Me and E-learning

Here I am in English class...!

My 10 Golden Rules for I-Land

I've been travelling through the web for almost 10 years, i've lost myself a hundred times, i've discovered so many things, i've been fascinated, scared, i've felt threatened,...

But I'm still alive !

Back from the jungle, i've decided to share my ten golden rules for I-Land (Internet Land) with you. How lucky you are !

1. "Be aware" (sic. Jean Claude Van Damme)
Internet is the land of the New.

2. Just Google it !
Anyone, anything, anytime. You've just met someone ? Google her/him. You've read on Twitter Kanye West was dead and you don't know what to think about it ? Google it. You've just discovered a new talented artist ? Google her/him.

3. Stay connected with your friends - adopt Facebook.

4. Stay connected with the world - adopt Twitter.

5. Don't buy shoes on the internet.
It's so hard to choose the size that will perfectly fit you.

6. Don't post any compromising pictures of you or of your friends.
Because they might want to get their revenge.

7. Don't try to be stronger than the web.
You can't hide anything.

8. Try and anticipate what is going to happen.
...and become a trend-setter.

9. Share, share, share...
What's internet if not a huge community of people ?

10. ... and Take, take, take.
Internet is also a great data base. You'll always find what you're looking for.

Do you e-Book ?

Are e-Books the future of traditional paper books ? Will they replace books just like emails replaced hand-written letters ?



Do you know what an e-Book is ?

"e-book" is the short for "electronic book". Various hardwares can be used to read an e-book, such as smart phones, personal computers or even specific readers like "e-Readers". If you want to read one, you just have to buy and to download the electronic book on the internet - you can do it on eBooks, for instance. Already over 2 million free books were available for download as of August 2009.

Why should I adopt e-Books ?

• I can create my own library and store it within a tiny object, which might be interesting for works of research and studies.
  
• It is an ecological way to read, since it requires no paper cuts.
• I can download an illimitate number of books that I can read immediately, without any delay.
  
• I can custom font size.
• I can "travel" through all your books by simply clicking on a hyperlink in the text.

But I think I'll still read printed books too, because...

• I just love the feeling I have when I've just bought a new book and I open it for the first time. I love the touch of the paper, and the smell of the pages. So sensual !
• I would be afraid of losing all my e-books if my e-Reader should break or should be stolen.
  
• The question of copyrights is to be considered: more and more e-books have been hacked on the internet since the creation of downloading platforms. Just like MP3s.

Video presentation of an e-Reader:

My e-CV !

Here is my Video presentation !

The only thing I know is that I know nothing... about the web

The internet provides a wide range of possibilities. One day you have the feeling you know many things about the web, and the day after you realize that it was just a tiny part of what's given to you. Three things that I recently learnt on the internet?

• I didn't know... how to use Twitter

Last summer, Twitter was getting more and more popular in France. At work, people couldn't stop "twitting". That's why I took the decision to sign up to and to learn how to tame the wild Twitter.
First I had a few problems to understand what Twitter was made for. "Micro-blogging"... 120 characters : too much or not enough ? I finally got more comfortable with Twitter, I started following people,... I read articles about the "Twitter irony", and also about those books that people transcribed on Twitter, even about the new trend that consists in telling your couple life through your tweets.

• I still don't know... how to keep my distance from Facebook.

No secret between us : I am a Facebook addict. I mean, a real Facebook addict. And the situation got worse when i bought an iPhone. Social networking is essential to me for several reasons : first it helps me keeping in touch with old friends who live far away from me; secondly i have to admit that it's a useful tool to work with people, to prepare homework (written and oral presentations); and finally, i use it to promote my music. Consequently, I always have to check something on Facebook. My next good resolution ? Trying to keep my distance from Facebook.

• E-learning

The internet boosts my thirst for knowledge. The idea that I can know everything sounds so exciting to me. The symbol of that illimited access to knowledge may be e-learning : on the web, you can always learn, and you even have to learn. I am experiencing e-learning this year at school : I have English class on MSN ! That's a good way to practice the language (writing articles for a blog, making videos, talking to our teacher Bob) and to become more familiar with new technologies and the internet.

CMM Debate

Here is a video we made in class about the impact of the internet on music.
So much fun !

"Facebook Manners and You"

Hack, hack, hack

Two of the last victims are the Belgium-based banks ING and Dexia : those two banks' websites were hacked. The hacker did not alter the database but he had access to names, addresses, and -last but not least- customers' passwords. That means he still can try to hack their accounts.

Did you say "computer crime" ?

As you probably know, cybercriminality includes a broad range of illegal activities involving an information technology infrastructure (sic. Wikipedia). Many kinds of computer crimes have been experienced on the web so far. Different sectors have been victims of hackers so far, and the financial one is one of the recurrent targets of hackers.

ING's and DEXIA's websites have been closed temporarily just after being hacked. This is a good example of what happens on the web. The Belgian Banking and Financial Commision has recorded only 3 similar frauds in 2009, which is far less important than in 2008 (37 frauds recorded). However, the number of victims of hackers keeps increasing and laws don't seem to be able to regulate those frauds.

Indeed, it seems hard to control everything that happens on the internet : it's such a huge network ! In the 1970s, when the idea of a global network appeared, people saw it as a way to connect everyone, to share things, and especially to be FREE : it corresponded to an ideal of equality among people, sticking with the hippie movement ideal. Nowadays, hackers seem to be in that very state of mind. They are even useful to optimize security on the internet : they find the weaknesses of the web and, even if they use them, they indirectly make people aware of what they've found by hacking.

That's why I think hackers are essential to the web, though they must be sued and punished when they go to far.