GenYES and CTSO

GenYES becomes a different experience for everyone.

"GenYES is what you make of it"  
because there are many opportunities and options that you can choose from and there is a strong mission to allow GenYES students leadership opportunities to participate in the organization and content structure of the class and student organization.    

We will be having our end of the year CTSO meeting next week. Your homework this week will be to reflect on this program and offer your input, comment on the events and structure of the class and what you would like to see in the future.  Complete the link below.

GenYES - CTSO Meeting Wednesday 

May 3 ~ After School 2:30 to 4:00
  
Talk all about GenYES • Next Year Plans
New things • Biz Stuff • GenYES Recap
FOOD and FUN!  

Click here:  GenYES Recap Link  

S12 Office Productivity Technologies

Office, iWork, Drive, and OpenOffice: 

Which office apps are right for you?

1. How would you decide which application is best for your business?  (Personal opinion)

2. Discover an online tool or app to improve any business's operations.   (Research.  No repeats)

S11 Workforce Robotics

Robotics in the Workforce

Welcome to the robot-based workforce

Amazon Robots

How Robots are going to affect jobs in the US

Firefighting Robots

Or pick your article..

Robots in the workforce

1) Read.  Cite your article.  Comment on what you read.  How are robotics affecting jobs, economics, the future of work or life as we know it?  Is this …  Good? ... Bad?  

2) How does this affect you personally in your future quest for a job or career?  

S10 Technology Effects on Human Evolution

How Has Technology Affected Human Evolution?

Technology May Be Influencing Human Evolution

Positive and Negative Effects of Technology

Does the development of Science and Technology slow down the human evolutionary process?

Michio Kaku: Mankind has stopped evolving

Give three examples 

of how technology has affected human evolution 

based on what you read and watched.

S9 Social Media

Weighing in on Social Media

Pros and Cons of Social Media

1. Each year more social media platforms are created.  Some become wildly popular.  Which social media sites do you think are cool or have unique features that are trending now?  Or do you dislike the new social media venues?  Like / dislike social media in general?   BEFORE you answer open the link above.  Read.  Then informally cite information that you read* along with your personal opinions. 

2. What is one downside (bad thing) about social media, other than privacy breach?  (Think beyond the obvious answer here)

3. What is one attribute (good thing) about social media, other than just the ability to share events? (Think beyond the obvious answer here)

4. What social media do you engage in?  How often? 

*Note:  Informally cite like this:  From the article "5 Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom"  that I read I discovered ...

S8 Crowdfunding

Raising money for a Project  

Crowdfunding has changed the way innovators can bring their products to the public by appealing directly to the public for funding. No longer do creators need to beg to huge corporations to fund and back their project. Anyone with an idea has the opportunity to make it a reality.

Kickstarter Tech

Indiegogo Tech

Use these ^ links to find technology projects 

1. List your favorite 2 projects with a comment why you liked it. 

2. Now what do you think that inventor would have had to do to get their product to the public before crowdfunding?

Advantages and Disadvantages to Crowdfunding

10 Most Funded Kickstarter Projects Ever

How Crowdfunding Has Changed Funding

Use these ^ links to answer these questions: 

3. What are the benefits to crowdfunding? Any disadvantages? 

4. Should companies like Kickstarter or Indiegogo take percentages of profits from projects on their sites? Why or Why Not?

5. Lastly give your opinion on crowdfunding and its impact on technology. Does it free inventors to use their full creative potential or does it only offer a medium for people to promote stupid projects? (Think Potato Salad Project...if you don't know about this look it up...pretty funny).

S7 Gamification

Gamification 

...is a trend of turning tasks like work and school into funner, more immersive experiences by mixing them with gaming and gaming fragments, like levels and achievements

Many people worldwide are fighting for more gamification in places like businesses, schools, companies, and other places.

Read or watch at least two (including Sesame Credit) of these sources:

• An article on the pros and cons of gamification.
• Jane talking about how gamification can improve and extend lives.
• WOW Scary! Sesame Credit! Glad I don’t live in China!
• Games benefit students, teachers, and future employers.
• Playing games in schools

Then answer these questions:

1) Have you used a program, game or gamified system before? What was your experience?

2) Are there some things that should be gamified?  Never be gamified?  School?

3) Do you see Sesame Credit as something to worry about? Or just an interesting and possibly useful social experiment?  Could this happen in the US?

S6 - Esports

High School StarLeague

Esports in Swedish Schools

Sports Illustrated E-Sports Article

CNN Article on E-Sports

Over the past few years, professional e-sports have blown up. 

At this rate, e-sports will eventually be something that everybody just knows about, like football and basketball. 

As this spreads, schools are starting to create e-sports teams for certain games who compete against other schools. At the moment, there are not many schools that do this yet. However, there are many questions that come up when the idea of school e-sports comes up.

1. Should schools even start having e-sports teams? Do you feel like it would be a good addition to school’s extracurricular activities, or should e-sports just remain separated from school?

2. If e-sports are put into schools, should it be the school’s responsibility to pay for the technology and gear for the e-sports team, or the students who participate? Or should the school just provide decent equipment, and the student could bring a better system if they choose to?

3. Should e-sports be treated like other school sports? For example, should there be things like drug tests, needing good grades to participate, different levels like JV/Varsity, etc.? Should people have to try out for the team? Would there be trainers and coaches?

4. Do you feel like e-sports will be put into schools within the next 5 years? If not, do you think it ever will be added?

S5 Tech Home

Home of the Future

Take a look:

Homes of the Future

Epic High Tech Homes

 Home and the Internet of Things (IoT) 

• 1.  Which companies, do you feel, have the best ideas in the development of high tech homes for the future? Discuss the features that you like the best.

• 2.  What does the IoT have to do with all this?

• 3.  How does the main control system work?  Would you build a high tech system in your home?  Why / Why not.   

S4 Med Tech

Radical Medical Technologies

Below are four topics students submitted for this blog.  I found these particularly compelling to investigate relative to technological advancements, social implications, and ethical controversies.  

This week is a puzzle challenge.  Number your responses 1.2.3.4. 

Match the topic statement to the picture.  

Research the links.  Share a point you read about each topic.

Comment about what you consider the pro's and con's 

or ethical implications of each topic, along with your opinion.

Genetic Literacy Project             Qualcomm's Chips              medGadget             Patients Benefit 

Sci-Fi Idea With 3 Major Problems           IBM’s ‘Rodent Brain’ Chip

         Easy DNA Editing will Remake the World         Genome Editing

                                                            

Write thoughtful detailed responses based on your research. 

100 Points this week. Everyone completes. Authors will receive blog passes for a different week.