Binary - ASCII

Today's lesson was about working binary numbers!..heres a table we madee :

Heres another link to the different types of codes for single characters/digits we were using throughout the lesson:

http://www.asciitable.com/

Databases

Access:
- not a database only a system for managing and creating a database (Database Management System)
- Empty software.
- Working on data

Microsoft Word:
- software to manage a word doc.

Google Voice

What is the system?
-Google Voice is a service that gives you one number for all your phones, voicemail that is easy as email, and many enhanced calling features like call blocking and screening, voicemail transcripts, call conferencing, international calls, and more.
-Can have calls to the google voice no. to any mobile or phone you want it directed to.
-Turns voice into text
-Improvement in Bandwidth allows to operate the voice.

If you want more information, they have their own blog site : )http://googlevoiceblog.blogspot.com/

It has many features:
A single Google number for all user's phones.
Free calls and SMS in the contiguous US and Canada.
Calling International phone numbers for as low as 0.01 USD per minute.
Call screening. Announce callers based on their number or by an automated identification request for blocked numbers.
Listen in on someone recording a voicemail before taking a call.
Block calls.
Send, receive, and store SMS online.
Answer an incoming call on any of your phones.
Phone routing. Choose which phones should ring based on who calls.
Forwarding phones. AND MANY MORE...

What benefits will it have for the users?
-Cheaper
-Google voice applications in smartphones can automatically forward outgoing calls via the user's Google Voice number instead of the device's phone number.
-It provides all users with the features mentioned above; One device, many features; thus less things to own.

Any negative consequences?
-->When a Google Voice user returns a call, the party being called sees the device's number as opposed to the Google Voice number which sometimes confuses the receiver.
-->To recognize calls from a Google Voice user, someone must store several different numbers in their phone.
-->The Google Voice applications for Android and BlackBerry smartphones can automatically forward outgoing calls via the user's Google Voice number instead of the device's phone number.
-->Phone lines in Hawaii and Alaska are only minimally supported, with no local area codes available and charges required for calls to those areas.
--> Google plans on implementing Google Voice in other countries, but a time frame has not been released. It continues to remain impossible for users in countries other than the United States to create a Google Voice account.
-->Google Voice still lacks the support given to other providers from services with mobile facilities, such as Facebook and Twitter.
-->If people make the switch to use VOIP services (google voice), normal phone companies may eventually come to end due to lack of payment from users. This is because more people will make a move towards the VOIP services and thus they will earn less money.
--> privacy issue.

There are many articles on Google Voice:
Sydney Morning Herald
New York Times- On how google voice could be a threat to AT&T. "revenues could take a serious hit"

Hardware invovled:
microphone
cell phone, home phone, and work phone

The Processes involved in Google Voice:
-collecting -information such as names of contacts and their number, collecting voice projections through the microphone,
-organising - organising numbers under contact names, organising sounds into words/identifying what sound is what letter and language (translation)
-displaying - on the screen who is calling, who you are calling and displaying the things that you say into letters and words on screen
-transmitting and receiving - sounds back and forth in calls, emails and voicemail. -storing and retrieving - messages/mail/voicemail in phone, phone numbers. Information stored online.

Tools for Processing

Hardware-

- CPU (Central processing unit)
--> Core 2 duo (intel), 2 cores allows you to do two processing things at once. potential exists if it is written particular for it.
GHz, unit measures how rapidly certain things are happening.
Clock cycle, how quickly things come in and out of it.
--> Quad core (intel), 4 cores operate at once if written to take advantage of.

- Processer only processes instructions. Instuction is more than a single bit of data. e.g. 32bit long. 64bit long means the instructions would be more complex (new operating system). Improves processing power. Depending on the instruction size you need instructions written for it.
- Arithematic logic units, handle mathematical parts of it.

What new processor is there now than the quad core?
Intel Core i7 Processor:
2.93 GHz and 2.66 GHz core speed
8 processing threads with Intel® HT technology
8 MB of Intel® Smart Cache
3 Channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory

- Graphics Processing
--> graphic card turns the data that can be displayed on screen.
--> Graphics Proceesor: might take a long while depending if tis good or not. Virtual modelling, drawing etc, need a good graphics processor. Graphics card for information on the screen changing, would have a big RAM.

Sophisticated Graphics Card?
NVIDIA Graphics card.

Software:

- Spreadsheets and Databases (access)
- Graphics based software specifically for processing digital images.
--> Photoshop, MovieMaker for proessing video (Video-editing software), Sound files.
--> Adobe Premiere: sophisticated software.
- Software that can take a spoken voice into command. By the process of sound into a accessible command. Improved quality of microphones. e.g. Dragon Voice

LED Displays

LED: Light-emitting diode

Here is the article we were discussing in class today! Very fascinating stuff! take a look. Click the title to see

LED Display Technology gets a twist.

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers said on Thursday they have found a way to make large-scale flexible display screens that can be stretched to fit the contours of a bus yet are transparent enough so riders can see out windows.

The thin, light screens might be used to make brake light indicators that follow the contours of a car, or health monitors or imaging devices that wrap around a patient like a blanket, said John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, whose study appears in the journal Science.

He said the large display screens combine the scale and durability of light-emitting diodes, or LED technology, used to make flat, lighted billboards, with the flexibility of screens made using organic -- carbon-containing -- materials.

"If you look at these giant billboard displays along the road side, those are made out of inorganic light emitting diodes (LEDs). Our feeling is those systems are quite impressive," Rogers said in a telephone interview.

"The question became is it possible to take that technology and use it in a non-billboard format."
Rogers said current technology using inorganic materials produces chunky individual LED lights that need to be arranged piecemeal with a robotic arm. Screens made using organic materials can be sprayed or painted onto a film surface, but they are not as bright or durable, he said.

To solve this challenge, researchers built their LEDs on a thin layer of film later dissolved by a chemical and then affixed tiny plastic tabs on two corners to ensure the LEDs did not wash away in the chemical bath.

The team used a special stamping technology to deposit and assemble the inorganic LEDs onto glass, plastic or rubber surfaces. The system works much like a rubber stamp and ink pad, using the LEDs as ink.

"The new approach can lift large numbers of small, thin LEDs from the wafer in one step, and then print them onto a substrate in another step," Rogers said. The LEDs can be interconnected and wired with a conventional process used to wire computer chips, he added. And because LEDs can be placed far apart and still provide enough light, the panels and displays can be nearly transparent. "We can put them on a strip of plastic and make brake lights," said Rogers, who noted that the project was initially funded in part by Ford Motor Co, which was looking for a way to make brake lights that can follow the contour of a car.

The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy also funded the project.

Hardware Components

Hey!
I and emily have made an easier verison for you to remember.

17.08.9 hardware components :)

hardware components would be suitable for a computer system that would be good for extreme multimedia based games.

explain why the hardware components are suitable to this type of use:
The computer gaming hardware section contains information and links on gaming hardware and accessories such as full PCs, game controllers such as game pads, flight sticks, plus sound cards, video cards and other miscellaneous accessories.

They are suitable for this type of use because they are able to help with the gaming experience. Also cost is not a consideration and therefore there could be a bigger variety in the gaming hardware used. They were (hopefully specially) designed for playing extreme multimedia based games, and if it was specifically designed for extreme multimedia based games it would be able to withstand crazy extreme multimedia based games, or more like the people that play them. Also helps with wear and tear.

Outline the components, their function in the system and why they would improve
the multimedia experience.
Full PCs or Processor: this make your computer process all software and program
Game Controllers such as game pads:
Flight Sticks:
Graphics, Sound and Video Cards: this make your computer process all software and program
Number pad:
Hard Disk: this is the storage of the computer of all programs you want to install
Motherboard: it is the main station of body of the computer were all parts are inserted on it
and other miscellaneous equipment.

awesome. :)
:]

Hardware Devices for storing and retrieving

Hardware devices are generally devices that require a program such as a device driver.

Hardware Devices include:
3.5 inch floppy disk.
disk drives
printers
mice
scanner
monitor
modems
SSD
USB flash drive
an external hard drive
a CD drive (internal or external)
a DVD drive (internal or external)
webcam/video camera/camera.
speakers/earphones

IPO Diagrams

IPO (Input, Processing and Output)

What is it?
An IPO diagram is a visual representation of a process of activity. It lists input variables and output characteristics.


Why use it?
It is useful in defining a process and recognising input variables, responses and output.


When to use it?
Understand what inputs are needed to achieve each specific output.






Exapmles of IPO diagrams are:

Input:
Album title
Artist name
Artist ID

Process:
Query and Report

Output:
Display or of albums produced by artists

Assessment task 3- Group project

hey everyone! in assessment task 3 myself, marjorie and emily producinf a website about tennis!

I havent uploaded thoery on my blog soo here is the link to marjories which has our ghantt chart .

http://www.marjorie-ipt.blogspot.com/

and Emily's consists of the context and data flow diagram, and sneak peek at our website plus the requirements report

...

As an evaluation i think we did very well creating a website in a short time period. We put in a lot of hard work with good communication skills we managed to complete the assignment. So overall i would give my group an 8/10 ..well done girls

and myself i think an 8/10...even though in some lessons i was slacking off and not doing my work.. i actually spent tht amount of time slacking at home doing my bits!.. soo sir im not always not bothered! i just have bad moody days :)

So hopefully you have a read and will post more blogs soon! when we learn more new thingss

for now tc.

Finshed project!

Well i have finally uploaded my assignment! soo happy!
well then bye for now! and have great long weekend.

aakriti

Markbook- finishing project

Well since my markbook was actually due yesterday i have completed it. Except in IPT class i made it more appealing and easy for users to read.

I played around with the instructions page and finally finished it. I also made sure the buttons were working fine just in case some error would have occured.

Im very happy i have completed every task except the evaluationg section which was not written to do in the theory tasks but i want to.

My project did meet the requirement reports purpose. Overall this markbook system is very efficient to use because it provides a teacher a much easier access to record her/his class assessment marks on a electronic system rather than noting all on paper. Having an excel markbook enables the data to be saved in a number of places. Another advantage of this markbook is that it would be less costly or sometimes free.

Having completed this project i think that i did manage to solve the problem of creating an efficent markbook system. But one thing that i still havent found the answer to is how to create a code which will let teachers select thier own no. of students because not all teachers will have a class of 20. But then again i didnt have time to actually come up with a button or code during the duration of this project. But seeing as my markbook managed to complete many of the tasks i will rate myself quite high actually 9/10. Hopefully i didnt give myself an easy ranking but i feel i did a pretty good job of this project in the thoery aswell.

I will upload photos for you to see of my instructions, template and homepage soon. The uploading on my PC at home takes a while so i will wait and do it when my internet is faster.

cya :)

Markbook

Today in IPT i have been working on my Markbook and trying to create a formula which enables me/teacher to see the grades of the Individual student tasks and as a whole.

The project was due today but Mr Cavill extended it to this weekend. But also because i have nearly finished my theory except the evaluating section I will edit few more changes and upload the task into Shard documents on the McAuley Website.

The code for putting grades into the markbook is :

=VLOOKUP(E3,$M$23:$N$28,2,TRUE)

This code helped me to create grades for the template. Now im just trying to figure out how to create a button from which teachers can determine their own number of students.

Context Diagram

In todays lesson i went onto creating auto filters into the markbook. I also focused on my context diagram.

One thing also that i have to complete is to make a context diagram. First the share information on what it is.

Context Diagram are used to represent an overview of the entire information systems. The system is shown as a single process along with the inputs and outputs. The external entities are connected to the single process by data flow arrows. Each element represented is labelled. A context diagram does not show data stores and internal processes.

This is what i have done for the teachers markbook. So hopefully it is correct. I asked some of my friends to see if it is good and accurate. They agreed so im am uploading it now in my free period.




Now all the dot points/Theory ha been completed. I am just going to focus on the Markbook now and blog as well.

Project.

Last lesson Mr Cavill helped half the IPT class to teach about Macros and how to create them. Despite the fact that i wasnt feeling well i continued to pay attention and went on to work on my project.

I created Macros to create a new class, look at the instructions and template. While you created a new class! There would be a pop telling you to name your class.

That was the work i did in IPT last lesson.

Requirments Report -

The features of Teacher's Markbook are :

Grade students
Scale scores
Print graphs of student progress
Prepare for your reports
Use it as an electronic gradebook

During the research of this project Mr Cavil came across a disadvantage of using a Teachers Markbook. That all classes have different range of studnets and different range of classes. So therefore there should be an option which will allow them to choose how people in a class and how many classes. i.e. some sort of button.

There is a very detail summary that i found out during IPT of the use of a Teachers Markbook. It includes advantages and disadvantages, also the way it would help other people other than the teachers in understanding the results. Click on this link to see.

The third task that is to be completed is a Requirement Report of this project.

A requirment report is "a document that is produced in the early stages of a project that seeks to clarify the purpose of the system. This purpose is usually detailed in terms of what the users/participants needs are. The data inputs should be clearly identified. The information processes performed on the data need to be documented. Finally, the information outputs from the systems need to be detailed. The requirements report provides documentary evidence of the scope of the project. "

The purpose of a Teachers Markbook is to assist teachers who are the users of this system in assessing students which in turn provides a quality reporting to parents (paritcipants). The markbook asissts teachers needs to easily record results. This wil help teachers be more organised in their tasks.

By producing a efficient information system (Markbook) Teachers will favour it as it will be less time consuming to record results on an electronic based system. But there are disadvantages in a Teacher's Markbook. Since it will not be made as thoughtful in a few days Teachers might have difficulty with the loss of data and the misplacement of the Markbook. Also what if a datd corruption occurs in the Markbook.

This Teachers Markbok that i am creating wont be an actual project as it will only have a small amount of information to be used as a templete for the teacher to see if this possibly could be used as a markbook. It wont be a large assignment.

Information processes (COAST PD) involved in this Markbook system are:

collecting: collecting the assessment marks and the research of what teachers would have wanted in their markbook.
Organising: Organising the students (class) marks in the template sheet to let the teachers see the way it will be presented.
Analysing: I am not sure if anaylsing is a information process which is done. But when the teachers may want to edit the grade key for thier class, this is sort of analysing the class marks for themselves to see.
Storing and Retrieving: The teacher will have to store the assessment marks and later on during the other assessement tasks retrieve this markbook to fill in more marks. Also work out the gardes, averages and more.
Displaying: The markbook will be displayed in a form that looks persentable and easy for the etacher to use.

Well that concludes my requirment report. Hopefully you understand it. I was really confused about what to include.

Gantt Chart - Teacher's Markbook

The second dot point to be completed is :

The task assessment is due on the 3rd of June, 2009.

2. Produce a Gantt Chart of the project containing appropriate stages during the design and production. Include the chart in your blog.

The various tasks i will be performing in the coming days are the Research of various types of Teacher's Markbooks which i have already started, Collection of the data i will use, Planning the Markbook using Excel, Desgining the Markbook using a Tutorial to help me, Implementing the project using Statistical graphs, and overall evaluating my project.

Here is my Gantt Chart which will help me with the project duration (days).

Have a look. From the Gantt Chart it can be seen that i have already started my project.

Individual Project- 30% (part 1)

So we got the assessment notice for the Individual project to create a teachers markbook.

One of the main dot points to be completed in this project is :

1. Maintain a journal in your blog of the design process you are going through

Which is what i am doing right now. So i will be Blogging for the next few weeks.

I have done some research on the Teachers Motorised Markbooks. Which features easy calculation of student assessment tasks and more. ONe example of a Motorised Markbook which is explained in more depth can be found on the Board of Studies Website.

There is also another type of Teachers Markbook called TPM (Teachers Personal Markbook) According to the website:

"A TPM is a gradebook program for scaling results and grading students. With it you can:
- Grade students
- Scale scores
- Print graphs of student progress
- Prepare for your reports
- Use it as an electronic gradebook"

Microsoft Office Live

What is Microsoft Office Live?

Microsoft Office Live is a set on online designed for people and small businesses interested in creating a website or storing and sharing documents online. There is a file limit and is free.

IF used commonly worldwide, what sort of an impact is it likely to have on the nature of work?

The impact Microsoft Office Live on the nature of work if it used worldwide:
- person can protect various files
- people working on the same time (but work out on the parts of the document your working on together)
- it will be easy for productive work as sharing documents online will decrease the trouble taken to locate people.
- Less work you need to do at the business and personal level as it is set up for you. (Change the structure of businesses)
- File limit is a disadvantage as it could be an issue.
- Every business would need a high capacity internet. So more people will demand faster internet.

Cloud Computing:
most of what you do, the resources come from the internet.

ISC Diagram

Today in IPT we were continuing on the Powerpoint :)

Today we thought incooperate an ISC diagram for Instant Messaging.

So today in the lesson we filled out one including the purpose, information processes (Collecting, Organising, Analysing, Storing and Retrieving, Transmitting, Processing and Displaying), The data information and information technology involved.

You can look at it below, and please feedback indeed :)

Instant Messaging Group Project -

Today we started on our IM project. Me, Marjorie and Emily are creating a powerpoint on Instant Messaging to report to our IPT class.

Our powerpoint slides have already consisted of :
1. What Instant Messaging is.
2. Example of IM
3. Advantages of IM
4. Disadvantages of IM

Instant Messaging is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed through devices connected over a network such as the Internet.

Today we were discussing the advantages involved in Instant Messaging and how IM does not involve additional costs because it is used instead of Phone. It is also a good form of communication because there are multiple converstaions happening at once. Also the few disadvantages invovled such as security risks and how it is time consuming for adolescents.

Speeding Camera's

Click photo to enlarge

Information Systems

Information Systems refers to data records and activites that process datat and information in a organisation.

Examples of Information Systems are:

1. Cameras- Is a Information System as when the picture is taken the data is feeded inside the memory of the camera and processesd. It is then presented as a photo which is also in the form of information.
2. Traffic lights and speeding cameras used on roads and highways are also an information system as speeding cameras help take a photo of the car speeding and process it to the computers which is accessible for the police to help them with tracking the car breaking the rules.