Favorite and Least Favorite Things...

My favorite thing about this class was being able to work at my own pace, being able to meet new people even though this was an online class, and learn information I feel that I will actually use in my life. I like to feel in control of my work and study time so taking this class definitely allowed me to do that. I also enjoyed that even though this was an online class, we had the opportunity to meet the people in the class and get to work with them, instead of just being alone all the time. Lastly, I liked that the information we learned during the course of the semester will come to use during the rest of our time at SJSU and even into our careers and life.   However the things I liked the least was not actually having a teacher to push me to work harder.  This cannot be improved, except for if I was to take a class with an actual teacher meeting time. 

What I've Learned

I have learned a lot in this class. I thought that because it was online I was not going to have to do a lot of work and get an easy A. However, this was not the case; I had to do a lot of work and actually try to get a good grade. As a result, this class has taught me not only academic lessons but life lessons as well. I learned how to space out my work and not wait until the last minute to do things, and that I should not judge a class before I know about it. As for the academic things I learned, there is quite a few.  One of the things I learned is how to examine an argument. I feel as though this will be important in my career since I will have a lot of people arguing against what I have to say; and having the skills to examine their argument and have the ability to argue effectively back will help a lot. 

Mission Critical & Causal Argument

            The Mission Critical website and the Causal Argument website were both very helpful. I thought that they are helpful resources for when I need help with not only critical thinking but other classes as well. I found the mission critical website helpful because it gave specific example. On this website it not only tells you a definition of different types of statements, as well as other things, but it gives you a specific example to show you what the definition means. I also found this website to be helpful because it had exercises to engage me with the site and further my learning.  The causal argument website was also helpful. I found this site to be helpful for when I am writing a paper or speech because it focusses on arguments. I liked how this site was easy to understand and easy to use for a later class or assignment. 

Gemini Horoscope

You are extremely hardworking and ambitious on the professional level today. This morning you are able to sit down alone and get many things accomplished. You could be most persuasive with authority figures. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts. This is a significantly fortunate day for you. Communication with friends or relatives may be on your mind this evening. You could find yourself writing and phoning--keeping in touch. This coming weekend is a good time to take a vacation or make short trips. Setting out on a trip this evening may be a little taxing--don't be too rushed! Sharing common dreams or goals with loved ones this evening can only bring good fortune to you now.

I believe that my horoscope for today is accurate, or will be. I start work later tonight but I know that I will be extremely hard working today since it is Friday and our store gets very busy. However, for the part that says I will get many things accomplished this morning, I can prove false. The reason this is not true is because I worked late last night and slept for most of the morning, resulting in not getting anything accomplished.  The next part of the horoscope is also possible true. I have the weekend off and plan to take a mini vacation with friends or family.  The prediction could be falsified if my friends are busy this weekend, or if something comes up and I have to go in to work; having one of those happen would defiantly not allow me to take the mini vacation. Overall my horoscope seems to be very accurate for what I have planned today, and this weekend. 

Internet

I found the section on the internet most interesting this week. In this section, how the internet affects our daily lives, social networking and misuse of the internet. I was surprised to learn that during the 2000’s the internet more than tripled the amount of users, and that more than 1.8 billion people a day use the internet. Another fact that was interesting to me was that college students spend more time on the internet than studying. I thought this was revelent to this class since it is online and we have to use the computer to ‘study’. Social networking is also a large part of why students spend so much time online. In the book it said that 86b percent of college freshman use social networking sites. President Obama also used the internet and social network sites to help get young voters out in the 2008 election. Even with all the good the internet can bring there is also a bad side. The internet allows information to be accessed easily whether that is private or not.  With new technology there will always be people to find ways to make it seem bad, we just need to find ways to prevent this from happening. 

Plagiarism in College

Plagiarism is an issue that has become a bigger problem in the last few years. This is mostly because of the easy access to the internet and information.  College students have been seen using plagiarism the most and arguments on whether this is good and bad have risen. Brook Sadler argues that plagiarism is wrong and how it negatively affects the student. She states that during plagiarism the student does not actually lean what the professor has intended and that the idea of higher education is jeopardized. On the other hand, Russell Hunt argues that plagiarism is beneficial.  Hunt states that students do not always need to write their own work because it will not help them in real life. He also explains that by plagiarizing students learn how it really works. I believe that Sadler has a better argument. She has stronger argument points and information to back up those points. 

Media Experiences

Media plays a big role in my life. I am always connected to the internet and social networking sites that keep me updated with current news. I would say that media has helped shape my worldviews because it gives me an idea to what is happening in the world.  Without the media I would not have access to this information. The news on television and online is how I find out the big events that are happening in the world and locally. The social media component, such as facebook and twitter is how I find out what is happening that is not as important news but still affects me.  I would not say that media has challenged my worldwide views but, helped me become aware that not everything you hear is the truth. This is especially true when two news stations are reporting different facts of the same story. Media is something that shapes everybody’s world view whether for good or bad is up to how you interpret the information.