Friday, 14 November 2014
The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback [Draft 3]
Posted by Xuan at 07:07Wednesday, 12 November 2014
The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback [Draft 2]
Posted by Xuan at 22:41Digital Divide in Singapore - The Visually Handicapped's Situation [Final]
Posted by Xuan at 04:01<1147 words with references>
*Further edited on 14-Nov-14
Reader Response - Global Digital Divide [Final]
Posted by Xuan at 03:58An event that has shaped your life and the person you have become [Final]
Posted by Xuan at 03:55Monday, 10 November 2014
ES1102 Presentation Reflection
Posted by Xuan at 09:30Thursday, 30 October 2014
Digital Divide in Singapore - The Visually Handicapped's Situation [Essay Draft 3]
Posted by Xuan at 07:39Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Digital Divide in Singapore - The Visually Handicapped's Situation [Essay Draft 2]
Posted by Xuan at 08:17Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Digital Divide in Singapore - The Visually Handicapped's Situation [Essay Draft 1]
Posted by Xuan at 03:56Sunday, 28 September 2014
Essay Outline
Posted by Xuan at 04:23Saturday, 20 September 2014
Reader Response - Global Digital Divide [Draft 3]
Posted by Xuan at 06:37Personally, I am quite skeptical towards the conclusion the author has made regarding developing countries’ prospective growth in digital connectivity being faster than developed countries. He mentions that according to International Telecommunications Union, “the total number of fixed broadband users in developing regions rose by 253.5% between 2005 and 2010” but “in developed regions it rose by 109.7%.” However, this only shows an overview. By over-generalising the situation, developing regions seem to have higher broadband penetration’s growth rate than developed regions due to certain major developing countries’ swift growth, but it does not reflect that not all developing countries are able to experience higher growth rate than developed countries.
Secondly, even though basic IT infrastructure has been established in the country, the people living in the developing countries may not possess prior knowledge in using the newly acquired technology. For example, Wakefield (2010) has mentioned that there are concerns raised in Hungary over internet usage being too complicated for the Hungarian citizens to comprehend due to absence of “national e-inclusion policy” when the country started investing in fibre-optic cables infrastructure. As the IT technology may feel alien to the citizens living in some of the developing countries, it will take time and effort to educate them regarding usage of IT. Thus, this will stifle the growth of digital connectivity in the country.
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Friday, 12 September 2014
Reader Response - Global Digital Divide [Draft 2]
Posted by Xuan at 05:33Personally, I am quite skeptical towards the conclusion the author has made regarding developing countries’ prospective growth rate in digital connectivity will be faster than developed countries. I feel that the author has over-generalised the situation as he considers all developing regions to be the same. To support his claim, he mentions that “Faster average annual growth in broadband subscribers has occurred in other major developing countries, for instance India (57.5%), Nigeria (181.4%) and Vietnam (100.0%).” Though these developing countries do exhibit trends of higher growth rate than developed countries, it is highly improbable to observe similar results occurring in all other developing countries.
Firstly, to gain access to the digital world, a country needs to construct the essential IT infrastructure. However, most developing countries lack the hefty funds needed to build them. This is because some developing countries are currently surviving on extremely low GDP per capita. According to the World Bank Group (n.d.), Afghanistan, a developing country located in South Asia, is only achieving a low GDP per capita of US$678 currently. Similar to Afghanistan, Bangladesh has only attained a GDP per capita of US$829. In contrast, USA, a modern developed country, has achieved a high GDP per capita of US$53,143. Thus, developed countries have ample funds to invest and widen their current IT network. On the other hand, with the country’s economy in jeopardy, it will be difficult for developing countries, such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh, to produce the funds required to shape the country’s IT infrastructure.
Secondly, even though basic IT infrastructure has been established in the country, the people living in the developing countries may not possess prior knowledge in using the newly acquired technology. For example, Wakefield (2010) has mentioned that there are concerns raised in Hungary over internet usage being too complicated for the Hungarian citizens to comprehend due to absence of “national e-inclusion policy” when the country started investing in fibre-optic cables infrastructure. As the IT technology may feel alien to the citizens living in the developing countries, it will take time and effort to educate them regarding usage of IT. Thus, this will stifle the growth of digital connectivity in the country.
Lastly, a breach in national security can also slow down the growth rate of digital connectivity. Unfortunately, wars and internal strife are common in developing countries located in certain parts of the world. For example, African developing countries, such as Mali and Mozambique, experienced internal conflicts in recent years. As the country will prioritize protecting itself first, funds will be directed to strengthen the country’s defences instead of improving citizen’s quality of life, such as provision of internet access. In worst case scenario, the amount of existing IT usage in the country can shrink due to destroyed IT infrastructure in the conflicts.
In conclusion, due to the situations that some developing countries are experiencing, these countries may face a formidable journey when attempting to achieve an increased amount of digital connectivity. Therefore, it is difficult to assume that all developing countries will attain faster growth rate in accessibility and usage of internet than developed countries.
Saturday, 6 September 2014
Reader Response - Global Digital Divide [Draft 1]
Posted by Xuan at 00:58Thursday, 4 September 2014
An event that has shaped your life and the person you have become
Posted by Xuan at 09:05Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Summary of "Facebook fans do worse in exams"
Posted by Xuan at 22:56Wednesday, 27 August 2014
My English Language Learning Journey [Final]
Posted by Xuan at 06:05Waking up to voices rambling or shouting in Mandarin or Hokkien is how I have lived for the past 20 years. My parents were not educated during their childhood years. Thus, they only know limited amount of English. Therefore, the habit of using Mandarin or Hokkien to communicate with people has already been ingrained in me since young. Even with my friends, proper English is rarely heard in our conversations. We frequently lapse into our habit of conversing in a mixture of different languages, or what we Singaporeans know fondly as Singlish. As a result, I did not practice speaking or writing proper English, unless I am forced to.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, in school, English lessons for Singaporeans are unavoidable. I remembered dreading each English lesson during my primary and secondary school years. Faced with endless grammar exercises, complicated comprehension passages, and horrifying essays questions, it was a torture for me every lesson. Gradually, I grew to dislike learning English. Though I do realize that I have to change that negative mindset, if not my English command will never improve. However to be honest, I was relieved when I knew that English was not part of my Polytechnic curriculum.
Unfortunately, to enter NUS, I realized that I had to take an English placement test. After three years of not writing academic essays, the horrifying reality finally crashed into me when I stared at the test paper. It was frustrating when I was not able to string my thoughts and ideas together fluently in the essay. Thus, it was not surprising when I knew I had to take this module.
Thus, in the lessons of ES1102, I will try to change my negative mindset regarding learning English. Hopefully, I am able to get rid of my fear of English at the end of this upcoming journey (which I am sure will not only be filled with hardships, but laughter and joy as well) with my teachers and my peers.
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-- edited on 6 September 2014 --