Aodhan Smith
10/31/08
Enc 1101-42
Google Generation
The Google generation, as defined by an English study, is the generation that has no memory of life before the Internet (Information Behavior). While there is no clear cut line yet, the study that was conducted studied children born after 1993 who are in their school years now (Information Behavior). The characteristics of this generation are that they lack attention span and the ability to effectively use academic databases over search engines. Also, it is believed that generation Google is better with technology and uses it more than any age group or generation before them. The study showed that this is not always the case for this generation and that most of these characteristics are either false or apply to more than just the Google generation.
The first thing that the study disproved was that generation Google is better with technology (Ars Technica). The study showed that while generation Google was more technology based, they did not use technology better, they just used simpler programs (Ars Technica). Rather than use a database to get information with credentials to back it up, generation Google uses simpler search engines, like Google. This has also lead to an increase of plagiarism because rather than summarize the article and look for who wrote it, the article is just copied and pasted and not cited (Ars Technica).
Another behavioral trait that is said to be common of the Google generation is that they are more impatient than all previous generations (Ars Technica). The study also disproved this belief as well. While the Google generation does have a shorter temperament, this characteristic is also common in older people who use technology (Ars Technica). This is a result of a change in society. Since we are used to receiving the answers to our questions immediately from search engines, when it is not found in the first couple of pages of search results the searcher starts to get annoyed that it is taking so long. So the characteristic of having a short patience when it comes to getting search result is a characteristic of our culture as a whole rather than just one generation.
The Google generation also is said to lack in analytical skills and the ability to use effective keyword searches to find information on the internet. This is evident in how the students who were studied searched the internet. Many of them, rather than type in a key word or phrase, just used sentences as their search parameters (Information Behavior). The group also read the whole article and pictures rather than skim it for important points and relevance. Since they lack in analytical skills, the use of a search engine is much easier than using a database. This also leads to the lack of citing because many sources pulled up on Google are not primary sources, they are just articles that are talking about sources with no physical way to confirm the evidence provided. Databases at least provide where the information can be found.
The majority of the characteristics of the Google generation are false. While this generation is lazier, it is more of a culture wide change as opposed to being just those who grew up with no memory of life before the Internet. Generation Google does lack in analytical skills which is leading to the predominant use of search engines, like Google, and also to a lack of citations. Also, this generation is no less impatient than any other generation who is using the Internet right now. The study showed that older people who use the Internet as much as this generation does right now can be just as impatient when they do not find what they want right away. This also is more of a culture-wide change as opposed to a trait specific to one generation. Generation Google is not necessarily lazier than any other generation, they have just adapted to the technology presented to them and taken the easiest route possible. Rather than go the library to find a book, they just use Google to find it, and then cut and paste what they want rather than summarize it.
Showing posts with label Rough Draft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rough Draft. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Song Essay Draft 1
Throughout history, people have told lies to gain an advantage for themselves. One lie that many of the younger generation is exposed to is propaganda. Every government or person in charge of an army has used propaganda to gain an advantage over their opponent. Propaganda can range from telling of atrocities committed by the opposing forces to making the reason why you are at war a more acceptable one. Serj Tankian’s song “Empty Walls” talks about the walls that the government has put up to make the war more acceptable to others. The music video for the song also has pre-school children acting out a war.
The song starts out with the words “Empty Walls.” As the song progresses and the artist eventually says that he wants the listener to “be left behind those empty walls.” This resembles the lies that some governments use to convince those in their country, or whoever is following them, that war is a good idea. One proven example of a war that was fought on a lie was the Spanish-American War, where America went to war with Spain because an American ship had blown up in Havana Harbor, though no one was exactly sure what had caused the sinking of the Maine.
Even though Captain Charles Sigsbee, the Captain of the Maine at the time of the explosion, insisted that it was a coal bin explosion that had sunk the Maine, the United States was looking for a reason to take Cuba from Spain, and a war was the best route (Rivero, The Lie of The Century.) The committee in charge of the investigation concluded that a Spanish mine had sunk the Maine, and because of Spanish failure to protect an American ship when they were not at war with each other, America went to war with Spain (Dyl). Though the war would not be the biggest battle America would fight, it was still a waste of lives because America did not gain Cuba at the end of the conflict, which was the main objective of going to war with Spain.
Another part of the song talks about seeing burning bodies and people dying. This is a pretty good indication that the song is about a war. There is no doubt that there are many people dying in Iraq who are not even combatants. There are at least 88,203 documented civilian deaths in Iraq since 2003 (Iraq Body Count). Many Americans are not aware that so many Iraqis have died in this war. The only number that we are exposed to is the number of dead American soldiers. It is sad that so many American soldiers have died, but they are there because they volunteered to be there. Many citizens in Iraq cannot escape the violence and many of the people who die in the suicide bombs that are supposed to be helping them are just trying to live and do not support the use of suicide bombing as a means of fighting.
Another part of the song is when the singer says “Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls.” This is a challenge to the listener to look beyond what we are being told. Some people who do not want to find out why their government would lie to them would accept the story that they are told, even if all of the pieces do not fit together. It is not wrong for them to believe the government, but they have to ask questions to make sure that their government is not lying to them. If a person gets away with one lie, they will usually try to get away with another, and if that person keeps getting away with them, then they will not stop. There would be no reason for them to stop. Why stop and tell the truth when you can just tell some story that makes everyone happy.
This relates to the Maine. When the Maine was initially sunk, there was an investigation into what had sunk the Maine. After about one month, the investigation concluded that a mine had caused the explosion that had sunk the Maine. While there was evidence to support this, there was also a lack of evidence, such as a lack of dead fish from the explosion. When the results of the investigation were released the majority of people, fueled by yellow journalism, believed that a Spanish mine had sunk the Maine. If more people had have demanded more evidence of a mine, the investigation might have continued, and might have discovered something else that might have led to the prevention of war.
Though the government might not have known that they were lying, they more than likely knew that not everything added up, and that if they investigated the explosion with more effort and time they might have found out that it was the explosion of the coal bin that fit the circumstances of the explosion better than that of a mine. But the Spanish mine theory fit their needs so they did not bother investigating more, and because no one demanded that they provide more evidence, they were able to go to war with any actual reason.The song “Empty Walls” definitely has an anti-war feel to it, and considering that the Iraq war was happening when the song was wrote, it probably applies to the war in Iraq as much as it does to previous wars. All of the circumstances have occurred in Iraq. The government, thought they may have actually believed that there was weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq when they invaded first, is wrong in that there is not any weapons, and we have been there for over five years now. Also the devastation mentioned could also be considered to represent the Iraq war. As was mentioned before, more Iraqi civilians than coalition forces in Iraq. Also, back when support for war was being built up with evidence of these weapons, it was considered to be unpatriotic to not believe the government. If more people had have asked, more time and care might have been taken to find these weapons.
The song starts out with the words “Empty Walls.” As the song progresses and the artist eventually says that he wants the listener to “be left behind those empty walls.” This resembles the lies that some governments use to convince those in their country, or whoever is following them, that war is a good idea. One proven example of a war that was fought on a lie was the Spanish-American War, where America went to war with Spain because an American ship had blown up in Havana Harbor, though no one was exactly sure what had caused the sinking of the Maine.
Even though Captain Charles Sigsbee, the Captain of the Maine at the time of the explosion, insisted that it was a coal bin explosion that had sunk the Maine, the United States was looking for a reason to take Cuba from Spain, and a war was the best route (Rivero, The Lie of The Century.) The committee in charge of the investigation concluded that a Spanish mine had sunk the Maine, and because of Spanish failure to protect an American ship when they were not at war with each other, America went to war with Spain (Dyl). Though the war would not be the biggest battle America would fight, it was still a waste of lives because America did not gain Cuba at the end of the conflict, which was the main objective of going to war with Spain.
Another part of the song talks about seeing burning bodies and people dying. This is a pretty good indication that the song is about a war. There is no doubt that there are many people dying in Iraq who are not even combatants. There are at least 88,203 documented civilian deaths in Iraq since 2003 (Iraq Body Count). Many Americans are not aware that so many Iraqis have died in this war. The only number that we are exposed to is the number of dead American soldiers. It is sad that so many American soldiers have died, but they are there because they volunteered to be there. Many citizens in Iraq cannot escape the violence and many of the people who die in the suicide bombs that are supposed to be helping them are just trying to live and do not support the use of suicide bombing as a means of fighting.
Another part of the song is when the singer says “Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls.” This is a challenge to the listener to look beyond what we are being told. Some people who do not want to find out why their government would lie to them would accept the story that they are told, even if all of the pieces do not fit together. It is not wrong for them to believe the government, but they have to ask questions to make sure that their government is not lying to them. If a person gets away with one lie, they will usually try to get away with another, and if that person keeps getting away with them, then they will not stop. There would be no reason for them to stop. Why stop and tell the truth when you can just tell some story that makes everyone happy.
This relates to the Maine. When the Maine was initially sunk, there was an investigation into what had sunk the Maine. After about one month, the investigation concluded that a mine had caused the explosion that had sunk the Maine. While there was evidence to support this, there was also a lack of evidence, such as a lack of dead fish from the explosion. When the results of the investigation were released the majority of people, fueled by yellow journalism, believed that a Spanish mine had sunk the Maine. If more people had have demanded more evidence of a mine, the investigation might have continued, and might have discovered something else that might have led to the prevention of war.
Though the government might not have known that they were lying, they more than likely knew that not everything added up, and that if they investigated the explosion with more effort and time they might have found out that it was the explosion of the coal bin that fit the circumstances of the explosion better than that of a mine. But the Spanish mine theory fit their needs so they did not bother investigating more, and because no one demanded that they provide more evidence, they were able to go to war with any actual reason.The song “Empty Walls” definitely has an anti-war feel to it, and considering that the Iraq war was happening when the song was wrote, it probably applies to the war in Iraq as much as it does to previous wars. All of the circumstances have occurred in Iraq. The government, thought they may have actually believed that there was weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq when they invaded first, is wrong in that there is not any weapons, and we have been there for over five years now. Also the devastation mentioned could also be considered to represent the Iraq war. As was mentioned before, more Iraqi civilians than coalition forces in Iraq. Also, back when support for war was being built up with evidence of these weapons, it was considered to be unpatriotic to not believe the government. If more people had have asked, more time and care might have been taken to find these weapons.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Memoir Rough Draft
My very first day ever of football pads was one of the scariest days of my life. So much was happening that I was afraid of. I was new to football and I did not have a clue what was happening around me. The only thing I was concerned with was surviving that day and making sure that I did not get hurt. The main events that impacted that whole day were when I was walking out to the field, when we read the warning label on the helmet, the hitting and tackling drills, and the running that we had to do after that.
The first thing that I experienced that day was the walk out to the practice field. It was cloudy day. As I was walking out the only thing that I could hear was everyone else talking about how glad they were to be back in pads. I, however, did not even know exactly how to even put the pads in the correct places. I did the best I could and kept walking out there. When I got to the gate, one of the seniors asked me if was nervous. I told him I was and asked him if I had managed to put my pads in right. I had only put one knee pad in upside down, which the only difference that makes is that the logo is pointed down instead of up. The senior told me that I just had to make sure that I went full speed and that I would be fine.
The next event was a mandatory part of high school football, where the coaches have us read the warning sticker on our helmets so that we aware of the dangers that come with playing a high contact sport. The label said that it is illegal to spear, butt, or lead with the helmet when playing football and that doing so can result in injury to the hitter or to the person being hit. The helmet also said that playing football can still result in these injuries accidently, and that no helmet can prevent these injuries from happening. This stuck with me because when I first got my helmet I had not thought about what would happen when I was playing, I just thought that it was cool and made sure that it fit me right. But when we started to read that helmet warning label out loud, I realized that I could get hurt playing this sport. I thought that the chances of me getting hurt were probably double since I had never played before and I was surrounded by kids who had all at least played organized football before. My mind started to race and I was thinking of what might happen to me. Whether I became paralyzed because I had jammed or even broken one of bones in my back or neck, or I might suffer a concussion and not know what was happening around me. After we had finished reading the label, I decided that I could not just walk off the field, and that the only thing that I can do is to try and make sure that I did not get myself hurt.
The next thing that happened was Coach Steele yelled out “Hitting Drills” and started giving out instructions to the coaches on what drills to run, and split players up and sent them to one drill. The linemen, which was my group, first got the angle tackle drill, which when you do not know what other drills there are, you think is terrible. The angle drill is where one player carries the ball, and the other is a tackler, you both run full speed to whichever side the coach tells you to, and you either try to tackle someone or run through someone. Some of the biggest kids on our team went first and when I heard them hit each other, I became scared for myself. I managed to hang back on the tackling side but I had to run the ball once, and when the tackler was coming at me, I remembered what the helmet said about lowering your head, which was my first instinct after I had seen so many others do so, and stood straight up. I got tackled pretty hard but I walked back to the line and just waited. Then the whistle blew, and everyone ran to the next drill which was where you lift someone up and carry them ten yards back.
In this drill there was no hiding, everyone got a partner and I was unfortunate enough to get a kid who was a good 3 inches taller than me and about 100 pounds heavier. He went first and I was no problem for him. Then it was my turn. I managed to pick him up, but I dropped him short. When he realized the trouble that I was having he tried to help me out by jumping up on my back a little bit and walking backwards. I was thankful because this saved from the wrath of a coach accusing me of a lack of effort. After 2 minutes of that it was time for another drill, however, during the transition some players slowed down before they reached the next drill, so Coach Steele made everyone go back to the previous drill and start over again. I was lucky that Justin Virtue, my original partner, was my partner again and he helped me through again. The next time the whistle was blown, everyone sprinted to the next drill because no one wanted to experience the same drill over and over again.
The next drill was a very uneventful one in that all you had to do was tackle a pad over and over again. When the time finally came to switch, everybody made sure to sprint because the memory of the last time was still fresh in their heads. I could see the next drill and I did not like the look of it. All I could see was everyone in a circle, and I could hear the clash of pads again. I finally got to the last drill which brought more dread then relief. The whole team would be together, except for quarterbacks and kickers, would be together for this drill and some people were excited for it. It was called the hamburger drill. In it there is a running back, an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman, and a linebacker. The point of this is for the offense to score and the defense to stop them. The reason why I feared it so much was not because of the hitting but about my lack of knowledge of where I go. I did not have a clue where I would have to line up if got forced in there.
I was hoping to just lie back in this drill as well, but that was not going to happen. After a couple of runs, the older defensive lineman, who had been going, were tired and did not want to go. One of the other linemen told me to get in there. Rather than try to argue with him and have the team run because I did not want to embarrass myself, I went in there. I was lined up against Justin again. As I was getting closer, I managed to ask him where I went and he told me “Line up right in front of me.” So I did just that. The coach in charge said “Ready” and I tensed up. Then he blew the whistle and I did my best. I got blocked but I felt relieved because no one was laughing at me and I had not got hurt. I jumped out of there and waited. It was looking like I would have to go back in but the coaches ended the drill and gave us a water break.
On the sideline, I found my friend Josh and he asked me if had hit anyone. I told him had but did not tell him that it was not because I had tackled them, which is what he wanted to know. After a little break Coach Steele called for a look defense. I had no idea what this meant but I was lucky because the starters ran out there. After about ten minutes, the senior who asked me if was nervous asked why I had not been in. I told him that I did not think that I was allowed in there. He told me to go ask Coach Hyer, who was the coach of the defensive line. He told me that I could and put me in at defensive line. When I lined up in my position, I started to think about what might happen, but then I tried to forget about it, and just concentrated on the play. On the first and second plays nothing happened. On the third play the play was a run to my side. When I saw the running back go out past me I started to pursue him. One of the defensive backs hit him and a linebacker was starting to tackle him when I go there but I did not care at that point. Making sure to keep my head clear of all of the bodies I ran into the pile and helped bring the running back down.
I got out after that play. I was really excited because tackling him was exciting and I had found my love for football. The whole day I had wondered why I was out there when I was so afraid to do anything, but on that one play I found out why. I would eventually conquer my fear of getting hurt and start to use my head more and started to get more and more scratches on my helmet, which was a matter of pride for the linemen at least. The number of cuts, different color paints, and size and deepness of these cuts all testified to how hard you played. When you are a linemen, usually one of the first thing to hit the opposing player is your helmet, and usually the hardest hitters had the most, so everyone respected you if you had a lot of these cuts.
I am kind of glad that I got exposed to what scared me so early because if everything had started of fine, I might have quit later when things got really tough. But because I had to conquer these things to play the sport, I did not quit and was able to face even greater obstacles, and when the drills came around again, I participated in every one of them.
The first thing that I experienced that day was the walk out to the practice field. It was cloudy day. As I was walking out the only thing that I could hear was everyone else talking about how glad they were to be back in pads. I, however, did not even know exactly how to even put the pads in the correct places. I did the best I could and kept walking out there. When I got to the gate, one of the seniors asked me if was nervous. I told him I was and asked him if I had managed to put my pads in right. I had only put one knee pad in upside down, which the only difference that makes is that the logo is pointed down instead of up. The senior told me that I just had to make sure that I went full speed and that I would be fine.
The next event was a mandatory part of high school football, where the coaches have us read the warning sticker on our helmets so that we aware of the dangers that come with playing a high contact sport. The label said that it is illegal to spear, butt, or lead with the helmet when playing football and that doing so can result in injury to the hitter or to the person being hit. The helmet also said that playing football can still result in these injuries accidently, and that no helmet can prevent these injuries from happening. This stuck with me because when I first got my helmet I had not thought about what would happen when I was playing, I just thought that it was cool and made sure that it fit me right. But when we started to read that helmet warning label out loud, I realized that I could get hurt playing this sport. I thought that the chances of me getting hurt were probably double since I had never played before and I was surrounded by kids who had all at least played organized football before. My mind started to race and I was thinking of what might happen to me. Whether I became paralyzed because I had jammed or even broken one of bones in my back or neck, or I might suffer a concussion and not know what was happening around me. After we had finished reading the label, I decided that I could not just walk off the field, and that the only thing that I can do is to try and make sure that I did not get myself hurt.
The next thing that happened was Coach Steele yelled out “Hitting Drills” and started giving out instructions to the coaches on what drills to run, and split players up and sent them to one drill. The linemen, which was my group, first got the angle tackle drill, which when you do not know what other drills there are, you think is terrible. The angle drill is where one player carries the ball, and the other is a tackler, you both run full speed to whichever side the coach tells you to, and you either try to tackle someone or run through someone. Some of the biggest kids on our team went first and when I heard them hit each other, I became scared for myself. I managed to hang back on the tackling side but I had to run the ball once, and when the tackler was coming at me, I remembered what the helmet said about lowering your head, which was my first instinct after I had seen so many others do so, and stood straight up. I got tackled pretty hard but I walked back to the line and just waited. Then the whistle blew, and everyone ran to the next drill which was where you lift someone up and carry them ten yards back.
In this drill there was no hiding, everyone got a partner and I was unfortunate enough to get a kid who was a good 3 inches taller than me and about 100 pounds heavier. He went first and I was no problem for him. Then it was my turn. I managed to pick him up, but I dropped him short. When he realized the trouble that I was having he tried to help me out by jumping up on my back a little bit and walking backwards. I was thankful because this saved from the wrath of a coach accusing me of a lack of effort. After 2 minutes of that it was time for another drill, however, during the transition some players slowed down before they reached the next drill, so Coach Steele made everyone go back to the previous drill and start over again. I was lucky that Justin Virtue, my original partner, was my partner again and he helped me through again. The next time the whistle was blown, everyone sprinted to the next drill because no one wanted to experience the same drill over and over again.
The next drill was a very uneventful one in that all you had to do was tackle a pad over and over again. When the time finally came to switch, everybody made sure to sprint because the memory of the last time was still fresh in their heads. I could see the next drill and I did not like the look of it. All I could see was everyone in a circle, and I could hear the clash of pads again. I finally got to the last drill which brought more dread then relief. The whole team would be together, except for quarterbacks and kickers, would be together for this drill and some people were excited for it. It was called the hamburger drill. In it there is a running back, an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman, and a linebacker. The point of this is for the offense to score and the defense to stop them. The reason why I feared it so much was not because of the hitting but about my lack of knowledge of where I go. I did not have a clue where I would have to line up if got forced in there.
I was hoping to just lie back in this drill as well, but that was not going to happen. After a couple of runs, the older defensive lineman, who had been going, were tired and did not want to go. One of the other linemen told me to get in there. Rather than try to argue with him and have the team run because I did not want to embarrass myself, I went in there. I was lined up against Justin again. As I was getting closer, I managed to ask him where I went and he told me “Line up right in front of me.” So I did just that. The coach in charge said “Ready” and I tensed up. Then he blew the whistle and I did my best. I got blocked but I felt relieved because no one was laughing at me and I had not got hurt. I jumped out of there and waited. It was looking like I would have to go back in but the coaches ended the drill and gave us a water break.
On the sideline, I found my friend Josh and he asked me if had hit anyone. I told him had but did not tell him that it was not because I had tackled them, which is what he wanted to know. After a little break Coach Steele called for a look defense. I had no idea what this meant but I was lucky because the starters ran out there. After about ten minutes, the senior who asked me if was nervous asked why I had not been in. I told him that I did not think that I was allowed in there. He told me to go ask Coach Hyer, who was the coach of the defensive line. He told me that I could and put me in at defensive line. When I lined up in my position, I started to think about what might happen, but then I tried to forget about it, and just concentrated on the play. On the first and second plays nothing happened. On the third play the play was a run to my side. When I saw the running back go out past me I started to pursue him. One of the defensive backs hit him and a linebacker was starting to tackle him when I go there but I did not care at that point. Making sure to keep my head clear of all of the bodies I ran into the pile and helped bring the running back down.
I got out after that play. I was really excited because tackling him was exciting and I had found my love for football. The whole day I had wondered why I was out there when I was so afraid to do anything, but on that one play I found out why. I would eventually conquer my fear of getting hurt and start to use my head more and started to get more and more scratches on my helmet, which was a matter of pride for the linemen at least. The number of cuts, different color paints, and size and deepness of these cuts all testified to how hard you played. When you are a linemen, usually one of the first thing to hit the opposing player is your helmet, and usually the hardest hitters had the most, so everyone respected you if you had a lot of these cuts.
I am kind of glad that I got exposed to what scared me so early because if everything had started of fine, I might have quit later when things got really tough. But because I had to conquer these things to play the sport, I did not quit and was able to face even greater obstacles, and when the drills came around again, I participated in every one of them.
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