Reflective response

LOOK BELOW FOR BLOG 19 FREE WRITING. Blog 19 is my reflective response to the whole course. Thank you. Have a great summer everyone. I enjoyed working with all of you. Be safe and take care. Hope to see you around.

Blog 20 Post-Schematic for Structure of Web Essay

For my hypertext essay, I want to use an outline format that is partially networked and has embedded network sites that are opended not on the same page but on another. Using this format provides user friendly and hierarchical structure to organize information according to categories. The user has a choice to click on a node that is going to be lined up side to side leaving some space in between. For example: Study Overview Research Questions Conclusion References. Etc. When you click on your choice you can see the description of info. in that particular category. The website includes a search engine.
This is an example: http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/12.1/binder.html?topoi/warner/index.html

Brainstorming on Essay

I was thinking about how technology has changed from print to digital? And how it can it affect people?
Articles that i can use are:
"I love novels", Rheingold "Flashmobs" , Collins "Friend Game", "The Key Characteristics of Produsage Axel Bruns , Electronic Literature, "Sampling "the New" in New Literacies," Lankshear and Knobel , and Hayles: Material Metaphors and Technotexts.

Blog 19 Free Writing

Well, lets see...all of the readings were good to read because it dealt with everything i need to know about digital technology and writing for cyberspace.

The most interesting thing out of this whole course was looking and listening to everyone's presentation including mine "Friend Game", also known as online bullying which is a serious issue among youth. Everyone conrtibuted to inform others about cyber bullying, flasmobs, hyperattention, etc.

I learned the difference between deep attention and hyper attention. Deep attention is when an individual focuses on only one thing, and hyper attention is focusing on many things all at the same time rather than one thing. Focusing on many things is also called multi-tasking. I found that i am a hyper attentive person which i knew all along because i love to keep myself busy if not i get bored easily. I like to watch t.v, listen to music, text, use the internet sometimes all at once or sometimes using two out of four mediums. And learning about flash mobs was very cool because i didn't know about it before. Flashmobs are random people sending a message to a group random people to meet up at a location, at a certain time, and for example dress up or not and just act like a pirate. Other people around this group are like what the....is going on. lol..it's funny. I also learned how to make a wikipedia page and edit information on a chosen topic. I am still learning how to do a hypertext essay.

I was not fond of the hypertext assignment because i guess the topic wasn't interesting to me, it was difficult to complete because a lot of research had to be included, and it was a lot of work. I wasn't fond of the reflective essay either because i was still trying to figure out how to do this whole hypertext essay on the website thing. And I felt that giving another assignment knowing that we had a major assignment due was overwhelming. I wish i could have chosen a different topic. I did complete it to the best of my ability because these assignments were major required assignments for this course.

But overall, i learned a lot, such as learning to make a website using the hypertext essay and now i can teach others how to make a website too. Yeah for me! I also learned different issues concerning society and technology, etc. I learned how to blog for the first time using blogger.com, and i had fun while learning and posting my assignments/opinions online so that my classmates and professor can read on what i had to say.

"Friend Game" Presentation

Online Bullying is no joke and needs to be taken seriously.

Statistics
According to WLTX Channel 19, the statistics they have found are based on the 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 students from grades 4 through 8. Forty-two percent of children say they have been bullied online. Thirty-five percent of children say they have been threatened online. And fifty-eight percent of children say they have not told a parent about the bullying. 80% of cyber bullying is not reported.

Cases of Online Bullying
According to CBS news, there was one case in missouri where Mary Ellen Handy had a fight over a boy with another female online. The other person online called her a whore, a slut, and said I can’t believe you took my man. In general, people would say to others, “Nobody likes you, ugly, you’re a fat cow, and you have no friends, etc”. Mary Ellen Handy is still alive and what worked for her was a “low-tech” solution where bigger kids, meaning those who are not afraid to stand up to bullies, tell the bully to back off. Mary Ellen Handy says, "If it wasn't for them, I don't know if it would've stopped". She meant if it weren’t for the bigger kids to stand up to the bullies she didn’t know if the online bullying issue will ever stop. Another case was an 8th grader named Ryan Halligan. A rumor about him was spread online. I don’t know what the rumor was about but from reading the article I know it was very difficult for Ryan to go through. It was unfortunate and heartbreaking to hear Ryan’s dad John Halligan say, “Depression from cyber bullying contributed to my son’s suicide at the age of 13”.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/15/eveningnews/eyeontech/main2483480.shtml

Video on the case of 19 year old Megan in Missouri
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=online+bullying&hl=en&emb=0&aq=-1&oq=#q=online+bullying&hl=en&emb=0&aq=-1&oq=&start=0

A way to prevent online bullying
There are ways to prevent online bullying. You can educate yourself and be aware of what is going on around you. There are books and games to read and play while at the same time you are learning. For example, there is a game that is called, “Standing up to bullying!” It is an educational computer game that teaches school aged children anti-bullying skills in a fun and exciting way. This game can be played by 1 or 4 players. It teaches children effective ways to resolve issues without violence. It can be played in classrooms, home, and therapy settings. It comes in a game board format. It also teaches anti-bullying skills, communication skills, conflict resolution skills, confrontational skills, how the self-esteem effects bullying, profiles of bullies and their victims, friendship skills, anger management skills, and importance of body language and its effect on bullying. The price of this game is $19.95 and you save up to 40 dollars. Those that purchase the game will receive free unlimited updates. The limited trial version is on http://www.strongfamilies.us/computergame.php http://www.strongfamilies.us/ComputerGameTrialSWF/ABTrial.html. If you have any questions for more information you can call 1800-777-0955.

I played the game and I learned that if you want to react respond the opposite of what the bully is saying to you. Bullies do not throw the first punch. Bullies let their victims throw the first punch first so that way the bully won’t get in trouble for it. I found the game to be interesting, fun, educational, etc. The questions get repetitive throughout the game but I think it will be worth it at the end when I win each level. I didn’t get far in the game. I was still on level one. It was getting late, and I stopped playing. It was a great experience, and everyone should try it.

Tips on how to handle online bullying:

According to the CBS news, many social networking sites do not allow at all for anyone to use abusive language. If someone reports bullying then the bully’s account can and will be shut down. Parents can also install spy software to monitor their children’s messages. There is also a service that can search and destroy hurtful comments. Unfortunately, I don’t know what that specific service is called because CBS did not mention the name.

Tell an adult
Do not open messages but keep those messages saved for evidence.
There is a way to block bullies from aim.

According to WLTX Channel 19 news, research says:
Don’t React
Don’t Respond
Just Report

According to WJZ Channel 13, on Feb 19, 2009 at 5:47pm Eastern Time Gigi Barnett reports that legislator in Maryland wants to ban online bullying due to all of the profound hurtful words that caused the lives of so many people.

Blog 18 Hyper attention / Deep attention

1. List the kinds of media you use/read/engage with on a daily basis. Are your choice of media + patterns for interacting with media the same or different from the way it was when you were 5? 10? 15? etc Give short descriptions to explain.

• The kinds of media i use/read/engage with on a daily basis is the internet, such as checking emails, research for school, etc. I use my cell phone to text more than talking over the phone, and i watch my favorite television shows on t.v.. When i was 5 and 10 years old i didn't t use the internet on my own spare time because i was young, and i wanted to go outside and play with my brother and our friends. We would play sports, etc. I used the computers and read books in class for school purposes. When i was 15 years and older things obviously changed. I still read for school and had a lot of homework. I used the internet a lot in school. I use my cell phone, listening to music on laptop, ipod, radio, and watch t.v.

2. Rank the relative amount of time you presently spend with each medium -- be as specific as you can.

Internet- 3 hours or more it depends if i have a lot or less to do (checking emails, research, blooger.com for Eng, and homework at the same time).

Listening to and downloading music- an hour or so it also depends.

Texting- on and off All day

Cell Phone-20 min here, 30 min there, or an hour or more it also depends.

T.V. - 1hr. for my favorite show so it also depends what is on. If there are more shows on back to back that i like i'll watch t.v for like about 3 hours or so. that one day. And it also depends if i'm done with homework and chores, etc. I can't really say how much in a week because i really don't know it's on and off.

3. Describe any media associated with how you perform the following school related tasks: do math or other calculation-based homework read assignments:

• do math or other calculation-based homework- i use t.v. and music- 5
• compose a paper (answers may be different for drafting, revising + editing)- need silence when i'm focusing on typing up a paper on the computer- 1
• read assignments - 1
• study for an exam- I put some music on in the background- 5
• conduct research/find references- using the internet, on the phone, etc- 5

4. Describe any media associated with how you do the following everyday tasks:

• drive- some low music not too high not too low. 2
• eat a meal by yourself- listening to ipod, texting, on the phone, watch a movie, do h.w.- 5
• eat with your family/friends- music, t.v., texting, on the phone, games, etc. - 5
• household chores (cooking, cleaning, household repairs, work on your car)- listen to music and dance, texting, on the phone, etc - 5

5. Describe what you do to relax or in your free time - and how you relax

(e.g. watching TV while looking at a magazine and texting a friend)

• I watch t.v., listen to music, dance, sing, text or on the phone, etc.-5

Analyzing your patterns for attention:

a. Patterns of attention for individual activities: look back over your list and rank the individual practices listed under 3 - 5 . Use a scale of 1 - 5 where 1 is deep attention (focused on one task - creating an environment with no distractions) and 5 is hyper attention (focused on multiple channels for input - creating an environment with many distracting features). These numbers reflect your preferences for attending for individual activities.

b. Patterns of attending within activity clusters: After you have ranked all the activities you listed, give yourself a score for school activities, living/household activities + relaxation activities by averaging the numbers in each category (for example if you have 3 for math assignments, 4 for reading assignments, 2 for writing papers, and 5 for studying for exams, then your school number would be: 3+4+2+5= 14/4 categories = 3.5 (a little more on the hyper attention side than the deep attention side)

• School activites: 5+1+1+5= 12/4 categories = 3
• Living/household activities: 2+5+5+5 = 17/4 = 4.25
• Relaxation: 5

c. Overall pattern for attention. Average all the rating numbers to get your overall pattern for attending.

• 3+4.25+5= 12.5/3 = 4.08 Hyper attention

6. Questions to think about.

a. In which category were you most likely to use hyper attention? in which category were you most likely to use deep attention? Or do you seem to have a consistent style (all hyper or deep attention)? How would you explain this?

• In the school activity section i'm more into the deep attention depending on the type of work the professor gives us. Living/household and relaxation activities are different and are more towards the hyper attention because it doesn't require critical thinking.

b. In which category was there the largest range of numbers ( for example, some activities rated 1, some rated 5). Can you explain why the range might be large for this category?

• Living/household and relaxation activities. Explained in a.

c. In which category did you have the most consistent style? Why do you think this is so?

• answered in a. and b.

7. How would you characterize yourself in terms of patterns for attending? Do these numbers reflect how you would characterize yourself (in terms of attention)? What correlations or inconsistencies do you see between your feeling about how you think and these numbers? Can you explain them?

• It depends on the situation i am in, and i can charactize myself more towards the hyper attention because i get bored easily if i don't keep myself busy/entertained. But if i'm trying to study for a major exam or write an important paper i can't have any distractions but i do take some breaks.

Hypertext Essay Revised Final Draft

Purpose: Government awareness regarding prevention of online predators.

Research Question:

What role does and/or should the government play for online predators?

The government is usually a group of people that sets and controls public rules, and puts these rules into effect through traditions, organizations, and laws within each state in a country. For example anyone in law enforcement, federal agencies, etc.

The role of the government is to monitor people when using the internet to keep everyone safe, and to see if anyone is breaking the law rules. They also proactively investigate and take action on online predators that pose as minors or elders to get their victims. The government does and should inform a lot of information and enforces any serious or non serious issue that concerns the public's safety in its country.

What authority/role should/do non-government groups - like facebook - play?

Non-government groups such as facebook, etc are social networking groups that enable individuals to communicate with their family, friends, and/or coworkers, etc. These social networks also require rules. They have the authority to monitor and block/ban users from using their website if they find or receive any inappropriate action or information displayed on their site. These social networking sites are working, trying their best, are making an attempt, and should keep working on coming up with new and effective ways to minimize things like being a victim of online predators and/or identity theft, etc. and are trying to work to keep everyone safe and everyone's information on their profiles safe. These sites give people the option to publicize or keep their information private. Facebook has account and privacy settings that lets a person control what he or she wants to or does not want to show to the public.

What are the effective strategies that the government can use or are already using to prevent online predators?

Research says that Governor John Lynch from New Hampshire asked the senate committee to help protect children from online predators by supporting, continue supporting and spreading the news about "The Online Child Safety Act" that was created with the Attorney General and Law Enforcement. This comes from the Child Protection Act of 2006. In the year 2008, the state added an internet crimes prosecutor to address this issue.

Another way the government or even ourselves can do to protect and/or prevent online predators is for everyone everywhere to be educating parents and children about the harmful aspect of the Internet. The government has already put up a system online for example a "Nationwide sex offender mapping" where anyone can go to and search for any sex offender near or in the area they live in. Once the sex offender is spotted an individual can call for help if they have any concerns. Also, some sites are free and others have to pay to get more detail. New Technology from the government: http://www.mapsexoffenders.com/

Another way to prevent online predators is to install two parental security programs called the "Sentry At Home Protect Your Children From Online Sexual Predators and Inappropraite Content" and "Sentry Remote Monitor and Control Everything Your Children Do Online" on your computer. It is fast and easy to install and use in no time. Only "You" the parent can see your child's every move online you name it. No one else knows your on but you. Parents and any adult can log on from any computer and cell phone. It has a built in library that has keywords and phrases that police give out to help identify possible problems before they actually happen.

There is also a an act/law that is called "The Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-400, 122 Stat. 4224-4228)". This act allows sex offenders to give the attorney general information of internet identifiers by using a safe system that allows them to compare users of the internet identifiers websites to information on the National Sex Offender Registry. This system allows them to catch who is pretending to be someone else, sexual harrassing others, and much more.

According to research, Myspace and Facebook are taking precaution measures due to parents and law to keep everyone safe to have private profiles with limited information. They are going to come up with better ways to check if the user's age is actually there real age because young children fake their age to have a nice cool looking profile to either show off to their friends and/or want to be able to communicate with others because others are doing the same, therefore in their minds they might think "Why can't i do it or have one of my own". Children may also think this way to have that sense of independence "I have my OWN Myspace or Facebook, etc".

Online predators is not a joke and needs to be taken seriously and the more informed we are (to extend and apply) the more we can come together to diminish harmful encounters such as this one. One is in need of help online and offline, and it is our duties as parents, teachers, professionals, and especially "the government" to stop matters like this one in more ways than one. There is a solution. It is possible if we all work together as a team.


Preliminary Sources:

Governments role:
http://www.usaservices.gov/pdf_docs/Spring2008.pdf
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagNews/release.php?id=2828

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-15113981.html
http://www.enough.org/inside.php?tag=internetsafety101

Includes safe websites for children:
http://www.darkness2light.org/prevention/online_safety.asp

New Technology from the government:
http://www.mapsexoffenders.com/

Government help:
http://www.governor.nh.gov/news/2008/031008child.html
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/factsheets/operationpredator.htm
http://www.glin.gov/view.action?glinID=71826#
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?RecNum=5368&SubjectID=50