Google Earth With 2nd Grade Kids!

This class experience with the 2nd grade kids was very new compared to other classes and this helped me learn a lot as well. For two weeks, I, myself studied using Google Earth. Although I've already used Google Earth before, I learned a lot of new features on the program and this made me realize how good the program is once again. Now, to talk about the experience with the 2nd grade kids, it was harder than I thought it would be. On my way to meet the kids, I just thought it would be easy since the kids were young. It wasn't.

As I and Blake started to help Lakssh,the 2nd grade boy from Malaysia we were paired up with, we met some conflicts along the way. Since Lakssh was encountering Google Earth for the first time, he knew very little about the program and also about using computers as well. He would try to write capital letters by clicking on the "Shift" key and a letter at the same time. So I teached him that he could hold the "Shift" and click on the alphabet key he wanted to make capital. Also he would very easily be distracted by things on Google Earth, such as the 3D buildings. This caused him to work slowly in terms of making the tour. Also when sometimes we tried to teach him, he would go like "I know! I can do it!" so we would just have to sit and watch what he was doing. 

Although it was hard teaching someone 9 years older than ourselves, it was fun to teach him as well. Sometimes we would laugh at each other's jokes and I think we became quiet close to the little guy as well. It was a great fun and also a struggle for me and I think I have learned how teaching someone with no knowledge of a certain topic is very difficult. I think by this activity, I learned to give teachers more respect both in-class and outside of class. 

BTW, Thanks Lakssh for being such a good student :)

China's One Child Policy to be Relaxed

The China's One Child policy that was implemented in the 1970s was very successful in terms of reducing China's birth rate but is now causing another problem. Because of the low birth rate the China's population became a population that rapidly ages, which might lead to "reduce of the labour pool and exacerbate elderly care issues" (BBC News). Because of this the government has decided to relax on the policy. This is great example of a country's change from one policy to another in order to control the demographic make-up of a country. China's one child policy was a success and has worked thanks to the strict enforcement. They have reduced their population over the years but now they need to reduce the population's age. I think China's doing a great job in terms of controlling their demographic make-up: they have not stopped the one child policy but only decided to relax on it. This will allow them to achieve two goals at the same time. The relax on the policy will lower the population's age but since the policy is still in place, the reduction of the population would continue.