Cyberbullying Review Post, 10/7/12- 10/19/12

With week eight and nine coming to end, I am still very proud and honored to be a Gaston Early College High School student. These past two weeks have went by very fast, and they were two of the best weeks that I have had this school year.

To start of week eight as usual, I edited and corrected my partner's blog post before it was graded by my teacher. Editing my partner's blog post helps my partner to become a better student and a benevolent blogger.

We also reviewed our grammar lesson on Monday, just to prepare for our upcoming grammar test that we will be taking in the very near future. 

On Tuesday, we reviewed our weekly stems words and our grammar homework.

Also on Tuesday, we discussed the harmful effects and results of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is just like regular bullying, except for the fact that it is completely in the digital world. 

Although cyberbullying is described as being hosted exclusively electronically, it often leads to trouble physically, emotionally, and verbally. 

Bandage: cyberbullying hurts. March 31, 2007

Our teacher gave us multiple key terms and definitions to help us understand cyberbullying better. 

Target: The victim

Stop cyberbullying. March 30, 2007

Offender: The bully; someone with malicious intent that wants to cause harm

Bystander: Witness who does nothing; someone who stands by and refuses to help

Upstander: Witness who does something about the cyberbullying

Escalate: Intensify; increase the situation

De-escalate: Decrease the situation (make less intense)

Cyberbullying is a growing trend in this generation, and it needs to stop before further damage is done. Many citizens don't know how to confront the situation, and feel trapped. Often times, these victims turn to controlled substances, self- harm, and even suicide. 

A way that helped me understand cyberbullying better is by making a short movie, using a website called WeVideo.

I used music, pictures, and templates to create my heart-touching film. Although WeVideo is an excellent movie maker, it took me hours to figure out how to actually construct my movie. Making my movie was a very tedious task, but in the end, I managed to make a very inspirational movie about the dangers and effects of cyber bullying.

If you're interested in making your own movie using WeVideo, a quick tutorial will help you get started. 

Also, here is the video that I made about cyberbullying (below).

Overall, these past two weeks have been great. Hopefully we will move into our new school building at the end of October. I aspire for next week to be as great as this week, and as usual, happy blogging!

Weekly Review Blog Post, 10/5/12

With week seven coming to an end, I'm still proud to be a Gaston Early College High School student. This week has been fun, yet suspenseful, as we wait for our school building to be finished with construction. Hopefully, we can move into our educational humble-of-ode within the next couple of weeks.

iPhone, May 11, 2008

To start the week off with a bit of a change, I was introduced to a new peer blog editing system. Instead of commenting directly on my partner's blog post, I created a word document that told them what they needed to fix before their blog post was taken as a grade by our teacher. I think this new editing system benefits everyone's grades, writing skills, and contentment.

The lesson that our teacher taught us on Tuesday is a lesson that everyone with access to the digital world needs to know about. Our lesson was focused on "sexting". Our teacher talked to us about the dangers and consequences of "sexting", and to help us understand better, she gave us vocabulary terms and definitions.


Self-disclosure: sharing private, sensitive, or confidential information about yourself to others
Reciprocate: to give in return
Sexting: sending or receiving sexually explicit photos or videos by text or other devices


We also learned about the health risks of using technology improperly on our Digital Driver's License classwork. We learned that posture, eye-sight, and reputation can potentially be ruined if you don't use technology in a safe way.

Pink phone, May 12, 2008

 The consequences of sexting can be very detrimental to a person's reputation. If a nude picture is exposed to the public of someone, the person in the photograph can feel embarrassed, ashamed, and betrayed.

Often times, people commit suicide because of the bullying and harassment that they experience, all because of one bad decision to send a sexually explicit picture. Sexting is a terrible idea, and it can get you in serious trouble.

The best day this week was definitely Wednesday, because we got to use a website called Make Beliefs Comix for the first time. The purpose of  my comic is to broadcast the dangers of sexting and the benefits of building online relationships. I made two comics, each representing different scenarios. This flawless website is easy-to-use, colorful, and definitely comprehensible. If you're interested in making your own whimsical comic for free, visit Make Beliefs Comix!

                                                         Tutorial to Make Beliefs Comix

I think I speak for the whole class when I say that Thursday was a very challenging day. Almost everyone could've done better on the grammar test that we completed. It was very difficult because we couldn't use the helpful notes that we took in class on our test. Although there were many poor grades in the class, I'm glad that a multitude of students vowed to study harder and longer for the next grammar test.

Overall, this week has been fun and challenging. Everyday, I remind myself of how blessed and grateful I am for being at this amazing school. Hopefully, next week can be just as great as this week. Happy blogging!

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!