Andrea Response Four

Digital Nation, produced and directed by Rachel Dretzin, is a documentary giving attention to questions raised now that the world is spending a great amount of time on the internet. Professor Sherry Turke of MIT talks about the difference in students today from that of yesterday. Gary Small of UCLA attacks the assumption that the internet has given us students a great power of multi-tasking by proving that searching the net messes with our focus. We get to see both sides of the argument of how much schools should involved the internet in their students' schoolwork. We see how much internet is involved in today's society for entertainment and in the work environment. It shows us how powerful digital media can be. It discusses whether or not the internet is an addiction, and its power to influence us and our kids. One South Korean mom said when talking about her child’s constant use of the computer, “Only addicts act like this.” Whether or not schools here in the U.S. should make the internet a big part of the school system, not everyone can agree on, but some schools have already decided they'd rather meet the kids at their level. They see the positive effect of the involvement of digital media in kids' education outweighs the cons. But others disagree and would like to stop where we are, and separate ourselves from it. The internet has made my life easy. I can get things done quicker. Whether it's being able to quickly find something to entertain me, or finding what I need to know about almost anything at the click of a button, my needs are met almost instantaneously. With the internet, I can receive information for homework, from others, and for emergencies. My laptop is important to me. Its access to the internet can connect me to anything I want, and anything that can help make my life easier. To me, it's my own portable library. It's my access to the world. With the internet, I can get information and opinions from people all over the world in a few seconds. Of course I have to read them, but I don't have to maze through the library and its books to find the answers I'm looking for. Because of the internet, my studies are limited to when the library is open. I can do homework after hours. I would most likely not even use the library because I now have the internet. Wikipedia's highlighted links really help with researching. If I was without the internet, and curious of someone's background only mentioned in the book that I'm using, I would have to search the library for another. With Wikipedia, I can click on his or her name, and get a very informative but brief article on him or her. The internet makes it easier to find a something I’m looking for than a phonebook. If I were to use the phonebook, I would need to physically flip through the pages until I found it, but with the internet, I can just type it in, and the net will do it for me, and in a snap, there it is, along with other useful information. For example, if I wanted to find a gym here in Bellingham, I could type "gym Bellingham, WA" into Google, and in a few moments there'd be a list of local gyms next to a map marking their locations. Next to them would be a link to each gym's website if they have one. Whether by basing my gym decision on how far I’m willing to travel, and the reviews available, I can decide what gym is going to be the best for me, and avoid wasting money by joining a crappy gym. With the net, I can find the perfect recipe for me. I can find thousands of them and with some sites even narrow my search down to the fat content. Some also include personal versions of those recipes, and opinions and an average grade given to them by those that have tried their recipes! Many sites on the internet can help me find what I want. Netflix can help me find movies I like by reviewing how many stars I give to each movie I watch, and then giving me suggestions, avoiding movies like those I gave only two stars to. I can also find music that sounds very similar to an artist I like. Maybe I love one artist, but have listened to his CDs over and over again. With, Pandora, I'm given suggestions of what I might like by playing music very similar him. The same goes with books and games. With the internet, I'm kept entertained.
I cringe when I think of my life without the internet. I like that I can look for the highest rated doctor in town, or whether or not I should really go. I can look up a picture of the spider I found that bit me, and in a flash, see that it’s harmless and common to find indoors. The internet has really helped me, giving me information at the touch of a button. This new technology has allowed me to live easier, and I am thankful for that.