C4K Summary for February

                                                  


Lauren in Mr. Amidan's class
February 7, 2012
Lauren, a sixth grader in Mr. Armidan's class, created an amusing and informative video presentation that very creatively demonstrated her understanding of the customary system. Which I found out was our common system of measurement, ie. the mile, yard, ounce. I complimented her understanding of the lesson and her presentation which was both informative and amusingly creative. My favorite section of her video is marker 6:04 where she loses ten pounds in the gym!

Saul in Mr. Chamberlain's class
February 7, 2012
Saul, an eighth grader in Mr. Chamberlain's class, posted a blog of his and three other friend's wish list on December 16th. Saul's wish is for an iPod Touch 4th generation. I wished him a happy new year and asked him about his Winter holiday activities. I inquired if he received an iPod. I told him I didn't have one but my 3 daughters did and they really liked them. I wished him much success in school and that I hope he always tried his very best

Andrew in Mrs. Hubener's class
February 13, 2012
Andrew created an animation interview with the Chinese explorer Zheng He. It covers the explorers birth and death dates, why he is famous in history, and how long his expedition took. I learned that Zheng He was the first Chinaman to circle the earth and it took him about 30 years to do so.
I congratulated Andrew on his animation skill and the work he put into it. I asked for tips and suggestions? I also asked for what he considered the easy and hard portions of creating the animation since I do not have any experience with animation technology.

Emmett in Mr. Avery's class
February 21,2012
Emmett's Awesome Blog is just that....an awesome blog! He is really into making short videos and has a few friends that star in them. Film is his passion and he likes to spend a lot of time watching them and thinking up new ideas. He created a poll to help choose a mascot for his blog. The panda won. I was too late to vote. He has been blogging since last March and has over 500 hits so far.
He has created a Voki that I have to assume is himself in cartoon-like character. His Voki welcomes the visitors and then proceeds to follow the cursor around the blog. That was quite unnerving at first. Now I want one, too! There is also a very sleepy Slunk who cannot be woken up. And a fun little turtle, Nelson. He watches your cursor and follows it jumping from the rock into the water.
Emmett's most recent video involves a girl, Patty Salmon, and her adventure at the Smiles Away Club. One scene has two young female characters blow drying their hair...at the same time. Chaos insues when the power goes out. I was happy to let him know that scene made me laugh out loud. Let's just say that Emmett has an imagination and a bright future ahead of him.

Jleiner in Molly Smith's class
March 4, 2012
This week's student is a tenth grader in the United States. I am guessing somewhere near Pennsylvania because of a field trip to a Quaker community not too long ago that I found in the class blog. I am going to refer to my tenth grade student as "J". J Writes a blog about the Bill of Rights and has come to the conclusion that the Second Amendment, if viewed today by the founding fathers, would not have been included due to the potential for gun abuse: crime and homicide. J states the gun restrictions of the European countries should serve as a model to the US. The percentage of gun crimes vary widely between the US and Europe. There is a reason the cultures are so different. But that is a debate for another time.
J's blog involved a little research on my part. I responded that while I respected the opinion of strict gun controls I believed that stricter enforcement of current laws to be more feasible. When this amendment was written it was necessary to 'bear arms' as a sole means of property protection. America at the time was struggling for self identity apart from Europe. This was a state's right that was eventually rolled into an individual's right.
The saying "guns don't kill people, people kill people" is what I am referring. While guns will never be controlled by a removal or restriction ban the consequences for misuse can be increased, strengthened, and severe. J, even as a tenth grader, sees today's gun culture as a potential for misuse and also the need for stricter governmental control.