Journal
Entry
Wednesday,
May 21, 2008
Find and read your ‘What I know about computers’ paper from the first week of class (it should be filed in your folder at the back of the room). Read what your typing score was at the beginning of the year. How did your typing score improve? (Answer in your journal) How many more words an hour can you type if you can type five words a minute faster? (Answer in your journal) What other things do you notice about what you have learned from Microcomputer class since you wrote this paper? Do you know more about computers now? Write for five minutes minimum in your journal on this topic AND THEN DROP A SHORTCUT TO YOUR JOURNAL ON THE SHARED DRIVE – IT IS WORTH 50 POINTS!!!
Journal
Entry
Friday,
May 16, 2008
Do a search on www.google.com or www.webcrawler.com or
some other search engine on ‘Tips on studying for an exam’. Read some articles on how best to study. Write for five minutes minimum on the
following in your journal: Do you use
many of these study techniques already?
Which techniques might help you to study for your exams next week? Why do you think studying for your exams is
important? What other things can you do
to better prepare yourself for your exams?
Journal
Entry
Friday,
May 9, 2008
Today
is the seniors’ last day. I would like
you to think about the following question: “What if you were asked to give the
commencement speech at graduation?” What
would you talk about? Why would they ask
you?
What is the BEST speech/most inspirational talk you
have ever heard and who gave it? What
made that speech/talk so inspirational?
Write
for five minutes minimum on these questions in your journal
Journal
Entry
Friday,
May 2, 2008
Using
the Internet, do some research on what a ‘Smart House’ is. What kinds of features are available in a
‘Smart House’? Do you think that you
will have some of these features in your house in the future? How will it make life better? How will it make life more expensive or
worse? A couple of good sites include: http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4216434.html
and http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/home/decorating/slide/20080425/decor_20080425_350_301.jhtml
and http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,22346-1,00.html
and http://labnol.blogspot.com/2005/05/inside-bill-gates-home.html Write about his topic for five minutes
minimum in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
April 18, 2008
Did
you know that there was an earthquake in the Midwest last night? Visit the following websites: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
and http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0412_060412_earthquake.html
and read the articles about the earthquake that was felt even in Michigan! What do you think about earthquakes in our
area? Do you know anything about the
‘fault’ that the Midwest contains? What
kinds of things are you supposed to do in an earthquake? Write about his topic for five minutes
minimum in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
April 4, 2008
A new ‘buzz word’ around lately is skype and skyping. What is skype? Visit the following website:
Explain
and discuss this new term for five minutes minimum in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
March 28, 2008
For this week’s journal entry, I want you to
stop and think about the last marking period of school coming up. What have you done right this year in school? What could you have done better? With only one marking period left, what can
you do for the remainder of this year that can help you now with graduation,
your G.P.A., getting credits, etc. Write for five minutes minimum in your
journal please. DROP YOUR JOURNAL TO THE
SHARED DRIVE – IT IS WORTH 50 POINTS – HALF OF A TEST SCORE!!!
Journal
Entry
Friday,
March 14, 2008
For this week’s journal entry, you can write
about any of the following topics for five minutes: Where did St. Patrick’s day
originate from? What do you love about
the holiday? Are you Irish? OR What are your plans for spring break? Are you excited for this break? Why do you think breaks such as this break
are important for students? OR What do
you know about Easter? What was your
favorite Easter ever? Describe it. Write for five minutes minimum in your
journal please.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
March 07, 2008
After having a week off of your journal, you
should be more ready than ever to write on this week’s journal entry. Here is an easy one. What is your favorite movie of all time? Write about your favorite movie and why it is
your favorite movie for five minutes minimum in your journal please.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
February 22, 2008
Visit the following website on fastest growing
occupations: http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview1.asp?from=National&Level=BAplus&soccode=&stfips
Count the number of occupations in the top fifty that are computer related on
the first two pages of the ‘fastest growing occupations’. Write the number and your thoughts on that
number in your journal. Next, make a
mental note of how many dollar signs go with the professions that are computer
related. Experiment with the different
education levels and other features of this site. Perhaps this can help you pick your planned
occupation for your future. Notice the
dollar signs again for those who complete a four-year college degree and how
well the computer occupations pay (the more dollar signs, the better the pay
for that job). How many computer classes
do you plan to take before graduating from high school? Do you plan to attend college? Have you ever thought about a degree in a
computer related field? Write for five
minutes minimum in your journal on information related to this topic and the
questions listed.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
February 15, 2008
As
an adult with young children, one of the hardest things to understand when
reading about a school shooting such as the one that happened yesterday in
Illinois is how can somebody get to a point where they
no longer value another life? The people
killed in this horrific incident were somebody’s children, somebody’s sister,
somebody’s brother, somebody’s best friend.
To what point do you have to get to actually wish death on another human
being and make so many suffer? Please
visit the following site: www.usatoday.com to see the grieving people
after an incident such as this and then please write for five minutes minimum
in your journal on what you think can prevent school violence and on the
answers to those questions above.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
February 8, 2008
Visit the following site:
The site is promoting a new product combining a wireless phone, mp3 player, camera, GPS, handheld computer, etc. that even includes a keyboard. What do you think about this technology? How long do you predict it will be before all people have a device like this one and remove phones from their home? Do you think technology like this will replace wallets and credit cards? How could a device like this one with Bluetooth or other wireless communication devices replace credit cards? What are the advantages to having a device like this one versus the technology most people currently use? What are the disadvantages to using a device such as this one? Write about these questions and any other comments you have in your journal for five minutes.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
February 1, 2008
Write
for five minutes minimum on why it is important in today’s society to learn as
much as you can and take as many classes as you can on computers.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
January 25, 2008
There
is an ancient Chinese proverb that says: “If you give a man a fish, you feed
him for a day. If you teach a man to
fish, you feed him for a lifetime” Think hard about this statement and then
write in your journal what you think this means for five minutes minimum.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
January 11, 2008
Next
week is exam week. Visit the following
site: http://www.westga.edu/~mfaucett/teaching/10Commands.html
which lists tips for test taking. What
do you think about these tips? Which of
the tips do you follow? Which do you
generally not follow? Is it possible for
you to follow these tips for exams next week?
Write for five minutes minimum on this topic in your journal. THEN DROP A SHORTCUT TO YOUR JOURNAL ON THE
SHARED DRIVE!!! IT IS WORTH 50 POINTS
(HALF OF A TEST SCORE)!
Journal
Entry
Friday,
January 4, 2008
If
you won the lottery, what would you do?
Write for five minutes minimum on this question in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
December 21, 2007
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/45390/wizards_of_winter/
The
person who started this new Christmas light ritual was a computer
programmer. What do you think about that
light show? How do you think something
like this is possible to do? How did he
have the music playing with the lights?
How can something innovative like this make you successful, famous or
wealthy? What kind of endorsements do
you think this person obtained after this light show? Write your reactions to these questions for
five minutes minimum in your journal.
(He broadcast the sound over a radio frequency and he has many
endorsements now including a commercial this year for Christmas.)
Journal
Entry
Friday,
December 14, 2007
What
does it mean to be an INDEPENDENT learner?
When you read this, did you think you had to ask somebody else right
away what an independent learner is? If
you did, you are not yet an independent learner and you should strive to better
yourself in this area. Think about it BY
YOURSELF. Answer BY
YOURSELF. You have STARTED to
become an independent learner. Look up a
few internet resources on being an independent learner. See if you can find any ‘tips’ on becoming a
better independent learner. What did YOU
find? Having faith and confidence in
your ability to do something is just a start but an important one in the path
to becoming a great thinker. Write your
reactions to this thought process for five minutes minimum in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
December 7, 2007
What significant event in United States history happened on this day? Why is it significant? If you do not know the answers to these questions, do some research on the Internet. Write for five minutes minimum on this article in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
November 30, 2007
Read the ENTIRE article at the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/health/03aging.html?ex=1325480400&en=b8ffe64abf1b1466&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Do you agree with this study? Do you plan to complete as much education as possible? Write for five minutes minimum on this article in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Wednesday,
November 21, 2007
Write for five minutes minimum on the Thanksgiving
Holiday by answering the following questions.
How did Thanksgiving start? What
is the history of Thanksgiving? What are
your plans for Thanksgiving? Are you
spending it with family? What do you
have to be thankful for? Write for five
minutes minimum.
Journal
Entry
Wednesday,
November 14, 2007 (In place of Friday due to absences)
Write for five minutes minimum on how you hope to
enjoy your day off of school tomorrow.
Will you be hunting? Do you hope
to sleep in? Are you going shopping? Just give yourself a few minutes to enjoy
some happy thoughts about tomorrow’s day off and write about them.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
November 9, 2007
Use a search engine or the following websites to do
some research on ‘future cars’. After
surfing the web for information, answer the following questions: What future car did you find most interesting
and would you most want to purchase? How
do computers play a part in these ‘future cars’? What kind of fuel sources are going to be
available on future cars? How will that
help our economy? Remember that you must
WRITE for FIVE MINUTES MINIMUM on this topic in your journal. SAVE TO THE SAME JOURNAL ALL YEAR – this
should NOT be a new document (you should see ALL your old journal entries in
front of you). Keep in mind also that
you are supposed to have over 1000 words now in your journal. If you do not, add a few entries to your
journal now so you don’t get behind for the year.
http://www.motortrend.com/future/
http://library.thinkquest.org/26471/main.html
http://www.automotive.com/future-cars/
Journal
Entry
Friday,
November 1, 2007
For the first journal entry this year, you were to write a goal for a grade you would receive in this class. Look over your journal to see what that grade goal was that you set. Do you think you will meet that goal with your grade this marking period? If you did not meet that goal, what could you do differently this marking period to achieve a higher grade in the class? What could you do in all of your classes? If you did achieve that goal, congratulations! What kind of things did you do to make yourself successful in obtaining the grade you wanted? Do you think it is possible for others to get the grade that you will probably receive? Write for FIVE MINUTES MINIMUM on this topic. When finished you MUST DROP YOUR JOURNAL (a shortcut to the journal) to the shared drive using the CORRECT steps to drop.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
October 26, 2007
DID YOU KNOW?
High School athletes have higher grades and lower
dropout rates and attend college more often than non-athletes. – Minnesota
State High School League
By a 2 to 1 margin for males and a 3 to 1 margin for
females, student-athletes do better in school, do not drop out and have a
better chance to get through college – University of Chicago
The one yardstick to predict “success” in later life
(self-satisfaction and participation in a variety of community activities two
years after college) is achievement in school activities. Not useful as predictors are high grades in
high school or college or high ACT scores.
– College Testing Service
Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say high school sports teach
students lessons about life they can’t learn in a classroom; 9 in 10 believe
sports contribute to health and fitness. – USA TODAY
95 percent of Fortune 500 executives in 1987
participated in school athletics (only 47% were National Honor Society
Members). – FORTUNE MAGAZINE
**This information was taken from a brochure distributed by the
Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).
QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO ANSWER:
Do you participate in high school athletics? Why or why not? What do you think about these statements? Do they make you want to participate in high school athletics? Do you think high school athletics is good for our youth and their future? Write for FIVE MINUTES MINIMUM on your answers and to the statistics listed above.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
October 19, 2007
Next week, the week of October 22-27 has been named Bully Prevention Week. Studies have shown that ‘bystanders’ can do a lot in preventing bullying and even preventing violence in their communities and schools. Do an Internet search to see what sources are provided about this week of bullying prevention. What do you think that YOU can do to prevent bullying in our schools and community? How can you as a bystander help somebody who is being bullied or prevent others from bullying? What drives people to bully other people? Write for FIVE MINUTES MINIMUM on this topic.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
October 12, 2007
Read the following articles written about Bill Gates and his wealth: http://www.templetons.com/brad/billg.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates After reading these articles, react for FIVE
MINUTES MINIMUM to the articles AND INCLUDE answers to the following questions;
‘Who is Bill Gates?’, ‘Why is he so rich?’, ‘What was his occupation?'. Do NOT forget to write for FIVE MINUTES
MINIMUM!
Journal
Entry
Friday,
October 5, 2007
The
Kingsford vs. Iron Mountain football game is a long standing tradition which
draws as many as 10,000 fans! Using some
popular Internet Search Engines, find any information on the Web that you can
about this traditional football game.
Find the answers to the following questions: When did the tradition begin? How many years have these two teams
played? In what year did Kingsford High
School become an established school? In
what year did Iron Mountain High School become an established school? Do you find any predictions about the game? Who do they favor? Will you be attending the game? Add any additional information to this
journal entry and write on the topic for FIVE MINUTES MINIMUM.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
September 28, 2007
One Web Day-
September 22 http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=8566
One Web Day was September 22. The
World Wide Web has CAUSED a lot of changes over the past ten years. OneWebDay is just one chance to stop and celebrate the
positive power of the web and to take stewardship of it as web users. Learn more about OneWebDay. How
many minutes does your family use the web in a general
24 hour period? How many different ways
does your family use the web in a week?
What do you need to do to keep the Internet ‘safe’ for you and your
family? What kinds of things on the Web
are dangerous?
Journal
Entry
Friday,
September 21, 2007
Visit the following web
location and read the article: http://www.larta.org/lavox/articlelinks/2003/031103_gtx.asp
Also visit http://www.familycow.com/gps.html
and read about the GPS locator for children.
What does GPS technology mean for the future generations to come? How can an item like this improve the safety
of children of today and your children in the future? How else might a technology like this help
parents? How do you think this
technology might help the disabled such as the blind? Do a search for a sonic navigation
system. What is the purpose of this
device? Do you think all people will
eventually have a GPS locator attached to them (or in them) possibly by
government requirements? How might this
help fight crime? What else might this
prevent? Write about this for a minimum
of five minutes in your journal.
Journal
Entry
Friday,
September 14, 2007
September
17 is Constitution Day. Visit the
following website or several of the websites listed about constitution day: http://www.constitutionday.com/ and tell me why the 17th was
chosen as constitution day. What do you
know about the constitution? Why do you
think that they decided to make a constitution day? Write for five minutes minimum and SAVE
THE SAME JOURNAL FILE (it should now have two entries) ALL YEAR in YOUR files.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/constitu/conintro.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/constteach.html
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/
http://www.ed.gov/free/constitution/index.html
http://www.gmc.edu/library/Constitution_Day.htm
http://www.teachfirstamendment.org
http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/resources/constitutionday.html
http://www.constitutionday.com/
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/newtheme0905.html
Journal
Entry
Friday,
September 07, 2007
Please write me a paragraph offering me your commitment to success in this course. What are your goals for the course, such as the grade you intend to make for the first marking period and the first semester? What would you like to learn in this class? Give me specifics!! What are your goals with regard to your Readiness To Learn grade in this class? You must write for five minutes minimum on these questions/this topic. You will keep the SAME journal ALL YEAR LONG. Save it as something appropriate to your home drive. Do NOT plan to start a new journal each marking period. This same file will be used until May when school ends. All journal entries should be kept in the SAME Microsoft Word file.