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Module 8 Blog Post

 This week there was a lot of information to take in. I definitely fixated on the texting and driving aspects. After reading the content, I had a very serious conversation with my kids about it. The video I shared in the Facebook group really hit home with me. Although the videos are exaggerated versions which make them seem less real, the situations COULD happen. In real life, you don't get a redo or mulligan. In the video the mom swerved three times before it became her last. Her kids were all asking her to stop and she continued. Never do I ever want my kids to be in a situation where that could be them--either them as the driver or as the passenger. Eyes wide open now. Eyes wide open.  A lot of the focus was on kids and their screentime. My kids grew up at the beginning of this era. Although devices and the internet were much more prominent in their time than mine, it was never a huge problem with them growing up although we had our fair share of arguments about social media ov
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Module 7

 I hate getting to the end of a course and not feeling like I've gained anything from the course. I'm so grateful that is not the case with this class. I have enjoyed every week, but I NEEDED this week. Focusing on the positive aspects of the internet and social media was a great reminder that social media isn't bad all the time. Being able to connect to friends and family and even strangers for so many different reasons is a benefit that generations before us didn't get to experience. Crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, and social organizing are some of the most beneficial positive benefits of using the internet to connect with people. The Batkid video hit me in the feels the minute it started. Seeing a community come together to pull off something so huge for a child was very impactful. Community organizing can be difficult. With the internet and social media accounts, that has become much easier AND much more effective. Bulletin boards and flyers may reach hundreds in a few
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Module 6 Blog Post

 This has been the toughest week for me in this course so far. Not difficulty level per se, but content difficulty. Reading the materials and watching the videos throughout this week hit home on a very personal level. Social media didn't create bullies, but it definitely amplified them. Oversharing has harmed people close to me, bullying has harmed people close to me, my kids went through spells of imitating things they found online causing unnecessary hardship for them and for me, and social seclusion is a real thing.  The "I forgot my phone" video really got to me. So many of my social events look like that. I feel like the girl that forgot her phone. I've been guilty of being too consumed by my phone, but I make conscious efforts to leave it alone when I am at a social function, but a lot of my friends do exactly what was depicted throughout the video and they watch life through their screen. Hopefully, with time, we can all find a happier balance between social me
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Module 5 Blog Post

 This week? Shew. There was a lot to take in.      I don't think I've ever read, heard, or said the phrase, "Fake News" so much in my life until this week! I'm begining to feel a lot like Donald Trump at this point! Fake news is a real thing (ha!) and it can cause unnecessary drama and bias and a "head in the sand" mentality to arise. Some people just don't want to take the time to do any research to combat fake news though, so even though it's always been around, it's definitely more prevalent in the days of the internet.  Filter bubbles? Say what? I know about filters and algorithms but I have never thought outside the box to realize that search results are also filtered to my tastes as well and that I'm missing half the internet in a search result because I use the same devices and accounts to view things that I do like. I have decided to use my extra computer at home to do some testing on this for a while. I'm going to wipe it cle
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Module 4 Blog Post

 This week stirred a lot of emotions. There is so much bad on the internet that it's hard to focus on or just see the good at times. With Fake News and political wars always looming, ads that seem scarily too accurate, and the host of people who think because they can Google, they are smarter than professionals of their field; how are we supposed to see the good?  Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire to get attention and respect given to his cause after having his voice snuffed out and ignored by those who were supposed to help him. He literally gave up everything to save what little he had left. Since those who SHOULD have listened didn't, the right people in the right places gave him a voice, gave him his dignity, gave him power. Such simple things in life shouldn't require such a massive sacrifice. His story genuinely hurts my heart and inspires me as well.  Without social media, his story wouldn't have been told. Without social media, his story wouldn't have be
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Module 3 Blog Post

       There was so much information this week that I'm not even sure where to start! Digital amnesia, Google knows everything, #TheDress, viral posts, memes; all of our favorite things about the internet!       The content in this week's module sparked some conversation between myself and my family. I asked them all why they started using social media in the first place. My sister said, "I joined Twitter before Smartphones to find out which Waffle House Donnie Wahlberg might go to after a show," and I haven't been the same since! It's one aspect of social media that I hadn't even considered before that moment, even after reading all the materials so far. Before the digital era, was meeting a celebrity or knowing where they are having dinner even a possibility? Sure, Seventeen Magazine might do a cover story on it next week, but what about in the moment? We think of social media as a way to keep in touch with friends and family, but really, it's just a
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Module 2 Blog Post

 Where to start this week? I feel like there was so much information packed into this lesson that picking it apart is nearly impossible.  "The History of the Telephone" video was enlightening to say the least. The technology we have grown accustomed to now makes the telephone seem prehistoric at this point. Although I am old enough to tell my kids about rotary phones and call waiting, that seems like a distant memory; like something learned in a book. Speaking of books... What are books? When did we get so far away from libraries and the smell of old pages, highlighters, and bookmarks? I'm an avid reader. I like a little of everything. But only after ordering my textbooks for my courses this semester did I realize how digital I've become. Kindle has become my go to for one of my favorite hobbies. I realized last semester though that a textbook on Kindle is just not the same--as in, I NEED paper and pen to function and truly commit things to memory--so this semester I
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