PLN3 (Semester 2)

Ms. Lee,

                Your post, “The Power of Positive Thinking” really got me thinking.  Being more positive than negative is something many people, including me, struggle with.  As a student, I have witnessed the power of being positive for me personally, or through a teacher or a coach.  A time where positive thinking pulled through for me was when I got injured in seventh grade playing basketball.  It was a severe sprain in my shooting arm and I was discouraged that I wouldn’t be able to contribute to the team.  I thought to myself ways that I could contribute.  I came up with being able to contribute through a coaching standpoint, showing tips and suggestions to my teammates.  As a student, I know that a teacher that tends to be more positive is more liked and catches the focus of the students.  As a whole, I think the power of positivity can greatly affect the well-being of not only you, but on others as well.

PLN2 (semester 2)

Mr. Warlick,

                Your post, “Are We Wasting Children?” makes some very interesting points.  First off, the title really caught my attention, which made me want to read more.  Your basic idea of schooling administrations using students with good grades and test scores to boost their appearance, meanwhile almost discluding students that are having a harder time, does make sense.  I for one am not naïve enough to think that it is “all about the students” as most school-involved workers practically feed us.  I really do believe that a majority of high ranked school officials aim their focus on students, but I have some skepticism.  I am currently a freshman enrolled at Arapahoe High School and each of my fellow classmen is required to take two different forms of standardized testing,  one is MAPs testing, the other being CSAP.  Both forms of testing are used for either teacher or school/district purposes.  Basically a progress report that we (the students) take for the gain of school employed workers.  The idea of students being used for a better pay check is undoubtedly present.

Dear Mr. Fisch-

                Your post, “Denver Post: No More Horoscopes,” receives my full-backed agreement.  As a fairly large and powerful news outlet, the Denver Post has a responsibility to inform citizens on key events and speculation.  As Mr. Fisch stated, the Denver Post dedicated 260 square centimeters to horoscopes.  I agree that this space should be replaced by topics that actually benefit society, for example science.  When I read that one out of four Americans believe in Astrology, it definitely shocked me.  As clearly shown, the Denver Post’s main focus is profit (like many organizations) so then again, maybe it really isn’t surprising that the Denver Post adds things like horoscopes to their newspapers, rather than “dull” science.  The majority of us agree that the Denver Post should do what is right, as Mr. Fisch pushes, but would the Denver Post really risk profit in order to do what is right?

PLN23

The video “How cognitive surplus will change the world” matters to me because I could possibly contribute to this by making something that is “civic friendly”, to education because education should focus more on this, and to the world because one program showed how much it could impact the world in a good way.  This video was basically about how a small program used in East Africa made out of generosity helped so much, and then slowly became global.  Since I am someone who has the ability to make an impact on the world, I need to do my best to take advantage of my opportunity.  In my opinion, education should focus more on being civic friendly and being able to do things that will help people in rough times.  Education should specifically teach how to get your idea started, and how to use it effectively.  If most students had this skill, they could put it to use and change the world dramatically.  To be truthful, the world is huge.  Some people, including me think about how they could make an impact in the world, because it is so large.  Well if something so small like that program the helped East Africa in the beginning, then anyone can make an impact

PLN22

The article “Education Reform is Re-establishing, Redefining and Retooling” matters to me because I am a student who is going through today’s education process, to education because many people think that education should be done differently, and to the world because how students are educated will affect the world in the future.  “Education Reform is Re-establishing, Redefining and Retooling” was mainly about how education should be directed more to the working world.  The other thinks that schools now are like assembly lines, installing we the students with different tools like math, science, ect.  Because I am a student who is going through today’s education process, I need to be skilled at tools that are used to by the working world like critical thinking, being able to work with others, and to be reliable.  Many people think that some portions of education must be fixed.  I have read many articles about how the education system should be changed.  Since many of the authors of these articles are teachers, school boards and education leaders should talk with people who closely involved in everyday education to try to come up with some solutions.  How students are educated will affect the world because they are the future workers.  Proper education is what will make a positive effect on the world.

PLN21

The video “Changing Education Paradigms” matters to me because I may possibly be involved in a new transformation of education systems, to education because many people agree that the education system should be tweaked a bit, and to the world because the type of education will affect the type of workers that come out of school.  This video was basically about how the education should be modeled differently.  For example, the video said schools are kind of like a factory because the education system organizes by age, not skill and dedication.  Because I may be involved in new education systems, I need to be flexible.  There is a lot of talk about how the United States should have better education because we are the top nation on Earth.  So one thing that the US what do would be to tweak the education system in an attempt to make it more effective.  The type of education also matters to the world because that’s where the future workers are coming from.  So if the education system are effective, most likely so will the workers.

PLN20

The article “Is the New Information Landscape Changing Our Shopping Practices?” is matters to me because I need to learn things that will be helpful to me in the future, to education because schools may need to adjust because of a changing market, and to the world because we are progressing with technology in many elements of life.  This article was mainly about the rise in average cost of items bough online on Black Friday.  This showed that consumers were shopping smartly and getting better deals online.  Since I need to learn things that will be helpful to me in the future, one of those things skills should be shopping online because it is becoming a bigger and bigger part of how companies get profit.  Since schools should adjust to the changing market, they should put in some classes that show you effective ways to shop online.  The world as we know it is progressing, especially through technology.  Technology in schools, entertainment, and lifestyle are all progressing.  We all need to adjust.