The Many Ways that Wayin Works

After a brief intro informing readers that he may expand on articles throughout the week, Baig jumps into examining Wayin, a site that asks and instantly gives results to poll questions with an accompanying picture. One major point that Baig makes is that Wayin is one place where all poll questions over all categories: sports, politics, and celebrities, making it appealing for all people. Wayin also has its own elements, since it posts polls with right and wrong answers, leading to leaderboards for right answers and right answer percentage. However, the most revolutionary aspect of Wayin that appeals to Baig is how it has changed the political landscape, with Newt Gingrich being a partner, increasing his web presence and possible helping his quest for the Presidency.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/story/2011-12-13/wayin-asus-eeepad-transformer-prime/51879642/1

Please see the comments for the sources to the previous two posts.

The Return of the Tablet Issue (Week 3)

Baig returns to the topic of tablets as he examins the Transformer Prime in comparison the iPad. The first point that Baig hits is that Asus provides a keyboard, with a key problem he saw in the iPad being the difficulty of typing. Another huge facet of the Transformer Prime that the iPad lacks is the beautiful hardware combined with the even more beautiful micro HDMI port and micro SD port along with a USB 2.0 port that comes with the keyboard extension. What apparently draws Baig to the new tablet is the versatility it offers, given its amazing graphics and support for not only Android apps, but Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii video games that can be played in stunning HD. While Asus itself has done well in the eyes of Baig, it's now the turn of Android to support the tablet.

Technology that Helps you Exercise?

As technology has taken off over the past decade, exercise has taken a downturn. Baig points out how the new Jawbone Up, a rubber bracelet that tracks your exercise levels over the day, is designed to "get you off the sofa" without diminishing your attachment to your Apple Device, since it works with an iOS app. Another point that Baig notes is the comfort that comes with the Jawbone Up, since it essentially feels like a comfortable watch, eliminating a common flaw in wristband technologies of the past. The third point that Baig makes, essentially his thesis, is that Jawbone Up and other products will always have its foibles in the eyes of customers, in this case the absence of a sleep detector, leading to the conclusion that people, generally the tech savvy, will never be completely content with a device. This is supported by Baig's phrase "pooped out" to create a less serious tone, indicating his underlying criticism of complainers. Another phrase that reveals his true purpose is "nits", which generally refers to minor details that the more fortunate tend to obsess over. Like this, Baig cleverly makes a statement about human tendencies all the while reviewing an exercise device.

Tablets versus E-Readers (Week 1)

My columnist is Edward Baig, a tech columnist at USA Today. The first point that Baig explores is how the iPad has completely taken over the technological industry, easily being the best tablet on the market. Furthermore, the iPad can do everything an Amazon Kindle can do, and more, pointing to the tablets's versatility. However, for hardcore readers, the Kindle is less of a strain and less of a pain, and as Baig emphasizes, is much more natural to read, contrasting with eye-hurting iPads. While that might seem a minor flaw for a more modern customer, the killer for the iPad is the cost, with the cost of the iPad almost (or in some cases, actually) quadrupling that of the Kindle ($100 vs $400). Since Baig, a rather older figure, emphasizes naturality, but more evidently, criticizes the iPad, being unable to run 4g, and with a subtitle "Coming at the iPad", Baig alludes to his preference towards other tablets.
From these points and techniques, Baig not only favors a "friendlier" e-reader, but is critical of the iPad.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/story/2011-11-29/which-tablet-is-best-for-the-holidays/51474252/1

My View on Standardized Testing

Yes, standardized tests definitely have their flaws through lack of content-based understanding and lack of creative expression. However, the main goal of education is to be able to synthesize the information learned into a way that is useful for later in life. These core skills, such as writing proficiency, reading skills, and math reasoning, cannot be omitted from an educational experience. Since these skills are often not the main focus of a course, it is good to have them stressed and tested in a standardized exam. Furthermore, the inclusion of content based standardized exams is a very interesting and effective way of testing a student on his or her total recollection of the material from class. These tests include the AP exams and the subject SATs. For example, the AP exam for a history course not only tests the students on important concepts from the course in the multiple choice, but assesses the student's ability to read and write historically through the inclusion of a DBQ prompt and  2 FRQ prompts. Modifications upon a standard view of standardized testing like this can definitely make the use of standardized tests much more useful and can refute some of the hits against the practice.

Standardized Testing's Effects on Homeschoolers

In this source, Sandra Foyt looks into a more uncommon alternative to education and how it is affected by standardized testing. That alternative, of course, is homeschooling. A big point that Foyt makes in this analysis is for a homeschooled child, there are no teachers to judge a student by speaking and writing skills, the two skills that these tests seem to avoid. Since no one is testing a homeschooled student on creativity, a standardized test serves as an accurate assessment of the student's ability to synthesize and process information. The third point that Foyt makes is that private test takers get results much faster and thus can measure their progress more accurately. Schools take longer to receive test results, so most particular students must have developed substantially by the time the score is revealed. By these reasons, standardized tests serve as an accurate benchmark for homeschooled students, and can be reassuring services to the homeschoolers.

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&disableHighlighting=true&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010697221&mode=view