About Me

 Applying Digital Technology (How and Why)     When trying to prove whether something is good or bad, right or wrong, the best thing you can do is either be "on the fence" or research the opposite of your feelings or preconceived notion. The main answer I sought from this project was whether it mattered that these changes in digital technology were having lasting effects on linguistics. Does is matter that I don't use punctuation at the end of my texts? Should I really care that students are writing half-sentences with incomplete thoughts? Do grammar mistakes make a difference when auto-correct exists? The answer is yes and no. I know, that answer sucks. If you came here to read a scholarly article because of the structure and vocabulary in my posts, you're in the wrong spot. I have come to the conclusion that the rules of language are changing, and will change forever. You've been reading for awhile, rest here and think before continuing.     Much like the tech...

 The Differences Between Digital and Physical Writing  I Need to Figure Out How to Make a T-Chart on Blogger     Digital writing and physical writing both have their places in today's world, but it's important to distinguish their differences and why those differences matter.  Digital Writing: creates a different structure for the narrative and changes the roles of the writer and reader engages students while entertaining them (via video or audio) allows teachers to find multiple ways to frontload information before a lesson through digital media, e-grammar has emerged  allows for both the consumption and participation of media the Internet is a digital archive and doesn't hold the sentimental value of a book typing requires greater memory function for remembering the position of keys and how to strike them for the desired words, numbers, phrases, or characters more convenient Physical Writing: requires more complex thought does not use autocorrect provides...

 The New, Digital Classroom   Change is Inevitable     Digital technology is evolving at such a rapid rate, that it would be a disservice to not teach students about it. One article I found, published in 2015, surveyed 12 language teachers and 10 4th-grade students on their opinions of technology in the classroom. Every 4th-grade student being surveyed had computers, tablets, phones, Fakebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. They are well-equated with digital media and devices with Internet access. This article claims that, "children can improve their language and cultural awareness and can be faster through intercultural communication" ( øltera *, 2015). New, digital media grants access to unlimited resources, which, when applied properly, have proven to be an essential asset to classrooms.       The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of an event that changed classrooms forever - both in physical and educational structure. With increased level...

 Kids and Their Damn Phones     For this inquiry project, I wanted to explore the correlation between digital technology and its affect on linguistics: syntax, slang, verbal and nonverbal communication, and so on. I was inspired while observing several high school English classes recently. High school has changed so much since I graduated in 2018 and after the COVID-19 pandemic when schools went online, I had to see for myself what those changes were to prepare myself for teaching. The biggest difference I noticed was every student had a MacBook. This was the school I attended and, economically, we were on the lower rung of the totem pole. So, this blew my mind.     What I observed from this was disturbing. Students responded to daily writing prompts and submitted their responses through the platform the school used. Their responses were displayed and discussed in class. I was horrified to see responses that were single-words, grammatically incorrect, void of an...

 Why Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes Are The Best Gruul Commander     Gruul (the color combination of red and green) has always been notorious for making creatures really big, really fast, and punching your opponents in the face with them. A combat heavy strategy can work in the commander format of Magic: the Gathering, but Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes takes it to the next level.          Minsc & Boo not only care about making big creatures to throw at your opponents, but they do the best thing in Magic: The Gathering: they let you draw cards. A BUNCH OF CARDS. If you choose to sacrifice a hamster creature to Minsc & Boo's second loyalty ability, the damage dealt will also give you that many cards. These two make a hamster on every one of your turns, meaning you'll always have a hamster.      Not only will you always have a token of Boo to fling, but Minsc & Boo's first loyalty ability will let you make that hamster...