5 posts tagged “internet”
The world we live in today is truly an age of information. That in itself sounds like an understatement. Technology is increasing at a rapid rate and new sciences and discoveries are being unveiled. Computers and the Internet have led us into an era that could very well be ahead of our time. Advancements in countless areas of technology bode well for the economy and the development of future societies and projects; however, the human mind is finding it hard to keep up with the fast, changing pace of technology.
With the Internet evolving and endless amounts of data available at anyone's disposal, it's beginning to become hard for the average person to comprehend and accept what they're given as information; whether they realize it or not.
According to this website, Human Bandwidth, it's difficult for someone to read more than a few web pages comfortably on a computer screen. A user's first reaction when boredom or distraction arises is to look away, or try to find another source that's more user friendly. This 'scanning' of information doesn't leave the user with a solid base from which to learn, and proper academic techniques are becoming harder to instill and remember.
It's rather ironic that I'm writing a blog about Human Bandwidth on a day that I attended a function that former U.S. President Bill Clinton spoke at. The website I've posted above includes a picture of another former president, John F. Kennedy, and explains that he had a famously wide bandwidth. After listening to Clinton speak, it became clear to me that the knowledge that he possessed was far greater than the average person. In thirty minutes, he spoke with intelligent passion about numerous worldwide issues that affect us globally, and it seemed as if he just 'touched the surface' on these topics. There's no doubt in my mind that he could have given a two hour speech on any of the issues he discussed without breaking a sweat. I compare him to a modern-day, human encyclopedia. His bandwidth is vast, and he can process and access incredible amounts of information with impressive speed. Obviously, not everyone is going to have the drive and the motivation to learn and succeed as Bill Clinton does, but it's his practise and work ethic that's becoming a dying breed among modern day civilians.
After researching and reading about human bandwidth, I feel that going back to basic education techniques and thorough textbook practises would benefit the youth of today, as well as adults. I think reading is becoming a lost art, with an abundance of online websites and services contributing to discouraging people from learning and expanding their knowledge the 'old fashioned way'. I think websites like these will continue to evolve and flood the Internet with entertaining, yet, time-wasting alternatives to reading.
As we move forward, and as the years pass, it's a scary thought to think that the machines of today's world will eventually outsmart our brains. It's important that we stay properly educated and informed throughout our everyday lives. Unlike computer bandwidth, we can't pay money to upgrade our minds...
Cam Brown
When I first started the Broadcast Journalism program at Mohawk College, I never anticipated learning so much about the Internet in this program. I knew that I'd be learning a lot about the media, the foundations of journalism, and I was excited to gain print, radio, and television experience. Learning a lot about the Internet in this program I consider an added and welcome bonus.
I compare what I've learned about the Internet in this course thus far to my knowledge of guitar. I've been playing guitar for about 5 or 6 years, and after awhile, I felt I hit a plateau in my playing abilities. I was good at what I had learned and practised, but I wasn't entirely sure how to move forward in order to adapt other skills. I tried different instructors, different music and difficult techniques, but I always found myself reverting back to what was comfortable. When I started this course, I knew what I knew about the Internet, and I found myself living in a repetitive cycle of continually visited web-pages and activities. This course has really opened my eyes to some great aspects of the Internet, and how to manuvre and use these newly acquired skills to my best advantage. One area of the online universe I've become very interested and aware of... is blogging.
In our Online Writing course earlier in the semester, we learnt different web-related techniques and websites, and I personally found it very educating and informative.
Also, through our actual journalism classes, I've decided that bloggers are without a doubt, journalists. In this day and age, anyone has the capability of capturing and broadcasting any information they choose on a multitude of different online forums. With cellphones, digital cameras, iPods, and other forms of technology commonplace, the average citizen is quickly becoming an incredibly important part of broadcasting news.
Blogging is not just an online activity, it's an online culture. Anyone with a computer or access to the Internet can write a "blog" for millions of others to potentially see. Being able to express ones opinion in a public forum and debate on different issues, to me, is an empowering form of journalism.
I consider blogs to be 'online journals', and I find no coincidence in the fact that all the word 'journal' needs, is an 'ism' at the end to create a word that's the cornerstone of our program at Mohawk.
I've found an interesting video on Youtube that takes a look into blogging and 'citizen journalism'. It's an interesting watch and I find the content of the video very relevant to our course.
As far as my guitar playing goes, I'm beginning to move off that plateau...
Cam Brown
I found last Friday's class to be a very interesting and informative experience. To say the Internet is vast is a giant understatement; therefore, we were fortunate to have Cybrarian Jenn Horwath come into our class and speak with us about different research and navigation tools. I found her knowledge and expertise on Internet research techniques to be invaluable, and her advice made a direct impact on how I'll conduct, investigate and acquire accurate information to assist my future journalistic needs.
Some of the websites that Jenn spoke about and recommended were;
These are just some of the online sources she spoke about and specifically recommended. Personally, I found the layout and designs of Ask.com and Exalead to be similar to that of Google and Yahoo, and felt most comfortable using their engines. The Government of Canada's website is a great resource when needing to find specific numbers and statistics, as well as information that is pertinent to Canadian culture and history.
I also found it very refreshing to have a guest speaker of her position and status talk to our class about different Internet resources and skills. This Journalism program not only teaches us about the three big mediums (Television, Radio, Print), it also delves deep into the Internet and supplies us with valuable techniques and skills to use when reporting and creating strong journalistic stories.
I'm going to use the information she provided us with and make these websites a frequent visit when researching stories. Her presentation and instruction on how to properly maneuver through these sites was incredibly beneficial and will aid me not only with the rest of this program, but into my career in the media field as well.
Below is a six minute comedic video on how important databases are, and how they can assist you when researching online or otherwise.
Overall, I really enjoyed last week's class, and I look forward to using these resources to my advantage moving forward.
Cameron Brown
In the last few weeks, I've realized that exploring Web 2.0 is the most beneficial assignment I've worked on in my Journalism program so far. It introduced me to different websites and tools that I otherwise would have never explored. I enjoy writing, though don't consider myself an avid writer. I plan to continue blogging through Vox after this assignment is complete.
In relation to Journalism, all three aspects of media that we're taught, intrigue me. Writing, radio and television are all important in Journalism, and I feel Vox is an excellent way to further my writing skills. That's why I've decided to use it as an outlet for developing stories and working on my writing style.
I think that I'll continue to use Flickr as well, however, I don't believe Del.Icio.us will be something I continually use. I'm quite happy with traditional bookmarking and don't feel a need to tag every website and document all of my travels. If a website is important enough to remember, I'll probably it bookmark the "old fashioned way".
All in all though, this assignment was incredibly beneficial to my knowledge of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools, as well as furthering my writing style and experience.
Thanks Wayne for introducing our class to different aspects of the Internet.
Cam Brown
'41'
At long last, I'm finally sitting down and posting my first official Internet blog. I'm no stranger to message boards and I suppose some of what I've written before could be considered to be a "blog". Most of the posting I do on a daily basis revolves around my fantasy basketball league message board on NBA.com. For those who aren't familiar with fantasy sports, it's a hobby I enjoy in which I build and comprise a team made up of real NBA players. I then compete against other fantasy managers based on those players' actual stats during actual NBA regular season games.
The current league I'm involved in is made up of 12 teams, and is a very competitive and vocal fantasy league. I'm very confident in my basketball knowledge and make that well known to all the other managers on a regular basis. This generates a lot of "trash" talk, and makes for a very interesting and entertaining NBA season. I recently made two trades in this league that I feel will put me over the top in competing for the championship.
Fantasy leagues come in various formats. From NASCAR, to the PGA, Internet users all over the world can involve themselves, interact, and compete with other sports fans in the league(s) of their choice. Fantasy sports is just one of an unmentionable amount of benefits that Web 2.0 presents.
I'm looking forward to investigating, learning, exploring and sharing different ideas and creations through this assignment and the discovery of Web 2.0.
Cam Brown
'41'
