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User:LBird BASc/sandbox/ATK/Seminar6/Truth/The coexistence of objective and subjective truths in different disciplines

We can divide truth into two types: objective and subjective ones. An objective truth is one that is true independent of our observations whilst a subjective one has to do with our personal feelings, emotions, or perspectives.

Although we normally associate objective truths to science and subjective ones to the humanities, there exist both objective and subjective truths within both fields. We will look at 3 examples of disciplines which exhibit these two types of truths.

Physics
Largely considered one of the most fundamental and oldest disciplines, physics could be considered the study of everything. Physics concerns itself with the study of the physical universe around us: matter (anything with mass and volume) and its mechanics, energy and its interactions, etc. Physics is the scientific study of reality, thus every discipline within reality is somehow affected by physics since in a certain way, everything relates back to physics. Were it not for the most basic of observations, we would not be where we are today. Being such a scientific discipline, we would expect it, along with the other science streams, to exhibit only objective truths. How would physics be subjective in any way?

If we take a look at the history of physics, it starts out with astronomy. The earliest civilizations such as the Babylonians or Greeks were fascinated by celestial objects, and frequently drew out their observations. The babylonians, for example, were the first to discover the lunar eclipses occurred in recurring cycles. Archimedes of Syracuse, stated a law of physics Archimedes's_Principle that is still valid today when he discovered that “any object, totally or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object”. This could be an example of an objective truth: it is a fact concerning the real physical and is independent of our human subjective experience. As the decades went on, physics maintained a steady rhythm of progress, until the Scientific Revolution came to be. One of the most notable manifestations of this scientific revolution was when Copernicus and Galilei proved that we in fact live in a heliocentric model; that is the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa. This discovery furthermore marked the end of the influence of religion on science as this physical model of our world contradicted the bible. This is another example of an objective truth in physics: the earth revolves around the sun, and no one can contradict this.

Following the progression of the scientific revolution, we reach Isaac Newton and his groundwork for classical mechanics which basically describe how objects move through space through rigorous mathematical analysis. However, we now reach a moment of subjective truth in Physics: Isaac Newton proposed that any celestial object could be described through his theories, and this was proven through his works. However, his works were based on insufficient observations as Einstein later proved with his general theory of relativity. This case is a good example of a subjective truth because it shows that we tend to forget that science is based first and foremost on observations, and that every observation is subjective in the first place. Isaac Newton’s discovery was therefore subjective because it relied on his personal observations which were incomplete.

Even now in 2019 we still haven’t found a unified theory of physics because no physics theory in itself is 100% accurate or true. Quantum physics tend to contradict classical mechanics very often, meaning there is no one absolutely objective truth, just a bunch of subjective truths.

History
In most cases, history is considered to be a discipline, which greatly relies on a combination of concrete evidence, facts and subjective opinions that often come from primary sources. It is a study of the past, directly linked to human interaction on the microscale as well as global trends and events on the macroscale. Historians often rely on a variety of sources in order to reduce bias as much as possible and have a pluralist outlook when making conclusions about events in the past. However, there still remains a subjective element to their findings as it is difficult to make completely neutral conclusions about events that one did not witness as well as due the existence of personal bias. Although historians can use statistical analysis and data, human records also play a crucial role, which are often considered to be normative, non-empirical and relative. This is why Historical Scepticism exists.

On the other hand, there are elements of history, which must be considered objective and absolute. History is always undergoing debates as new findings are found and perspectives created, but some events of the past are generally agreed upon. If every single event in the past was doubted consensus could never be achieved and historical facts would not be considered as true. For example, events such as the First and Second world wars or 9/11 are known to be fact and an objective historical truth. If anyone disputed the occurrence of these events they would be considered delusional. Nevertheless, the causes of these events and how they are interpreted are much more subjective. For example, although there is a general consensus regarding the role played by imperialism in causing the first world war, there are debates regarding other factors involved and whether the war was inevitable. Another important aspect is how historians interpret primary sources and their background.

Overall, a thin line can be drawn between subjective and objective truth in history. Many known facts are countered with revisionist perspectives and new findings, which brings out the importance of rationality when revising the history of the past.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Radiation Oncology/Miscellaneous/Transfusion-Associated Graft-versus-Host Disease

 * Rare complication of blood transfusion
 * Immunologically competent donor T lymphocytes mount an immune response against the recipient's lymphoid tissue
 * Can develop 2 days to 6 weeks after the transfusion
 * Typical symptoms include fever, erythematous maculopapular rash, which can progress to generalised erythroderma, toxic epidermal necrolysis in extreme cases, hepatomegaly, cough, abdominal pain, vomiting, and profuse diarrhea (up to 8 liters/day)
 * Laboratory findings include pancytopenia, marrow aplasia, abnormal liver enzymes, and electrolyte imbalance (when diarrhea is present)
 * TA-GvHD can be suspected from a biopsy of the affected skin or liver and established by HLA analysis of the circulating lymphocytes
 * Prevention includes gamma irradiation of the lymphocyte-containing blood components such as red blood cells, platelets and granulocytes
 * Dose of 2500 cGy is required to completely inactivate T cells
 * Treatment is supportive:
 * No available form of therapy has proven effective
 * TA-GvHD is fatal in more than 90% of cases


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Radiation Oncology/RT Techniques/Total Marrow Irradiation

 * Total Marrow Irradiation (TMI) with Helical Tomotherapy:
 * Radiotherapy treatment technique that targets bone marrow and sanctuary sites prior to stem cell or bone marrow transplantation (SCT/BMT)
 * Complex procedure that involves several critical steps that all need to be carefully addressed for a successful implementation, such as dose homogeneity in field junctions, choice of target margins, integrity of treatment and back-up planning
 * The average dose to key OARs was reduced by up to 40% compared to TBI
 * Probability of dose coverage to target of 98% dose to 93% volume was 90% for all fractions
 * Average treatment time was 1 h 56 min, reduced to 1 h 31 min with surface scanning
 * Total body surface scanning can reduce total time down to 1 h


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Exercise as it relates to Disease/The importance of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease

What is the background of this research?
The Cardiovascular system (CVS) is an organ system that permits blood to circulate and transport nutrients throughout the body. Issues may arise within this system such as Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is highly prevalent in America and the leading cause of death and disease burden in Australia.

In particular, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), the most common form of heart disease in Australia, with the two major forms of the disease being heart attack and angina. The stability in the health system across America & Australia provides a positive correlation between the two in the data gathered.

Where is the research from?
This research article was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, a peer reviewed medical journal covering aspects of CVD including original clinical studies, copyright and usage of American College of Cardiology Foundation. JACC, Volume 67, Issue 1, January 5th 2016

What kind of research was this?
The study was conducted to update the Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise-based CHD through trial registries and randomized controlled trials.

What did the research involve?
The research involved a systematic review of randomized controlled trials of which compared exercise-based Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) with a control adding a follow-up period of at least 6 months. (1). A combined total of 63 studies, 14,486 participants with a median follow-up period of 12 months were targeted. The research involved comparing CR to non-exercise controls following myocardial infarction focusing on angina or CHD. (1) Similarly analysis of patients to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation or usual care, in the medium to long term reduced overall cardiovascular mortality and hospital omissions Strengths: •	Extensive coverage in targeted research •	Consistency in CR providing important health benefits that include reductions in CV mortality and hospitalization Weaknesses: •	The 12 months follow-up is limited when assessing the effect on mortality and morbidity outcome measures •	More targeted focus on recruitment of patients who are more representative of the broader CHD population, higher risk, major comorbidities & stable angina. •	Poor level of reporting impacted on the quality of non-bias

An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise based CR in people with existing CHD showed the importance of exercise to the target group.

What were the basic results?
The combined research portrayed the positive correlation to that of exercise impacting those experiencing CHD. •	Overall, CR lead to a reduction in cardiovascular mortality (relative risk: 0.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.64 to 0.86) and the risk of hospital admissions (relative risk: 0.82; 95% confidence interval: 0.70 to 0.96). •	No significant effect on total mortality or myocardial infarction •	Over two thirds of the studies showed higher levels of health-related quality of life in 1 or more domains following exercise-based CR compared with control subjects

What conclusions can we take from this research?
As a whole, the research compiled provides an insight into the effect exercise has through CR and those with CHD, supporting the recommendation of current international clinical guidelines that CR should be offered to CHD patients. Future trials may need to focus on recruitment of patients who are more representative of the broader CHD population which will allow for a more thorough understanding of the effects on those at either ends of the health spectrum (1). Physical activity has significant health benefits and contributes to prevent noncommunicable diseases such as: cardiovascular diseases.

Practical advice
Early intervention & prevention of potential CVD can limit the effect the disease may have on the body if symptoms are found and appropriately addressed by a GP or trained professionals. The most appropriate means of exercise specific to those with CVD is through Exercise Physiologists who’re trained in formatting targeted physical activity plans for those effected. High levels of physical activity and aerobic capacity are associated with low risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Further information/resources
•	Focuses on the importance of partaking in exercise & availability https://healthengine.com.au/info/physical-activity-with-cardiovascular-disease •	An efficient search engine outlining National Department of Health availability https://www1.health.gov.au •	Assists in understanding of those more susceptible to CVD https://www.heartresearch.com.au/heart-disease/what-is-heart-disease/


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Radiation Oncology/Radiobiology/Cancer Stem Cell

Cancer Stem Cell

 * First identified by John Dick in acute myeloid leukemia in the late 1990s
 * Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cancer cells (found within tumors or hematological cancers) that possess characteristics associated with normal stem cells, specifically the ability to give rise to all cell types found in a particular cancer sample
 * CSCs may generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types

Warburg hypothesis

 * Warburg theory of cancer postulates that the driver of tumorigenesis is an insufficient cellular respiration caused by insult to mitochondria
 * The term Warburg effect in oncology describes the observation that cancer cells, and many cells grown in vitro, exhibit glucose fermentation even when enough oxygen is present to properly respire
 * Observation that cancer cells exhibit glycolysis with lactate production and mitochondrial respiration even in the presence of oxygen
 * IDH mutation
 * Sue Han et al. IDH mutation in glioma: molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. Br J Cancer. 2020 May;122(11):1580-1589. ( 32291392)
 * Jiangjiang Li et al. Wild-type IDH2 promotes the Warburg effect and tumor growth through HIF1α in lung cancer. Theranostics. 2018; 8(15): 4050–4061. ( 30128035)

Telomere Shortening

 * Cagatay Gunes et al. Telomeres in cancer. Differentiation. 2018 Jan-Feb;99:41-50. ( 29291448)
 * Hueng-Chuen Fan et al. Telomeres and Cancer. Life (Basel). 2021 Dec 16;11(12):1405. ( 34947936)

Microsatellite Instability

 * Hiroyuki Yamamoto et al. Microsatellite instability: an update. Arch Toxicol. 2015 Jun;89(6):899-921. ( 25701956)
 * Kai Li et al. Microsatellite instability: a review of what the oncologist should know. Cancer Cell Int. 2020 Jan 13;20:16. ( 31956294)

Multidrug resistance (MDR, 19949920)

 * MDR refers to a phenomenon that the cancer cells develop resistance to a variety of structurally unrelated anticancer drugs, which is the leading cause of treatment failure in cancer
 * Resistance exists against every effective anticancer drug and can develop by numerous mechanisms including decreased drug uptake, increased drug efflux, activation of detoxifying systems, activation of DNA repair mechanisms, evasion of drug-induced apoptosis, etc.


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Radiation Oncology/RT Techniques/Photodynamic Therapy

 * A form of phototherapy involving light and a photosensitizing chemical substance, used in conjunction with molecular oxygen to elicit cell death (phototoxicity)
 * Proven ability to kill microbial cells, including bacteria, fungi and viruses
 * Used clinically to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including wet age-related macular degeneration, psoriasis, atherosclerosis and has shown some efficacy in anti-viral treatments, including herpes
 * Also treats malignant cancers including head and neck, lung, bladder and particular skin, etc.


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Radiation Oncology/Head & Neck/Ameloblastoma

 * First recognized in 1827 by Cusack JW
 * Designated as adamantinoma in 1885 by the French physician Louis-Charles Malassez
 * Finally renamed to the modern name ameloblastoma in 1930 by Ivey and Churchill
 * Rare, benign or cancerous tumor of odontogenic epithelium (ameloblasts, or outside portion, of the teeth during development)
 * Much more commonly appearing in the lower jaw than the upper jaw
 * Four types of ameloblastoma have been described by the WHO 2017 classification:
 * Conventional (solid/multicystic) type
 * Unicystic
 * Peripheral/extraosseous
 * Metastasising (malignant)
 * Surgical resection or enucleation remains the most definitive treatment for this condition
 * Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, curettage and liquid nitrogen have been effective in some cases of ameloblastoma


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Radiation Oncology/Peds/Hepatoblastoma

• Uncommon malignant liver cancer occurring in infants and children and composed of tissue resembling fetal liver cells, mature liver cells, or bile duct cells

• Originate from immature liver precursor cells, are typically unifocal, affect the right lobe of the liver more often than the left lobe, and can metastasize

• Children who have familial adenomatous polyposis of the colon and rectum are high risk for hepatoblastoma

• Usually present with an abdominal mass and most commonly diagnosed during a child's first three years of life

• Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels are commonly elevated

• Surgical removal of the tumor, adjuvant chemotherapy prior to tumor removal, and liver transplantation have been used for treatment

• Radiotherapy may be used when microscopic disease is seen at the resection margins (usually 1200-2000 cGy)

• Primary liver transplantation provides high, long term, disease-free survival rate in the range of 80%

• Presence of metastases is the strongest predictor of a poor prognosis

title: Radiation Oncology/Peds/Hepatoblastoma


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User talk:JREverest/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge/Seminar group 1/History

content list
Hey guys, I just started to add a content list. Some sections now just have a main header and 'references' as subheadings, because it was the only 'subheading' of the section. Do you think we should maybe add another subheading about the specific topics before the subheading 'references', so it looks less weird? SophieKoe (discuss • contribs) 11:46, 22 October 2019 (UTC)SophieKoe 22.10.19

references claim
For the entry "The History of Mathematical Economics", there is no in-text citation for the entire entry, and only one link referenced at the bottom which is not in the Vancouver format. There are significant areas where a citation is needed, such as the first sentence "The modern economics was first introduced as "history and political economics" in 1805". RandomOmelette (discuss • contribs) 5:56pm 22 October

related topics and 'Truth' section
Also, I didn't want to move stuff around without you all agreeing on it, but maybe we should start structuring the page with regards to content? Like e.g. puuting all the Consciousness/neuroscience stuff together and the same with the other topics. Any suggestions? SophieKoe (discuss • contribs) 11:46, 22 October 2019 (UTC)SophieKoe 22.10.19

What about a Truth section, should we start one or just move on to the topic of Systems instead? SophieKoe (discuss • contribs) 11:46, 22 October 2019 (UTC)SophieKoe 22.10.19


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User:LGreg/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge (LG seminar)/ Group 2/Truth/...

What are its truth? How does it comes to realise /evaluate the truth ? Is truth important to the discipline?

use citations


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User:LGreg/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge (LG seminar)/ Group 2/Truth/Religion & Natural Sciences

Religion

 * Religions that have a holy book rely on their scripts
 * Those that don’t have a holy book rely on the teachings and traditions that descended from their past
 * Testimonies
 * Religious leaders
 * History
 * Spiritual beliefs

Natural sciences

 * Proof, evidence
 * Laws (physics, chemistry)
 * Theories (theory of evolution in biology)
 * Unlike religion, the truths of natural sciences aren’t set, they are constantly evolving

Religion
Truths in religious contexts can be interpreted as beliefs that arise from either historical or doctrinal backgrounds. Andrzej Bronk states that "every religion is a confession of faith for in each of them its believers foster some hopes about the hereafter world", hence the realisation and evaluation of truth in religion is heavily related to faith and spirituality, rather than following a systematic/experimental approach. There is no apparent need for proving or testing truths, because they are associated with the metaphysical world and are set; they do not change overtime with new discoveries.

Natural Sciences
Truth in the natural sciences appear as facts, figures, theories and laws that are derived by using the scientific method. A hypothesis gains validity and becomes a truth if there is sufficient evidence that backs it up. However, unlike religion, within natural sciences, "falsifiability" is a very important factor when defining truth. According to Karl Popper, "nothing that cannot be falsified can be called a scientific hypothesis/theory". So, within natural sciences, truths are constantly evolving and changing with new scientific discoveries/advancements, and the most reliable way of evaluating/realising their validity is through repeatable experiments.

Religion
The truths/beliefs of a religion will determine whether someone will believe in that religion. As Andrzej Bronk from The Catholic University of Lublin said in his article ” A religion is true in the sense that it states that the transcendent, supernatural, sacred reality exists” The believers through the truth are looking for authenticity and absoluteness of their religion. This is why truth is so important in religion, it is one of the key concepts.

Natural Sciences
Scientists want to be as close to the truth as possible. Their aim is to make sense of the environment/world we live in and to reach the reality dimension of the world. That means that they want to build a true knowledge of the world. So unlike in religion, the truth in natural sciences is important but it is sometimes transient and ephemeral.


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User:Danielagil/sandbox

Truth in Trials
It has been argued that there are three points of view when a conflict arises: two for both of the parties involved and a third, the truth. But how exactly can it be found? Taken into the domain of the legal system and court trials, the latter have been defined as a ‘search for the truth’, though those who are professionally involved in the system would refute, as Kenneth S. Klein, Professor of Law in the Californian Western School of Law that ‘if this is so then it is a meaning of truth that differs what truth means in any other context’. There is an obvious philosophical aspect that is involved in trials, and that in a way decides to isolate what we consider truth to make way to other concepts like justification and belief. The first makes way to what would then be considered ‘facts’, a concept disputed to be quite contrary to the truth. Belief, on the other hand, is a much more flexible term and used as a way to involve the court as a role in society. Aside from these factors, the truth that is sought in trials is linked to philosophical realism, although it is widely flawed due to the existence of 'intuitive certainty'. In my personal opinion, the judicial and legal system are too flawed and hesitant to make 'objective truths' out of any trial.

Sources:

Science and the Legal System: Truth, Justice and Fairness (Keynote Speech) Richard A. MERRILL

Truth and Legitimacy (in Courts) by Kenneth S. Klein.

Power and Creativity
The relationship between creativity and power seems to be quite contradictory. On one hand, it is widely thought that people who hold great amounts of power prevent creative people and therefore creative work to make its way into the world. Evariste Galois is a perfect example to this topic. He came up with an algebraic theorem so complex it was ‘unintelligible’ to the Academy of Science. Those who owned the power prevented him from introducing ideas that would only appear a quarter of a century later, as the way of thinking progressively changed. On the other, many people with power seem to have made their way to that state through creativity. These are some thoughts that diverge from negative social issues (sexism, racism, inequalities), but that were interesting to dive into :).

title: User:Danielagil/sandbox


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User talk:JREverest/sandbox/Approaches to Knowledge/Seminar group 2/Truth

Hi all, I am thinking maybe we can talk more about our thoughts on the topics of interdisciplinary issues. To me, I feel it is usually beneficial to have discussion on some daily thoughts or reflections and it might prepare us better for the group wikibook assessment :) Also, feel free to add comments on the paragraph about the Joker! I would like to hear more please~


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User:AKoffice600

All material is protected. It is forbidden to use, sell, give for a rent and any other functions that could damage a cost of the material.

-To control devices and some procedures using a mind order. Linked to a mind activity and functions, exchange data with a 'Device'.

title: User:AKoffice600


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Talk:Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Goblet of Fire/Chapter 3

Harry potter
What did uncle Vernon do when the post arrived Saima rais (discuss • contribs) 08:05, 23 October 2019 (UTC)


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ICT4 Elderly/Communication

Contents of the module

Digital tools that enable email correspondence, text and voice communication: Google account and Gmail

Learning objectives
 * how to communicate with friends and relatives both through text and voice messages;
 * how to create a mail account;
 * what are the best practices when communicating and choosing a password;
 * how to use mail address to send and receive emails;
 * how to apply basic text formatting;
 * about spam and phishing and what to do to avoid them.

Learning outcomes
 * Participant is introduced to communication channels;
 * Participant is able to communicate with friends and relatives both through text and voice messages;
 * Participant gains a basic understanding about what is meant by emails and chatting;
 * Participant is able to create a mail account; knows the best practices when choosing a password; is able to use email account to send and receive emails; is familiar with basic text formatting; understands what is meant by spam and phishing and what to do to avoid them;
 * Participant is motivated to discover new way of communicating online and is motivated to use online tools as a way of communicating.

Learning scenario discussion to address correct and appropriate text formatting;
 * Introduction of evolution of communication through online video;
 * Presentation of advantages and usage of email account;
 * Discussion to address email account/mailbox/email address usage, benefits and advantages, as well as accessing them
 * A presentation of bad externalities of mail (spam/phishing).

Evaluation
 * Discussion through provided questions;
 * Quiz exercise;
 * Assessment tasks.

Following this module learners will:

 * Know how to communicate with friends and relatives both through text and voice messages;
 * Gain a basic understanding about what is meant by emails and chatting;
 * Be able to create a Google account;
 * Know the best practices when choosing a password;
 * Be able to use Gmail to send and receive emails;
 * Be familiar with basic text formatting;
 * Understand what is meant by spam and phishing and what to do to avoid them.

Introduction of the training
The internet is fundamentally a communications tool, and since its creation decades ago, people have been using it to communicate with one another. Early ways to communicate online on the internet that still exist include email, newsgroups and other chatroom services. More recently, the internet has developed the web, social networking tools, instant messaging programs, videoconferencing tools and newer chat programs and internet phone calling.

Keywords

Communication, E-mail, Gmail, Connected.

Learning subject/ field

Narrative/sequential description of the learning activities

Introduce the class by watching video available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJjvsGBjy2U; and discuss in class the video and the evolution of technology over time.

Encourage participants to relate personal experience and consider especially the changes in communications media which have come about within the last couple of decades.

Explain in general what emails are and elaborate on the advantages of using email these days.

Continue the discussion by explaining what an email account is, a mailbox and an email address. Explain the use of free email providers such as Gmail and Yahoo, and how to access the mailbox through a browser.

Show the students how a google account is created and set up one for each unless they already have one.

Now that all students have a functional google account, show them how to:

 * Send an email
 * Format text in an email
 * What an attachment is and how to include this in an email
 * Email forwarding
 * The difference between CC and BCC

Once the students had grasped the concepts, allow them to practice what they have learnt by sending an email to the trainer with the above criteria.

Explain what spam and phishing are and draw students attention on how computer viruses can also be spread through emails.

First Session structure
The purpose of the session will be:

 * to provide an introduction to communication channels;
 * to facilitate communication via email between participants;
 * to discover new ways of communicating online;
 * to motivate participants to use the Internet as a way of communicating.

Communicate: step 1
Over the years, the way people communicate has changed a lot as new technologies were developed. With digital technology, and especially with the advent of the Internet, we are connected to each other more than ever before. Thanks to the Internet, people in different countries can not only speak to each other in real-time, but also see each other as if they were in the same room. During this lesson you will learn how to use the Internet for communication using email as well as real-time voice and video telephony.

Watch video Evolution of Communication.

Emails: step 2
The term email is short for electronic mail. It is a way of sending mail over the Internet from one digital device to another. Such devices may include smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. Sending emails has many advantages when compared to traditional mail (nowadays called snail mail). Let’s take a look at some of these benefits.

Advantages of email

 * Environmental friendly: since all correspondence is done electronically, no paper is required.

 * Fast delivery: traditional post used to take days to reach the recipient, and even longer if the letter was being sent abroad.  Nowadays, the recipient will receive the email just a few seconds after you hit the send button, almost anywhere in the world. If the recipient happens to be online, you will get your reply a couple of minutes later.

 * Cheap: once you have an Internet subscription, sending and receiving an email incurs no additional costs.

 * Better organised: when you send an email, a copy is stored in your mailbox so you always have a record of your message. When the recipient replies, the response contains a copy of the original email so it is always clear what they are replying to. You can organise emails into folders, just like files.

 * More accessibility: unlike written letters, you can check your emails from anywhere around the world where there is an Internet connection.

Case study
Paul often works late and has little time for grocery shopping. During his lunch break at work, he sometimes draws up a  shopping  list and emails it to Anna who usually does her shopping in the afternoon. Anna used  to print out Paul's email to take with her to the supermarket, but nowadays she can read email on her Smartphone. After work Paul collects his shopping when he calls for his children.

Create an email account: step 3
To send and receive emails you need to have an email account with an email provider. An email account gives you two things:

 * A mailbox. A mailbox is a storage space on your email provider's server where emails you receive are stored waiting for you to read them at your convenience.

 * An email address. This is the address people who wish to send you emails must use so that the email gets delivered to your mailbox. Similarly, you must know the email address of anyone you wish to send an email to. Email addresses look like this: paul.borg@gmail.com, info@skylark.edu or customercare@modernhome.com.mt

Creating your account
In this course, we will be using the services of one of the many free email providers on the Internet. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft all offer free email which you can access using your web browser. Since all your email remains in your mailbox on the provider's server, you can access all your emails from anywhere you have an Internet connection and a browser.

For the purpose of this course we are going to create a Google account so that we can start sending and receiving emails on Gmail.

 * To create a Google account, type the following URL in the address bar to load the Google home page.

 * Click on the Sign in button in the top right corner.

 * Since we don't yet have a Google account, click on the option Create an account found at the bottom of the page.

 * A page will load where you need to fill in your personal details.  At the top you need to write your name and surname.

 * In the box Choose your username, you have to decide what email address you would like to use.  Whatever username you choose will become your email address. Since many people have an email account, it can easily happen that there’s somebody else with the email address you would like to use.  If this is the case, try adding a number to the username you chose.
 * In the next box you will be asked to choose a password.  You will need to be able to remember your password, but try to find one which others will not be able to guess easily. Don't forget, anyone who knows your password will be able to access your email!

Below are some tips for choosing a secure password:

 * Don’t choose passwords which are dictionary words;

 * Don’t use something personal, such as your telephone number or your pet’s name, as your password;

 * Use a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols, but don’t complicate it too much, otherwise you won’t be able to remember it yourself;

 * Do not write your password anywhere - it might get stolen or you might lose it;

 * The password should at least be 8 characters long. In fact, Google won’t let you continue until you choose a password which is long enough.  At the side of the password field you will get a message to indicate how good your password is.

You will be asked to enter the same password twice, to make sure that you actually wrote the correct password.

 * Continue filling the rest of your personal details.  You also need to input your mobile number on which you will later on receive a verification number which will allow you to activate your account.

 * You will then have to type in the number you see - this is called a CAPTCHA, and is just a security check you will encounter on other websites too.

 * Lastly, make sure that your Location is set to Malta and tick the checkbox to indicate that you agree with the Google terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

 * Click on Next step.
 * A welcome screen will appear. Click on Get Started and you will be directed to the Google home page.

You will need to carry out the above steps only once. The next section will explain in more detail the steps you would need to follow each time you would need to send or receive emails.

Logging into Gmail
Now that you have your own Google account you can start sending and receiving emails through Gmail. To log on to Gmail:

 * Type the URL http://gmail.com into the address bar (you may wish to create a bookmark on the Favourites bar).

 * If you are already logged into Google, your emails will be automatically displayed.  If not, the log-in screen below will appear. The browser will most probably remember your email address, so you would just need to type in your password.  If you try to log on to Gmail from a computer you haven’t used before, you will be asked to type both your email and your password, so make sure that you remember both.

Tip
When signing into an account such as Gmail, your browser will offer to remember your user name and password so you won't have to type them in every time. Although this is a very convenient feature, make sure that you do not use it on a public computer such as in a school, the local council or an Internet Cafe.

Try this
Create your own Google account so that later on during the lesson you can start sending and receiving emails. Share your new email address              with your friends so you can send emails to each other.

Sending and receiving emails: step 4
Once you log into Gmail, you will be automatically directed to your Inbox mail folder, where you will see a list of emails you have received. Unread emails are displayed in bold. The number of unread emails in a folder is indicated next to the folder name.

Sending an email

 * Click on Compose.

 * A window will open on the right hand side, where you can type in your message.
 * In the To field, type in the email address of the person to whom you want to send the email.
 * In the Subject field, type a title which best describes what the email will be about.  This helps the person receiving the email to know beforehand what to expect in the email.
 * Type in the content of the message.
 * Once you have finished typing your message click the Send button.

Tip
You can send an email to many recipients at once - write all their email addresses in the TO box, separated with a comma.

Formatting emails
Gmail also allows you to change the font type, colour, and other formatting properties of the text you type in your email. To open the formatting toolbar:

 * Click once on the Formatting options button.
 * The toolbar below will appear.
 * To change the Font Type click on Sans Serif and choose a font which you like from the list.
 * To change the Font Size click once on the Size button and choose the size which you would like to type in.
 * Click on the Bold, Italic or Underline buttons to apply the effects shown on each word.
 * To choose a different font colour click once on the Text Color button.  This option also allows you to choose a different font background for your text.
 * Click once on the Align button to align your text to the left, to the centre or to the right, respectively.
 * To insert a numbered list into your message click on the Numbered List button.
 * To insert a bulleted list into your message click on the Bulleted List button.

Attaching a file to an email
Sometimes you may wish to send some photos or other files with your email. These are called attachments. To include an attachment with your email:

 * Click on the Attach files button.
 * The Choose File to Upload dialog box will appear.
 * Choose the file or picture which you want to attach to your email and click on Open.
 * The file attachment will appear as follows at the bottom of the window.

Replying to an email
To open an email you have received, simply click once on the email displayed in the Inbox folder. This opens the email for you to read and, if you wish, reply to.

There are two ways how you can reply to the email:

 * Scroll to the bottom of the email and click on the Reply link.
 * Click on the Reply button at the top of the email.

Since you would be replying to an email, the email address of the recipient will be automatically filled in for you. All you only need to do is type in the email and click on the Send button.

Forwarding an email
Sometimes you may wish to pass on an email you have received to a friend or relative. There are two ways in which you can forward an email:

 * Scroll to the bottom of the email and click on the Forward link.
 * Click on the arrow next to the Reply button and choose Forward.

Try this
You are going to send an email to one of your classmates following this course with any picture found on your computer as an attachment. Your tutor will tell you which friend to email. It’s important that you fill in the subject and body as follows:

 * Subject – Email attachment.
 * Body text – Dear friend, attached please find my favourite picture.

You should receive an email back from one of your classmates.

 * Reply to this email to thank your friend for sending you the picture.
 * Forward this email to another classmate in your class.

Spam
Spam is unsolicited promotional mail companies send to advertise their products and services. It is the electronic equivalent of junk mail. This bombardment of unsolicited mail is annoying to most email users and wastes resources. Some countries have actually made spamming illegal.

To avoid spam mail, only give your email address to people and sites you trust. Some websites may request your email address before you are allowed to browse the site - be warned that companies may collect email addresses in this way so they can distribute promotional material.

Gmail tries to automatically detect spam mail, which it removes from your inbox and stores in a special Spam folder. Messages which remain in the Spam folder longer than 30 days are automatically deleted.

Spam detection is not perfect, so DO check your spam folder from time to time in case a genuine email was mistaken for spam. If wish to rescue an email from the Spam folder:

 * Click on the checkbox next to the email.
 * Click on the Not spam button.

The email will now be moved to your Inbox folder.

If on the other hand, you receive unsolicited mail in your Inbox, you can send it to the spam folder by clicking on the Report spam button.

Email scams and phishing
Frequently you will receive unsolicited emails offering you millions, or claiming you have won a huge prize in a lottery you never even heard of, and asking you for your bank account details. Such emails are obviously fraudulent, and few people fall for them any more.

But sometimes you may receive an email which genuinely appears to be from your bank or another trusted institution asking you for confidential information such as your password or your credit card PIN number. Beware. Such emails are almost always fraudulent because trusted institutions will never conduct sensitive business over email. This practice of using fraudulent emails to obtain confidential information is called Phishing. Sometimes the email will contain a link to a site which looks exactly like your Internet Banking site - do not be taken in. Sometimes the email will threaten closure of your bank account or credit card if you don't follow the instructions in it - ignore it.

In order to avoid such scams, never take emails which appear to be asking for confidential information seriously - do not click on any hyperlinks in them, do not reply to them, do not do what they say. Just delete them.

Case Study
Paul takes care to keep his anti-virus software up to date, has enabled the firewall on his router, and makes sure never to click on email attachments he is not expecting. But recently he almost fell victim to a new kind of Internet scam. He received an email that appeared to come from his bank asking him to log into his online banking account and update his personal information. He clicked on the URL in the email  and went straight to his bank's website - or so it seemed. In reality, the URL in the email took Paul to a look-alike website. The copycat site was so exactly identical to the website Paul uses for his internet banking that without thinking he entered his username and password. But before clicking LOG IN he remembered reading about something called phishing and checked the URL in the address bar carefully. It's a good thing he did - the URL was ALMOST exactly like his bank's except for one letter!

Overall duration of the session
2 hours and 10 min

title: ICT4 Elderly/Communication


text:
ICT4 Elderly/Active citizenship

Contents of the module
 * E-voting;
 * Participation and communication with institutions, online dialog, online deliberations;
 * Wikipedia culture and practice as an example of a place of digital citizenship.

Learning objectives
 * Provide a historical framework of online citizenship/ netizenship;
 * Teach participants to better interact - communicate with E-government platforms;
 * Understand the importance of voting online;
 * Stimulate a critical opinion on the E-voting;
 * To understand the impact of E-government and E-voting on citizenship.

Learning outcomes
 * Recognise the opportunities for online services to bring to personal expression (e.g., propose new services, suggest changes, expression of opinions, etc);
 * Recognise the importance of voting online and knows how to vote online;
 * Understands the opportunities and communicating with institutions for online participation (strengthening citizenship online).

Learning scenario
 * Participants are encouraged to discuss and define the concepts of citizenship, social and community engagements and civic awareness;
 * Participants are encouraged to discuss the principles on becoming active citizens in the online world (netizens);
 * Participants are led into discussion in order to get familiarized with common understanding of the foundational principles for effective communication in a digital community;
 * Participants are introduced into existing e-voting system via video materials and FLOSS movement where citizens are invited to collaborate with the coding of the platform they will use for voting;
 * Participants are challenged to see the online world as a place to also be active citizens;
 * Participants are presented to how e-governance works and the benefits of bringing more and more services online;
 * Participants are encouraged to express opinions on bringing the citizenship to the digital world.

Evaluation
 * Assignments;
 * Ongoing evaluation;
 * Assessment (test/quizzes);
 * Feedback exercises.

Following this lesson learners will:

 * Recognise the difference between being a citizen and a netizen;
 * Identify practices to become a more engaged netizen;
 * Recognise behaviours netizens have at local, national and global scale;
 * Recognise the opportunities online services and platforms bring to personal expression at a political level (e.g. propose new services, suggest changes, expression of opinions, etc);
 * Recognise the importance of voting online and knows how to vote online;
 * Understands the opportunities and communicating with institutions for online participation (strengthening citizenship online).

Introduction
The purpose of the session will be:

Citizenship
The notion of citizenship now seems well established, everyone is a citizen of a geographically delimited state. The citizen has rights and duties. The word "citizen" has  seen a clear increase in popularity recently, to the point of transforming itself now in multiple expressions and social movements (citizen actions, citizen behaviors, etc ..) It also comes more and more often in political speeches, as  governments call citizens to action and engagement in social causes.

Active citizens do different things to improve the lives of others. They contribute to social justice in their community by taking action on issues or contributing somehow in order to make a difference. They question the way things are done and the system behind it. Being a citizen in the internet is not much different, people just use digital tools to either solve problems or use/choose tools and their behaviours in a conscious and social way. Active online citizenship (netizenship) can be demonstrated at many levels, like globally, nationally and locally. Good practices, habits and collaborative skills form this netizenship culture.

Global examples of active citizen groups working together online include international organisations such as: Wikipedia, Creative Commons, GreenPeace, International Amnesty, The Red Cross, etc.

National groups working for the common good and using the internet as a tool to create events (like National Clean Up Day, “plant a tree” day), or to engage people in political manifestations (Fridays for the future), or to promote a social movement in a specific country (like Framasoft.org).

Local active netizens may work within a school committee, church group, community organisation or with the local council to make change in the immediate community. Their actions can range from organising and disseminating activities with locals, to raise awareness for a cause, or even participate in the discussions and planning at a political level. An example of local political citizenship would be identifying and advocating to the local council to provide additional facilities or finance specific projects for the community (a good example is the local participatory budgeting calls some cities run with great success).

In the same way citizens who are not engaged or motivated don’t contribute to the community and some times are the cause of some issues, netizens demonstrating digital incivility are not aware of the deterioration they are imposing on the public information space. A netizen who is not engaged, consciously or not, participates in behaviours like: to share spam, to share fake news, to contribute to the cacophony of  misinformation on the internet, to share hate and intolerance speech, does not collaborate with others, among many other examples.

New opportunities
On the other hand, bringing the citizenship to the digital domain opens doors to new opportunities and solutions. In modern democracies, almost everyone has the right to vote. It is an acquired fact. Butthis doesn’t mean that everybody votes, in fact voter turnout rates continue to weaken from one election to the next. We can not deny the crisis of confidence that globally reaches modern democracies, this crisis of confidence also contributes to the apparent lack of interest and engagement in citizenship. Many countries are looking for solutions for this global problem, and countries who have taken the pole to the digital platforms have had good success rates. E-voting brings new possibilities to the people. Now people can vote even if they are abroad, or have difficulties  in accessing to pole sites. Also, it the internet and digital devices make it easier for people to react out for information. It is easier for people to know what each candidate or side defends in their campaigns, which makes people more engaged and more likely to vote.

Some examples
Many countries, like French-speaking Switzerland for instance, took the voting online a step further and turned the voting system into a collaborative and participative approach, they share the open source code for the voting platform with anyone who wants to contribute to it. This helps citizens to engage and to trust the system better as it is more transparent to them.

Many times, being an active citizen just means to establish  good communication channels with the local and regional agents and stakeholders. More and more governments and other political institutions create spaces to promote direct communication with the people.We believe that digital tools can have a big impact to promote citizenship as through the internet and digital tools, people have access to more information and a space to express their opinions and be heard.

This is exactly why we should raise awareness to the field of digital to promote citizenship even when online. Now, more than ever, we should invest in the promotion of netizen behaviour and practices to avoid the alienation of citizenship in the digital world.

Education is key to foster democratic and civic participation at local, national, European and even at a global level. Learning how to become an active citizen in the internet is about knowledge and intentional attitudes, which requires the use of methodologies and digital tools that involve learners actively participating in their own learning process. Civic and social participation are fundamental to European values and democracy in general.

A netizen participates actively in the information society, helps other users in forums. comments and enriches the debates, feeds his/her ePortfolio, bringing together all contributions from personal and professional life. A netizen surfs without advertising and in social networks co-animated by enthusiasts with the same interests as him. Consults his peers rather than experts, diversifies his social and professional activities. It is permanently self-reinforcing, challenging itself and opening up to new horizons. All of this is possible thanks to the very properties of digital world.

Netizenship is often the result of awareness and development of critical thinking about digital media. It allows us to take responsibility because we can see the traces of each of our contribution, which reinforces the motivation to act for the common good, in a virtuous circle.

Curriculums teaching active citizenship online should be competence-based, aiming to equip learners with democratic attitudes and social, civic and intercultural competences, as well as key competences for everyday life. They represent an essential toolbox that every citizen should have in today’s complex and fast-changing global world. We also need to build learners’ capacity to think critically and creatively, to explore new ways of acting locally and globally to make informed and adequate decisions.

Keywords
Citizenship, Netizenship, Netizen, Citizen of the web, Political and social engagement, E-voting, Communication with local authorities, Democracy and participation.

Homework
What are the main citizenship initiatives that you can name in your own country ?

Overall duration of the session
1 hour and 30 min

title: ICT4 Elderly/Active citizenship


text:
ICT4 Elderly/Automatization in communication

Contents of the module
 * Bots and Chatbots that enable communication;
 * AI user communication possibilities;
 * Bots and its role in social media and politics sphere.

Learning objectives
 * Provide a historical framework of Bots and AI in communications;
 * To provide understanding on how to recognise the different types of bots and what are their functions;
 * Teach participants to better interact with the AI machines;
 * Stimulate a critical opinion on the usage of bots and AI in communications;
 * To provide understanding on the impact bots have on social media and in the public opinion (like in politics).

Learning outcomes
 * Participants are capable of distinguishing between different bots and other AIs in communication;
 * The participant is able to distinguish between bots and regular users and recognises the communication differences between both;
 * The participant is able to identify who to engage in online conversation with (e.g. when to engage with bots and when to prefer communication with humans);
 * The participant is aware of the possibilities that artificial intelligence will bring to customer relations (e.g. one day we might communicate with booking agents that are machines);
 * Participant is able to sustain communication with bots and other AIs (websites, platforms, etc);
 * Participant recognises content created by bots on social media;
 * Participant is aware of the impact of bots in social opinion and political opinion;
 * Participants have a critical opinion that they know how to argument about Bots and other AI in communications.

Learning scenario

Part 1
 * Discussion with participants about bots and AI as a warm-up;
 * Presenting main concepts, functions and usage of bots, supported by slide presentation;
 * Presenting Chatbots;
 * Practical activity: experiment with Mitsuku;
 * Wrap-up and debrief and evaluation.

Part 2
 * Presentation of historical background of bots;
 * A group dynamic exercise to promote group discussion;
 * Slide presentation on Wikipedia bots;
 * Discussion on bots’ impact on social media and popular opinion;
 * Exercise to explore Wikipedia platform;
 * Wrapt-up and debrief and evaluation.

Evaluation
 * Assessment Tasks;
 * Videos;
 * Assignments;
 * Ongoing evaluation;
 * Assessment (test/quizzes).

Following this module learners will:
 * The participant can engage in intentional communication using advanced writing skills, culturally appropriate language;
 * Participant can use different online communication style with active use of netiquette;
 * Participant understand internet slang.

Introduction
An Internet bot (also known as a web robot or bot) is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet. Bots perform tasks that are simple and repetitive, at a much higher speed than would be possible for a human to do.

The term "bot" comes from robot and to be specific, a bot is an automated application that aims to  perform tasks that would be time-consuming, boring or impossible for a human to perform.

In other terms, a bot is a computer program that is designed to communicate with humans. They allow and create interaction between humans and machines, and this communication happens via messages or voice commands.

Different types of Bots that are common in the Internet

 * Web Crawlers or Spiders. Also known as spider bots, these friendly and hardworking bots relentlessly roam the web for our convenience. What these spiders do is browse web pages and index them, so that search engines can know what is in them and return accurate results to user queries.
 * Web Scraping Crawlers. These bots are essentially crawlers, but they are used for a fundamentally different function. Instead of helping with indexing, they assist in data scraping or data harvesting, which includes fetching content through crawling, adding it to a database, and then later extracting relevant bits of information for analysis.
 * Text-reading algorithms. Elaborate algorithms can browse text and analyse it according to specific keywords and their frequency within the text, just like humans do, but the speed, the volume and the accuracy of the bot is no match for its human counterpart.
 * Chatbots. Chatbots are algorithms programmed to simulate a human interlocutor in a conversation – their capabilities are tailored to the specific demands of conversation for which they are being employed. Chatbot technology is widely used in virtual assistant software and is expected to increase in the next few years.
 * Video Game Bots. Game bots are AI software algorithms that can interact with a video game and take the place of a human player.

What are chatbots?
A chatbot (also known as chatterbots or talkbots) is programmed to work independently from a human operator.

Chatbots are computer programs capable of conducting conversations by text and auditory communication. Programs simulate how a human conversation would proceed. Chatbots can include text -- the response you receive to your customer service inquiry -- as well as audio and video clips.

What are social media bots?
Social media Bots are a type of bot on a social media network used to automatically generate messages, advocate ideas, act as a follower, and as a fake account to gain followers itself. It is estimated that 9-15% of Twitter accounts may be social bots.

Fake social media accounts influence popular culture, politics and can create convincing online personas capable of influencing real people. Social media bots can infiltrate groups of people and be used to propagate specific ideas since social media bots can produce messages automatically.

Since there is no strict legislation or regulation, social bots continue to play a major role in politics, public opinion by acting as social media influencers. Influencing public opinion, amplifying a message, catfishing and hate speech are just a few ways fake social media accounts can be used for malicious purposes. This is why it is so important to have organisations like https://openai.com/ who actively work to have AI that respects and benefits all humanity. They work to have safe and beneficial AI machine that are capable of making human life better without harming others.

Does Wikipedia use bots?
A Wikipedia bot is a bot (a common nickname for software robot) - an automated tool that carries out repetitive and mundane tasks to maintain the pages of Wikipedia. Bots are able to make edits very rapidly and can disrupt Wikipedia if they are incorrectly designed or operated.

There are currently 2,327 bot tasks approved for use on the English Wikipedia; however, not all approved tasks involve actively carrying out edits. Bots will leave messages on user talk pages if the action that the bot has carried out is of interest to that editor. There are 184 exclusion-compliant bots, which are listed in this category. There are 301 bots flagged with the "bot" flag right now (and over 400 former bots). There is also a range of tools that allow semi-automated editing of large numbers of articles.

The most interesting situation with bots is when they get to replace humans in areas such as translation or referencing of articles. The upside of this criticism is that each statement in articles created by bots is supported by references, something that doesn’t happen in many other articles. This means that more references are added to Wikipedia by bots than by humans. This is of course not in itself a sign of quality, but it is a start for human contributors to search for more information. As with any article in Wikipedia, the readers can also help make bot-created articles better. This is an issue to explain and discuss with the trainees.

First Session structure
The purpose of the session will be:

 * to provide an introduction to a historical framework of Bots and AI in communications
 * to teach participants to better interact with the AI machines
 * to discover the impact bots have on communication and interpersonal interactions
 * to motivate a critical opinion on the usage of bots an AI in communications

Introduction
Group discussion

Trainer starts the session by asking some questions to participants like their own experience with bots and other communication algorithms, why they think bots can be useful, what problems arise from bots. This is important to establish a learning field where both trainer and participants come together to discuss a specific topic, bots and AI machines for communication.

Introduction to the session

Trainer makes an introduction to the topic of bots and communication algorithms. In this initial presentation, trainer will explain what a bot is, what are the main functions of bots, the different types of bots and why they can be so useful. This segment of the training session is supported by a slide presentation prepared in advance and shared with participants.

Blind man's bluff with Bots

Class is divided in 2 groups. One team is dealt with cards naming the main different types of bots and the other team is dealt with cards with short descriptions of those different types of bots. All participants stick their card in their forehead without reading it. Participants then walk around the room and when they meet another person they have to describe the other person card until they find the right pairs (types of bots and the right short description).

Mitsuku
Participants are invited to access the Mitsuku page and interact freely with it. Participants are encouraged to discover with an hands-on approach (learning by doing methodology), how it is to communicate with a bot and their limitations.

Group discussion

After having the chance to interact with Mitsuku, participants will have a chance to come together again to discuss their experiences with the bot. What are the main things they take away from the experience and what are the main difficulties they felt. The process of sharing personal experiences and learn by listening to the other person’s experience is at the base of the non formal education methodology and it is particularly useful with this target group.

Homework
Participants should watch the videos below and comment.

What is a Bot?

How Machines Learn

Debriefing
To wrap up the session, the trainer will facilitate a debriefing moment where participants are encouraged to express their questions, doubts, ideas and feelings toward the topics discussed.

Evaluation
Participants will answer a small questionnaire to evaluate the session.

Overall duration of the session
1 hour and 30 min

Second session
The purpose of the session will be:

 * Provide an introduction to a historical framework of Bots and their influence in our personal and social behaviour
 * Facilitate a discussion on the topic of the effects of bots in our political and social choices
 * Discover the impact bots have on social media and in the public opinion
 * Motivate awareness and critical approach to bots and other AI technology

Introduction
Review of the previous lesson (5 min)

Trainer will start the session by revisiting some of the topics learned in the previous session. This will allow participants to ask questions, add comments  and consolidate their knowledge previously acquired.

Introduction to the theme of the session (5 min)

Trainer will introduce the topic of bots and their impact in our everyday life and society. How bots can be used to contribute to a common good, how they work for us in the most basic and repetitive functions and how we can use bots to create content in a group, etc.

Cross the line
Class floor is divided and a line (ex. rope or tape) is created. One side of the line means “agree” and the other side of the line is “Disagree”. Participants are invited to answer some “provocative” questions by choosing one side of the line. Part of the exercise is to see how many people are in each side of the line as it brings interesting information to discuss. Another goal of this exercise is to make people debate their choices and the reasons behind them. This is a group dynamic that aims to promote a critical discussion.

Bots and wikipedia
The trainer explains briefly the overall context of Wikipedia (stats, organisation). Trainer will also explain how the wikipedia community uses bots and their policies toward bots. Special focus will be given to the “Bot Policy” of Wikipedia as they are a great example of a good practice in this field. In a nutshell, Wikipedia policy requires that bots be harmless and useful, have approval, use separate user accounts, and be operated responsibly. This segment of the training session is supported by a slide presentation prepared in advance and shared with participants.

Bots, social media and politics
The trainer will introduce a new topic of conversation: the use and impact of bots in the public opinion and social movements. Participants will be invited to read and discuss the article proposed by the trainer.

Related article: We built an algorithm to track bots during the European elections – what we found should scare you.

Collective documentation on a common document on a specific Wikipedia bot
Teacher will create a common document that will be shared with all participants. Participants will have to complete a number of simple tasks (like: Find and describe the Lsjbot. What does it do? Who created it? Why did it become famous?) and document their finds in a collaborative way, using collaborative note taking methodologies. Participants are encouraged to discuss their experiences.

Homework
Participants should watch the videos below and comment.

How social Bots work

Political Bots Video

Examples of Wikipedia bots

Debriefing
To wrap up the session, the trainer will facilitate a debriefing moment where participants are encouraged to express their questions, doubts, ideas and feelings toward the topics discussed.

Evaluation
Participants will answer a small questionnaire to evaluate the session.

Overall duration of the session
1 hour and 30 min


text:
ICT4 Elderly/Internet telephony

Contents of the module
 * Voice message digital applications through the internet - Internet Telephony.

Learning objectives
 * How to download and install a Windows application;
 * How to create a Skype account;
 * How to make voice and video calls over Skype.

Learning outcomes
 * Participant is able to download, install, use Skype and effectively communicate via Skype;
 * Participants are motivated to use internet telephony as one of their communication channels and discover new ways of communicating online.

Learning scenario
 * Presentation (slides) to support the learning process and guide discussion on the concept on online technology;
 * Practically setting up Skype account and a voice and video call;
 * Practically use the chatting function in a group.

Evaluation
 * Practical exercise: participants have to create a new Skype account and add some of their classmates as contacts so that can practice chatting/voice and video calling amongst each other.

Following this module learners will:

 * Be able to download and install a Windows application;
 * Know how to create a Skype account;
 * Be able to use online telephony, mainly through Skype.

Introduction
Introduction of the training

Internet telephony is a type of communications technology that allows voice calls and other telephony services like, SMS and other voice-messaging applications to be transmitted using the Internet as a connection medium. Software under this technology is cost-effective and convenient because it allows the user to communicate through, voice and video calls anywhere in the world as long as there is an Internet connection. In this way, users can bypass the charges that are common in traditional telephone services. The quality of this service is dependent on the quality and speed of the Internet connection.

Learning subject/ field: Narrative/sequential description of the learning activities Introduce the concept of Internet Telephony and how VoIP – Voice over internet Protocol is growing in use worldwide. While the technology has countless advantages, it also has its share of disadvantages. Discuss some of them together.

Advantages :
 * Cost
 * Accessibility
 * Flexibility
 * Voice Quality
 * Extra/Less Expensive Features

Disadvantages :
 * Reliable Internet Connection Required
 * Power Outages/Emergencies

Show to participants how to create and use a skype account and allow students to create a skype account of their own and how to navigate through it.

Keywords

Skype, Internet communication, Internet telephony, Telephony, Calls, Camera, Microphone, Inbuilt.

First Session structure
The purpose of the session will be:

 * to provide an overview of how participants can maximise the use of the Internet through telephony;
 * to facilitate live communication;
 * to discuss new ways of communicating online;
 * to motivate participants to use the Internet for live communication.

Internet Telephony

 * Explain the concept of online telephony;
 * Show how to create and use a Skype account;
 * Allow students to create a Skype account.

Communicating world-wide has never been easier and cheaper than today. Thanks to digital advances we can now talk to and see, in real time, relatives and friends who live thousands of kilometres away. This can be done using just an Internet connection and a telephony program such as Skype.

If you don’t already have Skype installed on your computer, you will need to download and install it, as follows:

 * Navigate to the webpage at http://www.skype.com
 * Click on the Downloads button at the top of the page.
 * Click on the Get Skype for Windows Desktop button.
 * Follow the instructions displayed on the Skype website to complete the installation.

Before you can start to use Skype you need to create a Skype account. To do so click on the Create a new account button.

You will be directed to the Skype sign up page, where you have to input your personal information, just like the details we had to input to create a Google account.

Once your account is created, type in the username and password and click on Sign me in.

Once you sign in, you can start looking for people you know on Skype by typing their name and surname in the search box and clicking on Find this person.

A number of contacts with the name you input will appear and when you find the person you were looking for, click on the Add contact button. A request is sent to your new contact asking whether they accept.

When your contacts are online, you can see an icon like this  next to their name. You can use Skype to call online contacts for free. You can set your own online status from the drop-down list next to your name at the top-left corner of the Skype window.

Setting up a voice call
To set up a voice call, you will need to have a microphone and speakers connected to your computer. To start the call:

 * Click on the name of an online contact you wish to call.
 * Click on the Call button.

Setting up a video call
To set up a video call with one of your contacts you will need to have a webcam connected to your computer, in addition to the microphone and speakers. To start the video call:

 * Click on the name of an online contact you wish to call.
 * Click on the Video call button.
 * Once the other person accepts your call, you can start seeing and talking to each other.

Chatting
You can also use Skype to send short text messages (called chatting). To start chatting with one of your contacts:

 * Click on the contact's name.
 * Type your message in the chat area at the bottom right of the Skype window.

Case Study
Ever since Petra moved to Australia, she has made it a point to keep constant contact with her parents in Malta. Before she used to call on the phone once a week to catch up on how they were doing. She tried to be as concise as possible during their conversations, since the long-distance call rates were very expensive. Things got much better when Anna, Petra’s mum, installed Skype on her computer. Thanks to Skype they can now talk to each other for as long as they like, as well as see each other.

Try this
Create a new Skype account and add some of your classmates as contacts so that you can practice chatting amongst each other.

Overall duration of the session
1 hours

title: ICT4 Elderly/Internet telephony


text:
User:LBird BASc/sandbox/ATK/Seminar5/Truth/Truth in Propaganda

=Truth In Propaganda =

Background information
Violence in the Xinjiang province in western China between the Uyghur minority group and majority Han Chinese began in July 2009 after a year of growing tension, rooted in the Uyghur groups belief that they have been socially and economically marginalised by Beijing's policies that aim to assimilate the Uyghur’s into Chinese culture. The media controlled by the Chinese ruling communist party officials branded those Uyghurs that participated in riots the as “terrorists”. This branding has been largely criticised by nations outside of China as citing violence against this ethnic minority group. Therefore, there is conflict in the truth portrayed in political propaganda that has worsened the ethno-political conflict.

Constructivist framework of ethnicity
Constructivist theory views ethnic identities as a product of human actions and choices, claiming that they are constructed and transmitted between generations. Many Uighurs are speak a Turkic language rather than Mandarin. This view that identity is constructed has underpinned the separatist movement as they regard themselves as culturally and ethnically closer to Central Asian nations, as opposed to being Chinese. However, the Chinese government officially classes Uighur as one of the 55 Chinese ethnic minorities, and retains control over the province. This disagreement about the 'true' identity of this minority ethnic group and the belief that they should be a separate state has led to a major separatist movement in the 1990s.

Normative and subjective truth in media
To influence its external image regarding the conflict, China has curated advertisements on Facebook and Twitter to reach Western audiences to spread false information about the re-education camps of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. The adverts aim to suggest these detention centres were not supposed to prohibit anyone's religious autonomy and beliefs. However, according to Human Rights Watch, many human rights violations are being made. Therefore, the image that is being portrayed is of a government that believes religion can breed terror, and thus has been trying to restrain religious expression in the Xinxiang region by enforcing violent and oppressive ‘re-education'.

There is clearly a variation of what is the 'truth' regarding these camps and what should be done to control the riots, depending on subjective and normative analysis. To external western observers, the camps are a clear human rights violation based on their own value judgement of the right to maintain ones religious beliefs. However, to the Chinese government, their own subjective view is that these camps are necessary to prevent violent riots, and bring harmony to the Xinxiang region. Indeed, the Chinese government has refuted claims of human rights violations, claiming that the truth is these are only re-education camps, and all people in Xinjiang “are united as closely as the seeds of a pomegranate”, said in a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council by the vice governor of Xinjiang's.

The truth about whether the rioters should be labelled 'separatist terrorists' or 'political activists' defending their rights is also dependent on subjective views of each concept. While the former is the view portrayed in Chinese propaganda, western media creates a portrayal of the latter. Chinese media stopped calling the Uighur rioters 'separatists' and began referring to them as 'terrorists'. This aided the government to gain support internationally for its actions in the region.

Background information
Anti-government protests have been sparked in Hong Kong after the proposal to allow extradition to mainland China, which remains controversial as it conflicts with the autonomy Hong Kong has maintained since falling under Chinese rule after 1997, when Britain's colonial rule over the region ended. Protesters fear that extradition to mainland china will lead to citizens of Hong Kong facing violent and unjust treatment, whilst also allowing China to progress control over the region.

Truth in Chinese propaganda
China depicts itself, through cartoons and symbolic imagery, as a 'long-suffering mother whose infant daughter Hong Kong was snatched away from her loving arms only to be returned as a tantrum-throwing toddler'. This refers to the return of Hong Kong to Chinese authority after it was handed back from the British. Hong Kong protesters have reclaimed this imagery, portraying China as a 'bad mother'. The truth about whether China has bee a 'good' or 'bad' symbolic maternal figure largely depends on subjective analysis of what is a 'good' and 'bad' authority. From the Chinese perspective, they want to create harmony among the states it controls. However, opponents of the proposal suggest it would lead to corruption and the abuse of power, as well as a loss of Hong Kong's national identity.

Truth in the Brexit campaign and use of propaganda
Both campaigns had very different approaches to truth:

Remain

Focused on objective facts, looking at statistics and statements that could be backed up by evidence. For example there website, ‘BritainStrongerinEurope’ had a page called ‘get the facts’, explaining the benefit on staying in for different sectors: Jobs, workers rights, NHS e.t.c. They used images that boldly stated the facts, such as ‘3 million jobs are linked to our trade with the Eu’, which people could share on social media. They also produced a number of leaflets, that explained in detail, using facts and statistics to illustrate the impact of leaving. Their approach was positivist in many aspects.

Remain relied on the opinions and quotes of experts, such as Mark Carney, Governor of the bank England: ‘Leaving the Eu is Britain biggest domestic risk’. Quotes from people that had high-powered positions in fields such as economic, finance, and trade unions, expressed clearly the risk of leaving. The truth of these statements, despite being an opinion, are normally considered closer to the truth as an expert has a more exhaustive knowledge of the subject.

However Remain was accused of being ‘project fear’, they trying to scare voters with ‘claims’ of the disastrous consequences of leaving the Eu. During the referendum a pattern of thinking emerged, that disregarded the opinions of experts: as Michael Gove said he had ‘had enough of experts’. The use of truth, therefore became less focused on a analysis backed by a positivist method, but instead on a highly subjective truth guided by voters rather than facts.

Leave

The Propaganda of the leave campaign focused on ‘truth’ that was highly subjective and normative, in the way it was created to play with people’s emotions. For example their posters stating that countries such as Albania, Serbia and Turkey were ‘set to join the Eu’. However this statement was a manipulation of the truth, although these countries had all applied they had not been accepted, which is not the same as being about to join the Eu. Therefore the campaign chose their language carefully to take a fact out of context and twist its meaning, knowing fully how it would influence voters opinion on the further of EU.

In contrast to the Remain Campaign, vote leave posters contain little statistics and empirical evidence to back up their statements. Furthermore there is little or even no opinions of experts feature in their propaganda. Their most infamous manipulation of the truth was the claim that the NHS would get 350 million if we left the Eu. The statement was printed on the side of a campaign bus. It was revealed shortly after the referendum result, that the claim was completely fabricated- Nigel Farage saying that is was ‘one of the mistakes made by the leave campaign’. It is therefore nearly certain that the people responsible for the propaganda knew it to be untrue, yet they made it seen like it was a objective empirical truth.

The election of Trump
At the beginning of 2011 Trump doubted Obama’s birthplace, which he used as promotion of his own political career. His election slogan „Make America great again“ may be a resonant slogan, but he was not the first to use it ( Reagan actually came up with it) and rather than being based on a true promise, it can be argued that America was never actually great.

Twitter, Trump and Truth
Trump keeps making statements on twitter or in press conferences that are proven to be wrong, concerning not only his election results but also often stating numbers wrong. In more than 20 of his first 40 days in office Trump told a public lie.

President Donald Trump has now said more than 10,000 false or misleading things in his first 827 days in office, according to The Washington Post Fact He has used false claims to attack his political opponents, question the legitimacy and loyalty of the Obama administration and other Democrats, and undermine the news media, the federal government and other institutions that many of his supporters do not trust.

As Donald Trump is constantly proclaiming that media are spreading "Fake News", Truth, as something that can be discussed is part of his propaganda. Interestingly, when looking at Truth as an interdisciplinary issue this is also the case: different disciplines disagree on apparent truths. However, while the debates between disciplines about truth can enhance knowledge, the active use of denying truths within Trump's propaganda, such as the scientific fact of the climate change, is a dangerous manipulating tool.


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ICT4 Elderly/Create with in a Group

Create with in a group
Online collaboration

Collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together to achieve a common purpose. Collaboration enables individuals to work together to obtain a defined and common business purpose.

Team online collaboration in the workplace is a critical aspect when it comes to performance and productivity and in today's technologically advanced job market, it means using online communication setups to allow people to work on the same project together even if they are not at the same location or working at the same time.

Collaborating online in a group inspire innovative approaches and quick decision making. Teams can use collaboration software and tools to coordinate, communicate and cooperate with each other to solve problems.

One of the main advantages of online collaboration is that it makes it easier for people to work together from different locations.

Online collaboration is generally categorized in two categories – synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous Online Collaboration - When the users work or do their tasks at the same time or in real-time, whether they are located at the same location or different locations. They use online collaboration software to view and edit information or documents in real-time.

Asynchronous Online Collaboration - When the users of collaboration software work together on the same project at different times, whether they are located at the same place or at different places.

Collaborative note taking

Accessibility to information and collaboration are fundamental. Collaborative note taking is an assignment that works toward both of those goals. The idea is simple: in each class or meeting, multiple people are responsible for taking notes on a shared document and post them on a specific platform for others to access.

Collaborative note taking addresses the specific needs of gathering clear and important information while also making it a shared responsibility (rather than focusing on one specific person who requires it). It asks participants to be responsible to each other by contributing to a shared resource. And ultimately, it reinforces the notion that accessible practices benefit all people in the team.

Massive Online Collaboration

Mass online collaboration is a form of collective action that occurs when large numbers of people work independently on a single project via online tools. Such projects typically take place on the internet using social software and computer-supported collaboration tools such as wiki technologies.

Free and open culture

The open and free-culture movement is a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify the creative works of others in the form of free content or open content without compensation to, or the consent of, the work's original creators, by using the Internet and other forms of media.The movement objects to what they consider as over-restrictive copyright laws. The free-culture movement takes the ideals of the free and open-source software movement and extends them from the field of software to all cultural and creative works.

Licenses, copyleft and creative commons

One of the main organizations commonly associated with free culture is  the Creative Commons (CC), an american NGO. CC promotes sharing creative works and diffusing ideas to produce cultural vibrance, scientific progress and business innovation. The organization has released several different licenses, known as Creative Commons licenses. This licenses are free of costs to the public and easy to obtain in their website. These licenses allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve and which rights they allow for the benefit of the public or other creators.

KEYWORDS

Networking, Entrepreneurship, Online Communities, Online Communication, Massive online collaboration, Tools, Wikipedia,Synchronous Online Collaboration, Asynchronous Online Collaboration, Collaborative Note Taking, Evolving Copyright,  Free and Open Culture, Licenses, Copyleft, Creative Commons

→ First session

The trainer will start the session by a preliminary discussion with participants about their previous experiences on collaborating and communicating online. Participants are invited to think back on the communities they are part of and to think about how they are involved.This  is intended to be a warm-up activity and a stepping stone to the learning process.

After this initial debate, the trainer will present the intentional collaboration in the workplace and the collaborative note taking methodology. Participants will be invited to explore close collaboration and intentional communication models while learning by doing and by taking collaborative notes during the session.

In order to do this, the trainer will briefly explain how to use an editing pad during a collaborative meeting and how to write minutes of meetings. Trainer will support participants during this exercise.

After this, participants will be invited to debate ideas and take collaborative notes.

This discussion will be followed by the presentation of a youtube video about online collaboration and different tools. This video aims to start a group discussion on the different examples presented in the video.

After this exercise, the trainer will wrap-up the session with a debriefing moment and a small evaluation of the session.

→ Second session

The trainer will start the session by a preliminary discussion with participants to introduce the topics of Massive Online Collaboration. Through debates and group discussions, the trainer will explain the concepts of massive online collaboration and how participants can also be part of communities of such kind.

The Wikipedia example will be introduced as a reference in the field. Participants are encouraged to discover with an hands-on approach (learning by doing methodology) the content but also explore the wiki page as a collaborative space.

The Wikimedia platform will also be presented and participants will be encouraged to discover how they can too be part of the community and how they can upload their own material.

The Wikipedia platform will also be the base to the introduction of a new topic: How to protect and license content created and shared online. This discussion will start by a comprehensive debate on the evolution of the copyright licenses and the open and free culture and movement. The historical framework of the Open and Free Movement will be set and participants will be encouraged to discover new ways to share content while keeping the license and authorship. The Copyleft and the creative commons examples will be presented as more collaborative and socially conscious approaches to copyright.

The trainer will show participants how to create licenses and how to choose between the different types of licenses.

Participants will then be encouraged to explore and debate.

The trainer will end the session by a group debriefing and a short evaluation of the session.

CONTEXT

 * Support the use of digital technologies for intentional communication in day to day life

 * Enable learners to develop their intentional communication skills

 * To incentivize the use of free and open digital technologies to develop intentional communication practices and habits

 * Demonstrate critical thinking around  intentional collaboration in various social and cultural environments

 * Explore methods of online collaboration and activities to learn from each other and support an intentional communication culture

 * Discover examples of intentional communication online: the Wikipedia and Wikimedia example

 * Provide a historical framework of copyleft and free licences

 * Promote the understanding and use of Free licences as a tool for evolving copyright

FIRST SESSION {| class="wikitable"
 * 10’ introduction : (Trainer) - (support: flipchart and pen)

Description of the activity

→ Group discussion (10 min)

Trainer starts the session by asking some questions to participants about their previous experience on collaborating online. When was the last time they participated in an online community, how did they contributed and if they know any successful example of a massive online collaboration. Participants are encouraged to discuss freely their perceptions of how it is possible to collaborate on the internet..
 * 60’ duration : (Trainer) - (support: slides & video & web)
 * 60’ duration : (Trainer) - (support: slides & video & web)

→ Collaborative note taking (15 min)

Participants will be invited to explore close collaboration and intentional communication models. The trainer will introduce the intentional collaboration in the workplace and the collaborative note taking methodology to optimise meetings and team work flow. After this, participants will watch together a youtube video about how to take notes during meetings and classes. Link to the resource here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxF1-jkz-U&list=PLcetZ6gSk969bFRcOW_V6e-SabTueb7gA&index=4

→ Using a pad to support the meeting (25min)

The trainer send a link to an etherpad session (Tools that may be used: EtherPad or FramaPad) created for the training. A quick but comprehensive step by step tutorial will be given to the participants on how to write minutes of meetings. The trainer kickstart the meeting and all the participants are invited to contribute in co-editing the pad, based on the inputs of the participants (they can add links, modify the text, transcripts in a written form the guidelines given by the trainer). They can also start chatting in the chat of the pad. This activity will continue until the end of the session, as participants collect inputs in a common document summarizing the class.

→ Online collaboration tools (20min)

Participants will be invited to watch a Youtube video that name the main online tools available to help teams collaborate in a more efficient way. Following the video, participants will discuss and share ideas in a structured way.
 * 10’ duration:
 * 10’ duration:

Description of the activity

→ Group discussion (10 min)

After having the chance to learn about different ways to collaborate online, participants will discuss: What are the main things they take away from the experience and what are the main difficulties they foresee in intentional communication and online collaboration.
 * Homework (45 min):
 * Homework (45 min):

Participants should read the article below and share it in any social media platform they use.

= 55 Online Collaboration Tools to Help Your Team Be More Productive (45min) = https://biz30.timedoctor.com/online-collaboration-tools/
 * Debriefing (10 min): To wrap up the session, the trainer will facilitate a debriefing moment where participants are encouraged to express their questions, doubts, ideas and feelings toward the topics discussed.
 * Evaluation (5 min) : Participants will answer a small questionnaire to evaluate the session.
 * Overall duration of the session: 90min + 45min homework
 * References (videos, readings, Blogs, etc):
 * Overall duration of the session: 90min + 45min homework
 * References (videos, readings, Blogs, etc):
 * References (videos, readings, Blogs, etc):
 * References (videos, readings, Blogs, etc):

Types of Online Collaboration
https://www.eztalks.com/unified-communications/what-is-online-collaboration.html

Advantages of Online Collaboration
https://www.eztalks.com/video-conference/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-online-collaboration.html SECOND SESSION
 * }

title: ICT4 Elderly/Create with in a Group