Webfetti
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1. Choose your most commonly used internet search engine and do a search with words of your choosing.
LOG ENTRY: record the first hit and number of hits in your learning log.
The word I chose for this search was webfetti. It had 2,350,000 hits in 0.17 seconds.
2. Using copernicus or similar, set it up to search at least three search engines (including one that will search the "deep web") and repeat exactly the same search.
LOG ENTRY: record the number of hits in your learning log, and compare to your first search. What differences did you notice? Why? Which search, on first glance gave you the most promising results?
1) Google search: Webfetti or fonts - returned 464,000 hits in 0.21 seconds. Showed lots of interesting sites.
2) Copernic search: Webfetti or fonts - returned 65 hits. Showed some sites for both words. Many sites listed for each separate word. Oh, I do like the way Copernic can highlight your search words throughout your search results and in different colors. Never seen that before. What a nifty little trick.
3) Yahoo search: Wefetti or fonts - returned 34,600 hits in 0.17 seconds.
3. Save at least the first 5 hits of both searches.
Boolean searching task:
LOG ENTRY: Discuss your strategies with the class and record the exact search terms you used in your learning log.
A bit hard to discuss as no one is online the same time as me. However, my exact search terms were Webfetti or fonts.
Organising search information task:
Using whatever software or tool you think appropriate, record the following information about those sites:
* URL
* author
* institiution
* blurb/summary/screen shot (this can be a direct copy of an appropriate abstract or introductory paragraph on the site: but make sure you record and reference it as such.
*LOG ENTRY: Record this information in your learning log, and also detail how you saved this information, what software you used and why.
I like using screen shots. At the start of this course I was using Snagit 9, but my 30 day free trial ran out so I had to find another one. I am now using Quick Screen Capture. Quick Screen Capture is not as easy to use and learn as Snagit 9. I have re-applied for Snagit9 via our shop email, so it will be interesting to see if it actually allows me to download a second free trial. Needless to say, I have purchased this program because of its ease of use and I will definately use it for future projects. They should have some way of seeing that you have sent off a request to buy it so you can extend the free trial period until it arrives in the mail. Ok, so now to answer this question and list them.
URL: http://www.webfetti.com/MySpace/Generators/Custom-Text-Gene
Author:
Institution:
Blurb/summary: Glitter text Generator. A packed page full of webfetti for your spaces. Great layouts and designs and use of colours.
URL: http://www.pointsincase.com/downloads/fr
Author:
Institution:
Blurb/summary: Free Myspace profile editor. Add glitter text and graphics to your MySpace with free webfetti download.
URL: http://www.gratisfree.eu/Detailed/14018.h
Author:
Blurb/summary: Pimp your profile with free glitter text and webfetti. Add to your My Space, your blog, Facebook and many other applications. Easy to use. Its a new product from FunWebProducts. 1000's of emotions you can download. I like this one because of its wide use over various programs.
URL: http://personalweb.about.com/od/accessor
Author:
Blurb/summary: Webfetti for your personal page. This site offers webfetti in various categories. It was the one I preferred out of this search because you can apply the webfetti to anywhere. I especially liked that it was not limited to a certain web space like My Space or Facebook.
I have added these sites to my favourites lists for future use. I will decide which one I will download and use later on as I would very much like to play around with webfetti. I have typed my own blurb for each site as I could not copy the summary on the opening web searches and my screen shots are not copying to here either. It's a new program I am not used to and I don't have a lot of time left to get this module finished, so I decided to do my own summary.
TASK: Take a look at the Internet Communcations Blinklist we have set up for you as a bookmark site - compared to a html version. Think about the format and usability of a website/html written list with this same information.
LOG ENTRY: Whats the difference between the two? What are the benefits? Which format do you think you would like better and why?
I really like the Internet Communications Blink list and how you can click on each item picture to access the links. Ease of use and quickness of this format are the obvious benefits and for these reasons I like it the best. I think this version is best suited to people just viewing sites as users and/or potential customers for businesses.
The html version is very detailed and I do like how you can see the codes as to how they set it up. It can be very useful for web designers to see how this sort of web page is designed. So it has huge benefits for designers. I really like how you can view codes of any web page so my questions of "how did they do that?" can be answered. I think I can learn from sites like these ones and look forward to viewing more. This version is best suited to designers. Not everyone needs to see the codes, so to me, ideally websites are better displayed in the Blinklist format. But I do like how codes are accessable for those wanting to know.
Both versions have their very own specific benefits. It really depends on who is viewing each type of display as to how much benefit it gives that person. Both have really good benefits.
“Websites can be created in many ways, using a variety of display techniques. One well-used, but also widely criticised approach is to use frames. While it is useful to understand frames technically (so as to allow users easy printing, navigating, saving and searching), it is also important to see them as an example of an underlying conceptual struggle between information and display.
If one wishes to give priority to the publication of information, then frames can be criticised because of three key problems:
If one wishes to give priority to display, however, frames have some advantages:
What this situation enables us to see is that the Internet, while owing much to the more traditional goals of information providers (that emphasise document integrity, etc, regardless of display), is also part of the media, which has - equally traditionally – sought to find a way of ‘showing’, rather than of conserving and maintaining that which is shown. (with thanks to Dr Maggie Exon)”.
“Advanced Internet users are alert to both the techniques and issues involved in managing and using the web, learning about such technical features; they then interpret and understand what these features mean in terms of the arguments and disputes around them.” |
See also Concept 3
While some designers are against using them altogether and then there are others that highly recommend frames provided that they are used correctly thus enabling websites to be displayed properly and on one page. One designer took all of the frames he used out of his web pages for the simple fact that some search engines have trouble with them. He had a much higher success rate in downloads and page hits. Some believe that using frames in their design gives you better control of your exploration of the site. The most prominent feature of frames is the ability to keep one part of the page static whilst changing another part of the page such as using frames in navigation menus. One reason for not using frames because a broken frameset can occur because the frames are not loaded or displayed correctly. Common causes can be readers arriving via a search engine link or direct link to a framed page. The browser of the user is having problems handling frames and some browsers do not support frames properly such as WebTV. Another reason can by typo errors in your website which can break the frameset. Some search engines cannot follow framed pages and many search engines choose not to index frames. “Remember that search engines find individual pages with the relevant content, and then have to work backwards to determine which frameset each page belongs to. How would they do that? Answer: They can’t, so they don’t try”. I found in site one of my research an alternative recommendation for frames – IFrames. It states that IFrames are fairly well supported, can achieve most of the same effects as frames and have fewer problems. Problems such as they tend to break the previous page if they are not scripted. Once a frameset changes contents, the original URI no longer applies and opening a frame in a new browser window can disorient and annoy users. There are good recommendations on how to use frames more effectively by making them more accessible. An alternative to frames is to use HTML 4.01 and CSS. “Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation. Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element such as images, image map regions , animations (eg animated GIFs), ASCII art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers are just to name a few. Describe the purpose of the frames and how frames relate to each other if not stated in the frame titles. It also recommends writing for browsers that do not support FRAME ie provide a text equivalent for every non-text element, or in element content” (Site 2). Frame sources: ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes. If the content of a frame changes, then so must the description. It also recommends to not insert an IMG directly into a frame. “Thus content developers should always make the source (“src”) of a frame an HTML file. Images may be inserted into the HTML file and their text alternatives will evolve correctly”.
(509 words)
References:
Site 1: The Pros & Cons of Using Frames in Web Pages
Document on www Retrieved on January 13, 2009, from
www.mediacollege.com Web Page
I found this site well set out and very easy to read and informative. Pointing out positive and negative reasons of using frames in websites and the technical results was also helpful and also educational for me. Basically, this author has dedicated most of his article against using frames and lists some very viable reasons for it. He started using frames initially but then removed most of them. “The two things I noticed most of all when removing frames from my busiest website were (1) the number of reported technical problems halved, and (2) my search rankings went through the roof”.
(101 words)
Site 2: Don’t Use Frames to Design Your Website>SEO & Accessibility Problems/Website Frames
Document on www Retrieved on January 13, 2009, from
http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/tips/41htm Web Page
Recommends against frames because some people have trouble navigating within them because they are confusing or because the software they have does not read frames. Bookmarking a specific page within a frameset often prevent users back buttons from working. I have seen this written before in other sites about using frames. This author recommends using NOFRAMES content for users who can’t read framed information. The NOFRAMES section should have meaningful content with links to the other pages in your site, allowing them to be accessed without frames. The correct use of frames is stated recommending organising a page into different zones. It also clearly states the problems associated with IFrame, FRAMESET and FRAME elements. (114 words)
Site 3: Using Frames – How to add HTML frames to your Website
Document on www Retrieved on January 13, 2009, from
http://www.pageresource.com Web Page
This site gives clear examples on the best practices for using frames and tag layouts. It explains clearly how frames work and how a page with frames is really a page split into 2 or more sections, each containing its own HTML document. Along with both sections containing their own HTML the main page housing these two sections also has its own HTML and this is achieved by using the <frameset> tag rather than the body tag at the beginning of the document. I like the bulleted list at the end that states the clear steps into achieving a web page set up with 3 frames and how this web site also has the diagrams of each example. (118 words)
Site 4: Using Frames in Web Pages – Advantages and Disadvantages
Document on www Retrieved on January 13, 2009, from
http://derekstockley.com.au Web Page
This site has a Links Page which opens a new page because you don’t always see the whole page on the screen and recommends that you download JavaScript code in your page to escape this. However he describes how his site is divided into 3 columns but only 2 frames. The left is for site contents but when you enter the next column for the program you are using the contents list changes according to that program. The second frame contains two columns, which consists of two tables to form the columns. The right column in his page is yellow and describes key content, helping with the navigation of a page. (111 words)
“Metadata, in the context of email, is the generic term for the descriptive data contained in the header of the message that tells us who the email is address to; who the email comes from; what is the email's subject; who else is receiving copies of the email; the urgency which the sender has ascribed to the message; the time the email was sent; and (as supplied by your own interaction with the message once arrived) has it been read and has it been replied to. Metadata is, technically 'data about data'. It is the information which tells us the import and content of other information (you will learn more about metadata throughout your studies).
Effective electronic communication depends on metadata; but, from a user's point of view, the 'surface' metadata (what is actually 'there' in the header) needs to be read in light of the content of the message to see if it is really as it should be. For example, a message send to my email address may not actually be to 'me'. Perhaps the person believes I am, for example, the technical support officer in my department (whereas I am the academic coordinator of Internet Studies). The content of the message will make that clear and I will need to respond accordingly.
“While the header contains the 'surface' metadata, understanding email messages may require you to interpret the implied, hidden metadata cued into the body of email messages”. |
While email messages need certain key elements of metadata to make them sendable, and also routinely contain other key elements to make them useable, many websites do no really have good metadata and, with the URL, no-one needs that data. Furthermore, URLs are, rarely, much help as metadata in themselves, unless the site is carefully constructed in such a way as to make the URL communicate to you as well as to the computer. However, as you can see by looking at the metadata in websites, it is important for the proper functioning of search engines and other finding tools.
Conceptually, we are seeing the use of metadata in information services change from being a tightly controlled, ‘professional’ activity (ie a classifying system used by librarians, such as Dewey Decimal, MARC etc) to being an activity completely entwined with the many, diverse processes of everyday, social life. Hence, marketeers carefully think about the metadata they can place in a site so as to attract an audience; pornographers try to make their sites ‘available’ to as many different kinds of search engine requests as they can get away with; even non-commercial sites use metadata to attract people. Thus, rather than being data that describes the data, metadata is slowly becoming (at least in part), data that tries to predict and attract certain types of users”.
See also Concept 11
Metadata is structured data which describes the characteristics of a resource. It is similar to the cataloguing you find in libraries, museums and archives. Meta is derived from the Greek word denoting a nature of higher order. Metadata consists of pre-defined elements which represent specific information of a resource and each element can have one or more values. Examples of these elements and values are listed in the chart below taken from research site http://www.library.uq.edu.au/iad.ctmeta4.h
Element Name | Value |
Title | Web catalogue |
Creator | Dagnija McAuliffe |
Publisher | University of Queensland Library |
Identifier | |
Format | Text/html |
Relation | Library Web site |
I have always liked email and prefer it to live chat and online chat because you can attach files and photos and the surface metadata gives you a lot of information that may be very important such as the time it was send, who sent it, who forwarded it and who got copies, email addresses and if there are any attachments. You can keep it for future reference, which can come in very handy. Metadata allows you to respond according to the metadata, but it is always best to read the hidden metadata or body of the email before responding. Depending on what the metadata contains you can use this information to forward emails to various folders via applying rules to certain emails making sorting and filing more easy and time management effective. For these reasons and other reasons, metadata is most important and often prompts the receivers to read the hidden metadata with the correct and effective use of the subject field, whether it requires a response and whether it is urgent or not. In my research I found different types of metadatas explained. These included General and specialist metadata. Generalised being commonly used to describe resources across all domains and specialist because it is designed for a specific community. There is also the concept of whether metadata is minimal or rich. General metadata is often minimalist in nature whereas specialist metadatas are richer in data collected. There are also machine generated metadatas and human authored metadatas. Humans create metadatas by writing descriptions of resources whereas computer applications can extract various information from a resource or its context. HTML can be used to record metadata – known as embedded metadata and also the instructions for presenting information on a web page. There are two common tags used for embedded metadata which are DESCRIPTION and KEYWORDS. There is a range of different types of resource description that can be useful. These different types of metadata are keywords, Google, tags and user assigned. Other types of metadata I found in research include Surface Metadata which is available for a wide range of datasets like NCEP weather charts, Upper Air Metadata which is used for instrumentation such as radiosondes, Marine Metadata for sea surface and sub surface datasets, Satellite metadata used for environmental Satellites and Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites. One can get very technical when you delve into the world of various types of metadatas available. Each has their own specific use as you can see listed above.
References:
Site 1: The University of Melbourne
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
www.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/metadata/add_
Different types of metadata listed. It describes 7 different types. These are: General v specialist: General used to describe resources across all domains whilst specialist metadata is designed for a specific community ie educational resources (“learning objects”). Minimalist v rich: Minimalist tend to be generic in nature whereas rich metadata proposes a comprehensive way of describing the world as viewed by a specific community. Hierarchical v linear:Hierarchical schemas are characterised by the nesting of elements and sub-elements and linear schema is characterised by the absence of element relationships. Machine generated v human authored, Structured v unstructured, Embedded v detached and lastly Surface information.
Site 2: NOAA Satellite and Information Service: Dataset Documentation & Metadata
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://www.ncdc.noaa,gov/oa/documentlibra
The uses of surface metadata which is available for a wide variety of datasets according to this satellite and information service which is related to weather forecasts. So it really is in relation to this sort of metadata use only. Types of metadata described are: Upper air metadata, marine metadata, satellite metadata and other metadata for mostly non-digital miscellaneous items such as publications, special purpose customer products, charts, forms, summaries and others such as maps, daily weather maps and rain gauge charts. An interesting site but not really relative to this assignment but I am including it because it is another example of the use of metadata and steps outside this boundary.
Site 3: The University of Queensland: An Introduction of Metadata
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/iad.ctmeta4.h
This site describes “What is Metadata? Metadata is structured data which describes the characteristics of a resource. It shares many similar traits as those types of cataloguing such as those in libraries, museums and archives. I liked the clear table it gave to outline the element names and their values. It also lists the most popular metadata schemas such as Dublin Core, AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules), GILS (Government Information Locator Service) and EAD (Encoded Archives Description). It describes what search engines are and gives examples. It also describes schemes for syntax such as HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language), MARC (Machine Readable Cataloguing) and XML (extensible Markup Language). (106 words)
“Many effective email practices depend on understanding how the audience for your messages will use the information you are sending them, or more precisely, how you wish them to use it. (‘Use’ here includes many different things).
This concept is quite different from thinking about what you are telling your audience: it requires you to think about what the recipients of email will do with that mail
To be effective, you need to signal to your audience what you would like them to do; you need to help them to understand your intentions and expectations.
Informational exchange consists in the content of messages but also the uses (intended or unintended) to which the information is put. |
Thinking about how audiences use Internet information is also very important for website designers; but, since most people are website users, we can also usefully extend the concept to include the processes that we need to consider when we use websites. Furthermore, all communication involves the development of both messages and intentions of use, which can run counter to, or differently from, received messages and received uses”.
See also Concept 6
This concept is intriguing because different people communicate technically in different ways. I have noticed the younger generation use programs like Facebook much more frequently than the older generation who are still just coming to terms with email and SMS communications. Because whatever form used, I always consider how the receiver will best use this information and how they will best respond. Clear guidelines on the best way to present your messages are listed in one of my research web pages. These include: Re-reading messages before sending, check spelling, use specific subject line descriptions, be clear and concise with the messages using bulleted points, good style layout and outline key points, remember the 24 hour rule if you are upset (ie don’t send emails when you are angry, avoiding shortcuts and be careful not to forward any messages that could contain viruses, email etiquette for professionalism/efficiency and protection from liability. There are 32 most important etiquette rules listed: be concise, answer all questions and pre-empt further questions, correct spelling, grammar & punctuation, personalise the email, use templates, respond quickly, don’t attach files unnecessarily, use good structure & layout, do not write in capitals (it is considered shouting), read before you send it, don’t reply to spam, avoid long sentences and take care with HTML and rich text, use a good signature file, test important messages by sending them to yourself, limit your line length to 65- 70 characters and use hard returns, make sure your recipients can open any attachments. Keep emails brief and to the point. That way they are more likely to be read by the receiver rather than a long worded document which probably won’t be read at all. Avoid short cuts and abbreviations so information is not confusing to the receiver. Rules differ according to the nature of your business and the corporate culture. There are others on the list but this gives you a general idea. There is also a guide on enforcing email etiquette and the first step is to create a written email policy. It should list all do’s and don’ts and circulated to all employees of that company. Rules can be monitored by using email management software and email response tools.
In another of my research documents I found different tips for email use. It does state that email is the most popular internet application. Some tips are making your subject line catch the eye of the reader. If you don’t have an eye catching subject line your readers won’t read the hidden metadata and you can lose customers. Spelling is most important. Minimise use of HTML email. Most people can’t or don’t use it. Use direct links instead in the body of your email if you really need to use HTML. Personalise information you send to a mailing list by adding the persons name after Dear _____. There are a number of software programs that allow you to do this. Limit line length to 65 – 70 characters and use hard returns. Most people are still using 14 or 15 inch monitors.(510 words)
References:
Site 1: EM Every Monday: Effective Email Communication
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://www.imakernews.com/orcc/e_article
This site gives eight tips for more effective email communication. clearly describes each tip and these important tips are: practice being clear and concise with your message; use bulleted points, understand peoples different styles of how they interpret information, outline clear key points in an easy to understand format, always reread your message and check for spelling and grammar, copy back salient points when replying, use specific line descriptions to avoid your message being misinterpreted as spam, realise that once your message is sent there is no way of betting it back! Double check you are sending to the correct recipient before sending, particularly at work and lastly practice the 24 hour rule when you’re upset.
Site 2: Email etiquette rules for effective email replies
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://www/emailreplies.com/ Web Page
Reasons for email etiquette are: professionalism, efficiency and protection from liability. It lists 32 etiquette rules in a clear numbered list. After this list is describes in a brief paragraph each point. Some of the listed points for effective email etiquette are: be concise, answer all questions and pre-empt further questions, use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation, make it personal (personally addressed and include customised content), use of templates for frequently used responses, answer quickly, don’t attach unnecessary files, user proper structure and layout, don’t overuse the high priority option, don’t write in capitals (looks like you are shouting), don’t leave out the message thread, add disclaimers to your emails, read the email before you send it.
Site 3: Top Tips for Effective Email Communication by Jon Keel
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://www.thewritemarket.com/ Web Page
This site is pretty much the same as the previous site but had a few extra helpful tips. Plus, I think it is great to compare research. Most of the tips were the same but some extra ones are: Make the subject line catch the eye of the reader. Keep messages short, use both upper and lower case letters. It is considered rude to write in all caps. If you are responding to a message delete the sender’s complete message or the parts that don’t matter. Minimise use of HTML email because most people today still don’t or can’t use it. Test important messages by sending it to yourself.
“Asynchronous communication means that the sender and receiver deal with the communication between them at different times. We are familiar with asynchronous communication, for we use it regularly with letters, faxes and similar media. However, email often appears to be more similar to the conventions of real-time (or synchronous) communication and thus the particular nature of asynchronicity is different. People often expect a response to email in faster time than a letter (perhaps because they themselves respond rapidly to email). People expect to be able, through email, to conduct a conversation, with much back and forth, similar to an oral conversation.
In other words, asynchronous communication does not render time and schedules unimportant (as is sometimes claimed). Rather it requires us to think up new rules to assist us in managing communications that, from one perspective are 'instant' and, from another, are 'lagged' and that, standing back, are about the differences in temporal location of the people communicating.
Asynchronous electronic communication is not the opposite of real-time, synchronous communication: rather it describes forms of communication that appear differently 'located in time' depending on the perspective of the sender and receiver. |
This concept applies equally, of course, to the other forms of asynchronous communication that are very similar to email, or use email (newsgroups and lists). What is perhaps less obvious is that FTP and the World Wide Web can also enable asynchronicity: indeed they depend on it, by allowing individuals to access material in many different personal ‘time zones’. For example, teaching online is predominantly effective where students cannot gather together in class to hear lectures but need to access them individually, at their own time”.
See also Concept 8
Asynchronous communication is the exchange of information between sender and receiver at different times. Examples of this type of communication are email based conference programs, electronic mailing lists, emails, messaging programs, letters, faxes, newsgroups and lists. Lists such as our student discussion thread are another good example of asynchronous communication, allowing students to interact with each other at different times and also for the lecturers to communicate. This allows people to learn outside of a classroom. It is probably the most popular technology being used online for learning and there are many tools and packages available. Email is stated as being synchronous, although similar to asynchronous. FTP and the web also enable asynchonicity and allow people to access information in different time zones. As we have seen demonstrated in previous tasks, FTP is very fast at transferring information into the individual’s computer which also allows the user to read the material at a later time. There can be long waits between transmissions in this type of communication and the receiver has to be able to receive information when it arrives. Bandwidth is a very important factor in asynchronous communication because if a sender tries to send changes faster than the bandwidth, the hardware will not support it and some changes will be lost. Bandwidth is measures in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz). Speeds and download capacities depend upon the modem of each computer. Asynchronous communication is the most widely used method of transmission used by personal computers. Most computers support asynchronous communication whereas not all computers support synchronous serial communication. Computer requirements for asynchronous communication are any computer user with email and a fast connection to the Internet (28.8 bps or better). The computer should also run Netscape or Internet Explorer 4+ and should be Java enabled. Users do need to have some technical knowledge to use this type of communication also. There are many programs that can assist asynchronous communication. Some examples are Microsoft PowerPoint, which is very easy to use and is very popular among users. However, there are alternatives to using this program as Microsoft PowerPoint can have problems converting powerpoint slides to web pages. One suggested program is Accessibility Wizard, which can only be viewed using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Accessibility Wizard simplifies the conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into text pure HTML. Another program recommended is Slidemaker, which converts a single long HTML or XHTM page into a set of slides. This makes it easier for the author to separate text from presentation. Another program recommended is WimpyPoint which allows users to build a slide presentation using their preferred browser. WimpyPoint is based on HTML and supports cascading stylesheets. More information on these programs can be read in the web page titled Guidelines for Developing Accessible Asynchronous Communication and Collaboration Tools. This website recommends the different types of asynchronous communications and gives good advice and requirements and advantages of each type of communication. Included in this list is: threaded message boards, email messages, document repositories, organisers/schedulers & calendars, Microsoft PowerPoint, W3C Slidemaker and WimpyPoint. (509 words)
References:
Site 1: Asynchronous Communication
Document on www Retrieved on January 13, 2009, from
http://penguin.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/academic/te
This site is very technical and leans more towards electric currents and how computers and routers send communication. It also describes bandwidth. It supplies diagrams to clarify more of its descriptions. I knew very little of bandwidth before but this site gave me a better understanding of the technicality of how information is sent. It gives descriptions of voltage and electrical circuits used by routers and basically describes how routers work and how information is transported to other computers via the internet and routers. Asynchronous communication means that the sender and receiver do not need to synchronise before each transmission. A very good way of describing asynchronous communication. (108 words)
Site 2: Asynchronous Communication
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://www.erg.abdn.ac.uk/users/gorry/eg2069/as
“The principle difference between the synchronous and asynchronous modes of transmission is that in the synchronous case, the receiver uses a clock which is synchronised to the transmitter clock. Synchronous transmission has the advantage that the timing information is aligned to the received data, allowing operation at much higher data rates. It also has the advantage that the receiver tracks any clock drift which may arise.” The transmitter and receiver clock are independent and not synchronised. “An asynchronous link communicates data as a series of characters of fixed size and format. Each character is usually represented by an ASCII code is preceded by a start bit and followed by 1-2 stop bits. (112 words)
Site 3: Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology: Asynchronous Communication
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
www.umuc.edu/virtualteaching/module1/asy
This site offers clear sections outlining the requirements needed for computers as well as examples of uses of asynchronous communication. Those examples being e-mail, electronic mailing lists, e-mail based conferencing programs, UseNet newsgroups and messaging programs. “Any computer user with e-mail and a reasonably fast connection to the Internet (28.8 bps or better) can engage in asynchronous communication. Web-based conferencing programs that distribute many messages, or messages containing attachments, will require more system power.” “The computer should also be running Netscape or Internet Explorer 4+ and should be Java enabled.” “Asynchronous communication is currently perhaps the most popular technology being used in online learning, and there are numerous packages and tools available”. (112 words)
Site 4: IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications
Document on www Retrieved January 13, 2009, from
http://ncam.wgbh.org/salt/guidelines/sec
This website describes the development of asynchronous communication and tools. “Asynchronous communication and collaboration tools such as threaded message boards, e-mail messaging, listservs, document repositories, calendar systems and presentation tools must be rendered in formats that facilitate the full participation of learners with disabilities in online interactions. The navigation system for these utilities should allow users of assistive technologies (AT) to operate without encountering barriers to any aspect of the functionality. Specifically, the software should allow them to scan items and locate content easily, follow the thread of an ongoing discussion topic and post responses or add additional information”. Descriptions of each type of asynchronous communication is given and examples in which they are used and suited to. (118 words)
excited
