September 30, 2014

What is an infographic? If you don't know, go look it up. Read about it and then in your own words tell me what an infographic is. What do infographics do? How do they work? What makes a really good infographic?

An infographic is a unique way of displaying information that is visually dynamic and appealing. It can be a chart, graph, or any other way of organizing and showing data or research. Infographics provide researchers with information and can be integral parts of projects. They work by putting different pieces of information in one visual display so it is easy to see and compare all of the information.A really good infographic is not only informative, but also very visually appealing and eye catching. 

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September 29, 2014

Tell me about your Homecoming weekend! If you didn't participate in the Homecoming festivities, what did you do? Share pics!

My homecoming weekend was really fun! I went up to Liberty (where I used to live) and was accompanied by my boyfriend, Derek Rogers. We went with our friends Tori and Regan. They aren't dating, but we all think it would be really cute if they did. We ate at Trazo Mare, and I had fettuccine Alfredo for the fourth year in a row!! In order to kill time we hung out at a pet store and then went to the dance. We danced a lot, but they only played one slow song. It was "all of me" by John Legend! After we went over to Derek's and watched movies and played ping pong until 3 am. I ended the night by staying over at my best friend Makenna's! It was an amazing night that I will always remember.

September 24, 2014

Imagine Mr. Bacon has asked you to suggest one way of improving Blue Valley High School to make it a better place for students. Think about the changes that are needed at your school. Pick one change you feel would really make a difference and explain what it is and why you'd make the change.

If Mr. Bacon came to me, my suggestion would definitely be equal representation for every activity at school. I think all too often the major recognition are given to sports, and more specifically football. There is a lot of merit in saying that we mention everyone at assemblies, but I know personally that debate has never gotten a spirit tunnel.The same goes for music performances, journalism, yearbook, etc. I think that this would make all clubs a lot more excited for these assemblies and feel like expressing school spirit. I would make this change because I think it is important that everyone feels welcomed and well represented within their school, it gives them a bigger incentive to learn and participate. I also think this would open the eyes of a lot of our students to clubs that exist and show them that they are also important.

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September 23, 2014

What are your favorite apps on your phone or tablet? Why?

My favorite apps on my phone are spotify, twitter, instagram, and Netflix. I like them each for a different reason, but they all relate to being somewhat social. First, I really like spotify because it has all of my favorite music on it and I am able to listen to my playlists at anytime. Plus it is free! My boyfriend, Derek, showed me the app and I've been hooked ever since. I also get to follow his playlists on there so it shows me what kind of music he likes as well, which is awesome!Next, I will just go ahead and group instagram and twitter together. These are the two main social media websites that I use and they keep me up to date in several ways. I like the hilarious tweets people post on twitter, and their adorable photos on instagram! Finally, I think Netflix kind of explains itself. It's always there for me, has a seemingly infinite amount of entertainment, etc. My all time favorite show ever was one I discovered on Netflix: Gossip Girl. Ever since that day I have been absolutely addicted to that app.

  

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September 22, 2014

What is email? When do you use email in your own personal life? List reasons and ways that people use email. What do you know about "email etiquette"?
Email is an electronic way of sending messages, letters, or other important mail related things to people via the internet. It involves a specific website, an email address, and many other components similar to the actual mailing system. It differs because it is technologically based and nothing is physically delivered; it is all electronic.I use email in my personal life mostly in the context of school and educational activities. It helps me stay up to date with what my teachers what me to know, when certain things are taking place, and catching up when I miss an activity or a day at school. There are a lot of reasons that people use email. They use it for personal, educational, and business reasons.My mom uses it for work, while my grandma uses it to stay in touch with our family. My younger brother uses it primarily for education. It is a friendly technology for all ages. I know that email etiquette consists of greetings, closings, and well phrased body paragraphs. You have to be polite and clear in your emails to get your point across.

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September 19, 2014

Now that you've been in Emerging Technology for several weeks... what do you think? Do you think the web tools (Drive, Evernote, Bubbl, etc.) are helpful to you? Do you think they will be helpful throughout high school or even college? Explain.

I really like emerging tech so far. I think that everything we are doing is building skills for my future, and I really appreciate that. The various web tools, research methods, and topics we have discovered have all played a role in what I am expecting throughout my senior year and in the years in college.  Specifically the web tools will make research papers much easier and help me have a background so I never feel lost on technology based assignments. I think my professors will find me more organized since I will know how to lose these tools, and I will not get left behind.

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September 17, 2014

Do you enjoy writing? When do you enjoy it? What kind of writing do you enjoy? Why do you think the ability to write is so important no matter what kind of writing it is? Give an example that you enjoyed writing or hated writing. Why?

I actually really do enjoy writing, but mostly when it is my choice. I don't want to have to worry about the grade or the writing being perfect; I prefer writing about what I care about and expressing my feelings without fear of expressing them wrong. With that being said, I don't despise writing for class. I definitely see why it's necessary; plugging in answers and checking boxes can only show so much about what we know. Writing is the only way to show analysis and see if we actually do have an in depth understanding of the content. The type of writing that I actually enjoy, though, is when I am doing it for myself, rather than for school. I remember an example of writing that I really enjoyed from seventh grade. We were giving the prompt: Write a horror story. We had two weeks to draft, edit, and perfect our work. I loved the freedom that this prompt gave for me to be creative and pull people in with my emotions and story. I got a 100% on the paper, but that's not why I loved this specific experience. I loved this experience because it was the first time I ever WANTED to write something. I went home so excited to whip out the paper, and honestly felt sad when it was all over. It was the first time I felt passionate about it. 

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September 16, 2014

Reflect on this quote. Give an example of a time in your life that this might have been the case.

I think that this quote is extremely true, especially since I am a high schooler who procrastinates literally all the time. I think that when you fail to prepare and then ultimately fail, you honestly have no one to blame but yourself. Whether it is in school, work, or your home life, this quote reminds you that you have responsibility place in your hands and you need to meet the requirements of your daily life. My mind is drawn to a specific example in my life when I read this quote. I remember back in seventh grade after reading the novel, "The Giver", which I mentioned in a previous blog post, we were assigned a project: Creating our own Utopian Society. We had to actually write a story and then construct the model as well, but the story was the larger part of our grade. I had a ton of ideas for my model: Egg shells for the domes, technology plastered all around, and my dad was even going to help me add Christmas lights to the side to make it look more advanced. However, the ideas in the story department were definitely lacking. Needless to say, the night before the project was due I was eyeing my perfectly constructed Utopian society when it dawned on me that I had done literally nothing in terms of the paper due first hour the next day. I had not written a single draft. Nothing. I panicked of course, put together an extremely sloppy paper, and the next morning turned it in with bags under my eyes from sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, my lack of sleep wasn't worth it. Due to not preparing I turned in a paper that was less than satisfactory, got a B- on the project overall. It may not seem a big deal, but that model was A quality, but my lack of preparation set me back.

September 15, 2014

What did you do this weekend? Share pictures if you have them!

This weekend I took the ACT and spent a lot of time with my boyfriend, Derek! The ACT went alright except for one minor detail: during the math section my calculator died!!! Fortunately, it is possible to do all of the problems without a calculator, but it took a whole lot longer. I was really stressed because I wanted to raise my score, but luckily for me my mom isn't mad and my score is good enough to get me into the colleges that I am applying to. The real fun this weekend was spent with Derek! On Friday he took me to IHOP where we ordered our favorite meal. We then hung out, studied, and laughed a ton. I saw him again on Sunday when I went out to eat with his family and saw The Giver (a movie in theaters right now). Despite being disappointed by the movie, Sunday was one of the best days I have had in quite some time. I live about 45 minutes away from Derek since we were seeing each other freshman year before I moved. I always love when I get to see him on the weekends because I really miss him during the school week and when we are apart! We make it work though!

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September 12, 2014

What is the importance of research? Why do you need to know how to research? What have you learned in high school about researching topics and finding quality resources? Have you had a helpful teacher that has taught you to research? Explain.

Research is extremely important because it is the first stepping stone on the path to learning, and learning is the reason hat we put forth any effort in life. Researching gives us information from multiple perspectives on a singular issue, and that allows us to have more developed projects and opinions. It is important to know how to research so that you can have a higher quality of information, rather than just focusing on quantity of sources. Knowing how to research can make or break the standard of  information that is in your project. I have learned a lot in high school about researching and carefully approaching and paying attention to the bias of sources. I've been taught to ask specific questions and look in specific, scholarly places for the answers. I have had many helpful teachers that have taught me how to research. Specifically, the librarians have been a great help in developing my research skills. They have set me up on many databases and helped me have good baseline expectations when I am going into a project. Being in debate has also aided me with being a better researcher. Over these four years in high schools experience is what has helped me become the researcher that I am today. 

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Global Issue Selection

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For my global Issue in Emerging Technology I have chosen gay rights. I have begun researching the issue and you can find my research questions here. 

September 10, 2014

Kids these days are always listening to their obnoxious pop music and are on their dumb mobile phones.They never appreciate any of the greatest music of my time: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, etc. All they care about is that Justin Bieber kid and Miley Cyrus. They don't care about learning either, just their GPA's. It's all about who will get the most prestigious college education and who has the higher test score. They get all worked up about being perfect and not having any mistakes even though those are great learning experiences. I wish they'd just cut it out already!!

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September 9, 2014

Tell me about the global issue you selected. What do you already know about the issue? What are you looking forward to learning about it? Explain.

       The topic that I selected was gay rights on a global scale. This is an issue that is very important to me because I have been passionate about politics all through high school, and more specifically learning about how gay rights are handled. I already know a lot about the oppression and severity of the social issue here in the United States, but I hope to learn a lot more about it on other continents and in specific countries. I know currently that gay marriage is only legal in a few states, and that there has been an ongoing struggle to make gay rights be seen as human rights. However, I also know that there have been rallies, growing social reforms, and many support groups for the LGBT community specifically in the United States. What I would like to learn is about the communities in far off countries and how that oppression compares to what we experience here. I want to learn the motivation that lies behind persecution against gay people, and uncover what countries are going to be doing to deal with this in the future. I think this is an issue that is political, religious, and constitutional and I would really like to understand more about how the world is going to adjust and respond to its presence.

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September 8, 2014

What did you do this weekend? Share pictures if you have them.

This weekend I went to Loufest, a music festival in St. Louis. It was AMAZING. I saw so many bands live and hung out with all of my best friends for two days straight. I didn't get home until four in the morning, so that's why I'm pretty exhausted right now. My two favorite bands that I saw play were Cake and the Artic monkeys. They both put on excellent shows and I was really impressed by the music. However, the best stand alone performer that I saw was a guy who calls himself "Trombone shorty." He was out of this world! He played a trombone, sang, and conducted other instruments on stage. Plus my friends and I got to meet him. My friends Derek and Regan were the most excited so they got shirts with his name on them and took pictures with him. All around the weekend was really exciting because I felt very grown up. I stayed in a hotel room with my friend Mallory and the road-trip back was really fun. It was a great experience overall, I even got a shirt! My friends Derek, Mallory, Regan, and Tori  made the experience really unforgettable.


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September 5, 2014

Spending a ridiculous amount of time on debate: A

Playing with my dog: A

Being annoyed by my little brother: A

Netflix Watching: A

Eating Junk Food: A

Waking up on time: F

Cleanliness: C

Eating Vegetables: D

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PSA

September 3, 2014

Yesterday I asked you to "think differently" and push yourself to be uncommon with your PSA project using Google Slides. Why do you think I asked you to do that? What is the point? Why not just use bullets and headers? Explain.

I think the reason that you wanted us to do this was so that we could make a unique statement with our PSA projects. Thinking inside the box was not going to startle anyone or make them take action. In order to best show the point and severity of our specific project we needed to use Google slides uniquely and allow the full impact to be fairly obvious. We aren't just doing these projects for our entertainment. We are doing these projects so that in the future we know how to be both persuasive and informative in all of our tasks and to demonstrate when something is important to us. This project is a good way to learn that and you want us to give our full effort now so that we will do the same in the future.

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September 2, 2014

Tell me all about your Labor Day weekend. What did you do? Include photos!

My labor day weekend was what a weekend should be: relaxing. I saw my friends, did some homework, and spent a lot of time with family. I made one trip up to the town that I grew up in, Liberty, Missouri. While in Liberty I played some ultimate Frisbee with my friends, had a sleepover, and ate a ton of good food. I really enjoy long weekends because you get to experience the moment for what it is, rather than worrying about when it is going to be over. This was a great opportunity for me to catch up on sleep as well, which I desperately needed. I took my brother out to Cinetopia and we got macaroons as well.  All in all, my labor day weekend wasn't super eventful, but it was honestly exactly what I needed.