We Didn't Start the Fire

During the past four weeks of the work on the MOOC, we talked about the technology and the future. We also explored the ideas of a dystopia and of what our society might turn out to be in the next few years as it progresses. We've noticed the sense of addiction that we as a society have on technology. I've seen this in the videos that the MOOC has through out the course. However, with that being said, we must ask what has lead to this progression.

My answer: we didn't start the fire.

For those of you who might know, that lyric is from the Billy Joel song, We Didn't Start the Fire. The song talks about historical events such as Watergate, and cultural icons such as U2. The song relates to our class and the ideas that we've learned because we didn't start the fire. We've been progressing since it's early days from fire, to the invention of the wheel. We didn't start the fire of technology, we've only enhanced it and made it burn even more.

As a human race, we're always looking out to better ourselves and the way that we do things across the world. I believe that it started with our ancestors. Every generation is more advanced than the one before it. It's not necessarily a bad thing, as we have seen in the MOOC. It can lead to more advances in the medical field, and give more opportunities to the field of education. It can lead to negative things, because then it sparks addiction and perhaps helps lose social skills.

The song "We Didn't Start the Fire" ties into those ideas for that exact reason. We really didn't start the fire, and we may never know who actually did. However, I do know one thing. It will always burn as the world keeps turning.

The Shocking Images Behind Robbie

While watching the video Robbie, I was shocked. Why are so many people so addicted to being a part of a world that isn't even real? For some of these people the virtual has taken over the reality. However, their behavior is similar to our own.
In the movie, the people showcased were addicted to video games. You would think that the gamer community would center on teens and people in their twenties. But, this video shows that gamers are also people in their thirties and with families. I was shocked with how much they sacrifice to get their games going. However, I do think that this behavior mirrors our own, especially with our addiction to our iPhones/Androids.
We are addicted to our phones. Instead of watching television shows, I am on Twitter live tweeting them. We are addicted to Instagram, where we take pictures instead of taking in the moment. We are addicted to posting about where we are on Facebook or on Twitter rather than enjoying being there. Have you ever had this experience? I know that I am guilty of it.
Have we become a society that has evolved to communicating looking behind screens rather than looking at each other? I think so. Whether it's my day to day college experience when my peers and I are on social media rather than talking to each other, to being a part of the blogger community, I can see that technology has changed us. And not for the better.
I believe that each and every one of us can see that Robbie shows us how much we've been using technology as our crutch. What can we do to undo this change? Get off our phones, read an actual book or just simply leave the phones behind and enjoy each other's company.

Aspects of Being Human-MOOC Week Three

In the video 'Heart to Heart", we see an interesting yet true take on human contact. We see how people connect better in instances of internet, and texting connection. However, towards the end of the video, the guy picks up the landline. This really got me thinking. Are we slowly losing the skills to connect with others in ways that are not behind a screen?
I think that we are. Slowly but surely, cell phones have replaced the need for someone to pick up the phone to call someone. Why would you want to call them, while you can just shoot them off with a quick text? In 'Heart to Heart' we see that the need to still have closely knit interaction to be an important one. I think that we should focus on that more because one day technology will fail us.
I ask you all to look at something. How old were you when you got a cell phone? I was 11 years old. This was in 2005 when cell phones only did a fraction of what they did now. Now, almost ten years later I wonder what I did without it.
We are slowly but surely raising a generation that will be more comfortable behind screens than behind people. Selfies will replace the need for a camera. However, with that being said, we still need to remember the importance of face to face contact. That is what the true message behind the commercial is. 

MOOC Week 2-The Progress of Education

In the videos "A Day Made Out of Glass 2" and "Bridging Our Future", it shows the future of education based on technology. In 'A Day Made Out of Glass 2', it shows tablets as being little pieces of glass that people in the society use for pretty much everything under the sun. In the classroom, it was used as a white board to help you learn things in a more efficient manner. In 'Bridging Our Future', there's tablets being used as notebooks, and the same white computer board being used as a blackboard.
In college, I use my computer for my notes, so seeing the tablet thing isn't really a shock. However, it's weird to see it in settings that are not my college lecture halls. I think that in the future, paper will soon becomes something that is obsolete, to the happiness of many trees. However, in these videos, there's more than the content that is being taught here. There's also a habit of addictive behavior that is being taught.
By having all of this information at our fingertips, we are giving the children easy access to anything and everything that they want to learn. However, when that bleeds into our educational lives, sometimes things don't come easily. Sometimes, you can't Google information, and actually have to read books.
In those videos, I do however think that having more technology in the classroom can be a good thing. By giving children more access to technology, you're giving them a chance to excel better. By them googling they become more curious, which is the key foundation of education. It may not be a perfect solution to have everything available to us easily, however, we do have look at both sides of the argument. 

MOOC Week One Response-Pivot Point

The videos that I had watched for this week's MOOC reminded me of the novel Pivot Point  by Kasie West. The novel talks about how technology affects the future. The main character, Addie has to decide whether to continue living in the compound with her mother, or go to face 'normal' life with her father. The novel showcased several examples of what future life might be like. Cars had computers, and there wasn't such a thing as a doorknob. But, one thing that really stuck out to me, as a huge advocate of books, is that books became completely obsolete. Instead, they use tablets for reading and for everything.
I myself use my tablet for pretty much everything under the sun, from writing papers and notes for my classes to watching movies on the Netflix app. However, that particular one scared me, because I really do enjoy reading the actual physical book. It scares me that soon books, magazines and even newspapers might one day become a thing that are shown in museums for our children and even grandchildren to see.
This does raise the question of whether or not the society is headed towards this direction. I honestly hope that we don't become slaves to our computers and tablets, as you see in the video Bendito Machine. I think that technology has become a part of our lives to the point where we can not separate ourselves from it to the normal everyday life that our parents once had. It's scary, but that's how self control is being practiced.