Reflections: Final Blog #6

1.    If President Obama called me...OMG!  The first five things I would recommend:
1. Take away the private donations to public schools as it tends to put schools in affluent areas at an unfair advantage.
2. Keep Tenure but make it easier to get rid of atrocious teachers
3. Require all schools to evaluate all teachers with peer reviews and student evaluations.  This could also lead to "bonus" checks for teachers who consistently score well.
4. Allow public schools to have more freedom!  Give schools creative control so that they can adjust to the type of students in their community and minimize the amount of required standardized testing 
5. Provide a slight increase in teacher salaries.  Just enough to motivate young people to get into the profession but not so much of an increase that people want to teach just for a fat paycheck.
2. What has been most meaningful about Ravitch for me was this new outlook on the education system.  It gave me the chance to freely question the institution that I work in.  As a student of color who attended both a city public school and a affluent private school I am all too aware of the severe inequalities in education.  I have always been passionate about educational equality but have always felt like any type of fix was so elusive.  The problems, the politics, the money involved in our education system has put our students and future generation at risk.  I too have been caught up in the next big fix for the American education system and after reading I felt more informed but I still feel as though there is no hope for the future.  All the problems in our culture and the way we "value" education are too large to really address.  
3. I have always thought of being educator as such a powerful position.  Given the current state of American education I realize that at this point I can only really control what happens in my classroom.  I can do my best to work on being a better teacher everyday and make sure my students know that I am not only there to assign homework and teach them about literature but I am also there to help them develop life skills that will help them long after they have left my classroom.  I have attempted to move beyond my classroom and integrate multi-cultural events, diverse literature, etc. but I have been met with some resistance. I've been told, "that is a great idea" but never receive the help or guidance to fully implement it. I was able to jump start my Sociology class after initially being denied by speaking directly with my principal about my goals and the significance of that class on the Cal Campus.  Although I often feel powerless beyond my classroom I will continue to find ways to bring students together and challenge myself and students.  
4. English Associations:
1. http://www.le.ac.uk/engassoc/: This is one of the first associations created in the UK.  Their goal is to further knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the English language.  It also hopes to foster good teaching practices.
2. http://www.nycea.org/New_York_College_English_Association/Welcome.html:This New York association caught my eye because of some of their conferences (i.e. Literature and Film, Literature and Evolution, and Ethnicity and Literature)
5. Over the next three years:
1. I would like to see/attend the following: a. Conference on innovative technology and classroom application b. a museum that displays digital artwork c. observe a focus group with teenagers about their beliefs about the pros/cons of technology. d. The History of Computers Museum. e. I would like to interview a teacher who is anti technology in the classroom 
2. I would like to read the following: a. "White Privilege: Essential Readings About the  Other Side of Racism" b. "Kindred" c. "Women Hollering Creek" d. "Hunger Games" e. Fifty Shades of Grey <-- JUST KIDDING!! "Hope on a Tightrope"
3. Still want to investigate the following: a. The Journal of Teaching English with Technology: http://www.tewtjournal.org/ b. English Journal: http://www.ncte.org/journals/ej/  
4. Conferences I would like to attend: a. Brave New Teachers Conference b. Youth Speaks Poetry Slam (http://youthspeaks.org/performances/)   
5. I would still like to see the following: a. Will Smith b. Museum for African Art in New York c. Sundance Film Festival d. People of Color Conference e. Student Diversity Leadership Conference

FINISHED....

Thanks Molly...

Technology in the Classroom....YIKES! BLOG #5

1. Dr. Robert's presentation was actually very relevant to my in inquiry.  I have spent most of my time looking a research about the use of technology in the classroom, but have not really looked at the ramifications of this generation being so tech savvy.  It is important to keep up with the times and continue to adjust teaching styles but is the use of technology hindering our kids?  Are we preventing them from being successful in the real world with real world interactions?  Dr. Robert's pointed out the fact that the increase in media multi-tasking has killed children's ability to retain information and interact with others.  Yes, they have more knowledge at their fingertips but that quick fix prevents them from putting in the work that subconsciously allows them to retain valuable information.  Going to the library, taking notes, and looking up words in a dictionary are things that are becoming obsolete.   My question regarding this subject is: how do we create a BALANCE in the classroom in regards to technology?  Will we be able to have students use their smart phones in groups to find information without promoting this "quick fix" mentality?  Can we have students use FaceBook as a place to have discussion and respond to multimedia without decreasing their ability to meet and talk in person or use word documents?  Can we have students create a "hip hop" summary about a chapter and post it on YouTube as a study guide and keep the information valuable?  I am still an advocate for utilizing a variety of technologies in the classroom but it is important to remember to balance that with all the tangible (face to face interaction, REAL books, word/PPT, etc.) skills students should have.
2. Read NY Times article "More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality"
3. In the NY Times article the implications for Education are dangerous.  Technology should be used in addition to the classroom/teacher and not a replacement.  It is a different type of learning that goes on online.  Students may be more responsible because they have to pace themselves but they are not forced to communicate with others or deal with the pace set by an actual teachers.  Education is already political and if businessmen and politician can advocate online learning and save money, they will.  At my particular school/community there is no push for online courses.  The students that are failing are sent to Venture which is a continuation school.  There they work at their own pace and only have to go to class once a week I believe.  It is telling that the students who are failing in the classroom tend to perform better when they can work on their own or at their own pace.  It is great that they are able to perform better but I also believe that avoiding all interaction with teachers and other students makes things a lot easier for those students who refused to work hard during the school year.  As for my teaching, I am not sure what that means. I do not want to be replaced by Siri in the near future as I think it is a disservice to our youth and our country.  Students need to prepare to interact in the real world.  Unless we become a country full of iRobots I believe it is vital for students to grow up having classroom experiences.  
4. "Technology Resources for the Teacher": I found the following useful 
1. http://www.dropbox.com/
1. This website is great for me because I am constantly making iMovies or PowerPoints that are too large to send via email or save to my 4gb usb drive.  Having a virtual dropbox that will allow me to access those large files would make my #teacherlife much easier.  
2. http://download.cnet.com/Cool-Timer/3000-2350_4-10062255.html
1. This is just nice because I would be able to download a timer.  I usually use an online timer from Google when we are doing outside Reading in class or group work that needs to be completed in 25 minutes.  
3. https://drive.google.com
1. Another online storage from google
4. http://www.chatzy.com/
1. Not sure how I would use this but it is pretty cool to have a website where all students could get online and chat with each other without having to go through creating and verifying a user name.  
5. http://teachertube.com 
1. May be able to find some cool clips that are relevant to my subject matter. 
6. http://www.tubechop.com/    
1. This is awesome because I often find YouTube clips that I wan to edit or chop up.  I can do this by downloading the YouTube video, then converting it, then editing it in iMovie.  That can be a tedious process at times so this seems convenient for short clips.  

Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning

Raisin in the Sun:

This play is about the "American Dream" and it focuses on the struggle of an African American family.  To help students relate to the text I will attempt to incorporate concepts from both Math and History.

Student will plan a family budget.  The financial burdens of the family cause a lot of the conflicting in the play.  In order to give students the opportunity to fully sympathize with those struggles I would like to see them deal with family finacnes for a week.  They can use their own families as a basis and try to survive with the given budget (I will give each family a budget appropriate for their family size [this will not be based on their families income as Cal is in an affluent area]).  Students will have to consider the main necessities (food, cable, pg&e, gas, insurance, etc.).

Students will learn about the history of the Civil Right Movement.  This is relevant because it will allow students to understand what it was like for African Americans and comprehend the Youngers struggle to reach the "American Dream".  I would use an interactive power-point and handout to describe the movement.  Students will first be broken up into groups of five.  They will use 1-2 smart phones per group to look up information on their assigned topic (i.e. Brown v. Board of Education, Bus Boycotts, Emitt Till, etc.).  Students will make a poster that will display the what happened, a visual, and the significance/impact of that event and present it to the class (may count as Art).  I will then do a comprehensive overview of the movement via PPT.

The challenges of interdisciplinary teaching/learning are being able to use multiple disciplines.  I would be hard pressed to use Science in my English class.  I think it is second nature to connect History and English.  How could I teach Night without going over the history of Germany and the rise of Hitler?  How could I teach LOTF without talking about WWII?  To Kill a Mockingbird, Raisin in the Sun, All Quiet on the Western front are all text that need a little History lesson.  As far as other subjects I think it would be difficult for most teachers to find the time to meet with other teachers and find ways to connect P.E. or Math to an English class.  The value of interdisciplinary teaching/learning is providing a way for students to connect the dots.  How awesome is it for students to learn about WWII in History and see those same concepts reinforced and discussed in English while they are reading Lord of the Flies?   I believe it makes it easier for students to retain information when they have that information reinforced across disciplines.

Interesting finds on Interdisciplinary teaching:
http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/ictt_xrpt.htm
http://fod.msu.edu/sites/default/files/teaching_excellence.pdf

Responded to:
http://teacherrayford.blogspot.com/
http://courtneylyonsmc.blogspot.com/
http://mait-melinar.blogspot.com/

Mind the Gap

1.  "...I concluded that curriculum and instruction were far more important than choice and accountability." pg.12

•   I am not sure how I feel about this statement.  I believe that curriculum, instruction, choice and accountability are important and I am not sure why we have to pick either or.  Can we not have great curriculum and choice?  Can we not encourage teachers to implement dynamic instruction and hold them accountable for students overall growth/knowledge?   A lawyer needs to be dynamic and they are held financially accountable when they perform poorly.   I think we need to treat teaching like any other job.

"...Letting federal dollars follow poor students to the school of their choice...Since affluent families could choose their schools by moving to a better neighborhood or enrolling their children in private schools, why shouldn't poor families have similar choices?" pg. 8

• I find this fear to be legitimate and something we are seeing destroy community schools today.  Many affluent parents have the money and ability to send their child to whatever school appeases them. The problem with this is that the schools they are leaving become "dumping grounds" for trouble kids and essentially segregated schools.  Oakland is becoming a very gentrified place but still many of those families send their children to other schools while leaving their locals schools with only the underprivileged students.  Similar to the "white flight" of urban areas, this takes away the diversity that brings value to that community.  Allowing choice has basically created modern day segregated schools, leaving children the difficult task of trying to succeed in a school that the community no longer cares about.  No more updated books or facilities, high teacher turnover rates, and under-qualified leaders.

2.  According to Ravitch a well-educated person is one who "has a well-furnished mind, shaped by reading and thinking about history, science, literature, the arts, and politics.  The well-educated person has learned how to explain ideas and listen respectfully to others".  I disagree with Ravitch in terms of a well educated mind having to be shaped by reading and thinking about history, arts, literature, etc. and I agree with the second statement about being able to explain ideas and listen respectfully to others.  In my experience, I have met many academically intelligent people who were not able to hold a conversation or seemed "ignorant" and unable to adjust to real life situations.  I have also met non-college educated people who have impressed me with their critical thinking skills and ability to assess situations and turn out positive results.  The people I try to surround myself with, whether it's friends or someone I am dating, tend to be "intelligent" based on my definition which is: having the ability to hold their ground in a conversation about a variety of topics and the ability to listen and respond to different ideas and concepts. Whether I am talking about Domestic Violence or Beyonce I want to speak with someone who has an informed opinion and can express it in stimulating way.  

3.  What stood out for me during our class discussion on Ravitch was our continued difficulty as educators to pin down a way to evaluate teachers and set standards for all students.  We all agree there needs to be some from of accountability but how we go about that is still up in the air.  The model used at De La Salle High is awesome and I really don't think that idea is a hidden gem that only DLS is capable of discovering.  I honestly think it is something that many teachers in a variety of schools would work very hard to keep away from our schools or avoid all together.  When teachers are outraged about surprise classroom visits, it only perpetuates the belief that most teachers do not work hard to enrich students lives or provide meaningful ways of passing on knowledge unless it is an observation day.  Sometimes I think I talk too much but I find all of our discussions thought provoking.  I pretty much expressed all the things that came up for me during class discussion!

4.  I am looking to improve on my overall grammar knowledge and ability to teach it in a way that allows students to retain that knowledge.  During my first year I taught ESL and it was then I realized that I know what a correct sentence looks like and where to put a comma but I had difficulty explaining why!  There are so many different grammar rules and during this time I had to explain why and how about things that seemed innate to me.  I have found three resources to help fill in the gaps: WEB SITE: Quick and Dirty Grammar ARTICLE:  BOOK:  The Quick and Dirty Grammar was helpful.  It seemed to simplify the many grammar rules that trip us up.  For each grammar rule that I looked up, the author of the site, gave some type of mnemonic device to aid in the memory and recall of that grammar tool.  As a teacher, finding ways to help students retain information is key.  This website should encourage teachers to find creative ways to make grammar stick.  This summer, my goal is to add a mnemonic device to every grammar rule I teach (and add a grammar rule to all of my "quick writes").

5. An, Y. J., & Reigeluth, C. (2011). Creating technology-enhanced, learner-centered classrooms: K-12 teachers' beliefs, perceptions, barriers, and support needs. Journal of Digital Learning in Teaching Education , 28(2), 54-60.

This article promoted a few ideas for me.  I may look further into how teachers view technology in the classroom.  The views of the educator were the primary resource in Reigeluth's piece.  I thought about the new push for technology in my district.  I find most of the new technology being pushed into the classroom are just cool gadgets and not necessarily what I would find useful in the classroom.  Maybe technology hasn't shown and drastic improvement in student test scores because many educators do not "buy into" whatever technology elements they are being told to use.  This article just helped me look at my inquiry question from a different angle.  

McCabe, D. B., & Meuter, M. L. (2011). A student view of technology in the classroom: Does it enhance the seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education?. Journal of Marketing Education , 33(2), 149-159. doi: 10.1177/0273475311411084 

I have to admit that I lost focus with this article.  The attempt to connect everything to the seven principles of good practice did not peek my interest or seem as relevant for my particular inquiry.  The writer was convincing and all that jazz but I will not seek any other articles.  It just didn't grab my attention the way some of the other articles did.  However, I was able to find some possible resources in the reference section so that was nice!


RESPONDED TO:
http://uconnbball10.blogspot.com/
http://courtneylyonsmc.blogspot.com/
http://jennajosephmat.blogspot.com/

Content Knowledge (Course II)

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” -Eleanor Roosevelt 

Growing up I was able to experience a public (grades 1-10) and private school education (grades10-12), which has made me a quite advocate for equal access to quality education.  Although, I have had many school experience that have come to shape the way I teach, I have also found that outside-school experiences have expanded my content knowledge.  The first thing that comes to mind is reading.  I grew up an avid reader and loved soaking up new vocabulary and captivating stories.  It may seem minute, but pleasure reading allowed me to unconsciously expand my vocabulary and critical thinking skills.  Reading novels like Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon allowed me to analyze text and seek out more knowledge.  One specific experience I've had was being an attendee at a conference during my first year as a teacher.  I honestly don't remember what it was called but it was a powerful experience for me.  This conference didn't really focus on subject specific content knowledge but instead turned out to be more of a call to action for all teachers.  The essential goal of the conference was to encourage teachers to always seek knowledge, attend relevant conferences, study other teachers, stay current, and find ways to keep that passion for knowledge going.  

"Discussion is an exchange of knowledge"-Robert Quillen

During our class discussion on Ball's "The Subject Matter Preparation of Teachers" I enjoyed listening to the various ways students interpreted the text.  Although I didn't believe Ball wrote the piece as an attack on teachers, I found it interesting that it could be interpreted that way.  I think deep down many teachers have a fear of being tested on his/her content knowledge.  Indeed, it is an area that we can only improve on with intrinsic motivation to do so.  My initial judgments about the article remained the same but I was able to ask some of my questions to the class and reaffirm my judgments as I found myself agreeing with many of the shared opinions.  

"Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity"-Will Smith

I am interested in a few topics but I have focused my line of inquiry on the impact of technology in the classroom.  I am interested in using my classroom and the play "A Raisin in the Sun" to test out a theory.  My question is: will the use of technology and multi-media during any given unit increase student test scores and motivate students to complete assignments? I am satisfied with my question because I will have the opportunity to really test it out with a group of about 60 students. I will also be able to re-create units and make them technology driven.  Initially I wanted to look at athletes and academic achievement (which I may still look into) to see if students involved in team sports had increased levels of confidence and better test scores or GPA's. When I began researching, I noticed that there was a plethora of research about using technology in the classroom.  Many articles argued the pros and cons and some stated that technology in the classroom had no significant impact on student achievement.  I am not entirely sure what I can use for an experiential learning source.  I have looked into the Computer History Museum, which may be interesting just to check out the history of technology and maybe connect that ever-changing tech world to the need to continue to upgrade teaching techniques.  

Responded to the following blogs:
Sheridan Arredondo: http://sheridanarredondo.blogspot.com/
Margaret (Megan) Manley: http://mmanleysmc.blogspot.com/
Karen Vigna: http://karenvigna.blogspot.com/

Guiding Questions

1. Do athletes achieve higher academic success than non-athletes?
2. Are athletes more successful post high school/college?
3. Does the decrease in extra curricular activities increase students risk in: drop out rates, bullying, low income jobs, crime, pregnancy, etc.

1. What impact does the fusing of culture and diversity into all lessons have on student comprehension, tolerance, and confidence?

1. Is technology a hindrance or boost to learning?
2. Is there such a thing as too much technology?
3. What impact does multimedia learning have on student test scores and comprehension?

*content and pedagogic content knowledge 

SMC MAT OBAIZA

English 10 & Sociology