We eat Social media for Breakfast

  I was always taught that the internet was not the place to look for answers, and that's true--most of the time. Sure, there's unreliable sources that can come back to bite you in the butt, but there's also great resources online that can hep you learn.

  My first example comes from tools like Nearpod or other programs that are specifically designed to work for education in the 21st century. Teachers can get multiple responses at one time via the internet program and see which is correct more quickly than the traditional quiz.

   My second example comes from programs like Blogger, which unlike Nearpod, benefit not only the teacher but the class as a whole. When we were covering our masterpiece topics, I was able to browse through my peer's blogs and evaluate what they were covering, further helping me understand my own topic of Upgrading Education.

   In regards to the use of social media to learn, I use Gmail to stay in contact with family from around the country, and sometimes more than family. In 2012 we discovered via Ancestry.com that we were direct decedents of the Dutch Explorer Peter Minuit. It just so happened that a careless comment on a YouTube video led me to meet someone from the Netherlands who just so happened to be writing a book on Peter Minuit. We never really shared much information because my Aunt was worried about my safety from Strangers on the Internet, which I appreciate but not everyone are predators.

   All and all, whilst the Internet and other social media platforms continue to be labeled as "Distracting Toys", they can often be useful in certain applications to education.

Where I stand on the Digital Divide

I'm standing in the middle of the stance on DD, I like to keep an open mind and stay neutral on the subject. It's somewhat helping me achieve my goals, but it's mostly a distraction. My data that I want public is public, anything I don't want public is stored on a 3.5" Floppy Disk and on my 1987 Macintosh SE. If I know the goddamn codes to the ICBM silos at Vandenberg, I don't want the NSA to know that, I'll store them on a computer that is unhackable, because it's older than the internet. I don't know the codes, by the way. Why would I?

Ignite talks notes

-Adrian: "Actions speak louder than words"

-NFL players injured

-Don't talk, do


-Elias: "How to turn nothing into something"

-Try to go beyond the limits of limitations

-Motivation, don't stop something if you love it


-Kleiff: "Global Warming"

-Serious threat

-Research on internet, sea levels rising


-Ofelia: "Why do people fight?"

-Why do people fight

-Research why this is


-Nicole: "Why is there alot of racism"

-About my life

-Reduce racism


-Jocelyn: "Free Tuition"

-Looked up resources

-Arguments pro/con


-Jason: "How to become a barber"

-Got a haircut

-Need a license


-Marcos: "How to be a tattoo artist"

-Draw a lot

-Kept drawing over SB


-Giovanni: "What makes creativity"

-Learn from mistakes

-Everyone is creative


-Isaias: "How can we feed everyone without animal cruelty"

-Researched how to be vegan from PETA

-Attempt to be vegan


-Christian: "Barber"

-Barbering program

-Try cutting hair


-Jose: "Why can't everyone get along"

-Racism

-Great Gatsby


-Angel: "Police Force"

-Talk to uncle

-Study criminal justice


-Jaime: "Joining Military"

-What does it take

-Overcome obstacles


-Etzel: "Will I ever get to success"

-Passion for singing

-Ignore ignorant people


-Carlos: "Why do people go to school so much"

-I can't be good at school

-Next steps: No clue


-Maria: "Is time real?"

-Who made time?

-We're not in real time


-Victor: "What is the true Religion?"

-Everyone always talking about god

-Which is the true religion, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam?


-Katie: "Different learning types"

-Intro to ed inspired her

-Notes on Learning styles


-Vivian: "Animal behavior"

-Research on Pig for County Fair

-Animals react to facial expressions


-Allign: "Professional Folklorico dancer"

-Ballet Folklorico de Mexico

-Many requirements


-Emily: "Open Source Learning"

-Introduce in Mexico

-Take more advantage than in the US


-Brian: "Best route to be an officer"

-Talk to cousin

-Have to be 18 to attend academy


-"Finding vintage clothing"

-Cheap prices

-Go to bigger cities


-Alex: "Start own clothing brand"

-Research other clothing brands started

-Learn how they grow


-Richard: "Why does music have an effect on people"

-Always had a connection with music

-Strip down songs and analyze


-Elvis: "Why school counselors don't help"

-Go to teachers or friends

-Pull up your grades


-"Mechanical engineer"

-4 year edu.

-Talk to racers


-Brian: "?"

-Not ready

-Students do work and shit


-Elizabeth: "Are children smarter because of the internet?"

-Many kids are online

-We're always on our blogs


-Karen: "Why are women represented in a negative way?"

-Always half naked women on the internet

-Every woman is pretty

Ignite Talk

My topic is the Possibility of upgrading education to fit our current society. Over break, I thought about how the education system would be set up around a new style of learning, such as teaching methods, and the way classrooms should be built to make students the most productive. Also over the break, I learned that a change in education couldn't happen over night, but would take years to install. The connections between this topic and this class are the fact that this topic was inspired by Dr. Preston's style of teaching. What I'm doing next is continue further research into the standard needed to have this style of education become the new standard.

If you have any question, comments, or ideas, please respond to this post.

Blogs

  I checked several blogs to review the posts, the majority of them had the most recent post from November or February. I was impressed with the ones who did post, although it wasn't bare minimum.

Upgrading Education- Teaching

  I've never enjoyed having to sit in a desk for an hour and listen to an Adult spew facts at me. The traditional teaching method is obsolete and ineffective, and with the envisioned reform of the education style, Traditional teaching would be replaced by Open-Source learning style and Hands on Activities for tactile learners.

 vs  

Upgrading Education- Scoring

  The way students are scored is also due for an update; it's time to kick the report card out and find a more reasonable way to understand where students need to improve.

  We've traditionally had Report Cards, and we're punished for having poor grades. This is unfair to students as the report card is to show where students need improvement, not as a punishment. In my idea of an Upgraded Education system, a T chart would replace the traditional report card with "Areas of Strength" and "Areas of Struggle"

  vs  

Upgrading Education- Layout

  We all agree that the classroom layout we all know is due for a change, and I have several ideas on how we can change a classroom layout to be more productive.


1. The Layout itself should change from Rows and columns to a Seminar(Socratic) style layout:
 vs 

2. The Building we learn in need to be Long-term, not these crap portables. I feel like I actually want to learn in a Long term building, not a run-down portable:

 

   vs



3. The lighting actually Plays a role in how I learn, I feel motivated with natural light, unlike Artificial, flickering Florescent lights:



vs



4. Finally, Studies have shown Students are more productive when they have landscaped Campuses, not Blocky Cement Prisons(No offense, PV):



  vs

"Upgrading Education"

                            "Upgrading Education"

Topic: Education is due to be revamped in a way where it works in teams and with our peers instead of individually.

What's Possible: Add more elements of Open-Source learning and the Montessori method beginning in Pre-school so that students are used to this way instead of having to learn it later in life.

5 Resources: -An individual like Dr. Preston who's familiar with Open Source learning and knows how to make it work for everyone

                      -A school that would be willing to do a trial method with the Open-source/Montessori Style teaching.

                      -Educators willing to teach using the two methods.

                     
                      -Students willing to be the Test subjects

                      -A way to compare/contrast the Theorized method and standard education


Network: -Dr. Preston

               -Anyone from any of his classes that will be willing to follow this and input their thoughts.

My new "Toy"

This sucker is a 1924 Underwood No.5 typewriter, Fully operational-and at the moment-my favorite thing to type on.

Why should I bother writing a pointless title that nobody's going to care about; are titles even important?

   Ray Bradbury's predictions throughout the book of the society Montag lives in is a bleak and hopeless one--not to mention is aligns perfectly with the description of our own current Society.

   From the way the occupants of this Depressingly dismal distopia to the way even Mildred ODs on sleeping pills damn near killing herself or the "Seashell Radios" in every god damned ear, Bradbury was spot on with how he felt we would live our lives 50-60 years from when he was hunched over a typewriter like Quasimodo in Notre Dame.

   In regards to how Mildred could give two less fucks about what was going on in the world, how she only wanted to watch a screen, and how Kids are so entranced with their Phones and other Electronic distractions(such as right now, nobody cares enough to contribute to our Socratic seminar and I'm doing the majority of the talking).

   When the Hound is on the chase for Montag, and they resort to killing an innocent civilian when he throws it off his trail, it parallels how even our own Police Department lied about an arrest they made for an entire year before it was uncovered. It also parallels with "Operation Northwoods", a False-Flag Cuban terror operation against US civilians to gain support for the invasion/occupation of Cuba, to overthrow Fidel Castro's Communist regime.

   Finally, the Violence in Montag's society seems to parallel our current world, with Clarrisse stating something along the lines of "two of my friends were killed this just past month, everyone's so violent these days, killing each other for fun..." This oddly enough brings to mind the school shootings and the violence in Pop Culture, for example games like Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty you kill other players in very realistic ways, which may have ties to the violence previously stated.

   Taking into account all of my previous claims and the provided evidence, one can come to the assumption that there are many parallels in Fahrenheit 451 and today's society.

Journal-4/7/17

One thing authors, songwriters, and (now that I'm thinking about it) just about everyone hates is having their words twisted into something the didn't intend. Describe a time you thought you communicated clearly and someone else didn't agree.

Last semester when I was a sophmore, I was sitting on a shelf in my History class when it broke. I didn't get up in time for it NOT to break, and luckily I didn't get in trouble. What my Teacher thought happened was since I had a Big Army Pack that had a metal frame and it was heavy, she thought it had broken the shelf. I found out the next day I was not to bring that bag back because she was concerned that "If it's heavy enough to break a shelf, it's heavy enough to break your back." I appreciated the concern, but I several times over told her I was the one who broke the shelf an that I was sorry. To this day I have a crappy backpack that I can hardly open and the zipper's always getting screwed up.

Journal Topic-4/6/17

Explain your favorite Meal in Mouth-Watering Detail. By the time I finish I should be Hungry and Jealous.

My favorite Meal has to be My Grandmother's Home-made Meatloaf. She makes it with Oatmeal, Hamburger meat, and a blend of spices. We always have it the way her Mother made it, we get home-made mashed potatoes with them as well, not the instant kind, she mashes them by hand and then uses a mixer to make them softer. There's nothing like the Warm salty butter running down the side of the clump of starch that warms you from the inside. We usually also put Heinz Ketchup on the Meatloaf as well, the sweet taste of the blend of Vinegar and Tomato paste goes very well with the salt, pepper, and other exotic spices she tenderly sprinkles on before baking.

F451 Wrap-Up Questions:

1. They laughed because they themselves are books, all memorized so there is no reason to Judge the book by its cover.

2. Montag still cares about Mildred because he still has hope that she might understand his passion for literature

3. Hands represent each character's personality, while Granger's Grandfather might be creative and passionate, Mildred could give two less fucks and just wants to watch TV.

4. It's because of the things that he did, not who he was, like the stories that books tell, not the books themselves.

5. Because all of time is infinite, yet that three seconds between the drop and the blast are the only seconds that matter.

6. The Pheonix is immortal, it will burst into flames but be reborn out of the ashes, like the ideas in books after burning.

7. He's gone from an individual who hides his passion to one who proudly displays it.

Journal Topic: 4/5/17

Topic: Sometimes when Olympians win a Medal, they cry. Olympians are stereotypically tough humans, and crying is a sign of weakness. How do you explain this?

They are tough physically, but must be so over-loaded with emotion they break down and cry with joy. Wouldn't you?

Journal- April 4, 2017

Describe a time you finished a book. How did the experience make you feel? Proud to have finished it? Sad to say goodbye to the Characters? Irritated with the plot resolution? Please explain.

The summer between 8th and 9th grade, I finished reading Les Miserables, a heavy book of over 1,000 pages of French and Old English combined. It felt so accomplishing to finally finish it, considering I'd been hacking away at it forever. It was a challenging book for me to read at 14, but I got it done.

Journal: 4/3/17

Why are you tested so much? What are Adults trying to figure out? Why can't they do it another way?

We're tested so often because it's a way for Instructors to figure out who understands what. Ask every individual what they need help on and work with them until they understand it.