Swiss School

1st video: 

• SUMAS is the first school of its kind to be based totally on sustainability 
• located in Gland, Switzerland 
• a wide range of sustainability products 
• students are going to be the leaders of the future, so they are taught how to help the planet as well as business skills 
• only college in Europe that offers a bachelors and masters in sustainability as well as business 
• students learn how to bring sustainability to their businesses 

2nd video: 

• 80% of environmental impact come from transport, food, and drink 
• by 2050 is we don't change anything about what we produce/consume, we will need twice the amount of the earth's surface to support us 
• industry must try to cut down on using/producing harmful products (plastic, CO2, etc.) 
• if industry makes products that are more environmentally aware, then we have to make sure we keep using these products 
• Eco-label is very important, so people know what ecological goods there are 

3rd video: 

• 10 hottest years ever recorded have happened in the past 14 years 
• hottest year of all: 2005 
• If a certain glacier were to disappear, sea level world wide would drop 20 feet, and huge parts of major cities would end up under water 
• our ability to live on this earth is what's at stake if we continue to kill it 

4th video: 

• flying across America. One pilot says it's like having complete freedom because the plane theoretically doesn't need any fuel, but they need to be very precise while flying. (completely "green" airplane)
• supported by companies not part of the aviation world 
• the plane can only fit one person, and is very skinny compared to other planes 
• it works! 
• need a lot of concentration to fly for such a long time 

5th video: 

• 2 pilots (from the previous video) trying to fly around the world on an airplane powered only by solar energy 
• will attempt to fly it around the world in 2015 
• started the project 8 years ago 
• when they were testing a flight for their plane one of the main parts of the machines exploded and it cost a lot of money and set them back a year. Despite this the speaker said this difficulty became on opportunity 
• "every difficulty in life is a potential opportunity" :) 
• go beyond your knowledge (think outside the box) 
• the world needs pioneers and innovative thinkers to solve its problems 

Sustainable consumption in my city: 

I think my city already has very good "green" activities like pico de plata, ciclovia, and the day when no cars are allowed to drive in the city. I think solar panels could be put into place in many buildings, although I've already seen some. Also, I don't see any Eco-labels here, and I think that would be a very good idea so that consumers know they're buying Eco-friendly products. Having parks in place and keeping them up helps too. I do see a LOT of litter here and I think people should be aware that throwing trash on the ground is harmful. I think there should be some sort of litter control, or make trashcans that are neon bright as if to say "LOOK THERE'S A TRASH CAN RIGHT HERE DO NOT THROW YOUR TRASH ON THE GROUND." 

Those are just a few of my ideas, and I really like when people create new ideas for helping the planet. People should also do their everyday jobs like turning of the lights when they leave a room, taking shorter showers, and not leaving faucets on for too long. 

Growing Up Online

15 things that don't surprise me:

• It doesn't surprise me that people were (and still are) playing violent video games 
• It doesn't surprise me how technological schools are being considering how much time students spend on technology 
• that during vacation kids are texting their friends all the time 
• that people stayed on MySpace for hours upon hours 
• that someone had 2496 friends (it's like a contest) 
• cyber-bullying 
• that "Autumn's" parents made her delete her pictures and profiles  
• predators on the internet 
• parents being overbearing when it comes to the internet 
• most kids are smart enough to delete people who try to get their address or are creepy online 
• kids sneaking into Madison Square Garden and getting drunk 
• kids flipping out because one person's mom told all the parents about the kids getting drunk at Madison Square Garden 
• the internet has created the greatest generation gap since rock n' roll became popular 
• a girl fake flirting over the internet 
• groups to stop cyber-bullying  
• kids "pulling the plug" and not using the internet anymore 

15 things that surprise me: 

• That a dad said he had a better chance of talking to his son through email (when they're in the same house) then going upstairs to tell him something (because when I'm on the computer my parents always yell up the stairs to tell me something) 
• It surprises me that a teacher said students are so much less focused then before due to technology (I feel like you can still focus with or without technology) 
• It really surprises me that a boy said he couldn't remember the last time he read a book, he only uses spark-notes  (I love books and that is really sad. Students are expected to read.) 
• relationships with guys online who you know in real life but don't really talk to in real life (The people who I talk to online I also talk to in real life.) 
• that a girl said taking a inappropriate picture of herself and sending it to a guy didn't really mean anything (That seems like a really big deal.) 
• a girl totally remaking herself on the internet and dressing revealingly (It would be very creepy for me to know that anyone could look at me in pictures like that) 
• parents getting passwords to kids Facebooks (that seems like way to over-protective from the parents) 
• a girl uses a computer at her friend's house more then at her own cause she doesn't want her mom watching (What does she have to hide that's that bad? I almost always use my own computer) 
• more risky behavior offline then online (People are usually more outgoing online) 
• a girl being "the real her" online rather than offline (people usually lie online, or exaggerate) 
• girls that want to be anorexic, take pride in being super skinny (That's destroying your own body and is awful) 
• talking to people about your problems on the internet rather than people in real life (I tell my problems to my real friends/parents) 
• the dad said the internet and the computer wasn't the cause of his son's death (I feel like it had to do a great deal with his son's death) 
• "Autumn" is back online (I thought her parents would forbid her) 
• her dad (Autumn) supports her decision. (He seemed really against it at the beginning of the movie, and my dad would never let me do anything like that ever, or support it) 

15 things that are new about technology since 2008: 

•  MySpace isn't popular anymore, it's Facebook now. 
• Club Penguin isn't as popular anymore 
• the flip phones 
• 2008 Youtube is way older and different then the Youtube now 
• the laptops and some of the computers were larger and bulkier 
• I saw no iphones or ipads 
• smart boards are not used very much 
• email chats aren't as common nowadays, people use FB more often 
• Media isn't as focused on online predators, it has found more awful things to talk about that the internet does 
• The old chatting sight MSN has been deleted. 
• Parents aren't as over protective about technology 
•  music-listening devices are improved 
• security is more strict, especially on sites like Google, Youtube, etc. 
• laptops aren't as chunky 
• editing apps (like Photoshop) have been improved a lot 

 What topic in the movie did you identify with most and why? 

     I identify most with the boy committing suicide due to cyber-bulling. This is not because anything like that has ever happened to me but it makes me really sad and I don't think anyone should ever do that to themselves. I think cyber-bullying and face-to-face bullying should be stopped because it can lead to horrible things like this. I feel bad for that boy and especially bad that he can never take back what he did. Cyber-bullying should be stopped. 

      I think that the mom in the movie was right, that reading mean words makes you feel even worse then hearing them, and eventually you start to believe them. I think cyber-bulling can be very effective in terms of hurting someone. It has a great impact. If the boy hadn't been cyber-bullied he might not have killed himself. He should have turned off his computer. 

     I think there are many ways to stop this from happening. One would be to delete pages like "best ways to kill yourself" and "how to kill yourself". That is SO disgusting. Another would be to let people know how much impact rude messages have on people so they don't send them. I'm sure the girl who fake flirted with him feels awful now. 

     I believe the best way to get away from cyber-bulling is TURNING OFF THE COMPUTER. Ignore those messages, they're not true. That boy was nice and special and by reading those messages he was just hurting himself. You don't have to do that. Keep confidence in yourself and someday you'll be away from those people. There is always someone who loves you and values you.

What topic in the video was most unlike your own experiences and why?  

     Most of the outrageous things the students in the movie did I don't do, and they aren't my experiences. I don't upload suggestive pictures of myself. I don't visit pages to learn how to be anorexic. I don't use the computer so much that I can't remember the last time I read a book. I hope these will never be my experiences.  
     Autumn uploaded inappropriate pictures of herself online. She started a double life. I don't think this was necessary. She should be who she wants to be in real life and not care about people think about her. Because an internet life is not a real life. She could've been "Autumn" in real life. (But not dress so much like her. I didn't approve of the pictures she put up.) 
     The internet was destructive to the girl with the eating disorder who looked at pages on how to be anorexic. I would never do that. It lowers self esteem and there shouldn't be pages like that. I also don't use the internet so much that I can't remember the last book I read, unlike the boy in the movie. That's just sad. 
     I know I use the internet a lot. But I avoid the things the other kids in the movie were doing. But avoiding those pages/pictures/over-using the internet, I don't have the same experiences as them. I don't think their experiences are the best ones. I think people should be taught to use the internet responsibly. 
What are the biggest benefits of being online, for you, personally? 
     With the internet we have information at our fingertips. Our generation is very lucky for all this information. It helps with homework. It helps with our interests. It helps us connects with our friends. It can be negative as well as beneficial. 
     When I'm stuck on my homework Google is a life-saver. Math, science, social studies, it has it all. Youtube has not only funny videos but instructional ones too. When I'm trying to understand math it's a great help. Wikipedia has been proven to be very reliable. We have so many resources. It's great! 
     When I'm far away from my friends, Facebook, email, etc. is very good at keeping us connected. I can talk to them. I can see pictures of them. They can see pictures of me. We don't have to feel far apart because we're always sharing. It is also good for getting schoolwork information. 
     There is so much to know that I don't know about. When I'm interested on a subject I can research it so easily! Internet can make us stupider, but if we choose to, also smarter. This is something new for our generation that hasn't been a possibility for previous ones. They has to use encyclopedias. :D   
     We have to be careful with all this information. It can be used wrongly. We can ignore it, or not take up its possibilities. I think technology can go WAY too far but when it comes to learning and connecting I'm glad to have it. As I said before, it should be used responsibly. 

Google Presentation

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegerankings/ss/top-colleges-for-harry-potter-fans_11.htm
THEY HAVE A HARRY POTTER CLUB AT WILLIAM AND MARY. It's like going to Hogwarts! You get sorted into houses, there are positions (professor of ancient runes, professor of arithmancy, etc.) and there's a house cup at the end of the year! It sounds AWESOME. 
http://web.utk.edu/~mfll/russian/
UT offers a study abroad program in Russia.  
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegeprofiles/p/William_Mary.htm
William and Mary accepts both ACT and SAT. 
https://www.wm.edu/admission/financialaid/typesofaid/scholarships/index.php
William and Mary offers at least 13 scholarships/financial aid. 

(I haven't finished my presentation yet.) 

Google Day #2

3 goals for the day: 

• To learn about what classes (that interest me) are available at University of Tennessee 
• to learn more about the admission process 
• scholarships 

http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?catoid=1&navoid=104 

This is the link for courses available at University of Tennessee. They have a whole bunch of history of Africa courses. I don't know much about Africa so I think it would be interesting. They also have 122 anthropology classes which I've just recently become interested in. They have elementary and intermediate Russian. They have 462 history classes. This includes history of America, history of Tennessee (:D) medieval history, and much much more. 

http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?catoid=1&navoid=313 

UT accepts either the SAT or ACT. (I'm going to take both.) 

Below is a list of credits you need to apply: 

4		units of English
2		units of algebra
1		unit of geometry, trigonometry, advanced math, or calculus
1		unit of advanced algebra and trigonometry, statistics, discrete mathematics with statistics and probability, pre-calculus,   calculus, capstone, senior math or quantitative decision making
3		units of natural science to include at least 2 units from Group A
		Group A: Biology I, II; Biology for Technology; Chemistry I, II; Earth Science; Physics; Principles of Technology I, II
		Group B: Anatomy and Physiology; Ecology; Environmental Science (AP only); Geology; Nutrition Science; Physical Science; Agriscience; Conceptual Physics
1		unit of American history
1		unit of European history, world history, or world geography
2		units of a single foreign language
1		unit of visual or performing arts  (Taken from website) http://finaid.utk.edu/aid/scholarships/  UT has over 1,400 scholarships accounts. They give $23,000,000 in scholarships every year and 4 year, one year, and renewable scholarships are given. You can apply for a scholarship no later than November 1st of your senior year in high school. Below are the scholarships offered for freshman: Chancellor's Scholarships Bonham Scholars Holt Scholars Manning Scholars Morris Scholars Neyland Scholars Oldham Scholars Rogers Scholars Roddy Scholars Tennessee Scholars Institutional Scholarships Volunteer Scholarship University Scholarship Tennessee Pledge Scholarship Achieve the Dream Grant Tennessee Promise Scholarship Presidential Scholarship Out-of-State Excellence Scholarship Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (HOPE)  (Taken from website)    Next class I would like to compare William and Mary to University of Tennessee in terms of the things I have learned so far. I would also like to learn about scholarships offered at William and Mary. http://web.utk.edu/~froshsem/seminars/detail.php?pk=2884 THEY HAVE A CLASS THAT TEACHES THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES ADDRESSED IN HARRY POTTER. IT'S A CLASS.:D :D :D :D :D (Although you don't get credits for taking the class, but it doesn't matter because a Harry Potter class is the coolest thing ever!)

Google Day #1

3 goals for the day: 
to learn more about the classes available at William and Mary 
to find out what study abroad programs they have 
to find out what the campus and surrounding town is like, where I would live, etc. 

What I learned: 
https://www.wm.edu/offices/registrar/coursecatalschedules/catalogs/index.php
William and Mary has some really interesting history classes. I found a lot of the things I'm interested in like Russian history, Medieval Europe, Williamsburg (colonial and revolutionary history), Civil War era, and much more. They have creative writing classes (I'm mainly interested in fiction) and a modern fiction class. They have a ton of study of literature and writing classes but I'm not really sure which ones I'd like the best. They also have classes that teach Russian (I'd like to go to Russia someday) but they're all through video, which I'm not sure I like very much. 
http://www.wm.edu/as/modernlanguages/studyabroad/index.php
There's a 6 week program in St. Petersburg, Russia, to improve language skills. You live with Russian families and visit theaters, ballets, and operas. It sounds really cool! 
There's also a study abroad program in China, and I'm learning Chinese right now so that could be an option. Both programs look very interesting, one has an option to study martial arts and the other has options to visit places all over China. (Including Tibet!) 
http://www.wm.edu/offices/residencelife/oncampus/residencehalls/freshman/index.php
There are 13 freshman dorms at William and Mary. All of them are co-ed. All of them have 3 floors and/or a basement. (One has an attic.) All of them have less than 300 residents. Not all of them have air conditioning, which is not good for me. (Imagine how hot it would get during summer!)  That have kitchens and laundry rooms. 
I looked at pictures of the campus and it looks very out-doorsy, green, and pretty. Here are a few photos: 

 

Pretty, right? 

William and Mary is in Williamsburg, Virginia which is a colonial town. I have visited the town before and it's very interesting. People dress like the colonials and act out colonial culture and scenes. 

I learned that William and Mary is the second oldest higher education school in the U.S. (After Harvard) 

Apparently Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Taylor all went to school at William and Mary. 

Graduate programs are mainly in science, math, engineering, and technology. If I go to William and Mary I'd want to go as a graduate, but I don't particularly like any of those subjects. I want to go to a graduate school that has good classes and programs that focus on what I'm interested in. 

(Information above from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_William_%26_Mary) 

Next Google day I would like to research similar information but on the University of Tennessee. 

Viruses

What I know about viruses: 
I know that viruses are bad for your computer, and that they mess up how the computer works, but I don't really know what they do or how they get on your computer. 

Questions: 
How do viruses get on your computer? 
What types of viruses are there? 
What can a virus do to your computer? 

Helpful links: 
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Top-Ten-Most-Destructive-Computer-Viruses.html 
http://www.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm 
http://home.mcafee.com/virusinfo/top-viruses 
http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer/articles/computer-security-threats-computer-viruses 

8 Things I Learned: 

• There was a virus called the Conficker Virus which infected millions of people's computers that could steal financial and other information. Although it steals information no one actually knows what its original purpose was. 
• The Poison Ivy virus is extremely creepy. It allows the hacker to take complete control over the manipulated computer. The hacker can record audio and video, us the webcam, and manipulate the computer's content. It's scary. 
• a virus is a piece of software that attaches itself to other softwares, and when those softwares run the virus runs too, allowing it to spread and attach itself to more softwares. 
• Trojan Horses are computer programs that say they do one thing but actually do another. (i.e. pretends it's a game but actually damages your computer.) 
• I looked up top viruses tracked by McAfee and all of them were Trojan Horses and Viruses 
• A virus can find you if you share music, files, and photos with other people on the internet 
• Viruses can make you unable to do any internet activity, delete your files, damage programs, cause computer crashes, and reformat the hard drive of your computer. 
• computer viruses really started in the 1970s, even though theories had been made earlier 

How this topic relates to my life: 

     I use the computer all the time, and sometimes I click on things that I probably shouldn't. I'm sure I've clicked on Trojan Horses. By researching about viruses I can be more aware of what is safe and what I should stay away from on the computer. I learned a lot of things that I wasn't aware of before today. 

Questions I still have: 

Was the creeper virus the first ever virus invented? 

How much money is involved in the underground virus-making/hacking community? 

What was the Conficker Virus originally meant to do? 

How do viruses infect so many computers in such a short amount of time? 

Design Project Day 5

2. All of the kids said they really liked the game because it was challenging, could be played in many different ways, could be played on a rainy day, :) and the instructions were easy to follow. (One kid said that the game was a little too challenging.) The teacher said that he wished the game was more self sustainable. 
     Our goals for making the game fun were to make it a little challenging but not too much, to have multiple holes to get the ball through, (like a normal skeeball machine) and to make the game colorful and attractive. I think we did accomplish the making it a little challenging, but we didn't put multiple holes because there wasn't enough room and it would've been way to difficult. We scribbled a little bit of color on our skeeball machine, but it wasn't that attractive. The main problem was the amount of time we had. 
3. What was the biggest problem you encountered? How did you solve it? 
Our biggest problem was making legs for the machine. As it turned out we weren't able to make legs because they weren't stable, so we solved the problem by using a pile of books to support the machine. 
When did you get your biggest AHA idea? What was it? 
We decided to create a little compartment for the ball to fall into once you threw it through the hole so the ball could roll back to you so you wouldn't have to go very far to catch it and play again. 
Who in the group resisted new ideas the most and why? 
 I was probably the one who resisted the most because my teammates wanted to make the hole smaller and I wanted to make it bigger. We settled an a size in between. (But as it turned out the hole did need to be bigger because the kids said it was a little hard to get the ball through the hole.) ;D 
What doubts did you have about the project and how did you overcome those doubts? 
My biggest doubt was the size of the hole on the skeeball machine. But when my group mates finally decided to make it bigger then they wanted (which still wasn't big enough for me) I decided that it would do and we all agreed so it was good. 
Who in your group was the "devil's advocate" and how did it help the process? 
My group members say that I was the devil's advocate and I think I have to agree. I didn't question a lot of the stuff, mainly about how it would work, how we would build it, and if we could finish it in time. I think this helped because we had to think about time management and how we would accomplish our ideas in real life. 
What did you learn about yourself, teamwork, and the design process? 
I learned that I'm not really good at building things and I probably won't pursue that as a job in the future. I also learned that working with friends to build things can actually be a lot of fun because you get to share ideas and create new things. I feel like the design process is kind of hard, but it really helps when it comes to creating something new.