Hi all,

I will not be able to attend your lesson on Friday so here is what you need to do - I discussed with both Youngtroopz and Fats about the depth and structure of your research on the different IT Systems on the wiki.

So it is important you check each of the following is placed on each wiki page:-

1) Description of IT System - using the Input - Process - Output - Storage Model.

2) Simple defiition - something that is perfect for you to remember for the define questions that will come up.

3) Videos embedded  -thats specifically describe the IT system well and also how it is used in real contexts and within Online Businesses

4) Real articles / links to examples of how the technology is linked to the Case Study

5) Problems/Challenges/ and Solutions to how IT system is used.

6) Must have a minimum of 5 sources - please quote if you have used text from another source

7) Use quotes - line numbers from the Case Study so you can refer back

Make sure that you structure the wiki page in small sections that are under headings, easy to read and understand

9) Make sure your descriptions are in your own words so that you can fully describe systems within the actual examination

I will be looking at the beginning of next week at each of your pages so please make sure they are up to standard and will be useful. First lesson next week we will have a definitions test related to each of the IT Systems.

Please use your time wisely in this lesson as there is a lot to do.

P.S. Zowt please send me electronic versions of your Portfolios.

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The UK Government's Plan to disconnect filesharers from the internet has been met with deserved criticism.

This plan directly interferes with the ITGS Social & Ethical Issue of Privacy & Anonymity; as it will force ISPs to report illegal activity and ultimately disconnect users; but in a more realistic sense deals with Intellectual Property. The music which belongs to rights-holders is being taken for free.

For the entertainment industry, they are facing record losses. Instead of purchasing records, people are resorting to Peer-To-Peer networks in order to obtain content for free. The stakeholders in this situation are the Rights-Holders to the songs, in the case of record labels/film companies; as well as P2P users, and also the Government- who are instigating this plan.

This relates to the area of impact of Arts & Entertainment, as people are using illegal means in order to obtain media.

I believe this solution is a poor way to deal with falling record sales. Instead of trying to approach the issue and figuring out WHY consumers aren't purchasing CDs; the entertainment industry has decided to simply go after the pirates.

While I admit to my habit of piracy, I will also admit I spend a lot of money on media as well. I love paying to go to the cinema, gigs, purchasing DVDs, video games, and even the occasional CD. In fact, I could say that I spend more on media than somebody who doesn't even pirate in the first place.

In the last month, my mother paid to see 2 movies, bought 1 CD, and no DVDs. In comparison, I bought 1 CD, 2 Video Games, 4 DVDs, and paid to see 3 movies at the cinema. Are pirates REALLY threatening the music industry?

Another issue with this plan is that LEGAL file-sharers would be jeopardized. I also use Torrents to download experimental Linux Distributions, films in the Public Domain, as well as free programs. If ISPs are meant to look out for Torrents, I could get disconnected for downloading a 100% legal file. While I could make a call to clarify my innocence; getting decent customer service from BT is like getting trying to get cellular signal in a horror movie.

Entertainment companies should stop wasting time trying to prosecute "criminals", and spend more time trying to find ways to make consumers WANT to pay for music again.

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In the Daily Telegraph article "The Couple Divorcing Over Husband's Virtual Lover", we follow Amy Pollard's outrage over her husband committing "Adultery" in the virtual world simulator Second Life.

Her husband first had a virtual affair with an online call girl. Amy eventually hired a private detective to confirm these facts, which were confirmed to be true. David Pollard, her husband held the virtual wedding in Second Life in July 2005. She filed for divorce after seeing him "cuddling with a woman on a sofa in the game".

The IT System is Software and Communications Technology. Second Life is a free piece of Software which allows one to simulate another life within the virtual world. Like any online game, it allows communication with others from around the world. Second Life relates to the area of impact of Arts & Entertainment as Second Life is meant to be a form of virtual entertainment. Which poses the question, at one point do games become less for fun than a way of life. Many people play games just as a form of entertainment. After all, we could all use a break from reality once in a while. But the problem really persists when we interpret the virtual reality as a true reality itself. This article relates to the ITGS Triangle component of People & Machines, as it discusses the way in which we interpret virtual reality.

Should wives be worried that their husbands are cheating when their husbands have a virtual affair? Should my mom be worried when I mow down a group of pedestrians in Grand Theft Auto?

We all interpret digital media in different ways. Some take gaming more seriously than others, while some perceive it more seriously than others. To conclude, gaming shouldn't be interpreted in such a serious manner. Virtual reality is about escaping and having fun, and taking it seriously makes gaming just as mundane as reality can be itself.

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Facebook is a social networking site for those who have not yet discovered its many advantages such as offering an easy way to find old friends and connecting with current friends online. Sure it serves an entrtainment purpose; there are many fun applications one can put on their profile to show their personality in one way or another. People can chat to others and share pictures. However its popularity increases, and with this the danger of its widespread use. One can see Facebook as a vacuum that sucks people’s interests, effort and most importantly time which leads to loss of attention in other and perhaps more important aspects of life. This is the main focus of the news article “Schoolchildren log onto Facebook during lessons” as David Hobson managing director of Global Secure Systems surveys 13 year olds about the time they spend on the site a day. The result shows that 52% of the students have actually logged in onto the site during lesson which shows that sites such as Facebook does have threatening factors, mainly education as the majority of its users is teenagers.

Oh and by the way, I have started using Bloglines and here is my URL:http://www.bloglines.com/public/LAL

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Welcome back, from your mock exam week. So what next? Well you have a good idea of what Paper 1 and Paper 2 entails and we will be practicing and bringing together more notes related to these papers.

So now the unspoken Paper 3 is about to be thought about. Paper 3 involves a case study, in which all questions will be based around. So the better you understand the themes and systems within the Case Study the better your chances. To enhance our learning we will work together to bring an repository of knowledge that you can use for your revision.

How, well I'm sure you can guess by now it won;t be on paper but electronic. Another one of Dr Tech's online tools in the form of a Wiki. We will look at wikis in more detail as well soon (and also the merits of this form of wiki compared to Mediawiki the application that Wikipedia uses and will use), but for now its time to get started:-

• Goto Wiki and Eghs, using your email invitation.
• Familiarise yourself with the site navigation as it is so far, obviously it will change as the wiki grows.
• Goto the Sandbox and create your own aliases page and create a simple page with information about your ITGS studies and plans for the final term and how you will need to revise, shall we say a revision timetable.
• Check the rules and copyright page - discuss and decide if you should take away or add any extra rules or ideals? Maybe Wikipedia does it a different way? Should you be allowed to delete? What is necessary for the wiki to work as a collaborative too, what would make it difficult and upset contributors.
• Make sure you bookmark the wiki in your browser.
• Goto the Supermarket Case Study and then brainstorm together all areas and ICT systems that would need to be studied related to the ITGS criteria. Produce this as a visual brainstorm, in MindMeister or similar and then embed this on the brainstorm page. This will be the starting point for your research work into different areas, so it should be in depth and focus on all sections that you think might be included in your examination that involve ICT use within Supermarkets.
• Once you have completed the mindmap to begin with choose at least two ICT system areas to research and produce initial wiki pages of research - be careful and mindful of the rules and copyright issues. Remember this is all live and online, so anyone can read this and so see if it is plagiarised. Also remember that every edit you make is stored in the history section - check the site reports and feeds section. This is why you should try to always leave a note with each edit. Also when you have taken initial responsibility for a section or wiki-page then you should maybe follow the idea of no deleting just adding comments on the page to the main author who will be able to change alter what is said. Comments should be made in the thread section at the bottom of each page.

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