Blog #10: What's the deal with Reconstruction?

What's the deal with Reconstruction?

What is/was Reconstruction? What went well? What went poorly?

Why is it relevant today?

Connect the basic history of Reconstruction with a modern issue, as found (and cited and excerpted from a modern news story).

The time period after the Civil War was known as the Reconstruction Era. The point of the Reconstruction as to regain order in the southern states after the war. In the south there were many problems concerning government and economic problems so this era was to help regain some of the balance in those certain areas. The north sent a troops called the Union Army down to the south to try and create peace and to enforce the new laws as well. The south was not happy at all with the defeat from the north and they did not cooperate at all with the Reconstruction that was going on. The Union Army was there to enforce the laws that slavery was being abolished and the south didnt want to listen to the government so they were also there to tell them what was going on. It didnt really work out that well because there were many many troops off in Texas fighting against the native americans, so there wasnt enough troops down in the south to exactly make something happen. The whole reconstruction didnt work out that well. This is evident because if it turned out well, there wouldnt be problems that are going on now still with racism. 

Blog #9 Media Saves the Beach in the News

Post an excerpt from an interesting and relevant news story that connects to coastal issues, making sure to include a link to the original story. What is the issue and/or controversy? Where can one get more information? In what way(s) does the story relate to our class? How might it tie in to our work for Media Saves the Beach?


"SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A sewage spill in Mission Valley led on Wednesday to a coastal pollution alert in Ocean Beach, about five miles to the west.

Wastewater began overflowing from a blocked sanitation line near the intersection of Camino de la Reina and Mission Center Road shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to the county Department of Environmental Health.

By the time city crews got the problem under control about an hour later, roughly 1,370 gallons of sewage had spilled into a storm drain that empties into the San Diego River.

Signs warning of contamination will stand near the mouth of the river at Dog Beach until follow-up testing deems the area safe again for recreational uses, the DEH reported."


http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Sewage-Spill-from-Mission-Valley-to-Ocean-Beach/qWYuIGp6oEeMp2ZNMf20lQ.cspx




This story directly relates to what we are doing with our Media Saves the Beach project. The spills that happened actually happened last night and it was a very big deal down where we were testing the water today.  There was a little over a thousand gallons of sewage that was spilled into the San Diego River and was exiting through the Dog Beach exit. It was obviously a big deal down at Dog Beach because there were big orange signs and warning signs saying not to go into the water and that the water was highly contaminated. This ties into what we are learning in class and our Media Saves the Beach project because we are learning about and testing the amount of bacteria and ecoli that is in the water. There would definitely be large amounts of bacteria in the water after the spill last night because it went directly into the river and was a straight source to the water down in Ocean Beach. 

Blog #8 Media Saves the Beach

What ideas do you have for Media Saves the Beach? What content interests you? What projects might you create?


I find this whole entire project very interesting! I am actually very excited to get started with everything. When I was little I had always dreamed of being a marine biologist and marine biology has interested me since. I'm really interested in testing the water and seeing what life is in the water and seeing the contaminants that are in the water as well. I think that after we test the water, we will probably be a little shocked to see the amount of contamination that is in the water. Most of us just take for granted that the water is clean, but I think it will be interesting to see what we really are getting into. The project that interested me the most was definitely the making of the calendar. I really enjoy doing layout type things and also photography interests me very much. I think working with a group of people to make the calendar would be enjoyable and also investing so much money into it, I think that we would be able to make a good outcome for it. :]

Blog #7: Final Draft American Icons

Dream in Gold

By: Shannon Merrill

 Volleyball has always been the sport I loved and was good at. I found this out in 7th grade after I tried almost every other sport and didn't find a liking to any of them. When I went to my first practice, holding the volleyball felt so comfortable to me. I knew I loved it the moment I stepped on the court. Growing up I had always watched the Olympics and especially beach volleyball. Misty May and Kerri Walsh were my favorites. The unbeatable women's American volleyball duo. I remember hearing my Dad telling me about Misty May and how she was one of the greatest volleyball players of our time. 

It wasn't till four years later that I actually met the woman who has been to the Olympics, won gold medals and has nearly won every game she has ever played in. I don't necessarily aspire to be the worlds best volleyball star when I grow up, but I do want to be successful at what I do in life and have my entire heart dedicated to it. I would like to be able to look back at my youth and tell people that I had dreams and I had to work hard to make it happen. 

Misty May started her career as a young athlete just like everyone else. With inspiration starting in her youth, she started just as any young girl does. When I met her, she not only made an effort to talk and speak to many of the girls, but she watched us play as well. Misty May, who is an Olympic gold medalist, watched my team play volleyball. That showed me that she actually cared about watching the youth play just as she did when she was younger. 

Misty May is such an inspiration to many of young girls who play volleyball and have dreams of making it to the Olympics. I not only look up to her for making it that far in her career and accomplishing her goals, but it really made me aspire to be like her more when she came to our local volleyball tournament to watch us play. She talked to each girl and signed a poster saying "Dream in Gold." I still to this day have that poster on my wall not just to say that I've met her but to know that someone who is so accomplished and so successful told me to follow my dreams and to never back down from them. When I am successful later in life, I hope to be able to share my stories with youth and to be able to tell them to follow their dreams and achieve their goals. 

Works Cited

"Misty May-Treanor." USA Volleyball. 14 Sept. 2009. .

”Misty May”. The Official Site of Mist May.  Web. 14 Sept. 2009. .

"Speaking with Misty May-Treanor" NBC Olympics. 14 Sept. 2009. .

"2008 Misty May Treanor Bio: Beach Volleyball." NBC Olympics. 14 Sept. 2009. . 

Blog # 6

1. What did you discover about your writing during this project?

2. Identify and describe (at least) one specific writing technique that you used. How did you use it? What effect did it have on your writing?

3. If you had time for one more draft, what would you do?

4. Copy one sentence that you believe is well-written and/or important to your overall piece. What makes it stand out to you?

1. During this project I learned that after the summer I could still write. I really enjoy writing and I think that I'm sort of good at it so it felt good to write again and get my thoughts down on paper. I discovered that there were many differenet writing techniques that made my writing even better.

2. One of the many techniques that we learned was to avoid "-ing's." I attempted to do this.. and I hope I avoided most of that in my writing this time. Sometimes it's impossible to avoid "-ing's" but I tried to avoid using an excessive amount of them in my writing. 

3. If I had time for one more draft I would definitely be sure to use more of the writing techniques that we were taught in class. I used some of them but I think I could have done a better job listening and applying them to my writing. 

4. "I still to this day have that poster on my wall not just to say that I've met her but to know that someone who is so accomplished and so successful told me to follow my dreams and to never back down from them." I think that this sentence I wrote stands out to me because I say what I hope to gain from meeting my American Icon and what I feel I gained from her and what she said to me.

 

photographs

woohoo!

i have my picture!!!

Artist Statements and Critiques

For my in class critique I was told to give more evidence than I have right now. I need to add a paragraph that is more concluding than the one that I have right now. I also need to add more icons and I think i will add some information about Kerri Walsh being Misty May's volleyball partner.




Volleyball has always been the sport I loved and was good at. I found this out in 7th grade after I tried almost every other sport and didn't find a liking to them. When I went to my first practice, holding the volleyball felt so comfortable to me. I knew I loved it the moment I stepped on the court. Growing up I had always watched the Olympics and especially the beach volleyball. Misty May and Kerri Walsh. The unbeatable women's american volleyball duo. I remember hearing my dad telling me about Misty May and how she was one of the greatest volleyball players of our time. 


It wasn't till four years later that I actually met the woman who has been to the olympics, won gold medals and has nearly won every game she has ever played in. I don't necessarily aspire to be the worlds best volleyball star when I grow up, but I do want to be successful at what i do in life and have my entire heart dedicated to it. I would like to be able to look back at my youth and tell people that i had dreams and i had to work hard to make it happen. 


Misty May started her career as a young athlete just like everyone else. With inspiration starting in her youth, she started just as any young girl does. When i met her, she not only made an effort to talk and speak to many of the girls, but she watched us play as well. Misty May, who is an olympic gold medalist, watched my team play volleyball. That showed me that she actually cared about watching us and watching the youth play just as she did when she was younger. 


Misty May is such an inspiration to many of young girls that play volleyball and have dreams of making it to the olympics. I not only look up to her for making it that far in her career and accomplishing her goals, but it really made me aspire to be like her more when she came to a local volleyball tournament to watch us play. To each girl she talked, to she signed a poster saying "dream in gold." I still to this day have that poster on my wall not just to say that I've met her but to know that someone who is so accomplished and so successful told me to follow my dreams and not back down from them. When I am successful later in life, I hope to be able to share my stories with youth and to be able to tell them to follow their dreams and capture their goals. 

Photography Techniques

Visit the Photography Techniques page on my digital portfolio. Select three techniques that you might use in your photography for the American Icons project. Then, post an example of these three techniques. Label each one with it's name and a few sentences of your own in which you describe how it enhances the photo.

Macro photography is focusing on something small and everything else in the background is really out of focus. Macro is taking a picture of something that is really small and would usually be out of focus in the normal camera setting, but the image is focused and detail is able to be seen.

Bokeh photography is taking a picture and the background in the picture is out of focus. It means that the background behind the image of the picture is fuzzy or blurry. There are some kinds of bokeh where the photograph has light spots in the back or is so blurred that it shows up as sparks of light.

Slow shutter speed is when the lens is open for a longer amount of time than it  is when taking a regular picture. When the lens is open, waiting to take the picture, it captures the image at a slower amount of time and taking in the whole image and combining it in the final result. Slow shutter speed can also freeze the image and focus on the image while it is moving and the background is blurry and less focused.

American Icons Resources

Sally Ride:

Books:
Sally Ride: Shooting for the Stars Great Lives Series

Website:
http://www.sallyridescience.com/sallyride/bio

Interview:
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/rid0int-1



Mother Teresa:

Books:
In My Own Words by Mother Teresa

Website:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html

Interview:
http://www.servelec.net/mothertheresa.htm

American Icons

Mother Teresa was and still is to this day an inspiration to many people. The amount of work and dedication that Mother Teresa put into communities and to the help of children is unbelievable and looked upon as amazing acts of charity. Born in 1910 and of Albanian decent, she was called upon by God at 12 years old and entered ministry by becoming a nun at age 18. In 1950 Mother Teresa received permission to start her own order, "The Missionaries of Charity" which was started to love and care for those who have no one to look after them. The order moved throughout many different countries and the mission is to help those who are in need of help, assistance, love and hope. Homes in North America, Europe and Australia have been set up for alcoholics, AIDS sufferers and those in need of a home. Mother Teresa is also known for helping the children who were in need of help. She was said to have collected shoes for children and once the shoes were all taken, she would take a pair for herself even if the size was too small for her.

I find Mother Teresa to be a wonderful inspiration. I feel like I can relate to her because she was so involved with the charity work and making it possible for people who feel unloved and unaccomplished to actually have a sense of love and hope within themselves. I really enjoy helping others in the literal sense of going out and doing community service, but also helping by listening to someone who needs to know that someone actually cares.

Sally Ride was the first american woman in space and she made it known that women are capable of becoming astronauts and the bigger picture of being able to do anything they put their mind too. Sally Ride started off pursuing the career of being a professional tennis player. After graduating from a full ride scholarship for tennis, she decided that the sport wasn't the road she wanted to go down. She then enrolled at Stanford University to study astrophysics but it wasn't till NASA was looking for astronauts that she pursued her real calling. Six of the 44 astronauts chosen were female and Sally Ride was one of them. It wasn't until 1983 that she had her first mission to space on the Challenger. Sally Ride was the first american woman to go to space and became an inspiration to many.
Sally Ride is an inspiration to many girls and to me as well. I have gone to several of her events where she guest speaks and has science organizations available to speak to girls who might be interested in going into the field. Sally Ride really made it possible for girls to pursue their dreams, especially in science. She was the first woman to go to space and that shows immense dedication to her dreams and being able to accomplish something that she wants to do. 

Misty May is known to be one of the best beach volleyball players, if not the best. She began playing volleyball as a young girl when her dad, who was in the 1968 Olympics, taught her and worked with her on her game. Her babysitter, Karch Kiraly was even an inspiration to her as a three time winning olympic gold medalist. Misty May continued to play through high school as well as college and she lead her team to many victories. Joining the national indoor US team in 1999, she soon learned that the indoor volleyball was not for her. Misty May found her liking to be with beach volleyball and later moved her way to the olympics, partnering with Kerri Walsh. In their entire career, Misty May and Kerri Walsh have had over 105 wins including AVP, FIVB and the olympic games.
Misty May i a role model to many young girl volleyball players. She talks to girls who play and she encourages them to work hard at playing the sport they love. To every girl she says "Dream in gold," and thats what many girls love to hear from their favorite volleyball player. I personally have met her and she came to a huge volleyball tournament up in Irvine. She spoke with a bunch of the girls and she walked around the courts to watch some of the games that were going on. Someone that actually cares about the youth and is telling them to follow their dreams is definitely someone that will be looked up too.

JUNIOR YEAR!

Please outline what you hope to gain from your upcoming junior year. What are your overall goals for the year? Tell us about what you hope to accomplish or learn from your experiences in this Humanities class. What do you hope to learn & what do you hope to develop?

Well this year is my first year at HTH Media Arts and I would definitely have to say that already 2 days in, it is way different than my last school. I transfered schools with hopes of being challenged as a student and I was also hoping to learn more with the different teaching style here at HTHMA. I felt like I wasn't challenged enough at my old school and I just felt it was time for a change. I am very excited about Humanities this year. I really enjoy US history and it is a topic that interests me. I have already begun to like this class with learning about Tom Dowd and his group style of working. I look forward to taking honors this year in humanities class. I'm a little nervous about taking on that challenge but I think I will be able to be successful. I'm hoping to learn more about being a better writer this year too. My dad is a journalist and is amazing at writing so I hope to match up to him :]