Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Response #12 : Do you think social networks fuel isolation?
Social network fuels isolation
If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are.
Montesquieu T he Social Network is up for best picture Oscar tomorrow. The movie chronicles the birth of Facebook. What began as Mark Zuckerberg's somewhat vengeful attempt to rate the pulchritude of female students at Harvard University led to a social networking website for Harvard students.
Six years, and half a billion friends later, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history, not without personal and legal complications. As the movie tagline puts it, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies." I hopped on the Facebook bandwagon when it was still a young person's network, mostly to keep in touch with my kids. It still serves that purpose, along with connecting with a larger cyber circle of friends.
Social networking makes it so easy for us to connect and chat and organize that it is literally changing the world. Protesters in Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Bahrain and Libya, for example, have used Facebook and Twitter to share both their rage and their response.
We are, of course, social creatures. Not unlike our closest relatives among primates, gorillas and chimpanzees, we have relied on group effort to survive, to feed ourselves and fend off enemies.
Our socializing has evolved into much larger and more complex networks. We have cliques, clubs, cabals and congregations. Proof of our need to socialize is found in the ultimate punishment of the criminal short of the death sentence: solitary confinement.
The good news is we can now organize without an organization. We can instantly mourn death and celebrate birth. We can share pictures of our vacation or our grandchildren with those who might somehow find our vacation or grandchildren interesting.
Social media creates ways of finding and interacting with one another we never imagined five years ago. You can't easily dismiss such powerful tools.
But here are two caveats. The most obvious one is having to deal with the vanishing boundaries these tools have left in their wake. If you write on Facebook about something you did that you shouldn't have done, it makes life easier for police or future employers. If a notorious or noxious picture is taken and falls into the wrong hands, it is fuel for the fires of revenge. Common sense dictates discretion in view of the ubiquity of social media.
The other caveat, less obvious but more serious, is that social media may be having the exact opposite of its intended impact. Rather than socialization, Facebook and Twitter may be fueling isolation.
Intimate relationships take work. You can't bail out when it gets tough. Despite its promises of connectivity, social networking can make us lonelier by preventing true intimacy. Kids prefer text over talk, even on the phone. Rather than being in the moment, we bow our head and head somewhere else via the Internet, fostering perpetual adolescence and superficiality.
Isolation is exacerbated by the temptation to put your best face on Facebook. We artfully curate our friends, photos, history, achievements, pithy observations and the books we say we like.
Here I am with my 500 friends. Here I am at this great party.
Except for mourning the dearly departed, sadness and blandness will not do. Facebook is "like being in a play. You make a character," one teenager tells MIT professor Sherry Turkle in her new book on technology, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other.
Turkle writes about the exhaustion felt by teenagers as they constantly tweak their Facebook profiles for maximum cool. She calls this "presentation anxiety," and suggests the site's element of constant performance makes people feel alienated from themselves. She writes, "Just because we grew up with the Internet, doesn't mean the Internet is grown up." The fault is not with the Internet. Technology is amoral. The fault lies in how we use it. Facebook connects us, but it may be time to step back and reconsider what it's doing to us. While social media makes it easier to engage people, it also makes it easier to avoid them and easier to create a phony persona people can connect with.
In the end, Marc Zuckerberg's creation may leave us less connected with people and more connected to simulations of them.
Montesquieu T he Social Network is up for best picture Oscar tomorrow. The movie chronicles the birth of Facebook. What began as Mark Zuckerberg's somewhat vengeful attempt to rate the pulchritude of female students at Harvard University led to a social networking website for Harvard students.
Six years, and half a billion friends later, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history, not without personal and legal complications. As the movie tagline puts it, "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies." I hopped on the Facebook bandwagon when it was still a young person's network, mostly to keep in touch with my kids. It still serves that purpose, along with connecting with a larger cyber circle of friends.
Social networking makes it so easy for us to connect and chat and organize that it is literally changing the world. Protesters in Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Bahrain and Libya, for example, have used Facebook and Twitter to share both their rage and their response.
We are, of course, social creatures. Not unlike our closest relatives among primates, gorillas and chimpanzees, we have relied on group effort to survive, to feed ourselves and fend off enemies.
Our socializing has evolved into much larger and more complex networks. We have cliques, clubs, cabals and congregations. Proof of our need to socialize is found in the ultimate punishment of the criminal short of the death sentence: solitary confinement.
The good news is we can now organize without an organization. We can instantly mourn death and celebrate birth. We can share pictures of our vacation or our grandchildren with those who might somehow find our vacation or grandchildren interesting.
Social media creates ways of finding and interacting with one another we never imagined five years ago. You can't easily dismiss such powerful tools.
But here are two caveats. The most obvious one is having to deal with the vanishing boundaries these tools have left in their wake. If you write on Facebook about something you did that you shouldn't have done, it makes life easier for police or future employers. If a notorious or noxious picture is taken and falls into the wrong hands, it is fuel for the fires of revenge. Common sense dictates discretion in view of the ubiquity of social media.
The other caveat, less obvious but more serious, is that social media may be having the exact opposite of its intended impact. Rather than socialization, Facebook and Twitter may be fueling isolation.
Intimate relationships take work. You can't bail out when it gets tough. Despite its promises of connectivity, social networking can make us lonelier by preventing true intimacy. Kids prefer text over talk, even on the phone. Rather than being in the moment, we bow our head and head somewhere else via the Internet, fostering perpetual adolescence and superficiality.
Isolation is exacerbated by the temptation to put your best face on Facebook. We artfully curate our friends, photos, history, achievements, pithy observations and the books we say we like.
Here I am with my 500 friends. Here I am at this great party.
Except for mourning the dearly departed, sadness and blandness will not do. Facebook is "like being in a play. You make a character," one teenager tells MIT professor Sherry Turkle in her new book on technology, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other.
Turkle writes about the exhaustion felt by teenagers as they constantly tweak their Facebook profiles for maximum cool. She calls this "presentation anxiety," and suggests the site's element of constant performance makes people feel alienated from themselves. She writes, "Just because we grew up with the Internet, doesn't mean the Internet is grown up." The fault is not with the Internet. Technology is amoral. The fault lies in how we use it. Facebook connects us, but it may be time to step back and reconsider what it's doing to us. While social media makes it easier to engage people, it also makes it easier to avoid them and easier to create a phony persona people can connect with.
In the end, Marc Zuckerberg's creation may leave us less connected with people and more connected to simulations of them.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Response #11: Facebook: What do you think about this article?
Victoria police officer poses as teen on Facebook
By Danielle Bell, Nanaimo
The photos, favourite music and hobbies on this online profile of a young teenager are commonplace in the world of Facebook.
The teen posts updates and messages in this popular online social networking site to dozens of friends, who sometimes text over cellphones to pass on plans.Dozens of students in the Nanaimo-area learned this week just how easy this type of information could fall into the wrong hands when Darren Laur, with Personal Protection Systems Inc., introduced himself as this young teenager.
Laur, 46, who is also a
The pictures are purchased and information gleaned from othe sources, including teens.
The Nanaimo Daily News is not revealing specific details that could identify the fake profile, which is used for educational purposes.
But Laur warns the way he established a rapport, cultivated trust and became privy to cellphone numbers, workplaces, schedules - even whether people were home or not - is the same way criminals can.
He uses this imaginary persona to demonstrate to kids how easily the criminal element could use information for a more sinister purpose: from online predators to those planning robberies or identity theft.
"If you can build a rapport with them it is very easy for them to trust you," said Laur. "Bad creepers are doing it for other reasons. But they're doing it exactly the way I am."
Cellphone technology could also allow Laur to track a location within 10 metres, so a series of pictures inside a house could indicate where someone lives.
At
"We were like, 'oh my God,'" said Paige Spoor, 15. "After that I made (my online profile) very secure."
Matthew Smith, 15, only recently joined Facebook.
"You think you're putting on harmless information and bam, he knows everything about you," said Smith.
The presentation made fellow student Carolyne Springford, 17, contemplate how easy it could be to be fooled by someone.
"It's scary," said Springford. "It's showing us how easy people can get information. As soon as I heard that, I went home and changed (my Facebook page)."
Laur also speaks to kids about how their digital footprint - what they leave behind - could come back to haunt them as they apply for jobs or scholarships.
Laur, who also teaches parents, cautions people to limit their online information and on networks accept only people they have met face-to-face.
"It's the age we're in," said Cedar principal Susann Young. "We need to know a lot more about that and so do parents."
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Response #6: Why are teens watching so much TV? Will these new guidelines help teens move more?
New guidelines aimed at getting kids moving
Canadian youngsters should spend no more than two hours daily in front of computer and TV screens, according to new behaviour guidelines.
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology unveiled the guidelines Tuesday in hopes of minimizing the time children and youth between ages five and 17 spend in low-energy behaviours.
On top of the expected recommendations -- spend less time playing passive video games and watching TV -- the guidelines say youth should try to scale back sedentary transport, such as taking the bus or travelling by car.
Kids, five to 11, are encouraged to walk to school with a group of friends in their neighbourhood. Older youth are asked to consider biking to school. Or instead of texting a friend, why not try getting up and visiting them in person.
But it's a tough task, reducing "screen time."
The average school-age Canadian spends about 62 per cent of their waking hours in screen time -- that's 8.6 hours a day.
The society released its physical activity guidelines for Canadians only a few weeks ago. Children and youth were advised to get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. However, only about 7 per cent of youth meet those guidelines, the society says.
"We're not saying replace sedentary behaviour with exercise per se -- (although) that would be wonderful. But replace it with something else other than sedentary behaviour," Mark Tremblay, chair of the physical activity guidelines committee told The Canadian Press.
"If that's just standing more often, then wonderful. If it's walking more often, if it's getting outside, if it's doing chores around the house, if it's doing a hobby that doesn't have you sitting immobile, then what our research shows is that that is associated with a decrease in health risks over and above the benefits that kids get from high-level physical activity."
With computers built into the curriculum, some schools are looking at new ways to get their students moving.
At Earl Grey School in Winnipeg, they are trying out after-school dance classes.
"They're participating and being fit, but they're not aware of it and that works really well," principal Gail Singer told CTV News.
In New Brunswick, the province's largest school district is incorporating physical activities into more student routines.
School District 2 recently announced the launch of Move 2 Improve at Beaverbrook School in Moncton and its investment in exercise equipment, such as treadmills and spin bikes.
Canadian youngsters should spend no more than two hours daily in front of computer and TV screens, according to new behaviour guidelines.
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology unveiled the guidelines Tuesday in hopes of minimizing the time children and youth between ages five and 17 spend in low-energy behaviours.
On top of the expected recommendations -- spend less time playing passive video games and watching TV -- the guidelines say youth should try to scale back sedentary transport, such as taking the bus or travelling by car.
Kids, five to 11, are encouraged to walk to school with a group of friends in their neighbourhood. Older youth are asked to consider biking to school. Or instead of texting a friend, why not try getting up and visiting them in person.
But it's a tough task, reducing "screen time."
The average school-age Canadian spends about 62 per cent of their waking hours in screen time -- that's 8.6 hours a day.
The society released its physical activity guidelines for Canadians only a few weeks ago. Children and youth were advised to get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day. However, only about 7 per cent of youth meet those guidelines, the society says.
"We're not saying replace sedentary behaviour with exercise per se -- (although) that would be wonderful. But replace it with something else other than sedentary behaviour," Mark Tremblay, chair of the physical activity guidelines committee told The Canadian Press.
"If that's just standing more often, then wonderful. If it's walking more often, if it's getting outside, if it's doing chores around the house, if it's doing a hobby that doesn't have you sitting immobile, then what our research shows is that that is associated with a decrease in health risks over and above the benefits that kids get from high-level physical activity."
With computers built into the curriculum, some schools are looking at new ways to get their students moving.
At Earl Grey School in Winnipeg, they are trying out after-school dance classes.
"They're participating and being fit, but they're not aware of it and that works really well," principal Gail Singer told CTV News.
In New Brunswick, the province's largest school district is incorporating physical activities into more student routines.
School District 2 recently announced the launch of Move 2 Improve at Beaverbrook School in Moncton and its investment in exercise equipment, such as treadmills and spin bikes.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Response #4- Media stories about teens. Why don't newspapers have more good news stories about teens?
Teens responsible for vandalisms, assaults, robbery in Esquimalt
By Erin Cardone - Victoria News
Published: February 08, 2011 6:00 PM
Updated: February 08, 2011 6:24 PM
Published: February 08, 2011 6:00 PM
Updated: February 08, 2011 6:24 PM
Five assaults and one robbery on adults and children alike in Esquimalt last weekend are just the latest incidents involving unruly teens in the township, police say.
"There's about 10 youths we've been in contact with" in the past month, said Sgt. Grant Hamilton.
On Friday, calls about a group of four to six teens began pouring in to VicPD's dispatch centre at 9:30 p.m.
A man and woman were approached on the West Bay Marina footpath by three teens with bandanas over their faces, who demanded cash. One pulled a knife and the 55-year-old man's finger was cut.
Next, a group of teens tried to rob a 34-year-old Esquimalt man on a bike at Dunsmuir Road and Head Street. When the cyclist refused to hand over his money, the teens pulled him to the ground and hit him.
Soon thereafter, a 30-year-old Esquimalt man was punched in the same block when he didn't provide the teens with a cigarette.
By 10 p.m., police were notified a 10-year-old boy was punched in the face by one in a group of teens, while walking with his mom near Tim Hortons in the 800 block of Esquimalt Road.
Before 11, a 14-year-old boy was sucker-punched while walking home with his mom in the 800 block of Dunsmuir.
Police brought in a canine unit to track the teens and arrested two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old. Officers think between one and three other teens were involved.
The teens are not believed to live in Esquimalt. One gave officers a Sooke address.
Mischief among youth isn't a problem endemic to Esquimalt, or any community, said Meagan Brame, an Esquimalt councillor and mother of two teens.
"There's good youth and there's troubled youth in every community," Brame said. "It flares up and it flares down, but I wouldn't paint it as Esquimalt's problem."
The teens, Hamilton said, are not related to previous incidents in the past four weeks involving youth getting into trouble. Instead, there's a problem in Esquimalt where parents aren't minding their teens.
On Jan. 27, VicPD officers arrested a 17 year old but were eluded by others after a break-in at Rockheights middle school. It was the second break-in at the school in two days.
On Jan. 26, a window at Macaulay elementary was smashed and on the 27th, the boards covering the open window were set ablaze using diesel fuel.
Also on Jan. 26, an elderly woman living in the 1000 block of Munro Street heard glass smash as a large rock came flying through her bedroom window. A 16-year-old was arrested.
Earlier, on Jan. 7, the tires of 31 vehicles, including four police cars, were slashed with a knife. The slashings happened at VicPD's West Division and near the Archie Browning Sports Centre. Four teens were arrested, age 14 and 16.
"Whether it's the demographics of Esquimalt, we're not sure," Hamilton said, "but there's definitely more of a problem with youth."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Planning 10 Outline
Mrs. Hermanson
Room 201
Planning 10 and Grad Transitions are required for graduation.
The aim of planning 10 is to enable students to develop the skills they need to become self-directed individuals who set goals, make thoughtful decisions, and take responsibility for pursuing their goals throughout life. Planning 10 provides opportunities for student to:
· plan for successful learning in the Graduation Program
· explore a wide range of post-secondary education and career options
· think critically about health issues and decisions
· develop financial literacy skills related to pursuing their education and career goals
· begin planning for their transition beyond secondary school
By the end of the course students will:
Þ become informed decision makers, able to understand the effects of their choices on themselves and others
Þ develop an understanding of their personal responsibility for attaining and maintaining their health and financial well-being
Þ develop an understanding of education and career choices
Þ demonstrate the attitudes, skills, and knowledge that enable them to plan for the successful transition from secondary school to their adult lives
Þ be able to access information and analyze it for accuracy, bias and relevance
Students will start Graduation Transitions (4 credits) in Planning 10 and complete the program before graduation.
The course will be divided into four major sections:
- The Graduation Program
- Education and Careers
- Health
- Finances
Most of the time will be spent focusing on Education/Careers and Health.
Attendance and participation are important to this course. Information will be presented daily and assignments will have deadlines. Students must come prepared to work every class.
This means you will need to bring:
Þ A pencil/pen or both
Þ A binder with loose leaf paper
Optional equipment:
Þ Pencil Crayons/Felt pens
Þ Scissors
Þ Glue stick
Assessment:
· 80% for Term 1 and 2
· 20% for a Final Project
There will be numerous assignments, projects, quizzes and tests during the semester. Within each term, marks will be assigned as follows:
Þ 20% Tests and Quizzes
Þ 80% Assignments/homework (projects, worksheets, class discussions, computer work, reflections, etc.)
During Planning 10 we watch 2-3 feature films. The following is a list of films that we may view in this course:
· Door to Door: The Story of Bill Porter ( special needs, overcoming obstacles)
· Philadelphia
· The Sololist ( homelessness/ mental health)
· Sicko ( health care)
· Juno ( family planning/sexual health)
· Save the Last Dance ( relationships, racism)
· Bend It Like Beckham ( stereotyping, diversity)
· Super Size Me ( health/diet)
· Mean Girls (cliques, relationships)
Student Name:___________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature:___________________________
Response #3: Why Why Why are people still texting and driving?? Should fines be heavier? What do you think about this issue?
Distracted drivers still a plague on roads despite ban
Drivers are still talking and texting on the road in large numbers, despite the year-old ban on the use of handheld devices.
One year after B.C.'s distracted driving ban kicked in, there's little sign the threat of fines are helping drivers keep their eyes on the road and off their electronic gadgets.
"There's a high percentage of people still using their cellphones whenever they're driving," RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said.
Police issued 32,000 tickets province-wide since the ban on handheld use of cellphones and similar devices began in February 2010, worth a total of $5.2 million in $167 fines.
Distracted driving remained a factor in 32 per cent of all fatal crashes in B.C.'s RCMP-enforced jurisdictions in the past year.
In the Lower Mainland, it's linked to 48 per cent of traffic deaths – a total of 45 people killed by distracted drivers since the new law took effect.
That doesn't necessarily mean a distracted driver who caused a deadly crash was talking on a cellphone or texting.
"It means they were doing something that took their eyes off the road," Chung said. "Looking for a CD on the floor, playing with an iPod or maybe they spilled a cup of coffee and were wiping it up, not watching where they are going."
Playing video games and programming GPS units is also a problem, he said.
"The worst thing I've seen is people looking down and texting when they're making a left turn."
Distracted drivers have been hit waiting mid-intersection to turn left when their green light goes yellow and then red. Others stopped at red lights can get rear-ended if the light turns green without them responding.
In addition to the fines, drivers caught texting or emailing also get three penalty points against their insurance.
RCMP Traffic Services Supt. Norm Gaumont suggested a review may be needed to examine whether the distracted driving penalties are stiff enough.
“If you look at our statistics, it’s clear the public doesn’t realize just how dangerous it can be if you don’t have your full focus on the road,” he said.
BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation executive director Allan Lamb said it's "unbelievable" large numbers of drivers still talk and text.
He said everyone should rethink their near-compulsive need to be constantly plugged in and available to employers, friends and family.
He said businesses and organizations with employees who must drive on the job should develop a policy on distracted driving.
Enforcement of such policies can be a problem, however, as even ICBC discovered in recent weeks.
Private investigators hired by ICBC continued using handheld videocameras while driving to spy on an Abbotsford man suing for damages from a crash. The tactic apparently continued until well into 2010 – after the ban took effect – until a judge criticized the practice and officials vowed it would change.
ICBC had long had guidelines requiring all employees and contractors to drive safely and obey traffic laws.
Technically, a handheld video camera is not on the list of specifically banned devices, so police could not issue a ticket under the new law, although they could pursue a charge under the Motor Vehicle Act of driving without due care and attention.
A policing blitz throughout February is now underway to step up enforcement of the law.
Officers will be on the lookout not just for phone and gadget users, but also drivers putting on makeup while driving or reading a book or newspaper, even though those are not ticketable under the new law.
Police may be disguised in garb like mascot costumes to snare violators.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Student Blogs
Check out each blog and make a comment or two. Thanks!
brooklynnsblogspot.blogspot.com
blogforkeyboarding.blogspot.com
semegi.blogspot.com
MarieViolette21.blogspot.com
lumayer96.blogspot.com
lynnvictoria.blogspot.com
esqforever.blogspot.com
juicylovex-o.blogspot.com
scotbury123.blogspot.com
Lance"DUBY343".blogspot.com
Sean201.blogspot.com
bw201.blogspot.com
blackven.blogspot.com
sasperilla12.blogspot.com
weatherthings.blogspot.com
brooklynnsblogspot.blogspot.com
blogforkeyboarding.blogspot.com
semegi.blogspot.com
MarieViolette21.blogspot.com
lumayer96.blogspot.com
lynnvictoria.blogspot.com
esqforever.blogspot.com
juicylovex-o.blogspot.com
scotbury123.blogspot.com
Lance"DUBY343".blogspot.com
Sean201.blogspot.com
bw201.blogspot.com
blackven.blogspot.com
sasperilla12.blogspot.com
weatherthings.blogspot.com
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