Showing posts with label Winter 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter 2015. Show all posts

Friday, January 15, 2016

Capsule - Book Bound



Our action project for Book Bound was a digital portfolio that offers an overview of our learning and experience of the course. Book Bound is an humanities course, in which we explored the definition of reading, evaluated its importance, explored works that are considered "classics" and understand the criteria necessary to earn such stature. We read The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald as an example of a "classic". I was indifferent about The Great Gatsby. I thought the plot was a bit diluted, but very thought provoking. We investigated the literary canon, critique it, offer alternatives and additions. The literary canon is the Great book list. The idea of a literary canon implies "official status" and to be entered into the canon mean gain to certain privileges. Also, we research roles necessary to build a library. We visited two libraries (a public library and school library) to familiarize ourselves with the inner-workings of a library, to find inspiration and guidance for our vision of our school library. I envision our school library with tons of work space, infinite availability of books, recording booths, computers, art/cool posters plastered on the walls and comfortable chairs. I enjoyed our field experiences because I learned about the different search engines for academic research offered at the library. For this action project, we were assigned to put together a portfolio of our best work throughout the course. My favorite project was our choice for the canon slideshow.


Storyboard:

Before embarking on our Book Bound adventure of the importance and history of reading, we took some time to remember and contemplate who we are as readers. Through the use of StoryboardThat, an autobiographical web-tool we were able to tell the story of our lifespan as readers, specifically on learning to read. Our stories had to include at least 5 frames and captions. We considered plot point such as: when and where we were when we first began to read, who helped us learn to read, what struggles we faced as readers, and how we felt reading in school as we crafted our stories. Prior to completing this activity I talk to my mom who has been very instrumental in my development as a reader for specific details about my reading history. Moms played a huge role in my classmates' reading stories as well. This assignment allowed many of us to dive into ourselves and create connections between our reading patterns and our history with reading. I had lots of fun working on this assignment. I struggled with how to start, but my conversation with my mom helped clear the haze. I added more details to my story and proofread. I am proud that my reading story shows my progression.




Slideshow:

What is a classic? How does something acquire such status? What does such a title suggest about the thing itself? These were some the questions we were presented with in the beginning of the course. Classic "belonging to the standard authors of Greek and Roman antiquity" "of the highest class; approved as a model" from the french word classique (17c.) from Latin classicus is a term used to categories books of the highest caliber. Certain books receive this status and end up on required reading lists across the U.S. These grouped together, literary classics are referred to as "the canon". The literary canon is the great book lists. They are texts that have been deemed worthy to be read by anyone who considers themselves cultured. For this assignment, we chose a book we believed belong in the canon and created a slideshow justify our choice. Also, we presented and defended our book selection to our peers. I wanted to share my enthusiasm for the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan with everyone hence why I chose to publish this assignment. I struggled with finding images of scenes for theme illustration. I added more details to the lesson plan portion of the presentation, added an image, and proofread.







Literary Journal:

We were assigned to create our own literary magazine/journal in team of 4s. Literary magazine is a periodical magazine/journal dedicated to literature. Literary magazines publish short stories, poetry, literary criticism, letters, interviews, essays, and many more. Our literary magazine consisted of external submission, pieces from all group members, and images. This assignment showcased different types of literature. I really proud of the pieces in the magazine. We split up different tasks among ourselves. Miscommunication impacted our quite a bit, but in the end we pulled through. I fixed the page set-up.



Literature Poster:

We created propaganda literary posters based upon a guiding question about literacy. We research the answer to our guiding question using reliable sources. My guiding question was "How many books does the average american read yearly?" The average American read 12 books in the past 12 months according to the Pew research center. The purpose of this poster and course is to promote literacy. I want to encourage literacy in the most effective way as possible and this assignment allows me to do so. I was difficult to come up with a concept for my drawing. I used paper and pencil. I am proud to have persevered.

GN, Literature poster 2015. 










  

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

How the Grinch Fixed the Code of Conduct?

For my Argument Course, we were assigned to create an amendment to the GCE Code of Conduct, defending a necessary change in rules based upon your evaluation of its logical flaws. The purpose of this action project was to construct an argument to amend the Code of Conduct. I learned about the different fallacies. Below is my argument.


The idea in these equations is to sum all the forces on it and set them equal to ma. The interesting thing is how the equations tie together changes in all the different stress components, making them interdependent on each other, which is the same idea I wanted to introduce in my argument, this idea of equilibrium/equality. You would assume that a document that plays a major role in students'life wouldn't lacks their voices, but it does. "Equilibrium." Equilibrium. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

Schools have been writing Codes of Conduct for decades, but the role they play in shaping students’ behavior has changed dramatically. “The Code of Conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of, or proper practices for, an individual, party or organization” (Wikipedia). These Codes of Conduct must be followed by students and are in effect during, after and school-related activities. The primary reason for a Code of Conduct is to maintain standards of an institution and set forth procedures necessary to protect and keep a learning environment.

I have crafted the following amendment to provide an alternative to the students’ contract for the Code of Conduct. This amendment rectifies the agreement portion of the Code of Conduct and allows students, including those who are new, to get a chance to discuss and modify the Code of Conduct before blindly agreeing to it. This amendment also states students’ rights, which shall not be denied or abridged by the Disciplinary council.

Preamble:

This amendment is committed to safeguarding the rights given to all students under the state and federal law and incorporating the students’ voice in a document that greatly affects them. In addition to providing civic/cognitive/emotional development and a safe school environment, all students have the right to:

Note: Many of the students’ rights include examples. The examples included are not intended to be the only things covered by the rights. The examples covered in the definition are included, but the definition/right is not limited to the examples given.

  • 1. Have an equal chance to take part in any activities regardless of color, race, religious affiliations, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or class rank. 
  • 2. Access to school rules and if necessary receives an explanation of those rules from staff. Staff includes, teachers, the disciplinary council, and counselors. 
  • 3. Freedom of speech/expression provided that such right does not cause any disorder or disruption within the school. “Freedom of expression is the right of every individual to hold opinions without interference” (Wikipedia). This includes without limitations the right to express those views through speech, symbolism, and writing. I am fully aware that this portion of the students’ rights contradicts that of the Dress Code, which reads as follow “Clothing may not advocate or promote acts of violence, self-destruction, alcohol and drug consumption, racism, xenophobia, religious intolerance, sexual or promiscuous behavior. Clothing which contributes to the creation of a hostile, offensive, or intimidating environment based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, gender, social status, or sexual orientation is prohibited.” 
  • 4. Rebuke or appeal against a decision made by the disciplinary council and has the right to a formal hearing. 
  • 5. The rights stated in the FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), especially pertaining to parents or eligible students having the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading, and if the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information. 
  • 6. Peacefully assemble and petition to add/remove/modify a rule in the Code of Conduct, provided they create an unsound argument against the rule. Students are limited to petition against 2 rules every two months. The decision of whether or not a rule can be added, removed or modified will be the Board’s responsibility. Before adopting any revision to the Code, the board will hold a public hearing at which staff, parents, guardians and students may participate. (Table of contents). 
The primary goal of this amendment is to guarantee that no part of the school government becomes too powerful. For example, the mandatory expulsion rule in the Code of Conduct states an exhaustive list of offenses that shall be automatically recommended by the DC for expulsion. The last bullet point “And other good and just causes as determined by the Dean of Behavior” stated in the mandatory expulsion section and the Code of Conduct itself gives a lot of power to the Dean of Behavior (DC). This amendment prevents the DC from misusing such power because it allows for a system based regulation that allows one side (students vs. staff) to limit another, which insures that no one has too much power. My co-signer states that “Learning is a process defined by the exchange of ideas and the advancement of knowledge. This amendment assures fairness while maintaining the true purpose of the Code of Conduct”.

As it stands, the Code of Conduct employs the Black or White fallacy which provides limited choices as the only choices, when there are others. “We are being forced into signing a document agreement that you might not agree with, because our only options are either signing it or not attending the school, which contradicts with the meaning of an agreement,” said AMK a peer of mine. Is being forced into signing an agreement really being in agreement with that agreement? I would argue that it isn’t!



Works Cited:

  • "Table of Contents." Journal of Palestine Studies 35.2 (2006): n. pag. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. 
  • "Student Code of Conduct." Student Code of Conduct. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. <http://stuafs.unl.edu/ja/code>.
  • "Equilibrium." Equilibrium. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://www.continuummechanics.org/cm/equilibrium.html>.









Thursday, March 5, 2015

Whole Foods' Guitar


For our second unit of Light and Sound, we learned about Sound and how it works. We were assigned to build a guitar out of recycled materials. The purpose of this action project was to use the knowledge we acquired and to create a functional guitar. I learned how the decibel scale (a logarithmic unit of measurement measuring the amplitude of a sound wave) works. I am proud of the research I did during external investigation.

GN, Drawing 2015
The main source of sound in a guitar is the string. When plucked, the strings vibrate. The vibrations travel through the saddle to the bridge to the soundboard, vibrating the soundboard. The form of the guitar is a hollow sound box which amplifies the vibrations. The frequencies produced can depend on the string length, tension, and diameter.

To make this guitar, I used a Whole Foods plastic bowl, two pieces of wood, hard cardboard, thumb tacks, and lots of glue! I put two thumb tacks through the hard cardboard, so that the rubber bands could be attached. I placed the two wood pieces and the hard cardboard across the bowl and glued it together as the neck of the guitar.


GN, Design 2015
GN, Guitar 2015

Since I used a rubber band, there are two strings you can pluck. Each one is 17.5 inches long. One open note is a F#4, with a frequency of 370 Hz and wavelength of 93.24 cm. The octave note is a Gb5 with a frequency of 740 Hz (370X2) and wavelength of 46.62 cm (93.24/2). The octave is the half way point of my string.

The thickness of the rubber band is about 0.59 mm. I used a bowl which had a radius of 3.5 inches. The formula for the volume of a cylinder is 4/3piR^3. This formula gives the volume of a complete sphere. In order to find the volume of the bowl I had to divide the volume of the sphere by two. The volume of the sphere was 179.59438 cubic inches (4/3 X pi X 3.5^3). The volume of the bowl was 89.79719 cubic inches (179.59438/2).

You can hear my guitar below.



The Doppler Effect is a phenomenon in which there is a change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to its source, because as the source moves forward the sound waves are being pushed together resulting in a higher pitch.

My guitar could illustrate this concept if a guitarist were to walk and play; as he walks forward the sound wave will be pushed together resulting in a higher pitch sound to the observer/listeners, whereas if he/she were walking away the sound waves would be more spread apart and they would sound lower.

Vocabulary terms:
- Sound waves: Sound waves are longitudinal pressure waves by which sound is propagated (Online Dictionary).
- Frequency/pitch: The frequency is the number of cycles per second past a given point. Hertz is the unit measurement used for frequency.
- Amplitude: The amplitude is the displacement of a wave from its mean value (What Is Amplitude?). It is experienced as "loudness" or volume.
- Wavelength: The wavelength is the length of one complete wave cycle.


Work Cited: