wrap up

   When we started the journey that is this class, I certainly was not thinking that we would be doing things on 3D gamelab.  I was thinking it would be more of a classroom based learning situation.  At first I really didn't care for the way the class was set up.  But as we got more into using some of the tools like blogs and hypertext (stuff that I didn't really know how to do before I took this class).  I think the deadlines could be clearer than what they were.  But I'm not sure it would have changed when I got my stuff done. 
   The thing I hated was waiting for things to get approved before I could do other things.  There were times that I could have done four or five quests but got stopped by the way the quests were set up.  I leaned to adapt to the way the class was run and found it very interesting.  would I take another class set up like this one?  I wouldn't be afraid of taking one but would still like to have the traditional classroom style.

Disconnecting

               I can’t see why some people have so much trouble disconnecting.  It is nice to be on top of everything going on in your life but it starts to be a problem when it bothers others.  And there is the possibility of hurting or killing others (like texting while driving).  I tend to have the thought that when driving that is what you should be concentrating on.  I do not feel that is the case with a lot of people and that is the majority of the reason I do not drive anymore. 

               I have the idea that if you are too stupid to live then you should not live.  What I mean is that if you do stupid things that can kill you, then no one should stop you from doing those things and eventually that situation will work itself out very nicely.  I have a very low tolerance for stupidity.  I invaded Iraq in 2003 and watched with my own eyes some of the dumbest things in the world.  So I may be less than sensitive to some things.  But the idea that anyone would get behind the wheel of a two ton vehicle and want to talk on the phone or text is just beyond words.  I can’t think of anything that would be that important that you should endanger everyone around you.  In combat we call those people officers, but (and here is the key) the officers are not allowed to drive period.  When you are trying to command troops you need to be connected but if the US ARMY thinks being connected is not a good idea while driving, they might have a point.

               I ride a bicycle and there is not a day that I’m on my bike that I don’t see at least one person chatting away on the cellphone or texting.  To me that is just like watching a train wreck waiting for a place to happen.  I know that I can be hit by a car at any moment when I am on the bike but the  thought that I keep in my head is that I probably will not survive the accident and that makes me feel much better about that.  But when you see how little some people pay attention it still a scary thought.  Then you add cellphones and it’s just crazy.  I have been hit by cars and that was before cellphone were everywhere.  Now I’m just waiting for it to happen again, and  my guess is that it will be someone that was talking on the phone or texting.

Google

Everybody Google’s

               While there were four things to look up I really didn’t have any trouble finding any of them.  So I thought I would start like this to help me fulfill the requirement for the quest.  I can see where finding some of the info would be hard for someone that is not used to using the internet.  But I grew up with the net.  Singling out the important info that you’re looking for is something that I tend to be really good at.

1.            The first document that we had to find was very interesting.  I had heard about it but was not very clear on the details.  I think Eleanor Roosevelt was just trying to make it a point the D.A.R. that their policy is just wrong and she would have nothing to do with an organization that would be so lame as to think that what they were doing was right on the subject of racism. “The Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) - had a policy to not allow African American performers on the stage.”Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum - Marian Anderson.  The search string that I used was just the date of the document: February 26, 1939.  And I found it on the first page that came up.

2.            The map was a little more difficult to find.  I wasn’t sure what it was at first.  It’s certainly not something that you come into contact with unless you’re looking for it.  The Freedom Riders (Reason): American Treasures of the Library of Congress are a group of people that wanted equality for all passengers of public transportation. The search string I used to find this was: ap news features background map.  It came from the library of congress making it seem very legitimate

3.            The Rosa Parks complaint was a nice touch.  I was well aware of the story but once again didn’t know all the details and had never seen the document of the complaint.  I have to say that everyone should stick up for their civil rights whenever appropriate, or to stick up for them selves period. Historical Thinking Matters: Rosa Parks My thought is that when you let people walk all over you it will continue to happen unless you put a stop to it.  I used the search string: J.F. Blake 12-1-55 to find the document.

4.            The roll call of congress that passed the civil rights bill.  I like what you did here.  Now the class has a lot more info about the civil rights acts and how they came about.  I just search for: congress roll call feb 10, 1964.  Treasures of Congress is what I came up with. 

In the end you got the class thinking about things that most people tend not to think about in their daily lives.  It was very informative and I learned a lot.  I must say thank you for an interesting quest.  That was challenging and fun.

We're All Doomed

I'm having to make a new blog.

My analisis of the video that I viewed is that many people think that pop culture and the media is having the effect of encuraging poor behaviour in the youth of toady.  Many of the "Hip Hop" artists sound like they are promoting the idea of "get rich or die trying" (50 Cent).  25 years ago music never really glamorized shooting people and dealing drugs.  I don't feel that it is the right thing to be doing. but understand that freedom of speech alows for many things that i wouldn't choose for myself.  I'm not sure when talking about girl parts in pop music came around but find it very interesting that it is now becoming the standard (Lady Gaga).  one of the lines in Ice Cube's song "today was a good day" he didn't even have to use his AK(AK 47).  While I'm no proud I can say that most of the new music is not for me.  The media in another story.  In some circles getting arrested is seen as a right of passage( http://www.alanellis.com/).  This just kind of odd to me. In the end its up to the individual to decide what is right for them.