Going Green by Carpooling

My partner and I have thought of several ways to make the University of Southern Mississippi on the Gulf Coast a more energy efficient, cleaner, greener school. After much discussion we decided that best and easiest way to ‘go green’ on our campus is to make buddies with a nearby classmate neighbor and carpool. This will not only cut back on the rising pollution, but it will save each and every student money every day. As students who are not on a typical university campus, we all travel some amount of distance to and from class. Most of us even have to make that trip twice in one day. Carpoolers can help get from city to city while reducing the volume of traffic on the road. One way to really get this moving is to set up some sort of an account through the university. Student drivers will create a profile with travel preferences such as age, gender, music favorites, smoking, etc., as well as the days of the week in which they will be making the route. They will list the city in which they are coming from or going to and the campus location, along with their plans for arrival and departure times. They can sign up on the USM website and when a good match is found, they can be notified through email or text message. At the end of the trip, both the rider and driver can give positive, negative, or neutral feedback about their companions. The University of Michigan has developed a system called GreenRide for student and employee carpooling, which has worked well so far. They are trying to implement a reward system for the students who carpool by discounting their textbooks. One student stated it is a great way to save money and network with other students. According to the university, since GreenRide has began about five years ago, it is estimated that their carpoolers have saved 30 million driven miles, 1.7 million gallons of gas, and prevented roughly 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide from polluting the environment.The University of Florida also has a form of carpooling. The students pair up and they both pay for the parking decal. In case someone’s partner cannot make it to school, the other registered carpool member may purchase up to six one-day permits per semester at half price, which is half of the current cost of $2.50 for use in non-carpool decal parking areas. Another university who has successfully implemented a carpooling system is the University of Texas at Austin. They support the efforts to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle pollution in the Austin area. They also provide numerous incentives for the fellow carpoolers.Now, lets look at the facts. Car emissions kill 30,000 people each year in the United States. More than half of the people in the U.S. live in areas that failed to meet federal air quality standards at least several days a year. Most ozone pollution is caused by motor vehicles, which accounts for 72% of nitrogen oxides and 52% of reactive hydrocarbons, which are the principal components of smog. SUV’s put out 43% more global-warming pollutants and 47% more are pollution than the average car. It is also believed that many childhood cancers are caused from the pollution in the air.Another incentive to carpooling is it lowers your insurance rate. Most insurance companies offer discount rates to their customers that prove that they are in a carpooling program and that they do not use their car for work or school. Students who carpool also have better parking conditions. We all know that vehicles let off a tremendous amount of pollution. By setting up a system of carpooling, we at USM, can help prevent the destruction of our ozone, reduce the amount of traffic, save millage on our own vehicles, and save a lot of money! We can also meet new friends!Mostafavi, Beata. (January 9, 2009). University of Michigan-Flint drives student carpool effort with help from GreenRide. The Flint Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/01/university_of_michiganflint_dr.html(2009). University of Florida. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.parking.ufl.edu/pages/alcar.htm.

IPhones provided by the college

I think it would be ideal, if the college could afford it. Just to be able to register, order books,and have a map of the college is priceless. A freshmen at a college away from his or her hometown can immediately feel connected. Which can really be a big deal for the student, as well as, the parents! Having to part with one's child for the first time is hard enough, at least they wouldn't have to worry about their child being lost in an unfamiliar place. Especially, if they missed orientation and really didn't know where anything was.

Multicultural Cuisine

Mexican Cuisine
Restaurants:LaFiesta Brava, Coco Loco,
Authentic Ingredients:Corn, Beans, and Tomatoes
Italian Cuisine

Authentic Ingredients:Cheese, Wine and Olive Oil
Italian Cuisine Restaurants: Carraba's, and OliveGarden OliveGarden.com
Japanese Cuisine
Restaraunts: Sakis, SeKura's And YukisJapanese Cuisine is based on combining staple foods, mostly rice and noodles, with a soup. Which includes: fish, meat, vegetables, and Tofu.
One of the first Italian Dishes In America: Chef Boyardee's Ravioli
Authentic Ingredients: Noodles, Rice and Seafood
Chinese Cuisine
Restaurants: China Palace, China Garden, and Hong Kong Palace
Authentic Ingredients: Rice, Bok Choy, and Sprouts
American Cuisine
Authentic Ingredients:Sweet and White Potatatoes, Maize, and Chicken
American Cuisine Restaurants:Applebees,Ruby Tuesday, and Mcdonald's. Mcdonalds.comMexican Cuisine is a style of food that originated in Mexico with a whole lot of Spanish influence. Mexican cuisine is known for its varied flavors, and colorful appearance and variety of spices.

Twitter and Technology in Lower Grades (K-2)

My Thoughts Concerning Twitter:



I think Twitter is a great tool to have, because it is a way to stay connected with others. In class on Wednesday was my first time using it and all of us in the classroom were able to chat with each other without saying a word. My only concern is someone's personal information getting in the wrong hands.



I think having technology in lower grades is awesome. I think with proper guidance the possibilities of education are endless. Computers and Technolgy provide students with phenomenal visual and hands-on experience. It makes learning so much more fun.

The article I read, Usinig Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom, concerning technology in lower grades was a question and answer type article. Where some questions were given for Dr. Perry to answer. Of the questions given was ,"Are young children's brains(ages three through six) well suited for the use of technology. In short He said these children brains are well capable of learning technology and that it is very beneficial to them, when guided properly.

Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally recognized authority on brain development and children in crisis. Dr. Perry leads the ChildTrauma Academy, a pioneering center providing service, research and training in the area of child maltreatment (http://www.childtrauma.org/). In addition he is the Medical Director for Provincial Programs in Children's Mental Health for Alberta, Canada. Dr. Perry served as consultant on many high-profile incidents involving traumatized children, including the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado; the Oklahoma City Bombing; and the Branch Davidian siege. His clinical research and practice focuses on traumatized children-examining the long-term effects of trauma in children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Perry's work has been instrumental in describing how traumatic events in childhood change the biology of the brain. The author of more than 200 journal articles, book chapters, and scientific proceedings and is the recipient of a variety of professional awards.