Saturday, February 15, 2014
Entry #5: The Future We Dream Of
In 2008, a very popular animated Pixar movie was released and was one of the top ten grossing films. This film was Wall-E. Wall-E, set in a futuristic time, was about a robot that was left to clean up the mess on earth and was the last surviving robot. He falls in love with a robot, who is sent to Earth by the humans in space to look for signs of growth or life, and spends the movie trying to find and save her.
Although I did not watch the movie until two years after it was released, my friends always made comments about how much they enjoyed it. When I watched it for the first time, I was amazed by how it portrayed the future. With all of the cool new technology we have, I always imagined our future in a prosperous way.
Watching the following clip from the movie reminded me of some of the shocking, but somewhat believable portrayals of or future that are included within.
Although this video is set in the 22nd century, it shares many aspects of today's society with technology, but it amplifies it to an extreme. As technology has advanced, the number of users have advanced as well, and in this video, it affects how the entire population functions.
The clip starts off with two men having a conversation, through a screen instead of looking at each other face-to-face. This is something that I believe is also happening in today's society. We rarely take the time to see people that we know, since they are so easily accessible via our technology and as we use our technology more frequently, we become blind to the things that are happening around us. With that said, it's also highly possible that the two men are so involved with their technology that they don't realize that they are right next to each other.
Another way that technology has advanced, is by producing ways for us to complete tasks in less time. Because we are able to do so much with our gadgets, we are becoming lazier than ever before. You can see that this has affected the humans in this clip because they use their chairs and screens for everything. Instead of getting up to get something to drink or to pull an umbrella over for shade, they can simply summon a robot to assist them. The people seem to be unaware of how to walk or support their weight because they have instead been taught how to use their hover chairs to get them wherever they need to go.
Toward the middle of the clip, you'll see that all of the jobs have been taken over by the robots, so that the humans no longer need to work. In today's society, you can already find grocery stores with self-checkout lanes or fast food restaurants with self-ordering systems. Because of these advancements in technologies, we have already started taking away the jobs from the individuals, but in this future, the human worker is extinct.
So what can we do to prevent this from being our future? We can limit our technology usage and increase our face-to-face meetings. We can rely on our own abilities more than technology's to become more active and less lazy. We can avoid self-checkout lanes and self-ordering systems to show the investors that we are interested in keeping our fellow humans in the workplace. All of these things are easy to accomplish with a little retraining of how we complete tasks in our day to day lives.
If we limit our technology usage, and manage it appropriately, we can establish the future of our dreams. I make the pledge to use my technology less, become more active for my own health, and avoid the roboticized options whenever possible. Can you make the pledge? Will you?
Friday, February 14, 2014
Entry #4: The Worst Days Ever
You know those days when everything seems to be going wrong, and no matter what you do, it seems to continue getting worse and worse? The ones that oftentimes results in us pulling our hair out or going to bed begging for the day to come to be better than the last? I recently had one of these days.
My car stalled at a light and although I got it to start up, it ended up breaking down just a mile or so further down the road. I was on my way to school, and I had no other way there, so my mom picked me up and let me keep the car. We were close to my grandma's house, so she picked my mom up and drove her home from there.
When class was over, I had to hurry and try to fix my car before I attended a meeting, because I had to go to work directly afterward. I went Autozone, a store that sells car parts, where I picked up the cables that I was told I needed a couple weeks before. I was told that it was an easy fix, so although I had never worked on a car before, I was willing to try it out.
When I arrived at my car, which had not been towed, I popped the hood and tried working on it on my own. I grabbed the cables from my mom's car and as I closed the door, I noticed that I had accidentally locked its keys inside of it. At this point, I had no other option than to get my car running so that I could make it to my meeting and to work.
I looked into the engine and realized that I had no idea how to get the cables out, or how to put the new ones in. I called my father, who lives in Florida, and he tried walking me threw the steps. He told me, "Remove the cables from where the spark plugs are." I immediately began to cry. My father had taught me a bit about cars when I was younger, and I realized that I no longer remembered a thing. The severity of the situation started getting to me and I felt desperate. A man saw me crying and came over with his three kids to help.
He began showing me where things were and how to remove and replace the cables. He found out that one wasn't connected properly and when he pushed it back in, my car started up without problem. Another man, who was a mechanic, took over in helping me replace the other cables to make sure that the ones I had were the new set.
After he finished plugging them in, I turned on my car and it stalled. I couldn't believe that we were back to square one. I felt drained of all energy and hopeless. The mechanic replaced the old cables and explained that they were very knew, so they weren't the problem. He said that he thought the problem was the spark plugs and that I'd need to go back to Autozone to exchange the cables for spark plugs.
In order to get to Autozone, I had to take my car that stalled every time I stopped at a light. I had to apply consistent pressure to the gas pedal to make sure that I didn't stall in the middle of the street between lights. After 7 miles of agonizing stalling, I arrived at my destination.
I waited in line and told the worker the spark plugs that I needed. As I was buying them, I asked, "So do I just pull them out with my fingers and pop the new ones in?" (This was the process for changing the cables.) He gave a chuckle and explained that I was wrong. I was embarrassed and stressing about getting my car fixed in time for my obligations. He set me up with the other parts that I needed and I went to tackle the project.
As I was removing the spark plugs, I ran into an issue where it wouldn't come out all of the way. I walked inside and asked if I needed another tool, and they said that I already had everything that I needed. I went back to my car, frustrated and started getting flustered and upset with the tools. The cashier came out for a smoke break and asked if he could help. He pulled all of the spark plugs out quickly and replaced the new ones. I turned on my car and it worked. I finally had something good happen this day!
As I drove to my meeting, I reflected upon the horrible day and realized that I disregarded the biggest parts. I have a mom who is willing to help me when I am stuck on the side of the road. I was lucky to have not have my car towed by the time I returned to it. I have a father who will listen to me freaking out about my car. I was fortunate enough to have a man willing to stop and help me. I was blessed to have a mechanic stop and tell me what the real problem was. I was also lucky enough to find a worker at Autozone who really cared about helping me, and who took his own break time to get me safely back on the road. I even learned how to change cables and spark plugs on cars!
Remember that even on the worst of days, there is someone out there having it worse. Look on the bright side and appreciate life's little moments that really count. Being thankful for these things is the key to happiness, and happiness even on the roughest days will ensure you happiness for life!
My car stalled at a light and although I got it to start up, it ended up breaking down just a mile or so further down the road. I was on my way to school, and I had no other way there, so my mom picked me up and let me keep the car. We were close to my grandma's house, so she picked my mom up and drove her home from there.
When class was over, I had to hurry and try to fix my car before I attended a meeting, because I had to go to work directly afterward. I went Autozone, a store that sells car parts, where I picked up the cables that I was told I needed a couple weeks before. I was told that it was an easy fix, so although I had never worked on a car before, I was willing to try it out.
When I arrived at my car, which had not been towed, I popped the hood and tried working on it on my own. I grabbed the cables from my mom's car and as I closed the door, I noticed that I had accidentally locked its keys inside of it. At this point, I had no other option than to get my car running so that I could make it to my meeting and to work.
I looked into the engine and realized that I had no idea how to get the cables out, or how to put the new ones in. I called my father, who lives in Florida, and he tried walking me threw the steps. He told me, "Remove the cables from where the spark plugs are." I immediately began to cry. My father had taught me a bit about cars when I was younger, and I realized that I no longer remembered a thing. The severity of the situation started getting to me and I felt desperate. A man saw me crying and came over with his three kids to help.
He began showing me where things were and how to remove and replace the cables. He found out that one wasn't connected properly and when he pushed it back in, my car started up without problem. Another man, who was a mechanic, took over in helping me replace the other cables to make sure that the ones I had were the new set.
After he finished plugging them in, I turned on my car and it stalled. I couldn't believe that we were back to square one. I felt drained of all energy and hopeless. The mechanic replaced the old cables and explained that they were very knew, so they weren't the problem. He said that he thought the problem was the spark plugs and that I'd need to go back to Autozone to exchange the cables for spark plugs.
In order to get to Autozone, I had to take my car that stalled every time I stopped at a light. I had to apply consistent pressure to the gas pedal to make sure that I didn't stall in the middle of the street between lights. After 7 miles of agonizing stalling, I arrived at my destination.
I waited in line and told the worker the spark plugs that I needed. As I was buying them, I asked, "So do I just pull them out with my fingers and pop the new ones in?" (This was the process for changing the cables.) He gave a chuckle and explained that I was wrong. I was embarrassed and stressing about getting my car fixed in time for my obligations. He set me up with the other parts that I needed and I went to tackle the project.
As I was removing the spark plugs, I ran into an issue where it wouldn't come out all of the way. I walked inside and asked if I needed another tool, and they said that I already had everything that I needed. I went back to my car, frustrated and started getting flustered and upset with the tools. The cashier came out for a smoke break and asked if he could help. He pulled all of the spark plugs out quickly and replaced the new ones. I turned on my car and it worked. I finally had something good happen this day!
As I drove to my meeting, I reflected upon the horrible day and realized that I disregarded the biggest parts. I have a mom who is willing to help me when I am stuck on the side of the road. I was lucky to have not have my car towed by the time I returned to it. I have a father who will listen to me freaking out about my car. I was fortunate enough to have a man willing to stop and help me. I was blessed to have a mechanic stop and tell me what the real problem was. I was also lucky enough to find a worker at Autozone who really cared about helping me, and who took his own break time to get me safely back on the road. I even learned how to change cables and spark plugs on cars!
Remember that even on the worst of days, there is someone out there having it worse. Look on the bright side and appreciate life's little moments that really count. Being thankful for these things is the key to happiness, and happiness even on the roughest days will ensure you happiness for life!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Entry 3: Technology and the Future of our Education
When browsing across the video site online I found an interesting video about the insane amounts that technology has increased over time.
See video here.
This got me to thinking, how has this increase in technology affected the way that students learn? Is there a way that we can use this increased technology to the school's advantage? I found another video that I believe really seems to answer these questions.
To see this video, click here.
What do you think? Can using technology more frequently in classrooms become a beneficial tool to learning in the 21st century? Is the future now or is this hopeful thinking that the students will go through with the new way of learning? I think that the video explains that if electronics are introduced correctly, they will be more than beneficial in the classroom. Your thoughts?
See video here.
This got me to thinking, how has this increase in technology affected the way that students learn? Is there a way that we can use this increased technology to the school's advantage? I found another video that I believe really seems to answer these questions.
To see this video, click here.
What do you think? Can using technology more frequently in classrooms become a beneficial tool to learning in the 21st century? Is the future now or is this hopeful thinking that the students will go through with the new way of learning? I think that the video explains that if electronics are introduced correctly, they will be more than beneficial in the classroom. Your thoughts?
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Entry #2: The Best Things in Life
I'm newly 23 and learning what I love! I love Postickers, and animals. I love going to the zoo. I love going to school and working at the same time too. I love sushi and hot wings, and spending time with friends. I like listening to country music in my Mercedes Benz. I'm just kidding on the car part. I noticed I had that rhyming thing going on, so I let it be.
It's my birthday today and I've been able to enjoy almost all of these things in the past 24 hours. I'm going to the zoo tomorrow and I'm probably going to my favorite restaurant in Scottsdale too. I'm very excited. I've been working on homework for the last few hours, and although the homework part might not be my favorite, I'm looking forward to it paying off in the end.
I'm going to school to become a math teacher! I absolutely love math with a passion. I love tutoring people and watching them succeed. I love making people realize that they don't hate math, they just hate how it has been presented to them. I always believe that thinking about math in logical terms will help break down the problem and make it so much easier to solve. I can't wait to have a class full of students that I can help to excel in math!
I'm a huge math nerd, but I also love Spanish. I would love to be fluent in it and to be able to communicate with more people than I am able to communicate with now. I've taken many Spanish courses, but it's really the speaking part that gets me nervous and flustered. Even though it is difficult, I love it and do my best to pronounce the words correctly.
I'm headed out to the rest of my day with a big smile on my face and intentions to continue doing things that I love. Happy Un-Birthday to you! Or Happy Birthday if it happens to be yours as well! Here's a nerdy joke for you!
It's my birthday today and I've been able to enjoy almost all of these things in the past 24 hours. I'm going to the zoo tomorrow and I'm probably going to my favorite restaurant in Scottsdale too. I'm very excited. I've been working on homework for the last few hours, and although the homework part might not be my favorite, I'm looking forward to it paying off in the end.
I'm going to school to become a math teacher! I absolutely love math with a passion. I love tutoring people and watching them succeed. I love making people realize that they don't hate math, they just hate how it has been presented to them. I always believe that thinking about math in logical terms will help break down the problem and make it so much easier to solve. I can't wait to have a class full of students that I can help to excel in math!
I'm a huge math nerd, but I also love Spanish. I would love to be fluent in it and to be able to communicate with more people than I am able to communicate with now. I've taken many Spanish courses, but it's really the speaking part that gets me nervous and flustered. Even though it is difficult, I love it and do my best to pronounce the words correctly.
I'm headed out to the rest of my day with a big smile on my face and intentions to continue doing things that I love. Happy Un-Birthday to you! Or Happy Birthday if it happens to be yours as well! Here's a nerdy joke for you!
Entry #1: Blogs Shmogs?
I've never been the type who would blog by choice; I guess you could say that I'm still not that type. My cousin tried getting me into Tumblr, but I lost interest in it after the first day. I do use Facebook, but maybe not the same way that most bloggers would. Going into this I rolled my eyes a bit and groaned with frustration, thinking I'd hate every moment of it, but here I am, not so upset and I'm learning that I might like blogs!
One blog I read and that I really liked was 101 Cookbooks. I love cooking and finding new and delicious recipes, so I really enjoyed that she made this the main point of her blog. I also liked that she made sure to respond to the questions of her readers. It makes it feel like the author and readers are more connected. I enjoyed the recipe she shared for Immunity Soup because I've been getting sick a lot recently. I liked the wording she chose in her posts as well.
One blog that was surprisingly more interesting than I expected was Business Insider. I saw Business and I immediately thought it would be a bunch of things that I wasn't interested in. I was surprised to see that they covered quite a bit of topics and brought in readers of all different interests, so even though I might not be interested in all of the topics, there were also ones that I wanted to learn more about.
One blog that I thought I'd like but I ended up not enjoying was 20-Nothings. I loved her most recent post about adult things that she recently learned how to do, but the next few posts either bored or annoyed me. I don't like the celebrity gossip stuff and I honestly don't care about who said what, but the author was definitely into that kind of stuff.
I'm learning that there are things that I am interested in, and I might even follow a blog or two to keep up to date!
One blog I read and that I really liked was 101 Cookbooks. I love cooking and finding new and delicious recipes, so I really enjoyed that she made this the main point of her blog. I also liked that she made sure to respond to the questions of her readers. It makes it feel like the author and readers are more connected. I enjoyed the recipe she shared for Immunity Soup because I've been getting sick a lot recently. I liked the wording she chose in her posts as well.
One blog that was surprisingly more interesting than I expected was Business Insider. I saw Business and I immediately thought it would be a bunch of things that I wasn't interested in. I was surprised to see that they covered quite a bit of topics and brought in readers of all different interests, so even though I might not be interested in all of the topics, there were also ones that I wanted to learn more about.
One blog that I thought I'd like but I ended up not enjoying was 20-Nothings. I loved her most recent post about adult things that she recently learned how to do, but the next few posts either bored or annoyed me. I don't like the celebrity gossip stuff and I honestly don't care about who said what, but the author was definitely into that kind of stuff.
I'm learning that there are things that I am interested in, and I might even follow a blog or two to keep up to date!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Introduction: "Getting My Feet Wet"
Hi there! My name is Shayla. I'm 23 years old, and this is my third semester at GCC. I love math, science, Spanish and animals. I
am attending GCC to take any and all classes possible before I transfer
to an unknown university in California or Arizona to further my education toward becoming a math teacher. In my free time I rescue cats and dogs, and raise feral kittens to be tame. Over the past year, I rescued 2 cats, 2 dogs, and raised 12 kittens.
Here are some kittens that my friend's father was able to round up from his yard. I raised and rehomed all four.
Here are some kittens that my friend and I found in a parking lot. I raised and rehomed all 5 of them as well.
My cousin and I found this bugger trapped INSIDE of a dryer. He had fallen through a hole of the roof in the laundry room and went straight down the chute into its vent. We spent 3 hours dismantling and reassembling the dryer after freeing him, but it was so worth it!
This is my forever dog, Alice. I found her as a stray and even though I am a large dog person, she stole my heart and I was unable to let her go. She is the sweetest dog ever!
All of my babies are hard to let go, but I'm always happy to see them go to good homes.
Sorry for the overload of photos; I love to show them off! This is just a bit about me, or maybe a lot, but this is my first blog entry ever, so I hope you enjoyed it!
Sorry for the overload of photos; I love to show them off! This is just a bit about me, or maybe a lot, but this is my first blog entry ever, so I hope you enjoyed it!
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