1. Compared to writing traditional essays as you have in other classes, were the expectations of the blog assignment easier, harder or just different? In other words, was it clear to you what the format of a blog was and how to produce one?
I used the basic concept of a traditional essay to write the blog, the introduction that included the argument, the main body that included the supporting information and then the conclusion. In using the same format is wasn’t any different, but when citing sources I found it much easier to simply attach a hyperlink to specific words or phrases. I’ve never written a blog so I wasn’t sure what to expect until reviewing the grading guidelines, which provided a clear path to follow in how to format the blog.
2. Did the blog assignments, and the requirement to create a blog, relate to the class topics and course objectives? Why or why not?
The assigned blogs seemed to correlate with the current curriculum of the class. Whether it was pop culture, critical thinking, reasoning skills, advertising techniques, Bradbury’s vision of the future or many other topics we covered in class the blog questions related to the same topics. It seemed fitting to write in blog format in a humanities for technology class. As newspaper circulation is rapidly declining blog readership seems to be taking over. Qualified writers are now shifting over to blogging instead of traditional forms of media such as newspapers and magazines and making a name for themselves. After finishing the course I’ve concluded technology plays a large part in today’s humanities and blogging is an integral part in modern journalism.
3. Did the non-text elements of the blog program contribute to your learning in this class? Did they get in the way? Or did they have no affect at all?
The non-text elements enhanced the blog program in a way that traditional classes weren’t able to do in the past. A blog is an interactive paper, an essay that can link to video, pictures or websites that makes the writing come alive compared to a composition written on paper. The weekly topics prepared us for the blog assignments and the videos made it easier to grasp the topics being covered. Setting up the blog page allowed us to make it more personal by adding pictures or music. Overall utilizing non-text elements in the class for either prepping for or writing the blog I think made it better.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Blog 2
Typically we're raised into our beliefs such as religion or politics and we don't stray from them when we get older. Our beliefs dictate the solutions we present and to deviate from that would be unfathomable to most. There are many problems in this world and because of it many sides find themselves in very heated debates arguing their solutions. Lots of these problems many claim there is only a single solution. Illegal immigration is one of those issues, most either want closed borders with Mexico or an open border.
There are several groups advocating closed border with Mexico, claiming the illegals that cross over are a drag on our economy, they smuggle illegal drugs over and are a cause of many crimes in the United States. The Minute Men are one of those groups who have even gone so far as to post volunteers at the Arizona Mexico border to call the border patrol when people are spotted trying to come over illegally. It is of this groups viewpoint that illegals are also a burden on our hospitals, racking up medical bills and not paying them. They claim illegals use our social system and receive social benefits, while at the same time pay no taxes by getting paid under the table. There have been examples of illegal criminals murdering U.S. citizens then fleeing to Mexico knowing that the Mexican government will not extradite murder suspects assuming they will face a death penalty in the United States. Another group of people thought to cross over the border are terrorist from middle eastern countries. Terrorist realizing the border is very porous know they can cross over it without a paper trail allowing them to remain unnoticed in the United States until it is time for them to commit some terrorist act. It is examples like these that people for closing the border use to fuel their argument that the U.S. Mexican border should be walled up and closed so no illegals may get across.
Several groups advocate an open border claiming the treatment of illegals is inhumane and it's unjust to prevent people from wanting to live a better life. In Phoenix Arizona a pregnant illegal immigrant Ala Chacon was arrested and forced to give birth while shackled, then wan not able to hold or nurse her baby for 70 days. There are many cases such as this in Phoenix of women being shackled during and after childbirth causing much discomfort to the pregnant woman. Families are often split up when one parent is an illegal immigrant and forced to leave the country. Pro open border groups also claim because it is so hard to get permission to come and live in the United States many die trying to cross the harsh desert to get to the United States. Our economy some claim is benefited by these illegal immigrants. By working for low wages they keep cost down and allow many things to be more affordable. To prevent the inhumane treatment and keep the economy moving the U.S. Mexican border should be open for all to freely come and go.
There usually only seems to two solutions for the illegal immigration situation in America and that is to open the borders completely or close it off. Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy tried submitted a bill involving a guest workers program which would allow illegal immigrants a path to become documented and legal in conjunction with securing the border better. This is a compromise that both sides didn't like and as a result the bill was never passed. President Obama has a similar solution to secure the border, improve the immigration bureaucracy to allow immigrants to enter the U.S. faster and to remove incentives to remain illegal in the United States. Again though because this is a compromise solution it is being put on hold for now to be tackled another day even though the new Arizona illegal immigration law has created a huge worldwide controversy. It seems that for certain problems there is only one solution that will appease a particular viewpoint, and in a case like illegal immigration there are so many complexities to the issue it's hard to imagine a middle ground that both sides can meet at.
There are several groups advocating closed border with Mexico, claiming the illegals that cross over are a drag on our economy, they smuggle illegal drugs over and are a cause of many crimes in the United States. The Minute Men are one of those groups who have even gone so far as to post volunteers at the Arizona Mexico border to call the border patrol when people are spotted trying to come over illegally. It is of this groups viewpoint that illegals are also a burden on our hospitals, racking up medical bills and not paying them. They claim illegals use our social system and receive social benefits, while at the same time pay no taxes by getting paid under the table. There have been examples of illegal criminals murdering U.S. citizens then fleeing to Mexico knowing that the Mexican government will not extradite murder suspects assuming they will face a death penalty in the United States. Another group of people thought to cross over the border are terrorist from middle eastern countries. Terrorist realizing the border is very porous know they can cross over it without a paper trail allowing them to remain unnoticed in the United States until it is time for them to commit some terrorist act. It is examples like these that people for closing the border use to fuel their argument that the U.S. Mexican border should be walled up and closed so no illegals may get across.
Several groups advocate an open border claiming the treatment of illegals is inhumane and it's unjust to prevent people from wanting to live a better life. In Phoenix Arizona a pregnant illegal immigrant Ala Chacon was arrested and forced to give birth while shackled, then wan not able to hold or nurse her baby for 70 days. There are many cases such as this in Phoenix of women being shackled during and after childbirth causing much discomfort to the pregnant woman. Families are often split up when one parent is an illegal immigrant and forced to leave the country. Pro open border groups also claim because it is so hard to get permission to come and live in the United States many die trying to cross the harsh desert to get to the United States. Our economy some claim is benefited by these illegal immigrants. By working for low wages they keep cost down and allow many things to be more affordable. To prevent the inhumane treatment and keep the economy moving the U.S. Mexican border should be open for all to freely come and go.
There usually only seems to two solutions for the illegal immigration situation in America and that is to open the borders completely or close it off. Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy tried submitted a bill involving a guest workers program which would allow illegal immigrants a path to become documented and legal in conjunction with securing the border better. This is a compromise that both sides didn't like and as a result the bill was never passed. President Obama has a similar solution to secure the border, improve the immigration bureaucracy to allow immigrants to enter the U.S. faster and to remove incentives to remain illegal in the United States. Again though because this is a compromise solution it is being put on hold for now to be tackled another day even though the new Arizona illegal immigration law has created a huge worldwide controversy. It seems that for certain problems there is only one solution that will appease a particular viewpoint, and in a case like illegal immigration there are so many complexities to the issue it's hard to imagine a middle ground that both sides can meet at.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Propaganda
Organizations and governments often spread their ideology through the use of propaganda, spreading slanted information to either further their agendas or to discredit some other group. Worldwide governments have been using propaganda to sway public opinion for many years. In the United States free speech allows us the right to use propaganda in the public unlike many other countries that forbid public displays of viewpoints that don't coincide with the governments.
It is the pride of this nation, the United States of America, that anyone can stand up and vocally oppose our government without any worry of retaliaion. When President Obama gave a speech at a Democratic fundraiser for California's Senator Barbara Boxer a group of gay rights advocates started chanting over his speech. Whether their views of gay rights are accepted by the majority or not doesn't matter, they have that right to express their opinion publicly. To compare this with Canada, suprisingly they have a different veiw on free speech. When conservative Ann Coulter attempted to participate in a debate at the University of Ottawa the vice-president of the university Francois Houle warned her, " freedom of speech is defined differently in Canada than in the U.S. and that she should take care not to step over the line." There are times when just speaking or protesting aren't enough to sway others to a viewpoint and groups borrow from the techniques of adverstising agencies and implement a propaganda campaign.
As a recently as the Iraq war the United States government used propaganda in several ways. Pre-war our government convinced the public it was necessary to invade Iraq by exaggerating and lying about weapons of mass destruction housed in that country. At the start of the war leaflets were dropped over Iraq to persuade the Iraqi military that our fight is with Sadam Hussein and not them. During the war it was discovered in 2008 the New York Times uncovered that the military was feeding only good new about the war to convince the American public everything was going well. Governments aren't the only ones guilty of this type of propaganda, pro-life groups have been doing it since before Roe vs. Wade, they often have posters depicting aborted fetuses in grimm ways. A positive use of propaganda is when an organization like M.A.D.D (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), use propaganda to display posters of horrific accidents caused by drunk driving to discourage the use of driving while intoxicated.
Despite the sometimes untasteful tactics used in propaganda it is a cherished use of free speech in the free world. As soon as a government restricts the use of speech based on morality or tastefulness it becomes a dictatorship or communist type regime like the one in China. Recently China has censored much of the internet so that they may control the information the people receive. Anything that has to do with democracy or revolution is censored on the internet in China along with many other ideas that go against the communist government. Thomas Jefferson wrote, " all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights," is probably the best way to describe our freedom in the United States. It is these freedoms that make the United States stand out over all other countries.
It is the pride of this nation, the United States of America, that anyone can stand up and vocally oppose our government without any worry of retaliaion. When President Obama gave a speech at a Democratic fundraiser for California's Senator Barbara Boxer a group of gay rights advocates started chanting over his speech. Whether their views of gay rights are accepted by the majority or not doesn't matter, they have that right to express their opinion publicly. To compare this with Canada, suprisingly they have a different veiw on free speech. When conservative Ann Coulter attempted to participate in a debate at the University of Ottawa the vice-president of the university Francois Houle warned her, " freedom of speech is defined differently in Canada than in the U.S. and that she should take care not to step over the line." There are times when just speaking or protesting aren't enough to sway others to a viewpoint and groups borrow from the techniques of adverstising agencies and implement a propaganda campaign.
As a recently as the Iraq war the United States government used propaganda in several ways. Pre-war our government convinced the public it was necessary to invade Iraq by exaggerating and lying about weapons of mass destruction housed in that country. At the start of the war leaflets were dropped over Iraq to persuade the Iraqi military that our fight is with Sadam Hussein and not them. During the war it was discovered in 2008 the New York Times uncovered that the military was feeding only good new about the war to convince the American public everything was going well. Governments aren't the only ones guilty of this type of propaganda, pro-life groups have been doing it since before Roe vs. Wade, they often have posters depicting aborted fetuses in grimm ways. A positive use of propaganda is when an organization like M.A.D.D (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), use propaganda to display posters of horrific accidents caused by drunk driving to discourage the use of driving while intoxicated.
Despite the sometimes untasteful tactics used in propaganda it is a cherished use of free speech in the free world. As soon as a government restricts the use of speech based on morality or tastefulness it becomes a dictatorship or communist type regime like the one in China. Recently China has censored much of the internet so that they may control the information the people receive. Anything that has to do with democracy or revolution is censored on the internet in China along with many other ideas that go against the communist government. Thomas Jefferson wrote, " all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights," is probably the best way to describe our freedom in the United States. It is these freedoms that make the United States stand out over all other countries.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
What is the role of modern technology in generating, spreading or sustaining conspiracy theories?
Modern technology has enabled many groups to spread their theories of conspiracy worldwide. The Internet itself has acted as a catalyst spreading conspiracy theories like a viral epidemic by way of email, web pages or podcast. DVDs, television programs and even radio programs such as coasttocoastam.com allows a podium for conspiracy theorist to stand up and preach their fantastic tales. Technology is not used just to spread the word, it’s also the tool organizations use to implement their conspiracy agendas and generate the hype, such as reversed alien technology, Nikola Tesla’s notes and Nazi technology are just a few that are claimed to be used.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in one of his weekly television broadcast claimed it was the United States that caused the Haiti earthquake and then attempted to seize the country with our military. The claim seemed so bizarre to mainstream media that it became widely watched on YouTube. Machines that can cause earthquakes are not a new idea, it was Nikola Tesla, the inventor of AC generators which we still use today, once claimed he invented a small device which can cause small earthquakes. After his death it’s been rumored the United States government seized all of Tesla’s notes to continue his many inventions, including the earthquake machine. 1
1.Nikola Tesla's Earthquake Machine: With Tesla's Original Patents Plus New Blueprints to Build Your Own Working Model. By Walter Baumgartner.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Does Technology Make Us Smarter or Dumber?
It would seem only logical that technology would give people the tools and resources to expand our knowledge and become smarter than previous generations. Statistics show that students in the United States are scoring higher on test. SAT math scores have reached record highs and they have been steadily increasing since 1972. The United States government keeps track of student progress through the years and in the Nations Report Card they came to the conclusion that there has been improvement in reading and math test scores since keeping track in 1973 . The U.S. Census Bureau has been recording the percentage of high school and college graduates since 1960 and there has been a significant increase. These statistics prove Americans are getting smarter and it’s technology that is helping us achieve this.
As test scores are getting higher so are the amount of households that have a computer. The U.S. Census Bureau has data showing that in 1985 only 8.5% of households had computers compared to 2001 in which 51% of the households had computers . It also may be said that record math scores may be linked with the consumer release of the first graphing calculator in 1985.
There are those who feel technology is actually making people dumb, that we rely on it so much that we have become mentally lazy. There are college professors that insist kids growing up with social networking sites will not be able to communicate properly in public face to face situations . In a 2009 article in “Psychology Today” author John Robinson proclaims that not memorizing knowledge and relying on the internet instead makes us stupid.
It comes to the argument then does the source of knowledge have to come from ones own brain to define someone as smart? In an article from “ Discover Magazine” entitled How Google Is Making Us Smarter author Carl Zimmer references two philosophers that claim the human brain is able to make the world and our brains an extension of itself. There is a new computer term called “ in the clouds” which allows small computers like netbooks to have very little internal memory because it’s expected the user will store most of their data online. Our brains can work the same way in which we store data on outside sources but we can access it just like accessing our own memory. At the University of Southern California neural engineer Ted Berger is developing microchips for the brain to store memory, initially for Alzheimer patients, but the implications for all people to increase our own ability to store and download knowledge to a chip in our brain is there.
The data alone of higher test scores associated with more technology in the household proves that people are getting smarter. Knowledge is the same no matter where it is stored, as long as it can be accessed. And we can access so much more today, and even more tomorrow. We are smarter.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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