Research Paper Sources

Today we started our research paper! Hooray! (I can feel all the hateful stares already.)

In reality, this is a long and difficult process. This will be a month-long project that ultimately will come down to a final paper worth two test grades. Because these will be your only test grades (besides the Othello project) for this term, this research paper will weigh heavily on your final grade for the semester. It is most likely that if you do not pass the research paper, you will not pass this class. As such, now is the time to buckle your seat belts and stay with us. As you saw on today's Consent Form, there will be multiple steps along the way before you turn in the final paper. All of these milestones will go in as grades in my Gradebook either as homework or quiz grades so it's essential that you keep yourself on track and get them all in.

Here are the sources:

Source A

Excerpt from “‘Defriending’ Facebook: When Social Networking Starts to Get in the Way of Real Life, Some Teens Are Deciding to Log Off” by Katie Hafner as published in New York Times Upfront.

Facebook has 350 million members worldwide who, collectively, spend 10 billion minutes there every day, checking in with friends, writing on people's walls, clicking through photos, and generally keeping up with who's doing what at any given moment. Make that 9.9 billion and change.

Recently, Halley Lamberson, 17, and Monica Reed, 16, juniors at San Francisco University High School, made a pact to help each other resist the lure of the login. "We decided we spent way too much time obsessing over Facebook, and it would be better if we took a break from it," Halley says.

The two friends now allow themselves to log on to Facebook on the first Saturday of every month—and that's it.

They are among the many teens who are recognizing the huge distraction Facebook presents—the hours it consumes, to say nothing of the toll it takes during exams and college applications.

In fact, while "Internet addiction" is not really an official medical diagnosis, spending excessive time online is a growing problem worldwide, not only with social networks but also with gaming and other online activities. As many as 1 in 8 Americans suffer from problematic Internet use, according to researchers at Stanford University in California. The numbers are higher in some Asian countries, especially for teens: Up to 30 percent of South Koreans under 18, for instance, are at risk of Internet addiction, according to researchers at Hanyang University in Seoul.

Treatment centers for Internet addiction have sprung up not only in Asia but in the U.S. as well. They range from military-style boot camps to residential treatment centers similar to those used for drug and alcohol addiction.

When it comes to staying off Facebook, some teens, like Monica and Halley, are forming support groups. Others deactivate their accounts or ask someone they trust to change their password and keep control of it until they feel ready to have it back.

Facebook, launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, then a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard, won't say how many users have deactivated service. But Kimberly Young, a psychologist who is the director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery in Bradford, Pennsylvania, says she's spoken with dozens of teens trying to break the Facebook habit.

"It's like an eating disorder," says Young. "You can't eliminate food. You just have to make better choices about what you eat." She adds, "And what you do online."

At its worst, Facebook addiction can lead to a loss of perspective about what's important, or even to a loss of a person's sense of self, according to Sherry Turkle, director of the Initiative on Technology and Self at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Turkle recalls that one 18-year-old working on a college application was burned out from trying to live up to his own online descriptions of himself. "Facebook wasn't merely a distraction," Turkle says, "but it was really confusing him about who he was."

Source B

Excerpt from “Study Suggests Benefits of Social Media in the Classroom” by Jason Thomaszewski on Educationworld.com

An educational theory gaining momentum in the literature may open the door to increased use of social media in schools.

            Dr. Richard J. Light (Harvard School of Education) is a proponent of social constructivism, an aspect of social learning theory. This theory—supported by research identifying factors leading to college students’ success—says that people learn most effectively when they interact with other learners. According to Light, the strongest determinant of students’ success in college is their ability to form or participate in small study groups. He suggests that this is more important than their instructors’ teaching styles. Student research participants who studied in groups, even only once a week, were more engaged in their studies, were better prepared for class, and learned significantly more than students who worked on their own.

            These outcomes have led some to tout social media—and its opportunities for “virtual study groups”--as an excellent way to increase student learning. Many routinely use Twitter hashtags and Facebook pages to discuss specific topics. Social media sites such as EdMoto and Saywire may be safer options for students, since they are closed to individuals outside of class and allow teachers to closely monitor interactions. For a discussion of additional free, secure collaboration tools such as brainstorming and chat platforms, seeFree Tech Tools for Tough Times.

            Light’s report added that social media, as a technology that is deemed “cool,” can attract younger learners. Social media platforms enable many engaging classroom activities, including “communities of practice” where learners can interact and share ideas. “This group learning format appeals to younger, socially conscious learners and is built around the notion that 'many minds are better than one,' " the report stated.

            For example, the paper The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking and Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them describes how one high school literature class used the Ning platform to promote discussion and share resources related to a book they were reading.

            Studies suggest that approximately 70 percent of all organizations engage in structured collaboration using online social learning tools such as blogs, wikis and podcasts. The rise parallels the increased use of online tools like social media sites in schools.

            Experts remind us, however, that there are clear “do’s and don’ts” for integrating social media in the classroom. According to the report Technology in Schools: What the Research Says, the choice to implement any classroom technology should be based on sound learning theory and should support a specific aspect of the curriculum. Teachers should have the backing and support of school leadership and have received prior training in use of technology tools to facilitate student learning. In addition, they should gather data to ensure that use of the technology is having the intended positive effects on students.

            Finally, schools should update their Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) to include proper use of social media on the part of both educators and students.

Source C

Excerpt from “Social Networking Increases Risk of Teen Drug Abuse” by Molly O’Toole on Rueters.com

            On a typical day, 70 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 -- 17 million teenagers -- spend from a minute to hours on Facebook, Myspace and other social networking sites, according to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

            But for this same age bracket, social-network-savvy teens are five times more likely to use tobacco; three times more likely to use alcohol; and twice as likely to use marijuana than teens who do not spend any of their day on social networking sites.

"The results are profoundly troubling ... the anything goes, free-for-all world of Internet expression, suggestive television programing and what-the-hell attitudes put teens at sharply increased risk of substance abuse," CASA Founder and Chairman Joseph Califano Jr said in a statement.

Knowledge Networks surveyed 1,037 teens ages 12 to 17 and 528 parents of these teens over the Internet. QEV Analytics, Ltd. conducted the annual telephone survey of 1,006 teens 12 to 17, asking questions CASA has used to track trends.

Results revealed that half of teens who spend any time social networking in a given day have seen pictures of kids "drunk, passed out, or using drugs on these sites."

But even beyond the daily teen social networkers, 14 percent of teens who reported spending no time on such sites in a given day said they have seen pictures of drunk, passed out, or drug-using kids on the sites.

Teens who had seen such pictures were four times likelier to be able to get marijuana, three times likelier to be able to get prescription drugs without a prescription, and twice as likely to be able to get alcohol in a day at most.

Teens who had seen such pictures were also more than twice as likely to think they would try drugs in the future, and much more likely to have friends who used illegal drugs.

"Especially troubling-- and alarming-- are that almost half of the teens who have seen pictures ... first saw such pictures when they were 13 years of age or younger," the report said. "These facts alone should strike Facebook fear into the hearts of parents of young children."

But the surveys, which also questioned adults, found that nine of 10 parents do not think teens spending time social networking are any more likely to drink or use drugs.

Only 64 percent of parents said they monitor their child's social networking page.

The authors of the report called for parents -- still the greatest influence on a teen's decision whether to smoke, drink, or use drugs -- to present a consistent and unified front against substance abuse.

"In the cultural seas into which we toss our teens, parents are essential to preventing their substance abuse."

The report also urged operators of social networking sites to curb such images and deny use to adolescents who post them.

"Continuing to provide the electronic vehicle for transmitting such images constitutes electronic child abuse," it said.

Source D

Excerpt from “Consumer Reports: Facebook privacy problems are on the rise” by Rose Golijan as published on NBC News.com

            Consumer Reports released its annual report on Internet privacy and security Thursday, placing Facebook front and center. Issues covered by the influential consumer watchdog group included updates on data leaks, hacks, scams, and the like, while featuring a separate report focusing entirely on Facebook and how the social network deals with privacy, security and the very personal information we so willingly share.
            The "State of the Net" research and statistics from Consumer Reports suggest that there is an overall increase in certain digital problems — such as ID thefts, phishing schemes, and security breaches — in the past year, while issues related malware and unauthorized credit charges are occurring neither more nor less frequently than in the prior 12 months. The most startling findings however, involve how much Facebook knows about its nearly 900 million members, and how much we freely offer — information mined by employers, insurers, the IRS, divorce lawyers, as well as identity thieves and other criminals.
            While U.S. legislators speak out against employers requesting Facebook passwords from employees, the following information — much of it sensitive and potentially damaging — doesn't require special access to uncover: 

- 4.7 million “liked” a Facebook page about health conditions or treatments (details an insurer might use against you).
- 4.8 million have used Facebook to say where they planned to go on a certain day (a potential tip-off for burglars)
- 20.4 million included their birth date, which can be used by identity thieves
- 39.3 million identified family members in their profile
- 900K discussed finances on their wall
- 1.6 million liked a page pertaining to racial or ethnic affiliations
- 2.3 million liked a page regarding sexual orientation
- 7.7 million liked a page pertaining to a religious affiliation
- 2.6 million discussed their recreational use of alcohol on their wall
- 4.6 million discussed their love life on their wall

            For its study, Consumer Reports "queried Facebook and interviewed some two dozen others, including security experts, privacy lawyers, app developers, and victims of security and privacy abuse." It "dug into private, academic, and government research, as well as Facebook’s labyrinthian policies and controls." It also "surveyed 2,002 online households, including 1,340 that are active on Facebook" and projected the resulting data to estimate national totals. Among its other findings, Consumer Reports noted these problems connected with the information we share: Some don't use privacy controls. Almost 13 million users said they had never set, or didn’t know about, Facebook’s privacy tools. And 28 percent shared all, or almost all, of their wall posts with an audience wider than just their friends.
            Facebook collects more data than you may imagine. For example, did you know that Facebook gets a report every time you visit a site with a Facebook “Like” button, even if you never click the button, are not a Facebook user, or are not logged in?
            Your data is shared more widely than you may wish. Even if you have restricted your information to be seen by friends only, a friend who is using a Facebook app could allow your data to be transferred to a third party without your knowledge.
            Legal protections are spotty. U.S. online privacy laws are weaker than those of Europe and much of the world, so you have few federal rights to see and control most of the information that social networks collect about you.
            And problems are on the rise. Eleven percent of households using Facebook said they had trouble last year, ranging from someone using their log-in without permission to being harassed or threatened. That projects to 7 million households — 30 percent more than last year.
            In response to the Consumer Reports study, Andrew Noyes, Facebook's manager of Public Policy Communications, gave msnbc.com the following statement:
            We believe more than 900 million consumers have voluntarily decided to share and connect on Facebook because we provide them options and tools that place them in control of their information and experience. As part of our effort to empower and educate consumers, we always welcome constructive conversations about online privacy and safety.
            Consumer Reports does note Facebook's efforts to simplify privacy settings and improve security — as well settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and submit to independent audits for the next 20 years. But the watchdog outfit also calls out Facebook's support of the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (HR 3523), which would allow the social network to share your information with the government without judicial oversight, and states that the social network needs to do more. 

Source E

Excerpt from “Social Networking Benefits Validated” by Karen Goldberg Goff as published in The Washington Times.

Researchers in the study, titled the Digital Youth Project and conducted primarily at the University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley, found that in our increasingly technological world, the constant communication that social networking provides is encouraging useful skills. The study looked at more than 5,000 hours of online observation and found that the digital world is creating new opportunities for young people to grapple with social norms, explore interests, develop technical skills and work on new forms of self-expression.

“There are myths about kids spending time online — that it is dangerous or making them lazy,” says Mizuko Ito, lead author of the study, which will be the basis of a forthcoming book, “Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning With New Media.” “But we found that spending time online is essential for young people to pick up the social and technical skills they need to be competent citizens in the digital age.”

Co-author Lisa Tripp, now an assistant professor at Florida State University, says technology, including YouTube, iPods and podcasting, creates avenues for extending one’s circle of friends, boosts self-directed learning and fosters independence.

“Certain technical skills in the coming years are not going to be just about consuming media,” she says. “It is also going to be about producing media. It is not just about writing a blog, but also how to leave comments that say something. Learning to communicate like this is contributing to the general circulation of culture.”

That means anything from a video clip to a profile page is going to reflect the self-expression skills one has, so teens might as well practice what will say who they are.

Social networking also contributes greatly to teens’ extended friendships and interests, Ms. Tripp says. While the majority of teens use sites such as MySpace and Facebook to “hang out” with people they already know in real life, a smaller portion uses them to find like-minded people. Before social networking, the one kid in school who was, say, a fan of Godzilla or progressive politics might find himself isolated. These days, that youngster has peers everywhere.

“This kind of communication has let teens expand their social circle by common interests,” Ms. Tripp says. “They can publicize and distribute their work to online audiences and become sort of a microexpert in that area.” The study found that young people’s learning with digital media often is more self-directed, with a freedom and autonomy that is less apparent than in a classroom. The researchers said youths usually respect one another’s authority online, and they often are more motivated to learn from one another than from adults.

Source F

Excerpt from “Social Media Makes Teens Aware of Others’ Needs, Says Study” as published on Huffingtonpost.com           

            Here's something worth liking: Social media usagemakes teens more aware of others' needs.

            About 55 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 said Facebook and Twitter have opened their eyes to what others are experiencing, according to an online study conducted by Harris Interactive. And 91 percent felt it was important to volunteer in the community.

            In addition, 68 percent of respondents said they felt the benefits of social media outweigh the risks of being on these sites, the press release states.

            Teenage presence in online discourse has recently been seen online in video campaigns raising awareness about important issues, including suicide.
            Jonah Mowry, for example, took to YouTube in December to share his personal struggle with bullying.
            Now, the 14-year-old gay teen and his mother are preparing to speak at The Monster March Against Bullying event in San Francisco on Feb. 19, after reaching millions of viewers with his clip, theOrange County Register reports.

Charitable organizations have apparently seen the light, and have begun integrating fundraising tools into their social networking profiles to promote their causes and rally support.
            Nonprofits that combined this technique with more traditional promotional methods, such as mailed pamphlets, have reported a 40 percent increase in their fundraising, USA Today noted in a 2011 report.
            Social media sites other than Facebook and Twitter have also been known to bring users together for a good cause.
             In December, a Reddit user reached out to the online community by posting an image gallery of his girlfriend's nephew, who needed a bone marrow transplant.
            Along with the photos, he asked for donations to help out his family. Within hours, the Internet community had pitched in $31,000 for the cause. Just six days later, the total had risen to about $55,000.