5) Explore what you already know. Access Leading Issue summaries ("Topic Overview" or "At Issue" Pages) and Timeline (under Research Tools) from the SIRS Leading Issue you have chosen. In 3-5 sentences, summarize the background and historical information of the Leading Issue you selected. Include main controversies, key figures, important organizations, and key events.

Briefly list what you know about your topic already. Consider the following:

• Surprising facts or statistics
  -Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:Leaving someone out on purpose, Telling other children not to be friends with someone, Spreading rumors about someone,Embarrassing someone in public.
  -Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant percentage also happens in places like on the playground or the bus. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the youth’s neighborhood, and on the internet. 

• the extent of the problem

          -The extent of the problem is that to this day bullying continues to happen whether it is over the internet or face to face.

• important people or institutions involved

         -The important people or institutions is people getting bullied by anyone.

• key schools of thought

         -Schools are trying to do anything to change bullying around the United States

• common misconceptions

       -Some common misconceptions are someone who thinks they are being bullied when in reality they are not.

• observations you've made

        -I have noticed that a lot of people on the United States have been going through bullying or have been affected by it.

• major controversies

4a) Make a final decision about your logical argument research topic. What is it? Questions to ask yourself:
What have we been studying in class this year?-We have been studying different ways to search the web and different things about the internet. 
Which subjects appeal to me?-The subjects that appeal most to me is English. I love reading and I love to read about crimes and interesting things. 
What are people writing about?-People are writing about various things. It can be very interesting or not that appealing to people. 
What's most interesting to me?-Something that is most interesting to me is bullying. 
Can I find information about that?-Yes, you can find a lot of information on bullying

4b) Why are you most interested in the topic of argument selected?
-I am most interested in this topic because it is something that needs to be stopped and I am willing to do anything to stop it. 

Blog Writing Prompt #3
Choose five topics that you think are potential research topics for your paper and briefly (in 2 to 5 sentences) explain why these topics are of interest to you.
Drunk Driving- Drunk Driving is very important because it is a very dangerous thing to do. A person who is drunk driving can badly hurt or even kill themselves and other people. If a person is drunk they should not be anywhere near a car.

Gay Adoption- Gay adoption to me is very important. A gay couple should be able to have a couple, even if they might not have the right body parts or organs.  gay couple should have the same amount of rights as a straight couple.

Divorce- Divorce should be able to happen. If a person, or the couple, is not happy in a relationship, they should not be together.

Bullying- Bullying should not be okay in any type of way. A person can get very hurt by ones words, and can go very far in order to get a message across.

Rape- Rape is nothing to joke about. Rape can seriously mentally and physically hurt someone. It is not fun, nor is it pleasureable.

Prewriting Question

• What cases can be made for or against X?

-Drunk Driving: A case that can be made up with drunk driving is if a drunk driver struck and killed. This happens very often when a person is drunk and gets behind the wheel. Drunk driving is very dangerous and is not something to that should happen.
-Gay Adoption: A case that can be made up with gay adoption is if a gay couple wanted to have a baby, and somehow it did not work out. A gay couple should have just as many rights as a straight couple.
-Divorce:A case that can be made up with divorce is a man that wants a divorce, and the wife not wanting to agree to it. If a person is not happy they should not have to stay in the relationship.
-Bullying: A case that can be made up with bullying is if someone is getting cyber-bullied, and the police will not do anything about it.  

     Critical Thinking & Analysis 

1. Should states adopt stricter penalties for drivers who refuse to take a BAC test? Why or why not?-I think states should adopt the stricter penalties who refuse to take the BAC test. If they were not drunk then they should have no problem taking the test
2. Should laws be enacted that require ignition-interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders? Why or why not.-Laws should be enacted that require 
3. Do you think DUI checkpoints should be used more often and in more places? Explain-Yes. DUI checkpoints should be used more often in more places for the safety of others. 
4. Describe other measures you think could be implemented to reduce drunk driving.-Less alcohol being made and sold in stores.

     Critical Thinking & Analysis

1. Should couples stay together in a troubled marriage rather than divorce? Why or why not?-If one is not happy in a marriage, then they should not have to me together.
2. Are there any reasons why couples should divorce? Explain.-Cheating, money issues, Lost feelings.
3. What steps do you think the government should take to encourage marriage and lower the divorce rate?-The government should not get in the way of the couple. If they want to get divorced then that is their opinion. 
4. What impact does divorce have on society?-I do not feel divorce has an impact on society.
   
   

   Critical Thinking & Analysis

   1. Do you think schools are doing enough to stop bullying? Explain your answer.-I do not feel schools are doing anything with bullies because it still continues to this day. 
   2. How should bullies be punished?-Suspension, detention,etc.
   3. What should schools do to help students who are the victims of bullies?-Actually have a no bully free zone school. 
   4. What are the reasons that students bully other students? How can this behavior be changed?-No student should get bullied ever. 

2) What "ticks you off"?

Make a list of four or five things that "tick you off." Explain why. (Choose significant things that others might experience as well. For instance, your little brother might tick you off, but there is little chance that this annoyance will yield a possible paper topic). It is possible that one of these annoyances can be transformed into an interesting, engaging, and researchable project.

-When my boyfriend does not text me back but leaves me on read. Its very annoying. 

-When you leave food in the fridge expecting to eat it, and later on the food is gone. I was looking forward to that food):

-When my mom tells me to clean my room. She doesnt live there so whats the point ?!

-When my boyfriend eats ALL of my food. Like thats my food get your own. 

-When a place does not have wifi. My phone bill will go through the roof ! 

-When the bus does not come when it is supposed too. It makes me late and i hate being late !

-I hate Pandora commercials. There is no need to have commercials

-When my boyfriend pinches me. I HATE BEING PINCHED !!!

- When my subway foot long is 11 inches.. it is supposed to be a FOOT long. 

Extra Credit

1. What did wiki software allow Web users to do that the Mosaic browser did not? - Wiki software did now allow a person to create web pages of their desire, unlike Mosaic where you had the privilege to do so. 
2. What do blogs and wikis have in common?                                                                  -In both blogs and wiki's you are privilege to modify your web pages that you have created. 
3. What problem did a young Jimmy Wales find with the World Book Encyclopedia?  -Jimmy Wales realized that there were a lot of information and important facts that were missing in the Encyclopedia.                                                                                                    
4. How was Jimmy Wales inspired by the World Book Encyclopedia to create Wikipedia? - Jimmy Wales was inspired by the World Book Encyclopedia to create Wikipedia by using his childhood experiences. Growing up he liked reading the Encyclopedia, wanting to learn more information about the world. 
5. How have encyclopedias inspired you in your own life?                                        -Encyclopedias have inspired me in many different ways. An Encyclopedia gives you a lot of information about various things around the world. It can also can be a good source of reference when writing a research paper or doing a project for school. This makes me want to learn more information and be able to know about the topic I am learning about. 
6. Why did Nupedia fail?                                                                                                          - Neuedia failed because after a year of creating 150 articles, it was useless in the world because the Encyclopedia was a better source of information. 
7. How did wiki software change the ideas behind Nupedia?                                   - Wiki software changed the all the ideas of Nupedia by blending the two ideas to create something new to the world. 
8. What is “crowdsourcing?”                                                                                                 -Crowdsourcing to utilize contributed by the general public to often via the Internet and without compensation
9. What do you think about the concept of “any fool in the world” being able to write articles for Wikipedia?                                                                                       -I think the concept of "any fool in the world" being able to write articles for Wikipedia is a very bad idea. A person could give out the wrong information to the reader, making them have false information. Also, if a student is writing a paper or doing a project, they can get a bad grade on the assignment because of false information. 
10. Do agree with the idea that “total idiots” could edit Wikipedia and of that being a good thing? Explain.                                                                                             - I do disagree with the idea that "total idiots" could edit Wikipedia and it being a good thing. A person who does not know anything about a specific topic an try to write about it on Wikipedia. This can put someone in jeopardy not knowing the right information about a specific topic. Total idiots should not be able to edit any time of information based websites.  
11. Why do you think Wikipedia grew so fast and became so popular in such a short amount of time? -I believe Wikipedia became so popular in such a short amount of time because it was more accessible to people who wanted to know more information about a specific topic. 
12. Do you believe Sanger’s elitist attitude was a good thing or a bad thing for Wikipedia? - When a person has an elitist attitude it means that they feel they are more superior to others. By having attitude, it is a good thing for Wikipedia because a important company needs someone in charge, otherwise things can happen to the company that make the company shut down or not be able to use anymore. 
13. What did you learn from the anecdote about the Wikipedia article on Einstein going to Albania for a passport in 1935?                                                       - During the anecdote about the Wikipedia article on Enstien going to Albania for a passport in 1935, I learned that Einstein went to Albania to get a passport made by King Koz so he could get him a visa into the U.S to evade the Nazis.
14. Explain this quote from the article: “I can’t imagine who could have written such detailed guidelines other than a bunch of people working together...It’s common in Wikipedia that we’ll come to a solution that’s really well thought out because so many minds have had a crack at improving it.”-This quote is stating that in order for something to be a success people need to come together and work as a team for things to get done in order to make something work.  
15. The author of the article states that Wikipedia “grew organically.” What does he mean by that?-When the author states that Wikipedia "grew organically" he is stating that Wikipedia became popular on its own spontaneously.  
16. How has Wikipedia “been the greatest collaborative knowledge project in history?”-Wikipedia is known to be "one of the greatest collaborative knowledge project in history" because it had a lot of information about many different topics. It helped people gain more knowledge about something they are trying to learn about. 
17. Based on your own opinion and experience with Wikipedia, do you agree with the above statement or disagree with it? Explain. - I agree with the statement above to a certain extent. Wikipedia has a lot of information people can use to learn about a specific topic. Unfortunately, people who don't know a lot about something or a topic can easily edit or write their own article about a topic, giving a person false information. 
18. What does the author mean by “wiki-crack?”                                                            - A wiki crack is the flow of dopamine in the brain that makes a edit  in a Wiki article in case something is wrong or incorrect. 
19. Based on the article, do you believe Wikipedia is a reliable source of information? - I do not believe Wikipedia is a reliable source of information because it has a lot of false information that people can edit or create based of their own knowledge. 
20. Do you believe its possible for a 16-year-old from New Jersey to write “insightful” Wikipedia articles?- I do not believe that a 16 year old from New Jersey should be able to write their own article on Wikipedia. The teenager might not be very smart and give someone the wrong information about something. Most teenagers only care about their social life and what is happening around them, not a lot of teenagers are that knowledgeable to write their own article on a website used on an every day basis. 
21. How do you feel about basing your own research on something a 16-year-old wrote on Wikipedia? - I would not use something a 16 year old wrote on Wikipedia. The 16 year old can be giving me false information and I would not know it. Then, it can effect me in the future. 
22. What does Jimmy Wales mean by this mission statement: “Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge?”- In this quote, Jimmy Wales is talking about imagining a world where a human being would not have to rely on websites or the internet to get information about something. It would be more useful if a person actually knew information of the top of their head instead of using the internet. 
23. Do you agree or disagree with this mission statement?                                        - I do agree with this statement because then the world would be a different, and better place to live in. We wouldn't have what we have today, including social media, information based websites, etc. People would no longer have to rely on the internet for information and worry about having unreliable information.  
24. Do you think Wikipedia has succeeded in its mission?                                         -I think that Wikipedia did succeed in their mission. They were able to have a lot of supporters and have a lot of people use their website daily. Wikipedia is a very well known sight and has a lot of decent information throughout their site. 
25. Do you agree or disagree that ordinary people, people without degrees, can “be part of the process of creating and distributing knowledge?”             -I do agree that ordinary people without degrees can be able to take process of creating and distributing knowledge. There are various reasons on why a person does not get a degree, not just because of not being smart or knowledgeable. A person can be very smart and know a lot of stuff, have a degree. A person does not need a piece of paper to prove how smart they are or how much information they know. 
26. Based on your reading of the article, would you yourself use Wikipedia for your academic research? - I would not use Wikipedia for my academic research because it is not a reliable website. 
27. Would you yourself like to write and/or edit Wikipedia articles in order to be “a part of the process of creating and distributing knowledge?” Why or why not?- I would not want to be able to write or create my own Wikipedia articles. I do not have a lot of knowledge about a specific topic. I would not be a reliable source and unfortunately I would give out false information.  

Blog Writing Prompts

The subject I most enjoy reading about is mysteries because it keeps me at the edge of my
seat and I find these types of books very exciting.   
My favorite hobby or pastime is playing softball because it has been one of my favorite hobbies since I was 10 and I have a lot of fun playing it. Softball also makes me calm and focused on what is happening in front of me.

If I won the lottery, I would use the money to pay for my college expenses and make sure my family and I are living a good life.

The type of volunteer activity I prefer is working with disabled kids because I feel like they want to be regular kids like me and I would do anything in my power to let them do that.
My favorite school subject has always been Science because it keeps me interested and wanting to learn more and more about the subject.
If I ran the world, the first thing I would change would be is world peace and to stop violence. Even though many people have tried this before, I feel I would continue doing that and making the world a better place to live in.