Monday, November 23, 2009

Courage

November is Empathy month. Here is the empathy message of the week.
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What is courage? What does it mean to be courageous? Courage is what makes someone capable of facing extreme danger and difficulty without retreating. Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you. Courage means having strength even when you feel pain or grief. Courage is doing difficult things when it really counts.

Have you ever done something that required courage? Nike believes that athletes are courageous. What do you think Courage Is ? Courage is also doing dangerous jobs to help others, like ambulance drivers, Canadian Soldier Forces and undercover police officers.

If you see things happening in your community that are not right, you need to have courage to stand up and say "HEY! Stop doing that bad stuff, man!" People show great courage in their communities. All over the world, people are doing things and standing up for what they believe in, even when it's hard. Watch how these people do it in China, South Africa and Germany .

Some communities have initiations, like the Apache and certain groups in India. Some people stand up for who they are, even if people make fun of them. Even boxers in Thailand need courage to be themselves and so do the kids with difficulties in Part of Me, Not All of Me

Courage also means being brave when you are facing a difficult time. Children can be very courageous with Beads of Courage. Myles shows courage every day.

Some people show courage by testing nature. Camera crews have filmed tornadoes, avalanches, hurricanes and tsunamis.

Some animals show courage by fighting animals larger than themselves. Watch these amazing showdowns between Man & Bear, Animal Attacks, Chickens & Rabbits, Lions & Hyenas, Anacondas & their prey, Snake & Humans, Catfish & Bats, Bee and Jumping Spider.

It's not easy to show courage, but sometimes you just have to do it!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Responsibility

November is Empathy month. Here is the empathy message of the week.
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What does it mean to be responsible? It means to care for something, and to be able to answer for your actions. We are responsible for our behaviour toward each other. We are responsible to do our best at all times.

We all have basic human rights. This means that we get certain rights, just because we are human. We also have basic human responsibilities. We need to treat each other properly, to be kind, to help when we can, to look out for each other and to play fair.

We have a responsibility to the people in our community. We need to make sure that we take care of where we live. We have to protect our space from decisions which might have a negative impact on our lives. Some people take their feeling of responsibility very personally and sometimes to the extreme 2 3 4 5
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Animals also feel a sense of responsibility to their families and community. Take a look at these super animal moms and dads.



and watch these great scenes of animal parents with Baby Animals, Mammals, Lessons, Feeding . Sometimes a predator can actually help its prey!
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Since we have so much in common with our animal friends, we have a responsibility to protect them. If we take advantage and stop caring, some species will become extinct. We are also discovering new species all the time. Thousands of new species have recently been discovered in the Mekong region, Borneo, and the Great Barrier Reef.
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One person can make a difference. It starts with you!

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UPDATE: November 19, 2009

Premier Dalton McGuinty's office has not responded to our email yet, but ForestEthics has! Here is what they said...

Dear Rawlinson,

Thanks so much for joining ForestEthics’ Save the Bou campaign, launched in partnership with Canopy, the David Suzuki Foundation and Greenpeace. Your letter will help put pressure on the Ontario government to save woodland caribou.

We are committed to sending you timely updates on this and other ForestEthics campaigns.


As part of the ForestEthics Save the Bou community, you are joining individuals who are committed to protecting our Boreal Forest, and the caribou that live there. You'll be hearing from us periodically with updates on how our campaign is going and occasional urgent action alerts. I promise you won't get too much and it won't be too boring.

What you can do right now

Be a fan of Save the Bou on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/savethebou

Be a fan of ForestEthics on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/forestethics

Thanks again,

Corinne Ball
Online Organizer
ForestEthics


(no, Corrine Ball is not related to Mr. Ball, that's just a funny coincidence!)

Monday, November 9, 2009

Diversity

November is Empathy month. Here is the empathy message of the week.
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DIVERSITY

We are all different from one another. And that's a good thing. How would this world be if we all looked, acted and dressed the same? BORING! That's how! There is an incredible amount of diversity of life on this planet. We can see diversity every day in Toronto. Walk around and you can't miss it!

There are so many different cultures in the world and many different ways of living.

We are very lucky to live here. Toronto is one of the most interesting cities to live in, since we have the most diversity of any city in the world!

Here is a great website to learn about different holidays and festivals.

Even inside our bodies there is diversity within our internal systems. Since we are all built the same on the inside, our differences are really only skin deep.
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Animals also come in all shapes and sizes. Some fly, some run, some swim, some crawl. Some eat plants, some eat other animals. Think about how many different animals you can think of. Bill Nye Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Some people take their Animal Protection jobs very seriously. Congo Preservation and EcoGeeks are two groups who really care about taking care of animals.

There is diversity in the oceans too. In fact, most of Earth's animal species live in the ocean. Ocean Observations

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There is diversity in plant life as well. Plants can grow to be one hundred metres tall or only a few millimetres in height. Some plants are used for food. Some can be used as medicine.

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The next time you see someone wearing clothes or eating food that you don't recognize, just realize that it doesn't matter where you come from, people are all basically the same. We only look different on the outside. We all want the same things - to be happy, to live in a comfortable place, to laugh with friends and family and to have a good life!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Community

What does it mean to be part of a community? It means you are part of a larger group. It means that you have a responsibility to that group. You can be part of many different groups all at the same time. You are a member of your local community, your provincial community, your national community, your ethnic community, and most importantly, the human community.

Your Local Community is the city of Toronto. There
is a lot going on here, and it's a
great place to call home! Toronto is a great place
to visit. Just ask the people who made
this Tourism 2007 video, and the people who show
Some people don't like living in the big city. What do you think? Let's compare


Your Provincial Community is the Province
of Ontario. Many famous people
have lived in Ontario. We are the birthplace of world famous actors, singers and comedians.
Here are some Ontario residents singing about their
favourite province!


Your National Community is the country of Canada. It is a peaceful nation and the
second largest country in the world! We promote
our country for Tourism with help
from the Tourist Board. Many of our American
neighbours don't even know about us!
To them, we are The World Next Door


Your Ethnic Community is the group that gives you
your customs and heritage. Do you
have special foods that you eat with your family? Do you celebrate any holidays or festivals?
Do you have any rituals or traditions that you
practice? We are lucky to live within


One community that we are all part of is the Human Community. On the outside we may wear different clothes and look different from one another, but we are more alike than we are different. We all are built the same! We all own a Human Body Part 2
Part 3 Part 4 and we are all capable of showing great Strength Part 2 especially these Street Gymnasts


All living things are part of a community. Yes, this includes animals and plants! Some people say that plants show intelligence and some people say that plants can even fight!

Animals are more like people that many of us like to believe. Watch these examples of Animal Locomotion Part 2 Part 3

Monday, October 26, 2009

Growth and Change

Living things all grow and they all change. Communities can grow and change. Attitudes and beliefs can also grow and change. Be adaptable. Change can be very good!



People can sometimes seem to change before your eyes! Rapid aging

The meaning of "Human" is changing every day. The Boy Who Sees Without Eyes

Our basic human abilities are changing, and we are entering an exciting new time.



Animals are often food for other animals and can be very destructive to human habitats. Don't ever judge based on size! Locusts Gecko eaten by ants

Imagine if you had no help being born. Could you do it all by yourself? These guys sure can! Hatching Honey Bee Hatching Tortoise




Plants go through some impressive growing as well. Sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it's gross! Flowers Mushroom Fungi growth The Album Leaf




Communities change every day, with every birth and every death. Seasons affect communities. Frozen Coffee and 53 Hours in Yellowknife Migration affects communities. Arctic Community Politics affects communities. Aboriginal Community Garden War and Peace change communities. It starts with one person...

Planets can change too!



Monday, October 19, 2009

Canada is a Great Country!

Aren't you glad that you live in the best country in the world?


What makes Canada so great you ask? It's the second largest country in the world, and home to over 31 million people!




Many people ask "Why Canada? Why would you want to live in such a cold place? Don't you have to spend every day inside?" Nope! There is plenty to do outside!

Out In The Cold - season 1 promo
Out In The Cold - avalanche rescue webisode 1
Out In The Cold - dog rescue webisode 2
Out In The Cold - season 2

Not everyone is lucky to live in a free and peaceful country like Canada. Since our country gives us many advantages, some Canadian people feel the need to help people in other countries.

What can you do to help others who are less fortunate?


Monday, October 12, 2009

Math is fun!

Have you ever thought about explaining math through dancing? It can be done! Watch this...


Check out how kids do math in Asia without calculators! It's amazing!




And here are some great tricks to help you do math in your head! It's all in your mind...


and for even more advanced math check these out from our friend at Glad2Teach!




You can check out more videos from our friend right here...


Monday, October 5, 2009

Welcome to the Rawlinson Technology Blog

Welcome to the Rawlinson Community School Technology Blog. This blog is your source for information about what is happening in the Rawlinson Technology Department, as well as a resource to use for research. Keep checking the blog on a regular basis! You will be able to see student work, pictures, play games, view links, complete surveys, complete quizes and much more!

Touch Screens are here!

You may have seen a touch screen, but you have probably never seen this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtKQNwqNLLk&feature=related

And here is a demonstration of how to use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4hkSSlFYII&feature=related

Music and Computers

Here is what some very clever people in Asia are doing with music and computers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFcDbtSwWG0

We have come a long way

Today computers can create images that look very realistic. Here is one of the very first videos created on a computer in the 1960s. That was almost 50 years ago!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLU2hIV7n_I&feature=PlayList&p=C90F7C6991C31315&index=8

What is a computer?

Computers have been around, in one form or another, for hundreds of years! Some computers could be programmed to do tasks for humans, while others could be used to help tell time.

Only a few years ago a computer was so large that it took up an entire room! Today, computers can be small enough to wear on your wrist - or even smaller than that!