Reflection 11/9/10

I am using this class’ lessons in almost everything I do. This is one of only 3 classes I am taking, but most of what I learn is applied to presentations and hand outs I  make for work. I am able to make a prettier powerpoint, faster, and able to use exell for more than just creating a spread sheet. I have enjoyed learning about the details of the different programs that I use every day.

This class has helped me teach my students how to write a better formatted paper, or create a better looking presentation. The students at church bring their homework up every week and I am able to help them with their computer questions more and more.

My other computer class requires that we make a final powerpoint and presentation at the end of the semester. I look forward to starting that project because I know I will be better equipped to create the power point.

post 1

http://alpha.lt.unt.edu/collaborative/index.php/the-2015-forum/topic?id=25#p90

I think this raises the question of: Is it the government’s responsibility, the community’s responsibility, the local businesses responsibility, or the outside nations responsibility to take action. We have to ask what sort of corruption is happening in the nation because of the lack of education, and does the community and government see a need for change? All of these questions lead me to say that we, as educated people, see a problem and a need in people that do not have what we have, but what if they are okay with that?

Statistically, nations suffer greatly when their people are uneducated, but the turn around of that is near impossible. From my perspective it has to be the outreach of the local government that pleads for help from the outside nations.

Hole in the Wall Video

Project 1 pg 34

Viewing the hole in the wall video was shocking. The children were viewing something so common in my life, like it was an attraction. It helped me to see the need in countries or areas outside of my own. Businesses could see that a simple computer is in such need in the country, they could provide more than one, and send people into those areas to educate the people about how to use them and their value. I believe the greatest change does not come with money, but comes with time and human investment. Businesses should see how often they use computers and access their knowledge, and realize that their resources can be sent to those that do not have any. I do not think the solution is just to send more computers with games in a hole in a wall, I believe the solution is to create education centers with educators.

Universal Education

I could not find the Working Groups listed on the site. I found the article about the hole in the wall in India and think that is a genius experiment. Those kids deserve education and to know there is life outside of their village. To think they know more than their parents in amazing at 9 years old. Where are the working groups listed? I understand much is being done to educate globally and am excited to learn about those methods.

Universal Education

I chose to read and write about universal education. I have a passion for this because I know that education promotes equality and health. Women across the world are suffering because they are lesser, simply because they are uneducated and uninformed about their value and their oportunity around the globe. On the same level, children and parents would be healthier and more nourished if they were more educated. They would have a greater chance at being noticed, fed, and taken care of in a hospital because they would be able to earn money, or knowledgeable about how to get money to provide things like this. In low income hospitals, people that come in with money for themselves and do not rely on loans or insurance are more likely to be helped, than if they could not pay. Sick, educated people are also more likely to recognize when something is wrong with their bodies or their family’s body and have a better idea of how to get a medication or treatment.

Problem Solving

Your roommate has been arrested by campus police for being intoxicated. You know that he/she has not been drinking and is instead suffering from the effects of a painkiller given for wisdom teeth extraction given the day before. If they miss their final exam tomorrow, they will be unable to graduate on time and will lose a job that is expected to begin right after graduation.

1. How is the current situation different from what I actually want it to be?

In this current situation, my roommate is arrested for a reason that is invalid and unfair.

2. What do I actually want, or how do I actually want things to be?

I want them to be released free of charge.

3. What is preventing me from achieving my goals, or from things being the way I want them to be?

Nothing is preventing me from achieving my goals in the scenario. It is an inconvenience to have to go to the police station when the arrest was made without evidence.

1. How is this problem affecting me?

The problem is affecting me because I feel bad for my roommate, and there is a chance my rent may not get paid if they are held at the end of the month.

2. How is this problem affecting other people?

The future employers of my roommate will be effected if she does not graduate. Her teacher will probably have to go out of her way in order to meet the special needs of my roommate.

3. Who else is experiencing this problem?

I am not sure who else is experiencing this problem, but many people are affected.

4. How do other people deal with this problem?

I have not heard of any college students having to deal with their roommate being arrested for the wrong reason.

If my roommate was arrested for the right or wrong reason I would go up to the police department and see what I could do or how much it would cost to get them out. If they would allow me, I would talk to their teacher and tell them what happened, understanding that my roommate would probably have told their teachers about the surgery ahead of time. I would ask the doctor or pharmacist to call the police station and and inform them about the medication my roommate is on. If all of those things did not work, then I would inform her parents about what happened and let them handle it from there.

Working in groups

In your blog, discuss your past experiences with working in groups. What will you do differently in the future?

In my four years of college and additional four years of high school, I have had both really good and really terrible experiences with working in groups.

A really good group example is when I was in a class with all Development and Family Studies majors. Everyone there wanted to be a teacher or counselor, which resulted in everyone there being responsible for themselves and ambitious and ready to work ahead. We were all really quick to do our own work, and comfortable enough to hold each other accountable to doing the correct work. We relied heavily on each other for the grade of the project, which was the teacher’s intent. Our communication in class and out side of class had to be solid and thorough. We made an A at the end of the semester because we took responsibility for what was ours, and we were willing to go out of our way to help each other understand.

A difficult group experience I had was in my social research class. This class is required by several majors and had a very diverse crowd, with a diverse set of priorities and interests. Our assignment was simple but required a lot of time and did not really require separate grades or individual input. In this case, people that were asked to bring an article regarding a small part of our research would not bring it, and that would slide because they were not held accountable to the teacher or by their grade. The one product the teacher cared about was the final one, and how we got there, she did not care. In this situation, people that care about their work, class, and grade, end up doing the project for those that do not. This assignment was frustrating and I ended up not relying on select members of the group and just communicating with the few that would follow through. I did not expect the teacher to care or change her style of grading, but I did not consider it my responsibility to call and constantly remind forgetful team members, and found it easier to simply do the research, writing, or design myself.

In the future, my group members will be paid employees of my workplace. It will be easier to motivate and encourage them, and I hope to also be motivated in the future. I will try to be more patient with those that chose to procrastinate or forget about their work.

Goals

Write a reflection in your blog about how you are doing thus far in all of your courses. What are you doing well? What do you need work on? Which goals have you reached and which have you not reached? What can you do differently in the future to ensure your success?

I am doing well in my courses because I am turning things in ontime and going out of my way to complete the work to the best of my ability. I am only in two online classes and those are the hardest for me because I am an auditory learner and function well off of community. I really like feedback and being sure I am doing all of the work required of me. Being in only online classes takes all of those aspects away, but I have kept up with my work and been able to stay on top of my assignments.

I have not done myITlab yet, and will being that this week. I simply did not make time for it last week and now wish that I would have been able to get that first assignment done.

I am going to write out my assignments on a calendar so that I can visually see them written out next to the date and times they are due. Because online classes are harder to keep up with, and are sometimes not communicated as well, this will help me see what I have to do and what I have already done.

project 4 pg 286

pg 286

project 4

Research the extent of the digital divide in the United States by collecting information about Internet access by people of different ages and ethnic groups. Which is a better predictor of Internet access: age of ethnic group?

According to the research I found, there is more of a gap between age groups in internet access, not ethnic groups. Children as young at three are accessing the internet and manipulating their way around computers. Older people of our country have less reason and motivation to learn the ins and outs of computers and internet access. For so long, elderly people have found other ways of accessing information that the internet provides, and it is found that they are more comfortable using those avenues, than relying on the internet for their resources. Ethnic groups across our country are becoming more and more mixed as well as looking the same. The difference between ethnic groups is no longer seniority or money, but now comes down to culture and skin color.

Younger people are accessing the internet more than older people.

project 4

Page 242

Project # 4

I decided to go to Starbucks in Carrollton and interviewed Justin, a barista. Starbucks used to require payment for their internet, but just recently switched to free access. Because of the switch, they do not have to charge for access, and there are no security measures that Justin knew of. The good consequences of being a wireless hotspot, Justin thinks, is that it brings in more business and encourages people to stay longer than they normally would. That means these customers are buying more Starbuck’s products and making relationships with people there, which brings them back. Justin could not think of any negative consequences of having wireless access in his store.