Thanks for the congratulations, and I knew this picture was going to cause some confusion, but this is my first son (Grady) when he was born. I just happened to like the picture. Our daughter is taking her sweet time and my wife is oh so ready to be done with pregnancy. I'll post pictures of the whole family when she's born (hopefully soon).
Congratulations on the birth of you daughter. She's gorgeous... Have fun. Mine are two and a half years apart as well. Boy first. They are best friends and I'm sure yours will be too!
Just catching up with your questions about online learning Jonathan. We do live in uncertain times. I don't believe online learning will fully replace the face-to-face experience. For one thing, children need supervision. As for college, I think there is still a benefit to the relationships we can build face-to-face, especially for traditional age undergrads. That said, there are many things that can be done in an online context. In some cases they will be more efficient than traditional classes. In other cases, they will be activities that were simply not possible before for any number of reasons.
Figuring out how to move forward will require experimentation and research, tasks that are made more difficult b/c technology is changing so quickly. The important thing for educators though, in my opinion, is to be informed and involved in this process.
I'm just about half way through He, She, and It. This book rehashes some classic sci. fi themes but puts them in a different theoretical context (i.e Haraway's notion of the cyborg).
I've always been intrigued by the moral questions that an abstract future might face, and how they might solve them. Will cyborgs, or robots for that matter, become our slaves, our equals, or possibly our masters? Will they be made to serve human kind in the same brutal ways as animals? Or Will they violently revolt in an aim for self determination?
And then there are the very personal, family types of questions. How much responsibility do children bear to those who bore them? How much do Yod, Jospeh, and Gadi, "owe" their respective fathers for giving them life
This brings to mind the Cain and Abel story, as Cain is punished for being the "ungrateful" child, while Abel fulfills his duties to both God and family. Abel follows the social protocol, or in religious terms, God's "commandments", while Cain dismisses them: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
I've always been struck by the subtlety of this question. I'd like to give an emphatic, yes! but I think the answer must be a "qualified" yes. Thinking about Yod, (which is not pronounced y-ah-d but yood as in wood) and Joseph, it's obvious that there must be a balance between self interest and community interest. One extreme leads to the destruction of society while the other leads to the destruction of the individual.
Oh... well Grady was a cute baby :-) You'll have to post a picture with Charlotte when the big day arrives. Then I will be able to ooh and ahhh appropriately for her too :-) Kids are such a pleasure.
I love the names you picked by the way. Grady and Charlotte.... they both have a classic sound... it is always good to avoid overly trendy names. They sound funny later in life... Apple for example :-)
Wow - that is very interesting. When I asked my husband, before you had written back, he said he had heard of the school. I am interested in it and may well stop by during the school year. I commend you for your commitment to help flailing students reach a level of academic success and I hope they continue to do so. Having a teenager, I know how easily they can slip academically and how it is a constant struggle for most kids to stay afloat.
You commute from Newfield to Candor? Must be hard in the winter. Of course, I drive back and forth from Willseyville to Cortland three days a week during the school year, so I can relate.
Congratulations on the new baby! Did you post the birth stats somewhere on here? Date, time, length, weight, name.... you know the things that everyone always asks :-)
Thanks for your reassurance. I like The Diamond Age, but something about the style/language is complicated and I found myself reading passages over and over again. So I set it aside and started He, She, and It. Let me tell you, and it might just be me, but this one is much easier and is interesting as well. I had a couple hours each to read yesterday and today, and I am a third through the book. So I'm feeling pretty good about accomplishing this one on time. Let me know what you think of it. I am going over to respond to the wiki right now. Your baby is darling and you look so proud. 2 and a half, huh? I can relate. You will sure have your hands full! What alternative high school in Candor? I live in Willseyville and my oldest is going to be a senior at Candor High School. Small world.
So I guess this is a pretty lame page. I just figured out how to upload a picture...woo hoo!
It's not that I don't like technology, it's just that I'm uncomfortable with computers. I don't exactly know why. Maybe it's because I get frustrated by all the different buttons I have to push, like my two and a half year old. Or maybe it's because I feel like I'm already plugged into reality, and I'd rather explore my immediate reality than a simulated reality. Or possibly, I'm intimidated by what I have to learn in order to take part in a network in which I feel uncomfortable. Maybe, I'm just lazy. Or maybe, I feel like computers will end up destroying the human race!
Just kidding...
Maybe we're all computers, and this makes me sad, because I thought I had a soul.
Maybe I'm resentful of the fact that computers make me use them because I have to in order to survive.
Maybe I'm frightened that my children will become addicted to computers, and be like Case from Neuromancer.
Maybe I fear that Wintermute is already controlling us.
Maybe I'm too busy doing other things that take priority over time on the computer.
Maybe I just complain too much.
Maybe my back hurts when I sit at the computer.
Kvetch kvetch kvetch.
Maybe the Primer told me that computers were "bad".
Maybe everything has no meaning, including computers.
Well, it's one week into the class and I haven't posted on my own blog yet. To be honest, compared to the pbwiki site I feel like this zone of the class is a little narcissistic and redundant (sorry Professor Reid). I know that this is an opportunity for me to reflect upon the readings, and the ideas contained inside the readings, but I would much rather reflect and discuss in the pbwiki than on my own personal blog. That being said, it is a requirement for the class so I better get to it, lest my grade suffer.
I really enjoyed reading Neuromancer, but it did take me a while, and I feel somewhat rushed into the next book before I've had a chance to fully digest the first one. I guess this is the reality of a summer class (cram, cram, cram). I feel like our class is segmented between those of us who are ahead and those of us who are behind. I'm not quite sure where the middle is but I'd like to be in it. I've had some really interesting discussions about Neuromancer with Rachel and Judith but I feel like there really isn't any more time to go into things and that I better get through The Diamond Age before I'm in the same boat (the one that's chugging behind the rest of the fleet).
So far I'm really enjoying the class and I find the material really fascinating. I love thinking about and discussing the future (and present mind you) so this class is right up my alley.
I hope to meet all of you in person someday. Will there be any get togethers? That would be a real trip. And on that note, I really should upload a picture of myself. This digital image is really creepy.
Hello Jonathan. Congrats on the forthcoming addition to your family. I'm guessing you'll disappear for a few days in late July. No worries. I've been there.
the Digital Age
emergence and education
Jonathan Wolfe's Comments
Comment Wall (15 comments)
You need to be a member of the Digital Age to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
Figuring out how to move forward will require experimentation and research, tasks that are made more difficult b/c technology is changing so quickly. The important thing for educators though, in my opinion, is to be informed and involved in this process.
I've always been intrigued by the moral questions that an abstract future might face, and how they might solve them. Will cyborgs, or robots for that matter, become our slaves, our equals, or possibly our masters? Will they be made to serve human kind in the same brutal ways as animals? Or Will they violently revolt in an aim for self determination?
And then there are the very personal, family types of questions. How much responsibility do children bear to those who bore them? How much do Yod, Jospeh, and Gadi, "owe" their respective fathers for giving them life
This brings to mind the Cain and Abel story, as Cain is punished for being the "ungrateful" child, while Abel fulfills his duties to both God and family. Abel follows the social protocol, or in religious terms, God's "commandments", while Cain dismisses them: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
I've always been struck by the subtlety of this question. I'd like to give an emphatic, yes! but I think the answer must be a "qualified" yes. Thinking about Yod, (which is not pronounced y-ah-d but yood as in wood) and Joseph, it's obvious that there must be a balance between self interest and community interest. One extreme leads to the destruction of society while the other leads to the destruction of the individual.
I love the names you picked by the way. Grady and Charlotte.... they both have a classic sound... it is always good to avoid overly trendy names. They sound funny later in life... Apple for example :-)
You commute from Newfield to Candor? Must be hard in the winter. Of course, I drive back and forth from Willseyville to Cortland three days a week during the school year, so I can relate.
Thanks for your reassurance. I like The Diamond Age, but something about the style/language is complicated and I found myself reading passages over and over again. So I set it aside and started He, She, and It. Let me tell you, and it might just be me, but this one is much easier and is interesting as well. I had a couple hours each to read yesterday and today, and I am a third through the book. So I'm feeling pretty good about accomplishing this one on time. Let me know what you think of it. I am going over to respond to the wiki right now. Your baby is darling and you look so proud. 2 and a half, huh? I can relate. You will sure have your hands full! What alternative high school in Candor? I live in Willseyville and my oldest is going to be a senior at Candor High School. Small world.
It's not that I don't like technology, it's just that I'm uncomfortable with computers. I don't exactly know why. Maybe it's because I get frustrated by all the different buttons I have to push, like my two and a half year old. Or maybe it's because I feel like I'm already plugged into reality, and I'd rather explore my immediate reality than a simulated reality. Or possibly, I'm intimidated by what I have to learn in order to take part in a network in which I feel uncomfortable. Maybe, I'm just lazy. Or maybe, I feel like computers will end up destroying the human race!
Just kidding...
Maybe we're all computers, and this makes me sad, because I thought I had a soul.
Maybe I'm resentful of the fact that computers make me use them because I have to in order to survive.
Maybe I'm frightened that my children will become addicted to computers, and be like Case from Neuromancer.
Maybe I fear that Wintermute is already controlling us.
Maybe I'm too busy doing other things that take priority over time on the computer.
Maybe I just complain too much.
Maybe my back hurts when I sit at the computer.
Kvetch kvetch kvetch.
Maybe the Primer told me that computers were "bad".
Maybe everything has no meaning, including computers.
I really enjoyed reading Neuromancer, but it did take me a while, and I feel somewhat rushed into the next book before I've had a chance to fully digest the first one. I guess this is the reality of a summer class (cram, cram, cram). I feel like our class is segmented between those of us who are ahead and those of us who are behind. I'm not quite sure where the middle is but I'd like to be in it. I've had some really interesting discussions about Neuromancer with Rachel and Judith but I feel like there really isn't any more time to go into things and that I better get through The Diamond Age before I'm in the same boat (the one that's chugging behind the rest of the fleet).
So far I'm really enjoying the class and I find the material really fascinating. I love thinking about and discussing the future (and present mind you) so this class is right up my alley.
I hope to meet all of you in person someday. Will there be any get togethers? That would be a real trip. And on that note, I really should upload a picture of myself. This digital image is really creepy.
Welcome to
the Digital Age
Sign Up
or Sign In
About
Badge
Get Badge
Groups
ENG 672: Seminar in Li...
10 members
PWR 399: Rhetoric SP 2009
17 members
SP 2009: Writing in th...
27 members
Writing Workshop
6 members
Fall 2008 PWR209
21 members
© 2009 Created by AlexReid on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
Badges | Report an Issue | Privacy | Terms of Service