Here is another thread for you to comment on.
What are some of the local issues in Barrie and Simcoe County?
Here is one on photo radar in school zones to get you started.
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2017/04/27/school-zones-could-be-safer
What are the ethics behind photo radar? Does video policing infringe on our rights?
What about the comment our mayor Jeff Lehman makes on red light cameras in the article? What are issues involved with these cameras?
You could also choose your own topic. Remember to follow the criteria outlined and please remind your classmates to post.
Friday, April 28, 2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Mic dropped
As discussed, UA tagged the $22 mark early this morning as the people who bet short against it were squeezed. Remember those people stuck in it from $22 ? They finally got back to break even and then got rid of it as soon as they could (foolish!). My feelings are that it will drift lower throughout the day near the $21 mark and eventually lift off in the late afternoon to come up somewhere back near that $22 mark. If not today, then over the next few weeks.
Had you purchased options in advance of this momentous occasion then oh, think of the things that you can think.
Had you purchased options in advance of this momentous occasion then oh, think of the things that you can think.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
WEEK TWO - THEMES
Alright, we're moving along quickly now into the 2nd week of our course. Today's big global story is North Korea/South Korea/U.S. military drills.
What are some of the political issues pertaining to this whole scenario ? Why is there a North and South Korea in the first place? What role did Canada and the U.S. play in the Korean war? Should they have participated in this? Should countries sort issues out on their own or should other nations become involved?
There are a lot of topics to consider here.
Other topics to consider: U.S. slaps a new 20% tax on all Canadian lumber imports. Is this fair? Does it violate NAFTA?
Today Trump will meet to discuss the elimination of NAFTA. What are these implications for Canada?
Go ahead and post on these or other topics as the week unfolds.
What are some of the political issues pertaining to this whole scenario ? Why is there a North and South Korea in the first place? What role did Canada and the U.S. play in the Korean war? Should they have participated in this? Should countries sort issues out on their own or should other nations become involved?
There are a lot of topics to consider here.
Other topics to consider: U.S. slaps a new 20% tax on all Canadian lumber imports. Is this fair? Does it violate NAFTA?
Today Trump will meet to discuss the elimination of NAFTA. What are these implications for Canada?
Go ahead and post on these or other topics as the week unfolds.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
WEEK ONE - THEMES
Make a comment on this thread for your week one post. You'll need a google account to do so. These ten posts will make up 20-25% of your final mark so it is crucial that you keep up to date.
One possible topic is Toronto Real Estate. What are the issues involved here? Why are the federal and provincial governments meeting with Toronto mayor John Tory? Is it their business to do so or are they meddling with different levels they shouldn't be? Or, should it be that the federal government should be setting these policies nationwide and Toronto, Vancouver and other cities wouldn't have had this problem to begin with? What are the implications globally if we tax foreigners? How will those nations view and treat Canadians?
*Remember to back up data and figures. Include references (urls) for level 4 quality.
You can find other government/civics/citizenship topics that interest you and post that topic as well. Some ideas include immigration, taxation, legalization, U.S. / Canada relations, Trade, Trump, Treaties, etc.
One possible topic is Toronto Real Estate. What are the issues involved here? Why are the federal and provincial governments meeting with Toronto mayor John Tory? Is it their business to do so or are they meddling with different levels they shouldn't be? Or, should it be that the federal government should be setting these policies nationwide and Toronto, Vancouver and other cities wouldn't have had this problem to begin with? What are the implications globally if we tax foreigners? How will those nations view and treat Canadians?
*Remember to back up data and figures. Include references (urls) for level 4 quality.
You can find other government/civics/citizenship topics that interest you and post that topic as well. Some ideas include immigration, taxation, legalization, U.S. / Canada relations, Trade, Trump, Treaties, etc.
Your Marking Scheme
I will start with the following marking scheme, which is based on the University of Western's Faculty of Ed. with some personal tweaking. If you feel that certain elements are needed or not needed, then this weekend is your chance to voice your opinions in the comments section below my post here. Although I mentioned I would only mark one of your posts, and it will remain that way, it is also a requirement that you respond to others in order to achieve level 4. Think of it as a part of your post. If you've done all that work to make your post great, then wouldn't you like to hear some feedback from other students? Bien sur.
General Suggestions:
-Participate actively. To get the most, it is important for you to actively participate in discussions throughout the course
-Post on a regular basis - a minimum of every three days. That means twice a week, but don't heap them up on the same day. Basically, if you follow the above suggestion it means you make one post to be evaluated and a second post which is a discussion with one of your classmates.
-Make substantive postings. Please avoid making postings that simply agree or disagree or repeat ideas already posted. Rather, add substantively to the discussion by extending the ideas of others, relating personal or other experiences that illustrate ideas being discussed, proposing alternate ideas, raising new questions for discussion and asking for clarification.
-Express ideas concisely. Please avoid lengthy postings. One way to do this is by keeping each posting focused on a single idea or theme. Make separate postings for different ideas and themes.
-Make a variety of postings. Keep in mind the various regions of the world and also the various themes of study (i.e. Local, Provincial, Federal, Global Politics and Citizenship).
-Spell check work before posting. There's no excuse in 2017 when you are using a computer.
Level 4 - (80-100%)
1. Contributes to discussions with high degree of regularity
2. Responses indicate a high degree of knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
3. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with a high degree of effectiveness
4. Demonstrates a high degree of self-motivation
5. Accepts criticism postively
6. Illustrates ideas with references to classroom (and other) experiences with a high degree of effectiveness
7. expresses ideas clearly and concisely with a high degree of effectiveness
8. Includes references to two external sources to support posting.
Level 3 - (70-79%)
1. Contributes to discussions with considerable regularity
2. Responses indicate a considerable knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
3. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with considerable effectiveness
4. Demonstrates considerable self-motivation
5. Usually accepts criticism postively
6. Illustrates ideas with references to classroom (and other) experiences with considerable effectiveness
7. expresses ideas clearly and concisely with considerable effectiveness
8. Includes references to one external sources to support posting.
Level 2 - (60 - 69%)
1. Contributes to discussions with some regularity
2. Responses indicate a some knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
3. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with some effectiveness
4. Demonstrates some self-motivation
5. Sometimes accepts criticism postively
6. Illustrates ideas with references to classroom (and other) experiences with some effectiveness
7. expresses ideas clearly and concisely with some effectiveness
8. Does not reference to external sources to support posting.
Level 1 - (50 - 59%)
1. Contributes to discussions with limited regularity
2. Includes a response to another classmate, but lacks a formal post
3. Responses indicate limited knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
4. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with limited effectiveness
5. Demonstrates limite self-motivation
6. Does not accept criticism postively
7. Expresses ideas with limited effectiveness
8. No references to external sources to support posting.
<50%
1. Does not include a post
General Suggestions:
-Participate actively. To get the most, it is important for you to actively participate in discussions throughout the course
-Post on a regular basis - a minimum of every three days. That means twice a week, but don't heap them up on the same day. Basically, if you follow the above suggestion it means you make one post to be evaluated and a second post which is a discussion with one of your classmates.
-Make substantive postings. Please avoid making postings that simply agree or disagree or repeat ideas already posted. Rather, add substantively to the discussion by extending the ideas of others, relating personal or other experiences that illustrate ideas being discussed, proposing alternate ideas, raising new questions for discussion and asking for clarification.
-Express ideas concisely. Please avoid lengthy postings. One way to do this is by keeping each posting focused on a single idea or theme. Make separate postings for different ideas and themes.
-Make a variety of postings. Keep in mind the various regions of the world and also the various themes of study (i.e. Local, Provincial, Federal, Global Politics and Citizenship).
-Spell check work before posting. There's no excuse in 2017 when you are using a computer.
Level 4 - (80-100%)
1. Contributes to discussions with high degree of regularity
2. Responses indicate a high degree of knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
3. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with a high degree of effectiveness
4. Demonstrates a high degree of self-motivation
5. Accepts criticism postively
6. Illustrates ideas with references to classroom (and other) experiences with a high degree of effectiveness
7. expresses ideas clearly and concisely with a high degree of effectiveness
8. Includes references to two external sources to support posting.
Level 3 - (70-79%)
1. Contributes to discussions with considerable regularity
2. Responses indicate a considerable knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
3. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with considerable effectiveness
4. Demonstrates considerable self-motivation
5. Usually accepts criticism postively
6. Illustrates ideas with references to classroom (and other) experiences with considerable effectiveness
7. expresses ideas clearly and concisely with considerable effectiveness
8. Includes references to one external sources to support posting.
Level 2 - (60 - 69%)
1. Contributes to discussions with some regularity
2. Responses indicate a some knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
3. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with some effectiveness
4. Demonstrates some self-motivation
5. Sometimes accepts criticism postively
6. Illustrates ideas with references to classroom (and other) experiences with some effectiveness
7. expresses ideas clearly and concisely with some effectiveness
8. Does not reference to external sources to support posting.
Level 1 - (50 - 59%)
1. Contributes to discussions with limited regularity
2. Includes a response to another classmate, but lacks a formal post
3. Responses indicate limited knowledge of events and how they relate to citizenship
4. Interacts with other members on the discussion board with limited effectiveness
5. Demonstrates limite self-motivation
6. Does not accept criticism postively
7. Expresses ideas with limited effectiveness
8. No references to external sources to support posting.
<50%
1. Does not include a post
Monday, April 17, 2017
While I am away I should welcome you to our excellent blog. It was created last week while you were writing your exam. I know you will enjoy it!
Today's task can take you up to a week to piece together.
Specifically, you and a partner shall pair up and discuss these different types of government. Explain them to the reader as if they were fresh and had never heard of a government prior to now. Discuss what your type of government is and why it is superior to the the other types of government. Use 2 different sources to back up your staetment and provide examples. Reply to this thread in order to create your comment for marking. See the previous thread for marking scheme. Good news - you can edit your post up until the day I mark it, which will be week from now.
I'll leave it up to you to sort out what your teams are and which type you've picked. You can write about the experience of your team picking as something submissible.
Monarchy
Constitutional Government
Democracy
Dictatorship
Distribution of Authority
Federal System
Unitary State
Confederation
Other
Other and other
Leave your draft of work here by clicking on the comments at the bottom of this thread. You can come back and pick up where you left of by editing in the future but at least you have something put down by clicking on the comments.
Today's task can take you up to a week to piece together.
Specifically, you and a partner shall pair up and discuss these different types of government. Explain them to the reader as if they were fresh and had never heard of a government prior to now. Discuss what your type of government is and why it is superior to the the other types of government. Use 2 different sources to back up your staetment and provide examples. Reply to this thread in order to create your comment for marking. See the previous thread for marking scheme. Good news - you can edit your post up until the day I mark it, which will be week from now.
I'll leave it up to you to sort out what your teams are and which type you've picked. You can write about the experience of your team picking as something submissible.
Monarchy
Constitutional Government
Democracy
Dictatorship
Distribution of Authority
Federal System
Unitary State
Confederation
Other
Other and other
Leave your draft of work here by clicking on the comments at the bottom of this thread. You can come back and pick up where you left of by editing in the future but at least you have something put down by clicking on the comments.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Welcome!
This is an overview of our civics blog.
In general you can post to the news events of the day by selecting from the tabs on the right of the screen. They are organized by the week.
You will be responsible for posting one news event that pertains to civics / government / world issues from Canada or a world region per week.
You can post as many as you like. One, Twenty, but I will only select one for evaluation.
That post should contain a MINIMUM of two sources (not including your newslink itself), and one of those two sources should be from a reliable (i.e. academic/government) source. Please abstain from using wikipedia, random websites, etc.
You will begin that post with the statement "This is my weekly post ..." or "Mark this one" so that I know which one to evaluate.
Please change up your topic on a weekly basis so that you have covered many topics by the end of the course. I won't be a stickler here, so you can overlap a tad, but if I notice that you are constantly posting on the same issue on the same part of the world or repeatedly post about the legalization of marijuana then I will make you aware of the need to vary your posts.
Try to comment on another student's post so that it feels like a conversation/debate/or learning table. You may even include a response as one of your selected posts to be evaluated. In fact, I encourage it.
As the course develops and we begin to understand the major government issues, you may wish to explore a particular topic more in-depth. A particular issue may strike a chord with you. You may also take part in a long-term ongoing conversation on that topic that lasts the duration of the school semester.
There are roughly 10 weeks left in the school year to the course. I will evaluate your best ten posts and will allow for the lowest to be dropped. I will allocate these marks in the Thinking/Inquiry. segment of your mark based on your weekly participation. You will be expected to tie in course material that we cover on methods of critical thinking and analyzing citizenship and government issues.
This blog is live - this means it is a work in progress and can be modified to suit the needs of your learning. Feel free to post comments/suggestions under the tab titled "Forsyth please add"
Let's get this started then shall we? I've created a tab titled Week 1-News where you can feel free to add comments on this week's top current events.
This is a great experience I have done in the past with senior level courses. Every one of those students came back to thank me for this experience. They commented that this is exactly what they were doing in University / College and that they were miles ahead of their classmates in knowing how to score good marks in this format. The key here is not to proscrastinate and make sure you post each week. A week ends Sunday night.
Enjoy!
In general you can post to the news events of the day by selecting from the tabs on the right of the screen. They are organized by the week.
You will be responsible for posting one news event that pertains to civics / government / world issues from Canada or a world region per week.
You can post as many as you like. One, Twenty, but I will only select one for evaluation.
That post should contain a MINIMUM of two sources (not including your newslink itself), and one of those two sources should be from a reliable (i.e. academic/government) source. Please abstain from using wikipedia, random websites, etc.
You will begin that post with the statement "This is my weekly post ..." or "Mark this one" so that I know which one to evaluate.
Please change up your topic on a weekly basis so that you have covered many topics by the end of the course. I won't be a stickler here, so you can overlap a tad, but if I notice that you are constantly posting on the same issue on the same part of the world or repeatedly post about the legalization of marijuana then I will make you aware of the need to vary your posts.
Try to comment on another student's post so that it feels like a conversation/debate/or learning table. You may even include a response as one of your selected posts to be evaluated. In fact, I encourage it.
As the course develops and we begin to understand the major government issues, you may wish to explore a particular topic more in-depth. A particular issue may strike a chord with you. You may also take part in a long-term ongoing conversation on that topic that lasts the duration of the school semester.
There are roughly 10 weeks left in the school year to the course. I will evaluate your best ten posts and will allow for the lowest to be dropped. I will allocate these marks in the Thinking/Inquiry. segment of your mark based on your weekly participation. You will be expected to tie in course material that we cover on methods of critical thinking and analyzing citizenship and government issues.
This blog is live - this means it is a work in progress and can be modified to suit the needs of your learning. Feel free to post comments/suggestions under the tab titled "Forsyth please add"
Let's get this started then shall we? I've created a tab titled Week 1-News where you can feel free to add comments on this week's top current events.
This is a great experience I have done in the past with senior level courses. Every one of those students came back to thank me for this experience. They commented that this is exactly what they were doing in University / College and that they were miles ahead of their classmates in knowing how to score good marks in this format. The key here is not to proscrastinate and make sure you post each week. A week ends Sunday night.
Enjoy!
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