Sunday, May 27, 2012

Classroom Managment

Classroom management can be one of the more varied methodologies that high school teachers can share, outside of subject area. During my studies as a student teacher which included theoretical classwork and classroom application have helped me at least gather some of more likely approaches to guiding my classes. Without getting to far into my theoretical studies, there were some management models that I would never see myself utilizing. on the other hand, there are a series of different classroom management plans that i can see adapting to my own uses.

A couple tings will dictate which approach I may take and certain highlights of each method will show through for my students. The first key factor to be able to apply appropriate discipline for me is fairness. First, does every student get equitable treatment and unbiased judgment. The second concern is to what extent will and can i tolerate certain behavior to the extent that the time will correspond to the crime.

Other factors will weigh heavily on my decision making: the student, the class, and the school. Any discipline plan should and must align with the school's rules. Furthermore each student and whole class will have different personalities and therefore needs to be treated as an individual situation and reacted to as such.

I have seen many various classroom strategies in many grade levels and schools. Your strategies will also reflect the person that you are as well. Don't try to become someone that you are not and your students will be able to appreciate your needs as an instructor, at least most of the time.  

Online Learning?

I recall being asked what the purpose of school is and actually having a fairly drawn out explanation for the question. Although there is significant amount of research and a multitude of great thinkers have classified each of these purposes. I found out what i believed when I concluded a prerequisite course for my credential program. At that time, and up until now, I believe that school is the laboratory for adult life both academically, politically, developmentally and socially. As mentioned in previous posts, public school is supposed to create successful contributors to a democratic society.

I will focus on certain trends that I have been started such as the free online classroom. During the course of the previous year I, as a student, was subjected to a paradigm shift toward a "flipped" classroom. The essential view is that all school work is completed during the student's time away from campus but has weekly access to their instructors for assistance. There is a significant reliance on student collaboration and creativity, therefore, could be a beneficial change to education. Since then I have seen other whisperings and some programs that have taken that idea to the next level.

There is a resource that is online instruction of classroom materials completed through video. From this site you can load particular subjects and lesson based on need and availability. It can be concluded that this would be a middle ground and would assist the flipped model, or something like it.

While commuting to my student teaching assignment a few weeks ago I overheard a commercial for a public high school that is almost entirely online. It seemed that there are structure social activities throughout the year.

I do agree that increasing the online exposure and the stress on collaboration and creativity are tremendous benefits and economically a shift toward online will save money but I question the rationale of removing classrooms. I believe that high school should mimic adult life at some level and therefore the students should be in personal contact for many hours each day.

Somewhere in the combination of these principles that may improve American education.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Purpose of School

I believe that the purpose of public education is to produce successful and productive members of a democratic society. This is the theory that I carried into my first student teaching experience which was established in the crucible of  my School of Education prerequisites. Throughout the previous year, this theory was applied to both of my clinical practice experiences. It seems fated that my first assignment was a continuation  school but each of my student teaching experiences strengthened my view on what is the purpose of school. However, what the "productive member of society" is and what a "public school" was classified as did significantly change.

I still believe that public school is a right to be given to each citizen but the parameters of these things can be utilized differently. My focus of these issues will be the public high school and the question of where the students are expected to be at the conclusion of study. I originally believed that every high school student was expected to enroll in college because it reflected my own experiences as a student and my reflection of the standardized curriculum. With the current model "non academic" oriented students are subjected to the same material that college bound students are receiving. Although I believe that this material should be given and offered to all students for the sake of equity, there should be alternative studies and or ROP/trade school offered as well. In the various conversations I have had with other professionals it was seen that this view is similar to the "European model".

In my reflection, some of my students are generally disinterested in some of the subject material offered as part of the standardized "college" curriculum. On the other hand, my current school site offers an expanded program for ROP Criminal Justice, Heath Academy (students get hands on medical training in high school!!), and MCJROTC to name a few and therefore the students are given more choices in their education. With these expanded choices there can be more motivation to succeed. Why not expand these options further?

I am aware that this means a significant overhaul in a educational systems that is gasping for breath in economic hardship but everything starts somewhere.    

The CST.. A Few Thoughts

I would first like to point out that I believe in having some kind of standard educational benchmark in order to ensure quality education for all citizens is very necessary. NCLB and the current system of standardized testing, while far from perfect, is still doing some important work on behalf of examining our public school system. In California, the CST (California Standardized Test) has brought the spotlight on groups of students that have been overlooked and or otherwise inequitably treated. This is just a reflection of some areas that can be improved on, however, with the onset of "Common Core" standards there may be little need for these observations.

During my current assignment for my teaching candidate placement (student teaching) I was able to see many different perspectives of this testing. During the course of four days the students at my school are subjected to just shy of four hours of testing each day and then expected to attend class for the duration of each day. My first concern is that these students are slammed by so much undiluted testing in such a short period of time. If the tests were not able to be altered than maybe shorten each period of testing and have the CST go for eight days. While administering these test sessions it became clear that by Friday the students were burnt out and were not able to give their full effort to the testing. In that case how can we get sufficient evidence of learning on those tests.

During this testing week, during my prep periods, I volunteered to assist the administration staff with the processing of the test/answer sheet bins. Due to the sensitive nature of the testing there was a very specific way that the materials must be handled and there was simply too few staff to efficiently handle the process. It seemed to be unnecessarily strict and classified, having to sign affidavit etc, that valuable resources are wasted on testing that should not be so top secret. I am well aware that these protocols are in place to guarantee quality results but is it really that necessary?   

 Considering the "high stakes" nature of the testing I believe that there is abundant undue stress placed on the staff and students. 

What I Learned About Tech

Friday, May 11, 2012

A Brave New World

I have recently viewed a Youtube clip featuring a lecture presentation from Mike Wesch during TEDxNYED. http://youtu.be/DwyCAtyNYHw

The topic of the presentation is new social media and its possible positive and or negative impact. The major comparison was the socially driven Internet and introducing literacy to a tribe in south east Asia. With the tribe, something such as literacy was able to affect negatively a vast majority of the culture. Long story short, the possible negative application of the new media (web 2.0) can end up producing a entirely new way to police and stifle human expression but the new media can also open up a whole new world of possibilities.

From his perspective as an educator, he showed a college classroom with stadium seating and four walls. His first reflection was on the walls themselves and what they have come to signify. With the walls of the classroom the most common questions that the students have are:

How many points is this worth?
Will this be on the test?
i.e. What is the minimum that i have to do to succeed, what are my limitations?

To correct this issue, Mr. Wesch assigns everyone in an anthropology class a position on the map and requires them to be an expert of that area. After research continues all students compile their results on a class Wiki site. In essence, the class gained more knowledge than the professor. I believe that this model is the truest example of "Guide on the side" and "Total student engagement".

This aspect of education will require a total overhaul of everything that i have come to expect from the educational system but will allow for education to remain flexible, or maybe finally become flexible, with technology.

In a time of standardized tests, this is a step in the opposite direction. But i believe that this sort of creative thinking will be required to fix the ailments of our educational system.

A Blog About Blogging

I was reflecting on my experiences with collaborative sites that have been introduced to me during my teaching education such a Blogs, Twitter, Gouply, and Diigo. But, I am also looking back to the sites that i am used to such as Facebook and Google. During my undergraduate education I did not really collaborate electronically nor did I use social media sites until I was a senior. At that time websites such as Youtube, Myspace, and Facebook didn't really seem to have a purpose outside of wasting time. Now, I can see the limitless possibilities of how these online sources can be used to collaborate among peers.

While reflecting on the metamorphosis of my thinking, I can draw significant parallels to my experiences when the Internet was a brand new concept. During the summer of 1995 AOL was mailing cd-roms with 50 free hours of Internet and dial up was the only option to jump online. The speed was slow and fairly inconvenient to implement (it used a phone line). During that period I saw the Internet as a place for electronic research and chat rooms. What else could it be used for? Clearly a whole new world opened up and the only limitation is the creativity of the people. 

When first presented with educational assignments on the Web 2.0 platform I was significantly hesitant and the student work I produced while fulfilling the technology prerequisites were timid on its best day. The first major project that would be "shared with the world" was a instructional video that was to be published on Youtube. It was a group project and I did publish it, however, it is set to extreme privacy. I was, and still am, having trouble sharing my reflections with the rest of the world. I guess there is a part of me that assumes that I actually have nothing new or exciting to share.

One of the requirements in my credentialing program is to use Web 2.0 tools to create a professional learning network. So, I had to dust off Blogger (the one in which you're reading) and begin to learn about Twitter, and more specifically the educational chats and the Cybrary Man. It was a requirement to take part in these live streaming Tweet Chats that are based on the interested party (such as #edchat) and the topic. At first the vast majority of my Tweeting experience was ReTweeting ideas that others posted. It wasn't till this weeks discussion of Common Core Standards that I jumped in and started contributing to the feed. For the first time another professional retweeted something i posted and the list of followers started to grow significantly.

Cyrary Man has the list of educational chats, hash tags and times at http://cybraryman.com/chats.html

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Ipads in schools

I have been fortunate enough to experience something that might have been absurd a few years ago, an Ipad classroom. Two schools in North County San Diego have implemented an Ipad program in their math and science classes. Oceanside High School has placed Ipads in the hands of their Physics and Chemistry classes while El Camino High School has done the same for math students. This step toward a classroom with out boarders has opened the door for a brand new way to apply education and authentic instructor for 21st century learners.

My entire Cohort of single subject teaching candidates was invited to see a demonstration of these tools and offered a glimpse of the possibilities. I was also able to observe Chemistry, Honors Chemistry, Physics and AP Physics during my teaching candidate assignment at Oceanside High School. I have seen a series of different instructors and their approach to Ipads.

Some of the highlights that i have already seen implemented by the team of instructors include:

-Students responsibility for learning
-Better organization for teachers and students
-Access to information via Internet and databases
-Instantaneous feedback and assessment of material
-Programs such as Evernote that will keep your notes "in the cloud"

To be more specific, with programs similar to Evernote, a student can take electronic note that will be saved online and can be accessed from anywhere. Throughout the students academic career these notes can be used up to and through higher education classes. Another key benefit to this program will be the instantaneous feedback and assessment. During instruction, quizzes, exams, and projects the teacher can see how each student is mastering the material through the teacher's "master Ipad". 

The only limitations to the application of computers, tablets, laptops etc will be the creativity of the programmers of such devices. Although the preparation of such a classroom will be taxing on the instructor to start off, there will be tenfold returns in student achievement.

My Tech Ed Experiences

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

#edchat... Little fish, big pond

Today I once again truly appreciate my Hootsuite app on my home computer. The topic for today's #edchat discussion was the Common Core standards and teacher creativity. There was a lot to be learned from many different instructors/thinkers/visionaries on this topic. If you asked me prior to this observation I would have assumed there would be a simple split between the pros and the cons based on allowed teacher creativity and flexibility. There was some very good arguments that supported the CC and teacher creativity in the same perspective. To be honest I am not quite sure how I feel after taking part in the discussion.

To describe my experience, I felt like a very small voice in a very crowded room. Not to say that i was being ignored but more so the stream of multiple conversations was so vast i was not even sure anyone noticed my comments. Once I would respond to a statement or ask a question, there would be 30+ new messages on the thread (saved thanks to Hootsuite). I do believe that i was able to make genuine connections and contributions to the greater whole and as with other topics, walked away following, and being followed by, more great minds.   

It is an interesting feeling knowing how many more people know so much more than you do. It is akin to being a small fish in a giant pond, however, in this pond everyone in vegan. There is so much to learn and so many practices to try out but as a new teacher it would be weird (possibly naive) not to feel this way.

 

Are grades Needed?

I have recently seen clips of a Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, interview (http://youtu.be/dE6aUCauhUg)  in which he addresses the need for grades versus the actual measurement of success in a classroom. His example is that he took French for a six year period and received A's but he cannot communicate in french.

This author views that the traditional grading system in our schools has become outdated and poorly trains our youth to be successful adults. I agree with him. In my own experiences as a student, that took four years of Spanish, and as an educator I believe that there is a disconnect between learning and achieving high grades. Anyone can cram before a final exam and do well in a class but how much of that information did they learn, apply, etc. On the other hand I have learned a great deal from classes that i may have not scored well on the homework but could easily explain the concept to someone better than the highest grade in the class.

I believe that the purpose of a grade should be a reflection of a students advancement in class. Did they succeed or did they fail. The hard part to this method would be the application of higher education and the competition to be admitted (Not all students should get into MIT). I see this as only a temporary problem though, now that the online curriculum is being more readily adopted.

Another aspect that this brings up is the equity in education and the purpose of public schools as well. In short, not everyone gets into MIT but everyone is not going to be an engineer either. The purpose of public school and grading is to create well rounded, participating citizens in a democracy. So every school should offer the chance to achieve higher education but it should also appropriate trade and or ROP programs as well.

Back to the grading, I am not sure what should be done but I know it needs to change.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Disrupting Class Reflection


I have recently begun reading the book “Disrupting Class” by Clayton Christensen and a couple questions have been formed by my instructor in order to use this information in regards to my teaching education. In my current semester there has been a major push to change the way in which the teaching candidates view the educational process. I believe that such a concept is favorable to the goals of improving our current system. Here are the questions posted:

1. Explain the difference between interdependence and modularity.  How is education currently organized? 

Interdependence and modularity are essentially terms compared to production and how the various pieces of things are made and engineered. Interdependence is when all parts must be strictly formulated and engineered by the same machine, worker, process etc in order to ensure compatibility. This was a major concern to early production since an assembly line needs parts to fit in order to make the final product but the factory would get multiple variations of the same part. An easy way to look at this would be if different tool companies threaded their bolts differently and only certain nuts would fit even though it was the right overall size. As the book mentions, Henry Ford had to open up his own metal shop in order to guarantee compatibility amongst his different pieces. Modularity would be the opposite when compared to the previous method. Modularity reflects upon the newer way of mas producing products and their ability to actually work together. In short this method designs parts that meet standardization to rest of the market. The example given was the light bulb and the lamp. Although the light bulb can be bought from numerous companies and can have a wide assortment of styles, they can be used in any appropriate lamp since the stem will not change and neither will the socket.
Theoretically I believe that our educational system reflects the interdependence model in most cases. A vast majority of classrooms will hold true to the direct instruction model that we, as students, were exposed to but that only addresses part of the greater whole in regards to how students learn. Students will be successful in these classes if and only if they conform to the instruction. As mentioned previously that form of production, and education, is outdated. Modular instruction would offer the students the ability to be flexible as long as the key factors of the education (standards) are met. Unfortunately, our education system also reflects interdependence within our emerging bilingual students. In their case a student who struggles to succeed in elementary school but continues to be behind. In middle school these students continue to fall behind and are ill equipped for high school. I believe that the statistics show that by tenth grade they give up completely. Since the students don’t fit the mold (Learning style), they are thrown away.

2. Explain the disruptive innovation theory.  What does this have to do with schools?

Disruptive innovation is effectively a paradigm shift in the way in which we continue to improve our product. The book explains that it is not a “breakthrough” but a change in consumers. Long story short, the book compares computer manufactures in the same light. The original computers were giant, expensive and complicated. Only governments and big business could afford and required such devices. When the personal computer was invented it had very little in comparison to the horsepower of the larger machines but could be used by those previously not exposed to the technology. Personal computers were a disrupting innovation since they were able to approach the market from the other direction. Eventually both the large machines and personal computers continued to improve but it was the personal computer that survived due to the needs of the new market.
Education is similar to this principle in regards to the simple question “What is the purpose for public education”? Over it short history, America has changed it requirement of the public school. The school started out focusing on reading, writing and the basics but through the last century has changed the expected outcome. The new focus on standardized test scores is an example of disruptive innovation since it requires our educators to retool how and what they instruct. Instead of letting the students choose from a series of subjects in which they can focus on vocation or college they are now forced to take standardized tests and exit exams.    

3.  Why doesn’t cramming computers in schools work?  Explain this in terms of the lessons from Rachmaninoff (what does it mean to compete against nonconsumption?)

The current method of cramming computers in the classroom is reference to a current and established provider attempting to use disruptive methods in such a way to compete in its current market. The correct approach to disruptive technology would be to offer something to a “non consumer” or someone no currently in the active market. In the case of Rachmaninoff, the invention of the phonograph, which paled in comparison considering sound quality, was marketed to individuals who could not go to a live concert. So instead of competing with the current market, concert goers, they instead focused on the public that choose the phonograph instead of nothing at all.
Adding computers in a classroom is similar to the understanding of “cramming” since we are flooding traditional classroom with a disruptive technology (computers) while maintaining similar teaching practices. Currently a vast majority of computers are used to supplement the same methods that existed prior to computers. To have the teaching potential of computers to be met we have to apply them to a new method. There needs to be a clean break from our antiquated methodology of teaching.  

4. Explain the pattern of disruption. 

              The disruptive pattern, as described in the book, is an “S” curve whereas the initial increases in need are relatively small, then sharply increases, levels off and finally continues a gradual increase to full need. This is explained by the increasing technology and the decreasing cost of it. In other words, as time moves on technology becomes more available and cheaper to implement for more consumers.

5. Explain the trap of monolithic instruction.  How does student-centric learning help this problem

                The book takes a few angles on bringing light to the various traps associated with the monolithic approach to instruction. The primary issues with the standard monolithic approach are that it constitutes the old way of instruction and will not be able to adequately adopt the computer. The current needs of our students revolve around the scientifically proven multiple intelligences and the traditional “sage on the stage” (lecture, PowerPoint, Overhead etc.) approach does not meet those needs. In that model an instructor must design a one size fits all lesson plan that will by definition not be able to reach every student. Student centered learning focuses on instructing in such ways that each of the many intelligences can be implemented depending on the student. The new model should be “guide on the side” whereas the students complete individual work and the instructor can approach each student uniquely with emphasis of what it takes to get that individual student to succeed.

6. Explain public education’s commercial system.  What does it mean to say it is a value-chain business?  How does this affect student-centric learning?

The public education system is a cycle that includes multiple steps including textbook producers, curriculum deciders, teachers, students, and teacher training. This cycle is completely self-replicating the ideals of monolithic teaching. A textbook is written then adopted by a committee to distribute to schools. A teacher teaches this curriculum to the students and assesses their work and advancement. Further teacher training produces better textbooks that follow monolithic principles and are then adopted by the committees and send to the schools to be taught by those same teachers.
                This model is considered “value-chain” because there are only two major inputs in this series. Information is plugged into the textbook production and then newer versions are produced the next year. On the other end a ninth grader is inserted and shows knowledge of the material and leaves a tenth grader.
This process is harmful to student centered learning because it focuses on the textbook and adopted information instead of student success. Each new version of the text will be produced and instructed through traditional means such as lecture since that system has worked well enough, not really but that is the current thought. Student success should be the focus since our students need more than just a better textbook each year.  


Reference:
Christensen, Clayton M. (2008), Disrupting class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, New York, NY: McGraw Hill

Monday, March 5, 2012

Personal Academics and Standardized Testing

Its been a tough semester so far and it seems that in an odd way my education is reflecting the educational system as a whole. It can be said that my education can be classified into four very distinct areas which are high school and undergrad, teaching prerequisites, single subject semester one, and single subject semester two. The overall trend that i have seen is increasing difficulty and increasingly high stakes. It just occurred that the public education system can be seen in the same light in regards to how it has been rquired to change adjust and see itself in a new light as well.

For the most part, my undergraduate experience was very similar to my high school experience. There were easy classes and hard classes but overall there was little actual work to be completed outside of the classroom. In both cases I would do any and all major assignments at the last minute in effort to obtain a decent grade but would spend little time studying and or doing weekly homework, unless it was vital to class. I did not realize the value of all the experiences that i was throwing away. I believed that what worked then (high school) will work now (undergrad). I think that can be compared to pre-NCLB education. The practices were not prefect, the dropout rate never was reduced, and there was a constant overlook of many subgroups of students. There was little change over a significant period of time.  

My first semester at CSUSM, when i was taking the prerequisites in order to actually apply for the credential program, was the first time in which I took my education seriously in regards to homework, studying, projects and so forth. I had a purpose for my education and started to do more than was the minimum and what had worked (well enough anyway) in the past. I was not able to break old habits though, for example, during that period I took the CBEST and CSET tests so that i could meet application requirements but i still found myself not really studying for either. That period of my life can be seen being similar to the early phase of NCLB whereas in California the CAHSEE was first administered. That was a period of change and adjustment where education was starting to go through significant alterations but was still in the early stages.

The first half of my credential education was a period of significant stress and a lot of hard work. My Fall 11 grades were the highest grades that i have ever received. There were many assignments and projects due and i was able to really change my practices as a student and a future educator. I was far from perfect but I took all of my assignments and readings seriously. For the first time I took out student loans and have placed myself in debt in order to pay for school, not to mention quit my job. Risk is required in order to achieve great rewards. Although I have fared better than the education system, that period of my education can be compared to the application of high stakes testing. Schools are now under the scrutiny of the standardized tests and major problems are now rising to the surface.

The second half of my credential eduction is now underway and things are getting tougher. While trying to adjust to a new model of online classes and other various fairly new practices, I have fallen behind in my assignments and feel like I have taken a step backwards. This will not decide my fate however, after surviving some major hurtles (Two group projects and a TPA) I can get back to business a start repairing this semester's grades. This will hopefully be the future of the educational system in regards to discovering "all will not be well in 2014" but nothing is final. NCLB is far from perfect but it did bring to life systemic flaws in or education system. The first couple years of standardized testing has not gone as well as we hoped but there will be new generalized standards that will be implemented and the hope that we can repair the education process and policies.

As a future educator and a student I must apply myself in being a life long learner in which I must be able to change and flex in order to be successful. Our system of public education must be the same. What may have worked well enough in the past will not be good enough in the future.    

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Assignment locations.

At this point I will have all class based assignment located in their respective tabs. This way it will be easier to distinguish blog entries from the required assignments.

Monday, January 30, 2012

EDSS 541 RR#7


Reading Response #7
Identify the key elements and process for Service Learning
                The first step in identifying what service learning is should be explaining how it is different than regular community service. Although community service is a valuable aspect of an adolescent’s young life it is something separated from curriculum and or educational standards. Service learning is possibly the same action, such as a beach cleanup etc, but with education and student emotional, social and intellectual growth as the priority of the activity. Service learning is an educational opportunity that can also double as community service but community service is not guaranteed to be considered service learning.   
                The key element of any service learning project is the connection that each student will make with the material, each other, the instructors, the community and themselves. The outcome of service learning is the authentic experience that is produced by doing and not just saying, practicing and not just professing, living and not just thinking. In the world of education it is the primary goal of the instructor to have the students be able to make connection and relevance to the material. It is one thing to be able to say, quote, and or regurgitate the material but it is more important for the students to be able to apply the material as well.
                The process of a successful service learning project can be a fairly complex collection of planning, collaboration, creativity, and reflection. The most important part of a project will be the design and planning since at the heart it is intended to be an application of the standards so it will be built around the objective. Just like our lesson plans for our various content areas, the service projects should be backwards designed. After the objective is defined, the next piece is the action, event, and or group in which explores the objective and how the standard/objective will be completed and or shown. This is the other major planning obstacle whereas you first need to find the purpose and standard of the project then you need to plot out the logistics, without either your project will not succeed.
                Once the overall backwards planning and logistics are ironed out then there is the actual preparation of the project itself such as student readiness. The students must know and understand the rationale of why a beach cleanup has anything to do with history or why homelessness can be a product of racism. There should be an integrated series of lessons leading into, during and especially after the project’s completion. The final step in a successful service project will be reflection in regards to the students reflecting on their experiences and the instructors reflecting on the outcome of the project.    

EDSS 531 Reflection


Clinical Practice #1 Reflection
What is it like to be a student in my class?
                Although this experience will vary from student to student and from period to period I would like to have my response focus on the average. Most of my students enjoy my class due my passion and energy level in which I celebrated American history. What has the possibility to be a dry subject that consists of lecture and note taking I believe that history should be akin to “story time”. History can be fun, interesting, and relatable and it is my job to exactly that.
My greatest strength can also be a tragic weakness however in regards to energy level and delivery. Early in my student teaching I had a tendency to be overexcited when answering a question and or explaining a topic. I would find myself spewing out a stream of consciousness describing everything before, during, and after whatever point I was trying to make. Once I found, and still improving, a way to slow down my explanations and tighten up my precision more of my students were able to follow along.

What is it like for a student to move through classes in a day at our school?
                It is difficult for me to see the world through the eyes of my former students in this regard. Their high school experience up to the series of events that brought them into continuing education is at time unfathomable considering each of their personal hardships just making it to school that day. That being noted I would imagine most of the students on that campus are happy to be in a safe, stable and structured environment. Most may grumble and grip about having to do work every now and then but they enjoy the overall experience.
                Another interesting insight would be how the students felt about each of their instructors. At my former school the faculty really went out of their way in order to support the students. I would also understand how each of the staff were all unique and interesting individuals in which different students will have their own opinion based on the instructor and or subject material.   

EDSS 541 RR#6

Although not the actual response listed in the syllabus, I still feel compelled to respond to the two videos on the 21st century Student and Teacher (Links provided). The integration of content areas with any assortment of technology will always be a step forward. I did have some questions arise during each of the viewings...

1) If China has more honor role students then we (USA) have population is it due to actually having a better educational model (I assume so) or just more students over all. What is their educational model, what are they doing, and how are we not doing it. I think using statistics to show the proportionality could improve that statement.

2)Involving mixes, remixes, student compilations, multimedia presentations etc. will be vital for the next generation of students. I do retain my doubts when such things as SOPA (Anti piracy Act) will try to shut down the very sources of free information we need for these things to be successful. I look back to my EDUC 422 professor and the belief (at that time, hopefully I'm not misrepresenting) that the legal issues and so forth needs to catch up with the technology.

It is always very comfortable to hear the adage "not reinventing the wheel" but that no longer is a viable way to look at education. We teach as we have been taught and there we have the wheel that needs to be reinvented.

http://youtu.be/_A-ZVCjfWf8
http://youtu.be/B4g5M06YyVw

EDSS RR#5

Reading Response #5
                Although the details still need to be worked out in many respects, our theme will be the local ecology of the area immediately surrounding the campus including the beach which only a few blocks away. The draft of the cover sheet for the project will be discussed at our next meeting tomorrow. Some of the tasks drawn out will include the service leaning that will involve volunteering for beach clean ups and or other groups. Although not mentioned as a group I believe there will be many opportunities offered through groups such as The Surfrider Foundation.
                From the social science standpoint I am projecting either an Industrial revolution based standard and or creating assignments that would involve local city ordinances, the creation of such initiatives or possibly a project focused of the Californian Proposition system. More to come.

EDSS 541 RR#4

Reading Response #4
                I believe that I will successfully contribute to my thematic unit team in a couple of areas. On a personal level I feel that I am a warm person who can create friendships and successful collaborative relationships. I enjoy humor and appreciate safe and respectful working environments.
One major difficulty with aligning so many content areas is deciding how one theme can apply each of them. Our group has already conquered this issue and my contribution was creativity and flexibility as per the application of our specific areas of expertise.   
Last but not least I do believe that the content area in which I am “bringing to the table” is probably one of the most flexible. Each area of study can be fairly universal in one way or the other but Social Science includes history, econ, political science, psychology, sociology, and criminology to name a few. My content area can be involved in any theme in which could be initiated.   

EDSS 541 RR#3

Reading Response #3
“Helps them teach an interdisciplinary thematic unit as a meaningful way for students to learn through connected relationships of content

Model #1

Several Disciplines Can Initiate ITU. Often, to help the students recognize connections between selected content areas, the initial ITU activities can be designed to allow the students to assume the role of real-world professionals

Over the next few sessions, you and the students can approach the unit from the point of view of a particular discipline and then move on to a different discipline every day or two.

As the teacher, you would first solicit and introduce questions an archeologist would ask and discuss, and then demonstrate how an archeologist would organize and share information about the topic

Ongoing Developmental Activities
Ongoing developmental activities are those that make up the day-to-day energy of the unit-consider these activities the ongoing laps of an educational Indy 500. Once the ITU has been initiated, the students can become occupied with a variety of daily activities.

Culminating Activities
A culminating activity is one that incorporates sharing the product of the students' study-consider this a final lap in an educational Indy 500 for an ITU. You can accept the students' suggestions for a final event if it engages them in summarizing what they have learned with others.

Activities
Discovering patterns in disciplines can become
one of the culminating projects for an ITU if it is appropriate
for your group of students
A quiz show as a culminating activity can help
older students review information they gain in an
ITU about a period in history

Readings and inserts adapted from:
( Roberts, P. & Kellough, R. (2004). A complete guide to integrated thematic units. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.)

EDSS 541 RR#2

Reading Response #2
                Activity 7.1
The thematic group that I will have the pleasure to be working with will consist of mathematics, biology, physical education and social science. Although we remain in the earliest of stages when considering planning, our primary focus to guide this unit will be the combination of the California State Standards for each to the respective content areas in addition to available on-line informative sites and student interests.
            The brainstorming was more of a group effort on how to create a theme some of the ideas thrown about included but was not limited to the linking of our somewhat varied content areas.
That lists contained:


·        Find a way to link math/biology with social science
·        Involving physical education into the unit
·        Looking into the nutritional aspects of PE
·        Allowing social science to view “The History of…..”
·        Hoping the math and bio areas could align
·        Figuring out how the service project would pan out



The ongoing understanding of our thematic unit will involve a river, oceans and or lakes “field trip” where tests on water quality etc will be administered and recorded. Bio and math will focus on the testing and recording, PE will have the students walk, run, jog to the testing area and social science will compare such article that include industrialization.

Activity 7.2
My thematic unit team will be meeting later in the week, I believe tomorrow, in order to really hash out some of the major details such as essential questions, specific education standards, and other collaborative efforts. Prior to doing so, my essential questions will be similar to:
1.      What is the current “health” of this area?
2.      What impact have humans had on the environment?
3.      How can we change to foreseeable negative outcome?