The Burtonian Page

Teaching 13years at Burton

2011-12-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

As an English teacher in Burton is almost 13years. He is Mr. Chow who has pretty enough popularity now like superstar in Burton and really significant teacher for many students, too.

His story is started from San Francisco. He was born in San Francisco, CA. His parents are Chinese. When he was in high school, although He did not get high score for SAT, he had another chance called “Spring time program”. He could pass his high school well and finally enrolled the University of California, Berkeley and extend his dream as English teacher. “During 5years college life my eyes opened a lot. It was fun. Involving student activity, even do laundry myself.” Mr. Chow said. To become an English teacher, there was some story. He said, “I had a good English teacher when I was in high school. So that I wanted to become just like that teacher and wanted to help student study English.” The meeting of one of great teacher made his dream to become a great English teacher.

Staying more than 10years in Burton, naturally he got many experience. He recalled his 13years in Burton, he said one of good thing to teaching is he can see many students growing. For example, one of student who he taught invited him to come their wedding so he went there. Of course there was not good thing happened, either. “There was some driving accident that some students died. Much unhappy thing was the girl was only sophomore.” he said.

He has many things to do. First, he helps lot of Chinese students in Burton to communicate with them with Chinese sponsor. The clubs that he undertakes are Chinese cultural club and journalism, the class he has are ELD3 English and journalism. “I am planning to make new club that about iMac. Students can learn and teach each other about how to use Apple” he said with vision.

Mr. Chow is a teacher but also husband of one of family and a vibrant middle-aged guy, too. He married with someone who met from at college and likes “ Falling down things” such as bike riding, rock climbing.

The hard things about teaching to him are to see some students drop out of school and fail. He also mentioned,“ I can’t reach out few student, like you do all you can but still can’t help.”

He is innovative as teaching. He thinks teaching also have to change. He change his class if he possible to help as many students and want to teach what he can anything. He still wants to teach other things like maybe it can be useful information or even like iMac.

“Teaching is everyone’s responsibility. I want to spend my rest of life to teaching, even not same situation” he finished his saying.

Path of a teacher

2011-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

22 Years ago, Alma Pajarito was a young lady with 15 years old. She came from Guatemala City to San Francisco. She lived with her older sister and helps her sister take care sister’s children. She went to Newcomer high school and at that time she had a lot of difficult but she was happy and she said:” I don’t know English; I have to learn everything, such as: English, writing, Math. But I’m good about change problem to positive”. Elapsed time, she went to College, she worry about her Math class, she just got B for Math, so she took all Math classes, she said:” I knew I am not good at Math so I would take all Math class. My counselor said you wanted to become teacher and I said yes”. She loves children and she want to learn more about Math maybe that is a reason make she became a teacher. Experienced many difficulties, when she was 27 years old, finally she graduated from College and become a teacher. She was a teacher in Newcomer high school which was her high school. Then, Newcomer high school was closed, so she went to Burton high school for 2.5 years ago. Now, she’s 37 years old. She’s an Algebra teacher at room 342 in Burton high school. Became a teacher isn’t easy, Ms. Pajarito said: “It’s not easy to become a teacher. We have to thinking every day. Student have home works, we’re have home works, too. We think about your home work, test, class work…how to make student understand?” She went through lot of difficult. She became a good teacher. This is result of endeavor.

She feels grateful to her older sister. Her sister helped her when she came to San Francisco, help she goes to school, she said:” my sisters always say come on go to school. You have to go to school or don’t get off. Don’t worry.” She loves her sister. She’s like some student, she likes weekend, and weekend make her happy. Been at home make she feel boring. In Burton high school has 78% student knew Ms. Pajarito, in that percent, have 45% student feel good when learning in Ms. Pajarito’s class and 32% say I don’t know, 2% student feel uncomfortable ( this is result, after interview some one) anyone said:” Ms. P, she’s good. Sometime we get fun in her class but we want be in her homeroom.

Who is Erika Torres?

2011-11-28T17:01:00.001-08:00

Erika Torres is a 9th grader who attends Burton HighSchool. Erika torres reas magma, comic books and magazines. Erika torres was born in Manila, Philippines. She came to San Francisco California at the age of 2. She wants to become a psychologist. She is Bilingual. Her favorite sports are volleyball, and next year she is going to join the volleyball team here at Burton.
Erika loves this school she wants to make new friends and likes hanging out with her friends during lunch time.She describes herself as sweet, Interpersonal and calm. She always tries her best in her school work because she wants to achieve to get good grades, She has 3 siblings, has 1 older sister and 2 little brothers, but her 2 little brothers live with her uncles and aunt in Manila, Philippines. Not all her family lives with her. She lives far away from school, in the morning she has to take 3 buses to get here and during the bus rides she always see's her old friends from Elementary School.
When she was younger she visited Hollywood, San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, L.A., and Universal Studios.Mostly areas in San Francisco. During her school hours she hangs out with Erika Manasala, Russel, Clabron, and Nathan. Erika knows Erika Manasala's sister and they hang out sometimes on the weekends. A big problem is that she doesn't like the school lunch and sometimes she brings her own lunch to school. Right now she doesn't have a boyfriend. She doesn't lie the school lunch because she says that it is not healthy and it's frozen food. Erika is a really patient person when I meet her and I had a nice chat with her.

A meaningful trip

2011-11-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

Add caption

As everyone know, Africa is located south of Europe and between Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent. In such a big population country, lots of scary infections are fast-moving such as HIV. There are more than 34 million people in the world having HIV; over 22 million live in Africa. Therefore, many people may not willing to visit this country. On the contrary, a health science teacher in Burton High School who is called Jessica Wright, a brave and enthusiastic lady, has been to the Africa for being 2 years volunteer.

“I felt excited when I reach Africa” She said.
She was attended the US Peace Corps and been a volunteer in Africa in 2008. She taught the women there about their local law. Beyond that, she also helped the women who were having HIV. She told the children there how to protect themselves and say no to sex.
“I had my host family. They were all nice. I missed my family in US even so.” She said. It was not easy to living there. Sometimes she felt scared and helpless. She can still remember she was almost rubbed by a guy.
The sanitary condition there were not as well as other country. Sometimes she saw some spiders which have poison. She need to take care of herself and be careful to everything to make herself safety.
“It’s help me to be a stronger person.” She got a lot from these two years. It was a meaningful two years.
“I also got many friends in different places such as Ethiopia, Nigeria and Denmark.”

Shaolin Monks

2010-03-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

Sixth Day Laws

2010-03-11T22:11:00.001-08:00

Find more videos like this on Making Curriculum Pop

Making Online Quizzes with Google Docs – Part 1 – Creating Quizzes

2010-02-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Create your own quiz and post it on your blog. Share/invite the class and friends to take the quiz.
Making Online Quizzes with Google Docs – Part 1 – Creating Quizzes

Being the Reporter on NewsU.org

2010-02-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

We will be using a site called http://www.newsu.org/ to train you on Journalism as a profession. First, you need to create an account using your gmail account. You will not need to pay anything or give them any personal information. After you have registered, sign up for the Be the Reporter Game. After you have played the game, write a blog on the my.hsj.org/theburtonian site about what you see as the most important purpose for news reporting. What do you think is the main motivating factor in the mainstream media? Do you agree or disagree with that? In your opinion, what do you think should be the most important factor for reporting about news? Blog about it.

2010-01-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

The Indesign workspace

2009-12-15T11:44:00.001-08:00

Getting to Know the InDesign CS4 Workspace

View more presentations from Central Virginia Community College.

Story Corps archives

2009-11-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

Listen to the selection of stories on the storycorps.org website. What do we know about the subject? What is the relationship between the interviewer and the subject? What kind of questions were asked? What do you think is the message of the oral history?

Chloe Smith and Willie Jefferson

A student at the school interviewed a long-time custodian about his life, his perspective about young people, and his observations about the interviewer.

Other sites with audio content:
OnBeing
Washington Post's interactive stories in which regular people talk about themselves a la vlogs.

NPR
One of the most extensive sources of radio news and documentary stories.
Check out the investigative/personal report by Richard Gonzalez about the Richmond Gang-rape incident

Youth Radio
Oakland-based organization for young people to produce and share their podcasts and audio reports.

Collaboration with El Tecolote

2009-11-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

Even before the school year started, I had been talking with Eva Martinez of El Tecolote about some partnership ideas between our school and their newspaper. We had attempted to apply for a partnership grant in the Spring, but we didn't have enough time to get the paperwork started. So we kept in touch and were going to see how things fell in place.
Times have not been easy for any newspapers - large or small, national or local. El Tecolote started to trim down and print only once a month. They have been trying to find creative ways to still provide in-depth coverage in Spanish and English, but keep under budget. That's where schools and youth programs like Burton comes in.
As we are finishing our first collaborative issue with Eva, Suzy and Roberto from El Tecolote, we are hoping that this first attempt could lead to further grant opportunities, community and school buy-in, and larger readership among young people. This year, we are lucky to have the eight students in the Journalism program. They have been dedicated, hard-working, and pushing themselves to improve as they write story after story.
While it's unlikely that they will find a career in journalism, the experience will improve their writing, communication, problem-solving and collaboration skills. They will be more creative, learn to negotiate ideas, and exercise their right to free speech wherever their future takes them.
The first edition will be out later this week, and I am thrilled about seeing it distributed at Burton!

Data Mining Assignment

2009-10-01T11:47:00.001-07:00

Use the following resources to find some interesting information about Burton High School.
http://www.city-data.com
http://www.greatschools.net
Official SFUSD Data
SF Chronicle article on dropout rates
Report: Hidden Gaps in teacher spending

1. List 5 interesting facts that you've discovered from your data mining. Identify their sources.
2. Choose one of the more interesting or important bits of information. Who might be affected by this or who should know about it?
3. What impact could this fact have on the target audience?
4. Write 4 questions about this fact.
5. Brainstorm where you might get more information about the topic. Think of people, agencies, companies, websites or publications.
6. After doing some further research on this issue, come up with a headline and lead for this story. If you would like to take the story further, you could pursue this as your next article.

Scholarship and publication opportunities

2009-09-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

Some opportunities:
KQED and Youth Radio are looking for stories from youth about how the budget cuts are affecting their lives. Contribute to their site.

The SF Chronicle is seeking "teen rants," 250-word pieces by teenagers expressing strong opinions about a topic of teen interest. Violence, Safety, etc.
If you are interested, send me a copy and I will submit it directly to their contact.

The 21st Century School Fund is sponsoring a Photo and Essay Contest. In photos or words, tell about your school building – what you are proud of and what you’d like to see changed. Be a detective, documenting and showing the world the good, bad and even the funny dimensions of your school building.

The Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship and Conference Program is now accepting applications from students who are currently high school seniors. The program has provided unique opportunities to aspiring, free-spirited journalists. We are grateful to the hundreds of newspapers that have helped us promote the program.

The program annually awards $1,000 college scholarships to high school seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism and who demonstrate qualities of “free spirit.” All winners come to Washington, D.C. on March 13-18, 2010 at Freedom Forum expense to receive their awards and participate in the conference which concludes with the Al Neuharth Free Spirit of the Year award ceremony.

The deadline for applications is October 15, 2009.

2009-09-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

Blog Assignments
As of week 5, we are moving the blogs to the my.hsj.org/theburtonian site. You should receive the topic in your email and post your blogs on the newspaper site.
This week's blog topic is the following:
What are some of the benefits of participation in a high school journalism program? What kind of skills and experiences do individuals gain from working on a campus newspaper?
Here is a recent study of some outcomes of students who took part in a high school paper: naa.org

Blog topic for Week 5

2009-09-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with the Jumpstart workshop at Lowell that I totally forgot to post the blog for this week. But I also noticed that nobody did the blog from 2 weeks ago - the saturation article. Please do that one if you want to get the credit.
Now for this week's blog. From the interview with Mr. Kappenhagen, comment on what you learned from the interview. You can talk about the ideas or experiences that Kapp shared with us. You could also describe what you thought the experience was like. Think of some possible story ideas that could come out of the discussion we had with our Principal.

Blog 2: Saturation Blog

2009-09-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

Saturation blog – Find a place that you can sit and observe without interacting with people or things. Describe in detail all the observations you gather in 10 minutes. It would be helpful if you had a notepad to write your thoughts, then transfer them to your blog, edited or not.

Welcome Burtonian Crew!

2009-09-02T23:27:00.001-07:00

2009-10 is in full swing and The Burtonian has to be a step ahead to cover the news and stories of the day!
I want to welcome everyone back to Burton for another year of new challenges and tremendous growth. For The Burtonian, it means we are going to return to the print edition of our paper as well as experiment with hosting the online news on a different server. We are going to continue the partnership with Adobe Youth Voices and KALW 91.7 in providing multimedia content to our news, but we are also going to work with El Tecolote, a local Bilingual Spanish newspaper.
I hope you're all as excited as I am to be your adviser/teacher because we have a lot of work to do!

First assignment: Create a new blog with blogger.com or wordpress.com or any free site. Send me the URL so I can add you to my blogroll. You will also get email updates when I post new assignments on the calendar and other communications. Most importantly, I will be able to see whenever you've posted a new blog.

Second: post your first blog for this class. After what we have already discussed in class and through some introspection, what do you see as the main roles/responsibilities of a journalist?

The third task I want you to do is search for random data on our school. Find out some interesting nugget of information that you think might result in an investigative story. For now, take notes and bring something back to share next Tuesday 9/8.

2009-08-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

This video humorously shows the state of newspapers.

Past and Future

2009-07-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map
Tuesday morning I had a much-anticipated meeting with Eva Martinez from Accion Latina, which was the non-profit organization partner of El Tecolote, a local bilingual Spanish newspaper that started in 1970 that I have been trying to establish a partnership with our school's journalism program.
I had time to kill, so I wandered into Precita Eyes Mural Center. The woman at the counter explained how I needed to visit the particular sites on the mural tour. They were all within a few blocks from the 24th Street shop. I wandered through a couple of blocks as there were still few people on the streets at that hour. I admired the old China Books location, where my father and many old-time Chinese used to get their publications from mainland China up until the late 90s. Now it has a beautiful Asian-flavored fishing mural above the emptied store-front.
It was a typical gray summer in the City. Almost like magic the colors of the Mission District revealed themselves as noon approached. The murals seemed to pop out through the sunless streets. The activity and conversations mirrored the spirit of murals.
I eventually met with Eva Martinez, who it turns out, knew a lot of the same people I know or had heard about. She used to run the CIIJ program at SF State, and they used to do the journalism adviser training during the summer. She also knows a lot of the activists in other communities that have connected with the Latino community in SF.
We mostly talked about our backgrounds and how/why we are interested in working with youth and getting them plugged into journalism. But the main purpose of our meeting was to see what possibilities there are in working together.
I came into this meeting thinking of specific ideas such as publishing an insert in their paper, inviting guest professionals to speak to our students, arranging field trips, all of which we talked about. But the thought occurred to me as we talked that what El Tecolote could provide us is inspiration. I thought about so many students at our school who would be excited to join our journalism program or feel more passionate about journalism if they met people like Eva or Juan Gonzalez, the founder and manager of El Tecolote. The inspiration, guidance and possible opportunities in meeting these professionals would be life-changing.
I need to go back to the drawing board and figure out the best way to involve El Tecolote and the community and professional contacts that they could offer. Our journalism program would get a great boost from those connections.

My Generation

2009-07-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some thinking, and it keeps nagging at me wherever I go.
I have come to a few conclusions. One, that I will never get rid of my CD and LP collection no matter how much the old technology fades and the new continue to develop. I was born in the generation that made cassette tapes off of the radio or connected to record players. CDs were a new thing for me, and I didn't start my collection until I finished college. MP3 and all the digital formats have been catching up with me, and so have digital/online texts, movies, and news.
But it made sense to me after I've been talking it out with some friends, older friends, since I am on vacation from school. The compact disc, the DVD - maybe not the VHS, the book, and yes the newspaper will be around, at least up to when my generation begins to fade to retirement.
But that means there should be a market for those products, a huge market. And that includes the couple of generations senior to ours who would never imagine a day without the daily paper, borrowing books from the library, shelving their music library in the listening room.
People tend to talk in prophetic language and try to be the next Orwell. But how about the next 10-20 years? How long has the newspaper been in existence? And why would it disappear all of sudden? How long have books been around?
I won't get in the way of progress. The world will become digitized and knowledge will reside on huge super-computer of epic proportions. But what I find important is the present and using the tools, old or new, to solve the problems of the world.
That gives me great encouragement that Burton's journalism program will be reborn again, in both print and online with interactive, constantly updated, multimedia content. We have an obligation to our students and our community.

BAVC I Salon: The Hybrid Tomorrow

2009-06-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

It's the tools that are changing, not the principles. These were more or less the words of Robert Rosenthal, who has worked for the San Francisco Chronicle among other prestigious national newspapers for nearly 40 years. The premise of last night's conversation at Dolby Labs was "How do we get our news?" and essentially, whether the buzz about the news media's decay should be something to be alarmed about. From Marcus Chan, the Multimedia and Technology Editor for the SF Chronicle, to Kevin Weston, Director of New Media & Youth Communications at New American Media, the panel of speakers expressed their fears, historical perspective, and optimism for the role of journalists and documentarians. In fact, it was unanimous that everyone felt the role of journalists is of greater importance today than ever before. With the government dishing out billion dollar bailouts, educational budget cuts, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, anti-poor proposals, and government power struggles, the news media's watchdog role is critical to our democratic society.
Joe Rubin, who works with Frontline World, was asked why programs such as his and other public television lacks the numbers that mainstream news media draws. With the recession comes streamlining, and what goes is the age of large news rooms. But what stays is the principles and compelling storytelling.
They talked quite a bit about sustainable business models. In one sentence, there is none right now. But intelligent minds are coming together to find a way beyond relying on the old ways. Kevin Weston remarked that a lot of the larger news media organizations are seeking foundation funding much like his own in the non-profit sector. In fact, many of the upstart or alternative newspapers that you find in major urban areas are sponsored by one wealthy sponsor. But that is a tenuous model, as Katharine Mieszkowski of Salon.com says.
The discussion ended a bit abruptly after a handful of comments/questions from the audience. But for a Tuesday evening running close to 9pm, that was as long as the talk was going to go if it weren't continued into a bar or late-night coffee shop or some smoke-filled living room.
My questions are still: What is the role high schools can play in developing journalism and the audience for news and media literacy? Will universities acknowledge and honor the skill-set that high school journalists bring with them to college and beyond? What kind of society are we fostering if we do not value the people who serve to inform and reveal the truth about our government, society and world?

Ian Sherr the Life of a Journalist

2009-05-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

April 14th, 2009.
With the coordination of World Savvy, Ian Sherr, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism student and reporter, came in to show parts of Beijing Beat, a project he was involved in, and talk about the role of a journalist and the direction news media is heading. Beijing Beat was a documentary video project that Mr. Sherr and his colleagues developed and produced right before the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. The project, which can be seen on the Washington Post online is made up of short documentaries of the lives of young Beijingers in the sprawling capitol city, with stories ranging from a young monk in modern times, an ambitious capitalist trying to set up his 'nest' before he finds a wife, and a young woman trying to make a living as a film-maker.
Mr. Sherr presented some of these video clips, and mostly talked about his observations about modern China. As an outsider and a journalist, he got to see a very different side of the people and nation. For one, as a journalist, he and his colleagues were branded as trouble-makers. Journalists are supposed to uncover the truth. In China there really is no school of journalism, as the role of a journalist in China is to be the official voice of the Party. Mr. Sherr talked about his escapades working in and out of the authorities.
We discussed a lot more about Chinese society and politics, but our conversation went into the state of journalism as well. He was not surprised that the traditional newspapers were declining, but he expressed enthusiasm for how the new media will invigorate journalism and create a 'hybrid' model of news media. What that will look like we can only conjecture, but professionals and students like Mr. Sherr, who are practicing and experimenting with these tools now, will play a major role in developing this hybrid model. I certainly hope high school journalism programs will influence the way this new model will look like.

News Search

2009-04-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

For your Podcast project, begin by doing a google news search for any related information pertaining to your subject (either Effects of the Economy, State of Burton High School, or School Policies)
When you come upon an article, either select the share button and choose google bookmarks. You could find your bookmarks in google notebook and select bookmarks. Another way you can save/clip your articles is cut and paste the URL and insert it in the bookmarks on your Google notebook. Click the Add Bookmark button and enter the URL.
On your blog, write a summary and response to the article. In your comments, think of how this news story might impact the topic you are investigating. What questions or assumptions do you have before you start your investigation?
Note: Learn to use tags, or keywords, to label, identify or organize your information. Notice that this post is tagged podcasts, investigation, web2.0.

NPR News Stories

2009-04-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Check out the NPR stories from today. The one about Supreme Court Hears School Strip-Search Case is interesting in the way it objectively reports on a very controversial issue.
There is also another one that presents a hypothetical situation if Marijuana were Legalized. Check it out and post a comment on your blog or feel free to create a discussion on the Google Burtonian group.

Beijing Beat

2009-04-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

For Week 12, please visit the Washington Post site Beijing Beat and view the featured stories about life in modern Beijing. Post your comments on the Discussion page Beijing Beat.
In particular, I would like your comments and questions to focus on how the pieces were produced; what was the essential questions the journalists were starting with; and what you knew already, still want to know, and learned from viewing the stories.

Burtonian Podcasters

2009-03-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Podcast Project
This project will be our first stories reported in podcast format. I would like you to continue investigating and writing your stories for our school paper, but you will not be done at that point. You will work with a team of reporters who will cover the same issue to produce a podcast of your discoveries. Using audio, video and still image, you will weave together a podcast that the school and public could subscribe to and listen to at their convenience. We will publish the podcasts on our school website as well as on iTunes and other online sites that publicize similar programs. Follow the following steps to complete the task:

1. Identify an Essential Question about your topic
2. Brainstorm and plan out the components of your podcast that would address the question.
3. Assign roles and tasks. Set up deadlines.
4. Each individual or group comes up with a plan for their part of the podcast, present to the group, and get feedback.
5. Gather assets (audio or video interviews, images, other audio and/or video clips, documents)
6. Review material and write script.
7. Break up the script into parts using storyboard format.
8. Create a project folder and upload and organize all assets.
9. Record audio narration using Garageband or Audacity.
10. Use Garageband to edit and put together the podcast.
11. When you are done, make sure you save a copy and export to mp3 format.

The State of Journalism

2009-03-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sadly the Seattle Post Intelligencer shut down its print operations, opting for an entirely web-based edition of their 130 year old newspaper. This is just one layer of the coming avalanche that is becoming the fall of the free press.
What was just months ago an engaging conversation among the few who really cared about social phenomenon such as new media, citizen journalism, and critical media, has now become a sobering reality of change in American society.
Check out the Time Magazine article that attempts to explain what is going on.
Feel free to blog or post your comments on the burtonian group discussion.

5 Steps to Multimedia Storytelling

2009-03-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

We have just a week before the rough cut of the semester projects are due. I found an online course on Newsu.org to help you with technical aspects of the process.
Go to 5 Steps to Multimedia Storytelling and go through aspects of the course that you thought would be useful.
Submit a report at the end of the course and post a comment about what you learned, found helpful, and if you have other questions on the google group 5 Steps to Multimedia Storytelling

Is the Newspaper Dead?

2009-03-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What do you think will be the future of journalism? Is there still a place for local and national newspapers? Will citizen journalism replace professional news media? How can we maintain ethical standards for news reporting while guaranteeing freedom of the press?
Post your comments on the Burtonian discussion page Future of Journalism.

2009-03-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Center for Media Literacy spells out the Five Core Concepts
1. All media messages are constructed.
2. Media messages are constructed using a creative language with its own rules.
3. Different people experience the same media message differently.
4. Media have embedded values and points of view.
5. Most media messages are organized to gain profit and/or power.

Go to Youth Outloook and search for any audio or video presentation. Answer the Five Key Questions below.
Then, watch any TV or online commercial ad. It could be a public service announcement or brand ad. Check out sites such as http://www.clioawards.com/ or www.chiff.com
Answer the same questions for the ad. Submit your answers on the Burtonian google group discussion 5 Core Questions.

Five Key Questions
Deconstruction
1. Who created this message?
2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
3. How might different people understand this message differently?
4. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
5. Why is this message being sent?

2009-02-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

Go to the Newseum site and scan the various newspapers of the United
States. Find one national and one local or independent paper.
1. National newspaper - What article did you read? Write a brief
summary in 2-3 sentences. Write a response to the article, including
how this news affects you or your community.
2. Local newspaper - What article did you read? Write a brief summary
in 2-3 sentences. Write a response to the article, including insights
about what makes this news local to that particular region. Why would
it be important to the people who read the paper?
3. Opinions/Evaluation - After looking at the Newseum site and the
various newspapers, what ideas do you have about online news? What
possibilities could be seen in the future of news reporting? Finally,
what ideas can the Burtonian take from all that you've seen in this
search?
Post your answers on the discussion topic Newseum posted on the google group The Burtonian

Cleaning Your Copy

2009-02-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

Hello Burton Reporters!
I will be administering CAHSEE testing today and will need your cooperation by going to Room 319 where Ms. Enger will supervise your activity. As she is the librarian also, please respect that she has responsibilities as the librarian, so try to make each others' day easier.
You will be enrolling in another newsu.org course called Cleaning Up Your Copy, in which you will learn the conventions of grammar, spelling and style, which you should have a firm grasp of, whether you are a reporter, editor, or designer for our paper.
After you have completed the course, make sure to send me report so you will get credit for participating in the course. Be sure to take the pre and post-tests!
Besides the online course, I am asking you to finish up editing the articles that I invited you to collaborate on via gmail. Check your messages and you should find 3-4 articles that you have been assigned. Google docs has an auto-save action every few minutes, but save your work just in case.

Wikispaces

2009-01-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

Go to the wiki page journalismchat I created and follow the links to the articles. Respond to the articles using the wiki page.

A Moment to Celebrate

2009-01-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

Last night, I watched the HBO televised Inaugural Celebration that took place at the Washington Mall on Sunday night. Set before a pristine backdrop of a massive ivory stage, speakers such as Denzel Washington, Laura Linney, George Lopez, Kal Penn, Forrest Whittaker, and so many more honored the place, gave their respects to America, reminded us of the historical significance of this Tuesday's Inauguration, and most especially, toasted the man who will be our next President, Barack Obama.
But the attraction of the evening was the musical performances. Every act was upbeat, dignified, loud, and proud. Artists such as Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige, Usher, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, ... so many more... Even U2 did two songs, and it must have been a great moment for Mr. Obama, as he would have been in college when U2 had their most elevated, revolutionary songs. In all, the music, with its variety, energy, and message, epitomize the America that many of us have been missing and look forward to in the next four years. Music is so powerful, and it was evident in this concert. In the eight years that have passed, the music was angry, cynical, and often escapist and decadent. It was refreshing to hear a lot of songs from two, three decades past. The songs of Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and yes, even U2. Tonight it will be tears of joy. Tomorrow, we will find another reason to cry. Let's hope it will be for the accomplishment of a better world.

ABC News: Cracking the Teen Texting Code

2009-01-15T09:16:00.001-08:00

ABC News: Cracking the Teen Texting Code

Posted using ShareThis

Bay Area Protests over BART Killing

2009-01-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

Violence erupted last night as protests turned violent in Downtown Oakland. Local businesses were vandalized and cars were burned as protesters called for justice in the killing of 22-year old Oscar Grant. At the Fruitvale BART Station on New Year's Eve, Grant, who was unarmed and pressed to the ground on his stomach, was shot and killed by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle, who quit the force soon after the incident.

The incident has sparked a lot of anger and accusations of racism, especially with the airing of a couple of citizen videos of the shooting and the moments leading to the shooting. It was an example of citizen journalism trying to bring justice to the surface, and sometimes truth can lead to consequences beyond your control.
There were protests again tonight. In light of all of this, Grant's family have asked protesters to take on a calm in responding to the tragedy. Mayor Ron Dellums and local authorities are hoping to reach a verdict on how to handle the case and quell the anger that is growing.

Thursday 1/8 - Friday 1/9/09

2009-01-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hi students
I am at Day Two of my workshops at Macworld Expo. The view from here is exciting and bodes well for the future of education. I am learning about creative ways technology could enhance learning and make communication of information and ideas more powerful. I wish to share some of these ideas with you when I get back next week, or check out my blog echow.wordpress.com.
Unfortunately, I won't be there today and Friday. But I arranged for you to use the Computer Lab in Rm319 today if you need. I could not get Friday, but you could take turns using the iMacs to edit your This I Believe pieces. I have not heard back from Matt at KALW about when we might record the rest of the essays.
In the meantime, you could work on articles for the website. We really need more articles! When you are done, please send them to Kaisha and myself so we can edit them.
Also, please sign up with the New York Times Electronic Edition so they can email you recent news daily. After that, post your comments on the wiki. Click edit and continue adding to the page that people had written on previously.
Finally, you could continue working on the blogs. I know many of you attended the memorial for Ms. Hansen yesterday. What was the mood? What did speakers talk about? How were people doing afterwards?
Ok, I will continue communicating with you via email/blogger. Until then, keep on truckin'!
Chow

New York Times Electronic Edition

2009-01-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

1) Go online to: http://classroom.nytimes.com
2) Type in your classroom account number -- 200280493 -- as both user name and password.
3) When you get to the Classroom Subscription landing page, click on the newspaper image to launch the Electronic Edition.

After signing up for your free subscription, search through today's news and post a comment on the Burtonian newsroom site. This is a wiki site, in which everyone can contribute to a project or discussion.

Life is Joy

2008-12-23T00:09:00.001-08:00

Attending the gathering last night to remember our mentor, colleague and friend, Bonnie Hansen, I was struck by the observation of how many people turned out to remember, pay respects to, and share the joy of life with our beloved friend. Hundreds of students, former and current, some who even did not end up graduating from Burton, and many friends and colleagues gathered by the lower parking lot where her classroom could be accessed. The crowd was astounding, especially for an evening on the brink of Christmas. It was cold and dark, and yet, the spirit of the people was warm with hugs and well-wishes.
Ms. Hansen and I started working at Burton just about the same time. We have seen so many of the same students and teachers pass through these halls. It will feel so much less like Burton when I won't hear her chatting and laughing when we should be giving our attention to the speaker during faculty meetings. Or when she had an uncontrollable craving for something to snack on or a craving to say something, which was almost always.
I never had the pleasure of sitting in on one of her classes. But according to students, it was always lively, spirited, funny. She was all of this, inside and outside the classroom. As she was speaking with us, she was this way with the kids.
The Burton community and the world has lost a bright flame. But Bonnie has left so many good memories, brought so many people together, that we should celebrate our lives the way she has done.

Your Profile

2008-12-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

The Burtonian is going to go public tomorrow (cross fingers!)
We will need to re-take your photos again. And do a group photo.
But we also need you to write a brief statement. So please answer the following questions in a short paragraph:
1. Why are we publishing the Burtonian on the web rather than in print?
2. What power does writing (especially for a school paper) give you?
3. What issue(s) are you most concerned with and that you want to do something about?

Send your answers to my chowsir23@gmail.com. Or if you want extra-credit, post them on your blogs as well!

The Writer's Workbench

2008-12-15T23:56:00.001-08:00

Log in to newsu.org and sign up for The Writer's Workbench.
This collection of writing tools will help you strengthen new work and diagnose stories you have already written. The self-directed course groups tools into four sections: nuts and bolts, including word choice and sentence structure; blueprints to create architecture for your stories; special effects to refine your writing voice; and useful habits to help you be a more confident writer. Each tool features exercises to help you apply what you’ve learned. Use the tools to help build your skills or as reference to keep your writing sharp.
After taking this course, you will be able to:

Demonstrate a mastery over word choice, sentence structure and architecture for your stories
Use special effects to refine your writing voice
Write with confidence and develop your own useful habits

When you are done with the tutorial (it may take 1-2 hours, as it suggests), post on your blog with the title "10 Lessons from The Writer's Workbench" and list 10 lessons you got out of the workshop.

You Be the Editor Game

2008-12-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

Log in to newsu.org and sign up for You Be the Editor Game.
Learn the responsibilities and tasks of a news editor in the field.
After you have done the tutorial, send me a Class Report to my email: chowsir23@gmail.com.
We will have a brief discussion afterwards.

Burtonian Pilot Survey

2008-12-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

Please take some time to check out the pilot home site of The Burtonian. Start with this link to the survey.

Week 13-14 Update and Assignments

2008-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

Please read!
We are reaching the end of the first semester, but we are far from being done.
As I've mentioned before, it is very very very important that you send your digital version of your articles to me by Monday. I need to submit them to Mr. Singer and his Multi-media students so they can begin laying out the content on the Burtonian website. Before you submit your stories, make sure you re-read and make final edits on your writing.
Second, we are going to do some more exercises with audio productions. Friday, you were assigned to write a personal essay to the prompt: "This I Believe." You wrote an essay about what you deeply believe in, how this belief came to you, how it shapes/d you, how it has challenged you. Use stories and anecdotes to illustrate this belief. We will take your essays and record them with the audio recorders. Then, we will edit and produce an audio project using the multimedia software.
Lastly, I need to get everyone's Digital Project Proposal. This was the form I gave you this past week. It asks you to identify an issue or question that you would like to investigate and possibly do an radio report about. Please submit these to me no later than Tuesday 11/25/08.
Things to come:
Food Festival (11/25) - We are slated to sell rootbeer floats. Is that still on? What's the plan?
The Burtonian Online Preview/Critique Session (12/9) - We will gather in Mr. Singer's class and get a first peek at the Burtonian website and offer some valuable critique.

What are you PISSED OFF about?

2008-11-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Those were the words that Tim Redmond from the SF Bay Guardian said was one of the first lessons he teaches young journalists. Tim has worked at the Guardian since 1982, coming from Wesleyan in Connecticut where he got deeply involved in the student movement against his school's investment in Apartheid South Africa.
On a drizzly Thursday morning typical of a school day in San Francisco, Tim met with a handful of our Burtonian journalists and talked about his background in journalism, why he got involved in journalism of his type, what is original and very San Francisco about the Bay Guardian, and his perspective on the future of journalism. All in all, it was a history lesson, an inspiration, and an hour of picking our brains about why we do what we do as journalists.
Some take-aways I got out of the conversation were:
1. You have to be passionate about what you write. And in that sense, you have to take sides. There is no neutral ground as a reporter. Seek the truth, not just present the facts. There is always a right side to a situation.
2. Don't get stuck dwelling on the obstacles, focus on getting past them. He used the wooden blocks that martial artists break. To prepare for this, we do not think of the block, we imagine our hand getting past the barrier. Same for journalists. When we run into roadblocks and rejections, we find ways around them. We believe that there is always a way to get the story.
3. Realize the power of your voice/words. Especially for young people, the First Amendment is a powerful tool to get your voice heard, and no one can silence it without facing the scrutiny of a society that values free speech. It is the very foundation of our way of life. To not exercise it is to squander the priviledge that so much of the rest of the world can only imagine.
So after feeling the great disappointment that so many of my journalism students weren't able to come along with us, I'm looking back on this day and thinking it is still a big step. I know Tim Redmond's words will continue to resonate in the voices and actions of the students who did come along. And they will make that spirit contagious. They will be more bold and embolden their peers. As for myself, I realize that I have been taking the middle road, not realizing the fire beneath journalism's heart. It begins with the ultimate question: "What pisses you off?"

Week 12 Assignments

2008-11-11T23:05:00.000-08:00

1. The Interview
Log in to your newsu.org account.
Search for or follow the link to the class titled The Interview. Enroll in this class and read the instructions before starting the lesson. Follow the prompts until you finish the session.
At the end of the session, please fill out the debriefing survey.
Send a course report to chowsir23@gmail.com so I will know that you logged into and completed the course.

2. Telling Stories with Sound
Log in to newsu.org account.
Search for or follow the link to the class titled Telling Stories with Sound. Enroll in this class and read the instructions before starting the lesson. Follow the prompts until you finish the session.

How do audio stories create a sense of place?
What is the difference between primary and secondary sound sources?
What are some purposes for the ‘pre-interview’?
Name the five basic types of microphones.
Which type of microphone is ideal for interviews of individual subjects out in public?
What are the 3 types of digital recording devices?
What can you do if your subject is only answering “Yes”, “No” or “Maybe” to your questions?
What are some possible sources of “white noise” or unexpected sounds that may interfere with the quality of your recording?
What is ambient sound?
What is natural sound?
Where can you get more information on fair and legal use of copyrighted music?
How can you make a voice-over sound natural?

Answer the questions on paper or send them by email to chowsir23@gmail.com
Send a course report to chowsir23@gmail.com so I will know that you logged into and completed the course.

Blog assignment
A significant factor in President-Elect Barack Obama’s historic victory was the way he used technology, namely the expanding realm of Web 2.0, more popularly known as facebook, blogging, and other forms of social networking. His campaign’s media savvy could be seen in the musical artists and other celebrities who lent their voices, words and faces to support his campaign of ‘hope’, and the voices of the literally millions who used their friends and connections to build a movement.
Your blog for this week will be an attempt to answer the question: How has Web 2.0 changed your life? How will it continue to change our lives? And finally, what will be the impact on the news media - how it is presented and how we receive it?
In order to address these questions, do your own research. But here are some sites that could help you start out:

This is Obama’s campaign website. Imagine if you were an independent, trying to decide which candidate would best serve our country.
http://change.gov/

This article talks the Web 2.0 summit in which people such as our own Mayor Gavin Newsom discuss the future of Web 2.0 with a new President who is committed to using technology to run a more effective and transparent government.
http://www.cio.com/article/461163/How_Obama_Will_Use_Web_._For_Change

Here’s another article about how Obama used the web to build his campaign.
http://blogs.computerworld.com/president
Another site that used various networks to raise funds for Obama and Progressive political candidates and issues.
http://moveon.org/

This site has been around for many years, even before Obama was labeled the Rock Star politician.
http://www.rockthevote.com/

Journalism Training and Blog Assignments

2008-11-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Journalism
11/6/08
Activities

1. Go to your Newsu.org account.

2. Sign up for News Sense: The Building Blocks of News (this is in the Journalism 101 section)
Answer the following questions:
1. What are some examples of human doings/concerns? (list at least 5)
2. What are the 5 W’s?
3. What do all news stories do? (hint: there are 4)
4. What do reporters do to clarify a story? (there are 4 steps)
5. What are some sources of information?

3. Sign up for Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Creating Alternative Story Forms (this is in the Graphics/Design folder)
Go through the tutorial and answer the questions:
1. What are ASFs? What are some examples of these?
2. Why are they used more often in modern news media?
3. What are the advantages of using ASFs?
4. What are supplemental forms? What are hybrids?
5. When might a story include hidden textboxes?

4. Blog: Scan the news for stories about the Election results. Use found images from the internet (make sure to cite the sources of images, audio, video or text) to create a collage of reactions to the Elections. Post a personal response to how you feel about the results. What do you think it means for America and the world? What did you learn about democracy, the American people, and journalism?
(Due Monday 11/10/08)

We Have Gotten There

2008-11-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

We have gotten there! Don't mistake my words. I don't mean we have reached the end of the road. I don't mean our goal is achieved. We are not going to see the problems in our society resolved all of a sudden. What I am saying is reflected in the images I've seen again and again on the faces in the crowd among the hundred thousand who were there to celebrate Barak Obama's acceptance speech in Grant Park, Chicago.

There were people of all skin tones, all cultures, all ages. There was Oprah. She was in tears and had to hold onto the person in front of her. And next to her, there was Reverend Jesse Jackson. The same man who was there alongside Martin Luther King Jr., the same man who nearly won the Democratic primary in 1988, the same Rev. Jackson who made damning remarks about Obama just months ago, cried uncontrollably. The tears were generous, overflowing. And he was not trying to wipe them away. They were the tears of joy that you feel when you take stock of all that has led up to a certain point, and when you remember the long road of sacrifices, even those by those long before you were born. They were the tears that told stories that will be told to generations into the future. They were full of the weight you carried for nearly your entire life, and now it has come to this, a moment when you can just let it all out. These tears told much more than any speech or interview. Many people shared those same tears. They were overjoyed, relieved, gratified, and hopeful.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson knows what it all means. All the years of struggle, against the powers that be, against his own people, against oneself. And finally, it has come true. A Black President. It is exciting beyond my imagination right now what that means to the nation, and to the world. To African Americans, the idea is going to sink in deep. Very deep. For the rest of America, it is going to cause a paradigm shift. We will face the future with a leader who has no fear. And he has no fear because he has limitless faith in the American people. As evidenced in all the attacks on his race, his heritage, his background, his politics, his style, everything imaginable, he has been tested and come up aces. If that is not enough to convince you that he is fit to lead our country, what will? He has been ever focused, visionary, grounded in the grassroots, and amicable in the face of his enemies. America has made the right choice, and that in itself is hope.
Tonight, I shared in some of those tears, and will probably do so again as I think of the eight years of darkness we have pledged to come out of and of the possibilities to expect. Like Obama said in his acceptance speech, we the people are the ones who have won tonight, and it is our responsibility to bring us to meet the promise of America.

2008-11-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

By Wednesday, we will have found out if our country is heading in a new direction or if we will see a return to more of the same. Personally, I don’t think there will be the ‘same’ as we have known it. Seems like the Republicans are going to see some infighting and scrambling to gain new leadership. For the Democrats, the spotlight will be on them as it hasn’t for some time. They will be challenged to do good on the promises that they made during this campaign. Either way, we are in for some positive change.

For this week, we really need to get the stories done for Mr. Singer’s class to publish them on the website. If we are aiming for a mid-December launch, we need to have our stories polished and ready for publication. As I mentioned, you all need two stories by this Friday. And a third one by November 14th. You are mainly responsible for stories in your section of the paper, but you may write freelance for the other departments. Please send your drafts to members of your team, Kaisha, and myself.

We had a very good Journalism meeting. What started out to be another low-attendance meeting with not much accomplished, this Friday’s meeting, led by Josh Smallwood, was positive and raised a lot of ideas for the Burtonian. First of all, the group unanimously agreed that Josh would run the meetings if Minh cannot attend. He will lead the discussion and keep the members on task during the meeting. Second, we decided to have a second Journalism meeting on Wednesdays to allow for more time to get things done. Next, we brainstormed ideas for stories, what’s on our minds, what’s the buzz among the Burton community. So we came up with some new story leads and even new sections and departments. We are looking into a section featuring custom cars, a business/finance section, fashion (what are Burtonians wearing, etc.). We also had an animated discussion about whether we should cover more serious news like world and national issues and events. Ultimately, we decided that we need to cover local, national and global issues because: 1. in order for the Burtonian to be taken seriously, we need to cover hard news, 2. as aspiring journalists, we need to have experience covering news that is happening in the real world, 3. we are exercising our First Amendment rights when we express our views about the events that matter to us.

As we came up with the ideas, we are still short of writers who will follow-up on the stories.
college applications/financial aid
the War in Iraq
promises of the next President
Business/Financial Advice
Academy updates at Burton
Cafeteria food or Local restaurant Reviews
Technology/games/gadgets reviews
poetry and short stories

Finally, check out http://www.letters2president.org. Several of your essays were published and can be viewed on the national site. Good job to those who completed the letters. Let’s see if the next President will write back to you!

One more thing... I will update you on contests and internship or job opportunities. Youth Radio, a national program that is always seeking to promote youth produced audio and writing projects, is seeking freelancers/bloggers for a site very much like letters2president.org. If you are interested, contact kara@youthradio.org

Countdown to a New Era

2008-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

In a week, we are going to see what the future will hold for America and for the rest of the world. While President Bush will be packing up for his long-overdue exit from the White House, we will be welcoming a new leader to bring change to our suffering nation.
Who will that be? The choices are diametrically opposed candidates, in which our choice reflects our views of our nation and government. On the one hand, we have a candidate who boasts of his experience, his maverick-ness, and to his allegiance to the wealthy and privileged. The other candidate is untested and has risen to the front of politics so quickly you forget it has been just over a year since he started the campaign for Presidency. But much of that success is reflected in the mass sentiment of his supporters. It seems, as Colin Powell had said, we are witnessing a transformational figure in our times. History has shown that transformational figures are inspiring because they get others to do more for their cause. They use words to move people and take actions that others will follow. They see his/her vision as their common vision, and that vision grows long after the leader has moved on.
As we approach the end of the trail of these two campaigns, it becomes more clear the influences each campaign has had on the public. One has gotten people angry, afraid, indignant, and calling for a change that means bringing things back the way they used to be. The other has gotten people excited, empowered, hopeful, proud, and calling for allies to bring the nation to fulfill the promises it made to the entire world. What has been forgetten in this Election campaign is the voice of immigrants or those who dream of coming to this country. They can tell you the kind of America and the type of leader they think would do best for America, and by default, the world. I just hope those who can vote do so this Election. And I hope they make the choice that will bring about a society that can serve as a model for the world.

Week 10 - We Made It So Far!

2008-10-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

This week marks the 2nd half of our first semester! I hope you are all doing well and keeping up with all the many projects, homework and studying. I don't mean to compound your problems, but it is important to write your articles for the paper and do the blogging and other assignments for this class. Let me know if you ever need more time or some advice about your work.
Assignments:
1. Take the Midterm Evaluation. This survey will let me know where I may need to improve how I run the class and offer some reflection on what you have learned and accomplished so far.

2. Finish your second article or project for The Burtonian by November 7th. We have until November 29th to submit all our work in edited and finished form to Mr. Singer's class for uploading onto the website. We will probably need your stories by November 14th so we can edit them in the week or so before December. If you have already written your first article, start on your second piece. Your third article/project should be completed by November 14th. Send your submissions to Kaisha, your writing team, and myself using the share function on google docs. After you have gotten feedback, make corrections and revisions. The editor responsible for your section will make the final revisions.

3. We will be using a site called http://www.newsu.org/ to train you on Journalism as a profession. First, you need to create an account using your gmail account. You will not need to pay anything or give them any personal information. After you have registered, sign up for the Be the Reporter Game. After you have played the game, write a blog about what you see as the most important purpose for news reporting. What do you think is the main motivating factor in the mainstream media? Do you agree or disagree with that? In your opinion, what do you think should be the most important factor for reporting about news? Blog about it.

Week 9 - Create, Analyze and Publish a Poll

2008-10-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Conduct your own poll! - Interviewing Skills -

Are you scared about the possibility of another terrorist attack? Has your family purchased duct tape and plastic to seal off a room in your house? There's an easy way to find out how other kids your age respond to these issues--by conducting a poll. Polls measure people's beliefs, attitudes, or expectations on all kinds of political, social, and economic issues. To conduct a poll, people interview a small group of randomly selected people, called a sample, that represents a larger population. That's because it would be almost impossible (and very expensive!) to ask every single person's opinion. However, the bigger the sample, the more accurate the poll.

For your poll, choose a question about a topic that is current and affects the lives of your audience. For example, if your topic is use of internet use, you may ask, "Do your parents monitor your use of the internet?" Your question can have a "yes" or "no" answer or several responses from which your interviewees choose. For example, you could ask: How effective are web-content blocking programs? And your respondents could choose from: extremely safe, very safe, safe, a little unsafe, or very unsafe. Make sure that your question is not biased. This is biased: Do you think it is hypocritical that adults can access adult websites but teens cannot? This is not: Do you think web content-blocking programs will deter minors from adult websites? Sometimes, you can make your question unbiased by changing a few words.

After you choose a question, figure out what population you want your sample to represent. Do you want your poll to reflect the opinions of your class, grade, or whole school? Once you decide, figure out how many people will be in your sample. Then survey your sample and record the answers. Tally up the responses to figure out your poll's results and present your findings to the class. Were the results what you expected? Why or why not?

POLL QUESTION:

POPULATION:

SAMPLE SIZE:

RESPONSES:

RESULTS:

CONCLUSION:

Check out http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/polls.aspx for a lot of helpful information and models of good and bad polls.

Extra Credit: Conduct a poll using surveymonkey.com
This website allows you to create a poll/survey online and invite users to take your survey. There are advantages and disadvantages to this tool, but check it out and share your results with me and the rest of the class.

Week 8

2008-10-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

1. Check out the published essays on http://www.letters2president.org/
We will have a discussion next session about how we can improve our letters. Mainly, the letters should be written in as argumentative essays about a specific issue and with supporting reasons.

2. Are you a liberal? Conservative? Do you support the rights of individuals? Do you think the government needs to lay a larger role in society or the world? Take the political barometer quiz and find out how you compare to classmates. Afterwards, enter your classmates' email and compare how yourself with the rest of the class.

3. This week's blog - Write an editorial about a current issue. An editorial is a persuasive essay in which the writer argues his/her position on a current controversy or issue.
a. Find an issue that people are talking about. You can start by searching these sites for ideas:
marumushi.com
newzingo.com (this site is down for some reason)
b. Write your issue as a question. i.e.: Issue: Teen pregnancy
Question: Should the government protect teens' right to privacy regarding health and pregnancy?
c. Answer the question in the form of an argument.
i.e: Teens should be allowed the right to confidentiality in regards to pregnancy.
d. Write your essay supporting the statement.

Here are some useful resources for writing an editorial:
http://www.geneseo.edu/~bennett/EdWrite.htm
http://www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/nr_reporterstoolbox/writingeditorials.html

Here are some sites for the latest topics in the news:
http://www.politico.com/
http://www.freedomforum.org/

Ready for Change?

2008-10-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

I watched the 2nd Presidential Debate. And except for those working at places where there were no TV or radio, who wasn't tuning in? What has been an increasingly dramatic, high-stakes contest, the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates have replaced pro football games and even the best reality TV shows in keeping our attentions riveted on who will be the leader of our nation.
According to the pundits and polls, it is still a close contest. Neither Obama or McCain, Biden or Palin won any of the past debates.
But this is a point that may be more important than who won the debate. What is happening all across the country is a growing sense of fear for our future as it is now with the current state of our government. The stock market fluctuation reflects this attitude. The banks collapsing and being bought up. I believe it is Malcolm X who said it best: "The chickens come home to roost." In these times, we are starting to feel the repercussions of our actions in the economic, political and global realms.
As I see it, the Republicans are caught in an identity crisis as they deal with the extremes and middle of their voter base. Palin represents the worst of their aspirations, a nation of poorly-informed, angry, and racist citizens who hark for an America that looks so much like a quaint little Alaskan town where everybody knows each other's names as long as it doesn't sound foreign. McCain has all along labelled himself a maverick mainly because he is swinging his political line to get the most supporters. And it will become more and more apparent that he cannot hold his own party together.
Obama on the other hand, is playing it safe. Some might say he's trying to play cool against the hotheaded McCain, that he and the Democrats are playing it safe and banking on America making the logical choice. But it is a long time and Americans have a short attention span. If they are going to win, they have to have some bite. People need to find inspiration in these desperate times, not reason.

On Being Me

2008-10-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

On Being Me - Radio Story Project

Goals:
Develop audio recording skills and experience
Use editing tools for producing a program
Develop narrative writing and speaking skills
Use critical response to help with peers’ projects

Assignment One:
Write a narrative about what it means to be you. How would someone who doesn’t know you understand who you are, where you come from, what you believe in, or just simply how your typical day is like? In writing this narrative, think of simple things that introduce who you are, but keep in mind that you are trying to captivate your audience. The most mundane events can be most entertaining and inspiring.

Due Date: Thursday 10/8

Assignments Week 6

2008-10-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Burtonian Journalists
I don't know about you, but I feel swamped with the work we are in the middle of and will be involved in for the next month!
Sorry for not posting new assignments for the week, but I have been attending to planning and development for the near and far future of our Journalism program. This week, you all should have written and shared a draft of your Letters to the Next President. See last week's assignments and/or your email for instructions. This week, I want to make sure you all commented or made suggestions/revisions on everyone else's documents.
New for this week:
1. Blog Assignment: Out of all of the candidates who are running for student body and class officers at Burton High School, which candidate(s) do you think can make a difference at our school? Explain why. You may talk about one particular candidate, compare two or more, or give an overall opinion on the common traits exhibited or themes that were raised. Post your writing on your blogger.com site.

2. The Burtonian initial stories - please have a draft of your story ready by next Thursday. We will need to get a copy of this to the editors so we can submit it to the web design team.

Week 5

2008-09-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

Assignments for Week 5
1. Read each others' Letters to the Next President and provide comments and editing notes. You should see the shared documents in your google docs folder (and an email notification if the writer chose to send an alert). Use the editing tools and especially the commentary tool to provide feedback on the content, grammar, and clarity of the letter. Make suggestions using the comment bubbles. The writer and myself should be able to see the readers' comments and editing immediately.

2. Check out other school-based news websites. Use this form to review what you like/disliked about these sites.

3. Identify a school or community event, issue or story for your first article. Brainstorm what you already know, ask yourself what questions you still have, do some research and then come up with a key question. Then, plan out where you need to gather information and interviews.

Progressive Grounds Saturday Morning

2008-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning. Wet and gray. On top of Bernal Heights where the smell of cinnamon and butter and steaming chai can be found everywhere. I am sitting inside Progressive Grounds, a place I usually go to when I need to chill and get work done, or just use their free WiFi. It is my little spot of sunshine. Today is definitely gray, but that doesn't stop the usual traffic of locals who are out and about or just reading the paper, walking their dogs, or taking their kids out. A couple of kids have already gone by the ramp of this crowded cafe, swinging on the railing and practicing their gymnastics chops. There are two favorite hobbies that people have in common here - 1. checking out each others' kids, and 2. checking out each others' dogs. Most of the locals are young parents. They are dressed in jeans and sweatshirts, grays, blues, and shades of olive. Where I sit, I am facing the line that gets longer and shorter as time passes. A woman is texting as she waits. In front of her, a mom and her two teenage daughters wait patiently for their turn. The latin music coming from the speakers puts everyone somewhere else out of this foggy day. There is a hum of heavy machinery outside, meeting the rhythms of the fast knife on the chopping board and the hiss of the latte foamer. The coffee gets better as it rests in my cup. I am feeling the buzz of the day coming. Soon I will be back out in the gray day, but I have the glow of this place inside me.

Assignments - Week 4

2008-09-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late update... When this happens, you know good things are happening.

1. Blog post (200 words) - What does the First Amendment mean to you? How does it affect your life?

2. Letters to the Next President - Finally, the website in which we are going to post our letters is up. Check your google email and documents accounts. You should see a template of a letter that I sent you. Use that to draft your letter. If you still need help using google docs, download the using google docs file on the link attached to this assignment. After you have written your document, save it, and share with others, selecting everyone in this class as contributors to your project. They will all receive an email confirmation that your document was sent to their google docs folder. Whenever another person comments or edits your document, you should be able to see it and who contributed the editing/commentary. I look forward to reading your drafts by Sunday. Next week, we will learn to read and edit each others' letters.

3. On your blogger site, create a playlist of songs that would be played at the inauguration of the next President of the United States. Don't reveal which candidate you think will win, but let the songs give hints at who it would be. Have fun with this one! Try to stretch the limits of the blogger tools. Find a way to link media or information if you can.

Audio Interview Project 1

2008-09-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Think and write down some notes on the following...
1. a gadget that changed your life
2. a song that changed your life
3. a movie or tv show that changed your life
4. a game that changed your life
5. an encounter that changed your life

You are going to partner up with someone in the class and set up and record each other talking about any of these topics. You can prepare your questions and/or responses beforehand. Each interview should be 3-5 minutes. Remember the tips from Zoe Corneli from KALW!

We will conduct the interviews beginning Thursday.

How Will America Vote?

2008-09-09T17:56:00.001-07:00

How Will America Vote? is a program hosted by the World Affairs Council taking place tonight at 6:30 pm on Tuesday 9/9/08. I am about to attend the talk by John Zogby, a renowned pollster, who will talk about the Presidential elections and shed some light on what we might expect. I am excited about this opportunity, and want to hear a different perspective than the garbage that the news media has been slinging. I'm going to try to document the event through photos and audio recording.
Check out my blog when I get home!

Assignments Week 3

2008-09-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

This week, we are going to concentrate on learning to use the flash audio recording devices as well as using google docs to share and peer edit our articles for blogging. For the audio recording training, we will focus on student opinions about the Presidential campaign. As for blogging, I would like us to branch out to topics and events that are local to our school or community. We are going to try to tap into the 'buzz' on campus and write original stories about real news. In order to focus this effort, we need to begin narrowing our target reader/audience and use the appropriate language and approach to relate to them.

Individual assignments:
1. Saturation Report - Go to a location on campus or near the school and observe the location, people and dialogue, body language and the mood of the place. Take very good notes and write up a report on the place, group, or activity. Focus on information and facts rather than feelings and opinions about your subject.

2. We are going to use Google Docs to read and provide feedback and editing before we attempt to post the articles to the public. Upload a copy of your blog post as a Word file and share it with everyone in this class. After you have selected your file, click the 'Share' button on the upper right of the window and add everyone in this class as 'collaborators' for this document.

3. Begin searching websites for ideas for your Letter to the Next President. You can save your documents with Google Docs. Go to the National Writing Project website for step-by-step instructions for how the whole process will work: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/nwpsites/writing_our_future/directions.csp

2008-09-06T00:21:00.000-07:00

Journalism

Mr. Eric Chow, Rm200

Chowsir23@gmail.com

2008-09

Course Description

We live in an exciting time. In a few months, our country will have a new President. The world is changing, changing, changing faster than we can keep up. Nations all over the world are coming up with solutions to reduce global warming and conserve the earths’ depleting resources. Medical researchers and engineers are finding cures for once unsolvable diseases. The world-wide web, or Internet, brings us closer to the rest of the world and is redefining how we access information, communicate, shop, and live our lives. At the same time, there are places where civil war, famine and corruption have led to unspeakable massacres, harrowing poverty and hunger, and desperation. In our own communities, we hear of unsolved murders, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and rising dropout rates and lawlessness. What effect does reporting on a story have? Conversely, what effect does not covering certain events have? This is the responsibility of the journalist.

What better time to get involved in Journalism? Here at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School, you have the rare opportunity to play a part in history. The school has published The Burtonian for over 20 years, providing a voice for the Burton community. After the excellent work that Journalism has done under the guidance of Ellena Weldon in the past three years, we are taking our project online. Beginning this year, we will design and publish the school paper on a website to increase the presence of the school, find a broader audience, and allow for reader interaction. Much of the work we do this year will set the groundwork for the future of both the Burtonian and the Academy of Information Technology to be piloted in 2009-10.

The world is changing faster than it can be documented. It is our charge to seek the truth, communicate it to the public, and be a voice for positive change. That was and will always be the spirit of any Burtonian!

Welcome to Journalism!

Schedule (very tentative and organic)

August - Introductions

First Amendment and basic concepts of Journalism

Defining roles and responsibilities

Create blogger.com accounts and begin writing

September – Investigative Reporting

Interview Techniques/ Planning/ Questions/ Etiquette

Working with Audio equipment

First Group Project – audio interviews

Website design concept/map

October – Photojournalism

Brainstorm Documentary Radio Project ideas

November – Groups record subjects for Radio Documentaries

Audio editing and layering

December - Finish up audio editing

Test the website

January - Launch the Burtonian website

Protocols:

1.The Journalism equipment is an invaluable resource of the school. Handle all equipment with care and respect. Learn to share and maintain them.

2. Writers, artists, and contributors keep the rights to their own work. You should also respect other people’s work and cite sources when applicable.

3. Everyone needs to learn to work collectively to accomplish the goals of the group.

4. Settle differences and disputes constructively and in a way that will not harm the integrity and efforts of individuals and the group.

5. Seek the truth in reporting. Begin with an honest question and seek all possible sources to find your answers. Evaluate and reflect on your findings.

6. BE ON TIME! Keep your word with deadlines!

Assignment: Week2

2008-09-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

For this week, you will have 2 individual assignments. You will have until Sunday September 7th to complete them both.
1. Scout the internet for news stories of interest. As you read through them, choose 2 of the stories and write comments in response to them. You will find the option at the end of the article, and some of the sites may require you to create a user account. That should be no problem. All you need to give them is an active e-mail address that you need to check and confirm the registration. Before you post the comment, send me a copy of the comment plus the URL for where I might find the article.
2. We are participating in a program called Letters to the Next President. With your google account, you will be able to access google docs account and learn about the presidential campaign and other political issues. We will be following the Republican Convention and the media that surround it. We will also keep an eye on Barak Obama's campaign. Eventually, you will write a persuasive letter to the next President of the United States about issues that you argue should be prioritized and why.
3. Business as usual. Write and publish another article about a current event. Gather information from multiple sources. If you are using the print or web-based media, notice that published stories are recycled and come from a handful of sources. Again, site your sources and show the URL of anything you refer to. As you write more, try to find stories outside of the popular and mainstream media.

First Assignments

2008-09-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Journalism
Assignment One – In the profiles section of your Blogger account, tell a little about yourself. In the Dashboard panel, select Edit Profile, and follow the fields as you scroll down. Remember to not include any personal contact information such as address or phone numbers.

Assignment Two – Write and publish your first Post. Click New Post in your Dashboard. This will open up the window for creating a blog post. You can also edit and delete any of your postings afterwards. Besides writing text, you can use the tools in the top row of the posting window. It should look familiar to your Microsoft Word editing panel. You can also upload images and video if you wish.
The first assignment is to write about a current news event or something that you think should be brought to a discussion. If you are referring to a previously published article, include the URL link in your text.
The next step is to help each other edit and then comment on each other’s blogs.
Looking forward to checking out your first Post!