Well, my classmates and I have been learning about the internet all semester in this seminar class. We have discovered many new web pages on the world wide web, and this past week we got to learn how to actually create our own.
Creating a website was something I had some experience in, but I learned much more last Tuesday. My dad owns an online media company for short track racing. He not only created a main website where he and his employees post coverage of auto-racing events across the country, but they also create and maintain webpages for clients, such as racecar drivers and racing series, that are linked to the the main website: www.Speed51.com. I worked for my dad for several years and helped to maintain many of the client sites through a program called Homestead Site Builder; however, I never actually learned the technology behind creating a webpage from scratch.
I was very intrigued to see the way certain keys on a keyboard can translate into commands that will place images, text, and hyperlinks in certain areas or in certain ways on a website. Through Homestead, I would design a website by using the tools they had on the program. It definitely was a lot less complex and easier to make a website look appealing by using Homestead, but I found that learning a new way to create a site was a great learning experience.
I was also interested by how to create animations online. I am still rather confused on how to do this, so I am glad that I can get more help on uploading my animation to a website when I go to class Tuesday. The animations are really neat to watch, and I cannot wait to see how my finished product turns out.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Week 14 - HON 1515
This past week in Dissecting the Internet our class only met for one day thanks to Thanksgiving Break. While I was most definitely anxious to head home and dreaming about delicious turkey and sweet potatoes when we met for class last Tuesday (this class was my final one of the day), I still managed to focus my attention on our guest speaker.
Colonel Michael Barry visited our class to share with us an insider's view on the perspectives of Cyberspace by the different departments of government, especially the Department of Defense. I was very captivated by the fact that these views came from someone who had a closer connection to the government than I could even imagine. I had never thought about Cyberspace being an actual area that needed defending before, or why the new term "Cyberspace" was created for something that we already had a name for: the Internet.
Ultimately, I was very intrigued by the presentation and thankful that I got to hear from a man with an inside connection to the Department of Defense. I found Colonel Barry to be an intelligent and friendly man that I felt honored to have met.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Week 13 - HON 1515
This past week in Dissecting the Internet we continued with our discussions about various topics (dealing with the internet, of course). It was very interesting to learn about all of these topics from the students in our class. I really enjoyed the conversation this past week about Internet Dating. In some cases, I think internet dating could be very dangerous and just down-right weird, such as meeting over online gaming sites, but in other cases, I think online dating websites can provide a great way (both simple and accurate) for people to meet their match. I know my cousin met her husband over an online dating website, and they have been married now for a long time, have three adorable kids, and just built a new house. Their life seems to be going great, and they owe much of it to the online dating site that paired them up. I really liked discussing each of the areas of research in Dissecting the Internet, and I hope to do more of this sort of assignment.
This coming week, we only have one day of class and then Thanksgiving Break! I cannot wait for some delicious turkey, but before that, we have a guest speaker coming on Tuesday. I have liked all of the guest speakers we have had so far, and I am expecting the same opinion of this next one!
This coming week, we only have one day of class and then Thanksgiving Break! I cannot wait for some delicious turkey, but before that, we have a guest speaker coming on Tuesday. I have liked all of the guest speakers we have had so far, and I am expecting the same opinion of this next one!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Week 12 - HON 1515
The image of a fluffy, pretty cloud that pops into my head whenever I hear "Cloud Computing" has forever been replaced by a scary, loud swarm of bees. Thanks Dr. Wilkes. Just kidding! It really was very interesting to learn all about how new technology is leaning toward Cloud Computing. I had no idea that many things that I use on the internet could be considered Cloud Computing, such as Gmail. I did enjoy Dr. Wilkes's presentation about his bees and how he is using Cloud Computing to store information about all of his hives. The video was pretty cool as well, but I am thankful that the bees were only on a computer screen. I will not be visiting any of those hives anytime soon. I am TERRIFIED of bees (and spiders, wasps, or almost any other type of insect).
We finished the lecture about Cloud Computing on Tuesday and began our discussion of the mini topics each student was assigned on Thursday. Having a completely open discussion is my favorite type of class, as I have mentioned before, so I definitely had a good time in class that day. I learned so much from the different things that people researched, and I feel like conversation flowed really well. I was especially interested by the video of the interview with a member of Anonymous and the wife of the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church. I think everyone got a laugh out of that one. After we watched the video, I found an article talking about how the church was planning on protesting Steve Jobs funeral, just as they protest the funerals of many soldiers. This image was included with the article:
We finished the lecture about Cloud Computing on Tuesday and began our discussion of the mini topics each student was assigned on Thursday. Having a completely open discussion is my favorite type of class, as I have mentioned before, so I definitely had a good time in class that day. I learned so much from the different things that people researched, and I feel like conversation flowed really well. I was especially interested by the video of the interview with a member of Anonymous and the wife of the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church. I think everyone got a laugh out of that one. After we watched the video, I found an article talking about how the church was planning on protesting Steve Jobs funeral, just as they protest the funerals of many soldiers. This image was included with the article:
Yeah, the pastor's daughter announced that they would be protesting the funeral of Steve Jobs, Apple Co-Founder, via Twitter for iPhone! How ironic.
I am now ready to continue these discussions and also to see the results from our Surveys on SurveyMonkey!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Week 11 - HON 1514
Captchas and Crowdsourcing: These two topics were the focus of discussion in Dissecting the Internet last week.
On Tuesday, I was introduced to captchas. I always knew what they were. I can not even count how many times I have had to type out the letters in a captcha before completing forms on the internet, but I never knew what they were called or their unique purposes. By watching two videos of the man who created captchas and the company reCAPTCHA, I felt pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Captchas are used to prove that the internet user filling out a form over the computer is indeed a human, rather than a computer program designed to fill out multiple forms or buy multiple tickets for an event online. Computers are not yet advanced enough to actually read the words hidden in these Captchas. Unfortunately, these Captchas waste internet users valuable time, so the inventor created a company that makes the time spent filling out Captchas productive. The program reCAPTCHA decided to put two words on Captchas. One word is a word that the website already knows the answer to; therefore, it can still prove that a human is filling out the form. The other word is a word unrecognized by the computer when it was pulled from a book that someone attempted to scan. By filling out this second word, internet users help computers fill in the blanks of books when computers cannot recognize a word. When multiple people match the same text with a word the computer was unable to recognized, it is deemed as correct.
These videos led into the class's discussion on crowdsourcing, which is when people are asked to voice their opinion on a particular subject. On Tuesday, we played crowdsourcing games on the computer, which were kind of addicting. I definitely played on that website a few times back in my dorm. We were then instructed to come up with ideas of crowdsourcing activities in groups for Thursday's class. These activities turned out to be quite interesting. We had examples of crowdsourcing ranging from the Human Knot to arranging ourselves silently based on the UNO Cards taped to our backs. My favorite activity would have to have been Josh and Chris's game, simply because we got to eat food! Yum!
This week it looks like we will be talking about Cloud Computing. Even after reading the Wikipedia explanation, I still have no idea what this is, so I am interested in learning about tomorrow!
On Tuesday, I was introduced to captchas. I always knew what they were. I can not even count how many times I have had to type out the letters in a captcha before completing forms on the internet, but I never knew what they were called or their unique purposes. By watching two videos of the man who created captchas and the company reCAPTCHA, I felt pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Captchas are used to prove that the internet user filling out a form over the computer is indeed a human, rather than a computer program designed to fill out multiple forms or buy multiple tickets for an event online. Computers are not yet advanced enough to actually read the words hidden in these Captchas. Unfortunately, these Captchas waste internet users valuable time, so the inventor created a company that makes the time spent filling out Captchas productive. The program reCAPTCHA decided to put two words on Captchas. One word is a word that the website already knows the answer to; therefore, it can still prove that a human is filling out the form. The other word is a word unrecognized by the computer when it was pulled from a book that someone attempted to scan. By filling out this second word, internet users help computers fill in the blanks of books when computers cannot recognize a word. When multiple people match the same text with a word the computer was unable to recognized, it is deemed as correct.
These videos led into the class's discussion on crowdsourcing, which is when people are asked to voice their opinion on a particular subject. On Tuesday, we played crowdsourcing games on the computer, which were kind of addicting. I definitely played on that website a few times back in my dorm. We were then instructed to come up with ideas of crowdsourcing activities in groups for Thursday's class. These activities turned out to be quite interesting. We had examples of crowdsourcing ranging from the Human Knot to arranging ourselves silently based on the UNO Cards taped to our backs. My favorite activity would have to have been Josh and Chris's game, simply because we got to eat food! Yum!
This week it looks like we will be talking about Cloud Computing. Even after reading the Wikipedia explanation, I still have no idea what this is, so I am interested in learning about tomorrow!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Week 10 - HON 1515
I am pretty sure I can feel my brain growing from all the information I have been taking in over the semester. Cheesy, I know, but I am really being serious. Especially in Dissecting the Internet, there has been so many knew thing that I have learned this semester. Obviously, in this class, information about technology is taking over. Just when I think I am an expert on technology and the internet, some new, interesting information is thrown at me.
This week, the knowledge came in the form of a guest speaker of a marketing firm. This man's company specialized in helping companies website's to appear further up on the list of matches Google comes up with when an internet user searches for a certain type of business. I did not even know such firms existed, much less were a very widely-used corporate tool.
It was fascinating to see they ways Google chooses to order its matches for internet searches. I also was amazed by how much money Google receives from companies choosing to advertise their websites at the top of certain Google search results. During his group's book presentation, Merrick even mentioned some interesting information about the enormous sums of money Google rakes in from advertising.
Speaking of (or rather writing about) book presentations, two more groups presented the books that they read on Thursday. Although much of the information was similar to that which was discussed in other presentations, due to the similarity in book topics, I thought both groups did a good job at making their presentations original. The use of PowerPoint seemed very professional to me, and it helped to keep a steady flow and strong organization to the presentation. These two groups wrapped up the presentations. Now it is time to move more fully into working on the Annotated Bibliography.
I am curious to see what we will be discussing next week. It is a mystery for now! I am sure we will be notified soon enough via the wonderful Internet!
This week, the knowledge came in the form of a guest speaker of a marketing firm. This man's company specialized in helping companies website's to appear further up on the list of matches Google comes up with when an internet user searches for a certain type of business. I did not even know such firms existed, much less were a very widely-used corporate tool.
It was fascinating to see they ways Google chooses to order its matches for internet searches. I also was amazed by how much money Google receives from companies choosing to advertise their websites at the top of certain Google search results. During his group's book presentation, Merrick even mentioned some interesting information about the enormous sums of money Google rakes in from advertising.
Speaking of (or rather writing about) book presentations, two more groups presented the books that they read on Thursday. Although much of the information was similar to that which was discussed in other presentations, due to the similarity in book topics, I thought both groups did a good job at making their presentations original. The use of PowerPoint seemed very professional to me, and it helped to keep a steady flow and strong organization to the presentation. These two groups wrapped up the presentations. Now it is time to move more fully into working on the Annotated Bibliography.
I am curious to see what we will be discussing next week. It is a mystery for now! I am sure we will be notified soon enough via the wonderful Internet!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Week 9 - HON 1515
We began presentations this week in Dissecting the Internet! It really felt very sudden for me. Even though we had been assigned the books at the very beginning of the semester, it seemed then that it was such a far ways away, and then suddenly the due date was upon us. The semester really is flying by. . .
Well, I definitely enjoyed listening to the presentations and discussions groups gave on their books. This week we heard from the students that read The Dumbest Generation, The Overflowing Brain, Distracted, and Against the Machine. Many of these books seemed to have expressed similar views on the internet's negative effects on our generation; however, students seemed to be annoyed that their books did not offer any solutions to these consequences. I know that is they way my group felt after reading Distracted. Our author rambled on and on about information that, although somewhat interesting, often had nothing to do with her point, and in the end, she gave no cure for "the dark age" our generation is headed toward due to new technologies.
Despite the similar topics and viewpoints discussed in all of the books, I thought each group did a good job at presenting their book in a unique way. For instance, I enjoyed the presentation of Against the Machine, where the groups first asked their classmates what they each thought the best and worst thing about the internet was.
This week starts another round of book presentations, which I am looking forward to listening to and discussing. We will also have a guest speaker! Yes!
Well, I definitely enjoyed listening to the presentations and discussions groups gave on their books. This week we heard from the students that read The Dumbest Generation, The Overflowing Brain, Distracted, and Against the Machine. Many of these books seemed to have expressed similar views on the internet's negative effects on our generation; however, students seemed to be annoyed that their books did not offer any solutions to these consequences. I know that is they way my group felt after reading Distracted. Our author rambled on and on about information that, although somewhat interesting, often had nothing to do with her point, and in the end, she gave no cure for "the dark age" our generation is headed toward due to new technologies.
Despite the similar topics and viewpoints discussed in all of the books, I thought each group did a good job at presenting their book in a unique way. For instance, I enjoyed the presentation of Against the Machine, where the groups first asked their classmates what they each thought the best and worst thing about the internet was.
This week starts another round of book presentations, which I am looking forward to listening to and discussing. We will also have a guest speaker! Yes!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
HON 1515 - Week Eight
Thanks to Dissecting the Internet, I now know how to write in code using Transposition and Substitution Ciphers. Last Tuesday (the only day of class last week due to Fall Break), our class had a special guest speaker, a computer science professor, come speak to use about Ciphers. Not only did I find this lecture informative but also quite entertaining.
We had to get a partner whom we would switch codes with throughout the class and decode the other student's messages. The first form of Transportation Cipher we learned about was an Anagram. For this, I used the message "Student Union" with the hint "a place on campus." The cipher text turned out to be: USEDTUITONN.
My partner, Melinda, was able to decode this and the rest of my codes, as I was able to do to hers as well, but it was often hard to once we got to more challenging ciphers, like the Vigenere Cipher.
The professors of Dissecting the Internet have done a wonderful job so far at using all methods of teaching to help us retain the information being offered. I really enjoy having guest speakers, and I hope we can have more in the future.
We had to get a partner whom we would switch codes with throughout the class and decode the other student's messages. The first form of Transportation Cipher we learned about was an Anagram. For this, I used the message "Student Union" with the hint "a place on campus." The cipher text turned out to be: USEDTUITONN.
My partner, Melinda, was able to decode this and the rest of my codes, as I was able to do to hers as well, but it was often hard to once we got to more challenging ciphers, like the Vigenere Cipher.
The professors of Dissecting the Internet have done a wonderful job so far at using all methods of teaching to help us retain the information being offered. I really enjoy having guest speakers, and I hope we can have more in the future.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Week 7 - HON 1515
I swear, talking is the best way to learn! Just discussing topics and sharing different opinions and viewpoints helps to embed anything that I am learning into my brain. We have been doing exactly this in Dissecting the Internet.
This past Tuesday, we discussed articles that we read about a site called 4Chan. This site allows users to have complete anonymity, unlike sites like Twitter or Facebook. Obviously, complete online anonymity is rare these days, and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerburg believes that it is not a good thing. Instead, Zuckerburg believes in almost complete transparency. These two contradicting opinions were the basis of our classes conversation, which turned into somewhat of a debate: Complete Anonymity vs. Complete Transparency.
If I had to pick a side, I would lean more to the transparency side, even though I think complete transparency is pushing the boundaries. Anonymity worries me because I feel that if people need anonymity online, it is because they want to post stuff that they would be ashamed to take credit for. People post so many unnecessary, derogatory, and vulgar things online, and if they would be forced to take credit for what they post, it would cut back on a lot of these things. Internet users will want to take credit for things they are proud of.
Then, on Thursday, we had a "Facebook Good vs. Facebook Bad" debate. I was assigned to argue the "Facebook Good" side. Unfortunately, my debate group lost by three votes; however, I think everyone got a lot out of the argument, which is the important thing. The debate honestly got a little more heated than I thought it would, especially since the debaters didn't even get to pick the side they wanted to be on or actually believed in!
This week discussing Privacy vs. Anonymity was really productive, and it is a topic I have enjoyed discussing!
This past Tuesday, we discussed articles that we read about a site called 4Chan. This site allows users to have complete anonymity, unlike sites like Twitter or Facebook. Obviously, complete online anonymity is rare these days, and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerburg believes that it is not a good thing. Instead, Zuckerburg believes in almost complete transparency. These two contradicting opinions were the basis of our classes conversation, which turned into somewhat of a debate: Complete Anonymity vs. Complete Transparency.
If I had to pick a side, I would lean more to the transparency side, even though I think complete transparency is pushing the boundaries. Anonymity worries me because I feel that if people need anonymity online, it is because they want to post stuff that they would be ashamed to take credit for. People post so many unnecessary, derogatory, and vulgar things online, and if they would be forced to take credit for what they post, it would cut back on a lot of these things. Internet users will want to take credit for things they are proud of.
Then, on Thursday, we had a "Facebook Good vs. Facebook Bad" debate. I was assigned to argue the "Facebook Good" side. Unfortunately, my debate group lost by three votes; however, I think everyone got a lot out of the argument, which is the important thing. The debate honestly got a little more heated than I thought it would, especially since the debaters didn't even get to pick the side they wanted to be on or actually believed in!
This week discussing Privacy vs. Anonymity was really productive, and it is a topic I have enjoyed discussing!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Week 6 - HON 1515
I don't know about the rest of my classmates, but I found the internet search assignment we did this week to be my favorite activity so far!
Last Tuesday and Thursday we launched our "Privacy and Anonymity" segment of the course. Naturally, my classmates, professors, and I were all curious about just how much privacy we had online. None of us are major celebrities (singers, actors, professional athletes, etc.), so it didn't really occur to us that there would be much information about our personal lives on line. Boy, were we wrong!
Everyone in the class got a partner to look up online, and the mass of information found on each other's partners was incredible. People could find relatives, house locations (including pictures of the house), cell phone numbers, club and sport activity, birthdays, academic achievements, and the list goes on. I would have never thought that there was such a large amount information about myself or any of my classmates online. After all, who exactly would want to know all of that stuff about our lives?
I searched myself as well and found so many things documented about my years competing in auto racing and about my dad, who is a television commentator for Speed Channel. Apparently, according to one racing site, my racing status is now "presumed retired" because I have not raced in the past two years. I laughed at the fact that I could be "retired" at the age of 18. I also found it a little unnerving when I located a blog post where a racing fan talked about my success in a particular race and then watching me walk around the pit area afterward talking on my cell phone. No wonder celebrities freak out when being watched or followed, I felt pretty awkward after reading just that one article. I especially didn't like finding ugly pictures from my middle school years online. I can hide the hard-copy versions of those pictures when I'm at home, but I don't know how to get rid of them online (unfortunately).
This week has made me really realize how easy it is for anyone to find information about anyone else online. I am really excited to continue with this topic on Tuesday. I am anxious to find out more!
Last Tuesday and Thursday we launched our "Privacy and Anonymity" segment of the course. Naturally, my classmates, professors, and I were all curious about just how much privacy we had online. None of us are major celebrities (singers, actors, professional athletes, etc.), so it didn't really occur to us that there would be much information about our personal lives on line. Boy, were we wrong!
Everyone in the class got a partner to look up online, and the mass of information found on each other's partners was incredible. People could find relatives, house locations (including pictures of the house), cell phone numbers, club and sport activity, birthdays, academic achievements, and the list goes on. I would have never thought that there was such a large amount information about myself or any of my classmates online. After all, who exactly would want to know all of that stuff about our lives?
I searched myself as well and found so many things documented about my years competing in auto racing and about my dad, who is a television commentator for Speed Channel. Apparently, according to one racing site, my racing status is now "presumed retired" because I have not raced in the past two years. I laughed at the fact that I could be "retired" at the age of 18. I also found it a little unnerving when I located a blog post where a racing fan talked about my success in a particular race and then watching me walk around the pit area afterward talking on my cell phone. No wonder celebrities freak out when being watched or followed, I felt pretty awkward after reading just that one article. I especially didn't like finding ugly pictures from my middle school years online. I can hide the hard-copy versions of those pictures when I'm at home, but I don't know how to get rid of them online (unfortunately).
This week has made me really realize how easy it is for anyone to find information about anyone else online. I am really excited to continue with this topic on Tuesday. I am anxious to find out more!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Week 5 - HON 1515
The Forecast was sunny on Tuesday in Dissecting the Internet when we were presented with special guest Dr. Ray Russell, Computer Science Professor and creator of Ray's Weather Center. I must say, I truly enjoyed Dr. Russell's visit.
Not only did I find our guest to be a happy, joyful person to be around, but I got so much out of what he had to say to our class. I loved his stories about meeting with Chris McDougal, reading Born to Run, and his own exercise/running stories. I also enjoyed learning about how technology can be used to track the calories a person consumes during the day or how many miles someone runs. It was especially interesting to learn that these weight loss and fitness websites can be turned into a social networking system where other users can provide support for your own fitness goals.
To be honest, I am generally not very good at keeping my eyes open without physically forcing them that way when I am running on little sleep, yet I was totally engaged in Dr. Russell's presentation. The entire class laughed along with him and enjoyed every last minute of his time spent there.
I hope that our Dissecting the Internet class can host other guest speakers like Dr. Russell in the near future.
On Thursday, our class broke into groups to discuss our Analysis of RescueTime. My group members' analysis contrasted somewhat with my own, as did much of the class'. While my classmates found RescueTime to be an inaccurate calculation of their productivity, I on the other hand found it to measure my efficiency on the computer fairly well. I believe this may have to do with the large amount of homework assigned in my classes online.
Overall, it was another productive, interesting week in Dissecting the Internet. I'll see everyone Tuesday! Until then, toodles!
Not only did I find our guest to be a happy, joyful person to be around, but I got so much out of what he had to say to our class. I loved his stories about meeting with Chris McDougal, reading Born to Run, and his own exercise/running stories. I also enjoyed learning about how technology can be used to track the calories a person consumes during the day or how many miles someone runs. It was especially interesting to learn that these weight loss and fitness websites can be turned into a social networking system where other users can provide support for your own fitness goals.
To be honest, I am generally not very good at keeping my eyes open without physically forcing them that way when I am running on little sleep, yet I was totally engaged in Dr. Russell's presentation. The entire class laughed along with him and enjoyed every last minute of his time spent there.
I hope that our Dissecting the Internet class can host other guest speakers like Dr. Russell in the near future.
On Thursday, our class broke into groups to discuss our Analysis of RescueTime. My group members' analysis contrasted somewhat with my own, as did much of the class'. While my classmates found RescueTime to be an inaccurate calculation of their productivity, I on the other hand found it to measure my efficiency on the computer fairly well. I believe this may have to do with the large amount of homework assigned in my classes online.
Overall, it was another productive, interesting week in Dissecting the Internet. I'll see everyone Tuesday! Until then, toodles!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
HON 1515 - Week Four
The discussion in Dissecting the Internet continued this week about the use of technology in the classroom. Before coming to class on Tuesday, my classmates and I were told to read an article titled "Collaborative Learning for the Digital Age." I really enjoyed reading up on the way Duke University (although I'm not a fan of the college) used Apple technology in their classes. I thought many of the different uses were really interesting, such as using their iPods for social networking where they could conduct interviews and comment on other students' audio. I really enjoy using new technology in my classes as well, as long as this new style of learning does not completely take over the standard style. For example, I often worry that students will start learning entirely from a computer and miss out on classroom activities such as the discussion we have been having in class. Discussion and debate will be used not only in the classroom but in future jobs, meetings, and even in casual get togethers with family and friends.
However, to be honest, I would like to suggest not always using the form of discussion we did on Tuesday, which involved going around the classroom and making each person share their opinion in turn. I feel like the best form of discussion is an open format in which each individual can raise their hands and speak whenever. This allows students to share ideas whenever one happens to pop into their heads in stead of having to wait. It also allows them to build off of one another's ideas more naturally.
We also began using RescueTime on Tuesday, a program that calculates what we do on the internet and the productivity of our computer use. I have found it fascinating to realize exactly how efficient my time on the computer has been and can't wait to see how the research of everyone else in the class compares.
On Thursday, we didn't meet up at our usual time or in our usual classroom. Instead, we had met outside the convocation to hear Christopher McDougall speak and recognize professors that have done a lot for Appalachian State University. This was much shorter than I had imagined, which I thought was good because everyone was tired, and it helped to hold students' attention. I also enjoyed McDougall's falling out of a tree story/metaphor and the lesson it provided.
See everyone on Thursday!
However, to be honest, I would like to suggest not always using the form of discussion we did on Tuesday, which involved going around the classroom and making each person share their opinion in turn. I feel like the best form of discussion is an open format in which each individual can raise their hands and speak whenever. This allows students to share ideas whenever one happens to pop into their heads in stead of having to wait. It also allows them to build off of one another's ideas more naturally.
We also began using RescueTime on Tuesday, a program that calculates what we do on the internet and the productivity of our computer use. I have found it fascinating to realize exactly how efficient my time on the computer has been and can't wait to see how the research of everyone else in the class compares.
On Thursday, we didn't meet up at our usual time or in our usual classroom. Instead, we had met outside the convocation to hear Christopher McDougall speak and recognize professors that have done a lot for Appalachian State University. This was much shorter than I had imagined, which I thought was good because everyone was tired, and it helped to hold students' attention. I also enjoyed McDougall's falling out of a tree story/metaphor and the lesson it provided.
See everyone on Thursday!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
HON 1515 - Week Three
This week in Dissecting the Internet I got to do two of my favorite things: watching movies and DEBATING!
A debate was one of my original suggestions for the class, so I was extremely excited when I heard we would be watching a video called "Digital Nation" and then debating/discussing the points mentioned in the video afterward.
On Tuesday, when we spent our class period watching this video. I learned several new and interesting things about how technology can be both beneficial and hazardous to one's brain and well-being. I never before knew that people could actually die from playing video games for 50 hours straight or that there were camps for those addicted to computers called Internet Rescue Camps. I especially enjoyed hearing conflicting points of view on whether multitasking is a necessary/good thing or something that actually makes you move slower and become much more distracted.
I personally believe a little bit of both. I know that technology has an effect on my not being able to concentrate on one thing for a long amount of time. Multitasking can definitely be essential in today's hectic world; however, people of our generation (myself included) need to learn how to concentrate solely on the task at hand for a decent amount of time before switching to another task.
On Thursday came the fun part. We got to debate and share our ideas, such as those that I just shared above. I love debating and have been told that I am good at arguing my point, so debate has always been so fun for me. I tend to get nervous when I first start speaking, but once I had brought up one point on Thursday I had the confidence to comment on most of the issues we discussed. I found it really interesting to see what my classmates views were or hear their personal stories about how technology has hurt, aided, or distracted them on the past. My favorite examples were those about students' mothers either being stellar multitaskers or not being able to focus on holding a conversation with their own kids if they are busy texting or surfing the web.
I was so excited to see that we will be discussing more this week! I'm looking forward to hearing what else everyone has to share about the impacts of technology and finding out what other facts we can agree or disagree about when it comes to the internet.
A debate was one of my original suggestions for the class, so I was extremely excited when I heard we would be watching a video called "Digital Nation" and then debating/discussing the points mentioned in the video afterward.
On Tuesday, when we spent our class period watching this video. I learned several new and interesting things about how technology can be both beneficial and hazardous to one's brain and well-being. I never before knew that people could actually die from playing video games for 50 hours straight or that there were camps for those addicted to computers called Internet Rescue Camps. I especially enjoyed hearing conflicting points of view on whether multitasking is a necessary/good thing or something that actually makes you move slower and become much more distracted.
I personally believe a little bit of both. I know that technology has an effect on my not being able to concentrate on one thing for a long amount of time. Multitasking can definitely be essential in today's hectic world; however, people of our generation (myself included) need to learn how to concentrate solely on the task at hand for a decent amount of time before switching to another task.
On Thursday came the fun part. We got to debate and share our ideas, such as those that I just shared above. I love debating and have been told that I am good at arguing my point, so debate has always been so fun for me. I tend to get nervous when I first start speaking, but once I had brought up one point on Thursday I had the confidence to comment on most of the issues we discussed. I found it really interesting to see what my classmates views were or hear their personal stories about how technology has hurt, aided, or distracted them on the past. My favorite examples were those about students' mothers either being stellar multitaskers or not being able to focus on holding a conversation with their own kids if they are busy texting or surfing the web.
I was so excited to see that we will be discussing more this week! I'm looking forward to hearing what else everyone has to share about the impacts of technology and finding out what other facts we can agree or disagree about when it comes to the internet.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
HON 1515 - Week Two
Well, Week Two in Dissecting the Internet only further helped prove my theory for the fall semester: this class is one of the most interesting and relevant courses a student at Appalachian can take!
The evidence began pouring in on Tuesday, when we learned about networks and how data travels from computer to computer. Growing up, it always fascinated me how computers can share information with each other in a matter of seconds. Not only did we discuss and read about how computers can share documents, pictures, etc. through a network, as well as the different types of networks there are (ex. Local Area Network), we illustrated the concept in a group activity. In this experiment small groups had to pass multi-colored bowling pins around in a circle in order to get the two pins that matched each student's construction paper. The trick? The bowling pins could only be passed to a person with an empty hand (one student has only one bowling pin). I found this to be an extremely enjoyable way to exemplify how data is transported through networks.
In Thursday's session, the class met at a classroom in the library. And may I just say, I think the library on campus is amazing and beautiful! I love it (yeah, I'm a book worm)! I honestly was really thankful that I got the opportunity to learn about how to use the library website and the linked databases to find professional articles and books about topics for research. This will really help me when it comes to writing papers for my classes! I was also excited because I got to learn how to look up books for leisure reading and how to use the "Map It!" button to locate them!
This class is continuing to be beneficial to me in my everyday life in this modern technological world! I'm ready for the lessons to come in the following weeks!
Love,
Meghan
The evidence began pouring in on Tuesday, when we learned about networks and how data travels from computer to computer. Growing up, it always fascinated me how computers can share information with each other in a matter of seconds. Not only did we discuss and read about how computers can share documents, pictures, etc. through a network, as well as the different types of networks there are (ex. Local Area Network), we illustrated the concept in a group activity. In this experiment small groups had to pass multi-colored bowling pins around in a circle in order to get the two pins that matched each student's construction paper. The trick? The bowling pins could only be passed to a person with an empty hand (one student has only one bowling pin). I found this to be an extremely enjoyable way to exemplify how data is transported through networks.
In Thursday's session, the class met at a classroom in the library. And may I just say, I think the library on campus is amazing and beautiful! I love it (yeah, I'm a book worm)! I honestly was really thankful that I got the opportunity to learn about how to use the library website and the linked databases to find professional articles and books about topics for research. This will really help me when it comes to writing papers for my classes! I was also excited because I got to learn how to look up books for leisure reading and how to use the "Map It!" button to locate them!
This class is continuing to be beneficial to me in my everyday life in this modern technological world! I'm ready for the lessons to come in the following weeks!
Love,
Meghan
Sunday, August 28, 2011
HON 1515 - Week One
I began this past week of classes as a nervous new college student. I already knew that I loved Appalachian State. I mean, with the breathtaking landscapes, beautiful weather, and welcoming atmosphere that radiates throughout the campus, what is not to like? However, I had no clue what my classes would be like. Would the teachers be nice? What would my classmates be like? Would the work be too demanding?
Luckily, those answers were given to me within my first day: Yes, the professors were extremely nice. My fellow students were awesome. No, the work is rather manageable. Although all of my courses seemed to cause these answers to my questions, my HON 1515 class, Dissecting the Internet, instantly stood out to me as a favorite.
Not only were these professors nice, they were unique and seemed truly dedicated and interested in helping us to explore today's technology. From the moment that they began class with stories about shooting guns or bows and arrows, I knew I would truly enjoy learning from them.
My classmates all seemed amazing as well. I feel like all of the students around me are as intrigued by the interesting topic we are exploring together as I am. I've enjoyed being able to discuss the readings we have already completed with them, and I hope for more open discussion in the classroom with them as we progress and become more comfortable around one another.
The work and subject matter of the class suits me really well. I find the things we have learned about the internet so far fascinating. I never before knew much about bits, decoding IP addresses, or the pings sent from a cellular phone to different telephone poles and cell phone providers to track a phones location. I feel that this class is going to provide me, unlike some other classes I have taken in high school, with information that I will truly need to know in the modern world. The internet and new technology are things that we deal with in our daily lives!
As far as suggestions go, I would really like to read more about whether the internet has made us a more or less intelligent society. Also, I would like to have some large discussions and debates in class where we can bring in research as well as our own opinions about certain subjects.
I am so looking forward to the upcoming ventures in this class!
Love,
Meghan
Luckily, those answers were given to me within my first day: Yes, the professors were extremely nice. My fellow students were awesome. No, the work is rather manageable. Although all of my courses seemed to cause these answers to my questions, my HON 1515 class, Dissecting the Internet, instantly stood out to me as a favorite.
Not only were these professors nice, they were unique and seemed truly dedicated and interested in helping us to explore today's technology. From the moment that they began class with stories about shooting guns or bows and arrows, I knew I would truly enjoy learning from them.
My classmates all seemed amazing as well. I feel like all of the students around me are as intrigued by the interesting topic we are exploring together as I am. I've enjoyed being able to discuss the readings we have already completed with them, and I hope for more open discussion in the classroom with them as we progress and become more comfortable around one another.
The work and subject matter of the class suits me really well. I find the things we have learned about the internet so far fascinating. I never before knew much about bits, decoding IP addresses, or the pings sent from a cellular phone to different telephone poles and cell phone providers to track a phones location. I feel that this class is going to provide me, unlike some other classes I have taken in high school, with information that I will truly need to know in the modern world. The internet and new technology are things that we deal with in our daily lives!
As far as suggestions go, I would really like to read more about whether the internet has made us a more or less intelligent society. Also, I would like to have some large discussions and debates in class where we can bring in research as well as our own opinions about certain subjects.
I am so looking forward to the upcoming ventures in this class!
Love,
Meghan
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