Google

Google Inc. is a multinational public cloud computing and Internet search technologies corporation. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products such as doing blog searches, image searches, news searches, searching for scholarly papers, and of course, doing web searches. Other products and services offered are Google Chrome, a browser which is supposedly built for speed, stability and security; Google Docs, which allows the user to create and share online documents, presentation and spreadsheets with other users; Google Groups, which allow users to have their own discussions, and Google Maps, amongst many others. As stated from their website, Google's mission is to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

For today's entry, I'm going to talk about one of Google's latest services: the Google Buzz.

Google Buzz is a social networking service, much like Friendster and Facebook. Members of the site can share photos, videos and links. Similar to Facebook, members can also update their friends with a status update, and leave comments in friends' profile. It also adds friends already in your Gmail address book, since the website is integrated with Google's email programme. Google Buzz also allows the user to connect their Google Buzz website with other sites, such as Twitter or Flickr, so that their updates from those sites, can be seen on Google Buzz by their friends as well. Comments from friends is sent directly to your inbox in your mail, so that members can be kept updated with such comments.

Sometimes, members can be updated about posts (otherwise known as "recommended buzz") from certain people that they are not following. Such posts are usually really popular amongst friends, which is either recommended by friends, or is identified by Google Buzz to be seen as something that could be of interest to the member. Google Buzz even removes posts that might not interest members, so time can be well spent reading what is important, than wasting time reading what's not. Members can also easily access Google Buzz on their phones, so they can update their friends, even in the real world.

However, with the introduction of Google Buzz, many has complained about the lack of privacy provided by the website, which is a similar problem faced by many social networking sites. Due to the "recommend" feature in Buzz, many people's privacy can be compromised, and their comments, or status updates, might be seen by people that they do not want to reveal themselves to.

From what I had seen from Google Buzz, it is very similar to how many social networking sites function; it offers nothing groundbreaking or engaging. Many of its features are already offered by other sites.

Learning on the Internet

Proud e-learners.

Learning on the internet, or more as it is more commonly known as "E-learning", is a form of technology-enhanced learning, such as online learning, or web-based learning. For example, in some schools and universities, e-learning is defined as attending a course, or a program of study where the students hardly, or never meet face-to-face with each other, or make use of the campus' facilities, because they do their studying online. It usually involves some form of interactivity, which may include online interaction between the learner and their teacher or peers, such as online discussions, online notes and sometimes even videos.

Some of the benefits of e-learning include:

1) Convenience and flexibility to learners: E-learners can learn at their own time, and at their own pace. Classes are available all the time, so students who want to learn in the middle of the night, can do so without much constrain.

2) Increased access: Lecturers can share their knowledge across borders, thus allowing students to attend classes across physical, political and economic boundaries. Thus, students can learn more, even if classes are taught by a lecturer overseas.

3) Improved performance: Research has shown that higher education students in online learning generally performed better than those in face-to-face courses.

4) To develop skills and competencies needed in the 21st century, particularly to ensure that students have the digital literacy skills required in their discipline, profession or career: A major argument for e-learning is that it allows students to develop essential skills by embedding the use of information and communications technologies within the curriculum. This also changes course design and the assessment of the students.

With such benefits, will this technology be a success in the future, possibly even overtaking traditional classrooms? Whereas I think this technology will definitely get more and more popular, I doubt it will replace traditional learning altogether.

This generation is getting more and more tech-savvy, and e-learning might actually be easier to conduct since more people are getting more connected online. E-learning means probably having to never leave your room, so that the student can always do their learning at their own time, at their own pace, and without the hassle of travelling to school.

However, I feel that such a method of learning takes a great deal of self-discipline, which might not be suitable for younger children. On top of that, since students might never get to meet their teachers and peers, their social interaction might suffer as a result. If this was to be implemented and replace traditional learning, people will be more isolated from each other as a result. Teachers, too, are supposed to inspire their students to learn, and such a role is possibly irreplaceable. Therefore, I feel that e-learning is useful, but should only be implemented probably at university level.