MERGER....good or evil word?

Mergers are a normal part of the business world.  They often help large companies gain more power by eliminating some of the competion.  The small business owners have the option to keep their individuallity which means assuming the risk that goes with owning a business or sell out to the larger company and aquire the settlement funds.  What would you do if you were a small company? Why would you do this?  AT & T is attempting a mobile take-over essentially.  In this area they already merged with Alltel and their next plan is to merge with T-Mobile.  The second stage is not going as smoothly.  Read the following article.  Do you think the people behind the operation really have everyone's best interest at heart?  Have you been part of the Alltel merge? What are you thoughts?

http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/29/technology/fcc_att_t-mobile/index.htm

Final Project

Write a two-page, size 12, double spaced, 1" margin paper on "How Technology Affects My Life".  Please use specific examples as well as broad statements. Be sure to discuss various aspects such as communication, ethical factors, advancements, etc.  Papers are due by the specified times.  All final projects must be handed in as a hard copy.

MW Class - Due by 2pm Monday, December 12
TR Class - Due by 2:30pm Tuesday, December 13

Cyber Monday Trend

Have you ever heard the term "Cyber Monday" before?  It is the new trend taking over the consumer world.  What effects do you think this will have on our society? From communication and personal interaction to transportation and the economic outlook.  Challenge yourself to think outside the box.  What do you think of Cyber Monday and other similar trends? Did you take part in the sales? Read the following article for more information.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/28/business/cyber-monday/index.html

Black Friday helper :)

Friday is one of the largest shopping days in the nation and here are a few aps to help you make the best of it! Which one would you be the most likely to use and why? 

Happy thanksgiving!!!

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/technology/1111/gallery.black_friday_apps/5.html

Outside of the "technology" box...

When the word "technology" comes up we tend to instantly think of computers, hackers, or anything that starts with "i" however technology encompasses a much wider array of topics.  Today we are going to look at how technology effects transportation.  Click on the link and take the quick quiz :) What do you think was the most worthwhile invention? Why? After you have completed this search the internet for another innovative transportation technology advancement that you find intriguing.  Paste the link in your response and write a brief description of the new technology.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/18/tech/innovation/transport-firsts-quiz/index.html

Presentation Review

Which presentation was your favorite and why? Also, what were two interesting things that you learned from the presentations!

Hackers are running wild!

Hackers destroy things on a daily basis.  They get thrills out of ruining the operations of technology for other people, they thrive on the challenge of destorying what others have made, to them its usually a game.  Visit the following website. http://news.yahoo.com/security/ Read the article I assigned to you then write a brief summary of the article.  We will get in groups to discuss the articles then share the higlights with the class.

***If you are not present in class please chose an article, write a detailed summary, then comment on another post from one of your classmates.

Enjoy the long weekend!!!

Group project

Choose a topic related to technology in society.  Create a 5 minute power point about that topic.  Include details such as prominent people, pros and cons to society, how it will affect the future, and anything else you think we would be interested to learn about your topic.  Be creative and professional with your presentation.  You may work in groups of 2 or 3.

Topic approval - 5 points (Post topic to blog today)
Information - 20 points
Presentation - 15 points
Use of class time - 10 points
Total - 50 points

Presentation date: November 14/15

*****Post your topic and group members to this blog today.

Instant...but neccessary?

When it comes to technology in our society people are always wanting faster and "cooler" ways to complete tasks.  Here are two articles about how two commonly used internet tools have moved forward in ways most of us had never even considered.  What do you think of these new changes?  If you could improve or change one thing about both of these applications what would it be?  What do you think about how fast tecnhology in general changes?  Is being able to do "instant" searches something you think is valuable?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/09/09/google.instant.cashmore/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/09/14/cnet.youtube.instant.creator/index.html