Crime and Crime Prevention

Task 1 - Mobile Phone Spam)

New crimes are often created due to new technology. For example, high-quality photocopiers make the forging of documents such as bank notes, concert tickets, and other event tickets.
The article below shows a new crime that has only come about due to new technology - mainly SMS messaging:

Mobile phone spam is a form of spamming that is directed at text messaging or other mobile phone communications services. It is sometimes called mobile spamming, SMS spam, text spam, m-spam or mspam.
It has become more widespread because, since the early 2000s, the popularity of mobile phones has increased as users frequently used text messaging as a form of communication. This has seen an increase in the number of unwanted and unsolicited commercial advertisements being set to people's mobile phones through text messaging.
This can be very annoying for the recipitent because, unlike in their email accounts, some recipitents can be charged a fee for every message they receive, including spam.

                                                                                                                                                                    

Task 2 - Crime Detection)

 

Crime detection has improved hugely in the past few decades, especially due to DNA testing and other crime scene investigation tools, including closed circuit TV systems. Furthermore, numerous police officers have been trained in ICT at all levels in order to ensure that the police service can take advantage of the benefits that can be gained from its use. Nowadays, ICT is seen as a major driving force to improve methods and efficiency by the police service.

These days, ICT affects the work of every police officer. Street officers can type up reports efficiently using word processing software and templates, rather than having to laboriously type up every report. Clear, secure, digital radio systems are also used now - they allow communication between mobile officers and a computer-aided-despatch (CAD) room at base.

Nationally, huge integrated crime databases are used to record crimes and attempt to find patterns in them. Biometric databases are used to store DNA evicence, handprints and fingerprints. Geographical analysis and other sophisticated networks are used to attempt to analyse patterns in criminal behaviour.
Additionally, evidence gathering has improved through the use of digital video and CCTV, as well as more sophisticated computerised forensic analysis.

The benefits of using ICT to improve methods and efficiency of the police service are very clear. Communication systems have greatly improved; it is possible for officers to work through their administrative duties much more quickly. The number and sophistication of the tools available  to help track down criminals, and hopefully deter them, has increased hugely.

Evidence collecting, tracking, analysis and availability have improved, and the amount of data now available to the police system to help in their work and monitor how effective they are has grown in proportion to this.

However, many believe that the police service are now too driven by technology. People miss the days when there was "a local police officer who knew what was happening in the local community". There is now a huge collection of data, but it is not easy to access what impact of these major initiatives have had on detecting and reducing crime overall.

Another more unexpected tool used by the police service is social networking - this is useful as it allows the police service to find criminals - something shown in the article below - but communication technology can sometimes be a problem when cases come to court.

 

 

Task 3 - How technology has changed crimes)
Technology has changed how crimes are committed because, with each new branch of technology, another avenue for criminals is also created. For example, when online banking was created, a whole new type of crime was made - criminals could illegally hack into people's accounts online and steal their money that way - they did not even have to leave the house. Another example is cyber attack - this would also not have been possible without our current technology because, if computers did not exist, neither would cyber attack.
However, new technology has also opened new gateways in more positive ways. For example, the missingpersons.police.uk website would not have been possible without modern technology and that has helped the police to solve many investigations.
Both of these arguments are presented in articles below:









"PC hijackers" are also becoming a growing problem. Increasing numbers of people are learning how to create types of malware such as ransomware and scareware. These types of malicious software - ransomware - can effectively lock or encode people's documents and, without paying whatever money the criminals are demanding in return for the full use of your computer, you will not be able to use your machine - it is much simpler to have anti-virus software downloaded and to use common sense - e.g. if your computer shows a pop-up that says the police have found something suspicious on your computer and want compensation - scareware - then do not pay it! They would not inform you of it in that way and any money you send would be sent to criminals.
This is shown in the article below:

 Another type of crime that would not be possible without modern technology is shown in the article below. It explains for, by using the internet - twitter for example - a group of criminals were able to trace the movements of the "super-rich" and apprehend them, demanding that they give them incredible expensive jewellery they were wearing, and they only knew this because the victims had posted where they were going online. To summarise, the "Millionaire Muggers", as the group were later nicknamed, "followed the movements of high-profile figures on the internet before robbing them".
Here is the article:





































On a more positive note, over the last decade, the crime rate has dropped in the United Kingdom because it is getting increasingly difficult to commit a crime and get away with it.

Websites I used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_spam

Entertainment & Leisure

Task 1 - Read and summarise pages 29-31 in the textbook:

• The important of the convergence of digital technologies on entertainment and leisure has been huge.
• Almost every area of entertainment has been changed due to digital technology.
• Digital technology affects both production and distribution, and there is still further scope for change.
• It enables more personal creativity and choice.
• It is now simple and relatively inexpensive to produce creative works digitally such as:
• Music
• Video
• Sound
• Radio
• Magazines
• Books
• Art
• It is now a great deal easier to make and record music.
• It is now possible to record and mix music successfully on a home computer thanks to MIDI input devices, sequencers and sophisticated sound cards.
• Because of this, many independent "indie" bands have been using this software to edit and add to their music.
• As with the internet itself, this has the effect of:
• providing wide variety and allowing new talent to publish.
• allowing a great deal of mediocre work to be published.
• creating a certain similarity in feel to a great deal of what is published.
• Consumers have experienced a much wider choice of entertainment as a result of the digital age.
• Films can be sent to many different locations simultaneously in digital form so release dates can be brought forward.
• DVD release and broadcast distribution can be brought closer to the original date - this funds more movies and more choice.
• As with music, small independent production companies are able to produce TV and radio programmes.
• Broadcasting can happen almost anywhere in the world now thanks to simpler means of distribution.
• All of this broadens the choice for the consumer - however, many people feel that this dilutes the quality.
• It is certainly true that there is so much new music, so many TV stations, so many radio stations and so many films available that an individual could feel overwhelmed by choice, and not able to properly take advantage of these resources - this is a phenomenon knows as "information overload".
• An interesting way of dealing with this new "explosion of choice" is Sky + because it allows consumers to record TV onto hard disc.
• It's system is simple and flexible, effectively allowing people to build up their own personal channel onto which they can record their favourite programmes.
• It is also possible to skip the advertisements that effectively fund many programmes at the moment - this may have a longer-term effect on the way in which we pay for TV.
• Another massive impact of ICT on entertainment echoes that of communication.
• Entertainment is not restricted to the home or the theatre at set times, but is now available anywhere and at any time.
• The iPod, MP3 players and other similar devices allow you to transport and listen to the equivalent of entire CD collections at near CD quality wherever and whenever you are.
• Portable media players allow you to record TV or DVDs, and watch them anywhere and any time too.
• DVD recorders allow you to capture permanently movies and broadcast programmes in high quality and watch them anywhere and any time a DVD player is available.
• The most obvious effect of the digital age is the sheer amount of information / information sources that are available to us.
• To summarise, people are "bombarded with data and choice" in a way that they were not in the past.
• One impact of this is that people can feel stress and hopelessness as a result of this overload of information and choice, especially where information is contradictory, inconclusive or ambiguous.

                                                                                                                                                                         

Task 2 - Review the PowerPoint shown at the start of our lesson:

The PowerPoint shows us that the impact of technology on entertainment and leisure has been enormous. It has created digital television, radio, films and games, and all of these have been altered in the way they are produced and broadcast due to the digital age.
It also shows us that digital recording has allowed both professional and amateurs to record their work easily, and then to broadcast it online, as well as conventionally on television, radio or streamed online. It shows us that the archiving of television and radio programmes has "become second nature" - this was not the case when television and radio were new.
The presentation also shows us how the formats we use for digital technology have changed. Video became DVD which became CD-Rom, which became an HD-DVD which then became a Blue Ray DVD. Each format has its advantages and disadvantages but they all did the job they were created for.
The PowerPoint presentation shows us that films are still being released in cinemas nowadays. Cinemas were saved from closure by the development of The Point - the first multiplex cinema in the UK - which is in Milton Keynes. When cinemas were first created, if you wanted to see a film after its cinema release then you had to join one of several video rental stores. Many of these stores are now struggling as it is so much easier to access films online; e.g. with Netflix or LOVEFILM. These online film viewing services have expanded along with satellite television, now offering mobile services which give customers a longer period of time in which they can use these websites.
The presentation also showed that the development of BBS and eventually Sky was altered the way that television has been offered. Initially, BBS and then Sky have offered a wider choice and enabled isolated communities access to television for the first time. Satellite television has developed with improved boxes, allowing the recording of television programmes without the need of a video recorder. Television companies have started to offer red button services of live coverage, and HD cameras have allowed HD stations to be offered. Other companies have entered the television market now, such as Virgin and Freeview - each was offering a similar service, which involved allowing customers to pre-record programmes.
The presentation also showed us that technology has now taken over music, television and film industries. However, counterfeits, (e.g. pirate copies), have come into the market now - both on an individual and a commercial level - producing fake products ranging from cassettes, videos, CDs and concert tickets. With the invention of high quality but cheap printers, the production of high quality fakes was made much easier and so they are used more widely.
The PowerPoint presentation's final slide showed us how the industry for computer games has expanded enormously - from the simple pixel based games of tennis and hockey that worked due to a program file on a games box which was hooked onto a television screen in black and white, to the hand-held gaming systems with stunning graphics that are taken for granted nowadays.
                                                                                                                                                                         


Task 3 - Explain how the entertainment industry has been altered using the discussions in the textbook, and the articles provided:

Discussions:

Discussion 1 - Access to original entertainment:
"It has never been easier to publish original entertainment.
It has never been harder to see and hear original entertainment."
This discussion is clearly making a point that - because people can now successfully mix music at home, using software to: create sophisticated backing tracks by selecting a key signature and music style, provide a solid rhythmic backing from computerised drum machines, editing out mistakes, and even "correcting" voices that are out of tune - the work is no longer original or, if it is, it does not sound original because they are all edited in much the same way and can sound very similar.

Discussion 2 - Pirated entertainment:
What is the advantage of paying a supplier such as Apple for a legal music download?
The advantage of this is that the customer can guarantee that they will be paying for a download that is definitely going to be what they wanted in the first place, and will also be of a good quality. This saves you money as you do not have to pay for the CD, but you are also not illegally downloading a pirated copy of the music for free. Furthermore, sometimes downloading pirated copies could lead to you downloading a virus or other malicious malware onto your machine.
What is the disadvantage of buying a pirate DVD from a market stall?
The disadvantage is that the DVD could A) not be what you wished to purchase in the first place, B) it may be very poor quality so not worth watching anyway, or C) if you did not know how much a legal copy of the DVD cost, you could spend more money on a poorer-quality pirate DVD.
What is the disadvantage of getting a pirate download of the latest Hollywood blockbuster before its UK release?
There are many disadvantages of getting a pirate download of a film are: you could also be downloading malware onto your machine; you have no physical copy of the film; it is illegal; it could be traced back to you and you could be fined / arrested; you have no packaging - A.K.A. no tangible thing afterwards; you cannot watch it again; and it could be very poor quality.
What is the disadvantage to you of visiting an illicit music download site?
The disadvantages are that: a virus or other malware could be downloaded onto your machine; it is illegal; and you could be traced which could lead to you being fined / arrested.
Does widespread illicit downloading discourage the funding of new talent?
The funding of new talent could be discouraged due to widespread illicit downloading because people may not think that it is worth their while if people are going to download their material illicitly for free because they will make no profit from it.

Discussion 3 - Impact of games players:
One of the largest impacts of ICT on the personal lives of young people has been the "explosive growth" of home games players or "play" stations. An article from New Scientist - written on the 23rd of October in 2004 - stated that $3.8 thousand million of games were sold in 1995, rising to $6 thousand million in 1998, and $7 thousand million by 2003. Approximately 25% of these games were violent.
Why are computer games so popular?
One obvious reason for this could be escapism - playing computer games allows people to forget about their own worries as they lose themselves in something that will not affect their real life.
Do computer games make you more violent?
If a computer game is violent, the chance is that it could make you more violent too if you played it frequently. For example, if the game involved killing or attacking enemies - it could be anything from zombies to criminals - then the idea of killing or attacking, if you played the game enough, could begin to seem more normal to you which could lead to violent tendencies.
Do computer games make you more isolated?
If you spend a lot of time playing computer games alone, the likelihood is that you will become more isolated as you stop seeking human interaction and play computer games instead.
Do networked computer games make you more or less social?
Networked games allow you to talk to other players which, despite being social interaction, is not the same as talking to a person in "real life" and, if you only feel comfortable talking to people online, this could make it more difficult for you to interact with people in everyday life.


Articles:

Article no. 1) Under fire: Women who dare to game:

 

This article shows that it is not just the male population who like to buy video and computer games. This could persuade the entertainment industry to make games that are more stereotypically "female" so as to accommodate for everyone who plays the games, not just men.

Article no. 2) Gre@t show on the box:

This article shows that the entertainment industry is already accommodating "how we watch TV" with a graph showing which portable devices we use to watch our programmes, and how we choose what to watch from the wide selection of material provided for us.
 

Article no. 3) Pirate TV founder's deal with US courts:

This article is about a student who created a website that allowed people to watch films and TV for free. It shows how easily media can be downloaded nowadays, and that the people who make the material in the first place are losing out because many people no longer pay for the material.

Article no. 4) £1.1bn price-fixing fine for TV makers:

This article shows that the entertainment industry is not always a positive thing. Sometimes the customer demand for new entertainment is exploited and it is left to the European Union to punish this.

Article no. 5) Skyfall breaks box office record in 00 quick time:

This article shows the top grossing films in Britain - something people do not always realise about the entertainment industry is how much money it is making because of us. This shows just how effective the entertainment industry can be, showing that Skyfall earned £94,277,612 in 2012 and it is still increasing.

SMS - Has its time past?

Short Message Service (SMS) - otherwise known as text messaging - was created by engineer Neil Papworth, aged 22, on the 3rd of December in 1992.

SMS was originally devised to utilise mobile phone transmissions to send "short bursts of textual data" and it is now the preferred method of communication for many people. SMS is designed for short messages with as much meaning as possible - therefore, the SMS language has evolved based on abbreviations and informal phonics.

SMS has changed over the last twenty years as more and more people have used it. Emoticons have been developed and these also add more meaning to text messages as it can sometimes be hard for others to work out what you mean; e.g. if you are being sarcastic or not.

SMS has influenced our lives because we no longer need to meet people or ring them on the telephones. This could make people more antisocial but it also makes communicating much simpler and faster.

The following article describes how SMS came to be and why it may or may not be used so widely nowadays:

ICT and Legislation

** Awaiting work from one remaining group members

Copyright and Social Media

Social media has raised copyright issues over images and media because, on social networking websites and the internet in general, a wide variety of material, images included, are shared online and often taken without crediting the person who supplied this material in the first place which is stealing. Copyright legislation is in place to prevent this happening as people should not be allowed to credit from someone else's work.

Facebook is a prime example of a company which has raised controversy over social media copyright issues. For example, Facebook naturally want to make money from their products but, because Facebook make a big point of never charging their users on their homepage, they have to make money some other way; e.g. paying for certain games, adverts, etc. Facebook buy out companies - e.g. Instagram - which allows the other companies to access/use any media found on Facebook.

E-Commerce & Social Networking

E-Commerce - commerce conducted on the internet - is a fast growing part of our economy. The rapid expansion of social networking websites - such as Facebook and Twitter - can effect this as more products are advertised online nowadays which leads to more people seeing them so more money is made. Many businesses have realised this and that is why most businesses are likely to have their own page on various social networking websites so that more people discover them and they make more money.

Snoox is a social media website that allows your friends to tell advise you on whether something is good or bad, not a stranger. Therefore, this could negatively effect advertising because businesses will not be able to contact you with advertisements - only people you know can and, therefore, businesses' commerce will have to be genuinely good and not just have effective advertising.

The following article is about this:




Furthermore, the presentation - made by ReShon Anderson - shows that the average Facebook user is online for more than 55 minutes every day and, therefore, this will be a good platform for advertising. Many companies use Facebook for this and it gains them many new customers who may have otherwise not seen whatever commerce was being advertised.

I think that, if businesses can successfully advertise their commerce on social networking platforms such as Facebook them many people will see it which will increase sales and profit. If it is successful then people are more likely to give it good reviews on Snoox which will increase the number of customers even more and, again, increase profits.

Companies and businesses should make online pages for themselves because having an online presence is one of the best ways of advertising in this day and age - more and more people use the internet, so more and more people will see the advert and, therefore, the commerce.

Without an online presence, companies and businesses are unlikely to survive the Digital Age because not enough people will hear about them and they will lose so much money that they will not make a profit and it will not be worth continuing. Having an online presence solves this problem.

Life in the Information Age - Finding reliable, valid information

Activity 7 - Finding reliable, valid information:

On the internet there are many unreliable websites - these are sometimes known as hoax websites and they are much more common then you would think.

Hoax websites can hold content on a wide range of subjects, examples of which are:

• The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency
• Dog Island
• We want your soul
• The White House
• The Wingmakers
• Sellafield Zoo
• Britain for Americans
• The Haggis Hunt
• The Uncyclopedia
• The Daily Rash

The websites above tell you how to hunt vampires, sell your soul and how to be a successful tourist in Britain - however, these websites are fake and the majority of them could cause more harm than good on your computers.

Assessing whether or not a website is reliable can sometimes be very difficult. To start with you must always be suspicious of a website if it's TLD (Top Level Domain) is .net or .org. Furthermore, if you click on a website and it looks extremely unprofessional then the likelihood is that it probably is.

On some hoax websites it is very obvious what they are immediately. For example, a fake website for The White House shows this on its home screen when the link is clicked:

It is unlikely that the official website for The White House would be hacked and, should this happen, the problem would be fixed straight away. This is clearly not official because The White House's website, coincidentally, looks like this which is much more professional and clearly reliable:

You can also tell that the first website was fake because it ended in .net while the second website - the official one - ended with .gov which shows that it is an official government website. You can also tell by the icon in the top left corner beside the web address:

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Open University task)

Education has changed hugely in the last ten years. We have also discovered that it spans to include more people, including students from the ages of four to sixteen, who then follow their education with A-Levels or other courses, which can be completed at sixth form in a school or college.
Education has also become part of work, as some companies/workplaces fund their employees so that they can complete further studying - this could be at college or university - while they are working and gaining experience.
The Open University has "changed the face of education" and has allowed many people who did not get a chance to study at university after school to access higher education through part-time courses.
Schools and colleges have set up Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) or Moodles, to help with learning outside of school or college. Work can be uploaded onto it, as can revision and helpful tips.
Since the previous Labour government changed the age that students are allowed to leave school from sixteen to eighteen, every student must be in a place of education until they are eighteen years old.
These changes in education mean that we are now offering "life long learning", which has an effect on work as staff are now expected to engage in some form on Continuing Personal Development (CPD).
The Open University were the first establishment to change higher education by allowing people who have left education long ago to continue learning and so improve their job prospects.
A newer establishment that allows "free world-class education for anyone anywhere" is the Khan Academy. It describes itself as "an organisation on a mission" which wants no profit and has a goal of changing education for the better by providing "world-class" education for free.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone - the link can be found by clicking here - whether you are "a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after twenty years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology". This shows that really anyone can access the website and its free education, improving higher education for the better.
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Websites I used:
http://www.khanacademy.org/about
 http://www.philb.com/fakesites2.htm


** WARNING: Please be careful when clicking on the links to the following websites because - as amusing as some may seem - they ARE hoax websites and could damage your computer with viruses, etc. **

 http://www.fvza.org/
http://www.thedogisland.com/
http://marineparade.net/wewantyoursoul/
http://www.whitehouse.net/
http://www.wingmakers.com/
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.thedailyrash.com/

Social Networking

Social networking websites are used by people globally to keep in touch with one another, no matter where they are.

Examples of some social networking websites are:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn

The advantages of social networking websites are:

• Low costs - it's cheaper to use online social networking for both personal and business use because most of it is usually free.
• Builds credibility - if you are using social networking for business, you can gain the customers' confidence if you can connect to them on both a personal and professional level.
• Connections - you can keep in contact with your friends online and, through them, their friends so you get to talk to many different people and build up connections - this is useful on a personal and business scale.

The disadvantages of social networking websites are:

• Lack of anonymity - you are putting out information about your name, location, age, gender, and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know.
• Scams and harassment - while many websites apply certain security measures to keep cases of harassment, cyber-stalking, online scams, and identity theft to an absolutely minimum, it can still happen.
• Time consuming - contacting someone through a social network can take longer than using Skype or an email because you have to open up separate pages and wait for chat pages to load.

Social network websites have a mixture of advantages and disadvantages. Overall, I think they are a good thing because they allow you to keep in contact with people for free/low prices, but you have to be careful of scams and where you post your information.

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Websites I used:

http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html

Employment Opportunities

Name two different office applications that could be used by the small business to improve upon the paper-based systems employed in the 1970s:

1. Microsoft Excel
2. Microsoft Word

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Describe two advantages of each over the paper-based system and one advantage of each over the other:

Microsoft Excel:

1. Lots of information needed to run a business can be stored on a single document on a computer and can be accessed anywhere - it doesn't need to be handwritten on many different sheets of paper that would need to be filed and could be lost.
2. Microsoft Excel uses formulae so it can work out maths problems which could prove too difficult for some people - this would make it easier because sums wouldn't need to be worked out by hand and, if they had been entered correctly, they would not be miscalculated.

Microsoft Word:

1. Microsoft Word can store large amounts of text on a single document on a computer and can be accessed anywhere - it doesn't need to be handwritten on many different sheets if paper that would need to be filed and could be lost.
2. Microsoft Word allows you to change the font, size and colour of text, along with making it bold, italic or underlining it - furthermore, if you write a page and then decide that it is wrong, you can delete it and no paper is wasted which saves money.

Microsoft Excel is better than Microsoft Word because it uses formulae which means it can do sums so that you don't have to - that way, there is little chance of the sums being miscalculated so this is a useful tool to have.

Microsoft Word is better than Microsoft Excel because you can store large amounts of text on one document and you won't be taken onto another new page which is what happens on Excel if you have too much information there.

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How were secretaries' and typists' employment prospects affected by the advent of these office packages?

Secretaries and typists are no longer used so widely and the role itself has changed - secretaries and typists now have to type things onto computers, use databases and spreadsheets. They no longer need to write in shorthand or take notes so much - they are more like personal assistants now.

The information age has reduced the need for admin staff in numerous different jobs which means that there are now less skilled jobs.
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What new job opportunities were opened up by the advent of office applications?

Examples of jobs that would not exist if there was no ICT are:

• Website designer
• Network administrator
• IT consultant
• ICT teacher
• Computer games designer
• IT technician
• Bloggers
• Software engineer
• Manufacturers
• Programmer
• Technical support
• Graphic designer
• Computer animation

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New technology has altered our way of life enormously. Because of technology, we now have new medicines, defibrillators, (more effective) hospitals, casts and X-rays, etc. Technology helps speed up the process of even more technology. Technology enables us to adapt to our environment and, because of our new technology, we are the most adapatable species existing in the world today.

Problems and issues with iPhones

 Article #1 - iPhone factory "threatened to cut funding for a disabled man"

This article summarises that Foxconn - a Taiwanese manufacturer of Apple iPhones - has been criticised for the working conditions of its factories in China after a worker - Zhang Tingzhen, aged 26 - was electrocuted and fell four metres, leaving him brain damaged, unable to speak and with "no ability to be on his own".

The company did nothing to remedy this, demanding that Mr Tinghzen be removed from the hospital and taken to the factory where the accident occurred for an assessment to determine whether or not the company would still fund him for treatment and such alike. Their offer of an assessment was refused.

This sort of press reporting is very bad for a company, as it shows that the workers are not being looked after and that the company is clearly unwilling to give compensation to someone who was injured due to the working conditions in their factory - this would make people less likely to want to work there, and it could also persuade people to leave and attempt to find another job.

  Article #2 - The Force (and feathers) are strong with this one

This article summarises that Apple have now made another version of Angry Birds, this time a Star Wars version which became "the top paid app in iTunes within an hour of its release" - Angry Birds Star Wars. While most customers were happy with the product, reviewer ChrisCream complained that it was a good game "totally spoilt by already asking me to buy more levels".

Apple attempted to remedy this problem by having a free version of the game on Android phones. However, this does not do much to solve the problem since, if a customer is using an iPhone and has already paid for the game, they do not want to spend more money buying extra levels.

For the most part, however, the article was good reporting press since it refers to the game as "one of the biggest, if not the biggest, entertainment launches of the year", and that "the attention to Star Wars detail is fantastic, from scenery to the characters to their powers".

On the other hand, this article is bad reporting press due to the comments made by ChrisCream because potential customers will not buy something if they realise that they will have to pay for "80 levels" separately, which could prove very expensive and people might decide that it's not worth the money since there are free versions of the game online.

 Article #3 - Is iPad Mini set to put out Amazon Fire?

This article summarises how Apple is losing customers as "Google, Amazon and Barnes & Noble have all revealed cheap, 20cm tablets recently" and that, if Apple didn't have a "cheap option" of its own then it risked "losing ground" to its competitors.

To remedy this problem, Apple made an iPad Mini which is a "shrunken device" of 20cm so that they will gain customers that could otherwise have gone to Apple's competitors.

This is good reporting press because it shows that Apple is making new products to attract a different sort of customer. This might also mean that, if someone sees Apple advertising their new iPad Mini, they might decide to look at the rest of their products and they might purchase something.

 Article #4 - Apple is rotten at directions

This article summarises that Apple's new mapping - which has replaced Google Maps as part of the iOS6 operating system - has been widely criticised after it made a number of mistakes which included:

• Promoting a children's football club but forgetting many towns, including Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare,
• Showing numerous Woolworths on the map, all of which are now closed down,
• Using images of various locations - particularly in Scotland - which were covered with cloud,
• Showing that the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, which is actually straight, appear curved.

Apple have done nothing to remedy this problem although TomTom - a satellite navigation specialist who provided Apple with the data for their new mapping system - said that what they had provided was only "a foundation" and that user experiences depend on "the choices the manufactures make".

This is bad press reporting because it shows that Apple have not done their research properly and have made numerous important mistakes which is likely to persuade customers that Apple are not a reliable company - this could mean that they would be unlikely to use Apple again.

  Article #5 - iPhone fanatics line the streets as latest model hits the shelves

This article summarises the release of the new iPhone 5 which is available in 34 branches worldwide. The article states that "Apple addicts have been getting themselves into a frenzy", clearly telling the public that the iPhone 5 is definitely something to get excited about. The picture the accompanies the article shows a long queue of people which also shows that, since the iPhone 5 is so popular, people had better buy one soon (before the price drops) or there will be none left.

This is good press reporting because it puts Apple in a good light, showing that they are producing many exciting new products and that, because so many people want them, they must be worth the £529 they cost - this all makes a profit for Apple and gains them lots of new customers.

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Article #1:


Article #2:


Article #3:


Articles #4 and #5:

Catalogues or Online Marketing?

As online marketing and web sales grow, the Argos catalogue is no longer being printed. But are Argos the only ones who have stopped making catalogues due to expenses and the fact that more people use the internet nowadays?
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Examples of companies that offer a free printed catalogue that is delivered to your door:

• Park Christmas Catalogue
• Compton & Woodhouse Catalogue
• Donald Russel Catalogue
• Bath Knight Catalogue
• Ark Wildlife Catalogue

Examples of companies that only offer an online catalogue:

•  Conrad UK eNewsletter
• Agriframes Catalogue
• S2S Further Learning eNewsletter
• Really Wild Flowers eNewsletter
• Official London Theatre eNewsletter

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The problem with this trend is that catalogues are becoming less and less widely used which means that people who do not have internet cannot access the online catalogue or, if you have to pay for a catalogue to be delivered, that might not be available to them either.
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Websites I used:
http://www.catalink.com/

Activity 1 - A sales representative using ICT

A sales representative - who travels over a thousand miles a week; who carries a large diary, an address book, a large road atlas and numerous A-Zs, as well as numerous small coins for phones; who pride themselves on punctuality but who is occasionally late when trying to find a new client or delayed by traffic; who always carries a calculator, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms;  who is usually on the road four days a week, six hours a day and who spends two further hours completing their administration; who spends every Friday in the office ensuring that all of their administration and sales are handled properly; who likes  the time spent in their car between appointments, as he can listen to CDs - would definitely benefit from employing ICT to change and hopefully improve their working style.

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The following ICT could change and hopefully improve the sales representative's work:

PDA:

A PDA - a Personal Digital Assistant - is a palmtop computer used to store information such as addresses and telephone numbers, and for simple word processing and spreadsheeting. This would mean that the sales representative would no longer need to carry an address book, numerous A-Z, or a large diary because all of the information in those could be stored on the PDA.

GPS:

 A GPS - a Global Positioning System - is an accurate worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from an array of orbiting satellites. This would mean that the sales representative would no longer need to carry a large road atlas and, if it was an advanced GPS system, it could show where the traffic was bad which would mean that the sales representative would no longer be delayed by traffic.

Laptop:

A laptop is a portable microcomputer, suitable for use while travelling as it is light and can be stored safely in a soft, padded laptop bag. A laptop can access the internet, has word processing and spreadsheets, allows you to create websites, can store information, has numerous different accessories such as notepad and paint, and allows you to save images and videos online. This would mean that the sales assistant would no longer need to carry a large diary or address book because these things can be stored on a laptop, a large road atlas because maps can be found online, a calculator because this is usually an accessory on a laptop, and a bulky sales catalogue with the latest price lists and order forms because these could be stored on a laptop, either in a word document or to be sent by email.

Software:

Software is the programs and other operating information used by a computer, such as operating systems, (e.g. Windows, Mac); media players, (e.g. iTunes, Songbird); and word processors, (Microsoft Office Word, OpenOffice). This would mean that the sales representative could use a PDA or laptop to complete tasks as the correct software would be installed, and that he would not necessarily need a CD player if he had a media player to listen to music on instead.

Mobile phone:

A mobile phone - sometimes known as a cellular telephone - is a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver. This would allow the sales representative to contact the client if they were going to be late, due to traffic or getting lost, or if it was an advanced mobile phone, the sales representative could access the internet and simple word processing and spreadsheeting. Furthermore, there could also be a calculator on the mobile phone which would mean that the sales representative does not need to carry a calculator around.

The internet:

The internet - a global computer network - provides a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols. This means that the sales representative can look up maps online which means they no longer need a large road atlas, there are online calculators so a calculator would not need to be carries, addresses can be found online so an address book would not be needed, an online blog could replace a large diary, and websites such as YouTube mean that CD players are no longer needed. Also, if a person has used the internet to make an email account, they can log on anywhere in the world provided there is an internet connection.

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The disadvantages of employing lots of ICT in work are that technologies such as laptops, PDAs and mobile phones need to be charged and without that they are useless. Also, if people become too reliant on ICT then what would happen if, one day, they were left without technology? They would have no idea what to do and work would come to a standstill. Furthermore, if there is a virus on your ICT then you can lose everything you have saved there which can be a huge setback. In the same way, if there is a powercut and you have not saved what you were doing then everything will be lost.

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Websites I used:
www.google.co.uk
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_examples_of_software

Mobile usage

Mobile phones are being used more and more frequently in public places nowadays. They are used in shops, on public transport, in schools, colleges, workplaces, in pubs, restaurants and cafés. They are used when walking or driving, and it is now considered a normal thing to do.

Is this right?

Pros of using a mobile phone in public:

• Being able to contact emergency services in seconds is invaluable and this would not happen if you did not carry a mobile phone with you.
• If you are in your car and it breaks down, it is useful to be able to call for help and you can do that from your mobile phone.
• If you are expecting an important call, (e.g. a job interview, an ill family member, a problem from your child or other relative), then you will be able to talk to contact them with ease if you have your mobile phone on. 

Cons of using a mobile phone in public:

• People want peace and quiet when they are out and about, so they won't want to hear half of someone's conversation as they walk along talking on their mobile phone.
• It is inconvenient to talk on the phone when you are in a shop because if you are trying to pay for something but are still talking on the phone then your attention will be divided and it will take you much longer, which is unfair to others
• A 1997 "New England Journal of Medicine" found that, if you use your phone when you're driving, you are four times more likely to have an accident, nearly equal to the danger from driving drunk.

 Many people use contract for their mobile phones which means they pay a set amount of money per month that allows them to use their phones. If they have paid this money, why should they not be allowed to use their phones in public?

There is no point in people owning mobile phones and not using them in public because that defeats the purpose of them being mobile. If you only use them in your own home, you may as well use a telephone or a laptop to call people and go on the internet.
 
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Websites I used:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6773806_pros-cell-phones-public-places.html

Digital Communication

Activity 3 - When do you use email?

1. I use my email to: communicate with friends/family members, to ask about potential job vacancies with companies, and to email my home email account when I am at college if I find a link I think will be interesting or useful to me at home.
2. I use my email either at home (on my laptop or phone), at college (on the computers or my phone), when I am out (on my mobile), or when I am visiting friends/family (on my laptop or phone).
3. I think the major benefits of email are that you can communicate with people who you otherwise may have lost touch with. You can email people all over the world for no money at all which is something you cannot achieve with phone calls, text messages or even writing letters. Another benefit is much quicker than writing a letter and arrives in the person's inbox the moment you send it.
4. A disadvantage of using email is that your inbox can become full of spam which might mean that you miss something important. Also, if there is a problem with your internet connection then you cannot use your internet, meaning that you cannot contact anyone.
5. Email can make you less productive if you are at work and become distracted by your emails, since you would need to reply or delete as appropriate, which would stop you completing your work. However, email can make you more productive if you find an interesting or useful website and use your email to send the link to someone who would equally appreciate it.
6. I think email fulfills its intended purpose because it is meant to allow you to communicate with people worldwide for free and that is what it does. However, I don't think the amount of spam that people receive was foreseen and that is not an email's intended purpose.

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 Activity 4 - When do you use mobile phones?

1.  I use my mobile phone to ring or text family members / relatives, to take pictures, record videos and audio, listen to music and go online.
2. I use my mobile phone whenever I want to look something up or am bored so that could be at home, at college, when I'm travelling or walking, or when I'm out with friends / family. I use it mainly to go on the internet, to text or ring my family / friends and to use the notepad on it.
3. The major benefits of a mobile phone is that you can contact people with ease and they can be anywhere in the world if you don't mind spending the money. In addition, you can look things up online and use your phone as a camera, video camera, audio recorder or music player which is useful and means you don't have to purchase these in gadget form which would cost more money.
4. A disadvantage of mobile phones is that people text you spam, you can't always ring or text someone if there is bad signal, and it is not free so you still have to spend money contacting people or looking something up online.
5. I think my mobile phone fulfills its intended purpose because I mainly use it to ring people, text people, take pictures, go online and use the notepad on it which is what it was designed to do.

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Activity 5 - Evaluate your communications:

Other than communicating with people using my mobile phone and my email, I also use:

• Skype - I use skype as either an email, to video chat or just to call someone as if I were on a phone.
• Twitter - I use skype to tweet people I am friends with and, occasionally, as an email.
• Facebook - I can have online chats, comment on people's statuses, or to email them privately.
• Tumblr - I can comment on people's posts, email them or ask them questions, either using my account or anonymously.
• Wattpad - I use this story-uploading website very occasionally as an email or to comment on people's posts / comments, but usually I just use it as a story-uploading website.

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Activity 6 - Business communications:

At the workplace, people often use emails, phone calls, Skype and letters to complete their work.

An advantage of using an email is that it is immediate but a disadvantage is that something written in an email instead of face to face can be misunderstood, i.e. the context might not be clear in an email.

An advantage of using phone calls is that you can hear someone talking to you so any queries can be cleared up immediately. However, a disadvantage is that it isn't free and someone will have to pay for the phone call.

An advantage of Skype is that you can talk (and sometimes see) the person you are talking to and any queries you may have can be fixed. On the other hand, a disadvantage is that if there is no internet connection or the signal is bad then your call will not work properly, which could prevent you from completing your work.

An advantage of letters - whether handwritten or typed - is that, if there is something difficult that you have to write, it can look more formal and it is also easy to file it away for a later date. A disadvantage is that it does not arrive immediately and can take a long time if there is a problem with the post.


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Websites I used:

http://bexinfu.com/2011/10/02/10-best-practices-for-better-business-communication/

The Digital Divide

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

According to the ITU, the least digitally-developed counties are Guinea Biseau, Chad, Mali, Burkino Fasso, and Niger. A selection of reasons for the digital divide are as follows:

1. Income differences - The richer a country is, the more (digital) technology it has, and vice versa; those with an income tax of $75,000 are twenty times more likely to have internet access than those at the lowest income level, which explains why people in poorer countries are less likely to use computers.
2. Education - Better educated people are more likely to have / use digital technology since they are more likely to come from a rich country; only 6.6% of people with a public school education or less use the internet.
3. Location - Rural areas are likely to experience lower levels of connectivity, and lagging behind cities in terms of broadband access.
4. Age - People aged 50+ are less likely to use the internet - less than 30% of this group were "connected" in 2000; furthermore, those of that age group and in employment are three times more likely to use computers than individuals not in employment.
5. Single parent families - Two parent families are more than twice as likely to have internet access than single parent families; in addition, the proportion in respect of single parent, female-headed families in cities is significantly lower.
6. Disabilities - Although 25% of able-bodied people have never used a computer, the proportion of disabled people using PCs has risen to 60%.
7. Race / ethnic groups - Large gaps exist regarding households who have internet access in different races and ethnic origins; furthermore, large gaps remain when measured against the National average for internet penetration.
8. Language - If you do not speak the language with which most websites and made then you will find it increasingly difficult to navigate the web and use a computer if you don't understand. 

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Activity 2 - Data response:

•  In the article - Women and information technology in Sub-Saharan Africa - an infrastructural reason that there is a lack of effective ICT is that the majority of the population are subsistence farmers and developing ICT skills is not a priority when you have to worry about growing enough food to survive. Furthermore, one in every two women in Sub-Saharan Africa is illiterate which would inhibit the use of computers further.
• The most pressing need for Africa (in terms of ICT) is identified as increasing women's participation in ICT by making ICT training and career opportunities more accessible, or to advance their ICT careers.
• Computer-aid projects have been unsuccessful for the most part, although some basic courses help women learn to use email and other software, which would allow them to get better jobs and a higher pay.
• They have been unsuccessful since women from priveleged families are more likely to attend the courses while the women who are really being seperated due to the digital divide - the subsistence farmers who are trying to grow enough food so that they and their families can survive - do not attent the courses and so learn no ICT skills, causing them to be left even further behind the modern world.
• The computer skills identified as lacking are that women do not know how to use basic word processors or emails, which would allow them to keep up with the modern world and world save money too, (i.e. pens / paper wouldn't need to be bought if emails were used more frequently and, since the article is about a very poor country, this would help no end).
• Certain business skills that are lacking are the fact that women don't know how to make business cards or brochures, so no one knows about the business and they will not make any money, which is a major problem.

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 Activity 3 - Investigate the impact of access to telecoms:

Countries	Population	Telephones / landlines	Mobile / cellular	Telephone system	Radio broadcast stations	Country code	Internet hosts	Internet users
Central African Republic	5,057,208	2,300	1.124 million	low-powered radiotelephone communication	government-owned network	236	20	22,600
Costa Rica	4,636,348	1.491 million	4.358 million	good domestic telephone service	multiple privately-owned TV stations and 1 publicly-owned TV station	506	146,164	1.485 million
Singapore	5,353,494	1.984 million	7.307 million	excellent domestic facilities	state controls broadcast media	65	1.932 million	3.235 million
United Kingdom	63,047,162	33.32 million	80.799 million	technologically advanced domestic and international system	largest broadcasting corporation in the world	44	8.409 million	51.444 million
Iran	78,868,711	27.767 million	56.043 million	currently being modernized and expanded	state-run broadcast media with no private, independent broadcasters	98	167,453	8.214 million

In large, densely populated countries, there are many more telephones, both landline and mobile, and many more internet users and hosts. An example of this is that the UK has a population of 63,047,162 people, has 33.32 million landlines and has 8.409 million internet hosts.

On the other hand, the Central African Republic has a population of 5,057,208 people, has 2,300 landlines and 20 internet hosts.

However, Iran is a poor country and yet, with its 78,868,711 people, it has 56.043 mobile phones and 8.214 internet users.

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EXTRA:

	Population	Main telephone lines		Mobile subscribers		Internet users
	000s	000s	%	000s	%	000s	%
Central African Republic	5,057,208	2,300	0.05	1.124 million	22.23	22,600	0.45
Costa Rica	4,636,348	1.491 million	32.16	4.358 million	94	1.485 million	32.03
Singapore	5,353,494	1.984 million	37.06	7.307 million	136.49	3.235 million	60.43
United Kingdom	63,047,162	33.32 million	52.85	80.799 million	128.16	51.444 million	81.59
Iran	78,868,711	27.767 million	35.21	56.043 million	71.06	8.214 million	10.41

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Conclusion:

I think the gap caused by the digital divide is growing since the countries that have with ICT technology can develop so much more quickly than countries that do not have that option, leaving them further behind.

The gap is being bridged by computer-aid projects, like the one in the article mentioned above, that aim to educate people on ICT and get more computers for people to use.

We power the world to have internet access using solar power, wind turbines and other renewable sources of energy. However, you can also get wind-up laptops if they have built-in modems with internet available nearby, so you would not need an electricity source.

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Websites I used:
http://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/digitaldivide/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
http://www.irma-international.org/viewtitle/32485/
http://www.onlineconversion.com/percentcalc.htm
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/parade/hq69/Protected/Features/Digital%20Divide.html