A Week in Review, 9/28/12

With week six coming to an end, I am shocked that I'm still in love with my wonderful school. We've learned a lot of things this week, and everything we learned is fun and definitely useful.

This week has been fantastic. I really enjoy learning about online citizenship, as well as learning how to act when using technology. At the beginning of the week, we learned how to evaluate websites so that we use correct, reliable, and updated information. We learned the six steps in analyzing websites, which we know as A.S.P.E.C.T.

Computer Fraud, July 6, 2009

  Since A.S.P.E.C.T is considered an acrostic, every letter in the word represents a different step in evaluating websites. The steps are very simple, and virtually anyone can understand them.

A: (authority) Verify the author's credentials. Be sure that the author has experience. See if the creator has published anything else.

S: (sources) See what sources the author used in making their article. Insist that the website can support the information that is found in it's sources.

P: (purpose) Find out what the website's purpose is. Is it trying to inform, confront, or entertain? Is it trying to sell you something? Is it directed to a specific audience? Ask yourself these questions, and you will be sure to figure out what the purpose of the website is.

E: (evenness) Be sure that the website covers all points of view on the topic. Identify whether or not the information is comprehensive and relevant.

C: (coverage) Make sure that the website supports other information, and that it covers both sides of a story. This step goes hand-in-hand with the evenness step.

T: (timeliness) make sure that the information is updated and maintained. If you can't find any dates on the site, you probably shouldn't use the information on that website.

We took notes on A.S.P.E.C.T from an online website called Iris. This website gave us many lessons on A.S.P.E.C.T, and the site was very helpful.

We were also introduced to a new presentation maker called MindMeister. This website allows me to create flow charts that are referred to as "mind maps". This website is absolutely flawless, and so simple to use. It is not time consuming at all, and I will definitely be using it for future projects and presentations. If you want to learn more about making your own mind map, you should definitely visit MindMeister.

                                                            Tutorial to MindMeister

I created a MindMeister earlier this week to display everything I learned about from the lessons about evaluating websites.



Create your own mind maps at MindMeister

Overall, this week has been incredible. I can't wait to get more in depth with the lessons that my teachers have prepared for me. Next Monday the six-week grading period ends, which means we will be getting our report cards very soon. I can't wait for next week, and as always, happy blogging!

Thursday Current Event 9/27/12

1. Topic: A new piece of technology allows people to control their computers through their glasses.

2. Article Title: $30 gadget lets you control computer with your eyes

3. Article Source: CNN.com

4. Summary: This gadget allows people to control computers using their eyes. This kind of technology is made out of simple items that all together cost about $30 dollars. This device is especially beneficial to people who are disabled and/or can't control a keyboard and computer mouse with their limbs.

5. Reaction: I highly acknowledge this piece of technology as affordable and efficient. I think it's great that this technology that seems so advanced and costly can be produced at a reasonable price. I think it's amazing that the people that engineered this device have made it possible for eye movement to translate into computer control. This affects me because I'm lazy, and the less I have to move, the happier I am. If a piece of technology can allow me to surf the web without lifting a single finger, I'm definitely interested in it. 

6. World Impact: This affects the world by opening a new window of opportunity to the field of technology. For example, if a man had become disabled while in an accident of any kind, and he became paralyzed, he would lose a lot of freedom, including the freedom of playing sports, walking, and using the computer easily. With this device, all he has to to do is wear glasses, and he is instantly in control of the way he uses technology. This device would help people all over the world, especially the disabled. I can see this device being sold at medical support stores everywhere.

Week 5 at Gaston Early College High School

Another week at Gaston Early College High School has passed by, leaving it's students and faculty members in awe of the challenging, yet fun, program that we call our school. Week five has definitely been challenging, with all of the tests and homework, but nonetheless, it's been great.

To start the week off with a change, we were assigned new peer editing partners. We have those partners so that they can give us positive feedback and suggestions on our Thursday current event article posts and our weekly review blog posts. We were also given a new peer editing grading rubric and new stems words.

Digital citizenship, May 25, 2012

The best day that I had this week was on Tuesday. We took a typing test, reviewed our grammar homework, and best of all, we were introduced to an online program called Digital Driver's License.

Digital Driver's License is a cool website that teaches us about Digital Citizenship, Email Etiquette, and much more valuable lessons about the online world. The lessons are actually fun, and I greatly value this flawless website. I completed the section 'Respect Yourself/ Respect Others'.

Another great tool that I was introduced to was online photo editing. I learned how to take a photo and add frames, captions, effects, and backgrounds to it. It's really fun, and I know that it will come in handy throughout my high school career when I'm doing projects online. The photo editing website that I used is called PhotoFunia. The photos below are the photos that I edited. Also, there's a brief tutorial on getting started with PhotoFunia.

Original photo for PhotoFunia editing/ woman. December 22, 2009

The original picture is represented in a negative way.

The original picture is represented in a positive way.

                   Tutorial to PhotoFunia

                        

Tracks we leave, February 17, 2010

We also received definitions to accompany our lesson unit on digital citizenship.

Reputation: a general impression held by others and the public
Persist: to continue on and endure
Context: different factors that surround information that help determine its meaning
Tag: words and terms that describe a photo or video. Also known as a 'caption'

Overall, this week has been amazing. I'm glad that I'm starting to get the hang of being in a completely new environment that we know as high school. I hope next week can be just as good as this week, and as always, happy blogging!

Thursday Current Event 9/20/12

1. Topic: 
The topic of this article is the new gaming system called the Wii U, which becomes available to the public on November 18, 2012.


2. Article Title: Nintendo's Wii U coming in November


3. Article Source: CNN.com

4. Summary: A new gaming device is being released in November 2012. Basically, it's a portable gaming device with excellent graphics and amazing gaming options. Critics say that this device is perfect for ultimate gamers who love new technology and Nintendo products. Also, this device will allow gamers to watch TV through the highly popular application called Nintendo TVii.

5. Reaction: I think this new product is wonderful! I love playing my Wii games, and for me, this gadget takes gaming to a whole new level. I can take it anywhere, and experience it's greatness on the go. I'm proud of the people at Nintendo for coming up with this nifty gadget. This affects me because it can be used as something to keep me occupied throughout the day. If I had this device, I would most likely never be bored again.

6. World Impact: This impacts the world in multiple ways. This device can give gaming fanatics something to talk about within their circle of gamer-friends. This gadget will be on the front page of newspapers everywhere, and everyone will want to get their hands on one of these cool devices. For all of the Wii lovers, this means that they can take a version of their Wii gaming system anywhere they desire. This event is big in the technology world, and it surely will be added to the list of things that keeps citizens occupied all over the world.

Week 4 at Gaston Early College High School

As warm days grow cold and the leaves start to change from dark green to light crimson,canary yellow, and brown, another week has passed by here at Gaston Early College High School. Oh, how the times have flown by, and before I know it, my freshman year will be over and done with.

My favorite lesson that we learned this week was grammar. I like knowing how to grammatically analyze a sentence easily and efficiently. We also learned how to diagram a sentence to make identifying the parts of speech much easier.

http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php?terms=digital+citizenship&edit=yes&page=1

http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/index.php?terms=digital+citizenship&edit=yes&page=1

The major lesson this week was Digital Citizenship, which is something everyone can relate to. We learned what it means to be a good citizen online, and how to respect other people while using modern day technology. We learned that good digital citizens don't bully people online, put other people's private information online, or discriminate others. We received vocabulary that relates to digital citizenship in every way possible. Here's some vocabulary that we got this week:

• Ethics: the principles and morals that govern people's behavior
• Online Ethics: governs people's behavior online, as it relates to Internet and digital devices
• Digital Citizenship: a safe, responsible, and ethical approach to functioning in the digital world
• Privacy: respecting privacy of others online
• Self-Expression and Identity: presenting yourself honestly and genuinely 
• Connected Culture: treating others kindly, respectfully, and avoiding cyber bullying
• Respecting Creative Work: citing others work and asking permission to use their work

This information has been helpful to me by giving me guidelines on what to do and what not to do while using technology. It's a great lesson that everyone that uses the Internet and other technological devices should learn.
 

Mostly everyone knows that Tuesday was the anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center back in 2001. In class, we watched several 9/11 dedication videos to honor and remember those who lost their lives that day.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJVkZaRLe4I&feature=fvst

 August 15, 2011

                       
One of my favorite things I did this week was create my first Animoto presentation about digital citizenship. For those who don't know what Animoto is, it's a website that allows you to make your own music videos easily and efficiently. I've attached the link to my Animoto video below. 

Some cool things about Animoto is that it is easy and virtually everyone can use it. I like the amount of options I have regarding the looks and music I can include in my presentations. However, I don't like that your word choice is limited. It isn't like making a power point presentation where you can type however much you want. In Animoto, your sentences have to be short, sweet, and to the point.

Overall, my week has been fantastic. Although school is challenging at times, I always find a way to stay on top of things, which makes me proud of myself. As always, happy blogging!

Thursday Current Event, September 13, 2012

1. Topic: How to make things disappear

2. Article Title: How to Make Anything Disappear 

 

3. Article Source: How to Make Anything Disappear

4. Summary: Physicists are making prototypes of the world’s first invisibility cloak that was first brought to the public eye in the Harry Potter movies. Scientists first made a cloak that was invisible to the human eye in all cases. Scientists also made a cloak that was invisible to sound. 

5. Reaction: I love that the scientists have engineered an article of clothing that I have aspired to own since watching the Harry Potter movies. They have my full support with the invisibility cloaks, and I encourage them to eventually manufacture and sell their creations. 

This event affects me because maybe one day I will buy one, just to live out my childhood dream of owning anything that can make things invisible. This magnificent creation opens up a new door as to what is possible and what is impossible. I remember looking at the invisibility cloak on the Harry Potter movies and thinking, "That's cool, I wish I had one. Too bad it's impossible to create!". Now, I'm glad that I was proven wrong, because my dream potentially can finally become a reality.


6. World Impact: This event affects the world because the invisibility cloak could be used to all sorts advantages. The invisibility cloaks would make an awesome Halloween costume, in case you're wanting to scare someone with an eerie voice that has no host. You could also hide things from other people. For example, if you wanted to hide a present or a surprise from someone, you could just put the cloak on top of the item, and presto! The list could go on and on, but it's impossible to list every single one of the examples.

Gaston Early College Week 3

Wow, another week at Gaston Early College that has passed by! I guess time flies by when you're having fun! The lessons that we have learned this week have been interesting, challenging, and fun all at the same time.

I learned how to subscribe to other blogs through my Google Reader account. To do this, I used an application called an RSS feed. RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication'. Through this feature, I can subscribe to other blogs easily and efficiently. I've attached a link to a Google Reader tutorial video below, to help you get started with your reading.

http://goo.gl/LrpPj

April 23, 2009

We also learned about different viruses that computers can contract through an email. We learned that a virus can hack your personal information, steal your money, and potentially steal your identity. I've attached a link to a tutorial on finding where a virus might lurk on your computer. 

  http://goo.gl/iepjW

December 14, 2009

Also, we learned about proper email etiquette. We learned the general email etiquette rules, how to format an email, strengthen the subject of your email, sculpt the bulk of your message, and how to identify spam and viruses. The information that I have received affects my actions online by introducing ways to identify sketchy emails that may contain harmful virus links. I've attached a link to the notes I took, in case you want to better your learning on the right and wrong things to do while sending an email.

 Email Etiqutte Notes

One of my favorite things that I did this week was making my own favicon. It was fun because I got to add my own personal touch to my blog. At first, the website was confusing, but eventually I got the hang of it. The favicon that I chose was a rainbow unicorn, combining my love for rainbows and unicorns all into one piece of art. If you want to build your own favicon, I've left the link to the website below. 

Favicon Maker

My week has been purely spectacular. It's been a little stressful with all of my projects and assignments, but for the most part it has been a walk in the park. For the first time in my life I actually enjoy school. I hope my optimism stays with me throughout the whole school year and the school years to come. Have a good weekend, and happy blogging!

9/6/12- Weekly Current Event Look Up

1. Topic: The topic at hand today is the fascination in building robots that could potentially be life saving during the events of a chaotic situation.

2. Article Title: "The velociraptor-like Robot that could save your life"


3. Article Source: http://discovermagazine.com/2012/sep/25-velociraptor-robots-come-to-the-rescue

4. Summary: The main idea of this article is that a man named Robert Full wants to build a robot that could potentially save a life in the events of a disaster. The robot would look like a Velociraptor and would run and jump with speed and grace. The robot could keep a steady pace, even if there was an earthquake happening. Full’s team tested out this robot by putting it in a miniature car form and driving it off of a ramp to see if it could land steadily. The results were fantastic, and made Robert Full very proud of himself and his team.

5. Reaction: I think it is truly spectacular that Robert Full invented this remarkable piece of machinery. I support the fact that he is using modern day technology to construct a life saving robot. I congratulate him on his creation that could potentially be patented and be put on store shelves. This event affects me because if in the events of an earthquake, it might be helpful to me and my family if we have a robot like the one Full created. The robot steadily run somewhere, if we needed it to go fetch something that would get us out of a dangerous environment.


6. World Impact: This event impacts the world because we have had a lot of earthquakes here recently. Scientists believe that Earth’s tectonic plates are shifting more and more each year, therefore there will be more earthquakes to come. If we reach a point where there is a multitude of earthquakes daily, we need something that can walk and land steadily. For example, if we had an earthquake and a baby was about about to be in the pathway of direct danger,  the robot could calmly but quickly walk over and move the baby out of harm’s way or shield the baby from stuff toppling on top of him/her. This invention could be the greatest invention in all of mankind.