Sunday, December 16, 2012

Final Draft of Facebook: A Web Platform to Reach the Masses

After taking into consideration both James' and Hannah's critiques, I made a few minor changes to my final paper. Overall, my feedback told me that my points were well-defined and supported, and the paper was wrapped up nicely at the end. I experimented with the suggested changes and agreed with what James and Hannah had said. Here is the final draft:


Facebook : A Web Platform to Reach the Masses

From the start, I was enthusiastic about creating my own piece of digital media to promote Greek life at Michigan Tech. While there are many promotional materials available, I feel that they lack the perspective of leaders in the Greek community. For many non-Greek students, Greek life is a social tool and not much else, and I wanted to create something that would display the leadership aspects it has to offer. I created a Prezi presentation to outline the organization of an average Greek organization, including positions and their duties; I also interviewed a few organization leaders for firsthand accounts of their experiences. The next step in my process was to distribute my presentation, making it available for anyone who wants to learn about leadership opportunities in Greek life. I chose Facebook as my medium, as it is a very widely used social network by students at Tech, and the most effective way to reach a large number of my audience.
                According to geniusrecruiter.com, over 90% of college students use Facebook. It is a simple way for them to stay connected to friends and family and for advertisers of all kinds to reach them. Millions of products have pages that can be “liked,” and it is difficult to find a public university without its own Facebook page to recruit potential students and answer their questions (geniusrecruiter.com). Facebook itself defines Web 2.0 according to guidelines set by Danah Boyd: it is democratized, stimulating, and provides homophily and power. Anyone can create a Facebook account and use it to post status updates, “like,” and “share” other updates or posts. Facebook allows us to be friends with only those people we are interested in; any posts or profiles we do not find stimulating, we are free to block from our newsfeed. Homophily, or the limitation of diverse perspectives, occurs because we are generally only connected to the profiles of people like ourselves who share similar views. The capability of “liking” and “sharing” photos or posts gives us the power to control the popularity of other Facebook users (Streams of Content, Limited Attention: The Flow of Information through Social Media).
                In addition to meeting these criteria, Facebook can be defined as a web platform. It is an open space where anyone can post any number of thoughts, opinions, or informational pieces, and the potential for reaching an audience is nearly limitless. From the Web 2.0 visual (oreilly.com), it is an attitude rather than a technology, and user behavior is entirely emergent. Facebook in no way guides its users or tells them what to think or feel; it is simply a canvas on which they may express themselves as well as gain access to new information and meet other users. In fact, Facebook’s own mission statement is “to make the world more open and connected.” (facebook.com) Facebook achieves this through suggesting friends, the ability to create groups, and several other means. Users have access to millions of profiles, pages, and groups and the ability to join or follow those that interest them.
                As a participant in the vast world of Facebook myself, I could not think of a better place to share my “Leaders in Letters” presentation. In the words of Sarah Stoolmiller, “It’s intimidating to approach someone and ask about Greek life when you don’t know them. Facebook is a great tool to share information with potential new members without scaring them off initially. Whether they are actively pursuing Greek life or simply looking to learn more, Facebook gives them whatever level of interactivity they desire.” Facebook is already a commonly used medium for promoting individual Greek organizations and recruiting new members; my intention is to inform on behalf of Greek life as a whole. My hope is that members of all Greek houses will share my presentation, helping to spread my message to as large an audience as possible. 

Major Assignment 4 Draft


Facebook : A Web Platform to Reach the Masses

From the start, I was enthusiastic about creating my own piece of digital media to promote Greek life at Michigan Tech. While there are many promotional materials available, I feel that they lack the perspective of leaders in the Greek community. For many non-Greek students, Greek life is a social tool and not much else, and I wanted to create something that would display the leadership aspects it has to offer. I created a Prezi presentation to outline the organization of an average Greek organization, including positions and their duties; I also interviewed a few organization leaders for firsthand accounts of their experiences. The next step in my process was to distribute my presentation, making it available for anyone who wants to learn about leadership opportunities in Greek life. I chose Facebook as my medium, as it is a very widely used social network by students at Tech, and the most effective way to reach a large number of my audience.
                According to geniusrecruiter.com, over 90% of college students use Facebook. It is a simple way for them to stay connected to friends and family and for advertisers of all kinds to reach them. Millions of products have pages that can be “liked,” and it is difficult to find a public university without its own Facebook page to recruit potential students and answer their questions (geniusrecruiter.com). Facebook itself defines Web 2.0 according to guidelines set by Danah Boyd: it is democratized, stimulating, and provides homophily and power. Anyone can create a Facebook account and use it to post status updates, “like,” and “share” other updates or posts. Facebook allows us to be friends with only those people we are interested in; any posts or profiles we do not find stimulating, we are free to block from our newsfeed. Homophily, or the limitation of diverse perspectives, occurs because we are generally only connected to the profiles of people like ourselves who share similar views. The capability of “liking” and “sharing” photos or posts gives us the power to control the popularity of other Facebook users (Streams of Content, Limited Attention: The Flow of Information through Social Media).
                In addition to meeting these criteria, Facebook can be defined as a web platform. It is an open space where anyone can post any number of thoughts, opinions, or informational pieces, and the potential for reaching an audience is nearly limitless. From the Web 2.0 visual (oreilly.com), it is an attitude rather than a technology, and user behavior is entirely emergent. Facebook in no way guides its users or tells them what to think or feel; it is simply a canvas on which they may express themselves as well as gain access to new information and meet other users. In fact, Facebook’s own mission statement is “to make the world more open and connected.” (facebook.com) Facebook achieves this through suggesting friends, the ability to create groups, and several other means. Users have access to millions of profiles, pages, and groups and the ability to join or follow those that interest them.
                As a participant in the vast world of Facebook myself, I could not think of a better place to share my “Leaders in Letters” presentation. In the words of Sarah Stoolmiller, “It’s intimidating to approach someone and ask about Greek life when you don’t know them. Facebook is a great tool to share information with potential new members without scaring them off initially. Whether they are actively pursuing Greek life or simply looking to learn more, Facebook gives them whatever level of interactivity they desire.” Facebook is already a commonly used medium for promoting individual Greek organizations and recruiting new members; my intention is to inform on behalf of Greek life as a whole. My hope is that members of all Greek houses will share my presentation, helping to spread my message to as large an audience as possible. 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Thoughts on Gaming

These two articles, "Dream Machines," and "Art Form for the Digital Age," focus on games, their development, and why they are really a positive force in society. To summarize both articles, games are becoming increasingly creative and user driven; they provide users with  a place to learn new skills and find others like themselves. Today's generation has had access to games since birth; they encourage computer use and teach children to use these technological skills in a way that varies from the structured, standardized format found in schools. "Dream Machines" focused on the digital home games provide users with; they are personalized by the user, allowing him or her to create the world they want to be in, as a character they'd want to be. "Art Form for the Digital Age" focused on the rising popularity of games, and the lack of respect they get in the industry. Because games don't always evoke the same emotions or ideas that traditional art does, it should have its own category in the art world, for it allows users all the self expression in the world. Both articles were strongly advocating games; they stated reasons games are a positive impact on a  gamer's life, and tried to disprove stereotypes that they are violent, a waste of time, and childish.
While I am inclined to agree that there is a great deal of art in games, I am not so sure I agree that games are really such a positive thing. The worlds created within games, not to mention the characters, are extremely well thought-out and in many cases awe-inspiring. There is no doubt in my mind that the people behind these creations are artists, and they should be recognized as much as any Hollywood director. However, not being a gamer myself, I feel that I don't relate to the positive side of gaming as presented within these articles. I've seen games used as a huge waste of time, especially among my college friends who you can be sure have more productive things to be doing. It also prevents them from trying to be social and meet people in the real world; like children, they live within this gaming space. I'm not trying to slam games, as I know a lot of people get a lot of enjoyment out of them; I'm just stating my opinion that I don't think the beauty and creativity found in games outweighs the consequences of losing that time and energy that is spent gaming. In the same way, I spend a great deal of time on Facebook, Pinterest, and other popular sites that are a waste of time. I actually feel that my interactions on these sites hinder my social abilities in the real world; I feel that gaming has a similar effect. Overall, while I understand both authors' points, I simply don't give games the  same high rating these authors do.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Web 2.0

     This series of articles was all about "Web 2.0," from what it is really defined as, to its true potential in today's society. As someone who has grown up with internet access and all it entails, I found it really interesting to see Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 compared, as in the (http://oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html) O'Reilly article. Some of the main differences given were different programs that we use today, blogging versus diaries and daily opinion columns, and the power of hyperlinking. Here I'll also pull from the (http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/Web2Expo.html) "Streams of Content" article, as it also discussed the use of hyperlinking as well as personal blogs. As both articles stated, there have always been opportunities for individuals to speak their opinions to the public. However, blogging is a much more advanced way of sharing opinions and information on any given subject. A blogger may post on any given subject, and then may go further to add hyperlinks to other similar pages, strengthening the original article by backing it up with proven facts, examples of the topic, or simply other articles written with similar opinions. These links also allow bloggers to easily give credit to original authors, which is a fairly controversial topic. As stated in the "Streams of Content" article, recognizing the original creator of any given content is something that is not always done online, but adding links within a blog or site is an easy way to do it.
      One of the main points I got out of this series of articles is simply that Web 2.0 has created a great deviation from the original "producer-consumer" model for spreading information. The "Streams of Content" article gave the best example of this by referencing the nostalgic image of the family gathering around the TV at night to watch the same news channel everyone else was watching, receiving the same information at the same time. Web 2.0 has basically reversed this system, as we access news when we want it, and we access what we want to see or hear, or in other words what interests us personally. The Henry Jenkins article also addresses this idea, by stating that as we the consumers spend all our time on Facebook and Twitter, and that is where we get a great deal of our news, it becomes more clear that people no longer receive information by sitting around a television together or reading a newspaper, and this needs to be addressed by management. The overall idea here is that Web 2.0 has put us, the consumers, in charge of what is news, who gets the spotlight, and how we as viewers will receive it.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Presentation Peer Reviews

Today we saw a few presentations and were able to give feedback on how the presenters were doing with their projects. Here are my reviews:

Sarah:

Major Argument: Vocal Achord is a fun vocal group with a sense of whimsy and excitement, and you should join.
Strengths: Both designs were really strong and striking, the visual appeal is a great way to draw in potential members and inform them about the group.
Areas for Improvement: It will be even more striking and appealing with some color; however too much color could take away from the neatness and clean overall design.

Charlie:

Major Argument: Club Indigo is a great way to connect with elderly people in the community, hear great stories, socialize, and have a good meal.
Strengths: Good flow, the presentation offers a lot of useful information and doesn't leave the viewer with any questions about what the main argument is.
Areas for Improvement: Adding some slides to break up the information would give the viewer more time to read the slides and get all the information before slides transition.

James:

Major Argument: Piracy online is a major issue and is very costly.
Strengths: Good color contrast and visuals, draws the viewer in. Also lots of statistics give the poster ethos.
Areas for Improvement: Make the main argument more clear, better define exactly what the poster is arguing. Also, make sure to cite sources for statistics

Project Issues

So far with this project, the biggest challenge I've had is lack of knowledge with some of the programs or software I had intended to use. My original plan was to make a powerpoint slideshow with music. I then decided to do a video with live interviews with the people who agreed to speak with me about leadership in Greek life; however, I didn't have a video camera, or the time. I also had to consider the fact that the interviewees are leaders within their Greek houses, and these are usually the busiest and most difficult to find time to meet with. My solution was to email my interviewees with a questionnaire and then include their answers in my presentation. They were all very enthusiastic to participate and responded to me very quickly.

For my actual presentation, I decided to create a Prezi presentation. I like the flow that Prezi offers, and I'm a little more familiar with putting music into a Prezi. Overall, Prezi has been working relatively well for me; I really like the way my presentation is turning out. Another issue however, is what information to include and what to leave out. I've decided on a basic outline that gives what I think is the necessary information along with the info I got from my interviews. My plan for revision is to speak with a few peers to see if they are left with questions after the presentation or if they feel some things were irrelevant.

Overall, I'm fairly happy with how my presentation is coming along. I've put a lot of time in already but it's paying off and I feel this could be a really strong presentation.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Revised Statement of Purpose

       For Major Assignment 3, I will be presenting on the leadership opportunities in Greek life. I will be outlining some of the various positions held by members of the Greek community within their respective organizations, and I hope to interview some Greeks to get a wide range of information and examples. I will also be using my own experiences, describing the positions I've held and how they have forced me to improve as a student and a member of my sorority.
       My audience for this project is students at Michigan Tech who are either uninformed about Greek life or who have a negative stereotype about all Greeks. This group could range from freshmen to seniors, include both males and females, and all races and religions. I simply would like to reach those college level students who don't know about leadership opportunities in Greek life. This moves me along to the context, which is informational. I'm not trying to recruit new members, I simply would like to inform people of my topic.
       To convey my message, I believe I will be using a Prezi presentation, and I am considering trying to use music. I would like to set up my presentation so that it begins by addressing the Greek stereotype (all they do is party) and then move on to state my thesis and some general examples of leadership opportunities. I'm then going to move into the interview examples, and finish with my personal experiences.
       I plan to test my presentation on my friends who are non-Greeks; in the past they've been really good at being unbiased and telling me what works and what doesn't. They know about my experiences, and so they are more open to the idea of Greek life being a positive thing. Overall, I hope to use the presentation to change some minds and open some eyes, so that more people know how positive Greek life can really be.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Leaders in Letters

     For Major Assignment 3, I decided to base my project on leadership opportunities in Greek life. I've been very involved in Greek life since last semester when I pledged, and this is something I really feel strongly about. I began my pledge process at the beginning of the spring semester and was initiated in February; within a couple of weeks I already had my first position. I was nervous to take on a position so early, but I found the responsibilities and leadership role that came with it were exactly what I needed to keep me on track, and I found my grades going up a great deal. Coming into this semester I had two relatively important positions and a couple of small ones, and just last week I was elected president. As a second year, only in my first semester as an active sister, this was very exciting for me. All I had to do to achieve this was to put myself out there for positions that people, in most cases, didn't actually want. My sisters saw my leadership abilities and gave me the opportunity to showcase them.
      Since taking on positions in my sorority, I've found that I'm much busier, and sometimes more stressed, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Something that originally made me wary of Greek life was the negative stereotype that all Greeks do is party; however we are the furthest thing from that. I've been able to convince some of my non-Greek friends of this, but it is still a very prominent stereotype. I felt that doing a presentation on the leadership opportunities in Greek life would be one way to reach out to those who have heard only the stereotypes, and show them that there really are benefits to being Greek. Overall, I hope to use this project to display Greek life in a positive light,  and to show everyone that with a little hard work and confidence they could have the same opportunities.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Designing Compositions Rhetorically and CRAP Principles

     In "Designing Compositions Rhetorically," Wysocki and Lynch break down how to create a composition rhetorically; in other words, the steps to creating an argument and then backing it up while addressing the appropriate audience and keeping them interested. I found this to be a very interesting read, as it relates to the composition course I took last semester. Rather than just write papers on various topics, my professor gave us a variety of assignments that forced us to address all these aspects in different ways, as we presented them in different forms of media. For instance, we wrote persuasive essays, group research reports, and advertising analyses, as well as creating short movies and Prezi presentations. In each of these we were forced to recognize the audience we were trying to reach, and to design our argument around them. The key is always to have a strong, recognizable argument and keep it consistent throughout the piece. This is where rhetoric comes into play, as stated in the Bitzer reading, as you have to have the right situation to form the argument, and then you must present your argument in a way that will persuade your audience.
     Something we worked a lot with in my composition course was CRAP principles. CRAP stands for contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. These principles can and should be applied to any piece of media which conveys an argument, be it a written document or a presentation. The goal is to use them in a way that makes the argument stand out, while still keeping the supporting arguments consistent and easy for the audience to follow. Keeping the audience interested and supporting arguments with sound evidence will make it much easier to convince them that what you are saying is right, and they should share your views.
     Overall, the topic of most importance in this reading was stating your argument and having a concrete sense of purpose. If you know what you're trying to convince your audience of, and you feel passionate about it, designing the composition to fulfill this goal should come easily. CRAP principles are a great way to enhance a composition and solidify the argument to the audience, and knowing the situation to which the argument applies will allow you to formulate an argument that is strong and convincing to the audience.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Copyrighting

     With all of the technology that surrounds us, it is easy to access digital copies of nearly any type of media whenever we want. For that reason, copyrighting is a huge issue today. As described in Copyright and Fair Use, students have access to not only all the information they could ever need online, they also have access to term papers, test answers, and other education based materials that may allow them to cheat and receive scores they don't deserve. They can also download movies, music, and more all for free, cheating the artists and production companies of profits they should be making. While the music and movies are still an issue, this article is a little unsuccessful in proving its argument, as it seems to be a little outdated. Since I started high school, my teachers have all used websites that compare your paper to any written piece on the web to identify those who buy papers or who plagiarize. This is an improvement to past methods stated in the article, which included writing outlines and rough drafts to prove that your work was your own. Still, using copyrighted documents to cheat is an issue with today's students. Overall, I have to agree that we must find even more proactive ways to prevent students from cheating with copyrighted documents.
     On a similar note, the article interviewing DJ Spooky addresses the issue of downloading copyrighted music for free. Spooky stated that he feels this should be legal, as it allows for a better free flow of music; it is free advertising for new artists and it allows cultures to be better shared through their music. I completely disagree with DJ Spooky. While it is true that free downloading may benefit new artists by giving them free marketing and spreading their music much farther and faster, it fails to benefit the established artists, and they are the ones being downloaded the most. We are in a digital age where people download music, few still by CD's. Therefore, artists are only making money from shows and from music downloads. "Record Sales" are kind of a thing of the past. Overall, I feel that permission to download any type of document, be it educational, entertainment, or some other form, should come from those who created it.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Rhetorical Situation

      This article, The Rhetorical Situation by Lloyd Blitzer discusses the rhetorical situation: how it arises, what it entails, and what it produces. While using half a dozen forms of the word "rhetoric" in each paragraph might not have been the most concise way to get the point across, the article is fairly clear about rhetorical speeches and written pieces, and what types of situations are responsible for bringing them about. One of the most prominent points Blitzer makes is that the "discourse" or speech/writing doesn't bring about the situation, it is prompted by the situation; he also makes it clear that not all situations are rhetorical, and therefore don't prompt any discourse at all.
     Blitzer gives speeches as an example of discourse a few times; for example the Gettysburg Address was a piece of discourse brought about by a very specific situation which called for exactly that type of rhetoric. After the Battle of Gettysburg the people needed to hear something that would provide them with a sense of hope and purpose; the situation called for a very specific piece of rhetoric. Abraham Lincoln was able to address the people based on what they needed to hear; the situation prompted his speech, he considered his audience, and he responded accordingly.
     I found this to be a very relatable point, as I've been in similar situations on a much smaller scale. In holding position elections within my sorority, one must be nominated for the position before she is expected to prepare a short speech on why she would like the position, and then the position is voted on by membership. Having been in this situation a few times, I've had to assess the situation, and speak accordingly. All of my rhetorical decisions were based on the situation I was in; my tone, language choice, and the content of my speech all reflected the maturity and professionalism I was trying to portray in order to best meet the requirements of the situation. The vote wasn't brought about by my speech, I spoke because the vote was occurring. I did my best to analyze the rhetorical situation and reacted as best as I could. I considered my audience, and what would be appropriate to say in that precise situation.
      While all of this seems a little repetitive, I feel that the best way to sum up this article is to state that the rhetorical situation is the root of the rhetorical discourse. The situation decides all other factors, and is the prompt for what is said or written. While the rhetorical situation isn't always the first thing we think of when analyzing a writing or speech, it is in fact extremely important to consider why that writing or speech is necessary in the first place.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Technological Literacy in Small Schools V. Large Schools


            As a student from a very small town, I arrived at Michigan Tech and immediately felt intimidated by the technology that surrounds us here; from Mac computer systems to SmartBoards, to MatLab, I had no idea how to operate a great deal of it. I was forced to learn as I went, asking questions often and relying on others’ advice; I was fortunate in finding a job at the J.R. Van Pelt and Opie Library where I was given hands-on training and valuable work experience. However, not all are given the same opportunities I was, or are as readily able to ask questions. It is these students who find themselves falling behind their peers in all aspects of their education, as Michigan Tech demands its students use technology in nearly all aspects of their educations. The majority of students from small school districts with significantly less money to appropriate to technology arrive at Michigan Tech at a disadvantage to those with more technological experience.
                Graduating with a class of 91 students, I can very easily relate to this topic. I attended Manistique High School for four years, and experienced a variety of budget cuts during my time there; loss of revenue was one of many effects of the economical downfall our nation experienced. I first researched the 2010-11 budget for Manistique Area Schools, and found that approximately $49,000 was appropriated to “high school supplies,” which I assume includes technology such as new computers and software. During that fiscal school year $11,000 was cut from the same supplies budget, meaning over 20% of the money for computers and other necessary supplies was needed elsewhere. As a result, students go another year without new technology in school, and fall further behind in their technological educations. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Livonia Public Schools; though this district consists of several different schools, including 6 high schools, it still had a comparatively massive technology equipment fund of $1,000,000 during the 2010-11 school year. Stevenson High, one of Livonia’s high schools, has pages on its website dedicated to the many educational programs it offers as well as a link specifically directed toward “academically gifted students.” It can be assumed that this school focuses on giving its students only the most advanced technology in order to be competitive with other schools in the state as well as across the country, thus giving them the opportunity to become more technologically fluent.
                Fluency in technology, as described by Kate Williams, is having “contemporary skills, foundational concepts, and intellectual capabilities.” In other words, one must be reasonable, able to problem solve, have knowledge of computers and their systems, and be able to use basic computer functions and programs. Growing up asdigital natives,” today’s students automatically have some of these requirements, as they are exposed to technology from birth, and receive some form of formal education on the subject regardless of what public school they may attend. As stated in the article by Kate Williams, “there is a literacy divide between school and home.” This statement is entirely true, as many students do have access to technology at home, on which they can learn a great deal more than is offered in school. Unfortunately, not all students have any access to computers or internet, and therefore are restricted to what their school can offer. Thus, the rate at which students learn to use new technology as well as their comfort with technology depends heavily on the amount of money their school districts invest in new technology, as well as how often these systems are updated. As Samantha Blackmon states, students who are unfamiliar with technology and who lack competency, comfort, and confidence in their abilities are more likely to shy away from learning to use new technology. Though Blackmon’s piece is in reference to minority high school students, the same idea applies here. Students who come from school districts with less money for technological advances will come into college with less experience and potentially a fear of learning to operate new technology, or to ask questions about it. Speaking from my own experiences, I was extremely intimidated by some of the programs we were expected to use in my first semester here.
                Speaking with fellow classmates as well as an employee for MTU’s IT services, it was fairly easy to conclude I was not the only freshman to feel this intimidation during my first semester. During my struggles I banded together with others whose schools hadn’t offered them the technological head start we saw many of our classmates had been given. It was easy to relate to others whose schools had offered only basic knowledge of computers and their programs; we were the ones spending endless hours in the learning centers struggling over what many considered basic concepts. Chris, an IT employee, stated that he has dealt with many freshmen who have no idea where to begin when it comes to dealing with the technology we use here at Tech. Though he couldn’t be sure where each student was from and how much they had been exposed to technology at their respective schools, he did say that he’d often encountered students with issues that had simple solutions to someone with his experience. One potential solution to this common occurrence may be to offer a course educating students in some of the more advanced technology offered by Michigan Tech. Similar to “Creating Your Success,” this course would be optional to incoming freshmen who may feel that they need an introduction to those programs that are unfamiliar to them. The university could even require a placement test for all first year students, similar to the spatial visualization test given during orientation week, which would determine which students absolutely needed to course to be successful. I feel that there are many opportunities to even the playing field when it comes to technology, and Michigan Tech should make the effort to give all incoming students an equal opportunity to succeed. Regardless of where students come from or what their technological literacy is upon arriving here, they all deserve the opportunity to be a successful Husky.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Computer Literacy and Fluency with Information Technology

        This reading, Literacy and Computer Literacy, summarized a report on technology fluency by the National Research Council, as well as eleven theses on computer literacy. The article defined computer literacy as having "contemporary skills, foundational concepts, and intellectual capabilities." This means that to be computer literate one must be reasonable, able to problem solve, have knowledge of computers and their systems, and be able to use basic computer functions and programs. The article focused on college graduates, as they are the group most likely to have these skills as well as to be using the technology.
       The eleven theses on computer literacy were basically rules defining exactly what qualities make up computer literacy. Some of these were in the report by the NRC while others were relevant but not in the NRC report; these also contained ways in which the report might be expanded to include them. Rather than list all eleven theses and summarize them all, I will state a few which I found most prevalent to today's society and my own life.
         "Literacy is a technical skill." This is one of the few theses contained within the NRC report; I found it to be both true and very prevalent no matter the user's generation. In order to be truly technologically literate, one must be able to operate the technology. This includes the technology in one's own generation as well as the most recent and up to date technology. Growing up with an old dinosaur of a desktop, I was a little slow when getting used to my laptop and even slower when trying my hand at Mac systems. As a college student, however, I was forced to adapt and learn new technology to be both efficient and productive. To borrow a term from another reading, growing up a "digital native" has allowed me to be somewhat more technology inclined than your average grandma; overall my knowledge of technology allowed me to pick it up relatively quickly with the help of others more proficient than myself. However, I feel that it was my own initial technical skill which I built my knowledge from that allowed me to receive my education and improve my technical literacy.
        "There is a literacy divide between home and school." While this thesis was not in the NRC report, I personally think it is one of the most relevant points made. Your personal starting point in technology has a huge impact on how quickly you pick up new technology as well as your knowledge as a whole. While I was restricted to an outdated desktop for most of my K-12 career, I still had internet access and was able to learn a great deal of the qualifications listed for one who is computer literate. There are places in the US in which students have no access to computers or internet at home, which puts them at a disadvantage because they are only able to learn what the school teaches them; there is no room to experiment and teach themselves to be technologically proficient.On the other end of the spectrum there are students who are raised with only the newest, most current technology; these students are forced to waste their time learning information that is completely irrelevant to them, as they have already progressed beyond it at home. There is really no perfect solution to this issue, as schools cannot control the technological education students recieve at home. However, one potential solution may be to give students a placement test and offer different levels of technological learning.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Blackmon Reading

     This reading, while slightly outdated, focused on the trend of African American computer usage to be much lower than that of whites. While I'm unsure of whether this is still the case, the author of the article provided very strong evidence to prove not only that African Americans tend to be much more technology impaired than their white counterparts, but also why they have such a difficult time with technology, more specifically computers and the internet. According to the author, African Americans tend to be at a great disadvantage when it comes to learning the basics of computer usage; this is the case due to the fact that African Americans typically come from poorer school districts which are not equipped with computers. The fact that they are disadvantaged from the start does nothing to encourage African American students to get involved with a world they see as predominantly white. Students in the article saw the internet as a place where they might be stereotyped or judged, and therefore they chose not to use it or computers at all.
    I could relate to this reading on the basis that I come from a relatively poorer public school district, where we did have computers, but not excess money for some of the great new technologies afforded by other schools. While my school has computer labs in which all students learn to type and operate the computer in differents ways, we are not quite as encouraged to branch out into more specalized diverse groups to suit our own needs. Our school did not always have the resources to support us when it came to our own personal interests and desires. For example, one thing I've seen a lot of since coming to Tech is the FIRST Robotics teams. I've met many people who participated and helpled to build a robot while gaining some great work experience; were I an engineer, I would be seriously interested in FIRST and what it could offer me in terms of work experience. However, as  a second year with other educational interests and no other experience in the program, I turn away from it and completely eliminate it as a possiblity for my fuure. I also feel this way about any classes involving programming; while they could be very beneficial to someone in my area of education, I feel very intimidated by those who already have the basic knowledge and skills and who would be starting a step ahead of me.
      Overall, it was easy to see the theme of this article: until African Americans can feel that they are on a level playing field with whites in cyberspace, they will continue to avoid using such technology at all costs. As someone from a less fortunate school district with many options regarding students' future plans, I could relate to this feeling of unequal opportunity between two or more socioeconomic groups. I think that this article could serve as a reminder to all of us that we don't all come from the same levels of opportunity, and must remember to help those less experienced than ourselves to prevent any feelings of suboordination.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Palfrey and Gasser Reading

    This reading was focused on the generational gap between the "digital natives," and the "digital immigrants," or the digital generation and their parents and grandparents. I, as a digital native, could relate easily to this article, as I've seen firsthand the difficulties my parents have with technology. They don't understand why I prefer texting to phone calls, or why I check facebook several times a day; they don't trust the online sites where I order clothes from. Because it was so long before we even had internet at our house, they have always trusted me not to visit unreliable sites; however, it took me a long time to convince them that myspace and facebook wouldn't give our computer viruses. They do, however, have a certain respect for the efficiancy with which I work and communicate; they understand how useful technology has been in my work process as well as finding job opportunities. Overall, they respect technology and see how important it is for success for someone in my generation, but they have no interest in becoming as proficient as I am in technology use; they are content to learn what they need, and to ask me to do the rest. Like many digital immigrants, they are happy to joke about their lack of technological capability, and to simply rely on old methods to get the job done. They are less concerned with privacy, bullying, and predators than the writers of this article; I was old enough when I got online that I knew the consequences of my actions online, and I knew not to get involved with sites that would allow strangers to  find me or my information.
      This brings me to another interesting point in this article: the crossroads we find ourselves at with this new technology based era. Having witnessed some of the negative outcomes of living in a technology based world, I've seen the damage kids are subject to when they find themselves entangled with bad websites; for instance chat rooms with pedophiles in them, or gambling sites that take their parents' credit card information. There are many places on the web that are not safe; I am inclined to agree with the article that we should inform kids about what is safe and acceptable rather than simply trying to block them from what we think isn't safe. This means that all generations must have some understanding of the digital world to successfully guide their children to use technology to benefit themselves. One story that comes to mind in reference to this argument is that of a teenage girl who was cyber-bullied to the point of committing suicide. Megan Meier was a 13 year old girl who was harrassed via myspace until she committed suicide. Megan's mother Tina came to my high school and spoke about the incident; it was her way of finding something positive in such a tragic event. Megan's story was really strange because of the identity of her attackers: it was a classmate and the classmate's mother. The unnamed girl's mother helped her daughter to create a fake myspace account and then helped her use it to harrass Megan repeatedly. This is a prime example of digital immigrants using technology the wrong way, and setting all the wrong examples for their children. Though digital natives grow up knowing how to use the technology, they must be taught to use it to benefit themselves and others, not to hurt others or endanger themselves. I feel that there is a fine balance that must be obtained to reach this goal, as we will only become more technology inclined.
     Overall, I feel that this article was a positive one, highlighting the benefits that can come from growing up a digital native. Technology is our future, and growing up in the middle of it gives digital natives a great advantage. However, there are other aspects of this technological era to consider, for instance the dangers that are out there on the web. I feel that the best way to deal with these is to embrace technology and do what we've always done, trying to raise our children as best we can and with strong values and morals to keep them on the right track.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Broadband Readings

      This group of articles was all about the spread of broadband in American homes, and those who don't find it necessary. In recent years, broadband has spread rapidly to many homes in America, and many people believe it is vital for job opportunities and career skills, health information, government services, keeping up with today's news, and many other important sources of information. (Home Broadband 2010) A trend has emerged in recent years of cutting back on cell phone service and television services while maintaining broadband in the home. We live in a technological age, so many of these people see broadband as the most useful portal into the digital world; thus, they place broadband above other forms of technology in their homes. (Home Broadband Adoption 2009) However, there are still a small percentage of Americans without broadband in their homes. These include people who don't know how to use the internet, don't see it as necessary in their lives, or they simply are not interested in going online whatsoever. I can relate to this group, as my parents don't have an internet connection in their house. They had dial-up internet for some time when my sisters and I were still home, but they did not upgrade to charter internet until I was almost ready to leave; once the nest was empty they turned off their internet connection completely. Neither of my parents ever really took the time to learn to use the computer efficiently; they knew the benefits of having an internet connection but didn't think it was worth paying the extra money for the small amount they might use it. I personally am of the opinion that broadband is vital in today's world; it allows you to keep up with what's happening as well as stay connected with distant friends and family, communicate quickly and with ease, and it still has many more benefits. However, my parents live in a more slow-paced world than I do; they are happy to live their lives without the intrusion of internet.
      Something I found interesting about these two articles was that, despite the fact that they are done by the same group (Pew Internet and American Life Project) they contradict each other on their facts. One article says that African Americans have seen a very small amount of broadband usage growth in the past two years, while the other states that they have had a very large jump both years and are continuing to rapidly grow. While I don't feel that this is incredibly relevant information, it still makes me wonder how credible these censuses are. While they display some very sound and detailed information, it seems that their facts are also a little skewed. I thought that maybe this was a way to convince people that broadband needs to spread and be in the homes of all Americans; perhaps they would benefit from this. Either way, I just thought it was a noteable fact.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Digital Media Artifact Rough Draft


Christianmingle.com and Its Effects on Society Today

                  As someone born into a technology minded era, it seems to me that dating service websites have always been around. In fact, the first ones didn’t appear until the late 1990’s, but they’ve been increasing in popularity since then as our society becomes more reliant on technology. One surprising trend is the popularity of specialized sites; those sites which cater exclusively to certain races, religions, sexual orientations, or other dating criteria are actually the most successful and gain in popularity each year (Online Dating Service). For this assignment I chose to focus on christianmingle.com, as it is a well-advertised specialty online dating service which I found very intriguing. The idea of a dating service which alienates so many seemed at first to be a contradiction; how would such a service be successful with such a specifically defined group of people? However, with approximately 30% of America’s 80 million baby boomers single, it makes sense that a large number of those would be Christians looking for mates with the same faith and views (Online Dating Service). The success of christianmingle.com is obvious, with the numerous ads on television, in magazines, and on some of the most visited sites on the web. A service that efficiently catalogues the profiles of thousands of members, allows members to communicate, and matches them based on personality and interest tests is clearly a digital artifact, affecting all generations of today’s society (Christianmingle.com Review).
                  Christianmingle.com is one of many specialty online dating services created by Spark Networks. The creators of Spark Networks saw the possibilities in catering to small cultural subsets, and launched their first dating service in 1997, JDate (a site for Jewish singles). Since then the company has launched several more dating services, each geared toward a specific group of users (About Us). Though christianmingle.com is geared toward Christian singles, its advertising is much more widespread, and reaches a great deal of today’s society. For instance, I personally am not a Christian, nor am I looking to find “the one,” yet I know all about christianmingle.com and the services it provides. My personal knowledge comes from television ads for the most part; these ads are informational and visually appealing to a younger generation. My theory is that the site’s content itself will bring in those who are avidly in search of finding a mate, and the advertising is an additional tool meant to entice a wider range of users, including younger users and those who are interested but not actively searching for the site. Marshall McLuhen touches on this phenomenon in The Medium is the Massage. He says the “television generation is a grim bunch,” meaning our generation, which is exposed to nearly all aspects of the media via television, has a greater understanding of what is happening in the world because of this exposure. I personally learned about christianmingle.com via television ads; though I am not an interested customer, I now know about the site: its existence, its purpose, and its intended demographic (McLuhen, 123).
Vannevar Bush’s piece As We May Think was a fascinating article in which Bush basically outlined the World Wide Web, before it was actually created. Bush simply wrote about a system he thought necessary to provide access to information and ideas, and he called it the Memex. The Memex was Bush’s answer to a need for easier access in research; his ideas inspired hyperlinking as a way to quickly jump from one idea to the next (As We May Think). Online dating services in general employ these same ideas; christianmingle.com in particular works similarly to the way Bush envisioned the Memex, but with a much more narrowly defined purpose. Individual users input information about themselves, upload photos, and answer questions; the program compiles all of this and makes the connections so that users can quickly and easily find their matches. The name of the site itself eliminates a large number of potentials, and the service then uses the client information to match clients, and then informs them of their matches. Like Bush, the creators of christianmingle.com saw a need (an online dating service catering specifically to Christians), and created the site in an attempt to service this need. The site connects users from all over digitally, filling the void for an online dating service with these precise specifications.
                  Lev Manovich describes the digital media artifact and what defines it in The Language of New Media; christianmingle.com meets all five of Manovich’s rules defining a digital artifact: numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, and cultural transcoding. The site and all its features are coded by numbers and characters; without this numerical representation, programmers would be unable to create such an efficient and multi-faceted service (christianmingle.com). The site displays modularity in its many functions; individual profiles, chat functions, and a variety of tests combine to find the best matches for users. Automation is also represented in these functions, as they work together like a well-oiled machine to most effectively service clients (dating review site). Variability can be found in the many individual profiles and the wide variety of users participating in the service, as well as the many components of the site which are used in creating matches between users. Cultural transcoding can be seen in the way the service is taking common Christian values and incorporating them into the site to service an exclusive group of clients (The Language of New Media). Compiling all the functions that individually meet Manovich’s guidelines, it is easy to see that christianmingle.com is the quintessential digital artifact; this service performs inside and outside the digital world, and affects people of all ages and from all cultures.
                  Coming into this assignment, I had no idea what a digital media artifact was or what qualifications defined it. Through course readings and class discussions, I was able to form my own definition, aside from the ones provided in the readings: a digital media artifact is anything that is technologically relevant which conveys some form of media to us. While this is a very broad definition, I feel that it is appropriate. Technology expands further into all aspects of our lives with each passing day. I chose christianmingle.com as my digital artifact for this very reason; as I stated earlier, I am not the target customer for this service, yet I know all about it. It is a way for people of a certain demographic to connect virtually; it allows them to learn about each other, talk, and eventually meet. Its widespread advertising and many components target as many clients as possible, and then successfully perform the task at hand, which is matching single Christians. I think that the passage of time will see this type of digital media artifact growing and becoming more prevalent; our society is obsessed with technology, and we use it ever increasingly so that we may fit more into our busy schedules. Perhaps one day this is the only way we will meet our mates, and dating in person will become a thing of the past. Until then, online dating services will be used by many, but definitely not all, and will be a prevalent piece of digital media. Christianmingle.com will still be a successful website, utilizing its many functions to keep up with the demands of its users and society as a whole.
                   

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Medium is the Massage

    Reading The Medium is the Massage, I found myself stopping to read quotes aloud to my roommate or to discuss issues in today's society and how they arose. This read has by far been the most successful in prompting me to compare a reading to my life, beliefs, and values. Something that drives me absolutely insane about today's society is how young people are completely dependent on technology and place little or no value in education. How many comics exist making fun of the way parents today blame teachers for the poor grades their kids receive? It isn't the student's fault for not reading the material, or studying for the exam, or completing the homework; it's the teacher's fault for not "preparing" the student. However, completing this reading made me realize, it isn't entirely the way parents raise their children today, it's the completely dominant presence of media in their lives.
Kids grow up with televisions, computers, smart phones, and other devices that throw media in their faces at all times. They learn about terrorism, the economy, popular culture, war, and crime from the moment they are old enough to comprehend it. Twelve year olds want the newest iPhone because advertising tells them they should; they have no idea what it is capable of other than texting their friends and updating their facebook statuses. I guess where I'm going with this, is that there is an ever-present exposure kids today face from media. Their ideas and values aren't molded by their parents, they are impacted by what they see on TV and in the news. They have access to the thoughts and words of their favorite music artists that week, and that may affect how they think and act.
     My favorite quote in this reading was "There is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening." With upcoming presidential elections, political debates have recently become a big part of mine and my friends' conversations. While I think it is good to discuss political beliefs and maybe share a polite debate to defend your beliefs, nothing makes me angrier than my friends who are dead set in their beliefs and refuse to listen to others' justifications or ideas. If we could all discuss our beliefs and reasonings without a war breaking out, we might be able to learn something new about a particular topic, or find new reasons which support our current beliefs. However, political discussions do not usually work out that way. For example just today, I debated the worthiness of the welfare program with my friend Brent. He, in my opinion, hasn't seen much of our country, and very firmly believes that no matter what hand you are dealt in life, you should be able to work your way out of any situation and better your quality of life overall without assistance from welfare or other similar programs. I argued that this is not always the case, and that I've personally seen cases where people simply don't have the means to succeed in the ways they'd like. I realize that this tangent is completely off topic, so I'll try and pull it all together. Media does a great job making us all more aware of what topics are important and allows us, to a point, to see both sides of the story and to make a decision where we stand. However, we don't always take the time to see both sides, or to educate ourselves in such hot button topics. Media may skew statistics or beliefs, or only show one side of a particular story as well; this leaves us even more vulnerable as we grow up trusting media and base most of our beliefs on what we learn from it. One thing society as a whole could benefit from is learning to gain from our media based surroundings; use media to be informed, but also incorporate your own personal beliefs and values when discussing some political topic. Be informed, and use that information to make a change. Like the quote is saying, as long as we are willing to use media coverage to our advantage and to act on our feelings, there is no inevitable. We have the power and resources to make a change, we just need the willingness and drive.
       A third topic I found very interesting and engrossing in this reading was the piece about how media has caused society to return to a global village. When printing became available and suddenly everyone had the opportunity to become literate, it seems that more people were held accountable for their actions and lifestyles. As the book says, if someone commited a crime or horrible act, they were aptly punished for it, no questions asked. They had the means to educate themselves and know the rules, and still they broke them. McLuhan also says that the printing press brought about the ability to read alone, away from the rest of the world, and to form opinions that way; this disconnect is the reason for the "eye for an eye" system. However, today we are all so interconnected and informed on so many different situations, we learn to feel sorry for the criminal because we automatically assume there must be a reason for commiting the crime. The media so often take the time to tell us the criminal's life story, and how the abusive childhood or mental illness is the reason they were forced to commit the crime in the first place; this leaves us feeling sorry for them, and not placing the blame for the crime on them, but rather on the abuse, illness, or whatever the case may be. This idea resonated with me, because I often find myself feeling this way. I hear about a murder on the news and often wonder, what was this person's life like, what caused them to want to do this? Obviously I don't feel bad for every criminal, and I don't believe that all criminals have some sob story background which must be taken into consideration when handing out punishment. However, I can see the obvious connection between the media and this social return to a global village standpoint, particularly on crime.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Baudrillard Reading

    When we were first assigned this article, Wendy said, "You will think this guy is on drugs." I understood the moment I read the first sentence. I read it at least four times before accepting that it was too deep for my shallow brain to process, so I moved on. Fortunately for me, I was able to take some meaning from the rest of the article. Baudrillard's main point is to discuss what is real; whether simulations are real, and if so, whether they are more real than reality. Baudrillard uses several examples to explain his opinions; the one that resonated most with me was the reality of a one true God. Baudrillard questions which is more real: God or His image. The Iconoclasts feared that allowing people to have a tangible image of God would make him less powerful, or maybe less feared by all. Their obsession with destroying any image of God actually makes the image the greater focus and gives it more power than the belief. Baudrillard goes on to question whether God is not simply a simulacrum, meaning He is reduced to the images that represent Him; this takes away the power held by God, as He is now simply an image or idea.
     Growing up, my parents never took me to church. They told me once or twice that if I wanted to go, they'd take me. Like any eleven year old, I looked at them like they were insane and probably went back to my Playstation or something. This meant that I grew up relatively uneducated in the world of Christianity. I knew about Jesus and Christmas and all of the things you pick up from Christmas music or TV, but I never knew any of the specifics. I'm not an athiest, nor am I a believer. I like to think of myself as an unbiased party, relatively uneducated on both sides and therefore unable to form my own solid opinion. This is why the religion segment of this reading was so interesting to me. I have seen firsthand the power in belief in this superior being; what's a more hot button issue than religion? So, for Baudrillard to say that God's image may be what really holds the power, it kind of makes religion obsolete. You run your life based on what you think this image wants you to do, you worship this image, but not any real God. While I'm not saying that there is or isn't a God, I thought this was a really interesting point to make. Overall, the message I got from this reading was that there is a fine line between what is real and what is simulated; maybe our simulations are more real than our reality. Or maybe this reading was one big confusing mass of words to test whether or not we would make things up on what we learned. Either way, parts were interesting, and other parts were confusing, but it was a decent read.

Reading:
http://www.egs.edu/faculty/jean-baudrillard/articles/simulacra-and-simulations/

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Lisa Gitelman's Always Already New

     In this reading, Lisa Gitelman focuses on media: how it is studied and how it becomes a historical object. I found this reading particularly interesting, specifically in respect to how closely it relates to our first major assignment. The first time we discussed the assignment in class, I was baffled as to how a piece of digital media could be studied as a historical "artifact." Gitelman's piece brings clarity to some of my confusion, as she uses several examples, such as the phonograph or ARPANET, to define how digital media shapes our views, language, and modern technology. Her discussion of recorded sound and its effect on people and their memories rings very true with me; while we today take recorded sound for granted, we fail to see what an impact it has on us, and how different life must have been without it. Music, for instance has a huge impact on today's youth. Recording artists make millions of dollars every year, which is a great deal more than many doctors make, even after spending years obtaining their degrees. Music also reaches out to young people in a way that adults often cannot; it tells them that they are not alone, whatever their struggles are. I personally relied on music to get me through many difficult times. Had we never found ways to record and distribute sound, we would not have the benefits of music in our lives, and would likely be a very different society because of it. While this is only one example, it makes clear just how essential digital media is in our society, and allows me to see a little more clearly how digital media can become a historical artifact.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

What is new media?/As We May Think

In Lev Manovich's "What is new media?" Manovich offers a description of what exactly new media is and how it is formed. A rather lengthy article containing in depth analogies and examples, this piece does a great job providing a concrete definition of what defines new media. Though he states that numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, and cultural transcoding are not laws, they provide the reader with some idea of what makes up new media, and how it is formed. A common them in the piece is the importance of the computer in creating new media; though new media creation is not limited to the computer, the computer is a key tool in creating and spreading a great deal of new media. While the computer cannot be credited with all creation of new media, one cannot ignore its overall importance in the process.

"As We May Think," is an article by Vannevar Bush which was published in 1945; in it, Bush describes the need for some sort of machine to compile human knowledge and resources. Bush names this theoretical device the "memex," and provides several examples of how it would be used, and how it would benefit science as a whole. The most interesting part of this article is the face that Bush wrote it long before the modern computer was conceived; in fact, Bush passed away before the creation of the World Wide Web.

The most prevalant and interesting theme, in my opinion, is the importance of the computer, not only for advancements in science but for creating new media and for simply connecting humans and their thoughts. Though Bush lived before the computer era, he saw the potential for advancement in its creation. Manovich also takes a great deal of time to acknowledge the computer's positive role in our society. The computer allows people all over the world to share their ideas; it keeps us all updated on what is happening in the world. Whether one is using computers for scientific research, or to discover new forms of media, the computer is a vital tool that allows us to work more quickly, learn about things we would never normally have access to, and connect with others to broaden our views and knowledge of the world.