#5: E-Learning

This week, we learnt about how learning can be facilitated by the use of digital tools and content. This term is more commonly used to describe out-of-classroom and in-classroom educational experiences via technology, even as advances continue in regard to devices and curriculum. This brings back memories from when I was in Primary school, where we would have an e-learning day which comprises of learning via the Internet and in turn, complete assignments due on e-learning day itself. However, e-learning today is a more complex issue, and does not only comprise of schools making use of the Internet to educate their students. It is, essentially the computer and network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge, which include web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom opportunities and digital collaboration.

We learnt in class today that the interactive game, Second Life, is coming up with its own e-learning program, which enables users to learn about almost any subject through the virtual learning environment. Named Second Life Education, it aims to provide the convenience of not having to travel but providing a richer, more effective and more enjoyable experience. Below is a video which gives us more information about the virtual education experience on Second Life.

After watching it, I am amazed at how educational content, about almost any subject can be covered through this program. From geography to business, to even architecture, Second Life provides us with a truly experiential opportunity for students as it has a 3D effect which helps better in illustration and explaining concepts. Mountains are not just flat pictures portrayed in textbooks anymore, but they come to life through Second Life. As an ex-geography student in Junior College, I would have much preferred a 3D experience when learning about geographical concepts as I can better visualize the landforms, rivers etc, formed by weathering processes. Learning will not be as mundane as reading from textbooks, but made exciting as it takes us through a virtual journey. I think it is a very clever idea to get students glued onto their seats instead of having them doze off during lecture.

Technology is advancing, and a lot has changed from our parents' time till now. Handphones are getting smaller and more compact, yet with more elaborate functions; GPS has enabled technology to replicate roads and put them on visuals to help us find our way around town. Having said that, technology is improving at such a rapid speed that even education goes beyond the classroom. Below are illustrations on what our future classrooms will look like.

Classroom with individual seats with a modern twist, with visuals/illustrations wrapped around the entire classroom, making education come to life even more.

Whiteboards will also be replaced with touch screens and, lecture material could also be connected to every student's ipad. To make the lesson more interactive, teachers could make students answer questions and log them in via their ipads. 

#4: E-Commerce: Online Blogshops

The Internet has become increasingly more sophisticated as technology becomes more advance. Just a few years ago, setting up an online business is considered a waste of time because consumers do not believe in buying online. Blogshops have gained a rise in popularity over the last few years, judging from the formidable numbers of online blogshops created each year. So what makes online blogshops so popular? In this entry I will explore the various advantages of setting up an online blogshop as well as share a little about some of my favorite "pit stops" while shopping online.


Convenience: One of the advantages of an online blogshop is that it is convenient. Unlike websites, it does not require any web creating skills in order to create a blogshop.


Cost-Efficient: Creating a blog is free and there is no need to purchase the domain name. During the process of creating a blog, you would be required to create your domain name which would then be included in the blog's domain. Unlike website, you would have to pay a certain amount of money to obtain the domain for your website. Not only that it is free to create a blog but you could earn income by allowing advertisements to be placed in your blogshop. (Advertisement companies would keep track of the PPM of the advertisement placed on your blog and payment would depend on how many visitors have clicked on the advertisement).


However it is also important to note that some blogshops eventually become websites because they have established some kind of reputation in the blogshpere or have managed to gather a large following. 


Easier communication between buyer and seller: This is because blogs allow visitors to leave comments on topics that have been posted. This would allow visitors to ask questions or make inquiries into the products that have been placed on the blogshop and the owner can easily answer them. With this function provided, customers do not need to call the owner of the blogshop to make inquiries which would be time-consuming and also allow owners to answer all the questions at a time.

Though communication is made easier by the comment function on blogs and livejournals, I feel that this mode of communication definitely does not take precedence over face to face communication. Face to face communication as we all know, is instant, and physically going down to the store to purchase clothes also gives us the opportunity to feel the fabric and try the clothes on to see if they fit nicely- as we all know again, pictures can be deceiving. 


However, online blogshops are still popular as they give ordinary people like us (without extraordinary skills in visual communications/design), to be our own entrepreneurs. 


Different blogshops have different themes and these themes are generally differentiated by the clothes they carry. Below are screen shots of some of the places I usually shop at (or should I say shop from) and the reason for shopping at these sites is because the clothes they sell are edgier, hence appeal to my style of fashion. 

THE SCARLET ROOM

LUCYDACYD

RIOTLOCO

#3: Social Networking: Facebook- "There's an online world where I am King"

Anyone who does not know about Facebook ought to be shot because, even my grandfather is on it. 

Already, the video encompasses the massive effects of Facebook through groundbreaking functions which surpassed social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace. Ordinarily, social networking sites allow people to profile themselves and share information visible to millions of people. However, Facebook is more than that. It is an online community on its own, and much of its success lends itself to its creative and one of a kind functions which makes Facebook stand out from the crowd. Yes, we may not be able to change the templates of our Facebook pages (unlike Friendster), but we are able to tag our friends in photos, opt for a more detailed profiling structure, update our statues and play games via Facebook itself! Of course, there are more features to Facebook that differentiates it from other social networking sites, but for the purpose of this blog entry, I am only going to focus on the following.

Photo-Tagging

With the development of API (Application Programming Interface) by Facebook, the site has photo tagging capabilities. 

How it works: The Tagging widget displays the tagging interface which prompts people to click on faces and start adding their names, enabling people to "put a face to one's name", literally.

Remember how photo-tagging exploded on Facebook? It all began with cartoon figures and a small description at the bottom of the caricature, where people could tag any of their friends who best represent these cartoon figures. 

Detailed & Interesting Profiling Options 

As Facebook is all about creating identities, its profile page provides one with many opportunities to list and flaunt their interests. Furthermore, what better way to illustrate one's interests than to have them represented in pictures? Little icons of one's favourite sitcom/movie/music shows up each time one lists them as their interests. That way, instead of plain and boring words, which sometimes are not even eye-catching, people jump straight to the pictures and thus are able to better identify with your interests and connect with you instantly. This promotes a much easier recognition of familiar ground, and it also makes one's profile page look more interesting and colourful! 

No need to enhance profile pages by writing out complicated HTML codes as Facebook already provides us with that "pimping experience."

(+++ Bonus points for everybody who faithfully update their profile pages!!!)

Facebook Games

 I don't know about you but there was a period of time, I was hooked onto Restaurant City that I played it continuously for two weeks at the expense of sleep and food. Though Facebook does not support LAN games, but the variety of games on Facebook (mostly through tie ups with apps) are already sufficient to meet users' needs. Moreover, such games are targetted towards people who are not into playing violent zombie slaying games but are more inclined to milder computer games like building one's own virtual restaurant haha

Reason for Facebook's success is none other than its myriad of user-friendly functions that keep users glued onto the site. 

With that, it sums up how Facebook beats Friendster or MySpace, hands down!!!!!