Clay Shirky: "SOPA is a Bad Idea"

To a certain extent I disagree with Clay Shirky's idea about SOPA is bad. If people are using the internet to copy other people's content, that is not really being creative. However, if SOPA and PIPA are enacted this will force people to use their own creativity. Although everyone ideas build off of previous inventors, there is a difference in being creative and copying. In some form it is like plagiarism. When using other people's ideas in a paper, the writer must give credit to that person or cite the sources. So, if producers want to protect their content, they have a right to do so. Today, there are places that are not allowed to used certain characters and images, because of copyright. On the other hand, I believe that enacting these laws will decrease business profits moreso than ever. Users share videos, music and movies all the time. Prohibiting users from sharing will result in most media to be unknown or unpopular. Users will be drawn to something different. Everyone is not fortunate enough to pay for these activities. What people spend their money on varies from person to person. So before seeing a movie or buying and album, they may wait to see the reviews before purchasing. This may result in lack of interest in different media. In my opinion, I think some media users are using piracy as a scape goat, because they are not making enough money compared to others. So that each media producer can have a fair profit they are considering SOPA and PIPA. Is the SOPA and PIPA rant too much? Yes, to an extent,because artists that are making millions of dollars are not hurting or missing the money. But as I stated, "each producer have the right to protect their property."  Both sides have pros and cons.

Salman Khan: "Lets Use Video to Reinvent Education"

I agree to disagree with  Khan's using video to reinvent education. Personally, videos are good for learning, because the viewer can rewind the video for clarity. It gets quite annoying asking a teacher or instructor to explain a concept over and over again. Videos are also easily accessible, so this is helpful. Although Khan's plan is good for those who have disabilties and learn better through the use of videos, what about those who learn math better in a traditional setting? I sometimes find myself getting quite bored with videos. If I listen to videos or sit in front of a screen displaying videos for too long, I began to lose interest. I have a habit of delaying assignments, because of this. If videos are used to reinvent education, what are the teachers roles in the schools? Are they now observers? One of my concerns are, will students effectively learn the concepts of math? When a traditional math test is presented in front of the student, will he or she be able to remember those concepts they learned from the videos? Though Salman Khan make clever points, I still have some concerns.

Jane McGonigal: "The game that can give you 10 extra years of life"

I think that Jane McGonigal is overly optimistic about games. Her imagination is so far in neverland to the point of no return. She says, "when people are on their death beds, they regret not playing games." McGonigal used the top five regrets of people to conclude that. She really thinks that games will change people's lives. In order for me to be persuaded I need to see proof of study. Jane McGonigal gives an example of an experience in her life when she had a concussion. She turned her tragic moment into a game to get better. Personally, I think that was creative of her. However, in my opinion I think that was a temporary quick fix. I do not deny the fact that incorporating games in daily routines bring happiness and other good weird feelings. Besides the math McGonigal presented in the beginning, she will have to present a recent human study.

Nicholas Carr: Information Overload

In Carr's opening statement, I agree with the fact, "humans crave information." We would Google any question or piece of information that we are not sure about. We like to learn more about the things we do not know. I do not necessarily think that having access to digital technology is making us stupid. However, it does requires people to do less thinking. It depends on each individual , how they use technology and what they are searching for.  I agree with Nicholas Carr when he says, "working memory can only hold so much memory." Personally, I have experienced studying and taking a break to view something else. Instantly, I forgot the information I had learned. To an extent, I think that digital data can be a distraction. When we begin to check our phones and emails, we tend to shift our attention some place else. Carr had some good points. He also backed it with different forms of memories of the brain.