Do Now 9/29/14

     An editorial is an article that is written by a head editor, that expresses that person's opinion on a specific topic.  Most editorials are found under the "Opinion" heading in a newspaper, magazine, or other source.  Throughout my years at school, my teachers have told me that Wikipedia was not a valid source.  I have also been told that point would be taken off for using Wikipedia, and that any research from Wikipedia would not be accepted.
     Most of my teachers have not let me use Wikipedia.  I have asked why multiple times, and the answer I usually get is "It is not a valid source." I think teachers do not let their students use Wikipedia because everyone has access to edit the information, therefore people focus on the downsides of Wikipedia, rather than the benefits the program can offer.  After reading the editorial about Wikipedia, I have learned that Wikipedia may not be such a bad thing, and that it should be used in many schools around the globe.

NASA's Technology Finds Disaster Survivors

• NASA has developed a new technology to detect very subtle movements under rubble called the FINDER
• It can detect motion as much as 40 feet of rubble
• This technology was created to find survivors of natural disasters quickly
• It only takes a few minutes to learn how to use the FINDER and only a few minutes to set up
• This device is to be used by emergency crews, fire departments, police officers, and the armed forces
• NASA says the FINDER will cost about $10,000

Web 2.0: Multimedia Blog Posting

     This year, I am taking English I Honors as one of my classes.  My teacher is Ms. Hunter and I am looking forward to having a great year in her class.  She hasn't told us much about herself, but she is very nice, helpful, ad sometimes even funny.  Ms. Hunter seems like the teacher who will make English fun, and not a class that I will fall asleep in.  When class first started, I honestly expected it to be a lot harder than my English class in eighth grade, but so far, it is challenging,  but nothing that I cannot handle.  I also expected Ms. Hunter to not be my favorite teacher, but I was quickly proved wrong.  
     In only approximately two weeks of school, I have learned so much!  This Thursday, we have our first test on literary terms that we had to define last week.  By defining these terms, I have learned the definition of quite a few new literature vocabulary words that I will need to know for the rest of the year.  Next, the English department's grading policy has changed this year. The grading policy is as follows:

45%: Formal Assessments
45%: Performance Based Assessments
10%: Homework/Classwork

     In English class, we have not used any technology yet, but we plan to eventually use the Chromebooks in class. This should be a new and exciting part added to our class! One of my favorite parts of English class this year is reading Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. Although we are not going on any class trips, I have always wanted to read the story.  I am looking forward to an excellent year in English I Honors this year!

Ms. Hunter's Website
MLA Format Guide

What is English?

Educational Technology and Copyright Law

• When you doodle or write something, it instantly becomes copyrighted
• It automatically becomes yours
• Everyone has 4 copyright rights. They are: 
• 1. Reproduce the copyrighted work
• 2. Display the copyrighted work publicly
• 3. Prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work
• 4. Distribute copies of copyrighted work to the public by sale, rental or lending, and/or to display the image.   

Link

Gmail Passwords Leaked by Russian Hackers

• On Wednesday, September 10, 5 million Gmail passwords were leaked 
• They were leaked on a Russian website
• Google is not sure how the hackers leaked the information
• But Google does say that the servers were not hacked
• Also, sources say that the passwords might be old or outdated 
• Google is now telling users to protect their information using the two-step authentication feature

Link