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).

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