Today's video conference with Heart Lake Secondary School of Brampton Ontario in Canada

Canadian Teacher Ms. Ivich, wrote this to me after our conference today:

Well, that was a success! I can see why it would be beneficial to have more than one conference as the kids really wanted to get to know one another and discuss very cultural things (ethnicity, music, dress, SPORTS, etc.). Regardless, it was a great learning experience and my kids were bustling with curiosities about the plight your students face with the looming neighbourhood buy-outs. I would definitely like to connect our kids via blog - and perhaps later, skype - to continue this learning. My students also realized how fortunate they are to have a safe environment with a lot of equality within their diversity. We didn't get to talk as much about issues such as identity which would have been a great conversation as my older students have quite divergent opinions than the students only one year younger.
Thank you, Clayton, for your help with the technology lesson and all your ongoing support. Thank you, Libbi, for your excellent introduction and google information. Libbi, the ice breaker - by the way - (I didn't see your emails today until now) was the information my students came prepared with regarding ethnicities, languages spoken, sports, famous Brampton citizens, school and academic clubs at Heart Lake, etc.
This was a fantastic experience that leads into many other poignant conversations and teaching moments. I'm thrilled that the experience affected my students, as I'm sure it did yours, that it wound up being an ongoing discussion this afternoon and after school.

Video of A. Maceo Smith HS and surroundings via Google Maps

The top Eminent Domain essays

The top Eminent Domain Essay was written by Kelley Gailey of third period. Ms. Gailey's post is at http://kelleygaileyusams.blogspot.com/2011/04/eminent-domain.html. Ms. Gailey also has several other enlightening posts.

In class, we read about eminent domain on wikipedia. We also read specific instances of its use by the City of Dallas on land that lies in the path of the hiking, biking and equestrian trails planned to connect areas west of downtown Dallas to the Trinity Forest southeast of downtown. The specific property locations are detailed in the Trinity River Corridor Project Team's meeting minutes from February 8th. The minutes are available at
http://www.dallascityhall.com/committee_briefings/briefings0311/TRC_minutes020811_030811.pdf
Students also read on wikipedia what laws other countries have regarding eminent domain. In their essays, students had to compare eminent domain in one other country to that of the US.

Several students suggested in class that we take polls of people in south Dallas to determine their view of how they feel about the use of eminent domain in nearby neighborhoods. One student even suggested start a cause to tell the Dallas City Council to stop this practice. Students having made these suggestions was a good opportunity for me to teach students about the power of such tools and the necessity to thoroughly research a topic before leaping in to create a cause or a poll. I also stressed to students, that a poll is a means of obtaining others views on a subject. All though polls can and are used to steer respondents to appear to support one's own opinion, this is not the proper use of this research tool.

Note the wording from the City of Dallas in relation to their use of eminent domain for the Trinity River Corridor Project: Authorize an actual reasonable moving and related expenses-nonresidential payment for McDaniel Motors, who be displaced as a direct result property acquisition of the property at 6510 South Great Trinity Forest Way, to be used conjunction the Trinity River Corridor Project to exceed $131,383 Financing: 1998 Bond Funds
Notice that the City is not only paying for the land, but it is also paying for moving and related expenses. An effective use of a survey would be to ask the owner of McDaniel Motors for their level of satisfaction with how the City of Dallas was to providing for their transition; were they satisfied with the amount of compensation that they received; their satisfaction with the amount of time the City gave them to relocate; did the City consider the change of company address on letterhead, bank checks, advertising as related expenses? Do you have any inventory or production equipment that needs to be moved? Did the City consider the physical movement of equipment as a moving expense?

I am attempting to have experts on this subject to visit our school. I am also trying to arrange a field trip to visit various areas of the Trinity River that are effected by the development project. I have contacted:

1. David A. Neumann, Chairman. Trinity River Corridor Project Committee. Unfortunately, I have not heard back from the councilman yet, but will keep trying.
2. Heather K. Way, Director, Community Development Clinic, University of Texas School of Law. Professor Way has committed to working with my students next year on this project and currently has three law students working on answers to some of the students questions.

Understanding the changes to the city of Dallas from the 1970's to present

Read pp. 552-554 "Suburbanization in the US" Answer these questions:

1. Describe the process of suburbanization.


2. What made suburbanization possible?


3. Describe the Central City Dilema.


4. Define Gentrification.


5. Has Gentrification occured in Downtown Dallas & the surrounding area?


6. Define Edge City.


7. Do you think that an edge city will develop both south & west of downtown Dallas?

Web Conference Discussion about the merits and drawbacks of racially diverse neighborhoods as compared to racially segregated neighborhoods

On Thursday, April 15, my 2nd periods will host their own International web video conference. We will be joined by two social studies classes from Heart Lake Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario. The topic for discussion is: The Merits and Drawbacks of Racially diverse neighborhoods as compared to racially segregated neighborhoods. test

Essay on the A. Maceo Smith's Neighborhood Cultural Diversity

Read pages 95, 98 & 100 - 102

1. Is your neighborhood culturaly diverse? Use the chart of Cultural Universals to help think of cultural traits that your neighborhood has. For each of these traits, does everyone in your neighborhood do them the same (same pronunciation of language, same symbols that they identify with, same family structures and issues, same traditions and beleifs, etc.), or are there groups of people that do these things differently? If there are groups of people who are different, what social characteristics characteristics do they share (are they of another race, gender, age or religion?


2. Is your neighborhood ethnocentric? That is, are they convinced of their superiority and therefore are intolerant of outsiders?


3. If people of different cultures move into your neighborhood, what could the neighborhood do to ease cultural tensions?

Students Joined World Food Conference

Monday, my second and third period students joined an international web video conference to discuss food. Schools joining the conference were in Iowa, Nebraska, Taiwan and Del-Valle, Texas. Students discussed food likes and dislikes and exchanged recipes.

Polling - How to Take Polls to Gather Peoples Opinions

We read chapter 2 on "Sociologists Doing Research" Questions to turn in are: p.44 1-10 P.47 #1&2 Pp. 48-49 #1-8

Why does my "new post" or "edit post" page forever loading? As a result I can not post anything new in my blog! - ANSWER

Click Dashboard> Settings> at the very bottom of the settings, bullet "Old editor"

Instinct vs Culture

Are humans more ruled by culture or instinct? See the answer in the comments link.

Manifest Funstion vs Latent Function

If a government cuts social services to reduce the size and debt of the Federal Government, the bringing down of debt is the manifest function, because the cuts produce the inteded effect. Citizens dying because they lost health benefits (such as medicare) is the latent function, because it was not an intended effect of the budget cuts.

Devonda Hawthorne, is a shark living under the ocean and does not know about the Internet's affect change in Northern Africa and the Middle East

6th Period Discusses the Internet's affect of change in the US and the worl.

Part 1

My taunting of a student who is distracting the class - Fun with the Logitec C910 Webcam special effects

No, these are not my real hands.

In class technology experiment to show how Fox Cable News Distorts the news

Last week in its coverage a Wisconsin state employees picketing the Republican headed Wiconsin State Building, the news agency used the tactic that we reenact below, to make a calm setting seem chaotic and apocolyptic. On a technical note, I am using the $79 Logitec C910 webcam with its tracer effect.

Bell Ringer March 3rd - The Sociologist's Perspective

Which of these scenarios would a sociologist want to study:

1. Young in a country join gangs because their society teaches them to be masculine.
2. 5 high school students read a post on a website about making bombs. After reading this, they buy the things to make the bomb; they make the bomb then explode it in a field.

Leave your answer in a "comment" on this post.

The Student Blog Post of the Week Winner

Daevonda Hawthorne

See her blog http://daevondahawthorneusams.blogspot.com/

and see us dance The Student Blog Post of the Week Winner Dance.

The Student Blog Post of the Week Winner

Daevonda Hawthorne - Take a look at her awesome posts.
http://daevondahawthorneusams.blogspot.com/

Due February 10th &11th - Vocabulary Over Your Class Topic

Classes will not differentiate their subject until we have completed Chapter 2. Due this Thursday (2nd and 3rd periods) or Friday (6th period) are the vocabulary from all three sections of Chapter 1. They are listed in the book as Key Terms and they are on pages 6, 14 & 23.
Use any two two methods from the Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies (document posted to the right margin of my blog). All vocabulary must be completed with two different strategies.
I have posted the vocabulary on the link below for you as well:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6wntheyM_iZZDE0YmE4MDgtNzE5NS00MTNmLTlmODQtZGViNzU2NDdhOGVj&hl=en

Due Friday February 18th - Create your blog

Click on the "Create your blog" link on the right side of my blog and follow all of the instructions until you have your very own blog on which to post your work and collaborate with your South African Partner.

Due February 18th - Read Your Assigned Chapter & Choose two of the four activities