One aspect of the reading related to one of my experiences

The Power of One can be related to the St. John's/St. Ann's Center in Albany. The Center provides many services to the people who live in the South End of Albany; some include providing furniture, a food pantry, and even providing hot meals two days a week.

The Power of One, which is talked about in Wing 1: Focus of the novel The Dragonfly Effect, is about taking an idea and focusing in on it. Specifically, it says to focus on an individual (or sometimes an audience) and add elements to make it more personable to them. It also mentions that personality is a powerful asset to work with and can be a great trait to have. In addition, one has to be careful as to how one uses their personality to convey the ideas and messages.

By focusing on the people of the South End of Albany, the programs offered will relate to the people and actually help them, rather than just being a system that doesn't benefit anyone.

Free Write- A time when you had an 'a-ha' moment

I've had very few 'a-ha' moments in my lifetime, but one in particular stands out among the rest of them. Although it is not the most exciting event in my life, it would have to be the time when I was in China and I realized that I in a few weeks, I would be without my twin sister; and for the first time, I would actually be able to be myself.

For those who don't know, I am an identical twin. My entire life, I was not known as Deanna, but rather known as Sam, 'hey-you!', the clone, DeVito or Sal's sister. My sister was on the Executive Leadership Council for Operation Smile. Being a part of that council, she had to organize and run the 800 person conference in China. Throughout the entire conference, I barley saw her. Unfortunately, she was too busy to spend any sort of time with me and it really made me upset and caused me some anxiety. But as I was standing at the iParty, an auction of all international items that people brought, looking for my sister; a thought popped into my mind.

I thought: "In a few short weeks, we will be going off to separate colleges. We will not be together to experience meeting new people together or even experience all the wonderful things college could bring."

To think, one day I wasn't going to have her by my side; and the thought of this was exhilarating. For once, I could be known as Deanna, rather than Sam and for once people will get to know me, rather than the DeVito sisters. Overall, if it wasn't for my sister not being a part of the ELC, I don't think I would have ever would have gotten my 'a-ha' moment that one day, I was going to be on my own and actually do things by myself.

How has technology changed the face of information literacy?

In today's day and age, most people would go to google.com and type in the search engine whatever keyword, phrase, or any other words they would need to find out about a certain topic they were interested in. Now, back when I was in elementary school, I would had to go to the school library, ask the librarian for assistance in helping me find whatever book, newspaper article or magazine I would need on the topic of my choice. The most interesting thing, as a third grader I thought, was how all the information was organized; it was organized into a card catalog! Even before my time, (back in the 1970's and 1980's) the newest system to find information was the online catalog. As time went on, in the 1990's, libraries tried to share (what books they had at their library to others so others could use their resources) on CD-ROM's. However, with the overabundance of technology that has faster searching sources like the internet, the 'library' we once all knew has had to make some significant changes to better compete and help students. Although these systems are not as efficient as today's modern technology, it still served the purpose it was made for.

Some examples of how technology has faced information literacy are the ability to research demographic information by the click of a mouse, or to use a system like Connect NY, which allows one to look into fifteen different libraries and see if the item one needs is available (if it already isn't at the library nearest you). Other programs that are available to use are search engines like Wilson Web or ProQuest Central. These programs have any sort of material one wants in an online format.

One not so great thing about using information on the internet or other online searching programs/sites is that the information that one may receive may not be credible or accurate; making it even more difficult for one to know if the information is good to use; especially if one has to write a research paper.

Kelly Behrend- Former Bonner making a difference

After hearing Kelly Behrend talk about her journey through life so far, I can honestly say I don't think I have heard a better resume. Kelly Behrend is a talented, hardworking person and it shows through all of her accomplishments.

As a former Bonner from The University of Richmond, she was able to discover her passion for helping others, especially those on an international level. Her drive to help those in need started when she had the opportunity to each English as a Second Language. It was there she met a nineteen year old girl who survived a refugee camp and went through so much more in her life; that Kelly knew at that moment, she had to do something.

Now, most people would go and raise money to help the people who live in refugee camps. Yes, Kelly did do that but she knew that a one time donation wouldn't solve the problems of the world. Knowing this fact, she decided to use her time in college to travel across the globe to find out about why people were in these situation. Some of her trips included the Bask country-side and Ireland.

By the end of her four years, Kelly was able to produce her own major (Peace and conflict studies) at her university, in addition to producing an award-winning thesis and inspiring others to get involved.

One thing that she said that stuck out in my mind was that "We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness." I believe that every person has a purpose on Earth. Whether one believes it or not, we are meant to impact the lives of others, and Kelly did just that.

St John’s/St Ann’s Center: Serving Albany’s South End

If anyone grew up or lives near the Albany area, they know that it has its problems; what major city doesn’t? On Thursday September 15^th, my Technology and Social Change first year seminar class took a field trip to St. John/St. Ann’s Center located in the South end of Albany. This center is dedicated to helping the residents in whatever necessities are needed in the area. Some of the programs include The Clothing program (the collecting of clothes and distributing them), Extra Helping Program (a program that is designed to teach budgeting skills) and The Furniture Program (a volunteer coordinated program where good, usable furniture is collected and distributed).

One of the main programs that The Center takes pride in is their Food Pantry. They have about 450 families registered who made up of all different ethnic backgrounds. The Pantry provides three meals for three days or a total of nine meals per moth for each individual registered to a household. These meals are not meant to be the main source of where they get their food but merely to make ends meet. Unfortunately it seems that The Center by Food Pantries of the Capital District, the organization in charge of the smaller food pantries in each city, recently cut their budget drastically. With Hurricane Irene destroying crops (that local farmers dedicate to give to the center) and the price in food rising each day, The Center is having a difficult time providing the same type of service it used to last year to the residents who rely on the Center.

Although it has its difficulties, The Center perseveres and still tries to provide the same opportunities. One additional program that they offer that I really like is the Holiday program. During Thanksgiving and Christmas time, baskets are delivered to families. These baskets contain all sorts of fun treats, gifts and other items that the families could not offered. I believe it is an excellent way to cheer up any families’ holiday.

Lastly, what The Center does that makes them different from other center is that they have a different way of serving their ‘customers.’ Rather than having a lunch line, they have a “Welcome Table”. It is a time on Tuesday’s and Saturday’s where they service hot meals and rather than them serving themselves, volunteers serve themselves; almost as if they were going to a restaurant. This way of serving the food not only gets the volunteers in the community involved but it lets the people being served have a sense of dignity.

So how might technology for example, help the Operations at St. John/St. Anne's? Some ideas of mine that I have include starting a check-in/login system at the food pantry or dining services. By having each person of the family member have an ID or Participant number and scan in every time they use the food pantry or dining services, The Center will have more accurate records as to who is using the services and how much is being used.

One of the reasons why I love Apple...

[Please copy and paste this link into your web browser]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jULUGHJCCj4

(Apple Commercial)

Our Adventure to Apple!

Everywhere we turn, technology is present. New ideas are being presented everyday in order to improve the lifestyle of human kind. Technology has developed so much over the past decade that the exciting new flip phone WITH the camera is no longer the cool thing to have, but rather a useless invention of the past. Technology has gotten so advanced that it is changing the way our society works as a whole; and one can thank this change to Apple Incorporated, also known as Apple.

Apple is one of the worldwide, leading companies in computer software, consumer electronics, personal computer and other devices that make the lifestyle for people a lot easier. They are one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world by revenue and profit and by market capitalization; and they are even present in over 11 countries!

So what makes Apple so successful that it has become a powerhouse in America? After visiting the Mac Store at Crossgates Mall, NY and listening to an employee’s presentation on Apple as a whole, it would have to be Apple’s philosophy or belief that customers are their first priority. Every year, Apple strives to be perfect in customer satisfaction and have come close to their goal of being number one. Some of the services they offer that do help customers become more knowledgeable about working a Mac computer are training classes and seminars, training software, Apple Care (a service and support program that can be accessed anywhere with a phone) and the Genius bar (a one on one opportunity for the Mac employees to help the customer with any issues or problems they have), to name a few.

In addition to caring about their customers, they also care about the environment! Apple has made great strides to help reduce the amount of harmful chemicals used in the making of their products; as well as making sure all components of the computer, for example, are eco-friendly. Some examples on the laptops include the efficiency of the rechargeable battery, the arsenic free glass and the uni-body design; which allows fewer materials to be made for one product.

Another impression about Apple that I got at the presentation is that they are always working on new designs and improving the old ones in order to better improve technology in society as a whole. One example are the applications and software products GE, (General Electric Company) employees use, is designed to help the creator develop new inventions and allow them to communicate better with all of the engineers and staff members. One of the apps that I really became interested in is the app. that allows one to look at different machines simultaneously. This helps engineer become more efficient when it comes to diagnosing and fixing faulty machines.

Overall, going to the Apple Store was a successful visit! It really allowed us students to see how a company, such as Apple, is a leading innovator and can really connect people on so many different levels; not to mention we were able to leave the classroom for a day!