Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Last Day

You need to have all eight (8) Google  assignments complete with a grade of seven (7) or higher

and

at least 70% for the total grade

to get 5 credits and a grade in this class.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Thanksgiving

Next week we get three days off to celebrate Thanksgiving.  In this blog post you are going to write about what this holiday means to you.  Write about what you and your family do during the 5 days off from school.

Title the blog "Thanksgiving."

must be at least 150 words
must be at least 3 paragraphs
include at least 2 Thanksgiving related pictures

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Important Information- Everyone must read

You will get 0 (zero) credits in this class if you do not have:

1.  All 8 Google assignments must be completed with a grade of 7 or higher.
2.  An overall percentage in the class of 70% or higher.

When this class ends you will earn five credits and a grade from a C- to an A if you have:

1.  All 8 Google assignments completed with a grade of 7 or higher.
2.  An overall percentage of 70% or higher.

Art

What is art to you?  Pick an artist or type of art that you enjoy and write a blog post about it.  Include at least 3 pictures and at least 1 link.  You only have to write at least 100 words in 2 paragraphs.

Title the assignment "Art."



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Extra Credit

If you did not watch the special last night, then you can not do the extra credit.
If you are not doing the extra credit assignment, then you need to finish any other incomplete work.

You need to have a grade of seven (7) or higher on all eight Google assignments to get credit in this class. Log in to Schoolloop and make sure that you have all eight of those assignments completed with a grade of at least seven (7).


For the extra credit, you must address all of the following points.  Organize your responses into paragraphs.  Include at least 1 picture.

Have you seen any David Blaine specials before?
Do you like magic?  Why or why not?
Did you enjoy watching the special?  Why or why not?
What were your favorite illusions or stunts that he performed on the special?  Why?  Include the details of the illusion.
What was your least favorite illusion performed on the special? Why?
Make a list of all the celebrities that appeared on the special.
What celebrity (from the special) do you like the most?  Why?
Would you watch David Blaine's next television special?  Why or why not?
On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being best) what would you rate this special?

Title the blog post "Extra Credit."


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Perseverance


Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.  Thomas A. Edison

Have you ever heard of the noun perseverance or the verb persevere (to persevere)?

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.
Marie Curie 

If you were offered $50 right now or $100 in one year, which would you choose?

Successful people persevere when attempting to accomplish something.  Graduating college, running a marathon, earning money to buy a car, losing weight, these are examples of accomplishments that require perseverance.  These things take work and dedication to accomplish.  Once you decide on a long term goal there are endless instant gratification activities that can derail your plans.  Should I study for the test or play Xbox?  Should I go to the gym and workout or lounge on the couch and watch television?  Should I save my money or spend it on random junk?

Most if not all significant accomplishments in life involve some form of delayed gratification.  Built in to the process of succeeding is hard work and failure.  As a sophomore in high school Michael Jordan was left off of the varsity basketball team (he played on the junior varsity team) before he became the greatest basketball player on the planet.  That let down fueled his drive and desire to succeed.


Winners never quit and quitters never win.

Not everyone is going to be a professional athlete (actor, singer, model, etc.), but whatever your chosen goal you must persevere to accomplish it.  Once you realize that meaningful things often times require hard work and dedication, you will begin to prioritize your life around your goals.

"If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail."  Benjamin Franklin

Some of you might already know what you want to do with your life.  Others of you might still be trying to figure it out.  The first steps to success are choosing a goal and creating a plan.  Do you have any long term goals for your life?  What are your goals and have you created plans to achieve these goals.

Whether you're shuffling a deck of cards or holding your breath, magic is pretty simple: It comes down to training, practice, and experimentation, followed up by ridiculous pursuit and relentless perseverance.
David Blaine 

This is a blog assignment.  Title it "Perseverance."

Monday, November 18, 2013

Extra Credit Opportunity- Tuesday Night at 9:30

This is an extra credit assignment.  It is worth 20 points (that means it will take the place of two 10-point assignments).  The extra credit does not count toward any of the 8 google assignments.  Each of those must be completed to get credit in this class.




At 9:30 pm on ABC (channel 7) there is a David Blaine Special called Real or  Magic.





For the extra credit you must watch the special and then write about it in a blog post titled "David Blaine extra credit."

In the blog post you will write your opinions about the special, including:

Did you enjoy watching the special?  Why or why not?
Have you seen any David Blaine specials before?
What were your favorite illusions that he performed on the special?  Include the details of the illusion.
What were your least favorite illusions performed on the special?
What celebrity (from the special) do you like the most?  Why?
Would you watch David Blaine's next television special?  Why or Why not?

You will need to write at least 150 words in at least 3 paragraphs including at least 1 picture to earn the extra credit.


My Top Five

This is a blog post.  Title it "My Top Five."

You get to choose the category (sports, video games, candy, soda, movies, television shows, foods, etc.)

List your choices from 5 to 1.  Write at least 3 sentences about why you made each choice.

Include at least 1 picture.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Who would you choose?

For today's blog post you are going to choose one living person that you would like to sit down and have a conversation with.  You can choose anyone (celebrity, singer, sports star, the president, etc.) provided that he/she is a real living person.

After you have chosen the person you will write
at least 2 paragraphs
at least 100 words
about why you chose that person
and what you would talk about.
include at least one picture of the person.

Title the blog post "My Conversation with thenameoftheperson."

Thursday, November 14, 2013

What is your purpose?

Go here and read the article.  Read the article.  The writing part of this assignment is relatively short.  Spend the few minutes and actually read the entire article.  Read the article.

After reading the article do the exercise that he describes to find your purpose.

This is a blog assignment titled "My Purpose."

Here’s what to do:
  1. Open up a new blog post.  Title it "My Purpose."
  2. Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
  3. Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
  4. Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that "makes you cry." This is your purpose.

You probably won't actually cry, but try to come up with a purpose that is important and meaningful to you.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Finish both Stranded assignments

Then when those are completed and published, go back and finish any other unfinished work.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Login to your fontstruct font and Finish both Stranded blog posts.

Today, I will be looking at the font you created, and I will be inputting your grade on schoolloop.

The fontstruct grade will be from 0 and 50.
If you have all 26 capital letters and all 26 lower case letters done you will get at least 25 points.
If you have  all 52 letters complete and designed well, then you will get between 35 and 50 points.

You will be using today's class time to complete Stranded and Stranded 2.  If you have both of those assignments finished, you can then go back and complete other unfinished work.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Stranded- part 2

Yesterday you were given the choice of 3 things to have with you on a deserted island.

In today's scenario, you are given $205 dollars to purchase whatever items you think you are going to need to survive at least 6 months on a deserted island.  There is no cell service, satellite reception, or radio reception.  Any money spent on trying to get off of the island will be wasted.

List the items that you will purchase, the prices and link the prices to the website you will purchase them from.  You do not have to factor in taxes or shipping.  The listed price is what you pay.  You can not spend more than $205.

After your list of items and prices with links, you are going to describe in a paragraph why you chose those items.

Example.

Strike Master K7 Magnesium/Flint Fire Starter (large)  $6.25
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups $29.90  
Tent  $141.92
Machete $26.65


Total spent $204.72

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Stranded

In this hypothetical situation you are stranded on a deserted island.  What 3 (school appropriate) things would you want to have with you?  These things can not be people (pets are OK).

Include a paragraph description (at least 3 sentences) of each choice and why.  Include a picture with each paragraph.  Links are not required, but include them if they relate to your choice(s).

Minimum requirements:

This is a blog assignment.
3 different things (school appropriate).
1 paragraph (at least 3 complete sentences)
and 1 picture for each thing 
for a total of 3 paragraphs and 3 pictures

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Last day for finishing font creation


You are working at fontstruct.com creating your font.

You must create a full set of letters (26 capital letters and 26 lower case letters) that all have the same style.  They must look like they are the same font.  Browse this gallery of fonts to get ideas and to see examples.  Notice how the style of each letter is similar.

After you create each letter click on the save button to save your work.  If you do not save regularly and the computer freezes then you will lose all the work you did since the last save.

You are to be working on this project the entire class period.  Do not work on other missing/incomplete assignments.  This class time is for working on this project.  No one should be finished at this point.  If you have done all 52 letters, then you need to spend time editing/improving your font.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Continue font creation


You are working at fontstruct.com creating your font.

You must create a full set of letters (26 capital letters and 26 lower case letters) that all have the same style.  They must look like they are the same font.  Browse this gallery of fonts to get ideas and to see examples.  Notice how the style of each letter is similar.

After you create each letter click on the save button to save your work.  If you do not save regularly and the computer freezes then you will lose all the work you did since the last save.

You are to be working on this project the entire class period.  Do not work on other missing/incomplete assignments.  This class time is for working on this project.  No one should be finished at this point.  If you have done all 52 letters, then you need to spend time editing/improving your font.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween- continue font creation


You are working at fontstruct.com creating your font.

You must create a full set of letters (26 capital letters and 26 lower case letters) that all have the same style.  They must look like they are the same font.  Browse this gallery of fonts to get ideas and to see examples.  Notice how the style of each letter is similar.

After you create each letter click on the save button to save your work.  If you do not save regularly and the computer freezes then you will lose all the work you did since the last save.

You are to be working on this project the entire class period.  Do not work on other missing/incomplete assignments.  This class time is for working on this project.  No one should be finished at this point.  If you have done all 52 letters, then you need to spend time editing/improving your font.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Creating a Font continued

You are working at fontstruct.com creating your font.

You must create a full set of letters (26 capital letters and 26 lower case letters) that all have the same style.  They must look like they are the same font.  Browse this gallery of fonts to get ideas and to see examples.  Notice how the style of each letter is similar.

After you create each letter click on the save button to save your work.  If you do not save regularly and the computer freezes then you will lose all the work you did since the last save.

You are to be working on this project the entire class period.  Do not work on other missing/incomplete assignments.  This class time is for working on this project.  No one should be finished at this point.  If you have done all 52 letters, then you need to spend time editing/improving your font.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Creating a font



Fonts are a part of all of our lives.  Websites, books, magazines, street signs, written DMV driving tests, CAHSEE all use different fonts for displaying words and numbers.  For the next several days you are going to be creating your own font (font examples- ArialCourier,Times). 

You will be going to this site. 
You will sign up using the email account that you use for this class. 
Use the same password as your email so you won't forget it. 
You will be sent an email with a link to complete your free registration on the site (the email takes a few minutes to arrive in your inbox).

You will then proceed to create your own unique font. All 26 capital letters and all 26 lower case letters will be done by you.  Make your letters look like they are related.  Do not randomly (sloppily) design your letters.

Name your font anything (school appropriate) that you want.


Make every capital letter the same height (at least 10 blocks tall).


Use the tab menu- view- extra guides to set up a guide for the height and the width of the capital letters.  All capital letters will be the same height.  They will start on the baseline and be as tall as you determine (at least 10 blocks tall).  

Use the tab menu- view- adjacent characters to see the already created letters.

You can use the tab menu- edit- copy/paste to save time in creating some letters.  For example, after creating the capital O, copy and paste it onto the space for the capital Q.  Then, add the tail for the Q.

This will be a several day process.  I will inform you as to how you will be turning this assignment in.

Be creative and take some time to create each letter.  "Sloppily done, quickly thrown together with little thought" fonts will receive grades closer to zero than 50 or whatever this assignment ends up being worth.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Free Choice

The topic of this blog assignment is up to you.  As always it must be school appropriate.

Title the post "October 28."

The blog post must have

at least 150 words
at least 3 paragraphs
at least 2 pictures
at least 1 link

Friday, October 25, 2013

Wisdom

With age and experience comes wisdom generally speaking.  As we conclude Red Ribbon Week, I want you to think about all that you know involving drugs and alcohol.

What would you tell your child (if you had one) when he/she is old enough to be exposed to drugs?

This is a blog assignment.  Title the post "My Wisdom."

Must be at least 100 words.
Must be at least 2 paragraphs.
Must include at least 1 picture.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Heroin


This is Red Ribbon Week.

This is a blog assignment.  
Title the assignment "Heroin."

Go here and read the article or do an internet search and read another article about the street drug, heroin.

Write at least a 100 word response written in at least 2 paragraphs describing your opinions of the article.  Include at least 1 picture.  If you find your own article you must include a link to that article.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Prescription Drugs

This is Red Ribbon Week.

This is a blog assignment.  
Title the assignment "Prescription Drugs."

Read this article and answer the following questions.

1.   In 2012 what percent of overdose deaths in orange county involved prescription drugs, such as Vicodin, Oxycontin and Codeine?

2.   What was the percent of overdose deaths in 1999?

3.   How many people in Orange County died from prescription drug overdoses in 2012?

4.   What 4 prescription drugs listed in the article are increasingly being used, and sold, by people seeking a high, often with deadly consequences?

5.    Who is the executive producer of the film “Behind the Orange Curtain”?

6.   Eventually, the high cost of prescription drugs has also pushed users to try other drugs to match the high at a cheaper cost.  What street drug do they turn to?

7.   Do you know anyone addicted to drugs (prescribed or street drugs)?  If yes, who?

8.   Type one statement (sentence) that describes your feeling about drugs.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

For or Against

This is red ribbon week.

Go here and read the page.

This is a blog assignment.  Title your blog post "For" or "Against" corresponding to your opinion of marijuana.

Do a Google search to find other websites with information relating to this topic (include at least one link to a website that supports your opinion).  Write at least 150 words (3 paragraphs) on your opinion of marijuana.  Include at least one image (picture) that represents your opinion (for or against).

Monday, October 21, 2013

Monday's Assignment


This week is Red Ribbon Week.

Read this article.  Then do the following:

This is a blog assignment.

1.)  List the 10 reasons given in the article for why people start smoking cigarettes.  Number the reasons 1-10.

2.)  Write at least 100 words in at least 2 paragraphs about your opinion of smoking.  If you are a smoker, include the reason why you started smoking and continue to smoke?

3.)  Include at least 1 picture that is either for or against cigarette smoking that corresponds with your view.  Insert the picture in between your 2 paragraphs.


Friday, October 18, 2013

Friday Brain Day

This is a blog assignment. Title the post "Friday Brain Day."

For these problems use Google Drawing or a piece of scratch paper to work out the answers (especially for numbers 3 and 4). You may work with partners or in groups. Make sure that you fully explain the solutions in your blog post.

1) You are given eight glazed doughnuts. The doughnuts all weigh the same amount except for one which is heavier. You have a balancing scale at your disposal. What's the minimum number of weighings required for you to pick out the heavy doughnut every time?

2) If you roll snake eyes 2 times in a row with the same pair of dice, what is the chance of rolling snake eyes on your third roll?

3) This is a triangle game involving 10 pennies. Arrange the pennies to form a triangle. Now you must change the direction of the triangle by moving only 3 pennies.


4) I have some square tiles. Half of them are black and the other half is white. I arrange them so that the black ones form a rectangle and the white ones make a border around them one tile thick. I have no tiles left over. How many tiles do I have?

5) 97 baseball teams participate in an annual state tournament. The champion is chosen for this tournament by the usual elimination scheme.  That is, the 97 teams are divided into pairs, and the two teams of each pair play against each other.The loser of each pair is eliminated, and the remaining teams are paired up again, etc. How many games must be played to determine a champion?

Thursday, October 17, 2013

More thinking

Use the drawing program in Google Drive to figure out the answer to #3.

Post your answers in a blog post titled "More thinking."

1.
There are several ducks in a row:
-two at the front
-two at the back
-one in the middle.

How many ducks are there in total?


2.
During the lunch hour at school, a group of five boys from Miss Jones home room visited a nearby lunch wagon. one of the five boys took a candy bar without paying for it. When the boys were questioned by the school principal, they made the following statements in respective order: 

1. Rex: "Neither Earl nor I did it." 

2. Jack: "It was Rex or Abe." 

3. Abe: "Both Rex and Jack are lying." 

4. Dan: "Abe's statement is not true; one of them is lying and the other is speaking the truth." 

5. Earl: "What Dan said is wrong." 

When Miss Jones was consulted, she said, "Three of these boys are always truthful, but everything that two of them say will be a lie." Assuming that Miss Jones is correct, can you determine who took the candy bar?


3.

Arrange 10 balls in 5 lines in such a way that each line contains 4 balls and only 4 balls.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Walk around progress report grades today.

Some of you have all assignments complete and have an A in this class.  Others of you have missing and/or incomplete assignments that are causing you to have less than an A (as low as an F).  If you are missing assignments, then you need to complete them if you want to improve your grade.

Late assignments will not be eligible for full credit (10).  The most you can get on a late assignment is a 9 (if it is done correctly).

Each assignment is designed to be completed in one class period.  Some of you are not completing your work, and it is reflected in your low grade.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

My Favorite Band (Singer)


This is a blog assignment.

Write at least 150 words about your favorite band or singer.   The majority of this blog post will be about your opinions of the band and why they/he/she is/are your favorite.  Include details describing the genre of music and your favorite songs.

Minimum requirements
3 paragraphs
150 words
2 pictures
1 link

Monday, October 14, 2013

Google #8 Drawing


Today's assignment is the last of the "technology proficiency" assignments.  Log in to your Google account and go to Drive.

Click on create then drawing.  Rename "#8 Yourlastname."
Share with me (misterwalske@gmail.com).

You are going to explore the drawing program in Google Drive.  You will spend a full class period creating a masterpiece.

You final drawing will contains lines, shapes, colors, and letters (your name at the very least).
Your picture must be school appropriate.  
You must spend at least 45 minutes creating this assignment.

Friday, October 11, 2013

My Brain Grade

Go here and take the brain grade test.

Report your results in a blog post titled "My Brain Grade."

Thursday, October 10, 2013

More Brain Busting

At a rural cabin, you get water from a well using only a 4-gallon bucket and a 9-gallon bucket. In a single trips from the well to the cabin, describe how it is possible to get all of the whole number gallon amounts 1-13.

There are no markings on the pails.  And, you can’t do any estimating or add any markings!


Explain each trip for each gallon amount.

For example

1 gallon-  Fill the 9 gallon bucket.  Pour 4 gallons into the 4 gallon bucket and pour it out.  You now have 5 gallons in the 9 gallon bucket.  Pour 4 gallons into the 4 gallon bucket and pour it out.  You now have 1 gallon in the 9 gallon bucket.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Today's Brain Buster.


FILLING THE POOL

A swimming pool has four faucets. The first can fill the entire pool with water in two days, the second - in three days, the third - in four days, and the last one can fill the pool in 6 hours.

How long will it take to fill the pool using all 4 faucets together?


Hint- Using fractions is necessary.

Post the answer and explanation to your blog.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

My Super Brain

This is a blog assignment.
Title the post "My Super Brain."

Each of these questions is worth 2 points.  So in order to get full credit, you must get 5 correct.  If you get all seven correct you will get extra credit.



1)  What's the largest number of U.S. coins you can have without having even change for a dollar (how many and what coins)?
2)
You have three boxes of fruit. One contains just apples, one contains just oranges, and one contains a mixture of both. Each box is labeled -- one says "apples," one says "oranges," and one says "apples and oranges." However, it is known that none of the boxes are labeled correctly. How can you label the boxes correctly if you are only allowed to take and look at just one piece of fruit from just one of the boxes?
3)  You have a jug that holds five gallons, and a jug that holds three gallons. You have no other containers, and there are no markings on the jugs. You need to obtain exactly seven gallons of water from a faucet. How can you do it?
Second Problem: You need exactly four gallons. How do you do it?

4)  Mary's mum has four children.
The first child is called April.
The second May.
The third June.
What is the name of the fourth child?
5)  Cathy has twelve black socks and twelve white socks in her drawer.
In complete darkness, and without looking, how many socks must she take from the drawer in order to be sure to get a pair that match?
6)  A frog is at the bottom of a 30 meter well. Each day he summons enough energy for one 3 meter leap up the well. Exhausted, he then hangs there for the rest of the day. At night, while he is asleep, he slips 2 meters backwards. How many days does it take him to escape from the well?
Note: Assume after the first leap that his hind legs are exactly three meters up the well. His hind legs must clear the well for him to escape.
7)  You are trapped in a room with two doors. One leads to certain death and the other leads to freedom. You don't know which is which.
There are two robots guarding the doors. They will let you choose one door but upon doing so you must go through it.
You can, however, ask one robot one question. The problem is one robot always tells the truth ,the other always lies and you don't know which is which.
What is the question you ask? What will the other robot say is the certain death door?

The liar robot will tell you a lie about the truth. The truth robot will tell you the truth about a lie. That is the door that you go in.