How do I get rid of my blog?

So, my 15 hours of IT class are complete. 1 credit done, (assuming I passed) only 40+ to go. What was IT class all about, and why should an MPA student be forced to take such a class? I thought the same thing, and I may not have the entire answer, I do have an opinion. I can not say that I thought the course was terrible, as some classes were very interesting and I actually enjoyed my time. Learning about the technical IT terms was tedious, but Professor Sine did attempt to make the subject less dull then I would have expected. Honestly, I still do not understand technology, but I did not put in the effort to do so. If I had the desire, or maybe even the time, I could have walked away from this class having learned a great deal about the politics and logistics of the Internet and computers.

I did appreciate the short packets (IT term, used in the wrong context) of information that students were required to present. It was useful and I appreciated learning from my peers in plain English rather than tech talk. The third class was my favorite, as we discussed the social uses of technology.

Blogging may not be my favorite hobby, but it proved to be an interesting assignment. I appreciated being required to blog about any subject I desired, rather than being forced to write a paper. I do not see myself as a blogger and I will not continue to blog in formats such as Blogger. I am on Facebook, (I do not have a child in that picture) and I will continue to use this social utility. I found it interesting to read my classmate's blogs, and it gave me some insight to their lives and personal perspectives. Eventually I found blogging to be a chore, but just like everything on my to-do list, it got done. It did force me to think of technology in a new light, as I had not noticed all of the little forms of technology that society takes for granted. I found myself searching for something to blog about, so I was force to re-examine the world in front of me.

The projects proved to be interesting and I actually enjoyed hearing about other suggestions for the implementation of new technology. Let's hope they are implemented in the near future!

Why is an MPA student required to take an IT class? Because one day they will be running their own organization, and they will need to know the risks, benefits and opportunities available through technology. I certainly learned about the advantages, specifically those of a wiki and I am glad that I have this knowledge.

So, I think this is it. My final blog! I hope you enjoyed reading this ever-so-interesting blog! Have a great semester!

Weather

So, as many of you know, the weather has been very strange lately. One day it is 80 degrees, the next it is 64 (it feels like a big difference). I will remind you it is October. As I sit here and write (or is it typing a blog rather than writing a blog) it has rained for almost three straight hours. I just wonder, why technology has not caught up with the weather. Weather stations advertise, "new Doppler radar" but their predictions do not seem to improve. Yes, we do know the days that there is a possibility of rain, but it seems to me, that the rate of improvements for weather-based technology is not equal to that of general technological improvements. Maybe one day I will receive a text message stating that it will be raining in the exact location I am standing in 5 minutes. Does global warming throw off the weather so much that it is almost completely unpredictable?

They say when you have nothing else to talk about, you discuss the weather.

Dear World

Dear World-

I have not forgotten about you. I know you enjoy reading every one of my very interesting blogs, and I may be letting you down. The truth is, I have not had anything very exciting to blog about lately. I am aware that technology impacts every movement of my life, but nothing out of the ordinary has struck me lately.

I will keep you posted!

-Desi

P.S. The baby is doing just fine.

Where have the people gone?

After reading some of my classmate's blogs about the various benefits of technology, I can't help but think of an aspect of technology that encompasses all the negatives... where have the people gone? I too appreciate not standing in line at the airport, or listening to a podcast on my own time, but what happened to the natural concept of human interaction.

I can not remember the last time I actually checked in at the airport, other than giving them my luggage. Something as simple as checking-in online saves significant time, but it most likely caused someone to lose their job. This employee did not lose their job because they were incompetent, but simply because the machine could do it quicker. I was in the super-market recently and I could not decide which check-out line would be quicker, the self-checkout, or the 15 items or less. A gentleman who was watching me make my decision said, choose the 15 items or less, it keeps people employed. I had never really thought about it. Basically, I use the cashier line if I forget my "bonus card" and the check-out line if I think I will get away with calling apples the cheaper kind.

What will happen to uneducated individuals if we keep creating technology that takes their jobs? Obviously, the government cannot afford to pay for long-term unemployment. How will the children of these workers be fed?

As for technology as simple as the podcast, I wonder what happened to human interaction. When my parents were young and the President came on television, the entire family watched the one TV together. There was only one viewing time, and one TV, so the family bonded over important events. Now, even if my family were to all enjoy a particular show, we could always avoid watching it together and simply watch it over the Internet later. There is no bonding when you watch ABC.com by yourself.

Yes, I understand the benefits of technology, but I am too much of a humanitarian to forget about the underlying consequences.

Hand-Writing

I work with the Total Life Project, a cutting edge research project where 3 adults with disabilities live in a house (355 S. College). My title is a Life Coach, and I will be responsible for helping these students to learn to live on their own. Please do not mistake this project with a group home, as residents of group homes will always need to live with other people and often require outside assistance. Our goal is for our students to live on their own after they leave the Total Life dorm. Because this is a new project, we do not have any students living in the house, but we have several applications, and the paperwork required before move in is crazy! When these students come, we will be using a Person-Center approach to develop Personal Plans for them. It has taken a great deal of money and time to train the Life Coaches and other members of the team to learn to create these plans, but there is still a problem.

You guessed it... technology. When we were first introduced to the technique, everything was on paper. I mean binders of information on each student, hand written. Their every action and response needs to be documented if research is to be cutting-edge, but is it truly cutting-edge if all the documentation is hand-written? The Total Life team believed that it would be more valuable to spend a few extra minutes to type the information than it would be to leave a legacy of hand-written information. This was not the opinion of all of the staff, and many well-respected professionals felt that computerized information was not suitable for the social services field.

Since when is the social services field required to obtain callouses and blisters from writing all of their information? At a recent training with the man who created the Person-Centered approach, the team addressed the issue. The trainer replied that he encourages an electronic data set, but the reality is that most service providers do not have enough computers for to allow for a project to be completely computerized, so he teaches the hand-written approach.

I wonder if the goal of completely electronic record-keeping for social service agencies will ever be met? Will an electronic approach to teaching Person-Centered Planning ever become standard? Certainly not in the near future.

Professional

This blog entry is not exactly what Professor Sine was looking for us to write about when she asked for a professional blog, but I think I am going to do it anyway!

I am a first year MPA student coming straight from undergrad, meaning that I am required to complete an Internship Seminar course, which will be followed by a summer-long internship that I am required to find. For this seminar course, we are required to conduct two informational interviews with professionals in fields of our choosing. These interviews are not as easy to accumulate as one may think. Most places tell me it's their "busy season" or they simply don't return my call. I can't say that I totally blame them. As many of you know, or could conclude from class, my specialization is Nonprofit Leadership, and I hope to run a nonprofit in the future.

On the first day of IT class, I was fortunate enough to sit next to Mr. Doug Lowman who is a master in the craft of finances for nonprofits such as the Salvation Army. For real though, Doug really does balance it all: a full-time job, a long commute, a wife, kids, and school, and he has a heart.

I will tie this into IT... if IT was not so easily available, it would have taken a lot longer to contact Doug, have Doug contact his contact, and for me to contact her. The entire process was done in a few hours, when it could have taken a few days! Maybe this blog can be professional, as networking is a key aspect in obtaining a job!

Cheers to Doug & IT

Spector-cle on MySpace

MySpace has made its way into the courtroom. Judge Larry Paul Fidler saw his life flash in front of him when someone made any observation that there was a threat on his life, posted on MySpace. Phil Spector, 67, is on trial for second degree murder for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. Spector married his 27 year-old wife, Rachelle before he went on trial, and it is thought that she is responsible for the posting. The posting read, "I love Phil Spector---!!! The Evil Judge should Die!!! xoxo Chelle" The post has been removed. Spector faces 15 years to life if he is found guilty.

Maybe someone in the class appreciates Phil Spector. I didn't know who he was before the article.