Globalization

1. Some of the ways, IT has improved healthcare is patient to health care interaction. A patient can now schedule an appointment online with many doctors office on programs such as ZocDoc. You no longer have to pick up the phone to make an appointment, the website gives you there hours and openings so you can easily pick something around your schedule. IT has also helped spread awareness. The Center for Disease Control brings to the internet users attention to infectious disease, food borne pathogens, environmental safety and health, and injury prevention. Web MD is  the leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news information. WebMD gives internet users the ability to type their symptoms in and get possible diagnosis from real doctors based on their symptoms given. Smartphones have allowed users to be able to view this sources easily via an app.

2.Electronic records and digital photography allow scientists and medical professionals to break down diseases and study various diseases. IT has made it very easily for professionals to communicate with each other. Research from a country such as Europe can be sent over to the U.S. in a matter of seconds. This has lead for more professionals who would not normally be able to share their work with each other to be able to. This has helped diseases to be prevented and contained much faster than ever before.  The internet is being used to transmit findings from Uganda to quickly report data to the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control, so that doctors can better collaborate with one another. Without IT technology  Ebola could've been a much greater catastrophe than it was. It may have spread throughout the world without the measures taken by doctors in those in charge.

3. Thailand and Africa can benefit the most from distance learning. These countries are in need of better technology to help with education for students and teachers. This could be used also in educating the masses in these country to help better develop them. Today's technology offers great educational opportunities to less developed countries by offering at internet at community centers to help users gain access to the benefits the internet provides. The Internet provides students with the opportunity to expand their learning in a different environment. Before the internet, students were mostly limited to resources found in their classrooms or public libraries. The internet allows students to expand their learning capabilities. The internet is home to an almost endless source of information on topics or events in school or every day life. If you want to know something now, you google it. The internet has forever changed and sped up the process of learning dramatically.

Education. (n.d.) In Globalization 101. Retrieved from: http://www.globalization101.org/category/issues-in-depth/technology/.

Chapter 7 Blog Post

One of the apps Google and others are developing for those with visual impairments is: LookTel Money Reader, it recognizes US currency and allows blind and visually impaired people to quickly identify and count bills by just pointing the smartphone camera at any U.S bill. (Leibs, 2015 p.1)
An app called simpleye is being developed to allow tapping gestures to be translated into words. (Pamos, 2014 p. 1). Touching the screen using different tapping or swiping gestures work as imitations of Braille, says Dagar.(Pamos, 2014 p. 1). The app also gives audio feedback, reading out words created by the gestures, and even points out words that do not make sense. Dagar is looking into making it bi-lingual so that other non English speakers can use it. The app is currently free to everyone but Dagar plans on implementing a small fee for those in developed nations so he can recover some of the start-up costs. 

The text gave us examples such as the Bicycling info ladies in order to help close the global digital divide. There are many other projects going on around the world to increase access to computer technology. Close the Gap is a non-profit going around the world giving high quality used computers donated by businesses all around the world to those in need. (Close the Gap, N.D. p.1).They give these computers to people all around the world, in order to get everyone the benefit that computers bring. “Geekcorps is a non-profit organization that sends people with technical skills to developing countries to assist in computer infrastructure development." (IESC, N.D. p.1).  It is a division of the International Executive Service Corps which "promotes economic growth in the developing world by sending highly skilled technology volunteers to teach communities how to use innovative and affordable information and communication technologies to solve development problems."(IESC, N.D. p.1)."

Works Cited 

Pamos, A. (2014). Free App to help blind people use smartphones. Retrieved July 13, 2015.

Close The Gap Help us bridge the digital divide ! (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2015.

IESC. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2015.

Chapter 5 Blog Post

Chapter 5 Blog Post 

The term “Arab Spring” was popularized by the Western media in early 2011, when the successful uprising in Tunisia against former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali emboldened similar anti-government protests in most Arab countries. (Manfreda, N.D. p.1) What makes the Arab Spring so unique is that it is the first uprising primarily using social media. Social Media has helped spread propaganda and has made social media an invaluable weapon. In seconds millions of people can spread their ideas in this case about political groups or leaders. This started with Tunisia but, due in large part to social media, spread throughout the entire Middle East. The protests have varied from violent to non violent.  The Arab spring really demonstrates the power of what  social media can do. Social media makes it much easier to get all these people with like-minded ideas together and make them able to mobilize their revolution.As seen in the Middle East, it is becoming increasingly difficult for these oppressive leaders to stay in power how they had before social media. This has made many wonder what could happen next with the growing power and influence social media has.  It's for certain that social media has changed the way people come together for a cause. 

2. Lindsey Stone was fired over a post she had put on Facebook. I found the post to be extremely stupid, especially for an adult of her age to put up. For her to have not considered the reaction this post could have caused is ridiculous. There is no way she could have ever expected the post to blow up to this proportion but at the least this post was guaranteed to offend some people that she was friends with on Facebook. The fact that it she was insulting something military related didn't help her out any as posts like that usually generate more disgust from a lot of Americans. As all veterans are glorified in American society, which probably isn't fair itself. But, as it turns out the post did blow up and cost Stone, her job and severely hurt her future. She had a running joke with a friend where they did the opposite of what signs said and posted it on Facebook. Stone admitted after she did not know how to fix her privacy settings on Facebook, and said she didn't want all her friends to see. By all accounts she was a good employee, who had made a lapse in judgment with this photo. It's not probably not fair that she lost her job over something like this but perception is reality. And the perception of this photo to most Americans is that she is disrespecting the War Memorial. This again, shows the power and influence of social media and the need to watch what you do. 

Works Cited 

Manfreda, P. (n.d.). Definition of Arab Spring. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
Zimmerman, N. (2012, November 12). Happy Now?: 'Good Employee' Lindsey Stone Fired Over Facebook Photo. Retrieved July 13, 2015.

Chapter 3 Blog Post

A Class Divided 

What I liked most about the video was the point Ms. Elliot proved. I did not believe belittling the children and adults how Elliot had done would accomplish her goal. In the beginning of the video, it was clear that the kids had been taught and accepted discrimination towards other. A child that age is very impressionable and most likely had learned it from her parents and others the children were close with. I was amazed to see that even after 14 years the values  Ms. Elliot had taught these children were part of their everyday lives and even taught to their own children. I was also surprised that the adults reacted in such a matter to their fellow co-workers. They had seen these people everyday and should've knew this wasn't the case. It showed how people can be quiet when they're not the one directly effected. 

What I did not like about this video and believe the reason it did not catch on, is that, it was very harsh on the children. Even with the positive results in both adults and children this clearly didn't catch on to schools around the country. I was never presented discrimination in any way similar to this.   

It was apparent after day one that the children had changed their views on the lesser brown or blue-eyed students. The fact that some of these children could completely change their view on their best friends was very surprising. I feel like this exercise could have permanently ruined some friendships especially in the young children's lives. It was shocking to not see one brown-eyed adult stand up for a member in the blue-eyed group. They just sat back and watched the blue-eyed be attacked for things a number of the brown eyed people had probably been doing. 

The scenes I think I will remember a month from now are the collars being put on both the adults and the children. I will also remember the man in the video who was repeatedly attacked by Ms. Elliot. 

Chapter one Blog post

U.S. Demographic 2050

The U.S. will add another 100 million to its population, based on census and other projections, putting the country on a growth track far faster than most other major nations in the world.Nearly one in five Americans, or 19% will be an immigrant in 2050, compared with one in eight, or 12% in 2005. (Cohen and Passel, 2008 p.1) By 2025, the immigrant, or foreign-born, share of the population will surpass the peak during the last great wave of immigration 100 years ago.(Bump, N.D. p.1) The percentage of infertile women is rising here as well but compared to other advanced countries, America still boasts the highest fertility rate.(Kotkin, 2010 p.1) 50 percent higher than other major countries: Russia, Germany or Japan, and much higher than China, Italy, Singapore, Korea and virtually all of eastern Europe. (Kotkin, 2010 p. 1) Global population growth rates of 2 percent in the 1960s have dropped to less than half that rate today, and this downward trend is likely to continue in other countries.(Bump, N.D. p.1) The Latino population, already the nation’s largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the nation’s population growth from 2005 through 2050.(Cohen and Passel, 2008 p.1)  Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005.(Cohen and Passel, 2008 p.1) With all of this in mind, job competition will be staggering. By this time, I hope to be in an upper management level position in a business. However, with the increasing rate of Latinos, specifically males entering the job market, companies could be looking for cheaper, younger options to replace an older worker like myself. It will be important to get my foot in the door early early and maximize my earnings while I am young. 

Works Cited 

 Bump, P. (n.d.). What America will look like in 2050, in 4 charts. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
Cohen, D. & Passel, J.,  (2008, February 10). U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
 Kotkin, J. (2010, March 15). What American Demographics Will Look Like in 2050. Retrieved June 19, 2015.