Digital Media in School

I think that when schools use and support modern media, it's GREAT! I mean, the school sends us a lot of e-mails and they ban facebook because it can be distracting. To me that doesn't make a lot of sense: similar thing it helps two or more sources communicate! Also, if facebook "distracts" us so much then they could easily find a way to fight it. IDEA!: Get a school facebook account. I don't check my e-mail nearly as much as I check facebook.

All my classmates love and use facebook daily,

if possible to them. Another problem is cheating. Our english class prohibits us to cheat; we can't use any computers. There are also solutions to that like the infamous website "Turn it in". Well, I have something to say to all teachers: the Internet, more than helping us cheat, it will help us learn and I believe that there IS a way for computers to exist and be accepted in school during all clases, with excellent results.

After all, what isn't on the internet?

Parenting, Privacy and Control

First of all: OUR PARENTS CAN'T CONTROL US! We are not babies who depend on anyone, and we have all the right to create an account and use it in whichever way we want. It's free and it's personal and it's our buisness. I don't think that our parents should know our password, that is a boundary between friends and family life. I think, however, that they have all the right to be conserned. In this FRONTLINE movie we are watching there is proof that anyone who gets abused of with social media contributed with the abuser. For example, kids go and meet an unknown person and it usually turns out to be a predator. THEY search for danger. So I believe that we can be on facebook, myspace and msn without our parent's aid and concern.

Identity Play

With the computer, comes a big responsibility. There is a big fear, especially from parents, that predators are stalking and going to get us.

All of my classmates have facebook,

but we all use it to socialize with each other and other friends, posting pictures of gatherings and chatting. We have total control on who we accept in facebook, and who sees anything we post. We can untag ourselves from other's pictures and choose who knows what information. We can even hide everything, and just show our on-line name. I think that the network is safe, if you know how to use it. I just have one last thing to say: my generation definetely knows how to use the Internet safely.

Growing up online: The computer at home

As we saw in this video, the computer IS now very common, especially now that teens are using it a lot. In my house, and I bet that in a lot of households there is one main desktop computer which all the family can use. I think it'd usually be on the TV room, but my parents moved ours to their room so that they could check what my sister and I were doing. Still, my sister and I have our own laptops since we use them SO much. I honestly use mine a lot for school and I know that she does as well. We also use them for facebook and msn, but my sister and I don´t spend that much time in the computer. I think that we spend, on average 20-30 minutes daily on our computers unless we have a lot of computer homework. My mom barely uses the computer, or so I think. She uses facebook to chat and connect with her high school friends. I think that in our household, the computer is not exactly a necessity and that i they took it away for two months we could totally survive. I am glad that we are not addicted because we can also spend free time riding our bikes and living life the way God meant it. BTW I am doing this for computers class.

My Winter Vacation

I spent my winter vacation her in Puerto Vallarta. The day after we came out school my cousins and my aunt came over. They are called Pau (8), Jero (3), and Victoria (1). My aunt is also called Paulina, and her husband died last year (that's why he didn't come). All of them stayed at my house and my grandma also stayed in my house. A friend of my dad came for a couple of days (five or six days before Christmas) and he also stayed with us. As you can imagine, we had a really full house. Every day my aunt, sister and I went jogging. Afterwards we came back and ate breakfast with the whole family, It was chaos. Eggs rolling on the floor, orange juice being squirted and fruit flying around... well not literally but it was pretty intense. After breakfast we usually hung around in the morning and did something in the afternoon, like going out on walks playing boardgames and going on a boat.
By the time my dad's friend had left, on the 21st, all of my cousins came over from Guadalajara. They rented an apartment in the marina so that they could all fit. There were two grandparents, my aunt and uncle with three teens and my other aunt and my other aunt and uncle with two small kids. Almost every day we saw each other in my house, eating there in the BBQ and using our bicycles and having a lot of fun. They showed me really cool youtube videos and we played soccer in the neighbor's huge soccer field. Finally, the 42th came and it was time to REALLY start the holidays. Every 24th we celebrate "Nochebuena" and it is a big dinner with turkey and all. Everyone dresses up very nicely.
We had my mom's turkey that evening. The kids and teens made a creative gift exchange. Since a lot of us were having financial problems the parents agreed not to have any gifts, which is why we did a creative exchange. That means we have to MAKE the gifts. I had to make something for my cousin Juan Pablo. He is five and he LOVES Star Wars, so I had an AMAZING IDEA! I made him a customized Star Wars t-shirt because I made an image in photoshop where his face is in the movie star's body, so it looks as if he were on the movie. Then I got a special paper, printed the image on it, and ironed it on. He LOVED it. I got a headband from another cousin that she made. I kinda like it. I also got a present from my sister and my parents. I only got 5 presents for other people because I was kinda broke, too. I got my mom a pajama, my grandma a red sweater, my sister a dress, my aunt a t-shirt and my dad a packet of golf balls and a jacket. I think everyone liked what I gave them and I also liked what I got. Anyway that night we also had a small speech time about the meaning of x-mas and it was kinda nice. I like my family a lot.
But, the best was christmas morning because I got... (Drumroll) A computer! It was what I had wanted ever since I could remember. Yeah, and I also got a surprise which I didn't expect at all; a camera. I is small and red and beautiful. I honestly would've NEVER baught a red amera but when I got it it was PERFECT. Of course I use it practically every day taking cute pictures of all my baby cousins that are still here. That day we also had "recalentado" when we do all the leftovers from the day befor like the pineapple cake and the chocolate cake. They are delicious and my uncle brought them from Guadalajara the day before Christmas. Christmas day we all took pictures and went out walking and swam in my house. The only bad thing was that my cousin left with his girlfried and I didn't even get to see him that much. In all, It was a great Christmas! And today the three wise men will come!