Pressure Cooker!

Do you ever feel torn between the expectations of others and your own expectations for yourself? Do teachers expect unfair behaviour from you? When faced with peer, society, or school pressure to conform, how do you react?

One more tweet!

What would Chris be doing now if he had lived?

Will the publicity encourage copy cats?

Read this blog post and decide- yes or no, will the movie, the novel and the press coverage encourage others to go Into the Wild.

The Bus

Read the following blogpost. Would you spend a night in the bus where Chris MccCandless died? 

Why or why not?

What is your opinion of the author of the blog? Should he or shouldn't he have camped there? Is it morbid? After reading his post and looking at his photos, what do you think was the motivation for he and his group travelling there?

After posting your response, use this LINK, read the poll question and then vote.

Waiting on the World to Change Feedback For Mr. Nichol

Think of your experiences while completing the WOTW project. What elements of the project did you think were valuable learning experiences? Why? 

What elements did not appeal to you? Why?

What do you think I should change for next year? How could the project be formatted to make it better? Give me details that will help me learn. This is your chance to give HONEST feedback, so take it! 

(if you think it sucked, tell me how it could be improved!)

Survival At It's Finest

What does it take to survive in the wilderness? What characteristics/qualities do people possess that make them able to live through unimaginable hardships? Read the blog assignment and then post your paragraphs here.  

Voice Thread

Give me feedback as to the positives and negatives from your experience with Voicethread. What could we do to make it better?

The Right to Post

It can be seen that the internet and web 2.0 has given anyone with an internet connection a voice in the world. Do most teens understand the full impact of posting content in the web?

How you EVER posted content to the web that put you in a awkward or uncomfortable position?

Do you THINK BEFORE YOU POST?

Is posting material of family and friends like in "David After Dentist" exploitation or irresponsible? Should this dad have posted this video?

John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change

After listening to the song, and watching the video for this song, think about the following lyrics:

"it's hard to beat the system, when we're standing at a distance." How are you perpetuating this statement in your own life? 

"It's not that we don't care, we just know that the fight ain't fair," refers to the feeling that many of us think we're powerless in society. Do you feel powerless? It what way? What can you do to change that? 

Does Technology Encourage Cheating

Read this post from another teacher's blog about cheating. Do you agree or disagree with what he is saying? Is learning in a collaborative way cheating? Post your thoughts about how cheating has been changed because of access to technology. 

Change the Education system

If you were in charge of the education system, what would you change, keeping in mind that you still need to learn!!! 

The Dumbest Generation

What do you think about the comments made on this site about you being the dumbest generation?

Technology Use in Society

How does your use of technology affect others positively and negatively? What does being a digital native mean to you? Check what it means in the web and comment about how you are a digital native.

What is Web 2.0?

In your own words, what is web 2.0, and what things on the internet do you use that are considered 2.0? How can web 2.0 help you in your learning? 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Read Robert Frost's Poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Then with the person next to you, complete a TF TASTI analysis of the poem, and post it on the blog here.

The Road Not Taken

Copy and paste this link into anotger window.  Then read The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. 

What is your initial response to the poem? 

Imagine you are asked to find a song that would be the soundtrack to this poem?  What music would you use and why? What qualities of the music convey a similar mood or feeling of the poem? Who is the artist and song name?

Add a link in your post to a sample of the music from somewhere in the web. Insert the URL for us to get to the page. 

Poet Poetry Profile

What should be contained in a complete accurate profile on your assigned poet? 

What elements should your poet homepage contain? How should it look?

Swift Things Are Beautiful

Read the following poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth:

Swift Things are Beautiful

Swift things are beautiful:

Swallows and deer, 

And lightning that falls

Bright-veined and clear, 

Rivers and meteors, 

Wind in the wheat, 

The strong-withered horse,

The runner's sure feet.

And slow things are beautiful:

The closing of day, 

The pause of the wave

That curves downward to spray,

The ember that crumbles, 

The opening flower, 

And the ox that moves on

In the quiet of power.

- Elizabeth Coatsworth

What is the speaker describing in the poem?

Compare the first stanza of the poem to the second stanza. 

What literary terms from our list are used in this poem?

How does this poem make the reader feel?

Are there any patterns to this poem? Describe them. 

Poetry

What is poetry? Talk about what poetry means to you, not what teachers have expected you to say what it means, know what I mean? How has poetry been taught to you in past? 

What have been your experiences with poetry in school? 

Do you have a favourite poet(s)? 

Using Technology in Language Arts Class

How has working on the computer for Language Arts impacted your learning? What hings have changed for you since we started using computers on a daily basis for your assignments and projects, blog posts for discussions, etc?