Reflections on failure

The most accurate title for this post would probably be: an-excuse-to-explain-why-I'm-failing-my-digital-civilizations-class-which-I-found-while-studying-behavior-modifications-theories-and-how-I-can-still-succeed-in-life. But let's get real, who is going to be interested in such a wordy blog post heading. Especially when we lose concentration after the first two sentences of a professor speaking. And with 50 other students busily posting relevant, world changing, socially proofed posts, what are the chances of this being read in the first place?

With such a fatalistic view on the situation, I suppose I shouldn't really feel bad for rambling, if no one is going to read it, it can be as long and run-on, with improperly placed commas, as I want it. So here are a few of my mental vomits.

Reinforcement Contingencies: theories to explain the relationship between behavior and consequences. aka smart people's observations on why we act the way we act and what they can do to make us act differently.
      These consist of techniques such as positive reinforcement, punishment, escape, avoidance, and extinction (the last is the most foreboding sounding if you ask me). When we are involved in an organization they generally use these various techniques, most are somewhat self explanatory- if you reward a behavior the possibility for it to happen in the future increases, if you punish it, it decreases. But what if you ignore it? That's what that final contingency states- if you ignore a behavior it will eventually become extinct.


Historical Connection (if personal history counts)


Sometimes I feel like my efforts for participation in the digital world have come to extinction. I posted the first couple weeks, but because I didn't have certain people as friends-- aka the TA, I didn't get any credit for it.

Okay, my fault. I added the TA.

Then my blog posts were severely lacking, they didn't have social proof, little combination of historical and digital connections. Alright, I can work on that.

We had presentations, I put my heart and soul into those presentations. I worked on formulating ideas that seemed like they had been trending and that had a deep personal connection. My group presented on the first day and among the PowerPoint slides of death we brought a breath of fresh air with our carefully constructed attempt to weave in history, media, current social topics, as well as address the issue of having ideas for the final project. We brought in conversation, debate, shared Google docs. My effort for the presentation was unnoticed, but a spark was lit.

I post, but with little heart. My ideas are falling on deaf, attention deficit ears. So I concoct another idea for the next presentation-- use a concept proposed by a professor that I actually happen to really love (gamification), find a sweet spot among the group (government) and then revolutionize the presentation by joining the presentation groups, combining just the right amount of lecture time with participation time.

And still my grade is a 46%. I understand. The grade doesn't reflect my self worth, it reflects the amount of blog posts I have published and shared and the comments that are seen and are "relevant". I deserve the 46%.

If it sounds like I am tooting my own horn, it's because I am. I do enjoy the class, I have been introduced into a whole new world of technology and the concept of connections between history and today's current topics is an intriguing avenue that I hadn't thought of previously. I use prezi's in all my classes now, I actually get on Google+, and I feel like I know what I'm talking about when random social issues and technological conversation arises.

However, I do have to echo the sentiments of a few fellow classmates that most of the time I don't really understand what's going on. What is expected of me? Is creativity really encouraged? At times it feels more like any attempts at blog posts end in contrived and terribly vague connections that I'm not passionate about or that someone else has already posted-- resulting in another draft that will never be seen by anyone else. And yet part of me is okay with that.

Reflections continued on numbers and lists

• 15-  Davids in my life
• 3- David's I have dated
• 0- David's I had a successful relationship with
• 17.5-  credits I am registered for
• 14- credits I anticipated on taking this semester
• 6- blog posts that have actually been published
• 12-  drafts that are waiting for completion
• 0- blog posts that have had comments from professors
• 2- topics that have really caught my eye in class discussion (education reform, political involvement)
• 5- presentations that I have zoned out in (usually not the entire time)
• 63- days to my wedding
• 16- colored pencils always on hand
• 6.5- average hours of sleep I received per night this week
• 3.3- miles I ran outside yesterday
• 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000- my potential 

Participation in Government: but which one?

While looking on Google+ for information on participation in Government I stumbled upon a lot of things, geospatial information systems that make government information more accessible to the public, international Google+ posters with concerns of open government across the globe and... a blog post from Bryan Mulker in our class. 

Bryan discusses "We the People" which is an amazing tool that provides a simple way that allows you to be involved in issues that you care about and to connect with others who have similar beliefs. 

It'd be great if you voted for the next president and your single vote swayed the elections (which I suppose may be a possibility if you sit in the electoral college). Although this isn't always possible, there are a lot of opportunities to get involved in your government, even at local levels. In fact, your participation at the community level will probably have more of a direct impact on your life and seeing how much your community needs you may inspire you more than you think.

I have always been an avid biker, but over this past summer I began to be involved in the Provo Bike Committee. Basically it's a collection of bikers (anyone is welcome), city council members, and even the mayor. They organized events, spread education about biking and biking safety, keep up a sweet blog, and even work to get more bike friendly legislation. It's empowering to know that your voice makes a difference. I now take a greater satisfaction riding my bike, it's not just recreation any more, it's a passion. Getting involved doesn't just improve the system, it improves you.

Let's Do It

While running today I watched a TED talk about an amazing invention that allows you to draw with a pair of sunglasses:

I loved the idea, but even more than that, the last line of Mick Ebeling just kept repeating in my head: 

If not now, then when. If not me, then who. 

It made me think about our class project, although we may not have a concrete idea just yet, although we are just a bunch of college student, we are impassioned and we are motivated. Mick got together with a bunch of "hackers" and combining their talents and passion they were able to create something amazing. 

Progression is about revolution of thought and trying new ides. Mike and his team didn't deal with the issue as it had been dealt with in the past-- like raise enough money to buy a Stephen Hawkin's machine. Instead they came up with a new idea, a new way of viewing things-- literally. 

So how will we revolutionize our world? Although we may not know the specifics, it is safe to say whatever we choose we will not go small. We will make a change. 

Everything you could ever want: with only one catch

Call it what you may, lack of funds, access, or caring, I have never been one at the "cutting edge" when it comes to... well... pretty much anything. I'm not fashionable, not genius, and not all that up-to-date with my newest versions of technology. It gives me a bit of a leg to stand on though when it comes to buyers remorse,  how can you regret a purchase that you have never made and growing up I have never wanted to be so enthralled with getting that I didn't appreciate what I already got. I do feel though at times disadvantaged.

Upon taking this class and suddenly being expected to be "in the loop", I felt somewhat overwhelmed. I don't even have a laptop that I can bring to class. Watching every other student's face glued intently to their screen, I felt that maybe I was missing out on something. Yet, on the other hand, we've lived thousands of years without computers, our personal electronic IVs into the vast stream of the internet world. After reading an interesting article about the pros and cons of the internet, I decided to create my own sort of list.

Pros of being in the loop of budding edge technology:

• Talking points: This is a personal one for me. I am engaged and my soon-to-be sister-in-law is a tech nerd. Whenever there is a family gathering she and my fiance spend their time discussing old Nintendo games, programming, and the latest news in technology. Over Christmas they had a lively discussion about SOPA, but since I was unenlightened on the topic I didn't have much to contribute. 
• Knowledge = power: Where there is knowledge there is greater opportunity. As a Public Health major I study about the health conditions in many developing countries and one of the biggest concerns is the lack of knowledge. Knowledge that we take for granted in the United States, like washing your hands with soap before you eat or prepare food, the importance of vaccines, and other issues can save thousands of lives world wide. And yet there are still hundreds of thousands of children dying worldwide because of cholera, measles, and many preventable diseases. With the advancement of technology there is also opportunity to quickly and widely disseminate knowledge and educate new populations.
• Interactive: It allows the world to become just a little smaller as you meet new people and stay in touch with the old ones. There's an iphone application that I use that allows me to text for free to my Korean friends and otherwise I might lose my friends (and my language ability). 
• Easy: It makes life so easy with supplmental apps and aids- google maps, astronomy, hanja study, weather, scheduling
• Makes money: its my job, makes jobs more efficient
• Enhances education

Dangers of getting entangled in the loop:

• Addiction: It's easy for anyone to access and without any real controls it is easy to spend hours with technology, to the detriment of other life obligations. 
• Loss of reality or social ability
• Security issues: loss of passwords, hacking, etc.
• What do you trust?: Anyone can post their opinions making some materials unreliable. How can you really tell what is or isn't valid?

Tech Ed: there is no < /learning >

In a world of constantly changing technology and societies, we cannot allow our educations be hindered by a technology phobia. Agility and adaptation are important. Although our government and general educational system may be archaic in nature, we cannot allow ourselves to be. There are too many opportunities that are opened up with technology to ignore it.

Especially in under developed areas where there isn't access to higher education, having access to technology can really open doors.

I still remember archaic middle school classes about using word, excel, and powerpoint. I remember feeling proficient because I could type 40 WPM and make a couple of spreadsheets. As time continued, I learned more programs, introduced to Adobe and the wonders of embedded videos, blogging, and social media.

Then it just kind of stopped. I had learned enough. I knew that there were new technologies, friends with iPhones and iPads and iDon't even know what they will think of next. I knew how to check my email, I could connect with old High School friends, and I knew how to create a document to complete my assignments. Why would I ever worry about "keeping up with the cutting edge". Besides, I didn't need them, technology created addictions and caused lost productivity from hours on Facebook.

And one day I realized that I had developed a technological phobia. Not that I couldn't use the technology that, but there seemed to be this barrier to new learning. C++, Java, these were swear words that I avoided.  I stepped back and realized that I had become one of the senior citizens who I always feared becoming who is afraid of computers and avoids it even if it could open up a new connection between them and their grandchildren. And I was only 23!

In an attempt to over come this phobia, I enrolled in a free 12 hour training to learn the basics of Dreamweaver. I was again immersed in learning and as I learned how to work with this program, my creative juices again began flowing as I began thinking of new designs and website outlines. As an added benefit, I suddenly had conversation topics for my soon-to-be sister-in-law.

The Hunt for Humanism and Education

Is the education system that we know today broken?

                         What makes a good education? 

What makes a bad education?

My oldest sister is a big proponent of home school. In High School I spent a lot of time with her and we listened to a lot of recorded lectures, including one entitled "The 4 lost American Ideals" by Oliver DeMille who is a big proponent of a Thomas Jefferson Education. Although I can't find it online, here is a video with a brief overview of their thoughts:

This basically says that you shouldn't worry about the institution of education, but instead focus on learning. This involves delving into topics that inspire you and students will direct their own learning while teachers become only mentors who provide some direction, but mostly encouragement and support.

While it is an ideal that a lot of us can probably agree on, I have seen how home schooling has worked out for my sister. Instead of providing more knowledge, the time that they spend at home is mostly spent on games online and avoiding books and are at times socially awkward. So although the ideal sounds great, how does one actually put this into practice?

Another discussion topic is from a Ted talk video as seen in Tech-Tock. It makes the argument that education as we know it today produces lots of pre-packaged robots, full of information and that in order to actually learn we have to break out of the box, utilize the power of groups, etc.

While pondering this conundrum, I read about the idea of Humanism. Humanism is a method of learning that involves mastering classics to make its students better socially and to provide practical skills in government. Humanists of the Renaissance, like Erasmus, felt that through mastery of the Greek texts one could not only expand their intelligence, but their economic return.

However, even Humanism had it's problems. Guarino Guarini, a famous humanist who started his own school, is quoted in his speeches to incoming students and their parents that through their education they can have hope for their future and become better students. In reality, much of this education was strict and required rote memorization and recitation which led to more obedient, docile, and passive students. In addition, women's right to education was diminished as they were expected to stay at home and be content with matters of the house.

The challenge then, is not necessarily thinking of the best way to teach, but in the practical application of the said education. That's what I'm hoping to gain from this class, a chance to not just memorize, but to delve into topics that will cultivate, entertain, and challenge me.

So here's to APPLICATION.

Conquering Pride before it Conquers You

Reading through a brief history of the Renaissance and reviewing other periods in history, I've begun to draw a bit of a connection between societies. One of the main precursors to a strong nations' demise is their pride. Many Latter-Day Saints refer to pride in the Book of Mormon this way, showing how a civilization gets into a "pride cycle". A nation begins to become successful, they prosper, they become arrogant, and then due to either war or famine they are again humbled. This doesn't just happen in the Book of Mormon, but I was also able to see this same cycle when reading about nations throughout history. And it's also not limited just to civilizations, but can be seen in many corporations whose glory is based more on cutting edge technology.

In History:
It's always wise when you are attempting world glory to watch out for the underdog. When the Europeans took over India they initially entered Calcutta and approached the King with cloth, coral, sugar, oil, etc. Seeing this, the Indians "laughed at it, saying it was not a thing to offer a king, that the poorest merchant from Mecca, or from any other part of India gave more".

Below you can see a brief overview of the conquering of the Incas. (This is from the series: Guns, Germs, and Steel, which also views the inequality between nations).

When the conquistadors came into Peru they were far outnumbered, rode horses and wore, what seemed to the Incan people, to be pots on their heads. Viewing their inferiority, the Inca's believed that they would be easily conquered and they didn't even bother to protect themselves when they met with the Spaniards. Instead they came dancing and singing and they met almost instant death because of this oversight.

In our modern society we see this happen as well when companies that are on the cutting edge of technology begin to feel that they are invincible, stop following the newest trends, or ignore the under dogs. I'm not as familiar with this and can't think of any specific examples, but if anyone can, I'd love to have input.