Jocelyn Lam's Blog

The Social Media Revolution. After watching this video in class, I’m pretty sure almost everyone in the lecture hall was amazed by it. The video was very interesting and it imposed the questions of “Is social media a fad? Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution?”

Social media is definitely not a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. Throughout the video, social media facts and figures were shown and they were hard to ignore. Social media is the easiest and quickest way to communicate with others. Nowadays, almost everyone will have and use Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Blogger… and the list goes on. These forms of communication are a useful way to stay connected with the community. Many different corporations are starting to use these forms of social media to create awareness to their products. In a sense, we are no longer searching for the products and services, they are the ones that are finding us through social media. It is no doubt that social media is here to stay. It is easily accessible and creates benefits for everyone because there is a wide range of different types of social media available.

As I recall from a few classes ago, the topic of different approaches to learning came up. I remember we were asked to talk amongst the people beside us about which ways of learning we prefer and why.

It was not a surprise that there were similarities and differences. I personally prefer reading and note-taking while others suggested visual learning, discussion amongst others, hands on learning and etc.

I recently came across an article about teachers teaching in a whole new way. In the article, it is stated that teachers are being taught how to better engage students thought project-based learning and using higher-level thinking. It is discussed that the use of real-life situations will make school relevant and imposing project-based learning concepts will serve students better when they enter the workforce or another other future endeavors.

Even though methods of learning can be taught, I think it is essential for the student to find their own way of learning because not all students learn the same way. In order for the student to be efficient, it is essential that each individual student should explore the different methods of learning and find one that suits themselves.

Article: http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail6374.cfm?Id=105694

“You are exposed to 3000 to 6000 marketing messages a day”

That is a surprising but true fact that was discussed in class. When we look around us there are brands everywhere, Apple Ipods, Converse Chuck Taylors, Abercrombie jeans… the list goes on forever.

It is an obvious fact that everything has its own brand. Each merchandise has their target market and then brand position its logo into each and every customer there are. Some brands will include their logos onto their product, while others are subtle and can be recognized easily. The power of marketing is amazing. It seems like the company embedded their brand into your brain; without even pouring their logo onto their product, customers can recognize the product in a split second. That is a form of successful marketing.

There is no escape from the power of marketing. Look at yourself and see how much ‘brands’ you are wearing. Does this make us a walking advertisement for those company products we use and wear?

Rivalry exists in all industries. In recent news on the Globe and Mail, an article was posted up about RIM trying to catch up in the tablet market against Apple by launching its newest idea, the BlackBerry PlayBook. Its a known fact that in the smart phone market, RIM has had several years’ head start on Apple, but in the tablet market, RIM is around a year behind.

It is safe to say, Apple was the monopoly for the tablet market with its launch of the Ipad, but now that RIM is coming out with the new PlayBook, it will create a tablet war between the two.

Who will win this ‘battle’?
Apple has the benefit of launching its product first, thus allowing customers to know more about the product. An improved second generation of the tablet may also be launched around the same time as PlayBook.
RIM is fighting back strong, they have purchased a QNX operating system for the PlayBook which allows the PlayBook to work on much larger combinations of processor all working at once. It is also advertised as a business staple that is essential.

Which one will you purchase?

Article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/rim-plays-catch-up-with-playbook-but-with-a-new-ally/article1731344/