Thursday, January 31, 2013

Volunteer OP: Feed My Starving Children

Feed My Starving Children is a Christian organization that packs food and sends it to the most desperate parts of the world.  They opened a new facility in Libertyville and they are calling out for volunteers.  Click here to see available times and registerhttp://volunteer.fmsc.org/Register/Default.aspx.


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Service Op: decorating for Winterfest

On Monday, February 4, after school class board has to decorate the upper hallway in the West building. What do we offer you ask? We offer a fun time, it's seniors last chance to decorate the school. We also will feed you dinner and best of all everyone who comes gets to take part in a raffle. Their names will be dropped into a bowl and every half hour a name will be drawn and they will win a gift card. Winner MUST be present to win. They will also be entered into UGIVE for community service hours for however long they work. If you could share this with your classes and help us it would be most appreciated. When: Monday, February 4 Time: 3:30 until ?? Where: West Building right off the Patriot Lobby. Upper hallway Be sure to check in with Mrs. Rubenstein and tell her you are volunteering for my class so that she can record your hours. Please note: Because this is a Stevnson-only activity, you can only receive 2 hours for it, and once you earn 2 hours for an SHS only activity, you cannot earn any more SHS-only hours (like project dance or tutoring).

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Growing Up Online



The television show Frontline on PBS had an episode called "Growing Up Online". You can view the whole show over the internet at their website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/
Whether you get to view the show or not, the main focus of the episode was that adults had better learn to embrace technology and help kids navigate it because it is here for good and for better or worse. (http://thejournal.com/articles/17616_3)
What do you think of all this? I mean, not just the blogging, but the myspace, facebook, text messaging, IM-ing, etc... How is it shaping our culture and our world? What should my role be as a teacher? Do I encourage it's use? Is this technology making us all less personal and more detached from each other? Am I contributing to the problem? The first day of class I mentioned that I want all of us to be teachers to each other. Can this blog help us all be students and teachers of each other? If so, think about the mindset you must have to be a part of this. This technology can create new ways of thinking for us if we are willing to write and read seriously.

While thinking about all of this, it is worth considering how to blog responsibly. See what the website above says, but also try following some advice from Dave Taylor.
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/are_there_dangers_in_having_high_school_students_blog.html

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Undercover Sociological MIndfulness

I never thought I would like the show Undercover Boss from CBS, but I recently started watching (and enjoying) it.  I think that the reason I enjoy it is that it is often an example of sociological mindfulness.  The premise of the show is that the CEO of some corporation goes undercover to become more aware (mindful) of the business.  But in the end, most of the shows have the boss becoming more aware of the little people who make up their organization.  And they become more aware of the hardships of being low wage.  This is the sociological mindfulness.  Our society is made up of millions of these people like the threads in our bedsheets.  They are interwoven and they hold society together.  Here is a clip from one of my favorite episodes: