SUMMARY OF LECTURE FOUR
Information and communication technology has come a very long way in a relatively short space of 20 years. Although living in a first world country we have access to any kind of communication technology, more than half the world have not yet made their first telephone call - food for thought!
The networks of communication are such that the can operate as a chain, as a circle, as a wheel or as an all-channel network. We have access to 4 types of communication - synchronous, place dependent eg. telephone; synchronous, place independent eg. messenger; asynchronous, place dependent eg.bulletin board; asynchronous, place independent eg. email.
We then learned about some examples of ICT use some of which I had never heard of, some more formal than others. Netscape as an alternative to Outlook and Outlook Express to use for email. ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger and Trillian which allow the user to send a message to someone who is on line and they will be able to read and respond immediately. Discussion boards and and forums (also called groups) are usually topic related but it is advisable to not give any personal information here. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) allows the user to access chat rooms as they are happening. We will need to explore this in our own time. Blogs (with which we are now more familiar!) are another useful means of communication which more companies are using. A vlog is a video blog. Wiki webs are the same as a blog except that many people can contribute to them. MySpace, Friendster and Facebook are all examples of social networking which can be fun but also come with their own dangers.
We also learned how to use email correctly - including the dangers of forwarding, SPAM,the CC function and the BCC function. We learned some abbreviations to communicate feelings in an email. We also learned the various benefits of the different types of communication and how we can use the to our advantage as university students.
SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP FOUR
I logged into my ECU email account and deleted all the unwanted emails which I had read. I then opened two folders, one for each of the two units which I am doing. I then put replies which I had had from tutors into the relevant folders.
I then did a groups search on the Google website for"children's eating". Two groups that I found (uk.people.parents and misc.kids.health) were quite good in that in both of them, a mother had questions regarding her children and she had been answered by several mothers (and fathers) with some good common sense tried and tested tips. However the group alt.mothers consisted of mothers in a play group having and "backstabbing" session with all the other mothers of the group! The group sci.bio.evolution was an independent researcher making claims about various foods that he did not back up with any scientific evidence. I think , when used in the correct manner, groups can be a useful means of communication , however it would be very easy to be drawn into all the not-so-useful information and I think that if someone had time to waste, a lot could be wasted here!
I visited http://podcasts.yahoo.com/ and listened to a Science Friday podcast that was talking about the search engines and the information that they should or should not be gathering about us, the users. I then entered children's education and listened to a podcast for educators which included podcasts from school children around the world - it made it all real to me listening to the accents! I also listened to a podcast called children's book radio which interviewed authors of children's books and then gave book reviews. Again I think this can be a valuable form of communication which has merits if used wisely. I then tried to visit http://podcast.osx.ecu.edu.au/index.html several times without success - the page could not be displayed.
PODCASTS COULD BE USEFUL TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Podcasts could be useful to university students in that a recorded lectures could be available to students to listen to as part of their revision of course material for exams. Because they can be put onto a mobile device, the student would be able to listen to the lecture away from their normal place of study. Many students could be accessing the same study tool. Short podcasts could also be built in to a student's presentation if it were relevant to help create interest, put forward another point of view or reinforce the message.
SUMMARY OF "14 EMAIL DO'S AND DON'TS"
Email do's and don'ts gave some practical tips on emails which are really common sense, but sometimes the obvious needs to be pointed out! If another communication tool would be better - use it. Get to the point and if the purpose of the email is to ask a question, ask it straight away, and ask it directly so that you will receive an answer. If you are wanting for a response from an email, then ask for it, and if the email is being sent to more than one person say who you want to respond. Make sure that you email is read in the correct context with a short "introduction" . One email message should have one topic so that it is clear and so that it is file accordingly by the reader. Use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. If you are forwarding an email explain why you are doing it so that the reader understands its relevance. As the recipient, don't assume anything about the way the sender felt when they sent the email - ask for clarification or contact them using the telephone. Organise your emails in folders for easy reference and remember emails do not have to be responded to as they hit your in-box!
SUMMARY OF "ESSENTIAL EMAIL ETIQUETTE"
Essential email etiquette added to the do's and don'ts covering message composition. Always use a title and choose an appropriate one. Address recipients correctly, and spell their name correctly! Be a bit more formal in your tone especially if making contact for the first time and avoid abbreviations, too many exclamation marks,and using the caps lock button! Avoid unnecessary fluff, get to the point and check your spelling!
SUMMARY OF "THE PROBLEM WITH UBE"
Spammers can send limitless messages in one go at no cost to themselves. These fill up our inboxes, making it difficult to determine which is legitimate mail and which is UBE. The service provider therefore has greater storage and processing needs and charges the receiver accordingly. It costs us time in downloading, sorting and deleting UBE. As this problem grows, it will eventually destroy the value of email.
Deleting UBE on a regular basis does nothing to prevent the problem growing. Spammers regularly change their email address so installing a filter is only a temporary fix; and the problem is that filters sometimes discard legitimate mail. If the ISP disconnects the spammer, they just move to the next ISP. Opt-out lists are not in the interests of the spammer and so may only work for a short while until the spammer disregards the lists.
UBE is a problem that is here, now, and is growing. The only way to control it is with simple, and direct legislation - as one country starts, so others will follow.
SUMMARY OF "THE IRC PRELUDE"
The Internet Relay Chat is a means of communicating with people instantly. There are networks of servers that allow people to connect to the IRC. Once connected you join or start a channel ( devoted to a particular topic) and communicate with other people. If you start a channel you are the operator and have complete control over your channel (choose who joins and who leaves). Commands and text are typed in the same place and the commands seem to be universal. As with emails there is a certain etiquette that should be followed - terminology (it is a channel, not a chat room) , typing in all caps and repetition. It is wise to use your discretion with the IRC and if you are being bothered , leave the channel.
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