XaviaH2011

Falcon Attack in Centennial!

2009-07-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

It was a cool summer evening when all of a sudden we heard a commotion outside. A peregrine falcon had come down and attacked a helpless pigeon in our front yard. The pigeon struggled violently as the falcon held on tight. However, the falcon had the upper hand and smacked it against our front door where it left a trail of blood and guts from that poor pigeon and left a handful of the pigeons white and gray feathers scattered on our front porch and welcome mat. We managed to get a great picture of this mighty bird standing triumphantly on top of our fallen pigeon. The falcon later flew off as a car went by to finish off his well won meal.

PLN 20 semester 2

2008-05-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Study: Young kids Online" on Webblogg-ed where the author talked about how even kids at the age of 2-8 are being manipulated online when they are playing games for learning experiences.

We discovered that the digital world offers a wealth of opportunity for young
children to play and learn. But even in this small sample of 10 families we
found–too easily, in several circumstances–repeated examples of attempts to
manipulate children for the sake of commerce.

This is how I responded.
Well this is very interesting to me. My little brother who is seven thoroughly enjoys Club Penguin. I had no idea that they asked for you to purchase a membership or have you access other things on the cite. It is nice for kids to be able to play and learn online but it shouldn't be right for the sites to attempt to manipulate children for the sake of commerce as you said. I find it really annoying in the first place when ads pop up continually when you are online trying to tempt you to buy something that you don't really need. Like KellyS had said, the sites not only manipulate the kids but also the parents who are the ones who pay for the products that the child asks for. It doesn't seem fair for the kids to have to pay or buy something just to have fun and learn.

PLN 19 semester 2

2008-05-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Is Multi-tasking Impairing Our Students' Learning? " on Cheryl's blog where she talked about how multitasking and technology might effect students' learning. This is how I responded to her blog.
This is a very interesting topic being someone who does multitask a lot in the classrooms here at school. I guess I would have to agree though that some of us would learn a lot better if we were focused on one thing at a time instead of adding things in our attention to focus on. Then again, some people would say that we students learn better when we have to focus on multiple things. I only have one class that has laptops in it, my English class, and I don't really see a major change in the way I learn. However,
I couldn't see the same results in a science or math class where I need all of my focus on the teacher and the things they are saying for me to understand. My English class though, I have an easy time multitasking as I type on my computer and listen to my teacher or classmates at the same time. I know that some adults feel that we are too easily distracted when we have technology around, though some of us do. But I think that we have the ability to really focus on all of the things we are supposed to and succeed just as well if we did not use computers, maybe better. I do think it would be interesting to think about your ideas on future schools and how they would be set up with quiet places and sound-proofed walls, where we can think better, and allow ourselves to let the information process all that we learned.

PLN 18

2008-05-09T13:25:00.001-07:00

I read an article called "Reflections" by Ms. Moritz who talked about rubrics for her classes. This is how I responded.

Dear Ms. Moritz, I thought your blog was very interesting to hear about how some students don't care about having a rubric and go straight to the final grade. I do focus a lot on my final grade, but I also find it really helpful to have a teacher make a rubric for the assignment. Why? Well I find that when having a rubric while you are doing the project and after the project, you see in more detail what the teacher expects for the overall outcome of the project. To me this is really helpful especially while you are doing the project or assignment. The teacher lays it out for you to follow so you are almost guaranteed to at get an A or a high B. It is also really nice to have it after the project is graded to see where you missed the points. I also think feedback is important as well. Having this information from someone who knows what needs to be done, can help you improve so much. So, I agree with you on how some kids who don’t choose not to look at the rubric with the specific points and to read the feedback are missing a lot. Do they not want to improve? I think that even though some students don’t really care for this information, I still think it would be nice for teachers to continue doing so, so that the ones who do care will keep improving

PLN 17 semester 2

2008-05-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "PLN's Again" by Jessie C. who talked about Personal Learning Networks.
This is how I responded...
Dear Jessie C.,
I enjoyed reading your blog mostly because it was on a topic I was familiar with, PLN's. I am in Ms. Smith's class and we do PLN's twice a week as well. I agree with you about how this is a great way to give us a chance to open ourselves up to the world around us. At the beginning of the semester, I had no idea what a blog was and did not know much about the new and great way of communications on the internet. Like you had said, blogging gives us a chance to communicate with the world through our own words and can influence other people’s thoughts, by showing WHAT MATTERS to us. It really is cool see the world in a new technical way as we explore the new opportunities we have with technology. This gives us a way to expand on our thoughts about what we read and see and also teaches us to elaborate on what we have to say.

You also spoke about PLN presentations. Though I am definitely not a very good speaker, I do enjoy listening to the ideas of my classmates about what they decided to read further on a certain subject and how they responded to the author’s opinions. It also sparks some really good conversations in our class (once someone finds the courage to speak up). At the end of their presentation they are to ask a question to the class on a topic that relates to one of their blogs that they discussed. Then we are allowed to go on and talk about what we think which leads to a couple other topics. I think this part is really nice and gets us to speak up and share your ideas. The only part I don’t always like is when we leave comments on their blog giving them feedback on how they did. I think this is helpful but some people don’t really give you much. They might say things like “Good Job” or “speak up a little” but I still think we could do more.
Overall, I think the whole experience of doing PLN’s has been really good and has really helped with not only my writing but also using the technology we are so fortunate to be able to use.

PLN 16 semester 2

2008-05-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

I read a blog today called "Imagine" by Karl Fisch who talked about a very interesting article called Pangea Day.

Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.Why? In a
world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's
easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome
that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.. . .
24 short films have been selected from an international competition that
generated more than 2,500 submissions from 100+ countries. They were chosen
based on their ability to inspire, transform, and help us see the world through
another person's eyes.

I responded with this...
Dear Mr. Fisch,Like many of my fellow classmates have said, Wow! This really was a great blog to read about and was really interesting to see the videos. It is surprising to me that we can be so connected with the world at peace while in times of war and hate. Just imagine if we could do things together as a world that could settle out problems. It would make so many things so much easier! It can make us forget all the things we are angry about and bring all of our continents, countries, states into one whole peaceful continent, Pangea.
This also reminded me about how in Ms. Smith's class we had created our own Public Service Announcements to solve problems in our own state. It was a fun experience using video as well to get people to take notice of what was going on around them.

PLN presentation reactions 2

2008-05-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today I presented my PLN 14 and 15. I think I did pretty well, but like a few people said, I needed to not look down at my paper so often which would help keep my voice loud enough for everyone to hear me. But, I think I did a lot better and made good eye contact. I also think I had a pretty good question and sparked a pretty good conversation.

PLN 15

2008-04-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article called "Math in life" by James H., who asked some questions on how we will use all the math we learn in high school in life.

It makes me think, what should we be teaching? Are there subjects that should be
taught to students that would be more applicable to what they are going to see
in their future? Should we focus more math on applications like home mortgages,
credit card interest, taxes and other things that you might not learn in school?
I need to figure out how math is going to affect these kids in their future if
it does not include an engineering degree. I guess that my question becomes an
interpretation of the students question: Why do I teach this?

This made me think to, so I had a few words to say.
Dear James H,
This blog caught my eye as I was reading through some of your posts.
Your questions made me think about my future in math. I know it is important, but like you asked, where will we use it as an adult. I also thought it was interesting about what one of your commenter had said, from a. bradley…
"I loved math in high school because it was a challenge. But do I use it now? No."
I personally don't enjoy math, but now to think that all that I am learning won't be worth it, well that is something else. However, I most definitely agree with you about how schools should focus on teaching real world math in high school and college. I think this is a lot more important to learn than have to spend so much time learning theorems and equations. I guess it depends on what you will do in your future.

PLN 14 semseter 2

2008-04-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Today I read an article called "The need for Textbooks" by Karl Fisch who talked about how he had read this paragraph from a poster on tornado instructions. It said,

If there is not time to move rooms, students should assume the duck and cover
position under tables or desks in the room. If tables or desks are not
available, students should hold textbooks over their heads.

I thought it was very interesting and said this.
Dear Mr. Fisch,
I thought this was an interesting blog, not just because of the fact that it is important to have text books handy in case of a tornado. But I also started thinking about how many textbooks we will have in the near future. As we all know, technology is becoming more advanced and essential in our lives as we use more of it in our daily jobs and even at school. If we begin using all of this new technology, will text books slowly fade from our school curriculum? It is an interesting thing to think about.

Today in my English class we had talked about things similar to this and had discussed how we might change the school if we had wanted to. A couple of us had said that they wanted to use more technology in classes. I thought that this was would be a pretty good idea except, like someone else had said, we can’t let technology do all the work, or else what is the point? But like I have said, since we have so much to use, why not use it to expand on our learning?

PLN 13 semester 2

2008-04-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

I found Darren Kuropatwa's ideas on how students learn from each other very interesting. This was on his blog called " Student Voices Episode 1: Jessie" I actually do agree that we students can learn a lot from the way we see each other learn. Though we all have our different ways, a lot of us will find many others who think and learn just like us. Since kids have such a big influence on each other, watching others can help us discover another way of learning. I also agree with Jessie about how sometimes teaching the things you know and sharing them out loud, can help you better understand what you have learned.

I remember in my English class about how we had talked about how we enjoy having seminars and talking and sharing ideas out loud. We agreed that being able to speak your thoughts and have others respond is a great way to learn. It is also nice to just listen to what everyone else has to say, you can learn so much by just listening to people who think like you and at the same level.

This is just like blogging to. In our class, we go and read a blog of someone else’s and then blog our reactions. Well I think that the idea of reading other people’s work is a good idea because you can learn a lot about how other people think and share how you feel about it with them. It is such a great way to communicate ideas.

PLN 12 semester 2

2008-04-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Phoning it in" on T Sale's blog where the author talked about how they had asked a question for the class and a student had used their iPhone to look up the answer. I had decided to blog about this because lately in my English class we have been discussing the new technology we have and how and when we could use it at school. I am fortunate to be in a class that uses laptops and have gotten used to the fact that we type up almost everything we turn in. We have also used new programs on the web for projects such as Voicethread, Moviemaker, Wiki, and others. Using computers is not only fun, but it is also a way to become involved with everybody else using computers. Just like these blogs, we are able to read other people's work and have them read ours. There are other hot spots for kids like us that can give us a chance to make friends on the Internet like Myspace and Facebook. But the question is, as the technology keeps developing, should we be able to use it in schools. Well I think we should. eventually as we get older, we will have to use the technology, won't we? But in our class, we also had discussed how we can sometimes be distracted by all of this new and fun technology. So their would have to be some rules to that. Using cell phones in class? Well why not have computers for every class?

PLN presentation reaction

2008-04-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

After presenting my PLN 8 and 4 in class, I think I did pretty well overall. I think I spoke clearly and explained my ideas. I also read my classmates comments, they said things like how I needed to go over what I will say so I don't stumble over my words. It was interesting though, some people told me that I had good eye contact, and some said I needed more. I guess what I could do next time is try to look at the whole class instead of just a certain area. And if I prepare more for my presentation, then I can make more eye contact and not look down at my notes so often, and this will help me not stumble around in my talking.

PLN 11

2008-04-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Making Kids “Googlable” " on weblogg-ed where the author talked about how many employers have admitted to searching a future employee on google an or myspace to see if there is anything negative about them. He says,

In most cases, they say that the intent is primarily to find out if there
is anything negative that surfaces. Almost all of them admit, however, that
finding positive things about their applicants, as in portfolios or
collaborations or even social sites, does or could make a positive
difference in the process.

I have heard that they do this and I think it is sometimes a good idea. I guess I don't totally agree because google can't always be a reliable source. i know that some of the kids i know who do have a myspace might not like that to much either. The autor talked about how parents might be worried about what their child's portfolios will look like in the future and if they are going to do anything to help change or make it look better. Some said, not much. io don't think they should. it is more of the child's responsibility to do they best work they can.

PLN 10

2008-04-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Bridging Differences: Finding Purpose in School for Bored Kids" by Deborah Meier who talked about how violence in schools is due to boredom in schools.

But the essential reason kids are unruly, I would argue, is boredom, feeling
dumb, and feeling “dissed”. They respond with intolerable rudeness. They enrage
us by just not taking the work we prepare, and our concerns for their futures,
seriously.

I think this idea is very interesting, I had never thought about it this way. But as I think harder about it, I can see it could be a possible reason, but it is mainly and excuse for their choices. Like my dad has told me, we don't go to school to be entertained, we go to learn. So for those who are behaving violently because they are "bored", well they should know that the teachers are not there to entertain them.

PLN 9 semester 2

2008-04-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

After reading a couple of my fellow students' blogs, I came across a blog by kellys who read an article called " Teenagers as "Teamagers"...What do you think?" on webblogg-ed that talked about how teenagers work so much in groups, they don't think much of it. I guess this is true most of the time. So many people enjoy working on projects in a group, but then it sometimes gives some people a chance to have the "smartest" ones do all of the work. So those who do do all of the work might not enjoy group work as much as some. So it can depend, but it also prepares us for the future when we will have to work with the other employees on certain projects for our jobs. I personally do like doing projects in groups because they are fun. Not only that, but they also let off a lot of the stress of doing the project because the assignment is divided between all of the members. But like kelly s had said, and I have the same problem, sometimes the people in the group will leave most of the work to you and end up receiving the same grade as you do for doing practically nothing. Then again, sometimes you get a pretty good group where everyone participates, so like I said, it depends. I guess a good question from all of this is, are group projects a good thing to keep in the future? I would have to say yes, they are a great way of interacting with your classmates and sharing all of your knowledge to complete one big project.

PLN 8 semester 2

2008-04-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I read an article called" How to find Happiness without buying It" by David Bohl which I had heard a fellow classmate talk about in class today. The author talked about he does not think money can buy happiness. We had a discussion about this in class. I personally think that money can't buy you happiness because the things that I find make me happy, are things that I can't buy with money. Things like my family and friends and sometimes even life itself. But someone also had said that those who have always had enough money don't even realize what they have and can't really appreciate the fact of how much they have. Just like Hollywood stars, having all that money doesn't mean they are happy all the time. However, I can't say I could live without it or say that it is not important. We use money all of the time, we are in constant need of money to buy the things we need for everyday uses, like food and clothes, etc. Then another thing is sometimes, those who don't have all the money they need, are usually so much happier than those who do have everything they could ever want because they have come to appreciate the more important things that can't be bought. Just try taking a trip to Africa and visiting the children who are so happy with so little because the are thankful for what they have. Which is a problem for some of us American kids who are not thankful for anything we get. I guess the main point I got from this blog was that we need to not only appreciate the material things we are blessed to have, but also the other things that can't be bought.

PLN 7

2008-04-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Linear Fun #2: Stacking Cups" by a math teacher at my school who talked about a assignment he did with his students and the different twists in it to keep them interested. He even included a hands on activity to go along with his "cup stacking" problem. He challenged his students to find out how many cups tall he is if they are stacked. Then they were allowed to actually measure him to see if any of their answers were close to the actual answer. Then he tried this same problem a couple different ways. I always enjoy when my teachers try to add in activities that get us moving and using our hands. To me, it always makes the lesson a lot more interesting and easier to remember. I also know that a lot of my fellow students feel the same way. In my math class one time, we used bubbles and zometools to see a new thing we were learning called the Steiner's point. Not only was it a fun time playing with bubbles and building solids out of toys, but it was also a good visual way to see our lesson. Some people are visual, some audio, and some need to get their hands on it. I think all teachers should incorporate all three sometime in their lessons.

PLN 6

2008-03-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just read an article by Mrs. Syers called, "Biology In The Real World...The Colorado Pine Beetle Problem" where she talked about how she was trying to relate their studies to the real world. They had been learning about pine beetles at the end of their plant unit, and had made an arrangement for an entomologist from CSU to come and talk to all of her students about the pine beetle problem raging in the mountain. This reminded me about how in my English class and in these blogs, my teacher is always trying to find ways to relate our lessons to the real world and for us to try to see why what we learn is really important. I think this is important because it helps us see why we learn all of this. Most of us probably think that school can be pointless. I personally don't see how history is supposed to help me in my future. But when we relate our topics to examples in the real world, then we can better understand the reality of it all and how to use it in our futures.

PLN 5 semester 2

2008-03-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Students Pay a Price (Literally) for Cell Phone Ban" on Weblogg-ed where the author talked about how he talked to a group of students about how the students had technology present in their lives everyday and how they used their cell phones all the time.

We talked about the technologies they used, how they used it, and what they
might use it for, and the conversation was fairly predictable. Many of them had
a decent Internet connection at home, but many had none. Despite that, they
guessed almost 90% of the school had MySpace pages, that they went there every
day, that they used it to communicate and get information about homework, and
that, of course, it was blocked in school.

They alsotalked about their cell phone use and how they were able to use it since they were banned from the school. They said that they always needed it for communication but if it were brought in, they would be tooken away. So they now have to pay three dollars to bring their phone and haveit kept away till the end of the day. I think this is not nessesary, but then again tomany kids text.

PLN 4

2008-03-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

I just read an article called "Quiet Students" on Kristen's Blog where she talked about how she wonders how to grade those students who don't want to speak up in class, but might actually deserve the grade if they just spoke out once in a while. Some students don't talk because they just don't care. But what about those who really have something good to say and are to shy to say anything? Should they get a low grade on participation, even though you know they tend to be the smarter ones and really do deserve a good grade? It tends to be that if they were given the choice to write down their thoughts, they have a whole lot to say, but when it comes to a class discussion, they don't say a word. I can see how this might bother teachers. However, because I am one of those people who talk and participate a lot in class, I'm definitely not the one to sit back and listen. Though I do understand why some people don't want to talk out of experience. I used to be really shy about sharing my ideas, afraid that they were not good enough to be spoken out loud. So, do I think those who do not participate should get a zero on for their grade? Well, that is a hard question. I guess one solution could be that for those who do not say anything, a short summary should be written to see if they were paying attention and if they understand what is being taught. After all, that is the point of a discussion; just a different way to show what you know instead of having to take a quiz or notes. I think discussions are a funner way to learn from your classmates and hope that we continue to have them.

PLN 3

2008-03-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today I read an article called "Give Me An S-L-A-C-K-E-R, What Does That Spell? " on Mrs. Syars' blog where she talked about how she had taken a class for credits and now the importance of telling students what's expected and required up front and how sometimes just doing the minimum is all we want to do. She had to do a certain assignment for her class where she was to receive at least a B-. She had said that of course she had done as little as possible to make the B- while her instructor had tried to persuade them to do a little extra to bump their grades to an A. This reminds of some of us teens. We always want to do the least amount of work, sometimes regardless of their grade. Others, who we might like to call over-achievers, like to be the ones to go above and beyond what is expected. She also mentions that she now focuses on telling her students what is expected in projects and assignments. I think this is really helpful because it allows us to see the whole outline of the grading process and exactly what the teacher wants to see.

PLN 2 semester 2

2008-03-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Ms. Smith's article called, This is Your Brain on PSAs, where she talked about how her 9th grade English class had done PSA's (Public Service Announcements) after completing their position papers. Well being one of the students who was able to do this, I can say that it was very fun to create. At first, in my group, we had a hard time deciding on our topic. We had after all just written a position paper with many facts to support a new PSA of our own, but we all wanted to do our own. We finally came upon the topic of Animal Abuse. It was a great experience and I was introduced to a program called Movie Maker which is what we used to create ours. We used still, slow music, and our voices to try to create a feeling in which people would stop and think. The challenge of making this was trying to not make it so long and to get straight to the point. We had to condense what we were going to say to make it about a minute. I think other classes should try this to, it is a good way to learn how to be persuasive and to get to the point,not to just ramble. I am glad Ms. Smith had us do these, it was fun and creative.

I AM POEM

2008-03-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

I am gifted, friendly, different
I wonder what my future holds
I hear the laughter of my friends
I want hate to disappear
I am gifted, friendly, different

I pretend to be real great
I feel the love of those close
I touch the world around me
I worry about my education
I am gifted, friendly, different

I understand there is no perfect
I say "hello" to those who pass
I dream to be the best I can
I try to always know what's right
I hope to have the strength I need
I am gifted, friendly, different

PLN 1 semester2

2008-03-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

I just read an article called "Why the time in hallways is time well spent" by Jeff Utecht who talks about how much you can learn, just by having a few chats in the halls at school. Well, maybe not so much for us teens, but he talks about how he was just doing his normal morning routine on his way to get a cup of coffee before his next class. In that time he had visited with two teachers and had talked about the things that they were teaching their students. One of them was the art teacher of one of his students who did digital art for him. He there learned about how they were studying Friedrich Hundertwasser and were doing their own works by using his style of art. He then talked to an AP English teacher where they talked about how she loved forums that help encourage students to think before they responded. Also, on some of the discussions they had, the students would bring up the same topic in their other discussions, relating one to another. This reminds me of my English teacher Ms. Smith who encourages us to relate our blogs to not only ourselves and the world around us, but also to our other blogs that are on other topics but still have some related points. So, what did I find important? Well, I thought that sometimes just taking the time to stop and talk with someone can give you something new to think about. I kind of see blogging that way to. When you stop to read someone else's blog, you not only get to read something on another person's view, but learn something new from them as well. Since there are so many different opinions, it can become very interesting and it is even better when you get to add your own thoughts in the picture and have other people learn from something you wrote.

Goals for Semester 2

2008-01-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

My goals for this semester? Well this is an easy question; I want to achieve an A in this class. I had said this last semester, but I did not achieve it because I did not do the certain things that I wanted to actually complete my goal. For example, I wanted to complete every assignment, though I did not which hurt my grade especially by not doing some of the PLN entries which hurt my overall grade, so I ended with a B. I really enjoy this class and the assignments, so the only problem is that sometimes I slack off, which I will try not to do this semester. I also want to do better in CSAP's especially in the essay portion of the test. I want to improve in writing my topic paragraphs and conclusions. I also want to improve attention getters for my topics. I think last semester really helped in working on thesis' when we wrote them for quizzes during Peace like a River. It was nice to learn how to make them into one sentence and to learn to add the most important points that you are talking about because I tend to ramble on. I also thought it helped to be able to redo it and I was then able to get 20 on all of them on the first try. Now I know what the reader or grader expects. I really want to get advanced on the CSAP's or at least proficient and I can do this by doing all the assignments for practice so I will improve in my essay writings.

what Matters Final Presentation

2007-12-14T08:33:00.001-08:00

PLN 26

2007-12-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

I read an article called "Pocket Texting and Open Phone Tests " on Weblogg-ed which talked about how a boy named Isoo decided to use technology to benefit his education. This boy uses his cell phone to send an SMS. He composes an entire text message and turns on the PC. He then uses this to communicate with others. Let's say he has a difficult math problem as homework. He posts it up on Naver Knowledge iN, a popular online Q&A service with some 70 million entries. Within about 10 minutes of posting, someone chimes in with a good answer, and he them with some “Knowledge Power” points — knowledge-based economy in action among 14-year-olds. I think this is a great idea since teens are so into using new technology and their phones. It also will be nice for people to communicate to others and to help with others. Though it shouldn't always be that they are getting straight answers.
Though it could be a bad idea because it could encourage students to text more often about nothing. So maybe it could only be used at home. Overall, I think this is a really cool thing to do.

PLN 25

2007-12-10T05:56:00.001-08:00

I have read an article called "Why are kids Failing" by Michele Davis who talks about how many of her students are failing. I also wonder why some students fail or rather why they choose to. To me, I take my grades very seriously and I know that some people just don't care about school or grades. Well, the question is why? If you are failing, why do you choose to fail? Why do you not care about your grades? I believe that your grades are so important and can determine what you do in the future. I remember someone talking about this in my class and had said how it is kind of an insult to the teacher as well because they spent a lot of time trying to come up with new ideas for work and try to make it more fun. But for you not to do them is like saying that they waste their time working to help you get a good education. My only advice would e to work harder, though I know that you don't want to work. But just think about who you want to be when you are older. Maybe a boss of your own company or maybe you still don't care and you choose to be a garbage man? Your choice, make it wisely.

PLN 24

2007-12-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

I found an article off of ethanl's blog called "Town may criminalize online harassment" by Greg Toppo about a young girl named Megan Meier who died over an online "boyfriend".

Megan Meier was said to have been friends with one girl and their friendship seemed to have faded off. However, Megan, age 14 found a great 16 year old guy named Josh Evans on myspace. They became pretty close after awhile, but then something went wrong. He began to call her names and harass her and other people even joined in on the harassment! They were calling her names and saying how she wasn't a good friend. (This was related to her recent problems with her friend). Megan became so depressed over this "boyfriend" and decided to commit suicide! It turns out that the parents later found out that Josh Evans never existed. It was the mother of Megan's old friend and the mother wanted to find out what Megan was saying about her.

So what do you think, is this suicide the mothers fault for harassing her, or do you think it was totally un-necessary? Personally, I think it was ridiculous for her to commit suicide over a boy. No boy is that important when you are a teen to want to be with him all the time or do everything he wants you to do for him. My parents constantly remind me of how their will be many times where guys will pressure girls into doing certain things and a lot of girls are o effected by them. Just like Megan. Though you could also argue that the mother should not have done something so mean. There are so many problems with harassment online. I'm not sure this will or can be stopped. All I can say is to be careful to who you are talking to.

PLN 23

2007-12-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

I have read an article called Giving thanks by MFerrill who talks about how he feels thankful for having such a great experience here at Arapaho as a teacher and how he feels thankful that we are a school with new and great opportunities with technology.
I agree with Ferrill about feeling lucky to go to this school. I have been introduced to many new things in our classrooms that many other schools have never seen or won't ever see. I am lucky to be able to use a laptop in my English class. I am lucky to be able to take notes from a PowerPoint while a teacher gives their lecture. There are so many new opportunities on the computers today that help us expand our learning, the Internet especially. Also blogger, and PowerPoint, and others. However, just thinking about this makes you wonder how much of this we are truly thankful for and how much we take for granted. I think we take to much of this world for granted without ever stopping to think about how we would survive without it. I'm not saying we need to think about it every single second, but once in a while, just stop and think about how blessed you really are compared to most others.

PLN 22

2007-11-27T14:31:00.000-08:00

I found and article called"I need answers: What will the home of the future look like?" by Vicki Davis who talks about she will be able to go to a meeting where they will discuss the fundamental question of

What will the future house REALLY look like in 10 years?

I think this is a very interesting question because of the new and always changing of our technology. I have seen us go from tapes to Cd's and now to ipods! We have cell phones that are MUCH smaller and skinnier than before with new things being added to it. We can text, listen to music, watch videos,use as walkie-talkies, it even acts as a mini computer. Oh, I almost forgot, it's also a phone! All of this awesome technology stuffed into a tiny little piece of metal and wiring. Technology now even helps us with daily house chores like washing dishes and clothes and cooking dinner. I mean, who could live without the microwave. Oh, don't let me forget about TVs. Now bigger, much bigger and skinnier and can hang on your wall. Now you can even record TV shows with a push of a button and watch them over and over again. It's amazing at what we can do now, and to think we could do more. We could have robots doing all our work at home and assisting us with our more dangerous jobs! The group that plans to do this say that they will try to build this home to not only focus on the new technology, but also to try to focus on having the house be energy efficient which would help a lot for our earth, because if we keep treating the earth worse and worse, it may not last as long. Hopefully if all this new technology keeps pilling in, there is a way to recycle all of the old stuff which also could help the earth stay clean.

So the thought I will leave with now is, what do you think the future house will look like in ten years?

PLN 21

2007-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have read an article called Grading Practices by Crosby who talks about how he would want his students to look at their grades. There are two ways, you can look at your overall grade and say, Oh I'm doing pretty good! Or you could look at the separate categories like Crosby had said, you could look at Participation (in class and on the blog) ,Objective and Written Exams, Content of Formal Essays and, Mechanics of Formal for example. This could help you see what you need to work on if you have a lower grade percent in one area, say Objective and Written exams. Then you can focus on getting your grade up by knowing where the extra help is needed.
I also thought about how teachers now have put up our grades in separate categories which is really nice. Like I've said before, it helps to see your grade in chunks vs. seeing the overall grade and not knowing why you may have a B or lower. Or you can see what you have improved on, to. Grades are so important to us students even though some don't always care. But we or at least I always worry about not getting a good grade and it helps to have infinite campus to tell you all the assignments, how you did, and what you are missing. it even shows some of the upcoming assignments. All teachers should post grades in categories if they don't already and all students should check their grades because it could help them improve so much by knowing it. It sure helps me and I will keep doing it. By the way, I should go do that now!

PLN 20

2007-11-14T07:19:00.000-08:00

I just read an article called Technology=Engaged Learners By Jeff Utech who talks about how he had some science students use the idea of a wiki to expand their learning.
I am a student in Ms Smith's class and she also has used this idea. I think this does help us because we get to share the knowledge we learn and share it with others. Jeff had his students come up with a wiki page to expand on what they learned.

PLN 18

2007-11-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Not many classes have the opportunity to work with laptops everyday in class at school. Though I am not one to complain. In Maine's 1:1 laptop raises writing performance by Dan Maas, it talks about how students who use laptops in class, have done better in writing.

The study is showing that kids write more, write better and perform better
on tests after having laptops for their use in every class every day.

Even though I use a laptop in my English class, I can not see how laptops can improve writing performance even on paper and pencil tests. Yeah, it can improve your writing skills with spelling and grammar check, but how does it improve how you decide to write your paper?

However if this does help improve writing, then I think that all classes should get a chance to use a laptop, and maybe it would help them improve to.

PLN 17

2007-11-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

I am sure all of us have been to an art museum, whether it be a modern art or some other kind. However, have you ever looked at a piece of art and wondered, What is that? or I could have done that! Well I read an article called "Christie Davies looks at three massive works of art parked outside our art galleries and is amazed at British art galleries' gullibility and moved by the sensibility of the Chinese: Sculptures by Doris Salcedo, Louise Bourgeois and Zhang Huan" by Christie Davis. She talks about some of these pieces of art, Shibboleth, Maman, and Three Legged Buddha . Shibboleth is a piece of art that is a giant crack in the floor. What Christie says is that she does not understand is what this really is supposed to represent or mean.

It is a meaningless crack in the concrete like the one I saw in the railway station in Skopje after the earthquake there...It was just a crack in the concrete, like this one. A crack is a crack is a crack.

I agree, some pieces of art are completely meaningless. Just the other say, I went to a museum and saw some really beautiful things. Then i came upon this wall with crepe paper mountains or something and fox fur thrown all over. then on the wall were these pictures of dead bloody pigs flying down. WHAT?! One of the people who worked there said that the artist was ,"Still unsure about what she meant for it to be"
I think art should have meaning to it. I think it makes it more interesting. Then again, some people just go to look at the art at a brisk pace and don't take time to study it.

PLN 16

2007-10-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

I read "Not Your Parents' Parent Teacher Conference"by Karl Fisch that discussed Ms. Smith's new method of conferences. Ms. Smith had all of her students write up a paragraph to have be discussed instead of having the teacher discuss what the parents probably already know, like the students grades. In this paragraph, the students were to discuss what they had learned, what they had improved at, where they needed help, if they were happy with their grade, and a few other things they wanted their parents to discuss with their teacher. Then it was printed out to give to their parent to read over before the conference.
I think that this way is a very good way to come around with conferences because this way will help the parents and event the teacher out a whole lot more. It helps the parents because they are better informed as to what goes on in that class. It helps the teacher because then they also know where to help that student instead of watching their grade slowly decrease and not know how to help.
I think that all teachers should try this, because it might help with grades and keep parents happy when all they get after school was that school was "Fine".

PLN 14

2007-10-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Do you feel that school is just to hard to manage? Or maybe you don't understand what you are supposed to be learning and feel that you can't do it. Well, I read an article called, " A Conversation About Failure" by David Warlick which has some similar ideas toward these questions.
Mr. Warlick discussed how he had been to a New York school board conference where guest speaker Henry Winkler gave an inspiring speech on his problems as a child with dyslexia. He had talked about how he had not felt that he lived up to the standards for his learning and this resulted in him feeling that he was always doing something wrong. Well this effects many children, when a child has a problem with learning, he/she may feel that they are failing those who are watching to see us succeed, and that can put a lot of presssure on them. What they need is moral support from teachers and parents, maybe even friends. I think that they would need this because students may think that since they can't do the work, that they can't succed in anything and can lead to dropping out of school.

How many of our children are dropping out of high school because they feel unable.
How many of our children are being made to fell unworthy!

Another problem for them that teachers should work on (if it is occuring) is to not ignore that one person or center them out. they should get as much participation in class as everyone else. I don't think it is fair to single someone out just because they don't learn and process things as quickly. Oh, another thing is, is I don't think they should be singled out as being slow either, they arn't. We all learn at different paces.

Yet, when a person has difficulty reading, regardless of other exceptional skills, they seem to be labeled, automatically, in traditional classrooms, as slow.

PLN 13

2007-10-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been asked to try something, something that you thought was really hard and you did not want to do it? Or maybe there was something you didn't want to do unless your friend did it. Has that ever happened to you? Well I read an article called "If my friend Scott, a double amputee can run an ironman, what's your excuse?" by Vicki Davis, about a man who pushed to succeed his goals even when he doubted himself at times.

The man was Scott Rigsby, a man who had lost half of both legs in a truck accident as a teenager. However, this did not stop him from acheiving this ironman triathalon. This ironman triathalon consisted of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and then 26.2 miles of running in 17 hours! What amazes me is that he swam without legs (where most of your speed comes from), biked without legs, and then ran all that way with prosthetic legs!

What Matters
We should learn a lesson from this. And what would that lesson be? Well I think that achieving your goals is a great lesson to take away from this. Also, try new things. "Oh, but it is so hard!" So? try it! What can you loose by trying something? Yeah, you could fail the first time. Just look at Scott Rigsby, he failed the first time he tried, but he got back up and tried again. Also, don't be a follower, be a leader. Instead of trying to persuade your friend to go first so you can see what it is like, go see for yourself. Why not be the example? There may not be another chance to have an experience like this.

What Matters To Me
I am not that much of a daredevil, so I suppose I should take up my own advice. But sometimes, I get scared to do something like for example , going into the scariest Haunted House like the Asylum. Well time to face those fears! and to achieve my goals. GO through that Haunted House, GO do that presentation in front of the class, GO try out for that sport! What's your excuse?

PLN 12

2007-10-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

We all know how important essays are for tests such as CSAP's and SAT's, but when you have to complete three of them in two hours, don't you feel a bit overwhelmed? I have read an article called "Ready, Set,Write" by T Sale who talks about making sure his/her students have enough time to complete their essays and actually make them sound good still. It is always a pain to write an essay. just hearing the word makes you groan in displeasure, but it is even worse when you don't have enough time to finish it or to actually think about it if you don't know very much on that topic.

Where else in the real world, except perhaps as a journalist, would you have to
pound out an essay in a certain amount of time with no chance to revise and
polish it?

I think this is a good point to bring up that T Sale brought up. Where would we have a timed essay in our future other in college? What job gives you only two hours to try and do your best? They would probably give you a few days to give you the time to show all of your skills to impress the "judge". Only getting a couple hours doesn't give enough time to revise and edit or to think about a plan for the essay. So should teachers change the amount of time they give their students on an essay? Or should they make them practice spitting their ideas out faster with timed essays?

PLN Presentation

2007-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

For my PLN presentation,I think I did pretty overall, though I was a bit nervous and could have practiced more so that my presentation was more informative. I also should have been more prepared. But I think I presented it pretty well and had a good question.(Have you ever had a bad day or bad decision that effected your future events?)

PLN 10

2007-10-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have read an article called ACLU decries school cellphone searches, by Kieren Nicholson which talks about how school administrators are violating students' rights to privacy when they checked students' cellphone text messages. I had started when a teacher was checking a student for cigarettes and did not find any in his pockets or backpack, so the teacher checked the students texts. The student was then interrogated because the teacher found some of the texts suspicious! Many other students' cell phones were checked too. I think that having a teacher checking students' text messages is unnessesary. They should not go into and read them for no reason. As for the student and and him smoking, why does the teacher need to get involved, and how does looking at text messages prove he was smoking? If the teacher found nothing when searching his pockets and backpack, then why did the teacher need to check his phone? This is like how at my school, teachers and the principle can look at peoples e-mails that they wrte at school. Well, some people don't like it, but they could say, Hey at least they only check the ones here at school. But why would you write something that you don't want teachers to see? I think that it is good to check e-mails at school to avoid threatining and such, but not text messages.

PLN 9

2007-10-09T11:49:00.001-07:00

I read an article called "Field Trip to CNN: Cool Cat Teacher Style" By Vicki A. Davis that talked about how mistakes and bad days can affect the rest of your life.I agree with this because it really it does.

Lies, Mistakes, and Bad Days can ruin our life now

I am sure we have all had days, but have you noticed that it could affect other things in your life? For example, when you have a bad day and you don't really feel like talking to anyone and you end up hurting your brother or sister and you get in trouble. Then your parents may end up punishing you and then you could end up missing that party you wanted to go to. And who knows, so and so could have been there, right? Well, there are other examples of how your actions in one event can alter the way other events happen.

I don't know if we comprehend or are ready to live in a world such as this...
where every citizen is a journalist. For do citizens naturally know the ethics
of what they do? Or do we understand that just because we can doesn't mean we
should?

We ,as humans, always make mistakes, but are there times when, like Ms. Davis asks, we do know that what we are doing is wrong? Well if we do, then why do we do it? Our gut tells us NO! and our mind says, "I Don't Know." But if we put more thought into our actions, then just maybe we will make better decisions. and when our decisions are better and benifit you and even others around you in a positive way, then it could effect the rest of your life in a positive way.

PLN 8

2007-10-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

What sorts of classes are you taking? What do you plan on taking through your four years of high school? Are four years of math and three years of science included in your academic plan? Well, if not, that could change. I just read an article called "Class action on Graduation" by Jennifer Brown. It was abut how graduation requirements may change. You probably already know that you have to take 4 years of math and three of science, but did you know that you would also have to take 4 years of English and 3 of social studies? This also includes 2 years of foreign language and 1 of each of physical education and art(or music). Well, do you think it is necessary that you have to take all these classes, or do you think you could just get by without some of these classes?
Well, I think that it is important, because you need to know this information before you are "released out into the world". Some students complain about all the classes they have to take, but isn't it worth it? This is an opportunity for you to expand and to grow more creatively. This is important to us all because the classes you take and the amount of credits you earn, determines the path you take in your future.

PLN 7

2007-10-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

What would you think if your parents had received a phone call from your teacher about how well you were doing? Would that shock you or would you feel proud. Well i read an article by one of my science teachers this year, Cara Syers. the article was called "In the words of Nemo the Clown Fish: "First Day of School! First Day of School!" She had talked about different things that we learned in preschool as she has a child in preschool. She talks about how in preschool there are many things we learn, like our colors, the alphabet, and other things, but there are more important thing that we learn while we enjoy finger paints and silly songs during circle time. We also learn life lessons, like how to share and cooperation. So then she thought about how she tried to think of the goals and the most important points that she teaches in her class. Is it just the basics of biology or is it more in depth than that? she wants her students to walk away knowing the big picture and how it relates to the world and such. Just like my English teacher.Ms. Smith, she has focused our lessons on what matters; what matters to us and to the world.
Mrs. Syars then goes on to say how she realized how important it is for teachers to communicate with their students parents. She says how it always makes her feel good to hear that her daughter is doing well in school and is getting along well with others. I'm sure your mom or dad would like to hear this information too. And wouldn't make you feel good to hear that from your teacher? Well, I think it is important that teachers should communicate with parents because it would help them understand what is going on and what they are teaching. Kids aren't always the best communicators. Then again they could work on communicating with their parents (something that I could work on) I'm not saying that you need to spend an hour going over every detail of what you did at school or tell them the latest gossip, but just enough to make sure you are doing OK and to help in any way.

2007-09-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I found an article called "What Kind of School so I want?" by Brian Hatak. This article was about how this teacher wants to be remembered as a good teacher and teach in a good school. He asked some questions about this.

"When I leave this school, I would like to be remembered for..."
"I want my school to be a place where..."
"The kind if school I would like my own child to attend would..."
"The kind of school I would like to teach in would..."
I think these are good questions because teachers should pay attention to how they are teaching and how their students respond to them. they should care what their students think because it effects how they are learning. If you teach badly and without care, then they don't learn anything. It is also important that the teachers that enjoy teaching should find a good learning environment where they feel comfortable teaching. Hopefully, they can find a school that has a good learning curriculum that they can agree with so that they would put their own children in too. Like Mr. Hataks question saying that he would want the school to be the kind that he would want his child to attend. Last, teachers should act in such a way that students and other staff can remember them as a good teacher. I'm sure teachers don't want to be remembered as the kind of teacher who always lost their temper or didn't teach them well. So all these questions are important for teachers to think about.

PLN 5

2007-09-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

I have just read an article from the Fischbowl called "Speaking from the Soul" by Karl Fisch. He talks about how teachers are always trying to build relationships with their students through different activities. I think that if teachers do this, it will help students with learning because they know their teacher. So, I agree with Mr. Fisch that sharing experiences with students, can improve their learning. It's a good thing that here at my school, that the teachers are always looking for new ways to interact and learn more about their students. I personally enjoy that, and I think all teachers should try to accomplish this too. I also think it is important that teachers share their writing pieces with their students. Not writing pieces that have to do with a specific assignment, but ones that involve their one lives in the past or present. In the article, Mr. Fisch also comments about Karen Gerlich's blog about how she had decided to share her poem that she had written. She said,

But, I figured if 9th graders could share their writing, if Lary could do
birdcalls, I could take a chance and share my poem. So I did. Even for a
seasoned professional (or, ancient veteran teacher), I found it hard to
recite my poem in front of the kids. Eye contact was hard to make and my
stomach lurched, but I did it. Then Lary challenged me to put it on my blog.
So I am. No eye contact, but my stomach is lurching...

Another good point is that she had said that she was nervous about reciting it in front of people.Well this reminds me of how in my English class (Ms. Smith's English 9) how we have just started to present our blogs in front of the class. The first few people had said that they had felt pretty nervous. Well of course we all have those butterflies whizzing around our stomachs. But, like Ms. Gerlich had said, it is hard to make eye contact with everyone in class, usually you just stare at the back of the classroom or at the teacher. Overall, I think that it helps to have a teacher who tries to make learning fun and interesting, who tries to learn more about you, who links learning to your life, and loves their job. WOW! This sounds a lot like my teacher Ms. Smith. No wonder I like this class!

PLN 4

2007-09-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

I read an article from Cool Cat Teacher called," How The Web Posted On the Web is Causing Talk about Spiders", by Vicki A. Davis. It was about a GIGANTIC spider web that was found, and how scientists are arguing about it over the Internet instead of going to see it in person. Though, this 200 yard web might not be around for much longer because most of the spiders will be dead. The point of this story she has posted have a couple ideas. She says,

1) Sometimes you have to see it in person.

Well, I agree with her. A lot of things you see on the web aren't as good as just going to see it for yourself. It's sort of Like Anna K's first blog about taking your own pictures verses getting them off the Internet and calling them your own. It is so much more interesting to actually go and experience it, you can remember this experience so much easier to when you take a picture. I mean wouldn't you want to experience it yourself instead of looking at someone else's experiences or memories? She also states,

2) The Internet Facilitates Rapid Awareness
Look how the posting of this one
photo has literally set the world's entomologists abuzz, particularly
when
it is a phenomenal occurrence. Why more of them don't go see it in person is
beyond me.To me,
the greatest credence in the debate should go to those who
have observed in person.

I also agree with this. Well, for one thing, the Internet is such a great resource and influences many people. So, why don't people want to go see the real thing? There is only so much you can see on the Internet, but why not go and experience it for yourself?

PLN Entry #3

2007-09-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

I read an article called "Could it Happen Here" by David Warlick. I agree with him about the idea that we too need to have conferences with teachers all around, and to discuss our future of our schools. He had been travelling and he said that he had been following a conference in Shanghai. The conference consisted of Shanghai educators who came together to discuss ideas that involved mostly private schools. Here is a quote from him.

So here’s the question that just occurred to me. Could something like
this happen in the United States?

Well, could it? I think it could if we cared more about how our future schools and education for our children. I think that we need to try to improve our schools so that we have a better education. It would also be nice to learn with new technology. But we not only have to discuss our education in our own country, we should also make an effort to improve the education of other countries who are deprived of the special treatment we get here. Even though our education is important, we still need to pay attention to others, not only ourselves.This is important to my life, because this can effect the way mine and other's futures are put out. It could effect where I go to school and maybe even my job. This article was very interesting and made me think about what would happen if we discussed our future in education.

PLN 2

2007-09-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

In an article called weblogg-ed, I read about a man and his family that had travelled to Australia. The article was called "Diving In" by Will Richardson. This story was about he and his family had gone scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. He talked about how his son Tucker was really frightened from the fact that he was in the middle of the ocean. So the swim instructor comes to come help him and soon Tucker begins to enjoy himself. He says he learned a lot just by watching his kids experience the fun events they participated in, like feeding wallabies and chasing kangaroos, and even trying scuba diving in the beautiful waters of the Great Reef. He says,

It was, as my son said, “so cool,” and I feel so very fortunate to have been
given that opportunity. I learned much as well.

How this relates to me is just the fact that we should all try new things and the idea of family. Will's son was afraid to be in the water, but had to trust his dad and the swim instructor that they wouldn't let him get hurt. Oh! This reminds me of a story we read in English nine. It was called "The Lady or the Tiger". The What Matters in this story was the idea of trust. The lover of the princess had to trust her that she would choose the right door for him that would be the best idea for the both of them. The question? Was it the lady or the tiger that came through the door? Anyway, we all experience new things, right? And sometimes before this we are afraid to do it. I remember how I was about to go on a giant swing and I was so freaked out about how high it was and I had butterfly's in my stomach. But as it started and I had gotten through the first swing, I began to relax. And guess what!? I went again! this has to do with family to because they were on a family trip. I think that it is very important for families to spend time together around the world, because we usually need to be with someone and to talk with someone. Overall, I enjoyed reading this article and the picture was great and the water looked BEAUTIFUL!

Teen Can't Hold Flower in Yearbook

2007-09-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have just read an article in the Denver Post about how a girl in New Hampshire could not hold a flower in her yearbook picture. It is said that props were forbidden because there was an incident where a boy had wanted to pose with a gun. So now they are reminded for school pictures, that no hats or props are allowed. Well, I think this is ridiculous because I cant see why she couldn't be allowed to hold something as simple as a flower. I can understand why they put the rule up, no one should be holding a gun in their pictures, but I don't think they should ban all props.

But,I don't think this article is just about this incident. If something so simple as this is banned, I am sure they will come up with more rules. Last year, we watched this news channel called Channel One. A lot of times we would hear about different schools receiving new rules. Some of the students agreed with these rules and said that they would help the school. but others were in protest and often said that they were unfair. I think that some of these rules are limiting their (sometimes our) freedom in what we can do. I remember talking about in my history class about how we had a lot more freedom now that we are in high school. But we should remember that freedom comes with responsibilities and that if we aren't responsible, we may lose some of those freedoms.

So maybe these schools have lost their freedoms because they haven't used them responsibly, and maybe not. But what about those other students who have acted responsibly? Should they lose their freedoms too?