Food, Inc. Reaction

While watching the documentary Food, Inc. I felt compelled to write a letter to my Congress and Senate representatives. Not only is it appalling to learn that major food producers are engineering animals, but they are doing so at the cost of our health! Rather than "rework the system" to better protect food from becoming contaminated, companies are developing technology and processes to "cleanse" food. For instance there is a company that 'purifies' their ground beef in a cleaning solution containing bleach! The most disgusting part of the movie wasn't the overwhelming amount of hidden information, it was the visions of maltreatment of the animals as well as the slaughtering and butchering process. That did not sit well with me; actually most of the movie disagreed with my stomach! Aside from the few proponents of change interviewed in the documentary, I did not like what I saw.

Seeing that there are farmers and individuals in America who are willing to work towards a change gives me hope that the harmful food sources will be taken care of. I believe that it is documentaries like this that connect individuals and groups to fight for a common cause. It is important that teachers are informed about movements such as this because we are teaching the future! By bringing awareness into the classrooms, teachers are helping to create change. This is done by educating students about various effects of procedures, or whatever the case may be, and providing them with the tools to find possible solutions. If a child goes home and is persistent about creating a household change to help "save the country" then parents will become indirectly educated on the topic. The more people informed about a movement, the more the cause will spread.

You can't preach about movements to your students in an abundance, but you can work it into the curriculum here and there. It is very important that the discussions and lessons about revolutionizing the nation are not biased, or cult-like. As teachers, it is our job to provide students with both sides of the story as best as we can. I believe that a student has the tools and knowledge to make an informed decision about where they stand on a topic provided they are given the pros and cons of the situation. Of course this is all circumstantial because not all causes are black and white; there is a lot of gray area in the world. Regardless, teachers have connections to help create change simply because we are teaching the future of our country.

*On a related but side note, there is a petition you may sign that aims to assure schools have healthier food choices...

petition for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act

Tinkering with iMovie

The time spent playing around with iMovie was probably the most fun I have had (on a computer) in a long time. I thought it was so neat how we were able to download a few videos then do some cutting and mixing together to create a project. I felt like a movie editor!

In my future classroom I can certainly see how this program will be engaging for my students. Upper elementary students might be able to maneuver within this program to create a school project. I do not doubt that high school students will be able to effectively utilize this program for educational purposes. Just think about how much more interesting student projects can be... Move over PowerPoint!

On a more serious note, I believe that iMovie is a program that could work for some projects. It did take a little while to get used to the program, and there seemed to be many steps to remember, but it was not too complicated to figure out. With a little practice this program could easily find its way into classrooms across the nation. iMovie can also be used for entertainment purposes, not just to create a school project, which I think is another reason it will be attractive for students and teachers. In my future classroom I certainly would not mind taking advantage of all that iMovie has to offer me and my students... just so long as we had enough time to familiarize ourselves with the program before creating any projects.

Growing Up Online

The documentary that we watched in class was very interesting, especially because I grew up on the cusp on this generation. When I was in middle school the internet craze took root in adolescents and all of a sudden chatting online was the thing to do.

Some of the children depicted in the video I can relate to because I remember feeling the same way, like when Cam and his siblings were expected to provide their mother with an all-access pass to their passwords and pages. I agree with their choice to not give their information to their mom, I would have done the same thing. It is understandable that a parent wants to protect their child, but they must respect the trust line. It seemed as though, in this situation, the mother was not respecting the trust and privacy of her children.

The controversy of "Amber" struck me as unusual. I have never shared the same feelings as her but I can see how she felt that the internet was a safe haven, a new home. Sometimes the internet can become an alternate world for an individual, especially one who has not yet figured out who they are. It was nice to learn that her parents became accepting of her online activity and that her life has gotten better. Her story seems to have a happy ending.

While watching this documentary I couldn't help but think of what I would do if I were one of those parents. The whole time I kept saying to myself "I will never let my child go online" but I realize that that is not an acceptable solution. Cam's sister figured out it was much easier to just go online at her friends' houses than at home, that is an easy way to get around my house rule. I believe it is important to educate our children about the potential dangers online and to make sure they know how to properly use the internet. If used correctly, the internet can be a very helpful resource for children both academically and socially.

Prediction: IPad takes over

Apple’s newest product, the IPad, will make its debut this Saturday. Some critics are calling it the next greatest device while others are doubtful that it will revolutionize the world of technology. Personally, I think this product will take the country, and eventually world, by storm. I predict that Apple stores across America will have long lines Saturday morning. Some stores might even sell out of the IPads they have on hand. After the initial debut the sales will drop, but, over time, the Apple IPad will be the gadget to have. It won’t be automatic, but in time the IPad will take over the world of netbooks.

Putting this in the context of schools, I believe there will come a day when classrooms across the nation have at least one IPad. It will take some time for this product to completely take over, but I believe it will happen. I expect there to be a few “knock-off” IPads in the coming future. After becoming more educated about the uses of this product I am anxious to buy one! I believe that this is a tool that has the potential to transform classrooms and, once I save up to purchase one, I plan on using the IPad to bring more into my classroom.

Garage Band Exploration!

While we were tooling around with Garage Band I became more familiar with the application. It never occurred to me before that that guitar icon on my computer could be so much fun to use! My younger brother used to play around with this application when we first got the computer, but I was never interested in using it. Now that I have been introduced to the application on a somewhat in depth level I will be more apt to utilize it.


The coolest tidbit of information that I gained from Tuesday night's class was "the midi". Who knew that there were so many music files online that you can download (for free) then tinker with in Garage Band? Considering I had never heard the term "midi" before, it actually made me think of the word Medieval, I was unaware of the files. To be honest, I thought that Garage Band was an application for people who wanted to be music composers, people who actually knew a little about music. Since I have absolutely no knowledge of music (other than how to turn on my radio and ipod) I may have been a little intimidated by the thought of such an application. However, after our introduction and exploration to Garage Band I am not afraid to go home and create (or adapt) music! Who knows, maybe I'll even let Tom teach me how to play the piano... I've always wanted to play something besides "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"!

As an educator, this is an application that I could possibly use in my future classroom. If there is a child who is inspired by music they could be introduced to Garage Band. I could use the application as supplemental music education. Garage Band would allow me to create tunes to play during transition times or as a signal for clean up time. The class and I could even create a jingle of our own! The possibilities of Garage Band teaming up with a teacher are endless!

-If you happen to forget how to use Garage Band there is a very helpful link on the Apple website:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

NYS Regents Dilema

Growing up in central New York I was constantly exploring other areas to move to once I was "all grown up". One of the ways I "researched" was talking to my cousins, who lived in Arizona and Pennsylvania. The most common topic that my cousins and I would talk about is school. We were always comparing our schools, and with that came many discussions about state tests that we needed to take. Of course they had different state-wide tests in Arizona and Pennsylvania than I had here in New York, but many of the subjects being tested were the same (math and ELA). The regents is an entirely different story though.

None of my relatives, outside New York state, had any knowledge about the rigorous Regents exams. They knew about the SAT's and ACT's but the idea of a high stakes, comprehensive, state-wide "final" (the Regents) was lost on them. I remember the stress, pressure, massive study sessions, assignments from past test booklets, the nerves... everything about those exams. My relatives had no idea and they couldn't possibly imagine the tension felt in our classrooms during this time. The most fascinating fact about Regents, for my cousins, was the school calendar during Regents week. I personally believe that high school students in New York state deserve to have a few days off from school during the weeks of Regents exams -they've earned it!

All of the "background" aside, I clearly remember not worrying at all about taking my SAT exam because I knew that the colleges I wanted to get into were in New York. That meant the colleges took into consideration all of my Regents scores. The SAT was one of the least pressured test I have ever taken. I scored a 1020 on this "college acceptance" test (as my cousins called it) but that made no difference to me because I had passed every Regents exam that I took. Getting into college was a breeze for me and my low SAT score did not reflect on my applications.

What if NYS did not have the Regents testing? Would I still have had an easy time being accepted to college? Would my SAT score have been enough to get in? When I heard that NYS was discussing the possibility of cutting some Regents exams I was neutral.

Teachers will not have to "teach to the test" if there are no more Regents, which can be a very good thing. But the lack of such state-wide tests means that a school in Rochester may teach one curriculum while a school in Oswego might teach a much different curriculum. I like the continuity of the Regents because it provides schools throughout the state with a curriculum to follow.

My out-of-state cousins did not have the luxury of Regents so they had enormous pressure surrounding the SAT exam. I enjoy the fact that I had Regents testing because it took away pressure while taking the SAT exam, it gave me more confidence in my education (because I had passed all of the tests), and my 'Regents Diploma with Honors' degree meant something to colleges. I understand that the Board of Education needs to make cuts because of the lack of resources, but I'm just not sure about the idea of cutting 13 Regents exams. It will definitely be very interesting to follow this story and see what the Board of Education decides to do.

Presentation Night

While listening to my peers discuss their topics I realized that there was something to be gained from each presentation.

At times, I am somewhat of a math geek and I prefer exercising my brain by solving problems without the use of a calculator -time permitting. During Vadim's presentation I was reminded of the luxury calculators have given us. I was also shocked that about 7 years ago I did not need a walk through of how to do all of those functions. That's because I knew how to use my TI-87 like anything else. It was easy! But, since I have not kept up with my calculator skills, I have absolutely no idea how to do such extensive functions on my precious calculator. Good thing I am not planning on becoming a high school math teacher!

One other thought that really stuck with me was the information explained during Tracy's presentation. I had no idea that there were other software types that were similar yet vastly different for Smart board technology. I just thought that Smart boards were Smart board technology and there were no other options for using a smart board. The website that she showed us was the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. The entire time she was exploring the Promethean site I kept thinking about how cool it will be to explore at home. Then I realized that it wouldn't work because I don't have a Smart board. I still wrote down the websites because maybe someday I will have my own Smart board and those sites will be very helpful when that day comes!