Why do they Hack?

On 8 February 2010, “China has closed down what is believed to be the country's biggest training website for hackers, state media has reported.”

As much as the government said that they are not involved in the hacking incidents, the activity of hacking is one that is most prevalent in China. This was also the reason why Google decided to pull out of China despite such a large Internet population that could earn them a lot of money.

It is fascinating how China, a country that is so stringent about Internet censorship with the Golden Shield Project and Green Dam Youth Project, yet hackers are everywhere! It makes people wonder if their censorship is really made for security or simply as a form of surveillance of Internet users.

Personally, I have never visited China before, and so I do not exactly know how tight censorship is over there. However, recently, a group of friends and I did a project on the issue of the “China Milk Scandal”. To my utmost surprise, the government was actively censoring information disseminated to the world through the media and Internet. Consider it a face-saving country; it has brought harm and deceit to so many countries in the world with its motive to save the countries face.

With this, I would suppose that it is no longer an issue of “Who is hacking”, or “How tight is the security?” and “How to lose the face?” anymore (as much as these issues are pressing too). However, what I would think the government has to look into is the issue of “ethics” in the country. The extremely tight security has stifled so many Chinese nationals that hacking is the only way to get information they want.

From the google issue,

“much of the evidence, including the sophistication of the attacks, strongly suggested an operation run by Chinese government agencies, or at least approved by them.”

However, the only setback is that Google cannot fully prove that there is 100 percent involvement by the Chinese government.

Wow. That is politics for you.

MY LIFE in iMovie

iMovie is brilliant for sharing anything and everything. So, enjoy as I share to you a little about me that you may not know. :)

Find anything in Youtube

Above is a YouTube video that demonstrates the use of a “wild card” in the Google search engine. This is so interesting because through this, I am actually learning about an Internet tool, through an Internet tool. This is probably, the wonder of YouTube – learning and sharing through videos.

I would say that I am not an avid visitor of YouTube, but whenever I am in need of a visual explanation of things, YouTube IS the answer. Initially, what I would think of YouTube would be a platform to share any form of video – meaning videos shared through YouTube are mainly for entertainment purposes, not exactly informational but used to past time, or have a laugh or two.

However, as I seek to use it for informational purposes, I would say that informational videos have been uploaded to the site increasingly, some of which are very creative as well. So maybe YouTube, after all, is not just a site for funny videos and snippets of TV programs and movie trailers.

As we observe this trend, maybe YouTube has a bigger meaning to it!

A positive outlook would be, it is a platform now, for talents and opinionated individuals to air their views and talk about issues or problems not just diplomatically, but creatively! As shown in the video below, students can easily create a video on Singlish in such a creative and entertaining manner.

I would certainly believe that technology has allowed people to increase in their creativity. Internet tools and platforms like YouTube has given people a chance to share their views in any way they want, which is perhaps the most liberating thing about the Internet.

With a tool like YouTube being available now, I certainly do wonder how future movies and TV programs will be like as creativity will sooner of later go beyond boundaries.

In class, as Mr Choy discussed how Google has become something so informative and user-friendly in terms of information seeking (as shown in the first video), we can see an evolution in learning as well - learning is no longer just knowing as information is just at our fingertips, but learning equate to creating - like what YouTube is created for.

Blooming in Learning

As shown above, the Bloom’s Taxonomy depicts learning as a wheel of processes. We do not simply know information, but we learn by processing the information in 6 steps – only than have we truly learnt. This wheel is comprehensive as it depicts learning as not just a cognitive process but also one that is affective and involves psychomotor too.

According to Bloom, learning is: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This makes the process of learning, I would say, a lifelong one! We cannot possibly know something and immediately synthesize a new thing according to what we have learnt just minutes or days ago!

However, the changing world and the proliferation of technological inventions have changed learning from textbooks and print materials into a myriad of information through multimedia and the Internet. Hence, the pace of learning has certainly increased.

According to Spender,

“Online learning is the next generation of educational product, and no more negotiable than was its predecessor, the book. The printing press also transformed educational organization and the process of learning (and work, and society, etc), and that great cultural change created as much upheaval as does the present shift to digital. “

This means that technology, as a form of learning, although scarce at present, is a reality, just like how the book was thought of to be something unrealistic. Because of how the world has changed in pace, and in resources, learning certainly would require reform and evolution as well.

E-learning aka Online learning provides us with the means of getting information from stimulating and interactive medium, making learning an engaging, and productive process. At the same time, learning is not much of a qualification or privilege anymore, but a lifestyle, which is what online learning provides – accessibility to information, and convenience.

I suppose e-learning is also a platform for a collaborative learning environment, which could certainly allow the learner to be more equipped in his or her own pace.

In my opinion, although e learning is not an ubiquitous tool for learning, it shows great potential in this growing world of greater minds that crave for more knowledge. It is easy to say, life is increasingly complicated, but we also have to realize that life with Internet and advanced media and technology has been greatly enriching.

There is no better way to learn than in exploring.