Entering the era of information technology means incorporating modern media as tools for data acquisition and analysis in every single domain, including education. However, the promotion of modern media as essential tools for teaching and learning may have its disadvantages.
A detailed study of the key effects of modern media in education, therefore, is required. As long as the use of modern media by students is controlled by teachers and occurs as a part of the lesson and not the focus thereof, the specified tools can be viewed as a means of enhancing the learning process and improving the performance of students.
Among the key benefits of the use of modern media in classrooms, the fact that technology serves as essential aid in the course of acquiring new skills and learning new information deserves to be mentioned. In order to acquire new information and process it quickly, learners need supporting material, which in most cases must include both visual and audio elements.
While watching a video can be viewed as an alternative to incorporating modern media into the curriculum, one still has to admit that traditional media lacks an essential element, which is the opportunity for learners to interact with the source of information.
Modern media, in its turn, has solved this problem, providing students a chance to use an interactive interface in order to learn new information quickly. Indeed, a closer look at the modern media will reveal that most software used for learning purposes presupposes that students should be able to interact with the program (Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2011).
Another important benefit that modern media provides is the fact that the learners are capable of accessing the necessary information easily. It should be kept in mind, though, that the benefit in question needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It is rather doubtful that students, especially young learners, are capable of identifying which information is useful for them, which can be skipped, an which data is downright harmful.
Therefore, unlimited access to information, which the introduction of modern technologies into the classroom environment allows for, should be controlled by the teacher. The control executed by the latter will help students filter the information that they will come across, showing them how to locate the data that can be used for further studies.
It should be kept in mind, though, that the use of technologies in classroom may also pose a range of threats to a successful learning process once misused. To be more exact, technology, especially modern one, may easily become a distraction for students and keep them away from the actual focus of the lesson.
The specified problem becomes especially obvious once social media is introduced into the curriculum and the discussion of the key topics and themes is transferred from the classroom environment into forums. Unless the teacher plays an active part in the discussion process and steers the conversation the designated way, students may easily go off the track and engage in the communication that does not serve any studies related purpose.
Apart from the specified problem, technology may also contribute to the enhancement of cheating rates among the students. First and most obvious, having access to the Internet and not being controlled by the teacher in their surfing process, students may easily start searching for cheats to their tests and the answers to the questions that they are supposed to answer in the course of the lesson on their own. As a result, learners acquire very little information and are incapacitated of training their skills.
The specified problem, in fact, is much more serious than it might seem at the first glance. While cheating during a test might seem as an innocent attempt at escaping a poor grade, it sets the students mind frame at using easy solutions to addressing the problems that require their mental resources.
In other words, the online cheating tools, which learners become open to once technology is introduced into the curriculum, destroys the notion of learning as the teacher represents it to the students. Therefore, technology may disrupt the process of learning to the point where students may fail to acquire the skills that will enhance their further self-directed learning (Ni, 2013).
It should be noted, though, that the two problems described above can be addressed with the help of the teachers supervision and a provision of detailed instructions, as well as enhancement of ethical principles in the educational environment under analysis.
Once the students are introduced to the concept of responsibility (Manian, 2013), they will be able to realise that cheating on attest will only harm their further development as learners. Similarly, the principles of responsibility will help learners refrain from abusing the freedom that the teacher provides them with once they communicate online during the lesson.
The incorporation of technology into the school curriculum opens a range of opportunities for learners, yet it also poses quite tangible threats to the success of their learning. It is imperative that the teacher should adopt the right teaching approach to motivate learners and foster the idea of self-directed learning in each and every student.
Reference List
Dabbagh, N. & Kitsantas, A. (2011). Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. Internet and Higher Education, 15(1), 38.
Manian, C. (2013). Designing student oriented e-learning environments in higher education to match technological trends. International Journal on Integrating Technology in Education (IJITE), 2(3), 111.
Ni, L. B. (2013). Self-directed learning: Teacher and computer technology assist. IRACST International Journal of Computer Networks and Wireless Communications, 3(2), 6266.
The College of North London is a fictitious institution of higher learning located in Wales. It offers both degree and certificate programs in various faculties and all its departments have been well equipped with modern ICT infrastructure. Below is a brief description of the information and networking systems of the institution.
The College has an information system geared at transaction processing, management information, decision support as well as executive information functions. These systems have been established as the west grid whose infrastructures are networking facilities, extensive shared memory, parallel processing facilities, a video conferencing access grid and even reserves for storage of research data. This west grid is very important in providing the avenue for researchers to share resources and other elements of expertise. The operation of this information system is modulated by the AICT and it comprises an SGI Altix XE320 cluster for disseminated memory functions and IBM Power5 and SGI machines for communal memory jobs. The universitys information system also has a General Access Linux Cluster (GALC) which comes in handy for doing large scale parallel computing jobs using the communal memory. Finally, within this system are numerical and statistical servers which host very many geometric, arithmetic and statistical packages. These five SGI Altix XE250 servers help provide interactivity and group applications.
The information system manpower majorly comprises ICT technicians. These include information officers, operating officers, technical officers and information security officers. These individuals are responsible for the installation and maintenance of technological equipment that help in enhancing the performance of the organization.
The administrative information systems (AIS) as part of the larger information system are responsible for maintaining proper administrative functions within the college. The systems are majorly PeopleSoft utilities such as payroll, human resource, student, financial and supply chain records. These systems are continually supported by the IBM Global services especially in the area of general usage.
The geographic information system (GIS) helps in collecting geospatial data relevant to the running of different areas of administration. For example, the colleges assets such as already installed infrastructure like transport facilities have to be constantly monitored for effective management. Other information that is relevant within this system includes data on culture, geopolitical information and general environmental data.
The Office automation systems (OAS) are very crucial in the maintenance of efficiency within the administration block. Information relevant to this facility is stored in a common database which is accessible using passwords by the relevant authorities.
Definitions of terms
Spam- Illegitimate and unsolicited electronic mails sent to a large number of recipients.
Pyramid schemes, Chain letters- Communications that aim at informing an individual that for a comparatively small investment, the recipient of the message can make a large amount of money. There are a number of variations but they all have the same fraudulent base concept-that the recipient of the message sends a certain amount of money to a specific number of individuals preceding the recipient in a chain, on the hope that as time goes on a substantially large number of people will be making similar payments to the recipient.
Port scanning-these are any attempts to pick up any weaknesses of a computer or a network by consistently sending information requests.
Network sniffing- Connecting a device or installing software to a network in order to study and record the data that is shuffling between systems on the network.
Spoofing-Deliberately prompting a computer system or its user to perform an incorrect function by impersonating a genuine source.
Service denial- Approaches and strategies are taken to bar a system from appropriately responding to legitimate requests.
Ping attack- A type of service denial, in which a system within a network receives fast and repeated echo requests, in essence blocking up the channel from contact by other users.
Purpose
The main function of this Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy is to provide the appropriate frameworks for the usage of ICT hardware and services within the institution. The purpose of this policy is to encourage the Colleges already-established tradition of openness, honesty and integrity. These are basic guidelines on what is allowed and what is disallowed on the College ICT infrastructure with the aim of protecting the ICT resources from destructive acts such as viral attacks, loss of data, unpermitted access, system and network crashes and legality challenges.
Scope
This policy is applicable to all members of staff (casual, temporary and permanent), students and all other people with access to the College ICT utilities, including all individuals that are linked to third parties. This policy covers all the hardware, software and other ICT infrastructures under the College ownership. It provides guidelines for each and every action that is carried out using these infrastructures affecting both the well-being of the institutions systems and other affiliated setups.
General use and ownership policy
Role
As much as the Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC) is dedicated to the provision of an acceptable amount of privacy, the ICTC
While the ICTC is committed to the provision of a reasonable level of privacy, the ICTC shall not be held responsible for guaranteeing the confidentiality of personal information that is hosted or channeled through any network or system owned by the College. All data developed and transmitted on the ICT infrastructure shall be regarded as College property.
The ICTC shall strive to secure the Colleges network and the mission-critical College data and infrastructure. The ICTC shall not be held liable for the security of personal data hosted on the College ICT systems.
Users are required to practice proper judgment pertaining to the appropriateness of personal use of ICT infrastructure and services. They shall at all times be directed by ICT policies that have been developed regarding personal use of ICT networks (i.e. inter-, intra- and extranet systems). Where policies are either not clearly applicable, users are expected to make consultations with the relevant ICT staff.
For the purpose of security and network maintenance, the authorized ICTC staff shall analyze the hardware, software and other utilities at an appropriate time as required by the ICT development policy.
The ICTC holds the right to assess networks and infrastructure on a basis that is compliant with this ICT policy.
Security of proprietary/confidential information
College data hosted in the ICT infrastructure shall be categorized as either confidential or non-confidential. Some of the data classified as confidential include research information, payroll data and human resource information. College members of staff shall take all the appropriate steps to prevent any unpermitted access to confidential information.
Users shall ensure that passwords are secured and that accounts are not shared. Group and/or communal accounts are categorically illegal. Authorized users personally hold the responsibility of strengthening and according to the secrecy needed for their access passwords (Kingston University 2006).
All personal computers, laptops and workstations shall be secured using a password-disabled screensaver that automatically activates in a timeless than five minutes, or by logging off when the system is not being used.
Any pieces of information by users of the College e-mail address to newsgroups shall carry a disclaimer that categorically declares the opinions carried as being the users and not necessarily those of the College. This is unless the communication is in line with or lies within the scope of official duties.
All hosts that are linked to the College networks shall at all times be needed to execute the appropriate virus-scanning techniques. Users are required to exercise caution when accessing electronic mail attachments from unknown sources and which have the potential for security threats such as viruses or e-mail bombs (Kingston University 2006).
Unacceptable use
At no time shall a member of staff or student be authorized to partake in any action that is illegal under the laws of the United Kingdom or international law while using the College ICT infrastructure and services.
Below are some of the activities that are strictly prohibited. This list is by no means exhaustive but is a basic outline of all activities that are classified as unacceptable.
Unacceptable System and/or Network Activities
The list below contains items that are categorically prohibited, without room for exceptions:
Infraction of the rights of any individual or institution as accorded by the United Kingdoms intellectual property law and the Colleges intellectual property policy or the institutions code of conduct (The University of West Indies 2008).
Installation of malicious software onto the network/ server. Listed under this prohibition are viruses, e-mail bombs and Trojan horses.
Communal College user accounts and password-users shall be held responsible for any violations emanating from shared accounts.
Use of college ICT infrastructure to actively participate in the acquisition or transmission of material that is regarded as tantamount to sexual harassment or that is related to the development of an unfriendly work environment.
Using the College accounts to make deceptive offers of products and services.
Breach of security or the severance of communication within the network. Security contraventions include but are not limited to, access of information of which the user is not the designated recipient, or gaining access onto a server that one has not been directly permitted to use, except when this access falls within the scope of official duties (The University of West Indies 2008).
Port and security scanning without the express authorization of ICT management.
Conducting any form of network monitoring that interrupts any information that is not aimed at the originators host system, unless this action is a function of a member of staffs responsibilities.
Outflanking user authentication or security of any system within the College ICT infrastructure. Also covered in this item includes denial of service to other network users (The University of West Indies 2008).
Using any software or any ICT utility to interfere with or cede any users terminal session using any network (inter-, intra- or extranet)
Using the College ICT infrastructure to offer services to individuals residing or based inside or outside the college facilities on either unpaid or commercial bases.
Unacceptable communication practices
Sending unrequested material and any other public content to persons who did not personally ask for such pieces of communication (University of Tasmania 2010).
Unsanctioned use, or plagiarism, of electronic mail header details.
Requisition of e-mail for any other email address, except for that of the solicitors account, aimed at harassment or the collection of feedback (University of Tasmania 2010).
The creation or passing along of chain letters and/or pyramid schemes of any kind. The usage of unsought for e-mail emanating from the College networks under the representation of, or to publicize, any utility hosted by the college or linked to the College network (The University of West Indies 2008).
Password Policy
All system-level passwords shall be adjusted a minimum of one time per month.
All user-level passwords shall be reviewed at least once every quarter.
User accounts that have been accorded system-level advantages by group registration shall carry passwords that are clearly different from all the other accounts registered by the user.
Passwords shall not be transmitted as part of emails.
Passwords linked to college accounts shall not be utilized for other non-College access such as G-mail or a mobile phone PIN.
All passwords shall be regarded as impressionable and confidential college information. Users shall not share their college passwords with other people, including unauthorized department officials (Dublin City University 2010).
Users shall at no time use the Remember Password element of utilities such as G-mail, Facebook and Twitter.
Users shall not write passwords down and keep them anywhere within the proximity of their offices (Makerere University 2005).
In an account or password is purported to have been compromised through hacking, the password in question shall be changed as a matter of urgency. ICTC shall be immediately informed in order to carry out investigations, especially if the breach touches on crucial College infrastructure or functions.
As one of the keyed up security procedures, password cracking may be carried out on a random basis by the authorized members of staff in order to isolate the weak and/or ineffective passwords. Cracked or guessed passwords shall have to be changed immediately by the user of the account.
All user- and system-level passwords shall have to comply with framework established below:
Basic password construction guidelines
Computer passwords serve a number of functions within the College. Because very few utilities support the use of one-time access tokens (i.e. access passwords that can be used one time only), all the users of the College ICT networks and/or systems shall familiarize themselves with the following guidelines on how to develop a powerful password.
Weak passwords are distinguished by the following criteria:
They are made up of fewer than eight characters.
They contain words that make sense in a particular language.
They are made up of popularly used words such as:
People and animal names.
Names associated with Information and Communication Technology such as Microsoft or Macintosh.
The words College and North London or any derivation from these words.
Personal details such as anniversaries and student registration numbers.
A letter or digit patterns such as 456654, uuuwww or PONMLKJI.
Any of the items listed above are written backwards.
Any of the items listed above start with or are succeeded by a single number e.g., password3 or 4password.
Strong passwords on the other hand are identified by the features listed below:
Comprise both capital and small letters.
Contain numbers and punctuation symbols alongside numerical digits.
Are eight or more alphanumeric characters in length (The University of West Indies 2008).
Are not words that make sense in any language or dialect
Are not derived from personal information or commonly used names
Application development frameworks
The developers of applications for use within the College ICT infrastructure shall make sure that their programs meet the security guidelines listed below:
Shall only provide for authentication by individuals and not groups of users
Shall not reserve passwords invisible text or in another form that can be easily reversed.
Shall allow for some type of role management, that is, one user adopting the responsibilities of another without necessarily having to be in the possession of the others password.
Program developers shall ensure that their software meets the following basic security standards.
Shall only allow for authentication of single users.
Shall not show passwords in discernible characters or in any format that is easy to decipher.
Shall permit RADIUS, X.509 and/or TACACS+, with LDAP security retrieval, when necessary (University of Salford 2008).
Server Security Policy
All servers that are linked to the College ICT network shall have an established management team that shall be in charge of conducting all administrative procedures. Such management teams shall be tasked with the responsibility of regularly monitoring the compliance of configuration and shall establish an exception policy that is appropriate within the limits of their environment. All management teams shall draft procedures for configuration modification; if the server is executing crucial College systems, this shall include a terminal assessment and assent by the ICTCs administrators.
All servers shall be signed up with the ICTC. During the registration process, the following information has to be provided:
The physical location of the server (University of Ballarat 2010)
Contact details of the System administrator
Hardware and software being used
Details of the functions and applications in use by the server
Any configuration modifications for severs shall follow the proper change management strategies.
Basic configuration guidelines
Server Operating systems (OSs) shall be constructed according to the approved ICT guidelines
Utilities and functions that are not underused shall be rendered inoperative at all times.
Access to networks and services shall be recorded and conferred with protection using various access-regulation methods where necessary (University of Salford 2008).
Up-to-date security patches shall be installed on the systems as long as such updating does not affect the normal functions of the systems
Software to protect against viral attacks shall be installed and set to update on a regular basis.
Cross-system trust relationships create room for security threats and shall not be permitted
Servers shall be hosted in access-controlled localities
Access to servers from uncontrolled or easily-accessible localities is strictly prohibited.
Monitoring
All security-related functions on critical or cognizant systems shall be registered and audit streams stored in all system backups.
Security-linked functions shall be communicated to the ICT information security officer, who shall be held responsible for analyzing system records and conveying reports of occurrences to the relevant authorities. Corrective steps shall then be prescribed as required. Security-linked functions include, but are not limited to:
Port-scan invasions
Evidence of unpermitted entry to privileged accounts
Infective occurrences that are not linked to particular functions on the host
Audit policy
For auditing purposes, any necessary access shall be accorded to members of the College ICT audit team when need arise. This access shall comprise:
User- and/or system-level access to any communications garget
Access to data that may have been created, distributed and hosted within the College ICT infrastructure (University of Auckland 2007).
Entry into work area such as offices.
Access to College networks for the purpose of interactive traffic monitoring.
Internal Computer Laboratory security policy
All College entities that possess or operate computer laboratories shall identify officials to oversee the daily operations of computer laboratories. These individuals shall hold the title of Computer laboratory Administrators.
Computer Laboratory Administrators shall ensure that their laboratories are secure and shall ensure that this policy is fully implemented.
Computer Laboratory Administrators shall be in charge of ensuring that the Laboratory complies with all the College ICT policies.
Computer Laboratory Administrators shall be tasked with the responsibility of managing access to their laboratories. They shall ensure that unauthorized individuals do not gain access to institutions ICT resources at their charge.
The ICTC holds the right to interfere with particular laboratory links if such links are impacting negatively on the ICT infrastructure or are regarded as security risks. As such, Computer Laboratory Administrators shall be available for emergencies at any time of the day.
The ICTC shall be provided with records of all the available Internet Protocol addresses and any associated configurations related to hosts in any computer laboratory (University of Canberra 2010). The Computer Laboratory Administrator does not have the authority to modify any configuration without giving prior notice to the ICTC network management.
General configuration requirements
All traffic between production networks and computer laboratories shall go through filtration firewalls (University of Canberra 2010). At no time shall computer laboratory network hardware and utilities link a laboratory to a production network without the data first going through filtration firewalls.
Computer laboratories shall desist from partaking in port-scanning, traffic spamming or any other functions that may be detrimental to the well-being of the College network and/or any other associated network. In line with this item, the general use and ownership policy shall be implemented.
In computer laboratories with free-pass access, any direct linkage between the College production network and from these laboratories shall be illegalized. On top of this no College-critical information shall be hosted on any hardware-based in such laboratories.
Anti-virus policy
All systems linked to the College ICT network shall run the approved anti-virus software and shall be required to conduct daily full-system and on-access scans.
Anti-virus software shall be regularly updated through automated daily updates
Computer Laboratory Administrators and individual computer owners, working in tandem with the relevant ICTC officials, shall be tasked with the responsibility of conducting the necessary procedures for guaranteeing virus protection on their machines. All computers have to be confirmed as virus-free before being allowed connection to the College network (University of Canberra 2010).
Once identified as virus-infected, a computer shall be taken down from the College network until it has been declared free of viral infection.
The steps listed below shall be followed by all users in order to reduce the propensity to viral attacks. Users shall:
Never access any files linked to e-mails from strange or unidentified sources. Any e-mail of this nature shall be immediately deleted and cleared from trash folders.
Clear spam, chain and junk mail without passing it on to other users.
At no time download files from unknown sites
Desist from open disk sharing with read/write freedoms unless this is critically necessary
Back up critical data regularly and store information safely
Ensure that removable media are scanned prior to using them
Not run utilities and applications that could transfer viruses to a computer system with non-functional antivirus software.
Constantly look for anti-virus updates to deal with the most current virus.
Physical Security policy
Security identification: All College computer hardware shall be distinctly branded by use of techniques such as etching with the name of the College department and name/number of the office or computer laboratory where the hardware is hosted.
The personal computer Central Processing Unit (CPU) cases shall be securely locked at all times.
Placement of computers: If possible, all the computer systems shall be placed at least two meters away from high-risk windows.
Opening of a window: All windows that can open towards high-risk environments shall be fitted with permanent grills
Blinds: All external windows to areas containing computer systems in positions that are visible to the public shall be fitted with blinds or one-way tinted films.
Intruder alarm: Buildings that contain a large number of computer systems shall be fitted with an intruder alarm.
Positioning of intruder alarms: Intrusion-detection gadgets shall be placed within the area in order to ensure that unauthorized entry is not possible without detection.
Intrusion detection system test- A regular movement test shall be carried out on all workstations to ensure that all computer systems are placed within the physical limits of the detection device.
Computer server rooms
Computer servers shall be located in rooms that are designed and secured for this specific function.
The room containing servers shall be fitted with a proper air-conditioning system in order to provide a proper working environment and to cut down any risk of system failures.
No forms of water conduction pipes shall traverse the area around the computer server room in order to reduce the possibility of flooding.
If possible, the floor in the computer server room shall be a raised false floor in order to allow for the placement of cables underneath the floor. This will help cut down the risk of damage to the systems should flooding occur.
Power connections to the servers go through the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and surge protection units in order to allow for the protection of systems in case of power outages.
Access to areas hosting computer servers shall only be restricted to authorized College personnel.
Physical Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) security
Switches
LAN and WAN infrastructure such as switches and hubs shall be located in secured areas. On top of this, the hardware shall be kept in lockable and air-conditioned communication lockers (Griffith University 2002).
All communication lockers shall be locked at all times and should only be accessed by the authorized ICT personnel.
Workstations
Users shall be required to log out of their computers when they are not within the vicinity of the workstation
Any system that is not under current use shall be switched off during off-work hours.
Wiring
All wiring architecture shall be properly documented
Any unused network ports shall be de-activated when not being used
All network wiring shall be regularly scanned and the findings noted down for future reference.
No item shall be placed on top of network wiring
Monitoring Software
The usage of system evaluation tools such as network analyzers shall only be permitted to the ICTC members of staff who are directly in charge of network management and security.
Internet Usage Policy
Every software used to access the internet shall remain as part of the College software suite and shall go through approval procedures set up by the institution. (Griffith University 2002).
All persons using the internet-access software shall configure it to obtain the latest security updates as distributed by the vendors.
All files that are obtained from the internet shall be taken through a scanning process to purge out any viruses, using the Colleges updated anti-virus software.
All internet access software shall go through the established gateways and firewalls. Circumventing these security protocols is strictly prohibited.
Access to websites and databases shall be in compliance with the established General Use and Ownership Policy.
Narrative
The first step of the entire policy document creation was the identification of the institution on which I would focus the project. I came up with a fictitious college (the College of North London); an academic institution that has an expanse that is as large as my current university. Once I had established the size and requirements of the organization, I was ready to collect the necessary information to help in developing the document.
Most of the research I did was primarily based on secondary data. I extracted all the necessary information from books, journals, articles and websites. The criteria of selection for the literature was mainly the relevance to the process of ICT policy-making as well as the year of publication. Both public and private libraries as well as online libraries were visited in order to access the data. This research was partly evidence based and partly founded on professional research by professionals in the field. Various articles were studied in order to provide background information which essentially ended up giving credibility to the final document. It would have been extremely difficult for me to draft an ICT policy without referring to similar documents from other institutions. This definitely made for some interesting research and in as much most of the information was only used for reference purposes, it effectively came round to help me form the back-born of the paper.
The information I collected from the publications served to provide an explanation as regards the process of policy development. This was very crucial information that ended up making the final draft appeal to both professionals and the general public. For the latter, it may require that some of the information carried in the document be broken down into simple language and at the same time illustrations drawn from the most successful applications of such policy elements in real-life cases.
Like with any other professional field of study, Computer sciences researches have to be conducted in such a way that they offer credibility to the practitioner. In such a field, the strength lies exemplification from historical developments. With this knowledge in mind, I made the effort to obtain relevant information to the particular topic in question and this was accompanied by proper citation.
I had to obtain this secondary information because, for any professional policy document creation, chances are that extensive research has been carried out by professionals in the field before. Consequently, in order to establish the backbone of a given similar project, it is only necessary that an extensive review of literature be carried before identifying seeking first-hand information from the field. From this project, I discovered that the latter, i.e. information collected from the field was also necessary since it helped give professional credibility to my project. Combining results from both sources would serve to foster their symbiotic relationship with one offering background information and the other presenting up-to-date information on the topic.
The College of North London has a constitution and policies that govern the running of every sector of the campus. As such, the information and communication department has its own set of rules which guide every operation taking place with the information systems. It is my opinion that as far as consultation is concerned, the information systems policy points out that, senior faculty members from the department of computer science and ICT be heavily involved. These are professors who have vast knowledge of computer technology and therefore are better placed to offer reasonable suggestions as to what information systems can work properly for the institution. I am of the idea that the same senior professors assisted by junior colleagues from the department should also be taxed with the responsibility of analyzing and designing the information systems that they think best suit the college bearing in mind that the university is growing on a day to day basis. The implementation of the systems is a prerogative of a combination of administrative and ICT staff members. The ICT members will sit on a board with an administrative team and offer their advice on the best infrastructure that can be installed to adequately maintain a decent information systems network around the college. The same ICT members will then offer a list of equipment providers from which the administrative panel will decide on whose offer would make the best economic sense for the institution. Once new systems are installed, the policy offers the provision that a few individuals from the computer engineering department will familiarize themselves with the system and as such will be responsible for reengineering and maintenance.
Reference List
Dublin City University 2010, Dublin City University Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Security Policy , Dublin City University. Web.
Griffith University 2002, Griffith University Information Security Policy . Web.
A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that has found application in many electronic devices. These miniature objects, which have been used since 1962, have the ability to produce visible, ultraviolet (UV), and infrared light (IR) wavelengths in varying brightness levels and work on the principle of electroluminescence. When hundreds or thousands of individual LEDs are fixed on a board, they can be used to light up rooms, billboards, large screens, traffic signals, and recently, television display panels. Their popularity has been made possible by the fact that they have several advantages over conventional incandescent light sources, these include better power efficiency, greater durability and reliability. Recent improvements to the LED technology have led to the design of an even better performing type of LED known as Organic-LED (OLED). OLED is a kind of display in which the emissive electroluminescence consists of an organic material that lights up when an electric current is passed through it. One major advantage of OLEDs is that they use less power than LEDs, this is because each OLED produces its own light (self-illuminating), therefore, there is no need for a backlight. Therefore, OLEDs are likely to replace LEDs in future displays as soon as the various challenges towards its adoption are complete.
Introduction
LEDs are made up of a semiconductor mixed with impurities to form two oppositely charged junctions. When current passes through them, electrons and protons (holes) move into the electrodes with varying voltages, when the two bodies meet, it drops into a lower energy level and emits packets of energy [1]. The wavelength of the photons emitted depends on the type of the element used in the boundary. Materials used to make LEDs have band gaps with energies matching or close to IR, visible, or UV light [1].
In response to the looming change of technology from the use of LED to make TV display panels to the use of OLED, our companys head of Visual department, Mr. Bill Holmes, requested us to carry out an experiment on OLED technology and how it would solve the current engineering problems that occur in current TV sets that use LED for display. This report will enable Leeds Technologies to make ample preparations so that the switchover to the new technology becomes as smooth as possible. In coming up with our report, we worked with a number of electronic companies such as Sony, Samsung, and Nokia. We also referred to earlier studies on display technologies by various research scientists.
Organic molecules in OLED conduct electricity due to the delocalization of pi-electrons within the molecules [2]. When voltage is applied through the OLED, current flows from the negatively charged junction to the positively charged junction. This causes the cathode to release electrons on the emissive surface of the organic compounds while the anode creates holes on the conductive surface of the organic compounds. At the border of the emissive and conductive layers, electrons fill the holes, this is equivalent to an electron falling to a lower orbital, hence it releases the excess energy in form of light [2]. The color of light emitted depends on the composition of the organic compounds on the emissive surface. To increase brightness, the voltage across the OLED is increased. The frequency of the energy released is the difference between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) of the organic semiconductors [3].
Figure 1: How OLEDs work.
As mentioned earlier, LEDs have been widely used in the television industry for quite some time. These television sets use LEDs for backlighting rather than the conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) tubes. The use of LED for backlighting has a dramatic effect on the design and performance of TVs; it results in the production of thinner display panels with low power consumption, and very much improved picture quality [4]. Picture quality is in the form of improved contrast and a wider color gamut particularly when RGB dynamic LEDs are used. However, this technology has recently come under threat especially with the surfacing of OLEDs [5]. Even though it does not solve all problems associated with LEDs, OLEDs have significantly improved the design, picture quality, price, and power consumption of television sets.
Viewing Angle and Picture Quality
Despite the technological advancements in the television industry, picture quality and viewing angle remains a major challenge for LED TV companies. In many instances, a customer purchases a LED television with the promise of dynamic backlight and dynamic color; this is not usually the case when he finally gets a chance to view it [3]. The explanation is quite simple, LED TVs display high-quality pictures when the viewer is positioned at the center, but when the position is shifted slightly to the left or right, the loss in image quality is noticeable. Consumer Reports TV ratings show that more than half of all LED TVs tested had a fair score regarding viewing angle, this is lower than the score recorded by the classic CRT TV sets.
We carried out experiments using several LED TV sets to determine the quality of the image with changes in the viewing angle and found out that as the position in front of the TV is shifted to the left or right, the display became dimmer and faded with a significant loss in brightness and color [6].
Another factor that affects image quality is contrast ratio, which is defined as the ratio of the white image brightness to that of the black color. The larger the value, the greater the contrast between black and white and hence the greater the picture quality. For example, a contrast of 10,000 implies that the brightest white is 10,000 times brighter than the darkest white on the display panel. This number varies between LED TVs [3]. Most of the LED TV sets we used for the study had a contrast of 5000:1.
Picture quality is also affected by black levels. LED TVs produce images by selectively blocking light to pass from the LED-induced backlight. No matter the improvements, some light still reaches the display panel even when all the pixels should be black, compromising picture quality. This observation was evident during darkroom experiments to determine black levels as we could easily observe that true black color was not easy to achieve in LED TVs.
Power Consumption
Even though they are designed to consume low power, LED televisions are still not efficient as their OLED counterparts. Low power consumption in LEDs is only evident when they are compared to plasma and CRT TV sets [6]. Our experiments showed that LED TVs can consume more than 500W of electricity for large screens. LED displays to reduce television power consumption by up to 50 percent, however, as temperatures increase when LEDs are lit, power consumption increases with prolonged usage. Even though our research showed that LED TVs had low energy consumption, it was no match for OLED TVs.
Another factor that contributes to higher power consumption is that the individual LEDs are powered by electricity, unlike OLEDs that are self-illuminating [5].
A Solution from OLED Technology
We found out that OLED TVs have an almost ideal viewing angle due to the simple fact that they create their own light, rather than blocking light. Every OLED produces its own light and this can be seen from various without distorting image quality [1].
Yersin mentions that OLED TVs excel when it comes to contrast and far exceed LED [1]. For example, the new Sony OLED television, XEL-1, has a contrast of 1,000,000:1, while the highest rated LED TVs contrast is 10,000:1. Since OLEDs do not require backlighting, it is easy to get black levels simply by reducing conductivity to the organic compounds, i.e. there is no need to block light as the OLEDs create their own light. This makes it possible to reach deep black levels that enhance picture quality. Bright colors require the most energy, therefore, to increase brightness, the power flowing through the OLEDs increases. LED display panels control brightness by either blocking or allowing the backlight to pass through the liquid crystals. This is a technical process, and even with the latest improvements, a few LED TV companies such as Sony and Sharp have achieved the 1000:1 contrast ratio [4].
Individual OLEDs contain red, green, and blue colors that work together to create multicolored images. This enables a more accurate representation of images on OLED display panels than LEDs. LEDs create different colors by altering light, the complexity of this process means that only a few companies can manufacture TVs that successfully separate the individual pixels.
We also observed that OLED TVs had a high refresh rate as compared to LED. Faster moving images such as those in high-speed video games and movies appeared blurry on the edges when using LED displays, OLEDs, however, have high refresh rates and this ensures that images appear sharp [2].
Power consumption in OLED TVs
OLED TV color is produced by organic molecules that emit light when current flows through them. No other source of light is required to energize these organic compounds, therefore, they have an absolutely low power consumption. The organic molecules used in OLEDs are emissive, on the contrary, LEDs require electric voltage to give off light [3]. While power consumption in LED TVs peaked at 500 W, the highest, a comparison with similar OLED TV sets showed that the consumption was cut by an average figure of 60%, going as high as 80%. This will be a major boost to our customers in economical terms if we adopt OLED technology.
Conclusion
Our research and practical experiments have shown that OLED technology can be used to solve most of the engineering and technical problems that are present in TV sets that use LED technology. This technology can enable us to achieve contrast ratio and black level figures close to those of the plasma TVs. In addition, our TV sets will be much slimmer, have an improved picture quality, wider viewing angle, and above all, have low power consumption. Other advantages include higher refresh rates, faster response time, and lower production costs. This technology will enable us to expand our market share and achieve unprecedented growth. We, therefore, propose that the company change from LED to OLED technology so the company may stay a step ahead of its competitors.
Works Cited
Cristaldi, David J. R., Pulvirenti, Francesco, and Pennisi, Salvatore. Liquid Crystal Display Drivers: Techniques and Circuits. Rome: Springer, 2009.
Over the past century, the global community underwent a phase of rapid technologic advancement until technological devices have become incomparable in their complexity and efficacy. Nowadays, technologies provide multiple opportunities to improve human lives and facilitate development. They can be utilized for various purposes, including entertainment, communication, education, and so on. The two of these causes for using various technologies will be discussed in the present paper.
One of the major reasons for using modern technology is information sharing. The internet and mobile devices have drastically increased individuals capacity to produce and disseminate information. As stated by Tae et al., by fostering more rapid and productive information sharing, technologies managed to facilitate learning and knowledge development (218). The Internet plays a uniquely valuable role in supporting information creation and sharing capacities.
Today, both individuals and organizations can utilize this technology to access data, exchange concepts, and solve a great variety of problems. Moreover, one may say with certainty that it has become possible to disseminate data through computers in a more reliable and fast way than by using printed and other traditional media. In this way, computerized technologies give an opportunity for continuous self-improvement and growth. It is worth noticing that technology facilitates information sharing on the global scale as well, increasing accessibility of up-to-date data and knowledge in remote areas and developing regions and allowing people from all over the globe to learn about distant cultures. In this way, to a large extent, information sharing supported by contemporary technologies helped change the view of the world and make it more integrated.
The second important cause of utilizing technology is its contribution to the improvement of performance quality, productivity, and efficiency. According to Johnson, along with training and education, the creation of new technologies is one of the major methods to improve workforce productivity (2). The given outcome of utilizing new technologies is possible because they can complete routine tasks instead of employees/individuals, providing them with sufficient time and capabilities to engage in other professional activities, which require more critical thinking and a creative approach. In this way, technologies help elevate and complex any professional role.
Partially due to rapid technologic advancement, which has influenced the creation of new professions and occupations, nowadays workers must do things that were once performed by many different individuals (Johnson 4). Thus, the further integration of technologies in the daily lives, as well as academic and professional performance, will likely increase the level of skillfulness and adaptability of people to future technological changes. In this way, the utilization of technology can lead to significant social and economic progress, which may be regarded as an important developmental objective.
Overall, the review of causes for using technology revealed that new devices serve mainly to facilitate numerous processes yet allow the creation of more complex systems of knowledge and foster the identification of new links between different units of information. It is possible to say that when people start to interact with technologies in multiple spheres of life in a meaningful way, the former may start to observe growth, which can encourage individuals to explore and try new things and be more innovative. There is no doubt that technologies play and will continue to play an important role in society and its development. Even now, they assist in strengthening the interconnectedness among communities, increasing efficiency and skillfulness, and changing the overall worldview.
Tae, In et al. Technology Information Sharing and Technology Innovation Performance: An Empirical Study of the Mediating Role of Technology Development Capability. International Journal of u- and e- Service, Science and Technology, vol. 8, no. 9, 2015, pp. 217230.
Technological innovations play a vital role in the life of every person in todays world. Still, their potential for improving such areas as policing can significantly enhance its efficiency and effectiveness as it shapes modern policing. Radio communication and appearance of 911 systems helped to streamline policing operations many years ago and were followed by the usage of the innovative technologies such as DNA testing and in-car camera systems.
When choosing particular technology it is critical to consider:
Cost-effectiveness will the purchase be justified? How frequent can the technology be used?
Training what training is needed to get to know how to utilize the technology in a right way?
Service and Maintenance how much funding will be needed for operating maintenance and service?
Operational Needs for what purposes is the technology created?
The answers to these questions will give an opportunity to define if the technology can bring benefit and improve policing or not (Schultz, 2008).
It is critical to understand how technologies can influence policing because they can change the structure of police agencies, their functions, and goals. For example, 911 systems, which were a part of IT innovation, streamlined police response to the crimes that are reported by civilians. They shaped police practices altering the way of operating that was previously used. However, some professionals underline the adverse effect of this technology, as police became reactive, and no significant improvement on arrests was noticed.
Technologies can bring a range of complexities to the everyday operations. In this way, new IT systems require more detailed documentation, which gives less time for interaction with citizens and proactive policing. Still, they also provide more information that can be used in the field. Criminal investigations record systems help officers to work with the particle information and to find everything related to it in a short period of time. For example, having only ones surname, moniker or description, police can refer to the records system and get a list of suspects.
Computerization itself affects the structure of the police agencies. It increases expenditures, leads to the reduction of the police officers and larger share of workers who held technical positions. As a result, fewer officers can work on the street, which makes policing less effective. However, the crime analysis units tend to attract the representatives of the general public and enhance relations between the units (Koper, Lum, Willis, Woos, & Hibdon, 2010).
The usage of special crime lights gives an opportunity to work effectively in any places. With their help, officers can find evidence such as body fluids that would not be seen otherwise. In this way, technologies make the investigation of the crime scene streamlined and more thorough. They also allow to take advantage of fluorescence examination.
The in-car camera systems are effective for patrolling as they make it possible investigate traffic stops, arrests or internal affairs. They also can be used for training purposes. In-car cameras provide a detailed documentation of the events that happen during the working day of the police officer, which helps to reduce the number of issues such as biased treatment.
Photo enforcement systems reduced the number of accidents on the road, as the representatives of the general public realize that red light and speeding violations will not be ignored. As a result, this technology improves safety.
Graffiti cameras help police officers to investigate cases connected with the vandalizing of the property. They can even notify the police that such crime is happening at the moment. The technology is even more valuable as it can be used to deter and identify gang-related graffiti and monitor illegal dumping.
Thermal imaging devices help officers to find a criminal who is fleeing as well as a missing person if one is located within a particular but large territory. The process of searching is reduced greatly, which surely makes policing more effective and efficient. It allows the officers not to expose themselves when they are working in the dark, for example. Thermal imagining allows to look through various surfaces and scan parks, streets, buildings, etc. (Schultz, 2008).
Police have an opportunity to optimize technology if it is needed. Computer hardware, software, and specialized applications like an RMS, geographic information systems (GIS), and crime analysis tend to be extremely useful for policing as they can improve the effectiveness of operations and reduce crime rates (Koper et al., 2010). IT technologies give an opportunity to collect and analyze data in a more efficient way, which helps the officers to target people or issues connected with crimes. However, a positive influence of the technologies can be reduced if other organizational changes are not made. For example, adoption of Compstat that helps to investigate crimes.
It should be admitted that in some cases technology cannot be decently controlled. As a result, its unintended and intended influences may be adverse and can worsen policing. That is why it is critical to consider the way, in which personnel can utilize technology that was meant for the improvement efficiently. With the help of different devices, police officers have an opportunity to streamline their work and use the knowledge that was not approachable before.
References
Koper, C., Lum, C., Willis, J., Woos, D., & Hibdon, J. (2010). Realizing the potential of technology in policing. Web.
Schultz, P. (2008). The future is here: Technology in police departments. Web.
It cannot be denied that modern information-based market is changing incredibly fast and new technologies are making a significant contribution to this change. It is not only the modern scientific progress that encourages this process but also the competition existing in the market. At the same time, while it appears to be impossible to keep up with market leaders without introducing new technologies, innovation is an extremely costly and risky activity the results of which may be difficult to predict. Innovation, therefore, has always been a combination of opportunity and risks. Successful companies like Microsoft and Apple are actively promoting new technologies and implement them to provide their customers with new products and find new opportunities for themselves (Bao, Berkowitz, and Wren 290).
One of the directions that modern technology is aimed at is electronic currency and mobile payment. Currency is no longer associated with bills and coins as we have learnt to realise that money is just a token, a unit of value that can be earned and used in a certain economic system (Swan 71). Therefore, currency is supposed to be a means of storing and exchanging value and, since it is used extensively in modern world, the technologies that are aimed at facilitating these processes are in great demand (Chiejina and Soremekun 53). This is exactly what mobile payment has been invented for.
Believing that it is the technology of future currency, companies like PayPal, Google, and Softcard have become mobile payment services providers (Shen and Yazdanifard 488). Apple has decided to enter this competitive yet promising market as well, launching its new application called Apple Pay. We are going to describe this application and the technology it uses in order to analyse the opportunities and the drawbacks of implementing this kind of innovation.
Defining the Technology
Apple Pay is an application for iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch that uses the technology of Near Field Communication (NFC) to perform contactless payments (Arthur par. 12; Swan 2). NFC is a set of standards governing the establishment of radio communication between devices by bringing them close to each other (within a few centimeters) or touching them together (Chiejina and Soremekun 54). Its use is not limited to contactless payment only; it can be utilized, for example, to access control or collect and exchange data which can also be useful for NFC-enabled mobile phones (Chiejina and Soremekun 54). In order to perform payments with the help of NFC, an application provides its users with the opportunity of integrating their credit cards into mobile phones and then performing contactless payment through a compatible payment terminal.
Organizational Benefits
Most benefits of Apple Pay that have been highlighted by both its manufacturers and researchers are time-saving, convenience, coolness and safeness. It is obvious that these benefits are mostly aimed at satisfying the customer, but as long as the application is appreciated by the users, implementing it is in the companys best interests.
It is faster. NFC payments are supposed to be very quick: a user only needs to integrate the card once. After that, payments become fast and easy and require only putting the phone closer to the payment terminal (Shen and Yazdanifard 488). The authentication of payment for Apple products does not take much time either, as the customers simply need to confirm their identity with the help of the fingerprint scanner that is used by the devices (Hern par. 9; Arthur par. 2).
It is convenient. Nowadays mobile phones are not only popular, they are indispensable. Initially meant for phone calls, they incorporate more and more services every year which only increases their value in customers eyes. Having the opportunity to perform payments with the help of a device that is always at hand is extremely convenient (Chiejina and Soremekun 54-56; Shen and Yazdanifard 488-500).
It is fashionable. The coolness of a technology is difficult to assess, but it is a well-known fact that it can turn out to be one of the determining factors of its success (Shen and Yazdanifard 493-495). Other features of a product condition customers satisfaction, but it is the coolness that brings true popularity to it. This feature can be achieved through sound advertising; besides, the general popularity of Apple brand is definitely contributing to the overall popularity of the new products image.
It is secure. Since security is particularly important for a payment application, Apple Pay is provided with the necessary security features (including fingerprints activation) that will be described later. Apart from that, the small distance of NFC operation reduces the possibility of on-air-transmission snooping. Though, as it will be demonstrated later, even these precautions are not enough, for the time being the security of NFC payment is regarded as similar to that of more conventional cards (Chiejina and Soremekun 54).
It is cost-saving. Apple Pay does not save the money of a particular customer, but the costs of resources spend on the manufacturing, preservation and regulation of traditional money are significant enough to be considered a problem (Chiejina and Soremekun 54). While it is obviously too early to speak about eliminating regular paper and metal money, it is possible that the implementation of NFC payment can be a major step in this respect.
All of these factors are contributing to the spreading of NFC technologies in general and the Apple Pay application in particular. More more consumers use NFC-enabled applications and more hopes are set upon this payment medium (Pastore 107). As the technology becomes more popular, introducing relevant products becomes more profitable and promising.
Potential Risks
Apart from he opportunities presented by the technology, there are certain risks which Apple Inc. has taken by launching Apple Pay. Certain drawbacks of the technology which may endanger its development are going to be discussed in this section as well. Competition. Apple Inc., not being a pioneer of NFC technology, entered a market that had already existed. Therefore, it did not seek to avoid competition but had rather chosen to create it. The application that is often called Apple Pays rival is Google Wallet. Despite the fact that its performance is worse than was expected, this competition is far from over (Shen and Yazdanifard 488-500; Sang Un Chae and Hedman 32-40). Although there is no denying the fact that competition presupposes risk, it is also pushing the rivals to improve their products. The competition between two mobile payment giants may and most certainly will end in the development of the technology and infrastructure.
Acceptance. It is difficult to predict whether an innovation is going to be accepted by the consumers. Launched in 2011, Google Wallet has failed to live up to the expectations as customers seemed to be either too wary of the new technology or put off by the complexity of interface (Shen and Yazdanifard 488-500). Apart from that, the rest of the drawbacks of the technology (costs and infrastructure deficiency) have also become an obstacle for Google Wallet (Sang Un Chae and Hedman 32). On the other hand, Apple Pay appears to have become much more successful than its predecessor: by the end of 2014 (its launch date being in October of that year) customers added more than a million of cards to the service (Arthur par. 11-13). Although Google did not provide data on the number of its users at the time, the figure makes Apple Pay a most popular payment means in the US.
Security. Security of Apple Pay (along with other NFC applications) has been assessed in different ways. It is obvious that Apple Inc. has taken numerous precautions in order to protect the money of its customers (Sang Un Chae and Hedman 34). The problem is that despite the huge efforts directed at making this application as secure as possible, there has been a disturbing number of identity frauds performed through Apple Pay (Arthur par. 1-4). It is understandable that violators are searching for ways of using Apple Pay as a source of money and that any kind of payment system this popular is going to be repeatedly attacked; still, this means that the security of the application needs to be improved.
Costs. Infrastructure. While speaking about the costs of Apple Pay, we should take into account that customers need to acquire an NFC-equipped Apple device in order to use it, which presupposes extra costs. On the other hand, Apple products are quite popular and many customers already possess them. Another costly factor is the problem of infrastructure that, however, is being fixed now as prominent IT companies like Apple enter the market and change it to suit their needs (Shen and Yazdanifard 54-55). This problem will be discussed in the next section.
It appears, therefore, that Apple Inc. took the risks consciously and was ready for the problems that could arise. Apple Pay seems to be performing well despite the negative factors that have been listed. At the same time, the problems connected to the technology itself are still to be solved.
Required Infrastructure Elements
Apart from NFC-enabled phones, users need suitable payment terminals which presupposes major changes and huge costs. Even though Apple Pay has been made compatible with the previously existing infrastructure meant for contactless payment, it is not sufficient and needs to be expanded (Hern par. 4-7). At the same time, it is obvious that a company launching an NFC payment application needs to ensure its partnership with banks, supermarkets, and other kinds of service and products providers (Sang Un Chae and Hedman 37). Before entering the British market, Apple had gained the support of a number of banks, for instance, First Direct, Nationwide Building Society, and Royal Bank of Scotland (Hern par. 4-7). By building a large net of partners modern NFC payment providing companies may ensure their future success.
The Data Element and Organizational Aspects of the Technology
As we have pointed out, Apple Pay suggests that users integrate credit cards of a supporting bank into their applications and use their iPhones, iPads or Apple Watches either for physical contactless payment or for payments within the application. To authorize a payment fingerprint scanning is used, although this option can be switched off. As for Apple watch, the device does not require authentication as long as it stays on its owners wrist. Once it is taken off, the owner needs to authenticate it again (Hern par. 5-11). The tokenization of credit card data is used in the process of payment, which means that the actual information about it is never transferred and token information is used instead (Hern par. 11; Swan 70). One can conclude that Apple Inc. is paying much attention to the security of its customers data.
The problem of infrastructure deficiency is still acute. For example, when entering the British market, Apple made sure that its product is compatible (or rather backwards compatible) with the existing contactless payment infrastructure (Hern par. 4-7). This provided a sufficient number of compatible devices for the pioneer users but in order to expand Apple needs to further develop the infrastructure both in Britain and in the USA. Besides, there is still much room for improvement and development as Apple Inc. will surely want to enter new markets.
The Future of the Technology
Apple Pay appears to have had a good start, having been installed by more than 800,000 people in less than six months (Arthur par. 13). In July 2015, it was also introduced into the British market (Hern par. 1). The necessary infrastructure expands and the technology develops, more people get access to NFC-enabled Apple products and more companies like Starbucks and MasterCard support this new kind of payment strategy (Shen and Yazdanifard 489).
It is obvious that both the manufacturers and their partners believe that the technology has a big future. Apart from the fact that the participants are going to do their best to promote it, one should mention that NFC indeed seems to be a convenient way of payment. The benefits it offers presuppose that it has all the chances of flourishing unless a new, more convenient technology will be introduced
It seems that NFC mobile payment has found its niche as a very convenient means of conducting small value transactions as it is very often used to buy beverages, products from vending machines and to pay bus fares (Shen and Yazdanifard 493). However, it is difficult to predict if it is going to acquire a different field of application in future.
Conclusions
It appears that Apple Pay, a convenient and relatively secure contactless payment application for Apple devices based on NFC technology, is still developing. Its future depends on entering new markets and creating proper infrastructure in the existing ones. The competition in the market is obviously an important factor and it may influence the applications success; still, Apple Inc. is a very popular brand and a giant among other technology companies which makes its survival on the market extremely likely. In this case, the competition appears to be a stimulus to progress that it will encourage Apple and its rivals to improve and perfect their products. The successful start of Apple Pay only fortifies the suspicion that this application is going to be extensively used in future along with the technology that it is based upon.
For the time being, one may say that Apple Inc. has succeeded in starting the implementation of this new technology that does not only serve to promote the brand and increase the companys profit but also has the opportunity of encouraging changes in the currency system of countries involved.
Bao, Yeqing, David Berkowitz, and Brent M. Wren. Consumer Marketing Of High-Technology Products. The Handbook Of Technology Management. Ed. Hossein Bidgoli. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. 290-305. Print.
Chiejina, Chike C., and Olamide Ezekiel Soremekun. Emerging Technology Trends That Could Transform The Way Financial Transactions Occur. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development 4.9 (2013): 53-60. 2015. Web.
Pastore, Serena. E-Business And Research Institutes. E-Business Applications And Global Acceptance. Ed. Princely Ifinedo. Rijeka, Croatia: InTech, 2012. Print.
Sang Un Chae, Johannes, and Jonas Hedman. Business Models For NFC Based Mobile Payments. Journal of Business Models 3.1 (2015): 29-48. 2015. Web.
Shen, Ooi Wei, and Rashad Yazdanifard. Has Mobile Payment Finally Live Up To Its Expectation In Replacing Cash And Credit?. International Journal of Management, Accounting and Economics 2.5 (2015): 488-497. 2015. Web.
Liu, I. F., Chen, M. C., Sun, Y. S., Wible, D., & Kuo, C. H. (2010). Extending the TAM model to explore the factors that affect the intention to use an online learning community. Computers & Education, 54(2), 600-610.
The article was located on Google Scholar using advanced search options and the following search terms: influence, education, language, factors, class, online, and student. The dates for the search period ran from 2009 to 2015 to ensure that the article obtained was a recent study in the field of education. The article chosen contains primary research carried out using quantitative methods.
Summary
The purpose of the research was to extend some external variables, which were not included in the original TAM Model by Davies (1986) and to study how technology influences the users behaviour. The external variables of the Intention to Use an Online Learning Community included by the researchers were Online Course Design, User-interface Design, Previous Online, and Learning Experience (Liu et al., 2010, p. 601). These external variables were determined based on the observations presented in various reliable studies. For example, the authors analysed the study conducted by Boczkowsk (1999) that gave a definition of the virtual community and the studies conducted by Reed and Geissler (1995), Reed and Oughton (1997), etc., that investigated the influence of learners previous experience on the online interaction. Besides Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use included by Davis in the TAM model, Perceived Interaction was included by the researchers as an extra perceived variable to study its relation to other variables and its influence on the Intention to Use an Online Learning Community (Liu et al., 2010, p. 602). A survey methodology was used involving 436 high school Taiwanese students, 205 male and 231 female aged 18. The students were from northern Taiwan (183 students), central Taiwan (152), and southern Taiwan (101). The focus of the online learning community was on learning English. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the collected data. The findings of the study demonstrate the effectiveness of external variables related to online learning environments in predicting the ability of users to adopt online learning community.
The audience of the article includes teachers, academic scholars, researchers and computer experts working in the education sector. The article can also be useful for persons who are involved in the process of developing online learning communities for businesses purposes. Literature shows that online learning communities offer learners the ability to access recent information from any location. The online community also allows learners to be able to interact with other students during the entire process of learning. This article seeks to evaluate whether such interaction results in any synergy in the process of learning. The synergy in this context can be defined as efficacious cooperation of the members of the online community or their willingness to put united efforts in achieving good results. The purpose of this article is to check the effectiveness of adding new variables to the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), determine if the learners are ready to use online learning community, and prove that learners adopt technology based on the ease of use and other related factors (Collins, Joseph, & Bielaczyc, 2004). The research has shown that the extended variables appear to be efficient in predicting the users willingness to adopt online learning community. The researchers hope to identify how students make decisions while choosing which online community to continue using in the learning process.
Theoretical Framework
The chosen article helped to support the research problem being addressed. The article addressed various issues in the area of online education, such as the factors that determine the usage of the online learning communities as well as comparing the underlying theoretical perspectives. As such, the article is rich in terms of the evidence provided to support the purpose of the study (Oha & Reeves, 2010).
The references used in the article are valid as they are drawn from credible sources, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, periodicals and textbooks related to education as well as online learning. The authors support the facts stated in the article based on the evidence obtained from the literature. The article uses the APA citation style to provide evidence from the literature. In-text citations are used in all of the paragraphs of the article.
The arguments provided in the article are convincing as they are based on evidence from the literature, such as the valuable results of the studies investigating the topic area. The article also provides the divergent opinions on the given hypothesis by presenting the information about the conclusions related to the hypothesis of the study made by other researchers and goes ahead to provide an evaluation that gives a clear stand on different issues. The validity of the study is also enhanced by the fact that the authors identify the arguments, which are not supported by enough amount of evidence, conduct further research in the area to present additional evidence, and present its results, which contribute to extending the amount of valuable information about the chosen area of research.
Evaluation and Critique
The research adopts a quantitative design under which the Intelligent Web-based Interactive Language Learning (I WiLL) community is created and used to test the TAM. The experiment is based on the hypothesis proposed in the model that indicates that one can predict the willingness to use an online learning platform.
The research sample includes 436 senior high school students from Taiwan involved in the process of learning English. The data were analysed using the statistical approach of SEM and the software LISREL 8.54. It is a good strategy as it helps to assess the collected data effectively and receive objective, precise results. A survey methodology using Likert scale was employed. A pilot was done on the survey questionnaires for reliability and achieved a Cronbach Alpha value of 0.90 to 0.92, which suggests that the questionnaire is both reliable and valid. The maximum likelihood method was applied in the estimation of the different parameters of the model. This method helps to determine the value of particular characteristics for certain statistics and maximize the likelihood function. This method appears to be appropriate for the study, as it helps to conduct a well-defined estimation in case of the normal distribution, and this feature corresponds to the specifics of the study.
The research design was chosen appropriately as the study aimed to test the validity of the hypothesis developed from an education model (Liu et al., 2010). The researchers relied on SEM to measure the strength of relationships between variables, as such statistical approach integrates different forms of analysis and helps to achieve a good model fit after analysis and modification (Liu et al., 2010, p. 605). Therefore, usage of such a statistical approach contributes to conducting the comprehensive analysis of the collected data and receiving valid results.
The sample selection was conducted by putting a questionnaire on the IWill Website for two weeks. The subjects were randomly chosen as any student using IWiLL learning community could become part of the research by answering the questionnaire on the website. Such a method of selection let the researchers select a big number of participants while the random character of selection contributed to the objectivity of the study. The study is good and meets most of the requirements of survey design (Oha & Reeves, 2010). However, the study has some weaknesses, as no control sample is used. A control sample will be good for this study, as it will let the researchers isolate the influence of investigated variables. Therefore, the features of the IWiLL learning community cannot be considered the determinants of whether the students will use the platform. The results are clear, comprehensible, and match the hypothesis being tested. I agree with the conclusions made by the authors as they are supported by the evidence-based on the reliable data, such as the results of the empirical study conducted by the researchers and the analysis of gained results compared to other studies. The conclusions are clear and supported by the evidence from literature, as the authors cite different studies carried out on the issue previously.
Conclusion
The study contributes significantly to the evaluation of the TAM model of online learning and the usage of external variables. The research results emphasize the importance of considering course design and interface design together with proving the essential role of using the system previous online experience, perceived interaction, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness. The study provides evidence of how learners make decisions on which online learning platform to use in their studies (Oha & Reeves, 2010). The weaknesses of the study include a limited sample, which was not classified in terms of age or educational background and the absence of measurement of the students motivation to participate in the study. It would be important to look at these variables, as background and motivational factors directly affect the behavioural patterns demonstrated by the participants. Improving the questionnaires design, broadening the sample variety, compiling the users learning portfolios, and analysing the motivational factors that encourage the students to participate in different online learning activities can be considered as suggestions for future improvements of the model of this study.
References
Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research: Theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of the Instructional Sciences, 13(1), 15-42.
Liu, I. F., Chen, M. C., Sun, Y. S., Wible, D., & Kuo, C. H. (2010). Extending the TAM model to explore the factors that affect intention to use an online learning community. Computers & Education, 54(2), 600-610.
Oha, E., & Reeves, T. (2010). The implications of the differences between design research and instructional systems design for educational technology researchers and practitioners. Educational Media International, 4(47), 263-275.
One thing that has amazed mankind is the speed at which new technologies emerge. It is no doubt that everyone is impacted by technology. Technology has changed since the inception of computers and mobile phones.
Technology and Life
One of the areas that technology has impacted my life is in terms of communication. The availability of the internet and smartphones, which are now affordable, helps me to communicate with friends and relatives who are in other parts of the world. For instance, through e-mails, instant chat, and video calls, I talk to my uncle, who is working as an expatriate in India. I am also capable of reading news from BBC, New York Times, US Today, among others, through my phone. This keeps me updated on all events, both locally and internationally. Despite the fact that technology has made communication easier and faster, it is worrying that I talk to my relatives and friends less when I e-mail or SMS them (Oak, 2012). Additionally, through video calls and e-mails, it is not possible to express my emotional feelings and thoughts as compared to face-to-face interaction.
On the same line of thinking, this kind of communication has been used widely in education. I have managed to enroll in some online courses and successfully graduated. Through the internet and other forms of technology such as CD, video conferencing, among others, we have managed to have a class discussion where we share course contents, ask questions, take tests, to mention but a few (Schroeder, 2010). As a student, I have really benefited from technology. For instance, when I am not sure about some terms and concepts, the internet has made it easy for me to understand them. I just have to google, and I find simplified explanations. However, the problem with this kind of learning is the fact that it lacks face-to-face interaction between students and the teacher or instructor (Oak, 2012).
Businesses have tried to adopt online or internet commerce. This has offered me a platform to shop online without experiencing the problem of queuing for hours. Well developed websites make it enjoyable to order goods and services online. It is worth noting that the approach is convenient, easy to use, saves time; one can buy whenever he or she wishes and receive the product at his or her doorstep. Additionally, for those individuals used to carrying out business face-to-face, it might not be a good idea for them to shop online (Schroeder, 2010).
Technology, particularly through internet games and social media communication, is addictive. Whenever I am free, I always find myself using social media such as Facebook or Twitter to communicate with relatives, classmates, and other friends despite the fact that we were together, maybe in class or in town. On the same note, the internet provides me with an opportunity to create videos and upload them to YouTube. Although this is another way of sharing information with others, it takes a lot of my time not only when creating these videos but also watching those already uploaded by others. Thus I lack time to carry out physical exercise, which is good for a healthy person (Greenfield, 2011).
Conclusion
In my view, I believe that technology is here to stay and we will see more changes in the future. For this reason, it is up to us to try to develop boundaries on how to use these technologies so that it does not negatively impact on our lives.
Oak, M. (2012). What is the Impact of Technology on Our Society? Web.
Schroeder, R. (2010). The Consumption of Technology in Everyday Life: Car, Telephone, and Television in Sweden and America in Comparative-Historical Perspective. Sociological Research Online, 2(1), 27-36.
At present, safe and cheap payment systems have become a primary concern of many companies because online purchases are gaining more and more popularity. In the case of Google Corporation, the shopping service is among those which need improvement. Customers complain of its low efficiency. One of the possible advances in this respect can be the implementation of blockchain technology which can reduce the cost of transactions, simplify the record-keeping, and provide data privacy (Nair & Sebastian, 2017). Bitcoin is one of the famous blockchain projects which is a transparent and accountable crypto-currency. However, blockchain has some more possible applications (Jstevenperry, 2017)
Implementation Plan
Implementation of any technology should start with the careful analysis of existing problems and the ways the technology can be helpful to improve the situation. Thus, the implementation plan of blockchain technology for Google should consider the following aspects.
Work Breakdown Structure
The most general breakdown structure includes five stages, as it is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Work Breakdown Structure.
As it is shown in Table 1, every stage consists of elements that should be completed. They need to be carefully planned and be implemented in a logical order.
Table 1. Elements of Work Breakdown Structure.
Initiation
Evaluation of the suggestion and recommendations
Project charter development
Project charter review
Project charter approval
Planning
Project team formation
Project team meeting
Project plan development
Project plan analysis
Project plan approval
Execution
Project design development
Hardware purchase
Software development
Installation
Testing
Launch
Control
Project management
Risk assessment
Quality evaluation
Customers feedback
Updating project management plan in case of necessity
Closeout
Closing documentation
Achieving files and documents
PERT and Project Scheduling
Program Evaluation Review Technique is a useful tool for scheduling, organizing, and coordinating tasks of a certain project. It presents the stages of the project, their order, duration, and interconnection. The PERT in Figure 2 can be suggested for blockchain technology implementation.
Figure 2. Project Schedule in PERT.
In case some problems are detected during the execution and control stages, the review of the initial plan can be needed, which will extend the schedule limits.
Stakeholders Considerations
With the implementation of a project based on blockchain technology, it is necessary to consider some of its key aspects. First of all, stakeholders should keep in mind that at present, there are no effective evaluation indices or criteria for evaluating blockchain technology and comparing it with similar systems or those fulfilling the same functions (Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, 2017). Another issue to consider is that since the technology is new and promising, its emergence caused a gold rush (Deloitte, 2016, p.19). Thus, companies tend to implement it without evaluation of benefits and drawbacks in every individual case with some unreasonable hopes, which can lead to dissatisfaction with the results.
Impact on Employees
The implemented technology is mainly aimed at customers. Thus, it will not affect employees much. It will only touch the people involved in the planning of the project, its execution, and control. The employees involved will be some managers in charge of the project, the financial department, which will be responsible for the budget, and a project team which will include hardware and software professionals together with others necessary for the careful consideration of all project stages.
Operational Concerns
The implementation of blockchain technology can influence some aspects of the companys operation. First of all, it can attract more customers to Google shopping services and thus increase the efficiency of this service. However, there is a short-term challenge to consider. Since blockchain technology is not so widespread, some customers may not trust it in the beginning. Nevertheless, after the system proves its reliability and safety, it is going to become a benefit. A primary concern of the companys management will probably be selecting a project team and planning the project implementation.
Careful consideration of possible hidden pitfalls is crucial to avoid future problems in other stages. Moreover, the economic drawbacks of the technology should be considered, such as redundancy, scaling, regulatory compliance, irreversibility, and security (Ammous, 2016). Also, it is important to evaluate external regulatory, data ownership, and residency requirements regarding blockchain technology implementation (Mercator Advisory Group, 2016). The considerations of technical stuff include providing the hardware necessary for the adequate functioning of new technology. Team members responsible for software should take care of both functionality and a comfortable interface. The customers should consider trying a new initiative and provide feedback, either positive or negative, to stimulate the improvement of the project.
Conclusions
The implementation of any emerging technology is a challenge for a company. It demands careful consideration of possible risks and the expected benefits. In the case of introducing blockchain technology as a basis for Google payment systems, its convenience for customers and safety of transactions should be the primary concerns. Such an initiative will not be profitable from the start. Some time is necessary to win the trust of customers and provide a reliable work of all services. After all, when the new project works properly, it will attract customers to other projects of the company, thus increasing profits and contributing to its rating in the market.
References
Ammous, S. (2016). Blockchain technology: What is it good for? Web.
Jstevenperry. (2017). What is blockchain? A primer on distributed ledger technology. Web.
Mercator Advisory Group. (2016). Are blockchain solutions ready? Three blockchain solutions put to the test. Web.
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. (2017). Evaluation forms for blockchain-based systems ver. 1.0. Web.
Nair, G.R., & Sebastian, S. (2017). BlockChain technology: centralized ledger to distributed ledger. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 4(3), 2823-2827.
A smart card is any pocket-sized card, which has integrated circuits embedded on it and is referred to as an integrated circuit card or a chip card (Pohlmann 2011). Smartcards range from the basic SIM cards to the swap cards that many people are currently using to make payments. They are safer to carry around compared to cash that is subject to theft. Smartcards are on the increase usage in many institutions and sectors ranging from the healthcare sector to financial sectors. This research paper explores the smart card technology.
Smart cards store data, present authentication, and identification. Large organizations use smartcards for tight security authentication (Guthery 2000). The invention of smart cards is back in 1968 but their use has not been until late in the century. The development of the microprocessors by various electrical engineers such as Helmut Grottrup and Jurgen Dethloff back in 1969 formed the foundation for invention of smart cards. In 1977, Michel Ugon invented the first microprocessor smart card. The first smartcard to be in use was the telephone card for the payment of pay phones in France 1983. After the success of this, integration of the microchips into the Carte Bleue debit cards proceeded in 1992 (Guthery 2002).
Stored value refers to any monetary value as well as funds represented in a digital electronic format and capable of storage on electronic media in such a way that it is transferrable electronically or is retrievable electronically (Pohlmann 2011). Stored value enables one to load his or her smartcard with the dollar amount they wish and use this to pay for transfers as well as other services and products. However, the adoption of stored value cards and their market place acceptance depends on the maturity of the credit or debit electronic infrastructure (Guthery 2000). Consumers can utilize the stored value concept to obtain various products and services such as healthcare services. Therefore, consumers can load money into their stored value cards for healthcare services. They can go for routine checkups to dentists and other checkups using their pre-paid cards. They can as well purchase medicines from pharmaceuticals using the cards. These cards can as well be loaded with money and cater for medical emergencies
Smartcards reduce fraud and streamline administrative procedures in institutions. Streamlining administrative procedures in healthcare organizations is now achievable using the smartcard systems (Guthery 2000). The health insurance organizations issued these cards, which contained insured persons personal data, which, normally is on the paper insurance forms. The smart patient data stored in the chip is easily readable with an appropriate smart card reading device thus facilitating the secure sharing of patient clinical data amongst multiple healthcare providers.
There has been positive response for the smart card technology. People are actively embracing the technology invented in 1977 by several engineers (Guthery 2000). Initially the smart cards were only in the pay phones in France but later developed and applied in many sectors such as the financial sector and the health sector. The health care sector is the major beneficiary of the smart card technology. In addition, consumers can now use the stored value cards to access health care services. This has allowed consumers to load stored value cards with money and access healthcare services (Guthery 2000)
References
Guthery. S. (2000). Smart card: developers kit. Michigan: Michigan University.
Guthery. S. (2002). Smart card: developers kit. Michigan: Michigan University.
Pohlmann. N. (2011). ISSE 2010 Securing Electronic Business Processes: Highlights of the Information Security Solutions Europe 2010 Conference. California: California University.
