The Ethics of Social Media After Death

There are many questions dealing with what should be done (if anything)  with our online identity when we die. And ,of course, there are many different ethical perspectives we could use to attack these questions. Recently, I've read a New York Times article about life after death. I've also seen a TED talk by Adam Ostrow who also questions if our online identity should live on even long after we're dead.

Some of the questions asked are: "What happens to our online personality after we die? Could it...live on?"(-Adam Ostrow) Should it live on? What should happen to our social media accounts and blogs after we die? Should our families get to be in charge of our internet identities?

The should part is where different answers and perspectives of ethics and right vs.wrong comes into play. To answer Ostrow's question, our online personality can live on. He even says later in the video"But today we're creating this incredibly rich digital archive that's going to live in the cloud indefinitely years after were gone,". But the real questions that need to be asked is should we allow them to live on. Personally, I think its important to preserve these online profiles, but others may not want their life to stay on the web forever.

Many people haven't thought about this topic yet. As Rob Walker says "Not many people have given serious thought to these questions. Maybe that’s partly because what we do online still feels somehow novel and ephemeral, although it really shouldn't anymore. Or maybe it’s because pondering mortality is simply a downer." But, I think people should start taking this topic more seriously.  Most people see these questions as silly topics because its just Facebook, but whats on there Facebook is important. I think Facebook profiles should be memorialized ( along with other sites) because our online profiles are the equivalent of the scrapbooks, photo albums, and diaries we never made in person but are online. Going back to what Adam said, ".. we're creating this incredibly rich digital archive that's going to live in the cloud indefinitely years after were gone," By memorializing we are allowing the option of other loved ones to share pictures of the deceased.  The ability to do this is more amazing than it seems. Before websites were created things were hand written and pictures printed instead of stored on phones. And, although they may seem to be more precious, there made out of material, meaning they will fade and be destroyed. The NY Times article comes across this by saying "Something else happened at the same time: the family realized that a big batch of slides in his grandmother’s possession had faded beyond recognition. Hunt was stunned. 'Memories that were precious to me — not just living them, but after that going back and revisiting them — and now it’s gone,' he recalls. 'I thought: I really need to do something.' ” This makes a valid point that the things we put online(unless deleted) will stay in perfect condition forever.

Think about it; if I were to write out this post instead of typing it,eventually it will fade, but maybe many years from now my grandchildren can stumble across this site, in the pile of trash that is my online identity, and read this very post. It is somewhat of a morbid thought to think about death, but with death comes new life and its cool to think that even though I never met my great grandmother, my great-grand-kids can look at my profiles and get an idea of the person I was and hear about my life without me having to be there to tell them.
Questions like "Should our families get to be in charge of our internet identities? Should it live on?" cant be answered with a general yes or no, these types of questions have different answers for every person because everyone has different morals. The deceased should tell what they ant done to their profiles,  like an addition to their will, because the family may have different opinions. The New York times article talks about a situation where a web pioneer lost her digital legacy due to the family wanting people to remember her for her. But its possible she would have wanted different, the article writes “Her work is her legacy,” one admirer, Rogers Cadenhead, wrote to Harpold’s niece, Melissa Krauskopf, an attorney who served as the personal representative of Harpold’s estate. “I have corresponded with several of Leslie’s friends about her sites all disappearing from the Web. For what it is worth, all of us believe that she would not have wanted that to happen.” There are ways for this to be prevented: there are sites Adam talks about that help you decide what you want done with your personal identity.

In conclusion, even though I believe our identities should be able to live on forever in the cloud, not everyone feels the same way. Everyone has different opinions and views on whats right and whats wrong.

Google 20% Project

For my Google 20% Project I plan to learn about the moon.Here is a link to the video I made to pitch my idea to the class. I don't know much about the moon so I plan on learning things from the basics(like the distance from the earth) to discoveries found on the moon to things like eclipses and blue moons. I chose this topic because I'm interested in space. Like every 5 year old, I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.But my fear of the soul-sucking darkness of space has temporarily slowed down my career of being a successful astrounout and walking on the moon so, instead I will learn about the mysteries of the moon from my computer. I won't need much materials to do this project other than access to the Internet. I plan to take my information and present it in a prezi thats pretty and awesome looking. Some road blocks I may run into are not having enough information. If this does occur, I will expand my research to other things like if the moons on other planets have the same properties as earths moon. Also, I will discover the reasons for the similarities and differences in these properties.

Is Chris Langan successful?

Recently in class we read about Chris Langan and saw him appear in the game show 1 vs. 100. Chris Langan is said to be "the smartest man in America" and he has an IQ of 195. There's no doubting that Chris Langan is smart but he hasn't been able to use his intelligence to become successful.  My personal definition of success is someone who makes an impact on the world and others. In the book the Outliers (where we first heard of Chris Langan) we are learning how different factors affect our success. If success was simply being happy and content with your life, Gladwell would've wrote things like "do what you love and love what you do." But being happy isn't success. I wouldn't say I'm successful because I'm happy when there are people out there earning millions of dollars and making a difference in the world. Those people that change lives are what I call successful. Chris Langan is currently married, raising his farm animals and is happy, but I wouldn't call him successful because he's happy. He had the ability and responsibility of sharing his ideas with the world. But, since Chris didn't go to college, people don't take his ideas seriously. There are plenty of people who haven't gone to college and don't have very good jobs and are considered unsuccessful, but Chris Langan is one of those people and he is considered (by some) successful because he's happy. Why should Chris Langan be called more successful than those people just because he has a higher IQ? I do believe people should be happy with their lives but when it comes down to the point, Chris Langan is no more successful than the average man.

THE KINDERGARTEN DEBATE

After reading Gladwell's opinion and the opinion of Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt, I'm stuck in the middle. Depending on your child, delaying kindergarten can be either a good or bad thing. Like Gladwell states, delaying kids from kindergarten make them the older kids in their grade, automatically giving them an accumulative advantage. Those kids may often be perceived  as gifted and above average.  Just like in sports, red-shirting your child puts them a step ahead. On the other hand, the young children of the grade start off with a disadvantage that carries with them onto college and grows in the process. But, like Wang and Aamodt say in "Delay Kindergarten at Your Child's Peril", after awhile, the older kids get bored and start to careless and become less motivated. Meanwhile, the younger kids in the grade do better than the kids the same age in the lower grade because they had more time in school. This is where I'm stuck. These assumptions don't apply to everyone and I  can even see some counterexamples in our class. Unlike what Wang and Aamodt say, the older kids in our G&T class work hard and try to get good grades. In contrast, Gladwell states that the younger kids have a disadvantage and don't do well because they are far behind but in our class the younger kids do just as well as the older kids for the grade. Overall, I don't think there's any specific way to go. Delaying your child isn't necessarily better. I think the best a parent can do is base their decision on the needs of the child because every child is different.

The Truths and Myths of Being Gifted

Being gifted has it’s ups and downs and misconceptions. There are a lot of things people assume about  gifted students , most of them being myths. There’s more to being gifted than what meets the eye.

Being gifted comes with its ups and downs. When you’re gifted certain things are easier for you to learn than others. Learning is quicker and clearer. Also, if you’re in a gifted and talented program, you get new experiences and projects. I still remember some of the cool projects and trips I took in elementary school when I was in a gifted and talented program. But, being gifted has its cons too. When you’re gifted people start to make assumptions and high expectations for you. I’m always expected to be perfect, to get all A’s, to be a role model for others, and to not mak mistakes. Eventually, there’s a lot of pressure and it feels like people are waiting for me to mess up. Another downside is that people make fun of you. People are always saying I‘m in all the “smart kid classes” and make other remarks. Now that I’m older most of my friends know that I’m smart and don’t tease me but I don’t like telling people I’m in G&T because of how they will react and how they’ll expect me to know everything.

There are many myths about Gifted kids.  Some myths according to the National Assosiation for Gifted Children are that gifted students make everyone else in the class smarter by providing a role model or a challenge and that gifted students don’t need help;they’ll do fine on their own. I agree with NAGC that these are myths. The truth is that most students don’t even pay much attention to gifted kids. They think we know too much already so they don’t try to be like us because our expectations are high. The only time people come to me in class is to ask if they can copy my homework, I highly doubt they’d try to be like us or that we have that much of an affect on them. Second, just because a student is gifted or talented doesn’t mean they are gifted at everything. There are classses that I do better in than others. Gifted kids don’t know everything  and need help just like any other student. Another similar myth that goes along with this is that gifted kids are self-directed, they know where they are heading.This isn’t always true. Lastly, another myth given by familyeducation is that all gifted kids are high acheivers; they don’t have to work for grades. This is far from true. I work hard on my school work and if I don’t study for a test I’ll fail just like any other student would.

There are some people, though, who understand the needs of gifted children. For example,  family education states “Gifted kids who do well in school may define success as getting an "A" and failure as any grade less than an "A." By early adolescence they may be unwilling to try anything where they are not certain of guaranteed success.”  When I first read this I was surprised because it was like they read my mind. Ever since 3^rd grade when we started to get letter grades, I was expected to get good grades. “Good grades” meant that I had to get an A and anything less was a disappiontment. Once again, like the words were taken right out of my mouth, family education wrote “Gifted kids are often perfectionistic and idealistic and may equate achievement and grades with self-esteem and self-worth. This can lead to fear of failure and can interfere with their achievement in and out of school.” Whatever I’m doing I always try my best in fear of failing and disappointing. I get even more nervous when I play sports because if I don’t succeed and I make a mistake, I’;m not only letting myself down I’m letting my team down.  The last truth was written by byrdseed and it sums up my thoughts pretty well: “Not only are they dealing with the usual trials of growing up, they are often doing it with an increased awareness of their faults, a frustration with being unable to do everything well, and a world that often doesn’t know what to do with them. Worse, they often lack the emotional tools to accompany their increased awareness.”

In conclusion, there’s more to being gifted than getting good grades. Being gifted comes with high expectations and great amounts of pressure. Based on this post, being gifted doesn’t sound like much fun but it can be. Even though I have a burden on my shoulders, I use the high expectations and set goals for myself and even though I’m pressured I don’t know if I would be getting as good of the grades I do know if I wasn’t pushed to excel. Being gifted comes with its difficulties but I get to see life in a different perspective and I with classes like this I get to learn and experience new and exciting things. 

GT Seminar 1: First Post

Hi! My name is Brianna Montalvo and I'm a freshman. I'm really looking forward to this year in gifted and talented and I'm hoping I have as much as a great time as i did last year in Rogate. I'm interested in all the new units we have and especially excited for the iPads we get to use! I hope to get to learn about some of the new people in our G&T class this year. I'm most looking forward to Great debates and the 20% project. 

About Me

 The highlight of my summer would have to be going on vacation for a week to North Carolina.I got to bring a friend along and we stayed in a beach house with some family friends. I had a great summer but I'm anxious to get this year started.  Here's some of the things I like and dislike:

Likes(:

1. I love to play sports like soccer but basketball is my favorite sport.

2. I love listening to music on my spare time. Some of my favorite artists are One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Olly Murs and Justin Bieber.

3.My favorite subject is math.

4. My favorite color is purple.

5. I love London and hope to visit there one day. 

6. My favorite foods are chocolate, strawberries,watermelon, and mac n' cheese and pickles.

7. I like to go on the computer on my spare time.

8. I like to go rollerskating, bowling and mini-golfing with my family.

9. I like going to the beach.

10. My favorite season is winter because I love cuddling up with warm blankets on the couch, drinking some hot coco and reading a good book. 

Dislikes):

1. I don't like pizza or spaghetti.

2. I don't like airplanes but I would rather go on an airplane than a boat or train.

3. I don't like insects like spiders and butterflies.

4. I don't like when the people I love are hurt.

5. I don't like the dark.

6. I don't like waking up early, I'm not a morning person.

7. I don't like gossip or fighting.

8. I don't like wet doorknobs. 

9. I don't like speaking in front of people.

10. I don't like rude/mean people.

Last blog post of the school year

I'm sad to say this is my last post for Rogate. I had a great time this year and I'm sad to be leaving. This year in Rogate class has been fun, interesting and no doubt my favorite class. I'm going to miss this class. My favorite part of Rogate was the things we got to learn. We did projects and lessons on things we wouldn't normally learn in regular classes and we discusses our views on the topics as well. The class discussions we had throughout the year were great. Rogate introduced me to a lot of new interesting things that I'm glad to have learned.My favorite project we've had was the Google 20% project. This was my favorite because I got to spend time learning about something I enjoyed. We also used blogs in Rogate but we didn't get a chance to use them often. In order to use these more effectively, I think a topic should be assigned  each week that the students will write about and have the students comment on each others blogs. Also, I think we should use our blogs like we use our Edmodo. I'm glad to say that I will be taking the Gifted and talented Seminar I next year and I'm very excited. But I am going to miss the middle school especially my friends who will be leaving and the teachers. I'm excited though to finally be in high school  and I'm starting to realize how old I am. It feels like yesterday we just started our first day in Rogate. I'm ready for the challenges that face me. I plan to spend my summer playing basketball, going on tumblr, stalking one direction,going to the beach, and hanging out with friends. I'm also looking forward to no homework for 2 months(except for the summer assignments) and warm weather. This year's been great and I can't wait to see what kind of fun things we'll do next year.

Kickstarter

The website Kickstarter is a crowdsourcing website. Kickstarter allows you to show people your invention and if they like it, they will help you fund it. On Kickstarter you have a time-limit to when you have to reach your goal but you can make your goal anything. If you are someone who helps fund on Kickstarter, the inventor will give you something in return. As a class assignment, we were given $500 (fake) to spend on any ideas in Kickstarter that we wanted to help back. Here are the 5 projects I decided to fund.

The first project I decided to fund was Revolights.  Revolights allow you to ride in the night with lights on your wheels. I decided to donate $250 to this project. Doing so will get me :

[THE YELLOW JERSEY] ... Receive a brand spankin' new, pre-ordered set of the finalized, CUSTOM Revolights! You'll not only get your lights before they are released to the public, but you'll also be able to cruise your Revolights in style after selecting the (legal) taillight color of your choice from our color palette. Your name will be added to the revolights.com website as a "Yellow Jersey Backer". Via exclusive team member updates, you'll also be able to access key project milestone updates all the way through your lights' shipment (+ rewards listed above - [THE GREEN JERSEY] rewards). Note: shipping to Canada add $20, international add $30 to pledge amount.


The second project I decided to back was Hot Cakes. Hot Cakes is a cakery that needs money to help finish the cakery so they can continue to make their delicious organic treats. I decided to fund them $100. This will get me:

Salted Peanut Butter Level: This is one of our favorite cookies we make so we want to name you, who is so generous and giving, after its amazing, indescribable flavor - much like our gratitude for your gift. If you pledge at this amount, we will give you a sweet Hot Cakes tote bag, 2 jars of our Caramel Sauce (your flavor choice), 2 of our famous Molten Chocolate Cakes in mason jars, a dozen cookies (of your choice) and a pair of our adorable Get Your Hot Cakes undies! What a package (no pun intended ;). *Shipping not included


The third project I decided to back was AIRbudz. AIRbudz allows you to listen to music and still hear whats going on around you. I would spend $15. This would get me:


With a pledge of $10 the backer will receive one of the first packages of AIRbudz in any color option and a carrying case exclusive to Kickstarter pledges. Add $10 more for each additional AIRbudz and carrying case you want (i.e. 3 AIRbudz and 3 carrying cases = $30). (Please add $5 for shipping to Canada and $12 for international shipping.)


The fourth project I decided to back was Hickies. Hickies is a new kind of laces that allows you to turn any pair of sneakers into slip ons. Hickies are laces without the bow tying, the knots and all the struggle. I would spend $100 and I would get:


NEON COLORS EDITION! KICKSTARTER EXCLUSIVE. GET 4 NEON COLORS PACKS: green/pink, yellow/green, pink/yellow, orange/yellow. (US shipping included, shipping to Canada add $10, international add $15 to pledge amount)


The last project I decided to fund was Stemrack. Stemrack allows you to bring your phone with you when you ride your bike. It attaches to your handle bars and keeps your phone,ipod,ect. safe and accessible while you ride. I would spend $35 and would get in return:

Custom Color Stemrack - You can pick the base and rack colors. Includes Shipping (AK, HI, International please add $5 )

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is when you use ideas, information etc. from the general public (usually via internet) and end up with a final product such as t-shirts,designs, etc.

One example of crowdsourcing is 99designs.com . This website allows you to set up a design contest. When you start your design contest, people from all over will send in ideas to compete for your prize. All you need to do is pick your favorite design and an award winner and you'll recieve the final design and the copyright to the original art work. 

Another example of crowdsourcing is istockphotos.com. This website allows you to find the perfect picture you want to use, buy it using iStock credits, and then you can use it almost anywhere you want.

Texture!

This is a picture of my tree from winter. The tree's bark was rough and dry and the snow was smooth.

Pursue Passion: Demand Google 20% Time at School

Today I read the article Pursue Passion: Demand Google 20% Time at School. It talked about Google's 20% plan and how students should be introduced to  it. Google's 20% plan is to spend 20% of their time at work(equivalent to one work day) pursing what they like. Now, Google wants to bring this to school to prepare students for college. Most students have trouble selecting a major in college because all throughout school we are forced to learn the basics. Teachers don't allow students to follow their passion. Google believes that by allowing students to spend 20% of their school time working on what they love, we can accomplish impossible things and prepare our students for college.  

Personally, I like this idea. It would be good for students to work on things they like. Not only will it allow students to be creative and expressive but it will provide new ideas to fix some of today's problems. This is a great project idea and I believe the younger students it's introduced to, the better.

Waste Land

In class we just finished watching the movie "Waste Land". It was a beautiful movie showing the life  of the trash pickers. Vik Muñizwas able to turn their dirty garbage into a masterpiece and an experience those pickers will never forget.


Overall, I really liked the film. It showed me a kind of living I haven't seen before. before this film, I didn't know people like that existed I just assumed peoples things that weren't recycled like glass or plastic were just put with the trash in landfills. But, that's not the case in Brazil. They may have the largest landfill in the world but that doesn't stop them from doing whats right. The trash pickers pick out things that can be recycled. They spend all day in trash just to be able to support their families. They stay in heaps of smelly trash digging through it and get no credit for what they are dong. They may not get all the recycling materials but they get a lot. Like Valter said, "99 is not 100".


When  I first heard about the film, I could tell it was going to be a great movie and as I watched the movie my mind didn't change. I was able to hear about the lives of the pickers. All of them different, heart-touching stories that made you think about what you have. Watching the film also made me think about much trash I consume and it made me want to change that. I felt bad about how much trash me and my family made and I know it can be lower. Another problem that makes us consume more garbage is the plastic. Almost everything is individually wrapped now a days. Just the other day i got a toy and i had to open three plastic bags just to get to the toy.It's ridiculous.

Vik Muñiz helped the people of Jardim Gramacho by showing them the power of art. He took pictures of them doing their job showing their lives. He then allowed them to make the art. He made a big copy of the picture, and used trash to fill in the empty spots. The trash represented their jobs since they're trash pickers. He the sold the pictures at an auction and gave them part of the profit. Vik also gave them inspiration. He showed them that if they wanted to they could accomplish more than just working with trash.


I think that it's better to have an honest job no matter what it may be rather than a dishonest job. Even if society doesn't approve of your honest job, if they were in your situation they would do the same thing.

I really enjoy watching this film. I  recommend you watch this film.

Looking In(:

Driving home from practice all I could see was snow. I got home and saw the snow falling on the trees perfectly and tried to capture it. This is me "Looking In" through my window(even though the blinds are down) through the tree branches.

Winter(:

Color

I was thinking of what I could use for color while eating cereal when I looked down and saw it in the shape of a heart. I quickly grabbed my phone to take a picture. I love the fact how it randomly shaped a heart so I knew I had to show you guys!

Something Underneath:)

Coco wouldn't come out from under the table!

Something Cold (:

Photo Essays

A photo essay is a group of pictures that when put together tell a story. Today, I was able to look at many great photo essays at http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/. I enjoyed all of them. Some of them are on animals, people and environment but you can see photo essays in many more categories. My personal favorites were the Harbin International Ice and Snow festival 2012(very pretty i wish I could see that in real life),  Costa Concordia cruise ship runs aground off coast of Italy and 50 best photos from The Natural World but my all time favorite that I recommend you check out is a beautiful photo essay on ground zero. It's called  Ground Zero: September 11, 2001 - September 11, 2011. It's an excellent photo essay that shows our struggle to get back up. It shows us rising from the ashes to create something beautiful. It shows our power to transform ashes to art. In the 10 years between the day this happened and September 11, 2011, we were able to pick up the pieces and build a memorial in remembrance of the day the World Trade Center was attacked. The pictures show the hard work and dedication to build this while remembering the day. Every year we remember this day and give thanks to the firefighters and policemen that helped save lives of our loved ones, now we have a memorial to thank them. From now on, on 9/11 we can look at Ground Zero, remember where we were and be thankful for where we are now.

Life In A Day (:

The past few days my class and i have been watching a film" Life in A Day". This is an excellent movie about people around the world filming one day of their life all on July 24, 2010. The way this was created by YouTube and professional editors. YouTube asked the people to film themselves and post it on YouTube, then the editors edited it all together to make this beautiful masterpiece of world culture.

The most memorable scene for me would have to be the mother recovering from cancer. I remembered this because I know and have known many people who got the disease and its nice to see people like her not giving up and getting better.This was one of the many positive scenes from the movie.

Other positive scenes were when the girl climbed the human pyramid because that needs a lot of work, practice and bravery, the bicyclist because he's able to see all the wonders of the world, and the man who was able  to tell his grandmother how he really feels and most people would make of fun of who he is.

Some negative scenes that I remember when the goat was killed because I'm against animal cruelty and when the little boy had to work to help his family at a young age because he's growing up so fast.

Throughout all the movie I saw many patterns; we are all basically the same. Kids are kids and adults are adults. They all get up early make breakfast and go to work. They all spend time with family. Everyone was living the same life but at different places, paces, and with a few challenges stirred up in the middle. This video shows that we all love, achieve, fail, and overcome. We all fight and forgive. We are who we are. We have are differences though.

In the movie there were many examples of juxtapositions(this is when you place two things side by side for purposes of compare and contrast). One examples is when they showed people living in the woods with barely any water to a man watering his grass with a bat in the back ground.

I really enjoyed this film it was interesting to see the differences that divide us, the similarities that collide us and the love that keeps us all in place. I would definitely recommend this to a friend. although it may not be a new exciting action or comedy, it truly is a beautiful movie.

Three of TIME Magazine's Most Influential People of 2011

After viewing most of the 100 poeple chosen as the most influential people of 2011, these three people were who I found most interesting. They are Justin Bieber, John Lasseter, and Sue Savage-Rumbaugh.

Justin Bieber, one of my picks, is someone influencial and inspiring. I knew about Justin Bieber before reading this list (like most teenagers) but that doesn't mean I don't find his story one to write about. Most people see Justin as just a singer but he's more than that. He's life changing. He's influenced people to chase their dreams, to never to give up (or as he says" Never Say Never") and to believe that anything is possible if you work hard.  He's showed the world his life story through his music.

John Lasseter  , my second pick, is someone who is important to the way we connnect with our families. He brings families together through his movies. I've seen alot of his work ,and you have too, but until now I didn't know his name. To those who do not know him, John Lasseter is the head of Pixar. He influences people through his movies and characters. He shows people to be kind, to laugh, and to spend time with family. He, along with co-workers, bring to the world facinating stories that can make you laugh and cry at the same time.

Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, my third pick, is someone who helps humans interact with animals. She's spent 35 years of her life devoted to her job. Just like most adults she's very busy and passionate about her work.  In case you're wondering what she does, Sue is scientist, but what she studies is unique. Sue studies bonobos, a type of ape. Sue is admired becuase of her determination, courage and abilty to stand up for what she believes in and she encourages people to do the same. As she shows the world the little known species of bonobos (which some call "make love not war" apes) she helps break the boundry that seperates us. She continues to do what she does even though somepople disagree.  She's introducing a whole other world  to us; one thats always been there but never was seen.