Final Topic

Make a final decision about your logical argument research topic. What is it? Questions to ask yourself: Divorce

What have we been studying in class this year? ADHD, Divorce, Drunk Driving, Standardized Testing, Alcoholism
Which subjects appeal to me? Divorce, and Drunk Driving
What are people writing about? People are writing about standardized testing, bullying, and drunk driving.
What's most interesting to me? Divorce, and Bullying
Can I find information about that? Yes i am able to find a lot of information about Divorce.

4b) Why are you most interested in the topic of argument selected?
I am most interested in Divorce because it is a very common thing now and I would like to know the different reasons people get divorced.

Analysis Questions: Standardized Testing

Is standardized testing necessary to measure and evaluate what students have learned? Why or why not?

I don't think so because there are some kids that are really good in school but are not good at taking tests which would make these tests unfair to those students. Also the day of the test what if the student is having a bad day and just can't focus fully and they don't do well. The test shouldn't tell the student whether they can move up in school or not.

Should students be denied promotion or diplomas based on the results of one test? Why or why not?

I don't think so at all because it isn't fair to the students who worked really hard all year in school and kept their grades up for them to be told you have to pass this test or you can't get promoted to the next grade or receive your diploma.

Does standardized testing make teachers more accountable for what their students learn? Explain.

I think the answer is no not at all because the child or student can be learning everything in the class and do well there and not on the test. 

In what ways can standardized tests be unfair to disadvantaged or minority students?

These tests can be unfair by basically making or breaking a students school career. These students go to school everyday and work hard to keep their grades up in the classes and then they have to take a test that basically tells them that what they are doing in their classes isn't good enough to let them move on in school so they need to do really good on this test in order to be able to be promoted or to receive their diploma.

Analysis Questions: Drunk Driving

Should states adopt stricter penalties for drivers who refuse to take a BAC test? Why or why not?

I believe they should because if drivers are refusing to take the BAC test then there is a something they are hiding to not get in trouble. The states should push harder to enforce this because it could help save lives.

Should laws be enacted that require ignition-interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders? Why or why not?

I think that it depends on the person and the amount of times they were charged with DUI. If the person has multiple charges then yes they should have this device but if it is only the first time i think they should have another chance. If after the first charge they do it again then yes because it can save many many people.

Do you think DUI checkpoints should be used more often and in more places? Explain.

I do think that DUI checkpoints should be used more often because then it would be easier to determine whether or not law enforcement thinks a person is driving under the influence or not and whether or not to test the persons BAC.

Describe other measures you think could be implemented to reduce drunk driving.

Other measures would be in a bar or club where there is a lot of drinking the bartender should find out how the people got there and if they drove they should only be served a very limited amount.

Analysis Questions: Divorce

Should couples stay together in a troubled marriage rather than divorce? Why or why not?
I believe that couples should not stay together in a troubled marriage because that only makes each person involved miserable. People deserve to be happy and if they are not happy in the marriage then end it and move on.

Are there any reasons why couples should divorce? Explain.

 Some reasons are growing apart, feeling unloved and unappreciated, and troubles with finances . The reason being that they lead to fights and unhappiness.

What steps do you think the government should take to encourage marriage and lower the divorce rate?

I think the government shouldn't stress out the general public because that leads to fights and stresses the couples. They should also fix the economy and less wars because that also relieves stress on couples.

What impact does divorce have on society?

The impact divorce has on society is mainly on the children of the divorced parents because it makes them have different views on marriage.

Analysis Questions: Alcoholism

1. Should alcoholism be viewed as a disease or an addiction? Explain.                                              I believe that alcoholism is an addiction and to me an addiction is an illness. Illnesses need to be treated and if alcoholism isn't treated it can get very out of hand in my opinion.
2. Should alcoholics be held solely responsible for their drinking habits? Why or why not?            No i don't think so because i personally believe it is an addiction which is an illness and a person can't control getting an illness.
3. Should moderation treatment options be offered to alcoholics?                                                     I don't think so because alcoholism is an addiction which means the person should get help to completely stop so that they don't have a relapse or risk of relapsing.

Analysis Questions: ADHD

What is the best course of treatment for ADHD?

The best course of treatment for ADHD depends on the person. If the symptoms are severe they should be treated with medication and if they aren't as severe then the person should consult a doctor on what treatments are available.
Do you believe ADHD is an actual psychiatric disorder? Why or why not?

Yes i do believe ADHD is an actual psychiatric disorder because i don't think kids want to have diffuclty staying
focused, paying attention, controlling their behavior and being to hyper.                                                                                                                 Are children being overmedicated? Explain your answer.                                                                            I think this question depends on the child. If the child has mild symptoms and are being heavily medicated then yes then are being overmedicated but if the child has severe symptoms and are being heavily medicated then no they are not.

For and Against

ADHD-
Are children being overmedicated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

I feel that some kids are overmedicated but it all depends on the child and the symptoms that child has. If the child has severe symptoms then the doctor and the parent should talk about medications that can help him/her, but if the child's symptoms aren't that severe the doctor and the parent should talk about different ways to help the child learn to control the symptoms or help the child with those symptoms.

Alcoholism-
Is alcoholism caused by a lack of willpower?

To me the answer is no because i feel that alcoholism is an illness that people need help to stop. Willpower can play a roll to certain people but i feel that it is an addiction and an addiction to me is an illness that needs to be treated by going to some place like rehab.

Divorce-
Should laws be enacted that make divorce harder to obtain?

I feel that creating laws to make divorce harder to get will only cause problems with Thousands of people in America because if someone is unhappy in their marriage then they shouldn't be married anymore.

Drunk Driving-
Should tougher DUI laws be enacted?

I feel that there should be tougher DUI laws because driving under the influence of alcohol is killing not just teenagers or young adults but innocent people who are nearby. Having tougher DUI laws would make people not want to drive under the influence knowing that there are tougher conciquences, which would save lives.

Standardized Tests-
Are standardized tests the best way to measure how well a school is doing?

I feel that it is not the best way because there are many students who are excellent in class but are bad test takers. For those kids it isn't fair to have to take a test that makes or breaks their school career which then hurts the schools reputation. 

5 Potential Research Topics

1. ADHD- The reason i chose this was because many of my family members have it and i want to learn more about it.

2. Alcoholism- The reason i chose this was because some of my family members struggle with it and learning more about it would help me help them.

3. Divorce- The reason I chose this is because my parents are divorced and so many couples in this country and the world are getting divorces i think it would interesting to learn how to deal with it and many causes.

4. Drunk Driving-  The reason i chose this is because this is happening more and more today and there needs to be reasons and ways to stop it to not kill so many people.

5. Standardized Tests- The reason i chose this is because i find it unfair that a single test can make or break your college career. Some kids are bad test takers and it isn't fair to those kids.

Things that Tick me off

Make a list of four or five things that "tick you off." Explain why. (Choose significant things that others might experience as well. For instance, your little brother might tick you off, but there is little chance that this annoyance will yield a possible paper topic). It is possible that one of these annoyances can be transformed into an interesting, engaging, and researchable project.
1. When people think it's a women's fault she gets raped. the reason being because there is no women that asked to be raped or sexually assulted. 
2. When people break promises or say they are going to do something and then don't. The reason being if your making me promise then you should keep it because I am trusting you with something and if you say you are going to do something and then don't it just proves your unreliable. To me breaking a promise makes a person untrustworthy.
3. When I am talking to someone and they walk away to talk to someone else. The reason being that I am in the middle of speaking to you and you just walked away. It's just rude and disrespectful.
4. When people abuse animals. The reason being that i am an animal lover and to me anyone who purposely hurts an animal should be in jail. Animals have feelings too.
5. When people lie to me. The reason being that there is no reason to lie and lying makes me lose trust in that person.
6. The SAT. The reason being that it is not fair that a test pretty much makes or breaks our life or even effects where we go to college.
7. When my phone dies. The reason being is that god forbid i am out and my phone is dead and something were to happen to me how to i get in touch with my family to help me or to even call the police.
8. When someone makes plans with you and then cancels to go do something else that is "better". The reason being is that its rude and it makes me feel like you don't want to hang out with me. If you don't want to hang out with me then just say that instead of making me feel bad.

Wikipedia Story

1. What did wiki software allow Web users to do that the Mosaic browser did not? Wiki allowed users to change the content of the webpage which is something Mosaic browser can not do.
2. What do blogs and wikis have in common? Blogging encouraged user generated content which is what Wiki is about.
3. What problem did a young Jimmy Wales find with the World Book Encyclopedia? The problem with the World Book Encyclopedia is that not everything was included and content was missing.
4. How was Jimmy Wales inspired by the World Book Encyclopedia to create Wikipedia? He was inspired by the World Book Encyclopedia to create Wikipedia because as a kid he used to update the encyclopedia with stickers.
5. How have encyclopedias inspired you in your own life? The books themselves have not done anything for me in my life but Wikipedia has. It has helped me with research on anything i wanted to know about or needed to know about fro school.
6. Why did Nupedia fail? Only a dozen articles had been published and the process became unpleasant 
7. How did wiki software change the ideas behind Nupedia? It became a simple editorial system.
8. What is “crowdsourcing?” Listing the service of the number of people paid or unpaid on the internet.
9. What do you think about the concept of “any fool in the world” being able to write articles for Wikipedia? I think that it is an interesting idea but there are people who do things to mess with others and those people can changes the right details to the wrongs ones just for a laugh.
10. Do agree with the idea that “total idiots” could edit Wikipedia and of that being a good thing? Explain. No, because that is what makes Wikipedia fun and what draws people to it.
11. Why do you think Wikipedia grew so fast and became so popular in such a short amount of time? It was made very clear that Nupedia had no connection to Wikipedia.
12. Do you believe Sanger’s elitist attitude was a good thing or a bad thing for Wikipedia? A bad thing because he didn't have faith in Wikipedia and was dragging the Wikipedia community down.
13. What did you learn from the anecdote about the Wikipedia article on Einstein going to Albania for a passport in 1935? I learned that even the people who work for Wikipedia are editing not just for the sites sake but for the sake of other people to rely on the site.
14. Explain this quote from the article: “I can’t imagine who could have written such detailed guidelines other than a bunch of people working together...It’s common in Wikipedia that we’ll come to a solution that’s really well thought out because so many minds have had a crack at improving it.”  This means that there is never just one opinion on a topic and they all work together to make the site a reliable website to use.
15. The author of the article states that Wikipedia “grew organically.” What does he mean by that? It means that it grew naturally by popularly and by the people.
16. How has Wikipedia “been the greatest collaborative knowledge project in history?”  The material on the site is contributed for free and it is available for the public for free.
17. Based on your own opinion and experience with Wikipedia, do you agree with the above statement or disagree with it? Explain. I do not agree that Wikipedia is the greatest knowledge project in history because of the fact that people can change it and out false facts on it. When this is done and lets just say students want to use the site for a project there could be false facts that would affect the students grade.
18. What does the author mean by “wiki-crack?”  He means that It’s like a rush of dopamine that hits the brain’s pleasure center when a smart edit is made and it appears instantly in the Wikipedia article.
19. Based on the article, do you believe Wikipedia is a reliable source of information? No I do not because people can put false information in an article that students might want to use for a project.
20. Do you believe its possible for a 16-year-old from New Jersey to write “insightful” Wikipedia articles? Yes I do because there are very talented and intelligent kids everywhere and most authors started at a young age.
21. How do you feel about basing your own research on something a 16-year-old wrote on Wikipedia? I would be very leery of it because what if the kid is just fooling around and writes an article that isn't remotely true.
22. What does Jimmy Wales mean by this mission statement: “Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge?” He means what if every single person on this earth got a free education on everything that has ever gone on in human life. The world would be a much better place with more jobs and less poverty.
23. Do you agree or disagree with this mission statement? I agree because if there was a world like that we wouldn't be having the problems that we have in the world today.
24. Do you think Wikipedia has succeeded in its mission? I think Wikipedia set a goal for itself and achieved that goal of having an online encyclopedia that can be edited by the general public.
25. Do you agree or disagree that ordinary people, people without degrees, can “be part of the process of creating and distributing knowledge?”  I agree that they can because there are people that don't have college degrees that have achieved great things and have great jobs. Having a degree doesn't affect the intelligence that people have.
26. Based on your reading of the article, would you yourself use Wikipedia for your academic research? no I would not because people can change details to false facts which would affect my grade in school.
27. Would you yourself like to write and/or edit Wikipedia articles in order to be “a part of the process of creating and distributing knowledge?” Why or why not? No because if I have a wrong detail I don't want to be responsible for affecting a students grade, but on the other hand I would because if I don't have any false information it can actually help someone and that would be a gratifying feeling.

Homework #1 Part 1

1) If you believe that all students should be Web literate, what is the best strategy for your school to prepare you with this skill? Explain.
I think that students should be web literate because that's what we use today, technology. Not knowing how to use the web is basically shutting that person out from the world. I feel in order to be able to know what is going on in this world you need to be web literate. The best strategy for my school to prepare us with this skill is by letting us use computers more and learning more about how to work the internet better then we already do. 
2) What skills should all teachers have to be Web literate? Explain.
The skills that all teachers should have it how to fulling work the web . Also they should know 100% how to work the smart-boards. I think all teachers should learn how to know whatever there is to know about searching the web. The way they can do this is by going to to training classes if they don't know how to use the web.
3) What role should school filtering play in your school district? Explain why schools should block or not block Web sites.
Schools should monitor the websites that the students go on because while being in school they shouldn't want their students going on inappropriate websites. The things that the students do reflects on the school and blocking the social media websites and other sites keeps the students focused.However there are some websites that are blocked and it doesn't make any sense on why certain websites would be blocked.
4) Do you believe the Internet is as big a transformer of culture as the printing press? Explain.
Yes i do because the internet changed how people live. It has advanced how people research things and contact one another. The printing press transformed culture by making it possible to print daily news and spread it around the world. Just like the printing press changed culture so did the internet  by having everything needed at the click of a button.
5) If yes, what parts of our culture do you believe will be most affected? Explain.
The parts of our culture that i believe will change is how things are researched. Also it changed how kids do their homework. They now are able to look up how other people wrote about that topic and many students plagiarize now because of it.

All About Me

The subject I most enjoy reading about is romance or mystery because romance is sweet and mystery makes you think.
My favorite hobby or pastime is dancing because it takes my mind off of everything and i feel free.
If I won the lottery, I would use the money to take my family on vacation because we haven't gone away in a long time..
The type of volunteer activity I prefer is helping the disabled children, and at my dance studio because they both make me feel good.
My favorite school subject has always been Math when i was younger because i thought it was so easy and now i like English because Math got to complicated. 
If I ran the world, the first thing I would change would be to end the conflicts between all countries to have world peace and bring all the troops home.