Throughout this year, I’ve realized the importance of blogging and using social media for academic use. This was constructive both academically and socially, as I explored the internet and interacted with students from all over the world. Blogging taught me how to make good use of social media websites. The truth is, it really taught us (our class) how to make better use of our tools, as digital citizenship is crucial in the modern world.

In order to gain more information for our following Genius Hour Project, we were seeking advice from professionals of our subject. With my new twitter account, I searched and followed experts, reporters, chefs and companies all related to my topic- fast food and organic food. These include: Ashley Lutz @AshleyLutz, Kerstin Rodgers @MsMarmitelover, Linda Murphy @HNFastFood, FastFoodMaven @FastFoodMaven, Organic Valley @OrganicValley, StonyField Organic @Stonyfield, Jenny Hopkinson @JennyHops, NRDC @NRDCFood, Berkeley Food Inst. @UCBerkeleyFood, FastFoodGeek @FastFoodGeek, Samantha Bomkamp @SamWillTravel. I then created a list of the following account.

The next step was to start the conversation with the experts by composing 10 introductory tweets, one for each user.

Time passed, and I was finally ready to ask specific questions- which I had previously drafted, covering different topics in the “fast food” spectrum. I wrote 10 new tweets, one to each account. I kept my question simple and straight to the point, not forgetting to be polite. After a few days, 4 accounts replied. First, Kerstin Rodgers gave me a short, straight to the point answer to this question: “Dear @MsMarmitelover , being a chef and a food traveller, to you, how has the fast food industry impacted our lives? I am currently working on a research project. Sincerely, Karel”. She replied with- “Fast food can be convenient, wish there was more vegan fast food. But people should not rely on it.” I wish she gave me more details to my question, because it could really benefit my research. However, I thought this was good for a start. Secondly, I tweeted Organic Valley, a cooperative of family farmers. I asked this – “Greetings @OrganicValley, do you think most people have sustainable knowledge on organic food? I working on a research project about organic food. Thanks, Karel”. They replied by saying that if I sent them a direct message, they would be able to provide resources for me. I thought that this gesture was really nice so I sent them a message but the organization did not reply yet. After that, the @Berkeley Food Institution gave me the link to a report that BFI had recently released about organic policy. It was pretty cool that a worldwide known university replied to my tweet, me being a student from the International School of Dakar. This is the power of social media; it allows people from different backgrounds to connect and share ideas. Lastly, Fast Food Maven- a business reporter covering the food and restaurant industry- was confused about my question. Therefore, she asked a clarifying question. I asked: “Dear @FastFoodMaven , what is your general thoughts on the modern-day fast food industry? Would you consider it “good”, or “bad”? Sincerely, Karel”. She replied: “Not sure I can answer that on Twitter. First what do you mean by modern day fast food?”.

After thanking them and asking follow-up questions, I reflected. This being my first time using twitter, 4 out of 11 people responded. @OrganicValley even followed me back! I think that is really good for a first time. I managed to get my questions answer and got extra resources. Even though these experts took the time to answer my questions and reply to my tweets, I don’t think those answers and resource will necessarily be useful in my Genius Hour project. My topic will change and mostly focus on the effects of fast food on one’s physical and mental health. So, in conclusion, their answers did not really help my project, but I know have more knowledge about this topic and they may be helpful for future use.

I definitely see myself tweeting to experts in the future when I have projects or research papers to write. This process is interesting because it allows you to interact with people who have different views on a topic. Overall, this process taught me how to make better use of the internet and social media for academic purposes.

Dylan’s Blog:

Dylan’s blog was talking about art literacy, and his class learned about an artist named Paul Klee. I found this post interesting because it allowed me to learn more about art literacy, and what it is.

Comment: Hi Dylan, I really like your post, and that you included a video so people could get more information. Also, what did you use to color your drawings? Here’s the link to my blog, you should check it out! https://karelisd21.edublogs.org/
– Karel

Sadie Glyn’s Blog:

Sadie’s blog post was about “The Great Flood” that affected the United States, while she lived in Denham Springs. By reading her post, I could really tell that the flood had a great impact on her life, and that it is something she won’t forget.

Comment: Hi Sadie Glyn,
By reading your post, I could tell that the flood really impacted you. I liked how you included a lot of details which made your post more interesting. A question I have for you is- do you think you would be the same person as prior to the flood if it didn’t happen? Check out my blog! Here is the link: https://karelisd21.edublogs.org/
– Karel

Tyler’s Blog:

Tyler’s post was about being in the Cross-Country team. He is really good, as he said that he made the varsity at the 7th spot as a freshman. Through his blog I could clearly see his passion for running. However, he mentioned that he does not run for fun, but to represent his school.

Comment: Hi Tyler, my name is Karel and I really enjoy reading your post as it truly shows your passion for running in the cross- country team to represent your school. I find it nice that you had a connection with your coach and that she always encourages you. What is your personal record for 1 mile? If you have time, check out my blog! Here’s the link: https://karelisd21.edublogs.org/
– Karel

(MesserWoland)

(Tumisu)

For my Genius Hour research assignment,  I studied autism, more specifically its effect on children. I have always been interested into learning more about autism because I’ve known some children affected by it. Additionally, people affected by this disease are not always welcomed or treated equally in our society. Autism is a group of complex disorders of the brain development and affects the way people interact, communicate, behave and learn. It can be characterized by challenged social skills, a repetitive behavior, nonverbal communication and unique differences or talents.

The reason why I chose this topic is because many children are affected by ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder), and are often treated differently, and sometimes looked down upon. I think that it is important to raise awareness on this issue because children (and even adults) may be excluded simply because they are a bit “different”. We should be more aware about this disease in order for others to understand that even though the ones affected by ASD may not exactly act the same, they should still be welcomed in our community and treated equally. How can one learn to accept “different” people if they are not taught why those are “different”?

(OpenClipart-Vectors)

My Research Question was “what is the effect of autism on children?”. Through my research, I learned that children affected by ASD can have trouble with learning and communication. To understand and identify an autistic child, people must learn the different signs communication wise, as well as the signs related to learning. When it comes to learning, a child affected might have trouble understanding that other people don’t have to express the same opinions and ideas as them. Nowadays, seeing things from other people’s perspectives is an important skill. Without that, it is typically hard to get along well with others. Secondly, autism can also affect communication in different ways. For example, an affected child might not respond to his name, make eye contact with others, or may just smile and demonstrate various emotions for no specific reasons. That is why it is important for others to learn about autism; to avoid misunderstanding.

This research project helped me to grow as a person and as a global citizen. I learned more about more about autism and its effects, which could help me to educate other people about it. This also made me realize that we don’t always realize that some people are affected by autism, and that we should pay more attention to them, and even help them. By learning more about the signs of this disease, I can recognize people affected more easily.

I helped my school community by raising awareness and teaching my classmates about this disease. Generally, there are a lot of misconception about autism. Once I was finally done with my research, I presented the new things I learned to my class. Here is the link to my presentation: Genius Hour#1- Autism

Soon, our class will start Genius Hour #2 (the same project but with another topic).  My topic for the next project will be about the fast food industry, and the products used. However, this topic my change because I am not totally sure about it.

Works Cited

MesserWoland, and Psyon. “File:Autism Awareness Ribbon.png.” Wikimedia, Wikimedia, 29 Aug. 2010, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autism_Awareness_Ribbon.png.

OpenClipart-Vectors. “Image Gratuite Sur Pixabay – Trouver, Verre, Loupe, Recherche.” Image Vectorielle Gratuite: Trouver, Verre, Loupe, Recherche – Image Gratuite Sur Pixabay – 148857, Pixabay, 2017, pixabay.com/fr/trouver-verre-loupe-recherche-zoom-148857/.

Tumisu. “Question, Quiz, Think, Thinking.” Free Illustration: Question, Quiz, Think, Thinking – Free Image on Pixabay – 2004314, Pixabay, 2017, pixabay.com/p-2004314/?no_redirect.

Schools around the world all have different schedules. However, the 9th graders attending ISD (International School of Dakar), have a specific schedule to follow. We go to school from Monday to Friday and we have 8 different classes in total, though we only have 4 classes per day. Every class is 1 hour and 20 minutes. School start at 8:30AM, and finishes at 3:20PM. Between classes- depending on the time- we have either a 10 minute or a 5 minute break.

If I could change something about this schedule, it would definitively be to have a longer lunch; we only have from 12:00 to 12:25 (25 minutes). I really do think that the lunch break in a really important part of the school day because it is the time when students get to socialize, or even work on homework. I think that lunchtime should at least be 40 minutes long.

Something that I like about our schedule is that we never start with the same class; every morning of the week, we start school with a different class. I find this really good because then, you do not have to do math every morning for example. Also, if you are tired in the morning regularly, the schedule switches so you won’t neccesarily perform badly in a certain class.

What is your schedule like? Leave a comment below!

This summer, my family and I went to Bali, in Indonesia. There, we were fortunate enough to visit a really famous site called “Uluwatu Temple”. This temple was situated at the south western tip of the city, up to a cliff that is approximately 100 meters high. . I remember our tour guide saying that the once at the bottom of the cliff was the only part in Bali that touched the Indian Ocean.

Also, we stayed until sunset to watch a traditional dance called “Kecak Dance”. It is a men’s chorus chanting the words ‘ke-cak, ke-cak’. The dance consists of about fifty men forming rows and circle around a fire. This dance is actually performed as a “dance-drama and the story presented is a representation of the Ramayana epic. (Ramayana was a fictional Hindu prince)

The following picture were taken by me over this summer.

https://www.befunky.com- this is the website I used

I originally took this picture myself, but I used filters and special effects to make it nicer.

Hey Caleb,
I really liked reading your page, as I got to know more about you. I also really like travelling because I get to learn more about other cultures. I saw that you visited Jakarta, in Indonesia, but have you ever been to Bali? If so how was it? http://21calebt.edublogs.org/about-me/

Hey Tristan,
I am also 13 years old which makes me pretty young compared to other people in my grade. Most of the time, I am the youngest in my class. Does being the youngest bother you? http://21trispislit.edublogs.org/about-me/#comment-3

Hey Morgan, I saw that one of your hobbies was volleyball. I also play volleyball. Which position do you play? https://mojowave6.edublogs.org/2017/10/05/my-avatar-2/#comment-4

Hi Max,
I really like memes as well especially relatable ones. What is your favorite type? http://mbmew92d.edublogs.org/2017/10/12/about-my-avatar/#comment-4

Question- How do you learn best?

I am a visual learner. It means that I learn best with visual supports like drawings, graph, maps, charts, diagrams  etc. For example, I feel like I understand things better when it is being explained by something visual.  I feel like I also a auditory learner because when someone explains something with good words, it makes sense. However, I am not a kinetic learner at all; when I am working with hands-on things, it distracts me.