Final Touches!

Well, here it is! The final post! I know that four weeks is not a long period of time (especially for a class), but it really did fly by! I am so happy that I decided to take this class because it has given me so many new views on so many different things. At the same time, I have read so many interesting articles and videos that I most likely would have never experienced if I had not been assigned them. But I am thankful that I was. I feel enlightened on many subjects concerning technology now and have even shared them with some of my friends and family members.

While entering this last week and dwelling upon my research project, I have changed my mind on what I would like to research (of course). As I said in the last blog, I wanted to cover pedaphiles and how they have so much access to their "prey" due to the technology we have today. i.e. the show "To Catch A Predator". I did find many interesting websites on the issue but they primarily concerned of stories and I wanted other solid research that consisted of facts and that was a bit harder to find. This brings me to the topic I really chose, cyber bullying.

Research was plentiful on the topic of cyber bullying. Sad to say, it is way too common so there is soo much information that I was able to find on the topic. While researching this I found other stories and information the revolved around other dangers that people come across from using social networks, so my final FINAL topic is The Perils of Social Networking. While doing my reading, I became a little nervous because we are all on social networks in this class and can fall into many catagories of these perils so I chose the ones that I think would to pertain to our class the most. The writing was a bit tedious but I didn't mind doing it. I became so encompassed in my findings that it actually went by relatively quick for a research project.

This class was a great experience and I want to say thank you to each and every one of you, because it was a class effort and encouraged me to become more involved in class discussions from here on out. I think we can all agree that it was so beneficial to do them. I hope that everyone has a good rest of the summer and enjoys it.

I want to leave you with my final project in case you have not seen it posted in the discussion board:
http://socialnetworkingperils.weebly.com/index.html

Thanks again!

Odd Week

This week was different than the others. I had a family emergency so I was limited to my computer time while I was away but the discussion continue to intrigue me. One discussion that was very interesting was one people were discussing which type of classroom setting is the best and most productive. Seeing mixed responses on this issue was GREAT! I truly do love seeing all aspects of certain topics because it gives so much insight and lets everyones minds think in way they may have never thought before. It is wonderful that everyone is opening up so much with their opinions in this class.

Aside from that, I was fascinated to read about E-Zines. I had not even heard of this until doing this reading. I guess if I were to think in a realistic way I should have known they were around with the technology we have today but I have never thought to research this topic and I feel as if this reading sparked a lot of people and were just as into the topic as I was. Maybe because our age group and many others really can get into it.

Moving on to my main focus of the week is the project! I have chosen to do my final project on how the internet gives predators and pedaphiles the capability to have access to underage children and illegal subjects. I'm sure many of us have seen the show "To Catch A Predator" and that is exactly where my idea has stemmed from. Upon watching this show last Sunday, I realized how so many predators would not have access to these girls if it wasn't for the internet. It is crazy to think how many people out there are using the internet to get involved in chat rooms and find girls. Also, relating to another project we have discussed numerous times in class is the fact that people can hide their identities via the internet and this is displayed in both sides of the predator issue. Many time the predators disguise themselves under a different chat name so that family members would not find them and also, on the other end, the "children" truly are not children. They are of age and playing the role to reel in the men.

This class has just made technology stand out even more than ever. I am noticing everyday new instances in how our world functions around technology. Without it, where would we be? What would we do? Would things be different for the better? I just cannot help but constantly think these questions and I feel that if we did not have the technology we do today, the topic I am covering would be better off and the predators would not have the access they do to the underaged children. It is just mind boggling.

Here is a video clip of the show for everyone to view!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ACJ4Acddc

Halfway Done!

This week, while staying with a trend of discussion, definitely took a different turn. Learning about online dating seemed to be an eye opening experience for many people in the class. It seems that we were kind of ignorant of the topic until doing these different readings. It made me not be so naïve and judgmental of those who do choose to encourage online dating. I know in one the first discussions I said everything in today’s society seems to revolve around technology so it only makes sense that our romantic lives do as well.

One thing that EVERY single one of us needs to keep in mind if online dating is an option, are the scams we learned about. Although it seems the majority of people are in it for the right reasons, there will always be the people who are not. That is one thing we need to be very conscientious of while furthering our romantic lives.

Even though we never went into this topic, it constantly popped into my head during every single discussion I engaged in: To Catch a Predator. This show kept sparking into my mind, mainly for the reason that is was people in an online chat, looking for a romantic partner. It freaks me out knowing that there are communities specifically for men and women who are interested in underage children. Things like this need to be prohibited from the internet because too many people out there at a young age, who don’t know better are being brought into this creep world because of the internet. It just really irritates me and is encouraging me to make this the topic of my project. Something involved underage children on dating and sex websites and chats. This show also goes to prove that people can lie about who they are over the internet. The men on the other end always believe it is a 13 year old girl when realistically it is a middle aged man. You do not know who you may be dealing with and that is the scariest thing of all.

To get back on track with the topics of class, these readings also seemed to bring out people’s opinions more that last week’s topics. I do not know if it is because we seem to be a bit more comfortable in our discussions since we are now halfway through the class or if it is because everyone truly feels this way.

To elaborate on that, the discussion involving soul mates was one of these cases. I found that a trend in it seemed to be the boys including RYAN and JOEL seemed to be more convinced that a soul mate has to be someone on an intimate level, whereas the girls especially I and JENNIFER were leaning more towards the idea that it could just be someone who is a friend. It was funny to see the gender differences that occurred there and it led me to believe that it could be influenced by the different TV and movies we watch because JENNIFER and I both thought of the same example, Sex and the City. The quote we referenced here was, "Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates and guys are just people to have fun with."

I actually like the discussions better when there is a clear separation of opinion that occurs, they seem to be more personal and it is easier to communicate back and forth. Just like JOYCE said in the beginning, as the class goes on doing 6 posts on one reading will become simpiler and the conversations will expand.

It is crazy to believe we are already half way done with the class! I am excited to see what this week and next week brings our way in terms of the discussions. I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and enjoyed the extra day off!

Proof of Learning Week #1

To say that I thought this class would not require much effort was far from wrong. Although this class has been a bit time consuming and overwhelming in the beginning, I do have to say that I am very much interested in what we are learning about. I think that by starting this class off with the first video "How the Brain Works" was the best possible way to start the class. I was instantly drawn in when we were shown how each and every one us think in our day to day living. It really made me want to delve farther into this topic and gave me a new appreciation for science research.

From learning about the brain to technology, especially Facebook and social networking, I can truthfully say that there has not been one topic that I have not been able to relate to on a personal level, which is why I think I do not mind participating in the class discusses and doing the daily readings. Many classes that are taken throughout one's life often are consumed with the students asking, "When will I ever use this information?" and often, to be honest, we never do use it. I can see where this information and learning plays a role in my lifestyle and I love knowing what information I am obtaining, I can use in other settings. I even had my brother watch the video "How the Brain Works" and he enjoyed it as well.

The reading on Facebook that I found to be the most enlightening was "Social Capital" it made me question my social networking lifestyle as I read through it, and from reading other student's discussion posts, it is safe to say that I was not alone in my thinking. I actually went to my Facebook after I was done with the assignments for the day and removed people that I am not friends with in real life and decreased my FB friends by a drastic amount. I did the same thing with my pictures after reading the "Reputation Management" article. I was looking at my Facebook from an outsiders perspective and thought, "What would they think if they just saw my profile and had no idea who I was?" I was quick to remove some pictures and posts that would not be appropriate in a professional setting and realized I should be much more cautious and think before I post.

Like I have said in my other discussions, this one week of learning alone has put so many different thoughts into my head and made me view social networking in a different light. As it can be detrimental to our futures, it can also be so beneficial when used properly. It can form bonds in a professional aspect and truly form connections. Everyone just needs to be more aware that Facebook and other things such as Twitter are merely a fun way of communicating and should not be completely who were are as whole.

I look forward to see what the next three weeks are going to bring us in this classroom. So far I am excited about everything we have done. The beginning was confusing and a bit hard to grasp everything we were expected to do, but now as the weeks coming to an end I think that I am understanding it on a better level. It may have just been since we have to move at a faster pace than other classes and it is a different set up being that it is strictly all online.

Have a good weekend!