Not until this class have I looked so far into how our technology, culture, and communication work together to form a basis to our everyday lives. I have always known the Internet to obviously be a huge resource of mine, and I have thought about how fortunate I am to live where I do and be able to have access to technology. It is just this class has helped me learn through writing the blogs. I really enjoyed this online class and the topics we covered. I have several blogs that I especially enjoyed. Last week’s blog about a new media article regarding the misuse of the Internet was great because I was able to write about a confronting issue in our culture and helped me learn and explore ways that we can help resolve these Internet misuses.
The blog about joining an Internet community, I feel, has benefited me the most. A few of my fellow peers asked me if I would continue to use the Internet community I joined. To answer to those I did not respond to, I have continued to use this Internet community and am really glad! It is so neat to log onto the community and discuss my career choice with thousands of people, many being all around the world. I also really enjoyed the Wild Card week because I felt that I was finally able to express (on the keyboard) my current situation regarding an exacerbation of my schools Internet program Moodle. It was nice to be able to share my story and relate it to how important it seems that technology plays in our lives and how we have to cope when systems malfunction. Overall, concerning blogs, I felt they were great and had great meaning to my learning.
I enjoyed our reading and forum posts because I liked having a set of questions to narrow our discussion postings. I also really liked the questions regarding the chapter reading and felt I really had a personal connection with the topics. I enjoyed the information available in each chapter of Wood and Smith. I have learned so many tidbits from our culture and technology than I ever knew before. I consider myself pretty computer and technology oriented on the average college student level, but this book helped me look at my computer and Internet on a whole different level. For example, there are so many terms such as pseudonymity and netiquette that I had not heard before, but now I understand how much these terms, and more, relate to cyberspace.
Although Postman’s Technopoly is definitely a huge contributor to the purposes behind this class, I did feel that his reading was more difficult because he did seem to talk about many different topics within one chapter. Sometimes it was hard to follow, but other information was very worthwhile. Overall, I enjoyed every aspect of this class. This includes the fact that this class was online because it helped me greatly with my school schedule. Just like a main topic to this class, the Internet is once again shown to contribute to our expanding uses of technology. America’s culture is seeing more online classes at the college level. The advantages are apparent and I am so glad that online classes are available.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
News Media "To Catch A Preditor"
I found an article at CNN.com about online child predators and what parents can do to protect their kids. I think that this is a very serious topic and a huge issue that relates to the dangers the Internet can bring. Like online scamming, plagiarism, or identity theft, online child predators use the Internet as a foundation to seek unlawful and just plain discussing behavior. There is an obvious misuse of the Internet by these criminals. What is so true about online child predators is the fact that the access to being a victim is so open. Many parents think that it will never happen to their child, yet it is still strongly encouraged for parents to monitor what their children are doing online. I liked this article because I thought it gave good bases on what parents may be facing and how to deal children’s use of the Internet.
I 100% agree with the fact that there are people out there, some who may seem absolutely ordinary, but are misusing the Internet by breaking the law (example: sexually soliciting an underage individual). And just how might we prevent this illegal act? Well, MSNBC’s Dateline “To Catch a Predator” has already started accomplishing that goal. I think that a complete prevention of online predators would be an enormous goal to accomplish because of availability to the Internet and chat rooms, but I do think that a decline can be accomplish. Datelines “To Catch A Predator” has helped bring many guilty predators to the table and off the Internet chat rooms.
In regards to the concept of “To Catch a Predator,” I find it interesting, yet clever, how the predators are caught. The conversations between the victim and predator are real, yet the luring in of the predator is all set up. The camera crews are on “set” and the host of the show Chris Hansen is ready to confront the predators. I agree, that although the predators can say they have been “set up,” the best way to catch predators is to win them at their own game.
Beyond chat rooms, social online networks like MySpace are another great potential for child predators and stalkers to be located. Especially with MySpace, the amount of personal data that can be shared can but individuals at risk for danger. For stalkers or other people with the motive to do harm to others, these online networks are a prime location to find their victims. For protection, having security measures such as privacy control and limiting personal information on MySpace can cut down the possibility of becoming a victim.
In a culture with very popular Internet communities, the Internet seems to be the place to go for private conversation and illegal act. From watching “To Catch a Predator” I have noticed that many of the predators felt they could get away with their acts because they hide their communication from others by using online chat rooms. This misuse of the Internet shows a negative side to what the advancements in communication and technology can bring.
News articles at
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/03/23/safeonline.101/index.html and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9878187/
I 100% agree with the fact that there are people out there, some who may seem absolutely ordinary, but are misusing the Internet by breaking the law (example: sexually soliciting an underage individual). And just how might we prevent this illegal act? Well, MSNBC’s Dateline “To Catch a Predator” has already started accomplishing that goal. I think that a complete prevention of online predators would be an enormous goal to accomplish because of availability to the Internet and chat rooms, but I do think that a decline can be accomplish. Datelines “To Catch A Predator” has helped bring many guilty predators to the table and off the Internet chat rooms.
In regards to the concept of “To Catch a Predator,” I find it interesting, yet clever, how the predators are caught. The conversations between the victim and predator are real, yet the luring in of the predator is all set up. The camera crews are on “set” and the host of the show Chris Hansen is ready to confront the predators. I agree, that although the predators can say they have been “set up,” the best way to catch predators is to win them at their own game.
Beyond chat rooms, social online networks like MySpace are another great potential for child predators and stalkers to be located. Especially with MySpace, the amount of personal data that can be shared can but individuals at risk for danger. For stalkers or other people with the motive to do harm to others, these online networks are a prime location to find their victims. For protection, having security measures such as privacy control and limiting personal information on MySpace can cut down the possibility of becoming a victim.
In a culture with very popular Internet communities, the Internet seems to be the place to go for private conversation and illegal act. From watching “To Catch a Predator” I have noticed that many of the predators felt they could get away with their acts because they hide their communication from others by using online chat rooms. This misuse of the Internet shows a negative side to what the advancements in communication and technology can bring.
News articles at
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/03/23/safeonline.101/index.html and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9878187/
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wildcard
I instantly new what to write about! I should tell some of my classmates about this assignment, because they would definitely have something to write about! Okay, so I’m not going to do that, but seriously, this assignments topic is absolutely perfect when discussing the troubles my schools website “Moodle” has been going through this term. Moodle is a service like Blackboard. It serves as an online community for college students in which instructors can post forum questions for education purpose (which was a favorite of my nursing instructors), as well as other functions such as submitting papers and viewing grades. Moodle is described as an internet package that offers online based classes and websites. To the student, I see Moodle as an online service used for communicating. This situation wasn’t about misinterpretations of communication via Internet; it was more about a malfunction in technology that led to a pretty big communication problem.
This experience has basically been ongoing this whole term. At first, Moodle was hacked and all files were erased. As a class, we were able to bounce back from this incident, but let’s just say that was the least of our worries compared to what happened in the coming weeks. By about the third week into this term, things started getting ugly with Moodle. The system started shutting down periodically, which began with a little annoyance on my part. I would go the website and it would not load up. I thought, “Okay, it is just down for a little while, I will try later to turn in my paper.” So I would come back to the site, it would be running and all would be fine. Within the next two weeks, the situation was exacerbated to the point that Moodle was determined “shut down” due to technical difficulties and that as students, we must send our papers in through school e-mail accounts and find alternative ways to receive the educational information found on Moodle. But this point, the problems with Moodle went from an occasional annoyance, to complete unfairness when it was brought to our attention (myself and 50 other nursing students) that our school was not supporting Moodle and that we would have to convert to Angel (another program like Blackboard).
The claimed “temporarily shut down” Moodle turned out to be a farewell to Moodle. From the sources I have heard bouncing around campus, the main problem with Moodle was the Internet server. I’m not very good with technological terms or all the small parts to computers, but from what I hear, it is a problem that evidently is not going to be resolved by the school.
After using Moodle for the past two years and seeing how it makes communicating with instructors and peers very convenient and helpful for studying, the importance of technology becomes even clearer. The importance for every small thing such as the server and connection to be working in top condition becomes more evident. It makes me appreciate the Internets ability more and helps me realize how much I depend on the Internet’s functioning.
How would the situation have been different had it happened outside of cyberspace? If this had happened outside of cyberspace, there would be many changes. For example, there would be no reason to convert to another program, nor would my ways of communicating with instructors be hindered. Actually, if my school did not use Moodle, we would have other ways to communicate study tips, resources, etc such as using study groups and printed resources.
Regarding a cultural aspect, America’s culture seems to be becoming more familiar with online programs such as Blackboard, Moodle, Angel and such. Even for my nursing classes, which are not online, classes seem to use these online programs for additional communication services. During this whole exacerbation, communication has been resorted to e-mail instructors our papers via a different route and has eliminated all of our online forums, quizzes, and resources usually provided. This really did put a damper on learning because I felt that having Moodle helped me prepare for midterms and finals. Although I have not become extremely upset over this situation, I know many classmates that have shown very much anger toward our school board! This situation has even escalated to the fact that a classmate has started a petition to get a refund for our technology fees! Overall, I think that this situation is a prime example of how once again; our culture is turning to the Internet for many reasons. When Internet programs and such malfunction, it seems to interrupt our daily lives because many of us have seemly incorporated the Internet into our schedules. I view this story as an example of this. I don’t view it as a terrible, end-of-life situation, because it’s not. There are worse things that can happen. Like Moodle, every once in awhile, things break down. Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience.
This experience has basically been ongoing this whole term. At first, Moodle was hacked and all files were erased. As a class, we were able to bounce back from this incident, but let’s just say that was the least of our worries compared to what happened in the coming weeks. By about the third week into this term, things started getting ugly with Moodle. The system started shutting down periodically, which began with a little annoyance on my part. I would go the website and it would not load up. I thought, “Okay, it is just down for a little while, I will try later to turn in my paper.” So I would come back to the site, it would be running and all would be fine. Within the next two weeks, the situation was exacerbated to the point that Moodle was determined “shut down” due to technical difficulties and that as students, we must send our papers in through school e-mail accounts and find alternative ways to receive the educational information found on Moodle. But this point, the problems with Moodle went from an occasional annoyance, to complete unfairness when it was brought to our attention (myself and 50 other nursing students) that our school was not supporting Moodle and that we would have to convert to Angel (another program like Blackboard).
The claimed “temporarily shut down” Moodle turned out to be a farewell to Moodle. From the sources I have heard bouncing around campus, the main problem with Moodle was the Internet server. I’m not very good with technological terms or all the small parts to computers, but from what I hear, it is a problem that evidently is not going to be resolved by the school.
After using Moodle for the past two years and seeing how it makes communicating with instructors and peers very convenient and helpful for studying, the importance of technology becomes even clearer. The importance for every small thing such as the server and connection to be working in top condition becomes more evident. It makes me appreciate the Internets ability more and helps me realize how much I depend on the Internet’s functioning.
How would the situation have been different had it happened outside of cyberspace? If this had happened outside of cyberspace, there would be many changes. For example, there would be no reason to convert to another program, nor would my ways of communicating with instructors be hindered. Actually, if my school did not use Moodle, we would have other ways to communicate study tips, resources, etc such as using study groups and printed resources.
Regarding a cultural aspect, America’s culture seems to be becoming more familiar with online programs such as Blackboard, Moodle, Angel and such. Even for my nursing classes, which are not online, classes seem to use these online programs for additional communication services. During this whole exacerbation, communication has been resorted to e-mail instructors our papers via a different route and has eliminated all of our online forums, quizzes, and resources usually provided. This really did put a damper on learning because I felt that having Moodle helped me prepare for midterms and finals. Although I have not become extremely upset over this situation, I know many classmates that have shown very much anger toward our school board! This situation has even escalated to the fact that a classmate has started a petition to get a refund for our technology fees! Overall, I think that this situation is a prime example of how once again; our culture is turning to the Internet for many reasons. When Internet programs and such malfunction, it seems to interrupt our daily lives because many of us have seemly incorporated the Internet into our schedules. I view this story as an example of this. I don’t view it as a terrible, end-of-life situation, because it’s not. There are worse things that can happen. Like Moodle, every once in awhile, things break down. Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Internet Use Compared to Generations
Ages: 18-35
I interviewed my good friend Melissa. She is 20 years old and a sophomore in college. She is taking two online courses, has a MySpace page, and does her banking online. She also lives far out of town and is unable to connect with wireless or high speed. I have heard her before talk about the frustration she has because of her slow dial up. She says “That’s why I use the Internet whenever I can at the college (UCC).” With her situation, I got a different perspective of how this generation and many of the friends I have who rely on the Internet, can become frustrated when it is slow. She goes on to tell me that yes, she does feel comfortable communicating on the Internet for the most part. She used MySpace and doesn't talk to anyone she doesn't know to help protect herself. She also tells me that yes, the Internet has changed the way she lives her life, and she can definitely see a difference within the past few years. “I think we all use the Internet a lot more than we even did in high school!” I agreed. We both have online classes and even face-to-face classes that require the Internet and this is a very important structure of our daily lives. “Well, for education, the Internet has definitely helped. I don’t know what it would be like if we still had to use books for research papers.” Melissa makes some good points. Overall, she said she is grateful the Internet is so conveniently available (besides at her homes slow dial up). “What would we do without it?” she asked me. We agreed that in our generation, it seems that we have grown up with the Internet.
Ages: 36-60
I interviewed my step dad Tim. He is 58 years old and mainly uses the Internet for professional communication, medical information, and for scuba diving information and communication. Tim also uses the Internet for keeping in touch with friends and family on just about a daily bases. He was born in Spokane, WA with family whom he still stays in touch with and even e-mails a friend he met while attending school to become Physician’s Assistant in North Dakota. When I asked him how it has changed the way he lives his life he told me that throughout his life, he has been able to see the changes technology has made. “Even when I went to college, nobody had personal computer...the Internet has totally changed our access to education and communication.” When I asked him what is overall opinion of the Internet is he said, “It’s only going to get better.”
Ages: 61 and up
I work at an assisted living facility, so I thought I would interview a resident who uses the Internet. Some people may be surprise about the amount of people in the older generation how use the Internet. I interviewed Earl. He is 78 years old and lives pretty much independently. I have always been curious to how some of the residents at my work have used the Internet, so this interview was a great way to find out more. Earl told me that it was his son who bought him his very own computer and he mainly uses it for keeping in touch with his sons. He told me his son Richard is “very good with computers.” When I asked him how comfortable he was using the Internet, Earl laughed and said “I'm alright, there so much to know” (regarding navigation through the Internet). Overall, he says he really enjoys using Yahoo to check e-mails and to see “what’s going on.” He says he’ll check his e-mail about twice a day and when there is nothing to do or nothing on the television, he’ll get online.
I learned that for the older generation like Earl, did not grow up around the Internet and are more likely not use the Internet for as many reasons as the younger generation. Of course, I cannot say this is the case for every elder. As for the 36-60 age group, I feel that this generation uses the Internet for reasons more closely related to the 18-35 group.
The Internet in our culture has advanced enormously and as my step dad Tim said, “When I was growing up, the thought of a man walking on the moon made people laugh, now look at what has been done.” Tim relates this to the overwhelming amount of resources found on the Internet. In contrast to the younger generation, my interview with Melissa was different in the fact that she and I have basically grown up with the Internet at our side. I think that growing up with the Internet has made a huge difference in how our lives sometimes feels surrounded by the Internet, where as the older generations are not so dependent on it.
I interviewed my good friend Melissa. She is 20 years old and a sophomore in college. She is taking two online courses, has a MySpace page, and does her banking online. She also lives far out of town and is unable to connect with wireless or high speed. I have heard her before talk about the frustration she has because of her slow dial up. She says “That’s why I use the Internet whenever I can at the college (UCC).” With her situation, I got a different perspective of how this generation and many of the friends I have who rely on the Internet, can become frustrated when it is slow. She goes on to tell me that yes, she does feel comfortable communicating on the Internet for the most part. She used MySpace and doesn't talk to anyone she doesn't know to help protect herself. She also tells me that yes, the Internet has changed the way she lives her life, and she can definitely see a difference within the past few years. “I think we all use the Internet a lot more than we even did in high school!” I agreed. We both have online classes and even face-to-face classes that require the Internet and this is a very important structure of our daily lives. “Well, for education, the Internet has definitely helped. I don’t know what it would be like if we still had to use books for research papers.” Melissa makes some good points. Overall, she said she is grateful the Internet is so conveniently available (besides at her homes slow dial up). “What would we do without it?” she asked me. We agreed that in our generation, it seems that we have grown up with the Internet.
Ages: 36-60
I interviewed my step dad Tim. He is 58 years old and mainly uses the Internet for professional communication, medical information, and for scuba diving information and communication. Tim also uses the Internet for keeping in touch with friends and family on just about a daily bases. He was born in Spokane, WA with family whom he still stays in touch with and even e-mails a friend he met while attending school to become Physician’s Assistant in North Dakota. When I asked him how it has changed the way he lives his life he told me that throughout his life, he has been able to see the changes technology has made. “Even when I went to college, nobody had personal computer...the Internet has totally changed our access to education and communication.” When I asked him what is overall opinion of the Internet is he said, “It’s only going to get better.”
Ages: 61 and up
I work at an assisted living facility, so I thought I would interview a resident who uses the Internet. Some people may be surprise about the amount of people in the older generation how use the Internet. I interviewed Earl. He is 78 years old and lives pretty much independently. I have always been curious to how some of the residents at my work have used the Internet, so this interview was a great way to find out more. Earl told me that it was his son who bought him his very own computer and he mainly uses it for keeping in touch with his sons. He told me his son Richard is “very good with computers.” When I asked him how comfortable he was using the Internet, Earl laughed and said “I'm alright, there so much to know” (regarding navigation through the Internet). Overall, he says he really enjoys using Yahoo to check e-mails and to see “what’s going on.” He says he’ll check his e-mail about twice a day and when there is nothing to do or nothing on the television, he’ll get online.
I learned that for the older generation like Earl, did not grow up around the Internet and are more likely not use the Internet for as many reasons as the younger generation. Of course, I cannot say this is the case for every elder. As for the 36-60 age group, I feel that this generation uses the Internet for reasons more closely related to the 18-35 group.
The Internet in our culture has advanced enormously and as my step dad Tim said, “When I was growing up, the thought of a man walking on the moon made people laugh, now look at what has been done.” Tim relates this to the overwhelming amount of resources found on the Internet. In contrast to the younger generation, my interview with Melissa was different in the fact that she and I have basically grown up with the Internet at our side. I think that growing up with the Internet has made a huge difference in how our lives sometimes feels surrounded by the Internet, where as the older generations are not so dependent on it.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Virtual Community
I joined allnurses.com, a free Internet community for those who enjoy the subject of nursing careers. The community accepts those who are nurses including retired or presently working, as well as nursing students and pre-nursing student. Actually, anybody could join. I thought this would be a great virtual community to join because conversing with others around the globe could help me get a better idea of how nursing is being preformed all around. I have heard of online nurses communities, but never had I heard of allnurses.com.
To get familiar with the Internet community, I watched the video tutorial, which gave me a better idea of the services offered and how to go about looking and responding to forums. Something that really stood out to me was the diversity in nursing culture that is expressed throughout the forums. Sure, many are from the United States, but there are people from Singapore, UK, South Africa, and the list goes on. One of the forums is especially for nursing students, where a variety of topics such as “school uniforms” and “grading system” are discussed.
I believe I am accepted into this online community because I am a nursing student and can easily relate to many of the subject topics in both the student forum and regular nursing forum. At first, I wasn’t really sure how others felt about my presents. I hadn’t personally received any messages in response to my forum posts I had posted in the first two days of use. So, I decided to create my own thread (start a different subject). I posted a few questions on my thread including asking opinions on using human patient simulators in nursing school and if other schools use them. It seemed like almost immediately I had a response! From the attitude of this community, I think acceptance is a norm. It seems that people are very willing to answer questions and give opinions to create a comfortable environment. One persons post regarded the student nurse forum as a “safe zone” when giving another student her opinion on her schools overall performance. I think the only way someone could be driven out of the forums is if they made posting irrelevant to nursing subjects.
Reading the forum sometimes felt like I was in a room with hundreds of people all sharing different opinions! When people had an opinion that was different than another, I would often see the person respond with the previous message in quotations and the person would firmly state their opposing position. For the most part, everyone shares their opinions pleasantly and many people have the same opinions.
Many agreements and disagreements are also expressed by using emoticons. In fact, emoticons seem to be very popular and the selection is huge. I also noticed how encouraging people are on the forums. One person had a post concerning how difficult it would be to finish nursing school because she was just diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. She has pages of responses with words of encouragement and praise for being so determined.
With some forum topics, I felt like expressing my true opinion, although I felt that I would come off rude or misinterpreted. I think this is because these discussions are being taken place in cyberspace, not face-to-face. Sometimes I feel that it can be hard to express opinions without having the message turn into a misconception. Maybe others feel the same way I do and are just not expressing as much as they would like to. I think this is the one disadvantage virtual communities have. The disadvantages that some forum posts came come off misinterpreted and this may hold back what people truly want to say.
Overall, I’m really glad I joined this Internet community. I really feel that joining this community has already expanded my knowledge and washed away some assumptions or stereotypes I had regarding other nursing schools and nursing careers.
To get familiar with the Internet community, I watched the video tutorial, which gave me a better idea of the services offered and how to go about looking and responding to forums. Something that really stood out to me was the diversity in nursing culture that is expressed throughout the forums. Sure, many are from the United States, but there are people from Singapore, UK, South Africa, and the list goes on. One of the forums is especially for nursing students, where a variety of topics such as “school uniforms” and “grading system” are discussed.
I believe I am accepted into this online community because I am a nursing student and can easily relate to many of the subject topics in both the student forum and regular nursing forum. At first, I wasn’t really sure how others felt about my presents. I hadn’t personally received any messages in response to my forum posts I had posted in the first two days of use. So, I decided to create my own thread (start a different subject). I posted a few questions on my thread including asking opinions on using human patient simulators in nursing school and if other schools use them. It seemed like almost immediately I had a response! From the attitude of this community, I think acceptance is a norm. It seems that people are very willing to answer questions and give opinions to create a comfortable environment. One persons post regarded the student nurse forum as a “safe zone” when giving another student her opinion on her schools overall performance. I think the only way someone could be driven out of the forums is if they made posting irrelevant to nursing subjects.
Reading the forum sometimes felt like I was in a room with hundreds of people all sharing different opinions! When people had an opinion that was different than another, I would often see the person respond with the previous message in quotations and the person would firmly state their opposing position. For the most part, everyone shares their opinions pleasantly and many people have the same opinions.
Many agreements and disagreements are also expressed by using emoticons. In fact, emoticons seem to be very popular and the selection is huge. I also noticed how encouraging people are on the forums. One person had a post concerning how difficult it would be to finish nursing school because she was just diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. She has pages of responses with words of encouragement and praise for being so determined.
With some forum topics, I felt like expressing my true opinion, although I felt that I would come off rude or misinterpreted. I think this is because these discussions are being taken place in cyberspace, not face-to-face. Sometimes I feel that it can be hard to express opinions without having the message turn into a misconception. Maybe others feel the same way I do and are just not expressing as much as they would like to. I think this is the one disadvantage virtual communities have. The disadvantages that some forum posts came come off misinterpreted and this may hold back what people truly want to say.
Overall, I’m really glad I joined this Internet community. I really feel that joining this community has already expanded my knowledge and washed away some assumptions or stereotypes I had regarding other nursing schools and nursing careers.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Internet vs. Hard Copy for Research
My experience with writing academic papers largely comes from using both Internet sources and my nursing textbooks. I use the database system EBSCO to find evidence based research articles for my nursing papers. Subjects like best practice home health nursing and best practice tracheostomy care are examples. I also have many nursing textbooks that I use several times a week. The experience helped me realize some things about research using internet versus hard copies that I had not of before.
If I could only get my information for a research topic from the internet, I think I would be able to find many great sources. The only problem is there is still a lack of depth in the research. Many instructors like a variety of information that comes from sources other than the Internet. These include hard copy sources, video or audiotapes, and even interviews with a professional. Also, not every Internet source out there is reliable. Someone who chooses only to use Internet based information may find himself or herself reading contraindicating information. For example, Google can accumulate hundreds of thousands of “hits” regarding a subject, although the information may vary. In college, I have learned that the most accurate information on the web will come from resource that does not have a web address ending in “.com.” I like using EBSCO because the information is reliable, and I like using my textbooks because of the same reason.
Although I am taking this online OSU class, I go to Umpqua Community College, where I am a second year nursing student and I do spend at least a few hours each week in the library to study. However, this week I was studying in other locations for my midterm, so I went to the library this morning and finished my research by finding the hard copy book I found using my library’s catalog system online. This was something I was not very familiar with, however I did find a four page list of hard copy cultural resources just by typing in “culture.” I decided that I would choose the topic “culture” and relate it to the generation gap. This subject has always been kind of interesting to me and I can see the relation between cyberspace communications. Older generations, especially in certain cultures, tend to not be as familiar with cyberspace communication (Internet). This definitely seems to be a stigma for those in the US. I wanted to see what kind of information I could gather by using UCC’s library, which by the way, if pretty limited. Infact, I could not even find three book sources that discussed generation gaps. So, I had to think outside the book and mustered up some resources that dealt with communicating and culture.
From my library’s catalog, there was only one hard copy resource that discussed culture and generation gap. I looked through other cultural sources, and found that some books were listed, but were not even available at UCC. I then realized that the catalog was a search engine that was connected to all library systems in Douglas County. I could see how this could get frustrating for those trying to look up hard copy resources for research topics. I think this is one of the main reasons why many people resort to the Internet for the majority of their research information. Yet again, the Internet has convenience. Students type their papers on the computer, and the Internet is at the same location, so Internet resources seem most logical.
Something else I discovered at my library was the limited information regarding nursing. Other than the textbooks I own, the selection is very limited. I tried researching culture and nursing, and found absolutely nothing on the catalog. Overall, I prefer to continue doing research how I am used to. I use my textbooks and internet sources from EBSCO about equally. I do get off the couch and into the library; I just don’t browse through the library’s shelves knowing my options are far more limited than elsewhere.
As for my sources regarding my example research paper:
Evensen, D. (2007). “The Generation Gap.” Quill. Retrieved February 12, 2008 at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24502587&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live
“A Global Generation Gap.” (2004). The Pew Research Center. Retrieved February 10, 2008 at http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=86
Bergfield, S. (2007). “Bridging the Generation Gap” Buisness Weekly. Retrieved February 10, 2008 at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26518950&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live
Mead, Margaret. (1970). Culture and commitment: A study of the generation gap. New York: American Museum of Natural History.
Gabor, Ivor, and Aldridge, Jane. (1994). In the best interest of the child: culture, identity, and transracial adaptation. London: Free Association Books.
Gudykurst, William (1998). Culture and Interpersonal communication. Beverly Hills, Ca: Sage Publications.
If I could only get my information for a research topic from the internet, I think I would be able to find many great sources. The only problem is there is still a lack of depth in the research. Many instructors like a variety of information that comes from sources other than the Internet. These include hard copy sources, video or audiotapes, and even interviews with a professional. Also, not every Internet source out there is reliable. Someone who chooses only to use Internet based information may find himself or herself reading contraindicating information. For example, Google can accumulate hundreds of thousands of “hits” regarding a subject, although the information may vary. In college, I have learned that the most accurate information on the web will come from resource that does not have a web address ending in “.com.” I like using EBSCO because the information is reliable, and I like using my textbooks because of the same reason.
Although I am taking this online OSU class, I go to Umpqua Community College, where I am a second year nursing student and I do spend at least a few hours each week in the library to study. However, this week I was studying in other locations for my midterm, so I went to the library this morning and finished my research by finding the hard copy book I found using my library’s catalog system online. This was something I was not very familiar with, however I did find a four page list of hard copy cultural resources just by typing in “culture.” I decided that I would choose the topic “culture” and relate it to the generation gap. This subject has always been kind of interesting to me and I can see the relation between cyberspace communications. Older generations, especially in certain cultures, tend to not be as familiar with cyberspace communication (Internet). This definitely seems to be a stigma for those in the US. I wanted to see what kind of information I could gather by using UCC’s library, which by the way, if pretty limited. Infact, I could not even find three book sources that discussed generation gaps. So, I had to think outside the book and mustered up some resources that dealt with communicating and culture.
From my library’s catalog, there was only one hard copy resource that discussed culture and generation gap. I looked through other cultural sources, and found that some books were listed, but were not even available at UCC. I then realized that the catalog was a search engine that was connected to all library systems in Douglas County. I could see how this could get frustrating for those trying to look up hard copy resources for research topics. I think this is one of the main reasons why many people resort to the Internet for the majority of their research information. Yet again, the Internet has convenience. Students type their papers on the computer, and the Internet is at the same location, so Internet resources seem most logical.
Something else I discovered at my library was the limited information regarding nursing. Other than the textbooks I own, the selection is very limited. I tried researching culture and nursing, and found absolutely nothing on the catalog. Overall, I prefer to continue doing research how I am used to. I use my textbooks and internet sources from EBSCO about equally. I do get off the couch and into the library; I just don’t browse through the library’s shelves knowing my options are far more limited than elsewhere.
As for my sources regarding my example research paper:
Evensen, D. (2007). “The Generation Gap.” Quill. Retrieved February 12, 2008 at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24502587&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live
“A Global Generation Gap.” (2004). The Pew Research Center. Retrieved February 10, 2008 at http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=86
Bergfield, S. (2007). “Bridging the Generation Gap” Buisness Weekly. Retrieved February 10, 2008 at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26518950&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live
Mead, Margaret. (1970). Culture and commitment: A study of the generation gap. New York: American Museum of Natural History.
Gabor, Ivor, and Aldridge, Jane. (1994). In the best interest of the child: culture, identity, and transracial adaptation. London: Free Association Books.
Gudykurst, William (1998). Culture and Interpersonal communication. Beverly Hills, Ca: Sage Publications.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I'm writing a letter...
This assignment was pretty interesting since I honestly can’t remember the last time I sent a long-hand letter via snail mail. I send credit card payments via the Internet, and other messages through my school accounts and MySpace. With fast responses and no cost (snail mail requires 41 cent stamps!); it seems the Internet has become the prime source for communicating over snail mail.
I decided to write to my sister, my twin sister Courtney who lives in Eugene, and my half sister, Chalase, who is 33 and lives in Minnesota. Both of my sisters are very computer literate and does much of their communicating online, so I thought it would be interesting to see the differences in responses. I sent the long hand letter to my twin sister in Eugene because although she uses the Internet everyday, she doesn’t always check her MySpace or Hotmail account daily, and I do not have a Facebook account like she does. On the other hand, my half sister has told me before she checks her e-mail several times everyday and if very active with sending e-mail jokes, etc. to her friends and family. I sent her a message via e-mail with my Hotmail account telling her thanks and even updating her on pictures of my puppy.
The differences within the letters didn’t vary much in length, but the style of language did vary. On my e-mail, I used more exclamation points and used a smiley icons. The e-mail also had a background color light blue and the text was like a dark olive green and the text was Arial. My long-hand letter had a smiley face, although it was hand drawn. I have loopy handwriting and the paper was actually stationary paper I found in a kitchen counter drawer. I like to personalize my messages, and although the style of the letters was different, the same principles were used for both my e-mail and letter.
The length of time it took for my response different greatly. My half sister responded to me the next morning to my e-mail, whereas my twin sister’s experience in receiving the hand written letter was amusing. The amusing part was that my twin sister and her roommates do not check their mailbox often. As quoted by my sister “We probably only check our mailbox about once a week.” I had to tell my sister to check her mail everyday this week because a letter is coming her way. I visited my sister in Eugene this weekend so when my sister checked her mail yesterday, Saturday, sure enough the letter was there. She thought the letter was sweet but when I asked her if she was going to reply, she told me no and that was silly. I had explained to her the purpose of the long-hand letter versus an e-mail and she understood completely. I think the reason she felt it was silly to respond is because the Internet is so conveniently available.
I think the outcome of the two styles of communication have definitely been influenced by our culture. The American culture as I have grown to be around has taken uphill strides with technology, creating gadgets and Internet resources, which in my opinion, has dominated over traditional ways of communicating such as using paper and pen. There are still many people out there who chose long-hand letters over e-mails. Those who are not exactly computer/Internet savvy such as my mom, use long-hand for communicating such as thank you letter or invitations.
I think that as our culture advances with ways of communicating, our ability to take part in tradition ink and paper writing with envelopes and stamps becomes pushed to the side. I also view advances such as text messaging and MySpace has helped create a way to keep in touch with our friends on a regular bases. I asked my mom about her opinion on letters via snail mail. She told me when she was younger that, “You would write letters to anyone you wanted to keep in touch with. There was no e-mailing going on.”
Another thought: At Wikipedia, snail mail is referred as penpalling, in which the name comes from the snail’s slow speed and from the use of postal services. Although I am not sure of this, but before the Internet, was this form of communication even called “snail mail?” I mean, there was nothing for snail mail to be compared to because e-mail was not invented yet. But then again, communicating via telephone would be faster. But still, it is interesting to see the differences of the two communication styles.
I decided to write to my sister, my twin sister Courtney who lives in Eugene, and my half sister, Chalase, who is 33 and lives in Minnesota. Both of my sisters are very computer literate and does much of their communicating online, so I thought it would be interesting to see the differences in responses. I sent the long hand letter to my twin sister in Eugene because although she uses the Internet everyday, she doesn’t always check her MySpace or Hotmail account daily, and I do not have a Facebook account like she does. On the other hand, my half sister has told me before she checks her e-mail several times everyday and if very active with sending e-mail jokes, etc. to her friends and family. I sent her a message via e-mail with my Hotmail account telling her thanks and even updating her on pictures of my puppy.
The differences within the letters didn’t vary much in length, but the style of language did vary. On my e-mail, I used more exclamation points and used a smiley icons. The e-mail also had a background color light blue and the text was like a dark olive green and the text was Arial. My long-hand letter had a smiley face, although it was hand drawn. I have loopy handwriting and the paper was actually stationary paper I found in a kitchen counter drawer. I like to personalize my messages, and although the style of the letters was different, the same principles were used for both my e-mail and letter.
The length of time it took for my response different greatly. My half sister responded to me the next morning to my e-mail, whereas my twin sister’s experience in receiving the hand written letter was amusing. The amusing part was that my twin sister and her roommates do not check their mailbox often. As quoted by my sister “We probably only check our mailbox about once a week.” I had to tell my sister to check her mail everyday this week because a letter is coming her way. I visited my sister in Eugene this weekend so when my sister checked her mail yesterday, Saturday, sure enough the letter was there. She thought the letter was sweet but when I asked her if she was going to reply, she told me no and that was silly. I had explained to her the purpose of the long-hand letter versus an e-mail and she understood completely. I think the reason she felt it was silly to respond is because the Internet is so conveniently available.
I think the outcome of the two styles of communication have definitely been influenced by our culture. The American culture as I have grown to be around has taken uphill strides with technology, creating gadgets and Internet resources, which in my opinion, has dominated over traditional ways of communicating such as using paper and pen. There are still many people out there who chose long-hand letters over e-mails. Those who are not exactly computer/Internet savvy such as my mom, use long-hand for communicating such as thank you letter or invitations.
I think that as our culture advances with ways of communicating, our ability to take part in tradition ink and paper writing with envelopes and stamps becomes pushed to the side. I also view advances such as text messaging and MySpace has helped create a way to keep in touch with our friends on a regular bases. I asked my mom about her opinion on letters via snail mail. She told me when she was younger that, “You would write letters to anyone you wanted to keep in touch with. There was no e-mailing going on.”
Another thought: At Wikipedia, snail mail is referred as penpalling, in which the name comes from the snail’s slow speed and from the use of postal services. Although I am not sure of this, but before the Internet, was this form of communication even called “snail mail?” I mean, there was nothing for snail mail to be compared to because e-mail was not invented yet. But then again, communicating via telephone would be faster. But still, it is interesting to see the differences of the two communication styles.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)