Current Events Reflection

Kayla's Reflection

1. PRESENTATION: The class really seemed to enjoy learning about the population and many had their own opinions. The class was able to divide causes and preventions into two groups and some were able to explain their reasoning behind their choices. Some common misconceptions that our class faced was that only a few were aware of the population being so high. Many students were shocked when we said were at 7 billion people on earth and we are only growing. Some areas that could use some work was our timing of the activities. We were only given a certain time slot which was tough, but we worked with what we were given and made the best of it. I really liked our hook and my teammates and I think it really got out point across. We had our class stand on a small map of the world and some students got frustrated when they couldn't fit on the globe or it was squished. I think using the Ipads worked really well because lots of students use technology and this is one way to get students interested and connected. I think everyone learned one if not more things about the population. The Ipads also helped us to have each student engaged in what they were learning. We had on application that we had our students put their birthdays in and it told them what number person in the world they were born. I think the whole class found this crazy. I think I would wait to give the Ipads out until we were ready to use them because some students were distracted by them.

 2. CURRENT EVENTS: I really learned so much about our current event and the causes and preventions that happen. I loved watching our population grow and fall by the second on one of our applications. I am definitely more interested in the news and more on the population. I want to keep up to date with what is happening.  I think I will try better to be more involved with community issues but definitely global issues. I am a more active citizen because of this current event!

Lauren's Reflection:

I feel that the overall presentation went well. I believe that we were able to engage the students with the use of our hook as well as our teaching strategies. I feel the class was able to get a better understanding about overpopulation through the use of the concept attainment and the iPad apps. One of the challenges we did have was the amount of time we were given to do the entire lesson. I feel that we would have been able to go into more detail and use the iPad apps more if there wasn't a rush on time. However, I feel that even with the time restriction, we still were able to achieve the effect we hoped for. Another challenge was that we gave the iPads out before we were going to use them and it seemed to distract the students at first. It was great to see how involved and engaged the class was and how shocked they were to see which number in the world they are. I also think they were shocked to use the Population Clock app and see how many births and deaths were happening in the world and where they were happening. Those places where the most births and deaths are occurring are the places that are the most at risk of the effects of population like lack of resources, living space, and increased poverty. The students really were able to see how overpopulation is occurring each and every day and how it is going to affect us. They were able to see how it is something we need to start thinking about sooner rather than later when it is too late. Overall, I think the whole current event project went well. I think it was a great way to make us think about current events and get us more involved in social and global issues. It showed us that we should be educated on these topics rather than choose not to know about them. It made me see overpopulation as a problem that needs to be thought about and how it is going to affect us in the future...2045 seems like it is so far away, when in reality it's actually not that far. I feel that by doing these current events project I am more likely to pay attention to current events and educate myself on them rather than ignore it. It made me see how important it is to be educated and to be an active citizen in these issues because if we don't take a stand then nothing is going to change.

Bianca's Reflection

In general, the presentation was very successful.  We were able to convey the message of overpopulation causes through our concept formation.  Furthermore, during the lesson, our classmates were able to learn about population-- its causes, effects, and potential prevention.  The iPad apps were a great visual and interactive resource for teaching about overpopulation, as it allowed for hands-on learning.  With that in mind, we did have some challenges when teaching our lesson.  I think that the main challenge was time, as we were not able to give our classmates the opportunity to explore all of the apps and answer each of the questions on the worksheets.  Though the lesson was planned out well, we sometimes need to adapt to unpredicted circumstances.  In our case, I feel as though we modified the lesson well, although it would have been nice to see it completed in its entirety.  Also, I think one of our other challenges was the order in which we carried out our lesson.  The hook and the concept attainment were beneficial;  however, in the short amount of time that we were given, it might have helped to shorten the concept formation.  With time and order in consideration, it may have also helped to handout the iPads after the beginning part of the lesson because it was distracting, even for college students.  However, even with these minor challenges, the overall effect of the lesson was a positive one.  The students remained interested and engaged throughout the entire lesson.  I also was pleased to see that many of the students in the class were excited to learn about their "number" in the world population.  Lastly,  the Population Clock app was interesting to many students, as it showed when births and deaths were taking place worldwide.  I wish that the students had more time to explore the Stats of the Union app, as it had a great deal of detailed information about Massachusetts.

I think that this current event project was a great learning experience for everyone.  I definitely feel more interested in the news and would like to keep up with current events.  I feel more inclined to read about current issues, especially the ones that we have discussed in class.  I think that overall, I can say that I feel more like an active citizen.  I believe that it is important to be educated and aware of what is happening in the world, as there is potential to make a change!     

Overpopulation Interviews

Lauren's Interview and Reflection:

Name of person interviewed: Juan (my dad) Deputy Superintendent of Boston Police

Interview:
Q: Is overpopulation a problem you think is important? Why/Why not?
A: I think it will be a problem if it's not managed now, but I don't think we're overpopulated at the moment. I think it's important because there will be a lack of living area, and somewhere down the line less food for people to eat such as overfishing in the oceans.

Q: Do you think others in our community think this is an important problem? Why/Why not?
A: I think there are people, like scientists, who think overpopulation is a problem. This is because people are living longer and you are going to have a population explosion where less people are dying and more people are being born. But, I also think that there's people who don't think it is a problem. This is because they are not actively thinking about the consequences if it, some people live for the now instead of the future.

Q: What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?
A: I don't believe that there have been any policies other than China's limitation to only one or two children per family in their country but that's all I really know about it.

Q: What are advantages of this policy?
A: I don't think there are any advantages to this policy China has made.

Q: What are disadvantages of this policy?
A: People aren't allowed to have the families that they want, and if there are more of the same sex, then they would have problems reproducing later on.

Reflection:
After conducting my interview, I learned that overpopulation is a problem, but it seems to be on the backburner for most people. It seems that overpopulation is not the first issue on everyone's minds today. There are other issues that come before overpopulation. It seems, even though overpopulation is an issue that should be addressed, there are things that people are more concerned about than that. We tend to think about what is happening right now rather than what will happen later on. Overpopulation is an issue that deals with later on. In 2045 there will be 9 billion people in this world and there will be consequences to this. However, when you think of 2045, you think it is so far away and don't think that it is an issue that needs to be dealt with at the moment. If we don't change anything now, then we won't be able to deal with it in the future when it does happen and it might be too late. After interviewing my dad, I realized how much we don't think about issues such as population. I also learned that we have similar views on the issue in that it is an issue that needs to be addressed at some point but also policies on how many children people can have may not be the exact answer. How can we tell people they aren't allowed to have the family they always dreamed of having? How would we feel if we were being told this? We need to find other ways of managing overpopulation.

Bianca's Interview and Reflection:

Problem: Population 7 Billion

Person Interviewed:   Ariana (friend)

Tell the person about the problem you are studying. Then ask the following questions:  (I read the introduction to my first blog entry to the individual)

Q: Is this a problem you think is important?  Why/ Why not?

A: I guess this problem is important, but I’m not sure how quickly we have to act on it.  I mean, I’m not sure that we will run out of resources because who knows if we will find new ones or substitute resources by the time our world reaches the point where we run out of other resources.  I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not sure if it’s urgent. There's always something we can do to help now, but there doesn't seem to be a need to panic. I think I’d need to read more about it.

Q: Do you think others in our community think this is an important problem? Why/ why not?

A: Umm, probably not. I haven’t really heard a whole lot about it being an issue.  I think that it is important to people maybe once they learn about it, but not just on a daily basis.

Q: What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?

A: Well I know you mentioned that one policy, Title X I think you said, but other than that I don’t really know about the policy. 

Q: What are advantages of this policy?

A: Based on what you told me about the policy, the advantages are that they help fund family planning services.

Q: What are disadvantages of this policy?

A: I don’t really know what the disadvantages are, because I don’t know enough about the policy.

Q:  How might the policy be improved?

A: I’m not sure if this is already part of the policy but I guess it could be extended to offering classes in communities about the responsibilities of being a part of a family... or something to that extent.

Q: Does the policy need to be replaced?  Why?

A: If the policy works then I don’t think it should be replaced… maybe it can be modified, although I’m not sure.

Q: What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in this community?

A: I haven’t heard of any disagreements about the policy in my community, but I also haven’t discussed this topic with anyone before.

Q: Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?

A: I would go online and Google stuff about the population.  You might be able to go to the school library and pick up some newspapers or use a website to search article about your topic.  I don’t know if you’ll be able to find information at the library, but it’s worth a shot. 

Reflection: 

I think that there is a lot to learn from interviewing someone else about a current event.  In this case, it was nice to see that I wasn't alone when it came to knowing very little about the world population being at approximately 7 billion. However, this is also of some concern… how many other people are not aware of current events happening in our world?  After the interview, I began to think about our awareness of our surroundings and the world at large and I came to this conclusion: We need to take initiative—to educate ourselves, to be aware, and to make a change. 

The world population may be increasing; we may indeed be running out of space and sustainable resources, but we are not running out of people who can help MAKE A CHANGE.  



Kayla's Interview

Problem: Population 7 Billion

Person Interviewed:   Kathy Clune (Mom, Patient Care Coordinator, Salem Hospital)

Q: Is this a problem you think is important?  Why/ Why not?

A: Yes, I believe it is a problem. I think it’s important because future generations throughout the world may be seriously affected because there are not enough resources for them to live like we do.

Q: Do you think others in our community think this is an important problem? Why/ why not?

A: I think some realize the problem, but for the most part people live in their own little world and don’t think about the future or other groups of people.  

Q: What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?

A: for the United States, we have border control and strict immigration laws. In china, they have had bans on the number of children families can have. Support services like Title X help to prevent the increase in population as well.

Q: What are advantages of this policy?

A: By funding family planning services this helps to prevent pregnancies and an increase in the population.

Q: What are disadvantages of this policy?

A: One disadvantage is that it causes controversy with some religious groups. This controversy can lead to unrest and violence.

Q:  How might the policy be improved?

A: Although I don’t know the details of the policy, I would hope that there is a strong education component to the program.

Q: Does the policy need to be replaced?  Why?

A: I think that there should be data collected to see if the policy has a positive effect on family planning.

Q: What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in this community?

A: The disagreements exist among some religious groups who feel that contraception is against their religious views.

Q: Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?

A: I personally would search for peer reviewed literature on the internet.

Reflection: Although, I do not know much about this current event, my mother on the other hand is all about the current events and really loves discussing her views.  I thought it was interesting to see someone else’s’ views on this topic.  I know my mother knows about this topic, but it is concerning when looking at my partners interviews and seeing that the community and world is blind-sided by this topic. After interviewing, I was wondering how our community could become more aware of this issue.

Introduction to Population 7 Billion

Our names are Bianca, Kayla, and Lauren and we are students at Salem State University.  In this blog, we will be researching and sharing our beliefs about the following topic: The World-wide Population of 7 Billion People.  We chose this topic because it is something that can have an impact on everyone, and yet we felt as though we didn't know enough about the topic.  We wanted to extend our research in a meaningful way, and so we are writing a blog!

Our population is drastically increasing, but our world isn't growing.  Thus, we are presented with the issue of over-population.  Over-population occurs when the number of people exceeds the capacity of a given area... in this case, it's our world!  "Overpopulation does not depend only on the size or density of the population, but on the ratio of population to available sustainable resources. It also depends on the way resources are used and distributed throughout the population. Overpopulation can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates due to medical advances, from an increase in immigration, or from an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. It is possible for very sparsely populated areas to be overpopulated, as the area in question may have a meager or non-existent capability to sustain human life (e.g. a desert)" (Save Earth, 1).  Therefore, there are many reasons why there are so many individuals on Earth.    

While the world continue to be populated, we are faced with some potential and authentic problems.
Aspects of our topic include the following:
- Global Issues
- Poverty
- Hunger
- Environmental and Societal Stress
- Human Rights

In order to control population, there are some policies in place.  In the United States, Title X, which is a result of federal law, works to provide contraceptive services, supplies, and information to those in need.  Directed by the Office of Family Planning, Title X is a vital source of funding for family planning services nationwide.

Finally, there are a variety of resources that share information about the rise in population.  The links below include some interesting perspectives:
National Geographic: Population 7 Billion
World population to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 new study predicts
Beyond 7 Billion
What a population of 7 billion people means for the planet
Save Earth: The Earth is Yours, Let's Save it!


Bianca's View

After reading about the world population, I think that it is a very controversial topic.  There are different ways to view the issue at hand.  The good news is- we know that people are living longer, healthier lives.  This means that with advancements in technology and medicine, visible improvements have been made and are constantly being developed.  However, are technology and medicine enough to keep us going?

As the world's population increases, we are faced with many challenges.  The main concern for many is that we will not have enough natural and sustainable resources, such as food and water, in the near future.  The population is expected to continue to rise, which means that these resources will be less readily available.  Both urbanization and income contribute to the increase in domestic and industrial demand for water.  With that being said, these factors also contribute to the demand for food. Though, I'm not sure what to think of this, because that I believe that the issues of food scarcity and hunger stem from a collaboration of issues rather than just one-- population.  In fact, most people who are hungry live in areas that have food surpluses as opposed to deficits.  "Rather than growing food to meet the needs of local communities for a healthy, diverse diet, industrial agriculture produces crops to sell on world markets" (Feeding the world, 1). This could be part of the problem... and the solution.  Before we blame over-population it is important to look at all  the facts.

Finally, we need to take into consideration that there are global and human rights issues associated with the increase in population.  It seems as if we need to better manage the distribution of our resources in order to better control and maintain a livable environment.  Yes, population may be a global issue, but instead of looking at it as a possible issue, we should find ways to make it an opportunity for change.  


Lauren's View:

I agree with Bianca's thoughts on the topic. I think that this is an issue that we seem to not know much about and it needs to be given more attention than it is getting. There are both good and bad that are coming from overpopulation. The one point being made on this topic, is that the population is continuing to grow and soon enough there is going to be even more people on this earth and there are many factors leading to this. We need to start looking at the situation at hand and find a way to make a change.

I think it is good that people are living longer because of advancements in the medical field. This means that the advancements are doing what they were intended to do. It also discusses women's childbearing rate to be decreasing from what it used to be in previous years which means that women are having less children. However, are these enough to stop overpopulation?

The down side to overpopulation is that there will soon be lack of resources that are needed to survive. With the increase in population comes the increase in demand for food and water. According to the LA Times article Beyond 7 Billion, "to meet the demand, the world's farmers will have to double their crop production by 2050 and most of Earth's best farmland is already under cultivation, and prime acreage is being lost every year to expanding cities and deserts, contamination from agricultural chemicals and other causes." Not only is the lack of resources a concern, but what about the level of poverty? If the population continues to grow, where are people going to live and work and be able to maintain a stable life? How will they have enough to eat if the resources needed are going to be doubled in size and demand? These are issues that we need to start thinking about and try to make changes before it's too late.

Kayla's View

I agree with my group on this topic. I believe that many people don't know enough information about this topic to care. The population is only growing and more people need to be aware of what is happening.  An average person's live expectancy is much longer than it was years ago. This also means that there is more people on the earth. With less deaths and more births, the population is only going to grow with more advances in health care.

Today our resources are very available to use, but if we begin to over populate, then we will be facing tough times and less available resources.

In National geographic, it mentions that by 2045 our global population will have reached nine billion. Do we think that our earth will be able to sustain this? National Geographic mentions right now on Earth, water tables are falling, soil is eroding, glaciers are melting, and fish stocks are vanishing. Close to a billion people go hungry each day. Decades from now, there will likely be two billion more mouths to feed, mostly in poor countries. There will be billions more people wanting and deserving to boost themselves out of poverty. These are serious issues that our people need to be aware of.  There is some comfort that people have been studying this for years.

We need to ask ourselves: What can we do to prevent over population?