Is Peak Oil theory correct?

As has been previously mentioned, "peak oil" is just a theory. There people who believe it to be false. Read this New York Times opinion piece by Michael Lynch and answer the following question:

• What are the main arguments that Lynch uses to discredit proponents of peak oil?

Then read this article by Nate Hagens over at The Oil Drum which rebuts the Lynch article.

• According to Hagens, how is Lynch mistaken? What proof does Hagens offer that peak oil is real?
• Who do you think is more convincing? Explain.
  

FPS Practice Problem - Body Enhancement

The following passage was devised by the Future Problem Solvers organisation for competitors to practice upon in 2008.

My daughter will receive her first programmable tttoo today The baby, Daylin Ndjeka Anziani, born at 12.45am on April 15, 2039 received her genetic tattoos at birth. Using her own DNA, genetic cell manipulation marked her forhead, brow and jaw. As a teenager, a work tattoo will be applied to her cheek revealing her aptitude and talents. Her generation marks the new face of the human race, required for all citizens of the Continental Coalition born after 2029.

The indigo petroglyphs marking her forhead reveal her family rank and position. As in earlier times, her tattoos tell the world "I am Durinazzi". Her birth status is clearly noted on her jaw and pictographs on the left and right side share her family background. She hardly even squirmed as the tattoos were applied. In fact, I think she liked the procedure. From birth, her identification is secure and ancestry forever noted.

Now that she is six months old, I ready her for the appoinntment at Durinazzi City Hospital. I am nervous about the programmable tattoos Tattoo-medics are not required by law, but I am convinced this is the right choice for my daughter. After the overwhelming success of RFID (radio frequency identification) with animals and the medical breakthrough in Smart Tattoos with diabetes and health maintenance, I know that programmable tattoos are the next step for safety and protection.

Her paediatrician, geneticist and nano-bio-technicians assure me that the procedure is painless with few complications. Tattoo-medics use polyethylene-glycol beads coated with fluorescent molecules in a programmable implant that is injected jyst under the skin. The beads are larger than ink modules, so they float in the fluid between the cells and cannot be absorbed. The digital ink is visible through a translucent layer of skin. The beads have the ability to rearrange themselves into preset words, numbers, and animations that can display bio-sensing readouts monitoring pulse, body temperature, and signals frm the nervous and circulatory systems.

Tattooed warnings inform parents of the need for medical intervention due to infection or illness. For typical childhood diseases, dispensing devices embedded in the Tattoo-medic follow the fuel-injected principle to deliver vaccinations wheen required and medicine if the molecules sense a fever or presence of harmful vireses or bacteria. The positive benefits of Tattoo-medics, constant health monitoring designed with her individual DNA far outweigh any possible negatives.

Technological innovations with the programmable tattoos will continue to advance. Soon I will have to decide if I want to be able to know where she is and monitor her movements through tattoos with pico-speakers allowing me to speak to her through a tattoo. Eventually, using Wi-Fi mapping, she will be able to choose amazing tattoos that can record, recall, and redisplay on command stored emotional memories that she can extract and watch. Networked with WPAs (Wireless Personal Area Networks), these implants will create a broadband connection between humans and machines, taking the idea of a personal computer to a whole new level.

Programmable tattoos provde safe monitoring for health and identification. These "identity cards" help every parent rest a little easier. The Continental Coalition and world medical associations have come together to support and regulat these procedures. However, some countries in each of the continents resist the innovations citing loss of civil liberties and unknown, long term negative effects. These countries are refused membership in the Continental Coalition unless they comply.

The Continental Coalition, working in the best interests of all humankind, requests that you use the FPS model to generate challenges the Coalition faces, select an underlying problem, and produce solution ides for the use of these tattoos.

Political Problem Solving

Many of the problems that Australia faces today are complex and multifaceted. They may have technological and engineering aspects to their solutions, but in almost all cases these solutions require political will and the intervention of government in some form or other (eg: through legislation, through public funding, through coordination of government agencies, etc).

Your task is to identify a problem (or multiple connected problems) and devise a political solution to this problem. You need to establish a political party and outline it's policy measures that will tackle the problem you identify.

The process of dealing with this political issue has six steps:

1. Identify problems faced by Australian society and become familiar with an outline (general characteristics) of these problems. From these identify between 1 and 3 problems that you believe to be the most serious threat to Australian society in the coming decades.
2. Identify the underlying problem. Here you are identifying the causes of the problem in section 1. You should also explain what you want to do and why you want it to be done.
3. Brainstorm alternative solutions. This will require further investigation into the problem. In step 2 you offered a solution based on very little research and understanding. Now you need to look into the problem more deeply and identify a wide variety of solutions. Remember, your problem is complex and may require several steps and/or several components working in concert to solve. You will need 16 alternative solutions.
   
4. Now that you have investigated a range of solutions, you must determine which are the most effective. But first, determine the criteria for evaluating alternative solutions.
5. From your list of solutions, select 8 solutions that you think have the most potential. Scale these solutions on a scale from 1 (poorest) to 8 (best).
6. Start a political party and develop a policy response to the problem(s) you identified in steps 1 & 2. Your political party must have a name, a demographic of voters that it is seeking to appeal to (primarily), and a set of policies aimed at solving these political problems. Some consideration must also be given to marketing these policies to the electorate in order to persuade them to vote for your party.

{stay tuned for more}
...

Contour Landform Models

Your Task

In pairs you are to construct a three dimensional model of a particular region of the Earth which includes at least 3 labelled, landform features using materials such as glue, paper mache and paint. Most of the preparation for this model will need to be done at home. Only the final glueing together and painting of the model is to be completed at school.

Step 1: You will need to find a contour (topographical) map of an area that you are investigating.

Step 2: Now draw a diagram on an A3 piece of paper, showing the land form features that you have identified, in the form of a contour drawing. Check your drawing with your teacher and make any alterations if necessary. Then take a photocopy of the drawing.

Step 3: Now cut out along the contour lines to make templates for the cardboard. Start your first cut with the highest contours.

Step 4: Depending on the thickness of your cardboard, it will be necessary to cut out 2-3 pieces of the same size to provide the elevation needed on the model.

NOTE: You will need to cut out TWO large pieces of cardboard to form the base of the model. Glue the two pieces together with grains at 90 degrees. This will prevent buckling when constructing and painting the model.

Step 5: Now with PVA glue stick the pieces of cardboard together starting from the lowest contour and work up to the highest.

NOTE: The design must be the same as your contour drawing.

Step 6: Using plain flour and water make a glue and stick strips of newspaper over the cardboard model, be sure to work out the air bubbles and work the paper mache into the grooves.

Final Step: {stay tuned for more!!!}

Using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom: #2 Social Bookmarking to organize and share resources

What is social bookmarking?
Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata, typically in the form of tags that collectively and/or collaboratively become a folksonomy. Folksonomy is also called social tagging, "the process by which many users add metadata in the form of keywords to shared content".
(definition of social bookmarking by Wikipedia)

To get a better idea about what social bookmarking is and how it is advantageous, watch this short video from the Common Craft Show.



Getting started with social bookmarking using Diigo


Diigo is a social bookmarking service established in 2006. It's late arrival on the web compared to other social bookmarking services like Delicious (2003) means it has a smaller user base, but has learnt from the inadequacies of earlier services and thereby provides other features which other social bookmarking services do not - including special educator accounts that allow teachers to set up class groups. To get a good overview of what Diigo offers, get me to give you a demo, or just watch this promo video.



The advantages of using Diigo in the classroom are:

1. Bookmarks are stored online and can be accessed from any computer.
2. Teachers can share links with students (no more writing long URLs on the board) and students can share links with each other.
3. Bookmarks are categorised and searchable for simple retrieval later on.
4. Important parts of pages can be highlighted to make located specific information easily retrievable later.
5. Sticky notes can be attached to highlighted sections of pages. This means that with the web and Diigo, a complete replacement for manual (handwritten) note-taking in research is available. Indeed, once a student is familiar with Diigo, the process of note-taking in research becomes much more efficient.
6. Educator accounts are available (upon application) which allows a teacher to have a "teacher's console". This allows a teacher to set up class group. The class group can easily share links and message each other in forums. The teacher can see and monitor all students' bookmarks.
7. If students are submitting work online in the form of blogs, teachers can use the highlighting and sticky notes to offer comments to students about their work.
8. Diigo has "webslides" which allows users to assemble links in a list and then play them back as slides (eg: like MS PowerPoint).

For a more extended demonstration of how to use the highlighting and note-taking feature of Diigo check out this video by a teacher.

Using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom: #1 Introduction

What is Web 2.0?

"Web 2.0" is a catchphrase coined by web gurus at O'Reilly's to describe the revolution in web technologies that arose around the mid-00s. Essentially it is about the arrival of the read/write web - websites that weren't just about disseminating media to the user (eg: portals), but actively required the user to participate in the process of creating the information on those sites (eg: blogs, wikis, social networking, social bookmarking). This has coincided with greater intergration of audio and video media with the web. Therefore a site like YouTube is not just about videos, but is actually a Web 2.0 site in which the users upload and share video with one another.

Here is some further information that will provide an audio-visual introduction to what Web 2.0 is and it's significance.



Social Networking in Plain English (by Lee LeFever, Common Craft Show)


Social Media in Plain English (by Lee LeFever, Common Craft Show)


The Machine is Us/ing Us. (Michael Wesch, Kansas State University)



How is Web 2.0 relevant to education?

For a whole lot of reasons. Here are some:

1. Nearly all students are already using Web 2.0 applications and are frequently more knowledgeable than their teachers. Kids intuitively understand and accept that the Web is an integral part of their lives and can see how it is useful to them. They cannot understand why teachers and the education system in general don't get this point. (Read this article and this article for reports on student usage of the Web.)
2. The workforce of 10 years from now - which we are supposed to be preparing students for - will be even more reliant upon web technologies than today. To deprive students of the information literacy associated with our intellectual disciplines is to inherently disable students. Students may be using the Web, but this does not mean they are using it well or are capable of identifying reliable sources, etc.
3. By not utilizing the resources and services available on the Web we are depriving our classes of some very rich resources and teaching tools - nearly all of which are available for no cost.
4. As we enter the Information Age teaching will move away from being about locating and reproducing scarce information resources to dealing with an overabundance of information resources and identifying the most reliable and useful of these. For this we will be required to teach information literacy skills, including search strategies, identifying reliable sources, producing outputs (eg: essays, slide presentations, graphics, films) utilizing web applications and colloborative online networks.

The necessity of developing information literacy (identification of reliable information, processes, organizing, storing, retrieving and synthesizing in an online environment) brings us to the point where we need to get started. One of the best places to get started is with the next post which introduces social bookmarking in the classroom. Go to

Using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom: #2 Social Bookmarking to organize and share resources

How has Australia's colonial past influenced Australian society and culture?

• Investigation: Select an event* in Australian history between 1788 and 1901. Investigate this event and report on how it has influenced Australian society since 1901.

(* You may choose a specific event, or a year in Australian history, or a development that occurred in a particular place over a few years. eg: Victorian goldrush)

As part of this task you will be required to submit an annotated bibliography via diigo (utilizing the common tag "9SS_1" - you may use other tags in addition to this) or a printed copyof an annotated bibliography. You need to have a two pages of notes prior to writing up your answer in class in week 10.

To complete this task with high marks you will need to:

• choose a major event (from the period 1788 to 1901) that has influenced subsequent Australian history and society, and conduct research into this topic.
• demonstrate that you have a detailed and in-depth knowledge of at this event.
• develop an argument explaining how this event influenced australian culture or society (eg: government, economy) during the 20th Century.
  
• provide plenty of accurate, relevant factual evidence to support your argument and historical examples.
  
• be able to discuss the political, social, economic and/or cultural effects of this event upon subsequent Australian history, including into the 20th century. You need to consider both short-term and long-term effects.
• write up your answer in essay format, including an introduction (stating your argument about how a major event influenced the course of Australian history) and a conclusion (summarising your arguments main point).

Remember you need to write a well-researched article, supported by evidence that persuades the reader that a major event in Australia's past has influenced later developments (whether n the fields of economics, politics, culture or society). You argument needs be consistent and reference relevant source material.

British schools to teach about Web 2.0 applications

• British pupils to get lessons on Twitter: report - Yahoo!7 News

  Children in British junior schools could soon be taking lessons in Internet applications like Twitter under proposals to change school curriculums, the Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday. Under the shakeup, schools would require students to have a good understanding of blogging, podcasts, Twitter and Wikipedia, the paper said.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Whilst education systems are generally slow to adapt to change, some systems are not as slow as others and the British education system looks like it has decided to be relevant by teaching students how to understand and use existing web communications technologies.

My Family in History

By investigating our families' histories, we can gain a better understanding of modern history and how some of the big events, trends and changes of the past century have impacted real people who are known to us. The aim of this investigation is to learn more about the 20th Century (and on) through learning more about our families' histories.

First of all, draw up a family tree which includes three generations of you family - including grandparents, parents, and you and your siblings. (Note: you can use ancestry.com.au to do this for you neatly with all the data required.)

The research the effects of the following upon your family:

1. a major technological change that has changed the way we live or work.
2. a major event (e.g.: a war, a recession, a natural disaster).
3. migration, either from overseas or another part of Australia (and the reasons your family migrated).
4. social and/or cultural changes in society over time.

Then write up your findings explaining your family's history and how the above topics have effected your family.

(Remember! You are not required to discuss matters considered private or personal within your family. Use your judgement in what you include in your report.)

Change in the 20th Century

There was more change in the 20th Century than in any century previous to it. The Industrial Revolution combined with modern technology saw an exponential increase in the world's population, and for some, a dramatic increase in wealth and a change to lifestyles and culture.

Your task is to identify some of the key changes and symbols of the 20th Century. Provide a brief explanation (short answer response) of what changes were brought about by each.

You will research and describe:

1. 3 international conflicts (and name the warring nations, what they were fighting over and who claimed victory).
   
2. 3 inventions that changed the way people lived.
3. 3 big social or political changes that occurred in Australia.
   
4. 3 classic films or songs that changed the world.
5. 1 economic recession (when did it happen and what caused it?)
6. 1 fashion/trend that became popular for a whole generation.

Type these up in your blogs and discuss with your friends. When you get home on the weekend, ask your parents or grandparents about what it was like to live through these times.

Creative problem solving for a sustainable future

"We cannot solve today's problems on the same scale that they were created."

The threats facing humanity and the global environment have never been greater than they are today. But neither has our abilities and powers to deal with problems on such a large scale. The outcome is largely dependent upon how we, the human family, react to the problems that we face, and we will not need only technology, but ethics, creativity and imagination to overcome challenges on such a large scale.

Inspiration: Watch this presentation by Ken Robinson and consider what he has to say about how schools kill creativity? What do you think? How will you develop your creativity?



Above and beyond that, have you ever wondered what really makes us human beings happy? Professor of Psychology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has and come to the well-researched conclusion that money and possessions cannot make us happy, and that lasting satisfaction only comes about through engaging in challenges that bring about a state of "flow".



The Task

You are to select a problem confronting the future of humanity that has a social, environmental, economic or political dimension. You need to and investigate this issue and devise a hypothesis as to what the main causes of this problem are and therefore, what the principle solutions must be. You may need to modify and adapt the investigation according to the nature of the evidence and the resources available. In outlining your solutions, you must demonstrate that your understanding that decisions on environmental, political and legal issues are influenced by and impact on natural, economic and social systems. Finally you need to analyse the validity and consistency of conclusions made by yourself or others according to the sufficiency of evidence gathered and avowed values positions.

Jack the Ripper - assignment notes

When writing up your Jack the Ripper assignment, remember that you are presenting a case for the prosecution of one of the suspects. Your case must include sections on the following:

1. Profile of your suspect(s)

• which includes all known biographical details - e.g: where they were born, their age, occupational history.
• a psychological profile - e.g: what was known about their character, behaviour, history of mental illness.

2. Alleged relationship with murders

• did the suspect know them? did he have a dislike of a certain group of people?
• where was your suspect at the time of the murders? does he have an alibi?

3. Evidence

• discuss the evidence and how it implicates your suspect?

4. Motive

• why would your suspect commit these gruesome murders?

5. Background to the murders

• what was life like in London in 1888? how was it different from today?
  

6. Timeline of events
7. Sources / References

Climate Change - essential knowledge

The following should be considered "essential knowledge" when it comes to climate change. If you don't know the following questions, it is your job in the next session to find the answers.

1. Can you present the workings of climate change in a diagrammatic model?

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2. What are the main GHG's (Greenhouse gases)?

3. Find graph data that demonstrates the correlation between global warming and rising sea levels. Describe the relationship between these two phenomena.

4. What are the projected levels for global warming over the next century? Why are there a range of projections?

5. What are the impacts of global warming? List 8 along with a brief description.

6. What strategies can we use to ameliorate climate change? Discuss 2 in detail.

Joining the Dots of Climate Change, Increasing Foreign Debt and Internation Security.

Former US Democratic Vice-President Al Gore shot to fame again last year when he was awarded in conjunction with the scientists composing the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the Nobel Peace Prize for raising international awareness about the climate change crisis, especially through his award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

More recently he gave a speech in which he succinctly connects the climate crisis, the mushrooming foreign debt (used to buy foreign oil as America's reserves decline), and international security issues particularly in unstable, oil-producing regions. He goes on to challenge America to change course.



T. Boone Pickens is a Texan oil man, billionaire, and life-long Republican voter. He is currently investing US$10 billion to build the world's largest wind farm in northern Texas.



As unlikely as it may seem that these two successful and powerful from opposing political parties would agree, they share some similar views.

Write a brief response to this talk in which you:
1) explain in your own words the common problem at the root of climate change, foreign debt and international conflict.
2) the relationship between these problems.
3) the solution(s) as proposed by Al Gore and/or Boone Pickens.
4) your opinion on these presentations.

Political Issues in Society

Western Australia has just held an election and it may not be so long until the next federal election. During an election campaign the various parties advocate for or against a range of political issues. The aim of this assignment is to investigate one particular issue in depth and then present it to the class in the form of an oral presentation. (Note: You will also submit your notes online, but more on that later.)


You are expected to take a partisan point of view in this assignment. That means you are taking a particular stance or point of view in favour or against a particular political issue (see examples below). You will be assessed on both your understanding of the topic, and upon your ability to provide a convincing argument.

Political Issues
You may choose from the following list of political issues (or negotiate with your teacher to do an issue of interest to you). No two students may select the same issue unless they are on opposing sides of the issue.

• that there should be free public health care for all.
• that we should build nuclear reactors to power our cities.
• that we should deregulate retail trading hours so that shops are open all the time.
• that we should reduce the number of migrants coming to Australia.
• that there should be stronger laws against animal cruelty.
• that possession and use of marijuana should be decriminalized.
• that mining uranium should be banned.
• that there should be stronger laws against advertising and use of alcohol and tobacco.
• the we should build a light rail infrastructure in Perth.
• that primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia should be free of charge.
• that there should be tough laws against abortion.
• that we should allow the growing of genetically modified plant crops and domestic animals.
• that we should scrap the costly Medicare public health insurance fund and make everyone use private health insurance (user pays).
• that gay marriage should be legally recognized.
• that we need tougher penalties against polluting industries to protect our biosphere.
• that there should be a rebate on purchase of solar panels and/or a feed-in tariff for electricity provided to the grid by privately owned solar panels.
• that gun ownership should be legal for all citizens.
• that terminally ill people should have the right to die.
• that there should be a "3 strikes and you out" policy for repeat criminal offenders.
• that Australia should have a bill of rights.

Assessment

Information, Communication & Participation - Applying and Communicating Findings

Level 3.4: The student justifies decisions from a personal perspective using some evidence and begins to review original understandings when communicating findings.

Level 4.4: The student develops and informed opinion and communicates this witha particular purpose or audience in mind.

Level 5.4: The students communicates findings in ways that show consideration of the facts, opinions and motives for a particular viewpoint when justifying generalisations made.

Level 6.4: The student when communicating findings develops conclusions, justifies personal stances by discussing logically and considering viewpoints and evidence presented by others. They justify their personal stance by discussing logically and considering the viewpoints and evidence presented by others.

Level 7.4: The student communicates findings based on evidence gathered, according to the purpose of the investigation and can justify own values stance and the validity and conclusions drawn by others. Students examine the values position inherent in the viewpoint they represent and analyse the values cited by people who support or oppose a viewpoint different from their own.

Assessment Checklist

• Have you prepared a detailed arguement with ample supporting material (examples, statistics, case-studies, historical pre-cursors)?
• Have you rehearsed your oral presentation?
• Have you posted your written arguements to the Ning.com forum?
• Have you posted supporting materials like diagrams (pictures, graphs, tables) or videos to the Ning.com site and linked to them from your written argument?
  

Heroes in History

Task
Your task is to investigate the life of an eminent person in history who is widely recognized for their leadership, courage, determination, compassion and commitment to making the world a better place. Their inspiring personal qualities will have had an impact upon the culture in which they lived, and possibly well beyond. They may be an inspiration to you personally.



Having conducted an investigation, you will write a biography of this eminent person and make a brief presentation to the class.

The biography should answer the following questions:

• where were they born? where did they grow up?
• what position(s)/role(s) did this person occupy during their lifetime?
• were they a member of any group(s)?
• what are they most remembered for?
  
• what influences (e.g.: gender, race, socio-economic status, location) shaped the early development of this eminent person? what shaped their attitudes and views?
• what were the views/morals/beliefs/principles that they espoused?
• why did they espouse these views?
• what circumstances led them to becoming involved in the work/struggle that made them so renowned as a hero?
• what impact/influence did they have upon their culture? how did they change their culture?
• what was their legacy to future generations?

Assessment Criteria
Culture - level 2

• The student is able to describe the role and some of the achievements of an eminent person.

Culture - level 3

• The student can explain the role and main achievements of an eminent person, and describe some way in which this person affected his/her culture.

Culture - level 4

• The student is able to explain the role and main achievements of an eminent individual in some depth, detailing a path of development through life, organisations that they participated in, and key principles or beliefs that they are known to have espoused. The student can also identify key ways that this eminent person changed/impacted upon his/her culture.

Culture - level 5

• The student can explain how an eminent person's gender, race, socioeconomic status and cultural context influenced his/her political or religious beliefs, and how this caused them to take perilous/defiant actions that were intended to benefit others. The student can detail the eminent person's key beliefs/principles as well as their achievements, as well as provide an explanation of how they influenced/changed a culture.

Culture - level 6

• The student can explain in detail how an eminent person's gender, race, socioeconomic status and cultural context influenced his/her beliefs and decion(s) to take perilous/defiant actions that benefitted others. The student can detail the eminent person's beliefs/principles, as well as their achievements. They can discuss the lasting legacy of these achievements upon society and culture.

Culture - level 7

• The student has an depth understanding of the social, cultural, economic and political factors that were part of the formation of an eminent person. The student understand both how the eminent person was formed through historical factors, and how this person acted upon their conscience to alter the course of events in their cultural context in a substantial way which affected many/all others in that culture. The student has thoroughly researched the details of the eminent person's life (e.g.: significant events growing up, organisations they were a part of, important beliefs and principles they espoused) and is able to provide a detailed report on these and how they related to the society in which they lived. The student is able to explain the lasting impact and legacy that this eminent person has had on their culture (and other cultures beyond their own) and how their beliefs and actions continue to inspire others.
  

Micro-Enterprise Project

Objective: To gain an overview of how a business operates and the market within which it operates through the setting up and conducting of a micro-business activity.

Procedure: The following are a checklist of activities through which each group must work through to successfully conduct their businesses.

• Write up a proposal for what kind of business you would like to operate, and include information about what resources you will require to run it.
• Get permission to conduct the business from Mr Hanna and/or Mr Bonner. Inform them of the date(s) that you intend to conduct your business.
  
• Get permission to use any equipment that is required.
• Design a market survey to gauge interest from your potential market.
• Conduct your market survey.
• Collate/Compile your market survey results. Interpret them in order to understand the level of demand for your product or service. Adjust your business plan if necessary.
• Devise a budget. Find out what your input costs will be, and how much you will need to sell to reach your break-even point.
• Organise to loan equipment (if necessary).
• Tally up income and donate profits to charity. :)
• Devise a profit & loss statement.
• Write up a report detailing your findings and submit.

Report:

• Explain why your group initially chose your business activity.
• With reference to your market surveys, discuss your anticipated levels of demand. What other kinds of information did you discover from your surveys.
  
• Explain the operation of your business.
  
• How was what you expected about sales different from how sales turned out in reality.
  
• What did you learn about operating a business from this process?
• Did you learn any generic lessons about supply and demand, or about marketing through this process?
• If you were to run a micro-business again, what would you do differently? Why?
  

Final Submission:

1. Business proposal.
2. Profit & loss statement.
3. Any advertising (or details thereof) that you did.
4. An example of your survey sheets.
5. Your collated survey data.
   
6. Report.

Assessment Criteria:
Resources level 4

• Understands that people can make decisions about efficient use of resources.
• Understand that people make decisions in order to be efficient and enterprising in their use of resources.
• Understands that people act in various ways to make workplaces more effective.

Resources level 5

• Understands that people's ability to make efficient use of resources is affected by their access to, and ownership of, various resources.
• Understands that people's ability to manage resources in enterprising ways is affected by their access to, and ownership of, various resources.
• Understands that the structure of workplaces influences the extent to which people can improve their effectiveness.

Resources level 6

• Understands that the extent to which people are able to meet their needs and wants is influenced by their level of access to, and ownership of, resources.
• Understands that the quality of management decisions impacts on people's ability to satisfy their needs and wants.
• Understands that a variety of circumstances affect the opportunities for, and ability of, people to participate effectively in workplaces.

Investigation of International Economies

The economies of the nations of the world are very different. There are developed and developing countries. Some countries have a lot of natural resources which they use in their primary industries, others have a large pool of labour and use this in their manufacturing and service industries.

Your task shall be to investigate the economy of one nation and to report on it in the following ways:

1. What natural resources does this nation have?
2. What sectors of the economy are the biggest employers?
3. How are economic decisions made? Who makes them?
4. Find out what the most important (largest) industry is in this nation. Is it more labour-intensive or capital intensive? Explain.
5. Does this nation use advanced technology in its economy? If so, provide an example.
6. What is one of the major economic problems faced by this nation (e.g.: unemployment, poverty, inflation, debt)? Explain how this problem effects this economy and what the government and/or businesses are doing to solve it.
7. In what ways is this nation's economy similar to and/or different to Australia's economy?
   

Year 10 S&E: Economics Definitions

Next week you will be given an economics assessment. In order to be able to select your topic and write about it knowledgeably, you will need to know the meanings of the following terms:

unemployment
inflation
interest rates
balance of payments
economic growth
foreign debt
industrial relations
privatisation
sharemarket
taxation
globalisation
income distribution

Find out what economists mean when they use these terms and write those definitions down in your notes so you can use them in your assessment next week.

Critical Reading of Economics Polemic

Many politicians and media commentators use economics arguments to justify their own point of view. Yet many of them do not have a clear understanding of economic principles. If you have a sound understanding of economics you will be able to critically analyse and pull apart faulty arguments.

For this session, you will need to read the article"The Oil War-driven Recession We Had To Have by commentator Bob Ellis. Remember this article is an opinion piece and uses polemical arguments. There may be serious flaws in his reasoning.

Consider the following questions:
1. What is causing inflation (according to the author)?
2. Why is oil so expensive according to the author?
3. Why do you think oil is becoming so expensive?
4. Ellis suggests that the Reserve Bank of Australia should follow the lead of the US Federal Reserve by slashing interest rates. Do you agree? Why (or why not)? How is the situation in Australia different from the United States?
5. What's wrong with the statement, "You don't fight inflation by putting prices up. You fight it by bringing prices down. Start with interest rates and see how you go. How hard is it to get your brain around this?"

Discuss these questions in small groups and amongst the class.