The Unstealable Gift in the Modern Age

Education is the only thing that our parents can give to us which cannot be stolen. Education's purpose is to enhance and preserve people's knowledge to be used in making a better society. Today, with the advancement of technology, education has changed over the years. Many ideas were made to build a great society. With so many great ideas, education keeps adding more knowledge to be passed to people. Media has made education step up to a whole new level. People can now study without leaving the comfort of their own. Nowadays, there are online tutors which can help people study without leaving the house given that they own any type of computer. People have also created media education so that other people would have knowledge in using the media (Netiquette or internet etiquette). 

Media has opened new avenues for education to prosper. With the media's environment, it creates a big advancement from textbooks, libraries, and institutions (Gaillard, 2013). Additionally, teachers/professors could also teach in the internet provided that they have allotted time for this.  Education through media provides an opportunity for self development.

But, media has its own limitations. Users should know the proper usage of media to prevent problems. This is why media education is introduced. Media education is the method through which people critically analyze and develop the techniques, nature, and impacts of media (What is Media Education, 2013). People should know how to use the media so that they would prevent themselves from causing any harm to themselves and to others in terms of media literacy.

Social media in Education

The Impact of Media in education

Reference:

(Gaillard, 2013). New Media and Education: How will educators take up the challenge. Retrieved from http://www.theewc.org/statement/new.media.and.education.how.will.educators.take.up.the.challenge/page/2/#statements

What is Media education? (2013). Retrieved from http://www.medialiteracyweek.ca/en/101_whatis.htm

Nintendo's New Innovation: Nintendo 3DS and Wii U UPDATE: The newest Nintendo innovation: Nintendo 2DS

Nintendo's creator, Fusajiro Yamauchi, started out in 1889. He started out making playing cards. Then, he started a  company in 1933, Yamauchi Nintendo & Co., and a distribution company in 1947, Marufuku Co. Ltd. He continued to make playing card and expanded his factories until in 1970, the company made their first electronic technology in the toy industry. In 1980, they started to sell the first portable videogame, the "GAME & WATCH". In 1992, the company had already developed their first console, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), which flew off the shelves quickly. From there, they continued to innovate their consoles: Gameboy  (with several generations), Nintendo 64, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo DS, DSi, 3DS and presently, the Nintendo 3DS XL and Wii U. Nintendo has helped revolutionized technology in the gaming and toy industry. They have created several consoles that has entertained billions of kids over the years. Up until today, they continue to innovate the legacy Yamauchi has created.

The Nintendo 3DS XL was released in 2012. It has the same features as the Nintendo 3DS except the screens which are 90% larger. The 3DS is very revolutionary because it has a special feature wherein you can see 3D images without the use of special glasses. Another special feature of this console is the motion and gyro sensor wherein you could play by moving the console around. Nintendo's advanced technology has really entertained many people with this. Different gaming companies started making different games for the people to enjoy.

Another innovation in Nintendo's technology is the Wii U that was also released in 2012. The Wii U replaced its predecessor, the Wii. The Wii U, in its generation, is the first portable gaming device. It really changes gamers on how they play the Wii. Its Portable features are very amazing.

Here's a video to show its features:

I currently have a 3DS console and I say, this is the most amazing console that Nintendo has created (for now). Technology in the gaming industry has really evolved and Nintendo is all the proof I need. This new form of media created for the gaming industry has entertained lots of people. In the near future, there might be something more to what people didn't expect to have.

UPDATE (August 29, 2013): On October 12, 2013, Nintendo would be releasing a new console in the 3DS generation, the Nintendo 2DS. The new console will now play 3DS games in 2D. I think this was released for people who want to have a cheaper handheld console that can function like a 3DS. I think that they also released this so that some of the harmful eye effects caused by the 3D images would be lessened. (Based on my experience)

References: http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/features/#compare, http://www.nintendo.com/corp/history.jsp, http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/features/specs, http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Corporate/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-History-625945.html, http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/new/

Media's impact on mental health

People have recently been engaged in using the media for entertainment, communication, and information. Their mental health is more likely to be affected by this. Moreover, children are mostly the ones affected. According to CBC News (2012), reports say that children have committed suicide because they cannot take the newer form of bullying, cyber bullying. Furthermore, children are exposed to the themes the media gives. The media shows violence, horror, drugs, bad commercials and more which can affect the child's mental health. They are more likely to adapt to what they see and try to imitate it. Children should be observed and protected when using the media. 

Media poses a threat to children's mental health when they are bullied. Imagine this,  a boy is bullied physically in school and he is also bullied in the internet with words. Its like adding insult to injury. They would be fully overloaded by the harm they received around them. Once they have had enough, there may be a chance that they might commit suicide. It is sad to imagine this. A report has said that a girl took her own life after posting on Youtube the pains she endured which led to her depression. LeBlanc (2012) researched and studied the cases of suicide caused by bullying. He stated that adolescents go through many pressures in life and adding bullying to their problems makes their life a misery. It's a pity for those who go through with this.

Media could be also imitated by children. With the violent themes, they are at risk. Television has a great influence to all people. They could get all the information from the news using the television. They could also widen their choice in what to buy by watching commercials. They could also watch shows and movies. So, people are unaware that they might learn something from watching television, good or bad. Another influence where there are unappealing themes is the internet. They could also watch things from the internet. They could play games with a wide variety of themes. Focusing on children, they might imitate what they see and might be harmed in the process. A survey was started on the effects of violent games on children. It was stated that they have reacted aggressively in behavior (Flynn, 2012). Moreover, parents should protect their children from the harm the media brings. They should limit the usage of the use of media of their children. They should find ways in preventing their children learn indecent ideas from media.

Here are some pics of some games with violent themes:

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)

DOTA 2 (PC)

I personally played the games above. I am also affected by this. I have never been cyber bullied and never will be. But, I have already reacted aggressively when playing these games but I try not to show it. Media always has its disadvantages which really gives a big impact on people and this is one of them.

References:

(CBC News; LeBlanc, 2012). Cyberbullying - linked suicides rising, study says. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/19/cyberbullying-suicide-study.html

(Flynn, 2012) The Effects of Media Violence.Retrieved from http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/the-effects-of-media-violence

A Hole In One

Did you know that the chance of having two holes in one in one round is roughly 67 million to one in golf? Golf is played on a large open air course where a person strikes a golf ball into series of holes. Some people say that golf is only for the rich. This is a common misconception about golf. According to Golf's Biggest Delusions (Newport, 2012), it is stated that only 10% of 26 million golfers belong to private golf clubs. The other percentage of golfers play at public courses. Golf has been played by the Scots during the 15th century wherein they used pebbles instead of golf balls. But, in 1750, golf has evolved into a sport as people know today (Bellis, 2013). Golf has changed with the help of media. Golf has been publicized through media so that it may become more popular. Golf, with the help of media, can become popular, interesting and improved.

Golf can become more popular with the help of media. Public golf clubs could make ads to make the sport more popular. Golfers could buy quality equipment online. They can also find cheap and usable golfing equipment online.They could read posts and blogs to find good places to play golf (Miller, 2012). They could ask around freely in the internet. They could make online groups to discuss about golf. They could also discuss when and where they could meet up to play golf. There are endless possibilities to make golf known to all. Advertisements help in attracting people who would like to golf. The private golf clubs would make advertisements to increase their amount golfers.

Golf could be interesting if they made sites wherein golfers could share their thoughts and ideas. According to Gayle (2011), in the statistics of the National Golf Foundation, core golfers are into social media than what is expected of them. Social medias like Facebook and Twitter have been used by golfers to seek people who are also engaged in the sport to share ideas. They also browse for item, golfing destinations, and clubs to enjoy golf. Some of them makes pages on the web to capture active golfers to join different golf clubs. Golfers enjoy the use of media to their full extent to really appreciate the sport.

With the use of media, golfers and clubs could improve their game with some suggestions. Facebook can be used by people to make some pages so that golfers could suggest improvements to their golfing experience. They can express their thoughts freely on the web so that golfing clubs could improve their facilities and performances. By going to this website, http://www.golfplusmedia.com.au/ , golfers can look into the latest updates on golf and they could also give a feedback to increase their experience in playing.

I personally enjoy golf. With the help of media, It can be a useful tool in communicating with people, even the topic about sports.It has helped a lot of people in giving their feedback on their subject. Media is free to be used by everyone but it has its own limitations.

Reference:
(Gayle, 2011). Best Practices in Social Media Outsourcing. Retrieved from http://golfsocialmarketing.com/
http://www.golfplusmedia.com.au/
(Newport, 2012). Dont make golf too Easy. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323582904578489292471020874.html