Part One - Course Review

We have read several papers during module one describing 'netiquette' and how it can be used in computer conferencing. I have chosen a thread of messages from the FirstClass conference: ‘T171 National Café’. It shows some examples of PCPs, (Practical Communication Principals) described in Gary Alexander's article: "Netiquette, or the social conventions of computer conferencing".
The thread is between two students and begins with Pamela Rogerson saying there is a lack of clarity in the ECA instructions regarding the word count.
Del Carter, (another student) disagrees but uses the article’s PCP3: "Speak from your own perspective". He does not seem to use PCP2: "Acknowledge before differing". Pamela then replies to him with an explanation of what she was trying to say. She could have taken offence to Del's comment about "moaning" but Pamela uses the principal: "Avoid flaming spirals". They both use the 'quoting' principal. and also 'emoticons' to show that the discussion is still on a friendly basis. PCP1, ("Thank, acknowledge and support freely") is also used in the last message.

Group Working

I have written an overview of what I liked and disliked about working in a group while using computer conferencing. I describe my experiences in working as a group for part two of TMA02, and also for exercise 5 in module 2.
The disadvantages of group working appeared more in the first group activity than in the second.
These included:

Slow to start, lack of contribution, waiting for others and pressure to catch up. There was also difficulty in encouraging others to participate.

The advantages of group working were clearly shown in the second activity I describe.
These include:

Good exchange of ideas, support and help from each other, breaking the ice between people and tasks being shared out which make getting things done quicker than working individually.

Exercise from Module 2

I have chosen exercise 4: Concept maps.

Here you will find a concept map I made about the PC Industry.
I found this exercise extremely useful. It demonstrated a different way of writing down notes so that items can be linked together if they apply to one another. This can make the recalling of information easier because the main key points of the subject are laid out on one page. The only aspect I found to it’s disadvantage was creating it on a computer. I find that drawing concept maps by hand on paper faster and easier because forgotten items can be squeezed in anywhere on the page. Also, I find it quicker to draw shapes around the words (which make it clearer for me to read) with paper and a pen.
This method of note-taking helped me with other sections of the course.

Exercise from Module 3

For this I have chosen exercise 6: Analysing Vannevar Bush’s vision.

The objectives of this exercise I think were to teach us how to summarise what we read. The exercise required us to write a summary of each section of an article. I wrote more about each part of the paper than I needed to but I found it an excellent way of remembering information. I also found that it helped me to understand the article in more depth. Summarising other written material in the course also helped me to remember more details. I used to find that I would read information but not always remember all the key points raised. Writing brief notes in my own words within the 'Study Guides' that I downloaded made it easier for me to revise for TMAs.

Both of the above exercises will be very useful with future courses I will be taking, and also could be applied at work for some people for example: a 'concept map' - during a meeting.

Reflection of a TMA

I have chosen TMA03 for this section because it taught me how to improve my essay writing.
I chose title 2 which said:
"Examine the importance of the operating system in the development of the PC. Your answer should make reference to the function of an operating system, the significant operating systems in the development of the PC, what these have meant for the computer industry, and the possible future directions of operating systems."

Reflection of my learning experience from each module

This section is about what I learnt from each module, the objectives of them and some examples of where I learnt certain aspects. Before I started this course, I had hardly any knowledge or experience with computers. I had never used the Internet and office applications were new to me. Now I feel confident when using a computer's basic functions and will be using this knowledge to develop my skills further. Also, studying was something that I was out of practice with so the 'learning to learn' and study skills coursework was and will be very valuable to me.