Digital Story Proposal

In an age where we are more and more dependent on technology many issues have arisen with it as well. Coming from a school which required iPads for educational purposes, it is very easy for me to see the potential in these devices. I started using the devices in high school in the middle of my four years there so I was able to see both ends of the spectrum. However there are a large list of possible problems that go along with it. It can definitely be a great learning tool for students if it is limited to only that but as we see that is not always the case. 

For one the technology can easily be misused and used for games or other non-educational distractions. Ill be the first to admit, when class starts getting dull or its just one of those days, there is absolutely the temptation to turn to social media and the internet to provide entertainment during those hours. When we should be involved in the classroom all of a sudden our minds are else where doing all sorts of things. This has caused major concern with administrations as they are beginning to monitor every students involvement on social media and other outlets as a result of cyberbullying and many other issues out there. There has been much controversy as to how much schools can actually penalize students based on their social media. Schools now days are paying outside companies to monitor students internet “foot prints” so to speak claiming that it is for a good cause. (Sengupta)

This rings loud and clear with the discussions that we have been having about government surveillance problems that our nation is facing such as in the movie Citizenfour. The question remains where is that line that indicates these administrations and governments have gone too far. At what point do they overstep their bounds and begin to take on roles not meant for them. 

Many different groups of people have already expressed the grave danger in this. As many companies look to monitor people from as young of an age as possible, this inclusion of technology in education is helping them right along the way. Businesses and other companies claim it will help them discover the methods that make the most successful students and other claims. However it is still the issue of them monitoring our every move in our lives. (Cantu)

Already the Department of Education is setting up programs such as “P-20” which will monitor our every academic step all the way from preschool until we prepare for college and the work force. Apparently to them, all of the standardized testing and entrance exams are not enough. (Cantu)

If the government is choosing to monitor our calls, emails, texts, and conversations; what is to stop other organizations and administrations from doing the same thing. Things that were once thought to be personal and off limits are now open for the world to see whenever they like. 

The fact of the matter is children in schools are being very controlling with children these days. Children in schools are monitored and controlled more than children that aren't even in these institutions. They are receiving penalties for things that are out of the administrations jurisdiction. The rights of these children are being compromised and violated more so than children who are not even in these institutions.

There are several ways this information can be used. An interactive website displaying some of this information to show what is really going on would be a great possibility such as word press. Powerpoint presentations could be used to get the information across.

Works Cited

Sengupta, Somini. "Warily, Schools Watch Students on the Internet." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/technology/some-schools-extend-surveillance-of-students-beyond-campus.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Cantu, Aaron. "Scary New Surveillance State Idea: Government Tracking Students from Preschool to Workforce." Alternet. N.p., Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.

http://www.alternet.org/education/scary-new-surveillance-state-idea-government-tracking-students-preschool-workforce

Gender Stereotypes

For our project we decided that instead of going with the regular stereotypes that a lot of groups did, we wanted to specifically find people that stood out and broke these socially acceptable parameters of what a person must be based on their gender. This case in particular talks about a woman who is not at all your typical female. This goes to not only show what can happen when you fight the social parameters, but the feedback you will receive. It is honestly quite sad the things she had to deal with for pursuing the lifestyle that she did. She was forced to change who she was because of shame for the way she looked.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Nz_pFD426c_GuVKlsTXb_kYhU1WhHP7kUBoOZHk3SpU/edit?usp=sharing

Gender Roles

For our group digital story project we are are pairing up with another class to look further into gender roles and the effects that it has. After watching a couple of videos in class we were asked to look further into this. As a result the most common discussion is the typical stereotypes associated with each gender. In the video sports illustrated was brought up. The film broke down all of the different sections it had. For instance, in all issues women were portrayed as helpless and usually less clothed than the men. It was quite the opposite for men. They were portrayed to have this dominance and superiority and masculinity. It went further to replace the male models with female models striking the pose that a male model would. The same goes for the female models with men. After this transition everything seemed to be off. Our group decided to pursue this issue further. We looked for all of the examples as to things that go against the typical stereotypes of women. We looked for women who showed power and dominance and men that looked sensitive and fragile. Our results were astounding. One thing in particular stuck out. It was a female who had recently gotten involved into body building. She started off as a bartender and eventually took up lifting in her spare time. As her training got more and more serious she began steroid use. She became so masculine in her physique that she began dressing as a man because people were accusing her of being a man dressing up as a woman. This and many other examples are evidence that we are quick to judge with these stereotypes on what a male and female should look or act like.