The School Blog Survey Results Are In By Mr. Durston

This blog is not only made by the students of this school, it is made for the students too. With this in mind, the administrators of this blog wanted to reach out to the students of JRC to find out a little bit more about the media that they consume on the internet and the way(s) that they access the school's online media. To achieve these goals, a few students distributed a survey to the grade 7/8 classes, and the results are in! Do the graphs look like you would have predicted?   

1. Have you visited the June Rose Callwood school blog (jrcallwood.blogspot.ca)?

2. Are you following June Rose Callwood on Twitter (@jrcallwood)?

3. What social networks, websites, or other media do you use frequently?

4. Do you use a RSS feed reader of any kind to read blog feeds (like Google Reader)?

5. How do you access the internet outside of school?

6. What articles and media would you like to see on the school blog?

What is Literacy? by Patrick

To answer this question, I went to this website called this IS literacy.ca created by the Child Youth Network of London, Ontario. This group is trying to help people understand what literacy is and it’s trying to develop people’s level of literacy. According to their About link, they explain that literacy is the skills, knowledge, and abilities to understand other people's ideas and to express our own ideas to other people. This website is trying to help people understand literacy by trying to get them to do literacy on their own.

How does this website do this? There are different links for specific groups of people, such as parents, children, teenagers, and professionals. In these links, you can find homework tips for kids, book reviews, like The Hunger Games, video game reviews, like NBA Jam (PS3), and websites, like an online library and a skateboard magazine.

Literacy is a highly difficult concept. This website has good navigation and it helps so you do not get confused or lost in the in the site. I would like it if the concept was easier to understand, but this website helped me understand what the word literacy means. The things I liked about this website were that there was a good variety of sections to look at, and there are lots of things you can learn about. I would use the skateboard magazine and the video game reviews too, in case I was looking for a new skateboard magazine to read, or a new video game to play.  If you’re looking for something interesting, look at the links on the website.

Quantum Diaries Shines Light Into Their World by Owen

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to speak of many things.”

These lines from the book Through the Looking Glass state the common interest in discussing intelligent thought, and with the world we have today there is a million intelligent things to discuss.

Recently the online blog Quantum Diaries (www.quantumdiaries.org) has caught my attention, and there is an aspect about the site that is interesting. The concept of the site is to present many blogs in one, all of which from the point of view of physicists around the world.

Its actually quite amazing, just drag the mouse over the bloggers at the top of the screen and you will see physicists from all over. These physicists are from places such as Canada, Japan, Germany, you name it.

Interestingly, it is not all about science, the blogs sometimes just describe where the scientists are and what they are doing. That is one of my favourite things about the blog: the fact that it’s not just about what happens in the lab, it is what happens out in the real world for these scientists. So whatever your interest try and visit the Quantum Diaries page and see what's new!

Mars One By Josh

(Photo from CBC.ca)

"One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind."   ~Neil Armstrong

Home page Mars One website states that "It is the mission Objective of Mars One to establish a human colony on the planet Mars in 2023. According to Mars One, we will accomplish this through the integration of existing technologies developed by aerospace corporations who have demonstrated expertise in space travel. Mars One explains that:

"During 2011, founders Bas and Arno laid the foundation for the Mars One Mission Plan through the creation of technical documentation, from astronaut selection through the first human landing. The primary providers of the complex infrastructure were engaged, top-tier aerospace suppliers from around the world enthused to work with an apolitical integrator whose intent is to conduct a manned mission to Mars." (Visit Mars One here)

The most interesting questions that this site poses is "Will you go?" and "Why?"

I find this topic intriguing because as a kid, I have had many ideas as to "will I ever go to Mars and live there?" Another question is "What would the public think?" I believe that the public's opinion would be scary, but I would like to find out.

JRC E-books by Dylan

At June Rose Callwood, they have made a new e-book section on their website. Although there are many books on it, there aren't many books that would be approved for a grade 7 or 8 reading level. Their e-book feature includes books like Juice, by Eric Walters and other selections. I did not find this website easy to use and it does not go on mobile phones. This feature should be used by people who have tablets or laptops to go mobile. To improve this website, they should have an app for Android or iOS devices.

Step into the Gaming Vortex By Aadyn

Step into the Gaming Vortex and experience thrilling live action PC gaming with Hakaro and Dark Relic. The PC Gaming Vortex is a video blog series reviewing MMO games such as Dungeons and Dragons online, World of WarCraft, Star Wars the Old Republic etc... As a veteran in gaming I enjoy reliving old stories and adventures of the past.

The PC Gaming Vortex was created to show case lesser known MMO games that get overlooked but are lots of fun. They combine lets plays and tutorial aspects to have an experience where viewers go on an adventure as well and learn things along the way. For more information, visit the PC Gaming Vortex Facebook page and their YouTube Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePCGamingVortex

If You Love Tech, You'll Love Gizmodo! by Mr. Durston

Click here for Gizmodo!

For those of you who do not already know, Gizmodo is a technology blog that is part of the Lifehacker media family. It offers many posts per day on technology, reporting the latest news and product reviews on all your favourite devices like iPhones/iPods/iPads, Andriod devices, computers, laptops, and software...and even the mighty Zune!  (What on earth is a Zune, you ask? Click here to learn more about the Zune player and innovator of the squircle). Gizmodo offers both text articles and videos, which often demonstrate new devices and software, so you can always be in the know when a new device is released.

Why I love Gizmodo so much is that it is a one stop location on the web for getting news on all things technology. Secondly, there is an abundance of stories posted multiple times a day. It is more than one person can read, so I can choose the stories that are most relevant to me. Lastly, Gizmodo defines technology fairly broadly, so the content is not confined merely to computer related stories. For instance, check out this story on the 3D printing of an Aston Martin for the movie Skyfall . Any way you look at it, it you are interested in new technology, then you should give Gizmodo a try.