Heros

What constitutes heroism? Does a hero require bravery or can a hero be defined as someone who sacrifices for others? Is part of heroism standing up for your own beliefs in the face of oppression or retribution? The definition of hero is as illusive as there are individuals. What is your definition of "Hero" and who are the heros in your life?

A hero has faced it all: he need not be undefeated, but he must be undaunted.
Andrew Bernstein

I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.
Bob Dylan

A Violinist's Tribute to a Nobel Laureate

An empty chair...and music.

"Finish in music where words are left off."

Lynn Chang will play at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. The recipient will not be there; he is in jail for 11 years for apposing the Chinese Government

Hint Fiction

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Hint Fiction: A story of 25 words or less that hints at a larger, more complex narrative.

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Ernest Hemingway

HOUSE HUNTING by Gary A. Braunbeck
The fence is tall. Good. The mother is typical white-trash, too loud. But the kids … they seem frightened and quiet. Good. Easier that way.

DEPARTURE by Donora Hillard
The terminal is unkind. You watch me go through security. In six months, you’ll say “Tell me about the nightmare,” and I promise I will.

PROGRESS by Joe Schreiber
After seventeen days she finally broke down and called him “daddy.”

PEANUT BUTTER by Camille Esses
He was allergic. She pretended not to know.

Is this really fiction? Does it satisfy the criteria of a story? Try your hand at a "tweet length" story.

Which one are you?

One of the speakers (Dr Carol Dweck)at the National Association for Gifted Children Conference I listened to had an interesting theory on "Mindsets". Her assertion is that gifted students can be categorized into two different mindsets: Fixed and Growth. A student with a fixed mindset has been able to get along on talent and ability but is resistant to actual learning. The speaker asserts that talent is merely a starting point in an educational journey and that ability, gifts, and talent are malleable and can be trained. A student with a fixed mindset must LOOK smart at all times and is resistant to put themselves in a position that might challenge themselves academically. They hide mistakes and conceal difficulties and find that effort makes them feel dumb simply giving up on a difficult project while trying to blame others. A student with a growth mindset is all about the learning and will study to gain knowledge, not just to do well on a test. They believe in working hard and systematically addressing their weaknesses and will capitalize on their mistakes taking steps to fix the problem. A student with a growth mindset will link success to effort. Students with fixed mindsets will encounter difficulty as they advance through the system when they encounter difficulties which they are not able to conquer with talent alone.

It is possible to develop intelligence through hard work and by taking risks.

Watch Will SMith talk about effort and its rewards.

The bond of a common experience.

Ok, so on this highly educational conference I did take the opportunity to do something I have wanted to do for many years; I went to an NFL football game. The Atlanta Falcons beat the Baltimore Ravens in a very close game. I was a little nervous to go to a huge stadium filled with people and sit by myself. I quickly realized those fears were unfounded. I was surrounded by groups of complete strangers whose only connection was this game. We all sat quietly exchanging small talk until the kickoff and then it was as if we had known each other for years and had come to the game together. Together we hung off the result of every play, cheering wildly and exchanging arm breaking high fives and suffering the angst at the loss of yardage. The man next to me spoke with a deep southern drawl which I happily listened to and nodded in agreement, understanding about 40% of everything he said. There were two Baltimore fans sitting in front of my new posse and to my surprise these hard core Atlanta fans dished out some good natured ribbing but where respectful of their alliance to their team. We understand the emotional allegiance to a team; we understand what it is like to be a fan. Three hours later we exchanged a final boisterous congratulations on a big win (as if we had anything to do with it) and dispersed. From this day forward I will always be a Falcons fan but I am left pondering the experience of human connection and how strangers can be brought together at an emotional level by a common experience.

Keeping in touch.

Cell phones and laptops. The airport landscape is littered with lonely individuals keeping in touch. What could be on that luminescent screen that could alter our perception of reality? Are we really that insecure that we crave contact to verify our importance? How did people communicate, organize, produce, and entertain 15 years ago? Frankly, I don't remember and it makes me a little sad.
An Interesting article on cell phone dependency.

Oh and by the way here is a picture of the view outside my window in Atlanta. (Taken with my cell phone)

Student Blogging Guidelines

Student Blogging Guidelines

As a student blogger at Mt Doug, you are expected to follow these blogging guidelines below. Use the questions in italics to help you decide what is appropriate to post on your blog.

1. Only post things that you would want everyone (in school, at home, in other countries) to know.Ask yourself: Is this something I want everyone to see?

2. Do not share personal information.Ask yourself: Could someone find me (in real life) based on this information?

3. Think before you post.Ask yourself: What could be the consequences of this post?

4. Know who you’re communicating with.Ask yourself: Who is going to look at this, and how are they going to interpret my words?

5. Consider your audience and that you’re representing Mt Doug.Ask yourself: Do I have a good reason/purpose to do this?

6. Know how to give constructive feedback.Ask yourself: What will I cause by writing this post?

7. Treat other people the way you want to be treated.Ask yourself: Would I want someone to say this to me?

8. Use appropriate language and proper grammar and spelling.Ask yourself: Would I want this post to be graded for proper grammar and spelling?

9. Only post information that you can verify is true (no gossiping).Ask yourself: Is this inappropriate, immature or bullying?

10. Anytime you use media from another source, be sure to properly cite the creator of the original work.Ask yourself: Who is the original creator of this work?

Commenting Guidelines

As a blogger, you will be commenting on other people’s work regularly. Good comments:

• are constructive, but not hurtful;
• consider the author and the purpose of the post;
• are always related to the content of the post;
• include personal connections to what the author wrote;
• answer a question, or add meaningful information to the content topic;
• follow the writing process. Comments are a published piece of writing.

Multi-Media Poetry

This video was made by a Photography 12 student last year. Watch, listen, analyze, and tell me what you think. Remember, don't just say "I liked it, it was good". Tell me why. Thoughtful, specific comments with support are what I am looking for.

Shakespeare.

I think we can all agree that Bill Shakespeare was a master wordsmith. He was successful in his own time, and 400 years later we still study and perform his works. Like Bach, Mozart, Van Gogh, Michelangelo and Duke Ellington his art has "stood the test of time".

Lets write some poetry!

Here is a stanza from a poem written by my English 9 class last year. They were asked to express their thoughts about the concept of "mystery".

Mystery can be seen, or unprovoked.

The unknown, scratching for the right,

Mystery is the planted symbiosis in life, 

Growing and separating from reality. 

It’s the cool mist hovering around the trees.

The feeling of intense anxiety; the cold bumps 

We feel on our necks when we feel vulnerable.

Mystery is the cold effect in our lives.

Now it's your turn. What is mystery? Post your thoughts in the comment section.

Technology in Education

I have experienced a Renaissance in teaching. After 21 years teaching in very low tech and high tech environments I find myself rejuvenated and excited about teaching again. I fell into this situation quite accidentally. I found myself teaching Media and Photography in a Apple Lab and was assigned a block or two of English. I had taught English before but suddenly found myself utilizing the technology in my room in English. Suddenly I had my students engaged in web quests and then we evolved into online notebooks using wikispaces. Eventually we were using cloud computing and multimedia projects that truly engaged my students in the content and curriculum. I feel like I have opened the door and had a glimpse into the future of education, and at the same time feeling a little overwhelmed about the sheer volume of resources that are available, but what I know is that I want to be a pioneer, an explorer and leader for educators who want to take advantage of and manipulate the technology available to teachers in the 21st century.

Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog: How to Compose a Quality Comment! | Diigo

Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog: How to Compose a Quality Comment! | Diigo