Thursday, July 22, 2010
Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Made with Slideshow Embed Tool
After getting off the subway at 30th Street Station, we walked along the Schuylkill River to our final destination at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our group enjoyed the Arms and Armor, European Art, and Modern and Contemporary Art galleries.
Visit from former Mayor John Street.
John Street having youths attempt to hold their breath for as long as possible.
Former Mayor John Street gave an excellent presentation to all of the BITS youths. He was very generous and gave away money and other prizes to youths whose names were pulled from a hat. The main topics covered during his speech were that each youth should have a plan in life, stay focused and do not be distracted, and do not rely on luck. His final words were, "If a man or woman stops to argue with every barking dog in their way, they will never reach their final destination."
Monday, July 19, 2010
Improvements to Benjamin Franklin Parkway & power point presentations on Wissahickon Park.
I recommend that there should be more places to take a break and eat your lunch and relax. I think this would improve the parkway because lots of people would benefit from this. One reason is because no one wants to be surrounded by a bunch of people while their eating or even just relaxing. If their are more places to go to everyone can have their own little comfort zone. I also recommend this because having a whole lot of people in one place can cause a lot of problems. One thing that can occur is if someone make a mistake and bumps against someone because it is over crowded then that person might get upset and try to do something back.
-Dishaun Crawford
Although the Parkway is a very interesting place to go site seeing one thing I think it lacks is places to take a rest at. Some examples are benches, chairs along the side walk, even a small rest stop like they have on the turnpike. My first reason for this is the Parkway is a very long road. It travels all the way from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to City hall, and people of all ages have to take this long walk. Secondly, some people like to take the site in through art be it a poem or painting, however they have to sit in the grass because of the lack of seating. The pit stop would help because it is somewhere where people can buy souviners for family and friends, go to the bathroom and even eat. These are just a few minor suggestions.
- Imani Ferguson
I think to improve Parkway it should include more benches. This would benefit many people including senior citizens and younger children. Senior citizens after a while need to sit down and rest their legs because they are old. Younger children on the other hand like to complain about their feet hurting so they need to have a seat after a while also. If more benches were added to the parkway I believe it would be more appreciated. People would say “Oh lets walk down the parkway”. I would suggest walking down south street to Penns Landing before I suggest walking down the Parkway because I know I would get irritated and tired. So, I believe benches would make the Parkway better for these reasons.
- LaBria Farrell
There are lots of things that can be improved in the Ben Franklin Parkway, but there should be more eating establishments or resting areas for the people that are walking. When you are walking on the parkway, after you pass the T.G.I Fridays restaurant there is no where else for someone to get any kind of refreshments. By adding more eating establishments or resting places people can find their walk to be more enjoyable instead of long and stressful. Also, the Ben Franklin Parkway is a big tourist attraction area in Philadelphia so it would be good for business as well. The lack of resting places is also bad for the handicap who can’t travel long distances without pausing for a break in between, which can cause problems towards their health. There can also be some weather interferences at times. Although it may seem nice and sunny, rain can be unpredictable during the summer causing people to get wet and/or soaked because of being stuck in the rain which can also cause them to get sick.
- Devin Edwards
One recommendation that I would make to improve the Benjamin Franklin parkway is to create or build an area for the younger children to play and learn about the history of the city and parkway.The monuments and the statues are interesting for the adult tourists but most young children have short attention spans and will tend to get bored and cranky easily. So, by creating a space where visitors can leave their kids and know that they are safe and educated, will be ideal for the success of the parkway.This children’s area will attract more families because parents do not have to worry about entertaining their kids all day. When they arrive for the tour they can drop the babies off at the building and then proceed with their tour and since lunch will be provided the parents will not have to pack any food for their kids. While the parents are learning, the kids will participate in a variety of activities like, crossword puzzles, coloring activities and role playing activities to help them learn about the the parkway and the city while enjoying themselves.
- Jessica Dixon
I think they should put more food places around the parkway. Because they only have one food place around there and it was subway and everybody doesn’t eat from there.Another reason is people that come around there can have more places to choose from instead of one, because the people that are there don’t always want to eat from the same place.
- Tykeim Fisher
One thing I think can make the park better is building playgrounds so there can be something there for the kids to do, including basketball courts. Also, there should be bike lanes in the street because there is not enough space for people and bikes on the sidewalk. There should also be benches next to the sidewalk plus a place for the homeless to chill at, because there are a lot of homeless people walking around that need somewhere to chill.
- Michael Dorsey
Labria:
Imani:
Dishaun:
Michael:
Tykeim:
Jessica:
Zymair:
Devin:
-Dishaun Crawford
Although the Parkway is a very interesting place to go site seeing one thing I think it lacks is places to take a rest at. Some examples are benches, chairs along the side walk, even a small rest stop like they have on the turnpike. My first reason for this is the Parkway is a very long road. It travels all the way from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to City hall, and people of all ages have to take this long walk. Secondly, some people like to take the site in through art be it a poem or painting, however they have to sit in the grass because of the lack of seating. The pit stop would help because it is somewhere where people can buy souviners for family and friends, go to the bathroom and even eat. These are just a few minor suggestions.
- Imani Ferguson
I think to improve Parkway it should include more benches. This would benefit many people including senior citizens and younger children. Senior citizens after a while need to sit down and rest their legs because they are old. Younger children on the other hand like to complain about their feet hurting so they need to have a seat after a while also. If more benches were added to the parkway I believe it would be more appreciated. People would say “Oh lets walk down the parkway”. I would suggest walking down south street to Penns Landing before I suggest walking down the Parkway because I know I would get irritated and tired. So, I believe benches would make the Parkway better for these reasons.
- LaBria Farrell
There are lots of things that can be improved in the Ben Franklin Parkway, but there should be more eating establishments or resting areas for the people that are walking. When you are walking on the parkway, after you pass the T.G.I Fridays restaurant there is no where else for someone to get any kind of refreshments. By adding more eating establishments or resting places people can find their walk to be more enjoyable instead of long and stressful. Also, the Ben Franklin Parkway is a big tourist attraction area in Philadelphia so it would be good for business as well. The lack of resting places is also bad for the handicap who can’t travel long distances without pausing for a break in between, which can cause problems towards their health. There can also be some weather interferences at times. Although it may seem nice and sunny, rain can be unpredictable during the summer causing people to get wet and/or soaked because of being stuck in the rain which can also cause them to get sick.
- Devin Edwards
One recommendation that I would make to improve the Benjamin Franklin parkway is to create or build an area for the younger children to play and learn about the history of the city and parkway.The monuments and the statues are interesting for the adult tourists but most young children have short attention spans and will tend to get bored and cranky easily. So, by creating a space where visitors can leave their kids and know that they are safe and educated, will be ideal for the success of the parkway.This children’s area will attract more families because parents do not have to worry about entertaining their kids all day. When they arrive for the tour they can drop the babies off at the building and then proceed with their tour and since lunch will be provided the parents will not have to pack any food for their kids. While the parents are learning, the kids will participate in a variety of activities like, crossword puzzles, coloring activities and role playing activities to help them learn about the the parkway and the city while enjoying themselves.
- Jessica Dixon
I think they should put more food places around the parkway. Because they only have one food place around there and it was subway and everybody doesn’t eat from there.Another reason is people that come around there can have more places to choose from instead of one, because the people that are there don’t always want to eat from the same place.
- Tykeim Fisher
One thing I think can make the park better is building playgrounds so there can be something there for the kids to do, including basketball courts. Also, there should be bike lanes in the street because there is not enough space for people and bikes on the sidewalk. There should also be benches next to the sidewalk plus a place for the homeless to chill at, because there are a lot of homeless people walking around that need somewhere to chill.
- Michael Dorsey
Labria:
Imani:
Dishaun:
Michael:
Tykeim:
Jessica:
Zymair:
Devin:
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Reflection on first two weeks.
Over these first two weeks in the program I have been experiencing many different people, ideas, and information. The first week we began by meeting the new people within our group. My group includes three girls including myself and five males. Our mentor is Samantha Brown a temple student inspiring to become a Pharmacist. So far we have been studying the Ben Franklin Parkway and the history of it. We took a trip to the Parkway on Monday where we learned about the parks and statues on the Parkway. Some of our stops included Love Park, a mosaic map of the Parkway from the 1800’s, Logan Square, and lastly the Art Museum. One last thing we did over these few weeks is we watched a video on how Philadelphia is trying to go green. We learned about different ways that different neighborhoods have helped in accomplishing this goal. So far this has been a learning experience and over the next weeks I hope to learn more within both my group and the program.
- Imani Ferguson
Over the past two weeks I have enhanced my knowledge about my city, Philadelphia. I have lived in the city of Philadelphia all of my life and it is embarrassing to admit that I have never taken time out to appreciate and admire the history that is present in my backyard. Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a prime factor in what makes Philadelphia so beautiful. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was formed in 1917 and over the years with the help of the creative minds of designers such as Paul Cret and Jacques Greber historical monuments. Also, statues like the Rodin Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Free Library of Philadelphia were born. In addition, in the last two weeks I have learned the process and planning that goes into creating murals. I never knew that so much time and effort goes into choosing the right wall to place the art and I was really surprised to learn that the community plays such a vital role in the development of the mural. Murals are not created just to beautify the neighborhood, but they are meant to tell a story and bring to light the visions and hopes of the community. I look forward to learning more as this program continues.
- Jessica Dixon
In the first two weeks that I have been here I have learned a few things.One of the first things that i learned was the year in which the Benjamin Franklin parkway was built, and that is 1917.I also learned that Logan’s square witch is on the parkway used to be an execution site. I was able to see a numerous amount of statues as we walked along the parkway and I was able to read facts about them. This experience has shown me that our city holds a lot of history under its belt. I also viewed a video about how many people use face book and different chatting websites.
- Dishaun Crawford
What I have learned in the past 2 week while working is that we do research on different parks before we visit them. Also when we visit the parks we look for the problems in the park so we could probably fix them. Another thing that we do is when we go to the parks we check the water to make sure its safe to drink. So, this is some of the stuff I have learned while working here in the past 2 weeks.
- Tykeim Fisher
Over the last two weeks i have learned a numerous amount of new things. For example, when we took our walk on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, I found out that Logan Square was once an execution site. I also learned about the mosaic map of Philadelphia. The mosaic map only shows the features of Philadelphia that have a historical background or meaning. The parkway has also changed its appearance over time and was not always as appealing to the eyes as we see it today. Outside of the Benjamin Franklin parkway I learned about the social media network. Examples of social media networks are facebook, myspace, twitter, and any other way to communicate with others through the world wide web. Without the social media network, our lives would be a lot more different from what they are today and might not be as successful.
- Devin Edwards
During the last two weeks I learned a lot of Philadelphia history and how it is good to know the history of the city you live in. Until recently, I didn't know that the parkway was first designed in 1917. So the parkway been around for a long time and is in good shape. And I learned about the statues in the area of the Parkway and we talked about the people that were important to the city. For example, the Rocky statue or the Benjamin Franklin statue. And the presentation we had on how the social media talked about how the internet is used in a lot of ways by checking the weather and how 8 out of ten couples today meet online. And how there are so many people that have a facebook account that if it was a country it would be the thired largest country. And how you can make money on wikipedia, and also how youtube is a large search engine.
- Michael Dorsey
- Imani Ferguson
Over the past two weeks I have enhanced my knowledge about my city, Philadelphia. I have lived in the city of Philadelphia all of my life and it is embarrassing to admit that I have never taken time out to appreciate and admire the history that is present in my backyard. Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a prime factor in what makes Philadelphia so beautiful. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was formed in 1917 and over the years with the help of the creative minds of designers such as Paul Cret and Jacques Greber historical monuments. Also, statues like the Rodin Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Free Library of Philadelphia were born. In addition, in the last two weeks I have learned the process and planning that goes into creating murals. I never knew that so much time and effort goes into choosing the right wall to place the art and I was really surprised to learn that the community plays such a vital role in the development of the mural. Murals are not created just to beautify the neighborhood, but they are meant to tell a story and bring to light the visions and hopes of the community. I look forward to learning more as this program continues.
- Jessica Dixon
In the first two weeks that I have been here I have learned a few things.One of the first things that i learned was the year in which the Benjamin Franklin parkway was built, and that is 1917.I also learned that Logan’s square witch is on the parkway used to be an execution site. I was able to see a numerous amount of statues as we walked along the parkway and I was able to read facts about them. This experience has shown me that our city holds a lot of history under its belt. I also viewed a video about how many people use face book and different chatting websites.
- Dishaun Crawford
What I have learned in the past 2 week while working is that we do research on different parks before we visit them. Also when we visit the parks we look for the problems in the park so we could probably fix them. Another thing that we do is when we go to the parks we check the water to make sure its safe to drink. So, this is some of the stuff I have learned while working here in the past 2 weeks.
- Tykeim Fisher
Over the last two weeks i have learned a numerous amount of new things. For example, when we took our walk on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, I found out that Logan Square was once an execution site. I also learned about the mosaic map of Philadelphia. The mosaic map only shows the features of Philadelphia that have a historical background or meaning. The parkway has also changed its appearance over time and was not always as appealing to the eyes as we see it today. Outside of the Benjamin Franklin parkway I learned about the social media network. Examples of social media networks are facebook, myspace, twitter, and any other way to communicate with others through the world wide web. Without the social media network, our lives would be a lot more different from what they are today and might not be as successful.
- Devin Edwards
During the last two weeks I learned a lot of Philadelphia history and how it is good to know the history of the city you live in. Until recently, I didn't know that the parkway was first designed in 1917. So the parkway been around for a long time and is in good shape. And I learned about the statues in the area of the Parkway and we talked about the people that were important to the city. For example, the Rocky statue or the Benjamin Franklin statue. And the presentation we had on how the social media talked about how the internet is used in a lot of ways by checking the weather and how 8 out of ten couples today meet online. And how there are so many people that have a facebook account that if it was a country it would be the thired largest country. And how you can make money on wikipedia, and also how youtube is a large search engine.
- Michael Dorsey
Monday, July 12, 2010
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day 3.
G3 in front of the Bell Tower during our scavenger hunt.
(From left-right: Tykeim, Zymair, Devin, Imani, Dishaun, Labria, Jessica, Michael, and myself, Samantha)
The youths were able to get to know each other a little better by discussing where they saw themselves in five years from now, and what they would have to change or give up in order to accomplish that. They also discussed if they thought they would be living in Philadelphia in five years from now, and if the part of Philadelphia that they currently live in would look different in five years. Majority of the youths plan on attending college, and many said that their current communities will look very different in the next five years. The youths then each found their community on a google map and specified three landmarks. The links to these maps appear below. We ended the day with a scavenger hunt around Temple to familiarize the youths with the campus.
Labria's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112241237686839336828.00048ae4e240b09614652&ll=39.901704,-75.282097&spn=0.09745,0.144196&z=13
Devin's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=40.007099,-75.176367&spn=0.001512,0.003278&z=19&msid=117155880518727901965.00048ae5127483d704e9d
Imani's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=101244105303796429062.00048ae4df43e57329e78&ll=39.992673,-75.237765&spn=0.012165,0.018024&z=16
Tykeim's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104953560538047355083.00048ae514447002c5a07&ll=40.154736,-78.95462&spn=0.729475,1.783905&z=10
Zymair's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106067333178926027988.00048ae4fe23e8f8d23d3&ll=39.935523,-75.195107&spn=0.012109,0.018024&z=16&iwloc=00048ae53d47d4fdadfad
Jessica's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114186374083331141508.00048ae4e61182f46f172&ll=39.901006,-75.227165&spn=0.00137,0.002124&z=19
Dishaun's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=105144207549739546458.00048ae5007183d3e99df&ll=39.984445,-75.180487&spn=0.001461,0.002253&z=19
Michael's map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110278077729079047255.00048ae4e73702be81505&ll=39.973671,-75.24854&spn=0.001513,0.00162&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.934532,-75.182606&panoid=zbpVkZHyXYVqWIq74AVBNw&cbp=12,127.39,,0,5
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
BITS 2010 officially begins!
Yesterday, the youths were introduced to their groups for the summer. City by the water group 3 is currently comprised of 8 youths: Dishaun, Zymair, Michael, Devin, Tykeim, Jessica, Labria, and Imani. In order to get to know each other better, we did a few icebreaker games over the past two days. Due to the excessive heat warning in Philadelphia we have been unable to tour Temple's campus, but we should finally be able to tomorrow. While we have been inside, we were able to come up with ground rules. Each youth signed and agreed to a paper today that contained these ground rules. The ground rules are: 1.) Be on time 2.) No cell phones 3.) Stay focused on tasks 4.) Respect yourself and others 5.) Participate fully- take risks 6.) Step-down, step-up 7.) Be open to new idea's 8.) No foul language. Everyone has been following the rules, and I was very glad that they were responsible enough to all be on time today. The activities that we did today were based on what a community is and how we each define a community. The youths drew pictures of how they perceived their community and in particular what landmarks define their community. After that assignment we headed to the computer lab for the first time where they made up g-mail accounts and were shown what a google map is and how to navigate one. I look forward to seeing what's in store for the youths tomorrow!
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