Hi! Today is not Friday, but we were told to categorize this assignment under that blog because it had nowhere else to go. That blog assignment, in case you were wondering, is to reflect on a program we've began using in Computers class and evaluate its usefulness. 

The program is called Ribbon Hero. Basically, the objective of it is to learn how to use various Microsoft media such as Word, PowerPoint, Office, Excel, and the likes by doing various assigned exercises. The program has several levels, all of which have a historical theme. (Middle Ages, Egypt, 1960s, Greece, etc.) Within the themes there are certain activities per each Microsoft program. You get points for following instructions and making documents look better. 

Personally, I liked Ribbon Hero better than the original tutorial program we used for Microsoft programs in which we had to take notes on videos and then display what we'd learned in documents. This was more like a game and it rewarded us for showing what we already knew (instead of telling us what we might already have known) and not using any help for us. I also thought the themes made it more interactive and memorable. It was also very practical that in order to move onto a different level in Ribbon Hero, you had to have accumulated a certain amount of points. Some people in my class didn't like Ribbon Hero as much as they liked the original Microsoft tutorials. They said it was because it may be hard to remember what we had done in the game before without taking notes. Somebody else suggested that we take notes. I think that charting what we learned and had previously had trouble with while still having fun is a good way to merge or meet in the middle of both tutorials.

Happy Friday! I didn't know what else to write about, so I decided to talk about the unit we're starting in History class. We just wrapped up our unit on Asia and Japan last week and started a new one on Tuesday after our three-day weekend.

This new unit focuses on the Early Middle Ages. The specific area of the textbook that we're studying is Chapter 9. All of the history involved in this chapter took place in Europe, a continent which we haven't studied much of. The Middle Ages began immediately after the fall of the Roman Empire, which we studied earlier in the year. After this fall, many groups began to flood in from various directions and create settlements. The leaders of these settlements called themselves kings and established kingdoms in the now-vacant areas once covered by the great Western Roman Empire. Thus the Middle Ages, or "medieval" period, began. 

Usually the Middle Ages are said to go from the 500s to the 1500s but some key events in our history book took place a bit earlier. Although the Roman Empire had ceased to exist, many of its influences were still alive and well. The spread of Christianity by missionaries into the farthest corners of Europe began in the 300s and 400s but continued well on past the Renaissance. One such example of this was (now Saint) Patrick, who was huge in spreading Christianity to Ireland and Britain. 

Perhaps one of the greatest figures of the time figure was Charles the Great or Charlemagne, who I wrote about in my Core Concentration blog entry yesterday. He led the Franks and established a huge empire in what we now call France. He was also key in spreading Christianity through Europe after Rome's fall and expanding his kingdom beyond the borders of what was once the Roman Empire.

We've only started the unit and I know there is so much else to learn, but I just thought I'd share with you what I know and have learned already. Have a nice weekend!

Happy Friday! I don't know what else to write about, so I decided that I'd blog about one of my favorite books. The book is called Divergent and the author's name is Veronica Roth. I read the book before I went into the sixth grade and I finished the sequel the day it came out.

The book is about a society in dystopian (post-apocalyptic) Chicago and is the story of the girl who changes. The society is split into five factions, the lifestyles of which all center around one particular virtue. There's Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Candor (the honest), Amity (the peaceful), and Dauntless (the brave). The protagonist, Beatrice, is from Abnegation. She is sixteen years of age which means that soon she will have to take an aptitude (placement) test and choose the faction to which she will devote the rest of her life.

Beatrice's test results come back inconclusive, a secret which she has to go to great lengths to hide. She chooses her faction and a tough initiation begins. I won't tell you what she chooses or any of the following information, but I can tell you what I thought of it!

Like I said above, this is one of my favorite books ever. I think it was new and refreshing to the YA scene and I can't wait for the third book or the movie adaptation, which drops next year. A lot of people say that it's too similar to the bestseller The Hunger Games, but I thought a lot of the plot and structure were different in a good way. My favorite character in the book was Peter, a kid who joins Beatrice's new faction with her. He's a villain, but I thought his characterization was really interesting, especially in the second book. I can't say any more, though, which is why you should read it for yourself!