DONE!

Woo hoo, this was my last task to complete at Foothill College and I am now officially done with FHC! One last time, since all my EC tasks pushed it down...here is the link to my eportfolio:

alockettcarter.googlepages.com

Good luck to everyone on their finals or continued years here or whatever it is that you aspire to do!! Adios.

Amanda

Extra Credit Task #2

Proposition: The house believes that social networking technologies will bring large [positive] changes to educational methods, in and out of the classroom.

I really felt that both sides of this debate made excellent points. McIntosh's opening statement said exactly what I feel is true, and would tie in well with the debate over whether or not technology has made a difference in the classroom. His class would be an excellent example of where it has. He also does a good job at presenting the "tech" aspect of it all as something more than cyborgs and data chips, which is something that many people are scared of.
I tend to agree with McIntosh's view on things, I do believe that online, interactive learning can improve the way we learn. I do feel though, that it needs to be tempered by some of the issues that were brought up by the opposition. The "online" aspect of things like Facebook and Myspace can be scary, and worrying about the way they shove personal information onto the internet is a valid point. I personally also worry about the loss of human interaction in all of these advancements. Even though I don't feel the goal is to turn us into data chips, I do believe the REAL classroom is important, more-so than the online one. Online technology can certainly complement our educational system and improve upon aspects where it's lasting, but I do not feel that it should replace it by any means.
Both sides presented excellent points although I do feel McIntosh did the better job in presenting himself clearly. The opposition sounded a bit too "doomsday" at times, the whole "computers will take over the world" demeanor came across more than once which is detrimental to their argument.
I look forward to seeing where technology takes us in the educational world as I continue my college career at UCSD. The advancements in availability of scientific articles and journals online is indisputable and I am excited to see what other benefits we can reap from the "techies" of the education.

Extra Credit Task #3

So I actually have to agree with Sir John on this one because I don't believe that the technological aspect of education has completely changed the field of learning. I do however, agree with Kozma when he says that it has the ability too. I believe we have seen numerous examples of how it can change education in our class this year. But to bring the argument down to it's base question: the answer in my opinion is no. However, technology is beginning to open doorways in the educational world that weren't there before.

I do strongly agree with the idea that it is the teacher that must be educated as to what technology can do for the classroom. Until my English classes with you, Dr. Lankford, I never had any technological aspects to any of classes other than Etudes. But our ePortfolios and readings on alternate "educational worlds" have expanded my horizons. I would not have learned of these if I hadn't taken classes with a professor that was interested in them though, and that I believe is an important point for people like Kozma to take note of.

What I think both parties need to agree on though is the need to educate more people, students and teachers, about the benefits that the technological world can give. I know that I for one was dreading making an ePortfolio purely because of the tech aspect to it. I would happily create a 20 page paper portfolio without breaking a sweat, but do it online?! *GASP* However I was pleasantly surprised to find that the entire process was relatively pain free. The most difficult thing was embedding videos into googlepages.com but I solved that problem but embedding the videos into blogger.com (Thank you IAN!) and making a link! So all in all, the task was fun for me and less difficult then I expected. My initial apprehensions though are shared by many students and teachers and it is these issues that must be addressed.

Extra Credit Task #4

I've actually found that English and/or Chemistry tie into all of my classes in some way, shape, or form. This has proven true of all of my classes at Foothill, from Art to Anthro to Organic Chemistry.
English, as we all know, relates to almost all subjects because the ability to write and analyze work is important across the board. English has played a role in my Biology and science courses when I have to write clear, concise research papers. It has also played a surprising role in my International Relations/Poli Sci class that I took this past quarter. Dr. Heiser assigns an INSANE amount of writing in her class (bless her heart), most of which focuses on taking 12 page papers and condensing them down into a one page maximum summary. I thought this would be easy, think again. As someone who enjoys writing for English purposes, having to edit down every last word is quite a learning experience. However, by the end of the quarter I was a pro, and my Poli Sci class improved my writing abilities while at the same time, my writing enabled me to earn that A!
Chemistry studies the basic chemical reactions that occur in the world and in our bodies so that we are able to live and exist. Because of this, I've found that Chemistry not only relates to numerous different subjects, but it is often a foundation for them as well. Chemistry is the basis of biology because the systems that we study are all made up of chemical reactions and combinations. Geology and oceanography all stem from chemical reactions as well. Chemistry even relates to Physics because it makes up the structure of anything a physicist studies.
Perhaps the most difficult class to relate to is math, which I'm sure most of us would agree with. But being the nerd that I am, I find that the most interesting relationship that Math has is with Biology, or more specifically, nature. Mathematical formulas and numbers are mirrored in nature everywhere. The mathematical aspect of nature is part of what makes it so incredibly complex.
The main lesson that I have learned through all of my classes and their relationships to one another is that each class does serve a purpose. We often complain that we will "never use this in the real world" but we do use it in college, and past college as well. Just because my major isn't going to focus on Poli Sci doesn't mean that I won't use the summarization skills that I learned in class in reviewing research papers for Marine Biology. All classes and lessons relate to one another, it's just up to us to figure out how to use them for our benefit.

Extra Credit Task #5

So I actually didn't know that much about the copyright issues excluding what I know to create a Works Cited for a paper. These were very enlightening readings and although I don't personally use YouTube (although I did for my ePortfolio!!) I can see how enforcing more limitations would restrict the ease of information on the internet. Google's argument and that of the editors is one that I agree with, I believe that the use of information should be free. I understand when it comes to things like CDs and DVDs because the profits of those are based off of sales, but for something like an image of DNA that a teacher wants to place on an overhead...that should be an option!! As should the ability to use videos found on YouTube to demonstrate points in class. In English 48A we looked at numerous YouTube links showing old plays of the works that we were reading. They helped in the learning process greatly and to think that something like that could be made illegal seems a shame. Anything that furthers the learning process should be acceptable as long as certain precautions are taken. I don't believe that YouTube should have to follow even more regulations, they already take down enough videos when Copyright owners complain. The ability to actually USE the information that we find on the internet is important and one that we should fight for. I read a few more sites after googling "YouTube copyright" and found that most of the issues do seem to be with broadcasting networks anger at their shows being posted online. This is ridiculous, you can almost never find complete clips of a show. Viewers still watch the show on TV, most of the time the YouTube clips are only used to post funny videos on Myspace or Facebook. It doesn't seem as though they are losing any money because of YouTube which is (I'm assuming) their main concern?

ePortfolio Link

http://alockettcarter.googlepages.com

Extra Credit Task #1

I have to admit that I believe that the average Honors student at Foothill College most likely became involved in the program because of the TAP that it offers with UCLA.  However, I do not feel that this is what students leave the program with.  No matter what the reason for becoming involved within the Honors Institute at Foothill, the classes that you take and the requirements that you must meet leave a lasting impact that goes above and beyond the call of duty for the UCLA TAP.  I honestly feel that institutions like UCLA and UCSD benefit from receiving students from Foothill's HI.  The classes promote participation in a way that normal classes do not.  They also tend to require more critical thinking and dedication on the part of the student, a lesson that is incredibly valuable as we move on to our respective Universities.  Obviously the mission of the HI is not to get its students into UCLA, instead I believe that it is to better prepare students who wish to have the challenge of Honors level courses for their work at universities.  UCLA or not UCLA, students do not sign up for the program unless they are interested in completing Honors level work and are prepared to meet the time and energy requirements that come along with the HI.  Because of the lessons that students learn while in the HI and the classes that they are able to partake in, I believe that the HI actually achieves its goal with most of the students involved.  We've all made friends in HI classes, learned lessons from teachers that are willing to ask a little more from us and expect a higher level of work.  All in all, regardless of what school we transfer, completing the HI at Foothill is definitely an achievement to be proud of as well as one that will serve us well through the rest of our academic careers.

Week 9 - Task 1

One of the most important decisions that must be made during life is that of choosing a career.  For any people, salary is a key deciding factor when deciding what their profession and focus will be.  But the people who are often happiest with their jobs are the ones that truly love what they do.  Going to work each day isn't something that they dread doing, rather it is something that they look forward to and enjoy.  Some people are never lucky enough to discover what this profession would be for them, instead they slave a way in cubicles counting down the seconds from 9am until 5pm when they get to go him.  I however, feel incredibly fortunate to have found a career and major that I truly love, Marine Biology.  

Although it took me until my freshman year of college to discover that Marine Science was my true passion, the formation of my love for the subject began when I was just a baby.  From the beginning of having my crib attached to my family's sailboat when I was a baby all the way to my transfer to UCSD in Fall and my work at the Marine Mammal Rescue Center, my love for the ocean and it's inhabitants is a long standing theme throughout my life.  I intend to explore where my passion has led me by examining the process of how I reached the level that I am at today.  By reviewing the formation of my love for Marine Biology, I have been better able to appreciate how far I have come and how far I will go.  I have been blessed to discover a field for which I have so much passion, and I look forward to sparking a similar reaction in others.  

So the first two Honors Program videos that I watched were the Columbia College one and the JMU Myth-Busters approach.  I actually expected to like JMU's more simply because it sounded funny (I love Myth-Busters) and I thought that the approach would be more student oriented.  However,  after watching the two, I was surprised to find that I actually far preferred the Columbia College approach.  It was better organized and well laid out.  It also did an excellent job at showing how the Honors program can benefit you as a student and removing any fear that it would be an excess amount of work.  The JMU project was really corny, which as  student, is more of a turn-off then an attraction.  The 30 second SJSU informercial was good for a quick intro into the program.  This would be a good thing to play during a movie at a school or something where students would at least see it so that they would be aware of the Honors Program.  I also really liked the Slippery Rock University informercial.  By using interviews with the students they kept it short and sweet but also well-organized.  They managed to provide a lot of information about the program, while also showing the aspects that students really appreciate.  Looking at these infomercials, I felt that a good approach for the Foothill Honors Program would be a combination of the student interview and documentary approach.  Both students and teachers could be interviewed, I definitely feel that the teachers in the Honors Program would be a good asset to use for the informercial.  Also, the students within our honors program could give their own experiences, using people who enjoy the Honors classes and participation, the TAP with UCLA (it has to be in there), the benefits that come with the Honors Scholar status, etc, etc.  Then also interviewing teachers so that their view of the Honors program was put forth as well.  Teresa could also be interviewed to give an idea of what the requirements are and how they fit in well with a students class schedule (hopefully).  

Week 8 - Task 1

So I'm not sure if this is what I am going to stick with or not, but coming up with an idea for this portfolio is REALLY hard.  I don't have papers to link this too or anything...so I'm pretty much drawing a complete blank (I may do the Infomercial, who knows).  However, just running with it:  My initial idea would (surprise) be Marine Biology.  Maybe even my journey of becoming a Marine Bio major, the catalysts that pushed me towards, the final decision, etc.  I'll probably base this off another blog, since I am more familiar with Blogger, etc.  My evidence would start with my summers in Maine as a child where I developed such a love for the sea, I even have poems that I wrote for class assignments about my summers there and how much I loved being out on the water, the peace that I found.  Some of those poems would be perfect evidence.  I also have a lot of photos from those days, continuing all the way through my life.  Then I would use my sophomore research trip to the Bahamas, where I worked on Andros Island as my next piece.  This is when my love of scientific research involving the ocean really began.  Up until then I had spent most of my childhood in the lab with my mom,  but those experiments were spooling DNA from onions, strawberries, kiwis, etc.  Andros and my work there was one of the defining moments in my high school life.  I have photos from there, along with a journal that I could scan and link into my ePortfolio.  Next would be Caryn Owen's Marine Bio class at Foothill, this class is what made me change my major to Marine Biology and stick with it.  Then working at the Marine Mammal Center in Marine.  And now, after A LOT of hard work, I'll be attending UCSD and working at Scripps Institute of Oceanography to get my minor in Marine Science in the Fall.  Definitely quite a journey!  My video or audio enhancement is one that I'm not sure about, but I thought that me reading from my journal might work?  Not sure there...As far as evaluators go, my boyfriend would be one good possibility.  As a Bio major, and someone who has been by my side for a long time, he knows the amount of work and dedication I have put into achieving my goals.  For the professional evaluator, Caryn would be one option if she has time, if not my mother is a scientist so she could evaluate it as well.  The self-evaluation and reflection in this would really occur through me doing the ePortfolio.  Looking back on things, it seems as though this is what I was meant to do all along.  Also, sometimes it's easy to feel defeated and tired because of all the work we put on our shoulders as students, but looking back and seeing just how much we have achieved helps with the process and makes me feel proud of what I have overcome.  For Week 9, I think gathering all the evidence together and laying it on in the proper format would be best, along with starting my new blog site for the ePortfolio.  In Week 10, the inital compilation stage could take place.  Scanning in evidence, creating the links, putting everything into the ePortfolio, making the audio part of it.  Then in Week 11 I could solidify everything, do any retouching that I need to and have someone look over it to tell me what they think.  Then, in Week 12, it's due!! And no procrastination!