Week9/10 Semantic vs Web 3.0

The idea of semantic web seems to be a lot more specific than the definition of Web 3.0. As we are currently on Web 2.0, Web 3.0 is described as the ‘future’ of the internet and within this ‘future’ semantic web will probably be included.

The differences between Semantic Web and 3.O have been described on the website
http://internet.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_web_30


Semantic Web versus Web 3.0?
What is most confusing is the difference between the Semantic Web and Web 3.0 – both are conceptual entities. However, rather than competing spaces they should be viewed as successive layers that are developing. By adding the semantic web to Web 2.0, we move conceptually closer to web 3.0. The underlying technologies of the Semantic Web, which enrich content and the intelligence of the social web, pulls in user profiles and identities, and must be combined for Web 3.0 to work.

This definition therefore describes the relationship that 3.0 and semantic web have, but also shows the difference. Semantic is a lot more specific with what the intentions of the internet are and the knowledge of how to get there. 3.0 is the idea of the future of the internet and in turn with the ideas of semantic internet will help the internet reach this point.

Week 9/10 Semantic Web

Semantic Web is the idea from Tim Bernes Lee, that the web needs to be more intelligent to serve every users needs.

‘We can use computers to search for these documents, but they still have to be read and interpreted by humans before any useful information can be extrapolated. Computers can present you with information but can’t understand what the information is well enough to display the data that is most relevant in a given circumstance. The Semantic Web, on the other hand, is about having data as well as documents on the Web so that machines can process, transform, assemble, and even act on the data in useful ways’.

The idea of semantic web is that the programs on computers have much more control over what they are searching for, they are meant to understand what you as a user want. For example, search engines will understand if you type in ‘Lincoln’, the programs will only bring up relevant information to you rather than pages about Lincoln in America, Presidents etc. Semantic web is all about the intelligence of the internet and programming it to suit each individual user.

Semantic Web for me goes against some of the key characteristics of the internet which have been discussed throughout this module. The idea of non- linear hyper linking will be reduced, because if a program is completely suited to your needs you may not be able to hyperlink to irrelevant websites just for entertainment or escapism purposes. It also questions Turkle’s idea of freedom, if irrelevant sources are taken away then the audience are being restricted to which websites they see going against the idea that you can create different personas and search the internet accordingly.

Week 9/10 Education

4. Yes I do think there could be a potential problem if education is tailored to fit into cultural or personal preferences.

Every culture has a different way of learning, and this is highlighted in the journal

http://www.swetswise.com/FullTextProxy/swproxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emeraldinsight.com%2Fthirdparty.do%2F%3Fini%3Dswets%26ident%3D0951-354X%2820070101%2921%3A5L.418%3B1-%26lkey%3D111111%26rkey%3D999999&ts=1237198410558&cs=1156055981&userName=brayford&emCondId=5845157&articleID=34227259&yevoID=2109224&titleID=103717&referer=2&remoteAddr=78.33.181.35&hostType=PRO



It is argued that different cultures can not understand E-Learning because of the English style it is written in. Therefore, their own style will have to be adapted in order for the students to pay interest to. If each individual culture is receiving a different style and perspective on an issue then everyone will have a different perspective on what happened, resulting in distorted truth being given to the students. For example, Iraqi children may have a different perspective to what is happening in the war, compared to British and American children, because of the different impact they have on each of their lives. These conflicting perspectives could distort the student’s knowledge on a subject because of the biased intent that lies behind it.

However, this idea is criticised by the work we have studied on the TVU’s in China. If all students are subjected to the same teaching, by the same lecturer on the same subject (like the television lectures held in China) then there will be no room for criticism. The students will be expected to just accept the message because it is coming from one source; everybody will believe it as the truth. The idea of having a tailored education may mean that the students will become more interested in the subject and therefore do more reading about it. They could then build up their own criticisms and opinions on it, rather than being subjected to a strict, regimented education that everybody else in society is learning.

Week 9/10 Digital Divide

Socioeconomically issues through society- The upgrade culture and the technological advancements of society means that more ‘everyday jobs’ are being encouraged to be completed online. An example of this that I’ve found recently was when a friend of mine wanted to try and find out where her lost parcel was. She was encouraged to use the website, the FAQ; the locator etc, when all she wanted to do was to speak to someone. This idea is encouraging of a digital divide; older generations may not have an understanding of how to use the internet, and their ‘immigrant’ characteristics could mean that they would be much more comfortable speaking to someone in real life. The older generations are therefore becoming marginalized in society because they may not have the skills to keep up to date with the technology that is expected of them.

Global access issues across countries and regions- The Digital Divide may also marginalizes people who do not have access to a computer. This is true for E-Learning, and immigrant may need to take an E-Learning course for their job or for an interest but may have problems doing so because of their inability to understand technology. This idea is backed up by the journal that I wrote about in the pervious blog, where it was stated that ‘Results found if you wasn’t technologically experienced then you are less satisfied with E-Learning’ (Chase)This is creating a digital divide between rich and poor countries and suggesting that you are only able to receive the best education if you are subjected to the best technology, if not you are less likely to receive a quality education.

However the idea of the digital divide is criticised by the journal;

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/121528001/HTMLSTART

In this journal it states that older generations using technology has meant an increase in ‘the self-confidence, ability to learn, and memory retention of older persons. Very recent research conducted by Xie (2007) revealed that Internet learning and use by older Chinese makes their lives after retirement more meaningful, and develops their self-evaluations and other people's views of them’ (Xie, 2007) the idea of the digital divide if criticised because this journal argues that this is not necessarily the case.
Older generations as discussed in this journal are able to use the internet for their own benefit, there is no restriction to who can use it and people in this study has found that people are more satisfied than frustrated by the digital divide.

Week 9/10 Wenger and Prensky

Wenger’s notion on practice communities relates to Prensky’s idea on education because of their focus on technology helping people learn.

Wenger’s idea on communities of practice and how people work together to reach a shared destination, fits in with Prensky’s idea that technology should be incorporated into learning because of how Digital Natives think because of the impact technology has had on their lives. They both incorporate the idea of E-learning and how this new idea of learning will benefit students.

However, the relationship between both of these theories could be criticised because of both of their assumptions that students are at the same place and will learn effectively at the same time from these technological sources. Both Digital Natives and the idea of E-Learning assume that all students fit into the category and will therefore learn best, there is no discussion of whether this online learning will hinder people’s education because of the lack of real life communications which is needed on a day to day basis in the industry.

Prensky’s and Wenger’s idea also follow the idea of techno-determinism and that we are being shaped by technology because that is what students and communities need in order to function successfully. These definitions both fail to think about societies influence on technology and maybe online communities and E-learning have been developed because of better communication and accessibility, rather than us ‘needing’ to use technology because that is what is decided for us because of the age group we fit into.

Also, both of these definitions fail to consider the negative effects of technology, they just assume that it will be beneficial. The journal (link below) shows that online communities and online learning do not facilitate people with cultural differences. ‘Online education appears to reflect the English Speaking world’s view of its design. Many values remain implicit and opaque to the users of online learning systems’ (Chase et al: 2) this statement and the ideas portrayed in this journal suggest that online communities and online learning sites are not as effective as both Wenger and Prensky believe and improvements still have to be made until technology can effectively help all people learn!

http://www.swetswise.com/FullTextProxy/swproxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emeraldinsight.com%2Fthirdparty.do%2F%3Fini%3Dswets%26ident%3D0951-354X%2820070101%2921%3A5L.418%3B1-%26lkey%3D111111%26rkey%3D999999&ts=1237198410558&cs=1156055981&userName=brayford&emCondId=5845157&articleID=34227259&yevoID=2109224&titleID=103717&referer=2&remoteAddr=78.33.181.35&hostType=PRO

Week 9 Q6, Technophile

Mobile Phones, Networking Sites, Emails, IPhones, Sat Nav, IPods, all of these products play such a huge part in our lives in 2009! With the upgrade culture constantly reinventing and improving the products we are already subjected to, in ten years time the boundaries will be pushed even further.

It’s hard to predict the future, but I think with the ideas that have been explored in the idea of Web 3.0 and the emphasis on E-learning, the student in year 2020 will be a lot more technological based. I believe that there will probably more emphasis on E-learning and using computers in Lecture times. As the library is already in the process of uploading normal books into E-Books, as a student you will probably have access to the whole library catalogue via the internet, giving less reason for actual physical books in the library.

However with the advancement of technology, technophile students will be satisfied but it will also marginalize other groups, e.g. neo-luddites and some digital immigrants. Meaning that the upgrade culture is going to have an effect on various people in society, friendships may suffer due to less IRL contact and companies may suffer because fewer books will be produced etc. These are all extreme ideas about what could happen to a technophile student, but with the increase in technology and the decrease in IRL actions this could be the outcome!

Week 9, Q6 Neo-Luddite

With the advancement of technology in society, life as a neo-luddite would become increasingly hard, because of the emphasis being put on technology for learning. For example, basic communication that is needed in university such as timetabling, emails and lecture slides are all done online. This is only basic communication that students take for granted in everyday life, however for a neo-luddite this uses of technology is non-existent.

To be a neo-luddite and want to reject any technology in society would be increasingly hard in situations where you can not have control over what you are subjected to, especially as a university student. Technology plays such a huge part of a student’s learning in;

E-Learning
Emails
Timetables
E-Journals
E-Books
ETC
For a Neo-Luddite this inclusion of technology in every day life and is an essential part of a students learning, but because of their opinion on technology then if they refuse to use the technology they will miss out on essential points and equipment needed in order to pass their degree. With the upgrade culture and the idea of socio-determinism, technology now plays a much bigger part in everyday life, in order for better communications. University therefore don’t take into consideration the needs of Neo-Luddites with the adaption of society being more technological based, this group is being marginalized in society because of them not wanting to be part of a technological culture!

Week 9, Q6, Threatening digital native/immigrant

Both of these descriptions in the previous two posts threaten the notion of digital natives/immigrants and criticise the flexibility of these definitions.

Both the older lady and my friend fit better into the opposite definition but because of Prensky’s ideas there can not be any reason for why this might be. Prensky just assumes that age will be the only characteristic in determining what definition you fit into. In my opinion there are other aspects influencing your ability to use technology. For example, like my examples beforehand I think how technologically capable your parent’s are does have an influence on how you use technology. You may be born into the ‘native’ category and use technology at school to a certain extent, but if you are not subjected to it at home, it’s going to have less of an influence on you than other natives. Prensky has assumed that technology is part of every young person’s life, through school and home, but is this really the case? My example is just one girl out of many who doesn’t ‘click’ with technology where Prensky assumes that she should because of her age, showing a major flaw in his definition.

This idea is also true for the example of the older lady who uses technology on a daily basis. There are characteristics influences her skills which Prensky has failed to mention in his definitions. The older lady probably uses all this technology in order to communicate with her family and to for entertainment purposes. This lady picked up her skills from society like it is understood a native would do, she has had no lessons or instructions. Proving that it does not necessarily matter what age you are, you can still follow technology and keep up to date with it. This criticises Prensky’s idea that immigrants will immediately use older means (books, radio etc) to find out information, before using technology.

Week 9 Q6- The youngest digital immigrant

The youngest person I know who has the characteristics of a digital immigrant is my friend who is 21. She just doesn’t seem to have the technological grasp as other people her age do. Even though she fits into the age group of a digital native, she fits into the description of a digital immigrant, which shows problems with Prensky’s definition.

Her skills with technology are limited; she has problems with the internet and is slow at basic skills such as texting. This could be because of the age of her parents, who were a lot older when they had her, therefore her parents didn’t have much technology around their house. She has only just got the internet fitted in her house recently so she is only just picking up on skills which I feel I have had through most of my life.

Week 9 Question 6- The oldest digital native

The oldest person digital native would probably be my older sister who is 25 as she was still at school when the internet was introduced and used heavily in lessons. She follows native characteristics because she would turn to technology before she would to a book etc.

She is the oldest person I know who would be able to fit into the ‘native’ characteristics; however I know older people who heavily use technology in their every day life. A lady who I know who is about 70 years old, texts, emails, searches the internet etc, and follows all of the characteristics of a native, but because of her age and the rigid state of the definitions she can’t be classified as one. This lady would definitely search the internet for information before searching through a book but because of Prensky’s definition she fails to be able to be classed as a native. I think this shows a flaw in his definition, because there is no room for interpretation or exceptions!

Week 9 Q3 Education

Yes, I think an education should stretch a person because it is about learning new things. If you do not stretch yourself then you are not pushing your own boundaries on what you can learn and what information you retain. By stretching yourself and learning new information you are able to form your own understanding and opinion on a subject, which may help you with your future, career etc.

If you stretch yourself it shows a clear separation between people who work hard and people who don’t which could benefit you in your future career because of grades and references etc.

Education does have a role in the work culture. Even though the work you do in say R.E or Science may not necessarily apply to the work you do as say an Admin Assistant, your grades in these subjects reflect your ability to work hard, meet deadlines etc, which are all qualities that employers want to see. Stretching yourself in education therefore has an effect on your future career.

Prensky’s idea of digital natives and encouraging them to use technology to learn, including E-Learning, may take away from these qualities that employers look for. As in E-Learning you work at your own pace, make your own deadlines etc there will be no competition from other candidates and there is no evidence you will work harder than them.

Article 5 Abstract

Sonya Livingstone argues what is new? The article considers the idea that even though with the upgrade culture continually updating products can anything actually be considered new? As soon after a new one product is made, it is converged and made into a new product. There is also the idea of parents trying to incorporate media into their children’s childhood, which played no part in their own, which highlights the difference in different generations understanding of media.

Article 4 Abstract

The idea of ‘youtubization’ is discussed in this article, with the idea of the progression of technology has meant there is a convergence between various mediums, in this instance, television, video cameras and internet, causing lecture style teachings to be uploaded online. This gives a new idea to teaching and shows the advancement of society from traditional ways of learning. The idea is now on easy access and availability than listening to teachers in real life. The article raises questions about whether this ‘youtubization’ of society is actually affecting everyone because of socioeconomic and technological capital needed to be part of it.

Article 3 Abstract

The advancement of news telling is examined in this article. The focus of traditional news telling via print articles has now been converged into using online videos to transmit the story. The convergence of mediums is in order to keep up with the technological advancements of society and facilitate the needs of the younger generation; this is amidst the falling newspaper readership. The article discusses the idea that because the audience are now spending more time on the internet they need to converge different mediums in order to make people interested in them.

In depth interviews were conducted with various people in the journalism industry to discuss the convergence of newspapers and videos in order to keep up with the demand of 24/7 news.

Article 2 Abstract

This article discusses how the convergence of mp3 players with podcasting has overridden the need for people to listen to the radio. As the I-Pod has now become an international success and people can download specific podcasts of their favourite shows and stations, there is decline in people’s need for the radio.

This article is highlighting the idea that the audience are now producers and have much more control over what they can listen to. The accessibility and the promptness of converging podcasting and mp3 players mean that there is less need for radio stations. The upgrade culture and the convergence of technology means that much more control is placed in the users hands. This control consequently means that the consumers are able to have much more power in the decisions that they make.

Article 1 Abstract

This article discusses the fact that the news through various mediums has lost a remarkable number of young readers. The intention of this article is to find out by using the Delphi Technique why there has been a decrease in the number of young readers and what can be done to interest them. 28 students were used in the study to understand what needed to be changed in order for them to be interested in the news.

The findings conclude that in order for the younger generation to consume the news in future years the news companies must change how they aim the news at this age group. For example, the study found that this generation all had a handheld device, therefore the journalists need to converged mediums for the news to reach the younger audience. An idea discussed in this article is by converging networking sites like Facebook and MySpace with news feeds so the audience can be targeted directly. The audience can then be inundated with quick and frequent updates.

Week 8 Question 4, Article References

Berry R, (2006). ‘Will the IPod kill the Radio Star? Profiling Podcasting as Radio’
Convergence: The international Journal of Research into New Media Technologies Vol.12 (2) pp 143-162 http://con.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/12/2/143 [Accessed 10/03/09]


Huang, E. (2009) ‘the causes of youths low news consumption and strategies for making youths happy news consumers’ Convergence: the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies Vol.15 (1) pp 105-122 http://con.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/15/1/105 [Accessed 10/03/09]


Livingstone S, (1999) ‘New Media, New Audience’ New Media and Society Vol.1 pp 59- 68 http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/1/1/59 [Accessed 10/03/09]



Spigel L, (2009) ‘My TV Studies…Now playing on a you Tube Site near you’ Television and New Media Vol.10 (1) pp 149-153 http://tvn.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/10/1/149 [Accessed 10/03/09]



Thurman and Lupton, (2008) ‘Convergence Calls: Multimedia Storytelling at British News Websites’ Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies Vol.14 (4) pp439-455 http://con.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/14/4/439 [Accessed 10/03/09]

Week 8 Q2 Website URLs

Website 1- http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/digital_natives_and_digital_immigrants

Website 2-
http://technologysource.org/article/digital_natives_digital_immigrants/

Website 3-
http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/12/reconsidering_digital_immigran.html

Website 4-
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/digitalnatives/index.htm

Website 5-
http://www.newsweek.com/id/163924

Week 8 Q1 Definitions

Marc Prensky argues that technology has had an influence on how younger generations think and learn. He argues this by his two definitions of digital natives and digital immigrants.

Digital Natives- Prensky argues that Digital Natives are people who have been brought up with technology. Therefore they, as he describes ‘have a digital language of computers, video games and the internet’. This consequently means that the younger generation think and learn differently because of their exposure to such technology and argues that their type of learning should be altered accordingly.

Digital Immigrants- In comparison to Digital Natives, Prensky argues that Digital Immigrants are less inclined to use technology, because they have not been subjected to technology through the whole of their life. Digital Immigrants are more likely to use other means for entertainment and research (books, radio etc) before using the technology that natives use. Digital immigrants have to learn how to use this technology, where it is naturally part of a native’s life.

In my own opinion of these definitions I feel that Prensky’s ideas are far too rigid to describe the whole of society. Prensky is assuming that every person will fit into a certain category, when for example, a younger child who is assumed to be a native, could feel more comfortable playing with a football than a computer game. This therefore is suggesting that a native has a characteristic of an immigrant, but Prensky’s definition does not allow for this idea. Also, because of the Upgrade Culture and technology continually being converged and changed, a digital native may grow up to have more characteristics of a immigrant because they no longer have the ability to use the technology as they did as a child. Does this mean that they develop into an immigrant?

It could be true to say that natives learn differently because of the power they are subjected to on the internet, for example being a produser and the non-linear style of the internet. This power may mean that the native can not learn from a book, where the power lays with the author and are giving messages to the reader without question which refers to Prensky’s argument that teaching styles need to be different to incorporate the new native way of thinking. Although in regard to this argument, I still feel that it is far to generalised in believing that every native will benefit from being taught in a ‘native style’.


http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/

Journal Criticism 5

The idea that parents have to try and incorporate media into their children’s childhood which played no part in there own criticises the idea of socio-determinism. Socio-determinism means that technology is formed to suit society; therefore the technology which has been produced must not be unreachable for people in society. Livingston’s argument suggests that the technology may be too difficult for new audiences, but with people having different priorities they may not necessarily feel inclined to use new technology. For example, young generations may use new mobile phones, new gaming equipment etc because that what appeals to them. This doesn’t mean that older generations can’t use them because they don’t understand them, but because they have different priorities and don’t want to spend their time on these games.

Journal Criticism 4

This article raises questions about whether everybody is affected by ‘youtubization’ of society because of the socioeconomic and technological capital to be part of it. I find this criticism of this idea true because not everybody is subjected to YouTube because of their social background (finance, ability to use a computer etc) therefore it is not necessarily changing the way of teaching and advancing the ways of traditional learning. YouTube isn’t a recognised academic source so it doesn’t carry any significant weight in the academic world. Any lecture style teachings on this website won’t be taken seriously and therefore probably won’t make advancement in the teaching world. However, you could argue that E-Learning is similar to the teachings given on YouTube, but YouTube does not have a course or recognised grade at the end, so the lecture style posts could be more for interest or entertainment.

Journal Criticism 3

My main criticism from this text is about whether online videos will be successful. If the ratings on the news through various mediums are decreasing, will the audience want to watch videos online, when they don’t want to watch news on the television? The problem is probably more to do with the fact that the younger generation do not have an interest on the subjects being spoken about, then it won’t matter what medium they are shown on, they will still have no interest. If the younger generations do not feel any inclination to visit the newspapers website, then they will not even notice that there are videos for them to watch. I can see why there is this addition to online pages, as it provides more depth and is it is easy to watch than read, but I do not think that this will solve the problem of decreasing ratings. Younger generations could just have different priorities and because the focus isn’t put on the television and newspapers being the only form of communication, they do not see the importance in it.

Journal Criticism 2

The upgrade culture means that technology is continually changing and advancing its products. Therefore, podcasts may be a prominent part of our lives today but it doesn’t mean they will be around long enough to ‘kill the radio’. Like products such as Mini Discs and Walkmans at the time they were really popular but they were soon updated and changed. This means that the radio could be developed in the future to make it more convenient for the listener. Steps have already been made to make it more prominent in our lives, for example incorporating it on mobile phones so that you can listen at any point in your day. Also, another criticism is that many podcasts are developments of popular radio shows; for example, Chris Moyles, Scott Mills and Russell Brand, the fans of these sites download the podcasts in order to listen to more jokes from the show. This shows that there is still a need for the radio, it still has a sense of authority because of these famous figures and because they allow you to know who is number one in the chart first.

Journal Criticism 1

The idea of putting news feeds on social networking sites is a good way of reaching their target audience. However, I think that if the news articles don’t feature articles that interest the target audience then they are not likely to read them. The news feed on Facebook could merely be regarded as ‘noise’ (Shannon and Weaver) and the person would not read the updates. The younger generations just have different priorities and because of the various forms of communication available today they do not need to source their knowledge from the television or newspaper. It may have something to do with people’s age and once the younger generation become older and their priorities change, they may take more interest in social and political news.

To criticise Prensky's idea using this article I think that his definitions focus on how people are today, children and adults, but what happens when they change? Will they still be defined under the same category? I don't think they will be, there will be a time when young boys wont want to play games online and will probably be more influenced by immigrant ideas. (books, newspapers etc)

Website Criticism 5

This article was written on October 14, 2008 which makes it one of the most up to date articles that I have written about meaning that the content should cover all recent issues concerning this topic.

There are lots of references to different studies regarding the native idea this gives credibility to the argument because there is evidence to what the writer is saying. There is a lot more information about why the brain would process information differently, which strengthens the arguments about why there would be a difference in how natives and immigrants learn and receive information.

However this article has been taken from a newspaper which may mean that there is a journalistic spin on the content. For example, the headline is ‘reading this will change your brain, is it evolution?’ This exaggeration could take some of the credibility away from the information. The focus could be more on selling papers, than criticising and analysing the facts which Prenksy’s terms.

Website Criticism 4

There are plenty of up to date examples on this article, which is useful when trying to apply Prensky’s theory to practice.

The website could be useful because it highlights the idea of ‘How digital natives think differently’; there is a lot of information about cognitive activity and reasons for why natives think different to immigrants. However, the information that has been given in this article could be criticised because you could argue is it true? There are no results showing that this is how natives think with a comparison to immigrants. Also, the style of this article is a lot more relaxed and less academic, with reference to jokes about natives, this therefore takes away some of the credibility from this article.

A lot of the references in this article refer to games, but does this really reflect how natives think, or is it just the type of entertainment that this age group enjoys? When this age group grow out of playing games, will they be more inclined to think like immigrants?

Website Criticism 3

This website was written on December 5th 2007, it is recently up to date, but there are still articles which have been written after this one, which could give them authority over this one. Some of the ideas could become tired and the examples may not relate to society today.

This article is quite interesting because it raises questions about Prenksy’s terms. This is useful because it allows the reader to be critical rather than just accept the messages which Prensky is giving us. Some of the criticism this article brings up is the idea that these terms actually mask the digital divide and who has access to technical platforms and it is not just the youth who use the internet, it as much unfamiliar to them as it is to an older generation, everybody has to learn to use it. This idea is backed up by the upgrade culture and as technology is constantly changing, everybody will have to continue to learn how to use this technology and the youth will not automatically understand how to use it.

Another issue this website raises is the idea of age and that being an immigrant or native is not necessarily to do with knowledge, but to do with your priorities at the time. For example, older generations are not interested in playing games or being members of fan sites, so natives just don’t use the technology in the same way because their priorities do not need them to.

However, the usability of the website could be questioned because it only reflects one mans opinion on the subject therefore it can not be generalised for society. He is also an immigrant, so he may be biased in their favour and feel like he has to justify himself rather than being an outsider and looking at both terms. There is no view from a native so the reader can not compare their thoughts and opinions with his.

Website Critcism 2

This website article was written in May/June 2003 which means that some of the arguments and examples could be updated to make sure the arguments and facts are correct. In his counter argument he talks about the bombardment of the internet in people’s every day life and that this has an effect on making sure the students think a lot more critically about what messages they accept. 6 years later is this still the case? Or have the audience become desensitized to the bombardment of the internet and accept it as the norm and consequently weakened their critical thinking about what they read on the net?

This website considers the counter argument rather than just accepting the concept of Digital Native and Digital Immigrants; this is good for the reader because it makes them think a lot more critically of the terms and gives those ideas about how to think differently about them. Other ideas which are raised that criticise Prensky’s ideas is ‘are all students exposed to video games?’ and other pieces of technology which may effect how they learn, the answer to this is no which questions some of his ideas. Prensky's idea gives a generalisation to society which i don't think is neccessarily true. Just because you are catergorised under a definition doesn't mean you will act like it. Some children prefer to use technology, when others prefer to play sports, yet there is no mention of this in his theory.

However, because this writer is only explaining his point of view, it could question the usability of the site because it is just one persons opinion. There are no proven facts or figures which suggest his ideas are true, or that the students who use computers will get worse grades etc.

Website Criticism 1

This article on the website was written on July 10th 2008, which shows that the content is pretty up to date. Therefore, the reader can be quite reassured that the evidence and argument in the article hasn’t changed significantly. The article is clear and concise when talking about the issues of Digital Native and Digital Immigrant. It gives basic definitions of both of these terms and uses up to date examples that the audience could relate to, such as the use of text language. However the usability of this website is questioned because the article doesn’t really raise many questions against the idea of immigrant and native. It uses statements such as ‘technology has changed the way we think, work and learn’ and while on the most part this is probably true it is generalising for the whole of society. This article takes the stance of techno-determinism and that technology is changing the way our brains think, but it is not mention the idea of socio-determinism and the idea that this technology has been created in order to make our lives easier, rather than us just having to depend on it.

Just because Prenksy has created the idea of digital immigrants and natives doesn't necessarily mean that we have to accept it. People may be named a digital native, but prefer to use books than the internet. This criticise his idea, but there is no mention to this in the journal. Just because you are catergorised in one of these definition, doesn't mean that everybody in society acts the same. T

Week 7 E learning

An example of E-Learning which I found online, doesn’t follow the idea of studying for a degree, but allows the student to learn a different language online.
http://www.in-languages.com/business/elearning/index.htm

The student gets to study at their own pace via the internet or by telephone lessons. There is a lot of flexibility to fit in with the students interests and there are options to what you want to get out of this course, e.g. goals and length of study. This type of flexibility online agrees with the idea that the internet allows freedom with the idea that the audience can take what they want from the medium. The audience have much more control over what is being taught to them and have control over the messages being received, rather than just being part of mass media. Therefore the power is much more with the user than what it is with a student in a normal school setting, because they get to choose how long they want to be part of the course for.

However, the idea of learning online is criticised by Buckingham and Scanlon criticise the idea of E-learning for children and state that this type of learning has only been produced by capitalist in order for commercial gain and not because of the freedom it gives to its students. ‘ One of the issues facing commercial companies is how to make a return on their investments’..’ companies develop sites which effectively have to be used in conjunction with other media, print or digital’ (13). This proves the idea that the companies aren’t producing E learning centres because of the freedom it allows them and to widen society’s education, but merely as a commercial gain in what they see as the future. The upgrade culture could have an effect on this because companies want to push the boundaries on their products in order to keep the audience’s attention and to make a profit. If the audience believe that E-Learning is the future and they will benefit from one of these thousands of courses online, then they are likely to pay the high fees in order to gain the qualification. Do you think your example is for commercial gain, or to help people with their education?Journal
http://mcs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/27/1/41

Buckingham and Scanlon, Selling Learning towards a political economy of edutainment media

Week 7 Africa

Africa is an example of a country that is using E-learning to educate its students. E learning in Africa on this site is emphasising it as a positive thing because of the boundaries it breaks down in Africa’s education system. For example, there is an example written about yellow fever and how e learning allows students to learn even when there is an outbreak of this disease, how women are able to learn on the computer when they are usually over looked in the education system and also people in rural areas are still able to learn. This emphasises the idea of techno-determinism and the way that technology has advanced in order to shape people’s needs. In this case, the women and children needed a better way of learning and so E-learning was formed in order to compensate it. The idea of E learning despite its positives in this particular country, like the post before, raises questions about the quality of the education that the students are receiving. The internet throughout this course has been described as an open architecture, with the produser being able to build on the subjects as they wish. The idea of E- learning criticises this because the mass media are just being sent messages to do with education and are expected to learn them in order to pass a qualification. It questions like other internet websites, whether the user is able to criticise or add to the information being given or whether they just have to accept it in order to pass the course.

The idea of the internet being non-linear also questions the E-Learning subject. If students have to follow a guideline or search for their own information online, they will all perceive the information differently. As there is no ‘meat space’ arrangements all students could be following the rules differently and resulting in different work, which could question to what extent they audience are completely the course correctly?
Despite these criticisms E-Learning for a country like Africa is allowing some people to have a quality learning which may not have been possible before. Women and people in rural areas are now able to connect to the internet and widen their knowledge when before they have been over looked by the education system. So, because of this do you think that it matters that these students could be accepting messages and unable to ask questions, or do you think the fact that these people have the opportunity to widen their understanding and potentially change their career over rides this?

Week 7 China

China favours the use of television to educate its students because of the countries large population. As many skilled workers are needed throughout the country, the television is a convenient way to educate large numbers of students on specialist subjects throughout the country. Between 1960- 1966 8,000 students graduated by using the television based learning and 50,000 students passed single courses. Television and the advancement in technology allow messages to reach a large audience and educate more people than what a single lecturer could. This shows the idea of social-determinism, with society functioning in a way that reflects the technological advancements that we have. A television has the ability to send large messages to a mass audience and the idea of the TVUs reflect this. However, the idea of learning subjects via a television screen raises questions with me about the quality of the learning the students will receive. The sense of regimented learning questions the flexibility of subjects what with hundreds of students all being taught the same issues and subjects, this moves the students away from the ability to speak freely about subjects, find their own interests and choose what part of a subject they want to look into. There is no flexibility with their learning compared to a normal university. The audience are only seen as a mass audience, rather than individual students with different interests, restricting their quality of learning. Also with many of the courses having practical elements such as Chemistry, Physics and Mechanics can television learning constitute the learning of that IRL? Where practical projects need to be done would the students be able to clearly follow the instructions from a television, or would they benefit more from having teachings IRL? This type of advancement in technology does show how it helps society develop, with more people in China being able to become qualified, but in my opinion it is restricting the ‘freedom’ that technology is allowing. This technology is talking to the audience as if they are a ‘mass audience’ rather than the advancements allowing each individual to take what they want from the medium.