Wake, Eat, and Sleep In

Jay's Day:  80's Music

Welcome back to the 80's!

The decade saw the rise of Micheal Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Bon Jovi and a host of other rock legends thanks to a certain upstart music video television station called MTV.

Dire Straits:  Money for Nothing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD6Obi7Cag

In fact, the TV machine proved to be a major force behind 1980's fashion trends, including black and white lace for the girls (Madonna) or pastel colored jackets, with sleeves rolled up to the elbow for the guys (Duran Duran, Miami Vice).

Micheal Jackson:  Thriller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6oy46qKE4

Out on the West coast, meanwhile, Valley Girl speak took off in a big way...fer sher.

 Cindi Lauper: Girls Just Want to Have Fun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A

When getting served a drink in the 80's you might get a drink such as "Like a Virgin Bloody Mary"and be dancing on the ceiling.  Also don't forget 80's-era wine coolers, or the No. 1 80's bar scene cocktail, Sex on the Beach!

Lionel Richie:  Dancing on the Ceiling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdQDXs75Ulo

If you like guitar rifts, loud drums, concerts, and long hair you probably would like the 80's genre, Heavy Metal.  Born from this genre were groups such as Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Guns N Roses, and the list goes on and on.  Enjoy your time here!

Poison:  Nothin But a Good Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_88L-CU7PD4


Bon Jovi:  You Give Love a Bad Name
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ


AC/DC:  You Shook Me All Night Long
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo2qQmj0_h4


Kiss:  Heavens on Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZjevnnkA20

Technology in the Classroom

I enjoyed watching the video Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts.  The teacher from South Georgia has her students enjoying the use of technology in the classroom.  She absolutely makes it more interesting for students.  I can tell by the actions and looks on the face of the students it is something that has their attention and a want to do more with the use of technology.  I find it also amazing that the teacher even admits she is learning as the technology keeps evolving.  Not only is the teacher teaching the class but the students were teaching the teacher, which she whole heartedly expects from her students.  She has the students taking ownership of their work.  She has students collaborating together and in doing so the students are using good digital citizenship.  She is well preparing her students to think for themselves and she is preparing each one of her students for the future. 

I hope to incorporate a lot of the same ideas in my own classroom.  I want my classroom to be enjoyable while learning.  Students that enjoy what they are doing will undoubtedly learn and take in more ideas from the classroom.  I will be very open to new technology and ideas from my own students.  I believe in giving students ownership and responsibility in their own work will only greatly help them in the future.  It will better prepare them to think individually for themselves and will allow them to express their ideas to others.  I also believe in collaborating and using good digital citizenship with others will help enhance them to express their ideas in a very postitive way with society. 

Everything we saw in this video is important for students to help them become better prepared in tackling the world of today.  In giving the students empowerment over the work they are doing, it will only create future leaders and well educated individuals to lead us into the future. 

Effects of Social Networking Sites for Students

 There are many negative effects of these social networking sites. These sites have caused some potential harm to society. The students become victims of social networks more often than anyone else. This is because of the reason that when they are studying or searching their course material online, they get attracted to these sites to kill the boredom in their study time, diverting their attention from their work.  Students have started relying more on the information accessible easily on these social networking sites and the web. This reduces their learning and research capabilities.  Students who get involved in activities on social media sites while studying result in reduction in their focus of attention. This causes reduction in their academic performance, and concentration to study well.  The more time the students spend on these social media sites, the less time they will spend socializing in person with others. This reduces their communication skills. They will not be able to communicate and socialize effectively in person with others. The employers are getting more and more unsatisfied with the communication skills of the fresh graduates due to this reason. The effective communication skills are key to success in the real world.  Students mostly use slang words or shortened forms of words on social networking sites. They start relying on the computer grammar and spelling check features. This reduces their command over the language and their creative writing skills.  Students, while searching and studying online, get attracted to using social media sites and sometimes they forget why they are using internet. This wastes their time and sometimes students are not able to deliver their work in the specified time frame.  Students get low grades in school due to lack of the desired information and writing skills.  The student’s motivational level reduces due to the use of these social networking sites. They rely on the virtual environment instead of gaining practical knowledge from the real world.  The excessive use of these sites affect the mental as well as physical health. Students do not take their meals on time and take proper rest. They take excessive amount of coffee or tea to remain active and focused which effects negatively on their health.

The positive effects of social networking are very beneficial.  Kids can gain social confidece from interacting with other people online, which may help them feel more secure in new situations, such as going to college, joining a sports team, and meeting new friends.  Many kids find support in online communities. This is especially true for kids who have unique interests or feel isolated.  Online communities can be very diverse and expose your child to many new viewpoints, ideas, and opinions that she may not be familiar with.  Kids tend to use social networking to augment—not replace—their real-world relationships, helping them learn to communicate in many different ways. Social networking is becoming an increasingly important method of communicating in schools and the workplace, so it’s good for your child to be prepared to communicate through sites like Facebook and others.  Keeping in touch with family members that live far away can become much easier through the use of online social networking. By sharing updates, photos, videos, and messages, family members can stay connected even if the live across the country or the world.  Social networking is becoming increasingly important in schools.  Facebook and other sites are often used by teachers to communicate with students or for out-of-classroom discussions.  Youth can further explore topics that they’re interested in through online social networking. By making connections with other people who have the same interest, kids can learn and exchange knowledge with others they may not have had the opportunity to interact with.  Teachers often take advantage of students’ social networking abilities to create class blogs, discussion forums, videos, and more. By collaborating with other students and teachers through online social networking, children are able to build stronger school communities.

My personal opinion is that Social Networking is here to stay no matter what the negative effects might be on students and people.  Technology has advanced so much that it has spawned Social Networking and with the advancement of technology everyday Social Networking will just keep growing and growing and has become the norm in our culture.  I myself don't like the negative's but the positives it brings will benefit all.  As a society we may have to adapt and change some habits we have seen as negative and turn them into a positive.

Links:
http://performancing.com/negative-effects-of-social-networking-sites-for-students/

http://www.parentfurther.com/technology-media/social-networking/benefits