PLN 7: "Web 2.0...The Machine is us/ing us"

"Web 2.0...The Machine is us/ing us"

Dr. Michael Wesch

Summary:

Michael Wesch’s “Web 2.0…The Machine is us/ing us” educates how computers and the Web 2.0 are starting to use people once they post images and other comments on the internet.  The video starts out with an explanation of how using hand writing is not a very good form of expressing oneself.  Michael Wesch then illustrates multiple web applications, including websites, HTML formats, and Google to explain that people are growing more accustomed to the Web 2.0.  Wesch explains that users are teaching the “machine,” and as the machine starts to learn, it begins to “use” the user instead.  Throughout the video, Wesch portrays people are teaching the “machine” and the machine is growing smarter.

Summary Response:

Dr. Michael Wesch’s “Web 2.0…The Machine is us/ing us” demonstrates the use of the Web 2.0 and portrays a very negative effect on people by making them addicted to the internet.  Wesch expresses his dislike of the Web 2.0 because the web or “machine” is growing stronger as more and more people use it.  An example is when the video explains that over 100 billion people click on webpages every day.  Also people can post things on the internet like pictures, videos, or comments, and once these are posted, people cannot get them back.  The video ends when the writer transcribes a comment saying “We need to rethink ourselves.”  Wesch means that people should rethink their privacy, what they do online, and that they should be aware that the internet can be untrustworthy because people can post things that are based off other webpages.  The idea of the video is that people should stop trying to post immoral pictures or comments on the internet because those posts can end up negatively affecting the user.

                                                                                                                                                

pln6

In Amanda Ripleys “The Case Against High School Sports” she explains the importance of our education and how high school sports could be influencing that. She gives some examples of schools where this is a recurring issue and what they did to stop it. In one of her examples the school decided to take out sports all together and as a result the students grades were increased significantly due to the fact that they had so much less on their minds regarding athletics. In Ripleys “The Case Against High School sports she show that there is more to bad grades than just laziness.     

PLN 6: "The Case Against High-School Sports"

"The Case Against High-School Sports"
Amanda Ripley

Summary:

In Amanda Ripley’s “The Case Against High-School Sports” describes how high school (and college) sports are a big deal in the United States of America.  Ripley provides an example on a test of critical thinking, in math, is the reason why the United States ranks 31st because students are more focused on sports than they are on education.  Ripley questions the role of schools being involved with organized sports and the lack of emphasis on academics. Ripley explains the reason why South Korea, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are ranked the highest on the test is because these countries have a strong focus on academics.  Schools that are failing in education have tried multiple ideas to get education back up on the top priorities, such as, getting rid of all sports.  Schools have multiple sports, and these sports are affecting students ability to learn.

Response:

    Amanda Ripley’s “The Case Against High-School Sports”  elucidates that schools are edging students to play sports and not focus on education, which can create a bad future for students.  The author explains that she is worried about the imbalance of schools emphasis on sports and academics, where they put sports first and academics later.  Ripley cited two schools that were trying to make changes by eliminating sports (Premont High School in Texas and Spelman College in Georgia).  Premont shut down all sports so their students would focus more on education, and Spelman College cut sports completely and instead put $1 million into a fitness program for the students.   Premont’s plan was a success, with 80% of students passing their classes instead of the previous year’s 50% of students passing.  Spelman College students lost weight because the fitness program benefited the full student body instead of just 80 athletes.  More schools need to figure out how to balance out education with sports.

 

PLN 5

“Footprints in the digital age” by will richardson portrays the idea that people can read about somebody else on the internet and it could be about something personal and the person would never know.  The idea that somebody could put personal info on the web and then have it twisted around into bad ways for other people to see is scary. The idea of putting personal information on the internet is scary in the first place.  There should be places that monitor what type of information is put on the internet.

The thing is though that little kids are also putting information on the internet and these are little kids who don’t know anything about internet safety.  These little kids need to be either taught or monitored about what they should put on the internet.  Like anything that these kids can be put on the internet can be seen By older people.  This is also a cause of kidnapping because these little kids are putting the addresses on the internet and schedules and stuff.