Chapter 12 #3

This chapter was entitled science, and that was enough to catch my attention. This chapter quickly became one of my favorites, as I felt like it related to me in various ways. As a biology major, the stuff in this chapter is pretty much what I plan to do with my life; Testing and proving hypothesis using data and observations. A constant topic I have had to learn throughout college was the Scientific method and its steps. Identifying the problem, forming a hypothesis, researching, testing the hypothesis, and evaluating the hypothesis based on these steps has become something I have grown accustomed to in the Sciences. This chapter opened my eyes even more to see how much this can apply to everything, and not only science classes. We can use the scientific method to now only prove how or why things are, but to also grow an understanding of others. The gist of the scientific method is to pretty much not only rely on observations, but also to try to gather solid proof to form a valid hypothesis.

Chapter 23 # 2

A time in which I drew a wrong conclusion based on observation alone was actually a couple weeks ago. Although I try my best not to, I do tend to judge people sometimes. Most people do, but for the most part everyone knows that they should not, it really is just one of those things that is within our nature. But I drew a wrong conclusion about a person, based on the way I saw him interact with others as well as on social networks. The way he seemed to act was always stuck up, "too cool," and full of himself. I drew this conclusion based on seeing him at a party, and one other time when he was hanging out with some of my friends. After seeing the way he acted, I grew sort of an impression, although I had not met him. Eventually, I did formally meet him and he is a very humble guy. Using scientific knowledge, we must try to prove or disprove our premises based on experience rather than observation.

Chapter 23: #1

"Your energy is probably high today, almost to the point where you feel you might be able to run a marathon! Seriously, Pisces, you're probably thinking in terms of getting out of town for a while. Exercising or participating in sports could also be appealing. You might direct some of this energy into creative projects. Take care not to overdo it. You could still get too tired."
-Horoscope.com

In my opinion, I believe this is not accurate. It is currently 2:15 PM and I am exhausted and I have a headache. I feel like my horoscope for today is definitely falsifiable. I am tired and honestly can not wait for school to end, because I really would like to get out of town for a while. As well as the fact that I love sports, those are the parts of my horoscope for today that are somewhat true. And with the creativity part, I don't think I am a creative or imaginative person, therefore that is also false. Honestly, sometimes I do go through my horoscopes, and some days they are true. This is why I am always torn on whether I believe it or not. Sometimes they can directly apply to me on a given day, while others it is not at all, just like today. 

Chapter 11: #3

I found the most interesting part of the chapter to be on internet usage. Through the reading, it spoke of both the positive things as well as why the internet can be detrimental. This was so interesting, because it is the most relevant topic to me. Students in our generation are constantly using the internet, whether on a phone, laptop, desktop, even on TVs now. The internet has grown up with us and has easily become one of the things we depend on and use everyday. The internet is a cornerstone and the sign of our generation. The internet helps us by allowing us to keep in touch with people, access news articles, read and educate ourselves on many topics, and gives us easy access to everything. We can watch videos, movies, tv shows, all while reading up what is the most current news in our friends lives as well as news across the world. It helps us communicate with others.
On the other hand, it is detrimental. All the social networking and browsing can make us lost in though and forget what we need to do, leading to procrastination. Not only does it ruin productivity, it can also ruin our privacy. Everything can be found on the web, EVERYTHING. So we must be careful what we put up, or it can negatively affect our lives.
I believe the internet is important and for the most part it is a good thing, but only to an extent. It is up the the person to be responsible and browse and post responsibly.

Chapter 11: #2

After reading both Sadler and Hunt's arguments, it is clear to me that I agree with Sadler. Sadler is much more strict when it comes to plagiarism and pretty much states that it is not acceptable. Sadler backs up the argument with 10 good reasons as to why it is bad. Sadler also states that there should be harsh punishment for those who commit plagiarism, not just failing. Honestly, I agree with this because plagiarism is a serious issue that is when someone takes credit for someone else and doesn't do the work. When someone gets the work from somewhere else, I don't see how that would benefit a student at all. Plagiarism is something that shouldn't be done. I don't agree with Hunt because I don't see at all how plagiarism is a good thing. Hunt's argument does not seem to make sense to me. Through Hunt's argument, he states that it is beneficial for the student and the teacher because the teacher must find a better way to teach. In the end, Hunt's argument stating that plagiarism is a good and that the  universities encourage plagiarism, just doesn't make sense to me at all.

Chapter 11: #1

I believe that through my media experiences I am able to get a broader and more diverse view on topics. The media is a way in which thoughts and ideas can be shared, whether they agree with your beliefs, or challenge them. For example, with the most recent election last week, I was able to see an abundance of posts about the propositions and the president on Facebook and twitter. Not me personally, but I would see a lot of people debating on each other's status, I'm sure many probably unfriended people. I believe this is a prime example of how media experiences can either challenge or reinforce my worldviews. Through looking through media, I am able to see everyone's thoughts on certain things, and learn even more things I had not known before.
Not only do social networks count as media, but also things such as a television can be considered media. Through the media, I am able to view and educate myself on certain things that will enhance my knowledge and either reinforce or challenge my current world views.

Chapter 10: #1

Throughout the past week, I have seen many different forms of advertising. For example, I have seen ads on TV for a couple of shows that I watch. I found these to be very effective because it built suspense by including bits of the new episode, and it also reminded me of exactly when it will air. By adding suspense, it makes me excited and I can't wait to be able to watch the new episode. An example of this is the new How I Met Your Mother episode. They haven't aired a new episode in two weeks and I completely forgot about the show, but seeing the advertisement I was drawn in yet again. An advertisement I did not find effective has been the most recent Apple Advertisements. With every new release, they always just show a simple picture of the new product (maybe rotate around it), and simply put "the NEW iPad" or the "iPhone 5." I, although I own an iPhone, am getting tired of this strategy. It is simple, yet boring. They believe that by simply putting the word new or a bigger number, they will sell more.