Friday, April 16th Presentations

I thought each research topic presented today was very unique. I really like how Shawn incorporated PowerPoint into his presentation. It definitely helped me follow along with his presentation, as well as provide a visual display of useful facts and information. It is great that he can narrow down the idea of globalization of education to be more specific by focusing on the benefits of study abroad programs. I had never thought in depth about study abroad programs, so I am interested to find out how a student benefits from them and in what ways.
Katherine also did a good job of working from a bigger subject, budget cuts, to making her topic more specific by focusing on art and music cuts. I thought she shared some good background information on the topic, and even though I am not as interested in art as her, her love of art was an explanation for her feelings on the matter of cutting more creative classes. Knowing why she was so passionate about her topic made me want to hear more.
Stephanie’s topic of online learning definitely related to the class very well, since we wrote a paper on Kaplan University’s advertisement for online education. Some of my classes do use Learn@UW and blogs, and I feel that they are okay to an extent. However, I would definitely dislike having an entire course be online. I feel as though learning is much harder for me individually if I am not in a classroom setting. I enjoy more hands-on ways of learning. I am looking forward to hearing Stephanie’s opinion about online learning once she completes her research.

Friday, April 16th Presentations

I was, actually, very amazed at how each presenter today had already figured out their topic, even if it wasn't completely finalized yet! Shawn, Stephanie and Katherine were all visibly prepared and ready to take the next step in their research, and visibly interested as well.
Again, Shawn, I think focusing in on University of Wisconsin would do very well for your research, as well as possibly interviewing some students on campus who are have either gone abroad already or are going to. Ask them why they feel its necessary for them to do so, as well as other questions you feel need to be answered in order for you to feel convinced about your topic.
Katharine, you probably have the most controversial topic. Therefore, you should definitely look for articles from each side arguing the other. In addition, I have a question about one of the articles you found about art being incorporated into the sciences. Are they talking about actual art projects, or something like diagrams and pictures that help you figure out problems? Either way, I'm confused about whether this would explain why budgets for art are being cut. Your topic is great, though. I can't wait to hear about your research the most.
And Stephanie, your research topic is great as well. You can use the example of this website as to how classes incorporate technology today. It might even be beneficial to find an article or interview someone to ask why we blog for this class, since students in the past obviously never did before. Since you are in your early stages of research, I'm sure you'll find the answers to these questions, and yours as well.
By the way, none of you have to listen to anything I've said, but I just thought I'd give my thoughts here since we don't have time in class. Whatever you guys do, I can't wait to find out the answers to your research!

Today's presentations were all very interesting topics but the one that I can relate to the most is Shawn's topic of the globalization of education. During high school, I had the chance to go to Spain for two weeks, and I feel that experience is something I will never forget. Although it wasn't a study abroad program and I wasn't there for a whole semester, I still learned so much during my time there. I agree with Shawn's argument that studying abroad can help in so many areas of life. I already gave advice as to what to do, but I strongly feel that bringing in other people's experiences would create for a stronger and more personal paper. As to Katherine and Stephanie's topics both are very intriguing as well. All my classes this year have online resources that I must use to succeed, and like Stephanie I'm not sure what side of the argument I am on. I can see both the pros and cons to online learning, and I think a middle ground has to be reached. Finally I never thought about art being useful in other fields. My high school was always talking about things to cut and it was art/music that was considered first. Since I am a musician, I feel that both art and music need to be part of school because although it might not teach people math and science, it is a different way to learn. And now I see that art/music can be used in every field.

Presentations: Day 1

I thought presentations went well today. Shawn's use of powerpoint held my attention and I thought his topic on the globalization of education and study abroad programs was interesting. He could also really go in a lot of directions with his topic; he has a lot of freedom. Kathrine's (sorry if I spell anyones name wrong) presentation was also pretty good. She gave us some good facts and information she already found on her topic on budget cuts and art programs. I do wish she would have incorporated that class a little bit more, but at the end we did discuss a few of the different aspects and view points of why art programs should or should not be cut when money runs low in schools. Her idea to interview her art teacher, I felt, was also a good idea. I agree it would make her paper more personal and relatable. Stephanie's presentation also went well. She incorporated the class into her topic on technology in higher education and how it will change the way universities use advanced resources. Her survey and questions were good, but I felt that her presentation was a little choppy, maybe because she was nervous and wasn't sure where she stood as far as an arguement. I felt that maybe the class was also confused about what direction she wanted to take with the information she had gathered, although like Shawn, she also has the freedom to pick apart many individual aspects in her paper.

Response: Budget Cuts

I thought the presentation on budget cuts in the arts was very interesting. I never thought of how much art actually is involved in other subjects and careers. In middle school and high school, each time a referendum was trying to be passed the idea of cutting art and music classes never really effected me. I did not focus on the arts as my elective classes so I didnt ever think how much it effected other students. After hearing the presentation today, I realize how important art classes are to enhancing education. It confuses me how they will cut art classes that help students to have well rounded education. Language classes have a similar advantage in taking but never seem to be an issue. Language and art classes both enhance experience with new ideas and culture, yet art classes are always the ones to go. The bottom line is that every class in school will enhance education or it would not be there. Budget cuts are unfortunate and before cuts are made they should look further into the overall effect they will have on a students education an future.

Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian's Perspective

The Pueblo’s emphasis on the spoken word is a reflection of what values their culture epitomizes. They believe in a strong sense of family and community, in which speaking from the heart is the best way to strengthen ties. They remember their culture the way that they have always remembered their culture, by getting in a group and telling their creation stories. However they are not the only culture that have this tradition but one of many. When you look back into history for examples of cultures with similar views on words and stories they’re typically more primitive. They are almost always tribal and include groups from Africa, Australia (aborigines), and the Pacific Islands. These peoples sense of community is tied to this form of storytelling because it encourages communal togetherness and a shared culture which is constantly being reaffirmed at these gatherings.

A possible reason for why Native Americans in general cling so strongly to their old ways of life is that, quite frankly, it’s all they have left. The only things that haven’t and are the hardest to take away from them are their stories. They remind them of a time when they were free to live their life the way that they wanted. No reservation on which they must remain or society which they must conform to. They were they masters of this continent 400 years ago and the only thing they have left now are words and stories.

(post by Erik)

A "Good" College

I found the introduction of “What Makes a College Good?” by Nicholas Confessore to be very intriguing. In particular, I enjoyed reading his first few introductory paragraphs, in which he spoke of the college-admissions process. He mentioned how admissions have become much more selective in recent years, further increasing the number of schools to which students apply. Confessore acknowledged the pressure to get into the “right” schools, and found that college visits and college guides and rankings have a major influence on where students even decide to apply. Reading about this, I thought back to when I first applied to college. I had decided that I didn’t want to have to take out loans to pay for college years later, so living in Wisconsin, the cheapest schools were obviously the in-state, Wisconsin schools. I ended up applying to four schools in total, all in Wisconsin. Two of which are private universities and two are public. I picked these schools to apply to because they were all relatively close to home, and at the time, I honestly didn’t feel great excitement in selecting a university. I toured three of the four universities that I applied to, but I do not recall looking into the college guides and rankings Confessore mentioned in his paper. In my guidance counselor’s office, there definitely was a pamphlet of all of the state schools compared on a chart, but this mostly covered details such as price for tuition and room and board, average ACT score and grade point average accepted, and other information regarding the college. Although I have not observed college guides and rankings in a magazine or book, after reading Confessore’s paper, it sounds extremely logical that these rankings do matter, that students probably do regard these statistics and numbers in making their college decision. Confessore made a point that, sometimes, because of these ratings, universities value prestige over their student’s learning. Though this is not true in all cases, the status of being a “good” school is definitely important to the students that apply to that particular university. When I was accepted into the schools I had applied to, everyone told me, “Oh, the University of Wisconsin – Madison is such a good school.” I thought to myself, well if it is such a “good” school, and supposedly the “best” state school in Wisconsin, then why not go there? I enjoy being in Madison, and I am very happy with my decision to attend school at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Overall reputation and rankings of universities affect the number of applicants and those who accept their admittance, so it is only logical that colleges make it a goal of theirs to obtain high ratings.