Assignment 5
This week’s assignment is about democracy and freedom. How democratic is a country, if you’re increasing the people’s freedom with cameras and other controlling things. If you are always being watched and controlled, can you then call yourself free? The question that Marika want us to write about is:
What is good and bad about restricting the freedom of a democratic country in order to preserve democracy itself?
On one hand cameras can be good if you want to protect something, like at the school that I work. At evenings and weekends there are plenty of teenagers that are staying outside, on the playground. And it has happened, several times, that windows and other things have been broken. Maybe a camera would protect the schools property. Maybe the youngsters would let things be, and think twice before they broke something?
It would be easier to discover terrorists if we had cameras that controls the surroundings. If I remember correctly a terrorist attack were stopped because of cameras that caught the terrorists’ preparations. So you can say: thanks to the cameras a lot of peoples’ lives were saved that time.
Another positive thing with cameras would be to protect citizens late at night. It has been more dangerous to walk alone, in or outside the city at nighttime. I don’t know if it actually has been more dangerous. I don’t know if it’s because of my age that I feel more scared, and think that it’s rather frightening to walk by myself at night. It happens a lot of scary things anyway, and maybe there wouldn’t be as much if there were cameras in every corner, watching over you?
On the other hand cameras could make you feel a bit paranoid, I think. I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I knew that I’m being watched all the time.
What is the next step? Maybe you have to leave a picture of yourself and maybe even a film sequence where you can see how your body moves (if the cameras show a man/woman from a long distance). What’s the point having a camera if you can’t recognize the people that they are showing? Then we have come to a society that really has increased the freedom and democracy. It has become a little bit less democratic, I believe.
We have to be able to rely on each other and the society has to rely on people. I think it is difficult to do so if the society has decided that everyone of us is a potential terrorist, rapist or murderer. Maybe we get more scared and look over our shoulders more often because of this. Instead of making us feel secure, the cameras make us feel more frightened.
To preserve democracy we have to have a control system. We have to have different sorts of organizations that protect us and the democracy itself. But I think it is important to really think twice before you letting new things in.
söndag 26 april 2009
lördag 18 april 2009
Assignment 4
Grades is not good for everyone and cannot ever become a fair confirmation on what you really can.
My grades were never very good. I wasn’t a hard working student. I know I could have got higher grades if I had put my mind up to it, but I never made the effort. But it wasn’t until I got older I realized that.
I remember when we got our first grades, and I opened them in the school’s toilet. When I saw that I got the grade 2 in sport class, I got really upset. I played soccer in the summer and (outdoor-) bandy in the winter, and I thought that that would give me a higher grade. I never missed a class either (unless I was sick). I always attended the super boring lessons where we played volleyball (I really hated volleyball. The ball always hurt my arms, and I was always injured after the class) or had strength training (I hated that too). He wasn’t so versatile, our dear teacher! Anyway, I really thought that my skills in sports would give me some benefits, but no! The teacher only saw me in class (and didn’t bother notice what I did in my spare time) and, since I hated the two things he made us do, he thought that I should have that grade.
For many pupils it doesn’t even depend on their effort, when it comes to different subjects in school. Many pupils have a hard time in school and if we should grade them, on top of their already low self esteem, and give them a paper where it’s written “you are no good”! it could make them give up.
As a teacher you should give the children tools. Tools so you can cope, on your own! The grades are usual a measuring on some tests that you’ve taken. You have been studied hard and learnt what you are supposed to, and then you forget about it. Already after a few days there is only a little amount of what you read and taught that is still left. There’s so much more than the actual test. You have to learn for life, and how do you grade that??
A teacher gets to know their pupils, of course. I think it must be very hard to grade someone you know. You have the work that the student have done, but how do you grade a student you really like and have gotten to know, but he /she have done a terrible work? On the other hand how do you grade an unpleasant person who has done a terrific job? I don’t say that every teacher lets their own feelings in the grading, but I think it would be easy to do so. Even if we are professionals, we are also humans!
An argument for grades in the earlier classes is that many children need them to make some attempts. I can understand this argument, but I still think that you lose more than you gain. The children who have an easy time in school and get through school without too much trouble, will do so, with or without grades. The children who have a hard time in school could be damaged for life if they are graded in early years. They need cheers and optimism instead of grades. We can see the small steps they take, and we have to make them realize that they will manage but it will take time, and that it doesn’t matter. The small steps that they make are ok because they get forward. The main thing is that they make small successes every day and that they will be alright. Grades is not for these children, wouldn’t you agree with me??
My grades were never very good. I wasn’t a hard working student. I know I could have got higher grades if I had put my mind up to it, but I never made the effort. But it wasn’t until I got older I realized that.
I remember when we got our first grades, and I opened them in the school’s toilet. When I saw that I got the grade 2 in sport class, I got really upset. I played soccer in the summer and (outdoor-) bandy in the winter, and I thought that that would give me a higher grade. I never missed a class either (unless I was sick). I always attended the super boring lessons where we played volleyball (I really hated volleyball. The ball always hurt my arms, and I was always injured after the class) or had strength training (I hated that too). He wasn’t so versatile, our dear teacher! Anyway, I really thought that my skills in sports would give me some benefits, but no! The teacher only saw me in class (and didn’t bother notice what I did in my spare time) and, since I hated the two things he made us do, he thought that I should have that grade.
For many pupils it doesn’t even depend on their effort, when it comes to different subjects in school. Many pupils have a hard time in school and if we should grade them, on top of their already low self esteem, and give them a paper where it’s written “you are no good”! it could make them give up.
As a teacher you should give the children tools. Tools so you can cope, on your own! The grades are usual a measuring on some tests that you’ve taken. You have been studied hard and learnt what you are supposed to, and then you forget about it. Already after a few days there is only a little amount of what you read and taught that is still left. There’s so much more than the actual test. You have to learn for life, and how do you grade that??
A teacher gets to know their pupils, of course. I think it must be very hard to grade someone you know. You have the work that the student have done, but how do you grade a student you really like and have gotten to know, but he /she have done a terrible work? On the other hand how do you grade an unpleasant person who has done a terrific job? I don’t say that every teacher lets their own feelings in the grading, but I think it would be easy to do so. Even if we are professionals, we are also humans!
An argument for grades in the earlier classes is that many children need them to make some attempts. I can understand this argument, but I still think that you lose more than you gain. The children who have an easy time in school and get through school without too much trouble, will do so, with or without grades. The children who have a hard time in school could be damaged for life if they are graded in early years. They need cheers and optimism instead of grades. We can see the small steps they take, and we have to make them realize that they will manage but it will take time, and that it doesn’t matter. The small steps that they make are ok because they get forward. The main thing is that they make small successes every day and that they will be alright. Grades is not for these children, wouldn’t you agree with me??
onsdag 1 april 2009
Assignment 3
Where does the ignorance of climate change come from?
The climate change has been known since the middle of the 1950’s, according to Marika. I think it’s hard for anyone to escape this fact. Everyone knows about the climate change today, or at least have heard of it. But still there’s not so much done about it. Why is this?
If it has been known for so long, why is it that we are still destroying our world? Maybe it wasn’t for everyone to know, to start with? Did the scientists know what it was that made the change? Did they tell? It took several years for us ordinary people to find out, and realize, how significant this was for the environment. The scientist that discovered the climate change did not cry out this alarming thing that was about to happen. Now we do now and there are still not much done.
I think that many people think that it doesn’t matter what they do, because one man can’t make a difference. So they go on doing their thing. I also believe that many people think that the climate change has natural causes. The climate has always gone in cycles, and that’s what is happening right now. We’re only in a change in the cycle, and it’s nothing we can do about it! We have not been exposed to the climate change yet. A reason for peoples’ unawareness can be that we haven’t seen, or it has hardly been noted, that there is a climate change in coming! And when we notice, it is too late!
Maybe it was neglected at first when many people/industries saw the negative consequences this would bring. If you have to make drawbacks in some of your productions, because they are polluting the environment, then maybe you close your eyes, shut your ears and pretend that it is raining? I think that is what many industries have done. They will go on with their pollution until there is a law saying you can’t anymore. (Even then many factories ignore the laws and rather pay the fines instead).
Money is the most important factor in this battle towards a cleaner environment. If it wasn’t for the money, the factories/industries wouldn’t continue this disastrous way. Profit is of course what drives the industries further, but often at the expense of the environment.
The car industries make cars that run on diesel and gasoline when there is much more “improved” fuel they can choose from. Fuel that is not that dangerous to the atmosphere like these oil based energies. But the oil companies are very powerful. They force the car industries to still make cars that run on diesel and gasoline. If the car factories made more (or only) “green” cars, then the oil companies would go bankrupt. All these companies ignore the facts of the climate change.
We have to do something about this of course! But who is going to take action. Even most of the politicians are ignorant when it comes to climate change!
The climate change has been known since the middle of the 1950’s, according to Marika. I think it’s hard for anyone to escape this fact. Everyone knows about the climate change today, or at least have heard of it. But still there’s not so much done about it. Why is this?
If it has been known for so long, why is it that we are still destroying our world? Maybe it wasn’t for everyone to know, to start with? Did the scientists know what it was that made the change? Did they tell? It took several years for us ordinary people to find out, and realize, how significant this was for the environment. The scientist that discovered the climate change did not cry out this alarming thing that was about to happen. Now we do now and there are still not much done.
I think that many people think that it doesn’t matter what they do, because one man can’t make a difference. So they go on doing their thing. I also believe that many people think that the climate change has natural causes. The climate has always gone in cycles, and that’s what is happening right now. We’re only in a change in the cycle, and it’s nothing we can do about it! We have not been exposed to the climate change yet. A reason for peoples’ unawareness can be that we haven’t seen, or it has hardly been noted, that there is a climate change in coming! And when we notice, it is too late!
Maybe it was neglected at first when many people/industries saw the negative consequences this would bring. If you have to make drawbacks in some of your productions, because they are polluting the environment, then maybe you close your eyes, shut your ears and pretend that it is raining? I think that is what many industries have done. They will go on with their pollution until there is a law saying you can’t anymore. (Even then many factories ignore the laws and rather pay the fines instead).
Money is the most important factor in this battle towards a cleaner environment. If it wasn’t for the money, the factories/industries wouldn’t continue this disastrous way. Profit is of course what drives the industries further, but often at the expense of the environment.
The car industries make cars that run on diesel and gasoline when there is much more “improved” fuel they can choose from. Fuel that is not that dangerous to the atmosphere like these oil based energies. But the oil companies are very powerful. They force the car industries to still make cars that run on diesel and gasoline. If the car factories made more (or only) “green” cars, then the oil companies would go bankrupt. All these companies ignore the facts of the climate change.
We have to do something about this of course! But who is going to take action. Even most of the politicians are ignorant when it comes to climate change!
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