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Multiple personalities... and they are all nerds

After reading "Who am we", I thought to myself... should I beat myself up and shove me in a locker. I am amazed that a women actually wrote several books on a subject matter that is as important as paint color in a closet. I am truly amazed that the article carried on for ten pages. After the fifth page, I realized that the repetitious drivel would never end and I opted to beat my head against a wall instead of finishing the read. It is stupendous to know that introverts across this great country have an outlet from their stressful lives as I.T. professionals. There are several interviews with children, concerning their thoughts on simulated life as it relates to real life. Groundbreaking as a thirteen year old's opinion is, who cares? Honest to Christ who cares if "Timmy" thinks his cow in "SimTard" is real. If the child cannot differentiate between fact and fiction as he grows up, he will be "Darwined" out with the rest of the malcontents. Is anyone else having issues with an adult man naming a "vou

Interwebs impact on edumacation

In the 1990’s schools across the United States began viewing the internet as a new source of information. Today the internet is found in most homes and is the sole resource of most student’s bibliographies… and television, let’s not forget the old babysitter. The internet has brought new and up to date information to the fingertips of pupils. Textbooks are often outdated, where the internet has an almost seamless stream of new and credible information. It has also connected people from across the world with a way to share opinions (garbage) and beliefs. Researching topics in any field has been expedited infinitely. What did take hours of research in a library now can be done with the click of a “mouse”. New technologies, such as the Amazon kindle and Apple Ipad, have ensured that paperbound books will be as useless as a third nipple. Some Colleges and Universities have very large internet education departments, offering classes in most fields of study. These on-line courses are providing options for students who must work full-time jobs to support themselves and families. Some students, unfortunately, take advantage of the simple fact that internet courses are inherently easier. Then there are colleges (University of Phoenix) that take advantage of this fact by continuing to produce diplomas that can double as toilet paper if need be in a pinch. Expensive and cumbersome reference manuals and encyclopedias have become available at little or no cost in digital format. Students from all economic classes now are afforded all the same research tools with little cost. The internet has not revolutionized education, but it has made a deep and continuing impact.

http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAR02_Issue/article01.html

http://www.college-university-directory.com/internet_1.html

Internet+College=

Education, as it is know throughout history, has conventionally been done with a teacher, a book, and a class full of bored students. The use of the internet has changed the foundation of information gathering and instruction. In the 1980's, the internet was introduced as a learning tool in colleges and universities. Jumping to 2010, a personal computer with interent access is not only common place, but sometimes a required item for classes. The internet itself is now, undoubtly, the most commonly used research tool for every student. Websites such as Google, Bing, and Wikipedia (unfortunately) are used as references in almost every school project. Most colleges and universities offer a wide variety of on-line classes that have made it much easier for working students to fulfil degree requirements without impacting their schedules. Institutions such as the University of Pheonix have based their entire business on on-line degrees and certificates. Although, degrees from the University of Pheonix could be compared to toilet paper. It is well known that on-line classes are taken by students looking for an easy class/grade. Hirers want to see a person who is capable of making a tough schedule work (i.e. work and school).

There are commercials portraying a classroom full of kids that have webcam access to other classrooms across the world, as if it was the future of technology in the classroom. How many schools actually have the funding for such technology? Realistically, the internet has only begun to effect students greatly in the past 5-10 years. Today people are using the internet for research/plagarism, social/professional networking, adult entertainment and communication. Tomorrow the internet may be used to completely eliminate manual labor and/or hard work. You GO internet!

I chose this particular picture because Prof. Annunziato appeared curious about my website title. I acquired this nickname because of my excessively tight pants. It was given to me while attending the police academy.

Links to Other Sites

Here are some links to sites that I have found interesting.

Click HERE to go to my neighbors blog.

I am learning to create hyperlinks and I learned it at annuziato.org

All my homies are on facebook and so should you...NOW!!!

Wanna see me on TV? Check NECN

Maybe we can meet if you have Lowered Expectations

Me, myself and...you?

My name is James Connolly and I am 26 years young. I was born while living in Framingham and grew up in Natick. I moved to Westford when I was 15 and joined the Army at 17. I was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Ky (101st Airborne) and served there for 5 1/2 years. Two of those years I spent in Iraq and several other months on smaller deployment. I left the Army as a Staff Sergeant in the scout sniper section of the 327th Infantry Brigade. When I moved back home, I began dating a girl that I had dated in high school and I was married to her last year. I attended Middlesex Community College before I went to the Transit police Academy in 2008. I recently bought a house in Stow and currently live there with my wife, cat and dog. I work for the Westford Police Department as a patrolman. I like wakeboarding in the summer, snowboarding in the winter and I LOVE blogging all year.

Ipad...IJames, nice to meet you.

Last week Apple released the Ipad, a tablet, touch screen, mock personal computer capable of internet browsing and simple programs. The newest apple hardware concept has a price tag of $500 for it's most baseline model (16 GB). Education has the possibility of being impacting in the sense of bring the last paper dependent resource to a digital world. Apple has boasted that 95% of all publications are now available in digital format on the itunes book store. Amazon's kindle was the first of its kind, digital book reader, and has been immensely popular with readers across the country. The neighborhood library appears to be becoming as obsolete as the VHS player. The Ipad is more than just a digital book viewer. It has all the same applications as the iphone, but in a larger/bulkier package. Unfortunately, the Ipad has many speed bumps before becoming the next generation of personal computing. The Ipad has all the complications of the Iphone; no flash capability, small hard drive, lack luster screen, no multitasking capabilities, no camera, and limited connectivity. However, I believe that Apple continues to push the industry to new limits. Digital readers, such as the Ipad and the Kindle, appear to be the future of the the book industry and I cannot think of any company that can put the package in a more user friendly package than Apple.

www.apple.com/ipad

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/with-ipad-does-apple-have-an-idud-on-its-hands/19337415