After having a quite candid conversation with one of my friends last night over the ever popular text message, it got me to thinking a little bit about how we use this feature in our everyday lives and the impact it has had on how we communicate. I have often found myself trying to explain myself, or really anything for that matter over my handy dandy iPhone and realized that in the time it took me to compose, alter the incorrect auto-correct, and send the message, a simple phone call would have taken less time.

I think we are losing the personal touches that come with texting as well. The subtle changes in voice or inflection cannot be delivered by an emoticon. Recent studies have indicated that teens these days are sending well over 3000 texts a month. The question I raise, which has been raised by many before me, is if this style of communication and language is dominating teen’s life, what are they missing out on? Are we still connecting on a level as profound as that of speech or writing?

This is just some food for thought as we continue into the digital age, where technology occupies so much of our environment. Sometimes I have begun to think that we are losing some of the deep human connections in our society for Facebook Friendship, or a life in a cyber-world.  Granted these are the products of our time, but I think my encouragement is: in this fast-paced, technological time, we still need to take time to sit down with those we enjoy, to spend time outside, and to relax. Texting is a perfect example of how we have put so much time into a convenience, and have not taken the time to simply say what we should, as we should.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think texting is a wonderful tool, and I myself am guilty of using it copiously, but all I am saying is lets not abuse this tool. I still remember the days when you used to call the house phone to reach a friend. Things have definitely improved. :)

I watched an interesting TED talk this week. It was on the fundamental moral differences between Liberal and Conservative mindsets. The presenter used the psychology of morality to justify why people on both sides of the isle always think their position to be infallible, or their beliefs unquestionable. Liberals speak for the weak and oppressed, want change and justice even at the risk or chaos. Conservatives speak for institutions and tradition, and want order even at the cost of those at the bottom.

Unfortunately, the stereotypes are quite reliable. It turns out that Liberals usually score much higher on a personality trait called openness to experience. According to McCrae (1996): “Open individuals have an affinity for liberal, progressive, left-wing political views, whereas closed individuals prefer conservative, traditional right wing views.”

Now, this is an interesting thought. If our moral views are predicted and defined by personality traits, which are not an acquired, but rather innate for each individual, perhaps it is not all based on the environment or conditional circumstances of someone’s birth, and we do have a “first draft” of our moral mind upon our entrance to the world.

I think that if we understand the differences between Liberals and Conservatives as a foundationally moral trait of the human condition, perhaps we can start to view each other in the same way that we see other personality traits. We do not discount others for being introverted or extraverted, but suddenly when we identify people as being part of a particular political party, friendships can be stressed, debates can be heated, and suddenly (like in the case of Congress)  communication and cooperation break down.

I feel compelled by this argument, and I do think it is accurate when saying that in order to put aside differences and bickering in our country; we should look to the different side of the isle not as ignorant, chaotic, or zealous, but as different valuable types of people who are genetically programed to value things differently than we do, we can begin to understand the commonalities between our differences and begin to work together much more cohesively. I think of liberals and conservatives as different sides of the same coin, who, when in discord or out of balance, aren’t worth anything - but together are worth everything. Just a thought…

How terribly rude of me!!! I jumped into the story without giving you character details! I sincerely apologize for rambling to you without telling you who I am. I shall remedy the problem straight away.

Hi All! My name is Marshall Herbst, I am currently a Graduate Student enrolled in the College of Education’s MIC Program at UK. What does MIC stand for you may ask??? Why, it is the Masters with Initial Certification program for secondary education. Basically, it is a one year, intensive, masters program which will provide me with a Masters in Education as well as a Rank 2 teaching certificate in Kentucky. My area of concentration is Social Studies, and my focus is WWII, Classical Greek and Roman history, and Psychology.

I graduated from Hanover College this past May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a Minor in Psychology. But that is not all that I did up at good ole’ HC. While I was an undergrad I was heavily involved in the Theater Department as well. I acted in numerous plays and was one of the department's Lighting Designers as well as Master Electrician (the guy who manages all the lights in a show).  That took up a majority of my time, as theater often does for those involved. In my free time, I also worked in the Admissions Office as a Student Ambassador, where I gave tours, sent out mailings, and a lot of other stuff so that people would come to Hanover. As far as athletics goes, when I went to college I assumed the title of retired athlete, so I did a good amount of intermural sports.  In the Winter and Spring of 2010, I spent five months study abroad in Leuven, Belgium at the Catholic University of Leuven. While I was in Europe I was fortunate enough to travel all over, visiting places like London, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Florence etc.

I grew up right here in Lexington, basically on campus. I attended Henry Clay High School where I was also involved in theater and played Ice Hockey. It is nice to return to the bluegrass to finish up my education. I have bled blue for years, so it is nice to finally attend the institution which I grew up at. I know it promises to be an absolutely wonderful experience! Till next time, cheers!

Greetings! Marshall Herbst here… the really, really new guy, and welcome to my blog!  Just for your reference, I recently graduated Hanover College in Indiana and am currently enrolled in the MIC Program here at UK. I am also working as an Instructional Technology Assistant here in the College of Arts and Sciences  I think I am going to treat this like a journal of sorts. After my first couple weeks here at Online Ed, I feel like I am starting to get into the pace of things. With all the new programs to learn, the people to meet, and the problems to solve, it seems like each day flies by. The really cool thing about all this is that I really am beginning to see the value in what this office does for both professors and students, and appreciate all the work that goes into actually constructing, and maintaining, these online courses. I will admit, previous to my experiences over the past couple weeks, I did not acknowledge how online classes could be as effective as the traditional method of instruction, sitting in a class of peers with open communication with the instructor. Perhaps it is the History Major in me coming out, the one who is used to huddling in the library pouring over piles of texts to search for the perfect quote. But I did not think that such useful and accessible information would be as effective in an online format. I think I was quite naïve… if anything this new experience will, I think, provide a wonderfully eye opening endeavor for me as to the diversity of teaching methods and practices. So for all you non-believers in the values of multi-faceted and diverse instructional method, know that there is wonderful opportunity for learning out there, and new possibilities are opened every day. I think it is going to be a wonderful ride! Cheers until next time!