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Week #14 social media in the classroom?

Reacting to the first article, in a way, i agree to both sides a little bit. Yes, social media can be used as a good recourse in many different ways, that is, if it is used correctly. Students can strive on connecting with other students from across the world and learn as well as be inspired by that experience that could potentially open many doors. Maybe even lead them into the direction of spending time over seas for a semester and travel later in life. Yes, that was a bit blown out of proportion, but it could happen and it does happen. There are many pros and cons to using more technology in the classroom compared to back in the day. However, i do believe there are some cons about having so much social media on hand in the classroom. Children should be able to use their communication skills to interact with their classmates rather than just using different sites to talk to them through a computer and be “in the now”. 

 Now for the second article. All good points to think about and ponder on. Although there are good things and bad things as far as allowing social media in classrooms and being able to allow students to use tablets, iphones, computers, and smartphones is another question as far as trusting the students to use wisely and keep on task. Again, it is hard to trust students to stay focused and keep off sites like facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other sites that will distract them from class and what the assignment is. 

In my opinion, i believe social media and mobile devices should not be allowed in classrooms in high schools as well as middle schools. There should be some sort of compromise and maybe each class could have a page on one of the resources given, in the articles, to keep students involved in the class when not in class. For an example, In class, there are projects, papers, assignments, notes, and activities done in the classroom that allow interaction between students. But if there are questions, concerns, or comments about an assignment or project and its when school is over for the day, children are at home working on homework (hopefully) and they get stuck, they can go to their class’ page and get help through that site provided by the teacher. This way, it is not distracting in class and there can still be a site students can use so that they can stay on track and keep focused on the class. Parents can also go on the site and see what their child is learning about in the class.

Again, social media can be a good thing, but only if used correctly. 

[margeduff-blog]

Personal Info Management

This article, i thought, was somewhat accurate. There are always new ways of improving technology. However, I do not agree that we are necessarily making a mess for the future historians to deal with later down the road. The way we work with social media sites, papers, email, and any other way of journaling, blogging, writing, or communicating is just the way we know how to do it today. There is going to be an easier way to do these things, yes, but we arent going to complicate things for the future. They might look back and say “wow!! how and why??” but thats it. 

As far as technology goes, i am not very tech savvy. So trusting sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google, or any other site is hard for me to do because its on the internet and you never know what can come of that and who can see what you have on your walls or what have you. However, there have been times that i would like to know how to manage my information better. Not using Facebook too much i am not too concerned about it, but it would be nice to know how and what to do. I have never really lost data from a social media sight, but i have from my computer and at that point i definitely wished i backed up with work. But, again, i wish not to put it on some website and i dont think i want to go out and buy a 100 dollar device to constantly back up my work. So where would that leave me? But then again, compared to back in the day, people back then didnt have too much to worry about as far as their computer crashing. These days, technology has become such a big and important part of our lives that if an ipad or computer crash its what seems like the end of the world. In my opinion, if it crashes and we get so upset about it, maybe its time to take a few steps back and think about maybe pulling yourself away from technology a little bit. And i am not saying technology is a bad thing at all, it just can be taken advantage of in some sense. 

[margeduff-blog]

Has Media Gone Too Far?

In the past, there has been much talk that social media has gone too far. These days, everything from robberies to murders, social media is involved one way or another. Although there can be good things that come with social media, there are also things that our generation could go without that social media put on us. Now I know this is a hot topic that is discussed quite a bit, but I believe it is something to be aware of and recognize if you believe you are addicted to technology. Today, if you walk down campus and notice how many people are on their phones texting someone, instagraming, facebooking, any sort of device or app that is keeping our generation from noticing how blue the sky might be, or how cute that guy/girl is, or maybe even the pole you are about to walk into. Technology can be a good thing, we just need to use it in the right way. Also, when writing on facebook or some online source you are using and writing on, its always easy to find. But, when reading or writing a book, it is almost more exciting. Having to look for the book in the library instead of just typing a word in a box and hitting enter to search for information, or maybe even writing a letter and sending it in the mail instead of simply hitting the like button and writing a quick comment. What if information that we put up online doesn't ever come down off the internet? a picture that is posted, a comment that is made, a blog that is posted? What if everything we put online is always and forever there for the rest of social medias life? Its kinda like that movie, ya know, Sex Tape? When it goes to the cloud, it never comes back? Now, I never saw that movie, but previews had the movie seeming like there is no going back once something is posted, whether it is meant to be posted or not! So maybe we all need take a few steps back from our phones, tablets, computers, and read a book, go on a walk, write a letter or in an actual journal with pages for a change, or do something with something that doesnt include a screen.

   Here are a few articles I would like to talk about and see what you guys think!

http://scarlettlondon.com/social-media-has-far/

http://www.itworldcanada.com/blog/has-social-media-gone-too-far-and-will-it-decline-2/53043

https://www.facebook.com/help/330229433729799/

Some questions to try and answer:

Do YOU think social media is going too far? Is there a point where media will plateau and then decline? And finally, what is your reaction to information potentially being on facebook/the internet for good?

[margeduff-blog]

Week 11

Comparing the two songs both by lyrics as well as the tune that the two songs have, it is very similar. When reading the articles, it is understandable that Thicke is being charged with plagiarism. The lack of creativity is what seems as though any musician should not lack. And even then, there should not be an issue with taking a song from a long loved musician and make it into your own. Although he is being charged with as much as he is being charged for, I believe it is only fair that that many millions are being handed over to Gayes family. 

As far as Copyright, Fair Use, and violating the two, I do not think I have taken advantage of any documents that i havent “works cited” before. If I have and didnt know it, I think its time to start being more aware of these different ways you could get into some serious trouble with copyrighting different pieces of writing, music, or any other forms of work that you be able to violate. 

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Sexuality in the Media

I am currently in a human sexuality class this semester and we lightly touched on sexuality in the media. Seeing the different commercials on normal TV stations and the not so hidden sexuality that takes part in these commercials and ads. Everywhere from ads about watermelons to commercials about beer are all sexually suggestive. If it is a comment made on the ad/commercial, to a beautiful girl with layers of make up and photoshop on her face with flashy clothes that makes the view believe, “if I just wear what she is wearing I can look like her!”. These are issues that are only growing from day to day and, in my opinion, is getting out of control. Media is making it seem like sex is no big deal and everyone is doing it now a days and it is ok. Maybe its just me being old fashioned, but i strongly disagree with the attitude of people sleeping around all the time and that it is ok. Society these days suggests that showing your body off and being the definition of a sex toy on a commercial is what our media is putting out there for everyone to see. In my opinion, if I were to see a commercial about shoes that depict looking pretty and getting laid, i would rather not buy their product because of the amount that some of these commercials make women and men look to the viewers. 

[margeduff-blog]

Week 10 Evaluating Sources

When researching, i tend to google a lot of information needed to be found. And yes, I am one of those people that look only on the first page but i do tend to stay away from sourcing wikipedia. Being able to use CRAAP as a resource to weed out some different facts that arent acceptable to use for research is going to be a tool that will change my research papers to a more truthful paper. One thing that will help a lot is being able to see when information is published and updated. Given it depends on information being looked for, but if you are writing a research paper on, for an example, Iphone 6 and iphone 6 plus bending, you wouldnt want information that was published a year ago and hasnt been updated since then. Articles are very useful but are also very deceiving because sometimes the information can be debatable as far as how accurate the info goes. 

Google, however is a very reliable source because you can find many articles and information on your topic just by typing in the topic. Yes it might be sketchy information that you are not sure you want to believe, but using the check points off of CRAAP can be used as a very reliable tool.   

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Online vs. Offline Bullying

After reading these two articles my eyes reopened at the idea that once upon a time, life was more simple. It was simple in ways that when you got bored, you would read a book, go for a walk, play with the neighbors, or go through a ball with your brother or sister. Now a days, our society is so engulfed in technology, we cant even know to avoid the other person walking down the street typing on their phone before you run into each other (yes, ive seen that happen, it is hilarious). There are so many good points in the second article that is inspirational to read that I was moved to instead of checking snapchat, pinterest, or netflix, and instead find a book and sit down and read for an hour to just read. Thinking about my parents and my grandparents stories, there would be bullies on the block and what they would have to do to avoid the bully at school. But the worst thing that would happen would be a punch to the face, and if anything, it would make the victim stronger and want to stand up to the bully. Today, children are allowed to sit behind a screen, unable to see the pain they are causing by sending mean messages and harassing another classmate that also has a FaceBook account. There is a fine line drawn between traditional bullying and cyber bullying. Which is the computer screen. Whether it is a phone, a computer, a tablet, an app, MySpace, FaceBook, Snapchat, or any other means of communication through a screen, it can have equal the amount of damage, regardless the type of technology being used. The mean meter sways depending on the person and what they have to say to whomever they are saying it to. Although, in comparison to traditional bullying and cyber bullying, traditional is a type of bullying that includes onlookers and physical interaction on all parts. With cyber bullying, there is no way for the bully to understand the pain the person on the other end of the comment is feeling. 

Being able to pull yourself and others away from technology just to get a sense of the actual real world, i believe, would solve a lot of the cyber bullying problems. Misery loves company and if the person that is so miserable that they need to bring someone else down needs to pull their head out of their computer and realize there are better and bigger things in this world than FaceBook, Snapchat, Instagram, and all of these other social networks that can be used as weapons against others that dont deserve the pain. 

[margeduff-blog]

risks of cyber bullying

Reading the article/story about the three girls involved in cyber bullying was shocking to think two little girls could be capable to mentally play games with another beautiful little girl to the point of suicide. As I was reading the tragic story of the situation being dealt with I couldnt help but put myself in the parents position. If I was a parent of the cyber bullier I would try and keep tabs on FaceBook and MySpace pages and walls to make sure my child wasnt harassing another child. I am not saying the parents of the bullies are bad parents because Im sure they are good parents as well as good parents, but not checking up on what was going on in their childs social media life is something that has to be done if a computer or a tablet is given to a child under 18. For all the parents knew it could have been a sexual predator or someone harassing their child. I believe if the child is under 18 years of age, they should be under adult supervision including the parent being responsible for the actions taken by the child. Being able to keep tabs on your childs social media should be among the first priorities a parent should be aware of. Today there are so many sketchy things online, it would be hard to list everything that is wrong with what is online anymore. And in giving your child a computer before they are 18 ,in the first place is a huge step to take as a parents as far as trusting the internet goes, should be well monitored at all times because of the effect it can have on your child. 

I know this is a long rant, but giving a child technology like an iphone, tablet, or computer alone is unbelievable compared to ten twenty years ago when kids that where in high school wouldnt even have cell phones. But in the end it should be the parents talking action in this situation to punish their child and make their child realize what they have done. And hopefully the girls that have committed such a crime will realize the pain that they have caused the other little girl to go through and now the whole family of the child that took her own life because of the things said. 

[margeduff-blog]

Making “The Call”

Many college students struggle with debt after graduation. My brother, however, was just talking about how after he graduated, he immediately  received his bill for loans along with an alumni letter asking for donations to MSU. I do believe it was worth it, though, for the education that was given to my older brother because he graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and he will be able to pay off loans and land a good job that allows for paying bills among other expenses.  

After reading the article about having debt to the government from a college that taught, what sounded like, an almost a useless education was astounding. In some situations, student loans are acceptable if you received an education that gets you a very promising job that will support not only yourself, but also paying off school loans. The situation Heiney was put in it is understandable to protest against paying student loans because of the lack of education that was earned and the amount that was to be paid. Although, in comparison, if a student was to go to a ivy league college like Harvard Law, a student with loans would be able to pay off those loans, at the longest, within the first year of having a job as a lawyer. 

However, I believe there should be more of a grace period between graduation and the first student loan bill. How could it be expected to start paying off loans the day after graduation without a job lined up. In some situations students are able to land a job that starts after graduation even before they graduate and that is when students should start paying loans off. 

If there was a grace period where students were allowed at least 3 months to find a job before interest started staking up and loans became even more of a debt to pay. 

[margeduff-blog]

Sources ~ Week 5

I personally am a fan of the different articles assigned. It has a clear layout of the different types of sources and some are assigned to the different classes of sources. I mean, dont get me wrong, i knew the different types of sources and that there was different types of sources, but the websites really had a good layout of the types of sources. Ok! got off on a tangent there! Throughout the lists I was trying to familiarize myself with the different recourse tools listed and surprisingly enough, I found myself feeling confident that i knew what some of these sources where.  

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Week 4~Drinking Problems

Many stereotypes these days point to college students having drinking problems. Although many of these assumptions are true, they are also dangerous (well duh). But not just in way that college students could end up in the hospital or waking up on a buddies couch not knowing what happened the night before. Yes, these are all problems that are at hand. However, I am talking on a different level of dangerous that might not been easily seen. Depression is something many college students struggle with these days. College is a very confusing time of life and for a lot of us it is scary at times. But what about the students out there that can not deal with some of these frustrations, struggles, and well, life. Some of these students might start using alcohol as well as drugs to numb the pain they are experiencing in these early years of adulthood. Looking around campus, the library, class, and even the students walking to campus in the neighborhood surrounding campus, a large number of these students are experiencing pain and suffering. Most of the time, these problems are going on without confronting the problem because the pain is masked with substances that will later affect these students lives. 

At first I was going to look into freshman fifteen and how this is affecting students learning and ability to socialize, make friends, have a good first year of college, all that jazz. But as I looked into Google Scholar I realized that wasnt as interesting and, no offense, a real problem at hand on campus. There was also way more information on Google Scholar about drinking problems on college campuses than gaining weight during your freshman year. I am still having trouble trying to figure out Zotero and exactly how to use it, but I am determined to understand it. 

[margeduff-blog]

Researching Research

Looking at the amount of time that it takes for looking up an answer and the time spent for looking up an answer is quite significant. But your paying for what you get! And when i say paying for what I really mean is your taking time to get good....well, you know what I mean! If you have a site like Wikipedia and compare it to a book cite, its going to be pretty obvious which resource is a little bit more trustworthy. Finding accurate information online is easy to come by but also its hard to really know if the information is actually true. When you research in the library, whether or not it is with a librarian, it is still very rewarding because you worked hard for the information found and you are able to create conversation with a librarian and maybe even a relationship given, you dont just research once in a year, or at least I hope you would research more than once in a year.

Although online research can be deceiving, it can also be a little bit more helpful than books can be. In a few different situations, information can be outdated and old in books, times have changed, studies among many different topics have changed and advanced. Chances are, some books have not been updated to recent findings that have been found. 

As far as the "right" kind of research used, I believe it completely depends on the subject you are researching for to find accurate information. 

[sheridansundheim-blog-blog]

Hello everyone, my name is Sheridan Sundheim, and luckily enough for everyone reading, this is my first blog. Today’s topic? Information. So, information has undoubtedly played a huge role on all of our lives, granted that we have accessibility to it. We are constantly receiving information from...

[margeduff-blog]

I agree. The way information is perceived is a vital stepping stone in ones decision making. We can go all day listening to different topics at hand, but it depends who is broadcasting this information and what they also make if the information. Being human beings it is very important that we have our own opinions, morals, and beliefs.

[createyourtruth-deactivated2016]

Information plays a vital role in my life because it allows me to make personal choices and decisions about everything and anything I choose. It is a way for me to explore aspects about myself. A way for me to gather and learn as much knowledge about any subject I could possible want to know...

[margeduff-blog]

I love that word knowledge. Having knowledge is a rarity to be able to have. Being able to gain the knowledge is an even more extraordinary skill to have. and yes it is very true, to be able to have these resources at our fingertips is very overwhelming.

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At Sea in a Deluge of Data

http://chronicle.com/article/At-Sea-in-a-Deluge-of-Data/147477/

After reading the article, At Sea in a Deluge of Data, it was very interesting to see the side of an employer. Today, I believe young adults, 18-23 years old, have been taught to look things up on the internet. This has caused young adults to enter into the real world, after college, and feel as though they are not able to think independently. Having a problem occur, it is hard to think of the right solution to solve the problem. Yes, in stressful situations it is a little bit more easy to think fast with all that adrenaline pumping through your veins. But being asked next to a simple question is hard sometimes to think of the answer because our generation is so used to being able to look it up with a touch of a button. I myself have run into this problem with being too dependent on technology. Getting a sore stomach, look on Pinterest for an answer. How to treat a sprained ankle, look up the solution on Google. whats going on in the world, Facebook. Although these are all very useful and helpful tools, these tools have created a generation of robots.  Although it is hard to not look things up on the internet, it is very resourceful. Being able to find a healthy balance on using the internet would widen horizons and change the way us young adults think and problem solve. Being able to have real life experiences and go through adventures in life is what makes us feel like we are actually living and experiencing what life has to offer. Being able to have traveled before college was a once in a life time experience that I am so proud of. During my time overseas I was able to experience things and see things that a computer could never tell me or show me or help me understand. I am very blessed and lucky to be able to experience.  Life is so so short and could end so abruptly. Being able to experience and understand how to take on tasks is very important to be able to do. In a job opportunity to learn a new skill and a way to do something else is so exciting. The internet can be very good and useful if used right.