My scores have gone up from the first time I took the test. They were the highest in test b. I feel like I have improved dramatically. In high school my teachers would do the small grammar test I always thought they were pointless, but they have helped me now. My tutor has also helped a lot. I feel that grammar is my weak spot but I am improving. It confuses me how I did worse on diagnostics c you then b. my hand is very sore from the tendinitis, so maybe that is the Issue. I also to get bored while starring at the computer screen. I wish they could make this more captivating. It’s also hard because all of the answers look almost identical. Next time I’ll have to look extra carefully. I have been working with the tutor to improve my sentence level clarity, it has increased my grammar and vocabulary a lot. I also may check out the writers workshop to use their tutoring services.
Diagnostic c
In Herman Hesses’ Siddhartha the river is a huge part throughout the book. We see the river periodically in every few chapters. When Siddhartha took the job with the ferry man I knew that he was going to reach enlightenment soon. I thought it was really interesting that Vasudeva was going to teach Siddhartha the ways to be enlightenment. Vasudeva could not read and write and was still able to find the enlightenment. To me this signified that every other teachers teachings are in fact not going to get you any closer to Nirvana. “There is one thing that this clear, worthy instruction does not contain; it does not contain the secret of what the Illustrious One himself experienced—he alone among hundreds of thousands. That is what I thought and realized when I heard your teachings. That is why I am going on my way—not to seek another doctrine, for I know there is none, but to leave all doctrines and all teachers and to reach my goal alone—or die.” This is the conclusion that Siddhartha came to when he himself realized that he needs to find and reach enlightenment himself. I am glad Siddhartha learns so quickly, he is a great character to learn from.
COMMON ESSAY REVIEW
i feel that i got a 6 on my common essay because i did not have ample support with other articles to support my essay. Also I did not get enough sleep night prior to the essay. I always get very nervous before the common essay and it causes me to think about it at night and I can’t fall asleep. I was really trying not to use comma splices and run on sentences but don’t feel I succeeded. I have been working with a tutor since to learn how to avoid them. If I were to redo the common essay I would get two more articles and find a way to add them into my argument. I also had run out of time to edit my paper before I had turned it in. I need to learn to plan my time out. I had made a outline and had forgot to look up at the clock and realized that I had about fifteen minutes to edit my paper. Next time I do an in class essay I need to where a wrist watch or something to watch the clock more closely.
“You have done so By your own seeking, in your own way, through thought, through meditation, through knowledge, through enlightenment. You have learned
nothing if I teachings and so I think, O Illustrious One, that nobody find salvation to teachings. To nobody, O Illustrious One, can you communicate in your words and teachings what happened to you in your hour in your of enlightenment.”
This passage from Herman Hesse’s, Siddhartha. this is taking place when Siddhartha is speaking to O Illustrious One; or the Buddha. i found it interesting that Siddhartha had to see some one who has reached enlightenment to know that it is possible to find Nirvana. He has been searching for something that he didn’t think was possible. Siddhartha hopefully will stop trying to cut off himself any longer. He will listen to himself and find Nirvana with in him self which is where Enlightenment is reached. Now he is going to open his mind up to many new signs. Hopefully he will not give in to his thirst of greed and other negative problems. It was heartbreaking to see Govinda and Siddhartha to part ways. I wonder when the will encounter each other again. It was interesting that Govinda had decided before even speaking to Siddhartha to become a Monk. I didn’t feel that they would be able to leave each other.
Number 10
After reading the two articles from last semesters common essay exam for the hundredth and one time it was refreshed in my mind. I then read the two anchor papers and felt that the language of essay E was right on point. They did not sound like they had just read the article for the first time and they knew their arguments before writing. E stayed on topic the whole time, also the thesis refers back to the prompt. I would give them either a 4+ or a 5-.
With paper F I feel that they just looked at the prompt that day, the writing skills could drastically improve. The thesis doesn’t refer back to the prompt. They should have made it the last two sentences of paragraph 1. I would give this paper a 2- or a 1.
The anonymity of the Internet is very scary. You never know who is on the other end. When people have the option to be anonymous they tend to go off and be rude, judgmental, or just ignorant.
I really want to check out that website that he created. 4 chan seems like it will be pretty awesome. Did lolcats start on that website?
governments, in particular, absolutely loathe the idea that people can speak with out being identified… I fear there will soon be widespread lead disallowing anonymous speech, even in America.
I to fear the day that will probably arrive to quickly.
It’s such an off thought of where the world is going.
Number eight
I have always felt that I have been an awful writer. Then I started writing college essays and found how easy it can be if you are well educated about a specific topic. I know realize I have a huge issue with comma splices and run on sentences. The assessment test told me I do have issues with comma splices, run on sentences, and I need review pronouns. I feel that when I write I have a lot to say and try and smash it into a sentence.
Denna Ginsburg
Professor Menton
English 21 B
March 21, 2012
Octopus Mind Reader
Every time a new form of information has come into this world people have been there to dislike it. People think it makes your mind smaller because you do not need to memorize everything your mind wishes to know. We are lazier because we use the wheel and not walk to all our destinations. Men do not need to go out every day and hunt for dinner. You can now use your gps in your car to find a great place to eat whatever food you crave. According to David Chalmers we now have an extended mind. His big question was “where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?” I feel that the mind never stops growing; therefor its endless, it’s not how you are storing or finding your information, rather what you do with it that is important. In the medical field they are now making actual cyborgs; part man and part computer. The wildest thing about this is its working. Has the day come too soon? We will all be cyborgs in a matter of time?
“Socrates worried that writing would make people forgetful and unwise. Sure enough, writing did rob us of some gifts, such as the ability to recite epic poems like The Illiad from memory. But it has also created a much larger pool of knowledge from which we could draw, a pool that has continued to expand (or dare we say, continue to extend?).” said Carl Zimmer. Socrates died in 399 BC. The last time we had a cognitive transformation anywhere close to this was over 500 years ago when the printing press began. People then thought it was rubbish. It would ruin your mind and make you very unknowledgeable. “For the first time–speaking for society—you had a technology that encouraged people to be attentive, and shielded them from distraction. A mode of thought that was previously restricted to scholars and monks suddenly encouraged among society at large.” Is what Nicholas Carr said about the being able to print books. The same is true now, but anyone around the world can teach someone in a completely different place. Our extended mind can reach to the other side of the planet if need be. We do not need to go to a bookstore or library and read thousands of papers to be an expert, it’s at our fingertips. Now we have the better nevers according to Adam Gopnik. The same kind of people who feel this day in age technology is making us “forgetful and unwise”.
Then I found out we already have cyborgs, we can move things with our minds just like Matilda could in 1996. Soon it won’t be at our fingertips, just a mere thought. When I read Pagan Kennedy’s, The Cyborg Of Us All, my mouth was open in shock. ‘”Fingers!” Gerwin Schalk sputtered, waving his hands in the air. “fingers are made to pick up a hammer.” He prodded the table mimicking the way we poke at computer keyboards. “It’s totally ridiculous,” he said.”’ He is a 41 year old scientist who is a computer engineer. He is working with a young man who has epilepsy he is one of the first cyborgs. He has a device that in placed on his head to read the electrodes in your brain. Kennedy also went to Dartmouth College to talk researches creating an iPhone that is connected to the device that reads your neurons. It looks like an “octopus” on your head but it reads your thoughts. The student who created it then tested it for Kennedy. ‘”I’m going to call Einstein,” he said. In its demo mode, the phone gave you a choice of six people — including president Obama, Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein —and let you pick one telepathically.” This is insane, you do not need to even get surgery or go to the doctors to be able to become a Cyborg.
The time has come it should no longer be an issue of becoming feeble minded. It’s now time to create the unthinkable and do it just by thinking it. Our technology has grown past anyone’s wildest dreams. Our minds can extend to the highest mountain and lowest valley. So, if Chalmers asked me “where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?” I would answer never. Because in this day and time anything is possible.
NUMBER 4
Every time a new form of information has come into this world people have been there to dislike it. People think it makes your mind smaller because you do not need to memorize everything you need to know. We now have an extended mind according to David Chalmers, The Extended mind is the internet and information you get from outside the mind. I feel the internet greatly benefits us; yes it may have some disadvantages, but over all it will evolve for everyone to adore.
In the article “how the internet gets inside of us” by Adam Gopnik, I felt that this quote summed up all the fighting about whether or not the internet is “bad/good” for us. “If all you have is a hammer, the saying goes, everything looks like a nail; and, if you think the world is broken, every machine looks like the hammer that broke it.” This is how the better never’s feel, that the world is broken because of the internet. The world is evolving, its not the Internets fault. It has been evolving since the beginning of time. The last big cognitive change we went through was in 1450! thats over 500 years. The time has come, the time is now.
PRSEPCETIEVS
I believe the internet and technology is key in the way we live life in this present futuristic time. While being in school our assignments and grades are posted online; in this English class we have to create a few blog postings a week. stumbling around the portal I found a two students that I agree with completely. In KATHRYN ROYCE’s ( http://stayy-irie.tumblr.com/) I agree that we are using the internet more then we should. its very easy to create a new tab and start up a whole new project or idea. On my fathers home computer he has about 17 tabs opened at all times, he gets distracted and will forget about most of the tabs and just reopen them at a later time. I do agree that its important to try and spend less time on the internet, and go out and do something productive. I had also read JACKIE ALEXANDER’s ( http://jackiealexander.wordpress.com/) which is my favorite color, purple. She nailed it straight on, “With our eyes glued to our phones 24/7, texting a friend, updating a twitter status, or posting a new pic on facebook, social networking has become more than just a hobby or an activity, and more of a way of life.” its a way of life i have become very accustomed to. Yet when I go out of town I rarely turn on a computer and access the web. This summer I had traveled to France, I had spent a while off a computer and once I got on one there I was surprised to see the key board was different. It was like my mind had become frozen for a second trying to understand the new keyboard. It was a completely different perspective of the computer/keyboard. The last one i didn’t necessarily agree with her, but i loved the way she finished and had a response i’d like to share. In NATHALIE ROMERO’s (http://nattynatt.wordpress.com/) blog she agreed with Carr rather then Zimmer who I had agreed with. She feels that the internet can be a huge distraction and kids should really have any business with it. I disagree because I nanny to a 3 1/2 year old. He is at that stage where if he doesn’t get what he wants when he wants he will throw things, yell, or put himself into hysteria. I have a leap frog game on my phone that he absolutely adores it. Before I give him the phone I make him sit down and copy at least 10 things I do so he will learn to listen. IE; touch your nose, touch your eyes and so on. My phone app is one positive reinforcement that never gets old. Plus it is a leap frog app so there is some learning involved. Back to Nathalie’s blog, I loved when she said “it would be nice to see a day where technology was paused and everyone was free from it. Free to think on their own without being constantly interrupted by a text message or an email. It would be an interesting challenge to go a day without any digital technology.” Its hard when we live in this hectic city to do just that. but when I go to my dads house in Utah I can go out into nature and leave my cell at home and just breathe. Its a very serene feeling. After seeing a few peoples perspectives I still believe the internet and technology is a plus in life.
Dennalee 
Written
on May 21, 2012