1984 & themes relevant to our class

The following are themes that touch on many of the topics we’ve discussed in Hum102 this term–

• freedom of speech
• surveillance
• changing perceptions of privacy (including our discussion of the apathy/ambivalance to diminished privacy)
• issues/discussion of anonymity
• how Web 2.0 levels the playing field/threatens the establishment (newspapers, education, etc)
• the importance of a diversification of media (different points of view)
• the importance of discussing, understanding, and questioning dominant culture/power (includes utilizing technology to spread different points of view; keeping history alive and accurate; avoiding history being written and revised by solely those in power)
• the importance of a Read/Write culture – participatory (Lawrence Lessig's Ted video)
• the importance of safe-guarding our rights in a time of war and disaster (think about our discussion of the Patriot Act, for example)
  
• the importance of the internet as a communication outlet for global citizens – the potential to understand one another better and avert conflict
• overall, 1894 emphasizes the importance of keeping alive curiosity, of educating yourself and others about the issues (understanding what goes on behind the curtain), and of caring and participating in society. We must be the ones that decide how we will utilize technology; how we will use it to actively shape our world instead of passively being shaped by it.

2/26 Homework & Reminder

Don't forget your usual blog post - one for Rich's discussion from last week, and one for my discussion this week.

Monday, we'll meet in the Computer Lab in Columbia. We'll talk about your final project ideas with each of you individually. You'll also do some research and prepare for a thrilling discussion on Wednesday.

Homework

Don't forget your weekly posting! It needs to relate to what we talked about this week. Due early next week!

Also, start thinking about a topic for your final project. Remember, it can be on anything related to what we've talked about in class, and it can be in a variety of formats - research paper, presentation, multi-media presentation, etc. You choose, but we need to stay ahead of the game and start thinking about it at this point.

Ask if you have questions!

On Friday, we'll have our class discussion on the following topics. If you've missed class, see the previous blog post on what you'll need to do to catch up.

Group 1: Wireless communications and government surveillance

Group 2: Data collection companies like Acxiom, Choicepoint, and any other similar companies. Look at their websites; the services they offer. Try to find research about information sharing between these companies and the government.

Group 3: We've talked about the negative consequences of data mining. Try to find arguments in defense of data mining - commercial data mining, government data mining, and/or the interaction between the two.

If you missed class on Monday, you will need to:

• Watch the video, Spying on the Home Front, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/homefront/.
• Read the short handout that I gave you on Monday. Obtain a copy from me either in class or come into the library and ask for one.
  

I will leave our discussion on Friday up to you guys. On Wednesday, we'll discuss what you want to talk about on Friday, related to what we've been talking about this week.

Video link and handout

Here's the link to the Frontline video we watched in class on Monday: Spying on the Home Front, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/homefront/. If you missed the class, be sure to watch the video.

Also, read the short handout that I gave you on Monday. It will help you with our topic on Wednesday and Friday.

Group 1: Watch (again) the video, "The Anonymity Project - Spring 2009 Digital Ethnography Preview". Explore the themes individually and as a group, along with whatever else makes an impression on you. Look for examples online or in other media that exemplify your thoughts. Discuss with your group; present to the class.

Group 2: Explore protecting your anonymity online. Draw on the brief class presentation in which we discussed this. Start by doing some individual research. Look at services like Anonymizer and Tor. Let these serve as a launching pad to explore other related services or ideas related to the topic. Discuss with your group; present to the class.

Group 3: Here's your scenario -

Your community library has recently caught a 15 year old student using anonymous surfing services to secretly download pornography, getting around filters that were already in place. Your town has decided to take a vote to decide whether to block all access to anonymous services on the library's computers. How would you vote and why?

Do some individual research. Look into anonymous peer-to-peer communication and the pros and cons of having access to these sites. Discuss with your group; present to the class.

Homework - week of 1/25-2/1

Please find and read the article "Online Privacy" in CQ Researcher. Access CQ Researcher from the library's home page.

Search for the title of the article: Online Privacy.

After reading the article, choose 2 or 3 points discussed therein and present those in your blog along with your thoughts. For each point presented, provide links to at least one additional source that discusses/provides further information on that particular topic.

Additional Homework

In addition to your 2-300 word post on something related to this week's discussion I'd like for you to do a couple of other things, as well. (Lucky you!)

1. Read and comment on at least one other student's blog post - try to make thoughtful comments, other than "right on" or "I couldn't agree more."

2. Watch this brief video at Ted.com: Jacek Utko designs to save newspapers. Post your thoughts to your blog (can be brief but, again, something substantial other than "cool video").

This is due Monday!

Group activity - Wed. 1/20

Surprise! You guys get to lead the class today. You'll be in one of three groups, each with a different activity and presentation.

Group 1
Watch the first three segments listed for the following video: The crisis at the LA Times
http://fora.tv/2008/08/14/The_Crisis_at_the_LA_Times#Newspapers_Lose_Young_Readers_to_Internet_News

What are the main themes?
What are the principles of journalism?
(Go to the Society of Professional Journalists - http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp) - keep this open to read to the class)
Are these tenets still present in online “news”?


Group 2
Discuss article, "Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable" by Clay Shirky
Present points that made impression on you

Group 3
Go the following sites. Take a good look at who they are, their mission, how they present the news, etc. How are they similar? How are they different?
Present your findings to the group.

Huffington Post
NY Times
And one other source from which you get your news

Thoughts and Tips for your future posts

I commented on each of your first posts. On the whole, they look good! I thought I'd offer some helpful tips, though, that you may find useful.

1. Write your posts as if you are writing and submitting a paper. In other words keep in mind your spelling, grammar, etc. Use quotes or the quote feature in blogger if you are quoting from another source.
2. Remember that Microsoft Word has a spell check. You could create your posts in Word, run the spell check, and then copy/paste to a blog post if necessary. This is not a requirement, but it may help you with spelling.
3. Don't let your edit mode sit open for too long - it may time out. If you have written a long post and go to publish it, you may end up losing it because you were in the edit mode for too long. Save yourself the frustration. You can always right a bit, publish it, and then edit the same post. This is like saving it periodically.
4. Your posts in the future will be a bit more analytical, longer, and feel free to link to more than one source.

and....GO!

That's right folks, we're off to the races. As you'll see, I've posted some of your blogs, but not all. Maybe your email didn't go through, maybe you forgot, who knows - try to get it to me (either by email or in person) by Friday so that I can post your lovely voice to our class website.

I "assigned" a reading for your enjoyment. This reading is not actually due until much later, but it will be good to get an early start on it (it's long), and it will give you some good footing on the topic. To find the link to the reading, go to our class website (netvibes.com/cwatkins1). Go to the second tab - Technology and Privacy portal. Click on third link "Links"; it's the first one listed - CQ Researcher ‘Online Privacy’. Use the listed login information to login to read the article. If off campus, you will first be prompted for your last name and student ID.

Contact me with your questions.