Homework is due by Sunday, January 4th, 2015.   Thank you.  Happy New Year!

Part 1:  Read pages 1 through 30 in “The Future” textbook.  In a well written statement, explain any details in the story that either surprised you or made you question the possibility.   If there is nothing that either surprised you or caused you to question, add a possible development you feel might occur before January 1st, 2100 at 6:15am.

Part 2:  Complete Activity One in “The Future” textbook on page 31 with coraje!!!!!!! and in a well written, grammatically correct paragraph with perfect spelling.

Part 3:  Complete Activity Two in “The Future” textbook on page 32.  With each of the 6 critical 21st century skills listed in this activity, simply explain your present skill level after each skill.  For instance, “Foreign Language“, you might say “I am presently studying Spanish in school or I have purchased the Rosetta Stone Spanish language module.”  Or, you might say “I’m bi-lingual; I am fluent in English and Spanish”.    For another category like “Networking“, you might say “I am actively building a network of successful people with good ethics. I constantly carry my business cards, protect my brand and push myself out of my present comfort zone to meet new people.  I’ve recently added a Director from CVS Health to my network.”  Or, possibly with Computer, you might say “I need to work on my ability to use Excel.  I plan to visit the Khan Academy web site for a tutorial on Excel.”

Part 4:  Share your reaction to the Life Expectancy Analysis infograph appearing in last Thursday’s Wall Street Journal.  Your reaction may be an observation on the countries with the highest and lowest life expectancies.   Or, your reaction may be about countries exhibiting the biggest change in their life expectancies between 1990 and 2013 and your intuition why this change took place.   As always, your reaction must be expressed in a well written paragraph with perfect spelling and proper grammar.

Part 5:   For those students who found someone to give your holiday cookie to, I would appreciate it if you would share the reaction you observed in the person you gave the cookie to.   Thank you for sharing.   I hope you have a happy holiday.   The joy is always in the giving.

1.  Your PERSONAL BRAND:    List 3 adjectives and one skill you hope each person who meets you will associate with you.   Before you send me your email answer, think about the way you’ve written your email.  All people will evaluate your brand not only by the way you present yourself in a meeting or networking event but also how you present yourself in your written correspondence.   The way you write your emails can shape the perception people have of you.   Correct spelling.  Proper grammar.  Good punctuation.  Sentence structure that is easy to read (avoid ‘run-on’ sentences; no more than 2 ideas in each sentence).  Your greeting to the recipient (Hello Ms Smith).  The way you close your email message (do you wish the recipient ‘a good day’ or some other positive wish? (Have a nice holiday, Ms Smith).   Saying ‘please’ and ‘Thank you’.    It can all shape the positive brand you’re hoping to create with your network of successful, good people who could help you with a future job opportunity.).

2.  Please watch this video about a courageous young person who would not give up despite his incredible daily challenges.  I hope this young man’s story inspires you the way it continues to inspire me.

1. Read pages 25 through 45 in your “Story of Hope” textbook. In a well written paragraph with well constructed sentences (avoid run on sentences; only short, concise sentences limited to one to two thoughts) and perfect spelling, capitalization and punctuation, identify something you found out about the Information Age (circa 1980 to the present) that you were not aware of prior to this reading.
2. Please let me know if you have either a laptop, tablet or desktop computer at your home and internet access at your home. I will keep your answer confidential.
3. Watch this video, please. Eduardo Briceno tells a story of successful people.  Mr. Briceño is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mindset Works (http://www.mindsetworks.com), an organization that helps people cultivate a growth mindset culture. In other words, he offers a recipe for achieving success.  One of the stories Mr. Briceno tells is about Josh Waitzkin.  Waitzkin has been called a ‘prodigy’, a genius. Yet, he has often failed.  Waitzkin surprisingly acknowledges his success is, in part, because of his ‘failure’.  If you listen closely to Eduardo Briceno’s words and reflect on his message, you too can ultimately achieve the success you aspire and commit to, due in part, by appreciating ‘failure’ for what it often is, i.e. a gift for getting better.  Your challenge is ‘how well will you use the gift to become better’.  I hope you find this video worth your while.  If you have any questions, please feel comfortable asking me either in class, after class or in an email.  Remember the lesson from our last class – don’t be afraid to ask questions.  They will always have more value towards lifetime success than your answers.