Topic 5: Digital Information

Digital Information is now the way of the world. If you need to find out information, the first place you go in search is ‘Google’. ‘I’ll Google it’ has become a common phrase and has even been put on the Urban Dictionary: “To ‘Google’ something, meaning to look it up on Google.” I doubt anyone really needs to look up what ‘Google it’ means but the fact that it has been defined as a term online is my entire point.

Back in the day, the most common and reliable source of information would be Britannica’s Encyclopedia (a book), which released a set of 32 volumes every 2 years. Information would be updated only every 2 years, compared to today, where information is updated every minute of every day. Encyclopedia Britannica has now turned to digital too, no longer printing hard copies, because nobody thinks to go to books for information anymore (Reuters, 2012).

Encyclopedia Britannica is not the only organisation that contributes to the information found on the internet, every single individual has the power to easily contribute which introduces the question; how reliable is the information on the internet?

There are people out there who dedicate their time to putting together a reliable digital information center, such as PANDORA archive, where you can see in a Q&A here that they set aside time to find information which they deem appropriate and what they want to represent (Wiseman, 2012). There are many other sites out there like this, remember to always check the references!

 

Shutterstock. (2014). First Contact to Worldwide Digital Information. [Image] Retrieved from http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/95952/95952,1224858902,2/stock-photo-silly-man-making-first-contact-to-worldwide-digital-information-technology-19603018.jpg

Urban Dictionary. (2004). Google It. Retrieved from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Google+It

Reuters. (2012).Encyclopaedia Britannica ends print, goes digital. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/net-us-encyclopediabritannica-idUSBRE82C1FS20120314

Rowena Wiseman. (2012). Out of Print Writing: PANDORA Australia’s Web Archive. Retrieved from http://outofprintwriting.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/pandora-australia-web-archive.html

Topic 4: Participation and the Digital Divide

“A digital divide is an economicinequality between groups, broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT)” (Wikipedia, 2013)

One would think this inequality is only between the developed and developing countries but the divide exists within each country alone. In Australia, the use of the Internet by households is between 10-20 million compared to the average use of Internet by households in countries in Africa being between 10-100 thousand (UNESCO 2006, Creative Commons). In Australia, 86% of households have an Internet connection leaving 14% without an Internet connection at all (Howell, 2012).

Just because the majority of households have an Internet connection, does not mean all these Australians have, or know how to use digital technologies which is where the expectancy of teachers comes to play to ensure the students are up-to-date with technology and have a sound understanding of it. There are 6 main drivers of digital expectancy being students, parents, employers, governments, teachers and the wider community (Howell, 2012).

Without these technologies and education on how to use these technologies, students will not be able to keep up with the growing digital world. Not being able to participate will make it difficult for them to find up-to-date information promptly, share with friends & family, shop online, study/search for careers and get in touch with employers; the list is now endless.

Bridge the divide is an organisation that focuses on eliminating the divide between developing and developed countries in order to give each individual a chance at education and to explore a digital life. Read all about their work here!

 

Wikipedia. (2013). Digital Divide. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

UNESCO. (2006). Creative Commons. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/

Howell, J. (2012). Teaching With ICT: Digital Pedagogies for Collaboration and Creativity. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.

munawara khan. (2012). New Blog One: The Digital Divide. [Image] Retrieved from http://newblogoneitg.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/the-digital-divide.html

 

Topic 3: Digital Security

Digital Security can be associated with both the technical side of things, such as protecting your computer from viruses, eliminating the risk of identity theft & scamming and the side that I would like to focus on, “protecting a person’s well-being and safety online” (Digiteen, 2008).

Cyber Bullying plays a big role when it comes to Digital Security or lack thereof. As stated by enough is enough (2013), “81% of youth agree that bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person” which makes the digital world more likely to be home to more bullies than anywhere else. Cyber Bullying has been linked to a number of suicides and in Australia alone, and is responsible for 50.6% of deaths in men (aged 15-24) and 57.8% in women (aged 15-24) (Mindframe 2014).

There are methods put in place to combat these digital insecurities, such as reporting abuse online, social network sites may filter out what can be posted online and parents can monitor what sites their children go on and can encourage they be responsible when online.

There are places to go when you are feeling bullied or depressed to help remedy the prevalence of suicide and cyber bullying such as beyondblue, headspace, and many more! Please look after yourself and others online and don’t let yourself or someone you know become another statistic!

 

One Hour Professor. (2014). Social Media Cyber Bullying. [Image] Retrieved from http://onehourprofessor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cyberbullying.jpg

Digiteen. (2008). Digital Security and Safety. Retrieved from https://digiteen.wikispaces.com/Digital+Security+and+Safety

Enough is Enough. (2013). Internet Security 101. Retrieved from http://www.internetsafety101.org/cyberbullyingstatistics.htm

Mindframe. (2014). Facts and stats about suicide in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.mindframe-media.info/for-media/reporting-suicide/facts-and-stats