Internet... On the School Bus

As technological advances continue to affect the American society on a daily basis, I find myself questioning whether or not they are furthering our society or hindering it. I read an article recently that discussed how some school buses in Arizona have chosen to install wireless internet access so students can access the internet on their way to and from school. And I couldn't help but ask myself, is this necessary?

For students on living in the Vail School District, commuting to school can take up to an hour. But lucky for them, if they have a laptop, time flies. Anything they can do on the internet, they can now do on the school bus.


Sterling Pratz, the CEO of Autonet, says, "People went from connecting their homes to connecting their handsets. And now they're moving into the next evolution of connecting things. And vehicles are the next logical step."


Maybe it's naive of me to think this, but I don't see this as necessary or extremely logical. When I used to take the bus, I would just talk to friends. I guess being able to access the internet could be a useful way to maximize good use of time, but I doubt that students use their computers to play games more than to finish homework. But regardless of how they choose to use the laptops, it seems that human relationships are continuously become less important as a result of new technologies, and to me, establishing personal relationships is really important. As technology advances, will making social connections and friendships continue to demean? How will this change America in the future? Do you think these changes will be positive or negative?

White-Washing America

I came upon a New York Times article this morning that considered the controversy surrounding the recent changes in American history textbooks in Texas. This article reminded me of the TV tokenism presentation that Mr. Bolos made and the continued discussion during class yesterday. It made me think about the implications of the idea of "tokenism" not only in television, but in our society today-- more specifically in how it shapes the history of our nation. Or at least how it is used to shape the history of our nation.

The article gave me a nice background of this current issue in Texas, but what struck me the most was an inset image (left). Gary Bledsoe, the man in the image, is the President of the Texas NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and continues to fight for the preservation of ethnic presence in American history, something he feels is being ignored in the new Texas law. Right now, individuals like Bledsoe are fighting "merely to keep the woefully inadequate mentions of African-American, Latino, and female contributions to society from being removed" from textbooks. 

Bledsoe also argues that, "It appears that there is a desire to not have an honest discussion of America and its history of race... A desire not to address the issue of slavery directly to portray African-Americans as an afterthought."

Honestly, I don't really understand why Texas would try to "white wash" American history. We talked in class about how history is a construction and textbook-makers have the right to choose what to include and what to exclude, but I think this decision to "portray African-Americans as an afterthought" is simply an inaccurate portrayal of American history. Although it is not something to be proud of, slavery was an integral part of us becoming a nation. By not addressing it, I think that Texas is indirectly continuing (and promoting) this race-hierarchy. So if our nation really is one that promotes diversity, why would they do this? Is this an issue only in Texas? Is this an example of tokenism?

Goodbye, Junior Theme

So... I haven't blogged in a while, but I figured I would get one more post in before the JT was over. Before we started the Junior Theme, I was intimidated by the idea of it because of all the hype that surrounds it, but at the same time I underestimated the difficulty of it. I didn't realize how much more to the process there is than just finding a topic and writing about it. For me, centering in on a why question proved to be a difficult task, but that was nothing compared to generating a thesis statement. After I had a thesis, everything else started to fall into place.

Reflecting on this process as a whole, I can say that I've learned a lot about myself as a writer. Being clear and concise at the same time is something I have struggled with a lot this year, but I think (I hope) I have accomplished it in this paper- at least more than in other papers I have written this year. I hope that the skills I've gained through this process will continue to influence papers I write in the future, and more than anything, I'm just glad that I'm done!

Junior Theme

To be completely honest, the research process is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I don't know if anyone else is having the same problem, but it's been hard for me to find research that backs up my claims. But now that I have a thesis I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere. My thesis is: Public education enrollment is on the decline because lack of change within public schools across the nation is leading parents to choose alternative schooling options for their children. The factors I am using to prove this is lack of technological integration (despite availability of technology), lack of change concerning the curriculum/teaching style, and that schools focus on solving the same problems despite rising problems, which prevents change from occurring. If you have any suggestions for other factors, please let me know!

Junior Theme

I'll admit that finding a why question was a lot harder than I anticipated. And now that I have one, I'm kind of releaved. I started with autism, then moved to special education, then to education in general, then back to special education-- only to eventually return to education. So now, my question is "Why is public education on the decline? When I first landed on this topic I was pretty much desperate, I'm not gonna lie. But last night I was doing some research and found that there are many individuals who believe that public education is making America "dumber." I realized that going to New Trier and living in this area has made me relatively unaware of public education across the nation. Now I have a chance to understand it more.

Any good book suggestions? Any suggestions at all?

The American Dream

The "American dream" is something that has defined American life since the early 1930's. This idea that America is a land of prosperity and all citizens have the opportunity to achieve richer and happier lives has, in a way, given many Americans a sense of false hope. The image of normalcy behind this dream sends the message that anyone can achieve it.

But what happens if a majority of Americans feel they can no longer achieve the "American dream"? According to a video I watched recently, many average middle class Americans feel as though the current economy has made this seem like an unrealistic goal. One woman described how she used to volunteer at soup kitchens but now visits them herself so she can stretch her $11.00/hour salary to feed her kids. This is consistent with the recent surge in individuals who need food assistance-- 48%-- and increasingly middle class Americans.

This video demonstrates in many ways how the middle class America is "struggling for survival." With the state of the economy right now, it seems to me as though the dream has shifted from trying to move up to trying not to move down. It is apparent to me that the "American dream" is a dream of money since it is dependent upon moving up the economic ladder. So if the majority of America can no longer move up, is the dream still relevant? Will it change to reflect changes in America? Should it?

Full Body Scanners at O'Hare

I watched a Yahoo! video this afternoon that talked about the recent installment of full body scanners in the United terminal at O'Hare airport. The purpose of these scanners- in use as of yesterday- is to look for "anomalies on the body," detecting both metallic and non-metallic items. These scanners have been under scrutiny for some time now, but I have yet to come in contact with them. Now that they are at O'Hare and will effect me directly next time I travel, this video made me think about the morals behind this growing installment. Do these scanners violate passenger privacy?

When I look at the bigger picture, it's hard for me to see anything wrong with these scanners. They are there to protect us, and when reflecting on past events like 9/11 security seems necessary. So how can I argue that that's a bad thing? But at the same time, someone sitting behind a plexiglass wall is analyzing an image of my body to make sure I'm not carrying and weapons and to a degree, this seems like an invasion of privacy. So do I give up a small amount of privacy for the sake of protection? Do the benefits outweigh the negatives?

I think the most important thing to remember when thinking about these scanners is that traveling by airplane is a choice. Although I don't see a significant problem with them, those that do can choose an alternative mode of transportation.