One obvious trend that has started up is the use of smart phones. If you want to make a call, play music, watch movies, search the web, and use a variety of different applications, all you need is one device. Most people say this is great. I have an I-phone and I have to admit that it is an awesome device. I can call and text people, search the web, listen to music, and play all kinds of games. If I wanted to I could download thousands of other application and do basically whatever I want, all in the palm of my hand. The cause of this device is obvious, it makes life convenient. There are a lot of positive effects, as in people can have the internet and e-mail wherever they go. Most people don’t even think there can be negative effects of a smart phone. Did you ever think about how smart phones may affect the economy? Or maybe how they can be used for cheating? How about simply getting addicted to them? Despite the good effects of smart phones, there are still negative ones.
Over the years broadband connectivity has become a necessity instead of a luxury. Broadband services penetration increased from 55 percent of U.S. households in May, 2008 to 63 percent in April, 2009 (Sastrawinata para1). Despite the recession, smart phone industries continue to grow. Broadband and smart phone prices continue to climb but people seem to be unaffected. Apple reported that it sold a million I-Phone 3GS units during its launch weekend (Sastrawinata para2). If prices are climbing and more people are buying, this means that people have less money to spend on other items. Traditional landline phone companies are also taking a hit because people are less likely to drop their wireless phone than their home landline (Sastrawinata para6.) According to Yarmey-Tylutki, professor at Scranton University, "There's a lot of consensus that within the next five to ten years, cell phones will be the way that most people access the Internet most of the time (Zygmunt para4).”
If you’re a student or teacher, I’m sure you’ve noticed that Smart Phones are rapidly increasing in schools. Cell phones have even changed the way people communicate in school. Years ago, when a student would see someone they know in the hall, they would stop and talk or create small talk. Recently this has changed from small talk to simply a nod that says “hey”. A lot of students are too wrapped up in their I-phone or Blackberry to even care about anything else. Smart phones also create a cheating problem in school. In a survey 200 high school students with smart phones were asked a pretty random history question. 80% of the students were able to find the answer to the question in less than two minutes (Zygmunt para4). If I were a teacher I wouldn’t like to hear this. When doing an assignment in class, a lot of students don’t need to even use their textbook. If the student is sneaky about it, he or she can just Google all of the answers off their smart phone. Even a bigger problem is cheating on tests. On a smart phone it doesn’t take long to whip it out and find an answer. So what are some students doing when they “get a drink,” or “go to the bathroom?”
In the article Addicted to your Smart Phone - Here’s what to do, Susan Davis states: “one day I realized instant access could go too far. As I pulled up to a stoplight, I felt an urge to grab my BlackBerry out of my briefcase and check my email. Long a critic of texting while driving, I realized I was on the verge of doing just that -- just because I could. I started to understand why the phone is nicknamed "Crack Berry (Davis para2).” This is an example of a person getting addicted to their smart phone. You may be thinking, “There is no such thing as getting addicted to a smart phone.” According to David Greenfield, PhD, "we already know that the Internet and certain forms of computer use are addictive, what is the difference if it’s on a 2-3 inch screen (Davis para3).” If you have a smart phone do you feel like checking it every five minutes, whether it be your text messaging, facebook, or recent sports scores? Have you ever forgotten your phone at home? How uncomfortable are you until you have it in your phone or pocket? If you keep feeling in your pocket wishing you had your phone so you could look at something that isn’t really needed, you are addicted to you smart phone. Smart phone addiction can lead to potentially dangerous acts and not so good consequences, take checking your e-mail while driving as an example. That could ultimately lead to serious injuries and also a fatal accident. So in the end, it is important to know that smart phone addiction is a real thing.
Despite all the amazing things that a smart phone can do, there are still negative effects. If you have a smart phone or are considering a smart phone think about a couple of things. Are you going to potentially hurt the economy? Are you going to be honest when using your phone? Lastly, is your phone going to control your life? These are just a few things to think about this amazing but potentially dangerous device.
Works Cited
Davis, Susan. "Addicted to Your Smartphone? Here's What to Do." WebMD. N.p., 2/15/2010.
Web. 10 May 2010.
Sastrawinata, Lalitya. "Economic Effects: Radio, Broadband and Smartphones ." Atlantic
ACM. N.p., 2010. Web. 10 May 2010.
Zygmunt, Stan. "Research Studies Effects of Smartphone on Information Literacy." The
University of Scranton. N.p., 0/31/09. Web. 10 May 2010.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Earth Day
40 years ago, Earth Day was created to “challenge corporate and government leaders.” Forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services (Kaufman).
I believe that Earth Day needs to go back to a day in which everybody’s main focus is on the earth, not marketing or making money. There are enough days in a year for people to market their products and make money. Can’t one day, or week, be set aside for JUST the sake of the earth?
I think that the new “dream machines” that PepsiCo is putting out is a great idea. The “dream machines” are recycling kiosks designed to increase recycling rates and prevent pollution. It’s sick to see all of the cans and bottles laying around basically everywhere you go. “Dream Machines” are just one of many ways we can prevent the earth from being filthy.
My question is, why do we have to have a certain day for earth day? Shouldn’t people be doing things everyday to help the earth? Would you rather live on a nasty dirty planet, or a clean beautiful one?
I believe that Earth Day needs to go back to a day in which everybody’s main focus is on the earth, not marketing or making money. There are enough days in a year for people to market their products and make money. Can’t one day, or week, be set aside for JUST the sake of the earth?
I think that the new “dream machines” that PepsiCo is putting out is a great idea. The “dream machines” are recycling kiosks designed to increase recycling rates and prevent pollution. It’s sick to see all of the cans and bottles laying around basically everywhere you go. “Dream Machines” are just one of many ways we can prevent the earth from being filthy.
My question is, why do we have to have a certain day for earth day? Shouldn’t people be doing things everyday to help the earth? Would you rather live on a nasty dirty planet, or a clean beautiful one?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Ken Robinson
Ken Robinson had some great points when he talked about school and creativity. He said that subjects like mathematics and language always come before subjects like music and dance. Ken Robinson believes that music and dance are just as important as mathematics and language. I agree with Robinson and think that it all depends on what type of person you are. I believe a person should be able to pick the main subject that they will be studying. Chances are that if the person likes the subject they are studying, they will try harder, have more fun, and be more successful. He also talked about a girl who was overly hyper. She went to dance school because dancing takes a lot of energy and her parents thought it would be a good fit for her. She ended up being a millionaire and creating her own dance business. Robinson said that these days she would have been given pills and been told to settle down. It really made me think when he said that. It made me think about if people’s creativity is really being limited because of the ADHD pill. Maybe people would be better off being themselves and finding something that works for them, just like the dancer did.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Humanity Hour I
When I heard that the Scorpions were going to be putting on a concert at Ft. McCoy, I went ballistic. If you would have seen me you would have thought I had just won the lottery. Along with the Scorpions, Alice Cooper would also be performing. Not often do you see two huge name bands playing in little cities like Sparta, Wisconsin (where Ft. McCoy is located). If you’re wondering why I was so excited about seeing the scorpions, it’s because they are my favorite hard rock band.
I made my friend Connor go with me because not a lot of other teenagers are huge fans of the Scorpions. The only song he knew of the Scorpions was “Rock you Like a Hurricane.” He liked more of the newer hard rock as in stuff like Avenged Sevenfold. That was, of course, before we went to the concert. My mom went along too because she has been a fan of Alice Cooper her whole life. My cousins, my uncle, my sister, and my sister’s boyfriend also went along.
Me, Connor, and my cousin Tyler were able to sneak through the crowd until we were about 50 feet from the stage. Alice Cooper played a two hour long set list starting with “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, and ending with “Schools Out For Summer.” Alice Cooper puts on a great show on stage. It is like a play only with blaring loud music. After Alice Cooper was done, we started sneaking up closer to the stage. By the time my favorite band took the stage, we were 20 feet away. Being this close, it didn’t make sense looking at the jumbo screens because it would be smaller than the real thing.
The Scorpions Started out their Humanity Hour I tour with my favorite song, “Tease Me Please Me.” It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. I can’t listen to that song without thinking of the concert. About 20 seconds into the song Connor turned to me and said “Holy….” I couldn’t hear him but I knew what he was saying. Like Alice Cooper, the Scorpions played a huge two hour long set list. They played all of their metal hits dating back to the 70’s, along with 3 new hits off of the Humanity Hour I album. They wrapped up their smashing loud concert with the rock anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”
After the show I asked Connor what he thought about the concert. He said it was 10 times better than the bands he was seeing at the La Crosse Center. The thing I find funny is that after the show, he was listening to my type of music. His favorite band was the scorpions, and just months later we were on the road to Madison to see the bad boys of Rock N’ Roll, Motley Crue.
I made my friend Connor go with me because not a lot of other teenagers are huge fans of the Scorpions. The only song he knew of the Scorpions was “Rock you Like a Hurricane.” He liked more of the newer hard rock as in stuff like Avenged Sevenfold. That was, of course, before we went to the concert. My mom went along too because she has been a fan of Alice Cooper her whole life. My cousins, my uncle, my sister, and my sister’s boyfriend also went along.
Me, Connor, and my cousin Tyler were able to sneak through the crowd until we were about 50 feet from the stage. Alice Cooper played a two hour long set list starting with “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, and ending with “Schools Out For Summer.” Alice Cooper puts on a great show on stage. It is like a play only with blaring loud music. After Alice Cooper was done, we started sneaking up closer to the stage. By the time my favorite band took the stage, we were 20 feet away. Being this close, it didn’t make sense looking at the jumbo screens because it would be smaller than the real thing.
The Scorpions Started out their Humanity Hour I tour with my favorite song, “Tease Me Please Me.” It was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. I can’t listen to that song without thinking of the concert. About 20 seconds into the song Connor turned to me and said “Holy….” I couldn’t hear him but I knew what he was saying. Like Alice Cooper, the Scorpions played a huge two hour long set list. They played all of their metal hits dating back to the 70’s, along with 3 new hits off of the Humanity Hour I album. They wrapped up their smashing loud concert with the rock anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”
After the show I asked Connor what he thought about the concert. He said it was 10 times better than the bands he was seeing at the La Crosse Center. The thing I find funny is that after the show, he was listening to my type of music. His favorite band was the scorpions, and just months later we were on the road to Madison to see the bad boys of Rock N’ Roll, Motley Crue.
Monday, March 1, 2010
World Will follow the U.S
I believe that every country in the world follows the good things that the United States does. It’s like the United States is the rest of the world’s role model. Of course not all of the things the U.S. does are good things, but I believe if the U.S. starts making a bigger effort to change the world then the rest of the countries will follow.
My first wish has to do with one of the seven deadly sins, greed. You see greed all the time in the U.S. An example of this would be the prices getting jacked on common and needed items. Business owners know that the people will continue to buy these items even though the price is jacked up. My first wish is for owners of businesses to be more understanding of the people. If there weren’t such greedy owners of businesses then the U.S wouldn’t have as much poverty and dept. If the people didn’t have to pay more for items, they would have more money to keep themselves stable and to help other people.
Greed ties directly with my second wish. My second wish is for people to donate their money, goods, and services. If you have a lot of money, why can’t you help out other people? At least give them clothing, shelter, food, and clean water. A huge thing that the average family can do is donate. You can donate clothes that don’t fit, appliances, or toys that you do not use anymore. A great place to do this is Goodwill. They take donations of just about everything. They make sure all of the goods are clean and safe and they sell for a really cheap price. This helps people which are not as well off.
My third wish is to teach people that even if they don’t have money, they can still attend college and get a good education. A lot of people believe that because they don’t have money, they can’t attend college. There are loans all over the place where you don’t have to pay any money for college until after you get your degree and after you get a job. If more people had a college education it would be great for our nation. There would be less people in poverty and on the streets, and more people with better jobs.
As you can see, all of my wishes have to do with money. Some people believe that love and care can fix a country or a world. I agree that it can help, but without money I don’t think a lot can be done. If more people were financially stable and didn’t have greed, they could start to help out other people and families.
My first wish has to do with one of the seven deadly sins, greed. You see greed all the time in the U.S. An example of this would be the prices getting jacked on common and needed items. Business owners know that the people will continue to buy these items even though the price is jacked up. My first wish is for owners of businesses to be more understanding of the people. If there weren’t such greedy owners of businesses then the U.S wouldn’t have as much poverty and dept. If the people didn’t have to pay more for items, they would have more money to keep themselves stable and to help other people.
Greed ties directly with my second wish. My second wish is for people to donate their money, goods, and services. If you have a lot of money, why can’t you help out other people? At least give them clothing, shelter, food, and clean water. A huge thing that the average family can do is donate. You can donate clothes that don’t fit, appliances, or toys that you do not use anymore. A great place to do this is Goodwill. They take donations of just about everything. They make sure all of the goods are clean and safe and they sell for a really cheap price. This helps people which are not as well off.
My third wish is to teach people that even if they don’t have money, they can still attend college and get a good education. A lot of people believe that because they don’t have money, they can’t attend college. There are loans all over the place where you don’t have to pay any money for college until after you get your degree and after you get a job. If more people had a college education it would be great for our nation. There would be less people in poverty and on the streets, and more people with better jobs.
As you can see, all of my wishes have to do with money. Some people believe that love and care can fix a country or a world. I agree that it can help, but without money I don’t think a lot can be done. If more people were financially stable and didn’t have greed, they could start to help out other people and families.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tiger Woods
Last Friday Tiger Woods Finally Talked to the Public. He was recently caught cheating on his Wife with multiple women. In his fifteen minute speech he apologized to his wife, family, fans, and the PGA tour. Currently Tiger Woods isn’t golfing because of the scandal and because he is trying to fix his life. Honestly I believe that he isn’t golfing because everybody is being such a drama queen. He is sick of the press, cameras, and questions, and thinks that he won’t be able to golf because of it. Sadly, he is right.
The First thing I want to say is that I don’t agree with what Tiger Woods did. Having said that, I think everybody needs to get over what he does in his personal life. Even though he lied and cheated, he is still the best golfer in the world. The guy even has his own video game out. The PGA tour’s income is down 20% now that Tiger Woods isn’t golfing. I watched his speech on television and afterwards they showed how everybody around the world was watching it. Even Wall Street went flat during his fifteen minute speech. This just showed how powerful and good this golfer is. Even Barack Obama can’t shut down Wall Street just because he is giving a speech. I am not a big golf fan and I know that golf is not a very popular sport, but Woods is easily the most known golfer in the world. All that the drama queens are doing is taking away the face of the whole sport.
Tiger Woods admitted he was wrong for what he did and apologized to everybody. He is returning to his faith of Buddhism to help restore his life. Tiger Woods is even going to Sex therapy to help restore his life. It seems like he is trying to do everything he can to get his life back on track. So when will this incredible golfer return to golf? The answer to this question is when the world can forget about his personal life. He lied, he cheated, he is fixing his life, and he is the best golfer in the world. Just forget about it.
The First thing I want to say is that I don’t agree with what Tiger Woods did. Having said that, I think everybody needs to get over what he does in his personal life. Even though he lied and cheated, he is still the best golfer in the world. The guy even has his own video game out. The PGA tour’s income is down 20% now that Tiger Woods isn’t golfing. I watched his speech on television and afterwards they showed how everybody around the world was watching it. Even Wall Street went flat during his fifteen minute speech. This just showed how powerful and good this golfer is. Even Barack Obama can’t shut down Wall Street just because he is giving a speech. I am not a big golf fan and I know that golf is not a very popular sport, but Woods is easily the most known golfer in the world. All that the drama queens are doing is taking away the face of the whole sport.
Tiger Woods admitted he was wrong for what he did and apologized to everybody. He is returning to his faith of Buddhism to help restore his life. Tiger Woods is even going to Sex therapy to help restore his life. It seems like he is trying to do everything he can to get his life back on track. So when will this incredible golfer return to golf? The answer to this question is when the world can forget about his personal life. He lied, he cheated, he is fixing his life, and he is the best golfer in the world. Just forget about it.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Is Winning Everything?
Is winning everything? Some people just like to have fun while other people don’t have satisfaction unless they win. This not only takes place in sports. It takes place in a ton of different activities such as singing, dancing, cards, video games, and the examples go on and on. Everybody can admit that it is a lot more enjoyable to win, but is it more important to win or have fun? For me, some activities give me more satisfaction by winning, while other activities are more satisfactory when just doing them for fun.
The first example I have is running. During middle school and high school I ran cross country and track. I ran them for the competition. I enjoyed pushing myself to the limit and comparing myself to everybody else. I would be happier than ever when me or my team would win but would be disappointed when I did bad or my team did bad. I felt that it would be a waste of time, energy, and pain when there wouldn’t be a medal awarded. My junior year in cross country my team missed the state meet by five points and my senior year we missed it by four points. I was not happy at all. I felt that the whole season was wasted because we didn’t make it to the big show. In track, I missed the state meet by .12 seconds in a half mile race. I thought it was pointless to run all out for a half mile and get nothing out of it.
Some of my teammates who ran on the junior varsity team ran for fun, and I respected them for that. They were running because it made them feel better about themselves. Some were running for something to do and some were running to get into better shape.
My second example is basketball. I played competitive basketball from 5th grade all the way up to my sophomore year in high school. My sophomore year in high school my junior varsity team went undefeated, but I realized that I didn’t have fun so I quit playing school basketball. I would much rather be just be playing ball with my friends and messing around then playing competitively.
So back to the question, is winning everything? For me some activities are all about winning and some activities I don’t care about winning and losing. I believe the answer to this question just depends on the type of person and the type of activity. What do you think- is winning everything?
The first example I have is running. During middle school and high school I ran cross country and track. I ran them for the competition. I enjoyed pushing myself to the limit and comparing myself to everybody else. I would be happier than ever when me or my team would win but would be disappointed when I did bad or my team did bad. I felt that it would be a waste of time, energy, and pain when there wouldn’t be a medal awarded. My junior year in cross country my team missed the state meet by five points and my senior year we missed it by four points. I was not happy at all. I felt that the whole season was wasted because we didn’t make it to the big show. In track, I missed the state meet by .12 seconds in a half mile race. I thought it was pointless to run all out for a half mile and get nothing out of it.
Some of my teammates who ran on the junior varsity team ran for fun, and I respected them for that. They were running because it made them feel better about themselves. Some were running for something to do and some were running to get into better shape.
My second example is basketball. I played competitive basketball from 5th grade all the way up to my sophomore year in high school. My sophomore year in high school my junior varsity team went undefeated, but I realized that I didn’t have fun so I quit playing school basketball. I would much rather be just be playing ball with my friends and messing around then playing competitively.
So back to the question, is winning everything? For me some activities are all about winning and some activities I don’t care about winning and losing. I believe the answer to this question just depends on the type of person and the type of activity. What do you think- is winning everything?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Black Ice
On my 18th birthday I was expecting to get a cheesy card and a little bit of cash from my mom. I was right about the cheesy card, but instead of cash, I got a ticket to go see the greatest rock band of all time. All my life I had wanted to see AC/DC in concert, and on August 18, 2009 that dream came true. Unfortunately the concert was being played in Grand Rapids, MI an eight hour drive from La Crosse. My mom, sister, and I made the long road trip and had an experience we would never forget.
We picked a nice hotel in Grand Rapids because we were hoping the band would pick the same one and we would possibly get some autographs. When we got to the hotel in Grand Rapids, there were people everywhere wearing AC/DC apparel. Before we left for the concert, we heard rumors that AC/DC was, in fact, going to be at our hotel later that night, or the next morning.
We got to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids where everywhere you looked there were fans decked out in their fan gear more than I have ever seen at any other concert. We got our drinks and concert tee’s before the lines got to ridiculous. We watched the opening band called The Answer. It was a pretty good performance but it was nothing compared to what we were about to see. About 30 minutes after The Answer was finished, Van Andel Arena went pitch black and the crowd erupted.
Instead of having me describe to you what the opening of the concert was like, I’m going to let you see it for yourself. The first video is of the actual start of the concert and the second one is a closer up view of the first song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ5BdmzwGLk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKU6gZlairs&feature=related
The best thing about the concert was that it was always rocking. AC/DC never took any breaks and they really didn’t play any slow songs. Everything they played pumped the crowd up and kept the energy flowing. They played a pretty big set list consisting of 20 songs. Five of the songs they played were off their new album titled Black Ice. The only bad thing was that they couldn’t play longer. AC/DC has so many hit songs that it was impossible to be able to play all of them. Some of the songs that I wish they would have played were Girls Got Rhythm, Money Talks, It’s a Long Way to the Top, and Big Balls. The songs they did play consists of:
Set list:Rock N' Roll Train Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be Back in Black Big Jack Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Shot Down in Flames Thunderstruck Black Ice The Jack Hells Bells Shoot to Thrill War Machine High Voltage You Shook Me All Night Long T.N.T. Whole Lotta Rosie Let There Be Rock Encore:Highway To HellFor Those About To Rock
We got back to the hotel around 12:30 in the morning. I stayed up until 2:00 hoping that the band would walk into the bar at the hotel (and because there was no way I was sleeping anytime soon). At 2:00 I decided to go back to the room. The next morning I heard that AC/DC arrived at the hotel around 2:45. Sure enough when I went out to the car, I saw two limos and two tour buses. I was pretty mad that I didn’t stay up for another 45 min. I got over it pretty quickly because in my eyes, I had just seen the best band that has ever set foot on this earth.
We picked a nice hotel in Grand Rapids because we were hoping the band would pick the same one and we would possibly get some autographs. When we got to the hotel in Grand Rapids, there were people everywhere wearing AC/DC apparel. Before we left for the concert, we heard rumors that AC/DC was, in fact, going to be at our hotel later that night, or the next morning.
We got to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids where everywhere you looked there were fans decked out in their fan gear more than I have ever seen at any other concert. We got our drinks and concert tee’s before the lines got to ridiculous. We watched the opening band called The Answer. It was a pretty good performance but it was nothing compared to what we were about to see. About 30 minutes after The Answer was finished, Van Andel Arena went pitch black and the crowd erupted.
Instead of having me describe to you what the opening of the concert was like, I’m going to let you see it for yourself. The first video is of the actual start of the concert and the second one is a closer up view of the first song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ5BdmzwGLk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKU6gZlairs&feature=related
The best thing about the concert was that it was always rocking. AC/DC never took any breaks and they really didn’t play any slow songs. Everything they played pumped the crowd up and kept the energy flowing. They played a pretty big set list consisting of 20 songs. Five of the songs they played were off their new album titled Black Ice. The only bad thing was that they couldn’t play longer. AC/DC has so many hit songs that it was impossible to be able to play all of them. Some of the songs that I wish they would have played were Girls Got Rhythm, Money Talks, It’s a Long Way to the Top, and Big Balls. The songs they did play consists of:
Set list:Rock N' Roll Train Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be Back in Black Big Jack Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Shot Down in Flames Thunderstruck Black Ice The Jack Hells Bells Shoot to Thrill War Machine High Voltage You Shook Me All Night Long T.N.T. Whole Lotta Rosie Let There Be Rock Encore:Highway To HellFor Those About To Rock
We got back to the hotel around 12:30 in the morning. I stayed up until 2:00 hoping that the band would walk into the bar at the hotel (and because there was no way I was sleeping anytime soon). At 2:00 I decided to go back to the room. The next morning I heard that AC/DC arrived at the hotel around 2:45. Sure enough when I went out to the car, I saw two limos and two tour buses. I was pretty mad that I didn’t stay up for another 45 min. I got over it pretty quickly because in my eyes, I had just seen the best band that has ever set foot on this earth.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tinkering Scool
Watching the tinkering school video really made me think about how amazing kids can be when they are given an opportunity. Most kids around the world, including the U.S, don’t have the opportunity to use tools, build things, and really use their imagination. Instead of doing material projects as in building things, most kids these days are accustomed to watching television and playing video games. For a lot of kids, building tree forts and building model cars are totally blocked out by video games and new technology. What I liked most about the video is the goal of the tinkering school. To my understanding, the goal of the school is to give the children a taste of accomplishment. After making bridges, roller coasters, and boats, I know the kids realized that they can accomplish much more than they thought. Another goal of the school is to show people that kids should be given a chance and that kids can be trusted. It amazed me to see kids working with hammers, nails, and power tools. It was really cool for me to see the boat and the roller coaster that the kids made. It made me think, “would I even be able to build a roller coaster out of wood?” I believe that these tinkering schools can create great opportunities for children and should be put into place throughout the world.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Intro
My name is Brandon Maatouk and I am going to Western for the Architectural Technology Program. I was born in Texas but moved to Wisconsin very shortly after being born. I attended Central High School here in La Crosse where I ran Cross Country and Track. Other than running, some of my hobbies are fishing, playing basketball, going on the river, and listening to 80’s rock. One of my favorite places to be is on the river either with an inner tube or a fishing pole. I also enjoy going to rock concerts, mostly just the 80’s hair bands. My favorite shows have been AC/DC and Motley Crue. I love to play basketball and football with my friends. It is a lot of fun but often times get out of hand because my friends and I are overly competitive about everything. My immediate family consists of my three sisters, mom, and three cats. I am excited for my two little sisters to grow up because I am sure they are going to be successful. They are in elementary school but I can already tell that they are going to great at basketball and softball. They enjoy playing and I work with them to get better, even though they just think I’m just playing with them. Thanks for taking the time to get to know me and I look forward to meeting all of you.
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