A Look Back at This Journey

I have learned quite a bit in my English 3830 class. I have always been aware of censorship issues, but I have generally only considered it in regards to literature written throughout our history. I had not heard of Julian Assange or Wikileaks before this class, and I knew very little of the Islamic video that was made before this course. I have been reminded that censorship still runs rampant among us, and that we should pay more attention to the news and the government. I have been saddened to learn that we do not have an abundance of free speech, as I once thought that we did, and we must never stop asking questions and pushing for our rights for free speech.

I have also learned that technology is a fast-moving train that I must board if I hope to succeed in the ever-changing landscape of our country. Secondary schools, colleges, and many employers are now requiring students to utilize computer technology to get ahead, and not understanding how to use the technology is not a good excuse in these changing times. I have learned that it is not enough to be smart or work hard. In order to have an opportunity in the workforce, I will have to adapt my archaic way of thinking and start using more technology. Some of the articles we have read have stressed that graduating with a degree is only a portion of what companies will be expecting from their future employees. Intelligence just doesn’t get a person a free pass anymore. One has to demonstrate the desire to be a life-long learner, to evolve with the changing technology, and be willing to entertain graduate school.

I have enjoyed this class, because it has opened my eyes to a world that I thought I already somewhat understood, and I realized that I have so much more to learn in technology if I hope to compete with others in the job market. I recommend this class to anyone that is open to new ideas and is willing to reflect upon many differing and worthy opinions from all sides.

UTC Makes Strides for Going Green (Letter to the Editor)

Unplugged Challenge

Website Design Review for NBC Television Network and CBS Television Network (Academic Paper)

             The NBC Television Network and CBS Television Network are two of the four television networks that enter American homes each day.  Both NBC and CBS strive to make their television programming diverse through informative and entertaining morning shows, talk shows, news, sitcoms, dramas, and late-night programs.  While both networks aim to equally appeal to a wide audience by providing pertinent and entertaining information on their websites, CBS does a better job at providing an efficient and more user-friendly website to its current and prospective audience.

              The homepage of NBC's website displays its bright peacock logo in the top left-hand corner, but omits an essential component of the network; their name.  The overall color scheme on the site is a white font for the header, footer, and the drop boxes within them, a teal for the headings throughout the page, and a black for the information below the headings.  G. Scott Owen states that the intended emotional response for the color white is, "To evoke a feeling of honesty," while the color teal is used, "For a youthful and cool appearance."  There is sizeable box centered in the top of the page with rotating photographs of the primetime shows for the evening and a large number of clickable images that allow the viewer to watch videos of the previous night's shows, browse through photo galleries of the stars, and go behind the scenes of some of the NBC events.  While it is slightly challenging to read the information with ease, NBC does provide a large variety of clickable images to catch the eyes of the visitors.

            Similarly, upon entering the CBS website, the viewer's eyes are immediately drawn to the top left-hand corner which houses a medium-sized CBS name and logo consisting of a blue dot surrounded by a blue circle. The font colors used for the homepage are navy blue in the header and the drop-boxes within the header, white within the changing picture-box, and black for the headings of the various categories on the page.  Jacci Howard Bear found, "The color navy is associated with intelligence, stability, and conveys importance and confidence, hence the power suit of the corporate world."  CBS also displays a large changing box centered at the top of the main page with the upcoming programs for that evening.  There are categories that allow the viewer to watch complete episodes online, go behind the scenes of new and fan-favorite shows, and play games about the shows.  This website allows the viewer to explore the programs that interest them, while also introducing them with shows that are unfamiliar.

            While both NBC and CBS have their logos in the left corner, large changing boxes of the night's primetime programs, and headers with the options to view complete listings of shows and other information, the similarities stop there.  The NBC website displays a black background with a white font at the header of the page, but because the font isn't large or bold, there lacks adequate contrast in the header.  The listings of the upcoming shows for the day and other information are in teal, but again, the font color and size do not adequately allow the words so stand out on the page.  CBS, on the other hand, uses the white background to its advantage by choosing a darker blue, which creates a better contrast.  Furthermore, the combination of black and blue fonts for the headings and information below it ensure that the information doesn't get lost.  Steve Krug states that, "One of the great enemies of easy-to-grasp pages is visual noise.  When everything on the page is clamoring for my attention, the effect can be overwhelming" (38).  Unfortunately, this is the case for NBC's website.  While it is helpful to have images to click on, NBC offers too many pictures too closely together, and a somewhat muddled system of labeling the images and stories.  On the flip side, CBS restricts itself to fewer clickable images, making the images and content on their page more concise, deliberate, and easier to read.  Carolee Cameron labels this idea Visual Richness, and states, "Keeping the screen uncluttered is an important step to reducing visual pollution. Less is more" (109).    NBC commits an enormous website blunder because they do not abide by the concept of limiting the amount of information the viewer is introduced to as they explore the website.  CBS, however, understands the basic principle of eliminating any type of clutter or nonessential information from the website, thus strengthening their content and brand.

            While both NBC and CBS have the categories Shows, Episodes, and Schedules in their headers, only CBS offers the  category options of Connecting with Other Viewers, News, Sports, and Shop categories in large easily accessible one-click pages.  NBC, on the other hand, lumps Sports and News together and provides an Extras category, all in smaller fonts, that the viewer must click on before they can learn that it entails a Shop, Applications, and Games.  Another main difference in the competing websites is the visual direction of the homepages.  Vest, Crowson, and Pochran advise that websites should, "Allow the eye to flow through the page, and cluster similar items together" (47).  NBC struggles with a cohesive flow because the photos are spread out among the site, and much of the extra content is jumbled together at the bottom of the homepage.  There is no discernible reading design layout for the viewer to follow, which makes it difficult to process the information.  CBS, however, provides a logical design using what Steven Bradley refers to as the, "Zig-Zag Reading Pattern of Design Layout," with the main content alternating from the left to the right down the page.

            Websites for television networks are an important component of companies because they provide prospective viewers the opportunity to become acquainted with programming that the viewer is either unfamiliar with, or has maybe misjudged.  While NBC strives to offer a strong first impression and familiarity with their programs, they struggle with readability and continuity regarding their visual layout and navigations away from the homepage.  CBS opted for a sleeker approach, by using fewer words and images so that the information can stand-out, organized groupings of categories, colors that contrast well for reading, and enough information to peak interest.  Overall, the CBS website provides audiences with an entertaining and easily accessible opportunity to learn more about their programs.

 

                                                           Works Cited

Bear, Jacci Howard. "Color Symbolism." About.com. 2012. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/blue.htm>.

Bradley, Steven. "3 Design Layouts: Gutenberg Diagram, Z-Pattern, and F-Pattern." Vanseo Design.com. 7 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/3-design-layouts/>.

Cameron, Carolee. Web Design: Concepts and Best Practices. St. Paul: Paradigm, 2004. 109. Print.

Crowson, William, and Shannon Pochran. Exploring Web Design. By Jeremy Vest. New York: Thompson Delmar, 2005. 47. Print.

Krug, Steve. Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. 2nd ed. Berkeley: New Riders, 2006. 38. Print.

Owen, G. Scott. "Emotional Response to Color." Siggraph.org. 15 June 1999. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/color/coloremo.htm>.

To Be or Not to Be Unplugged

           Matt Richtel’s article, Your Brain on Computers, details a technological world that is beginning to show cracks on the accomplished painting. While Kord Campbell appears to be on the extreme end of technological users, I can’t help but be reminded of some family members that exhibit similar addictive traits. I have noticed that those in my family that claim to be the reigning champions of multi-tasking, typically aren’t as productive as they might think. Like Campbell, my family members think that because they are checking emails, posting on Facebook, checking the scores of games, and reading the latest news, they believe they are doing this all very well. Unfortunately, I have been on the receiving end of this, and oftentimes, the emails are missing information or incomplete. I have also noticed that when I or my friends attempt to read the latest news while we are working on unrelated documents, the documents suffer, and we don’t even really remember what news we have been reading about. I think we all have moments of this, but I also think that there is a growing number of Kord Campbells in the world.

Technology provides us with incredible advances in information, and convenience, but it also has to be treated with respect. Campbell’s story is a sad example of what can happen when we choose to stay plugged into our gadgets and unplugged from our lives. It’s easy to become absorbed in reading emails and playing on the net, but maybe this article can teach us that technology comes at to high of a price when it results in us forgetting to live our lives.

AI is Unsettling

            Today, I watched and read about different types of Artificial Intelligence in classroom settings.  I had heard of Watson, the super computer that IBM computers had built for the Jeopardy competition, but I was unfamiliar with the concept of computers teaching in classrooms.  My initial reaction in learning this information was that I thought it was completely bizarre.  The interactions the children were having with the computers appeared awkward and unnatural, and it demonstrates definite limits with what we can do with computers.

            Affluent schools will be the only facilities that could even entertain AI teaching their children for much of the foreseeable future, because who else would be able to afford this type of teaching?  Many schools here and around the world are still struggling to get adequate textbooks and computers for their students.  As time goes on and the price of this technology begins to lessen substantially, I am afraid that the computer as a teacher will shift into the new norm.  Society has become so digitized and dependent on machines, that it seems as though AI teachers are inevitable in our future.  The video states that the computers would be assistant/ complimentary teachers, but who is to say that they will mot eventually replace human teachers altogether?  It sounds laughable right now, but so did many other ideas of computers taking over in areas that they eventually have, in fact, done so.

            One of my biggest issues with this concept is that there are certain invaluable intangibles that cannot be taught by a computer. Students need to interact with adult teachers to help guide them in proper etiquette, learn gesturing, learn to read adult’s facial expressions, and get positive feedback that a computer just cannot properly give a child.  There is only so much personality that you can create in a computer.

Sometimes it feels as though writers are slowly making their way onto the endangered species list.  Computers are processing and outputting at a much faster rates than humans, and the beautiful art form of writing and publishing hard-copy books are being suppressed by the age of technology.  Computers may someday be able to write informational books, or even fictional books from a specially designed program, but they cannot create deep metaphors, or language that evokes powerful feelings in its readers, because AI will never understand the beautiful experience of being a human being.

 

Perfect Will not be Good Enough in a Few Years

          We were asked to read several articles describing unbelievable lengths students will go to in order to gain slots in elite universities, the realization that bachelor's degrees do not get a person very far anymore, and the pressure we are facing in competing for jobs against not only man, but machine as well.  I was shocked to learn the expectations from companies on recent college graduates looking for job placement.  The fact that many now hold the view that a bachelor's degree is not enough to set apart a candidate is saddening to me.  I have barely been able to afford getting through a bachelor's degree, and there is no way I have the means to attend graduate school any time soon.  The fact that many companies now expect a master's degree as a minimum is unrealistic, because most college students have amassed so much debt just to get their undergraduate degree.  Asking students to postpone full-time jobs and accrue more financial debt is, in my opinion, asking far too much of students.

            Laura Georgianna states that master's degrees, "Says this person is committed," but I have to wonder why earning a bachelor's degree does not indicate the same dedication to companies.  It is not easy to earn a degree of any kind in today's times because the pressure to do well is high.  I would also argue that to stay in school and continue to fight for an education in a recession speaks volumes of the kind of dedication we students have had to put forth in order to achieve higher education.  We have become so obsessed with being perfect at everything and out competing everyone, that we have created unrealistic expectations on ourselves that only super-heroes can achieve.  I am all for working hard and pushing myself to see what I can achieve, but I think there comes a point when we become counterproductive in our pursuits to become the best.

           These articles really distressed me, because I have such high hopes when I graduate next month.   Learning that we not only have to compete with freakish super people, but now robots and software-guided machines, left me feeling disheartened and scared.  I just hope that my future employer, where ever they may be, will be satisfied with me, and not some robotic cheaper version of myself.