Email No Longer Rules

It seems like everyone in the world has used email, but is it the best way to communicate? This week’s article looks at how we have changed and how other types of communication services are likely to change the way that we communicate. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

The article talks about how the new services make our interactions faster. How long do you expect a text message to take to get to a friend? As the services make communication easier, the messages are becoming more frequent. How is this affecting the quality of what you write? Is your writing less personal? How will filtering affect communication? Do you use filters? Is having a more public profile something that is good or bad? Explain why. Respond to the following quotation: “You can argue that because we have more ways to send more messages, we spend more time doing it. That may make us more productive, but it may not.”

Email Article

Social Networks Bite Back

Students are frequently told to be careful about what they post in the Web. This week's article provides examples of embarrassing and sad adult behavior in using social media. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What do you think about potential employers screening candidates via social media? Did the percentage increase from last year surprise you? What could explain the difference in numbers of people joining Facebook from the different age groups? Respond to the following quote: "More than half of college students surveyed in a San Diego State University study said they view social networks as vehicles for self-promotion." Go to the link at the bottom of the article about 20 Social Media Blunders. Describe one of the blunders that you found most interesting. What was interesting about it?

Social Networks Article

Facebook as a happiness index

People look at Facebook pages for a variety of reasons, mostly personal. This week’s article discusses how researchers are taking advantage of Facebook as a source of data for social research. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

How accurate do you think the Gross National Happiness Index is? Respond to the following quotation, “The idea, one that is generally accepted in social psychology, is that word choice can reveal a person’s mood.” Do you agree that Facebook records relationships? How accurate do you think the researchers are in analyzing the ethnic and racial backgrounds of Facebook users? Mr. Pennebaker indicates in the article that the research has the potential to turn “creepy.” What would be your worst fear about how the data could be used?

Facebook Article

Student Bloggers Used to Promote Universities

Blogging is not an unusual practice. Lots of people do it for lots of different reasons. This week’s article looks at how the practice is used by universities for promotion purposes. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What positive things do you see about having student blogs on school websites? What negative things do you see about having student blogs on school websites? Is it ethical for a school to use student blogs as a marketing tool? Should our school website have student blogs? What would be the best way for the administration to choose students to blog on our school website? Should there be censorship of student blogs? Is MIT’s remuneration for student blogging appropriate? How else could students be “paid?” go to the link for the MIT Admissions homepage, read one of the student blogs and comment on it.

Student Bloggers Article

MIT Admissions Homepage

Truckin’ with computers

We just read an article about the potential problems of people texting while driving their car. This week we take the discussion a step further and look at truckers’ activities while driving. Go to the link below and read the article. Write a reflective comment that shows you have read the article, expresses your views, and addresses my questions.

What uses of technology by truckers do you think is justified? What impact would the banning of using computers in the truckers’ cabs have on safety and on their income? Respond to the following quotation: “The study found that truckers using on-board computers take their eyes off the road for an average of four seconds, enough time at highway speeds to cover roughly the length of a football field.” How do you feel about Mr. Long’s explanation for not pulling over to read messages? Look at the multimedia graphic about understanding why truckers crash. What is most interesting or surprising in the graphic? If you were writing a federal bill to control the use of technology while driving, what would you include in the bill?

Trucker Article