Cyber-school

Post 4, 10/25/09

Two articles that I found both agree that hybrid, and fully online courses are a new age way of learning. “High School Is Virtual, but the Caps and Gowns Are Real,” and “Today's Classrooms Are Going Hybrid: Six Ways You Can Benefit” are the two articles that I found. I think that they might help me develop the pro and con sides to my argument about whether or not cyber-school is more beneficial to students.

The first article, “High School is Virtual…” the argument is made from both sides saying that there are benefits such as success from students that don’t fit in as well as states that there isn’t any supervision to ensure that the work is getting done. Also, there are a lot of statistics of success rate and the growth of cyber schools over the years which would be good evidence to include in a factual argument.

The second article, “Today’s Classrooms…” It only talks about all of the benefits of the new online and hybrid classes. It lists six points from exposure to technology to flexibility.

These articles at some points agree entirely and at others couldn’t be more different. Exploiting these discrepancies will be key in writing a full exploratory research paper.

-http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/14/education/14GRAD.html?scp=6&sq=cyber%20school&st=cse

- http://www.distance-education.org/Articles/Today-s-Classrooms-Are-Going-Hybrid--Six-Ways-You-Can-Benefit-31.html

Favorite words

Post 3, 10/18/09

My top ten favorite words in no particular order

1. Hullabaloo-is a really fun word to say. I just rolls off the tongue when saying it.
2. Fabulist-This word makes me chuckle, not only for the fact that I rarely hear it, but also because it sounds so similar to fabulous, which fabulists most certainly are.
3. Pudding- it’s just a weird word. Pudding. It’s a word that sounds like it shouldn't relate to what it actually is. And everyone loves pudding.
4. Balderdash- This word is great to use in a conversation! This new novel is just balderdash.
5. Jejune-Well the word is an adjective meaning ‘lacking value or maturity’, but I think it really means “the m-month a-after m-May”.
6. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian-It’s not only a great word to describe a really big word but it’s also an auto logical word, a word that has the properties which it describes!
7. Fluffy- is one of those words that just makes you think of a big woolly sheep or a favorite stuffed animal
8. Waffle- I love plaid pancakes
9. Narcissist – is a word that a snake would say with the sssssss sound
10. Specificity- is a word that makes me feel like I am having a tongue twister.

Where to Begin?

Post 2, 10/10/09 9:00 PM

I have written multiple papers in my lifetime as a student, and there are a few reoccurring problems that I encounter when doing rough drafts. The one that I generally encounter first is starting my paper. I may have the time to start the paper, but I would rather procrastinate my paper until the last minute. Also, It is difficult for me to decide how I should open my paper. Ways that I overcome this is brainstorming. As soon as I come up with some ideas for what I want to say, I feel accomplished and want to keep working on my paper. Also if I brainstorm early enough, I’ll try to begin writing multiple drafts of my paper.

Another problem I commonly run into is not proofreading my drafts. I usually only read for content and my mind runs over the misspelled words and fills in the words that I thought that I typed there, but may not have included. The best way I have found to get around this is giving the paper to my friend and having him/her read through the paper for grammatical errors.

- John Luciani

Quotes That Catch Your Attention

Post 1, 10/3/09 5:30 PM

There were only a few quotes that really struck me. One that I found to be most astonishing was from “Masks” when the main character says “I, then, realized her cheerleader outfit, her golden locks, her smile were all a mask.” This quote in simplest terms basically says not everything is what it seems. The cheerleader was insecure on the inside, and didn’t really have the strength and confidence that the main character did. This quote could relate to my project because in communal living, you get to see people for who they really are. If someone appears to have a great life, the reality of the situation could be that they are really unstable and insecure.

Another quote I liked was from “A Circuitous Path to Professional Dilettantism” which stated “how do 18-year-olds know what they want to do with the rest of their lives? Lives that will last far longer than ever? With retirements that will come way late in the game.” This really caught my attention as I began to read the article. The powerful statement intrigued me to continue reading to find out why the author thinks that students aren’t definitive enough to pick out a career. This powerful, attention getting statement is something that I would like to use in my project to really play the reader into being excited about reading about my topic.

-John Luciani