Goo Goo Over Google

Footprints in the Digital Age, by Will Richardson, refers to how the online information of who we are, what we do, and what we know can be found by just typing a name. Just like how footprints on the beach represent someone’s presence, digital footprints represent someone’s existence and someone’s ‘googleability’ too. Digital accesibility is important for teachers to teach their pupils, so the students know how to wiki, navigate, create, etc.

I agree with the author that it’s a bit unsettling to know that anyone can Google me and find multiple pages of information about me. For all I know, someone half way around the world could type in a random name, and find out all my personal information. Talk about an invasion of privacy. I guess that’s the very reason why my parents didn’t let any of my sisters or I get a facebook until we were starting high school. Social networking is great, but it comes with hidden risks and despite its name, it eliminates your real social life. Yet, I highly disagree with this author and how he admires that some ridiculous 10-year-old is getting all this attention by doing good things, when she should be outside playing or calling her Grandma. I think his article would be great to discuss in class and not just digitally, because we can collaborate, share, learn, and more.

After reading the article, I was a little unclear. Is the author’s priority the issue of being “Googled well” like the ridiculous 10-year-old, or being able to “Google well” as both a teacher and a student? I am not sure if I should be editing my profile to be better or if I should be learning to Google better.

Personal versus Finacial?

The Fox News article, Do Kids Count? Insurers Stop Selling Child-Only Policies Ahead of ObamaCare Provisions, published September 22, 2010, refers to an issue of President Obama’s healthcare reform. Major insurance companies have stopped offering child-only policies just a few days before the new law kicks in, tomorrow, Thursday, September 23, 2010. Why? Insurance companies say that some parents likely will wait till their children are sick to buy coverage, which will cause unexpected and massive costs to the insurers, or the health insurance companies. According to ObamaCare, all Americans must carry health insurance by the year 2014. As of tomorrow, insurers cannot exclude children under 19 years old with pre-existing conditions. Supporters of ObamaCare feel this is immoral to drop child-only policies. Insurers and those against ObamaCare feel this is an understandable and logical decision based on cost.

I have a significant personal connection with this issue because of my relationship with three children with terminal and pricey health conditions. Two of these children have died, and one of them is currently battling cancer. I cannot imagine an insurance company turning them away.  Yet on the other hand, I cannot imagine how much it costs for other people, especially when they died. For me, it is a conflict between fiscal reality and personal care and moral involvement.

The healthcare reform law by President Obama is a very controversial issue. One of the most sensitive elements of the law involves mandatory coverage for pre-existing conditions. What feels right personally is not necessarily what is right financially.

The Mindset of Google

“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, refers to the effect Google has had on modern society. Carr believes Google has altered our mental habits and shaped the process of thought. Google does this by providing us with 24/7 access to journal articles, e-books, emails, games, social networks, news, blogs, videos, and more.

Carr’s statement, “What Taylor did for the work of the hand, Google is doing for the work of the mind,” really impacted me. Typewriters made writing easier, faster, and neater. Google allows people to not even have to think at all or use their own reasoning. Google is seeking maximum digital speed, efficiency, and output with minimal human effort. My parents are the stimulus of my thinking, not Google.

What would the world be like without Google? It has made such an impact on the entire world. The word “Google” has even been made into an official verb in the dictionary. If Google were never started, would Bing be here now? Most people have google as their computer homepage, but is it becoming their mental homepage too?

(http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/6868/)

Legality versus Morality

As I read the article from the New York Times, “ Pastor Cancels Koran Burning After Defense Secretary Calls” by Damien Cave and Anne Barnard, I was struck by the thought that perhaps sometimes freedoms need to be limited, even in America. The article goes on to talk about Pastor Terry Jones’ plan to burn the Koran on the 9th anniversary of 9/11 and all the controversy. Muslims have planned to build a mosque at ground zero of the World Trade Center. Pastor Jones and Imam Rauf had a meeting together and made a deal that there would be no burning, as long as the mosque is moved. Now, though, there is not any evidence of the deal.

In America, it is legal to build a mosque at Ground Zero just as it is legal to burn holy books, even the Koran, because of freedom of religion. However, there is a difference between legality and morality. I personally think that there need to be limits in the freedom of religion, depending on the circumstances. Americans feel that it is unethical to burn Bibles in Imam’s Arabic countries just as it is unethical to burn holy books in America. But at what point is a line drawn between unethical/insensitive and freedom/legal? Building a mosque at Ground Zero where thousands have died because of the very people wanting the mosque built, is insensitive to the extreme side yet also legal. Similarly, burning holy books in America seem insensitive, yet legal. Its rather ironic that President Obama asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ask Pastor Jones not to burn Korans, while they could ask Imam not to build the mosque. I find it very hypocritical of Pastor Jones to do this, when many Americans feel building the mosque is equally offensive.

Technology in Education: The Problem or The Situation?

A Vision of Students Today, a youtube video by Michael Wesch makes me wonder how technology plays a role in modern education (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o). By showing many different statistics, the video forces viewers to question problems in today’s school system and the benefits or harms of technology. Quotes like, “I’m a multi-tasker. I have to be” show viewers how tough it is for students to keep up in today’s society. The question is, does technology help those students keep up, or is it making them fall behind?


One of the first things that entered my mind after viewing that video was how different it was from my two sisters’ college experience. What I saw in the video was the exact opposite from what my sisters wanted in a college. The video quotes that a student’s average class size is 115 people and that only 18% of a student’s teachers will know their name. My sisters’ school, however, has class sizes of between 20-30 people and all their teachers know their name. That told me that many of the statistics from the video were very biased to a certain type of university. Is it bad that some colleges are like that? I certainly think its bad that some colleges are like that, because the colleges with big classes tend to be at larger state schools. I don’t think its fair that the majority of students who cannot afford the high price of a private college education miss out on the chance to have a more personal college experience. That made me wonder how technology can play a role in the problem. In many ways technology makes this problem worse. Teachers create online presentations that make the class even more impersonal. But at the same time, technology can be used to help students. Programs can be used to make a large class seem a lot smaller through things like small group discussions through blogging. Technology can even be used to make already-small classes more personal. For example, this blog allows my teacher to get to know me, my thoughts, and my opinions better. Technology is changing our world. It can cause great problems by creating distractions, making our world more impersonal, and making life a lot more expensive. But technology can also be an equally helpful. It can make huge classes seem just a little smaller and it can make the chaos of modern life just a little more manageable; but it all depends on how it is used.