k.e.g. on tap: life, quotes, and random musings

In light of recent events in the lives of an individual very close to me, I have spent a great deal of time contemplating the value of the advancement of technology in our lives. Does it really do more harm then good? Does it really simplify our lives? Does it create unnecessary stress? Are we becoming closed off from the world around us? If so, these are serious implications. I don't know that I can safely say I am comfortable with all of the answers I have come to. Here are my reflections thus far... Topic #1: Facebook I will honestly say that in most instances I could be considered a sizable fan of Facebook. I can keep in contact with friends from Texas, Indiana, Cottey, Coe, my study abroad experience in Italy, and even my host mom. I love the ability to connect with people in a different way than just an email or text. In some ways, now that I am out of college, Facebook does not seem to be a great a part of my life as it was in college. My levels of free time has ...

So a week ago tomorrow, my boyfriend and I went to see Slash in concert. I had no idea what I was getting myself into going to this concert. I can't say that I knew too much about Slash before this concert. All I knew was what Eliot what had told me about the guitarist from Guns n' Roses. In getting dressed for the concert, I asked Eliot what to wear. He response was something along the lines, "Just wear what you normally wear." So I did. Not exactly the smartest move I have ever made. I pulled the top clean shirt out of the draw and a nice pair of jeans. What did I wear to a Slash concert? 1 bright pink shirt, jeans, a daisy necklace, and a pair of cute shoes. I realized the error of my ways when we got to the venue. Pretty much everyone else was wearing torn jeans, black t-shirts from bands like Metallica and Guns n' Roses. A lot of people had interesting piercings and tattoos. Initially, I felt really awkward about being there. I thought the openin...

It wasn't the reward that mattered or the recognition you might harvest. It was your depth of commitment, your quality of service, the product of your devotion -- these were the things that counted in life. When you gave purely, the honor in giving, and that was honor enough. --Captain Scott O'Grady

It's hard to believe that it's already time for first year students to move in today. I can't help but reflect on my time in college (which I realize was not that long ago). I remember how nervous I was to start college. It turns out (no matter how cliche it sounds) to be the best years of my life so far. I made awesome friends from all across the country and globe. Many of those friendships will be lifelong relationships. I don't know where I would be today without my Cottey girls and the awesome people working at Cottey. Coe is/was great too. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to study abroad and meet my amazing host family. I can only hope that I can help the students I encounter through this position to have an equally great college experience. Here's to a great year!

I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in 13 Things. I have learned so much about Web 2.0. It's been great. I have suggested some of the things to my dad for him to use in his line of work. I've also found ways to make use of some of them in my office at Coe. This school year the Office of Service-Learning & Campus Engagement (fondly thought of as "OSLiCE") is going to have a blog about all the events put on by our office. I am pretty excited about it as a way to engage with students in a different way and maybe even gain some publicity for our office. I think my time with the 13 things has been good for me personally as well as professionally. I have learned about all sorts of great web 2.0 features that I had no clue about. I feel more knowledgeable about some of the more recent technological advances. Ask my brother, I tend to be someone clueless about anything other than the basics. I think it's been rather interesting to read other peoples vie...

Screen Toaster seems cool. I just don't think I am tech-savvy enough to make use of it. Unless perhaps, I can use it when I need my brother's help fixing my computer. I think it could be quite helpful in terms of learning how to use various applications and other elements of Web 2.0. I am not entirely certain how I could make use of this in my office just yet, but I don't want to give up hope just yet. I might just need to tinker around with it a bit more and give it a bit more thought. Until then I am left feeling somewhat clueless about the whole thing. My attempt at " toasting the screen ."

Watching the videos made Creative Commons seem really great. When exploring the website, I came to find that it wasn't quite as easy to navigate as I imagined it would. That being said, I still think it could have some good uses for students in various arenas so long as they take time to verify that the item they have selected actually falls within the realm of "creative commons." I could imagine some students not putting in the effort to verify such sources. I think as with any type of source students use for the academic endeavors, we need to teach students the correct way to make use of external information and media and how to properly site work. Even when students have been taught how to use MLA, APA, or Chicago guidelines for citations, there are still students who will plagiarize someone's work. As it is now, I think most students probably do not fully understand copyright law. As with most things, there seem to be some positives and negatives to Creative ...