Is recycling forming a new era?

I read an article written by Tanner Wolf called, " The Unused." Tanner talks about Dan Phillips using old, unwanted pieces of metal, wood, and other items to build houses. After building these houses he rents them out. I found this interesting. Mr. Phillips makes the roofs out of old license plates. I don't understand why or how he came up with this idea, but I think it is pretty nifty. Most peoples unwanted possessions are dumped in a landfill with all the other unwanted things in life. After reading this post, I thought, where did a man get such a great idea? I mean, I never would have thought about that. This topic sparked another idea in my mind. In science we are learning about wind turbines and using them for renewable energy. If wind energy if reusable and good for the environment, then can the pieces from these houses be reused over and over again? Overall, I think this topic will have a dramatic influence in the housing future and may become a reality in the years to come.

In Wagner's article " Rigor Redefined," he talks about schools not preparing their students for 21st century careers and citizenship.

Most of my teachers at Arapahoe High School talk about teaching us for jobs that don't exist yet. Thinking about this subject may be weird at times, but it is true. Us students have many ideas in-mind for future careers. The truth is, we might have a complete different idea if/when these "non existent" jobs become available.

Ideas like having an imagination, being a critical thinker or collaborating with others are going to be essential in the future. Even though we use these three ideas through out the school day, they will be used even more in the years to come. This may sound weird but most students don't realize we are being taught content that will be useful in the years to come, NOT now. Unlike our parents, that were taught content that was used when they were growing up, we are being taught content that isn't as useful right now. My teachers say, "most of the content being taught will be used later in life." So, just like Wagner said, " Even the "best" schools are failing at preparing students for 21st century content" because we just don't know what to expect in the future.

Media, People, and H1N1

While reading an article called,"1 in 4 hospitalized swine flu patients put in ICU" I began to think... Does the media influence the way the world reacts about the H1N1 virus? This strand of flu has clearly cause an epidemic, but is it really as bad as it sounds?

The experts said,"One quarter of Americans sick enough to be hospitalized with swine flu last spring wound up needing intensive care and 7 percent of them died, the first such study of the early months of the global epidemic suggests. That’s a little higher than with ordinary seasonal flu, several experts said." People all over the world are being affected by the H1N1 strand. We never hear about the number of cases from Indonesia, or even Europe. If we never hear about the cases from around the world, then why does it become the top story on the news?

If the numbers show that the it is a little worse than the seasonal flu, then why does this strand receive so much attention? I understand this is such a rare strand, but I think it receives a little too much attention. I am yet to catch the flu, seasonal or H1N1, but it is my understanding that our school, Arapahoe, has come within a few cases of being shut down. It has been so severe than the district installed "state of the art" foaming hand sanitizer dispensers in every classroom. The hand sanitizer works, but only for those who use it. Anyway, I understand this is sparking a hug debate with the vaccine coming out so I pose this question, Do you think the media influences the way we react to the Swine Flu?

Does Plaxico Burress Really deserve 2 years?

An MSNBC article published by the associated press, talked about Plaxico Burress kissing his son, pregnant wife, grand-father, father and stepmother good-bye before being taken away. My question is, does he really deserve this much time behind bars? I understand the gun wasn't licensed. But, if he shot himself, wouldn't that be different than him shooting other humans? People shoot themselves everyday and they don't have to spend 2 years in jail. If they don't, then why should Plaxico? Just because he is an NFL super-star, doesn't mean he needs to be punished harder. Burress's crime wasn't nearly as bad as Michael Vick's. Having organized dog fights is much worse than accidentally shooting yourself. Being sentenced to 23 months for dog fights? Shouldn't it have been longer? Plaxico Burress was sentenced to a month shy of that and what he did wasn't as bad. Controlling dog fights is crazy. They are living creatures. ALL living creatures should be given the same respect as humans. Unlesss in a life or death situation, ALL animals MUST be treated with respect. Did Michael Vick treat the dogs with respect? Absolutly not! He should have deserved more than 23 months for that. If it weren't a celebrity that committed that crime, they would have been sentenced to 5 years! Just because he is a celebrity doesn't mean that he isn't exactly like all the other humans in this planet!

If Plaxico Burress is reinstated into the National Football League, then the organization is out or control. Would you want convicts playing in a professional sport with guy who know what self control is? I know i wouldn't. If you were to read about what Micheal Vick did and compare it to Plaxico's case, you will find his sentence a little "over done." So, what do you think, did Plaxico Burress deserve 2 years behind bars?

I read Mr. Fisch's post called, "H1N1, Skype, and a Possible Tipping Point." Mr. Fisch was reflecting on Anne Smith's post about students Skyping into class when they are sick.

I hate returning to school and trying to figure out what I missed. It causes a major inconvenience. Skyping into class provides a great alternative to showing up and being confused after being sick for a week. While this shows how much more technologically advanced our world has become, it also shows the teachers how dedicated their students are. Mr. Booth, Arapahoe High School's principal, says, "You guys (referring to the students) are so good at playing the game of school. You show up everyday,do your work, and shut everything down the second you get home." If students chose to Skype into class while they are sick, then it would prove the complete opposite of what Mr. Booth has to say. I'm not saying that he is wrong but, most kids would rather Skype in than worry about making up the work when they return. I go home and shut everything down that has to do with school until later at night. If Arapahoe offered this feature, most teachers and students wouldn't be as stressed out when returning. I also think that kids' grades wouldn't plummet because they could do any homework and in-class assignments. Most students decide not to make up the work due to more homework on top of the make up work. Truly, this technological feature would be highly used if offered in most schools.

Would our World be Different Without Racism?

After reading the article "'Racist' claims defuse once powerful word," I began to think,"Is everyone a little racist?" Most people call other individuals racist when they make fun of someone who is different from them. The New Webster Dictionary defines racist as " someone who believes in the inherent superiority of a particular race or is prejudiced against others." Just because people are different from you doesn't mean it's ok to make fun of their nationality, religion, etc. I think you are considered racist once you start to question other peoples' way of life in a cruel way. Now if you are having a conversation and ask them why they do this or why they do that, then that is one thing. But if it is directed toward them in a mean way, then that is NOT ok! I truly believe that everyone is a little racist. If people weren't a little racist from time to time, then how would our would be different?

Controversy Over President Obama's Speech to American Students

After reading the post, "If Media Reported About Presidential Speeches Historically The Way They Do Now" by brian, I noticed a few things. First, why do so many people disagree with what he has to say? I understand peoples' political views, but he is our president and we need to respect him. It isn't right to go off and saw all of these terrible things about him if you don't know why he is doing it. Secondly, why would he want to talk to all of the second generation voters? If he is struggling from the start of his presidential career, then would it make sense to talk to the next generation about school? Shouldn't he be talking to the all of the third generation voter (younger than 9th grade)? It doesn't register to me as to why he would want to talk to high schoolers instead of elementary and middle school kids.

We Are the Machines

The internet is always changing. Wesch's video shows us that every time we click on a link, we are teaching the machines something. He also said that every thing starts with us. This video made me realize a couple of things. First, the internet has come along way from its original structure. HTML has expanded from a basic format to a more advanced one. At first, there wasn't such a thing as bold or italics. All of the elements in the documents described the content, not the form. Secondly, I realized the internet isn't just for receiving information, it's also used for publishing work and communicating with other people. I use Facebook everyday to communicate with family and friends. I never go on the internet and only extract information from it. Truly, the internet isn't just a basic place to receive information, it is our life!

Students' diction, grammar and writing skills deteriorate during the summer. While students use "text talk" and social networking sites, their literacy usage decreases. In Clive Thompson's article "The New Literacy", a survey is taken over the course of five years. During this time, she collected over fourteen-thousand student writing samples. While reviewing some of these samples, she noticed that most students wrote for an audience. This causes students to think the opposite of what is considered "good" writing. As well as good writing, good teaching is also extremely important. Without good teaching, students are unable to learn as well as they are expected. I remember having a bad teacher and I struggled on most of the tests due to the lack of knowledge. Truly, good teaching is just as important as good writing.