Name: Matt Halla Class time: 11 AM
1. Explain data mining:
Data mining is when companies go through social networking, credit checks, etc. to see how a person acts and using their time before even seeing them or knowing who they are as a person. This is taking our privacy away by having companies look into everything we are doing outside of what they expect for everyone.
2. Relate data mining to privacy issues, specifically citing something you read in Baase, Orwell, etc.
Data mining is like the “big brother” in Orwell’s 1984. The Big Brother isn’t always watching but can at any point in time check what any person is doing. This is just like how when you apply for a job, or already have one, and the company can go look you up on facebook or look at your records to see if you are a threat to their company in any way.
3. Explain Ashley Paynes’s situation:
Ashley Payne was a teacher who was forced to resign from her school from alleged pressure from the principal. She had taken about 700 photos on her vacation and posted them on her facebook page. 10 of these photos had her with an alcoholic beverage in the picture and the school didn’t think that this was proper for a teacher to have out in the world. Also, she had used the word “bitch” in a posting which didn’t go over well for the school either. The use of the word was for a popular game she was going to engage in playing. For this she resigned because of the pressure put on her from the school.
4. Were Ashley Payne’s rights violated? Did the school district have just cause for asking for her resignation? Base your answers off of what you have learned about privacy, show connections to Baase, Orwell, etc and support your opinion.
I think that her rights were violated because she is old enough to have a drink and she wasn’t falling over drunk. Facebook is an open site where you can look up people but what people do in their free time shouldn’t affect their job if it’s nothing that a normal person would engage in. If it’s in a tasteful manner there shouldn’t be a problem with anyone having a drink or using a specific word.
5. Summarize the video “Police surveillance cameras are stopping crime or invading their privacy by Alex Dunbar.”
There was an attempt by the Syracuse police department to stop crime by installing video cameras on the corners of streets. This caused much discussion in the neighborhood about whether or not its was for protection or just so that they can watch everyone.
6. Are police surveillance and traffic cameras are stopping crime or invading your privacy? Base your answers off of what you have learned about privacy, show connections to Baase, Orwell, etc and support your opinion.
I think that the cameras are a good idea to put out and try to catch people committing crimes that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. There is a positive and negative side to everything that is done but I think that by putting them up there is more of a positive aspect than a negative one. This would be a slight invasion of privacy but if they hid them then who knows where they will be.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Chapter 1: 1.3-1.4
Name Matt Halla Class
time: 1100-1150
KEEP THIS
TO 1-3 – PAGES LONG (excluding reference page)
Author: Sara
Basse
Date of
Publication: 2008
Book: The
Gift of Fire
Sections
read: 1.3-1.4
1.
(Knowledge)Tell
three interesting elements of this chapter:
a.
Because of ATMs, bank teller jobs decreased
from 480,000 to 301,000 in 10 years, but a few years later in rose up to
600,000 in about 10 years.
b.
At an ATM for a large New York bank 150,000
transactions equaling about 15 million dollars were incorrectly recorded
c.
Japanese candidates in 2005 were afraid to
use email and blogs to update their websites to communicate because there was a
law against it.
2.
(Comprehension)
Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?
This chapter
talks about how technology has changed our society in good and bad ways. In some
parts, it cost people their jobs but a different view is it made things easier
for us to go through our routines. ATMs took the place of many bank tellers but
they also allowed banks to expand and eventually add more branches and give
jobs back to the community. ATMs also raised crime by people stealing from ATM
users. The web has made it easier to communicate with people from around the
world but it also helped criminals find more wasy to steal from people by using
scams.
3.
(Application)Name a specific example or NEW solution
for this type of problem/similar situation in
society or that you have experienced – be
specific and explain?
There is a
spam email that goes out to many people that says some great king or ruler in
another country has left them money and they just need to send their
information and can get millions of dollars. There have been many people that
have fallen for this and lost a lot of money. These criminals that set up this
scam know that most recipients will not respond but for the few that do they
get what they want, your money.
4.
(Analysis)Address
ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to
computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and
your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented
within the reading? Try to connect what you have by reading this
article and how it applies to the stages in Bloom's taxonomy in 2 full
sentences.
You can
compare this situation to how most of the stores we shop at are now worldwide
or nationwide when before they were just little mom and pop stores. Commercial stores
like Wal-Mart have taken over because they can supply the same goods that were
in many stores in one store. The fact that this conglomerate can take over and
put more than one store out of business because they can fit many more sections
in one store than a specialty store would be a down side just like ATMs taking
jobs from people. On the other side you just have to stop at one store instead
of driving or walking to 3 or more.
5.
(Synthesis) Address
all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article
(Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS)? What
new conclusions can you draw about this (or other topics) after reading this
material?
I agree with
this section of the chapter because it has many examples of how technology has
taken and given. It has given us an easier way of doing things but it also has
taken jobs from people and still has errors that we need to fix. We also have
lost some of our privacy because of this, if you look around there are cameras
almost everywhere. There is always someone watching you whether it’s in a store
or even just searching something on the internet. This has taken some of our
privacies away but at the same time it is helping to protect us from any
threats that we may see.
6.
(Evaluation)
Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s
society? Evaluate why you are viewing the topic in this manner based on your
experiences. What ethical evaluations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics) or decisions
were made/can be assumed from this chapter? What new ideas will you make after reading
this chapter?
This is defiantly
relevant to today’s society because you can see just by walking around in a
store that there are cameras everywhere, the patriot act that was sent through
allows our government to watch us and what we look at online and the phone. The
problems we are facing today we have been facing in some way or another for
some time. There isn’t many new problems, just the ones that we didn’t solve
completely and now they are back in a different form, but with the same issue.
time: 1100-1150
KEEP THIS
TO 1-3 – PAGES LONG (excluding reference page)
Author: Sara
Basse
Date of
Publication: 2008
Book: The
Gift of Fire
Sections
read: 1.3-1.4
1.
(Knowledge)Tell
three interesting elements of this chapter:
a.
Because of ATMs, bank teller jobs decreased
from 480,000 to 301,000 in 10 years, but a few years later in rose up to
600,000 in about 10 years.
b.
At an ATM for a large New York bank 150,000
transactions equaling about 15 million dollars were incorrectly recorded
c.
Japanese candidates in 2005 were afraid to
use email and blogs to update their websites to communicate because there was a
law against it.
2.
(Comprehension)
Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?
This chapter
talks about how technology has changed our society in good and bad ways. In some
parts, it cost people their jobs but a different view is it made things easier
for us to go through our routines. ATMs took the place of many bank tellers but
they also allowed banks to expand and eventually add more branches and give
jobs back to the community. ATMs also raised crime by people stealing from ATM
users. The web has made it easier to communicate with people from around the
world but it also helped criminals find more wasy to steal from people by using
scams.
3.
(Application)Name a specific example or NEW solution
for this type of problem/similar situation in
society or that you have experienced – be
specific and explain?
There is a
spam email that goes out to many people that says some great king or ruler in
another country has left them money and they just need to send their
information and can get millions of dollars. There have been many people that
have fallen for this and lost a lot of money. These criminals that set up this
scam know that most recipients will not respond but for the few that do they
get what they want, your money.
4.
(Analysis)Address
ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to
computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and
your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented
within the reading? Try to connect what you have by reading this
article and how it applies to the stages in Bloom's taxonomy in 2 full
sentences.
You can
compare this situation to how most of the stores we shop at are now worldwide
or nationwide when before they were just little mom and pop stores. Commercial stores
like Wal-Mart have taken over because they can supply the same goods that were
in many stores in one store. The fact that this conglomerate can take over and
put more than one store out of business because they can fit many more sections
in one store than a specialty store would be a down side just like ATMs taking
jobs from people. On the other side you just have to stop at one store instead
of driving or walking to 3 or more.
5.
(Synthesis) Address
all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article
(Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS)? What
new conclusions can you draw about this (or other topics) after reading this
material?
I agree with
this section of the chapter because it has many examples of how technology has
taken and given. It has given us an easier way of doing things but it also has
taken jobs from people and still has errors that we need to fix. We also have
lost some of our privacy because of this, if you look around there are cameras
almost everywhere. There is always someone watching you whether it’s in a store
or even just searching something on the internet. This has taken some of our
privacies away but at the same time it is helping to protect us from any
threats that we may see.
6.
(Evaluation)
Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s
society? Evaluate why you are viewing the topic in this manner based on your
experiences. What ethical evaluations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics) or decisions
were made/can be assumed from this chapter? What new ideas will you make after reading
this chapter?
This is defiantly
relevant to today’s society because you can see just by walking around in a
store that there are cameras everywhere, the patriot act that was sent through
allows our government to watch us and what we look at online and the phone. The
problems we are facing today we have been facing in some way or another for
some time. There isn’t many new problems, just the ones that we didn’t solve
completely and now they are back in a different form, but with the same issue.
Monday, February 13, 2012
GMO's
Matt Halla
1) Remember when you were a tour guide for an Alien? The Alien is back and wants to understand what a GMO is. Explain this information to the Alien
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This is the result of a process where the genes from one species are taken and forced into an unrelated plant or animal. Genes are what make up our cells which in turn make us as humans what we are. The genes that are taken and forced into the plant or animal can come from a variety of places including bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or possibly humans. This process is called genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification (GM) (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).
2) State the controversy associated with GMO’s.
There are many controversies over the use of genetic engineering in all ways of life. There are many unknown effects that could happen to humans or even the native environment. There are only a few companies that could make this happen, so the food production would be dominated by the few. There is the debate that we shouldn’t tamper with the natural way of organisms. Society will be affected in a way that it may be angled toward the richer countries and leave the poorer countries in the dark (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml).
3) Are people’s reactions to GMO’s different in various regions of the world? Explain with references.
In Europe, their parliament voted on banning GM, genetic modification, crops in different countries. The members of parliament were voting on amending a proposal by the European Commission that would allow member states to restrict/ban the cultivation of GM crops on their territory. Businesses feared that it would hurt the farmers and break up the internal market. There was an overwhelming amount of votes in favor of banning GM crops, 548 were in favor, 84 were against, and 31 were abstentions (http://www.euronews.net/2010/07/13/gmos-divide-europe/). The US has GMO’s present in many processed foods while European countries have banned it as food ingredients (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).
4) What’s your reaction to this topic? Explain with references.
My reaction to this topic after reading the articles is that I would be against growing these crops. I think that the effects aren’t worth the risk of the positives that would happen. The fact that the natural way of organisms would be compromised and health issues for humans aren’t worth the food its creating (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml). I am surprised that the majority of our processed foods in the US have these ingredients. Also, the FDA doesn’t mandate the labeling of GMO’s in food ingredient lists (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).
5) Can GMO’s be changed? Should they be changed? Explain with references.
There have been many different GMO’s that have been tried, for example: artic fish genes that would allow tomatoes and strawberries to tolerant frost, jellyfish genes that lit up pigs noses in the dark, and potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics/faqs). Some of these I don’t think have a point in being used and shouldn’t have the effort put forth to continue trying.
6) While reading "Institute for Responsible Technology. GMO Basics (Also explore at least two of the other tabs on this page:http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics
"What were the two tabs that you explored? How did the information presented affect what you thought about GMO's?
I decided to explore the tab that explained the higher health risks for children. For example children have the greatest risk from GM foods which include: younger children, with faster developing bodies than adults, have a greater influence from these foods, children are more susceptible to allergies which may come about from the GM foods, children are more susceptible to nutritional problems which nothing shows that the foods are better or have more nutrients, and children are in danger from antibiotic resistant diseases which these foods can influence (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/higher-risks-for-children). I also looked at environmental risks. Cross pollination is a big issue with GM foods. They can contaminate the trees and wild flora around where they are being grown. Some of the foods that produce their own pesticide can contaminate nearby water and plants which can affect the wildlife in the area. There have become weeds that are deemed “super weeds” because of their resistance to herbicides (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/dangers-to-the-environment).
The information I have read has swayed me towards banning these types of foods because of all the harmful effects that they produce. They effect the entire environment around them, not just where they are grown. The way GM foods are processed and made is harmful to us as humans, especially children, and to the environment where they are cultivated.
7) Typing out the exact quote from any of the readings (and referencing it) list one powerful statement that you read.
Put the statement in context and explain why this statement was powerful enough to remember. (What made you react to this information?)
“The rats showed significant health damage after only 10 days, including damaged immune systems and digestive function, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy of the liver, and potentially pre-cancerous cell growth in the intestines” (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/higher-risks-for-children). This was a powerful statement because it shows that the effects on younger generation. The young develop much faster and are influenced much greater so when I read that there was significant damage after only 10 days I was shocked. It wasn’t just damage in one area either; it was multiple areas and organs that were very disrupted by this. This test was done on young rats to show that developing bodies are greatly affected by these foods.
1) Remember when you were a tour guide for an Alien? The Alien is back and wants to understand what a GMO is. Explain this information to the Alien
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This is the result of a process where the genes from one species are taken and forced into an unrelated plant or animal. Genes are what make up our cells which in turn make us as humans what we are. The genes that are taken and forced into the plant or animal can come from a variety of places including bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or possibly humans. This process is called genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification (GM) (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).
2) State the controversy associated with GMO’s.
There are many controversies over the use of genetic engineering in all ways of life. There are many unknown effects that could happen to humans or even the native environment. There are only a few companies that could make this happen, so the food production would be dominated by the few. There is the debate that we shouldn’t tamper with the natural way of organisms. Society will be affected in a way that it may be angled toward the richer countries and leave the poorer countries in the dark (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml).
3) Are people’s reactions to GMO’s different in various regions of the world? Explain with references.
In Europe, their parliament voted on banning GM, genetic modification, crops in different countries. The members of parliament were voting on amending a proposal by the European Commission that would allow member states to restrict/ban the cultivation of GM crops on their territory. Businesses feared that it would hurt the farmers and break up the internal market. There was an overwhelming amount of votes in favor of banning GM crops, 548 were in favor, 84 were against, and 31 were abstentions (http://www.euronews.net/2010/07/13/gmos-divide-europe/). The US has GMO’s present in many processed foods while European countries have banned it as food ingredients (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).
4) What’s your reaction to this topic? Explain with references.
My reaction to this topic after reading the articles is that I would be against growing these crops. I think that the effects aren’t worth the risk of the positives that would happen. The fact that the natural way of organisms would be compromised and health issues for humans aren’t worth the food its creating (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml). I am surprised that the majority of our processed foods in the US have these ingredients. Also, the FDA doesn’t mandate the labeling of GMO’s in food ingredient lists (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).
5) Can GMO’s be changed? Should they be changed? Explain with references.
There have been many different GMO’s that have been tried, for example: artic fish genes that would allow tomatoes and strawberries to tolerant frost, jellyfish genes that lit up pigs noses in the dark, and potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics/faqs). Some of these I don’t think have a point in being used and shouldn’t have the effort put forth to continue trying.
6) While reading "Institute for Responsible Technology. GMO Basics (Also explore at least two of the other tabs on this page:http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics
"What were the two tabs that you explored? How did the information presented affect what you thought about GMO's?
I decided to explore the tab that explained the higher health risks for children. For example children have the greatest risk from GM foods which include: younger children, with faster developing bodies than adults, have a greater influence from these foods, children are more susceptible to allergies which may come about from the GM foods, children are more susceptible to nutritional problems which nothing shows that the foods are better or have more nutrients, and children are in danger from antibiotic resistant diseases which these foods can influence (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/higher-risks-for-children). I also looked at environmental risks. Cross pollination is a big issue with GM foods. They can contaminate the trees and wild flora around where they are being grown. Some of the foods that produce their own pesticide can contaminate nearby water and plants which can affect the wildlife in the area. There have become weeds that are deemed “super weeds” because of their resistance to herbicides (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/dangers-to-the-environment).
The information I have read has swayed me towards banning these types of foods because of all the harmful effects that they produce. They effect the entire environment around them, not just where they are grown. The way GM foods are processed and made is harmful to us as humans, especially children, and to the environment where they are cultivated.
7) Typing out the exact quote from any of the readings (and referencing it) list one powerful statement that you read.
Put the statement in context and explain why this statement was powerful enough to remember. (What made you react to this information?)
“The rats showed significant health damage after only 10 days, including damaged immune systems and digestive function, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy of the liver, and potentially pre-cancerous cell growth in the intestines” (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/higher-risks-for-children). This was a powerful statement because it shows that the effects on younger generation. The young develop much faster and are influenced much greater so when I read that there was significant damage after only 10 days I was shocked. It wasn’t just damage in one area either; it was multiple areas and organs that were very disrupted by this. This test was done on young rats to show that developing bodies are greatly affected by these foods.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Assignment #4: Critical thinking #2
Name Matt Halla Class time: 11 am
KEEP THIS TO 1-3 – PAGES LONG (excluding reference page)
Author:
Date of Publication:
Book:
Sections read:
1. (Knowledge)Tell three interesting elements of this chapter:
a. Miranda knows two languages and plays on the basketball team.
b. The teachers didn’t take responsibility, they all blamed someone else
c. School officials said there would be a public apology, but all they did was send a generic letter to parents/guardians.
2. (Comprehension) Summarize what is being discussed within this chapter?
This was an article about a young 7th grader who was suspended from her basketball game for speaking in her native language. When she was in class she said “hello” and “I love you” in her native language and the teacher came up to her desk, slammed her hand down, and asked her how would I know if you’re not saying something bad. The mother of Miranda was very upset about this and had 3 different meetings with school officials over this issue. In the end, there was a letter that was sent to all parents/guardians as an apology, but the mother still felt like it wasn’t enough for what has happened.
3. (Application)Name a specific example or NEW solution for this type of problem/similar situation in society or that you have experienced – be specific and explain?
I think that the school should have actually done a public apology, not a generic letter sent out to the households of the parents. The school never got to the point of the problem that was raised by the mother; they just kept sending her in circles to different people to talk to. If the school would have had an assembly, maybe not specifically for her but in general about the issue, it would have made a point that they didn’t take this in the right steps and it would show everyone that they could make things better for future situations that could come about in the same type of way.
4. (Analysis)Address ANY that apply. How can you compare one of the situations in this chapter to something that does not relate to computers, technology, or the Internet? Be sure to reference the chapter and your solution. What ideas NEW can you add to the issue that is being presented within the reading? Try to connect what you have by reading this article and how it applies to the stages in Bloom's taxonomy in 2 full sentences.
The issue being addressed in this article is that the school didn’t take the right steps in how they acted toward the student. A simple conversation in a native language was blown out of proportion by the staff and they didn’t know how to recover after they had already made their “ruling”. The way the first teacher acted I think was a little out of hand and the second teacher just followed the first one because they were friends.
5. (Synthesis) Address all that apply. Do you agree with what is being said within the article (Why/Why not? Back up with FACTS)? What new conclusions can you draw about this (or other topics) after reading this material?
I disagree with the way the school attempted to reconcile for what happened to Miranda. I believe that when they told the mother they would do a public apology, they mislead her. When someone thinks of a public apology they think of the principle or other high school officials talking in front of the parents or students, not a letter sent out that was probably a template for all different kinds of situations. After reading this article I feel that school systems don’t always act in the right way or handle things the way many people would. I can understand why the teachers acted in the manner that they did but I think they could have done it in a better way.
6. (Evaluation) Address all that apply. Judge whether or not this topic is relevant in today’s society? Evaluate why you are viewing the topic in this manner based on your experiences. What ethical evaluations (see Chap1-1.4 for exp of Ethics) or decisions were made/can be assumed from this chapter? What new ideas will you make after reading this chapter?
I believe that this issue is relevant in today’s society. It may not be the exact same issue but one relevant to it, like a piece of clothing or some assignment for the class. There are issues in every school and not all of them will make the news like this one. It’s good that this story got in the open because it shows how sometimes you need to stand up for what you believe in if you think it’s wrong. It doesn’t always work out for the best, like how the mother in this case wasn’t happy with the school in the end, but at least she got her point across and stood up for what she felt was wrong. This article backed up what I thought of how school officials and that they don’t want to deal with anything and just push it around to everyone else in a big circle. It shows that the school wanted to just drop everything and quiet the problem down without having anything major happen.
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