Akshay Mahor

I guess it isn’t difficult now to relate technology with online education. Online education has grown from an infant to a teenager and then to an adult along with the growth of technology. Now is the time when even the traditional “brick and mortar” principle following schools are implementing technology in their teaching methods. Technology is the building brick of the online education system. It enhances the capabilities of an online institution in imparting education more effectively and efficiently.

Technology in online education is not just limited to means used for delivering lectures and checking assignments and papers, but is more far spread. The introduction of Medias like blogs, wikis and forums etc has added the cherry on the icing. Students now communicate with other students from all over the world. They showcase their talents on these blogs and forums. Their talents can be in the forum of articles, researches, journals, designs etc Blogs and forums allow all sort of material to be showcased. This way, students reach a much wider horizon. The chances of their talents being recognized and appreciated increases without approximate. They not only share their information but also learn a lot from other students views and additions. They learn to improve. They are faced with more job opportunities than ever.

Technology also improves social networking. The internet, the biggest venture of technology, is a place where people come from all over the world. One particular site may have visitors from Kuwait, Malaysia, Africa, Honolulu and where not! Using the social networking sites specially tailored for students, they can participate in online classes, debate with experts and other students. This way they increase their opportunities for jobs as well.

The next advent of technology, the mobile phone technology, virtual worlds and educational gaming technology have just come into scenario. However these three ventures are predicted to be the next boost to online education. How? This will be seen probably in a very less time. May be just after a couple of years from today, we will be talking about imparting education through mobile phones! Remember this is a technology world now. Nothing is impossible. One thing termed impossible today may be difficult after 10 years and very easily possible after the next 10 years! Technology doesnt remain the same for more than a decade. It advances faster than any other thing.

Thus distance education will also grow with the same speed as technology. They both are interrelated. So as online education is growing with every leap of technology, why dont you check out a topic that appeals you the most? This is the best time for it.

If you bring up forensics in a conversation, those involved will often start thinking of scenes from the television show CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). It’s synonymous with scouring crime scenes for minute clues to help criminal investigators create leads in various cases.

Because of the misunderstanding that’s developed about criminal investigations and forensics, many don’t realize that there is an acute difference between forensics and forensic science.

Currently, forensic science gets shortened in most discussions to “forensics.” The word “forensic” actually relates to debates, and comes from the Latin word “forensis” or “of or before the forum.” This concept became most prominent in ancient Rome where both the accused and the accuser involved in a judicial case had to advance their arguments in front of a public forum. This led to the usage of the term “forensics” for both public debate and the presentation of legal evidence.

This concept of “evidence” is what has caused it to run parallel and merge with forensic science. As the judicial system evolved, so, too, did the evidence that was required in cases. No longer was it a matter of verbal debate; instead other forms of evidence were necessary. The concept, that being “forensic” or “before the forum” still holds true. The only thing that has changed is the type of evidence that’s being presented.

While some modern dictionaries will actually merge the two and provide similar or identical definitions, they are quite separate by origin and practical application.

The term forensics refers to public debate which includes the presentation of evidence and rhetoric. Forensic Science is something different. It deals specifically with the gathering, identification, research, and scientific interpretation of evidence to determine such things as who was involved in a crime.

In addition to confusing the terms forensics and forensic science, people often mistake forensic science for criminalistics. However, it’s important to keep these terms in context too. Forensic science involves any discipline that can be applied to evidence. Criminalistics is just one of the subdivisions of forensic science.

Some of the disciplines that fall under the umbrella of “forensic science” are:

-Computer Forensics -Forensic Accounting -Forensic Audio Engineering -Forensic Linguistics -Forensic Pathology -Forensic Psychology -Forensic Engineering -Criminalistics

Criminalistics itself is the scientific discipline which brings together various natural sciences such as biology and chemistry to the examination, identification, and comparison of certain types of evidence. Criminalists deal with biological evidence including DNA and bodily fluids, trace evidence such as fibers, hair, and soil, and impression evidence such as fingerprints and tire tracks. They also are involved with ballistics, drug analysis, crime scene photography and reconstruction.

As you can see, the forensic sciences deal specifically with the research and examination of evidence so that such evidence can be admitted to and used within the legal system. Forensics on the other hand should be viewed not as the science behind the evidence, but as the presentation and use of the research once it’s completed.

It truly is a more competitive world out there. Businesses know that to be at par with the competition and to grow at a rapid pace, they need to drive innovation within the company and find partner organizations that are cutting edge and would help them dominate the market quickly using practical, simple and cost effective methods.

Rob Purdy, CEO of Carlton Group, a leading edge technology provider, said that in 2011, the IT Channel Planet reported on an IBM survey which said that “mid size businesses are shifting investment priorities more towards innovation and growth and a significant portion of resources are likely to be allocated towards “SaaS” computing. About 70 % of the respondents intended to work with a local channel partner to help meet their technology objectives.”

What exactly is Software as a Service or “SaaS” Technology and why has it become important for businesses?

Information technology research and advisory company Gartner describes SaaS as software thats managed, delivered and owned remotely by providers which could be one or more. The infrastructure and the IT operations that support the applications are also outsourced to the vendor or a different provider. The application that the vendor delivers is an application thats based on one set of data definitions and common code which are then consumed in a one-to-many model by customers at any time. If the software needs to be installed on-premises using the companys infrastructure, that is not SaaS technology.

A Gartner Group estimate put the 2010 sales of this technology at $10 billion and the 2011 sales at about $12.1 billion. By 2015, the IT advisory company estimates that sales figures for SaaS will double the 2010 numbers.

Purdy, citing the Wikipedia definition, said that Saas is “a software delivery model in which software and its associated data are hosted centrally and accessed by users using a web browser over the internet.”

Why are more and more companies choosing Saas? Purdy said the following reasons:

1. He said that many large performance improvement companies have made the decision to migrate their client solutions to SaaS technology because it is much more affordable than traditional software to maintain, faster to implement and in most cases can be fully managed by the end customer.

2. SaaS technology delivers secure, affordable, scalable and easily accessible method to deliver employee recognition performance, loyalty training and even global reward management solutions all on a global scale.

3. SaaS keeps companies competitive. Purdy said, “Companies stand to reap massive rewards by incorporating SaaS solutions into their offerings. Performance improvement companies who do not offer SaaS solutions are less competitive simply because most enterprise level organizations are already using or considering using SaaS technology.

4. Software as a Service or “SaaS” Technology delivers simplicity. “In the words of Martin Henry Fisher, knowledge is a process of piling up facts,” Purdy shared. “Wisdom lies in their simplification. And nothing speaks volumes like simplicity to your customers.”