ILP 2 - Current Event

Michael Walsh

ILP 2

The second ILP is a small project of researching a current news event on Google News. First I went to Google News and reflected on all the current news topics, however I was specifically looking for something with exigence, or an urgent problem that demands a response.  Thus, I didn’t use any keywords, just paged through the most recent of news stories. I found a very recent article regarding the Boy Scouts of America and their policy on homosexuality.  The Boy Scouts are currently do not allow gay members or leaders however this new policy would reverse that old policy. The article seems to accurately describe both perspectives views on the issue however the article is written based on the movement to allow homosexuals into the Boy Scouts. Thus, it provides numerous statements from gay advocates that believe they should be allowed to join. Deron Smith an executive for the Boy Scouts of America released a statement, "Currently, the BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation,” (Hill 1) thus they are considering the movement which began in 2000. However, the article also points out the fundamental beliefs that the Boy Scouts of America were founded upon, mainly the “duty to God” (Hill 1). This principle therefore addresses the situation because they (The Boy Scouts of America) were founded to serve God, in addition to other things, however shows a key aspect of membership. Therefore this also bans atheists from becoming members of the Boy Scouts. This idea of religious based beliefs presents a correlation between gay rights in the Boy Scouts and the stance on the beliefs in the Church. The article also shows how the situation depends on the National Council and not individual Boy Scout troops, as this situation takes place in my hometown of Philadelphia, thus the ruling will have national influence. The article describes both sides on the topic however the article would be completely different if written based off one side’s views. For example, if it was written from a conservative’s point of view, who protested the movement to keep the active policy it would drastically change. All of the information would be negative to the new policies reflecting upon the core beliefs the Boy Scouts were established on. Therefore, the audience reading the article would have a skewed perspective on the matter. This could cause a chain reaction leading to a change on the exigence of the piece, leading the audience to believe there isn’t a urgent problem that needs to be resolved. However, an interesting aspect of the article is a quote from a former Eagle Scout – the highest honor in the Boy Scouts of America, who was gay and turned in his badge after learning about the policy. Thomas Ferrai said, "I believe it's a step in the right direction, I still strongly believe in the program” (Hill 1). I thought this was a unique perspective that encouraged the movement to change the problem. This could affect the readers to believe the policy should be changed. In response to my research methods I wouldn’t change what I did because I found an interesting topic with exigence that demanded assessment and allowed myself to create a view on the topic. I believe that article was a good informative article because it presented both sides of the argument without bias that allows the reader to interpret the information and create their own beliefs on the subject.

Hill, Miriam. "Boy Scouts May Reverse Policy, Allow Gays." Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Inquirer, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.

Digital Natives

Michael Walsh

Digital Natives

After completing the reading Edenity about digital natives I am reminded about concepts we discussed in class last week. The article brought up a few interesting points regarding how society as a whole interacts with technology. Before starting the assignment we were asked to think about how to go about searching for information regarding digital natives. Typically, I would use the search engine Google to get the best results with minimal effort, however in addition I have decided I will use resources provided by the University of South Carolina via the Library to research online encyclopedias. Hopefully this will provide me with access to better quality information however as mentioned in the passage, the information could be outdated and thus a Google search might be the best solution. My first source was from PBS.org. PBS is a trusted organization that provides useful information that is backed up by statistics. My favorite part about this source is how they provide a bunch of data that demonstrates the usage of a “digital native” including an awesome drop down bar that shows the body senses and how often they are used in technology.  One interesting point that I believe defines digital natives is “They've grown up immersed in digital technologies and there's evidence they're being affected in ways unheard of before computers and the Web. And their parents -- sometimes called Digital Immigrants -- are still getting accustomed to their hyper connected world (PBS).” This article seems to describe the exact information described in the passage about the effects of technology on society and how it changes our human interactions. I agree with the point made in both the passage and the website about how we can lose some social interactions and humans may begin to lose social skills that are necessary for success in the world. The next article I used for my research was from Youth and Media, which is an organization that did a project on digital natives. The projected focused on younger people who are “digital natives”. Therefore, it discussed the role of technology in their lives and how they grew up in an age that relies on technology for most aspects of daily life. The documentary or videos consist of little children who were born into a generation of technology. The videos all rely a consistent theme of how this upcoming generation is more advanced at a younger age from the sole fact of growing up in the time period. The one interesting message I took from this site is safety. As also discussed in the reading passage safety must be thought about when putting all of your information out on the internet for anyone to view. “Would you like your parents or grandparents to view what you post on the Internet? (Youth and Media)” is a question asked in the article. It brings up a good point of discussion about Internet safety, about what we are putting out there and how if can affect our future with employers or other factors. Along with safety is privacy. How much information is out there for hackers or others to view and potentially do harm. The third and final article was from CNN, a reputable source for news and information.  The article seems to mention every point discussed in the original reading source but mentions “the human race’s struggle to keep up with technology (Oliver 1).” because it keeps evolving and changing. From all of the information gathered, a digital native is a person who was born into the generation completely exposed and dependent on technology. They completely rely on technology to accomplish most aspects of daily life and better at using technology to their benefit to accomplish their tasks. In addition they are better suited at using technology than others who didn’t grow up in this era.

Works Cited

"Digital Natives | Youth and Media." Youth and Media. Youth and Media, Mar. 2012. Web. 23 Jan.    2013.

"Digital Native Map Changing with Technology." PBS. PBS, Jan. 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

Joy, Oliver. "What Does It Mean to Be a Digital Native?" CNN. Cable News Network, 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

SWA 1- A bit about myself / (e)denity

My name is Michael Walsh. I am currently a freshman at the University of South Carolina studying Biomedical Engineering. I am from Wilmington, Delaware and graduated from Salesianum School, an independent catholic all male school. My family, friends and religious life are the most important aspects of my life. I enjoy watching and playing sports, hanging out with friends, driving and working on my car, but most importantly skiing. A quote that applies to the reason I love skiing is “You put on your boots, click into your bindings, dust the snow off your skis, and head out for the chair, and it doesn't matter that you failed a test, didn't get the girl, or that your life is on a one way trip down the gutter, your world is right for the next couple of hours.” In terms of “edenity”, I am always conscious of what I post on the Internet that reflects my beliefs and myself. I use social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sometimes I feel an urge to post a certain picture or message but I refrain because I don’t want everyone to be able to see it and the fact that essentially once it’s posted it’s out there forever. I daily check a few websites including Newschoolers, a ski website, CNN for news and also Yahoo for interesting articles. I have an IPhone, so I am always in contact with the Internet, which I feel has some positives and negatives. Information is always readily available at my fingertips, however it reduces my personal interactions and also promotes a feeling of instant gratification with information that can make other long and tiresome tasks especially difficult to overcome. In this English 102 class, I hope to learn about the influences of media on my edenity and how it can reflect myself either in a good light or damage my reputation.