Liyah’s Thoughts

1. This class is about managing your own blog/ using technology and getting in the habit of being responsible to post when needed without our teacher reminding us. 2. The easiest part if this class would be posting on our blogs rather than doing book word like any other English class. 3. I think the hardest part of this class is having to memorize poems because it can be tricky sometimes. 4. I have learned how to manage my own blog which I have never done before and never thought to do. 5. My big question is “Who created the alphabet and the sounds for them?”

My question was “Who created the alphabet and who decided which letters got certain sounds?” After I did my research, I found that Semitic people who lived in or near Egypt created the alphabet. They used their own specific symbols. Semitic people also had developed the sounds for the letters but it was refined and spread to other civilizations by the Phoenicians.

The mentors use of diction, syntax, and tone helps get his message across because of the words he uses. At first his tone of the text is speaking for teenagers, defending them. Now as you continue to read his tone changes into more of a properly tone. This is the message he is getting across to the adults. The way he uses syntax is also important because he uses the phrase “damn kids” a lot and I think this helps with his message because he is mimicking adults because they always say that about teens. His tone is mad, angry, upset because of how teenagers are getting treated and called many different things.

It is important knowing the people around us because I think who you surround yourself with or is in the same vicinity as you are takes a big part in how your day goes. This important because everyone is different and their affect/attitude may annoy you or may not. Knowing who is around you can be very helpful because if you don’t like how a certain person acts you can avoid that person by staying away from them.

My initial response to “Conscience of a Hacker” was I was a bit confused. I was confused because usually people say that hackers are the bad ones. So when the narrator was taking sides with the hacker or defending them, since he too was one of them. I was took by surprise. However as I continued reading what he was saying was true. There are people who commit murder, build bombs, and make wars. People who basically commit much larger crimes than hackers do and yet, the hackers are the criminals. 

Today in class I heard a few words that I am not familiar with. Interdisciplinary. Meaning more than one of branch of knowledge. I have not heard this word before that I can remember. I felt like today was a good start because we took in information and also I liked how we had to ask any question that came to mind. The question that I asked was “Who created the alphabet and who decided which letters got certain sounds?” I always think of questions like this because it honestly interests me how things are in today’s world. Also  I wonder who came up with things like that which made the world into how it is today. For example words and their meanings.

I believe that you are entitled to your own opinion because not everyone thinks the same way. For example, I can think that a certain music artist is not good but a peer of mine may  think otherwise. Now is there anything wrong with that? No. Although you are entitled to your own opinion, you should not use that when you disagree with someone on a certain topic. Why? Well because using that does not get you anywhere. It doesn’t give any evidence as to why you’re right and the other person is wrong. Simply just gives you something irrelevant to say.

What is a right? - privilege - power • Any time someone has a right another person has an obligation.  Ex: A pedestrian has the right to use the crosswalk but the driver has the obligation to stop and let them cross. • Argument is a search for truth. - arguments occur because one of the two sides want to be right so they are arguing back and forth trying to figure out who is right or the truth.

The Socratic method is good in many different ways. To start off it is a good method to use because it can get the class more comfortable with each other especially being a new class and all. Also it gives students the opportunity to ask questions on something they don’t understand or are unsure about. Although, in the article it states that “the Socratic method sometimes evokes too much disrespect for authority.” I am not quite sure why this method would cause disrespect.

When I read this article at first I thought it was going to tell me about rights that I already knew however I was wrong. This article also changed my view on the phrase that a lot of people use which is “I have the right to my own opinion.” Now if I would have never read this article I probably would have still used the “my own opinion” card, but I will not use that phrase again. It is true that using this phrase does not accomplish anything or make you right in anyway. It simply just gives you something to say because more than likely you probably don’t know what to say or don’t have anything to support your opinion.

So far these past two days of being a junior have been pretty good. I like all of my classes and I enjoy being a T.A. My goal for this year is to have all A’s or B’s, but not anything below that. I have a good feeling that I will be able to fulfill my goal because I am ready to be focused, on task, and organized this year. A goal outside of school for me would be to get a job as well. I have an interview today on the phone with the manager from Chick-fil-A so I hope it goes well.