Sunday, November 24, 2013

Week 5 - e-learning

Back in my secondary school days, because of the SARS outbreak, we had compulsory e-learning weeks to prepare teachers and students alike for emergencies that requires everyone to stay home. E-learning back then was bittersweet. The sweet side of it was that night birds like me don't have to wake up insanely early for school and can work at night. The bitter side of it was that teachers would pile loads of work on us and the host site had really poor animation with an unrealistic monotonous voice.

Now, five years later, the digital classroom looks very different. There is increased interactivity between the teacher and the students and between students to students. Students are able to talk to each other while not having to be physically there. There is instant interactivity where students can attend while teachers conduct their lessons in real time.

In the future, as technology continues to advance, students and teachers can enjoy augmented reality where it is almost the same as being physically present, open communication amidst everyone in the digital classroom, and live audio communication. Additionally, there is prevalence in free university courses. One of the largest platforms for that is through iTunes U. Students can also take on avatars to increase interactivity and even include body language and facial expressions that has always been the bane of mediated communications.

Tablets and laptops are now a common item for everyone so assessing into digital classrooms has become very accessible. Microsoft has innovated a surface technology where glass can become the new screen - imagine being able to complete your test on your mirror while brushing your teeth. The future of learning is where students and teachers are able to have instant and real time interaction wherever they are and being able to access international resources for new knowledge and expertise.

eLearning could become very successful in the long term, and hopefully this could reach the third world countries because they need it more than we do. Accessibility to schools is tough because of the poor infrastructure and transport to and fro their homes to schools. If free courses could be provided to us, what more to the children in poverty-stricken countries!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Week 4 - E-Commerce: Online Shopping for Noobs

When I was a 12-year-old hyperactive girl, I hated shopping just because my mom would drag me through the aisles of OG and Tangs and while she does 'window shopping' *ahem*, I would be Thoribbly bored to death (of course back then, I didn't have an iPhone to keep me occupied). So I have always dreaded shopping and did not understand why girls have to like shopping. So if you asked me about shopping and fashion back then, I'll be like

Well, at 17, I became more appreciative of shopping just because I believe we should look decent and not too haggard (though nowadays I don't really care anymore :p). That happened to be the time online shopping started picking up...and fast. My friends had already jumped onto the bandwagon and bought really pretty dresses and accessories (I do not disagree, really!) to adorn themselves with. While I've only began letting myself travel to malls to shop, my friends were already at home clicking and filling their shopping carts with potential buys. I REALLY needed some catching up to do!!

So here is my a-little-vain attempt to give you an insight of what online shopping is all about...and hopefully it helps you!!

According to Wikipedia, online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. It is also known as e-shopping.

1. What travel cost? You're just one click away!
For lazy bummers like me who are socially awkward when it comes to shopping, online shops give you the privilege(really) to shop away comfortably in your PJs. Online shopping gives you the privilege of 'stocking up' without having to fuse over what to wear out to town especially when you have an elegantly sparse closet to begin with. Once the goods arrive at your doorstep, you can be your own model and strut your stuff in the comforts of your own home. (or am I the only one who puts on my newest buys once I get my clothes?)

That's me alone at home

2. Comparing prices and getting the cheapest deals.
Not all sites offer this feature, but for some sites, you can compare prices and shipping fee for the same or similar item! An added value of online shopping is that you have a wide variety of clothes you want to buy and for the most part, you might end up either buying everything or not buying at all. Look out for flash deals as well. A flash deal is a deal that last for 24 hours (Deal of the day) and then they're gone, but prices get cut much more than originally given.

3. Shop anywhere and at anytime. (wow, I'm at a risk of sounding like a television advert)
Now major outlets like Forever 21, ZARA, Pull&Bear and Bershka have mobile apps so you don't have to have a desktop or laptop in front of you to shop! You can surf through the catalog of new arrivals within a bus ride to school, or make a last minute impulsive purchase on a popular good (not that you should, but hey, pamper yourself once in a while) during crunch time.

   Wow I really like cold/winter wear!!

4. Discover your style and the latest fashion trends through lookbooks.
I'm a fashion noob (yes, even though I am constantly bombarded with advertisements of girls in pretty chick or classy dresses.I asked a good friend, "How do you know what to wear?" to which she replied "look at the lookbooks, you'll get an idea." A lookbook is a set of photographs displaying the fashion stores' new collection, style and clothing line. What I loved about lookbooks is that they helped me find out my style and helped me to sieve through the types of clothes I will really wear (and not wish I could wear :p)

5. Read customer feedback.
Perhaps by far the first thing my friends would do to before clicking "Buy" or even "Add To Cart". Website recommendations use effective advertising strategies and before you know it, you have 20 items in your cart. Check with what the customers say, those are more unbiased reviews and you'll learn about what goes and what stays. Also, if you're afraid of getting cheated by the seller, look out for customer reviews that warn you so. If you don't trust the site, don't use it. However, most sites are reliable.

6. Does it fit you? Try it on.
One reason that prevents me from trying online shopping was the fear of unfitting clothes and it's usually because it's too small for me. Here's a really simple solution to that: Nowadays online sites have virtual fitting rooms and even catwalks for you to get an idea of how you would look in real life. Augmented reality is really cool, but to get a more accurate feel of the cutting and sizing, I suggest collecting information of all your potential buys and make a trip down to physical stores before buying.

7. Lastly, reward yourself but WATCH YOUR SPENDING! One purchase is just one click away! You don't see actual money leaving your wallet so the money you've spent doesn't sink in until the bill comes demanding you to pay more than you perceived to have spent.

hehehe Star Trek hehehe Benedict Cumberbatch is cool hehehe

For those who, like majority of my girl friends, already know the basics of online shopping, and wouldn't mind making some pickpocket money from starting a small online shop, here's Shopify, an online service that will help you host your mini business!

Shopify is an online service providing the platform for you to start an online store. You don't have to be an expert, in fact you don't need to have any technical or design experience to start one through Shopify! Shopify also allows for a 14-day free trial, oh man I really want to try this! (If you're interested, let me know heh)

P.S. I have learnt the art of adding gifs #newbloggingskillachieved

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Week 3 - Social Networking

Social networking sites (SNS) have been so prevalent in our lives that many of us, usually aged 10 to about 30, will think it absurd if challenged to completely stop accessing them! One of my Written English professors remarked about how her 10-year-old daughter exclaimed, "you're taking away my life!" when my professor warned that her daughter's phone will be taken away if she's addicted to it. Well, I would not call it my life but I clearly understand why she would say that.

Our main reason for logging onto social networking sites is simply - to catch up. As our lifestyles become more hectic, taking 2 hours off your schedules to meet each friend face-to-face per week every week is going to be extremely costly to us! We would not have the time to finish the amount of work (*hint hint*) and fulfill other commitments and priorities. We need to juggle work life(such as school work, part-time jobs etc) , social life and personal life (where I classify sleeping, eating and exercising under) all within a limited amount of time. Social networking sites help to connect us to multiple circles of friends at one go! Therefore catching up with our friend's lives is going to be much more efficient through social networking sites.

Another aspect of catching up is also catching up to what's happening around us, be it between our small circles of friends, school events, national issues and even international issues. What is said in these sites actually influences us to talk about it in school or work, sort of like media agenda leading to public agenda and sometimes vice versa! So in order to keep up to what's the hot topic this week or what's the talk of the town, we have almost no choice but to get sucked into the SNS world.

Or do we? "No choice is a choice" which meant that choosing not to do anything about something is still a choice made. Addiction to anything is going to be harmful to you, most of the time when we're hooked onto something, we neglect other aspects of our well-being. When we know that we are aware that we're hooked onto social networking sites, the inductive norm is to stop. However, the implication is that we are aware that we are hooked! Here's a list of telltale indicators that social networking has become an addiction that is taking over our lives:

1. Compromising sleep over checking Facebook or other SNS
Spending an hour or so browsing through your newsfeed or timeline is still acceptable. "Stalking" our friends' profiles to find out how they've been doing, or just plainly curious as to how they have changed, is still okay! But if you start using more of your valuable waking hours aimlessly surfing Facebook, then it's time to reexamine your lifestyle.

The issue gets worse if you sacrifice sleep for browsing Facebook. I can definitely vouch for doing this. Each time I sleep late is because I have spent the last three waking hours scrolling through Facebook, Instagram and Youtube aimlessly, as though I am looking for which I will not! I subconsciously catch myself thinking "stay awake! Look through Facebook first, it'll be quick" when my body is obviously tired and zoning out. Lack of sleep will definitely affect your performance in school and work, why do something that is working against you! Sometimes if you find yourself struggling with the lack of time and energy to perform diligently in school or at work, reflect on the amount of hours you spend looking at SNS, you might need to reassess that.

2. Compromising offline social life
Though social networking sites increase efficiency of maintaining relationships, they are not going to increase the quality of these relationships. There are just some things that cannot be shared over mediated communication platforms. So many of the times, I find myself enjoying a satisfying heart-to-heart talk with a good friend in a face-to-face communication environment because seeing each other face-to-face gives us many more accurate nonverbal cues and also we are not pressured to rush through or cut down on what we want to chat about. Face-to-face communication is a far richer experience than communicating online.

If you find yourself browsing through Instagram over a coffee or dinner appointment with your friends, then do yourself a favor and smack yourself on the head!

3. Excessive friend building and wall posts
I once had a 'Facebook friend' (knew him through a one-off friendly interaction) who, perhaps was going through a phase then, updates his status once every five minutes for intervals of one or two hours. I had to scroll through all his statuses before I could read any other status updates, wall posts or sharings and that could take me up to a good 30 seconds.
Sometimes people find that their prominence on SNS is an ego-related thing, and the need to build up an online friend army is a social need, in order to represent what they want in real life - being popular or having a lot of friends. But know this - that is not true.

If you find yourself actively searching for people to be "friends" with, or looking for followers on Twitter, by 'promoting' yourself through excessive wall posts or have "retweet this and I will follow you!" tweets, pleeeease please find some help!!

Social Networking Sites, on a personal level, are extremely useful in efficient friendship maintenance and it makes building your network and marketing your business that much easier. However, it is very important to be aware of your level of personal involvement and also know that you have a choice, no matter what, to kick the addiction.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Week 2 - Social Media: Necessity or Liability?

Social media has become a great part of our lives in the modern days. Ever since the emergence of social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, large numbers adolescents and even young working adults have been immersed into these cyber places. We are now living in the Facebook age. There are two arguments as to whether this has become a necessity or a liability to us. In the following paragraphs, I will seek to explain to you my views on both ends and which one I am inclined towards.

A Necessity?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
This theory posits that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfil the next one. Each need has to be met in order for people to move up to the next stage. In image 2.0, the 5 stage model represents the order of needs to be met.

Image 2.0

The most basic need is physiological needs (e.g., survival through food, water, shelter, sleep), followed by safety needs (e.g. protection from elements, law, stability), social needs (e.g. a sense of belonging to family and friends, love, affections, relationships), esteem needs (a relatively moderate self-esteem, independence, mastery) and lastly self-actualisation (realising personal potential, self-fulfilment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences).

Zooming in on social needs
With the rise in popularity in social media, engaging in social media is the fastest, most efficient solution to meeting people's social need. Facebook is the one of the most popular go-to site for millions of adolescents and young adults because that is where their friends interact in high frequency and intensity.  

A Liability?
However, critics like myself argue that social media has become more of a liability rather than a necessity in the 21st Century. Instead of meeting social needs, I feel that social media sites, namely Facebook and Twitter, have caused social isolation instead! People spend more time on Facebook, checking for updates and notifications, than on having meaningful face-to-face interaction. The idea where they have more than a hundred friends viewing their status or tweets helps them to feel popular, wanted and needed but in reality, real friendships are breaking up. We slowly lose our natural sense of relation, not knowing how to relate to one another face-to-face, being awkward with our body language and facial expressions after being accustomed to computer-mediated communication and hiding behind our screens. We become socially inept in person… Friendships and relationships become more awkward. 

The following video rightfully, completely, and beautifully explains loneliness due to the pervasive power of social media.
For all of us who are so connected at the expense of having meaningful sincere conversations:

The Innovation of Loneliness

So what do YOU think? Is social media really helping you meet your social needs? Or is the comfort that social media gives illusory? Popcorn your thoughts and comments into the comments section below! 

P.S. No H8 (;

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Week 1 - 5 Reasons why I use the Internet

I use the Internet because it gives me access to places while I am on the go. The Internet is the interconnection of networks, which in short gives us the power to access almost all kinds of information and knowledge out there in the world. You can Google what you want within a few seconds of pressing the Enter button. No wonder there is a saying that goes "Google is your best friend". Here are some of the reasons why I like to use the Internet (in no particular order):

1. The Internet is accessible everywhere! (well, almost.) Having my iPhone 4 with me everywhere I go allows me to access the Internet straight away. One swipe of the "slide to unlock" button can bring me straight into YouTube and load a video. With a 3G data plan, I can access it without worrying about the lack of WiFi. However, there are also a minority of places or districts where there is no accessible signal so even if I had a data plan, I would not have any access to the Internet.

More appliances are now connected to the Internet. My printer, television, xbox and PS3 are now able to get connected to the Internet. How can one not escape from the abundant accessibility! According to my lecturer, even refrigerators and microwave ovens might become connected online as well! The thought that my refrigerator can deny me access due to calories count is rather amusing... and maybe annoying.

2. Internet links you up to tutorials through YouTube and many other video sharing sites. The ability to watch videos online is a huge given as to why I like to use the Internet. Searching "how to beatbox" or "Do You Love Me dance tutorial" can bring you to a wide array of simple tutorials for all levels of expertise, especially for beginners like me. Nowadays, we don't have to sign up for a guitar class and pay a hefty amount just to pick up this skill. But of course, the Internet can't keep you disciplined. If you're not disciplined enough to learn and practice, you would have to pay for it.

3. It helps with storage optimization. Due to digitalization(basically, the conversion of prints to digital formats), I am able to download and read magazines and books through my MacBook Air or iPad without having to store books in shelves. Although I'm a fan of the physical books, I live in a small apartment that is getting very much clustered. Thus for magazines and books that have become obsolete or have lost my interest, I would have to discard it. Going instead of print, especially for magazines because, will save me the trouble of limited storage and maybe even the guilt for wasting paper!

4. With the recent addition of Apple TV at home, my family can download and pay a small amount, say $7, for any High-definition movie and watch it in the comfort of our own home! We don't have to pay for car fuel consumption due to traveling to the theatres, nor do we need to pay a total of $21 for the tickets! I can even watch Sherlock, a highly recommended television series broadcasted by BBC, multiple times at a much cheaper price than importing the DVDs (which can be $50 or more)!

5. Live streaming - taking over the Television? One major factor is the ability to access television shows live while they are being broadcasted on television sets at the same time. I have been recently addicted to Running Man and watching through live streaming sites keeps me engage. Since we are able to watch shows through the computers or tablets, televisions might one day become obsolete if they do not think up of ways to up their standards. Which explains why Samsung is now integrating their television sets with the Internet!

Most of the time, youths use the Internet for entertainment! Yes basically anything that is entertaining can be found through the Internet. From watching movies and television shows, listening to music to reading ebooks, youths and young adults alike can be constantly engaged and entertained. The Internet is now a world not governed by a country, not run by corporations, but now controlled and owned by individuals. It is a free platform yet it is highly controlled by the world.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, do leave your comments below! Do you agree? Or disagree? (: or popcorn any thoughts that you have about this!

Friday, September 6, 2013