Do Now 9/29

          An editorial is an article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue. In the past my teachers have told me that Wikipedia is a bad source to use for work, for it can be changed and edited by anybody on the internet. Because of this, we are not allowed to use it for papers, homework, etc. They say it is an unreliable source and should not be trusted to have factual information because since anyone can edit the pages, than they could essentially write whatever they wanted. After reading this editorial my views on Wikipedia have definitely changed. I feel that Wikipedia should be allowed as a source on all papers because after reading this article, I know it can be very trustworthy. 

Tech Article 9/26

Charging Your iPhone 6 Costs Just 47 Cents a Year

• According to a study conducted by Opower, it costs just 47 cents a year to charge your phone.
•  Opower's estimate might even be too high (it assumes you charge your iPhone 6 from 0% to 100% once a day every day, but most people don't empty their batteries of juice every day.)
• It costs 52 cents to power up an iPhone 6 Plus, every year. The iPhone 5, meanwhile, costs just 41 cents for a year's worth of charging.
  
• They cost so little to charge, because smartphones (built to last a day on a tiny battery) are incredibly low-power devices.
• In comparison, a laptop uses 14-times more electricity per year, and a desktop computer uses 49 times more. 
• As smartphones continue to replace PCs, consumer energy usage, and bills, could sink.
• Smartphones have also eaten in to video game sales. Playing games on a smartphone instead of a television can save you even more money.
•  An Xbox One uses 61 time more power than an iPhone 6, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
• TV sucks up 72 times more electricity.

To find out how much it costs to MAKE your iPhone, Click Here!

World History

The content area class I have chosen to write about is World History. The World History class is taught by Ms. Garvin. Ms. Garvin is an amazing teacher for many reasons, one being that she is always there to help you with things you do not understand. Ms. Garvin is also a very down to earth teacher, so she talks to us like normal human beings as opposed to talking down to us. She is an avid runner and is in charge of the student council and NHS. Ms. Garvin does so much for our school because she truly loves it here.

When World History first started i expected to learn a lot about wars, which I am not a huge fan of. Once we really got into everything though, I found out that we are learning more on different times and current events an such, which in my opinion is much more interesting. So far in her class we have learned quite a but about the Renaissance time period along with medieval and modern. We were also focusing on art work evolution and comparisons throughout the centuries. Another great thing about the class is that Ms. Garvin has a great grading policy! As long as you do the work it is nearly impossible to not get at least a B in her class.Her grading policy is 40% for projects and tests and 20% for homework.

One of the most interesting aspects of World History is definitely the field trip we are going to be going on. I can't wait till May so we can go see the 9/11 Memorial. I also love the projects we do in that class because they help boost our grades and they are really easy and fun. It is also really cool that a lot of her stuff is on the computer so we have easier access to it. Besides that though, we don't use much technology in her class. Overall the class is probably my favorite because, I love history and Ms. Garvin knows how to teach it in an exciting and peppy way!

Here are a few helpful links to get to know Ms. Garvin and World History better!

http://wood-ridgeschools.org/Domain/208

http://prezi.com/skcarlmcmgek/world-war-i-the-powder-keg-of-europe-explodes/

Eduactional Technology and Copyright Laws

• Copyright is a United States federal law that protects original “works of authorship” which include literary, written, dramatic, artistic, musical and certain other types of works. 
• All content is copyrighted immediately and does not require filing paperwork. 
• When a student or anyone for that matter, draws a picture, writes a story, snaps a picture, scribbles on a notepad or hums a new tune, etc., the work is copyrighted. 
• The instant you create something, it is copyrighted. You now have four exclusive rights:

1. Reproduce the copyrighted work;
2. Display the copyrighted work publicly;
3. Prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work; and
4. Distribute copies of the copyrighted work to the public by sale, rental or lending, and/or to display the image.

• Here is what copyright law states:

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;

(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

• Many images are licensed. For example, images on iStockPhoto or Flickr Creative Commons are licensed and are not subject to fair use. For commercial sites such as iStockPhoto, you buy a license to use a photo.
• In classroom projects, it is fine to search for images on the Internet.
• First, try to determine if the image is licensed (not copyrighted…remember, almost everything is copyrighted). If it is licensed, such as a Creative Commons license, either use the image in accordance to the license or do not use is at all.
• If the image is not licensed, or your best guess is it is not licensed, use it according to the fair use regulations. Make sure to give credit to the creator if possible.
• The bottom line is, if you find a great picture on the Internet, chances are extremely good you can use it for educational purposes.