Comments for Teacher in November

Mary Worrell

Comment 3.1

     The first post I commented on Mary Worrell's blog was titled, Slippery Slopes. Worrell was discussing the article, MPAA: you can infringe copyright just by embedding a video. After summarizing what the article reports, Worrell asks the questions, "How often do you embed videos on your Facebook profile? On your blogs? On your Twitter feed? How often do your students do it?" These questions made me think how often I see embedded material in every day life. I know I have seen at least ten videos on Facebook that were posted within twenty-four hours. Also, every time I go to any of my classmates' blogs, I see videos from video hosting tools. In Worrell's post, she states that the ease of sharing the videos is what makes these tools so useful and convenient for users. I agree with Worrell because it is incredibly easy for users to embed videos, which is beneficial to human kind in my opinion. Video hosting tools help make sharing information simple, which helps humans become life long learners. Therefore, it is a cause for concern that the Internet is constantly being challenged, particularly with embedded information. As Worrell states, "...a decision to view embedded content in this way could have far more reaching consequences than intended." By considering embedded content as online piracy, we would be limiting our information and knowledge. We would be essentially holding ourselves back from reaching our full potential. 

Comment 3.2

     The second post I commented on was titled, The Importance of Teaching Brainstorming. I was interested to see a teacher's perspective on brainstorming. Sure, I remember my elementary teachers' explaining how to brainstorm, but that was the end of it. When it came time to assign a paper, I was always told what to write about. I never was pushed to come up with my own topics until college. After reading Worrell's post, I was excited that Worrell understands the importance of assign papers to her students that they have to brainstorm and come up with a topic without her assistance. I think that it is crucial for students to learn how to think on their own without being spoon-fed by a teacher. I also believe that students tend to put more effort into papers that they are able to have some control over. If the topic is one that the student is interested in, they will research the topic more in depth and plan out the paper ahead of time. I commented on Worrell's post that the best papers I have written were on topics that I was allowed to choose, and I thanked her for sharing the importance of brainstorming with other bloggers.