Group+Kocher

= = =Travel Brochure= = = = = = = = Task 1 = __**If you have not responded to Phase I please do so as soon as possible!**__ Based on the responses to Phase I, this is a summary of our group thus far. I will revise this once everyone has added their comments. Your comments are therefore valuable to understanding who we are as a group.
 * Name === === || School / Country === === || ===Personal Profile=== || ===Phase I=== || ===Phase II=== || ===Phase III=== ||
 * Brady K. || ECI 524 || [|Profile] || x || x ||  ||
 * ppwooda3 || ECI 512 || [|Paige from Raleigh] || x || x ||  ||
 * Quintin D. || Hawaii ||  || x || x ||   ||
 * Vladimir M. || Hawaii ||  || x || x ||   ||
 * Kelli K. || Hawaii ||  || x || x || x ||
 * Anna C. || Ravenscroft ||  || x ||   ||   ||
 * Kyle K. || Ravenscroft ||  || x || x || x ||
 * Eli H. || Dillard Drive || [|Profile] || x || x ||  ||
 * Anastasia Vo. || Russia (Univ) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Olga P. || Russia (Univ) || [|view profile] || x || x ||  ||
 * Elizaveta V. || Russia (Middle/High) ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Yuan Y. || Beijing ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Asena O. || Turkey ||  || x || x ||   ||
 * Connor B. || Exploris ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Kaitlin D. || Exploris ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Erin K. || Exploris ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * **Name and home location ** || **Identity- **
 * sense of self ** || **Sense of Place ** || **Role of identity & **
 * sense of place in a group. ** || **Local Issues ** ||
 * Brady || Family || Garner, NC || Leader, good communicator || Equal education for Immigrant families and second language learners ||
 * Paige || Jesus Christ || Basketball courts, especially Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, NC) || Team player, coach, teacher || Over-crowding in public schools ||
 * Quintin || Physical characteristics || Hawaii, especailly surf spots such as Bonzai Pipeline ||  || Meth users and homelessness ||
 * Valdimir || A person's attitude || Hawaii || Supportive, humor || Drug use ||
 * Kelli || Devotion to self || Kane'ohe, Hawaii || Poblem solver || homelessness ||
 * Anna ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Kyle ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Eli ||  ||   ||   || unimployment ||
 * Anastasia ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Olga ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Elizaveta ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Yuan ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Asena ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Connor ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Kaillin ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Erin ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

In our group which ranges from places located in Garner, NC, Raleigh, NC, Hawaii, Russia, Beijing and Turkey.

Click here!
 * __Task 2 __****: ****Review my thoughts on Global Learning, "Global Learning, seeing our World through Multiple Lenses" **
 * __Task 3 __****: ****Complete Phase 3 Write-ups ****Paige (facilitator for technology) will be working on putting together our Travel Package. Your job after you complete TASK 2 is to begin posting your thoughts on Phase 3 <span style="color: #0096ff; font-family: 'arial','sans-serif';">. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">** Part 3: Local Issue that creates the greatest problem. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Since our group provided very diverse information for local problems I selected the only problem that was listed by more than one individual. The local problem, homelessness, is a problem not only in the United States but many regions of our world. The two students who listed this problem were from Hawaii. Over Christmas I was fortunate to go to Hawaii for a week with the NCSU women’s basketball team. Although the state is the most beautiful place I have ever visited it also has a huge problem with homelessness. Since it is warm year round it provides a great climate for those who are living outside and on the streets. There were homeless people on the street corners and lounging on sidewalks and benches right outside of expensive hotels, across the street from Waikiki beach, and in many of the places we visited on the island of Oahu. Homelessness is defined as those individuals who do not have a regular home or place to stay.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">One similarity in the local issues that were listed is that many of the issues can lead to homelessness. Unemployment, drug use, meth use, lack of an education, and immigrants who can not function in a society whose language they do not speak or understand are all factors that if ignored long enough can lead to homelessness. Because when an individual runs one out of money or out of a means for providing a dwelling in which to live they become homeless.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">There were many different responses to this question and the differences are the starkest when looking at the level of education the student responder had attained. The young students focused on the physical problem: unemployment, drug use, or homelessness; whereas the college and graduate students focused on two issues that lead individuals down the path of these physical problems. Thus, the older students acknowledged how an over-crowded high school could cause a student to be ignored, fall behind, drop out of school, and make poor decisions such as drug use or are incapable of becoming or staying employed.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">A theme that emerged throughout everyone’s local issues involves personal decisions. Although some of these issues may have occurred indirectly or by hard times. Many of the issues are the result of numerous poor choices of an individual in their life. Drug use does not start with being a Meth user. Rather, it starts with too much free time, bad friends, and a lack of happiness, poor education etc.…. These choices that are made in elementary, middle, and high school really do influence ones future. Poor friends leads individuals to hang out with the wrong crowd or engage in poor behavior, just as choosing to be left-out and overlooked at an over-crowded high school can lead to uncertain self-identity, lack of academic knowledge, and failure to attain a GED or other skills necessary to survive in the workforce. Thus, homelessness occurs, many times, as a result of poor choices far before an individual is living on the streets. Homelessness is not only a problem in Hawaii. In fact, I see homeless people daily on N. C. State’s campus, in the library, in downtown Raleigh, and on street corners. These individuals are not trying to be an issue or create a problem, at least not most of them. However, they sometimes pose a threat to students, beg constantly for money, and stand as a counter- example to the American dream and goals many parents have set for their children. Thus, homelessness, many times caused by poor decisions, is the biggest problem in America according to members from Group Kocher. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Some solutions to this problem of homelessness include: creating more schools with smaller class sizes so that students do not fall behind or feel overlooked, creating harsher penalties for drug use to stop its rampant usage and schools requiring all students to work or take part in after-school sports, activities, and programs rather than going home to an empty house. These changes would guide students to make more appropriate decisions at an early age so they are prepared to enter the world and provide for themselves when they turn 18.**