English Conference

The conference which I attended discussed the idea of using a web quest--like technology in schools. It seemed a little similar to moodle or webct--only this was set up like an actual website that students can go on. The only problem I see with this is if some students do not have access to a computer at home, even though most students do now. I have also taken a a couple online classes and have found that sometimes the information can get confusing over the internet, or if there isn't enough access to the professor to understand the requirements--if any questions arise. Overall, I do think that web quests are great ideas, but maybe should not be relied on so much in the classroom (just as a reference.)

Chapter 3 The Sickness Factor

Gladwell discusses the sickness factor in his chapter which means a message that makes an impact. He presents a lot of research that was done regarding the sickness factor. In one study he has atually a participant observer and he also did research analysis. Their were a couple comparisons in this chapter. He uses Seasme Street as an example. The goal of this show was to spread litteracy to children all over the world. He presents a slideshow test to test the limits to how children can be disracted. The book showed a comparison between Seasme Street and Blues Clue by presenting tests to children. The results showed that Blues Clues had better success with getting information to the children. Blues Clues makes their program a mix between reality and fantasy to keep the children interested while learning. At certain points the book pointed out how Seasme Street made too many jokes that the children did not get. Bird bird also brought up how he does not really have a name, but people just call him that because that is what he is. This is far too philisophical for children to understand.

Chapter 3: Stickiness factor. Question 2 and 4

2. The stickiness factor is what makes a message memorable according to Gladwell. he said that it takes 6 times to view an advertisement to make it stick--repitition and active involvement to make a message memorable. Advertisers have succeeding in getting people to remember their advertisements, even if it irritated them, even though the buyer may be less likely to purchase the item. Even bad publicity is good publicity--this is true and false. It is true because the ad is still stuck in one's head, but not necessessarily good because someone could take a negative association with the product. Do we risk totally desensitizing as a culture...it depends on the upbringing of the child. What their learning style is. Depends on how much their parents read to them.

Chapter 2, Reflective Writing

Gladwell starts off this chapter with the story of Paul Revere. Revere's ride throughout the towns is probably the most famous example of a word by mouth epidemic. He aided the small militias with the valuable information, and they were able to prepare and do battle, and be successful with the start of the American Revolution. The interesting twist on this account of the story of Paul Revere is the fact that another man by the name of William Dawes, made a similar ride as Revere, but not much was done about it. What made Revere's ride so successful? Why didn't Dawes have this success? Did the people simply not want to listen to Dawes? The chapter goes on to talk about the six degrees of separation. A study was done where 160 random people were picked from Omaha, Nebraska. They were given a package and a name of a stockbroker who lived in Sharon, Massachusetts. The goal was to get the package to the stockbroker as fast as possible with the least amount of steps. The package made it to his door with a winning record of 6 steps. Gladwell goes on to talk about three different types of people who keep epidemics alive: connectors, mavens, and salesmen. Connectors know a lot of people. Connectors keep things interesting and keep things going.

Comparing and Contrasting Reading Genres

The last book I read was called Capitalism at the Crossroads, by Stuart Hart. Granted this book was for a winter session class, therefore I had to read it, I really did enjoy the content. This book seems to fall within the same genre as The Tipping Point. Both authors present facts and occurrences in the past which are pertinent to the subject of the book. These occurrences are stated to prove the theories of the book. Aside from academic reading I enjoy reading novels or humorous biographies. The last book out of school that I read for enjoyment that comes to mind is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This book is the diary of a boy who has autism. He adds charts, pictures, and maps within the book giving great visuals to look at. I could not put this book down. It was humorous and charming. The difference I felt while reading these two genres was the amount of stress and the sense of being too overwhelmed with information or feeling completely comfortable. With my pick, I didn't feel the stress of absolutely having to understand every page of the book. I could enjoy it in a more relaxed manner. With the Capitalism at the Crossroads, I felt as though I had to re-read pages just to understand all of the content that was being thrown my way.

Introduction and Chapter One

In the Introduction, Malcolm Gladwell begins by explaining the downfall of Hush Puppies (Brand of shoes,) and then the explosion of sudden popularity of the brand. “It was total word of mouth,” said Fitzgerald. The company went from selling 30,000 a year to 430,000 the next. The following years doubled these numbers. All of this happened just because a group of kids in East Village and Soho found them stylish! He states that the shoes passed a certain point in popularity and then they “tipped.” I have a feeling that this book is going to refer back to this idea in the chapters to come. They tipped? The book goes on to explain the exploding crime rate in New York city during 1992. Gladwell states that the crime reached an all time high and then it just “tipped.” It slowly became better, and the sidewalks and streets filled up again with normal residents at night. The idea behind this is how something turns into an epidemic. How word of mouth can spread ideas and products instantly. The link between these two examples is how little changes had big effects. There are three main ideas behind this chapter: contagiousness, little causes can have big effects, and change CAN happen at a dramatic moment. The chapter talks about how the city of Baltimore was attacked by the epidemic of syphilis. The percent of children born with syphilis increased by 500 percent. Crack cocaine can be linked to the increase in syphilis. Drugs are known to increase the action of risky sexual behavior. The drug problem also brought a lot more people into a small poor area.