In artifact 4a, the video showed a female figure sitting in a chair across from a man in a computer. The woman was moving her head and making certain facial expressions. She looked completely real. When the camera zoomed in you could she that she in fact was fake. She was a robot. The man on the computer was giving her various commands on what to do whether it be to shake her head or raise her eye brow. There was even a point in the video where she started to talk. To me it looked like an amazing development in technology.
I think as the years come we are going to see more of this. This is definitely something that I could see happening all over the world. The development of these droids are simply amazing. Like I said she looked so real. I mean after you knew she was a robot you could tell but at first glance it looked like a normal woman sitting there. In the future I think that we could even see these robots being able to funtion without having to sit behind a computer and command it. I could se them being able to use something like a cell phone to command these things and make them do more and more things. We may not see this in our generation, but as developments of these droids proceed to get more in depth, I think it is possible to be able to make these things do whatever you want. Maybe some of them could even do your job. It is unbelievable what we can do today with technology, and I believe developments will keep getting better and better.
In artifact 4b, they are showing one of those old pencil sharpeners. It is not like same kind of sharpener I am used to seeing as this one had two different holes, one for sharpening the wood to a point, and the other, to sharpen the lead. Both of these holes in the sharpener combine to make the perfect long point on a pencil.
My first thought about this video was who actually uses these pencil sharpeners anymore? We have sharpeners that are mounted on to the wall, although most of them just eat up the pencil anyway, and we also have electric ones which are a lot easier to use. I knew that they still sold these little plastic sharpeners, but when they guy in the video said they were one of the more popular items that the company sells, I was very surprised. You just simply do not see people using these types of sharpeners, much less those kind of pencils. Mechanical pencils have been around for quite a while and don't require any kind of sharpening. The only thing I have ever seen regular pencils used for is the ACT. Most college students use pens to write everything, so it just seemed to be that these regular pencils were extinct. I guess this is one of those things that will be around forever, no matter what new writing technologies are developed.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
EPortfolio 1
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-3.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-2.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/unit-6-summary.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/unit-5-summary.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-1.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/snow-day-2211-cmc-3-4.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-2.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/unit-6-summary.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/unit-5-summary.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-1.html
http://csauercomp2.blogspot.com/2011/02/snow-day-2211-cmc-3-4.html
Artifact 3
Nicholas Carr's "The Shadows" asks us the question "What is the Internet doing to our brains?" His book explains how the Internet itself is in a way changing the way we think and the way our mind works. He says that the Internet is also changing how our memory works. He mentioned in his talk about how hyperlinks can "overload" our short term memory. With hyperlinks there are so many things going on in front of us on that computer screen that it distracts us from what our main purpose to be on the computer is. While using these hyperlinks are easy for us to multitask and make things easier to get to, we are losing our ability to have a deep thinking about things. If we sit in front of a computer screen and read a book online we are trying to focus on those words in the book. Off in the corner of our eye we may see advertisements, links to other websites, or shortcuts to other programs. Every time we see these things, our brains have to function to make us ask ourselves if we want to click on that link or not. So even if we do not use that link, our mind and our brain are still working like we do.
Carr mentions that it was difficult for him to focus on writing the book because of all the distractions. He had to close his programs, cancel social networks, and found himself craving to surf the web. He said he almost had to write in short spurts because he was getting so easily distracted by everything he had access to on the web. I believe that this happens to a lot of us. Even when I type papers on my computer I usually have something else open like Facebook or some other website, and it is definitely a distraction. Papers that should only take an hour could take days because I am not completely focused on it. I agree with Carr on the fact that the Internet is changing the way we do things. It is something we grew up with and we have created our own habits on how we use it. Yes, technology is one hundred percent necessary in today's world, but I think we have to calm the way we use it before it gets to the point where we completely rely on it to get us through the day.
Even now I have three other other pages open and its keeping me from staying focused on what I am trying to write. I can not imagine people who's jobs require them to sit in front of a computer screen all day. Their minds have to be going nuts with all of the distractions that computers and the Internet cause. As I said earlier technology is essential to the way we live, but if we do not calm the way we use it, our ability to participate in deep thought and focus will be gone.
Carr mentions that it was difficult for him to focus on writing the book because of all the distractions. He had to close his programs, cancel social networks, and found himself craving to surf the web. He said he almost had to write in short spurts because he was getting so easily distracted by everything he had access to on the web. I believe that this happens to a lot of us. Even when I type papers on my computer I usually have something else open like Facebook or some other website, and it is definitely a distraction. Papers that should only take an hour could take days because I am not completely focused on it. I agree with Carr on the fact that the Internet is changing the way we do things. It is something we grew up with and we have created our own habits on how we use it. Yes, technology is one hundred percent necessary in today's world, but I think we have to calm the way we use it before it gets to the point where we completely rely on it to get us through the day.
Even now I have three other other pages open and its keeping me from staying focused on what I am trying to write. I can not imagine people who's jobs require them to sit in front of a computer screen all day. Their minds have to be going nuts with all of the distractions that computers and the Internet cause. As I said earlier technology is essential to the way we live, but if we do not calm the way we use it, our ability to participate in deep thought and focus will be gone.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Artifact 2
William Powers wrote a book entitled "Hamlet's Blackberry." His book is about how to live in the "digital age." When speaking about his book, he mentions people constantly using there cell phones without even realizing it. He mentioned a specific time where he sat down on a bench and out of habit reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone, to do nothing on it.
This is something that happens a lot with our generation today. I know I do this every day. Everywhere you go you see somebody using there phone or using a laptop. Driving down the interstate you look over and someday is having a conversation on their phones. You walk into a Starbucks or McDonalds and people have there computers with them, using the free Wi-Fi these places have. When did restaurants become a place to use your computer rather than eat?
Powers mentions something that he and his family has done that would drive the normal American insane. He said he and his family decided to unplug the Internet on the weekends. Yes, this would obviously create more family time, but this sounds a little drastic. If my parents would have done this at my house we would not know what to do with ourselves. We use the Internet at my house for everything, just like a lot of people today do. It could be to check the weather, get caught up with the news, or check Facebook, whatever it is, we use it every day.
Powers said the first few months were miserable. After the first week he said they were going to take there son out to a movie, but did not know what movies were playing. They could not check the Internet because it was unplugged, so they checked the newspapers. He said they literally almost forgot how to look for these kinds of things because it had been so long since they had to do something like this. If you think about it, this could be the same for a lot of people in America. When everything is a click away, why waste time looking in newspapers for it. We can access the Internet virtually anywhere, so we take advantage of it.
Using this much Internet can take away from your family life. If you are constantly online and not communicating with your family, you can lose what you have with them. I do not think we over use the Internet, but I do think in some cases we abuse it. We all do. The first thing I do when I get out of class everyday is come back to my room and check Facebook, just out of habit. It does not have to be that way, but I am sure that other people do this as well. Right or wrong, this is how our generation grew up, and the habit will not be easy to break. The Internet will continue to grow and so will we. It is only a matter of time before the Internet does everything for us. I believe we have to realize just how much we use it and maybe tone that down a bit before we get so caught up in it we cannot get out.
This is something that happens a lot with our generation today. I know I do this every day. Everywhere you go you see somebody using there phone or using a laptop. Driving down the interstate you look over and someday is having a conversation on their phones. You walk into a Starbucks or McDonalds and people have there computers with them, using the free Wi-Fi these places have. When did restaurants become a place to use your computer rather than eat?
Powers mentions something that he and his family has done that would drive the normal American insane. He said he and his family decided to unplug the Internet on the weekends. Yes, this would obviously create more family time, but this sounds a little drastic. If my parents would have done this at my house we would not know what to do with ourselves. We use the Internet at my house for everything, just like a lot of people today do. It could be to check the weather, get caught up with the news, or check Facebook, whatever it is, we use it every day.
Powers said the first few months were miserable. After the first week he said they were going to take there son out to a movie, but did not know what movies were playing. They could not check the Internet because it was unplugged, so they checked the newspapers. He said they literally almost forgot how to look for these kinds of things because it had been so long since they had to do something like this. If you think about it, this could be the same for a lot of people in America. When everything is a click away, why waste time looking in newspapers for it. We can access the Internet virtually anywhere, so we take advantage of it.
Using this much Internet can take away from your family life. If you are constantly online and not communicating with your family, you can lose what you have with them. I do not think we over use the Internet, but I do think in some cases we abuse it. We all do. The first thing I do when I get out of class everyday is come back to my room and check Facebook, just out of habit. It does not have to be that way, but I am sure that other people do this as well. Right or wrong, this is how our generation grew up, and the habit will not be easy to break. The Internet will continue to grow and so will we. It is only a matter of time before the Internet does everything for us. I believe we have to realize just how much we use it and maybe tone that down a bit before we get so caught up in it we cannot get out.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Unit 6 Summary
Unit 6 in the book talks about "flaming" and embedded media. It also hits on the topic of normative-interactional framework. Basically what the chapter is dealing with is the aggressive interactions people come across in CMC as well as how embedded the Internet really is. In a way this unit sort of pulls together the other units of the book that we have read so far.
Flames in CMC are understood to be hostile or aggressive interactions between people. For examples flaming could be descibed rude or insulting messages, verbal attacks, or derogatory, obscene, or inappropriate language. The point in which a message is clearly some form of tension is when that message is considered a flame. Emoticons can also be considered flames if they are used in a way that makes the messages derogatory or sarcastic.
Normative-Interactional Framework focuses on interpretations of messages from multiple perspectives in the situated and evolving context of appropriateness norms.This principle is based on four main principles. Principle one basically says that everyones language is different. One person's "hostile" language could be another person's way of humoring something. Principle two says that an outsider to the conversation could take something differently than the people participating in the conversation. What seems to be rude or offensive to an outsider, could be a joke to the people in the conversation. Principle three states that people make judgement on what they read only based on the words that they see. An example they use in the book is swearing in messages. To some, swearing is bad, therefore it is always negative, but to the people involved in the actual conversation, it may be a way for them to make a point or even something in a joking manner. The last principle is that flamming doesn't only happen within CMC. It has happened to all of us at some point on the phone, maybe even in face-to-face contact, so it is not just limited to how people communicate online.
How embedded is the Internet? When we hear the term embedded media, it means the way that people use the media, in this case the Internet, in our daily life. We use the Internet for everything nowadays. We use it for shopping, school work, socializing with friends, and playing games or listening to music. I'm not sure there is anyone in our generation that does not use some form of the Internet daily, especially those living in the United States. While the Internet definitely gets abused, it is still part of our everyday activities.
In conclusion, unit 6 touches on how aggressive language is through CMC. They call this aggression flaming. The book moves on to explain normative-interactional framework, and its four main principles it is based on. Finally, the book explains the ways in which the Internet is "embedded" into our everyday lives. No matter what part of the country you are from, you use a form of the Internet every day. The Internet itself is something that I believe will be around for a very long time, and will be used for more and more things for the generations to come.
Flames in CMC are understood to be hostile or aggressive interactions between people. For examples flaming could be descibed rude or insulting messages, verbal attacks, or derogatory, obscene, or inappropriate language. The point in which a message is clearly some form of tension is when that message is considered a flame. Emoticons can also be considered flames if they are used in a way that makes the messages derogatory or sarcastic.
Normative-Interactional Framework focuses on interpretations of messages from multiple perspectives in the situated and evolving context of appropriateness norms.This principle is based on four main principles. Principle one basically says that everyones language is different. One person's "hostile" language could be another person's way of humoring something. Principle two says that an outsider to the conversation could take something differently than the people participating in the conversation. What seems to be rude or offensive to an outsider, could be a joke to the people in the conversation. Principle three states that people make judgement on what they read only based on the words that they see. An example they use in the book is swearing in messages. To some, swearing is bad, therefore it is always negative, but to the people involved in the actual conversation, it may be a way for them to make a point or even something in a joking manner. The last principle is that flamming doesn't only happen within CMC. It has happened to all of us at some point on the phone, maybe even in face-to-face contact, so it is not just limited to how people communicate online.
How embedded is the Internet? When we hear the term embedded media, it means the way that people use the media, in this case the Internet, in our daily life. We use the Internet for everything nowadays. We use it for shopping, school work, socializing with friends, and playing games or listening to music. I'm not sure there is anyone in our generation that does not use some form of the Internet daily, especially those living in the United States. While the Internet definitely gets abused, it is still part of our everyday activities.
In conclusion, unit 6 touches on how aggressive language is through CMC. They call this aggression flaming. The book moves on to explain normative-interactional framework, and its four main principles it is based on. Finally, the book explains the ways in which the Internet is "embedded" into our everyday lives. No matter what part of the country you are from, you use a form of the Internet every day. The Internet itself is something that I believe will be around for a very long time, and will be used for more and more things for the generations to come.
Unit 5 Summary
Unit 5 of CMC talks about a variety of things ranging from identifying groups to reduced social cues, and also something called the SIDE model. This unit explains how groups are identified within CMC, and also what the ups and downs are of these groups. It goes on to explain what the SIDE model is and how it works. All in all, I think this unit in the book is a crucial part understanding how people interact in CMC.
What is a group? The book defines a group as collective individuals who interact and form social relationships. We have these groups everywhere in our daily life, whether it be at school, where we live, or even online. With these groups that we have, we interact with them on a daily basis, and our actions reflect upon what the group as a whole does. The book list two ways of defining a group, the first called phenomenological (subjective), and the second called observational (objective). Both ways are very helpful in defining our groups.
Social cues communicate a sense of status, power, and leadership. These cues are either static, meaning what we wear, or what our hair style is, or they are dynamic, meaning what gestures or facial expressions we use. The concern that CMC has is that in our communication online, we lose this type of interaction. The reduction of these cues makes communication between people more difficult to manage, making conversation more difficult. By not having these cues online, it puts less pressure on people to behave properly and can make things much easier to say, which in some cases, is not always a good thing. The book goes on to say that we cannot place the blame on computers for aggressive behavior because it is still your own responsibility what you say to someone, online or not.
There are many different types of group dynamics in CMC today. All of which have their ups and downs. The book breaks down a select few of these different dynamics, some good, some bad, and I will explain them more in depth in my presentation tomorrow. They also have a few dynamics listed than are neither and up side or a down side. Together, these types of dynamics are tools that explain the nature of CMC.
The Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects or SIDE Model explains CMC in terms of the combined effects of social identity and anonymity. It is based on the idea that a person's identity is comprised with their personal identity, and their social identity. According to the SIDE Model, group interactions can be strong in CMC, so the negative effects of group dynamics do not often happen in the way that the Reduced Social Cues Model would have us to believe.
In conclusion, this unit in the book has explained to us what groups are and how to define them. It also tells us about our social cues, and what we lose from them when we communicate online. It then goes on to tell us some of the ups and downs of group dynamics, and then connects all of these things together through the SIDE Model. Our generation has experienced most of this from the beginning, so it is important for us to fully understand what happens with our everyday communication, whether it be in person, or through CMC.
What is a group? The book defines a group as collective individuals who interact and form social relationships. We have these groups everywhere in our daily life, whether it be at school, where we live, or even online. With these groups that we have, we interact with them on a daily basis, and our actions reflect upon what the group as a whole does. The book list two ways of defining a group, the first called phenomenological (subjective), and the second called observational (objective). Both ways are very helpful in defining our groups.
Social cues communicate a sense of status, power, and leadership. These cues are either static, meaning what we wear, or what our hair style is, or they are dynamic, meaning what gestures or facial expressions we use. The concern that CMC has is that in our communication online, we lose this type of interaction. The reduction of these cues makes communication between people more difficult to manage, making conversation more difficult. By not having these cues online, it puts less pressure on people to behave properly and can make things much easier to say, which in some cases, is not always a good thing. The book goes on to say that we cannot place the blame on computers for aggressive behavior because it is still your own responsibility what you say to someone, online or not.
There are many different types of group dynamics in CMC today. All of which have their ups and downs. The book breaks down a select few of these different dynamics, some good, some bad, and I will explain them more in depth in my presentation tomorrow. They also have a few dynamics listed than are neither and up side or a down side. Together, these types of dynamics are tools that explain the nature of CMC.
The Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects or SIDE Model explains CMC in terms of the combined effects of social identity and anonymity. It is based on the idea that a person's identity is comprised with their personal identity, and their social identity. According to the SIDE Model, group interactions can be strong in CMC, so the negative effects of group dynamics do not often happen in the way that the Reduced Social Cues Model would have us to believe.
In conclusion, this unit in the book has explained to us what groups are and how to define them. It also tells us about our social cues, and what we lose from them when we communicate online. It then goes on to tell us some of the ups and downs of group dynamics, and then connects all of these things together through the SIDE Model. Our generation has experienced most of this from the beginning, so it is important for us to fully understand what happens with our everyday communication, whether it be in person, or through CMC.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Artifact 1
The "Internet Surpasses Television" article states that people of the ages eighteen to twenty-nine have said that the Internet is their number one source for national and international news. This study does not surprise me due to most young adults using the Internet for everything. You rarely see an eighteen year old kid watching the news on television every day. It is simply easier to look up the news online at any time during the day as opposed to waiting until a certain time period in the day. It is also easy too look up the news on the Internet because many Internet homepages have news on them daily, so every time you get online it is right in front of your face.
The article also states that this "trend" is beginning to pick up in older Americans as well. Those who have jobs can get on their computers at work and look at the daily news instead of reading newspapers and magazines. Any news, international, or national, is just a click away for anyone.
I believe that as the years go by, the percentage of people using the Internet to get their daily dose of the news will continue to rise. The fact that it is easier to access the news from our computers is why the numbers keep rising. You can get access to almost every news station around the world through the Internet, which you cannot get with a television. Televisions limit you to a few local news channels, and maybe a few others like ABC, NBC, or CBS whereas the Internet allows to you get the news anywhere in the country, and even the weather in a completely different country if need be.
The growing number of Facebook and Twitter users is also mentioned in the article. Both of these social network cites have gained millions of users since the year 2007. Twitter posts have gone up an unbelievable amount since 2007, with almost 90 million tweets a day as opposed to the 5,000 daily in 2007. Facebook is becoming more and more popular with older adults as well as teenagers. Many older people have a Facebook account to keep up with distant family members or friends, whereas everyone that is in college has at least one Facebook account and maybe even a Twitter account. Both of these cites are just different ways to let people know what you do in your daily life and be able to keep up with everyone you have as a friend or follower.
The last thing the article mentions is something called Internet television. This is something that I mainly see with sports web cites doing a "web cast" type thing or maybe putting something like SportsCenter on a live stream for people to watch that do not have access to a TV. I know ESPN.com even puts highlights of the games online instead of the whole show so people can get their sports fix without having all of the added commercials.
In conclusion, this article does not surprise me in that the number of Internet users to access the news has gone up. It is a lot easier to get it online at anytime rather than to wait until your local news comes on at a certain time of the day. You are also able to access more news on the Internet than a TV. Social network cites are also becoming more popular because they make it easier for distant family and friends to keep in touch, while also letting all of your friends and followers know what you are doing at each point in your day.
The article also states that this "trend" is beginning to pick up in older Americans as well. Those who have jobs can get on their computers at work and look at the daily news instead of reading newspapers and magazines. Any news, international, or national, is just a click away for anyone.
I believe that as the years go by, the percentage of people using the Internet to get their daily dose of the news will continue to rise. The fact that it is easier to access the news from our computers is why the numbers keep rising. You can get access to almost every news station around the world through the Internet, which you cannot get with a television. Televisions limit you to a few local news channels, and maybe a few others like ABC, NBC, or CBS whereas the Internet allows to you get the news anywhere in the country, and even the weather in a completely different country if need be.
The growing number of Facebook and Twitter users is also mentioned in the article. Both of these social network cites have gained millions of users since the year 2007. Twitter posts have gone up an unbelievable amount since 2007, with almost 90 million tweets a day as opposed to the 5,000 daily in 2007. Facebook is becoming more and more popular with older adults as well as teenagers. Many older people have a Facebook account to keep up with distant family members or friends, whereas everyone that is in college has at least one Facebook account and maybe even a Twitter account. Both of these cites are just different ways to let people know what you do in your daily life and be able to keep up with everyone you have as a friend or follower.
The last thing the article mentions is something called Internet television. This is something that I mainly see with sports web cites doing a "web cast" type thing or maybe putting something like SportsCenter on a live stream for people to watch that do not have access to a TV. I know ESPN.com even puts highlights of the games online instead of the whole show so people can get their sports fix without having all of the added commercials.
In conclusion, this article does not surprise me in that the number of Internet users to access the news has gone up. It is a lot easier to get it online at anytime rather than to wait until your local news comes on at a certain time of the day. You are also able to access more news on the Internet than a TV. Social network cites are also becoming more popular because they make it easier for distant family and friends to keep in touch, while also letting all of your friends and followers know what you are doing at each point in your day.
Snow Day 2/2/11 CMC 3-4
CMC Unit 3 talks about the hype and hysteria with new technology. Every time a new form of technology comes out, it is talked about for days and maybe even months. This happens with anything new just hitting the market. People just get excited to get to use something new. I personally am the same way. If something new is coming out, I want to be the first to own it and try it out. Unit 4 talks about social interaction and technologyy. I think that by using all of these new ways of communication, it is damaging our generation of its communication habits. For example, technology allows us to talk to someone without seeing them. We lose that face to face contact if we spend a lot of time communicating through technology, therefore, we lose a personal aspect of life.
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