Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Nicholas Carr writes in The Atlantic about what he fears the Internet may be doing to our brains. Read Is Google Making Us Stupid? and decide for yourself. Do the advantages of the Internet outweigh the potential dangers?

Read the First Drafts and Responses

I've already responded to a few early-bird blog postings, so be sure to read them to get some ideas for how to respond to your group mates. Remember, empty praise is useless, especially on a first draft. Offer suggestions to help them improve their second drafts. Read what everyone else has posted--even for other groups--because that might give you some ideas for revising and polishing your own draft. Also, if you're responding to drafts I've already reviewed, please don't just agree with what I said. Come up with some additional words of specific praise and advice.

Punctuation Matters

You'll understand why when you read "A 'Dear John' Letter and a Two Million Dollar Comma."

Stanley Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001

Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 of the documentary I told you about in class. Each segment runs about 10 minutes and will provide you with more context for the film.

Next Project: A Film Evaluation

In keeping with our general focus on technology this semester, the next writing assignment will be a film evaluation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This 1968 science fiction film was directed by Stanley Kubrick and is considered among the top films of all time. The film is noted for its high production values and scientific and technological accuracy. It is also somewhat difficult to follow at times, so you might want to check out Kubrick 2001: The Space Odyssey Explained, which is an online flash presentation. Check out the official trailer for the film and try to watch the film on your own time. I'm going to try to show at least portions of it in class, but this is the kind of film that may go over your head the first time you watch it and is worth multiple viewings.

Chad, Joe, Justin, and Kyle Present: Credit Card Smarts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOfr0a36XZE

This is a video on the results of poor credit card habits. It was a great project and very interesting to see the actual statistics.

Ariel, Audrey, Jess, and Kellee Present: Greeks vs. Carters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbjXPIzPN7U

We chose this subject because as freshman we wanted to see which restaurant appealed to the upperclassmen around Ball State's campus and why they liked it!