Annotative Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography
1) "Social Justice | Dangerously Irrelevant." Dangerously Irrelevant | Ruminations on Technology, Leadership and the Future of Our Schools. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. .

- This source gives meaning to the relevance of technology in the younger ages during school. It questions why technology isn't used in the discussions of Social justice in society. It claims that the better off children with the access to technology have an advantage compared to the children who don't. It's a statement about our culture not spreading the wealth as much as we should in respect to exposure to technology. My own experiences as a kid place me in the category of the more privileged because when I was little I had a computer class that taught me how to access the internet and utilize it. The contribution this site adds to my philosophy is the fact that there is not enough equality in the children of the world.

2) "Philosophy of Technology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

-This source shows one major point in the fact that the term technology is very general. There are different ethical issues in each field. From something like the medicine to the effects it has in education, a proper philosophy on the effects of technology and social justice needs to be appropriate for all forms not just social medias. In my digital story I'll use this concept to show how broad the issue of technology advances affecting the social justice of people in multiple different fields not just what they see when they sit down to a computer.

3) Dyson, Freeman. "The Fourth Louis Nizer Lecture on Public Policy." Technology and Social Justice. Occidental Pertoleum Corporation, 5 Nov. 1997. Web. .

-This source provides a background to the philosophy I will create in how technology effected the concept of social justice as it developed in the past. It explains how the invention of printing alone expanded social justice by making it possible for all people to learn the same concepts whether it be religiously in the bible or academically in the famous writings of Shakespeare. It shows that the concepts of technology affecting social justice don't just apply to modern times such as face book, but back to mail and email forms of social media in the past changing the concepts. It will help me develop a philosophy not just based on the present but an expanded concept of how the past may repeat itself.

4) Stephens, Geralyn E., and Marc H. Rosa. "The Effect of the Digital Divide on Social Justice." Digital Divide on Social Justice. Wayne State University. Web. .

-This source provides an idea of how technology affects academics similar to the other article stated however there is a difference. This article discusses how it affects the literary skills and general benefits to the intelligence of the students not just general benefits to researching assignments. It shows the passive abilities it gives the students and how these benefits will develop to make the student have more advantages compared to others. I will be able to use it in the discussion of how technology helps the students in their academics not just will assignments but in a lasting way. It should help to prove the academic view point in the philosophy by personal example in my own ability to read at a higher level when I was younger (9th grade reading level in 4th grade and I had access to technology at an early stage).

5) "Innovative Thinking about Social Agency and Structure in a Global World." UnderstandingSociety. 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

-This source creates a solid base definition for what social justice is. It gives a structure of what aspects of society need to be just such as the laws being applied to the human population. I can use it in my philosophy through providing an introduction of what is being considered in my digital story. I can use my personal experiences to show what laws affect me and what aspects of my own life are just or unjust in comparison to how this article explains them. It will provide support in quotes to help my philosophy be considered more realistic and applicable.

6) "Net Freedom Fighters and the Digital Age Revolution." Broadband and Social Justice — Let’s Act Now To Close The Digital Divide. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. .

- This source discusses the concept of how the digital media sites can effect society in a revolutionary governmental way. It explains how the benefits of a social site can help ideas of change be exchanged at such a high pace that a better society can be created. In turn the better society would provide a better state of social justice to the people involved. In my story I can use this explain how widespread the use of digital media can be in order show how influential the topic is. I can use personal experiences in the sites that I use such as face book in which the transfer of ideas and information is monumental. I can use personal examples to demonstrate my philosophy.

Blog Post #10

Blog Post 10: “Does Facebook and Its Users Constitute a Superorganism?”
The idea of a superorganism is in the cells and tissue of the creature. A superorganism is seen as a colony of organisms that while working together can perform actions that one alone could never make possible. When this concept is applied to technology, one thinks of the example in crisis mapping. This idea that is used by tons of individuals to aid the entire country or damaged region as a whole. However when the idea is incorporated into social media sites such as Facebook a question occurs. Does Facebook and its users constitute a Superorganism? In my opinion the answer is yes. The activities being performed as a whole aren't like the ants building bridges to get to their food, but rather an exchange of information in seconds compared to other possible methods. In order for me to tell ten of my friends that I hate studying for my Biology and Chemistry exams, I would have to text each of them individually. Taking approximately two minutes for the text to be typed and sent to the person, A total of twenty minutes would be required to notify the people I want. However If I simply post it on Facebook, They all find out at the same time within seconds. There is even a chance for it to be instantaneous if they are on Facebook already (which isn't very unlikely with most of the friends I have). The Facebook community as a whole can notify people, set up events for anything, send messages, and transfer information all a rapid pace that only takes a fraction of written mail. The Facebook community is able to perform many actions that as an individual would not be possible. It's a community within our society that links the entire world together to help perform tasks not originally possible as individuals. In my opinion, the sites ability to help in these activities resembles that of a swarm and superorganism that most if not all of us are a part of everyday.

Blog Post #9

BlogPost 9
“Describe an example of Emergent Behavior that you participated in or that you witnessed”
Justify why your example constitutes Emergence, describe the scenario from both your individual perspective and a global perspective (outside observer)

One example would be the process of speeding. when one car flies by in the left lane and emergence behavior occurs between the traffic. People will all begin to speed up and follow the speeding car in order to get away with breaking the law. Cops will usually pull over the leader of the group therefore, so long as someone else is going to be taking the blame the swarm of traffic will follow suit and begin to speed. It is a common thing to so for people throughout the world. It is a renowned practice for people who drive long trips for work or whatever reason. Personally I live four hours away from my home in Chelsea Michigan. I perform this type of emergence behavior all the time when I drive home or back to school from home. It's a common emergence behavior in the streets of our society.

Blog Post #7 and #8

BlogPosts 7 & 8

Following are the two debate queries. Please provide both sides of the issue for each query with references. (1000 words).

1.) The US government should institute formal policy that bars overseas sales of systems that provide targeted Internet surveillance if such systems are used to violate human rights or freedom of speech (such as the current internet censorship in China).

2.) The evolving capabilities to speak out and criticize the Chinese government using microblogs and other Internet social media will lead to more and greater freedoms for the Chinese people.

Question #1

Pro: If the United Sates government does ban sales of such systems that could be used to violate human rights of the people of china, the effect would be beneficiary. It would limit the amount of censorship that the Chinese government could perform. It would give the Chinese government less power over their citizens. United States companies are based out of a democratic country in which certain rights have been established and supported. Companies should uphold these human rights and should not sell to any country or system in which these rights are impaired or not established. A United states product should entail all the basic values of the United States country. Censorship by the government is not allowed here so products that conflict with the situation should not be sold. If the companies were banned from the sales there could be benefits in China. China could realize that they need the products these companies are selling. It is possible that the companies can sell these products to china on the condition that the censorship is stopped or limited. It could create a major step in the process of breaking down the Chinese firewall through means of siege. By cutting of products the country needs and wants, a change in the system could occur that would benefit the citizens. Companies from a democratic country should not sell their products to be used by a communist country to censor and limit the rights that their citizens deserve to have.

Con: If the United Sates government does ban sales of such systems that could be used to violate human rights of the people of china, the effect would be disastrous. the united states practices a free market economy which in turn protects these companies to sell and buy as they please. IF they decide to sell overseas to china, there is nothing the United States government should do to limit this. If they did then how are they any better than the Chinese company that is using these products to censor things from their citizens. No matter how you look at it fighting fire with fire only has one outcome: more fire. In other words limiting our own companies only causes more impairment of the natural human and economic rights that people should have in our world. Also with the country's economy in the state it is today, every sail or expansion of companies is very important. Limiting the sales would not only be an impairment of the free market, but it would increasing the economic problems our country is struggling to fix. Oversea sales would increase profit of these companies which would be used to bolster our injured economy. Despite the possibility of the products and services being sold to be used to limit the human rights of the people of china, the government should not in turn limit our rights by telling us who we can or cannot sell to because in the end it would make the United States government just as bad as the Chinese Government.
Question #2

Pro: The blogs and social medias over the internet being used is definitely surpassing the attempt of the Chinese government to limit their freedoms and censor their lives. With the ability to discuss the problems and make things public to the world, the citizens of china have greater power than the government would intend. The ability for them to tell the world what is happening, provides evidence to the cruelty of the Chinese government. Because the rest of the world has a chance to hear the truth about what is happening in the country its possible for the United Nations and other countries to act on the infractions being committed on the people. It gives a chance for justice and the right thing to be done for the citizens in trouble. Also it connects them to the rest of the world in the sense that their eyes are now being opened to what is happening the world they live in and not what their government chooses to tell them. Whether it's a story the Chinese altered or a story they deny is true, the important thing is that the Chinese people know the truth about what's going on. Their exposure to the social networks and sites that allow the people to express their feeling and knowledge will be beneficial to the overall state of the country and will lead to the ability for them to develop more freedoms in the years to come.

Con: Despite the fact that these sites may have benefits for the Chinese people using them, The overall situation will not lead to more freedoms for the people. The only outcome possible would be for the few freedoms they have right now to disappear as the government discovers the peoples actions. There are many different ways the government could bring an end to the people bypassing the censorship. One possibility would be increasing the consequences of violating the laws set in place. If people were threatened by death for just going on to a blog, then most if not all people would not think it would be worth it to risk it just for that tiny bit of freedom. It would decrease the rebellion against the system. On top of these consequences, the Chinese government also has multiple different ways to cut off the freedom of the citizens. These blogs may be used to express the true feeling of the citizens however the government is not going to change because people are venting their anger on the web instead of my word of voice. The Chinese government already knew that the Chinese people were not happy with the way their rights were being inflicted. Voicing it over the internet will not change it anymore than protesting the government will. All the blogs provide is a simple way for the Chinese people o speak out for how they feel, however no more freedoms or rights will be gained through it.

DS Proposal

Initial Proposal

Your goal: to convince your readers (Dr. Shutkin and fellow classmates) that your concept for a digital story is appropriate for our studies of digital media and social justice and that you can manage the technological challenges that you are taking on. Describe the theme and storyline for your digital story. Situate your digital story within the context of our studies of digital media and social justice. Describe efforts made to identify and learn the multimedia resources that you will be working with. Annotate 2-3 sources as described below in the Annotated bibliography.(Not to exceed 750 words / 3 pages). (Blog Credit)



Your goal (in outline form):

Situate your digital story within the context of our studies of digital media and social justice;
Describe the theme and storyline for your digital story;
Describe efforts made to identify and learn the multimedia resources that you will be working with to tell your story;
Annotate 2-3 sources as described below in the Annotated bibliography;
Not to exceed 750 words / 3 pages.


Dominic Leone
9/30/11
Dr. Shutkin


Digital Story Proposal
By using my own life experiences I have come up with my own ideas of social justice and digital media. Through my past life lessons about social justice I hope to be able to express my concerns in this area and help influence change where it is needed. In the digital media realm, as part of the technological boom generation, I am constantly having new experiences and ideas about what is going on. I will be able to use these experiences and concerns through the boundaries that we have discussed in this class. My story will involve the effects of the new technology upon the digital divide and how this effects the social justice of the divide. I will address this through speculations I have researched about what people think should be done in schools and at home to expose future generations to the internet and technology. Through reading articles these opinions about what should be done become very apparent. In an article I read the writer tells how it should be up to the schools to introduce the children to the new technology and thereby close the digital divide in the less fortunate areas of society. All children must go to school so therefore it would be a clever way to close the divide however the problem lies in the school funding to purchase the needed equipment and the staff who are trained enough to use it.
I have also began to read blogs in search of new opinions and ideas. A blog I also read called "Brownian Musings" tells about how the quickness of technological advances is closing the digital divide by itself. As things become less valuable and obsolete by a better model, it becomes more available to the less fortunate members of our society. therefore as time goes on its possible for the less fortunate to close the gap and own the new technology that originally caused the divide. At one point in time owning a calculator was considered to be a luxury and now days our phones have one built in and they are sold at stores for a dollar. The same goes with computers which were once only owned by wealthy businesses, and now are the size of a deck of cards and carried in our pockets called smart phones. The point of the post was that perhaps the problem of the digital divide will constantly be able to solve itself. The only factor is the amount of time it takes to do so being a cause for concern.
The theme of my story will be focused on the problem of the digital divide and the access people have to the internet in their lives as well as how experiences in life affect your views of social justice in technology. The storyline will follow the growing up of a boy named Dominic. Throughout his life he has seen many advances in technology come and go and it will be discussed how they have affected his life in turn. Also the experiences in school, ice hockey, and in his family creating a clearer view point on how society should function as well as what he considers to be just as he enters his first year of college. Throughout his life adventure he has been influenced by many different situations and seen many different problems and solutions that in turn affect his view point. Throughout the process of researching different viewpoints about the issues being discussed I have used online articles I have read. Also I used blog posting of people's opinions in order to discover new ideas and possible solutions to the overall problem.
Through a combination of all of this research as well as life experiences I have had, this story should express my viewpoints as to what I believe is socially just and the relations to the advances in technology. My digital story should provide good input into what was previously discussed in class over these issues in our society.













Annotated Bibliography
1) "Social Justice | Dangerously Irrelevant." Dangerously Irrelevant | Ruminations on Technology, Leadership and the Future of Our Schools. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. .
2) "Social Justice and Technology." Brownian Musings. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. .

Blog Post #6

BlogPost6:

Discuss the readings. What is your twitter literacy level? How is it evolving? How would you define 21st Century Literacy Skills? How does someone acquire these skills? Do schools teach 21st Century Literacy Skills? What are the relationships between technology, participatory cultures, and 21st Century Literacy? (the multimedia equivalent of 500+/- words)



Twitter and Literacy, I refuse to make up a twittery name for it by Howard Rheingold.



Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture. Media Education for the 21st Century. Henry Jenkins (pg 1-18).

I currently do not even have a twitter however after reading the article and looking at other readings for the week I now believe it would be in my best interest to. The internet will soon be controlling the majority of our technology. It is important as the second reading said to begin to teach people how to use and contribute to the Internet socially, academically, economically, and any other way possible. While looking through YouTube for a video to show this control the internet soon will have, I remembered a commercial I saw on TV from Google. My idea is that this will soon be the future of computers and our access to the rest of the world.

Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqe8ieqz10

Web Log #5

WebLog Post5:

Please discuss your experiences as an internet user. Consider Besser’s article, what are your experiences as a consumer versus creator of internet content? How have your ICT literacy skills evolved over your lifetime with respect to Warschauer’s model (as depicted in Figure 1), the notions of literacy and ICT access (depicted in Table 1), and Warshauer’s discussion of the six principles of literacy and the related six principles of ITC access. How have the physical, digital, human and social resources of your life journey allowed you to effectively make use of existing information on internet as well as contribute new content? (+/- 250 words, at least one graphic, one photo and a podcast +/- 30 sec. Please review the guidelines for which medium to use for which purposes).


I have been using the internet in my life since I was a kid. As a consumer my experiences can be described by one word: convenient. As I prepared for college over the summer we didn't have to travel any long distances to find the exact items we needed. All we had to do was grab the computer and go to target.com and other online stores and the items were delivered within a week. As a creator there is a sense of intelligence and power that it provides. Personally on my blog or Facebook I feel empowered by the ability to get my opinion about anything in the world out so that anyone who wants to can see it. I consider this chance to be a privilege. My literacy of the Internet has developed as I began to incorporate research more into my school work. With each research paper a bibliography was required and the citations has to be from legitimate sources. I learned to pick and choose the correct websites that are known for reliability on their facts. My access to the internet has only ever expanded as I grew up. It with the desktop our family owned, then expanded as schools began to have computer classes and libraries expanded their service to include access to the internet. My life journey has allowed me to make use of existing information for school work as well as personal interest. I have contributed new content onto the internet through personal experiences I express onto a social network I belong to.

graphic:http://marketingmerlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/MM-change-in-Internet-use-by-age-2010.jpg

photo:

podcast: