WEEK ZERO

5.1 TPT Questions

Three of your own Beneficial and corresponding Harmful Effects of Computing

Beneficial Effects: One of the most beneficial effects of computing is the communication we are able to utilize from the technology. We are able to connect with people around the world globally, and even communicate with people nearby, like students and teachers when we need help. This helps us build connections with others around us, which is a benefit from the increased sources of communication we receive from technology. Another benefit of technology and computing is the development of new devices that can help solve problems in our world. One example of this is in medicine and science, where we are able to create devices that can help solve sicknesses that may not have been able to be resolved otherwise. One other benefit of technology is a better understanding of data. We are able to analyze data more thoroughly and efficiently with the help of technology and computing, which is another benefit in our world.

Harmful Effects: One of the negative effects of technology is the social skill issues that may come up after communicating with others over the phone or computer for a long time. We may lose our social skills when it comes to talking to others in real life, which is something that would not be good for our futures. Another negative effect of computing and technology is the fact that data can be stolen from you with attacks from hackers or others through the intent. This may make people more susceptible to bugs on their devices, which is harmful and can cause problems in their everyday lives. One other negative and harmful effect of computing and technology is a negative decline in mental health. With social media and spending a great deal of time on devices, students are not getting the amount of sleep and interactions with friends as they need, causing them to have a decline in mental health and physical wellness.

Talk about dopamine issues above. Real? Parent conspiracy? Anything that is impacting your personal study and success in High School?

I think that the dopamine issues above are real and are a thing that should be acknowledged more in our world. Dopamine is the chemical that allows us to feel pleasure, and it is easy to get addicted to this feeling of pleasure, causing us to do things more and more. For example, people become addicted to video games when they want the feeling of winning. People may also become obsessed with the amount of likes or comments they get on their social media posts as they like the feeling of being liked. Personally, I think one slight problem is scrolling on my phone on social media, as sometimes it helps me forget about my work for some time. It is not a big problem right now, but the dopamine of scrolling may become an addiction for some people.

5.2 TPT Questions

How does someone empower themself in a digital world?

People can empower themselves in a digital world by increasing their knowledge with the information they can find on the internet. Students can look up more information on topics that they do not know, allowing them to increase their span and knowledge of new topics. In the digital world, people can be empowered by their own knowledge and also by the new knowledge they may gain with the internet. They can build programs, and cool websites to support groups that need it, or spread awareness after consulting sources.

How does someone that is empowered help someone that is not empowered? Describe something you could do at Del Norte High School

Someone that is empowered can help someone that is not empowered by building and creating different things that will help others empower themselves. For example, they can build websites that will help others gain and increase their knowledge. We can also empower others by helping people who may not have direct and easy access to digital spaces like the internet. At Del Norte, we are very privileged and could use this to help others. For example, to decrease the digital divide we can try to spread and donate old computers to places that need it. We can also create free and accessible programs and websites without knowledge like we are doing now that will help other people feel empowered.

Is paper or red tape blocking digital empowerment? Are there such barriers at Del Norte? Elsewhere?

I think that red tape, or rules and regulations, can definitely be a barrier to decreasing the digital divide. For example, at Del Norte, there are websites that are blocked off because the district believes it may be bad, even though it might benefit our education further. Some examples of these are educational videos, and even our own deployed websites. Even though I understand the reason for having these restrictions, the actions decrease the amount of freedom we have in our technology, and are therefore blocking digital empowerment in a way.