Week Six of GECHS

This week has not been that great for me. As you can tell, this is the week of report cards. I have been falling behind on work, and it's frustrating. This class has been packed with tons of challenging work. The pace is also very fast, but I have learned a couple of interesting new things.


Our new digital literacy of this week was website evaluation.We were introduced to an online program called IRIS. On the website we went through a website evaluation section and took notes. After a class discussion on evaluating websites, we were given an example of a website to evaluate. There are six simple steps in evaluating a website, which we know as A.S.P.E.C.T. Each letter stands for a different step.


A. (Authority)- Look for who the author is.
S.(Sources)- Look for any sources to see where the author got their information.
P.(purpose)- Figure out why the website was created.
E.(Evenness)- Check if both sides have equal coverage.
C.(Coverage)- Compare information on the site to other resources.
T.(Timeliness)- Make sure the information is updated.


The website we evaluated was http://www.genpets.com. The website seemed very realistic. Many of my classmates, including myself, were deceived by certain contents of the site. Some even said they wanted a genpet of their own. After a full evaluation we discovered the website was fake. Evaluating a website source is very important because anyone can put anything online. How do you know if its true or not?

Description:  Bio-genica Genpets 
Available at: http://www.genpets.com/media/photo06.jpg

This week we also worked on another Digital Driver's License lesson. The section we completed was, Digital Fluency. On the website we went through various lessons about Digital Fluency. We were given a couple websites to evaluate. Some of the websites looked legitimate, but instead was a hoax. At the end of the lessons, there was a quiz.

Description: Digital driver's License

Available at: http://otis.coe.uky.edu/DDL/launch.php 

Another nifty tool we were introduced to was mindmeister. Mindmeister is kind of like a graphic organizer. It allows you to put different sorts of information on a concept map. The information included in your map lead back to one specific topic. I really enjoyed creating a mindmeister of my own on website evaluation. My wonderful creation is shown below.



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Create your own mind maps at MindMeister


Overall, this week was okay. I have learned an abundant amount of information that would come handy in the future. Before I use a website for a project, I can now fully evaluate it. Another thing that can come in handy sometime is mindmeister. I can use this website to help organize all kinds of information. I'm introduced to a lot of new helpful tools and digital literacy every week. I'm looking forward to what else we learn next week.

Wednesday Technology Current Event

 Topic: Video games can now help the U.S military during a war.

 Article Title: How Video Statistics Can Transform War

 Article Source: technewsdaily.com



 Summary: Most of the U.S military's younger generation grew up playing video games that constantly tell players how well they're doing on the virtual battlefield. This type of technology can possibly become reality for soldiers. 



Soldiers in the U.S could go into battle wearing "google glasses". Google glasses can warn them of exhaustion level's by changing their vision's tint from green to yellow or red. The glasses could also warn them of other information needed on the battlefield.



 The amount of energy and pride put into climbing the rankings of 'Call of Duty' multi-player could be transformed into higher soldier performance. This idea remains decades away from being acted upon even if the U.S commander's decide to support it.




5. Reaction: My first reaction to this was,"wow"! Who thought playing video games could help train for military? There are a lot of people wanting to go into the military. Now they could just play video games like 'Call of Duty' to help them train in that field. This could also help U.S soldiers while on the battlefield. They can now know what kind of condition they're in during a battle. I think this is really cool.



6. World Impact: This could be amazing! The U.S will have a great advantage over other countries in a war. Soldiers could be more aware of the condition they're in while on the battlefield. Now nurses and doctors could get to wounded soldiers earlier through this device. 



This could be the beginning of new technology to help during wars. Other countries would also be attempting things like this to make their military stronger. I wonder what else would be coming out in the near future.    

Week Five of GECH

Another week here at Gaston Early College has passed by. This week has been packed with multiple test and quizzes. Even through the difficulties, this week has been okay.



This week, we started with a few new changes. We were assigned new peer editing partners. Our partners comment on our blogs and make suggestions that would make our blog magnificent. We were given  a new rubric on how we edit our blogs. This helps us become excellent bloggers.



The following day we were introduced to a new program called Digital Driver's License. Digital Driver's License is a website that teaches valuable lessons about the online world and helps us become responsible online. After the lessons, the website had an assessment that we had to complete.



Another effective tool we were introduced to was online photo editing. We had a class discussion on how captions on a picture can either make you or break you. For example, you post a picture of you drinking out of a cup and wearing a pirate hat. The caption is, "drunken pirate". Later on in the future you get denied a job because of that picture. The caption could've just said, "pirate". So basically be careful what type of captions you put on your pictures. Even if it is just a joke. The example used was in a worksheet we worked on called Private Today/Public Tomorrow.



To put what we learned into use, we edited a picture of our own. I choose a picture from flickrCC and did a few editing. I used loonapix and pizap to edit my pictures. The instructions given was to take our chosen picture and edit a good and bad version of it. My picture is shown below.
                                                                     
                                                                         
                                                                                 

Image: Honey
Date: June 8, 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nairoozdotcom/2564138034/

Found on flickrcc.net

           

Negative  version of original picture

  

                                           
                                                    

Positive  version of original picture

                

Included with our lesson were a few definitions. The definitions we were given are shown below:

Reputation- A general impression help by others and the public.
Persist- To continue on and endure.
Context- Different factors that surround information that helps determine its meaning.
Tag- A caption that describes a photo or video. Could be words, terms, or a sentence.



Personally, this week has been okay. One of the things I hated about this week was all the test and quizzes I took. I really enjoyed learning about photo editing and more on digital citizenship. I hope to use what I have learned later on in the future.

Thursday Current Event

1. Topic: A new device can help paralyzed patients walk on their own. 



2. Article Title: " Bionic Suit Helps Paralyzed Patients Walk Independently"



3. Article Source: Tech News Daily



4. Summary: Ekso bionics created a bionic suit that can help paralyzed patients walk on their own. It braces the leg of people with spinal cord injuries. Whenever a patient uses their arms to push against metal crutches, a motor is activated in the bionic legs and allows them to stand and walk independently. The new bionic suit has been shipped to US rehab centers and is becoming popular among patients and doctors. 



5. Reaction: I think this is an amazing invention! Paralyzed people can now be more independent and won't have to depend on people. People with disabilities are always looked down upon as someone that is weak. With the bionic suit, those who are unable to walk can show how they really are. I've learned that some people with disabilities hate it when people feel sorry for them or think they can't do anything on their own. 

6. World Impact: This would make a huge impact on the world. People who are paralyzed and thought they would never walk again now have hope. Since this is the first invention, countries everywhere would attempt to create something similar to this. 



This could be the beginning of an outbreak of inventions to help those who are handicapped. Maybe from now on handicapped people would not be looked down on as someone weaker. They could be more independent and won't need help from others.

Week Four of GECH

Another week at GECHS has passed by, I personally think this week has been kind of laid back. The lessons we have discussed, over the course of this week, has been interesting, fun, and cool.

We started this week off by completing our grammar notes and discussing how to break a sentence down. Each night for homework, we had a sentence that we had to break down into parts of speech, parts of a sentence, phrases, and clauses. It took me a while to understand the concept of it all. After a while of practicing and studying, I finally understood how easy it actually was.

We also did a class discussion on online ethics and what it means to be a digital citizen. Ethics are the principals and morals that govern people's behavior. Online Ethics mean the same thing, but relates to internet and digital devices. Digital citizenship is a safe, responsible, and ethic approach to functioning in the digital world. 

After our class discussion, we worked in partners on a worksheet related to the topic of digital citizenship. Afterwards, we did a discussion post on schoology. We were required to read other students post, and comment on what they thought digital citizenship meant.

To help us get a better understanding of digital citizenship, we created a music video using animoto.  Animoto is a free web 2.0 tool that creates music video's using pictures. I thought it was really cool, I had a lot of fun making one of my own. The only problem I had was finding pictures. I used flickercc to find pictures that were okay for me to use. We got the opportunity to view our classmates video's. I enjoyed watching other students creative work. My animoto is shown below, enjoy!

                             

Digital Citizenship on animoto

On the day of 9/11 we took time out of class to watch a tribute video and remember the most tragic day in American history. My peers and I were only young children when 9/11 took place, but that day has changed all of our lives. Many lives were lost all because of a group of people that had hate for another culture that was not their own. Americans were not the only one's that got affected, people of different races were also highly impacted. Ever since 9/11 people of different races were looked on as "terrorist". They were judge only because of the way they looked. I want to pay my tribute to those lives that were lost by showing a tribute video below. Please watch the whole video, even after the credits.

Link to video

  

Thursday Technology Current Event

Topic: Cyborg Cockroaches
  
Article Title: Cyborg Cockroaches May Be Future Emergency Responders

Article Source: Innovation News Daily



Summary: Most people hate cockroaches and think they're gross, but is it possible that they may be future emergency responders? A video footage at North Carolina State University shows the part - robot roaches being led along a curving path with a remote control. There is a lightweight chip with a wireless receiver and transmitter attached onto Madagascar hissing cockroaches. On the insect's antennae and cerci, there is a wired microcontroller. Using electrical signals, researchers can direct the roaches to various locations. 



Researchers hope that they could use biobotic roaches in place of robots since cockroaches are experts at performing in hostile environments. By creating a mobile web of smart sensors, researchers also wish to use the roaches to collect and transmit information. An example of a way the roaches could respond to emergencies is, finding survivors in a building that's been destroyed by an earthquake. Other researchers are are now also considering the possibility of technology enhanced roaches. 



Reaction: My first reaction to this article was, " Ew! Roaches"?! I was surprised that researchers were even thinking of doing anything with roaches. After I read through the article, I thought of how helpful this could actually be. An example used in the article was the roaches finding survivors in a building that was destroyed by an earthquake. 



If I was in a collapsed building and saw a roach, I'll try to shoo it away from me cause I'm scared of roaches and hate them. I wonder if researches actually thought of it that way. Overall, I think its a creative idea that could really be useful someday.



World Impact: These biobotic roaches can really help in times of crisis. In cases like earthquakes, the roaches can transmit information like where a survivor is located. This can help rescuers find survivors faster and easier. This could really impact the world because, well, it can save lives! There are situations in the past where many emergency responders have lost their lives, or they couldn't get to survivors in time. With the roaches may be rescuers would be less likely to lose their lives and survivors can be found faster. 

Four day week!

Having just a four day week was really exciting! The work this week was just a tad bit less than a regular week. We began this week with an introduction to Google Reader/RSS Feed. To help us get a better understanding of how to use Google Reader we watched a youtube video similar to the one below and worked on a very simple worksheet. The video I have posted is just the basics of Google Reader. There are a few crucial things that the video didn't really go into detail about. So I will give a brief explanation of the left out details.


                                             

                                                                    Link to Video

                                                                                           
                
                                                                                
You can subscribe to websites or blogs through Google Reader. An important tool of Google Reader is RSS Feed. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It helps you keep up with favorite websites by updating articles automatically when needed. Whenever you want to subscribe to a website or blog, look for the RSS symbol. Below is a picture of what the RSS icon resembles. When you locate the symbol on the website or blog, you just simply click on it.

                                                                    
                                                                              

Description found at: http://www.argazkiak.org/gaztelumendi/tag/rss/

                                       Date: 2010-05-02

                                                                    

If the RSS Feed symbol can not be found, do not be distressed. There is another way to subscribe when there is no RSS Feed. You can just copy the URL of what you  want to subscribe to. Afterwards, you go back to Google Reader and click the subscribe button. In the box that shows, you paste the URL that you have copied and hit subscribe. Want to know how to keep your subscriptions organized? Having folders based on the subject of your subscription is a good way to be organized. After you have read an article it is marked as read and does not show up again. We were required to subscribe to our classmates blogs and comment on a partners.

Something cool we learned about this week is favicons. For those of you who don't know what a favicon is, it is the icon you see at the corner of your web-address bar when you visit a website. We created a favicon of our own blogs. It was fun seeing my classmates creative ideas for their favicon.

In addition to being introduced to Google Reader/ RSS Feed we learned some basic rules on email etiquette. The class, as a whole, looked at a presentation and took a few notes. Basically we discussed over how crucial it is to be careful of what you do with emails and how you send them. Some of the notes I have taken are listed below.

Basic Email Etiquette Rules:

1. Do not use CAPS because they are considered yelling/shouting.
2. Over punctuating is also considered yelling/shouting.
3. Avoid emoticons.
4. Explain Acronyms.
5. Keep slang at a minimum.
6. Check spelling and grammar before sending.
7.  Text messaging abbreviations are confusing.  

  

Things to think about before you send emails:

1. Limit use of reply to all.
2.  Is your email needed?
3. Is your message complete and appropriate?

A few ways to make your email exceptional:

1. Format your message with bullets and paragraphs.
2. Use keywords in subject line.
3. Break your message into sections and don't over explain if the person you are sending to knows the details.
4. Explain any attachment.
5. If a topic is bounced back and fourth more than 3 times call the person or schedule a meeting.
6.  If you are really mad about a topic wait 24 hours before you send the email.

Don't let people violate your computer:

1. There are people all over the world that participate in phishing. When you get emails that look official and ask for personal or financial information just delete it. When you click or respond to it and give the wrong person your information, they can use it for whatever they want.
2. Spams are ads or scams that you get in your email. When you get a spam email just delete it! Replying or unsubsribing gives your address for more spam.
3. A virus is the worst thing that could happen to a computer. Its an installed software that crashes your computer or monitors and control it. You only receive a virus when you click or or open a program. Virus's can be installed to your computer even without your knowledge.   

Overall this week went well. I didn't even know what a favicon was until now.  Google Reader has helped me out on a lot of things. Now I can keep track of classmates blogs that I have subscribed to. I can also subscribe to different websites also. Learning email etiquette was also really interesting. Now I can properly send emails to teachers or other peers. There wasn't really anything negative about this week. Everything I was taught helped me in a very positive way.

Robots Help US Millitary

1. Topic: US Military Needing Extra Help From Robots

2. Article Title: US Military Wants Humanoid Robots in the Drivers Seat

3. Article Source: Artilce Source

4. Summary: The US military wants robots that could help them directly in the battlefields. They need robots that can work even with loose supervision from humans. Boston Dynamics' four-legged robotic mule has caught the eye of the US Military. It has broken the record for land speed robots. They are in search for robots just like it. 

5. Reaction: I think it a spectacular idea for US Military to use these robots. We would then have an advantage over other countries during a war. These robots are designed to do jobs that were meant for only humans. Some people say that some day robots would take over the world. I don't really believe that, but robots are the new topic.

6. World Impact: This impacts the world because now during a war we have a great advantage over other countries. These robots can be a great helping hand to wounded soldiers. This can also cause a robot revelation. Other countries, once they have seen our robots, would race to make their own. The robots would be used to lessen the work of people everywhere.

Introduction to Publication Off To a Great Start!

The past two weeks here at Gaston Early College have been a rough ride. The building that was being constructed for us is not yet completed. So us students are being walked around from class to class.

Some students are aggravated by the way we are treated, but we know that's how it must be until we are in our building. All of the teachers so far have dedicated their time and effort into making sure we are comfortable during Plan B.

This week we have started discussing copyright laws and how important they really are. Most of my peers don't take copyright seriously so I thought they weren't serious. Currently I have learned that copyright laws are not taking as serious as they really are. People can actually go to jail if the violate copyright laws.

To show how crucial Copyright Laws are we made a Prezi presentation. This was my first time using Prezi and it was really confusing. At first I hated, but when I started getting used it I actually liked it. Its a really cool and unique way to do presentations.

Copyright Laws on Prezi

Something interesting I learned this week is how to customize google so when you look for pictures the ones that are free are what is shown. I usually just search pictures without worrying about its copyright, but from now on I'll be more careful about which information I use from the internet. One of the things I struggled with making with was a hyperlink, but I recently discovered how easy it actually is to make one.

For this class we are required to post weekly blogs about what we have done. This is my first time blogging, and I'm starting to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to a great year at Early College and wish the best of luck to the rest of my classmates.