DemMangoes was solely created for the Humanities class of 2012-2013. I suppose this blog will no longer be used, so it's basically dead.

Rest in pieces.

Motivation By Tony Gurr- Response

In Humanities we read a very interesting blog post about Motivation written by Tony Gurr. Tony's post is very different and unique. Instead of just relying on words to tell his message he used more visuals than actual words. The pictures were very informative and made his message even stronger. The first couple of pictures were a bit confusing, especially the one with the" cyborg" face that says "I'm back... therefore I am.", which I didn't think was very necessary. Some of the things that he says doesn't exactly make sense to me, for example "Hey…do not shoot the “postman”! I'm pretty sure that it was a joke, but I just didn't really get it (Sorry Tony).

I completely agree to Tony's perspective and advice. Basically he is saying that teachers should listen more to the students and give them a "voice" to do what they want and not just what the teacher wants. Also giving students tests doesn't make them learn more, for students, tests are just short term memories and we just forget about the subject after the tests. If us students have the three R's (responsibility , respect & reality) we can definitely learn more and be more motivated to learn which can lead both students and teachers to success.

I really liked this picture.

I personally love all of the quotes that he puts in his pictures. It makes his message stronger and the quotes are so...poetic. I definitely loved all the pictures and they made his post even more interesting. Tony did a really great job at showing his message and he is really great at giving advice. 

Response to post on Motivation

                On Wednesday we read a blog post about Motivation. The post was written by Tony Gurr. He is a teacher from turkey. His blog is about learning in more effective ways for example making the work that a student does relevant to them and make them want to learn about it. The post that we read was about Motivation.

                This post was not your average blog post with multiple paragraphs, a few images and the author giving their opinion on a topic. Instead Tony had a different way of blogging. In his posts he used more graphics and visuals than a usual blog post. This made his posts more visually appealing and kept the reader’s attention. Tony’s blog post were not just more appealing to the eye than other blog posts but he makes the reader ask questions. These questions make the reader think for themselves about what they were reading and not just reading words that just go in one ear and out the other.

                I feel that anybody who reads this post from teachers to students will get something out of this. This post is related to teachers and student because it talks about how teachers have to make the students want to learn and not just tell them to and how students have to be self-motivated learns to really learn be able to learn well.

                Tony’s post was a good change to the posts that we usually read. It was very visually appealing and made me ask myself questions.  I felt that what Tony was talking about was actually relevant to me and that I could take something away from reading this and use it to make myself a better learner. 

Tony Gurr - Responce to Post

Wednesday in Humanities, we looked at a post that was written by Tony Gurr. The post was about motivation and instead of doing a multi- paragraph post, he went in a more visual route. He had very little words with a picture. He didn't need to say much for us to understand what was going on in each picture. Some of them were hard to understand, but when I was able to figure it out, I totally agreed and got exactly what he was trying to say. I love this way of posting and the kind of style he brought to it. It was a nice "twist" to blogging.

Having a twist to your writing is always a good thing. It's what makes your writing unique! If I had a multipara graph blog in front of me and a visual blog, i would defiantly be more appealed to the visual blog because it grabbed my attention. Its something different. The main reason that I liked Tony`s post was because he used little words with a picture also having words in it. He started off with a sentence on top, then a picture and then he finished the picture with another sentence. This was a good idea because if you didn't understand the sentences, the pictures could tell you what its about. It defiantly enhanced Tony's post!

Another reason why I loved Tony's post is because it was relatable to the real world. Both teachers and students could relate to each picture posted and he also gave some really good advice. For example:

 


This picture can relate to both students and teachers. I defiantly agree that if the student doesn't like his/her teacher, they wont learn as much apposed to a teacher they do like. Also, giving your students a voice is very important as well. If we don't give them are own opinion on things, then how will the teacher know if we understand what she is trying to teach us? Giving to much voice is not a good thing, but having no voice at all is worse. This picture is my favorite post by Tony.


Overall, I think Tony Gurr's post on Motivation is an unique post because you don't see allot of post like his on very many blogs. From seeing this post, i have been inspired to do one like this next year. Its creative, unique and defiantly an eye catcher. It will also be a challenge for me because it must be hard to come up with a powerful message in only a few sentences. Its a challenge, but I'm up for it!

Motivation

Tony Gurr's blog was very unique and different from the average blog. The bridge between our type of blogs and his is that he has more pictures than words which I think is much better. I think I speak for many students when I say that visual things are much better than words. It is much easier to visualize that's why it is called a visual. If a student read a story, they will not get as much out of it as much as if there were pictures because it helps them to picture what is going on in their head.

Another good piece of feedback that I noticed is that he uses good puns and uses words in a different way that you wouldn't expect especially from someone of his age. An example would be

                                                                         

Teachers have to give what the students want, not what they want. This way they will be able to pay attention and focus and learn more. To catch a fish you have to put a worm on the hook not a sirloin steak.


The right kind of picture is also important because some pictures have the nicest background but has more words than a textbook and that will also put students to sleep. This is what Tony also does very well. He chooses his pictures wisely because most people when looking at blog they would only be interested in the first 1 or 2 pictures. If it rocks they keep going and if it stinks they would go back to Facebook.

Now that I have seen this type of blogging, I think i=I will incorporate it in my own blogs such as my own motivation blog.

Thanks Tony

Motivation Post - Response

This is a response to Mr. Gurr's post about Motivation. 

   First of all, I detested his writing style with a burning passion. He made some unrelated comments:

• Go on…disagree with my favourite rahmetli hocam – I dare you!
• No, you cannot watch another movie for 2 hours…Zeynep!
• Honest – look at that face of mine…you could buy a second-hand car from me!

His writing was nothing short of informal, and he put unimportant words in bold. 

Like this and kinda like that! I also think the sizes of the graphics was unneeded. 

BIGGER DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN BETTER!!!

One more thing: His graphics were really... meh. They were just pictures he took off the internet and put words on them. I think only half of the pictures were sourced. It makes me unhappy when people don't source their pictures.

    However, I did agree with his opinions on learning. He spoke about how teachers cannot motivate their students, but rather teachers should try to inspire motivation within their students so they want to learn.  Also, he believed in the notion that students should become their own teachers, much like our Genius Hour. All in all, I agree with most of what he said.

Poetry that Moves

Original poem by Shel Silverstein. Animation is mine.
Hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed animating!
This isn't late at all

Poetry That Moves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgikUUHgI-Q

I had some trouble with the animation,but I'll post this for now.

Soldiers Are Courageous and Strong-Poetry That Moves

Definiton Poem

The _____,
So bright
but it leaves
so soon,
then appears
again after
the darkness
ends, and warms
 us with  it's
comforting heat

Definition Poem

What is a _______?

It takes no shape or form,
And can only be seen by you.

It lives a short life.
Alive at night,
Dead in the morning

Filled with everything that we could ever want
or ever hope for.

It is a place where our imagination can run free
But also a place for our darkest of thoughts.

It can be filled with happiness and joy
But also worry and fear.

Poetry

What is a _______?

Sometimes we don't understand,
The things we see that lay right in front of us,
Sometimes it's hard to spell,
And we can bring it to show and tell,
Every person needs this kind of skill,
It's like your taking a daily pill.
From the beginning,
To climbing the highest mountain,
You conquer....
The final truth.

Definition Poem

The ____

I am a shell for the living
I sometimes cover a hard surfcae
I hide embaressment
I am in many sizes
I can be any colour
sometimes another shell would cover me
I do advertisement

Definition Poem

Used by many, even men

like a snake it wraps around bends

Carries important freight like no big deal

buy them in threes, quite a deal

Without it, many cannot walk

an often taboo subject to talk

Yet it is used every day

in the drawers it may lay

With it, there is guarantee

your figure will be quite shapely

Did you realize what I am?

Then please be as mature as you possibly can.

it's a bra

 

Student Vote Reflections

Unlike a ton of countries, our country has the privilege of voting for our leader. For several years now only people that are 18 and over were eligible to vote, now they are giving children like us to vote and see what we had to say. However there is a reason why there was a restriction about the age, it waw there because most kids would vote for a random candidate and move on with their lives. I guarantee you that 2 out of 3 kids voted randomly because they didn't know what they were doing at all. Checking off a random name with not a care in the world. However I do think it was a intelligent decision to not count the votes.

Another topic I would like to bring to your attention is: is 18 years of age old enough? Will most students be mature enough to vote like a proper citizen? This is another good reason why they should prepare us young and let us vote now while we are still youthful. You might think that you will be like your parents sophisticated and intelligent when you are 18 however when you think about it, 18 years old is only 4 years away from grade 8. Now, think again, will you be mature enough?

Change, a word that a lot of people hate. This is why the same party wins several times in a row and it's not randomized. People are scared of what might happen and do not want to take risks. And I understand why, they see that life is good and if they change that, something terrible might happen; also they would have to live that way for 4 entire years. However that never gives the opportunity for others to make a difference.  Also sometimes when someone promises something, a lot of the time they are lying and have different plans in mind. This might be frightening and you might not want to go through this but you might be surprised with what you find.

Student Vote Reflection

                Who will you be voting for in the upcoming election?  With four parties in are riding to vote for it can be hard to figure out which party fits with your beliefs on how BC should be ran.

              
            Personally I think that the Liberal party has the best intentions for are provinces future, here are a few reasons why I think this. The Liberals are for balancing the budget and paying off all of BC’s dept which they plan to have balance in 15 years if you vote for them.  Another reason is that the Liberals are focused on buildings BC’s economy by focusing on small business and by supporting the businesses more jobs will open up for the people. The Liberals being more business oriented will help grow business in BC like they want to sell are liquefied natural gas to Asia which will boost are economy.

Also the liberals are more conservative with are money not like the NDP who plans to give out extra services which will only delay the time it will take for BC to be dept  free.The Liberals also support education by giving each student 1200 dollars to help pay for their education. With more student being educated better the businesses can get the workers they need. Also the Liberals are trying to get a 10 year agreement with the teachers to improve education by not having any union strikes for 10 years.

In conclusion I believe that the Liberals are the best choice for BC at this time. With planing to balanced the budget in 15 years and growing business in British Columbia which will give are people jobs that will let them stay in BC and not make them look for work else where. I Hope that when you go to vote that you looked all of your options and vote for the party that you think will build the best goverment for British Columbia

Should Voting be a Mandatory?

Voting is a great privilege that we have.  Voting can be great because you finally get to have a say in the government, and forming the government is very important because they will be running the province for the next 4 years. So should everyone have to vote? Well personally I think that people don’t have to but they can choose to vote. We all have the right to vote at 18 years of age but having a right doesn't mean that you should get fined if you don’t.

People might not have the time to vote. Everyone has a busy work schedule and I don’t think that anyone has the time to read through a whole party’s platform, they’re like 100 pages long.  So the only information that you can get is from the media but it is mostly consisted of negative campaigns and you just get all confused of whom to vote for. 

 Imagine its voting day and you’re headed to a booth to vote and you have your ballot in front of you. You know that you've seen these names before on signs on the street so you just randomly pick one not knowing their platform or campaign promises. You then put your ballot in the ballot box, now you've voted and won’t get fined. The next day you find out that the party you voted for won. 1 year later the province realizes that the party can’t and don’t know how to run a province. Seeing poverty rates going up and the economy crashing, is that really worth not getting fined?

Voting is a right and a privilege but not a law. People that want to vote and have a say in government issues can go ahead and vote. For people that don’t want to or don’t have time to shouldn't be forced into doing anything and making them pay a fine could be a big mistake. 

Media Elections

Some people believe having negative campaigns should be illegal. I strongly disagree with this idea because the point of an election is to make your party look good and tell us why we should vote for you and not other parties. Just talking about the pros of your party will not benefit you as much as comparing yourself to other parties. Bringing down others will show the public why you are so great and will gear them closer to voting for you. This link shows the NDP talking about the Cons of the Liberals and then after them saying how they would fix everything that the Liberals have done. After watching this video, wouldn't you favor the NDP’s over the Liberals?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsnRRoKS2nk

I believe the media should remain neutral during elections. If they say they prefer this campaign over another and why, it could push the public to vote for them. Media should be talking about elections the way its is, not giving in there own opinions. Surprisingly, the way a reporter talks about a candidate can ruin their chances of winning. Also, many people believe the media should talk about the candidates as accurately as possible! If they are changing the story of what really if going on, the parties could suffer and not win.

In conclusion, I believe the media plays a huge role in elections. If the news is talking about one campaign more than the others, then the public is gonna know more about them. All media should talk about each campaign equally and should navigate away from giving opinions or extending a story more than it really is. It shouldn't be the media's fault that a certain campaign loses from the way they talked about them. Another key point for news reporters is to watch there tone when they are talking about different parties. If they are talking proud about one campaign and another they are talking more quietly, the you obviously know which campaign he/ she prefers. It doesn't only take them to say it to apply their opinions.

News report about Election:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awcSqHs7PzM

Elections Response

5. Reflect on the analysis of your CBC vote compass results. Share some of them in your post.

Consider - did the results surprise you, were any contradictory, do you think the vote compass has helped you to figure out who you might vote for — explain....

 These were the results after I took the CBC vote compass. As shown, my ideals were related the most to the NDP and Green Party. This did not surprise me at all, because I am interested about the sustaining the environment  However, I have not done any previous research about the parties, so I would study a bit more before voting.

    Right now, I would vote for the NDP, because I do not remember a time when they were in power. The Green Party has most of its plans geared towards the environment but there are also many problems with education, poverty, etc. That is why I would probably side with the NDP, because their plans are more varied. The vote compass greatly helped me to decide who to vote for. I am not up-to-date with politics, so this filled me in on more recent info.

   (After elections night)
    It was revealed that the Liberals won the election. However, Student Vote (which lets students partake in voting) voted majorly for the NDP. This is interesting because the results are wildly different. Many people said that the NDP would win, but the Liberals won by a lot. However, I would still vote for the NDP!

No Red Pill No Blue Pill!!!

Hi my name is Eddy and I would like to give you some feedback and your magnificent peace of work here.


First of all, I would just like to inform you that learning that learning IS a delightful, warm, easy, fuzzy experience. It is just like a speech, if you don’t have the audience’s attention in the first 10 seconds, they will fall asleep and totally ignore you. The way that you present something is key. Instead of the teacher saying “okay kids it’s time for math!”. Maybe a teacher could say it more excited with a good way to introduce it such as ” okay kids before we start I would just like to know who here loves money”? Kids love money and when you tell them that math is related to the one thing that they love, they might get pulled in by it.
Another way to motivate kids into learning is setting a goal for them. For example, while in class you could give out candy or a special chair to the student that works the hardest or does really well in class or behaves the best. This way everyone will strive to get that awesome prize.


 If you are wondering about the time after the student gets the special chair or candy there is a solution to this madness. Another way to get kids motivated for school is to hand out tickets to students that do things well. At the end of the day you would call out a ticket and the student with that ticket wins a chocolate bar or a magic pencil! This way students will have to behave the entire day to get more tickets and a better chance at the chocolate bar.


Finally, if You are the one that needs motivation, then just keep thinking over and over in your head that you are helping the future generation become better men and women. Or if this doesn’t work you can always keep coffee at your desk.


Thank you!