Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Has Television and the Internet Destroyed Americans' Ability to Read and Think Critically About Ideas?
A big remaining debate that rages upon us even to this day is the question whether or not television is impairing our ability to read and think critically. Think about it! How many of us now go to the library, pick a topic, and engage ourselves in countless hours of research pertaining to that topic. Many of us have turned our attention from books, and towards television. The color television was invented back in 1928, and has now transformed the way we live today. Many of us will spend an exponentially greater time viewing television, than we do reading a book.
A 1990 issue of The Harvard Education Letter reported: “The video screen is helping children develop a new kind of literacy - visual literacy that they will need to thrive in a technological world… In television or film, the viewer must mentally integrate diverse camera shots of a scene to construct an image of the whole.” This is an argument stating that television as actually helped us in reading and critical thinking. Some feel that watching television is the ultimate critical thinking experience as we must quickly and precisely distinguish right from wrong, real from fake, and yes or no. Many believe that television has made us, as a whole average, more critical thinkers.
On the flip side of this a man by the name of Jack Solomon states, “Television images lull us into thinking that they are real, that they aren’t iconic signs at all but realities. Since we see them, we trust them, often failing to realize that, like all signs, they have been constructed with a certain interest behind them.” This is the argument that many people also have. The fact that television is feeding us information and we are subconsciously choosing to accept it and feel that it is a fact. If it was on the news, than it must be true. We merely sit and consume the information without thinking critically. Questions such as where is this information coming from, is there a biased statement, and what is the other side of this story, is hardly ever asked.
Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451 states that this story is not about censorship, but a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature. He states, “Television gives you the dates of Napoleon, but not who he was.” I, personally, would have to agree with him. I feel that television, to a point, as impacted the ability to read and think critically. The thing that sticks in my mind is the amount of people today that have eating disorders, depression, and commit suicide for “not being good enough for society” When you read books, you paint the pictures in your head. You get a mental image of a character, and that is your image alone. When you are watching television you are exposed to “perfect” bodies, and this makes you feel depressed or bad about yourself. I also know for a fact that there are many people that will take anything they see on television and interpret it as a fact. We are mindlessly sitting in front of the television and letting what they say dictate for things such as who we vote for, or if someone is guilty or innocent. Both of these examples require critical thinking, but many of us are to lazy to do the research. For this reason, I do not think that we are heading toward a time when the authorities burn books for our own good. If anything, we need to promote more books and allow the human intelligence to be back in play.
http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article202.html
A 1990 issue of The Harvard Education Letter reported: “The video screen is helping children develop a new kind of literacy - visual literacy that they will need to thrive in a technological world… In television or film, the viewer must mentally integrate diverse camera shots of a scene to construct an image of the whole.” This is an argument stating that television as actually helped us in reading and critical thinking. Some feel that watching television is the ultimate critical thinking experience as we must quickly and precisely distinguish right from wrong, real from fake, and yes or no. Many believe that television has made us, as a whole average, more critical thinkers.
On the flip side of this a man by the name of Jack Solomon states, “Television images lull us into thinking that they are real, that they aren’t iconic signs at all but realities. Since we see them, we trust them, often failing to realize that, like all signs, they have been constructed with a certain interest behind them.” This is the argument that many people also have. The fact that television is feeding us information and we are subconsciously choosing to accept it and feel that it is a fact. If it was on the news, than it must be true. We merely sit and consume the information without thinking critically. Questions such as where is this information coming from, is there a biased statement, and what is the other side of this story, is hardly ever asked.
Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451 states that this story is not about censorship, but a story about how television destroys interest in reading literature. He states, “Television gives you the dates of Napoleon, but not who he was.” I, personally, would have to agree with him. I feel that television, to a point, as impacted the ability to read and think critically. The thing that sticks in my mind is the amount of people today that have eating disorders, depression, and commit suicide for “not being good enough for society” When you read books, you paint the pictures in your head. You get a mental image of a character, and that is your image alone. When you are watching television you are exposed to “perfect” bodies, and this makes you feel depressed or bad about yourself. I also know for a fact that there are many people that will take anything they see on television and interpret it as a fact. We are mindlessly sitting in front of the television and letting what they say dictate for things such as who we vote for, or if someone is guilty or innocent. Both of these examples require critical thinking, but many of us are to lazy to do the research. For this reason, I do not think that we are heading toward a time when the authorities burn books for our own good. If anything, we need to promote more books and allow the human intelligence to be back in play.
http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article202.html
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Questions that have more than one answer? I'm Uncomfortable
Does every question have a single solution? The answer is no. There are several issues that arise that can have more than one solution. This tends to make people uncomfortable. The definition of comfort is the state of being relaxed. For many, including myself, knowing the answer to something makes you feel relaxed and confident.
The feeling of relaxation is never more apparent to me than during school. When I understand a subject I feel comfortable and relaxed. However, when I struggle with a subject or I am unsure of the answer, I start to become uncomfortable. During a classroom debate where there are discussions going on and there are possibly more than one answer, I sometimes find myself unsure about answering. Things run through my head such as, “What if I am wrong” “What if I cant get my point across and regardless whether I am right, I am perceived as incorrect?” No one likes to look or sound ignorant. When a question has more than one answer it makes people uncomfortable to give a different answer for fear of ridicule.
There are many issues that arise in our world today that clearly have more than one solution. In Arizona today, border control is a huge issue among our residents, both legal and illegal. Some say to tighten the borders and put people to work, others say let those that are already here become legal. There has been a widespread issue of racial profiling to those you already reside hear legally. Bills such as this SB 1070 arise to attempt to control the issue.
Another common issue arises in the duty of raising children and teaching them discipline. I currently have a six month old baby boy. There are many, many views of the range of discipline at this age, and what we as parents can actually regulate. For example, he has begun to spit and some feel that he is at that age to be told that spitting is not okay. Others, feel that spitting is something all babies do, and actually encourage him to do so. An older child might become recklessly crying and yelling at the top of their lungs. Some will immediately address this issue, while some say that the child is to young at the age of two to understand. They say this is just a stage and they will get through it. If you asked five parents how they raised their children, everyone would be different, including myself.
In the state of Arizona it is now legal for any one person over the age of twenty one to conceal a weapon. This is an attempt to lower crime rate, and protect ourselves as well as our children from threats. But, is it the one and only answer? Some will argue that you now have increased the problem as these carriers do not need formal training and will soon be flashing their pistol in the air to resolve a simple conflict.
From these very few examples listed above, you can clearly see that there is not always just one answer to a question. How should we handle illegal immigration? How should we all raise our kids? Should everyone over the age of twenty one be able to conceal a weapon? Is this making you uncomfortable?
http://www.mamapedia.com/article/looking-for-discipline-suggestions-for-hitting-spitting-and-kicking
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-immigration-bill-draws-fire-nationally-gov-brewer/story?id=10438889
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/17/arizona-gun-law-concealed_n_541445.html
The feeling of relaxation is never more apparent to me than during school. When I understand a subject I feel comfortable and relaxed. However, when I struggle with a subject or I am unsure of the answer, I start to become uncomfortable. During a classroom debate where there are discussions going on and there are possibly more than one answer, I sometimes find myself unsure about answering. Things run through my head such as, “What if I am wrong” “What if I cant get my point across and regardless whether I am right, I am perceived as incorrect?” No one likes to look or sound ignorant. When a question has more than one answer it makes people uncomfortable to give a different answer for fear of ridicule.
There are many issues that arise in our world today that clearly have more than one solution. In Arizona today, border control is a huge issue among our residents, both legal and illegal. Some say to tighten the borders and put people to work, others say let those that are already here become legal. There has been a widespread issue of racial profiling to those you already reside hear legally. Bills such as this SB 1070 arise to attempt to control the issue.
Another common issue arises in the duty of raising children and teaching them discipline. I currently have a six month old baby boy. There are many, many views of the range of discipline at this age, and what we as parents can actually regulate. For example, he has begun to spit and some feel that he is at that age to be told that spitting is not okay. Others, feel that spitting is something all babies do, and actually encourage him to do so. An older child might become recklessly crying and yelling at the top of their lungs. Some will immediately address this issue, while some say that the child is to young at the age of two to understand. They say this is just a stage and they will get through it. If you asked five parents how they raised their children, everyone would be different, including myself.
In the state of Arizona it is now legal for any one person over the age of twenty one to conceal a weapon. This is an attempt to lower crime rate, and protect ourselves as well as our children from threats. But, is it the one and only answer? Some will argue that you now have increased the problem as these carriers do not need formal training and will soon be flashing their pistol in the air to resolve a simple conflict.
From these very few examples listed above, you can clearly see that there is not always just one answer to a question. How should we handle illegal immigration? How should we all raise our kids? Should everyone over the age of twenty one be able to conceal a weapon? Is this making you uncomfortable?
http://www.mamapedia.com/article/looking-for-discipline-suggestions-for-hitting-spitting-and-kicking
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-immigration-bill-draws-fire-nationally-gov-brewer/story?id=10438889
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/17/arizona-gun-law-concealed_n_541445.html
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Internet has impacted and changed human society! Positive or Negative?
Technology has a giant impact on human society. One of the most prevalent technological advances that I can think of is internet using computers I remember a time when computers were mostly used to type things up and maybe play a game or two but now that computers come with more memory, more and better games and of course the internet I think there are positive and negative aspects to it.
On the positive side of the argument, the computer allows for people to find any information they can think of in the click of a button. Its keeps families in touch almost instantaneously through email. Learning has also become easier with the advancement of the internet and computers. I have taken several online classes, with my work schedule and family, these classes would be close to impossible if I had to go into the classroom rather than online. What about pictures? My wife likes to do a lot with photoshop and fixing pictures as well as keeping family updated with pictures as our baby grows. Email works much faster than the traditional mailing system. We also are able to house our pictures online for our family to look at and enjoy.
On the negative side of the computer. Has our youth become lazy? Rather than going outside and playing many sit inside playing games on the computer. I personally can type faster than I can write. If given the choice in a classroom setting I would type rather than print. There is also the issue of inappropriate material available on the internet, sometimes by accident. I cant count how many times I have searched for something harmless and a site has popped up that was nothing like I expected. Another issue is the amount of false information available on the internet. Wikipedia is a large source for false information. Just because its on the internet doesn’t make it true. What is our youth learning on the internet? What about child predators? How many times do we see on the news where children were innocently talking with someone who they thought were their age and their friend and ended up raped, or dead? I think computers and internet started out as a great thing and unfortunately there is always someone that abuses something great.
This technology has certainly changed our society, in a big way. As with anything there is positive and negative. This shouldn’t be taken lightly and parents especially need to monitor what their children look at and the amount of time spent looking on the world wide net. Everything read and looked at needs to be looked at through a filter and not everything you read is true. Everyone has a choice and everyone needs to be accountable for what they and their children look at and believe.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/4-dangers-internet
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9845&page=13
On the positive side of the argument, the computer allows for people to find any information they can think of in the click of a button. Its keeps families in touch almost instantaneously through email. Learning has also become easier with the advancement of the internet and computers. I have taken several online classes, with my work schedule and family, these classes would be close to impossible if I had to go into the classroom rather than online. What about pictures? My wife likes to do a lot with photoshop and fixing pictures as well as keeping family updated with pictures as our baby grows. Email works much faster than the traditional mailing system. We also are able to house our pictures online for our family to look at and enjoy.
On the negative side of the computer. Has our youth become lazy? Rather than going outside and playing many sit inside playing games on the computer. I personally can type faster than I can write. If given the choice in a classroom setting I would type rather than print. There is also the issue of inappropriate material available on the internet, sometimes by accident. I cant count how many times I have searched for something harmless and a site has popped up that was nothing like I expected. Another issue is the amount of false information available on the internet. Wikipedia is a large source for false information. Just because its on the internet doesn’t make it true. What is our youth learning on the internet? What about child predators? How many times do we see on the news where children were innocently talking with someone who they thought were their age and their friend and ended up raped, or dead? I think computers and internet started out as a great thing and unfortunately there is always someone that abuses something great.
This technology has certainly changed our society, in a big way. As with anything there is positive and negative. This shouldn’t be taken lightly and parents especially need to monitor what their children look at and the amount of time spent looking on the world wide net. Everything read and looked at needs to be looked at through a filter and not everything you read is true. Everyone has a choice and everyone needs to be accountable for what they and their children look at and believe.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/4-dangers-internet
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9845&page=13
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
"Introduction to Popular Culture"
Hello!
I am taking Introduction to Popular Culture to better understand the world today. The way information is shared seems to be changing on a daily basis. To be "in the loop" you have to be able to gather your information quickly and effectively from sources much more vast than your typical Sunday newspaper. I look forward to learning how to better do this, as well as learning how to look at everything from all of the views present and make an intelligent argument. Critical thinking is also something I look forward to learning more about, as the world brings problems to you on a daily basis and it is how you handle these that make you who you are. Well this is why I am taking this class, and good luck everyone!
R_Pilgrim
I am taking Introduction to Popular Culture to better understand the world today. The way information is shared seems to be changing on a daily basis. To be "in the loop" you have to be able to gather your information quickly and effectively from sources much more vast than your typical Sunday newspaper. I look forward to learning how to better do this, as well as learning how to look at everything from all of the views present and make an intelligent argument. Critical thinking is also something I look forward to learning more about, as the world brings problems to you on a daily basis and it is how you handle these that make you who you are. Well this is why I am taking this class, and good luck everyone!
R_Pilgrim
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