Learning 2.0 - Privacy

I just got finished watching the Frontline "United States of Secrets" and I am literally sickened.  I knew that the Patriot Act was a bag of tricks when it was sold to the public back in 2001, but I guess I didn't realize exactly how much personal data is being sifted through daily on me and other US citizens in search of "unknown" terrorists.  I wanted to believe that the sifting was on targeted known terrorist, but if they WERE in fact known terrorist, a legal warrant could easily be attained, and this massive collection of US citizens would not be necessary.   I am equally shocked to hear that this program has not only grown to a 10 Billion program in 2010, but now this program is even more powerful under the FISA act. I am empathetic to the whistle blowers that thought when they risked everything to come out with the truth about this program,  that the American public would be appalled by this information, and that the NSA would be forced to shut down this program, but instead the public has been mislead and told only about the least invasive part of the program, protecting the domestic program, the larger program that tracks US citizens phone calls, email, internet searches, financial transactions and more.  It seems so strange to me that as the end of Bushes term approached Obama openly opposed the illegal spying of US citizens and promised to put a stop to it, but then after being put into office he signs the FISA act continuing the program and giving it even more power making all of the programs legal!

 

Further in the program after learning everything you google, every word of every email, all AT&T phone call are all being captured and stored, we learn that Gmail and the new social media information whore FaceBook are competing with each other to see who can gather the most information on you as possible.  Additionally a new program called Muscular begins breaking into other countries gathering marketing information on their citizens as well.  The beast just keeps growing.  Now all of the tracking "cookies" are used by the NSA as well.  The NSA sent out 56,000 letters to internet companies demanding them to not only turn all of their information over to them, and demanded a gag order, before one person from a small internet company contested.  People that stand up for their constitutional rights do so at great expenses and risks.  I am grateful to them for coming forward to bring this beast to light!  I am anxious to watch the documentary "Citizen Four" this weekend and learn more about Edward Snowden.  Some people would call him a traitor or criminal, but I applaud him for making the sacrifices he did to begin to bring this illegal program into the light.  When I think of a traitor I think of someone that is giving information to other countries that would hurt the USA, the information that he is bringing to light is Illegal activity within the National Security Agency that is hurting American citizens.  I do like the idea that Obama made a panel of people to investigate the programs and discuss where the fine line is between security and freedom.  I have to wonder though, who and how were these people chosen, and why didn't he use elected officials that have been voted in by the people like governors or senators make these decisions.  Obamas panel concluded that Prism program was acceptable but dragnet collection of mass information was overreaching and threaten our personal freedom.  The documentary never said what steps were taken as a consequence of the panels decisions if any, so we can assume that the same illegal activity is going on right now!  In defense of the NSA I did empathize with Micheal Haydens closing remarks that stated that the American people feel like not enough is being done when they feel endangered, but as soon as the feel safe again, they feel like the NSA is  doing too much.  

This poll would seem to suggest this argument is correct.  This thought from Micheal Hayden may be true but that doesn't justify them doing what ever they want tillegally and bullying companies to comply with a gag orders.  Many others could argue the same complaint.  Insurances is too expensive and you don't like paying it until you are in a wreck.   The defense department spends too much money on defense until war breaks out etc.. This argument doesn't make this enormous wrong justifiable.  We need to applaud whistle blowers, bring all of the actions of the NSA out into the open vote and decide through elected leaders where we want the line to be.  We need to shut down all of the Spy programs and destroy all of the information illegally obtained.  Right now the programs are spinning out of control and growing so fast that we don't even know how much we are being watch and and by whom?  It needs to end. 

Learning 2.0

When it comes to learning, I think we can all agree to a point that different people learn better in different environments and different ways.  There are many different beliefs about the varying styles of learning that are more beneficial to students.  One of the current beliefs is the Seven Major learning styles. 

1. Visual: These people prefer to use pictures, images, diagrams, colors, and mind maps.
2. Physical: These are the “learn by doing” people that use their body to assist in their learning. Drawing diagrams, using physical objects, or role playing are all strategies of the Physical learner.
3. Aural: People who prefer using sound (obviously), rhythms, music, recordings, clever rhymes, and so on.
4. Verbal: The verbal learner is someone who prefers using words, both in speech and in writing to assist in their learning. They make the most of word based techniques, scripting, and reading content aloud.
5. Logical: The people who prefer using logic, reasoning, and “systems” to explain or understand concepts. They aim to understand the reasons behind the learning, and have a good ability to understand the bigger picture.
6. Social: These people are the ones who enjoy learning in groups or with other people, and aim to work with others as much as possible.
7. Solitary: The solitary learner prefers to learn alone and through self-study.

These different learning styles are a step in the right direction, although I believe that it is much more complicated then this.  One could thrive in several different learning styles and there may even be more styles then these.  The good news is we are starting to realize that education is not "one size fits all."   I have three children and have tried just about every type of school available.  Public schools, academic charter, school of arts charter and I have even tried homeschooling.  Each one of my children does better in a different learning system and thrives with different learning styles.  I am grateful that there are now several different options for children.  I think we are heading in the right direction but I feel like there is a long way to go to discover how to cater to different children and build on there existing strengths. 

In the Huffington Post there is a article that criticizes the seven styles of learning called "Learning- Styles Theory Questioned By Researchers"  They claim that a large industry has developed that has profited by selling materials that teach in these different ways, however the research shows that test taking by using these learning tools doesn't yield any higher results.

 “Clearly, people have distinctive abilities and aptitudes. Some people have higher visual ability, and some have higher auditory ability,” said UCSD professor Hal Pashler, lead author on the report. “But the question is whether that predicts anything about the most effective way to teach them. … There is a complete lack of evidence of the sort.”

I agree with this article in that I don't think I would invest a lot of money into learning tools that claim to specifically cater to one learning style, and I do believe that a study would be very difficult  to chart differences in learning with and without these different styles because everyone's style and intelligence varies completely.  But I do know from personal experience that I learn best by doing something myself (as opposed to watching or listening)  and I remember visual images more then written information.  Regardless of which side you choose to believe I know that Both sides agree on one thing: Using a diverse range of teaching styles and institutions is beneficial for all students.

On the Media- To Your Health

One the Media- To Your Health

This podcast addresses the problem of media, including social media and even celebrities selling bogus diets, health scares and beauty tricks.  For every study that claims red wine or getting 9+ hours of sleep is beneficial, there is an opposing study that says red wine is harmful and sleeping 9+ hours a night will kill you! Phony diets like the werewolf diet (juice fasting on a full moon), baby food diet (yes eating only baby food), juice fast and detoxes, vampire facials (taking blood out of your body and putting it on your face), placenta facials (Placenta on the face) gluten free diet and so many more and so on are talked about and even sold to the naive consumer.   This problem is real and has been for as long as I can remember, but now thanks to social media and the internet these "news stories travel far and fast!  It is really becoming a problem in our society when people cannot decipher fact from fiction. 

I was raised in a home where my mother was unfortunately the victim of every health scare or snake oil selling salesman that she came across.  There are many problems in following every health "breakthrough" It is very time consuming, expensive, and can even be harmful to your health.  Not to mention the psychological effects of being raised to believe every bit of information found through non scientific channels and discarding all scientific health discoveries. 

These types  of "reporting" is irresponsible reporting.  These "Miracle" discoveries or these "This food will kill you" discoveries prey on so many of us and especially on the those who have a psychological disorder like Munchhausen syndrome where a person draws on attention or sympathy of others.  They now, thanks to the internet, have a term called Munchhausen by Internet.  These sensational stories and fraudulent health claims need to stop. These Health studies need to be responsible and upfront about their studies.  They need to be held to a standard of scientific testing. Reporters that pass these fictional finds and studies along as "news" need to be held accountable for passing along false information.  

A guest on the show John Bonhanen showed us how easy it is to start a health rumor by setting up a phony study with only 16 people over a period of three weeks to prove that eating chocolate aids in weight loss!  This phone study, as suspected took off like wildfire.  Even the data on testing is often incorrectly posted.   When you hear claims like "reduces depression by 50%"  You need to ask 50% of what?  

Why are these bogus Health Claims so popular?  Why do so many people believe these non- scientific claims or science?  Psychologically we all want to  escape death,  socially we don't want to talk about death or aging or believe that is our inevitable destination.  We live in a culture where we worship and idolize youth and beauty. We will believe just about anything that we read or hear that will help is attain longevity youth and beauty.

In addition to creating a standard of testing which all must be accountable , including where all test data is reported, and media being responsible for the validity of the information they pass along as "science"  I fell that by as a society if we were to embrace aging and death as another stage of life Maybe people wouldn't always be chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. People would have less anxiety and learn to except and enjoy each stage of their life to the fullest. 

My Social Media Campaign Plan

My URL: https://www.facebook.com/rachellesherman.art/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums

Mission Statement: I am an Artist. I create beauty in a captured momnet.  I create a moment of pause and reflection.  My aim is to create a quiet refuge for people to visit any time of the day through the art I create. 

Objective:  To create and sell art that captures a special moment to reflect and or seek refuge.

Sample Audience:

Jon Vailand 38 Is a History Professor at the College and his wife teaches Art History at the collage as well. They do not have any children, but have two cats. They love music, concerts, good food, and traveling. They recently saved up to take a trip to Europe. While traveling they created many memorable experiences. They particularly loved a beach in Lønstrup, Denmark, an old cemetery that is falling into to ocean. As awful as that sounds it was beautiful to them. It was one of the best days of their lives! Jon decided to have me paint a painting of that special spot so that every time they see it it will take them back to that special place and time.

Kelly Compass is 65 she teaches yoga and her husband Tyler is Physical therapist. They have four children and 7 grandchildren. They spend any spare time that they have with their kids and grandchildren and have even taken the whole family on a cruise! Their oldest granddaughter is graduating from High School and going to collage at Utah State. She is an incredible dancer, her main love is Ballet. They will miss her terribly and have hired me to paint a portrait of her in her Ballerina attire to capture this momentous time in her life, so that even though she will be away she will still seem very close to home every time they see portrait.

Cassey Andres is 44 years old, she runs a catering business out of her home. Her husband is a financial advisor. They have three young children and one on the way. They have recently built there dream home and have switched out all of the old furniture they have collected in their earlier years of marriage and have changed the style in their home to a more modern style, clean lines, lots of white and stainless steel. They have asked me to create a large wood panel piece to fill a large wall in the great room with a bright bold modern painting.

Well Informed 2.0-Racism

I read an article from the Huffington Post written by Roberto Montoya he as a teacher, student, lecturer and co-founder of R.A.C.E. studies, teaches and writes about the topic of racism.   In his blog post he gets comments ranging from full support to "stop being a puss."  A recent comment from a college asking him to stop fueling the fire and look more for solutions.   This comment is what really got to him.  He feels that writing about his feelings is what gets to the cause.  The cause he felt, is not racism but a larger problem of white supremacy.  He pleaded to fight to end white supremacy and asked whites to work against their own unearned privilege to make this happen. 

I feel like I don't truly understand racism or white supremacy for that matter.  I know it exists I know it is real but I just don't understand it.  My first racist comment the I recall was that of my Grandma talking to my mother I was probably only 7.  She commented that so and so white girl was marrying a black man...scandalous! I remember thinking so what? I didn't understand what the problem with this was.  I went to schools in Arizona where there were always black kids probably more white kids but a good number of black kids too.  one of my first "boyfriends" that I "went with" in 5th grade was black.  I dated other black boys in college as well. 

 I was able to live over seas recently  for a couple years and noticed totally different dynamics between black and whites living in the UK vs USA.  In the UK they talk, walk, dress the same as white folks where as in the USA there is often a difference in these mannerism.  I feel like the mannerisms generally express hostility and a attitude .  I feel like if our country was built up without the wrongful acts of taking humans from Africa ripping them away from their family and culture and bringing the here to build up our country as slaves, that the attitude  and interaction between whites and blacks would be more like it is in the UK, not a issue. But can the wrong be undone? Will we ever be able to undo the damage that was done?  How can the wrongs that were done be made right?  For one I feel like white folks should never tell black folks to "stop being a pussy" or stop venting their anger.  We will never know the pain and suffering that has been endured and how it has affected the next  generations.  If I could I would give all the African Americans a big hug and apologized to them for the things that my ancestors did to their ancestors I would.  I feel like this kind of attitude, an apologetic attitude is a starting point.  Beyond that I don't know what the answer is.  Maybe we should be asking this question to this gentleman instead of basically telling him to shut-up. 

As far as the comment where this gentleman asks whites to work against their own unearned privilege to make this happen. I don't understand this comment.  Do I feel privileged because I am white?  I don't think so, maybe I do?  Obviously he feels this way for a reason.  But truth be told I have always felt like white folks are envious of black folks, I am.  If any thoughts of supremacy are going on in my head it is black supremacy!  I am generalizing but I feel like the black culture has more culture. I once was at a drill/band competition at a military base in Chicago where I was the only white person in an entire stadium.  The feeling was incredible! Everyone elderly to toddlers were dancing to the music. The band sounded like no High School band I had ever heard!  There was so much love, sass, attitude and support.  Is it racist for me to say that it seems like black folks do everything better then white folks?  Music, sports, dancing?  In a Music in the USA class when we studied the first American made music it was... you guessed it made by black folks.  It was the campfire fun and dancing that white folks tried to copy.  The early minstrel shows where white folks dressed like black folks, they painted their faces and tried to sing and dance like blacks.  This now is seen as racist, but I personal feel like this is just the start of a continuing trend of white folks trying to emulate blacks in their innovative music!   This started with these minstrel shows and was followed by marching bands, vaudeville, ragtime, crooning, jazz... on and on to rock'n roll and now days rap.   Its always a pattern of blacks inventing music it and whites copying it.  This is my opinion.  This is also my way of fight white supremacy.   I disagree with this idea.  If I had to choose a superior race, I think that the African Americans  are a superior race.  I am apologetic for how they arrived in this country but am glad they are here contributing in arts, music, and sports and many other way to this county!

One the Media #1 The Digital Dark Ages

When I learned the the technology used to build the Pantheons unreinforced dome in 27 AD was lost and that we do not know how it was built, or that an entire city, Pompeii was destroyed in 79 AD and forgotten about for 1500 years and not rediscovered until 1599, it really made me think about the importance of written records.  Many people scan and destroy all of their hard copies of photos books and records into digital format, and get rid of their hard copies of these things.  Digital books and information are replacing textbooks, newspaper, magazines and the need for libraries.  It sounds like a good idea but when I think back to these two ancient examples of what can be lost without a written record it makes me wonder what would happen if all of our digital data was lost.

"The Digital Dark" age is the podcast that I was interested in for the "On the Media" assignment.  They explore this very same idea.  If we as a species lost access to electronic records by either passage of time and computers or their software becoming obsolete,  or suddenly by a cosmic disaster, we could no longer draw from the well of knowledge accrues through the ages, and would experience this "Digital Dark age"

It is very concerning that we are so complacent about our media storage.  Hard drives fail, DVDs or plastic deteriorates.   Even if your data survives 20-30 years will there be a computer or machine to read it?  Or can your current soft ware even translate it?  This problem is called "bit rot".

Some possible solutions to this "bit rot " problem are creating of a digital velum(animal skin) or storing information in a digital DNA.   These solutions pose questions.   Who will be responsible to do this?  Who will pay and store these massive amounts of information?  Where will if be stored?  How affordable or attainable will it be?   What institution should or could be trusted with all of this information-private or government?

In addition to bit rot, another looming threat is solar flares or Electromagnetic pulses that happen from time to time both large and small.  A very large solar flare just missed the earth in 2012, if it had hit the earth it could of instantly put us back in the 1800's.  In 1859 a large solar flare caused telegraph machines used at that time to catch fire.

I think that either way protecting the world of knowledge should be a priority.  We understand that all the knowledge we have gained could easily be lost through just one generation. Psychologically it is hard for people to want to spend time money and resources one a problem that is not currently seen like this problem or a problem like global warming.  Other issues that are more entwined with our daily lives seem to take priority.  Socially a setback with a sudden loss of satellite, TV, cell phones and power grid would cause chaos and the amount of time to restore these technological conveniences is unknown.  Some countries such as the UK have built alternative ship navigation systems but countries like the US have done nothing.

I enjoy the convenience of digital technology but  hesitate to toss hard copies of music, books and other written records. It make me nervous to see libraries of books being replaced by libraries online.  I do think this is an area that deserves more discussion and solutions to be found. 

My Social Media Campaign Plan

For my social media ad campaign I would like to do an art page where I can display, discuss, and sell my art.  I currently sell most my art from social media to friends, but recently have had people I don't personally know show interest in viewing and purchasing my art.  I don't really want to add them on my personal page where I post about my kids, other non art posts, and other personal things.   I want to make a page that has all my current followers but is separate from my personal page. I am interested in selling my existing art, in commissions, and recently have been painting special vacation spots that folks have visited for them to display and preserve special memories of traveling.