Unit 1 Reflection

The quality of the three additional sources that I included in my curated source collection were of extremely high quality. The source from PRI (Public Radio International) which is a non-profit media outlet funded by the most philanthropic billionaire in the world according to Business Insider. That is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is entirely focused on bettering the world and the people of the world’s livelihood. The PRI article cited references from highly regarded professionals on numerous occasions. Maryanne Wolf, the director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, was quoted, "but I worry we will not use our most preciously acquired deep reading processes because we’re just given too much stimulation. That’s, I think, the nub of the problem.” In this quote, it shows the experts opinions that we include in this source and adds further verification of the high-quality source that PRI provided.

The second source was also of extremely high quality, a TED talk by a Business and Psychology professor at New York University in the Stern School of Business. TED talks have a firm set of guidelines and a vetting process to ensure that information is of a high level of accuracy and communicated very well. At the end of the TED talk the professor rounds off his presentation with a conclusion of his and other researchers’ findings when people take a break from their phones, “life becomes more colorful, richer, more interesting -- you have better conversations.”

The third source that I chose matched, or even exceeded the same level of quality as the other two sources, but in the form of a Research article presenting the findings of University of recognized scientists in at Ariel University in Israel. This research was performed through the Department of Behavioral Science with the involvement of numerous professionals.

While all three of my chosen sources are incredibly different ranging from videos, research articles from University scientists and a non-profit media source funded by the most philanthropic billionaires, they all manage to be of extremely high quality.

              Technology played an integral role in a plethora of ways to enhance my project. If technology was not as prevalent, the speed at which I was able to locate high-quality sources would have dramatically decreased. If technological access was not available, I would not have been able reference and learn from the TED talk speech at all. Twenty-five to thirty years ago, I could have gone to the library to find a research article, but it would be unthinkable to log onto a computer quickly search and find a video. Furthermore, technology-enabled me to find supporting factors and conduct further research elsewhere at the tip of my fingers through Google. For example, in my source analysis number 3, I found additional information on the internet, that Steve Jobs was asked if his kids love using the iPad. The response, “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.” While coming off to me as utterly outrageous, this was sufficient support that enabled me to generate a stronger backbone to the analysis/opinion I was integrating into that source analysis. One element that could be easily overlooked is the medium that I will be sharing my unit 1 portfolio through. Not too long ago, I would not have been able to upload/share my opinions, analysis and my work to the world- wide web within a minute or 2.

              I did notice some overall holes in the conversation, that I could be able to explore and conduct  further research. Something that I was curious about and did not study in the three sources that I chose was the long-lasting impact of technology on our mental processes. First of all, I am not sure if this can be definitively determined because millennials are the first generation that was entirely born into the fully addicted technology era.  Another area that I would like to explore further, and research is the opportunity cost of technology; is there a way to weight the number of benefits against the risks/detriments of technological harm on our bodies and minds?

 Yes, I do believe that my unit one Portfolio sources will be effectively carried over into the Unit two and Unit three portfolio assignments. The research and analysis I performed in Unit 1 will provide a solid foundation and supporting mechanism to build upon, as well as further my research in the future units, as I intend for all of them to fall under the same inquiry. I am both very interested in this topic and am genuinely excited to further pursue the next two portfolio assignments under the same inquiry.