My reactions to students presentations on other women's contributions to the web were very impressed. I particularly liked Anjali's presentation on Lela Lee and how she formed the Business Angry Little Girls. I liked that she formed this company as a way to resist racism and sexism. My sister had a bag that was from this company and it was interesting to see where it stemmed from. I like that her cartoons gave a voice to all women who feel as if they can't speak up themselves to let them know it is okay to speak up against it. I feel that all the presentations inspired me to learn more about women's contributions to the web that I did not know about before researching.
Ajali's Presentation on Lela Lee
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
International Feminism and Multimedia
I am going to review different international feminist multimedia sites in this blog. The F word website based out of europe is very contemporary and clean looking. The site is set up to include on the homepage entries from their magazine and blog. This also includes entries that are most recent from both the magazine and blog. The features tab includes information to view according to date, author, categorical topics, and tags within the entries. The blog includes about two or three entries per day, most are entries that are related to contemporary issues in europe. For example, the first entry includes fair pay for royal cleaners within the UK. The women's net website was very bright colored and caught my attention. Though it was not as cleanly laid out as the F word website, it was still very contemporary. I like that it listed their projects they are working on and the services they provide. It's more of an informational site rather than a site that shows blogs entries. The darfur games for change was interesting because it puts awareness into a perspective that people who are interested in computer games or a younger generation can understand. The concept of using comics to make people more aware is also an interesting aspect, I like that activists can use this site as an inexpensive way to communicate. They focus on all types of different issues that can affect each area of where the issue is centered from. The inventive kids website includes different games to play to learn more about inventions in a fun and interactive way, such as puzzles and matching games. Overall, these resources all provide different ways to look at contemporary issues concerned with feminism. All are interesting in their own way and provide the user with different options to learn more about and help promote change.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Useful Grad School Website
I recently found a useful website that you can use to search different graduate schools across the US titled gradschools.com. I have been using it to look at different grad schools in New York since I am considering going there, I like that you can use the side tool bar to select areas of degree interest and cities that you are looking into to narrow the search down. Overall I feel that this is a very useful tool that I will be using to evaluate grad school choices in the next few years when I am making my decision.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sexual Assault Activism Month: Pledging My Thoughts
To gain inspiration for my second blog entry I decided to visit the feminist site, feministing. One of the entries that caught my eye was posted March 29, 2011 about sexual activism month, so I wanted to expand upon this and write about sexual assault activism month as well since it is during the month of April coming up. I decided to take the SAAM pledge, this includes listing what you are going to do to help take action against sexual assault, which I listed as spreading the word through this blog entry (by posting it on my blog site).
When I was thinking about why I am writing about this it is because I feel no one deserves to be sexually assaulted, which is simple but to the point. No one DESERVES to be sexually assaulted. At the pandora’s project website it shows the stages of sexual violence and grieving, where it uses a good metaphor. Sexual assault starts out as a boulder you must carry but eventually the boulder becomes smaller as time goes on and healing begins. This boulder turns into a pebble that will never go away, but at this size it is easier to manage, though still a part of you will never define you. While reading the article “Surviving Rape,” by Andrea Rushing I can see her going through the stages of grief, mostly focusing on victim to survivor. She says she needs to remind herself that she is the “victim, not the criminal,” because so many people feel ashamed about what happened and tend to blame themselves when it is out of their control. I wanted to see what resources were available to people victimized by sexual assault in the St. Cloud community, there are a few including the Women’s Center at St. Cloud State University and also Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center. Sexual assault should not be as prominent as it is but it is important to know that there are organizations and help services out there that are available if it does happen. If this blog reaches one million people or even one person, I hope that it is getting the word out about sexual assault activism month and how important it is to even make the slightest action. I challenge everyone to make a take a small step; what will you do to spread the word about Sexual Assault Activism Month?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Digital Divide and Women: Knowledge I've Gained
MY THOUGHTS ON THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ASSIGNMENT:
I feel that from this assignment there is a bigger digital divide between men and women than I realized. The digital divide between countries is of great significance, with the women in the US being behind the men and the women in poorer countries being significantly behind men. I feel that from my reports I have learned that men use social networking sites such as twitter to express themselves more, while women use it to follow celebs and latest trends. There is a website where women can access a forum and receive online support for breast cancer. In lesser countries women's divide is accounting for an digital backwardness, which in turn is making the countries economically poorer.
ANALYSIS ABOUT CLASSMATES DIGITAL DIVIDE REVIEWS:
I wanted to research other classmates reports on a different subject of the digital divide. I liked the articles that Anjali found on digital divide in minority groups. I found it interesting that blacks were more apt to using their phone's to access the web, whereas whites were more apt to use their computers. The article form the USA Today finds that blacks are being challenged more, not less by access to technology. For example, some things that may be easier to do on a computer such as filling out a job application. I found this article to be informative and was interesting to see how much the internet effects everyday life, especially when they say that people who do not have access to the internet miss out on about 65% of opportunities in life.
I decided to use evaluate Hannah's assignment, since she did hers on Digital Divide and Disabilities. Going through her assignment page I realize that there are some very useful links here and I decided to click on the regular google one about the Accessible Society. The first paragraph of the article caught my eye when it said that people with disabilities are 1/4 as likely as non disabled to use the internet. It's interesting because the internet can make things more accessible to people who are disabled. I agree with the article and think that if we can make the internet more accessible, it can help people with disabilities to be able to make life more accessible.
VIDEOS ON DIGITAL DIVIDE:
Here is an informative video I've found about a company that refurbishes computers to give to the community to help bridge the digital divide in Orange County, California. They bring refurbished computers to underprivileged school children, which they allow them to use in home and they also give the families training on how to use the computers. This is essential in helping the school children be able to keep up with the digital era and not fall behind.
I feel that from this assignment there is a bigger digital divide between men and women than I realized. The digital divide between countries is of great significance, with the women in the US being behind the men and the women in poorer countries being significantly behind men. I feel that from my reports I have learned that men use social networking sites such as twitter to express themselves more, while women use it to follow celebs and latest trends. There is a website where women can access a forum and receive online support for breast cancer. In lesser countries women's divide is accounting for an digital backwardness, which in turn is making the countries economically poorer.
ANALYSIS ABOUT CLASSMATES DIGITAL DIVIDE REVIEWS:
I wanted to research other classmates reports on a different subject of the digital divide. I liked the articles that Anjali found on digital divide in minority groups. I found it interesting that blacks were more apt to using their phone's to access the web, whereas whites were more apt to use their computers. The article form the USA Today finds that blacks are being challenged more, not less by access to technology. For example, some things that may be easier to do on a computer such as filling out a job application. I found this article to be informative and was interesting to see how much the internet effects everyday life, especially when they say that people who do not have access to the internet miss out on about 65% of opportunities in life.
I decided to use evaluate Hannah's assignment, since she did hers on Digital Divide and Disabilities. Going through her assignment page I realize that there are some very useful links here and I decided to click on the regular google one about the Accessible Society. The first paragraph of the article caught my eye when it said that people with disabilities are 1/4 as likely as non disabled to use the internet. It's interesting because the internet can make things more accessible to people who are disabled. I agree with the article and think that if we can make the internet more accessible, it can help people with disabilities to be able to make life more accessible.
VIDEOS ON DIGITAL DIVIDE:
Here is an informative video I've found about a company that refurbishes computers to give to the community to help bridge the digital divide in Orange County, California. They bring refurbished computers to underprivileged school children, which they allow them to use in home and they also give the families training on how to use the computers. This is essential in helping the school children be able to keep up with the digital era and not fall behind.
As a response to Hannah's article about digital divide for people with disabilities I was curious as to what was being done to provide access to people with disabilities to help gain web access. This video on adapted technology being offered to the blind, and teaching them to be able to gain more internet accessibility is more of what I was looking for and offers useful information on what is being done to help bridge this gap.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Internet Usage Issues In Lebanon
In the interview with Nadine Moawad I was surprised to hear about the different obstacles in Lebanon that women face when trying to use the internet. I was shocked to hear that the internet access points such as coffee shops, were very male dominated and women could not use these spaces because they are not safe for them.
I find it interesting when she says that the government doesn't censor what they say online but they give them crappy internet connections, it shows that they really are censoring just not saying that they are. I also find it crazy that our standard internet connection speeds here would cost them 200$ per mo. over in Lebanon. It makes me realize how much we take for granted when considering the availability of technology in the United States.
I feel that if we can make the internet more accessible over different areas of the world they would be able to gain more accessibility with freedom of speech and the sexual rights movement. These countries would also be able to express their struggles they face with the internet usage sites not being accessible to women, and hopefully be able to make them more accessible by doing this. The internet usage issues are also resided to class where women who are in lower economic status would have to use the cafes to use the internet but aren't able to due to inaccessibility.
I find it interesting when she says that the government doesn't censor what they say online but they give them crappy internet connections, it shows that they really are censoring just not saying that they are. I also find it crazy that our standard internet connection speeds here would cost them 200$ per mo. over in Lebanon. It makes me realize how much we take for granted when considering the availability of technology in the United States.
I feel that if we can make the internet more accessible over different areas of the world they would be able to gain more accessibility with freedom of speech and the sexual rights movement. These countries would also be able to express their struggles they face with the internet usage sites not being accessible to women, and hopefully be able to make them more accessible by doing this. The internet usage issues are also resided to class where women who are in lower economic status would have to use the cafes to use the internet but aren't able to due to inaccessibility.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Internet usage: Becoming the New Norm?
In today's day and age internet usage is becoming almost a mandatory skill to have already acquired. I have grown up as the internet has expanded and grown, it first became popular when I was in elementary school. So essentially we were learning about the internet, while our teachers were also learning. I remember the days of dial up, and now how the internet is starting to become the "norm." We rely on it for everyday tasks, and have even expanded it to our mobile phones to be able to have it everywhere we go. In a simple sense the internet has made everything we've ever wanted to know at our fingertips, anywhere and anytime.
Children in this internet era are brought up to know the internet and how to use it at a very young age. It is very uncommon to see a child that is in grade school that doesn't know how to use the internet or what it is at least about. There is a difference in internet usage socioeconomic status and gender. With socioeconomic status we need to consider that younger children of lesser economic may not have internet access prior to entering school, so we need to be able to teach students on different levels based on their experience and previous knowledge, not on the assumption that everyone knows the basics and how to use it. In later teen years the gender differences begin to crop up in internet usage. With girls spending more time blogging and using social networking sites, girls also start to use the internet at a younger age and are thus more knowledgeable in internet usage than boys are.
I believe that schools need to be able to accommodate all levels of internet experience as well as taking into consideration the gender differences that are presented with internet usage. I'm curious to find out if anyone else out there has had experience with this issue of children being assumed to have a basic level of internet usage experience.
Children in this internet era are brought up to know the internet and how to use it at a very young age. It is very uncommon to see a child that is in grade school that doesn't know how to use the internet or what it is at least about. There is a difference in internet usage socioeconomic status and gender. With socioeconomic status we need to consider that younger children of lesser economic may not have internet access prior to entering school, so we need to be able to teach students on different levels based on their experience and previous knowledge, not on the assumption that everyone knows the basics and how to use it. In later teen years the gender differences begin to crop up in internet usage. With girls spending more time blogging and using social networking sites, girls also start to use the internet at a younger age and are thus more knowledgeable in internet usage than boys are.
I believe that schools need to be able to accommodate all levels of internet experience as well as taking into consideration the gender differences that are presented with internet usage. I'm curious to find out if anyone else out there has had experience with this issue of children being assumed to have a basic level of internet usage experience.
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