lunes, 4 de junio de 2012
Digital Storytelling 3: Part I (Feedback)
What are the obstacles?
The obstacles are a need and want for electives and less time. All long-term electives (i.e. band, language), where people are dedicated, would be hard to take down.
How do you solve them?
By, possibly, giving the option to take these classes while the Lateral Thinking classes are taking place. Obviously, these classes would still be cut short, since some projects would have to take place for the student to get a grade and to learn, but it would be significantly reduced.
What is your evidence?
There is no evidence for actual experimental classes, since this is a relatively new idea and there are few schools that have done this, however there is evidence that
Who will this help?
This will help the students the most, definitely. This will reduce the workload, and increase productivity.
Why will it work?
Simply because there is no way this could harm. After all, how could giving more time to work on homework reduce homework done? The advantage is that the strategy is virtually infallible. The only issue is if it's worth it, and I truly believe, through evidence and logic, that it is.
domingo, 3 de junio de 2012
Digital Storytelling 1.5
History
Many schools already have a free period for the students in higher grades. They have to deal with a lot of homework, and this period of time is VITAL for their success. Meanwhile, the idea of a free period to lower grades is that it will alleviate homework load, and this will enable them to get help from teachers easier. The obstacles are minimal, and ones that could arise with some options (such as the protest in cutting class time or taking away electives) could be solved easily: those that want to take electives, can take them during this free period, however they are not mandatory.
Many schools already have a free period for the students in higher grades. They have to deal with a lot of homework, and this period of time is VITAL for their success. Meanwhile, the idea of a free period to lower grades is that it will alleviate homework load, and this will enable them to get help from teachers easier. The obstacles are minimal, and ones that could arise with some options (such as the protest in cutting class time or taking away electives) could be solved easily: those that want to take electives, can take them during this free period, however they are not mandatory.
Why would people want this?
Students would want this because of reasons that are mostly
obvious. Everyone likes to have free time, and this will give them time to do
work and be productive. It is their choice to do work or not, however many, and
I think most, would take the advantage to do work, or at least talk to
teachers. Something that personally bothers me as a student is that there is
not “Opportunity Day” every day, something which is a reality in some schools.
So, you have to wait some days to go see a teacher after school, and it is
tedious to have to take the bus ride home and arrive home so late for help at
school. I think that an idea like this, a free period, would help reduce the
need to stay after school, and let people arrive home earlier.
The teachers would probably also be motivated by this
because it would help their classes a lot. There wouldn’t be a need to give a
lot of time in class to work on assignments, since this time would already be
there, and virtually the same, with the work being done in school and the
teacher readily available. This would mean, then, that the curriculum would
finish faster and could possibly leave time at the end of the year without
lessons. Or, alternatively, difficult subjects could be covered more thoroughly
and there would be more time to learn the subject and get help before tests and
other assignments.
The administrators, principals, and other staff members that
do not directly teach the student body would have no reason to object. This
would, in fact, make the school seem possibly more revolutionary and
progressive, since although some schools introduce it later on, none would
introduce it from the earliest grades where homework is important (ideally,
this free period would start for the 6th grade onwards).
Parents would probably be happy that the children could have
time to work at school. They would see this as something alleviating for their
children, something that might even help them get better grades. The parents, I
think, would in majority support this.
Survey Results
95% of students would support a free period in the morning (19/20)
5% of students would not support a free period in the morning (1/20)
(The reason was that they thought that teachers would give more homework if they found we had a free period, and there could be even worse problems in homework, especially to those that wanted to take electives.)
Portfolio Outline: Paragraph Per Section
Introduction
What is a portfolio?
A portfolio is a presentation. It is a collection of work from some sort of area. This portfolio is about me, so this will have pieces from my life; which makes up of school and my personal interests. Under each page, there will be some explaining of this class, my best piece from the year, and some things that stand out from this class. It should be noted that by "year", I mean only the third and fourth quarters, since I was not enrolled in the school for the first two. I hope that this portfolio accurately and informatively describes my life.
Personal
My name is Daniel Rodríguez, and I'm 13 years old. I was born in Poole, UK on the 22nd of August, 1998. I moved from the UK when I was less than a year old to Bogotá, Colombia, where I lived until I was 5. During that time, I studied in the Gimnasio Británico. I then moved to The Hague, Netherlands, and lived there for 1 year while studying in the International School of the Hague. Now, at 7 years old, I moved to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where I lived for 6 years, and studied in Saudi Aramco Schools. Here, I made lots of friends and I met great people. I moved back to Colombia in November of 2011, and began studying at my present school, Colegio Nueva Granada, in January 2011.
I have a family of four, with both of my parents and a younger brother. My dad works as a petroleum engineer, and my mum is a systems engineer. My brother, who is 8 years old, is in the 3rd grade in the Montessori British School.
I am blessed with having a very close relationship with my extended family. I frequently talk to and visit my grandparents on both side of the family, and I'm blessed with all of them still being here on Earth. I also share a close relationship with my cousins and my uncles and aunts, who I also see relatively regularly.
Personal Interests
I've always loved music. In the fifth grade, I began to learn to play the clarinet, and I have played ever since. I'm very dedicated to this instrument, and I hope that I can get really good on it. I was in my school band when I was in Saudi Arabia, and I tried out for band competitions a lot. I know some basics on the guitar, since I took a class on it, however, I have neither the skill nor the practice I have on the clarinet. Besides playing, I like listening to music a lot, as well. I like black metal and the DBSM and ambient subgenres. My favorite bands are Burzum, Lifelover, and Peste Noire.
I play a lot of tennis, too, and I have since I was 7. For this, I've entered a lot of tournaments
Espanol
Espanol is "Spanish" class for fluent speakers. Here, we read and write in Spanish, learn grammar, among other things. I have had some difficulty with this class, since before I came to the CNG I had never taken it before, but now I am doing well. This, of course, means that I greatly improved on every single aspect of Spanish, and, with the accompaniment of living in a predominantly Spanish-speaking country, makes my Spanish more fluid and casual.
My best work is the documentary I made for Espanol, which can be found in this link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX5RB5TfRD8. I think real learning happened in this because I got to explore something that I already know about and learn more about it enthusiastically, since I am very interested and I can relate to the subject, and all the research, which I had to do in Spanish, greatly extended my vocabulary.
Math
Math has been a really difficult subject for me. In the last quarter, it was my lowest grade. My goal for this quarter was to improve, and so far, I have. In math, we are learning about algebra and probability. In algebra, we learned isolating variables and solving equations, as well as systems of equations. My best math work of all the year, though, was the Systems of Equations test because, even though I got a very bad grade on it, I think that I learned so much, and I learned from my mistakes, and this helped me get a lot better on it. which is why I think it is real learning.
Social Studies
Social Studies is one of my favourite subjects, because it is very interesting. This year, we're learning about the great civilizations of the ancient world, such as Alexander's Empire, the Roman Empire, the Greeks, the Byzantine Empire, and the Russian Empire. My best work was the grade reflection, and although unfortunately the graph that came with it cannot be posted, I posted the reflection here:
Grade Reflection: 3rd Quarter
In my opinion, in this quarter I did an acceptable work. I got a 3.1, which is average. However, I still believe that I can do much better, if I reflect on what I should correct.
I think what most brought down my grade was all the late work. Although, at the end of the quarter, I got to make up for it by bringing in late work and presenting, I know my grade would have been higher had I put more effort into remembering and doing assignments. I notice that most late assignments were SOAPSTONEs and APPARTSs. I should fix this.
As for individual projects, I found that I got a bad grade for The Roman Empire: Presentations. I suspect that it was because of my lack of role in the presentation, which feeds back to the fact that I did not work much on this. I believe that next time, if such a project arises, I should work on it and make sure that I have a part to say in presentations like this.
In conclusion, I got an okay grade this quarter, but I truly believe that I can do better and will work on this.
I think that no matter how much real learning I had on other works, it would never top this. The reason is that I have reflected on all my grades on the past year, and now I can understand what I need to do to improve. I think this is real learning.
Sociales
Sociales is a course which is taken in Spanish, like Espanol. Here, we learn about Colombian history. This year, we covered the independence movement and the rise and fall of Gran Colombia. My best work, I believe, was my essay on the habitation of the "zona cafetera", a movement known as "La Colonizacion Antioquena. This is it:
LA COLONIZACION ANTIOQUEÑA
La colonización antioqueña es uno de los procesos socio-económicos más importantes de nuestra historia. Se inició al finalizar el siglo XVIII, cuando un gran número de familias antioqueñas, comenzó a emigrar hacia el sur y a colonizar tierras, hasta entonces despobladas, en el occidente del país. La colonización se intensificó al abrirse nuevas fronteras de colonización; este proceso, que se extendió hasta comienzos del siglo XX, es importante puesto que, gracias a él, se inició en Colombia el cultivo del café, que más tarde se convirtió en el principal producto de exportación.
Antioquia fue una de las regiones más aisladas durante el período colonial. Su desarrollo económico y social tuvo muchas diferencias con relación al de otras regiones del país. Puesto que las tierras habitadas no eran aptas para la agricultura, la principal actividad de los antioqueños fue la minería del oro. Por otra parte, las mejores tierras eran propiedad de unas pocas familias que las mantenían sin explotar. A finales del siglo XVIII, se presentó una baja en la producción de oro, al tiempo que las tierras disponibles no eran suficientes para satisfacer las necesidades de la población.
Se inició entonces la migración hacia el sur de la provincia y los primeros asentamientos de colonos.
En esa época fueron fundados las poblaciones de Sonsón (1797), Abejorral (1808) y Aguadas (1814). A partir de la década de 1870, la colonización se intensificó y se extendió hasta el territorio del actual departamento del Quindío, norte del Valle del Cauca y occidente del Tolima. Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX fueron fundadas por los colonos un gran número de nuevas poblaciones.
Importancia de la colonización antioqueña
El proceso de colonización integró a la economía del país miles de hectáreas de tierra que durante siglos habían permanecido inexplotadas y despobladas.
El café fue el producto preferido por los colonos y su producción llegó a convertirse, en las primeras décadas del siglo XX, en la base de la economía nacional. La forma como fueron colonizados estos territorios no favoreció la formación de la gran propiedad territorial. La colonización era llevada a cabo primordialmente por familias que no tenían la capacidad para pagar mano de obra sino que más bien utilizaban la mano de obra familiar para explotar tierras colonizadas.
Esto dio origen a un nuevo tipo de sociedad en el occidente colombiano: mientras que en el resto del país el latifundio era la característica más importante, en las zonas colonizadas predominaba la mediana propiedad campesina y familiar. Debido al aislamiento geográfico, los pobladores del occidente colombiano permanecieron ajenos a los conflictos armados que sucedieron en Colombia durante todo el siglo XIX. Esto permitió un desarrollo económico estable y continuo, en contraste con otras regiones donde el desarrollo económico se vio seriamente afectado como consecuencia de las guerras civiles. La colonización antioqueña permitió la unificación del occidente colombiano.
Los colonos se preocuparon por comunicar entre sí los nuevos asentamientos y construyeron caminos y ferrocarriles. Gracias a esto se estableció un comercio interno que casi no existía en otras regiones y que estuvo favorecido por la capacidad de compra de la que gozaban los colonos, resultado de una mejor distribución de los ingresos del trabajo.
Todos estos factores hicieron que el occidente colombiano se convirtiera a finales del siglo XIX y a comienzos del siglo XX, en el centro económico más importante del país.
La expansión de la economía cafetera hizo posible que se acumularan los capitales que más tarde fueron invertidos en el desarrollo industrial.
CAUSAS E EFECTOS DE LA COLONIZACIÓN ANTIOQUENNA
CAUSAS
Economía: Con las leyes librecambistas establecidas, Colombia ya estaba lista para integrarse a un mercado internacional, exportando materias primas e importando productos terminados. Durante este periodo radical, la economía se volvió una gran preocupación y tema para los gobiernos, quienes tenían en cuenta y en sus agendas estimular la economía y mejorar las vías de comunicación para poder hacer posible la transportación de bienes.
Durante los años 1860, se enfocó en hacer un buen sistema de carreteras por toda Colombia. En 1872 llegaron los ferrocarriles, y se volvió prioridad construir vías a Cali, Buenaventura, Medellín, Puerto Berrío, Barranquilla, Sabanilla, y otras grandes ciudades.
Esto, obviamente se abrió el comercio, y se empezó a producir mas tabaco, que era lo más exportado durante el periodo radical, con el oro, quina, añil, y el café, entre otros. En términos del café, que ya se cultivaba en el occidente del país, no era un producto exportable. La decisión que se tomaba cuando se decidía exportar un producto se enfocaba en lo internacional, mas no lo local, entonces no había avance económico en el interior.
Político:
La Constitución de Rionegro impuso en el país más federalismo, que dejaba más autonomía para regiones. Mientras tanto, el gobierno nacional (que consiste en lo ejecutivo, judicial, y legislativo del gobierno) perdía poder en estas regiones, tanto en lo político como en lo económico.
EFECTOS
Con esta asolación, el gobierno no tuvo poder de controlar conflictos internos y violencias, haciendo que las guerras civiles se hicieran más comunes. Revueltas y sublevaciones contra gobiernos locales pasaron, y hasta guerra entre dos estados diferentes. No había restricción de armas, haciendo que cualquier político tuviera su propio ejército privado. También, con este poder de estos ejércitos, iban a guerra contra si mismos. Muchas veces, los soldados eran arrendatarios de haciendas o peones que fueron forzados a entrar.
Por la decentralización del país, fue muy difícil recoger impuestos, hasta el punto que casi ningún de los nuevos territorios pagaban impuestos, y los impuestos sí recogidos raramente se dirigían al Tesoro Nacional. Y, subsecuentemente, el gobierno nacional tuvo dificultad manejando sus finanzas, hasta que tuvieron que vender la mayoría de sus edificios públicos, en 1865. El gobierno empezó a ser explotado por particulares, y a veces se tenía que regalar tierras.
I believe this paper was real learning because I learned a lot of new vocabulary and, through my own research, I learned so much about the topic.
Electives
This year, I have taken three different electives: Chinese, Ethics, and Health. Chinese is an all-year elective, in which you study Mandarin Chinese. Currently, I am in the third level, and I hope that when I get my results for the final exam, known as the YCT test, I will be able to pass to the fourth level, the highest available in my school. I have been studying Chinese for five years as a fourth language (along with French as a third language, and my fluency in English and Spanish), and one of the reasons that I chose Colegio Nueva Granada as my school was their Chinese program. In Ethics, we learn about values and work ethic. This class is quite relaxing, however, it is still very useful, since we also learn many skills that we can apply in our own lives. Health, meanwhile, is a class where we learn about drugs and sex, the dangers and risks involved, and how to avoid these risks. I think my best work is a PowerPoint presentation in which I detailed my family, a total of around 30 sentences, which was quite difficult for me, considering I had to write in Chinese (which, by the way, I find typing with a computer close to impossible). In any case, I learned so much vocabulary, to properly describe my family.
English
English, along with Social Studies, is one of the more interesting classes as well. First of all, it is fun because we have time to read at the beginning, and the way that we do projects, with technology tools, is fun as well. I think that the best English project I have done is, also, the best written piece of the year. This is it:
Subject: English
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Authoritarian style rule is harmful to a society and its inhabitants, especially one that appeals to superficiality”. I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.
“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”
This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, her best friend, or, at least, a friend that she had gotten close to. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, innumerably, harvests and uses this power to great effect.
“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”
This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a model which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and complete awe of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable, and contradicting.
“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.
In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is subverted by aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look recently. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, made the rounds over this leviathan of communication, known as the internet, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that, although aesthetics are, obviously, beautiful, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book.
Books read
Sean Covey- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Oscar Wilde- The Portrait of Dorian Gray
Stephen Hawking- The Great Design
Richard Dawkins- The God Delusion
Various Authors- The Second World War
Dan Brown- The DaVinci Code
Dan Brown- Angels & Demons
J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rick Riordan- The Red Pyramid
Stephen King- The Green Mile
Agatha Christie- Murder In Mesopotamia
Emma Donoghue- Room
Anonymous- Selected Stories from Arabian Nights
Markus Zusak- The Book Thief
James Joyce- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Sharman Apt Russell- Hunger
Scott Westerfeld- Uglies
Mario Santiago Papasquiaro- Jeta de Santo
Gabriel García Márquez- Chronicles of a Death Foretold
Science
Science, this year, has been about physics and chemistry. Although I wasn't here for the chemistry part, I have been through the whole time we have been learning physics. My best piece of science, I think, is my Acceleration and Slope Lab, in which I got a four, and, with the help of my science teacher, Mr. Nechodom, earned a full understanding of the concepts in it, concepts in which I happened to be having trouble with.
Edited Work
Occasionally, there is something that we regret. Something that we think we could have done better. And of course, we shouldn't get hung up or obsessed over mistakes, but rather evaluate and keep in mind what we should do next time, to apply the lessons learned. In this page, I will put out a newer version of an older piece of work, in this case a theme discussion for English. Although I already did quite good on it, I hope to improve it.
Subject: English
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Excessive superficiality is harmful to a society". I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.
“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”
This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, a girl which has become a very close friend of hers. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, exploits, uses this power to quash any type of subversiveness.
“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”
This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a society which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and obsession of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable.
“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.
In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is held higher than aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look in recent times. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, steered clear of too much control, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that beauty is, obviously, beautiful, and something that should be appreciated to an extent, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book.
Learning Reflection
This year, I have changed a lot as a learner. I have found new, positive habits, which will help me in the future. Organization skills, which is something that I have always struggled with, are improving. I open myself more easily now to new opinions, while working in groups. I find that my writing is more extended, and my grammar skills are a lot better, however I have extended my knowledge in technology, as well, especially in English. I have learned a lot of vocabulary, especially with the book projects, I have read a lot as well, and this helps with my learning a lot. I have improved in reading analysis, too, and I find that I can inspire myself more easily.
What is a portfolio?
A portfolio is a presentation. It is a collection of work from some sort of area. This portfolio is about me, so this will have pieces from my life; which makes up of school and my personal interests. Under each page, there will be some explaining of this class, my best piece from the year, and some things that stand out from this class. It should be noted that by "year", I mean only the third and fourth quarters, since I was not enrolled in the school for the first two. I hope that this portfolio accurately and informatively describes my life.
Personal
My name is Daniel Rodríguez, and I'm 13 years old. I was born in Poole, UK on the 22nd of August, 1998. I moved from the UK when I was less than a year old to Bogotá, Colombia, where I lived until I was 5. During that time, I studied in the Gimnasio Británico. I then moved to The Hague, Netherlands, and lived there for 1 year while studying in the International School of the Hague. Now, at 7 years old, I moved to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where I lived for 6 years, and studied in Saudi Aramco Schools. Here, I made lots of friends and I met great people. I moved back to Colombia in November of 2011, and began studying at my present school, Colegio Nueva Granada, in January 2011.
I have a family of four, with both of my parents and a younger brother. My dad works as a petroleum engineer, and my mum is a systems engineer. My brother, who is 8 years old, is in the 3rd grade in the Montessori British School.
I am blessed with having a very close relationship with my extended family. I frequently talk to and visit my grandparents on both side of the family, and I'm blessed with all of them still being here on Earth. I also share a close relationship with my cousins and my uncles and aunts, who I also see relatively regularly.
Personal Interests
I've always loved music. In the fifth grade, I began to learn to play the clarinet, and I have played ever since. I'm very dedicated to this instrument, and I hope that I can get really good on it. I was in my school band when I was in Saudi Arabia, and I tried out for band competitions a lot. I know some basics on the guitar, since I took a class on it, however, I have neither the skill nor the practice I have on the clarinet. Besides playing, I like listening to music a lot, as well. I like black metal and the DBSM and ambient subgenres. My favorite bands are Burzum, Lifelover, and Peste Noire.
I play a lot of tennis, too, and I have since I was 7. For this, I've entered a lot of tournaments
Espanol
Espanol is "Spanish" class for fluent speakers. Here, we read and write in Spanish, learn grammar, among other things. I have had some difficulty with this class, since before I came to the CNG I had never taken it before, but now I am doing well. This, of course, means that I greatly improved on every single aspect of Spanish, and, with the accompaniment of living in a predominantly Spanish-speaking country, makes my Spanish more fluid and casual.
My best work is the documentary I made for Espanol, which can be found in this link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX5RB5TfRD8. I think real learning happened in this because I got to explore something that I already know about and learn more about it enthusiastically, since I am very interested and I can relate to the subject, and all the research, which I had to do in Spanish, greatly extended my vocabulary.
Math
Math has been a really difficult subject for me. In the last quarter, it was my lowest grade. My goal for this quarter was to improve, and so far, I have. In math, we are learning about algebra and probability. In algebra, we learned isolating variables and solving equations, as well as systems of equations. My best math work of all the year, though, was the Systems of Equations test because, even though I got a very bad grade on it, I think that I learned so much, and I learned from my mistakes, and this helped me get a lot better on it. which is why I think it is real learning.
Social Studies
Social Studies is one of my favourite subjects, because it is very interesting. This year, we're learning about the great civilizations of the ancient world, such as Alexander's Empire, the Roman Empire, the Greeks, the Byzantine Empire, and the Russian Empire. My best work was the grade reflection, and although unfortunately the graph that came with it cannot be posted, I posted the reflection here:
Grade Reflection: 3rd Quarter
In my opinion, in this quarter I did an acceptable work. I got a 3.1, which is average. However, I still believe that I can do much better, if I reflect on what I should correct.
I think what most brought down my grade was all the late work. Although, at the end of the quarter, I got to make up for it by bringing in late work and presenting, I know my grade would have been higher had I put more effort into remembering and doing assignments. I notice that most late assignments were SOAPSTONEs and APPARTSs. I should fix this.
As for individual projects, I found that I got a bad grade for The Roman Empire: Presentations. I suspect that it was because of my lack of role in the presentation, which feeds back to the fact that I did not work much on this. I believe that next time, if such a project arises, I should work on it and make sure that I have a part to say in presentations like this.
In conclusion, I got an okay grade this quarter, but I truly believe that I can do better and will work on this.
I think that no matter how much real learning I had on other works, it would never top this. The reason is that I have reflected on all my grades on the past year, and now I can understand what I need to do to improve. I think this is real learning.
Sociales
Sociales is a course which is taken in Spanish, like Espanol. Here, we learn about Colombian history. This year, we covered the independence movement and the rise and fall of Gran Colombia. My best work, I believe, was my essay on the habitation of the "zona cafetera", a movement known as "La Colonizacion Antioquena. This is it:
LA COLONIZACION ANTIOQUEÑA
La colonización antioqueña es uno de los procesos socio-económicos más importantes de nuestra historia. Se inició al finalizar el siglo XVIII, cuando un gran número de familias antioqueñas, comenzó a emigrar hacia el sur y a colonizar tierras, hasta entonces despobladas, en el occidente del país. La colonización se intensificó al abrirse nuevas fronteras de colonización; este proceso, que se extendió hasta comienzos del siglo XX, es importante puesto que, gracias a él, se inició en Colombia el cultivo del café, que más tarde se convirtió en el principal producto de exportación.
Antioquia fue una de las regiones más aisladas durante el período colonial. Su desarrollo económico y social tuvo muchas diferencias con relación al de otras regiones del país. Puesto que las tierras habitadas no eran aptas para la agricultura, la principal actividad de los antioqueños fue la minería del oro. Por otra parte, las mejores tierras eran propiedad de unas pocas familias que las mantenían sin explotar. A finales del siglo XVIII, se presentó una baja en la producción de oro, al tiempo que las tierras disponibles no eran suficientes para satisfacer las necesidades de la población.
Se inició entonces la migración hacia el sur de la provincia y los primeros asentamientos de colonos.
En esa época fueron fundados las poblaciones de Sonsón (1797), Abejorral (1808) y Aguadas (1814). A partir de la década de 1870, la colonización se intensificó y se extendió hasta el territorio del actual departamento del Quindío, norte del Valle del Cauca y occidente del Tolima. Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX fueron fundadas por los colonos un gran número de nuevas poblaciones.
Importancia de la colonización antioqueña
El proceso de colonización integró a la economía del país miles de hectáreas de tierra que durante siglos habían permanecido inexplotadas y despobladas.
El café fue el producto preferido por los colonos y su producción llegó a convertirse, en las primeras décadas del siglo XX, en la base de la economía nacional. La forma como fueron colonizados estos territorios no favoreció la formación de la gran propiedad territorial. La colonización era llevada a cabo primordialmente por familias que no tenían la capacidad para pagar mano de obra sino que más bien utilizaban la mano de obra familiar para explotar tierras colonizadas.
Esto dio origen a un nuevo tipo de sociedad en el occidente colombiano: mientras que en el resto del país el latifundio era la característica más importante, en las zonas colonizadas predominaba la mediana propiedad campesina y familiar. Debido al aislamiento geográfico, los pobladores del occidente colombiano permanecieron ajenos a los conflictos armados que sucedieron en Colombia durante todo el siglo XIX. Esto permitió un desarrollo económico estable y continuo, en contraste con otras regiones donde el desarrollo económico se vio seriamente afectado como consecuencia de las guerras civiles. La colonización antioqueña permitió la unificación del occidente colombiano.
Los colonos se preocuparon por comunicar entre sí los nuevos asentamientos y construyeron caminos y ferrocarriles. Gracias a esto se estableció un comercio interno que casi no existía en otras regiones y que estuvo favorecido por la capacidad de compra de la que gozaban los colonos, resultado de una mejor distribución de los ingresos del trabajo.
Todos estos factores hicieron que el occidente colombiano se convirtiera a finales del siglo XIX y a comienzos del siglo XX, en el centro económico más importante del país.
La expansión de la economía cafetera hizo posible que se acumularan los capitales que más tarde fueron invertidos en el desarrollo industrial.
CAUSAS E EFECTOS DE LA COLONIZACIÓN ANTIOQUENNA
CAUSAS
Economía: Con las leyes librecambistas establecidas, Colombia ya estaba lista para integrarse a un mercado internacional, exportando materias primas e importando productos terminados. Durante este periodo radical, la economía se volvió una gran preocupación y tema para los gobiernos, quienes tenían en cuenta y en sus agendas estimular la economía y mejorar las vías de comunicación para poder hacer posible la transportación de bienes.
Durante los años 1860, se enfocó en hacer un buen sistema de carreteras por toda Colombia. En 1872 llegaron los ferrocarriles, y se volvió prioridad construir vías a Cali, Buenaventura, Medellín, Puerto Berrío, Barranquilla, Sabanilla, y otras grandes ciudades.
Esto, obviamente se abrió el comercio, y se empezó a producir mas tabaco, que era lo más exportado durante el periodo radical, con el oro, quina, añil, y el café, entre otros. En términos del café, que ya se cultivaba en el occidente del país, no era un producto exportable. La decisión que se tomaba cuando se decidía exportar un producto se enfocaba en lo internacional, mas no lo local, entonces no había avance económico en el interior.
Político:
La Constitución de Rionegro impuso en el país más federalismo, que dejaba más autonomía para regiones. Mientras tanto, el gobierno nacional (que consiste en lo ejecutivo, judicial, y legislativo del gobierno) perdía poder en estas regiones, tanto en lo político como en lo económico.
EFECTOS
Con esta asolación, el gobierno no tuvo poder de controlar conflictos internos y violencias, haciendo que las guerras civiles se hicieran más comunes. Revueltas y sublevaciones contra gobiernos locales pasaron, y hasta guerra entre dos estados diferentes. No había restricción de armas, haciendo que cualquier político tuviera su propio ejército privado. También, con este poder de estos ejércitos, iban a guerra contra si mismos. Muchas veces, los soldados eran arrendatarios de haciendas o peones que fueron forzados a entrar.
Por la decentralización del país, fue muy difícil recoger impuestos, hasta el punto que casi ningún de los nuevos territorios pagaban impuestos, y los impuestos sí recogidos raramente se dirigían al Tesoro Nacional. Y, subsecuentemente, el gobierno nacional tuvo dificultad manejando sus finanzas, hasta que tuvieron que vender la mayoría de sus edificios públicos, en 1865. El gobierno empezó a ser explotado por particulares, y a veces se tenía que regalar tierras.
I believe this paper was real learning because I learned a lot of new vocabulary and, through my own research, I learned so much about the topic.
Electives
This year, I have taken three different electives: Chinese, Ethics, and Health. Chinese is an all-year elective, in which you study Mandarin Chinese. Currently, I am in the third level, and I hope that when I get my results for the final exam, known as the YCT test, I will be able to pass to the fourth level, the highest available in my school. I have been studying Chinese for five years as a fourth language (along with French as a third language, and my fluency in English and Spanish), and one of the reasons that I chose Colegio Nueva Granada as my school was their Chinese program. In Ethics, we learn about values and work ethic. This class is quite relaxing, however, it is still very useful, since we also learn many skills that we can apply in our own lives. Health, meanwhile, is a class where we learn about drugs and sex, the dangers and risks involved, and how to avoid these risks. I think my best work is a PowerPoint presentation in which I detailed my family, a total of around 30 sentences, which was quite difficult for me, considering I had to write in Chinese (which, by the way, I find typing with a computer close to impossible). In any case, I learned so much vocabulary, to properly describe my family.
English
English, along with Social Studies, is one of the more interesting classes as well. First of all, it is fun because we have time to read at the beginning, and the way that we do projects, with technology tools, is fun as well. I think that the best English project I have done is, also, the best written piece of the year. This is it:
Subject: English
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Authoritarian style rule is harmful to a society and its inhabitants, especially one that appeals to superficiality”. I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.
“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”
This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, her best friend, or, at least, a friend that she had gotten close to. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, innumerably, harvests and uses this power to great effect.
“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”
This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a model which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and complete awe of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable, and contradicting.
“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.
In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is subverted by aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look recently. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, made the rounds over this leviathan of communication, known as the internet, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that, although aesthetics are, obviously, beautiful, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book.
Books read
Sean Covey- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Oscar Wilde- The Portrait of Dorian Gray
Stephen Hawking- The Great Design
Richard Dawkins- The God Delusion
Various Authors- The Second World War
Dan Brown- The DaVinci Code
Dan Brown- Angels & Demons
J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rick Riordan- The Red Pyramid
Stephen King- The Green Mile
Agatha Christie- Murder In Mesopotamia
Emma Donoghue- Room
Anonymous- Selected Stories from Arabian Nights
Markus Zusak- The Book Thief
James Joyce- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Sharman Apt Russell- Hunger
Scott Westerfeld- Uglies
Mario Santiago Papasquiaro- Jeta de Santo
Gabriel García Márquez- Chronicles of a Death Foretold
Science
Science, this year, has been about physics and chemistry. Although I wasn't here for the chemistry part, I have been through the whole time we have been learning physics. My best piece of science, I think, is my Acceleration and Slope Lab, in which I got a four, and, with the help of my science teacher, Mr. Nechodom, earned a full understanding of the concepts in it, concepts in which I happened to be having trouble with.
Edited Work
Occasionally, there is something that we regret. Something that we think we could have done better. And of course, we shouldn't get hung up or obsessed over mistakes, but rather evaluate and keep in mind what we should do next time, to apply the lessons learned. In this page, I will put out a newer version of an older piece of work, in this case a theme discussion for English. Although I already did quite good on it, I hope to improve it.
Subject: English
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Excessive superficiality is harmful to a society". I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.
“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”
This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, a girl which has become a very close friend of hers. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, exploits, uses this power to quash any type of subversiveness.
“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”
This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a society which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and obsession of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable.
“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.
In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is held higher than aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look in recent times. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, steered clear of too much control, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that beauty is, obviously, beautiful, and something that should be appreciated to an extent, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book.
Learning Reflection
This year, I have changed a lot as a learner. I have found new, positive habits, which will help me in the future. Organization skills, which is something that I have always struggled with, are improving. I open myself more easily now to new opinions, while working in groups. I find that my writing is more extended, and my grammar skills are a lot better, however I have extended my knowledge in technology, as well, especially in English. I have learned a lot of vocabulary, especially with the book projects, I have read a lot as well, and this helps with my learning a lot. I have improved in reading analysis, too, and I find that I can inspire myself more easily.
Glossary
Free period- A time with no curricular activities where there is time to work.
Progressive- Revolutionary and new
Curriculum- All studies offered by a school
Progressive- Revolutionary and new
Curriculum- All studies offered by a school
Digital Storytelling 1: Questions
What is the issue I care most about?
The fact is, it is hard to get help and do assignments, and the workload is very large, sometimes, and it feels like there is no time to sit down and do it all.
Audience?
My audience will be students
What would make this successful?
I think that a guaranteed approval by students and a win-win situation for everyone is key to making this successful.
The fact is, it is hard to get help and do assignments, and the workload is very large, sometimes, and it feels like there is no time to sit down and do it all.
Audience?
My audience will be students
What would make this successful?
I think that a guaranteed approval by students and a win-win situation for everyone is key to making this successful.
Journal: What does my portfolio say about me?
I think that my portfolio gives a good picture of who I am. Of course, there is a certain level of personal things that would not end in a public blog like this, but I think that everything that could be said in public, and everything that someone that would want to look at my portfolio would want to know, has been included. I've learned how to navigate my way around Weebly, and I think that it is ready to be shown to the public and to be graded.
2 Peer 1 Adult
Sebastian: I think that you should change the theme. It's too specific.
Cousin: Rephrase some of your words; they don't fit in well and don't express what you want to say.
Mom: This is okay, but you should try to edit sentences that are too long.
Cousin: Rephrase some of your words; they don't fit in well and don't express what you want to say.
Mom: This is okay, but you should try to edit sentences that are too long.
sábado, 2 de junio de 2012
Portfolio: Categories
Home (Introduction)
Personal
Personal Interests
Espanol
Math
Social Studies
Sociales
Electives
English
Edited Work
Learning Reflection
Personal
Personal Interests
Espanol
Math
Social Studies
Sociales
Electives
English
Edited Work
Learning Reflection
School Redesign: Obstacles and Research
Basically, the biggest threat to a plan to create a "Free Period" class is time. There seems to be no time to fit in everything, unless there is some kind of sacrifice. What kind of sacrifice, you may ask? There is some debate. Electives could be removed from the schedule, although, that would be protested widely, by students. Another option would be to cut classes short, and add all this cut time to that class. However, teachers, and to a lesser extent, students, would probably find this to be extreme. However, these are the only two viable options and one would have to be chosen. Probably, the first would be the best option, since there would be less opposition, and there would still be time to cover other classes. To solve, though, this discontent, the electives could be moved to after school.
As for research, I found that this has not been tried in any other schools, and information was very hard to find. However, I did research lateral thinking itself, and I found that it actually requires very little time to teach. Exercises are easy, and so I'm sure that even those that did not have missing work could still be working on something during this time. That's why I changed the concept from a lateral thinking class for a free period. As for this free period, itself, I did research on it, and free periods brings better grades.
As for research, I found that this has not been tried in any other schools, and information was very hard to find. However, I did research lateral thinking itself, and I found that it actually requires very little time to teach. Exercises are easy, and so I'm sure that even those that did not have missing work could still be working on something during this time. That's why I changed the concept from a lateral thinking class for a free period. As for this free period, itself, I did research on it, and free periods brings better grades.
Journal: How did I change this year as a learner?
This year, I have changed a lot as a learner. I have found new, positive habits, which will help me in the future. Organization skills, which is something that I have always struggled with, are improving. I open myself more easily now to new opinions, while working in groups. I find that my writing is more extended, and my grammar skills are a lot better, however I have extended my knowledge in technology, as well, especially in English. I have learned a lot of vocabulary, especially with the book projects, I have read a lot as well, and this helps with my learning a lot. I have improved in reading analysis, too, and I find that I can inspire myself more easily.
viernes, 1 de junio de 2012
Journal: 3 Best Pieces of Work
1. Espanol Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX5RB5TfRD8
2. English Theme:
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Authoritarian style rule is harmful to a society and its inhabitants, especially one that appeals to superficiality”. I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, her best friend, or, at least, a friend that she had gotten close to. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, innumerably, harvests and uses this power to great effect.“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a model which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and complete awe of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable, and contradicting.“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is subverted by aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look recently. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, made the rounds over this leviathan of communication, known as the internet, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that, although aesthetics are, obviously, beautiful, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book3. Sociales "Colonizacion Antioquena Piece"LA COLONIZACION ANTIOQUEÑALa colonización antioqueña es uno de los procesos socio-económicos más importantes de nuestra historia. Se inició al finalizar el siglo XVIII, cuando un gran número de familias antioqueñas, comenzó a emigrar hacia el sur y a colonizar tierras, hasta entonces despobladas, en el occidente del país. La colonización se intensificó al abrirse nuevas fronteras de colonización; este proceso, que se extendió hasta comienzos del siglo XX, es importante puesto que, gracias a él, se inició en Colombia el cultivo del café, que más tarde se convirtió en el principal producto de exportación. Antioquia fue una de las regiones más aisladas durante el período colonial. Su desarrollo económico y social tuvo muchas diferencias con relación al de otras regiones del país. Puesto que las tierras habitadas no eran aptas para la agricultura, la principal actividad de los antioqueños fue la minería del oro. Por otra parte, las mejores tierras eran propiedad de unas pocas familias que las mantenían sin explotar. A finales del siglo XVIII, se presentó una baja en la producción de oro, al tiempo que las tierras disponibles no eran suficientes para satisfacer las necesidades de la población. Se inició entonces la migración hacia el sur de la provincia y los primeros asentamientos de colonos. En esa época fueron fundados las poblaciones de Sonsón (1797), Abejorral (1808) y Aguadas (1814). A partir de la década de 1870, la colonización se intensificó y se extendió hasta el territorio del actual departamento del Quindío, norte del Valle del Cauca y occidente del Tolima. Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX fueron fundadas por los colonos un gran número de nuevas poblaciones. Importancia de la colonización antioqueña El proceso de colonización integró a la economía del país miles de hectáreas de tierra que durante siglos habían permanecido inexplotadas y despobladas.El café fue el producto preferido por los colonos y su producción llegó a convertirse, en las primeras décadas del siglo XX, en la base de la economía nacional. La forma como fueron colonizados estos territorios no favoreció la formación de la gran propiedad territorial. La colonización era llevada a cabo primordialmente por familias que no tenían la capacidad para pagar mano de obra sino que más bien utilizaban la mano de obra familiar para explotar tierras colonizadas. Esto dio origen a un nuevo tipo de sociedad en el occidente colombiano: mientras que en el resto del país el latifundio era la característica más importante, en las zonas colonizadas predominaba la mediana propiedad campesina y familiar. Debido al aislamiento geográfico, los pobladores del occidente colombiano permanecieron ajenos a los conflictos armados que sucedieron en Colombia durante todo el siglo XIX. Esto permitió un desarrollo económico estable y continuo, en contraste con otras regiones donde el desarrollo económico se vio seriamente afectado como consecuencia de las guerras civiles. La colonización antioqueña permitió la unificación del occidente colombiano. Los colonos se preocuparon por comunicar entre sí los nuevos asentamientos y construyeron caminos y ferrocarriles. Gracias a esto se estableció un comercio interno que casi no existía en otras regiones y que estuvo favorecido por la capacidad de compra de la que gozaban los colonos, resultado de una mejor distribución de los ingresos del trabajo.Todos estos factores hicieron que el occidente colombiano se convirtiera a finales del siglo XIX y a comienzos del siglo XX, en el centro económico más importante del país. La expansión de la economía cafetera hizo posible que se acumularan los capitales que más tarde fueron invertidos en el desarrollo industrial.CAUSAS E EFECTOS DE LA COLONIZACIÓN ANTIOQUENNACAUSASEconomía: Con las leyes librecambistas establecidas, Colombia ya estaba lista para integrarse a un mercado internacional, exportando materias primas e importando productos terminados. Durante este periodo radical, la economía se volvió una gran preocupación y tema para los gobiernos, quienes tenían en cuenta y en sus agendas estimular la economía y mejorar las vías de comunicación para poder hacer posible la transportación de bienes. Durante los años 1860, se enfocó en hacer un buen sistema de carreteras por toda Colombia. En 1872 llegaron los ferrocarriles, y se volvió prioridad construir vías a Cali, Buenaventura, Medellín, Puerto Berrío, Barranquilla, Sabanilla, y otras grandes ciudades. Esto, obviamente se abrió el comercio, y se empezó a producir mas tabaco, que era lo más exportado durante el periodo radical, con el oro, quina, añil, y el café, entre otros. En términos del café, que ya se cultivaba en el occidente del país, no era un producto exportable. La decisión que se tomaba cuando se decidía exportar un producto se enfocaba en lo internacional, mas no lo local, entonces no había avance económico en el interior. Político:La Constitución de Rionegro impuso en el país más federalismo, que dejaba más autonomía para regiones. Mientras tanto, el gobierno nacional (que consiste en lo ejecutivo, judicial, y legislativo del gobierno) perdía poder en estas regiones, tanto en lo político como en lo económico. EFECTOSCon esta asolación, el gobierno no tuvo poder de controlar conflictos internos y violencias, haciendo que las guerras civiles se hicieran más comunes. Revueltas y sublevaciones contra gobiernos locales pasaron, y hasta guerra entre dos estados diferentes. No había restricción de armas, haciendo que cualquier político tuviera su propio ejército privado. También, con este poder de estos ejércitos, iban a guerra contra si mismos. Muchas veces, los soldados eran arrendatarios de haciendas o peones que fueron forzados a entrar. Por la decentralización del país, fue muy difícil recoger impuestos, hasta el punto que casi ningún de los nuevos territorios pagaban impuestos, y los impuestos sí recogidos raramente se dirigían al Tesoro Nacional. Y, subsecuentemente, el gobierno nacional tuvo dificultad manejando sus finanzas, hasta que tuvieron que vender la mayoría de sus edificios públicos, en 1865. El gobierno empezó a ser explotado por particulares, y a veces se tenía que regalar tierras.
domingo, 27 de mayo de 2012
Non-Fiction Book Project (Complete)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/116p8xNevMUB3skjob5BLD0tPgZrB4yZoG8vzxGG63QU/edit
This link has all the parts of the project, except the review, which will take 2 days.
This link has all the parts of the project, except the review, which will take 2 days.
martes, 22 de mayo de 2012
Storyboard Questions
What are the obstacles?
The obstacles are a need and want for electives and less time.
All long-term electives (i.e. band, language), where people are dedicated,
would be hard to take down.
How do you solve them?
By, possibly, giving the option to take these classes while
the Lateral Thinking classes are taking place. Obviously, these classes would
still be cut short, since some projects would have to take place for the
student to get a grade and to learn, but it would be significantly reduced.
What is your evidence?
There is no evidence for actual experimental classes, since
this is a relatively new idea and there are few schools that have done this,
however there is evidence that
Who will this help?
Why will it work?
jueves, 17 de mayo de 2012
viernes, 11 de mayo de 2012
Book Reviews
Write a book review & submit it to Amazon.
Talk about:
Your favourite person
Quotes
Favorite Parts
Theme or lesson
Feelings
Review (MANDATORY)
Talk about:
Your favourite person
Quotes
Favorite Parts
Theme or lesson
Feelings
Review (MANDATORY)
miércoles, 9 de mayo de 2012
Questions (Past)
What needs does your idea fill?
The needs my idea fills are important and large. The creative skills that a toddler has are lost overtime without nourishment and practice. Complex or creative solutions to problems are looked down upon in academic classes, and even in creative classes like English or Spanish, there is no room to achieve full potential. This is why we must design a class that enhances this, that leaves students to reach their full potential.
What would teachers, students, parents, and administrators be motivated with to make this change?
Teachers and students would probably find this fun. As for more specific reasons, teachers would probably enjoy spending more one-on-one time with students, helping them grasp concepts better. Administrators would see that this would help their school seem revolutionary and modern. Parents, when they find out about research on this topic, will most likely be supportive of this (this applies to everyone).
5 specific ideas of how this will change the classroom, how it will be.
1. The classes would most probably be in the morning, since research shows the brain is more active at this time.
2. Teachers may arrange to meet students in this time,
3. This would not be a class, but rather a free period to go around classes. Alternatively, it could be used to catch up on homework.
4. This would be graded by reviewing in the end of the year what you have done and what achievements (a portfolio keeping track of what you've done would be ideal).
5. Other classes would probably be shortened.
The needs my idea fills are important and large. The creative skills that a toddler has are lost overtime without nourishment and practice. Complex or creative solutions to problems are looked down upon in academic classes, and even in creative classes like English or Spanish, there is no room to achieve full potential. This is why we must design a class that enhances this, that leaves students to reach their full potential.
What would teachers, students, parents, and administrators be motivated with to make this change?
Teachers and students would probably find this fun. As for more specific reasons, teachers would probably enjoy spending more one-on-one time with students, helping them grasp concepts better. Administrators would see that this would help their school seem revolutionary and modern. Parents, when they find out about research on this topic, will most likely be supportive of this (this applies to everyone).
5 specific ideas of how this will change the classroom, how it will be.
1. The classes would most probably be in the morning, since research shows the brain is more active at this time.
2. Teachers may arrange to meet students in this time,
3. This would not be a class, but rather a free period to go around classes. Alternatively, it could be used to catch up on homework.
4. This would be graded by reviewing in the end of the year what you have done and what achievements (a portfolio keeping track of what you've done would be ideal).
5. Other classes would probably be shortened.
Best Written Piece of The Year
Subject: English
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Authoritarian style rule is harmful to a society and its inhabitants, especially one that appeals to superficiality”. I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.
“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”
This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, her best friend, or, at least, a friend that she had gotten close to. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, innumerably, harvests and uses this power to great effect.
“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”
This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a model which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and complete awe of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable, and contradicting.
“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.
In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is subverted by aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look recently. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, made the rounds over this leviathan of communication, known as the internet, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that, although aesthetics are, obviously, beautiful, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book.
I think a main theme in the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfield is “Authoritarian style rule is harmful to a society and its inhabitants, especially one that appeals to superficiality”. I’ll give three quotes as examples of this.
“The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.”
This quote talks about how Tally must lie to Shay, her best friend, or, at least, a friend that she had gotten close to. This reflects the fear that she feels towards this gigantic government, this authoritarian monster, and she feels the need, even, through the threat that they will never turn her into a pretty if she does not rat on The Smoke, the rebel group that refuses to conform to the strict guidelines in this society. I think this quote’s underlying meaning, and the whole situation behind it, is that people’s own personality, values, and emotions become deteriorated in a state that has so much power over the people, a state that, innumerably, harvests and uses this power to great effect.
“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves”
This is another quote from the book, which shows the slow rotting and decrepitude of morals in this plastic, superficial dictatorship. This may be a sideline to the theme, but another thing is, through the allegorical use of the Uglies government as a society where, only figuratively, superficiality and extreme deification of beauty, a model which very well is equal to our own. This betrayal of Tally towards Shay and the rebels is the manifestation of this, one that could be tied to the sacrifices some make towards their persona and image, ones that, if this worship and complete awe of beauty did not exist, would be unthinkable, and contradicting.
“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
I find this to be the most important quote. This ties together the totalitarian qualities of the regime, making a slight reference to the so-called socialist totalitarian and fascist dictatorships which arose in the 20th century, and used commonly the suppression of ideas and criticism, and the mass feed of government propaganda through the seizing and tight censorship of communication. This reflects in the chase for the rebel group in the book, and shows how serious this government, which usually hides in the background throughout the story, is in handling its critics.
In conclusion, I’ll analyze my interpretation of allegory of the story, and how it fits into the theme. Basically, as I have mentioned above, this society is in many ways allegorical to our own. No longer are the times where usefulness and practicality is subverted by aesthetics and the cult of beauty. We literally worship commerciality, since, from young age, we are trained to conform our tastes and standards to the ones preconceived by society. Slowly we may turn into at least a concerning resemblance to this society, with our developing plastic surgery technology, and one day maybe it will be normal for everyone to wish to conform to this standard. Meanwhile, the authoritarian part of the theme may remind some of the increasingly oppressive laws that governments are putting up, especially in the internet, if we look recently. Although they, thanks to many concerned individuals, made the rounds over this leviathan of communication, known as the internet, many felt they did not get the attention they should have. I guess, in summary, I believe that, although aesthetics are, obviously, beautiful, they should not rule over our society, as they did in this book.
lunes, 7 de mayo de 2012
Questions
Strategies for students to think laterally
How would the classes be (student: teacher)?
Divided by subject?
How would the classes be (student: teacher)?
Divided by subject?
Interests
I have many interests. As for actual talents, I can say that I know how to play tennis, and have been learning how to play the clarinet for 3 years.
I started learning how to play tennis when I was 7, however I haven't ever really been too competitive in it. I usually just play with friends, and occasionally enter in tournaments.
Playing the clarinet is different. I practice every other day for at least one hour, and I have applied for competitions before. This is because I really value this skill, and I enjoy playing the clarinet a lot.
In school, I enjoy learning about politics and history, because I find that I can retain information easily, and still be curious. As for things that I enjoy doing and I am knowledgeable about (but don't necessarily require talent), I like listening to music. I mostly listen to black metal, which is an extreme metal music genre that developed in Scandinavia (especially Norway) during the 90's. I also listen to a lot of subgenres, such as DSBM, blackgaze, and ambient, among others.
Storytelling
1. PoV
2. Dramatic Question
3. Emotion
4. Voice
5. The Soundtrack
6. Economy
7. Pacing
- Tell something from an opinion and a character
2. Dramatic Question
- The big idea, the question
3. Emotion
- Make the viewer care
4. Voice
- You want your personality in your video
5. The Soundtrack
- Sound
6. Economy
- 3, 3 1/2 min. videos
7. Pacing
- Pace your issues
sábado, 5 de mayo de 2012
lunes, 30 de abril de 2012
jueves, 26 de abril de 2012
3 Questions of Divergent Thinking
What is the big issue?
Who would it affect?
What would define success?
The big issue is the standardization and close-mindedness of contemporary school curriculum. The answer to this is the changing of things that are learned, including possibly, like Edward De Bono has suggested, teaching lateral or divergent thinking as a course. This change would affect every single student in the school, since, to preserve the original, naturally-obtained natural thinking from childhood. Success would be defined by higher improvement in other grades, and possibly new careers related to this lateral thinking, as well as the recognition of lateral thinkers as intelligent.
Who would it affect?
What would define success?
The big issue is the standardization and close-mindedness of contemporary school curriculum. The answer to this is the changing of things that are learned, including possibly, like Edward De Bono has suggested, teaching lateral or divergent thinking as a course. This change would affect every single student in the school, since, to preserve the original, naturally-obtained natural thinking from childhood. Success would be defined by higher improvement in other grades, and possibly new careers related to this lateral thinking, as well as the recognition of lateral thinkers as intelligent.
How Schools Kill Creativity...
1. The similarities between a factory and a school
2. The rise of modern teaching methods from the Enlightenment
3. Difference between lateral thinking and creativity
2. The rise of modern teaching methods from the Enlightenment
3. Difference between lateral thinking and creativity
Journal
In this class, I have experienced a different way of learning.
The grading rubric is based on the discovery and development of ideas, as opposed to memorization. Different mediums are used to express this. Multimedia projects and technology are used often. The option of having a blog lets you post things online easily, and not have to deal with bulky papers or "losing" things. When physical assignments are needed, they are used in different ways, as in creating a model, like we did for the "Uglies" sci-fi invention project. Finally, I didn't have the reading time we had before class. I find it useful and fun, since not only can we read anything we want, but we can also work on the reading projects we have, reading the book we have assigned or we're using for the assignment.
Portfolio
What are parts of a portfolo?
- Elective
- Sociales
- English
- Books read
- SS
- Math
- Science
- Spanish
- Books read (Spanish)
- Teachers
- POarents
- 7th graders
- camps
- High School teachers
- College
- Yourself
miércoles, 18 de abril de 2012
Evaluating
"I thought this was a succinctly written summary, which, although maintaining measured vagueness, still included details which, although secondary, are still pertinent and important."
Felipe Sanchez
Felipe Sanchez
viernes, 13 de abril de 2012
MSND: Evaluating
Felipe Sanchez: "This was a good paragraph and summary. I like how you put your reasons for putting in details."
Samy Fajardo: This was pretty good. I suggest putting more information about the play next time, but besides that it was good :)"
Samy Fajardo: This was pretty good. I suggest putting more information about the play next time, but besides that it was good :)"
MSND: Analyzing
I decided to put in everything that had to do with the development of the story: for example, the conflict between Oberon and Titania was important, otherwise there would've been no need to introduce the juice.
MSND: Applying
Plot Summary
There are many subplots to this story. The first follows the events preceding the wedding of the duke of Athens, Theseus, to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Egeus, an Athenian, is having troubles with his daughter, who refuses to marry the suitor he has chosen for her. She could be punished, and even executed, Theseus agrees. She is in love with Lysander, and he with her, and yet her suitor must be Demetrius, who is in love with her. So, they plan to escape from Athens, and marry. Hermia tells Helena who is in love with Demetrius, and, even though he has repeatedly rejected her, she feels compelled to speak of the plans. Demetrius then begins to stalk in the woods, looking for Hermia.
Then, develops the third plot, the one of faeries, including Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the faeries, respectively. Then, in revenge for a disagreement, Oberon orders one of his servants to put a magic juice which makes the first thing one lays eyes upon their obsession. Seeing that Demetrius has been acting cruel to Hermia, he orders Puck to put some in Demetrius' eyes so that he may fall in love with Hermia. Puck is confused, and instead puts it on Lysander's eyes. As Puck tries to fix his mistake, the two men now pay no attention to Hermia, and love Helena. Helena does not believe them, however, and thinks that they are mocking her.
In the end,it is fixed, so that Demetrius loves Helena and Lysander loves Hermia, and v.v. By morning, all is well, and they get to witness the wedding.
There are many subplots to this story. The first follows the events preceding the wedding of the duke of Athens, Theseus, to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Meanwhile, Egeus, an Athenian, is having troubles with his daughter, who refuses to marry the suitor he has chosen for her. She could be punished, and even executed, Theseus agrees. She is in love with Lysander, and he with her, and yet her suitor must be Demetrius, who is in love with her. So, they plan to escape from Athens, and marry. Hermia tells Helena who is in love with Demetrius, and, even though he has repeatedly rejected her, she feels compelled to speak of the plans. Demetrius then begins to stalk in the woods, looking for Hermia.
Then, develops the third plot, the one of faeries, including Oberon and Titania, king and queen of the faeries, respectively. Then, in revenge for a disagreement, Oberon orders one of his servants to put a magic juice which makes the first thing one lays eyes upon their obsession. Seeing that Demetrius has been acting cruel to Hermia, he orders Puck to put some in Demetrius' eyes so that he may fall in love with Hermia. Puck is confused, and instead puts it on Lysander's eyes. As Puck tries to fix his mistake, the two men now pay no attention to Hermia, and love Helena. Helena does not believe them, however, and thinks that they are mocking her.
In the end,it is fixed, so that Demetrius loves Helena and Lysander loves Hermia, and v.v. By morning, all is well, and they get to witness the wedding.
Applying: Summary
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, many times accepted as the greatest writer of the English language. His full works include 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems, and many other poems.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. When he was 18, he married his pregnant girlfriend. They had three children: first Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. He acquired Lord Chamberlain's Men (later known as the King's Men), a company, between 1585 and 1592, as well as becoming a respected playwright. He retired to Stratford when he was 49, and died there 3 years later.
His tragedies and comedies are the most famous. Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, (all tragedies) are all regarded as some of the most important works in the English language.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. When he was 18, he married his pregnant girlfriend. They had three children: first Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. He acquired Lord Chamberlain's Men (later known as the King's Men), a company, between 1585 and 1592, as well as becoming a respected playwright. He retired to Stratford when he was 49, and died there 3 years later.
His tragedies and comedies are the most famous. Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, (all tragedies) are all regarded as some of the most important works in the English language.
Understanding: 3 Open Questions
1. How has Shakespeare influenced modern culture?
2. How valid and probable are the theories that state that he didn't write the plays?
3. How has Shakespeare influenced modern English?
2. How valid and probable are the theories that state that he didn't write the plays?
3. How has Shakespeare influenced modern English?
jueves, 12 de abril de 2012
Steps...
Who is Shakespeare:
Knowing: Watch video "William Shakespeare Biography", uploaded by thecatastrophechynna.
Understanding: Make 3 open questions about Shakeseare's life and discuss it with classmates in groups of 2 or 3.
Applying: Based on the information you found on the video and discussion make a summary stating the most important traits and monents of his life.
Analyzing: Tell why you think those traits and moments mentioned were the most important ones with your groups.
Evaluating: Put comments on three of your peers' blogs evaluating their summaries.
Creating: Create an interesting multimedia presentation stating the life of William Shakespeare.
Midsummer's Night Dream:
Knowing: See the explanation and preview videos of the movie.
Understanding: See the movie.
Applying: Make 1-3 paragraphs telling the most important moments in the movie.
Analyzing: Tell why you chose the items you put in your paragraphs.
Evaluating: Make comments on three of your peers' paragraphs.
Creating: Make an interesting presentation about the Play with a web 2.0 tool.
Knowing: Watch video "William Shakespeare Biography", uploaded by thecatastrophechynna.
Understanding: Make 3 open questions about Shakeseare's life and discuss it with classmates in groups of 2 or 3.
Applying: Based on the information you found on the video and discussion make a summary stating the most important traits and monents of his life.
Analyzing: Tell why you think those traits and moments mentioned were the most important ones with your groups.
Evaluating: Put comments on three of your peers' blogs evaluating their summaries.
Creating: Create an interesting multimedia presentation stating the life of William Shakespeare.
Midsummer's Night Dream:
Knowing: See the explanation and preview videos of the movie.
Understanding: See the movie.
Applying: Make 1-3 paragraphs telling the most important moments in the movie.
Analyzing: Tell why you chose the items you put in your paragraphs.
Evaluating: Make comments on three of your peers' paragraphs.
Creating: Make an interesting presentation about the Play with a web 2.0 tool.
miércoles, 28 de marzo de 2012
What makes a bad poem?
What makes a bad poem?
- doesn't make sense
- is not organized
- doesn't have rhythm
- doesn't have a theme
- is out of order
- no message sent
What is Inference?
An inference is an advanced prediction, or an educated guess, using information already available.
Knowledge Building Process
- my new information
- my theory
- this theory cannot explain... (objections or flaws in the theory)
- I still need to understand... (finding any information that lacks or is needed)
- putting our ideas together (synthesis)
Reason I Can Build More Knowledge In a Group Environment
In working with a team, you have to understand that some projects and tasks are better done alone, but, as is the case usually, some can be better and more efficiently done with a group. As opposed to working alone, there is a plethora of ideas and questions and theories during the brainstorming phase in a project.
Groups, of course, also require etiquette. Because of this flow of ideas, some may not be so good in your opinion, however this does not change the fact that it is an idea that should be respected. Offer constructive criticism, maybe building on this idea and changing it to adapt to your standards or thoughts, and discuss why this would be an improvement. An important part of going to school is the social interaction that home-schooling does not offer. This is an extremely important skill in life, and group projects helps us improve this skill.
martes, 27 de marzo de 2012
Which Theme We Decided On
During the project, we examined both themes, and agreed that Rachel's theme pertained more to the story and was more relevant, and also because of better proof. The theme that she chose was man vs. society. Tally rebelled against her government throughout the whole book, after discovering the downsides to becoming a pretty, which includes a brainwashing. What Rachel was saying was that not only was she going against her government, which was more of my thesis, but also against the cultural norm, the acceptance of her peers. This is what makes Rachel's theme more complete.
Real Learning Is...
I believe real learning is when anything, a skill, information, is learned and will be applied later. Real learning is usually a rare occurrence. Although everyday we learn at least one thing in school, most will be filtered out, or remembered for convenience. Occasionally, however, some piece of information stays, and, when applied later, it will be useful. I believe this is really learning. What we learn is infinite, of course. Even a mistake can be a learning experience, and can turn into true learning.
Transitional Words
Conjunctions: although, though, while, whereas, despite, in spite of, etc. These words link 2 clauses together.
Adverbal phrases: however, on the other hand, what's more, etc. These words link ideas in 2 different sentences.
Adverbal phrases: however, on the other hand, what's more, etc. These words link ideas in 2 different sentences.
Themes Examples
Man vs Self: The Portrait of Dorian Gray - The main character had eternal beauty, and yet his indulgences, and his own painting, and it's destruction, led to his downfall
Man struggles to understand divinity: The Happening- A former preacher, through the tragic loss of his wife, loses faith in God and the supernatural.
Man vs Society: 1984- The main character is stuck in a totalitarian state, where criticism of government is being almost fully eradicated, and censorship is reaching even the mind
Crime does not pay: Bonnie and Clyde- In the end, both are killed because of their crimes.
Character overcomes thing to conquer:In the movie Another Earth, the main character has to overcome the 4 years of her life she served for involuntary vehicular manslaughter
Friendship depends on sacrifice: Harry Potter– All friends, in the last book, need to leave their families to defeat Voldemort and his minions, and Harry's friends also come to help avenge the death of Harry's parents.
Love conquers all – Titanic, since the two main characters overcome disapproval to satisfy their forbidden love
Death is part of the life cycle: Final Destination series, because after the characters evade death, they must die anyways, by the power of fate.
Sacrifice brings reward- character gives something up: El Topo- The main character, El Topo, gives up his morals and values, and goes to kill the 4 masters of fighting, to impress his female companion, who begs him to do this
Humans have the same needs: love and care: Beauty and the Beast- Even though the Beast is a horrible monster, he was once a human, and still needs love.
Man v.s Nature: Castaway, because the main character is stranded on an island, and must learn how to survive.
Hovercars ALL QUESTIONS, NOTES, ETC.
Hovercars
We’ve learned from our research the basic properties of magnetism.
Magnetism, of course, is a force that, by its electricity, attracts all objects
in its magnetic field. What we proposed to do is to create an electromagnet,
enhanced with electrical energy.Of course, the dream of hovercars has already
been invented, and most probably the only reason we are not using them is for
the sake of simplicity and easiness, as opposed to some of the complications of
magnet travel. However, even some are commonly used (in comparison with the
others) today, that are an exception to the previous sentence. The MagLev
(short for magnetic levitation) train was invented by the German Alfred Zehden,
who patented it in the United States.
What we propose doing is similar to his idea. Although we haven’t
worked out all the details specifically, the big idea is to create a car with
matching poles in relation to the floor below. This will make them repel
against each other, and thus making the vehicle hover. The magnetic field of the
car and the floor are large, but small enough to make sure that they do not
crash into other building. How the floor will be magnetised is still to be
considered, however we all agree that there has to be some sort of rebuilding
of the streets for magnetic cars. And whiile this happens, we have an idea for
how to use the cars. Instead of the whole road being magnetised, we only need a
platform, of the same pole as the magnets of the car, that moves around under
the car, and helps it move. Of course, this should only be temporal until the
roads are paved with magnetic material, but it could help popularize the cars
while there are no resources to drive it.
MAGNETISM
·
Constantly being peer edited and reviewed
·
Simple English Wikipedia less prone to
vandalism that can, in rare occasions, be found in the mainstream English
Wikipedia
·
.gov, which means that it is a website
sponsored by some government, and that means that it is almost always reliable
·
Reliable, from the famous World Health
Organization
·
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WHAT I LEARNED
(Simple English Wikipedia)
1.
Magnetism is a term used in physics describing
a force that attracts and repels objects. Magnetism can be made by things we
call magnets, or can also be made by electricity in a wire (called an
electromagnet). Magnetic attraction is when magnets are put near to magnetic
objects, the magnet will attract the magnetic object and pull it towards the
magnet until it is as near as it can get or touching it. Magnets can also repel
other magnets. Most objects that are attracted to magnets have iron in them.
Most other metals, such as aluminum, are not attracted to magnets. Magnetism is
a property that can be naturally found in such materials as iron, but can also
be caused by electricity being conducted through a non-magnetic material. This
is called an electromagnet. If a magnet of one pole is put near a magnetic
field of the opposite pole, both can attract each other and move as close as
possible towards each other. Or, if they are both of the same pole, they will
repel each other, and cause a force that attempts to distance themselves from
each other. One end of a magnet is of
the North Pole, and the other is of the South Pole. The north pole magnet, if held freely, will
always point to the geographical north. This property is the basis of
compasses.
(GeoMag)
2.
What is a magnetic field?
A
field fills the space between matter, and how much force this matter can have
on other matter. Several different types of fields exist. Gravity and electric
are two. Another is the magnetic field. A magnetic field only comes into play
when electric charges are moving. It is
a field because a magnetic field determines how much force an electric charge
will exert on another current.
What is a permanent magnet?
Mostly
everything is non-magnetic. The difference is when the motion of an electron
generates a magnetic field cancelled out by another electron. When this does not happen, when the
cancellation is incomplete, is when there is magnetism. Cobalt, nickel, and
most importantly, iron, share this property.
(World
Health Organization Website)
3.
The reason that the World Health Organization
would concern itself with electromagnetic fields is because of the threat to
health it causes. EMFs can cause brain
tumors, leukemia, birth defects, miscarriages, chronic fatigue, headaches,
cataracts, heart problems, stress. nausea, chest pain, forgetfulness, cancer
and other health problems. Some experts say that it is likely that up to 30% of
all childhood cancers come from exposure to EMFs. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) warns "There is reason for concern" and advises prudent
avoidance".
(Mariner)
4.
The electrical basis for the magnetic
properties of matter basically is just the combination of the spin and electric
charge in an electron, which causes a small magnetic field to arise. When there
are many atoms, all the electrons are paired in energy levels, and, according
to the exclusion principle, which means the electrons can have opposite spins
and the magnetic fields cancel.
(School
for Champions)
5.
Magnetic field consists of imaginary lines of
flux coming from spinning electrically charged particles. Examples include the
spin of a proton and the motion of electrons through a wire in an electric
circuit. What a magnetic field actually consists of is somewhat of a mystery,
but we do know it is a special property of space. The lines of magnetic flux
flow from one end of the object to the other. By convention, we call one end of
a magnetic object the N or North-seeking pole and the other the S or
South-seeking pole, as related to the Earth's North and South magnetic poles.
The magnetic flux is defined as moving from N to S. Although individual
particles such as electrons can have magnetic fields, larger objects such as a
piece of iron can also have a magnetic field, as a sum of the fields of its
particles. If a larger object exhibits a sufficiently great magnetic field, it
is called a magnet. The magnetic field of an object can create a magnetic force
on other objects with magnetic fields. That force is what we call magnetism.
When a magnetic field is applied to a moving electric charge, such as a moving
proton or the electrical current in a wire, the force on the charge is called a
Lorentz force. When two magnets or magnetic objects are close to each other,
there is a force that attracts the poles together. When two magnetic objects
have like poles facing each other, the magnetic force pushes them apart.
Magnets can also weakly repel diamagnetic materials. The magnetic and electric fields are both
similar and different. They are also inter-related. Just as the positive (+)
and negative (−) electrical charges attract each other, the N and S poles of a
magnet attract each other. In electricity like charges repel, and in magnetism
like poles repel. The magnetic field is a dipole field. That means that every
magnet must have two poles. On the other hand, a positive (+) or negative (−)
electrical charge can stand alone. Electrical charges are called monopoles,
since they can exist without the opposite charge.
2 New Theories
1.
We cannot increase magnetism too much, or it
could be harmful to health
2.
The repelling of the same type of magnet makes
us want two of the same pole facing each other
3 New Questions
1.
How can we reduce magnetism enough for it to
not cause health issues?
2.
How can we make sure the magnetic field will
not catch other things?
3.
Is magnetism even an issue for these types of
cars? How can we determine this?
2 ideas
1.
We should use electromagnets in our invention
to increase efficiency and force
2.
We should use the properties of the Earth’s
electromagnetic field
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