Tech Chapter 7 Blog Post

1. The text book gives the example of the OLPC project as one method used to lesson the digital divide. Post examples of other products and ideas that are emerging that could help lesson the global digital divide.

Although, technology brings a new revolution in the world, but the question arises does every one has the facility to learn and take advantage from this technology? the answer is no because factors such as age, gender, race, income, education , and physical abilities can all impact one's access to technology and how one uses it.The term "digital divide" refers to the gap between those who have access to information and communications technology and those who do not- often referred to as the "haves" and "have nots" (Morely 274). A variety of wireless Internet projects that are designed to provide Internet access to rural schools and homes One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is one of them. Nicolas Negroponte first announced his idea of a low cost laptop to be used by children at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2005.The goal of OLPC is to ensure that every child in the world between the ages of 6 and 12 has immediate access to a personal laptop computer by 2015, in order to provide them with access to new channels of learning,sharing, and self expression (Morely 276).  Three years ago, knight foundation set out to find ways to bridge the digital divide in Detroit , a formidable task in a city where less than 40 % of households have broadband access. The average rate for monthly internet access in Detroit is $30. Also, The Schools and Library Divisions (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company(USAC) Enables schools, libraries, and rural health care providers that could not afford them, with networking wiring and access to both telecommunications and Internet services. so "E-rate" program require telecommunications companies to provide services to those who have the highest priority and discounts are given based on the household incomes of students family.Congress and the FCC approved 2.25 billion in annual funding. In the first year funding, the program helped connect 80,000 schools and 38 million children. ALCT  (Alliance for Latino Community Technology) is dedicated to preparing Latino's to acquire the skills of technology literacy. So, we can say that these projects are trying to do their best to dissolve the difference of haves and have nots.

2. The EPA estimates that the e-waste generated by digital devices produces more than 2.5 million tons every year. Research and post "green" initiatives to promote sustainability and reduce the amount of e-waste. 

Present time the life can't be imagine without technology, and we know all the work it doesn't matter it is a office work, or healthcare technology, education, paying bills, travel etc all the work have done through the computer technology. So, if the technology resources will be increase then definitely every one wants to buy it, and if every one want to take the advantage of this technology then after some time it will need repair or replacement . This is the reason why e-waste is increasing in present time, we also know the manufacturing of these devices and use of rare materials that go into their production represent a huge source of embodied energy. Minimizing e-waste helps to conserve resources and reduces the amount energy we take from the earth. If we think a little in depth then we can reduce the amount of e-waste.
 -Try finding one device with multiple functions.
 -Keep your device clean, and avoid overcharging the battery.
 -Look for products labeled Energy star or certified by the    Electronic Product Environment Assessment Tool (EPEAT).
 -Donate used electronics to social programs and helps victims of  domestic violence, children safety initiatives and more.  
 -Recycle electronics and batteries in e-waste recycling bins located  around you.
I think, if every one take an initiative to save one device in a useful manner, then soon we can decrees the numbers of e-waste which will be support to green thought.

3. The textbook discusses assistive devices for PCs to help individuals with visual impairment. Research and post apps that google and other developers are creating to help visually impaired users use smartphones. 

According to American Foundation for the Blind, about 10 million people in the United States are blind or partly blind. And some estimates predict that over the next 30 years, as the vast baby boomer generation ages, the number of adults with vision impairments could double. For the convenience of those people google and other developers develop new apps TalkBack and VoiceOver are two of them. TalkBack is a google-made application that adds spoken, audible and vibration feedback to a smart phone.Apple's assistive technology also include VoiceOver which is the world's first "gesture based screen reader" the company said and with this app the blind people interact with their devices using multitouch gestures on the screen. For example, if you slide a finger around the phone surface , the iPhone will read aloud the name of each application. In short, we can say that these advanced apps give a new touch to those people, who are unable to see the beauty of nature or unable to listen the voice of a bird when the sun rise.

References

6 ways to minimize your e-waste. (n.d.). Sustainability at Harvard. Retrieved July 18, 2014, from http://www.green.harvard.edu/tools-resources/how/6-ways-minimize-your-e-waste

Disruptions: Visually Impaired Turn to Smartphones to See Their World. (n.d.). Bits Disruptions Visually Impaired Turn to Smartphones to See Their World Comments. Retrieved July 18, 2014, from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/disruptions-guided-by-touch-screens-blind-turn-to-smartphones-for-sight/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Five lessons in bridging the digital divide. (n.d.). Knight Foundation. Retrieved July 18, 2014, from http://www.knightfoundation.org/blogs/knightblog/2012/4/5/five-lessons-bridging-digital-divide/ 

Morley, D. (2011). 

The Digital Divide. (n.d.). The Digital Divide. Retrieved July 18, 2014, from http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/digital-divide/start.html

Morley, D. (2011). Understanding computers in a changing society (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

Globalization Blog Post

What are the some of ways IT has improved health care as mentioned in the website?

As technology improves everyday, new developments are constantly infiltrating our lives. If we talk about the healthcare then we can see how the IT brings a revolution in the medical field. According to the website IT is dramatically improving health care in these ways:

-Prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases 
-Patient to healthcare provider interaction 
-Rapid dissemination of information
-Improved responses to outbreak situations.

          According to an online article the federal government is also planning to spend up to $29 billion in incentives to encourage hospitals and doctor's offices to digitize health care records. In short, we can say that IT brings a new techniques which gives a lot of comfort in the life of human beings. 

2. How can health officials use technology to study the impact of health interventions and disease prevention programs?

Technology is become the backbone of medical profession and if we look upon the gaze into the near future, we can see the beginnings of a whole new world of medical treatments that the doctors of yesterday couldn't even begin to imagine. Efforts to contain outbreaks of dangerous infections disease require the rapid collection and transmission of detailed patient data to medical labs and public health centers, so medical staff need advanced tools          which are helpful for the development in healthcare community.Also, new initiatives are being taken by the government for those people who are unable to reach the hospitals.

Information Technology Applications:

-Patient will have access to their medical records from any location  via secured internet site.
-New devices are able to determine the chemical content of blood  when placed on the top of the skin.
-A pill bottle cap to record the time and date when the bottle was open.
All in all, we can say that our society is moving faster then it ever has in the past.

3. What type of countries can benefit from distance learning the most and how? Discuss specific examples of how distance learning can be used.

"Distance learning" the method of studying in which lecture are broadcast or classes are conducted by correspondence or over the internet, without needing to attend a school or college. So, if we look upon the distance learning on the worldwide perspective then we can see how the most of the countries are take advantages from the distance learning. Distance learning have the potential to deliver the precious resource of knowledge to some of the most destitute countries of the earth, while at the same time stimulating the growth fledgling telecom infrastructures. Both the emergence of the internet and developments in educational software vastly enhanced distance education over the past decade. Government aid agencies, foundations and private firms sponsor numerous distance education programs. The internet provides an extraordinary opportunity for students to extend the reach of their learning. Before the internet if teacher gave any assignment to the students, to do this assignment students visited the libraries for their research and they spent their whole day for searching the material, but now in just single click you can research on any topic at any time. So, all the countries are adopted the distance learning program but the U.S is on top. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a significant donor in developing countries, sponsored a study of Distance Learning in Africa last year and found an abundance of distance learning programs being initiated and managed, even in some of the world's most destitute countries. To summarize, we can say that the geographic reach of distance education are spreading all over the world.

5 Ways Technology Is Transforming Health Care. (2013, January 24). Forbes. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/bmoharrisbank/2013/01/24/5-ways-technology-is-transforming-health-car/

Education. (n.d.). Globalization101. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.globalization101.org/education/

Health Care. (n.d.). Globalization101. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.globalization101.org/health-care/

Ruth and Shi, S. a. (n.d.). Distance Learning in Developing Countries. Retrieved July 17, 2014,from http://policy-icasit.gmu.edu/projects/distance%20learning%20in%20developing%20countries.pdf

Technology. (n.d.). Globalization101. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.globalization101.org/category/issues-in-depth/technology/

Tech Chapter 5 Blog Post

1. The Arab Spring has been called the bloggers revolution. What role did social media play in this revolution?

"Bloggers Revolution" was the time when middle eastern countries take a new turn and the whole world was indeed watching, listening, and emailing. It was the era of revolution down through the wires: time was collapsed and geography shrunk by the use of social networking.After analyzing 3 million tweets, gigabytes of you tube content and thousand of blog posts, a new study finds that  social media played a central role in shaping political debates in the Arab Spring. The results show this is the first time when media play a critical role in the Arab Spring. So, we can see how an accidental activist, Ghonim tapped into a share frustration that became immediately evident online. After two minutes, when  he started his Facebook page 300  people had joined it. Three months later, the number had grown to more than 250,000 which was a tremendous  change that shows how the social media revolution bind  all the people under a revolutionary thought.

2. Lindsey Stone was fired over a picture she posted on her Facebook page. Is it fair for 30,000 individuals, most of them probably strangers, to have the power to determine the course of an individual's life and livelihood based on one poor choice made on a social networking site? 

Lindsey is a woman who managed to exercise her right to free speech in a manner so incredibly offensive that people across the nation took to social media demanding she be fired from her job. So, I think it is not fair that strangers have the power to make a any decision just the basis on one poor choice she made on the social networking site, because every person has some good and bad things and some time people did mistakes which they realize later, when it is too late. If we talk about Lindsey working life, then her life director Diane Enochs said ," Stone had been with the group for 18 months and was a "good employee". It is not a matter she is a good employee or bad employee;however, the matter is the bad judgement on her job. On the other side , if we talk about the value of societies then Lindsey did a mistake because she could of used the picture for her own personal use or reasons but posting on the Facebook is giving the everyone ok to comment and criticize.   We can say that these social networking sites are just the way in which people speak freely and  express their  daily activities and thoughts, but it is far from the language of facts. On the basis of just opinions no body has the right to make any decision about some one else.

3. Your online reputation can make or break you. In fact college admissions officers and perspective employers look at your digital presence ? Can you get rid of your digital footprint? Research and provide tips for managing your online reputation.    

  It is true, your online reputation can make or break you because in two cases just we researched about "Bloggers revolution" and "Lindsey Stone fired over a picture she posted on the Facebook". If we compare both cases we can see the bad and good effects of the social media. We can say that societies eyes  always watch you if you do good things it will support you, but if you do wrong things it will harm you, so never break the societies expectations otherwise you will face the bad consequences in which Lindsey Stone was suffered. If we follow some rules then we can easily manage our online reputation:

a. Set up a Google alert on your name to keep track of any new content. You can have notifications mailed to you once a day.

b. On the Social web sites be sure to use your full name not a nickname you think is catchy.

c. Most websites give you the option to linking to other social media sites. Do this because it will make your online presence stronger.

d. The most important thing is keep private things private. Every time you post anything on the social networking sites, think before to do anything by himself as a question " Is it right" ? Also, think as a member of the society. You can, and should private setting on all content you want to share only with a select groups of friends and family.

Adams, S. (2013, March 14). 6 Steps To Managing Your Online Reputation. Forbes. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/14/6-steps-to-managing-your-online-reputation/

Lindsey Stone loses her job - Hot Air. (n.d.). HotAir.com. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/22/lindsey-stone-loses-her-job

Mccann, C. (2011, December 24). Arab Spring. The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/opinion/sunday/arab-spring.html

Vargas, J. (2012, February 18). Spring Awakening. The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/books/review/how-an-egyptian-revolution-began-on-facebook.html?pagewanted=all