Screencast

I had the chance to create a screencast, talking about how to use the application iMovie Maker. I had a lot of fun making the screencast, but it was very awkward talking to myself and the camera. How do people do it? I had trouble finding my words without trying to trip over them. I explained how to add and drop pictures, videos, and music along with cropping pictures and silencing the videos you did not want to hear while the music was playing.

The hardest part of doing the screencast was talking and trying to talk without saying "like" and "uh" over and over again. I think I did the video five times until I felt I did well enough on one that I could post it for class. I think I might try some more screencasts in the future, but with a little more practice of what I want to say. I suggest you guys should try doing the same, because it is so much fun when you see everything come together.

Stop Killing Victims Of Dog Fights

We all know what happens to the dogs who become victims of dog fights. In the state of Louisiana, the law states that dogs who were part of dog fighting, are to be euthanized without question. I find that really wrong because there could be a chance that they can change and be re-adopted to find a new home. I do agree that some dogs are not able to be saved, but everyone deserves a second chance.

Dog fighting is not the fault of the dogs that were trained to take part in the fights. It is the cruel owners who came up with the horrid ideas of part-taking in the event. It is a cruel and inhumane situation that ends up placing the blame on the poor dogs. Please help change this law, you can be saving the lives of many dogs and helping them find new loving homes.

Stop Tiger Farming In China!

Tigers are being farmed and killed for their: bones, skin or fur, and just for the fun of it. Tigers bones are used to create "Tiger bone wine," which is made by marinating their bones in rice alcohol. Tigers furs are used for accessories or their bodies are stuffed to keep as souvenirs and then there are the dinner parties where tigers are killed in front of the guests as entertainment. According to the Marina Kaufman, creator of the petition, China banned the trade of tiger bone in 1993. Why did they start the trades again? After China announced the ban, not long after were tiger farms created that were supported by two hundred government-supported farms (Kaufman).

This is cruel and I believe inhumane. The governments insists that the tiger farms were just tourists spots, but in reality the tigers were being killed to make wine with their bones, skinning their furs and stuffing them (Kaufman). If you want more information on this petition, click on Kaufman's name.

Assessing and Preparing Students for the 21st Century With Common Core State Standards

I found this reading to be both interesting and a little difficult to understand. The reading discusses the Common Core Standards and how it is used today. Before the current advanced ways of CCSS, "most decisions in the workplace were made at the highest levels and then communicated to lower levels, which limited innovative to creative contributions throughout the chain of command (Leu, Forzani, Burlingame, Kulikowich, Sedransk, Coiro, and Kennedy<--authors)." I found it shocking that CCSS was like this before the current day. What shocked me was that, because employees were at lower levels, they were not required to possess or use higher level of thinking skills or digital literacies, since they simply just followed directions. Why was this a thing? Doesn't that mean that employees at lower levels did not get the same opportunities as higher leveled employees?

Small Differences Matter: The DNA of Online Reading Comprehension

The first sentence from this reading caught my attention immediately. "Two percent. Just 2% of code separates us from our Chimpanzee brethren." You would think the percentage would be a little bit bigger because there are some differences between the chimpanzee's and us.

The reading discusses strategic text assembly such as, Navigational Strategies (multitasking) and Comprehension Monitoring (understanding). The reading also discusses Socially Complex Texts and Multimodal Design. Socially Complex Texts consists of Sourcing Skills (skills on how to evaluate websites) and Analytics (how an idea travels). Multimodal Design discusses about the design of writing and the meaning behind the making of our writing). 

I liked this reading because it breaks down the steps of online comprehension and how we can use the different skills shared in this reading and add it to our writing or research. Annotating this or reading others annotations would have been fun and interesting to see, but I was having trouble annotating or seeing other annotations. I love the break down and description of each topic because it helps the readers understand what they are reading and makes it clearer to understand. 

Stop Killing in the Name of Science

There is a petition that was shared on change.org, stating that animals (rare) are being killed in the name of science. The animal that was stated in this petition was a rare bird called, Moustached Kingfisher. This rare bird has been a victim to losing its habitat to deforestation and to the introduction of feral cats. The author to the petition has asked those who strongly believes that this is wrong, to join them in asking Ellen V. Futter, president of the American Museum of Natural History, to discontinue the practice of killing in the name of science. They state that, "We can study and help rare animals without taking their lives." 

"Killing in the name of Science?" How does that sound like we are helping these rare and beautiful animals? What are we showing or teaching the next generation of kids when they here that we are killing these animals in the name of science? I would be  shocked or horrified if someone told me they were killing animals "in the name of science." This needs to stop. If you agree, please sign the petition above.

Give Grey Wolves their Status Back

There has been a petition going around concerning the Grey Wolves in Oregon. Their Endangered Species Status has been removed due to their numbers increasing. The actions of ranchers and poachers has caused these wolves to go extinct in the first place and now because they have been taken off of the Endangered Species list, they are in danger again. In Wisconsin, a similar problem occurred, meaning that the wolves in Wisconsin were removed from the Endangered Species list because there were sustainable numbers of wolves. The petition shared states,"Conservationists in Wisconsin have estimated that around 44 percent of Wisconsin wolves aged seven months or older died each year after their protection ended in 2012."

Wolves are one of my favorite wildlife animals. Taking them off of the list can be dangerous for them because the ranchers and poachers can start hunting them again, which would then cause them to end up on the list again. They could be victims of an accident as well. There is no need to remove the Grey Wolves off of the Endangered Species list because they are still in danger to many threats around them. If you feel the same as I do, please sign the petition in the link above. Let's help these beautiful creatures keep their protection status.

Petition #4

In this blog, I will be sharing a topic that has been very important to me and I hope you may feel the same way as well. Pit bulls have been labeled as vicious and dangerous dogs, leading up to them being euthanized or people being cruel to them. There are many petitions where Pit bull lovers are trying to save these poor animals and to stop the discrimination between them and other dogs. There are other dogs who are being discriminated against like the Pit bulls, which affects me greatly because I have been able to meet a few pit bulls and they are very sweet.

All the stories that led up to this problem are, what I think, wrong and not fully detailed. Pit bulls or any dog/animal for that matter don't grow up to be vicious dogs. I believe that the owners of the dogs in these stories lead up to them becoming violent because of the way they treat them. These dogs are very sweet and should not be judged just from the stories.

If you are like me and want to change this discrimination between Pit bulls and other dogs in this situation, then you should join me in signing some of the petitions listed below and also go out there and find a way to find a solution:

https://www.change.org/p/ban-of-pitbulls-legalize-pitbulls
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-zeus 
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/aspca-stop-euthanizing-pit-bulls.html

Construction and/or Creation of Online Content

The reading of, Construction and/or Creation of Online Content by W. Ian O'Byrne, talked about online reading comprehension and online content construction. After explaining what these two are, O'Byrne goes on to explain the difference between the two. Online reading comprehension (ORC) is explained as the act of "producing content or causing the content to exist" as Online content construction is the "building or the assembly of an infrastructure or the creation/construction of the content." O'Byrne says ORC has the elements of "communication" identified as one of the last skills students need and OCC fills in the void O'Byrne sees concerning the creativity, composition, and design skills that students need. Using these skills, students would be able to keep up with online learning and understand how to use these skills when building or creating their own ideas/content on the Internet.

Reading Images: Multimodality, Representation and New Media

At first when reading, Reading Images: Multimodality, Representation and New Media, by Gunther Kress, I was really confused on what the article was. Was this article a lab report or was this an article on the media? In the beginning of the article, Kress starts talking about the cell and nucleus and how they work together. Next, Kress goes into talking about the media. I was really confused on where this reading as going and found myself skimming through it to find if I could find something that would catch my eye. The meaning of this article was very hard to find in my opinion and left me asking questions rather than understanding what the author was trying to say.

Petition #3

The Animal Rescue Site shared a petition asking people to help save whales from getting caught in fishing nets. The swordfish industry sets drift gill nets to catch swordfish off the Coast of California, but swordfish are not the only animals being caught in the nets. A drift net is a fishing net supported upright in the water by floats attached along the upper edge and sinkers along the lower, so as to be carried with current or tide. Roughly over one hundred marine animals that are protected are killed because they get caught in the netting unable to escape. Some of the marine life that has been caught in these nets are endangered whales, which threatens their rest of their existence.

Let's help end the killing of endangered whales and other endangered marine life before it is too late! There are other fishing supplies that help catch swordfish and does less damage to the lives of whales and other marine life.

Here is a picture of how marine life can be trapped in a drift net:

Let Us Bring An End To This!

How New Digital Media and the Internet are Fueling an Innovative Surge in Communication, Creativity and Collaboration reflection

I really enjoyed this video because it shows what we can do with technology today to share our thoughts or a story that we want to share with the world. We as creators or writers can share information with one another, giving feedback on a post you or someone else may have published. People can find their own inspiration and find out who they are in their writing or in what they choose to create and share to those around them. I believe using the tools of the Internet in the classroom, can be very insightful because we can learn new information and people can give their thoughts or share their feelings on what you published.

By sharing what you create on the Internet, you and many other people can come together and create a community to talk about different types of information or creations you are interested in. An example can be, in the classrooms when students get together, wether it be online or in person, you can collaborate with one another and help each other study or understand a different point of view on a topic discussed in class. We are in charge of what we share to the public by using the basic tools of the Internet. Teachers and teachers in learning, help their students learn these tools and show the students how to create their ideas with the new technology tools being created or growing today.

My Response to Big Thinkers

I find it interesting that a game was created for children/students to learn about the world and how the world works The game is called Quest Atlantis. I think this game helps others because it helps them improve their thinking process and helps them figure out the problem in the game. I believe this game gives them confidence on their skills and makes them feel like heroes. They are giving the chance to feel like scientists when solving or investigating the conflicts. Students are able to show themselves on the social media and show to the world what they can do. Students and teachers have limited times with one another in the classroom. The teacher can create a separate environment for the students so they can learn more through the resources/information the teacher shares. Sasha Barab created this game to give the students a chance to chose or create their own paths in their education and goals. By playing the game, they can try being something they wanted to be or what they thought they could never be.

About The Haunted Isle.

The Haunted Isle is a great place to get scared or to get an adrenaline rush from all the actors trying to scare you. I have been a volunteer at the Isle for three years now (technically four but I had to miss a year because of school) and I enjoy acting in it. You get to meet and talk with new people who have the same interests as you. The Haunted Isle's cause is not only to scare people for entertainment. The cause of the Isle is to raise money for animals and the trolly museum (because we work near trolly museum grounds and work around the trolly's).

The Haunted Isle takes place on the days of Friday and Saturday. You can buy tickets at the location of the haunted isle (see the links below), we are not selling tickets online anymore. The Isle is recommended for adults and mature children that do not have health issues. Warm clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended as well because we are in the forest and it gets pretty chilly out there in the night.

For more information on The Haunted Isle, please visit the links below:

http://shorelinetrolley.org/special-events/haunted-isle/ 
http://thehauntedislect.weebly.com

Here are some pictures of my friends and I in our costumes:

Petition # 2

The petition, "Stop participating in the cruel and inhumane slaughter of alligators," is about the treatment and the environment alligators are kept in so they can be skinned alive to make different accessories for us to wear or use. Their lives are spent in cramped up and very dirty pools along with being kept in very dark sheds that does not have any sunlight, fresh air, clean water, and basic medical care. I hate to see animals be treated like this. What are your thoughts on how these animals are taken care of and how they are treated? Let us join together to help these poor animals avoid inhumane treatments and shine a new light on their future.

(Warning Graphic Video!!!! Do not watch unless supervised or if old enough, watch if you can handle the images)

Change of title to the blog.

Hey guys! As you can see, I have changed the title of the blog. I will be posting petitions on here and also might be sharing some videos of me and some of my friends working at a Haunted Isle I volunteer at (we raise money for a museum and for animals). I want to help make a change for animals and if you feel the same, feel free to join in! On that matter, here is the first petition: Tell South African Airways to stop shipping slaughtered wildlife trophies.

 Animals in Africa are being hunted and killed and then the hunters take home their "trophies" on the Airlines, that allow them to bring them aboard as luggage, decorate their homes. Let's help change this matter! 

It's Complicated Chapter 2

In Chapter 2 of, It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Boyd talks about the issue of privacy on social media. She states that the common teen practices of hiding what is on their social media has historically been sure signs of teens unhealthy obsession with privacy or rejection. A friend of Boyd, named Waffles, says that thinking teenagers don't like the idea of privacy is just ignorant and inconsiderate on the adults part. Parents used to just worry about what their teens were wearing when they left the house, but now they worry what their teens are doing on the internet which causes them to look over their children's shoulder to see what they are doing. To me, I like a little privacy once in a while, but other than that I have nothing to hide. If I want to share something I wouldn't want my parents to see then i would not share it at all. I do get the occasional, "Who are you talking to?," or, "What are you looking at?," from my parents. When this happens, I just answer truthfully and they understand if I show them.

Understanding why parents invade their teens privacy needs to be seen too. Parents worry that their teens are putting themselves on danger when they talk with other people on social media or are afraid that their child is going to share something that would put them in danger online. I can understand from the parents view as to why they want to see what teens are putting on their pages. Boyd explains that because teens share too much on social media, it is harder for them to get the privacy they want due to the media causing the want for privacy to be ignored. I agree with this explanation because if you want privacy, why would you go and share things you wouldn't want anyone to see on social media? That doesn't make sense as to why would you throw out your personal lives on social media when you complain that your privacy is being invaded. I say, don't share anything on the social media you would regret later.

It's Complicated Chapter 1

Reading the first chapter of Danah Boyd's It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, was a little difficult for me to understand to be honest. However, there were somethings I understood like how kids created fictional names for their accounts online to make or find an identity of themselves. I didn't understand why they would hide themselves away from their friends and families if they weren't comfortable with them commenting or sharing their opinions on their accounts. There are teens who want to fit in with the crowd and try to show that off to the public online or they don't want to be isolated from those around them because they don't fit in the click. Others would create and identity to catch up with what was going on in the world and what new items were coming out at the time. Danah explains how she has seen kids follow posts that they thought were good to follow without thinking who can see them follow that post or how people might react to what they followed.

When I first started out on social media, I was not sure how anything worked or what was most popular with other kids at the time. As I grew to understand how things worked, I never once thought about how my family would see what I wrote in my posts or how I communicated with others because there was nothing to hide. Now I understand what this reading was about when it talked about how teens would hide themselves away in their fictional profiles or limit what they do on their profiles to keep their family from embarrassing them or reading the conversations they have with other people. I am not one to be very public with my account, I like to keep to myself or to my family and friends that I am close to. Reading this chapter, I found that their are kids who would block or limit what is shared to people on their pages because they don't want to be embarrassed by that one friend or family member that can not take a hint on how they don't need to comment on your posts. I found this strange because why would you share something you don't want anyone to see to the world on your post? If you don't want a family member or friend to comment on your post, then why would you share or say it?

Being parents with kids who are on their electronics can be hard because their kids are sharing and communicating with others online, but are spending less and less time with their families. My family had to find different activities to keep off the electronics and I thank them for that because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be very social with those around me and then that would be very awkward because you wouldn't know how to communicate with others face-to-face because of how much time you spend on the internet (social media).

Who I am.

Hi! My name is Amanda Colon. I am a Elementary Education major at Southern Connecticut University. I'm not sure on how to work a blog, but I will try my hardest. I enjoy playing with kids and would really love to work with them soon as an elementary teacher. I enjoy listening to music, watching criminal and medical shows, and I enjoy making random videos when I get bored. This blog is open to what everyone loves to do when they have free time or when your just bored.