Reflection on Milblog

Reading the various posts on the milblog regarding Afghanistan, Iraq, and the soldiers was very interesting. I enjoyed reading about our soldiers and what they are doing overseas from the soldiers themselves, rather than from the news. I always hear news reporters speaking of the soldiers and the war, but none of it really interests me because the people who are reporting are not in the situations that our soldiers are in.

I was really glad to hear of one soldier’s account of his experience in Iraq. It was really encouraging to hear that real progress is being made, and it gave me hope that our soldiers will be back home soon. I was upset, however, to hear of several soldiers’ stories regarding Afghanistan, and the Afghan soldiers. It was disappointing to hear of such little effort coming from them. They didn’t seem to be motivated to work or fight, even though American soldiers are working hard to help them and their country.

Pitfalls of the Read-Write Web

The articles that discussed the pitfalls of the read-write web bring up a very serious issue. Websites such as Facebook and Myspace can be dangerous for someone who was never taught how to protect him/herself online. These websites make it very easy for online predators to prey on ignorant children and teens. They also give children and teens the opportunity to spread information, photos, videos, etc. that could be very harmful. I was always taught not to share important information, and to be very careful online, but many children are not taught the importance of watching what they say and do online.

However, these types of websites can be good. People can stay in better contact with each other. For example, I am able to keep in contact with many of my friends who are going to college in different states through Facebook. People can also share photos and videos with each other easily, and people can show a completely different personality online that they would be afraid to show in person.

Websites such as these are neither good nor bad. People, particularly children and teens, simply need to learn how to use them safely and effectively, whether they learn from their parents, a presentation at school, or a website. This is why the second article is so helpful. It helps people to learn effective ways to maintain a blog.

Sosnoski Reading

The Sosnoski reading was somewhat interesting to me. It really emphasized how much our world is becoming more and more dependent on technology, and how much less effort is being put into work. I agree with the author’s point that when reading out of a book one tends to feel the need to read every word, but when reading from a website or online article, or anything else on the computer, one tends to skim simply for the desired information. I disagree, however, with the author’s opinion that those who author articles, essays, etc. online do not receive proper credit for what they wrote. I have used online sources for information for research papers in high school, and have always sited the author, and I know other students, as well as people who are writing papers, essay, and books, site (or are supposed to, at least) their resources, including the ones they found online. I will agree, however, that writing that is posted online does not receive the literary merit that books often do. One often hears of bestselling books and authors receiving the Nobel Prize in literature, but one never hears of anyone receiving awards or special recognition for things published online. This reading really made me think about technology and how we use it.