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 do believe that students should be Web literate because many schools have online grade tracking websites. This gives the students the advantage to keep an eye on their grades all day, everyday to stay on track. If students are not Web literate, then they will not be able to check their homework, test grades, etc. Additionally, teachers sometimes ask for homework to be printed or handed in over the grade tracking websites and you need to be able to operate the website in order to turn in the assignments.

2) What skills should all teachers have to be Web literate? Explain

Teachers should be able to work online grading systems, keep in contact with students/parents, be able to research any question they or students have to find the answer quick and efficiently, and work online programs to enhance lessons to keep students interested/motivated everyday during class. Some parents write notes to teachers asking questions about their child's progress and the student does not give the teacher the note. Therefore, if the teacher can work the online grading system and keep in touch with parents, keep the parents informed with the grades the student has been receiving, and the parents can directly talk to the teacher without any difficulty.   

3) What role should school filtering play in your school district? Explain why schools should block or not block Web sites.

Schools should block Web sites because if teachers use the computer lab for a lesson, students will get side-tracked and go on other irrelevant websites that will distract them and make them not want to learn. Also, some students would go on inappropriate websites and if the websites are not blocked, it would cause many complaints from the families of the students.

4) Do you believe the Internet is as big a transformer of culture as the printing press? Explain.

Yes, I believe the Internet is as big as a transformer of culture as the printing press because everyone on Earth has access to the internet. The printing press and the Internet are very similar, and brings many people convenience. They both help spread messages and news through some form of text, and become very useful for others.

5) If yes, what parts of our culture do you believe will be most affected? Explain.

I believe that the Internet makes everyone computer savvy, and gain more knowledge on how to use the type of technology. People used to watch television to watch the President’s speech, now its on the internet, and people can watch it after the President has already spoken live on television. Talking on the phone has become text messages, schools created online grading systems and the movie theaters have become a thing of the past or something rare..All thanks to the Internet. 

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #2 (Due Monday October 20th)

1. Why does the author, Nicholas Carr, feel like his mind is changing as a result of the Internet?

 Nicolas Carr expresses that he not only his feelings are changing towards the popularity of the idea of internet. He notices that he is now relying on the internet a lot more than he usually has, and the prior knowledge in his head can always be checked on the web, and he can always further the idea/knowledge he already has because of the internet. He feels that the internet could make him and the rest of society a lot more lazy. Nicholas Carr, just like the rest of us has to deal with facing distractions as he is trying to accomplish something on the internet. In todays society, it seems like completing such an easy task can turn into an hour long project.

2. How does research today compare with doing library research in the old days, twenty and more years ago? (I know you weren't around 20 years ago, but answer this based on what knowledge you have gathered about libraries in your lifetime).  Researching in a library is a lot harder, longer and more based on your own knowledge. You will need to know the genre, and other facts on the novel/book. Using the internet to find the book is a lot easier, quicker because it gives you everything you could ever imagine about that certain book.
Nicolas Carr's reading habits have changed because he now has many more options on how to get distracted if he is on the internet because there are so many other sites he could go on. However, if he was reading a hard copy of an article he wouldn't have any distraction because it would be on paper and in front of him. Years before Carr would be so much quicker at reading through articles and actively reading them, but now the internet distracts him completely.

3. How have Nicholas Carr's reading habits changed because of the Internet?

4. How is reading online different than reading a long article or book? Explain.

Reading online makes you have to focus a lot more because everyone usually gets side-tracked and doesnt end up finishing because something else comes up. Also on the internet, you can research sections of the book youre reading to further your understanding of it. A book on the other hand is very hands-on, you are basically relying on yourself and your reading comprehension skills.

5. Do you agree or disagree that our minds think like computers? Explain.

I agree that our minds do think like computers because computers are always thinking of so many things at once, and i know that my mind is always thinking of 100 things at once. 

6. Do you agree or disagree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies?"

I agree because i think the computer is making society rely on the internet more than we should. We become lazy because information is easily offered and you dont really have to work hard for it.

7. Why do you think The New York Times changed its format? Do you think it was a good idea or a bad idea? Why?

I think the New York Times changed their format to look more professional and more appealing to the public eye. They made it seem more like a typewriter and added character to the writing. I think it was a very good idea because it might have made the New York Times more popular.

8. What does Nicholas Carr mean by "knowledge work?"

When Nicolas Carr mentions "knowledge work", he means that if you take your time with a project or assignment you will most likely be proud of your work or get a good grade on it because you put so much effort into it.

9. Do you agree or disagree that Google has been successful in its mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful?"

Yes i do agree that google has been successful in organizing the worlds information and making it more universally accessible and useful because it assists people everyday and provides them with the information they will need. Google is a very reliable source and millions of people use it everyday.

10. How does Google's mission compare with a library's mission in light of the fact that there is no fiction or nonfiction section on the Internet, but there is a fiction and a nonfiction section in a library, and that all the books are organized on the shelves in a library, but "scattered on the floor" of the Internet?

Google will always seem to be harder to find the most accurate source because all different results appear when you search one topic, but when you're looking for information in a book its all accurate because its a hard copy of writing. The internet is all over the place and a library seems to be more organized and easy to operate and work with.

11. Do you think it would be a good thing if your own brain and intelligence were "supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence?" Why or why not?

No i do not think it would be good that my own brain and intelligence were supplemented or replaced by an artificial intelligence because our brains all work different ways and react differently. 

12. Do you think that the human brain is "just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive?" Why or why not?

No i don't think that because i think we all have power over how much our brain is capable of in my mind. I feel like when we study we are testing our brain and teaching it new topics and information. 

13. What do you think about your own surfing habits, the links you click on and the pages you view, being an opportunity for "Google and other companies to collect information about you and to feed you advertisements?"

I think that my way of researching topics is working fine for me right now. When i research topics, i usually go on multiple sites to compare the information provided on the site and then i use the site that seems more reliable and would help me most throughout my research.

14. How do your surfing habits compare to reading a book? Do you agree or disagree that companies online, collecting data about us by what we click on and view, are using subversive tactics to discourage "leisurely reading," and "slow, concentrated thought?" Are you yourself driven to distraction while on the Web? How or how not?

My surfing habits compare to reading a book because its possible for me to get side-tracked either on the internet or reading a book. I'm always drawn to go on social networking sites, and go on my phone and do anything but my work for 20 minutes at a time, so yes i think that we all have distractions.

15. Do you agree with Socrates that the development of writing led to people using the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they carried around in their heads? Why or why not?

I dont agree that the Socrates are the reasons for development because we all learn differently and have different techniques on how we understand topics best.

16. Do you think the Internet is doing the same thing? Why or why not? How or how not?

I think the Internet is helping us learn how to research information because we have to figure out if its not a bogus site and if the information is true or false.

17. How do your own reading habits compare to what Nicholas Carr describes in this article?

My reading habits go along with what Nicholas Carr describes because we both seem to get somewhat distracted easily while researching a topic, and trying to further our knowledge. I usually become very lazy and dont want to finish the work i started.

18. So, do you think Google really is making us stupid? Why or why not? How or how not?

I don't think Google is making us stupid, in fact i believe that it is making us way smarter because it helps further our knowledge on any topic we searched.