Alright, so after deciding that I was going to do my project on Ebook Readers I discovered that Laura is also doing her project on Ebook Readers. Not that I don't enjoy sharing ;) but Laura did stake claim on the topic first and I'm going to be respectful of that. But all is well, because I have come up with another topic that I need feedback for.
As I said in my last post, I really enjoy reading. So I narrowed my topic down to either Fan Fiction or Online Publishing. I've read fan ficion ever since I was probably 12 years old and when I was in high school I discovered Online Publishing. As I am revising this post, I've decided to do my project on Fan Fiction. One of the main questions for this class is what is and who is an author? I think that Fan Fiction does a better job of "blurring the line" at authorship, which is what I am interested in. Online Publishing is for those who write and create their own ideas and put them out there for others to see and enjoy; generally without any type of compensation.
So, if I could get some feedback as to what direction I might be able to take this project in, that would be great! I have a few ideas but I would like to know what yours are! Thanks!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Research Topic =)
Alright so I was not in class last Thursday, I wasn't feeling too well, so now I am trying to play catch up. I am having issues with my internet at home, so I have spent the last 2 hours going over everyone's posts, the syllabus and the class blog trying to figure out exactly what I am supposed to do. It wasn't hard to figure out that we are supposed to be brainstorming for our semester long project- but this is exactly the problem. I understand that the topic can be on anything that I want to to be...but I was/am confused as to how I am supposed to relate it to the class. I think I have it though and I would appreciate if I could get some feedback about what direction I can take my idea in.
One of my hobbies is reading; I really enjoy it. About two Christmases ago, I was given the first edition Kindle as a gift and it has been well used. For those of you who are not sure what a Kindle is- it is Amazon's Ebook reader. If you are not sure what that is then google it because there is alot of information about them and they are a pretty cool piece of technology. This is why I think I'm going to do my project on Ebook readers. Now, like I said there is a LOT of information about these and I'm not sure if my topic is too broad. So I'm not sure how I'm going to construct my trailer thing but at least I have an idea for a topic. I'm terrible with decisions so I'm actually quite proud of my progress! lol! Again, some feedback would be great if anyone has any ideas or suggestions! Thanks!
One of my hobbies is reading; I really enjoy it. About two Christmases ago, I was given the first edition Kindle as a gift and it has been well used. For those of you who are not sure what a Kindle is- it is Amazon's Ebook reader. If you are not sure what that is then google it because there is alot of information about them and they are a pretty cool piece of technology. This is why I think I'm going to do my project on Ebook readers. Now, like I said there is a LOT of information about these and I'm not sure if my topic is too broad. So I'm not sure how I'm going to construct my trailer thing but at least I have an idea for a topic. I'm terrible with decisions so I'm actually quite proud of my progress! lol! Again, some feedback would be great if anyone has any ideas or suggestions! Thanks!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Plagiarism...
After reading the Tenner article. I can't quite work out what I think about it. Obviously, there is no way to stop these advances in technology; although one might wonder, why would you want to?
The article makes a good point that anymore, our thoughts and ideas don't feel as original as they might have 20 or 30 years ago. This is not due to a lack of creativity by people, but it is due to better communication. People tend to think similarly, so our thoughts and ideas lead us to the same places. Therefore, how can it be plagiarism, if you didn't copy it, or take somebody else's ideas? What if you simply had the same idea as someone else- which is entirely possible.
Again, I'm not sure how I feel about the article and the information it gives me. In high school, I had a teacher that used the Turnitin site. It actually does find passages that are just similar, not exactly the same. I turned in a paper on Charlemagne. She searched the Turnitin site and it turned up a passage that was similar to one in my paper. Let me just say that I am not a cheater, nor have I ever been or will ever be a cheater. I would never take someone's ideas and call them my own. Therefore I was slightly confused when she kept me and 2 other students after class. The other two students had clearly plagiarised and they admitted it and agreed to do another paper for half credit. My paper, however she was unsure about just because it was such as small amount. She was going to give me a zero but instead, settled on a 50% because I so adamantly maintained that I had not plagiarised. I still feel however, that it was unfair. These types of search engines and sites will cut back on cheating however, I feel that it will sometimes also unfairly punish those who do not cheat.
As I said, there is no way to slow or halt the advancement of this type of technology but perhaps the definitions of plagiarism should be rethought.
The article makes a good point that anymore, our thoughts and ideas don't feel as original as they might have 20 or 30 years ago. This is not due to a lack of creativity by people, but it is due to better communication. People tend to think similarly, so our thoughts and ideas lead us to the same places. Therefore, how can it be plagiarism, if you didn't copy it, or take somebody else's ideas? What if you simply had the same idea as someone else- which is entirely possible.
Again, I'm not sure how I feel about the article and the information it gives me. In high school, I had a teacher that used the Turnitin site. It actually does find passages that are just similar, not exactly the same. I turned in a paper on Charlemagne. She searched the Turnitin site and it turned up a passage that was similar to one in my paper. Let me just say that I am not a cheater, nor have I ever been or will ever be a cheater. I would never take someone's ideas and call them my own. Therefore I was slightly confused when she kept me and 2 other students after class. The other two students had clearly plagiarised and they admitted it and agreed to do another paper for half credit. My paper, however she was unsure about just because it was such as small amount. She was going to give me a zero but instead, settled on a 50% because I so adamantly maintained that I had not plagiarised. I still feel however, that it was unfair. These types of search engines and sites will cut back on cheating however, I feel that it will sometimes also unfairly punish those who do not cheat.
As I said, there is no way to slow or halt the advancement of this type of technology but perhaps the definitions of plagiarism should be rethought.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Fear of Chat Rooms
2) Describe your earliest memories of using the web. Describe a memory of using the web that involves a moment of insight, inspiration, or other strong emotion.
In my household, I am the oldest child, so when we got our first computer (I was in 4th grade) I was thrilled and began using it everyday. I was old enough to learn how to use it and not be confused by it, whereas my younger siblings are.At school, I would talk to my friends about it and I soon discovered what chat rooms were. I thought it was cool, the idea of talking over the internet to other people. So, one day, I searched and found a chat room. I went in and joined the conversation. I was asked "asl?" Which I learned mean "age, sex, location." I had been taught to not ever give out this information. However, I didn't see (being a 10 year old) the harm in giving out at least my age and sex. So I told them I was 10. Then, I was told by the other two people that I was talking to, that one was 15 and one was 12.
Soon, the 12 year old, invited me to a "whisper chat", which was just a private chat and I accepted. He was nice and, as I said, I was dazzled by the internet. He soon coerced me into telling him where I was actually from. His reasoning was "Hey, I'll tell you if you tell me. We're just kids, what could be the harm?" So all I typed was "Belington, WV." The next thing he typed was "Haha, you actually believed I was 12".
As a 10 year old, being tricked by someone I had never met, didn't know their real name, and could not see scared me. A LOT. I immediately held down the power button on our new computer, turning it off incorrectly. I realized that the internet was a way to connect people, but that not all the people were good, honest, nice people. I realized how scary the internet could be and I now realize how naive I was. I have been very careful about the information that I put on the web since then and I have steered clear of talking to people I do not know and have never met on the internet.