AAP Blog post

In the beginning, a close up shot is used. It shows the viewers the baby’s face and peaceful expression, and clearly establishes that the baby is very comfortable and peaceful and is going to sleep. Following that, a zoom shot is used and shows that the baby is actually being carried by a man who is running at an intense pace. This will make the viewer curious about why the baby is able to rest on the runner’s back. After that, another zoom shot is used, zooming in to the runner’s shoes, showing that the shoes have something to do with the baby sleeping peacefully. Finally, a tracking shot is used to show how well the runner runs in his shoes, and there is a narrator explaining that the advertisement is for a type of shoes with impact absorbers.

E-Learning 1-2 March Post 2

Task:

"Write a 250- word response to the hypothetical question from Miss Kinnian: “I feel sad when I see Charlie lock himself up in his room and refuse to let anyone in. I want to help him, but he does not want to see me and I don’t know else to do. What can I do to help Charlie?” Your response will be published in an Aunt Agony Column of a newspaper"

Response:

Dear Ms Kinnian,

I understand your sadness when Charlie refuses to talk to you. Firstly, you should understand that Charlie not wanting to see you is not your fault. You have been a very good friend and mentor to Charlie, and you have always been there for him. I think that Charlie is depressed as he is regressing back into retardation. When his intelligence increased, he realised what he was like before the operation, and he came to despise his old self. I think he is depressed as he is very angry and sad about the fact that he will soon become the thing he despises. Perhaps he does not want to see you as since you have played such a big part in helping him get the operation done, he feels he has let you down? I think you could send him some gifts, or letters that will express to him that you will be his friend and stay by his side, no matter what. If he realises people may still accept and love him when he regresses, he would feel less sad. If this works, you can start paying visits to him, and console him, or chat with him so he would feel good. You can start by consoling him and telling him that regressing is not the end, and explain to him that you would still be his friend after he regresses. I am sure that this assurance by you, his closest friend, would make him feel less depressed. Then, you can talk to him about normal topics that ordinary people would talk about, so as to make him feel you want to talk to him on the same level, and you are not looking down on him. This will also make him feel like a normal person.

I hope this little piece of advice helps!
Aunt Agony

E-Learning 1-2 March Post 1

The result for my multiple intelligences test is: Interpersonal

I feel that this test is quite an interesting test as there are many possible results for the type of learner. I feel that this can allow people to know which specific learning style they like to use best. I t is also very comprehensive as it has many questions in the form of statements, each concerning a different type of learning style. The statements are not just answered by yes or no, but rather with a range of answers, from not being applicable to being completely applicable. The results are then converted into a graph in the end. This allows people to see how they like to learn as a whole, and it also compares how much a person likes each of the learning styles. Therefore, I feel that my results are quite accurate. This will allow me to know myself better and know which styles I would prefer to use for learning.

Comprehenion exercise held yesterday

Yesterday, I was given my first comprehension exercise of the year. The format of comprehension exercises in secondary is quite different from the format of those in primary school. I would also like to talk about the topic of the two passages as I find how both passages relate to that topic interesting.

Now, instead of having one passage and a set of questions to answer about it, I have to read two passages and answer some questions based on each individual passage, and also one about both the passages. I find this quite interesting as not only does it require me to have a good understanding of each of the passages, I also have to link both passages together, which requires even more thinking ! I can also read two ways of looking at the same topic, which I find quite interesting.

The topic was an ordinary topic, both passages were about warfare. However, i found the first passage a very interesting way of looking at warfare - ant warfare. The writer describes in great detail a war between a colony of aggressive, warring red ants and a colony of more passive black ants. The red ants had already enslaved some black ants from when they were eggs. The writer describes how the red ants sent scouts to examine the ground they would stage their attack on the black ants on, and how the red ants used intelligent tactics to invade the black ant nest, kill the black ants and capture their eggs. The writer also comments on how human the behaviour of the ants were. I also find this short anecdote quite interesting and I was quite surprised to find that the ants in the passage were so intelligent and had such good skills in warfare. I also agree with the writer that the ants' behaviour was very human. The many emotions the ants appeared to display, such as hysteria and desperation when waging war, to anxiety before the war occured, and even to happiness and victory that the red ants felt when they returned to their nest victorious, are very complex emotions that humans display too.

I feel the relation between the ants and humans even more when I read the second passage, which is a short history of the Punic wars, a series of three wars between the Romans and Carthaginians, two great civilisations. They too, like the ants, used complex techniques and waged bloody and violent wars.

The similarities really show very clearly that many animals are intelligent too, and have feelings and intelligent thought , a fact that really astounded me.

Haiti

Until a few weeks ago, I'm sure most people haven't even heard of Haiti before. Those who have probably thought of it as a remote island somewhere that completely does not factor in our daily lives. Personally, I did not even know Haiti existed until the earthquake struck. Now, Haiti is all over the news. Pictures of sadness and destruction have emerged showing Haiti as a completely devastated island nation.

But, why does the Haiti earthquake seem to be so destructive and the consequences so severe? It certainly isn't because it was the most powerful. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake was an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, more powerful compared to Haiti's 7.0 one. Neither is it the one with the biggest death toll. The 2004 Sumatra earthquake claimed more than 50 000 more lives. The reason is, Haiti is not just any country. It is exceptionally impoverished and has been in a state of instability in during its history. It is considered the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. It has a GDP per capita of $790. In comparison, Singapore's GDP per capita is $38,972. Haiti is also a disaster prone area and has had floods often in its recent history.

Consequently, Haiti is unable to rebuild itself on its own and has to rely on international aid. Also, with the people lacking in daily amenities even before the earthquake, more people will die more quickly. Fact is, the government has no resources to help rebuild Haiti.It is only with help from the international community that Haiti can slowly rebuild itself and get back on its feet. Everyone must play their part in helping the Haitian people. They may be from a different country, very far from our own, but we are all part of the global community and must lend a helping hand to people in need.

Here is a song written recently dedicated to the victims of the Haiti earthquake