jess

Blog # 28

2009-11-30T20:01:00.000-06:00

Reflecting on my writing center experience the day my blogs are due. Mrs. Crawford I will email you a reminder. I arrived early to my appointment today. Hopefully by the end of this blog I shall be done! I have so many questions to ask my tutor. Since I am working only with one article at this time I am seriously hoping to get my second article from Crawford. Whenever I read something I feel like I never really fully understand it until someone else summarizes. Then it all links together in my mind. As I sit here though I listen to the workers here in the Writing Center and they deal with many students and their scheduling of appointments. I think students are quickly learning that if you do not plan ahead of time you will suffer the consequences. My appointment was exactly forty five minutes long and Vincent helped me. There were a lot of issues that needed to be explained to me, after a scare of the computer shutting off. I seriously need to get a flash drive. I began to understand what I was reading. This one article was a little confusing for me. Saying Dad in the subject line and then jumping to two female subjects. I just got lost in the whole thing. Close to the end of the semester and my brain is running low on fumes. I better recharge before finals! I am really relieved that I don't have to go to the writing center because I have to. I like going because I want it to be my idea. Builds up my confidence level. I forgot to log out of the writing center. Building this essay has been a challenge, I am positive that by practicing this MLA format and the order and meaning of all the acronyms such as Np. No publisher will remain in my memory forever. In the summer when I take my next English class I will use all the information and experience with me and use it for my future class. As the semester started I tried to absorb as much as I could. My knowledge is leaking all over the place now and it is scattered all over my bookshelf. The San Antonio Writing Center is a welcoming area where you can work on your assignments. If it is a requirement or not, getting help with a tutor is a simple task. I have also learned that just because I do not understand something does not mean I should suffer alone. We must take advantage of the opportunities this country gives us. This college is a great building block for my future. English class this semester has been a great experience. I thank everyone for their input on my essays and wish you all the best of luck in school and in life.

Blog # 27

2009-11-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

We immediately jumped into the assignment for our annotated bibliography exercise. We read as a class, a handout called "A Hard Case of Cyberbullying Making Bad Law." This article discussed a young girl committing suicide from a 43 year old posing as a young boy who was harassing her over the internet. There were people who wanted to make this against the law, harassing over the internet was looked down upon. At the end of this article was another printed page that Mrs. Crawford googled. It had information on the author of the article and listed many previous articles that he had made. We practiced our form by making our own critical analysis of this particular article. Does it seem like a reliable and current source? Why? Is the research biased or objective? Biased meaning prejudice, objective-meaning open minded. Are the facts well documented? Who is the author? Is he qualified in this subject? Is this source scholarly, popular, some of both? These questions are the source of our second paragraph. This will consist of the evaluation of the above questions. The exercise we did in class really helped me understand what our assignment entails. I am trying to take one thing at a time because all my head is filled with is Final Exam dates!

Blog # 26

2009-11-23T20:39:00.000-06:00

Every time of year when Thanksgiving rolls around, I get the opportunity to spend time with my family and my friends. I enjoy every holiday because unlike most families, my family is spread out all over the states and barely get to see each other throughout the year. My mom or my grandparents usually cook. I was never allowed in the kitchen as a child, I was super clumsy. Therefore, I was stuck watching football in the living room. I watched many Cowboy games and ate many chips. I remember washing many dishes from everyone getting seconds. I also remember the shopping day; my mom does not like crowds so we only went about four or five times throughout the years. I remember busy, packed stores it was crazy. I was scared so I made sure I stayed close to my mom. I am a mommy's girl, and proud of it. In school we used to be able to dress up, I was always chosen to be the Indian girl, I had long thick black hair that my mom would put braids in. I love pigtails. We would always color things and hang them on the fridge. I remember asking my teacher for a magnet because we did not have any more free ones at home. The next day she brought some clay, we put our hands in them, and she super glued a magnet on the back so we could remember. Neat uh. I love Thanksgiving, it is a great time to give thanks. We always have stuffing, turkey and all kinds of desserts. I remember having to celebrate two thanksgivings in one day because my parents could not agree on keeping us in one spot. Therefore, we had to stuff ourselves, until we rolled around. haha. My dad loves to cook and he has tried to teach me, but I am a kinesthetic learner so him just telling me how to do it did not really sink in. Oh, well. I like to pray before we eat, we only seemed to do that on special occasions or when my grandpa was there. He is a deacon. Thanksgiving means a great deal to me, my real grandpa on my mom's side was a real Indian. He passed before I was born so I never met him. I am grateful for my family I love them very much. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Blog # 25

2009-11-23T20:17:00.001-06:00

Groups with all eligible members brought their printed rough draft to class. I went this day to the emergency room, making it my fourth absence for this class. I was able to get some feedback from other sources outside the classroom. I even told my nurse about it because I wanted extra advice about it. She told me to read it over, aloud. Most of the spots where I had taken a breath, there was not a comma or period. That helped me out a lot, yes, even though I was feeling like crap that essay was on my brain. This school stuff is really sinking in. There are only a few things I do think about nowadays since I started going to college, my homework, my husband, my dogs and bills, not too shabby if you ask me. I was able to finish my assignment on time, unfortunately Mrs. Crawford was absent for class on the due date. This gave everyone those extra days to revise, revise, and revise, as she would put it. On our tentative schedule, also known as our syllabus stated that November 13 was the last day to withdraw out of this class. Sometimes I get discouraged, but then I remember all the sacrifices I have made in order to be in college and it would have all been for nothing if I quit anything now. I am doing well, just taking one assignment at a time.

Blog # 23

2009-11-18T00:05:00.000-06:00

I was curious today when we did not get into groups to start our Compare or Contrast Essay Assignment. As soon as Mrs. Crawford entered the room, we all had to jump up to walk over to the computer lab. She briefly discussed with us what she had planned. I was a little hesitant about this assignment; it was sort of a pop quiz to me. I am learning my flow of writing, and when the semester ends, I think I will continue to blog to keep my writing skills up to date. I typed some good two or three paragraphs, and was able to be at ease. Instead of writing on spiral paper where I make many revisions, typing I did not have a second thought about crossing out words or letters. I could just erase it and insert what I wanted. No mess! I was already at home whenever the day came to announce the winners. From what I have read, Mrs. Crawford entered us in the Student Government Association's essay contest. The prizes were decent. She was right, we are all procrastinators and who really wanted to start on that essay anyway!? I wonder still who won that prize, and I think it is cool that someone won from a remedial class. Crazy eh!

Blog # 24

2009-11-05T22:01:00.009-06:00

I made sure that I scheduled my appointment early on before I forgot. This MySpace and Facebook compare and contrast essay went by real fast. Writing it in class was a new way of things, but it is good to practice different ways of writing. Persuaded to type and not stop about a certain subject reminded me of the movie Finding Forrester. Do not think, just type. We had to get that feeling of the flow of writing. Trying my best not to think so much I did fairly well. I know Daniel over thinks too much because he wants everything to be perfect. Practice makes perfect, not only that but you have to be involved in what you are doing otherwise it is not going to sink in as well as you would like. When Mrs. Crawford handed out the paper with the two different column sections, I thought it would be simple to understand. I had a little trouble grasping exactly what she wanted. I had never seen this type of formation, when I finally went to the writing center I showed my tutor the exact same handout and he was able to explain in more detail and used a funny example. He broke it down for me with a loop diagram. The one with the two circles entwined like the Olympics. We came up with ideas, the different programs each one had, describing the layout of the pages and the writing them down on the diagram. We ended up with a crowded middle, which were all the things they had in common. I chose to contrast the two sites because I figured everyone would go the easy way and write about all the things in common the sites did have. My tutor and I had to get a visual just to write down differences, so he made me go to the MySpace homepage and Facebook homepage. I did not have to sign in because the meanings of both were plain as the eye could see. Lots of color MySpace has, and Facebook not so much. Oh and another thing, I was late to my appointment. I called ahead of time to notify my tutor and he was able to squeeze me in because the appointment after me was a no show. Was that lucky or what. Ok well think that is my four hundred words, until next time.

Blog # 22

2009-11-05T21:48:00.000-06:00

The articles being discussed here is how Facebook airs your dirty laundry and just how complicated a divorce can get. And the things your lawyer might use in your defense, a updated comment in your Facebook inbox. Reading this article made me look at how messed up the world is and the impact on technology.

Wow, the next article I will mention talks about how two liars met on MySpace, went out for a date, had sex with each other and then the girl sued MySpace for not protecting her from online predators. This article scared me because not only did it teach me more about how crazy this world is. It taught me that my instincts were correct. Only to add people I know, and talk to friends I know. Sure, you can browse people's unprotected profiles, but just to be safe. Set your profile to private until you are ready to share all your pictures, your friends' information and your personal space as well. Internet predators have also increased in number, and talks about how parents should be more aware of the dangers and actions their child can encounter with chatting online to a stranger. The government is involved with this one, this appears to be an ongoing issue and is a dangerous place to be when meeting people who you have not seen face to face. What wackos!

There is such a thing as social networking junkies. Or, as I like to call them, people who seriously have no lives outside their computer/mobile screen! Amazing! It also discusses the differences between two Facebook and MySpace. The social structure as it were, for online social sites. MySpace is used by mostly suburban, low income, single-family homes, whereas, Facebook is more on an educational level of intellect.

MySpace launches A Free Music Revolution, which means unlimited music is available free. A little bit of controversy is involved here as well, with Artist not willing to give their songs away free. The competition is growing between all sites that give music, paid for or not we will just have to wait and find out the next best thing for a free music application.

Facebook Exodus discusses people over a certain age quitting these sites. It has a few examples of stories about the purpose of why they quit these sites. How these quitters thought it was a big deal at first to be a part of these sites and how that excitement has faded over time.

Other articles mostly discussed Facebook; the debate is if professors are sharing too much information to their students. Revealing too much may affect, reflect your career.

Blog # 21

2009-11-05T21:02:00.000-06:00

Handheld Learning Conference 2008 introduces Danah Boyd. She speaks about the good and bad about technology in our classrooms. "Education is about teaching young people to think". Speaking about how technology can be an extremely valuable tool into the classrooms. Technology is reality. The main issue is how are these technologies are going to effect the learners. Our generation today has greatly influenced our lives. Being able to represent yourself to your peers on social networks is being able to control your own space. Virtually or in Reality. Young people deal with a lot of situation, which would appear super awkward with a face-to-face conversation. Many kids go online to communicate, since kids are not adults yet they aren't allowed to do much. Being grounded in the 21st century…You have the computer, your television, cell phone, guitar hero. All these things do just inside your room.

Many fear new things and new environments that is what this video is talking about. Teachers and older generations have to deal with new age technology.
There are many aspects of the virtual world, whether it is restrictions parents applied onto your computer, the amount of hours are limited. This video has very valuable information to any kind of teacher wanting to use other means of technology in their classrooms to help teach kids.

Danah speaks about the process of tools; Wikipedia is formed by many people adding on information to information on this website. She used this as an example to explain the perspective of certain aspects or history in the U.S. Wikipedia is an ongoing and ever changing process of information available to everyone.
Learning data such as math problems is that not only does it teach logical structures how the world works it teaches us, or shows us the bigger picture. Having done a field trip to a city park, she was able to see the environment in degrees and angles.
Logical structure is a base on how the world works. Technology is always growing and it sort of updates itself as time passes. Technology is helping to teach our English class how fundamental structures like MySpace and Facebook work. We are beginning to understand the purpose of a social online site and how things have become that much easier and continue to remain so complicated. (As far as Facebook taking away from study time.)

Danah makes so many good points, how technology is a tool in which young people understand the structures around them. And how world literacy help develop critical thinkers, about teaching the fundamentals of the new world. A brilliant video.

Blog # 20

2009-11-05T20:45:00.000-06:00

In class, we received a helpful handout to help create the Comparison or Contrast Essay. From our own recollection, we began writing down the similarities to Facebook and MySpace, as well as the differences among them. Someone asked a question aloud and we started to discuss the details as a group. With this open discussion, I was able to make a list for MySpace, and Facebook and this list will help me form the details for my assignment.

They both have gaming applications, you are able to view each other's profiles, and see what mutual friends you have in common with the next friend. Yes, MySpace is more graphic then Facebook. On both sites you are able to type in your status, and whatever you inserted can be seen by all your friends.

I was well aware of our next essay assignment, but for some reason I thought this would be much easier. This time we are given a lot of time to create this essay. Our next one is going to flash before our eyes.

I had already formed my Facebook and MySpace pages a long time ago. I will have to admit there were some applications I was unaware of. And to my surprise they are very similar in the idea of these social online sites. I do not know how I heard of these sites, but I just used them because I like to have pictures and poetry and kind of create my own little world. Then I started to learn about html and how to put photos on my page and share the ones I chose to be seen. I also experience the stalker ex-boyfriend phase. So not cool, and super scary. These are a few examples of the information I gained while being apart of these sites. Facebook is nice too, I first saw it as a college based sites. All I saw were which group you were a part of schools mostly. I never saw anything other than white backgrounds, how boring compared to MySpace. Therefore, I stuck with MySpace mostly. I am a creative person and I just like to change my background every now and then and add some new poetry in my blogs. MySpace just seemed more fun and graphic at the time. Since I wasn't a part of any colleges or universities I didn't see a reason to elaborate on my profile on Facebook.

Blog # 19 (free blog)

2009-11-05T20:02:00.000-06:00

Having being sick for nearly a week, really took a toll on my everyday life. In case anyone in particular had been worried or concerned, I wanted to share this with you. I know when I am stressed because my body has this trigger; it tenses up my shoulder muscles and has this harsh reaction to how I get things done. It is super hard to get what I know needs to get done. My husband will undergo multiple surgeries during this lifetime. Please know that I like to keep things like this inside. Knowing the possibility that the entire class may read this, and the fear of what everyone might think I am still willing to share a little piece of me.

I am 23 years old; I have been married for 2 1/2 years. My side of the family was very accepting; his on the other hand was not. Because of the extent of my husband's injuries, I needed their help to get by. I am not the best cook in the world, and every said I should accept their help. Whenever you know you have the ability to take care of another person, is the day you realize just how strong you are. My husband was in Afghanistan, him and 2 others were injured severely. The 3rd, was trapped in the vehicle and was burned alive. Crazy…I know!

Since my husband was burned, he is unable to stay out in the sun for a long time. Sun tan lotion is an everyday necessity, and I had to grow up and start running errands by myself. I had to take care of all the bills, and make sure we had everything he needed for his care. My mother says when I married him that being a wife in itself was hard. She would have never wished this upon her soft-spoken daughter, or anyone else for that matter. I share this with yall because every day we make up excuses, and use our families as crutches to not get things done. Just because shit happens does not mean I have to give up.

I question my purpose sometimes, and I am not referring to any suicide notions of any kind! What I am referring to is was I put here to take care of the person I love the most in this world. And how did God know I had the strength to not give up. Why has he instilled his trust in me to not give up. I know I will not, many thought I would not be able to handle such a huge amount of responsibility. You know when life-changing events occur in your life, you start to be grateful for the small things. The material on the steering wheel cover gives my husband grip to turn the wheel. Him being able to drive by himself was a great triumph for us. The use of uniquely made doorknobs, so he is able to open and close doors all by himself. Living with the in-laws has been the biggest emotional struggle of my life. Everyone has his or her own story; here is a little part of my world that I wanted to share with you. If anyone has any questions, please do not be afraid to ask.

This semester is almost over! Thank GOD!

Blog # 18

2009-11-05T19:32:00.001-06:00

The Killing Us Softly 3 is a thirty-minute video with the Media Education Foundation. This particular video was very different from the ones I have seen. It spoke the truth from a different angle. Some parts discussed were very humorous, the part where men were substituted for describing the parts of a woman. I was glued to this video, I even made my husband watch it. This video spoke about the worlds view on women and how we are pretty much picked on for the way we look. Girls worry more about their image and men do not. It was a very simple, descriptive video, which had a lot of insight to man-made view upon us girls.

Dove Evolution and Dove Onslaught where videos taken over time where one is transformed into beauty and a beast. Dove Evolution has a young adult female sitting down getting makeup put on her and her hair fixed nicely. It then shows her being transformed by a computer software program where it extends her neck, lowers her shoulder lines. It then widens her eye shape, and smoothed out her skin and then they post the final image on a poster board pertaining to foundation make up. It ends with a note, saying No wonder our image of beauty is distorted. I am taking this as; this particular image is not real. So how can beauty be defined, truly? This video showed a fake image of a woman on a billboard indicating that this look is possible by buying this product. Insane!

Two more articles that I need to discuss is the information on Brazilian Obesity, and The things on possible surgeries to your satisfaction, Liposuction. The United States and Brazil have the largest intake on sugar in the world. This was new information to us all I think. Brazil, Obese? How could this be? Especially being matched up to the U.S. isn't Brazil like way smaller then a state in the U.S.? It is said to be an epidemic of obesity that has hit Brazil. The typical Brazilian diet is way different then the fast food of the United States. Then why has the number of obese people increased in the world? This was a very important topic that I am glad was mentioned in class. I am grateful for the way I look. geesh. Now, Liposuction article was just discussing how men are starting to get into the ways of surgery. They are discovering that it is not only for women now a day. Men surprisingly are getting "worked done" as well. This was somewhat frightening because you start to wonder if they have any laws against criminals getting plastic surgery done to hide their identity. What do you think about that?

Blog # 17

2009-11-05T19:03:00.000-06:00

Most of our Articles come from eCampus News. A technology website helps you stay informed to the latest news, information and materials concerning colleges and universities around the world. Like a big, research center on news and they also want to improve higher education and have more achievement in academic areas. In the article where Colleges scan your Facebook and MySpace during admissions was a revelation. I know better to set my profile on MySpace to private, but many young adults are unaware of this option. Of course, we have all heard of the weirdo's and creeps who are a hundred years old and trying to talk with us. Us, being teenagers and young adults who are just primarily on these sites to socialize with friends whom we already know. The Strikers' team presented this to the classroom, and as we were discussing this I saw many raised eyebrows. How could someone invade your privacy like that? Now we have to keep in mind how we represent ourselves to our friends, where is the freedom in that?

The Article about how Facebook causes suspicion between relationships is somewhat wild. It brings a topic to the table where most think it is just immature to fight over the internet. How bad could it be? Well, posting up pictures for all your friends to see that new hot girl you were with last night is not the perfect way to express how you feel about missing your girlfriend back home. I am sure since you are able to create relationships like internet dating, there is that possibility to destroy one as well, interesting. Another article I must mention is the jury is out on facebook's impact on grades. This one discusses researched facts and information about how students are spending an excessively amount of time on social interacting though Facebook then their studies. Teachers are worried about our grades being affected, how Facebook is so addicting and why homework is not. It does not say this, but teachers are concerned with our grades lowering. We all know the money is not that great, and I am aware of how inappropriate this sounds. Nevertheless, teachers want us to succeed in life; teachers carry something unique in their hearts. I am not sure what exactly it is, but they want to help us become better people. It is weird I know.
The last article we discussed was how we can communicate more on social networks quicker and conveniently than in person. "Does Facebook Replace Face Time or enhance it?" It speaks about a girl and her friend, how they can keep up with each other with just their updated profiles and comments that they share with all their friends. She was able to know everything about what was going on in her friends life, so when she finally got the nerve to ask to go out for a cup of coffee. They did not waste time trying to "catch up". They both knew what was going on in each others lives that they were able to continue where they left off, on their Facebook chatter.

Blog # 16

2009-10-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

I have listened to many free internet radio stations. When I had America Online, back in Jr. High I listened to the radio. My Yahoo also includes free internet radio that I could listen to while browsing the web. There are even some where it included, California stations, or Texas stations. I remember it showed all the stations in the world. You just insert your zip and it would pick up all available songs.

Pandora is an internet radio mostly based in the United States. It has information on songs. There are small clean blue tabs and it list: Genre Stations to look up different types of music and offers you a choice to pick a category. Video Series, you click it and it gives you the option to see and hear videos. There is a Mobile and Home option that makes it convenient for in the car at the gym or on the train. View your profile option shows the songs you have bookmark as well as the artist. It gives you a list of your friends that you have added. Below these clean cut tabs are a few more. Station Gifting is self-explanatory. You can make a station for a friend and send it to them to view. List Concert Listings helps find shows now that are in your area. Pandora has advertisements but after a few seconds, you can close it so you can continue to listen to your music. When the advertisements do show up, it mostly occurs when you skip to the next song. Pandora only allows you to skip so many songs, plays a brief advertisement and continues to play music.

Last.fm looks from my initial visit was all about showing the videos. Last Fm is strange to me. I am used to Pandora Radio. On Last.fm there are little buttons and extra lists of stuff, it is very distracting. Being UK based, it is a multilingual worldwide-based radio station. It focuses on individual dual tracks. CBS owns Last.fm that is why there are so many commercials and advertisements. Last.fm has some history. It was founded again officially in 2002. I view Last.fm to be busy all over. It does not focus on the viewer. In my opinion, the page was chaotic. When I googled free internet radio, Last.fm does not even show up on the first two pages. My husband tried Last.fm app on his iphone and it had trouble loading. It was not as fast as Pandora.

I favor Pandora more than Last.fm. It has better skills selecting which songs relate to my selected artist. Whereas Last.fm, I got lost in all the tabs and video screens when I wanted to sing along with the lyrics I had to keep closing window after window. Thank goodness for this gaming computer I use at home. If I were on a regular computer with low signal, the computer would slow down and possibly freeze my screen. Plus, I do not even want to watch the music videos; I simply want to listen to the music. Pandora gives you the option to watch video feed if selected. Both sites play music that their programs, think you like. If I ever want to see, what the artist has done to represent their song I know where to go to look up their video. I could comment on what I thought the video was going to be and what it end up being and share it with my friends.

Blog # 15

2009-10-07T22:11:00.001-05:00

Today I went to the writing center in Gonzales Hall. Everyone in our english class should know where this special room is. Jen was my tutor, and she rocks. I am discovering my own process of writing. To my notes that I type down, then forming it to paragraphs. Reading over each little section so I don't get overwhelmed with the body paragraph. Working in chunks as Coach Bailey called it. Since I got out early of Student Development Class I thought I could get some extra work done if I went ahead to the writing center. I liked how Jen worked with how I was approaching my essay. She didn't try and force a new way of working, she is a great tutor. I give her kudos! The only thing that bothered me was I wish we could have had more than half an hour. It so wouldn't be my paper if my tutor did all the work. She really helped me get the flow of it all. Practice, Practice, Practice. I suppose, wow this blog has to be 350 words! I was hoping I would be able to concentrate without having to purposely block anyone out.

Some boy, was being rude and immature making fart noises. Yeah, priceless right. Well it was distracting me and I have an attitude so I held myself back on saying a smart remark. What if he said something back, haha I suck at comebacks. I didn't pay attention anymore, I plugged in my earphones and continued working. I was listening to Shakira's spanish songs, it calmed me down. These events occurred before my tutoring session began. Once Jen came over and started talking to me they didn't every say anything or make anymore noises. A few minutes later they got up and left. Jen to the rescue!! Oh, and my group members and I won today's challenge. Yay! Next time I think I will schedule 2 appointments. If necessary, these papers take a lot of thought process and I had not written papers like this in a long time. Excited to see how my final paper will turn out. Hope I get a awesome A.

Blog # 14

2009-10-06T16:09:00.002-05:00

I liked commenting on other peoples blogs. I commented on Paula's "dating" and Emily's "How you use technology in your world." I thought it was funny to read the comments that were left for me. Daniel sent me a comment about my blog and we were sitting right next to each other in class. Like he could have just turned and told me but he wrote it down lol. Think everyone had a sense of awkwardness because no one wanted to critique the blog they were reading. Just had to say something about it no matter how random or awkward they felt. This assignment should have been called, Lets be dorky and leave comments on blogs. And since no one likes to read…..well that just makes it more fun. Oh and in class we received our grades for our email etiquette assignment. I need to work on my punctuation. I guess I would be bad at that since I really have no idea how to use it. I just add commas, where ever. And Periods oh and I accidently capitalized some words that I didn't need to. I am really learning time management. And realizing how much I suck and punctuation and spelling. haha.

Blog # 13

2009-10-03T12:53:00.000-05:00

Friday October 2, 2009. Today in English Class I would describe my experience as learning something that may work for me, it may not. In college we are constantly learning something new. We are "recommended" to try. We had to use a time line to help fill in the beginning to end information and details included in our chosen video. And everything that entails in the middle to help form our six paragraph long essay. I think the challenge here is bringing a small, short video blog into a six paragraph essay. I can easily bull the whole way through this assignment, but in the end It wouldn't help me with my writing skills. This process is going to aid me in my "COLLEGE LEVEL" courses. I just have to keep repeating this to myself. Every time I want to slack off and be lazy.

Making the time line helped plan my essay because well, it made me like a critic. Picking out all the details. From all of our five senses. Hearing what she is saying, and describing how she is saying it. Listening to the highs and lows of her voice and emotions. Seeing her facial expressions, looking at hand gestures. Noticing the colors around her, seeing where she is at if she is indoors or out. Smell could be involved in some essays. I will have to re-watch my chosen video blog multiple times so see how I could include the sense of smell into my essay. Feelings can be expressed in multiple ways. Her feelings, my feelings how I reacted to the Vlog. How the people involved in the video feel by trying to hide or shy away from the camera. If I was motivated to make my own Vlog, or how I felt about her hobbies or habits. And how I felt about the video blog overall. What would help me more you ask? I wish I had a little bit more confidence in myself. I feel like I am helping everybody else more, before I figure out what's really going on. Once again the pros and cons of group, and how sometimes some people learn by others peoples mistakes. Especially when they are uncomfortably mentioned in class. By learning our own resources, and realizing that Hey! Not only are you doing this for yourself…you have your group members counting on you to get along. Cooperate and do your job as a student. We were assigned groups. And all of us are learning how to deal. Think that adds extra pressure upon us to perform well.
(And believe it or not, after I wrote this I re-read it twice. Guess the forces of habits are sinking in, as far as "Thinking about the audience" ha)

# 12 Brief Description of Vlog

2009-09-30T19:24:00.006-05:00

I will be writing about a young girl who is obsessed with YouTube, Her name is Sarah. When she made the video she was 16. She lives in Vancouver and mentions she loves Julia Nunes. Julia Nunes is a regular vlogger, a YouTube sensation. Julia plays guitar and makes super cool vlogs. One inparticular that I researched is one that takes forever. They did a skit, her and her friends in her dorm room, and edit like 2 seconds out every other 2 seconds it seems like. Ha. Nifty! I suppose she is a big fan. She likes the Author John Green. Who wrote Tom Sawyer and The Three Musketeers. She likes Harry Potter, everyone should know who that is! She says she used to have red hair, and it is now a dirty blonde color. She is a nerd like me and likes to recycle, maybe not as big of a nerd as her. But, she admits she likes to recycle. Which is not a bad thing at all, I think it’s a good trait to have. Recycling! Great for the Globe. She has been taking singing lessons, and surprisingly she was not that bad. She sang some Italian in her first vlog, very brave. Sarah has been taking lessons for nearly four years now. I think she is going to get to perform for her school. She mentioned that she was excited for her specific piece. She is in drama, a drama nerd she referred herself as. Her last production that her class did was Gladiator the Musical. An epic piece done by Ridley Scott. She did not have a main part, or lead role. But she seemed really appreciative of just being involved as a backup person. She certainly sounds like a great girl. She is very sentimental, she kept the yellow rose that her Drama teacher gave to the performing class as a gift. For not only participating but finishing the play of Gladiator the Musical. She also has a british accent, and has very lovely looking teeth. She has braces like me so, I quickly related to her words. And how she said them haha.
Oh the link. I nearly forgot!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XMaYML_Xn8

Reflecting on YouTube

2009-09-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

The video was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. Had a lot of information about the purpose of YouTube. Michael Wesch's , An anthropological introduction to YouTube included his students at Kansas State University. His students had separate assignments which made the 55 min video. The participant observation is the core of their work. Anthropology is not only observation but participation as well. Oh, and the word anthropology is defined as the study of humankind, human development, in all aspects of human culture. Imagine making your own video blog, the students here showed how awkward it is to make a vlog. You aren't talking to a person, you are speaking into your computer. Which seems as if you are talking to yourself. Two girls who were included in the video, felt so embarrassed they did their assignments in their closets! They had to do it, they were part of Mr. Wesch's class. That sounds like me, having to go to a quiet place so I wouldn't get raised eyebrows from my family. Michael said "It's as if everybody is watching but yet nobody's there". The way we understand ourselves is by how others understand us. Which makes a lot of sense to me. There are many reflective videos in YouTube, which means people talking about their insight on life. With vlogging we have the freedom to experience humanity without fear or anxiety. In the presentation there was a piece on YouTube drama. It spoke about Lonleygirl15 and nobody liked it because she was fake. She was role playing and people were angry because they got tricked into believing she was real. I liked the part about the universe. One world, a pale blue dot is the only home we've ever known. It has the people we care about, the ones we love and the people we care about in this tiny speck. YouTube has been identified as an escape from the real world. A world where someone can express themselves freely and without judgment. You tube is a community, a form of social structure applied through the world wide web.

Blog # 10

2009-09-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

My email to my Professor was professional, had great detailed descriptions. Took way more work then blog #3. It had way more thought, and I had to consider all the aspects of English writing. Had to worry about not being rude. Not sounding like a child and complaining about something I wasn't happy about. Had to think about my audience as a whole. Not just one individual who knows me. Had to revise and rewrite the email to my professor. It never ends. The fake email to my friend Ashley was so not professional. Just random thoughts coming out of my head as I collect the thoughts and jot them down unto the computer. When I write to my friend, it sounds like a big long run on sentence. Which she isn't going to grade my paper. So I hardly put any punctuation or periods. Ha. I figure if she is a reader who reads out loud eventually she is going to have to stop and take a breath to continue. It was a lot easier to write my friend. I didn't have to worry about judgments, or worrying about leaving my husband at home to schedule an appt. for the writing center. Off subject. Sorry but, I seriously enjoy writing blogs more than I do writing week long assignments that NEVER END! But It is better for me to practice my writing skills, I am sure I will need them in my near future. Working on this project has helped me build for writing assignments in my future. I know where to go if I need help, I know that there are guidelines and tutors. All my resources are available for me to complete my assignments. I like how there is help. Differences, email etiquette assignment tested my endurance to making my paper perfect as possible. The fake email to a friend, I was just trying to vent out my problems.

Blog # 9

2009-09-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

Our groups workshop today in class was very helpful for making my Email Etiquette Essay. The feedback I received was honest and specific, I noted down or shared my thoughts of others rough draft as well. My printed rough draft was not too long or too short, It appeared that I needed to brush up on getting my point across quicker. What is it really that I am asking for? It was like I was going around the problem and not actually saying it. Hey I deserve an A. Not this sorry C you gave me! Of course I would not insert it so bluntly, but I need to work on getting my message across a bit more swiftly to my Professor. I enjoyed listening to my groups papers and thinking how Mrs. Crawford explained the Three forms of writing personalities. Ethical writing is defined as principles of correct moral conduct. It is the right thing to do, the appropriate manner to speak to another individual. Logical writing is based on facts, I did my paper the way you requested and turned it in on time. Rational conclusions based on facts rather than emotional responses. Pathos writing is expressing feelings of sorrow and self pity. I worked so hard, I am tired from lack of sleep. Blah, Blah, Blah. The Professor cannot grade you on the time you spent working on the paper, or measure how much sleep you lost while doing this assignment. He is only able to grade you on the paper itself, and what it entails. Working with groups is not difficult for me, it is a relaxed social setting for me. I am able to express myself and not feel anxious or scared while receiving advice. It is a relief for me because It just makes it more simple to form my paper. Getting advice on how to improve not only my writing skills, but my thought process on how to form an astounding essay. Thanks guys!

Blog # 8

2009-09-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

Just like everything else in life there is controversy, conflict and drama involved into any kind of new services on the Internet. Especially when it involves a person's emotion and time with internet dating. Some of these realistic scenarios such as virtual restaurants and virtual dates are kind of hopeless act of branching out to meet someone. Is our society really too busy to take someone out on a date. It takes enough energy and concentration to type and read that it does to walk and talk. How lazy or how busy are these people really? I see this as a living room scene, you watching TV. Who ever invented the remote was thinking just about the convenience of not having to get up twenty times to change the channel. Applications like ordering pizza online is a bit complicated than over the phone. Many folks still do it, because its convenient. Anyhow, there are so many internet dating sites that are underground that no one knows of. eHarmony and iDate are just popular ones the articles mentioned, there is one for every possible interest a human being could desire. Which is kind of scary because there are some madam sites I'm sure that are pretty far out there. It is interesting how Susie, mentioned in Internet Dating 2.0 did not know what she really wanted. Or made it seem as though she was too embarrassed to share with the world what she was interested in. Her interest in her file seemed to exaggerated. I suppose to make sure they get their point across on what their interest are. I would be so confused if I started to Internet date. Things are so different now than they were 20 years ago. I honestly did not know Internet Dating existed back when.

Reflect Email Etiquette Assignment

2009-09-17T00:15:00.000-05:00

Our discussion on our writing assignment Email Etiquette Assignment. We went over the things we should consider while writing a important email. Not to get overwhelmed by the detailed outline for this assignment, I prefer to break it down. Going piece by piece makes it less difficult for me. The hardest part will be getting out of your comfort zone, and what I mean by this is that everyone has their own habits in their writing. We must avoid using exact words requested of our instructor. We have to dig deep and ask ourselves what will my audience think when they have finished reading my paper. Was that your goal to make them feel or think that way? Considering our audience will help form more sentences. I will probably add, what would you do if the roles were reversed. Applying your own attitudes, doubts, and demands will better help your audience to relate. Learning those few key terms may help, but this outline may be used in many of your other classes. The placement of developing a great paragraph is listed here in this email assignment outline. It helps to get to the point, if it is based on a personal experience the audience will draw up their own conclusions. Naturally the reader will continue to discover similar or different aspects of your situation, they may even ask themselves "What would I do if this happened to me, I don't think I could handle it as well as they did." Not only opening their eyes to new experiences, but we also get to learn from others mistakes. To get the best out of this outline, it is important to remember the idea of a good formed essay. I see it as showing off your communication skills, on how much you can speak intelligently to an important person. Or any person for that matter. Like to raise above their level of understanding and discuss politics for example, which is a very complicated subject.

Summarize 2 Articles Discussed in class (part 2)

2009-09-12T18:57:00.000-05:00

I agree with TIME they said kids should grow up with a mouse in their hand, and I don't mean they should be playing with one while they are barely leaning to crawl. If they agree to have children in Pre-K have a class in computers, they should also have a class where they learn to socialize as well. Just to have a truly balanced education. I also don't want my children to be freaking robots when they come home from kindergarten. Yes, it is vital to know how to work a computer in jobs today. And most just care about making money, even if they created a mass product for the world. They wouldn't settle. Another thing I'd like to add is we can always have more computer classes in schools if anyone ever had a problem with wiring schools to the internet. Our previous Vice President, Al Gore's question to all "Should Schools Be Wired To The Internet?" Kids will be smarter and will be more knowledgeable in government issues. Not only will they gain more knowledge, but they could share what they have learned. Sharing knowledge is important, communicating skills and writing skills will better throughout advance technology. Also, another point I would like to say is if the President can give auto makers loans which they obviously went in debt. Why couldn't he have used that money to provide for the future of our children. He could have used it for something more essential to Americas future. Why should schools have to pay, it's for the kids. In the article it pretty much states that poor kids are going to have less intelligence in schools because their communities can't afford technology. Those smart rich kids are not going to know how to survive on the streets because they've been babied all their lives! That is my pov. Sure technology is beneficial for a brighter, cleaner world it is going to take a lot of work.
My sociology class needs to be yanked out of the stone age. He is a lecture freak. The other day in class I wanted to yank the book from his hand and throw it at his head. And scream this is so boring, and uninteresting the way you are portraying information. The Article "How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century" says kids are global citizens now. We are, we get transfer students all the time in high school. I wish I knew more then one language, and I am not just talking about learning the bad words in Sign language and Spanish. It seems to me that people want kids to learn to download excessive amounts of information in very little time. Its possible, but when you practice something so much your other skills fall as you get better. We need to be universal, what is another word for robot? EQ is very important, I believe its more important than IQ. Communication, Money, Time and knowing where to put the Governments money is very important for our future. Maybe we should start thinking about getting better accountants for the president! Like world accountants.

Summarize 2 Articles discussed in class.

2009-09-10T20:19:00.000-05:00

    Andrea Lunsford’s project Stanford Study of Writing is exactly what it entails. Stanford, not the rest of the Universities in the states. This is just one recorded study of the progression of students at this particular university. As long as the human race has voices, there will always be opinions, positive and negative responses to anything. Especially since us kids today have so much more then our previous generations. I think the only way that technology is bad is because people like to do bad things and take peoples identities, steal their credit card information, criminals. Other then that, we have coped with using technology. The world isn't what it used to be. I agree with Mrs. Lunsford when she said that technology isn't killing our ability to write, its reviving it. I am unsure about all the iphone + itouch, could be a little distracting. Could also test the students ability to be honest with themselves and think it would really test their self-discipline.
    It is so true, students now a days are very social. From emails, myspace comments and facebook notifications it is how we communicate. Whenever world events occur how do you think the news casters notify everyone. Hello, with technology. Wish people saying that technology is hindering us would invite us into their home and see what things they could do without. Their TV, phone, alarms, AC, running water is a form of technology. Just want to stick my tongue out at them. Blah! And besides I did some research on Mrs. Andrea Lunsford, she's a wonderful devoted professor.
    I would love to have "signals" at our college. Signals is a computerized system that tracks students academic process. It is quick to help inform us students to work in certain areas where we might struggling. I say that if professors at Purdue University can keep up with their students in classes of 50+, then it should not be a problem for teachers at colleges to do the same. Signals help students identify their performance when your doing bad there is a list of options or opportunities you can take to help raise your grade. A list of help sessions and times, list possible additional reading material. I believe if we had this program at our college, students would gain so much for themselves. We would thrive. It would boost my motivation, I would become more independent. I would learn more and achieve more. This program would help set our academic behavior on a higher level then Student Development would ever take us. I now understand why Mrs. Crawford put us in groups, its not about the negative issues such as a group member being late. Or us worrying about picking up their slack, its about discovering what’s important. We are all here for the same reason, we have to motivate each other and make it fun for ourselves. To make friends and release some stress especially being freshman in college.
    Teachers, Professors do their job for a reason. They want their students to succeed, no one wants us to fail. It is expensive for us students to cover books, tuition etc., time consuming for the college because lots of students drop their classes never knowing that there are help sessions, tutoring. Especially when teachers are offering you to meet with them, you learn not to be so afraid to ask for help. Learn to not be afraid of the teachers, ha. And you start to respect them, and then you begin to respect yourself. This isn't high school anymore folks, this is the real deal. When you start making excuses, and start doing poorly. The only real person to blame is yourself. Don't you think having "Signals" would be awesome?

Reflecting on today's discussion

2009-09-06T15:11:00.000-05:00

I am looking forward to the class discussions, going to remain positive about this eight page syllabus. What I am super excited about is our Labor Day Holiday we will be having. No classes, yippee! I get to go home, get to surprise my mom, I like surprising her. The reading is really simple and I can handle that. My favorite part is talking about what we've learned because there are times where I missed important things but whenever we talk about them I get better notes and learn much more. On Presentation number four, when we discuss Al Gore, I am interested in what our class thinks and their political stand point. "The Dating Detectives" made me laugh when I read it. Curious as to what will be brought up when we discuss this in class. Reminds me of Hitch, and how he didn't believe in his work but showed everyone else that anything is possible. The spirit of this class is continuing to make me feel welcome.

The one thing I am worried about is the drama we may encounter in this class. What if one of our group members expects us to do all the work when they show up late. We get graded not only as an individual but as a group as well. Communication is going to be a big key to help advance ourselves to the end of the semester. I am wondering what we will discuss in our Private conferences maybe this will be discussed. I believe I found a typo, not sure if that was your intention to miss-spell blog, with vlog. Wow, as I read even further it is going to get ral competitive as the months pass. It is possible. Now I am seriously concerned about all the members of our group. I do not want to have any problems that we will not be able to handle on our own.. Think a discussion among us will inform the importance of being on time and not absent and keeping an open line as far as talking to one another. We just might survive this semester, our Final Exam day will be here before we know it.

Fake Email to a Friend, About a Bad Grade.

2009-09-02T16:45:00.002-05:00

Hey Ash,

Its me Jess. I know you are busy at work but I wanted to talk to you about a bad grade I got in one of my classes. I am a little upset because I take my classes serious when it comes to test, or homework. You know this so please write me back telling me what you think ok.

Here goes…it was a paper about self discovery. Yes imagine it discussing a brief outline of my life till today. How was I supposed to know he wanted us to write about something new we had learned in class. I guess it was my mistake but he should have been more clear. We get random assignments all the time where we have to discuss anything but the book. We hadn’t even begun reading any chapters in our textbook. This crazy guy is well, crazy. He lectures us all day and expects us to not fall asleep, he should have a more exciting class session and be more specific on what he wants out of our assignments. Anthony is going to be upset with me and is going to tell me, well, why didn’t you ask him any questions about what he really wanted. I thought I had it all figured out. There is a girl in my class who brainstormed with me and she got a way better grade then me. What the crap? I actually take notes down and all she does in class is text her boyfriend on her phone. Geesh, and they say we pay to be here and get ourselves an education. And this teacher knows I listen and take notes and do my work. Excuse me if I misunderstood. And when I asked him if I could re-write it he responded with some smart-alecky response. “If you re-wrote it, it would be the same in theory.” No sir, ugh I wanted to punch him in the face, this is so unfair. Then I asked how much he would take off if I wrote a new, correct paper and his response was half off. He continued to rant to the whole classroom, letting everyone know that I misunderstood and wrote something way out there. Its just a bummer because the one time I mess up the whole world knows about it. It was so embarrassing, and I guess next time I will interrupt him and make sure I completely understand what he is asking for. Completely. Talk to you later, Jess

What is your writing process?

2009-08-31T12:56:00.003-05:00

I start with brainstorming, how I want my audience to react to my piece. I like to review a lot of knowledge. Facts are my favorite when it comes to writing anything. Research is a key instrument in writing. But this class is pushing me to not be so critical of myself and of my work. Its sort of relieving that there is one thing about school where I can just be myself and get an awesome grade for it. I did a self test today and it pointed out a lot of good facts and a few flaws as well.
When you write you want it to be well thought of, great. I want the reader to learn something that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. So you can see why I put so much thought in everything I do, and I will have to admit that its kind of drains my energy. Writing can be really hard for some, but you have to practice at it in order to be a great writer. All things come to you if you just believe in yourself and work at it.
Another thing that helps me write is discussing with others their opinions and self stories, of course its easier to write someone else's thoughts then your own.
You have to remember what makes you, you. And in your writing it will show whether you see it or not. Putting everything in its place, in chronological order making sure the facts are correct and making sure that everything meshes well with the other. Make sure that the topic stays its course, you do not want it turning into some completely different subject. I am a good thoughtful person and I think that's what gives me an edge on my writing critique. And also every time I feel myself slacking off, I hear not only my mothers voice but my grandmothers voice as well. Telling me I can do what ever God puts in front of me. I guess you can say my writing process is others believing me. And me, myself assuring myself that this is possible. And I do not want to let anyone down because I know I am well equipped with the ability to write a paper. No matter who the audience is, or what the Title is about.
Its all about self motivation, believing in yourself and getting the job done. And feeling great about finishing something you thought was hard. Even if you doubted yourself a smidge its always nice to say hey, I did that.

How Technology Is Used In My World.

2009-08-28T08:31:00.000-05:00

Technology is vast in its own concept. This morning on the radio I heard different points of view about Solar Energy, how it could benefit not only our country but the rest of the world. There is a country who uses eighty percent of their energy comes from Solar Power. There are many types of technology depending on where you originate from. A simple touch to a dial to make your vehicle start, or on the opposite end a cardboard box made by hand to see a solar eclipse.

Computers are very high tech, and not very many people know about the upgrades that a simple computer can entail. There is Windows Vista, different word programs, Microsoft Excel to make school, work, life overall easier for the users.

Science is a form of technology, sharing knowledge is very important there is a lot of trial and error in inventions. Light bulbs, windshield wipers, and so called "fire resistant uniforms or Humvees" all forms of technology.

Technology is used to advance ourselves in the world. Simply one idea turned to reality, and it shows what power we hold within ourselves. We depend on these machines, gadgets in everyday life. To complete a school paper, in case we are lost we have programs on our cell phones to input information and find our way to where we need to be. We as a whole no longer have to look up to the stars to find our way like many Pirates did when traveling the seas. Just by a click of a button we can have items mailed, sent, published. Our children's children will still have much to offer the world for the years to come. Science and Technology will continue to flourish for it is apart of our life, society and our environment.