The Spider's Web

Our first blogging assignment has been launched. As we continue to learn how to control and navigate through our edublog dashboards, please enjoy our blogs.

The first assignment was to post our autobiographies. I hope you all enjoy.

Compost comes from the word “decomposition” or “decompose.” Basically, compost is what you have after the decomposition process. This brings us to “vermicomposting.” Vermicomposting is when you use worms and other organisms to help turn organic waste into compost.

Vermicomposting is easy, requires very few supplies, and can be done by anyone. A simple box or container makes a fine worm bin and keeps worms and decomposing food scraps in one area.

The worm bin is kept indoors or out, depending on your needs and preferences and may be fed most of your non-meat food scraps. They require very little attention, do not get sick, and don’t mind if you go on vacation.

In addition, redworms are voracious eaters that are extremely happy to spend the day eating organic waste, excreting worm castings and making more worms, providing you with high quality compost!

Thus, in a few months, redworms will have turned your food scraps into vermi compost.

For more information, please visit www.allthingsorganic.com

Hey everyone! Here are the three web applications I showed you in class. There are many educational web apps. out there. These are pretty clever and fun to play with.

Here is the “Spell with Flickr” app. This one takes images from the website Flickr to spell the words that you type. Click Here

This one is similar, but it uses satellite images of buildings from Google Earth to make letters. It’s called geoGreeting. Click Here

Finally, here is the link for the application that turns your words into music. It’s called Let Them Sing It. Click Here

Our SOL, Summer Of Learning, program is two weeks in, and we’ve been working on autobiographies. An autobiography is the story of your life written by you. The students have been on their own journeys through the, sometimes frustrating but always rewarding, writing process. Please visit their blogs, and learn more about the SOLsters.

It seems as though we might have another thing to add to the endangered species list. Random acts of kindness are becoming less and less visible in this world. Starting now, we need to do our part to bring them back!

You mean just do something Mr. Parent? Well, yes!

Stress is on the rise. Everyone knows school is tough, and I’m not necessarily just talking about the work you have to do. People, and in our case students, are all around stressed out, and you can help make someone’s day the best day ever!

This week, I want you to perform a random act of kindness. It doesn’t matter what, but it must be for someone. And it must be out of the blue. Try something you might not usually do for someone you usually wouldn’t speak to.

Afterward, write a blog about it and take a picture of an object that symbolizes your random act. There can be no people or photos of places in the picture. Look at my blog to view my example of this blog. Remember when blogging to look at the rubric at the top right hand corner. And above all, have fun with it. Don’t just do it to get it over with.

Finally, remember what St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13. If it doesn’t come from the heart it doesn’t matter. “Love never fails.” Honestly and truly do something random that it kind.

There are many class blogs out there. One of them was created by a teacher named Mrs. Bosch. She is an amazing teacher, with an amazing class, and both have created such an amazing blog. This was actually my inspiration to start ours.

While I was reading their class blog, I came across this. While comments are fun to receive and to give, I want us to use them to push our writers to dig deeper. Ask questions. Hopefully our comments will sprout a deeper level of thinking and blogging!

“Comments on Comments

Everybody loves to get comments on their blog, their webpage and their book discussion answers; but why do we need to comment? A group of kids came up with these three reasons:

1. to encourage other people to write
2. to let them know they have an audience for their writing
3. to push them to think more deeply about an issue.

Most of the comments EL students leave are types 1 and 2 from that list. Below find another list that gives you ideas of ways to leave more powerful comments. Think about the kinds of comments you like to receive. Be a powerful commenter when to write to others.

* This made me think about…
* I wonder why…
* Your writing made me form an opinion about…
* This post is relevant because…
* Your writing made me think that we should…
* I wish I understood why…
* This is important because…
* Another thing to consider is…
* I can relate to this…
* This makes me think of…
* I discovered…
* I don’t understand…
* I was reminded that…”

You can view her blog at

Hey class,

This past week has been very historic for sure. I have heard many points of view all over the news. Now, I want to hear about what you think.  I want you to blog about your feeling about the future of America with our new leader. You blog must include a concise analysis and feelings about future change in America.

Inaugural Speech ( Part 1)

Inaugural speech ( Part 2)

I want to thank Nick and his father for linking this article with video on his blog on the Gaza attacks. The leader of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, visited a UN food warehouse that was bombed in the Israeli attacks on Gaza.Here is his link to the BBC World News.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7840851.stm

I appreciate the beginning of Adrienne’s blog where she asks two questions, “Does peace always have to be reached by warfare? Why can’t peace be accomplished by diplomacy and in non-combat way?”

The Gaza attacks are truly a world tragedy. As a class, I’ve wanted us to understand that we must have an awareness of the world around us. I feel that young people in America seem apathetic to world issues, even an issue such as this.

I feel that both sides are at fault here. No one should have to suffer as the innocent have already in Gaza. I am saddened by terrorist threats by extremist groups, and I am saddened by the extreme offensive by Israel. The innocent people, people like you and I suffer most by both of their actions. Also, I am frustrated to see in the world people who can’t come to some compromise while people’s lives be at stake.

Elizabeth Alexander, in her poem which followed Obama’s inaugural address, spoke of “Love.”

“Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.”

It’s sad when societies act with such lack of respect for life. It’s even worse to me when people have no idea what’s going on, or are apathetic.

For those of you who have done the assignment with an open mind and a true heart, thank you, and keep watching the news.

Due This Thursday.

Now that you all are expert bloggers. Here is your first real assignment. This requires research on your part. In one concise blog, answer the following questions. Answer in paragraph form. Include your own opinions at the end.

1) What does the U.N. ( United Nations) do?

2) Where is Palestine, Gaza, and the West Bank? (You must embed an image.)

3) What are people protesting about all over the world? Do you agree?

4) What major ethnic groups occupy Israel?

5) Who is attacking Gaza? Why? Do you agree?

I’m looking for a creative team of 8th graders who want to participate in a contest. One of my colleagues from M.I.T., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is hosting a contest of who can create the best viral vocabulary video. Each video must be no longer than 2 minutes long, the shorter the better, and explain one SAT vocabulary word.

Check out his website.

http://www.brainyflix.com/

Here’s an example. The word is: obscure- dark, unknown; hard to understand.

Write about something you are passionate about. What inspires you?

Our virtual classroom is really taking off! I am so pleased to welcome students from “Room 3″ from Te awamutu, New Zealand. If any of you are reading this blog before school starts, go ahead and check out their blog here. They will be viewing your blogs once you get them going.

Learn something new about another part of the world!

http://room3tai.edublogs.org/

Steve Hargadon, the creator of Classroom2.0, a social network for educators, published a wiki-space about student blogging and blogging in the classroom. He explains that blogging, much like journal writing, “allows students to find their voice”.

I love this wiki. We can use this blog class to find our voice. It might be difficult at first, but if we stick with it, we will find something great within ourselves.

Check out his wiki here:

http://supportblogging.com/Educational+Blogging

Could it be you?
Get voted as the blog of the month and receive this special recognition icon added to the top of your blog. Good luck!

Nominated blogs also receive a recognition icon added to their blog.

I’m finally feeling well! I hope you are all working on your papers. If you need help, please post your questions here. Hopefully others working on their papers will offer some advice. I will also be here moderating the thread offering some feedback as well. Good luck with your papers.

Many delegates opposed to slavery agreed to compromises on slavery issues in order to keep the states united as one nation. Do you think the delegates should have taken a stronger stand against slavery? What might have been the result of the Constitutional Convention if they had? Please write a concise answer.

Many of you eighth graders have been going to several different high school open houses. Blog about your experiences. Here’s Kori, Alejandro, Michael, and Andrew at the Notre Dame Open House. Andrea was there too! She also went to the Harvard-Westlake open house. Here’s Ash at the St. Patrick breakfast. She also went to St. Gen’s open house. You all are great! Good Job guys! I hope you all had a great time.

Abbasid scholars translated Greek classics of philosophy, science, and literature into Arabic. How was this helpful to their society? Answer this question in one, well constructed paragraph.

Why did the citizens of the new nation feel that the government should be based on a constitution? Do these reasons still exist today? What problems did the new nation under the Articles of Confederation experience even though it had a constitutional government?

How did the need to irrigate cause people to cooperate? How did this help to bring about the development of the city of Ur?