Online Services

Basically here are some of the main services you can get online, which can be classified into separate groups. Note that within each service many variations will still exist (eg. Hotmail, Yahoo and G-mail are all email services. This is a clear representation of the broad masses of information available to Internet users today. Enjoy...

Communication - e-mail, instant messaging, web cam, social networking, newspapers, online conferencing, blogs, discussion boards, help desks.

Real-time information - timetables, news services, traffic reports, weather beuros (public information systems), maps/satellite.

Commerce - online shopping, banking, auctions, advertising, booking services.

Government - online tax services, e-voting, applications for services/grants, public information (laws/locations), revenue collection, discussion board.

Education - Virtual learning environments, online training, course information/past papers, currency/file/language converters, e-books.

Business - videoconferencing, collaborative working, business networks, e-commerce.

Entertainment - multi-user games, radio players, video/music sharing, instant chat.

Download services - music, video, files, photos upgrades, software.

E-books - What they should all have.

Lately we have been researching e-books on the Internet in preparation for our unit 1 coursework (where we will need to create our own). I will not post all my specific findings here in detail, yet here are some of the main strengths I found in the various e-books. Note that when I create my own I will aim to emphasize and include all these strengths and minimise any weaknesses.

Strengths - What the ideal E-book will have....

1. Use of color to add to interest
2. All the necessary links clearly available (e.g. home, back, help)
3. Small scroll bar or full page view (saves constant scrolling)
4. Organised paragraphs
5. Pictures for clarity and interest
6. Fast downloading time
7. Ability to be viewed on all software/hardware
8. Use of different and varied media when appropriate (e.g. animation, photos, audio files)
9. Should have the option of printing, email, downloading and copying.
10. Format settings (e.g. language selection, font size, zoom)

13th ICT lesson....

Well, 3 weeks into the first term of school and out of my 4 A-levels I have had 13 Applied ICT lessons so far. First impressions?....well the outline of the course looks interesting. We will create an e-book for unit 1, a online database for unit 2 and have a 12 hour exam for unit 3.

However, so far creating this blog has been the most interesting element. Unit 2 is like a really boring year 10 Business Studies lesson and involves nothing I don't already know. Unit 1 with Mrs. Shikora is similarly tedious as we analyse e-books in preparation to make our own. Now I don't mind preparing a bit, but it really needs to get more interesting pretty fast before all my interest fades.

I have always liked making and creating things in ICT, so I'm eager to start. We are doing Applied ICT right?.....so lets start applying! I am sure I speak on behalf of the class when I say "No more theory". Please Edexcel send out the coursework!