Proposal for Multi-modal Project

The topic I chose for the multi-modal presentation is technology and its contribution to execution. My presentation will compare the methods of execution used before lethal injection was imposed and how the changes in methods occurred. I find this topic particularly interesting because with the acceptance of technological forms of execution comes many other questions of humanity. I will research why the change of execution methods became a priority, who worked to change this issue at hand, and what further innovations are suspected to occur in the near future. I believe this issue is very prevalent when exploring topics such as: abortion, execution when fatal disease is a factor, the power of technology, the impact technology potentially has on the living, and humanitarian movements. Initially, I am hoping to find the main reason for execution involving technology and how much it really affects people of today. Furthermore, I plan to explore the cost ration of executions depending on the evolution of technology through time and the issues and concerns associated with this evolution. Finally, I hope to come to a conclusion on whether or not these innovations are helping our society as a whole to progress.

Reflection Blog Assignment- Hypertext Essay

When composing this particular assignment, I had to take many aspects of writing into consideration such as my audience, purpose, design, organization, presentation and personal gain. The audience I was working to appeal to was a group of college level English students. My purpose in targeting this particular group was to provide a better understanding about technological communication and its effects on the people around them. Furthermore, by using a hypertext essay format, besides it being assigned, I hoped to capture my audience’s attention with interactive information and professional presentation. Hypertext essays are very common modes of information in modern day society and help students to access a lot of information in a manner that is less intimidating than a large word document would be. The organizational process I targeted was a summary of the original article, the article itself, three responses containing my personal view on the article in question, and a conclusion involving a personally developed challenge relevant to the topic at hand. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to create this presentation with as little computer knowledge as I currently possess. I am particularly proud of my responses and conclusion due to the fact that I worked very hard to explore as many aspects of communication over technological media as possible. I feel by completing this assignment, I have significantly advanced my knowledge concerning computers and the functions available today. Additionally, I have learned how to create very relevant responses to the subject matter as to not confuse the reader when they are clicking links. Finally, my selection of the specific resources and research I used was based on the popular sites of today and how they contribute to our personal interactions with others. This assignment helped me to see the benefit technology can provide for students and members of society today.

Hypertext Essay Sources

Throughout the hypertext essay assignment, I have had to use the elements of validating a reliable website before creating my essay. When assessing the article, "What 'Never-ending Friending' Means", I checked the source for authority, accuracy, relevancy and currency. All of the required elements were met by a creation date, a date of updating the site, the author's name and information and the organization sponsoring the site. In addition to the assigned reading, sites I used to develop my own opinion came from relevant news sites and articles from websites such as CNN.com. By using these reliable sources of information, my essay was easy to cross reference and use to gain additional information. Furthermore, I included a source that involved direct interaction with this social revelation. Facebook and Myspace served as prime examples of the newly incorporated forms of technological communication. Through the research I have completed and the articles posted by other authors, I was able to provide an essay that explored the subject of technological communication and the controversies associated with this particular subject.

Assignment Involving Hypertext Essays:

Due to the many different backgrounds and forums of the assigned readings, we as a group, have encountered different reactions to the readings. For example, in the assigned website “Speak”, the background imagery used takes away from the books contains. The moving image displayed is also very distracting from the contained subject matter. Our assessment of this website leads us to believe that it would be much more informative if the imagery was less distracting. Furthermore, our concluded evidence of the way we read “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is most interesting. We find ourselves drifting off due to the overwhelming amount of text and the need to focus very intensely to read such article. While reading this particular literary piece, we find ourselves bent close to the computer in attempt to focus more exclusively on the text written. The most interesting article out of all of the options above is “Lies”. The interactive qualities of this particular essay keep the mind active in assessing its subject matter. In theory, the tangible aspect of this specific text keeps one’s attention longer than the other three pieces in question.

How Technology has Impacted My Life

I have experienced the transition from a very rural to modern existence perhaps much more rapidly than many people. I realized this transition when I started using the computer for research in comparison to using a dictionary and encyclopedia. I used to look up words I could not spell in a Webster's Dictionary and information about a topic in an Encyclopedia or Farmer's Almanac. Now I use an online dictionary and search engine to find these things. In addition to my research transition from the tangible to the technological, I have noticed a dramatic change in my form of communication. Before becoming the owner of a computer and cell phone, I would write letters and travel to communicate with others. If I were to compare how I communicate with others now I would have to say the majority of socialization occurs on the internet. The convenience of online communication saves time and money but I find I lose the intimate relationship I once had with these individuals. Many things I used to do using pen and paper have been replaced by typing on Microsoft Word. My assignments, personal documents, and portfolios are typed. While technology has helped me to become a more professional individual, I have a lost a bit of an age old tradition.