Daydreams about the Future

Tags

college, cyber school, distance learning, DL, education, education system, future, grade school, higher education, home schooling, hypothesis, massive open online courses, MOOCs, school, schooling, university

Dr. Bryan Alexander made some interesting hypotheses for the future in his lecture at The National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education. The ones which truly interested me were his Phantom Learning and Alternative Residential scenarios, probably due to my own “blended” education. In these scenarios, the education system changes; online courses and cyber schools become more mainstream.

What I like about these propositions is the idea of education being as close as your laptop. Massive Open Online Courses(MOOCs) and Distance Learning(DL) make getting certification and degrees more accessible in a hectic life. Through this system, I can imagine a simpler process of getting additional certificates or degrees while working and raising a family. Children can pursue and participate in various activities while still receiving a good education. Online education is just STARTING to trend, so it is interesting to imagine the possibilities.

Although, I am unsure it will go as far as Dr. Alexander predicts: He said the majority of children by the age of 18 will have taken online courses, or have had more education online than in traditional schools. I don’t believe this will happen in ten years. Maybe in 20 or 30, but not quite as soon as ten. I have a few reasons for this:

1)Interaction: Probably the best thing about brick and mortar schools is the ability to interact on a daily basis with many other people. This teaches children various things ex. how to act in a public setting, how to interact with others, awareness and acceptance of differences

2)Location: The child will be home taking courses online, but who will be with them? In many(all?) states, adult supervision is required for minors in cyber schools. Many households have two working parents, so neither is home to supervise the child.

Overall, I think Dr. Alexander has some interesting and optimistic ideas. I believe Augmented Reality(AG) would serve great for educational purposes, and bring efficiency to day to day life. I can imagine traveling for vacation and being able to hold up my phone to signs and maps to translate them or unfamiliar objects to find out what they are. Growth of MOOCs and DL is inevitable, and will become necessary as our lives become more and more hectic.

I, too, am optimistic to see how technology will effect our lives.

~NOMNOMreeses~

A Vision for the Future of Higher Education

Tags

classroom, college, curriculum, cyberspace, Gardner Campbell, higher education, internet, Lynda.com, online, school, social networking, technology, university

I am a first year university student. As my first year soon draws to a close, I look back and reflect on some of my experiences. As it turns out, University isn’t quite what I thought it would be. One surprising thing is that some of my classes have a lot more new media-driven curricula. While shocking to see Tumblr and Twitter used in a classroom setting, it is logical to acknowledge the power of the internet; it is a growing extension of our lives.

After reading Gardner Campbell’s article A Personal Cyberinfrastructure, I wondered if higher education will truly incorporate the internet as he proposes. I honestly feel it would be an awesome idea; as corporations grow and we welcome a global economy, companies turn towards the internet to advertise and sell their products. With the rise of social networking, people jump online to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. The internet has become a vital source of shared information, so why isn’t understanding its’ processes an integral part of education?

I would love for University to teach me HTML, CSS, Flash, and components of the internet, but I doubt it will do so as Campbell suggests. It is a pity, considering how important prospective employers see this knowledge. I will just have to teach myself in my spare time with resources like Lynda.com.

Still…I totally agree that college is WAY better than high school. : P

~NOMNOMreeses~

US Politics on the Internet

Tags

citizens, comments, facebook, GOP, government, internet, online, politics, propaganda, Ryan McDougle, slutwalk, social networking, US politics, war on women, YouTube

 

A growing trend in US politics is the utilization of the internet as another platform for propaganda. Seen above is an interesting example of this trend on YouTube. This trend was also reflected in 2007, when YouTube worked with CNN to host its first presidential debate using citizen-submitted videos. A year later, in 2008, seven of the sixteen candidates announced their election through YouTube.

US politics have reached further than YouTube. Politicians also use social networking sites, such as Facebook. Ever heard of Virginia State Senator Ryan McDougle? Well, Senator McDougle has a Facebook page. As an act to better reach the people, he invites his constituents to comment on this Facebook page. Well… that plan backfired. Why? Well, Senator McDougle is a strong supporter of the state’s mandatory transvaginal ultrasound bill. This bill would allow transvaginal ultrasounds to be performed on women without their consent. Because he’s decided to make such healthcare decisions for women, both female and male constituents visited his Facebook page and left comments:

Of course these comments have since been deleted, but this is exemplifies how US politicians utilize social networking sites and how useful it is at reaching the people (although, negative for the Senator in this case : P).

Though, politicians aren’t the only ones using social networking sites to further their cause. The people are, too! Facebook page SlutWalk works to bring awareness to rape culture and victim blaming. The cause also has various sub–pages according to locations around the world. The SlutWalk pages share links of current political issues pertaining to their cause in order to bring awareness. Then, they organize events and promote signing online petitions to politicians to further their goals, as well.

These are just two examples of this growing phenomenon of utilizing the internet for political means in the US. This strategy serves a variety of purposes. For example, it reaches many people very quickly. Also, it reaches a younger audience more effectively. The internet is a very effective tool that is now used not only as a form of entertainment, but also as platform for the propaganda of political purposes.

~NOMNOMreeses~

Remodeling for a Tastier Experience!

Tags

caviar, cuisine, dessert, fine dining, fish, food, ginza, gourmet food, imperial gardens, japan, neo-french, new york grille, photography, shinjuku, steak, tokyo, WebAssignments, WebAssignments335

The Assignment:

Revamp your WordPress Banner.

The Process:

I first gathered six photos I have taken of dishes I’ve eaten. Next, I opened Photoshop and made a blank canvas of the exact pixels (960Wx260H). I then resized all the photos to fit onto the banner. After, I feathered  the edges of the photos and arranged them on the blank canvas.

The Story:

My name is NOMNOMreeses for a reason- I love food! I enjoy fine dining and love to try new and unique dishes. For this banner design, I decided I wanted to share some of the beautiful and delicious dishes I’ve had recently. This new banner is fresh and and fun! I feel it reflects my name wonderfully. : )

It looks so yummy too…

~NOMNOMreeses~

Purikura: It’s what I do ; )

Tags

DesignAssignments, DesignAssignments428, meme, photography, purikura, studying, tokyo, university, whatpeoplethinkidomeme

The Assignment:

Make a ‘what people think I do’ meme.

The Process:

Instead of using a meme generator, I decided to make it from scratch on Photoshop. I picked out the photos I wanted to use (all of which are mine). Then I arranged the photos and added text to a blank black canvas.

The Story:

I’ve been purikura-crazed lately, so the idea popped into my head. Then the rest was simple: I came to Japan for university, so my family thinks I study. I came to Japan to explore, so I chose a picture I took while exploring Asakusa.

Maybe I should’ve purikura-d the meme itself…

EDIT: I posted it on my Tumblr account, which OBVIOUSLY makes it an official meme.

: P

~NOMNOMreeses~

Glazoué: That I may see Thee

Tags

albumcover, ginza, glazoué, photography, rain, tokyo, VisualAssignments, VisualAssignments44

The Assignment:

Create an album cover for a band.

The Process:

I went to the wikipedia randomizer page, and got the term ‘Glazoué’ as my band’s name. Next, using the Randomizer in the quotations page, I got the words ‘That I may see Thee’. I was going to use the random photo as the guidelines said, but the photos weren’t Creative Commons. So, to stay safe, I decided to use a picture I took in 銀座 today.

I then combined these three elements in Photoshop. The font used is ‘Handwriting-Dakota’ (maybe something off of dafont?). To make the font stand out a bit more, I used the backdrop feature. Finally, I cropped my original photo down (it was too long).

The Story:

Glazoué is an American pop-rock band with two male leads, a rapper and singer. The rapper has a style mix of Jay-Z and B.o.B, while the singer has a voice similar to that of Jay Kim from the Trax. There is a female pianist, guitarist and  bass guitarist, and a male drummer.

The name Glazoué comes from where they all first met on a volunteer trip. All the members strongly support volunteer work and charity. Their latest cd, titled ‘That I may see Thee’, is a charity cd, and 100% of the cds’ profits go toward aiding victims of 3/11.  The cd is a 5 track cd featuring remakes of 4 of their biggest hits, and 1 brand new song only for the cd.

~NOMNOMreeses~

“Jesus Loves Porn Stars”

Tags

anti-porn, missionarypositions, onlinepornography, opinion, porn, porno, xxxchurch

While researching pornography addictions, pornography producer-turned-pastor Donny Pauling spoke of XXXChurch.com.  The domain name sparked my interest, so I looked into it. I watched Missionary Positions, a documentary on the history of XXXChurch.com.

What is XXXChurch?

XXXChurch calls themselves “the #1 Christian porn site”, and their motto is “Jesus loves porn stars”. Created in 2002 by two Californian pastors, Mike Foster and Craig Gross, the site is aimed at bringing awareness to the issue of pornography.

How are they different?

I would have stopped looking if they were the same as any other Christian anti-porn site, but from the very beginning, XXXChurch tried new methods of reaching out to people. In fact, the first event they attended was AVN Adult Entertainment Expo.

Through their efforts, they’ve set up billboards, had commercials produced  by pornographers, they’ve utilized online memes, and have had debates with porn star Ron Jeremy, as well as other creative activities.

So?

Their methods are unprecedented and controversial. Other Christian lobbyists will argue with XXXChurch at adult film conventions, and Christian TV host Pat Robertson disliked founder Mike Foster’s remark “Jesus would be at a porn convention”.  They get joked about often by radio hosts, news broadcasters, and other Christians.

Though, they have been featured in Time, Playboy, CNN, The Today Show, GMA, Anderson Cooper 360, as well as many other media outlets. Why? They utilize new technology and reach out in a way which modern society understands. They have a message board, known as a Prayer Board, they have an email service, they have accountability software called x3watch, online workshops called x3pure, etc.

Will XXXChurch really succeed?

Maybe. Maybe not. The founders admitted they know, and do not intend, to save the whole world from pornography. They have an easy going and realistic view of their product. What is interesting is their approach. I feel it will impact and change at least some people’s lives. Isn’t that success?

Pornography Addictions

Tags

analysis, anti-porn, humantrafficking, onlinepornography, porn, porno, sextrafficking, statistics

Pornography is common in modern society, although it is still a very controversial topic. According to a 2006 Internet Filter Review, every second 28,258 internet users are accessing porn and every 39 minutes a new pornographic film is produced in the USA. The average age children are first encountered with online porn is 11, and 90% of children age 8-16 view porn online.

What do these statistics mean? Well, The Freedom Youth Project sees this as proof of an issue largely overlooked. The Freedom Youth Project’s article “Pornography-A Gateway to Human Sex Trafficking” speaks a bit about how pornography as an addiction can harm all persons involved.

Pornography addiction meets the criteria of an addiction on 3 points:

1) Addicts can’t do without pornography

2) Requires repetition of the act

3) Addicts lose the ability of will

The article states pornography as the leading cause of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) in America (although, without statistics).  It provides two reasons:

1) Children and adults who are trafficked are forced to participate in pornographic films.

2) As more children are forced into pornography, the demand for this material grows. Thus, the cycle continues.

The article also brought up a recent analysis of the 50 best selling pornographic films that revealed verbal and physical aggression in the films. On average, 11.52 acts of aggression were in each scene analyzed, with 94% of aggressive acts committed towards women.

The article argues that viewers become desensitized to the blatant problem that the children in the films are being forced into these situations. The article goes on to state that this desensitization process eventually leads to viewers looking for opportunities to act out these behaviors.

Human Sex Trafficking is a major issue, but did this article really make its’ point? I believe it fell short in some major ways:

1) It failed to mention the issue was about pornography addiction when the material covered was pertaining to pornography addicts. The information covered wasn’t on typical viewers. I find this misleading to readers.

2) It failed to connect many strong issues with statistical evidence. While it said pornography was the leading cause of DMST, it failed to provide statistics. It also failed to provide statistics backing up the claim that material viewed in the films caused viewers to perform the same actions. In conjunction with the issue stated in 1, this falsely accuses all pornography viewers.

Let me state, I am not against Freedom Youth Project’s views or statement; I just would have liked to see a stronger argument. Human Sex Trafficking is an issue that needs to be stopped, and FYP pointed out something very true: While the internet is a database of information and a hub for opportunity, when used incorrectly, it can hurt many lives.

Which raises the next point: Is internet censorship needed?

…

JK, I’m not going there today. : P

~NOMNOMreeses~