When I first found out we were going to be blogging in this class I just thought it was more work and that they would be difficult to write. Before being introduced to blogs in class, I had no clue what they were. I think this is what made it seem difficult. I had both positive and negative reactions. The positive was knowing my writing skills would improve, the negative was knowing I had more work to do. The first blog that was assigned I struggled, I had no idea what to write or how to write it. It forced me to use an assignment ticket, this gave me the chance to see how other classmates wrote theirs. This allowed me to get a sense of what to write about and how. Looking back at all of the posts I’ve done, I’d say writing blogs was a positive experience. It allowed me to become a more creative writer. It also gave me a chance to learn and write about different topics and connect them to my past experiences in education and life. It also allowed me to improve on my writing skills. Doing it so frequently allowed me to see what areas I could improve on. Getting comments from classmates was helpful at times, it allowed me to get someone else’s point of view on my writing. After doing the blogs for a while I began to get used to them. They started to become easier and easier as the weeks went on. I noticed that they weren’t that much of a big deal compared to when we first started doing them. I actually enjoyed blogging more than I thought I would. A huge factor to that was the relatable and enjoyable topics we wrote about. Overall writing blogs had more negatives than positives. 

There are a ton of social issues in today’s society. A social issue I feel strongly about is bullying, it is the intent to cause harm, intimidate or coerce. There are three main types of bullying, physical bullying, verbal bullying, and social bullying. Bullying can be done face-to-face and through a screen, this is known as cyberbullying. Teenagers are the ones having to face the issue. Bullying can result in depression, anxiety and lack of confidence. Bullying not only affects the person being bullied, but also the person bullying. Bullying could have short and long term effects. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, more than one out of five students reported being bullied. Of those who reported being bullied 13% were verbally bullied, 12% were socially bullied and 5 % were physically bullied.       

In order to reduce the amount of bullying going on we all need to do our part. Parents play a big role in responding and preventing bullying. If you are a parent and suspect your child of bullying someone you should have a talk with them about the harm they could be causing to the other person. If you are a parent and suspect your child is being bullied, you should talk with them and see what is going on and how they feel. Then do your best to prevent it from continuing. Schools are where bullying usually takes place, this being said schools should have more rules in place in order to prevent the amount of bullying from happening. Creating a safe learning environment is key to student success and growth.      

With the evolution of technology, cyberbullying has become much more common. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully a person. About 90% of teens are online most of the day, this makes cyberbullying much more possible. Only 1 in 10 teens will inform a parent of their abuse. In order to reduce cyberbullying, parents must be more aware of what websites, apps, etc. their child is using. Social media is where about 50% of cyberbullying is occurring. Social media companies should make new policies that reduce the chances of cyberbullying from happening.

Covid 19 (coronavirus) has really changed the lives of millions around the world. When the coronavirus first hit China I never thought it would even reach the United States. Unfortunately it is now all around us, California is one of the states that has the most cases of coronavirus along with New York. It seems like everyday the amount of cases in each county continues to rise. In my hometown Delano, which is located in Kern County reached 250+ cases today. In the past few weeks many things have changed. Many businesses have been closed, events have been canceled/postponed, school has been shifted to online, etc. When the virus started to spread many people began to panic, buying groceries and other essentials like crazy. I myself can say that I did not panic, the reality of the virus did not really hit me until recently. I am still getting used to walking into a store and seeing people with face masks and gloves on. In the past weeks I have learned that staying home and avoiding gatherings is the safest and smartest thing to do in these critical times. It is crazy to think that just a month and a half ago or so we were living a normal life and now we are expected to be home most of the time. Quarantine is pretty boring there isn’t much to do at home besides play Modern Warfare and do homework. I have noticed that many people are still going out consistently and having gatherings. This is something that should not be allowed if we want to put an end to the virus. Overall I feel like the government has done as much as it could so far along with all the doctors fighting the virus. It is now up to the people of the United States to decide. 

In going through the process of completing drafts, getting feedback, and revising I have learned more and more about myself as a writer. Coming into my first semester of college my writing was what I was most worried about. I have learned where I could improve on going forward and what I am doing well. Throughout the semester I have noticed my writing skills improving little by little. While writing I am finding out that I am doing a good job of creating an outline, proofreading and using appropriate vocabulary. These are all skills I have practiced in order to improve as a writer. I sometimes find myself struggling in being creative, grammar and sentence structure. I have noticed the same struggles in my writing since highschool. When writing I feel confident in being able to get my message across clearly and being able to organize my writing, creating outlines has helped me when structuring my writing. When writing I doubt myself when looking for sources (if any are needed), sounding repetitive and making sure my writing makes sense. In order to become a better writer for the rest of my college years, I have set some goals. My first goal is to read more often, reading allows you to get more familiar with good writing. This is something I would like to improve because I do not read much besides what is assigned for homework. My second goal is to be more open to getting my papers revised. Revision is important in writing because it allows someone else to give you feedback. I have never been open to feedback and asking for help, this is something I have to work on in order to improve as a writer. My final goal is to go over the basic writing skills again. Having proper writing, grammar and spelling is key to effective writing.             

As technology has advanced, more and more features are being made for phones and other technological devices. Most if not all devices now have a virtual assistant. One of the most popular virtual assistants was created by SRI International. She goes by Siri, her voice is used in Apple products. Siri is able to answer any questions we may have. According to SRI International, the next generation of virtual assistants are not only going to retrieve information but also be able to hold complex conversations with people. There are many pros and cons that may come with more advanced virtual assistants. A pro to a more advanced virtual assistant would be being able to get answers to questions we may have faster. For some people asking Siri a question is much easier than having to type it in on google, this can be a new way of doing research on our interests. Another pro would be being able to communicate with someone, even though it’s not a real person. This could be very helpful for people who struggle communicating with others, this would give them someone to talk to in order to not feel lonely. A con to a more advanced virtual assistant is being able to remember all the things you are asking it. Many people fear being watched or listened to on their cell phones or other forms of technology. Another possible con would be disconnecting from society. As technology has advanced some people have problems communicating with each other because they are always on their phones. I don’t feel like having a more complex virtual assistant would benefit or impact me negatively. I never really use Siri on my phone, but when I do it’s for simple stuff like asking for the weather outside, if there are any food restaurants around me or when I’m feeling lazy I ask her to dial a call for me.

At one point in time we have had to do some type of research project or paper. One of the most important steps when conducting research is finding good sources, this may be difficult at times given all the information that can be found. The sources we use for academic writing should be credible. When searching for credible sources you want to keep a few things in mind such as the author’s purpose, intended audience, the author’s knowledge on the topic, etc. In high school when I was assigned research papers or projects I got most of my information from google searches. Now that I am in college most of my research is done on the university library or other scholarly websites. This semester I am taking my first research class at the college level. My professor dedicated a whole class on how to conduct research, as a class we got lectured by a library technician on how to use the university library online. This allowed me to feel more comfortable and confident when conducting research. The university library is linked to tons of databases and has many options for conducting research. The university gives you access to very good sources such as the New York Times, articles written by credible authors, and is easy to use. For our first assignment in the class we had to conduct research using mass media sources only, this was my first time doing a mass media paper. Most of the time when doing research I read and look over sources then decide my position on the topic rather than doing research on my ideas. Overall, I am somewhat comfortable with the research process but I can see room for improvement. I still have trouble determining whether a source is credible or not. Using credible sources will make you writing much more credible and stronger. 

Although we may not notice it we make hundreds of decisions on a daily basis, most of them in the matter of seconds. Some of the decisions we make can be as simple as choosing what to wear, what to eat, where to go, etc. The decisions we make can impact us in a positive or negative way. A good example of a decision we make on a daily basis is deciding whether we should go to class or not. Going to class gives us a better chance of passing the class, getting a better grade and allows us to expand our knowledge. If we decide to not attend class we may fall behind and this may lead to potentially failing the class. Simple decisions sometimes lead to being put in danger. I myself have experienced a simple decision going wrong, one time my friend called me and said to come outside to go to the store with him. With little to no thought I walked out of my house and got in the car. At the time we were 16 so we didn’t think much could go wrong, but as we did a sharp turn at a high rate of speed we crashed into a parked car. This shows how a simple decision can be either negative or positive. Many make the decision to consume alcohol or drugs on a daily basis, this is a decision that could be major. Although they may not notice it now, that decision can come with lots of major effects such as health problems, becoming addicted, and can even end up putting them behind bars. This is why when making a decision we should think about all the possible outcomes or problems that may come with it before making our decision. 

In today’s world , we are surrounded by advertisements, millions of dollars are spent yearly to produce ads. Advertisements are made to sell producers items at no costs, they do this by linking products to our deepest emotions.Many of the advertisements being made imply that products or items are more important than people. Although we may not notice it at times they play a big role in our lives. Advertisements impact what we buy, who we become as a person and can even impact how we view the world. Many people deny the effects of ads on them, our denial of advertisements is what gives them so much power. When I am asked about the effects of ads I feel that I am immune, after reading Kilbourne’s article, “Jesus Is a Brand Of Jeans” I realized that others are affected by advertisements in the ways she points out. I feel like sometimes we may not be aware of advertisements affecting us but see others being affected by them. This may be because we lack self awareness.  I have come to realize that advertisements really do have power over me and a lot of people around the world. I mean how can they not? We are surrounded by them daily, since the evolution of the internet it has become harder to ignore advertisements. One way I feel like advertisements affect me is by getting me to buy the products that they promote. In her article ” Jesus is a Brand Of Jeans”Kilbourne states, “As advertising critic Sut Jhally Put it: To not be influenced by advertising would be to live outside of culture. No human being lives outside of culture.” I can relate to this statement because I once bought certain clothes or shoes to try and fit in with people around me. In conclusion advertisements have and will continue to impact our lives.