What a Waste

A new page every day. Tree-killer. It may seem like a waste to some or many of you, but we are developing some organizational skills. A basic rule to live by is to begin with a new page (side) every day. If you get a handout, plan for its inclusion somehwere - if you want to staple/tape it to a page you are also writing on....fine, but then you are actually hiding information. Every page will either be a continuation of a previous page or the beginning of something new. Something new will always start on a new page, with a clear page title. Trust me - it will help you keep track of everything.

AS (& AP): Whenever there is some down time, finish up your maps. Tomorrow, I'll give a real Castle/Middle Ages lecture. Thursday is still TBD. Friday will be a day to correct your homework, and we'll read some other primary documents.

G/E: I'll be assigning a book later this week. In class, it's about breaking bad habits and getting you to focus on not wasting time by getting your work done...in class. Textbooks are due by Friday.

Podcasting!

OK - I have started reading the textbook in order to create podcasts. My next step will be to record lectures. Here is an extra-credit assignment for my fellow nerdy types - I need to know how to get server space (maybe at WHS?) and then upload my podcasts so you can easily download them when you want to transfer them to your MP3 player. I am also serious about getting other readers out there. Each section is taking about 15 minutes, totalling about an hour for each chapter. Any interested takers? If you have a computer or Digital Voice Recorder, you should be good to go. I'll worry about converting files - I just need people to create them by CLEARLY reading from the text! Any takers?

Average

Today's quote hopefully sunk in to some of the students. In the 10th grade classes, we worked on organization before I assigned a worksheet that is due Friday. In G/E, you were to assign importance and funding to federal agencies. New Quarter. New Start.

So, Sophs - what do you think of the notebook/journal plan?

Winds of Change

I am still working on my new grading system for next semester - something that will make sense to everyone. Look forward to some things from the past semester going by the wayside, while others return from the graveyard. You'll find very little truly new or foreign.
- The daily quote will return.
- The notebooks/journals will be vital.
- Self-assessment will become a part of the routine.
- There will be a quiz or test every week.
- We'll be moving from a 25-point per assignment standard down to a 20-point standard.
- I am going to try and utilize more A-B-C-D-F indicators.
- Extra Credit opportunities will be available on a weekly basis.

Econ: I met with each student individually about your current academic standing. In groups, you were to work on JA Ch. 5 Questions 1, 5, & 7. Wednesday will be spent on discussing your findings and discussing the Kohn article. Then Thursday will be the Econ final.

WS: Not much of a class today due to the Writing Test. Wednesday will be about sorting your journals/notebooks and finalizing the Religion Chart.

AP WS: You were supposed to organize your journal/notebook in class. On Wednesday, I will meet with each of you individually about your current academic standing. Meanwhile, the class will have time to work on EC - the Ch. 8 Reviewing the Facts.

I'm off to watch the State of the Union Address...

The Comeback

For those of you who did not watch, the Indianapolis Colts came back from an 18-point deficit at halftime and defeated the New England Patriots yesterday. You're never out until the very end. Some of you have a final opportunity to show that you have learned something. Everyone has a test on Thursday:

Econ - JA Chapters 1-5

WS - Ch. 8 and Religion Chart (Version A)

AP WS - Ch. 8 and Religion Chart (Version B)

For the next two days, I will meet with everyone individually and we'll determine your projected grade (pending the final, of course).

1 Week to go!

Sophomores: We worked on organizing a 5-paragraph essay in an outline and box-chart format. Remember that your MBST in writing is next Tuesday! Also, study for your final (Chapter 8 and Religion Chart)

Econ: Complete Ch. 5 Quiz (Open Book) in class, get all previous work passed back. Study for FInal next week! Also - Monday will be the day to get your FAFSA pin...so get your Social Security Number!

Would MLK be OK Today?

A day to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King. Great man. He had faults (like all of us), but he also inspired people throughout the nation (regardless of race), with the only people fearing him being ignorant disciples of hatred. Dr. King was a fan of Gandhi, and utilized the non-violence resistance movement in a very effective way in the country. Violence against the Black man during the Civil Rights Era was initiated by the ignorant fools in power ("traditionalist" White Men). Today, sadly, more violence against a Black man will be initiated by another Black man. I have a feeling Dr. King (and Brother Malcolm) would be saddened and disappointed by such tragedies.

Big sports news thus far is that the Gophers might have a new football coach - some tight ends coach from somewhere. Whoop Dee Do. I wanted Solich (or in a dream - Dungy). *SIGH* Oh well.

The seniors today read something from Alfie Kohn. It was about grades and the whole grading process. I only hope they understood its value. The sophs will read it sometime soon as well. Meanwhile, the sophs (all thre classes) watched a nice video about the foundation of Islam. Fair and balanced, it is part I of Islam: Empire of Faith. We'll talk more about Empire-building next quarter - just remember that there's more to it than faith alone. We're on a non-class late start day tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the field trip to the History Center with the AmStud students tomorrow.

Econ: Get your article questions done by Friday, please. You should also be aware of neext week's final. It will cover Chapters 1-5 of the JA curriculum. Read, study, practice, review.

WS and AP WS: Your quarter 2 "Final" will be Chapter 8 and the Religion Chart. Do not forget that you will be taking the MBST writing test next week. We'll work on the "Writing Chart" I talked about last week on Friday.

Thou Shall Not...

Have any fun for the next two weeks...it nearing the end of the quarter and all. Wednesday is an SLC day, so I will be at the History Center with the AmStud kids. Non-AmStud students will be doing who-knows-what with who-knows-who who-knows-where. Until then, I expect as many of you as possible to help out your neighbors by shoveling some walks...gratis, if necessary. We wasted an oportunity of a snow day, but Mpls never has Snow Days. We're a daycare system, not an educational system.

Anyone who cannot find a legal problem with adultery should check this out.

Streaking and the Web

The Gophers Hockey team lost at Wisconsin last night. For those of you unaware, they had not lost since the first game of the season (20+ games). A bit disappointing, but let's see how they respond tonight (while many of us will also be watching the Eagles at Saints). Just remember that sometimes things have been going your way for quite awhile...then it shifts against you. How do you get over such adversity?

The Web has sped up the circular flow of commerce and made the world much smaller (consider "The Global Village" theory). As such, laws in one country can be broken in others via the web. Allowing people to download copyrighted material via the web has become a widspread problem. Since the web is international, someone in the US can access information stored in Sweden and walk a tightrope of legality. For example, there is a program for such actions that is similarly named after islands off the Portuguese coast, Azureus.

Then, if you download things from places like mininova, ipodnova, etc. you are breaking US law. But - what if you already own such media files and simply want to access them from the road? You see the slippery slope. It's called piracy - but who is really the pirate? For $10, you see a movie in a theater, of which $8-$9 of those dollars go to the distributor, studio, and producers (eventually leading to Chris Tucker taking home $25 million for Rush Hour 3). Who's the real thief?

This is what gave birth to MySpace, originally designed for music distribution for small bands. You see, someone signs with a label and all music produced with that label is property of that label. Imagine how much music Simon Cowell owns and makes off everyone buying CDs of his Idols (Pop and American). Making money in the music business is about owning the music and the performer. Michael Jackson owns the Beatles music and it's what he's using to pay for his current lifestyle. Andre Young finds and produces music for Marshall Mathers, who then does the same with Curtis Jackson...while Mar. Mathers kicks some $$$ up to Mr. Young. It's very similar to a pyramid scheme, which is technically illegal in the US.

So your $15 pays music labels to then pass along $1-$2 to the performers and/or songwriters. Musicians make more money nowadays playing gigs than selling CDs in stores (an online). In response, many "free agent" musicians signed up for a web-based way of marketing themselves - MySpace.

Then you get YouTube. And have you read the fine print? ANYTHING and EVERYTHING posted on YouTube becomes property of Google (which now owns YouTube). CReation, development, and promotion have nothing to do with ownership anymore.

What's legal and what is illegal? If you download files without paying (the copyrighted owners), you are breaking US law. But how is that different from ripping the same stuff from your own DVDs and CDs? My advice? Don't download it unless you can prove ownership through some sort of legal transaction or provide a commercially produced CD or DVD.

Does this help you Sean?

Tech Stuff & Friday

Some people have asked about what program I use to watch videos on my computer. Check out VLC, since it can play virtually everything. Also - if anyone is looking into getting a new computer soon...WAIT! Just trust me on this...I'll explain it to you if you want to know why. Lastly, if you have any other tech questions, check out cnet.com (I have it permanently linked on the right).

Econ: Remember to bring your social security number for financial aid registration on Tuesday!

WS: We'll finish the Religion chart and Ch. 8 categorization on Monday.

AP WS: Don't forget about the HW. You will be turning in your notebooks after making a Table of Contents page.

Tardy Restitution: Some of you have been tardy to my class...and your grade will suffer. Rather than waste each other's time after school, bring me some supplies. RIght now, I see glue sticks and double-sided tape as being good bets.

Enjoy your long weekend...and while you consider MLK on Monday, consider reading Enough by Juan Williams. If any of you find interesting stuff on the web - let me know in the comments section...

Bizarro Schedule

OK - so the auditorium went a little longer than originally planned. No 3rd period today! I hope everyone took home more than some funny jokes designed around ethnic/racial differences. The message was not about stereotypes - it was more about tolerance and cooperation.

Govt/Econ: Mr. Crowell came in and talked about Financial Aid. I also distributed copies of the MCTC application. Everyone needs to know his/her social security number.

WS: No class today.

AP WS: Because of the weird sc hedule, we didn't know how long each class would be. I assigned the Islam/Byzantine map (pp. 181, 189). Do not forget about the COmmandments vs US legislation assignment - due Monday...whoops, I mean Tuesday.

Adios...

iPhone Home

For those of you who may not know, Apple unveiled its new iPod/Phone hybrid at Macworld yesterday. It's an 8 GB iPod with a cingular cell phone, running Mac OS X, which allows you to surf the web and view real web pages - oh , and it's widescreen. It looks pretty slick. Unfortunately, it's only available through Cingular for $600.

Soccer Reminder - we play at school every Thursday from 7 - 8:30. Tomorrow will also include a screening of Gladiator in my room. We'll order some food for dinner while we watch and then go play in one of the small gyms.

Govt/Econ: I talked about Cosby's speech at the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. Then you had 30 minutes to complete the Ch. 3 & 4 Tests. Unfortunately, many of you wasted your time looking through the text for things you should have known and did not finish in time. PLease understand that timed, open-book tests are a true measure of studying, preparation, and knwledge.

WS: I distributed Byzantine/Islam maps which you should have completed in class - it was only requiring you to copy pages 181 and 189 in your textbook. Pretty simple.

AP WS: I lectured about Islam (hopefully you took good notes). I also gave the comparison assignment (check "Hola" post...except for 6th period, which I forgot to remind. Oh, here is an EC opportunity...In your notebooks, cite where the Ten Commandments are written in the Old Testament, summarize the story of Job, and summarize the story of the 1001 Arabian Nights. That is all...

Hola!

First post this year - for students, at least. I will do my best to update this every day. I'll simply explain what was done in classand post some reminders of due dates and also include some random thoughts and links.

Govt/Econ - We played the X/Y game. I offered 1 EC point (equal to one percentage point) for every dollar you earned in teh activity. Well, greedyness prevailed and both classes hit the -16 mark. Since I was offering points, I believe it is only fair that you repay me in dollars. Lat's see here...58 students. $16 each. That's $924. I hope everyone learned the value of cooperation and how, while competition is beneficial, you can get more by positively working with your peers. We'll go over notebooks and grades on Weds/Thurs.

WS- Religion. We'll finish the chart Thursday, and you should also finish the Ch. 8 categorization in class as well (while I go through your notebooks). On Friday, we'll correct the Ch. 8 worksheet and I'll go over grades - while you work on some maps.

AP WS - Religion. Weds - Finish Ch. 8 Categorization and Religion Chart. Thursday will require your patience and attention since I will be lecturing. You are getting some HW as well - I need a detailed (point by point) comparison between the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament and US legislation (US Constitution and other laws). I would also like quick statements about which one (1) of the Ten (10) you think is most important and which is the least necessary. That should spark some debate. Due Friday (1/12). On Friday, we'll correct the Ch. 8 worksheet and I'll go over grades - while you work on some maps (maybe).