Education

Over the years, education has changed dramatically, due to the increase of access to computers for students and teachers. We are able to do so much more when it comes to computers an education than we could even just 5 years ago. For example, schools used to be lucky to have a few computers for the teachers to send e-mails on, but now computers are available for every student to use. Generally, secondary schools have been more fortunate than primary schools in the ICT department, as it was more common for a secondary school to have an ICT room, equipped with enough computers for a whole class to use. Nowadays, however, school facilities are lot more improved, with a lot more computers, accessible to every student and teacher. At any one time, half the school will be using a computer. ICT is no longer a discrete subject in school, as more people need to use it later on in life for things such as research, presentations, writing essays and communicating.

                The increase in accessibility  of computers also means that it unusual for most students not to have satisfactory, sometimes even better than teachers, keyboard skills, but this also means that teachers can be left feeling de-skilled in ICT, and unsure of how to keep up with their students.

                Most schools will also have a network set up, which is a vital part of any educational establishment. It means that students can share work with one another, as well as software, and the teachers can share work with their pupils. It also allows teachers to give quicker feedback as it can be submitted to the network and reached by pupils instantly. Nowadays, teachers expect that most, if not all, students to have access to a computer at home, or even have their own personal PC. However, this can create a digital divide as there might be some cases where a student does not have access to any computer while not at school, meaning that they are put at an unfair disadvantage when it comes to equal access to the curriculum.  It can also be very difficult for parents to keep up to date with software updates; however there are instances when there will be student discounts available for software updates, making it easier to maintain your pc. Often, the software in which students have at home will be better than the software at school, as it is harder to update it when there are 600 plus computers, and it can become very expensive. Transporting software has become a lot easier as well, with the use of data pens and USB’s, which reduces the need for lots of exercise books. However, they are easily lost or stolen, causing a lot of work to go missing at one time- a problem for both students and teachers. However, the easier access to other students work on the network leads to an increase in the possibility of plagiarism, as it is very easier to open someone’s work, and copy and paste it as your own. With the growth of access to computers comes the growth in interactive whiteboards which connects to the computers and allows teachers to show and display examples and videos etc. to a whole class at one time. It also allows students to get involved within the lesson due to the touch screen and projector, also making demonstrations and tutorials a lot easier.

                School administrative tasks use ICT systems and networks in schools, which allows you to see the progress of any student at the press of a button.  Instead of having hundreds of different files and folders in a filing cabinet, everything is stored on computers, meaning that many different administrative tasks can be done from the same computer. These tasks can include registration, pupil records, parental contacts, E-mails to parents, monitoring behaviour and monitoring progress. The fact that this can all be accessed from the same computer means that they can be done a lot quicker, and means that the information is easier to update and check if need be. However, it can also make things quite difficult as well, as not everybody will know how to work the latest software, so it can be quite time consuming when trying to understand and learn how to use it. Another drawback is also the amount of time it takes to enter all the information, as it was only recently that schools began to gain easier access to computers, meaning that, at one point, all this information was recorded manually on paper and kept in files, so when access to computers became more common and necessary, someone would have had to transfer all that information and data into a computer manually.  

Employment

There is no denying that fact that everyday life has changed dramatically after ‘The Digital Revolution’, which saw a huge increase in the amount of people and work places that could gain access to computers and advanced technology, which changed the way in which people worked in schools and in offices. The digital revolution is sometimes also called the Third Industrial Revolution and marks the beginning of the Information Age.  Put simply, it is the change from electronic technology to digital technology.

 Most jobs nowadays use some form of ICT, from car mechanics using computerised analysis equipment to diagnose various faults to teachers, who are expected to be able to make use of interactive whiteboards and projectors to aid them in their teaching. Accountants have also faced a dramatic change in their profession with the Digital Revolution, as they used to just work with a calculator and a pencil, whereas they now use spreadsheets, dominated by  the new developments of ICT in the workplace.

If you were to look at a picture of an office in the 80’s, and then compared it to a picture of an office in 2013, the difference would be hugely noticeable. In a normal office 20 years ago, it’s likely that it would be very crowded, as there would be lots of filing cabinets, storing all the documents that we now save on a computer or hard drive. However, there would be no printers or computers, as everybody used typewriters. There would also be a lack of phones, there may be a few, but not one on every desk like there is nowadays.

In 2013, it is not unusual to walk into an office and see a computer with the latest software on every desk, connected to all the other computers with the use of a network, along with a phone, printer, tablet etc.  This is due to the massive developments in technology and the increase of the availability of it. All this new technology means that there is less need for things like filing cabinets etc. as everything can be stored on a hard drive.

                However, while the new developments in ICT can be seen as a good thing, making jobs easier and more efficient, they can also cause people to lose their jobs, as a computer may be able to do their job faster than they can, meaning  that they are no longer needed. Additionally, actually getting a job in the first place is getting more difficult as most employers expect up –to –date computer skills, some of which people do not have.

Online Entertainment

Online entertainment has grown rapidly in the past few years, due to the increase in the amount of people spending more time on the internet. The entertainment business has taken full advantage of this, and as a result, it is now easier than ever to watch films, listen to or download music, play games, and connect with friends over the internet.

            Downloading

The ability to download certain things off the internet is probably on of the most useful purposes of the internet, as it allows you to download it to your PC, tablet or smartphone, meaning you will constantly have access to the content, wherever you are, and as you have physically downloaded it onto your device, it means once the download is complete, you will not have to be connected to the internet to listen to, watch, or play the downloaded content. The massive increase in popularity of downloading music has lead to a change in the way in which we record music sales. It used to be based on how many CD’s were bought from shops, but now, it is based on downloads as so many more people are downloading music straight to their device, opposed to buying the CD and having to upload it through their computer. This also makes it a lot easy to document and keep track of who is selling the most singles etc. However, it is not just music that you can download; films, games, apps, books and podcasts are all available for download, so as long as you have internet access and a compatible device, you have access to millions of forms of entertainment.

            On the other hand, with the huge increase in popularity of downloads, comes the huge problem concerning illegal downloading. This is where people upload content on to websites, which allows other people to download it for free, meaning that the people who actually own the content are missing out on millions of pounds every year. Many people have argued that it cannot be seen as theft or stealing as the people who upload it to these illegal websites and allow people to download it for free, have obviously purchased the content themselves, meaning that it is technically theirs, and they can do what they want with it, however, the music industry in particular are trying to put a stop to it, saying that you wouldn’t just walk into a shop, and walk out with a handful of CD’s without paying, so why do it over the internet?

            Personally, I use iTunes to download music onto my phone, as illegal downloading can actually be a lot more hassle, and takes longer, whereas with iTunes, as soon as you have paid for your content, it downloads it straight to your music library, and you also have reassurance in the fact that it will be good quality, unlike some illegal  downloads.

Social Entertainment

 Websites such as Vine and Instagram can’t really be classed at Social Networking, but instead, as Social Entertainment Websites. This is because they are mainly about creating photos and videos for your own entertainment but they also allow you to share them with friends, which make them social websites. People can also comment and ‘like’ what you upload, giving you feedback on your videos and pictures.

            Vine has been particularly successful, becoming an overnight favourite for all ages. It specialises in allowing you to make funny and creative videos, a lot of which have now gone viral. It is hugely popular with the younger generation, as before they were really only ever able to share their thoughts and experiences through still photos, but now they can show people exactly what they are seeing, straight away.

            However, there is now fierce competition between Vine and Instagram, with Instagram being the original favourite, but has recently been criticized for ‘copying’ vine, after launching the option to record videos as well as pictures very soon after Vine became popular, due to its video recording and editing feature. There are also privacy issues with both sites, as although there is the option to set your account to ‘private’, meaning that only people and accounts that you approve of can see your details and posts, the use of ‘hashtags’ means that anyone who searches a particular hashtag that you have tagged in your photo or video, can see it.  There is also the risk of minors stumbling across inappropriate content, as it is vey hard to monitor every post that people upload and make sure it is suituable for everyone.

            Personally, I use both Instagram and Vine, and rarely encounter problems with either of them, but I can undertand how some people would. The only slight worry I have , is the issue of privacy, as I do not want people I do not know being able to access photos or videos of me, so I am always very careful with what I post online.

E-Government

E-Government

·       Governments always had a responsibility to communicate with the general public (keep them informed).

·       Development of e government parallels the development of the internet. More interactive. We can communicate with them as well as them communicating with us. We can interact in a transactional way as well. Complete interaction between ourselves and the government.

·       Leads to a few issues- digital divide, only available to people with computers. People without out access to computers are at a disadvantage. Not everyone can use a computer as well as they should be able to.

·       UK250.co.uk – collection of government websites, proves how e-government is growing.

·       Government Gateway

·       Gov.uk – enables you to see what government is all about, can report people.

·       Find out about your area – crime rates, council tax, house prices, schools performance.

·       Directgov

·       DVLA- car tax, quick and easy. Record of MOT and Insurance. Legal Documents. Why do people still go to the post office to tax their car instead of doing it on the internet?- facilities have to close as they are not being used anymore.

·       Pension-  directly into bank account, don’t have to go to post office or accountant.

·       Student loans and admissions- apply for university online

·       Driving theory test online

·       Apply for passports

·       Job seekers allowance

·       Yougov.co.uk – more interactive – can start an online petition, government have to have a debate about it in parliament.

 E-Government, also known as Electronic Government, has developed a lot recently, meaning that it is now a lot easier to communicate with the government, whether it is your local council or higher up. You can use the websites to report people to the police, as well as find out valuable information about your area, including crime rates, council tax, house prices and schools performance. DVLA also counts as E-Government as you can tax your car online and access online records of your MOT and Insurance. Many people also use government websites for sorting out their pensions, student loans and admissions on UCAS, apply for passports and job seekers allowance and even take your driving theory test online.

                  The ability to be able to do this from your own home on the internet means that a lot more people are able to access these services. It also makes it a lot easier and quicker to do things that would otherwise take up a lot of time and effort. Another big advantage of online government services is that some disabled people might not be able to physically go to the post office for example and sort out things like pensions and job seekers allowance etc., so the fact that these services are now available online means that they can easily use the services like any other person.

                  However, with the growing popularity of using government services online, comes the decline in the need for things like Post Offices, therefore putting people out of work as they are no longer needed. There are also huge security issues as some people are not comfortable with entering their personal details online, as it can sometimes leave you vulnerable to scams and identity theft.

                  Personally, the only time I have used online government services is when I applied for university. I did it through the UCAS website, on which you have to enter a number of personal details such as your name and full address, your current and past schools, your exam results (GCSE and A-Levels) and other things such as where you work and what universities you are hoping to attend. I found that they had very good security precautions such as Security questions, which is where you answer certain questions such as the name of your first pet, or the road you grew up on, when first creating your account, so the only way someone can access your account is if they know the answer to these questions, and it is not likely that a complete stranger would know these details about you, therefore I was comfortable to use the website, knowing that no one would be able to access my account without my consent.

Online Education

More and more people, students and teachers, are beginning to use to the internet to aid education, as there are a wide variety of resources available, and you are able to demonstrate things using videos etc.- something you would not be able to do when just using books.

Videos

One of the most popular and useful ways of using the internet for education is through videos. This allows you watch demonstrations, as well as allowing people who learn better through vision or audio rather than reading, to fully understand what they are learning.

However, sometimes websites such as YouTube are not available in school, as they can have unsuitable content on them, so schools block them. This creates problems for students who need to watch videos, as they have to wait until they get home.

Personally, I use YouTube quite a lot, as I find I learn things a lot faster when someone is talking through the points and demonstrating them, rather than just reading a book, but I do encounter problems when I need to use it in school.

Research

The internet is extremely useful for researching different topics, as there are normally millions of results when a topic is typed into a search engine, giving you more than enough information. Sites such as Wikipedia are widely used, as they will most likely have a lot of information on them, however, as Wikipedia is a website that can be edited by anybody, there is no guarantee that the information you are receiving is correct. There are also sites dedicated to students, such as BBC Bitesize for revision.  This allows students to search for things according to the subject, the topic and the year group they are in.

This is the BBC Bitesize home page, which asks you to select which year group you are in, so that you can access the appropriate things.

However, BBC Bitesize only goes as far as GCSE level, meaning that you cannot use it for help with anything higher than that such as A-Levels.

Personally, I try to avoid using websites like Wikipedia, as I know that the information is not always correct, therefore I would rather not use it in a piece of school work, and I can no longer use BBC Bitesize as it does not provide information for A-Levels.

MyMaths

MyMaths is a very widely used website across schools, as it allows teachers to use it to aid their lessons, and it also allows students to access it from home to help them with their homework or complete online tasks that their teacher has set, and submit it to them electronically. It also marks the work for you, so that students know straight away how they did and what they need to revise. This also means that teachers do not have to go through the process of marking the same homework over and over again. Another good feature of My Maths is that no two students will get set the same questions. It will be on the same topic, but the actual questinos will differ, eliminating the possibility of students copying others.

However, not all students will have decent internet access, meaning that they cannot get on the website and do the work that is set, like they would be able to if they were using a textbook. It also raises the question of the need for actual books- if we get to a point where everyone has internet access whereever they live, then surely all work could be set online and therefor books will not be needed for much longer.

Personally, I used MyMaths several times in the lower school, and while i thought the actual idea of it was good, it didn’t always work for me, as sometimes the website would freeze and make it impossible for me to complete the work that was set. It also made it a lot easier to make mistakes, as it is very easy to type in the wrong answer without realising. It would also cause problems if you didn’t know how the website worked exactly, as you have to go through a process of  getting it marked then submitting it to your teacher, and unless someone has taught you exactly how to use it, this could prove difficult.

Online Banking

Some people find the idea of Online Banking hard to grasp, as it is not actually using real money-just numbers on a screen. However, the popularity of Online Banking is ever increasing due to the ease and convenience of it. More and more banks are setting up facilities online, which allow their customers to use their usual services through the internet and without having to actually go into a bank.

            One of the many reasons why Internet Banking is so convenient is because it is accessible 24/7, unlike an actual bank. It allows you to check your balance, make payments, transfer money, and download bank statements. The fact that you are able to do all this on the internet means that you can use a smart phone to do it, and therefore access your bank anytime, anywhere.  

            One of the biggest concerns with online banking is the security of it. Due to the fact that there is no way to prove that it is actually you trying to access your account, banks have to put a series of security checks in place to make sure that no one but you is able to access your account. These security checks include security questions, and sometimes your bank gives you a card reader, in which you insert your card, enter your pin, and it gives you a code which you enter into the website which gives you access to your account. This ensures that no one else can just log into your account and pretend to be you.

 This is the safety message that is displayed on Halifax’s website when you click on Online Banking. It ensures customers that they will refund your money if you unfortunately experience fraud- provided it was not your fault i.e. if you have been careless with your details.

            However, with the growth of online banking, comes the decline in actual branches. As more people are doing their banking on the internet, there isn’t as much need for staff in branches, which results in people losing their jobs, and branches closing down.

            Identity theft is also a big risk when using online banking, as it is easy to fall for scams through things such as fake e-mails. This is where people e-mail you pretending to be a big company asking for your bank details. It is harder for people to do this when you do not use online banking, so this could be seen as a disadvantage.

           

Personally, I do not use online banking as it was only recently that I found out that my bank provided this service.  I have never needed to use this as I don’t usually transfer money to anyone etc. so there would be no need for me to do my banking online. I think if it got to a point that I needed to regularly transfer money to different accounts then I would definitely set up and account for online banking, as it seems very easy and convenient, but I would make sure to be wary of potential dangers of entering my details online.

E-Commerce

E-commerce is when you buy or sell things online. E-commerce services include online banking, shopping, and auctions. Recently, this has grown more popular due to the ease and convenience of being able to do it all on the internet.

            There are many advantages of e-commerce, such as the variety of products available, the convenience, and often, the price of a product on-line is cheaper than in-store.

           

Product Variety

A big attraction to shopping online is the wider range of products available, as shops are able to display a lot more products on a web page than in a store. This also means that products are available in more sizes and colours etc. For example, if you were in a shop, and saw a dress that you liked but they didn’t have it in your size, it is more than likely to be in your size on the shops website.

            It is also a lot easier to browse through different products online, as you can just enter into a search bar exactly what you are looking for, and the website will filter out everything else, and leave you with the relevant products.

Recommendations

Websites are also able to recommend items to you that it thinks you will like, based on your past search history and purchases. The website knows this information through the use of cookies, which documents what you look at and search for while on their website. This means that you can find products that you didn’t know were on the website based on the previous things you have bought or searched for.

Cheaper online price

Quite often, products will have a cheaper online price compared to the in-store price. This is because it is cheaper to run and maintain a website than a shop, as you need fewer staff, and do not have to pay rent for an extra building.

           

Convenience

A huge advantage of shopping online is the convenience of it. Many websites now have an app for your mobile or tablet device, meaning that it is now even easier to shop online, wherever you are, provided you have internet access. You can even do your grocery shopping online, and have it delivered later that day.

This is the Tesco website, which shows how you can create an account with them, to make shopping online faster and easier, meaning you can do a whole food shop without even leaving the house. This is very helpful if someone is disabled or unable to leave the house for whatever reason, as they can then get their shopping delivered straight to their door.

 This is the Tesco app, which allows you to shop online, on your phone. It also has special features, such as being able to scan a barcode of something that isn’t even in-store, and adding it to your shopping list, so that it automatically gets added to your online ‘basket’ and delivered to you. This all makes the shopping experience even faster and more convenient, therefore persuading more people to shop online.

           

However, even though there are many advantages of shopping online, there are also a few limitations, such as the issue of returning items, the possibility of loss or damage, and the fact that you don’t actually know what the product is like exactly.

Returns

When shopping online, there will always be an example of the company’s return policy, telling you whether or not you can return certain items.

This is Tesco’s returns policy, which tells customers what they should do in the event that they want to return an item(s).  It explains that sometimes, you are not able to return certain items, as they can sometimes be ‘perishable’, meaning that the food items may go out of date if they go through the process of being returned and refunded. Similarly, with clothing websites, you never know for sure what the actual product is going to be like compared to the picture that is on the website. Personally, it has happened to me many times where I’ve ordered something from a clothing website, then it has turned out to look nothing like the picture on the website, and it is quite a lengthy process to send it back.

Postage and Packaging

 When buying things online, you also have to pay a postage and packaging fee, something you would not have to do had you bought the product in-store.  However, most websites do give you the option to select the postage you would like, for example if you pay more for first class delivery, then your purchases will get to you sooner than if you paid for standard delivery. There is also no guarantee that your purchases will reach you in the correct time, and in the condition it was in when it was dispatched. This is another disadvantage to shopping online, as there is always a possibility that your purchases will get lost or damaged in the process of delivery.

Security Issues

 Another major issue when shopping or bidding online is security. A lot of people are put off from shopping online due to the fact that you have to enter your bank and personal details online in order to pay for your purchases. As there are a lot of scammers who try to access your details, you can never be sure if the website you are using is 100% trustworthy, as some websites sell your details to other companies, which results in you receiving thousands of junk e-mails, trying to sell you things, or asking for your bank details etc.

My personal experience of E-commerce

Personally, I do shop online quite regularly, simply because there is such a wider range of products, and more often than not, they are easier to find, as you can just type in some key words into the search bar, and it will provide you with relevant results; something you cannot do in-store. I also use auctioning sites, such as ebay, as you can buy and sell things on there for great prices, and you know that your details are secure as you have the option to pay through another site called PayPal, which is like a bank account dedicated to ebay, meaning that you can pay straight from there. You also know who you can trust on ebay, as people can give you ‘feedback’, which results in a rating of how trustworthy you are, which all customers can see. So if someone has very negative feedback, you know not to buy or sell anything to them, because chances are, you will never receive the goods that you have paid them for.