Art: You, Kanye, and Leonardo

Couldn't resist. Got home early and decided to surf. Play some techno and go here. I've been doing A LOT of research on netbooks, and even saved up some $$$ to make a purchase. I just don't know if/when I should pull the trigger. It's all part of the plan to get a classroom set. Until then, we'll have to settle for a classroom set of iPod Touches. Yup - you read right. I (and about 4 other teachers) will be going to a training tomorrow afternoon to see how we can incorporate their use in our classrooms. It is for that reason that I will be glad YouTube is blocked - but you could use them effectively to browse for info on you assigned country for Model UN. It should be fun. Now, go watch the video below and wonder what DaVinci could have done with today's technology. Oh - and we just took the Europe test on Thursday.

Is That a Duck?

From Adnan again. We watched the Looney Tunes short twice today...once without sound and once with sound. Interestingly, I don't think the sound added much, except for possibly distracting you from the imagery - which was full of stereotypes. Some of the stereotypes were positive, while most seemed negative.

After tallying and averaging the Peer Review scores for your policy papers, I have to congratulate Claire for having the highest score. On Fiday, everyone will get a packet of several essays with varying scores so you can see what we're looking for. It should help you for your Position Paper that will be due at the end of the quarter. I'll assign it next week when you are also assigned your country for the Model UN activity all 9th graders will be participating in next quarter.

Tomorrow will have you suffer through the Europe test. Then we have the WORLD test next week. After that will be major bodies of water and landforms. The last test of the quarter will be cities...you'll get that list next week.

No videos today - sorry.

Which One is Supposed to be Jesus?

Yesterday was all about becoming introduced to an episode of Star Trek - I explained how there was an "Old" series and a "New" series. When exploring the cultish following of Star Trek, I compared it a bit to Christianity - there are people who prefer Old Star Trek as a more pure form, while others prefer the Next Generation. Still others prefer one of the otehr series, while some only enjoy the movies. It's all confusing, especially for Emma M., who asked the question heading this entry. To answer: NONE of them. it's just a show.

In class today, you took a short quiz to gauge your video retention. Then you completed a handout and we came up with our own contextual language (Star Wars, Wizard of Oz, etc.). The lesson is about communication - you need to know not only the words and definitions, but also the CONTEXT in order to truly understand what is being conveyed. That is why it is just as imoprtant to learn about the culture of a people as well as their native language. So, when Fresco played music all the time, it was good for class - but harmful to us and our environment, which is why we moved downstairs.

And go see Will in Grease.


Since we have been look ing at language, inflection, and German:


As much as I wanted to share the confused turtle, I couldn't. So here is a sad, but funny clip of a sleeping dog:

Sleeping Dog Runs Into Wall - Watch more Funny Videos

Romo and Students at Southwest

You (briefly) joined a cult today, having watched an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In "Darmok," captain Picard and the Enterprise crew found themselves unable to understand the aliens' language context. Hopefully, you figured it out. New poll to the right.

I put your test scores in the gradebook and hope to have the thing completely updated by Wednesday. And I promise to find a couple of videos for you since I neglected to share something last Friday.

For the week, we're focusing on communication. We'll also be taking the Europe test on Thursday during the Late Start. You can check out here and here for online quizzes. In addition to the obvious nations, you'll have to know the components of Great Britain (Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland) as well as the smaller nations of Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra, and Monaco. Next week is the whole world.

Amanduh may have a future in politics:

City Council Member Farts During Hearing - Watch more Funny Videos

And for anyone who thinks drugs are the answer: