English Writing Space

The Flat Classroom

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 10:14:29 PDT

I made this and wanted to share it, but I don't want to do it on the Ning because I don't want to offend the delicate sensibilities of anyone who may not have a sense of humour.

Not that I'm saying the others have no sense of humour. I just... aagh, I'm not getting out of this one, am I?

I promise there's no subliminal message that school or the FCP sucks or anything like that, okay? It's meant to be funny. That's it. Period. If you see more than what's there, you're looking too hard. Consider this post DISCLAIMED.

Original image.

Something Self-Referential to Hurt your Head

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:41:19 PDT

In this English class we deal with ideas. And lots of oddly self-referential discussion. With this I hope to make you think to the point of migraines. Or not.

The human body is a marvelous machine endowed with the unique capacity of self-repair, which allows it to mend and repair its wounds after sustaining injury in whatever form. This is a property common to all living creatures, of which they must be able to demonstrate in order to be considered as biotic, animate entities. The big difference between your arm and your pencil is that one may be restored to proper order when fractured, whereas the other is typically rendered useless and must be discarded. Writing utensils are clearly not living in this sense, and as far as we are concerned they aren't more much lively in life's other aspects either. You can never expect your pencil case and its contents to begin moving on their own accord (unless we are talking about one of those freak probability accidents of nature, but that can be debated later), and similarly you can never expect them to begin talking to you either (I personally find the latter to be much more unsettling). Moreover, while they are the very tools you write and draw with, you can never expect your pens and pencils to seriously help you with your homework either. Why? This is because homework is an active process that involves thinking on the student's part ― however minimal ― which pencils as a whole have clearly yet to master. More importantly, the bigger reason that this is so is mainly because pencils are not only still, but also abiotic. By this, I basically mean dead. With the possible exception of its wooden body, most of a typical pencil's components are derived from non-living sources themselves (even including the rubber eraser, which since WWII has been largely based off of synthetic polymers). Hence, how can we possibly expect any logical mind to arise from this sort of constitution?

The point is clear. And with this, we have thus established a very crucial principle that by now I hope is common sense to all of you; when something is dead, it is no longer capable of action or thought. Charlie is a duck and he can fly, but only when he is alive. Ignoring whatever zombie-apocalypse stories you may be tempted by, Charlie the duck cannot be dead and still fly at the same time (even if he happened to be shot by a hunter while airborne, in which case he would be reduced to falling with grace). On this planet, one does not simply violate the principles of biology so effortlessly. But if there's anything at all that I have to say regarding living things here, it is with reference to you. As a human being, I do not really care for what you look like or your current situation as of now. What does matter to me and everyone else, however, is that you are conscious and have an identity like the rest of us. This identity that you have of yourself and that others have of you is a direct product of the mind, which manifests itself physically in the form of the brain. The brain, which is understood to be the center of all our body's cognitive functions, takes on a fairly unimpressive form by itself. It is a greyish-pink blob of fat that weighs roughly three pounds and sits squarely in the heart of your skull. It is responsible for overseeing nearly all of the physiological and psychological processes needed for the maintenance of life. While the human body is minimally complex and cannot be further reduced to any extent without seriously compromising its function, the brain by itself ― however ― is more than often given a position higher than that. A person without lungs will die like a person without a brain all the same, but certainly we hold the brain with far more esteem and respect than any set of lungs in the world. As a fairly egotistical species constantly patting ourselves on the back, we pride our intellectual powers above all else (this even despite the feverish anti-intellectualism raging across many north American schools like wildfire). Our civilization and our culture (in a collective, global sense) is a unique product of human genius which is unparalleled on this planet. We write and draw and create film to honour ourselves, and sometimes even fashion games out of them.

But what is the mind? A congregation of masterfully arranged neurons and atoms? If you are a mechanist and believe in no "vital force" responsible for powering the intricate clockwork of life, then very likely this is an answer that you will agree to ("vitalism", as it was called, was widely accepted among biologists up until the 19th century, where advancing chemical techniques seemed to prove them otherwise). But if the vital force we speak of does not exist, then what is there left to consider? Only matter, as it seems. The mind's origins must arise from the brain, and if there is no vital force to fuel the body, then there must be no vital force to the brain as well. Hence, the mind too must be driven by matter, or some property of it, in order to function as we see it today. The atoms of your brain are configured and aligned in certain ways; therefore, memories, thoughts, and other recollections are formed. If we could somehow figure out how to manipulate individual particles precisely, then we might also conceivably induce any sort of memories that we want in ourselves. These are all fine. But that still does not really address our ultimate question. Thoughts and intellect are nice accessories, yet they fail regardless in determining where "you" lie in the grand scheme of things. "You", your identity, your person, lies somewhere in your mind. If you were to die, then you would not be "you" anymore, your life having departed from its body. This would leave behind a cold, dead, slowly decaying husk of what once was a person. Even if I were to create an arbitrarily intelligent robot modelled after you which could talk and move and even warm itself up to a modest temperature of thirty six degrees Celsius, it still could not and would not be seen by others as "you".

This leads us to a startling, inevitable revelation if we consider the other mechanics of the body. The human body, as we know, is constantly replacing itself with new parts over time. Every 9 years you have a completely new skeleton. A man with reasonably short hair will have it all replaced within 5 months (provided regular cuts), whereas with a women it would be perhaps 2 to 3 years (hair grows at around 1 cm per month). Every 3 months or so, all your blood cells will also cycle. Therefore, the same must slowly happen with the brain as well. Once you reach a certain age, you will get to a point where none of the atoms of your body at birth will be present in your current self. Yet remarkably, despite all this replacing from food and drink and whatnot, you are still you.

If I had a mechanical pencil, then I could conceivably make it last forever by constantly replacing its worn parts with fresh ones from the factory, and by constantly feeding it lead with which to write (this as opposed to buying new ones, for the purposes of our analogy). But like our brain, after several cycles of this all the pencil's original components will have been replaced at some point. At the end of this, the result that we are left with, while identical in appearance, could be hardly considered as the "original" product at all. If we slightly modified the parts, it would be worse, since now the resemblance is really beginning to blur. Of course, it would still retain its identity as a pencil, but that is roughly equivalent to saying that a human will retain his identity as a human when he ages. Well obviously! But a human as he ages will also retain his character and former self, even though his entire body will be replaced several times over. A pencil, on the other hand, can do none of this, and will indeed become a completely new pencil with more or less no connection to its former self (when subject to this same swapping process). If I were to show you one such pencil, you could never infer what the original look like. Perhaps you couldn't even tell that it had been haphazardly reshuffled and replaced to begin with. Again, with a human being, this is clearly not the case. Yet a pencil is a machine, and the brain is conceivably a machine too. So why is one so much more different from the other?

Most machines and inanimate entities could not be gradually replaced piece by piece in this manner without either a) losing their functionality, or b) transforming into something completely different. Removing a single transistor from a computer's processor can significantly hamper its performance. Removing more risks destroying it. Living things, on the other hand, are exempt to this. At the end of the day, this ultimately means that "you" can have nothing to do with your body's matter and material constitution, as this comes and goes and is always changing. Therefore, "you" must reside exclusively in its configurations and interactions. But these things are not material, and are simply abstract concepts captured (quite paradoxically) within the mind itself. A box full of parts means little at first, but when they are joined something magical crops up, and suddenly we see our creation no longer as a collection of just parts but instead as a functional whole. There's a kind "realization" to this which makes the difference between a machine and a bucketful of gears ― the difference between a mass of neurons and the essence of "you" which arises from a completed brain. But "realization" is not something we can hold in our hands. It's just a vague idea. Yet without this "vague idea", you're not "you" anymore. You're just another meaningless aggregation of matter here on planet earth (you could also use this exact same argument for computer software, but that can be debated later).

So what does it all mean? Is there a mystic "life force" after all? And if the machinations of your mind cannot be captured as a object, then what are they truly? More importantly, who and what exactly are "you", as a person? It is all one huge mystery.

"If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't."

― Emerson M. Pugh

If any of the above interests you, then I suggest that you seeking further reading from Steven Grand's book "Creation", the essential contents of which I have basically summarized here. It is available in Don Mills Public Library.

Harr harr harr.

Year-Round Schooling

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:25:24 PDT

So Mr. Forsyth told us to write a blog post about one of the topics on the side of the blog. Since Year-Round Schooling was the one that most people wrote about, I decided to write about it and add some of my thoughts.

I don't really have a concrete opinion on whether or not we should have year-round schooling because I'm still debating whether or not changing the current school system for a year-long one is good or better.

The benefit of the current system is that we have a decent amount of time off - the weekends and the holidays - during the school year, or at least I feel that I've gotten used to this. The weekends give us something to look forward to every week - like a short-term goal, and the holidays give us a more distant hope but also a bigger one - like a long-term goal. The time off we get isn't really a "goal" but it is something that we work towards. This all culminates in a two-month long vacation from school. I enjoy my summer and it would feel weird to have school and breaks without summer camp and travelling. Imagine having shorter (but longer than, say a long weekend) breaks staying at home (yes I know some of you do this over the summer anyway) and not feeling that it was worth travelling for such a short period of time. You would have these breaks more often, but there would be less to do given the small window of opportunity. This is one of the downfalls of year-round schooling. Also imagine going to school in the middle of summer - those hot, no, sweltering humid days when the temperature feels like at least 40 degrees Celsius. Especially for those of us who either walk to school or live far away from school, this weather is quite unpleasant, to say the least. The school would be far too hot (especially since we don't have air conditioning), particularly in our math room and the daily commute would be very uncomfortable. Also take into account that having hot weather brings about more heatstroke and other heat-related ailments. The traffic would also be worse as the buses would be more crowded and there would also be more incidents brought about by the warm weather. The heat would also distract the students and some students would probably just not go to school some days to go to Wonderland or the water park, or to stay in their cool houses. The hot days of summer would lower the standard of learning in most schools and since "this is Don Mills," as Mr. Johnson says, we shouldn't let this happen.

However there are some benefits to a year-round schooling system. We'll be more used to the way that the real workplace is structured (for the most part), which will mean that the transition between school and work will not take as much getting used to. Having school all year would also assist in preventing students from forgetting a lot of what they learned during the school year. The brains of the students would be stimulated more often and would be forced to recall previously learned information more frequently, preventing the common disposal of information that occurs after exams. Students would also be able to spend time more usefully - both in school and out of school. If the students were allowed to take a long enough vacation - say a few weeks, then a short vacation could be planned and students wouldn't spend an extra month staying at home and lazing around. As long as the provided time off is sufficient for a decent vacation and minimal time is spent doing nothing, the breaks would be put to good use (i.e. providing a rest from school) and students would be able to stay focused in their studies while taking enough time off to relax and go back to school refreshed.

There is a lot of argument for both approaches to the matter, but I don't think that there is a sufficient amount to push year-round schooling to become the new system. People are naturally resistant to a certain amount of change, and there is not enough reason for the school system to unanimously, or even to have a majority without some widespread opposition, decide to have a new system. For the time being, school will remain the same, but who knows, in the future, there may be some new insight that will change the way that we think about this matter, and cause us to make year-round schooling a more significant alternative to our current system, and this may be enough to change the system.

The Twitter Toolbox

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:09:50 PDT

Using Twitter in the Classroom

“If we teach our children as we taught yesterday, then we rob our children of tomorrow.”

- John Dewey, education reformer

As the years progress, technology follows suit. The world is introduced to new, innovative technologies daily. As a society, we must adapt to these new technologies. We must learn to incorporate them into our daily lives. In this day and age, social networking has become a dominant, if not crucial part of everyone’s lives. Microblogging is pertinent everywhere. Messages, thoughts, and emotions can be broadcast to an online world of followers at the click of a button. Twitter has become a universal tool, a worldwide phenomenon. The words tweet, hash tag, and trending topic have become immortal. People everywhere recognize Larry the Bird and instantly think, “Twitter.”

Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter

Founded by @Jack with codename "twttr" in the summer of 2006, Twitter has since become an affluent social networking site. It has the potential to impact many aspects of society. Twitter holds the promise of being a tool that can communicate information to an extensive number of people in a matter of seconds. The efficiency of Twitter holds a power that can be applied to many different environments. Twitter has access to millions of people but it is most known for its microblogging service. The vastness of Twitter’s capabilities does not end there. It has many different tools and services that can enhance the educational experience for students as well as enabling the development of skills that may not be applied in a formal classroom. However, the possibility of using Twitter in an educational setting has yet to be experimented and studied.

People have a misconception about what Twitter truly is and what it can be used to do. When one mentions Twitter, our imaginations may conjure images of people posting images of their lunch, following celebrities, and making nonsensical tweets with #YOLO. In an article written by Steven Anderson, Twitter is referred to as a PLN or Personal Learning Network. In a list Anderson has included in his article, positive comments like beyond amazing tools, love connections made with real people who care a lot about kids, PLN provides resources to share with teachers, education tech news/info featuring communication with others in the field of Ed tech, and my PLN gives me encouragement, support, and endless resources can be found about the use of Twitter as a Personal Learning Network. He provides a guide with which educators can create their own Twitter accounts: a step-by-step process that takes one through the creation of an account, setting up of a profile, whom to follow, and the types of hash tags to use. Anderson emphasizes the importance of hash tags. Once a PLN is set up, hash tags allow you to track conversations, share resources, and pose questions with a specific theme. Students can communicate with others using hash tags related to their topic of choice.

Some students may resist the idea of creating an education-related Twitter account but there are a wide range of educators that have encouraged the idea. Twitter promotes the act of critical thinking through innovative activities. In one scenario, Anderson observed middle-school to secondary students using Twitter as a means of story sharing. A student would begin the story within the limits of 140 characters and then sign their initial. Then, another student would continue the story and so on. Through the use of hash tags, students were able to follow the progression of the story. In another activity encouraging critical thinking, students were to make connections with historic figures, both real and fictitious, by becoming them. Currently, there is an active Twitter account for former president J.Q. Adams in which entries from his diary are read. They made tweets based on the perspective and opinion of the character they were becoming. This allows students to try to accept the ideas of others and to consider the thoughts and emotions of those characters. Students get the opportunity to become one with history and model the past. Twitter can be used for many activities not limited to story sharing and role playing but many others that promote critical thinking skills.

It is a fact that the qualifications and skills that the students of today possess are different from those of their educators and faculty. People born after 1982 have been coined Millennials, a body of students who share profound knowledge of multimedia and other technological mediums. These students are known to prefer activities that involve multimedia, collaboration, teamwork, and multitasking. In a study conducted by the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, students in a Pharmacy Management Course set an objective to tweet during the recorded period of time (six days) consistently. Authors of this study, Brent I. Fox and Ranjani Varadarajan were focused on the usage of Twitter as a means of interaction between students, professors, and other experts. The use of Twitter in an educational environment is still at the very beginning stages of experimentation. Twitter is best used in the field of health and medicine for the collection and distribution of infodemiologic information, public health promotion, and the sharing of other health-related resources.

Procedures were taken for the study with each student creating an anonymous account to protect privacy and learning the basics of the Twitter microblogging service in a scheduled tutorial. The requirements of the study were that a minimum of 10 tweets must be made over several class sessions. An assessment was done at the end of the experimental period and it was discovered that 1775 tweets were made by students, 28 by guest professionals and 11 by the instructor in this period of time. It was observed that student-initiated tweets with instructors were very infrequent, suggesting limited interaction but on the contrary, instructors frequently interacted with students. Conversely, nearly 1 in 5 tweets suggested student-student interaction. 82% of the total number of tweets were standard, either a question or comment about the day’s class. A surprising 77% of survey respondents had never used Twitter before.

Two concerns were raised about the usage of Twitter during class, the allowance of private messages which may distract students and the ability to edit a retweet to contain inappropriate content. The primary concern was distraction when tweeting during class as it interfered with other traditional activities like note-taking and listening. 40% of survey respondents agreed that Twitter distracted them from class. However 64% agreed that Twitter facilitated the sharing of ideas among a class. Another 56% agreed that Twitter allowed them to express their opinion when they would not otherwise have expressed it in class. In addition, there is no way in which Twitter can filter tweets that do not develop critical thinking skills (contrast between a student restating what occurred in class rather than reflecting on the subject matter). There was a wide stream of tweets during class that some students believed was overwhelming.

As a solution to the positive and negative effects of using Twitter as an educational interface, educators are encouraged to balance the two. Rather than tweeting during class, perhaps students would benefit from tweeting after class, while reflecting upon what they learned. To account for the overwhelming stream of tweets, educators can promote the importance of the critical thought process of a tweet. It is more important to reflect and analyze than it is to summarize. This study proved that although Twitter may be interruptive, such obstacles are overcome by the interaction and sharing of information that Twitter so readily facilitates.

In a semester-long study led by Junco, Heiberger, and Loken, the impact of social media like Twitter on students’ engagement and grade levels in a course for pre-health professional majors was analyzed. The report states that educators are more willing to use Twitter as a medium of higher level learning in classrooms in comparison to other forms of social media like Facebook and MySpace which do not offer the microblogging platform.

Faculty separated a first year seminar course into an experimental group and a control group, both of which did not have any prior knowledge or use of Twitter. The experimental group used Twitter as their social networking platform whereas the control group continued the use of Ning, a university-based social networking program that they were already familiar with. The students in the experimental group were asked to follow an faculty-run account as well as all the other students taking part in the course to establish the first-level of interaction.

Throughout the semester, students used Twitter to participate in various optional and mandatory assignments. Twitter was proven to be a multi-purpose platform with many uses.

Continuity of class discussions: The experimental group for this study had a class together for a one hour, weekly session which limited the opportunity for students to engage in and begin threads related to the topics discussed in class. In this particular course, students were encouraged to discuss the effects of altruism in the helping professions. Twitter enabled students to begin critically thinking and analysing the information from prior classes.
Low-stress way to ask questions: Twitter, as a social network, serves as a physical boundary between students. Introverted, shy individuals who are less comfortable speaking up in class and asking questions are able to do so through Twitter more privately.
Book discussion: Relaying back on the theme of altruism in the helping professions, all students in both the experimental and control groups had to read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Dr. Paul Farmer, a philanthropist and medical volunteer in Haiti. Through Twitter, the students were able to share their thoughts about the book and how it affected their viewpoints on altruism.
Class reminders/Campus event reminders: Twitter was effective in this component of the study in that it connected students with faculty. Using the central Twitter feed, students from different classes were informed about assignments, due dates, exam dates, etc. Campus event reminders were also streamed through the central feed regarding guest speakers, events, volunteer opportunities, concerts, and lectures.
Proving support: While using the main feed, information about ways in which students could receive academic support through tutoring and other such activities was posted periodically. Psychological support was also given through encouragement and positive tweets to help students through stressful situations.
Helping students connect with each other and instructors: Through studies conducted in the past, it is proven that the purposeful creation of learning communities is a key component in guaranteeing student persistence. Twitter served as a sort of learning community for this study in which students were able to interact and communicate with others. This forged a valuable relationship between the faculty and students, one proven to be related to student success.
Organizing service learning projects and study groups: Service learning projects allowed students to participate in different volunteering opportunities. Twitter gave students a basis in which they could easily coordinate appropriate times and dates with one other. The same concept was used for the coordination of study groups, with encouragement from faculty. As seen in the example below, faculty gave a suggestion and students began to communicate with each other to determine the date, time, and location.

Faculty: Anyone interested in forming a study group?

Student01: @Faculty for what class

Student02: @Faculty For what class?

Student03: @Faculty study group for what?

Student04: for?

Faculty: @Student01 @Student02 @Student03

@Student04 What class would you like to form a study

group for? Chem?

Student05: Both Chemistry and Biology would be nice-

OK how about a Chem and Bio study group? Who is in?

Student06: Anyone that wants to have a study group for

Bio or Chem. Let me know and I’m in!

Faculty: @Student01 @Student02 @Student03

@Student04 Both @Student05 and @Student06 suggest

both Chem and Bio. What is a good time for you to meet?

Faculty: Howabout a study group for Chem tonight starting

at 7pm 2nd floor of the library – at the blue couches.

Who will be there? Please RSVP

Student05: I’m planning on coming to the study group

Student06: Sounds good

Student01: I’m in

Faculty: So it looks like @Student05 @Student06 and

@Student01 will be at the study group. Any others planning

to attend?

Student07: Count me in

Student03: I’ll be there

Using a mixed effects ANOVA model, the authors were able to measure engagement changes within the experimental and control group. After analysing post-test and pre-test scores, it was shown that students in the experimental group had a larger increase in their scores than the control group. In addition, it was discovered that the use of Twitter had a significant impact on students’ Grade Point Average (GPA). The number of tweets is shown to gradually increase throughout the duration of the semester.

Number of tweets sent increase overall through the duration of the semester.

Through an analysis of the activity on Twitter during the experimental phase, it is evident that most students were very engaged and open to interacting with others. They were able to share ideas, personal feelings, and thoughts about altruism and other themes in the course. Overtime, students began to independently (without encouragement from faculty) collaborate with one another through study groups and group volunteering ventures. The creators of this study, also faculty at various universities throughout the United States, were also able to actively accomplish the use of Twitter in following the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education by improving student to faculty interaction, cooperation among students, active learning, prompt feedback, emphasizing time on task, having high expectations, and respecting diverse learning styles.

Through the information found in these studies, it is evident that Twitter can become a widely effective form of education technology. There is a stigma in society that social media cannot be used for educationally relevant purposes. Twitter has the potential to revitalize education, to support millions of students in countries worldwide in their strife against struggling education systems. With Twitter, people of all ages can develop skills linked to higher order thinking. They can become learners but not only that, they can become lifelong learners. They can begin to use collaborative and communicative skills that will one day benefit them. It offers a wide range of resources with others and profits from the idea of worldwide connectivity. Twitter can change traditional instructional practices. It can open the world to a different style of learning that links students to others and provides an environment where they can generate their own Personal Learning Network, a place in which their education and learning only prospers.

Wordle highlighting main topics: Twitter, students, education, critical thinking, interaction, etc.

Examples of established education and/or
technology resources on Twitter:

References List

Anderson, S. (2011). The Twitter Toolbox for Educators. Teacher Librarian, 39(1), 27-30.

Fox, B. I., & Varadarajan, R. (2011). Use of Twitter to Encourage Interaction in a Multi-campus Pharmacy Management Course.American Journal Of Pharmaceutical Education, 75(5), 1-8.

Junco, R. R., Heiberger, G. G., & Loken, E. E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(2), 119-132.

The Social Learning Theory

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 16:41:16 PDT

"Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action."

-Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977

The social learning theory proposed by Albert Bandura, a Canadian psychologist, has become perhaps the most influential theory of learning and development. While rooted in many of the basic concepts of traditional learning theory, Bandura believed that direct reinforcement could not account for all types of learning. His theory added a social element, arguing that people can learn new information and behaviours by watching other people. “Most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.” (Bandura). Known as observational learning (or modelling), this type of learning can be used to explain a wide variety of human behaviours in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioural, and environmental influences.

There are three core concepts at the heart of social learning theory. First is the idea that people can learn through observation. Next is the idea that internal mental states are an essential part of this process. Finally, this theory recognizes that just because something has been learned, it does not necessarily mean that it will result in a change in behaviour.

Observational Learning

1961 Bandura conducted what was called the Bobo Doll Experiment in hopes to prove a observational portion of his social learning theory. For the experiment, each child was exposed to the scenario individually, so as not to be influenced or distracted by classmates. The first part of the experiment involved bringing a child and the adult model into a playroom. In the playroom, the child was seated in one corner filled with highly appealing activities such as stickers and stamps. The adult model was seated in another corner containing a toy set, a mallet, and an inflatable Bobo doll. Before leaving the room, the experimenter explained to the child that the toys in the adult corner were only for the adult to play with.

During the aggressive model scenario, the adult would begin by playing with the toys for approximately one minute. After this time the adult begins to show aggression towards the Bobo doll. Examples of this include hitting the Bobo doll, in the face using the toy mallet . After a period of about 10 minutes, the experimenter came back into the room, dismissed the adult model, and took the child into another playroom. The non-aggressive adult model simply played with the small toys for the entire 10 minute-period. In this situation, the Bobo doll was completely ignored by the model then the child was taken out of the room.

The next stage placed the child and experimenter into another room filled with interesting toys: a truck, dolls, and spinning top. There, the child was invited to play with the toys. After about 2 minutes the experimenter decides that the child is no longer allowed to play with the toys. This was done to build up frustration. The experimenter says that the child may play with the toys in the experimental room including both aggressive and non-aggressive toys. In the experimental room the child was allowed to play for the duration of 20 minutes while the experimenter evaluated the child’s play.

The first measure recorded was based on physical aggression. This included punching or kicking the Bobo doll, sitting on the Bobo doll, hitting it with a mallet, and tossing it around the room. Verbal aggression was the second measure recorded. The judges counted each time the children imitated the aggressive adult model and recorded their results. The third measure was the amount of times the mallet was used to display other forms of aggression than hitting the doll. The final measure includes modes of aggression shown by the child that were not direct imitation of the role-model’s behaviour.

Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviours they have observed in other people. The children in Bandura’s studies observed an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions they had previously observed.

Later on in his development of the Social learning theory he identified three basic models of observational learning :

A live model, which involves an actual individual demonstrating or acting out a behavior.
A verbal instructional model, which involves descriptions and explanations of a behavior.
A symbolic model, which involves real or fictional characters displaying behaviours in books, films, television programs, or online media.

Intrinsic Reinforcement

At the time it was an understood that learning was effected by external factors. For example if a child was raised in a violent area, or exposed to violence at a young age that child would, most likely, end up as a violent unapproachable individual. But Bandura noted that external, environmental reinforcement was not the only factor to influence learning and behaviour. He described intrinsic reinforcement as a form of internal reward, such as pride, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment. This emphasis on internal thoughts and cognitions helps connect learning theories to cognitive developmental theories.

The Impact of Learning on Behaviour

While behaviourists believed that learning led to a permanent change in behavior, observational learning demonstrates that people can learn new information without demonstrating new behaviours. This was proven during the Bobo Doll experiment. Among the children used in the experiment a bulk of the imitated the aggressive actions that they had taken from the adults but some of the children did not imitate the aggression but continued to play as they had before. Though exposed to the same scenario some of the children did not alter or change their behaviour while others did. From the Bandura came to the conclusion that learning did not necessarily lead to a change in behaviour.

The Modelling Process

Not all observed behaviours are effectively learned. Factors involving both the learning environment and the learner can play a role in whether social learning is successful. Certain requirements and steps must also be followed for the process to be effective. The following steps are involved in the observational learning and modelling process:

Attention:
In order for any learning to occur the learner is required to pay attention. Anything that detracts the attention of the student is going to have a negative effect on observational learning process. If the model is interesting or there is a novel aspect to the situation, the learner is far more likely to dedicate their full attention to the learning.

Retention:
The ability to remember and retain information plays a vital role in the learning process. Retention can be affected by multiple factors, but the ability to call on information later and act on it is an invaluable portion of observational learning.

Reproduction:
Once one has paid attention to the model and retained the information, the next step in the process would be the actually performance of the behaviour one has observed. Further practice of the learned behaviour leads to improvement and skill advancement.

Motivation:
Finally, in order for observational learning to be successful, the learner must have the motivation to imitate the behavior that has been modelled. Reinforcement and punishment play an important role in motivation. While experiencing these motivators can be highly effective, the observation of others experiencing some type of reinforcement or punishment can also act as a form of motivation. For example, if a student were to observe a fellow student being rewarded with extra credit for being to class on time, the other student would be inclined to arrive a few minutes earlier each day.

In addition to influencing other psychologists, Bandura's social learning theory has had important implication in the field of eduction. Today, both teachers and parents recognize the importance of modeling appropriate behaviors. Other classroom strategies such as encouraging children and building self-efficacy are also rooted in social learning theory.

Sources

Sarah Mae Sincero (2011). Social Learning Theory. Retrieved 17 Jun. 2012 from Experiment Resources: http://www.experiment-resources.com/social-learning-theory.html

Ormrod, J.E. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Retrieved 17 Jun. 2012 from:http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~Lynda_abbot/Social.html

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press

Cullata, Richard. "Social Learning Theory (A. Bandura)." Social Learning Theory. InnovativeLearning.com, n.d. Web. 17 June 2012. http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html

Criminals Start Young

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 18:33:09 PDT

You probably have all heard the ancient quote, "Warriors start young." It's a proven fact, if you look at history. All the elite forces start training at a young age (For e.g. every ancient Spartan boy was forced to attend military training starting from the age of 7, turning them into hardy warriors).
This doesn't only apply for fighting. In fact, everything starts young. Scientists start young. In their early years, they would already be interested in science. Politicians start young. They would be very good at convincing others and making speeches at a young age. Criminals also start young.
Many people do not see it this way, but bullying is a serious problem. Some people consider bullying as nothing more than harmless, common conflicts between children. Most of the time, it is...for the time being. However, if bullying is not stopped, children would get accustomed to bullying, and think that such things are acceptable in society. It is not.
I am, unlike most other anti-bullying people, not complaining about the harm done to the children who are being bullied. Because really, I am unable to understand that argument and do not wish to step into where I do not belong. In my opinion, the damage done to the children being bullied is incomparable to the damage that the bullies will do later on.
Bullies, if not corrected of their behavior, will go on thinking that harassment and assault bears no consequences, or that those things are fun. They will continue to do it as adults, and as adults, they usually inflict more damage (especially physically. You don't see kids wielding weapons, but criminal adults do).
The bullies themselves are also in danger. As a child, the consequences are not severe, but when you become a adult, you can be charged, gain a criminal record, as well as jailed and in some places, killed.
However, if we make the consequences for bullying harsher, many of this would be eliminated. The bullies would know that bullying is not right, and stop doing it, helping lots of innocent people they would later harm, as well as saving themselves.
And note that I said "make the consequences harsher," not "provide more support," or "teach better morals." I believe that punishment is the root of the problem. We are already teaching great morals, but what is there to enforce those morals? If you tell a child to not steal, the child won't just blindly follow that rule. That rule needs to be made clear, and that is by punishing the child should they attempt to break it.
It is shown that harsh punishment works. Places with more severe consequences for committing crimes have a visibly lower crime rate.
In conclusion, bullying a a severe problem because it can lead to criminal acts. The solution to this is simple: demonstrate to the bullies that their behavior must change, and this can only be done via punishment.

Two Tales

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:08:05 PDT

By the end of Life of Pi, we are told two stories about what happened to Pi in the Pacific. They both have many differences and also many similarities.

The first story, which everyone should be familiar with by now, is about Pi in a lifeboat full of former zoo animals gone out of control. He manages to survive with those creatures, who eventually all die out except for the tiger. In this story, Pi also comes upon a carnivorous algae island.

The second story is a more believable one, about Pi stuck in a lifeboat with a cannibalistic cook who ends up killing everyone except Pi. Pi then kills the cook.

Near the end of the book, Pi has a conversation (interrogation) with some people from the company that owns the ship. In this conversation, he reveals the second story. He terminates this conversation with a question to the two Japanese men: Which story do you prefer?

At the end of the book, the main investigator writes a report and formally mentions the tiger, showing respect and admiration to the first story. However, he likely believes the second.

This case would be similar to most people. Logically, the second story is more believable: after all, cannibalism in survival situations such as this has happened before and is very realistic, while being in a lifeboat with a group of animals and surviving for so long has never occurred. This does not mean that it cannot occur though, but as mentioned in the story, people believe what they see, and no one has seen a boy, a tiger, a zebra, a hyena, and a orangutan stuck in a lifeboat together.

However, most people would prefer the first story. The second story is not exactly boring, but it lacks a certain aspect of imagination. The first story is far more fantastic and creative than the second story, which has a more predictable and dull plot. After all, most would prefer a classic Sherlock Holmes style mystery with fascinating plot twists to a boring, generic, yet realistic story about a crime and how the criminal was caught.

Pi and the main investigator both seem to agree that the first story is superior to the second in terms of interest. Pi, though, states that the first story can also be believable, which the investigator disagrees with. He gives many reasonable arguments, such as the fact that just because something was not seen does not mean it does not exist. The investigator, on the other hand, finds animals on a lifeboat and a man-eating island too hard to believe.

When compared to the second story, the first one seems very unreal. The funny thing is, before this section of the book, before we were told of the second story, we all (or most of us, at least), actually believed the first one. With no more realistic story to compare with, we thought that the first story was real enough. We were too faithful a reader that we believed this story, and at the end, Yann Martel throws in the second story and basically makes fun of us all for being too deep into the story.

However, you can also see it the other way around. Perhaps the first story was real, and Yann Martel threw in the second one to confuse everyone. It was never said that any of those stories were wrong. Could the first story be real, and could Pi have made up the second one to please the investigators?

I shall conclude this post with the following question: Which story do you believe?

Life of Pi the movie

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:41:23 PDT

I was just surfing the interwebs when i came across this. This is eleven seconds of life of pi footage. Earlier we were discussing our thoughts on how they are cgi-ing the tiger for the entire move, people though it wouldn't work (including me) but this is pretty epic. From this clip we see pi looking under the tarpaulin and seeing Richard Parker. Pi is then off the life boat so this must be at the point in the book where they are on the island. That's just around where we are now.

This is definitely going to be a movie most of us will see, an interesting one too. Looking forward to it.

Social Media in Schools

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:48:41 PDT

A continuation of my previous post, Let’s Talk Twitter

- How can Social Networking be effectively used in schools as a platform of communication for discussions, arguments, and more?

- What are the barriers to using social media in schools and how can we overcome them?

Social networking is widely perceived as a place where you chat with your friends and others about random stuff; however, it has enormous potential for educational purposes.

What exactly is social media?

“Interactive forms of media that allow users to interact with and publish to each other, generally by means of the Internet” (en.wiktionary.org/wiki/social_media)

There have been many recent education research essays based on creating strategies on using social media in formal and informal learning. To successfully achieve this, one must first identify the unique characteristics of social media. Firstly, it is a powerful communication tool as teachers can use social media to assist students, remind them and provide digital copies of rubrics and such in case students forget them. This is, however a very simple use of social media when it has so much more to offer.

Social media can be used for collaborating on projects as there is one central file “in the cloud” where everybody can access the latest version and see live edits. For example, the monstrous task of summarizing our verbose geography textbook was transformed into an achievable task when more of us worked on it. We have also tried this in class with our Google Docs experiment. This online collaboration paves the way for monumental projects such as Wikipedia, which contains millions of articles in many languages made by thousands of people. It would have been implausible to hire people full time to write these when thousands of editors and creators can add bit by bit. Open source learning stems from this as people engage in learning what they are interested in online, for example, MOOCS are steadily increasing in popularity. Social media increases the effectiveness of both informal and formal learning as students can communicate with other people or simply ask their teachers a question.

When used more effectively, social media can become a platform where students can share interesting summaries, opinions, and interpretations of novels (Life of Pi) or opinions on today’s class discussion. We are already taking advantage of this use of social media through the blog. By using social media, students can reflect on class discussions and ideas about a specific topic as they write and publish their blog post after school and thus result in actually learning rather than instantly forgetting all the knowledge they learned from school.

Twitter, with its hashtags and such, is an effective way to have students express their opinions or facts to the whole class on a specific subject where everybody is engaged in a process in which they are actively involved. Citing the 140-character limit, this is more oriented towards sharing snippets of facts and opinions, rather than entire paragraphs and essays. In fact, this is regularly used by news agencies during live events, such as the Canadian Election Debate where live feeds are provided through twitter while followers can ask questions about the candidates or argue passionately with other people. Of all the social media educational uses, the use of twitter has yet to become more popular as strategies are to be developed on how to approach twitter from an educational standpoint.

Social media is a very powerful tool for education, but unfortunately, there is limited research on it while statistics of its current usage are truly discouraging. According to 2009-2010 data from EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, over 90% of respondents said they use social media, such as facebook or twitter while less than 30% said they have ever used social media for school, such as Google Docs or a Blog¹. The situation becomes even direr as The Faculty Survey of Student Engagement surveyed 4,600 faculty members from 50 U.S colleges and universities in 2009 and found that over 80% of the surveyed faculty have never used social media technologies such as blogs, wikis, google docs, facebook and more¹.

Social media must overcome the stereotype that it is never to touch education and that it has no potential. There is currently no motivation to market social media as educational simply because most teachers do not know how to use it while there is still no initiative from corporations or school boards on using social media in schools. As we continue into the future, it is evident that social media will eventually seep more and more into educational settings; the question, however, is how long we will have to wait, and more importantly, how much longer we will have to wait until social media is finally effectively used as a platform to engage students towards lifelong learning.

References

1. Chen, B., & Bryer, T. (2012). Investigating Instructional Strategies for Using Social Media in Formal and Informal Learning. International Review Of Research In Open & Distance Learning, 13(1), 87-104.

2. Sistek-Chandler, C. (2012). Connecting the Digital Dots with Social Media and Web 2.0 Technologies. Journal Of Research In Innovative Teaching, 5(1), 78-87.

3. Connolly, M (October 2011) Benefits and Drawbacks of Social Media in Education. Retrieved June 12, 2012 from, http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/news/coverstories/2011/benefits_and_drawbacks.php

Google Docs (again)

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 07:49:12 PDT

A few months ago, we did a group activity as a class involving Google Docs and cloud computing.

It didn't go well.

Today, we did it again. There wasn't twenty of us this time; there was only five (we were making geography notes). Yet, we managed to spit out more work than we did that other time (although not rationally), and it was more legible as well. Let me enlighten myself as to why:

1) We actually knew what the heck we were doing. The first time, the instructions were basically 'research and write stuff'. The first time, we didn't know how we were going to present the information. We didn't have a plan; we didn't have a designated format. This leads to my second point.

2) We were more organised this time around. I suppose this could be because our "research" (or given data) was pre-organised for us. This allowed us to split up roles and allot assignments easily, and work without constraints from peers. I suppose this also has to do with our smaller numbers, but I think a big group of twenty is just as capable of this kind of organisation.

We got quite a bit of work done, and I'd say I'm pretty satisfied. We still have what I'd estimate another six pages or so to go, but at the rate we're working, I see it going by quickly. Today, I learned that the correlation between output and the number of workers isn't linear, but... uh... curvular (because 'quadratic' refers to math and 'non-linear' sounds redundant. Also, reference from grade 8.) The purpose of Google Docs is so many people can work on one project at the same time efficiently, and we have done just that.

Therefore, Google Docs works as it should. Proof: our (not yet completed) 14-page, 4000-word loooong document.

ETA: We're done- 20 pages and 6000 words. Anyone who wants geography study notes can find the document here.

A Chemical Anecdote: The Sulphate of Calcium, the Bicarbonate of Sodium, and the Insidiously Inhumane Plights of Mustard Gas

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 18:16:24 PDT

[A small tribute to the subject that I can't actually legitimately take until grade 11.]

[I suppose I haven't been writing for a while now.]

Success is not quite difficult to attain if your target is clearly defined. If you're a chemist, it's even simpler. And you needn't be a marksman either to have a clear shot; any thing at all will do. It is not particularly elusive to the common eye, nor is it extremely rare or inconvenient to isolate; rather, like elements to the early chemists of the eighteenth century, these hidden gems are found right underneath our feet and requiring only a few simple procedures to detect. With an open flame and some moderately shapely containers of glass available from any local artisan's shop, the necessary equipment was easily obtained and just as easily put to use. But the pre-requisite to all these things was that one have a good idea of what exactly they were doing to begin, which ultimately varies considerably for someone dealing with previously unknown substances. Helium, the lightest of the sometimes provokingly inert noble gases, was first identified on the sun by an amateur astronomer. Phosphorous, a reactive non-metal, originated from the bucketfuls of urine which one German merchant painstakingly filtered before then producing a couple meagre grams (he did dabble in alchemy, however, and his unhealthy interest for this otherwise offensive material may have been actually cultivated because of its resemblance to gold, in terms of color ― but this we will save for the history books). For the longest time, especially following the unfortunate execution of the great French scientist Lavoisier, the chemical world was static. But immediately after this was almost a small revolution of sorts. In the fifty years that followed, there was basically a new element being discovered every two years; so many independent researchers arrived at the same results, in fact, that many historians now argue as to who exactly should deserve the credit. There were also other previously-thought elements that were later proven not to be, including lime (calcium oxide), magnesia (magnesium oxide), and caloric (heat energy, which was once thought by scientists to be a material thing but later revoked from its position on the yet-to-be invented periodic table of that time). Those of you who had the fortune of being in semester one science with Mr. Lin would have been quite familiar with the lab experiments that he organised for us ― at least, during the first unit of chemistry, where these sorts of things were actually relevant to the course. Our first one examined the physical and chemical properties of some otherwise ordinary substances, including sucrose (sugar), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), calcium carbonate (chalk), calcium sulphate (gypsum) and sodium chloride (table salt; it's really interesting how unfamiliar their names can be when replaced with their technical terms). The catch was, however, that all of these materials were more or less identical in appearance; they were all white solids, odourless and with a grainy texture that was rough to the touch. So then we exposed them to a variety of other trials in order to uncover their identities, using water and dilute hydrochloric acid. Needless to say, the results were more then a little interesting. And it is still a real shame that Mr. Lin is leaving the school by the end of this year.

So now we are beginning to get the sense that chemistry, among other things, is no longer the dated skeleton in the closet that it used to be ― with delusional alchemists meddling in their cellars and in their uncommonly obsessive quest for gold, immortality, and fame.

But when you begin to read old chemistry books and start trusting their words too much, unusual things can still happen. On June the 11th, I got into a small disagreement with my classmates over the value of blackboard chalk as a calcium supplement, which was brought up in geography. My point was the mineral source was irrelevant to its function, which was to basically preserve bodily health and combat osteoporosis. Their point was that the whole scheme was insane and that it shouldn't be done. Ever eager to see myself vindicated, I suddenly recalled an old lecture I once heard of where an university professor speaking of the possibility of eating (literally eating) chalk to combat osteoporosis. In any case, my peers were not impressed; someone mentioned that if I was actually serious, I ought to demonstrate myself. What did not occur to me at that time, however, was the possibility that this may have been a tongue-in-cheek remark never expected to deserve any considerable attention. "Okee" (if I remember correctly) was the blunt reply and in response I promptly passed the inconspicuous thing down the throat with about a litre of water to boot. I felt no adverse effect physically speaking, although the emotional ramifications five to ten minutes after were certainly much harder to dispel. It is one of those moments in life when one begins to cradle their aching head and slowly say to themselves while swaying in a chair "OH GOD, WHY?" For unusual situations like this one, I've obviously had much more than my own fair share of experience in life. Nevertheless, I was still trying to make a point about subtle chemistry, albeit barbarically and in a manner so arresting that it probably startled people more so than anything remotely close to communicating an idea. At least I tried. Do I still get a consolation prize for that?

Of course, I would object by saying that there is nothing wrong with doing this, technically speaking, since blackboard chalk is completely safe. Yes, people touch it now and then, but so is the very atmosphere that we breathe. People draw it internally into their bodies and have it make direct contact with their soft lung tissues; others, however, do the same with their intestines instead, as is quite the reality in our unfortunate case of flatus. He who eats and lives and metabolises his foods must break wind. She who eats and lives and metabolises her foods must also do the same eventually. I am not making any disgusting generalisation: I am merely stating a very matter-of-fact reality that everyone knows and makes a conscious effort to evade. Yet even so I should still curtail my words. As Shakespeare dully notes in a Midsummer Night's Dream, it is after all "a fool's prerogative to utter truths that no one else will speak."

It may perhaps come as a surprise for some to learn that most blackboard chalks now aren't actually made of true chalk (like how the "lead" of a pencil does not contain any traces of the metal whatsoever). Traditionally, they were made of chalk ― calcium carbonate (the same substance that gives calcium supplement pills their rough, powdery texture) ― although modern manufacturers generally prefer to use gypsum instead (which they compress into hardened sticks). Both of these are similar in that they contain calcium as their principle ingredient of interest. Calcium: the builder of strong bones and great nemesis of osteoporosis. Those of you who seem convinced I am going to die might like (or not like ― it depends on how much you like me as a person, of which even I am a little concerned about) to know that gypsum is not known to have any adverse health effects if ingested; often, most of the problems associated with this chemical are those relating to the respiratory tract, in case any one is unfortunate enough to somehow inhale the substance in massive quantities (upon which the insoluble mineral then beings to form deposits within the lungs, an event which is perhaps not entirely unheard of in an industrial environment ― sometimes its powdery nature can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, but that is only if it is eaten by the hundreds of grams). In its natural form, gypsum is a hydrate and thus must be first deprived of its excess moisture before becoming suitable for commercial use. The evaporation process typically removes up to 70 percent of the water, leaving behind a grainy, soft residue not unlike the blackboard chalk that we are usually familiar with. Gypsum is often used as a coagulant in tofu and other soy products, of which is the major source of dietary calcium for many East Asian countries (I myself can attest that the Chinese have never quite enjoyed the antics of cheese or milk; for this reason, there is virtually no dish in the entire country that makes any use of diary products). In construction, it is mixed with mortar to form cement, and in agriculture it is combined with the soil to improve its nutrient content. The English use gypsum to produce mead (an alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation of honey), and interior designers for the making of drywall. If combined with an appropriate amount of water, gypsum also thickens rather quickly into a viscous, mouldable paste (plaster of Paris). This sloppy colloid is usually found in art, dentistry, cosmetics and some forms of light manufacturing, where producing casts are necessary. What an interesting substance indeed! As most of us have moved away from mining the mineral directly, much of it now is therefore synthesized by factories. The act itself, however, makes no difference.

An average adult male of North American origin ― 1.8 meters in height, and weighing roughly 170 pounds (in other words, someone similar to me) ― requires 1 to 1.5 grams of calcium per day; the vast majority of people, however, usually fail to meet this requirement. Modern blackboard chalk, which is basically a bar of dried plaster, contains mostly nothing but gypsum; chemical additives are irrelevant and therefore unnecessary unless one intends to furnish coloured chalk (in which case some dyes are added). Calcium sulphate, with the chemical formula CaSO₄(there are also supposed to be two water molecules, hence the "hydrate" part of the name, although here it's been omitted), is roughly thirty percent calcium by mass. The sample that I had the misfortune of ― um, eating, for lack of a better term (I can't say try to mask everything in jargon and say "ingested" all time) ― was roughly one to two grams in mass; perhaps three at most, if we were to be a little exaggerative. Overall, that amounts to about 500-600 mg of elemental calcium in total, which is actually less than half of what I was supposed to have for that day. Even with a glass of milk in the afternoon (which contains only 300 mg apiece), my body's quota has been unmet. Combined with an additional 100mg from eating leafy (stir-fried) greens that dinner, the scale still hardly tips at 1g alone. So in reality, my claim about not needing any more calcium for another month is unfounded. It is a wonder that my bones haven't yet been reduced to the strength of uncooked bacon strips! Perhaps there are other unseen, hidden sources that keep my life just barely above the threshold of physical possibility. And because most people simply don't get enough as I've said before, all of that leaves a really insurmountable gap within our diet. This is why calcium supplements are a profitable business.

But in all honesty, I need to stop doing these crazy stunts, especially given all the harmful substances that one could create with otherwise homely appliances and materials. I consider myself lucky to have just ended here, content. The average kitchen is literally a cauldron of chemistry; a laboratory in the making, if you know how to manipulate the materials at hand. And in reality, it is all an extraordinarily simple thing: a nine-year-old could perform these experiments if given the proper instructions, some of which have a tendency of producing unpleasant consequences. By combing chlorinated bleach with drain cleaner or some other sort of reasonably strong acid (both of which are household products), it is possible to furnish rather dangerous quantities of chlorine gas as a by-product. Those who are decent with history will instantly recognise that this was the same substance employed in chemical warfare during WWI. Fritz Haber, the German scientist who pioneered the use of poison gas on the modern battlefield, was largely responsible for the extent of these attacks. Apparently, his wife (a chemist herself) became so distraught with her husband's work that she later committed suicide in protest, several days after Haber directed the first such offensive with these new weapons. On April the 22nd, 1915, the German army sent over 168 tonnes of chlorine gas rolling across no-man's land. The effect was immediate, and scores of French soldiers collapsed almost immediately.

Now we return again with our concoction of Drano and bleach. I was actually tempted to do this until realizing that the resulting products would be both a) extremely hazardous not matter what and b) liable to cause severe injury even with full protection. You could experiment with it yourself. Here, however, I am only saying this tongue-in-cheek, and under no circumstance should anyone seriously go about meddling with chemicals at home ― take one breath of the noxious yellow-green gas, if adequate protection is not ensured, and your lung tissues will be instantly scarred to nothingness (just a bucketful of the Drano-bleach mixture will give off enough gas to cause unconsciousness and death, if no immediate medical assistance is administered). Chlorine is deadly at concentrations of 1000 parts per million, which was about the amount that Germany used at Ypres in the First World War (although many argue that this is excessive and actually much more than was needed to kill). Even at concentrations of 30 parts per million, the chemical is still potent enough to inflict severe coughing fits and stinging chest pains for about a week (I would know because of one incident earlier this year with the DMCI swim team, where everyone suffered a host of quite inconvenient annoyances as a result of training in what seemed to be an improperly chlorinated pool). So already we can get a clear sense of the risks that are present here. At the very least, if you are not careful, there is going to be some form of permanent disability for sure. This I am not going to pull off. I've had enough of chemistry of this year. And though it is also possible to manufacture mustard gas at home with nothing but glass jars and rubber pipes, I certainly wouldn't recommend that either. That is unless, of course, you intend to re-enact All Quiet on the Western Front passed out on the floor of your own washroom, half-dead from suffocation and extensive blistering. Needless to say, the resulting injury is going to hurt more than a little bit. The sulphur mustards, to which mustard gas belongs to, are capable of causing second to third-degree burns in high concentrations. Their compounds are highly mutagenic, and often induces cancer in their survivors.

One British nurse commented, on the victims of mustard gas: "They cannot be bandaged or touched. We cover them with a tent of propped-up sheets. Gas burns must be agonising because usually the other cases do not complain, even with the worst wounds, but gas cases are invariably beyond endurance and they cannot help crying out."

Survivor of a mustard gas attack: notice the large blisters and lesions developing along the arms, neck, and armpit regions. His injury is considered to be fairly mild, in comparison to what could have happened. Mustard gas is a vesicant and destroys whatever tissue that it touches, including the lining of the lungs and mouth (if they are inhaled). Some soldiers have even died from suffocation due to blisters forming in their throats, which later grow so large that they completely obstruct the airway. On a toxicity scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being totally harmless (i.e. water) and 10 being near instantaneous death (i.e. prussic acid), mustard gas would be ranked at around a 7.

Soon, however, the novelty of poison gases began to fade as allied troops started to deploy their own chemical weapons. Primitive gas masks were also issued, which significantly reduced the number of fatalities in future gas attacks. A cloud of chemicals carried by the wind is capable of only moving at the speed of a brisk walk, which gives would-be victims more than enough time to prepare if they see the threat coming. Overall, serious injury occurred in only 5% of all soldiers subject to gassing (2% deaths plus 3% whom of which suffered permanent disability rendering them unfit for military service). As the war went on, there was the development of phosgene, lewisite, and many other variations of the original mustard gas. Nerve and blood agents were also created by German scientists just before the Second World War, which the Nazis put to considerable use in their concentration camps. The most infamous of these was Zyklon B, a pesticide at first, which is today often seen as a symbol of the holocaust.

I don't have much more to say. I've started off on a light tone, but still the dirty side of chemistry still remains stark naked nonetheless. From the books I've seen and the failed experiments I've tried ― many of which never materialized beyond just a casual product of my (infrequent) daydreams ― I almost get the impression that the science is more often than not exceedingly mundane. Between many cycles of repeated testing and reference, chemistry is all in all hardly the sleek, elegant field that some would otherwise hope for (quite unlike physics, to be honest, where far more things are able to be expressed mathematically ― in chemistry it is impossible to precisely determine the motion of electrons and the behaviour of large molecules, at least with our current technical skill: the first one is actually undoable but the second one may not necessarily be). I would never know what my peers think of it. But does it matter?

t@lking about Twitter

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:50:20 PDT

What is Twitter?

Twitter is:

twit·ter [twíttər]

1. chirp: to sing in a succession of light high-pitched chirping sounds (refers to birds)
2. chatter: to chatter or giggle in an overexcited or nervous way

or

"a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting."

From the literal definition of the word Twitter, we can see what Twitter is and what Twitter was meant to be: a way of communicating brief messages, however annoying they may be. Twitter began as a way of simultaneously sharing information in a concise way - to relay what you're doing or what's on your mind to the world in the same manner a bird chirps because it wants to. Twitter has grown over the years as a corporate messaging platform to fuel for revolutions. The use of Twitter as a means of communication has allowed revolutions and movements to become more organized and unifying - in both good and bad situations. For example, Twitter helped to organize the protests in the Arab Spring, as well as to organize so-called "flashrobberies" which are planned robberies involving large numbers of people who essentially attack a store in the style of a "flashmob." Some would argue that Twitter has more benefits than disadvantages like being able to microblog, finding out the newest information and trends, talking with friends remotely and getting opinions/feedback from people for decision-making and I'm not saying whether Twitter has more advantages or disadvantages (that's up to you to decide for yourselves), but Twitter certainly has many disadvantages too. One could say that Twitter is meaningless (but then, what is meaningful?), that Tweets don't carry much meaning if they're only 140 characters long, that it's not really necessary or desired by your friends and family to hear you talk about every minute detail of your life, and that it's not necessarily safe for you or your job. Sure, Twitter always opens up with a sign up/log in page, but the page doesn't mean anything. One could easily circumvent this minor roadblock to unravel the treasures that lie behind it. For instance, I was able to follow most of Thursday's Twitter conversation without actually signing up for Twitter by going on certain individuals' profile pages and reading their Tweets (e.g. a certain @veggiesanddip).

As some of you may know, I don't use Twitter. It's not like I'm dead-on against Twitter, but I don't really see a purpose in using it personally. First off, having another social media outlet would just lead to more distraction from whatever school work or activities I have. Being like some other members of the class, I tend to lurk around social media - that is, "Facebook stalking," and having a Twitter account would just mean more things to "stalk." Another reason that I don't use Twitter is because I don't really like to broadcast my life to the public and I don't really have much to say. As the saying goes, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." I would hate for my imaginary Tweets to become actual twitter which gets annoying (imagine a bird constantly chirping a useless and pointless tune over and over until the original beauty of the melody becomes lost in a monotonous drone). Also, adding an extra social media outlet is just another way someone can scrutinize you. Maybe not now, but in the future, your employer might stumble upon your Twitter account and sees that a certain employee has used an expletive in a Tweet, maybe for the first time. Perhaps this employer is particularly picky about swearing and decides to talk to you about this. Then what do you say? What if your choice of wording has lowered the standards, moral integrity and reputation of your company? For me, Twitter has just never been something of real interest, but if it's something that you do use (a lot), then think twice before you post. And remember that there is always someone watching.

#livelongandprosper
#3823wordsover

#Twitter #Last Day of School #YOLO

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:43:23 PDT

I have never used Twitter at all before, it's a completely new site to me, and I don't really like the layout already. Maybe it's because I'm used to the Facebook layout, but I'll get used to it. I'm not so sure what's the point of Twitter (But then what's the point of any other social networking site), but those kinds of sites are the type that you would mostly waste time on.

Random people's tweets.

Megan

Not studying for chemistry #yolo

Free Red Dot

I let the cashier keep the extra 13cents from my dollar today #YOLO

Not really stuff that anyone would care about. Seems like no one actually uses it for anything useful. It's sort of like some kind of celebrity news feed, you follow a bunch of celebrities and read all their tweets.

Let's Talk Twitter

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 08:03:55 PDT

Today’s English class consisted of a quick experiment involving the entire class setting up twitter accounts and using them to chat Real-time.

---------------------- 140 Characters Reached

For the first few minutes, it was a bit confusing with the hashtag to set up the conversations while it just happened that a Russian news website was using the same tag. It was also very fast paced as it was easy to miss a few posts and then have to scroll down. In all, it was a fun experiment.

However, it did remind me of the Google Docs class essay on open-source learning. The ability to simultaneously work on one document and communicate to each other was a huge advantage.

The main difference is that Twitter itself is focused on people following microbloggers including celebrities and brands while its interface proved useful for, say if there was a class discussion or a debate on a certain topic such as standardized testing or topics in Life of Pi.

After the class, I found myself asking some questions:

- How can Social Networking be effectively used in schools for discussions, arguments, and debates?

- What skills are developed or reduced when large amounts of time are spent in online social networking?

Over the next few days, I plan to research these questions (also using EBSCO of course ;) and writing a blog post with my findings.

Using Twitter to Talk about the End of the Year

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:01:48 PDT

I got a chance to use a new technology today to discuss the end of the year in class. It was basically Twitter, one of these new kid sites to talk about stuff. I tried to discuss stuff, and I saw it was an interesting conversation near the end of class, but in the beginning it was kind of off-topic and very exam-oriented discusssion.

#What an unlengthy post.

#12361278936123 what?

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:02:10 PDT

Twitter is confusing. So many random people talking in random languages. I think I've got the hang of it now...sort of.

I find what Daphne calls lurking very interesting. By Google translating the random posts in Russian, I learned that a bomb was discovered somewhere in Russia. I also heard of some protests concerning confiscation of cameras from journalists.

You can say more in 140 characters than I expected, though. But only if you ignore proper grammar & spellin.

#070612

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:00:59 PDT

Twitter posts are tiny, but gods, it works.

The amount of Twitter users is about the size of the population of Canada (or so Thomas says from beside me, I'll trust him). It's the shortness that allows Twitter to work the way it does- anyone who doesn't want to spend a massive amount of time writing a massive (or two-paragraphed) blog post can just say what they need to say in a sentence or two.

I'm not a big fan of Twitter. Twitter works, but it only works for its members. It's convenient for participants of conversations, but not for the casual bystander. I'm unable to follow these conversations without either being confused or joining in. It's a disorganization that works for the conversants, but not for the lurker.

I usually find myself the lurker.

Don't get me wrong- Twitter is great. But it's only great for certain people (who happen to be the majority), and I won't begrudge that. I, however, am not a big fan of Twitter. I'm not a fan of public social networking in general (though that's likely me just being contrary), though that's not the idea.

From what happened in the past half hour, I learned that when there are twenty people and twenty computers, everything goes fast. If you blink, you miss a post and you have to scroll down. The fast-paced-ness is fun, though I don't know how well I can deal with that on a daily basis. Of course, we aren't always mass-posting like this on Twitter regularly, so maybe it'll be different? Perhaps Twitter may be able to change my perspective on social networking.

If nothing else, it was interesting.

Oh, look. I have ten new tweets. Time to go check my dashboard.

(Shameless plug: find me at @646170686e6961. It's Daphnia in hexadecimal.)

How videogames affect us.

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:43:01 PDT

Personally I disagree with this article but here it is. I found it interesting.

Video games have been available to consumers for the last 30 years. They are a unique form of entertainment, because they encourage players to become a part of the game's script. Today's sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game, rather than passively watching a movie. This has both positive and negative impacts on players. Several studies have been published that explore these impacts on today's children.

What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents?

The most widely used "positive" impact video games are said to have on children is that they may improve a player's manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more "realistic" virtual playing experience.

This quality makes the video game industry a powerful force in many adolescent lives. However, numerous studies show that video games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive.

Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games. In one study by Walsh (2000), a majority of teens admitted that their parents do not impose a time limit on the number of hours they are allowed to play video games. The study also showed that most parents are unaware of the content or the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating (see below) of the video games their children play.

In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) "adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week, whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week". The authors also stated that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time:

Tend to be more aggressive
Are more prone to confrontation with their teachers
May engage in fights with their peers
See a decline in school achievements. (Gentile et al, 2004).

The interactive quality of video games differs from passively viewing television or movies because it allows players to become active participants in the game's script. Players benefit from engaging in acts of violence and are then able to move to the game's next level.

Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns.

Video games also encourage players to identify with and role play their favorite characters. This is referred to as a "first-person" video game (Anderson & Dill, 2000, p. 788) because players are able to make decisions affecting the actions of the character they are imitating. After a limited amount of time playing a violent video game, a player can "automatically prime aggressive thoughts" (Bushman & Anderson, 2002, p. 1680). The researchers concluded that players who had prior experience playing violent video games responded with anincreased level of aggression when they encountered confrontation (Bushman & Anderson, 2002).

In a Joint Statement (2000) before the Congressional Public Health Summit, a number of American medical associations -- the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry -- caution parents about violence in the media and its negative effect on children. Their report states that exposure to violent media can elevate aggressive feelings and thoughts, especially in children. These effects on aggressive behavior can be long-term. Although fewer studies have been conducted on interactive video games, evidence suggests that playing violent video games may have a more dramatic influence on the behavior of children and adolescents (Joint Statement, 2000).

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

The ESRB is a self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The major video game manufacturers created this board after concerned groups applied pressure over the content of video games. Similar to the movie industry's rating system, all major game companies now submit their new products for rating to specially trained raters at the ESRB. The ESRB rates over 1,000 games per year.

The ESRB looks at a number of factors when rating games. In particular, it considers the amount of violence, sex, controversial language and substance abuse found in a game. Based on its developed guidelines, the ESRB then gives an age recommendation and content descriptor to each game submitted. The following are the rating symbols currently in use, according to the ESRB Web site.

Early Childhood (EC): Content should be suitable for children 3 years and older and contain no objectionable material.
Everyone (E): Content suitable for persons ages 6 and older. The game may contain minimal violence and some "comic mischief."
Teen (T): Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Content is more violent than (E) rating and contains mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes.
Mature (M): Content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, intense violence and stronger language.
Adults Only (AO): Content suitable only for adults and may contain graphic sex and/or violence. Adult Only products are not intended for persons under the age of 18.
Rating Pending (RP): Game has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting a final rating.

The ESRB Web site has more details about this rating system, as well as the "content descriptors" that are used in conjunction with the ratings on game packaging. The site is also useful for parents who want to search for the rating of a particular game.

References

Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686.

Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing.

Gentile, D. A., Lynch, P., Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22.

Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit. (July 26, 2000.) Available: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ releases/jstmtevc.htm.

Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000.)
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Peace in War

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:41:56 PDT

http://www.cracked.com/article_19861_the-5-most-adorable-stories-in-history-war.html

Cracked is one of my favourite random informations website, which most informations are kind of legitimate.

So in this article, it talks about how even in the cold despairs of war, humans have gone around to make it all fun and games. As I read this article it made me think how stupid humanity can be. Having wars here and there and ruining the world, all for self gain and power of nations. It really amazed me how in most cases, the two enemies of the war have became friends beforehand and were all nice to each other before reality returned to their senses and started blowing each other up again.

In one very excellent example was #4 on the list, the Civil War toy boat messengers. While the two side were waiting for a bridge to be connected so they can kill each other, they sent each other nice gifts and visited each other and became friends. Then what their jobs tell them to do is to kill those exact same people who you became friends with. "They were all stuck somewhere they didn't want to be, waiting to do unpleasant things they didn't want to be doing to a bunch of other guys they didn't even know. "

Our Video

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 07:46:20 PDT

Here are the links for our CA, on religion:

MP4 Version
WMV Version

Culminating Activity- Fear

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:31:39 PDT

Our group chose to do fear as our theme because fear is a powerful emotion. It can convince us to do things we are not conscious of wanting. Take William Shakespeare’s Macbeth for example. Macbeth’s fear of being caught or the prophecy becoming true scared him into doing things regardless of whether they were right or wrong. He murdered hordes of innocent people, and made many poor decisions because his mind was clouded with fear. He had let fear make his decisions for him. We believed that any emotion as powerful and all-encompassing as this would be something interesting to explore.
To interpret the theme, we decided to create a game that emulates and generates fear, because we felt that it would be an engaging form of media and we wanted our project to serve a purpose besides just being a homework assignment.

If you're interested, please follow the download link and check out our game.

Life of Pi: The Alternate Story

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:27:01 PDT

If you would like to view our final CA package, you can visit our website at

http://giftedenglish.wix.com/thelifeofpi

Enjoy!

Post your comments below!

Analysis of our Culminating Activity (Video)

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:22:17 PDT

Because we had most of our themes handed to us on a silver platter, we decided to do religion. Here are the questions we tried to answer with our CA.

What are religion and faith?
Who has the right to dictate what religion is and isn’t?
Is it faithful when you practice more than one religion?
How do people with different belief systems see religion?
How would one explain religion to someone who doesn’t get it [the atheist]?
How would one explain religion to someone who doesn’t care [the agnostic]?

In class, we discussed the merits of having more than one religion. The four of us think in a secular manner and we were taught in the same way. As a result, we believed that religion is about following the specific rules and bylaws of whatever major tome belongs to the religion. A misconception, as it turns out, is that not all religious people think that way, Pi Patel being one of them. Of course, there are certain religious people who do, but they are often the religious extremists who are obsessed to the point that the obsession is no longer with the deity, but with the laws.

Someone who could potentially be an example of the ‘three wise men’, and we’re not talking about how they disagree with Pi’s decision. When they meet each other, they glare at each other disdainfully, and as people who only see each other in a religious setting, this would make sense. However, in real life, people have lives outside religion, even religious leaders. The religious tomes are generally guidelines, with belief systems that represent an method of living. This is shown in Life of Pi, as according to the book, religion is about the love of God and beauty of faith, not about following rules. Because of this, Pi is able to follow three religions with contradicting rules.

Pi is completely sure in his faith. In our CA, we have four characters: the polytheist believer (Pi), the monotheist believer (Diana), the skeptical atheist (Spock), and the guy who doesn’t care or get it (Butterbur the bartender). Spock thinks in the secular manner that we are taught in schools, and while he acknowledges that he may not know everything about religion, he is firmly rooted in the belief that what he thinks is based on assumptions that are in turn based on a couple of people are correct.

Butterbur doesn’t have much of an opinion, and even though it is never specified, he’s an agnostic. We decided to use Pi’s definition of agnostic (which, by the way, isn’t the ‘dictionary’ definition of agnostic, whatever that may be), that agnostics are those who doubt the existence of a higher being. In Lord of the Rings, Butterbur is a clumsy oaf who isn’t unintelligent, but also not very knowledgeable. Unlike Spock, he isn’t stubborn in his mindset on the subject of religion, since as an agnostic, he doesn’t care very much.

Despite what one might believe before watching our CA, Diana has a similar mindset compared to Pi’s. She is a monotheist, though she her religion involves a pantheon of gods. In the original media, Diana is an open and accepting of others, and she pretty much just exists in the plot to help argue Pi’s side of the debate in a more logical way. Being religious, she is one of the three additional characters who should, theoretically, have the right to have a say in what religion should be when it only affects those within the community.

One could argue that the love of God is reflected through the obedience of the rules. How can one be sure that God will love you back if you do not strictly adhere to the laws? In the book, the three wise men are against what Pi does. They are strongly invested in their belief systems, and, through practising only one religion, share the opinion of Spock. Yet, as the dedicated religious leaders we see them being, can one not say they love their respective deities?

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:11:00 PDT

Poem Analysis

Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.

-Maya Angelou

Poetry is meant to move the reader. It is meant to communicate a poet’s deepest thoughts and feelings. From the struggles in life to the moments of one’s greatest joy, it is the sole pursuit of the poet to initiate a literary connection with the reader. A poem must speak to the audience, must be able to be felt and to be heard. Maya Angelou, one of this generation`s most successful memoirist, possesses this skill. She is able to transcend the memories, lessons, and experiences gathered throughout her eighty four years of life to her audience. She can uplift their hearts with poetic excerpts about moments of happiness and she can bring them to tears with the tales of her struggles. The underlying message of her poetry is not fictional, it is the truth that has been concealed by Angelou not to hide herself from her reader but instead to express herself in a more clear light.

Angelou`s grandmother lived in the South and at this point in history, this was still a region in America dominated by racial discrimination. As a child living in this segregated environment, she was quickly able to fully understand what inequality is. The predominant racial groups in the area in her community lived, worked, travelled and went to school separately. Black people were afraid of white people and white people despised blacks. The attitude held by the townspeople and the general public bred distinct feelings of hatred into Maya’s life.

The next four years of her life were consumed with teachings of respect, perseverance, and courage by her grandmother. This period of her life led Maya to an understanding of the unjust foundations of life from a young age. Then came the time when her father decided to move her family back to live with their mother. Awaiting Maya was not the warm-hearted spirit of only her mother but her boyfriend, a cruel and twisted man. She was raped and sexually assaulted by this man who died soon of death by kicking, presumably by her uncles in an act of vengeance.

The news of the death rendered Maya mute for the sole reason that she felt it was her fault that the man who inflicted such pain on her died. In her young mind, she assumed the role of murderer, having killed the man with not physically but with her words of confession. Her silence continued on for the majority of the next six years.

A woman known as Mrs. Bertha Flowers changed everything for Maya. In her early life, Maya Angelou had not been acquainted with literacy and language students. Ms. Flowers encouraged her to expand her mind and open her eyes to the beauty of language. She introduced her to several African American authors such as Langston Hughes, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and James Weldon Johnson who became the inspiration Maya needed to a career in literacy. Maya was not only capable of reading but she possessed the rare ability to remember works of literature word for word. Her relationship with words became a sort of romance; she fell in love with them and took note of all the sounds, emotions and passion felt when reading such critically acclaimed novels, poems, and plays. The power of literature surprised Maya and she decided to start writing herself in the form of poetry.

Maya Angelou has forged a highly commendable career for herself in the arts. She is an activist, dancer, film producer, television producer, playwright, film director, author, actress and professor. She is known worldwide though for her role in the battle against inequality, prejudice and discrimination: the inspiration for many of her empowering, liberating and beautiful poems.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

In the poem I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, there are two contrasts: one bird is free and can do what he pleases while the other bird lives a restrained existence in captivity. These birds can be used as a metaphor to represent the divide race has forged on society. The poem was written in 1969, a time in American history when the civil rights movement, dedicated to establish the equal rights of individuals globally. The poem and a memoir of the same name, were published after the civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King was brutally assassinated. This may explain the note of pessimism at the end of the poem. I Know Why the Caged Bird sings, along with many other poems by Maya Angelou, illustrate the cruelty of society and the unjust treatment of human kind.

The beginning of the poem depicts the freedom and happiness of a bird soaring over the water with the blazing sun, care-free and content. This bird is meant to represent the superior group of white people. In the second stanza, the perspective is changed to that of a neglected and trapped bird. It is perceived that this represents minority groups. The phrase, “...his wings are clipped and his feet tied down,” is meant to represent the torture, belittlement that minority groups had to endure at this time in history. In the 1950s it was not uncommon for there to be “White Only” washrooms and drinking fountains. This created a division between white people and other. Coloured people were considered inferior, as if their skin colour determined their moral integrity and mental capacity. In addition, clipping someone’s wings can be considered to be the limitation to one’s freedom or the stripping of one’s freedom. Thus this line can easily be a way to symbolize the treatment of coloured people in the South.

The line, “...he can seldom see through his bars of rage,” shows that the cage trapping the bird and keeping it captive is only the rage and distrust of others. This is true because it was society that labelled and branded the minority groups as inferior and second rate. Anger runs through the veins of the individuals who are robbed of their freedom and this confuses them. African Americans were unable to make lives for themselves, to become successful because of the restrictions imposed on them in society.

The stanza ends with “...so he opens his throat to sing,” which may represent the protest and movement for equal rights. This rage led to the civil rights movements. Despite not being able to remove the label associated with African Americans by society, they used the movement as a way to express their feelings, only hoping to be heard.

“The caged bird sings with fearful trill of things unknown...and the tune is heard.” I believe Maya Angelou is using the metaphor of the bird to show how minority groups were able to work together and make their voices heard on the world stage. This feat was only achieved because of the chance they took. The fighters knew the consequences of their actions and understood the implications yet they still opened their mouths wide to sing a tune, shadowed by their fear and anxiety, that managed to reach the hearts of the world.

The last line of the poem is , “ ...the caged bird sings of freedom.” This verse tells of the hope of the minority groups to attain their rightful freedom. Her poem ends questioningly, as Maya declares two opposites in the last two stanzas of the poem. “The caged bird stands on the grave of dreams,” she says suggesting the desire of freedom is a lost hope, a dead dream that might never be truly realized.

In and Down, Brett Alexander Savory

b.forsyth75@gmail.com (B Forsyth) — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:40:11 PDT

Three days ago, I read In and Down by Brett Alexander Savory. I showed it to Mr. Forsyth this morning, describing it as about 'a guy who dreams', but quite frankly, it's so much more than that. So I decided to summarize and analyse it in one go.

Before you read on, there are spoilers. For the entire book. So I guess if you want to know if it's a good book, all I can say is 'yes' and tell you to read it, because I can't summarize just one part of it without summarizing the whole thing. There's no summary on the back, and this is one of the few books that does that with good reason.

Let's start.

First off: This is one of those books that you can't take literally. It's well-written and a engaging psychodrama, so the 'getting it' bit should come naturally, right? Well, I did get it until the perspective switched to from the main character to his brother. Then I stopped getting it.

I made up a backstory, I suppose, of what really happened. The term I would use would be 'headcanon', but that's not a real English word, so...

Let me recap so I don't start rambling from nowhere. The plot's about this boy named Michael who lives with his dad and brother (the aforementioned Stephen), visiting his uncle. Michael literally has no women in his life (I don't know how that works but it does), as all the women were presumably driven out by his unsocial father who is said to be a terrible father. Michael is, I guess one would say, the 'runt' of the house, the one who gets picked on all the time. He's constantly put in danger- or ignored- by Stephen whose relationship with him is more of a 'not-brotherly friend' kind than that of a brother- most prominently, when Stephen is the cause of Michael drinking weed killer, which is generally poisonous. Stephen does feel guilty about it, which shows when he stops playing with sticks (a common thing he did before the poisoning), but he soon picks the habit up again. His father favours Stephen, as he seems to be able to communicate with Stephen in the language of tapping sticks while Michael is left out.

Let's go back to the weed killer. According to the book, a kid Michael's age (and we're not actually given Michael's age) should not have been perfectly fine swallowing half a bottle of weed killer, let alone the whole bottle Michael does. At the hospital, he doesn't feel ill and as a result swallows more weed killer, and doesn't barf until the fifth bowl. Sounding fishy? Yeah, kind of. Both the not-sick bit and drinking-more-poison-at-the-hospital bit. But it's dismissed after a while, though the reader never really forgets about it. We'll come back to it after.

The secret stick language of Stephen and the father is sort of foreshadowing, too, since one would think that having spent just as much time around Stephen as his father and there being no hints that Stephen took the time to teach the father the language, he would have picked up on the 'language' too just as quickly, if not faster because of his age.

Michael has these recurring dreams. Or, rather, not so much recurring as 'he has a second life in another world while dreaming and goes back to his dad and brother when he wakes up'. In these dreams, there's this guy named Hob who seems friendly at first and this woman named Marla. Later, Michael stops trusting Hob because he thinks he stole Marla and hid her somewhere. We don't have any actual evidence of this other than Michael's introspection.

Michael starts looking for Marla, and we don't know his motivation for doing so other than that 'she's a wonderful person who I love'. I'm speculating that it's because of the lack of women in his life, which is probably it. I mean, what else could it be? Mysterious notes from his long-gone mother start popping up. He shares the first two with Stephen, who wouldn't have found them otherwise. Stephen starts noticing a guy burying dogs in the backyard at night while Michael doesn't see anything until Stephen is asleep and the guy leads him back into the dreams. The attic in his uncle's house is also somehow involved with getting to Hob's world, which the guy leads him to.

This is where it starts getting, well, unclear. You don't know what's the dream anymore and what's not. 'Real life' scenes still happen, yet the 'dream sequences' don't happen when Michael goes to sleep, they happen when Michael jumps out the window in his attic. Oh, and it might be prudent to mention that Michael saw the ghost of his dead mother in the attic once, and that Stephen used to constantly lock him up in the attic.

Then there are a sequence of events involving 'live' ('dream') sacrifices that lead up to the climax with Hob, who claims that everyone is a liar. (He's presumably right, but we don't really know, do we?) Then the POV switches to Stephen's, and I'll stop describing the plot here because any way I describe it will not make sense.

Here's the deal with In and Down: it's one of the least blatant psychodramas I've read, but it's one of those most blatant 'did-this-really-happen?' stories I've read, because if you don't look at it psychologically, it doesn't make sense.

Let's go back to his past. Nothing makes sense. It doesn't make sense that he literally thinks females don't exist, though he subconsciously knows they do because Marla exists in his subconscious as the manifestation of all the female figures he never had. Seriously, all of them. He sees Marla romantically (or that's how I see it), but he also sees Marla in a mother-like perspective. It doesn't make sense that he wouldn't have picked up on Stephen's stick language when his father did. It doesn't make sense that he would survive swallowing weed killer (though he could be 'special', like he thinks), but it definitely doesn't make sense that the doctors would let him drink five more bottles of the stuff.

Now, before I give my opinion of what's actually going on with Michael, let me tell you about the prologue and how it connects to the actual story:

The prologue is about two boys: one hates (fears) carnivals and circuses and the other loves them. Presumably, the first one is Michael and the second Stephen. The 'dream world' that Michael goes in through his attic? A carnival called 'Freekshow', run by a presumed liar who calls everyone else liars.

This is how I think it goes, and maybe I've been reading about too many Hollywood movies, but...

I think Michael and Stephen are the same person. No, not like Two-Face, because when the switch is made from Michael to Stephen, there's struggle as Michael becomes Stephen and completely takes on the personality. And here's the catch: I think Michael is the one who originally didn't exist, and that everything is a figment of Stephen's imagination.

I imagine Stephen was at a carnival when he was young and a witnessed something traumatic to his mother- causing her to leave his life somehow- probably abandonment that gave Stephen feelings of resentment toward himself. So yes, this means that Stephen is actually the boy who hates carnivals as described in the prologue, since names are never mentioned there. Yes, this means that Stephen repressed memories because of the trauma.

This causes the creation of Michael in his mind as a coping mechanism, to the point where he became this imaginary not-brother. The weed killer? Fictitious. The sticks? Fictitious. All the mean things Stephen 'did'? A manifestation of Stephen's survivor's guilt (or something like that), portraying himself as a horrible person. The distant father? Real, and the only person I feel Stephen portrays correctly. His mother's ghost in the attic? A memory. His uncle, who was mentioned a coward? I'm sure he was real, but I feel like Stephen misportrayed his personality as a coward- what he secretly feels he is. Notes from the mother? Only the first one was real (as revealed by Hob), though we don't really know if the first one was real either. Maybe they were triggered by the hallucination of his mother in his attic, which is why the attic window is conveniently (since nobody goes in the attic besides Stephen) what leads to Freekshow. The sacrifices he made to get to Marla? A representation of what he would have done to bring his mother back, and the guilt of surviving turned into the feeling of having killed.

Hob? The voice of reason and reality that Stephen twists into something scary. When making the transition from Michael to Stephen, they flash back to memories that are fluid and contradict what we've already been told. Marla is found, Marla dies saving Stephen, and Stephen loses consciousness when he breathes water only to wake up in what's supposed to be real life. He accepts the reality that Michael is 'dead' (because yes, Michael is 'dead' by the end, but we're not sure when), but refuses to let go of the memory of his not-brother. (Or, rather, the book says 'dead', but I say 'non-existent'.)

As it turned out, Stephen's father killed his uncle. More to add to the interpretation? Definitely. Stephen finds someone who looks just like Marla in real life, who I think could be his adopted mother? His biological mother, explaining why hallucination!Marla looks just like not!Marla? Yet another hallucination? The author leaves us with another mystery, only this one brings us closure and not wonder.