A Silicon Valley School Against Technology

The Waldorf School of the Peninsula in Los Altos California is a private school that doesn't allow the use of technology to teach. Instead, they use chalk boards, pencils, and paper to learn to read and write. The teachers and administrators frown upon technology at home, and don't allow it at school. I think that its a kind of good idea that children in grades K-7 absolutely aren't taught using any technology what so ever. I think technology makes us interact with people face-to-face less, because there are so many other ways to communicate. Also, computers and such are not very hard to figure out how to use, so its not a big deal if you don't learn how to use one until later on in life. The schools also use physical activity and creative hands on activities to promote learning and get the mind and body to work together. So, all in all, I think that not using technology in school is a good idea, as long as you use less technology instead of none at all.

Are Independent Schools a Good Idea? & Backchannels During Presentations.

     Independent schools are where students can go during school, as a class, to learn and explore things in a different was than a traditional classroom, and without teachers. Personally, I think it's sort of a good idea, because it will inspire students to learn about things that interest them, in a non-boring way. Sometimes, the reasons students don't do well in school is because they don't care about what they are learning about, so they don't try as hard as some other people. It could also be beneficial because the kids who go there will learn what it's like to be out in the world on their own and learn things they need to know, not just boring random things that schools think you should know. Depending on what they want to do in life, the independent school could be a good idea.
     On another note, while watching the video about independent schools on youtube, the class was discussing things and saying what they thought on a Twitter backchannel. I think it was helpful in some ways, but it was also distracting. Being on Twitter made me focus more on that, and less on the video we were watching. But it was also very helpful to say what I thought about the idea of independent schools, and see other peoples opinions. After the video, it was slightly easier to start a discussion because people were responding to the video in realtime on the backchannel, so they already had some idea on what to talk about with the class. I think that the only problem with tweeting on a backchannel during a presentation or movie is that people get caught up with reading the tweets and tweeting about the video, that you don't really pay that much attention to it in the first place.

The Personalization of the Internet

Before, when two people would search something on google, they would get the same results. Now, because google and most other search engines and websites use algorithems, two people would get totally different results, based on their location and other websites they visit. I think that this should change and go back to the way it was before, because then people might find what they need faster than finding something to get distracted with. If you sign in to Amazon or eBay, it will give you suggestions for items that are similar to things you already purchased. This is because the internet is tracking your activity to tailor to your preferences. This isn't always good though. If you go onto Netflix, you may find something that is similar to what you watched yesterday, but it doesn't know if you want to watch something different, or what you like besides what you already watched. Back when google first started out there were no restrictions based on what you like, and now there are. I feel people like it better this way because they don't have to sort through a bunch of random stuff they don't care about to find what they are looking for. Now, it is generally right on top, instead of burried under everything else. Without these restrictions, people wouldn't want to look through to find what they want.

Colleges can now track social chatter?

The fact that college admissions and potential employers can look you up on Facebook and twitter is a little bit creepy, but also a good way for them to get a sense of who you really are as a person and whether or not you would be a good fit for the college or job. But for students, it does mean that you have to be careful about what you post. Facebook is not completely private, even when you set things so people who aren't your friend can't see them. Now that colleges can see what your posting, they will know if you would fit in well in that school. So, it can potentially be a good thing for certain people(colleges), or a bad thing for other people(students), depending on what's posted, how it's interpreted, and other things, but either way, technology is evolving and everyone needs to be careful.