Glogster!

I am super-pumped about the next set of projects that we are going to be working on in class over the next few weeks!  The first project (which you will receive in the next few days) that you will be working on is designing a biography poster of a historical figure using a program called Glogster.

I have included a few tutorials below to get you started.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Copy of Glogster Tutorial on Prezi

Earth Day: Do You Worry About the Environment?

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. (from http://www.earthday.org/)

Answer the following questions:

Do you worry about the environment?  Why or why not?
Where do you learn about the environment?
What do you think the biggest problems facing the environment are?


Once you have posted your response, read the responses posted by your peers and reply thoughtfully to at least two other students.  Compliment strong points, make connections, ask questions and build on ideas shared!

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Future You

Think about what you will be doing in twenty years. Give me as many details as you can.

For example:

Where will you be living?
What will you be doing for a living?
What kind of car will you be driving?
What kind of house will you be living in?
Will you want to be married or still single?

And so on...

Please take your time and write at least 5 Sentences.

Once you have posted your response, read the responses posted by your peers and reply thoughtfully to at least two other students.  Compliment strong points, make connections, ask questions and build on ideas shared!

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Structures Quiz

Welcome to your next online assignment Grade 7's!

Feel free to use any resource you would like to find the answer.  Take your time and read the questions carefully.  I want to try and eliminate all silly mistakes. :-)

I've tried to make things a little easier by embedded the quiz right into the blog.  However, if you would like to see a full-screen version, just click this link.

Good luck!

Mr. Boettger  :-) 

The Marshmallow Test

It could be argued that our culture is now being fuelled by immediate gratification.  When we want something, we want it now and more often than not, our wish is granted.  For example, if we don't know something, we can look it up on-line and usually have the answer within seconds.  Like a song you heard on the radio?  You can easily download the song within minutes.  If you are hungry and don't have the "time" to make something, any number of fast food restaurants are more than happy to cook you dinner in a record amount of time.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions:

- What are some other examples of people being unable or unwilling to wait?
-  Is this a positive move in the right direction, or a negative one?
-  Describe what is going through one of the kid's mind as (s)he tries to resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow.

Once you have posted your response, read the responses posted by your peers and reply thoughtfully to at least two other students.  Compliment strong points, make connections, ask questions and build on ideas shared!

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Kiln People

Kiln People  is novel written by David Brin and I can't say as though I have read it (and therefore can't recommend it), but the concept of the novel is rather interesting.

Kiln People, is about a society where you can create clay copies of yourself to do various tasks (e.g. mental tasks, dangerous tasks etc.) while you do something else.  Then at the end of the day, you download their memories back into you. 

So, here is a pretty deep question for this week.  If you had 5 copies of yourself to use this week, what would you have them do? 

Once you have completed your answer, read and respond to at least 2 peers.

As always, I can't wait to see your responses. 

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Fears and Phobias

Since we are studying "fears and phobias" in class right now, I thought that these videos were more than appropriate and quite honestly very cool.

This week's blog question came from me watching this 60 Minutes episode on Alex Honnold.  As I watched Alex climb, I couldn't figure out if he was crazy, brave or a little bit of both.  The one conclusion I did come to is that there is NO WAY I wouldn't even think about attempting it.  If you are interested in viewing the 60 minutes interview, it is found below.




The above video led to the next video on three extreme sports. Watch the video and then answer at least one of the following questions:

1. These athletes participate in some unique and extreme sports.  If you could undertake any sporting adventure, what would it be and why?  Remember, you can go anywhere and do anything!

OR

2.  These extreme athletes explore nature, including mountains, rivers, and waterfalls, through their hobbies.  Imagine that you could explore anywhere in the world.  What kind of lands would you like to explore?  How would you like to explore them (e.g. on foot, by bike, via helicopter, etc)?  Don't forget to explain why you chose that kind of terrain and transportation.  

Here is this week's video:



 As always, I look forward to reading your responses!

 Mr. Boettger :-)