Peak’s Father

What do you think of Peak’s father and the way he is treating his son? Give examples from the story so far to support your answer. What type of relationship do you think Peak and his father will develop?

Blog Action Day 2010

October 15, 2010 is Blog Action Day. This year, bloggers around the world will be blogging about the global issue of water.

Read the information on the Blog Action Day website. Write a response to one of the suggested topics.

Zopa

Zopa was introduced to us this week in our reading. He is certainly a mysterious character. What do you think of him so far? How do you think he will he be incorporated into this story? What kind of relationship does he have with Josh? With Sun Jo? Is he a well-respected character? How do you know? Give evidence from the text to support your answers.

Characters in Peak

What do you think of the characters in the novel Peak so far? Think about their character, their attitude and their traits. Give evidence for your opinions.

Welcome to 8-1

I hope that everyone has had a good start to their school year. Are you excited to be back at school? What activities are you looking forward to? Have you joined any clubs or teams?

The End of Online Privacy

According to an article from The Globe and Mail, the days of privacy and anonymity are gone. A research project by the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco has made some startling discoveries.

“The most alarming result of the study of more than 470,000 Web surfers is that 83.6 per cent of them had an instantly identifiable, totally unique fingerprint: Their particular combination of settings and information was unlike that of any other user, increasing the chance they could be personally identified, even though they had done nothing but make a few clicks of the mouse.”

After reading this report, are you concerned about your online privacy? What is your reaction to the findings of the study? Do you agree or disagree with any statements made in the article? What will you do, if anything, to be safe on the internet? Will you make any changes? What does it mean to be “transparent” and what is the problem with this transparency? Does it concern you? How?

How Oil Spills Affect the Environment

The recent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has been a major environmental issue over the past few months. Scientists are hopeful that the new cap has solved the leakage problem. However, the long-term effects on the environment will need to be monitored for many years.

The following article from the New York Times gives an interesting overview of the affect of past oil spills on different ecosystems. The recovery in some cases may be as long as 30 to 40 years.

Read the article and watch any related videos. What are the concerns resulting from this massive oil spill? How might this affect you and your community? Research one of the oil spills mentioned in the article. Write about your findings on the blog. Can anything be done to prevent disasters such as these in the future?

When Should Students Have Cell Phones?

To buy or not to buy? That is the question many parents are facing regarding buying a cellphone for their children. What is the appropriate age and why do kids even need a cellphone? Children are pressuring their parents from an early age and eventually they may “cave in” or make a decision to go ahead.

This article from the New York Times explains both sides of the issue – why students want phones and why parents sometimes think it is a good idea.

What do you think? Is there an appropriate age or a good reason for a student to have a cellphone? Do you think students abuse the privilege? Do they use their phones responsibly? What are some of the problems? What are the benefits? Do you think cellphones are replacing face-to-face communication and is that a problem?

Summer Reading

Very soon, summer holidays will be here and with them time to do things we don’t always get a chance to do. Some will travel, others will sleep in and relax and still others will work, take a course, or catch up on their reading. I can’t wait to get started!

What books would you recommend to your fellow classmates for the summer? Is there something you’ve been dying to read but haven’t had the time? Are there any series you would like to reread ? I am hoping to reread all the Harry Potter books in preparation for the movie release in November 2010. I would also like to go see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Toronto Science Centre.

Let us know what books you recommend and what you are planning to read. Give a short synopsis so others can see if they are interested.

Death of an Awards Ceremony

Each year as the end of the year approaches, schools around the world hold their annual Awards ceremonies, honouring academic, athletic and extra-curricular achievements. This article tells about a school that has decided to abolish awards and instead recognize each student for their unique abilities.

What do you think of this idea? Would students work as hard if there were no awards as goals? Is there too much emphasis on getting the highest mark? How does this affect yourself or other students?