Is Technology Helping or Hurting Education?

Michael Wesch’s video “A Vision of Students Today” features college students who portray life as a student in college today. The students featured in the video cast a message that suggests what they are learning is irrelevant to their lives. They also suggest that the ways they are being taught do not help their learning. Wesch’s students state that they “complete 49% of the readings assigned…” of which only 26% are relevant to their lives. Students pay for 100 dollar textbooks that they never open. The class average size is 115 students, and only 18% of teachers know students names. Could Wesch’s video be pondering if the way college students are being taught is effective?

Is this the college life in store for all students? Wesch’s video leaves a discomforting feeling about education after high school. The most important quote in the video was “If students learn what they do… what do they learn sitting here.’ This wraps up the entire mood of the video. Students sit in a classroom with an average size of 115 students. Listening to teachers teach irrelevant subjects to students they don’t even know. Is there really any positive outcome of spending thousands of dollars on information and time that is useless and wasteful? Wesch definitely challenged my thinking. Could technology be helping or destroying the learning world? Students spend 9.5 hours per day on technology! They only spend 3 hours in class and 3 hours studying. If teachers don’t engage their students, and technology is where they spend most of their time; should learning be moved to pure technology? As time changes technology changes along with it. Math will never change. Science and history will never change. Maybe current information on current resources is the best way to prepare and engage students today.

Information can Protect Better than a Shield

CBS News’s article “The Washington Navy Yard Shooting as it Happened” presents the events of the Washington shooting, and the story of Aaron Alexis. The article states that Alexis moved to Washington D.C about 3 weeks before the shooting. Alexis worked as a subcontractor at the Navy Yard. The article acknowledges that “..two days before the massacre, Alexis visited Sharpshooters Small Arms Range in Lorton, Virginia… he bought a shotgun and 24 shells.” The morning of the shooting Alexis used his security card to enter the building. He had been “granted a ‘secret’ clearance by the Defense Service five years ago.” After Alexis entered the building he headed to the fourth floor overlooking an atrium filled with employees. He then shot down into the atrium killing and injuring several employees. After police forces arrived Alexis was shot and killed by a D.C. police officer and a U.s. Park Police officer.

The article states that Alexis “...had no personal issues.” It also assures that the owner of Sharpshooters Small Arms Range ran a background check on Alexis. His background check came out clear. What the article failed to address is that Alexis not only suffered from post traumatic stress and insomnia, but had also suffered from mental illness for 10 years. Alexis had several run-ins with the law. He was arrested twice from shooting incidents. One in Seattle in 2004 and one in Texas in 2010 which caused him to be discharged from the navy in 2011. Why was this information not included in the article? How was Aaron’s background check cleared when he had all this criminal history? As readers and learners it’s important to know about these things but even more important to find out the whole story. Alexis was granted secret clearance to enter the building five years ago. Who exactly allowed his “secret” clearance and why was it allowed? Things like this should be avoided simply by research. Alexis should have never been able to buy that gun or enter the building. His mental illness and criminal record should have had several people concerned. Although, what most likely caused this not to happen was lack of information. Many people didn’t know of this information because it was not given to them. Just as it was not provided in the article. What can we do to stop these events? Use our role as learners to spread as much information as possible. 

The Inspiration of Bully

Bully

The movie Bully, by Lee Hirsch acknowledges the horrifying results of bullying. This documentary features several kids who have been, or were currently being bullied. Hirsch captures the everyday lives of bullying victims, along with the impact from parents, schools, and communities. Bully not only portrays the shocking effect of abuse that goes on everyday, but it also caused viewers and communities to stand up for victims.

Bully has changed my views on so many things. It’s amazing that people who have such hard lives can have such strong hearts. Just seeing how Kelby can smile so sweetly and enjoy simple things like rain after all she has been through amaze me. After all Alex has endured he laughs and smiles and gets butterflies over girls. Hirsch did an unbelievable job with Bully. He portrayed the lives of the community perfectly. Showing the lives of both the parents and the school board is what made the documentary breathtaking. The school has to be dedicated to every single student and each of their parents or nothing will be done. The school board had no interest in helping anyone. It’s not their problem until it’s personal. That was the most frightening part of the documentary. It’s disgusting to see how unmotivated they were. It’s even worse that they would need a child of their own to go through the same thing to understand. There also seemed to be no confidence in kids. Devon was the only child in Bully who stood up for himself. He was also the only one who said the bullies left him alone. Alex states “I don’t believe in luck but I believe in hope.” This quote will stay with me forever. You can hope for luck can’t you? Then again without that hope there would be no luck. Alex, along with the rest of the characters continue to astonish me with their beautiful hearts. Everyone should walk away from this movie and want to do something to make a difference. It’s so important to make an impact. Everything starts with one.

Celebrities... Who Are Youth?

Celebrities and Their Influence

The anonymous author of “Celebrities and Their Influence” lists the harmful influence of celebrity decisions on youth. In this article, the author clearly portrays his/her stance on celebrity influence. “Celebrities and Their Influence” states “Celebrities influence fans to be destructively thin, put harmful substances in their bodies, and many parents are concerned with the overall content these celebrities are putting on television, in movies, and over the internet.” The author suggests that the decisions of “pop culture idols” have caused youth to be unhappy with their personal image. He/she states “... more young adults are feeling ‘less confident, more angry, and more dissatisfied’ with their looks.” This shows how adults are worried about the effect celebrities are having on young adults. Polls show that adults have noticed children using “... derogatory language, singing suggestive song lyrics, and even flirting with each other.” The author clearly reveals his opinion on celebrities. “They have too much of an influence on young girls.”

        This article is biased. The author argues that celebrities are the reason for lack of confidence and bad behavior in youth today. What the author fails to address is that, as we evolve into different styles, attitudes, and beliefs, music and celebrities will evolve also. Although celebrities influence teens’ attitude about life and themselves, insecurities, foul language and bad attitude come from many other things. These include friends, people on the street, movies, books, magazines and adults. The behavior of youth today shouldn’t be blamed on “pop idols” when home lives, school and everyday people cause these things. The article presents a quote from a first grade teacher explaining the behavior of her students. The end of the quote states that her students were “..flirting with each other.” I feel that the adults included in the making of this article are over reacting immensely. When did flirting become so terrible? As if these adults don’t remember flirting when they were in school. If adults are so worried about the way their teens are acting, they should pay more attention to their children’s daily life. Celebrities do have an effect on youth. Celebrities are not the whole reason for insecurities and bad behavior. Teens will always have insecurities and celebrities will always try to be the best.