Creating Personal Learning Networks Part 2 form the Ficshbowl

“Create Personal Learning Networks: Part 2” The Ficshbowl by Karl Ficsh.

This blog by Mr. Fisch is exactly what my English teacher is teaching us in our classroom. She is teaching us how to think critical about things that are happening in our world. That is the propose of our Personal Learning Networks. This article tells us, incoming freshman, why we are using these PLN’s.

This matters to me because it is what our main focus has been on in the classroom since we started doing PLN’s. I think PLN’s are important because they help us analyze things that are happening in our world. What is important is what the student pulls from the information, because what they gather for the text will determine what they stand for. Because what you stand for is what you will live for. These PLN’s also teach students how write about articles in a critical thinking format. Even though the PLN’s don’t make a student follow a writing rule, a student has to follow a small but hard question. Which will make a student write for a long time till they are satisfied that they got there point across. This affects the world that I relate to because I am analyzing something that is important to me and the more students that do this the more a student will get out of the classroom. I always thought that homework was a big waste of time but, now (even though I don’t like sometimes) I realize that I am building a life skill and that I will know where my beliefs lie and were I will stand. But I do wonder if other students are realizing the same thing I am or is it just me or is there a small group of kids who agree with me? Other students should care because finding where you stand is a big part of life. An example would be people who do drugs and you see them and if you know that you won’t do drugs then you won’t but, if you don’t know what you would do then there is a problem. That is why students should care. I think PLN’s are a great way to learn about the world we live in and how we can relate that world back to us and our school.

North Korea and Syria and Nuclear Technology.

“North Korea and Syria”, Google News

This article is telling us that North Korea and Syria might be sharing their nuclear technology. The U.S. government has found out about this because Israel is the main intelligences group related to the partnership between North Korea and Syria. Or in other words they are the ones keeping track of the connection between Syria and North Korea. This also involves Iran because they are in close ties with Syria in relations to their nuclear technology.

This concerns me because North Korea has been telling the U.S. that they have nuclear technology to threaten the U.S. So North Korea has been a threat and now they are sharing their information with Syria. Therefore instead of one enemy America now has two enemies. And let’s not forget Iran who also says that they have nuclear power. This relates to me because it makes me a little afraid that all these countries are teaming up against the U.S. But it does comfort me that America also has a lot of allies and a lot of them have nuclear power as well as the U.S. This affects the world around me because other countries are teaming up against America. But as I said earlier the U.S. is not alone. This makes me think that America isn’t the only country with nuclear power. I all ways thought that America is the top country in everything. But (and this is defiantly not to bash America) there are other counties that compete with America or are head of America, especially if it is in nuclear relation. But I still think America is the greatest country in the world. This topic makes me ask some questions like: What is America doing to protect itself and other countries? Is North Korea and Syria just making it all up to scare the U.S. and its allies? Do North Korea and Syria planning to attack America or a completely different target?

School Shootings

This article is titled “Gunshots damage Cherry Creek High School building”, by a reporter at Rocky Mountain News. There have been three shots fired one at the main entrance to the east building, one at a car less than a mile away, and one at a glass door by the main the entrance to the east building.

In order to analyze this article it must be broken down in to three separate parts, what matters, how does it connect our class, and how the article applies to the world around us. This is important to me because it warns me about shootings that have happened at Cherry Creek. This also gives me a heads up that there are still school shootings. This connects to my English class because it helps me understand the class theme “What Matters”, and this is something that matters to me. This article applies to the world around us because it is a school shooting and we should all be prepared that it could happen at Arapahoe next or any other school. In conclusion this article applies to our world, classes, and what is important to us.

What Matters from the fischbowl

The post “What Matters” is a post from the fischbowl. This article talks about a teacher at Arapahoe and how her class was to focus on what matters. The class used what matters as a project to see what matters to the student (a collage). But the teacher also related the “What Matters” lesson in every project or assignment the class was given.

The article “What Matters” is a great way to teach, helps students relate to the world, and help the class relate to themselves. What Matters helps teach because it helps the student get the importance out of the lesson. In order for the student to do this all he or she must ask is, “what matters”. After asking, “What Matters” the next question is “why” or “why does this matter”. This helps kids know where they stand and why, which helps the lesson relate to themselves. This method teaches students to relate to the world by teaching them what matters in the world or what is going on in the world. This helps student find their place in the world because they will know what to stand for. This is why What Matters is a great way to teach, helps students relate to the world, and helps the class relate to themselves.

Aaron Harder