Self-Driving Car

May 30, 2014 by vian

Yes! You did not read it wrongly… The revolution of technology is just so incredible!

I just came across this article about a Self-Driving Car Prototype from my Facebook timeline that was unveiled by Google not long ago. According to the article, Google had been working on a project about ‘Self-Driving Car Prototype’ that operates without a steering wheel or pedals. Yes! A car that operates without steering wheels and pedals!

How does the car look like?
According to the Google spokesperson, “the vehicles will be very basic — we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible — but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button. And that’s an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people”.

(Adapted from: Google Official Blog – Just press go: designing a self-driving vehicle by Urmson (2014)

Here is a video that could explain further about how the car actually works! Have a look!

Reference:

Google Self-Driving Car Project. (2014). A first drive. Retrieved May 30, 2014, from http://youtu.be/CqSDWoAhvLU

Urmson, C. (2014). Just press go: designing a self-driving vehicle. Retrieved May 30, 2014, from http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/just-press-go-designing-self-driving.html

Digital footprint

May 28, 2014 by vian

Two of my friends, Sanna and Elaine both shared their views about Digital Footprints on their blogs. (Sanna’s blog post | Elaine’s blog post)

I agree with them that it is important for us and also teach children to be extra careful in posting files/ images online as it might lead to various consequences later on in life. This is because the things they posted might just go viral in the online database and it can also be out of our control once it is posted. Therefore, it is important for us to think twice before we post something online. We need to remind our children about this constantly too!

Apart from posting files online, I think it is important for us educators to control what children watch online too such as on YouTube. Here are some links that demonstrates some examples on how we can protect and control what our children watches on YouTube.

Reflection 2

May 28, 2014 by vian

I came across Stef‘s blog post on – Is ICT ruining our communication or making it stronger? In her post, she mentioned that she “believe that children need to be educated through the correct use of technology but also educated about the cons it has for example to our eye sight, interaction with others, the missing of context when communication is used through technology and how people skills are becoming less and less”.

I strongly agree with her ideas especially with the quote I mentioned above. It is very important for us educators to create a balance in teaching students while integrating ICT into lessons and helping students to develop their social skills. I personally think that it is important for educators can integrate ICT to improve children’s social skills such as level of confidence in speaking for an example and NOT using ICT as a medium of communication to avoid face-to-face communication –which will not help children to develop their level of confidence in speaking.

Google Drive

May 19, 2014 by vian

Recently I had been using Google Drive and I started to love it instantly after I found out what it could offer. Here I would like to share my experience with Google Drive.

What is Google Drive?
Google Drive isn’t just a simple storage for your files. It also helps us to back up our documents and images and made it accessible through various gadgets such as smart phones, tablets and computer web browsers.

All files can be accessible in various gadgets through various locations. Super handy isn’t it?

How it works?
Firstly, I started by creating a Google Drive account using my existing Gmail account. As I am a Mac Book user, I also downloaded the Google Drive file from the browser that is compatible to my Mac Book operating system. Then, it will automatically create a Google Drive folder. While on my iPhone I also downloaded the Google Drive app. (Link: http://www.google.com/drive/download/)

Every time I save a document or image from my laptop into the folder, the file will automatically synchronize and will be available on ALL my other devices. In another words, the file will be automatically backed up and accessible to all my gadgets that I used to access Google Drive.

It is so beneficial and easily accessible!

Other than documents, it also works well with spreadsheets and presentation slides. It also collaborates very smoothly with Google applications such as Google Sheets, Slides and Docs. We can just simply create and modify files of our choice. Then, it will automatically backs up to the drive by itself. How convenient!

ICT & Food spotting

May 17, 2014 by vian

I’m not sure about you but this scenario always happen to me:

Question: What do you want to eat today?

Answer given: I don’t know.

Sometimes it gets pretty annoying to have that answer!

To overcome the problem, there are a variety of apps and webpages to help us to give us a variety of suggestions, recommendations and help us to be more decisive. These webpages and apps include reviews, ratings, the operating hours, price, food choices, location map, contact information and also recommendations of food choices to help us to find out more about the restaurant and café. In other words, it helps us to get some ideas of the food place to see if it suits our needs before we actually enter the restaurant/ café.
My friend Charmaine also suggested some of her favorite food blogs links that could help this situation.

Here are some applications that I used to help me to look for good cafes and restaurant choices. They have both webpages and mobile applications.

1. Hungry Go Where http://www.hungrygowhere.my

App: https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/hungrygowhere/id311783958?mt=8

2. Food Panda http://www.foodpanda.my

App: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id758103884?mt=8&ls=1

3. Time Out KL http://www.timeoutkl.com

App: https://itunes.apple.com/my/app/time-out-kuala-lumpur/id451402065?mt=8

4. Urbanspoon http://www.urbanspoon.com

App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/urbanspoon/id284708449?mt=8

Connect.ed – Cyber Smart

May 15, 2014 by vian

Cyber Smart Certificate

Yes! I had finally completed all the modules on Connect.ed Cyber Smart ! Honestly, the modules are very informative, interesting and time worthy! The information on the modules did reframe, expand my understanding and also help me to be a good cybercitizen!

Upon completion of the modules, I had attached some meaningful information that I took from the modules.

In order to be an effective cybercitizen, the ACMA has identified few main key capabilities mentioned in the module.

Digital media literacy:
Digital media literacy enables students to confidently use, participate in and understand the digital media that they access from online technologies. It starts with the student’s capacity to access information and other content online, and to effectively analyse and understand what they are seeing, hearing, reading or experiencing. This capacity also includes an understanding of the risks associated with online use.The rich interactivity of the internet, and Web 2.0, means that students will receive recommendations about online digital media from a wide variety of sources such as blogs, social networking sites, text messages etc. As they improve their digital media literacy they will be better placed to judge the appropriateness of these recommended sites and to gauge any risks.

Positive online behaviour:
Students with positive online behaviours capability will be better placed to enjoy the benefits offered by the internet.
Teachers can assist their students to behave in a positive way online by providing advice and education about positive online behaviours. They can also model these behaviours when they use online technologies in the classroom. Including online technologies into the curriculum is a powerful way to demonstrate to students the depth of resources available online.

Peer and personal safety:
Teachers can best assist students with adopting peer and personal safety by taking up these safe online behaviours themselves.Think about your own online use of technologies such as computers, laptops, smart phones, mobile phones, PDAs and iPads.

Cyber Smart – Glossary

May 6, 2014 by vian

Hi everyone! I just started going through the first module on Cyber Smart from Connect.ed as part of Week 10 tasks.

Here are some useful terms and definitions that I would like to share:

Cookies
Cookies – are small files placed on your computer when you visit a website. The website saves a complementary file with a matching identification (ID) tag so it can recognise you by matching the cookie with the website’s copy.
Cookies address the need to keep track of information entered at a site. For example, if you submit a registration form or wish to complete online transactions, the site could match that information to your computer when you visit next time. It is important to note that while cookies can be turned off, they are not dangerous to users, and some websites may not operate correctly without the use of cookies.
Cookies can also be used by some organisations to collect information about your web browsing activities for purposes such as tailoring advertisements you see on web sites you visit.

Keylogging
Keylogging is the use of either a hardware device installed on a keyboard or spyware software to record every keystroke (the sequence of keys pushed on your keyboard) on the computer. A keylogger records everything the user types in, including emails, log-in names, passwords, credit card numbers and/or bank account websites in order to steal the information.

Micro-blogging websites
Micro-blogging websites are social networking websites that people can sign up for, and send out regular updates about their daily activities. One of the most popular micro-blogging sites is Twitter.
Users of micro-blogging sites can both share their updates and follow others’.

Pharming
Pharming is the act of redirecting a website’s traffic to another illegitimate site. Hackers establish these ‘fake sites’ to gain access to personal information, such as bank account details and passwords. Users may be able to avoid pharming by ensuring they use secure web connections to access websites that require personal information, such as your bank’s website.

Spyware
A computer program that can be installed on personal computers, usually without the permission from the owner, and has the purpose of collecting information and sending it back to another source is spyware. This can often be an internet marketing, pornographic or gambling website. Spyware can also be used maliciously to steal your log-in and passwords for secure websites, such as online banking.

More terms and definitions can be found on – http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Glossary.aspx

ICT & Storytelling

May 3, 2014 by vian

Recently my friend, Sanna shared some informative examples about Phonics iPad applications on her blog post – Phonics made fun that could enhance children’s phonics acquisition.

Apart from the Phonics iPad applications, I would like to share this app called – Disney Princess: Story Theatre. The main highlight of the app is that the app helps students to practice and reinforce their understanding and language acquisition on their speaking skills, listening skills and also creativity skills through digital storytelling.

How digital storytelling can help?
According to Robin (n.d.), digital storytelling is able to enhance student’s learning experience by allowing them to have personal ownership and accomplishment upon completion of task.

According to Lowenthal (n.d.), “storytelling gives students voice”. It provides a unique way of giving children opportunity to voice and also “express their feelings, views and creativity using new modes of communication” (Prairienet Community Network, n.d.).

The benefits of the app:

Allows children to narrate story according to their own preferences of setting, characters and props (Thus, it helps them to be more comfortable in creating their own version of story)
Allows children to record and playback the story they had narrated (So, children are able to review their own story and then strengthen their skill

References:

Lowenthal, P. (n.d.). Digital storytelling: an emerging institutional technology. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://www.patricklowenthal.com/publications/DigitalStorytelling_%20preprint.pdf

Prairienet Community Network (n.d.). Digital storytelling in the classroom. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://www.prairienet.org/op/stories/the-importance-of-digital-storytelling/digital-storytelling-in-the-classroom/

Robin, B. R. (n.d.). The educational uses of digital storytelling. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://digitalliteracyintheclassroom.pbworks.com/f/Educ-Uses-DS.pdf

ICTs & Online Recipes

April 30, 2014 by vian

I always enjoy baking or making dessert.

Baking has never been so easy with the help of ICT resources such as Internet webpages and also YouTube videos!

You could just search for easy and the recipes of your preference online rather than purchasing a recipe books from bookstore. I personally think that online recipes are very convenient because the choices of recipe books from the bookstore are usually limited, expensive and lack of variety. Furthermore, you might just need a page of the recipe book instead of the whole book! So, you can actually save up a lot here by searching for recipes online!

Through Internet, you would be able to search for any type of recipe you crave or wanted to try out with just few clicks! The recipes that can be found are ranges from amateur and to expert –So it is very flexible! :) Also, there are a variety of creative recipes online with feedbacks from people all around the world on the recipe –So you can actually read up comments and feedbacks about the reviewers on the recipe! Other than that, YouTube videos are also very helpful in baking. There are a lot of videos in YouTube that shows and explains about baking hacks and also baking procedures to clarify your understanding!

These are two of my favorite sites that I referred a lot when I bake:

Do have a look! They are amazing!

Some “Ideas to Inspire”

April 21, 2014 by vian

After reading Sanna’s post on Ideas to Inspire, it does not only help me in finding resources for my unit plan but also reminded me of what inspired me earlier ago by the name of it!

I noticed that when I browse through my Facebook timeline, many of my friends often share posts about articles, webpages or even videos that inspired them, read-worthy and also the things that worth a laugh. I guess this is how certain things managed to go viral in the Internet world with just a ‘share’ button.

Here are some ‘ideas to inspire’ links I saw over the weekend that is definitely worth a view definitely!

Hope you will enjoy the links above because I did ! :)