In Class Writing 11/29 (Concerns about Policy/Proposal Essay)

I think that my paper turned out pretty well, but I'm not so sure that the structure is exactly what was expected of me. I talked about the problem for a long time and my thesis isn't until the second or third page of my essay because it took so long to put the problem in perspective. Mainly I'm just worried about the organization of the essay and whether it makes sense and flows well or not.

In Class WA 11/22

I think that the USC campus could use a better meal plan.  There are a lot of complaints about how certain places don't incorporate the current meal plan, and I think that we should get more for what we pay, because it seems that people are always going over on their plan when they check out.  I am proposing that we make the meal plans more usable in restaurants in and around campus, and that they extend what fits into the meal plan in the dining halls, just a little bit. People still eat the same amount they would without it, they just have to use extra money, which shouldn't have to happen. This proposal will be beneficial for all student with a meal plan.

Planning Essay 4

My issue, the problem of information technology consuming the everyday lives of young adults and teenagers specifically, has four main perspectives that I covered in my first draft of the paper:
-Professors and educators believe that technology in the classroom should be prohibited, unless they can specifically monitor its use and students can use it to their academic advantage,
-Parents think it is harmful to the educational potential of their children, yet they don't know what to do to stop it, because their children are already addicted,
-The teenagers, tweens, and young adults themselves believe that social networking and technoloy are necessary for life, because they have grown so accustomed to having it around, right at their fingertips,
-And the manufacturers of such technological devices and advances on the Internet believe also that it is pertinent, because we are now living in an age of information, and it is their job to make it better and better for each generation.

Now that I can start planning essay 4, I think I'm going to propose an idea to limit the amount of time people spend on Facebook, Twitter, their iPones, and the like, in order to increase their potentials for academic success. I want people to realize that these things, though fun and interesting, aren't necessary for social contact and life in general; that there is life outside of Facebook.

I am content with the research I have done, and I think I can use it to provide some information about the benefits and disadvantages of technology today, while using one side to implement my proposal. I might have to do a but more research, but I think I'll have everything I need, because this paper is less of a research paper that Essay 3 was.

From Exploratory to Policy/Proposal In Class WA

1. Between last Thursday and today, I really didn't change my paper too much. I took out and added in some mechanical things, fixing some small mistakes. Other than that, I didn't do too much actual revisions on the content. I was ready to turn it in last Thursday.

2. I think the strongest element of my paper is its organization, introduction, and conclusion. It also has a lot of evidence, but the intro and conclusion provide good background and "So what?" questions and answers.

3. I am slightly concerned about how it will be graded in terms of my four viewpoints, because in reality a couple of them could overlap, and I did not necessarily address that in my paper; rather I took the four viewpoints and distinguished them from one another significantly.

Chicken in the Henhouse Prompt Responses

1. Sedaris makes the arguments that everyone thinks of homosexuals the same way, and that they are oftentimes though of as  child molesters and horrible people in general;  that they should be ashamed of their sexuality. He seems to argue that people in general are intolerant as well, and that all stereotypes regarding homosexuals are true. He uses himself as his primary 'evidence' because he puts himself out into his own story, using a personal account of when all of those stereotypes seemed to ring true for him, making his argument more refreshing and effective.

2. Humor is more effective in this case because it's such a serious issue. By utilizing humor, Sedaris forces the audience to pay attention while he seemingly ridicules himself- and it works. He uses humor to convey his feelings about Audrey by making her seem sarcastic, which puts the reader more on Sedaris' side, because he makes it seem like her comments could bother him less. It's a very effective tool and Sedaris uses it to his advantage, despite how he actually feels about Audrey's comments.

Annotated Bibliography 11/8

Bugeja, Michael J. "Facing the Facebook." The Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 Jan. 2006. GoogleScholar. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. http://vpss.ku.edu/pdf/PSDC%20Facing%20the%20Facebook.pdf  

1.      This source is more objective, though it still encompasses the basic idea of the first source. The author claims that 'Unless we reassess our high-tech priorities, issues of student insensitivity, indiscretion, and fabrication will consume us.' His tone is slightly more comical and casual, making it seem like he is directing his argument toward a more modern and broader audience.

2.      He expresses a 'yes, but' view at the beginning, stating his original claim about distractions    and Facebook, but goes on to explore the different uses of Facebook and the ways it can be used to connect people usefully. This makes his argument seem more qualified and exploratory instead of objective. he concludes that most professors at Universities don't want their students using Facebook and other social networking sites during class, and different teachers expect different resources to be used in learning environments. He decides that the issue is more about the 'misuse of technology' rather than the use of it in general.

3.       I liked the article, because instead of arguing a certain point, it explored multiple views and the conclusion wasn't really what I expected. I agree with most of his claims- Facebook has a place and a time, and maybe it's time to re-evaluate these cues.

4.      I think this source will be helpful in my project because it explored both how Facebook is beneficial in some areas and destructive in others, such as education.

Drouin, M. A. "College students’ text messaging, use of textese and literacy skills." Journal of Computer Assisted Learning27.112 Jan. (2011): 67-73. Wiley Online Library. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00399.x/pdf.

1.       This source is not as specifically objective as the others, but it does have a purpose. The author notes the more frequent use of texting and cell phone use these days as opposed to even just five years ago. It gives me a sense of how depending our culture has become on their cell phones. However, it also explores ‘textese’- the special language that has evolved just out of texting: certain words that people have invented to abbreviate words or to mean make up phrases. He expresses the concerns of parents and educators that have seen this ‘language’ come about, and the biases that go along with that- that this newfangled technology can be harmful to the literacy and intellectualism of their children and students. “In studies that have examined these memory processes with regard to spelling ability in adults, researchers have shown that even a single exposure to a misspelled word can have a detrimental impact on future spellings of that word.’ This article would definitely be directed to a more educated, scientific, curious audience, such as parents and teachers.

2.      The author’s point is that the use of textese, according to certain studies is proven to hinder students’ literacy and academic intellectualism in some senses, and therefore could be considered ‘bad.’ He comes to the conclusion that it’s harder for students to remember certain information because of their use of this textese.

3.      I learned a good bit from the article. I had a hunch that texting could have such negative effects, but the studies seen in this article confirmed my beliefs. I learned about the language of ‘textese’, which I can definitely refer to in my paper. I agree with all of the author’s claims.

4.      I think this text will be useful because it was about something other and Facebook, and it actually had facts to prove how detrimental this media can be to students and younger generations if we continue to use them so much in the future. It gave me more things to write about, and I believe I can tie texting into my exploratory essay in the viewpoint of the harmful effects of these tools.

Eisenberg, Jesse, perf. The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher. 2010. Columbia Pictures. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.

1. This source is great for a viewpoint for my paper because it explores the actual inner workings of Facebook, and surprisingly  enough, it’s hard to tell whether the movie is for or against Facebook by the end. It’s a movie that most everyone my age has seen and can relate to, and it explores both the benefits of Facebook and everything that went incredibly wrong with it as well. I think the director was biased against Facebook at some points, and biased for it at some as well. Obviously the movie was made to make Facebook more popular, but it shows so much negativity towards the site that it’s hard to think that there wasn’t some bitterness in the mix as well. The movie is directed toward literally every audience- teenagers using Facebook, their parents who don’t like it but want to know more about it, and the like.
2. This movie’s main idea was that people absolutely needed a way to connect with their peers. It started as a small college project, and turned into something that people could use around the world. However, after a while, things got complicated and people couldn’t be trusted, so the project turned into a catastrophe despite its popularity.  The movie concludes with Mark Zuckerberg keeping the project alive and becoming rich after a lawsuit.
3. Personally, after watching this movie I wanted to go get on Facebook, knowing exactly how it was made and what I could use it for. I was interested in the views that were presented in the movie, such as the business aspect of it, and the fact that people are virtually supposed to get addicted to Facebook, so people like Mark can make more money off their own genius ideas.
4. I think all of this will definitely help me in my paper, because even though the movie is fictitious, it brings up some good points, like: why do we love Facebook so much? When will it go out of style? Can we moderate our usage of it without becoming addictive? And has its usage already gotten out of hand?

Graham, Paula. "Web 2.0 and Why?" Cartoon. Creative Commons : 1-19. GoogleScholar. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. http://fossbox.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1-what-why-how.pdf.

1.       This piece is not objective; it’s just the facts, which I like. The author leans towards the side of not liking social networking and Web 2.0, because it makes you give up some control online, however it is very subtle, just providing facts and letting the reader decide for him or herself what to believe. It is directed at virtually any audience who can read and has had experience with such ‘Web 2.0’.

2.      The main ideas are just listing what social networking sites and Web 2.0 are, providing examples, and explaining how they work. It gives statistics about these sites, how to ‘properly’ use them, and some common mistakes people make when using them that leads to invasions of privacy and such.

3.      I learned a lot from the article, especially how incredibly popular these websites are, and how easily influenced people are by them. I’m not entirely sure I liked what I saw. I agree with what she had to say about proper usage, and that people have to give up a good bit of control and social contact to actually utilize them.

4.      I think I can use a lot of the statistics mentioned in this research because they can help prove some of the points I will make about social networking hindering performance in students. The rest is fairly interesting and I’m sure I will be able to use it as inspiration to make my essay interesting to read 

Henry, Haley. "10 reasons social networking benefits students." Kansas State Collegiate. N.p., 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <http://www.kstatecollegian.com/edge/10-reasons-social-networking-benefits-students-1.2480338#.Trbl3fSa9tk>.

1. This source is definitely objective, and the positive biases toward social networking are clear. The article references ‘The Social Network’, the controversial movie about the birth of Facebook, causing the revolution of social networking around the world. This article covers social networking more in a sense of college students, which represents the specific bias of students themselves, considering that Mark Zuckerberg was a student at Harvard when he created the site. In this case, the article is directed mainly at college students looking to expand their repertoire of friends and personal connections through the internet because it’s at their full disposal and literally at their fingertips.

2. The main idea of the article is that students benefit more in social settings by staying connected with these social networks, and they make everything that much more convenient. It touches on how the internet has made the world ‘feel smaller’ because the flow of information is so quick these days that we can find anything we want as fast as we want it. It says that ‘we can make a better impact on the world’ because we can make strong alliances for causes, banding together easier than ever.

3. This article didn’t surprise me in the least considering it was directed towards teenagers and a young generation that seems to need Facebook to live. I agree with the author’s claims mostly because I am a teenager, but also because the author makes true points concerning the validity of sites such as Facebook.

4. This article would be great for my essay because it gives such an objective viewpoint of Facebook in a positive light, and it is from the perspective of a teenager since it’s written by a college student.

Huijser, Henk. "Exploring the Educational Potential of Social Networking Sites." Studies in Learning, Evaluation, Innovation, and Development. N.p., Sept. 2008. GoogleScholar. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://eprints.usq.edu.au/4426/2/Huijser_2008_Sleid.pdf>.

1. This source us definitely objective. It covers one main viewpoint, engulfing the effects of    Social networking sites such as Facebook and other sites like 'wikis', and this new 'Generation Y's' educational potential. The social context on information (ie what other people think about it), and how the uses of 'Web 2.0' can determine certain potentials, depending on how it is used, meaning that the article is not completely negative.

2.   The article definitely represents the opinions and biases of educated professionals of an older generation; people who have researched this topic and who want to believe that these sites can definitely be harmful.The author seems to come to the conclusion that “Web 2.0 is a potentially disruptive technology because of its potential to change the model of higher education from the traditional classroom framework to an asynchronous 24/7 mode. "Also, he concludes that 'If these experiences include Web 2.0 technologies, it is up to us as educators, to exploit their educational opportunities, to avoid unwelcome imposition, and hence to create meaningful learning experiences for Generations A through to Z." He means that while these resources can be helpful in many ways, there is a fine line between educational resources and social destruction for the generations being taught, and who use these resources every day.

3.  From this article, my viewpoint of this issue was not altered because I agree for the most part with what the authors are saying - that social networking sites and this Web 2.0 is great to an extent, but that it is not the only basis for meaningful learning and existence for students and young people in this 'Y generation.'

4.  This text will definitely be useful in my project because it focuses on one main viewpoint, including countless examples and evidence from scholarly sources that I can use to get my points across and to explore this issue of social networking and the internet, and how it affects our younger generation education and social- stauswise.

Kessler, Jason. "Principal to parents: Take kids off Facebook." CNN Tech. CNN , 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/30/principal.facebook.ban/index.html?hpt=C2>.

1.      This article is unique in that it is from the viewpoint of an administrator of a New Jersey middle school. He, in agreement with parents of some of the kids in his school, wants to take the kids off Facebook. His main points include the fact that Facebook and other social networking sites provoke online bullying, and students between the ages of 11 and 14 just aren’t ready for that type of psychological damage. The fact that it is going on in school also points toward the point of education: “If things like this start in middle school, where will they end?” He asks. He is obviously biased against Facebook because every encounter he has had with it has been negative, and he wants kids to be more mature before they start letting themselves be prone to such an online world.

2.      His main point is obviously that he is against social networking and the effects it can have on people, primarily these ‘tweens’ in his school. The parents involved also think the same- they have been thanking him for speaking up. The author also touches on the fact that internet predation is much more likely to happen when you leave an unsupervised teenager with a computer, another good, negative point. He concludes with the fact that keeping Facebook away brings a positive impact on the safety of his school and appreciation from parents in the community.

3.      I agree with everything the author has to say: some people that use social networking sites are just too young: they have no need for such things, and results can only be negative when they use them. If not for the specific purpose of positively connecting with friends, Facebook and other sites have a defeated purpose.

4.      This site will definitely help me develop my point about parents and administrators, and what they think about the internet and such tools. Obviously they can only see these things in a negative light because of what they have witnessed with their children. Since it is a primary source of Facebook getting bad press, it will make excellent evidence.

Payne, Ed. "Study links too much texting, social networking to health risks." CNN Tech. CNN, 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-10/tech/hyper.texting.teens_1_study-links-texting-social-networking?_s=PM:TECH.

1.      This source is definitely objective, and sees Facebook and texting and such in an obviously negative light. It attributes dangerous and harmful behaviors such as smoking and drinking to this ‘hypernetworking’- having instant access to so many people, and talking to virtually whoever we want to when we want to. The author is biased against these behaviors, and obviously this hypernetworking that is influencing younger generations to do these things.  His claims include the interests of probably and older group of people who have no grown up with these networking systems such as Facebook, Twitter, and texting. 

2.      The author addresses this issue of ‘hypernetworking’- sending more than 120 text messages or spending 3 hours or more on social networking sites a day- and says that these extensive periods of time online are contributing to ‘high tech peer pressure’ because of what teenagers can hear and see about other people, and who they can talk to with such ease.  The author notes also that minorities, children of parents with less education, and teenagers from homes without a father are more likely to engage in hypertexting and hypernetworking, and he concludes his argument with plenty of statistics as to what hypernetworking can do to teenagers being heavily influenced.

3.      Though I can’t be entirely sure how much of these facts are true about hypernetworking and its effects, all of the statistics and facts in this article are slightly appalling. I figured these risky behaviors would be increased by hypernetworking but not as much as the article stated. I can agree with some of his claims, but some seemed a bit ludicrous.

4.      I think this article will be very helpful in my paper because it represents a very negative viewpoint with specific evidence that I can use to prove a point about the negative effects on students and teenagers. It’s also from CNN, a fairly reliable source in my opinion.

SWA #22

Drouin, M. A. "College students’ text messaging, use of textese and literacy skills." Journal of Computer Assisted Learning27.112 Jan. (2011): 67-73. Wiley Online Library. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00399.x/pdf>.

1.      This source is not as specifically objective as the others, but it does have a purpose. The author notes the more frequent use of texting and cell phone use these days as opposed to even just five years ago. It gives me a sense of how depending our culture has become on their cell phones. However, it also explores ‘textese’- the special language that has evolved just out of texting: certain words that people have invented to abbreviate words or to mean make up phrases. He expresses the concerns of parents and educators that have seen this ‘language’ come about, and the biases that go along with that- that this newfangled technology can be harmful to the literacy and intellectualism of their children and students.  “In studies that have examined these memory processes with regard to spelling ability in adults, researchers have shown that even a single exposure to a misspelled word can have a detrimental impact on future spellings of that word.’ This article would definitely be directed to a more educated, scientific, curious audience, such as parents and teachers.

2.      The author’s point is that the use of textese, according to certain studies is proven to hinder students’ literacy and academic intellectualism in some senses, and therefore could be considered ‘bad.’ He comes to the conclusion that it’s harder for students to remember certain information because of their use of this textese.

3.      I learned a good bit from the article. I had a hunch that texting could have such negative effects, but the studies seen in this article confirmed my beliefs. I learned about the language of ‘textese’, which I can definitely refer to in my paper. I agree with all of the author’s claims.

4.      I think this text will be useful because it was about something other and Facebook, and it actually had facts to prove how detrimental this media can be to students and younger generations if we continue to use them so much in the future. It gave me more things to write about, and I believe I can tie texting into my exploratory essay in the viewpoint of the harmful effects of these tools. 

Graham, Paula. "Web 2.0 and Why?" Cartoon. Creative Commons : 1-19. GoogleScholar. Web. 2 Nov. 2011. <http://fossbox.org.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1-what-why-how.pdf>.

1.      This source is not objective; it’s just the facts, which I like. The author leans towards the side of not liking social networking and Web 2.0, because it makes you give up some control online, however it is very subtle, just providing facts and letting the reader decide for him or herself what to believe. It is directed at virtually any audience who can read and has had experience with such ‘Web 2.0’. 

2.      The main ideas are just listing what social networking sites and Web 2.0 are, providing examples, and explaining how they work.  It gives statistics about these sites, how to ‘properly’ use them, and some common mistakes people make when using them that leads to invasions of privacy and such.

3.      I learned a lot from the article, especially how incredibly popular  these websites are, and how easily influenced people are by them.  I’m not entirely sure I liked what I saw.  I agree with what she had to say about proper usage, and that people have to give up a good bit of control and social contact to actually utilize them.

4.      I think I can use a lot of the statistics mentioned in this research because they can help prove some of the points I will make about social networking hindering performance in students. The rest is fairly interesting and I’m sure I will be able to use it as inspiration to make my essay interesting to read.

SWA #23: Topic Proposal Exploratory Essay Prompt

The issue I'm dealing with is the fact that younger or 'Y' generations seem to be getting addicted to social newtworking, television, texting, and media so much that it could hinder their potential for education and intelligence. Since the iPhone, Blackberry, Driod, and other smartphones have been coming out, it makes it easier for teens and younger people, amongst everyone else with these phones not only to text one another, but to check facebook, myspace, twitter, and other social networking devices almost constantly, leaving people with less time to be simply alone, or doing schoolwork and other important tasks. Though the world seems to have gotten 'more social' with all of these applications and such, it actually has gotten less so, in that many people would rather text than talk on the phone or face to face a lot of the time, and they might not even realize it.

The parts of the rhetorical situation that are already in place for this essay are the audience, the issue, and the viewpoints that will be discussed. The people interested in this issue are the young people being targeted and probably older generations who have seen said shift in this social issue and who may want to stop it, or who have seen their children grow up with this heavy influence.

Positions that are being held on this issue are as follows:
Professors think that these could be tools used for growth and good, but they are simply distracting and insulting instead. They think this because they want their students to be able to learn the 'old-fashioned way': without distractions and fancy tools that could hinder them. These devices are fine if utilized by the professor, who gives dissent and can moderate their use.

Parents are frustrated and think that their children should be less addicted to these things, and yet they buy them anyways. They want their children to be happy, and it seems that the only thing that will make them happy is if they get the latest iPhone so they can play Words with Friends all day to no avail in class, instead of paying attention. The children are unresponsive and distracted however, and the parents wonder why.

Their children, teenagers, and young adults are addicted to these things because they make life more convenient- something they have grown up with.  (add, shorter attention spans) They have grown up in the age of information- where the answers to a million questions are at your fingertips- literally- and they truly believe that they cannot live without their technology, facebook, and the like. They live for convenience- they have gotten lazy.

The manufacturers of these products believe that they are also essential- they have created this era of technology, and now they must continue it because people expect them to. They believe that the revenue they are making with all of the new technology coming out will be worth the toll it may take in the future, depending on if it stays afloat or just sinks completely.

Personally, I think that social networking devices are essential now that we have them, but we could definitely live without them. Being a member of this 'Y' generation gives me specific insight to what this age of technology is doing for people my age. I think that everything being utilized by this younger generation could be used for good, but a lot of people are using it for unnecessary things (ie distractions, avoiding face-to-face contact, etc.) and that it could be harmful for their potential for education and intelligence.