Monday, May 3, 2010

Creative Gallery

Hey everyone. Like I mentioned in class, my creative gallery is an extension on the subject of digitization and how it's affected and will continue to affect the printed book, libraries, and publishing industry. For my creative gallery, I decided to do a Google map of the history of the written word and technological developments throughout history related to writing and such. I hope you enjoy this little history lesson! :)

Here's my Google map.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Collaborative Trailer

http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B7MKHLGSvZHIYThlOGUxZTktYTMyMy00ZDBkLWFkMjMtODY0NDNkNmRmYWFl&hl=en


I'm not sure how much of each individual project we need to include into the collaborative trailer, but I think the part of mine where the Kindle is basically taking over the books in the bookshelf might be what could be included. However, it might need some text to preface it simply because I've moved from just the idea of the Kindle. I would want this small section to represent all electronic readers or even the idea of digitization itself. The fact that it is taking away all of the books in its path is kind of representing the digital world taking over all aspects related to the printed book, such as publishing companies, authors, libraries, etc. Therefore, I suppose the text that could preface this small section could be something like, "The digital world is quickly making a more prominent path in our society, taking along with it everything related to reading and the printed book."


I tried to put the link in, but this was all I got:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl2jh2w3oU8

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Creative Gallery

Some of the examples of creative galleries have been very interesting, such as the rhyming Twitter statuses, the Google maps of Twilight and Sims, and even the collaborative video of people doing graffiti on one single object. I guess, in thinking of these examples, the creative gallery is simply more of an extension of the essay/project.

I'm honestly not sure at the moment what I would be able to do creatively with my project other than what I already did with the Quicktime videos earlier in the semester. I guess one idea that would be interesting would be to publish my essay on the Kindle, but if I did that it seems as though I would need to do something more, something to also have an actual creative aspect to the creative gallery. One thing about publishing the essay, although it is free, it still does not seem as though Amazon would publish anything and everything. I guess one idea could possibly be to somehow get pictures of people reading a book on different electronic readers and actual books as well. The only thing about that option is that it might be difficult to accomplish.

Thinking again about the different possibilities for my creative gallery, I've come up with another idea. I was thinking that I might be able to kind of extend my project by simply exploring the history of the written word. In order to do this, I think the Google Maps narrative is the perfect idea. I would pick certain places on the Map where particular important events in the written world have taken place, such as when and where the printing press was invented.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Draft of Essay

This is definitely a draft of my essay. Like it says in the draft, I am not positive that will remain the title; as of now, it is generally covering digitization concerning the printed book. Unfortunately, I am still working with how I want to organize my sources. For now, I have summarized my sources for the most part and combined three of my sources together already. Therefore, I guess I would especially like any comments on the organization of my three combined sources, since the other sources are not yet organized for the essay, simply sumarized. In addition, I have not yet been able to select an argument to go along with for my essay, such as Foucault, etc.

Here is the link to my draft.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

How the Author is Constructed on YouTube

YouTube is definitely different in that it's not really made for people to get to know one another. Although you do have the option of creating a profile when signing up for an account, no one really seems to pay any attention to who the "authors" are of the videos. In that sense, it seems almost as though the author is really invisible unless he or she is actually in the video. It's not like a book, where one might look up who wrote, or created, it. When people talk about a great, funny, interesting, etc. video on YouTube, they usually just say the title and let other people take a look for themselves.

However, YouTube can be used in a way for an author to express his or her ideals, their hobbies, etc. In considering those who are actually in their own videos, I guess YouTube is a way to allow the author to actually be seen to better get their ideas and thoughts out there. Wether the person is in their own video or not, YouTube is also different from Facebook in that people use their creativity more than simply writing their information down, quotes, pictures, etc. I guess the name, YouTube, definitely works to put the emphasis on the author.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Facebook

I think Facebook helps to construct the "author" through what people write on their pages, what they write to their friends, how many "friends" they have, and even the games that they play on Facebook. In some sense, it could be seen as kind of defining the person. However, I don't know if i believe people can truly get to know other people through what they write on Facebook. It seems as though people really need to be able to have physical contact and communication rather than solely through Facebook in order to get a complete sense of who the person is, their ideals, etc.


Here is the link to my diagram.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Argument for Essay

I'm not sure if Michel Foucault's argument completely works for my essay yet or not. I don't know if I would be focusing completely on authorship, however in my notes I have written down that he focused on systems of knowledge (how we know things) and the relation between knowledge and power (how society controls and organizes knowledge). In a way, I think this focus could be linked to some of the sources that I have found during my research. The fact that libraries are in a way being forced to digitize, I think that definitely comments on the fact that our society's organization of knowledge is becoming changed more and more as more technology is developed and improved.

Based on everything I've done and found so far, I feel as though my argument might deal with multiple things. Or, maybe it's simply that ebooks and the concept of digitization is affecting many things, such as publishing companies, libraries, authors, readers, etc. I have found that more than one source talks about libraries and how they have done studies to see how people react to have ebook readers included in their collection. In addition, one source discusses the fact that certain books may inevitably become extinct if it is not digitized, such as those that are out of print and/or the copyright is in question.

At one time in history, people marveled at the new invention of Gutenberg's printing press. Now, the written word is on its way to complete digitization.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Completed Annotated Bibliography

Brantley, Peter. "Introduction: Homes for Good (Orphan) Books." Library Trends. Vol. 57.1 Summer 2008: 1-7. WVU Libraries. Project MUSE. Web. Accessed on 22 Feb. 2010.

http://muse.jhu.edu.www.libproxy.wvu.edu/journals/library_trends/v057/57.1.brantley.html.

1. This article discusses the fact that books have become yet another small portion of the overwhelming content available on the Internet during the twenty-first century. It touches on the worries publishers, authors and scholars. In addition, it brings into account the issue of books that are out of print or that the copyright is in question.

2. I believe this article is very useful in that it actually seems to be bringing forth the idea of including libraries in this growing digital world.

3. I feel as though I could use this source as a way to put a positive note on the idea of this growing digital world. Although it still does not necessarily shed light on to the idea of the future of the physical book, it does point out a way to help those "orphan" books as it refers to.


Buchanan, Matt. "Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader Locked Up: Why Your Books Are No Longer Yours." GIZMODO. 21 March 2008. Web. Accessed on 08 Feb. 2010.

http://gizmodo.com/369235/amazon-kindle-and-sony-reader-locked-up-why-your-books-are-no-longer-yours.

1. This article discusses the fact that the "first sale" doctrine that applies to physical books, CDs, and DVDs does not apply to the e-books that people "buy" on the Kindle. Basically, it states that you cannot really allow someone to borrow your "books" on the Kindle. If you wanted to sell your "book" you would have to sell the actual media where you have stored the "original" download.

2. This article is useful in that it brings further insight into what one might be getting into when buying a Kindle. It also displays the original, legal summary of the doctrine and additional facts.

3. I plan to use this source as a means of beginning my "investigation" of the future for books. In other words, how might people react to not being able to borrow his/her friends' books who own Kindles and not the hard copies? Will they decide to buy a Kindle of their own, or simply buy the hard copy themselves? Their decisions could potentially display a pattern as to where both the Kindle and the physical books are headed.


Doctorow, Cory. "Authors have lost the plot in Kindle battle." guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. 31 March 2009. Web. Accessed on 02 Feb. 2010.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/31/cory-doctorow-kindle.

1. Cory Doctorow discusses the Authors Guild's claim concerning copyright infringement. They claimed that "only the rights holder could authorize an 'audiobook adaptation' of a book." The article deals with the Kindle's text-to-speech synthesizer.

2. This is a useful source, because it takes into account the legal aspect of the Kindle.

3. I believe I will be able to use this source to incorporate a different type of perspective, exploring the legal issues that authors and publishers must deal with when allowing their books to be published and bought on the Kindle. In addition, Doctorow discusses what he thinks the Authors Guild should do, rather than claiming copyright infringement. With this section of the article, I can also explore the possible shortcomings of the Kindle pertaining to the people who purchase the device.


Epstein, Jason. “The Coming Revolution.” The New York Review of Books. Vol. 47.17 2 Nov. 2000. WVU Libraries. Project MUSE. Web. Accessed on 28 Feb. 2010.

http://www.nybooks.com.www.libproxy.wvu.edu/articles/13858.

1. Here Epstein discusses traditional book-publishing functions – buying paper, setting type, ordering copies from a printer, storing books, taking returns of unsold copies, etc. – and how the fact that they will marginally affected by the fact that electronically delivered books are evolving more and more.

2. This article is a good source, because Epstein discusses the fact that digital publishing could in fact become dominant within the next decade, and possibly less. It also points out experimental websites that are being used by publishing companies to promote titles to people and allow them to purchase those titles on line.

3. With this article, I will focus on how people other than authors and readers will be affected by these continual changes. In addition, I will be able to discuss particular publishing companies experimental websites and where they stand within my research.


Epstein, Jason. "The End of the Gutenberg Era." Library Trends. Vol. 57.1 Summer 2008: 8- 16. WVU Libraries. Project MUSE. Web. Accessed on 22 Feb. 2010.

http://muse.jhu.edu.www.libproxy.wvu.edu/journals/library_trends/v057/57.1.epstein.html.

1. This article begins by discussing the negative impacts that the growing technologies of digitization and the Internet could inevitably have on the book publishing industry. However, Epstein also states that "digitization and the Internet have made the Gutenberg system obsolete but not the printed book (9)."

2. This article is useful, because it mentions different examples, such as the Library of America (a nonprofit enterprise to publish in permanent editions the works of American writers), of how some people are in fact trying to help the future of books.

3. I will be able to use this source to discuss how certain developments have been and are being made to help the future of books, authors, publishers, etc.


Epstein, Jason. "The Rattle of Pebbles." The New York Review of Books. Vol. 47.7 27 April 2000. WVU Libraries. Project MUSE. Web. Accessed on 24 Feb. 2010.

http://www.nybooks.com.www.libproxy.wvu.edu/articles/126.

1. This article is basically Jason Epstein’s personal account of the changes of trade publishing. He begins by taking the reader back into what it used to be like, starting with the year 1958 when he first joined Random House (an American publishing company).

2. This article is a good source, because it takes a look at a small publishing company and demonstrates how the constant advances in the technological world affected it and those involved. After reading this article, I believe the benefit of an author being involved with a small publishing company is that their books will receive more attention from the editors. Whereas agents appear to focus more on initial impressions of what will be a best seller.

3. I will use this source to get a look into the inner workings of publishing companies. Afterward, I can discuss the effects of the notion of the ebook and the World Wide Web upon the changes of those companies.


Epstein, Jason and Dane Neller. On Demand Books. 2004. Web. Accessed on 24 Feb. 2010.

http://www.ondemandbooks.com/home.htm.

1. The focus of this website is on the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). This machine, being called "the ATM of books," can be used in order to print books that are actually out of print. It provides information on how the machine works, the locations in which an EBM can be found, and the history of On Demand Books itself.

2. This site is useful because, without having to search for a machine to view in person, it provides a great deal of information in understanding how the machine works and the benefits of it, both of which are also provided in a brochure linked to the website.

3. I believe I could use the information provided by this source as a type of counter argument to where my project was originally headed. This way I will be able to provide two sides, instead of simply any biased opinion I might have had. With this information, I could discuss how this invention could in fact help libraries, bookstores and even self-publishing authors.


Fister, Barbara. "Trade Publishing: A Report from the Front." The Johns Hopkins University Press 2001: 509-523. WVU Libraries. Project MUSE. Web. Accessed on 24 Feb. 2010.

http://muse.jhu.edu.www.libproxy.wvu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v001/1.4fister.html.

1. This article focuses on trade publishing and what the future holds for the industry. One way Barbara Fister writes on the issue is by utilizing interviews with editors, publishers, agents, and many others who are involved in the industry.

2. The primary audience for this article includes libraries and scholars. This article is important, because it demonstrates the connections between libraries and publishers. In addition, concerning those involved in the industry, it discusses their roles, their thoughts on the pressures the industry is facing, and what their predictions are for the future.

3. For my research, I believe I can incorporate this source by bringing into play the point of views of those being most affected by the changes in the book industry. I will also incorporate insight on how Stephen King’s 2000 ebook-only Riding the Bullet caused publishers to seriously think about how they must plan for the electronic future.


Gibbons, Susan. “Ebooks: Some Concerns and Surprises.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy. Vol. 1, 1. Jan. 2001: 71-75. WVU Libraries. Project MUSE. Web. Accessed on 28 Feb. 2010.

http://muse.jhu.edu.www.libproxy.wvu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v001/1.1gibbons.html.

1. In this article, Susan Gibbons follows a study where six libraries in Rochester, New York tested the assumptions involved in incorporating ebooks into their selections. A Library Services and Technology Act grant was awarded in order to figure out the feasibility of using ebooks in libraries, including academic, school and public. This study consisted of each library receiving five ebook readers (two SoftBooks and three Rockets) and having every patron and librarian complete an Electronic Book Evaluation Survey.

2. Although this article does not focus on the Kindle, I believe it is important, because it is a segue into libraries’ positions within my research. In addition, this source demonstrates how the devices used for ebooks have changed by supplying these two additional examples.

3. I believe I will be able to use this source as a way to determine where some libraries stand on the issue of whether to incorporate even more of the digital world by providing access to ebooks. This will also provide an insight as to what the concerns of libraries are on the issue and how the patrons who participated in the surveys responded to the ebooks.


Wyatt, Edward. "Electronic Device Stirs Unease at Book Fair." TimesPeople. The New York Times Company. 02 June 2008. Web. Accessed on 08 Feb. 2010.

www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/books/02bea.html.

1. This article talks about the sales of the Kindle and the decline in traffic at the BookExpo America compared to previous years. It discusses the fact that publishing executives have worries concerning the development of this technology and at the same time mentions that the device has also gained fans in the publishing industry.

2. This article is useful, because it touches on authors and publishers' views on the matter.

3. Therefore, I may be able to take into account yet another perspective.

This source will also allow me to further look into the idea of the fate of the physical book.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Reflecting on Project...

One of my concerns as of now is that I cannot seem to find a completely relevant source from JSTOR for my project, let alone two. I did find one that I am reading through which might possibly have some sort of connection in terms of the Digital Rights Management (DRM) of ebook reading software, however, so far it does not seem to mention specifics. In other words, I am not positive if I will be able to connect it to the Kindle specifically or not. I did find another source (not from JSTOR) that I bookmarked today discussing the terms of DRM on the Amazon Kindle, however, I am confusing myself as to whether or not the Kindle has always or does now allow readers to basically share their purchased (or licensed) books with their friends through multiple Kindles.

A second concern I have is locating sources sufficiently expressing the ideas of the future of physical books, authors, publishers, libraries, etc. I assume that this project is mainly based on facts, and therefore I am not sure whether or not I can really focus on the future of these groups. I feel as though I may need to try narrowing my focus further.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Trailer yet again.....

I didn't realize that music plays when you visit my page. I'm pretty sure that it is somehow coming from YouTube when I uploaded my trailer. I had tried putting a link to YouTube instead, but that didn't work. So if you want to view my trailer, please just wait a minute and the music will stop! Sorry for the inconvenience!!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Annotated Bibliographies

Brantley, Peter. "Introduction: Homes for Good (Orphan) Books." Library Trends. Vol. 57.1 Summer 2008: 1-7. Web. Accessed on 22 Feb. 2010.
.

1. This article discusses the fact that books have become yet another small portion of the overwhelming content available on the Internet during the twenty-first century. It touches on the worries publishers, authors and scholars. In addition, it brings into account the issue of books that are out of print or that the copyright is in question.
2. I believe this article is very useful in that it actually seems to be bringing forth the idea of including libraries in this growing digital world.
3. I feel as though I could use this source as a way to put a positive note on the idea of this growing digital world. Although it still does not necessarily shed light on to the idea of the future of the physical book, it does point out a way to help those "orphan" books as it refers to.

Buchanan, Matt. "Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader Locked Up: Why Your Books Are No Longer Yours." GIZMODO. 21 March 2008. Web. Accessed on 08 Feb. 2010.
http://gizmodo.com/369235/amazon-kindle-and-sony-reader-locked-up-why-your-books-are-no-longer-yours.

1. This article discusses the fact that the "first sale" doctrine that applies to physical books, CDs, and DVDs does not apply to the e-books that people "buy" on the Kindle. Basically, it states that you cannot really allow someone to borrow your "books" on the Kindle. If you wanted to sell your "book" you would have to sell the actual media where you have stored the "original" download.
2. This article is useful in that it brings further insight into what one might be getting into when buying a Kindle. It also displays the original, legal summary of the doctrine and additional facts.
3. I plan to use this source as a means of begining my "investigation" of the future for books. In other words, how might people react to not being able to borrow his/her friends' books who own Kindles and not the hard copies? Will they decide to buy a Kindle of their own, or simply buy the hard copy themselves. Their decisions could potentially display a pattern as to where both the Kindle and the physical books are headed.

Doctorow, Cory. "Authors have lost the plot in Kindle battle." guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. 31 March 2009. Web. Accessed on 02 Feb. 2010.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/31/cory-doctorow-kindle.

1. Cory Doctorow discusses the Authors Guild's claim concerning copywright infringement. They claimed that "only the rightsholder could authorise an 'audiobook adaptation' of a book." The article deals with the Kindle's text-to-speech synthesiser.
2. This is a useful source, because it takes into account the legal aspect of the Kindle.
3. I believe I will be able to use this source to incorporate a different type of perspective, exploring the legal issues that authors and publishers must deal with when allowing their books to be published and bought on the Kindle. In addition, Doctorow discusses what he thinks the Authors Guild should do, rather than claiming copywright infringement. With this section of the article, I can also explore the possible shortcomings of the Kindle pertaining to the people who purchase the device.

Epstein, Jason. "The End of the Gutenberg Era." Library Trends. Vol. 57.1 Summer 2008: 8- 16. Web. Accessed on 22 Feb. 2010.
.

1. This article begins by discussing the negative impacts that the growing technologies of digitization and the Internet could inevitably have on the book publishing industry. However, Epstein also states that "digitization and the Internet have made the Gutenberg system obsolete but not the printed book (9)."
2. This article is useful, because it mentions different examples, such as the Library of America (a nonprofit enterprise to publish in permanent editions the works of American writers), of how some people are in fact trying to help the future of books.
3. I will be able to use this source to discuss how certain developments have been and are being made to help the future of books, authors, publishers, etc.

Epstein, Jason and Dane Neller. On Demand Books. 2004. Web. Accessed on 24 Feb. 2010.
.

1. The focus of this website is on the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). This machine, being called "the ATM of books," can be used in order to print books that are actually out of print. It provides information on how the machine works, the locations in which an EBM can be found, and the history of On Demand Books itself.
2. This site is useful because, without having to search for a machine to view in person, it provides a great deal of information in understanding how the machine works and the benefits of it, both of which are also provided in a brochure linked to the website.
3. I believe I could use the information provided by this source as a type of counter argument to where my project was originally headed. This way I will be able to provide two sides, instead of simply any biased opinion I might have had. With this information, I could discuss how this invention could in fact help libraries, bookstores and even self-publishing authors.

Epstein, Jason. "The Rattle of Pebbles." The New York Review of Books. Vol. 47.7 27 April 2000. Web. Accessed on 24 Feb. 2010.
.

Fister, Barbara. "Trade Publishing: A Report from the Front." The Johns Hopkins University Press. 2001. Web. Accessed on 24 Feb. 2010.
.

Wyatt, Edward. "Electronic Device Stirs Unease at Book Fair." TimesPeople. The New York Times Company. 02 June 2008. Web. Accessed on 08 Feb. 2010.
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/books/02bea.html.

1. This article talks about the sales of the Kindle and the decline in traffic at the BookExpo America compared to previous years. It discusses the fact that publishing executives have worries concerning the development of this technology and at the same time mentions that the device has also gained fans in the publishing industry.
2. This article is useful, because it touches on authors and publishers' views on the matter.
3. Therefore, I may be able to take into account yet another perspective.
This source will also allow me to further look into the idea of the fate of the physical book.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Kindle Trailer

Finally worked!! (I hope!)


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The Multimedia Author

In the most general sense, a multimedia author seems to be a person who simply either writes an original work or creates an original version of a compilation of various works while using some type of medium other than paper and pencil. For example, a multimedia author could be someone who creates a video on YouTube, writes a blog on this very website, or even videos twenty-five people singing the vocal track from a CD of a famous singer and displays those videos on plasma displays.

Although I am not sure I would agree on labeling someone who writes a text message or creates a status on Twitter a multimedia author, I do respect Candice Breitz's version of multimedia authorship, whether she chose to be labled that or not. I think it is a very interesting idea to actually look into the lives that various artists have touched simply by having those people sing songs of the artists they love.

The claim on authorship, or basically receiving a copywright for one's work so that it or any part of it cannot be copied, seems to be growing more and more essential as technology and the idea of the multimedia author grows. With every knew medium that is created and improved upon, more and more people are able to simply take pieces of others' works and mold it into what they want it to be. Therefore, I believe Lessig is right in saying that "no artist works in a vacuum." And that "every artist reflects - consciously or not - on what has come before."

It is completely understandable for an author and/or artist to want their works to be copywrighted. However, I am not sure if it is always necessarily a bad thing if someone wishes to take a piece of that author's and/or artist's work and use it in their own creative way. Who knows, they could end up using that piece of work in a way in which that author/artist never thought of before. For example, in poetry, it is sometimes very useful to see your own creative line or entire stanza displayed in a completely different manner.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Draft Preview/Trailer

This is definitely a very rough draft of my trailer. I was having a hard time getting text to import into my video. Also, I could not find a sound clip long enough to play throughout the trailer. I might end up having to simply repeat the clip a second time, however, I was not able to do that for the draft. It is very, very simple right now, but I hope to add more to make it much better. However, I just realized that the video apparently did not even load at all.


Monday, January 25, 2010

Research Topic

As of now, I believe my topic will deal mainly with the Kindle, a device that is used to purchase and upload books rather than buying the actual book itself.  I may also look into the Sony Reader, comparing the two of them and researching the effects they might have on the book in terms of where they are now and in years to come.  It seems as though people are looking more and more to simply be able to get internet access where ever they go, and in turn get anything and everything they want as soon as they want it.  What does this mean when people are beginning to become even more impatient to even read a book?  Now, one won't have to make the five mile drive to their local bookstore.  No, they can simply get on their Kindle and in an instant the book is there.  

I believe I will be looking into people's attitudes toward books compared to the Kindle and the percentages at which this new device is selling.  In addition, I want to research any information I can find on the opinions of famous authors on the matter.  I've read so far that there are still many books unavailable for purchase on the Kindle.  When I looked at an article about the ratings of particular books on Amazon that were not available on the Kindle, this definitely gave me some insight into the mindset of some people.  People were actually rating books one star because of this fact, some stating that they wished to make a statement to the publishers and hit them where it hurts for not allowing the books to be on the Kindle.  What these people are not considering, however, is the fact that these ratings also have a negative effect on the authors who wrote those books.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Brainstorming on Research Topic

At this point, I sill don't really have any idea of what I'd like to research. I guess I'm having a hard time relating things that I'm interested to with what this class is about, multimedia writing. I'm an English major concentrating in both creative writing and professional writing and editing, but what I'm mostly interested in is my creative writing concentration. In short, I'm a writer, so I love books. Maybe some people have blogs dealing with poetry or fiction, I'm really not sure.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tenner's "The Rise of the Plagiosphere"

     The quote that sticks out most in my mind from Edward Tenner's "The Rise of the Plagiosphere" is the one before his writing even begins, "How new tools to detect plagiarism could induce writer's block."  After reading the entire article, I completely agree with this beginning statement.  Although I do think that it is mostly a good idea for teachers/professors to utilize the new technology that develops for detecting plagiarism, I also agree that it may cause many students to feel as though they might not even be able to begin to write their own paper.  Tenner states that "40 million pages from the public Web, plus 40,000 student papers" are being added to comparison programs each day.  In addition, he writes that a New Jersey electronic librarian observed that these "programs were so thorough that they often flagged chance similarities between student papers and other documents."  When you consider this and the fact that Google also "plans to scan millions of library books for its Print database," how can students not be apprehensive about writing papers?  
     Even though these programs might be very useful in catching students who cheat and plagiarize, I am not completely sure if I think they are necessarily the best ideas.  Just think about how many students could also potentially be accused of plagiarism when in fact they were simply one of those "chance similarities."  After all, this article does mention how "the clever phrase a writer coins usually turns out to have been used for years worldwide."  With so many possible phrases, descriptions, ideas, etc., it is very understandable that a student could unknowingly create an entire paragraph quite similar to someone else's in this world.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Why I Use the Web

I use the web for multiple reasons. Sometimes it seems as though I get online too often, and then there are days when I won't get online at all. The latter is probably due to either me having too much work to do for classes or being on vacation. The reason I probably get online most often is to check mail and get on Facebook. Although, sometimes I feel as though I don't check my mail as often as I should, so it's actually most likely more for Facebook. During the school year, I might also use the web for research or for getting assignments for different classes. Other times I'll simply get online to look at clothes, find music, look up movie times, etc. Overall, the web is obviously very useful for a great deal of activities.

Hey

Hey everyone.