Archive for the ‘Internet’ Category

Using the Internet for Research

A good library is indispensable. The internet is rapidly becoming equally so for the academic researcher. However, there are a number of factors to look out for when doing a search and using information from the web. Here is some good advice to follow to find authoritative and valid information.

Everyone can go online, create a website or blog and write about any subject they have an interest in. This does not mean they are scholars or even that they are authorities on the topics they write about. Do not assume that because it is written then it must be correct.
(more…)

Technology-Based Teaching: Podcasting in Education

Podcasting in EducationThe initial appeal of ‘podcasting’ was for individuals to distribute their own radio shows. However, the times are changing. In lecture theatres around the world it wouldn’t be surprising to see the sign ‘Recording in Progress’. Many professors are starting to tap into the technology that their students are comfortable with, such as MP3 players. When you see a student sitting at a bus-stop with earphones stuck in their ears, they might just be revising for a test rather than listening to the Black Eyed Peas.

While some podcasters make files available for direct downloading or in a streaming format from a website, podcasting itself involves more than this. Files are made available using ‘push technology’. The publisher selects which files to make available in a feed, while the subscriber chooses which feed channels should be automatically downloaded when there is an update. There are various systems to make this process easier. A large number of universities use the ‘iTunes U’ for storing and distributing their educational content.
(more…)

Online Communication: Streaming Video on the Internet

Streaming Video is the future of the Internet. ‘Uses of Digital Media’, a report by Aberdeen/StreamingMedia.com, found that in the United States of America $2 billion was being spent on streaming media technologies, and is projected to grow to in excess of $12 billion per annum over the next few years.

Today the Internet is the fastest growing marketplace and offers global opportunities to all, from international conglomerates to the individual person at the kitchen table. What though is the most effective form of communication on the information super highway? The Internet has become the place to communicate with one another and the means to search for and locate information. Video streaming brings a whole new dimension to this experience for everyone, be they business persons negotiating a deal, friends and family keeping in touch with their loved ones, or people sharing a common interest seeing one another for the first time.
(more…)