Reflections and Feedback

1. When the project was first introduced I was nervous about having my writing be public; however, blogging has made me more comfortable with having other people read my journal entries. Having my writing be public has also forced me to make my writing as strong as it could be (not that I don’t do that already…).

2. The process of learning how to create and maintain a blog was simple. The program for creating my own blog was clear and easy to follow. I was able to catch on a lot quicker than I had thought. There weren’t many challenges I had except when it came to using google docs, but other tan that the “blogger” website was easy. As for my successes, I learned how to blog! I never thought I would be putting up my own website for the public to view; knowing I had my own site made the project more exciting.

3. The researching process was difficult at times but in the end I seemed to always find the material I was looking for. The list of passwords and usernames you gave us made using the databases easy to log on to from home. Also, the directions posted on the class blog were clear and always told me exactly which website I need to use for my research and how I can get there.

4. I really liked the freedom the final presentation allowed us. I especially liked the feature of adding in youtube videos, it made all the presentations more interesting. I thought the best part of the final presentation was that we were able to “show” our information instead of having to tell/write about what we learned.
Using good docs was a little frustrating for me because I would constantly be signed off for no reason, but every time I was signed off my material was always saved. Also, I made two photostory presentations, thinking that I would be able to import them into my Google doc, but unfortunately youtube would not let me upload them so I ended up not being able to put them into my final presentation.

5. I felt what I learned was directly connected with what I read, wrote, and presented about. The blog responses were just like our journal responses, but I knew that they were being shared with the public.

6. The postings on the class blog really made it easy to follow directions and understand what I needed to be doing; it served as my assignment notebook for the three weeks! Also, having both, Mr. Kramer and Mr. Rigler, walking around and be available to help with any technical glitches or questions made the project run smoother. When we were researching for a book I found it very useful having both librarians there.

7. In the beginning of the project blogging was hard because I really liked the “private” aspect of my journal, so moving from having a private place to write to writing for the entire world to see was a bit drastic and hard to get used to, but I think everyone adjusted well. Also, I really like not having to bring home our binders and books! I think revisiting our blogs in the future and using them to post on would be fun. No, as of now I do not plan on maintaining my blog, but I do plan I showing my friends and family what I have created and have them view it! I already showed my parents my blog. They really enjoyed being able to see what I have been doing in class!

Reflections and Feedback

1. When the project was first introduced I was nervous about having my writing be public; however, blogging has made me more comfortable with having other people read my journal entries. Having my writing be public has also forced me to make my writing as strong as it could be (not that I don’t do that already…).
2. The process of learning how to create and maintain a blog was simple. The program for creating my own blog was clear and easy to follow. I was able to catch on a lot quicker than I had thought. There weren’t many challenges I had except when it came to using google docs, but other tan that the “blogger” website was easy. As for my successes, I learned how to blog! I never thought I would be putting up my own website for the public to view; knowing I had my own site made the project more exciting.
3. The researching process was difficult at times but in the end I seemed to always find the material I was looking for. The list of passwords and usernames you gave us made using the databases easy to log on to from home. Also, the directions posted on the class blog were clear and always told me exactly which website I need to use for my research and how I can get there.
4. I really liked the freedom the final presentation allowed us. I especially liked the feature of adding in youtube videos, it made all the presentations more interesting. I thought the best part of the final presentation was that we were able to “show” our information instead of having to tell/write about what we learned.
Using good docs was a little frustrating for me because I would constantly be signed off for no reason, but every time I was signed off my material was always saved. Also, I made two photostory presentations, thinking that I would be able to import them into my Google doc, but unfortunately youtube would not let me upload them so I ended up not being able to put them into my final presentation.
5. I felt what I learned was directly connected with what I read, wrote, and presented about. The blog responses were just like our journal responses, but I knew that they were being shared with the public.
6. The postings on the class blog really made it easy to follow directions and understand what I needed to be doing; it served as my assignment notebook for the three weeks! Also, having both, Mr. Kramer and Mr. Rigler, walking around and be available to help with any technical glitches or questions made the project run smoother. When we were researching for a book I found it very useful having both librarians there.
7. In the beginning of the project blogging was hard because I really liked the “private” aspect of my journal, so moving from having a private place to write to writing for the entire world to see was a bit drastic and hard to get used to, but I think everyone adjusted well. Also, I really like not having to bring home our binders and books! I think revisiting our blogs in the future and using them to post on would be fun. No, as of now I do not plan on maintaining my blog, but I do plan I showing my friends and family what I have created and have them view it! I already showed my parents my blog. They really enjoyed being able to see what I have been doing in class!

Adam Sherman's Final Presentation

One of the many presentations I chose to look at was Adam’s final presentation. I wanted to look at his presentation because so much of our world is greatly affected by the media and entertainment. It was very interesting to see how Sherman explored this concept. Within his presentation it discussed all about “the Life and Views of Theater and Film”. The most interesting aspect I pulled away from the presentation was that movie and show producers main goal is to please the auidience; however, they often hurt others in the process of doing so. In other words, the entertainment industry has been widely known to push the envelope. For example, often times it makes assumption considering celebrities and their lives. Not only do they make the assumptions, but the media goes forth and presents these assumptions to the world. I cant even begin to imagine my life in the public eye.- my blog is the only part of my life that I want public!

kimmy's Final Presentation

Kimmy’s Final presentation was very interesting. As a working women myself her presentation makes me feel very grateful for the people who made the workplace what it is today. I thought it was amazing to find out that during the war an increase of about 57% of women held men’s jobs. However, when the men returned from war women were forced to give-up their jobs and go back to their families. I cant imagine going from feeling powerful and worthy, then later being forced to go back to feeling unworthy. In the video it discussed how women’s roles have evolved. In the earlier years the roles of women primarily revolved around working at home; times have changed and now many women are known to be very involved in the workforce, and even be CEO’s of a company. The video clip included within the presentation discusses how men feel about women’s power advancing. Because of how much women have developed I can understand why men may sometimes feel inferior; however, America must continue to reamin equal. In no way do I feel that women have become more powerful than men. If anything, I feel that men are still looked at as the main source of income provider for a family; this is how my family is set-up. Overall, women in the workplace have advanced tremendouslym, and I think that message was clearly conveyed through kimmy’s final presentation. Girls my age are now able to work towards going to college and earning a well paying job, instead of being forced to be a homemaker.

Jamie's Final Presentation

I chose to view My Blog Log's final presentation because i was very interested in the environment. This past year my sister became really involved in saving the earth. She would always tell my family to reclye, and when we did not she would remind us that we were killing our home. After watching Jamie's presentation i am even more persuaded to "save our earth" and use the "3 R's"- REDUCE, REUSE, RECYLE. Our environment is clearly suffering from pollution. By using the 3 R's we are using simple, but effective, mechanisms to helping our erth last longer. As much as i enjoyed watching Jamie's video, what had the greatest impact me was her first set of pictures in the begining of the presentation. The pictures made me disgusted and horrified. It really made me think about rethinking the next time i feel the urge to throw a wrapper on the ground or throw a can in the trash. I now know what is affected by me doing so. It is a horrible fact that our environment is suffering so much. By watching her final presentation i am now more inspired to make a change and create a difference by taking the steps listed in her presentation in hopes to helping create a more happy, healthy earth for all to live on for a long long long time!

Works Cited

"Child labor." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010.

Florence Kelley " Obstacles to Enforcing Child Labor Laws," Annals of American History. [Accessed February 2, 2010.]

Franklin D. Roosevelt " First Inaugural Address," Annals of American History. [Accessed February 22, 2010].

Greenhouse, Steven, and Michael Barbaro. "An Ugly Side of Free Trade: Sweatshops in Jordan.(Business/Financial Desk)." The New York Times. (May 3, 2006): C1(L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 .

Labour, Children's World Congress on Child. "An International Declaration Against Child Exploitation." At Issue: Child Labor and Sweatshops. Ed. Ann Manheimer. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=deer63488&version=1.0>.

Radley Balko. "Sweatshops Benefit Children." At Issue: Do Children Have Rights?. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .

Samuel Gompers " The Laborer's Right to Life," Annals of American History. [Accessed February 21, 2010].

"Women in the workplace." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

Yezierska, Anzia. “America and I.” Jewish Stories: Ilan Stavans. New York: Oxford, 1998. 69-77. Print

History Analysis

Labor seems to be a topic requiring much attention. Today, Barack Obama lists the topic as one of the most important issues to be dealt, "jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that's why I'm calling for a new jobs bill tonight" (State of the Union Address). In the past labor was a large part of life. The Great Depression was a time in which people’s lives were drastically changed. It was because of the leaders, movements, and laws that were created to help fight the five year labor battle. Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the union hope during the Great Depression. In his first Inaugural Speech he said, “Our greatest primary task is to put people to work”. By FDR making this his primary focus he was able to have the country work together, putting people to go back to work, eventually making the economy more stable. Along with setting a goal, he also supported the country when they needed it the most. For example, FDR would frequently have fireside chats and talk with the country to reassure the nation. In his inaugural speech he stated, “This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper”. This shows Roosevelt’s ability to provide hope to a nation in despair. His hopeful outlook allowed for the US to see an ending point to a painful five years. Not only was it Roosevelt’s personality which played a role in helping the country get out of the Depression but it was also ideas such as The New Deal plan which helped get the US back on their feet. The New Deal’s goal was to create the best balance “among all producing segments- agriculture, capital, industry, workers in the industry, the services, and the segment engaged in transportation and distribution, there would be almost no limit to our consuming capacity”. The New Deal allowed people to recognize a goal, and collectively work to get out of the Depression. Another way the nation was able to fix the problems of the Great Depression was by forming labor Unions. Labor Unions were a group of angered workers who fought for their rights in the workplace. During the Great Depression wages were cut, people were laid off, and hours were increased. These conditions became unfair and the laborers became angered; as a result they banned together and created Labor Unions. One of the very first Labor Union formed was the Cannery and Agricultural Workers Industrial Union (CAWIU). This Union acted out against the government and eventually became powerful in creating a change. One of the largest strikes the CAWIU led was the Cotton Strike. This strike was known to be very effective, “wages for picking cotton had fallen by 60%, from one dollar to forty cents per one hundred pounds picked…the CAWIU succeeded in increasing wages to seventy-five cents per one hundred pounds picked and gained recognition for the union”. This shows that people recognized times were unfair, but by people fighting a change was created eliminating unfair treatment. Among this large Union group were women. Women in the workplace during the era of the 1900’s were treated much differently than men. The Women’s Suffrage Movement changed this; enabling women to take on roles other than “inn and tavern keepers, laundresses and domestic workers, nursemaids, prostitutes, fish sellers, and merchants, and sometimes even landowners”. This change was established by women creating organized self-help groups. It was known that, “More than sixteen percent of women could be found in the workplace in 1880. By 1900, that figure had increased to twenty-one percent”. This statistics was partly due to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Along with women, children also faced difficult times in the workplace. Children were forced to go to work and help out their families financially. Because the economy was so poor and jobs were scarce children were forced to work in factories with poor conditions, cheap wages, hard/dangerous work, and long hours. It was known that “One out of every three American factory workers was between the ages of seven and 12. These children often worked 10- and 12-hour days in dangerous and unsanitary conditions”. This statistic shows how popular child labor was during the Great Depression era. It took on a major role in stabilizing the economy but was a horrifying concept. If children worked 11 hours a day their average work week would consist of 77 hours of work. Today, the average work week is 46-48 hours a week. This means, children were working about 30 more hours than people do today. This shows how horrifying and harsh conditions were back then. After recognizing that working such long hours under bad conditions is harmful, amendments and acts such as the Child Labor Amendment, National Industrial Act and Fair Labor Standard Act were established. These acts and amendments allowed children to have the ability to go to school and be a kid. Overall, the workplace is an important evolving topic area within America. It is what keeps our economy stable and allows people to live happily. Unfortunately much of American’s happiness is defined by the amount of money one posses and the only way one earns a consistent flow of money is by working. Furthermore, work is a fact of life that has been around for forever and will continue to stick around. Through the good times and the bad it always seems as if America has managed to hold together and “work” through the tough times.