Part One:

Research an issue or topic brought up in one of the stories

(nuclear war, television taking over/having a bad influence, time travel, smart houses, too much emphasis on being equal, too much technology, or one of your choice)

and share your finding in the blog with a short summary of what you researched.

Include a work cited entry immediately after the summary.

It can be from a web site,an article in a magazine, a newspaper, etc.

You may do this with a partner. Be sure to sign both names.

This is due Monday Oct. 15th.

Part Two:

React to someone else's research in a 4 point OGT style response.

This may also be done with a partner.

This is due Monday Oct. 22nd. Use BLUE font for your reaction.

 

 

Technology can be helpfully resourceful at times.An example of this would be a cell phone, say, to call your boss to tell them you are stuck in a traffic jam.Or televisions and radios, to know if bad weather is headed your way. Technology is helpful in these kinds of ways. However, could technology practically be taking over our lives? This is what many people think, and the most concerned with that subject include adults, mostly parents of adolescents. The truth is, though, that t.v., cell phones, iPods/cd players/mp3's, videogames, etc., well, they all play some sort of role in all of our lives. Sometimes for our good, while at other times, not. Way too many teens these days focus less on their schoolwork, and much more on what they're going to do once they get home so they're not bored. Take for example, watching their favorite afternoon t.v. show, or playing videogames to put aside the fact that they have homework.These damage our mental capabilities because we don't pay enough attention to our work and just worry about,"Oh, I have to text my boyfriend", or,"I forgot to email my friend on MySpace..." Heck, they've even made calculators that you can send messages back and forth with, and this isn't very good if you think about it. Because where do teens mostly use calculators? School.And what do you think kids could do to take advantage of these calculators?Well, for one thing, they could send the answers from a test that you took, to somebody else, or you could play the built-in games instead of paying attention to your class. You can do these things with cell phones,too. So, as you can see, it's a known fact that most technological objects are like obstacles that stand in our way of learning and understanding. Some people think some reinforcements should be applied to help today's teenagers grow up without the constant, unneccessary use of today's technological advancements.

Caitland Dolt- 333 words

 

 

Technology is taking over out world quicker than we think it is. Many people these days aren’t going out anymore and getting the exercise that they need, instead of doing this they are sitting inside watching television, listening to their iPods, sitting at their computers, or watching a DVD. “Every four in ten Americans consider their High Speed Internet an essential to their every-day life.” “Every two in ten felt the same way about their DVD players, CD or iPods, and their cable subscriptions.” Half of the people taken in the survey said that they COULDN’T live without the Internet. Most of the danger may come from having too much of a good thing and over using it. Today’s teenagers don’t live in a world without the web, and are always on instant messengers for most of their socializing. This takes away a lesson from the real world in which teens have to talk with their mouths and not with their keyboards or cell phone keypads.

Caleb Lang/Nick Lamb 1st period 166 words

<http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/too_much_technology.html>

 

Reaction

 

I think Nick and Caleb's entry nailed how I feel about technology today and how it affects our lives.  The biggest thing that I have to agree with is that the revolution of how today's modern society socializes is not a good thing.  I think all of the new instant messengers and the sudden trend of texting have a very negative impact on the world we live in.  These technologies are allowing people to be anyone they want to be behind the screen or cell phone and not be themselves as they would be in the real world.  I know from a personal stand point that this texting can have a negative effect on teen's lives because people are more apt to say negative or offensive things and send the message to whomever without thinking twice about what they are about to say.

Robby Schwiebert-143

 

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I think that Sam is right about how television is a bad influence in our lives. He is right about how young children are watching television shows that deal with violence and most parents don’t care and think that it is alright if they watch television shows that are like this. He is also right about how when people watch the news that all the news shows these days is how something in Iraq is going wrong or that something in another country is doing something else wrong. Television hasn’t been focusing on the good things lately, it always is focusing on the things that are going wrong in the world and not what people are trying to do to correct it. They used to say that what you saw on television was worth a thousand words, but in today’s society there is so much gossip and lies that you don’t know what to believe anymore and not only is the truth posted on the news, but a lot of lies are also used to spice up the big reports.

Caleb Lang 1st period 181 words 

 

The smart houses of the future has many conviniences that are not availiabe now. This house has the technology so that people can call it and tell it to do things, and, in return, the house will call if a call is missed while its owners are gone. No one will have to worry about security while living in this house! It has a very effective security system that can even make it look like someone is still living in the house when its occupants are accually away. Not only this, but if something is broken, the house will call to make the repair and, in case of a fire, it will help guide people out, if any, and notify the fire department. Handicaps will no longer be inconvinient, because this house will adjust everything to the perfect height and even reset it. Chores and the occupant's daily routines are automatic, saving time and evergy. Owning one of these smart houses would make life extremely easy.

"What the house can do." 2007. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 1 October 2007<http://www.jrf.org.uk/housingandcare/smarthomes/what.asp>.

Emily Anklney and Chelsey Young-165 words

 

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I think that Caleb and Nick expressed some very critical points on how technology has affected our world and the way we live. They brought out a good point on how teens socialize on the internet rather than in person. This type of socialization is not without draw backs. For example, teens may be more prone to express hostile feelings over the internet in the form of bullying rather than in person. This type of bullying is far less intimidating than a face to face confrontation. Although technology has made communication much easier and global; it also provides people with the opportunity to always be tuned in and constantly stimulated. This can create a sedentary environment for society.

Chelsey's Mom- 118 words

 

The body armor of today will pale in comparision with the super suit of tomarrow. The future may be uncertain but if this suit starts to be produced, wars of the future will be fought in a completly different manner. I'll start by describing the helmet. This is where the brains of the system is which is described as "the sitituational awareness hub of the system." With its intergrated tactical processing, which is things such as maps and fastest routes, 180 degrees of view allow with the protective visor,and its super fast processor which processes information at one GB per second is mainly of communication. It also provies combat sensors for 360 degrees awareness and provides small arms protection to the head in limited areas. The entire suit will be powered by liquid hydrocarbon, which can power the entire suit for six days, and a back-up battery that can power the suit for a total of three hours. If you are interested in this and wish to find out more please vist <http://nsc.natick.army.mil/media/fact/individual/FW.htm> for more information. The author of this page is the US Army Natick Soldier Research,Development & Engineering Center.

Travis Zachrich & Garret Graham-182 words

 

Reaction:

I think the new system of armor that will be avaliable in the future is a good thing because it will help protect out troops from harm during war times.  It will also makeing fighting easier so wars wont last as long plus there will be less deaths.  Hopefully troops wont have to use the body armor much because it shouldn't come down to having a fight between to countries to settle a dispute.

Cody Worthington - 74 words

 

They predict that in 2056 robots will be used for children’s everyday life. Robots will be focused on different parts of the children’s life and different robots are used for different parts of children’s lives. Some people have predicted that transportation will become so easy all you have to do is sit down. Apparently the car will do almost all of the work for you. Healthy eating and exercising will become the main priority for the average American. Also businesses will have healthy food and exercise programs available and mandatory for every employee. Also healthy drive-thrus will be everywhere. If there is a war the robots will fight for us and if a country is the most advanced then it will be victorious. <http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/msawyer/webfinal/films.htm >

Caleb Mahlman and Cody Worthington- 132 words

 

Smart houses are said to be the houses of the future. They can do many things that the common house can’t such as cooking, cleaning, and opening windows. The advances in technology that were made to create these houses are amazing. This technology is not cheap; however, the cost of monitors, alarm systems, computers, and hardware make the price sky high. (Kaushik). Critics say that there are potentially many problems with these smart houses, because they do not have the common knowledge of an actual person that can only be obtained through experience. The house could think that it was doing something necessary, when really it is unbeneficial to the residents. So these future smart houses have many good qualities if you are willing to except the problems, and pay the price. (Kaushik).

“A Jetsons’ smart house with a Brain.”

Shorya Kaushik.__Toronto Star__. January 3, 2005.

Bekah Miller –147 words

 

 

 

Reaction

I think the smart house has several good qualities that are all expressed in Emily’s paragraph. It is amazing how a house can do so much to help you through the day. It has also come to my attention, however; that she didn’t point out any of the flaws these smart houses have. These houses have been proven to do many things that are unbeneficial to the residents of the home such as opening a window when it’s loud outside. So I believe that the smart houses could be very useful in the future as long as people don’t start to rely on them for everything, because that could cause people to be very lazy in future generations.

Bekah miller-121 words

 

I think that Bekah Millers entry on the smart houses really gives a good perspective on what we may have in the future. Although people in the future may not have these highly advanced houses I am sure that we will have some sort of computer program, more advanced than now, that will help our house with our everyday lives. The prices will probably be very high priced, as stated previously in Bekah’s paragraph, but I think they will be affordable to most families in the future. The smart house has already been thought of as a real possibility, although most aren’t as advanced as what we normally dreamed of, but there are some houses that will do many everyday life things to make it easier on you.

Caleb Mahlman 132 words.

 

The future health care is looking to be like other countries in the future. IN other countries the government runs health care, which means that everyone has health care even the children. This means that people who need surgery will put on waiting list to have surgery’s (including minor and major ones). When this takes effect the government will tell you when to go to the doctor for checks up and various other things. The bad thing to go with this is the waiting list for surgery’s, it is bad because people could be diagnosed with something curable but have to wait a few months and possible die in that time. Also with this there would be a cut back on doctors, nurse, physicians, chiropractors, and many other kinds of special doctors. Just think of how health care will be in the future, do you think it is a good thing? -Sebastian Rue 153 words

 

Television is a bad influence in the United States, as well as in other countries. Though television can be an informative source, such as the daily news, for important events and other things that would help the average person no matter the age. The unfortunate thing is that television also offers the shows that are very bad influences for everyone; and these are the programs that are being watched by most. Even the daily news, although very informative, focuses mainly on things that went bad or are going badly. The television is not only making everyone's life a little less active, but it is putting ideas into the heads of people that those things are alright, that everyone is doing this or that, and worst of all teaching younger children things that they shouldn't know until their adolesence or until they're a young adult. This story was a tradgedy waiting to happen, and unfortunately it did. I hope this sends a lesson out to parents and others that TV can be a very destructive thing. <http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/36/271.html>

 

Sam Ewers- 175 words

 

Reaction:

Television is it good or bad?  I believe that television can be used for both.  For example, learning programs such as the Discovery Channel and certain parts of the current news are helpful to the people.  The news can act double-faced when bringing up dangerous issues of wars, conflicts, and shootings.  These events could help prevent future mistakes and violence but can also make people upset or give aggressive ideas to people, such as Sam had said in his recent blog.  Television also provides shows that are not healthy to the public.  These shows include MTV, Comedy Central, and so on.  They contain rude humor and suggestive themes that should especially not be seen in the eyes of our young.  This is changing America into a youth of unrespectful and greedy future citizens.  The traditional child who knows his/her place and respects their elders is now fading away in a mist.  This sudden change, caused by what the television has become, is taking people away from numerous activities such as sports and church.  It is placing ideas into the heads of everyone and is brainwashing all of us into what is right and wrong by what we see.

Nick Lamb, Caleb Lang 1st Period- 198 words

 

Television is know as the link to the truth, but is it always telling the truth? News reporters and stations tend to know exactly what they are talking about. But some people believe that now-a-days they make up the "so called truth". Television is a big box of lies! The TV tells people about what is happening in todays society, whether its telling us that someone has been murdered or whether someone has discovered a new cure for desease. Can we really trust what we watch on the television. Some say that you can rely on the TV for the truth. It's your decision if you want to believe it or not. Parents and others tend to think that the television influences others to act in a bad manner. The television has been linked to children and even adults for behaving in a unexceptible way. People who tend to watch more than two hours of televison a day can lead to adolescents or abesity, a study has found that high school students that watch alot of TV have a fifty percent chance of being obese. It cost our nation one hundred and seventeen billion dollars in the year two thousand for health insurance because of obesity. Now you tell me whether or not the television is a good advance in our society or not! http://news.sawf.org/lifestyle/1145.aspx

 

Phillip Inbody- 225 words

 

I agree that television does have some good qualities, for instance: PBS or learning channels. If you expect television to tell you the truth, even on the evening news both sides of every story will not be presented entirely. It is up to us as viewers to distinguish the truth from the spin put on every story.

I do not believe that television should be used as a babysitter. It has been proven to be a factor in A.D.D. It is also suspected to play a role in Alzheimer’s as far as not using the mind and having information fed to the brain instead of thinking.

I think that more people should read, I suggest the book Fahrenheit 451, it will put things into perspective.

Garret’s Father--128

 

Technology has been taking over quicker than it should be able to. Many people in the world today focus on their computer, televisions, cell phones and ipods more than they do their own education or their own job. Because we already have so many things of technology, companies feel the need that they have to make more to satisfy customers. Many people do their work over the internet and check their work email at home. Some people even have numerous email accounts for seperate things like online shopping. A poll was taken and four out of every ten americans feel that they need thier high speed internet with their daily lives and two out of ten said the same thing for their DVD players and such. Nearly HALF of the people said that they simply just could not live without internet access. Humanity these days rely on their internet or high tech things daily but they do not need to. With all this technology it is so easy to have identity theft, viruses, spam and even fraud but most people do not pay attention because they believe that the websites they go to are "safe". Instead of using the internet all the time people could use their time on offline games and activities like exercising, reading, or volunteering. There is not a need for all the technology we have today and if so there should at least be a limit to the daily use. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/too_much_technology.html

 

Sara Ferguson- 243 words

 

Reaction:

 Obesity is a fast growing problem in our society today, and technology is partially to blame.  We sit on our butts in front of all this 'technology' that we use. We hardly move to do anything but eat! What happened to taking the time to 'go' and actually talk to someone face to face?  Instead we text or e-mail to 'save some time'.  It has really made us lazy.  We don't use our brain like we should, or our bodies for that matter, and that poses a problem.

Why do we act like the world is coming to an end when the things that we use goes down for a while, or our service is interupted for any reason?  Did we forget how to think for ourselves?  Does the technology as we know it today rule the world? 

What happened to the 'basics' in life?  Our grandparents survived without all of this technology,so why can't we?  I know there are necessities, like our cars, refrigerators, and telephones, but why do we need all of the extras?  Cindy Zachrich - 187 words

 

Smart houses are said to be the “homes of the future”, but actually they are the homes of today. Although homes are not as advanced as the homes in some of the stories we read, they already have some “smart house” products. In august 2005, ZigBee Alliance came out with many wireless gadgets that could do some of the things we read about. One gadget was supposed to automatically set the lights to just the right mood when you are watching television or listening to music. Another was supposed to warn you if you left the stove on or your basement was flooding. “Of course this is by no means the first attempt to boost the IQ of buildings and homes,” says Chris Ryan, an analyst with the U.K. based Future Horizons. ZigBee also came out with stick-on light switches and moisture censors, which would cut the cost of installing wires or cables. Although we are far away from having houses that can do everything for us, we do have some very convenient appliances that can help us with everyday life. http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/14669

Erynn Extine and Taylor Kern-181 words

 

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I agree with Erynn and Taylor because so many houses now have things to make our lives easier.  We think that we can still enhance what we have when about 100 years ago we didnt even really have a need for all this technology.  There are now remotes to control the whole house!  This remote can dim lights and everything.  We may not have the type of houses we want with the self cleaner or any other thing but we are getting close.  Things in our houses now are convient enough for now.

Sara Ferguson

 

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I think that television does have a bad influence on people and does not always tell the truth. In Phillip’s paragraph he explains how television can’t be relied on to be accurate. I agree with him because the television companies just want to make money and don’t care about the truth no matter who it hurts. Phillip is right in saying that television does cause a lot of obesity in America. All kids and adults want to do is sit and watch their favorite television show, and when they do this they seem to think they need to eat while doing so.

 

Most of us view technology as a good thing in our lives and we don't look at it as a bad influence but little do we know, all of the technology is starting to show its ugly side effects. Technology is hurting the youth the most in our world today and if we don't start limiting the usage of technology future generations to come will be severely deprived of social and communication skills. Researchers have done recent studies and found that nearly 31% of all children three years or younger are already able to use computers. The bad news is that half of that 31% say they can compute just as a grown adult would without any assistance. Some people may not view this as an issue but I do because our future generations to come will only know how to socialize via the internet and not in the real world. Also our future generations will not be as "hands-on" because of technology and this could cause a lack of people willing to do some of the jobs that critical in our day to day lives. The solution to this problem is a very simple one and so many parents are overlooking it. All that they need to do is just set a time limit for daily computer usage and not try to bring technology into their children's lives at such an early age.

 

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/52677.html

 

Raven Dotson and Robby Schwiebert-234 Wrods

 

I agree that technology is starting to become very dangerous and is hurting our economy.  But I also think that some of it is good and can help us maintain a healthy lifestyle in many ways.  Like medicine for instance it helps us stay healthy and prevents us from getting sertain diseases in our everyday life.  But television and computers are whats getting people so obease by not getting out and exercising.

Chaz Waisner 73 words

 

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Technology in today's society is, for the most part, supposed to be making life easier, less riskful, and more entertaining. People who think technology is making people have limited skills when it comes to the social and communication parts of life. I think it is bettering these, maybe not other things like becoming lazy and obese from too much TV or video games. Plus, to the some who believe that future generations won't be as "hands-on" must be crazy because each year life has become less "hands-on" and future jobs will be less "hands-on". Therefore, these three year olds who already know how to use the computer and do things via the Internet are way ahead of the game.

Sam Ewers and Alec Sexman

 

Todays technology is simple but in the future it can become so complicated most people wont know how to fix it. In the future cloning will become a major plus in our everyday life. Cloning can help us with creating more people to help fight wars or help give us more doctors. Clones can even help us do our odd jobs in life to help make things a whole lot easier. But then agian there are some defects of the cloning proccess, it may cause a cluster or teenagers will clone themselves so they dont have to go to school and they will make there clones go for them. Also about 30% of cloned animals are affected with "large offspring syndrome". It can also cause premature babies and even death. Scientis say that cloning is dangerous and irresponsible because they don't know how it could effect the brain of the clone.

 

http://www.futureforall.org/bioengineering/cloning.htm

 

Chaz Waisner and Alec Saxmen-151 words

 

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Cloning may be good to some people, but it is also a really bad.  Cloning people to fight in wars would turn on us, and take over the country because they wouldn’t like being used.  Then there would be a great war, and it will never end because the clones would keep cloning.  The teenager clones would clone some more, then there would be so many clones no one could count them.  Then those clones might kill the original person.  Scientist would someday change some characteristic in the clone, and would be really powerful being that, would take over the world, or something like that.

 

Aron Espinoza 105 words

 

Now that our nation's technology is becoming more advanced each day, cloning can be a good and bad thing.  Most people don't want a person that is just like them, but at the same time, it can help around the household.  Stay at home moms sometimes need help doing laundry, dishes, and cooking supper, and with a clone to help out around the house, it can make her job quicker and easier.  Also, it would let her be with her kids more often.  On the other hand, clones could do damage to our country. 

 

Raven Dotson-103 words

 

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