Week 11 #1

This week blog is about professional sports and when is running up the score legitimate? The Patriots are a few weeks removed from beating the Titans 57-0, so the question will arise when is enough enough. When does it become unsportsmanlike? I honestly believe in professional sports that there should be no such thing as running up the score. They are world class athletes getting paid to play one football game a week. If they can’t stop another team from scoring 57 points to there 0 they shouldn’t complain about it, at the end of the day they still pick up there check for that week. High school sports would be a different story where you can’t control who attends your high school or you can’t go out an recruit students who you know will be competitive. These teams in the NFL have millions of dollars to invest in a team, and if they didn’t spend there money wise enough to stop another team from scoring that many points, well then tough luck.

Online Education

Online education is becoming the new thing for people trying to go back to school that want to be cost effective and save there personal time. With the economy being down many people are trying to become more educated then in the past. All though most people having full time jobs and families have limited time, online schooling fits in nicely. Online education is a cheaper source of education then traditional education which is far more expensive. Single mothers who are looking to receive a higher education, don’t have to leave the house or higher a baby sitter. They can receive a education from there living room while taking care of there children. Online education is on it way up, however you should be careful because every online school is not legitimate. You should definitely do your research on the online school you plan on attending before actually enrolling in the school itself.

Blackboard

Colleges are now offering online systems to runs classes throughout the semester. Blackboard is by far the most popular, and the only one I have used so far during my educational experience. Blackboard offers students everything they really need in their classes, teachers can upload there lecture notes for students, they can host chat rooms for weekly work, or even have students upload there work to eliminate papers being carried around. These virtual classes have really made classes easier on the teacher and the students. Rather then assign a weekly question or work, the teacher can simply do it on blackboard an make a response mandatory for there students. It helps the teacher as well as it is easier to stay organized and not have to carry around papers and different assignment for all there classes. If a student misses a class because they are sick, all they have to do is log on to blackboard the powerpoint or lecture notes will be uploaded on blackboard. Overall, it is really a nice tool to have for students an teachers alike. Students can receive grades faster and teachers can be more organized with notes, and the students work.

Mark Cooper

Mark Cooper is the Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America. He has published a handful of books on the topics in communication and the influence of the internet has on the public. Cooper also provided feedback for public opinion on many different forums.
I agree with Cooper and his claim that the internet has not become an adequate substitute for spreading news to the public. Obviously people are at work or in classrooms checking headlines from every major website. However everyone goes home an turns on the television to watch the local news and here the local perspective. In his research it is mentioned that nothing can replace a broadcast voice. This is why sports broadcasters are able to make the hall of fame in there sport, people respect the broadcaster. The younger generation is more fixated with online, and could definitely shift to receiving news and video links online opposed to there parents and the news. I know for one that I never watch the news on television and if I hear a breaking story an want to see if it is true, I will log on to a website to find out.

Internet in the Classroom..Only a Click Away

Internet access in classroom is becoming not the norm but mandatory in college campuses across the country. However I think wifi in the classroom is encouraging students to bring there laptops to class. Although it has its positives, students are paying less and less attention to there instructors in the classroom because they are to busy surfing the internet. How can a teacher control 20 or 20+ students when they each have a computer in front of there face. Students will be on facebook, rather then listening to the less or lecture being taught. Although to defend students, without computers students tend to daze off every now an then. But if your allowed to have a computer in font of you, it takes a lot of self discipline to not click to espn.com or instant message one of you buddies while you are in class. So with the internet becoming more common in the classroom it creates challenges for teachers and students in a bunch of different ways. But don’t get me wrong internet has its positive influences on a college classroom as well.

Free WiFi for Low Income Families: Or is it?

Although this sounds like such a great idea and a great think to have free internet, it is kind of untrue at the same time. These people they are offering free internet access to are people who are low income families. Traditionally low income families struggle to get by, therefore having a computer in the house would be a high luxury for someone of that nature. So even though free internet access is being offered, how many people actually have a computer is a better question? I would definitely be in favor for it if there was a way to get these people in need a computer. Without a computer I don’t see the point in the free wifi, I think it sounds good but when you look deeper into it you realize the true situation. Computers are becoming a increasing need, so maybe a program can be developed to get low income families refurbished computers. The middle class is benefiting from this program more then low income families. Like I stated above, the low income families are not taking advantage of the free wifi because they can’t even afford a computer to being with. Therefore the middle class families who have computers take the free wifi. The project should definitely be shifted in the direction of getting low income families computers because computers are a increasing necessity, especially in education.

Family without Internet

Marcella Morris and her family definitely have a huge problem with not having internet at home. First, they already feel that they are a step behind, as they it themselves. She was describing how she has to resort to the news paper and word of mouth like the old days for news. Although the children are the real ones suffering the most without having internet at home. The girls travel to the library during the summer, so they can update their social networking sites. I think it is bad because when the kids are at school they have better access to a computer an the use of the internet then they do at home. I feel bad for Marcella Morris and her family because the world has transferred to a computer/ internet friendly place. Schools are even adjusting to having work or assignment being posted online. As Marcella’s children grow older they are going to struggle more and more from not having internet access in there home and it is sad.