Summary and Response to "Machines are Using Us"

In “Machines are Using Us” by Michael Wesch explains to web users that the they are the web because every time they click on a link the machine remembers that for the future. Wesch writes that digital text is flexible and movable. Digital text can be hyper linked to anywhere on the web. People don’t need to know complicated code to do something on the web anymore. When HTML was more widely used, form was inseparable. HTML expanded and added other elements like bold and italics. Digital text, now, has it where form is separable and can be free of formatting constraints and can be exported. Every time somebody uses the web the web remembers where you went for future reference. The web adapts to any searches you make. People who use the web are the web nowadays.

We are teaching the machine.

Michael Wesch’s “Machines are Using Us” is correct in saying that machines are using us because every time somebody searches a funny video on youtube the machine keeps it in that person’s history. Wesch is telling the truth when he says the web adapts to your searches and to the links that you click. If you click a link on a pancake recipe twenty times then the search engine in the future will recommend sites to you that have pancake recipes. It would also keep your history of each time you went onto the website. Also when you search for something it records data for surveys and stats. It would record for number of people to watch a certain video or people who read a certain article. This video connects to Michael Wesch’s other video “A Vision of Students Today” because, in both videos, Michael Wesch states how technology is affecting us in good and bad ways. It can be good for computers to remember our searches, but can be bad by taking away people’s privacy. People need to realize that they control their computer and how easily it finds data for us, but also realize that the computer is using them by recording what they do.

Summary and Response to "The Case Against High-School Sports"

In “The Case Against High-School Sports” by Amanda Ripley explores the negative effects of high-school sports on a student’s education because students today are doing worse in school because of sports. Amanda informs us that high-school sports are more important to students than getting a good education. Sports cost schools a lot more money than a kids education. For Premont, a football player costs about $682 more than a math student in a year. Basis public charter schools offer only cheaper sports and are in smaller cheaper leagues than other schools. The average Basis student did better than the average student in Shanghai, China which is ranked number one in the world. If schools just cut down on sports than American students could have better educations than students in other countries.

Amanda Ripley’s “The Case Against High-School Sports” is right in saying high-school sports need to be cut down. The importance of sports in schools is getting in the way of a student’s education. Students will spend less time studying and more time playing sports or watching sports. Schools will spend as much many as they need to build a new stadium or keep their sports equipment updated and will cut down on teaching if needed. Last year, in Allen, Texas, Allen Stadium was built costing them nearly $60 million. That is millions of dollars more than the cost to educate multiple student for all four years in their high-school career. People say that sports help students stay fit and teach them proper sportsmanship, but it is costing them more money than it should. The principal realized that none of the students in sports were going to play after they graduate. Spelman College cut sports and used that money to help other things. They instituted cheaper classes like swimming, aerobics, and Zumba. If the focus of high-schools were more on academics students grades would be much better. Schools could still have cheaper sports like soccer and volleyball. In conclusion schools need to change their main focus from sports to academics.

Allen Stadium: This high-school stadium cost almost $60 million.

Summary and Response to "Footprints in the Digital Age"

In “Footprints in the Digital Age” by Will Richardson informs that teachers and students need to be Googled well because it is important to be connected to the world.  Richardson tells parents and teachers that if they want to teach students about networking they need to network as well.  Richardson tells his readers that networking is the new literacy.  Almost all kids and teenagers are on some kind of networking site or online game.  If somebody wants information about a person they should be able to Google them and see everything about that person.  If somebody wants to find someone with the same interests they can just search the internet.

Will Richardson

Will Richardson’s “Footprints in the Digital Age” is telling us the truth in saying that networking is the new literacy because over eighty percent of people online are networking.  People need to learn how to network properly so they can be a successful networker themselves and help people who read or watch a particular video or blog.  Students need to learn how to be responsible and safe while still having fun playing an online game like World of Warcraft or any other online game.  Younger kids don’t think of the negative effects of sharing their password and personal information such as where they live, or any other information that may cause harm.  Parents need to teach their kids online safety and parents also need to know how to network properly so they can teach their kids.  If the parents don’t have any experience then their kids will not learn the correct things and this could cause more harm for them in the future.  In addition to learning how to network people need to be able to be Googled well.  For example, if you were at a job interview and the person interviewing you wants to know a little background information on you before you get there they could search your name on Google and information would be there for them to see.  If you are a good networker and you post things that would help your future then the person hiring you would see that.  In conclusion all people need to learn how to network properly because networking is the new literacy.