Becoming Excellent and School Schedules

Ryan Bretag (Metanoia) has posted a video by about a school where students are given a portfolio at the beginning of their time at a school. The idea is that they learn deeply about a topic over the years and therefore are enthused and creative learners.

I have a class blog where students pick a topic. They are then to read and write extensively on that topic, exploring it in detail. This is the first year I have done this. I think it has been a success in some ways and not in others. I thought I'd show you some of their writing so that you could get the idea and to judge whether or not my idea has been effective.

Carter writes

The current record holder for the most 3-pointers made is Reggie Miller (who is retired). Reggie has made 2,560 3-pointers made in his career. He has attempted 6,486 3-point shots. Reggie's 3-point percentage is .395. Reggie has played 1,389 games.

Ray Allen is 1 three pointer away from tying the record. Ray has made 2,559 3-pointers. He has attempted 6,425. Ray's 3-point percentage is .398 and he has played 1,075 games. Ray has less games played and less shots taken but he has just as many 3- pointers made. This would technically make him a better shooter.

I personaly think Ray Allen is a better shooter because he has less shots taken but more made. I also think this because he is still playing and probably won't be retiring soon. Ray Allen is also playing for argueably the best team in the NBA right now (Boston Celtics). Although the NBA isn't all about shooting threes it is still a big part of the game.

Kayla writes

I know, I've been gone for awhile... Two weeks? Three? Four, even!? I don't know.

Now, lets get down to BUSINESS.

Fruits Bakset, Furutsu Basuketto, Furuba.... This Anime is amazing. <3>

Honda Tohru is 16-year-old orphaned girl who gets invited to live in the house of her classmate, the oh-so-handsome boy Sohma Yuki, and his cousins; 16 year old Kyo and 27 year old Shigure. However, these boys and parts of the rest of their family, both close and distant, hold a curse; if they are hugged by a member of the opposite gender, they transform into animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Everyday is an adventure for Tohru, as she gets to know everyone in the large Sohma family better, such as the mysterious head of the family, Akito, in both common and very wierd situations. But, the Sohma Family curse is certainly no laughing matter… it also holds terrible cruelity and heartbreak.

Hang on... I'm having an emotional moment...

No, I'm kidding.

Fruits Basket, is the second best Anime I've ever seen. Not kidding this time.

Its funny, yet serious. Shocking, yet calm. I like that.

Want some pictures? You know you do ;)

Mackenzie writes

Hey guys and girls. I hope you're doing well, I am. So let's get to it.

If you haven't guessed what I'm talking about this week you make me want to laugh. It's clear as day in the title, "Tyra Banks". She's an amazing and talented woman. What I think makes her talented is the is a model (a VERY good one I might add), she takes great photos and she's gorgeous.

She has a talk show called the Tyra Show. She has done some very funny episodes but she usually likes to touch on very important issues and things we should know. A rather funny one she did was called the "Period Show". Everyone had to wear shirts with a black dot on it and they talked about womens periods. It was quite funny but very usefull.
A serious one was teen mariagge. They had one girl who was still in high school and she was fifteen I believe. But also she was taking fertility drugs to try and get pregnant. She was taking way more than even a grown woman does.

In my eyes Tyra is great. She's 36 years old and she is an African American woman and she's proud of it. She teaches that whoever you are, no matter what color, you're special and you have the right to belong.

and finally Tanner

Today I am going to talk about Excitebike: World Rally. Excitebike: World Rally is a WiiWare game made by Nintendo and released in 2009. Excitebike: World Rally costs 1000 Wii points or $10.00 USD.

For a Wiiware game it actually has very good graphics. The terrain is different depending on what track you are on. You can see the numbers on the fronts of the bikes etc. The design of the main menu is nice it has the modes with little checkered flags. It looks really nice in spite of the cartoonish graphics. The colours of the bikes are unlocked slowly as you gain S Ranked medals. To start out you have two colours red and blue.

Graphics: 7/10

The gameplay consists of racing against the clock with the other racers only there to try and diminish your progress. You have the gas, turbo, and wheelie buttons along with the ability to change lanes. The tracks consist of different locales from Canada to Japan and everywhere inbetween. Each track is different and there are at least 16 tracks. There are many different ramps terrain and competitors on each track. Doing a wheelie right when you hit the top of a ramp you gain extra air, but make sure you steer the bike to a smooth landing or else you will wipe out. Wiping out can occur from landing badly,hitting someone or using the turbo to the point of overheating. The gameplay is very simplistic but very addicting and fun.

Gameplay: 9/10

I agree with Egan about deep learning and excellence. I'm still trying to figure out how best to accomplish it with my students. I'll keep trying!