Another Class will comments on your BP #6 (about the Meatrix)!

If you want to update or edit your Blog Post #6 before others read it, you should do so (ASAP) as soon as possible.  Students from another class (ENG099 class) will comment on your BP #6 as homework.


To take a look at the blog for their class, go to "Dr. J's" blog at:
http://099matrix.blogspot.com/

Posting comments to blogs from another class (ENG 099) about the Meatrix

Today we are going to take a look at and comment on the blog posts of another class, taught by "Dr. X."  They have also read Fast Food Nation and have watched the Meatrix movie clips. They are a higher level class - ENG099 - so it will be good for you to see how they write.



Your assignment today is to comment on the blogs posted by students in that class.  Please:
A. Identify yourself by first name or nickname and said hello.
B. Write a paragraph that answers the following questions:

1. Is the summary of the films complete or is it missing information? If it is, tell the writer what is missing.
2. Respond to the writer's discussion of an important issue covered by The Meatrix. Give your opinions about her viewpoints.
3. Ask the writer questions related to her discussion of an important issue.

Here are the links to the students' blogs:

1. Jihyun

http://alice8585.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15.html

2. Baris

Summary

http://baris-baristuncer.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-15-part-1-meatrix.html

Response

http://baris-baristuncer.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-15-part-2-family-farms.html

3. Lisa

Summary

http://lisalyttleton.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15-part-1-summarizing-story.html

Response

http://lisalyttleton.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15-part-2-responding-to-factory.html

4. Agata

http://iamsonotablogger-agata.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15.html

5. Jennifer

http://jenniffer-entrytoknowledge.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15.html

6. Jorge

Summary

http://jorgegutierrez610.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-15-part-i-summarizing-stories.html

Response

http://jorgegutierrez610.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-15-part-2-food-safety.html

7. Eliott

Summary

http://thecopper-figs.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog15-part-1.html

Response

http://thecopper-figs.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog15-part-2.html

8. Linda

http://lindichka99.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15-part-i-summarizing-stories-part.html

9. Joao

http://joaolopez1520.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15-meatrix.html

10. Julie (you will get a content warning message when accessing this blog)

http://jnieves319.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15.html

11. Julio

http://whatsonyourmind-smokie.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-15.html

To see the blog for their class and see other movie clips and link to other student posts, go to:
http://bravenewworld099.blogspot.com/

Comments for BP#6 - for students in the other 098 class

Please post comments on at least 8 blogs from the other class.  Answer the following questions in your comments:

1. Do you see both summary and reflection in the response/blog post?

2. Respond to the writer's (blogger's?) reflections. Give your opinions
  about their viewpoints.

3. Ask the writer (blogger?) questions related to their reflections.

Please finish these posts by the end of the weekend if you don't finish them in class.

Blog Post #6

Please write a summary and reflection about The Meatrix movies:

http://www.themeatrix.com/

Your response should include a small introduction and small conclusion, in addition to a summary of what we saw in The Meatrix movies and your reflection about it.

Think about the following questions to write your reflections:

• Did you know about the conditions of factory farms before watching these movies?
• Why are there so many factory farms? Why does the U.S. government allow such farms and conditions?
• Does this make you want to do research or know more about this situation?
• Do you think there is anything we can do about this problem?
• Why is it a serious problem? Why is it important to our families?
• Will you make any changes in your way of life regarding your purchasing of animal products? Why or why not?

Please post your BP #6 by Wednesday of this week (4/27).

Scroll Down for directions for Blog Post #4 and Blog Post #5

To my students:

Scroll down the page to see my instructions for Blog Post #4 and Blog Post #5.  I have posted other things that are relevant to our discussions about fast food, but these are not your assignments.

If you can only see one post, go to the bottom of the post and click on "Home" to see all the posts in my blog.

Regarding BP #5: if you had already posted some links to your favorite blogs, please go back and edit your post (use the yellow pencil icon at the bottom of your post) and add the other information, in addition to the links. You can also change the title of your post so that it is called "BP #5."

Regarding BP #4: you need to post your summaries from the lectures you attended on Thursday.

Have a nice Spring Break, and I'll see you the week after!

McDonald's to Hire 50,000 people

In this time of economic strife, when many businesses are needing to cut jobs, McDonald's is doing well.  They are planning to hire another 50,000 people!

See this brief story on NPR's website:

In 1 Day, McDonald's Will Hire 50,000 Workers

What do you think this means for McDonald's and how business is doing for them?

McDonald's Trying to Cash In on Locally Grown Food Trend

As some of us saw when watching the film "The Future of Food," many people are now choosing to buy only locally grown foods to be more green and avoid the fuel and transportation costs of importing food products long distances, which is traditionally what McDonald's has done.

Now, McDonald's is advertising that they are using "locally grown beef" in places like Canada, Ireland, and Italy.  See the article on this website:

http://www.burgerbusiness.com/?p=7052&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+burgerbusiness+%28%CE%B2urger%CE%B2usiness%29

The link above is a blog about burgers and the fast food industry, called "Burger Business"

Blog Post #5 - Links to Your Favorite Blogs

Please make BP #5 a way of sharing some of your favorite blogs with us!

Please add the links to a minimum of 5 other blogs (you can do MORE than 5, but NOT LESS than 5).

Here are some "rules" about the links you post:

1 - You need to give a brief description of the blog and the title of the blog IN ADDITION to the link to the blog. DO NOT just post links with no explanation.

2 - At least ONE of the blogs you link to must be ONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES.

3 - At least ONE of the blogs you link to must be for a blog that has something about fast food, or at least a blog post about fast food

4 - NO LINKS to any content that is offensive or cannot be shown to your mother. Or my mother. Or to a six-year-old child.


Here is an example of one blog listing - where I give (1) the name of the blog, (2) a brief explanation about the blog and its topics, and (3) a link to the blog:

EXAMPLE:

Daily Blog Tips

This blog has tips about blogging and what makes a good blog. It is mostly for businesses, but there are some good ideas for all bloggers.


http://www.dailyblogtips.com/

Happy blog-searching!

Blog Post #4 - Green Week Lecture Summaries

 

Four your fourth BP, please post summaries of the GreenEd lectures you attended on Thursday at LaGuardia during our class time.  You need to post **two lecture summaries.**

Your summaries should be at least 2 paragraphs:
1 paragraph summarizing what the speaker said
1 paragraph with your reflections about the topic

So to recap, 2 paragraphs:

SUMMARY + REFLECTION

Please add a few pictures (images) or links to relevant websites to make your summaries really interesting and blog-like.

 

More interesting blogs to see as examples

Engadget - Technology and gadget blog:
http://www.engadget.com/

Arch Daily - an architecture blog:
http://www.archdaily.com/

My Marrakesh - a blog about a guest house in Marrakesh, Morocco:
http://moroccanmaryam.typepad.com/my_marrakesh/

DisneyShawn - a blog about all things Disney from one of the "insiders" who works there:
http://disneyshawn.blogspot.com/

I Can Has Cheezburger - A blog with pictures of cats and strange spelling and grammar:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Sustainability at LAGCC and Green Week (next week!)

To view the projects and other information on sustainability that goes with our common reading (Fast Food Nation) this year, please visit LaGuardia's Sustainability website:

http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/sustainability/

Links to other blogs - look at these examples of the different ways blogs are used!

George's Employment Blawg (with a blog post about teens and fast food summer jobs):
http://www.employmentblawg.com/2007/teen-summer-jobs-rethinking-fast-food-option/

Decorah Eagles "Eagle Cam" - livestream video and blog about a new eagle family in Iowa - very popular now!
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

The Oatmeal - a blog with comics and guides (with a section on GRAMMAR!):
http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar

Serious Eats - A blog about cooking and fine foods:
http://www.seriouseats.com/

Pardon Me for Asking: - A blog from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (with a blog post about students visiting the Gowanus Canal):
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2011/04/spence-students-visit-gowanus-area-and.html

More Than Heels - A blog about Fashion:
http://www.morethanheels.com/

My Damn Channel - a video blog (with a blog post about a race between a "big wheel" and an MTA bus in NYC):
http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Mark_Malkoff/Big_Wheel_vs__Bus/BigWheelVsBus_6922.aspx

The Meatrix!

Let's watch this video about the animal and meat industry.

http://www.themeatrix.com/

Blog Post #3 -

Please make your third blog post a small research paper on one of the topics we have been reading about and discussing in FFN.

Research news articles on one of these topics:

• fast food company history
• surburban communities
• problems with teenagers working
• bad working conditions for workers at fast food companies
• crime in fast food restaurants
• (or if you want to do another related topic, please ask me about it, I need to approve it)

Use the following websites to search for articles on the topic you choose:
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/

The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/home-page

USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/

The LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/

Colorado Springs Gazette
http://www.gazette.com/

The Orange County Register
http://www.ocregister.com/

Please write a short essay (at least 3 paragraphs) describing the information you found when researching and linking to at least 2 news articles that include information on the topic you are interested in.

• Write at least 3 paragraphs
• Include at least 2 links to different articles

You should write the paragraphs in your own words (not copying from the websites or articles) but you can quote from the articles.

Example of quoting:

This article discusses why people are protesting the plans to build a new fast food restaurant in Pleasant Hill, California.  According to the article, people say that "the chain 'will bring noise, pollution, crime, odors and traffic to their neighborhood." The people do not want to have the problems that the new restaurant could bring to their area.


http://fastfood.ocregister.com/2010/09/20/another-california-city-protests-in-n-out-burger/74122/


Example of paraphrasing (saying what the writer said in my own words):

Reporter Nancy Luna writes that the government had stopped In-N-Out from building a new restaurant due to problems it would cause for traffic in the town San Juan Capistrano.

http://fastfood.ocregister.com/2010/09/20/another-california-city-protests-in-n-out-burger/74122/

Homework: Blog Post #2

Please read the following directions for writing and posting Blog Post #2.


For Blog Post #2, please think about the things that symbolize American culture.


Step 1: CHOOSE A SYMBOL

Choose one thing that you think symbolizes American culture.  This can be anything that you personally think symbolizes America, American people, or the American culture.


Step 2: SEARCH THE INTERNET

Then search the Internet to find pictures and images of that thing (remember that the google image search can help you at: http://images.google.com/ ).

Search for articles or other information about the thing you have chosen (you can use google's search engine at:  http://www.google.com ).


Step 3: WRITE YOUR BLOG POST - ADD IMAGES AND LINKS

Write your Blog Post #2 describing the symbol you have chosen and why you have chosen it.  In your post, add pictures/images to your blog to show what you are writing about.  To add an image, be sure to save the image onto your computer desktop.  Then click on the icon of a picture in the menu at the top of the text box when you are typing your blog post and you can add images by clicking on "choose files" and then selecting the picture or pictures you want to upload.

Here is a link to a tutorial on how to add an image to your blogger post:
http://personalweb.about.com/od/easyblogsandwebpages/ss/bloggeraddphot2.htm


Also add AT LEAST ONE LINK to another website in your blog.  You can add a link to a website by clicking on the word "Link" in the menu at the top of the text box when you are typing your blog post and then typing in or copy and paste the URL to the website.



The following is an example of a blog about McDonald's as a symbol of American culture.
(Because I am using it for an example, you CANNOT use McDonald's as your example!)

**EXAMPLE POST ABOUT A SYMBOL OF AMERICAN CULTURE - MCDONALD'S**:

One example of something that symbolizes American culture for many people is McDonald's.

As we have been reading in FFN, McDonald's is the original fast food restaurant and the father of the fast food industry.

See the Wikipedia page about McDonald's for its history and some business statistics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s

People have different opinions about McDonald's and whether it is positive or negative.  Some people say that McDonald's makes people fat.

Go to this site to read an article about how some people went to court claiming McDonald's was liable for teenage obesity:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/23/nyregion/big-macs-can-make-you-fat-no-kidding-a-judge-rules.html

In addition, some people say that McDonald's is an "evil" corporation that makes children eat unhealthy food.

 However, other people say that McDonald's provides people with affordable food and fast, convenient service.

Go to this website to read about how McDonald's is thought to be affordable and convenient in Malaysia: 
http://www.sun2surf.com/articlePrint.cfm?id=35117

McDonald's is a symbol for America around the world.

Can you recognize all of the languages above?  If so, post a comment listing each one!

Homework: BLOG POST #1 (finish by Sunday night, 11:59pm)

HOW TO WRITE YOUR FIRST BLOG POST

Your first BLOG ASSIGNMENT will be making your first blog post.

To post a new message to your blog, go to your Blog Page (“View blog”) and at the top of the page, you can select “New Post”

You can select a Title and then type up your message.  At the end, you will need to “Publish Post” so others can see it!

HOMEWORK: BLOG POST #1 - Your language learner identity

Please write your blog post about your own identity as a language learner.  You are now learning English (academic English) here at LAGCC, but you may have learned other languages in your life.  You learned your first language (mother tongue) as a child.  Did you learn other languages in school or in your community?

Your post should be written like a journal, so you are telling your story (a narrative).  It is NOT an essay format, so you have more freedom in what to write about.

Please consider the following questions/ideas when you write about your own language learner identity:

What languages have you learned?  Which ones are the hardest?  Are you still learning other languages now (besides English)?  Do you want to study another language in classes while you are in college?  Which one(s)?

How do you feel about your reading ability in each of the languages you know?  Which do you prefer to read novels in?  Which do you prefer to use to read things on the Internet?  Which do you prefer for things like Facebook or other social networks?

How do you feel about your writing ability in each of the languages.  What do you prefer to write in for emails or letters to your friends and families? Why?  What language do you prefer to use to write academic things in (essays, lab reports, business documents)? Why?  Do you think your writing ability is much better in your first language? 

What else do you think about your languages and how you use them?

PLEASE POST YOUR BLOG POST #1 BY THE END OF THE DAY SUNDAY (3-20)

How To Make A Blogger Account

1. Create an account (blogger.com)

•  You may need to first create a gmail email account (gmail.com) – if you do this, write down your gmail email name and your password right away so that you can find them again to log into Blogger later
• You will need to input your cell phone number to verify your account and receive a verification number by text.  If you do not have a cell phone that can receive text messages, please ask a friend to have it sent by text to their phone.

2. Create a blog and give it a title that has your name in it.

• Your blog’s name can be creative, just be sure you have your name in it, too (e.g., Rebekah’s Corner; Rebekah’s Café; Lemondrop Mountain (Rebekah); Rebekah’s Super Cool Party Place)
• You will also need to select your URL address – this is the address that will be at the top of the page in the URL box when you are on your page – and the address that anyone can type into the search box to go to your blog

o   A good URL will have your name (e.g., rebekah.johnson.blogspot.com) or your blog’s name (e.g., esl098lagcc-food.blogspot.com)

o   If the URL you select does not work, that means someone else is already using that address for their own blog page, and you need to select a different URL name – maybe by adding numbers to your name

o   Write down your URL address so that you can remember it and can share it with classmates if you need to

3.  Select a “template” (background design) for your blog and then go to the “Design” tab at the top to set up your blog page to set up your blog page.

• Look at the “Header” and select “Edit” – here you can add a few sentences to the top of your blog to describe your blog and you can add a picture or image to the top of your blog.  Search for a picture you like on the Internet (images.google.com) and save it to your Desktop. Then “Browse” for the picture and upload it to your blog’s header.
• Go down to the side menus and go to “About Me” and select “Edit” – here you should write a few sentences about yourself in the “Description” section.

4.  Go to my blog page at this URL: esl098lagcc-food.blogspot.com

• Look at my blog posts (under the picture of the hamburger) and post a comment for your class number (.0672 or .0677) that has your URL address in it

5.  Set up your blog to connect to other blogs:

• On the side menu, select “Add a Gadget” and add “Blog List”
• After you have added “Blog List” it will be called “My Blog List” on your menu.  If you are in “Design” select “Edit” and if you on your blog page (in “View Blog”) select the tools picture to edit.
• When you edit your “My Blog List,” you can add other blogs to follow.  Please add my blog’s URL (“esl098lagcc-food.blogspot.com) to this list. 
• Then add the URL of each of your classmates to this list (you can copy and paste these URLs from the comments for your class on my blog)

NOW YOU ARE ALL SET UP in BLOGGER for our CLASS BLOGGING!

A few more things about using Blogger:

• You can always see what your blog looks like to everyone by going to “View blog” and you can always change your blog by going to “Design”

• To change your Profile (and add a photo that will appear on your blog page), you will need to “Edit Profile” and “Edit Photo” when you first log into Blogger and are on the “Dashboard” page.

• In Blogger, you can have more than one blog!  Just create another blog (“create a blog”) when you first log into Blogger (when you are on the “Dashboard” page).

Comment on this Blog Post and add your URL - .0677

Please add a comment and copy and paste your URL name into the comment box.

Your URL is the name you selected when you created your blog (xxxxxxx.blogspot.com).

Comment on this Blog Post and add your URL - .0672

This is where I will post homework assignments for the Blog. First, create your own class blog in Blogger.  Write down your sign-in informartion (your gmail account and password or your other email account).
After you have created a blog, please write down your new Blog URL (xxxxxxx.blogspot.com).

Now copy and paste your Blog URL as a Comment to this post.

Welcome to Blogging!

Dear students,

This week, we will set up blogs and begin blogging.  You can set up your unique blog page and choose your own designs.  You will become more connected to online and social media communication through the class blog.  This blog will also be a great way to share your ideas with other students.

-Professor Johnson