iPads in the Classroom

What were the benefits of having a class set of iPads in the classroom?
     There were many benefits to having a class set of iPads. They made it easier to take notes. The iPads allowed us as students to type up whatever was being discussed in class quickly and efficiently. With the help of apps, we could save our notes for use at a later date. They were useful tools for studying. Using the Dropbox app for the iPad allowed for group projects to be done without trouble. We used to iPad to share information with our group. We took photos and video with it for projects. We then displayed our projects on the projector screen for our class to view. The iPads made class much simpler.

What were the limitations or problems with having a class set of iPads?
    There were few limitations to having a class set of iPads. One limitation was that there was not a one to one ratio of iPads to students. Other people were using our iPads in both the English and Science departments. We also were not permitted to take the iPads home with us. This would have made it less difficult to complete assignments. Also, having to share one email account between all of the iPads complicated things. We could only email things from the iPads. We were not allowed to send things to them because they would have all received the email.

Do you think that the school district should have more iPad carts for students to use or move to a 1:1 environment where all high students would have access to an iPad they would be able to take home and use during the school year?
     There should definitely be more iPads for the students to use. They make class easier and more fun. I think that the school district should move to a one to one environment. Being able to take the iPad home with them would open students up to a new world of possibilites. Perhaps it would even improve their work habits if they had such a useful device at their disposal. I think the iPad may have the potential to improve the grades of students. Maybe some students would find researching for papers on an iPad simpler. I think it would be a good idea to move to a one to one environment.

Original Gothic Lit Story

Faust Legend

Huck Finn Post 1

My first impressions of Huck are that he is very clever, though quite immature. He enjoys playing dangerous pranks on others. He prefers his ragged, worn clothes to the nice ones he is provided with. He follows Tom Sawyer for little reason. However, the things he manages to get away with are quite impressive. He can sneak out of the house through his window and not get caught. He also tends to question things. He questions the religious beliefs of others. Huck is smart, yet can air on the side of foolishness.

Transcendentalism Society Con/Pro Essay Question

Question: Do you think your society would be possible in today’s world?

    Swag Town is a Utopian society. It has rules set in place so that all of its residents may be happy. It has specific laws with specific consequences. It is meant to be ultimately safe and secure. However, there are numerous flaws in the way Swag Town is run and its regulations. Swag Town has some very good basic rules. However, Swag Town does not have a firm enough criminal justice system, an army, or an agricultural industry.
   There are some marvelous fundamental rules in Swag Town. Citizens are not allowed to mistreat each other. This ensures cooperation. The environment within the average workplace of Swag Town is perhaps unmatched in productivity. Everyone does a job which they enjoy. This ensures no civil unrest. There are some wonderful basic laws and regulations within the society of Swag Town, but there are many significant flaws as well. Swag Town has no agricultural industry.
   Swag Town has no way of growing their own food. Without food, the citizens of Swag Town would starve. Even if Swag Town imported all of their food, think of the prices they would have to pay. With no food exports whatsoever and all imported produce, Swag Town would be losing so much money that their economy would surely crash. This would cause massive inflation on all goods within Swag Town, especially food. The city would be thrown into horrible disarray and confusion due to riots. Swag Town also does not have a strong enough system of criminal justice.
   Swag Town’s criminal justice system is severely lacking, to say the least. There are no jails or prisons within the city. If a heinous crime were to be committed, the offender would have to be sent away via ship. They could possibly revolt with other prisoners whilst upon said ship. There is little to no law enforcement which patrols Swag Town. The harshest punishment is house arrest. Criminals could easily break free from the confines of their homes. This would cause mass panic and ultimately more trouble. The society of Swag Town has no military force.
   Swag Town is very much crippled by it’s lack of an army. If war were to be declared upon the society, there would be no more than a haphazardly thrown together army of civilians. These citizens would be poorly trained with little to no weaponry or equipment. Swag Town would surely fall to nearly any invaders. They just do not have a reliable defense. Swag Town would require a powerful army to be a successful society. They do not have the supplies needed to defend themselves in the event of an attack.
   Swag Town does have some excellent commodities for its citizens. It has very good basic laws and regulations. But, that is just the problem. They are too basic. There is no way Swag Town would be able to be a functioning society. Swag Town would require an agricultural industry, a stronger criminal justice system, and a powerful military in order to be a successful society.

Walden Essay

Henry David Thoreau’s time in the woods may seem like nothing. It may seem like time wasted. It may seem like time lost. It may seem like simply the musings of a lonely man. It may even seem that Thoreau was insane to have actually spent two months, two years, and two days away from the rest of society. But it was not. Thoreau’s time in the forest was time well-spent, not time wasted.

    Thoreau spent two years, two months, and two days in the forest. No one at that time who could afford not to had dared to do such a thing before. He lived simply. He grew his own food. He observed all of the nature around him and wrote about it. He lived in a simple manner. He lived only in a cabin. No one had thought about doing that. Everybody believed Thoreau to be a strange man. But, he was just a man beyond his own time. His musings on his general surroundings were simple, yet profound. They shape the thoughts of man today. Thoreau’s time spent in the woods was also very important to society today.
    Thoreau’s time spent in the forest was very productive because he wrote many interesting and important things. In fact, if his writings were not important, then society would not still teach about them today. People still bring up Thoreau’s writings in modern arguments about the environment and how industrialism and expansionism threaten to destroy important parts of nature. Thoreau’s writings may not have been relevant back when he wrote them, but they certainly are today. The human population can all learn from what Thoreau has written. Thoreau was a very intelligent man. His writings have much to offer. They are even pertinent to society today. Everyone learns from his writings today.
    Society is still learning from Thoreau’s journals today. People payed him no mind at first. But, later, everyone realized the monumental impact his work could have. Expert researchers still view Thoreau’s journals today when making decisions based on industrialism. Much of Thoreau’s work is studied by students in schools. Thoreau is still teaching us today.
    Henry David Thoreau’s time in the woods was not all for not. He spent two years, two months, and two days in a cabin. He ate food he grew on his own patch of land. He was able to do something that no wealthy man had attempted or thought of seriously before. He wrote his musings in his journals. These musings were very important. He was able to teach society through his journals well after his death. Henry David Thoreau’s time spent in the forest was not wasted; not at all.
    

The Dead Poet's Society Follow Up Post

There are many consequences to being a transcendentalist within the movie “The Dead Poet’s Society”. These consequences are dire in nature. They are almost impossible to avoid. You could become an outcast. You could lose your job. You could even get hurt. For example, the teacher in the movie loses his job. You can become an outcast from the outside world. Many people might not agree with your beliefs. The one boy within the movie ends up getting the crap kicked out of him because of his belief that he should seize the day and go after a girl with a boyfriend. There are many consequences when it comes to transcendentalism. These are but a few.