finishing the Prezis

Brilliant work today, as you completed work on your Prezis.

Reminder: Make sure everybody in your group has the web address for your Prezi.  Each person should then copy the address into their own blog.  Better yet: embed it into your blog.

Also, if you want to add more to your Prezi, or if you just want to proofread, you can still edit.  The web address won't change.  You can even invite the others in your group to edit.  Go to Edit Prezi, click Meeting, and choose Invite to Edit.

Tomorrow - we present.

update on today's classwork

I think we got a lot done in class today.  Tonight, you should make it a point to communicate with the other people in your group.  Email, text, phone, Skype, whatever it takes.  Make sure your Prezi person is getting good at Prezi.  Make sure everyone else is researching - finding good sites with reliable information about Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.  Make sure you reach out to the people that weren't in class today, and get them up to speed.  Everyone should walk into class tomorrow ready to go.

using Prezi

Today in class we are going to use Prezi to study and compare three major religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Prezi can be found here.

You have a machine in front of you that gives you access to the collected knowledge of recorded human history.

Now get busy.

(I did a simple Google search of "religions of the world."  I found a LOT of sites.  Here is an example of a source that might not be reliable.  This is more like it.)

2009 - terrorist incidents worldwide

We (especially the amazing 05 section) have been discussing the use of terrorism in class.  This is certainly an important topic, as well as an emotional one.  Here is some information to put into perspective how often these attacks occur in America and around the world.

Number of terrorist incidents, 2009

The above map tracks the number of attacks just last year (2009).

This Wikipedia entry list of terrorist attacks
 can be organized by country, city, date,
and estimated number of fatalities.  

more on the Middle East

Interesting discussions and controversial proposals in class today, as we continue studying Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

Earth & Chrome

I believe you guys have Google Earth already loaded on your computers.  If not, take a couple minutes this weekend and download it, and keep the icon handy so you can get to it easily.  It is a valuable resource, and a fun site to play with.  Find your house!  Then fly to the pyramids!  Navigate over to the Eiffel Tower!  Check out the terrain in Afghanistan!

Also, I highly recommend using Google Chrome as your browser, especially if your computer has been locking up on you.  Just as easy to use as Firefox (but with cooler features), more virus-resistant than (yuk) Explorer.  Download it here.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Identifying countries

When we discuss the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or rainforests in Brazil, or oil coming from Saudi Arabia or Russia or Venezuela, or nuclear weapons in Pakistan or India, it's important to know where these countries are.  Today's exercise is simple: locate some major countries on the world map, and identify the continent where they can be found.

This class exercise can be found by clicking Identifying Countries: classwork, found under Hot Links.  Follow the directions you see there.  This is a graded assignment which must be completed in class.

exploring our world

The CIA World Factbook)^[2] is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with almanac-style information about the countries of the world.  The Factbook is available in the form of a website, which is partially updated every two weeks. It provides a two- to three-page summary of the demographics,geography, communications, government, economy, and military of 266 entities^[3] including U.S.-recognized countries, dependencies, and other areas in the world.

The World Factbook is prepared by the CIA for the use of U.S. government officials, and its style, format, coverage, and content are primarily designed to meet their requirements.^[4] However, it is frequently used as a resource for academic research papers.^[5] As a work of the U.S. government, it is in the public domain.^[6]           (Click here for the entire Wikipedia entry on the CIA World Factbook.)

^{In other words, the CIA Factbook ROCKS.  We explored it in class today, and, although we barely scratched the surface, we found an amazing variety of facts about every country on earth.  We will be using the Factbook A LOT this year, so it is good to be very familiar with how it is laid out.}

paper deadline

It seems like a number of people are having trouble with this assignment.  First, let me clarify the technical expectations for this assignment, and for all papers turned in to me for this class.


The paper is to be completed on Google Documents (GoogleDocs) and submitted through your blog.  Here's how:

GoogleDocs actually saves automatically as you write.  So when your paper is done, you just need to publish it.

In Google Docs, on the right-hand side of the page, under Share, drop down to Publish on the Web.  
Then click Start Publishing, then OK.  
Copy the web address that appears under Document link.  
Paste that address into a new posting on your blog.

Really, it's that simple.

Don't forget to give the paper a title in the title box, or you may soon find yourself with several papers, all titled "Untitled Document".

The new deadline for this assignment to be posted to your blog is 4:00 PM today, Tuesday 9/14/10.  10% will be deducted for every day (or portion of a day) the paper is late.  This deduction begins at 4:01 today.

So, if you are having trouble, I recommend you stop by Room 121 in the Fine Arts wing right after school to get some help.  

two good questions about citations

A student just emailed me a couple questions, asking if they needed to cite a source if they were just paraphrasing from that source, and asking about the Works Cited that appears at the end of the paper.  I answered her question below.  I put the answers in the form of a paragraph that might appear in a research paper about writing research papers!  Here it is:



Paraphrasing is "a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form" (dictionary.com).  It is perfectly acceptable to do this, because you are still giving credit to the original author.  Even a prestigious university like Purdue University includes information on this process:  "If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number" (Purdue Online Writing Lab).  In this case, we are not concerned with page numbers, since we are dealing with online sources.



Using EasyBib.com, this would be the Works Cited for the two online sources I used in the above paragraph:

"Paraphrase | Define Paraphrase at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 12 Sept. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/paraphrase>.

"Purdue OWL." Welcome to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). Web. 12 Sept. 2010. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/>.



I hope you find this helpful!  (Thanks, Elena!)

first big grade of the quarter

Greetings, all.  It's a rainy Sunday afternoon, the Ravens aren't playing today, and I hope by now you have begun work on your paper.  If you have questions, feel free to comment on this post or send me an email.

Reminders of what you should include in this paper:

• good, quality, error-free writing
• an informative summary of the events of 9/11 
• an interview with someone who has vivid recollections of that fateful day
• a thoughtful analysis of the long-term economic impact of the attacks, based on the links I have provided for you, plus any other resources you find
• a Works Cited at the end of your paper, listing the online sources you used (EasyBib.com will help with this)

Don't forget to write the paper on Google Documents, share it by publishing it to the web, and placing that web address in your blog.

Let's see what you've got!

First Paper of the Year

We have begun this school year by discussing globalization, which is the defining concept of our Human Geography course.  This week marks the anniversary of the single event which has had more global impact than anything else in your lives - the September 11 attacks.

This week we will view actual television coverage - in real time, as it occurred - of September 11, 2001.  Most of you were in kindergarten that morning - I was right here at John Carroll.  I think there is a real value to seeing how events unfolded that morning, as America and the world watched.

You will be assigned a paper to write on 9/11.  This paper is to be 3-4 pages long, and will cover three aspects of 9/11. 

• What happened on the morning of 9/11?  Approach this like a historian, or a reporter, or a human geographer - answer the essential questions:  Who?  What?  When?  Where? Why?
• What do your family members remember about that day?  You may also include your reaction from watching this video in class, but it is important to interview someone who was old enough in 2001 to realize the importance of these events.
• What was the long term economic effect of the attacks?  I will provide you with some material (introduced in class) that can help you answer this question.

I want you to produce this paper using Google Docs.  You should write 750-1000 words - that would be three to four pages of text.  You are also encouraged to add pictures, charts, or any other images that will enhance your writing.

In addition to the material I will give you, you are encouraged to do a little research into this subject.  Cite your sources.  No Wikipedia or other encyclopedias allowed.

The assignment is due Tuesday, September 14, by 8:00 am.  It is worth 100 points.

definitions

Today, Sections 04 and 05 did not meet.

Section 01 discussed the definitions of terms, with our conversation branching into the reliability of internet sources.  (For the record, Shakespeare did NOT weigh 450 pounds!)  

Don't forget to post a blog entry describing what we did in class today, Section 01!

your first grades

This weekend I will be posting your first grades.  Here's a brief explanation:

• Your first assignment was the Six Word Memoir, worth five points.  
• Each week I will post a grade for your blog entries (called Week 1 blogs, Week 2 blogs, etc.) worth five points.  As I explained in class, you are expected to post every day we have class, by midnight that night.
• The class assignment on definitions and population is more complicated than a six-word bio, so it alone is worth 10 points.  This assignment is due before your next Human Geo class meets.  Be sure to follow all the directions.

These may not seem like a lot of points, but they add up.  Get in the habit of posting regularly and posting well, and two good things will happen.  You will get good grades every single week.  And, you will have great notes you can refer to later.

Questions?  Email me or ask me in class.

Happy Labor Day!