The End...

I have spent a spring semester here at Northern Virgina Community college writing a blog about a topic in which I would want to educate myself by elaborating on it. When I signed up for this English class, it was originally set for a traditional class session. As time went on during my first semester, I didn't realize that the class was eventually switched out for a hybrid course. Hybrid course meaning that the class is half the time online, and the other part would be in a traditional classroom.

First day in the classroom, I was shocked to see that the classroom was full even though the classroom setting and instructor had been changed. We were informed by our wonderful professor that we would be writing blogs as a class assignment for the whole semester. With all this work to be researched it sounded very intimidating. The next class day, I was then surprised that half the class had dropped the class. I had accepted the fact that we would have to research and blog about our topic. The topic I chose was technology and it's effect on college society.

At first I didn't understand the whole point of blogging. Was I suppose to write about my life or other lives? Will the information I gather have to explain my opinion or will it explain fact? What will my viewers think of my blog? How can I view my community?

As these thoughts filled my head, I started to do things little by little. Once I got the whole plan of the blog outline, I just researched information and applied it into forming posts. Throughout the semester I have realized that living in a college environment we as students and staff have become dependent on technology. The irony is that I am using Internet to realize that people are dependent on the Internet.

We as a class are given the option to keep our blog or to end the blog. I have chosen to end this blog with this final post. I have learned a lot about the college society and it's integration with technology. Unfortunately, I will have to end this post, but I just wanted to say that it was a great opportunity to learn more about this topic. Hopefully I might start another blog in the future about another topic. Thank you for viewing my blog , I hope this information has assisted you my fellow community and classmates.

Alternative energy in the automotive industry

 In today’s college society there are many students and staff that commute to their belonged university. Some do it to stay near their families; others do it because the cost of living in a dorm may be too much. There may be other reasons, but these two are the most common ones. With today’s economy it is hard for young college students to have a good car to commute to college and back home. Here in Northern Virginia, gas prices are still high and in this bad fuel economy, it makes it more difficult for drivers who are on a budget.

Starting in the twentieth first century, they have begun to make cars that are gasoline - electric powered. These cars are called hybrid, defining both gasoline and electricity to power the engine rather than just gasoline. Ferdinand Porsche was the first to start this hybrid movement in 1900 with the car, Lohner Porsche. But since then, hybrids weren't really publicized until Toyota came out with the Prius in the twenty first century.

With newer hybrid cars out on the market there is a big demand of them. With their high production, car manufacturers are able to sell these cars at a lower price making it more affordable for not just college students, but also to the middle class society. Fuel emission is lowered making the air less polluted. The cost of gas will stay the same, but the need to fill the tank is lowered by a lot and it is possible to save more money than cars that are only gasoline powered. For the college society who believe in a green earth, hybrids are a start into helping the world become a cleaner place to live.

Works Cited

"The World's First Hybrid Car Created by Porsche 111 Years Ago Is in NY." International Business Times. IBT Media Inc., 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.

Gaming in the College society

As a colleague of mine stated, "With the technological age of today, more and more people are spending time in front of screens and for long periods of time."  With the progression of the new cyber age, the majority of the populations’ life is spent looking at some sort of screen, whether if it’s a smartphone, laptop, projectors, and especially television. Television is a very popular item in the cyber world because one can sit down and look into the screen and obtain either entertainment or information. For most college students, it appeals more to the entertainment side rather than the informative side. But that does not mean all students don't view the informative things on television. Video games and computers are a growing industry in the newer generation with systems like the Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii. With growth in modern technology effects in gaming has been increasing. It has shown as a result that more people start living their lives with video games as a daily part of it. A big percentage of college students tend to be regular video game players. The increased tendency to use these electronics in our new society has increased dramatically since the 1980's (Yang). The 1980's symbolizes when they first started advertising game production brands such as EA, Atari, etc.

Another factor that video games have on college students is that they may make it more of a lifestyle, such as living with it as a hobby. To some it may seem like a hindrance on actual learning in class, others may say that its normal to play video games even if it is to avoid studying for class (Pew).To some this sort of technology can help one bond with another through their common likes in gaming. It may be a person's escape from a life that is filled with stress either from school or just work.

It is hard to realize that there may be a chance in which our dependence of our future may be through some screen.

Works Cited
Lam, Taylor J. "Aethereal Momentum." : Our Vision. Blogger, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.
"Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project." College Students and Computer, Video and  Internet Games. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 6 July 2003. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.
Yang, Moonhee. "The Effectiveness of "In-Game" Advertising." Journal of Advertising,
            Oct - Nov. 2006. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.

Artificial Intelligence

"In February 2011, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, both champions of the trivia game show Jeopardy!, competed against a third contestant—a computer. The International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) had developed the computer, called Watson, as a question-answering machine with the ability to use encyclopedic knowledge and advanced language skills to understand and quickly answer Jeopardy!questions." (Artificial Inteligence)

Works Cited
"Artificial Intelligence." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 11 July 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.

Early Child Development

My main focus on this blog is to elaborate more on child development. The influence technology has on early child development especially in America, is tremendously strong. As the new era of technology is progressing, people in America need to adapt to the growing new environment. The main reason for writing this blog is to show how it applies toward families in America who have children. I have a six year old brother who loves to play video games. He knows how to operate gaming systems, such as the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and even the house computer. His use of gaming had developed intensely from when he was 4. I wonder if the usage of such advance levels with these systems are beneficial towards him.

I have read an article explaining child development and the pros and cons of technology for children in their early years. It made me think of how my little brother is doing progressing through the years. He has got so accustomed to watch T.V or playing on his mobile video game. Technology can be a social hindrance if there is no discipline (Young). My little brother is not very disciplined when it comes to video games, due to the fact that my parents are not really home all the time. I realize with the family always being busy it is hard for my little brother to learn how to socialize and to use technology in a productive manner. By using technology in a productive manner I mean using it to better reading skills, and writing skills. Also the limit of use of technology will help him develop  better social skills by giving him more time to go out and socialize more with others. Hoping technology will be more of a support to my little brother, discipline is rather necessary.

I want to make this use of technology more beneficial towards his education rather than him playing games all day.

Works Cited
Young, Mary E. "Technology and Early Development." TechKnowLogia. Knowledge Enterprise, Inc, Sept. 2001. web. 19 Feb. 2013

Our Future

Today, we see that our modern society has mainly focused their lives on electronics and have become dependent on these mechanical items. It takes a big toll on the future generations to come. Cell phones, laptops, and Televisions are the major used technologies that society has learned to live with. Our next generation and so forth have been getting accustomed to the new technological items. With this being more of a common thing, kids have been more influence to stay inside and utilize their surrounding electronics such as video games and television. The majority of time children spend on electronics is rather high compared to the time spent doing something active (Negative). Meaning that the newer generation has become a lot more slower. If this persists for a longer period of time, then the children are more likely to suffer consequences such as obesity and laziness.

Factors of our Judgment

Haven't you ever wonder why you think of people the way you do? Or wonder where you learn the things about others that you didn't know before? Well with technology, not only is it used for higher learning, it is also used for entertainment.

Documentaries of specific cultures inform people how some other countries interact within their community. We have many others genres of entertainment such as movies, television shows, sitcoms, advertisements and  other types of motion pictures. In this video, it shows us how Media affects our society. How comical videos such as the first one displayed in the video affects a males perspective on marriage. It may give a bad or good influence toward the population's judgment on certain ideals. Media is probably the highest reason why people have certain judgments on certain topics. Its influences affect our society, and I feel like it has more of an affect to make people think what is normal.

Another thing that society puts out for the community that also influences the population, is music. The music people listen to may affect others on judging them for what they like and the kind of people they are. Lyrics said in the music explain the situation and wants that they like such as a rap song in a video.

These influences are big factors as to why society can be a biased population. By that, I mean how a majority of the population can be judgmental toward many ideals.

A Scholar's Environment

As said in my previous blog, technology makes it easier for a student to access information on any topic. The main important part when in college is to suit the learning environment towards the learning styles of the student. Every student has their own learning style. Technology can play big parts toward the visual learning style in which students learn through their vision. The arrangement of how notes are shown to the class helps visual learners retain information. The use of projectors, computer screens, and the original dry erase board assists these types of learners. For Auditory learners, learning is assisted through sound. The use of recording devices and computers that write notes through sound, assist those who need to hear for better learning. Auditory learners are more inclined to take traditional classroom settings for the teaching of the professor to be heard in person. Visual learners have a bigger inclination to take online/hybrid courses, because they use the writings on the screen to focus more on. Technology plays a big part in our everyday community, especially the college community. 

College Students and Their Gadgets

As I’m learning on how technology may affect the general population I would like to focus more on the population attending college, whether it’s a four year university, or community college. Technology in general is not always a bad thing it also helps advance in education as well. Its services toward the collegiate community have played a big role in wider development in colleges. "College students are heavy users of the Internet compared to the general population. Use of the Internet is a part of college students' daily routine, in part because they have grown up with computers “(Jones). As a college student myself, I understand how hard things can get if you don't have the right equipment. For example, when advancing through math courses throughout the semester, not only is it hard to write out the work for each equation, but it can also be time consuming. The advance in machinery as in the calculator helps students figure out the answer to a question without hassle and a lot quicker. The use of it helps one to multitask much easier bringing more time to do more. Colleges now have online classes and hybrid classes which require the student to access the worldwide web in order to complete their assignments. When in need of help, the student could email the professor for assistance and get a straight response, but as in a classroom setting the student would receive their undivided attention and guide them easily toward their answer depending on the professor. Emails also make it easier to communicate with a professor if they are not available in person. Also the need of checking emails is critical in whether it has to do with class cancellation as to an extra assignment. Without the use of a computer, online and hybrid classes would no longer be available, leaving college scholars, unable to attend a traditional classroom setting, not able to gain the education they desire. Transportation is a big factor for students who commute to their colleges. With more available cars and an increase in the public transportation routes it is much easier for student to attend their classes.

Works Cited

Jones, Steve. "The Internet Goes to College: How Students Are Living in the Future with Today's Technology." ERIC. Pew Internet & American Life Project, 15 Sept. 2002. Web. 28 Jan. 2013.

Cell Phones

Today we see that the majority of the teenage generation own smart phones. As smart phone have a large variety of uses, it is more like a handheld laptop at your fingertips in a phone-like design. It makes communication a lot easier but also makes the social structure of an individual crumble. It’s like a fast way of talking without conflict. If it has to do with a serious offense, such as emailing a CEO of any company about urgent news or of a big change that needs to happen, the news person wouldn't have to worry about the emotional response that could be given by the CEO. I believe it makes the employee less intimidated by the employer and by that makes less effort in working. Technology has a big effect on natural emotion behind a conversation between one another. The more a person distances themselves from society with technology, the more it affects the ability to interact within the community. It can also apply toward bad behaviors as well. For teenagers, research studies show that, “smartphones may make it easier for teens to arrange sexual encounters" quoted by study researcher Eric Rice. With more options available to the younger generation, there are also more influences. With an increase in development, the possibilities become endless as to where will it really end.

My reasons (Intro.)

Well, as I was researching on things that show an interest to me, it seemed to me that there was a hindrance on what I really wanted to blog about. At first, I wanted to think more on the basis of how science works and how it affects the human biology. With my major being in biology, I figured that it would help me more with learning the subject. But as time carried on, I started to notice how people react with one another in public. Technology has been integrated in our everyday society. Even for our younger population, technology influences their social abilities with the rest of the community. With this development of newer technology, it makes doing a lot of things much simpler and faster. But focusing on how the society behaves with technology in public, communication has been affected in terms of social networking, sending emails, and surfing through the internet. One day, I had gone with a couple of colleagues to go eat dinner and I couldn't help but notice other groups sitting around on their phones. Seeing this had made me realize that technology has gone so far as to affect how people communicate with each other. Technology and their easily accessible devices bring more attention to the consumers and convinces them to obtain such product. My blog will focus on the development of newer technology and its effect on today's society.