Thursday, 25 June 2015

Digital Footprints

DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS

 According to  Vangie Beal "On the Internet a digital footprint is the word used to describe the trail, traces or "footprints" that people leave online. This is information transmitted online, such as forum registration, e-mails and attachments, uploading videos or digital images and any other form of transmission of information — all of which leaves traces of personal information about yourself available to others online".



It is very important as a digital citizen to be very cautious of your doings or activities online as whatever you post stays there forever and might complicate your life at a later stage. One might miss out on a great job opportunity due to the things you have once posted online. Following your digital footprint it is very important and so is being clean and wise when coming to what you post or say online.
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Saturday, 20 June 2015

References

REFERENCES

Variety of images online n.d. [image online]. Available at:






















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Additional Resources

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES


DID YOU KNOW?

  • You always have to be smart when on the internet at all times.

  • Be wise at all times.


  • Be safe at all times.




  • Follow your footprint




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Parents Section

PARENTS SECTION


As a parent it is very important to note and know what your kids are up to when they are online and the same applies to the kind of games they are playing and exposed to over the internet. To ensure that your child is safe and not compromised in any way when coming to online activities, certain measures must be put up and thus be able to monitor whatever they are doing. To do such here are a few safe games for kids that they can play online or simply download on their phones.

Animals Puzzle for Kids - screenshotSafe and good games for kids: 

  • Candy crush saga
  • My talking Tom
  • Farm heroes saga
  • Pet rescue saga
  • Animals puzzle for kids
All these games mentioned here are good for stimulation as they involve a lot of strategic thinking and the visuals tend to make them more enjoyable and fun.
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Digital Commerce

DIGITAL COMMERCE

According to Techopedia, "Digital commerce (D-commerce) is a type of e-commerce used by an organization that delivers and sells products online. D-commerce is used by companies that sell news, subscriptions, documents or any form of electronic content, and the digital commerce company collects payments, handles customer refunds and billing and manages other accounting functions for online publisher clients. D-commerce is considered a form of e-commerce because it deals with the exchange of electronic goods.


[Picture courtesy of TemplateMontser.com]

The importance of being informed:

Being informed it is a very critical or rather important attribute that one may possess. Information opens our eyes to new things on a daily basis and being informed and up-to date is very important as the world we live in evolves every second when coming to the digital world.

Plagiarism guidelines:

Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use of the work of others as if this were your own 
original work.
Guidelines on plagiarism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism

Online auctions and tips:

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Digital Health and Wellbeing

DIGITAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

According to Ribble (2011) the definition of this element is: “Physical and psychological well-being in a digital technological world”.

According to Paul Sonnier, "Digital health is the convergence of the digital and genetics revolutions with health, healthcare, living, and society. As we are seeing and experiencing, digital health is empowering us to better track, manage, and improve our own and our family’s health. It’s also helping to reduce inefficiencies in healthcare delivery, improve access, reduce costs, increase quality, and make medicine more personalized and precise".

So it is very important for one to take care of their health while being a participating digital citizen in the vast digital world we live in.


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Digital Security

DIGITAL SECURITY


Digital security is a growing problem in this technology age and era and it is very important for users to make an effort to know about such risks. “Digital security refers to ensuring the ability to use digital information and information systems without interference, disruption, unauthorized access or data collection” (Security ina-box, n.d.). Ribble (2011) defines it as the “electronic precautions to guarantee digital safety” (digitalcitizenship, n.d.).

Certain issues surround digital security and such are:
  • Malware -  malicious software, software that is used to compromise computer functions, steal data, bypass controls, or otherwise harm the computer that hosts it. 
  • Digital fraud and crime - Digital Fraud and Crime includes crimes such as scams, child pornography, identity theft, social media re-engineering, cyber bullying, cyber stalking and cyber harassment. Although to a large extent the Internet is required for many of these crimes to take place, it is also telecommunication devices and tablets that are involved.
  • Online privacy issues - The first is that of cookies, which are innocuous in their intent, but if hacked can reveal user’s authentication and other stored information. Cookies are used to better enable user’s navigation, store information about the user’s online behavior, as well as store user preferences (which can at times include financial information). The second most common issue is terms and conditions. Most people have been victims simply because users can not take their time to read the terms and conditions before agreeing to something over the internet.
With security issues being on the rise every year it is important for one to know hoe to protect themselves from these malicious scams as cyber crimes are on the rise.
To protect yourself as a user one must:
  • Protection for devices from malware and hackers 
  • Protect your information 
  • Creating and maintaining secure passwords 
  • Protecting sensitive files on your computer 
  • Keeping your Internet communication private 
  • How to remain anonymous and bypass censorship on the Internet 
  • Protecting yourself and your data on social media platforms
According to cybercrime.org.za cyber crime” means any criminal or other offence that is facilitated by or involves the use of electronic communications or information systems, including any device or the Internet or any one or more of them.
cyber crime seems to be on a rise and being educated on the different types of cyber crimes is very important so that users can protect themselves.

Types of cyber crimes:

Attacks on computer systems
  • Attacks can result in a criminal accessing your personal or financial details and can prevent you from being able to use your device or computer system properly. Such attacks include unauthorized access or hacking,denial of service attacks and malware.


Cyber-bullying
  • Cyber-bullying or stalking occurs when someone engages in offensive, menacing or harassing behavior through the use of technology. It can happen to people at any age, anytime, and often anonymously.

Email spam and phishing
  • Spam is electronic junk mail – unsolicited messages sent by email, text message or instant message without the recipient’s consent. Spam messages often contain offers of free goods or ‘prizes’, cheap products, promises of wealth or other similar offers. You might be asked to pay a joining fee, to buy something to ‘win’ a prize or to call or text a 190 telephone number (calls made to these numbers are charged at premium rates).
  • Phishing is a way that criminals trick people into giving out their personal or financial details. Phishing messages often pretend to come from legitimate businesses, such as banks or telecommunications providers.
  • All in all these two scams involve the use of personal information of users all over the internet. As a user it is vital that you be careful of what information you give out over the telephone or internet.


Identity theft
  • Identity theft occurs when a criminal gains access to your personal information (such as your name, address, date of birth or bank account details) to steal money or gain other benefits. Even if you think thieves only have a small amount of information about you, they can use it to find more information about you, including photographs, your date and place of birth and even information about your family. This can be enough to apply for services, such as a new bank account. They can also use your personal information to create fake identity documents in your name or even apply for real identity documents in your name, but with another person’s photograph.




Prohibited offensive and illegal content

  • Some online content is prohibited under country laws because it is offensive or illegal. Such material can be found on websites, forums, peer-to-peer networks, and sites providing access to live streamed video. When inadvertently accessed, prohibited offensive and illegal content can be highly distressing – especially for children.



Online child sexual abuse material
  • Material that shows or describes child sexual abuse or other offences against children is illegal under many country laws.
It is an offence to:
  • access, possess, distribute, produce, advertise or make available child pornography or child abuse material
  • procure, groom or engage in sexual activity with a person under 16 years of age, or
  • send indecent communication to a person under 16 years of age.

Online scams or fraud

With the growth in online services and internet use, there are many opportunities for criminals to commit scams and fraud. These are dishonest schemes that seek to take advantage of unsuspecting people to gain a benefit (such as money, or access to personal details). These are often contained in spam and phishing messages.

Common types of online scams include:
  • Unexpected prize scams,
  • Unexpected money scams,
  • Dating or romance scams,
  • Threats and extortion scams,
  • Jobs and investment scams, and
  • Identity theft.

Read more »
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Digital Rights and Responsibilities

DIGITAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ACCEPTABLE USE OF POLICY

 As an education institution it is very vital that there are certain laws put in place in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all persons in the institution. Students are the first priority in the institution and as such there are laws put in place in order to protect them at all times. With such laws, there comes rights and responsibilities that the students must adhere to and failure to do so might result inaction taken against them or the staff that is employed by the institution.


The IIE is dedicated to supporting and maintaining a scholarly community. As its central purpose, this community promotes intellectual inquiry through vigorous discourse. Values which under gird this purpose include civility, dignity, diversity, education, equality, freedom, honesty, and safety.

ACCEPTABLE USE OF POLICY

This Acceptable Usage Policy covers the security and use of all (IIE’s)
information and IT equipment. It also includes the use of email, internet, voice and mobile IT
equipment. This policy applies to all (IIE’s) employees and students (hereafter referred to as ‘individuals’). This policy applies to all information, in whatever form, relating to (IIE’s) business activities nationwide, and to all information handled by (IIE) relating to other organisations with whom it deals. It also covers all IT and information
communications facilities operated by (IIE) or on its behalf.

Computer Access Control – Individual’s Responsibility

Access to the (IIE) IT systems is controlled by the use of User IDs,
passwords and/or tokens. All User IDs and passwords are to be uniquely assigned to named
individuals and consequently, individuals are accountable for all actions on the (IIE’s) IT systems.

 Individuals must not:

  • Allow anyone else to use their user ID/token and password on any (IIE) IT system.
  • Leave their user accounts logged in at an unattended and unlocked computer.
  • Use someone else’s user ID and password to access (IIE’s) IT systems.
  • Leave their password unprotected (for example writing it down).
  • Perform any unauthorized changes to (IIE’s) IT systems or information.
  • Attempt to access data that they are not authorized to use or access.
  • Exceed the limits of their authorization or specific business need to interrogate the system or data.
  • Connect any non-(IIE) authorized device to the (IIE) network or IT systems.
  • Store (IIE) data on any non-authorized (IIE) equipment.
  • Give or transfer (IIE) data or software to any person or organisation outside (IIE) without the authority of (IIE).

Line managers must ensure that individuals are given clear direction on the extent and limits
of their authority with regard to IT systems and data.

 Internet and email Conditions of Use:

 Use of (IIE) internet and email is intended for business use. Personal use is
permitted where such use does not affect the individual’s work or school performance, is not
detrimental to (IIE) in any way, not in breach of any term and condition of
employment/enrollment and does not place the individual or (IIE) in breach of statutory
or other legal obligations. All individuals are accountable for their actions on the internet and email systems

Individuals must not:

  • Use the internet or email for the purposes of harassment or abuse.
  • Use profanity, obscenities, or derogatory remarks in communications.
  • Access, download, send or receive any data (including images), which (IIE) considers offensive in any way, including sexually explicit, discriminatory, defamatory or libelous material.
  • Use the internet or email to make personal gains or conduct a personal business.
  • Use the internet or email to gamble.
  • Use the email systems in a way that could affect its reliability or effectiveness, for example distributing chain letters or spam.
  • Place any information on the Internet that relates to (IIE), alter any information about it, or express any opinion about (IIE), unless they are specifically authorized to do this.
  • Send unprotected sensitive or confidential information externally.
  • Forward (IIE) mail to personal (non-IIE) email accounts (for example a personal Hotmail account).
  • Make official commitments through the internet or email on behalf of (IIE) unless authorized to do so.
  • Download copyrighted material such as music media (MP3) files, film and video files (not an exhaustive list) without appropriate approval.
  • In any way infringe any copyright, database rights, trademarks or other intellectual property.
  • Download any software from the internet without prior approval of the IT Department.
  • Connect (IIE) devices to the internet using non-standard connections.

Clear Desk and Clear Screen Policy

 In order to reduce the risk of unauthorized access or loss of information, (IIE)
enforces a clear desk and screen policy as follows:

  • Personal or confidential business information must be protected using security features provided for example secure print on printers.
  • Computers must be logged off/locked or protected with a screen locking mechanism controlled by a password when unattended.
  • Care must be taken to not leave confidential material on printers or photocopiers.
  • All business-related printed matter must be disposed of using confidential waste bins or shredders.

Mobile Storage Devices

 Mobile devices such as memory sticks, CD's, DVDs and removable hard drives must be
used only in situations when network connectivity is unavailable or there is no other secure
method of transferring data. Only (IIE) authorized mobile storage devices
with encryption enabled must be used, when transferring sensitive or confidential data.

 Software

 Employees must use only software that is authorized by (IIE) on (IEE’s) computers. Authorized software be used in accordance with the software supplier's licensing agreements. All software on (IIE) computers
must be approved and installed by the (IIE) IT department.

 Individuals must not:
  • Store personal files such as music, video, photographs or games on (IIE) IT equipment.

Viruses

 The IT department has implemented centralized, automated virus detection and virus
software updates within the (IIE). All PCs have antivirus software installed to
detect and remove any virus automatically.

 Individuals must not:
  • Remove or disable anti-virus software.
  • Attempt to remove virus-infected files or clean up an infection, other than by the use of approved (IIE) anti-virus software and procedures.

Monitoring and Filtering

 All data that is created and stored on (IIE) computers is the property of
(IIE) and there is no official provision for individual data privacy, however
wherever possible (IIE) will avoid opening personal emails.
IT system logging will take place where appropriate, and investigations will be commenced
where reasonable suspicion exists of a breach of this or any other policy. (IIE) has the right (under certain conditions) to monitor activity on its systems,
including internet and email use, in order to ensure systems security and effective operation,
and to protect against misuse.
Any monitoring will be carried out in accordance with audited, controlled internal processes,
the UK Data Protection Act 1998, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and the
Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice Interception of Communications)
Regulations 2000.

It is your responsibility to report suspected breaches of security policy without delay
to your line management, the IT department, the information security department or
the IT help-desk.
All breaches of information security policies will be investigated. Where
investigations reveal misconduct, disciplinary action may follow in line with (IIE)
disciplinary procedures.

STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

RIGHTS:
  • Students have the right to computer access within the institution's network
  • Students have the right to be treated fairly and with dignity regardless of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status.
  • Students have the right to be protected from capricious decision-making by the College and to have access to College policies which affect them. 
Along with rights come certain responsibilities. Students at the College are expected to act consistently with the values of the College community and to obey local and state laws.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Students must not damage the College's equipment in any way
  • Students must use the College equipment and internet access accordingly
  • Students must not violate College computer policies

 Failure to comply with the responsibilities mentioned in the Acceptable Use of Policy of the IIE institute may result in the following interventions, after all resolution procedures have been exhausted.

 INTERVENTIONS TO BE TAKEN:
  • Formal Reprimand:
    A formal notice that the Statement has been violated and that future violations will be dealt with more severely.
  • Disciplinary Probation:
    A designated period of time during which the student is not in good standing with the College. The terms of probation may involve restrictions of student privileges and/or set specific behavioral expectations.
  • Restitution:
    Reasonable compensation for loss, damage, or injury to the appropriate party in the form of community service or service learning, money, or material replacement.
  • Restriction from Employment at the College:
    Prohibition or limitation on College employment.
  • Class/Workshop Attendance:
    Enrollment and completion of a class or workshop that could help the student understand why certain behavior was inappropriate.
  •  Educational Project:
    Completion of a project specifically designed to help the student understand why certain behavior was inappropriate.
  • Service:
    Performance of one or more tasks designed to benefit the community and help the student understand why certain behavior was inappropriate.
  •  Removal from Specific Courses or Activities:
    Suspension or transfer from courses or activities at the College for a specified period of time.
  •  No Contact:
    Restriction from entering specific College  areas and/or all forms of contact with certain person(s).
  • Suspension:
    Separation from the College  for a specified period of time or until certain conditions are met.
  • Expulsion:
    Permanent separation from the College.
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Digital Etiquette

Digital Etiquette

DIGITAL CODE OF CONDUCT FOR EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

  • Identify yourself:
    • Begin messages with a salutation and end them with your name.
    • Use a signature (a footer with your identifying information) at the end of a message
  • Include a subject line. Give a descriptive phrase in the subject line of the message header that tells the topic of the message (not just "Hi, there!").
  • Avoid sarcasm. People who don't know you may misinterpret its meaning.
  • Respect others' privacy. Do not quote or forward personal email without the original author's permission.
  • Copy with caution. Don't copy everyone you know on each message.
  • No spam (a.k.a. junk mail). Don't contribute to worthless information on the Internet by sending or responding to mass postings of chain letters, rumors, etc.
  • Be concise. Keep messages concise—about one screen, as a rule of thumb.
  • Use appropriate language:
    • Avoid coarse, rough, or rude language.
    • Observe good grammar and spelling.
  • Use appropriate emoticons (emotion icons) to help convey meaning. Use "smiley's" or punctuation such as :-) to convey emotions. See website list of emoticons at http://netlingo.com/smiley.cfm and http://www.robelle.com/smugbook/smiley.html.
  • Use appropriate intensifiers to help convey meaning.
    • Avoid "flaming" (online "screaming") or sentences typed in all caps.
    • Use asterisks surrounding words to indicate italics used for emphasis (*at last*).
    • Use words in brackets, such as (grin), to show a state of mind.
    • Use common acronyms (e.g., LOL for "laugh out loud").
Failure to meet these requirements will result in punishment such as:
  • Hearing
  • Suspension for a week
  • Online activities suspension for the certain user.
To re-enforce these rules, all users will have to connect to the institutions server before conducting any online activities and that will therefore result in the institution being able to monitor all online activities.
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Digital Communication

Digital Communication

Clash of Clans


Overview of the game.

Clash of clans is a multiplayer game that mainly deals with strategic thinking and co-operation between members of a clan or village. The whole purpose of the game was to collaborate as a team in order to achieve a certain goal and be able to earn rewards. Teamwork was highly encouraged and that made the whole experience to be good as a communication within the clan members was highly encouraged.

The collaborative process:

As a clan it was important that we collaborate at all times as the aim was to defeat other clans as a team.
Establish: As a clan on a mission the first thing to do was to establish our main goal and give out roles. Since I was in clan/village that was already established, there was already a leader and subordinates elected in order to achieve the clan’s goal.
Envision: After establishing a goal and roles, a vision plan was to be created in order to ensure that everyone was on board with the mission and tasks to be carried out in order to be victorious.
Engineer: This is where a practical and more informative plan was addressed. As clan members we were giving each other tips and strategies as to how our vision will be carried out to the end.
Execute: After the accounts we had due to planning, this is where we finally went to war and ensured that we take on our opponents as a team. We played the game to our fullest capabilities and
Examine: The game was played to our best abilities and we achieved a goal as a clan all due to communication. The results were good and we got to learn a lot about each other and teamwork a skill.

Type of communication used:

The communication used in clash of clans is informal as it is a game and most users find it easier to use the texting language to save time. Although the texting language is easier to use and saves time, there has been complaints with the game not offering enough assistance when coming to communication between clan members. As a result users have resorted to using social media platforms like WhatsApp, WeChat and KiK to carry out their plans and be able to play effectively when in the game.
Although communication is achieved effectively in this game, there has been some instances where improper language was used by rival clan members in the game and that has proven to be dire as cuss words were used a lot and that resulting in people retaliating.

Overall view of the game

The game is good and a very good communication tool for people as it encourages teamwork a lot. Yes the game can be a good platform to educate the younger generation about digital citizenship. Communication is encouraged and so is proper online etiquette as there are a lot of people playing the game and proper behavior is the key to enjoying the whole gaming experience.


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Digital Literacy and Information Fluency

Digital Literacy and Information Fluency


 In 2013 Animal Planet created a series that specifically focused on the notion of mermaids. Furthermore Animal Planet aired a couple of documentaries about mermaids being discovered and that sure sparked a lot of opinions from people around the world about this theory.

 Purpose of the site and series

 The purpose of the site and series was to create awareness on the theory that mermaids exist or existed in our society. As Animal Planet deals mainly with animals and different discoveries pertaining to animals. Basically the series was made to spark some controversy and see if people will believe in the theory and whether further investigations will stem from this documentary. Mermaids is a docufiction  that originally aired as Mermaids: The Body Found on May 27, 2012, on Animal Planet and June 17 on Discovery Channel. It tells a story of a scientific team's investigative efforts to uncover the source behind mysterious underwater recordings of an unidentified marine body. The show presents the generally discredited aquatic ape hypothesis as evidence that mermaids exist, along with a digitally manufactured video. A sequel broadcast called Mermaids: The New Evidence aired May 26, 2013.


The process

 The process of the whole thing was easy as most of the things were made up and specially made for the purpose of making people believe in their theory and that therefore misled people from the onset. Animal Planet failed to inform viewers that what they said was a documentary was in fact a docufiction with re-enactments.

 The public’s response

 The public's response to the whole thing was negative as they were outraged about the fact that Animal Planet failed to inform them before the broadcast that the whole thing was not real as stated in their disclaimer.

 The veracity of the series

 The veracity of the series remains questionable since it was discovered that the documentary was in fact a docufiction with most of the findings made up and re-enacted. It is therefore safe to say that the whole theory on mermaids is a lie, or just pure fiction.

 Your opinion of the success or lack thereof of Animal Planet’s campaign

 I believe that they did not reach their success as planned since the series was not received very well by the public but in terms of the channel's ratings, Animal Planet had a success as the show had a viewership of 1.9 million on its premiere telecast and the last time the channel had such ratings was in 2007.





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