Cellphones, useful even to make a call.

Cellphones. How much time can we stay away from a cellphone these days? We use our cellphones to set our alarms, to write down our to-do lists, to take pictures, to record videos and sometimes, even to make a call or send a text message (haha). I’ve heard some stories from my grandfather in which he tells about how people “survived” thirty years ago without a cellphone.  They had to organize all their meetings several hours before the time by the phone and they were supposed to be punctual as they were not able to let their friends or bosses know they were arriving late. Nowadays, it’s hard to believe that someone could have organized his/her entire life without a cellphone’s help.

At the beginning, the cellphone was a brick look-like device that was used only to make calls and send text messages. From a one colored-screen technology the cellphone went to full colored screens. Nowadays, cellphones even count with 3D technology so we can watch TV or movies in our cellphones! These devices are an important part of our lives during these days. It is very common to see 10-yearls old kids carrying a cellphone on the streets, calling their friends, playing video games and so on so FORT. We cannot imagine one day without our beloved cellphone.

Cellphones are very useful and, at the same time, very fun to use. But, we should be more aware of the real use of these devices. Sometimes, it becomes more important to be able to watch TV in a cellphone than to have good signal in order to make calls. Technology is consuming us, and we are doing nothing but texting how fun it is to be consumed.

Credit Cards: Great Invention or a Dead End?

There are many inventions which have changed our lives in a major or minor way. Some of them have become necessities, and some others, just luxuries disguised as necessities. For me, one of the inventions which is a luxury disguised as necessity is the credit card. Credit Cards are small pieces of plastic which allows us to buy or pay for whatever we want without money. We are not afraid of being robbed and it is not necessary to save money for long periods of time in order to buy something. Yes, they may be a big help whenever people needs to afford something without having the cash. It sounds amazing, but we have to accept that not all people use credit cards just for matters of need. When we enter a store, we are banged by a spectrum of stuff which tempts us to own them: marvelous cell phones, colossal LED televisions, sophisticated clothes, luxurious furniture, etc. For the middle class (the bulk of the people) it is impossible to afford them with the salary they have. Any solutions? You know the answer! Evidently, companies can’t lose; on the contrary, they have to take advantage of this immense of opportunity to make money: Interests! That’s the key. For instance, you use a credit card to buy a laptop. It originally costs 300.000 pesos. The cost is divided into 24 payments. Each month, because of interests and charges of the credit card, 7.000 pesos are added to the total of your monthly bill. At the end, you pay almost 168.000 pesos extra, apart from the cost of the laptop. This amount may be larger, depending on the interests imposed by each company. And you have been finally caught. Is it possible to get rid of credit cards or have we entered a dead end? Consider that consumerism has become part of our lives.

TV or not TV

Some people say that it is a bad influence, especially for children; some others say that it is a good tool for entertainment and getting information, but who didn’t spend a Friday night watching a movie when we still couldn’t go out to party?

First was a huge box with knobs for turning on/off, changing channels and volume, and with a no so good black and white image; fortunately, some years later it changed to color and the remote control was invented. Now, after several years, we are able to enjoy of a pretty good quality of image, even in 3D and HD which place you right into the scene or movie you are watching; sound effects that make you feel like you have the cinema in your house, and so on. But without doubts, the most important thing is the information we get from it.

Years ago, we had to wait days or weeks for getting images of an important event that happened in a different country or region, but nowadays we have up dated news every day and we can even watch events in the exactly same moment of happening, a good example of it was the well-known 9/11 incident in the US which in a matter of minutes was worldwide known. We can also learn and entertain ourselves through it thanks to paid TV; there we find channels for everyone: cartoons for little kids, movies and series for spending some free time, documentaries for learning more about a specific topic we are studying, or just to get more knowledge about random things.

In the end, good or bad, and even though sometimes we get more information than what we can catch and understand, truth is that TV is part of our lives and although we complain we can’t live without watching it.

Children and videogames

It is incredible how much technology and science has made for us. From cures for some diseases to the smallest entertaining devices. It has always called my attention how easily children get attached to video games, and I have always wondered whether it is good for them or not. My experience as a game player is not deep, nor long, but I can tell I had friends in school that were quite into all kinds of video games, whether they were of adventure, role-playing, or strategy, among others. They always said how much these video games had helped them to learn English, and to become better and faster at solving quick problems. From what I have read, playing video games is, actually, a good tool for acquiring skills, and they help avoiding some learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and hyperactivity disorders. The issue states when there is no control over what kind of video games children play, and experts have told that it is parents' responsibility to mentor that their kids play adequate games for their age. In my opinion, we need to keep our children away from violent games, and encourage them to complement this with other activities, such as reading books and playing sports. I would like you to tell me your experience as video games players and to give me your views on whether video games are useful at learning or not. Would you let your children spend hours in front of a television and a console, or a computer?

It's "Nerdvolution," Baby—or Is It?

Am I the only one who has still been looking for one of those ring toss water games that were incredibly ubiquitous in parks and carnivals after all these years? I can assure that most of you, as well, were able to spend even hours trying to solve this dreadfully knotty duty—passing a horde of diminutive colourful rings through spidery see-through pointy sticks is not such a piece of cake! However, this is not the end of the story; au contraire, this is just the beginning; the dawning of a new era of gamers that will explore and live the games as far as no one has tried before.

                Ring toss games were just the foundation of a broad collection of what now is the prime trend not only among the faultily unfashionable nerds, but also those who just do not have the nerve to acknowledge their inner geek. Later on, bricks succeeded rings; why spending a whole afternoon putting rings on a stick when you can enjoy about ten thousand games with lovely brick graphics in one portable device? At least, that is what many of us thought until the first Game Boy’s showed up.

                In our time we see more “sophisticated” versions of the games we used to play as children, such as “Super Mario Bros.,” “Bomberman,” “Sonic...”  However, game industry has gone down a little bit; it is just a matter of appearance nowadays... Gamers look for better graphics and wireless controls; but real gamers stick to the good old pixelled “Atari” and “SNES”. Games are more than being able to see the buttocks of a princess.

Computers in our Lives

I still remember my first computer. A big, heavy, and white machine that emitted an annoying sound—similar to an old truck—every time I turned it on. It used to take its time when opening a file and not even mention when reading a “disquete”.  Of course I did not have internet, if so; can you imagine how long would I had to wait for it to charge a webpage?

The computer is believed to have been invented in 1936, of course it was an enormous machine that looked nothing like the computers we have nowadays. Little by little this large apparatus has been evolving until turn to what it is now. At first computers had scientific and mathematical purposes. In the actual world, these appliances do not seem to have limits.

 Computers have evolve in so many ways; shape, weight, size, speed, capacity, among others. Each of these changes have been made in order to make our lives simpler.

Notebooks, netbooks, tablets, and smart phones are very useful and necessary. Some of them are very sophisticated. Now they have a variety of designs and colors, you can take and use them wherever you want Every year we will have new and more advanced types of computers, which surely will be smaller and will provide us significant tools which will help us in our jobs and in our daily life in general.

Years before, we were able to live without a computer at home. We spent our free time reading, taking a walk, or interacting face to face with our family and friends. We were to the library to search for information to do our homework. Now, we have it all in our computers.

Apart from the easement that computers provide. Could you live without them?

The Evolution of the Computer

Interconnected generation.

When was the last time you bought a newspaper? Have you ever written and sent a letter to a girl/friend or boy/friend?

Those are things we used to do “back in time”, when paper had a predominant role in our lives. Nowadays the most popular channel to keep in touch with anybody is World Wide Web, where we can read/watch news; send e-mails, playing on-line games. Its speed, its immediacy and the huge amount of information available for us have, in some way, made us dependent to it.

The World Wide Web (very well known as www, Web or W3) is the universe of system-accessible information, in which any of us is allowed to search for data, to upload data, to communicate with someone who lives in the other side of the world, to watch movies, to listen to music, and plenty of another tasks.

This platform began as a project of information management network in the 80’s by the British computer scientist and professor Timothy John Berners-Lee. Creating, in this way, for the first time successful communication between collaborative information system and a server via Internet. The difference between the www and the internet relies on information sharing of the first one and the travel of the info through a variety of languages.

So, the combination of those two projects is the responsible for spending too many time in front our computers.  Do you think you could live without any connection? Can you go on vacations without looking your facebook profile? Have you ever imagine how your life would be 30 years ago?  

The gold of the future: Paper!

Nowadays, people underestimate its value because they are get use to have it everywhere, but paper can be considered as one of the most important human inventions of all times. Paper is much more important in Universal History than we may think. Actually, paper was essential in developing the history of human interactions. When the first kind of paper known was invented by the ancient Egyptians, a “papyrus” to write about their culture and religious ceremonies, they could not imagine the impact that their creation was going to bring. The first paper was made using strips from the papyrus reeds. Then, Chinese people improved that version, creating sheets similar to what we know today. With the press invention, paper took a crucial role. Now, it was necessary to keep on it the most important facts of history of all the countries around the world. Paper made the connection between people and their past, present, and future ideals. Also, it became fundamental because on it are contained the most important books in the Universal History, such as the Bible, Shakespeare’s books, or the tales of the Arabian Nights. Today, paper is in all the places to keep a tangible record of our lives. We can find it in our birth certificate, baptism papers, high school diplomas, pictures, diaries, etc. However, paper has been threatened by new technologies, as the internet and the online version of the newspapers that we used to read in paper. Also, the global warming and deforestation problems make difficult to produce it, so we can say that, in a few years, paper will be considered as gold: something precious that not everybody will have the opportunity to acquire because of its high value.

Smartphone's with Not-So-Smart Users

A Smartphone is a device that has not only the same features as a cell phone, but also some characteristics of a computer; for example, Wi-Fi, a “Microsoft Word” documents editor, and, of course, the most popular characteristic nowadays, “Whatsapp,” a mobile instant messenger.

Many people are using this kind of cell phones because it is more convenient to them, given that these devices are far lighter than a laptop. On the other hand, they are extremely addictive; you can notice it by looking for a few seconds at the people around you on the streets or even in your classroom; people chatting or checking “Facebook” every two seconds!

Personally, I am not against these cell phones at all; however, the thing that really bothers me is the fact that people are becoming more and more oblivious about things that happen around them; for instance, I saw a girl who got almost hit by a bus because she was text messaging while she was crossing the street and she did not realize that the light switched to red.

It is also very frustrating that you need to tell something to a person, but he or she cannot hear you because this person is too busy reading what “Twitter” says!

Again, I am totally not against these devices, but you should keep this in mind: Smartphone’s are not as important as what goes on in the real world; you must be aware of what happens around you.

The Pipe of Life

Tapped water system has been  one of the most important technological development of our modern life. Though, it has been present in human history for the last 2,500 years, since the ancient greek built the first irrigation mechanical system, until the modern computerized pressure pumps of the mega cities, water supply has been a key factor to society development. It has shaped the way we built our cities.  I has changed the way we conceive our life. Modern water supply systems has made the difference between first world and third world countries.

From the very first moment we open the tap, or we take a shower, those little actions that we take for granted, we are defining the way we live. Water defines the way we communicate, watter defines the way we look, smell or feel about our bodies. Water is the key ingredient for the development of agriculture, hence the development of the human civilization. Therefore, a system that provides constant and clean water has been a key technological advance.

So, the next time you take a long shower, think of the 2500 year tradition of tech, placed there, just for you to have clear water.  How would our lives be without tapped water?

Movable type printing machine

This marvelous machine developed by gutenberg in 1439 allowed the spread of the written word to the world. Why would this be important being so far away in time? If we think about it, books used to be THE source of knowledge in those inimaginable times when the iternet had not even been thought to be invented yet. Throughout time books have been not only source of knowledge but also an important way to spread ideas, to develop critical thinking and to preserve culture. We now know about ancient cultures and history of the world because someone, somewhere thought of having a written record of what was going on. Even if we have the marvelous invention of the internet now, the information we can find on it has to come from somewhere. Have you ever asked yourself where this continous flow of information started? Can you imagine a world where information cannot be expresed or spread quickly and effectively? A lot of "revolutions", that I know about, wouldn't have been possible if the flow of information had been as slowas it was before the movable type printing machine had been invented

See an Easier Life through Glasses

When somebody asks us which may be an important object that has changed our lives, we tend to think in the more complex, technological objects; it is understandable because we see them as the big changes. But, have you ever thought of a simpler element that has changed your life? I did it and, after only a few minutes of careful thinking, I found one: Glasses.

I don’t have to wear glasses yet—the overuse of my laptop will lead me to do it. However, I know how important they are for people who have vision problems. Glasses avoid being limited by a failure in a sense, and make life easier. Activities like reading or watching TV could be a torture without them. Taking as an example a university student’s life, think how difficult could be read what the professor wrote in the whiteboard. Glasses not only help to see better, but also to decrease the damage in the eye. Today, people can choose between glasses or contact lens; this is related with the esthetical aspect of the person, because for some people is very hard to wear them. In brief, glasses help us, protect the eyes and avoid potential damages. So, what could be your life without glasses (if you have to wear them)? What is better: contacts or glasses? Could we find another element that will play the role of the glasses in the coming years?

An efficient heater

Ever since it started being part of our lives, the microwave oven has helped us significantly. Its invention has certainly made our lives easier in the sense that now you can save time since you don’t need to be stirring your food every 10 or 20 seconds. It also can save money because you can reheat previously-cooked foods and you don’t need to throw them in the garbage. Now, think about how much it means to have a microwave oven to the people who can’t make it to their homes at lunch because they are at work, or even better, let’s think about ourselves: isn’t it great to have the opportunity to bring your own meal to college and being able to heat it up? Although you can buy a nice hot lunch, it is cheaper to bring your own food. Think about every time you have prepared a melted cheese sandwich, or heated up that delicious chocolate you drink in the mornings for breakfast. Sounds excellent to have such an efficient service, but is it always good to heat up food and other things in the microwave oven? Or do you think is better to just cook something every time you are hungry? By the way, does the microwave damage the nutrients in food?

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Carrera de Pedagogía en Inglés

English 6

Blogging task

Mónica S. Cárdenas & Millaray Salas

Description

The blogging task is a space for interaction that we have created as part of our class. We hope this becomes a platform to express freely, exchange ideas and reflections. The blog can be also used as a platform to share materials and links that can help us expand our knowledge about science and technology and any other related issue discussed in class.

Guidelines:

·        The blogging tasks officially opens on September 3^rd, but we will set up a trial task to ensure everybody knows how to blog well ahead of time.

·        You should initiate a minimum of 10 discussions/entries on any of the topics we will cover in class. You need to have five entries done before October 5^th and the other at least two weeks before the semester ends (November 16^th).

·        Each entry should be between 200-250 words.

·        For each entry, include a short intro or topic sentence, develop your idea and finish with an open-ended question that prompts discussion.

·        You should respond to at least 10 entries posted by your classmates. Your response could support, expand and/or contradict your classmates’ opinion, by presenting a clear argument and using some kind of evidence to back up your claim.

·        You should produce high quality entries that further discussion and reflection. We are interested in the quality of your argumentation, especially as evidence of critical thinking skills.

·        Do not wait until the end of the semester to engage with the blogging community.

Here some tips for your entries:

·        Entries should be only written in English.

·        Proofread your post before submitting it. Check your spelling, grammar and even your use of language. Make sure you do not offend anyone with your comments.

·        Use clear and academic language. Avoid sarcasm and profanity.

·        Respect yourself and your readers´ time. Do not post unnecessary materials or get your comments linked to unsuitable sites.

·        Blogging is a community activity, and as such, it requires from you to get involved. Reply to your classmates only if you feel you have something “smart” to say.

·        Avoid posts that simply confirm or reject information.

·        Use pictures and/or media to reinforce your point not just for “decoration”.

Assessment:

·        The blogging task will be worth 20% of the total grade of the course. You will receive feedback from your professor (10%) as well as from two classmates (5% each).

·        For the peer-feedback part of the assessment, two of your classmates will be randomly selected and asked to assess your work using the rubrics for evaluation provided for that purpose.

Key dates

Date	Activity
August 20th	Group training & first task
Sept 3rd	Blog officially opens
October 5th	Peer assessment due
November 16th	Blog officially closes
November 20	Peer assessment due