back after a three-day weekend

Interesting day today.  Section 1 reviewed the answers to the CIA Factbook exercise with their usual style; Section 7 reviewed amid flying objects, before getting a jump on God Grew Tired of Us.

The CIA Factbook rocks!

Today's classwork involved looking up the 25 questions I listed in my "Scavenger Hunt" link.  You were only allowed to use the CIA Factbook in your research.  My rationale for this assignment: to get you used to navigating around this amazing site.  Once you have found all the answers, post them (with the questions) to your blog.  That is the only information you need to post to your blog tonight.

Population PowerPoint

Today sections 1 and 3 experienced the wonders of the Population and Settlement PowerPoint.  I'm joking here, but there is a lot of information there which will come in handy as we work on this concept.  Section 7 delved into the CIA Factbook, which is an amazing source of information about every nation on earth.  It also covers many of the terms you guys are learning right now.  Real-world applications - again!

new unit: Population and Migration

The issues surrounding population are pretty complex.  In order to understand them, we need to build a solid foundation.  We need to be able to define certain terms and concepts.  That is the purpose behind today's discussion, and the PowerPoint that comes with it (the link to this PowerPoint has been posted, as has the link to the indispensable CIA Factbook).

Essential terms include:

• life expectancy
• crude birth rate (CBR)
• crude death rate (CDR)
• developing nations
• developed nations
• rate of natural increase (RNI)
• net migration rate (NMR)
• immigration
• emigration
• push forces
• pull forces
• total fertility rate (TFR)

Test Tomorrow

The first test of the year will be given tomorrow.  It will be worth 100 points., and should be graded and posted in time to be included in your MQR (mid-quarter report).

As we discussed in class, there will be ten multiple-choice questions and three essay questions.  The test itself will cover A Message to Garcia, the ancient Greeks (especially Socrates) and their concept of excellence, Did You Know/Shift Happens, infrastructure, and globalization.

Bring a pencil for the Scantron portion of the test.  You may write your essays in pen (blue or black ink) or pencil, whichever you prefer.

Good luck, and be ready!

real-world applications

Today Section 3 watched Behind the Swoosh.  However, the rest of you have had a day for the film to sink in, and it certainly seems to have gotten some of you thinking.

Section 1 asked about the Indonesian standard of living; specifically, "Is four dollars a day really that bad if you live in Indonesia?"  Let's go to the CIA Factbook for some perspective.

The GDP per capita measures the Gross Domestic Product, divided by the population.  (This is the measure most economists prefer when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries.)  

The United States has a GDP per capita of $50,700, ranking us 14th in the world. Compare that with Indonesia at $5100, ranked 158th out of 229 countries.

A Nike worker who works five days a week, 52 weeks a year (no vacation!), for $3.70 per day, makes $962 a year.  This is the average GDP of the tenth poorest country in the world.  Even by Indonesia's standards, a Nike factory worker is paid one-fifth of the average wages in a very poor country.  In short, $3.70 a day is a very, very low wage, whatever measuring stick we use.

Meanwhile, Section 7 looked at the effect of bad press and a tarnished image on Nike's stock price.  They discovered that around 1998-1999, when there was a lot of news coverage of Nike's Indonesian factory workers, their stock plummeted.

And today?  When the mighty researchers of Section 7 were online looking into Nike's business practices?  Well, let me just point out that today's class met from 2:00 to 2:40 pm.  Here's how Nike's stock did today:

(Corrolation does not imply causality, but it was still an awesome coincidence!)

Globalization - another point of view

I could stand in front of the room and tell you that Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and numerous other countries provide cheap labor, but I don't think it would be as effective as the method employed by Jim Keady and Leslie Kretzu.  Their pilgrimage to Indonesia to witness firsthand the life of Nike factory workers really brings home the effects of globalization on people in developing nations.

Remember - a link to Behind the Swoosh can be found in my links section.

I'd love to hear what you thought of this short film in your blog tonight.

grading your blog posts

I have posted all the grades for all the assignments you have turned in so far.  We are three weeks into the school year, and many of you have started out great, especially when it comes to being in the habit of blogging every time we have a class.  

If you skipped a blog, you lost two points.  If you posted, but were a day late, you got just one out of two points.

Don't freak out if your grade is lower than you would like.  You have a 100-point test this Friday which will be a better indication of where you actually are, grade-wise.  

Some of you have received emails from me, perhaps because there are no blogs or very few blogs on your page.  Get back to me right away so we can fix the situation.

Blogging hints:

• Some of your blogs are getting shorter and shorter.  Starting next week, I will dock you a point if your blog is fewer than 150 words.  Be thorough and comprehensive with your notes and your blogging.  It will pay off for you in many ways. 
• As a point of reference, the word "next" in the previous paragraph is the 150th word in this post.  So, that's pretty much what 150 words looks like.  Your post can definitely be longer than that, and probably should be.
• Don't title your post "9/10/13" or "Today's Blog."  A title like "Does Globalization Affect Us?" or "Socrates was Awesome" or "Today Carly taught the class" or "a cool video about technology" is much more useful when you want to go back and find a particular subject in your notes.
• Occasionally, I will comment directly to you right on your blog.  This can be a very good thing, or not.  Make sure you read my comments.  (You are always welcome to comment on my blogs, too.  Just keep in mind that all comments can be publicly viewed, and you can be ID'ed on it.)
• Feel free to include pics or videos in your blog if it will help you.  These are not just for me to read, but for you to refer back to, especially for the purposes of test review.  See me if you need help on how to do this.

I feel like we are off to a terrific start in Human Geo.  Your freshman class is pretty awesome, and I only say that because I really mean it.  I want to extend a special thanks to the sections that are rocking the class participation.  It's much more fun and interesting, for you and for me, when you guys speak your mind in a class like this.

As always, see me or email me with your questions or problems.

Globalization - pro and con

Today you all formed groups and began a mini-research project.  Through the use of legitimate websites, you are seeking out information about whether globalization is a fair system for all involved, or if developing countries are being left behind.  You are being asked to assemble evidence from a variety of sources, then make up your own minds on this issue.  (Get used to this "making up your own minds" thing - it's what you should be doing for the rest of your lives.)

You did a great job in class organizing yourselves into groups, and starting your Google presentations.  Be sure to incorporate images and even videos into your project - it is more effective than just endless bullet points.

If you would like to work on this over the weekend, you are encouraged to do so.  Don't forget to blog about today's class tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for a great week, and have a terrific weekend!

prepare to engage

Today Section 3 caught up with the other sections in our discussion of globalization.

Tomorrow - watch out.

Tomorrow you will be asked to make up your own mind - how do YOU feel about globalization?  Does it benefit everybody equally, providing profits for countries all over the world?  Or are the developing countries being left behind, and even exploited?  Perhaps you have your own point of view.

Tomorrow, we find out. 

a sad anniversary

Front page of The Guardian, London, England, Sept. 12, 2001

For those of us old enough
 to remember this dark day vividly,

 it's hard to believe that
 twelve years have passed. 

 I recommend you ask family members
to share their memories

 of what happened on September 11, 2001 

- a truly significant day in American history.

In the meantime, our studies of globalization continue.  The key word to keep in mind is "interconnectedness."  Reminder: the site we have been looking at in class is linked on this blog, called "Globalization (Nat'l Geographic)."

from Google Drive to Globalization

Sections 1 and 7 plunged into the discussion of globalization today.  The site we looked at in class today can be found in the Links list, under "Globalization (Nat'l Geographic)".

Section 3, which did not meet yesterday, is playing catch-up, and entered the wonderful world of Google Docs today.  (A nice intro to Google Drive is embedded below - the good stuff starts at around 1:15.)

welcome to the world of Google Docs

Today Sections 1 and 7 were introduced to the Google Doc, which allows student online collaboration on projects.  We will be using this approach many times this year, due to its many advantages (creating and editing documents online, live collaboration from multiple users, Cloud storage, no user fees, automatic saving, supported by all the major browsers, mobile access, etc.

Also, did anyone else notice Father Rose mentioning the Socratic Method during his homily at Mass today?  (I swear I didn't put him up to it!)

Happy Anniversary, John Carroll School!

Tomorrow, The John Carroll School officially begins its Fiftieth Anniversary celebration.  We will mark this auspicious occasion with a celebratory Mass.  We will also finish school two hours early! And there will be an unusual bell schedule, detailed below:

BELL SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 9 

8:00 – 9:14 Mod 1 
9:18 – 9:28 Advisory (students are encouraged to bring snacks because students will not have lunch mods) 
9:32 - 10:20 Mod 2 
10:20 – 12:40 Mass 50th Anniversary & Rededication, Upper Gym Student Photo, Gerry Gray Stadium 
12:40 2 Hour Early Dismissal 
1:00 Bus departure

In other words, we will only have two classes tomorrow, Mod 1 and Mod 2.  Remember to wear your 50th Anniversary pin tomorrow, and be ready to have your pic taken!

Did You Know?

Section 3 was the only group to meet today, so they got the first peek at the video that will connect us to the study of Human Geography.

Did You Know/Shift Happens began as a simple PowerPoint in 2006, describing how incredibly quickly the world is changing.  Since then, the presentation has evolved into the video you saw today, and the pace of change has become even faster. 

As you watch the video, pick out three of the facts presented, and consider the following:

• What was your initial reaction to what you saw?
• How are these changes manifesting themselves in your personal life?
• How much of a role does technology play in your life?

Post your observations to your blog tonight.

(The link to this video can be found in my "Links..." sidebar.)

The Life of Socrates

Three approaches to our discussions on the life, method, and death of Socrates.

Section 3 came to life today, guided by our guest teacher (nice work, Steven).

Section 1 alertly pointed out how buff and heroic Socrates (the shirtless guy) looked in the painting by Jacques-Louis David.

Section 7 discussed the contributions by noted philosopher and non-peer-reviewed blogger GizardBoy.

All in all, a very interesting day!  I can't wait to read your blogs!

Introductory material on Excellence continues...

Today we considered some historical perspective on the very concept of excellence.  The ancient Greeks had a government based on citizen participation and a lifestyle centered around fulfillment of one's potential.

Can you imagine how successful we would be if we approached our own lives with the same intensity?

Tomorrow: Socrates.