Literaracy Changes

Looking at literacy 50 years ago it would be able to read; but now it is not only that but also being able to use technology too. If you want to be an average twenty-first century person you should know how to use a computer. In the article "Shifting" Toward a New Literacy Mr. Fisch explains how in today’s world it is essential to know how to type, use the Internet and so much more for everyday things like school and work. Literacy has not changed but expanded through the growth of technology. The biggest thing that has changed is the introduction of computers that now our world would not work without them.

This effects our generation of youth by so much from the new learning tools, new computers and more. The stuff we are learning today is ever changing and we need to know how to use all the tools to make our generation successful. People 50 or 100 years ago could have never dreamed of what the world is like today. That is why we need to know how to use these essential literary techniques.

Cell Phones Reading?

Having a cell phone read, tell the difference of money and cheers when others cheers just sounds silly. Hold that thought in the article Cell Phones That Read; Nokia has already invented a cell phone that does that. It is in its early stages and is pricey now but it can soon be as common as a phone taking a picture. It’s almost implausible but people are excited about all this brand new artificial intelligence. The world has changed so much in the past 100 years it is miraculous.

Just think we were amazed to be in the air and now we have people going to the moon and staying at space stations. The world today is changing so rapidly the stuff that astounds us today will soon be yesterday’s toys. This phone is just another step in improving our technology because as Mr. Fisch says computers, phones, and iPods double in many ways (except size) every two years. This has no huge effect on the world but hey it sounds interesting.

FISA Protects America

The Article 1, by Mr. Fisch, explains how the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) protects the United States by getting names of suspected terrorist and tracking their where abouts. It does this by doing a background check without taking away personal rights of the citizen. I think this is a good act because after 911 we have to be very cautious about our safety. It was already proven that this protects America. I do believe all precautions must be taken when it comes to terrorism. Who knows how many terrorist threats have been ceased due to this act. We should feel a lot safer now thanks to “FISA”.

Could this be a cure for cancer?

The article Gene tests 'create undue stress' says that looking at and scanning genes may help lead us to seeing if you have a higher risk to get serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Some scientists agree with the idea while others like Professor Samani don’t think there is any use for it at the moment. He says there is no real value in it at the moment, causes undue stress and it causes people to think they are safe (if they are in the lower risk level). I think this is a good idea because they are trying to find a way to detect very deadly diseases early so they can treat you before you get really sick. I would probably do the test if they offered it to me.
This could help the world in the near future because if you were able to scan and see if there was anything wrong you could get rid of it before the major sickness kicks in. Imagine how many lives could be saved from this treatment. This could be a cure for countless diseases. In my opinion, it’s worth a try.

Zach's PLN on "Whose Language?"

After reading the article, "Whose Language?", by Michael Skapinker, I realized that English is not just stereotyped with the United States of America but the language is growing more and more around the world.The article explained how the English language is ever changing from how we talk, to who speaks it around the world and how it is growing. This affects the world around me a lot because if many more countries were adopting the language then it would make it much easier for all of us that speak English. This could help travelers, incoming immigrants and many more. In the article it states about one in five people around the world can talk basic English and in ten to twenty years it is estimated it could change to one and three people.

This reminds me about Mr. Fisch’s presentation on shift. He mentioned that China would soon be the world’s most English speaking country in the world. That is pretty shocking on how a country other than the United States of America could be the largest speaking English country. I don’t think anyone expected the answer was China in the presentation. This article really shows that shift does happen like Mr. Fisch said.