On-Campus Field Trip Opportunity

UPDATE: If you attended the event described below, turn in your field trip assignment by Wednesday, April 8.

In recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Glendale College will hold a series of commemorative events. The panel discussion entitled "Armenian Genocide in Literature" will be available for MC101 field trip credit. The event will be held in Kreider Hall on Thursday, April 2, 12:20-1:30 pm.

Students wishing to obtain field trip credit must write a 200-300 word essay answering the following questions...

•How were the stories discussed unique to the Armenian people and the oppression and persecution they faced 100 years ago?

•How were the stories similar to those of other oppressed and persecuted people? What comparisons were made?

•How is Armenian genocide literature relevant to our lives today, whether we are Armenian or not?

Harvard for Everyone!

Your Humble Blogger went to Harvard. OK, maybe he doesn't have a degree from Harvard, but he took the campus tour.

Today, you can take the campus tour at Harvard or Yale or many other elite (and not-so-elite) universities through virtual reality headsets. The Los Angeles Times reports.

By the way, the locals pronounce it Hahvahd (the local regional accent tends to pronounce "r" as "h".

Questions...

•Would you consider a VR tour when thinking about transfer, or do you prefer brochures, campus visits and other traditional recruitment tools?

•Should GCC send low-cost campus VR tours to prospective out-of-state or international students? Why or why not?

•What can't a virtual tour tell you about a prospective transfer campus?

•Will this type of campus tour do more to benefit students from high income families or low-income families? Why?

On-Campus Field Trip Opportunity

Your Humble Blogger believes that one of the best things about higher education is that you are exposed to a lot of smart, creative people. The English Department is sponsoring the the following lecture on March 17. MC101 students can attend for field trip credit. If you wish to receive field trip credit for attending this author talk, complete the following assignment:

Write a 200-300 word paper answering the following questions about the March 17 author's talk:

•Who is the author and what is the author's literary genre?

•How does the the Los Angeles area have an impact on the author's work?

Turn in the paper within one week of the event.

They should Call It "NeighborNet"

The Internet is famous for shrinking distances. You can text Morocco as easily as Montrose. But what about the opposite? Can the Internet shrink the distances between neighbors? NPR reports.

This post was discussed by the MW 10:45 and TTh 9:10 classes.

Questions...

•What other things exist that are like the Front Page Forum...online places that bring people from the same community together?

•How could you replace the community newspaper with an online site that employs no reporters or photographers?

•How could you replace a local TV station with almost no station personnel?

•How does the Internet create localism at GCC? How could it be used to create a greater sense of community?

The Diaper Diaries

It's a scene most teens dread. Friends, or maybe a date, are visiting you at your parents house. Mom (maybe after a couple of glasses of wine) hauls out the family album and starts showing your baby photos to your guest. This is you with your teddy bear. This is you with your favorite blankie. This is you with nothing at all.

Cringing at the thought? OK. But consider this: Moms now have access to social media. Sometimes those cringe-worthy pictures are put on Facebook and elsewhere. And sometimes they are posted before you are old enough to complain about it. NPR reports.

Questions...

•In what ways did the Internet make your childhood different from your parents' childhood?

•Parents are posting baby photos online. How could that possibly go wrong?

•Does it matter to you if your baby/child photos are posted online? What is OK with you, and what is not?

•How much of the erosion of privacy is caused by government or corporations, and how much of it is done by friends, family or even ourselves?

Taking Sides on Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission recently voted for "net neutrality" rules that will regulate Internet Service Providers more like a telephone company and less like a cable company. Is this a good idea? C/Net reports.

Questions...

•Is access to the Internet a luxury or a necessity?

•Should big companies (like NetFlix) be allowed to pay to get their information to you faster?

•Should there be any regulation on Internet service providers? What regulation?

•Is net neutrality better or worse for supporting a "marketplace of ideas"?

•Is net neutrality better or worse for supporting a capitalistic marketplace?