7.4 Sources of Knowledge within the digital environment
Academic Publications
Advantages
They focus on one topic of an area
Disadvantage
The time between it's writing and publication is relatively short, so the information and knowledge they provide is as up to date as possible
Textbooks give a good overview of a topic and are proof read/ checked at several different stages before publication
Level of language used, which can be inaccessible without pre-existing level of knowledge in the topic area
As publishing usually takes over a year to publish elements of the textbook maybe become out of date
E-Learning
This is where someone learns online
Advantages
Accessibility is the main advantage, as it can be accessed anywhere
MOOC's
Massive- number of people taking the course can be massive
Open- Anyone can take part in the course
Online- This is how the learning is taking place
Course- The course teaches a specific topic
Website google search
Advantages
Search engines allow an extensive list of possible sources to be generated in milliseconds on the results page (SERP)
Algorithms search through the sources to give the most accurate list of relevant sources. The most relevant will be at top of the SERP page
Disadvantages
The www is not regulated therefore information might not be accurate
Around 252k new webpages are added to the www each day, therefore SERP pages can be very large which makes it harder to find the most reliable information
Fake new or breaches of user information
Professional networks and peers
This can be a personal network of associates gathered overt time as a person progresses through their career. It can also be a professional body that you apply for a membership
Advantages
The reliability of information from peers and conferences is high. Due to the requirements to meet membership will require professional qualifications
Disadvantages
Time off work to attend, negotiated with employer usually. Large number of lectures available on specific topics
Software development kit (SDK)
API- Application Programming Interference
IDE- Integrated Development Environment
HDK- Hardware Developer Kit
Advantages of SDK's
Provide Supporting Material: e,g sample software, technical notes, documentation, tutorials.
Disadvantages of SDK's
Only allow the addition of specific feature, therefore quite rigid/inflexible
They can be platform, hardware, OS specific, which limits their use
Supplier Literature
This is a formal document such as a manual supplied with a device. May be a hard copy or customers will be given a digital link. It is a reliable source of information as it is produced by the manufacturer
They will contain:
Technical details
User guide
Fault Fixing
Disadvantages
Will contain technical possibly confusing terminology
White Papers
First type
An information document providing details of a solution or product that an organisation sells or plans to sell
Second Type
A document that presents government policies and legislation to gather public reaction
Reliability and Validity
Author Expertise
Author bias- A team of authors may have written a publication, but using the www is easy to check the institution. The date of the publication is also key as technology may have moved on, so the information is no longer relevant
Bias
Author bias- Relates to the opinions and views of the author. They could have no evidence to substantiate their opinions or may have selected only those that are aligned to their own
Confirmation bias
This is where sources have been selected to align with those of the author
Selection Bias
There will be little consideration of a range of demographic groups, including their opinions and views
Cultural Bias
Views based on the assumptions of different demographic groups. With little consideration for the opinions or views of the group
Subjectivity
This is information from only one point. It may include assumptions or interpretations of a topic which is rarely backed up by citations and evidence
Context
A publishers book will have a main context
Intended Audience
The target a piece of work is intended for is also a key aspect when considering the reliability and validity of the source. The use therefore of technical and non-technical will be consideration
Citation, evidence and collaboration of sources
A citation is a method of informing readers where the third party source of information originated
Third Party material may also be:
A quote
An idea that someone else has already expressed
Specific references to the work of another author
Someone else's work that has been critical in establishing ideas
A citation must include enough information to enable it to be located: author, title, publisher, data published, page number or URL