Who would have ever thought that we would reach the chaos that we are in today. The plan was so simple, so perfect. Nothing was to go wrong. This was to be the age of incredible feats; the age of unparalleled technology & advancements further than anyone could have ever imagined. However, more incredible & awaited than anything, this age was that of the “perfect human.” Man was to toil through life no longer. The pains and limitations brought about by our inability to control our genetic makeup were to be a thing of the past, or so we thought. There were those that were skeptical, but we called them extremists. There were those that warned us, but we called them primitive. If only we had a little sense to see that we are only human and we know only so little of what we play with. We will go back to the origins of our world now in the year 2080, back to the days of 2009, when genetic engineering was in its infant stages.
Many years ago, a cloning experiment on a sheep was declared the first success. Though the animal soon died of cancer, the information obtained opened a door to a whole new world of “possibilities.” The first genetic experiments had taken root, but messing with genes on a human level was still too far to predict. Eventually, with the passage of time, humans began to experiment on their own genes. Soon, we discovered that we could eliminate alleles that cause imperfections in humans such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and much more. We could grow new limbs to attach in places of missing ones, and those annoying allergies were a thing of the past. People were thrilled to see such advancement in technology. Eventually, we were supposed to be able to cure every disease known to man, resulting in a 100% healthy world population. Soon, people were even able to perform these things for themselves instead of paying for expensive medical procedures. Genetic engineering became as widespread as owning a car. Just as a car is bought from a car dealer, so was the establishment of “Gene Stores.” People were coming from all over the world to these facilities to “create” their own children before they were even born. Everybody wanted their child to be the perfect one, the best. Naturally, there was a boom of superior humans unheard of before. The plan seemed to be coming along. However, people soon made a realization that these children were anything but superior. In fact, they were barely normal at all. They had all the superior physical and mental features that they were meant to have, but they had no personality. They were “programmed” just like a machine. Some would go as far as to say they had no feelings or emotions at all, yet they could think, and quite impressively. They soon realized that they could use their superior advantages over normal humans to gain control. Without feelings, there was nothing to stop them from executing their plan. They managed to organize and gain the best of humans using mainly their superior mental capabilities and strength. Humans were placed into camps, where they were forced to perform whatever duties they could under the orders of their own children. With each passing day that the children grew out of, they gained strength and numbers, many of them turning into adults. There seemed to be no hope for the last remaining humans. All hope seemed lost, until one young baby was born. There had not been a baby naturally born in decades, everything was synthetic. This baby captured the hearts of the entire remaining human population. He seemed so pure and perfect, & made them think to themselves why anybody would want to alter such a beautiful thing. Inspiration quickly loomed over the people. They had to fight in order to keep this species alive. The plan was set that people would start to have as much sex as possible and create numerous children, eventually putting up one last stand against the super humans. It would take time to make children and raise them, but there was no other choice. After some years, hundreds of new children ran through the camp streets, but these were no ordinary children, they were raised to be soldiers since the day they opened their eyes. Even if the super humans were much superior to normal humans, there had to be a way that those who created them could end them. Soon a bloody rebellion sprang without warning throughout the streets the likes of which has never been seen before. New technology and vicious warfare has led some to call this rebellion Armageddon. Eventually, millions upon millions were killed, with no end in sight. This is the origin of the war that has lasted countless years until this day, and has changed our lives forever. Can we go back to the way life was before this new race was introduced? Only time will tell

Amre, Alex, Tarae, Chuck and Jacqui

Clinic Of Tomorrow

Our concept and brochure were all collectively created by Cole, Paul, Candice, and Ryan. We made a brochure for a futuristic company called The Clinic of Tomorrow. The clinic genetically engineers babies to the parents specifications.


The Clinic of Tomorrow

Here at The Clinic of Tomorrow we use your genes to construct a child for you, to meet your exact specifications. It is now up to you how tall, thin, and muscular your children can be, and also what color eyes, hair, and even skin they have. Here at the clinic of tomorrow we do believe that physical characteristics are the only ones that should be altered, and for that reason it is our policy to not manipulate genes that deal with intelligence or aptitude.

Our Bronze Package costs $350,000 and is our most basic package. As the parents you will be able to decide what gender you want your child to be, and we will guarantee it.

Our Silver Package costs $500,000. You will be able to determine your babies gender, eye color, hair color, and shade of skin.

Our Gold Package is our most prestigious package and is well worth it. For a mere $900,000 You will be able to determine not only your child's gender, eye color, hair color, and skin shade, but also their height, their body type, and their facial features.

All packages come with our 100% satisfaction guarantee, if anything goes wrong, we will refund your money. Also all of our packages include a free scanning of your babies genes, in order to get rid of any illnesses or genetic dispositions to illnesses.

A Day In The Life

A Day In The Life: Joe Perfect's journey through one day in the future.

Team: Zoe, Izzy, Rick and Robert

Part one: Morning (by Rick)

It's a wonderful day as joe perfect rises with the morning sun. The television, sensing that he is now awake, asks joe weather or not he would like to watch television? Joe replies "yes" and requests to watch the CNN channel. Joe watches for a few minutes as his breakfast materializes in the "breakfast maker". As he takes a few bites he notices a news flash and realizes that the President had been assassinated. White press release issue a statement confirming the event and that "we should have duplicate president within the next 24 hours" With a sigh Joe changes the channel and proceeds to get ready for work. Joe calmly states "seems like it's going to be another boring day at the office" and jumps into his flying car....

Part two: Work (by Robert)

As always, Joe woke up to get showered and brushed his teeth and get dressed.

He got out of the dormitory and headed for work. There were dozens of others who resembled him in almost every way, including appearance and behavior, but as a mark of identity to distinguish themselves from one another, they each had their individual names.

“Good morning, Joe” Mark, one of Joe’s physically identical clones who was also his manager, said.

“The overseer wants to see this morning” he said and without any thought, Joe went up the stairs to meet the overseer in his office.

“Sit down” the man said and Joe did as he was told.

“Mr. Overseer, is there something I can do for you?”

“Yes, I’ve heard you’ve been asking a lot of questions lately… and making suggestions… as to how your fellow employees can work together. How do you get such ideas?” the overseer asked.

“Well, I really want to serve the company to the best of my ability, so I wanted to come up with a way we can organize better and work more efficiently. Effectively. I hope you’ve found my suggestions useful when applied. I even-

“Yes, Joe. They’re quite interesting” the overseer said, smiling compassionately. The smile was warm and his eyes were bright, as if trying to encourage a child.

“But please, don’t worry about a thing. I want to just stick to the regular way, alright? It’s what’s best for you.”

“Yes, Mr. Overseer. I understand. I hope I didn’t step out of line” said Joe.

“Don’t worry. Just get to work alright” he said to Joe.

Joe then got up from the seat and proceeded to get to his post.

With Joe gone, the Overseer’s smile faded to a cold, serious frown. He pressed the button on the speaker on his desk.

“Security, please see to it that tonight, Joe will be…”

_

What a day!

Joe had gotten back to the regular routine as set forth by the company as the overseer told him to.

He got back to his room to sleep for the next, exciting day at work.

Sometime later…

Almost suddenly, Joe woke up from his sleep as the sound of the door forced open and two guards dressed in black armor from head to toe, their faces covered by masks. One rushed to grab and restrain him, while the other took out a gun with a silencer and pointed it to his forehead.

“The overseer sends his regards…” the guard in black said.

_

Mark wondered why the next day, he didn’t see Joe at his post, but instead, a replacement. He looked exactly like Joe, but still, he knew it still wasn’t him. Those little features on his face, the way he walked, even talked. It wasn’t the same.

Oh well, he wouldn’t get very far thinking about negligible matter.

Now back to work.

Robert, email me your part!

Part three: Free time (by Izzy)

At work, he overheard his boss talking about getting married with his group employees. He goes over and congratulates his boss.
“Hey Terrance, I overheard that you were getting married,” he said.
“Yeah I am and I’m pretty excited,” said Terrance.
“I can tell! Well then congratulations on your proposal.”
Terrance looked up and thanked him. Joe went back to his desk and thought about his boss for a second. “Man,” he thought, “Getting married. I wonder how it feels to share your life with that special someone.” Well, luckily it was time to go home. On the way out, Terrance stopped him.
“Joe, one last thing!” Joe stopped and looked around. He saw Terrance running to him from his office. “Here’s your invitation, I hope that you can come.” He was pretty excited to see Terrance happiness. “Thanks, and I’ll make sure to bring a date,” he said. He chuckled. “Sure you will, but you better come to my bachelor’s party. Maybe I’ll help you find someone.”
Joe looked concerned. He took a long paused and then randomly asked, “Terrance, how those it feel to share your life with your special someone?” Terrance looked around and took him to the side of the elevator.
“When you find the right one, you will know,” then he laughed. “But that takes too much time and knowing you, guess that you might not want to go through all that. But since you are looking for a date, I have the perfect place for you.”
Joe thought for a second. “Oh really, I didn’t even know that was possible. But knowing how things go nowadays, anything is possible. And to tell you the truth, I will love that. It will make my life so much easier than it already is. I just can’t believe that I’m almost 33 and I have never thought about someone else until now. So anyways, how you heard about that?”
“Luckily my cousin went to this place called ‘the mating zone’ and they will do all the work for you in less time then you think. Go check it out and tell me the result. Maybe you can bring that lucky lady to my wedding and who knows,” he chuckled again. “Well got to go, my future wife is waiting for me. Talk to you later, bye.”

Joe thanked him again and went to get his back to get his jacket. Thinking, he said to himself, “He looks so happy, let me try it out. I hope to get the same luck!”



Part four: Home (by Zoe)

Joe is comforted by the familiar sounds of his feet padding against the soft carpet of his buildings hallway. He approaches the door to his unit, opens his eyes wide so the retinal scanner can get a close look at his identity, and he enters his apartment. Walking into his living room is like entering a hermetically sealed chamber: all offending scents and trinkets have been squared away, and his senses are bombarded on every side with the hollow, empty smell of cleanliness. Joe walks to the kitchen and empties a can of protein into a bowl. He will eat it, his feet up on the coffee table, watching the television. The new President's inaugural parade is on, and Joe's eye lids begin to get heavy as he watches her smile and wave from her bulletproof hover vehicle. Her glistening teeth are bared, her mouth stretched back over them like too many marbles stuffed in a latex glove. The TV switches off, interpreting Joe's slowed heart rate as a sign he has fallen asleep, and Joe decides to go to bed. He stands in the shower before he goes, the vitamin and hygienically enhanced water lulling him into a deep sense of comfort. He goes to his bed, pulls on pajamas and climbs in. For several hours he'll lay there, unable to sleep. Joe's insomnia is unusual, but easily fixable. He doesn't tell his doctor about it partially because he doesn't know what his doctor would say or do, but also because Joe likes lying in bed knowing that all around him, his neighbors and their children and their pets are sleeping peacefully, except himself. It is the only time in his whole day where he can be quietly, blissfully, unextraordinarily different. Joe lies in the dark and relishes this feeling.

THE END.

The Key to Our Success

By Cesar, Mike, Angel and Haley

The Key to our Success

A soldier wakes up to the sound of the alarm. Not the clock radio kind but the warning of impending doom variety. The soldier knows this to mean The Insurgents are on their way. He stands up, readies his rifle and heads out to the front of the base. In front of the gate, all of the others are standing in line, all in the position they were assigned… or made for.

In the year 2185, the last great world war has started and scientists have long discovered the cloning of humans but have just recently begun mass production. Congress passed the bill allowing the practice in 2164 and since then we have been experimenting with building incredibly advanced soldiers, almost redefining the way wars are fought on the battlefield. Each clone is given grey skin, black hair, and identical genetic features for a purpose to be later explained. We not only clone our soldiers in these times but also genetically enhance them to be able to run faster, jump higher, and resist pain more effectively. At the same time scientists have discovered it best to not give them an advanced form of intelligence. Instead, they chose to create the docile obedient soldier finding them less likely for insubordination.

All our soldiers know is war. From the lab they are created in they are sent to a bunker, which is designed as a simulation for a battle zone. Each soldier is assigned a number by which they are addressed by superior officers. The chain of command, for the most part, has stayed constant but being that the General is himself a clone, at least partially, measures had to be taken. The General in our army of clones is not fully human due to the fact that he must be under full control of the government. There is a position in our defense department that was created for the sole purpose of controlling the speech and movements of our mechanical General. All orders are given to this individual, which he or she then communicates through the General to the rest of the clones.

They know of no outside world. Scientists found this to be best but realized soon that the soldiers needed a reason for killing other organisms. Soldiers instead of being told the truth of why they kill are told the Insurgents are not human. Instead they are aliens/imposters who bear human characteristics who live on this planet. They are told they must be eradicated before they infect the human race or, even worse, try to eliminate us when we least expect it. This is the reason that our soldiers are given grey skin. When they realize the other humans not to look like them it is clear that they get confused and ultimately frightened. Also, given the fact that the Insurgence, who is rather the latest country we chose to invade, wishes to defend themselves from our army’s advances, they attack, which then sets off our clones’ natural instinct of self-defense. Thus a war is waged.

Though the majority of our population considers our army of clones immoral they still know this army was something that had to be created. This far in the future the world’s natural resources have nearly run dry. There will simply not be enough fertile land left on this planet for us all to live on much longer. It was a drastic move; but our nation, over the last century, has separated itself from all others both technologically and economically. Given the dire situation the majority, though not by many, believed that this had given us the right to proceed on as a society. We realized that in order to do that, other societies would have to be eliminated. In the interest of time we were forced to create armies of clones; we simply could not afford to wait. This last World War is not about world domination or racial cleansing instead, we fight for our survival. The army of clones is the key to our success as the human race.

Mara, sorry for the miss communication on the group work. Our group consisted of myself, Chuck, Cole, Rick, and Zoe. We all contributed to the assumptions, and then we each posted our own responses to the assumptions which was our individual efforts. If there is any questions, let us know. And in the future, I'm sure that our group work will be more organized and thank you for the leniency.

"Enemies of Promise" group work

OK so clearly I got confused about how my group was going to post, here is some information I wrote up from our "Enemies of Promise" group work. I am in a group with Cole, Candice, Chuck and Rick.

Assumption 1: Technology breeds laziness.

Does technology in our everyday life create laziness or enhance the quality of life? We live with a constant stream of information, and the ability to access that information almost anywhere at any time. The way we communicate has changed as well, we are far more likely to text or talk online with each other, rather than see other people face to face and interact with them. Some people would say that this has limited our communication. However, now we have the ability to talk to people around the world. Technology has opened up the possibilities of communication, while still limiting our ability to relate organically to one another.

Assumption 2: Technology creates additional waste and adds to pollution.

Is waste a necessary evil? Does it have to be? How does it effect our environment? Is that a trade we're willing to make? The creation of waste and how to properly dispose of that waste is a problem we've been facing and looking at for years now as global warming and other weather anomalies begin to worsen. Technology plays a real part in this: not only by becoming actual waste itself once it (swiftly) becomes outdated, but also by using the packaging made possible through the use of technology. Packaging may allow us to keep fresher orange juice, whiter sneakers, scratch free screens etcetera, but it is also something that is only useful to us for a short amount of time, and is quickly discarded. Plastic and other forms of packaging are also, by nature, not easy broken down and sit in landfills for long periods of time.

Assumption 3: Science and technology are part of human evolution.

If science and technology stopped evolving, could we continue to evolve with out? Could we abandon modern technology today and surive? Could we strike a balance between the evolution of humanity and technology or will we get to a point where the importance of technology outweighs the importance of human life? There are several moral questions attached to this assumption, as well, such as: Where does life support fit in to technology? Is it ethical to keep someone terminally ill alive using technology?

Ted, Robert, Angel and Dan

1. Technology will make us live forever. (Eventually) Humans could sustain any injury, disease, and boost regeneration through technology and scientific research.

2. An increase in technology will change Beliefs/Ideas (Religious, Cultural, Social)

3. Technology will decrease the value of manual labor, (or hard work in general)

Immortality, throughout many beliefs the most divine beings were immortal. Death was not something many willingly accepted. I can personally say that I would very much like to live forever and be healthy, I do not know to many people who wouldn't. Although would living forever be a curse or a blessing? And will it conflict with many beliefs and ideas? What of those who are not immortal, what are they to do?
Scientists say that Charles Darwin made the greatest scientific discovery in the history of man kind, evolution. His ideas conflicted with what was the majority of the religion around him Christianity, although he gave up his belief long before he recorded his theory. I can personally say that I think science doesn't have all the answers, but could further advancements of technology lose trend to beliefs/ideas? Will cultures be changed? Will people accept change, or will they fear it? If technology does everything for us what will we do? Would we become vulnerable to nature?

"Enemies Of Promise"

1. Technology is unreliable

- With newer technology can or will people trust it??   ie. Y2K, IPhone bugs 

2. Technology is replacing human effort

-At what limit will technology replace the human effort??

-What are the effects of the increased dependence on technology on the economy in terms             of labor, management, efficiency, and the bottom line?

3. Technology's endless improvements

-At what length will society become so dependent on technology, that with out its vast              improvements, society itself will become worthless without it?

Questions on Technology

With respect to the Question : With newer technology, can or will people trust it?

This question is very interesting because when it comes to people and technology, an interesting relationship exists. Many people are extremely dependent on the use of technology and do not know how they could go one day without the use of their cell phone with e-mail, computers, fax machines and other sort of electronics that have become such a part of our day to day life. As technology advances, people are skeptical at first but then seem to get accustomed. With technology being a growing field, many people think that this produces lathargic and sedintary people. In some cases it might, but thats not to say that people will stop using it. I think that we can all agree that technology does in fact make things easier, and with it new "toys" and products coming out things are just going to keep getting easier. I think that with new technology coming out every year, such as new cars, computers, tv's and other products people might not necessarily trust them at first, but I think that people will eventually start using them and start to accept these new advances as part of our every day lives.

I think like anything else in our society people are skeptical, fearful and are unsure. If some new high tech piece of technology comes out on the shelves, some people are going to wait to see if other people are eager to purchase it. Once society accepts these new pieces of technology, I think then more people are encouragedto get on the band wagon and participate in yet again another technological advance forward.

I think that blogging is an interesting way of communicating with fellow classmates and the instructor. It's not the first class I've had that's done this. It seems to work out nicely. Plus, with the class topic of technology, we can really look into the good and evil parts of technology and our dependence on them.

Assumptions:
1. Technology breeds laziness.
2. Technology creates waste.
3. Science and technology are part of human nature.
Questions:
1. Does technology breed laziness, or does it enhance the standard of living? This question is posed and influenced by many cultural and societal influences. In my opinion, society and the media tend to dictate to the general public what they need to enhance their lives. For example, having a new iphone will make life easier, but it also makes a person depend less on what's around them. Technology also breeds a culture that stays in more, playing video games and chatting online. It creates laziness toward physical activity.
2. Is waste a necessary evil for the advancement of technology? This question was influenced by cultural aspects today. I believe that we have developed into a society that thinks technology has all the answers. For example, we create technology to make our lives easier. Now, technology is always advancing, so new products are always hitting the markets. So what do we do with the old technology? We throw it away. This creates waste. Then we sit around waiting for new technology to come along to fix the waste problem. This is more of a personal view on the assumption.
3. Can we strike a balance between technology and the intended simplistic way of human nature? This is a question influenced from all realms: social, cultural, religious, and personal. When do we hit the point of going too far as far as technology is concerned? Society dictates that we need technology; cultural standards encourage the advancement of technology; religion indicates we reject technology; and then there's the consumer. It is a personal decision to know what is made for us by technology, and what is intrinsically already in us and around us.

Question #1 Part B.

Assumption 1. Technology breads laziness.

I can say from personal experience that this is a true factor. I have found that in the past few years I have been communicating with people more and more via the internet. This makes it hard for me to leave the couch and go outside when I know I can do so many things on the computer. It is also becoming a cultural norm for people to become more lazy due to technological advances. An example could be the fact that some people now never leave their homes due to the fact that they can just work from home on the internet. Texting, video chats, and instant messaging really allows people to be lazy and get away with it.

Assumption 2. Technology creates additional waste.

Just looking at the enviornment today one can tell that technology is creating more and more waste. Poloution is also becoming a problem due to the fact that technology is becoming more and more massivly produced. An example can be China, the poloution over there has become out of control due to the production of better, more efficient vehicles and other technological manufacturing. Another fact is that some computer parts can not just be thrown away like garbage so in order to destroy them it takes a long process and alot of time just to destroy waste that should have otherwise been a non factor.

Assumption 3. Science & Technology are part of human nature.

When looking at how we live today it is more or less impossible to live without technology. Science and Technology are everywhere, from hospitals to museums to spaceships. the world we live in needs technology to survive. Though science has caused some harm to man kind it still has created a number of medicines and techniques in order to cure disease and man made problems such as poloution.

Enemies of Promise /Blog Posting

Assumption:Technology is often utilized in a progressive manner, but can also be harmful to others (and self) when exploited.

Questions Indexed below:

Does technology in our everyday life create laziness or enhance quality of life?


Does Climate and Environment clearly impact our activities on a daily basis, re: indoor or outdoor activities. Skiing vs. watching TV?


The ability to communicate via several mediums dilutes our social activities. Therefore, people are more disconnected. What are such disconnects?

People are now able to assume various personalities online: i.e Dateline (To catch a Predator). Why?


At what point does the ambition of science intersect with the conservative notions and Ideals of the church?

Enemies of Promise. Question 1 group work.

Cesar, Ahmer, Mike, Haley

A. Our 3 Assumptions-

1) Science and religion directly conflict with one another.

2) Technology improves quality of life.

3) The extent to which technology allows us to communicate has provided many benefits, however, it has destroyed our sense of privacy.


(Questions collectively from Ceasar, Ahmer, Mike, and Haley)

"Enemies of Promise" Group Work (Amalia, Jackie, Xuchil, Nicole & Izzy)

I. Technology helps mankind
- Social, cultural & personal aspects
* How has technology allowed us better efficiency of our time? (Nicole)
* How has it deterred us from physical exercise? (Izzy/Jackie)

II. Technology is dangerous
- Stories you hear, news coverage on malfunctions (cultural/social)
* In what way has technology been used to make a safer environment? (Xuchil)
* Is human error to blame for things such as airplane, car or other accidents/ malfunctions? (Xuchil)
* Does weaponry harm more than it protects? (Amalia)

III. Technology diminishes human relationships
- Cultural & social aspects (text, AIM, facebook, etc)
* Have you ever been with your friend while they were on AIM or texting the whole time?(Amalia)
* Does talking through technologies expand your web of friends? (Amalia)

Response

It’s quite obvious that as a medical doctor his biases lay in the sciences. As a whole, the study of medicine is aimed at increasing quality of life and the overall betterment of the human population. However, I do feel that he down plays the notion of religion playing an integral part of the community. In my opinion, life sciences and religion both play key roles in shaping the lives and thoughts of the masses. There must be a synergy and/or balance in between both. A community without such a balance can plant the seeds for anarchy in the near future.

I think that having a class blog is a great thing because it is a whole lot easier to communicate to other students as well as the professor. I had a website for one of my classes last semester and it made getting in touch with my groups for projects and such. It is one way to bring technology into the classroom. The blog will bring a sense of ease of communication between teacher and student, as well as from student to student. By checking the blog on a regular basis I can see what others are doing and that in turn will show me where I can inpove my skills. I think that I can bring some interesting questions to the table, blog, and hopefully spark some conversation between myself and others. I would like to think that I could learn from students and contribute to conversation as a whole.

post #1

This my first time hearing about a class blog idea but i think it's a great way the class to communicate with each other more. I'm not exactly sure how i plan to use the class blog, it's a new experience for me, but I'm sure I'll be able to bring "useful things" to the blogs.

Blog

This is my very first Blog ever. I have never really understood blogging before, so I suppose it is sort of exciting. I think it is a good way to encourage discussion outside of the classroom. I imagine that there are lots of good reasons for a class to use a blog as a means of discussion. Some of the most obvious reasons to me include- being able to post up answers to conversations that were not finished in class, or answer questions that no one knew during class time. It also allows us to take time to think about large questions before answering them. I also see a blog as a useful tool to post up questions/ideas as we are doing our homework so that we dont forget these ideas. Being able to see other's ideas is often advantageous to helping create your own new thoughts, shed new light on your thoughts, or advance them.

I'm not exactly sure how I will use this blog in this class. I think this greatly depends on what goes on in class and in our homework. But I am sure that I will use it to ask questions, in hopes of recieving answers. I also can see myself reading others' posts so that I can compare and contrast the things that I am learning with the things that others are.

I'm a little bit scared of this Blog though. I can see myself getting lost or confused with it..maybe posting on the wrong person's blog (is that possible?). I'll try not to accidently post my IMs and E-mails...but no promises.

Class Blog

Having a class blog is a good way to keep students involved in class discussion, as well as extend conversations from class time. It will also allow the students who are not as outspoken in class to voice their opinions and recieve comments to begin a dialogue which we can all learn from. Having a blog is good for people like me who sometimes have trouble find the right words when put on the spot. It will give people time to say exactly what they mean and find ways to back it up through the internet by posting links and what not. Also, controversial blogs will inspire conversation and make for great dialogue, and simply replying to posts in dissagreement will have the same effect more or less.

Hmmm...let the flames begin?...

Ok, having a class blog sounds interesting. I'll see what it's like when we learn more about the course and its readings. I can see potential use in that the blog will let me read others' thooughts without being next to them to hear and that I'll be able to read when I'm away from campus. I can't wait to see what others have to say about my little posts. I'll be sure to check posts put by my classmates and respond if something clicks in my mind. To allow for continued discussion of my posts, I'll bring up topics where I seek the views and opinions of others and keep asking them various things.

I is Arab blogging :D

I think that its a good way to keep in touch with ideas that we come up with about class material and keep them from getting lost or forgotten. I will use this to make sure that I do not fall behind and read up on the extra material to make myself better at writing. My different point of views will create interesting discussions and debate, and my Arabian awesomeness will fuel them, jk LMAO!!! no really i think its a good way to keep information sotred, but i do believe that discussions should be face to face and not over the internet.

I think having a class blog will be helpful in class feedback and getting to know eachothers individual comments and concerns on the class. I think it will help everyone get as much as possible out of what will be learned this semester, and just a new way to communicate in the classroom. I also think it fits in well with our technology theme, and it will help me have a better understanding of blogging and using the internet in general. I think it will be a useful addition to the course overall and can't wait to see how it works for the class.

The Blog

This will be the first class I've had that will uses some type of communcation outside of the class room. I think this will allow for the generation of new and creative ideas, among the students. Having access to the class and others ideas 24/7 will be helpful in answering questions any of us might have, or getting a second opinion or something. This will be a good way to pass on information by posting links to websites others might not know about. Overall I think this is a good idea, and I hope we all get a lot out of it.

Blog post #1

I have never used a blog website before and I think it would be great to familiarize myself with them. A blog will also help me understand my classmates point of view on other subjects very easily as I can just sign on and view their posts. Communicating between classmates will also be easier as I can now hold conversations with my classmates outside of the classroom. I feel that I will definitely like the aspect of blogs.

The notion of "blogging" is a fairly new phenomena that has been used by individuals as a means of expressing themselves. I think the idea of having a class blog is extremely progressive as it is a good way to receive (and give) critiques based on several writing methods. Blogger's, as a whole, are viewed as having the ability to sway the masses. Blogs also have the ability to give the "common person" a voice and the ability to connect with the masses as well. I look forward to the feedback throughout the semester as it should be a fun experience.

Assignment #1

Well having a blog in class is a definite first for me. I'm open to the idea of it, I can't see how it could hurt my learning experience. The only thing that I really wonder is whether students are going to be posting things to be discussed or does that responsibility fall squarely on Mara. If someone finds something interesting while surfing the web can he or she post it on the class blog? Then I wonder how many people would actually go through that extra work because I'm sure we will be given enough to comment on anyway. I've never read an actual blog before, much less written one but I'm looking forward to the opportunity.

Hi (>'_')> <('_'<)

Greetings interwebs. I think that having a class blog will be a fun as well as interesting experience. It gives students a chance to express themselves out of class, in a way other than spoken word. I think this blog will aid me this semester with my work, considering all of the helpful tutorials that are posted as well as the intriguing articles for discussion. Since I am a new student, I am sure the tutorials on navigating the library's catalogue will be quite handy. I will actively participate in on-going discussions because I seem to give much more thorough responses when I am writing them as opposed to speaking. I believe I can bring fresh ideas to the discussion to challenge other people's perceptions in a respectful manner.

I think that having a blog for your class is good. You get a chance to see if you are on track with the class and if you are not , hopefully someone will be able to help you. You get a chance to read what your calssmates are saying. I plan on taking advantage of it by looking at other people's comment toward my posting. Hopefully my comments will make sense or if not someone will tell me so I can edit it. I am happy that Xuchil is here in my class, she has already made me feel okay about my work and let me know I am doing okay. Now I very happy about having a blog for this class.

This will be my first time using a blog. I am excited to learn how to use one. Blogging seems like an interesting and efficient way to share ideas throughout the class. I feel I will be able to understand concepts discussed in class better by reading my classmate's ideas and opinions on the subject matter. I hope I will be able to make contributions to the class through my blog posts. Everyone and their sister seems to have a blog these days. It is about time I hopped on the bandwagon.

Class Blog

I think that it will be very interesting having a class blog. I have never used a class blog in my previous classes and i think it will be an interactive way for our class to communicate. I think that it will bring good discussion and also help the other students and myself in possibly understanding the material, and or just to learn new things. I think that if people just bring creative ideas to the blog, it will inspire people to branch off of those ideas. If one person says something that is really interesting, other people might be intrigued to reply, and interesting information will come out of it.

Nice Work!!!

My name is Ismelda Peralta and I believe that having this type of environment is pretty amazing. Just having this type of technology so socializing can became easier for me and my classmates. Now I have a direct connection that I can direct to if I need or am needed for help. Technology has done good in making things easier. Now the time that is saved can be used for something more intellectual. I think that this is a really good and helpful idea. One more thing I didn't mention, it even has direct links for homework assignments from our school. Isn't that amazing?

Blog response

I have had a class blog before, and it's definitely a hit or miss situation. Sometimes they're really helpful and good to have, mostly as a way of thinking more thoroughly about something we've gone over in class. For example, last year I was a film major and we had a class blog, and my teacher asked us to review a scene from a movie on the blog. I found this really helpful because I had a lot of freedom to delve as deep as I wanted to into this particular scene, that I chose, and there was no performance anxiety. I had the opportunity to put a statement online for credit, I found that very freeing, and it showed in the end product. However, I have signed up for several other class blogs that have fallen to the wayside and been forgotten as the year wore on. I would like for this one to be a good one, I find I am very good at responding to readings or concepts in a "blog" form, or rather, in an informal setting where I can just type and don't have to worry about structure or other paper writing logistics. I would be happy to use this as a response tool at any point during this class.

Having a class blog will be a good way for the class to communicate umoungst each other outside of the classroom. I will enjoy using the class blog to read my classmates ideas about topics in our class. Hopefully me and the rest of the class use the blog as much as possible so we can advantage of the topics. I will bring a different point of view from the others of the class, because I am not from this country and many of my relations would be about Greece, and what I believe myself to be.

I think that having a class blog is a great idea so that we can continue class discussions even when we aren't in class. I know that there are many times when i think about something I could have said in a class discussion but didn't think about it until after class so this will be a good way to express my thoughts. I had a blog before in English 101 and didnt use it very much but this semester I hope to put it to better use. I think that this blog will bring the class closer together and will ultimately help us learn from one another. I think that we can learn alot from each other if we put this blog to good use and we can also encourage each other to do our best (Jackie you'll be fine =] ) by expressing our opinions freely (as long as they don't offend anyone).

1

I think the class blog is a great idea that allows us the student to talk about things with people from our class in the comforts of our home and to continue a debate if necessary if time in class ran out.I also like the fact that it gives us a list of the readings and an online copy of the book which can be really helpful for some people.The blog is probably going to help me get more familiar with opinionated writing which can be useful if i ever needed to write something along those lines.i feel that the one thing that I can bring to the blog is my opinion.

I have never used a blog before so this is pretty interesting to me. Hopefully this will teach me to become better with technological things such as communication via the internet. I feel that the blog will allow me to give my opinion on things that I normally wouldn't do in class. I am not the type of person who likes to answer questions and talk infront of the class so maybe the blog will help me ask questions and communicate with classmates as well as the teacher. By using the blog i plan on getting to know how people feel about situations and using it as a tool to help me answer questions that I may have. Considering I usually do not participate in class discussions, this will give me the opportunity to get a participation grade without having to feel uncomfortable infront of the class.