Does technology help keep in touch with friends and family from different countries?

 

When family and friends move away and it becomes hard to contact them. Many people used to  result to letters. Now its completely different. With the technology thats available to us now it makes it alot easier to stay in contact with people. Lots of different ways have been made to actually video call people who are a long way away. These are a few ways that you can stay in touch

• Skype
• FaceTime
• MSN
• Facebook video call
• google talk
• ichat

 

 

These are 6 different ways to video call. The most popular is usually skype. Its usually free but it depends on which package that you want to use. Skype can be used on any phone or somputer that can download apps although some phones come out with it already loaded into the phone. Facetime is a close second but you can only use this system if you have an apple product but alot of people have a apple product now. Its completely free but is based around WI-FI. This means that if your in an area where there is little or no WI-FI then you will not be able to use this.

 

Facetime can be used on Iphones, Ipods, Ipads, Macbooks and Imacs. It has many different ways to use it. its incredibly easy to understand and it is very simple. The other way sof video calling can mainly just be used on the computer only but some can be downloaded as apps. When you use these video call systems you are able to have a clear view of the othe person (aslong as they have a webcam which is clear)and they can also see you. You can talk outloud and they will be able to hear you also.

 

I think that this is a very good use of technology as it allows people to see their friends and family free of charge. 

Accessible Technology

How has technology become more accessible?

When technology was first created, there was a large divide in society because you had the elderly who had never seen technology before and then you had the youth who were growing up around it, low income so they couldn't afford it, weak literacy skills, disability and ethnic minority. But now, the society is started to join. This is because of the accessibility of technology has got alot easier. For example, there are lots of different things that have changed, such as...

• rural area
• elderly
• the way they look
• portability

Technology has changed through rural areas because its alot easier to get Internet this is done by fitting Internet connections to make it easier to use. This is because people think that it is unfair if people don't have technology just because of where they live. Another way that it has become more accessible for the elderly as well, this is because many elderly people find it hard to use the equipment for technology, but its been made alot easier which allows the elderly to use technology in an easy way.

If you had weak literacy skills you would lack access to the Internet. This is because if someone cant read or write then they would have found it difficult to use computers and technology because they would be un-aware of what they are doing on it. Now that technology has developed they find it alot easier to use this sort of technology because it has become alot more simple and easier to use.

One thing that cant be changed through developing the technology is ethics. this is when it is against some religions and believes to use technology. For example the Amish dont use any technology because it is banned in their culture. over the years this still hasn't changed so although i said that the societies are beginning to join together, there are still some reluctant people who disagree with technology. This means there will always be a slight divide in the society but over the years it has increased.

technology and the elderly.

Does Technology help the elderly?

 

Although technology is mainly used by the younger generations. Technology has helped many elderly people who have problems with writing, spelling, hearing etc. Designers have designed technology to help with these problems. For example the elderly who have trouble listening to people on the phone due to damaged hearing. A new machine has been created which writes down what the person is saying on the phone so it helps them reply with relevant concerntration. This device is very unique and extremly clever. Although its very helpful, its isnt cheap.

 

For Eldery people who have trouble with typing and writng, technology has been created so it writes down what you say as you say it. This sort of technology also helps the dislexic with spelling and writing. this sort of technology is able to download onto computers, phones and there are also special laptops that specifiy in that sort of area.

 

I think that even though the elderly complain about technology most of the time, they dont realise how much it helps them out in the long term. It would obviously be frustraiting now knowing what someone was saying and how you could say anything back. But with certain equipment that although isnt cheap, is extremly worth it. 

Does technology affect our literacy

Is text talk affecting our literacy?

 

When we text people, we find it easier to use shorter alternatives to the actual words. We do this because we are lazy mainly, but it also takes very little time to do. Although it is mainly young people that do this, many adults do it as well just because its easier to do and everyone knows what it all means. There are many words that you could shorten down into 'Text Talk' these are...

• You okay?- u k?
• got to go - g2g
• i would like that- i wld lyk dat
• might- mght
• be right back -brb
• by the way- btw
• today-  2day
• talk to you later- ttyl

These are some of the many examples of text talk that many people use. If your someone like me and this sort of writing annoys you then you wouldn't usually use it in school when your doing literacy. But, some people who do use this alot, and can understand it very well, sometimes write like that in literacy because they are so used to doing it on their phones or on any form of technology that you can write onto.

 

Because we are always around different types of technology, this makes this sort or text talk easier to get addicted to. Many people don't even realise they are doing it most of the time. i think that technology has definitely affected our literacy and not in a good way.

 

Text talk is making our generations lazy and this will eventually bring down our national curriculum levels.

 
 

Do we really need teachers?

We don't need teachers now that we have technology.

Do we?

 

With all of the technology that we have in this day and age, do we really need teachers to teach the youth of today? i mean think about it.. everything we need to know we can find out using the Internet. Many children don't appreciate coming to school because it can be boring from time to time. Children don't give teachers the respect that they want in schools now so in my opinion i think that it would be a good thing if we didn't have teachers.

 

Even if we didn't have teachers i think that it would be a good idea to still build schools that children could go to to use some of the technology that they may not have access to at home. This is a way that would keep young children off of the streets and in some sort of education. Although teachers would not be hired. There would still be a head of the school and will also be helpers around to keep the children under control.

 

If you ask any person if they enjoy being talked at they will say no. Well in my opinion all teachers do is talk AT children instead of TO them. With a computer or whatever technology children can research what ever they want to learn. The video that this man created is a perfect example of what this blog is about. Please watch.

Although the children in this video had almost nothing, they were still able to teach themselves and others how to use computers. This experiment just shows that whether their are teachers or not, children are still able to learn. I think that although in some places teachers are necessary to keep children under control but it shows that you don't really need them to teach children when they can quite clearly do that themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Social Ntworking.

 

Do Social Networking websites affect us?

 

A social network is a place on the Internet that allows you to have a social life using the Internet.  Many celebrities use them to publicise some parts of their liefs. But other are usually used by young people. Social networking is an easier way of contacting your friends and family. Now-a-days there are many different types of social networking that could be used by the public.These include;

Facebook

Twitter

My Space

MSN                                                                 

Youtube

Bebo

Blogger

Tumbler

 

 

As you can see there is a wide variety of what different types of social networking that you could use.  The most popular social networking sight is facebook. With over 1.2 billion users its alot higher than the other websites that you could use. Facebook is very quick and simple with an average of 15 and a half hours per month spent on facebook, it proves that alot of people find it easy to use but it can become addictive.

 

Although everyone finds it exciting reading about other peoples days and what funny comment they are going to come out with next. But there are many disadvantages of social networking sites. The main issue is cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. Bullying has been happening for years but with the technology that we have available to us now it gives them other ways of targeting someone.

 

Statics show that 32% of all teenagers that use social networking websites have been bullied at one point or another on social networking sites. There are different ways that someone can bully somebody else using a social network these are by personal message, writing on their wall, posting a mean comment on a status or picture, creating groups etc.

 

Some social networking sites can put some young people at risk of being assaulted due to having very little privacy on your account. Other people add people that they do not know just to get a higher number of friends. This then creates an unsafe website. Some people also give out personal information such as; Phone number, School, Address and what they are doing at a certain point that could put them into danger.

Many paedophiles use social networking websites to look at young peoples profiles. Many even create fake accounts and add young girls and pretend to be someone that their not. Naive girls then agree to meet them, this can then sometimes lead into a messy situation that no one wants to be in. Many young people don't have their accounts on private so this puts them at a big risk of this happening.

 

If your going to use a social networking website makes sure you put your profile on private and except people that you know.  

 



Does the media encourage eating disorders?

As everyone knows, the media presents women in a very untrue light. Photo shop is used alot when editing pictures of making the celebrities look perfect. They do this by usually making the skin clear, slimmer waist and bigger bust and many other ways. Although some people could do with a touch up or two, it is completely over-used when its performed on pictures of celebrities.

With constant reminders of celebrities looking practically perfect, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on young girls and boys of this generation. The images make the regular people think that anything less that perfect obviously isn't good enough. This sort of pressure to look 'perfect' gets into young peoples heads which make eating disorders appear.

This is a perfect example of how photo shop can change the way people look. This sort of image represents that its okay to look fake and be edited. In some cases yes its okay. But when it leads to young children starving themselves to look like these people-its going too far.

Even though photo shop is a huge reason for eating disorders, it isn't the only thing that brings out eating disorders. Another factor that brings out eating disorders are 'supermodels' With a supermodel averaging around a size 0. It puts a extremely large amount of pressure on this generation to look like them. Any one who watches supermodels on the catwalk think that that is what you need to look like to be a model or in that sort of industry.

These are all supermodels. In my opinion they are too skinny. Although they get payed to look like this, it sends out an unhealthy message to young people. Teenagers around the age of 13-17 look at these images and think that to be like this they have to make their bodies suffer.

Although everyone wants to look nice i think that the media need to know when to tone it down abit because it leads to depression and then gaining an eating disorder which isn't healthy for growing children.

How smart phones have changed they way we live, work and communicate.

Phones. Everyone has one in this day and age. Even children at the age of 8 have mobile phones. The amount of technology that one phone has is astonishing. On a phone in this day and age. you can do so many different things. You can use maps, Internet, You Tube, play games, socialise, plan events, take pictures and many more things!

This was the very first mobile phone that was created by nokia. Nokia is still around to this very day and have been doing fairly well but are hidden behind the bigger and better phones most of the time. The first nokia phone was created in the 1980's and the company has been going strong ever since. All a phone was able to do back in the 1980's was text and make phone calls and answer them too. As many of us know this has changed dramatically. 

 Over the years we have become more reliant on the more modern technology that Nokia, Apple, Blackberry, Samsung etc create. Many people use mobile phones for large businesses.

Many networks such as Vodafone, O2, Orange, 3, T-mobile etc, offer a business contract. This includes paying a certain amount of money a month for business phones. Each contract has different offers. For example- one contract may offer unlimited texts 300 minutes and 1GB of Internet. For a business this will be very useful.

Phones are used to email important documents to teachers, managers and bosses. On many phones your are able to downloads apps to help with your writing. Such as Microsoft Word. This allows you to work on the go and send it to who you need it to go to even when you don't have access to a computer!

Although you can send data through phones. You can also organise meetings and events using a small device which can fit in your pocket. Every single phone that is created now has a calender on it. The calender gives you a reminder of what is happening on that exact day. People rely on this sort of technology to help them remember things that are important.

I don't think its healthy for us to rely on technology as much as we do. Although they are tremendous, they can also affect family life and the was people socialise. People become attached to their mobile phones and avoid physical contact with people. Personally i love my phone but i try not to use it when i don't need to. I think others should do the same.