Colleen's Research Journal

RJA# 15b Reflection on What I Have Learned

2009-12-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

This class has taught me how to properly research and draft a research paper, which is the exact premise of this course. More importantly this class taught me some valuable lessons for life and school. I learned how to stay with a subject even when I dislike or grow old with it. I had to stay with my topic even when I thought I wouldn't be able to find enough information on the subject. So, I suppose the valuable skill I gained was to be able to motivate myself to look harder and make it work. Another important lesson I've learned from this course was to work outside of my comfort zone. All of my papers thus far excluding this paper have been related to the criminal justice system or the political arena, I find it very easy to write papers about these topics because they are my main focuses of studies in college. This paper forced me to grow and expand my horizons to other areas of interest. All the skills I've gained from this course will help me throughout my college career as well personal life. Throughout life we all have and will continue to encounter situations that take us out of comfort zones and make us want to give up, but we have to learn how to work through them.

RJA #15a Word Cloud

2009-12-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Word Cloud Link

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1421506/Eng_1020_Research_Paper_Word_Cloud

RJA # 14 Annotated Bibliography Part 2

2009-11-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

Whose Space? Differences Among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites
by Eszter Hargittai of Northwestern University

The article "Whose Space? Differences Among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites" discuss the clear and distinct differences between social networking site users and non users. The article also highlights how a user's economical, ethnic,educational, and parental background impact whether or not a person would use such sites. The article addresses other pertinent questions surrounding social networking. Does social networking cause harm or is it helpful? How does social networking impact indentity construction and expression? The article goes on to say that it was believed at the starts of the internet boom, the internet would level out the playing field among individuals. Research has shown that individual's offline charcteristics are actually transferring over to their online endevors.

I found this article to be very useful to my research of my paper.This article is great reference for support of my argument of my paper. This article shows shows a possible negative aspect of social networking by causing dgital equality.

Hargittai Eszter, "Whose Space? Differences Among Users and Non-Users of Social Network Sites" http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/hargittai.html

"Facebook and Grades" Don Tapscott

This video found on videosurf.com shows Don Tapscott the author of the book "Grown Up Digital" argues a study which was conducted at the University of Ohio of 219 students. The study shows that non users of facebook studied more and received better grades, than those who are Facebook users. Tapscott debates that there are numerous problems with the methodology of the study. The study shows that less graduate students use Facebook than undergraduate students.

This video is excellent reference for an objection my argument. This video does not codemn the usage of social networking sites, just cautions they must be used in moderation.

Tapscott Don, "Facebook and Grades" Videosurf.com
http://www.videosurf.com/video/don-tapscott-on-cbc-facebook-and-grades-71258390

Friend Networking Sites and Their Relationship to Adolescents' Well-Being and Social Self-Esteem

Patti M. Valkenburg, Jochen Peter, Alexander P. Schouten. CyberPsychology & Behavior. October 2006, 9(5): 584-590. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9.584.

Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing your world by Don Tapscott.

Don Tapscott's book takes an in depth look into today's youth are developing differently due to the fact they have grown up in a world of many technologic advancements.

Teenagers' Internet Socializing Not A Bad Thing

Lewin, Tamar. "Teenagers’ Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing." Editorial. The New York Times 19 Nov. 2008. New York Times. New York Times, 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.>

Top Social Networking Age Distributions

This article discusses how the different social networking sites appeal to different age groups.

Facebook and Myspace tend to attract a younger demographic as where sites likes Flickr and LinkinIn have a higher number of slightly older users.

This article from Social Times is great for showing how Myspace and Facebook are geared toward adolescents and how this can become a problem if not used in moderation.

O' Neil, Nick. "Top Social Network Age Distributions." Web log post. Social Times. 19 June 2008.

Web. 10 Nov. 2009.

RJA #13b Annotated Bibliographies Part 1

2009-11-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

1.) Royal College of Psychiatrists, "Psychiatrist Warns About Impact of Social Networking Sites" RxPG News.com RxPG News July,12th, 2008

This peer-reviewed article by Royal College of Psychiarists discuss the observations of Dr Himanshu Tyagi a psychiatrist at West London Mental health Trust in regards to the usage of online social networking. Dr. Tyagi goes on to explain that the youth who were born in and after 1990 have a very different view of world. Dr. Tyagi believes the youth in this age range for a disorted view of reality, they may put less emphasis on real world indenities and relationships and view them as disposable and interchangable. All these factors can cause these youths to be unable to adquecately deal with the realities of the real world society. Dr. Tyagi also fears that just as the older generations have a hard time remembering a world without the internet there is a generation of teens who are growing up who can't imagine a world where they cannot go on Facebook, Myspace, chat rooms, etc etc.... Dr. Tyagi does not fail to mention positive aspects of online social networking he explains how these social networks allow for a less importance on class, race, and gender consideration unlike the real world. Dr. Tyagi also mentions that online social networtking allows for the absent of geographical boundaries which gives way to the opportunity to find support from all over the world.

This article was very useful to me. Firstly it was one of the best peer reviewed articles I was able to find. Next it gave way to very strong and credible information in favor of my argument, but it does not fail to present a counter argument.

2.) Anoma. "The Facebook Addiction" Tickled By Life tickledbylife.com
August 24th, 2009

The blog entry entitled "The Facebook Addiction" is a blog written about the growth in popularity of social networking sites not just among teenagers although the are the largest age group who use Facebook. The blog discusses how adults are signing up for Facebbok to be able to monitor their children's activity on the site. The author also mentions the amounts of valuable time is being used to play Facebook games and contest instead of being used more constructively. The author is a Facebook user and young adult themselve and doesn't disvalue the positive aspects of the social networking site , just states its usage must be modest. The author also believes the users need to realize that Facebook is created to be for enhancement of life enjoyment, not meant to be the only means of socializing and communication.

This is a blog entry I found on Tickledbylife.com. I was intrigued by the title intially then when I began reading I found this person had a lot of great points. The best part of this blog post is it from the perspective of a young adult who is a Facebook user who is still able to see that there is growing trend is usage and it can have a harmful impact on users. The author also presents that observation that not only young adults are becoming addicted to Facebook that adults themselves are being engrossed into the craze.

3.) Grohol PsyD M John. " Teens Text A Lot, Adults Worry" Psychcentral.com Psych Central
May 29th, 2009

In the article entitled "Teens Text A Lot, Adults Worry" explains how every twenty to thirty years a new technology is developed which creates an almost hysteric state among parents and researchers alike. First it was the radio, then it was the television, next video games, and now text messaging. Text messaging allows people to communicate with others and sometimes discuss with peers things they may not feel comfortable doing face to face. The article also goes on to discuss what adults may see as a distraction teens do not. Growing up with technology is second nature for teens states John M Grohol PsyD. The article also goes on to say that texting has actually allowed for teens touni-task which many adults have a harder time doing.

I found this article to be a very useful source of credible information for a counter argument to present in my paper. The article shows the usage of texting and other new technologies by teens in a positive light.

4.) Campbell Marilyn. "The impact of the mobile phone on young people’s social life" Queensland University of Technology October 25th, 2005

This article discusses how the cell phone now plays a critical part in young adults' lives. It makes very good points about teens' relationship with technologies such as cellphones.

I plan to use this article as a very informative source for my research paper.

RJA # 13a Field Research Report

2009-11-16T07:14:00.000-08:00

I have decided to conduct a survey which I am still in the process of doing. I am surveying my fellow classmates in my other courses about what their opinion is on social networking/text messaging impact on their personal study habits. Do these technologies distract them to a point where they have impact on their academics? Or are they able to use these technologies without letting them over take their time? Being that most of my classmates are around my age and social networking and text messaging were not as prevalent when I was in high school , I wanted to find out how they feel their study habits would have compared had these technologies been as widely popular while in high school. I am also asking if they feel teens today should be limited in their usage of these technologies.

Research Presentation

2009-11-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Link to research presentation .

RJA #12c Introduction Check

2009-11-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

I checked Jon-Michael's and Lindsey's introductions.

RJA #12 b Presentation Plan

2009-11-04T08:11:00.001-08:00

For my presentation on my research topic I plan to create a Powerpoint presentation. In my presentation I plan to state my research topic which is the impact social networking and text messaging have on teenagers social & learning skills. I will also present the more detailed research question associated with the topic, "How does social networking and text messaging impact teenagers social and learning skills?" I will state the position I take on the subject as well as present credible information supporting this position. I will also present the counterargument and information supporting that argument. Along with this information I will incorporate visual aids into my presentation.

RJA #12a Progress Reports

2009-11-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Completed Work:

Found Numerous reliable sources on the internet,book, and periodicals.
Established Argument on my research topic.
Created Thesis Statement.

Work to be Completed:

Conduct interviews with individuals for argument and counter argument
Find more books as sources
Find research studies for supporting evidence.

I plan to have accomplish my interviews within the next week.

RJA 11 #c Thesis Statement Check

2009-11-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

I checked Lori's and Christina's thesis statements.

RJA # 11b Visual Aids

2009-11-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

1. Finding different screenshots of applications on Facebook (i.e. Farmville, Vampire Wars, Mafia Wars, etc...) that can distracting

2. Screenshots of conversations between teenagers that show the lack of proper grammar or using "txting" language.

3. Youtube videos.

4. Graphs/ Charts related to studies showing teenagers average daily usage of social networking sites.

5. A screenshot of the small red pop up indicating a new notification on Facebook and how can effect an individual.

RJA #11a Introduction

2009-11-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

The world in which we live in today is much different from the world that existed twenty or even as little as ten years ago. Technology has changed how most of us live our day to day lives. Instead of calling or visting a friend, an individual can simply send a text or write on their friend's wall on Facebook. These technological advances can be very useful but on the same hand can also be socially debilitating, for users of any age. The most sensitive group of users to social networking's impact are teenagers. Teenagers are still developing their social skills as well as mastering their learning techniques and abilities and with the combination of excessive and/or improper use of social networking sites these skills can be damaged. Social networking can be a very use tool in advancing one's way of keeping touch with others and keeping up to date with current events when used in the proper context. The dilemna is more often than not in regards to adolescents these avenues of social networking are not used in moderation.

RJA #10b Argument

2009-10-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

Argument:
The concept of social networking is great. It has many useful benefits, it allows people to keep in touch with family members and friends they are unable to see on a regular basis. It allows individuals to keep up on current and events as well as meet new people. These are all approriate uses of social networking, but there is a downside to these social networking sites like Facebook. Some individuals young or old can become engrossed with an almost addiction like behavior in regards to these sites, causing a major interruption to a person's daily life. In relation to adolescents this can be very harmful to their social and learning capabilities, because it
can take considerable amounts of time away from their studies as well if not used moderately can hinder a child's ability to create and foster relationships with others outside the realm of social networking. Like anything else human's enjoy if not used humbly and in the proper fashion can go from being healthy to dangerous.

RJA #10a Thesis Statement

2009-10-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Research Question: How do social networking sites and other social technologies impact teenager's social and learning skills?

Precise claim: Social networking sites and other social oriented technologies have a harmful effect on teenagers when they are not used in an approriate context and in moderation.

Reasons/Blueprint
* A majority of social networking users use these technologies in excess.
* There are applications on sites such as Facebook that promote inproductivity and cause distraction (i.e. Farmville, Mafia Wars, Vampire Wars,etc..)
* Teenagers are among some users that are known to use these technologies inapproriately.

Complete Thesis Statement: Social networking sites and other socially oriented technologies have a harmful impact when not used approriately and in moderation.

RJA #9 Evaluating Sources

2009-10-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Book:

Name(s) of author(s), editor(s), translator(s), and/or compiler(s):Elaine Smith

Title and subtitle of the book: The influence of text messaging on the social, emotional and cognitive development of adolescents

Edition number or information: Thesis/dissertation : English

Number(s) of volume used: 1

Name of series:

Place of publication:

Name of publisher :

Date of publication (copyright) : 2005

I have found this book to be very informative to my research thus far. I have been able to find a great deal about social networking and its relation to teenager's social and learning skills, but this book is the best source I have found so far on cellphones specifically text messaging impact on adolescents.

Periodical:

Author: Royal College of Psychiatrists
Title of Article:Psychiatrist warns about impact of social networking sites
Title of reference work :RxPG News
Place of Publication:
Date of Publication: June 8th, 2009
Page Numbers: 1

This article published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists is a great source from the point of view from the social sciences. It explains how differently the youth born after 1995 view the world from those who were adolescents before this major and respectively new technology boom.

Tickled By Life- Main Page
The Facebook Addiction
by Anoma
Published August 29th, 2009

The Facebook Addiction blog on the Tickled By Life site explains the phenomena of Facebook addiction. This blog gives great counter argumentive information for my paper stating that young adults are not the only ones suseptable to becoming addicted to social networking communities

RJA # 8c Multimedia

2009-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Resource searched or tool used: Videosurf.com
Keywords used: facebook,teenager's
Search strategies used (including operators and types of searches)
Date of search October, 12th, 2009
Number of hits : 18
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5) : 2

***All sites have been added to my Delicious account and the RSS feeds have been added to my Protopage.****

RJA # 8b Social Media

2009-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Resource searched or tool used: Icerocket.com

Keywords used: teenager's, social, skills, result, social, networking

Search strategies used (including operators and types of searches):

Date of search: Oct, 12, 2009

Number of hits: 5

Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5):1

RJA # 8a Websites

2009-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Resource searched or tool used: Meta and Multi Search Engines/ Infoline.com
Keywords used: impact, facebook, teenager's, social, skills
Search strategies used (including operators and types of searches): search engine math
Date of search : Oct 12th, 2009
Number of hits :44
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5): 1

Internet Research Project

2009-10-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

My assigned internet research tool is Technorati
Link: http://technorati.com/

Summary
Technorati is a type of search engine that allows its users to search multiple blogs. Technorati is also referred to as a "blogsphere". Users can search the "blogsphere" for material related to their search criteria. Technorati allows users to browse through popular catergories, photos, blogs, and videos. For example when I enter the keywords "Colorado Rockies and Rocktober" the search results yielded blogs about Colorado Rockies and their post season which has been dubbed as "Rocktober". Users are also able to link their blogs to Technorati( as we have all done for this class) by "pinging" the url of their blogs on the Technorati site.

Strengths
Technorati is very user friendly. Its concept is simple. This internet search tool like most search engines is its ability to pull information from many sources. Some blogs are scholarly, some are not depending on the user's purpose of the search either can be beneficial.

Weaknesses
Technorati's search results are quite broad. Users' keywords and phrases must be very specific.

Operators
Technorati responses very well to the use of Boolean operators, as well as as search engine math.

Case Sensitivity
I tested the impact case sensitivity has on search results, from what I found case sensitivity doesn't effect search results very much.

Advanced Search Option
Technorati has an adavanced search option. This option allows users to search for posts that only include specific information designated by the user.

Sorting
Technorati does not initially sort through search results by their relevance. The user has the option to sort through results by keywords through entire post and their authority level to the post.

Display
Technorati displays for functions, search results,links,etc is very user friendly.

Help Function
Technorati allows users to either browse through FAQs or if not found in the FAQs users can search the site for their help topic.

Special Features
As mentioned earlier a special feature I really like about Technorati is the fact users can "ping" their blogs on the Technorati site. Something I found interesting about Technorati is it has a page on Twitter, entitlted Twittorati.

I have found Technorati to be a very successful internet research tool while doing research for this class. I plan to use the newly found tool for future research.

RJA # 7c Field Research Plan

2009-10-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

My plan for field research includes conducting interviews. I have family members who are younger than myself, they attended high school/ middle school when the social networking and cellphone crazes were peeking. I would like to see from their point of view how socializing and learning/ study habits were effected by the introduction of these technologies. I also plan on interviewing parents of teenagers who use Facebook, Myspace, and cellphones to find out whether they see a noticable difference intheir children's social interactions, grades, and study habits. At this time I do not have any particular individuals in my mind for interviews.

RJA # 7b Internet Research Tool Test

2009-10-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Facebook Addiction
http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/the-facebook-addiction/
Resource searched: Technorati
Keywords used: Facebook,teenager's, social, skills
Search strategies use:Boolean operators
Date of search: Oct, 4th, 2009
Number of hits: 26
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5): 4

Entrepreneur: How Many Friends are Enough?
http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/2009/08/entrepreneur-how-many-friends-are.html
Resource searched: Technorati
Keywords used: facebook AND teenagers AND social AND skills
Search strategies used (including operators and types of searches):Boolean operators
Date of search: Oct, 4th, 2009
Number of hits: 49
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5) 3

Teens Text A Lot, Adults Worry
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/05/29/teens-text-a-lot-adults-worry/
Resource searched: Technorati
Keywords used: facebook,effects, teenagers, learning, skills
Search strategies used (including operators and types of searches) search engine math
Date of search: Oct, 4th, 2009
Number of hits: 1
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5) 1

***All of these sites are bookmarked on my Delicious page.***

RJA # 7a Internet Research Tools

2009-10-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

On a regular basis I use Google.com and GoogleScholar.com for research. Both of these search engines are very user friendly. I have found with using search operators the results yielded are more satisfactory. For any kind of academic research I try to go with googlescholar.com. One complaint I have with Google.com is sometimes your keywords produce results that do not have any relevance to your subject. When trying to use google.com for academic research you sometimes receive less than scholarly results. Both of these issues in most cases can be resolved with using search operators and/or using googlescholar.com for academic research.

I also use LexisNexis database accessible through the Auraria Library website. I have used to find information on court cases for other classes. The results it yields are highly accurate, the only downside is you must be very precise with your search keywords and phrases in my experience.

LexisNexis (must sign with student ID to access this database)

Google
Google Scholar

RJA # 6c ProtoPage Link

2009-09-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Colleen's ProtoPage

RJA # 6b Revising Search Strings

2009-09-28T10:45:00.001-07:00

Old Strings:

social + networking sites implications adolescents'+social skills

impact+social networking+learning skills+adolescents

text messaging adolescents+learning skills

New Strings:
facebook+implications+teenager's+social skills

facebook+impact+teenager's+learning skills

texting messaging+ teenagers+ social skills

RJA # 6a Periodical Articles

2009-09-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Author: Alex Mindlin
Title of article: Parents Misjudge Social Network Habit
Title of periodical: The New York Times
Volume and issue number:
Date : August 31st, 2009
Pages on which article appears: 3

Resource searched:
Keywords used social networking sites teenagers
Search strategies : Boolean operators
Date of search Sept 28th, 2009
Number of hits
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5)

RJA # 5c : Checking Search Strings

2009-09-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Lori's - http://lgreenmyer.blogspot.com/2009/09/rja-4b-writing-search-strings.html#comment-form

Dena's -http://denahankins.blogspot.com/2009/09/week-4-rja-4.html#comment-form

RJA 5b: Books

2009-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Books:

Name(s) of author(s), editor(s), translator(s), and/or compiler(s):Elaine Smith

Title and subtitle of the book: The influence of text messaging on the social, emotional and cognitive development of adolescents

Edition number or information: Thesis/dissertation : English

Number(s) of volume used: 1

Name of series:

Place of publication:

Name of publisher :

Date of publication (copyright) : 2005

Resource searched :Auraria Library and WorldCat.org
Keywords used: Text messaging and adolesecents
Search strategies used: Boolean operators
Date of search Sept 21st
Number of hits
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5)

Date Accessed; Sept 21st
WorldCat.org and library.auraria.edu

Name of author:Richard Seyler Ling

Title and subtitle of the book: The mobile connection : the cell phone's impact on society

Edition number or information:

Number(s) of volume used:

Name of series:

Place of publication: San Francisco, CA

Name of publisher : Morgan Kaufmann

Date of publication: 2004

Resource searched: WorldCat.org
Keywords used : impact social networking on adolescents, impact + social+ networking + adolescents
Search strategies used:keyword searches, search engine math
Date of search: Sept 21st 2009
Number of hits 6
Relevance of hits (on a scale of 1 to 5) :1

Date Accessed: Sept 21st, 2009
Worldcat.org

RJA # 5 a : Reference Articles

2009-09-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Reference Articles

Author: Royal College of Psychiatrists
Title of Article:Psychiatrist warns about impact of social networking sites
Title of reference work :RxPG News
Place of Publication:
Date of Publication: June 8th, 2009
Page Numbers: 1

Resource searched: Google.com
Keywords used: social networking sites+impact+ adolescents
Search Strategy: Search engine math
Date of Search: Sept 21st, 2009
Number of hits:
Relevance of hits:

Dates accessed Sept, 21st, 2009
Article's URL: http://www.rxpgnews.com/psychology/Expert_Psychiatrist_and_RXPGNEWS_founder_warns_about_impact_of_social_networking_sites_103108.shtml

Author:Marilyn Campbell
Title of Article:The impact of the mobile phone on young people’s social life
Title of reference work :
Place of Publication: Queensland University of Technology
Date of Publication: October 25th, 2005
Page Numbers: 14

Resource searched: Googlescholar.com
Search Strategy: Boolean operators
Date of Search: Sept 21st 2009
Number of hits:
Relevance of hits:

Date Accessed: Sept 21st, 2009
Article's URL :http://www.humanities.qut.edu.au/research/socialchange/docs/conf_papers2005/Campbell.pdf

RJA # 4c Checking Research Questions

2009-09-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Emily- http://eapplegate.blogspot.com/2009/09/rja-3c-developing-research-question.html

Daniela- http://zabajaba.blogspot.com/2009/09/rja-3c-developing-research-question.html

RJA# 4 B Writing Word Strings

2009-09-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Search Engine Math:

social + networking sites implications adolescents'+social skills

impact+social networking+learning skills+adolescents

text messaging adolescents+learning skills

Boolean Operators:
text messaging AND adolescents' social skills

social networking AND their effects on adolescents' learning skills

ramifications AND OR consequences of social NEAR networking sites on adolescents' AND social skills

RJA # 4A Generating Keywords

2009-09-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

What is the attraction of social networking & text messaging for adolescents and what impact has it had on their social and learning skills?

attraction- allure, draw toward, invite, intrigue, curiosity

impact - implications, resulting in, effects, ramifications, consequences

social networking- myspace, twitter, facebook

text messaging- cellphones, texting

adolescents'- young adults, teenagers, boys, girls

learning- acquiring knowledge or skill, becoming informed

social -friendly, interaction, communication

skills- ability, expertise, knowledge

Impact

results

effects

damages

harm

disservice

consequences

implications

ramifications

RJA # 3

2009-09-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

RJA #3a Exploring Research Topic

I started off my research by looking for information related to social networking sites' impact on adolescent's social skills. On the Education Resource Information Center's website I found a piece about the implications of interactive technology on children and adolescent's cognitive and social skills. Next, I found a piece discussing the distinct differences between users and non users of social networking sites. This piece mentions a person's usage of these sites have a direct relationship to a person's ethnicity, race, gender, and parent's educational background. The piece sets out to find out systematic differences between users and non users.

All of these sites can be accessed through my Delicious account as well.

RJA #3b Narrowing Research Topic

I have decided to narrow my topic from a broad spectrum of technology, to certain technologies. I decided to focus my attentions purely on social networking sites and text messaging impacts on children and adolescent's social and learning skills. I believe if I researched technology's impact in general my research may become cluttered and unfocused. Also, texting and social networking sites have reached an all time high in controversy and I believe these are two great specific examples technologies to present.
RJA #3c Developing A Research Question

Who are the majority users of social networking sites and text messaging?

What is the attraction of social networking & texting and what impact has it had?

When did social networking and texting become a norm?

Where did the need for social networking and texting come from?

How does a person keep their usage of social networking and texting to a moderate amount?

Should there be limitations enforced on adolescents' usage of social networking and texting?

Would the adolescents adhere to the limitations, if they were set in place?

Research Journal Assignment # 2

2009-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

RJA # 2a

Possible Research Topics

· The Social History of the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s

· Women’s role in the workforce

· The affect technology has on the youth of today’s learning and social skills

· The Efficiency of the U.S. prison system

· Medications: Helpful or Harmful?

RJRJA # 2b

It is clear that the youth of today live in a world unlike the legions of youths that came before them. With today’s technological advances a person can bump their cell phone with another’s cell phone and they are able to share contact information. The idea of a cell phone twenty years ago was obscure, let alone the ability to trade information in this manner. I chose this particular subject because it fascinates me how much technology we have at our fingertips and how oblivious we may be to how much they rely on it on daily basis. I believe with the emergence of cell phones (texting to be more precise), social networks (i.e. facebook, twitter, and myspace), and ipods our abilities to interact with others face to face have began to suffer and also possibly our learning skills.

My intrigue into this subject stems from what I already know about it. I myself am one of those who cannot leave my house without my cellphone, spends too much time texting, gets irritated when I forget my ipod for the lightrail ride in the morning, and does not go a day without checking my facebook. I have dedicated myself to a dependent relationship with technology like many others in our society have done. I know that at times I find it easier to just leave a message on someone's wall than I do talking to them face to face. I find myself easily distracted by incoming texts when trying to study or focus on a lecture. Therefore is it easy for me to see how the youth can be in the same position.

Today's youth like most of society has access to an immense amount of technology, even more than what I had as an adolescent. I know how technology can be a double edge sword for myself as an adult student, but what I would like figure out what impact it has on a child who is still trying to perfect their skills. I want to understand what kind of affect it has on a child’s blossoming social capabilities. Does it help or harm them?

RJA #2c

Delicious Account Link

http://delicious.com/Colleen_L

RJA #1 : Areas of Academic Interests

2009-08-24T22:30:00.001-07:00

I am a Criminal Justice major with a minor in Political Science. Areas of academic interests that I could imagine myself writing a research paper on would be as follows;

The U.S. correctional system and how efficiently it works.
American history of the 1920's,30's, and 40's.
philanthropic legal work.

These are just frontrunners of all my ideas!