iEdu

I have been reading, viewing, and hearing a lot about the future of education recently and it has really caught my interest. More specifically, I've been reading about how new technology is being fused into the classroom via video visual aids, instant communication with professors and students, and of course the internet's cornucopia of endless knowledge.

Today Apple unleashed its new 3G iPhone. I have personally been craving such a device for almost a year, but have found the price a little too steep for my preferences, my parents agree considering they pay the cell phone bill. However, there has been a dramatic change. Not only has the price dropped considerably, but a whole new adventure has begun in discovering the new capabilities of the iPhone. They are truly endless. From 3D gaming to biding on Ebay, new applications developed by private developers will unleash the full furry of such a device.

This is all great, but what does it have to do with education? During the keynote presentation Steve Job's and other made at the Worldwide Developer's Conference today, Apple discussed the fusion of the iPhone into enterprises. All sorts of companies, including commercial banks, pharmaceutical companies, and entertainment companies, will be able to fully integrate their business into the iPhone what seems to be flawlessly.

All these new programs and applications got me thinking that I really could use this product now before I got into the working world. I would love for a blackboard program to be fully functional with my iPhone. I would love to not have to bring my laptop with me everywhere and risk loosing it, when all I really need is to look at my assignments or view the online discussion my class is having. Blogging for literature based classes could be done from anywhere, I wouldn't need a WiFi network, just cellphone service. I could take sample quizzes to help study for my test during my 9 hour club hockey bus ride to Atlanta. A continuous flow of ideas and applications of this new technology is happening right now. I just wish I knew how to develop and write programs.

I am going to keep researching this new technology and coming up with new applications it could have to make my life more efficient and richer.

Blogging

I remember when we set our blogs, I was a little tentative about managing my own blog. HOwever, now I have come to realize the importance of having a blog. Through my blog I was better able to express ideas that I might have had in class, but wasn't able to fully explicate or if I had an idea outside of class that I just needed to get written down before I could forget. I feel that with my blog I had the freedom to write about whatever I wanted. I feel that I will continue with my blog. Recently I have begun taking breaks from studying and have been doing a lot of creative writing. I feel that posting my new work will be a good idea. As of now I am working on a new line of themed poetry and a short screenplay. I don't know how good any of it is, but maybe by managing my blog I can write better. We'll see how this goes but I feel that this will be a good experiment.

Real World Profanity

I feel that the use of profanity is often an overlooked concept in writing. Whatever the medium, book, television, or film, profanity can have a powerful impact on the viewer. Some critics believe that using profanity is an unnecessary use of expression and is simply a means of "copping out" rather than writing something original. However, I believe that there is a time and place for using profanity in writing. Sometimes the acts and emotions a character experiences and feels are too overwhelming or graphic to go into detail to. These words embody those acts and emotions simply because the are too much for the characters to deal with. This attests to the humanity of the characters and makes them more believable. In Persepolis, we do not see a major use of profanity until page 74, the scene where the mother has been attacked and threatened. The use of profanity here makes the situation all the more real. In addition, the use of profanity clearly embodies the horrific act described. This also attest the decreasing innocence we see of the narrator.

The Duality of Love

From the readings of Freud I have come to realize the duality of love. The first type of love is the pure physical and chemical love that our animal instincts crave. It is this type of love that leads to procreation not only for humans but all creatures. Then there is other type of love, a family love, " the positive feelings between parents and children"(Freud 58) We have seen people's struggle for both these type of love in our the novels we have read: Sputnik Sweetheart, Age of Iron, and, most recently, Giovanni's Room. Interestingly, in Giovanni's room we see the narrator's struggle between these two types of love. David's family love, has totally been skewed due to the unfulfilled relationship with his father and the lack of a relationship with his deceased mother. On the other hand, David's physical love is directed towards men. However, throughout many instances in the novel, David clearly rejects his seemingly instinctual inclination to be homosexual. I believe that it is the lack of a mother's love as a child resulting in a unfulfilled family love that is the crux of David's confusion. He cannot distinguish between these two types of love as well as not knowing which one he should pursue. It is this conflict that is the foundation of the plot throughout this novel, however their is no clear resolution which is extremely frustrating. Personally, I thought the entire novel was frustrating. If David had read Freud I think he would have been able to make a decision rather than living in guilt.

The Otherside?

I really enjoyed the first half of Sputnik Sweetheart. I thought that author had created an interesting cast of characters who each their own flaws and held a little bit of mystery. Intertwining these characters was an unique plot that got to the heart of discovering and pursuing relationships in a real modern way. The story took a turn in a different direction when Sumire goes missing. I feel that the author took what was a good plot and turned it into a attempt to create modern, mystified, transcendental work. It's just unbelievable and me as the reader had a hard time comprehending it. I wish it had an alternate ending.

Products in Writing

I feel that good writing comes from an author's attention to detail, and the way that they phrase it. Sometimes a subtle description and choosing the "just right" words and phrasing can make the difference between an airport novel and a timeless classic. However, sometimes author's can take detail too far. In the case of Sputnik Sweetheart, I feel that the author abused certain material aspects in two different instances. I do not understand why the author feels it is necessary to use "Powerbook" instead of laptop. This name dropping is unnecessary and takes away from the novel. It dates the novel in a way that 20 or 30 years from now, readers probably won't know what a powerbook is, thus confusing the reader on what I think is a pointless use of specific detail. Another name dropping incident occurs when K goes to grab an Amstel from the fridge. Now I know that a majority of readers will know that Amstel is a type of beer. However, I feel that by naming a specific brand to the beverage, it has taken away from what is really important at that point in the story.

I have never been a fan of brand names in books. In a world filled with advertisements, i know that at least while I am reading I will not be bombarded by commercialism.

Cages

In class on Wednesday we were talking about "cages", and how people can put themselves in them. I do not believe that it is a bad thing to put yourself in a specific cage. Some claim that by putting yourself in a cage you limit yourself to the other things in this world. I disagree. Because human beings are social beings it is imperative that they identify themselves with other people. Thus it is necessary to put yourself in a "cage" with these other people. What we must decide is what cage we find ourselves most comfortable in. In a broader sense, I do not believe that we are limited to just one cage. The more cages we can either associate with or understand, the more connected we as humanity can be.

Key Women Figures

The other day in class we were talking about what women should aspire to be. We discussed women's roles in the household versus women's roles in the working world. What I have found through my reading of Adrienne Rich is that throughout her life she has not really been able to establish her identity as a woman in this world. This might sound a little bizarre. I am not denying any part of her womanhood, but rather that Adrienne Rich found it difficult to relate to the traditional key figures of women before her. In her poem "The Phenomenology of Anger" mentions Venus, a beautiful Roman goddess, Judith, a strong character of womanhood from the Old Testament, and Kali, a Hindu goddess. For thousands of years, examples like these have been at the forefront for what women aspire to be. Adrienne Rich, being so different from these characters, found it difficult to see her unique womanhood in these characters. This is why she struggled so much through her life and lots of her poems, this one in particular, discuss her strife. It seems that throughout the twentieth century and today more and more key woman figures are in the public eye and are redefining what womanhood can be. Women like Madeline Albright, Oprah, and Ellen Degenerous have all contributed to the evolution of what womanhood can be. I believe that Adrienne Rich has also contributed as one of these key women figures.

Iago the Devil?

After much thinking, I have decided that if i were to produce the play Othello, I would adapt the play so that Iago would be the devil. He is a unique villain in Shakespeare's plays. He does not have any real reason for his diabolical actions. It's pure evil. In addition, Iago does not do any direct actions of evil. He merely uses others around him as his pawns, to do his evil work for him by means of inducing temptation and suggestive speeches. This is historically accurate to traits the devil has shown both in the Bible and other works. I think that this would be an interesting take on the play.

Racism Towards Othello

Again, I am coming back to the theme of racism as it is portrayed. I wondered, what type of racial tendancies the audiences of Shakespeare's time, maybe this would give insight to racism in Othello. After doing some research, I saw that William Shakespeare was raised Catholic. Although this religion was looked down upon by English, it was practiced in private amongst devout worshipers. During Shakespeare's time, their was a huge Anti-Islam movement throughout Europe, specifically from the Catholic rulings of Spain and France. I am trying to reason whether this is why Shakespeare chose for Othello to be a Moor, a Muslim. Anyways, if this is not the reason, I still find it to be an interesting coincidence.

How to Read Othello.

In class on monday we discussed how to read Shakespeare's plays. They should be spoken and performed, not merely read from a page in the library at 1 in the morning. In high school i always found it helpful to get the CD of the play and listen to the CD as i read along with the dialogue. This has proven to be a rather effective way for me to better comprehend Shakespeare's writing and makes it a whole lot more enjoyable. When I was in high school, the first Shakespeare play that i read was Macbeth, which happens to be my favorite. We were reading it over one of our school breaks. During the break my family decided to visit my sister at college. I brought my book and CD with me just in case i had some downtime to read. Of course I had great luck and my flight was delayed 4 hours getting back to NJ. So as i sat there at the gate, i tuned out the crying babies and the complaining passengers and listened to Macbeth straight through. Made my waiting experience actually rather enjoyable. More recently with Othello, I simply got the audiobook of the play on iTunes and transfered it to my iPod. It makes reading Othello alot more conveinient,

Racism as a secondary factor in Othello

In class on monday, we had a brief discussion on whether race was the primary reason for why people disapproved of Othello. Our guest on monday, whose name i have unfortunately forgotten, thought his Moor background as a secondary reason for why people looked on Othello with such hatred. After taking a closer look, I disagree. I believe it is the primary reason for their hatred. If it was not for Othello's background, I do not believe that the tragic events of this play would have occured. Surely some might look upon Othello with disapproval, but it is the race driven hatred that is at the heart of this tragedy.

Digital Story Telling

There are a variety of challenges throughout this project. Editing your script, choosing what pictures you want, and recording your voice can be difficult tasks. However, the part that is giving me the most challenge is the background music. This might seem like a small detail to many of the projects, however for mine, it is a crucial aspect. My digital story is about my journey through music, any what better way to tell my journey than with actual music that i have created. I am trying to edit, splice, and adapt a few songs that i have in my iTunes to fit my script. This is proving to be more difficult than i thought but the more i play with garage band the the better i think it is becoming. Hopefully the final layout with flow harmoniously with my story and its message.