Laugh Tracks and Plagiarism! Together as One!

Chuck Klosterman wrote an article about laugh tracks that was very interesting.  His viewpoints on the topic are some I have never taken before.  He says that people laugh because they are conditioned to.  After a visit to Germany, he noticed that Germans do not fake laugh.  If they do laugh, it is because they legitimately think something is funny.  For instance, he said was paying for something and the clerk asked for exact change, and, in short, he laughed and said no.  The clerk just looked at him strangely, wondering why he was laughing.  This is very true.  Americans laugh so much that we are unaware that we are laughing at things that are not funny.  However, I do not view this as a bad thing.  Just because Americans laugh more, does not mean we are stupid; it simply shows that we are happier more.  Germans seem to be angry all the time because they rarely laugh.  This is also not a bad thing.  Seriousness is a good trait too.

As for plagiarism (the dark side of laugh tracks… I guess.  These two topics were put together to be able to talk about plagiarism as a conjoined topic with something fun), I do not see what is so hard about not taking someone else’s work for your own.  Just paraphrase it in your own words and all will be okay.  Do not copy and paste without putting it in quotes and putting a citation.  It takes the whole of five more minutes to do this, and you will not fail your paper!  What a great idea!  Paraphrasing, as a clarifier, is not using even phrases of someone else.  Everything you write must be your own.  Their idea translated into your own words.

However, on the topic of laugh tracks....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7mq9w1d1wQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GrV3OZdjP8&feature=related

The Effects of Video Games on Educaiton

I have been, for a long time, interested in video games; some would even say to a fault.  I have also, during my college experience, developed a passion for high school math.  Furthermore, in the more recent past, I have started majoring in mathematics education.  So, I thought to myself, “Why can the two not be combined?”  Maybe not math specifically, but why can video games not be a part of schooling.  Doing some preliminary research, I have found that this has been an ongoing research topic ever since video games came to the United States.  For my research to come to a more fruitful end, I must be able to answer some questions.  Primarily, what makes for a good learning situation?  What research has been done in the area of video game education?  Were there any studies conducted?  How have video games evolved since they were first brought to the United States?  Will it be feasible to get video games to the classroom with the limited technology available to most schools?  Will teachers be for or against it?  Is it feasible to think kids work better with video games?  Do gamers have any special skills, developed from video games, that non-gamers don’t have?  I will be writing a paper on this topic answering all these questions.

On "Attached to Technology and Paying the Price" by Matt Ritchel

Hey,

First of all, this post is not by Matt Ritchel, the article titled "Attached to Technology and Paying the Price" is by Matt Ritchel.  It was in the June 6, 2010 edition of the New York Times.  Basically, this article basically goes over how this one guy, Kord Campbell, a web programmer, and his family are so dependent on technology.  It also looks at several studies about technologies effect on the brain and how good multitaskers and poor multitaskers can work in different situations.  For instance, poor multitaskers can pay attention to one thing out of a mess of things.  But pretty much, it all makes sense.  Not that I am a person to criticize university studies, but the way all of it is explained is easy to comprehend.  I do like the part that says how avid internet users can get better brain activity.  That makes me feel better for spending way too much time on here!

That's all for now folks,
-sal

Introduction

Hey,

This is a blog for my English 202, Research Writing, class.  My name is Sal.  I am, as of now, a junior at IUP studying to be a math teacher.  Math is my forte.  I really like the high school stuff though.  Algebra and geometry rock.  That is about all YOU need to know about me!

Ta-ta,
-sal