Blog Three – Trends

As you can imagine, dirt biking is not the safest sport out there. In recent years, accidents have been noticed and the consequences have had major repercussions within the whole community. This has had a huge impact on the motocross world of today.

At the starting line waiting to go, the only thing on your mind is being the first one off the line and around the corner. You’re not thinking about what’s going to happen when you crash but, in all reality, you’ll probably (at least) break something. There have been many motocross related accidents that have lead to death, both on and off the track. This has given the sport some bad publicity, people view it as dangerous and believe there should be no racing. The states not so much, but here in Canada the motocross industry has taken a big hit. When I was a little girl I could name 5 local tracks, there were 2 clubs and everyone you knew had a bike. Today, there are 2 tracks locally and 1 club for most of southern Ontario. There are other factors that have played a role in this change like cost and time. it will eat your paycheck and demand all your free time, but if you love it you are committed.

There is no question that motocross today is not what it was 20 years ago, and it might never be the same. There are many factorings affecting this trend, but I believe it is evident that safety concerns have had the largest impact on the community.

Blog Two – Skills

I spent a lot of time within the dirt bike community while I was growing up. I learned a lot of valuable lessons and skills from other members over the years. Skills that will come in very handy throughout life.

Being a part of this discourse community has taught me many skills. Along with being at the race track, I was given a great opportunity to work a customer service position within the community. Working with the public had a big impact on my communication skills. I needed to be able to engage in small talk as well as relay important information. Before I was required to talk to people everyday, I was very shy. Another important skill I learned was problem solving. Because I was selling dirt bikes (that weren’t cheap), it was always good to keep the customer happy. If there was a problem, you needed to be able to come up with a solution as quickly as possible. These skills are both very important and will come in handy for years to come. I’m currently going to school, where I need to communicate with teacher and students everyday. When I move on to my next career, I will be able to solve problems and communicate with my peers.

The discourse community of dirt bike has taught me many things. The most important are the skills I will always have. Communication is something I will have to engage in everyday and I will always be face with problems I will need to solve.

Blog One (307) – Dirt Biking

 

Motor bikes have been around for a long time, and people have been ripping up the mud ever since. From the trails in our own backyard to professionally designed tracks, there is never a shortage of dirt. I was first introduced to dirt bikes around the same time I learned to use my feet. Back then I wasn’t given much of a choice, now I wouldn’t have it any other way. Racing through the trees, flying through the air. there’s just something about it that is so exhilarating.
Dirt biking doesn’t just mean racing. Although there may be some pretty fancy tracks, with some big jumps. It can also be a Sunday afternoon tour through the woods with some good friends. Growing up in the country, everyone had a bike or something to go out and play in the mud with. Not long after I was walking and talking, my dad took me in for my first dirt bike. Little did I know it would soon become my life. There dad was at school every Friday night, bikes in the back and ready to go. We spent every weekend riding. When I turned 20 I started working at the KTM dealership in town, where I’ve got to meet many inspirational people in the world of motocross. I’ve been working there for two years now and the opportunities I have been given, the people I have met and the experiences I have can not compare to anything else.
I had never thought of dirt biking as a community before I started writing this. Now that I think about it, I realize that it 100% is a community. The guys at the track and your buddy’s you ride with, they are your family. I didn’t choose this life, it chose me. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Blog Nine (318) – A True Friend

The most important thing in life is having a close friend. A friend is someone who is there to help you learn and grow. Someone to keep you in check. Having a friend means someone is always there for you, whether they are near or far.

A friend is always a phone call away if you want someone to go out with, or if you’ve had a bad day. We’re not meant to be alone, everyone needs a friend. If you had to go through life alone, would you not go crazy? I know I would. A friend is a support system whether you’re going through a tough time or you’re excited for something, they will be there. Although we may have family, sometimes its just not enough.

Your family, especially parents are always there. They pick you up when you fall, teach you the greatest lessons and they help you grow to be who are. But a friend falls with you, learns the same lessons and grows up by your side. A friend will teach you how to trust and love someone. Your earliest friendships are your first relationships.

A true friend will help keep you in check. They will be honest with you, if need to tone it down or you need to fix something. If your outfit isn’t cutting it, or that lettuce from your salad at lunch is stuck in your teeth a friend will tell you. When you’re stress and freaking out a friend is always there to talk you down.

The most important thing in life is a close friend. They are always there for you, especially when you need them most. They help you learn some of your most valuable lessons in life. They teach you to trust, love and have relationships. A friend gives you confidence. If it didn’t drive you crazy, not having a friend sure would be lonely.

Blog Eight (236) – Persuasion

In my opinion persuasion is boarder line manipulation. Manipulating is controlling someone to do or think something. Persuading is convincing someone to do or think something. Although it may not always seem like the best thing to do. Myself like many others persuade people to do things or agree with ideas all the time.

A perfect example would be the most recent time I persuaded my dad. When I was starting college, my dad wasn’t too fond of the idea. He did not believe it was worth it and thought I would be wasting my time. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to do it without his assistance. I persuaded him to help me because I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I believed school was a good idea.

To persuade him to believe in school, I tried to think like my dad and think about what he believes in to use it in an argument. I know my father believes in a good job with a substantial income. He has always been a hard worker and believes everyone should work just as hard. I used this information and relied on the facts to come up with a good argument. I argued if I go to school, I will have a good opportunity to get a well-paying job that I enjoy. It took a bit of effort but here I am at school today.

Blog Seven(239)- Field Day

Part 1)
Flat landscape dominated by coniferous trees. There was a lot of organic matter on the forest floor buried underneath the snow. We had spotted three turkeys across the road in a clearing.

Part 2)
I really enjoyed this exercise. I thought it was a very good way to test each student’s skills. I found there was a few difficulties with it though. Because there was snow it was harder to navigate through the forest. Also, it was harder to get a good description of the ground and what was beneath the snow. Due to the snow and ice we weren’t able to collect our own water samples. We had to use ones from the previous season. For myself the greatest challenge was in fact the description. I wasn’t sure how far into detail I was supposed to go as there wasn’t much to work with due to the snow.

In my opinion the information in this description of the Victoria County Forest is quite accurate. There were many coniferous trees. And when we had dug the soil samples, the organic matter was a few centimetres deep. I think there could be a little sentence about how we were in an open lot. I think seeing the turkeys is a great point. But because it was a fair distance away, I am not sure it would be something I would have included. A suggestion I would have for my peers for next time would be to focus a little more on the surrounding area (whether it is open, heavily wood, flat, etc.). Also, I would suggest to add a sentence or two on weather.

Species Profile CRAAP Test

National Geographic’s species profile of the Baltimore Oriole contained important information that was easy to follow.  It contained a good description of both the male and female. As well as, provided a photo of the birds. The scientific name of the birds was mentioned in the beginning of the reading. The writer chose 3 subtopics (population range, diet and nesting). I think the choice of topics was good, because they all followed the same theme. Each topic was well structured and had good flow to the next paragraph. All the information was important and didn’t go off topic. The species profile was written by a reliable source as it’s on National Geographic’s. National Geographic’s is a well-known source. (National Geographics)

References
National Geographics. (n.d.). Baltimore Orieles. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/b/baltimore-oriole/#close.

 

Blog Four(262)- Profiling

It is important to create profiles and keep inventory on different species. Not only is important because we could be introduced to new species. It is also very important because we need to know where the numbers are increasing and decreasing to know why and what we can do to help.

Creating an animal profile allows us to know about the animal, its habitat, where it’s generally found, what it eats and many other things. This information is very important to know and have access to. It is important for your own safety as well as the safety of the animal. It allows us to recognize an animal, know its habitat and leave it be. Along with profiling it is very important to keep a good inventory of the different species. Inventory is important for many reasons but one of the main ones is keeping them off the endangered species list. It allows us to know how many of one species there is and gives us a chance to protect the habitats of these animals and allow them to repopulate. In my opinion we could be using this information to know and better protect the animals in our area. A lot of the times this information is overlooked, and it isn’t until the animal is endangered that we try to solve the issue.

Creating a profile and knowing animal inventory is always important. It is important to know where species are inclining and especially declining. Given this information we can protect habitats and create protected habitats to allow the animals to repopulate.

Blog Three (315) – We live in a Wiki-world.

I’ve always had mixed emotions when it comes to Wikipedia. It is a very well-known site used all around the world, Generally the first thing that pops up on google search is information from Wikipedia. In my opinion it is very well laid out and easy to use. However, you can never be too sure if what you’re reading is true or false.

I find Wikipedia has always been a very easy site to operate. It’s easy to access as it is almost always the first option on google search, it is very well laid out and every article has basically all the information you could need. But don’t let it fool you. You can’t believe everything you read on Wikipedia. It was always one of my favourite sources of information, until I had used it for an English essay in high school. I hadn’t heard many people mention the site until I failed my paper and the teacher began to tell the class you can’t believe everything you read on Wikipedia. Since then, I’ve paid a lot more attention while using the website and often even I can point out errors. I’ve heard a lot more people say they don’t trust Wikipedia, I’ve heard that anyone can post on the site and I’ve also seen that you can edit any post on Wikipedia. I believe Wikipedia is a great site if you’re curious about something new or searching one of your favourite subject but if you need reliable information it might be best to find a better source.

I guess with that being said I find Wikipedia is a good resource. However, you need to know when to use it. So why is it the most popular site used around the world? I really can’t answer that. What I can tell you, is at one point in our lives we’ve all been a wiki-fan.

Blog Two (288)- Shitty First Drafts

I’ve always been that person to leave every essay to the last minute because I hated writing. I never knew what to write, I wrote every sentence only to rethink and erase it. I often found myself staring at a blank document wondering how do they do it? I assumed that great writers like Stephen King and Ann Rule sat down with a cup of coffee and a few hours later had a New York Times best seller in their hands. I never took the time to actually think about how they really did it.
I remember writing an essay in high school, when you had to come up with your ‘5w’s’ and make sure you had your plot figured out. Usually at that point your teacher made you write a draft and your peers would look at it give some suggestions and you’d fix it. You repeated this step so many times you couldn’t get much less than perfect on your essay. But why do it if you don’t have to? Do it because it brain storms more ideas than you knew you could come up with. Do it to be sure you’ve covered everything and that you’re not just writing words on paper or rambling on. Re-write your paper over and over because the last one will always be better than the first one.
As long and tedious as it may be, sometimes writing those shitty first, second and even third drafts could be the key to your great piece of literature. Most of the greatest reads from Harry Potter to the top news story in your local paper were written dissected and rewritten over and over again, Draft after draft.