"Importance"

As I was going over the first book Amusing Ourselves to Death, a thought came to mind. There are many people today who care too much about "the next big thing". Our society is based on new trends and who is using them or not. Postman made quite a gripping statement about it in the first chapter,”Indeed, we may have reached the point where cosmetics has replaced ideology as the field of expertise […]” (4) Mocking the ways of the new world, he makes a good point. Why should  our priorities revolve around our appearance rather than the daily news? Oh that’s right, no one would completely pay attention to their television screens unless there was a pretty lady or a clean-cut gentleman delivering the information to them.

It’s questionable as to why people choose to live their lives this way (society rules). Why live life as a conformist, when you could be making your own differences? However I shouldn’t be one to talk, there are those of us who are guilty of compliance. We're guilty of it when we imitate new trends such as "Damn Daniel" or “Yeaaas”. It’s just how things are.

AF: Sergio asked me

When I write a post that I want you to read, I will use my initials in the subject line as a signal to you: "Hey! Read this.  Your teacher is talking to you!" I expect my students to read the post, and to open the links to read or scan the articles.

Sergio asked me whether it was OK to buy digital copies of the books, and of course, the answer is yes.

Then I realized something -- or was reminded, I guess -- that much of the reading and writing for summer homework will take place on devices we call "phones."   Then Jason mentioned in a blog comment that he was writing his comment on his phone.

I recognize that we are changing as a society, and that my perceptions and interactions with technology are informed by a generational bias.  I embrace technology, even as I am constantly renegotiating its power over my life, my time, my thought process, my work flow -- even how many steps I take in a day.

However, it is my belief -- born out of experience, and supported by research -- that reading and writing on your phones will not support your academic growth as robustly as reading and writing in the old-school way.  Read on a e-Reader or a tablet if you must, but the best way, the absolute BEST way, is to buy the paper-and-glue book, and to read with a pencil in your hand.

When reading for this class, the content shares equal billing with the THE PROCESS -- building both a reading and a writing process that encourages deep thought.  Superficial reading leads to superficial writing.

Write in your book.  Write in your notebooks as you read.  Don't think of your notebook as this perfect product, super neat and beautiful, with mistakes carefully covered over with white-out tape.   Your notebook is a place for raw thinking.  Be organized, yes...but don't get all twisted up in perfection.  Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

I want to go outside and play now.  I'm done with being on a keyboard.  I have more to say, but I'll say it later.

Favorite or Significant Quotes

After beginning the novel Amusing Ourselves to Death written by Neil Postman, I was surprised to find many interesting quotes just in the first few chapters! For example, the quote, "indeed, we may have reached the point where cosmetics has replaced ideology as the field of expertise over which a politician must have competent control" (4) made me stop reading and think about media today. The quote made me realize that we were in fact going downhill because of television. There is so much focus on production and image that the content and the meaningful information is forgotten.

This quote emphasized the beautiful people who are on television and social media that are listened to because of their appearance. The harsh reality is that many people don't listen to those who don't have society's ideal image and figure. As a result, most of the newscasters, T.V. show hosts, or content carriers of today are not the ones who actually understand, research, or know about the information they are sending out; they are society's beautiful people. Did anyone else find quotes from any of the summer novels that made anyone stop and think? If anyone did, what were they, and what did those quotes mean to you?

Online Bullying

This school year Mayfair High School was faced with an app created to bring surrounding schools together: Ogle.  However, students weren't using it to be integrated, they were using it to attack each other.  After reading an article called, "Dealing with Online Bullies Outside the Classroom," on Room Debate, I automatically made a connection between the article and the app.

There are some things that I do and do not agree with in the article.  I agree that students should get punishment if they attack the other students, but ONLY if it effects things that happen in school, such as a person's academics.  Just because somebody calls another student a nasty name online does not mean that they should be punished.  If it doesn't effect anything in school teachers and administrators should not get involved.  Punishing a student who calls others bad names won't stop the name calling in the school, if that students gets punished the school might as well punish everybody because all students call each other all sorts of names. However, if a peer is performing badly and missing several days in school, then it becomes a problem and consequences should be served. Otherwise, what happens outside of school stays outside of school.   

"Now... This" on Snapchat

I decided to start the summer homework by reading Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. I figured it would be better to get the–what probably a lot of my piers would call–"boring" text out of the way. However, I'm realizing that as I get further into the book, it is becoming much more interesting because everything is beginning to "click."

In chapter seven, Postman focuses on a phrase commonly said on the news: "Now... This". It is a transition between stories that the newscasters use to essentially tell the viewers "Alright! Forget what I just told you because it has nothing to do with the next piece of news." Postman uses this point to further illustrate his thesis of how television, especially news, is purely amusing rather than professional.

I was chuckling to myself earlier today while I was on Snapchat. I'm sure most of you can recall the line of articles at the top of the "Stories" page. I was surprised to find an article/story called Now This. Better yet, it clearly demonstrated Postman's point. I initially tapped on the story to see if I could get any information on Britain splitting from the EU. The first snap talked about just that, so I tapped again to see if there was anything else on that topic. There wasn't. Instead, there was a different bit of news. Out of curiosity, I tapped again, only to find another completely different bit of news. By the end of the story (about ten more "taps" later), I forgot that I initially tapped on the article to see what was going on in Europe. I found this absolutely ironic.

AF: Update on our blog

Hi Everybody:

I dropped off the network there for a couple days as I transitioned from the 2015-16 school year into my summer state of mind...I'm easing (partially, and very slowly) into the 2016-17 year.

Thank you for your patience during the metamorphosis.  I will be more attentive to you and to the blog over the next ten weeks, and when I go offline -- (I like to take little 48-72 hour technology respites) -- I'll let you know so you'll know what to expect.

Here's where we are on the blog:

Two people are signed up on the blog! welcome Jordyn and Nina.  Write something!  Don't be shy.  Don't worry about sounding like a genius.  Just start a conversation.

I sent Rudy and Talia invitations several days ago, but they have not responded yet; the invitation will likely expire soon, so they may have to ask again.  Take note of this please.  Respond as soon as you receive the invite, please.  I don't really like doing clerical work twice.

I've had to ask two people to create Gmail accounts; as I mentioned in the summer homework meeting, and I believe in the assignment itself, Gmail works better than Yahoo or any other email service on Blogger.  Blogger is a Google service, as is Gmail.

Six others received invitations this afternoon.  Welcome, and again, thank you everyone for your exquisitely polite email requests, and your patience with me during a busy time of year.

I am working on my summer reading list, and my calendar of summer goals.  One of my most important goals this summer is to get 8-9 hours of sleep per 24-hour cycle.  I'm trying to train myself to sleep more and to sleep better.  It's a worthy pursuit.

AF: Holy Cow, Clay Shirky

I am enjoying Here Comes Everybody, but this chapter-long explanation of how Wikipedia works is a little over-the-top.

I keep asking myself how you Digital Natives will receive these detailed explanations about media you take for granted.  But then I remind myself that you may use the media, and you are surely familiar with Wikipedia, but I doubt you would be able explain how it works clearly and concisely.  Want to try?  Can you write a brief paragraph that explains how Wikipedia works?

You don't have to REALLY write this.  But try it inside your head as you unload the dishwasher for your mom.

Shirky did inspire me to register with Wikipedia, and I'm going to write an article about Mayfair Reads this summer.  I challenge any of you to contribute an article as well.

My daughter tutors this little kid -- a 6th grader -- and he was explaining to us why Wikipedia was unreliable and evil.  I guess this is the perception of some people, but according to Shirky, this is a false perception.

AF: A little blurb about Brave New World

When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1932, he lived in a world where there was no pervasive culture of advertising, no widespread use of antidepressants, not a hint of cloning, or a whisper of genetic manipulation. Somehow Aldous Huxley foresaw that the future of humanity would lie down the path of technology and media. His guesses proved to be chillingly accurate. What was the most outrageous science fiction in 1934 remains a compelling examination of issues that fill the pages of our news magazines…The questions of government control, media manipulation, and status remain unresolved. Do we have Alphas and Epsilons in our society? Have we found a drug like soma to help us avoid negative thinking? Have our governments figured out ways to keep us passive? Brave New World takes a bold, disturbing look at what it means to be human in a world gripped by technological change and the manipulation of the media. It is one of the most potent combinations of a good read and a disturbing, thought provoking statement that I know.      —Robert Berring, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley