Blogging Around

The first comment I decided to make was on Ruxi's blog. In short, it emphasized on how Sherman Alexi's poem about Facebook applies in real life. That Facebook and other, similar social media sites/objects (i.e. smart phones) are degrading us due to the fact that they are unnatural, and are "messing with our brains". Along with that it states how we are becoming lazier and more dependent on technology now that everything is at our finger tips. My comment was:

I think that their intentions as social networking innovators were good, to connect people who normally wouldn't be able to talk on a daily basis. And in some ways that has seriously helped. For instance, this past summer I went to camp with kids all over the country to Mombasa, Kenya, and created strong relationships with many of the Africans that we were working with there. The only way for me to keep in touch with these kids is through social networking sites. This was the main purpose of the creation of these sites, and it has served its purpose well. I mean how would the Arab Spring, or numerous other ideas and revolts start if it weren't for this interaction of people assisted by technology?

In my opinion, what makes these sites appealing for us is the fact that by nature, humans are social, and the main role of all these innovations and technologies revolve around that very idea. Humans also tend to "Want" to be happier and more relaxed people, which is why drugs and alcohol became such a big hit. Or maybe altogether, its just the fact that for both (drugs/alcohol, and social networking/media) a few "cool" people begin doing it and through your own mental pressure on wanting to be like others, you fall into the trap as well and so do the people around you. And through that, a norm in society is established.

But I have to agree with you, the instant gratification can make us lazier than we already are. I once read an article in eighth grade about how scientists think that kids brains are being wired differently due to the influence of technologies on our lives. In today's world, it can make us lazier than we already are due to the fact that teaching and work methods are similar to those of the pre-computer/cellphone era. I now see that schools as well as the workforce are making efforts to adapt to the new norm, but the status-quo still remains firmly rooted in these two areas.

The problem is that the instant gratification of these sites is more interesting to us than what we learn in school. This is a tough era for teachers as well as for students. Teachers are going to have to step their game up and so will students. Props to Mr. Allen because I think these blog posts are the perfect way to get students to do homework. It allows me to do the same as I would on Facebook, share my own ideas and thoughts, and to view and comment on others. This socialization is what students want, and this has allowed us to speak our minds in a productive manner.

I wouldn't compare Facebook to bad drugs, but I would associate the use of it to an overdose on say Tylenol. It helps you feel better, but in large amounts it can have devastating consequences. Through experience one must realize what abusing these sites can do and should step by step recover, and take the social networking in the recommended dosages as said on the package of Tylenol. Students must also understand that the teachers themselves have this procrastination issue You will have less stress and won't be prone to procrastinate even more if you understand where to draw the line in terms of procrastination.

Many seem to love to advertise their personal lives on these sites, and complain that people are getting "into their business". Well obviously you make a status and post a picture of what you were doing all the time! Who wouldn't know what was up? Do you spend your entire day on Facebook? 
All in all, I agree that the whole factor of things being at our finger tips is going to cause us to be lazy, that's inevitable, but we just have to adapt to it. This is the information age. In the late 1900s who would want to go to the library if they had a computer to tell them all they needed? We have to be able to draw the line at some point and everyone is going to have to change their ways, we can't have the same factory styled school system as we say in Mr. Morgan/Widner's video last year, we have to change how things work, because we are no longer in the same era.
Great blog post! (:

The second post I did was on Julia's post about how her voice in writing seems to be suppressed by the fact that she is writing to please others rather than herself, similar to the way in which Orlando wrote in the very beginning of Virginia's Woolf's novel, Orlando.  Through this her voice has been lost and covered by the generic "Student trying to hard to please the teacher" voice rather than her own, and every since, she has been trying to reconnect with her original writing. The comment I made was:

This is some really deep stuff!

I can totally relate to how you feel about writing. I feel like that is the same as almost any other thing in life. My friends will tell you that it is not an uncommon sight to see me breaking down in tears due to stress about getting into colleges and receiving good grades. I worry about getting good grades more for the sake of college admins rather that the sense of self accomplishment I would feel in middle school when I received all As. I have allowed grades to define who I am, and rather than caring about my own learning, I feel like I am working hard to please some random college administrator who probably just doesn't care because he or she has seen multiple cases of hard work everyday.

My pediatrician told me that she regrets just getting good grades for medical school, she stated that she wished she could have "learned for herself" and not just stressed out over grades. Its gotten to the point that I don't know what defines me or not, just as you cannot distinguish your generic voice for your teacher through your writings from your true voice. From a young age society holds us in chains and tells us that we will not succeed unless we do things to please others who are higher up on the social scale, whether it be teachers, the "popular kids, the person you like,etc. 

I miss the thrill of being able to write my mind, and feel the power of my pen running on to my paper and I wish I could have it back one day! Now of days, there is no such thing as writing in your own style, there is just a generic, scholarly like voice that every child assumes, as if they were robots! I feel as if I have to painfully scratch out every word onto paper just to please a certain structure of writing with all the formalities. It sickens me.

Personally I want to be a journalist, so I must somehow find a way to rebel against this generic voice before it's too late...This blog post is a good way for me to truly express myself in an unconventional format, that's why I love these assignments. Teachers may be trying to help guide us in the right direction, but what makes amazing literature (as well as good college impressions) is the ability for the writer to do something against the norm of the generic voice and to truly express themselves.

THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! :D