Final Blog- Update on Essay 4

I just finished my annotated bibliography and am pretty glad I am finally finished. I have decided to write about how Steven Spielberg movies have impacted audiences through the years and I'm pretty excited to go in to more depth about this topic. I am a huge fan of Spielberg and his works, so this will be an enjoyable topic to write about. I have my sources and bibliography done, so I am going to start writing the actual paper soon.

Ellen DeGeneres-Technology

I decided to write my blog on the Ellen DeGeneres article called "This is how we Live." I did this mainly because I am a fan of Ellen. She is a very controversial figure that many people don't like, but no matter your opinion you have to admire her independent nature. She worked hard her entire life and deserves everything she has. She talks about how we have gotten lazy because of technology and I agree. She brings up the microwave and even Go-gurt which is terrific examples of her point. She then rants about the cell phone for about two pages and complains about all its little problems like rings, call waiting, and bad recption. However, she appreciates the improvements in technology, especially the cell phone that we have made as a whole over the years. I think this shows the kind of person Ellen is and the way she feels about technology. She may try to be funny all the time, but she is a person who gets it. She realizes America has become lazy and a complete consumer economy where everyone walks around with something on their ear. But, she appreciates technological advances and is impressed by it, and I couldn't agree more.

Joshua Bell

I took a liking to the Joshua Bell reading for a few reasons. First off, I like the idea of the whole "operation". I found it pretty cool that such a big performer would take time out of his busy schedule to play in a subway station. Not only does this show off his talents for an unknowing crowd, I think it shows his love for music over money. Bell is doing this because he said "it sounded cool." Although that phrase doesn't seem like much, I think it represents his thought process as a musician. He is comfortable enough with his music to just play in a subway instead of doing a huge show. Also, I like the way the author tries to bering the subway to life. "At the top of the escalators are a shoeshine stand and a busy kiosk that sells newspapers, lottery tickets, and a wallful of images...." is one of the many descriptions he gives to give the reader a sense of the surroundings. Also, it shows the crowd and how they are not expecting what is about to happen to them. I really liked the reading and I enjoy classical music from time to time, so I feel like if I am ever in a situation like this, I will thoroughly enjoy the performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNt6cYOCYs4

a link to a performance by Joshua Bell

Group Project Update

I am in a group with Megan, Kim, Evan, and Julia and we are doing Punctuation. We are focusing on colons, semicolons, and commas. We have all looked up information of the topic and we are going to put all of the slides together and finalize it in class on Friday. I think we have made good progress so far and will hopefully finish it tomorrow.

Community update

I have been going to some of my brother's football practices, but I also went in and observed a Special Needs classroom at my old high school. This was an amazing environment to be in, and they really made me feel at home when I went to visit. I took a lot of notes from my observation, so I will have to decide which community I am going to do for my paper. Being in the classroom was fun. The kids made me lunch which was turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Then, I watched their math lesson of the day. I will defiantlyt go back to observe again.

Community

For my essay, I am observing my younger brother's football team and the technology I'm looking at is the bus that they ride on to and from games. My brother is a freshman and it is his first time ever playing football, which is a huge step for most kids. I remember my first year and I was extremely nervous. I had been friends with these kids my entire life, but I didn't begin playing with them until high school. I was interested to see if they acted differently and what football was all about. I found that the team bus was where the most connections were made between players. In the locker room, it is more of an alone time, trying to get psyched up and what not. But whether it was win or lose, the bus ride home was where we would talk about the game and really communicate with each other. I think this is where the real friendships were made because everyone got to find out everyone else's true colors, especially when we lost. I'm interested to see what it is like now and if my brother's team is the same way. I also am interested to see if my brother acts differently around these kids to try to "fit in." I am excited to observe this community and hopefully I will find out some cool things about a community I have not been around in a few years.

Jon Stewart 10/2/11

I really enjoyed reading the commencement address made by Jon Stewart at his former college. I am a big fan of Jon Stewart; I think he is hilarious. I've never been to a college graduation, but I've heard some good stories about celebrities doing the address at colleges. Getting a person like Jon Stewart to do it would be awesome in my personal opinion. He makes some good points about community and America as a whole. He knows there is a time to be funny and a time to be serious and he mixes the two very effectively in this address. He talks about the difference between college and life and points out how more focus should be put on life because college is just something one finishes. And when talking about America he points out how they came together and persevered after 9/11. Altogether i enjoyed the reading and it showed me that it doesn't matter how successful you are in life because if you work hard and let the cards fall where they may then something will work out somewhere down the line.