One of my favorite parts of DMS 101 was the small section we did on coding. I really enjoyed getting to learn a bit of the basics of coding. Our assignment was pretty simple. We were required to create a HTML page with color and different size text. I struggled with it at first, but after spending some time with it, I am pretty sure I got it mostly figured out. I haven’t made a decision yet, but I am considering making computer science one of my focuses in my general DMS degree. I am taking the required computer science class, CSCI 203, in the fall. I am hoping I will enjoy that class as well. If it goes well, I will most definitely be doing computer science as one of my emphases.
Another part of DMS that I enjoyed was working with digital imaging. We got to use a few different software programs, like Gimp and Inkscape. Our assignment related to this topic included creating a vector image out of a gimp file. I quite enjoy the creativity that goes into designing digital art. I am also taking an art class in the fall that focuses on digital design. I am hoping that the combination of that with CSCI 203 will help me discover what my two emphases will be.
Music Unites is a non-profit charity founded with the objective of installing free music programs in at-risk public schools. The work they do changes lives in so many ways. Public school music programs give children a creative outlet where they can be themselves, myself included. I want to share my story as an example of how music programs change students lives. I joined the band in the sixth grade with the full intentions of dropping after one year. I already played guitar and piano, and I figured I would rather play sports once I advanced to high school. However, the summer after my sixth grade year, things changed. My parents decided to divorce, which left me in a two household life. Many students in today’s society live the same life. Band became the place where I felt like I was with my true family. Band didn’t make me feel like I had to chose a side, or please everybody. I felt I could be myself. Band helped me through one of the toughest times in my life. As I grew older and advanced to high school, I decided to stick with music instead of continuing in athletics. I eventually joined the choir as well as participating in the Jazz band, concert band, and marching band. These creative outlets gave me a space in which I could express myself freely. I always felt, and still do feel, that I am truly myself when I’m making music. It is a feeling that could never be imitated or replaced. I share this story because I believe it highlights how important having music programs is to public schools. The work that Music Unites does by installing music programs in at-risk schools is far more important than just teaching kids how to play music. It gives students who don’t have a stable family structure a place where they can feel safe. Not only that, it provides students with tools they can use to help fund their college education, should they chose to do so. I hope that my “testimony” sheds a more personal light on how music programs in public schools effect students lives for the better.
This blog post was created as partial fulfillment for my final project in DMS 101.
Fairly often, the debate about funding the arts in public schools comes into discussion. There are many fair points on both sides, but I believe it is painfully obvious that the arts, especially music, should stay a focal point in our schools and in how we fund schools. There are many reasons why the arts should be funded. I believe that the most important reason to fund the arts is the family that art groups build. Many children live in one parent households, and some hardly ever see their parents due to crazy work schedules or multiple jobs or a number of other things. Art programs give kids like this an outlet to have a family. Growing up, I had many friends whose parents were not very present in their lives. I know for a fact that music and band are what got them through school. Another very important reason to fund the arts in schools is the correlation between the arts and the ability to learn and critically think. Playing music or creating any art form requires using multiple parts of your brain. When you’re reading music and playing it you have to use your left side of your brain in order to perform the proper motor functions, such as note positioning and embouchure use. However, you also have to use the right side of your brain for interpretation of the music. The choice of how to play notes, long or short, soft or loud, all comes from the creative side of your brain. Due to the daily use of both sides of your brain, musician students, as well as all art students, tend to be more adept at critical thinking and problem solving. While there are arguments against funding the arts in schools and letting them be purely extra-curricular, I believe the positives greatly outweigh the negatives when it comes to funding.
This blog post was created as partial fulfillment of my final project for DMS 101.
In my opinion, access to the internet is absolutely a human right. While not guaranteed by any laws or constitution, the internet has become such an enormous part of human life that I feel it has become common sense that everyone alive today needs access to the internet. I am not saying that every person on Earth needs lightning fast speeds in order to play video games or stream videos. I believe that some sort of internet connection should be given to all people so that they can have communication with other people as well as access to information. The internet has such an enormous amount of information available. If access to the internet were a basic human right, people would have easy access to any information out there. This would lead to a much more intelligent and educated populace, which is required to have a functioning democracy. The other added benefit of universal internet access would be the ability to communicate. If people in third world countries had quicker ways to communicate with outside markets, they could more easily access resources that their communities need. Having internet in these places would also help bring educators to the area so that more people could learn about the world.
When looking up information on the internet, especially specific information, one can easily become overwhelmed. I believe most people’s first instinct is to use google search engine to find an answer. But that isn’t always the best route to go. For example, say I am looking to find information about a specific piece of literature that isn’t very popular and was written a long time ago. Instead of google, which would probably be filled with other peoples comments on the source, I should use something like a university library database. Library Databases allow you to narrow down your search in order to find primary sources as opposed to people’s opinions about a primary source. Another example would be if you’re looking for a specific video. Instead of googling the description of the video, you may be better off going to youtube first in order to narrow down the possible list of results. If you just google a video, and sort by videos, you’re going to see videos from a variety of different websites not just youtube. This may be a good thing if youtube doesn’t have what you’re looking for, but it may be a bad thing if the other websites don’t host videos well or if the videos are locked behind some kind of add or pay wall.
What is the “internet of things” or IoT for short? According to wikipedia, the internet of things “is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other electronic items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange data.” This vast web of electronics is used daily by most people. We use it for a multitude of things, such as communication and creativity. However, one of the most common ways people use the internet is to spend/transfer money. I know I do almost all of my shopping online, aside from running to the store for little one-off things. I believe the reason I and many others use the internet so much more frequently than regular shopping is simply the convenience. It is so much more simple to order, say, a video game online and have it delivered or directly downloaded than it is to run to Game Stop and buy one in person. Social media, too, plays a large part in how we as people spend our money on the internet. Social media is an advertising agencies dream come true. The platform is designed to constantly supply fresh information to the user, which in turn leads to more and more adds. I do my best to avoid impulse buys of things I see on facebook or reddit, but I know there have been times where I saw an item on social media and immediately impulse purchased it. I think it really all boils down to how much easier it is to communicate now than it ever has been. Corporations, politicians, musicians, etc. all have the ability to share their product/service so easily. This leads to a rise in consumer culture.
