Please post your two questions and one response to your peers' questions about chapter 3 of the Bedford Book of Genres by commenting on this post!
Please include your full name as well.
Questions should be posted by 10PM the night before class, and comments should be no less than 150 words and finished by the time we meet in class.
Marissa Latham
ReplyDelete1. How can you know if a source is credible? What indicators can you use?
2. What is the most effective modern-day way to inform others?
Foster Dore
Delete2. The most effective modern-day way to inform others is through social media, but more particularly Twitter. Over the past 5 years Twitter has become of rising importance. Initially a database for individuals, celebrities, and small companies, Twitter has grown to become a primary news outlet. Now, one can refresh an app to hear Donald Trump's latest updates for our own country. The reason Twitter is the most effective way to inform others is due to its mass user base and lightning fast communication abilities. However, the problem with Twitter, as well as most news outlets, is credibility. In my opinion, the number of reports (tweets) will always bring forward the most accurate news.
Angelie Jean-Brice
DeleteIn my opinion, the most effective modern way to inform people is via social media, and to be more specific, Twitter. I picked twitter because it's gone to billions of active users and you could spread an important message really fast. For example, news stations use twitter to broadcast important news otherwise won't be seen by people who don't necessarily watch television. Also companies use twitter to reach to the youth population. All and all, it's simpler to use, more effective it's in "the now".
A source is credible if it uses facts and statistics appropriately, citing where the author received his or her information. These can be scholarly or research papers, news articles that come from a neutral point of view, or textbooks for various subjects. Of course there are more credible sources available, but it becomes more challenging to determine if a source is credible or not as the information exchanges hands. A credible source will remain neutral, reducing as much bias as possible, and there will be no room for editing the information without conducting studies or research that contradict the information written. Sources like Wikipedia and not credible because the information can be changed by anyone with an account. This poses too much of a risk, especially for those writing any major assignment for work or school.
DeleteFoster Dore
ReplyDelete1. If sharing information is so critical, why is it that schools around the nation charge their students so much money for textbooks every year?
2. Is Wikipedia a reliable source?
Marissa Latham
Delete1. While sharing information is an extremely critical aspect of teaching, it is also known to be very valuable and irreplaceable. Because of its importance, the information found in textbooks is worth a great deal of money. An example for this would be the relationship between diamonds and money. Diamonds are very expensive because they are rare. In the same way, the knowledge in textbooks can only be reliably gathered from there, making the textbook companies somewhat of a monopoly. While it should be public domain, textbooks are often times used as a means for a company to make money and improve their business, disrespecting the knowledge in the books and instead using it for its monetary value.
2. Wikipedia being a reliable source is debatable. This is mainly due to the fact that theoretically, anyone can make an account and post what they want. However, to maintain the credibility of their website, Wikipedia requires their writers to post the sources in which they received their information from and properly cite them. This allows skeptical readers to refer to the sources provided to the writer and make their basis of whether the passage is credible. Therefore, I believe that Wikipedia is a reliable source for information.
DeleteAngelie Jean-Brice
ReplyDelete1. Do you feel like social media is a more effective way to inform others? If so why?
2. What makes a website a reliable source of information?
Audrey Lugo
DeleteNowadays, everyone is on social media. Anyone with a smart phone, tablet, computer, or television has access to social media, and really this is how information is being shared now. For example, on a smart phone one can choose to enable notifications for the news, and so every time there is breaking news one can receive an alert and get the information as soon as it comes out. The same applies for a tablet or computer; the use of search engines such as yahoo or google allow for social media to be accessed at any time, with just a quick search. Since social media is so readily available it is a great way to inform others. On sites like Twitter or Facebook, many major news stations have accounts that post information as soon as it is received. If one would like to share the information with their other friends who follow their personal accounts, they can do so with just a click of a button, and by sharing the social media another person can have access to the same information right away. Since social media is readily available for anyone who has access to it, it is an effective way to inform others by sharing information.
Andrew Stevens
DeleteA reliable news site would have to cite many different sources for the information it gives. This is very important so that readers and fact checkers can be confident the information presented is factual and at least partially free of bias on the part of the author. For example, a website that used a lot of loaded arguments can likely be dismissed as a biased source that is not worth your time, as it will not be truthful in its reporting. A trustworthy news site should also cite a number of different sources so the reader can be confident that the news source makes a deliberate attempt to avoid bias in its reporting. A strong reputation (ethos) can also go a long way in ascertaining a website’s reliability. With a reputation comes a certain level of public trust in the source. If the site has been around for a while and is known for its stories, then chances are, it is trustworthy.
I do believe social media is a very effective way to spread news around. Social media hasn’t been around for that long, but it has made a great impact on information being easily accessible. Everyone has access to it and there are zero limitations when it comes to the internet. In that case, it does make it easier to inform others of what goes on. Now we can message people through different social media accounts and spread the word around. We can post pictures on Instagram and let our followers know what goes on. Share our thoughts and stories on Facebook with no word limit. Twitter even has a section of world news and pop culture and shows how people on twitter interact with it. Snapchat also has stories on news and different articles that could also be send to your friends. Social media the quickest and easiest way to get information around. Literally with a click of a button you can find what you’re looking for.
DeleteAudrey Lugo
ReplyDelete1. How can different modes give information differently?
2. How has the transition from print to digital affected how news is delivered to people everywhere?
Christian Harnden
Delete2. The transition from the print media that has been used for the past 200 years to the relatively new online sources has revolutionized how people learn, interactive, and live. News source companies have been forced to change with the evolving technology if they have any hope of keeping the business they have maintained for many years. Newspapers used to be the way everyone received their news but then Radio and TV began to change the game. TV stations did not end with the revolution of new news, and today, most people get their news over social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. This causes new challenges in deciphering what is believable news and what is a credible source. The extremely high levels of accessibility that these new platforms give us also gives us a very high chance of bias that we need to straighten out as the audience of these news publications.
Davian Smith
ReplyDelete1. What is the most reliable way to inform audiences other then social media? Why?
2. How could information displayed on social media be considered unreliable?
Daria Root
DeleteFor most people, especially college aged students, it is almost everyday that we scroll through social media. We have easy access to news, pictures, videos, etc. During these everyday catch-ups on news, we are very casual in reading them. Not many people scrolling through social media would think to check the sources on a quick news article they read on Twitter. This makes it very easy to be fed false information, solely because the reader is at fault for not checking the sources. In addition, social media is a place where news spreads very quickly. This does not discriminate for false news. Once a news article is read and becomes popular it will spread quickly, often causing people to think it is true due to the popularity of it. This is often seen with celebrity news, when a rumor will spread about a celebrity and it will often take a long time for the rumor to be put to rest.
Information displayed on social media could be considered unreliable for several reasons. One reason is that because of how fast social media can be seen/ posted, the poster may not have had enough time to get the full story, but wanted to post about a certain event or story before anyone else. For example, if a fight breaks out at a concert, somebody may post about it and say the cause of the fight was an attempted robbery, when really it was because somebody was accidently shoved. Another reason information posted on social media can be considered unreliable is because anybody can post it. The information can be posted by anybody with an account to the social media website, and they con post whatever they want. Information doesn’t have to be approved or fact-checked by any sort of outlet or third party.
DeleteThere are many credible sources available to both students and the general public, free or not. These sources provide facts, figures, and reliable information that could inform the public with significantly less bias. Also, it can be argued that social media is not very reliable, as the articles and news pieces are mostly composed of celebrity fluff and overdramatic claims. JSTOR is a great example of a source that is more credible and reliable than any form of social media available.
DeleteAndrew Stevens
ReplyDelete1. What else can be done to ensure that encyclopedias and databases remain reliable sources of information?
2. Do you feel that graphics and diagrams are truly effective in informative writing? Why or why not?
Colleen Towey
DeleteIn order to maintain credibility in encyclopedias and databases, it is important for the administration behind them to keep heavier security on them. Especially on sites like wikipedia, it is crucial for the people contributing to only post reliable information with credible sources linked to them. It's also important for those posting to these sites to make sure that they do not paraphrase information. Paraphrasing can lead to misinformation, which will cause sources to be discredited. You can also have multiple people post on a certain subject to avoid author bias leaning solely to one subject. If we have editorials from both sides of the spectrum, it will be less biased and therefore more credible.
Daria Root
ReplyDelete1. How can an author find the balance between including pathos in their writing without resulting in too much author bias?
2. What are some ways a chart or graph can be made appealing and interesting to different audiences?
Max Dou
ReplyDelete1. Because of the influence of technology, in your opinion describe what is the best way to teach the current and following generation, through the use of paper books or digital media?
2. If you are tasked to do research in a specific subject, would you consider using the internet as your first tool to gather information or would you look for the information in encyclopedias? Talk about the pros and cons of using both methods.
Christian Harnden
ReplyDelete1) What is an effective way to compose with the least amount of bias possible?
2) Why is it so important for authors to have their articles peer reviewed before publishing?
1. Do you think that the internet has made it easier or harder to find reliable information?
ReplyDelete2. What is the difference in the way that social media presents information versus the way an article or database presents information?
Ashleigh Forehand
DeleteI think that the internet has made reliable information much more accessible than it had previously been, however, now it is much more difficult to determine what is and what is not a trustworthy source. There are many news sites and qualified authors to be found on the web but there are just as many, if not more, unqualified writers that can mislead those looking for information online. When researching for an article, a story, or even for one’s own knowledge, it is vital to background check the sources you turn to for answers. Anyone can open a blog or discuss information online without having a verifiable identity, so researching the person who is claiming to be more knowledgeable on a subject than yourself is a must. It is also vital to check the information you gather from a few different sources, if the information is true it is more likely that it can be traced to multiple sources.
Ashleigh Forehand
ReplyDeleteWhat measures need to be taken to avoid bias as an author?(What measures do you take?)
In what situations do you find yourself mixing different modes together, and how do you go about incorporating them?
1. What are some conventions often used in news articles?
ReplyDelete2. How much more important are sources from informative genres than narrative genres.
In many news articles the most important piece is usually on the front. It is the most interesting piece of information on there. Usually all of the articles are grouped together like the sports section on the 3rd page and comics or puzzles on the back. The advertisements are scattered all over because people pay for product placement. Sources are more important for informative genre's because if it is going to inform someone it has to be true. To have a reliable source is going to be more helpful for those seeking information.
Delete1) What's your favorite source to turn to? What makes it so reliable?
ReplyDelete2) Do you believe infrographics are a faster and easier way to comprehend information rather than news articles or encyclopedias?
1. Why has the informative genre become so influential in our daily lives?
ReplyDelete2. How do the different forms of media shape your perception of certain situations?
1. If we are to obtain our facts from sources intended to inform us, why don't they maintain a neutral tone when describing the information?
ReplyDelete2. What could possibly happen if an informative composition is not accurate and/or clear?
1. What design is most important in an advertisement for woman's clothing?
ReplyDelete2. Is product placement considered a genre of design and style?
Colleen Towey
ReplyDelete1) In what ways can author bias help your writing? In what ways can it hinder it?
2) Why do social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook appeal to users, when much more credible news sources exist?
1. Can a credible source be biased? If so, how? If not, why?
ReplyDelete2. How do you predict social media will grow in the next 5 years?
(Repost, somehow the first one disappeared)
ReplyDelete1. Do you think it's easy to find reliable information on the internet nowadays?
2. Is it easier to inform others using online sources or the old fashioned way: books?