5) Explore what you already know. Access Leading Issue summaries ("Topic Overview" or "At Issue" Pages)

• Surprising facts or statistics
• Animal testing decreased during 1973 to 2001.
• Animals test our drugs for our pain relief.

• The extent of the problem
• 
  
• Tmportant people or institutions involved

• Key schools of thought

• Common misconceptions
• Animals are geneticallly modified. 
• 
  

• Cbservations you've made

• Important trends

• Major controversies

4) Research Topic/ Arguement

4a) Make a final decision about your logical argument research topic. What is it? Questions to ask yourself:

What have we been studying in class this year? 
Which subjects appeal to me?
What are people writing about?
What's most interesting to me?
Can I find information about that?

4b) Why are you most interested in the topic of argument selected? I am interested in the topic of Animal Cruelty because when I get older I want to become a veterinarian and animal cruelty concerns me. Also everyday I see aniamls used for entertainment and abused out of sick pleasure. As a child I was raised around a lot of animals; primarily cats and dogs. I feel that more steps should be taken to protect animals against their abusive owners.  

Top 5 Research Topics

Animal Cruelty

1. Should animal welfare laws include provisions for animals being used for entertainment purposes? I believe so because everyday aniamls are used as entertainment and fighting purposes in their lives. Also animals have emotions, feelings and rights too; they want love and freedom, not to be used as entertainment purposes. 
2. Explain why some animal rights activists view horse racing and circuses as cruel to animals. Activists say it's abuse because animals are being used for entertainment purposes. They believe as long as the animals are treated with kindness, love and respect, it's fine.
3. Who should regulate the animal entertainment industry? I believe that animal rights activits and organizations like PETA should regulate the use of zoo's and animal related theme parks.

Abortion

1. Should abortion continue to be legal as stipulated by Roe v. Wade? Why or why not? Abortions should be made illegal because by aborting an unwanted pregnancy, you're killing an innocent life that never asked to be born. Also for people who unfortunately can't concieve a child, you're also ruining their chances of having a family of their own. 
2. What are the medical implications of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act? Basically it's the mother's right to choose and she chooses what's best for herself and the fetus if needed. 
3. Are there any situations in which abortions should be declared illegal or be severely restricted? None at all; all should be carried for a full term and then put up for adoption. Unless if the child/mother is in danger.
4. Which side in the debate has been more successful in making their case on the issue ofabortion and why? Both sides produce good arguements.
5. Based upon your understanding of the core beliefs and principles of the major camps in this discussion, is compromise possible? Why or why not? I feel its possible and yet its not because it's the mothers choice to abort a child yet but it's an innocent life being taken away, when the baby has a chance in life. 

Tabacco Advertising 

1. What is the main task of the FDA? The task of the FDA was to regulate the sales of cigarettes to minors. 
2. Besides the FDA, what other federal regulating body would be well suited to regulate tobaccoadvertising? The U.S. state senate and the house of representatives. 
3. Why do opponents of FDA regulation of tobaccoadvertising say the FDA is too weak? Oppenets mock the FDA's regulations because apparently the FDA is putting out false information. 

Teens and Driving 

1. What do you think the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license should be and why do you think this? I believe the minimum age should be the same; but maybe 17 or 18 becuase i feel they would be more mature. 
2. Explain how certain restrictions on teen drivers--like graduated licensing or limiting the number of passengers-could make them better drivers. I would cause less accidents at night and parental guidance can also help teen drivers. 
3. What else could be done to make sure teens are prepared for the responsibilities of driving an automobile? The limited use of phones, less aggression, carelessness, consideration of others, alcohol/drugs and friends in the car. 
4. Why do you think so many teenaged drivers are involved in serious accidents? I believe it's lack of knowledge of the law, the use of cellphones, friends distracting you while you drive, other careless drivers, the use of alcohol and drugs and other influences. 

Zoo's 

Should animals be kept in zoos?

I believe animals should be let free and be able to live in harmony. Also I feel animal rights activits should take action against zoo cruelty, abuse and entertainment.

Finding a good research question

• Why does animal cruelty occur?
• How does animal cruelty occur?
• What steps are animal activists taking to protect animals?
• Do humans enjoy animal cruelty out of sick pleasure?

5) Explore what you already know

• Surprising facts or statistics- Animals are kept in captivity and are held against their wills. They are used for entertainment purposes and are basically tortured in the process.

• the extent of the problem- Animals are sometimes  treated without kindness and love. Animals yearn for compassion from their caregivers.

 

• important people or institutions involved- PETA is greatly involved in animal abuse and rights. Also I feel more organizations should ban zoo's and animal theme parks to protect animals.

• key schools of thought- They may be unsure of their opinions. 

• common misconceptions- Zoo's and animal theme parks treat animals with love and kindness. 

• observations you've made- Animal cruelty has it's pro's and con's. 

• important trends- Banning the use of zoo's and animal theme parks. Animals being used as online social media trends.

• major controversies- Seaworld Captivity, use of zoo's. 

I strongly agree with the claim that animal cruelty is a horrible actions. 

• Abortion Arguements

For- It's beneficial by limting the population by distibuting birth control.

Against- The process of abortion consists of killing the fetus. Also unborn babies have human rights and they are taken by force.

• Animal Cruelty

For- I feel there is no real pro.

Against- Animals are like human beings; which means the have rights. The use of dog fights, horse races, zoo's, animal parks and others.

• Tabacco Advertising

For- By using social media and the purchase of cigarettes, companies get free adverisemets and profits.

Against- Smoking leads to cancer and other deadly diseases. Also smoking leads to air pollution.

• Teens and Driving

For- Teens now have social independence.

Against- More car accidents occur within teenagers than adults.

• Zoo's

For- It's beneficial by animals being protected.

Against- Animals are used as entertainment and are held against their wills.

3) Potential research topics

Choose five topics that you think are potential research topics for your paper and briefly (in 2 to 5 sentences) explain why these topics are of interest to you.

1. The topic of abortion is interesting to me because I feel it's inhumane and wrong. Fetuses never asked to be here and they have rights. Basically everyday a innocent life is taken away.

2. The topic of animal cruelty is interesting to me because I feel wrong and animals have rights also. Animals are like human beings and have no reason to be abused, used in fights and/or starved to death.

3. Tabacco Advertising is important because smoking is a filthy and disgusting habit. Smokers can give companies free advertisment by posting photos on social media while using cigarettes. 

4. Teens and Driving is a big issue because most car deaths occur within teenagers. Teens tend to text and be with others teens and counts as a distarction.

5. Zoo's is an important topic to me because animals want to live free and not be used as human entertainment. I feel bad because animals are basically imprisomed for the rest of their lives and some of us deep down desire that their freedom be given to them. 

What "ticks you off"?

2) What "ticks you off"?

Make a list of four or five things that "tick you off." Explain why. (Choose significant things that others might experience as well. For instance, your little brother might tick you off, but there is little chance that this annoyance will yield a possible paper topic). It is possible that one of these annoyances can be transformed into an interesting, engaging, and researchable project.

Nyla Johnson
November 21, 2014
G-Block

1. I am horribly allergic to cats because it's genetic in my fathers family.
2. Being single because I feel left out.
3. People (mainly teenagers) because of their social trends and lifestyles.
4. I have eczema because it runs in my dad's family.

Homework #2

1. Why does the author, Nicholas Carr, feel like his mind is changing as a result of the Internet? His mind is changing because he basically skims sources like most people do. Also our brains mentally feed off information of the internet and we are used to it in our daily lives.

2. How does research today compare with doing library research in the old days, twenty and more years ago? (I know you weren't around 20 years ago, but answer this based on what knowledge you have gathered about libraries in your lifetime). In the late 20th to 21st Century we have advanced technology like computers/laptops, smartphones, tablets and other products that make researching easier. 20 years ago people had books, encyclopedia's, dictionaries, libraries and other resources to help with researching.

3. How have Nicholas Carr's reading habits changed because of the Internet? Reading habits are different because we basically skim through articles. We have like e-reads; which are personal readers that read to us. Also if you own an iPhone, highlight the article you are reading and press speak, you can have Siri read the article to you.

4. How is reading online different than reading a long article or book? Explain. Reading an article on the internet compared to a newspaper article or a book is easier because more and more people use the internet than books. Now the evolution of the internet, everything is there. Back before the dawn of the internet, people greatly depended on libraries, books and newspapers for information.

5. Do you agree or disagree that our minds think like computers? Explain. I agree that our minds are like computers because we are prone to use the internet a lot more in our daily lives. We have the access to the internet pretty much everywhere. We use the internet more and more; we use our brains less and less these days.

6. Do you agree or disagree that the computer "is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies?" I kind of think so because I feel that most technologies have revolutionized most of our lives. The computer has made our lives much easier and simpler. All of the technology that people have created have been equally beneficial to our lives. In other words the computer is not superior to all other technologies in the world.

7. Why do you think The New York Times changed its format? Do you think it was a good idea or a bad idea? Why?

8. What does Nicholas Carr mean by "knowledge work?" ?

9. Do you agree or disagree that Google has been successful in its mission "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful?" I agree with Google's mission because Google and other search engines have made researching easier and more accessible. Different search engines have different results for when you search for the same topic. We use these search engines every single day and have the same mission.

10. How does Google's mission compare with a library's mission in light of the fact that there is no fiction or nonfiction section on the Internet, but there is a fiction and a nonfiction section in a library, and that all the books are organized on the shelves in a library, but "scattered on the floor" of the Internet? Most of the information on the internet is false while the library mainly has factual evidence. The library also has useful data bases in its system that benefits people. The libraries mission is to provide factual resources while Google and other search tries to compete with libraries around the world.

11. Do you think it would be a good thing if your own brain and intelligence were "supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence?" Why or why not? I think it would be a bad idea because I feel it would be inhumane. Also it would be very unnatural and going against science and God if we had artificial intelligence.

12. Do you think that the human brain is "just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive?" Why or why not? I believe it isn't because the human brain is the smartest computer that we were equipped with. Also as humans we add more and more knowledge to our brains everyday and use them for critical tasks in our daily lives.

13. What do you think about your own surfing habits, the links you click on and the pages you view, being an opportunity for "Google and other companies to collect information about you and to feed you advertisements?" I think we surf the internet a lot and we sometimes pay for advertisements. Everyday we use these search engines and the search engines view our topics and what we want to know.

14. How do your surfing habits compare to reading a book? Do you agree or disagree that companies online, collecting data about us by what we click on and view, are using subversive tactics to discourage "leisurely reading," and "slow, concentrated thought?" Are you yourself driven to distraction while on the Web? How or how not? Surfing habits are much more easier than using a book because surfing the web is quicker than reading a book. When we research topics, companies collect that data and store it within in their systems. I feel that people get easily distracted because were prone to look up other things and we waste time.

15. Do you agree with Socrates that the development of writing led to people using the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they carried around in their heads? Why or why not? ?

16. Do you think the Internet is doing the same thing? Why or why not? How or how not? ?

17. How do your own reading habits compare to what Nicholas Carr describes in this article? Nicholas Carr skims through articles while we use phones and tablets to automatically read it. We use the internet everyday and we now rarely use news articles and books.

18. So, do you think Google really is making us stupid? Why or why not? How or how not? I think Google is making us stupid because the internet is like a second brain that we use very often. We still use libraries for useful sources but everything we need is on the internet. Although we use the internet a lot, the sources located on Google and other search engines are un-factual and inaccurate.

Homework #1

1) If you believe that all students should be Web literate, what is the best strategy for your school to prepare you with this skill? Explain.

 I think students should  be web literate because it can help students be more advanced when researching about topics. I think the best strategies for students is incorporating research skill classes in schools. This will help students find factual evidence to help them with homework and  projects. In addition in being web literate can benefit students in college and the rest of their lives to come.

2) What skills should all teachers have to be Web literate? Explain. 

Teachers should have good research skills to be web literate. Like students, teachers who are web literate can use skills to educate others. Also I feel teachers should have a great knowledge of the use of websites and what is true. In addition I feel teachers should have the skill to have vast knowledge of history in the world to help nourish young minds.

3) What role should school filtering play in your school district? Explain why schools should block or not block Web sites. 

Schools should block certain websites because students can look up inappropriate websites. Also some websites are fake and untrue facts. Some websites contain inappropriate content which can disturb some viewers. In addition by not blocking certain websites, it can throw students off track of their studies when researching for school work.  

4) Do you believe the Internet is as big a transformer of culture as the printing press? Explain.

I believe the internet is a huge transformation because it revolutionized technology. The printing press revolutionized the world by innovating the production of printing. The internet makes our lives easier and more efficient, making our lives faster. The internet affects everyday lives with social media and cultural trends.



5) If yes, what parts of our culture do you believe will be most affected? Explain.

I feel social media will affect our cultural by revolving our time around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other sites. Also culture is effected in counties around the world with the use of social media and the internet. Our culture is affected trends and has influenced out daily lives. The internet has effected  mainly teenagers and young adults with social media and the use of technology.

The subject I most enjoy reading about is Japanese anime and drama.

My favorite hobby or pastime is video games and hanging out with friends. 

If I won the lottery, I would use the money to give to my family and donate to charity.

The type of volunteer activity I prefer is at a hospital.

My favorite school subject has always been history.

If I ran the world, the first thing I would change would be the government.