Journal 4

At the age of seventeen I got pregnant with my first child. I was a senior in high school at the time and everyone told me my life was over and that I should get an abortion. I decided to have my son and to this day though it was one of my greatest challenges I do not regret it one bit. I had my son a week before finals and even though I should have been at home resting I went back to school, took my finals, and received my diploma. In life there will always be challenges but how you decide to handle those challenges and overcome those obstacles is what truly helps make you the person you are. To achieve the “American Dream” you have to deal with many things I was told I would never go to college and make minimum wage, yet here I am a college student and though I have only been going a year I love it and have no desire to stop or drop out. You cannot let other people’s thoughts or feelings hinder you from becoming what you are destined to be. Barriers are made to be knocked down whether they are race, language, or sexual orientation issues they can be overcome with a little effort and some hard work. The rewards you reap will be well worth the work.

Technology in Schools

Technology in Schools

Do you believe the education system is being taken over by technology? Though some experts may argue that technology in schools is not a good idea, others are arguing the fact that technology is much needed in today’s society. Laptops, tablets, or readers are more cost efficient for students then buying textbooks every year. It would be easier for students to keep up with assignments, access, and reread text and students would be more willing to come to school.

Laptops, tablets, or readers for every student would be a more cost efficient way for school districts to purchase and provide text books for the students. I work for the school board so I know firsthand how costly it is to buy text books for every student every year, when the same books are rarely used for more than two years. Each student on average has at least four textbooks at a given time with the majority of them costing at least one hundred dollars. If you do the math providing textbooks for one student every year comes out to be about $400. If each textbook is only one hundred dollars, then multiply that by the number of students that are in a school. In my school for instance we have 629 students multiplied by $400 that is $251,600 just for our school. Plus you have to provide the teachers with the teacher editions to these books, even though the books are already available online. For every one student textbook there are three or more teacher’s editions. Our reading series has six books plus an assessment book. You are spending even more on the teacher’s editions than you are on the student books. Whereas you could buy each student a $300 tablet and pay to load the needed text onto the device. One download can be shared with up to six Kindles (Zipke).  That first year is going to be the most costly but after that you are only paying to update the text as needed and not have to continue spending the money every year to buy actual books.

Not only would purchasing laptops, tablets, or readers for every student be more cost efficient it would also be more space effective. You can load all the required books on one device, instead of student desks and cubbies being jam packed with books there will only be one device. Students’ grades will also increase because they would be more eager to carry one device home than they would two or three bulky books to do homework. It would be easier for students to go back and reread necessary text at home. This would also make it easier for them to keep up with their assignments. Assignments can be saved and submitted to teachers via email as soon as a student is finished so they are less likely to lose papers. Teachers will have easier access to work for conferences and data upkeep. When a student is absent instead of them falling behind they will be able to check to see what assignments and lessons they missed because teachers could email them missed work.

A student would be more likely to want to attend school because they will have something to help keep them engaged. Most children are active learners so they need to interact during learning and a technological device would be one of the best ways for them to work. Tablets for example, require them to use their fingers or hands to move objects and the cursor around the screen. They can easily go from screen to screen, or even make the writing bigger which can be a big help to students with vision problems. At one digital media school “attendance is up ninety percent” says Jason Levy, principal of I.S. 339 in the Bronx (Digital Nation). Having access to a device they may not be able to have access to at home would be a great motivator for many students.

Many educators would disagree about technology being used for every student in schools. Students' wrong usage and damage of technological tools in classroom ineffective time management  while using technology are some of the examples emerging as a result of the entrance of new technologies into the schools (Yildiz). Professor Clifford Nass of Sanford University says “Students aren’t applying themselves because they are distracted by multitasking” (Digital Nation). This could always be an issue but if the students are engaged enough they will not have time to try to multitask.

There will always be pros and cons when discussing the use of technology in schools. Students having access to technological devices can help enhance their learning. Laptops, tablets, or readers are more cost effective for students then buying textbooks every year. It would be easier for students to keep up with assignments, access, and reread text and students would be more willing to come to school. Yet the question remains, do you think the education system is being taken over by technology?

Works Cited

“Digital Nation.” Frontline. PBS. 02 Feb. 2010. DVD.

Ismail Yildiz, et al. "A Qualitative Study On Classroom Management And Classroom

Discipline Problems, Reasons, And Solutions: A Case Of Information Technologies Class." Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice 10.2 (2010): 881-891. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Zipke, Marcy. ”Teachers’ Thoughts on e-readers in the Elementary School Classroom.”       Education and Information Technologies Feb.(2012): 1-2.Print

Journal 3

I am definitely a part of the digital nation. I cannot think straight if I do not have some kind of electronic device in my hands, especially my phone, even at work when I am waiting on my students to finish writing an answer I am on my phone checking my email or Facebook. When I leave my cell phone at home I call from the phone at work for someone to bring it to me. I think now in days you have to step up and become more technological because everything is becoming easier to handle online or through apps and text. It is quicker to pick up your phone and send a text than it is to call someone. It is cheaper to post a picture on Facebook or Instagram than it is to have print copies and mail them to family members and friends. Even when it comes to school work more things are being done with computers than there are with a pencil and paper. Essays are typed out instead of handwritten homework is typed and then submitted electronically. In elementary my children are using computers daily to complete online assessments and doing skill reinforcement activities. My kindergartener knows how to log on to a computer and access the internet. I really feel that in this day and time if you are not familiar with some type of computer software you are seriously behind and you need to catch up.

Journal 2

I personally like watching reality television no matter what the actual content is I find most of the shows hilarious. It is really hard to believe there are actually behave in the manner that is portrayed. The drama shows to me are the best but I am also a fan the crime shows like Cops and First 48.  I think most of these shows are scripted and that people take few of them too seriously, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, for example is simply a show about a spoiled little girl and her family but some people read entirely too much into the show and want to criticize her mother’s parenting skills because of her children’s behavior. I think if more people were to view reality television as another form of entertainment and stop judging reality stars so harshly these people may not act out as much. These are people who are getting paid to let cameras follow them around just like an actor in a movie or non-reality shows and part of their behavior is due to the fact that the more viewers they have and the higher their ratings are the bigger their checks will be. They are similar to waitresses or car salesmen the nicer they are the more money they make, well it seems for reality stars the more drama they have or the dumber they are the more money they make. All in all I believe these people are getting paid to act some of them are just better at it than others.