1. Compared to writing traditional essays as you have in other classes, were the expectations of the blog assignment easier, harder or just different? In other words, was it clear to you what the format of a blog was and how to produce one?
It was not clear to me what the format of the blog was. I am very used to writing assignments being in the form of an essay, so when I wrote my first blog for this class I was feeling very unsure of the format and overall structure. Although the grading rubric for the blog assignment provided insight as to what content the instructor was looking for, I didn’t feel like it gave much insight into the actual form or structure of the blog. I feel it would have been much more helpful to the class if a sample blog assignment or sample outline pertaining to structure had been provided.
2. Did the blog assignments, and the requirement to create a blog, relate to the class topics and course objectives? Why or why not?
I feel the blog assignments, and the requirement to create a blog, related to the class topics and course objectives to a certain degree but could have been altered to relate much better. It seemed as though the blog assignments were just random questions picked out for that particular blog post and I didn’t see much correlation between the questions for the blogs and that particular unit’s course material or learning objectives. Although the blog assignments didn’t seem to relate directly to the class topics and course objectives, they all required critical thinking in answering the blog assignment. Because critical thinking seems to be such an important element in this class, the blog assignments related well in this area.
3. Did the non-text elements of the blog program contribute to your learning in this class? Did they get in the way? Or did they have no affect at all?
I am confused what you mean by the ‘non-text elements of the blog program.’ I don’t clearly understand what you are referring to in this question, as the blog assignments seemed to be fully comprised of text elements. From the researching to the formulating of your answer you are forced to utilize text elements throughout the process of responding to a blog question and posting it to your blog website. On one blog I chose to post a video, which is a non-text element, although it was not required I felt it helped to get my point across. It would have been good to require more things like this in answering a blog assignment, as it would have forced students to learn to utilize other mediums than text to demonstrate and back up their point in an argument.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Blog Post #4
The last time I was really bothered about something important and real was actually quite recently, it involved the environment and the global ‘green’ movement. The older I have gotten, the more aware I have become of the environmental issues the planet and the living creatures residing on it are facing. I have become increasingly more ‘green’ in the way I live my life. I now recycle every possible recyclable material I utilize, I reuse, I drive a low emissions low fuel consumption vehicle, and I try top get others involved in recycling and reusing as well.
Recently, I overheard a woman at school talking about global warming and how she and many people she knows feels like the whole thing is just not true, how the planet goes through cycles and humans are not in any way contributing to the environmental issues of our planet. Although this bothered me a little, the statement that really set me off was when this woman explained that she doesn’t bother recycling or reusing because she doesn’t feel that doing so would cause any positive environmental impact or really even make a difference.
In my opinion, this was such an incredibly naïve and blatantly unintelligent comment to make. I was thoroughly bothered by the fact that this woman, and so many of her acquaintances apparently, felt the global green movement was not only unnecessary but also completely a waste of time. Regardless of a person’s viewpoints on global warming, the planet is changing and people can make a positive impact by recycling, reusing, and being a little more conscious about things like fuel consumption and water conservation. How can people truly justify not recycling, not making the good faith effort to be more ‘green’? It is such an easy thing to do; instead of throwing away your plastic in a trashcan, put it in a recycling bin!
Although I didn’t say anything to this particular woman about my reaction to her comments and thoughts on the subject of the environment, I did tell my co-worker about the conversation I had overheard and my opinion on the subject. I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my strong opinions to a total stranger, but was completely okay to do so to my friend and co-worker. At the conclusion of the conversation I had persuaded my co-worker to try recycling by the things I had said; I told her how easy it was and how many items are thrown away everyday that could so easily be recycled. My coworker began recycling and once she saw the immense amount of materials she had been throwing away that were now being recycled, she cancelled her trash service altogether and is recycling more and more everyday.
I probably wouldn’t have persuaded the woman at school to change her opinion or to begin recycling, but I still feel telling the story to another made an impact in another person’s life. Who knows, maybe she will tell the story to another and one more person will join in the global green movement.
Recently, I overheard a woman at school talking about global warming and how she and many people she knows feels like the whole thing is just not true, how the planet goes through cycles and humans are not in any way contributing to the environmental issues of our planet. Although this bothered me a little, the statement that really set me off was when this woman explained that she doesn’t bother recycling or reusing because she doesn’t feel that doing so would cause any positive environmental impact or really even make a difference.
In my opinion, this was such an incredibly naïve and blatantly unintelligent comment to make. I was thoroughly bothered by the fact that this woman, and so many of her acquaintances apparently, felt the global green movement was not only unnecessary but also completely a waste of time. Regardless of a person’s viewpoints on global warming, the planet is changing and people can make a positive impact by recycling, reusing, and being a little more conscious about things like fuel consumption and water conservation. How can people truly justify not recycling, not making the good faith effort to be more ‘green’? It is such an easy thing to do; instead of throwing away your plastic in a trashcan, put it in a recycling bin!
Although I didn’t say anything to this particular woman about my reaction to her comments and thoughts on the subject of the environment, I did tell my co-worker about the conversation I had overheard and my opinion on the subject. I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my strong opinions to a total stranger, but was completely okay to do so to my friend and co-worker. At the conclusion of the conversation I had persuaded my co-worker to try recycling by the things I had said; I told her how easy it was and how many items are thrown away everyday that could so easily be recycled. My coworker began recycling and once she saw the immense amount of materials she had been throwing away that were now being recycled, she cancelled her trash service altogether and is recycling more and more everyday.
I probably wouldn’t have persuaded the woman at school to change her opinion or to begin recycling, but I still feel telling the story to another made an impact in another person’s life. Who knows, maybe she will tell the story to another and one more person will join in the global green movement.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
BLOG POST #2 - Reasoning Cogently vs. Being Right In Fact
"A forcible argument tells strongly, but may not convince; cogent reasoning is more apt to be conclusive or to compel assent." (http://www.answers.com/topic/cogency)
When utilizing cogent reasoning to come to a conclusion, it is based solely on fact and clear evidence, emotion and common values and mores play no role when arriving at a conclusion utilizing cogent reasoning. Because emotions play no role in this kind of reasoning, one could easily argue that although the conclusion is true (as it is based on facts and concrete evidence), it may not be correct because the reasoning utilized in arriving at the conclusion is incorrect (i.e. someone allowing emotions to play a role in the reasoning would have arrived at a different conclusion).
I can’t help but think of the television drama Bones when addressing the issue of reasoning cogently and being right in fact. In this show the extremely intelligent anthropologist, Dr. Brennan, has a near impossible time of looking at things the way other people do, i.e. reasoning well to a false conclusion. The way she see’s thing is solely through cogent reasoning. She therefore cannot accept religion, love, and many other subjects which require anything but concrete facts to be reasonable, as no such concrete facts exist for such subjects. For example, she regards love as a chemical reaction in the brain which triggers certain feelings to emerge in the human body.
Being right in fact means one is reasoning well to a false conclusion. In this situation, a person arrives at an incorrect conclusion, because their form of reasoning often entails taking into consideration emotions and popular values and mores opposed to using concrete facts and evidence only. In these circumstances a person is using a false premise to arrive at their final conclusion. Because of this (i.e. the lack of evidence and concrete facts used in the reasoning process) the conclusion arrived it is false.
I think it much better to reason incorrectly to a true conclusion, rather than to reason correctly to a false conclusion. This is because to reason correctly, in my opinion, one needs to use concrete facts and evidence solely to base their decision off of, thus arriving at a conclusion which must be true. Humans are full of emotions and values that influence their decision making and rationale in everyday life. When allowing these characteristics to cloud one’s judgment, you effectively arrive at an incorrect conclusion.
“Good argument, as used by philosophers and many others, means simply a sound or strong argument. If one has offered a sound or strong argument in defense of one's conclusion, then one has stated a true view, or at least a probably true view. The premises of one's argument support, or, with some sophisticated complications aside, justify one's belief in the conclusion.”
Sources of information:
- http://www.answers.com/topic/cogency
- http://books.google.com/books
- http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Cogency.html
When utilizing cogent reasoning to come to a conclusion, it is based solely on fact and clear evidence, emotion and common values and mores play no role when arriving at a conclusion utilizing cogent reasoning. Because emotions play no role in this kind of reasoning, one could easily argue that although the conclusion is true (as it is based on facts and concrete evidence), it may not be correct because the reasoning utilized in arriving at the conclusion is incorrect (i.e. someone allowing emotions to play a role in the reasoning would have arrived at a different conclusion).
I can’t help but think of the television drama Bones when addressing the issue of reasoning cogently and being right in fact. In this show the extremely intelligent anthropologist, Dr. Brennan, has a near impossible time of looking at things the way other people do, i.e. reasoning well to a false conclusion. The way she see’s thing is solely through cogent reasoning. She therefore cannot accept religion, love, and many other subjects which require anything but concrete facts to be reasonable, as no such concrete facts exist for such subjects. For example, she regards love as a chemical reaction in the brain which triggers certain feelings to emerge in the human body.
Being right in fact means one is reasoning well to a false conclusion. In this situation, a person arrives at an incorrect conclusion, because their form of reasoning often entails taking into consideration emotions and popular values and mores opposed to using concrete facts and evidence only. In these circumstances a person is using a false premise to arrive at their final conclusion. Because of this (i.e. the lack of evidence and concrete facts used in the reasoning process) the conclusion arrived it is false.
I think it much better to reason incorrectly to a true conclusion, rather than to reason correctly to a false conclusion. This is because to reason correctly, in my opinion, one needs to use concrete facts and evidence solely to base their decision off of, thus arriving at a conclusion which must be true. Humans are full of emotions and values that influence their decision making and rationale in everyday life. When allowing these characteristics to cloud one’s judgment, you effectively arrive at an incorrect conclusion.
“Good argument, as used by philosophers and many others, means simply a sound or strong argument. If one has offered a sound or strong argument in defense of one's conclusion, then one has stated a true view, or at least a probably true view. The premises of one's argument support, or, with some sophisticated complications aside, justify one's belief in the conclusion.”
Sources of information:
- http://www.answers.com/topic/cogency
- http://books.google.com/books
- http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Cogency.html
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
BLOG POST #1 - Technology and Society
Technology has changes human society tremendously, both for the better and for the worst. One change in particular that has occurred in society due to the influences of technology is an increasingly lazy society. We have so many devices and instruments available to us now to assist with things and make life easier such as washing machines for laundry and dishes, remote controls, cordless phones, vacuum cleaners, and even self cleaning showers courtesy of Scrubbing Bubbles and Clorox. Although these technologies assist in our everyday day lives they reduce the amount of physical activity that a person is required to do in order to complete a certain task. For example, you are sitting on the couch watching TV and all of the sudden you cant find the remote control. An infomercial just came on that is not in the least bit interesting. Heaven forbid you actually have to get off the couch and walk ten feet to change the channel; instead you sit there and watch the infomercial.
In a society that is filled to the brim with time saving devices, you might think people would be able to take that saved time and spent it exercising, taking up a healthy hobby, or being outside to enjoy fresh air. Instead people sit inside all day and watch TV, kids play video games (the Wii is hardly an excuse for exercise), and teens are texting on their cell phones all day. Obesity is on the rise. It’s not surprising considering the lack of movement most people exert in any given day. Last Christmas season Walmart ran an ad campaign advertising ways to spend ‘healthy quality time’ together as a family. This brings me back to the Wii, which Walmart used a key player in this campaign. Although the Wii is much better than other video games which require no movement to play other than from your thumbs, it certainly does not replace the need for exercise and fresh air.
Please take a look at the following web addresses, which assisted me in writing my first blog assignment on technology and the effects it has on society, including a comedy skit by Jim Gaffigan on the subject of laziness:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-the-impact-of-technology-on-our-society.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDV7iFJMqQI
http://www.ourcivilisation.com/signs/chap7.htm
In a society that is filled to the brim with time saving devices, you might think people would be able to take that saved time and spent it exercising, taking up a healthy hobby, or being outside to enjoy fresh air. Instead people sit inside all day and watch TV, kids play video games (the Wii is hardly an excuse for exercise), and teens are texting on their cell phones all day. Obesity is on the rise. It’s not surprising considering the lack of movement most people exert in any given day. Last Christmas season Walmart ran an ad campaign advertising ways to spend ‘healthy quality time’ together as a family. This brings me back to the Wii, which Walmart used a key player in this campaign. Although the Wii is much better than other video games which require no movement to play other than from your thumbs, it certainly does not replace the need for exercise and fresh air.
Please take a look at the following web addresses, which assisted me in writing my first blog assignment on technology and the effects it has on society, including a comedy skit by Jim Gaffigan on the subject of laziness:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-the-impact-of-technology-on-our-society.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDV7iFJMqQI
http://www.ourcivilisation.com/signs/chap7.htm
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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