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What We Wonder About ...

Voices on the Gulf — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:36:53 -0600

At the William E. Norris Elementary School in Southampton, Massachusetts, our sixth graders took some time on the first day of school to ask some questions about the Gulf Oil Spill. These questions will guide our inquiry over the year ahead.

My thoughts on the BP ads - Alexis, 6th grade

Voices on the Gulf — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:06 -0600

I see a BP ad in my local newspaper EVERY DAY! I think that they are just taking up space. We know what they are doing. They update us on the Oil Spill on the news pretty much every day. In one ad they say that their job is to listen to people's frustrations and needs, then put those thoughts into action. If they did listen to us, then this problem would most likely already be almost fixed because we would be able to help. Instead of taking up space for something we already know, let a new electronic devise or TV show take up the space.

Alexis 6th Grade

Do we have to much power on our hands?

12calinn — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:31:18 -0600

Despite all of the latest technological advances, people are beginning to think about the negative effects of relying on the internet. Sites like Google can sometimes impair a person’s need to think or remember a certain fact because they can simply search it, attaining results in a very short amount of time. Does this cause us to not utilize our brains to greatest extent? Perhaps, but when the world of information is on our finger tips it seems much more convenient to search the information rather than dispute it in one’s head. The article similarly says that Twitter is also taking over, limiting users to 140 words per posts that discuss ordinary aspects of everyday life. When a user has a very exciting life, then maybe it is worth reading, but to what extent is knowing where a person is every second of the day advantageous for yourself? If people spent the same time that they do reading Tweets, reading books or going to museums, or having conversations with people rather than the computer screen then perhaps it would be better off for them overall. Mainly, I think it is interesting that for a society that is fully engulfed in this technological era, we have a good grasp on pointing out the flaws in our activities, yet we rarely see major changes that would help them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/technology/21ping.html?_r=1&scp=14&sq=IT&st=Search

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

My Best Photo of the Year

alexkres — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:40:17 -0600

I think that this is one of my best and favorite pictures I have taken this year, because it had just snowed and there was little bit of snow on the ground and trees, and it was sunny out with some clouds in the sky, which I think that made this picture look good, and I also used photoshop to edit the photo which gave it kind of a cool effect.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

My Best Photo

Sydney1050 — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:38:49 -0600

I think this is one of my best photos from this year because it is reall intriguing and I htink that is shows off the skills I learned in Photoshop. This was photo was taken outside school and it is my friend's eye.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

ArmenS — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:00:29 -0600

I feel that my work has progressed over the year and has become more interesting and thought provoking. In the beginning of the year I had little knowledge about lighting and object placement in a picture, but now I know the fundamentals of these concepts and I know how to incorporate them into my work. I like to take photographs of cityscapes with different sorts of lighting provided by the sky and reflections in the water. The reason I take photographs like this is because I like to see the way the different natural environments react to and contrast the urban environments. In the future, I wish to further my knowledge of lighting and weather because I feel like these elements of lighting and different weather will contribute to my urban photographs and give them a natural element to balance the not-so-natural urban environments.

I have to decide at what time it would be best to take photographs with the most primal lighting or sky. It is difficult to pinpoint the time of day with the best looking sky or the best lighting for photographs, and that is where Photoshop lends a huge helping hand. I will at times take a photograph of an area and then be in a completely different area where I like the look of the sky better. I'll take a picture of that sky and use Photoshop to incorporate that sky into my original picture to make that photo more dynamic. This is also where a knowledge of lighting comes into play. If you put a different sky from a different photograph onto another one, there might be differences in shadows and light sources. Different Photoshop techniques help in this respect because I am able to change the lighting of the photograph to better suite the changed light source. All of these things cross my mind when creating a new piece, because all of these things help to create a better piece.

Before this year, I would take photographs with little thought about the real position of the camera, or of the lighting and of the weather. This is mostly because I would take pictures whenever I saw something that I thought was interesting, not when I would set out to find photos. Though I do still mostly take pictures when I see something that I think is interesting rather than setting out to take photos, I now pay more attention to the placement of the camera according to the subject I am picturing, and also I pay attention to the lighting and most other things. Though things like these aren't easy to control, I'm always able to use Photoshop to edit these things to make them more appealing to viewers. I hope to explore in the future some more extreme weather conditions, which will make the settings I take pictures of pop out more and be even more interesting. I'm still growing as a photographer and I'm looking forward to taking more photographs.

Best Photo

ScottT — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:40:52 -0600

Over the year I have taken hundreds of photos. I think that my photos have greatly improved over the year, but I think my best one came off luck. I was riding in the car and was taking pictures of things that looked interesting. It turned out that as I took a photo of two trees, I didn't realize how good the picture would come out. The tree on the right is very unique as it splits and makes the shape of a Y. I think that the sunset makes the lighting perfect for that photo. I also like how in black there are the buildings and the other road, even though it looks like a bridge. When all those characteristics are put together, I think it makes a really good photo.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

“Sometimes the questions just lead us to think in the right direction” - TTT 213 - 08.11.10

Voices on the Gulf — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:47:12 -0600

On this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers,we talk to teachers from the Gulf Coast again. School has started in many places along the Gulf, and there are many different and mixed reactions as the emergency has turned into a long-term clean up effort and part of a chronic crisis in the region.

On this podcast you’ll learn what teachers and students on the Gulf were thinking about the BP oil spill in at the beginning of August, about 3 weeks after the cap was put on the Deepwater rig. You’ll also learn why they believe that the “Voices on the Gulf” project is more important than ever. If you haven’t signed up yet. We’d love for anybody who listens to Teachers Teaching Teachers to join the site!

We expect that students’ voices will dominate on the site once more schools start up, but we’d love to hear your plans, your thoughts, your voices on the site right now! Thanks!

On this podcast, Matt Montagne and Paul Allison are joined by:

David Pulling, National Writing Project of Acadiana, Louisiana
Stacey Ferguson, Live Oak Writing Project, Mississippi
Catherine Tibbs, Live Oak Writing Project, Mississippi
Lynette Herring-Harris, Program Associate, National Writing Project, based in Mississippi

Go to EdTechTalk to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.

Photo: Creative Commons - Formation of the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone, By eutrophication&hypoxia No real name given This image was created on August 20, 2010.

BP Oil Spill

Voices on the Gulf — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:52:18 -0600

The BP oil spill didn't affect my family and me(that I am aware of) as far as having a family member injured, or not being able to eat seafood because of a shortage. I have a cousin who is helping with the cleanup now. He hasn't been back home since he left in May. As for the families who have lost their loved ones, their livelihood, or have been affected in any kind of other way that I have failed to mention, my heart goes out to all of you. It also pains me to see commercials of our wildlife that was and/or wasn't saved due to the tremendous amount of oil that spilled onto their homes and habitats. Once this matter is completely resolved, God bless that it never happens again.

Wages lost after the BP oil spill

Voices on the Gulf — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:08:34 -0600

My coworker's son lost wages within days of the oil spill. Due to the uncertainty in the first few days after the explosion, the platform that he worked on was shut down and there were no shift changes. Therefore, he and others spent 2 weeks at home without pay. All wages were lost.

Photo: Creative Commons, Offshore platform located in the Gulf of Mexico, port location Cd. Del Carmen. Chad Teer on Flickr.

BP OIL SPILL

Voices on the Gulf — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:39:34 -0600

BP oil spill has affected my friends, family & love ones. My friends & family have lost their jobs. Their not making the same salary like they were before the BP oil spill. My uncle was working for an offshore company making $1800 a week, now my uncle is laid off and can't provide for his family. They are having financial and marriage problems. They were suppose to call him to help with oil spill but they haven't call yet. I believe its important for other countries to understand a disaster affected us. Other countries are going through disasters also that affect their lifestyles & salaries. Its informing information because you never know what a person going through when they experience a disaster. A national disaster should always being our people of america together. America is one nation under god and countries should help each other in grieve and salary cuts. I believe people have done a great job helping each other with disasters like katrina, haiti, and also BP oil spill.

Confused

Voices on the Gulf — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:27:43 -0600

I have such mixed feelings about the oil spill, it tears my heart to see our beautiful coastland corrupted by oil. The delicate beauty of nature tarnished. However oil is so vital to us, our livelihood, it is how my father provided for five. My brother, and many cousins are in the oild field. My sister is a geologist who maps out oilwells. Life would certainly be different for us if this was no longer an option. Then there is the moratoreum, the spill is tragic but is this going too far? A larger percentage of our state makes it's living in the oil industry. Choosing between feeding your family and losing precious wildlife is not a position we should be in.

Photo: Creative Commons - BP Dead Pelicans Oil Spill Dead Fish Cupcakes, By Infrogmation Infrogmation of New Orleans on June 5, 2010

Oil Spill by Esther, 4th grade

Voices on the Gulf — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:54:55 -0600

Animals panicking,
Sticky feathers,
Trying to wiggle free,
Sticky and icky,
A black sea,
A horrible oil spill.

Very lonesome,
Oil carrying me away,
Shifting me gently,
Making me sick,
I don't know what to think of.

Trying to flee away,
Too fierce to fly,
Securing me to the black oil,
A long tour across the ocean,
Separated from the others,
Sad and lonely,
Stuck in the ocean.

I don't have anything to eat,
I'm going to die,
No one here to protect me,
Afraid and scared,
Nothing to do, bored.

by Esther,
2010 LA Writes 3rd-4th grade poetry
Third place

Photo: Creative Commons - Oiled Pelicans - This photo was taken on May 8, 2007 By lagohsep Louisiana GOHSEP

Of hurricanes and oil spills: Katrina's 5th anniversary and a chance to "make it right"

Voices on the Gulf — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:06:50 -0600

August 29 five years ago is Southeast Louisiana's Day of Infamy. The national media has given that event a lot of coverage in the past few days. True, horribly true: watching those incredulous images from five years ago and acknowledging that the human tragedy resulting from that national disaster took place in the United States of America is unbelievable. And as a Louisianian with strong ancestral ties to the Greater New Orleans area submerged in Katrina's after-waters, the emotions are personal.

Aren't we as a nation better than we seemed to be in those intense days of horror?

And now, on the fifth anniversary, the oil spill has added a chapter to the region's hard-luck saga. Katrina was a natural disaster, the oil spill man-made: But how and where do the two events intersect in the Gulf Coast's past as well as future?

I suspect there numerous points of discussion, but one that I believe we must pursue is BP's repeated promise in its multi-million dollar media blitz to "make it right" for the Gulf Coast. To me, "making it right" includes addressing the environmental damage done to the barrier islands and wetlands along the Gulf Coast where hundreds of acres of marsh are claimed by the sea every month, indirectly at least because of the environmental impact of oil exploration. If BP is going to "make it right," they (along with Chevron and Exxon and all the others, for that matter) should contribute massively to restorative efforts and projects that will protect the historical and cultural treasure of the New Orleans area from future hurricanes by rebuilding the natural barriers and protections destroyed or weakened not by Katrina (or Rita or any other storm), but by the industry's rapacious intrusion.

Big oil can afford the cost. Until the industry repents for the vanishing wetlands tragedy and addresses the environmental issue head on, BP (and the rest) will fall short of "making it right."

"Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?": Satchmo Lives!

Voices on the Gulf — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:06:17 -0600

louis_armstrong_-_do_you_know_what_it_means_to_miss_new_orleans_www.keepvid.com_.mp4

Imagine a world without New Orleans. Would we "know what it means / to miss New Orleans?"

Take it away, Louis!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXFFI9budNI