Wait, what?

May this post serve as an expression of the collective exasperation of all those perplexed by the lack of sense in their daily happenings- an ode to the bemused. A hail to those of us who don't do things that just "might" actually need to be done...

Remember the yearbook? No? Neither did I, until an email dropped in to remind me of the deadline for submissions and suggest that we, the yearbook students charged with collecting the content, get a move on.

All I can say is Aarrrggghhh. After the initial introduction, we've heard absolutely *nothing* about this, and yet it's suddenly obvious that it hasn't been dropped, and we're expected to get everything done in a timely fashion.

Maybe I'm just an exception, but who else tends to forget to do things when no one reminds them for several months? I had begun to have serious doubts about the yearbook plan still existing, so my frustration from this unexpected reminder is substantial. Guess I'd better go start interviews with all the social studies teachers...

...It's always like this, isn't it?

-H²

A call to the Readership

What is the essence of iQ? How would you define the community, the system and/or the principles? How could the problems students and staff deal with be solved? (Falling behind, lack of communication/interest in events, connectivity between students, etc.) Most important, what should we as students focus on to make our unique school as good as it can be, for us and those to follow down the long and winding road of virtual education?

We at the Student Blog would like to hear from you! Post your comments (or email them if you'd rather,) and make yourself heard.

~ The Blog

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Virtually News has put out their 2nd Quarter issue! Check it out!

http://my.highschooljournalism.org/wi/waukesha/iqhigh/index.cfm?eid=10207

Yearbook Initiation

As Week Eleven rolls in, the Yearbook project has at last sprung into being. In an effort to provide you some insight into what the final product may be, here's an excerpt from the "Welcome to the Yearbook team" email (Sent to us by Lanette Strong, who's spearheading the operation):

...I have taken the information you sent to me and I've put together a guide line as to who will be working in each area....The Community Coordinators will be acting as "Student Captains" and each coordinator will have a list of the students in their area who are working on the year book staff... As the announcement stated, this yearbook is going to be in DVD form and will be available to all students at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. We are going to have a deadline of 12:00 midnight, Friday, May 2, 2008 for all information submitted....

Also within the introductory email was a long list of topics and students covering those topics. These include things like teacher interviews, a student map, area events, outside of school student exploitations, and the like. It's quite a long list, actually. Should be interesting to see how this all turns out. My opinion so far is actually very favorable. The organization seems well thought out and properly executed, for the time being. If properly managed, and if all the students complete their tasks proficiently, this could turn out quite nicely.


I'll post updates on developments as it progresses. For the time being, I'm quite curious as to how it is going to differ from our friends at Virtually News (who've just released their latest edition by the way,) and I've made an inquiry to that end.

Would love to hear your take on this,

-H²

Revenge of the Pencils

Well, the old WKCE testing strikes again! Poor little sophomores get their nerves all hyped up and then after it's all over, let out a huge sigh of relief. I had the pleasure of sitting in a chair at the Madison Public library for about seven hours today. After waiting for a few minutes for a group of people to clear out of the room we were going to use, (I occupied my time with straitening shelves which I have gained the habit of after volunteering at our local library. Where are those silly Madison library volunteers anyway?) I found a seat and couldn't wait to get started!! heh.... yeah. So, the wonderful teachers, Mr. Wright and Mrs. Pease, (that we are so grateful for for spending most of their day watching high schoolers take a test) went through the instructions and handed out our number 2 pencils (remember, ONLY number 2 pencils) and other helpful things including calculators and a nice little cardboard ruler. Then we were off! We had around 35 minuets to complete each "session" or test. The first three contained around three types of stories and then we had to answer a few multiple choice problems. After completing each session we would quietly show one of the teachers that we had in fact completed it. They would write down the time we had completed the session and we would then move on to the next.

After going through three sessions of reading, three sessions of mathematics (which I will confess, I don't think I represented our school to well. I hope I got at least a couple right...) and around two sessions of science, I started to get a little tired of it. This was the first booklet. While I sat there at the table, almost becoming hopeful that I would finish this wonderful booklet of questions, Mr. Wright announced that it looked like some of us were rushing through the test (not I) and that there was still another to come! That definitely made me excited. I eventually made it through the first booklet and decided to keep on going without stopping to take a lunch break. Who needs energy for this magnificent test anyways? Once again I found myself trying to make it through a couple sessions of social studies and writing. I actually almost feel confident that I did close to alright with writing. I wrote about the Age of Technology! Fun stuff... I even mentioned online learning. I think I should get an award for that! After a few more grueling hours of multiple choice questions and filling them in with my number 2 pencil, I was done! All I can say is, I'm glad this does NOT count toward our grade and that it is not our lovely school alone making us poor kids do the test. I also would like to say, those who have this wonderful experience ahead of them, try to at least think of doing your best and representing our school! And that's about it. I can't think of any other reason to be thankful for the test at the moment... Oh, I know. I won't have to use a #2 pencil to take a test again for the rest of the year!

Newly Revised Buddy System

After its initial sign up announcement, the buddy program went under the radar for quite a while. I had growing concerns that it would flunk like it did last year. However, things seem to have improved. I received an email notifying me of my budd(ies) just today, and it seems to be fairly thorough. I got three of them, apparently due to a lack in volunteers. Will they stick with it and nurture it into a full, successful program? Who knows? I can only hope so...

...Yet, I have concerns that it'll fall to the level of quality that can be found in a lot of the materials they provided us relating to creating a schedule/staying on pace (If you haven't seen the 'staying on pace' video, save yourself the time and squelch your curiosity- suffice to say, it's scarily corny.) The introductory document sent to the buddy-ers (can't think of a better term as of yet,) told me to fill out a survey and send it to my buddies, but it was a very lame survey. You'd think with the number of email surveys circulating, it would be manageable to pick a couple good questions, but no. One of them is literally "I need (fill in the blank.)" Full thing below:

Line 1: I am (your first name)
Line 2: (some adjectives that describe you)
Line 3: Son/daughter of (and/or brother/sister of)
Line 4: Who needs (some things you need)
Line 5: Who loves (some things you love)
Line 6: Who hates (some things you hate)
Line 7: Who fears (some things you fear)
Line 8: Who came to iQ because (some reasons you’re attending iQ)
Line 9: My favorite thing about iQ is (your favorite thing about iQ)
Line 10: Who dreams of (some goals for this year and/or beyond this year)
Line 11: Resident of: (you can describe your house, or name your hometown; or even the planet you live on!)
Line 12: (your last name)

I don't mean to be too harsh on the poor guys; they clearly put some effort into it, but the worst part is how they describe that survey:

"you’ll be creating an autobiographical poem that will tell your buddy some important things about you."

Ouch.

-H²

Elluminate Ethics

As the first week of Elluminates has begun, chances are good that you'll either have one very shortly after reading this, or you already had your first and may be able to relate to some of my advice.

First of all, if you're wondering how many I've been to, I have no idea. Enough that I can't count them. I've been to almost every possible elluminate for my classes, barring illness or travel, for all of my three years at iQ. I know the ropes pretty well, and would like to share some tips on interacting within elluminate (not tech help- for that you've got other pre-established resources.)

Tip #1: Use the mic.

This is a very serious part of it. If every student used the mic to convey their point at least *some* of the time, everyone would benefit. It's more fun, it's more fluid, and you can focus your attention. Of course there will be times when you're munching on something, or your mic doesn't work (don't lie about this, btw,) or you don't feel well (this either.) However, these times are theoretically occurrences with a very low frequency, and are not -by any standards- a permanent excuse. Thinking your voice is bad is actually a permanent excuse, but unwarranted and you shouldn't get away with never speaking because of that. (Do you also never say anything in public?) Bite the bullet and get on it. You won't regret the new freedom.

Tip #2: Don't spam the whiteboard

This is another big one. Do not, even if everyone is fooling around, ever, under any circumstances, spam the whiteboard with tons of Pencil Tool, dumb images, the same text, or any other evil materials you can think up. There will be opportunities to go wild, but by going wild you need to respect others and not take up everyone's space with junk. Not spamming might go unnoticed, but if you mess with everyone, you will be seen and most people will find you annoying. For everyone that doesn't spam the whiteboard (or contrastingly makes it pretty,) I salute you in advance.

Tip #3: Be friendly and informative, not distant and blurry

Some people will join elluminates and leave their virtual self there while they go off and do whatever they do. This is not wise- You are lagging a perfectly fine computer, you aren't learning all the cool course material you could be learning, and you definitely aren't making friends. Even in a session of a class you don't like, you very well might meet a student or two with a similar opinion. *Poof* New friend... s. The best way to capitalize on the awesome fun that is Elluminate is to get involved and stay involved as much as possible.

Tip #4: Don't do
this
ever
ever
ever
ever
ever
ever
.

Tip #5: :) Too many :P Smilies are Annoying :D :P :D :S :D -_- :P

Tip #6: Saying the obvious to everyone is not helpful, and in most cases unfunny.

"Hey look, yellow."

Tip #7: Not participating in a discussion (particularly on the mic) is boring.

Tip #8: If you have to leave early, don't say goodbye more than once. Please. People who only say goodbye once are more appreciated because of it (and everyone *will* notice the first time.) This leads to tip #9...

Tip #9: Don't assume that unresponsiveness means people either don't like you, don't care what you're saying, or didn't see what you typed. They may just have nothing to say, be feeling too lazy to type back, or really don't care what you said. Also, don't take it personally. If what you're saying is important, repeat it, and if that doesn't work, someone else will join in your quest to get the message out. This is especially useful for semi-distracted teachers.

Tip #10: plz use cptl lettrs 'n full wrds sumtimes cuz it make ur stuff easier 2 read



That's all for now; might see you in class!

-H²

My First Week At iQ

My first week has been super hard. I've been trying to figure out how to navigate all my classes.AP Government is really hard. I also couldn't figure out how to get my printer to work. If anybody wants to help, please email me at horsecrazyaly15@yahoo.com.The school is pretty cool all together. Everybody have a good week!

Into the Fray

With one full day of school behind me, I'm happy to be in one piece after the (usual) amount of day 1 chaos yesterday. Despite everything from not having my ibook till the 3rd, to being without an elluminate login to attend the Physics elluminate that didn't happen anyway, it was certainly a positive precursor to what is shaping up to be one of the best years at iQ yet. The crazier it starts, the better off everyone is. It's only by having the troubles that staff and students can properly get into the online learning groove- and I don't mean that lightly.

It's the problems at iQ, and even life in general, that shape the success of its participants. Through the struggles to get everything in line, we learn where our priorities really are, and we gain crucial skills that will solidify our composition in future struggles. Chaos breeds greatness. Keep that in mind, as you wait to get that critical problem fixed (or tear your hair out at the mass-emails flooding your inbox.)


-H<sup>2


Edit 1: Added mass email note. Thanks Charles.</sup>

Why This Student Thinks... (fill in the blank)

However many people may not agree with me on this, I'm going to say it anyways; iQ is a great school. I was never one to hide my bluntness, and that's my honest opinion.

Right now, I'm on a secluded tiny island that looks on a map that China is eating it; it's raining. Not only that, but only a few people on this island speak English; the rest speak either Mandarin Chinese or the slightly different Taiwanese. Kinmen, (pronounced Jing-men) the island I'm on, has one internet server, one. But, with this one server, I'm able to post this, early morning for you people stuck in Wisconsin, from across the continent of North America, plus the Pacific Ocean. Now that's amazing. Technology astounds me.

So what is my point? How does this "little island being eaten by China in the middle of nowhere" have to do with iQ being a great school? If I wasn't doing iQ and I wasn't homeschooled, I wouldn't be here. Well, in Kinmen at least, I'd still be in the supposedly newly green Wisconsin bothering a bunch of people. And, I'd be going to school. With four/five weeks of school left, I'd have major spring fever and be absolutely sick of the monotony.

Instead, I'm in an amazing little country with an amazing history and an amazing future, seeing amazing people and meeting amazing (and adorable) little kids. For a whole month. Spring break lasts, what, a week? But no, I'm here for an entire month, and, yeah, I brought school with me. Up on the shelf sits my World History book... It's collecting dust, but Mr. Sajdak doesn't know that.

With iQ, I can be absolutely anywhere in the entire world that has internet connection (yeah, even one dinky little server) and be connected with my school and keep my grades looking nice and shiny. If I went to a face-to-face school, I'd be... well, at this point I'd be sleeping in or getting ready for church, but I would have to go Monday morning and sit in class for about eight hours, propping my eyelids open with my pens and paging through my very worn Geometry book trying to remember all the insane formulas.

However, here in Kinmen, I'm getting to do a lot of face-to-face learning, but not stuck in a classroom. I get to go out, whenever I want and be attacked by the smell of stinky tofu, aromatic spices and Taiwanese chocolate (all mixed together). I get to go to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei and learn about "that Chiang dude" and everything he did; things I learned in World History, but I'm now seeing where they happened. I get to sit next to an older man on a plane and listen to him tell me the history of the country he loves and then his political viewpoints, in a completely different country where I have no say in what happens.

So, maybe I'll pay for all this "face-to-face" learning when I get home a week before school ends and have major jetlag and try to finish about three weeks of school in one week. But that's the beauty of iQ, you can put it off until the end and then be mercilessly attacked by such procrastination, only to completely wear yourself out and be left for dead when the clock strikes midnight on May 29th.

As a side note: My sister, who graduated with iQ, misses that huge adrenaline rush the last week of school brings us procrastinators.

Anyways, just as a summary, my thesis statement of sorts, iQ is great because you can do it absolutely anywhere and if your parents are okay with it (or you're old enough), you can go to a foreign country and learn stuff face-to-face without having to be "away" from school technically.

That was long.