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?

Virtual shopping on Second Life

Port Seraphine

The whole space was well-organized and it was a building with many different rooms. All the rooms are named and has a "signboard" that clearly states what is it for.

The decorations resembles a classic hotel or an opera stage and has a luxurious look to it. For example, there are chandeliers, curtains and wooden flooring. The furniture were placed neatly and not clotted together, hence it has the simple and neat look. Lastly, the colors used are not too loud or childish.

Just by toggling the view, I can have a clear view of everything, hence it saves time to find where I am interested to go to. The first room I went into was the "Dresses & Outfits" room.

The images of the outfits are laid on the walls of the room, some were on stands around the room. I felt that this arrangement makes it slightly inconvenient to view the outfits. To be able to view the outfits, I must toggle the view, move and stop. If I want to view every outfit in the room, I must repeat the steps continuously, which I thought was kind of tiring.

Also, I thought it would be better if the outfits could be displayed in 3D forms instead of 2D.

Besides shopping, there are other facilities like a swimming pool and a "Love" room for people to socialize.

The "pool" has a palace feel to it, with pillars surrounding it and torches on the wall, which I liked.

Besides walking around, there are additional objects like the float and swing for users to interact with, for free. Users can purchase diving suits and etc.

In total, I've used approximately 1 hour to fully explore the whole place, which is not too long or short. Another thing I liked about Port Seraphine is that there wasn't any music playing when I went in. I would prefer peace and quiet to listening to songs that I might not like. Hence, overall I enjoyed the tour around Port Seraphine.

However, throughout the whole tour, I've met only 2 other users. I guess different people have different personal preferences.

Reflection (27 Oct)

Reflection (27 Oct) 


Were you impressed by google’s search functions/features? Why? 


I was semi-impressed by google's search features. I have been using google for quite a few years already, hence I was somewhat familiar with its basic features like searching for images, using the translation page and etc. However, through EIR, I got to know google in a more detailed way. For example, I didn't know that there was the "advanced search" function where I can fill in more details to get more precise results for my search. 

After today's lesson, I've learnt that there are certain techniques to using a search engine to find the desired results, like typing in only the keywords and making use of "AND" and "OR". I felt that there is so much more to explore and I felt that technology is definitely an essential part of our lives. Without technology, we would be frogs in a well. Also, I am sure that after going through EIR, internet researching would be easier and faster. 

Why must you do citation and bibliography?

When we quote or use sentences created by others, we should put in citations so that we give credit to them instead of taking the credit ourselves. If we don't cite the documents, it is akin to "stealing" the works of others and stealing is a crime. Just try to imagine all the hard work that you've put in being stolen by others.

                                                                                                                                           

 

What I have learnt today (26 Oct)

What I have learnt today (26 Oct)

I've chosen the topic "Discuss the trends and developments on cyber counseling on youths" for this project. In the past, I never knew cyber counseling existed and hence, the unknown drew me into choosing this topic. Secondly, I got to know many different internet resources, some of which I've never tried before. For example, RSS and podcasting, FTP archives and etc. Also, some of the examples given are useful when I do my research in the future. For example, if I wanted to find out about educational issues, I can go to AskERIC database website.

After reading briefly on cyber counseling, I've learnt that few people, be it male or female like to ask for help. The reasons can be their pride, fear of shame, being shy and etc. Hence, some might turn to cyber counseling, so that their real identities wouldn't be exposed. However, I felt that cyber counseling has its limits and cons as well. For example, people are "hiding" behind the computer screens too often, cyber counseling might not be as effective since there isn't direct interaction between people and hence, it is harder to fully understand the situations and give advices accordingly. In my personal opinion, asking for help isn't "shameful" at all. No one is perfect and everyone needs help in something. Hence if we really want to solve a problem, we should ask for help. Once you make the first step, the rest will be solved gradually. 

Lastly, the most important thing I've learnt today is that, internet researching is much deeper and far more from what I thought it would be.

IF I have $500

IF I have $500

I would buy:

1 : Fuji instax mini 7 (approx SGD$140)
Instax is a instant/polaroid camera. It is equipped with auto flash function so that photos look brighter and better. While most people use digital cameras more than instant or film cameras, I prefer to have photographs that I could look back to when I'm older. Lastly, the price is relatively affordable and hence, I think it's worth a buy.

I would save the rest of the $500 for future usage. The reason is that I would like to save up more money and spend it on a DSLR camera. Another reason is that clothes on eBay or shopping.com are too expensive and couldn't be tried on first, hence I would choose to buy electronics rather than clothes online.

Intro

Name : Qi Ying
Diploma : Product & Industrial design
Fav past time activities : Eat and sleep
Fav singer : No particular singer
Fav hangout : No particular place
Fav internet sites : Youtube, STOMP
Hobby that Im passionate about : Sketching & Painting
Tip to learn : Be passionate (?)
Links : http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolor-tutorials.htm
           http://www.wikihow.com/Oil-Paint
           (I've never read this myself before)