Final Round of Presentations

Brent Rust
Online activities and how they change us

License to do things they wouldn’t do face to face

Online spaces change us – Do they really change us or do they allow us to express ourselves in a way that we can’t in meatspace?

How do you feel that we are moving towards transparency? You are arguing on one hand our anonymity and on the other a more transparent view of ourselves…Which one are you arguing for?

What about prank phone calls….When there wasn’t a system in place for people to trace your call, it seemed to be similar to not acting like you would in real life online?

I disagree with your statement regarding big business being run by older generations….Many new companies ….Google, Facebook, etc…..were started by much younger people…These are some of the huge players that are changing our online spaces.

You seem to have many different sources of information regarding your project…Are you going to center your research more on one specific area?

Have you looked at why this cultural shift is taking place?



Cynthia
Race and Ethnicity Online – Representations in Cyberspace

Cyberspace gives underrepresented groups more choices about representation that are not available through traditional media.

How does the digital divide affect the underrepresented portion of the population?

How do these underrepresented groups utilize online spaces differently than those that are not under-represented?

The claim that white’s are the majority in the United States isn’t anything new….White’s claim over 60% of the total United States population….Is it really a surprise that white’s have more jobs, access, etc….How does the race population difference challenge what you are presenting?

Wouldn’t it be fair to say that it wouldn’t matter what country you go to. The majority of the racial population within that country will dominate or be predominant in that specific country, under-representing other races within that country?

Cyberspace is already open to ALMOST everyone, not including the countries who aren’t allowed access…Is the notion of your argument stating that cyberspace isn’t open to those who have access?



Neil Fastabend
The advantage of Smart Phones: Narrowing the Digital Divide

Cell phones and Internet –ready smart phones are narrowing the access portion of the digital divide around the world, and that is a good thing.

I think that you have a strong argument. You seem to be well organized and have your sources in line to support what you’re saying.

Have you thought about talking about how users in third world countries are able to afford the technology or how they obtain access to it?

Have you thought about the issues with areas that have no cell phone service?

Are you talking about how we in developed countries are interacting with those in third world countries in forms of development , communications, etc….???

Presentations 4/27/2010

Dan Anderson
Exploring the Correlation between Video Games and Virtual Communities


There is a notable correlation between the learning principles of video games and the rapid growth of virtual gaming communities.

The learning principles of video games are enhanced in online environments, and this enhancement may account for an increase the number of online gaming community members.

You say that you have to be allowed into a group….Aren’t X-Box Live members able to join gaming environments without joining the community?

How does the X-Box community compare with the PS3 community in terms of numbers of users and differences?

How are you going to show that the gaming situation evolves into a community? Can we really consider the platform of X-Box Live as its own community?

Mike Payne
Crimes – Real vs. Virtual Spaces


You give plenty of examples of how real and virtual identity theft is possible…How are proving or arguing that virtual crime it is “more dangerous” than real life crime? You may need to focus on fewer areas of exploration….You have so many examples that you are creating too much work for yourself…

As the world changes more into online spaces people are starting to become more aware of identity theft….How does this awareness change your argument? Is there an age demographic that is more susceptible to cybercrime?

I like where you are going with your information…You are right, cybercrime is definitely on the rise and is being used more effectively to commit crime than in real spaces. You might want to look at how organized crime has used cybercrime to carry out illegal activities. These would present real life examples of how these acts are being carried out in online spaces.

Are you going to look at how legal action is different in cases from real vs. virtual spaces?

How do the examples that you are using in virtual spaces translate into real spaces?

Lee Kidd
You Tubes’ Unique Roles: Political Activism and the Perpetuation of Hate


You Tube has revolutionized political activism and, in doing so, it has uniquely contributed to the perpetuation of hate, however inadvertently.

Wouldn’t it be fair to say that MOST individuals are able to critically think about the information that is displayed on YouTube?

You say that unsubstantiated personal beliefs have no place in online spaces….How can you possibly justify this claim?

You seem to skip around a lot….I’m unsure as to what your specific argument is? You seem to skip around from fact based information, to hate, to activism….??? You’re taking on many issues that don’t necessarily cohesively reach an argument for a paper.

Part of what makes YouTube successful is the ability to display opinions and rhetoric regarding people’s ideologies. Perhaps you need to focus on an area of YouTube that perpetuates hate as you say and focus in on that specific area…..maybe giving 3 or 4 examples of what you’re trying to show.

Angel Almarez
Bridging the digital Divide and using games in education


I think that you have a solid understanding of your ideas. I really don’t have a ton of feedback for you.

I think that you have a solid argument, but what is the opposition to your argument?

Is the Lego league a video game or is it a physical exercise?

You bring up an example where students only had access in their school compared to some students in Silicon Valley who had access at home as well……Is there any study regarding this same instance where students in Silicon Valley had the same instruction as those not in Silicon Valley and what was the outcome?

Derek Nelson
Mobile phones and the digital divide


Mobile technology, primarily the cellular phone is positively affecting the digital divide

An example that you may want to look at is M-Pesa…Look this up on Google…You may have hit this in your Rhinegold arena…not sure just a suggestion

I think that you have a really strong argument….when you talk about barriers in education are you taking into account those that don’t have limited or no literacy ability?

How does your argument change when you may not have access to mobile technologies in some areas..(specifically rural)…dead zones…etc…???

What is the opposition to your argument? You never really showed that in your presentation…

How are you proposing that individuals will become proficient in utilizing mobile phones? Do you talk about this in your paper? In order to successfully close the gap of the digital divide people have to become knowledgeable and proficient in using these devices in order to succeed with them.

Kristin
H.O.P.E – “Healty Online Presence Education”


What field experts are you proposing to bring in for this program?

How are you proposing that your program bridges the access gap?

Is it really feasible to say that there will be enough of a volunteer base to support something like this?

I liked that you showed the opposition to your plan.

Is there any incentive for you plan? People feel more compelled to participate when there is something in it for them.

I think overall your idea is well grounded and well intentioned. I wonder how far it would go if actually implemented? Overall I think that you have your bases covered when you presented. The questions that I listed above were the only “cracks” that I could come up with.

Thursday 4/22 Presentations

Dena Lacey

Social media sites lack governing tools to prevent defamation, stalking, cyber-bullying and copyright infringement.

I’m a bit confused as to what your specific argument is?

Legal issues surrounding privacy protection and domain regulation in online spaces is still in its infancy…Legalities are escalating in courtrooms.

Regulation and enforcement will be the greatest obstacle to overcome legal issues

Can there be one single governing body to regulate and enforce cyber-law?

Communications Decency Act ….section 230…

You make it sound as though there needs to be some regulation for social media sites, however much of what you presented makes it sound as though there isn’t any real legal action available or is reasonably enforced…Are you arguing how this needs to change? Are you arguing that certain sites need to be regulated? I don’t know how you are going to argue for this enforcement when the U.S. specifically has very little enforcement? Also, how would this be enforced in other countries? Every country has different regulations as well…..I see what you are trying to say, but I think that your argument is falling flat because there is no specific support for what you are arguing other than opinion??? How does this type of regulation affect freedom of speech?

Michelle Assink

Human Computer Interaction

User friendly interfaces and designs of computers are helping create a seamless transition from the real to the virtual through their simplicity, interactivity, and relativity to the real and with the increased activity of users in virtual worlds it may not be long before the virtual world is real…

How are you specifically arguing that the virtual world is going to become the “real world”? While you gave some examples of how computers are adapting programs to become “more real”, how are you proposing that this replaces real life?

Your examples of how virtual environments and programs are helping us are good…


Brittany Bogenreif

Mobile Location Based Advertising

While I see where you are going with your information, I’m really confused as to where your argument is? What are you specifically arguing?

If people have their mobile devices blocked from receiving such information, how does affect things?

Perhaps you need to think about how to structure your argument. Something like…This is why we need to have mobile location based advertising or mobile based advertising is necessary because….

Then you need to address the negative aspect of mobile location based advertising…Everyone obviously doesn’t want this type of advertising sent to their mobile devices


Mark Belben

The Cost of Access – World of Warcraft

Blizzards changes to WoW to make the game appeal to more people have both fractured the community within the game as well as pushed the learning curve out of the game forcing players to rely heavily on third party websites and programs to learn how to play.

Players can’t be successful in WoW without being social and interactive until Blizzard gave users the ability to access a third party site to be able to play alone….The community of WoW is disintegrating because of this.

You also state that Blizzard is now changing the 3rd party systems to make it harder to utilize 3rd party to beat the game. Are you arguing that community is necessary to be successful and necessary to learn about the game?


Chris

A growing digital divide

How do you propose that communities will become fragmented online??

I see where you are going in your argument, but aren’t we already there?? Or rather, don’t we already experience fragmentation online as we do in real life? Are you arguing that we will fragment differently in the future? Are you proposing that there will be a solution to this type of fragmentation?

Something such as Chatroullette makes a valid point for your argument… Typically people don’t exchange a large amount of personal information or interact with one another for an extended period of time. Many also tend to act differently than who they really are in meatspace, further fragmenting the “reality” or sense of community on the online space. People also portray images or pictures of others/other things that don’t even represent who they are.

Round three presentations

Mark Nelson
Online Enabled Environmental Activism

Cyberspace and online communities are two of the most important tools in saving the environment….

Do you have examples of how current activism is changing the way that people are saving the environment?

While the Internet allows more communication for environmental issues, how are people using this information to change the way that we affect the environment?

I don’t think that the activism online is eliminating the need for other media’s…???

Great use of EcoSnoop!!!! Is there ramifications for institutions that are being reported?

Look at Clay Shirky’s book “Here Comes Everybody” when you’re talking about the “cost” or lack of “cost” of publishing information on the Internet…there is some great rhetoric regarding this issue that I think you would find very helpful.



Sarah
Presenting yourself differently in cyberspace..

People who use virtual environments present themselves much differently than in meatspace….You make it sound that everyone presents themselves differently…Can you really support that argument or how are you going to support that argument?

Good use regarding James situation….It gives some relevance to what you’re trying to present….

Do you have more examples…. An empirical study perhaps involving participants who gave information that would suggest what your argument is trying to present???

I think that your paper is very interesting and has a lot of potential to be really well written.

You bring up Chatroullete as an example where people “don’t care??” As more people are becoming trolls and are putting up fake content (“videos of others” and not a representation of themselves) how does this change the way that people interact or react when using a site like this?



Cassie Lane
Social Networking Sites in the Classroom

It’s great that you use WoogiWorld and a Really Different Place to support your argument, but I’m a little uncertain as to what your specific argument is??? Are you saying that these sites are necessary to learn? What is the opposite side of your “argument”?

How do you support that Facebook could be more beneficial for younger students? Can you support what you're saying with an empirical study or information from scholarly resources?

I thought your rhetoric concerning students using this technology in order to “grow” in an online environment as a necessary tool for their futures was spot on. Do you have any examples of how the use of these environments has made an impact in meatspace? I feel that if you had examples it would strengthen your argument.

Round 2 of presentations

Katie Shaw
Low income schools need a solution to bridge both the knowledge and access gap
Is your paper specifically on Internet usage or computer usage or both?

How are families going to help if they don’t have access to the Internet?

How are you going to graph usage specifically?

During the meetings with parents how do you specifically propose to show them how to help their students utilize computers if they aren’t computer literate themselves?

Is it really feasible to have teachers going to these types of meetings or events that you describe? There seems to be a cut in school budgets as is….Would these teachers do this for free?



Beau Yancey
Gaming – What your mother warned you about..

What kind of life changing technologies has gaming presented?

How has our culture been permanently altered by the evolution of gaming?

How is gaming a necessity due to technological advances...???

Don Tapscott ”Grown up Digital” Check this out...This book has some great examples about gaming.

I’m kind of confused as to what your specific argument is……Think Julie Cleared this up….Technology feeds off of the gaming community…



James Cavanaugh
Gaming-Symbolism Creates a better learning environment?


I’m still confused to what your specific argument is?

What types of learning does video game playing improve?

You are proposing that parents should play games with their children and talk about it? How would you justify certain games such as Modern Warfare 2 or Grand Theft Auto games in terms of child/parent interaction?

Is it really the case for all people when you say that “Symbolism becomes so strong that the game environment becomes increasingly immersive …the person playing the game legitimately cares about what‘s happening inside the fictional world.”



Hans Wellenbrock
Social Networks bridging the chasm


How is connecting the social networking communities going to bridge the divide when some don’t have access even if they know about technology?

You propose that “older people” will be able to utilize these social network cites to bridge the chasm….Have you looked at the demographic that actually utilize the social networking site?

Interestingly you say that “The value of the Internet can be directly correlated to the value of its content.” Wouldn’t it be fair to say that a lot of content isn’t worth much …..More of a Publish then filter aspect.

I liked how you described the way in which people can create more content and aspire to communicate with others…. The problem that I’m seeing with your argument is that you aren’t addressing the access issue when it comes to the digital divide.

While I understand what you are saying in your presentation, I’m a bit confused as to what your specific argument is?



Spencer Towne
Do games generate better soldiers?


Isn’t it fair to say that people are trained upon joining the military to achieve tactical performance unlike those in video games?

I like the part of your argument that utilizes stress to point out the differences in gaming and real life, the feel, weight, and fear factor are all solid points that help an argument in this case.

While video games “desensitize” us to real life war scenarios….How is this desensitization affecting people in non war scenarios?

Your presentation left me feeling that you’re doing more of a report than an argumentative paper? I think you need to figure out what your SPECIFIC argument is and use some of the information in your presentation to support it.

Responses to Indivduals Presentations 4/8/10

1. Lorena Swift
Internet Censorship in China

-Lorena, overall I understood what your project was talking about but I am confused as to what your specific argument was within your presentation.

-I was clear in understanding that there are censorship issues within China, but there didn't seem to be a specific argument about the censorship?

-Some questions I had regarding your project:

- Did you try searching for other terms other than America within your specific search? If so what other words did you use and did they all yield similar results?

-Even though there is censorship in China did you look at blogs from China, or rather blogs from individuals living within China to see what type of content is being made available through them?

-Did any of your research touch on cell phone usage and activism utilizing cell phones within China?

-In your presentation you showed a video of an Australian spokesman saying that China is progressing forward in their human rights agenda. Did you find any other research or material that would support that conclusion?

-I did find it interesting that you mentioned that GoDaddy.com stopped selling China or .cn URL's...... Check this link to Wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.cn
I don't believe GoDaddy.com or many other domain providers in the United States have offered .cn URL's

-You also specified in your presentation that we have Internet censorship here in the United States. What censorship were you referring to and how are you tying it to censorship within China?

-The great thing about the topic you chose is that there is an abundant amount of information and scholarly articles available to you. I would suggest focusing on a specific aspect of the censorship within China and go from there.

-A quick response about your question, "How does Internet censorship affect our culture?"
I really believe that Internet censorship has more to do with our government and media more than anything. We have the ability to be free and post almost anything that we wish on the Internet, or rather anything that is in the realm of legal nature. The censorship in this country centers on media/government agendas and leaves very little room for people to critically and responsibly think about what may really be going on in America, or the world for that matter. Most people don't typically care about these "agendas" and so they are swept under the rug, so to speak; without too much concern from the majority of the population. That's why we see people that may think critically or "outside the box" as "misfits" or "extremists" in some instances. That's not to say that there aren't some crazy people out there, but it's important to realize that "we the people" often censor ourselves."




Sheila Newsom

Gender Roles - Traditional Gender Roles Within Social Networking Sites


-In your presentation you discussed how programmers were responsible for creating gender based roles within social networking sites. My question to you is, "How are they specifically responsible? Don't we as individuals often perpetuate the gender roles in online spaces as well as in real spaces? How can we blame programmers when we as the individuals are the ones perpetuating these roles? You hit the nail on the head to my questions when you utilized the Club Penguin example. Individuals within the site started affirming what gender they were irregardless of the programmers intentions in making the site non-gender specific. In other words…We as people reinforce these, not programmers.

-I'm trying figure out what you are specifically arguing. Are you arguing that these sites perpetuate gender roles and bias? Are you arguing that real life gender roles and bias translate into virtual spaces and if so where is the argument? I wasn't clear on what you were specifically arguing???

-Another thing that interested me was the use of Avatars which used no specific gender relation...Your example of nature scenes and animals made me question how we assign roles in those instances. Just a curious question, not sure if there is an answer?



Maurice Smiley

Cell Phone Technology: How it's changing Agriculture in Rural America

-A statement that you made in your presentation eluded to cell phone service being available "everywhere". Since you are specifically doing your research on rural areas, how sure are you that all of these rural farming areas have cell phone service and the availability of the technology/tools you are referring to? Statistics regarding rural cell/internet service may be appropriate to back this claim or may be needed to give your paper effective credibility.

-I thought that out of all the presentations today, yours seemed to be the most intriguing. I like where you were going with your presentation because I believe that technology is going to continually help farmers in general, especially those within technologically advanced societies.

-It's interesting to note how G.P.S. technology is changing farming practices currently. G.P.S. technology is making farming more efficient, "steering" for the farmer, and effectively conserving more seed, fertilizer, and chemicals which lead to higher profits. Is cell phone technology compatible with any of this technology currently?

-Does any of your research touch on how cell phone technology is teaching potential or new farmers to farm?

-Lastly, you may want to see if it's possible to center on a specific crop instead of saying farming in general. It may further the credibility of your argument.



Corrinda Lathan

Can Children Learn Through Gaming?


-As I listened to your presentation I couldn't help but think about a book I read for one of my other classes called "Grown up Digital", by Don Tapscott. He talks in some depth about the immediate rewards of gaming and how they influence learning and thinking. You should check it out, it will probably be a great addition to your research.

In your presentation on Thursday I never really saw your "what they don't learn" side of your arugment. I was curious as to how you were going to fit that into your paper and what you were specifically going to address (subject matter).

One question that I had for you that may fit into your paper as well would be, "How are we adapting gaming to different types of learning styles? Many people learn differently as I'm sure you've been taught in your education field. So one game that may work for half or even three quarters of a class may not work for everyone. How would you propose through your research that we would overcome that specific issue?


Kathy

"Old school politics vs new school (Internet) politics - How Obama used the Internet to win the 2008 election."


-Listening to your presentation the other day made me think of a few things and made me ask some questions regarding how you are going to address your paper.

-You noted that the Obama campaign was more effective in utilizing the Internet in order to effectively campaign than other presidential hopefuls such as Howard Dean. One thing that is important to realize is that the Campaigns took place four years apart - Dean's in 2004 and Obama's in 2008. This time gap is significant because Internet usage in terms of numbers as well as media was far different and grew exponentially over that time period.

-It's also important to note that Obama used a strategy that was directed specifically towards younger voters and minorities, groups that typically had lower voter turnouts. Obama successfully campaigned to these potential voters, gaining support from them because of his rhetoric that was aimed at issues important to these younger/minority voters.

-You also never specifically gave any example of HOW Obama utilized the Internet to effectively gain presidency. It's important for your argument to show HOW Obama utilized certain Internet niche's to his advantage and propogated his message through them.

-Since you brought Howard Dean into your argument it would be equally important to show WHY Dean's campaign failed to realize the full potential of the Internet and it's uses.

-Another thing to keep in mind....Obama ran a large "meet and greet" campaign to start gathering support for his presedential election shortly after the 2004 elections. How might this have affected the outcome if he wouldn't have started campaigning so early in the "game"?

-One other area that you may want to research is how Obama effectively utilized mobile technologies, such as cell phones to effectively campaign and reach potential voters.




GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

Late Blogpost #9

I have changed my proposal for my project. Originally I was going to do the project in regards to virtual learning environments, but the argument that I thought I was making may have been too broad.
My project will now center on Internet activism and its translational role in real and virtual spaces. My thesis statement will be something along the lines of:
Internet activism is becoming a necessary tool for physical activism, especially within the constructs of technologically advanced societies.

I will explore why Internet activism is a necessary tool for physical activism within the constructs of technologically advanced societies. I will argue that Internet activism has quickened the pace of group formation both real and virtual and why it is becoming a necessary step in promoting these group formations. I will argue how Internet activism is becoming key to communicating important messages with large audiences, specifically newer generations and how it often leads to action within the real world but holds some limitations. I will also show how Internet activism and group formation is changing politics and practices associated with online campaigning or agendas and address some limitations of these practices through sites such as YouTube .

Annotated Bibliography:

Kahn, Richard, Douglas Kellner. “Technopolitics and Oppositional Media.” The Cybercultures Reader. Ed. David Bell and Barbara M. Kennedy. New York: Routledge, 2007. 619-637. Print.

-Kahn and Kellner specify the necessity of updating Internet politics as the Internet has become a tool for organizing information and social interaction.
The authors argue that group formation and internet activism are of specific importance when opposing threats to democracy or threats against institutions that are to protect American civil liberties.

Hess, Aaron. “Resistance Up in Smoke: Analyzing the Limitations of Deliberation on You Tube.” Critical Studies in Media Communication. New York: Routledge, Vol. 26 (5). (2009). 411-434. Web. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a917018225~db=all

-An analysis which examines the resistance towards governance (in this case a politically motivated anti-drug campaign) within a digital space by examining digital vernacular responses within the YouTube community.

Land, Molly Beutz. “Networked Activism.” Harvard Human Rights Journal. Cambridge: Harvard Law School Journals. (2009). Vol. 22 ( 2). 205-243. Web. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=8&sid=6a7e8f1f-54f2-4d81-bbf0-0b52290bc5ea%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=45005397#db=a9h&AN=45005397

-The article utilizes a model of “networked activism” to specify how online activism achieves vast mobilization and a more thorough participation among its followers.


Shirky, Clay. Here Comes Everybody. New York: Penguin Group, 2008. Print.

-A book which references the importance of group formation and assimilation online and how it translates into real space. Shirky utilizes examples which show the relevance of these group formations and how they generate tangible and more immediate results utilizing Internet activism and online collaboration.


Hara, Noriko. “Internet use for political mobilization: Voices of participants.” First Monday. (2008). Vol. 13 (7) Web. http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2123/1976

-The article describes how presidential hopeful, Howard Dean and the activist group called MoveOn.org tried to use Internet activism to elevate their presidential campaign, only to be unsuccessful in their attempts. The article however brings light to the relevance of a specific time period and how that time period and internet activism may have been ahead of its time. The article centers its focus on how citizens participate in politically motivated agendas through internet based organizations using online activism.

Ada Lovelace Day...

Brilliant women exist in almost every profession that exists. As the site states, the majority of what people are writing about here deals with women who are involved in science or technology.

The most prominant woman that comes to mind quickly is Marie Curie. Out of the many women who have achieved great things as well as fame, Curie is on the forefront. A quick snippet about her:
- She was well respected, gaining recognition throughout the world through her work regarding radioactivity and x-rays.

Truthfully, the reason that I wanted to post here was to show that there is another profession that rivals the greatest scientific achievement or technology. We need to recognize those women that have achieved great things outside the scientific and academic community. The achievements of providing for a family is something that should hold merit. The love that women give their children and partners is also something that is a proven achievement. The profession that we need to recognize, is that of a loving mother. Not just a mother, because God knows that some mothers aren't fit, but a LOVING mother.

One person that I'm extremely proud of and who doesn't have any ties to the scientific or technology communities, and who holds this profession is my mom.

My mom gave up so much of her time and energy raising me and my siblings. She attended tons of soccer, t-ball, basketball practices/games, and took me to the doctor when I was sick or hurt. My mom washed our clothes, kept them on our backs, and kept us in line. We got a spanking if we needed it and were taught respect and discipline.

Mom would read to us, tell us stories of her childhood, and play games with us. Even when she was sick and not feeling well, she made sure that our needs were met. There were many times when she was up all night with us as we vomited due to a stomach bug or shivering because of a high fever. Part of the reason I can appreciate these things so much now, is that I have my own children. How many times when you were a kid, did your mom say, "Wait until you have your own kids, then you'll understand." Our typical answer until we have our own kids is usually, "Ya ok, whatever", or something like that. It makes me laugh to think about those words now.

A loving mother is what helps to shape a childs future. Many mannerisms, attitudes, and values are given to us through our mothers. They help to shape our personalities and nurturing spirits. They help us through our adversity, pain, and sorrows. They are there to laugh with us, cry with us, and comfort us. These are the things of a loving, giving mother.

As we celebrate Ada Lovelace Day, we also need to celebrate the joys of motherhood and the positive aspects that these women bring to us in past, present, and future.

Final Paper Project - Possible Idea?

I was looking at possibly doing my paper on Virtual Learning Environments: How technology and virtual environments are impacting our newest generation's learning styles.

Specifically, I want to look at the positive and negative aspects of these learning environments and how they are shaping the way that our kids learn. In the arugment I want to look at how virtual environments are being used in games to help kids learn, the social isolation aspect of these environments, and to what extent these environments have "expanded" or "retarded" learning capacities.

I chose to do this area of research because I have children of my own and want to understand more of "how they learn" and what is changing in their learning environments, specifically virtual ones.

Hegemonic Masculinity or Cultural Normalcy?

In "Does Lara Croft Wear Fake Polygons?, Anne-Marie Schleiner writes about the role that video games are playing in a cultural battle for gender equality and the effects that the avatar character has on different genders and cross genders.

Schleiner points out in her essay, how the avatar and game altering edits play upon these different gender roles and allow an expressive reform to the traditional hegemony of traditional masculinity. This is fully summarized in the last portion of her last paragraph, "From Lara as female automaton to Lara as drag queen, Lara as dominatrix, Lara as girl-power role model and Lara as queer babe with shotgun, a new range of subject positions will emerge in on-line game hacking culture that challenge given gender categories and adapt them to the diverse gender sensibilities of men, women and others." (225)

I certainly appreciated that Schleiner was upfront enough in her essay to state that she was not trying to "wrap things up in a puncture-proof bubble of thesis, proof and conclusion." (221) This statement gave me the confidence to not be crucially critical, but more malleable in thought processes.

Reading through Schleiner's essay made me wonder about the messages that she was portraying. The majority of gamers are typically males, which Schleiner points out.
In her section title Lara as Drag Queen I found myself as a protagonist, adversely arguing the notions of her cited authors (Turkle, Clover). It seemed ironic that Schleiner's essay was clearly arguing in favor of gender/cross gender equality but simultaneously emasculating maleness in the form of a queer notion. Marketing strategy would most likely dictate that the game would be made or fashioned in way that would attract a male audience. Any author could argue this marketing strategy in an antagonistic fashion. This would seem logical given the cultural changes and gender placements over the last fifty years. I'm sure that there are some males who would appreciate this point of view, but to assert a notion as though it applies to "the majority of Tomb Raider players" (223) would seem to be a "fallacy" (In the words of a wise DTC 475 teacher). The view that was expressed by these authors made me think of Freud's theory regarding the son's lust for his mother. As well as Freud is regarded, I don't believe that some of his assertions have taken hold.

While I didn't specifically agree with the previous notion I found Schleiner's insight on gender personification to be somewhat thought provoking. It was interesting to see the section titled Lara as a Vehicle for the Queer Female Gaze. It almost appeared to be an intrepid role reversal from queer emasculation to queer feminism. From what I could gather, Schleiner makes comment about the empowering value that Croft's character may hold for gay females. Schleiner comments, "In the fantasy realm of Tomb Raider, the abject is transformed from repulsion to visceral thrill, opening up a queer channel to pleasure for the female gamer."(224) Wouldn't this be the same for many males as well. Wouldn't males get the same visceral thrill that gay females do from playing the game? Just a thought.

While I don't argue that gender equality is necessary in today's society, I will argue the physical differences between genders. These physical differences are the reason for masculine and feminine properties. In many aspects, emotional differences between male and female are extreme. Physiological differences tap even further into the differences between male and female. Culturally the differences and "inequalities" are still present in many cultures today. It is the mentality of the hunter/gatherer vs. nurturer/homemaker that has been ingrained within our cultures and is inherent to these physical traits. The only way this will change is through mutation or genetic manipulation. But alas, this is a different topic all together.



Schleiner, Anne-Marie. Does Lara Croft Wear Fake Polygons?: Gender and Gender-Role Subversion in Computer Adventure Games. Leonardo, Vol. 34, NO.3 The MIT Press, 2001.

Lev Manovich and Digital Photography

Sorry everyone, I'm a couple of days late in writing this. Too many things going on and not enough time to do them all in. :-)

For this assignment I chose to do Lev Manovich's "The Paradoxes of Digital Photography". The piece is well written and it's interesting to see the references
Manvovich's makes on the subject over thirteen years ago. His references however, don't just include digital photography in the general sense. His references encompass film, cinema, video games, graphics, and other forms of visual media. His main focus in this essay is to reveal a couple of paradoxical highlights in the form of answering questions. His first paradoxical highlight is based on the "alleged physical differences between digital and film-based representation of photographs", while the second is based on the notion of "realism in computer generated syntheic photography".

Manovich expertly deconstructs the absolute notions of "real photography" and virtual images. In short, he compares and contrasts the notions of what most of us have come to think of photography as and how we originally perceived photographic images to be real and void of flaw. Manovich also delineates the notions of cinema and film and the implications associated with computer imaging, video editing, and picture degradation (through file compression).

I was impressed with Manovich's deconstruction of digital imaging and photography. He was able to clearly spell out his assertions regarding the matter and adequately represented his arugments.

His first paradox, "So while digital imaging promises to completely replace the techniques of filmmaking, it at the same time finds new roles and brings new value to the ciematic apparatus, the classic fims, and the photopraphic look. This is the first paradox of digital imaging" has almost rung true. Whle digital imaging hasn't completely replaced the techniques of filmmaking, it certainly has played an ever increasing role within the filmmaking industry. Movies such as Avatar have made great use of digital imaging techniques and effects, but the technique of filmmaking is still there. I tried to figure out if Manovich was trying to convey that digital imaging was specifically related to digital movie cameras or computer generated modeling. I felt that his statement may have been a bit unclear here, but if he is saying that digital imaging is more of a computer modeling feature then I'm in disagreement - The techniques of film making are still present over thirteen years later. If he is saying that digital cameras are taking over traditional film based cameras, then I would tend to agree with his paradox.

His final paradox is based on the notion that digital imaging is both superior and inferior to traditional photography. Manovich uses another author (Mitchell) to compare and contrast this notion. I found Manovich's statement "If we limit ourselves by focusing solely, as Mitchell does, on the abstract principles of digital imaging, then the difference between a digital and a photgraphic image appears enormous. But if we consider concrete digital technologies and their uses, the differencee dissappears. Digital photography simply does not exist" to be somewhat profound. While I note the differences in technologies, I personally don't think about them when taking pictures with a digital camera. In fact in most ways I sincerely prefer the "no muss, no fuss" digital format. It relieves me from the duties of film loading and processing. I'm able to delete pictures I don't want and save the ones I do want. No money is wasted on developing pictures that I don't need and the wait time for pictures I do want is almost nill. I don't notice the differences in picture quality when comparing an analog and digital photo. I'm in agreement with Manovich when he says, "digital photography simply does not exist."

Nakamura bows out....

On pg. 178 Nakamura quotes Anna McCarthy, saying "television itself has become an "ambient" medium, newly common in waiting rooms, vehicles, and public spaces, television's migration out of domestic space and into public space has been driven partly by the influence of digital media. The internet is a paradox: notable for the ways in which scholars have predicted its "ubiquity," it is nonetheless far from universally accessible inside or outside the context of the living room."

This was one of the key points that Nakamura was trying to make in the book. While I certainly didn't agree with a lot of what Nakamura had to say, the one thing that I will give her credit for and agree with her on, is conveying that there is a digital divide. Quite frankly there is and will always be one no matter what. There will always be differnt socio classes, races, ethnicities, and genders. This will never change. What it really boils down to is how do we deal with the situation. Perhaps it's time to stop whining about the issue of race and such and deal with the situation individually? Does it start with every individual putting their best foot forward in an effort to maximize a collaboration amongst "everyone". I say "everyone" because this is truly an optomistic aberration. This will never occur. While there is a diversity of people in the world there is also diverse belief systems in place that prohibit this.

In our younger generation or Net Generation the divdie rears its head in the from of qualitative learning opportunities. While over 90% of schools currently have computers and internet access the amount of students actively participating in the process of digital learning ranges. It ranges in the form of demographics, race, ethnicity, learning facilities, etc...The idea that "Whites" have the upper hand falls parodoxically into statistics. But as I tried to point out in class the other day, "Let's look at how many "white" people there are in the country compared to other racial groups." There are far more "white" people in the United States thereby skewing the idea of a level playing field when dealing with statistical data.

Nakamura is quick to point out the racial aspect of this situation. Race may play a part in the digital divide, but it certainly isn't the only avenue that needs to be assessed in the process. She is also quick to point out a myriad of faulty statistical analysis as a recourse for her notions regarding the racial divide. It's always intersting to see this occur in the books that I read. Often times statistical analysis is a vehicle that does nothing more than allow an opinion to be expressed and to attach some form of validity to an asserted notion. Looking at the sampling for these given analysis could lead to any number of conclusions without necessarily representing the actual facts regarding the situation.

That being said, it is also interesting to note how Nakamura tries to play some sort of racial woo-is-me card in relation to commodification. Hello, marketing and advertising is going to be directed at people who have purchasing power. Advertisers simply aren't going to waste their resources marketing to people who can't purchase their goods. They are going to try to market certain products based on cultural bias...PERIOD. It's about money, not race in this particular case.

To some this may be seen as a divide, but when hasn't there been one. There has been a divide of classes or heirarchies (in every culture) since the beginning of time. Case in point, there will always be a divide. There will always be heirarchies and there will always be racial differences. It's up to us as individuals to deal with these issues and try to make the world a better place.

The Sushi-Afro-Whiteboy Mix

Chapter 3's intriguing layers seemed to clearly spell out the authors viewpoint towards racial bias. Before approaching the passage within the reading that I will elucidate upon, I would like to discuss a statement made on pg. 101.

While the quotes that I will reference aren't specifically verbalized by Nakamura, they seem to build upon her undertone.

"Whiteness thus spreads in a manner that exemplifies a much-favored paradigm of e-business in the nineties: viral marketing. Steven Shaviro defines it as follows: "The message propagates itself by massive self-replication as it passes from person to person in the manner of an epidemic contagion."

It seems paradoxical that the message of "Whiteness" would be propagated from person to person as not all of us share the same racial or ethnic identities.

Am I understanding Nakamura correctly??....Is she conveying that "Whiteness" is an issue. Throughout chapter, Nakamura contextualizes "Whiteness" as a source of power and identity, seemingly taking an antagonistic approach towards an ethnicity that is not her own.

Interestingly, one thing that she doesn't relay in her message (at least so far) is the vast differentiation of cultural and ethnic behaviors within the "White" race and how they contrast in many aspects to her asserted notions within the chapter. Nakamura isn't alone when she utilizes the "White" race card though. It would be interesting to see an author parse the dogmatic behavior of other authors who ironically write about race and continually utilize "White" as a stereotypical Anglo American term.

Ok...Onto the assignment...I'm deviating a bit from the movie portion and focusing more on the Apple advertisements.

On pg. 109-110 Nakamura summarizes Apple's position in marketing to an audience (demographically - a younger audience at that) in a somewhat racially biased, yet culturally intuitive manner. She addresses how Apple has capitalized on what Donnell Alexander (pg. 112; bottom of page) has described as "Cool". Nakamura's deconstruction of Apple's scheme is well thought out. She is able to verbalize what Apple is doing visually and shows us how Apple is using racial hierarchy to affirm parts of their message while tangentially maintaining some sort of racial neutrality. She is also quick to point out the message of "I" in Apple's ruse. The word "I" appears attractive to a younger demographic because they are constantly in search of what something can do for them. Not only does Apple give them something that is cool and is theirs, but appeals to them through the realm of interconnectivity and rapid change.

Quite frankly, despite Nakamura's deconstruction of Apple's marketing ploy, I would have to say that Apple is doing a bang up job in their marketing dept. They have truly hit the nail on the head when tying to convey their "message" to potential consumers.

This commercial, while not hiding the relative racial identities, epitomizes the Apple I-Pod ad that Nakamura describes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOEU87SBTU&feature=player_embedded

In the Coke ad we start by seeing the form of a "beautiful" white woman gracing us with her voice. She is the starting point of power in the commercial as she is the only one singing out of the huge chorus at the beginning. After her intro we see "everyone else" join in the chorus. The relayed message and visual indicators of racial difference are apparent and somewhat transparent unlike the Apple commercial, however the commercial does signify how "even back when" companies were trying to unify people around their prospective products utilizing the techniques Nakamura describes.

Although this next video isn't related to what I was describing above, it definitely fits into our reading and race discussions. While this commercial doesn't have the specific "coolness" factor built into it like Apple's I-Pod commercial and doesn't try to subliminally coherse you, it is definitely a satirical comment towards Nakamura's work.

http://www.break.com/holy-taco/the-red-house-furniture-commercial.html

Donna Haraway and Heroin...????

I'm probably not alone when I say that this lady rambles like she's on drugs.....I can't stand the way that she "verbalizes in text".

If you don't like that I've said that....Too bad!!! I wasn't able to summarize a large amount of what I read. All I was able to do was take away a an excerpt that struck me as interesting and debatable. The other thing that made it more difficult was the lack of all pages being present in any section....Thanks a f#@*in' lot Google Books and fair use doctrine... geez ....So I'll have to take what I (and you) can get from this book.

Ok...Hmmmm....The one excerpt that I pulled out of reading Modest_Witness_@Second_Millenium.FemaleMan-Meets_OncoMouse....whatever..

In the excerpt, Haraway says quote, "I insist that social relationships include nonhumans as well as humans socially (or, what is the same thing for this odd congeries, sociotechnically) active partners. All that is unhuman is not un-kind, outside kinship, outside the orders of signification, excluded from trading in signs and wonders."

I had to think about what she was saying here. What is she really saying when she says nonhuman? If she's specifically identifying a computer as the nonhuman object, than she's quite right. I don't know if I would go as far as to say "partner", at least in the form of a noun. We may partner with a computer as a tool to accomplish things or something. In this case I would say that we utilize them to build on social relationships. Therefore, the computer would technically be included in our social role or interaction.

Other than that.....Reading her work was tedious and laborious. It seemed like she made little sense....From what I could gather in my reading she seemed to equating transgenic mutation, cloning, capitalism, and corporatism within the realm of a new world order. Quite frankly, as I said before, she sounds like she's tweaking out on some illegal substances. Haraway writes in a style that seems to vomit her paranoias, convulsions, and random thoughts onto the pages. Her style left me wandering about the pages in search of tangible sentence structure and cohesive unity that would allow me to vacuum up some traces of validity.

Unfortunately, I didn't hoover much.

What I'm doin'...

Hey everyone....I'm doing -> Modes_Witness@Second_Mellennium.Female_ Meets_OncoMouse: Feminism and Technoscience

Josh

From Cyber to Hybrid

"From Cyber to Hybrid", written by Adriana de Souza e Silva, was by far the best essay that I've read from the Cyberculters Reader so far. The writing style was easy to follow and very fluid.

The arbitrary opinion that the author displayed, was argumentatively, one of the more cohesive and rational essays that we've read in this book so far.

Silva's (shortened down so that I don't have to display the whole last name) rational brilliance shines throughout the entire essay. It made it difficult to choose only one section to write about. There was one particular paragraph, located on pg. 766 (second paragraph), which I felt summarized the majority of what she was attempting to convey. I am on the assumption that everyone has read the article so that I don't have to relay what her theory on hybrid space is....

In a nutshell, the paragraph summarizes her notions of hybrid space and how it in essence, allows society to construct and define space. She goes on to say that hybrid connections also change the perception of the physical space that users inhabit and allow us to discover more about the physical spaces that we are in.

In my mind Silva has shown how the mobile interface has collectively linked the virtual and physical worlds together. The examples that she shows in regard to users being active participants in both spaces (virtual and real) solidifies an understanding of interwoven connectivity between the two.

I know that I am personally and at times physically attached to my cell phone. I make calls on it, text with it, look up information, receive information, etc....

The gray area for me and possibly many others comes when we deal with emotions, interpretation, and technology. I may laugh, cry, be pissed, or whatever, due to information, or conversation that I've encountered through my mobile interface, but that doesn't mean that I always interpret everything correctly through it.

There have been a few times that - reading through a text for instance - I have misinterpreted some information that was relayed to me. I would be willing to bet that anyone with this communication capability has probably encountered the same issue.

Does that mean the technology is at fault? Does it mean that we as interpreters are at fault? Or do we blame the information from the sender?

Regardless of the dilema, I do see how the interwoven connectivity between my virtual communications (via mobile interface) and real life communications apply to Silva's theories. The fact that I am dependent on my mobie interface to communicate (verbally and non-verbally), look up information, and receive information would convey my particpation in hybrid space.

After soaking Silva's essay in for awhile, I began to believe that the mobile interace (while it probably won't be a cell phone in the future) is most likely the way of the forseeable future. The vast amount of information and location information that this technology affords us is really invaluable. Who needs to sit at a computer if we are able to access the same information while simultaneously being mobile and present in real life surroundings?

The only real issue I faced while reading Silva's essay dealt with the inseperability of digital and physical. Silva states, "Finally, the shift, driven by nomadic technologies, from cyber to hybrid calls our attention to the fact that the digital has never actually been seperated from the physical and can be an essential element for promoting sociability and communication in urban spaces."

While I agree that technology and hybrid space enables us to be connected to a greater number of outlets/inlets, making virtual and real life communication somewhat inseperable. I disagree that digital and physical have never actually been seperated.

I beleive that we can disconnect ourselves from anything digital. Man started with nothing digital, but as the saying goes, "You live with the choices you make."

Besides, who really wants to live without all this cool stuff we have anyway?

Disembodiment?

I personally belong to a few different virtual communities. I belong to Facebook, MySpace, Blogspot, Callingducks.com, etc….Needless to say, I belong to more than three or four virtual communities.

My interactions in these communities don’t differ much (in terms of personal norms) from my conversations in a non-virtual environment. I “speak” much the same in written form as I would verbally speak in a real world environment.

It’s interesting to note how opportunities arise for individuals, in a variety of virtual environments, to act or behave in a different fashion than they would in real life or, in effect, become liberated in a way that they wouldn’t be in real life. While I can’t say that it hasn’t crossed my mind, I’ve found myself sticking to my norms when interacting with other individuals in a virtual environment.

I find it interesting to note that some individuals feel it necessary to express this liberating side of “who they’re not?” or “who they are?” Willson also touches on something right off the bat in her essay that tells us how people are increasingly feeling isolated and are looking for connections. This is an interesting point and as she relay’s it, is a product of our societies and real world communities. Maybe the invention of X-Box’s, PS3’s, and other technological inventions have hampered the way we communicate in the real world. Maybe, sometimes too much of a good thing (a.k.a. technology) can be bad. Children thirty years ago (or longer) were playing (and relatively safely I might add) outside, interacting with one another, scraping their knees, and figuring things out personally with one another in a real world environment. Now we seem to have a new way in which kids communicate…..ELECTRONICALLY. That’s not to say that there aren’t kids out there playing and figuring things out in the real world, but showing that there are far fewer of them.

Being a parent I can understand why our kids aren’t out playing in the streets anymore. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t help facilitate this though. Why do they need to be in a virtual community all the time? Perhaps they wouldn’t feel so isolated if they were to actively participate in the act of physical interaction. There is a lot to be said for actually being able to touch, taste, and feel what goes on in the real world. That’s why we have such a thing as real world or real life experiences. Not everything in the real world is gift wrapped and pretty as is often the case in virtual environments. I understand not everything is pretty in virtual communities either, but the perception that is cast upon us in places, such as Facebook, are snippets of people’s real lives, not their entirety.

Forgetting the previous ramble, let me talk about the barriers in people’s communities. There are barriers in any community. Whether one prescribes to this statement is purely up to them. The fact of the matter is that we all have pre-conceived notions and "walls" that we set in order to make us feel comfortable and safe. These "walls" are barriers that we utilize to let people in, or kick people out. They transcend as we grow older and gather more experience and knowledge.

These barriers don't only apply in our real world experiences. They often apply to our virtual communities as well. However, as stated earlier, some individuals let their "walls" down in virtual instances, when they may not do the same in their real life instances.

Personally, my most limiting "barrier" is "accepting friend invitations" from people I don't even know. Unless I know that we share some sort of common interest, I don't typically give them more than a second look. If I feel that we share some common interests I may "talk" to them, get to know what I like or dislike about them and make a decision accordingly. Sex-cam girls trying to be my friend....Why? What's the point when I can get the real thing? It's like drinking Coke. "It's the real thing." Sex-Cam girls aren't!!

I believe that literacy and competence go a long way in accessing virtual communities. They are the gateway to socio-status in real life and often virtual status as well. If you are able to be competent, abiding, and well spoken you are more likely to be received well in most communities, virtual and non-virtual.

But, as stated in Willson's essay, we're more likely to be ethically removed upon joining a virtual community since we have the capacity to disconnect at any point. Which really leads back full circle to why so many people are searching for fulfillment and virtual community in cyberspace.

Cyberspace: Michael Benedikt

My impressions of this piece? Quite frankly, it was very difficult for me to hold interest in or soak in the information. The way that it was presented may have had something to do with it?

The first ten definitions of Cyberspace seemed to hold some sort of merit and viability. All of the defintions touched on things that many would consider to be Cyberspace. In reading these definitions I found myself identifying with various bits of each.

The rest of the information that was presented after the ten definitions, never seemed to end. It rambled on with a density that was far weightier than my brain wanted to process. Perhaps others in the class found it to be profound information. I found it to be a bunch of shall we say....blah, blah, blah... :-)

Some things you may want to know...or not! :-)

DTC 475 (First Post)

My name is Josh Cook. I'm divorced, have three awesome kids, a wonderful girlfriend, and a couple of "adopted kids". I currently work for a beverage distributor full time and am attending W.S.U. full time in order to earn a B.A. in D.T.C.

I'm an avid outdoorsman. I'm obsessed with hunting and fishing. I hunt just about everything (Deer, Waterfowl, Upland, Deer, Elk, etc...), but especially enjoy hunting wild turkey's and bowhunting deer. Being outdoors and pursuing game is my greatest passions other than my family and friends. I love feeling the adrenaline rush that it brings as well as the tranquility of being in nature. I recently started pursuing competitive duck calling....Gotta have something to do to keep "in shape" in the off season. When I'm not hunting I'm fishing mainly for salmon and steelhead. They're the fish that I usually eat the most of, so I almost exclusively concentrate my time and efforts targeting them.

I love being a Dad, but it is definately a full time job. My kids (Daughter 14, Daughter 10, and Son 9) are very active in sports, friends, and activities, so I'm constantly on the move. I'm very fortunate to have family and a girlfriend who help me out when I need it. My children are the joys and trials of my life. While all of my kids are very well mannered, they do have the tendancy to become erratic at times, but what kids doesn't. For most of you who are parents, you understand exactly where I'm coming from on this. For those of you who don't currently have children.....have some fun and live a bit before entering into kid-dom. :-)

Lets see...More about me....Hmmm.....

I'm almost 33

Have no life, since I'm working full time, going to school full time, and parenting.

Favorite Restraunts:
- Jackson's chicken wings (The sweet and tangy wings are awesome)
- Outback Steakhouse (I'm a big meat eater- Gotta have my steak - Med. Rare - and coconut shrimp...Love their salads there too...alwasy so fresh)
- Famous Daves (I love BBQ)
- Anthony's (FRESH seafood is a must- Something sitting around for 3 days or more doesn't appeal to me.)
- Bonefish (Bang Bang Shrimp....Yummy)

Favorite Sports To Watch(At least when I have time):
- Any M.M.A. or Cage fighting action
- Futbol (aka soccer)- English Premeir League
- Football - Usually only during the playoffs...

I enjoy a variety of wines (Dunhamn 2006 Trutina is one of my current favs) and beers (too many favorites to list), fast cars and beautiful women... ;-)

Really, I could keep going, but if you're that interested in chatting or getting to know me, I suppose you'll ask me the questions. ;-)

I'm looking forward to getting to know some of you better!