Technology and Human Values

Friday, November 10, 2017

Welcome to your course blog!

Welcome to the blog-home for Dr. J's Contemporary Moral Issues course! For the second half of the semester, we will be turning our attention to contemporary moral problems generated by the increasingly complicated interactions between human life, on the one hand, and the various technologies humans have created to make their/our life "better," on the other hand. This site will serve as a forum for students to discuss the lectures, readings, and films we cover in class, raise interesting questions we may not have addressed during our regular IRL time together, make connections between our course material and current real-world events, and engage in an ongoing digital conversation with one another, Prior to this point in the semester, your progress and understanding has been assessed through objective quizzes and symposia. This is your chance to demonstrate that you also can express your ideas and arguments in written form-- which is, of course, the second (and essential) part of our daily mantra "Read more. Write more. Think more. Be more."

First, if you don't know ANYTHING about blogs or blogging, there are (fortunately) lots of tutorials out there to help! If you have a specific question, you can usually find the answer to it at the Blogger Help Center. (For a quick YouTube introduction to blogging, I suggest you check out the "Complete List of Blogger Tutorials" available online.) The two most helpful links you can consult are How to Create, Edit, or Delete a Post and How to Add Images and Video to Your Blogpost.That's the amazing thing about the internet, of course... you can learn to do almost anything with a few clicks!

Students are ultimately responsible for making sure their blogposts "look right," are labelled with the correct section time, and are posted before the deadline.

You can find a link to your Blogging Assignment Schedule in the sidebar to the right. You will also find a link to the Blog Grading Rubric in the sidebar to the right (also downloadable here), which explains in detail how I will grade your work on this blog.

It's important to know that blog-writing differs from the writing you might do for "traditional" papers in some ways, but not in others. Here are some things to think about as you compose your posts and comments:

WHEN POSTING:

Do not wait until the last minute to write your post! Students should think of the blog as a community exercise. In this community, Authors are responsible for generating discussion and Commenters are responsible for continuing and elaborating upon it. In order for the Commenters to be able to provide the best commentary they can, it is necessary that Authors do not wait until the last minute to post entries in any given week. Like traditional papers, it is almost always obvious when a student has elected to write his or her blog-post at the last minute, as it ends up being either overly simple, poorly conceived, or poorly edited. Your contribution to the blog discussion is important, so take care to show the respect to your classmates that you would expect them to show you.
Be concise, but also precise. The greatest challenge of blog-writing is to communicate complex ideas in a minimal amount of words. It is important that you keep your posts short, in keeping with the 400-word assignment format, but also that you do not sacrifice the clarity or completeness of your ideas for the sake of brevity.
Be focused. If you find that your blog-entry is too long, it is likely because you have chosen too large a topic for one post. (Consider splitting up long entries into two or more posts.) It should be eminently clear, on the first reading, what your blog post is explaining/asking/arguing.
Use the Post Title to clearly state the subject of your entry. DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE A POST TITLE.
Choose a topic that will prompt discussion. The measure of a good blog post is how much commentary it can generate. To that end, do not use your blog posts for simple exegesis or to revisit questions already settled in class. Good discussion-generators often include bold claims about, or original interpretations of, our classroom materials (lectures, texts, films, etc). Connecting the course material to current events or controversies is also a good way to generate discussion. Pay special attention to in-class conversations, as many of the issues that generate discussion in class will also generate discussion on the blog.
Proofread. Proofread. PROOFREAD. As a rule, blog-writing is (slightly) less formal than the writing you might do for a paper you hand in to your professor. For example, you may write in the first person, and a more "conversational" style is usually acceptable. However, blog writing with glaring punctuation, spelling or grammatical mistakes not only will be difficult to read and understand, but also will greatly diminish the credibility of its Author. DO NOT "COPY AND PASTE" the text of your post into the blog's "new post" box, as you will inevitably end up with a format that is difficult to read. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the formatting buttons above, and ALWAYS preview your post before publishing it.
Make use of the "extras" provided by new technology. When you write a traditional paper for class, you don't have many of the opportunities that blog-writing affords. Take advantage of the technologies available here to insert images, embed video or employ hyperlinks to other relevant materials.
Respond to your commenters. After you write a post, you should stay abreast of all the commentary your post generates. If you are asked for clarification by a commenter, or if one of your claims is challenged, it is the your responsibility to respond.
MOST IMPORTANTLY be sure to LABEL your post with the start-time of your class before your click publish. If you do not do this, your post will not show up on the blog and you will not receive credit!

WHEN COMMENTING ON OTHERS' POSTS:

Read carefully BEFORE you comment. The biggest and most frequent error made by commenters is also the most easily avoidable, namely, misreading or misunderstanding the original post. Don't make that error!
Simple agreement or disagreement is not sufficient. There is no word-limit for comments, but if you make a comment on another's post, you are required to say something substantive in your comment. Sometimes it will be the case that you fully agree or disagree with an Author's post. However, a comment that simply states "I agree" or "I disagree" will not count for credit. You MUST provide detailed reasons for your agreement or disagreement in your comment.
Evidence works both ways. Often, the source of disagreement between a Poster and a Commenter will involve a matter of interpretation. If a Poster makes an objectionable (or false) claim about something that is verifiable-- for example, textual claims, statistical claims, historical claims, claims about current events, or claims about any other evidentiary matters-- he or she MUST be prepared to provide evidence in support of his or her claims. The same goes for commenters. If you want to disagree about a matter of fact, you MUST provide evidence for your disagreement. Hyperlinks are everyone's friend.
NO flaming allowed!: "Flaming" is defined as "a hostile or insulting interaction between Internet users." Students should be reminded that disagreement, all by itself, does not constitute disrespect, nor does it count as "flaming" However, threatening, intimidating, belittling, name-calling, or otherwise inappropriate and/or reasonably objectionable language does count as flaming. Engage your classmates on the blog with the same consideration and respect that you would in class.

Although this blog is viewable by anyone on the Web, participants have been restricted to udents enrolled in PHIL220 only. This means that only students enrolled in PHIL220 this semester at CBU can post or comment on this blog. However, please be aware that anyone can read this blog, so students should take special care to support the claims that they make, to edit their posts and comments judiciously, and to generally represent themselves in conversation here as they would in public.

If you're on Twitter, I encourage you to use the hashtag #TechValuesCBU for your tweets related to this course. I've included a feed to my own Twitter profile in the sidebar to your right.

I am very much looking forward to reading your work here over the next several weeks!

Dr.J

Welcome to your course blog!

Do not wait until the last minute to write your post! Students should think of the blog as a community exercise. In this community, Authors are responsible for generating discussion and Commenters are responsible for continuing and elaborating upon it. In order for the Commenters to be able to provide the best commentary they can, it is necessary that Authors do not wait until the last minute to post entries in any given week. Like traditional papers, it is almost always obvious when a student has elected to write his or her blog-post at the last minute, as it ends up being either overly simple, poorly conceived, or poorly edited. Your contribution to the blog discussion is important, so take care to show the respect to your classmates that you would expect them to show you.
Be concise, but also precise. The greatest challenge of blog-writing is to communicate complex ideas in a minimal amount of words. It is important that you keep your posts short, in keeping with the 400-word assignment format, but also that you do not sacrifice the clarity or completeness of your ideas for the sake of brevity.
Be focused. If you find that your blog-entry is too long, it is likely because you have chosen too large a topic for one post. (Consider splitting up long entries into two or more posts.) It should be eminently clear, on the first reading, what your blog post is explaining/asking/arguing.
Use the Post Title to clearly state the subject of your entry. DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE A POST TITLE.
Choose a topic that will prompt discussion. The measure of a good blog post is how much commentary it can generate. To that end, do not use your blog posts for simple exegesis or to revisit questions already settled in class. Good discussion-generators often include bold claims about, or original interpretations of, our classroom materials (lectures, texts, films, etc). Connecting the course material to current events or controversies is also a good way to generate discussion. Pay special attention to in-class conversations, as many of the issues that generate discussion in class will also generate discussion on the blog.
Proofread. Proofread. PROOFREAD. As a rule, blog-writing is (slightly) less formal than the writing you might do for a paper you hand in to your professor. For example, you may write in the first person, and a more "conversational" style is usually acceptable. However, blog writing with glaring punctuation, spelling or grammatical mistakes not only will be difficult to read and understand, but also will greatly diminish the credibility of its Author. DO NOT "COPY AND PASTE" the text of your post into the blog's "new post" box, as you will inevitably end up with a format that is difficult to read. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the formatting buttons above, and ALWAYS preview your post before publishing it.
Make use of the "extras" provided by new technology. When you write a traditional paper for class, you don't have many of the opportunities that blog-writing affords. Take advantage of the technologies available here to insert images, embed video or employ hyperlinks to other relevant materials.
Respond to your commenters. After you write a post, you should stay abreast of all the commentary your post generates. If you are asked for clarification by a commenter, or if one of your claims is challenged, it is the your responsibility to respond.
MOST IMPORTANTLY be sure to LABEL your post with the start-time of your class before your click publish. If you do not do this, your post will not show up on the blog and you will not receive credit!

WHEN COMMENTING ON OTHERS' POSTS:

Read carefully BEFORE you comment. The biggest and most frequent error made by commenters is also the most easily avoidable, namely, misreading or misunderstanding the original post. Don't make that error!
Simple agreement or disagreement is not sufficient. There is no word-limit for comments, but if you make a comment on another's post, you are required to say something substantive in your comment. Sometimes it will be the case that you fully agree or disagree with an Author's post. However, a comment that simply states "I agree" or "I disagree" will not count for credit. You MUST provide detailed reasons for your agreement or disagreement in your comment.
Evidence works both ways. Often, the source of disagreement between a Poster and a Commenter will involve a matter of interpretation. If a Poster makes an objectionable (or false) claim about something that is verifiable-- for example, textual claims, statistical claims, historical claims, claims about current events, or claims about any other evidentiary matters-- he or she MUST be prepared to provide evidence in support of his or her claims. The same goes for commenters. If you want to disagree about a matter of fact, you MUST provide evidence for your disagreement. Hyperlinks are everyone's friend.
NO flaming allowed!: "Flaming" is defined as "a hostile or insulting interaction between Internet users." Students should be reminded that disagreement, all by itself, does not constitute disrespect, nor does it count as "flaming" However, threatening, intimidating, belittling, name-calling, or otherwise inappropriate and/or reasonably objectionable language does count as flaming. Engage your classmates on the blog with the same consideration and respect that you would in class.

Welcome to your course blog!

Do not wait until the last minute to write your post! Students should think of the blog as a community exercise. In this community, Authors are responsible for generating discussion and Commenters are responsible for continuing and elaborating upon it. In order for the Commenters to be able to provide the best commentary they can, it is necessary that Authors do not wait until the last minute to post entries in any given week. Like traditional papers, it is almost always obvious when a student has elected to write his or her blog-post at the last minute, as it ends up being either overly simple, poorly conceived, or poorly edited. Your contribution to the blog discussion is important, so take care to show the respect to your classmates that you would expect them to show you.
Be concise, but also precise. The greatest challenge of blog-writing is to communicate complex ideas in a minimal amount of words. It is important that you keep your posts short, in keeping with the 400-word assignment format, but also that you do not sacrifice the clarity or completeness of your ideas for the sake of brevity.
Be focused. If you find that your blog-entry is too long, it is likely because you have chosen too large a topic for one post. (Consider splitting up long entries into two or more posts.) It should be eminently clear, on the first reading, what your blog post is explaining/asking/arguing.
Use the Post Title to clearly state the subject of your entry. DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE A POST TITLE.
Choose a topic that will prompt discussion. The measure of a good blog post is how much commentary it can generate. To that end, do not use your blog posts for simple exegesis or to revisit questions already settled in class. Good discussion-generators often include bold claims about, or original interpretations of, our classroom materials (lectures, texts, films, etc). Connecting the course material to current events or controversies is also a good way to generate discussion. Pay special attention to in-class conversations, as many of the issues that generate discussion in class will also generate discussion on the blog.
Proofread. Proofread. PROOFREAD. As a rule, blog-writing is (slightly) less formal than the writing you might do for a paper you hand in to your professor. For example, you may write in the first person, and a more "conversational" style is usually acceptable. However, blog writing with glaring punctuation, spelling or grammatical mistakes not only will be difficult to read and understand, but also will greatly diminish the credibility of its Author. DO NOT "COPY AND PASTE" the text of your post into the blog's "new post" box, as you will inevitably end up with a format that is difficult to read. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the formatting buttons above, and ALWAYS preview your post before publishing it.
Make use of the "extras" provided by new technology. When you write a traditional paper for class, you don't have many of the opportunities that blog-writing affords. Take advantage of the technologies available here to insert images, embed video or employ hyperlinks to other relevant materials.
Respond to your commenters. After you write a post, you should stay abreast of all the commentary your post generates. If you are asked for clarification by a commenter, or if one of your claims is challenged, it is the your responsibility to respond.
MOST IMPORTANTLY be sure to LABEL your post with the start-time of your class before your click publish. If you do not do this, your post will not show up on the blog and you will not receive credit!

WHEN COMMENTING ON OTHERS' POSTS:

Read carefully BEFORE you comment. The biggest and most frequent error made by commenters is also the most easily avoidable, namely, misreading or misunderstanding the original post. Don't make that error!
Simple agreement or disagreement is not sufficient. There is no word-limit for comments, but if you make a comment on another's post, you are required to say something substantive in your comment. Sometimes it will be the case that you fully agree or disagree with an Author's post. However, a comment that simply states "I agree" or "I disagree" will not count for credit. You MUST provide detailed reasons for your agreement or disagreement in your comment.
Evidence works both ways. Often, the source of disagreement between a Poster and a Commenter will involve a matter of interpretation. If a Poster makes an objectionable (or false) claim about something that is verifiable-- for example, textual claims, statistical claims, historical claims, claims about current events, or claims about any other evidentiary matters-- he or she MUST be prepared to provide evidence in support of his or her claims. The same goes for commenters. If you want to disagree about a matter of fact, you MUST provide evidence for your disagreement. Hyperlinks are everyone's friend.
NO flaming allowed!: "Flaming" is defined as "a hostile or insulting interaction between Internet users." Students should be reminded that disagreement, all by itself, does not constitute disrespect, nor does it count as "flaming" However, threatening, intimidating, belittling, name-calling, or otherwise inappropriate and/or reasonably objectionable language does count as flaming. Engage your classmates on the blog with the same consideration and respect that you would in class.

Welcome to your course blog!

Do not wait until the last minute to write your post! Students should think of the blog as a community exercise. In this community, Authors are responsible for generating discussion and Commenters are responsible for continuing and elaborating upon it. In order for the Commenters to be able to provide the best commentary they can, it is necessary that Authors do not wait until the last minute to post entries in any given week. Like traditional papers, it is almost always obvious when a student has elected to write his or her blog-post at the last minute, as it ends up being either overly simple, poorly conceived, or poorly edited. Your contribution to the blog discussion is important, so take care to show the respect to your classmates that you would expect them to show you.
Be concise, but also precise. The greatest challenge of blog-writing is to communicate complex ideas in a minimal amount of words. It is important that you keep your posts short, in keeping with the 400-word assignment format, but also that you do not sacrifice the clarity or completeness of your ideas for the sake of brevity.
Be focused. If you find that your blog-entry is too long, it is likely because you have chosen too large a topic for one post. (Consider splitting up long entries into two or more posts.) It should be eminently clear, on the first reading, what your blog post is explaining/asking/arguing.
Use the Post Title to clearly state the subject of your entry. DO NOT POST ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE A POST TITLE.
Choose a topic that will prompt discussion. The measure of a good blog post is how much commentary it can generate. To that end, do not use your blog posts for simple exegesis or to revisit questions already settled in class. Good discussion-generators often include bold claims about, or original interpretations of, our classroom materials (lectures, texts, films, etc). Connecting the course material to current events or controversies is also a good way to generate discussion. Pay special attention to in-class conversations, as many of the issues that generate discussion in class will also generate discussion on the blog.
Proofread. Proofread. PROOFREAD. As a rule, blog-writing is (slightly) less formal than the writing you might do for a paper you hand in to your professor. For example, you may write in the first person, and a more "conversational" style is usually acceptable. However, blog writing with glaring punctuation, spelling or grammatical mistakes not only will be difficult to read and understand, but also will greatly diminish the credibility of its Author. DO NOT "COPY AND PASTE" the text of your post into the blog's "new post" box, as you will inevitably end up with a format that is difficult to read. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the formatting buttons above, and ALWAYS preview your post before publishing it.
Make use of the "extras" provided by new technology. When you write a traditional paper for class, you don't have many of the opportunities that blog-writing affords. Take advantage of the technologies available here to insert images, embed video or employ hyperlinks to other relevant materials.
Respond to your commenters. After you write a post, you should stay abreast of all the commentary your post generates. If you are asked for clarification by a commenter, or if one of your claims is challenged, it is the your responsibility to respond.
MOST IMPORTANTLY be sure to LABEL your post with the start-time of your class before your click publish. If you do not do this, your post will not show up on the blog and you will not receive credit!

WHEN COMMENTING ON OTHERS' POSTS:

Read carefully BEFORE you comment. The biggest and most frequent error made by commenters is also the most easily avoidable, namely, misreading or misunderstanding the original post. Don't make that error!
Simple agreement or disagreement is not sufficient. There is no word-limit for comments, but if you make a comment on another's post, you are required to say something substantive in your comment. Sometimes it will be the case that you fully agree or disagree with an Author's post. However, a comment that simply states "I agree" or "I disagree" will not count for credit. You MUST provide detailed reasons for your agreement or disagreement in your comment.
Evidence works both ways. Often, the source of disagreement between a Poster and a Commenter will involve a matter of interpretation. If a Poster makes an objectionable (or false) claim about something that is verifiable-- for example, textual claims, statistical claims, historical claims, claims about current events, or claims about any other evidentiary matters-- he or she MUST be prepared to provide evidence in support of his or her claims. The same goes for commenters. If you want to disagree about a matter of fact, you MUST provide evidence for your disagreement. Hyperlinks are everyone's friend.
NO flaming allowed!: "Flaming" is defined as "a hostile or insulting interaction between Internet users." Students should be reminded that disagreement, all by itself, does not constitute disrespect, nor does it count as "flaming" However, threatening, intimidating, belittling, name-calling, or otherwise inappropriate and/or reasonably objectionable language does count as flaming. Engage your classmates on the blog with the same consideration and respect that you would in class.

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Help Memphis Review

Help Memphis would be a beneficial app for the memphis society. The application is essentially for people who need help finding public resources. I believe that the app can be better if there was soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and food banks on the app. This concept would be even better if they took the idea of the C-board and coexist the Help Memphis stuff on the digital board. The presentation of the content was very informative and professional. I believe if a story was intertwined into the presentation it would have sold the app even better. We do not think about all the resources that are offered to the public until we are in a certain situation when we need public help. It would be helpful if the app featured women's homes and places people could find refugee. Being a student, I know that we do not know all the things we have access to so this app is very helpful. I truly can not believe that this app does not exist. This app would be beneficial to so many people because all the memphis resources are at your fingertips by just one click.

Politigo

Politigo was the best project that I had seen in the whole class. The politigo app is an app that helps educate citizens about elected officials positions and provides unbiased information on major political issues. It really interested me because not a lot of young people don't know about politics. Including myself, I usually find myself leaning towards the democratic or liberal side when its election time. Not knowing what that particular candidate believes in or what they truly stand for. This is a huge problem because if young people are uninformed it causes people to not vote at all or make a uninformed choice. The entire presentation was very informative and I really enjoyed it. This would definitely be an app that I would use in the future.

CBU Cohered

In the society we live in, it is very hard for us to connect on a social level especially with all of the technology we have. The reason being because people prefer to socialize via social media platforms such as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Oovoo, and Yelp. This has been disadvantageous to our society because relationships are weakened and even could be potentially broken. Additionally, in our society we live in, people don't ask for help when socializing through the internet. When this occurs, it makes it harder for us to communicate. This is disastrous in all because communication is what keeps us moving that being through: government, politics, medicine, business, and even entertainment. A lack of communication is what has led to violence, corruption, atrocity, and disdain. Therefore, with the CBU Cohesion App, I believe you all will be able to connect the students at CBU a lot better.

I believe your app is a really good ideal because it works as an extension to the CBU Connect. It has additives such as: calendars, upcoming events, campus safety, news, and professor directory. The app adds a fun addition to the goal of y'all mission, and that is to connect the students here at CBU. The app looks very fun to use because it adds more creativity in terms that it allows students to do more than just stay informed on the events at CBU. It allows us to do everything from upload photos to its very own professor directory. I believe students here can very much benefit from this app mainly because it gives them options.

I also believe that this app is very universal in the sense that many people utilized this ideal. We have the CBU Connection site where students can stay informed on current news here on campus. Students can know the results on sporting events, students can email their professors, sign up for events on campus, and even access campus safety, if need be. CBU also has a Facebook page where students can "like" to stay informed and even read posts from professors and other students. People can access this information from the convenience of their phone which makes I easier for students to stay in close contact.

Monday, May 1, 2017

Cohesion CBU we need you!

This project (besides my own of course) is my favorite of them all. For selfish reasons of course. I'm a junior here at CBU, and the atmosphere within the community now may seem to be sub-par freshmen, but it was much worse when I first arrived. Specifically, as a black student on this campus it was hard for me, as well as other students I've talked to over the years, to feel included and to socialize with the diverse population of this campus. To no one's fault, people naturally group up with others that they are used to and make them comfortable. But when you're going from being a majority all throughout grade school to a minority in college it can be extremely challenging learning how to navigate the new social dynamics. That is why I enjoy this app and board idea so much. CBU needs to find a way to have the students of all backgrounds interact with each other more often than at the TKE parties and in the caf. There is a lot of promotion about the community before you get here, but it isn't the case for a large portion of the students and this app could be the solution to that issue.
If students are able to connect to each other on a quick basis, within the safety of the app and comfort of knowing that they are not alone in their CBU experiences the retention rate fo the freshman to sophomore year would be higher. Yikyak was a start, but the anonymity factor it was bound to go in the terrible direction that it did. And it wasn't CBU centric. This has the power to unite a campus which has deep and strong divides and alienation within the student body.

Help 20

This project is especially helpful because of obvious reasons. Water is life! And it is true that there is only a limited amount of drinkable water on our planet, and it is only a matter of time before we run out of the little we do have. I really appreciate the idea of using what we already have to help those in countries that don't have access to clean water. Starting with the immediate need is always the first priority. It shows compassion and cognizance about what is going on today outside of our western society centric views.
I also love this project because it has the potential to help so much more people than the ones in need at present. It could create an alternative to our current systems of water collection and could change the way we treat waste and water alike. If we could use this type of system in impoverished countries, as well as in industrialized ones we could have a way to cut down on water pollution, help the environment, promote clean water and much more. This project was a great idea that maybe we can one day make come true!

Help Memphis with Help Memphis

For starters, I think this app is amazing and can be VERY useful for the Memphis community. Memphis gets such a bad name. With this app, I believe this can help shape Memphis into such a better place for those around the world to come and visit. I would just like to say I am ready to download this app for myself!
      This app is very beneficial for those of all ages! We all may know there is a suicide line, but not the number. Of course you can google the number but what's the point of googling the suicide line, the Memphis Crisis Center phone number or even the Community Legal center when you can go to one app and find all three? It's literally a helping hand for those in need. We all know the emergency number (911) by hard. But what happens when you run across a situation that is extreme enough for assistance but not extreme enough for the cops to do 80 in a 60? You don't want to get in trouble for calling the cops to something that doesn't need their presence. Who knows how much that will cost as a fine? Instead, you can go to this app and find the non emergency number and not worry about any of those problems.
       Having this app, can be a very useful tool for us college students. Can you say community service hours? *waits for reply* For those who like to help the community and are involved in the city, there are numbers to MIFA, Homeless shelters and more. Just learning where there are homeless shelters can help. Anyone can get in touch with a homeless shelter and find out how they can volunteer to help the homeless. Even with Salvation Army. I know I donate a lot of clothes to Goodwill mainly because I have no clue on how or where to donate to the Salvation Army. I know the Salvation Army is very beneficial to providing to families. I can call the number from this app and learn more about the donating process.
        Overall, this app is amazing and should be put to use to help those who are in need. The thing I love about this app the most is that you don't have to be homeless to receive information on how to get the resources you need. There is legal service section for those who may come across the law. When I got my first ticket, I knew I had to pay it, but some people may be confused about the process. Mine was simple because I went a little over the speed limit. For those who go 60 in a school zone may receive more and have to go to court. That has to be one long and confusing process. With the Help Memphis app, it wouldn't be so confusing.

LyfeGuide

Presentation

Website

Dream Catcher Bracelet, and Dog collar

The Dream Catcher bracelet is a device that measures your heart rate, movements, and stress levels, helping people who suffer from PTDS and night terrors by waking them up before or during their night terror. This bracelet also has the ability to notify your significant other, a friend, or a family member that you are about to or currently having a night terror. This way, they can either wake you up or calm you down. One thing that I really liked about this product is that it offers a pet collar for you service dog. It will deliver gentle vibrations to your dog’s collar that will alert the him, letting your dog know that you need him. The bracelet also has the ability to connect to your smart phone via Bluetooth. This way you can track you sleep habits and will send reports to you doctor to monitor you night terrors or PTDS episodes.

I thought that this was a great product. One of my family members suffers from night terrors. I would definitely buy this product. This will help us monitor his sleep and we will able to help before the night terror.

This project was very well thought out. The group was able to provide the research to back their project up. One of the things that I really like was the design of the product. Because it look just like a fitness bracelet, no one will know what it is for. This way people will not be able to judge you.Great job!

Politigo

Group 5 presented Politigo. This is an app that was created to educate and inform voters on political parties and candidates running for office. This is a great way for voters to really know their candidates and where they side on political issues. We saw that in this past election, a lot of people did not vote, as they thought that both candidates were not good. With this app voters, will really know who to vote for according to what they believe in through interactive quizzes that you can take by answering simple questions to see where you stand on current political issues. It also has a news feed page. In this page, you will be able to see unbiased news, that according to Group 3, algorithms and other techy stuff will be able to filter biased news based on keywords and other statements found in articles. Today, almost all news sources present biased articles or news, with strong opinions against and for certain political issues and figures. Having factual news that are not influenced by political parties or other companies founding candidates, is a great way to be informed and will actually help when choosing who to vote for.

Although this app is great, I would recommend a few things. In addition to having presidential candidates here, the app should also include local candidates. This way people who are unhappy with the results of this past election will able to make a change and keep fighting for what they believe in starting with their community. Also, it would be good have an option to help people with voter registration. This past year, I saw a lot of sites, social media pages, and TV shows promoting sites where they help you registering to vote. This option will be very helpful. A “get involved” option would be a great addition to the app to show citizen where they can go to support their candidates or where rallies will help.

All in all, this is a great app that will be very useful for people, especially young voters. I will definitely use this app to stay informed and recommend it to friends a family.

Let's Defrost

    The Defrost app is such a way to inform immigrants with the legal information they need to know. With everything going on in society today, immigrants have what seems like a target on their forehead. Although I have friends who are not yet U.S citizens, I had no idea what the deportation process consisted of. I didn't even know about the cost or time it takes in order to become a citizen. With this app, there are many ways a person can get in touch with a lawyer, or just know the outline basis of becoming a citizen.
     Another thing I liked most about this app was the section with news and updates. This section is really important because like said before, there are many biased websites and posts that may come across as true, but do not portray what is actually happening in the world for those who are undocumented. With this app, they can find factual events to not only be aware of, but also attend. Today, I was informed about the "Day Without Immigrants" march that is taking place downtown. This would've been a great event to include in the upcoming events section. For those who would like to get involved and help the immigrants in Tennessee, this would've been a great to spread the word.
The most important thing to take from this app is the "Your Rights" section. Since this is an app, it makes it easier to open from a cellular device just incase they are stopped by the police. This section tells in specific details what to do in case of this confrontation with the law. Many of those who are illegal do not know they have rights even though they are not citizens. Many of them think that they have to obey what the cop or ICE officer says.
    Since this app is not particular for just Hispanics but for all immigrants, I would just wonder if this app will be in different languages and not just in English? It would be helpful to include those who are not native English speakers. Also, with the organization such as Latino Memphis, I understand this is important for those of Hispanic decent, but what about the organizations of those immigrants who are not from a Hispanic decent. I think it would be helpful to include other organizations that will be helpful to their needs. Adding material that will be beneficial for all instead of just Hispanics/latinos would make those immigrants feel as if they are included as well.

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