Cinderella Team

VCU is an up and coming team in NCAA basketball. After hiring Shaka Smart as the head coach they have much improved with a record of 111-39, three NCAA tournament appearances, and a final four appearance. Smart has really turned VCU into a power house which has helped them move up into a bigger and tougher conference. The Atlantic 10 has a lot of promising teams that will help VCU prepare for big teams coming to tournament time. Smarts philosophy is his “Havoc defense” because of his up-tempo defense to get steals and turnovers. They led the league in steals with around 10 per game. They lost some players after last season but key additions like JeQuan Lewis will help this season’s team a lot. They have finally gotten the recognition they deserved with a top 25 rating for the first time. Teams are going to have trouble with their “Havoc defense” this season which makes VCU so tough to beat. They will grind it out till the end of the game with Smart pushing them to victory. #WatchOut

http://www.thebestsportsblog.com/cinderella-man.html

Road to the Final Four

Uconn has just moved into a new conference this year and is looking to dominate and hopefully go far during tournament time. They are led by their senior guard Shabazz Napier who is in contention for the player of the year. He has been superior this season with a game winner and clutch moments to help boost his team to three one point wins. They say he is the best competitor for preseason favorite Marcus Smart for player of the year. He is only 6-foot-1 and he is putting up outstanding stats, averaging 16.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 7.3 rebounds. He leads his team in all three categories which is weird because he has teammates that are way taller than he is and he still averages more rebounds. He is very aggressive and when the game is on the line he can turn on a switch that makes him unstoppable. He is also averaging more points when it’s a close game because he is capable of taking over games. Because of Napier Connecticut is one of the hottest team right now and they hope to continue this play all year long. Uconn basketball is a very exciting to watch and behind Shabazz’s leadership they hope to make greatness. #HuskiePride  

NCAA Scouting Report: Creighton’s Doug McDermott

Doug McDermott is a 6’8” forward from the University of Creighton who is looking to make a living in the next level of competition we call the NBA. Scouts are unsure that McDermott will be able to compete and excel in the NBA. He has always been a leader at Creighton and this year he is stepping up the most because it’s his senior year. NBA scouts are saying Doug’s most impressive attribute is his shooting ability for his size. He has always shot around 50% from 3-point land which is quite impressive for someone who spends most of their time in the paint. They point out he doesn’t have the best form for shooting but I believe it doesn’t matter because he can shoot lights out. He is not the best size for the position he would play in the NBA. He would be best at the 4 spot but it would be difficult for him to guard other 4’s whose sizes are around 6’10”. If he moved down to the 3 spot I don’t believe he would be quick enough to keep up while defending. He has had big games before and this year he has already had a 37 point game against the University of Missouri-Kansas City. If a team is looking for a takeover kinda guy McDermott is not the guy their looking for. He is not a player who can turn a whole organization around or be able to build a championship team around. He is a very skilled player at what he does best. He will probably be a role player at best. Be able to come off the bench and make the defense work differently. You never know about some players coming into the NBA. There has been many surprises in the NBA and Doug could be one of those players who no one expects to do well and ends up proving everyone wrong.  Doug McDermott is a very talented basketball player and it will be exciting to see where he ends up in the Draft. #TheFutureoftheNBA

“The Portland Trail Blazers Are Scorching, But Can It Last?”

The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off some rebuilding years and now are ready to show the NBA how good they really are. After acquiring Damian Lillard from Weber State in last year’s draft they have showed great signs of a becoming a great force in the Western Conference. Damian Lillard was named the rookie of the year and is showing the NBA he is good enough to be an All-Star. The Portland Trail Blazers did some off-season trading and ended up getting two major players. Robin Lopez who is the first actual center to play with Portland in a while and Mo Williams who is an explosive point guard off the bench. They had to give up a few players in return like JJ. Hickson but it was for the better of the team. They have started this year 9-2 and want to keep winning to make the playoffs. The Western conference much harder compared to the East so the Blazers will have to continue this play all year long. Can they do it? I’m not sure, but with a point guard like Lillard and an All-Star in LaMarcus Aldridge it’s hard to doubt the possibilities. Portland has improved their bench and defense from last years which was horrible. Gaining Robin Lopez and Mo Williams puts a bigger guy in the paint to try and stop scoring and scoring point guard off the bench. Their offense is ranked 3^rd while their defense is 18^th through 11 games. Having such a good offense will help not having a great defense. Terry Stotts, Portland’s coach, has decided on defense schemes that he thinks will help and so far it hasn’t been too bad.  This is Portland’s best year in a long time and they hope to continue their play so they can have a chance in the playoffs and just maybe contend for the championship. #RipCity!

 

I just got done reading a little article on ESPN called “What if LeBron took 30 shots a game “by Tom Haberstroh. LeBron had just come off a win scoring 39 points against the Mavericks. He only took 18 field goal attempts to reach to reach that score. This is crazy due to the fact that he was making most all of his shots in a league where there are players who defend the rim at all costs. Also because most other players have to take 30+ shots to even reach 30 points.  The Monday before Rudy Gay (Toronto Raptor Forward) took 37 shots and had a total of 29 points. This is more than twice as many attempts as LeBron with only 29 points.  This was the most LeBron had ever scored with 18 attempts or fewer. I believe he is getting better as the season goes on and will be the best he has ever been by the end of the season. He has just gotten off his recent NBA Championship and now is hungry for another. If he is able to do this he will have gotten his first three peat and possibly started to be compared to the greatness of Michael Jordan. After his game against the Mavericks he was asked about his reaction about other players shooting 30 times or more. “Um…If you give me 37 shots in a game, I’d have 60 ... 70.” He also said “I had [almost] 40 now with 18 shots, I mean ... If you give me 37 shots in a game, I’d put up 60. Easy.” After he said that I thought about how crazy it would be if he was able to score that much. James’ scoring average is 1.6875 points per attempt and 37 times 1.6875 is 62. 4. According to the math he technically would be scoring 60-70 points a game if he took almost 40 shots. LeBron is a crazy talented and athletic basketball player but it is very uncharacteristic for him to be taking over 30 shots. He is a team player but will do whatever it takes to get the win.     

Reflection

It all started last year when I decided to take this class. I was scared at first because I didn’t think I would be able to write good enough papers or I would get stressed out. I hadn’t had Mrs. Baldwin, my English teacher, for a whole year so I forgot how cool she was. Since the year has started we have written 4 papers, and I haven’t done as bad as a thought. I have actually learned quite a bit. We have had a whole session on commas and learned how to use citations and where to put them. I still have trouble with both of these but the year has only started. My biggest difficulty is not using weasel words. It’s extremely hard to avoid using them for me. Switching sentences around just to get rid of them takes forever. I’m hoping to learn more good qualities and techniques to become a better writer. I want to be prepared by the time I get into college so I don’t have too much trouble.

This is the first English class I enjoy because of my great teacher and hardworking classmates. We always joke around and make writing fun. I never enjoyed English in all my years so it surprises me that I can make it through class time without falling asleep. This class has taught myself to become a better writing in my mind, and I hope to get even better by the end of this class.

Video Games in Classrooms

                                            Video Games in Classrooms 

Video games are a topic being discussed whether or not they are effective in school classrooms. All teachers have a different way of teaching and some believe video games can be used for educational purposes. Six out of ten teachers say that digital games “help personalize instruction, better assess knowledge, and collect helpful data” (Richardson 46). Most of the teachers who incorporate video games choose the ones created specifically for educational purpose, focusing on math, spelling and other subjects. But some teachers and parents are still questioning the video game philosophy and aren’t sure teachers can use them to teach students.

There is increasingly widespread evidence of the positive effects of video games on learning. “Gamers are able to explore different scenarios and ideas they wouldn’t be able to do in the regular classroom setting” (Mifsud, Velina and Camilleri 33). Minecraft is becoming one of the most popular games to use in a classroom. It allows players to have the freedom to create anything in a Lego-like environment. They can create their dream vacation or the house of their dreams easily. Older students can use this program to recreate historic scenes and battles to help understand had happened in that era (Richardson 46).

Some students prefer to be taught using video games because of their strong interest in them. This can lead to more motivation and participation in the students for class work. “Some parents also agree that video games can be tools for learning in specific subjects and skills like decision-making, design, strategy and cooperation” (Mifsud, Velina and Camilleri 34). Students will become more interactive through video games than just the regular lesson in books. Teachers might also see grades go up due to the students who are more interested in school now because of video games.

The main reason that teachers incorporate video games into the lesson is for more motivation and interaction with the students. “Some teachers would not consider using video games in their teaching as they deem these to have little or no educational value; they believe there are better types of resources, and there is no time for such activities” (Mifsud, Velina and Camilleri 34). Teachers need to have a balance of letting kids explore on their own while having time to do school work on the video games. If someone uses too many video games or school work they might either get bored from school work or get too addicted to the video games (35).

While playing gamers can encounter new symbols, letters, and words that they must learn. “Children who participate in literacy programs, which include online games, have significantly better letter-naming and letter-sounding skills and demonstrate significantly story and print concepts, and knowledge of letters in their names.” Some difficulties can occur while teaching video games to students like addiction or disobey there teacher. Thus teachers need to have support from the school so no delays ruin class time (Mifsud, Velina and Camilleri 35).

What kind of video games are best for learning? Game developers are still debating on this topic. While research is still limited the National Research Council found in 2011 that in science, “simulations and games have potential to advance multiple science learning goals, including motivation to learn science, conceptual understanding, science process skills, understanding of the nature of science, scientific discourse and argumentation, and identification with science and science learning” (Richardson 50). Sylvia Martinez, president of generation YES, says there are games out there that just ask for an answer and others that challenge students and make them research the answer. Games that challenge student’s brains should be the ones used by teachers (Richardson 49). Video games can provide many different possibility’s that the player must explore and find out.

A teacher in Flint, Michigan, let his students use games and he said that when the students learned on the game it didn’t transfer over to when they took their tests. Even when it seemed they grasped the information on the game they would forget it when taking the test. He thought that since the games were more fun than the assessments, the students weren’t as interested. He would always have to remind them that they just did the same kind of problem on the game (Mader). Video games in general can be a disadvantage. Video games can become addicting to the player. Kids are skipping school now days to play their favorite games because of addiction. (Windhurst). I knew a kid from my school that chose video games over education and dropped out. Violence can come from video games if kids decide to imitate what they do in the game. Obesity is another factor due to addiction to games, because of lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits (Windhurst). These are just some disadvantages of video games outside of school. This does not mean bad habits or violence will come for students playing during school. If teachers can control what types of games students play and for how long they play nothing should escalade out of control.

In what research I have done I learned some very interesting ways of how video games can be used. Having students use them during class is totally up to the teacher whether he/she believes they help. Kids can get more motivated for school work from video games. Letting them learn hands-on can open up another way to understand. It’s not like the students are playing all day, but if they are allowed to play some days they can possibly be more excited about school. Games do have some disadvantages but they can be eliminated if the teachers knows what they are doing and how to control the games. It’s all about if the students are learning and if they aren’t with regular books and lessons it can’t hurt to try something new.

Political Cartoon

 

Health Insurance

 

The 2010 political cartoon by A.F. Branco titled “New Crimes” address the health insurance policy in America. Health Insurance is insurance that covers your health care expenses. It is something that all people should have in case of an accident. It is very expensive though and some people can’t afford it. The political cartoon I chose was of two guys in a jail cell talking. The guy on the left is a murderer and the guy on the right is a person who didn’t buy health insurance. To me this cartoon is talking about Obama Care. I also think it is showing that people who don’t want Obama Care and trying to tell other Americans not to vote for it because if you don’t buy it you will end up in jail.  

This cartoon shows exaggeration because the guy who didn’t buy health insurance would never be in the same cell as the guy who murdered twelve people. The murderer also has a knife or sharp object and in jail they make sure nobody has objects people could use for killing. There is also writing on the back wall that reads “Manson was here.” Charles Manson was a murderer in the 1960’s. The odds of that jail cell being Charles Manson’s is pretty low. This cartoon doesn’t have many symbols but it has some that do a good job representing what they are. The guy on the left is a big, tough looking guy with a knife and tattoos. Anyone can see that he represents a criminal or bad guy. The guy on the left is a skinny guy with a suit on. This just represents a normal working man.

The “New Crimes” caption is in big letters and is one of the first things you see. It is saying that not buying health insurance is the new way to get in trouble with the government. Below the caption there are two words that read “Freedoms Battle.” This helps readers see that America is trying to fight for their freedom. If they don’t want to buy health insurance then why should they be made to do so? Getting in trouble for not buying health insurance is just another way that is standing in the way of people that believe in freedom. I wasn’t sure if it had visual irony but I thought it was pretty ironic that the guy that didn’t buy health insurance is in the same cell as the guy who murdered twelve people.

            This cartoon lacks caricature and iconography but it shows the struggle of fighting for freedom and what government is doing to try and make you buy health insurance. A.F. Blanco is saying what he believes is unfair and people have the right to do what they want. I didn’t know much about this cartoon at first but after I read what other people thought I started to understand. Health care is something someone should have but shouldn’t be forced to have it.  

                       

Mascots

Zane Ligas

Writ 101

Can Mascots be Offensive?

 

Everyone is aware of sports teams and their mascots. Something many people are not aware that some mascots can be very offensive. For example, take the Cleveland Indians. Their mascot can be considered racist to Native Americans, but non-natives  might not even think its racist until someone said it’s racist. I grew up knowing all these teams without even thinking whether people would get offended. Now that I know, I understand why people get frustrated over it.

            In the article “Fighting Sioux: The End of a Legacy?” by Brittany Bergstrom she stated how North Dakota University might have to change their “Fighting Sioux” name and how much controversy was created from it. A student journalist wrote an article asking people about their opinions on keeping the mascot name. The weird thing was the person writing was a non-native and seemed to only ask non-native students. She might have asked some, but in the article it didn’t say she did. And of course none of those people thought it was racist because they weren’t native and knew what it was like to be one. The only students she wrote about were the ones who liked the name.  I personally like the name but I would understand why some people would want to change it. The University wants to keep the name so they tried bargaining with the near by Sioux. They said they would have two pow wow’s a year and other ways that might help keep the name.

            Natives have traditional ways that they protect very heavily. Some mascots can make them feel like it is disrespecting their culture and tradition. I started thinking about all the mascots that portrayed an Indian or anything someone would take offense to and there were actually quite a few. High schools around my area, colleges around the country, and even professional teams have mascots like this. One school in my district had to change their name from of their original name “Savages.” Many people took offense to this saying it was racist to Native Americans calling them savages. The school then changed their name to the “Savage Heat.”  

            Logos can be considered a stereotype and another reason to change the name. Cleveland, Florida State, and North Dakota all have logos that are a native. Natives can get angry because the logo is presenting them all don’t as wearing paint or feathers in their hair but people just think that because they are don’t live near natives.

            What if Cleveland organization changed the Cleveland Indians name to the Cleveland Africans or Asians? Of course Africans or Asians would be offended. People don’t think it’s racist unless it’s about them. I think to avoid any problems we should just change all mascots to names that don’t offend anyone. Mascots can be used in a way people aren’t offended. Picking a new mascot should take a careful decision. A lot of mascots could be offensive so teams have to take precaution and be ready to possibly change their name. I also think that if the school is representing the mascot or the culture well, it should be no problem. They should ask the people who they are representing first to see if it’s all right. Mascots can bring controversy but can give the student a sense of pride to be part of a team.

Memoir

Take One, Action!

Growing up in Arlee, a kid named Dom became my best friend at an early age. I remember going over to his house almost every day to hang with him. His basement became a place to play since it was so big. The soft carpet welcomed you as you glided down the stairs.  You knew once you walked down them you entered the best place on earth.  I can still remember looking into the toy room. Toys filled the shelves, buckets, and drawers. You never wanted to go back home after seeing all this. The supplies available provided us a new way to use our imagination. Making movies let us express our creativity in our own way. We’d grab the camera and tripod and jump right into action. Every little kid likes to fight or kill things so that’s what we usually filmed. Killing robots, Pirates of the Caribbean and WWE wrestling ranked high on our favorites. Wearing different outfits let us become the characters we admired. These movies bring me to laughter every time I watch them. These times burned into memories that I will never forget.

Camera set up remained easy and simple. It was figuring out what to say in front of the camera that was challenging. Dom would usually improvise and come up with the script while filming. Arguments over whose ideas should be used for the movie broke out quite often. I don’t think I won many arguments against Dom. He was pretty serious when it came down to making the movie perfect in his eyes. I’d get in a few ideas here and there but it came down to Dom to be able to create the movie. We didn’t have any money, so we built our own props and had our imagination take over. We used props from what we could find in the basement like boats made from couches, wrestling mats out of cushions, and horses out of brooms or long sticks.

After finishing a movie we would go through all of our film on the camera and delete the scenes we didn’t like. We then would give the camera to Dom’s mom, Amy, and wait for her to put the film on a video. We waited anxiously and couldn’t anticipate how well the finished product would turn out. I’m not sure how long it usually took her but it always seemed like an eternity. Once on video we immediately put it in the VCR player in the workout room. Getting settled in and finding the perfect spot to sit was vital. From the second the video began to the end the laughter wouldn’t stop. The laughter wouldn’t stop as we made fun of each other time after time. We made all theses movies because I was lucky enough to meet such a great friend who ended up having the basement ever.