Definition of Power

A man walks down a street. People on all sides of the road bow down and pay their respects. The man nods his thanks, and continues down the road, knowing that his ideas and commands will influence all the people on the street in some way. This man has power. I believe that someone in power has influence and control over others.

According to "www.m-w.com" (Meriam Webster Online Dictionary), power is "possession of control, authority, or influence over others." That is just one definition. I have many in my blog postings this year, the first one being from my response to "When do you become an adult?" In the posting, it states as follows: "One becomes an adult when he or she can make responsible decisions and can take care of themselves." This has to do with power, because I think that when you become an adult and make big decisions, you have power, even if it's just over your own life.

The second example I would like to use is from my "Feedback November 26-30." It is about the African cartoon. In it, I state that "It is about the Europeans taking a lot of resources from Africa." This shows the power that the Europeans had over the African people. They had the power to do what they wanted. but the Africans could do nothing more than watch as their continent became a playground for the European countries.

The next example I would like to share with you is my "Feedback November 5-9." One quote from it is: "The main visual elements in this cartoon are the English octopus and the countries that his hands are on. The picture is about imperialism." This again shows how British exerted their power on the African population

Finally, from my "Qualities of a Good Leader" post, I said that "A good leader listens to all his/her subjects. He has advisers, and listens to them. He or she rules firmly and strictly, but also has love for his/her country (if he is ruling over one)." This last quote demonstrates what I think some of the traits that someone in power should have.

Feedback April 28-May 2

Firstly, I learned to manage my time wisely, and to complete work early. Secondly, I learned how to conduct research quickly and efficiently. Lastly, I learned to organize my work. These skills will help me in the future to be competitive in the working world. They will help me be a efficient and productive individual.

"Thinking About Globalization" Response

The main visual elements are the text, the father, and the daughter. This cartoon is about outsourcing and how it can be a positive or negative thing. The cartoonist thinks that outsourcing is a bad thing, because the child is asking if she can outsource her homework to India. This is a bad thing, because children should do their own homework. This cartoon relates to our study of globalization because outsourcing is part of globalization. To make this cartoon more persuasive, the cartoonist could have had a post man in the room, ready to take the homework from the girl.

Feedback April 14-18

One becomes an adult when he or she can make responsible decisions and can take care of themselves. This is probably around the age of 21. Adults should be ale to support themselves and make their own major decisions. Also, they should contribute to society. In conclusion, people become an adult when they are 21 and can make their own decisions.

I wouldn't say that there is a specific age that someone is of no use to the society. I think someone can always contribute to society unless they have some extreme disability. Even in small ways, like entertaining people and talking care of grand children. Therefore, there is no specific age.

UbD Work Plan

Monday-Write down sources and start research paper
Tuesday-Continue work on research paper
Wednesday-Finish research paper
Thursday-Start data analysis
Friday-Continue work on data analysis

Feedback March 24-28

The main visual elements are the mother, father, and son. This cartoon is about how technology is supposed to speed up a lot of things. In the case that the cartoon is illustrating though, using technology (aka. a computer) would slow things down. It would be faster for the kid to tell his parents about school instead of booting up a computer and showing them his blog. The cartoonist thinks that technology is bad in some cases, and prevents human interaction. "Tell" is underlined, putting emphasis on the word. This shows that the cartoonist feels that it would be better if the kid told his parents about his school day instead of looking at the blog. This cartoon is ironic because right now I am typing on a blog, and this post will probably never be read. To make this cartoon more effective, the cartoonist could have drawn a closed laptop on the table.

Feedback March 17-21

I agree with part of what Kurt Vonnegut said, but disagree with the other half. I agree that things like H-bombs and Poseidon missiles shouldn't exist. But, when he goes on to say that "computers cheat you out of becoming," I disagree with that. Computers increase efficiency and help people, they don't harm them. For example, programmers wouldn't have a job without them, or if they had a different job, it probably wouldn't be as enjoyable for them. Technology doesn't hold us back, it aids our advancement. Some technology is good, while some is bad.

Technology and Me

Technology is the logical application of knowledge, it is a tool used to aid and speed up certain processes.

Technology in schools is a good thing. It aids and speeds up the educational process. Also, it prepares students for entering the modern world, where technology is used every day. The use of technology in schools can never be too much.

Most important:

1. Clothes

2. Food Processing

3. Houses

4. Computers

5. Internet

Least important:

1. Fast food

2. Plastic school chairs

3. Dog translator

4. Spice Jet

5. Motorola

End of Quarter 3 Feedback

I did not achieve two of the three goals I set for myself last quarter. I have not been finishing my homework before 9:00 every night, and also I did not finish getting my AR points early, instead I turned in my AR quiz late. The one goal I did achieve was that I have started doing homework the day it is assigned.

The first goal for quarter four is that I hope to start homework on the weekends before Sunday. This way, I can relax before Monday. Secondly, I would like to work on the UbD more often during the school week. Thirdly, I want to set aside time to study for quizzes and tests.

Reflection for VC peoject

Three design related tips that you have to keep in mind when working on a VC project are:

1. Don't have too much action going on in the background, it can be distracting.
2. Make sure that your pictures po up at the appropriate time.
3. Don't set your scroll speed too low.

One of the two best things about the VC project is that the software was very easy to use. Secondly, you could customize a lot of aspects of it. One thing I am disappointed about is that the scroll speed was set to "1" when I recorded, so it was too slow and caused me to talk slowly, waiting for the next line to appear at the bottom. Lastly, there was a problem with the background on mine, it was sort of fuzzy in one spot.

'Animal Farm" - Film vs. Novel

I did not find the film to be a completely satisfactory adaptation of the novel. This is because although the film portrayed the main points and themes of the book, there were some details that were different. I do not see why the movie changed some of the details. One example of this is that the film is told in a first person perspective of Jessie, while the
book is not("Animal Farm"). I was not really satisfied with the movie.

Other examples of differences between the book and the film are that in the film, Jessie and Mr. Pilkington played big roles. Also, Napoleon used the TV that was
found in the farm house to distract the animals. He also created his own propaganda movies ("Animal Farm"). Another difference was that in the film the humans attacked Animal farm twice, while in the book they attacked only once ("Animal Farm") (Orwell, 70).

Reflection for Animal Farm

I believe I most closely identify with Benjamin in "Animal Farm". This is because I am educated (Benjamin represents the educated class in Russia) and I understand what's going on in most situations. This is shown in the book when Squealer is found passed out in front of the commandments while he was modifying them. Benjamin is the only one who
understood what was going on (Orwell, 73).

Feedback January 21-25

I think it takes place in Spain. This is because, in the book, San Ildefonso is mentioned
repeatedly (Moeri, 183). San Ildefonso is in Spain.

I think Louise Moeri did not tell the specific location because she wanted to make a point that child soldiers are used all over the place, not in just the country where this
book is set in.

Citations:
"Treaty of San Ildefonso." Wikipedia. 2007. 3 Feb 2008 .

Moeri, Louise. The Forty-Third War. 1989. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.

Feedback January 28-February 1

Yes, Finland requires nine months of military service from men when they turn eighteen. I feel that this is sensible, I can see why the government 
has set this rule. Finland is a
small country with a small population. So
if military service was completely optional, the
military would be too small. I don't feel that it is unfair.

The King is Dead! Long Live the King!

My experience in M1 and the experience of the colonists before the revolution is similar. King Coyle was like King George. There was also taxation without representation, like the jewelry tax, denim tax, etc. There was a lot of injustice because of that, and I think if that continued, there would be almost no self-determination in me and my classmates. Because of King Coyle, there was a lot of tyranny in the class room.

Summary of The Declaration

In some cases, it becomes neccessary for people to break away from oppression. The suffering of these thirteen colonies must end, and everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Under the rule of the king, the American people had no freedom, and they are being treated unfairly. We have tried to tell the British of the mistakes they are doing, but they don't listen. We, the people who represent the United States, break away from Great Britain, and we swear to follow and defend this declaration.

Feedback for "Join, or die"

The main visual elements in this cartoon are the chopped-up snake and the slogan. The issue this cartoon is representing is the American War for Independence. The chopped snake represents the divided colonies. The slogan says “Join” because if the colonies band together, they can be a more formidable force against the British. If they don’t join together, they will be defeated, hence the chopped snake. The cartoonist’s opinion on this issue is that the colonies have to join together. The evidence for this is the slogan “Join, or die.” To make this cartoon more convincing, the cartoonist could have enlarged the “Die” in the slogan.

Reflection on TBAS

This book can be trusted for three reasons, the first of which being that there are quotations from slaves, who were right in the thick of things. This is shown in this quotation:

"If you want Negro history, you will have to get it from somebody who wore the shoe, and by and by from one to the other, you will get a book."
-Ex-Slave
Tennessee (Lester, 11)

Secondly, Julius Lester is a highly acclaimed author, and is a contributor to The New Republic. This is written in the book:

"A frequent contributor to The New Republic and other journals, Julius Lester is the author of many highly acclaimed books..." (Lester, 158)

Lastly, some of the author's information is from the Library of Congress. This is from the author's note:

"These are the narrative material taken form Fisk University collection of slave narratives, the Library of Congress..." (Lester, 15)

Information from: Lester, Julius. To Be a Slave. 1968. NY: scholastic inc, 1968.

Great Powers Game Debrief

1. I was Great Britain. It felt good to build my empire, especially at the beginning, because I had a starting advantage. Great Britain and the U.S.A. had a starting advantage, because both had four economic units to start off with, and they also had more colonies, industries, and a bigger army and navy. At the end of the game, I was third to last in terms of economic points. This is because I built up my army at the beginning, and attacked the most at the beginning.

2. In the long run, it was more important to buy industries, because with them you could build larger armies. Colonies do the same thing, but if you lose a battle, the winner is more interested in them, so you lose them.

3. I kept a large army at all times, which dissuaded some people from attacking me. If I had a second chance, I would have bought more industries at the beginning, so I would have advanced faster in economic points. At the beginning, I also had more navy than anyone else, so no one would have attacked me.

4. Until the last three rounds/years, my alliance was successful and it helped me. Toward the end, however, we probably would have been fine, except Chris dropped out and joined the opposite side, so we were defeated in a war.

5. I learned that alliances cannot always be trusted. Also, if a lot of small nations band together, they can become one powerful force. Lastly, conflict can be unprofitable. For example, one nation can use 10 army units and conquer a country, but then the defeated country can only give one industry.

Quarter 3 Goals

In quarter three, I would like to finish my homework every day before 9:00pm. I would also like to start doing the work the day it is assigned, maybe even finish it. Also, I would like to get my AR points for quarter three done early. I read a lot, but the books I read aren't on the AR list, so I want to check in with Mr. Coyle and see what I should do.