English 495ESM

 

  In the Armenian language Noonoofar is the name for a pretty white flower. It is also the name I have been called by my family as long as I can remember, though it isn't the name on my birth certificate. It's a little joke you see, as I have been called such for the fact I happen to be the palest in my collective group of kin. 

  Moving on from the introduction of my odd little nickname, I'd like to say welcome to my blog! Though I am actually a Film major at the University I attend it is my English Literature minor that has required the creation of this blog. 

  Thus, this brings me to my first assignment! With that in mind I'd like to bring all your attention to media technology, which happens to be the subject of this particular assignment. Personally, I believe with the growth of modern technology I don't see why students such as myself should be denied the use of technology within the classroom setting. Since middle school the burden of carrying your own weight in textbooks has stressed us students out and has followed us to University. But, with the recent developments of such contraptions as The Nook, The Kindle and even the iPad, textbook developers have begun releasing digitally printed material for us students. 

          

  Even from a teaching stand point this has become a slowly growing advantage. Think about it. In almost every class except for those heavy lecture ones, professors expect students to bring their textbooks with them. In most cases those darn things turn out to be bigger then their students’ heads. By demanding textbooks become printed on digital paper the probability of pupils bringing their texts to class will go up. To expand on this theory even more we have to take into consideration how as the price of Universities have gone up, it seems the price of textbooks have equally risen over the years as well and with the publishing of new editions almost every year the reselling value for them have considerably plummeted. 

  By accepting technology into the classroom I believe the process of teaching will dramatically improve the classroom environment at least in the cases regarding textbook material. But, with every good thing comes the bad and I have personally encountered situations in which media technology has hindered my classroom experience. 

  I would thus like to bring attention to Moodle, the online Internet source the professors at my University often use to give us students information throughout the semester. My experience with this site has been one of love and hate. I love that I can keep up with my classes by going over posted lectures from my teachers and that my syllabus can be found present even if by some mishap I end up misplacing it. Yet, I hate it when professors expect you to hand in papers online or post responses because while my laptop is reliable my Internet is not. I have missed deadlines in the past and that has had adverse affects on my grades. Though, I do believe that as technology advances these little hiccups in the process will diminish over time. I feel really positive about this.

  What about you guys? What are your thoughts on Moodle? How do you feel about digitally printed textbooks? Would anyone of you purchase a Nook, Kindle or iPad if you knew it would save you hundreds of dollars that you would otherwise use to buy printed textbooks? Please discuss!