Friday - 1 Week Down ...

As we close out our first week of the second semester, and we suffer through biting cold winds, and Seniors start counting down their last 17 weeks until freedom (and responsibility); take a moment and think warm, summer thoughts ... What are some of the things that you look forward to the most about the summer?

Wednesday - Silicon Valley

I got into a brief discussion with my Advanced Web Design class yesterday about computer programming which led to a discussion about binary numbers and the "epicenter" of all things computing (which no one knew), which led to a discussion about how binary numbers are represented "inside" of a computer, which led to a discussion about electrons and semi-conductors which eventually got us back to the start - the epicenter of all things computing ... Silicon Valley!

Spend a few minutes learning more about Silicon Valley (wikipedia anyone?) Share a few interesting things you learn (for starters, check out all of the computer company heavyweights that are located there!)

Tuesday - First Impressions

What were some of your first impressions from the first day of the new semester.

Monday - Survey for Video Production

The purpose of the Worst Video Ever was to really drive home all of the common mistakes that we make when we're shooting videos "from the hip" (without having a plan). What are some of the ingredients that go into Great Videos? List some of the common things, but also try to think of some of the "intangible ingredients."

Monday - Survey Questions for Web Designers

For both Advanced Web and Web Design students.

Please answer the following three survey questions - don't forget to sign your post with your full name so you can get credit!

1. What are some of your favorite sites on the web and why?

2. Estimate about how much time are you spending online each week.

3. Do you think the growth of the web will ultimately lead to a "better world" (i.e. more peaceful, safer, less poverty, more freedoms)? In other words, as we all become more connected in the virtual world, will that cause transformations in the real world?

Friday - VIDEO CLASSES ONLY - Suggestions for Improvement

Now that the semester is almost over, I am interested in reading some of your thoughts on anything that I could do to improve the class for next semester. Please take a few minutes to think about the different aspects of the class and give me some feedback / constructive criticism. (Some aspects to consider: the working environment, the assignments, the grading, the agendas, the online videos, etc.)

Video students please consider what my two main goals are in the class and come up with ideas that we can try next semester to help us make more progress on these goals:

1. Establish and maintain a "professional working environment"
2. Students take pride in their work and pursue Quality in both their video projects and in their studio work

Please feel free to leave your post anonymous ... and if you are concerned about getting the point you can just tell me that you posted something today :-)

Friday - Suggestions for Improvement

Now that the semester is almost over, I am interested in reading some of your thoughts on anything that I could do to improve the class for next semester. Please take a few minutes to think about the different aspects of the class and give me some feedback / constructive criticism. (Some aspects to consider: the working environment, the assignments, the grading, the agendas, the online videos, etc.)

Please feel free to leave your post anonymous ... and if you are concerned about getting the point you can just tell me that you posted something today :-)

Thursday - Google vs. China

Did you read what's up between Google and China? For years, Google has been censoring the searches that go through its Chinese site (google.cn). (So, for example, Chinese citizens could not access any controversial information about something like Tiananman Square from Google.)

Google announced the other day that they've uncovered sophisticated cyber attacks coming from the Chinese government that attempted to uncover the identity of Google users from around the world who were critical of the Chinese Government. In response, Google is announcing that is scaling back on the self censorship it was doing for the Chinese Government. This will likely lead to the shutdown of Google in China.

This situation brings up a variety of issues like ... Should companies be more concerned with ethics than profits? (Will following ethics actually lead to greater profits?) Should companies negotiate directly with governments, as if they were equal in some ways? Are countries and companies equals? etc.

What do you think about some aspect of this?

more info: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/13/google.china.exit/index.html

Wednesday - Current Events

Are you like me and do you surf a major news site often during the day to stay up on the news? Did you notice that Yahoo now posts national news stories and local news stories on the front page?

Take a minute and visit a news site (like CNN.com or Yahoo or even LSJ.com) and find one article that interests you. Write why the article captured your interest.

Tuesday - Caught Up?

From my observations, the strict tardy policy seems to be 'working.' (That is the hard core truant students are making repeat appearances in the Social Room, many of the borderline students are now getting to class on time, and the rest of you have been largely unaffected.

As representatives of the "rest of you" do you agree - have you been basically unaffected? Or have some of you been 15 - 40 seconds late and then had to sit in the social room all hour. If so, what did it look like down there?

Monday - Snow Day!

Allow yourself to travel back to last Friday for a few minutes. Enjoy the happy feelings that bubble up in you as you recall getting that phone call saying that we had a snow day. Briefly share what you did on our bonus day off.

To see what I did, check out my Snow Day youtube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcv8iyJqpF0 (WARNING - video is an example of a project we will be working on in video class, Worst Video Ever, so it is full of mistakes).

Thursday - Making AYP

There were many great ideas posted this week about some of the "real issues" that we should be addressing at Eastern, including:

• better food at lunch
• more interesting classroom experiences - teachers improve their instruction
• better equipped classrooms (basic supplies, books and upgraded furniture)
• motivating students to achieve their full potential, get good grades and graduate on time!
• doing more to help the students who do come and do care

and, of course, Making AYP!

Please write an idea or two that you think we should use to make sure we get 95% of our Juniors to take the MME all three days this March.

Wednesday - Fighting the "Uphill" Battle

Quote from yesterday - The tardies are an effect, not a cause. They are a symptom of a school that is going downhill.

We all might not agree that this statement is true, but I'm sure we would all agree that this perception is widely held in our community (constant talk/press about failing to make AYP, about our tardy problems, about our high suspension rate, etc.)

Given that, what is one (or two) simple, concrete thing that YOU (students) or I (teachers) can do to help reverse this perception and help get our school moving uphill instead of downhill.

Tuesday Topic - The Real Issues

Tuesday: An interesting blog from yesterday that more than a few of you seemed to agree with -

"It was never a big issue, and if kids want to skip kids will skip. If we put as much energy, time, and concearn in real issues we could actually make this school a better place. I for one am rarely late and if i ever am late i now have to worry about some idiodic policy that virtually no students are in favor for ..."

Respond to this statement - agree / disagree? If you agree, what are some of the "real issues" that we should be more focused on?