2014+FINAL+ASSIGNMENT+PAGE

__ **Update (6/1/14 @ 8pm): I have arrived in Cincinnati (by way of Charlotte). There are about 100 readers for 65k+ exams. I'll be working 8- til 5 for 7 days, and will fly home on Monday afternoon. I am assigned to a table of readers who will grade question #1... over and over again. That is the question with the graph of monopolistic competition that threw some of your classmates on a couple of points. tomorrow I'll get a sense of just how good (and bad) some of the responses can get.** __

__2014 APEcon Underclassmen Assignment__


 * Here are the details for your assignment. I will plan to check email at least once each evening, so if you run into problems or questions, find a way to email chris.meier@pennmanor.net. I may even try to post an update or two here about how things are going.**


 * PLEASE READ** __ALL__ **OF THE DETAILS BELOW, AND ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS...**

__DAILY PROCEDURE:__
 * There is a sign outside re-directing you all to the library. You will report directly to the library every day.**


 * ATTENDANCE:** Important!!! **YOU MUST SIGN IN at the library desk each day. Unfortunately, neither myself, nor Mr. Taylor, have the authority to simply let you come in late or leave early...etc. If you do not sign in, you will be marked as absent/class cut, and obviously this is the only way for me to verify that you were here. See Mr. Taylor if you do not see the sign-in sheet at the library desk.**

__LAPTOP**__: If you still have a laptop, bring it to school each day to work on this assignment. If you turned in your laptop, Mr. Taylor has a laptop cart reserved, so see him each day to sign one out.
 * Mr. Taylor can direct you to the best area in the library to set up.
 * In general, but especially on Monday due to laptop collection, be sure to sign in, sit together in the same general area, and be respectful of Mr. Taylor's space.

//__**Your Assignment:**__// You will use online resources to EXPLORE a topic of your choosing which:
 * connects to economics in the today's real world, which you (1) are interested in learning more about, (2) currently do not know much about, and (3) will likely have to deal with in your next 5-10 years.

I will post several topic ideas below. You may choose any of these, provided it meets the criteria above, or if you have another idea that you think will work well, contact Mr. Meier to confirm that the topic will work asap, and tentatively start working on it until you hear back the following day.

//__** Sample Topic ideas: **__//
 * 1) What are the major steps involved in buying your first home?
 * 2) What do you need to know in order to file your taxes? and in what ways will taxes can get more complicated as you get older?
 * 3) What steps must a person take to get out of debt and/or creating and live on a budget successfully
 * 4) What were the causes and effects of the "Great Recession" which started in 2008-2009?
 * 5) What steps has the US Government taken to attempt to help the US economy recover from this Great Recession?
 * 6) What are the costs and benefits of health care / or universal health care, and how is this changing in the era of 'Obamacare'?
 * 7) How does the credit card industry work? and/or what are the pros and possible cons of building up a credit score.
 * 8) How does the insurance industry work? What different types of insurance are there, and how should one decide what types of insurance make sense, and how much insurance are necessary? (feel free to discuss several types of insurance, or focus on a single type -- just don't try to cover every type of insurance out there -too broad)
 * 9) If a student cannot afford to go to the college of his/her choice, what options does he/she have? What types of student loans exist, and what steps are necessary in order to apply/receive such assistance?

//__**Your Final Product:**__//
 * This is NOT a 'research paper' ... instead, you will be exploring your topic, and summarizing your findings in the form of a slideshow/presentation in GoogleDocs.
 * Your final product must explain in an organized way what you discover, and what an American in their 20s ought to understand about your topic.
 * This is truly not meant to be work for the sake of work. The goal here is to give YOU an incentive to look into a topic/question that will sincerely benefit you in the, not-too-distant-future. My goal is to give you a head start, and not waste effort by researching something that will be of no use. Therefore, don't waste effort by researching something that will be of no use to you... or just because you think it will be easy.
 * Therefore, if none of the topics above seem like something that will directly benefit you in the future, think of something you don't know, but really should find out about to help you in your future life.
 * This is not meant to be an overly general report about the history of a problem... but focused on what an everyday person really should come to know and understand in order to make their way through life a little better.

//__**Expectations**__//:
 * **Create a GoogleDocs Slideshow and share it with Mr. Meier on the very first day**
 * When completed, slideshow should be between 18-25 slides total.
 * Each slide should have information of some kind -- but all slides do not need to be packed with text.
 * When appropriate, some slides should have relevant visuals, Every slide does not need visuals
 * All text and colors should make slides easily readable, with correct spelling.
 * If you have spare time on a given day, you may finish the period by reading or working on other assignments... however you are responsible for finishing by the deadline.
 * Students must work on this assignment for at least part of every day from 6/2 - 6/6. For example, you MAY NOT 'finish' on day two and then say you have nothing to do for the last three days. If this is the case, there is likely more that you can discover about your topic.
 * Pace yourself, and complete part of the project each day. If you were to complete just a few slides each day, you would finish with no problems.
 * This assignment is not meant to be homework, and can absolutely be completed during the time you have in class. If you miss multiple days due to excused absences or tardies, you may finish up outside of class.
 * If you finish your part for a given day, you may use additional time to (1) get a jumpstart on AP Summer Assignments, (2) Read a book, (3) Do something educational. Please do not play on your phones or play games on laptops while in the library. Thank you.
 * INTRO: First 3-5 slides should introduce the topic and provide any necessary background. You should also highlight WHEN in life people typically need to know about this topic, and WHY so many high school students do not typically know much about it.
 * BODY: Middle 15-20 slides should be organized in a clear, logical way: perhaps outlining the steps in chronological order (ie. major steps to consider in buying a home), or order of importance (ie. 'top 10 list of facts to know about...")
 * CONCLUSION: Last 2-4 slides should emphasize what you consider the reason(s) why this topic is helpful/important for most people to understand, and the 1-3 things you really hope to remember about this topic as you move forward in life.
 * Presentations MUST be shared via googledocs with Mr. Meier on your very first day of work (Monday 6/2)
 * Many of you will complete this by 6/6, but it MUST be completed by 6/9.
 * I will grade these presentations, on 6/10, and plan to finalize grades by 6/11.
 * All students must submit one presentation, regardless of absences.
 * If not submitted and correctly shared by 6/9, student will earn a ZERO for this assignment
 * If you prefer to work alongside a partner, you may work together to create & submit 2 slideshows with both of your names on both.
 * You are welcome to help one another out with ideas, but may not copy/plagiarize another person's information/presentation...
 * This presentation is yours, and may not be plagiarized from an online resource. An MLA citation is not necessary in this case, but if information from a slide comes right from an online source, you should give credit by adding SOURCE: http://www. ... at the bottom of the slide.
 * IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS AT ALL, EMAIL chris.meier@pennmanor.net RIGHT AWAY, AND I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO YOU BEFORE THE FOLLOWING DAY'S CLASS. HOWEVER, MY INTERNET ACCESS WILL BE VERY LIMITED, AS STRICT RULES PREVENT ANY INTERNET-CAPABLE DEVICES FROM BEING USED DURING THE TIME SPENT SCORING.