The Digital Age

 

The Digital Age is sometimes referred to as the Computer Age or the Information Age. The focus of the Digital Age is the fact that it is characterized by transferring information freely among individuals and the ability to instantly gain information that at one time would have been impossible or at least difficult for individuals to find in previous generations. The Digital Age capitalized on the advances in computer microminiaturization that occurred during the transition from the personal computer intervention in the late seventies to the critical mass of the computer in the early nineties. It is the Digital Age that allows global communications and networking to boom and shape modern society.

The Digital Age has caused a great impact on the workplace. For individuals who once performed jobs that could be easily automated, the Digital Age led to them being forced out of their work to find other employment in areas that weren't as easily automated. The Digital Age also meant that works in a non-automated sector has to adjust to a global job market that increased the competition. When computers are viewed as doing a job better and faster than humans it makes it a lot more difficult to maintain and find a good job. This is especially true in societies that are focused on industry. Therefore, the Digital Age has brought about a major dilemma for many individuals in the middle class. At one time many people in the middle class enjoyed substantial employment, but during the Digital Age many were forced into losing their jobs and choosing between moving up to higher jobs or down to a lower skill and lower paying job.  

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/STUDENTS/Purdy/index.htm

http://www.alternet.org/media/140982/%22more_better_faster%21%22%3A_how_our_spastic_digital_culture_scrambles_our_brains/

E-learning

 

E-learning a new tool that allows nearly anyone to take advantage of a college education. E-learning provides individuals with the chance to learn anywhere and at any time provided they have a good working computer and an Internet connection. E-learning is available in several formats including CD-ROM, Network, Intranet or Internet. It can incorporate a variety of styles including text, video, audio, animation and virtual environments. For some E-learning has become a very unique learning style that can often go beyond the teaching found in a crowded classroom. It allows people to learn at their own pace and take a personal approach to their learning.

E-learning has many clear benefits that you should take advantage of. Perhaps the most clear benefits includes the flexibility and the cost effectiveness. However, there are also other – less obvious benefits you can enjoy when you choose E-learning over traditional classroom learning. E-learning allows you to set up a self-paced system. You can learn at your own pace and not at a pace established by the classroom teacher. It also allows you to learn faster, most E-learning courses are about fifty percent faster than a traditional classroom course. E-learning can help you maintain a consistent message because you won't have multiple instructors trying to teach you the same subject. Lastly, through E-learning you have increased retention because it allows students to have a stronger grasp on the subject. This is because E-learning can take into account multiple teaching methods to help reinforce the message and make it easier for the student to remember.  

http://elearnmag.acm.org/index.cfm?section=articles&article=29-1

http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/elearningcategories.htm

GPS or Global Positioning

 

GPS or Global Positioning System is a space-based satellite network that provides individuals with location and time information anywhere on Earth in any weather when they have an unobstructed line of sight to four or more of the satellites. The satellite network is maintained by the United States government and is free to use by anyone with access to a GPS receiver. GPS is a truly remarkable system that provides critical advancements to the military, commercial and private sector that can't be found in any other technological product.

While GPS was at one time an entirely military project, it has become a dual-use project over the years offering both military and civilian applications. GPS is today used for a wide variety of projects ranging from commerce to scientific uses. GPS also offers an accurate time keeping system that regulates a number of everyday activities like banking, cell phone operation and even the synchronization of power grid systems. So how can a system with so many benefits have problems?

The biggest issue with the GPS system is the regulatory spectrum issue. Within the United States, GPS receivers are regulated under the FCC or Federal Communications Commission. All GPS-enabled devices within the United States are listed as Part 15 devices in their manuals. This means that a GPS device is obligated to accept any interference it receives, including those that cause undesired operation. This means that despite the numerous benefits a GPS receiver can offer, like all other forms of technology there can still be interference that causes undesired operation.

http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2003-1/

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/howgpsworks.php

Social networking

Social networking is the act of grouping people into a specific group. While social networking can happen anywhere including schools and workplaces; it is most commonly found online in the form of social websites or specific group websites that bring together people with specific interests. Social networking websites act as an online community for people to get together and share their hobbies or personal views. While there are many benefits to social networking, there is also a lot of misconceptions about online social networking.

The biggest misconception about social networking is the idea that social is another term for people. Many feel that social networking websites are nothing more than a list of names that people can randomly interact with because they want to have fun or have nothing else to do. Rather, social networking websites can only be successful if they are able to bring together a specific group of people around a common subject that everyone finds interesting.

However, the biggest drawback to online social networking websites that has to be considered is the value of the relationship. While it is quite possible to have a large number of friends with interests similar to yours on a social networking website, you need to consider how many of these relationships have true value. If you are joined with people that you can meet both offline and online so you can focus towards a common and specific goal then you can say you have a true relationship with an individual. The goal of social networking is to focus not on the number of people you have a friendship with, but rather the link that you have in common with them and the quality of your relationship with them.

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/06/16/03networking.h03.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/22/social-networking-cyber-scepticism-twitter

Cyberwarfare

 

Cyberwarfare is defined as any action by an individual or a nation-state to penetrate an individual or national computer or network for the purpose of causing disruption or damage. Cyberwarfare can include espionage, sabotage and vandalism in order to access critical information housed in computer systems. There are several different forms of cyber attacks that can happen and the attacks typically build upon one another to achieve a specific goal. While cyberwarfare is a relatively new concept, it is starting to be taken very seriously by both corporations and entire countries throughout the world. Many security concerns stem from the threat of cyberwarfare. Therefore, cyberwarfare is also becoming something very serious that individuals need to be concerned about and take seriously.

In today's heavily focused technological society, you rely on computer for everything. Think about your daily routine – how many times in a day do you use or rely on a computer? Consider this, what would you do if you woke up one morning and had no electricity to run computers, what would you do? Many people aren't aware of how much they rely on computers until they are affected. Most people store their entire lives and information on computers and informational networks online. You need to take steps to protect your own private computer and your Internet network. Cyberwarfare is no different from standard warfare, you need to be prepared and protect yourself against the worse. Not only so you can function when a computer is lost, but also so you can protect yourself from all the sensitive information you keep on your computer.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is2011/Cybersecurity_and_Cyberwarfare

http://www.cfr.org/technology-and-foreign-policy/confronting-cyber-threat/p15577

The Digital Divide

The Digital Divide is a term used to reference the gap between individuals who have regular access to technology in the form of computers and their access to the Internet, and those who don't have this regular access. The term Digital Divide was first used in the 1990s and was widely discussed during the Clinton Administration in order to close the gap. There are many ways to consider the Digital Divide, but it is largely a separation of the haves and have-nots within the United States.

While technology and Internet access has definitely increased in the United States in recent years, the digital divide is certainly seen amongst the population. It is a fact that poorer individuals can't afford to keep up with technological changes and schools with less funding are less likely to have regular Internet access for students. In comparison, middle to upper class families and schools can afford to have the necessary income to keep up with technological changes both at home and in school. Having this technological ability definitely gives the middle and upper class a significant advantage over the poorer class that doesn't have the same technological advantage at home or in their schools. Since there is a lot of benefit to knowing computers and using Internet material, it is easy to see how the Digital Divide causes certain social groups to stay poor and ignorant while others have a clear advantage and more opportunities to advance in society than others based on their technological benefits.

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-divide-technology-internet-access-mary-beth-hertz

Digital Games and Players

 

The introduction of modern digital video games has created a unique range of players and challenges, from the casual gamer up to the professional that can be considered a video game artist. The challenge comes in how gamers respond to a video game and how people choose to play the game. Are they artists for the way they change the game or are they nothing more than a hack that ruins the enjoyment of the game for others? A videogame was designed to provide an enjoyable social interaction between people, but this has become difficult for those who play alongside others that don't adhere to the basic rules of the game. When it comes to game players there are a number of so-called "cheaters" including hackers and team-killers and "griefers". Players who knowingly engage in activities such as offensive messaging they can destroy the balance of social interaction among players. However, when it comes to individuals who kill members of their own team to sabotage the game, post their team's position to other players or find unique ways of overcoming the basics of the game; there is a fine line between those who are considered "cheaters" and those who are simply videogame artists who are improving the play and providing a more challenging experience. Hacking has often been considered a new trend called "emergent gameplay" which is used to describe players that simply find strategies that weren't originally seen or intended by the designers. Cheating is looked down upon because it is considered taking something that doesn't belong to you. Yet glitches in videogames are considered normal because digital games aren't a real space and a glitch can be used to provide certain advantages to players. So where does the different lie in a player who cheats and one who is simply exploiting the glitches found in a videogame?

http://www.igi-global.com/article/international-journal-gaming-computer-mediated/3957
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2006/02/player-driven.ars