Learning is Change

Cores 1+4:

1. Blog-on: How would you describe the act of creation? (What goes through your head when you are creating something? How do you know when you have created something?)
2. Turn in your Harrison Bergeron Google Doc: What did you learn through this process? (Have someone read your reflection paragraph.)
3. So far we have taken a look at a utopia/dystopia that sets restrictive limits upon its citizens. What would happen if we took a look at a story that revolves around creation?
   • Read: How the World Was Saved.
   • What kind of balance is required between creation and destruction?
4. Extension:
   • If you had a machine that could create anything, would you use it? Why or why not?

Core 2:

1. Rev-It-On
2. What happens when people rip-off your social action plan? Is this what we want, or is it going too far?
   • In 2008 we will have the Intel’s Classmate ($250), Zonbu notebook ($279 + $14.95/month), Asus Eee laptop ($299-399), Nokia Internet Tablets ($150-$299), Nova NetPC “thin client” system (around $80/unit), and the OLPC’s XO laptop ($200).
   • The newest $75 laptop.
3. Work on your Social Action Plan for finalizing.
4. Extensions:
   • Finish your SAP for Thursday.

Core 3:

1. Blog-on: What is it about someone’s writing that makes it distinct from another’s writing (what makes it unique)?
2. Style search:
   • Your next Academy Authentic will not be published to your blog, nor will it be shared with anyone. It will be used as a way to see how well each of you are able to spot a writer’s style. You will write up your next Academy Authentic using Google Docs and then you will export it as a Word File, sending it to me via e-mail (or you can write the whole thing in word if you prefer). I will print them out and we will see who can match the style to the author the best.
   • Of course, you will have to read one another’s blogs in order to establish what kind of style you are looking for, but that will all be a part of the process.
     • Today: Write your own piece. It must be at least a paragraph, but it can be longer.
     • Tomorrow: Research your fellow students’ blogs for hints as to their style
     • Thursday: Turn your piece in before school so that I can print them out and we can see who knows style the best. There will be a prize for the most right answers. (Plus, I will be participating too.)
3. Extension:
   • Finish your Academy Authentic for Thursday.

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Cores 1+4:

1. Discuss-on: Why is easier to achieve equality by catering to the lowest common denominator rather than letting everyone achieve at a high level? How can we achieve equality in the second way better in the future?
2. Continue to answer the questions from Harrison Bergeron, and don’t forget to do this step:
   • When your group completes
     the questions, you may drop the handicap, but I would like your group to write a
     paragraph about what problems you encountered in your group, what you did to
     accommodate all handicaps, and what you learned. Address the question “Do equality and sameness mean the
     same thing?”
3. Extension: Write out an answer to the following question:
   • Do you think that the Handicapper General was handicapped? Why or why not?

Core 2:

1. Rev-it-on: Organize a word.
2. Take emotions survey:
   • Girls
   • Boys
3. Continue to work on your SAP:
   • Check all Six requirements to make sure you have done everything correctly.
   • If you do not have a role in finishing your SAP, you need to ask for something to work on. Delegate the jobs. If you truly do not have something to work on, you may start working on your next Academy Authentic.
4. Extension:
   • Continue to work on SAP.

Core 3:

1. Write or Blog-on: What is there difference between an idea and a belief?
2. Why is it important to know how to string together a long sentence such as this one?
   • Write down all of the ways that you can think of to join together two ideas (words, punctuation, or combinations of words and punctuation).
3. What happens when you string enough beliefs together?
4. What idiologies/-isms/structures of belief exist today?
   • How do you think they got started?
5. Extensions:
   • If you are republican or a democrat, what kind of belief structure to you believe in?

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Cores 1+4:

1. What perfect books did your parents talk to you about? How were they different than your own?
2. Write-On: How can one person’s utopia be another person’s dystopia?
3. What are the different types of dystopias we encounter, or could encounter if we try to reach utopia?
4. What would be your own personal dystopia given modern circumstances?
5. How does your personal dystopia compare to that of Harrison Bergeron?
6. Extensions:
• Is equality a virtue? Should we be striving for it? Why or why not?

Core 2:

1. Write-on: How can social action break the law and still be considered okay?
2. Level 2 Words
3. Watch exerpts from A Meditation on the Speed Limit:
• How can this be considered a form of Social Action?
• Is this an important movement to lead?
• How is your social action like this?
• Are all social actions rebellious by nature?
4. Extensions:
• Continue to work on SAP (Due next Friday).

Core 3:

1. Write-on (to be turned in): Which of Pink’s 21st century senses do you most exemplify and which one do you wish you were better at? Why?
2. How much do you believe that your physical brain affects your beliefs?
3. What would you call Pink’s belief structure? (What kind of -Ism?)
4. What are beliefs based upon?
1. What kinds of beliefs do you think that the WFS hold?
5. Extension: Should we look toward the future or to the past for our beliefs?

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Cores 1+4:

1. Perfect Book Record-on: Speak the most important factor about your perfect book into the iPod recorder.
2. Explore the concept of Utopia through definition, brainstorms, and writing:
3. Brainstorm ideas about utopias and write down ALL responses:
   • What words come to mind when you think about utopia?
   • What changes may have taken place as humans redefine the term utopia?
   • What things or places might be considered utopian?
4. Categorize the ideas that were written down.
   • How could you categorize these ideas into groups?
   • What could you call each group? Why?
   • What are some commonalities of utopias?
5. Brainstorm a list of things that man throughout the ages would consider utopian?
   • What can you say about these things?
   • What do you call each of these groups? Why?
   • Are the following characteristics of utopias: paradise, heaven, new worlds, perfection of some sort? Why or why not?
6. Make generalizations about utopias and human’s changing ideas regarding them.
   • What can you say about utopias that is usally true? How are our examples alike?

• Humans have been searching for or trying to create a utopian world in some way since time began.
• Humans corrupt their utopia after finding it or creating it.
• Each human strives to create his/her own personal and societal utopia.
• Dreams memories, nature, emotions, and time help shape our ideas regarding utopia.
• Individuality can be lost in our quest for utopia.

Extensions: Continue your search for your perfect book: Ask your parents what their perfect book would be (or is).

Core 2:

1. Level 2 word-on
2. What can the OLPC project tell us about:
   • Learning/Education
   • Social Action Plans
   • Computers
   • Change
3. Extensions: Continue to work on your SAP.

Core 3:

1. Write-on: What is one thing that you own that you think is designed well? Describe it.
2. Continue discussion of Pink’s Six Senses of R-directed thinking.
   • How would you boil down his belief structure?
   • Even if you don’t believe all of it, do you think that it adds something valuable to our world? Why or why not?

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Cores 1+4:

1. Write-On: Imagine that there were a perfect book out there for you.
   It has just the right mixture of content (the stuff it is about) and
   form (the way it is written). What would it look like?
2. Construct your perfect book on our handout.
3. Meet with me to discuss your personal curriculum plan:
• Is your personal curriculum limited in scope?
• Is your personal curriculum authentic to you?
4. Extension:
• Try to find a perfect book based upon your handout.

Core 2:

1. Level 2 word Act-on, Think-on, Discuss-on.
2. What will you do if the results of your Social Action Plan are different than you had predicted?
• How will you reflect on surprises?
• What happens if it goes against what you believe or what is socially acceptable?
3. Read Violent Music study.
• How did they design their data study?
• How did they express surprise and finding things that go against public opinion?
4. Extension:
• Continue to work on your social action plan.

Core 3:

1. Interview-on: Go around to other students and ask them about their image grammar:
• After you have heard their sentence and their rule, ask them how they know that they are right about their rule.
• Ask them what exceptions to the rule, if any, there are.
• Ask them how they have/could use this rule in their own writing.
2. Belief is so much a part of our every day lives that it seems to consume us. Because of what we believe, we act, think, feel and speak the way that we do. But, beliefs fit into belief structures, or ways of believing. Each person has his or her own, but they may not be fully aware of what this structure looks like. Most people never stop to think about where their beliefs come from, and for that matter where others’ beliefs come from. The unit we will officially begin next week will be all about trying to figure out what people (authors, thinkers, us) believe and why. By the end of the unit I hope that you will know yourself better than at any other time in your life.
3. Read excerpts from “A Whole New Mind” by Dan Pink.
• What does he believe about the past, present and future?
• How would categorize his beliefs?
4. Extension:
• Start to look for evidence that how people act is a function of their beliefs.

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Cores 1+4:

1. Reset expectations for the quarter.
   • What changes and what stays the same?
2. What is a personal curriculum?
3. Brainstorm your personal curriculum with a partner.
4. Extension: Write your personal curriculum plan for one of your ideas on your blog.

Core 2:

1. Reset expectations for the quarter.
   • What changes and what stays the same?
2. What is the most powerful thing you have ever said?
   • How did you know that it was powerful.
3. Discuss Rev it Up…
   • Why did we switch?
   • How is it better?
4. Read Aloud.
5. Extensions:
   • Say something you really mean to a friend today.

Core 3:

1. Reset expectations for the quarter.
   • What changes and what stays the same?
2. Write-on: What is image grammar?
3. The Elements of Style: Illustrated
   • How does each image and corresponding caption convey a rule of grammar?
4. Extensions: Create your own Grammar caption.