Blog entry 4.4The exam fantasy

I was very excited on the day of the exam. I had not only the CATW but a final Math test as well, so I came to the writing test like a zombie. I freaked out in the morning, because Thursdays I have a job before I’m coming to school.
So, I have arrived on time, right before 5:30pm, I couldn't eat or sleep. I took a last look to my essays I did before, just to calm myself down that I’m ready to go. The proctor was very cool, we were all excited I guess, but he gave us a very good vibe. Everybody was quiet and I guess did well. We just couldn’t wait until we got the results. We all passed!!!

Blog entry 4.3 The Final CATW

Is Google Making us stupid?

                First of all, there is a question which comes to every single person’s mind who doesn’t know Google. What is it exactly? Google is a search engine if you need to seek any information through the Internet. It is actually a particular website, where all you need to do is type a word or phrase and the information which connects to that will show up in a second.

                The modern technology plays a big role in our life, including the computers, TV and other communicators. The Internet has a big influence on us, and let’s face it, we start to use it more and more. But as we use the computers and the Internet, we have easier access to tons of information and our brain doesn’t need to go deep down and really just think. In my opinion, Google is useful a lot, but destroys your deep thinking and your brain doesn’t get motivated because everything is just a click away!

When we need any kind of information from the Internet, the first smart thing to do is type it into a searcher. You can set up your own computer with a start page with one of the most popular searching websites such as Yahoo, Google, and Bling etc. I found it very impressive that fact that every time I do my homework, and  I have had a lot of research paper recently, than simply I typed it into the search window and then I got hundreds of links which helped me to lead to the right information I was looking for. I remember when I was in the elementary school and have to research something, I went to the local library and kept browsing through the books until I found the data what was necessary to complete my mission.  It took hours sometimes, but it made me think, kept my brain busy for a long time!

Not even mentioned that fact how much we love shopping online. Those people who designed the whole concept of the search websites recognized that and that is why advertising got involved into this. Haven’t you noticed that when you search something how many pop-ups are showing front of you? As Nicholas Carr, the author of the passage mentions in his article that, “If we are distracted, we understand less, remember less and learn less.” I deeply agree with that, because the human brain has its own limits to cope with that many information its gets from the computer, it is almost impossible to get everything right.

You can also hear it very often, if somebody needs to surf something on the Net, people say: “Just Google it!”So, the word now is even built into the English language as a verb!

Sleep Dealer

  

The Sleep Dealer is a Mexican movie which came out to theaters in 2008, years after The Matrix or The Truman Show. The story is basically about a young Mexican guy named Memo, who lived in a farm with his family until a tragedy broke his heart and led him to the "big city:, where he entered the wired world. There are similar things we can find in all of those movies such as the power of virtual technology, the drawing of the possible future or the return of the human-cyber slavery, which is , in my opinion will came sooner as we think.
       In the Sleep Dealer the focus is more on the human racism than the fight between machines and the people. Those individuals who belongs to the lower class had to go and "got wired", sacrifice their body and work very hard to make their living. This way the corporate world, just as usual, can have cheap workforce to do those jobs that neither other people not able to do nor they don't want to do. The middle class can afford to stay away from those kind of work. The pilot character, who came with a good family background made  his parents very proud by that action we simply call; killing. Just because you are on computerized killing machine which executes your commands, you are not different than those soldiers on the actual battlefield.
    In the Matrix, machines overrule the world, but the humans have no idea about that, only the "chosen ones" have the chance to escape from the digital world and try to awake the others. The main character was pulled off from the virtuality into the reality. That was his destiny and he made that choice by himself to enter into another dimensions.
   The Truman Show, as mentioned before has similarity to these films. However, there is a big difference that we need to look at. Technology and the virtual truth is certainly rules the movie, but there is a  leading "hero" who is only entertain the viewers, even if he has no clue about that .His life is an open book for everyone, everything is a set-up, well-organized production. At least there is not too much psychical affliction in his life. On the other side, he goes through a lot of emotional stress as well.

CATW #5 Rewired

Rewired

                In that particular book called “Rewired: Understanding the IGeneration and the Way They Learn”, the author Larry Rosen Ph.D. definitely support that idea to use technology as a teaching tool to make students more interested in their studies.
                Our education system has developed a lot in the last decade in our history. Now we have more computers than ever. In my opinion, the tools of the modern technology help to get the homework done and make the students feel like studying could be so much fun!
                Nowadays it is hard to get the young generation interested in sports. I personally blame the video games, Internet, and the television. The parents have no time to socialize with their own kids so they have to entertain themselves at some point. That is why they are stuck on those things for hours. If somehow we combine the activities with the online homework, we might have a better balance in our children’s life.

                One of my jobs after I came to the United States was a baby-sitting position. The young lady I had to take care of was 12 years old, so let’s replace the word “baby”-sitting with “company-keeper”. I was extremely mesmerized by the fact of how much homework she has gotten done online! Sometime she was easily distracted by her friend’s chat-window on her computer screen. I always had to warn her to keep focusing on the homework. I tried to give her a little break by walking with her dog, play a little bit as a break from school things.

 That is why I got really excited to read that part in the passage which says it is actually works when students got directed to doing their homework for periods of time and they do some activities, then they are doing this cycle until the assignments are all done. According to the author, Larry Rosen Ph.D., this theory works the best with preteens and teenagers and we all know that, those years are the most difficult ones especially when it comes to focusing. It is hard to keep them interested and motivated for long time. I guess this research helped lots of teachers to change their syllabus. If we are going, not more than but 15 years back in time , we can realize that how different this new generation is. They grew up on some very unusual socializing like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. I just got to get familiar with them! Anyway, if that takes to make students even more involved into studying, well, let it be.

 Kids love to learn by playing with technology that is the source you need to use as a teacher. Those times are gone forever when we used only books to improve our kills at our education.

School: Blog 13

School: Blog 13: " In 'How to do one thing at a time', Nancy Jones explains that multi-tasking is bad and is harmful to the brain. Things like talking on..."

Comment:
The essay is a little bit short.In the first paragraph, you name Nancy, but you didn't make any hint who the person is.In the second paragraph, (and later on), you have realized this mistake, and by naming the author/ other source, your finish is much better.The claim shows up in at the end, which should look nicer in the second paragraph.

Blog entry 3.5 CATW Practice #4

Let them eat fat

  

Since the first fast-food restaurant has opened, the owner's main project was only one tiny idea: make something "eatable" as fast as you can and sell it with the highest profit. People will be happy because it's cheap and they don't have to wait hours to get it. In my opinion the leadership of the companies kept only one thing in their mind: make money on poor people by selling them cheap menus.

The passage states that, the fast-food companies realize, if they open more locations in the poorer areas, they will make bigger profit, just by offering to add more size to the meals and keep it at a low price; even it’s not extremely healthy.

I have never been in a real estate business, but my common sense tells me that, if you are going to buy a property in a lower key neighborhood, the price of that is way cheaper than at other places. Those mega food companies like McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell recognize this early, so they took actions and made the business happen. They make profit selling menus on the very available price. The majority of those people who lives there are usually not the richest ones, mainly they have pretty low income, so for them the fast and cheap menus are absolutely perfect.

I think the most brilliant idea is to reorganize the advertising by making new, more recognizable signs, which was made to catch your eyes. We humans mostly like to eat. If you see a huge, juicy hamburger with crispy fries on the side right front of you when your hunger calls, don’t say that, it’s not going to wet your mouth! Those big billboards are meant to awake your Pavlov-reflex (bell rings-wetting mouth=food comes soon). Not even mention that to get more customers, give them double size for the same prize. That will 100% surely increase your sales. This is what we called supersizing. Everybody likes that idea to get more for your money or even we can call that saving some dollars, by getting the same price menu but in a doubled size. I think that is genius.

I cannot claim that I always been eaten healthy. Sometimes I just didn’t care.  Still remember our first McDonalds in our block where I grew up. Of course you want it to try it, because it was “in fashion” to hang around there. Recently, I go to McDonalds or other kinds like that, if I’m very very hungry. Otherwise I choose something else, or just wait until I get home. I know that for sure, those fast food meals are extremely rich in fat and unbelievably unhealthy. As we reach our teenager/adolescent years, our body eager for more food in order to support our growing system. Unfortunately, young kids are not paying attention on exercising or doing any sports but running after each other. As a result, even in the circle of young people, obesity took place seriously. It is not only a health concern but eating right and taking care of yourself by exercising is a part of the right self-confidence.

I always been a sporty girl, until recently, because now I’m too busy to go to the gym, nut at least I try to be careful what I eat at some point and be more cautious to have less stress in my life.

    
 

Blog entry 3.3 The Meatrix summaries

Blog entry 3.3: Summary of The Meatrix

summarizing the main points of  The Meatrix:

This little carton trilogy is a complete translate of the famous movie called The Matrix, but this one is based on a real story; the born of the factory farms and how the agriculture corporations keep destroying the family dairy farms. Leo, the pig,( one of the main character) meets Moopheus the cow, who is the leader of the rebel animals. Moopheus shows the the Meatrix to Leo ,tell him the real story about how we get our daily dairies to our table.
We lie to ourselves about where our food comes from. We artificially fed animals with hormones to make them grow, despite that fact we committed animal cruelty. We don’t want to face how far we can go with this project. We need to wake up one day and stop killing those animals. The Meatrix gives you a particular perspective about how the animals could feel going through the process of being processed.

summarizing the main points of The Meatrix II 1/2.

Because of the insane speed of the factories, workers are in danger in their job. The meat they are packing is infected by bacteria from the leaking intestines.

summarizing the main points of The Meatrix: Revolting

Regardless what we cause to animals, we haven’t stop giving antibiotics to them, even we do know that that is a high risk to make them sick. Fortunately, people start to see more about this world by buying more organic products.