The Machine

In the video “Web 2.0… The Machine is Us/ing Us,” by Michael Wesch, shows how the internet is linking people instead of documents.  Mr. Wesch starts out by describing how text on the internet is more flexible than the words written on a piece of paper.  The internet allows us to do more and more every day.  People are collaborating into a massive database which is accessible nearly anywhere.  Who is going to organize all this? Wesch’s answer is we will and you will.  Internet has certain programs that define the form and content. Such programs are HTML and XML. These programs can allow us to do almost anything on the internet.  Documents are not the only thing that can link people using the internet.  Another connection is by video.  The webcam is become more popular every day.  People are posting videos all over the internet.  What exactly does this mean?  The internet is becoming a giant machine correcting itself almost instantly.  People are paying attention to everything happening and are organizing the data.  Wesch was right… We are the machine.

Technology in School Environments

The article, “Are Children Receiving a Comic Book Education for an Encyclopedia World,” by David Warlick, discusses the learning that students must achieve.  There is a “giant chasm” between what students are being taught, and what they are preparing for.  Today students read textbooks and don’t recall all of the information. Warlick suggests that technology is being used correctly when the classroom environment disappears.  It is hard to understand what he is saying but it could possibly mean that we learn better with pressure and motivation.  In schools today there is motivation but students become more relaxed because there is room for error.  As situations become more intense, the student will be able to fulfill his/her maximum potential.  Does this mean that if we treat school more like a harsh environment that students will do better?  Not necessarily because students will get stressed out and not do as well as normal.  David Warlick brings up a good point and it should be tested but with modern schedules not many people will have time to test this.

Art

The article “Montana Woman Targeted Art in Loveland,” by Monte Whaley, shows what people are willing to do to get their point across.  Kathleen Folden was angry at a certain piece of art that was against her religion.  Folden was arrested for criminal mischief and a fine up to $2,000.  She entered a downtown museum in Loveland with a concealed crowbar. She broke the Plexiglas and began to “tear the art piece into several small pieces.”  The art piece destroyed was only a copy and not the original.  Kathleen Folden needs to realize that in this country we have the freedom of speech.  Art is an example of speech and if she doesn’t like something then she can ignore it or make a complaint.  Also, we have a freedom of religion and not all people are devout Christians.  I can understand how she is angry but she needs to relax.  Students try to analyze art and we can’t do it they are constantly being destroyed.  What Folden did was destroy part of our culture. Even if it was a bad piece of culture, it is still culture.  We need to preserve what we have today for the future.

New Literacy

     The article “Footprints in the Digital Age,” by Will Richardson, reveals how our footprints are being “written” without us.  Sometimes we cannot be in control about what is put on the internet.  Some things might be good but others might be bad.  Our future has almost already been decided by the internet.  Many people have been “Googled” throughout the years but now future employers might be “googleing” students.  They might see the good or the bad things that have been posted.  The shocking fact is that a new literacy has been developed and now almost everything is either connected to or on the internet.  Today most students are in classes that involve computers as the main resource.  Students have been driving themselves to success without directions and some get lost.  We are living in an age where teachers didn’t have to do the things we can do today.  When my dad was a kid he wouldn’t be able to chat with another kid in Japan.  Not only does the internet allow us to connect with others around the world, but it allows them to now about us even before we introduce ourselves.  The world is becoming smaller and smaller everyday.  We can now share our passions with others that enjoy the same thing but in a far away place.  As students develop learning networks they are creating a path for their future.  When a student posts on a blog, it is held on record and can almost never be deleted.  This makes it so that almost anyone can see what you thought in your schooling days.  On the surface it is an unsettling thought but as you dig deeper this could help you learn or succeed in life.

Scholarships

The article “6 Area Teens Finalists for Scholarship,” from the Denver Post, showed how many students want to go to college with a scholarship. Only eighty students applied for the scholarship from The Better Business Bureau Foundation for Denver and Boulder this year.  The scholarship is worth ten thousand dollars and with the kind of requirements I would expect more applicants. The requirements include writing a 400 word essay and sending in letters of recommendation.  The scholarship is rewarded to the student who shows “exceptional character, leadership and ethical values.”  These qualifications make it so that almost anybody could receive it, yet there were only 80 applicants.   With today’s economy, I would expect more students to send in applications to try and save money on college.  Why don’t more students send in an application? It doesn’t hurt to try.  How many students want to go to college?  I would expect at least a couple thousand from the Denver Area but apparently not many are willing.  Is the number of students that got to college slowly decreasing or are people just getting lazy?

Computers Taking Over Our Minds

      The article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr presents the idea that modern technology is making it harder for us to read.  Because of text messaging and the internet, people have been reading more than people used to in the 1980s.  Our mind has been slowly trained to read shorter passages making it harder to focus on longer passages.  Through technology our mind only has to scan and take out the important things.  How will this effect the next generation’s textbook readings? Even articles online can make our minds drift away? School is going to become very difficult for the next generation if they can’t even read a couple pages of text.  Will people of the future not be able to read at all if this slow decline continues?

Pirates

After reading the article, “U.S. Marines free ship from pirates” by Tony Perry, I was brought to a reality very different from my own. It would be horrible to be taken as a hostage in any situation. Whether it is pirates or terrorists, they will treat you like an animal until they are forced to stop. 98 acts of piracy have happened this year. Most Americans believe pirates are a thing of the past but this week our navy had to deal with a group of pirates that attacked a freighter. No shots were fired but the danger was still present. Each pirate was armed with an AK-47. Once the Marines boarded, the pirates surrendered. The freighter had a load of steel chain. Why would pirates be interested in a boat full of steel chain? What uses would a group of Somalians have with steel chain other than to sell it? If I was a pirate I would go after something more valuable. What would cause these pirates to take this ship instead of a more valuable one? What else could possibly motivate them?