Blog 4.4 My CAT test

Luis Palacio

Today is Friday the 3^rd and yesterday was a very stressful day for me because I had to take my CAT test. But I am so relieved now that it is over, and I can go back to the usually. When I woke up that morning all my thoughts were focus on those couple of hours even though I had two classes before the test. But I knew I was fully prepared for the test because I saw my improvements on a weekly basis and I had one heck of a good teacher. He taught me so much and I was just so anxious to get it over with. I remember going over everything I remembered for the test and I kept telling myself “Luis you got to pass, you’re going to pass” like a million times throughout the day.

  By the time the test was over I realized that I had nothing to worry about. I felt confident that I would get the highest grade in my class from the way I felt I did on that test. I finished under a good amount of time but I went over that thing twice, I wasn’t trying to lose not one point for anything that I could have corrected. I can’t wait till tomorrow  I plan to go online every second to check if I passed even though I know I did, I still want to see it to give myself that confidence boost that I greatly need.

blog 4.3 CAT "The Shallows"

The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains

In an article I recently read titled “The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains” written by Nicholas Carr. He talks about how Google to him is making people stupid. And he gives some good points to why he makes such a statement. He goes into what makes us as humans intelligent, and he states that it is by thinking deeply on whatever information you are trying to learn about. Mr. Carr also talks about what could be distractions when you are trying to gain knowledge.

While reading the article that Nicholas Carr courageously released about Google he asked a question. Is Google making us stupid? And my claim is that I agree with him, it is making us stupid and should be used less and for more serious needs. Even though my opinion is that Google is making us stupid I got to admit that I use it about ten times a day and I like it very much. But the evidence that Mr. Carr talks about in his article opened my eyes. It also worries me that Google is doing many things to our minds and I know it wasn’t there intention to be a huge distraction for a great multitude of people.

When I read the article and saw what really makes us intelligent is our ability to think deeply about the information we are trying to learn about, that was so simple and so true. Mr. Carr talks about how brain Scientist has discovered that; that can only happen when our minds are calm and attentive. And you got to be honest with yourself when you’re on Google or on your cell phone you most likely would not be calm and attentive. Cause when I’m doing home work online and use Google for a little fast help I end up getting distracted from what I was doing because I would just keep going deeper and deeper into the links of whatever got my attention. Nicholas Carr even talks about it when he says “that’s the problem with Google and with the internet in general. When we use our computers and cell phones all the time, we’re always distracted”.

I feel that Google is making us stupid because I tend to look around me and see that when I’m in school some students have trouble thinking in class. Let’s say the teacher asks a questions it is always the same two or three students that answers mostly because they are very good thinkers and as Mr. Carr says “The greater our concentration, the richer our thoughts” and those good thinkers are very calm and attentive and therefore can give answers and debate with the teacher. I remember one time my class was asked a question that was hard and I had a thought why not Google the answer. It’s funny cause I even saw someone doing what I had thought sitting next to me Googling the answer. I was being one of those people distracting myself from deep thinking and trying to find the information quickly. I was depriving myself from gaining intelligence.

As I said in my claim Google should be used less and for more serious needs. Because if you’re trying to get work done you shouldn’t be on Google unless you have to find an answer you can’t seem to answer. You should just turn off your cell phone and sit somewhere quite to concentrate on your work because you will keep getting texts or calls that will distract you. And as Nicholas Carr said “if we’re distracted, we understand less, remember less, and learn less”.  After reading this article I plan to truly do my best to focus and not use Google so much because I agree with Mr. Carr when he says that “it’s also encouraging us to think superficially. We don’t even bother nowadays to try and understand our work we just Google it up and rite the answer. We all need to understand that we’re making it a necessity in our lives. Just imagine you have a major test one day and you never really focused but got most of your answer from Google for the class work. And when you’re there with that pen in your hands and that blank sheet you’re going to be sitting there all scatterbrained as Mr. Carr puts it wishing you could go on Google for help.

To conclude my essay I want to point out the last paragraph in the article “The Shallows” when Nicholas says “you’ll never Google your way to brilliance” it’s funny but very true. He ends his article by telling you if you’re interested in developing your mind you should turn off your computer and cell; and just begin to think, really thinking.  That is how I choose to end mines also go out in the world and think, really think deeply to whatever it is your thinking about.

CAT 5 blog 4.2

Rewired

Luis Palacio

I read an article written by Larry Rosen called “Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn”. In it he states “that most children and teens spend so much time “plugged in” and this causes health problems including obesity. Then he begins to talk about School work and technology and how the internet and mobile devices should be used as teaching tools. I agree with what he is saying about technology being used to better help school kids with their work.

Rosen talks about how the use of these technological devices causes health problems but it is a need in school when it comes to teaching. I feel that kids and teens should be allowed only four hours of tech time each day. And by doing so can help them do their work and decrease the percentage of any health problems occurring.

To me Larry Rosen's main ideas of this article was to state how technologies are needed as teaching tools, and how it causes health problems if you are plugged into them for too long. I feel that his formula for the problem is off. If you ask me thirty minutes of non-tech work being done followed by one hour of tech work being done, nothing at all will get done. I say this mainly because I was once a kid, and if I did home work for thirty minutes then was allowed an hour to do some of it online. I would spend the online time chatting with my friend instead of doing my home work. That is why I feel that kids and teens should be allowed only four hours of tech time each day. Two hours for school work and two for their social life. If you give them such a little amount of time to chat and stuff with their friends they are going to use their school work time for chatting like I did. By giving them a good amount time to do both you will increase their work productivity. They will most likely concentrate on their school work to get it over with so that they can have a little more time being “plugged in” as Rosen stated.

And to discuss one of his main issues about being “plugged in” for too long leading to health problems; I will say this again that is why I recommend four hours of tech time. I remember my brother always on the computer watching movies and playing games, then at the end of the day he will tell my mom his eyes hurt. When we took him to the doctor we found out that he needed glasses for straining his eyes so much from being in front of that monitor. Only if he had four hours of being plugged in two for school work and two for fun, he wouldn’t be looking like a geek with his huge glasses. Also by decreasing the amount of time being allowed to be plugged into your computer, you probably would be doing something more energetic; meaning playing in the park instead of sitting and eating junk that would lead to obesity. I had a very intelligent little cousin that did all his work in school and by the time he got home he was playing games online. He wasn’t given a limit to how long he could stay plugged in so that was all he did. Two months went by and he gained 17 pounds, then his mom started to cut his tech time an encouraged him to go outside and play. But by then it was too late because he was use to it. You wouldn’t want to see my cousin now he is extremely Obese. So please parents out there set a good time for your kids and enforce it. That is one way you can help them with their school work and make sure they are staying healthy.

newschool099: CATW # 5

newschool099: CATW # 5: " In the article ' How to do One Thing at a Time' by Nancy Jones in Women's health magazine, the author begins to explain that a lar..."

I feel that you had a clear responce to the article you wrote about and you summarized it well. You had a good claim that agrees with the author and also states your own. I feel your essay has a good structured order. When it comes to Language you did ok but you could do better, your sentences and word choice can cause you to lose points if you don't work on it. And the same goes for your grammar and mechanics. My opinion overall is that you did a great job and this essay is a definite pass if you ask me.

Blog 3.5 CATW#4

CATW #4

Luis palacio

Let Them Eat Fat

As I began to read an article called Let Them Eat Fat, it opened my eyes on the things we eat in our communities. People should just eat fat as the title of the article talks about, because what we are doing to ourselves is very bad. People should eat more home cook meals then fast food meals.

As I read the article written by Greg Critser I realized that what he said is so true. When he talks about how striving Americans target poor inner-city communities, and how one out of every four hamburgers sold by McDonalds is now being purchased by inner-city consumers who are mostly young black men. He also shows what is happening when we eat so much of the fast food meals with the total caloric content being pushed up pass the daily levels we should be on.

I feel that everyone should eat more home cook meals than fast food meals because it might be way healthier depending on what you’re cooking. At home you can cook more protein-rich food instead of it being protein-poor and fat-rich. You can save more money than you would if you cook meals at home because it will last for a couple of days. And that means less spending if you got something to eat with you.

You got to realize that what Greg Critser is saying is for your benefit. You shouldn’t eat so much fast food meals. And realize that we are being targeted because of our need for cheap meals outside the home. Growing up being in the same situation I fully understand why we buy fast food because that’s all we can buy at times. But if you’re going to be subject into eating these fatty foods at least make a stand and fight for these fast food restaurants to make healthier food.

Reading this article made me more aware of what I should be eating, especially the last sentence of it when Critser said “the fact that the easy availability of these huge meals arrives in the same years in which physical activity among teenage boys and girls drop about half”. That sentence right there made me recall a show I watched a long time ago. About a man that ate McDonalds 30 days straight to show people what the effects are when eating so much fast food. When he began this little project of his to show the world the effect it was amazing. If I’m not mistaken he gain 40 pound in just one month of eating McDonalds. He showed us the proof we needed to believe it really was a problem. Teenage boys and girls should be physically active in school and home but instead they are just eating fat.

To conclude I feel that we need to focus on eating healthier cooked meals than what we get at these fast food restaurants. We should realize the fact that if we are in these inner-city communities what is going on around us and how it affects us. And as Greg Critser said “suffice it to say that consumption of said meals is fast and, in almost every instance I observe, very complete.” We still should focus on eating complete meals that are healthy and not protein-poor but fat and carbohydrate-rich.