The local property taxes that we pay assists in the funding of public services, city streets, roads, police, and fire protection. Americans also pay a separate school tax that is used only in the public schools’ education system. People who send their children to private schools, still spend thousands in taxes to fund these public schools. Private school parents deserve tax breaks. Although it's ones own decision to send their child to a private institution, some of their tax money should be returned or at least used towards their own child's education.
Driving laws have become more stringent over the years, and it's taken part of our free choice away. The government should now force citizens to wear a seat belt when its causing no harm to anyone but the person himself. It is now an enforced law to protect ourselves against harm, it's no longer a choice. I can understand the prohibitions against cell phones, speeding, and headlights- because they all endanger the lives of others driving as well, but when it comes to seat belts it SHOULD be my decision and personal responsibility. Obesity in the United States also has caused much harm to citizens, leading to all sorts of diseases. So what's next, am I going to be given a certain amount of calories I'm allowed to intake every day as well?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
"The New Literacy" by Clive Thompson
The article “The New Literacy” by Clive Thompson continues to discuss the debate on the affect of the growing technology and the Internet on the literacy of kids today. Andrea Lunsford, a University professor, collected all different writings from her students and concluded that technology not only isn’t hurting our writing ability but is bracing it, giving our youth the ability to create texts in all different forms. She explains that since most socializing now takes place over the Internet, this generation is experiencing a revolution in writing and literacy. This is something that never was done with students in the past. Class assignments are usually done just to get a good grade but blogs, interviews, movie reviews, journal entries, and even lists of ‘25 things about yourself’ are ways where these students can express who they are and what they stand for.
Questions:
1. Even though it may be true that new media is giving our youth practice in writing and a “cool direction” is this short-hand, misspelled words, and ungrammatical new way of writing appropriate and even worth it?
2. There are two sides to this debate on the growing technology and “new media”- which one offers more advantages to the future of our countries literacy? Are books and newspapers going to be written in short-hand, IM-language soon as well?
3. The Internet benefits those kids who would never pick up a newspaper but would read a short AOL-news article on their laptops. However, is there any fear that these kids may be getting the wrong facts? Can we completely rely on the Internet for the news around the world? If so, will there be a day where newspapers just wont exist anymore?
Questions:
1. Even though it may be true that new media is giving our youth practice in writing and a “cool direction” is this short-hand, misspelled words, and ungrammatical new way of writing appropriate and even worth it?
2. There are two sides to this debate on the growing technology and “new media”- which one offers more advantages to the future of our countries literacy? Are books and newspapers going to be written in short-hand, IM-language soon as well?
3. The Internet benefits those kids who would never pick up a newspaper but would read a short AOL-news article on their laptops. However, is there any fear that these kids may be getting the wrong facts? Can we completely rely on the Internet for the news around the world? If so, will there be a day where newspapers just wont exist anymore?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
"Online, R U really reading?"
The New York Times article “Online, R U really reading?” further brings up the debate we have been discussing in class for the past few weeks. It is very interesting to understand the viewpoints of so many different people on this topic of the internet vs. newspaper print reading.
Even though Nadia’s mother would prefer that her daughter would read books and not spend all her time in front of the computer, she at least appreciates that Nadia still “reads something anymore.” However, the debate has two sides- some believe that the rapid development and growth of technology and the internet is actually the cause for the illiteracy of our youth. They say that the speed of the internet and the quick change in scene by just the click of a button is also a leading factor in the high numbers of children with ADD and low attention spans in this growing generation. On the contrary, some other opinions believe that not only is the internet harmful and damaging to our youth’s literacy but has even sprouted more reading and writing. Many children, like Nadia, would spend those 6 free hours a day doing other activities, such as watching T.V., if it were not for the excitement of the internet grabbing her interest.
Online reading and writing has even proven to be helpful for children with dyslexia and other reading disabilities. “The internet helps them feel comfortable with a new kind of reading.”
Ms. Konyk says that she would much rather that Nadia would read books because “reading opens up doors to places that you probably will never get to visit in your lifetime, to cultures, to worlds, to people.” However, I personally feel that this is not true. The internet more than any other invention to date can make a person from one side of the world feel like they are living the culture and life of someone on the opposite side of the world. With the vast pictures and videos available on the web and on youtube, from the comfort of my own computer chair in my bedroom, I can take a journey into the wild life safari of Africa or even into a cultural Indian wedding. I think that the internet may sometimes even give a better depiction of cultures, the world, and different people than reading any book can.
***It is interesting to note that many of the past articles we have read about reading on the Internet talk about how people like to read just the short and simple and get too bored when it comes to reading long passages- but almost all of those articles are in fact very long themselves. They just use tricks, such as with this Online New York Times article, of splitting one article into 4 pages, so you only see in front of your computer screen a short passage to be read at once.
Questions:
1.How are children's writing skills improving because of the internet if they are accostoming themselves to shorter words and incorrect spelling?
2.Why cant there be a middle path? A way to train kids to do 2 hours of reading in actual print books and 2 hours of online reading? Would that give our youth the benefits of both sides?
Even though Nadia’s mother would prefer that her daughter would read books and not spend all her time in front of the computer, she at least appreciates that Nadia still “reads something anymore.” However, the debate has two sides- some believe that the rapid development and growth of technology and the internet is actually the cause for the illiteracy of our youth. They say that the speed of the internet and the quick change in scene by just the click of a button is also a leading factor in the high numbers of children with ADD and low attention spans in this growing generation. On the contrary, some other opinions believe that not only is the internet harmful and damaging to our youth’s literacy but has even sprouted more reading and writing. Many children, like Nadia, would spend those 6 free hours a day doing other activities, such as watching T.V., if it were not for the excitement of the internet grabbing her interest.
Online reading and writing has even proven to be helpful for children with dyslexia and other reading disabilities. “The internet helps them feel comfortable with a new kind of reading.”
Ms. Konyk says that she would much rather that Nadia would read books because “reading opens up doors to places that you probably will never get to visit in your lifetime, to cultures, to worlds, to people.” However, I personally feel that this is not true. The internet more than any other invention to date can make a person from one side of the world feel like they are living the culture and life of someone on the opposite side of the world. With the vast pictures and videos available on the web and on youtube, from the comfort of my own computer chair in my bedroom, I can take a journey into the wild life safari of Africa or even into a cultural Indian wedding. I think that the internet may sometimes even give a better depiction of cultures, the world, and different people than reading any book can.
***It is interesting to note that many of the past articles we have read about reading on the Internet talk about how people like to read just the short and simple and get too bored when it comes to reading long passages- but almost all of those articles are in fact very long themselves. They just use tricks, such as with this Online New York Times article, of splitting one article into 4 pages, so you only see in front of your computer screen a short passage to be read at once.
Questions:
1.How are children's writing skills improving because of the internet if they are accostoming themselves to shorter words and incorrect spelling?
2.Why cant there be a middle path? A way to train kids to do 2 hours of reading in actual print books and 2 hours of online reading? Would that give our youth the benefits of both sides?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
“New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word”
“New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word” by Mark Zeltner describes the minimizing usage of newspapers by the new generation and the shift to new-media and the internet for shorter, simpler news reports. Even though the author loves everything about newspapers, that is not necessarily the case for all others; especially in our times where the media and the internet is becoming such a popular hot spot. The author seemed frustrated when he realized that he wasn’t able to easily convince his students that traditional newspapers are better than the “new media” of the internet.
Eventually, the author recognizes that even though he loves the old text and the written word of newspapers, there are certain features that “New Media” provides which enables writers to expand their narrative styles -such as, hypertext links. Some people opposed this idea though. For example, Sven Birket states that computer-mediated texts will make a person too lazy to read or appreciate traditional texts and literature. He also strongly believes that the medium in which a certain text is being conveyed “conditions the message considerably.”
Mark Zeltner realized that the “New Media” is, in fact, beneficial and can assist in appreciating old texts. Zeltner developed ten basic rules, from his own past experiences in both writing and new-media documents, to help guide beginner students in the field of new-media writing.
The first rule is to “Keep it tight: short paragraphs, simple active sentences, treat every word as a rare and valuable jewel.” In other pieces of texts “length equals quality,” however, with the new-media the most major rule is to keep your stories short and to the point. For example, the common way of IM chatting and texting has even shortened words by removing letters from it.
The second rule is to “Break your text into appropriate "chunks" for reading, be aware of content when deciding between click or scroll.” This rule advises new-media writers to be extra careful in not losing their readers interest by regularly making them click to new pages or screens.
The third rule is to “think in modules, preplan possible paths for your reader, and insure that important information is difficult or impossible to miss”. Our generation has been classified with low attention spans. In order to keep a reader involved and attracted, it is important for the writer to clearly state the significant facts and ideas of the piece so that the reader may see if he or she is interested to continue. The writer must foresee the direction he wants to send his readers. I definitely do agree with this rule. I think that it is very important for the writer to keep his readers fascinated, with a desire to continue on reading more.
The fourth rule is to “Use images mostly to convey messages that you cannot convey with words and use thumbnails to link to higher resolution images.” It may be difficult at times to accurately portray a person’s feelings and emotions through words, however a picture can do so within seconds. The color, excitement, and freshness of a picture of beautiful pink flowers in a garden will give over a more satisfying feeling to a reader than just a plain description.
The fifth rule is to“Use audio clips judiciously, don’t distract your reader but use clips to add to their experience.” This is also a fundamental rule- although, I believe that it could have just been combined with the fourth rule. It mainly just continues to play on with the same idea that adding an audio clip will add more emotion and meaning than just a bunch of words.
The sixth rule is to “Use desktop video sparingly, use primarily to convey a mood or present a person’s style or demeanor--not for content.” Again, I would combine this rule together with rules #4 and #5. They are all techniques of giving the reader a deeper experience while reading the piece of writing, so that they will be able to comprehend a specific mood or atmosphere more appropriately. I agree with the author on the point that new-media writers should keep videos short.
The seventh rule is to “Link all footnotes, create your own definition and description pages, and don’t hyperlink off your document.” I totally agree with making all footnotes linked back to a bibliography page and to the specific reference text. This gives the reader the opportunity to check the validity of the writers words and references with the ease of just the click of a button. This advantage is not found in old text, print documents.
The eighth rule is to “Use hyperlinks off your document sparingly, gather your related links in the appendix of your document.” This rule appears redundant where the same idea was stated in the seventh rule. The main point of this rule also seems to be repeating rule #1 and #2- which explained that readers’ low attention span forces writers to be more brief and to the point, rather than giving over long, boring pieces.
These ten rules illustrate that the “New Media” is not damaging the future of the written word, but rather making it a more widespread and significant part of our lives today. These rules add texture, excitement, and interest to the old-fashioned written word.
Eventually, the author recognizes that even though he loves the old text and the written word of newspapers, there are certain features that “New Media” provides which enables writers to expand their narrative styles -such as, hypertext links. Some people opposed this idea though. For example, Sven Birket states that computer-mediated texts will make a person too lazy to read or appreciate traditional texts and literature. He also strongly believes that the medium in which a certain text is being conveyed “conditions the message considerably.”
Mark Zeltner realized that the “New Media” is, in fact, beneficial and can assist in appreciating old texts. Zeltner developed ten basic rules, from his own past experiences in both writing and new-media documents, to help guide beginner students in the field of new-media writing.
The first rule is to “Keep it tight: short paragraphs, simple active sentences, treat every word as a rare and valuable jewel.” In other pieces of texts “length equals quality,” however, with the new-media the most major rule is to keep your stories short and to the point. For example, the common way of IM chatting and texting has even shortened words by removing letters from it.
The second rule is to “Break your text into appropriate "chunks" for reading, be aware of content when deciding between click or scroll.” This rule advises new-media writers to be extra careful in not losing their readers interest by regularly making them click to new pages or screens.
The third rule is to “think in modules, preplan possible paths for your reader, and insure that important information is difficult or impossible to miss”. Our generation has been classified with low attention spans. In order to keep a reader involved and attracted, it is important for the writer to clearly state the significant facts and ideas of the piece so that the reader may see if he or she is interested to continue. The writer must foresee the direction he wants to send his readers. I definitely do agree with this rule. I think that it is very important for the writer to keep his readers fascinated, with a desire to continue on reading more.
The fourth rule is to “Use images mostly to convey messages that you cannot convey with words and use thumbnails to link to higher resolution images.” It may be difficult at times to accurately portray a person’s feelings and emotions through words, however a picture can do so within seconds. The color, excitement, and freshness of a picture of beautiful pink flowers in a garden will give over a more satisfying feeling to a reader than just a plain description.
The fifth rule is to“Use audio clips judiciously, don’t distract your reader but use clips to add to their experience.” This is also a fundamental rule- although, I believe that it could have just been combined with the fourth rule. It mainly just continues to play on with the same idea that adding an audio clip will add more emotion and meaning than just a bunch of words.
The sixth rule is to “Use desktop video sparingly, use primarily to convey a mood or present a person’s style or demeanor--not for content.” Again, I would combine this rule together with rules #4 and #5. They are all techniques of giving the reader a deeper experience while reading the piece of writing, so that they will be able to comprehend a specific mood or atmosphere more appropriately. I agree with the author on the point that new-media writers should keep videos short.
The seventh rule is to “Link all footnotes, create your own definition and description pages, and don’t hyperlink off your document.” I totally agree with making all footnotes linked back to a bibliography page and to the specific reference text. This gives the reader the opportunity to check the validity of the writers words and references with the ease of just the click of a button. This advantage is not found in old text, print documents.
The eighth rule is to “Use hyperlinks off your document sparingly, gather your related links in the appendix of your document.” This rule appears redundant where the same idea was stated in the seventh rule. The main point of this rule also seems to be repeating rule #1 and #2- which explained that readers’ low attention span forces writers to be more brief and to the point, rather than giving over long, boring pieces.
These ten rules illustrate that the “New Media” is not damaging the future of the written word, but rather making it a more widespread and significant part of our lives today. These rules add texture, excitement, and interest to the old-fashioned written word.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Research Done on Tax Breaks for Private School Parents:
Head claims parents of private school pupils deserve tax breaks - Times Online
Tax Deduction for Private School - Questions from Readers
Public school - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Research Done on Seatbelt Laws:
Click here: Seatbelt Pro Choice.com
Seat Belt Law (HB383): Talking Points
Head claims parents of private school pupils deserve tax breaks - Times Online
Tax Deduction for Private School - Questions from Readers
Public school - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Research Done on Seatbelt Laws:
Click here: Seatbelt Pro Choice.com
Seat Belt Law (HB383): Talking Points
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Seat Belts: Law VS. Free Choice
Driving laws have become more stringent over the years, and it's taken part of our free choice away. It is now an enforced law to protect ourselves against harm, it's no longer a choice. The government forces citizens to wear a seat belt when its causing no harm to anyone but the person himself. I can understand the prohibitions against cell phones, speeding, and headlights- because they all endanger the lives of others driving as well, but when it comes to seat belts it SHOULD be my decision and personal responsibility. Obesity in the United States also has caused much harm to citizens, leading to all sorts of diseases. So what's next, am I going to be given a certain amount of calories I'm allowed to intake every day as well?
Driving laws have become more stringent over the years, and it's taken part of our free choice away. It is now an enforced law to protect ourselves against harm, it's no longer a choice. The government forces citizens to wear a seat belt when its causing no harm to anyone but the person himself. I can understand the prohibitions against cell phones, speeding, and headlights- because they all endanger the lives of others driving as well, but when it comes to seat belts it SHOULD be my decision and personal responsibility. Obesity in the United States also has caused much harm to citizens, leading to all sorts of diseases. So what's next, am I going to be given a certain amount of calories I'm allowed to intake every day as well?
Why are Private School Parents Paying Taxes for children in Public School?
Taxes are a stressful but an inevitable reality.
However, it has become more pressuring to some parents over others. Private school parents deserve tax breaks. People who send their children to private schools, still spend thousands in taxes to fund public schools. I'm starting to question whether or not that's fair. Although it's ones own decision to send their child to a private institution, shouldn't some of their tax money be returned or at least used towards their own child's education?
How much power do parents have over keeping their children in close-knit communities?
Preserving ones own culture is a beautiful thing. It's definitely important to keep hold of your customs, heritage, and traditions but to what extent could parents enforce their children to stay within their own cultural group? What about when it comes to marriage? For example, the Jewish people are of one religion but there are many cultural differences between Jews from Spain and Jews from Germany. Usually it's encouraged to marry within the group that you're born into but other times, it's even enforced.
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