Current Event Quiz 2.2

1. The fire could've either been started by a farm accident or by someone violating the burn ban. In addition to the announcements made about the cause of the fire, residents are now allowed to return to their properties. The Hidden Pines fire destroyed 64 homes and 4,600 acres of land. Hearing the stories of the people affected by the fire made me feel sad and made the article have a lot more value to me.

2. AISD is digitizing math and social studies textbooks, which is cheaper for the district and helps prepare students for a computer dependent future. However, the Robertson family didn't find their daughter's geometry textbook very helpful so they decided to buy an expensive print textbook. Melissa Prepster, an 8th grade social studies teacher, supports the movement because she believes online textbooks to be much more interactive. The Eanes district, and soon the Leander district as well,  has gone as far as to make a device available to each student , spending 5 million since 2011. I understand that digitizing textbooks is a good financial decision, but at what cost. I have encountered many technological difficulties with my US History textbook. I think that if the district wants to do this, they should at least invest money in a system that actually works and is user-friendly. They should also invest in better computers (for example, only about 3 of the class set of computers in my physics class works). I also think that it's easier to get distracted working on a computer than it is working from a book. I do think that this would make a good story for The Shield as it is something that McCallum students are experiencing and have opinions about.

3. Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister of Canada yesterday. Trudeau says that he will legalize marijuana in Canada, rebuild Canada's economy and infrastructure, and drop out of the US-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State. The last one will probably have an effect on the relationship between Canada and the US, as Canada will no longer be supporting US involvement in the Middle East. Relations will probably become a little tense.

4. Alan Guckian, Eastside Memorial High School's band director is up for the Music Educator Award from the Recording Foundation and the Grammy Foundation. The teacher was nominated by SaulPaul, a local musician, and is one of the 25 semifinalists. He says that if he wins, he and his students will have a pizza party and that he will keep the award on his mantle.

5. The new UT men's basketball coach, Shaka Smart, wants his players to work on sharpening their receptiveness and intellect. In order to achieve this, Smart is subjecting the team to new exercises meant to push them out of their comfort zone as well as encouraging them to decide who they want to be as a player and as a team.