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Sunday 16 June 2013

Tony's Post Response!

Tony has a very different style of expressing his feelings and thoughts towards motivation, I thought it is a great way to attract people in and grab their attention and make them want to listen to what he is trying to say, he uses Different types of fonts and cool visuals which is a key factor in making the audience want to stick around! The way Tony Does what he does about Motivation must make the audience want to finally get the confidence and motivation to finally do what they have always dream t  of but have never had the motivation to do so, and also motivating people to try and do new things, you cant tell if you like or dont like something until you've tryed it!
I agree with Tony s Motivational quotes because i play many sports, Soccer, Volleyball, Fencing, Ball hockey and more and it makes me want to play harder than ever when i get motivation from my friends and even my parents, Tony s Motivational quotes on his blog can also help drive the Motivation of my self or other people to want to play harder or work harder in whatever they are trying to do!
If I could change anything on this blog, the only thing i could possibly think of doing is making the Pictures a little less confusing, they seemed to have been a little bit irrelevant and kind of too much like a riddle, you have to figure out what it means instead of having the answer right there on the screen! Other than that Tony's blog is very motivating and would recommend it to anyone in need of motivation!

Thursday 13 June 2013

Motivation post that prompted Tony's Post

Tony's blogging style is very unique and different than most blogging styles which is a good thing. Tony uses different fonts and titles and uses many visuals which is good. The points that Tony is making about motivation are very true. Tony's motivation quotes are very motivational and definitely make people think about what they are doing with themselves. Personally, I like motivational quotes because they give you something to think about and strive for and have a look at yourself and think what are you doing with yourself. Motivational quotes also let people know that they always have a chance to get better and that its happened before and that someone out there i9s working just as hard as them. I think Tony's quotes have all the things a good motivational quote needs.

  I agree with Tony's motivational quotes completely. Since I am a soccer player I would know that motivation is an essential part to success. .If you don't have a reason or some sort of motivation to do what you do you won't be good at doing it. If you don't have the will to do something you won't be even close to as good to someone who has the will to do something. And these quotes motivate you to go out and do something and not let your talents go to waste. The quotes also are very simple and bold which make you need to do very specific. the visuals on the quotes the quotes that extra little motivation to go do something and motivate you. Tony gives examples that relate to his quotes which show that these things are true and can happen and have happened to him. Sometimes people just need to know that it has happened before to believe they can do it too.

  Too improve Tony's post I would make the visuals a bit more creative and related to the quotes. Some of the visuals make the quotes hard to read or understand. I find Tony's blog to be a bit messy and hard to find things. Too improve Tony's blog I would add better photos that relate to the quotes more, I would make the quotes less spread out and more easy to read and I would clean up his blog a bit more so things are easier to find. Overall Tony's blog is great and very inspirational and motivational and I liked it a lot! Good job Tony!

Wednesday 5 June 2013

"The downs and ups of life"

For the moving poetry project I wrote my own poem, and used PowerPoint to animate it. Here is the slideshow.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-0YC3PyivrINjNERHRaVjRzQ1U/edit

Poetry That Moves

Here is my Poetry That moves project. I got my poem from the website http://www.poemhunter.com/ and the poems author's name is Gab Oso.
The Beautiful Game

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Definition Poem

It can fly,
Can go by you in the blink of an eye,
Many different sizes,
Sometimes comes as a surprise,
Comes in more than one colour,
Some colours are much more duller,
Glides threw the grass,
Has a low mass,
Feel it threw your feet,
To get it you must compete.
 
What is it?



Monday 27 May 2013

____ is:

____is eating ice cream on a winters day,
And the howling wind that blows your hat away

___is the feel of snow held in bare hands,
Or the feeling one wants after a burning tan

___is the tip of your nose during a fever,
And the cool  ice pack for your head from the freezer 

___is your bones shivering out of place,
Or the wind rushing by you during a chase

___is when all of a pond turns to ice,
And why the ducks fly away, without thinking twice

___is the chill ice cubes trying to cool your water,
Or the warmth of an animal that is gone after slaughter

___is to drink a slushie on a summer day with ease,
And receiving in turn a stinging brain freeze 

___is the frost on your window chilled into place,
Or the look given to an enemy that's frozen on your face



Definition Poem


A  ----

It can be inviting

Welcoming anyone who knocks

It can be loud

Often when not oiled well

It can be painful

When you get caught between

It can be isolating

When it locks you out from the world

It has locks

To keep unwanted visitors out

Definition Poem

It springs into life as soon as it is touched,
Vibrant with movements that shiver our ears.
As the keys snap open, the beauty is released,
Ranging from high and sharp to the low and deep.
The beauty itself can be quick and stabbing, tranquil and silent,
Or solitary and stately. The possibilities are infinite.
And as the workers are uncovered,
There is a machine inside, hard at work
Producing a new, unique product every time somebody else starts it.
What is made cannot be worked up by wandering words.
What is it?

Definition Poem


A ______

It is Greasy

It is Crunchy

It tastes like love

It tastes like life

Pigs flee at the thought of it

It is hated in some religions

You can eat it with almost anything

It tastes like 'merica

With eggs

or by itself

Its ______

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Improved Election Reflection

Student Vote Reflections

The Media Plays a Large Role in Determining The Outcome of an Election

 The media plays a huge part in student vote. For example, a lot of students listen to the radio or watch TV and on these Medias there are advertisements telling you about why you should vote for a certain party and not vote for the other parties. Being a student I would know that a lot of students believe what they hear on the radio or TV, so if they hear an advertisement saying vote for NDP because all of the other parties don’t follow through with their promises, a student would probably believe it. Also, some advertisements get their message across to the audience better than others so students might understand one ad more and just go with the simple vote because they understand it. Some advertisements for a parties campaign have a cool ad so some students might think, well that was sick! I am going to vote for that party!

 Media shouldn’t be allowed be used to put down other parties at all during elections because it really changes people’s opinions on whop there going to vote for. For example, if a student is watching TV and they see a very embarrassing ad about the NDP the student might not vote for the NDP because of that one ad. Even when the NDP could be the most beneficial vote for that student.  Media would be a perfectly fine as long as parties are not making inappropriate ads about other parties and there is an even amount of ads about each party. Also as long as the ads are not giving people false information saying they are going to do something when they aren’t going to do it. Some parties might lie about what they’re going to do just to get votes (which they will) then people will vote for them and they won’t do what they’re going to do.

Overall,  media would be perfectly fine to be used to advertise your party as long as the ads follow these rules. 1. You can’t give false information to the audience 2. Do not put down other parties in your advertisement 3. All parties should make the same amount of ads 4. When you say you’re going to do something for the economy, DO IT! If parties can not follow these very simple rules, then media is not good during elections. And seeing that parties don’t follow these rules, media is not a good thing during elections. Media gives false information, puts down other parties, say they’re going to do something when they aren’t and some parties have more advertising than others.

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Election Reflection Edited

Media has always played a role in our elections, Allot of people listen to the radio, go on facebook or watch TV! If you put ads on the media then you could reach hundreds of thousands of people and ask them to vote for your party, i believe that media brings in more votes than any other way of advertising has ever done or will do.

Media Shouldn't be used to put down other parties too much, if media is used to say, Vote for NDP, Liberals fail to help those in need! That is not too much of a put down so it isn't as bad as if you were to say:
Liberals are horrible! They are the reason BC is falling today! Vote for NDP! That is much worse than the first one and should not be allowed! As long as Parties put each other down too much in a really hurtful way, a little bit of Drama is never a bad thing!

Media is a great way to advertise your party as long as you do it in a way that doesn't turn people on other parties in a bad way and doesn't upset others, over advertising is never a good thing either, this can annoy people and make them not want to vote for you.

Using social media is also a great way that parties can get help by asking people on sites like twitter, or facebook to ask your followers what they think about the election and ask them what they would like to see in the future and what problems that parties would like to see resolved!

If social media is used in a safe and responsible way for the election then it is a great idea, not only does it get the election "out there" it also gives the parties a chance to communicate with the people willing to vote for the party and also allowing them to find "dirt" on the other parties, an example of this would be when christy clark ran a red light, if there never was media than the other parties could not have used that against her to try and help their own party.

Social media should never be looked upon as a bad thing for elections, it should be looked at as a great thing helping the community and increasing the communication between everybody!

Thursday 16 May 2013

Election Reflection:The media plays a large role in determining the outcome of an election.

                   For the past two weeks in our humanities class, we have been focusing on current events, mainly the election. We have been keeping tabs on the progress of the election and gathering information about all the parties. As projects around the election, we were divided into groups to create a mock debate, but also election videos for each party. So creating media advertisements for each party. These projects made me realize how big of an impact the media truly has on these elections. It's an even bigger impact then I had first thought.This is why I have chosen to share my opinion on why the media plays a large roll in the election. 

We turn to social media for everything, weather, upcoming events, current events, politics, even just to find out who won the last hockey game. The fact is that social media plays a very big part of our lives, and its role in politics is, in my opinion, almost as important as the information given by the parties running. If one doesn't have the time to watch an entire debate, then all they have to do, is watch a clip of the morning/evening news,  or grab the paper on their way to work. The majority  of people won't bother to watch an entire election or if they do then they most won't pay enough attention to fully understand the opinions and main points of those running. The brief and to the point reviews and opinions given by social media are the main source of information during political debates and elections.

Social media has been more efficient to promote the main points of parties running then the   extremely long taped live debates, that are also confusing to most. The role played by social media is so huge as it can completely change a voters opinion of a party from positive to negative. From the infomercials to the personal opinions of news presenters each point and opinion slowly changes a persons mind of who to vote for.  As people rely on opinions of others to add to their own, of who to vote for, social media can alter what they first may have believed to be a decision set in stone. All the positive and negative feedback viewers hear about the parties can change what they believe, in fact they can relate these opinions more seeing as they are done by people who are voting themselves. 

Although the parties running are the ones to establish the points and issues they stand for, social media moulds this into an understandable concept for viewers. They are the ones to establish what was worth listening to from the parties according to what they believe the viewers need to know most. It's the news or the paper that decides what the public should be most focused on during the elections from what they decide to publish, and because of that, they play a huge role in the decisions the public makes in the elections.  Depending on the facts put out by the media, it creates the conclusion the public will come to about who they wish to vote for.

In conclusion, social media can make a huge impact on elections not only because they have the public tuning in and listening to what they say but also because what they say creates a base for the thoughts the voters will have about parties. The information they put out is what morphs the opinions of (in our case) the British Colombians and inspires people who to vote for and for what reasons. They have the power to try and control the views of everyone watching. Branching off of that they have to watch what they say with the huge role that they play in not only the elections, but also our everyday lives.


 
    

Election Reflection


Student Vote Reflections

The Media Plays a Large Role in Determining The Outcome of an Election

In my opinion the media plays a huge part in student vote. For example, a lot of students listen to the radio or watch TV and on these Medias there are advertisements telling you about why you should vote for a certain party and not vote for the other parties. Being a student I would know that a lot of students believe what they hear on the radio or TV, so if they hear an advertisement saying vote for NDP because all of the other parties don’t follow through with their promises, a student would probably believe it. Also, some advertisements get their message across to the audience better than others so students might understand one ad more and just go with the simple vote because they understand it. Some advertisements for a parties campaign have a cool ad so some students might think, well that was sick! I am going to vote for that party!

In my opinion media shouldn’t be allowed be used to put down other parties at all during elections because it really changes people’s opinions on whop there going to vote for. For example, if a student is watching TV and they see a very embarrassing ad about the NDP the student might not vote for the NDP because of that one ad. Even when the NDP could be the most beneficial vote for that student. I think that media would be a perfectly fine as long as parties are not making inappropriate ads about other parties and there is an even amount of ads about each party. Also as long as the ads are not giving people false information saying they are going to do something when they aren’t going to do it. Some parties might lie about what they’re going to do just to get votes (which they will) then people will vote for them and they won’t do what they’re going to do.

Overall I think that media would be perfectly fine to be used to advertise your party as long as the ads follow these rules. 1. You can’t give false information to the audience 2. Do not put down other parties in your advertisement 3. All parties should make the same amount of ads 4. When you say you’re going to do something for the economy, DO IT! If parties can not follow these very simple rules I think that media is not good during elections. And seeing that parties don’t follow these rules I think that media is not a good thing during elections. Media gives false information, puts down other parties, say they’re going to do something when they aren’t and some parties have more advertising than others.

Election Reflection


3. Voting in Canada should be required by law (meaning punishable by fines).

Voting has been a Canadian citizen’s right for several years, and will be one for several more years. It’s a fair and simple way to decide different political affairs where everyone is given the chance to share their opinion. However, based on research, the amount of voters has decreased by about 50%. This is a negative impacted because the less amount of votes there are, the more unfair the election would be; every vote counts. So if this keeps on happening, should voting be required by the law?

Some may say yes to this; to make voting a law. By doing so, elections will receive a larger amount of votes and each party will each be given a fair chance of winning. However, this also means that if this law is not followed, people will be punished by being fined. Fining people may also be a good thing because it enforces people to vote. People not voting have been a major problem without a solution for quite a while. Making voting a law is an easy fix compared to just relying on others to vote.

Others will say no to this idea; being forced to vote and fined if not done. Some people just don’t vote in the election because they forgot to. Or they don’t support any of the parties that are running. It’s an understandable reason though, why would you want to be forced into voting for something you don’t believe in?  And being fined for it may start some more disagreements. Taking the option to vote or not away can be considered too drastic. Next thing you’ll see are rioters demanding to give back their freedom to vote or not back. Many people don’t vote, not only because they forget, but because they choose not to.

My opinion on this topic is kind of between the two. Yes, I agree that people should vote because it’s the best way to support what you think needs to be changed in your community. If you don’t vote, then you have absolutely no reason to complain about what’s going on in your country. However I disagree with making it mandatory to vote with the consequence of being fined. I find this a harsh way to get more people to vote in elections. In conclusion, voting should not be made a law.       

  

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Student Vote Reflection

                As we all grow up to the age of 18, the right to vote will become available to us. Even before that, we could vote in Student Vote at our schools. We should all exercise this right because it will decide what our future will be like, but who should we vote for? There are many parties out there with contrasting policies, so based on this you might think that the party you support the most should be the one to vote for. However, there are usually two or three parties who are likely to win, and others that have almost no chance of forming a government. Therefore the party that you should vote for, in my opinion, depends on the specific election that is currently happening.
                Obviously, the party that you vote for should be beneficial to you. This would depend on your income, your job/industry, and the area you live in, as well as the time of the vote. The easiest way to do this is to choose a party platform that supports your situation (or at least doesn’t go against it) and vote for it. This could be any party in the election, ranging from a major party such as the Liberals/NDP or a more minor party such as the Green Party. You may be more supportive of the Conservative or Liberal Party if you live in a middle- to high-income household, or are hired by a corporation or large company. If you are more worried about education, poverty, etc. then you might want to support the NDP. When it comes to voting, the riding that you live in also matters. In some places in BC the Liberals are more popular, while in others more people vote for NDP. This could affect who you vote for, and change the impact of your vote on the riding. If there is a candidate that you know or are familiar with, you might want to vote for them. If they don’t live in the riding they are representing, they may not be as familiar with it. In conclusion, I think that you should vote for the party you like if it is reasonable to do so.
                Let’s say that there is a party platform perfect for you, but you know they have no chance of winning. On the other hand, there is another party that is a major opposition to a party similar to the one you are supporting. This is the case for the 2013 BC Election. A Conservative or Green Party supporter may vote for the Liberal Party or NDP instead, because the Liberals and the NDP are the only parties with a chance of winning the election. The Liberals and the Conservatives are similar enough that Conservative supporters would vote for the Liberals. To vote for the Conservatives would be like voting for the NDP, because you would be taking away a Liberal vote (and therefore giving NDP a bigger chance of winning) and giving the vote to a party that has a tiny chance of forming government. Instead, if they voted for the Liberals, they would help stop the NDP from winning, because the Liberals could win instead. In my opinion voting against a party is a good voting strategy if your party has no chance of winning the election.
                Sometimes people will intentionally spoil a ballot for a protest or for other reasons. They might spoil or destroy someone else’s ballot (which is supporting another party) or interfere with the counting process of votes. This could lead to increasing the voting share of the candidate the person is in favor of, or decreasing the share of a rival. I wouldn’t recommend spoiling ballots because it is technically illegal and does not reflect the country/province/city’s actual opinion of the parties. People also vote for minor parties in the hopes that they will form a minority government or vary the representation in the Legislature. Depending on the situation, I also think that this strategy may not be a good idea. If there is a minority party that you strongly support and a majority party that you strongly oppose, you should vote for a majority party that is similar to your party (unless there isn’t one). If the chances of each party winning are more equal, voting for your party might actually be a better idea, because if they win you will be benefited even more than with voting against a certain party. This could also raise the party’s potential to win in future elections and also draw others’ attention to it for next time.
               For a conclusion, there are many voting strategies that one could use in an election. If you are in favor of a big party, you should vote for them because they reflect your needs. The same goes for if you are supporting a more minor party, but they might have a chance at winning (that is, if all parties have a more equal chance of winning). However, if you are supporting a minority party and there is a majority party that you oppose, you should vote for another majority party that you support. You shouldn’t spoil ballots, because if you are caught doing it, it is illegal and counts as a crime. The next time you vote, choose your voting strategy wisely and always think before you choose.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

Christianity Questions

Questions to Ask at a Christian Church

~How were the Old Testament saints saved?
~Did Jesus die on a cross or a stake?
~Is  it okay for a pastor to get paid for ministering?
~Does Christianity have priests or pastors?
~Can women be pastors/priests?
~What is the church’s statement of faith and how did the church devise it?
~How does the church practice church discipline? (What sort of discipline has been practiced in the past?)
~ What would the church’s position (kinda their opinion) be on the role of women?
~Did Jesus die on a cross or a stake?
~What are the expectations laid upon church members?
~What is speaking in tongues?
~What's the purpose of the church other than a place of worship?
~What does it mean to be slain in the Spirit?
~What are some differences or different beliefs between the Christian and the Catholic religion? 
~What were the early Christians called?
~What does it mean to be slain in the Spirit?

Monday 11 March 2013

No red pill, no blue pill


Hello, My name is Maya and I am also a student from Mr. Lees Hum 8 class, this is in response to your post “No red pill, No blue pill”.

     I really enjoyed reading your post, it was a nice different out look on a topic that has been greatly stressed and reviewed by my elementary teaches in the past. The poetic type of beginning really grasped my attention and since you also touched up with it throughout the entire writing it gave the piece a really nice edge, that intrigues people to read more. Even though I’ve watched the Matrix (but still am kind of fuzzy on the confusing story line to the movie) I wouldn’t have gone as far to make a comparison about it to my school life. It was a brilliant idea to make a connection of the red pill, blue pill from a popular movie and compare it to learning and how students now lack motivation. The similarities on the topic are really coming out for me now and it was a clever way to grasp attention. However even without that, from the first mysterious sentence you had me hooked to read more. It was a very well thought out attention grabber while the pictures are really worth a million words and they amplified the message you were trying to create.

In my opinion the message you were trying to give wasn’t only that both students and teachers have to participate to keep the other motivated, that it’s each owns job and responsibility to become and stay inspired, but that you can’t have one without the other. For a student to stay inspired the teacher has to keep faith in that student, or else the student will become discouraged and lose their inspiration. Same goes for the teacher, if a teacher tries with all his/her might to educate a student but the student refuses to learn then neither will prosper. Each one holds a power over the other both positively and negatively, because the attitude of one will alter or dent the others. Without the motivation from both sides the effort from just one of them is in vain and dies out quickly.

 They need participation from each other just like a safe needs a key and how a  economical flashlight needs a person to wind it.Think about it this way, if there is great potential and prosperity inside a safe but no one has a key to open it then soon force and quick rash decisions to try and open the safe may end up damaging it, just how a student can be brought down by damaging comments when they are ignored in a process of trying to learn something, then expected to perform said task perfectly when asked. They need someone that doesn’t lose hope and try to help them by supporting them but it’s their job as well, to first show the promise that the other needs to know how hard they have to try to succeed. Also to how a economical flashlight needs someone to wind to to keep the light going, even though the light may flicker and not be as bright at times or it may not perform as well as you want it too, or even as well that you know it can, it still needs you to help and wind it the entire time so that even the smallest of flicker or biggest of beacons of light don’t go out. If you lose hope that the flashlight will work well, or get tired and frustrated about it along the way and stop trying to make it work, then the flashlight won't work on it’s own. How can it? Even though everything it needs to work it there, it has to have the support of someone else along the way, students need a teacher that will have hope in them throughout their entire learning career. So that they always know to stay motivated even when they are just barely flickering like a flashlight about to go out.

I think this is part of why Ms. Lees showed us your post, since we just started high school some of us might be becoming overwhelmed. We might try to forget our responsibilities to our schoolwork because the teachers aren’t breathing down our necks forcing us to do it. Since we have all the structure we need it’s becoming both of our jobs to stay motivated and actually finish the work in class, to read that page that our teacher assigned, to pay attention to the board even though our friends aren’t, to listen in class even though our phones are so much more tempting, to still study for that test even though its almost spring break and we can taste the anticipation of leaving school. She wanted this to remind us that we have to work more as a team because in the long run, which is a REALLY long couple years to come since we only just started, we have to remember that this work now will affect us. The work habits we have  now, or lack off are what will bring us into a pattern. If we don’t have any disposition to work and explore subjects now, later on that will be very hard to change.

We still have to be inspired and motivated to do our work because really there’s only so much that, that one side can do. Theres only so many times a person can open a safe with a key before the opening  door rusts shut. Only so many times a person will attempt to wind up that non-battery flashlight before they leave it for something easier, like grabbing their phone instead. Sadly the most often case of lack of motivation isn’t the teacher fault, sometimes they won’t pay enough attention to the student so finally it’s them who gives up, but I believe you were trying to say that “each it’s own but later on both will clash and become undone”. That’s something my Grandma tells me, later on everything I do will affect me somehow, big or small if I expect it or not.  It’s the same for school work, in my school some kids don’t finish their work or study because they think it’s only grade 8 and grades now won’t affect them for the future, or that they don’t need the material now for the long run. Even some students that know they need the material for future classes that still isn’t enough for them to begin trying with the school work they make now. The teachers and students each have to try their best to keep material interesting and relatable, thats where the need for motivation comes in because without any school work is dull and and the both students aren’t really trying but just barely scraping by.

 Your outlook on it that it cannot be either, no red pill no blue pill, is really refreshing that you're not blaming either side for anything but saying that they must work together for either to prosper. Everyone must participate so that the guidance can come everywhere and the entire group of students and teachers and pull each other forward when everyone has an attitude that makes them eager to learn, and not only learn but work and participate to the best that they can. So that from the motivation to learn that becomes a desire and finally and impulse  to become better in everything that you can.

I also agree with Sydney that the pictures were a very nice touch and they added to the mysteriously intriguing writing style that you used. I enjoyed reading your post and I hope to get some feedback from you about my response! :)
 Thank-you

“No Red Pill No Blue Pill”- Response

After reading the "No Red Pill No Blue Pill" I think that it is very well written and kinda poetic in a way. I think that the author is very talented to be able to do something like this, because I know I never could! The author did a good job of relating to their own life and making a connection with their reader. The pictures are interesting but I didn't get what was the point of them and how they had anything to do with the writing. In my opinion I think that young kids are using technology for learning too much now, like what happened to just reading a paper book. But everyone does have their own opinion. You have a very good writing style so keep that up!

 There are a few spots in your writing where there are like 3-4 spaces between words. I agree and disagree with the content of this article. I agree that using the Internet as a learning source is a great tool and we definitely should be using it. But, I think that we shouldn't get carried away with using technology for learning and remember that we still have books and paper to use. I also like how you were comparing different types of schools. For example, you were comparing university's to high schools, elementary and on line schooling, which is very good to connect with your readers, good job!

 This article also let me realize that teachers do so much for theri students and that if teachers don't haev faith and help their students the students will not do good with their work. This connected to me in many ways. For example, I always hear students saying they hate homework and school, but maybe if they used technology and their teachers have faith in them they might be more interested in doing their work. I also thought you did a great job of telling and expressing what you really thought to the audience and made sure they understood what you are saying well.

  Overall I thought that it was really good and you have talent and keep up the good work. You have a very good writing style and its poetic which is very cool!  I am not sure if my tips will help you but just try to think of them as you are writing. Just remember to check your spacing in you wors and take out the pictures or make them more related to the topic. great job though, I really liked it! :)

"No Red Pill, No Blue Pill" Response

    Today I read an article, No Red Pill, No Blue Pill by Ana Cristina Pratas. I like the beginning and end of it, because the writer used a somewhat poetic style and a scene to go along with it. This served as an attention-grabber for me and it made me want to read more of it. I also like how the writer described what she would like learning to be like, and how reality is so different. The quote about the red pill and blue pill also made me think about why she put it there. I agree with it because with learning you cannot choose to see an illusion where you can believe whatever you want. You just get taught by yourself or an educator and learn what you have to. The links in the article also helped me when I was reading it, letting me understand concepts or words that I wasn't familiar with (like "Red Pill" and "Blue Pill"). The charts helped me illustrate the writer's thoughts in my head, so I found that useful.
    I agree with the content of this article because education is something that is constantly changing, especially in these digital years. Motivation is indeed an important part of learning. Even if you are a very smart student, if you aren't determined to learn you will not learn well. I like how the writer said that the teachers can only inspire the learner, not motivate them. This idea is good because when a student is inspired to learn, they will continue to learn if they motivate themselves (based on the inspiration from the teacher). The writer also said "Resistance to change is easier than change itself", and this is true because it applies to learning habits - it is easier to keep your motivation low than to motivate yourself further than before.
    Though I agree with most of the items in this article, I think that "fear" of learning depends on the situation you're in. If you are not inspired or motivated to learn, you will be scared to explore what is ahead of you. However, if you do want to learn, the feeling will overcome and cover up the fear inside.
    Overall, this was a good article because I could make connections with it, just as it said "Connections do happen". Learning digital skills is hard, especially when you are in a place where no one uses them, but when you do learn them you can post articles like these. That way you can share your ideas with the world and get replies from others, so that you could improve on your writing.

“No Red Pill No Blue Pill”- Responds


The basic idea of this digital narrative was that motivation is a key factor of success, and that your teachers aren’t responsible for it. I completely agree with this. If you don’t motivate yourself, how are you supposed to get anything done? The answer to that is you don’t. You have to find what motivates you and remember it every time you feel like giving up. In her post, she explained how some students blame their teacher for not encouraging them enough. Doing this is like blaming your coach for not being a good player; even though he/she did everything in his/her power to train you. It is up to the player to practice to become better. In this case, it’s up the student responsibility to practice too become better.

This post can address a lot of different people, for many different reasons. However, I think that this is more relatable for student because of our work habits. Say you’re a high school student, and you’re taking a class that doesn’t interest you at all, therefore you don’t try to do well. After reading the post, you’ll realize that if you’re not going to try, what’s the point of going to school? This point is mentioned numerous of times and is very true.

She had a very unique style of writing, which I enjoyed, along with the images and links. She used lots of examples which helps you relate to the topic better. She also had a very good attention grabber that made me want to read more. In my opinion, her style of writing is very confusing. However, this made me reread the digital narrative several of times as well as think about it for hours. Some people thought that the images were very distracting, but I personally enjoyed them. I found that since the post was very long, the images helped me take a break and understand the concept without using words. The links were very useful too, if I didn’t know or wanted a better understanding of a word or phrase.

Monday 4 March 2013

If students designed their own schools speech response

After I watched the video, if students designed their own school or program It made me think about how we are barely aloud to do anything we want in school these days, Genius hour opened up a slot to promote our creativity and improve our skills in the way we want without the teacher telling us exactly what to do.
The program that the kids have made in the video not only lets your creative mind take over, but it shows your leadership skills and helps work better in groups with criticizing other projects or just helping other people if they are stuck on something. Of course you will always need some sort of supervision as some kids may want to just join the program to try and get away from doing any work, so having a supervisor in once a week would definitively be a good idea.
The program can also help you in the future with choosing a job, if you have learned allot of different skills in the independent program then you will have an idea of what kind of jobs are out there and have a understanding of how to do them and what to expect if you sign up.
I think that this program would definitely be a good idea at Fraser heights maybe for higher grades because by then they are thinking about what kinds of jobs they could get and this program could definitely help.

Sunday 3 March 2013

If Students Designed Their Own School - Responds


The video “If Students Designed Their Own School”, was based on “The Independent Project”. This project gives students the freedom to learn what they want while still staying in the curriculum. They also still have the knowledge and support of the teachers if needed. By letting students learn want they want to, they are more interested to learn as much as possible on their topic. This leads to completing their project to the best of their ability. This video shows that even students who aren’t academically doing well in school, they can still get an education. But it isn’t just researching and presenting the whole time, it’s also about collaboration. At the last three weeks of this program, the group has to do a final project together. This means that the group has to an agreement of what the project will be about, and what the roles are for everyone. This was the main idea of what was shown in the video.

As great as this project sounds, many schools would be against this project. This is because of the lack of teacher supervision. It is a major concern that students will slack off or not even come to class. And yes this issue was mentioned in the video, but there were only nine students in the program. If there were say twenty students in this program, there would definitely be at least three or four students not trying or caring about what was accomplished in that semester. The whole program would be a waste for that three or four students and they would’ve just gotten through a whole semester without doing any work. It really depends on the type and amount of student that are in this project for it to be a success. “The Independent Project” a good was for students to teach themselves information they want to know. In my opinion, for this project to be effective, you would have to have a small class and students that are interested in exceeding in life.

When I first watched this video, the first thing that I thought of was genius hour. “The Independent Project” gave you the choice to research and learn anything that interest you, the same choices are given for genius too. The difference between them is that in genius hour, there is a teacher observing the process of your project and your final presentation. So if a student wasn’t making any progress, the teacher would know right away and fix the problem. Genius hour and the independent project are similar, but also very different.      

 If we were to start this program in our class, it would be a disaster. We are only grade 8, and at this point in our life, most of us haven’t decided what we’ll do in the future. And at this age, we wouldn’t get any work done. In the video the students in the program were all in grade 12, this resulted to completing their work. In grade 12, most students have their next steps of life planed out and are focused on one main interest. Therefore if “The Independent Project” were to come to Fraser Heights, it would be best to only involve grade 12 students.

"If Students Designed Their Own School" Response

  After watching the video about "If Students Designed There Own School" I would not like to join their student designed school. I wouldn't like to join their school because I really don't see what yuo get out of tis school for College and University. Also, if you have the wrong kids or kids my age that were in this program they would probably be slacking off or fooling around the whole time. The students in this program are pretty much doing a Genius Hour every week, but in theri own school program where it is not as organized. I think that just staying a normal school program and doing Genius Hour is a better choice than creating your own school. I really can't see this program being a sucess with lots of students joining it in the future.In our schools we have everything planned out for us and we know exactly where to be a whatever time. Where as in their self created school they are just doing a project on something the whole day and discussing it. i think our school program is a lot more organized then theirs. Also, you have to make sure that everyone is doing something that they actually want to do, not something that is just quick, easy and simple to do. Also, there school may have teacher's that tey meet up with to talk with every so often, but it's not like our school where you almost always havae a teacher int he room with you. And that's why i think if you joined this self designed school program you could get off task very easily. Also, I don't really understand either how they get grade;s for the work they do if they don't have a teacher in the room with them marking them. Overall I think that designing your own school is a very cool and unique idea but I wouldn't join it and I don't think itr will be a great sucess in the furure.

Saturday 2 March 2013

"If Students Designed Their Own School" Response

    The video that I watched about a student-designed school/program made me think about regular school systems. After a half-year in high school, I'm used to a system where we all have different teachers and students in our classes, as well as independent schedules. The classes are also all planned out for us, including what we do and when we do them. This system is steady and concrete, so our school can be more organised because of the amount of students we have. However, in a single class or a very small school, like the student-designed school in the video, the things that we learn should be flexible.
    This program, "the Independent Project," is located in a public school, which means that the students can have some interaction with the other teachers and students. However, they learn more independently and work in small groups. The students "design their own learning" through three activities: weekly questions, individual endeavours, and collective endeavours. Through these projects, they can choose what they are passionate about while practising both individual working and collaboration skills. This could be a good idea because when you get a job you want to do something that you're interested in, and when you go to university things not related to your job don't matter as much. Because there are only nine students in the program, the students can make better relationships with each other and get closer to each other, like when they discuss what has recently happened to them. In a regular high school, you only meet most people in one or two classes a day, so it's harder to get to know everyone better. After all these points, the Independent Project concludes to be a program that is more adaptable to what you want to learn and letting others know about you more. This sounds like Genius Hour, and it is good because you have the passion and determination to learn what you want, enhancing your experience.
    If this program were to happen in Fraser Heights, there would be a lot more than 9 students in it. However, the important thing is that people would learn what they want, and the environment would be a lot different from the regular school - you would be able to meet the other students more often. To do mostly Genius Hour type projects for one whole semester would be nice for those who want to set their own goals, and it would be interesting to see a student-designed school happen in our school.

Friday 1 March 2013

My repsonse to "If Students Designed their own Schools"

                       I found it hard to even imagine a school where students had so much control over their own curriculum. That they could critique each others work and then pick out projects that suited their own interests on a weekly basis. Not only that but the teacher weren't really teachers, they still helped the students is they asked for it but they functioned more as coaches. Although the idea was very intriguing and it seemed to work for those students I'm not sure that I'd want to attend a school like that. The "If students designed their own school" philosophy in my opinion would work better for the older grades, around 9-12. This is because in those older grades the students would have their minds more set around what they want to do for a living and they'd be able to create their curriculum and projects around a topic or idea that would better help them for the future. In younger grades with the freedom of choosing what to learn and peers having to critique each others work typically they'd slack off and not learn as much if anything because its very hard to get students out of their comfort zone with no push from teachers if they never have gotten any before. Thats because there would be a different type of structure, one not as strong as most students get now from teachers but perhaps it would be even better from the peer pressure of doing well.

If I was to choose what school to attend, if a regular model or this “Student Designed” one I’d pick the regular model only because I wouldn’t feel that I was learning as much if I was to choose all the areas to research and if I had to create the ideas for all my projects and a rubric for how they must be done. When learning or working on a project and the material that needs to completed is already written out for me I prefer it because then I can expand into what mandatory while adding on some of my preferences. I do enjoy creating my own projects but only once in awhile so theres some mixture of tactics in my learning.

Always having to choose the areas of research would be too stressful for me since I’d always feel to be missing something or not to be learning enough. Its nice to switch it up for a change every once in awhile but having to plan out your own system of learning all the time would get tiring and if you had gotten tired from choosing complicated processes for learning each time chances are you’ll slack off later on.

Thursday 28 February 2013

How not to write a Speech

Well um hi....hello, hello there gentlemen ladies that wasn't right ohh, today my name is speech oh no thats not right, okay wait I’ll restart umm GOOD NIGHT UH I MEAN GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY MY NAME IS, oh no wait that sounds scary, too powerful Maya too power full bring it down a notch. one second just let me restart um okay well then uh. Hello, Good afternoon honourable judges, Ladies, gentlemen, and students, Ever wonder what can entirely ruin even the most brilliant of speeches? What comes off as either too powerful or too shy onstage, and it immediately makes your audience lose attention? My name is Maya Chwilkowski, please turn your attention to me to find out: “How not to write a speech”.

The introduction of a speech is very important, the worst intro can make the most interesting speech topic incredibly boring---
The first way how not to start your speech is this, don't start with a boring,dreary, fairly self explanatory hook, because its not a hook, just the first dull sentence of what could be an amazing speech but your audience won't know because you wouldn't have fascinated them enough with the beginning to listen. If the beginning of your speech doesn’t create an interesting point to fascinate your audience then they won’t feel inclined to listen to the rest of it.

Now that you know how to avoid mangling the introduction of your speech, onto the general wording while telling your speech, DON’T go back and fix things after you’ve started, I mean when you start go fix things, I mean no don’t go fix Yes thats right after you start don't go back and fix what you said, cause if you fix what you said I mean if you meant something else but said another thing,just go with it, well actually what i meant to say was if you go back to a point and try to change it that only complicates something you've already said confusing the audience. Just how a majority might be lost now, as my humanities teacher said “Telling a speech isn’t like writing an essay, you can’t go back to change what you’ve said”, remember that when telling your speech, it will be better received if you move on from your mistake.

As a final wrap of the things to avoid while writing a speech this is what not to do when presenting your final product, and it’s all connected with posture and body language. I myself am naturally a fidgety pretzel sloucher, its a habit of either taping,crossing your legs and slouching while speaking and sometimes all three. Also don’t be an Armadillo, this is those presenters that stand stiff and in place for the entire speech while trying to look small and appear scared. However it's equally as bad to present as what I refer to as an Octopus, using gigantic hand gestures that are unecessary to the topic and take attention away from the speech, if you can't imagine it as an octopus take for example when presenters have their arms flailing around as if they are trying to swat away flies. However my personal favorite body language not to do, is when people decide presenting their speech is the perfect moment they have been waiting for to proactive their “Cousin itt” impression. Remember in your speech not to avoid eye contact, don’t hide behind your bangs and don't stare at your feet for the presentation, you will appear scared of the audience and tends to disconnect you from the topic youre try to explain.

Now that you know what not to when writing a speech let me go over the main points again, remember not to use a boring ending, dont stand too stiff or too floppy and dont avoid eye contact with the audience,
Thank you for listening! :)


(I’m not at all happy with my conclusion so I want to refine it allot more. Any suggestions how to end it better?)

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Video games, Pros and Cons speech!

Have you ever played video games for an extended period of time and  your parents have yelled at you and said that video games are bad for you and wont benefit you? If yes then today im going to talk about the pros and the cons to video games!

Lets start with the pros, Playing video games can not only make you better at thumb wrestling but can also give you better eye hand coordination that can help you in school courses like tech ed, seeing that i play allot of video games and im quite good at tech ed this may be true in some cases. Playing video games can also improve your imagination, I mean all video games are created by the developer imagining and being as creative as can be to create the video game and make it more fun for the players! Not to forget that playing video games can also be a good learning experience depending on the types of games you play, I myself like war games, so i know allot about modern guns and older guns and other weapons, Lets pretend that's a good thing. Minecraft can also be a good learning experience, other than the extremely unrealistic physics you can learn about different types of ores! Also Chicago based psychologist Dr.Kouroush Dini argues that Video games can teach us empathy, He states that one of the biggest things about playing video games is that youre interacting with other people in such way that you have to actively think about what other people are doing or thinking in order to play against them or play cooperatively with them.

Now we can talk about the cons, some cons to playing video games is that you can become quite addicted to them, which i may or may not be but i am not at the point where i don't eat or do any of my school work which some people have their lives ruined by. Also by playing video games you are not getting much exercise, even with the Wii, but seriously who even plays that these days? Another con is that some New York police have found that, some crimes committed in real life are connected to some done in Grand theft auto, im not saying that because you play GTA you are automatically a murderer or a thief,  im just saying there may be a small chance.

In conclusion as long as you dont get highly addicted and still do your homework and some sort of physical activity besides PE, Video games might actually benefit you! 

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Over Exaggeration of the Media - Draft

Tomorrow we will all be dead; a huge earthquake will strike Canada followed by tsunamis and eliminate all of us! How many of you believe me? I’m guessing not many. It sounds pretty crazy that anyone at all will think this will actually occur. What if I was someone else? Say I was a news reporter, with interviews from geologist saying that there’s a shift in our tectonic plates. What if I show you different maps and graphs proving that earthquakes and tsunamis are happening tomorrow. How many of you believe me now?

Hi, my name is Anaya, and I know what I just said sounds pretty unrealistic; that someone would actually think the world will end tomorrow just because of something I said. Surprisingly most of us do, without realizing it. Remember 2012, how there were constant newsflashes, maps, even weather reports about how the world was supposed to end. Some people gave up everything they had, just to support the cause. While others hid in fear of what was supposed to come. If these people look back at their actions now, they’d feel regretful for their choices. But what made them see that theory of 2012 will happen? It’s nothing other than the media. It’s the frequent updates and the persuasive voices. It’s how they over exaggerated the stories.

Over exaggeration of media stories can drastically affect people in different ways. Like what I mentioned before, the whole 2012 assumption scared people and destroyed their futures. Although these were independent decisions, watching something off the news or reading it off the newspaper has an impact. Most people look at the media as a great ways to learn about the world around them. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that it’s a very resourceful tool. However, if it is said in an overstated way, all the media is doing is sending a wrong message. It is understandable though that by exaggerating the stories will receive more viewers. Generally speaking, most of us don’t watch, read, or even listen to the media. But, for the daily viewers, they want the real information, not the added details that make the story sound worse than it actually is or in some cases, more exciting. So next time you watch the news, read the newspaper, or listen to the radio, ask yourself does that sound realistic?

Speech Draft - The Debate On International Travelling

    What if travelling overseas was not allowed? What would the world be like if people couldn't visit other countries? Many people believe that going to new places is a good idea, but others oppose it. Which arguments outweigh the others? Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Mark, and the debate on international travelling is a new and popular topic, and I would like to relate to both sides of it. Some people use travelling for educational reasons, while others are more worried about money.
    First, there are those who think that international travelling s a good idea. Visiting other places can have educational purposes. I remember watching a presentation about a tour to Europe; the presenters talked about learning about the the places they go. There are also TV shows where people travel and learn about different cultures around the world. Travelling also helps our economy, allowing airlines and tour companies to earn money. People also travel to other countries for work, like my dad did once to the Philippines. Sometimes people just travel for fun because they want a vacation.
    Next, there are those who oppose or discourage international travelling. Travelling costs a lot, whether it's the production of airplanes, or out of your own budget because of flights, tours, and hotels. Pollution is also a problem. Every year, the world's commercial jet aircraft produce 600 million tons of CO2. In addition to those reasons, disease could be more easily spread, whether by human or through food poisoning. All this may make travelling not seem worth it.
    The arguments for and against international travelling are both very strong. Some people say it's good for education and the economy, but other people say it's bad for the environment and our health. With whom do you agree with? It is your choice.

Speech Draft - If I Ruled The World


Nicholas Fussell If I Ruled the World…

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if it was ruled by you? I know I have! Good morning students, teachers, principals, and honorable judges. My name is Nicholas and today I will be telling you what I would do if I ruled the world. For starters, if I ruled the world I would throw money up in the air like there’s no tomorrow, and all the bills and coins would have my face on them.If I ruled the world there would be a dictatorship, and I would change words in the dictionary to Nicholas. There would also be a World Cup every 6 months and I would be a player, a referee, and the M.V.P. If I ruled the world the Canucks would actually win the Stanley cup. Then I’d take that cup and I would eat ice cream out of it daily. I I would also win an Oscar for best actor, I would win a Grammy for best voice and everyone would agree. If I ruled the world everyone will be happy and no one would fight. Not to mention my parents would always be proud of me and never disappointed. If I ruled the world I there would be no school at all, we would just download whatever we needed to know.  I would be very muscular, and I would have a 6 pack and huge biceps. If I ruled the world there would be super strong Wi-Fi everywhere at no cost. And every room in the world would have a mini fridge filled with pop and junk food.

Ruling the world has a lot of responsibilities, what I just mention are the positives of ruling the world. But on the serious side of things if I ruled the world all of mankind would be treated equally and fairly. Plus, world hunger, diseases such as cancer and wars would all be eliminated off of the planet.It would also be very hard to please everyone and make sure everyone is happy all the time. As you can see ruling the world would be fun to have all of that power, but it would be lots of responsibility. And as Spiderman’s grandpa once said “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Digital Life Response

The Digital life response was a very interesting video. In my opinion the interenet is a good thing becausse you can use it for research, finding old freinds, and keeping in tpouch with people. But, I do understand why the internet would be a bad thing. For example, the gaming cause's addiction and people start to lose touch with reality. As long as your not a person who is ont the internet all the time and you can find time to do different things, the internet is good. But, if your one of those people that can't get off the internet then the internet is a bad thing.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

"Digital Life" Response

    Today I watched a video made by a teacher in Hawaii called 'Digital Life', based on a 1979 song 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. This was a creative way to present the ideas about the digital world, not just a regular video. Because it is a music video, it could help viewers remember the ideas because of the interesting way of presentation.
 
    The digital world / Internet has good uses and bad uses. It could be used for educational purposes, like class blogging or making this video itself. People also use it to connect with others through e-mail or social networking sites. The Internet is also useful in doing research and sharing your questions/work online.
    However, there are some disadvantages to the digital world. In the music video, there was a part about using cellphones. This reminded me that the digital world has caused people to use them while driving, increasing the risk of car accidents. Texting also affects students in school: not only do they have less time to pay attention to class, but their grammar and spelling gets worse. Eventually, people start relying on digital life, using computers and cellphones for everything (calculators, dictionaries, etc.). This can be good, but when only the non-digital source is available, they might not be used to using it. This is also why the quote "We shape our tools ... and then our tools shape us" was used in the beginning of the video - some people depend on the digital world. The conclusion of all these points is "Digital life has changed who we are", repeatedly sung in the video.
 
    Back in 1979, motion pictures was a big debate, as clarified in the original song. The song was describing how video was taking over radio, just as digital life is taking over non-digital life today. Both video and the Internet are important today in many ways, but they both have their own disadvantages. For example, you can rewind in videos, which doesn't feel normal because you can't rewind in life. Both videos explain a debate about the things that the world is using.

Digital life

Today i watched a video on Digital life where a woman sings about how Electronics and the internet changed the world, I hate to say that the internet is not the greatest thing since i am usually on it for most of my day but it is unhealthy to be on it allot although it has made me quite tech savvy and know allot about computers themselves! The internet is also a great thing, it can be useful for doping everyday things and can be a great place if you are stuck on a project or a question on homework!

Something to talk about......

This is my response to the video by a teacher from Hawaii:DIGITAL LIFE

The video was a parody of a music video done to inform us how Digital life has changed who we are and how we live and go about our lives every day. I found the music video to be entertaining to watch in general however the scenes in it didn't have much to do with electronics and how they impact us so I was disappointed with that fact. The teacher performing in it made me think it was a Lady Gaga type video however it was supposed to be about the impact the electronics made in our lives. There was almost no technology shown in the video however there was lots of bling so that made me interpret the video differently then I would if it had revolved around items like cell phone and ipads more. She should have done less close ups with flashy sunglasses and bling and instead have maybe shown the different types of technology today being used and how often people use them,because she was spot on when telling us how often instagram is used and such. If you walk past the cafeteria during lunch then you can clearly see that although people are talking amongst themselves, almost everyone will have their phone whether for facebook,instagram or just to text a class mate that's sitting a few tables down. When she showed the ipads being used that part of the video had really appealed to me because I remember first using the ipads in school and how much fun it was to use all the different programs. Then I realised how far the technology really has come because if perhaps a teacher in Hawaii is also using ipads with her class or if even the entire school is that its a really big step from just using the standard computers that were mostly being used only a few years ago when my older siblings went to school.

Digital Life has truly impacted our lives so much in both positive and negative ways. My parents always mention how lucky I am to just be able to "google" something if I dont understand a concept, and my grandma always marvels at how she can be eating supper in Poland while I'm eating breakfast in Canada and that we can video chat before I leave for school. Its amazing that technology has come so far that now simple hand-held cameras can work underwater, or that since my phone has data I can access the Internet where ever I am. We have become very dependant on the technology we use everyday and I for one would find it extremely difficult to try and function without it. Without my phone by my side all the time I feel very lost, it doesn't matter if I'm using it or not it always has to be in my pocket and if I lose wifi  bars during school, right away I have to turn on data to check something, just so that I'm re-assured that I'm still in touch with everyone and everything else. Something negative about the increase in how digital life is a part if our daily lives is that because we have become so dependant upon it, without having access to it we feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Take for example a power outage, it is seen as an extreme inconvenience because we don't have access to a majority of the technology we are used to having all the time. During a power outage aside from lighting/heat problems that can be solved temporarily (candles for light, blankets for heat) we are most uneasy because a factor of our live we depend on having easy access to; the Internet is unavailable. This is an example of how the increase of digital life has impacted us, that we are so dependable upon it that not having the access to use it is uncomfortable. However, beyond this, the increase of Digital life in has made our lives much easier and kept everything connected in a quickly accessible manner, as the song said "digital life has changed who we are" and I completely agree.
















Digital Life Responds

     
My thoughts on the video “Digital Life” were mixed. I agree with her about how the world has changed because of the internet. That most people spend most their time on social media sites or playing games, and it can definitely be a bad thing. Sometimes, all you can see is adults or children on some sort of technology instead if interacting with each other. This for sure has changed since I was a kid. However, the internet is a very convenient tool as well, for researching, knowledge, and just to find out anything you want to know. I understand what the message in the song is saying, and for what I see now, it's pretty accurate. But there is the other use of the internet as well, which is for education. You just need to find you’re balanced between the two.