PLN 15- A Conversation About Failure

I recently read an article by Dave titled A Conversation About Failure. In this article it is about Henry Winkler, a director, producer, and author. He had been a speaker for a New York State School Board’s Association conference in NYC on his own experiences and how it relates to many kids today. Henry has dyslexia, a learning disability in reading and writing. Kids have those disabilities today that deals with learning and they face challenges with barely any attention. But in this NCLB group, attention is brought onto the kids and they start to achieve much more. This program tries to brings out more of the children's focuses and talent.

This relates to me because sometimes failures can bring me down very low. The only thing that can keep myself going is if I know that I need to keep trying. Life leads to failure, but when i'm down, I need to bring myself back up; its the only way I can learn until an achievement is made.

To the world, many students in high school drop out because they feel as if they are unable to learn because of disabilities. Those hard things cannot block the way of success. People can give up easily but striving on will be the only way to keep going at it and trying, no matter how difficult it can be.

PLN 14- Learning From The Kids

I read an article called Learning From The Kids by Will Richardson. In this article it talks about how he spends a couple of hours with 11th grade students out of Vancouver and being part of what they do. He learns alot from these students about myspace, facebook, and youtube. He learns that they keep safe online on those websites. He learns about one of the student's that puts her own made videos onto youtube. Will Richardson had an experience of what they do and interacted with them.

I think it would be a good idea for adults to get an understanding of what our age group goes through and does. It helps them see an experience of what we do daily, and can help them engage in our conversations more. There are many things adults don't understand that we do, that is why we have the chance to teach them about it and about our technology and other things today. Adults can learn just as much as we do everyday.

"At the end of the two hours, I was really sad it was over. I asked (halfway
begged) them to make me a part of their networks, because I need some young folk
in my learning community. Not sure if they’ll let me know how things roll out
for them, but for one day, at least, I hope they learned as much as I did."

PLN 13- Pushing Writing Literacy

I read an article called Pushing Writing Literacy by Will Richardson. In this article, I read about all the different types of writing there are and how they are taught to students. There is blogging, commenting, writing articles or essays, IM or Gmail, and writing in video and audio. Blogging helps you reflect on whatever you are reading and gets you to write out a summarization and understanding. Writing essays or articles is a original type of writing. IM is a conversation type of literacy. There are many different and new things taught to students in classrooms, especially today a lot comes from technology.

I thought that many new styles and forms of things are taught to students are essential and important for them to be able to grasp the new concept of what is being taught to them. There are the many different ways to communicate in writing but it is good for students to learn in new ways, it could help them in different areas of writing depending which strategy they choose to do.

"Makes me wonder, with all of the different ways in which I write, all of
the different audiences I write for, all of the different ways I attempt to
communicate and engage in conversations and connections around my ideas, it
makes me wonder whether we’ll ever see these many modes of writing as important
enough to teach our kids."

PLN 12- Aurora girl, 4, found in burning house

I was looking into the Denver Post blog, and I saw a article called Aurora girl, 4, found in burning house. In this article, it talks about a 4 year old girl being rescued from a house that caught on fire. The Aurora Fire Department found her under toys and clothing in the basement. More then 20 firefighters helped put out the fire and the damage cost $30,000. Fortunately, nobody was seriously harmed.

I think that firefighters are truly amazing and brave people. They are brave enough to go out into a burning house of fire, risking their lives to save others. It is an important job, which takes strength and commitment. I would not be sure what we would do today without people like firefighters, police officers, and soldiers. All of their jobs are heroic.

PLN 11- State pushes teens to buckle up more

I was searching through the Denver Post blog and caught a article called State pushes teens to buckle up more. This article is about getting teenagers to buckle up more whether they are the driver or passenger. It says that in 2005, 71 teens died in Colorado from car accidents; 50 of them not wearing seatbelts. Car crashes are becoming the main death for teenagers. A group announced a pledge here in 11 different Colorado highschools to get at least 400 signatures from teens promising to buckle up. Teen seat-belt promotions will be provided in 11 populated countries.

It is extremely important for teenage drivers to buckle up. Without that one buckle click, it is a high risk and danger in car accidents. It is that simple to try to be safe with one seat-belt on. I noticed flashing signs on the roads that say, "Click it, or ticket it!" Teen driving can be dangerous and should be looked at for their young ages; it is the cause of teen deaths many times a year.

PLN 10- ACLU protests school search of cellphones

In the Denver Post's category I found an article called ACLU protests school search of cellphones by Kieran Nicholson. In this article, it is about the ACLU of Colorado complaining to the Boulder Valley School District about it being a crime searching student's cellphone text messages. It's believed after no proof of drugs or cigarettes from students, schools question and search for felonies in the text messages. Principals in the Douglas and Jefferson county search in student's cellphones since last year.

It is important for principals to care about their school and set up rules and regulations. It is a good idea that they look for proof of crimes in student's text messages, but I still think it is a little private to interfere with their cell phones although they would still have a right to do so.
I know that a lot of people at school use their cellphones to text especially, even during part of class, I would understand why the search would be taken place in those schools.

PLN 9- Boulder man kills mountain lion attacking puppy

I was searching through the The Denver Post blog and found a article from the associated press called Boulder man kills mountain lion attacking puppy. In this article it talks about a questionable reason whether the man that killed a mountain lion that had been attacking a puppy; should be charged or not. The people inside the home heard one of the 3 dogs being attacked and that is when the man came out towards the lion. It says there are laws for people to protect themselves and their livestock or property. It is a hard decision for the people to make for the man to be faced with charges or not since it was the protection of a puppy.

It is important to protect the smaller animals from any big animals if anybody gets a chance. I think the man that shot the lion had a right for protecting the puppy. People go hunting for animals anyways on a daily basis sometimes and is almost like the same thing, that puppy would have died if the man would not have tried to save him/her. And people would also kill dangerous animals for the sake of their lives.

PLN 8- A Blog in the Woods?

I had been looking through 2 Cents Worth, and a blog titled A Blog In The Woods? caught my attention. In this article, it talks about the blogs being read by others but there is no feedback to them. It seems pointless to express opinions, or ideas if there is nobody to even share it with. There would not be much to it if blogs were to be posted online and nobody reads it, they need to be able to intrigue reader's thoughts and comments on it. Blogging is a great way to communicate and share ideas out to others.

Blogging in english class, really gets me thinking and expressing my ideas. I think it is a good way of learning and being able to express yourself. It would be boring if nobody gave me any feedback on my posts. In class, if a discussion is being made and nobody chooses to open up and talks about it then it gives learning such a boring experience. Other people's ideas or opinions really open up conversations.

“Does a blog in the woods, that no one reads, make any noise?”

PLN 7- My Flickr Conundrum

I read the article My Flickr Conundrum by Will Richardson and this article talks about the pictures he took while he was on a trip in Australia. He had taken about 400 pictures, mostly of his kids. He pointed out that there could be better pictures found elsewhere then his own shots, and he asked, "Why shouldn’t I just use those to capture my memories?" My own answer to his question would be that it is so essential to capture your own very picture of all the places you have visited, or any breath-taking scenery you may see.

What I find that matters is that someone's own picture is so much better then anybody else's or any other you could find online. A taken picture is very special that is able to have it's own voice and says something about that memory. Pictures to me are so important because I absolutely just love to take pictures everywhere I go even if it is an ordinary everyday sunset or like a blue sky without a cloud in sight. In the world, many photographers see taking pictures as a form of art and I agree, but those shots have meanings to them. Just one camera can capture the memories anywhere you go, and helps you remember that one special trip or day.

This relates to me because I am very into taking pictures and I love to do it. Everytime, I see a pretty view I am dying to take a picture of it; and when I don't have my camera with me I get so mad at myself about it. It is like I want to try to save it and don't want it to go away.