Class Wiki's

Oh, how I love the class wiki.  It allows me to stay on task, even if I am not able to attend class.  Having the ability to know my assignments weeks in advance is a benefit.  When I have down time I can review the upcoming assignments. The Wiki also keeps me connected to the class blogs.  I think that using wiki's are beneficial to students and professors because the student cannot use the excuse that they "didn't know" and the professor doesn't have to repeat what the assignments are or when they are due.

The Driving Force

Google Drive has become one of my favorite things. I was always searching for flash drives and worrying that one day it would fail. With Google Drive I can work on an assignment anywhere I have access to the internet. It allows me to review previous versions without losing what I have currently. Being able to share a document with others to review or to make contributions has made my life much easier and efficient.  I have recommended Google Drive to many of my friends a co-workers. Most of them did not know that it was available to them. I love Google Drive and will continue to recommend it to others.

Flipping Out

My first experience with a flipped class was quiet overwhelming.  I was accustomed to the typical teaching style, teacher lectures and students listen. Then you go home with hours of homework, hoping you remembered enough to get the work done.  Flipped classes are just the opposite. You watch lectures or informational videos and complete your reading at home, while interacting with the teacher and classmates in class. This style of teaching can be difficult for some students to adjust to, mostly because most of us tend to fight change. When we are comfortable doing things a certain way, change can be an unwelcome visitor. I actually prefer this style of teaching and wish that other professors could acclimate this concept into the future classes. Life is full of changes and learning to flip your learning style makes it easier.

Numbers don't lie...do they?

If you are speaking about statitistics the answer may not always be what it seems. Depending on who is providing the statistic and where the statistic orginated from could give you drastically different results.  If one were to say that 40 % of students are struggling with ADD or ADHD, where did they recieve their data? Was it just a number that they through out or is there an actual case study to back up the data?  If it is a study, who was included in the study? Is it elementary, middle school, high school, or college students? Then ask yourself, is it really possible that all students have been tested for ADD or ADHD?  Anyone can give you numbers, it is where the information orginated from and what was included. Do not just take a number for face value, it could be an illusion.

View from inside

The first paper that I was able to peer review gave me a new understanding of what it means to think like the reader. The paper was written well and was complete. I did have a difficult time determining who the reader was.  It could have been written to two different audiences. If written to one it was written very well, if written for the other the language would have need to be more relaxed. I loved reading the paper overall, and I must say...I AGREE!

Ethos - Credibility

My doc 2 is written the members of the US government to legalize marijuana to economically benefit our country.  It is absolutely necessary that I use multiple credible resources to provide them with indisputeable evidence. For example, using a source that states the amount of money that is used to fight to keep it illegal. By showing the amount used to keep it illegal, I can that by legalizing marijuana you will now have that much more funds to apply to other resources, like education and state and local police. I can also use resources that show how much money has already been generated by the legalization in certain states, and show how much money the government lost because they do not recognize it as legal. By combinging these resources it will increase my personal credibility.

Pathos - emotional persuasion

Pathos, which means to persuade by appealing to the audience's emotions. This method is used regularly in marketing today. You will see bandaid commercial shows a small child crying as a mother rushes to nurse the boo boo. As a mother, this plays to my motherly instincts.