Writ 101 First Quarter Reflection

In this quarter of Writ 101 I have learned a lot.  We have completed four essays; our memoir, our mascots, our political cartoon, and our research paper. Each one is different from the next. I have found that because of the different expectations in each essay I have had to learn how to be more conforming as the author of the essay.  We spent a week on citations which really helped me in my research paper.  I hadn’t known all that much about citations and to have all of it clarified helped me. I have learned that the most important part of writing a paper is discussion.  When we peer edit I get so much feedback that I can immediately apply to my paper and help improve it all together. I hope to become and learn so much more about myself as a writer throughout the rest of this class.

Out of all of the essays that we have completed I have found that the mascots essay was the hardest for me to figure out what was expected of me. I found that it was difficult to establish an opinion and write in length about it but when we were in class and had discussions about mascots it helped. 

I have enjoyed being in a college class with my high school classmates.  I love seeing how each person writes and how different all of our thought processes are.  I like getting feedback on my work and how we all help each other get better in our peer editing sessions.

I was surprised about how easy I took to citations! It shocked me that it wasn’t quite as complicated as I thought it would be.  I was also surprised by all of the actual comma rules.  There are so many to actually remember, however, I caught on.

I hope to learn so much more about myself as writer as we continue on in this semester. I am really grateful that I got the opportunity to take this class!

IPads and Tablets in the Classroom

            When I think of iPads and tablets I think of Angry Birds and racing games but not in a classroom setting, doing class work. I think that it would be helpful if we could use one in class. Would the use of iPads and tablets in the classroom beneficial or is it harmful? Further, do they help with retention of information and engagement in schoolwork?

            Mark Gentile said that iPads and tablets bring “…new and exciting educational opportunities…” I interpret this quote to mean that because of iPads and tablets students are given something different to use and get class work done. IPads and tablets allow students to do things that they cannot do in a class room (Murray and Olcese 43). IPads and tablets invite students to learn how to navigate through different programs and websites (Maloney and Wells 13).  Documents can be easily shared throughout different applications and viewed in the same sense.  There are applications out in store to fit everyone you just have to find out what you like to work with best and stick with using it (Hedge 51-52). Teachers also have this ability to find programs and stick with them.

            Teachers can engage and interact with their students more with the use of tablets.  There are programs that can allow a teacher to give and receive comments regarding work.  A student’s work can be viewed immediately and comments can follow and the student’s peers could do this also (Enriquez 78). Tablets and iPads can be taken anywhere with you and this easy transportation can allow for more interaction between students and teachers (Hedge 50). There is also the choice to implement the use of a blog or a social media site like Twitter or Facebook (51). Teachers can have immediate conversations with their students via email and give personal comments on students work which in turn can improve work and work ethic (Enriquez 78).

            In an article I read by Amelito G. Enriquez, students improved test, final exam, quizzes, and overall homework scores when they were allowed the use of tablet . They studied two groups of students, one used tablets and the other did not. The group that used tablets and iPads had more class participation and engagement in all aspects of the class . The students could follow along with their teacher and mark up their own presentation or document with information they found relavant (Enriquez 81). “Students not only learned the material but gained confidence such that they were more successful in completeing homework assignments and were better prepared for quizzes.” The students managed to keep a better score in the class and turn in better quality work because it was all at their fingertips (83).

            One problem that could arise, however, is security and the sites students view.  Teachers can control what their students are watching and what they are learning by using certain applications and make it so only certain students, the ones in the class, can view it (Gentile 12-13). I believe that this could be beneficial to students so that they don’t get off task or distracted because of the iPad or tablet itself.

            Some could argue that the initial cost to get an interactive tablet or iPad could be too much and when you add in the additional upkeep costs a damper could easily be put on a school’s budget.  The cost of an iPad or a tablet is on average $600.00, going both directions in pricing depending on the amount of memory (The Apple Store ).  I believe if we regard this and just buy them that eventually the school budget would come out even.

            Another problem that could arise is that applications may not be manipulated easily enough and students could have trouble using them. Some applications don’t have the collaboration factor that is essential in a classroom and that can be harmful to a student. There isn’t one application that would do it all for the student and teachers would have to outline the exact expectations. Research has been done to see if there is a single application that could figure out exactly how a student learns and they haven’t found one. They have, however, found applications that configure to an individual based on their answers to questions or games (Murray and Olcese 48).

            I believe that everything is worth a try.  The school could pick a class and implement the use of a tablet or iPad and see what happens.  If implementing an iPad or tablet in the classroom engages a student and helps them produce better work why not try it?  We could see if the benefits outweigh the risks of buying them.  I don’t think that we would even have to make them a requirement for every student.  We could try it out on a single class and see where that takes us. I believe that giving students the option of trying out an iPad or tablet could be beneficial.  I would personally use them in a class if we were provided one.  I think that being about to conform something specifically to me would help me make my education better.  Regarding the initial price of an iPad or tablet and the upkeep costs I think that students could use a tablet or iPad to their benefit. So the next time you think of an iPad  try to picture it in your hands, at your school desk, doing classwork.

           

Works Cited

Enriquez, Amelito G. "Ehancing Student Performance Using Tablet Computers." College Teaching n.d.: 71-84. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Gentile, Mark. "The Importance of Managing iPads in the Classroom." Education Digest Feb. 2012: 11-13. EBSCO.Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Hedge, Stephanie. "Teaching with Tablets." Education Digest Feb. 2013: 50-52. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Maloney, Michelle M. and Veronica A. Wells. "iPads to Enhance User Engagement During Reference Interactions." Library Technology Reports Nov./Dec. 2012: 11-16. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Murray, Orrin T. and Nicole R. Olcese. "Teaching and Learning with iPads, Ready or Not?" Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning 2011: 42-48. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

The Apple Store . 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

Obvious Needs

The political cartoon by Daryl Cagle suggests that the government isn’t fulfilling the needs of the people, needs that the people are clearly expressing in their signs such as jobs and “no-bailouts”.  The cartoon proposes that the ‘pigs’ (government) are claiming that they couldn’t possibly know what is expected of them.  The pigs are feigning ignorance to the surrounding situations and the people around them.  

One can pick out the visual irony pretty simply.  The speech balloons capture the pigs stating that they don’t know what is wanted of them from the people when below them the people are holding signs and hoping that their demands are met.  The way they sit on the piles of money seems to say, “Look at us, we are indulging on your dime and enjoying ourselves and we don’t know what you want from us.”

                The cartoon places the pigs on top of the people which suggests that they are higher in the society and that is a slight exaggeration.  The size of the pigs and the money bags compared to the people they are crushing is substantial. The size seems to say “I’m more important, my needs come first,” when this is not the case at all. Another form of exaggeration is the cigar smoke in the background; it is really thick and black. This seems to be common among wealthier people.  Making the government people pigs is an exaggeration in itself because it suggests that the government people are greedy which isn’t necessarily an exaggeration but could be seen as one by some.

The cartoon is just as rich with symbols as it is with visual irony and exaggeration.  The large money bags are a universal symbol of wealth and are widely recognized.  Cigars are also connected with wealth.  Suits and ties can symbolize a wealthier class of people. Pigs are often associated with greed which is fitting because the pigs in this cartoon are sitting on many large money bags.

                While the cartoon is missing some of the key features that most political cartoons have like iconography, caricature, and a caption it has many important features such as context, exaggeration, visual irony, and symbols.  I think that the cartoon brings up good points and kind of calls out to the government of this country to take care of its people before taking care of themselves since they have that obligation to.  The cartoon suggests that we as a people don’t want to hear the excuse of not being able to know what we want when we are clear to say what we want.

Native American-Themed Mascots

            All schools around the United States have mascots that range from Rams to Tigers to Bulldogs to Warriors.  A school bases many traditions off of a mascot and most all schools are honored to have a respectable mascot. Unfortunately not all mascots, like Native American-themed ones, are respectable and some tribes see them as offensive.

In the Arlee area we have Warriors, Scarlets, Chiefs, Maidens, Red Devils, Bulldogs, and the Savage Heat.  Around the United States we have the Cleveland Indians, the Fighting Sioux, the Braves, the Red Skins, the Apaches, and the Mohigans. The list goes on and on for Native American-themed mascots. Are all offensive? Are they all bad or dishonorable? Hot Springs Savage Heat used to be called the Savages.  The name was seen as offensive because it portrayed that Native Americans are hostile and violent, savage.  This characterization is not at all true, in this case the mascot was seen as offensive and the school changed the name. Some tribes do not feel honored because some mascots do disrespectful things while in an untraditional costume that isn’t regalia.  Some dance around and inappropriately poke fun at traditional dances.  In this case I believe that they should have to change their mascot if they can’t be respectful to the tribes surrounding the school.

 Schools in Oregon, when faced with a bill to change all of the Native American-themed mascot names fought back and said that they would get permission from the nearest tribe, however, after the legislature approved the bill the governor recently vetoed it saying that the legislation wasn’t strict enough. The people of Oregon are going to continue to fight for their mascots as the bill is set to have all the mascots’ changes by 2017.  The majority of tribes that are in Oregon don’t want the mascots to change they want them to stay. Most of the tribes feel honored and respectfully represented in cases of Native American-themed mascots. The tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation are actively involved and show support for area schools such as Ronan and Arlee.

            The students of Ronan High School are honored to be called the Chiefs and Maidens. The students of Arlee High School feel the same way about being Warriors and Scarlets. When I moved to Arlee three years ago I had my eyes opened up to the amount of work it takes to be a Warrior or a Scarlet. I found pride in being a Scarlet. I learned the amount of dedication it took to finally call myself a Scarlet. To me being a Scarlet is an honor unlike any I have ever had because I had to earn it. 

            Native American-themed mascots are sometimes seen as an honor.  The Browning Indians take a tremendous pride in their mascot.  They wear headdresses and war bonnets to state basketball games, an honor that the boys received and continue with tradition each year.  The mascot for Arlee High School is an elder in full regalia and his is honored during the homecoming football game.  We have an honor song played at every graduation, senior night, and homecoming game.  Our traditions as a school are intertwined with Native American traditions and the people of the valley find pride in being Warriors and Scarlets.

            To return to my questions from above there are no solid answers. Are all Native American-themed mascots offensive? Depends on how you view the schools actions. Are all bad or dishonorable? No but there are some that are.  Some schools want mascots changed to be more politically correct so they think that names and mascots should be changed.  Other schools value the traditions of the tribes around them.  I believe that if a Native American-themed mascot is not respectful and honorable to a tribe, helping to demonstrate some of the traditions of that tribe, they should have to change names and mascots so that there is no further controversy. I also feel that my opinion may not be best because I am not a Native American, I do not know what is seen as offensive or honorable within the Native American culture, so I can’t give the best opinion when it comes to this subject.