Cyber bullying

Cyber bullying has become a major issue in our modern day society. With websites such as Facebook and Myspace and instant messaging applications such as MSN, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk, the opportunities for cyber bullying have expanded. The assembly we has on cyber bullying opened my eyes to how serious the issue is. Law suits have been filed between victims and cyber bullies, while a young girl actually committed suicide because of cyber bullying. Unfortunately, I don’t think many of us Ward students took the assembly seriously. I was extremely angry and disappointed hearing many students snickering and not even listening to what the speaker was trying to say. They might think that the assembly was just another lecture that wasted their time, but it’s an important problem that everyone should be informed of so that we can prevent cyber bullying.

We consider cyber bullying to be, well, bullying in cyberspace. Cyber bullying occurs when a person deliberately and repeatedly harassed, threatened, or basically targeted by another through the Internet. Cyber bullying usually happens between classmates, friends, and can start from childhood to teenage years.

I personally don’t think there is any punishment that is appropriate enough for cyber bullying. No matter how you punish a cyber bully, they will find other ways to get harass or threaten their target. Punishing a bully by telling them they can’t go on the computer is pointless. Of course they’re still going to use the computer, despite the fact they were told not to. I think the only way to prevent cyber bullying or punish a cyber bully is to take away computers, but we can’t do that since computers have become essential to our everyday lives. So, in conclusion, I don’t think a proper punishment has yet been created for cyber bullies.

Are Wii the Children of the Revolution?

Despite all the reviews and advertising for the new Nintendo Wii, I still believe it is just another hype. Since it’s just another gaming system, what makes it so revolutionary? Well, the Nintendo Wii is the first game console that actually, physically allows players to take control of a game instead of pressing a bunch of buttons on a controller connected to the system. Nintendo has created a wireless motion-sensing remote that allows players to directly point and shoot their gun at an enemy or hit a tennis ball with the remote as their racquet on a game without having to use a control stick.

This new motion-sensing remote may be awesome, but who says that Playstation or Xbox won’t come up with something similar of their own? This is where I feel the whole “revolutionary” part is wrong. With advancements in technology occurring more and more rapidly, it is almost certain that another gaming company will create something that may top the Nintendo Wii. If and when that new gaming system comes out, everyone will turn to that and begin to say “The new Playstation iv has revolutionized the world of gaming” or “Xbox has continued to revolutionize the gaming experience with the new Xbox 540”. With time people will see that the Nintendo Wii is just another hype that will pass with the coming of something newer and better.

Another hype surrounding the Nintendo Wii is its ability to “democratize” gaming for people of ages and skill levels. I do not think that this game console is capable to do that. If I was an old woman, I’d rather play a game on a system where I don’t have to do much physical work (haha), but the Nintendo Wii requires a player to be active. Also, just because this gaming system can be played by people of different ages and capabilities, it does not increase the interest of some. Some people, myself included, have a genuine disregard for video games. In our minds, it’s just another object that people waste money on.

So, in conclusion, I do not believe that the Nintendo Wii is revolutionary, nor is it capable democratizing gaming for everyone.

Reading in Cyberspace?!

Google is the leading search engine in cyberspace and once again. Google has come up with many different tools that will help internet users gain access to whatever information they need. Google Book Search is one of Google’s newest controversial projects. The purpose of the Google Book Search is to provide Internet users with easy – and free – access to books. Google achieves this easy access by scanning books and storing them into its database. You may be thinking, “But isn’t that illegal?!” That age-old question has been asked by many people. To avoid being sued by publishing companies and authors, Google only grants full access to books that aren’t copy-righted and are out of print. Books that are still in print or are copyrighted, however, Google provides “snippets” of, which are basically previews.

Although many people find this Google Book Search helpful and convenient, many people will also feel the contrary. This new library-based digitization will negatively affect Google's relationships with publishers. By putting the full text of books online and available to everyone around the world for free, publishers and authors will lose on money. Since their books are available online for their audience to view, some readers will no longer see the point in purchasing the actual books. It is more convenient to read the books online and most importantly, it's free. The fact that Google makes profit from scanning these books online will also only further negatively impact this relationship.

Google's competitors will most definitely come up with their own new tool that will challenge the Google Book Search. Yahoo!, Microsoft and Google are all basically coming up with similar technology for Internet users. For Microsoft’s Hotmail, Yahoo! came up with Yahoo! Mail and Google with GMail. Without a doubt, for whatever other tool one company comes up with, their competitors will surely create something similar. This case with the Google Book Search will be no different.

The mere existence of Google has already affected the way we access information online. The new Google Book Search will only further the opportunities we have to gain information. We no longer have to go to the library for certain books because it will be available to us through the comfort of our home computers.

I personally don’t think librarians would or should be threatened by this new technology. There are many people in the world who still like to get access to information and read books the old fashioned way. The Internet doesn’t always give reliable information, while the library does. Also, readers, myself included, would rather read a book comfortably on a chair or on a bed, rather having to stare at a monitor. Reading old paperbacks are also more portable and more convenient to bring than having to lug around a laptop just to read a book online. Another thing to consider is the fact that Google is not able to provide the full text of the majority of books being read right now, so librarians should not feel threatened.

I think that the Google Book Search is a great tool to gain access to information. However, it only gives users limited access to books they need, if not any at all. So until Google comes up with a way to scan full text of books without bumping into copyright infringements or new law suits, I won’t be using it myself.

When War meets Video Games

War video games have become more and more popular over the years. With time comes better technology and with better technology comes high quality video games that are extremely realistic. Most people who play video games base the type of game they buy on how realistic and action-packed it is, which is probably one of the reasons why war games have become so popular. Video game developers are now able to make these war games so realistic that the player feels as if he is actually in a real-life situation, making them more desirable to play. Another reason is the fact that all people like to have that sense of control and power over something. War video games deliver that to players. Players like the feeling that they are the ones who controls the outcome of the game, and if they don’t like that outcome, they can play over and over again until they do.

I don’t believe realistic war games make people less sensitive to the horror of war; I think it’s all just for fun. Yes, these games may give them an idea of how gruesome war can be, but it ultimately is not the real thing. No one truly knows what it’s like to be in a battlefield shooting at enemy soldiers until they actually go through it. I think some people just like to play these games for the virtual adventure they go through and that feeling of accomplishment after completing the whole game. However, there are also those people who take these war games real seriously and are influenced by the actions that go on in the games they play.

I personally am not a big video-gamer. However, if I were to play video games I’d choose sports games like racing or football rather than war games. Everyone has different tastes in the types of video games they play and war games are just not my type. I find them too violent and pointless, unlike those who find it thrilling to shoot someone’s head. I also feel that it only promotes violence among video-gamers.

iPod Classroom

I believe that I, myself, would learn well using this new iPod technology. I learn better and faster when I am figuring things out for myself when I do work. Working at my own pace also helps me improve my work. However, a drawback is the fact that help from my teacher will not be close to hand. If I am struggling with a question, I can’t just easily walk up to my teacher and ask, I would have to wait until the next time I’m in class to do so. Overall, I do feel that I would learn well in an iPod classroom.

In my opinion, I think it would be wise to incorporate this new iPod technology at Mary Ward. Many students often miss seminars due to other commitments or most of the time, they just don’t want to spend a whole period sitting and listening to a teacher lecturing. I personally would rather go to a seminar in the comfort of my own room, which is what this new technology can offer. It would also be easier for students to understand the seminar when they are watching it by themselves and have their whole attention on it. This would also allow them to go back and listen over again to a part of the seminar they did not understand and then ask their teacher about it.

Nevertheless, there are still some disadvantages among all the positive things an “iPod classroom” offers. For the most part, not everyone has or can afford an iPod video; therefore not everyone has access to these virtual seminars. Also, the fact that these seminars are available to those who have iPod videos at anytime, they might put off doing work which will eventually pile up.

Although there are some disadvantages to this iPod technology, it would be a great new addition to Mary Ward’s belief in self-directed learning.

With the GOOD, comes the BAD.

Advancements in modern-day communication technology have truly revolutionized our generation. Every single day we are bombarded with advertisements for newer, better and more high-tech methods to communicate with one another. I think I can speak for almost every person in the world who has a cell phone that it is one of the greatest inventions of all time. Cell phones allow us to communicate with people anywhere at anytime, well, not always anywhere and anytime; you need to have a phone plan with a company with great wireless connection do to that. But back to my point, we have greatly benefited from the invention of cell phones, but as always, when there’s good, there’s always the bad.

The cellular phone is a wireless phone that enables us to communicate with our family and friends quickly and easily. It is one way we can stay connected, all the time. It is unbelievable how cell phones have revolutionized the world since it was first invented. Wherever you go, whether you’re walking down the street or in your car stopped at red light, you will often see people with a phone pressed to their ear. The cell phone has more uses than just a method of communication. Cell phones allow us to text message, play games, listen to music, watch videos, send pictures and even surf the net!

Despite these advantages, however, there are also some drawbacks to cell phones. Many of us like to be just one call away from our loved ones, but not all the time. Sometimes we feel like shutting off our cell phone just to get away from the non-stop calling because we lose so much of our privacy. Business people often feel stressed even when they’re not at work because the work comes to them. Since we do feel so connected to people we know, we often feel like we can’t ever have time for ourselves to just relax.

Yes, the cell phone may have its advantages, but, as with everything, it also has its drawbacks.

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