How can I get you to read my blog? Feel good news.

If you are a newspaper reader or a TV news watcher you are well aware that what you see is almost all the bad news. I always wanted to start a feel good newspaper, knowing very well it would NOT be popular. I actually found a feel good newspaper in Bali, of course! Than there is the onion news that you can read and watch athttp://www.theonion.com/content/index This will give you a great laugh, but it is just making fun of all the bad news. Try  this video http://www.theonion.com/content/video/are_violent_video_games

CNN Heroeshttp://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/ is a great place to find feel good ideas that people are doing. You can nominate a 2010 hero! 

If you are one of the few who enjoys good news, than become a follower of the PEL Library Blog. Here you can read good news. You can even write to the author, ME, and suggest what you would like to hear and know more about. 

At this point, I have 9 followers on the PEL Library Blog. My own son is not even following it. If you want to motivate the author, ME, please log in and click follow. I wish to have 200 followers by the end of the school year! 

Make my WISH come true!

BEING RESPONSIBLE WORLD CITIZEN NOW!

How can it be that every 3.5 seconds a person dies of hunger and WE HAVE enough food to feed the world? This is a question that the Pattimura Grade 5 students have been asking themselves, each other and their teachers. Java Feeding the Millions is a unit of study they have been working on for the last 4 weeks. This unit was introduced on a wiki that can be found at: http://javafeedingthemillions.pbworks.com/FrontPage

If you are an interested in logging on to this site, please contact rpolonsky@jisedu.or.id

Here is their task:

Dear JIS Grade 5 Students:

My name is Ibu Siti Pattimura. I work as an aid agency called FOOD FOR ALL or YAYASAN MAKANAN UNTUK SEMUA (YMUS) and we are trying to feed the world. As an aid agency we are looking for a group of experienced researchers to create a compelling "story" about hunger.

The author, Daniel Pink writes, "Stories can be healing." Throughout the ages children have been told stories by adults at times when they need guidance in order to cope with a difficult life situation. Stories teach us what is right and wrong. Stories are how we learn. YMUS would like your research group to create a compelling true "story" of hunger. We will use your presentation to:

1. Convince large companies and governments to improve conditions which lead to hunger.

2. Convince the public to give generously when they donate to our cause.

We are interested in hiring the research team that best expresses the facts of hunger in a compelling and empathetic way that speaks to all who view your presentation. YMUS knows that there is enough food to feed the world population, but still many men, women and children are hungry everyday.

You have 4 weeks to create a project to present to the Board of Directors of the Yayasan Makanan Untuk Semua.  Your teachers will divide you into groups for collaboration. See the pamphlet from the library about the "Six Easy Steps for Research Projects" to help you with this process.

This presentation must include the following information:

Background: This is where the team has to provide general information on hunger based on research that they have conducted during their inquiry. This portion of the presentation should demonstrate that you understand:

    * What hunger is?

    * The different causes of hunger

    * Why, despite there being enough food, people are still going hungry?

    * The different types of programs that are currently being used

    * Hunger from the perspective of person who you are trying to help

 

After you have researched your background information your group will decide on how they will present the information using appropriate visual media to engage your audience. Your team should include innovative suggestions of how to solve this global issue but understanding the steps may start small.

Remember the saying: “If you give a man a fish he will eat for a day, if you teach a man to fish they will eat for a life time.”

OR

“If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. If you teach a man to learn, you feed him for a lifetime and he doesn't have to only eat fish. ..."

OR

They don't need to be taught to fish-instead, they need an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. (by Shawn http://uncultured.com/)

In four weeks time the Board of Directors  of YMUS will be here to experience your presentations.

Good Luck!

Sincerely Yours,

Ibu Siti Pattimura

The wiki has resources that include websites, videos and books to assist students in their research. It also includes the rubric on creativity and has information about how to research. The Pattimura TeLMS (technology & library media services) as a team have decided to introduce the first NETS-S standard on creativity. We want to thank Bindu Bammi a MS art teacher for her useful rubric that we changed slightly. The rubric was introduced to all the classes and gave them the vision of what to strive for.

The excitement and learning has been escalating over the last few weeks as students learning research skills, new technologies, how to collaborate and most important how can they be responsible world citizens!