Author: ndunn

VR College Tours Abstract

My Virtual Reality (VR) targets high school seniors who are interested in smaller universities like Stevenson. My VR allow viewers to tour Stevenson’s common areas such as the dorms, game room, dining hall and classrooms. The viewers will control everything with their eyes when choosing their desired major. Viewer will walk the Dell family pathway and feel like a true Mustang. My VR will allow viewers an opportunity to explore outside of their comfort zones and gain an insight of their desired university no matter their distance.

Larger schools of the name Yale, Harvard and  Johns Hopkins are well known around the world and they have the opportunity for you to travel through a VR to tour their campus through a company called YouVist. YouVisit was founded in 2010 by Abi Mandelbaum, Taher Baderkhan, and Endri Tolka with the mission to use VR and virtual experiences to inspire real-life exploration (YouVist Our Company Story). This is a great tool however smaller schools like Stevenson, Bowie and Morgan does not. This VR allows the smaller schools to show off their assets not only through pictures and the official website but the viewer can be the judge of how they feel about the campus.

By personal experience I was interested in Bethune Cookman University but I did not have the opportunity to tour because of the distance from Maryland to Florida. Touring was an important part about my decision making because I wanted to be comfortable in the environment of my choosing, without that factor I did not have anything to base my decision for that school. If I personally had an opportunity to use a VR stimulation of a campus tour of Bethune Cookman that would have better allowed me to decide on a school.

High school seniors who are around the world looking to explore outside of their neighborhoods will have that opportunity and not have to make a risk on whether they are interested in a school or not depending on their first and final visit to move in. This VR will be benifical to many teengagers that are thinking about furthering their education outside of their area.

Virtual Reality In Education

Higher education is the first step before students venture off into their desired career path. Students majoring in nursing, psychology, English, and history have to learn to connect to with their audiences better in order to be successful. University professors should incorporate virtual reality (VR) into their curriculum to allow students to gain an insight on what will happen in their profession to better understand the roles that will required and real life challenges that happen every day. This will allow students the opportunity to know if that profession is something they will not only want to do, but have a passion for, when deciding on a career.

In the article “Virtual Reality in Education and Training Courses” by Veronica S. Pantelidis, she explain the reasons as to why virtual reality should and should not be used. Pantelidis states, reasons to use virtual reality are because these experiences cannot be obtained in any other way in formal education (Pantelidis “Virtual Reality in Education and Training Courses”). This is why primarily nursing, psychology, English, and history majors should use virtual reality. As a nursing major it is imperative that I know what I am doing, and be able to obtain as much information as possible to either save a life or tend to someone that is in need. As a freshman, many internships and second hand resources are geared towards juniors and seniors because they have gone through their stimulation courses where they work with artificial human dolls for experience. Virtual reality will allow me the insight of how to do my stimulations by the time I am a junior or senior and I will be able to obtain more information because virtual reality gave me the opportunity to watch how simulations are properly done as if I was in the same room. For example during my upperclassman course my stimulation will consist of how I treat the patient, reading the patients file correctly and knowing what drug and dosage to give to the patient. Depending on what drug I give him or her the artificial doll will act accordingly whether it is regurgitating, body temperature changes, seizures or any type of allergic reaction. Having the ability to see it performed early in advance will prepare me for future circumstances.

Students taking psychology, English and history have to be able to get inspiration from their surroundings for example to study the mind psychology majors can tour someone’s pass through the virtual reality to understand why that person may behave the way they do today. In reality we can illustrate in our mind from details given as to how someone’s past may have been but to actually walk through the house see the good and bad things that happened to their patient to really understand the person in today’s time. English majors cover a great deal of prospective. The virtual reality will allow inspiration as to how to interpret information from various viewpoints. Courses like English and History will be able to travel back in time, mentally go to the places they are learning about or have to write a paper about.

Educators can allow students to work in shared groups to understand what happened after leaving the virtual reality. This will allow students to share ideas on what they did or did not understand and help them improve together. In the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline he illustrated how to future could look. In this book Cline allowed students to go to school in the virtual reality world called the OASIS. The school in the OASIS is a great idea as to how to solve the problem for a student or teacher that cannot physically make it to class. In the book it says, “The real public-school system, the one run by the government, had been an underfunded, overcrowded train wreck for decades” (Cline Ready Player One). The school in the OASIS was the only way students were able to gain an education. Situations like this is beneficial when using the VR because of the poverty they are living in. The class will be able to learn from their homes and still gain the information needed for that day.

Virtual reality could be used in higher education because of how the deeply it can be used to inspire thinking and understanding. For younger users virtual reality is said to result in lateralization. A stimulation can be so convincing that some users could confuse model with reality (Staurt  “Virtual Reality in Education and Training Courses”). Professors should incorporate virtual reality into their curriculum to allow their students to explore outside of their own minds. The virtual reality will test the students on what they thought they knew and how it makes them feel.

Frankenstein

From the Franken Read the theater department orchestrated a skit of Frankenstein’s monster and a generous blind man from chapter 7 of the novel Frankenstein. The blind man was the first to show the monster kindness by providing him shelter and voiced that even if he was not blind he still would not judge him. However when the blind man’s daughters walked  in the room one passed out and another ran away. Next students presented what they interpreted from Frankenstein and wrote their own twist. One that I liked in particular was a female who demonstrated that everyone tries so hard to be good when they should embrace their badness. I liked the way she presented and worded her paper to allow the audience to think on the other side rather the right side.

Ve1ma

I decided to go for a cute librarian look something like Velma from Scooby-Doo. Velma is very smart and is able to uncover many mysteries because she is very book smart. James Halliday uses many things from his life into how to find the keys , this in itself is a mystery Velma can solve. I chose her to have similar features to myself like glasses and the shades of hair, skin and eyes because I would like to have her be somewhat realistic.

Comparison Essay

During the twenty first century there has been a change in technology development, before technology was the typewriter and now we have innovative smart computers. As time advances so does the growth and development of technology and it is important for humans to learn how to adapt. Technology is in the age where technology is in the households as computers, televisions, telephones etc. it is time for humans to learn how to use technology to their advantage to unlock new aspects of their minds. Humans learn best when they are young, which makes sense to have technology incorporated in schools. As our minds develop through time this will allow students to have an advantage of knowing how to use technology when reading and comprehending articles online.

In the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” by Nicholas Carr he argues that the internet is negatively affect people’s comprehension skills when reading online articles by saying, “I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if i’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle” (Carr Is Google Making Us Stupid). Carr is saying he loses focus easily when reading online his eyes wander from one line to the other to where he loses his place and he attempts to find other things to do rather than read. For these reasons schools should explain how to be able to comprehend and dissect any information given to them whether received on a hard copy paper or online. The way teachers teach children how to read and write should be the same way they allow children to learn how to adapt to new material given. Another author of the name Paul La Farge wrote an article called “The Deep Space of Digital Reading”. In this article La Farge understands that new inventions take time to adapt and become comfortable to the large majority to accept. La Farge states, “The fear of technology is not new. In the fifth century B.C., Socrates worried that writing would weaken human memory, and stifle judgement” (La Farge The Deep Space of Digital Reading). Writing has become our norm for expression, comprehension, and much more. New things do not necessarily mean the worst is to come so we must learn how to be adaptive.

School systems such as Fairmont Heights High School in Hyattsville Maryland say “The vision of Fairmont Heights High School is to empower students to exhibit PRIDE every day. Fairmont Heights High School students are respectful, punctual, disciplined, and fully engaged at all times while striving to become independent thinkers as they transform from Fairmont Heights High School to the global world” (Mrs. Walker Fairmont Heights). Teaching students about the characteristics of professionalism are amazing qualities however moving into the global world means getting a job. Job application are now changing from paper to digital, and once the student is hired the student needs to obtain skills using Microsoft Word, Excel, and how to read and write an email are great ways to utilize technology. Therefore, I feel I am prepared for the global world. I can form professional emails because my high school teachers allowed us to use technology. Essays were typed using Microsoft Word, Google Doc and more and now that I have furthered my education I am not foreign to how Stevenson University want me to submit and prepare assignments.

What happens when a student decides to work and go to school at the same time. Author Olivia Goldhil wrote an article called “Neuroscientists say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain”. She argues that multitasking is dreadful, it makes you tired when switching from one task to the other. (Goldhil Neuroscientists say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain). For the student’s point of view, it would be trying to work and complete homework and assignments. Although Goldhil says this she also states a solution which is technology. She states, Technology can help protect against its own distractions, such as software interfaces that force users to take breaks every couple of hours. (Neuroscientists say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain). Technology can help students who need help staying focused and schools can utilize this skill as well when teaching. Distractions are prevalent everywhere and at this moment technology is supplying a solution.

In conclusion, technology should be in schools because as it grows we as human beings must be able to obtain the ability to use these tools. Jobs are evolving to where it is more technical. Starting in school students can be able to understand and comprehend online information at the same if not better capacity than they do hard copies. This will allow students the ability to ignore distractions such as ads more efficiently because of how more familiarized they are with using technology devices.

Rhetorical Analysis

Technology is improving every day. The more advanced it gets; the more humans fear how it will affect themselves and the people around them. Today’s humans invented something called the eBook. This technological device allows readers to read and find various types of books online. eBooks are very convenient and are faster to gain access to. There is no longer a need for people to travel outside of their homes to go to a library if they need a book for any reason. However, problems arise when readers come across ads while reading, which is considered a major distraction, and can leave people deuterated from the purpose of being on that particular site. Nicholas Carr, author of the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” published in July/August 2008 in The Atlantic, Carr argues that technology is hindering our ability to comprehend. He persuades his audience of men and women of the ages thirty through fifty with ethos, and a personal appeal. Nicholas Carr has written for The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Wired, Nature, MIT Technology Review, and many other periodicals. His essays including “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” and “The Great Forgetting,” has been collected in several anthologies, including The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The Best Spiritual Writing, and The Best Technology Writing. In 2015, he received the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity from Media Ecology Association (Nicholas Carr)

In Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” he first uses a personal appeal to describe why he is unfavorable towards online reading. He described himself before online reading “Once I was a scuba diver in a sea of words (Is Google Making Us Stupid)”. Now after participating in online reading he says, “Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.” (Is Google Making Us Stupid, Carr}. These choice of words shows his purpose of writing the article which is to spread awareness of what online reading is lacking for humans mentally. Once feeling like he was able to dissect the information and connect with the information in front of him it is now as if he can barely skim the surface. Reading online can have a disconnect from the reader to the book. Creating the ability for people to have to work smarter not harder. In the article many people have made a comment saying we would all “be better off” if our brains were supplemented, or even replaced, by an artificial intelligence is unsettling. (Is Google Making Us Stupid, Carr)

Carr’s audience is targeted to men and women of the ages thirty through fifty. Generations that are not a part of the digital generation which means the generation of humans whose generational location places their birth and developmental experience during a time of widespread to digital computing (IGI Global, 2016), tend to dislike technology due to the discomfort of unfamiliarity. Humans who are born into the generation are young and are very familiar with how technology operates. Young adults and children would rather hear the good technology has done rather than what it is doing to hinder their learning which will gain confusion as schools began to teaching students using smart devices such as computers.

Being as though people are utilizing technology as much as possible, it has become a way to make technology have super intelligence. This is where humans are relying on computers to know more information when asked. Google has the answer to majority of questions when it is asked along with other people’s opinion. In Mountain View, California, Taylorism; the principles or practice of science is home to Google’s headquarters where executive, Eric Schmidt is “a company that’s founded around the science of measurement,” and is striving to “systematic everything” (Is Google Making Us Stupid, Schmidt).

Carr uses ethos to illustrate that technology is hindering our brains by allowing his audience to see a different perspective through some well-known people who also agree with his claim. Hieronimo Squarciafico worried that easy availability of books would lead to intellectual laziness, making men “less studious” and weakening their minds (Is Google Making Us Stupid, Carr). This makes people who admire Squarciafico keep an open mind to what Carr is trying to persuade to his readers about the effects of the internet. As Carr continues to add people who are credible to this article more people will believe that this article is worth reading.

In conclusion there are many situations to where online reading can be great for its convenience but there are situations where traditional reading is more effective for processing information and truly understanding the meaning of what the reader just read. As we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence (Is Google Making Us Stupid, Kubrick Dark). The more the internet grows it gets smarter and humans grow depended on artificial intelligence instead of gaining natural intelligence.

 

Part 2

For color there is a bright red color which is bolded of the authors name “Nicholas Carr”and the and the the topic which is Technology. The next color is black which is in a large font titled “Is Google Making Us Stupid” I see a lot of ads which through me off track a couple times. Most of the ads are off topic and does not help the author with his claim. There was a picture of a man being stopped by the internet patrol however he has a book in his hand in his hands so I am thinking he is in violation of reading to slow because of how high the speed limit is.

 

 

 

 

 

Tools That Helped Me Learn

Today, many people use the phrase “reading is fundamental” but why is it fundamental and how is it that people learn to read? As days, months, and years pass by one thing never changes and that is that reading is everywhere street signs to exit signs in college dorm rooms. One thing you should ask yourself is why is reading fundamental? It is because words are everywhere they describe an object, tells the location of a place and more. I will be explaining four tools that helped me learn as a child.

One tool that helped me learn to read was food. Have you ever asked a child what do they want when you go to a fast food restaurant.? You will notice the child will point to the image and say “that. For myself as a child I had to say what “that” specifically was, for an example my mother and I love to go to Ledo’s we would always order a large pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, and onions. I used to read the menu to order eight hot wings, hot wings are my favorite Ledo’s have great wings and the celery and ranch that comes with it taste very fresh. My mother gets a side Caesar salad, and, in my opinion, they have the best dressing in the world. I never liked any other dressing than ranch. My mother knew I liked the salad, but I never passed up the wings. When the waitress came to the table to place our order I was to recite my order from what I read off the menu this allowed me to gain comprehension skills. When I read the menu. I knew what will come on my pizza and how many wings I will receive. Another way food helped me learn to read was when I went to Wendy’s. My mother always wanted to sit inside the building, why? I have no idea, but, she would order a number one with a baked potato and tell them to add butter and extra chives, no sour cream and no matter how many times they repeated no sour cream back to her somehow sour cream would magically appear in her bag. I used to look at the menu for a long time, sometimes I would try to read before I walked to the front of the line because I noticed I become highly indecisive when food is involved. Because of this I learned to proofread. Proofreading gave me clarity to be confident in what I was saying. The description would be detailed and as I read I had to explain that I do not want ranch on my chicken sandwich. My going to these restaurants it allowed me to read deliberately.

Another tool that helped me learn was LeapFrog. LeapFrog is a device that has been out for a little more than twenty years that mixes fun with learning. LeapFrog had a huge impact on my learning adventure. I started using LeapFrog when I was in elementary school. I loved the games because it did not feel like I was working; the games that are placed in the LeapFrog device was fun I would be in my room and it felt like I was playing a g

ame although the game was enhancing my mind. I played one game where after I was done with the learning part I could play a game to get as many coins as I could and jump to the other side without being wiped out. That part of the game I remember that was fun is that I was able to color a barn. I could pick what I colors I wanted to use which was overall fun for me. Leapfrog is great for kids to learn and be able to enjoy themselves as they do it and an advantage Leapfrog has is that they have programs for children that are six to eleven months old and as a child grows older, it will only make the child want to keep playing the games which will mean they will continue to learn. LeapFrog taught me vocabulary words, how to break the words down and sound them out.

Next, television was and still is a way I learn. Television has many ways for children and adults learn, for children, shows like Dora, go on many adventures and engages with the children through the screen by asking questions. Television shows like Hip Hop Harry grasp kids who are into

music. Hip Hop Harry would have the kids sing and dance along to one of the raps he came up with. One of the raps are called “Dream It! Achieve It”. He encouraged kids to read not only to learn but for fun and a tactic the show used was that they have actual kids in the show to make it seem like learning is fun and cool. The show would give the kids on the show a reward of a live concert because they read the most books. According to BBC news, “Children from the ages five to sixteen spend six in a half hour a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1955, according to market research firm Childwise. Teenage boys spend the longest, with an average of eight hours.” Learning shows like that target what kids think is fun will always be effective and it was fun for me because of how catchy and how interactive it is.

Kids are young, and they want to learn however, it has to grasp their attention. That’s why television is a good way to get children to learn, it is colorful and shows characters that will use catchy tactics to make them want to learn.

Lastly an effective tool that help me learn is rewriting words repeatedly. This allowed items I just learned to stick in my head. Some examples are my name, my name was a good way to start off because it is three letters and my last name is four letters. After learning to spell my name I was able to do that with numbers. The first number I memorized was my mother’s cell phone number because she made me write it until I was able to say it back to her without looking this was great in case of an emergency I was able to give someone a contact number. This tactic is the same for flashcards when someone is repeating a vocabulary word back to themselves it’s to try and memories the way it is written the sound makes and by repeating it back to yourself the sticks like glue.

In conclusion there are many ways for you to learn, I listed four great examples such as menus at restaurants, learning gadgets such as Leapfrog, shows on television and lastly the repetition of words. These are the few of many things that have shaped me into the person I am today. Learning does not stop at a certain age. I am eighteen years, and by the time I am forty there will still be more things in the world for me to learn. Learning does not have to feel like hard labor, in fact the more fun it is the more likely you want to learn and push yourself to do better.