Updates and Reflections on Passion Project

My 20% Project: Sharpies :)

I believe I am doing pretty good with my project. I'm very far in research and pretty much just need to film it. I have attempted to film it and well it didn't work out, so I'm just going to keep trying to come up with ideas of how to film it. If I anything I think I may have left over time. 

Things I still need to do:

Film the project

Figure out how to film the project

Things I have done:

Researched the history of Sharpies

Researched the different types of Sharpies

Compared Sharpie and Bic

Researched Environmentally friendly aspects of Sharpies

Cited my work

Attempted to film the project (key word: attempted) 

Researched how a Sharpie is created

Researched if a Sharpie is safe to write on your skin or not 

Grades!!

Welcome to my blog post about grades!! (Is that a good introduction? Nah I didn't think so either.) So in Rogate we have been discussing grades and about which we would rather have: Standards Based Grading or the "traditional" way. The "traditional" way as numbers for a final grade and Standards Based Grading as in separate grades for every single thing with a scale of 1-4. 1-Not Proficient 2- Partially Proficient 3- Proficient 4- Advanced Proficient.
I do not think the current grade system accurately represents my knowledge because it is unfair.  What I mean is that numbers do not give us a representation on what we know and do not know in the long run. Some teachers decide to give out extra credit like its candy on Halloween. Just because we answered three questions about Spain or Spanish culture and brought it in on the following Monday does not mean we should get nine whole extra points on a quiz or test. Now without that extra credit I probably would be failing  (aka having a B) in that class, but I still don't think it is fair.  I probably sound like a hypocrite, but anywho I think it is completely unfair that people (like me) are passing the class because of questions they can get off of google.

  I personally think that grades are used to "rank" us. By "rank" I mean see of who is "better" and should get into the "best" colleges. Our grades determine of what school we get into which then determines of what job we get and then of how successful/happy we will be. So pretty much, how we do now will determine our future. Isn't that lovely?
I honestly think the best way to go would be a combination of both the "traditional" way and Standards Based Grading. I think the "traditional" way would be good for tests being that I'm just so used to getting a number grade on a test and I don't think that words will represent the grade properly. When I go and check Powerschool, I'm able to see of how many I got wrong from doing the calculations of points. Whereas with the Standards Based Grading you wouldn't be able to see of how many you have gotten wrong until you have actually seen the physical test itself. I do think that we should have the Standards Based Grading on the report cards though. I have no idea if you are currently picturing what I am, but I am going to keep explaining and you may get even more confused. Oh well! So on a test on fractions in math you can get a 95% and you will see what you got wrong, but then on your report card it may say that you have a 4 (Advanced Proficient) in fractions. If you got a 60% on a test for area and perimeter in math then on the report card you will probably have a 1 (not proficient) or a 2 (partially proficient) in area and perimeter.  You will then be able to see visually on your report card exactly what you need to work on.
Well that seems to be it! Have a wonderful day!!

Hi everybody!! This year I'm on Team Achieve! I'm upstairs just like last year! YAYY UPSTAIRS!!!! (that means less people and I don't like people) I like some of my classes like ROGATE, History, and Algebra. ROGATE is awesome because of the people in it and the way we learn things. History is really fun because my teacher makes the class interesting and has a great sense of humor. I like Algebra for a few reasons, one being that my teacher has an awesome accent and is really nice and two being the people in my class always make me laugh. So school is going pretty good so far.
Enough of school, now for ONE DIRECTION!! WHOOP WHOOP!! And other bands, but mainly One Direction. I can already hear the groans of annoyance, but you've already started reading so might as well finish! If you were in my ROGATE class last year, then you would already know that I'm nutjob about that really good looking boy-band who is currently number one. Even though they are the best looking and best singers of today I still do have other favorite bands. Those bands are: Fall Out Boy, Cold Play, The Fray, Panic! At The Disco!, and The Script. Oh and I like John Mayer too! Well I hope you have a fantabulous day!!

Monsters Inc.

My first day, my first day on the job. I tried to open the black, chipped door, but I couldn't. I was way too nervous to open the door without frightening anybody. Working at Monsters Inc. was to relieve children of nightmares, not give them any. Well it used to be giving them nightmares, but I feel that you understand that whole story and if not go, watch the movie. Its basically a documentary on the company on how two employees changed the whole business from scaring kids to helping them. At every new employee orientation we are forced to watch it, though being one of the most popular movies of all time, we've all seen it. Well back to my current issue, I must have reached for the knob ten times before I actually grasped onto the cold, golden surface. I finally worked up the courage to turn it. The sound of the creaking made me cringe. I started to push open the door and put my right foot in first. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I had both feet planted into the room. All I had to do was wake up the kid by being funny. Now I had everything planned, but I just had to go through with it. I had the pies in my bag, hoping they wouldn't get squashed. My plan was to throw the pies at my own face, I know it is kind of pathetic but it was the best thing I could think of in the amount of time I had. I switched on the lights and began to throw the pies. I was shocked to see the kid starting to laugh. I didn't think it was that funny, but apparently she did and that's all that counts. Basically, how the rest of it went was me throwing pies at myself and her laughing, then she fell back to sleep. It was all worth it to see the smile on her face as she began to drift off. I didn't want to awake her as I left her room so I tried to tip-toe out as sneakily as I could. I turned the knob and stepped out the once frightening doorway. As I stepped back into the hallway I felt a sense of pride that I made the child smile. I couldn't wait until my next shift, which wouldn't be until tomorrow because I'm a newbie. I was about to check out of work for today but everything started to blur. I didn't understand what was happening. All of a sudden everything went black.
"Steph, Steph, get down stairs already!!" I felt no reason to respond to my mother as I was already on my way down the steps. Once I sat down for breakfast I approached my mom. "Hey mom, I had the strangest dream last night...."

The Giver Controversy

In my opinion at the end of The Giver Jonas died. At the end of the book he saw a sled and a village with music. I think the sled was his "pathway to heaven" and the village was his old community. The last sentence of the book, "But perhaps it was only an echo", is talking about music. I think when it says an echo it means that the music was coming from his community and not to where he was going.I also believe that he died at the end because he saw all of the things from memories the Giver had given him and they say that before you die your life flashes before you.
In one interview Lois Lowry was asked by a student "My teachers argue over the ending of The Giver! How does it really end?" and Lois Lowry responded saying "It ends with Jonas and Gabriel going downhill in a sled toward a house with welcoming lights. Ho ho ho. Aren’t I a mean author, not to be more specific? I like it when you argue. It makes you think." So by this response the author doesn't want you to know exactly what happened and rather think for yourself. I honestly do not like it when an author leaves a book hanging like that because then there isn't a definite answer. 
In another interview Lois Lowry said "Many kids want a more specific ending to The Giver. Some write, or ask me when they see me, to spell it out exactly. And I don't do that. And the reason is because The Giver is many things to many different people. People bring to it their own complicated sense of beliefs and hopes and dreams and fears and all of that. So I don't want to put my own feelings into it, my own beliefs, and ruin that for people who create their own endings in their minds. I will say that I find it an optimistic ending. How could it not be an optimistic ending, a happy ending, when that house is there with its lights on and music is playing? So I'm always kind of surprised and disappointed when some people tell me that they think that the boy and the baby just die. I don't think they die. What form their new life takes is something I like people to figure out for themselves. And each person will give it a different ending. " 
From this response Lois Lowry says that she wants people to believe whatever they want to believe. She does say that she doesn't want it to be a sad ending but people make it out to be, like I do. Even though she says that she doesn't like it when people make it out to be like that, I still hold my ground in saying that Jonas did die at the end. From these interviews I see that I never will know what actually happened because nothing ever did actually happen. She wanted people to believe what they wanted to believe and no set answer, so I still believe in the morbid ending that Jonas died at the end and was on his way to heaven. 

20% Project

I would like to learn how to draw realistic people. I have always loved to draw. I am pretty good at drawing just terrible at people.

Materials:
paper
pencil
ruler
netbook

Problems anticipated:

pencil might smudge
eraser may erase too much

People whom I can consult:

Christina
Charles
my friend Nikki

Advertising influences teens

http://www.squidoo.com/influence-of-advertising

In Rogate we have been learning about advertising and teen culture. I personally
 think advertising influences teens and children. When teens see their favorite actor/actress/artist/singer/musician saying they wear/do/like something the teens are going to want it. Advertising and the media also effects the way teens think about themselves, especially teen girls.

Many times when a teen girl sees fashion magazines with models who are more than likely photoshopped, they want to look like them. They think they have to be photoshopped skinny to be pretty. If companies didn't put girls who were always really skinny in their advertisments, then teen girls may not think this way. When they think this way, they may start to starve themselves. This is an example proving that advertisments influence the way teens act.

If a teen sees their favorite celebrity say/do something, they will probably want to do it too. If their favorite celebrity dresses a certain way, then they may dress that way too. This is a way the media influences teen culture. Lets just say saay your favorite singer is Katy Perry, and you see her on the Proactive commercial, you would probably think, hey I like Katy Perry and her skin is perfectly clear, so I'll do what she does!!! Well...maybe not exactlyl like that but I think you get the point.

As you can see advertising affects teens. It doesn't always just affect teens though. "More and more children spend time online as well. This Marketing to Children paper discusses the fact that marketers are targeting children as young as 4 years old via the internet, often with the parents being unaware." that was a quote from the aticle above. Advertising affects everybody, especially teens.

What I learned in the past year

2012 this is what you taught me...I learned that people are not what they seem. They may look like they "belong with a certain group of people" when they are completly different. I learned that you can find good in everyone, even the worst of people. I learned that a comment on Instagram can create an entertaining argument. I also learned that Ashna saying "Lets all just chill and love Nutella" will break up an internet argument. I learned many more things in the past year, but this is what stuck with me.