All good things must come to an end, this is what I’m feeling at the end of this 2^nd trimester.  A computer class is basically a boring a subject if not handled by a wonderful person such as Mr. Belanio which made it very interesting.  Whether we like it or not, we face I.T. at some point of our career, at times we may feel miserable with it but we should embrace technology because in time it will make our lives easier and more productive.

Having to do a lot of blogs, spreadsheets, MS Access, quizzes etc., have made us hungry for knowledge and trained us to be more knowledgeable on these topics.  We also learned that knowledge sharing is empowerment on instances that if your classmates need assistance you should offer a helping hand because if we needed assistance they are more than willing to help.  Our lessons fueled us to look for more knowledge beyond the books and searching the internet until all our questions have been solved.

Yes Information Technology matters to me, being a bookkeeper of a government high school, I face these kinds of computer programs on a daily basis, such as budgeting school funds and creating regular reports.  The learning’s I got from this subject can be put to use not only on our office but I can freely share it with anybody who needs it and make their work easier too (Just like knowledge management).  Dalai Lama once said, “Share your knowledge, it’s a way to achieve immortality”, the things we learn must not stop on us but we should mentor at least one person so that knowledge lives on.

I face the computer at least eight hours a day for work and entertainment, before I only blog because I am paid to do it, now I blog for free but it is still very rewarding because it widens my learning’s.  This subject made me a responsible user of social media and taught me a very valuable lesson to think before I click or post and make sure that no one will be hurt by my social media interactions.

This subject has taught us valuable lessons both explicitly and implicitly. We have to apply and share this gift of knowledge and continue to be responsible individuals.  I may not have a concrete reason why I took this masters program but I am very thankful for every new learning that this subject has contributed which made me love this chapter of my life.  This subject made me embrace technology, gave me courage to explore the unknown and motivated me to positively influence others.  This is not an easy subject but with the help of our teacher and classmates that are all very supportive (on which I am very thankful of) made the journey through it very worth it.

Social media’s tools are useful in different ways for different people. For many, their sole purpose is connecting and sharing photos with family members but for professional persons social media tools are important lifelines.

Social media platforms have the potential to boost access to resources which fuels personal and professional development in ways never before possible.  Social media can be used for our advantage because they create settings for new collaborations, conversations and even career opportunities.

It has been said that we become most like the 5 people we hang out with the most.  Twitter, Facebook and Google+ among others offer instant opportunities to follow authors, educators, professional icons etc. which boost our self esteem and learn valuable lessons from them.  They not only share information and resources but also initiate and invite direct engagement.  Simply following people who would otherwise only be names in textbooks or journal articles is one legitimate way to engage with these individuals and to learn directly from them.

Many other social tools extend and enrich our personal growth.  For example, blogs, podcasts, apps etc. bring new content directly to our targetted subscribers’ devices. Social bookmarking tools not only allow learners to collect resources, but to extend learning to include what others are gathering.

Social media helps us in our development so we can achieve more.  We should believe that we could be a more positive and accomplished person because we allowed social media to help you tackle the unknown and personally and positively influence the lives of others.

Social media has many great benefits to boost our personal development but it has its negative effects too we must be responsible users and never use it to harm others.

1. Do not cyberbully, everyone should be able to live a life free from bullying and harassment both online and offline.
2. Do not Lie/Cheat/Plagiarize, be original, be yourself. You don’t need to copy other people work just to be famous.
3. Do not post when you are emotional. We’ve all said and done things we regret, always take into consideration to take a moment to imagine how your posts affect the feelings, safety and well-being of those around you.

Software Piracy is defined by Merriam-Webster as the act of illegally copying someone’s product or invention without permission and the act of illegally making television or radio broadcasts.  Poor countries lead the world in software piracy in which people from the poor world don’t pay for software, games, music and movies because these goods cost too much. Whereas a DVD on first world countries might just cost you an hour’s wage, the same DVD in a poor country could cost a day’s work, or a week’s, or even more. In poor markets where legitimate media costs the same (in relative terms) as it does in rich markets, the amount of licit purchasing is about the same.

The act of using an illegal copy of licensed software is a crime regardless of your race, culture, social status, gender and income. Using illegal copies of software’s for the reason that you are poor is not a valid excuse because software piracy is contrary to law, good customs, morals, public order and public policy. It is unethical regardless on how recipients “deserve” it.

Punitive measures are commonly being used to combat piracy wherein in the United States; the maximum criminal penalty for copyright infringement is a fine of up to $250,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years. Even though such punishments are implemented, software piracy still exists and even increases, The law should fully implemented, websites and other materials that aids piracy should be regulated and be taken down so that everyone would be aware that piracy is a crime.

Piracy often arises when consumer demand goes unmet by legitimate supply.  Services ranging from Netflix to Spotify to iTunes have demonstrated that the best way to combat piracy is with better and more convenient legitimate services.  Studies show that the right combination of price, convenience, and inventory will do far more to reduce piracy than enforcement can.  Devices or even software’s should be equipped with “piracy detectors” in which the illegal copy of the software won’t work properly when used.

It’s the “Robin Hood” argument that says it’s ok to steal from the rich and give to the poor. We must remember that not everyone producing copyrighted software’s are rich, many are just minimum wage earner employees that could be put on the risk of getting laid off if the software company in which they are working would no longer profit due to piracy.  We must compensate well our software producers so that they may feel appreciated and will further develop software’s that could benefit us on our daily life.

Knowledge management is the process of transforming sets of practices, information and intellectual assets into enduring value that helps to improve the use and sharing of data in decision-making. It connects people involved with the knowledge that they need to take action and on when they need it.  In the corporate sector, managing knowledge is considered key to achieving breakthrough competitive advantage The use of knowledge management techniques and technologies in secondary public education sector is as important as it is in the corporate sector.  The effective use of it can lead to better decision-making capabilities, reduced time spent for curriculum development and research, improved academic and administrative services, and reduced costs.

Knowledge is a remarkable substance. Unlike other resources, the value of knowledge increases instead of decreases when used (Shapiro and Varian, 1999)

It is a common knowledge that relying on the institutional knowledge of unique individuals can hamper the flexibility and responsiveness of any organization. The challenge is to convert the information that currently resides in those individuals and make it widely and easily available to any faculty member, staff person, or other shareholders. Schools have significant opportunities to apply knowledge management practices to support every part of their mission—from education to public service to research.

Knowledge management should not hit secondary public education institutions as a radically new idea; rather, it is a new spin. Implementing knowledge management practices wisely is a lesson that the smartest organizations in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors should learn all over again. I strongly agree that knowledge is power, but knowledge sharing is empowerment.  In every great idea, we still need other people’s thoughts to polish it to achieve its full potential.  I always believe that it is more essential to share knowledge than to keeping it with your selves. Knowledge sharing can truly be helpful in terms of encouraging others to share their tacit knowledge, aside from that it enables to make realize his worth in an organization. Knowledge truly becomes more valuable if it is shared. An approach to successfully introduce KM in the organization is based on this mantra: “my employee failure is mine failure”. You are the leader, if something fails, you’re the first to be responsible and you should keep this in the back of your head.

Today, a big number of organizations make the mistake of relying too heavily on Business Intelligence (BI), as if without it, they would have absolutely no way to sell, create, and deliver a product or service.  Few years back, long before business intelligence and similar systems were introduced, businesses were successfully run with little more than bookkeepers, manufacturing staff, and a whole lot of paper.  This means they had to find manual ways to access efficiency, but it did not prevent them from operating productively and making a profit.

Business intelligence is a very effective tool that with proper use, it can help organizations survive and thrive in a challenging and competitive business environment. But to use this technology effectively, IT managers must understand how the parts come together.

To make this possible, they must they should only incur minimal overhead expenses in building it, charge more than it costs to make, have enough inventory on hand to meet customer demands, and ensure that the product is of high quality to avoid returns.

The point is that businesses don’t run on BI software.  They simply run better when timely information can be used to detect and correct problems – or even prevent them proactively – before they have a major effect on performance. Fast growing companies recognize that the key to success is having a strategy in place before the business is launched.  Business intelligence then becomes the tool for communicating that strategy to everyone in the organization, regardless of his or her role.  With this in place, companies can be more prepared for success as they can react to business changes and be more agile than the competition.

 Rewards do not create a lasting commitment. They merely, and temporarily, change what we do.

Do rewards work? The answer depends on what we mean by “work.” Research suggests that, by and large, rewards succeed at securing one thing only: temporary compliance. When it comes to producing lasting change in attitudes and behavior, however, rewards, like punishment, are strikingly ineffective. Once the rewards run out, people revert to their old behaviors. They do not create an enduring commitment to any value or action. Rather, incentives merely—and temporarily—change what we do.

Here are some tips on how to effectively use business intelligence tools:

• Support the various analytical and reporting styles of the business executives and other workers who are using the BI system. That may include reporting, ad hoc querying,online analytical processing (OLAP), data mining, predictive analytics, data visualization and, of course, spreadsheet integration.

• Provide access to the level of comprehensive, consistent, clean and current data that the business needs for analysis – and is willing to pay for.

• Systematically implement and support data governance

• Separate data integration from BI reporting and analysis processes. Implement the staging of data from systems of record through a data warehouse to data marts or cubes.

• Create a business-oriented “semantic layer” to give users a view of the information available for reporting and analytics.

• Create a “live” data and reporting dictionary that business users can use while accessing reports or as a table of contents (with definitions) for the data available to them.

Organizations can encourage more effective use of business intelligence tools by persuading their employees to use the business intelligence tools in doing their daily work by providing orientation, trainings and seminars related to business intelligence tools in order to ensure they fulfill their roles in the organization. Organizations should motivate their employees by providing a rewards program that offers incentives for the right behavior in such a way that it is easier for employees to do the right thing rather than to do the wrong which may include pay raises based on job performance

A well-thought punitive program should also be considered in order to prevent abuse of kindness by the employer or employee, maintain discipline in the organization.

Designing an agile and adaptive BI strategy is very important. It should be treated as a ’living’ artifact, which can be continuously evolved to meet the enterprise needs and objectives. A good BI strategy must focus on communicating what you are planning to build, how you plan to build it, and when can expect their requirements to be met. It should start with broad policy statements, general guidelines, and high-level diagrams. As the BI environment matures so will the formal documentation and depth of details identified in BI strategy. It should be your intent to evolve your BI strategy as part of the enterprise vision as you implement emphasis and more details become available. Continually asses and redesign BI according to the ever changing business needs. Consider the current BI trends and also the coming wave of forward-looking approaches for building the successful BI strategy.

The trend in online buying is become an important part of many people’s lives. Growing numbers of students and parents rely on the internet to acquire textbooks at affordable prices, these virtual stores allow people to shop from the comfort of their homes removing the pressure of a salesperson, and online marketplaces gives a new and more convenient place for the exchange of virtually all kinds of goods and services. Consumers is embracing online sales as a cheaper and more convenient way to shop, but just like anything associated with the internet, there are benefits and dangers associated with shopping online.

There are a lot of benefits to be gained from buying. These include:

Convenience:  You can easily visit their website, find the product you want and buy it. You don’t need to get dressed and drive to your favorite store you can even be on your pajamas. It’s also convenient because you don’t need to wait for the store to open and makes sending gifts to relatives and friends easy, no matter where ever they stay.

Cost Savings: With ever-increasing gas prices, shopping online saves you the cost of driving between stores as well parking fees. Time is also saved by avoiding falling in line, particularly during holiday season when stores are very busy.

Easy Comparison: Shopping online eliminates the need to move between stores trying to compare prices. It will only take a few clicks to compare products.

No Pressure: In an online store, there is no salesperson hovering around and pressuring you to make a purchase.

Variety: The internet provides sellers with unlimited shelf space, so they are likely to offer a wider variety of products than they would in physical stores.

Discreet Shopping: Certain items are often difficult to buy certain items. For example, buying under garments without experiencing awkward stares is nearly impossible. There are a number of instances of this, and sometimes you could feel embarrassment for no reason.

More Payment Options: When it comes to paying for your purchase(s) like Paypal, credit/debit cards and cash on delivery

‘People shop online for convenience, not for price’

There are also disadvantages to buying online. These include:

Identity Theft Risk: When paying for your goods online on unsecured websites, there is a possibility for someone to intercept sensitive information such as a credit card number, address, phone number or account number.

Delivery Issues: Some freight forwarders carelessly handles their deliveries thus causing delays in shipment or products that have been broken due to their mishandling.

Fraudulent Vendor: If the vendor/seller is fraudulent, he or she accepts your payment and either won’t send you your item, or send you the wrong or a defective product. Rectifying an incorrect order with a vendor through the internet can be a hassle.

The three things that I wouldn’t hesitate buying online are software’s, apps and eBooks, these products are usually delivered instantly since these products are in digital form and won’t face the danger of being mishandled that is faced by physically ordered items. Always make sure you are buying them them authorized sellers or re-sellers.

My top three products that I think about before buying online includes electronic products which might have some hidden defects and might have a warranty that is about to expire or already expired. Perishable goods such as hard to find food items or products, these products are very delicate to transport and you must make sure with the freight company if they can safely handle these product deliveries. Branded products should be checked for its authenticity before buying an item to avoid being short-changed and it is unlawful to patronize these products.

The Three products I would never consider buying over the internet includes used clothing items because you don’t just think of the convenience and savings you get online always put into consideration to be always hygienic. Porn subscriptions, pornography addiction causes serious negative consequences of physical, mental, social, and/or financial well-being is hugely debated don’t spend money on items that don’t do good to you. Whether online or offline DO NOT buy/sell/use illegal drugs simply because it does not only destroy you but also those around you.

Online shopping is continuously becoming more popular and improving every single day. Knowing the advantages of online shopping and its disadvantages is additional knowledge for a lot of online shoppers that are useful before shopping online. Always remember to be vigilant in your purchases and thoroughly check the seller to lessen the possibility of being scammed.

These times we don’t leave the house without these things: our keys, our wallet and our smartphone. Tomorrow, it will just be the smartphone. Everything in your wallet will be in the smartphone, and that device will also open every door and start every car we own. The wireless industry has grown and changed over time.

There are benefits from a wireless network, including:

1. Convenience which gives you easy access your network resources from any location within your wireless network’s coverage area or from any WiFi hotspot.
2. Mobility which unties you to your desk, as you were with a wired connection.
3. Productivity. Wireless access to the Internet and to your company’s key applications and resources helps your staff get the job done and encourages collaboration.
4. Easy setup which means no string cables, so installation can be quick and cost-effective.
5. Expandable, You can easily expand wireless networks with existing equipment, while a wired network might require additional wiring.
6. Security advances in wireless networks provide robust security protections.
7. Cost makes wireless networks eliminate or reduce wiring costs, they can cost less to operate than wired networks.

In our organization we use wireless network technologies to get the work done easily and efficiently. Printing and submissions of reports are clutter free because of wireless printers and internet. I can easily make, edit and submit my reports on the go even when I’m away from the office and it is also cost efficient since it saves travel expenses, communication expenses and paper works.

Today, we expect to have wireless internet access just about everywhere we go but using an unsecured wireless connection is risky, the dangers are real and your vital information is put at risk if you connect over an unsecured network. The safest way to use the internet is to connect via a secure wire and use secure websites however, if you want to use a wireless network you can follow these steps to maximize your computer’s security.

1. Change your passwords regularly, do not use common and default passwords and never save passwords in your browser.
2. Use WPA, not WEP and use the VPN (Virtual Private Network), VPN secures your network connection by building a virtual tunnel between your computer and the UChicago network.
3. When using a trusted or untrusted wireless network, you should always check the URL of any website you visit that involves personal information (banking sites, email, etc).If the URL begins with http://, the connection is not encrypted and is easy to sniff.

—If the URL begins with https://, the connection is encrypted and, while it can be sniffed, it’s much harder to sniff anything useful out of it.

— Look for the lock icon in the bottom status bar or the URL field of your browser if you are unsure if the connection is encrypted. By clicking or double-clicking on the lock icon, you should see a window detailing the type of encryption used by the site.

4. Enable router firewall and disable remote administration.

Always remember to be always cautious and put limits in using such technologies so that our personal information won’t be compromised.

Bill Gates once said, “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other.” It is indeed true that technology has made our personal life easier and more efficient.

I myself face the computer for at least 10 hours a day on my career as a senior bookkeeper of a national science high school. My day starts off by checking my email to get some heads up for some important updates before the physical copy of the memorandums arrive. I also check online groups of government agencies to check out if we there are things that are needed to be submitted and make sure we are not missing on some important matters. After those daily routine I organize the things that I need to accomplish, next I process the needed documents and send both an email copy and a physical document to the agencies needing them. Indeed technology is very important to me as it minimizes my workload and makes me a more efficient government employee. Let us use technological advancements only for doing what is right and never abuse it in wrong doings.