Reflect: In 2012 I changed A LOT. I am more involved in my faith now and I help out at church. Also, I don't care about what other people think or say what I should and shouldn't do anymore, I just do what I want. I look back at my last few years and I realized that I have been trying to be like everyone else and do what everyone wants a person to do. I just recently read a Bible verse, I forgot what it was, but it said to not conform to the world, and that verse changed me so much. I am going to keep on working on that and do what is right and what I want to do instead of what society wants. This year has probably changed me the most in so many ways, and I'm proud of myself for it, but there is still room for improvement. I have also realized that so many little annoyances in life don't matter, and I shouldn't focus on them, because they don't even matter in the end!
My procrastination has gotten really bad, though. Also, my grades are kind of going down. I'm still a good student, but I have noticed that I am trying less in school. I am hoping that I will change and I will become more motivated.
Resolve: Normally, I don't do New Years resolutions since I don't keep them. In fact, most of the time no one keeps them. However, I decided to make some, but really I always have goals throughout the year, especially at the beginning of the school year instead of the New Year. My goals are that I want to procrastinate less. I also want to get a job and finish the school year with straight A's each quarter.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Ethics Of Social Media After Death
After we die, someone is going to have to do something with any of our social medias accounts and blogs. But, what should be done about it and who has the rights to decide what to do?
Many people have different opinions, but here are mine:
I think that if the deceased person wants something done, then whoever is taking care of their blog should do whatever that person would have wanted. If they didn't mention it, however, I think their family has a right to decide what to do. They can have the choice of making their account public, deleting it, or archiving it and saving it to a computer.
"The most prominent place this issue has come up, not surprisingly, is Facebook. For some time now, it has offered an option to request that a profile be switched to “memorial” mode when an individual dies."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times.
I agree with the idea of having different options on what to do. The memorial mode is a very good idea, and it should be used for all social media. It gives an option, so nothing is forced, but it gives that option of choosing whether or not the deceased should have a public profile.
"'I only ever knew him over Twitter,' Sarah Cashmore , a graduate student in Toronto, told me. She shared his enthusiasm for design and technology and learned of his death from Twitter contacts. 'I was actually devastated,' she says."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times. People now days meet people through the internet, and make good friendships, like in the case of Sarah. This is important because when someone dies, the only way that friend, who could live very far away from the person who died, can grieve and remember them. So, that is another reason to have the option to save the content a deceased person has posted: so long-distance friends can look back and see their friends account/blog.
Many people have different opinions, but here are mine:
I think that if the deceased person wants something done, then whoever is taking care of their blog should do whatever that person would have wanted. If they didn't mention it, however, I think their family has a right to decide what to do. They can have the choice of making their account public, deleting it, or archiving it and saving it to a computer.
"The most prominent place this issue has come up, not surprisingly, is Facebook. For some time now, it has offered an option to request that a profile be switched to “memorial” mode when an individual dies."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times.
I agree with the idea of having different options on what to do. The memorial mode is a very good idea, and it should be used for all social media. It gives an option, so nothing is forced, but it gives that option of choosing whether or not the deceased should have a public profile.
"'I only ever knew him over Twitter,' Sarah Cashmore , a graduate student in Toronto, told me. She shared his enthusiasm for design and technology and learned of his death from Twitter contacts. 'I was actually devastated,' she says."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times. People now days meet people through the internet, and make good friendships, like in the case of Sarah. This is important because when someone dies, the only way that friend, who could live very far away from the person who died, can grieve and remember them. So, that is another reason to have the option to save the content a deceased person has posted: so long-distance friends can look back and see their friends account/blog.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Google 20%Project
For my Google 20% project, I'm going to be researching my family history. Here is the Animoto video I'm going to look into my recent family history, as recent as great grandparents, and also look back to my ancestors from as far back as the 17th century.
For this project, it's going to be difficult to get information. So, I'm going to need family records directly from my grandparents. They have many books and documents containing information, so I've asked them to send them to me and they agreed. Most of my research will come from those documents.
A roadblock for me is how hard it is to get the information I need. I'm going to have only a few sources since there's not much to find on the Internet.
The only people I can talk to are my older family members. There isn't really any professional historians that could help without paying them.
For this project, it's going to be difficult to get information. So, I'm going to need family records directly from my grandparents. They have many books and documents containing information, so I've asked them to send them to me and they agreed. Most of my research will come from those documents.
A roadblock for me is how hard it is to get the information I need. I'm going to have only a few sources since there's not much to find on the Internet.
The only people I can talk to are my older family members. There isn't really any professional historians that could help without paying them.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Is Chris Langan successful?
After seeing Chris Langan on 1 vs. 100 and reading about him in The Outliers, I can say that he is successful.
Success in my own words is when someone is happy with their lives, not nessecarily rich or famous. As long as a person is content with what they have and don't want much more, to me it is considered success.
To me, my meaning of success applies to Chris Langan. He has a simple life with his wife, farm, and easy job, and that's enough to be successful. Even though he's not getting into jobs that he can use his high IQ in, it's okay because there are plenty of other people out there that can do those jobs; no one needs to depend on Chris.
So, in my opinion, Chris Langan is a successful man.
Success in my own words is when someone is happy with their lives, not nessecarily rich or famous. As long as a person is content with what they have and don't want much more, to me it is considered success.
To me, my meaning of success applies to Chris Langan. He has a simple life with his wife, farm, and easy job, and that's enough to be successful. Even though he's not getting into jobs that he can use his high IQ in, it's okay because there are plenty of other people out there that can do those jobs; no one needs to depend on Chris.
So, in my opinion, Chris Langan is a successful man.
The Kindergarten Debate
There is a debate over whether kids should start kindergarten at the normal time or wait a year so they will be emotionally ready. Sometimes, being held back has its advantages; it insures a child is ready to learn. However, in the article Delay Kindergarten at your Child's Peril, the authors state that starting kindergarten late can be "less motivated and perform less well". They said that late starters can even have a lower IQ!
In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, Malcolm says that late starters have an advantage, being older therefore more developed. He relates this to sports, such as hockey. If you are one of the oldest in hockey, you are more developed, appearing bigger(better) than younger players.
In my opinion, I think a parent should put their child into kindergarten when they think the child is ready. If the child is 5 years old but still haven't really developed mentally enough, the parent could hold them back another year. If a child is 4 and has shown extreme ability, a parent could send them in at that young age. So, I don't really agree with "accumulative advantage" because it's no advantage if a child's at the same mental capability as others; age doesn't really count in school in my opinion.
This is kind of unrelated, but here's my personal experience:
I started kindergarten at 4, and I think it was actually a little better. I did feel out of place though, since I was always the smallest. Now, being the oldest in my grade, I feel out of place sometimes, too. It is difficult with an August/September birthday, so I think that is a place where parents struggle the most.
Also, I noticed in schools in central U.S and England, the cutoff date is generally August(the oldest kids are in August, a few young kids are in here too). However, on the east coast, the youngest kids are in October and even November, way younger than other places. Maybe it's an east coast thing?
In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, Malcolm says that late starters have an advantage, being older therefore more developed. He relates this to sports, such as hockey. If you are one of the oldest in hockey, you are more developed, appearing bigger(better) than younger players.
In my opinion, I think a parent should put their child into kindergarten when they think the child is ready. If the child is 5 years old but still haven't really developed mentally enough, the parent could hold them back another year. If a child is 4 and has shown extreme ability, a parent could send them in at that young age. So, I don't really agree with "accumulative advantage" because it's no advantage if a child's at the same mental capability as others; age doesn't really count in school in my opinion.
This is kind of unrelated, but here's my personal experience:
I started kindergarten at 4, and I think it was actually a little better. I did feel out of place though, since I was always the smallest. Now, being the oldest in my grade, I feel out of place sometimes, too. It is difficult with an August/September birthday, so I think that is a place where parents struggle the most.
Also, I noticed in schools in central U.S and England, the cutoff date is generally August(the oldest kids are in August, a few young kids are in here too). However, on the east coast, the youngest kids are in October and even November, way younger than other places. Maybe it's an east coast thing?
Ups and Downs of Being Gifted
Being gifted has its ups and downs. Even though being gifted is a very good thing, students like this do have problems, too. Also, there are many myths and truths about gifted children. In this post, I'll explain these factors, but also add in some of my personal experiences.
Ups
Ups
- Gifted students are looked at a higher level and praised more
- Gifted students normally do better in school with grades
- Since gifted students have something they enjoy (a hobby), it can be easier for them to decide what they are doing in life with their career
Being gifted can have it's downsides, too.
Downs
- Sometimes gifted students are bullied and considered "nerds"
- School is sometimes too easy, causing grades to go down from boredom
- Some students have asynchronous development , where they might be smart, but are different physically and emotionally, which is difficult
So, there are definitely many things that gifted children go through, both good and bad. However, sometimes people don't understand these things, and this is something that leads to problems.
- myth: gifted students don't need help, they're fine on their own.
- truth: even though gifted students might be smart, it doesn't mean they won't ever need help. Would you send a star athlete to train for the Olympics without a coach? Not everyone is perfect, so not everyone will understand something the first time, no matter what level of skill they are at.
- myth: gifted students are a role-model for everyone else in the classroom
- truth: most of the time, that is the opposite. Many low-achieving students actually look at smarter students as "nerds" and try not to achieve as much as them.
- myth: that student can't be gifted; they're getting poor grades
- truth: not every gifted student is academically gifted. Many children excel best at things such as art and music, and not so much math and english. So, not every gifted student will get good grades. Also, some gifted students will do poorly in school because they are bored of the easy work given to them.
So, gifted students do have advantages, but they do have struggles too. I have struggled with teachers expecting a lot out of me just because I'm in the G&T class. Even though I do maintain high grades, I do still struggle with many topics in school. Sometimes I wonder if I just get lucky on some of my tests. Overall, it has been fine for me. I get stressed very easily, and having a little easier school work helps me out a bit!
Being gifted is a great advantage most of the time, but it also has its downsides too.
Monday, September 24, 2012
First Blog Post
Hi! My name's Emma and I'm a freshman! Things I like include playing guitar, singing, playing volleyball, eating, hanging out with friends, sleeping, reading, swimming, traveling, and shopping!
I don't like doing homework, waking up early, elevators, sharks, clowns, and anything that has to do with math/mechanics..
The highlight of my summer has got to be..the whole thing! I had so much fun visiting my grandparents and other family, and I also had fun hanging out with friends. If I had to choose my favorite part of the summer though, it's got to be learning how to drive !
The Rogate unit I'm looking forward to this year is debates. I normally wouldn't pick this, but it sounds very interesting and it will probably help with my decision making skills.
:)
I don't like doing homework, waking up early, elevators, sharks, clowns, and anything that has to do with math/mechanics..
The highlight of my summer has got to be..the whole thing! I had so much fun visiting my grandparents and other family, and I also had fun hanging out with friends. If I had to choose my favorite part of the summer though, it's got to be learning how to drive !
The Rogate unit I'm looking forward to this year is debates. I normally wouldn't pick this, but it sounds very interesting and it will probably help with my decision making skills.
:)
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