Journal #3

To what degree do you think you really understand the needs of your students and what they need for the 21^st century? How wide is the “gap” between them and you? In what areas are the gaps? What can you do to make connections?

Although it is difficult to answer this question with 100% certainty, I like to believe that I’m pretty well prepared for the needs of my students in the 21^st century. I base this belief primarily on my own personal reliance and fascination with technology, something I believe will increasingly permeate education. Technology is an ever evolving monster and its most avid consumer is the adolescent. Our students are literally surrounded by technology and thrive because of it. To be able to relate to them on this level one must do the same, something I am not shy of doing.

Another reason I believe I am ready to meet the needs of my students is because our world (due in large part to the advancement of technology) is an ever shrinking one. What I mean by this is it is increasingly easier to socialize and collaborate with citizens of other countries. The internet, something that used to be exclusive to only those with means, is practically free now in many countries and because of this will get used more and more. Socializing and collaborating with others from different countries is something I will do naturally due in large part to the fact that I lived in several countries when I was younger. I’m used to speaking different languages, participating in different customs, and relating to others who had a much different experience growing up than I did. Encouraging my students to do the same when possible is only natural for me as I see the benefit of this. It breaks down barriers, builds strong relationships across wide gaps, and increasingly pushes a country’s citizen to become a global citizen.

The gap between my students and I is wider than some but not smaller than most other teachers. I watch the same shows, I play the same games, and I read about a lot of the same things they read about. Granted, in terms of maturity and the way we relate to our peers, I am obviously going to be different than them. The way I talk to my friends is going to be quite a bit different than the way they talk to theirs. I don’t see this as a barrier though. The way I see it is it is good to be different on some levels. I’m their teacher first and their friend second. This relationship needs to be established and maintained if there is going to be any order and respect maintained within the classroom.

Journal #2

Read "Abundance, Asia, and Automation," read "Jobs of the Future," and watch the TED videos on Creativity in Schools. Record and analyze at least 4 quotes from the text/video. Use a 3 column organizer as a template (quote, what it means, and deeper thinking).

Quote #1: “The L-Directed Thinking it nurtures and rewards still matters, of course. But it is no longer enough.” (A Whole New Mind. Daniel Pink. Pg. 30.)

- What it means: Left-brain thinking is still valuable but not as valuable as it once was.

- Deeper thinking: Skills requiring right-brain thinking are increasingly valuable. Artists, designers, teachers, and other right-brain users are increasingly more valuable compared to lawyers, accountants, analysts and other left-brain users. As time goes on it is increasingly profitable to be a right-brain user over a left-brain user.

Quote #2: “Knowledge workers, meet your new competition: Srividya, Lalit, Kavita, and Kamal of Mumbai, India.” (A Whole New Mind. Daniel Pink. Pg. 36.)

- What it means: Many jobs requiring left-brain thinking and skills are being offshored to employees in different countries who will do the same job for less money.

- Deeper thinking: The value of being good at a left-brain skill is decreasing as companies find ways to get the same task done for cheaper by using offshore employees. This is decreasing demand for left-brain users in the United States which means these types of employees are going to have to start learning right-brain skills and seeking right-brain jobs.

Quote #3: “The [job] categories with some education required beyond high school are growing faster than those not requiring post-secondary schooling.” (Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow. Council of Economic Advisers. Pg. 15.)

- What it means: Job opportunities that don’t require more than a high school diploma aren’t growing as fast as those that do require more.

- Deeper thinking: It is no longer sufficient to just earn one’s high school diploma. More and more jobs are requiring post-secondary schooling like bachelor degrees, certifications, and master’s degrees. As a result, it is increasingly important to do well in high school and not just skate by so that one is sufficiently prepared to take on the rigors of post-secondary education. This is placing more and more value and responsibility on teachers in charge of preparing students for post-secondary education.

Quote #4: “…the health care and education industries are expected to contribute most substantially to job growth in the future.” (Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow. Council of Economic Advisers. Pg. 7.)

- What it means: There will be more job opportunity growth in the health care and education industries than any other industry.

- Deeper thinking: The best opportunities for future jobs will lie in the education and health care industries. Therefore, if one wants to ensure a greater chance of getting a job they will pursue a secondary education in one of these industries. It is good to be a teacher right now!

Reading Reflection 10

Instructions: Read your team member's ITU Cover Sheet Drafts (Task 2). Revise your team's Task 2: ITU Cover Sheet. Make sure you use the ITU assignment template and ppt to guide your work. 

I revised our group's coversheet and emailed a copy to Kenny and Sam. Together we'll look at it and edit what is necessary. I've attached a small JPEG of what we have so far.
 

Reading Reflection 9

Instructions: Locate and read information about your school site (School webpage, School Report Card, School Newspaper, School Handbook (Rules), Parent & Teacher Association Materials...). Begin your ethnographic research on your school site to complete your ethnography for EDSS 530 and to complete Task 3 for the ITU.

Links to ethnographic information on San Pasqual High School:

National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&InstName=San+Pasqual&SchoolType=1&SchoolType=2&SchoolType=3&SchoolType=4&SpecificSchlTypes=all&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&HiGrade=-1&ID=061291001467

City of Escondido homepage: http://www.escondido.org/demographics.aspx

Reading Reflection 8

Instructions: Read Service Learning Curriculum Cluster Maps in Kaye, Cathryn Berger. (2004 or 2011). A Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. LIST ideas and resources you can use for your Service Learning and ITU (Task 11).

Service learning ideas:
- Participate in a local environmental cleanup program
- Develop a campaign at school to reduce water usage
- Prepare a skit using the theme of "rivers" and present it to the rest of the school
- Design flyers about rivers the importance of rivers and keeping our environment clean

Service learning resources: 

- Cathryn Berger's .pdf documents posted on Cougar Courses
- www.LearnAndServe.gov
- www.service-learningpartnership.org
- www.servicelearning.org
- www.learningindeed.org/index.html
- www.leaderschools.org
- www.compact.org

Reading Reflection 7

Instructions: Read Part 1 of Kaye, Cathryn Berger. (2004 or 2011). A Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit. & Service Learning PPT. See below for electronic reading. Identify the key elements and process for Service Learning.

According to Cathryn Berger, "service learning connects school-based curriculum with the inherent caring and concern young people have for their world. [...] The results are memorable, lifelong lessons for students and foster a stronger society for us all."

She breaks down the process of service learning into four stages:

1. Preparation: a wide variety of activities including identifying a need, investigating and analyzing it, and making a plan for action.

2. Action: The direct result of preparation. Students apply what they have learned to benefit the community.

3.  Reflection: Integrates learning and experience with personal growth and awareness. Students consider how the experience, knowledge, and skills they are acquiring relate to their own lives and their communities.

4. Demonstration: Provides evidence of what students have gained and accomplished through their community involvement. Usually displayed through public presentations - displays, performances, letters to the editor, and class lessons. 

Reading Reflection 6

Instructions: Watch 2 videos on Youtube: Vision of Students in the 21st Century & Vision of Teachers in the 21st Century. See below for links. CREATE a Personal Learning Network (PLN).

My personal learning network is currently made up of the following tools:

- Blogger
- Twitter
- iGoogle
- Gmail
- Edmodo

- Grouply

Reading Reflection 5

Instructions: READ the ITU Overview ppt. As a school team, IDENTIFY a theme for your ITU and SHARE ideas and a draft for a Cover Sheet with you ITU team.

As I already stated in my Reading Reflection 1, my group and I have decided on the theme of "rivers." Please refer to that reflection for specific on what each of our members will cover. For our ITU coversheet I envision a cover with the title "Rivers." I also picture e pictures one above the other. On the top is an image of Huck and Jim floating down a river. Underneath it will be a picture of the river underneath teaming with life and showing different sedimentary layers. Below that will be a more technical graph depicting river flow and depth. My reason for this layout is that it shows an increasingly in-depth look at the theme of rivers. Students will peel back the layers and go deeper and deeper exploring different aspects and perspectives on rivers.

Reading Reflection 4

Instructions: READ the ITU Overview ppt. RR4: IDENTIFY what tasks you would be well skilled at leading and contributing to for the ITU assignment.

Tasks I would be well skilled at leading and contributing to:

- Task 2: Cover sheet
- Task 3: Context Information - Community, School & Student Population
- Task 7: Unit Calendar
- Task 4: Unit Rationale - Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions
- Task 8: Technology Applications
- Task 9: Art Component
- Task 18: Group Evaluation
- Task 20: Final Poster Presentations

Reading Reflection 3

Instructions: READ Roberts, P. & Kellough, R. (2004). A complete guide to integrated thematic units. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. MAKE a list or highlight models & resources to share with your ITU team. Bring hard copy to next class meeting.

PDF hard copies downloaded and highlighted.

Reading Reflection 2

Instructions: READ Baldwin, Keating, Bachman (BKB) Ch.7 pgs 164-179 & pgs. 315-326. COMPLETE Activities 7.1 & 7.2, pgs. 172-173.

Activity 7.1:

For our ITU (Integrated Thematic Unit), Sam, Kenny and I decided to use the theme of "rivers." The three different content areas that will be used in this ITU include Math (Sam), Science (Kenny) and English (me). Sam will explore ideas like time, distance, and velocity. Kenny will cover river ecology and geology. I will tie the unit into the text of Huckleberry Finn in which a river plays a big part both literally and metaphorically. In my section of the ITU I intend to challenge my students in several areas including textual analysis, essay response, and vocabulary.

Activity 7.2:

Essential questions that will be asked for this ITU:

- What do rivers represent literally?

- What do rivers represent metaphorically?

- Are rivers important? Why?

- How have rivers changed over time in terms of how we visualize and represent them?

- How have rivers changed over time in how we use them?

Reading Reflection 1

Instructions: READ the "Focus On" Research-Based Teaching Practices at http://www.nea.org/home/16454.htm. IDENTIFY research-based instructional strategies you can use in you ITU.

I chose to focus on listing research-based instructional strategies for Hispanics and girls because the former are very predominant in Southern California schools and the latter are a group I know I need help focusing on in my classroom. Strategies I can use to help close the achievement gap for these two groups include:

- Hispanics

1.       Assist students to accomplish more complex understanding by relating to their real-life experience.

2.       Assure that students, for each instructional topic, see the whole picture as the basis for understanding the parts.

3.       Engage students in focused and cohesive oral and written explanations of their work.

- Girls

1.       Use inclusive language: don't use "you guys" as a way of addressing a group (shows unintentional gender bias).

2.       Make a conscious effort to call on all students equally.

3.       Cooperative/collaborative learning between genders.

Journal 1

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some entries for various classes that I have. I will title them as Journals (for my EDSS 531 class) and Reading Responses (for my EDSS 530 and 541 classes). Most of them will be in response to a prompt which I will try to remember to post at the beginning of each update. Here is the first one!


Respond to the following questions: What is it like to be a student in my class? What is it like for a student to move through classes in a day at my (CPI) school?


Answering the first question is a pretty interesting endeavor I think. The primary reason being that I've never asked any of my students what it's like to be in my class (something I will endeavor to change when I start my Clinical Practice II). That being said, if I were to imagine what it's like to be in my class from the perspective of a student there are a few things I would say. The first is that I give a lot of work. I had constant complaints during my CPI (Clinical Practice I) about giving too much work. This is both a good and bad thing. It is good because my students needed a lot of help/practice with their writing but it was also negative because it made it more difficult for them to focus on the different projects that were given to them.


I do think students enjoyed my class. There were several instances where I received comments from my students that the subject matter we were discussing and reading in class was especially interesting to them. I try to give my students diverse assessments and subjects within the English content area so as to keep them engaged and interested in what I'm teaching them. I also think students were challenged in my class no matter what their skill level. I was careful to give special attention to those that needed it and push the more advanced students further by asking more of them.


As far as the second question goes, obviously this would depend on the student. Many students have many different experiences moving through school depending on what classes they have, what grade they are in, whether they are involved in sports or other extracurricular activities. There is definitely plenty of time for students to get from class to class. I think that because we are on 50 minute periods it makes it a little hard for students to give their full attention to each class. It seems like there is about 10 minutes in each class spent on getting the students to focus and closing/cleaning up after the lesson has been taught. It is my belief a block schedule would be more beneficial, at least to my specific content area as it would give the students more time to work on difficult projects and focus more on the material without being in a "constant state" of shuffling around the school. Interestingly enough this is something being discussed at the moment (changing the schedule to block periods) at my school and will probably be voted on by the end of the semester.