On July 17, 1984, the Uniform Drinking Age Act was formed. The Uniform Drinking Age Act states the legal drinking age to be declared to 21 from 18. This law was changed in an attempt to lower the amount of drunk driving accidents, but I am opposed to this solution. People who drink and drive are going to drink and drive, no matter what age. It seems to not make sense how the U.S. Government trust's 18 year olds with their votes, yet the cannot allow them to drink champagne at their wedding or go out to the bar after they just fought for the country. As an 18 year old, I feel that it's impossible to call an 18 year old an "adult" but at the same time not let them drink an alcoholic beverage.

Although you must be 21 to drink, this law doesn't stop minors from drinking. Instead, people under 21 will just consume alcohol irresponsibly, because they feel as if it's a way to "rebel". In forcing this law, it is actually making the problems worse. Lowering the drinking age can teach responsible drinking to those who drink alcoholic beverages. Eighteen year olds should be treated like the "adults" they are.

Clive Thompson On The New Literacy

In this article, Andrea Lunsford believes that "technology isn't killing our ability to write, but reviving it- and pushing our literacy in bold new directions." She states how young people today write far more then any generation before them. With all the social networking, instead of just writing in school back when computers weren't invented, kids now write when they are home as well. Lunsford's study showed that students these days almost always write for an audience which is why it showed they were less enthusiastic about in-class assignments. With in-class assignments, the students only audience is the professor. Also, according to one of Andrea Lunsford's examinations, out of all the first year students, she didn't find a single example of texting speak in a paper.

I agree with Andrea Lunsford to an extent. I believe that students are reading and writing a lot more since computers had been invented, but i also believe that their is a difference between "typing" and "writing". When a student is writing in school, they are forced to use proper grammar and spelling, but, when a student is typing online, they aren't forced to do anything. Also, if a student is reading online they never know if anything they read is actually true, and their could be grammar and spelling mistakes that they could unfortunately get used to and start to use themselves.

Questions

1.) What's the difference between "typing" and "writing"?

2.) Are social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter benefit ways of reading and writing?

3.) Do students actually write more online then for school?

Online, R U Really Reading?

In the article "Online, R U Really Reading?" by Motoko Rich, he states that reading online and reading from books are two totally different things, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. He says that some argue that "the hours spent prowling on the Internet are the enemy of reading - diminishing literacy, wrecking attention spans and destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books.", while others say that "the Internet has created a new kinds of reading, one that schools and society should not discount." The article shows many good sides to reading on the Internet. Some children with learning difficulties find it more comfortable to read online. Some experts say that spending any time on the web entails reading text, and online reading skills will help children fare better when they begin looking for digital-age jobs. According to Zachary Sims, 18, he states that, "When you are reading online, you can read a lot of different things about a lot of different subjects in a short period of time, where as if you a reading a book you are only usually reading one subject." He believes its about the conversation and how reading online takes reading books a step further. The article also states many bad sides to the internet. Critics have warned the electronic media would destroy reading. Zachary Sims mother, Jane Sims, believes that reading enriches vocabulary and helps to lay the foundation for good writing skills, but has a problem with the social networking and iming. Her daughter, Nadia, reads online stories that have many spelling and grammar mistakes, that could effect Nadia's grammar and spelling in the future.

So, Online, Are You Really Reading? I believe that online a person isn't really reading. For me, I find it's a lot easier to read in a book. If I am trying to read something for school online, I find I become distracted by social networking and other websites. I can't focus on one thing while reading online. If I am reading an article, its likely that after the first paragraph I will become bored and move onto something else, rather then if I am reading from a book I can stay fully focused and finish it without being distracted. A person could never truly no if what they are reading is true or not. Also, if you are reading a blog or online stories, the grammar and spelling could be wrong, which I believe is not good for kids who are just starting to read and write. On the other hand, I do believe reading and writing online is good in some ways. It is much easier and quicker to find information on what you need to know. You can also read about numerous things at once, opposed to books when that is usually just about one thing. Another good thing about writing online is spell check and all informative websites. If you are stuck on a word you can just look it up on an online dictionary instead of having to spend time finding it in a regular dictionary. But, even with all of the good things about reading on the Internet, I still believe that reading in a book is better then reading online, for all school and learning purposes.

New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word

I've never understood the importance of a newspaper. For as long as I could remember, I've watched my father sit in the kitchen, with his hot cup of coffee in one hand, and newspaper in the other. As I was growing up, the only time I ever looked in the newspaper was for the Sunday comics. I'd always see the Daily News sitting on the counter and never picked it up. By the time i was old enough to wonder what was going on in the world, I had everything right in front of me. If I ever needed to know something I'd either turn on my computer or the closest television. These days anything anyone would need to know could be found on the internet. Technology has greatly influenced this century and the way we communicate. In "New Media and the Slow Death of the Written Word" the author Mark Zeltner, explains how traditional print mediums have some serious problems that need to be addressed. He states that he has not given up his love for the written word, but he has become excited about the possibilities of new media. Although he loves all the things you can do with new media, he believes there was one thing missing, no rules. For this, Mark created ten rules for students learning to write for the new media.

Mark's first rule "Just the facts, or keep your writing tight, tight, tight.", states that there should be short paragraphs, simple active sentences, and every word should be treated as a valuable jewel. I agree with this rule. Every time i read a blog on the computer, I find i can get easily uninterested if there are no breaks in between long, lengthy paragraphs. To modify this rule, I think that for some instances a paragraph could be long, if it stays on topic. For example, If i was writing an essay, and the paragraph was a little long, but never took off topic, it should be acceptable.

The second rule is "Anything Over a Screenful is Wasted." This rule states that you shouldn't make the reader scroll too much. Scrolling is "hard on the eyes and lessons the readers ability to comprehend and understand what is written." The second part to this rule is how the author should make sure that they set up the view appropriately. This is to make sure that you don't create an "unnatural break" to scroll down during an exciting part of the text. I agree with this rule.

The third rule is "No Page is an Island." This rule states that you should "think in modules, preplan possible paths for your reader, and insure that important information is impossible to miss" You have to make sure a reader won't miss an important detail and not have to worry if they are not able to get back on track. The main point is to think about how you are going to organize a paragraph first before you write it.

"When to embed images and when to just write" is the fourth rule. This rule basically states how a picture could mean a thousand words, and when to use it-- or not to use it. The times when it's okay to use a picture is when the "picture can convey a meaning more effectively then written word." According to Zeltner, you shouldn't use pictures if they are just scattered in an article, because that can throw off and distract the reader. He also states that every computer is different, and what can work perfect on one computer can not even show up on another.

The fifth rule is "Did you hear that?" This rule is to see what times sound is more important then words. The sound of someone's voice can make it a lot easier to understand then just words. The pitch or tone can chance the whole view of a sentence. He also states how music can be put into the background of a website. I agree with this rule but I don't agree with the music on a website. For me, music is very distracting as I am trying to read something, so I believe that the music would distract a person, more then anything else.

"Did you see that?" is the sixth rule. This rule is for when video clips are more important then words. Zeltner states that videos are most effective when you are trying to show someone a mood, and words can describe it. Its kind of like one of those "you had to be there" moments. He says that videos should not be used when they are more then 3o seconds, because they can become tiresome and boring. I agree with this rule because I'm one of those people who need to see something to believe it, and having a video in an article can make the article so much more exciting, as long as the video isn't too long.

"When to use descriptions and definitions" is the seventh rule. It states that all footnotes should be linked back to the main page. I don't agree with this rule. I don't think that articles should have footnotes because I know from experience if I get distracted by something and click to another page, odds are that I'm not going back to the original page.

The eight rule is to use hyperlinks off your document sparingly and to gather your related links to the appendix of your document. In other words, hyperlinks can draw the reader away from your original document, but at the same time it can allow the writer to link other sites that support their information. I also don't agree with this rule. I don't think a writer should use hyperlinks at all, only at the very end of their article, all the way to the bottom so people don't go from the authors article to somebody else's article with all the same information.

The ninth rule is "Sidebars are an important part of every document." According to Mark, sidebars are an excellent way of taking advantage of  the non linear nature of new media documents without running the risk of exciting the reader away. A sidebar could add material that could stand alone. I agree with this because it's not too little and its not too much. It sights the websites you've used but at the same time it doesn't distract the reader.

The tenth and final rule states why content and form are so important. In other words, think about form and how it works with your content, don't distract but add to the mood and meaning of what your writing. The audience likes to read things they can relate to. For example, I'd rather read an article that has a lot of meaning put into it then an article that just has a lot of facts.

In conclusion, the written word is in fact not dead. We just cannot depend on words alone to carry on with life today. It's best to combine the two together to make things better and more interesting for the reader. The New Media is a huge step for the written word, and this can hopefully become better with the 10 rules of Mark Zeltner.

Research Paper Topics

In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving crashes. According to the MADD website, about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their life. This is a huge problem in America that has to be changed. Some automakers, including GM and Toyota believe that it should be necessary to have in-car breathalyzers in all vehicles, convicted drunk drivers or not. This step could prevent one of the most common reasons for death in America.

In 1984, the drinking age changed from 18 to 21. At 18 years old, many responsibilities are gained, such as being able to marry and go to war, but legally, an individual the age of 18 cannot have a glass of champaign at their wedding, or be able to drink at a bar after fighting for our country. How can one be considered an "adult" if they can't even have an alcoholic beverage? Other precautions should be issued like in-car breathalyzers if the government is concerned with drunk driving in teens, other then just changing the drinking age.

For many years, Marijuana has been a huge topic of controversy in the United States. A bill was passed which legalized a "medical" use of Marijuana, which shows a positive result of the substance. On the other hand, legal drugs, like alcohol and cigarettes show no positive results. Alcohol is the most life-threatening, mind altering, motor skill impairing substances in existence, while cigarettes cause many life threatening diseases. Yet, theses two substances are legal. There is no reason why the government can allow these two dangerous drugs, while at the same time banning a less dangerous substance, like Marijuana.