TED Talks

TED Talks

     TED talks are always very informative & have a thing for opening eyes and eyes.
I recently watched a TED Talk video of Wael Ghonim & his views towards social media. He believes that there are 5 challenges one has to face while being in social media sites. To begin with, let me explain what he meant by these challenges. Challenge one was that "We don't know how to deal with rumours" he says. Rumours change people's mindset sometimes to bad. We let them at times ruin our lives. "We create our own echo chambers" Wael explained as the second challenge. On social media there's a mute button & a block button. Those two options help us create our echo chamber. We only let people see what we post if they have the same mindset as us. The third challenge is having online discussions becoming angry mobs. At times when you say something that can be taken as a very controversial topic or that you yourself is saying something against what you believe in, it can be a start of an angry mob. Which leads on to the fourth challenge. Challenge number four is that it is very hard to change your opinion on something. When you change your opinion, people start reacting and taking you as a person who is changing sides. Because its either you're with us or you are against us. The last challenge is that social media experiences favours broadcasting over engagements, posts over discussions, shallow comments and not deep ones. "As if we agreed that we are here to talk to each other instead of talking with each other.

     Wael Ghonim believes that the people should liberate the internet. He suggested four different things. The first suggestion was that we should give more incentives to engage in conversations. We shouldn't just be all about the shallow comments. Let's have deep conversations. Suggestion 2 was that we should "make it socially acceptable that we change our minds, or probably even reward that...." and Ghonim has a point. When you say something like, "I hate Donald Trump" on a social media platform and then you start to think that you actually support him, people will criticise that you fancy Trump. (Just an example, not saying I like him or anything.) And I use this example because lately he's a very controversial person due to his actions. The third suggestion was that we should have a matrix that says how many people changed their minds after saying something. This is just like when you get into a fight with a sibling or a parent. At one point you are angry, yell at them, & tell them you hate them. Then next thing you know you are sad because you actually don't hate them. In social media, you can end up liking an activist page then after a while you may realise you actually don't want to change a certain belief or system that the activist and the followers want to achieve. And people should know that that is normal. It is human like to change their minds. Ghonim suggested that we should "probably write more thoughtfully trying to do that, rather than appealing to the people who already agree."

     One should take all of this into consideration before the next time you go onto social media platforms. one by one can make a change. Soon we can all have said we helped out to liberate the internet.

A Letter for the Future

Dear Future Self,

       I hope that at this moment as you read, you are achieving all your goals in college to be and I hope that you know how to use that brain of yours. You are like a Russian Doll. Your true self hidden under several different layers. You have a wild imagination. You just have to open your wings and soar across the sky. You tend to hide because you feel small and fragile. You have what it takes to succeed just don't let others intimidate you. Think of the long way you have gone to get there. Don't give up ever.

     You have dreams of success in different ways. I hope u keep up with your hobbies. I hope that these dancing classes, surfing classes, & music classes, help you out. I hope that you use these to succeed. You're not like the rest. You know what my dear future self, all these problems you have with people calling you names that they don't really mean, it is all happening now so you can be stronger later. You are just getting tested to see if you will violently fight back, if you will ignore them & see karma hit them back. Or if you are going to go ask for help to an elder. And the way I you present self am handling them is very curious.

     You know there's this one issue right now. That issue is family. You family currently is turning their backs on you. You want to open up about someone who've you've been your true self to for almost 3 school years. It sucks that now you can't. You see it differently than them. I mean dad is having the wrong idea about your feelings but it funny. Yet mom..... Mom changed. She is not that happy person anymore. She, for the past 2 years misses father and we both know that. We see it and we sense it. That is why she sees this as danger, when you know that it isn't. All this music I've been writing and keeping hidden, they aren't love songs from my eyes. They are my moms tears she shed for nights. I hope you find a good use for them future self.

     All these documents I have on my computers now, tell me you will reveal them. Tell me that what I am doing now is bad but all these secrets will be revealed. I don't want to hurt my family. I don't want them to think I am hurting them. Friends come and go but family is forever. And I want them to understand that. Dear future self tell me you're going to talk to my parents. Please take this pain away. Take it all and send me the joy you have. Take this weight off my shoulders and let me be free.

     I only have one thing I really want you to do though; get me my sweet life back.

With Big Hope & Love Always,

Jackeline Sagastume-Salguero

(Your mini me)

Which Personalities Do I have?

Taking A Personality Test

     Today I took my first personality test. I didn't expect to get what I got. I knew I had all this in me I just probably didn't want to admit it. In this test I got as a result of my strengths and weaknesses a few things that I didn't really know about it. For my strengths I got that I am a curious, observant, energetic, enthusiastic, an excellent communicator, good at relaxing, very popular & friendly. I agree with all of them except the fact that it says I am an excellent communicator & I know how to relax. I don't really think I am good at communicating. I start to stutter or I turn pale. Other times I like to feel superior and it boosts up my confidence in talking. Also when I relax, it is either in the shower or sleeping. Other ways I can't.

     For my weaknesses it says that I have a hard time focusing. Which is mostly not true. I only have a hard time focusing when I am doing something I don't like or that it just isn't something I am into. And that is mostly it for the parts I disagree with. My other weaknesses are that I get stressed easily, I'm independent to a fault, highly emotional, an over thinker, & that I have poor practical skills.

     For friendships I am not gonna complain about nothing being not true. I like adventures due to the huge amount of curiosity I have in me. Although I am very reserved. Being reserved I am not much of a talker with new people but later I get into making conversation. It just takes time. If I do talk to someone instantly it usually is not a great idea because then things go wrong. The reason why I carry this reserved characteristic is because I analyze the person first. Which is why I was saying it isn't good when I make conversations instantly with someone just when I met them. Once I get a friendship, not all of them are going to want to go outside and have an adventure. Others will talk about themselves and that's when the quiet reserved me pops out again.

      For career paths, I have an advantage of having good people skills. Which I don't disagree about. Why? Well, when I know I have to do something to be a better person socially and economically then my family, I raise my self esteem up. I act all innocent with some people then with others I talk more than a parrot. That is because I use humans as my advantage just that I don't let them know. Socializing with people makes me feel great about myself & I see that social me as a different person. This different person like to talk and be known. That is why it carries on these great people skills. Which comes along to breaking the status quo. Why not be both popular & a nerd? Both things come in handy anyways.

     In conclusion, I am glad I was very into this test or else I would probably have disagreed with many of the things in my results. Sometimes it is good to challenge yourself to see if you really know who you are or if you are just hiding your true colours. One has to embrace who they are even if it is a bad characteristic you have to embrace. If you want you can habitually change it over time into something good or change th euse of it from bad to good.

A Reflection On My Goals

A Reflection On My Goals

     One of the goals I set for myself this year haven't completely been achieved. I have shown increase in my typing abilities. I finally mastered the use of punctuation keys. I can officially say I know them by heart. However I haven't much increased my accuracy. I don't have a bad accuracy but I kn ow I can do better. Lately I just haven't found the time to do more lessons and type more. I'm more content that I achieved how to use the keys correctly then anything though. That is because I know that if I know how to use these keys better, I know that I can now increase my accuracy. I still want to keep working on my accuracy because I am positive that I am capable of achieving this goal.

     The strategies that I described on my earlier blog post helped me out a lot. I put much hard work and dedication into that to where I was working my butt off every afternoon as soon as I got home from school. I organized a schedule for me so I could also get my studies done and to still also have time to attend my other night classes. It was difficult at times but I managed my way around. This schedule that I put up for helped me out because it organized me better and I am glad I thought about this idea.

National Inventors Day

Thomas Edison

"Genius is one percent inspiration & ninety-nine percent perspiration."

This quote of Thomas Edison gets me thinking. And what he says is true. Most of the things a genius does are done out of the single fact that your curious to see what happens. And when you have an idea set in mind and you want to see how it works out you have an inspiration. Hoping to get the results you want or if not something better. You also have perspiration. Just like when you are very wild & curious and your parents tell you not to mess around with something. You have an idea to see if that object can collaborate with other things. You have an inspiration. You also know that because they said not to do it you can get in trouble. But is worth the try. When you start running your little lab, you get all sweaty, all nervous to see the results you will get. You spend a longer time sweating then a longer time inspired. Once you get your results you found a new thing you have discovered for your own use. This is what I believe this quote means.

Google Searches In 2015

Google Searches In 2015

     Throughout 2015 us humans did a lot of searching. Some of the most popular ones where the ones of Bruce Jenner becoming Catliyn Jenner, the black and blue or while & gold dress, black lives matter, & so on so forth. There were also some of the biggest events in history. Like as the Paris attack, Nepal, the Cuban Embargo, & when the United States Legalized all gay matrimony ceremonies.

     I found that all the ones who contributed into making all these things a trend left a treasure map. A trent is something that has the center of attention for a lot of people and that we are getting very into the search of that particular thing, object, video, post, etc.

     We all left behind the trend of caring for the world & also into the celebrity life. We searched several times how to help out Nepal after what had happened with the surprising earthquake in April of 2015. We were also very in touch in seeing how to stop prejudice after the hashtag "All Black Lives Matter" started trending and getting very popular online.

Media Codes

Media Codes

1. What is your favourite brand? Why?

     I don't have a specific brand I like but I don't have many either. Some of the brands I like to use are Billabong, Supra & Adidas. I like the brand Billabong because I surf and one day I hope to get sponsored by them. Another reason why I like Billabong is because my family has used their merchandise for as long I can remember. It has been a brand we all have gotten something from.
     Supra is my favourite shoe brand. Yes I have Converse, Nike, Adidas, & other shoe brands but Supra is my favourite of all time. I like this brand because I find the shoes very lasting & comfortable. My favourite pair of Supras (which I am wearing as I type) have lasted me 3 years and they still feel like you are walking up in the clouds. For my opinion they have the best shoes & the best quality too.
    Adidas is my favourite sports brand. I have to thank my dad for that. He has a thing for that brand and he has now passsed it down to me.

2. What types of codes are used by this brand to make it appealing to people? (Brand logos located below)
     The logo for Billabong uses technical codes. The logo has beach waves on it reflecting to the type of clothing and items they have. Beach waves are an object and technical codes use colours, objects, & animals. Therefore this is a technical code.
     The logo for Supra is a crown. It is thrown out there to represent royalty of all brands. It is supreme to the other brand. Which is a technical code. The crown is an object that makes you believe that it is better than all the rest of the other brands.
     The logo for Adidas is a technical code. It uses colours to represent the quality & the creativity using black and white designs. There are other logos but the most dominant logo of all is the one I have below.


3. Do you think this brand's advertising influences whether you like it? Why or why not?
     I believe it does because I absolutely love the beach. I spend all the time I can at the beach. The fact that Billabong is a brand linked to the beach influences a lot the fact that I like this brand. As well with the logo. The logo reflects the beach waves which gets my attention whenever I see it.
     I don't believe the logo has anything to do with me liking the brand Supra. When I got my first pair of Supras three years ago, they were skytops my auntt had gotten me. I looked at the shoes ads just as any pair of shoes I had. I didn't even realize about the crown at the bottom of my shoe where the grip is at. It once when I started using the shoe that I startd liking the brand. I liked how my feet felt comfortable in the shoe so I tried out other shoes and they convinced me that these were the best brand of shoes I have ever had.
     I think the advertisements of Adidas do influence me in whether I like them or not. The ads quickly capture my attention and the different designs they have for all things scream out my name. Therefor, besides the influence I get from my father, the codes and ads capture my attention quickly.

Earth Being Defined

Dear Alien,

Please let me tell you about Earth. Earth is a work in progress. Wait lemme take that back. The people on Earth are a work in progress. Earth is a wonderful place where you can live & find great opportunities for your life. However there are many people who give you the choice to forget those opportunities and give upon looking towards the bright side. Honestly I don't believe it should be like this because we all end up hurting Earth if we look at each other as rivals and try to take earth out of the equation of life. Us humans should have problems with each other once in a while. There is nothing wrong with that. As long as we all see that we have to forgive sooner or later. Karma will do it's job so people shouldn't seek for revenge of anything.

Earth has various countries with various sites that anyone could live by or visit. We have all types of places here. We have deserts, islands, hot spots, glaciers, mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, forests, ruins from our past ancestors, we have anything we could ever ask for. And that is how we learn too. Because of the things Earth has for us. We have people with extreme intelligence both dead and alive. We have heroes who have no need for a cape or a heroic name. We have people who fight fro what they believe is wrong. We have people who stand up to themselves. We have poor & rich. Many try to see the world as one but currently we really can't.

We have fights all the time. Small fights. Big fights. But thankfully no World Wars. We have always had fights. We have had 2 world wide ones. But currently the most often fights we see are for false things. For pure money. That is something all people want. Money. However, some of us have become very blind towards that. We have addictions. And people want money for that. We have people who want to use it for good charities or good causes. We have both good and bad. Just not well balanced.

Earth itself without us would be very peaceful. A bit out of control but still. You should come and visit us and let us explore more about your knowings. We could use a new set of news. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Jackeline S.

National Holidays

Some national holidays that we have here in the U.S. are Martin Luther King Jr, Washington's Birthday, & the Fourth of July. These are days we have to remember and celebrate, great leaders, and the independence of the Unites States of America.

Why do you think we have national holidays?
     I think we have national holidays to make memorial of certain days. For example, MLK Jr. Day is to remember how much he did for people, black & white to be together united as one for we are all created equal. Washington's Birthday is to remember how much he did to help the thirteen colonies become independent & his times as president. The Fourth of July is to remember the independence of America from Great Britain.

Are there benefits to having national holidays?
     Yes they are benefits because sometimes people can't have days off from work so they only get them off on national holidays. Also it is good become some people actually do like to remember what this country has gone through.

Are their downsides?
     Yes there are downsides because people on these holidays like to do crazy things and then accidents happen and there's loss of people. Some people don't even value the day and take it as one more day where the shopping stores have percentage discounts on their things. 

My Searches

My Searches

What are the top 3-5 websites you use for educational purposes?
        As a student in Rise Middle School, we are required to do several things that have to do with different websites. I frequently use weebly.com because I constantly try to keep my digital portfolio updated with the most recent things we do in our class therefore when they ask for it, I am already prepared. The second one would be brainpop.com because science is one of my weakest ability, Brain Pop helps me understand better. Finally the third one would be studyisland.com.

What are top-level domain do they use? Why?
     All these three websites use the domain .com. I believe that it is because they are used for commerce.
What are the top 3-5 websites you use for personal entertainment?
     For personal entertainment I use quotev.com, netflix.com, or kissanimesmash.com. I use Quotev to read & write, Netflix to watch tv or movies & Kiss Anime Smash to watch Anime.

What top-level domain do they use? Why?
      They all use .com and I believe it is because they are commercial businesses.

Grit

What it grit?

Have you ever thought about what is grit? Grit is the power of stamina. It is the strength of continuing long-term goals with perseverance, continuing with life day in & day out not worrying that you might fail at a certain point. It is like you are running a life marathon. That is what is grit. And believe it or not; people run on grit. People succeed on grit.

I am an American-born Citizen. As a child I traveled a lot. I traveled from one place to another and call it home. I wouldn't move around because of my parent's being illegal or because of work issues with them. Like those who move around with their families because they are illegal farm workers On the contrary, my mother could work here legally it was just my father who was the problem. He was young when I appeared into his world. He tired too hard to get me all my needs and even more. That was the problem. He started making stupid decisions which later reflected on me in school and which were the cause of us moving too much. My family only spoke Spanish back then. As a result that was the only language I spoke. It was the first language I learned.

The ability of speaking English didn't fully come to me once I was actually in the 3rd grade. We were here back in LA back then. I was born here in LA and we stayed here less then 6 months before we left to Huntington Park. From there we moved when I was like a year an a half to Rancho Cucamonga then to Ontario, CA. I started school in Ontario. I attended Pre-School then Pre-K then Elementary. I understood when people talked to me in English but because all the time I had been moving from one home in a city to another home in the same city or completely move to another city, I didn't have the opportunity of communicating much with kids or people who weren't my family. At school I was shy and even if I tried to speak English, people would speak to me in Spanish. Later on in the first semester of first grade I started trying out English speaking. I failed. But that didn't stop me. I would practice making the English sounds and tried getting my tongue to work the way my brain was thinking. It took me a lot of years. I felt like I was learning something new and weird.

I knew the basic things by the time I started the second grade back in LA. I practiced every day with my cousin who we were now living with. By the third grade I was proud of what I had achieved. It took me time and I have to admit I still struggle but now its just that at times my brain is slower than my tongue.

Grit should be taught in schools. However I feel like not everyone can learn what grit is. Grit is something one should develop on their own. I mean if students can learn grit the same way they learned how to add and subtract than that's great. But if they can't they can't be forced. If schools teach grit, they should show them examples of when people use grit and what grit is. Then from their they should teach according the students ability of understanding.

Setting Goals

Setting Goals in 2016!

        This year I have started setting up goals for myself in my daily life and in my academic life. I have several goals set for a certain class, Digital Literacy. One of my academic goals for this class is to improve my use of the punctuation keys on the keyboard. I have a slightly difficult time using those keys and if I want to achieve also my personal goal for this class, I have to practice using that part of the keyboard. The technique that has helped me lately with improving my use of punctuation keys is redoing the lessons on punctuation in a cool punctuation website I found for people who need practice in typing. I want to keep doing more lessons in hopes of me to get better. I can see the progress I have made and that is what has made me decide to keep using this website.

        My personal goal for this class is to increase my accuracy and how fast I type. To increase my accuracy I want to try different typing websites besides typing.com. However first I want to finish the lessons I am doing on that website. In order to increase my typing skills, I want to get to know the laptop's keyboard. I want to really have a good idea of how it looks that way only my fingers can sense the keys according to how I remember them. So far I am getting better at that. But I have issues with the bottom row and the numbers at times. To get to know the keyboard better, I want to practice typing in general. Like typing up passages and so. For me, that is really good help to get to know the keyboard better. I have other goals for this class but these are the top priority of my goals and the ones I really want to achieve. The other ones are small goals but I'll achieve them through out the year. Slowly, one by one, but I will.