AVID Weekly Article Repsonse

            The last time I made a difference in the lives of more than one person was pretty recently.  In the beginning of this year I wanted to get a head start on my volunteer hours and get as many done before the end of the year as possible. My friend told me about a homeless shelter that she had been going to for a while, where she helps the people there by cooking and serving them food once a week.  I decided to give it a try and went with her one week. When I got there I helped cook the dinner that was being served that evening.  Soon after when the food was ready my friend and I brought the trays of food out to the people at the shelter.  As we were serving food the people kept thanking us continually and were so grateful of what we were doing.  Ever since this happened I go there weekly and serve the homeless.  I believe that this has impacted the lives of many and made a real difference for some of these people who do not have enough money to buy a home or food.            

            If we don’t start producing graduate and doctoral students interested in the field then the advancement of science as a whole will go downhill.  There will be no new discoveries or ideas if we don’t have more people that are willing to contribute to this.  It is essential for people from each generation to go to school for some field of science, become educated with it, and eventually add some advancement to the world. 

1ST QUARTER GRADE REFLECTION

In all honesty I am not happy with my grade this quarter. I feel like I could have done so much better. I thought I understood the material but when it came to taking tests and quiz's I did not perform well.  Also I don't know why, but I am not doing well on the smart response mini quiz's either.  I hope that next quarter I improve a lot more.  I'm doing well keeping up with homework and the blogs but I just need to do better on tests.

TECHNOLOGY ARTICLE RESPONSE

Online textbooks have many advantages as well as a good amount of disadvantages.  One of the many advantages that they have is that if a textbook that you have is available to be used online then it saves you from having to lug it around school all day and add extra weight to your already heavy backpack.  All you have to do is get out your computer, access the book, and eliminate all of the hassle.  In the article it states, “In theory, the benefits of electronic textbooks seem clear and compelling.” Another major advantage of using a textbook online is the amount of money it saves you.  Most textbooks these days start at around $80 and get even more expensive.  Kids spend hundreds of dollars for college textbooks.  If you use these books online they are free.  Also, using online textbooks helps out the environment.  It saves trees and paper use.  In addition to this it also gets rid of photocopier use.  One disadvantage to using online textbooks is that, “Recent studies suggest that printed books continue to have important advantages over digital ones.  Not only do they accommodate a wider array of learning styles, but they also encourage more attentive reading and study”. Many can agree that at times eBooks or online textbooks can be distracting while trying to read.  For example on the Kindle there are many bells and whistles that draw the readers attention away from the words.  In the article it says, “People also tend to be more easily distracted when reading from screens.  There’s always the temptation to click on a link, check email, monitor Facebook activity or play a quick game of Angry Birds.”  I definitely find technology useful to my education.  I am a very visual learner.  Seeing things like movies, pictures, or playing interactive learning games really help me learn and comprehend the information that is being taught.  Using technology in your education appeals to all learning styles.  I also think that many students find that by using technology to help teach that it makes it more enjoyable and fun as opposed to just sitting at a desk and reading a boring textbook.