Good old days

The programs I would use to replace a paper-based system would be microsoft Excel and access.

These programs can work out sums and formulae in seconds, along with storing huge amounts of information in one place. Excel has a huge variety of calulations at its disposal, with Access having even more. it is easier to organise files on a computer, and as a result of all of the above, has made many jobs redundant. This is because the 2 programs can do calculations faster and easier than any accountant could, and typing is a skill that comes with being IT literate. As a result, people who could grasp ahold of new software easily were employed instead, along with IT assistants to manage the software and hardware, fixing anything wrong with the system, as well as updating it so as it had the latest software at its disposal.

One advantage that the paper-based system has however, is that it cannot be infected with something, deleting al the data it stores. A virtual-based system however will not be damaged over time by things such as age, water damage and the general test of time.

Ambulance

Websites I used are: http://www.wmas.nhs.uk/

http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/A.Finkelstein/las/lascase0.9.pdf

Both ambulance services have benifited greatly from the increase in IT. For one, the equipment added to the vehicle has allowed the ambulance teams to arrive at the situation quickly, and the upgraded equipment for treating injured patients allow them to treat the patient far more effectively, possibly preventing them from needing to go to the hospital, thus saving space.

One of the main disadvantages however, is that if the power failed, all the equipment the ambulance service uses would fail, causing the effectiveness of the service to decrease. However, the increase in IT allows the ambulance to know exactly what is wrong, and how to treat of support the patient before they even arrive.

Tool man

PDA: He could store notes and dates that he needs to remember, thus eliminating the need to carry countless diaries, along with a rechargable battery (depending on the PDA model) it would save money needed to buy diaries.

GPS: will be incredibly useful, as it will get rid of the "large road atlas and numerous A - Z's" he has in his car, compacting it into a small box mounted on his dashboard. Not only that, but it will automatically plan the route for him, freeing up potientally countless hours sat at home planning out routes to his destination. Depending on the make, it could also provide regular traffic updates, allowing him to avoid the traffic jams. It would however be wise to keep a map in the back just in case of a GPS malfunction.

Laptop: The main function he could use this for is for all the administrative work, also, due to the portability, it can allow him to do some in his van during spare time between clients. It can also be used to backup files for his PDA.

Mobile: As long as he has a hands free kit, it will allow him to call his customers, giving them updates such as whether he will be late due to traffic. It will also allow him to call the emergency services, without him having to run to a pay phone, as long as he isn't in a spot where he can't get any reception. Due to this reason it would also be wise to keep some change on him for a pay phone.

Internet: Look up background information on his clients, along with using it to build his own website, bringing in more business due to the increase in advertisement.

The disadvantages of this however, is the electricity he uses will increase quite a bit, along with the fact he will have to manage certain hardware so as to avoid viruses (e.g PDA, laptop). It is also harder to fix a laptop than it is to recover a torn page.

Researching Elearning websites

Below is a list of 5 Elearning websites I choose to examine, in order of their usefullness from best to worst.

1/

http://www.icslearn.co.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_term=education_online

This website was the most useful, as it provided easy-to-use courses that some of my family members have used in the past. Their courses are informative, are they have a huge variety of courses to choose from, whether for personal interest or actual qualifications.

2/http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ - This website is essentially a collection of "conference papers, working papers and electronic literature which supports educational research, policy and practice." It has the potential to be incredibly useful, however it is more a support than actual education.


3/

http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/eclipse/Resources/contentmgt.htm

A huge collection of learning Objects, some made by the website producers, others made by members.

4/

http://www.virtualclassroom.org/

Provides resources to help support students in their education, along with lessons and exams for practicing.

5/

http://www.christianeducation.org.uk/

In my opinion, this is a very weak Elearning resource, primarily because of the fact its aimed at only 1 subject, that is, R.E. It is my opinion that Elearning websites become more effective the more subjects they support.

Using an Elearning object

Elearning Objects are a very useful way of learning. it can potentially be better than actual learning from presentations, Due too that fact that you can replay, pause, rewind the Learning Object at your whim, so as you can evaluate the part you are struggling with over and over. This could apply to science experiment demos, where you are looking at a Elearning Object of how to do a certain experiment, and need to just replay that little bit because you didn't quite catch it.

The disadvantage to Elearning objects is that it does not have the same experience as being taught it by another person. It is possible to ask an expert a question about the content of the Elearning object, however it would depend on if they were online at the time and willing to answer. Also, people may just enjoy being taught by a teacher more than learning from premade videos, as they are both entirely different experiences.

Online Entertainment

Online entertainment has become a booming sensation over the last decade or so. It is now possible to play video games with people around the world, watch movies of the internet, radio, TV and other such services.

Online gaming is the most prominent service, with a profit of around $10 billion every year. Successful examples of this are xbox-live, the internet service provided by microsoft for their console the xbox 360. It does however have its drawbacks. the social structure of some of the more popular games have deteriorated, with regular players resorting to bad sportsmanship and racial slurs and frequent insulting of people.

Internet downloads

Downloads can come in various different forms. The most common are patches for programs to fix bugs, software, drivers for hardware and media.

I regularly download any of these catagories. I often download media from iTunes, as well as various updates and add-ons for my browser of choice (firefox) such as foxytunes, a add-on that lets me control my music through my browser. I also obtained an update for my xbox just last monday.

Downloadable content does have its drawbacks though. Programs such as Torrent download pieces of the program from different people, allowing for a faster download however, this puts the user at a higher risk of getting a virus, as one might be attached to the piece of data being downloaded. It also allows people to illegally obtain anything they want within reason, such as downloading the new Metallica album Death Magnetic instead of going out to buy it.

Overall, I firmly support downloadable services, as it provides greater access to media, software and other such things.