Blog 6: First Year

Dear Freshman Year—

To think that this year is complete in only a few short days blows my mind. It feels like just last week my parents were dropping me off and hugging me goodbye as tears streamed down my face. Before they drove the five hours’ home, without me, my mom made sure my room was completed to perfection. She perfectly organized my clothes in color order and made my bed with my sheets perfectly peeking out the top of my plush comforter. To think now, this very moment, I am dreading the day that my are coming parents to pick me up, and untuck my sheets, and take down all my decorations in my dorm seriously depresses me. Tears roll down my cheeks every time I think about leaving my new, favorable home of choice (even though I do miss my dogs). The people I have met and the dynamic of my life here made me happier than I could ever imagine. I was so scared to come to school, not knowing a soul and knowing my history with my anxiety disorder. The thought of leaving my high school friends and my neighbors really set off my anxiety. I was having severe separation anxiety with my closest friends and family members. To now have separation anxiety from my new friends who I consider my new family is something that I never would have imagined myself feeling. These people are the ones who I see every day and basically live with. The people who I surround myself with have basically moved themselves into my dorm room even though they only live a floor or two above me. The amount of time I have spent with them has been a blessing and a curse. For the most part we all get along but when you live with 6 boys the mess gets old sometimes. People who don’t go to this school don’t understand how lucky I am to have picked this exact dorm. I was so lucky that the school only allowed freshman to be placed into random room assignments and placed with a random girl who is now my now closest friend, more like the slightly older sister I always wanted. Living in this dorm has led me to opportunities and friendships that have changed my life. Meeting Sarah (my roommate) was the greatest thing for me being a lonely freshman who was not comfortable in her own shoes let alone this whole new world she had just set foot in. She led me to meeting my other best friends.  I never would have pictured myself changing from this girly girl in high school being to a girl who is so different now and likes so many different things. The last word I would use to describe myself now is girly. I was able to push myself with the help of this good friend.  I am so saddened to realize that nothing will truly be the same once we all move out of this building and losing a few of my favorite people in my life. Its sad. But we have to continue the journey and only make more and newer memories. Even when I thought I did not want to go to college I am so glad I did. I am so glad I came to this school and met the people who changed my life. 

The Anti-Tech Folk

The article "A Silicon Valley School That Doesn't Compute" written by Matt Richtel allows readers to create very controversial opinions. After reading the article, most people agree to be for or against the type of learning this school goes by. My thoughts after reading this would resolute with the side of being against sending my child to a school where a child does not have any learning opportunities through technology, like The Silicon Valley School. If I were to attend a school where I was strictly taught by human explanation, I feel that I would not be successful. Some students, like me, do not learn from one style of teaching. It helps me to visually emphasize what my teacher has taught me whether it be through online games or active powerpoint presentations that reinforce the information. I do agree that technology in a class room can be a distraction but I will still argue that it can be beneficial as well. When students who are in fifth grade and do not know how to use Google, that is concerning to me. It limits children to becoming independent and finding answers to their own questions. If you are at the age where you can type and read, you should be able to use the internet for purposes that are not distracting but useful and educational. Yes, there are faults with using technology only--internet crashing, papers deleting, and notes unable to upload--but a class room with technology and human interaction has a lot of potential to be the best way to students to learn.

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Nicholas Carr's "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" article creates the argument which explains to readers that the internet is becoming a "universal medium" and our brains are transforming into acting as if we are the internet. My initial reaction to this article is that Nicholas Carr's views on the topic of the internet taking over are very accurate. I agree with almost everything he is saying. He believes the interned is a big advantage today yet it has become a shortcut way of learning and thinking. Our brains have started to work so much like the internet it is harder for us to read longer pieces of writing. Although we may "be reading more today than we did in the 1970s or 1980s," it is a "different kind of reading." Instead of reading educational books or novels for entertainment we are reading maps, clocks, and short unimportant articles.

1. The text explicitly addresses the question of are our brains really starting to work the same way as the internet because of our obsessive internet/Google usage? This question is significant especially today because almost everyone owning a computer or cell phone uses Google to look up anything and everything.
2. The intended audience of this article is the users of the internet and Google. I am a part of this audience because I use Google almost everyday. I use google for homework and my everyday life. I search basic things such as the definitions of words or where to travel for spring break. Google is a very useful tool in my life that saves me a lot of time.
3. The author supports his evidence through facts and observations taken from internet users and Google workers. There is scientific evidence also reported through the author which he shares through this article proving his points.
4. The author keeps the readers focus by making the article very relatable. Reading this article, I can admit to personally experiencing or observing all of the points made in the article. I am an active internet user so I can definitely relate to the article. It is also interesting to learn how peoples brains have evolved into acting like the internet.
5. The author makes himself seem credible because of his sources of information. The facts he is providing are from university wide studies which is a credible source.
6. Like I mentioned before, this article is very relatable to me. The internet is one of the biggest things in my life for entertainment and educational purposes. The beliefs and values mentioned in the article are similar to my own. I do believe people are evolving into working like the internet. We do things by taking short cuts and have the goals of saving time or not wasting it.
7. My overall response to this text is that I fully agree with the author. He makes clear and well written points that most of the world can relate to. People are starting to work like the internet. When we do things we complete them the fastest way possible and the most efficient way. We do not go  into depth and we multi task. The article changed my way of thinking that this truly is a new way of life and more people than we know live by this lifestyle consciously or subconsciously.
8. What I have learned from this text is that the internet is one of the biggest systems used today. The internet is so important and has begun to get our minds to work like computers. It is not a negative part of our lives its a huge advantage in allowing us to save and manage our time better.

Rather than making us stupid, I think Google is just making our lives easier and allowing us to learn more than we ever have before. Without Google, our questions could remain unanswered forever. Now, with the click of a button we can find the answers and more to our questions faster with extra information. We can also multitask and manage our time better. More can be done in one day with Google than can be done in a week without it. This article asking if Google is making us stupid proves that Google is only helping us evolve.