Even if you don't plan on attending one of the California State Universities, the CSU Mentor site can help you plan and track your progress on your way to college. It's a great resource and it's free; and in your senior year, when it's time to fill out your FAFSA (Financial Aid) forms, you can transfer much of your information from your CSU Mentor site directly to FAFSA. How convenient! All you have to do is print out that page that says, Welcome So and So! and turn it in to me on the first day of school. Actually, though, this offer never goes away. Do it at anytime, and I'll deposit 15¢ into your piggybank.
You are going to want to create an account with a password; if you are like me, you may have so many different accounts and passwords everywhere that you may have trouble remembering them all. I have started using Passpack.com, a secure, online password manager. Now, no matter where I am or what computer I am using, I have access to my passwords. The only thing left to worry about is some rogue nation sabotaging our network, or some other rogue nation shooting a satellite out of the sky, or radiation poisoning, or a meteor hitting the earth, or -- oh, never mind. Too much to worry about! Let me go watch an old Law and Order rerun instead -- TV: the perfect anesthetic.
Do you find it ironic that although I clearly love technology, I have assigned all this anti-technology reading?
Yes! I'm a technophiliac (I hope that's really a word!) and I just can't get into blogging about how horrible technology is.
ReplyDeleteI also find it ironic that at the end of this post you say your going back to watching TV and find it to be the "perfect anesthetic."
ReplyDeleteJen, part of our task is to HEAR an argument, and understand it, and give it fair consideration. But we certainly do not have to buy it.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about Postman and Huxley -- I think they are right to point out our tendency to embrace technology without considering its costs and consequences. I think as educated people, we need to engage in the raising of our consciousness, to consider the facts, debate it among ourselves, and then ultimately, live our lives.
And Alex, that comment was meant to evoke a response. It was partly a joke, and partly true. TV can function as our society's soma. It numbs us out after a while. So I pointed out all of these fairly outrageous things to worry about because I don't actually spend much time worrying about rogue nations shooting down our satellites, although I know it may certainly be possible one day soon. And the loss of those satellites would bring the whole network crashing down: banking, communication, entertainment -- all of it. No ATM machine, no cell phone, no TV, no internet access. In fact, Obama recently gave a speech about protecting our network as one of our national security priorities.
Also, note that Postman defends TV as entertainment -- it's when we turn to TV for serious discourse, education or religious edification that we run into trouble.
And Alex, you made the your/you're error. Please, please -- I am begging you. Don't ever make that error again. Honestly, if I see that error even one more time, I think I just may lose my mind.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say Ms. Fletcher. Postman defends TV as entertainment, but when peopl turn to it for education and more we are in trouble.
ReplyDeleteAnd will consider your offer on the extra credit.