RJ Stangherlin

Keystone Technology Integrator and STAR Discovery Educator

This site is for Mrs. Stangherlin's classes at Salisbury High School.

Highlighting Student Voices: Olga Karounos

Image via Wikipedia

Technology, Material Goods, and Perspective: The Fates of Postmodern Societies

America has been a major world power since World War II; however, like every great society prior to this era, America’s power will eventually fade to make room for a new prospering country. If America wants to keep it’s foothold in the world, it must make changes and adapt with the changing times. The United States has always been a forerunner when it comes to technological advancements. We must continue this trend and invent new, innovative forms of technology, preferable for a militaristic purpose. Despite the differences between all the countries of the world, there is one thing that holds true; money equals power. America needs to rid itself of it’s trillion dollar debt and focus on manufacturing and other forms of material production. Finally, the citizens of the United States need to change their attitude of entitlement. If American citizens are not willing to work to make a difference in our country, we will never succeed. If America is able to reach these goals, we will hold fast to our foothold and continue to be a world power. But if we fail, we could be living on the brink of the collapse of the “American Empire”.

The Manhattan Project, the creation of the atomic bomb. Both the most fansticating and frightening invention of our history, it showed the world America’s power. It warned other countries not to take advantage of us and be cautious when making negotiations. This display of technological supperiority showed it’s face again in 1969, during the Space Race against the Soviet Union. We became the first country to put a human on the moon and bring him back safely. This not only intimidated other countries but showed them what we were capable of; we said we were going to put a man on the moon before 1970, and we succeeded. Again, in the 1980s, during Reagan’s presidency. His “SDI” program, nicknamed Star Wars, might have seemed far fetch’d, but the Soviet Union wasn’t taking any chances. With this fear instilled in the “Evil Empire”, we were able to prevent a nuclear war and aid in the collapse of the Soviet Union. These examples in history have shown just how powerful technology really is. Though we’ve lead the way in the development of the internet, it isn’t enough to continue to intimidate our enemies and give us a strong treshold in the world. We need to create new, powerful technologies in order to retain our standing in the world. We have the best universities in the world; we have the mental capability and the drive, we just need to start seeing results. However, we won’t have the ability to invent anything worthwhile if we don’t have the funds or money to do so.

Over the years, America has always been seem as the country of prosperity; immigrants have always come here to improve their lifestyle and make money. Yet, people seem to turn a blind eye to the increasing national debt our country has built up over the years. In the early 1700s, Alexander Hamilton proposed a managable national debt was good for the country, because it motivated other countries to want America to succeed. However, with the debt clock exceeding a trillion dollars in 2008, our finacial I.O.U’s have stopped being a blessing and starting becoming cumbersome. America’s goal should be to lower it’s debt to a more managable amount. Manufacturing has always been a big business for America; we are currently #1 in the world when it comes to producing goods. However, America has been switching from a more production based economy to a service and consumer based economy; instead of selling the majority of goods to other countries, we’ve started buying. China has even predicted it will surpass the United States in manufacturing during this year.By teaching elementary school and high school children they can still be successful by working in a manufacturing plant as opposed to being lawyers or doctors, we will continue to make money and be on the way to eliminating or controlling our national debt. However, neither techological advances nor lowering our national debt is feasable without the support and willingness of American people.

During President Kennedy’s inaugural address, he uttered this inspiring line,"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. American’s have recently lost this attitude and started to believe the country owes something to it’s citizens. The amount of undeserving Americans on welfare has increased exponentially throughout the years, which has cost the United States economy millions of dollars. Overspeculation on homes people thought they deserved but couldn’t afford has also caused our economy to spiral downward.Expecting the government to fix all of these problems has been a by-product of the ignorance of the majority of the American people. They chose to ignore the “people” aspect of the,"Government created by the people, for the people”. Barrak Obama recently addressed this issue in his own inagural address, similar to President Kennedy’s. He stated the government could not make the country better without the support and effort of the American people. By looking for jobs, trusting our government, and accepting that each person will be required to give a little in order to recieve maximum progress, the American people will change their attitude and deserve what they feel they are entitled to obtain. However, if the America fails to succeed in technology, productivity, and, perspective, we are doomed to slip off our pedistal.
(fails to inspire the American people)

Losing our technological foothold to another nation such as China or the Soviet Union could do more than just make us lose our influence in the global specturm.By forget the importance of technological advancement, it could be us who is cowering under the superiority of another nation, as opposed to the way it’s been in the past. If our national debt continues to increase without bound, we run the risk of becoming subordinate to the countries from which we have borrowed money. All a country needs to do is demand we pay our owed debt to bring America to it’s knees. Losing our manufacturing stronghold will also greatly decrease our GNP and increase our inability to pay off our debts. If Barrak Obama fails to inspire the American people to take action and start working for our country, we will have settled our own fate. A country can never succeed without the support of it’s citizens.  However, if we fail both as a people and a nation to rreach these goals, it could mark an end to America’s success. Unfortunately,only time will tell what route America decides to take.

Olga Karounos
China
national debt
technology
perspective
productivity
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Highlighting Student Voices: Fatema Rajmohamed

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Economy, Allies, and Philanthropy: The Fates of Postmodern Societies

America, at her fullest potential, will be able to regain her superpower status. However, she will first have to solve her economic crisis. To do so, she will have to take advantage of the dollar’s position as the world’s reserve currency. America will also have to ally herself with China. China, over the years, has grown in power, and must be schemed into a position of managed submissiveness rather than political enmity. Finally, America should uphold the responsibility to keep world peace. The first step would be by addressing genocide. However, the status of superpower lies in increasing America’s monetary value.

America’s superpower status lies profoundly on the dollar’s function as the world’s reserve currency. Over the decades, the dollar’s role has been jeopardized due to the ignorance of American trade deficits. As this trade deficit mounted, debts owed to foreigners increased. Payments to foreigners coupled with the outpouring of dollars have resulted in an enormous supply of dollars in foreign lands and because foreigners keep their reserves in dollars, the surplus has benefited them. The depreciation of the dollar against the pound, the yen, the euro and gold decreases the enthusiasm with which private investors accumulated U.S. government bonds. To regain America’s status, she will have to increase her exports in relation to imports by selling more overseas and buying less from other nations, which means Americans must use less. If Americans consumed less, the federal government’s budget would be balanced. Another strategy would be to reduce budget deficit, thus reducing the supply of government bonds. The newly found strength in the dollar would persuade countries such as China to continue supporting the dollar by purchasing U.S. government bonds.

If America truly wishes to remain the lone superpower, then she must maneuver China from a position of political rivalry to a position of supervised subservience. China has been able to maintain diplomatic relations with nations like Iran, North Korea and Pakistan--all of whom America has had trouble with. With China’s help, America may be able to lessen world tension without immense expenditures for military interference and shuttle diplomacy. China would also be able to help America economically by investing in America and creating jobs. In order to ally America with China, she must send out a new message that dollars in Chinese hands are as welcome ans anyone. Guidelines on permissible investment need to be clearly outlined so that Chinese companies know where they stand in advance. The U.S. export control policy towards China needs to be restored and the antagonistic bias removed so that China can receive the same respect as any other consumer. China’s high-tech goods are too important for the American export market to continue a policy that undermines her aggressiveness. By treating China as a comrade, America would gain an ally that could shrink America’s military spending, offer diplomatic cover in parts of the world vital to world stability and help save America’s economy--a foundering economy that begins with philanthropist actions.

A superpower is a nation that people all over the world turn to in times of emergency. America, time and again, has responded to the call of aid. However, recent actions undertaken by America have diminished her role as superpower. Nonetheless, America has the most passionate devotion to liberty and the most powerful military to regain her status. In the past, it has asserted its demeanor over Cuba and Korea. The problem at hand is the issue of genocide, which has rampaged the world. This initiative should embrace an effort to inform people about genocide. Education and awareness are imperative components of any solemn effort. Once Americans are aware of what is going on, it is harder to turn their backs and be onlookers. Efforts such as scheduling a meeting of the Security Council in Darfur should be undertaken as a primary step. Only when the Americans attain the mental construct of being a superpower, will be when America becomes a superpower.

America’s superpower status is hanging by its’ last threads. Failing to meet with her problems could result in drastic changes. Giving up her status along with the privileges that go along with it, are among many of the changes. However, meeting the demands of the nation are not far from grasp. Adhering to the advice of economic, political and social experts would give America another chance to dominate the world. A nation is a superpower because other nations believe so, and more specifically, because its citizens believe so. It is this doctrine that lifts a nation above exclusively being politically active to being a superpower that governs the world. The American people owe it to themselves to rise above their challenges ans attain this desired goal.

Fatema Rajmohamed
Guns, Germs, and Steel
economic decline
China
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FBLA WINS BIG!

Straight from Coach Laird’s email, the results are in. 

Huge kudos to the team and to their first-year coach.The results are in.

The following students placed in the top six in their respective events at the 2009 FBLA Regional Leadership Conference:

Team Events

1st Place – Banking and Financial Systems
The team of Colin Ackerman, Garred Greenberg and Donte McCrary-McClain

2nd Place – Global Business
The team of Meagan Walsh, Shannon Safi, and Dennis Peterson

2nd Place – Business Ethics
The team of Olga Karanos and Hannah Rucker

Individual Events

2nd Place – Accounting I
Elisabeth Houlik

2nd Place – Business Calculations
Jen Singley

2nd Place – Business Math
Andrew Tyson

4th Place – Business Math
Sean Zimmerman

5th Place – Business Communications
Jessie Gates

6th Place – Marketing
Sean Baker

The entire group of students did an excellent job representing Salisbury High School.  Please feel free to congratulate them on a job well done.

FBLA
Salisbury High School PA
Geoffrey Laird
Lifelong Learning
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Image Copyright

Living History: Great Expectations

Cross-posted on Changing Connections

Watching history shape in the words, pauses, and inflections of President Obama’s Inaugural Address, we become a part of history as we “lead once more,” a new day forward into the future.  “A moment that will define a generation,” a moment we will always remember.  Reflecting on the end of the war in Korea and VietNam, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X, the first words from space (Russian and English), the fall of the Berlin Wall, and 9-11, all these events are, as Miss Brinson wrote in her blog, A New Day in America, moments I will remember forever with you.  Where we were at those exact moments, what we said, the people with us (Chandra, Gabby, Megan, Shanon, andCody) how we felt, what we wore--all memories in our personal history.  Unlike so many other reflective “I was there” or “I remember when...,” today is cause for celebration, with great expectations for “something better down the road.”

Wordle of President Obama’s speech copyrighted under Creative Commons License by wordle.net.  From a tweet by Chris Champion.

Citing Brinson:

This is a moment to be remembered, honored, and revered.  This is history....To my students: Today - is your “moment”. You should commemorate it. You need to celebrate it. It’s your duty to pass it on….

I invite you to comment on this day by posting your reflections on your blog on Learning Curve, as well as Miss Brinson’s blog, Education, Technology, and Fun.

Inauguration 2009
President Barack Obama
Jennifer Brinson
2009/Flickr 365 Challenge
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Let Phreedom Ring! by Brandon Aversano

Cross posted on Learning Curve and Changing Connections

On Saturday, November 22, 2008, Miss Brinson, 2 parents, and 22 students went to Philadephia on a field trip to explore historical sites and resources.  Brandon Aversano captured the spirit of the city and the day.

education
field trip
Animoto
Philadelphia
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Senator for a Day

More than 40 students from SHS attended Senator for a Day held at DeSales University on October 23.  Participants experienced a day in the life of working within a legislative body and were interactive with their district’s Senator Wonderling.  According to our students, they enjoyed the debate with other schools over pressing issues.  Real-life issues, real-life learning, an excellent experience.

The following video was created by Miss Brinson.

Senator for a Day
project-based learning
on-site learning
government
Turbo Tagger

What’s in a VoiceThread?

Cross-posted on Changing Connections

Actually, quite a lot of conversations around media.  VoiceThread is a powerful, all-in-one place to talk about and share your images, documents, and videos.  You can create, comment 5 different ways, and share with your friends.

You can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation.  VoiceThreads can be embedded on websites (like the VoiceThread at the beginning of this post) and exported to MP3 players or DVDs as archival movies.  With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world.  The best part: it’s free, fun, fast, and there’s no software to download. Isn’t it time for you to begin to create, comment, and share?

VoiceThread
social media
web 2.0
Turbo Tagger

Digital Literacy and Web 2.0: Tech Tips

Back to school just isn’t what it used to be, and the tools we gather for the start of a new year change faster than the the speed of light. As a way to welcome you back, I put several of my favorites in Wordle, a new tool compliments of my learning curve with Randy Ziegenfuss.  What makes Wordle fun is its ease of use: so simple, so fast, and so (much) fun.  My goal is to send you some tech tips each week, a roundup of cool tools I’ve found through my PPLNs (Professional Personal Learning Networks).  I love what I learn from my Twitterverse, Plurk, and a host of social media that is quickly becoming a wonderful way to learn globally, instantly.  So, each week watch for my Tech Tips, and I’ll try to vary the way I deliver them.  I’ll even ask you to contribute and share your favorite finds as well.  So, until next time, feel free to add your Web 2.0 finds using the Comment option.  And WELCOME BACK.

Trolling the (DEN) State Blogs: Boom-De-Ya-Da and LC and National Institutes

Cross-posted at DEN PA and Changing Connections

Here’s the video that NJ, NY, ME, and PA LCs put together on the first day of the DEN LC National Institute. 

A special thanks to Heather Sullivan for posting the video on the New Jersey blog. Having some “free” time on my hands, I decided to troll the state blogs and aggregate some resources and comments shared by other states who attended either the LC or STAR institutes. Arkansas Mary Frazier and Tanya Gray brainstormed 25 more ways to use Discoverystreaming.  Posted by Brett Harvey, CA--home of DENs youngest STAR, Jannita and Laurian’s son, David--is taking a time out from the busy day’s agenda. 

Florida’s post by Cheryl Woolwine shows how the South East Region created with Tennessee their own version of the Discovery Channel commercial, Boom-De-Ya-Da, Here’s “Find Your Match at D-Harmony”:

Posted on the Iowa blog by Jason Cochrane, the Midwest LCs made this video along with Mike Bryant, their DEN Midwest Manager. Get ready for their deconstruction of DC commercial:

Louisiana LC is Green With Envy.  You’ll remember this team from their D-Harmony commercial.  Michigan’s LC were busy posters during the Institute.  Here’s their BDY commercial: 

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c1b7f60a2b741bbf0de4

Working with teachers from Illinois, here’s their DEN-De-Ya-Da video from the second week DEN Institute:

And their slide show from the second week STAR Institute:

From the NY blog, here’s Steve Dembo’s Learning to Speak Native presentation, Ustreamed from the DEN National Institute:

From my new LC Institute friend, Conni Mulligan shares an update on their LC membership. I really applaud all the states’ efforts in maintaining a vibrant LC, but since I had the good fortune to get to know Conni, I know how hard she has worked with her Council to get the NC blog launched as well, so a special shout out to you and your state. Great progress.

NC had 3 DEN STARS at the National Institute:  Judy, Nicole, and Deb. 

Guest blogger Debbie Wrobel represented the Northwest at the National Institute.  Check out her post here. 

If you still haven’t jumped into (teleported, flown, or swum with the sharks) yet, then you are definitely missing out on your Second Life experience.  On July 16, the DEN SL inducted newbies (I was one of them) into their SL, and I can tell you it is an experience of any/either lifetimes. Just do it.

I love reading Elaine Plybon on the Texas blog.  Her Reflections on Day 2 of the LC Institute and her sense of overload strike a resonant chord with me at any DEN function. We always learn and teach at rapid speed, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And just in case you thought VA wasn’t at the LC Institute, Ruth Okoye has the photos to prove it.  Check out their Institute blogs here.

I’ll end on 3 “I hope’s”:
1.  that I didn’t forget anyone
2.  that I didn’t make too many typos
3. that all the embedded code works...because this is the first time I worked in code mode all the way, and I’m not even going to entertain an edit on this post. Thanks to all the super DEN STAR power out there, for what you do every day to make learning and teaching THE 21st century experience. A super thank you to our Discovery leaders for making our growth possible.

CFF Senate Communications and Technology Committee and Senate Education Committee Hearings 2007

Cross-posted on Changing Connections and Pennsylvania Discovery Educator Network

Ever try uploading a 45 minute video to a Web 2.0 site? I spent days trying to find a host that would upload a film intact. When exasperation set in, I took it to my students and one of them suggested Vimeo. That was before exams and senior week activities, so I finally tried it--and I love it. I wanted embeddable code (Curriki worked, sans code), a fast upload and conversion, and enough space in an account that one upload would not send me in a searching frenzy for another broadcast channel.

The good news: a finished product of the CFF Senate Hearings when Lance Rougeux, Jennifer Dorman, and I testified before the joint Education and Technology & Communications Committees on December 4, 2007. Thanks to Jennifer Dorman and her connections, we were able to get the hearings converted from analog (I know I should have TiVo) to digital, and then finally to a blog format. Here it is, at last.

Classrooms for the Future Senate Communications and Technology Committee and the Senate Education Committee Hearings 2007 from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

While I’m on a commercial roll, let me count the ways I love Vimeo:

1. Can be added to Facebook, Myspace…
2. Badge additions (you can add channels and albums to any Badge you create)
3. Posts to Flickr
4. Avatar feature (clicking any “avatar” aka user image will take you to that user)
5. Spam filters
6. Fast even in high use time (they apologize for a 20 minute wait)
7. Converting time during transcoding: displays time and percent remaining--no high anxiety here.
8. Lots of messages to let you know where you are in the process--great for a first-time user.
9. 500 MBs per week (though not forever, I think)
10. More family oriented.

A special thank you to the DEN team--Scott, Lance, and Matt-- for affording Jen and me the opportunity to represent STAR Discovery Educators and what they bring to education every day in their classrooms.