1st grade students!!!!

Hello first grade students!
I’ve been a student at Sandvika VGS for three years now and I got to say that it’s been good and I have not regretted it at all. It’s a great school where people respect each other, and I will guarantee you that you’ll meet new and interesting people. The teachers here are great, and include you in all the activities in class. We use computers which are very nice, students often get caught up in other stuff when they use them, but they work out well. Almost everything you do in class is done on the computers so you have all your school work organized on one place. We have a nice cafeteria and library you can use if you need information or want something to eat.

If you choose to go to Sandvika VGS I’m sure you won’t regret it.

Gangland, USA

Hey! Today we have been looking at different articles from our textbook Access. I chose an article about gangs in USA called “Gangland, USA”. I think gangs and the culture is interesting because you never really know what is right and I’m always surprised by what I read and hear about gangs. That’s why I chose this article.

Gangs have been around since the beginning of the immigration. Ethnic groups with different values and cultures collided together creating gangs and separate areas for different people. When the Europeans came to America they settled and craved work, but some people were willing to do a certain for less so conflicts became present. People stuck to their own groups and a movie called “Gangs of New York” shows this in a very good way.

African American gangs were formed in large cities such as Chicago, NY and LA in the 1960s. These gangs are what formed and shaped the gang culture we have today. By the early 1970s, LA had two huge rival gangs, The Crips (blue) and the Bloods (red). Two very violent gangs in the ghettos of LA, that still remains today. For people living in these gangs, killing, shooting, drugs violence is a part of their everyday challenges and has been turned into a lifestyle.

Drugs started to pave the way for the upcoming drug gangs. America became the number one drug consumer by the early 1990s and drugs were distributed to every corner and every single person who wanted it. Along with the drugs came more violence and as the article states; Violence became a standard procedure for the gangs.

Other non-violent gangs were also formed at this time. African Americans were still oppressed and struggled. They got together and worked their way towards equality. During the civil rights movement, a group called the Black Panthers also worked for equal rights for blacks, but used different methods. They gave the green light for violence and believed they had to win their rights back with elbows and fists.

The 1990s were filled with street gangs and a major expansion of these street gangs. The number of gang members in 2005 was estimated to be around nine million which gives an indicator of what it was and how much the culture has grown.

Northern Ireland

Last week Cecilie gave us a lecture on the conflict in northern-Ireland. She had an interesting power-point, but it lasted a bit too long. I got a little off course, but tried to maintain attention.

The conflict in Ireland is mainly political and ethnic. One of the main reasons for the conflicts is bad treatment and huge differences in living and job opportunities.

Catholics were not treaded equal with the Protestants and a civil war broke out between the IRA and the Unionists.  Maggie Thatcher benefitted from this and became the Prime Minister of the UK, to rule in Northern-Ireland. She captured IRA fighters so they would starve to death because they wanted to be regarded political prisoners when she just saw them as criminals.

Blogger Challenge

What difference has blogging made to your life at school and home e.g. how has it changed how you learn, the challenges of blogging and how teachers might make the process easier?

Blogging has been a new thing for me. I had never used blogger before going into my last year here at Sandvika VGS. Blogging has not made a very significant difference for me at home because I usually blog about assignments given at school or something related to school. I still try to blog about other stuff just to diversify the blog and make it more interesting, if I have something I feel like sharing I sometimes post it on my blog.

When it comes to school, we often get assignments or things we need to write on our blogs. I have three different blogs so there is plenty of blogging. The main difference it has made in school is variety throughout the day.  Instead of just being lectured or what it is the teacher is doing, we get to write independently and post our work on our own personal blogs. I think it is pretty cool and the blog can eventually look very nice!

I would say that it has made us work more independently on some specific tasks. We create something of our own which is fun and in some way rewarding. We can see that we have made something from scratch and are proud of it, and also by getting comments from other people from around the world.

Blogger challenges us to write well written articles because they are viewed by whoever wants to take a look.  I think blogger is a pretty good alternative for us students. Instead of handing in a paper every week, we can publish an article on our blog that eventually will become sort of a collection of all your work. If you need to use something you wrote, they will be right where you left them.

Link to challenge here!: http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/2009/03/27/the-student-blogging-challenge-celebration/#comment-3647

This is England

This is England is a movie displaying the problems, patriotism and racism England was facing during the eighties. The movie is about a young boy who grows up in England in 1983. He is facing bullying everyday at school while struggling with the loss of his dad who died in the Falkland Wars. One day home from school he stumbles into a gang of skinheads that he starts hanging out with. These people become his “family” along with his mother. They take care of him and introduce him to their views on racism, white nationalism etc. He later in the movie becomes best buddies with Combo who is the leader of their gang and a strong British nationalist. The issues in England come through strongly via this movie. 

Obama & Jay Leno

1.    What are the advantages for the president to be on this show?

President Obama became the first president to have ever been on a late show. There are many different opinions whether he should have done it or not. By going on the show Barak Obama can gain new and different listeners and viewers. Jay Leno’s Tonight show also has a huge audience and people love the show which is positive for Obama because it brings him attention.

 

2.    What are the downsides?

The downside of going on the show with Jay Leno is that it can bring him negative attention because some people believe he should be sitting in the White House discussing the economic crisis. It is a rough time for America and he should maybe use time on lifting the country back to normal rather than going on a game show.

3.    How are these students using the media to get their points across; who is listening?

These students are using the media to emphasize how much the economic crisis is affecting the children and not only businessmen and other adults. They are using the media in a way that they reach out to everybody. Youtube is a worldwide phenomenon that attracts many people and is very effective to spread thoughts or whatever it may be. They managed to reach out to the people and better yet the president. This shows that the nation cares and that the president is working on the problem. 

The King Wins The Nobel Peace Price

I have just read the article about Martin Luther King and when he was awarded the majestic Nobel Peace Prize. He was awarded the prize on Oct. 14, 1964 and was the youngest to have ever received the price.

After receiving the price the King stated that he was glad other people were concerned with the problems the African Americans were facing at the time. I think Martin Luther King was a very understanding person and I love all his responses to questions given after receiving the award.  An example of his words that I enjoy reading is “I regard the prize as a sign that world public opinion was on the side of those struggling for freedom and dignity”.

He was the right man to receive the award at the time because he was fighting for oppressed people and showing the world that everybody is equal and deserve the same rights.