Brandy's Bloggeroo - Masters in Educational Technology, Pepperdine University

EDC 668 - Week 11 Blog

2008-07-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

How has the course been effective in broadening your perspective and skill set for managing technology for change?

My perspective has been broadened a lot. We read a few books that really add value to what we "think" we know as individuals -- Next (by Michael Lewis) & Everything Bad is Good for You (by Steve Johnson). In Next, the author describes a series of technological "ah-ha" moments that make the very makers question what happened to technology. We are ever-so dependent on the technology yet we take it for granted. In many ways we haven't pushed it to its fullest potential to transform lives. In Everything Bad is Good for You, the author presses a different perspective of all things that we once found to be inherently evil could actually be a "gift" of learning, communication, discovery, and ..... EDUCATION! As scary as it sounds to incorporate video games into school minutes, the author gives the perspective of the "other side" in that not all things we once perceived as bad should be taken at face value.

Our class discussions have helped me see ways that I have the power of leadership and the ability to change others by example, encouragement, and my steadfast approach to modeling. When others see success, they follow. If we must become a global nation, we certainly must see past the generic judgements, bell schedules, silly formatting (APA... yes!), and seemingly religious tactics those who began running our education system have come up with.

Finally... as this was one of our assignments... if I were president, I would change education drastically (although, I really couldn't because it's a state-run legislation)... so maybe if I were the Queen of the universe I would most certainly:

Change schools to become more progressive - meaning they study actual-life trades as they gather a love for learning with purpose, more internships in high school, starting students out on an early pace-system in middle school, do away with short classes and silly bell schedule, eliminate state-mandated testing, NCLB, and anything that inhibits our kids from actually learning like school was "designed" (although poorly) to do.

Change is in the making. One OMET group at a time. Thanks Melissa, Gary, Paul, Bill, and Margaret for your incredible wisdom in this process of tranformative thinking. I have learned a lot this year and as Margaret has said before though... we have not done our jobs until we take our learning and multiply it. That is the true test of learning.

Peace sign.

EDC 668 - Week 10 Blog - posting #101!

2008-07-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

What types of influence do I have in my current local and global communities? How can I expand that influence?

This question reminds me of a leadership assignment I just completed where I was asked to describe the future of my leadership (on all levels). While it was similar, I did not expand my leadership to the global communities, of which I will try and do here.

Current Local Community: In my local community, I have a great deal of influence as I am a classroom teacher with many connections to students and adults (their parents). I also work in a school district of 22,000 students and many employees. I am a voter in a community of approximately 63,000 people and have connections to many people because of the city-suburbian culture in which I live. Online, I have even more community which I consider to be local as well (just a click away) but moreso global because what I read/reflect can be read worldwide and impact essentially anyone who stumbles upon what I have written.

Global Community: Within the global community, I am an avid Internet user who contributes to the Internet through blogs, wikis, discussion postings, and by creating 2 websites of which are open to the public. I have contributed to multiple types of blogs (some closed, some open) and to websites like wikipedia of which are open-source and available to all who contribute and attain knowledge.

How can I expand that influence? I can expand my influence by learning from others but also contributing my learning/reflections on the Internet. I can also expand my influence by informing and educating the students I teach, their parents, my fellow colleagues and administrators about technology and sharing their knowledge.

EDC 668 - Week 9 Blog (8 was graduation!!)

2008-06-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

From where does global change derive? How can we use global change to promote deeper learning across the globe?

Global change, I believe, derives from the citizens. As soon as I read this question, a quote from someone pretty famous came to me-- "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind" -- spoken by Neil Armstrong himself as he first stepped onto the moon.

He didn't speak of but himself or even of the American people of which he belonged, but for all. While he, like other leaders in politics and beyond may be considered the deal-makers of our time, we are essentially living in a democracy (or we would hope...) that allows the people to have a say in change. We vote in elections--although less than we should as a people-- and we contribute our say to this freedom we have.

Like the United States, other countries allow their people freedom to choose and lead as they see fit. Many unfortunately do not though (thinking of North Korea and Cuba to name a couple). Even North Korea blocks the Internet heavily from their citizens.

Where global change would derive is if the worlds people are able to communicate. Since we know now that they can... what's the hold-up? Well, while I am no expert in the field, I do believe that global change must happen slowly and the people from all walks of life must be in agreement that they see a need for change. Because of our massive diversity and differences, we are still human and still maintain our views in being superior. I guess I only hope that we can further our global growth especially when it comes to learning.

If global change were really visible as our lives are leaning in that wonderous direction, we should see learning as an all-around thing. Nancy mentioned in a recent post in Blackboard that Russians learn about world history- not just their own. Now, while the United States is most considered a powerful nation and others are obviously seeking to attain such power (although I could argue that Russians have a handle on our space system in which I think the U.S. is still trailing...) I can see why they would want to acquire knowledge of our nation... but why aren't we trying to get to know their history?

Global learning will be amazing and entirely relying on technology which is a great blessing and gift in which we should hold dearly.

EDC 668 - Week 7 Blog

2008-06-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

From where does personal and local change derive? How can we use change to promote deeper learning as individuals and in our local settings?

Daniel Yankelovich's article, Ferment and Change: Higher Education in 2015 was really interesting. He spoke of 5 trends that higher education should consider to meet the needs of the people by 2015.

Personal and local change must derive in five ways-- according to the article; one of which is Changing Life Cycles as our Nation's Population Ages. The article speaks of "college aged" being dramatically flopped from an "early 20's" mentality. With this, it's important that higher education see these changes and see to changing as the trends do.

A dramatic separation between the work force and college is shown to illustrate how divided we are and how this change cannot be created without the enlistment of both involved. Here's an excerpt from the article that I feel summed up the concept best:

Employers and colleges are not designed to accommodate the longer life stage between adolescence and settling down, especially in light of the ever-changing character of today's knowledge economy. Preparation for work is now divided between "education," the task assigned to schools and colleges, and "training," the task assigned to the workplace or to professional trainers. Yet that distinction is often artificial and inefficient. A great deal of training goes on in education, but it is poorly done because it is divorced from the workplace, and a great deal of education goes into training that is also poorly done because it is divorced from colleges. If higher education were totally responsive to the demands of the larger society, in 10 years we would see many more efforts to integrate higher education, training, and work.

To derive that personal change, the mindset of individuals needs to change. Individuals need to focus themselves and cause that special change at the local level. The whole quote about "it takes a village to raise a child" may be appropriate here. In order for local change to occur, everyone must take on the responsibility to do their part and show less ignorance to change. The support, financially, through voting, and emotionally must stand behind the future of higher education.

Some ways I can show personal change to affect local change is to encourage my fellow colleagues to continue on with higher education, to vote in elections (even though their children don't go to schools in the district or they are past their prime and children are grown and moved away), and to see purpose in getting involved. Many people think that their "vote" or input does not count but collectively they all do. With everyone keeping that mentality of "I'm only one person...", we would have no involvement. If more people spoke up about their interests to further their education and the ways in which they saw fit, change would occur. It takes a united people to campaign for their interests.

Higher education will not change overnight and the plans to change by 2015 (you think we'll get there?? I'm not so sure! We only have 7 years!) will be impossible if the ENTIRE community of people sees higher education as their concern.

EDC 668 - Week 6 Blog

2008-06-08T16:45:00.001-07:00

How does globalization change the needs and demands on US, K12, higher education and corporate learning environments?

Us: Globalization changes the needs and demands of us because information is flowing on a larger scheme than before. Globalizing ourselves means being sensitive to other cultures, countries, and the changes that take place between them. Rather than natural disasters of other countries being "their" concern, we have now made it our concern because of a higher invested interest.

K12: If we were truly global (which I wish we were... but we are getting there), our students would not be attending schools and seeing their worlds as apart from others. We do not educate our children in the same way as other countries... and although allowing for change within countries is the rights of their individual governments, states, countries, we must see ourselves as competitive with them while working to develop the best ways to raise our children. There may be alternate methods presented by different countries that vary in the way we educate our youth, but the underlying point is that regardless of country, all young people should be educated. We compete, but should moreso-- collaborate to ensure the best learning for our children. If another country prepares our children and we are made aware through globalization, we need to assess our own methods and grow to me more like those with the innovation.

Higher Education: In higher education, I HOPE that globalization hits soon. I recall reflecting with my cadremates about the excitement of online learning in higher education to be global. Rather than attending one University, being given the option to attend multiple Universities within the world--- actually learning about Chinese culture from a Chinese professor in Tapped In or Skype from Beijing... all that would truly mean global learning and enrichment for all.

Corporate Learning: In the corporate world, if globalization is truly in place, job performances are benchmarked globally, not locally. This means that people are hired and remain valuable based on their assets, regardless of time zone or location. I see this out of all four levels discussed here to be to most current and updated. This really happens. In Wikinomics, this same view is shared and in an array of books exposing globalization of work-- ever called a product company lately and spoken to someone in India-- globalizing our corporate world is already there. Whatever is more effective and efficient will = what our markets are headed towards.

EDC 668 - Week 5 Blog

2008-05-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

How do NCLB and the Spellings Commission affect change in the use of educational technology?

Addressing NCLB's stance of education and my thoughts about how it may affect educational technology, I see schools underperforming and therefore receiving less government stipend funding for technology programs. Those schools that fail to meet the numerical achievement standards will face "punishment" in areas that could likely provide the funding for education programs.

I know that NCLB has been in hot debate since it's arrival about 7 or so years ago, but I am not blogging about my opinion-- moreso of how I see technology education changing because of its arrival. With NCLB, standards are expected to be met and optimal test scores are expected to be achieved. With a fear that they may not hit the marks and lose their funding, schools put aside programs that are good for student achievement, growth, etc. to teach the standards and as some say, 'teach to the test.' Certainly not jumping to any major conclusions, I do see a concern for putting programs like art, music, technology, and physical education on the backburner as teachers struggle to fulfill every tiny category of the standards to be ready for May testing.

As for higher education and the Spellings Commission's accreditation (debate), I feel that educational technology could actually benefit them. There are strict regulations in place for higher education sources to keep high standards... and that's a great thing. The wonderful thing I find about higher education is their ability to make their own rules when it comes to specific standards... so long as those standards are high enough for the DOE. With this freedom... for lack of a better term, schools are pushed to become better than yesterday so they can maintain their funding and status as an "accredited program or university."

This section was pulled from the article that I learned most about:
The process is used largely to help institutions improve themselves, but it also serves as the closest thing higher education has to an externally applied stamp of approval. Although it rarely happens, the agencies have the authority to pull an institution’s accreditation, and with it the ability of its students to receive federal financial aid.

Yes, as I see the article... they have highlighted the best (and worst) the process has to offer. But... what I valued most from reading that was that it requires institutions to improve themselves... which is where I think educational technology may place its footprint. With their need to constantly improve themselves, incorporating technology may be just the extra addition they can add to improve their programs and be "good enough" for the DOE.

EDC 668 - Week 4 Blog

2008-05-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Where do you see technology & education developing next? How do you think the symbiotic relationship between the two will evolve over the next 10 years?

At a rapid pace, technology is showings signs of hope for rejuvenating education as we know it. Whether or not schools have or will take heed and act is another situation. Many schools see a need for technology, but often lack the resources and time that are necessary for technology integration. There is one thing that is certain however; that technology is a resource schools want and businesses want.

In Next: The Future Just Happened (Lewis, 2001), the Internet is expressed as changing the way we live and work. For a few young entrepreneurs, their lives changed by using simplistic yet complex computer manipulation techniques that landed the on the fast track to success-- until those opposed to the use of the convenient technology were informed and put a stop to everything. Lewis depicts technology as both being a resource of innovation and a resource of the past. While we don't consider the Web to be innovative (yet imperative in the world), we do require its presence to successfully carry on with business and living.

Carrying with the tradition of technology development and further discovering of tools designed to help education, I hope that technology is more than just developed, but enveloped into the school day. Like the youngsters described in the book, our abilities to use the technology is not what is surprising, but the actual use of technology within the classroom that is.

I hope that in 10 years technology will not be swept under the rug but a required "standard" to use in teaching other subjects. I picture students using hand-held computerized devices to web search, complete assignments, and go completely paperless with regards to worksheets as far back as the upper elementary level. Young students were born in the technology age and see no different than what they are taught. If they are being taught with the technology that is available and discovered, it should not be a surprise to us that 15-year olds give law advice or participate in contributing ideas to the collective body of knowledge that is our World Wide Web.

Hicken, M. (2007, Aug. 3). Technology Skills
Seen Key for U.S. Students. The Washington Times, pp. C08.

Lewis, M. (2001). Next : The Future Just Happened.
New York: Random House.

EDC 668 - Week 3 Blog

2008-05-18T13:02:00.001-07:00

How can authentic learning tools improve student engagement and deepen learning? What does the apprenticeship model tell us about learning?

Authentic learning tools are helpful in student engagement and learning because they serve a specific purpose that in essence, can differentiate instruction/learning for that individual or group of individuals. For example,
if students are given such things as portfolios to add to their learning and create more of a linear pattern of learning, students can see personal growth, tailor projects to their own understandings and purposes, and develop a more diverse form of learning that simply cannot be compared to a test or heavily structured project.

The apprenticeship model tells us that learning is best done when students are able to work through their lives and experiences when learning new ideas/tools. Without using these new ideas and experiences to improve their lives and work, the experiences stand alone as learning that has not been connected to the person. Knowledge is often lost when experiences are not connected to the learning, hence making apprenticeship learning so valuable for any student.

EDC 668 - Week 2 Blog

2008-05-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Why do educational organizations choose to employ portfolios? What value does the use of rubrics in evaluating activities and portfolios bring? How can peer review affect learning progress and growth?

Educational organizations choose to employ portfolios for a variety of reasons. Just as an experiment, I Google searched "portfolios" and the first site to come up was an organization site, boasting the use of portfolios in education. This website: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea5l143.htm described portfolios as being:

"...collections of students' work over time. A portfolio often documents a student's best work and may include other types of process information, such as drafts of the student's work, the student's self-assessment of the work, and the parents' assessment. Portfolios may be used for evaluation of a student's abilities and improvement."

In just the same way, portfolios are used to highlight growth and learning achievements. Professional business portfolios are essentially a timeline of experience and with that experience, learning (should have) occurred.

Rubrics bring great value in examining growth and learning by way of portfolios and activities. It's easy for those measuring the personal's growth (whether it be a teacher, executive, principal, etc.) by basing it on an expectation that has already been set. In the same sense, teachers can use rubrics that were created to measure student achievement to their objectives in teaching. If a students portfolio includes how they learned to write their rounded letters, a teacher may remember back to his/her objectives in teaching and see whether the portfolio evidence measured to the standards of their lesson and met the lesson objective goals.

Peer review is also another successful method of accountability and learning that goes on when students critique one another and help them raise the bar for themselves. Students are often self-critical and can see areas of weakness in one another. They also are likely to find someone in their peer group that is strong in an area of weakness for them, finding not only an allie but another teacher who may shed some light on their struggles and help to improve this deficit.

EDC 668 - Week 1 Blog

2008-05-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

What is the role of an electronic portfolio in my ongoing academic and professional career in educational technology?

I see an electronic portfolio being a value resource for my academic and professional career. Currently I am still learning and growing as a new teacher and adding to my repetoire of knowledge. I attend seminars, join groups, take classes, and spend time in workshops to better my knowledge in teaching. Just the same, I need a place to house my growth and area to post my knowledge and ongoing learning calendar. From this, I see an electronic portfolio as being easy to alter and use as my ongoing learning develops. It would also benefit me because I would not need paper record of attended seminars, while keeping them online for viewing.

In my professional career in educational technology, I think it's important to show how it personally impacts my living. Having an online portfolio, I prove that using technology is important to me and how dedicated I am to learning new methods. I think having an electronic portfolio would set me aside from many educated people (especially educators) because of my ability to market my skills while sharing my experiences in such a manner. I also hope to help others develop their knowledge of educational technology and benefit this program further by bringing others into its existence.

I am eager to work on this! What a great way to track progress.

EDC 665 -- Week 14 Blog

2008-04-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Blog: What theory, discussion and/or application from this course most impacts your ongoing action research project?

Backwards design is the number one impact on my life in teaching, and my action research project. The ARP gradually changes every cycle because I have found myself changing. My views have been changing in respect to what I value as a teacher and what I feel my students should learn.

While I have always known that backwards design existed (recent teacher ed. graduate), I rarely found time to spend on it. Teaching can be a whirlwind, and it's important to create a list of how and what is important to you in your practice. It's just that: a practice. We must change and design our curriculum to suit our student needs.

The second most important piece that I value is using differentiated instruction. I currently use it in my classroom and daily routines, but I really see value in differentiating in my ARP. Students are exploring how to use the Internet in relation to web searches and I think that my student pairings and expectations are different per pair. Some need additional attention, but in all, I expect that all students will understand my essential questions (or in this case, research questions).

Power Mentoring w/Jen Part 4

2008-04-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

An update on my and Jen's mentoring relationship. We've talked casually recently and wanted to post her recent needs as I remember them. We also have dinner planned for this week to discuss these items even further and also catch up as friends (because that's also very important!).

Jen is concerned about making new teacher friends that she "clicks" with at her new school location. Being the department chair at her current high school, she was part in the hiring process and quickly found connections with her apprentice teachers. She was also a support provider in BTSA -- the beginning teacher program required for year 1 and year 2 teachers in California. It is nice to have friends in the department you work in, and I understand Jen's concern there. We can somewhat relate to this issue as I am working at a school that I could leave tomorrow with now holds if required. I love my students and the parents and administration is supportive, but the teachers aren't the most friendly. They don't go above and beyond in their jobs and the parking lot is often empty before 4:00 on any given day. I can barely get students out of the classroom and the last straggling tutoring my students request before most teachers are off into the sunset. So, I understand and we had a great connecting conversation.

One of the other concerns she brought to my attention through her transition was learning to deal with what parents bring. It's a difficult task to figure out proper ways to approach phonecalls, emails, etc. Coming from a school where the demographics include many students who aren't legal residents (hence the parents are not complaining out of safety) and the majority of parents who are uneducated, not bilingual, and not involved, there is a great concern for the abrupt change. To this concern, I can relate completely. This was one of the main reasons why I selected Jen as my mentee because she is in need of assistance on the very thing I had such a learning curve on just a couple years ago. I am better versed now. A friend of mine substitute teaches at my school and her husband is a high school math teacher at the school Jen will be switching to. They will be in the same department and have taught at the same starting school. Given their similiar connections, I was able to speak with that teachers wife about his transition and to offer some advice for Jen. The wife, Julie, mentioned that she is excited Jen will be jumping into their group and that it was a struggle to watch students feel so "privileged" at this new "elite" high school as opposed to the one both of them starting their teaching careers in. It's trying at first, but he has been there now for over 25 years so he obviously warmed up to the student population. The important thing to note is that although it's an affluent area, there are students from all over and not all of them have a supportive family and background. Struggle can be found everywhere and we all have the same basic needs to be loved and appreciated.

Those were some heavy topics. More to come on Thursday/Friday.

EDC 665 - Week 13 Blog

2008-04-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

In your current professional environment, how are educational experiences or programs assessed? Is the evidence collected from the assessment used to inform change? Why or why not do you think this occurs?

In my current professional environment, the educational experiences and programs are assessed in a few ways; as a school team, as an individual teacher, and at the district level. In our school district, we use PLC's (professional learning communities) where our teachers run the show and discuss progams and all educational experiences that affect our students in a wide setting with everyone involved, in grade level meetings, and in cross-grade level meetings. The universality of the prorgam is fantastic. We created norms to follow when in attendance and we follow up with major events regularly to assure what we are implementing is valid and necessary. For example, we have used PLC's to determine how money should be spent on our supplies, music program, Gifted Students, Physical Education, etc. Teachers are the first to have a say at school decisions and how we run specific programs unique to our site.

As an individual teacher, I am responsible for creating educational experiences for my students and I am lucky to have a school administrator and district that allows individual teachers the luxury of creating these experiences. Within my classroom, as long as I am supportive to my fellow team members (other teachers) and teach the standards, I can teach freely. I am not expected to jump through any hoops within the classroom. Because of this luxury, I have free reign to expose my students to fabulous programs. For example, I love teaching language arts with chapter books to my fourth graders. They equally love the non-scripted approach and flexibility to read a book they had a say in selecting. The point is to get them reading... not to teach them to dislike it!

At the district level, many decisions are made about programs that are out of our control... usually tying somewhere with money. For example, some years we have instructional vocal music and some years we do not. We don't have a P.E. program but we certainly teach our own students all because the money was not available. Professional development is incredibly helpful but we don't receive a lot of funding based on our demographics and location.

Evidence from assessments are absolutely used to inform change. If a program is not working and the outcomes are not the expected outcomes, or outcomes we didn't expect but showing growth, we are quick to re-group and change route. Teaching and school districts must be about change. If they are not, the growth will not be seen in the consumers (students). Given our actual assessment data, we saw a need for increased writing support. Our district and school adopted the Lucy Calkin's program of writing and is now training teachers in this fashion. It has been a huge success. On another note, conceptual understanding and problem solving is a huge push in math this year. I was on the CUPS committee and saw little value in the program. While the concepts are certainly important to review, it was not a good use of money and needed to be re-worked. The outcomes and assessment did not produce good results, thus informing the much needed change. I think that our district and school site uses assessment to inform change because time is not only of the essence, but it is the responsibility of an educational institution to support their students in the greatest possible way while being respective of the tax dollars they are spending. While corruption and disagreements can arise, it seems to be a fluid process within our district and I am proud to have a teaching position in the midst of great and conscious change.

Power Mentoring w/Jen Part 3

2008-03-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

The recent mentor meeting I had with Jen went well. We brought out another concern she was having that was making her anxious about her upcoming switch to the new high school.

I was sort of surprised by her concern this time, but understand how she might be feeling in this regard. Jen has worked in this lower-income area for 6 years now, the duration of her teaching career. In this time, she has built a great deal of relationships and fears that leaving with make her feel the "baggage" as she referred to it, of betrayal. She will feel guilty, essentially, for leaving behind what needs more attention and care for something that may come easier to her.

While she is not leaving to get away from the kids she works with, the administration is trying on her. She has gone through multiple administrators and superintendants that most teachers in their 6th year should and do not have to endure. The district is disorganized and seems to be fraying at the seams.

We discussed how she can still involve herself in collaboration with other teachers from the school and possibly still have a foot in the door for assistance, or relationships with students who really value her as a mentor. A bit of "pay it forward" mentoring, if you will.

I brought some thoughts to her about my insecurities with my job future. We talked about ways to market myself and how I may best show my assets to other districts if they time arises where this may occur. She is really supportive and gave me great interview tips that she's used in the past too.

Power Mentoring w/Jen Part Deux (really 3... but can't remember the 1st title)

2008-03-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

Jen and I have been really busy and she's been out of town (oh life!) but she shot me an email and we've conversed about a few things going down in our lives. Here's the summary:

Another concern on the horizon is learning how to deal with a new kind of student. Many non-educators probably haven't experienced this dynamic... but when the demographics, area, languages change, so do the students. The needs and difficulties of students in the projects are far different than the tragedies seen in Beverly Hills. Jen is going from an urban school to a school with a mixture of both urban kids and yuppies. It's not to the extreme, but it's certainly a change. Now, parents will speak English (no parents did previously) and are involved. It may also be difficult for Jen to see how to meet these needs because they are so diverse.

I feel a connection to this because I have experienced working/volunteering at a variety of schools recently and seeing the dynamic change. The major connection I bring to the table when lending a helping hand and mentoring in this situation is knowing HOW to deal with the "other" demographic that Jen is not as familiar with. I understand much of what parents are looking for and I have coping strategies for parents who are ultra-needy. She may even run into parents who are doing the homework for the students and then in class the child is failing... it definitely happens.

The great news is that I will be moving in July directly across the street from the high school she is going to be teaching at. I can maintain our mentoring relationship until the framework has been set.

Other than that, she has been incredibly busy as have I. All is well!

EDC 665 - Week 9 Blog

2008-03-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

From your experience in OMET thus far, what design practice has resonated with you the most? Why?

The design practice that has resonated with me the most through OMET is creating learning experiences (or "adventures") that really make an impact on your learning. That sounded vague... but my explanation is here:

I believe that creating learning experiences for anyone that allows them to be active in their learning is key. Regardless of how the plan is set up, the curriculum should be taught with activity involved. For example, I was teaching about the gold rush yesterday and we were discussing how strenuous working as a gold miner must have been. We all got out of our chairs, and tried to pan for gold as long as we could before our legs and backs started to ache. While it was a silly simulation, my students really won't forget the laborious work the 49'ers went through.

Group projects are also fantastic for students to be engaged in. Students teach each other an incredible amount. My favorite example of this is teaching math. I teach an advanced group of students and I love hearing them talk about math with one another. One student asks how their partner got the answer they did and the learning begins. "I changed the 6(6) to 6x because I was trying to show that it will cost 6 dollars for any amount of weeks, and x can stand for the number of weeks..." etc. Especially in math I value learning experiences that are rich in explanation such as these.

Power Mentoring w/Jen

2008-03-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

Jen and I have been in contact through emails and phone recently about some of the apprehensions she is having. We are planning to set up another lunch/dinner date soon to discuss some options and coping strategies to the following voiced concerns:

Making new friends at a new high school -- being in a new environment is not always the same. Especially in a new school, dynamics can be incredibly different from school to school.

I am feeling this same thing right now at my current school. Having recently changed grade levels, my team is different than last year. In addition, it appears that the school I teach at is going to through one of those changing transitions where people are stuck in a rut, negative, over-worked, busy with young families and the unity that used to exist is void.

Another thing Jen mentioned that she is nervous about with the new transition is:

Not beginning Young Life ministry right away. Young Life is a Christian-based organization that Jen has been a leader through (it's done through high school kids with teachers who act as leaders one night a week for "club") her entire teaching career thus far.

My fiance and Jen were both Young Life leaders for a couple years together and with this new school change, Jen will be ending her current school's YL leadership (and kids/fellow leaders/friends/support group) position. She likely hopes to be involved in YL in the future at her new school but must first get started, create connections with kids (that's how success in YL can exist) and find out how to start up club with the new kid base. Leaving behind a beginning is always difficult. In addition, myself and my fiance are fans of YL and how they work to bring kids to experience a faith. We will be looking into working as leaders as well with Jen when she is more established at her new school scene. We are hoping to live close to the high school which would make developing relationships with high school kids easy. :)

These are two main concerns Jen is facing right now and I obviously hold a bond with these two concerns. These are not the only two concerns, but we are taking the concerns in chunks as to work through them without a sense of overwhelmingness.

Dinner/lunch soon as our power mentoring relationship continues!

EDC 665 - Week 8 Blog

2008-02-24T19:09:00.001-08:00

In your ARP, are your learners engaged in their learning? Why or why not?

My students are engaged in their learning through my Action Research Project. As a matter of fact, it is entirely designed around their learning and make their experiences connect to information they have learned in class.

My students are given "scavenger hunts" with their partners for my cycle #2 and are sent to explore areas of the Internet. Most of the questions are to be found out by researching and many are open-ended. The great thing about them researching is that it relates entirely to what they are learning, or have learned in class.

I've also noticed that many of my students haven't been given the tools to be good researchers before. They've never figured out how to find interesting information online that is not drab like a textbook. I am hoping that given their inherent curiosity for learning, that they may not be turned off by textbooks and discoveries when they can find very cool things just by researching. I also want them to see that it can be done by them... even at 9-11 years of age.

I've recently sent them on discoveries (my hands off, I walk around to make sure content is appropriate on screens and answer questions both partners cannot figure out together) to solve math problems using Google, decrease search results by doing advanced searches on volcanoes, narrowing down their resources by searching Google images to find out information, cracking the code on true and fake websites, and the list continues. They've even been using del.icio.us and have recently begun using our class blog to blog about their learning, comment, and show others great things they have discovered.

My hope in the future is to get them involved in webquests and become experlike novices of researching on the web!

So far... it's all hands on. I love it!

Mentoring Movie -- The Princess Diaries

2008-02-23T22:54:00.001-08:00

Upon recommendation, I just watched The Princess Diaries for the first time. I was told it would be a great mentoring film to use as my example for Paul's class.

As I was watching, I was under the impression that although the Queen (Julie Andrews) would be an obvious mentor for Mia (Anne Hathaway), I believe her best friend Lilly (Heather Matarazzo) and the security guard and the Queen's love interest Joe (Hector Elizando) make better mentors. I do believe that the Queen had some mentoring moments... but Mia and Joe stand out more vividly as mentors.

Lilly spends time expressing to Mia that she could make a difference by being a princess rather than giving up. Lilly's main expression to Mia was that of voice. Lilly was a "hippie" child who wanted to make a difference in the world but felt her voice was weak. She encouraged her friend Mia, and Mia supported Lilly.

Joe quoted Eleanor Roosevelt in saying, "No one can make you feel inferior unless you consent" -- to Mia when she felt embarrassed and upset about her new look and her friend Lilly's jealous remarks. Joe also encouraged Mia often and commented on her being fit for her princess role.

Mia counted on these two individuals and also made them proud and respected them throughout the movie. The queen became more of a mentor and less of a coach toward the middle of the movie. Initially, the Queen was more of a coach. The day she finally allowed the dual mentorship to take place was when she cancelled her appointments to allow "her granddaughter to show her around San Francisco." At that point, the Queen learned from Mia how to remember being young and carefree and how not to take herself so seriously. The first royal dinner was a complete mess but Mia managed to brush it off and her grandmother began to see her as an individual who was a lot like herself. The culminating mentor moment was when both women made each other proud: At the International Ball, the queen was proud of her granddaughter despite her attire, and Mia was understanding and grateful for her grandmother's help and love.

Some may say that Mia's father may have also been an inspirational mentor in addition to her mother, Caroline Goodall (Helen).

EDC 639 -- Mentoring Journal -- Mid-February

2008-02-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

Mentoring is going great. I spent a bit of time at lunch with my mentee recently and we discussed a couple options:

She is concerned with how parents may treat her in this transition to a more affluent area school. We discussed options of creating a website, keeping her parents up-to-date via email and making sure there is a clear line of communication despite her nervousness. It is important that the lines are open. We also talked about what we think (we aren't sure) of the grading program at her new school site. Some options are now moving toward all grades being available online and parents have access to them whenever they would like. This possibility could clear up some concerns that she is having. A school just about a mile away from her school uses this system!

Additionally, she discussed her concern with teaching styles within her department. Some are very traditional and she comes from a school that is in a lower-income area where students have a hard time "getting into" math. She has lots of bells and whistles and is very animated. Recently she went in to observe and noticed that the teachers at her new school are not as colorful. Her concern is less about their styles and more about how she can stress the importance of math being interesting, important, and fun at the same time.

We talked about her recent math family night at her school and how successful that was.

As for me, we discussed my options with the upcoming school year, position cuts in teaching, and the prospect of me being a substitute. We also discussed the option of me having a position but the adjustments that would need to be made adding 2.5 students to the already daunting class sizes.

I look forward to more mentoring time soon!

Comment Response -- Technology

2008-02-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

Brandy wrote...After having Gary Stager as a professor last semester, I was also taught that technology is essentially anything that is assisting you to fulfill a need. Given this definition, I am also using student pair groupings to encourage students to work together with a common mind and goal to "solve" the "problems" I give them.

Gary said...
What leads you to this conclusion?

Last semester our EDC 664 class had a discussion about whether technology could be something other than an electronic-like item. During our class discussion, we came to reason that although a spoken/written language is not electronic and does not require power as our stereotypical definition of technology may, it is still a tool we use to assist us in communication.

If we view technology as more than just a plug-in machine, we can see on a broader scale that technology is simply a tool to produce more/better/more efficient successes.

Computers, automobiles, GPS systems, word processors, editing software, etc. all allow us to take what we already do (research, commute, navigate, script, revise) and make it better and more efficient.

Language has done that very same thing for us but has not required we insert batteries or charge when the battery becomes low. To this, I conclude that technologies can be defined another way... as a means to change the way we do certain things. Our outcome has improved (we hope) with the use of this "technology."

EDC 665 -- Book of Choice -- update #2

2008-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

I completed the rest of the Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts... book and was somewhat lost with RSS feeds, but found some of the information valuable.

Since I am a novice to podcasting, I appreciated the reading on that area of technology and hope to use it eventually. As a matter of fact, I vaguely remember reading that podcasts were the technology of the next semester classes... so I may be required to make one! (I hope so)

For our group meeting to make decisions about our project for my EDC 665 class, Todd, Jessica, Rita, and myself decided to use Skype voice chat. With voice Skype, Todd said he has a software that allows him to record the conversation for later review. In essence, this is a podcast. In the book, it mentions downloadable software called www.powergramo.com. I am considering this software because I already have Skype.

Audacity is another piece of software to use. I also learned a bit about flickr and how to annotate a photo as a learning experience for students. I would like to learn more about screencasting, of which the book also covers, but I feel like I have to get podcasting down before I use podcasting with video.

I am impressed with the number of teenage kids who are masters at podcasting and all things digital. Although podcasting does not tie into my ARP, I would love to learn the trade and be able to teach future students or understand their love for the technology.

Maybe I should start by buying an MP3 player.

EDC 665 - Week 7 Blog

2008-02-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

For your ARP, how did you select the technologies that you are utilizing? How have your learners responded thus far?

For my ARP, I selected the Internet in general as the main technology I am using. In teaching fourth grade, I realized that many of my students were intrigued with the Internet, but were not wise in using it. When asked if they knew even the most simple things about web browsers, and search engines, many had little to tell me about why they chose the technology they did other than to play a few video games and "google" topics of interest.

With a wide range of students in my classroom at all levels of understanding, I made the decision to teach them to be more conscious Internet consumers and show them the WHY of what they are using.

After having Gary Stager as a professor last semester, I was also taught that technology is essentially anything that is assisting you to fulfill a need. Given this definition, I am also using student pair groupings to encourage students to work together with a common mind and goal to "solve" the "problems" I give them.

So far, they have only visited the computer lab at our school once but they are enjoying it and learning a lot. I spoke to a few students after our last Wednesday's session and they were really enthused about what they were learning. This Wednesday will be another visit.

More updates to come! I have another fun day planned for them this week that includes using Google to solve math problems, using Google images to research and using advanced google searches to find factual information and weed out information that may be incorrect.

I am hoping to make my students great (and smart) consumers of the technology they already use (but don't fully understand).

EDC 665 -- Book of Choice -- update #1

2008-02-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

I am currently 2/3 done with my book of choice for Melissa's class. The book is by Will Richardson and is titled Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Webtools for Classrooms. Jessica and I selected the same book because our backgrounds and ARP's are similar.

At first, I read reviews about the book and was a bit apprehensive because a couple people commented that the information provided was "nothing innovative" and information they already knew how to do. Well, given that I am relatively new to using these tools (although I know a bit about each one), I really was looking for ways to incorporate what I, an adult, use at home with my students (fourth graders) in the classroom.

The first 50 pages or so are devoted to Will's accounts of blogs. He speaks in great lengths about ideas for blog use within the classroom and hits on the richness of using blogs to teach writing (of which I had a bit of an "aha" moment given that I love writing and have a background in that, as does the author. I wasn't too impressed with the blog information, but appreciated the links to other popular education blog sites. I was also not as impressed with the blog section because I recently did my own online research on blogs for my ARP and just learned all of the first 50 pages from reading other people's blogs to learn how to create my own. I then set up a blog and added my entire class of 31 kids to it at learnerblogs.org. If I had read the book a week prior, I would have had more to highlight.

I then learned quite a bit about wikis. I understand the use and all, but really appreciated the real-life accounts from actual educators who use wikis for group projects with kids, etc. I did feel a bit outcasted given the majority of examples are from the high school perspective. I learned a couple cool things about wikipedia and how they have wikirecipes and wikitravel ---of which I love both ideas. The wikirecipes is for people to share their favorites. Wikitravel is used to update on best travel deals.

Back to education... I leared about PBwiki of which I've only heard Margaret mention a few times in class. I might play around with one and set one up during the third phase of my ARP.

Finally, I ended today's reading with learning about RSS feeds. This is something I have struggled with, but also don't know how applicable the feed is for my students as we use the blog site. Given their age (9-11) and their conservative parents, I selected an education blog site that allows me to add only the kids I want and it is password protected. I think for now, that is all I am comfortable with. It didn't require any RSS feeds but just me using my blog to add users.

The final, really cool thing I learned was about RSS feeding of information I would like. For example, I could subscribe to all the RSS feeds out there about "global warming California"...etc. I could also subscribe to feeds from my favorite news sources so I no longer have to go to my favorites and run down the list everyday.

I am looking forward to learning about podcasting (if there is anything new to learn). Fun fact: Alan November was mentioned under good blogs sites. We just met him at FETC. It's cool to place the education connection.

EDC 665 - Week 6 Blog

2008-02-11T20:26:00.000-08:00

As learners, we are often focused on completing assessment activities successfully as opposed to acquiring the outcomes indicated by the course- why is this? Describe a learning experience where either you have combated this learner tendency or you felt a teacher handled this well.

This might be the most applicable blog to date. As a student/learner (for the majority of my life) and now teacher, I have struggled with this aspect of the "hurry up and finish" mentality. As I am writing this, I wonder if I am giving enough thought and time to this posting as not to finish for finishing's sake.

As a student, I always felt a threat to complete before everyone else for the reason that I am competitive. But moreso, I wanted my teachers and professors to feel validated as they have students who take their teaching seriously and want to contribute. I also admit a sense of arrogance to completing first as I know this is the way to shape others' responses and "set the bar" so-to-speak. Finally, I am also the type to like to see a clean slate and not mull over things too long. I don't like seeing 10 assignments left to finish but enjoy "knocking them out" one-by-one.

This blog is perfect to add that I recently posted a blog under the name "zeros are heroes" (or something to that affect). I am sure if you scroll down it will appear... this posting explained my OCD issue with seeing zeros rather than seeing many postings to read. I climbed Mt. Whitney last year with my fiance and our two friends and was asked to be in the back because I lead the group too quickly and would have run us out of energy going too quickly. I'm also a pretty strong type A. (no laughing Brent, Todd, of Greg who give me plenty of crap for this...)

All this to say... I don't know where I picked this up. I see my students rushing often and not putting thought into everything they do. I encourage them to take a few breaths and mull over their thoughts to fully formulate what they want to expand on. I wouldn't consider myself the best role model for this behavior but know this struggle is something I live with everyday. I watch fellow hardworking classmates put a lot of thought into their work and wonder if I should slow things down a bit.

If I were to take a guess of why people are this way, I would say that everyone likes to be validated and the compulsive nature that pushes us to achieve the "assignment" as opposed to seeing the greater outcome is a way of checking a box. With so many "outcomes" to fulfill, I think as learners we settle for some lost outcomes and some gained, as long as we can save face with others seeing our completions. ?!? Looking forward to hearing some others' responses to this... I am struggling!

EDC 665 - Week 5 Blog

2008-02-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

Identify a standard that impacts your local environment or practice. Reflect on the value of the standard and its intended affect on student learning.

I am a bit unclear about whether this "standard" needs to be a content standard or whether it is the literal interpretation of the word standard as a set of rules or ways expected of being achieved...

I will answer the question in both manners.

I teach 4th grade and use state standards to guide my teaching of content. My students obviously are taught more than the standards give, but I do use them as a guideline to teach. In addition, our textbooks are aligned to state and national standards. In 4th grade math, I teach a high, gifted group of students. Currently, we are finishing up a unit on fractions and moving on to their relationship with decimals. A standard I am recently addressing is:

1.5 Explain different interpretations of fractions, for example, parts of a whole, parts of a set, and division of whole numbers by whole numbers; explain equivalents of fractions.

I see enormous value in teaching this particular standard, but really in teaching all of the standards. The reason is because I know my students will be using this material in their daily lives (I am a fan of Ms. Foster's grocery store wisdom -- saving money in the grocery store... how to compare ounces and get the best deals) and I often use life examples to illustrate the point among other manipulatives, etc. In addition, students will see this material in upcoming grade levels, in college, and beyond. I feel it is my duty to expose them to the content they will need to pass the tests (sadly) to get into college and create successful life opportunities for themselves. Although 4th grade grade is not significant grade wise, I feel that my job is to prepare them with as much as I can so the rest of their schooling is made simpler for them and one less thing to have to force into "learning" later.

Answering this question from the other perspective, a standard I use in my daily environment/workplace is this: Work amicably with other teachers as peers to create better learning environments and ultimately better learning opportunites for students that achieves success.

Our school/district recently went to a PLC model ---professional learning communities, out 45 minutes early/week for teacher collaboration to ultimately raise student achievement. Not necessarily student test scores, but achievement in all areas. We want our students to be successful. This is absolutely valuable. As professionals, we should see value in our students always achieving higher than they did yesterday. Not in a manner that pressures or hinders learning, but that teachers and staff commit themselves to constantly working on their end to better the opportunities for students to fulfill their own standards at an above optimal level. Being a teacher who is simply "okay" with status quo is not acceptable for students.

EDC 665 - Week 4 Blog

2008-01-28T07:15:00.000-08:00

Using the same learning experience you reflected on last week, did each activity explicitly map to a goal? Implicitly? Did this impact your learning during the activities?

As far as the learning experience was mapped, not every activity mapped to a goal. There was a goal explicitly stated, however, there was a large amount of empty steps for reaching the goal. This makes me believe (and understand) that there are multiple ways to reach a goal. What I see in my teaching is that when I allow students the opportunity to select the "how" rather than give explicit directions, I am far more pleased with the outcome.

As a tangent, my students were learning about animal adaptations and they took an animal and were asked to (goal) change the environment of the animal... hence adapting them to their new environment. For example, a polar bear in the desert or a fish in the sky. As silly as the goal was, the students were extremely interested and creative.

Getting back to MicroWorlds and my own learning experience, I believe the mapping of the project was mapped implicitly, given the amount of tutorials and purpose of the learning activity. I believe the expectation was to work together, hence sharing our ideas to create a "how to" base. In the end, I was surprised with the amount of diversity, but impressed with the knowledge I gained mostly from others in the process.

This absolutely impacted my learning. Given a specific tutorial, I believe our voices would be one in the same as would our products. I am often pleased and hope to share these same kinds of experiences with my students as I am open and allow for the implicit side of goal setting and mapping.

Presenting Data - Florida trip

2008-01-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

Our group finished presenting our data on the google groups document we created for Action Research. Here are the steps we took:

1. Compare and analyze the data collected through Survey Monkey.
2. Select and divide cadres to group members.
3. Meet and discuss options for presentation.
4. Research education trends based on popular information per cadre.
5. Create graphs and clean up document.

Here are some things we learned from this presentation:

1. Create a basis for the words we analyze in the data.
2. Multiple people should be able to interpret the data in the same way given the words used, etc.
3. Since we focused on self/learner/mutual benefits in the definition of action research, we should be able to easy mark self/learner/mutual... in some way.
4. Use the same research materials throughout to make the research "controlled."
5. Give the information for each graph explicitly (n=). Make sure the numbers are defined. If only two questions were used and one of the two were answered "yes", the graph would show 50% answered yes... clearly the data should not be shown in this manner without addressing the number.

Overall, I learned some great things. Most importantly, www.aera.net seems like a great resource for further AR needs.

Zeros are heros

2008-01-24T19:39:00.001-08:00

My OCD continues to kick in with this program. Former students comment about their "withdrawals" from the constant feedback the OMET program brings after their graduation and I have a confession to make: I love seeing zeros in Blackboard. I know this may come back to haunt me, but I have to say, I love to see accomplishments. I know that is not the point at all with the medium, but I have a sense of freedom when numbers turn to zero.

Most people want more in the form of numbers; more money, more of everything really... but I like the zeros.

Zeros are heroes.

Sub plan torture, my OCD nature, FETC 2008

2008-01-21T22:25:00.000-08:00

I just spent the majority of today synchronizing my sub plans for when I'm gone in Florida for the FETC. Let's just say that my OCD nature does not work well in these situations as I must leave everything in the utmost perfect condition. If you want to know just how OCD I really am, try 16 pages of sub plans for 4 days. Am I crazy?!? I guess... but I really like things to go smoothly and I really like my kids taken care of. Subs love my class because of the organization madness. Haha.

I am a bit behind on my reading too and pretty bummed about that. I plan to be a good reader on my 5 hour flight to the east coast.

This is hectic... but I am excited to see my OMET friends, and even more excited to get through January and onto a new month.

I'm ever-so-anxious about my wedding... 7 months down, 6 months to go! I just can't believe that in less than 6 months we will be done with OMET. Seriously!!!

EDC 665 - Week 3 Blog

2008-01-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Think back now to a learning experience you have recently had- were the goals explicitly stated? If not, were they still clear? Were you aware of them as a learner during the learning experience?

Thinking back to last semester with Gary Stager, as MicroWorlds comes to mind, I had a learning experience trying to learn commands to move my virtual "turtle." In the beginning of our 4th learning adventure, I was excited to create a quilt piece of which I would later learn to attach as a quilt to others' pieces.

The goals of this project were explicitly stated. Gary told us to use MicroWorlds commands to create a quilt piece. We could do anything we wanted, as long as the piece was the same size as all the rest would be. While the goals were explicit, I did not, at times, feel like the "directions" were. Then I think, "do explicit goals always need directions from point A to point B? Or is the goal enough to supply a learning activity with its purpose?"

I grew beyond creating the quilt piece, an enjoyable activity, onto creating the quilt itself and had real difficulty. I hated the process as I struggled and realized there was no tutorial or "direction" to take that would end in my desired result.

I was completely aware of the goal the entire time, so much that I wanted to stop at nothing until it was achieved. While my quilt was sub par to a couple other cadre mates, I achieved my goal of having a symmetrical quilt piece.

Going back to my original internal reflections, I believe that goals can be stated and yet directions can be excluded from the equation. It is not entirely necessary, if the goal achieved is not the exact same for everyone, to have directions. Otherwise, the goal would look identical for all.

Gary never gave us explicit directions, yet supplied us with a clear goal in mind. Looking back, no two formulas were identical (although some alike) and no two quilts turned out to be the same either. It was a matter of the creator-- which is what I love about open-ended learning. It's also the most challenging of all learning... because without directions that are certain, there in lies the risk of failure.

Mentoring, Mentor Letter, UbD - Differentiated Instruction

2008-01-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

One of the assignments in my 639 Mentoring and Leadership class was to write a letter to a mentor I've had in my life that has positively affected me. I selected my principal, Joyce because of her support and encouragement throughout my first two years of teaching. Because of her, I still have a job... who knows what the future will hold for me next year... although I have been dreaming middle school. :)

Anyhow, I wrote the letter... but found it really hard to release it to my cadre of OMET students. There is a part of me that faces difficulty sharing my feelings with others as in my brain, I feel a sense of weakness. I didn't, however, have any problem with handing the letter over to my mentor. She was grateful and expressed her gratitude with a few words-- me being a light, sunshine to the staff and coming with confidence and fresh ideas-- something of which I also pride myself with and hope that I will remain for the duration of my teaching professional years.

I have been reading some of the books on our agenda and have been getting a bit out of each one. The information in UbD and the Differentiated Instruction book is not necessarily new information to me (I would struggle a great deal without being an educator) being recently trained in a teaching program and seeing the "new wave" design of curriculum that our education system is morphing into, but I do pick up a few pieces of encouragement for what I do read: On page 22 of Integrating Differentiated Instruction-UbD, I loved this quote:

"Learning happens within students, not to them."

This quote remains an eye-opener of sorts for me, being so new to the profession and observing so many teachers I don't want to emulate in the way of teaching. There are others, however, who remain to be a light for me (unfortunately lesser in number).

One final story: A friend of mine, Jen, of whose personal blog is posted as a favorite on this blog site to your right... is a high school math department chair and teacher for an inner-city school just a couple miles from the ritzy, pretentious schools in our beach city area. She has been driven to want to quit multiple times within her 6 years of teaching and has quickly worked her way up the ladder. She has gone through 3 principals and 2 superintendents of her school district that is in utmost turmoil--in addition to the gang shootings and lock downs which are commonly in the news. It is also the school in which students from Lennox, a city with the highest murder rate per capita in So. California, attend. So, as you might guess, teaching and learning isn't much of a focus for these students. Surviving is. Jen has recently had it on her heart to investigate other options in areas of Redondo Beach because of the difficulty of teaching in her school... apparently attendance is a joke as kids simply don't come to school. She has been looking into RUHS - the high school in which I attended in a pretty nice area. By no means is it a Beverly Hills type of school, but it certainly sits in a nice part of town. She has good rapport with the principal and sat in during a math meeting and observed some math teachers to get a feel for the team and job she may be entering. As she left, she expressed to the principal that there was a lot of "untapped potential" within the staff and overall, her experience was "boring" -- which brings me to think that learning should always be fun. I really truly believe that there are ways to help students see the passion that YOU have in teaching what you love. IT IS CONTAGIOUS. Anyhow, I encouraged Jen that although she may feel like teaching there would be a difference, there is an obvious need for teachers to spice things up a bit. It requires someone to take a leap of faith.

Finally, my fiance was also in this conversation with Jen and he talked of his pretentious high school in Middletown Maryland of whose AP Calculus scores were through the roof... but having "smart" kids who can teach themselves does not necessarily mean that the teacher is the root cause of success. As he put it, "the teacher was boring, but with the textbook, we taught ourselves" -- and then test scores go up, no one complains and teaching is just the same as always, boring.

Putting Dreamweaver to Good Use

2008-01-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, my fiance and I decided to create a website for my mother. She's a notary public on Long Beach, CA who has recently experienced a decline in business because the banks she was a long time (10 years) contractor with had recently trained in-house and no longer needed her services. Now, she is relying on her people skills... being awesome... to drive her business. We also thought that posting her on a webpage would also be a good market for her. Even better, she lives in Long Beach, CA. Given this, we searched godaddy and found out the domain name: http://www.longbeachnotarypublic.com/ was available. We quickly snatched that up.

The importance of posting this on my blog is two-fold. One, to tell all my friends my mom travels for notaries if they ever need one... and two, because in order to start showing up on google searches, posting a website domain on other websites that already show up in google searches will create a road for discovery. I'm learning.

I will admit to my fiance having the skill to read the code and change the site as needed. I am just the idea collector, etc.

I love putting my $300 program to good use... at least I am getting more than one website worth out of it!

http://www.longbeachnotarypublic.com/

EDC 665 - Week 2 Blog

2008-01-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

Using the same learning experience, what were your desired results? Why did you choose these results?

My desired result of the colonial newspaper project was for students to understand the aspects of colonial life and gain a taste of the ammenities that the first 13 colonies had at that time in history. I also desired for students to learn how to research using books for information in which they wanted to include, work together by dividing tasks, and enjoy the process of living through the history of our nation.

Given my new knowledge of understanding and knowledge, I not only wanted my students to be knowledgeable, but to carry on their knowledge into understanding that would trigger whenever they come across another colonial life piece in their own lives. Students would understand timeline of events as they continue through the history of our nation and world and see how these growth patterns affect one another. I want their understanding to be so great that when studying world history the following year in sixth grade, they piece together the timeline and factor the relationships between what was occuring in Europe to what was occuring in the 13 colonies at the time.

I chose all of these results (great appreciation and understanding of colonial life, research abilities, working together in groups, enjoying the history of our nation) for the same reason I chose to begin teaching: I have a passion for learning and I want to share this same passion with my students. I believe that learning about our ancestors and the rich, but new history of our nation shapes decisions that are made today given our constitution, due process of law, etc. I believe it is valuable for students to learn how to find the answers they seek as this world in which they live is about questions. Having the resources to answer those will help each one of us grow. Finally, working together occurs all hours of our (awake) lives.

From the feedback given by my students and their proud faces when their project was unveiled to their parents, families, and friends during Open House, they did in fact learn something. Given their conversations and their watching their faces light up really showed their learning.

UbD and Teaching Math

2008-01-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love teaching math... but I don't love the struggle of first helping students understand the concept of the problem in general (exactly how to carry over the numbers when regrouping, etc.) to calculate the correct answer and then helping them see when it will "transfer" over to real life. Some real life examples are easy to understand (I am careful to use this word interchangeably given the UbD design... but whether students see for themselves these examples on their own when presented with a problem in the real world could prove this method wrong.

UbD illustrates on pages 42-43 that although mant students can perform the tasks and have the knowledge to answer questions on the Pythagorean theorem, they are unable to carry over this knowledge when the question isn't formally asking to use the method to solve the problem. As a matter of fact, they said only about 33% of students knew to do so when given a problem to solve relating to the concept!

As I am baffled (sort of), I am scared to go back and teach math tomorrow... or any other subject... given this known deficit of concern. As I teach weight, capacity, and measurement and soon, fractions, I want my students to clearly see and understand why and when they would use these, outside of just answering problems 1-30 in their books. I give as many examples as I can, but I often fear their "carry over" is sub par.

Enjoying the book as it challenging the very basis of my teaching credential and training.

UbD - Understanding by Design - "teaching by mentoring it"

2008-01-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

As I read through the first chapter in UbD, I came across a passage that reflects (sadly) the very teaching I find myself stuck in often. It's called "teaching by mentoring it." In this method, according to page 21, the teacher talks, checks off topics and moves on, irrespective of whether students understand or are confused.

I am guilty of this! So often I rely on the textbook creators (let us remember, they aren't teachers) to design my curriculum for me. If I do not use the textbook, I am in fear that I won't cover everything or align myself with other members of my grade level team.

Another reason I believe I "teach by mentoring it" is because I am not as familiar with the curriculum I am currently teaching than the other members of my grade level (although I'm not sure they are either at times!). This is my first year teaching 4th grade and I am still mastering the content with the students. That makes the UbD model a little harder, because I have no prior knowledge of teaching the information or what examples I can pull from previous year's lessons.

I'm enjoying the book... but just wish it was more user-friendly in size. It's such a textbook and not a book I can lug around in my purse.

EDC 665 - Week 1 Blog

2008-01-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Think back to a successful learning experience you have designed - what made it successful? What was your role in creating that success?

Colonial Newspaper with 5th graders:
Last year I taught fifth grade. In California, fifth grade standards cover the American Revolution and colonial life. Rather than reading the textbook and moving on, I found a way for my students to gain a taste of colonial life while exploring, researching, and having fun.

Elementary school teaching lends itself to a lot of "down time" where a transition is occuring, students are finishing assessments, etc. Many students work at different levels and at different paces, also. I wanted to find a hands-on project that would both enhance each students' skills and interests, while still encouraging growth. I also wanted to use my skills as a teacher to develop the lesson based on my strengths.

My background is in journalism. I have an undergraduate degree in journalism and I specialize most in news writing. My students knew this about me, and they also loved reading the newspaper everyday (as is done everyday in my classroom and discussions occur--I find this a cheap, valuable, and vital learning experience). Then it hit me... tie news writing into what the students are learning in class! Colonial America became the topic and students brainstormed ideas, paired themselves into interest groups for specific pages of the paper, collaborated with each other's sections as not to duplicate and to make the paper more cohesive and of "one voice", and took charge. I had students advertising on the classified's page what the "fashion" and "arts" page was describing. Students were researching clothing from the era, prices that seemed reasonable to sell the items at, researching transportation and possible job market struggles, and digging into real-life information just to complete a fictional paper. They considered their paper to be accurate according to research.

Although I was simply the facilitator in this learning experience and merely planted the seed of an idea into their brains, they did the rest. I was there to give suggestions, advice, writing coaching, and support. I provided the materials and tools (books, Internet, etc.) and they planned, made decisions, problem-solved, researched and worked out their differences. I believe this experience was successful because it was open-ended in nature, but ultimately produced what my intial goal set out to do (in addition to providing an extra activity for that "down" time)-- to incorporate real colonial America into our supplemental projects and get their interest in writing, researching, the lives of the colonists, and working together as team members for the common good and goal of the group.

Back in Action, The Art of Possibility

2008-01-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

I'm back!
It's been awhile since the last blog...

Just finished reading The Art of Possibility and there are a few pertinent points I'd like to make:

The authors did a great job at offering examples of their "practices." Among these practices include a few I found to be interesting and helpful:

"Giving an A" - I've heard this before when a few of my professors in my undergraduate degree used this method. I always thought it was a very positive way of teaching. Giving everyone an A and letting them be held accountable for their own learning is just another way to skip the grading process altogether. Students are more in charge and they often grade themselves more stringent than the teacher would! I've had this experience with students involved in group work. Whenever students give feedback about their peers, they are very critical!

Believing that others will do well... and they will! Having the mindset of positive thinking can produce positive results. This reminds me of the saying "you're as happy as you want to be"--it's very much a mind game. You have to want it and it will happen. You have to be positive and a believer and things will fall into place.

Be a contributor, lighten up and don't let things bother you so much, be passionate, and involve yourself with others and change your mentality from "I" to "WE."

The book was inspirational and had some great insights into how to work with others, how to mentor others to believe in themselves, their cause, and to take action of your own behavior to benefit the WE method.

My favorite story from the book (that was the best part): Ben is a conductor for an Orchestra and he was nervous about a performance with a few of his viola section players out. Then, another woman was out and to his surprise, did not tell him. He found her later and expressed his anger and in turn, she quit (it was a volunteer orchestra). He then wrote a letter to her, Cora, apologizing and expressing his interest to change his behavior.

I love it when the boss is not afraid to admit wrongdoing. It makes the team that much stronger.

Learning Adventure #8 -- Writing a book review for Amazon.com

2007-12-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

My Review: The Children's Machine - Seymour Papert

The Children's Machine, December 11, 2007

By
Brandy Foster "Brandy - teacher" (Hermosa Beach, CA) - See all my reviews The Children's Machine addresses the many ways students learn. Papert uncovers the reality that students learn opposite of how our westernized world sees this process. According to Papert, students learn naturally outside the four walls of a classroom in which literacy is seen as only teachable through textbooks. The Children's Machine uncovers the deficiencies by which most schools run that prevents students from learning as they should, in a self-directed manner where there are answers other than yes or no. Shades of grey are more accepted in Papert's constructivist view of education he outlines in the book rather than the "official theory" of learning which only sees black and white. Papert has self-created the LOGO program, MicroWorlds. With this program, Papert further illustrates how students can learn without restrictions. Students are encouraged to experiment and use the computer as a tool to shape their own thinking. Mistakes are encouraged, as these mistakes will be formed into discoveries. Another recommended read: Mindstorms.

The link: http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Machine-Rethinking-School-Computer/dp/0465010636/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197432473&sr=8-1

More interested in reading the book now???

Picture of Video Game... as promised!

2007-12-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Learning Adventure #7: MicroWorlds Video Game creation

2007-12-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

After having watched Gary's excellent "how to" videos, I was really excited about creating my own video game. Given the limited time, I created something similar to the example and really found the tutorials to be beneficial. My final game is a pacman style version complete with points to earn. I hope to move further and add a second level to my game when time is more plentiful. What I love most about LOGO is that it tells you when something is wrong. "I don't know how to fill in the blank" ---the language is simplistic in nature, but the essence of it is real programming! I imagine that kids would enjoy the outcome of their projects and worry little about making mistakes.

It took me some time to gain motivation to work on this project, but as I watched others creating games, I became more motivated to create my own. I enjoyed the process and I am excited to move further in the more "complicated" programming. Thank you to my cadremates who produced creative version of the video game. It takes me back to the beloved PONG days!

p.s. initially when I downloaded MicroWorlds EX, I messed around with creating a PONG game. It was quite enjoyable. If only I could figure out Donkey Kong and Lemmings now!!!

See attached pictures above.

In a rut.

2007-12-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

This week is parent conferences. The only week the district cuts our days to minimum so we can meet with 31+ parents individually. It's a tough week... but nice to clear the air with expectations, learn about kids, create goals, etc. It also motivates me more as my main focus is my students.

The Distinguished school application process was DAUNTING. It pretty much sucked being at school until 6pm on a Saturday. No extra pay, just a pat on the back and a bouquet of flowers. Happy to contribute my efforts, but it's a lot of work for someone who is already very busy. In addition, the worst part I feel is being away from my students. I feel like I betray them every time I am away at a district meeting. I have missed zero days for personal reasons, but have missed about 12 for school reasons/meetings/etc. It's going to just escalate in January when I have more district meetings and then the FETC conference in Florida. I'm excited, but again, I love to teach and I feel as though there's not a whole lot of that happening lately.

On to grad school. I have to say, as Florida time gets closer, I am more and more bothered by our cadre padre, Bill, not being there when we arrive. I feel as though he deserved it and we deserved it. I was telling a few students the other day that because of this, I just feel like the expectations of OMET have been a let down. I am not as fired up about it as I thought I was going to be when it all started. It's still an experience to remember and I am being exposed to many things that normally would not be at my reach (without the guidance) but I just wish it had ended a different way.

Todd made a comment about me not posting much... and for that matter, no one is. I wonder if it's because it's the end of the term and Christmas time... but it's just really slow. I click refresh and 20 emails don't pop up. As a matter of fact, I've received none tonight. Brent also agreed and sent an email out. Maybe it's the lack of our total participation that is causing this depression for me. I don't know.

Looking forward to Maryland for Christmas and good family time. Any gingerbread house ideas? We have quite the competition at my fiance's house.

Oh, yeah... got my wedding ring in the mail today!!!

Feedback from our Second Life Theorist Project

2007-11-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Bill sent an email to us after the SL project unveiling. Here is some feedback:

Bill,
The presentation last night was fantastic. The student/designer/builders should feel very good about their work. It was great to be able to chat with them as I experienced the learning theorist spaces. I think that doing the project in SL probably engaged them with the learning theories more deeply than some alternatives (like writing a paper).
Are there any plans to install the work in a public area? The project is truly an exemplar of effective teaching/learning in SL. I would like to be able to visit again -- and bring some friends!
Thanks for sharing!
Rex Thursday Xu (SL)

Bill - I missed this... But I hope it went well. I have my Ed.D. in Ed Tech from Pepperdine, finished in 2003. Missed SL, but we did a lot of other great online stuff. I'll swing by sometime to look at the exhibits (I'm assuming they'll be up for a while). I have access to the Island. Way to get Pepperdine's name out there! Laurie Ralston

I would like to add my congratulations as well. What an engaging exhibit! I really appreciated the opportunity to visit the island, look at the theorist projects, and then fly around the island and view the overall set up of the sim. Thanks for the inspiration, Debora (SL Devorah Corvale)

Oh, YES!
You can add my voice in unison to what Rex/Thursday just saidâ€¦a marvelous build, an awesome example of an effective (and fun!) learning space. This SHOULD be opened up again and in perpetuity for educators and other students to be able to appreciate!!
Have a great day!
RP

I'd like to add my voice here also - I am very interested in visiting, but was unable to. Are there any alternative possibilities? Thanks!
Beth Wellman
(Ivy Innis)

He said we've created quite the buzz in the SL education community. :) We are pleased!!

The Comedian

2007-11-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

I wish I had the opportunity to schedule the viewing of The Comedian with my cadre-mates, but unfortunately I will be away from Internet access until about Sunday evening beginning tomorrow.

This is going to be a strange experience. Throughout this program thus far, my attachment to my computer is unreal! The idea of not checking email or logging on to CNN is something that I can't wrap my brain around. Speaking of technology, I was writing on the Distinguished School committee today and I was designated by other members as being the most computer savvy. If you would have asked me 4 months ago... I would have had skills, but not to the polished caliber I feel I am at now. I have A LOT to learn, but I am proud of my achievements. Even the small steps have proven powerful.

Yesterday's unveiling of the Second Life theorist project went marvelously. I really saw a lot of value in a student-run project that did not result in a paper that was written. I had some great conversations with visitors and educators who I normally would not have the opportunity to interface with. My only downfall in learning: I don't feel like I spent enough time holding myself accountable to learning and making connections with other theorists. Having our own rooms allowed for creativity, but it stripped us from the collaboration aspect in many ways. I simply placed a teleport ball in my room, but really had to dig for connects to that theorist as the reason I placed the teleport ball in the first place. I included information on my notecard about Csikszentmihalyi and information about connecting theorists, but never spent a good portion of time consulting about learning theory with those other theorist experts (can I call them that given our knowledge of Surpassing Ourselves?). Demonstration of learning can be brought about in so many ways... I need to be doing more of that and less of the paper/pencil assessments in my own classroom. The only concern is... would others view me "too easy a teacher?"

Back to The Comedian. I will speak further about this once all of the cadre has viewed the movie, but would like to add some information I found regarding communities of practice. First, the most fascinating this I observed throughout the documentary was amount of uncertainty that professionals possess in their "skill." Going back to the expert definition, I don't believe I would qualify any of those men as experts in the field, but ever changing expert-novices (re-word?). Although they are comedians, they are never the same comedian. (Hmmm... but then again, I am a teacher... so does that make me a changing novice too? I believe so... always adding more and revising the tools in my toolbelt). Much of the lifestyle they live is isolating and difficult. The irony that interlies is that we envision those who make us laugh to be free-spirited, well-rested, and fun-loving characters. Orny Adams certainly did not seem too terribly fun-loving or free-spirited. As a matter of fact, I researched his website, http://www.ornyadams.com/ and it said he did finally make it to Los Angeles as he "dreamed aloud" about in the film. In fact, he is a frequent of the Comedy and Magic Club right here in Hermosa Beach, just 9 blocks from my house. I run by it every week! I went there recently to see Jay Leno.

I digress, as a community of comedians, there is a single bond they carry and the same struggles that drive one, drive all of them (despite Cosby who is a living comedian God). The frustrations, struggles, praises, excitements, and turmoil they go through occurs in such a small bracket of time and their work is not nearly as praised for its efforts as the likes of non-talented pop star teenagers. The resounding word however, was... within your community support system, keep what you love alive, as no one can do it for you. It's a one man show... with a body of supporters.

... although, I don't feel too terribly sad for Jerry Seinfeld who flew around in his private jet. Tough gig, really.

ExxonMobil award night - Torrance, CA

2007-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

I attended an award night to accept the monies for my SmartBoard & Projector that was held by ExxonMobil. I always see many teachers I know in the district... especially those who work hard to write those grants!

It was great... such a rewarding experience to be a part of developing children's minds about the world around them through the Internet. See more on the WP blog site.

At the award ceremony, I saw Kristen Zukley from cadre 9. It was good to catch up with her... every once in awhile we run into one another (literally, I was out for a run one afternoon and passed her!).

Teaching, Grad School, Thanksgiving update

2007-11-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

I am feeling very excited about the culmination of our 1st real semester in grad school! I don't feel like the summer semester counted too much as it was really short. I am enjoying learning so much... and never being bored. Haha.

Teaching has been fine... except that I am never actually teaching. My principal has placed me (and the other 2 competent teachers at our school) on multiple committees which means we are never in our classrooms! We are either at the district for trainings or we are writing for our California Distinguished School award. We finished the rough draft and are now going to peel it apart, connect ideas, etc. We are also recruiting one of my students' parents who teaches at our feeder middle school to edit for us.

Funny classroom story for the week: One student was absent and I had another student give her the words for her spelling test. My kids are awesome at spelling... so it's almost a joke. About 25 of the 31 have an A+ in spelling. Anyway, I had a boy give her the test... and he took a peek at the upcoming test's bonus words. These words are selected by me... just randomly from whatever we learned throughout the week. Anyway, he told the rest of the class in private... thinking I'm never going to find out. Turns out I have ONE honest kid who emailed me with this information. I never busted anyone... just simply changed my bonus words to INTEGRITY, HONESTY, UNACCEPTABLE, CHEATING. Too bad I had a sub yesterday. I would have loved to have seen their faces. :)

For Thanksgiving, I am driving up to N. Cal with my parents and Elliot. During this nice 12 hour trip, I plan to bring my laptop and do some serious revisions to my lit. review.

I am close to being done with the conversions of videos for Gary's class and I worked very hard on the SL project for Bill's class... that I am looking forward to presenting on Monday. I need to work for Margaret's class and design my ARP plan and clean up my lit. review this weekend/through Thanksgiving.

I'm also looking forward to watching The Comedian! :)

Second Life Project, Learning Adventure #6, ARP project... updates

2007-11-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

The SL project is going well... although slow. I have never in my life spent so much time building things in virtual environments. I swear it took me a few hours to get walls to line up. Regardless, what my room has come to is something I am proud of. Todd and I teamed up with Papert and Csikszentmihalyi (although Todd is the master and has essentially taken the Papert room on his own) and has helped me with the scripting for my room... and the game idea.

I am proud of how hard some people are working at this project. The structures are impressive... but even more impressive is the amount of single-handed work that some are placing on the project. I tried my hardest to create everything in my room. I love to see what others have done as well.

Learning Adventure #6 sounds cool... but it's hard to get a lot of this done in a distributed learning environment like this one. Again, being in a VirtCamp setting is such an easier way to handle these types of team projects. We are meant to find presidential campaign clips download them, find a conversion/compression/storage ability for next year's group to tackle. I can't wait to read their blogs about this and see what they come up with. The perks of the OMET program and how learning doesn't stop upon the diploma. I can already see myself becoming addicted to their thoughts, reading their reflections, etc.

The ARP is slow right now. I was pretty discouraged at Margaret's comments on my Lit. Review. I know there was plenty to be corrected, but I guess I saw this project as more of a constructivist writing/research/action project that I wasn't going to be judged so heavily on the writing part. Considering I know my strengths and weakenesses as a writer, I didn't enjoy the feedback much... but I never really do. That's part of my reflection here... learning to handle the heat, (I guess). I also see writing and research as a subjectivist activity where the writer is not always seen as great in some eyes, and wonderful in others. Could be why some people like certain authors and others can't stand them.

It gives me new light in offering criticism to my students on their writing.

Trecking along... feeling a bit overwhelmed and know I still have many months to go! Looking forward to getting pumped up again in January at the FETC conference.

Writing for School Awards...

2007-11-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks, myself and a few other teachers have been writing to receive a California Distinguished School award. Now, it's a long shot for our school who is in a high socio-economic area and has really no special needs or programs.

Regardless, we are writing on this committee. Sub after sub going through my classroom... and I happened to miss the last committee meeting for another math conference at our district. When I returned today, the document we were writing on was no longer on one computer and a flash drive, but on 3 different computers! It was even more frustrating to find out that all computers had versions saved on them, but were all in pieces. The old fashioned way of sharing the work turned into a nightmare that took about 1.5 hours to sort out before we could re-convene and start the writing process.

I suggested, and will continue to suggest Google Docs as a method and insist on using it for upcoming committee writings. Until then... sticking with the nonsensical many computers.

Second Life, Theorist display construction

2007-11-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

I worked really hard this weekend to committing myself to this project. It took me hours to just get ahold of creating a room... just a room! It does go to show that others have a knack for things like SL and others have to struggle, like in anything.

I did, at one point get frustrated to the point of signing off... right smack in the middle of building. Brent was being ever so patient to help me use the focus key (which now I've come to love) and link my parts. For some reason, I have had the most problems with linking my parts together. One of those buggers always gets away unlinked. Well, I then consulted the SL manual, never thought I would... and low and behold, there was a way to drag an edit box around all of your OWNED pieces to link them. I knew this before as Brent has mentioned it, however, I could not figure out how to not link other people's objects together with mine. There was always a bush or tree in the way. Finally... using the SL manual, I figured out that there is a box under the tools menu that allows you to only link YOUR items. Phew.

I've also created a theorist poster in the main gallery to go with Csikszentmihalyi's room in which I am constructing. Todd and I were both doing Papert and have agreed to do two collectively as this would help out the team. And let's be honest... Todd would do Papert more justice than I... sad to say. I believe Rita sent over the information to create posters in SL. I am now the proud owner of $587 Lindens... great. ($2.50 real bucks. I'm a big spender)

With the help of Samiya and the scripting information sent over by Todd and Karen, I was able to create script that linked the visitor from the gallery to my room, and back. Successfull, although not without mistakes. Somehow I got the coordinates wrong and when Todd tried to leave my room, he got stuck in a wall and was kicking like a baby. :) All fixed now... changed up the coordinates just a bit.

As I was trying to add furniture to my room, I accidentally unlinked something, because when I tried to delete a chair, I deleted my whole room. No big deal because it was in my inventory, but the I had to go back and re-do my script for my teleporting.

I've also added some rugs to the main gallery to break it up a bit and add a little pizazz.

So far... that's the progress. I am excited to move forward with the actual interactive learning part now. :) Hm.... "flow"....

Don't have a title.

2007-11-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've hit a wall with this number Microworlds 3n problem. I often work hard at something in the beginning and as it wanes on, I lose interest.

I also have an issue with the lack of effort on the parts of some cadre members. A little over half of our cadre work their butts off (well, in certain mediums, like SL, Todd and Brent thrive best)... while the other half are often a day late and a dollar short. While I know teamwork is hardly ever the entire team... that only would occur in a perfect world when everyone's priorities were synchronized... it still should be expected in an intense distance learning program such as this. I'm paying way too much to be a passive learner...

Regardless, I have a hard time caring at all when some members respond a week later to something I've already considered old news. Anyone else agree?

Alright, off to try and figure out/reflect on the 3n problem. Wish me luck.

...

2007-10-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

I'm really tired... just really, really tired.

Wedding planning + Microworlds Quilt = Super Saturday

2007-10-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

What a day. First, my fiance, Elliot... time to start referring to him by name... and I went to have a tasting with our caterer today. They had a ton of food in this room. We had lunch, and waited... and waited... and waited... for everyone to finish asking the million questions they had (wondering who wants to marry these chicks...) and we had a chance to speak to the lady in charge. We have our food all booked up and it took about 10 minutes. Mexican... in true Brandy style. Then, on over to the bakery to select our cake: chocolate, a little vanilla layer and chocolate mousse. It's very nice looking and tastes darn good. You should ask Elliot, he ate plenty. ;)

Then, hours to work on my microworlds quilt. I had some difficulties, so I consulted with Todd who gave me some great tips. Although his tips worked, some of my classmates' codes were either lost somewhere and I couldn't find them, or they were too difficult to format and fix to work with my quilt. All in all, it took a couple hours and some tweaking... and it is now posted, turtle free, to my website.

http://students.pepperdine.edu/blfoster/OMEThome/fall07/index.html

Check it out!

Next, I started helping out with the Papert room on SL for our theorist project. Things are looking great. There is a large diagram to assist in the building and of course Todd and Brent working away like little elves.... oh... I guess Brent is an Elf. Hmmm...

Exciting Tech. News YOU can't use. :-P

2007-10-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I found out this morning that the two grants I wrote for were both selected and granted! This means...

I get a smartboard for my classroom and at least 1-2 projectors for the upper grade classes at my elementary school to share. YAY!

To jog some memories, for our gliffy technology project, I chose the smartboard. In addition, I wrote another grant for the projectors after reading the stories in Edutopia that pumped me up to get on the ball.

:)
Oh Happy DAY!

My Brain on OMET

2007-10-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Anyone remember that commercial about the brain on drugs... and then the guy fries an egg in a pan to illustrate that drugs fry your brain... well I think OMET does too.

My reflections:

638b: I am working, working, working away. I spent a good number of hours working on a lit. review that I have a feeling will be revised more than one time in the coming weeks. That makes me nervous. I have never been great at revising my work because I always feel like I did a great job. It's a tough process. I am also struggling through reading some of the books. I am all booked out for right now. I read a lot in the beginning and needed a little lull here. In addition, if I try to even think about sitting down to read (considering standing up), I will be asleep in a hot second.

664: I have enjoyed some of the adventures, but above all, I have enjoyed MicroWorlds the very best so far. I knew I would... considering that I had been messing around with it for awhile before we started up with it.

633: The Second Life project makes me anxious. I don't really know if we are going to be able to pull this off and make it as grand as we are hoping. I think we all want to do an amazing job, but are seeing the difficulty in distance learning as of now. Doing this project at VirtCamp seems like an easier task because we would all be in the same room. We are starting to see the major players in the program... especially on projects like this. Looking forward to beginning the building challenge. :) Turtles here I come!

Children are AMAZING

2007-10-14T16:38:00.001-07:00

There are obvious reasons why one would become a "teacher." First, I believe we are all teachers in our own worlds. But for me, I actually chose it because I love learning and I love watching others enjoy learning. It had nothing to do with the kids being "cute"...

I digress... my best friend has a daughter, Gabrielle. Maybe the cutest thing in the world... but also a living terror. How is that possible!? Well, the other day, I was talking to her mom, Alison, and Alison gave the phone to Gabrielle. At barely 3 years of age, Gabrielle proceeded to have a full, intellectual conversation with me. Wait? When did that happen? Just a couple months ago, she couldn't even speak in complete sentences. Now, she makes connections (she realized it was my birthday and her friend Makayla's birthday on the same day) and told me all about why the pirates were amazing on the Disneyland ride.

Speechless. I love learning.

(some of my fav. photos of her Disneyland adventure attached)

Technology Idiot

2007-10-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I am a technology idiot.

Here is my story: My school was kind enough to purchase upper grade teachers laptops... one for each of us. Yes, they changed the operating system and the hardware, making it even impossible to change the time on our own computers, but at least we have laptops, right?

I Enjoy the leisure of now taking my grades home and not having to stay at school until 8:00 to finish my progress reports or print out 35+ pages of grades just to do report cards. So, yes, there are some great benefits. Well... except that not being able to use anything other than the grade program.

About 2 days ago, my computer stopped accessing the wireless (I bought a router, secured it... and bam... just like that.) in my classroom. I thought I broke the computer. So, my principal comes into my classroom to give me administrator privileges so I can change the time and download things, and I still couldn't access the Internet. I checked the firewall, disabled, still nothing.

I spend 2 hours trying everything I could think would possibly work, and my fiance comes to the rescue. In 2 minutes time (yeah, did I mention the TWO hours of agonizing...) he figures out the on my computer, in the middle where the computer connects from the screen to the keyboard, there is a touch sensitive keypad that can turn on/off the sound, the Internet abilities, and change the lighting. You ARE KIDDING ME. I've never seen that before.

I feel like a tech. idiot.

On another note, for your learning pleasure, there is the ability to change the built in mouse to a lefty function. :)

The Big Picture: A Short Video

2007-10-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have read The Big Picture, here is a video about The Met.

It's really good and gives you a visual. There are students, Dennis Littky, the school, and some of those internships that you read about.

Good stuff. Makes me love the philosophy even more.

http://www.edutopia.org/met-passion-learning

Enjoy! I was impressed.

Mathophobia: The Fear of Learning

2007-10-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

As I read through Mindstorms by Semour Papert, I am reminded of something that occurs so often in our lives: creating a taboo for learning:

Papert addresses things we do as adults that alter, and in a sense, cause us to curse learning:

"I can't learn French, I don't have an ear for languages"...
"I could never be a businessman, I don't have a head for figures"...
"I can't get the hang of parallel skiing, I never was coordinated"...

Thinking and saying these types of phrases to ourselves and admitting them to others is simply a way of cursing ourselves from the ability to learn.

As I reflect on myself and my professional development, I see how important it is to avoid this mathophobic way of being and to open my mind up to the learning that could be.

One Golden Coin in a Pile of Coal

2007-10-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

Not a terribly good analogy... but hear me out.

I have some cruel parents... but I have been blessed to have one set of amazing parents that truly are supportive of myself and their daughter. Haven't parents learned that I have their child's entire school year in my hands? Being respectful should be an obvious reply of gratitude.

The awesome "golden coin" sent me an email of links for projectors (I wrote a grant for one, but it was thoughtful of him to look out for me) and a link for a video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&total=100&s

The video is fairly long, but inspiring. It speaks of virtual simulations (games, like Sims...etc) that get kids learning from where they are most interested and inspired. I feel like our world is headed in the direction of technology for students. Not for technology's sake, but for the mere fact that our kids are THERE. Every generation has their "thing" and I believe that if we want to grow with our students, and in their direction, we need to follow them where they are. Where they understand. Where they gravitate.

Anyway, this somewhat lengthy video is inspirational. I encourage you to play it in the background as you work if your time is short. He does have some PowerPoint slides that are worth mentioning if you do have 1.5 hours of dowloads to wait for or airplane time to pass. :)

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, dying of Pacreatic Cancer
Speech date: Sept. 18, 2007

I am a professional. Treat me that way.

2007-09-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever lost your appetite because something bugs you SO much?

I have now received my 2nd request to have a kid transitioned out of my class. The first one was for the curriculum being too difficult and the parent thinking their daughter needed to be retained (that one is now contained... but a new fire is on the rise)... the second one is that a parent now wants their child moved to another 4th grade classroom because I have already labeled them as a "bad kid."

First, the kid doesn't bring his work to school, doesn't do any homework, and was caught kicking another student ( I saw with my own eyes) and I simply gave him a detention. No big deal. Mistake... but I just talked to the kids involved, issued detentions and the clean slate is in effect.

I just got a nasty email from the dad... wants to get the principal involved... fine, whatever. The truth is, the principal is very supportive and I have not done anything wrong. I'm just so frustrated. Since when were teachers NOT professionals? Why don't people treat us like professionals? They woud never treat a doctor this way... why us?

...so angry.

Back to School Night

2007-09-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

Alright, so B2S night was on Thursday. For those of you who are unaware of this lovely occasion, it is when an entire classroom is filled with my worst enemies, parents.

I am kidding... but at the same time, there were very few smiles within the crowd. Parents came in, sat down, listened to my shpeal (how on earth do you spell THAT word!), and then threw tomatoes at me. Okay, they weren't tomatoes, but complaints, yes.

I am not sure what they expect, but I am a teacher. I teach kids knowledge... and help them find their processes of learning. Instantly, upon my completion, a parent shoots her hand up and asks, "why does my daughter have 4 hours of homework every night?" ...then the crowd pulls in...

Simply put, I am not the homework police. I give ample amount of time in class to complete work. I will not falter in my responses to these parents. How do you say, Your kid is just too darn slow! That was the same sound I heard from about 5 parents. Again... slow kids.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have some REALLY bright kids. I have the smartest 4th grade class at my school! I absolutely love their inquisitive minds. But... here in lies the problem. If I teach to the higher-level students (a must), then the lower students/slower students fall behind and then the calls and emails pour in. If I teach at a lower level, the bar is set too low for the kids and no one develops. In addition, my GATE kids would probably walk out.

I've been fighting fires and writing emails ever since Thursday night. I might need to go back to fifth grade where parent involvement sucks but at least they let me teach without questioning me. I will not teach with low expectations. I will not.

Sick as a DOG. And P.E. hell at my Elementary School...

2007-09-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

So, I've officially contracted the flu from my lovely (snotty) fourth graders.

I hate hate hate being sick. What sucks even more is that it's Monday! I can't afford to take sicks days because I only get 10 a year and I'm going to be using at least 7 of them just on OMET alone. I think 8 though.

So, frustration today at school. In the beginning of the 638a (ARP) class, I talked about my struggles with my school's P.E. system. We have this P.E. curriculum that's actually pretty good if anyone would just dust the damn book off and look at it. My frustration is pretty instense with this.

Today, we had P.E. with our kids and I was on duty. I had last week off, so the other two teachers just stood out there, watching the kids bored out of their minds, playing games that involved little exercise, losing interest in being active. Now, I know it's only 4th grade and most kids are still relatively active, but I'm telling you... the energy drop off begins in just a year from now... and I'm a huge advocate for physical activity.

Anyway, so our field is soaking wet. Why, you ask? Oh, because there is a sewage pipe that runs underground where our field is and it is leaking. SICK. BLAHHHH. (Don't worry, we didn't have the kids in the mess. That's terribly wrong) Oh... and I'm not positive that the pipe story is true. I heard it from the other 4th grade teacher on duty with me, and she is not traditionally an honest person.

Anyway, it's pretty flooded right now. We avoided the flooded areas and walked around to where the field was not flooded to play on dry land. I decided to teach the kids a new game of kickball today, where every single person has to participate. It's played like this: The kicker kicks, and the rest of the entire team must run the bases with them, and come back to home plate to score a point. The outfielders can either catch the ball to get an out, or they have to grab the ball, wherever it lands and everyone on their team must stand behind them and go Over, Under, Over, Under... with the ball until the last person from the team touches it. Whoever does this first, (either runs the bases or finishes the ball pattern pass) scores a point or an out.

Things like this are simple to teach... but these teachers won't even bother looking at the book. They don't even have the kids set cones or bases out. The kids don't mind helping... but they are so lazy that nothing happens.

I told the teacher, Carrie, on duty with me that I am going to start teaching the kids games every time I am on duty. She said, "Good. We wanted you in 4th grade this year for that. Nanette and I don't like P.E. so we don't do it (the P.E. curriculum we adopted)."

It's reasons like this that I try that much harder. Plus, the kids deserve my energy. I am getting paid for it, after all. My kids express so much more interest, more used energy, and more excitement than a traditional game of kickball where only half the team ever ends up participating and the other half sits on the bench until the whistle is blown.

Hard Work = More Responsibilities

2007-09-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

To add to the chaos... I am still in BTSA (2nd year teaching), getting married in July 08, going through this crazy OMET program, oh, and teaching a new grade level this year...

My principal brought a couple more things to my attention:

I am now grade level rep and have only been teaching 4th grade for 3 weeks...
I am on the math planning/integration committee from 4th grade to be trained at the district...
I am on the Distinguished School Committee...

I am terribly excited about all of my roles, although in my voice, all that can be heard is tiredness. This might be the best year of my life to date... yet SO, SO busy.

Learning OH SO MUCH!

2007-09-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Todd's last blog posting about exercise of the brain as it related to the OMET program.

What a (tiresome) and great time I am having... but not necessarily out of my busy schedule, but out of the amount I am learning within a day's time. I've been expressing to my co-workers that this program has not necessarily been what is teaching me, but a catalyst to learn from others. I would have never read those books in their entirety...and some I still haven't... but many I have... if I would not have the fantastic minds to compare with as I finish.

Great experience. To echo Todd, great mental workout.

Students teaching Students

2007-09-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

In having dinner tonight with a friend of my fiance, we began talking about her education. She is a senior level student in her undergraduate program at UCSB. While definitely a hippie with the utmost respect in using the term, she's a world traveler and has been many places in her 20 years on this earth.

This was my first time meeting her and I have been anxious because I love her mom who I recently visited in Colorado (see earlier blogs). She has a passion for making change in the world but shuns the idea of teaching because she does not want to conform to the Western World's view of education. She doesn't want to become a professor and simply have knowledge that proves to be less useful than going into the world and changing it. She has aspirations to work with those who are less fortunate in countries she has already traveled to and intends to go back and help... she simply has dreams that many people keep in the closet.

Since we've been learning about progressive education movements throughout OMET thus far, it was interesting that she brought up an upcoming opportunity at UCSB. Apparently, there is this program that allows students to teach classes about essentially anything they want. Now, they have to be sponsored by (I think) another professor in the school or at least within her department of study and it has to be legitimate. When I asked what class she planned to teach (they get credits for teaching too), she said very quickly "How to Change the World" as if she'd been planning this her entire life.

I asked about her curriculum and she told me that she was hoping to have speakers come in from different organizations and different scholars come in to express needs within our world for the first portion of the class, and for the second half, to create a "project" collectively as a class to change the world... could be an excursion, something. She also expressed this idea of having her students interview their professors (who are researchers) about their research and ask them how they could use the information they teach in their class to better the world or make a difference in some way. In this "homework" assignment, students would learn from their professors and open their eyes to new ways to rejuvinate their own brains to hopefully making a difference. I found this to be awesome. I took multiple classes in my undergraduate years that added no value to my brain or to the world. I would've rather spent time at least seeing the world through other's eyes and opening my eyes to the world of need around me. Although such a typical hippie thing to want... I still loved the idea.

Finally, she talked about a professor she had who spent half of the year in India and the other half teaching at UCSB and said that the reason he continues to come back and teach (besides the $) is because he feels that if he can even steer 1 or 2 students to proactivity, he feels it is worth the while. She brought up a good point and talked to her professor about raising his bar. What about wanting 50 students to become proactive?

Even more profound from a 20-year old... she mentions that since she used that "homework" assignment with herself to talk to her own professors about ways she can use the information they teach to better the world, she was able to speak openly with her obviously intelligent professor who may have been living in research (but no application) land and needed to have the fresh mind of a young adult to free him from his stagnance.

Finally, thanks Todd. I posted the music onto my website and it can be found here: http://students.pepperdine.edu/blfoster/OMEThome/fall07/index.html

Learning Adventure #1 - Musical Ensemble

2007-09-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished my musical ensemble using a program called Finale Notepad. I was really impressed with the options that were free to use!

I have never been musically inclined or played a single note on a musical instrument (unlike most everyone I've see from our cadre) but I was determined to use my ears to create something pleasing. Although my piece is simple, it was not meant to be something dramatic, but for me to learn how to use something new to enrich my learning.

In listening to my fellow cadre mate pieces (Jackie's was just amazing), I grew a little jealous of their abilities. I needed to stop thinking this way and enjoy the process. Jessica helped me to just "picture some experience" and then it would come naturally.

Again, although simple, it certainly represents serenity to me...

In one of Stager's forum discussions, I read that Todd said he did not learn anything more about music, but about the process of working through something. I echo this statement.

If anyone is reading this that knows how I might post my music (it seems like blogger is only allowing me to post pictures or videos, not link documents...), please let me know. Thanks! :)

Radio: An Illustrated Guide

2007-09-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Radio: An Illustrated Guide. It was the highly recommended book from Stager's book list. Anyhow, when I saw how short it was, I was up for buying it...

Indeed, it only took about 30 minutes to read through. Being a former journalism student/guru, I loved it. Not only do I find radio to be the most fun medium, but I understood a lot of the lingo they spoke of in the booklet. I even took it upon myself to email an old radio journalism professor from my undergrad to express the greatness of the book and to pass it on to future students.

Read it! It's funny. Now I'm anxious to listen to the show. Even more exciting... my future (as of right now) is looking at the high possibility of moving to the Chicago area in the next few years. That's where the show takes place. Maybe I will be an intern for fun!

P.S. I was an intern at KKJZ fm, 88.1 (it's jazz, I did the news) until their budget was cut and pushed the program director and all of his interns out the door. I loved working in radio and cutting sound. I also interned at a big shot station, Star 98.7 while in college too. However, I did very little hands-on there. I attribute most of my learning to the KKJZ experience. I only have one of my stories taped (my first and unfortunately, not my best) but it's on cassette. In addition to the many humiliating VHS tapes from broadcasting camps and the like.

The Hundred Languages of Children - The Constructivist Approach

2007-09-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

In reading the article, here, I have come to connect the schools of Reggio Emilia in Italy to be among a group of constructivist schools. The constructivism theory, like Reggio Emilia's school follows, does not require all students to learn the same thing, but the teacher act more as partners of learning rather than an authoritative figure.

The students in Reggio Emilia are given the tools to use as they process and create their own learning --without deadlines, outcomes, objectives or major roadblock boundaries.

(really... I am doing reading right now, but I will have fun today. I also start back to work tomorrow and I'm trying to get a little heads up on reading---although I feel like I still have PLENTY to read)

My job - The Objectivist Approach

2007-09-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

What better to do on my labor day then to read about objectivist and constuctivist theories of learning? :)

In response to some of the reading... my job certainly exemplifies an objectivist approach. Objectivism seeing learning as being done one way and having outcomes to prove that learning has occurred. This journal article would be difficult to read if I didn't have the connection abilities in my own life --sure glad I can relate it to something!

In the teacher world, we are taught to create lesson plans in our teacher ed. programs and once we begin teaching, they all go out the window. Anyhow, on those lesson plans, there are places to put "outcomes" and there are places to write the activities the students will do to achieve these outcomes. Some lesson plans even have a space for whether or not those outcomes have been achieved.

I believe my mind to be more along the constructivist approach in that I believe there can be more than one interpretation, meaning, way of learning, etc. I don't believe that you must learn "a" by doing one specific action or reading one specific book. I also believe that objectivism limits the learner in communicating with others to find meaning. Who is to say the professor/teacher knows everything? No one person is an expert.

I do think that constructivism is a little too liberal for me however... I might be about 75 constructivist on the continuum.

Accepted - Reflection on the movie

2007-09-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

I too, rented Accepted and wanted to place my reflections:

The movie was very much like the readings we have been doing about learning theories and how students learn regardless (or possibly, arguably, better) of what we force them to learn and in certain orders.

The premise of the movie (see Jessica's post for more details) explains much of the stigma of getting into colleges that we as a culture have deemed to be acceptable. Unfortunately, this alienates the smaller crowd who feels like they belong no where. South Harmon attempted to change this and opened a school where students can learn naturally, as so many philosophers have been harping for decades --if not centuries thanks to Dewey.

I found the movie to be entertaining but also enlightening (as much as seeing/hearing the word "shithead" can allow). Thanks to Bill for suggesting it! Now, question: Is it possible to quote the movie for reflection during other projects and our ARP? Haha. :)

Second Life: Conquering Fears?

2007-08-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

I know this is probably a long shot... and when I was thinking about it last night before bed, I might have been just delirious so bear with me. Here was my epiphany:

Second Life could possibly be just what is needed to get people to conquer their fears. (or at least mess with them) Case and point. I have a surfboard and wetsuit that my avatar has used to surf. Now, in my first life, I would never surf (afraid). I am perfectly comfortable and I actually seek out things that I fear in my (first) life on second life.

In thinking about how children and others are drawn to second life (other than that it's entertaining, colorful, similar to a video game...), it's no surprise to me that people want to make their second life avatar into something that their first life character is not at all alike. Maybe I'll bust out some psychology and say that it's possible that because our human nature can often make us unhappy with self-image, that second life is a way to create the image of your dreams and be a person in which you never were on earth. Woah. deep stuff.

Interesting quote - The Hundred Languages of Children

2007-08-30T10:16:00.001-07:00

For any elementary ed. teachers that have read or are reading the book, The Hundred Languages of Children, this quote can be found on page 67:

"What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught. Rather, it is in large part due to the children's own doing as a consequence of their activities and our resources."

It's interesting that children don't just learn by observation. Like all of us (view ourselves), we are comfortable most when the learning is done by discovery. Lecturing and testing is not long-term learning and results in creating little for our brains to use as connectors.

This book mentions a lot of John Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky to name a few. The Reggio Emilia approach (by the way... does anyone else want to visit with me?!?) is certainly interesting so far. I wonder if Stager has been there? I also wonder if the entire instruction is spoken in Italian?

Interesting book... although the interview with Malaguzzi does seem to drag on. I enjoyed reading about the supermarket "project" and I absolutely love the idea of using projects with young children to build on their understanding and giving them the ability to use all of their "languages" to communicate their thoughts.

Distributed Learning with Spiders

2007-08-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

Interesting news article: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/30/spider.web.ap/index.html

I am hoping the link doesn't break... but if it does...

The story is about a massive spider web (all of my close friends know how fascinated I am about spiders. They are truly the most amazing engineers on the planet! -- aside from their creepiness). I cut and pasted part of the story here and colored the lettering of the area in which I believe hints at distributed learning/cognition.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WILLS POINT, Texas (AP) -- Entomologists are debating the origin and rarity of a sprawling spider web that blankets several trees, shrubs and the ground along a 200-yard stretch of trail in a North Texas park.

Lake Tawokoni State Park rangers Mike McCord, left, and Freddie Gowin check out a giant spider web at the park.

Officials at Lake Tawakoni State Park say the massive mosquito trap is a big attraction for some visitors, while others won't go anywhere near it.

"At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas. "Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."

Spider experts say the web may have been constructed by social cobweb spiders, which work together, or could be the result of a mass dispersal in which the arachnids spin webs to spread out from one another.

Cool beans!

My Day on Top of the United States - Mt. Whitney hike!

2007-08-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

On August 25, 2007 at 1:10 a.m., my fiance, Elliot, myself, and our two friends Krista and David set off to hike to the top of the continental United States (lower 48).

In February Elliot put in for a permit (as required to hike) and we got it! I wasn't excited at first ...altitude, no sleep, peeing in bushes... but as time drew closer, I was getting excited.

To sum up the entire trip:

started at: 1:12 a.m. August 25th
hiked up: over 6,000 ft in elevation
ended at: 14,496.811 ft.
the hike up took: ~ 9 hours
the hike back took: ~ 5 hours (and sucked really bad...)
rested for about: ~ 1 hour total
ended at: 5:10 p.m.
no sleep for: 36 hours straight

After the hike we were all exhausted, like hallucinating exhausted. We drove down the ONE main road in all of Lone Pine to get something to eat (tell me how safe driving without sleeping for 1.5 days is...haha). We had a choice between Carl's Jr, Mc.Donalds, a couple no-name sketchy diners, and this random pizza factory. Pizza it was. Best meal! After a diet of clif bars, trail mix, and an orange for the last 16 hours, we were all hurting for some real food. If we could just keep our eyes open long enough to eat it!

Then, off to the Best Western to crash at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening. Sleep for 12 hours and head back home!

* we met some people on the trail that had been hiking for 16 days straight. Many people hiked from Yosemite to summit Whitney. There were tons of hiking/climbing junkies at the summit.

Great experience... wouldn't do it again. I am really glad we did it once though... now we're thinking about half dome at Yosemite and the Grand Canyon (most people tackle those before Whitney... we did the opposite!).

If you need suggestions or want to tackle Whitney yourself (or if you've done half dome or the grand canyon and want to give us tips, write me a note!!)

Here is a link to the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10303343@N02/sets/72157601683630999//

(if the link is broken, visit the flickr website and type in blfoster for a search name)

:)

B

Final thoughts: Dewey's Experience & Education

2007-08-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

I just finished Dewey's book, Experience & Education. I have some thoughts to sum up my understanding (I found about 1/3 of it difficult to follow).

Dewey expresses that all education should be based on the learner's past experiences and should then build on those experiences to create new experiences... creating a never ending cycle. Starting with the current understanding of the learner allows them to build on what they already know to create further learning/experiences.

The educator's job is to facilitate this learning process and become a contributor to the student's learning. My understanding is that since no one student is learning the same thing (because no student will have the exact same knowledge or experiences), it is difficult, as Dewey expresses, for the educator to design curriculum to suit every student's needs.

When I was speaking to that woman I met that went to the University of Chicago's school that John Dewey claimed part of in his studies at, she expressed to me that she was very good at math as a student. Because of this "experience" and skill, she learned a lot of math when she was attending that school (as progressive ideals state: you learn based on what you already know... she knew math... she learned more math). The negative side, as she mentioned, was that she remembered occasionally not understanding the work she was to "add to her experience" and felt like a failure as a result. She also mentioned the absence of grades and felt that she was out of touch with other students from other schools, confused as a child as to why she was given different treatment. She did not feel there was a lot of group activity or working with other students as much as she would have liked.

Although Dewey's theory seems logical... that all education should be based on experiences of individual students, building on their intelligence and challenging them to further intelligences and higher learning in creating new experiences... it does not seem as fluid as expected. Students are not machines and are not always understanding of the next level of learning as well as they understood the previous lesson.

Finally, although I am not educated enough to be an advocate for either traditional (in which I suppose I teach at, although arguable) or progressive schools, I do believe that the responsibilities of educators listed in the book are respectable:

1. Problems grow out of conditions of experiences being held at present and within the range of the capacity of the students.
2. It is such that it arouses in the learner an active quest for information and production of new ideas.

John Dewey - Experience and Education

2007-08-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in Colorado staying with friends with my fiance. We are actually out here for a business meeting my fiance is having with the board of directors for a future business venture. So, I have my laptop on the counter in their living area and one of the wives of a board member notices that I have the book, Experience & Education by John Dewey and walks up creating conversation. At first, I'm thinking... "sure, he's famous for his writings... and she's probably heard of him, but not read his books..." but then she says that she was a student in one of the studies done at John Dewey's school. I'm thinking... hmm... sure. Then, she goes on to tell me that she went to school in Chicago and at the time, there was a grade school based on Dewey's writings and philosophy and until she was in middle school did she realize that she didn't receive grades, but other students did. She began to tell me more about this school. She attended it because the other schools around were dangerous and her parents went to the University there... providing safer schools for students who attended. She indeed, was a student who experienced this. How cool! I was actually bored of this book initially and then met her and now I'm interested to get back. I'll keep you posted. :)

Eugenics Movement

2007-08-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading The Book of Learning and Forgetting and I just hit page 62... which is by far the most shocking thing I've read thus far:

There was a eugenics movement (eugenics means "the production of fine offspring") in the early 1900's and probably still is... that was largely run by Charles Darwin's half cousin Francis Galton (seen here).

He believed that IQ was based entirely on genetics and that those with high intelligences (generally upper class) should propagate only among their class. He believed that those who had low intelligences should then be segregated from the upper class so that they would not "cross" and propagate with one another... spreading the lower IQ.

This was spurred by the study of why generally intelligent, wealthy families produce less children while those families of little wealth produce more children. It was said that eventually, the poor would reign and the higher intelligence would in a sense, be washed away... and that needed to be changed.

Their answer to this was that those who are poor (monetarily) and make poor (bad) judgements should also be sterilized, in addition to those women who are promiscuous. In addition, it was encouraged that those of lower intelligence should also be sterilized. Broken families should have parent sterilization to prevent further "mistakes" of child care payments, etc.

Anyone else outraged by this? I know the author is against this... seeing as how he doesn't believe in testing or that children of one intelligence or another are of a higher status.

I can't say that I completely buy his viewpoint -- I do believe that learning might require some effort (if it's difficult to understand and we really want to learn it) but I also agree that there needs to be an education reform that does not revolve around tests. I also believe that we learn constantly and with little effort... but again, I believe that some things are more difficult to understand and I work harder to learn them (willingly... he seems to place a negative emphasis on forcing yourself = effort to learn something is not learning at all).

Correct me if I'm wrong, go ahead. :)

The Pursuit of Happyness

2007-08-15T23:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching a movie: The Pursuit of Happyness. The main actor is Will Smith. Anyhow, I found it to extremely sad, and eye-opening.

The entire movie revolved around a man and his son's journey through poverty and finding happiness (incorrect spelling addressed in the movie) in all things...

My movie review: I was expecting a movie that would be sad for 1/2 and happy for the second half. It didn't quite happen that way. It was sad for the majority. :(

One thing it did do... made me think of how thankful I am for the life that I was blessed with and the opportunities that I have. Although I know that I have a high education background (for goodness sakes, I am attending the most beautiful university with the best distance learning program in the country!) and I know a lot of connections in business, it definitely helped me suck it up and realize that I should take nothing for granted.

To think, I was bickering about another teacher taking my hanging files in my file cabinet earlier today. What an insignificant problem that I deal with... while others are struggling to provide for their children and live another day without an idea of where they will lay their head for the night.

Of course I had to do a little research on a site I used to use often at an internship I had in Santa Monica: http://www.imdb.com/ (you can find trivia on any movie/TV show):

- the homeless in the movie were actual homeless people, paid full day's wages and given meals for starring in the film
- Will Smith's son in the movie is his real son

:)

World Observation: Language Around Children

2007-08-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

I was reading in my car the other day as I was sitting in front of this store (yeah, anything to get out of my apartment... those stories aside)...

and...

this woman, about 35-40 years old and her about 1 year old child in the stroller were waiting for someone as the woman was chatting on her phone. She began talking about this woman who had just left her house and called her to get directions to where she was going from there. Following the explanation, this grown woman says (in the presence of her child)... "She's so retarded! So mentally retarded!"

My thoughts: At what point can be start being good examples for young, impressionable children? I guess I'm an advocate for proper language around kids because they are picking up everything from us and we are examples to them.

Alright, I'm done with the vent session. Thanks.

Wiki Wacky

2007-08-13T10:16:00.001-07:00

I had my first wiki tragedy. As I was attempting to add the information I saved in my word doc. (I knew I didn't want to lose the information), I went to save it and all hell broke loose. Something happened to all of my writing and it deleted huge portions of the paper that I was not even working on.

I wrote about this in the discussion board on wiki and mentioned that I reverted the wiki back to the last person before me who has saved the information, Brent, and had to go back and re-type my information. I tried to cut and paste into the wiki but there were some font issues and wiki doesn't have traditional font to choose from (from what I know).

Regardless, what I was prepared to add and what I thought would only take me about 10 minutes ended up taking close to an hour because of the wiki going wacky.
(I plan to add this to EDC 641's forum posting too).

Looks like technology isn't flawless, even when I do everything I thought was safer.

My Day of Rest

2007-08-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

In an effort to break away from my computer (obviously not for 24 hours since I'm here blogging) and to prepare for the Mt. Whitney hike in 2 weeks, my fiance and I set out to do a little exploration. We wanted to go walk around Pasadena because we have never actually spent time there before. Neither of us are much of shoppers, but we enjoy walking around and people watching.

After we finished that adventure, we went for a hike in the mountains just past Pasadena. I'm not sure the name of it, but I believe we took the 213 Fwy. to the 2. Anyhow, we found a trailhead and ended up hiking about 5 miles. We've been running the sand dunes in Manhattan Beach and running a lot more recently to get ready for the 20+ miles hike coming up.

Today was so nice to get away and enjoy what being outside and being surrounded by what nature has to offer. What a great time. :)

Unrelated, Todd saw Freedom Writers! What a great movie. I encourage everyone to see it. Have a great weekend cadre. Go out and enjoy the sunshine.

Final Reflection on Leadership From the Inside Out

2007-08-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

(p.179) I loved the idea of seeing you job as earning a living OR feeding a community. That parable was such a good example of how we should be viewing our efforts.

It reminded me of this commercial I saw on the Internet (CNN videos) about Tylenol. Each of the people that spoke were actual Tylenol employees and they expressed what they do. Rather than making a product for salary that will pay their bills, they expressed that their work "saves people's lives."

Another thought-provoking piece that was underlying within this book was the idea of showing your real self, becoming vulnerable, and being real with people. This greatly changes and strengthens you impact as a leader. You become personable, someone of respect, admirable, and someone people want to befriend. The book mentioned how Al Gore was uptight throughout his campaign and finally let himself breathe and be "real" after he lost the presidency. The author speculates whether or not he would have made a better candidate and would have had a better chance if he would have let himself be known by the people in a real way. Possibly.

The book was insightful and brought about a lot of "me thinking" which was much needed. Close to the end, I was beginning to get ancy and felt like repetition was starting to kick in. However, I hope that I can use some of this advice to strengthen myself as a leader and use this in assistance with my ARP in the upcoming months.

Leadership From the Inside Out - Book reflections #4

2007-08-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Interesting quote from the book:

(p.111) I don't care who you are or how great you are --no one person can totally claim the victory or totally abstain from the defeat.

In our lives, we are not the only ones the contribute to what happens. There is always a surrounding "team" that holds power and possesses insight into our actions. Haven't you ever seen the Oscars? I always find it humorous that the actors get up and thank everyone in the world (and outside of the world--thanking God is overrated. Glad they remember him them... probably not a second thought later on) ... but the truth is, although they are the only one seen on the camera and in the movie, there are hundreds of others that their success must be tied to.

(p.114) Ask people for their feedback on your views and how you are coming across.

Okay, as nice as this sounds, I find it almost impossible to do. People are afraid of hurting your feelings or losing their jobs. The only real way to do this that seems to work is confidential.

(p.122) ----authentic listening... tough concept! Have you ever been able to just listen to someone without getting thoughts in your head about what you plan to say next?

I was talking to Dervin last night on Skype and we kept interrupting each other, trying to get a word in edgewise. Is it because we are so horrible at authentic listening? Is it fair enough to say that we are trying to help contribute, or that we are selfish to want OUR voices to be heard and praised?

(p.124) --apprecite authenticity. Often, I feel like there isn't enough to appreciate. Rarely in the workplace do I hear teachers, administration, or even students contributing to appreciating others... like really, truly admiring someone's efforts. I have set a goal to encourage and acknowledge and express to others my appreciation at school this year. REMIND ME of this if anyone in fact reads my lengthy blogs. ;)

Okay... this whole idea of "Being Mastery" is so weird. I know it's good to be comfortable and control yourself... but yikes! How difficult is it just to "be" without outside distractions.

I have never meditated, although I did try the breathing exercise in this chapter... not that I felt the serenity I was supposed to... but I guess I was focused on it and expecting it too.

Finally... page 143 talks about Reverence for Nature. Here is where I really connected. I love being outside. I love everything about nature and what is has to offer our souls. My fiance says (I joke with him about this... as we are both Christian), when we go to the mountains, he feels like God lives there. I have since started to view mountains in that same, serene light. I love hikes (although, ask me if I'm ready to hike 26 miles at Mt. Whitney in a couple week... uhhhhh) and all things nature. It really frees me when I am outside of my concrete walls.

On that note... I had to add another favorite of mine (that I am fairly new to, growing up in So. Cal... Skiiing---this one is in Steamboat Springs, CO. I am going back in two weeks!)

Leadership From the Inside Out - Book reflections #3

2007-08-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

I hope I am not alone in saying this... but as Bill wants us to blog at least 2 x's /week, I find it hard to do since we have SO much else to be doing, replying to, reading...etc. Blogging has no structure or due date, making it even more challenging.

I am choosing to blog about my readings because I am very much a visual learner. Typing my random notes from the reading is helping me add meaning to what I read. So, if it helps you too, awesome! Here are my thoughts this time around:

(p.85) Life is everchanging-- it is our job to master our ability to adapt to change.

If I said I liked change, I'd be lying. Everyone likes to be informed of every little change but hates it regardless because it's an added stress on our already important and busy lives. This book is certainly helping me realize that the key to leadership (and self) success is being able to roll with the punches... something I have always struggled with ---well, I am good at it on vacation or on the weekend... but in the presence of stress... suck at it!

(p.88) Like a wise student, we can gain insight only if we are open to it.

I just think of how often I am stuck in a rut and want nothing more than to sulk in my situation until I finally cut the pride and submit to listening to others for assistance. It really does take me some time of being on my own and struggling to open up to the insight of others. Tonya (GA) from VirtCamp told me multiple times ---this was such an eye opener to me!-- that I need to consult my classmates for help rather than getting frustrated and doing it alone. At times, she even said it sternly as if she were trying to express, "Cut the crap, Brandy!" For some reason, I feel as though I am bothering people or being a helpless person when I submit to the insight of others. I don't want others to view me as weak and I don't want to lose my pride. I am learning it... the hard way, but I making a real effort to pushing the envelope on this one.

*A few times throughout reading this book it has reminded me of a book my fiance was reading throughout his MBA program about Toyota and their key to success. I believe the book is called Lean or something of that nature. Anyhow, it explained how Toyota is a growing success and far surpasses the other car manufacturing companies in their business practice. Toyota has a mission to treat ALL of their employees as if they are shareholders and leaders. Even down to the production line, Toyota is constantly consulting the very people who work the nitty-gritty of their product and every single employee to gain feedback on how their exact area of work can be improved to be more productive. Rather than hiring bigshots who aren't working in that area, all employee opinions on change are valued and changes are made according to the employee feedback. It has been their business plan and it has worked tremendously.

A quote from the book worked with this idea: (p.97) We need to invest millions of dollars in people development and keep with it even if we experience a few bumps in the road...the courage to reengineer the total organization (human and systemic) comes form the belief that people really are the capital that drives performance.

Now, I think, how can I use this at school? I already consult my students for help, their thoughts, their buy-in, their interests, their beliefs, their wants... often. But am I doing enough? Am I really making their experience an optimal experience for their growth?

(p.97) All significant changes begin with self change.

And how hard it is to change yourself rather than changes situations around you or situations that aren't working. This one's a toughy.

(p.102) Imagine your life totally free of fear... How would you live? ...How would you lead?

I see it going two ways:

I would be encouraged to try everything, not concerned about failure (which is a fear of myself and many) and I would have many great successes because I tried. Some failures, but they would be opportunities to learn from.

I can also see having no fear... leading to being careless. Going for it even though it wasn't thought out, fully complete, etc.

Leadership From the Inside Out - Book reflections #2

2007-08-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I wasn't pumped about reading this book. I thought, "oh great... leadership. In what ways is this book going to try and make me change?"

But after seeing Todd's postings, I began to get a better sense how to approach this reading. It's another way to see things that normally I possess. Needless to say, it's getting better.

I found this section of the book, Purpose Mastery, to be enlightening. Here are my thoughts:

The question "WHY?" -- quite possibly the hardest word to answer. We don't always have a clear reason for why we do things, but we should. (p.63)

(p.66) Nothing happens without a purpose. --It's true! The book outlines many examples of purposeful occurrences and it's just interesting thing that nothing occurs for no reason. This also sheds some light on the things we do wrong. Why did we choose to make mistakes?

(p.67) Why does a leader see possibilities while another sees only problems?

I believe a leader is constantly looking forward for the good of everyone. Rather than being caught up with the present, leaders view "it" as one big journey with hills and plains, not concentrating on any one point but viewing it as one entity.

(p.72) The more profound the purpose, the greater the energy. Purpose also frees us. Purpose opens up possibilities.

With a strong purpose, we are more likely to work hard in achieving it. We stand up for the purpose and except nothing less than success.

I loved this quote:
When you love the purpose of what you do, the rest flows!

What I loved most about that quote were the explanations that followed it. A few people were described in the book (the baker, the insurance/preacher) and both needed to find a real purpose for their work/lives. Once they found the real purpose, their abilities and attitudes soared, causing their work to flourish based on the change of their purposeful attitude.

(p.76) When we are certain of our meaning and purpose, it is very difficult to keep us from achieving our objectives.

How true is this! It is in line with the same principal that "If you want something bad enough, nothing will stop you" -- it means that purpose-driven people strive for completion and excellence.

(This entire section reminded me of The Purpose Driven Life too... in some areas)

(p.78 #3) When helping others find purpose, it is important that we not expect that what worked for us will work for them. Just like the differences of every human being, we have different purposes for our efforts. We must not lose sight of helping someone explore their options rather than trying to give them an answer of what to claim as their purpose.

Finally... the best quote of the chapter:

(p.82) The truest test of your character as a leader is the manner in which you deal with failure.

Some leaders seem strong and purposeful until an unexpected loss hits them. The leader you once valued and admired can be seen as just another person, lacking leadership qualities where they need it most.

I know that I struggle with this quote. I seem energized and positive until something starts to go array and I just want it to be handed off to someone else. Not always, but many times has this occurred in my own life. I worked on answering the questions in this section and it helped me to find the purposes for what I do in my life.

Leadership From the Inside Out - Book reflections #1

2007-08-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

Currently I am reading a book (listed in the title) for my ARP class. I understand that this book is a foundation for what we are to be-- leaders, in designing, shaping, and developing our ARP's.

Here are my reflections as I go:

(p.23) "All significant growth and development begins with self leadership, mastery of oneself."

It is true to thought in saying that leadership starts from within and all great leaders in our world have first become leaders of oneself first. This reminds me of being on an airplane --hear me out. When the flight attendants are explaining the procedures for placing the oxygen masks on your face, they advise that each person place their own mask on first and then work on helping others. Once you are situated, and developed as a leader, you are then ready to train others. You have the play-by-play rules ready to go... because you've used them on yourself.

(p.36) "What we believe, we become."

I think this is going on my whiteboard this year. Maybe very large for the first week of school. Just in the same way humans have this (sad) way of being able to create our own memories, even of things that never occurred, we can believe in making success happen, and we are more likely to pass the finished line. Especially starting something new, many students of any age are fearful of beginnings. This is quite a motivating little quote.

**reoccurring in this book: "As we believe, so shall we lead."

My thoughts: I simply see this quote as a motivation to motivate. If there is something we are passionate about (or passionate against), we are so much more likely to speak up and let our voice be heard--become a leader.

In talking about Conscious beliefs on p.36, there are some questions to which I choose to answer here:

What do you believe about yourself?

I believe that I work hard and often have difficulties taking compliments. I believe that I am self-motivated but become encouraged by others when they are motivated. I believe that I am not strong in certain areas but excel in others. I believe that I have difficulty being wrong and listening to others for advice.

What do you believe about other people?

I believe other people can be judgemental. I believe that other people can be supportive, even when I don't want the support (but usually do, just have too much pride to admit it). I believe others are much more compassionate than I often think they are when I make mistakes. I believe that I have a lot to learn from others.

What do you believe about life?

I believe life is a constantly changing process of which humans are required to adapt. I believe that life is short, life is what you make it, and life is not the same for everyone. I believe that life on earth ends and eternity begins.

What do you believe about leadership?

I believe that leadership is an unnecessarily scary word. I believe everyone is involved in leadership in at least one area of their lives. I believe leadership is different than management and leadership is a mindset, not necessarily activated with a "title."

(p.38) "...He had this nagging anxiety ---can I continue to top my past achievements?"

Don't we all think this way? I think oftentimes, we choose not to "go for the gold" and really make the very best we can, in fear that we won't be able to come back around with that same feeling of accomplishment.

Thinking even further, if for example, Coca Cola were to have 10 ideas of new products ready to launch in September, would it be a smart business move if they revealed all of their new and innovative ideas all at once? No one idea would get very much attention... instead they space out their successes.

(p.44) "Our external shell can be either rigid and thick, preventing new possibilities to enter or to arise, or it can be permeable, thin and flexible, allowing learning and expression of potentialities."

I know that I am guilty of putting up my guard and having this nice rigid shell that makes me look like I can handle the world and then some. Well, truth is, not a person in the world is that strong. It's funny how that's still how we defend ourselves... when we are all human and built of the same structure and internal feelings.

(p.47) "Managers control by virtue of their doing. Leaders lead by virtue of their being."

What a powerful quote! Managers have to take action while leaders are leaders by just setting an example. Come to think of it, leaders are those people that exude confidence, but are not boastful or pushy. Leaders are often experts but do not advertise their expertise.

(p.50) Under sufficient stress, all old patterns return."

It's so true! Even when we try to change ourselves because there is a quality that is not to our liking, we still see that evil trait come back when the right amount of stress enters our lives. For example, I can often lash out at people when I feel like I am being attacked (insecurity). My fiance was helping me design these wedding hotel suggestion cards and I lashed out at him for checking over what I asked him to check. What I asked was, "check these over and see what you think"... but what I really wanted to hear was "Good job" --- not the corrections that he added. Now, the corrections were certainly worthwhile and not at all said in a rude manner. I just put up a guard when I felt I was being attacked even though I have been trying to make an effort to change that. Of course it is suppressed when stress is lacking... but when stress is present, the same darn reaction rears its ugly head...

more to come...

Blackboard Forum Posting

2007-08-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

WOW. Posting on the Blackboard is enlightening and... exhausting. It really is like having 100 conversations all at one time. You forget what other people were commenting to (you read it 3 days ago and they are just replying now) and can be lost easily without being perfect in expressing without ambiguity.

I didn't check BB for 1.5 days and I had about 75+ postings to read. I have a feeling that is how the rest of my year is going to go.

Don't get me wrong. The comments are thought provoking. I simply cannot comment on each one though.

Other than that, life's great. :) Still lovin' it!

First check. Yay!

2007-07-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I feel like I have made a chip in the pavement (for lack of a better word).

I finished an assignment. My webgift is complete... including the writing. And I am entirely happy with the progress. :)

Although I enjoy this program so far, it's definitely weird not completing one assignment completely before moving on to the next. We work on everything all at once. While consuming and a bit overwhelming, I like the idea of keeping assignments open for a longer period of time and not limiting our minds to continue building on our concepts, ideas, etc.

Regardless, it did feel good today to complete something. Yay!

A little Overwhelmed...

2007-07-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot to do.

I keep thinking to myself, it's Summer. You don't have papers to grade or lessons to plan for another month... but I'm a bit overwhelmed regardless. I am usually great at organizing my priorities but for some reason, I don't know what is more important, let alone what book I should be tackling next.

It's been a little bit of a whirlwind, but I really, really enjoy the readings and reflections so far. I like that the books aren't boring education novels/textbooks and rather books I can get into. I like even more that most of them don't directly target education rather more business practice.

Truth is, education is a business and it's about time everyone starts viewing it that way. Yeah, some may say that it sounds a bit callous and impersonal, but we really are SELLING the idea of content and learning to students.

Being a technology program, it's fitting that we actually take heed and join a generation of Web 2.0 "subscribers" and jump on the bandwagon before it passes us by (and man is it zooming).

Kudos to those who are seeing the need to change the way we view our education "business" and making changes to suit our generation of "customers."

Remember, we grew up in the ages of pong and atari... they have SO much more on us!

(if anyone cares, I still remember bits and pieces of the program code it took to boot up my Commodore 64 to get to the games!) .... comma-eight-comma-nine-return! (and wait forever because it took that long for the precious black and green-lettered screen to get the game going.

This is not my exact computer ... but it does bring back some sweet memories!

Final reflection on The Tipping Point

2007-07-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm reached the end of the book (as if I don't have 10 other books I need to start reading like today)... and here are my thoughts...

(p.176) How interesting is it that when Bell telephone company intially made telephone numbers, they wanted to shoot for the highest #... knowing that as the population increased, our need for more number sequence possibilities would also increase. With that thought, they picked 7 and 9... 7 being the amount of #'s in your phone #, and 9 including the area code. I thought that was very bright of them to think ahead and to research brain capacities --the human brain only really having a 9-number sequential memory pattern.

On with the capacity idea... humans have a friend capacity of about 150 ppl. As they defined it, people who you would not mind stopping and having a cocktail with. Any more than that and we act as strangers to one another. So fascinating. What I found to be even more fascinating was that religious tribal groups mentioned in the book already follow this rule by trial and error, only placing their people in groups of less than 150 people as to maintain the bomding among the group. Cool beans.

(p.183) Gore and Associates... what a smart business mind.

(p.188-189) The idea of transactive memory was also intriguing. It's amazing that people can synchronize their brains to those that they feel close in relationship to, enough to increase the collective memory of the couple.

(p.203-204) Needle Vans in Baltimore?!? Brilliant. Even more brilliant are those that sell them for $1 each. I had no idea about this. In sharing this with my fiance, he knew! (I suppose Maryland natives know a thing or two about their state)

(p.242) The whole smoking section: (by the way, it was not that long ago that smoking was allowed in our restaurants in CA... how wonderful that times have changed!)

..."that does not mean that parents who smoke around their children follow. It simply meanrs that smokers' children have inherited genes from their parents that predispose them toward nicotine addiction."

I've heard people say, "it's in their genes" before, but I didn't actually put that idea to use. I do believe that the ACCESS to cigarettes makes it easier for those kids (even not disposed genetically) to become chippers or try it sooner.

(p.246) Nicotine run higher in depressed people because nicotine has the power to boost the brain chemicals that they lack.

That makes total sense. I had no idea that nicotine was able to contribute to the lacking chemicals... explains why the percentage of depressed individuals is upwards in the 80 percentile range of smoking.

Final thoughts: I wonder, and may ponder in a later blog or forum posting, is there a tipping point for teaching technology? Or raising awareness of technology benefits? Or getting our kids interested in OTHER aspects of technology that can be useful (Of course we already know they are interested in technology...) and finally and probably most importantly... Can WE change ourselves to think like our students do? They have a lot to teach us.

Cheers.

The Tipping Point - reflection, day #2

2007-07-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have been reading the Tipping Point as part of the Action Research class. I really enjoy reading books like these; trial and error meets statistics and studies on various topics.

I have so many things to highlight as interesting...

(p.100) - connects to the Johnson book, Everything Bad is Good For You, in mentioning that critics are against all forms of television as it creates a "zombie affect" in humans... whereas Sesame Street and Blue's Clues attempted (and succeeded) to change that stereotype. What I didn't know about Sesame Street was the reason it was first brought to life: to allow children in areas where poverty and poor family involvement was at an alltime high... to become educated.
One of the Blue's Clues masterminds is quoted in saying, "TV is a great medium for education. But people up until now haven't explored the potential of it. They've been using it in a rote way. I believe we can turn that around."(p.111)

(p.102) "They (children) watch what they understand and turn away when they're confused" ---isn't that true of adults too!?!? I think so!

(p.118) "Sesame Street followed Piaget in that preschool-aged children can't follow a narrative." --and on the contrary, when it is understandable and interactive, children sure can!

(p.126) Did you guys know that Blue's Clues airs Monday-Friday the exact same episode? (maybe it is just because I don't have TV or children that I am so far out of the loop... but I find it fascinating that there is resounding success in the show. One reason the book mentions is because children do get a sense of pride and honor in knowing what is coming --basically not feeling stupid and lacking knowledge... and because they can learn and see more everytime they watch it... much like I see, as Johnson pointed out in Everything Bad is Good For You, when I watch Seinfeld over and over again... it never gets old and I see/learn more everytime)

(p.142) In discussing the issue of Goetz and the 4 boys on the dirty subway... "The graffiti was symbolic of the collapse of the system." The "broken windows" theory was certainly interesting. I couldn't agree more with the idea that context and environment greatly affect behavior. Who knows that Goetz would have fired at those boys if it weren't for the environment he was in.

in relation...

(p.146) "Minor seemingly insignificant quality of life crimes were the tipping points for violent crimes" -- cleaning up the environment, one cigarette butt, one line of graffiti, one piece of trash, can likely dramatically affect the feelings and moods of the people within the environment.

(p.151) "The Power of Context says you don't have to solve the big problems to solve crime. You can prevent crimes just by scrubbing off graffiti and arresting fare-beaters..."
(much like my above reflection, starting from the small items and working up changes the environment and the "context"... creating a tipping point and thus reducing crimes on a larger scale)

Can this also be true for our students? If we were to take pride in our jobs as educators, clean up our classrooms/schools (speaking higher volumes for "ghetto" areas) and treat our students like they are privileged members of society, would this not change their views of the drudgery of schooling alltogether? Just a thought. I know that I certainly feel better about myself and more valued when I am in the presence of cleanliness, ambitious and positive people.

My final reflection for the reading today (I'll finish the book tomorrow... promise!) is from (p.163). The author talks about how people's moods and the way others view them is highly based on the context in which they meet. He mentions that because he enjoys dinner parties and has lots of them, that his friends who attend his dinner parties view him as a great, social, polite, happy person. Whereas, their view is not across the board. They don't see him in traffic, on dirty subways, or at the DMV. If they did, their view of him might not be the same as it is when he is at dinner parties. Hence, different people have different views of the person we "are." Rarely do our friends see us in all areas of our lives, otherwise we would be considered many things...

I know for me, some people view me as:

polite, respectful, encouraging -- at school
frustrated, angry, short fused -- at VirtCamp (okay... just kidding... I really am not!)
fun, energetic, adventurous -- on the weekends

But really, you only see those sides of people when you are with them during all of those times. Some people only see me at school... so to them, I am polite, respectful, encouraging... etc. You get the picture.

Hope you're all enjoying the book. :)

Lego reminders... days after VirtCamp has ended

2007-07-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

Legos are still haunting me. To think that VirtCamp is over and the lego process was complete...

But then, right before my very eyes as I am walking down the frozen food aisle of Ralphs grocery store, my attention is directed to none other than..........lego waffles. That's right folks.

At two bucks a pop, these very tasty (yet haunting) treats can be yours at a neighborhood Ralphs near you.

Checking in, and The Tipping Point readings

2007-07-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

Yes... some may say that I am addicted to this blog (ehm... Samiya, Todd) but really, I just feel it as my active duty in contributing to this program's well being. I also missed you all SO much from our VirtCamp reflection circle that I felt the need to reflect as if we were all together still.

Okay, fine. I don't care. I actually like this blog.

So far on my OMET journey, I have done tons of reading. Good reading though. If all the reading is as interesting and fulfilling as it has been, I won't mind that side. I am so excited that the majority of readings aren't textbooks but rather books chosen by our profs that they find compelling and informative in our area of study. I am enjoying The Tipping Point so far. A couple cool things:

When the author mentioned yawning, I did. Of course I hated contributing to that statistic... but yeah. Funny how I yawned just by reading the word... and now I am passing it on... wondering if I am making anyone else yawn...............zzz..............zz....................z......

I thought "nonverbal cues are as or more important than verbal cues" was an interesting statement. That entire section (p.79) was interesting to me because it talked about broadcasters that I have studied outside of this program and explained the nonverbal implications they have on their viewer's decisions and views. More specifically, the book mentions how Peter Jennings used his nonverbal cues to influence his opinion on voting for Ronald Reagan.

Finally, the idea of "emotional contagion" (p.85) was also interesting. By making someone smile, you can change their mood from unhappy to happy... because your expressions force you into a more relaxed and happy state.

Anyhow, just some thoughts about what I'm reading... and I wanted to remember these thoughts too.

Hope all is well my cadre mates!

Welcome Home!

2007-07-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

I'm back at home after an amazing trip to Malibu to visit my Cadre mates and start OMET. Although still feeling overwhelmed by how much we were told was coming up, I feel so excited about being a part of this.

When I returned home, I couldn't stop talking about each one of my new friends and telling stories and jokes (Brent, Todd, Samiya!) from the times we sat and babbled.

Right now I'm just Skyping with Samiya and relaxing at the beach...

VirtCamp day #5, last day!!

2007-07-21T08:48:00.001-07:00

Dinner with one of my roommates and other cadre mates (above)

In the "process" of learning lego systems

I am currently sitting here in the Grad building at Pepperdine amazed at the progress. We are about to unveil our final products and talk about how the processes were. It was such a cool experience to be with a motivated and bright group of students who assisted each other and treated these projects like their own...

The smaller group cadre (above)

I might not be making as much sense as usual under the tired state (we all) are in. I am very excited to see the final products from everyone. Our Cadre website can be viewed here:

www.myomet.com/00x

The final product will be taped and posted later... lots of learning was going on here!!! :)

VirtCamp day #4, very late night...okay Day #5 Morning

2007-07-21T01:25:00.000-07:00

Alright... not much time here to "reflect."

The processes we worked through today were amazing. I am still surprised at our progress. Within a matter of 12 hours (of course we didn't actually get started until mid afternoon Friday), we have a hilarious and excellent video, cadre website, group website, individual websites, and a functioning lego machine. Woah.

Time for bed.

peace.

VirtCamp day #3.5, late night

2007-07-20T00:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I just sat at my computer for a couple hours trying to maneuver Dreamweaver. Out of all the programs and information we've been introduced to so far, it is by far the most frustrating for me. I feel more confident programming legos! I really want to learn the tools and eventually the code (hopefully...one step at a time) that would allow me to understand this seemingly not-so-difficult machine. I feel like I figured out a few things on Dreamweaver tonight although I am having difficulty with a few things:

1. making sure the page fits within the traditional layout size for the average computer (currently it's too big and I can't figure out how to shrink everything down)
2. how to upload the site onto my web space that pepperdine provides http://students.pepperdine.edu/blfoster/ (I guess you can check back and see if I have figured it out soon... currently it's blank page)
3. how to organize my content better (site map) within creating my website.

Anyway, I will post pictures later... I really need a connector that is easier than my camera port. I think I'll be looking into that really soon.

Oh, and I guess I should sleep. We all went out to Paradise Cove for dinner... sooo good and then off to Moonshadows for drinks with a couple GA's from Cadre 9. They are so amazing and helpful. We are so appreciative of their work (for us!). Tomorrow morning, we have to be at the Dean's house at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast followed by class at 9:00 until whenever we finish:

-our cadre website
-our group link site detailing our experiences with "lego mission"
-our group video, fully edited with 20 second voice-overs (VO back from my broadcasting days) for each person in our group and lots of b-roll shots
-oh... and getting our lego machine completely built and properly functioning (multi-faceted)

Yep, I'm tired. Goodnight.

VirtCamp day #3, Nerd Rope Reflection

2007-07-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Well...

today was awesome. We had a chance to work on our lego project and work closer with our larger cadre group to think of a theme for our overall website. We also had the opportunity to learn more about moodle, blackboard, and the library system that Pepperdine offers.

My favorite part today: lego assembling and programming. My team and I worked very hard to completely revamp our lego layout and work work work to get that moving. The coolest part was watching the machine run by programming it from my laptop, ehm... a PC.

There was a lot of sweat and intense faces and concentration that led us where we are today. Although not done, we are certainly feeling positive about our progress and we can see the glint of light at the end of the tunnel. Of course we still have to create personal websites, a larger cadre website and a smaller group website... yep... in addition to finishing our wonderful lego machine completely functional with sorting capabilities and a working drop shoot and conveyor belt.

At the end of our class time today (as I'm writing this), we were given a Nerd Rope candy. Each one of us was asked to think and discuss how this nerd rope (relative to the loose nerds in the box ---so old school) worked as a metaphor to tie into the OMET program. Well, I certainly believe that in two point five short days... we have grown as a group from complete strangers who just knew each other by a picture (real, or not) from the Internet. Now, we have faces to go with the wide variety of personalities that exist within us and will for the next year and beyond.

Back on subject, the metaphor I see so clearly here relating the Nerd Rope to our lives is that the rope itself represents our common goals and students. We all love to learn and that strengthens our rope. We all have underlying common goals that we bring to the table, but ultimately, we are all here to be challenged and to learn from each other and our professors. During the program, our rope might change colors (flavors), but in the grand scheme of things, it is still just as strong.

About our larger cadre group theme: Agency 00X --more information to come!

We are off to have dinner at a great restaurant in Malibu tonight... so excited!

Goodbye for now.

VirtCamp day #2, before campfire

2007-07-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

My biggest fear about this year's OMET program is...

being able to juggle my entire life and enjoy all experiences simultaneously. I have a lot on my plate this year. In addition to this (intense) program, I am also working on my second year of teaching (a challenge in itself), completing the state mandated induction program to clear my credential, changing grade levels and getting used to a new team of teachers, and finally, planning my wedding. So, needless to say, I have a lot going on. Will I get through it, absolutely. I feel as though I have a pretty good handle on multitasking. I actually get mind-numbingly bored when I am given nothing stressful or challenging for more than a weeks time span. Before this program, I was renting movies just to fill time... mostly being anxious and forcing myself to relax as a sort of calm before the storm. Now that I'm here, my fear is not making use of all the awesome resources I am being fed (literally, my brain is eating it up!) and not forgetting too much of one thing that I can't take them away and re-create and use them to my benefit.

My hope throughout the next year is that I can use this degree to change and become a powerful contributor to my classroom, my students, and my own life. I hope for excitement and urgency to learn the fabulous tools that are being put forth in front of me. I hope I can understand Dreamweaver (you'd think that I'd get it after having already worked with it before... but it's just not coming naturally to me!) and create an awesome page that ultimately can lead me to passing my tech-y knowledge on to my students, my fellow colleagues, and my friends.

After all of this, though, I'm off to New Zealand, Tahiti, Morea, and Bora Bora (with future husband)!

VirtCamp day #2, during class

2007-07-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

Okay. Just when we I thought I was pretty smart, Bill introduces "hard fun." Yeah, that's what he calls it. Basically we have some tasks. We are to work with our smaller cadre of 10 people and then down to the even smaller work group within the cadre to create a system/vehicle/machine that functions to sort pieces of different colors, decodes difficult color codes, and retrieves a
"box." Oh, did I forget to mention that we have to use legos and we are given close to NO intructions to complete the "secret agent" assignment? Yeah.

My thoughts: We are about 40% complete with creating a machine to our standards that can sort colored lego pieces... but we in no way could have gotten to this point on our own. Our teammates have really helped shape our thoughts. I know that I was thinking the entire time that I needed someone to just give me fresh ideas because I was stuck on assembling the machine in a completely different way than we ended up heading. Currently, we are assembling a conveyor belt that will then hit pieces back and forth (left or right) depending on the color... oh yet another task at hand for tomorrow's programming --today was simply building.

My hope and last piece of reflection as I sit here in the Ed. & Psych. building at Pepperdine University on this lovely Wednesday afternoon, is to keep an open mind and really allow myself to think out of my traditonal realm. Think like a child, Brandy!