Last posting

Since the class is now over, I wanted to post one last time to thank everyone who worked on this unit. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the blogs that were completed. I have e-mailed blog marks and comments to those I had valid e-mail addresses for. Please contact me if you haven't received anything, or speak with Mrs. McConkey, she has a record of these marks as well.

It was a real pleasure getting to know ALL of you. Good luck with the rest of the year!

Here's one of my new favourite YouTube clips ... check out the rest of this guy's stuff if you like it.

Tuesday's Assigment

For those of you who did not accompany us today, use this time to work on your blog; if you have not yet posted anything, please do this now. To remind you: all blogs are due on Monday, October 22 and should include three separate postings. You are also required to comment on blog postings from three of your classmates. Class presentations of your blog will take place on Monday, October 22 and Tuesday, October 23. Please ensure that before this time, your blog postings are polished and free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Today, before you begin work on your own blog, I would like you to comment on one student blogs - the list is just there to your right. Your comment should address the topic that is raised and be constructive and courteous. You can also ask a question about the posting if you wish. I will be checking that this has been completed.

Debates about file sharing will take place on Thursday. You can use this time as well to work on your arguments. This video on copyright (using Disney characters) was put together by a law professor and is a humorous, yet informative, review of copyright principles. Check it out for some good background information:

Again, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Send an email to msmclaugh@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Additional resources for your debate

In addition to the website listed in the previous post (http://www.mredkj.com/other/sharing.html), here are some other resources.

Editorial cartoons regarding downloading: http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/MusicSwappers/main.asp

Lars Ulrich of Metallica's argument against file sharing to the U.S. Senate : http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?item=514

Jack Black's stance on piracy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LkWKvMCzqA

Michael Moore's opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVYhwKu7J5E

Recent article about Radiohead and other U.K. bands giving music away for free: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/09/nradiohead108.xml

Thursday's Assignment

Visit the following site and choose TWO of the arguments listed; one pro file-sharing and one against. Choose an argument on each side that links to an external article, and print these two articles out for discussion in class.
http://www.mredkj.com/other/sharing.html

Friday's Assignment

Hi everyone. Mrs. McConkey and I are at To Kill A Mockingbird this afternoon with the 2D English class, so you've got some more time to work on your blogs. To recap, you will be responsible for at least three blog entries on your blog and for leaving comments on at at least three other blogs in the class (this one counts too!). The due date is Monday, October 22 and you will be presenting your blog to the rest of the class on that day or the next.

You were given an article to read today about Time's Person of the Year and asked to write a response that included some predictions about the Internet of the future. If you haven't yet posted on your blog yet, why not start with this topic? The YouTube clip on Web 2.0 that I showed the first day of class is a good tie-in, as well as the Prometeus clip you viewed in class that Hayley S. brought to my attention. Both can be found at the bottom of this page.

If I do not yet have the URL for your blog, please send me an email or leave a comment in response to this post with the address. Over there on the right side of the page are links to student blogs that have already been started. Have a look. Also check out my other suggestions. This list will be growing, send your picks as well.

The following notes are for specific students, but feel free to click too. Keep up the great work, have an excellent long weekend and we'll see you on Tuesday.

Chad, I thought you might want to start by having a look at the Beastie Boys' blog and website. They released a documentary last year called "Awesome! I...Shot That!" that pulled together footage from 50 fans who were given video cameras at the same show. They've also become very involved in political activism. If it's activism you're interested in, check out the Independent Media Center site too. And the Wikipedia page on Tupac has lots of information and links to follow.

Sam and Nina, have you seen this new Dove ad yet?