Blog Reflection

I have learned so much from this class on many levels. After our first class in January, I went home and pondered how would I add this to my already busy schedule, and still be there for my family? I have enjoyed the blogging aspect enormously, more so then the video game. At the first class meeting everyone was quiet and intent on becoming comfortable with Second Life. Yesterday in class I felt I knew everyone but how could this be when I only previously spent 2 hours with them in January? The blogging - of course! When I wrote my first blog I thought it had to be formal - like an essay - but then I thought shouldn't it be what I am really thinking - like a stream of consciousness? Looking back at my blogs, I think they became better as I became more comfortable with the whole course. It is unusual to meet once or twice and then be on your own for the duration. I think the comments were so helpful, not only in terms of the articles/responses, but also to keep connected. I think Dr. D's constant support via email and blog comments was instrumental in keeping us all motivated. The blogging for me was and will continue to be a stepping stone into further understanding how I feel about my role as an educator, parent, student. I learned so much more about the articles from reading everyones blogs and commenting on some of them. Reading others blogs/commenting and receiving comments made things more clear, helped pave the way, and again, kept it together.

Walking Life

Bravo! This was amazing - finally someone talking about something real - a passion for life! I think many of us have forgotten about finding our passion. We are all busy doing many things we enjoy, mixed in with responsibilities and the stuff of life. This is somewhat ironic, all this savvy tech went into this wonderful video to talk about real life. I love it. If you listen closely to all the conversation, it makes sense. Of course my 16 year old daughter would consider it drama, but she will appreciate this type of message in about 15 years. It's just like the whole Susan Boyle story -somewhat heart breaking - its more then what we see - it's about a dream, a passion.

Intellectual Freedom in School Libraries

I tell my students that my goal as their library teacher is to provide them with the skills necessary to access all forms of information on their own. I do support the curriculum and often touch base with faculty members to assure the needs of our students are being met. I think in society, censorship is part of life. I have friends who work for large corporations and are told not to spend much time on the Internet shopping, etc., because it does not look good from an employer standpoint. Clearly that means they are being censored/watched. In education, this opportunity is not afforded because there are filters, etc., that stop things before they in fact can become a problem. Years ago the idea of censorship was more of a trust issue, however now it can be enforced on computers in various ways. Liability issues also add to the censorship issue: schools have to be very cautious about what they make available to students and everyone has to be on the same page (no pun intended). I see school library censorship as a good thing - there are "rules" everywhere and I do not think it interferes with learning. An effective school library should address the needs of the specific school and the curriculum. Of course that old budget makes a lot of the decisions of what materials are needed and what will remain on a wish list.
In closing, I truly believe it is more important for a Media Specialist to know the difference between material that is inappropriate and material that is not. However I feel strongly that censorship is necessary. We cannot expect kids to be able to make adult decision without our guidance. Knowledge and information is power, but all children need guidance, advice, and yes, rules!

Post Media Aesthetics

Oh my goodness! I think I will move to the South of France a lot sooner then I have dreamed about - or are things moving along there as rapidly as here? This article was quite abstract and therefore a lot to assimilate. It addresses the categorization of art in many forms and also the impact of software. Of course by using different software we will get different results and companies will market their product to get the best sales results. Just as textbooks influence what we are reading about, so does software, so need to be previewed before we use them - not only to be sure they are appropriate but also to see if they address the goal we are trying to accomplish. I am not sure if I consider any tech as an art form, do you think email is a work of art? I do think that people spend a lot of time on tech stuff -time that can be spent doing something more active, but it pulls you in - I know I am compelled to check my email and the inbox on my cell. There is so much info being tossed around in this article - but philosophically speaking, we see and therefore judge things individually - if I consider one thing to be a form of art and another thing not to be, on a computer or in a museum, then each is valid.

Emerging Technologies

I think I have expressed this opinion before, but I feel strongly that the need to be in touch is out of control. I completely agree with the need to be in touch for business, educational, and family safety issues, etc. But it seems as if no one can just "be" anymore. I guess that's the same way I feel about playing a video game - I much rather do something in person, and I can easily just be by myself with out being connected. I am amazed by some of the "emerging technologies" available but feel that in many ways it enables children to be "out there" way before they are prepared. I do agree that as an educator I should be informed on many levels: how do I relay this info to specific students who have specific leanring styles? how do I add some interesting twist to my web site at school to promote ease of use, etc., but we still need to be able to read body language, refine language arts skills, etc.

An update on the effects of playing violent video games

This article strongly supports its argument with plenty of stats. What I don't see in the article is any reference to any other type of study other then based predominately age comparisons. I would like to see a study include lifestyle before and after continued playing of any video game, and how that video game affected future behavior, good or bad. Yes, there are enough studies to support that violent games do promote aggressive behavior but there are other circumstances to encourage this also. There is no mention of lifestyle, i.e., family life, socio-economic level, etc. I strongly feel these variables play a deciding factor in what behavior a child feels is acceptable.

Video Games and Violent Behavior

Okay so here we are again blaming video games for violent behavior! Not once in the article did it report any findings about lifestyle, socio-economic level, educational background, average age of gamer, etc. If children do not have regular adult supervision and some type of boundaries, then anything is possible, whether they are playing video games or not. If a child is always alone and happens upon a video game, then whatever the game is about they may possibly imitate. But if not for the video game, the negative violent behavioral potential would have been picked up somewhere else. It's not about the game - it's about idle time and no rules. If my daughters played a violent video game they would not be interested or influenced because they are being raised in a different environment. We cannot continue to blame outside "stuff" for the behavior of individuals. I cannot underestimate most typical people by assuming that if they play a video game they will feel as if they are someone else - I like to give people more credit than that. I consider myself an average person with my priority being taking care of my daughters. I don't need to identify with anyone else or feel as is I am someone else - I don't get it. Yes, I know many teenagers need to feel accepted and may turn to video games as fun, a stress reliever, and/or a break from gossip, etc., but not as a means to turn into violent delinquents. It's not that clear cut.