GIS

What is GIS? How is it useful? Before class on Monday, March 22, I asked myself these questions. The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is an included GIS lab and customary map collection found on Bracken Library’s second floor. This collection consists of a wide range of resources, including over 145,000 paper maps, GIS data, atlases and more. I had no idea GIS had so many maps and atlas. We learned how to locate, and make a map that all of us have access to. Maps could be used for papers, speeches, and especially our facebook project.

Located under our classes GIS section there are useful resources that we could use for our projects. For my project I used the “smoking location maps” (left) and “a photo of Carmiacheal and Johnson B building.” Both are photos on our page!

Also this week we had a timed writing on Friday, which was a controversy about Alaska's governor Palin, and American's animated sitcom Family Guy. (right) In this writing were to demonstrate our progression in our writing and our knowledge about logos, pathos and ethos. I really like the article, and thought it was easy to write about, and it allowed students to have different views to write about.


Furthermore, projects will be presented on Monday, and I believe my teams progress is quit well. We are following the time line and the page was created pictures are up, a video is up, and fan are being added!


--Work Cited--
GIS under Ball States Website.

Carmichael smoking section

Our group has chosen to do Carmichael smoking section for our facebook project. Our strategy for deciding upon this area is that there are a lot of smoker at Ball State University and we could get them to become a fan of our page. I myself do not smoke, but a lot of my friends and family members do. The first thing I thought to do with this project is research Ball State smoking policy. Ball State University is committed to the health and wellness of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors. On March 17, 2008, Ball State became a smoke-free campus, creating a healthier environment for living, learning, and working. Smoking is prohibited in all university buildings and outdoor campus areas except designated locations. Anyone who fails to comply with this policy may be fined $50 per occurrence.
According to the American Lung Association, secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year. Indiana has the fifth-highest smoking rate per capita in the United States, and smoking-related diseases cost Indiana residents more than $2 billion each year. A smoke-free campus is important for the health and vitality of the university community.
Ball State is among dozens of other colleges and universities around the country that are smoke-free. (“Smoke Free Campus”) This is one of the most common yet nicely and conveniently hidden smoking sections. I decided I wanted to observe this spot twice once during the day and get a nice look around the place, and once late at night, and observe more of the actions, and people there. On Wednesday around 4:30, I went there and took my picture. (Above) It was a nice day out and there were about eight people sitting on the picnic tables, smoking, talking, and hanging out. This area is surrounded by a brick wall, and has a few trees. While I was sitting there observing I had a conversation with a few people at the table. I ask if they enjoyed coming to this smoking section? They replied “ It’s not bad, you meet alotta people and can even bum a cig here or there.”
This project is actually a lot more fun then I attended it to be. Next week should be good, when I go to observe the nightlife!

--Works Cited--
"Smoke Free Campus". Ball State University Website. 18 Mar. 2010.

Facebook is addicting...

Facebook is everywhere! Before you go to bed, between classes, and even during classes students are on facebook and updating their pages. Facebook can be very addicting, many of my friends are always on online checking status and know the latest gossip about everyone. Before facebook, news took longer for it to get out then the news or in newspapers. Now with facebook news goes around instantly. People all around the world learn things a lot sooner, then having to wait for the news to come out. In addition, it is not just news, its all gossip, and this could lead to drama. “OMG did you see that status or that pic?” It also allows people to stay in touch with people you normally do not see. Facebook is what socially is in.

Everyone has one. Facebook is a great way to use it for academic purposes. It is a way for teachers to understand students and get on their level of learning. This could catch on if more educators see this as an effect way of learning. Facebook is a social networking site, but making it for educational purposes would be a great idea. I am excited about project four and to see how it goes.

Ted Koppel

According to the Newsweek magazine "the smartest man in television", Ted Koppel is coming to Ball State University to speak tomorrow. I actually am pretty excited to see Koppel after doing a little research about him. I enjoy public speakers, because they are unique and have a special talent. I love listening to their story, and how they did what they did. Koppel has many accomplishments such as; winning 41 Emmy Awards, 11 George Foster Peabody Awards, 12 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards, 10 Overseas Press Club Awards, 2 George Polk Awards and 2 Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the latter the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists.
After reading a little bit on Koppel from The New York Times, NPR, and Faigely. My favorite piece that really left me thinking was “Breaking Point” from The Discovery Channel. It is really something how he can compared two completely different things and make people think twice about them. It does not seem right that a prisoner in California and a student at Harvard University, cost just about the same. This makes me think what is wrong with our country that we have prisons overfilling, while students are denied the education for financial reasoning. This statics really jumped out at me, “Designed to accommodate no more than 100,000 inmates, California’s prisons now hold 173,000, each at an annual cost of $43,000.” (“Koppel”). What needs to be done to change this static? How do we condense the overcrowded prisons, and why is Harvard so darn expensive?! =)

--Works Cited--

“Koppel.” T. Breaking Point. The Discovery Channel. 22 Feb. 2010.

“Waite.” C. Ted Koppel. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. 22 Feb. 2010. Web Image.

Winter Olympics

RINGED: Canada's Robert Fagan, right, leads Germany's David Speiser, Canada's Francois Boivin and Swizerland's Fabio Caduff during the men's snowboard cross quarterfinal at Cypress Mountain.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)


Everyone hears about the Olympics, but along with others, I too was not aware of many things. The Winter Olympics 2010 are being held in Vancouver, Canada from February 12-28. The sports that occur in the Winter Olympics are: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, nordie combined, short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboard, and speed skating. Before watching the Olympics, I had no clue what most of these sports were, and that they even existed. My Two favorite sports to watch are ice hockey and snowboarding. I enjoy watching hockey because I am a daddy’s little girl, and have watching many Blackhawks games with my father. I enjoy watching snowboarding because as of this winter it has becoming another of my many hobbies. I went snowboarding for the first time over break and had literally FALLEN in love. GO USA!

Current score of the Winter Olympics
First column are gold metals, second column silver metals, third column bronze metals and the last column total are the totals;

United States 5 3 6 14
Germany 3 4 3 10
France 2 1 4 7
Canada 2 3 1 6
Korea 3 2 0 5
Austria 1 2 2 5
Norway 1 2 2 5
Switzerland 3 0 1 4
China 2 1 1 4
Italy 0 1 3 4

--Works cited--
“Vancouver”. 18 Feb. 2010. Web.

Frog Baby

One of the most known pieces of Ball State University is Frog baby. This famous piece of art was sculpted by Edith Barretto Stevens Parsons. What is this artwork that everyone’s knows of, and why is famous? Frog Baby is a sculpture of a joyous little girl playfully holding a frog in each hand. Legend has it that Ball State students with final exams coming up, used to make a journey to the Ball State University Museum of Art to rub her nose for good luck. The statue was moved outdoors several years ago to stand in the center of a new fountain north of Bracken Library. The tradition took a more protective turn: students now make sure that Frog Baby is kept warm through this cold season and is given a scarf and hat. This is my favorite artwork on campus, and it is shown to most parents and students touring the campus. This fountain and sculpture is a great place to relax and take a break out of our hectic days and really appreciate this artwork. Sometimes I will take a special route to class just so I can pass this beautiful signature of my community, Ball State University.

S.T.A.N.D

During middle school, I was very involved in a club known as (STAND) Socially Together And Naturally Diverse. STAND works with students from diverse backgrounds to promote an appreciation of God's kingdom in its fullness. Through events, discussions, and fellowship, STAND offers opportunities for learning and celebration of the diversity in the body of Christ. Being a part of this group really showed me how people are special and different in their own ways. One project that I took part in was were schools from completely different diversities and cities came to shadow us at our school, and vise-versa. This allowed us to see the similarities and differences between the communities.

We also organized and made possible a few food drives in my school, and my community. A select few were given the opportunity to deliver the food to families in need. To see the smiles on these families face really touched my heart, and made me realizing you can make the community a better place by volunteering. This was a great club. I was so glad I was a part of this, and helped to make a difference in my community.