Movie Prompt 1

Althought the outcomes of some of the individuals featured in the film weren't what I expected, after further thought, I determined that they were somewhat representative of society today. As in Luisa's case, many high school graduates are unable to attend college after high school due to financial complications. Often, the family cannot afford to send their child onto college and in such situations, the individual is unable to receive federal aid in most cases. Luisa was stuck in one of these cases. She was forced to work throughout school and it often conflicted with her studying habits. It even prevented her from graduating on time and took away much of the needed study hours that would have helped her on her photoshop exam.
Unfortunately, Travis had many of the same problems. While he was enrolled in the tech school and was considerably successful, he was also forced to balance his schoolwork with being the "man" of the household, adding much unfair pressure. Although Travis was quite driven, he was just not able to spend as much time on his schoolwork as necessary. Also, he was experiencing much of the same financial trouble as Luisa, preventing him from having as many resources and advantages available to him as wealthier families, such as Cedra.
Cedra, growing up in an upper-middle class family with much technological experience, had many advantages over Travis and Luisa. She mentioned that her dad worked for Macintosh Computers and that they had 4 computers in their house. Naturally, this helped her succeed in school by granting her the ability to practice her skills at home. As the movie showed, Cedra went on to Brown College and I believe her access to technology at home greatly aided this achievement. As we saw with Travis and Luisa, they had many more responsibilities to juggle while attending school as well as many less technological resources available to them. Cedra's success was not suprising to me because of her clear advantages over the other two students.
I was a little suprised to see Kep receive Valedictorian, however, it seemed to me that he deserved the award. He seemed to work really hard and had as much support his family could provide for him. However, it seemed like his family had some of the same financial problems as Travis and Luisa, yet, not to as great an extent. I feel like in Kep's case, him attending the Tech school helped him succeed to a greater degree than he would have without it. The school propelled him to success and aided him in receiving a scholarship, allowing him to go onto college, which he maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity to do without enrolling in the Tech school.
Overall, the students' experiences and outcomes from attending the tech school varied, but one common theme seemed to resonate: income level and family health tended to aid in the success of the individual.

Prompt #1

Though technology played a large role in each of the students futures, I think there were other issues that influenced each of them as well. I think two of the main issues that affected each student differently was their family and their financial state.
It was no surprise to me that Cedra graduated from a tech based high school in Cupertino, CA and was going to Brown University. In the film it said her father worked with computers and she has been around them her whole life, having four in her home. Because her family used and was around computers a lot, so was she, so she became more interested in them. Her family was also not hurting financially, so she had the ability to go to college without having to worry about how she could afford it.
I was also not surprised with Travis and his decision to not go on to college. In his family he played the role of a son, brother, and uncle, which kept him busy. Even though he went to New Technology High School, which was ahead in technology use for students, it does not mean that he was ahead financially. Travis did not have the money to go onto school and he could not get others in his family to pay for college for him. I also think that New Technology High School was so focused on getting kids set up for a career and doing internships at younger ages, Travis probably didn't find it necessary to go on to college, since his high school kind of acted as one already.
From what we saw in the film I was somewhat surprised to see that Kep became valedictorian of his class. He worked hard, but I thought Travis tried to work just as hard, he just had bad luck with his final project. Kep's family always seemed behind him, but they did not have a lot of money to help him out. I think he too would have not gone on to college if it wasn't for his scholarship. He is an example of how technology can be used as a solution. If he did not go to New Technology High School he probably wouldn't have gotten a full scholarship to college, which means he may have had to work with his family in their Royal Jelly Doughnuts restaurant until he could make enough money to afford further schooling.
Luisa was some what of a surprise to me as well. She seemed so motivated with trying to learn new things and teach others with what she learned from her multimedia class in her high school, I thought she would have graduated on time and passed her Photoshop exam. If she would have gone to one of the Tech schools she probably would have been able to pass the Photoshop exam, but she still may not have been able to graduate on time. Luisa's main problem seemed to be that she was low income and had to spend so much time working. Even if she had all of the technology experience the other students did, she probably would have ended up like Travis who never went to college because he could not afford it.
Technology is a tool that all of these students used. Even students who had access to technology did not get what they fully wanted. Having a family to help with support and being in a good financial state seem to be two major factors that influenced each of these students outcomes.

Question 1 - movie response

There were many things that influenced and affected these students besides technology.  Some different things that came into play were things such as friends from different school, money, part time jobs, family status, going to college, english and math skills and much more.   I think that technology can help with many of these issues but not all of them.  For example although some of the students friends from other schools would call them computer geeks the students of the Tech High School could show their friends some very beneficial skills.  Also their technology training can sometimes help with money issues but not always.  Like in the case of Kep he earned college scholarships because of his training in technology which allowed him to go on to college.  But sometimes technology cannot help with the money issues that people face.  For example Travis who graduates from the Tech High School was not able to afford to go to college because of his families circumstances.  Also although the Tech High School gave the students many useful skills if often lacked in teaching the students strong skills in english and math which could hinder their future in going to college and in some jobs.  

Some of the stories were excepted and predictable but I was also very surprised by others.  In Lulsa story I was surprised that she did not manage her time more effectively.  The Photoshop exam was very important to her future and yet she did not put enough time into it.  She could of had a very impressive job.  In Cedra's story it was good to see how she plans to use her computer skills in her future at college and a job.  Travis's story was very surprising in the fact that he hadn't tested out his senior project before he went in front of the review board.  I feel like as a student of a tech school he should know that technology can easily go wrong and you must do all necessary precautions before you actually do the project.  Kep story was very inspirational.  He did all he could do and then gained scholarships that helped him with college.  This seems very predictable because with this type of training you could get a step ahead of many students who go to normal public high schools.  

Movie Response #1

I think there are many different factors that could influence students’ academic works. Lack of technology for education in modern society is a major one, but in the film, we saw that New Tech High School was the pioneer of the country to provide computers and internet, so for those students, other factors are at play for their different outcomes.

In the film we see that Luisa’s problem is that she doesn’t have money for the education she wants. Her low income status is the barrier for her to succeed. For Travis, he is under a lot of peer pressure that his friends keep telling him he’s a geek and make fun of him. Although he seems to understand his own goals, but then he is on his own. With his low income status, he also couldn’t afford college which he wants. For Kep, he has a background as a minority in the U.S.. He overcame many things like learning English and culture shocks to be where he is now. It was much harder for him to succeed compared to American-born children. All of their problems would seem impossible to solve if we say technology was the answer. It is far more complex.

I was a bit surprised to know the outcomes of those students. I saw them work hard in their academic career, and I saw them breaking obstacles for their own goals. But in the end, for most of them, due to the problems apart from lack of technology they still couldn’t get what they wanted and deserved. Life is just not fair to them.

Movie Response, Question 4

I think that the three different school environments provide different levels of success in their mission. For Cupertino high and Tech high, their missions are only to connect their students with silicon valley jobs, computer and computer technical jobs. To this end, there is a difference between the two tech high schools. Cupertino high seemed to be part of a wealthy, educated community, while the community served by Tech high seemed to be relatively less wealthy and educated. The results of this might be that Cupertino has more expensive technology from their students to learn from, therefore acquiring more advanced skills than Tech high. Also, the connections parents and educators at Cupertino high to silicon valley jobs may be greater than the connections at Tech high. If Travis had gone to Cupertino high, he may have been able to get a better job out of high school, and had better help with his class project, than he did going to Tech high.

I think that it would be very difficult for Luisa's high school (Austin) to catch up to the other tech high schools in regards to their job placement and education within that field. Austin high school is a traditional, standard curriculum high school, and it is also disadvantaged in terms of the technology it provides to its students because it is a school that is in a more middle class community. Austin high school cannot concentrate all their efforts on technology and computers because it has to concentrate on other aspects of its school. I do not think Austin high school should be compared to the tech high schools, because their missions are different.

I do not think that tech high is the way of the future for all students, but because a technology-related career might become more popular as technology becomes more relevant in our lives, the number of tech schools might increase, especially in places like silicon valley, where those careers are very popular. However, tech high schools will not replace traditional, standard curriculum high schools, simply because of the fact that not everyone will go directly into a tech-related career. Also, while some tech skills are required for the majority of jobs people have, the complexity of skills taught at the technical high schools are unnecessary for most individuals.

Movie Response #2

For each of the four teens, access was seemingly different in each case. While all four had similar "context" of access, with the technology being used in an academic environment at school, the other three C's were quite a bit different.

In the case of Luisa, her school did not have the advanced technology that High Tech or Cedra's school had and thus fell behind in the connectivity of access. Luisa's capability was also behind compared to the other three teens. Although she was taking the multimedia classes, these were all extra curricular and not as as emphasized or part of the schools curriculum. Being behind in connectivity and capability also makes content a barrier for Luisa. There is no doubt that it was great for her to join the classes to get off the streets and out of trouble, but the multimedia classes seemed not much more than that, a way out. The access to technology that she had was not that applicable for her life as it was with the other teens.

For Cedra, who grew up around technology, her access to technology was on the other side of the spectrum. All four C's were there for her. Since her school was technologically advanced it had the connection necessary for use and she had the capability to use it, both from being around it at home and learning it in a school setting. The most important C, content, was also present, since she desired to go into publishing, like her father, the technology she was learning and using was geared towards that.

For Travis and Kep, both going to High Tech, their access had both the context and connectivity and through the program at the school, both were learning the capability. Where they differ is in content. For Kep, technology seemed to be his only way to progress and have a better life than his parents have, so he had the desire and motivation. Travis, on the other hand, didn't seem to have the same desire and drive. The technology that he was learning and using may not of been in his interests and he did not have the support from his home environment, like Cedra.

There are plenty of Technology centered high schools around the country. At most of them the curriculum  is actually pretty well rounded, with classes in math and science as well as humanities, art and gym, while still focusing on technology. They all seem to have a very rigid curriculum that allows little choice in the path and courses taken.

Movie Response #4

In the present day and age most colleges like their students to be well rounded in all the subjects and require a set number of years to have certain subjects in high school, such as English. At the two tech schools they sacrificed these important subjects to focus mainly on technology. While this is certainly not a bad thing considering a large part of our society runs on technology, it does seem to be lacking as a means of preparing today's youth to venture out into the real world.

The three school environments were all different from one another. Luisa went to a typical public high school and was still able to have access to multimedia and technology classes. It is easy to argue that she might not have the same opportunities with technology in the future compared to Cedra, Travis, and Kep and that definitely might be the case. However, she will be able to say that she had access to and was able to take other classes whereas Cedra, Travis, and Kep did not.

These technology schools are by no means a bad idea, but there are other aspects to our society besides technology that need to be taught in classes that are not offered at these tech schools.

Wildcard Response

I thought it was really interesting when one of the people in the film said something about how in today's society we cannot even imagine life without computers.  While this is certainly true, this made me consider technology's affect on our society in general.  I have similar feelings as I could not even imagine what college would be like without computers, internet, powerpoints, texting, email, facebook, etc.  However, as content and I am about our current technology, I cannot help but consider what the future will be like as far as information technology is concerned.  

Can you even imagine  how painful it would be going to the library, searching through books of shelves and scholarly journals in hope that you might find something of interest for research?   This would be a painful, slow process.  Today, we just punch in what we want in a search engine or database, and instantly know if information exists and exactly what we have to do to access this information.  Furthermore, this information can come from anywhere in the world as we are so interconnected.  It may seem we have reached the pinnacle of information technology, but I'm sure 30 years from now students will look at our generation like it was the stone age.  

It is both exciting and scary to think about the future of informational technology.  I envision a world where our computer is more like a friend than a machine, and it will be your voice, not your fingers, that will do most of the work on a computer.  Digital convergence will probably eliminate physical textbook and newspapers completely, and most of the information we receive will come from a screen.  People won't be typing papers and much as they will be talking papers.  I obviously can only speculate the future of information technology, but I can guarantee that it will not be what it is today.  What effect this will inevitable technology advancements have on future generations' learning and overall on society in general?  

If anyone's interested here's an interesting video about the internet's influence on information technology: Web 2.0

Movie Response #1

In each of these cases, there are many factors at play that are the ultimate in determining the success of a student. Cedra's father works hands on with computers and this naturally steered her towards the same field. She goes to Silicon Valley which is a high technology environment. When questioned about her schooling experience, she mentions that it is "assumed" that you will have a nice job because of the lots of opportunities you have at that school. This is something that naturally aids in Cedra's ability to be attending Brown. She has the support of a technologically advanced school and doesn't have the pressures of money struggles due to her parents' support and prominent positions within the community.

However, look at Kep. Born into a family of refugees in Cambodia, he completely turns his life around due to the access and support he has from his school. He gets an internship which provides him with hands on experience and helps round out his resume and has the opportunity to go to CalTech. Naturally the support that his family provides along with the technology access he has, are the tools that he took advantage of in order to be successful.

What sets Travis apart from Kep? They went to the same school and had the same access to the same technology. Maybe it is that Kep was more motivated since he knew this was the only opportunity he would probably ever have to make a name for himself and relieve some of the financial burden in place on his family. He probably didn't want to spend the rest of his life working at the doughnut shop his parents ran. What about Travis though? The reason he barely graduated was due to his own neglectfullness in checking the compatibility of his presentation. He mentions he should have been more careful.

Luisa had her graduation delayed due to working too much at her fast food job. As a student who had to work throughout her high school career, I completely understand how tough it is to balance working with school. However, a smart student knows where to draw the line and when working becomes too much. Then again though, when one has such financial pressure, this line can become blurred because of the need for money. Perhaps if she came from a family like Cedra, and she didn't have financial concerns, she would have had more time to study for her Photoshop exam.

In each of these situations, family life is probably one of the most crucial factors. However, Kep shows that just because one comes from a family that is struggling doesn't mean you can't make more for yourself. It is important to note that hard work can overcome any obstacle because someone will notice it. Besides for the four C's, family life is the most important aspect determining success. All these students seemed to have a basic knowledge of how to use computers, a means of accessing them, and a reason to access them (four C's) but they all had outside influences that propelled them towards or hindered them from success. Honestly, I was not very surprised by the way everything turned out.