Footprints in the Digital Age

The article Footprints in the Digital Age by Mr. Richardson describes how students today need to think about how we are using the internet to improve our learning. He refers to us students today needing to be googleable. So after I read this article I went on Google and typed in my name. What came up was a link to my facebook account and a writing I wrote in sixth grade from at my old school. So I know now i’m at least somewhat googleable. I think one of the only main ways to not to be googleable is to have really nothing to with the internet. So I wonder, "Can we ever control what is posted about ourselves on Google?" When I found myself on Google it was a bit weird in a way. I thought would people just judge me based on what’s on my facebook profile? When I read that a little girl named Laura Stockman who is as young as ten years old, wrote a blog that has inspired so many people with her writing makes me think, "What can I do to influence people?" I can maybe try to do the something with just something as simple as a blog or an essay.
 http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/summer09/vol66/num11/Footprints-in-the-Digital-Age.aspx

"Dear Denver Post, Would You Be Ok With Us Cheating On The CSAP, Too?"

 The article, "Dear Denver Post, Would You Be Ok With Us Cheating On The CSAP, Too?” by Mr. Fisch is about Mr. Fisch responding to an article by the Denver Post. When I read his article I thought what if the people just keep blowing off cheating, like it's no big deal? If more students start cheating on quizzes, tests, and major exams you wouldn't know who really understands the material and who doesn't. This would also cause the United States to fall far behind in the economic turnaround from the rest of the world; because based on their test scores people would assume that our generation knows just what to do. This week they were following up on Derek Jeter on how he faked getting hit in the leg to get on base. I think that the umpire should have looked more closely at the play and he should have never had made that mistake. It annoys me when grown men and women act like fools when they are aware that young children look up to them. It sets a very bad example for kids and it makes you wonder what are these young kids goals in life are these days. 

http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2010/09/dear-denver-post-would-you-be-okay-with.html

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

   In the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" talks a lot about how we comprehend and think about what we read. The way people read now is more skimming the article than actually taking time to read and understand the article. When I read this article I thought about how I read and comprehend things. Nicholas Carr explains how he used to be able to read long stretches of articles and analyze and make connections to what he reads. Now he finds himself struggling to stay focus after two to three pages. When I read I can really relate to this because, I can't concentrate as much as I used to. When I read I usually have to read the page two to three times. Unless I’m connected or really interested in the writing I usually don't read it in the first place. I don't think Google is making us stupid. I just think Google is just making us read things differently, by summarizing what we read. Is Google really making us stupid or is Google just changing how we process things?

 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/ 

CNN " Mexican mayor gunned down inside own office"

 In the short article of "Mexican mayor gunned down inside own office" by, CNN was about four men just walking into the office and assonating the mayor of El Naranjo, Mexico. It made me think of what the country would be like if in the United State's the government just let something like this happen so easily. It’s kind of scary to think about the government just letting people walk in the government offices with no security. The article also mentioned that seven mayors in Mexico have been assonated in 2010. What sort of country would we be living in if seven of our mayors were assonated in our largest cities in one year? The security situation in Mexico it truly a global problem, and will continue to spill over our borders unless our government takes aggressive action to help the Mexican government stop it. Mexico keeps saying that they will keep working to improve their security systems, but from what I have seen there hasn't been any changes in the past year. I do believe that, with the proper help Mexico can solve this problem and other countries can see what they have done and try to do the same.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-08/world/mexican.mayor.killed_1_mexican-mayor-mexican-states-ecologist-green-party?_s=PM:WORLD

Michael Wesch, "A Vision Of Students Today."

When I saw this video it made me think the notes that we take today used to be one of the only ways to learn and now in our generation we use technology for pretty much everything for learning. When all of the students showed their signs, the one that surprised me the most was the one that said on average the total number of hours we spend doing things during the day adds up to 26.5 hours. After I saw this statement I thought how all of these things in such a long amount of time. A statement that was said that happens very commonly is that people spend 100s of dollars for text books for collage and never even open them. So I don't understand why collage students have to buy text books if they may never open them. So in addition to the hundreds of dollars spent on books there are also tons of other payments for collage each year. Which could possibly end up with debt over $20,000 after collage? That’s crazy; people shouldn't have a lot debt for going to college. So is the world changing for the better or for the worse?