Dear Yasmin,
I liked that you chose to do research on a topic that interested you and had meaning for you. I liked that you quoted the research which I think will be helpful for you to use in your upcoming essay. I thought that your analysis of the quotes and article were interesting. I thought your thoughts on the study proved why you disagree with the evidence the study found. I agree that maybe the the studies should have been done on older children. I also think that you could use what the author in "Everything bad is good for you" has to say about video games in your essay.
I also liked the second part of this post about the art and the quotes you used. I though they were very insightful.
I don't think that you will have any problem with the art aspect of this project. You're pretty good at artistic stuff :)
Dear Sam,
I liked your post on the research you did on the usage of cell phones since you clearly stated you depend on in. I think that you could definitely use the article in essay you will be writing soon. I think that you should directly quote the article. Use specific quotes in your essay to support your opinions. I liked the article about using the cell phone while driving because not only do I agree with it but I thought it clearly stated how dangerous doing the two can be. I liked that the articles spoke about different aspects of cell phones from the usage to the development of them over the years. I also think that you should include your experience with the digital experiment you did. It seemed like it impacted you in a way. I think you would benefit even more from a digital fast ;)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
HW 14
In the excerpt from "Everything Bad Is Good for You" on video games, suggests that they actually help those who play them. Is reading books more effective in improving our intelligence than games and other media entertainment? according to the author I think the answer would be not necessarily because though reading is important and being a good reader is a good skill to have, video games aren't as bad as people make them out to be.Video games engage the player and allows them to use different "sensory and motor cortices". Video games allows the player to be active and to use their senses, but books on the other hand don't allow for any interaction. It becomes just the reader and the book. With video games it becomes the player and the game world filled with other players. Playing video games allows one to be more social. Reading may not be as good for us as it has been made out to be. with reading you have no control of the outcome or the story because it already has been written. But while playing a video game you are able to make the moves.
Video games and reading both very different things each have their own benefits. Reading allows us to us our minds. It calls for our focus and effort. Being a skilled reader could also help to get you a better job because you are using your brain to makes sense of the words and story on the pages. Video games may have it's benefits as well, they may not be a complete waste of time after all. Video games help you hand-eye coordination , memory and visual intelligence. The video game world it seems can be very different from the real world. It also may not always be fun. Playing a game can be hard work- the players run into obstacles they have to get over. With playing a video game you are free, it's your world-you fill in the missing information yourself or with the help of a guide.
The except on TV in "Everything Bad is Good For You" spoke about the influence it has on us. The author argues that television even though it is less active than video games, sparks our mind and allows us to think in different ways despite the subject matter of the program we may be watching. For example if you were watching a show like CSI then you would have to follow the storyline to make sense of the mystery or crime and by doing so maybe you will be able to solve it on your own before the end of the episode. "Televised intelligence is on the rise" due to the ways (technology) in which we choose to watch it and the demands on the people who watch it. How the TV shows over the years have improved their plot lines and the structure of the show (interconnected subject matter and narrative). How the shows we watch follow specific threads (plots) based on episodes and how the show develops throughout the season.
The author brings up "the sleeper curve" which implies that over the years the audience (views of television) has grown smarter. We are more able to understand TV show s with complex story lines thanks to the many threads these shows have included in their episodes. The proof is in the ratings and the success of the shows we watch. It seems like TV and movies use the same techniques (the flashing arrow) as books do so that they keep the viewers interested and aware of what is going on.
therefore all the audience needs to do in order to follow along is pay attention to the details or the flashing arrows. But the audience doesn't necessarily need he arrows because it takes "the fun out of watching" because the viewers of today are smarter and can figure out what is going on in the show on their own without the help of the arrows.
Substance and texture are two things according to the author that everything we watch needs to have in order to make sense of what is going on. The texture of the program doesn't need to be relevant to the rest of the narrative, it's just there to add to the substance of the show. We as the audience have to use our intelligence to figure out the story line. Which makes us smarter viewers.
I agree that TV and TV shows have developed over the years in many ways and the viewers have developed and grown with it as well. We are now able to make sense of more complicated stories lines allowing there to be more threading involved. We as the audience are smarter now than say the audience a couple of years ago (sleeper curve). I also agree with all the authors points on reading, it is important to be a good reader but maybe reading isn't everything. Video games could also be apart of helping improve our intelligence and skills. I'm not sure about this. I think that the stuff in the end about guide books and cheat sheets was a bit unnecessary.
It seems like "Feed" and "Everything Bad is Good For You" are two different books. In "Feed" the author tries to demonstrate through the characters and the plot how bad video games, TV and the internet are for people. How people's "feeds" are making them lazy and stupid. But in "Everything Bad Is Good For You" the author tries to argue how that might be the case. How media entertainment like video games and watching TV actually improves our intelligence. How our "feeds" are actually good for us and not the opposite.
Video games and reading both very different things each have their own benefits. Reading allows us to us our minds. It calls for our focus and effort. Being a skilled reader could also help to get you a better job because you are using your brain to makes sense of the words and story on the pages. Video games may have it's benefits as well, they may not be a complete waste of time after all. Video games help you hand-eye coordination , memory and visual intelligence. The video game world it seems can be very different from the real world. It also may not always be fun. Playing a game can be hard work- the players run into obstacles they have to get over. With playing a video game you are free, it's your world-you fill in the missing information yourself or with the help of a guide.
The except on TV in "Everything Bad is Good For You" spoke about the influence it has on us. The author argues that television even though it is less active than video games, sparks our mind and allows us to think in different ways despite the subject matter of the program we may be watching. For example if you were watching a show like CSI then you would have to follow the storyline to make sense of the mystery or crime and by doing so maybe you will be able to solve it on your own before the end of the episode. "Televised intelligence is on the rise" due to the ways (technology) in which we choose to watch it and the demands on the people who watch it. How the TV shows over the years have improved their plot lines and the structure of the show (interconnected subject matter and narrative). How the shows we watch follow specific threads (plots) based on episodes and how the show develops throughout the season.
The author brings up "the sleeper curve" which implies that over the years the audience (views of television) has grown smarter. We are more able to understand TV show s with complex story lines thanks to the many threads these shows have included in their episodes. The proof is in the ratings and the success of the shows we watch. It seems like TV and movies use the same techniques (the flashing arrow) as books do so that they keep the viewers interested and aware of what is going on.
therefore all the audience needs to do in order to follow along is pay attention to the details or the flashing arrows. But the audience doesn't necessarily need he arrows because it takes "the fun out of watching" because the viewers of today are smarter and can figure out what is going on in the show on their own without the help of the arrows.
Substance and texture are two things according to the author that everything we watch needs to have in order to make sense of what is going on. The texture of the program doesn't need to be relevant to the rest of the narrative, it's just there to add to the substance of the show. We as the audience have to use our intelligence to figure out the story line. Which makes us smarter viewers.
I agree that TV and TV shows have developed over the years in many ways and the viewers have developed and grown with it as well. We are now able to make sense of more complicated stories lines allowing there to be more threading involved. We as the audience are smarter now than say the audience a couple of years ago (sleeper curve). I also agree with all the authors points on reading, it is important to be a good reader but maybe reading isn't everything. Video games could also be apart of helping improve our intelligence and skills. I'm not sure about this. I think that the stuff in the end about guide books and cheat sheets was a bit unnecessary.
It seems like "Feed" and "Everything Bad is Good For You" are two different books. In "Feed" the author tries to demonstrate through the characters and the plot how bad video games, TV and the internet are for people. How people's "feeds" are making them lazy and stupid. But in "Everything Bad Is Good For You" the author tries to argue how that might be the case. How media entertainment like video games and watching TV actually improves our intelligence. How our "feeds" are actually good for us and not the opposite.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
HW 13
I think that Freed is a piece of revelatory art because the author gets his message out about how teenagers are so consumed by digital media. His allegory is a form of art imitating life. His book would be considered a form of art because he created it. It's his form of a painting because he's getting his ideas/thoughts/feelings out on paper. The author of Feed chooses to reveal his message about the addiction to digital people have. How people constantly use and can't live without it.
I think that Feed is a relevant piece of art because it talks about what is going on in our culture today . How digital technology has become apart of our culture. People can't get enough of their "feeds". It's become a way of life for many. It's almost like we live in two different worlds - actual world and then the digital world. The author expresses his ideas on this topic of digital takeover through his writing. How he allows the characters in the book to realize that maybe being so digital isn't the best way to live.
I think that the author wrote Feed to get people thinking. I think it was written as as a book because it told a story of these characters lives, which is very similar in certain ways to the way we live our lives.This makes me think about how I would choose to expresses my own thoughts on a related topic. What will I create to get people thinking? like Feed has done for us. I would want people to take away something meaningful from my art work.
I think that Feed is a relevant piece of art because it talks about what is going on in our culture today . How digital technology has become apart of our culture. People can't get enough of their "feeds". It's become a way of life for many. It's almost like we live in two different worlds - actual world and then the digital world. The author expresses his ideas on this topic of digital takeover through his writing. How he allows the characters in the book to realize that maybe being so digital isn't the best way to live.
I think that the author wrote Feed to get people thinking. I think it was written as as a book because it told a story of these characters lives, which is very similar in certain ways to the way we live our lives.This makes me think about how I would choose to expresses my own thoughts on a related topic. What will I create to get people thinking? like Feed has done for us. I would want people to take away something meaningful from my art work.
Monday, October 19, 2009
HW 12
Being that "Feed" is an allegory, if I were to compare it to teenagers current lifestyle and their use of digital media today "Feed" for the most part be on target. I think that the author made it a point to point out how teenagers become so consumed with digital media ("Feeds"). How it affects their way of living and how they go through each day relying on the feeds. In the book everyone has a "feed", there are very few without feeds which is the same for teenagers today. No one can live without digital media , it's a very hard thing to do. Some other similarities from the book and today is the slang the characters use like "meg" or "youch" - teenagers today also use slang to mean the same thing like "mad" or "yo". Just like the "feeds" frequently update the characters in the book so do our computers whenever we are online (aim, facebook, myspace,youtube,twitter...etc). The characters in the book also like teenagers today keep up with the latest trends. Advertisements online also get us to buy stuff just like the "feeds" for the characters in the book.
Some differences from the book and today is the characters in the book have their computers directly in their brains. The characters in the book also the take the latest trends to an an extreme, since they are updated via their "feeds" like every second the girls change their hairstyles a number of times a day. Another thing that is different is the "lesions" that the characters have on their bodies that everyone thinks is cool to have. Teenagers today don't have "lesions".
In "Feed" the author mentions the "decline of civilization" due the "feeds" and I can agree because people have become so reliant on digital technology that it's making us lazy and stupid. With that we aren't really learning about the world or what is out there except for what is going on in our digital worlds. We are escaping reality and losing touch with civilization. We should try to resist our "feeds" before it's too late.
Some differences from the book and today is the characters in the book have their computers directly in their brains. The characters in the book also the take the latest trends to an an extreme, since they are updated via their "feeds" like every second the girls change their hairstyles a number of times a day. Another thing that is different is the "lesions" that the characters have on their bodies that everyone thinks is cool to have. Teenagers today don't have "lesions".
In "Feed" the author mentions the "decline of civilization" due the "feeds" and I can agree because people have become so reliant on digital technology that it's making us lazy and stupid. With that we aren't really learning about the world or what is out there except for what is going on in our digital worlds. We are escaping reality and losing touch with civilization. We should try to resist our "feeds" before it's too late.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Experiment
Since I don't go outside sometimes because I'm always inside, either on the computer for hours, watching TV or on my phone. I decided to give it a break for an entire day and voluntarily decided to spend the day digital free. It was hard to do. I'm so used having my phone with me (which I left at home) so I wouldn't be tempted to use it. I was also worried at the same time (almost paranoid) in a sense because I thought to myself- what if something happened to me? Then I wouldn't have my phone to contact anyone with. I gave up watching TV for an entire day. Talk about missing your favorite shows. But the most difficult one to give up was my laptop (my life) not being able to go online to check my email's and do all the other stuff I do online, sucked. Instead I decided to actually go outside. I went to the park with a couple of friends for a nice stroll, then I ate some "real" food instead of the usual crap I snack on because I'm always online. The rest of the day actually turned out to be fun because it felt better to actually converse with my friends in person and I found that being with them was are actually more entertaining. At the end of the day I was proud of myself because I actually survived a day without doing anything digital.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
HW #10
Since I watch TV whenever I get the chance, I decided to do some informal research on the influence TV has on people. Is it good , bad or both? Below are some articles I read and summarized:
This article was about the influence TV and radio has on our daily lives. From the good it offers us-it's a source of learning about others around the world. To the bad - all the inappropriate TV programs out there that little children watch. Compared to how much an influence the radio is in our lives. This article states that the radio isn't used as much as the TV. Overall this article was for digital media TV and radio) and how it benefits us (helps us learn). I agree that TV influences the way children act and behave."The heaviest viewers of television are children", so naturally their minds are easily influenced by what they see on the screen.
-http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/SocialIssues/general%5CInfluence_of_TV_And_Radio.htm
This article "TV shows have a bad influence on children" was about the bad influence TV has on children in the UK. How the shows that children watch, make them violent and use inappropriate language at school. How the TV shows that some children watch influence their behavior and how they act towards others in a bad way. This article was basically saying that the kids watch these inappropriate and violent shows and then copy what they see.
-http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582872/TV-shows-have-a-bad-influence-on-children.html
http://www.myfavoriteezines.com/articles/TV-watching-pros-cons.html
This article stated how television is a daily source of information. It also spoke a bit about how advertisements capture our attention. I also liked the interpretation of how television makes us lazy "Television makes people physically inactive." I agree with this because TV makes it hard to do other things especially if your watching your favorite TV show. This piece also spoke about the health problems watching too much TV can cause like poor eyesight. Overall this article spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of TV.
- http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/influence-of-television-on-a-person-10009.html
This article was about the influence TV and radio has on our daily lives. From the good it offers us-it's a source of learning about others around the world. To the bad - all the inappropriate TV programs out there that little children watch. Compared to how much an influence the radio is in our lives. This article states that the radio isn't used as much as the TV. Overall this article was for digital media TV and radio) and how it benefits us (helps us learn). I agree that TV influences the way children act and behave."The heaviest viewers of television are children", so naturally their minds are easily influenced by what they see on the screen.
-http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/ReportEssay/SocialIssues/general%5CInfluence_of_TV_And_Radio.htm
This article "TV shows have a bad influence on children" was about the bad influence TV has on children in the UK. How the shows that children watch, make them violent and use inappropriate language at school. How the TV shows that some children watch influence their behavior and how they act towards others in a bad way. This article was basically saying that the kids watch these inappropriate and violent shows and then copy what they see.
-http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582872/TV-shows-have-a-bad-influence-on-children.html
http://www.myfavoriteezines.com/articles/TV-watching-pros-cons.html
This article stated how television is a daily source of information. It also spoke a bit about how advertisements capture our attention. I also liked the interpretation of how television makes us lazy "Television makes people physically inactive." I agree with this because TV makes it hard to do other things especially if your watching your favorite TV show. This piece also spoke about the health problems watching too much TV can cause like poor eyesight. Overall this article spoke about the advantages and disadvantages of TV.
- http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/influence-of-television-on-a-person-10009.html
Saturday, October 3, 2009
HW 9
Sam,
Thanks for noticing my facial expressions during my video. It showed me you payed attention even to the small details. I think that it also would have made my video a little more interesting if I had showed what was going on, on the screen of my cell phone.I agree with your comment about how some kids can become overweight due to technology -playing video games. Technology (playing video games,watching TV...etc) makes us inactive because we sit in one place and become so focused on what is happening on the screens. Leading us to eventually become unhealthy because we don't go outside as much any more due to the distractions and hold technology has on us. What if we decide to give up our digital distractions once or twice a week and go outside (do something physically active)? Don't you think we'll have less of a chance of becoming overweight.
Thanks for noticing my facial expressions during my video. It showed me you payed attention even to the small details. I think that it also would have made my video a little more interesting if I had showed what was going on, on the screen of my cell phone.I agree with your comment about how some kids can become overweight due to technology -playing video games. Technology (playing video games,watching TV...etc) makes us inactive because we sit in one place and become so focused on what is happening on the screens. Leading us to eventually become unhealthy because we don't go outside as much any more due to the distractions and hold technology has on us. What if we decide to give up our digital distractions once or twice a week and go outside (do something physically active)? Don't you think we'll have less of a chance of becoming overweight.
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