Harvest Centre Students on Facebook

Hey guys, have you liked this page? 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harvest-Centre-Students/140132549342222

What are you waiting for? Join lah~

Cheers.

Mr Bala's hope for his students

I asked Mr Bala what are his hopes for his students. This was his response.

Remember to subscribe, comment and like this video on YouTube.
Cheers

Density Tower

Did an activity with my Form 1 students on the topic of 'Density'.

Here's the video halfway through the activity.

Cheers.

Form 1: Deep Voice Gas

Hey Form 1 students, here's the last video that we saw today.

Remember, get the materials ok? We're gonna do that density column next Tuesday.

Cheers.

Form 1 Project: Density Column

This is a project that the Form 1 students will be taking part in.
We will be recreating the 9 layer density column that we say on Steve Spangler's Sick Science videos.

Students will be bringing materials from home to create this column.

Materials:
1. Lamp Oil - Juliana
2. Rubbing Alcohol - Ben
3. Vegetable Oil - Huai
4. Water - Ben
5. Dish Soap - Dim Dim
6. Milk - Lun Sian Ciin
7.  Maple Syrup - Ben
8. Corn Syrup - Ben
9. Honey - Michael
10. Ping Pong Ball - Aung Paye Sone
11. Soda cap (plastic bottle) - Lian Sian Khai
12. Beads - Lal Din Pui
13. Cherry Tomato - Ben
14. Dice - Emily
15. Popcorn kernel - Chris
16. Screw - Thang Sian Kop
17. Glass container - Ben

16th September is a public holiday, so there is no school for you guys. However, you should use this time to find the materials so that we can do this density column next Tuesday. If you can't find the materials, please notify me (Ben) before Sunday or else we would not be able to do this activity.

Lets do this together!!!

Cheers.

Form 1: Contraction and Expansion of Matter

Contraction and expansion of matter occurs everyday around us. We don't observe it enough, but it is happening.

1. Changes in states of matter (freezing, melting, condensation, evaporation, sublimation, boiling) all involves heat transfer.
2. Heat transfer will cause matter to contract or expand. When matter gains heat, it expands. When matter loses heat, it contracts.
3. Matter expands because when it gains heat, its kinetic energy will increase. When kinetic energy increase, it moves faster. When it moves faster, it will move further apart and take up more space.

As shown in class today, these are the videos:

To recap what was shown in the second video, liquid nitrogen is verrrrrrrry cold. Its boiling point is very low, hence it is boiling at room temperature (the temperature of your surrounding in a room). Liquids DOES NOT have to be hot to boil, it will boil when it has enough energy to break the forces of attraction and become a gas (remember the puzzle we did).

If you have any questions, please post a comment.

Cheers.

Im Happy

I'm glad this student is actually doing his homework that I've given. =D

Raya Visitation at Students House

This is taken at Syahin's house.

From left: Nora, Syahin, Ben, Syarifah and Yasmin.

Down Time With Some Homies!

At restaurant Nadyla, Sentulraya.

I believe everyone needs some downtime once in a while.

Teaser!

Lookout for the next Connection Point video coming out soon!

A Teacher's Hope

I asked some of the teachers at Harvest Centre, "What are your hopes for your students?"

Here are some replies,

I'll appreciate some feedback (and ad clicks) if any.

Cheers.

Where Would You Go?

Hey guys, here's the video, as promised.

Click on the ads if you like this post. =)

iShame

Hey guys,

Here I was, checking out my Facebook newsfeeds looking for something of the ordinary.

Then, I bumped into this:

 

The moment I read this, I was like, "Wha..? What does writing songs have to do with training abs?" It's like so random!

I remember thinking to myself, "Is he dumb or somethin'?" So, I left it at that and went to do whatever I was supposed to do.

Later that day, I read this comment again and this time, I read it ALL THE WAY. Then I realised what a fool I was for judging others even before reading what they have said in full. =/

I'm sorry what-ever-your-name-was, shouldn't have called you a fool in my mind.

Cheers

MacBook Air

Hey guys,

Just so you know, I'm hooked on the MacBook Air. I can't be bothered by naysayers when they criticizes Apple for overpricing, etc. If I like it, I'll pay for it. Simple as that. When I have enough cash saved up, ima get one.

So, I was just looking through my twitter homepage and I saw a tweet from Mac Trast about the MacBook Air:

 So I clicked on the link and it brought me to this video, enjoy:

Form 1: Heat as a form of Energy

Hi Form 1,

Here's a video about the lesson that we learned today, 25th August.

Review this video and finish up the homework given. Those who have access to internet, please share this video with your friends who have no access to internet. So that they too can do the homework.

This is a link for some extra information on how heat transfer (click me). Try to understand, if you cant understand, just ask me in the comment/chat box. =) 

Cheers

iPolice

Headlines today in the Star newspaper is about a new smartphone application that enables the police to utilize their smartphone's GPS tracking system in case of an emergency. All that the user have to do is touch the green button on screen and the police will be alerted.

Personally, kudos to PDRM for trying out an innovative method of alerting the police by making use of smart phones. However, I am thinking on the practical side of this app. Mainly, how efficient would the service be? How would it affect the dispatch officer? 

I don't know about you, but in case of an emergency, I would be panicking! I think that is just a natural response and is part of being human; we freak out! So, would I be thinking clear enough to activate the app and press the green button? What if my phone lags or hangs while the app is starting up? I'll be crapping my pants, in my opinion.

Also, when a dispatch officer is sent, I don't think he would be able to know the nature of the emergency because all he would probably know is the location. So, how would he prepare himself in diffusing the situation? What if it's an emergency where someone found a bomb? What could he do upon arrival at the scene of emergency?

I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud here. I'll probably do a video on this, look out for it.


Tell me your thoughts; leave your comments either in the Shoutmix chatbox, or the comments link below.


Cheers~

Love of Languages

I have something to say and I know not everyone likes to read a long blog post. So, I'll do away with the 1000 words essay.

What I want to say here is in regards to languages that we use in our daily life. No, don't get me wrong. I am not going to condemn you guys out there who uses vulgarities in your daily conversation with your friends. 

I think most non-Malays will say that the Malay language is a useless language because you can only use it in Malaysia. But here's the deal, the same people (that I know) who says Malay is impractical because you can only use it in Malaysia, is learning Japanese. I wonder if they notice this or not, Japanese would also be impractical cause you can only use it in Japan! 

So, I think the issue here when these people learn the language is not whether or not the language is practical, but rather they would like to be associated with the Japanese people, or they want others to stand in awe and amazement when they see that these guys can speak Japanese.

Do not get me wrong, I have nothing against the Japanese language. I had learned it once, and it is kinda fun to learn a new language. However, if you are not good at your own national language, and you refuse to learn it. I have no respect for people like this.

One guy even said, "If the government does some tax reforms, change policies, bla bla bla (all selfish reasons), then I will learn to speak". I was thinking to myself, "Who the heck do you think you are? You delusional boy. You nothing but a speck of dust in this world and you are speaking with such arrogance."

I believe every Malaysian should learn how to speak the Malay language well. Language is something that enables people to connect and mingle. It enables communication. It is NOT so that we can show off! People with the mentality that Malay is a language that is off a lower class should be stoned. It is people like that who contributes to racism in Malaysia that they so often complain about. It's easy to blame the government, but what are we doing about it?

Look yourself in the mirror before pointing fingers at others. Do yourself and the rest of Malaysia a favour and contribute to the betterment of society.

Cheers,
Ben

Child Sexual Abuse

Just finished the second part of a workshop about the prevention of child sexual abuse. I'll admit, it's very depressing to know the statistics of how many children are abused sexually in Malaysia. Probably the most shocking piece of information that I've heard was that even guys get raped. Yeah, no joke. It is just as traumatising as when girls get raped.

On top of that, I also found out about the myths and facts of sexual abuse. Did you know that a sexual abuser usually is a person that is trusted by the victim? It could be a family member, extended family member, teachers, religious leaders, etc. So, teaching 'stranger danger' is never a good idea. Instead we have to teach our kids what are appropriate and inappropriate touches, etc.

All in all, it was a good informative time.

I'll upload the videos taken on youtube and here soon.

As usual, click on one of the advertisements on the top right corner to support me if you liked this post. I really appreciate that. =D For those who have clicked on it, a thousand thanks! ^^

Cheers.

Two Ways to Mutilate your Child

Parents nowadays are being too comfortable with allowing their child to do things on their own. Or course, that is good news for cases like going to school and cooking a meal, etc. However, when parents get too comfortable and do not watch what their child are doing, they may as well just hand them a knife to slice themselves.

So, while fuming with indignation after observing what Malaysian parents are doing to their child, I decided to write this article on how parents mutilate their child unknowingly. Bear in mind, all the activities mentioned below are all done when without parents supervision.

1. Let them play with firecrackers.
- this is one of the best ways, in my opinion. Nothing beats hearing a big bang and seeing your child scream in pain with blood squirting from the stub that used to be his hand.

2. Opening a durian
- simple way for your child to lose a finger or two on top of having numerous punctures in his skin.

Thus conclude my rant.

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Movie Time!

Hey guys, check this out. =D

More to come soon. ;)

Cheers,
Ben

Vlog

Hey guys, I hope you have been following my posts on this blog. I know there isn't much to be seen yet now, but I am working on it. Please be patient while I sort things out. =)

I wanna share this vid with you. I think it's kinda cool and I think it would be able to stimulate some interest in your guys on what you could do with your spare time. =)

Taylor's College Students

Today, a group of students from Taylor's College is here to help the teachers teach as well as do revision for Maths and Science from form 1 to 5.

I think it's a great opportunity for our students to be able to get one on one help in their subjects, especially for Science as most of my students are struggling with the concepts and technicalities of answering Science questions.

I hope this will be a productive session for my students as I really want them to do well in their finals.

Students, if you're reading this, please use this blog to ask your questions out of classroom. Let this be our formal online learning site.

Cheers,
Ben

Up and Running

I believe the blog is looking good and everything is in place according to how I want it to be.

Please give me feedback on how to make this blog more effective in providing lessons for you guys. I'll appreciate it.

Look out for more lessons to come online in the near future.

Cheers,
Ben

Renovation In Process

I am currently in the process of making this blog as user-friendly as possible for all who wants to use it. So, if you find that the layout is messed up and that sort of thing, please bear with it for the time being.

Thank you.

Cheers,
Ben

Learning Online

Hey guys and girls,

You may not be used to learning online, but this is a good start. With most of my lessons online, they are not really lessons on their own, but more like revision to what we have learned in class.

What I have here would be extra information or materials for you to watch and gain a better understanding on things. Please post any of your questions in the shoutbox or comment on the lesson that you have watched (you can do that by clicking on the little 'comment' word at the bottom of each lesson).

For friends who are not from Harvest Centre, feel free to suggest and give me feedback on how you would like  your online learning experience to be. For instance, would you like more videos, interactive activities, worksheets, more notes, etc. Also, I want to encourage you to suggest lessons that you would like to revise on; it could be General Science, Biology, Mathematics, Add Maths, English, Bahasa, you name it. I'll do my best to guide you, promise. =)

As you can see on the right hand top corner of this blog, there is this panel called 'Ads for your perusal'. Honestly, they are for your perusal. So please click on them every now and then. =D

Hope to hear from you guys and girls soon!

Cheers!

Densities Galore!

Hey friends, check out this cool video about density. =D

Post your questions in the shoutbox.

Cheers,
Ben

Form 2: How ecosystems work.

This is a video explaining how energy flows through an ecosystem and how nutrients and minerals are cycled from one organism to another.
Video ini menerangkan bagaimana tenaga dialirkan di dalam sebuah ekosistem dan bagaimana zat-zat makanan dikitarkan semula dari satu organisma ke organisma lain.

Key points:

1. Energy FLOWS through an ecosystem.
   Tenaga MENGALIR menerusi sebuah ekosistem.
2. Nutrients CYCLE through an ecosystem.
   Bahan mineral DIKITAR SEMULA di dalam sebuah ekosistem.
3. Energy is lost from one tier of consumers to another. For example, if plants can supply 10000 Joules of energy, a primary consumer would only be able to pass on 7000 Joules of energy to a secondary consumer. The rest of the energy is lost to the environment as heat through biological processes.
   Tenaga yang diterima oleh organisma pemangsa dalam sebuah rantaian makanan menjadi kurang dari satu peringkat ke peringkat yang lain. Contohnya, sekiranya pengeluar boleh membekalkan 10,000 Joule tenaga, konsumer primer yang memakannya hanya boleh memberikan 7,000 Joule tenaga kepada konsumer sekunder yang memakannya nanti. Ini adalah sebab tenaga yang diperolehi dari pengeluar akan digunakan bagi proses-proses biologi dalam tubuh konsumer itu dan tenaga akan hilang sebagai tenaga haba.
4. The Sun is the main source of energy for living organisms on Earth.
   Matahari merupakan sumber tenaga yang utama bagi kehidupan di Bumi.

Post your questions in the shoutbox.

Cheers,

Teacher Ben

Form 4: Subatomic particles - The basics

Hey Form 4, this video is about subatomic particles; protons, neutrons and electrons. Watch this first:

Key points:
1. Protons carry positive charge (+ve).
2. Electrons carry negative charge (-ve).
3. Neutrons carry no charge. There is no such thing as 'neutral charge'.
4. There are two types of 'numbers':
    a. Proton number
        - Total number of protons in an atom
    b. Nucleon number
        - Total number of protons and neutrons
    c. You don't learn 'neutron number' at Form 4. It is not part of your syllabus, so don't worry about it. If you really want to know, post your question in the shoutbox and I'll ask a friend of mine to elaborate. =)
5. Neutron and Proton makes up the nucleus of the atom. The nucleus is surrounded by the electrons.
6. Number of electrons and protons are always equal in a neutral atom (without charge; for instance, Na, Ca, O, C, etc. Example of charged atoms are Na+, Ca2+, etc)
7. When an ATOM becomes an ION, it either RECEIVES electrons (reduction) or LOSES electrons (oxidation).
    - Receives electron = Reduction. This is because the oxidation number of the ION becomes smaller when it receives electron. The oxidation number is REDUCED. Hence, reduction. The opposite is true for Oxidation.

There you go. Digest all that information. For questions, post in shoutbox. =)

Cheers,
Teacher Ben

Form 1: Earth's resources being used up

Hi Form 1, last week I gave you the worksheet about Earth's resources for you to finish at home. We discussed a little about how Earth's resources are being used up at an alarming rate and how we need to recycle and conserve Earth's natural resources. Watch this video:

Post your questions on Shoutmix Chat on the right panel of this blog.

Cheers,
Teacher Ben

Current and Voltage

Form 3, this is the video that I used for my explanation on Current and Voltage.
The thing that you need to remember is the concept of what is current and what is voltage. Of course you need to remember the formula as well.

Key points:
1. Current is the number of coulombs of charge per second.
2. The formula is C/s (Coulomb per second)
3. Current is likened to a flowing river. The larger the current, the more the volume of water is flowing down at any given time. Likewise, the larger the electric current, the larger the amount of charge flowing through a wire at any given time.

4. Voltage is the potential for work to be done.
5. Formula is J/C (Joules per Coulomb)
6. Voltage is likened to tilting a tray of water. When it is not tilted, there is no gravitational potential energy at any point. All have equal gravitational potential energy. When the tray is tilted, the tilted side gains gravitational potential energy and flows to the other side of the tray. Voltage is the same. The dry cell creates a potential difference (like tilting the tray) that enables the electron to flow from one side to the other.

Extra notes:
1. Electron in a dry cell flows from the negative terminal to the positive terminal.
2. There are two types of substances inside a dry cell that creates the potential difference. (refer the video below for more info)

All the best. Post your questions as a comment here.

Cheers,

Teacher Ben

Science Online

Hey friends,

Students of Harvest Centre! I am going to start using this blog as a tool for us to do our study online. Periodically, i'll post videos of me teaching a particular topic or notes for a particular topic. If you have any questions or feedback in regards to the lesson on any particular day, please post your comments here. I'll be glad to know what you think. =)

In addition to that, please help me out by clicking on the advertisement on the top-right of this blog if you have found this blog to be useful. It'll help me get some money lar. =)

So, looking forward to be teaching you guys and girls online from now onward. =)

Cheers,
Teacher Ben