Blog #12

The controversy of whether or not play time is important in a kids development is a common topic. There has been numerous studies made on whether children are affected by the free time given to them inbetween numerous hours of learning. Children, and it has been said that a person at any age, can benefit from a mental break. It has been proven that people actually focus better after they are able to release tension and free their mind. There has never been a study where negative effects have been shown after getting a break from the typical learning environment.

Blog #11

Often times people will refer to the conflict between Apple and Android phones to be childish. In recent years however , this conflict has become far more serious causing both sides of the playing field to step up their game. For instance with the creation of the third generation iPod, Android marketeers were forced to design a smart phone of their own so as to keep the status quo. Since then windows has been trying to "one-up" Apple as far as creativity is concerned.

Blog #10

"Regardless of what you do for a living, you'll never reach your full potential until you realize how artificial limits can be. Growth comes from making yourself a little uncomfortable and spurring yourself [to go] beyond what you've always done....Especially when it’s done in service to others."
I fully believe in going out of ones way to help others. I believe that in order to accomplish great tasks ones has to step out of their comfort zones to achieve greatnesss. This may be hard for some people, but in the end it would be worth it when you are able to help other people.

Blog #9

Everyone remembers the days of running like wild to race the other children to the play ground. I was always the girl running to get the last swing, everyone knows those were always everyone's first choice. I believe every child should have these memories which is why I believed so strongly in the KaBOOM! movement Hammond created.

Blog #8

"Super Size, Me"
This is a documentary about a man taking on the McDonald's challenge. He has challenged himself to eat McDonald's food only for all 3 meals for 30 days. In this documentary, we see how bad fast food takes its toll on our bodies from even as little as one month of entire consumption. After the first few days he was losing energy and getting tired very easily. He was getting sick and just all aroung not feeling up to par. Fast food is a big part of American's lives and everyone is guilty of its consumption, but there is a point where it can be extremely harmful to us.

Blog #7

I watched Food, Inc. This movie showed the harsh reality of how our food is produced. I can't assume all Americans were unaware before this movie was produced, but I can assume many were as oblivious as I was. Advertising knows how to sneak words and catchy commericals into people's heads and make them think they know what they are eating. This video was disgusting to think we are giving these companies our money with the way they produce their product. I believe we have the power to change this, we just have to make everyone aware and no longer buy this disgusting product.

Blog #6

We live in a technological world where the generation has grown up with all technology imaginable. I remember where the excitment of getting a flip phone in the 8th grade. Now kids are getting iPhones at the age of 10 and it is common to see. The use of game systems are also common among kids. "Connected, But Alone?" is a video on how kids interact with the technological world and are always "connected" on any device yet that's the only form of connection they know. Face-to-face social interaction has slowly depleted amongst kids. Kids lack certain social and communication skills thanks to texting and other forms of messaging vs. conversing in person. With the daily rise of technology, will that affect this problem even more as the time goes on? How will communication skills be in 10+ years when we are even more affected by the even more advanced technology?

Blog #5

Many could argue the question, does the Internet hinder our thinking abilities or help us? Some may say that the Internet makes people lazy and research too easy to access, but other could argue it only helps and makes access more convenient. The internet is a convenient way to access information easily and quickly, but also has the negative outlook of making research less valuable to the viewers. I never realized how much people rely on soley the Internet for information. This video and article helped me realize people rely too much on one source and don't bother to make any more effort than using the search bar on Google.

Blog #4

My life is a constant dedication to work and school like many other college students. If I'm not at work dedicating almost full time hours, I'm studying for my next exam as a full time student. Although it may seem like there is a loss of motivation every so often, there is a constant reminder of my future. When I think to myself, "I would rather just work and save money, than spend my time in school" I force myself to realize school equally as important for my success. I'm sure many students have this same perception. Just remember to keep a constant reminder that all your hard work will always pay off in the end.

Blog #3

Amy Tan describes her "Mother's Tongue" as the way her mother spoke, her way of communicating in English. She explains that people may see improper English as a form of limitation. In many way, when an individual can hardly speak proper English, it can come off as an uneducated version of the language. Amy Tan was ashamed to say that her mother's limited English did limit her perception of her mother. Now grown and matured Amy Tan realizes that was not the case at all. Although her mother couldn't speak proper English like the other Americans, her words weren't affected as she thought they were. She still had important things to say whether she was understood correctly or not. Amy Tan tries to force her readers to not jump to the conclusion of thinking that limited language skills are a disability or even an uneducated form of speech.