teachers and students

http://redtape.msnbc.com


I read an artcile that talked about the INternet and how teachers and students are getting mixed up in Facebook. It had one story about a teacher who was fired for posting a deragoatory remark about her students on her Facebook page. It does remind me of the artciel I recentlyu read about how some employers use Facebook to hire or fire employees. I think if a teacher gest drunk and posts pictures on her Facebook page she should get a warning. Its; almost like they are expecting teachers ot be operfect people when they are just like everyone else. Some like to get drunk and some don't. It's becoming common sense not to post these types of pictures but some people still think that their Facebook pages are private. I think a teacher should get warned and told that it doesn't present a good image for the students. I'm sure they would stop.

I don't think teachers and students should ever interact on Facebook. I think it's okay through a school website where everyone can see what you are doing but not privately. The article even talks about how throughout the world teacher shave engaged in behavior they don't want other people to know about. However, I think this goes back to the fact that teachers are just ordinary people. Thee are some who like to get drunk and some who don't. There are those that are pedophiles and those that are not.

Knowledge isn't power

I really enjoyed reading this article. I was surprised to learn that is was first printed in 1986. It has some ideas that are ahead of it's time. It helps put to rest many myths that are associated with computer technology. For example, it mentions that most people think that having computers will level teh playing field more. However, this may not be the case. According to the article, since computers will take important jobs away from people it may leave only mediocre jobs such as janitor available for people. This will actually lengthen the gap between the wealthy and poor.

The article also debunks the myth that computer technology will help make smarter people. However, this isn't the case. The article exlpains that the only way for this to occur is that people actually know how to and are able to use the technology. Many people can't because they are unable to read. Langdon Winner explains that these computer enthusiasts (as he puts it) should be concentrating in making sure public libraries have the necessary tools to help educate people. Winner states: "While it is true that systems of computation and communications, intelligently structured and wisely applied, might help a society raise its standards of literacy, education, and general knowledgeability, to look at those instruments first while ignoring how to enlighten and invigorate a human mind is pure foolishness. "(593)

Winner also thinks that knowledge isn't power. winner says that some people may have teh knowledge but don't have the means to act on that knowledge. This debunks the idea that knowledge is power. Winner thinks that knowledge is power only if it can be directly applied. For example, if I got a job because of all the computer software programs I know this is a way that knowledge would be power.

question 2

I learned what avatar means. I knew it was the images we choose that represent our profile pages but I wasn't sure exactly what it meant. According to the article, an avatar is what a god was called whenever they visited earth.

I thought it was interesting that we choose our avatars according to what our ethnic and/or culture is. For example, many people from the western world used avatars that illustrate what beauty is in the Western world. Similarily, gender also play a role in what avatars people choose. Most women will pick avatars that are associated with femininity and men will choose avatars that refelct masculinity.

A cyborg manifesto

I always thought of a cyborg as being a robot but Haraway gives the correct defintion. A cyborg is actually both robot and human at the same time. This is similar in how people and animals are the same thing. I never looked at a cyborg like that. She explains how women are being oppressed and that looking at the problem as a women's problem is not the right thing to do. She wants women to be treated equally. This will only be achieved if men begin to look at women differently.

The cyborg idea is a result of the dualism in people. For example, mind/body. This makes Haraway wonder why women get put into one category if they are obviously more than that. She feels that the oppression will only end once men realize that all women are not the same

a cyborg manifesto-research

here is an article I found.

http://tcs.sagepub.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/content/20/3/65.full.pdf+

disclosing the ethnographic self

The main idea I got from teh article is the idea that giving away too much information about yourself can take away your credibility as a researcher. When you have a project to do it difficultto give out personal information because your informants are supposed to be gathering information outside of yourself. Your self becomes less important. This is why he also watches how much he says whenever he replies in an email. This keeps his identity intact as a ethnographic researcher.

He brings up Facebook. He explains that this is how he communicates with soem of his informants. However, he must also watch what type of information he tells people about himself in order to keep the integrity of the project he is working on. He explains that even though he may 'Friend' someone on Facebook he must still keep his personal information to himself. This helps him keep his identity and it allows him to be able to carry out the research without any interference.