To Whom It May Concern...

We have come to the end of the road for this course and this semester.  We have had some “ups” and we have had some “downs,” but we still made it through.  One final assignment that I would like to have you do is to write a letter to future students who will take this course with me.  Here are the things that you should do within this letter:

• Give a general introduction to the class (What is this course about?)
• Summarize the course material (What did we do?)
• Discuss study techniques and learning strategies (What helped you?)
• Explain problem areas you encountered with the material
• Describe some things that helped and allowed you to succeed
• Describe some things that were not helpful (if any)
• What might you do differently if you could start this course again?

 Be sure to address the seven (7) areas above.

 Things to remember:

• Please be grammatical in your sentence structure
• Spell check and proofread your letter
• The letter can be informal
• Be sure to include your name and date

Mr. C

This blog/letter is due on/before April 21 by 11:59 PM and should be at least 500 words.

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College or Grade 13...

I did this blog last semester and I have been wrestling with this question this semester when I look at some of my students' performance.  I figured I would get your opinion on it...

As we grow and mature, one of the major aspects of our lives becomes our education. We struggle and work hard to get through the five or six years of elementary school, the three or four years of middle school and the three or four years of high school. Once many of us walk across the stage to receive our diplomas, we feel a great sense of accomplishment and, to a degree, a sense of completion. Many of us were conditioned to believe that college was the next step or at least finding a good paying job. This wasn't negative conditioning, but sometimes WE are left out of the equation.

I was talking to some colleagues the other day and we were discussing how students now don't seem to have the same feelings about college and higher education that we had. College was looked at as something that was special. It was a place for the elite. It was a place where we could further the knowledge that we only scratched the surface of in primary and secondary school. It was a place where we could make lifelong friendships and have our views/beliefs challenged. Ultimately, it was a place where we found...exactly who we were.

Now, it seems that college is just like high school. It seems to be a place where students expect to be talked to like a psychiatrist would talk to their patients; where students want you to talk to their parents if they did not receive the grade they think they deserve; and where the instructors are to make allowances for every little thing that goes wrong in the students' lives.

What do you think about these thoughts? Honestly, why did you come to college? Did you feel pressured into coming? If you were pressured, what do you think you would have been doing had you not attended college? What are some of your personal definitions of college? Have your definitions changed upon coming to school?

Mr. C

Remember these posts are due by Friday April 14 by 11:59 PM. Responses should be at least 250 words.
**On another note, make sure you are commenting on THIS post and not creating your own. 

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Unnecessary Technologies...

It has been said that as soon as a consumer purchases a piece of technology, it becomes obsolete.  I have seen this happen with computers, televisions, and most of you know that as soon as a new cell phone hits the market, developers are working on another one.  In past blogs, we have discussed what pieces of technology we would like to see developed, what technologies that we would not want to see replace humans, and we have talked about some of the evils of technology in the forms of social media.  As technology progresses, there are new advances that surface daily/weekly/monthly.  But there are some advances that I think are completely unnecessary and solely function as a way for someone to put their name on “the next big thing.”

One of these unnecessary technologies is the smart watch.  I recently purchased one just to see what the “hype” is all about.  For those of you who do not know, smart watches were developed a few years ago and they serve the purpose to be more convenient for consumers.  Instead of having to pick up your phone when a call or a text comes through, you can answer the call or reply to the text through the watch.  You can also make calls through the watch.  I would like this technology except for one thing…you still have to have your phone with you or in close vicinity in order for the watch to work.  Why would I buy a watch that can do everything my phone does, but I still have to have my phone with me?  I think that is basically useless, but I may be converted once I receive it and begin to use it.

What technologies do you think are unnecessary?  The technologies you choose can be either hardware (something external) or software (something internal).  Why do you think these technologies are unnecessary?  Is there something else that exists that is better?  If the technology is unnecessary in its current state, how can it be improved?

Mr. C

These blogs are due on/before Friday April 7 by 11:59 PM.  This blog is to be 250 words.

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Check 1, Check 2...

Well folks, we are a little past at the halfway point of this semester and this course. One thing that is always "funny" to me is that some students don't realize that they are in school until midterm grades come out. They make a vow to change and fix their grades, habits, and outlook on their academic performance. They change their ways for about two weeks, then they slip back into the same habits. 

I put quotation marks around "funny" because it really is not funny so much as it is sad. The semester usually ends with them going through the stages of grief when their grades are not what they should be. First, they go through denial - "I didn't see this coming. I came to class, I turned in my work..." Second, they go through anger - "I can't believe YOU gave me this grade...I hate you for this..." Then it goes to bargaining - "Is there anything I can do? I was going through a lot this semester." Then the students get depressed before ultimately they accept their fate.

This blog comes out of the many traditional students (not so much my online students) who don't have a strong sense of why they are in school and why when it comes to their grades they do as Beyonce said years ago and "Check Up On It." Why do you think that students run from their grades all semester, then run to them at the end? In your years of school, is this a trend that you have noticed? Why is it that students think that by bargaining, they will get by when their work is not indicative of it? Is this a culture that we as a society have created?

Mr. C

Remember, this blog is due by 11:59 PM on Friday March 25. Remember that responses need to be at least 250 words. Also, make sure you comment on this blog - DO NOT create your own in response to this one. 

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iRobot?

Now John Henry was a mighty man, yes sir. He was born a slave in the 1840's but was freed after the war. He went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, don't ya know. And John Henry was the strongest, the most powerful man working the rails.  John Henry, he would spend his days drilling holes by hitting thick steel spikes into rocks with his faithful shaker crouching close to the hole, turning the drill after each mighty blow. There was no one who could match him, though many tried.

Well, the new railroad was moving along right quick, thanks in no little part to the mighty John Henry. But looming right smack in its path was a mighty enemy - the Big Bend Mountain. Now the big bosses at the C&O Railroad decided that they couldn't go around the mile and a quarter thick mountain. No sir, the men of the C&O were going to go through it - drilling right into the heart of the mountain.

A thousand men would lose their lives before the great enemy was conquered. Then one day a salesman came along to the camp. He had a steam-powered drill and claimed it could out-drill any man. Well, they set up a contest then and there between John Henry and that there drill. The foreman ran that newfangled steam-drill. John Henry, he just pulled out two 20-pound hammers, one in each hand. They drilled and drilled, dust rising everywhere. The men were howling and cheering. At the end of 35 minutes, John Henry had drilled two seven foot holes - a total of fourteen feet, while the steam drill had only drilled one nine-foot hole. John Henry held up his hammers in triumph! The men shouted and cheered. The noise was so loud, it took a moment for the men to realize that John Henry was tottering. Exhausted, the mighty man crashed to the ground, the hammer's rolling from his grasp. The crowd went silent as the foreman rushed to his side. But it was too late. A blood vessel had burst in his brain. The greatest driller in the C&O Railroad was dead.

This story was one that was told around Black History Month and was one of hard work, will & determination, and most importantly human sacrifice. All of the afore-mentioned characteristics are ones that our ancestors fought and died for many years ago in order for us to have the freedoms we often take for granted today.  In today’s technologically savvy society, big corporations are constantly improving on new products and are even creating things that make some natural human functions obsolete.  Things like Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Roombas (robot vacuums), and Siri/Alexa interfaces (personal assistants) are substitutions for human functions that are no longer taught (reading maps, properly cleaning rooms/homes, and actually doing research on information you want to know).  The only fear that I have sometimes with these new technologies is will they soon replace humans all together?

Knowing that even more technologies are being created every day, do you feel that society/tech companies are going too far with their inventions of machines that “make our lives easier”? Are there any jobs that you feel should never be replaced with robots/machines?  If so, what are those jobs?  Why shouldn’t those jobs be replaced?  Do you feel that there are some jobs that should be replaced by robots/machines?  If so, what are those jobs?  Why should those jobs be replaced?

Mr. C

This blog is due March 3 by 11:59 PM and should be at least 250 words.  Remember to comment on this blog, DO NOT create your own. 

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Thieves Among Us...

Piracy: 

pi·ra·cy/ ˈpīrəsē /noun

noun: piracy

• the unauthorized use or reproduction of another's work.

plural noun: piracies

"software piracy" synonyms: illegal copying, plagiarism, copyright infringement, bootlegging

At some point in all our digital lives, we have been guilty of participating in this act.  Whether it was during my teenage years where one person would buy a “tape” or CD and we would make a copy of it to more modern times where people use online downloading programs to get whole CD’s, specific songs, or even movies and videos before they even come out.

Another form of piracy that is prevalent specifically in the black community is the idea or notion of finding the “bootleg man” to get movies that have yet to be released on video.  I know my family is guilty of this as they have copies of movies I have yet to see.  My niece even got the remake of “Annie” on Christmas Day.  She was excited even though the disc had no cover art, came in no special case, and just had the words “Annie” written in red sharpie on the disc itself.

As easy and as cheap as it is for us to get our hands on these items, it hurts the artists, actors, and other staff who rely on sales of music, movies, and videos for their livelihood.  Morally, we all know it is wrong, but we still continue to do it.  Why is it that even though we are taking “food” from the mouths of others do we continue to pirate movies, videos, and music?  Have you ever been guilty of doing this?  Do you continue to do this?  If you do, what compels you to do so?  If you have stopped, what stopped you from doing so?  Do you think there should be harsher penalties for people who still engage in piracy?  What should those penalties be?

Mr. C

This blog is due on Friday February 24 by 11:59 PM and should be AT LEAST 250 words.

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Digital Profilers...

Racial profiling has been an epidemic within this country for many years. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is where you are “stereotyped” for your appearance and pre-judged by others who are either prejudiced, fearful, or just plain hateful. In the news lately, many more situations of racial profiling have occurred, even with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey. Take a look at this article and video.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/22/msnbc-minorities-hit-hardest-by-iphone-tracking-technology/

What do you think of this conceptual epidemic? Have you ever been racially profiled? Have you ever done it to someone else - either knowingly or out of habit (keep in mind locking your doors at a stop light would count)? How would you propose we change people’s thinking?  Why do you think technology companies have bought into this nonsense?

Mr. C

Note: This blog is due Friday February 17 by 11:59 PM. Make sure that it is at least 250 words and that you are responding to this blog…not creating your own.

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Looking to the Future...

When I was growing up, I always dreamed of how life would be in the future.  One of the older shows I watched as a child was “The Jetsons.”  If you have never heard of them, they were a family that lived in the year 2062 and it was supposed to give viewers a comical look at how the future would be.  

Watch “The Jetson’s” Intro here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyinD6ZDqeg

At the time, it was around the early 1980’s and I just knew that by the year 2000, we would be flying in cars and have robots doing everything for us.  Although technology has come a long way and we are able to do things that we could not have dreamed of 5-10 years ago, we are nowhere near the level of technology we see in movies and cartoons.  One thing that I am very interested to see happen soon is for us to have computer interfaces like the one seen on the “Iron Man” movies.

See what I mean here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgaSugE7n2w

I really want you to think about this…

What technology would you like to see invented that would make life even easier for you?  What things would this piece of technology be able to do?  What would the target audience be for this piece of tech?  What would be the cons/negatives of this?

Mr. C

This blog is due on Friday February 10 by 11:59 PM and should be at least 250 words. Make sure that you are commenting on my blog - NOT creating your own. If you create your own, it will be deleted and you will not receive credit for it

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Social Media...Good or Bad?

Since the invention of social media networks (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), the world has become glued to their smart phones, computers, tablets, etc. I can remember when I was in school, we had some social media in the form of things like chat rooms (i.e. MSN and Yahoo Messenger). Those were fun to keep in touch with others that weren’t within arm’s reach. The messengers and sites like Blackplanet.com & others were our outlets to the world and we enjoyed the friendships we cultivated from those.

However, networks like Facebook and Twitter have become not only ways to network with other students and old friends, but for some reason they have become the digital therapists for today’s generation. I absolutely HATE when people share too much information on Facebook. I don’t really care where you just checked in or what you are thinking about right now. I also hate with people use Facebook and Twitter as a way to either get revenge on others, talk “junk” about others by not mentioning their names, or to have arguments. If you are going through something personal, speak to a friend, family member, or therapist about it – stop posting ambiguous messages about “unknown” people about how you are feeling. There was a time when as men and women, if we had an issue with something someone did or said, you confronted them about it. You either talked it out or something else happened. I am by no means condoning violence, but in an age where there have been many mistakes already made that we can learn from, why are we not doing so?

What do you think about social media? Do you think it is fine the way it is or does some things need to be changed? What needs to be changed? What do you think about people who are too emotional on Facebook/Twitter? Have you been guilty of doing this? What was the situation about and was bringing Facebook/Twitter in on it necessary? What are some of your pet peeves as it relates to social media?

I am now off the soap box, lol.

Mr. C

Remember, comments on this blog are due by Friday Februrary 3 by 11:59 PM. Responses should be AT LEAST 250 words. Also remember to COMMENT on this post. DO NOT CREATE YOUR OWN BLOG AS A RESPONSE.

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