Post #1

The first chapter of our fantastic textbook highlighted some very pertinent and interesting topics. One striking reality is that of the "digital student", a name lent to the current generation of youth in America. Digital students have grown up in an environment emersed in technology, hours and hours spent behind a computer screen, glued to a television; while chatting on cell phones and instant messaging their latest crush. Consequently, this generation is characterized by absorbing information at incredible speeds (and dispersing just as rapidly), becoming increasingly visually stimulated and as a result, the way in which teachers must conduct the classroom must shift in order to cater to this "digital generation."
One method teachers have been able to use to assist them in relating to and motivating their students is by following the ARCS Motivational Model. The model, introduced by John M. Keller in 1983, suggests that by paying special attention to students' Attention, Relevance, Challenge/Confidence and Satisfaction/Success; students from a broad range of cultural and educational backgrounds can be engaged by their teachers in ways that motivate them towards success. The incorporation of digital media allows for the many levels of application for the ARCS model, and can be an asset to the teacher, rather than the hindrance it is sometimes made out to be.
Since my time enrolled in this course, I have acquired a taste for the very useful skill of blogging. Indeed in the past, I did not see the relevance of spending one's time doodling about his or her thoughts, opinions or dramas online for all to see- in fact, I judged it a very crude sort of communication, and respectfully declined any participation in it. However, after having now learned the skill, I see the potential usefulness of such "blog savvy" behaviors that could very well find their place in the educational system. For instance, many instructors like to supplement their courses with extra materials, primary sources and other complementary references. A blog can serve as a way for the teacher to communicate to students such additional information on a given subject, keep them informed on class developments and due dates, as well as serve a potential tool for teachers to encourage online journaling as assignments outside of class. In conclusion, blogging is super cool.
Now here's something you might not know about me- I enjoy long walks on the beach. Now, I'm not talking about any old walk or leisurely stroll on a little strip of sand down in Panama City- oh no my friends, that is merely a drop in the fantastically awesome bucket that is beach walking. I'm referring to what is now becoming one of the most extreme outdoor sports in America, and soon, the world. Beach walking is all terrain- rocks, fissures, reefs, quicksand; encompassing the most death-defying and heart pounding thrills, compounded by being exposed to extreme weather; hurricanes, tidal waves, tsunamis, earthquakes, golf-ball-sized hail and much much more! The goal is to basically start off in any direction along the coast, and become entirely self-sufficient-feeding on clams, fish, crabs and the occasional wayward seagull. The life of the beach-walker is one full of hard-trained discipline and incomparable bravery, as the sea claims not only the strength of the beach-walkers, but their lives as well. Last year, over 100 people died from beach-walking related deaths, including being struck by lightening, shark attacks, and the even rare (but deadly) sea monster attack. Some people ask me, "Matt, if it's so dangerous, then why do you do it?" And in response I'll quote one of the greatest beach-walkers of all time- Jacques Cousteau, who said, "You've never lived unless you've loved, and you've never loved until you've walked the beach." I'm currently preparing for my greatest beach-walking feat ever- I plan on navigating the coast of Ecuador in South America, finally making my resting place beneath the foothills of the Andes Mountains. My name is Matt Rousseau- and I like long walks on the beach.