Introduction about myself

My name is Jackie and I am a junior at Rowan University. I am getting a degree in Elementary Education and Writing Arts. I currently work at a pre-school in my hometown as a teacher’s aid and also at an Italian restaurant. On the weekends I clean homes and babysit most of the time…(have to make money somehow to get myself through school)

I am creating this blog for one of the classes in my writing arts program.  I am not good with technology and I only blogged once before; and that was for another class in my major.  I am a little uncomfortable blogging because why is anything I have to say important? I have lived in south Jersey my entire life and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I am minutes from Long Beach Island yet I live in the woods. I really have the best of both worlds!

Some of my hobbies include:

·         going to the beach

·         reading

·         bike riding

·         listening to music

·         exercising

I have decided to do my blog project on the Dominican Republic. I have been there four times and it is by far one of my most favorite places in the world. It’s such a beautiful country and the people there are wonderful. I always feel safe and comfortable in the resorts I stay at and when I go to their local towns as well. I hope you enjoy my blog and I am looking forward to reading any questions or comments some of you may have.

 

(This blog should have been posted before my other one about the waterfalls. Clearly I do not pay attention as much as I should! Sorry!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

27 Charcos (27 waterfalls)

This past summer I went and stayed at Breezes all-inclusive resort and while I was there my friends and I decided to do a waterfall excursion. It was one of the best adventures of my life and everyone who has the opportunity to travel to the Dominican should go to their waterfalls and experience their beauty.

            The excursion I went on took us to a place that had twenty seven waterfalls and we had the opportunity to jump off them. Twenty-seven Charcos is located 23 km from Puerto Plata and has twenty seven falls and many natural pools. To get to the gorgeous falls you must walk about twenty minutes through lush forest and beautiful natural pools.  The tour has about three guides and they are very helpful and knowledgeable about the area. The tours go up to either 7^th, 12^th, or 27^th waterfalls and people return on the same route by jumping or sliding.  It was so much fun being able to jump off waterfalls from different heights and it is hilarious to watch people who climbed up the falls fine, freak out when they had to jump down. The tour guides also allow individuals to bring waterproof cameras.  I have some great shots of my friends and I jumping and swimming in the falls.

            When you return to the welcome center there is an area with bathrooms, a gift shop, and small restaurant. The food there was actually pretty good and the facilities were very clean. All the staff was very friendly and had some great advice about other fun attractions that were located nearby.

            The only part that I did not like about the excursion was that I had to wear a life vest and helmet. You also are encouraged to bring your own water shoes or some type of shoe that won’t fall off while swimming; otherwise you have to wear theirs. It didn’t look like the cleanest equipment so I was quite uncomfortable and grossed out.

            If you are lucky enough to travel to the Dominican definitely check this place out.  The waterfalls are stunning and it is such a fun, active, excursion. I will certainly be going back to this place!

 

Sources:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147288-d627325-r5922293-Damajaqua_Cascades_27_Waterfalls-Dominican_Republic.html

 

 

http://www.27charcos.com/index.php

 

 

http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Dominican-Republic/Santiago/blog-10016.html

Technologies and the Furture of Writing

When first introduced to this module as part of Introduction to the Writing Arts, I must say that I was concerned that I may have selected the wrong duel major to go along with my elementary education major.  I was not expecting blogging, reading complex articles that were full of technological terms, or creating an information ecology.  I thought, “How does this relate to the writing arts”?

After a few of the readings, some blogging and class discussions, I started to feel more comfortable and opened myself up to understanding the concept of writing spaces.  Understanding some of the technology and applying the use of the technology, through Netvibes and Diigo, I am beginning to understand the impact evolving technologies have on written texts.   

From this module, I can now have information come to me, instead of me going to the information.  Setting up the RSS Feeds on Netvibes was significant in my understanding of how to pull this module together to make sense to me.  I’m so excited about what I have learned in this module that I’m sharing what I know with my daughter who is now interested in blogging and creating a Netvibes page. 

 Although there was a lot of information conveyed in this module, I am able to utilize what I have learned and apply it to my other courses, such as Educational Technology, Teaching in Learning Communities and Human Exceptionalities.  When creating my Netvibes page, I had these courses in mind and searched for particular feeds relating to those areas. 

 It’s been a great experience and I plan on continuing to utilize the technologies that I’ve learned.

YouTube vs. Boob Tube

I absolutely love YouTube!   When I go to view something on YouTube, I end up spending endless hours poking around watching crazy ass people doing some crazy ass stuff……all for my entertainment. 

It’s just amazing when you think about all the hits certain videos get in such a short time period.  For example, Numa, Numa has had over 9 million hits.  YouTube is providing the public with a new kind of entertainment.  From watching a chubby boy singing some Romanian pop song, a guy doing a dance parody, sensational news events, to a sleeping kitten (27 seconds in length), which was viewed over 2 million times in a period of two weeks, YouTube is a big part of the technological social hub and paving the way for all types of new literacy.   

This technological social hub is something the traditional media elite are struggling with.   Because of this sharing and making of content, between people like you and me, the media elite are losing their influence on what they think we as an audience should be watching.   Advertisers can no longer count on Hollywood alone.

My Thoughts on Facebook

After reading the article, “How Mark Zuckerberg Turned Facebook Into the Web’s Hottest Platform”, I was astonished to find that the fastest-growing users of Facebook are over the age 35.  I truly thought this site was primarily for the twenty-somethings where they could display pictures of themselves in possibly compromising positions.  I was wrong.

I was intrigued by Zuckerberg’s “social graph” concept in which making new friends and acquientances weren’t the primary goal, but to map out connections between existing friends similar to a word-of-mouth search engine.  Facebook users would be getting information from people they know and trust instead of major media outlets.  For users of Facebook, the new service didn’t seem like a means of easing communications; it appeared as though Facebbook was manipulating and spreading their information without permission.  Although Zuckerberg posted an open apology for this, it is reminiscent of what Vaidhyanathan discussed in, “Naked in Nonopticon”. 

With news feeds in place, Facebook became a model social hub where users could connect with one another for various causes, share music and video interests, and potentially an online identity for recruiters.  Even though this social hub sounds ideal, it still makes me weary of privacy issues. 

I am not a Facebook participant and, although I like the idea of a social hub, for me there seems to be too much personal exposure.  If I subscribe to a certain news feed, do I want that feed attached to me as an individual?  It could be something that I might be interested in following for a short time, just of casual interest, not representative of which I am.  That’s the part of the social hub that concerns me most. 

What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning

Despite my age and gender, I am an avid video game player and I started when Pong was cutting edge! I haven’t participated much in any computer based games as I prefer different game systems such as Nintendo, Playstation, and X-Box. Currently my system of choice is the Wii.

For me, video games are not just a mindless waste of time. When I start playing, regardless of the game, Spyro, Zelda, or Second Opinion Trauma Center, I am on a mission to master the game. While playing any of the above-mentioned games, my hand eye coordinate becomes more acute, I become more observant of the gaming environment, and I think about strategies on how to get to the next level of game play. I just don’t sit in front of the television screen mindlessly pressing buttons; I’m truly engrossed in the game and my strategical thoughts. Video games promote active learning, not passive learning. The instructions that come with a game provide you with enough information to get started and then you need to figure out how to proceed, unlock secret areas, get to the next level of game play and, ultimately, to the end of the game.

Although video games typically do not fall into the traditional realm of learning, they are becoming more integrated in family life in preparing youngsters for school with reading and math games that are interactive. Being interactive is one part of becoming a good member in a learning community. Video games also teach children responsibility. For example, Nintendo DS has a game entitled Nintendogs that teaches pet responsibility while having fun participating in competitions, agility training, and grooming. Not that I need to learn pet responsibility, but I have this system and game as well. I just like to play with the cute little puppies and, admittedly, get quite competitive in the training and agility competitions!

Science has found that video games help promote better brain activity and may even be a preventive exercise against Alzheimer’s disease. Nintendo DS has a game out, Brain Age that directly targets that certain audience.

From fantasy games, surgery games, interacting with cute puppies, to games that promote better brain activity, I play them all and enjoy every minute of doing so.

A Rape in Cyberspace

After reading A Rape in Cyberspace; or How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database into a Society by Julian Dibbell, I found myself questioning my thoughts concerning the ethical boundaries of virtual reality, pretend, and censorship.

Part of the magic of participating in digital otherworlds (MUDs), is that you can masquerade yourself to be anything you want, such as a cute dolphin or even a sick, twisted, fat clown rapist. It’s pretend, right?

Although I find the semi fictional acts of Mr. Bungle absolutely deplorable, I must admit that I advocate the thoughts of the technolibertarians. Mr. Bungle was an asshole, but his existence in this technical system was impossible to avoid and, because this otherworld is supposedly a place of pretend, the questions of expulsion and censorship start to arise.

In today’s virtual reality otherworlds, there are self-protecting softwares available to block cretins such as Mr. Bungle if YOU choose to do so. For me, it’s just like television or radio. If I don’t like what I’m watching on television, something that I may find uncomfortable, I turn it off. It’s my prerogative; however, it’s the prerogative of someone else to continue enjoying a program that I may find offensive.

As much as the actions or actually the words of Mr. Bungle sickened me, I do believe he had a right to play his character regardless of how offensive I found it to be.

It’s pretend, right?

Interesting Blog…Stuff White People Like by Clander

I was poking around WordPress and looking to read some interesting blogs for my own inspiration and, of course, entertainment. I found Stuff White People Like by Clander and, since I’m white, I decided to check it out and see what kind of stuff I supposedly like.

Clander touches on all different behaviors that he/she observes of white people. For example, Clander’s blog #76 Bottles of Water discusses how white people fail to understand the concept of turning on the tap, putting a glass underneath, and drinking. Clander refers to a PR Campaign launched in NY City to show white people they could actually drink tap water.

The blog continues to discuss the conceptions and/or misconceptions of white people and bottled water. I agree with Clander and his/her opinion that sporting an expensive bottle of water suggests…..ewww……tap water, oh no, too many impurities, blah, blah, blah.

Since there is now an environmental concern with plastics, Clander suggest that “advanced white people” are concerned about the waste that comes with drinking bottled water and their concerns for the earth. White people on the cutting edge are into water from metal bottles of water with a twist cap.

This particular blog comes across to me as lighthearted; however, after reflecting upon this thought of white people and bottled water, it seems true. So, if you want to be want Clander refers to as “advanced white people,” get rid of the plastic bottles and be the first on your block to have the cutting edge metal bottle. This allows you to still be fashionable while suggesting that you also are environmentally correct.

Video games is not a waste- Tere Cheatham

Not having to much knowledge on video games, I feel that they are not a waste. Their educational video games out there for young kids to play and be educated at the sametime. However, I notice that some video games are reported to be negative games but those games all have to do with violent actions. I feel that video games is a literacy because is known as having the ability to read and write but having a visual aid is good as well because someone could learn from seeing as well. I know that Dora the Explorer has been a good aspect to younger kids learning because she helps them with reading and speaking another language. Im not really certain but she may have a video game that helps kids with the samething but the only thing that would be different is instead of them reading from a book or watching television, they could combine the two and also earn the skill of using their hands because of the controllers.

Yes, I know there has been news reports on many young people trying out the actions they learn from a video game and in up hurting themselves or others but I still fill that’s just certain cases. Even with that being siad, young people are still learning from the negative video games because if they were not learning then how would they pick up on what moves to use when they play around when they try the stunts with their friends. I mean I feel they learn right from wrong when they play the negative video games. For example, if a kid is playing a video game that the action figure their portraying to be is killing everyone, I dont think that all kids will gomout and start a killing festival. So video games has meaning and kids learn from what they see, read, and write.

Also there maybe young students who want to become graph designers and video games ahve plenty of it so they may love to play video games because they can learn about their future lifestyles. I feel video games can be looked at from many views and different shades but in reality video games should be looked at as a literacy. One video game I do know about is Mario and I use to play the game on my game boy as a young girl. On the game there were parts where Mario was completed tasks and then there would be a stage where he has to like fight a monster. I never looked at Mario as something bad when I had the fight the monster. To me it was teacher me that Mario was a hero or a leader and I knew that I would want to accomplish tasks and lead. That was my perception!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So video games have a great meaning and kids know whats right and wrong, what they can learn, what they can do and say when they play video games

We Are the Web- Tere Cheatham

So many different web pages are introduced to people everyday and people have viewed these sites and joined different groups that beneifits them. In the article different sites such as Amazon. com. The companies who created this site serves high quaility material that will draw attention to buyers to make them buy or sell materials or items on this particular site. Every person in the world who uses the Internet has their own purpose and that is why the title ” We are the Web” is true because if people were not viewing the Interent and  creating ideas everyday then the Internet will never get any usage. Even the creaters of Facebook, Myspace, or even bloggers have their reason of creating their sites and that for communication purposes.  In the article it is stated that a person who blogs create it for their ” own delight and for the beneifit 0f friends” ( Kelly 4). If billions of users were not using these social websites the Internet would not really be popular in our society. The Interent is filled with so much information that helps people shape their lives and people who use the Internet are keepin the webpages alive.