Boolean searching task

1-the biggest number of hits relating to these key words
2-information most relevant to what you ACTUALLY wanted to look for!
3-information coming only from university sources

I used the same key words (using internet tools), and the biggest number of hits was 25,300,000 for my search (as illustrated below):






If I want to begin focusing (narrowing) my search I can use several ways.
One ways is to:
1- Click on "pages form Australia'. Now my result has reduced to 277,000

2- I can choose "similar site" and my results become even more narrow, down to 28 similar sites.

3- I can also use advanced search to further narrow my search:

If I want information coming from university sources only I would use "Google scholar" icon.

Then click on scholar preference (illustrated below):

Once on scholar preferences, I can then enter a key world to continue my search:

I can now see all the results from UWA university:

Module 5

1-how might the metaphor of an ‘ecology’ impact on the way you think about, understand or use the Internet?

The metaphor simply states a crisis on information we receive from different media outlets.
The internet can be described as an 'ecology', given the overloading and superabundant varieties of presenting information, often creates more difficulty than one would expect.

Hence, one is reminded that in using internet wherein information is overflowing and infinite, the need to be picky and critical on choosing information should always be considered.

Other messages can be considered “pollution” to the atmospheric condition of the mind, leading to disintegration of compacted and unified understanding of concepts, theories and principles directly connected with reality.

Moreover, since internet is a 'grand highway of information', it could be necessary and beneficial to keep abreast of information that is reliable and warrants a useful application to knowledge formation.

2-how are the concepts ‘information’ and ‘communication’ understood within the framework of an ‘information ecology’?

Within the framework of ‘information ecology’ information is interpreted in a categorical sense, using some of characteristics attributed to the information phenomenon: the social, linguistic and historical dimensions. Information is vital in the socio-political process and formation of a society.

Moreover, whatever information conveyed and gathered cannot be understood without the use of language. Its historical dimension leaves us an understanding on its evolution wherein time will come due to digital technology wherein we live in a paperless society.

Moreover, communication inevitably uses different channels or mediums; it can be human verbal and non-verbal acts or using media and internet. Under the framework of ‘information ecology’ communication is not “just an object for technical manipulation nor it is something mystical.” Information is not necessarily a pollution instrument nor is it an ideal artificial limb.

Its potentialities can be profitable if we are able to integrate it within the complexity of human communication. “If we develop one-sided media, then we should not forget that human communication is double-tracked. No isolation of messages, information and knowledge can escape within the cloud of communication.

3-why don’t we talk of a ‘communication ecology’?

Such intriguing question may raise allot of argumentation and interpolation. Yet, it is quite interesting to ask why not ‘communication ecology’? It possibly has a simple reason why there is no attempt to study the ecology of communication. It may be because there is no one that can articulately, elaborately, and exhaustively explain the nature of communication. Although we can argue about what is communication, to talk about something of a one-dimensional aspect of communication can be difficult to express and theorize.

The more one deals with the concept of communication, the more complexities and hardships evolve in one’s intellectual capability.

Moreover, communication can be an enticing topic to explore, it is not yet in any way prepared to be studied from an ecological standpoint. Although information is abundant to support such a topic, whatever are the processes played within communication one cannot grasp the ecological dimension of it.

which body of info

1-in terms of your own future use, which 'body ' of information (ie. the original 'snapshot' of the site, or your own, annotated, analytical version) would be most useful to refer back to?

1-My own, because I will write hints to remind me about the information that the website contains. Also the original "snapshot" offers me a summary of the whole document.


2-In term of external users (i.e. if you included this site as a hyperlink or resource on a website) which body of information would best help them judge if the site was useful or of interest to them?
LOG ENTRY:Record your reflections in your learning log.

2-I try to choose the body which includes the most valid information about this site. I also try to include any related links to the site.

Evaluating the Web?

write an annotation for the source which could communicate to a reader both your 'judgement' of the site according to what you have learnt from the tutorial, and also the following information:

-the reliability and authority of the site / source / article
-the main ideas or subjects discussed in the article
-the purpose for which the site was written (this might include any apparent external interest, intellectual motivation or contextual information)

LOG ENTRY:Record your annotation in your learning log.

I chosed this web site (as display below) to Evaluate it.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=666125


1- Reliability

- Four weeks long experiment comparing two collaboratus with Microsoft word.
- Writers have an information systems background.
- Have constructed a hypothesis to start investigation therefore can be tested.


2-Researching collaborative writing tools compared to other writing tools (predominantly in Microsoft word), for internet – based writing teams, and to consider the effects of these tools on the success of the writing team.


3- The site would be written for internet based writing teams wanting to improve their co-ordination and awareness within the group, who may currently be using a word writing tool.
It would also, presumably, provide further motivation for teams already utilizing collaborative writing tools. The article was updated in 2008

Record this information in your learning log, and also detail how you saved this information, what software you used and why ?

Record this information in your learning log, and also detail how you saved this information, what software you used and why ?

I used the task 'connote website' I opened 'library' in this site and added tools in the top of my browser: 'add to connote'. Any website I want to save and go back into it, I click on the top of my browser: 'add to connote', and connote displays several options:

- Tag: I can write my tags like what I want.

- Description: I can write my own description.

- Comment: I can also write my own comment, and allows opportunities of sharing this website,

to save it with others, or keep it private. It is easy to open this website 'connote' from any computer and open my library and see all websites I have used and saved.

Screen shot (first example):




The Author is: Robinson L.
The URL is:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mcb/276/2000/00000052/00000001/art00002

The institution: Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Screen shot (second example):

The Author is: NARA IWAO.
The URL is:

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200116/000020011601A0496578.php
The institution: Japan


Screen shot (third example):

There were two authors. The first one is: PAUL BENJAMIN LOWRY.

The institution for this author : Brigham Young University

The second author is: JAY F. NUNAMAKER Jr.

The institution for this author : University of Arizona

The URL for this site is: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=666125

Screen shot (example four):

The author is: Hope N. Tillman
The URL is: http://www.hopetillman.com/il00/vc.html

The institution: Babson College.

search engine task

record the number of hits in your learning log, and compare to your first search. What differences did you notice? Why? Which search, on first glance gave you the most promising results?

My default search engine is Google (as illustrated below) and the number of results can be seen as 25,300,000 based on my word search. This search took 0.30 seconds.

However, when I used Copernic to search the same words the result was only 90.






The difference between these two results is due to Google being a web index; a general search engine. It is built by software called a robot, spider or crawler, as it collects information from web pages and stores them in the one database.

Copernic is a web director and can classify web sites by subjects. Copernic is more selective in its process, as opposed to Google's way of indexing information.

DOWNLOAD TOOLS/PLUG IN

DOWNLOAD TOOLS/PLUG IN


In this task we have to download from the list we have been given that is unfamiliar to us:

1-ADOBE,S PDF READER:
PDF stands for 'portable document file'. I had this tool already installed in my computer. It allows me to read all the PDF files.

2-FLASH/SHOCK WAVE PLAYER :
I had flash programme in my computer along with flash player come; without this player I cannot see any flash animation in any web sit.

3- QUICK TIME, WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER AND REAL NET WORKS REAL ONE:
I downloaded these software in my computer, enabling me to listen to music, play movies, tutorials, also my kids use it for animation purposes.


4-SEARCH MANAGER/COMBINER:

I did not have any prior knowledge about this programme but after reading I decided it would be helpful (I downloaded Copernic for PC) and it allows me to search the internet for anything of interest. The link for download is displayed below:
http://www.copernic.com/

To read more about this programme, click on the link provided below:
http://www.copernic.com/corporate/index.html

5- Bookmark Manager

I used 'connote bookmark', (does not need to be downloaded) and I added some buttons in my browser and created my own library in connote.
The software has a library which I can easily add any page to this library by clicking on the button on my browser (add to connote library). The library function can also allow one to share a page with others or make it private. It also enables one to write notes, tags, descriptions and comments.
The important thing about it that I can access my library from any computer anytime and anywhere.

6- Offline Browser/Copier:

This software, saves time, is economical and easy to use. I was able to read information offline (after downloading and saving the document).