Time Management, Procrastination, and Homework

By Katie Wei
Time management is very important when you get higher and higher in your grade levels. The older you get, the harder the work becomes, and the more work you get.  When we were younger, without a care in the world, and frolicking in the grass, we didn't care about homework. We did it when we came home, then went out to play. It was great! Until now.
After school, we all have activities to go to. Dance, soccer, piano, you name it. When you procrastinate after these long, exhausting activities, it all just drags, and then the next thing you know, you're doing all your homework at midnight. This is when time management comes in. Your agenda is like your best friend. You should always write down when you have time to do homework, and when you don't. It is also helpful to write down what obligations you have, like your after school activities. 
I remember one day, I was feeling lazy. So I procrastinated. That was a very stupid thing to do on my part. First, I got in trouble when I told my parents that I had to do all of my homework on sunday night. It was nice during the weekend when I didn't have to do anything at all, but when sunday night came, I regretted everything I had done.
Overall, just be smart with this, and don't do things at the last minute. If you have a long period of time to do a project, be smart and space things out. Unlike what I did. 

Lifelong Learning

"Being ignorant is not so much a shame 

as being unwilling to learn."

-Benjamin Franklin

From when you're in the first grade to beyond graduating high school, you will never stop learning. I am not talking about learning in school or by searching something on the internet. I am talking about learning from experiences, tiny things that you catch when you’re talking to another person, doing your job, or even walking in a hallway. You will always be learning.

Benjamin Franklin, a politician, musician, scientist and author. The list goes on and on. He was a smart man, and whenever he asked a question, he would do everything in his power to answer it. Take for example one night, he was sitting outside in Philadelphia. He was waiting to see lunar eclipse, but a storm had moved over to his location. Most people would just call it bad luck, but Benjamin Franklin asked “Why did I not see the lunar eclipse?” He found that there were strong winds from the Northeast, but when he talked to his brother in Boston, he was told that the storm had come after the lunar eclipse which was strange because, Boston is Northeast of Philadelphia. Benjamin concluded that clouds and storms do not always follow the strong winds. This theory is one that majorly influenced modernday meteorology.

Benjamin Franklin was a learner. His discoveries were made, because he learned from the little things. Like a cloudy day and a talk with his brother. Without Benjamin’s love for learning, a lot of the things we take for granted would not be here.So how can you be Benjamin Franklin? Well you can’t, but you can atleast do what he did best. Learn.

Donald Kausler’s book, “Learning and Memory in Normal Aging”, suggests that people who are actively learning throughout their lives have a longer lifespan and have less effects of aging than that of a person who did not actively learn on a regular basis. So not only is learning teaching you, preparing you for events, and helping you through your life, but it is also healthy for you.

An old Albert Einstein told others,

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”

From when you are first born to when you are at your final breath, your brain is always ready to learn new things. So next time you see your grandfather, or you look up at the sky, remember to learn from it, and you will grow wiser and wiser.

Sources Cited:

• http://www.quotesforthemind.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/People-grow-through-experience-if-they-meet-life-honestly-and-courageously.-This-is-how-character-is-built.-Eleanor-Roosevelt-Famous-Experience-Quotes-with-Images-%E2%80%93-Learning-from-your-Experiences-in-Life.png

• http://cdn-4.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2013/07/Wisdom-is-not-a-product-of-schooling-but-of-the-lifelong-attempt-to-acquire-it..jpg

• http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Learning-and-Memory-Normal-Aging-Donald-H-Kausler-1994-Hardcover/00/$T2eC16dHJH!FFmE6I0mZBRsK8oBy5g~~_35.JPG 

The Rubik Cube

This is a video of me solving a 4x4x4 Rubik cube in fast forward:

The main reason why solving Rubik cubes for me are fun and challenging is because of its massive number of permutations and the strategy aspect of it. When I got introduced to the 3x3x3 version in 1st grade, I was awed by it, and wondered if it was even possible to solve it. I finally solved my first cube during the summer of 2010. It took me 2 days, even with the instructions. In fourth grade, I began to cut down my time to 5 minutes. The algorithms took a while to memorize, but I got them down. Over the next 2 years, I gradually cut down my time. Sometime in 2013, I came up with a bypass to cut about 30 seconds down on my time, reducing it to my current time of 90 seconds. My all time record is 57 seconds.

Solving a Rubik cube is very related to solving a math problem. When it is scrambled, it looks complex with the only way to solve it being with trail and error. Same with math. When you get a large, bulky equation, like (43.85x-67.3536y)(34.998z-87.110022)=0 and 43.85x-43.85y+z= 1032.3501, you think that only by substituting random values you will solve it. With the correct algorithms, though, you can solve a 3x3x3 Rubik in around 90 seconds, or a 4x4x4 in 5 minutes. In the math problem, you note that either 34.998y-87.110022=0 or 43.85x+67.336a=0, by solving that you get x=4.02432, y=2.62, and z=2.489. Are you following me? If not, that's OK, just keep reading. These puzzles require logic, reasoning and practice. When solving a cube, you use a series of logical steps most of the time, and innovate new algorithms. In math, you also have to reach a goal with logical steps. When you see a shortcut, you don't have to stick with the procedure, you could use that shortcut. As with anything, practice makes perfect. If you keep practicing, you will get better.

Soccer

Soccer is a huge aspect of my life. I play it a ton, and really enjoy it. Soccer also makes me a better student and teaches me important skills. Soccer relates to school in a lot of ways.

It teaches me time management because I play on a club team. I have practice 3 days a week, and games 1 to 3 days a week. I have had to learn to manage my time so I can do my homework, go to my practices, go to my games, and still have time to myself or to spend time with my friends and family.

Being physically active makes me a stronger student because it teaches me patience. It also teaches me that some skills don’t come naturally, and you have to work to excel, and overall, it all comes down to how hard you want to work. If you want more playing time, you have to work hard in practice and show the coach that you deserve it. If you want to do well in school you have to study and do your homework consistently.

Soccer teaches me teamwork, and how to deal with people that you don’t like. If you try to dribble the ball the entire way up the field without the help from any of your teammates the ball is going to get stolen. But just a few passes can get you much further than dribbling can. If there are people on your team you don't like, you kind of have to learn to like them, or put up with them because they're on your team, and teammates take care of each other. And because we work together so much, you often become pretty good friends with your teammates, like you are with friends that you have a lot of classes with.

You also have your solo moments in soccer. When you dribble the ball up the field and score, the credit goes to you, and all of your teammates are high-fiving you, and the parents are applauding you. It feels really good, like when you do the best in the class on a test, or are the only one to turn in your homework. Soccer relates to school in a lot of ways.

Soccer teaches you respect, too. If you aren't respectful to your coaches, you probably won't get as much playing time. If you are disrespectful to your teachers, they won't think as highly of you, and your class might get extra homework.

I think soccer is just important as school, because it teaches me some things maybe better than school can.

Cites:

• http://sabisathletics.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/soccer-

Being the Middle Kid at the Ellis’ is not as Easy as it Seems

Let me tell you about my family, the Ellis’. There is my older sister; Lauren, my younger sister; Hannah, my mom, dad, and then there’s me. I’m the middle one that has a harder job than Lauren, but easier than Hannah. I don’t have to do the dishes yet because I never do the dishes when I’m asked, oops, because I always forget. That’s who I am, I forget a lot, of everything. Lauren is at Duke now and isn’t home hardly ever. Hannah, when I’m frustrated or mad at her I call her Haggis, is in 5th grade at Catlin, watch out Paul, she’s headed your way!

The reason that I have a harder job than Hannah, is because I have to be a good role model, and everything I do influences Hannah. I have an easier job than Lauren, but only sometimes. I had an easier job than Lauren did when I was 6 rather than when she was 6 because Lauren basically started taking care of herself right when I was born, when Lauren was 6. I started taking care of myself at the end of last year and I’m still learning how. I didn’t have to start off when I was 6 because I still needed someone to take care of me when Hannah was born, I was 2 at the time. I have a harder job than Lauren did, and still does as a matter of fact, because I am different than she was and still is. I started at Catlin in Kindergarten and she started in 7th grade. The grade I’m in right now. I was a super easy baby and waited for my parents to pick me out of the crib. I could have been in the crib all day if they didn’t come wake me up, whereas Lauren would start screaming and then get pulled out of the crib. Also, I don’t talk much at the dinner table because my sisters have too much to say sometimes but there are days when its my turn to talk at dinner.

I am almost never the center of attention. I am in the center of the sisters yes, but my sisters are usually the center of attention because most the time I am quiet in public and I don’t like to talk to people I don’t know because I was taught, “Stranger Danger!” Hahaha, but even when I am in public I become the center of attention because of my hair, I can’t help it, all the time I have random people come up to me and start touching my hair. It’s crazy and I don’t like it usually because I don’t know the people that touch my hair. When I was little my first sentence was, “Don’t touch me.” I loved being little, those were the days. I could tell people what to do.

The new movie Frozen, me being Anna, I would do anything to help my sisters like Anna did going up the mountain to find her sister, and wanting to play with her even though she knows that her sister will probably say no. In other ways I also feel like I have friends that would say, “Some people are worth melting for.” ~ Olaf (from Frozen)

Being the middle kid in the Ellis’ family isn’t as easy as it looks and sometimes you get way too much attention. My family definitely has influenced my life, by a lot.  I like who I am, and would definitely be a completely different person if I weren’t the middle kid.

Sources:
My brain and my mom's camera pictures

Urbanization Reflection

This response should be your longest so far.....and will be your longest of the project.

Mentally go through your typical day and think of all the ways you use energy and how your life would be affected if you no longer had access to energy.  Specifically, how would your life change without access to energy?

Now, think about the population in your neighborhood.  What problems will increase if more people move into the Portland Metro area?  

Finally, think about the urbanization and population articles.  You read three and learned about one more.  Were there parts that surprised you?  Were there parts you didn't understand?  By 2050, the world is projected to have 10 billion people.  You will be approximately 50 years old (scary, I know)  What problems do you think the world will be facing with that many  people?

Your response should be around 2 paragraphs (10 or so sentences.)  Use standard Geography and the Human Experience labels.  Yes, an image would be nice....

http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/images/popn/world_pop.gif
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXiPbUPw8wrx8vR7y30BW6vVPMGQSfXDGErv74xpd8Y-JumTSVjyv8G_M-M0fbvjAybSpG5GgodiJRrxY2Kn6Z9zLHntQCzTk7ExpMEv59-GkBibYdf_wRO8o4o6ahV1vqSBO1unHxB-N/s1600/images.jpg

What Shutdown?

While I normally don't post to this blog, this topic is directly related to the primary users of the blog, World Cultures students, and they deserve to read what is being written and commented about them.  We are currently studying natural disasters as they relate to humans and geography.  Using primary data sources, students often access USGS sites.  They are, quite honestly, the most accurate in the world.  Since the Republican-led Congress decided to shut down the Federal Government, USGS sites have been inaccessible to students.  As a class, we brainstormed what to do, decided we would just move on, and return to USGS sites once the Government was funded and running again.  For a couple of seventh graders this was not an ideal solution.  In less than three hours, they were running up to me eagerly let me know they had found not one, but two workarounds that would allow them to continue accessing most USGS data.  Using Google's cache link, they were able to access most of the NationalAtlas site.  Also, a couple of students showed me the WayBack machine at web.archive.org.

Between the two sites, students could access enough information that our discussions, presentations, and curriculum could continue.  I'm sure there are bloggers, among them Will Richardson, who would smile at this post.  I'm humbled that my students wanted to continue learning even though their Republican adult role models are doing their best to insure the students would have to dig extra hard for the information they needed.  I wonder which party my students will be more sympathetic towards in the next Mock Election?

Environment Reflection

Now that you have researched and presented on how humans interact with their environment, please reflect on what you have learned.  You may include information from your two presentations on invasive species and environmental disasters.  Be specific when referring to places, plants, and environments.  Include a picture or two in your post.  Your post should be around two paragraphs (5-7 sentences each) long.  Use ghe, cultures, environment, presentations, learning, technology as your labels (tags)  In your reflection please include the following:

• How did using technology help you understand the problem/situation?
• Why do humans make changes to the environment?
• Are these changes justified?  Why or why not?
• How can a single change in the environment affect other aspects of the environment?
• How do you interact with your ecosystem or environment?  How do your actions affect your environment?

Sources:  http://www.federalheath.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Environment-logo.jpg

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/05/yellowriverSWNS190506_450x350.jpg?maxWidth=500

Miriam-Greece Trip

This is my trip to Greece

Elliott in the UK

This is my swag trip to the UK

Tour Post Test

Tour Post

Trip Planning Test file

This is an attempt to post a kml file

link to my video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nEUrsirmk&list=UUVwTvEd85gtV78tRIlW9Obw&index=8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nEUrsirmk&list=UUVwTvEd85gtV78tRIlW9Obw&index=8