Thoughts on Class 4/14/11

I thought it was interesting how Bifo talked about people’s differences through generation. I believe for each generation there are different ways of learning, different technologies, and some sort of societal advancement. For instance, at the turn of the century technology was not that heavily depended on like it is 11 years later. I believe technology and advancement allow things such as cell phones become a part of our DNA. This makes me recall the time in class when some people said they couldn’t imagine ever being without their cell phones, on the other hand, some people says it made them feel at peace because they weren’t always worrying whether someone had texted or called them.
Reactions to in-class reading:
What is the meaning of autonomy today?
I agree that time has been fragmented and made flexible in a fractal recombinant way. The cellular phone has become an extension of work and other life demands. Instead of working a 9 to 5 day and coming home to detach from business, the phone serves as a way of accessing a person for matters that need to be taken care of at that moment, this keeps a person constantly attached to business and leaving little time for things outside of the work bubble.
Frail psycho-sphere
Continuing my thoughts from Thursday’s class, I feel we sift through so much technology that there isn’t adequate time to process each individual piece of it. For instance, some people have thousands of Facebook pictures’, knowing that they are there is reassuring enough, leaving it not necessary to go through each one. A personal example I would use would be my Itunes Library. I have 6, 000 songs in my library, but I don’t need to listen to each one to know that, knowing that they are there and that I can access them at any time is reassuring.

Thoughts on Class 4/12/11

Adding to the debate in class, I think Facebook and Twitter both have certain issues. I think Facebook is a genius way to stay connected with old friends and connect with new ones. I also think that those who are consumed in this Facebook world have tunnel vision when it comes to being aware of other political and world events. Some people get their news traditionally from papers and others access it online. There are also those who are only aware of whats happening on their Facebook minifeeds. These are a collection of opinions, based on other people views, that the person viewing them can draw from to form a solid political view. I said that to say it is good to ration Facebook time, though, speaking for myself, can be hard to disconnect from a virtual realm that circulates so much information.
Twitter on the other hand I think is worse, in terms of circulating news information. As I said when we split into groups, I think followers of celebrities on Twitter are drawn to their title, their brand; not necessarily why they're famous but the fact that they are. Also, I think these followers get affiliated with any brands or products that the star they are following is cross promoted with. Trust me, I can't possibly understand why any teen girl would idolize her, let alone buy her book. On the other hand, its the same effect reality television is having on my generation.

Thoughts on Class 4/7/11

I wanted to comment on Jaheem's response about different ways of learning, I think there are various ways in which people learn. Whether it be a problem with memorizing text, and that person learns better by hands on, there are different ways in which students can be taught, and different ways they can learn. For instance, someone who may have a short attention span may fare better by participating more and doing more hands on things that will keep them constantly involved with class. Coming from a person that's been in the teaching program at Hobart, it is important for teachers to learn from their students so they know how to approach the situation.

Thoughts on Class 4/5/11

Touching more on the freeness of Google and the internet, I feel like there are less safe guards now then there were ten years ago. Take for instance the comment about porn on the youtube page, that person is kind of right when it comes to material on the internet that young teenagers and under should not be seeing. Whether this is porn, vulgar blogs or what have you, I think our ability to file share has made anything and everything free on the internet. It's more than just instant gratification, it's perpetual gratification. Thinking about it,it must be kind of scary for parents. Let's just skip the birds and the bees talk and let them do some research online! They say knowledge is power, but I also think too much of a good thing is not good.