Monday, February 22, 2010

Anti- Whaling

Last week we discussed the issue of Japanese whale ships in the Southern Ocean and their hunt to kill whales for 'scientific reasons'. Now, although it has been proven that whale meat does in fact make its way to Japanese markets, these ships still hunt and kill whales.



Since we spoke about it a New Zealand protester boarded one of the Japanese ships as part of his protest. He is now in Japanese custody as a prisoner, because he broke laws and trespassed onto the boat. He is now being called a 'pirate' due to what he has done.

For this post you have a few things to do. Answer the questions below after reading the article here.

What do you think of whaling in the Antarctic? Is it OK or not?
Is it fair that the New Zealand protester Pete Bethune is being held as a prisoner?
What should happen next?

YOU MUST also make a comment on something someone else said. For example: I agree with Johnny when he said ... OR Johnny I would like to ask you about what you said when ...


Keep up the awesome work Room 18, and we are looking forward to hearing about your ideas.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Welcome back to a brand new year!

Welcome back!

The school holidays have finally come to an end and I am sure that each of us had a great time and a well deserved holiday break no matter where we were.

This year, with a brand new class, Room 18 will continue to update our wonderful blog site, and continue to enhance our learning through the use of this online learning space.

There are a few rules to remember though ... here are our blog guidelines.

In working with this blog and any other webspaces, all students need to ensure that they follow these important guidelines. They are designed to make sure that you enjoy these spaces.

• Only ever use your first name or a nickname when you are writing on this or other blogs or wikis.
• Never use any other student’s last name.
• Never post any personal information–such as your home or cellphone number or home address on this or any other blog or wiki.
• Never share any of your usernames or passwords with anyone and never log in as another student.
• Always tell your parents or teacher right away if you come across anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Remember the “grandma rule” that anything you put on the internet could be read by your grandmother so only write things you could say to the nicest of grannies.
• Be a good online citizen and never write or post anything that could hurt anyone else.
• Always check with an adult if someone asks for your phone number or to meet you.
• Never make arrangements to meet anyone over the internet. Always talk to your parents or teacher if this is an issue.
• Make sure you publish only your own work. Don’t under any circumstances use other people’s work and call it your own.
• Make sure that you read over your writing before you post it to check the spelling and that it reads okay.

If you wish to change or add to these rules please post a comment with details of our reasons.

Use this first post as a way to introduce yourself and your family. Include - your first name only, the suburb you live in, your year level, your interests and hobbies, what makes you unique and special, your family information - how many brothers and sisters you have, maybe even something interesting about your mum and dad, and of course tell us what goals you want to achieve this year in the wonderful Room 18!

Have fun and welcome to Room 18, 2010!!