Blog 5

1.
Compared to the traditional essays that I have written in other classes, I would say writing the blog was not easier or more difficult, but instead different. Really, it felt the same as any other assignment with a few exceptions. One, anyone who wanted to read it could, this caused me to have a new perspective when writing and to think more about what exactly I wanted to say. Second, I had figure out the little quarks of blogging, such as how to upload, fonts, format, etc. This aspect was different then that of the traditional essays I have written in other classes. Overall writing blogs as opposed to essays was not much different, the first one took a little time to get the hang of, but overall I felt it was good because it taught me how to use a new resource while still accomplishing the same goal of a traditional essay.
2.
Both the blog assignments and the requirement to create a blog related to the class topics and the course objective. The assignments covered a wide variety of topics that really allowed the student to gain a broad understanding of multiple different aspects of culture. This directly related to and fulfilled the course and blog objectives. As for the requirement to create a blog there is no doubt that it fulfilled the course objective. Being forced to create a blog forced the student to partake in a new type of technology that many of us had not partaken in prior to this class. In addition to this, this obligation showed students that there are many other resources through technology like blogger, and that in many cases they are easy to use.
3.
For the most part I do not think that the non-text elements of the blog program had an effect on my learning during this class. However, I do feel that it did have a positive effect in some minor aspects. The main impact that the non-text elements caused was simply to learn something new, and to go through the process of figuring how to be most effective using this program. I think this will pay dividends in many areas of life as this skill can be used throughout life in many different types of programs where learning how to use a new system is required. Overall, the non-text elements did not have a major impact on my learning in this class, but it did make some minor positive contributions that will add to my skill set and that could come in handy later in life.

Blog 4: Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

The saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, is this saying really true or just an overused cliché? There are varying opinions on this question, some say they can remember a point much easier when it is portrayed through an image rather then words, however, there are others who feel there is more to be gained from words then a picture. Although there are different opinions I do think a picture is worth a thousand words, and in many cases can be more impactful then just words.

Sight is a human sense, where as reading is not. When a person sees something it sticks in their head. For example, images from the Hubble space craft depicting the incredible world of outer space, or the photographs published by Jet Magazine of the mutilated body of 14 year old Emmett Till from Chicago in 1955 pumble the reader with intense attraction or in the case of Emmett Till, repulsion to the image. No amount of words could ever tell the story of Emmett Till; only the photographs could serve justice in showing how gruesome his murder was.

Another example of this is advertising. United States companies spend large amounts of money each year determining what the best way to advertise is. Estimated numbers show the amount of money spent on advertising in 2008 to be approximately $412,400,000,000. These companies don’t just guess what methods of advertising will work, they spend huge sums of money figuring out how the money they are using in advertising can be made most effective.

This research concludes that images are the best way to advertise as opposed to just text. Very seldom do you see a commercial with just text, no images. The reason is because a picture is worth a thousand words and will allow the viewer to remember the advertisement easier. Speaking of this, Laura Peracchio of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee says, "This research finds that people will make inferences about products--even if the ad copy does not explicitly address those features--just from viewing a product picture. Viewers are most likely to infer that a product has that feature and will perform well. Under these conditions, they also seem to like products better. Thus, consistency of the picture and ad copy helps people to make positive inferences about a product,” From this it is apparent that at least when it comes to advertising, pictures are not just better, but are the best possible option for an efficient and productive ad.

In conclusion, there might not be a definitive answer to the question of whether or not a picture is worth a thousand words, or if pictures or words are more effective. Some people believe that the best and most effective way to get a point across is through words. Theodore Schick Jr. and Lewis Vaughn of how To Think About Weird Things believe that people do not perceive images for exactly what they are, but instead allow their minds to subconsciously add to or construct to what they say in their mind. “Much research now suggests that perception is constructive, that it’s in part something that our minds manufacture.” (Schick and Vaughn 105) This can be dangerous because when people view images their perception might be different or biased, this takes away from the value of images. In addition to this, these people do have an argument because there is no doubt that a more thorough, detailed, and at times more accurate portrayal of something is achieved with words as opposed to a picture. However, as pointed out earlier, no words can accurately portray the murder of Emmett Till, and no description in writing of images from the Hubble spacecraft will ever fill a person with awe in the way that the actual images do. Also, in the advertising realm we see that images are necessary to create the best possible advertisement. Overall, it is probably best to have a combination of both images and words. In some cases, one might be better then the other. However, as seen in the previous examples, there are undoubtedly some situations in which a picture can portray something that words alone will never be able to do. This justifies the statement that a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Week 13 PRE Class Activity

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

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Valid Source?

Throughout a students journey through education they are bombarded with assignments. Of these assignments, one of the most dreaded is the essay. A factor that makes this assignment so difficult, especially in the more advances stages of the journey through education is finding valid and accepted sources for essays. Some of the largest sources, most accessible, and possibly even the easiest to use are “wikis” such as Wikipedia. Unfortunately for students, in most cases, these wikis are not considered a valid source. The question has been asked should students be allowed to use these wikis as a source for their work? Considering that a wiki allows anyone to put information on the site and edit that information and that these articles on wiki databases are not peer reviewed, wiki sites should not be considered a valid source for students to cite.

The first and primary reason that wiki sites should not be considered a legitimate source is that anyone who desires to write something can. In face they can write anything they wish to. Theodore Schick Jr. and Lewis Vaughn, authors of How to Think About Weird Things, state that “’Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion’ goes the platitude, meaning that everybody has the right to believe whatever they want. But is that really true? Are there no limits to what is permissible to believe?”(71) Yes, it is true that these writings will be edited, but the same goes for the editing, anyone can edit in whatever fashion they see fit. For example, on the Wikipedia website, on the top left corner of the main page is a link that reads “editing”, from this link anyone who desires to can edit any article they would like to, all they have to do is have an account. Now this might seem like a great way to maintain knowledgeable authors until you click the bright blue link that reads, “create account“. After clicking this link, all one has to do is come up with a creative username, a password, retype that password, and provide an email address, however, the email address is optional. With this a viewer can easily tell that this process is hardly one that qualifies a person to become an author for a so-called valid encyclopedia. Speaking of this, Jim Green of AssociatedContent.com says, “Considering that anyone with an ideological axe to grind and a smattering of writing ability can spin falsehoods on Wikipedia without challenge from the site's editors, clearly it should not be referenced as a valid source for factual information.”

The second reason is that the most credible sources that students can find and use are those that are peer-reviewed. Peer reviewed simply means that someone who is an expert in the field that is being discussed reviews or examines the writing to determine if it has the credentials to be a valid source. Katherine Brind’ Amour of the Academic Writing Suite states, “The most credible types of publications are peer-reviewed journals, official government publications (including census information), and books from peer-reviewed or reputable publishing companies (think Oxford, Harvard, or Yale University presses). Wiki cites are far from peer reviewed or from being considered as a parallel to Harvard or Yale as sources to find credible information. Keeping in mind that for a source to be valid it needs to give confidence to the reader, Wikipedia is by no means valid. A person simply does not and should not get the same feeling of security and credibility when reading something from a wiki cite as they do reading information from a renown university or other source.

Obviously the creators of wiki cites along with their frequent users have a different opinion. The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, describes it as “an effort to create and distribute a multilingual free encyclopedia of the highest quality to every single person on the planet in his or her own language.” Wikipedia exists to bring knowledge to everyone who seeks it”. There is no doubt that these cites are very productive and efficient. They offer limitless information and in an extremely accessible manner. A large portion of the information is probably very factual and credible, however, this in no way meets the standards set by Mr. Wales quotes saying Wikipedia is “of the highest quality”, nor does it meet the standards that need to be met by students in order to have quality essays based on valid and credible sources.

In conclusion, wiki cites are undoubtedly extremely valuable tools. These cites are effective tools that can provide information in a productive and efficient way. However, wiki cites simply do not meet the requirements that are set for student’s and their sources. The fact that anyone can write anything they feel like and call it a fact on these cites, along with wiki cites being far from peer-reviewed demonstrates that wiki cites are not reliable for students to use. These cites simply do not instill the necessary confidence in the reader about the source they are reading.

Reasoning Skills Necessary in Primary School?

When a person thinks about primary school most often they think, addition, subtraction, simple writing and reading. Usually, it is basic skills necessary to life and the rest of a student’s education career, that are taught in primary schools. However, the question has been asked, should reasoning skills be taught in primary schools? Considering that primary school is a place where children learn basic, yet necessary skills that they will use for the rest of their lives, and that history has proved the necessity of these skills, children should definitely be taught reasoning skills in primary school.

A point comes in a child’s life when he must begin to make decisions for himself; this means that a parent is no longer deciding every little thing for that child. This stage is typically middle school. The decisions that students begin to make at this stage can greatly affect the rest of their lives; therefore it is necessary that schools begin to teach children reasoning skills prior to this stage. In many cases, if a child is only taught reasoning skills after or during middle school it is too late, and the result can be detrimental to that child. Speaking of this, Stephen T. Russel, Ph. D., of the University of Arizona, says, “The issue of decision-making becomes increasingly important during adolescence because teens are developing greater autonomy and encountering more choices independent of adults. The choices teens make may drastically affect not only their own lives, but the lives of others as well (Ganzel, 1999). Some of these choices may include which career to pursue, whether or not to have sex or use contraceptives, whether or not to use alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs, or whether or not to engage in violent or risky behaviors (Fischhoff et al., 1999; Ganzel, 1999).” Primary school needs to be the place where children and students learn these skills.

History has proved the need for reasoning skills because throughout history, humans have needed a certain skill set in order to survive. This includes the ability to find water and food, to fend off enemies, and to be able to take part in a relationship. Each of these sills that are essential to survival come with a prerequisite of having reasoning skills. Reasoning skills to know where food and water will be, reasoning skills to know how to deter and stop your enemies, and reasoning skills that help determine who you can and cannot trust. This is the case from ancient history, for example Rome, until today. In ancient Rome children were taught reasoning skills at a very young age, and Rome was one of the most powerful empires ever to rule the world. However, the fall of Rome can be accredited to the fact that the people of Rome felt they were so powerful they no longer needed reasoning skills. The same will be true of our American society if we do not teach young kids reasoning skills while they are still in primary school, and before it is too late and they already have to make major decisions.

In the fourth chapter of How to Think About Weird Things, Theodore Schick, Jr., and Lewis Vaughn state, “Those in the know are more likely to get their way than those who aren’t, because their views are based on reality-not on fantasy, illusion or wishful thinking. Their projects have a greater chance of success, because their knowledge gives them the ability to foresee obstacles and devise ways of overcoming those obstacles. Prediction and control are keys to survival, and knowledge makes prediction and control possible.” Reasoning skills are a necessary component of survival in life. In most cases, children begin to make key choices that will affect their lives in middle school. It is imperative that primary school’s teach these children reasoning skills so that when they do come upon the tough and inevitable choices of life, they will be capable of making logical and wise decisions. Although it is a possibility that this could be too young of an age for children to begin learning reasoning skills, the fact that these skills are necessary for the rest of their lives, along with the fact that in the next stage of their lives monumental choices will begin to be made, make primary school the best option to begin teaching children reasoning skills.

Blog1: Consumer Spending Patriotic?

Consumer Spending Patriotic?

To be patriotic is defined as to love or defend one’s own country. Considering this definition, is it patriotic to shop given that the U.S. economy is based on consumer spending? Although there could be and are many opinions on the answer to this question, the real answer is simply yes, and no. In some cases it is most definitely patriotic to shop, but in others it is not at all, and in the remainder of this essay we will discuss why.

First, many would consider shopping to be a patriotic activity because there is no doubt that doing so supports the economy. What would happen if people all together decided to stop shopping, or even more specifically shop elswhere. Two things would happen. The first is that the United States would lose money on sales tax and the economy would completely tank. With this, the government would lose funds in the department of military defense. Second, not shopping in America means that the shopping will be done somewhere else. For example what if the shopping is done online and North Korea makes a profit off of it. In this case, whoever the consumer is, is theoretically attacking the United States by supporting a threatening country. Therefore to shop is a patriotic act, and to go further to not shop could be an act of treason.

The second opinion is that to shop is not patriotic. This too, is a very valid opinion considering the facts. 30.4% of the United States’ capital goods (computers, telecommunicatons equipment, motor vehicle parts, electric power machinery, etc.) and 31.8% of the United States consumer goods(automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys,etc.) are imports. With this large amount of imports, it is necessary to consider the amount of money being paid to the exporters of these goods. When these exporters are receiving money they can use it for anything their country wishes. Now this might seem like a stretch, but if Country A makes money off exports to the United States and trades with Country B, who is an enemy of the United States, then those exports could be indirectly supporting weapons and a potential war against the United States. This method of thinking, known as slippery slope is considered a legitimate argument by Theodore Schuck Jr. and Lewis Vaughn on page 56 of How To Think About Weird Things. As stated earlier this means that some shopping could be quite the opposite of patriotic and could be considered possibly treasonous.

Overall, it is apparent that there are multiple answers and opinions to this question of whether or not shopping is patriotic. On one hand, yes shopping is patriotic because it directly supports the United States through sales tax, and it keeps the economy running, which is helping to provide for the defense of the United States. On the other hand, shopping and the consumption of goods could be supporting foreign countries, which through trading could eventually be supporting a possible enemy of the United States. Both sides present valid arguments and in reality both are right. So there are two answers, yes shopping is patriotic and no shopping is not patriotic, it depends on the circumstances.