Evaluating Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking is a skill I have not yet acquired, but I LOVE to eat baked goods.  My mom seemed like the master of making chocolate chip cookies as I was growing up, and I always wished mine could turn out just like hers.  I always ended up burning the cookies or using the wrong ingredients.  When I think about what makes a good chocolate chip cookie, there are standards on which to judge them.

Standards to judge a good chocolate chip cookie:

1.     Number of Chocolate Chips

2.     Crispy or Gooey

3.     Price

4.     Size

5.     Appearance

6.     Smell

7.     Taste of cookie (sweetness)

8.     Homemade or Store-bought

I bought a chocolate chip cookie from Au Bon Pain in the Busch Student Center.  As I evaluated my cookie based upon my standards, I found that there were many chocolate chips in the cookie.  I love chocolate, so this fits my standard.  The edges around the cookie were crispier, but most of the cookie was gooey.  Gooey cookies are the best, especially when the chocolate chips are melted when you eat them.  Because the cookie was so gooey, it broke when I picked it up.  This did not change the taste of the cookie for me, though.  The chocolate chip cookie was rather large, which was good.  I have a huge sweet tooth, so anything chocolate or any dessert always attract me.  When the cookie broke, I was almost mad that it did even though the taste did not change.  The appearance of the cookie was affected because of the brokenness.  Because the cookie was not burnt, the smell was pleasant.  It reminded me of my mom baking cookies at home.  The cookie was very sweet because of the chocolate chips.  The more chocolate and sugar there is, the better the cookie tastes.  I can tell this cookie was homemade because of the taste, smell, and appearance.  Homemade cookies are always taste better to me; I believe they are more appealing.  The cookie was priced at $1.20.  For me, I believe this is a reasonable price because I enjoyed the cookie so much.  Since the cookies fit my standards, I buy them quite often at Au Bon Pain. 

Baking is something that just takes practice.  Even though this cookie was good for me, it will not fit everyone’s standards.  Each person has his or her own idea of what a perfect chocolate chip cookie is.  Maybe the cookies I can make now fits someone else’s standards, although I do not think anyone enjoys a burnt cookie.  Hopefully one day I can make chocolate chip cookies to fit other people’s standards as well.     

Literacy Today

In today's world, I believe that society relies too much on the internet.  When students are asked to do research on a topic, their first instinct is to turn to their computer and type something into google or another search engine to see the information posted there.  Sometimes the internet can give us valuable information, but we need to look past google to find more beneficial information.  Because of the rise in technology, we have many resources on the internet.  On SLU's library website, we can search databases and find articles and other scholarly information without having to set foot inside the library.  Sometimes there are also books online where you can read to get your research.  I even use the internet to look up words in the dictionary or try and find the word I am thinking of in my head in a thesaurus.  Instead of looking at a map to figure out how to travel somewhere, we can search specific directions.  The more I think about the internet, the more I realize how much I use it in my daily life.

Today's young population is used to receiving the information they desire at a fast rate.  When we are looking for something, we want it now.  As students are required to do research, they expect to find the information they are looking for quickly, which is why the internet can sometimes be our enemy.  If we do not take the time to look at the credibility or value of a website, we may not be getting the correct information.  While in grade school and high school, teachers would limit us on the number of websites we could use for a project or paper.  They tried to encourage us to search through books and other sources.

This past week, I have learned different ways to search for information on the internet.  Since I am not a big technological person, I had no idea about the different tricks to use on google.  Now I know if you put a plus or minus sign or different symbols, I can receive more specific results.  Over the past years, google has become way more advanced, just as technology continues to change every day.  Most importantly, we must always look to make sure the site we are using is credible.  Our research serves no purpose if it is out-dated or written by someone who has no authority.  An important thing to remember is to use more than one search engine.  You will get different results depending on where you are looking, and we must take the time to be sure we are getting the best information possible.  Researching is time consuming, but to become educated, we have to be willing to give up the time.

As a teacher, I worry about technology becoming too much of a part of life.  I worry about staying updated myself about the new types of technology and how to work them.  The internet can be useful in the classroom, but I want my students to be educated on how to determine if the sites they are using are credible or not.  If we start teaching children at a younger age, they will be more likely to understand the importance of how to do research in a correct way.

Changing Teaching for Different Students

I had a discussion in my Foundations of Education class this morning about how students will learn at different levels each year.  When a new year begins, you will not be able to take your lesson plans from last year and use the exact same ones from year to year.  The students will learn at different rates, and maybe some of the plans will not help the students learn as effectively.  With technology, students and teachers will learn more each year about the additions to the technological world.  Because of this, teachers must constantly be looking for ways to improve their classroom.  If we want our students to succeed in their lives, the least we can do is educate ourselves in new ways the children are learning. 

A Vision of Students Today

I have always thought our society relied on technology for much in their lives, but as I watched the two videos, I was surprised by the statistics.  Students are not reaching their full potential in the classroom by simply sitting and listening to the teacher lecture.  For some students, their class size can be in the hundreds.  Because of this, teachers do not learn the names of all their students, which creates a less personal environment.  If the classes are smaller, the teacher gets to know his or her students on a more personal level.  Also, in smaller classes, students are more likely to raise questions and have the opportunity to fully comprehend the material being taught.

One of the signs held up by a student read, "my neighbor paid for class but never comes."  Students also spend a great amount of money on textbooks but refuse to open them.  Last year, a few of my teachers told us to not even open our books and take them back to the bookstore at the beginning of the year because we did not really need them.  If parents are paying for their children to go to school or if students are paying their own way through college, why are students taking their education for granted?  When students do not see a purpose in going to class, some simply will not go.  A question to be raised is how can teachers create an exciting and interesting atmosphere to get students involved in their studies?  As future teachers, we must be brainstorming possible ways to keep our students involved in the classroom. 

Today's teenagers and young adults have become quite multitasking.  Many hours of the day are spent on the computer, listening to music, and watching television.  Students look at facebook during their classes and spend a great amount of time on the internet each day.  In previous generations, Americans are not familiar with the types of technology being used by young Americans.  Without this technology, teachers are not able to relate to their students on the same level.  Instead of using traditional ways of teaching, teachers should become educated on new technology.  Students will become more involved and excited about learning.  An example from the video  is a student holding up a scantron test.  By taking this test, they are not learning how to think critically.  Students are learning how to memorize information instead of analyzing the problems facing our world.  "I did not create the problem, but they are my problems."  To solve problems, students must be figuring out how to become engaged in the classroom. 

In order to create a more successful world, students must graduate high school and receive further education if they are able.  In the video clip, a sign read "I will have 14 jobs before I am 38 years old."  Some of the jobs we will have in the future do not even exist today.  Using technology, we can find new ways to create jobs for our society to become more educated.  Technology has come a long way, and it will continue to grow in the future.  A video I found on youtube has shown how much we, as Americans rely on technology and how technology has grown in the past years.  I am amazed at the statistics presented in knowing how much we use different ways of technology on a daily basis. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8&feature=related