What Matters: Final Presentation

PLN: Week 13- Post 26

I read a recent article titled "U.S. WNT Training Camp Update" and in this article it talks about how The U.S. Women’s National Team hit the field on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 8 for the first practice session of a five-day mini-camp, the first training under new head coach Pia Sundhage, who addressed the team for the first time in a meeting prior to departure to The Home Depot Center. The first practice under Sundhage was a 90-minute training, as the players got their legs back under them after the month layoff since the end of the Women’s World Cup and the three-match post-WWC tour vs. Mexico.

This article relates to me because as a young soccer player I look up to the girls on the WNT and it is so cool to see that what I go through is not as hard as what they go through as players for the U.S. and every single girl on that team is such an inspiration to me and hundreds of other young girl soccer players.

This also relates to the world because many people watched as the WNT took the 3rd place medal in the Women's World Cup in China. Also the world is looking forward to seeing this team up and running again, under the coaching of Sundhage.

PLN: Week 13- Post 25

I read a recent article titled "Pocket texting and Open Phone Tests", written by Will Richardson and in this article it talks about a 14-year-old South Korean boy who is very technology savvy. He has been making his cell phone play a very important role in his education. He has gotten so good at sending text messages that he doesn't even need to look at his phone to compose an entire text message and hit send. He says this has become especially useful when he needs to send a text message during class.

The first thing Insoo does after Hakwon [his school] is, of course, turn on
the PC. Insoo has a difficult math problem as homework. He posts it up on
Naver Knowledge iN, a popular online Q&A service with some 70 million
entries. Within about 10 minutes of posting, someone chimes in with a good
answer, and Insoo awards him with some “Knowledge Power” points —
knowledge-based economy in action among 14-year-olds.

This article relates to me because I am a student and sometimes i find a problem hard on my homework and it would be nice to have a Q&A resource like this to help me when I get stuck. I find it interesting that Insoo has trained himself to be able to text without even looking at his phone, and it would be nice if I knew how to do that. (Hehe) We do have online resources available such as Google and Wikipedia, but i do think it would be nice to have a more specific Q&A resource.

This also relates to the world in that our technology is being used day in and day out and with all of the resources out there I think many students would benefit from such a thing as this.

PLN: Week 12- Post 24

I read a recent article titled "It Takes a Whole Village (or High School)" and this article was written by Karl Fisch. In this article Karl talks about the Make a Difference week that Heritage High School recently had. During this week Heritage hosted a visit from Ishmael Beah who wrote the book A Long Way Gone and in his book he talks about his experiences as a child soldier. Part of the welcome given by Heritage was the presentation of a video which showed the effort the students had put forth toward M.A.D. Week. Heritage raised over $14,000 to help the children in Sierra Leone, and one of their students delivered the aid in person. (You can view the powerful video they made by following the link)

This article relates to me because as a student here at Arapahoe we have a huge rivalry between Heritage and it was hard to see them work so hard to make a difference because we don't really like them (which goes along with the rivalry of course), sure it was hard to see them in this light, but it was also refreshing to see them want to help others who are less fortunate.

This article also relates to the world because there are so many people around the world who need our help and who are not as fortunate as we are here in a free country and this is our time to reach out an help like Heritage did. From personal experience, you get such an awesome feeling helping others so whats stopping us? This close to the holidays there are so many ways for us to help others and this is our time!

PLN Presentation: Reflection 2

I have just finished my second presentation in discussing my PLN entries. I feel like I did a pretty good job on my presentation; however I feel like I did better on my first presentation. In The beginning of my second presentation I felt very comfortable and I feel like I summarized my entries well, but toward the end of my presentation I kind of lost eye contact and I read more rather than speaking to my audience. From my presentation I have gathered a few things to work of for next time, those things are more eye contact, slowing down as I speak, and not reading from my notes.

PLN: Week 12- Post 23

I read a recent article titled "U.S. U-15 Girls' Defeat Chile U-16s in First Match at USYS ODP Thanksgiving Interregional". In this article it talks about how the Under 15 U.S. girls beat Chile's Under 16 girls' in the opening match during the U.S. youth Soccer Thanksgiving Interregional Tournament on November 19 at Coral Glades High School. The score of the match was 3-1 and for the U.S. Natalia Ledezma figured in all three of the goals for the U.S. The U.S. scored in the 13th minute off a cross from Ledezma from the right wing as forward Devin Marshall poked the ball past the Chile goalkeeper. Chile tied the match on a penalty kick in the 26th minute, but the Americans scored just after halftime when Olivia Schultz followed up a rebound off a shot from Ledezma and slid to knock the ball into the net. Ledezma finished off the game in the 68th minute, launching a free kick into the upper left corner of the goal.

This post is very interesting to me because I am very interested in U.S. soccer and soccer throughout the world and to hear about girls who are only one year older than me playing for our country makes me realize that it is possible and that if I work at it, I too can potentially play for our country and represent the female athletes my age.

Also this post relates to the world because these girls who play such an incredible level of the beautiful game of soccer are huge role models for many younger girls out there. I hope that the people of the world realize how hard these girls work and can support what they do.

PLN: Week 11- Post 22

I read a recent article titled "CSAP Scores Revealed-SCARY", this post was written by Anne Smith. In this post Ms. Smith talks about how she was given a list of the students in her ninth grade English class' CSAP scores. On the list the students who were partially proficient or unsatisfactory were highlighted and of the 24 students in her class 11 of them were in one of the above categories which is simply unacceptable and quite frankly, scary.

This article relates to me because I am in Ms. Smith's Ninth grade English class and I think it is absolutely ridiculous that my class had such low scores on CSAP. Because of these horrible scores Ms. Smith said she will be working with us on writing format and being able to write professionally.

This article also relates to the world because this is a huge issue for many students who are in middle school. I don't think that middle school students take CSAP very seriously. At my middle school we didn't take CSAP we took ITBS which is another form of assessment and I know my class didn't take those seriously because we weren't being graded for an in class grade so people didn't care. I think it is our job to be able to formally write as we will be needing to in the real world, but we need the help of our teachers as well.

PLN: Week 11- Post 21

I read a recent article from my U.S. Soccer subscription titled "U.S. Under-17 and Under-16 Girls' National Teams End Year with Trips to South America". This article talks about how the U.S. Girls' National teams in both the U-16 and U-17 age groups will both be ending their year with trips to famous South American soccer cities. The U-16 girls will be headed to Rio de Janerio from December 7-16, while the U-17 girls will be visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina from December 7-17. The U-17's coach says he will be bringing 18 girls, all born in 1990, to play in 3 games against Argentina. One game will be against Argentina's U-17 team and two games against Argentina's U-20 group. The U-16's coach says he will bring 18 girls all born in either 1991 or 1992 as he continues preparation for qualifying for the 2008 Women's World Cup in New Zealand.

This article relates to me because I am greatly involved in club soccer for our state and I am also very interested in soccer throughout the world. Currently I am trying out for the Colorado ODP team which is just one step on the road to making the U.S. National teams. I look at the girls on these teams and I hope one day I can be where they are, that is my dream to make the National team and to play in the Women's World Cup. Hopefully one day my dream will become a reality, but we will see.

This article also relates to the world in general because the Women's World Cup is a world-wide event and many people are interested in watching the games and if the U-16 Girls' National Team were to qualify for this incredible event it would be an amazing thing that everyone would be talking about.

PLN: Week 10- Post 20

I read an article written by Matt Slater, this article was titled "The Fight against Drugs in Sports" and in this article one of the worlds leading experts on drugs in sports told BBC that he thinks that athletes will be able to cheat without being detected in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He says that the test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is useless and will only catch a stupid athlete.

This relates to me as an athlete because the issue of steroids is very much real. I have never dealed with steroids because none of my teammates would ever even think of using steroids and in soccer there really isn't a need, but in sports that make sure you are physically built this is much more of an issue. In sports like wrestling and football it seems like there is a much higher rate of steroid use than in sports like soccer. Though I have never personally dealed with this I still have heard of the affects because I am an athlete and its all over the news.

Also this article relates to the world because the Olympics are a HUGE event in the world and they take place all over the world. As the Olympics take place many people of the world gather to watch these events and to have competers taking steroids to improve there performance is horrible They are setting horrible examples for the younger children who look up to them and I think they don't realize how there use of steriods affects people other then themselves.

PLN: Week 10- Post 19

I read a recent article titled "Sundhage Named U.S. Women's Soccer Coach" written by "Associated Press" and in this article it talks about the Swedish Pia Sundhage being named the U.S. Women's National Team coach replacing Greg Ryan. Americans turned to a foreign coach for the first time after failing to win this years World Cup. Sundhage was the assistant coach for China during the World Cup and she is very familiar with many of the U.S. players. It just so happens that she had coached in the WUSA during its 3 year existence. Sundhage plans to hold a minicamp December and her first games will during the Four Nations tournament in China in January.

This article absolutely relates to me seeing as I am a competitive soccer player and I keep up-to-date with the latest happenings with our new National Team. I find great interest in this team and they are a great team to keep up with. I think what matters from this article is that the switch from Greg Ryan to Sundhage was a good decision made by the organization because of the interesting and surprising decisions made by Ryan during the World cup when he decided to switch goalies before the World Cup semifinals which was followed by a lopsided loss for the U.S. and therefore his contract wasn't renewed.

Also I feel that this article relates to the world because as a nation I think it is important to keep up with what is going on with our teams and especially our national team. This team is such an inspiration to so many young athletes, girls and boys. I just hope that people see the importance of this issue and they take notice as to how it affects many sports watchers in our country.

PLN: Week 9- Post 18

I read a recent article titled "I need Answer's: What will the Home of the Future look like?" written by Vicki A. Davis. In this article she talks about he love for technology and how her dad is the reason she loves it. Also she talks about a meeting that her and her dad are going to the asks the question, "What will the house of the future REALLY look like?" In this article she expresses her excitement for this meeting so she can talk about the student of the future.

This article relates to me because I am currently a student and it is interesting to think about what the student of the future might look like. I also find interest in the building of a house of the future, though I do think it is important to not look to far ahead. In a way this article somewhat relates to what we are talking about in my U.S. History class, but in reverse. In my history class we are talking about the 1920's and the social change that took place during this time which somewhat relates to this because we too are looking at the change that might take place.

This article also relates to the world because as we see ourselves being "pushed" into the future we need to be aware that we still have to live in our time. I think that doing something like building a house that we might have in ten years, today is interesting: however we have things going on right now that we need to worry about first, not what might happen in the future.

PLN: Week 9- Post 17

I read recent article titled "Practicing the Habits of Literacy" written by Dave Warlick. In this article he talks about the future of databases and how he does not know what the future has in store for these databases; however he does feel that if you send students to an online database so they can look up information on political conflicts of the 1950's then they will learn all they need to know and more because they will also strengthen their ability to use technology.

This article relates to me as many others do through the aspect of technology being brought up. In many of my classes and this one in particular I use technology to learn and as Dave says in his article, the use of databases will teach us as students the things we need to know and also allow us to better know how to use technology which I feel is very important as we grow in our education. As our world is going into the technological era we are forced to use technology more and more and we need to be able to maneuver our way through the World Wide Web and other technological sources. For one to be technologically illiterate in this day and age is not a good sign for their future. I feel that if databases are going to make teach us what we need to know then why not use them, though they are expensive.

This article also relates to the world around us in that our world is heading toward more and more technology and databases and it is incredibly important for one to be able to invest their time and money into learning what they need to know.

PLN: Week 8- Post 16

I read a recent article titled "More than Technology and Less than a Wildfire" written by Dave Warlick. In this article Dave talks about a newspaper reporter who had called him in confusion as to what was happeneing to the newspaper's website. One day they had hosted 175,235 visits, but the next day that number had climbed to 878,351 visits. The San Deigo Wildfires had explained the interest. They were used to seeing comments and arguments going back and forth between readers about certain articles, but these comments were all readers asking one another for information about their towns and other readers directed them and shared what they knew.

As I was reading this post I was absolutely astonished at the huge rise in the number of readers of that newspaper and as I read further I saw how awesome it was that each of those readers were coming together and helping each other out. It was interesting to me to see how such a devastating turn of events leads a community to come together and help each other out. This article relates to me and the world in that it shouldn't take something devastaing like this to happen for our community to come together. Reading this article made me think of ways that we as a community can come together. This post can remind us all that we are a community and we all need to help each other out. I hope that this inspiring article will be read by many other people and that it will lead us all to come together and help those in need.

PLN Presentation: Reflection 1

Over all I would have to say that my presentation went pretty well. I didn't feel too nervous and I feel like I did a good job explaining my articles. I think I could have given a little bit more eye contact and maybe spoken up a little bit. Also I may have relied to much on my note cards. Other than that I feel like I did a pretty good job. I made sure that each article I talked about related to me and our class so I hope that the class was interested and that I wasn't to boring. Over all it was fun and I enjoyed being able to explain what I had been reading about!

PLN: Week 8- Post 15

I read a recent article written by Jason Welker titled, "No YouTube? No Problem! How to view any site you want from within China." This article talks about how we again are angry with the Chinese Internet policies that are blocking another site that many people use during class time, YouTube. People are so angry with this because many teachers like using sites like this and Blogger and even Wetpaint, during class time to connect students to the outside world through technology.

This article relates to my as a student because in our classrooms we use sites like these, specifically Blogger, to do work and we have our own blogs that we post on, therefore causing it to become difficult to do these assignments and such. Also during class our teacher uses blogger to post things about new topics we are learning about and if we are not able to use these sites, how are we going to get all our information? I totally agree with the frustration of this because as a student these sites are very important to my learning because of how we use them in class and if our access to these sites is denied I will not be able to do what is required of me.

This article also relates to the world because in our day and age people are using technology more an more so restricting the use of technology in classrooms is absolutely ridiculous . Not only in my school, but in many others I know that they are using sites like these and I have a feeling that the teachers and students who are restricted from them are very frustrated by this.

PLN: Week 7- Post 14

Read a recent article written by Dave Warlick titled, "Bringing your Heart with You." In this article Dave talks about a business conference that he had spoken at a few weeks earlier. In this conference a man by the name of Steve Farber had give the opening "keynote" and in this he talked about the word love and loving what you do. Dave looked at this and put it in a teacher/student perspective. He mentioned how he felt that it was very important for a teacher to have love for their job and what they do. They need to bring their hearts with them to work everyday.

This article relates to me because I can tell when I have a teacher who doesn't enjoy what they are doing, and I feel like a good teacher is one who is eager to come to work everyday, and who loves making a difference to their students. When I have a teacher who I know loves their job, it mkaes me so much more excited and eager to coe to school everyday and endure the work and lessons because I know that my teacher is their for a reason, which means that what they are teaching me must be important. On the other hand, if I have a teacher who I know hates their job and hates the kids and the people they're working with then I feel like they don't care. Then I get the mind set that if my teachers and educational leaders don't care, why should I? So I totally agree with Dave when he says that teachers need to "bring their hearts with them" to work, because if they don't like what they are doing, they need to do something else.

This article relates to the world because not only in schools do the leaders need to love their work, but in any business or work place, all employees and employers should love what they do. I feel like if you love what you do, you will want to work hard and you will have motivation to do a good job. So in all places of work people need to bring their hearts with them!

PLN: Week 7- Post 13

I read a recent article written by Jeff Utech titled, "I'm Struggling with Tech Standards Again...". in this article Jeff talks about how he feels like it is unnecessary for people to have standards or skills that we need to assess when using technology. He thinks that because technology is a tool that we use, in classrooms and offices, we don't need to have strict standards for our use.

This post relates to me in the very first paragraph when he brings up the idea of using technology in the classroom. As a student I use the computer a ton in school, whether its to check my grades or do an assignment, I use technology as a tool everyday. I agree with Jeff in that if we use the technology properly as a tool then there isn't any particular standard that we need to live up to as far as how we use it. Sure there are skills that teachers teach their students in the classroom as far as technology goes, but why is it necessary for us to have standards? I see what Jeff means. He also brings up the question of, what is so exciting about visiting websites? Is it the use of technology, or the content that is important? If we are using the technology we should be excited about the content in what we are leaning not what we use to learn it. We have tools today that allow us as students to share what we learn with global audiences and a teacher is not going to grade us on whether or not we use our tools, (a.k.a the computer) they are going to grade us on the content put in.

This article relates not only to the student, but also to the teacher. How will they grade us? As I said before, the teacher will grade on our content and what we learn, not how we use the tool of technology, therefore why are standards needed? Teachers should keep this in mind as they grade their students on future assignments where the students will use their tools.

PLN: Week 6- Post 12

I read a recent article titled "Computer Safety and Security Wiki", written by Vicki A. Davis, this article talks about how she is having her students in her current classes, get online and edit work done by previous students of previous years.

In this post, the importance that I puller out was that doing this exercise with her students allows them to look at how other people their age do things which allows them to increase their ability to do good work on their own because they see what is expected of them through the other students work. Vicki said how the point is that students should not only create from scratch, but they should also edit other students work, which allows them to ask themselves questions on how they can improve that piece of work.

This article relates to me because, as a student I am asked to edit things and proofread other people's, and my own work, so I can make it the best it can be and through this we see this is also how Vicki feels as a teacher. I think that starting from scratch is good, but I also think that editing someone else's work is sometimes even more beneficial. The reason being that you can see what exactly is expected of you in your work because you can see what the other person was graded on. On the other hand, starting from scratch allows what you are doing to be completely original and something you can call your own.

This article relates to the world because in our world today for adults at work, they constantly have people analyzing their work and it is most beneficial for them as well, to have someone edit their work before it is analyzed. Sometimes when you are working you don't catch your own mistakes, but if you have someone else look at you work, maybe they will catch the mistakes you missed, allowing you to have a top notch performance.

PLN: Week 6- Post 11

I read a recent article titled "Supplementing My Kids' Education" written by Will Richardson, this article talks about how Will feels like in his children's education they are not getting quit enough. He feels like there is not enough connecting going on in the education so he has been given the opportunity to speak at his children's school, which might allow the school to change and allows him to help. He also talks about how his children have computers in all of there classrooms.

This article relates to me because as a student I can see that sometimes in my daily education there really isn't very much "connecting" going on as Will expressed. I think it would be beneficial to come up with a way to connect what we are leaning in English to what we are learning in History and so on. As he mentioned in his post, his children have computers and other forms of technology in each of their classrooms, but he also said that they are not used very well. Maybe it would be good to use the technology that is put in front of us to connect the things that we are leaning. One classroom that uses technology is our English room and I feel like it is such a blessing to be able to use the laptops to learn and it also gets us better prepared for college. Maybe if we used the laptops to also connect what we are learning, we would be better off.

This article also relates to the world because through out the years our daily lives have been altered with the new production in technology and it seems like there are ways to be able to use the huge amounts of technology to broaden students learning connections. Also this article does a good job reminding people that what students learn every day really does need to be "connected" whether it's to the world or simply to what they learned in a different class, so that they realize there is a pattern and that everything they learn is important.

PLN: Week 5- Post 10

I read a recent article titled "Voters Want More from Schools" written by Dave Warlick, this article talks about a nation wide poll of registered voters that revealed that Americans are concerned that schools are not preparing young people with skills that they will use in the real world.

This article relates to me because as a teenager I am at the stage of my life where I am needing to be given all the appropriate skills that are going to be necessary for me to compete in the world as a business person and if America is concerned that kids my age are not being shown these skills then maybe we need to take a look and see how we can change that. In just four very short years I will be done with high school and be moving on to college where I will be looking at what I want to do with the rest of my life and if I don't the skills necessary for me to survive in the business world then my choices of what to do with my life may be limited. This article said brought up the idea that the skills needed for jobs in the 20 century are very different from what they were 20 years ago and many people feel like schools need to adapt to those changes and find a way to give students these skills.

This article relates to the world because as the world around us is changing our administrative staff at schools need to realize that changes need to be made and they need to do something about it so their students can succeed when they leave school and go out into the real world.

PLN: Week 5- Post 9

I read a recent article titled "New Literacy Article" written by Dave Warlick, this article talks about new literacy e-mail that was sent to Dave, in this article I feel it is important to learn more about the literacy techniques so people are able to navigate the World Wide Web.

This article's importance is because as our world goes wireless and people begin using the Web for more and more of their work it is important that people know how to use the Web appropriately and effectively. This "New Literacies" e-mail that was sent out is very useful to people who are not comfortable using the Internet because it shows them ways to not only comprehend what they read online, but it also teaches them new skills that are necessary for the use of the Internet.

This article relates to me and the world because as I said our world is quickly beginning to use technology and the World Wide Web more and more. Because of this it is important for people, especially those who use computer technology in their daily jobs, to be able to comprehend the things that they are reading and it is also important for them to feel comfortable navigating through the Web. In our school systems it is becoming more and more popular to use computers instead of text books, as seen in our English class. Also in my Algebra class we are able to access our books online so we don't have to take them home. It is important for us as students to be able to work our way through the Internet and it is even more important for our teachers to be able to get around the Web.

PLN: Week 4- Post 8

I read a recent post titled "How do You Feel About What You Know?" written by Dave Warlick in his 2 Cents Worth Blog. This article talks about the relationship Dave has with what he is teaching. He asks the question, can a student have the same kind of relationship with what they are learning, as a musician has with a violin?

In this article I found it interesting how he expressed that when he graduated high school he never would have chosen to pursue history. He found it boring in high school and he didn't see how he would be interested in teaching it. that was what he thought until he reached college. He brings up the idea that teachers always say that they learn more about the subject when they are teaching it than when they learned about it in school so he asks, can the same thing be true for students? Is there a way that teachers can make it so students learn more in the classroom? Can they possibly come of with a strategy that would allow students to feel connected to what they are learning? If so would this require a change in curriculum?

I feel that this article relates to me and all children that are currently under education. When I was reading this article one thing that really jumped out at me and made me feel interested in the article was when he said that he never really was interested or enjoyed history in high school and that is exactly how I feel. History seems like a waste of time to me because everything that we learn about in that class has already happened and there is nothing that we can do to change it so why should we have to learn about it? I was thinking about this and it made me wonder the same thing, is it possible to make students more interested in History or any other class for that matter? If our teachers and the staff at schools could come up with a way to make the students relationships with what hey are learning stronger, then I think we would have a better percentage of students interested and willing to put in more effort to what they are learning.

This article also directly relates to the world around us because anyone who reads this article that is a part of an education board or a school, can perhaps think about what Dave is saying in this article and maybe they cn come up with new ways for schools to make students more interested in what they are learning.

PLN: Week 4- Post 7

I read a recent article titled "Can your Daughter's Picture at a Car Wash be used for an Ad Campaign?" written by Vicki A. Davis. This article is regaurding the company Virgin Mobile using a picture of a girl at a car wash for an ad campaign.

In this article it asks the question of whether of not Virgin Mobile should be allowed to use this young girls picture, that they found online, for their ads. The teenagers parents think it is very wrong what the company did and they feel that they should press charges in a lawsuit. Also through this issue she has recieved ridicule from her peers and now people have the freedom to look her up on Google.

This article does actually relate to me in ways such as with our use of technology and personal webpages, such as myspace and facebook, we need to take this as a reminder to be careful of what we put on those pages and how we display ourselves. You never think that putting a cute picture of you and a bunch of friends on your personalized page could be turned around and used in other ways such as the one in this article. This can be used as a simple reminder to be careful online.

This article also relates to the world. In our world today there are so many people that use pictures online for different reasons and it is important for all people using this type of thing to be careful what they put on the intenet and to make sure that no other companies can take their images. :)

PLN: Week 3- Post 6

I read a recent article titled "Teens Killed in Early Morning Crash" written by Kirk Mitchell. This article came from the Dever Post blog. This article was written in reguards to 2 teenagers who were killed early this morning in a auto accident when their Subaru station wagon drifted into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into another car.

This article relates to me personally and to all other teens my age because we are or will soon be learning how to drive and in one very short year we will recieve our drivers license. This article really made me realize how important it is to be aware of your surroundings while you are driving. Because this accident is still under investigation there is no obvious reason for why the Subaru drifted into oncoming traffic; however it still shows us that safety is very iportant when you are on he road.

This article also relates to the world around us because this sort of thing happens a lot, but everytime it does there is always someone saying, "Oh that's never going to happen to me." But next thing you know it does so I think that this article is just a reminder that safety is very important on the road.

PLN: Week 3- Post 5

I read a recent post written by Karl Fisch titled "Speaking from the Soul." This post talks about how it is important for there to be a strong and honest relationship between students and teachers. And that it is important for teachers to look for ways to meet the needs of their students.

In this article I found importance in the fact that teachers need to find ways to meet the needs of their students. This is important to me as a student because if my teacher is not trying to meet my needs then how am I able to learn and apply myself as best as I can?

This post relates to me and all students in many ways such as the point I previously brought up. It is very important for teachers to work hard to make sure their students fully understand everything they are learning and can process information correctly. For me as a student I need my teachers to meet my needs so I know that I can learn and understand everything fully. This relates to me in every class and not only in school, but also in sports. It is important that my coaches meet the needs of my and my team so we can perform to the best of our ability. it is also my job as a student and athlete to apply myself and work hard.

This post also relates to the world around us in that this situation can apply to anything from business and work, to simply life at home. It is important that the leaders are willing to tend to the needs of the people "below them" if you will. And it is important for everyone to put in the extra work to succeed.

PLN: Week 2- Post 4

I read a recent post titled "Online Safety - Videos that get 'em" written by Jeff Utecht. This post is regarding Internet safety in and out of the classroom.

In this article things of importance that I picked out were things such as the fact that in classes we need to talk about Internet safety and it is important that teachers take responsibility for the online safety of their students. Utecht says,

"Having a classroom discussion about how to be safe on the Internet is a good thing and if you can engage students in the conversation without sounding like a mother breathing down their neck, I think you’ll get more bang for your buck."

This quote really jumped out at me because I know from experience that when
these kinds of discussion take place in our classes its boring and not many people listen so I agree with him when he says that these discussion need to engage the students.

This relates to me as a student because I feel it necessary to have these discussions and it is important that we these discussions seem interesting to us. I have been present for many discussions, such as the one he is talking about in this post, at my old school.

This relates to many people in the world today, many of them being students. It is important that our world is up to date on the web today and now that technology is being used so often it is important that people know how to use it safely.

PLN: Week 2- Post 3

I read a recent article titled "Could it Happen Here?" written by Dave Warlick. This article deals with the issue of whether or not we should have a conference discussing the future of our schools.

In Shanghai there was a conference dealing with this subject and Warlick quotes,

"So here’s the question that just occurred to me. Could something like this happen in the United States?" And the answer I think is very critical. Yes I think something like this could and should happen in the United.

As a student my self I think this article relates to me and my classmates specifically. The future of our education may rest on a conference such as this and I feel that it is very important for us to look at this and ask ourselves what we expect for our education. In my opinion when I look into the future and I see schools, I picture them with computers instead of text books, and in the future I highly doubt that there would be a bell and class periods like there are today. With so many of these ideas in my mind and the minds of students around me I think it is absolutely necessary for a conference like this to take place in the United States.

Now you may ask, well how does this relate to the world around us? The answer is simple. Our schools control the minds of students by what they teach us and I think it is crucial for leaders in our world to discuss certain issues such as curriculum and other like things that will take place in our schools of the future.

PLN: Week 1- Post 2

For my second post I read a recent article written by Karl Fisch in his The Fischbowl subscription. This post dealed with the big question of what matters?

As I read the title and the first couple sentences of this post i was thinking to myself that this sounds a lot like what we have been talking about in our english class. The I realized that everything he is talking about is what we have been discussing in our class. What matter in our lives and in the world that we can connect to stories and blogs that we have read?

These blogs that are talked about are our very own and in them we read what matters in our lives and the world around us. As you can see from this post, education matters to me and this class as this blog states.

How does this matter to the world? These blogs on what matters to us are important for other people to view so they can see what matters to the freshman english class at Arapahoe High school. It is important for others to view how we have been working and connecting what we learn to the world around us.

PLN: Week 1- Post 1

I read a recent article written by David Warlick in the 2 cents Worth subscription. This post is regaurding cyber-bullying and how it is still an issue, but now its not only children who are doing the bullying.

I looked at that post and I realzed something. It is a lot easilier to cyber bully than we think. I have heard countless times that cyber-bullying is a major issue and because I havent been involved in it I don't tend to think about it, but maybe it is something that we need to start thinking about more now. Technology has taken over in our world today and now it is much easier to say things, over the computer or maybe even texting on a cellphone, that you wouldn't say to someones face.

Now we ask ourselves, why is it easier to say things over technology than to someones face? The reason that was brought up in this post is people feel more comfortable over the web or other forms of technology because there is a physical distance between the two. People feel more comfortable saying harsh things when there is distance between them because they arent afraid of the consiquences.

How does this matter in the world? Now that technology is booming more and more adults are beginning to use technology for various forms of communication; therefore the right of cyber-bullying in the adult ages has increased. Now we ask ourselves, with this technology how are we going to be able to lessen the rate of cyber-bullying among adults and children? The answer I am not yet sure of.