Presenter: Max Chang
Objective: We were to learn about Finland and its focus/stance on recycling/environmental policies.
We read an article and told the class what we learned from it.
Effective communicator: We developed this skill by knowing what we wanted to say and saying it in a way that was concise and clear.
Critical thinkers/Problem solvers: To understand the article's contents, we had to think critically.
Community contributor: By sharing what we learned to the class, we contributed our pool of knowledge with everyone else, benefiting all.
Presenter: Kassy Cho
Objective: To give us some background knowledge on Danmark's history
Activity: We were made to do 'jig-saw'; everyone read a separate text and became experts at it. They then taught the rest of the class what they had learned.
Critical thinking/problem solving: We had to understand and pick out what was most important in our texts so that we could know what to summarize and what to focus on.
Effective communicator: We had to explain our texts in such a way that our fellows could understand, picking our words and ideas carefully.
Community contributor: Being the experts of our text, we were all key parts of the community. Each one of us had a part of the history of Denmark, making it so that we were all pieces of the Jigsaw puzzle.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Liao's Lesson
Presenter: Kevin Liao
Objective: I think the objective was to learn a bit of history about Austria and to connect that with Austria's general identity of today.
There were 3 activities: To write a quickwrite on an article about Austrian xenophobia, to argue a prompt given by Kevin on Austria, and to write a dialectical journal (did not get around to actually doing this one.)
The quikwrite gave us some general information about Austria and her current situation, and the prompt made us connect that information and his earlier lesson to a debatable topic.
We acted as effective communicators by arguing our stance on the our prompts, active learners by furthering that debate (Justin and myself. XD), and critical thinkers/problem solvers by responding to the article by quick-writing.
Objective: I think the objective was to learn a bit of history about Austria and to connect that with Austria's general identity of today.
There were 3 activities: To write a quickwrite on an article about Austrian xenophobia, to argue a prompt given by Kevin on Austria, and to write a dialectical journal (did not get around to actually doing this one.)
The quikwrite gave us some general information about Austria and her current situation, and the prompt made us connect that information and his earlier lesson to a debatable topic.
We acted as effective communicators by arguing our stance on the our prompts, active learners by furthering that debate (Justin and myself. XD), and critical thinkers/problem solvers by responding to the article by quick-writing.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Baraka
The movie Baraka was filled with both wondrous and disturbing things. The way they fixed the camera on an unchanging landscape and had the film speed up drastically made the viewer feel the enduring beauty and power of the earth. The same tactic used on a city scene was almost unnerving as the humans scurried around like ants on crack.
Still, there was a similar feeling as, no matter how chaotic the humans became, the city was still the same. It may be a different human, a different destination, but when everything was sped up, everyone melted into everyone else and the entire scene became just as unchanging as the landscape. The humans were like the shifting clouds in the landscape; they moved quickly, yet in a sense, nothing moved at all.
However, there was a scene in which the editors showed a man screaming, as if to protest the insanity of the what we call 'civilization.'
Still, there was a similar feeling as, no matter how chaotic the humans became, the city was still the same. It may be a different human, a different destination, but when everything was sped up, everyone melted into everyone else and the entire scene became just as unchanging as the landscape. The humans were like the shifting clouds in the landscape; they moved quickly, yet in a sense, nothing moved at all.
However, there was a scene in which the editors showed a man screaming, as if to protest the insanity of the what we call 'civilization.'
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Semester II: Peer Assistance Form
Please fill out ALL questions, even if you think I already have this information.
Name: Grade: .
Tutor / Tutee
Subject:
Available Dates
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Email:
Phone Number:
Name: Grade: .
Tutor / Tutee
Subject:
Available Dates
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Email:
Phone Number:
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
To Be A Woman
To be a woman in ancient Greece was to be, in blunt terms, a breeder. They weren't quite equal with men, not even in Sparta where the women were taught the art of war. In Greece, women were the child-bearers with no voice, no mind, and her only value was in that she was obedient, lovely, and a good child-bearer.
It's not quite that they were abused, but more like they were completely overlooked. Women had no part in politics, in entertainment, in war, in pretty much anything that their husbands were able to.
It's not quite that they were abused, but more like they were completely overlooked. Women had no part in politics, in entertainment, in war, in pretty much anything that their husbands were able to.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Still Water (Parable)
Once, a very long time ago, people were scattered throughout the earth. These were not the conventional people of four limbs, a head of hair, and opposable thumbs. Some had gills. Others had great, bulging eyes. Some looked near monstrous with hair sprouting from every possible surface. They were all sorts of colors, from blue to gray to white and red.
Oddly enough, though some could be described as hideous, there was no revulsion shown by anyone. You see, there were no mirrors, or even names. No one had any idea what they looked like, and therefore hadn’t the slightest clue that there was a difference. Though their appearances were as varied as the rainbow, there wasn’t even a hint in their minds that anyone was entirely unique. They all lived, died, and eventually vanished without a single trace, so what was the use of names?
Now, one day an odd little creature with no hair, gills, or even color was born. Though It was a VERY strange little fellow, everyone accepted It into the fold. The little creature was given no name, as was the custom, and soon It became just another person on earth.
It was a resourceful little fellow, perhaps due to It’s terrible lack of just about anything. It had no fur, no fangs, no spectacular speed or strength. Other Its had long legs to run, or keen eyes to see, but this It was simply dealt a bad hand. To be honest, It would have been a very helpless little creature if it weren’t for Its clever hands and quick little mind. Indeed, many people found themselves oddly affectionate towards the little It, helping It find food when it suited them.
One day, It woke with a strange thought in Its head. The thought was vague and nigh impossible to grasp, so It went off to find a bite to eat. Throughout the long day, as It searched for berries, the strange thought nudged at Its mind.
It was a very unlucky day for It, for not only was It unable to find berries, but Its friends were far away, still in a quarrel with one of Its not-friends. With a resigned slump, It turned to the river to drink some water. Usually, there was no water, for the river ran too fast to the sea.
How odd! There was no river any more! It had walked the path to the river so much that there came to be groove in Its path. The river followed Its path, but there was no sea to swallow up the water. Instead, the water pooled and stayed still, a most unusual thing! Never had It seen still water! Still, It was thirsty, so It bent down to drink.
“Oh!” It was astonished! What was that in the water? Such a strange face, yet so familiar! It had two eyes, and fur on Its head. A short nose, very different from one of Its friends, a strange pale color to Its skin, and really, what WAS It? It was really very unusual, and It was fascinated by It.
It was just about to shrug and leave, when It blinked. Oh my! The Water It blinked! It cocked Its head to the side and saw the Water It do the same. Now, It was not a dumb person. Far from it! It realized that the Water It was one and the same!
The strange thought finally formed in Its mind and whispered a word in Its ear. “Man.”
Such a lovely word, mused It. Really…Man. So unusual…like the Water It. Guiltily, It glanced around and whispered the word out loud. “Man.”
It went back to Its home and continued on with Its life, but everyday, It snuck back to the Still Water and whispered that word, louder and louder, until one day, It shouted the word and was surprised to find how natural it was. Man. Such a lovely, unusual word, coming so easily to Its mouth. Soon, It found Itself referring to Itself with the word, pleased with how natural it felt. The word didn’t feel right for any other people, but for the one formerly known as It, the word was just perfect. It was Man, whispered the strange thought, and the newly christened Man nodded in agreement.
Man continued with his life, hugging his new name to himself like a particularly pretty flower. It was HIS name, and it didn’t work for anyone else! Day by day, Man went back to the Still Water to speak his new name and watch the Water Man smile and nod. He didn’t notice how the Still Water grew and grew, his steps tracing out more and more grooves, deepening the old. No, how could he notice? Even when the entire earth was covered in the Still Water, and Man was wading in it, he was still blissfully happy. Now, Man could say its name anywhere, and Water Men all around him would smile and nod. As time passed, Man found the Water Men to be more and more fascinating and spent all his entire day with them.
Even when the Still Water crept up his neck, Man spoke his name and the Water Men smiled and nodded. However, this time, Man’s every breath stirred the Still Water, and it was no longer as Still. With a frown, Man turned his attention to the other Them, his old friends. Perhaps it was their fault? Man had found his friends to be jealous of the Water Man, stirring the Still Water as much as they could to chase the Water Man. In time, the Water Men had found ways to discourage Man’s friends, and eventually was no longer bothered at all.
Still, now the water was stirring all the time with every breath! Had Man’s old friends found a new way to chase away the Water Men?
The Still Water was still growing, and Man choked on it as he gasped. All he could see was Water Men, more and more. No Them, not even a single It. There wasn’t a person on the earth besides Man and his Water Men.
“It is Man,” whispered the strange thought as Man joined the Water Men in the Still Water.
“It is Man,” whispered the strange thought for the last time, as Man became the Water Men, and the Water Men became the water, and the water became nothing more than Still Water, with no Man or It to show.
Oddly enough, though some could be described as hideous, there was no revulsion shown by anyone. You see, there were no mirrors, or even names. No one had any idea what they looked like, and therefore hadn’t the slightest clue that there was a difference. Though their appearances were as varied as the rainbow, there wasn’t even a hint in their minds that anyone was entirely unique. They all lived, died, and eventually vanished without a single trace, so what was the use of names?
Now, one day an odd little creature with no hair, gills, or even color was born. Though It was a VERY strange little fellow, everyone accepted It into the fold. The little creature was given no name, as was the custom, and soon It became just another person on earth.
It was a resourceful little fellow, perhaps due to It’s terrible lack of just about anything. It had no fur, no fangs, no spectacular speed or strength. Other Its had long legs to run, or keen eyes to see, but this It was simply dealt a bad hand. To be honest, It would have been a very helpless little creature if it weren’t for Its clever hands and quick little mind. Indeed, many people found themselves oddly affectionate towards the little It, helping It find food when it suited them.
One day, It woke with a strange thought in Its head. The thought was vague and nigh impossible to grasp, so It went off to find a bite to eat. Throughout the long day, as It searched for berries, the strange thought nudged at Its mind.
It was a very unlucky day for It, for not only was It unable to find berries, but Its friends were far away, still in a quarrel with one of Its not-friends. With a resigned slump, It turned to the river to drink some water. Usually, there was no water, for the river ran too fast to the sea.
How odd! There was no river any more! It had walked the path to the river so much that there came to be groove in Its path. The river followed Its path, but there was no sea to swallow up the water. Instead, the water pooled and stayed still, a most unusual thing! Never had It seen still water! Still, It was thirsty, so It bent down to drink.
“Oh!” It was astonished! What was that in the water? Such a strange face, yet so familiar! It had two eyes, and fur on Its head. A short nose, very different from one of Its friends, a strange pale color to Its skin, and really, what WAS It? It was really very unusual, and It was fascinated by It.
It was just about to shrug and leave, when It blinked. Oh my! The Water It blinked! It cocked Its head to the side and saw the Water It do the same. Now, It was not a dumb person. Far from it! It realized that the Water It was one and the same!
The strange thought finally formed in Its mind and whispered a word in Its ear. “Man.”
Such a lovely word, mused It. Really…Man. So unusual…like the Water It. Guiltily, It glanced around and whispered the word out loud. “Man.”
It went back to Its home and continued on with Its life, but everyday, It snuck back to the Still Water and whispered that word, louder and louder, until one day, It shouted the word and was surprised to find how natural it was. Man. Such a lovely, unusual word, coming so easily to Its mouth. Soon, It found Itself referring to Itself with the word, pleased with how natural it felt. The word didn’t feel right for any other people, but for the one formerly known as It, the word was just perfect. It was Man, whispered the strange thought, and the newly christened Man nodded in agreement.
Man continued with his life, hugging his new name to himself like a particularly pretty flower. It was HIS name, and it didn’t work for anyone else! Day by day, Man went back to the Still Water to speak his new name and watch the Water Man smile and nod. He didn’t notice how the Still Water grew and grew, his steps tracing out more and more grooves, deepening the old. No, how could he notice? Even when the entire earth was covered in the Still Water, and Man was wading in it, he was still blissfully happy. Now, Man could say its name anywhere, and Water Men all around him would smile and nod. As time passed, Man found the Water Men to be more and more fascinating and spent all his entire day with them.
Even when the Still Water crept up his neck, Man spoke his name and the Water Men smiled and nodded. However, this time, Man’s every breath stirred the Still Water, and it was no longer as Still. With a frown, Man turned his attention to the other Them, his old friends. Perhaps it was their fault? Man had found his friends to be jealous of the Water Man, stirring the Still Water as much as they could to chase the Water Man. In time, the Water Men had found ways to discourage Man’s friends, and eventually was no longer bothered at all.
Still, now the water was stirring all the time with every breath! Had Man’s old friends found a new way to chase away the Water Men?
The Still Water was still growing, and Man choked on it as he gasped. All he could see was Water Men, more and more. No Them, not even a single It. There wasn’t a person on the earth besides Man and his Water Men.
“It is Man,” whispered the strange thought as Man joined the Water Men in the Still Water.
“It is Man,” whispered the strange thought for the last time, as Man became the Water Men, and the Water Men became the water, and the water became nothing more than Still Water, with no Man or It to show.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Reflection
*Rages*I WROTE MY REFLECTION IN THE WRONG PLACE AND NOW I'VE LOST IT!!!
The basic gist was: The movie was incredible, but could have had more emphasis on certain concepts. The map, while looking suitably intricate, was not explored in depth and only served as an excuse for Powell to spout some wise-sounding words about man and dominion. The daughter was an unnecessary element that did not serve any great purpose. I did like the emphasis that Powell was not a gorilla, but a MAN amongst gorillas. He was a part of the gorilla's family, and by extension, a part of the world.
The basic gist was: The movie was incredible, but could have had more emphasis on certain concepts. The map, while looking suitably intricate, was not explored in depth and only served as an excuse for Powell to spout some wise-sounding words about man and dominion. The daughter was an unnecessary element that did not serve any great purpose. I did like the emphasis that Powell was not a gorilla, but a MAN amongst gorillas. He was a part of the gorilla's family, and by extension, a part of the world.
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