First Quarter

Writ 101: First Quarter

                During this first quarter I have learned so much. The class started with writing a memoir, a paper about Native American mascots, then one of a political cartoon, and finally a research paper about technology in the classroom. In between writing the essays I learned about “weasel words”, commas, citing, claims, just to name a few.      

                Out of all the essays, I thought the hardest ones to write were the mascot and cartoon essays. For the mascot essay it was hard for me to put in words what I thought and to make it long enough for a whole essay. I didn’t want anything from my paper to be misunderstood. I still don’t have much of an opinion on it besides, “it depends”. The political cartoon was hard for me also, because it didn’t seem like my cartoon had a lot to write about. It was pretty simple and to the point. I could have done more research and cited it to help, but if I had the chance to re-do it I would choose a different cartoon.

                The paper I enjoyed writing the most was the research paper. It wasn’t the most interesting topic, but I love doing research and learning new knowledge. The process of writing the paper helps me to understand the information better. I keeps it organized in my head. Plus I’m working at my writing skills and learning something new at the same time!

                I have found I have a problem with “weasel” words. I constantly use the word “that” and “you” and I’m sure many other words. So that is defiantly something I need to work on this next quarter.

                This class is one of my favorite classes this year. I’ve learned a lot so far and I find like the time in class isn’t wasted. There is always something to learn or get better at. It’s also easy-going and organized. My pet peeve is having a class disorganized and having it be stressful when it doesn’t have to be. To clarify, when I say “easy-going” I don’t mean “easy” or “not any work” it’s just productive, organized, and not chaotic.   

Technology in the Classroom

Online Classes vs. Traditional Classes

 

            Decades ago, online classes weren’t available. Computers were ancient compared to the computers today. With the increase and availability in technology, online classes have become quite popular. Nearly 45% of college students take at least one online class (Bolkan).Today you can achieve a whole degree from a college or university hundreds of miles away without leaving your home. Some choose to take both online and traditional, face-to-face classes. Many wonder if online classes have the same effect as a traditional class. There have been studies that compare the differences between the two types of classes and their advantages and disadvantages. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online classes? In my research, I found there are several advantages and disadvantages between them. Overall, it depends on how the student best learns and what works for them.     

            Having the opportunity to choose among several different schools and classes that were originally not an option is one major benefit of online classes. They also are somewhat more flexible than traditional classes. Due dates for papers, assignments, etc. are still in play, but students are able to complete them in your own time schedule (Top 10 Advantages and Benefits of Distance Learning). Along with schedule flexibility, they are also geographically flexible. A student can take an online class that is hundreds of miles away without physically going to the school. Also, parents and workers are able to take the classes without leaving their home. So workers can keep their jobs and parents can continue to parent (Ghaffari). For example, my mother currently works as a nurse while she takes online classes from the University of Cincinnati that’s approximately 1,600 miles away from our home.   

            In some instances online classes are less costly than traditional college classes. There isn’t room and board, parking, or traveling costs (Top 10 Advantages and Benefits of Distance Learning). However, according to another article there isn’t much of a difference between the two. Yes, not traveling and no room and board will save you money, but the actual cost of the credits taken aren’t much different price wise (The Cost of Online College Courses: Closer to Traditional School Fees Than Many Expect).  

            Another benefit of online classes is they work well for students that like to work at their own pace (Top 10 Advantages and Benefits of Distance Learning). Some students in high school can take an advanced class online that wouldn’t be available to them otherwise.  Many students learn better by themselves and claim online classes are just effective as traditional classes. Online classes aren’t ideal for everyone, but are definitely an option if it fits your style of learning (Top 10 Advantages and Benefits of Distance Learning).

            There are several disadvantages to online classes, just like their advantages. As Ghaffari states, “Taking online classes via online education program requires specific learning skills, which some people lack.” Another view point by Edmudson is that online education is a “one-size-fits-all. It tends to be a monologue and not a real dialogue. The internet teacher, even one who responds to students via e-mail, can never have the immediacy of contact that the teacher on the scene can, with his sensitivity to unspoken moods and enthusiasms.” Credits from online classes can also be a problem. There are some online credits that aren’t transferrable to degree programs (Ghaffari).

            The Community College Research Center performed a study called Choosing Between Online and Face-to-Face Courses: Community College Student Voices.” It found many students only take online classes when they think they are able to learn the material by themselves. If they think it will be a hard class then they’d rather take a traditional face-to-face class. Also, students with a prepared academic background tend to enroll in more online classes (Student Demand for Online Courses May Not Be as Strong as Colleges Think, New Study Finds). According to another study named “Online and Hybrid Course Enrollment and Performance in Washington State Community and Technical Colleges,” students who take online classes are more likely to drop out than students that take traditional classes (Salinas), but it depends on how the student learns and their amount of ambition. As Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke stated, “It takes the right kind of student to be successful with online classes. With the right support, students can be successful online” (Salinas). Some online classes are not structured very well and can be struggling for students which can be a reason for failing the class. So with a structured online class, students can be successful (Salinas).

            In studies, it has been shown that students with a mix of online classes and traditional face-to-face classes seem to show the best results. At the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges during their fall semester of 2012, out of 8,815 students taking online classes 14 percent dropped the classes and 71 percent passed. For students taking both online and traditional classes, 10 percent dropped a course and 79 percent passed of 465 students. The percentages for students only taking traditional classes were 12 percent dropped and 76 percent passed of 47,661 students. In their school, the success rate was 77.7 percent for the traditional face-to-face classes and 72.6 percent for students taking online classes. For the study, if a student passed with a C or higher, the course was considered successful (Salinas). So overall, the drop out rates are higher for students only taking  traditional classes or online-only classes. It is best when the classes are blended.

            There isn’t an exact answer on whether online classes are “better” than traditional face-to-face classes or vice versa . It really depends upon your learning style. Online classes do vary. There are classes that are well structured and others that are unorganized and unstructured. Just like traditional classes. Both types of classes have their advantages and disadvantages. Online classes require specific learning skills, time management, and ambition. It can be somewhat lonely too. A statement I found touching about learning by Edmundon was,

        You can get knowledge from an Internet course if you’re highly motivated to learn. But in real courses the students and the teachers come together and create and immediate and vital community of

 

learning. A real course creates intellectual joy, at least in some. I don’t think an Internet course ever

 

will. Internet learning promises to make intellectual life more sterile and abstract than it already is-

 

and also, for teachers and for students alike, far more lonely.

 

Works Cited

Bolkan, Joshua. Report: Students Taking Online Courses Jumps 96 Percent over 5 Years. 24 June 13. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

Edmunson, Mark. "The Trouble With Online Education." 19 July 2012. NY Times. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Ghaffari, Mohammadreza. "Assessing Online Classes and Traditional Classes." Nature and Science . Vol. 9.8. 2011. EBSCO.Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

Salinas, Rebecca. Study shows online classes have lower success rate. 31 July 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

"Student Demand for Online Courses May Not Be as Strong as Colleges Think, New Study Finds." 25 Apr. 2013. CCRC COMMUNITY COLLEGE RESEARCH CENTER. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

The Cost of Online College Courses: Closer to Traditional School Fees Than Many Expect. 2013-2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Top 10 Advantages and Benefits of Distance Learning. 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

 

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Political Cartoon

High School Diploma?

            Dropout rates have been a huge problem among schools across the nation. Over the last few years graduation rates have increased; however, the percentages are still nowhere near perfect.   Why such the large dropout rate and what causes the students to drop out? Is it the drugs and alcohol? Or maybe teen pregnancy? Possibly poverty? There are several factors that play a role in high school dropouts. It is said students living in cities are twice as likely to dropout then students in rural areas. Also, one in four Hispanics drop out and half of those occur before completing the eighth grade.   Some students simply do not like school and believe they can do better without it. They may leave to help support their family or to get away from family. How can we solve these problems? The jobs available are becoming more and more competitive. Jobs and careers that once did not require any college degree now do require the education. Today you can’t go very far in the work field with only a high school diploma, with a few exceptions. How can our children do well if they don’t even get a high school diploma?

             The caption of this political cartoon reads, ‘High School Graduation’. In this cartoon, it pictures outlined figures dressed in caps and gowns representing students that have dropped out and displaying almost half of the graduating class had left before graduating. However, without the words inscribed in the outlined figures it would be unclear what the cartoonist was implying. The figures could have represented students that have died in an automobile accident, or other incidents that keep students from graduating.

            Some people may argue that the amount of dropout students pictured may be an exaggeration; however, in some schools the dropout rate is that high. There are schools across the country doing very well with high graduation rates.  

            Other components to political cartoons are visual irony, caricature, and iconography; also, context, symbol, and exaggeration which were elaborated previous. This particular cartoon lacks the first list of components. The message the cartoonist, John Trever, points out is simply shown with just a caption and a few symbols. Some cartoons require more features, but since this is such a well-known issue and many people know the context of it, the cartoonist was able to use few components, but still make the message clear.

            The cartoon, overall, shows that there are too many students dropping out. Many programs have been started to help kids finish high school, which have helped considerably. If students do decide to drop out despite the programs, there are other programs for them to get their GED, which is better than nothing.   

Mascots

Mascots

 

            Every school and sports team has a mascot. A mascot serves as a name and identity for the schools and sports teams. There’s thousands of mascots in the country. Some of animals and some of one’s heritage. It is fairly popular to have a Native American mascot. Throughout the country there are hundreds, ranging from professional teams to small town high school teams. I attend high school in a small town on the Flathead Reservation, home to the Salish and Kootenai tribes. Our boys are the Warriors and our mascots are a warrior and maiden head. I believe that our community supports and respects our mascots. However, other Native American mascots are not respected as they should be. Native American mascots have been the highlight of the mascot controversies. It’s a touchy subject to address, especially if not of Native American decent. Even if you try stepping in their shoes, grasping their exact perspective is impossible. I have some background knowledge from growing up on a reservation. I believe Native American mascots can present honor and respect if represented in an appropriate way.  

            Many people feel Native mascots are stereotypical. They are costumes with big noses and painted faces and feathers. Their skin is red and they show an angry facial expression. They run around yelling war whoops and chanting. This is seen as disrespectful to many Native Americans. That is not what war hoops and chanting are for especially coming from a non-native American dressed in costume-the case in many instances.

            You may wonder why they have such a problem with it. People of Irish decent aren’t complaining about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Nor Cowboys about the Wyoming Cowboys, or even Wake Forest’s Demon Deacons. According to Elizabeth, it’s their identity-being a Native American. Not only that, but it’s a part of their traditions, heritage, and culture that is sacred to them. When all of that is portrayed in a negative way, it can be hurtful. If you try to put yourself in their shoes, and view it from their perspective you may begin to understand a bit more how they might feel.

            In most instances I believe it’s the mascot itself that ruins the privilege of having a Native American name. The name, in most cases, isn’t what brings issues, unless you’re talking about the Washington D.C. Red Skins or other derogatory names. It’s how the mascot appears and acts during events. At my school we don’t have an actual live mascot. However, during homecoming we have an older tribal member ride on horseback and carry the American flag. Since it is a real person, not a costume, and he is a tribal member there isn’t anything that can come out as stereotypical or display negative actions.

            The school’s population and location also determine the Native American mascot’s acceptability. Most of the high schools in Montana that have Native American mascot names are located on the reservation; for example, Browning and Lodge Grass Indians, Ronan Chiefs and Maidens, Brockton Warriors and so forth. Living on a reservation allows you to have more knowledge on how to respect the mascot name, especially when you are surrounded by the people the name comes from and represents. Also, you’re taught their history and sometimes their language starting early in grade school which helps considerably.

                        To me, sometimes the mascots are okay and sometimes they’re not. Some names are all right and some are not. Native American mascots  is a very conflicting subject, especially if you’re not Native American; it makes it hard to know what’s considered respectful and appropriate and what is not. Even though I have grown up on a reservation and have been taught in school about Native American history, I don’t see myself fit to decide if the mascot and name are appropriate.