the dangerous myth of grade inflation

After reading “The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation” I feel like Kohn is sound because of all the various reasons he gives to us. He gives us true and understandable reasons. He gives a lot of reasons to why grades are rising. To get a more accurate picture of whether grades have changed over the years, one needs to look at official student transcripts. Clifford Adelman, a senior research analyst with the U.S. Department of Education, did just that, reviewing transcripts from more than 3,000 institutions and reporting his results in 1995. His finding: "Contrary to the widespread lamentations, grades actually declined slightly in the last two decades." He talks a lot about the SAT’s and how that test affects one another with the grades they score on it. Henry Rosovsky, formerly Harvard's dean of the faculty says, “The first argument offered in support of the proposition that students couldn't possibly deserve higher grades is that SAT scores have dropped during the same period that grades are supposed to have risen.” Kohn is correct because everything he has said is true and supported making his argument about grades sound.

Kelvin Toledo

Guarino

English 112

2/28/13

Can Technology Control Everything?

            After searching through many magazines looking for ads, the magazine that stuck out and had many ads was a soccer magazine called, “FourFourTwo.” The advertisement in the magazine talks about Nike soccer cleats. Nike put there cleats up in the magazine to attract and try to advertise the Nike cleats called Nike CTR 360. Nike talks about how people should wear the cleats by the text it shows, as well as showing famous professional players wearing the cleats and sponsoring them. Nike has many pictures and colors that grab the audience’s attention. Further more Nike wants players to consider buying the cleats, but that’s not all that Nike wants to sell us. In one of the pictures you see a bunch of wires connected to the cleat. The cleat is expanded and there all sorts of different types of plugs connected to the cleat as if it was an outlet. Therefore Nike is trying to say that technology controls everything but does it control you?  As well as how technology is the new big thing in the 21^st century so these cleats are as big as the new technology. This ad is also selling that no matter the weather it’s always perfect to play. With all the slogans they represent something that has to do with you deciding the right way to play. The last and most important thing this ad is selling other then the obvious is that you have to take control.

Nike has famous professional players wearing and sponsoring the cleats Nike show us the customers interested in buying the cleats. The players Nike has sponsoring the cleats is Andres Iniesta from FC Barcelona and Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal FC but now on FC Barcelona. Nike shows them both on the pitch and playing in the cleats. These two players are both center mid fielders, which means both the players know how to control the field. Nike CTR 360 cleats are supposed to be the new big thing in the soccer field when it comes to controlling the mid field because the cleats are made to receive, control, and distribute the soccer ball. The audience of this advertisement is the customers who want to buy the cleats. Nike is trying to convince the people that are considering these cleats to be the perfect cleats to wear. The picture also appeared in a soccer ad so they sponsor lots of soccer equipment, but the one that they talk a lot about is the Nike CTR 360 cleats. They have a six page ad on just the cleats. The picture is trying to portray that you’re in control of the game. The other 4 pages show professional players wearing the boots which all the players are center midfielders so it convinces every one that these are the perfect cleats.

The slogan of this cleat is “Take Control.” It has many quotes. One of them says, “ The balls yours, the pressure’s on.” This entire means that players will be with the ball on there feet more now because they’re the center mid fielder. Another quote of the cleat is, “ You’ve got a split-second to receive, control, decide and execute with pressure,” meaning since the ball will be on the players feet most of the game they’ll be responsible with creating plays and focusing on passing the ball everywhere. Finally the last quote is, “Channel the play through your CTR360 boot. Lead the game, don’t chase it,” meaning let the ball come to the players feet and don’t run around the pitch looking for the ball. The players control the game and don’t let the game control the player. It’s constructed from kanga-lite synthetic leather for enhanced control and precise distribution in all conditions and with a carbon fiber soleplate for elite performance, the Nike CTR 360 cleats offers ultimate comfort, support, and touch. As you can see in the picture the text isn’t that big to see but when you read it, it is very convincing. The text is logical and rational because it’s not big at all but it has good information that is convincing. The text is there only to talk about what the cleat offers and they’re trying to convince and attract the people.

The picture in the background shows everything in black and grey. They show the cleats in all four of the ad pages. In one of the pictures they show the people looking at the magazine are the cleats with many other pictures. The other pictures show the people how the cleats are being used in many different types of situations and circumstances. There’s pictures of the cleats being used in the rain. No matter what condition the weather is you are still in control. In the other picture it shows the people the background in black and grey and then the cleat enlarged and it has cables and wires plugged into the cleat meaning that it’s charged to make you control the cleat as well as this is like new technology in the 21^st first century so these cleats are the next big thing. Technology rules the world we live in now so why not rule the soccer world with these cleats.

            This ad appeals to logos because it tells the truth about the cleat. There are four different types of Nike cleats that represent something else, Speed, touch, control, and power. This cleat is talking about control and every sport analysis say, “it’s the best performing soccer cleat for a mid fielder.” It provides true statements and as well statistics because these cleats are enhanced with all the control you need.

Advertisement is key in the magazine world because they want to convince and attract people to buy their supplies in order to make money. In this soccer magazine “FourFourTwo” they are trying to attract people to buy the Nike CTR 360 cleats by having famous players wear the product, also by talking about how good these boots are and also by taking many picture and showing everyone the features of these cleats. The text and color of the ad also try’s to attract many people. Nike makes the Nike CTR 360 cleats in the ad stand out, but there’s more that just the cleat and how they try to also sell you as how technology is the new big thing in the 21^st century so these cleats are as big as the new technology. Also this ad is convincing you that no matter the weather it’s always perfect to play. With all the slogans they represent something that has to do with you deciding the right way to play and that you have to take control.

repond to page 63

- 55% of auto theft is from people leaving their car doors unlocked.
- 34% of auto theft is from people not rolling up their windows and leaving then down.
- 6% of auto theft is from people making a mistake and leaving the keys in the car.

If people in the U.S weren't so carless this all wouldnt happen so easily. A thief is amarter than the average person when i come to being sneaky.

twitter account

If someone was to see my twitter account they would see a picture of me and the tweets I post. The tweets they would see are tweets about lyrics from songs that I enjoy listening to. Some other tweets are about sports. I’m always watching sports shows so I tweet about the highlights and events. My about me tells you that I’m from New York and then moved to CT. it also tells you that I attend SCSU. People trust me because I’m not one to lie and I always tell the truth. Some other tweets are things that I’m dong so that way people can know. I also always use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I am honest and always tweet the truth and what’s happening.

well said obama

President Obama’s speech was priceless. He really talked to the people and made them come "together" and made "us" all united as one. Together and us is very important in his speech because it represents who we all are. We are all just one big person in this world trying figure out the good from bad. Obama uses ethos during his speech with the use of his words and body gestures to make us all become one.

Obama talks about how everyone is affected by the economy and how it’s a problem. He states we should all just help each other overcome these obstacles and mentions how the "founding fathers" overcame many obstacles. He dates us back to 1776 with the "founding fathers" and how we should work and change the US how they changed in years ago. Obama says “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm." meaning that our generation should come as one and help out and care for everyone and not be disgraceful.

Obama speech opened the eyes of many in the way that we are all "together" in this and should help each other out. "Us" the people should help the community out not only for ourselves but for the good in everyone. Equality is the word that makes us all come together and we should all be equal because no one is better than anyone when someone is helping another out.

soccer and me

Something that represents me is soccer. Soccer has represented who I am for a long time. There are different views. Some see it as only a sport, but to me its different I see it as a person who has helped me out with so much. Soccer has disciplined me in many ways by teaching me leadership, teamwork, responsibilities, and many values. Winning isn’t everything. You win some and you lose some but no matter what you must always keep your head held high. Soccer has kept me out of trouble instead of going out smoking and drinking I rely on soccer to help me out. It has helped me stay motivated as well. Maintaining good grades in order to play helped me out to succeed. Sitting down watching soccer with the family or going to soccer games keeps us together and never apart which are very important to me. Soccer has represented me in many ways and it’s what keeps me moving and dedicated to most things now a days.