For my second Google 20% Project, I'm going to do a project on media cover ups, bias, twists, and how the media can change things so they appear different to what they really are. I will look at recent stories with celebrities and politicians to see if anything could be a fake or twisted story. I will also look at past stories that have been proven wrong or fake.
Obstacles I foresee are not knowing if it is a fake story for sure or not. Although I'm looking into it, I don't know the truth about what really happened. Possible consultants could be celebrity bloggers. I could email them and ask how they write their stories and the guidelines they have to follow. For example, if they are going to write about a certain person, how much can they change the story? What is the limit?
Friday, March 22, 2013
Terri Schiavo Case Study
I think this bioethics unit was a very hard one, and I still have mixed feelings about the Terri Schiavo case. From all the research I've done and things I've found out, I feel bad for Terri because of all the fighting over what should be done with her and the media attention. Although I do believe she is still a human being who deserves to live and is showing signs of life, I agree more with disconnecting her from life support. Nothing that happened to her was really worth it, and she will never be able to live without life support again, so I feel bad saying this, but I don't think keeping her alive would be worth it. I mean, I could see how waiting at the most 5 years would be okay, but after that I'm not sure if a person would want to go beyond that if they wouldn't be able to "live".
That brings me to option number 2: Is Terri Schiavo still a person? Is she the same person? Well, she is still a person, and the same person, on the inside. She will always be Terri Schiavo, and have the same "soul" even if she cannot express emotion and personality. It might not seem like she is the same person, but she is. She might be changed physically and mentally, but she is still herself.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The DNA Dilemma: A Test That Could Change Your Life
In my opinion, doctors should tell the parents, but not everything. For example, it would be a good idea to tell parents any childhood disease that could happen, but any things that could happen at an older age, such as Alzheimer's, shouldn't need to be disclosed so soon.
Before technology was this advanced, people dealt with not knowing what diseases could come. There is nothing that can be done about some, so waiting to die from it your whole life could be a bad thing because you know you're going to die and have to put a limit on some things in your life. I think it would be a better idea to just let nature take its course and whatever happens happens; it's life.
However, I can understand how a doctor would tell a parent about childhood diseases. The child with the disease would be too young to even understand, so they would go about life normally. The parents would benefit from knowing the information because they could make sure their child has a good young life and maybe even look into cures. Also, not every predicted disease happens, so a child could never even have the disease.
I also agree that diseases should be told if there is a 100% cure. This doesn't include not doing sports in case of head injury, etc., but a type of vaccine or any other solid method of disease prevention. If a predicted disease has no cure, there is nothing that can be done, so knowing it would make it worse.
In conclusion, not all of the genome sequencing is 100% accurate. Even if someone is at high risk for a disease, it doesn't mean it will happen. I think that parents shoul get a choice to see their child's genome sequencing, but I wouldn't personally. I would rather just let what happens come, and not have to anticipate anything in my future.
However, I can understand how a doctor would tell a parent about childhood diseases. The child with the disease would be too young to even understand, so they would go about life normally. The parents would benefit from knowing the information because they could make sure their child has a good young life and maybe even look into cures. Also, not every predicted disease happens, so a child could never even have the disease.
I also agree that diseases should be told if there is a 100% cure. This doesn't include not doing sports in case of head injury, etc., but a type of vaccine or any other solid method of disease prevention. If a predicted disease has no cure, there is nothing that can be done, so knowing it would make it worse.
In conclusion, not all of the genome sequencing is 100% accurate. Even if someone is at high risk for a disease, it doesn't mean it will happen. I think that parents shoul get a choice to see their child's genome sequencing, but I wouldn't personally. I would rather just let what happens come, and not have to anticipate anything in my future.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Reflections and Resolutions
Reflect: In 2012 I changed A LOT. I am more involved in my faith now and I help out at church. Also, I don't care about what other people think or say what I should and shouldn't do anymore, I just do what I want. I look back at my last few years and I realized that I have been trying to be like everyone else and do what everyone wants a person to do. I just recently read a Bible verse, I forgot what it was, but it said to not conform to the world, and that verse changed me so much. I am going to keep on working on that and do what is right and what I want to do instead of what society wants. This year has probably changed me the most in so many ways, and I'm proud of myself for it, but there is still room for improvement. I have also realized that so many little annoyances in life don't matter, and I shouldn't focus on them, because they don't even matter in the end!
My procrastination has gotten really bad, though. Also, my grades are kind of going down. I'm still a good student, but I have noticed that I am trying less in school. I am hoping that I will change and I will become more motivated.
Resolve: Normally, I don't do New Years resolutions since I don't keep them. In fact, most of the time no one keeps them. However, I decided to make some, but really I always have goals throughout the year, especially at the beginning of the school year instead of the New Year. My goals are that I want to procrastinate less. I also want to get a job and finish the school year with straight A's each quarter.
My procrastination has gotten really bad, though. Also, my grades are kind of going down. I'm still a good student, but I have noticed that I am trying less in school. I am hoping that I will change and I will become more motivated.
Resolve: Normally, I don't do New Years resolutions since I don't keep them. In fact, most of the time no one keeps them. However, I decided to make some, but really I always have goals throughout the year, especially at the beginning of the school year instead of the New Year. My goals are that I want to procrastinate less. I also want to get a job and finish the school year with straight A's each quarter.
The Ethics Of Social Media After Death
After we die, someone is going to have to do something with any of our social medias accounts and blogs. But, what should be done about it and who has the rights to decide what to do?
Many people have different opinions, but here are mine:
I think that if the deceased person wants something done, then whoever is taking care of their blog should do whatever that person would have wanted. If they didn't mention it, however, I think their family has a right to decide what to do. They can have the choice of making their account public, deleting it, or archiving it and saving it to a computer.
"The most prominent place this issue has come up, not surprisingly, is Facebook. For some time now, it has offered an option to request that a profile be switched to “memorial” mode when an individual dies."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times.
I agree with the idea of having different options on what to do. The memorial mode is a very good idea, and it should be used for all social media. It gives an option, so nothing is forced, but it gives that option of choosing whether or not the deceased should have a public profile.
"'I only ever knew him over Twitter,' Sarah Cashmore , a graduate student in Toronto, told me. She shared his enthusiasm for design and technology and learned of his death from Twitter contacts. 'I was actually devastated,' she says."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times. People now days meet people through the internet, and make good friendships, like in the case of Sarah. This is important because when someone dies, the only way that friend, who could live very far away from the person who died, can grieve and remember them. So, that is another reason to have the option to save the content a deceased person has posted: so long-distance friends can look back and see their friends account/blog.
Many people have different opinions, but here are mine:
I think that if the deceased person wants something done, then whoever is taking care of their blog should do whatever that person would have wanted. If they didn't mention it, however, I think their family has a right to decide what to do. They can have the choice of making their account public, deleting it, or archiving it and saving it to a computer.
"The most prominent place this issue has come up, not surprisingly, is Facebook. For some time now, it has offered an option to request that a profile be switched to “memorial” mode when an individual dies."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times.
I agree with the idea of having different options on what to do. The memorial mode is a very good idea, and it should be used for all social media. It gives an option, so nothing is forced, but it gives that option of choosing whether or not the deceased should have a public profile.
"'I only ever knew him over Twitter,' Sarah Cashmore , a graduate student in Toronto, told me. She shared his enthusiasm for design and technology and learned of his death from Twitter contacts. 'I was actually devastated,' she says."-Cyberspace When You're Dead, NY Times. People now days meet people through the internet, and make good friendships, like in the case of Sarah. This is important because when someone dies, the only way that friend, who could live very far away from the person who died, can grieve and remember them. So, that is another reason to have the option to save the content a deceased person has posted: so long-distance friends can look back and see their friends account/blog.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Google 20%Project
For my Google 20% project, I'm going to be researching my family history. Here is the Animoto video I'm going to look into my recent family history, as recent as great grandparents, and also look back to my ancestors from as far back as the 17th century.
For this project, it's going to be difficult to get information. So, I'm going to need family records directly from my grandparents. They have many books and documents containing information, so I've asked them to send them to me and they agreed. Most of my research will come from those documents.
A roadblock for me is how hard it is to get the information I need. I'm going to have only a few sources since there's not much to find on the Internet.
The only people I can talk to are my older family members. There isn't really any professional historians that could help without paying them.
For this project, it's going to be difficult to get information. So, I'm going to need family records directly from my grandparents. They have many books and documents containing information, so I've asked them to send them to me and they agreed. Most of my research will come from those documents.
A roadblock for me is how hard it is to get the information I need. I'm going to have only a few sources since there's not much to find on the Internet.
The only people I can talk to are my older family members. There isn't really any professional historians that could help without paying them.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Is Chris Langan successful?
After seeing Chris Langan on 1 vs. 100 and reading about him in The Outliers, I can say that he is successful.
Success in my own words is when someone is happy with their lives, not nessecarily rich or famous. As long as a person is content with what they have and don't want much more, to me it is considered success.
To me, my meaning of success applies to Chris Langan. He has a simple life with his wife, farm, and easy job, and that's enough to be successful. Even though he's not getting into jobs that he can use his high IQ in, it's okay because there are plenty of other people out there that can do those jobs; no one needs to depend on Chris.
So, in my opinion, Chris Langan is a successful man.
Success in my own words is when someone is happy with their lives, not nessecarily rich or famous. As long as a person is content with what they have and don't want much more, to me it is considered success.
To me, my meaning of success applies to Chris Langan. He has a simple life with his wife, farm, and easy job, and that's enough to be successful. Even though he's not getting into jobs that he can use his high IQ in, it's okay because there are plenty of other people out there that can do those jobs; no one needs to depend on Chris.
So, in my opinion, Chris Langan is a successful man.
The Kindergarten Debate
There is a debate over whether kids should start kindergarten at the normal time or wait a year so they will be emotionally ready. Sometimes, being held back has its advantages; it insures a child is ready to learn. However, in the article Delay Kindergarten at your Child's Peril, the authors state that starting kindergarten late can be "less motivated and perform less well". They said that late starters can even have a lower IQ!
In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, Malcolm says that late starters have an advantage, being older therefore more developed. He relates this to sports, such as hockey. If you are one of the oldest in hockey, you are more developed, appearing bigger(better) than younger players.
In my opinion, I think a parent should put their child into kindergarten when they think the child is ready. If the child is 5 years old but still haven't really developed mentally enough, the parent could hold them back another year. If a child is 4 and has shown extreme ability, a parent could send them in at that young age. So, I don't really agree with "accumulative advantage" because it's no advantage if a child's at the same mental capability as others; age doesn't really count in school in my opinion.
This is kind of unrelated, but here's my personal experience:
I started kindergarten at 4, and I think it was actually a little better. I did feel out of place though, since I was always the smallest. Now, being the oldest in my grade, I feel out of place sometimes, too. It is difficult with an August/September birthday, so I think that is a place where parents struggle the most.
Also, I noticed in schools in central U.S and England, the cutoff date is generally August(the oldest kids are in August, a few young kids are in here too). However, on the east coast, the youngest kids are in October and even November, way younger than other places. Maybe it's an east coast thing?
In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, Malcolm says that late starters have an advantage, being older therefore more developed. He relates this to sports, such as hockey. If you are one of the oldest in hockey, you are more developed, appearing bigger(better) than younger players.
In my opinion, I think a parent should put their child into kindergarten when they think the child is ready. If the child is 5 years old but still haven't really developed mentally enough, the parent could hold them back another year. If a child is 4 and has shown extreme ability, a parent could send them in at that young age. So, I don't really agree with "accumulative advantage" because it's no advantage if a child's at the same mental capability as others; age doesn't really count in school in my opinion.
This is kind of unrelated, but here's my personal experience:
I started kindergarten at 4, and I think it was actually a little better. I did feel out of place though, since I was always the smallest. Now, being the oldest in my grade, I feel out of place sometimes, too. It is difficult with an August/September birthday, so I think that is a place where parents struggle the most.
Also, I noticed in schools in central U.S and England, the cutoff date is generally August(the oldest kids are in August, a few young kids are in here too). However, on the east coast, the youngest kids are in October and even November, way younger than other places. Maybe it's an east coast thing?
Ups and Downs of Being Gifted
Being gifted has its ups and downs. Even though being gifted is a very good thing, students like this do have problems, too. Also, there are many myths and truths about gifted children. In this post, I'll explain these factors, but also add in some of my personal experiences.
Ups
Ups
- Gifted students are looked at a higher level and praised more
- Gifted students normally do better in school with grades
- Since gifted students have something they enjoy (a hobby), it can be easier for them to decide what they are doing in life with their career
Being gifted can have it's downsides, too.
Downs
- Sometimes gifted students are bullied and considered "nerds"
- School is sometimes too easy, causing grades to go down from boredom
- Some students have asynchronous development , where they might be smart, but are different physically and emotionally, which is difficult
So, there are definitely many things that gifted children go through, both good and bad. However, sometimes people don't understand these things, and this is something that leads to problems.
- myth: gifted students don't need help, they're fine on their own.
- truth: even though gifted students might be smart, it doesn't mean they won't ever need help. Would you send a star athlete to train for the Olympics without a coach? Not everyone is perfect, so not everyone will understand something the first time, no matter what level of skill they are at.
- myth: gifted students are a role-model for everyone else in the classroom
- truth: most of the time, that is the opposite. Many low-achieving students actually look at smarter students as "nerds" and try not to achieve as much as them.
- myth: that student can't be gifted; they're getting poor grades
- truth: not every gifted student is academically gifted. Many children excel best at things such as art and music, and not so much math and english. So, not every gifted student will get good grades. Also, some gifted students will do poorly in school because they are bored of the easy work given to them.
So, gifted students do have advantages, but they do have struggles too. I have struggled with teachers expecting a lot out of me just because I'm in the G&T class. Even though I do maintain high grades, I do still struggle with many topics in school. Sometimes I wonder if I just get lucky on some of my tests. Overall, it has been fine for me. I get stressed very easily, and having a little easier school work helps me out a bit!
Being gifted is a great advantage most of the time, but it also has its downsides too.
Monday, September 24, 2012
First Blog Post
Hi! My name's Emma and I'm a freshman! Things I like include playing guitar, singing, playing volleyball, eating, hanging out with friends, sleeping, reading, swimming, traveling, and shopping!
I don't like doing homework, waking up early, elevators, sharks, clowns, and anything that has to do with math/mechanics..
The highlight of my summer has got to be..the whole thing! I had so much fun visiting my grandparents and other family, and I also had fun hanging out with friends. If I had to choose my favorite part of the summer though, it's got to be learning how to drive !
The Rogate unit I'm looking forward to this year is debates. I normally wouldn't pick this, but it sounds very interesting and it will probably help with my decision making skills.
:)
I don't like doing homework, waking up early, elevators, sharks, clowns, and anything that has to do with math/mechanics..
The highlight of my summer has got to be..the whole thing! I had so much fun visiting my grandparents and other family, and I also had fun hanging out with friends. If I had to choose my favorite part of the summer though, it's got to be learning how to drive !
The Rogate unit I'm looking forward to this year is debates. I normally wouldn't pick this, but it sounds very interesting and it will probably help with my decision making skills.
:)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Kickstarter
The website Kickstarter is a website where people can share their product ideas and others can pledge money to fund their manufacturing. After the product is fully funded, people can get things in return, depending on how much they spent. This site is a great example of crowdsourcing, and benefits the buyers and the sellers. There are many good ideas here, but I have found a few that stand out. If I had $500 to spend on Kickstarter, I would spend it on these items.
The first one is HAND stylus. This product is a stylus that you can use on your iPad, iPhone, or any touch screen device. This would be great for me since sometimes my touch screen devices can be difficult to handle. Many people I know struggle with typing and drawing on their phones and iPads, so this product would be good for them because of the control and precision. I also like how they have many varieties of colors and is small and easy to use. Overall, I think this is a good idea and I would pledge $180 for it.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hand/hand-stylus?ref=live
The second product I would fund is quik-keyz. Quik-keyz are iPhone covers that have small bumps where the keyboard is. This product is helpful to type, since touch screens are hard to type on. A lot of people I know say they don't like typing on touch screens because it is hard to tell where certain letters are, so this would really help with using the keyboard. If I were to fund this idea, I would pay $80, to get three; one for me and the other two would go to my friends who have the problem with typing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1934392683/qwik-keyztm-keyboard-touchguide-for-the-iphone?ref=card
The next product is Remee. Remee is a mask that allows you to lucid dream. A lucid dream is a dream that you can basically control. The mask can detect when you are in the REM stage of sleep(when you are dreaming) and sends off light to make yourself aware you are sleeping. This causes lucid dreaming. I think this is an amazing idea that would be really fun to try out! I would pay them $220 because it comes with one normal dream mask and one customized mask. The custom mask has settings you can change, like how long it takes before it starts giving off light.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitbangerlabs/remee-the-rem-enhancing-lucid-dreaming-mask?ref=live
The final thing I would fund is Scanbox. This is a simple invention, but seems to work effectively. The Scanbox allows an iPhone to be a scanner, by taking a photo of whatever is needed. The only difference is that it makes to perfect dimensions every time, so it looks just like it was scanned. It is portable, easy, and I think it would be very useful. I would pay $15 for this.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/scanbox-turn-your-smartphone-into-a-portable-scann?ref=popular
The first one is HAND stylus. This product is a stylus that you can use on your iPad, iPhone, or any touch screen device. This would be great for me since sometimes my touch screen devices can be difficult to handle. Many people I know struggle with typing and drawing on their phones and iPads, so this product would be good for them because of the control and precision. I also like how they have many varieties of colors and is small and easy to use. Overall, I think this is a good idea and I would pledge $180 for it.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hand/hand-stylus?ref=live
The second product I would fund is quik-keyz. Quik-keyz are iPhone covers that have small bumps where the keyboard is. This product is helpful to type, since touch screens are hard to type on. A lot of people I know say they don't like typing on touch screens because it is hard to tell where certain letters are, so this would really help with using the keyboard. If I were to fund this idea, I would pay $80, to get three; one for me and the other two would go to my friends who have the problem with typing.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1934392683/qwik-keyztm-keyboard-touchguide-for-the-iphone?ref=card
The next product is Remee. Remee is a mask that allows you to lucid dream. A lucid dream is a dream that you can basically control. The mask can detect when you are in the REM stage of sleep(when you are dreaming) and sends off light to make yourself aware you are sleeping. This causes lucid dreaming. I think this is an amazing idea that would be really fun to try out! I would pay them $220 because it comes with one normal dream mask and one customized mask. The custom mask has settings you can change, like how long it takes before it starts giving off light.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitbangerlabs/remee-the-rem-enhancing-lucid-dreaming-mask?ref=live
The final thing I would fund is Scanbox. This is a simple invention, but seems to work effectively. The Scanbox allows an iPhone to be a scanner, by taking a photo of whatever is needed. The only difference is that it makes to perfect dimensions every time, so it looks just like it was scanned. It is portable, easy, and I think it would be very useful. I would pay $15 for this.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/scanbox-turn-your-smartphone-into-a-portable-scann?ref=popular
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Crowd sourcing
An example of crowd sourcing is the site DesignCrowd. This graphic design company is also part of another site called BrandCrowd. DesignCrowd has custom designs for people to buy and BrandCrowd includes ready-made logos. It is similar to 99Designs, and many people compare the two sites since both of them include people giving out ideas and designers sending the actual design back.
This first link explains BrandStack, which is what BrandCrowd was until the company was bought by DesignCrowd:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandstack
This second link is a blog that explains more about what crowdsourcing is and how it relates to DesignCrowd.
http://designcrowdreviews.blogspot.com/
This first link explains BrandStack, which is what BrandCrowd was until the company was bought by DesignCrowd:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandstack
This second link is a blog that explains more about what crowdsourcing is and how it relates to DesignCrowd.
http://designcrowdreviews.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Google 20% Project Progress
So far, on my Google 20% project, all we've done is researched all about dreams. I am starting to try to remember my dreams and record them to determine what they mean.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Google's 20% in School
The article posted above is about Google's 20% project and why it should be in schools. What happens in this project is that Google employees get 20% of their work time each day to work on a separate project that pursues their passions. The writer of this article, Katherine von Jan, thinks that they should use this method in school. That means that every day in school, kids would be able to spend 20% of each day to do something that they want to do. In my opinion, this is a very good idea. The project would give student a chance at what they want to do. They would be able to be themselves, and figure out what they really love. Also, it would give them an idea of what type of career they would want to do one day. It could really help with stress too, since it would be away from hard work, tests, and quizzes. No one could tell you what to do because it would be your own passion. If the Google 20% project was used in schools, it would in my opinion really help kids and help the future too with bringing new, original ideas.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Waste Land Review
The documentary film "Waste Land" is a true story about the famous artist Vik Muniz who goes to the worlds largest landfill in Jardim Gramacho, Brazil and makes art out of garbage based on people who pick for recyclable materials. I think it was a very moving film with a special meaning behind it. These people were very unfortunate in their lives with their job and their home life, too. However, some people were happy with it, and others were upset. That's only the stories behind it, though. The main story is that Vik Muniz went to the landfill and took pictures of the people. Then, projected the pictures down onto a floor, put garbage over the lines, then took a picture, and it all went to museums. In the end, some things didn't change from bad to good, but things did definitely change. At the beginning of this movie, I didn't like it because it was boring and seemed to have no meaning but in the end, I really realized how bad those people have it and that I'm lucky.
Vk Muniz helped the people of Jardim Gramacho. He helped them find hope and togetherness, and also earned them some money from the art for whatever they wanted to do in life other than pick garbage. He also got their stories discovered, which could help their lives get improved. Vik managed to use a year supplies of garbage for art, too. Him coming to their town was probably the best thing that could happen to them.
I agree that it's better to have an "honest" job at a landfill than a "dishonest" job. I agree because it is better to have dignity in youself than do something you'll regret later. Also, you should be happy with your job, no matter what other people think. Howver, having a job that society considers degrading can be very tough to deal with. No one should make you do what you don't want to do, though.
This film made me think about how much garbage I produce. Everyday people all over the world throw out way too much trash, and people like these pickers have to go through it. It is sad how much garbage is produced. After watching this film, I'm going to try to reduce the amount of trash I make. I think I'm also going to be more careful with recycling. I'll also urge people I know to do this too, so there won't be as much garabage for our area.
Other areas of society that could be highlighted in Vik's artistic way could be from places all over. The U.S. for example could be used because to me, it looks like we make the most trash in the world, so there would be enough to create art and have a meaning. Also, in places in the Middle East, there is a lot of trash that doesn't have anywhere to go but piled up in the streets, so that could be a good place to do art out of garbage, too. The message could be that it's so poor there that they can't even afford a landfill.
Vk Muniz helped the people of Jardim Gramacho. He helped them find hope and togetherness, and also earned them some money from the art for whatever they wanted to do in life other than pick garbage. He also got their stories discovered, which could help their lives get improved. Vik managed to use a year supplies of garbage for art, too. Him coming to their town was probably the best thing that could happen to them.
I agree that it's better to have an "honest" job at a landfill than a "dishonest" job. I agree because it is better to have dignity in youself than do something you'll regret later. Also, you should be happy with your job, no matter what other people think. Howver, having a job that society considers degrading can be very tough to deal with. No one should make you do what you don't want to do, though.
This film made me think about how much garbage I produce. Everyday people all over the world throw out way too much trash, and people like these pickers have to go through it. It is sad how much garbage is produced. After watching this film, I'm going to try to reduce the amount of trash I make. I think I'm also going to be more careful with recycling. I'll also urge people I know to do this too, so there won't be as much garabage for our area.
Other areas of society that could be highlighted in Vik's artistic way could be from places all over. The U.S. for example could be used because to me, it looks like we make the most trash in the world, so there would be enough to create art and have a meaning. Also, in places in the Middle East, there is a lot of trash that doesn't have anywhere to go but piled up in the streets, so that could be a good place to do art out of garbage, too. The message could be that it's so poor there that they can't even afford a landfill.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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