Double Journal Entry #2

"In each instance, technology enhances our ability to manipulate our communication with others. As the arsenal of control devices continues to grow, we increasingly come to see language not as an opportunity for interpersonal dialogue but as a system we can maneuver for individual gain."


Reflection: This statement is so unbelievably true as soon as I read it I automatically thought about how many times I've gone off line to avoid talking to someone on instant messenger or Skype  or how I've ignored phone calls and texts simply claiming " I never got your message" or " Well my phone never rang". Today we have so many ways we can control who we talk to, how we talk to them, and when we talk to them. Although these technologies all provide us with easier ways to communicate it also provides us with an easier way to avoid communication. This is part of the idea that technology could be detrimental to our society with all of these ways to avoid communication we need to find ways to reinforce communication as well since it is so important to even the proper functioning of our society. 

Double Journal Entry #1

 Quote: "Chances are just that good that, in spite of anything you do, little Oliver or Abigail won’t end up a doctor or lawyer — or, indeed, anything else you’ve ever heard of. According to Cathy N. Davidson, co-director of the annual MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competitions, fully 65 percent of today’s grade-school kids may end up doing work that hasn’t been invented yet...For those two-thirds of grade-school kids, if for no one else, it’s high time we redesigned American education."

Response: Every Parent aspires for their child to have such an elite, traditional and respected career from the time the child is born or maybe even conceived. The thing that these parents and even some teachers do not consider is the fact that our technology is rapidly changing and "old school" trades are much less important. With this general statement I also realized that things I learned in elementary school even six or seven years ago are severely outdated and completely useless in some cases better yet some of the things I learned two years ago as a freshman in college are completely inadequate for the rapidly changing technology of today. Two- thirds of the children learning the basics in their elementary years, even students in high school are being prepared to go out into a world where their degree and profession are completely non-existent. When reading that quote I hope you now understand the importance of keeping children and educators up to date on the ever changing technology!

Reference:  Heffernan, V. (n.d.). Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade - NYTimes.com. Opinion - Opinionator - NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 30, 2011, from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/education-needs-a-digital-age-upgrade/?hp

Just a little bit about me

Hi! I'm Gabriella Harcharik, but most people just call me Abby. I'm from a small town in the tip of the northern panhandle called New Cumberland, West Virginia and no its not much but its home to me and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm working towards a degree in secondary education and in the near future I hope to be teaching high school students anything from state history to world history. I chose this major for 2 purposes it allows me to  have a huge impact on young people and my community and it allows me to be very family oriented and that's all I can ask for. So that's about all there is to it!