Monday's Technology Presentation

Monday’s Presentations: Make us dream!
You will be presenting the technology that will be included in your science fiction story.

Maybe you want to start by explaining a problem that your technology will fix.
     Then go on to explain the solution and the technology.
         What is it?
         How does it work?
         What are the current uses of your technology?

Maybe your setting is the main focus of your science fiction story.
     Describe the setting in detail.
     Why that setting?


For both of these, you might want to discuss your idea for your story.
     What is your author’s purpose?
      Do you want to offer us hope or make us rethink what we are doing now?

Here is the story I am writing:

Virtual Burial, Inc.
Problem: We are running out of room to bury physical bodies.

Technology: Digitizing a body (digitizing physical objects)

Solution: We could send the physical body by network to be buried on another planet or location on Earth, or we could store the digital body on a server somewhere, like a file, so we could visit it- like opening a Word document. There would be a virtual cemetery, like a Facebook.

Story idea: The idea is being implemented. Things are going along well for a while. Then bodies start showing up incomplete. Data is being lost somewhere. You might think no one would care because the people are dead anyway. However, the company made a promise to its customers to bury the bodies in soil. Later we find out that data is being intercepted and organs are being harvested and sold. Parts of the bodies are being undigitized and the organs reused!

Author’s purpose: I want us to think about the vulnerabilities of our current system of data transportation. It would also have us think about the value we place on the dead after life has left the body.

I got the idea for this from a variety of sources. 

• The story combines ideas like digital transport from movies like Star Trek.   
• Traveling through the Internet is from movies like Lawnmower Man and an episode of Fairly Odd Parents where Timmy goes into the Internet.  
• The problem of burial space is from Japan where space is a premium.  
• The idea of having to bury a body is from the Jewish religion that believes the body must be returned to the ground intact.  
• The error idea comes from packet sniffing, which is capturing data packets on a network.  

Trying to come up with an original idea is hard.  That is why I am combining technologies into a story that is like a modern day grave robbing scheme.

Do you remember this?  I had one back in the early 80's.  At the time, these cassette players were revolutionary.

Check out the rest of the walkmen devices here.

Now look what we have!  Thirty years later, the iPhone is the ultimate communication/ entertainment device.  As I explained to the kids today, 30 years from now, their children will be laughing at the iPhone4 that we thought was so awesome!

I am asking the students, then, to dream up the ultimate device.  They are to overcome the limitations of the iPhone: holding it in your hands, touching it with your fingers, looking at a small screen.  They need to show me the perfect device, which means they will have to make it up!  That is exactly what sci-fi writers do.

If you want to giggle, look at this video as if you are in the future.  Listen to how "revolutionary" they make the phone seem.  Trust me, this device will be a blip in the history of phones!

Sci-Fi setting

Today we discussed how the setting of a sci-fi story can be just as important as the storyline.  We looked at two scenes from Wall-e.  The storyline of Wall-e is pretty straight forward: Wall-e wants to get EVE back.  Where the story takes place and what the setting says about us as humans living on earth now is almost more important than what Wall-e is doing!  The setting is earth 700 years in the future.  We have exhausted our resources and have been living a useless life of luxury on a spaceship.  The author's purpose is to show us that if we do not change how we are living now, there will be some serious consequences.


Here is the worksheet we did in class today.

Here is a picture of a future world.  I asked the students to dream.  What is this?  Where is it located?  Why was it built?  This place could be the setting of hundreds of storylines!

 

What if...?

Science Fiction Writing
The question I am getting the students to think about is What if...?

Today we watched two quick (appropriate) scenes from the movie the Matrix.  Here is what we discussed:

Up until now, the main character, Neo, felt like there was something bigger than this world. He had this idea of the Matrix in his head, but he did not know what it was. Before this scene, he was violently flushed out of his living chamber, he has been revived physically, and now he is going to be told the truth about his life.

All the technologies in this scene exist in some form now. The movie just asks What if…? How does the story give us a glimpse of how our present-day technologies could turn out?

What if… we allow Artificial Intelligence to have self-rule?
What if… we could live inside a computer?
What if… we needed to scorch the sky?
What if… we are living in a computer right now? Would you know?

The students need to be thinking about a technology that they will include in their science fiction piece.
On Monday, the students will need to discuss these questions:
Explain the technology.
What does it do?
How does it do it?
What are its current uses?
What problem does this technology solve, or what problems might this technology create?
What if ...?

We also went to the Book Fair.

A few grades are in HAC and we have started the sci-fi piece

Friday:
We were in the library trying to find a technology that will be worked into the science fiction piece.  We also took the Unit 8 quiz.  We will take this coming week off from vocab.  We have the book fair Tuesday and DCAS one day. 

Homework:
The main assignment due now is a presentation on Monday January 14.  Students will present some futuristic technology to the class and give us an idea of how they will work the technology into a story.  I will make the assignment clear throughout this week.  Students should be researching cool technologies.  I have links on the assignment page.

Here is the science fiction assignment page.

Due Dates:

February 14- Present your technology to the class

February 23- Rough draft of the story is due

February 28- Final draft is due

Classroom judging begins!

Winners will be determined!

Unit 8 vocab quiz Friday

If you would like to have your child practice for the vocab quiz, please go to this page.  There are flashcards and a practice test there.

We have started the science fiction unit.  There will be more information in the following week.  But you can check out the assignment web page.  There is lots of information there.  I will finalize the due dates soon.  At this point, students should be thinking about a really cool technology that they can work into a fiction story. 

Today we read an article on a technology that can get an image out of the reflection in an eyeball from a photograph.  Another technology in the article explained how they can use a camera and a computer to track the exact direction someone is looking.  I then asked them to brainstorm a few questions.  We will finish this activity up tomorrow.

Eye tracking technology:
1. It can recreate the picture found in someone’s eye.
2. It can track the exact direction someone is looking.

How could this technology be used?
Advertisers?
Game developers?
For handicapped people?

What are some ways these technologies could be used for good? Evil?
What about world domination?

Combine this technology with another technology. Now what?

If this technology becomes successful, what might the future look like in 50 or 100 years?

The punctuation unit is over!

Homework:
Completing the Sentence Unit 8
(Flashcards for section 6)

Today:
Since we have come back from winter break, I have been trying to get through a punctuation unit from our book.  Today we reviewed the practice test we took on Monday.  We discussed the answers, and I reviewed the rules.  Then we took the test.  We are done!

The test scores are on HAC. 

There will be a quiz on unit 8 on Friday.

Punctuation Quiz on Wednesday

Homework:
Choosing the Right Word unit 8

Today:
We reviewed the words from unit 8 and the synonyms.
We did the last lesson from the punctuation unit.
We took a practice test on punctuation.  This test looks like the real one on Wednesday.
Tomorrow we will review the answers and do some online practice to get ready for the test.


Here are some exercises I will using tomorrow.

January 25, 2011

Homework:
Pictionaries 1-20 unit 8
Noun/verb/adjective chart for the unit 8 words

The quiz will be February 3.

Today:
We listened to the words from unit 8.
We discussed the words briefly.
We continued our unit on punctuation.  If all goes well this week, there will be a test on Friday.  Then we will move on to something a little more fun than vocab and grammar.  :)

January 24, 2010

Today in English class, we took the vocab final.  This is the same test the students took in September, and it is the same test they will take in May when we finish the book.  I went through the test and determined that there are 45/100 questions that include words we have covered so far.  So I guess you could say that a student should get a minimum of 45%.  I will post the scores on the HAC, but they will not count for a grade.  I will post how much they improved since the first test as well.  I will do this before the end of the week.  I need to finish entering the grades first.

There is no homework tonight.

The second MP grades are done. Check them on the HAC.

On Monday, we will be taking a mid-term of sorts.  I gave the students a test in September.  It is the actual final they will take in May.  Now they will take it halfway through the book.  I should see an increase in their scores.  If the students want to study, I would have no problem with that.  However, I just want to see what should happen naturally. 

Today we took the unit 7 vocab quiz and practiced apostrophes.

Have a nice weekend.

Quiz on unit 7 Friday (tomorrow)

Tomorrow is the last grade of the 2nd MP.  

I did not grade the homework this week.  I was stressing to the students that the purpose of homework is to give them practice so they can be prepared for the quiz.  I suggested students make flashcards.  There are some links on my main site where students can practice their words.

As far as classwork goes, we are continuing to study punctuation.  It's pretty dry stuff:  I teach a quick lesson, they do a worksheet, and we review the work.  Sometime next week we will take a quiz to see what they have learned.  Then we begin our sci-fi creative writing unit. 

The second MP is winding down.

I entered grades from last week into the HAC.  There are only one or maybe two grades left.  The main grade is the quiz on unit 7 this Friday.  Please check the HAC to see if your child is missing something.

Today:
We practiced finding the main idea. 
We listened to the words from unit 7.
I gave them class time to work on the homework, which is substantial.

Homework:
Pictionaries
Synonyms
Noun, verb, adjective chart.

Is your child scoring low on the vocab quizzes?  Here are two links you use to give him/her practice:
http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/vocabulary/games.cfm?sp=student&level=B
http://www.vocabtest.com/vocabulary_workshop/level_b.php

Quiz on Unit 6 words Friday!

The quiz on Unit 6 will still be held on Friday.  Students are expected to be ready.  I assigned flashcards.  The word should be on the front, and the definition and part of speech will be on the back.  We spent the class reviewing vocabulary to get ready.

I handed back the ant essays in sections 3, 4, 5, and 6.  The HB section is almost finished.

Lots of snowday grading done!

 (About 7 hours of seat time.  That doesn't even in include the 2 hours from last night.)

I have now graded the ant essays from section 3, 4, 5, and 6.  Please check you child's grade on the HAC.  I will hand the essays back tomorrow or Friday.  Those students who have not turned in the essay yet will only get half credit as of now.

I am still having the quiz on unit 6 on Friday.  Students should have their choosing the right word, the synonyms, and even the completing the sentence done for tomorrow.  This way they will stay on track.  There was also a dialogue handout that I gave them Tuesday that needs to be done for tomorrow.

Have you checked the Home Access Center lately?

The end of the marking period is approaching, and the vocab assignments are adding up quickly.  Please help you child by encouraging him/her to get in his/her make-up work.

Homework:
Choosing the Right Word unit 6
Synonyms unit 6

Today:
We reviewed unit 6 words.
We had a daily drill on the semi-colon.
We continued to work on punctuating dialogue.  The students will need to know how to punctuate dialogue for the next written piece, a science fiction story. I asked the students to finish up a worksheet I gave them for practice.

Here are the vocab words divided into parts of speech.  I think doing this helps the students to see how the word functions.  They should not be learning the words rote.  They should know how to use the word in a context.

Noun (person, place, thing)	Verb (action)	Adjective (describer)
an He is a dupe. a makeshift a preview of the movie a snare do your utmost his vengeance	to to browse the internet to dupe someone to eradicate the cancer to frustrate the teacher to prescribe medication to ­preview the play to scrimp on luxuries to snare a fox	a ________ noun an anonymous writer a dynamic­ speaker the doctor’s grim face the inimitable style of dance a makeshift shelter his marginal grades the pending­ decision a prominent feature of your face Grandma’s quaint house the reluctant witness your utmost effort

Monday, January 10, in Mr. Bosler's class

Homework:
Monday night: Pictionaries 1-20 unit 6 and three-column chart (divide the units words into nouns, verbs, adjectives)
Tuesday night: Choosing the Right Word
Wednesday night: Completing the Sentence
Thursday night: Finish the unit and study for quiz
Friday: Quiz on unit 6

Today:
We reviewed the comma rules from Friday's class using the responders.
We listened to the words from unit 6.
We discussed the following punctuation rules for dialogue and worked on correcting the exercise at the end:

Sample to explore:
“Flowers have meaning,” said Sophie.

Sophie said, “Flowers have meaning.”
“Flowers,” Sophie said, “have meaning.”
“Flowers have meaning,” said Sophie.

“What do flowers mean?” I asked.

Do flowers tell “secret messages”?
Did you say, “I am the coolest guy”?
Did you ask, “Are you going today?”

“A rose,” he said, “means love.”

“A rose usually means love,” he said. “Sometimes it means treachery.”



Exercise page 261
The Language of Flowers
(Be sure to indent.)

     “I want to send Megan flowers,” Jay said.
     “Are you nuts”? asked Dan. “She’ll think you like her.”
     “I do,” said Jay, and I want her to know it. Now help me look up in this book which flowers mean what.”
     Dan agreed that “he would help.”
     “Look!” said Jay. Irises mean faithfulness and courage.”
     Dan suggested that “he send pansies,” which mean “I’m thinking of you.”
     “Good,” Jay said.
     “Geraniums,” said Dan, “mean happiness”.
     Jay decided “he had enough ideas.

Grades are updated on the Home Access Center

I entered some grades for this week's work and the coins in the jar responder thingy I do (only counts for some extra credit points at the end of the MP).  However, I forgot the sheet that had an important grade on it- if the persuasive ant essay was handed in.  That was due before break anyway.  I will enter that grade Monday.  I plan to grade the essays this week.

By the way, has your child purchased a yearbook?  They are $29 and only on sale until the end of January.  After that, they will not be available.  www.jostens.com 

I haven't posted in 2 days. Sorry about that.

Homework:
Study for unit 5 vocab quiz.
I offered extra credit to sections 3, 6, and HB if they make flash cards (and use them!).

Over the last three days we have been studying vocab and punctuation, specifically commas.  Here are the notes we discussed in class:

Lesson 2: Commas in sentences
Copy this sentence

Commas are used to make the meanings of sentences clear by separating certain elements of the sentence.

Commas in compound sentence
Use a comma before a conjunction that joins independent clauses in compound sentences.

The ancient Egyptians’ written language was called hieroglyphics, and it was not decoded for many centuries.

In ancient times, scribes could read and write hieroglyphics, but most other Egyptians could not.

Scribes passed rigorous examinations, or they were rejected as scribes.

Compound verb
Scribes could read and write hieroglyphics.


Adding commas between adjectives
Hieroglyphics used colorful, decorative symbols.

These symbols were often painted with brilliant gold paint.



Commas with Appositives
Use commas when the appositive adds extra information; do not use commas when the appositve is needed to make the meaning clear.

Jean Champollion, a French scholar, deciphered the Rosetta stone.

The French scholar Jean Champollion deciphered the Rosetta stone.


Commas to avoid confusion
Notice how, without the visual clues, you just want to burn through the sentence.

Unclear
Before hieroglyphics records were not kept on stone or paper.

After we studied hieroglyphics were less mysterious.



Exercise page 255
(Insert 10 commas.)

Think of this readers when you have your next haircut. A Persian king had to get a message to his military leader a Persian general. The king shaved a man’s head tattooed a message on his bare scalp and told the man to let the hair grow back. The man then traveled to find the general but no one knew he carried the message. When he reached the general however he delivered the message. Yes as you guessed it he had to shave his head again.

Break is over! Work? I have homework already?

Homework:

Monday night: Pictionaries 1-20 unit 5 and make a chart dividing the words into nouns, verbs, adjectives
Tuesday night: Choosing the Right Word unit 5
Wednesday night: Completing the Sentence unit 5
Thursday night: Finish the unit and study for the Quiz
Friday: Quiz on unit 5

We will do the same next week.  I told the students that we will spend two weeks just doing vocab and punctuation practice.  We need to catch up on the vocab.  We are about two units behind where I usually am by this time of the year.

Today we did the diagnostic for punctuation.  All students need to review or learn these punctuation rules!  I am sure after the unit is done, their scores will be a little better! (A few questions were a little nit picky, though.)