I read Mr. Fisch's post called, "H1N1, Skype, and a Possible Tipping Point." Mr. Fisch was reflecting on Anne Smith's post about students Skyping into class when they are sick.

I hate returning to school and trying to figure out what I missed. It causes a major inconvenience. Skyping into class provides a great alternative to showing up and being confused after being sick for a week. While this shows how much more technologically advanced our world has become, it also shows the teachers how dedicated their students are. Mr. Booth, Arapahoe High School's principal, says, "You guys (referring to the students) are so good at playing the game of school. You show up everyday,do your work, and shut everything down the second you get home." If students chose to Skype into class while they are sick, then it would prove the complete opposite of what Mr. Booth has to say. I'm not saying that he is wrong but, most kids would rather Skype in than worry about making up the work when they return. I go home and shut everything down that has to do with school until later at night. If Arapahoe offered this feature, most teachers and students wouldn't be as stressed out when returning. I also think that kids' grades wouldn't plummet because they could do any homework and in-class assignments. Most students decide not to make up the work due to more homework on top of the make up work. Truly, this technological feature would be highly used if offered in most schools.

Would our World be Different Without Racism?

After reading the article "'Racist' claims defuse once powerful word," I began to think,"Is everyone a little racist?" Most people call other individuals racist when they make fun of someone who is different from them. The New Webster Dictionary defines racist as " someone who believes in the inherent superiority of a particular race or is prejudiced against others." Just because people are different from you doesn't mean it's ok to make fun of their nationality, religion, etc. I think you are considered racist once you start to question other peoples' way of life in a cruel way. Now if you are having a conversation and ask them why they do this or why they do that, then that is one thing. But if it is directed toward them in a mean way, then that is NOT ok! I truly believe that everyone is a little racist. If people weren't a little racist from time to time, then how would our would be different?

Controversy Over President Obama's Speech to American Students

After reading the post, "If Media Reported About Presidential Speeches Historically The Way They Do Now" by brian, I noticed a few things. First, why do so many people disagree with what he has to say? I understand peoples' political views, but he is our president and we need to respect him. It isn't right to go off and saw all of these terrible things about him if you don't know why he is doing it. Secondly, why would he want to talk to all of the second generation voters? If he is struggling from the start of his presidential career, then would it make sense to talk to the next generation about school? Shouldn't he be talking to the all of the third generation voter (younger than 9th grade)? It doesn't register to me as to why he would want to talk to high schoolers instead of elementary and middle school kids.

We Are the Machines

The internet is always changing. Wesch's video shows us that every time we click on a link, we are teaching the machines something. He also said that every thing starts with us. This video made me realize a couple of things. First, the internet has come along way from its original structure. HTML has expanded from a basic format to a more advanced one. At first, there wasn't such a thing as bold or italics. All of the elements in the documents described the content, not the form. Secondly, I realized the internet isn't just for receiving information, it's also used for publishing work and communicating with other people. I use Facebook everyday to communicate with family and friends. I never go on the internet and only extract information from it. Truly, the internet isn't just a basic place to receive information, it is our life!

Students' diction, grammar and writing skills deteriorate during the summer. While students use "text talk" and social networking sites, their literacy usage decreases. In Clive Thompson's article "The New Literacy", a survey is taken over the course of five years. During this time, she collected over fourteen-thousand student writing samples. While reviewing some of these samples, she noticed that most students wrote for an audience. This causes students to think the opposite of what is considered "good" writing. As well as good writing, good teaching is also extremely important. Without good teaching, students are unable to learn as well as they are expected. I remember having a bad teacher and I struggled on most of the tests due to the lack of knowledge. Truly, good teaching is just as important as good writing.