Today's the Day!

Good Morning and welcome to our LAST day of class!!  Below is the agenda for today:

1. Complete the survey/test at: https://goo.gl/wNMf6z
2. Complete any final assignments you still need to submit and ensure they are in by the end of the class period.  All assignments submitted to date have been entered and posted in School Loop.  Any assignments submitted today should be sent via email (and can be shared as a google doc as long as I can view them!)
3. Get ready to celebrate Friday at our Academy BBQ and Graduation Celebration!!  Please be sure to dress appropriately for the occasion and invite your family (mom, dad, aunt, uncle, brothers and cousins) to join us - if they influenced you and your path to graduation, they should be included in the celebration!!!

Thanks and that's it!!

Need Quotes for Your Inside Job Research Paper

Here's the movie manuscript - you'll likely find this very useful (and interesting)

http://www.sonyclassics.com/awards-information/insidejob_screenplay.pdf

5/13 Blog w/Link

Good Morning, Happy Block Day!!

We are almost there!!  To kick off the morning, please click on the following link and take the short quiz on Chapter 20, Sections 1 & 2 which focus on Direct Foreign Investment and Global Integration.
The link is: https://goo.gl/937Tge

Once done, please transition quickly and quietly into working on your Home Buying Project and Inside Job reflection.

These assignments are due two weeks from today!!!

Thank you!
Mr. Rubin

Note: The online textbook can be found at http://en.calameo.com/read/00082521404f02355b178

Monday, May 11th!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!!  I apologize for being absent today, I'll be back tomorrow, but it is important that you make progress with your 2 final end of the year projects today!!  Thank you to those of you who have completed and submitted your home buying project.  I would hope that at the latest, most of you are finishing one of the two projects by the end of this block day, May 13th/14th.  Remember - you have the final assignments we will be working on this year in your hands ... I promise ... your hard work now will ensure a smoother, easier and more successful finish to the school year!!

Thank you and see you tomorrow!!

Planning Your Future

Good Morning!




Today's activity is all about who’s hiring and how to get hired! Although the answer might seem obvious, there are a lot of great resources you are about to learn about. From the Occupational Outlook Handbook to developing your personal brand and developing an online professional profile! Below you will find some resources we will be using today in class. At the end of class, I would like you to take 5 minutes to reflect on what you learned today. Please share:

• A few careers you are most interested in pursuing following today's discussion 
• What you plan to do (or can do) to achieve your goal of getting a position in this field 
• The most interesting new information you learned as part of this discussion 

Below you will find a series of images that will help guide our class discussion!

You can navigate these resources and many others by visiting: http://www.bls.gov/k12/content/teachers/pdf/choosing_a_career.pdf ... click on the links that are most interesting and make educated decisions about your future!

California specific: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ca.htm

Career Interest Profiler

Good Morning and Happy Block Day!

Today, we are not going to kick off the morning with our typical Chapter, Section quiz. Instead, I am going to ask you to take a few minutes of your time to complete a Career Interest Survey and complete a blog post with the information you learn about yourself.

First of all, the career interest survey you will complete is located at:

http://studentcenter.ja.org/Careers/Pages/CareerAssessment.aspx

• Click “New Users Register Here” and Create your account.
• Activation Code = N3235773GYT

After Completing your career assessment you will be given results that indicate the occupations of your highest interest broken into five career pathways. Click on the Career Pathway of interest to you - hopefully you are happy with the one that is ranked #1 for you. For your blog post, please discuss the following:

1. What did you think of the career assessment you took through the JA site?
2. What did you learn about the career pathway designated as most aligned with your interests?
3. What did you find about the different jobs available to you and what education is needed for each?  Discuss job opportunities that require at least 3 different levels of academic preparedness.
4. Discuss the median annual salary listed for the career and how that would fit your desired lifestyle.
5. Research and describe the outlook for the career and whether you think it would be a smart investment of your time and money to study and prepare for a career in this field.  Explain!

Thanks for a thoughtful blog response.  You will be asked to refer back to this blog post on Friday as part of our final discussion with Anthony!!  After completing this Career Assessment and spending a little time researching the career of interest to you, please transition quietly to working on your Home Buying Assignment or your Inside Job Research Paper.

Thank you!

Blog for 4/29

Good Morning and Happy Block Day!!

Today we are going to:

1. Complete a quiz on Chapter 19, Sections 1 & 2.  This is an open book quiz but needs to be completed individually.  You can access the quiz at: http://goo.gl/Fb56nd
2. Begin research of your "Home Buying Project."  Remember to read and follow the directions carefully and refer to the notes you (hopefully) took yesterday as I guided you through each step.  A reminder this project is due no later than May 28th at 1:00PM.  The sooner you submit it, the better.

After completing the quiz, please take a moment to post a blog for today discussing the 3 most interesting things you learned about the characteristics of a developing nation and the process of economic development. Your post should be approximately 6-8 sentences.  In addition to the 2 most interesting things you learned, explain an experience you have had either here in the United States or abroad that offers an example or personal experience of yours with the new knowledge you have gained.

Finally, for the "Home Buying Project" ... many of you asked whether now is a good time to buy a house ... I found the following article which you might find interesting.

Check out: http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/28/the-facebook-effect-on-real-estate-prices/#.akhn2c:ZFx8 for the full article

Buying a House!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!  As discussed and promised yesterday I am going to present the 2nd of two projects you have to complete before the end of the school year.  The project we are going to begin working on today is all about your future and the possibility of buying a home!!  After all - the American dream supposedly is land, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... well, here's your chance to see what goes into getting yourself some land!!

For today's blog, please discuss the following:

1. Why would you want to own a home at some point in your life?  What are the benefits that you can think of that would come with owning your own home?  What are some of the challenges you can think of that would come with owning your own home?
2. What are some of the features you can think of that you would want in your home?  While answering this question think about location, exterior qualities, interior qualities, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the desire to have (or not have) a yard, etc.  Which features are most important to you and why?
3. Where do you want to live when you get out of High School, College or potentially when you "grow up."  Are you hopeful to live in the bay area?  Close by?  In California?  Wherever the wind blows you?  What are some of the things that interest you about this location versus the many, many other options you have for your future!
4. Lastly, what are you hopeful to learn as part of this project.  What are you most interested in when it comes to your future and the possibility of ownership?  Is there 1 thing in particular you are motivated to own and/or learn how to attain?

Thanks for your thorough, thoughtful response!!

p.s. if you're interested, the house above is listed at the fair price of 23.8 ... million dollars

SPRING BREAK!!! Is over :(

Good Morning, Happy Monday and welcome (believe it or not) to the last week of April and the final stretch of the 2014-15 school year and your high school career.  Next year you will be back to freshman year but no longer as a required high school students but as a college student, choosing to further your academic journey and better your employment outlook for the future!  All said and done, I bet it seems pretty crazy how quickly your high school years went all of a sudden!!

Today we are going to kick off the morning with a quick reflection of the following:

1. How was your Spring Break?  What was the most fun thing you did and what is one reason you are excited to be back at school?
2. How are your grades?  I know it's never something you want to kick off your first morning back at school thinking about BUT you have to get back to reality at some point!  Are they good, bad, ugly?  Which classes are you doing well in?  Which classes do you need to get focused in and really work to improve?
3. Believe it or not, we are a mere 6 weeks until everything is said and done - 5 for you really because Final week for everyone else means Senior week for you.  After graduation, the school year will be over and you will be headed off to summer vacation with hopefully nothing to worry about!  What are your goals between now and then?  Be specific!  What grades do you need to get?  Are you still working on getting stuff lined up for this summer?  Have you registered for your classes for next year and do you know what they are?

That should be enough for today's post BUT keep in mind it should be just a starting point for you to start thinking about success and how you are going to ensure you get there!!  Thanks for your thorough, thoughtful response ;)

Work, Work, Work!

Per our discussion yesterday:

• By Next Friday you must:
• Complete Both Car Assignments 
• The Adventure of Buying a Car: 12 Questions from Cars.com
• Buying Your First Car: A 4 page synopsis of a car you would like to buy and the cost of ownership on both an annual and monthly basis
• Complete your Stock Market Portfolio
• Remember to manage your time well and complete quality work.  Follow all of the directions listed on the handouts carefully.  Double check your work before submitting it. Don't be shy to ask for help.

This will be our agenda, nothing more - nothing less, between now and Spring Break.  In addition, I will refrain from assigning any blogs these next two weeks.

Happy Monday, Welcome Back and An Outlook for the Next 2 Weeks

Good Morning, Happy Monday!

I apologize for my absence over the past two weeks, mainly the fact that there was not consistency with the sub in my place.  That is unacceptable to me and I have expressed my disappointment. While I do apologize for this, the work that was assigned during my absence should have been clear and easy to understand given the handouts provided.  For the things not clearly communicated I apologize and will make a few concessions.

With that said, while I was gone you were responsible for completing two handouts.  The handouts were "The Adventure of Buying a Car" which included 12 questions that required you to complete research on Cars.com and a second handout entitled "Buying a Car" which consisted of 6 steps and 4 total pages in which you discuss a car you would like to purchase and the cost of owning that specific car.   These assignments will be due next Friday, 4/17, the day before we leave for Spring Break.  Keep in mind you had 2 weeks of dedicated class time to work on these projects and have 2 more until Spring Break (plenty of time).  While there were blog posts requested of you during my absence, I do understand that this may not have been clearly communicated.  With that said, each of you who posted a blog during my absence will receive 5 extra credit points for each day you posted.  You may not go back and make these up.  They were either posted during the weeks of 3/23-27 and 3/30-4/3 or they were not.  Moving forward, as you have been aware, our stock market portfolio due date is also quickly approaching.  The portfolio must be typed, meet all the requirements and must be turned in at the start of class on the due date which we discussed was Friday, April 17^{th at the start of the Semester, January 9th to be exact.  While not a small amount of work, if you have been using your classtime well over the past two weeks this should not be overwhelming.  If you have not, you may have a bit of work cut out for you this next few weeks.  All of the above will be due on Friday, April 17th - please, no exceptions.}

Finally, for today's blog post, please respond to the following:

1. How was your weekend?
2. How have you been doing in school, academically, over the past two weeks?  This semester?
3. What struggles have you had? What areas have you been doing particularly well in?
4. What was your impression of buying a car?  Did you find there to be more to research than you had expected?
5. How well did you use your time during my absence?  Be honest!!  Were you here everyday?  Focused? Working hard?  Could you have been more on task?

Thanks for a thorough, thoughtful response.  Glad to be back!

Block Day!!! Buying Cars, Houses and More!

Good Morning and Happy Block Day!!

Today we are going to focus on the fun but challenging decisions of buying vs. renting when it comes to our homes and the costs of buying and operating a car!!Today's blog has two parts.  Please be sure to answer each part thoroughly in a 5-7 sentence paragraph (each).

Part I: The decision to buy or rent a home is a difficult one that every person hopes to have the challenge of making at some point in their lives.  Wha are all of the advantages and disadvantages you can think of for renting a home?  Wha are all of the advantages and disadvantages you can think of for buying a home?  What type of home would you like to have someday? What features would you want in that home and where would you want it to be located?  In addition, would you prefer to rent or own that home?  Be sure to discuss your reasons for all of the above thoroughly throughout this 1st part of your blog post.

Part II: Buying a car is a difficult decision but one that is going to come sooner than later for many of you - perhaps you already even have a car!!!  Create a buyers guide to automobiles which includes a check list of all the things a buyer would want to look for in a car that they are purchasing.  Think of all of the most important things you would want in a new car that you are going to drive.  Think about fuel efficiency, safety features and more.  In addition, in the search for a car, you are sure to come across the decision of buying new vs. used.  What are the costs of owning each kind of car?  Do they differ? When? Why? How?  Which do you feel would be more economical to purchase at this point in your life - new or used? Why?

Thank you for a thorough, 2 part blog post.  After completing your blog, please complete today's quiz located at http://goo.gl/ZG8Q6k

Thank you!!!  Happy Thursday!

Mr. Rubin

Important Information for 3rd Period: As a reminder, you are all encouraged/expected to check school loop and verify your current, up to date grade.  For students not satisfied with their grade, a reminder that you may turn in work via email to me by the end of the day today - there will be no exceptions.  No late work will be accepted after today.  If you have a worksheet that needs to be submitted do not hand it into the sub.  Take a clear picture of the completed assignment (both sides if applicable) and email it to me today.  You can give me the hard copy on Monday.

Work, Work, Work!

Good Morning!  It's Wednesday March 11th!!  We are midway through March, 7 school days from the end of the 3rd quarter and 2.5 months from graduation!!  Today for your blog I would like you to create a To Do List that includes the following:

• A To Do List that covers all of the things that are required of you at M-A.  Homework/Classwork you need to complete, Tests/Quizzes you need to study for, Teachers you need to speak with, Counselors you need to see, etc.
• A To Do List that covers all things non-related to M-A.  This can include your college outlook plans and what you need to take care of to make sure you have a plan in place upon graduation.  The need for you to complete a certain project, help your parents with something, apply for a job, speak to your boss, etc, etc.

As part of your blog and your to do list, please prioritize each of these items and make a top 3 list after you have completed your "to do" list in its entirety.  What is your timeline for getting these things done.  How is your stress level?  Are you calm and relaxed?  Are you worried about things that are on the horizon?  Is there stuff going on right now that you badly need to deal with so you can stay focused in school?  Please write a thorough, thoughtful response as to how you are doing and what is on your plate currently!

Once you are done with the blog, your assignment for today, based on the assigned reading of Chapter 5, Sections 1 & 2, can be found at http://goo.gl/35yK8S.  Take your time and work to get the right answers!

Deadline today ... after completing the above I need you to complete your application for college.  Remember, every community college application can be found at: http://home.cccapply.org/  As soon as you have completed the application and received the email with your student identification # you must complete this form with your brand new college enrollment identification number http://goo.gl/a5RgQG.  Be sure to respond accurately to the questions so that when I communicate this information to the college, yours is reported accurately.

Once you have completed this you are to work individually on any work you need to complete (including your worksheet for Life and Debt which we finished Tuesday).  Today is a silent work day.  For clarification - that means you are working individually on today's quiz, individually on your college application, individually on any other work that needs to be submitted.  If you have a question or concern please see me, Mr. Rubin, for help.

Zuckerberg's Take on Employment!!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!  Given the theme of college and career this quarter, I couldn't resist sharing the following article with you. The article was published in Time, PC Magazine, in the Washington Post and here:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243660.  There are two main points that Zuckerberg addresses in the article.  The first is about his hiring practice.  The second is about how he delegates tasks in his company.

Please read the article (it is short) and discuss the following:

• How does Mark Zuckerberg make hiring decisions?  How does this keep his company successful?  How does this contrast from other companies hiring practices (opinion)?  What do you think you would need in order to qualify for a job at Facebook?  What are some of the attributes you think Zuckerberg (or any employer really) would be looking for in an employee based on your reading this article?
• How does Mark Zuckerberg delegate tasks? What does delegate mean? Do you think this is an important skill to have? As a CEO do you think it is important for him "to do as much work as possible himself." Is this a good or bad trait?  What does this make you think when it comes to a group project like the one we are working on currently in this class?
• Lastly, there is discussion about mentorship within his company. He notes that "the most influential figures in his life are the colleagues he sees on a day-to-day basis." Do you think this can apply to you and your classmates in a school setting? Why or why not?

Thanks for a thoughtful response.  Please read and respond quickly but thoroughly in a minimum of 10 sentences!

Thank you!

Mr. Rubin

Is it ANOTHER block day already?!?!?

Good Morning-

Are the weeks just flying by?  I sure feel like they are!  I feel like we just were here for a block day a few hours ago!!  Today we are going to continue with our discussion of credit!!  This should be an interesting topic for you as it is the main way people purchase goods (and even services) in our society today!  In that sense, if you want to be able to use credit, you need to manage it well!!

For today's blog please describe:

• What is credit?
• Do you use much credit in your life today?
• Regardless of whether you do or don't use/need credit do you think you would manage it well?
• What are the benefits of being able to access credit? 
• What are the problems that some people have because of credit?

Please make sure your blog response is 5-6 sentences (minimum).  After completing the blog, flip to page 99 in your textbook.  Most of the questions today span from Chapter 4, Sections 3 & 4 BUT be aware that the first few questions slip back slightly into Chapter 4, Section 2 which begins on page 92!  You can access the questions here: http://goo.gl/Ye4xfO

Thanks!

p.s. Thank you for asking ... finished early?  Apply for a scholarship.  Complete work for another class.  Research for your upcoming "Is Wal-Mart Good For America" video project - although this will have to be done individually ... always good to see what you can contribute to your group!

Tuesday!!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!!!  Today we are getting in groups and will be working on our second project of the 2015 Spring Semester.  It is March 3rd so it's important to work quickly as this project is due 3 weeks from today!!  For your blog for today I would like you to think about what makes a documentary video captivating?  What ideas do you have for creating your 1 minute documentary?  How will you engage your audience while still making sure you have included pertinent information that discusses if Wal-Mart is Good for America.  Remember - I am not looking for peoples opinions about Wal-Mart in general - I am looking for guided questions and responses!!

Thanks and looking forward to hearing your thoughts shortly!

It's March!!

Good Morning and Happy Monday. In sticking with our semester long plan, today we are going to begin watching a film entitled Life and Debt. This documentary takes a close look at the effects of globalization on the Jamaican industry and agriculture specifically but also gives some insight into what other small countries like Jamaica might be facing.

For today's blog, and in preparation for watching today's video, please do a quick internet search and define what "Globalization" is. Based on the definition you find, describe whether you think Globalization is a good thing or bad thing.

Please also take a moment to look up the IMF. What is the IMF? What is their overall goal as an organization?

These concepts WILL help you better understand "Life and Debt"

Block Day Week of 2/23-27

Good Morning!!  Today we have a action packed productive day ahead!!  On our agenda for today is learning about credit, debt and the different financial institutions and terminology you need to start familiarizing yourself with!!  In fact, in getting started today, consider this situation:

Two friends have offered to lend you $1,000 to buy whatever you want!! Woohoo!!

• The first friend would like you to repay the money within a year, but for every month that goes by without repayment, he or she will charge you $10 interest.  
• The second friend places no time limit on repayment, but will charge you $5 interest for every month that goes by without repayment.

Discuss in 5-6 sentences: 

1. Which is the better offer?
2. Under what circumstances is the offer better?
3. Which deal would you prefer and why?
4. What do you think you would do if presented with this opportunity?  Would you accept it or not?  Which deal would you prefer and what would your repayment plan look like?  
5. What would be your recommendation for someone else in the same situation?

After you have completed the blog, please respond to the questions located at http://goo.gl/NfPv3E based on Chapter 4, Sections 1 & 2.  Please read and respond carefully and always choose the very best answer.  The reading today spans from page 87-98.

After completing the above we are going to shift our focus to applying for college.  Don't worry if you don't finish this today - wherever you leave off your work will be saved for you!  Remember, you will have to begin by creating a login.  Be sure to record your username and password.  This will be important for future communications between you and the college you plan to attend.  To begin this process please follow these steps:

• The application can be found at: http://home.cccapply.org/
• This link will take you to the landing site for all California Community Colleges including Foothill, DeAnza, Canada, CSM, Santa Barbara CC, etc.
• Complete the application - ask me, Mr. Rubin, anytime you have a question or get stuck
• Complete this form with your brand new college enrollment identification number http://goo.gl/a5RgQG

Once you have completed all of the above, please, please, please help yourself be successful!!  I can't possibly encourage you anymore to utilize whatever extra class time you might have for this.  Check School Loop, complete work for your classes that is due, apply for scholarships http://www.macareercenter.com/scholarships.html ... ANYTHING!

Wal-Mart, Outsourcing and the Reality for You and Me!

http://goo.gl/FXyqcv (for 3rd period only)

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!! You know, it's interesting to think about our global economy, the factors of production and the controversy that surrounds Wal-Mart.  It really is a tough question to answer whether Wal-Mart is Good or Bad for America.  Would it make sense to decide we won't import any foreign goods?  Of course not, because we certainly want to be able to export our goods too!!  Listen to this report by Dave Padilla on how connected our world is today and how simple the export of Oranges can affect our global economy!!

After listening to the report, please respond to the following:

• What impact has the Port of Oakland's Labor Dispute had on Citrus Growers and other jobs around the world?
• What is good about the import/export of goods?  What is bad?
• What are the benefits of a company (i.e. Wal-Mart) outsourcing?  What are the negative aspects?
• Finally, having taken a day (or a couple days) to think about the documentary we just watched, what is your feeling - Is Wal-Mart Good for America or no?  Give one reason you would use to defend your claim!

Thanks!!!

Mr. Rubin

Today is Monday 2/23!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!  We are into the final week of February!!  What better way to kick off the week than a blog post?!?!  Before we get into my class, please take a moment for your blog this morning and address the following questions:

• Can you believe it!! Although second semester is undoubtedly longer than the 1st, grades are already posted for the 1st quarter progress period and we are less than 4 weeks from the end of the quarter!! In SchoolLoop, check all of your progress grades.
• What grades did you receive in each course? (make a list) 
• Next to the grade you received, list one thing you could have done to improve your grade in each class. If you received an A, how would you explain your success to a classmate?
• Finally, what is your current term GPA?  In addition, how are you feeling about this GPA? About school? About finishing off the 2014-15 school year strong?

Thanks for your thoughtful response.  After completing the blog today here is what is on the agenda:

1. Finish watching the documentary: "Is Walmart Good for America." The worksheet for this movie is located at http://goo.gl/3hQ55i and you can actually access the video at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02s489q71&continuous=1
2. Remember, in addition to the short online multiple choice assignment, there is also a handout I passed out that needs to be completed on blue paper.  If you misplaced that handout, you can always login to Schoology and print out a copy for yourself!

Remember, you need to be great about keeping up with our daily assignments this quarter.  The first quarter progress grading period is now over - nothing else can be submitted - but moving forward it will really benefit you to use your time in class as best you can so you stay up to date with everything and have a successful finish to the year!!

The above are due today at the end of class.  In addition, if you finish early, don't forget that there was a blog on Friday that you could still do today AND you could also make sure you recorded your most recent stock prices :)

Friday 2/20 - Updating Your Stock Prices

Good Morning and Happy Friday!  I recognize that we may not have time in class and will, therefore, make this blog a short one!  It is a requirement nonetheless!!  For today's blog, please make a note on your green handout of each of your current stock prices as of today, Friday February 20th.  In addition to completing  your green sheet, please respond to the following questions in paragraph format!

1. What 3 stocks are you tracking?
2. What is the current price of each stock you are tracking
3. How would you say your stock is performing?  Have you earned or lost money?
4. Give one reason, based on evidence you have found online - ideally in an article you have made a note of on your green sheet - as to why one (or more) of your stocks is performing well or poorly.  Remember, you can locate all of this information on https://www.google.com/finance

Block Day 2/18-19

Good Morning -

Happy Block Day!!  Today we have an action packed class period.  To kick off the day, and since our focus in the textbook today is Consumerism, we are going to spend a moment choosing a product and practicing being a good consumer.  I am going to let you pick the product but it needs to be something that is new and sold in multiple locations so you are able to compare prices.  You will need to compare the product at 3 different stores.  Soooooo ....

1. Pick a product
2. Find the product at 3 different stores
3. For each store compare price, warranty and return policy.

After completing this blog post, please read Chapter 3, Section 3 beginning on page 76 of the textbook.  There are only 10 questions on today's assignment which you can find at:  http://goo.gl/qCYw83

We will then move on to watching the end of the documentary movie "Is Walmart Good for America."  The worksheet for this movie is located at http://goo.gl/3hQ55i and you can actually access the video at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02s489q71&continuous=1

On Friday, we have a guest presenter coming to our class.  Please be sure to be here and be ontime.  I am offering 15 points for being on time, sitting in your seat when the bell rings (without me having to remind you) and being an active participant during the lesson.

Thanks everyone!!

Other Misc. Thoughts:

• This Friday @ Lunch will be the only opportunity to present posters not on time.  If you're scheduled to present this coming Tuesday, 2/24, don't miss your presentation slot
• This Friday we have a guest presenter.  Be here.  Your active participation is worth an easy 15 points
• Any assignments you did not receive credit for must be submitted at or before lunch on Friday.

Monday 2/17

Good Morning and Welcome back from what I hope was a nice, relaxing 4 day weekend!!  I hope you enjoyed it!  We are about to hit the toughest stretch of the school year with no breaks for the next month.  For today's blog, please respond to the following questions:

1. How was your weekend?  What did you do that was fun?  Did you do anything productive?  Did you have to work?  Was anything not fun?
2. How can you stay motivated through the end of the 3rd quarter, exactly one month from this Friday?  What would you describe to someone as the 3 keys to success in staying focused on your education?

Thanks for a quick, but thorough and thoughtful response!  We have Factors of Production Presentations today.  You can review each of your classmates at the following link: http://goo.gl/TtMQPk

Your Role as a Consumer!

Good Morning!!

Today we are going to learn about your role as a consumer. This process involves your consumption, income, decision making and the overall process that you use in making decisions on whether or not to buy a product.  To kick off the day today, please identify a produce that you have recently purchased.  Having identified that product, please respond to the following questions:

• Before making your purchase, what questions did you ask yourself and others?
• Why did you buy this particular item?
• Do you think you acted wisely in making your purchase?  Why or why not?

By aking questions and seeking information before making purchases, you are developing buysing strategies that will help you acr wisely as consumers.  With that in mind, the last question for this mornings blog is:

• What can you do to make sure that your purchases are wise ones?

Below is the link to today's questions.  As you read chapter 3 sections 1 & 2 please respond to them with the best answer:

http://goo.gl/HqJGIF

Thank you!

Factors of Production Projects 2/10!!

Good Morning!! It's Tuesday!!  Today your sole focus is on our Factors of Production Presentations!

To maximize our time, there is NO blog post today ... I am only posting here to remind you there are two forms you MUST complete by the end of the day today:

1. http://goo.gl/q6Xojg (your updated blog site so I can give you credit for your posts - remember, it should have .blogspot.com in the address - copy and paste it from your actual blog site)
2. http://goo.gl/JlYgcT (presentation reviews)

Thanks and we will be getting going momentarily!!

Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

Task #1 - Please complete this form http://goo.gl/q6Xojg with your updated blog site for 2015.  Remember, when you copy and paste your blog address it should have .blogspot.com in the address!!

Happy Monday ... I hope you enjoyed CastAway. Today we will be starting our first documentary video of the school year. This documentary video is entitled - "Is Wal-Mart Good for America." With that said, I would like to begin the morning with a few questions (as usual):

• What do you think? Is Wal-Mart Good for America? 
• Have you ever shopped at a Wal-Mart? 
•  What are some things that are good or even great about Wal-Mart? 
•  What are some things that are bad about Wal-Mart? 

 Try to develop a thoughtful response.  After completing this blog response, feel free to open up a worksheet for today located at http://goo.gl/3hQ55i. All of the questions are multiple choice but we might not get all the way through the video today so you might want to log your responses on a piece of paper or in a note to yourself so that you know the correct answer next week when we do finish the video!

Thanks!!

You can access the video we will be watching today at:

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02s489q71&continuous=1

Also ... presentations for tomorrow include:

2nd period:

Jose, Yitzhak, Carlos, Karissa, Gerardo and Maddie

3rd period:

Michelle, Noemi, Juan, Maddie, Joalma and Sharon

A Sense of Belonging in Technology

Good Morning and Happy Friday!!

Today we are going to take a moment to watch a TED talk. Ever seen one? Dr. Andrew Williams speaks at TEDx and shares a surprising revelation Steve Jobs made about the number of black engineers at Apple and his determination to make a change. As you know, just last week we were discussing opportunities that are being created right now by large corporations for women and men who are underrepresented in the field. Dr. Williams also shares his journey and the journey of the SpelBots and how they overcome obstacles in technology. It shows the importance of being creative and persistent if you want to be successful!! This is an inspirational and positively encouraging TEDx talk and I hope you enjoy it.

As you watch the video, please complete the following worksheet: http://goo.gl/DRJbXz

You can find the TED talk at http://youtu.be/Xv544iQi1GE

What Can I Say ... I Like Sports!

Good Morning and Happy Block Day -

Our blog today relates specifically to the "discussion" we had on Friday!  A huge thank you to any of you who have taken the initiative to help yourselves!  Today I would like you to take a look at the following quote and take a moment to analyze exactly what Michael Jordan (one of the most respected NBA players of all time and star of Space Jam) means with the following quote.

To receive ANY credit for this post you must discuss the following with a minimum of 6 sentences:

• What does the quote mean to you
• What effect does this quote have on you and your life
• What does this quote motivate you to do (if anything)

Thanks!  Hopefully you are excited for a day of what I hope will be outstanding presentations.  Each of you will be responsible for completing the following form for each presentation today.  The form can be found at http://goo.gl/hPTW4d ... please be sure to objectively evaluate each presentation and add a few insightful comments you would be comfortable sharing with the presenter.  For those of you presenting today, you will want/need to review the grading rubric to ensure you are 100% ready to address each aspect you will be graded on.

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!!

Woohoo!!!  It's Friday!!!!  Who's excited??  Incredibly, today is also the last SCHOOL day in January!  I'm telling you, while June is still 4 months away, it's going to be here before we know it!!  Okay, I am off topic!

Today is all about finalizing details for your 3 stocks and starting to log information on your stocks current price per share, the value of the 3 different stock markets listed and a headline for your stocks and each of the stock markets.

For your blog today, please confirm the 3 stocks that you have chosen for the project.  In describing the 3 stocks, for each one, please include 2 of the 4 reasons that you chose to invest in these stocks (these can be taken directly from your green sheet).  Be sure that one of the reasons you share is data supported!

Thanks!  You can respond to the post at any point during the class period, however, it should be complete by the end of class!

Please also complete the following link: http://goo.gl/RUolx9

It's a Block Day ... and the LAST ONE in January!

Good Morning!!

Today we are going to learn all about Free Enterprise and your role in that Economic system.  In addition, you will also have an opportunity to compare and contrast Socialism and Capitalism.  As you read chapter 2 sections 3 & 4 please respond to the following questions:

• http://goo.gl/O8cgcz

After completing your responses, take a moment to reflect on the following for your blog response today.  Your response should be thoughtful, can contain a quote from the text, and should be between 5 and 8 sentences.  Thank you!

• There are advantages and disadvantages of Socialism and Capitalism.  For your blog today, describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.  After you have listed these advantages and disadvantages discuss which type of Economic system you would prefer to live in.  Explain why you would choose one over the other.

Thanks!!

(If you forgot your book, refer to the following link for a .pdf - http://en.calameo.com/read/00082521404f02355b178)

The End Of January!!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!  It feels good to be back on campus and know I am grounded for the week!  Today and tomorrow are going to be a bit about you and, although I am pushing for a regular routine, a few things are going to have to move around over the next two weeks.  Here is our current outline/agenda!

• Monday 1/26
• Stock Choice and an Intro to Your Stock Market Portfolio!
• Research Factors of Production for Project
• Tuesday 1/27
• Stock Choice
• Factors of Production Preparation
• Wednesday & Thursday 1/28 & 1/29
• Chapter 2, Lessons 3 & 4
• Friday 1/30
• Stock Choice
• Monday 2/2
• CastAway (may finish)
• Tuesday 2/3
• CastAway (will finish) - Worksheet Due, No Exceptions
• Work on Factors of Production Project
• Wednesday/Thursday 2/4 & 5
• Factors of Production Presentations
• Period 2
• Nick, Monica, Ricardo, Ivan, Ezequiel, Alberto, Karissa, Gerardo
• Period 3
• Jacquelin, Yisel, Schuyler, Georgette, Ondre, Uriel, Adan, Osvaldo, Andrew, Nataly
• Friday 2/6
• Stock Market Portfolio - Stock Market Watch

Over the next 2 weeks the reality is that you may have times where you need to do some work outside of class (yes, some homework) but some of you might also have moments where you are a "free bird" so to say!  It is really important that you make the most of your time while you are in here.  With that in mind, here is a blog post for today ... please respond to the following quote:

As you can see from the image I posted, the quote above is from Wayne Gretzky. Who is Wayne Gretzky? What do you think he meant by this quote and how can you relate it to yourself and your academic goals? Can you think of any shots you could have taken but didn't and you now regret it? Any shots you took and it paid off? Any shots you could be taking right now?  I can think of a few off the top of my head!! Remember, we're not just talking about sports here!

Thanks for your thoughtful response. We'll take a second to discuss before getting started with our task(s) for today!

Blog Post for 1/21-22 - A Block Day!!

Good Morning and Happy Block Day!!  Today (seeing as it is a block day) we are going to continue with our study of Economics.  Topics today will include learning about the different types of Economic Systems, What - How and For Whom things should be produced, the limited role of government and the characteristics of that!

For your blog today, please consider the following.  In 1776, the economist Adam Smith described an ideal economic system in which government had a very small part in a nation's economic activity.  This system was called capitalism, another name for the market system we operate in.  Today, however, government's role has increased in the American capitalist system.  Explain 3 reasons (in general) you believe government's role has increased in our society today?

Thanks!  After completing your blog, please visit http://goo.gl/SSVR5c where you will find the assignment for today based on the reading from Chapter 2, Sections 1 & 2.  This can be found on pages 32-46.

Blog for Tuesday 1/20

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!  I hope you had a great 3 day weekend and are rejuvenated and ready to focus on school for a couple of weeks!  The amazing thing is that we have 18 days of school until another long weekend - 4 days next month!  The goal should be to stay focused, work hard and be in great shape as you enter the final stretch of the semester!

Today, as promised, our class period will be dedicated to you having time to work on your Factors of Production Poster Project.  At minimum, you MUST email me and confirm your topic of choice by the end of class today.  If you have already done this it has been updated on the spreadsheet found on Schoology. Below are the questions you should be focused on answering today.  Please describe in two sentences each of the following as you complete your research today.

Natural resources, Labor (all the jobs, different salaries, steps in the production), Capital (man-made tools, items, machines, buildings, etc.), Entrepreneurship (good ideas, who started the company, who runs it today, advertising), and real decisions made recently by the company (good or bad).

Although I know you don't want to hear this, my best guess is that you should have two to three pages of research notes.  By the time your research is complete, you should be able to write a strong paragraph on each factor of production for your product.  As you work on this:

• Use a variety of sources (online is fine), not just Wikipedia.
• DO NOT JUST PRINT OUT WEB PAGES!  Look through them and find valuable information.
• Include a brief bibliography.
• Think outside the box!  This will require good research and inference.  You will need strong information in order to create a decent project, and you may not find good info on the first website you visit.

Thanks and I look forward to seeing your progress!!

Investing in the Stock Market Continued - 1/16/2015

Good Morning!! It's Friday again!! We are one week away from investing $6,000.00 in the stock market! Through this 4 month process you will gain a sound understanding of the stock market and how to properly invest your money in order to make a profit - of course, there is always risk involved and some of you will learn that the hard way!

Today we are going to continue feeling out the market and the various companies out there that you could potentially invest your money in.  Please take a look at your blog from last week, determine which questions you responded to and pick up where you left off.  The goal is to have answered all of the questions below by the end of the day today!!

Questions to respond to:

• The first thing we need to determine is what a stock is! By purchasing stock, explain what you are in essence buying.
• Now make a list of 10 companies that you would, off the top of your head, be most interested in investing in! After you have compiled your list, take a moment to find the cost, per share, to purchase 1 share for each company. Also, place a + or – next to the cost to show whether the stock is currently up or down in today's trading.
• Check out a reliable stock market site (cnbc.com, yahoo finance, finance.google.com (my favorite) and find a few stocks that have recently been recommended. What did you find? Do you trust the “experts” and the suggestions that they are making? What process will you use to decide how to spend the money you will soon inherit?
• What is an "IPO" and can you name one local company that is currently going through this process? What does an IPO mean for a company and what pros and cons can you brainstorm about this process for a company. 
• If you were forced to right now purchase your first stock, which one would you choose? Provide background information about the company and take a moment to analyze its stock performance over the past year. (you can go beyond one year if you choose) Do you think this is a risky stock or no? Why?
• How many shares can you purchase (max $2,000) of your stock and how much money would be remaining?
• Why did you choose this specific company as a good start for your portfolio?
• What choices did you make in choosing this first stock? How did you justify those decisions? 

Did I mention it's Friday?  Happy Friday and enjoy your LONG weekend!

Block Day 1/14 & 15

Good Morning and Welcome -

Today is our block day and as promised we will be using our textbooks to learn about some key introductory economic concepts.  Last week we discussed a few key ideas.  Feel free to do a web search or refer to the textbook if you're not sure what the answer to the following questions are:

1. What is the difference between Microeconomics and Macroeconomics?
2. What exactly does scarcity refer to?  Can you give an example.
3. Your friend says "I need some new clothes."  Under what conditions would this be considered a want?  Under what conditions would this be considered a need?
4. Take a moment to list the four factors of production and an example of each.  Feel free to use our T-shirt example, the pencil example from pages 12-13, or another idea/example you come up with.

This should only take a moment.  We will get started shortly!

Thanks!

IT'S TUESDAY - January 13th

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!!!

For your blog post today please respond to the following questions in paragraph format ...

• How will you be successful this Semester?
• Did you know that there is an Academy Homework Center today (and every Tuesday) after school?
• Did you know it is actually available to Seniors too!!  Don't be shy :)
• Have you ever been to the Academy Homework Center and, if so, what was your experience?
• Why would you go to the Academy Homework Center? Why would you not go?
• If you haven't been and don't plan to attend the Academy Homework Center, when do you complete school work outside of school?
• Do you have work that needs to be done outside of school?  Do you have any assignments right now that you are aware of that are due soon?

Thank you.  Remember - this should be completed in paragraph format.  

Monday 1/12

Good Morning and Happy Monday!!  As promised today we are going to watch a video.  It is called Cast Away -- seen it?  While watching the movie which I hope will prove fun and relaxing over the next few weeks, we are going to focus our attention on economic concepts we are discussing in class.  This isn't too easy at this point as we have only covered a few economic concepts. Those concepts include scarcity, the factors of production needs vs. wants and incentives/opportunity costs.  With that said, below are a few terms we are going to cover as a class as we get started.  Please write down a definition and example for your blog as part of your post for today.

• Terms:
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Consumer/Producer
• Incentive
• Utility of Resource

Okay ... now lets get started :)  Enjoy the movie!

Investing in the Stock Market - A Blog Post for 1/9

Good Morning!  It's Friday!!!

As I mentioned, this semester we will be switching it up quite a bit.  Monday's we will be focused on Current Event News, Documentary Videos and a variety of movies that will further our understanding of Economics.  Tuesdays will be dedicated to project based work.  For example, next Tuesday we will begin a project on the Factors of Production.  The first two Tuesdays will be dedicated to you doing some research and developing your ideas and the subsequent Tuesdays will be dedicated to presentations by your classmates.  After all of the presentations, we will move on to our next project!  Block days will be dedicated to learning about the fundamentals of Economics including Micro and Macro Economics!  Don't forget your textbooks ... and finally, Fridays are dedicated to Personal Finance.  Today we are going to begin that Personal Finance unite with an introduction to the stock market.  Needless to say, in order to truly get an idea of how a stock does in the market takes weeks, months or longer.  We will take 10 weeks to investigate a few stocks of your choice!!

With that said, welcome to what should be a very fun learning experience.  You are about to be given $6,000.00 to invest in the stock market! Can you believe it?  Through this process you will gain a sound understanding of the stock market and how to properly invest your money in order to make a profit; however, remember, investing money in real life is serious business and while many people have become rich investing, it has also resulted in many people getting into some serious financial trouble.

While we will be making some big decisions about investing our money in the coming week, today is all about feeling out the market and the various companies out there that you could potentially invest your money in.  As part of this project, I would recommend investing in a variety of companies so that you have a diversified portfolio of stocks!  After all, as the saying goes, we do not want to put all of our eggs in one basket!  

As we jump into this project, today will give you an opportunity to reflect on a few questions that relate to the stock market.  In addition to responding to the following questions on your blog, I would recommend keeping track of your responses in the GoogleDoc you started Tuesday.

For today's blog, please respond to the following:

• The first thing we need to determine is what a stock is! By purchasing stock, explain what you are in essence buying.
• Now make a list of 10 companies that you would, off the top of your head, be most interested in investing in! After you have compiled your list, take a moment to find the cost, per share, to purchase 1 share for each company. Also, place a + or – next to the cost to show whether the stock is currently up or down in today's trading.
• Check out a reliable stock market site (cnbc.com, yahoo finance, finance.google.com (my favorite) and find a few stocks that have recently been recommended. What did you find? Do you trust the “experts” and the suggestions that they are making? What process will you use to decide how to spend the money you will soon inherit?
• What is an "IPO" and can you name one local company that is currently going through this process? What does an IPO mean for a company and what pros and cons can you brainstorm about this process for a company. 
• If you were forced to right now purchase your first stock, which one would you choose? Provide background information about the company and take a moment to analyze its stock performance over the past year. (you can go beyond one year if you choose) Do you think this is a risky stock or no? Why?
• How many shares can you purchase (max $2,000) of your stock and how much money would be remaining?
• Why did you choose this specific company as a good start for your portfolio?
• What choices did you make in choosing this first stock? How did you justify those decisions? 

I know this is a lot but thank you for responding to each individual question thoroughly and thoughtfully!

Blog Post 1/7

Please assign the following title to this blog: Needs and Wants.

Please login to your google document from yesterday and copy the list that you made.  Paste the list into your blog for today.  For your blog today please do the following:

1. Be sure that your list contains a minimum of 10 things you either need, want or can't live without.
2. Use the highlighter and highlight all of your needs in one color and all of your wants in another color
3. Discuss the challenge in our society today in determining what our needs are vs. what our wants are.  What do people have to do when faced with unlimited want and limited resources?  Why are people affected by scarcity regardless of their income?  Would you agree with the statement that there is no such thing as a free lunch?

Please take a few minutes to thoroughly and thoughtfully respond to this post.  Each post this semester should contain 5-8 sentences.  It doesn't need to be a novel but it shouldn't be a fragment either!!  I hope you can appreciate that!

Happy New Year!!

Good Morning and Welcome Back!!

It is hard to believe that it has been over two weeks since we have been together!  I bet you missed me :)  In any case, I wanted to start off the morning with a quick recap of your break!  How was it?What did you do?  What was the highlight?  What is one reason you are excited to be back at school?

As a second part to today's post, as you know around the world as the New Year kicks off, people take an opportunity to examine themselves, their lifestyle and goals and are able to focus on how they would like to make a difference starting with yourself in the new year!  Did you make a New Years Resolution?  What are you committed to doing in your life in 2014 and how will it help you be happier, more successful, a better person, etc.  On a secondary level perhaps, what are some goals that you have set for yourself for the second half of the 2014 school year?  Perhaps bad habits you want to break, things you want to do better, goals you want to achieve, etc!  It's a new year, be realistic but dream big :)

Lets kick off the year right with a thorough thoughtful response addressing all parts of the prompt! Thank you and Happy New Year! :)