One's Opinion Matters

The availability of the internet has always been a tool to assist people with their research, entertainment, and creativity. Since the creation of the internet was made in 1969, it continues to improve the lives of many.

A government research study shows that almost 90% of households own a personal computer; 81% of which have internet access. The growing population of smart phones also have increased the number of people who use the internet. Although they do not own a tablet or a computer, they may still access the web through either Wi-Fi (wireless internet) or with 3G (Mobile Broadband). 

Information is available when it is needed, and can be stored if the user chooses to do so. These can be accessed not only from home, but also at public internet hot spots such as public libraries or cafes. Instructional videos, podcasts, magazines, news feeds, and different forms of multimedia are ready for anyone’s disposal. It can be kept and replayed at a later date; it also can be shared with others. 

Technology is growing and it has made access to information even easier. Online Learning tools associated with schools that already exist like Pageout, Blackboard, and Pearson Education is already widely used. These online course management systems already simulate what a classroom environment can achieve. 

Not only are there course management systems, building blocks are available as an add on to enhance classroom learning and integrity such as Tegrity, Turnitin and Echo 360. Tegrity and Echo 360 are both lecture capture systems and turnitin is a plagiarism checking and detection tool. 

With the current existing technology and accessibility to the internet, there will be less and less need for a physical educational entity. Online learning will be beneficial to many, as well as advantageous to those who are distant from school, have full time jobs, and have a family to manage. 

Online classes arguably have less quality, however, when enrolled in the correct courses and the right college, the class is still well structured and instills proper learning. Regardless of learning mediums, self-discipline, proper time management and responsibility is required to pass a course. 

The annual expense of college utilities: lighting, water, air conditioning, etc is an average of $50 per square foot. On the other hand, cost of living for a student may have to pay as much as $30,000 a year. 

Due to many cuts, 4-year universities and community colleges fail to have large number or graduates - Some take at least 5 years before they finish their degree. With the economy suffering, employees who are laid off begin taking college classes to improve their credentials. However, there are fewer classes offered and less classes during the nights that are available, which in turn causes a flood of new and returning students that are unable to graduate. 

Returning students have families or is out of the country therefore causing an increase in demand of online classes by 17%. To compensate for the loss of traditional classes, online classes must be made available to maintain acceptance and graduation rates. 

Online learning, although its methods are still imperfect still serve as a great advantage to remedy the growing budget cuts towards the educational sector. Someday, online classes will become the only method of education, but more realistic and interactive that it is today with the help of technology and the growing population of knowledge hungry students. 

Here is a podcast my friend and i made Oct, 2011.

We have seen Steve Jobs showcasing his products in front of a very interested and loyal crowd. He is a computer designer, a programmer, and an entrepreneur, and of course with Wozniak together founded Apple Computers - which was then only weeks from closing down due to bankruptcy 15 years ago and now the most valuable company in the world. It is even worth more than the United Stated government in terms of operating costs, and cashflow. 

On October 2003, He was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. For eight years, he has been battling it out. Within those years, his physical changes become more obvious, and his health continuously degrading. 

Read More

Well, it looks like shelves are being emptied out and the smokes are rising out from the sights of bonfire, barbecue, and just burning things. This is not a surprise, but of course, where else will you be keeping your stuff after you have your other valuables taken the place over. These grow in bulk over the years,too. Now, there is an alternative way to store your literary treasure, but many people do not agree with this new method of storage. 

Books have been around even before the Gutenberg Presses, and have been transcribed on many different surfaces with tools that can make any form of marking. Though they are not written in the language we read and write with today, it is marveled and studied to understand our own origin and history. It is without a doubt that it is the main method of acquiring and sharing one’s intelligence. 

Times of course have changed what we can type what we need to know on a search engine and have it search for the answers for us. Phones now have internet connection and so does many tablets being made today. Now, we face the transition of digitizing books. 

Well, one of the positive aspects of having a book digitized is that it saves a lot of space. not only that, because of this space, you can take more than one reading material with you all the time. Oh, another thing is, in case you did not know, adding more books to your e-reader will not make it weigh heavier. Surprising isnt it?

Many fear that books have been coming to an end. In fact, no. It will not be the end of books. They have just been converted into a digital form which, what is impossible for a physical book, will not fade, will not wear, will not tear, and will not smell like food crumbs.

But really, many think that having an e-reader to keep all your digibooks will result to permanent loss when the device is lost. This problem is easily fixed, and actually should not even be a problem. There are cloud servers actually on some devices that save your e-book to an online storage where it can be re-downloaded. Whether it be on a different device or at another location, the floating Cloud Storage. 

People like having books for show and to share. Well i am currently unsure of a solution for sharing books, but i do know that showing off your books all in one device is way cooler than having to have them come to your place to have a look at the titles you purchased. It would be great to have them easily shared though. Just have it disappear from your inventory and reappearing on a friend’s device. 

Not everyone has an e-reader. That is true. Although there are many out in the market now namely the Nook, the Kindle, the iPad, and the Android Tablets, let us keep in mind that it can also be done on a mobile device. As society is undoubtedly going on from their old keypad phones to touch screen display and keyboard phones, everyone will soon have devices that can be used to read. 

Im not saying that we go totally paperless, speaking for the rest of the population, I agree that there are people who could not afford these sort of gadgets. well, paper still exist, and will continue to exist. However, it will not be as abundant as it is. If people could afford to opt with this medium, why shouldnt they. If there perhaps is a reason or a loss of doing so, i would be more than welcome to receive emails or messages. i want to know and understand your point of view of going digital or staying paper. 

Alright, alright. News has gone around about the newest iPhone which will be out late September, 2011

Speculation, which there is a lot of, tells us that there will be 2 models of the iPhone which will be released this upcoming September along with the iOS5 update. People are excited for it with the gracious goodies it may bring. Concept art is being made, and artists put their creative skills and imagination to work. Of course, we will only know the real thing until they are actually released. Pricing also if of the question, and is it really fair to be paying the price for this technology.

Read More

What my title should have been is, “People Dont Talk Anymore.” But seriously, when was the last time you have spoken to your friend using verbal communication? Looks like texting or SMS, and instant messaging has really taken a toll on verbal communication. Im not quite sure where to throw this at. If they didnt like to share their ideas or if they had nothing to talk about at all, what would explain their frequency on their messengers - messengers i mean IMs, SMS, and social media messages.

Read More