Time for a public service announcement.
Keeping safe online is a growing issue with the increasing use of social networking sites like Bebo and My Space. Netsafe the Internet Safety Group has lots of important information on the issue for kids and parents at http://www.netsafe.org.nz.
You might also like to check out the video below:
Thanks Reuben for the information about the speedpainting. I had a look and thought others may like to see the Spiderman painting.
It took the artist Nico di Mattia about six hours to make the painting, all in photoshop. He had fifteen layers for sketches, colours, textures, shadows and background. The drawing was made with a digital tablet, captured from the monitor in real time and it has been accelerated 3000%.
The music is by Danny Elfman and it is from the Spiderman soundtrack.
Computers are such an important part of our lives and we all now how frustrating it is when something goes wrong and you have to ask for help. Check out the video below as it looks at the impact of new technology (the introduction of the book) in the Middle Ages. It may be Norwegian and sub-titled but it is funny.
I am sure by now that you have caught up with the changes to NCEA announced
on May the 29th but for those who haven’t I have added some information. There is a brief news report and a link to the TV3 video.
Education Minister Steve Maharey
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Students will be encouraged to strive for top results and their exams marks should be more consistent, under changes unveiled in NCEA.
Education Minister Steve Maharey has made the changes following 191 recommendations from reviews of the system in 2005.
From this year, Excellence and Merit marks will be introduced to NCEA certificates, and in a big change, Not Achieved marks will be put on both internally and externally assessed standards from 2008.
And up to 10 percent of internally assessed units will be moderated by full-time NZQA appointed officers.
NCEA has been dogged by problems since it started five years ago but after a major review and 191 recommendations the Government has made a number of changes.
Steve Maharey admitted NCEA has failed in parts since being introduced.
“(The changes) mean for an employer they know where the strengths don’t lie with the person they have got in front of them, so that they have a record not only of what they can do and how well they can do it but they know they cant do some things so well,” he said.
39 of the country’s top schools have criticised NCEA and opted for other international assessments, but most 3 news spoke to say the changes are positive.
The way internally assessed standards are moderated is also under scrutiny.
Currently only three percent of work is randomly selected, that will rise to ten percent and have full time moderators from next year.
The minister says all of this is to give NCEA better credibility.
Here is an internet quiz that you may like to take. At the Blue Pryamid site there is a book quiz that can tell you what book you are. I took it and my results are below.
I am Catch-22!
by Joseph Heller
Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense of humour is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You could coin a phrase that replaces the word “paradox” for millions of people.
Damien Rice is a favourite of mine and I hope you enjoy this clip. The video is a speed painting created in photoshop which may be of interest to art and design students. I admit it isn’t of huge relevance to English students but it is lovely music.
Many students find it difficult to find a book to read and Literature Map is a great site to help them. When you enter the name of an author that you like, it will make a cloud-like map to give you some other authors that you might like. The closer two writers are, the more likely someone will like both of them.
Win a block of chocolate by posting an answer to the following question. It is a question about a film that some of you may have seen. Look at the song verse below and then answer the three part question that follows.
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you are chewing on life’s gristle
Don’t grumble, give a whistle
And this’ll help things turn out for the best…
And in case you were wondering the picture is a wee hint.
Students often ask for a list of recommended films. The link below will take you to the C4 100 Greatest Films List. When you click on a film title it will take you to a review of the film and this may be of help to the Year 12 students who are writing film reviews.
One of the films on the C4 list is Jaws and this film has been parodied in the link below. If you know the film you will enjoy this!
Keep smiling!
english@cc 