Thesis Statement:With quality computer education and training, Baby boomers and generation X’ers will be able to become computer literate adult learners.
Major Points Discussed:
I. Which segment needs computer literacy
II. Education to get advancement
III. Challenges of becoming computer literate as adults
IV. Benefits
Argument: Will education and training make these generations more computer literate?
Conclusion: Becoming computer literate means to develop the ability to operate computers successfully and becoming aware of their capabilities. Becoming aware of their capabilities and learning and developing a basic knowledge of the computers system is what every adult should be able to take from quality education. In today’s society no one should be left behind when it comes to computer literacy. Computer literacy is not just needed, it is essential.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Age of Technology Effects on Human Memory
This paper focuses on how the changes in technology have had an effect on the human ability to memorize. The research dictates that technology is an enhancement to human memory. New technology that thinks like the human brain is available for testing, including how many search engines work today. Video games, portable electronic devices, and the computer are aiding in human deficiencies related to memory. The ethical aspect of the new technology relates to artificial intelligence, but there is more research to be done on the topic. Despite the rantings of individuals like Nicholas Carr, technology progresses forward and is continually enhancing the capability of human memory.
Internet Addiction
Does Internet Addiction exist? Professionals from many different fields of study are asking this question. Some medical professionals such as Dr. Kimberly S Young unequivocally believe that it does exist while others such as Dr. Ronald M. Pies are skeptical think- maybe. On the other hand, if there have been studies on the effectiveness of treatment programs for Internet Addictions does that mean the patient was cured - or was there even an addiction in the first place? Or perhaps the treatment cured the source of the addiction such as depression? The current gold standard (in the United States) in mental health diagnosis is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) and that does not include Internet Addiction. However, there is much discussion if it should be included and where.
Abstract – The Internet has changed and is continuing to change how we interact with others.
Around the globe, humans as well as animals use the Internet to interact with others in lieu of face-to-face communication. Internet communication removes the barrier of fear of face-to-face communication for autistic persons as well as the barrier of distance and cultural restrictions for those in different countries. Those who we communicate with include but are not limited to potential employers, friend, family, coworker, doctors and educators. How we interact with others is forever changed.
-danyale
Abstract: Technology and Higher Education
Technology has transformed the higher education system and the way students learn. In its many different forms, technology has become an integral part of higher education. No longer do college classes solely consist of students seated in a classroom, observing a lecture with a textbook, pen, and paper in hand. Technology continues to modify the way students obtain their college educations. Technology has broken the traditional classroom mold. Is that necessarily a good thing?
Blackboard, for example, has transformed the way higher education classes are taught. This phenomenon has revolutionized the way students and faculty converse as well as the way projects are assigned, submitted, and graded. The use of Blackboard is not limited to in-class use. When using course management systems like Blackboard, students can now learn and study from the comfort of their own home. Today, students can obtain a college education without ever stepping foot in a classroom. Students can also participate in hybrid courses, a combination of in-class and online instruction. More students are able to attend college because of these technological advances. Work is no longer a barrier to obtaining a college education.
Technology can also be seen in numerous other devices students use to learn, study, communicate, and maintain safety on college campuses. Technologies like the internet, online journals and databases, smart phones or Personal Digital Assistants (Blackberry, Droid, iPhone), iPod, Facebook and MySpace, Kindle, classroom response systems, or “clickers”, mass emergency notification systems, and more surround students in the higher education setting. However, the question remains; does technology benefit a student in higher education?
Blackboard, for example, has transformed the way higher education classes are taught. This phenomenon has revolutionized the way students and faculty converse as well as the way projects are assigned, submitted, and graded. The use of Blackboard is not limited to in-class use. When using course management systems like Blackboard, students can now learn and study from the comfort of their own home. Today, students can obtain a college education without ever stepping foot in a classroom. Students can also participate in hybrid courses, a combination of in-class and online instruction. More students are able to attend college because of these technological advances. Work is no longer a barrier to obtaining a college education.
Technology can also be seen in numerous other devices students use to learn, study, communicate, and maintain safety on college campuses. Technologies like the internet, online journals and databases, smart phones or Personal Digital Assistants (Blackberry, Droid, iPhone), iPod, Facebook and MySpace, Kindle, classroom response systems, or “clickers”, mass emergency notification systems, and more surround students in the higher education setting. However, the question remains; does technology benefit a student in higher education?
Blogs: Impact on Politics
“According to Merriam-Webster, the most requested online definition of 2004 was ‘blog’ – a word that had yet to officially enter the dictionary,” according to BBC News (2004) (as cited in Drezner & Farrell, 2007, p.1). The dictionary proved to be far behind this new trend; the blogosphere was an estimated 1 million strong in 2004 and grew to over 112 million by 2007 ( Karpf, 2008b, p.6). That is a staggering increase, if only the job market and the value of homes could grow at that rate, one can dream.
Those who follow politics have certainly heard about blogs throughout the political discourse, on the internet and from main stream media outlets, yet only ten years ago blogs were practically non-existent in politics. They were about as influential as the lavish drapes that hang in the offices’ of capital hill. In fact, one could argue that the drapes were more influential as they probably out number blogs, which were estimated at less than fifty, total, in 1999 (Drezner & Farrell, 2008). Some political pundints have claimed that blogs have impacted political events ranging from the immigration debate under George W. Bush, the resignation of former Senate majority leader Trent Lott, to the 2008 Presidential elections. However, the question still remains, what impact do they really have on politics? Which party has an edge in the blogosphere? Lastly, are they overtly partisan? These are the questions which will be considered throughout this paper.
Those who follow politics have certainly heard about blogs throughout the political discourse, on the internet and from main stream media outlets, yet only ten years ago blogs were practically non-existent in politics. They were about as influential as the lavish drapes that hang in the offices’ of capital hill. In fact, one could argue that the drapes were more influential as they probably out number blogs, which were estimated at less than fifty, total, in 1999 (Drezner & Farrell, 2008). Some political pundints have claimed that blogs have impacted political events ranging from the immigration debate under George W. Bush, the resignation of former Senate majority leader Trent Lott, to the 2008 Presidential elections. However, the question still remains, what impact do they really have on politics? Which party has an edge in the blogosphere? Lastly, are they overtly partisan? These are the questions which will be considered throughout this paper.
Abstract- Internet Addiction - Is it real?
The symptoms and behaviors associated with Internet Addiction may be enough for it to merit inclusion in the fifth edition of the DSM- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. People in our society utilize the Internet productively as a tool to do banking, business, and academic research just to name a few. Alternatively, the Internet is often used non-productively and when this behavior is taken to extremes it is similar to other addictions such as Pathological Gambling. Research through means of diagnostic questionnaires and case studies find that people spend hours upon hours on the Internet and lose sight of their priorities. This compulsive behavior negatively affects people’s lives. The addictive behavior is detrimental to relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Job and school performance may also be affected. Members of academia as well as medical researchers continue to take more interest in Internet addiction as evidence mounts that Internet addiction is a real problem. Worldwide treatment centers are popping up all over the world, indicating the problem is being treated like a real addiction.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Art and Technology
Historically speaking, there is no loss of words for the debate about art, and more specifically, that of high art. To first enter into the debate, one must consider high art from both a primitive and Modern point of view. David Weinberger’s idea of the new order of order in his book, Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder, the idea of order is really nothing new at all, but it’s the idea of organized disorder that has the world running amok. Art has been dissected and classified, reclassified, and categorized so that there are no such things as miscellaneous art. Fundamentally speaking, fine or high art describes the disciplines that include painting and sculpture, then applied arts house the areas of crafts and other functional designs, and lastly there are the performing arts that have dance and theater, disciplines that utilize more than just the sense of sight. To classify art so terminally, has worked for a majority of the existence of art, but the lines have started to blur and the definitions tested and rewritten. How is the already highly debatable definition of high art being further challenged by the introduction of new, technologically advanced Medias?
Abstract: Our Right to Know
“Our Right to Know: Changes across Time and Cultures from the Printing Press to the Internet”
This paper examines how Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the way in which knowledge, information, and opinion is distributed and shared. The Reformation is discussed in context to how the new technology of the printed word helped spread the Protestant movement. At the same time, the Reformation movement acted as a change agent to increase literacy across Europe. The motives of political and religious power structures of the 15th and 16th century are analyzed and compared to those of the present day in nations considered oppressive and totalitarian including; North Korea, China, and Iran.
Using the examples of more recent history including the Pentagon Papers and Wikileaks, “Afghan War Diary” and “Collateral Damage,” the Freedom of Information Act is discussed to demonstrate changing attitudes in censorship and suppression of information by the United States government. Within these contexts a comparison is drawn on the differences as well as the similarities of the impacts upon society at the introduction of technologies that enable the sharing of information and knowledge. Both cultural differences and historic differences in how information is shared and controlled are examined based upon these two revolutionary inventions – the book and the Internet.
This paper examines how Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the way in which knowledge, information, and opinion is distributed and shared. The Reformation is discussed in context to how the new technology of the printed word helped spread the Protestant movement. At the same time, the Reformation movement acted as a change agent to increase literacy across Europe. The motives of political and religious power structures of the 15th and 16th century are analyzed and compared to those of the present day in nations considered oppressive and totalitarian including; North Korea, China, and Iran.
Using the examples of more recent history including the Pentagon Papers and Wikileaks, “Afghan War Diary” and “Collateral Damage,” the Freedom of Information Act is discussed to demonstrate changing attitudes in censorship and suppression of information by the United States government. Within these contexts a comparison is drawn on the differences as well as the similarities of the impacts upon society at the introduction of technologies that enable the sharing of information and knowledge. Both cultural differences and historic differences in how information is shared and controlled are examined based upon these two revolutionary inventions – the book and the Internet.
Does technology influence our ethical decisions in relationship to others?
Do you maintain a completely different persona on Match.com than who you truly are? What characteristics of a “friend” determines your decision to “Add” people to Facebook? Can having 24/7 access to your spouse increase communication skills? Do you and your spouse agree on what constitutes an “online affair?” We email, text, instant message, Facebook, Twitter and Web cam. We post things on YouTube without others permissions. Technology has boomed into our lives without many rules for how to conduct ourselves. We all live by a certain code of ethics based on moral obligations. Of course, what is morally acceptable to one may not be to another. In the end, aren’t we all responsible for our decisions, with or without technology? My research will seek answers to these questions. ~ Kim
The Effects of Electonic Media on Learning and Cognition in Children
Television, the Internet, videogames, cell phones—wherever you look, society is becoming inundated with electronic media. In the last 60 years, we have tremendously expanded our ability to send and receive information, as well as created numerous ways to remain digitally entertained. For pre-school and school-aged children, both in the home and in the classroom, the availability of electronic media has grown steadily. As children are presented with an ever-increasing amount of information via electronic means, what effects do electronic media have on their cognitive and educational development? Are some forms beneficial, while others detrimental? The focus of my research is to discover correlations, both positive and negative, between children’s utilization of electronic media and their capabilities for cognition and memory, as well as to determine if the symptoms of some conditions, such as ADHD, are relieved or exacerbated by such utilization.
e-Reading is fun, innovative, AND educational.
When I began to develop my topic, I wasn't focusing on the effects of e-Reading on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and overall learning experience in K-12 students. I didn't really know what I was going to focus on. I knew I wanted to find research that showed e-Reading could add to the already brimming list of distractions that the internet has brought to the relaying of information, because that's what I believed.
I have always been an avid reader, and I covet my ever-expanding shelf full of print books. I think when you purchase and own and take care of physical objects, you care about and appreciate them more - same goes with their content, I always thought. When e-Readers really began to get popular a few years ago, I thought, okay, so you can have thousands of books stored in one device - does that mean you really care about all of those books? Are you going to read much more because you have them? Are books going the way of music, movies, newspapers, magazines, etc?
The thought frightened me. I never gave the implications for education any thought until I narrowed down my topic. And the results initially startled me - e-Reading is being shown, in fact, to improve literacy rates, understanding of material, vocabulary-building, and the overall learning experience for students and educators alike.
With textbooks increasingly being standardized for electronic versions and children's books being specifically designed for electronic versions to include learning games, activities, videos, etc., there really is no limit to where these new tools are going to take the future of education.
I have always been an avid reader, and I covet my ever-expanding shelf full of print books. I think when you purchase and own and take care of physical objects, you care about and appreciate them more - same goes with their content, I always thought. When e-Readers really began to get popular a few years ago, I thought, okay, so you can have thousands of books stored in one device - does that mean you really care about all of those books? Are you going to read much more because you have them? Are books going the way of music, movies, newspapers, magazines, etc?
The thought frightened me. I never gave the implications for education any thought until I narrowed down my topic. And the results initially startled me - e-Reading is being shown, in fact, to improve literacy rates, understanding of material, vocabulary-building, and the overall learning experience for students and educators alike.
With textbooks increasingly being standardized for electronic versions and children's books being specifically designed for electronic versions to include learning games, activities, videos, etc., there really is no limit to where these new tools are going to take the future of education.
Humans are just simply creative.
As we hurry through our day using numerous technological devices and trying to do a million things at one time, are we losing the ability to think creatively? The freedom to be creative in today’s world is sometimes a luxury. We all have deadlines, quotas and obligations that often keep us from having time to just “think”. The time to think about new ideas and come up with new solutions to old problems. My argument was that with each technological advancement, each time we were able to do something easier, faster, and “better”….we became less creative. I learned that some technology does indeed change the way we think, just as we have learned in this class, and from reading the shallows… our brain is easily changed. On the other hand, this technology wouldn’t even exist if our creative minds didn’t imagine it in the first place. My conclusion is that sometimes it’s creativity going in vs. creativity coming out, but in some form the creativity is always there.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Distance Education or The Traditional Classroom?
The world of education and what is required to complete an education has subsequently changed throughout the years. The traditional classroom setting has begun to shift towards a world of technology, a classroom that consisted of a teacher, and his or her students now has migrated to a cyber classroom. This transition has resulted into minimal to none one on one instructional training, face to face recognition or dialogue, time constraints, and most of all a lack of student teacher rapport and communication. However bridging the gap between technology and education brings forth flexibility in scheduling in daily life rituals, distance learning makes it easier for adult students to return back to school and research has proven that students who participate in online classes are more likely to succeed better than their traditional student counterparts.
Mind over Matter
As humans, does the ability for the mind and brain to acquire new knowledge lesson as we age? Learning has been viewed for many as something that takes place primarily in an academic institution, which after graduation is no longer formally instructed. Only a few decades ago, scientists considered the mind to be a rigid mass that cannot be changed or altered as an individual ages and matures. Research for this project will be taking into consideration physical, neurological and psychological studies of how the brain can be manipulated to retain and learn new ideas through different processes. There are also many pre-determined theories of cognitive brain function, which have evolved over the most recent decades based on the findings of new research and studies conducted on the brain.
Centuries of compounding data, on how the mind works have significantly contributed to the work of cognitive function and how the mind and body interact and function. The existence of such data is transformational in the present not only in how it relates to society, healthcare and education but the promises that it will hold for our future.
Centuries of compounding data, on how the mind works have significantly contributed to the work of cognitive function and how the mind and body interact and function. The existence of such data is transformational in the present not only in how it relates to society, healthcare and education but the promises that it will hold for our future.
Is Online Learning Better or Just Different?
Distance education is expanding rapidly into higher education. That point isn’t in debate. What is being debated is whether or not distance learning is effective as a traditional education. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines information as “facts provided or learned about something or someone” it defines knowledge as “facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education” and defines communication as “the imparting or exchanging of information or news”. Distance education is where information, knowledge and communication overlap. Technology is impacting education and socialization in society. There are advantages and disadvantages of distance learning and experts have a lot to say about it. Distance learning is taking academic courses away from the academic campus. An example of distance learning is an on-line class where a student may take a class anywhere they have access to a computer. Distance learning intersects information, knowledge and communication.
Adults More Motivated
Abstract: Discovering who is more motivated to earn a degree adolescents or adults the outcome is more real for adults. Adolescents may be motivated to learn but the drive for them is different. Adults are interested in what they learn because they made the choice to go back to school usually for self fulfillment or job promotion. It does not matter the reason why they went back it was just the decision to go back that makes them more motivated. When an adult sees how hard work and dedication pays off in the end it motivates the learning. With experience behind adults they know that to get ahead they need to be motivated while adolescents are still in the teaching phase and do not see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Cyber Bullying: What is it and Why is it so Dangerous?
Lately, it seems every day you turn on the news, pick up a paper, or listen to the radio, you hear some sort of horrible story about another untimely death of a young person due to cyber bullying. With so much recent attention on this topic, my hope is that we can soon end this startling trend in today’s youth.
So, what is cyber bullying? Cyber bullying has been defined as an “attack” on an individual through a means of communication technology. Although cyber bullying is not very different from traditional bullying, when it comes to its ease of access and the anonymity factor, the attacks can become more vicious. Now that most of our children are connected in some way, whether at home or while at school, we have seen a drastic rise in cyber bullying occurrences. So what can we do to help put a stop to this crime? Should our legal system provide recourse to cyber victims? As you will see, the legal system is not the answer. Placing further laws on our means of communication could impose on the First Amendment Right.
Education and prevention are the keys to successfully controlling this new deadly trend. Hopefully, with bringing this problem to light, we can help educate children, educators, schools, and parents on how to prevent cyber bullying.
The Psychology of Blogging
Who blogs? Everyone! What are they blogging about? Everything! Why do they blog? Not so easy to answer! The reason the last question doesn’t have a straight-forward answer is because there are numerous reasons why we blog. The five most commonly studied motivational factors for blogging are: to create a journal that documents your life; to provide commentary and opinions; to express deeply felt emotions; to articulate ideas through writing; and to form and maintain community forums. Passing time, entertainment, and medium appeal were also discovered while conducting research on blogging motivators. As you might expect, one’s personality plays a very active role in blogging. My paper will discuss the personality types that tend to forecast blogging behavior. The “Big Five” as researchers like to refer to them as are: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. The paper will also briefly skim the role gender plays in blogging in an attempt to answer the following question: What can we see through the lens of blogging?
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