Is Google Making Us Stupid?

1.    In this article, the author talks about his recent notice of having trouble stay focused when reading and researching for his writing. He believes his use of the Internet has affected the way his brain works causing his research to be harder to focus on for long periods of time.

2.    The Internet does not allow us to really research.  We are only briefly researching ideas opposed to digging deeper into research.

3.    Literacy, in this article, is defined the same as “Socrates Nightmare”. Literacy is being able to read further into something as opposed to briefly looking over something.

4.    The definitions are similar because they are both referring to the same thing.

5.    According to this article, people are now just briefly viewing research opposed to reading in depth to something.  Certain research has shown people to only stay on a website for a few minutes before clicking on another website. This jumping around and not being able to focus on one thing is the mentality people are now doing.

6.    The author gave examples of his own personal experience, Friedrich Neitzsche and the typewriter, and many quotes from researchers.

7.    Yes, the evidence he gives all backs up his theory and gives experiences and scientific evidence proving his theory.

8.    The answer to the so what is the fact that the Internet is making research easy is only hurting our ability to research and grow intellectually.

Topic Proposal

I am going to be analyzing Miley Cyrus’ twitter account.  I chose Miley Cyrus because she is very involved in social media.  I recently watched a documentary on MTV about Miley Cyrus where she spoke of how much she loved twitter and how it was apart of her identity as an artist and person.  Miley has recently been extremely popular and is constantly tweeting and addressing the rumors going around about her.  She also just released and new album and is tweeting her fans about the success her album is already experiencing.  I feel I will have enough to write about on this subject. 

Home

When I first saw Phillip Phillips on American Idol, I immediately became obsessed with him.  His voice is so unique and different, and he has the sweetest personality it is hard not to fall in love with him.  Throughout the season I was constantly pulling for him to win, and when he did I was so excited.  I love how he writes his own music and stays true to who he is.  When I first heard the song, “Home”, on the finale of American Idol, I thought it was such an amazing song.  The lyrics obviously meant a lot to him and it was a song many of us can relate to.  After listening to the song for the first time I thought it was about making someone feel at home in a relationship.  In some sense this is true, but after watching the music video and reading all of the lyrics it is obvious this song is about Phillip Phillips’ new journey he is going on.  He is embracing a new lifestyle and even though it is new and unknown he is not alone and will always have home. This song is played in the commercial for Extreme Home Makeover and the meaning is different.  It is more of the idea of the family coming home to a new house and feeling safe.  In the show the people who get new houses previous homes are unsafe or not healthy for the family.  The song is a perfect fit for the commercial. 

Writing Rough Drafts

My writing process always starts out with a rough draft that is not very good.  It takes me many times to finally get my final draft the way I want it to be.  Starting this draft I honestly had no idea where to start, so I just began writing down my thoughts even though they may not have gone together.  After doing that, I organized my thoughts so my paper began to actually make sense.  That is when I was able to come up with a thesis and begin writing my paper the way I wanted to.  Having required rough drafts made writing my paper so much easier for me.  I especially liked having the full rough draft due a week before the actual due date because it gave me more time to edit and make my paper as good as I could make it.  I also have not had to stress as much about getting it done on time and making sure it meets the requirements.  Also having writing workshops was surprisingly helpful.  I was not sure of the advice my peers would have for me, but they ended up giving me practical advice to make my better.  Also learning the different methods of writing and writing blogs about them helped me to construct my paper more efficiently.  It allowed me to look at writing and making rough drafts in a different perspective than I was taught in high school.  Overall this writing experience has not been as bad as I thought it would be.  Even though writing papers are not my favorite thing to do, I was able to not stress about finishing writing it on time.  

My Writing Process

My writing process usually begins with procrastination.  When I first get a writing assignment I get stressed out just thinking about where to begin.  Starting a paper is the hardest part of the writing process for me.  To help organize my thoughts on what to write about I make an outline and lists of topics I can write about in each paragraph or page.  I usually pick a topic based on something I am interested in, because writing is easier when you are talking about something you enjoy.  I write my ideas down in a notebook or on a piece of paper before I begin typing.  Once I have my ideas out I start typing a rough draft.  I start out with a thesis and start writing the introduction and conclusion.  Usually my conclusion is extremely short until the end of writing my paper, because I have more to conclude.  I always end up constantly editing my writings until they are finished.  I proofread first, and then I will have someone else proofread for me.  I am definitely a perfectionist, so I am constantly going back over my work and changing things.  When I am writing a paper I have to be in a place with no distractions. No tv, cell phone, etc.  I am very easily distracted, and when I am writing it is important for me to stay focused.  At times I will listen to music when I am bored or unsure of what to write about.  I usually play classical or quiet music to help me relax and stay focused.  Anything upbeat or fun makes me lose my concentration.  The time of day does not matter to me. As long as I am not tired I will be able to write.  I mostly write at night because that is when I have the most energy.  I am not a morning person at all.  The easiest part for me is when the writing is over.  If I write about a topic I am interested in the writing process ends up being enjoyable and easy, but when I have to write about a book or a topic I am not interested in, the process tends to be boring.  I am looking forward to this class and being able to write about topics besides books.  I am hoping for my writing skills to improve and hopefully allow me to enjoy writing more!