Mr. Dyke’s Blog

Project:  25 things I do to help the planet  (= 33% of total grade)

· At least 10 of the 25 things have to be changes.  For example, it should say ‘before’ and ‘now’ to show the changes you made.  The others can be other things you see around your house that is good for the environment.

Everything you stat must be PROVEN.  You need to use pictures or video for each (or some other proof).  A picture from the internet is NOT proof.  You have to be in the picture or make it obvious that this is from you.

· Students are to make a digital story presentation that shows their project.  It needs to be done in a way that a stranger finding this on the internet could understand it.  There are examples online to give ideas, including a lot of this project on YouTube already, but don’t copy.

· Students can choose their presentation platform, however, my recommendations are:

1. Use ‘Voice Thread’. http://voicethread.com/#home

a. It is VERY simple to use and to learn on your own, even if you never used it before.

b. It allows you to put in pictures and video and write or talk over it.

c. It also allows others to comment on it.

d. Easy to embed into your blog when finished.

2. Make a movie (Movie Maker, iMovie, etc)

a. I only recommend this if you have experience making movies and you can do it at school and at home.  Otherwise this is time consuming and not easy to learn on your own.

b. Will have to upload to YouTube when finished and then embed that code into your blog (I can show you how).

3. Powerpoint

a. Everyone seems to know how to make a powerpoint, but I think they are overused and sometimes boring.  However, if you really don’t want to do the other ways then use this, but try to make it attractive.

b. Once finished, you will have to go to ‘slide share’ http://www.slideshare.net/ Upload your Powerpoint here.  Then embed the code into your blog. (I can show you how)

c. Don’t waste your time with timings, things coming in and out of the screen, etc.  Once you upload it to slide share it will only show the whole slide; not the special effects.

4. Prezi – http://prezi.com

a. This is the presentation I often use in the assemblies.  It is good and simple once you understand it, however, I don’t recommend it if you never used it before.

If a student is not prepared to work on their project:

1. Write down who it is

2. They can go to this link and start filling in ideas.  They will have to search around the Internet to get ideas.  I can check it after to see how much they came up with. http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AcMNV7mDlxaEZGQzMjQ5OGRfMTFkN2M0cmZmaw&hl=en

3. If they are really behind on the work they can catch up now.  They can see what they are missing in Powerschool.

Blog Post Checklist.

Each time you post a blog grade yourself with this checklist.  If you follow these guidelines you can get 10/10 for each blog post.

Each blog post should have:
1.    A picture.  Best is a real picture with you in it, but if that is not possible, than a related picture from the Internet might also work.  For example, a post about recycling would be best if the picture shows you recycling, but if not, maybe a picture of a recycling symbol would help.

2.    Video.  A video related to the topic would really make the message clearer. You in the video is even better.

3.    Link. Always have at least one link.  For example, if you say “We did an online test to see how much water we use”, you should link the test so others can find it.

4.    Description.  Clearly write what the post/assignment is about.

5.    Your thoughts.  This is where you get to show what you learned. Reflect on the experience and what you thought of it or learned from it.  Ask yourself:  What do I know now that I didn’t know before?

6.    Actions.  Based on what you learned, what actions are you taking now related to the subject?

7.    Neat appearance.  Make sure videos and pictures are appropriate size and aligned properly.  Make sure font is readable and appropriate color and size. Overall look should be pleasing to look at.

8.    Spelling and grammar.  With spell check there is NO excuse for having spelling mistakes.


95% of assignments we do will allow you to do all of the above.  There might be a few exceptions where there is no link or video, etc.

Mr. Dyke’s Blog - Go to blog help

This weekend I took 30 students camping bla bla bla.

Crossed linked at Green Panthers Blog

I just had my second meeting with Villa and it was a good one. I found out that they have 18 Villas in Thailand and the smallest one is in Nichada Thani. However this Villa alone uses 500,000 bags per year.
They were very impressed by the # of people on Facebook supporting this cause and were encouraged to do more because of it.
They have not committed to charging for plastic bags. Instead, they went with the plan and have agreed to BAN all plastic bags at Villa (in Nichada). As well, they will do the same for Villa (in Phuket). This is a giant leap forward, as only a couple years ago it was hard to get anyone to consider this topic. If these two locations are successful, then naturally they would look to expand this to all 18 stores. They are even thinking of maybe having a battery return station at their stores and are looking to alternatives to foam. So Villa has made their commitment and  many parts of the plan are already laid out. They will launch this either late January or sometime in February. They actually had a set date, but I couldn’t make it… opps ; )

Where do you come in? This is the MOST IMPORTANT PART. All you need to do is… are you ready for it? You need to SHOP!  That’s it, however, it is absolutely crucial that we support this. When the day is chosen to launch, we MUST have as many supporters there as possible. We need to put our money where our mouth is. That means showing up and buying your groceries for the week. Show Thailand that going green is actually good for business and is a win-win situation. I plan on getting as much media coverage as possible, so if you have connections let me know. I have some already. This will be a major flop if only 80 people turn up. I am setting a target goal of 1000 people. Hopefully we can get more. If we make this a HUGE success with a HUGE turn out then the rest of Thailand will listen and it will make future projects more possible. Remember Villa is only project 1.

When the date is set I will send out an invitation and hopefully you can commit to it. It should be on a weekend.

Join up on Facebook.  Over 900 people joined in 4 days!

Excellent videos also on the Facebook site about this topic

PS - keep spreading the word.
Step 1 - success!
Step 2 - up to you…

What the heck am I talking about? I’m talking about a whole new way of ACTIVISM.  The world is opening up due to technology and this has created new innovative concepts of changing the world. Traditional methods of activism included riots, protests, debates, boycotts, etc. Yes, some had success, but when we were ‘holding the stick’ often it developed an atmosphere of ‘US’ vs ‘Them’.

This new way of thinking is about putting down the stick and tangle the carrot. With technology it is now easy to gather a large group of supporters from all over the world. A group believing in the same cause, that is able to communicate easily can be powerful. A group willing to put their money where there mouth is can shift a mountain. Consumer power at its finest!

I got this idea from Carrotmob and I want to start a Bangkok Branch. Ok, here’s how it works. Get a large group of concerned citizens to join and support the cause. In this case it is ethical consumerism. Approach several similar businesses and propose a competition amongst them. The winner will have all of the carrotmob supporters show up and shop there. Not only does this give the shop extra large profits on the day everyone shows up, but concerned consumers are loyal to companies making a positive difference, so they will return. As well, the money made on the big day could pay for many of the ‘good’ things the business implemented to improve.

Where do I want to go with this? Right now I am looking at putting together a strong team covering many skills. Then we will spread the word and build a support base. Next step is to approach businesses. My goal right now supports another goal I have been working on and that is reducing or eliminating plastic bag use in Bangkok (join the Facebook group which has doubled in size in 2 days to over 650 supporters!). I want to challenge Villa, Foodland, Carrefour, Central, Emporium / Paragon, 7-11 and others to reduce or eliminate their bags. There are several ways of doing this, but I won’t go into that now. However, instead of threatening to boycott if they don’t do it, we reward those who do by going there in a mass gathering and simply shop!  To take it a step further, you make it an event with media covering it and giving the business positive press. This not only helps the business, but educates others about the movement, thus building more support and possibly attracting more businesses. I am currently in the beginning stage of this and should know more in about a week. If you want to have a positive impact on the world… stay tuned.

Tags: ban plastic bags, Carrotmob, Green Panthers