project proposal
For my project i have decided to do a video about the credibility of websites and their articles, and how to form an educated opinion . for my project i wanted to add a touch of humor so i want to write a little about how to gives tips on how to tell a website is credible then add put in video spoofs on how to do this by giving funny examples. i want to enlist the help of my friends and family to act as authors of articles on websites and let the class decide, after i have given a tip, based on the author’s appearance, what the website looks like and , what the authors publishes to whether the website and article is valid.
Add a comment November 5, 2009
Me and Technology: revision
In previous posts I have talked about technology and how it affects my life, in both good and bad ways. I have mentioned many items that I used on a daily basis to make my life simpler in small ways and not so small ways. For example I have mentioned my laptop, with which I am typing this essay. I told you all how I use it for school and entertainment on a daily basis. Another piece of technology I talked about was my fiancé’s Itouch, which is a touch screen iPod, which is capable of just about anything you could imagine. I used it in my math class a few times to help me with my calculations. I would also use it when I was bored to entertain myself. But there was one piece of technology that rose above the others and that was my cell phone. That is what I want to talk about. I want to explain to what extent I use this device and how important a role it really does play.
My cell hasn’t always been a constant companion. My parents waited till I was in eighth grade to get my older brother sister and I a phone and when I got it I was so excited. The minute I got it I set cute wallpaper up and put a banner saying “Jessica’s phone”. I couldn’t wait till school the next day when I could pull out my phone and let everybody see it. The whole next school day my step sister and I prank called each other trying to get each other in trouble with the teacher. We giggled through all our classes. Now when I got the phone the first thing my step mom told me was to make sure I didn’t lose it or I would be in a lot of trouble so I swore to myself I wouldn’t let it out of my site. But, of course being me, the fateful day came when I would lose it, only it came a week after I got it. I went to the restroom at school one day and took the phone out of my pocket and set it on the back of a toilet so it wouldn’t fall out. Big mistake! I left it. And what do you know; it wasn’t there when I went back to find it when I realized it was gone. I was horrified, in that short week I had it, my phone had already started to slowly integrate itself in to my daily life. This was one of many phoned to come.
After I told my parents I lost my phone I didn’t get a one again until my step sister got a new one and I got her hand-me-down. I didn’t care though, I had a phone again and I was happy. This is when my phone really started to become important. I began to use my phone to not just call family but to keep in touch with new friends I was making in high school. And as time went on my brain’s phone number log began to dissipate. The numbers I had stored for so long were gone away, they simply disappeared. I no longer relied on my memory to remember phone numbers. Now they were a button way. To this day I still use my phone for contact information. I almost never take it upon myself to remember phone numbers unless they are important numbers I would need in an emergency. Actually, the phone I have right now even has a special setting that allows me to mark four phone numbers as emergency contacts so in case something happened to me and somebody needed to contact them they would know who to call. The contact list in my phone is defiantly something that has affected my life, in a very good way. Without it I most defiantly would be in trouble.
Another feature of my phones that I have become quite attached to is the ability to take photos and videos anytime anywhere. The cameras I have had on my phones haven’t always been the best of the best but they are still good quality. I use the camera on my phone for many things. To name one, I use the camera on my phone to take pictures of my cat Earnhardt. Silly as it sounds that is one of my favorite things to take pictures of. I like to take pictures of how big he is getting and send the picture to my brothers. Another reason I like this feature is because I am able to have a number of photos of my fiancé on there that I am able to see anytime I want. It’s really neat to have a portable photo album to look at anytime. Sometimes when I see nice scenes in the sky I like to take pictures of that too. Basically anything I see that I like I will pull out my phone and snap a quick picture. I realize this isn’t a necessity but it’s defiantly a perk I have gotten used to.
One of my favorite features of having a phone would have to be the text messaging capability. I have not always had this feature but in the past year I that I have had it I have felt quite spoiled. The fact that if I cannot get a hold of somebody through a call and I can still relay what I wanted to say is so neat. I must say I text much more often then I call people. Texting is just so convenient. Say for example I am in class and I receive a text message from my little brother asking where the spare house key is hidden. I certainly don’t want to get up in the middle of class and call him. Instead I can silently send him a message back to help him out all without disrupting the class or my professor. A reason I really enjoy text messaging is because it enables me to keep in close contact with relatives I do not live near. For instance, my cousin, with whom I am very close, just moved to Winton with her husband and two young children. Through text messaging I can still keep updated on her and her children. The way we keep updated the most is through picture and video messages. It’s so fun to see her little three year old saying hi and waving to me, and to get videos of what her infant son is learning to do. Another reason I like to text is because it is just so much simpler than calling somebody. When you call somebody there can be awkward silences sometimes and texting is a very easy way to avoid that. Also it is much quicker. When you call somebody sometimes they like to talk and talk and never shut up, not to be mean, but again texting is an easy solution. You simply text what you want to say and leave it at that. I may over use texting sometimes but I love it.
Now maybe after reading all I have written so far you may be under the impression that I am just another cell phone obsessed youngster, but I will have to beg to differ. I feel that I am not obsessed with my phone but that I am able to use it for so many things it just becomes a part of my life. I use my phone as an alarm clock everyday for instance. That’s one good example of something I would use everyday even if it was not a feature on my phone. It just so happen that it is a feature so I use it for that instead of investing my money in a product I don’t need. Something else I would need to buy if I didn’t have my phone would be a calculator. My phone is not only a basic calculator but a scientific one as well able to perform powers and negative equations. Those two tools together can probably cost up to fifty dollars, but I have it already installed on my phone. How cool is that?
The biggest reason, above all else, that I feel my phone is the most important piece of technology is how safe I feel when I have it. I am not the biggest girl around so when I am alone somewhere I feel very susceptible to people if they wanted to hurt me. By having my phone on me I feel as though I have some sort of protection. If anything were to happen could easily call for help. Without it I may be stuck on the side of the road one night with a broke down car and no way to get help, and I feel that would be just too dangerous. I like to be able to contact my family in case of emergencies and I just don’t feel that would be easy with my phone. For me it is not just a matter of being stylish with the latest phone but being safe.
2 comments October 27, 2009
“Little Brother”
1) little brother; what makes it important?
In the novel little brother I feel that the most interesting and important thing about little brother was the fact that Marcus’ first instinct was to protect his rights as a United States citizen by not giving up his passwords to his devices. I know eventually he gave it to the government officials, but only after they broke him down low enough to where he was desperate. I felt this was very important because it helped the reader get a sort of hero vibe going for Marcus. Also I believe this was very important because it showed how strong willed he was and determined he was to preserve his rights, which was what the book was partially about.
2) Find a scene that exemplifies this- what exactly in the scene illustrates your point?
A scene in the book that I think well exemplifies this is one of the scenes where Marcus was initially was captured. When Marcus is brought to the table with the “severe haircut lady” Marcus immediately asks what is going on. When they begin the questioning and want his passwords his first reaction is no; so, he sticks with it. Despite them telling him the degree of seriousness he still denies them. Even knowing they are the federal government didn’t budge him.
Add a comment October 20, 2009
Essay one: me and technology
Me and Technology
Technology: the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.
The above is an official definition of the word technology taken from the dictionary. Technology definitely has an interrelation in my life in a big way, and I absolutely believe it interrelates with our society, and environment. But how much does it really affect my life, how much does it interrelate with my life? Well why don’t I just review through all I have talked about in my previous blogs and see step by step how much I am affected, and also if the affect is either good or bad, or has no positive or negative correlation to it.
New media, as I previously personally defined it, is all the technology we have today to entertain and educate us. New media includes computer games, computer animated movies, iPods, cell phones, computers, internet and even digital photography. Now I don’t necessarily use all these types of new media on a daily basis but I have used them at one time or another, and have learned to use them to my advantage when I do need to use them. New media does affect me daily though one way or another. One form of it that I use daily is my cell phone; it goes everywhere I do and if I am without it I really don’t feel as safe as I would if I did have it on me. It is not only a form of media and entertainment but at times a lifeline, dramatic as it may sound. Another way new media affects my life is I can more easily access forms of entertainment that in past generations would be impossible. For example instead of watching television, or going to the movies I can watch movies and my favorite TV. shows online. By the click of the mouse I’m watching whatever I want whenever I want, no more waiting for the show to come on TV. once a week, or paying 10.25 for one movie ticket at our over priced local theatres.
All this new media, by my examples, would make you think it all aided me or were all good wholesome forms of technology, but sadly they aren’t all good. The new media we have access to gives new freedoms and opportunities to also entertain in vile ways. New media at times will provide easy access to pornography sites and extremely violent movies. These, I feel, are not the proper ways to use the new media and technology we have. Sadly it is taken advantage of and used in non constructive ways, but we cannot do much about it without violating rights. In one of my blogs I have expressed my views on the internet as a new media and what it is used for and what I think it should be used for and I have mentioned I believe it should be used for constructive purposes, wholesome entertainment, and research. Now I don’t necessarily believe though that the internet to be a form of new media is neither good nor bad but a tool that is used for either or. It is solely based on the person using it and how they use it.
Despite the internet being capable as a tool for bad media I still use it, just carefully. The internet is a technology I use everyday, and would be quite lost without. I use it to do homework, to socialize, for entertainment and to research and stay updated on world news. Every day, a few times a day I go online and check to see if any of my teachers have posted last minute announcements, or posted any homework for class. After checking my blackboard assignments I usually check my MySpace and Face Book to see how my friends are and what they have been up to. Next I typically go to my Yahoo homepage to see the latest in news reports around the globe. It’s a daily routine I rely on to keep me informed, prepared and social.
Another way technology works in my life, in both a good and bad way I must say, is my ATM/bank card. In one way it is very beneficial by making accessing my bank accounts much more convenient and simple. Instead of having to go all the way to my bank I can get funds straight from the ATM and not waste gas, or I can easily pay for my goods with the card. I no longer have the need to carry large amounts of cash around therefore making me feel safer. Now while having my card is all good and dandy it also has it’s down sides. If I am not careful in watching my spending I can overdraft very easily, and by doing this I am charged a fee by my bank. I have experienced this a few times and it has shown me that technology has its perks but those perks can sometimes be risky if you aren’t careful. I learned that the hard way.
Another technology that affects me that I can add to the list is my laptop. Now I don’t want this to be confused with my mentioning of the internet earlier because I am talking about my laptop as a separate tool. Even without the internet access on my laptop it is one piece of technology that I use daily. I use it to write essays on, save precious pictures, listen to music, and keep class notes organized. It plays a very important role in my notes keeping because I am a much disorganized note keeper and when it comes time to study time I am typically found lost in a pile of scribbled notes. Since I have had my laptop, that has changed, and studying isn’t such a chore. Aside from school uses, my laptop also entertains me when I am bored at home. Ever since my fiancé taught me how to play spider solitaire, I have been addicted. I can easily sit and play for two hours and not get bored.
After reviewing all these types of new media and technology’s I feel there is really only one that really stands out to me though. One in particular that I have mentioned that affects my life in a greater way than all the others. That one technology is my cell phone.
My cell phone to me, as I mentioned earlier is not only a form of communication but at times a life line. I make phone calls on a daily basis, mostly to family and close friends, but I also text a lot of the time too. I use the calling capability on my phone to keep in close contact with my immediate family for the most part, or I call my fiancé on my lunch breaks at school to see how his day is going. Mostly I use the texting capability to keep in contact with my more distant relatives or friends I don’t see as often, I also use it to get quick answers or for short conversations between family. One capability that most defiantly is one of my favorites is the picture text messaging. This is really important to me because I am very close with my cousin’s three year old daughter and she just recently moved to Winton. By being able to picture message I am still able to see her often through pictures and video messages and let her know I am still around even though she lives far away. I consider things like this very important because I am very big on family and staying close knit despite being far away in distance.
Now stepping aside from the communication part of my cell phone I also use my phone for a variety of other reason. For instance I have no need to invest in an alarm clock because my cell phone comes with one installed on it, and it has not one but three separate alarms on it I can have set all at the same time if I wanted. For me personally I use each alarm for a different day of the week according to my work schedule and two different school schedules. This is so helpful for me.
As you can see I use a lot of different types of technology I my life, whether it is something I use everyday or every once in a while, they all help make my life a little bit easier. They all range from important to not so very necessary but I try hard not to take advantage of any of them.
4 comments October 8, 2009
websites i find credible and why.
the following is a list of s=websites i visit for credible information and why i believe them to be credible:
this source i find credible because i have visited it on many occasions and have found websites that back up the information i have read. a big reason i like this site is because i offers links to other web pages dedicated to what they are talking about so you can tell effort was put in to the research behind the information.
another good site i visit is www.modbee.com which is my hometown’s newspaper. i find this credible because i have come to trust the print version of it . the same writers are always on there and they usualy have reliable resources.
Add a comment October 8, 2009
brainstorming for essay.
for my essay i am planning on reviewing what we have talked about in this class so far and how these different topics affect me . A few examples are what new media is and how it is affecting our daily lives, what literacy used to be and how it’s meaning has changed today, and how the internet is used.
after reviewing these topics i am going to show how all the new technologys intertwine with my daily life and how they aid me. i will give specific examples of the times i most use different technologies and how they improve or complicate my daily activities.
next i will choose one techonology to focus in on and talk about how i use it throught out my day
Add a comment October 6, 2009
Sevenfoldangel's Blog 