English 3810

Susan Zickmund, in her essay “Approaching the Radical Other” (1997), asserts that extremist ideas within cyber texts show that radicals discriminate against innocent members of society. Zickmund supports this assertion by citing specific examples of the radical Internet culture, the Other, and society to fuel her argument. Her purpose is to make her readers aware that cyberspace gives subversives a place to hate not only in the real world but on the Internet. She establishes a relationship with an audience who agrees with her views about anti-Semitic groups and their affect on cyberspace.
Zickmund states, “The Internet may thus endanger the very notion of a closed community. In doing so it could become an ally in the struggle against bigotry and racism.” (251). Here she provides her readers with a very strong point. What of the youth who is doing research at their computer? They type in an unfamiliar word and something unexpectedly negative appears. A similar scenario was what one 26-year-old real-estate investor experienced when he typed the word “Jew” into the Google search engine. According to an article, which was featured on Wired.com, Steven Weinstock discovered an anti-Semitic site was first to appear when he searched for the word “Jew.” This in fact illustrates that the Internet has become a resource to spread prejudice and intolerance.
Subversives no longer have to protest with marches and other demonstrations. These individuals have access to thousands more people with the Internet. They can sit back in the comfort of their own homes and share their cynical thoughts with both willing and unwilling Internet users. It is crazy to think that if they can get to users of technology so easily now, what will it be like in the years to come?

How does my “self” perform differently in different spaces? I guess the first thing that comes to mind is what I am like in different daily activities. For instance, the way I act in school, at work, around my friends, and family are pretty different. At work I joke around a little with the people I am close to there, but this is far different than how would act around my friends or family. It just feels less appropriate in a work environment to be joking around I guess.

When I am with my family I would definitely say that I act different than anywhere else, because they have known me the longest. They are the people that have seen me at my best and worst. Yes, they know me, but I do not live with them anymore so many of the things they would find out about me or I about them are lost. I think that has caused our relationship to be more distant. Therefore I do not act the same around them as I used to when I lived with them.

I do not think that because I perform different in these places that I am being dishonest or fake. There is a certain way to behave in each place you go. For example, you probably wouldn’t behave the same way when you go out to eat at McDonald’s as you would at a fancy sit down restaurant. There is a reason people act different in each environment. Like me, the way many people act around their friends would probably not be as accepted by either of my bosses. I think “self” is more complex because you have to perform appropriately with each situation you are faced with.



I would like to think that most normal people do act differently in different circumstances. We all have different comfort levels among various groups of people. It does seem like “growing up” puts distance between family members. In a way you have lost things about them and them about you. You’re trying to get out there and be your own person yet, you don’t want to leave anyone behind, such as your family and a few hometown friends. So it is understandable that you may try to hide some things that you have learned about yourself that you family may not know or ever need to know. And yes, there are certain expectations on people’s behavior, especially in public places or a work setting or school environment. “self” is very complex and should be. –jamie J

As discussed in the reading of David Bell’s chapter on “Community and Cyberculture,” people are part of many different communities. I would say the most obvious Gemeinschaft community (the "tradtional" community where "everybody knows your name”) that I am a part of would be my family. They have known me the longest and I would not hesitate to say that they probably know things about me that most of my closest friends don’t even know. But since leaving for college in another state I have created my own Gemeinschaft community of friends in Greenville that have sort of replaced the role my family played.
Since I am trying to put myself through school I work two jobs in an attempt to pay all of my bills. The individuals I work with in these jobs, Eckerd Drug and The Daily Reflector, are another two Gesellschaft communities (an "associational" community where relationships are "partial and transitory") that I associate with. I would never do the same things with these people as I would with my family.

I understand how you viewed your friends in Greenville as a type of replacement for your family while at school. I agree in the sense that especially when being far from home, a person tends to bond with someone who may be similar to what they were used to back home or with someone who may remind you of another as a way to help in the transition of being on your own for the first time. I also agree with your statement about not doing the same things with your work friends as you would with your family or close friends. They are two completely separate communities.
Constantina

I think for most people their families are the closet community they can have. I feel that the people I meet don’t really replace my family, but are a sort of way to pass time and have some sort of close emotional connection. Friends and family are always kind of grouped together, but when you think about it they are really not much alike at all. There are much more personal things my parents know, whereas with friends it’s never really that personal. Of course my best friends know personal things but not acquaintances.
Jeff

Play Games, be Better Students

Questions of Conjecture: "Is there an act to be considered?"
Yes, in this particular article Terdiman discusses whether video games should be used in the classroom as educational tools. This idea is further elaborated on when one of the sources from his article discussed how video games helped his son. With the help of others the article concludes with the idea that there is a possibility for this change, but it would take work.

Questions of Definition: "How can the act be defined?"
The proposed change would supplement teacher/student time with interactive learning.

Questions of quality: "How serious is the act?"
Terdimen and the majority of the people he interviewed tend to agree that video games as an educational tool are appropriate. They think it is something that should be sought after.

Questions of Policy: "Should the act be submitted to some formal procedure?"
Some action should be taken, but the article is unclear of that next step. Possible actions would be for schools to utilize certain video games as part of there learning, supplemental of course to teacher time.
The proposed change would change the current state of affairs in the classroom by allowing students more interactive learning.

What I thought to be on of the most important points Michel Foucault addresses in his work was that surveillance is a form of discipline. Some of the more modern technology we are exposed to is a perfect example of his point. For instance many of us with jobs, especially in retail, work under the watchful eye of a camera. Now we do not know that anyone will actually view the tape, but on the off chance that someone does knowing that the camera is there watching you often motivates employees to stay busy.
The same goes for cameras in department stores that watch the customers. Many, but not all thieves are conscious of cameras and may have second thoughts about stealing when getting caught is a possibility.
Drivers must also be conscious of their actions, because we are being watched more on the road than anywhere else. Recently many cities, including Greenville, have installed cameras on certain stoplights. These devices record whether or not a vehicle has run a red light and you are sent a picture of the violation and a ticket. We are often tricked by those cop cars that sit on the side of the road. You can never really tell whether someone is actually in them until you get close enough for them to catch you, so you find yourself cleaning up your behavior, just in case.

What is my technological history? Well, I grew up in the days of light brite, Atari, Etch-a-Sketch, and She-Ra … you know the princess of power. We had those bulky computers and the graphics on those video games, wow we must have been bored. But back then I was perfectly happy with the technology because I knew nothing else. Yet the technology of yester year is nothing like what we have today.
Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones that grew up with technology constantly being shoved in my face. Unlike my parents and grandparents I have no phobias of computers because my generation kind of grew with computers. I remember being exposed to my first computer in school around fourth grade. I was forced to play a game called the “Oregon Trial.” For any of you that grew up in the 80s, you know what I am talking about. Anyway, it was a boring game of survival, which I am not sure what skill our teachers were trying to drill into our brains but we played this game all the time. Then once I moved on to fifth or sixth grade I can’t quite remember which but I know we were still forced to play that stinking “Oregon Trial.” But now we were learning how to type on computers. I don’t really remember the program, but I remember that I hated this computer game almost as much as that “Oregon Trail” that haunted what seemed like half of my childhood life.
And now that I am preparing to graduate from college, computers are one of those things that I can’t live without. I check my e-mail everyday, I do research, I check the news, and I have even found myself buying Christmas presents on the Internet. I think my experience as a college student has made me more comfortable with computers. I now teach my mother how to use the Internet, but I think no matter how hard she tries she will never fully understand the basics let alone all you can do with the net.So I guess I had it easy ... maybe.

When Beginners use the Internet they can often run into terminology that they do not understand. Terms like: googling, furling, surfing the net, search engines, refresh, e-mail, blogging, and bookmarking. While these terms all have different meanings, beginning users may not run into all of them right away. And depending on what they use the Internet for they may not run into them at all. Even though I have used the Internet since I was about 11 years old, I still did not discover what the terms blogging or furling were until I got to college.

Brad King, in his article “Educators Turn to Games for Help” (August 2003) reports that although the gaming industry has recently been scrutinized for its violence, some producers in the industry have been successful in creating training simulations for skill development. King supports this evidence by citing an example of a pilot program called “EnterTech,” which helped two-thirds of its participants either find work or enroll in continuing education. His purpose is to make readers aware that video games, although often viewed as merely just violent entertainment, can add to education. Given the information provided in the article, King appeals to an audience with an interest in what video games could do for skill development.
I believe schools as well as places of business could benefit from utilizing something more interactive. As college student desperate for a job, I have found myself nodding of while watching more than one of those boring employee training videos that look as though they were filmed 30 years ago. The only problem is that dull video was filled with valuable information I missed because it did not offer interactive learning. Programs like “EnterTech” could be just what businesses and schools need to help revive new employees and students and allow them to be more confident in their skills.
King states: “games won't be the magic bullet that saves education. Even EnterTech, with all its success, only adds depth to lessons taught during the 15 hours of teacher-directed discussion” (2). I think this is a good point that works both in the work place and in the classroom. Video games may not be as effective without hands on teaching, but when used as supplemental material, video games along with teaching may help individuals who were having trouble understanding the instructor become more focused.

Randal Woodland, in his essay, “Queer Spaces, Modem Boys and Pagan Statues: Gay/Lesbian Identity and the Construction of Cyberspace” asserts that although starting space for the lesbian and gay community to unite in different computer systems is a way for them to express their identities, many times their identities are shaped and transformed through their participation. Woodland supports this assertion by describing each of the four spaces and their differences. His purpose is to make readers aware that “cyberspace has become a distinctive kind of ‘third place’ for many gay and lesbian people” (418). He directs his thoughts to an audience that may be less informed, but interested in the lesbian and gay community.

Daniel Terdiman, in his article “Play Games, be Better Students” (May 2004), reports that the video-game industry could help educators and students learn more from their classroom time. Terdiman supports this assertion by citing opinions from game designers as well as an example of how a video game helped one sources son learn about the 1996 presidential election. His purpose is to make readers aware of how useful certain video games can be as an educational tool. Through the articles information and opinions, he establishes a connection with his audience of educators and individuals interested in furthering education.

R.U. Sirius and St. Jude, in their article “The Medium is the Message and the Message is the Voyeurism” (Feb. 1994), assert that media today consistently urge viewers to pass instant judgment on media content, especially television talk shows. Sirius and Jude support this assertion by offering a play-by-play of the average occurrences during a daytime talk show spot. Their purpose is to make readers aware of the media’s impact on their predisposed thoughts and opinions by establishing a relationship with an audience of individuals with both positive and negative views of the media.

Here is my first blog! Just testing it out to see how it works...