Philosophy

Throughout the unit I was introduced to several different forms of new and old technology. I learned that technology can be extremely beneficial for teachers and their students. I really like the blog because it allows for students to immediately write their responses to their homework and readings. It is very easy to forget overnight what one has read, so being able to immediately respond is very beneficial to the outcome of the response. This also helps to remind them of the reading the following day, when they read their responses they suddenly remember much more about the readings. So I definitely will use this in my future classrooms, because I want better responses from all of my students. The only idea I would have to be aware of is that some students may not have access to computers from home so I will have to allow class-time to use the internet.
I also really like the idea of bringing in videos to relate to the novel that we read. This is one that is used is many different classrooms but I strongly believe that is helps the students see the literature in comparative situations. They can compare the movie to the literature and it shows modernized versions of classical literature. I really like modernizing literature to students because it creates a more realistic situation for them. So this is another commonly used technique that I will undoubtedly implement in my classrooms.
There are some other views that I learned from this unit as well. I do think that we have to use technology in moderation or else it could start to penalize our students. We do not want them to limit themselves to computers and internet where they are not using books and libraries. Books are so important and I do not want to see the future disregarding books for computers. I also do not want students to be so consumed with technology that is takes away from the main focus of discussion. I want them to learn the literature and ideas surrounding the unit, I only want the technology to help guide the lessons, but I do not want them to be the entire lesson. So my views on technology have not changed throughout the course of this unit that much. I still believe technology is a great thing but it something we have to monitor and not let take over our entire lives.

Omniscient view

I really liked what the omniscient view said. They were more just explaining what the two minute hate was. They did not take a particular side, like the Winston and Party groups did. This was more of an informational type newspaper because it briefly explained what the citizens did during this time. The other two newspaper articles were definitely more biased because they both try to manipulate the reader into their views. This view just allowed me to understand exactly what goes one during the hate and not influence me, as a reader, to take a side.

Phone Tapping

Well I have to admit that phone tapping is a very intrusive act that the government seems to regard as protection. Basically the national phone tapping is the agreement by President Bush that it is okay to tape people’s phone conversations, especially when speaking internationally. The government believes that it is a very useful way to secretly spy on citizens who may be involved in some terrorist acts. The government feels that they are able to protect U.S. citizens much more efficiently by eavesdropping on their conversations. Phone tapping became much more common after September 11, 2001 because President Bush thinks it is a good way to catch terrorists by listening in on their phone conversations. When phone tapping started to be a “form of protection” the government did not want the New York Times to write about the issue, because they thought it would jeopardize their investigation. They secretly tapped into several conversations, mostly people speaking to others in different countries, to find any evidence of terrorism. I received majority of my information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency#Phone_taps.
To be honest I think that this is a great invasion of our privacy. I understand the government is trying to “protect” the citizens but it seems they are going to great lengths to do it. This is so intrusive and violates our American rights. As U.S. citizens we should not have to worry about what we are going to say to our family members and friends on the phone because someone could be listening in on our conversations. I think phone tapping is disturbing and creates a “telescreen” in our own lives. Knowing that we are being watched, or listened to, by the government at all times makes 1984 a reality. Allowing the government to screen our calls and record them for our “protection” is just another way that our “democratic nation” is becoming more limited.

Response to activity

I thought this activity was rather interesting. Some people were very eager to express views from their assigned characters ideas. The discussion seemed to get rather heated over how they interpret specific ideas. I think the questions were geared more towards the leaders in the stories instead of the commoners that were in the stories. The leaders were able to argue their views with several different ideas that backed up their concerns. It was harder as Julia to think of how these questions and how they directly would influence her character. I think the people who had strong views on specific ideas had better arguments.

Julia attributes

Julia is the young lady who Winston is having a secret affair. He is very attracted to her because she is willing to rebel against the system. Julia is not afraid to meet with Winston and have an affair in a room above Mr. Charrington's shop. She is rebellious and does things that are sneaky and against the Party rules. She is an attractive woman and I think Winston is more attracted to her because she is so willing to go against the Party. He is not one that agrees with the decisions that are made by the Party and she is not as well. He likes her because she is similiar to him in respect to their views on the system. Julia does not seem to fear getting caught by the government and she says she will never tell on Winston. She promises that will not turn him in during their secret affair or if they were to get caught.
At the beginning of the novel Winston is afraid that she is an undercover worker for the government because she is always watching him. He is afraid that she is trying to find out ways that he is going to go against the system. He is wrong and she is watching him because she wants to find out that he is as much against the system as she. So she is very observant and cautious about her decisions before she actually acts on them. She watches him for quites some time so she knows that he will not turn her in for her rebellious acts.

Minority Report Response

I have to say that this movie was okay. I was a little board throughout the movie but it definitely raised some interesting points. When watching Minority Report it was apparent that some ideas do relate to the novel 1984. It was almost rather scary to see how some people feel the future may turn out because of the great technological advances. It is almost intimidating to think about what will be thought of next, and how far will we go to create a "perfect" world. The movie was very disturbing because it had three "psychics" hooked up to machines so the police could see future crimes that were going to be committed. This caused the crime rate to decrease to zero in the nations capital. The inventors of this program were attempting to have this recognized around the world, so crimes will be a thing of the past. The scary thing was the three psychics were kept in a coma-like state so the machines attached to them could constantly read their minds. They were placed in a big pool area and left there twenty four hours a day. The police and the others behind the operation could not think of them as humans because it was sad to see their lives. They pretended that these three people were not humans so they could feel better about their operation. Clearly these three people are humans and need to live a life full of adventure not being imprisoned because of having a gift. Another, rather sickening, idea behind the story is the Minority Report, which was a flaw in the system. It came about that people were being put in jail for crimes they may not have actually committed. This proves that no matter what technological advances we make there is always going to be flaws so we should not become completely dependent on these advances.
This movie relates to 1984 because of the government's ways of always watching their citizens. They say it is a good way for the people to live because it keeps everyone safe. The question is though; is it worth your private life to be "safe" from crime? The people in both stories were punished for thinking about ideas that may go against what the government thought was "safe". These governments’ ideas are not keeping their citizens safe they are keeping them from living a life of privacy and comfort. It has to be completely frightening to think that one may go to jail for doing something (legal) in the privacy of their own home.
Through the reading and the movie these ideas have only increased my views on the idea that technology is an exceptional tool but it is something that needs to be used in moderation. We need to limit ourselves so that we can live a life that is private and secure away from the public. It just seems too intrusive to have someone watching me at all times, and it is not something I want to deal with in the future.

Response to the Party

I really liked the newspaper article by the Winston group. They definately describe views in the eyes of Winston. He was very secretly against the Party and the Two Minute Hate, and this article shows the secrecy of his ideas. I really like how they used words describing the Party as suspicous. When the write about Goldstein and his "supposed" evilness to the Party. They make it clear that his views are speculating the truths behind the Party.

Newspaper

Lets get excited for tomorrow’s Two Minute Hate because it shows the corruption and evilness of the Brotherhood. Emanuel Goldstein is still on the prowl, trying to manipulate our citizens to join his cult. He will sabotage your thoughts, and destroy your family. We are here to protect your values. We are here for you, we have your best interests at heart, and we have always taken care of you, do take care of you and will always take care of you and your needs. The truth cannot be undone.
Judy Seymour states, “In a world that is so unsafe our party is the protection from the outside world. Without them our survival is uncertain.”
We will show you in our two-minute hate our love for you and our country. Our protection is undying. War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength.

High School Text Story on Censorship

This story really relates to 1984. I thought the Censorship Division was much like the government officials in the novel. It seems that Juan is living in a very systematic environment. These people, Juan’s colleagues, and citizens in 1984, are so concerned with alienating themselves from the rest of the world. Juan was so worried about what he wrote in his letter to Mariana that he took drastic action to conceal his privacy. The Censorship Division obviously is very intrusive in regards to the citizens’ privacy, much like the government in 1984. It seems that the issue of censoring has gotten so out of hand that these people cannot even write a letter without worrying about the consequences. I think this is scary to think about because it seems that these people, in these two pieces, are robotic in their daily lives. They are so afraid to do something “out of the ordinary” because of the strict rules set upon them. How boring would it be to visit a place where everyone does the exact same things, and if they do something different they are severely punished? Juan was so worried about his privacy that he resulted in giving up his life to protect what was important to him. If the world comes to such limits on censorship as presented by these two writings, it would be very hard to conform to these extreme measures.

Censorship reaction

This is a very interesting topic and it is one that I believe is intimidating to future English teachers. We have so much competition out there that once we have a job we will try our best to be successful at our careers. Throughout our college years we have been exposed to many forms of literature and we know what is good for students to read. Although we know what is interesting, others may argue that a specific novel portrays something bad, as praising it, in the students’ eyes. I think it is ridiculous for people to raise concern over a novel, especially the classics, for the well-being of their kids. Now I do not think it is appropriate to teach novels with excessive swearing, sexual relations, or drugs but we cannot hide these ideas completely from teenagers. If a novel has been taught for decades, then what is the problem with teaching it today? The people who argue against these novels were probably taught them and they turned out okay, so why shouldn’t their kids be taught these issues. It is unfair to cover up issues that are happening in the real world. High school students are not so naïve that they do not know what is going on in the world around them. If they are experiencing these challenges as soon as the bell rings when school gets out, why shouldn’t they be educated on how to deal with particular problems? It will be so much better, when they are faced with a problem, that they have an idea as to how to fix it. Teaching such topics in schools will inform them of the many approaches they can take to get out of their predicament. I am a strong believer that students should be exposed to certain issues but parents and faculty members may have other views. I know I will be worried when I am asked to teach specific novels because of the fact it could jeopardize my career. Censorship is a concern I will have, but it is one that I believe students should be exposed to, to a certain extent.

Old verus New Media

I think the old media coincides with the older technology. In order for media to be delivered to a mass majority of people the technology at that time plays a particular role in distrubuting the information. It was much more difficult in history to inform people of what was going on in the world. Nowadays it is unbeleivable the ways we can access information. So the distribution of information directly correlates to the technological advances during this time period.

Interview response

This interview was rather entertaining because I enjoyed very much what my mother had to say about technology. It was fascinating to hear the technological advances she was introduced to throughout her own childhood. I was absolutely astonished when she mentioned that is was amazing that she was one of the first people to get carpet throughout her house. I know I technology for granted but this was not anything I would have every imagined. Carpet is something that seems so common nowadays that it is unbelievable that she considered this an advance in technology during her childhood. It is hard to believe that one would think carpet is a great achievement when we have ipods and other unimaginable technological advances today.
I also was very astonished when she said that my grandfather was one of the first people in Indianapolis to have a riding lawn mower. I know these machines were very uncommon during my parents’ upbringing but it is so interesting when she brought these ideas up during the interview. It really opened my eyes to how much I take for granted because I never would have thought lawn mowers were incredible machines.
When she mentioned the new invention in cars is automatic window controls I could easily relate to this being a great invention. I do not have this upgrade in my own vehicle and it is very frustrating. Now, I have to admit that I never would think that this is a great technological advance compared to the advances I have seen, but it is one that I truly wish I had available in my automobile. I would have to say the most amazing new technological advance in cars is the Onstar. I just think it is so incredible to have a computer inside the car that allows you to call a person whenever one is in trouble. This device has so many unbelievable things that is does I do not even know them all. I do not even have the slightest idea what even one third of the stuff that program can do.
I think it is comical because, when thinking of the interview, my mom probably does not even know about Onstar. If she does she has no idea what it does for the people who own the car. It is almost unfathomable to see the technology that has just advance in the past five years. When I graduated high school, there were very few, if any: MP3 players, ipods, camera phones, or flash-drives and these are the things I can think of off the top of my head. I did not even have a cell phone when I was in high school, now it is unheard of if a student does not have a cell phone with them in school.
This interview helped me to see the great advances that have happened over the past thirty years. It has showed me what my mom was introduced to throughout her childhood, and how I take those things for granted. It made me think about the amazing new advances that have just come about in the past five years. I am already behind with the technology today I can only imagine what I will be introduced to in my career. Since the computer it just seems to have sky-rocketed in how fast the technology is booming. I know this is something I need to keep up with because I will be with teenagers who will be presented with these advances everyday and they will be better educated on how to use it than me. I just do not want the technological advances to take over my classroom completely. I want my students to enjoy novels and visits to the library. Although everything is at your fingertips I want them to still understand the beauties of the library and books.

6:45 PM

The mass media is very interesting because the news is available to us in many different forms. We can easily turn on a television, computer, or grab the nearest newspaper and we can find out what is going on in the world. I know these tools are very useful for teachers and it is something I feel is very important to explore with your students. These tools are so great that it will make the classroom much more exciting because there is so many new ideas to learn. The only part that I feel can be very detrimental about all of this are the facts behind the writings. Anyone is able to post some ideas on the internet and if your students come across alot of nonsense then they may believe some of it. I think you have to be very observant when allowing students to explore all these new ways of technology and ideas relating to the mass media. If some student comes across a bunch of nonsense writing and they believe it, this could cause them some great confusion. So it is always good for the teacher to investigate specific websites that they want their students to visit when researching ideas about a certain topic. I do not want my students to read about something that is completely unreal and then they become very uncertain and confused about the entire idea. So I have to say that the mass media is extremely beneficial in ways to enhancing the learning in classrooms but I also feel is has to be used in moderation. We do not want our students to believe everything that is said or read from the mass media.

7:36 AM

Testing out the blog

I am just trying to see if this works!