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.