Reflection (EIR closure)

The whole EIR journey is like sitting on a roller coaster ride, with 'ups and downs' and fluctuating emotions. At the start of every lesson, there's both anticipation and worries, just like the roller coaster nearing the climax. When we learn and discover new things, there's happiness and excitement, like the roller coaster coming down from the highest point. While there are ups and downs, there are times where we feel neutral as well, it's the same as waiting for the roller coaster to reach the climax. Most importantly, I like the freedom that our lecturer gave us, being more liberal and flexible in teaching. I will always remember, "Happiness is the key to success". :)

Thank you Faridah.

Reflection (Dream Holiday)

I went to Greece in Second Life and I took photos of the places I liked..

The first stop was the ancient buildings beside the sea.

Beside those buildings was a holiday resort.

Next was an open space which looked very different from local scenery and city.

Then they had snow on the field and a castle, which can't be found in Singapore.

Overall, the cities were very different from Singapore and had the ancient city look to it. Hence, I liked it except for the lagging and loading of items in Second Life.

For my dream holiday, I chose Italy and the website I chose to evaluate is 'Destination360.com'.

The arrangement of the website is well presented and the thing I liked most is the navigation on the left. Since I was unfamiliar with Italy and didn't know where to go exactly, the navigation is especially useful.

For example, it shows the various things I can do in Italy, the attractions, places to shop and etc. There are also photos of tourist attractions in the middle of the page. Hence, I didn't have to search for all these information myself.

   

They even recommend and some of the hotels in Italy.                                                                                   

Lastly, there is a search toolbar that allows users to choose which country/region they are interested in. This saves time since users do not have to switch to other websites if they change their mind on their destinations.

In overall, I evaluated the website using the various criteria : coverage and presentation and arrangement.

Lastly, the reason I chose Italy as my 'Dream Holiday' is that I was curious about the leaning tower of Pisa and since I liked arts, I was interested to go to the city of Arts, Venice.

Reflection (Tut 3&4)

How has Twitter (micro-blogging) enhanced your learning of EIR? Compare this with your 

blogging experience using Blogspot.

I think twitter is much more convenient and easier to use. Firstly, posting is so 
much faster, hence saving time. Secondly, the messages are short and sweet, 
hence the content will be summarized and not a huge chunk of words. Thirdly, 
users can see the statuses of others once they log in, unlike in blogger. Lastly, 
Twitter allows users to tag others and direct messages to them, this encourages 
more interaction.

In conclusion, learning using Twitter is much faster, convenient and encourages 

more interaction between people.


How can you use Twitter and Blogspot for research purposes?  

By following people who posts things related to my research topic on twitter, I get to see the latest updates and news easily once I log into twitter. I can use Twitter as a discussion forum as well, just post up a question and my followers can view it at their homepage. 


For blogspot, I can post up my research topic and people can comment in the tagboard. 

In overall, I think twitter and blogger will be useful tools and platforms for learning and teaching.

Reflection (Practical 7)

If I was to create my own version of “Stomp” in relation to my research topic (Discuss the trends and developments on cyber counseling on youth):

How will I apply Citizen Journalism differently?  I'll set up a website like STOMP, letting the public contribute and collaborate. However, admins will help to filter out unnecessary or irrelevant information, hence there wouldn't be overflowing information.

Which criteria did you use to evaluate Stomp.com?

I evaluated STOMP based on its currency -how often it is being updated and its
coverage.


Why did you choose this criteria?


STOMP lives on the public, without public contribution and collaboration, STOMP would 
not sustain. There is a need for public to either post stories up or comment. Hence, by
looking at the currency, we get to know if the website is "alive". For example, people
are posting and commenting on STOMP everyday, therefore it shows that people like it
and STOMP will sustain. 
 

Next, since people visit STOMP frequently, it further shows that
they like it  and the coverage are interesting. 

In conclusion, by checking the currency and coverage, we can approximately know
its popularity and judge if it is sustainable.

Reflection (Practical 6)

Do you think it is more effective to search the invisible web (databases) than using search engines, meta-search or subject directories? Why?

In my personal opinion, I think both are equally effective and have their own strengths. Search engines are more convenient and easier to access as databases require users to log in. On the other hand, search engines can only find information on the visible web, while databases contain the rest of the information (500 times larger) which might not be found using search engines.

Will you use the invisible web (databases) for research in your own respective Diplomas? Why?

Yes. However, I'll use search engines and meta-search first and if I can't find any strong and relevant information, I'll switch to databases. The reason to this is that search engines are more convenient to access and hence saves time. If I needed only basic information, then I think there's no reason to use databases.

What have you learnt from your wiki experience during this practical?

Basically, through all the exercises, I've learnt the basic functions of wiki, for example the "easy edit" tool and etc. Also, I've learnt that wiki is all about teamwork, while you can help others, you can sabotage them as well. Hence, sharing can be a wonderful thing or a disaster as well.


 

Reflection (Practical 4&5)

What benefits do I get when using different search facilities to search for resources related to my topic? 


I get to choose from a huge variety of results and do not need to rely on a certain search facility. For example, if the site was to close down temporarily, I can use other search facilities. Another thing is that by using different search facilities, the results are diversified and hence, I wouldn't be reading the same things again and again.


How do I feel about using site feeds in my blog?


To be honest, I don't check the blogs of my classmates frequently. However with site feeds, I get to see their new updates when I log in, hence it's more convenient and I like it.


What do I like best about collaborating on Wiki with other students who share similar research topic as me?

My research topic didn't appear in the website and hence I have to create a new page to start a new thread about it. But I've read afew of the similar topics and I've gained a better understanding of my topic. Hence, I hope that my information could be of some help to others as well.

 

Reflection (Virtual shopping spree on Second Life)

How does this experience compare with your E-Shopping Spree on Internet I did in Practical 1 & 2?

I felt that virtual shopping was more tiring and slower than the E-Shopping Spree activity. In the E-Shopping Spree activity, all I had to do was to click on items I was interested in and decide if it is worth a buy. However, in Second Life, I had to teleport, explore and move around. Also, I had to wait for items to load in Second Life before I could view the items and buildings. Hence, all these took up quite an amount of time.

What I liked in Second Life is that I get to view and see cool buildings and items, explore around and relax myself. Overall, there are certain aspects that I liked in both of the activities.

What have you gained from this e-learning experience?

I've learnt that learning can be fun and can come in many different forms. Hence, we should be more liberal and flexible so that we can explore, learn and create more.

What is the one most challenging experience I had?