Digital Reflection

20% Project: Final Product

     Above is the youtube video of my final product for my 20% project. Initially the powerpoint was made to help my niece Priscilla learn about the Articles of Confederation, see the blog post entitled "A Whole New Mind Part II" that is linked here. I used Camtasia to edit the powerpoint and add the lecture and convert it to a video for youtube. It is in Spanish because my niece is in a dual-immersion Spanish program, and her U.S. History class is taught in the Spanish language. She watched the final product with the changes and her commentary is below. Please note that this commentary was dictated to me by her because her wrist sustained a minor injury while playing soccer, so she couldn't write it out.
 "This video helped me understand more about the Articles of Confederation because it was verbal and I could read it at the same time. It compared soccer to the Confederation which helped me understand better, because I play the sport and I understand it. So if I just connected the Articles of Confederation to soccer I understood it better. The bullet points helped summarize all the what she was saying, so I was able to hear what she was saying, and understand her better by reading it over again. The reference page also helped because I was able to go back to the websites and read more about what she was talking about." -Priscilla
Here is a picture of my niece Priscilla and nephew Jr. who benefited from my 20% project:

Why Google Hangout is Superior to Blackboard Collaborate

     So initially I was very excited to use Blackboard Collaborate for our Education and Technology last week on Monday. I quickly found myself to be frustrated with the video and audio limitations we had. For some reason, we could only have 3 people using audio/webcams at once (our colleague Maureen figured out). Since our class relies heavily upon discussion, I found this limitation to be frustrating. Although I do admit my bias and preference for Google Hangout. The features on Google Hangout for many people to use their audio and webcams at once, and the way the main screen enlarges to demonstrate who is currently talking, gives the discussion a very natural feel. That being said, one of the pros of Blackboard Collaborate was the chat option that allowed for us to chat and not disrupt the presenter, it reminded me of Backchannel. The screen on the right shows that Blackboard collaborate allowed us to all write, paint, or add images. I think that is a great option for working together on a project. Overall, I think that Google Hangout is the better option for discussion based courses. On the other hand, I believe that Blackboard Collaborate is a great option for teacher-centered lecture styles online and for collaboration on projects. 

iPads in the Elementary Dual-Immersion Classroom

   
     Our class was privileged to be able to observe Paul Ecke Central Elementary School in Encinitas Union School District on November 28th. It was a nice surprise upon arriving, that we realized it was a Dual-Immersion (Spanish) school. We learned about many iPads and apps that the school had bought for the school and their use in the classroom. I can't quite remember any of them at this exact moment because there were so many! But one I remember was like a series of short free books that students had to access to.***The teacher then could integrate discussion questions directly into the appropriate spots in the text. Then the students could answer the questions and the students were able to see their peers' responses. In that same app some words in the text were linked to maps and other images for the students. I think that's a great app for specifically say ELL learners, because if they are reading something and they don't know what it is, they could immediately perhaps see a link to an image or map that could help their comprehension.
     In an article entitled, "5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make with iPads (And How to Correct Them)" by Tom on Edudemic I saw how the elementary school in Encinitas was successful in avoiding the 5 mistakes (from what I observed during a day visit). The first mistake described is too much of a focus on content apps. It was clear that the teachers used the integrated apps and capabilities of the iPad for all content. Students used the moviemaker to create movies with images and their voice to explain say how a volcano erupts. What I learned from this was that it can give students an opportunity to teach their peers. Another mistake is that schools don't offer enough professional development to go along with the iPad integration in the classroom. Teachers in the classroom were honest that initially it was a bit time consuming to learn the apps but that it was worth it. The school seems to have a lot of support in the professional development of the teachers. The third mistake is that schools tend to what the iPad to be a laptop. The teachers at this school discussed how they worked with the iPad but that they would still sometimes take their class to the computer lab for bigger projects. The computer lab, by the way was filled with Apple computers! The fourth mistake is that the iPads in schools sometimes have multi-users. In most classrooms we entered, the iPad was in the sole ownership of an individual student. The fifth mistake is that the administration fails to communicate why the iPads were bought. At this school the only issue that seems to have arised is that students can't take the iPads home on the weekends or during long holiday breaks. I found this to be interesting, because I know of other school districts, such as Sweetwater Union High School District that does allow students to take their iPads home on weekends and holidays.
   

***Thanks to my colleague Maureen she reminded me that the name of the app is Subtext.

IF IPADS ARE THE ANSWER, WHAT IS THE QUESTION?

Photo Credit: Andrew Wiese

     This is the question that was posed by my Professor Jeff Heil. In the case of the elementary dual-immersion classroom, I am convinced that iPads are a good answer. Yet, I am left pondering what the question is. A question that I think may fit this situation is the following: What technology can best serve the learning of the students in the dual-immersion classroom? The iPads best serve the students, because the school decided to give each student an iPad, which they can take home Monday-Friday for homework. In this way, the iPad can serve the individual learning styles and needs of each student. Whether the student is a kinesthetic, visual, and/or audio; the iPad has apps and capabilities that serve each  learning style combination. Furthermore, the iPad has apps that allow the students to be creative and academic by drawing pictures and making presentations with their own voice lectures/explanations. In this case, the student can be turned into the teacher, and therefore is empowered to tutor and explain to his/her peers. This doesn't even cover the slew of educational apps that are available for the students.

#Edchat Topic: Alternatives to High Stakes Testing 11/27/12 at 9am

MOOCs

Making History Come Alive: Abraham Lincoln

Movie: Lincoln (2012)

This weekend I watched the movie entitled "Lincoln" which is of course about Abraham Lincoln. The movie focuses on the dilemma of how Lincoln attempted and eventually succeeded in the pushing of the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude (except when used as a punishment for a crime). What was interesting was the insight of the movie to show how the Civil War was coming to an end, as was eveident through the peace talks that were nearing, yet Lincoln insisted upon the importance of the need to pass the amendment before the Civil War ended. The movie is a long one because it lasts about two and a half hours, and it can be a little slow at parts. Overall, the movie seems to be historically accurate, which made me appreciate the movie even more. I read an interesting and short blog post on the historical accuracy of the film by Forrest Wickman. As an educator it is my belief that students should be exposed to movies, clips, pictures, primary documents, museums  artifacts, and other learning tools to help make history come alive. It is not enough to simply read from a textbook and view those pictures, but supplementary material and assignments should be designed to make history come alive for the student. This film is a great way for anyone to better get to know Lincoln, the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment. Check out the Lincoln (2012) movie trailer below!

Disneyland: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln Show

Another great way to make history come alive, or more specifically, to make Abraham Lincoln come alive, is by visiting Disneyland! Yes, you read that correctly. On your next visit to Disneyland, I suggest a visit to the Opera House on Main Street that has the performance entitled "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln." Inside you find many historical artifacts from the creation of Disneyland, and then at the appropriate time you are ushered into a theater where you watch an Animatronics show of Lincoln. I really remember enjoying this show because of the authentic primary documents in the show ranging from Civil War photos to songs. Alas, if you can't go to Disneyland, there is a Youtube video of the entire show!

Making Historical Trading Cards

     Just today I found out about an Apple app designed for iPad that allows anyone to create their own historical trading cards! It is designed by International Reading Association and seems to have great reviews from educators. This seems like a great way for students to make historical people and events their own, and perhaps help history come alive for them! The only limitation I see as of now, is that it is only compatible with the iPad. I did a Google search for a similar app but on the web, and was not able to find anything. 

Having Class through Google Hangout

   
     Last week our EDUC 578 USD class had class on Google hangout. It was the first time I ever experienced using Google hangout for a class. Overall I must say I enjoyed the experience. Most of my colleagues were able to get on without any issues, unfortunately a couple did struggle with some tech issues that prevented them from getting into our Google hangout. I liked the flexibility of not necessarily having to be home in San Diego to still actively participate in this class meeting. It was my boyfriend's birthday on the Monday that we scheduled for our Google hangout, so fortunately I was able to celebrate it with him in Orange County. Another con (besides some technical issues), was that we were all experiencing some feedback. I think that perhaps this problem could have been remedied by all of us using headphones, to prevent our mics from simultaneously picking up our voices and the sound from our speakers.
     I liked that I could see the video for all of my colleagues on smaller screens at the bottom, with one large screen focused on who was doing most of the talking. The screen-sharing option through the Google hangout was amazing, one of my colleagues named Jeff shared his updates with a visual screenshare of what he was referencing  It made it easier for me to understand what he was discussing. I also really liked the group chat that was available during the Google hangout, so when some of my colleagues needed to leave a little early, they simply explained themselves through the chat, without disrupting the person who was presenting. It made me think of a "Backchannel" that is sometimes used during presentations at conferences. Lastly, although I was not physically in the same room as my colleagues, I felt privileged to be able to have a glance into their personal lives. In the background for my colleagues I could see their homes, significant others, children, and pets. It somehow helped me connect better to my colleagues to see this side of them, that I don't necessarily see in the physical classroom at USD. Check out my video with the time lapse app on the pros and cons summary!

Zumba Fitness & Multiple Intelligences

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

     Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences has surfaced in my masters/credential program at USD in various courses and contexts. Basically Gardner developed a theory that people are strongly suited with one or more of nine intelligences: linguistic, logical/mathematical, musical/rhythmic, bodily/kinesthetic, spatial, intrapersonal, interpersonal, existential. To learn more about the theory of multiple intelligences and its' application to the classroom see the PBS site. Also, if you are not sure which intelligences are your strongest, then take this free online 40 question quiz. I took the quiz and it took me no longer than 5-7 minutes, and at the end it gives you a great graphic with your results. Here is mine:

From my results, it can be seen the my strengths lie in the following intelligences: kinesthetic, interpersonal, logical, ans intrapersonal. These intelligences are the kind that are best suited for high academic performance in the traditional classroom. School has always been something that I really enjoyed and excelled at. In the classroom I know that I must prepare lesson plans that will attempt to give more students a chance to tap into their specific strengths. Yet, I acknowledge that every lesson may not fully achieve this, I do hope the awareness will help me in lesson planning. 

ZUMBA

     For the past two weeks I have been taking a Zumba Fitness Dance Class, for one hour, once a week. For those who are unfamiliar with Zumba, it is a latin-fused mixture of music and dance with quick moves designed to work out your body. See the youtube video below for a look at what a Zumba class looks like:

    As it can be seen from the results of my multiple intelligence quiz, my visual/spatial and musical intelligence is my weakest of intelligences. This is something that I have been aware of, but it was even more apparent in the Zumba class. I enjoy dancing as I please when I have the opportunity, but this was the first time since my quinceñera that I had to follow dance moves. Not only did I have to follow dance moves, but I had to pick it up quickly, because the moves are not slowed down or broken down. The result was me trying my best to follow the intrsutctor's moves. I found it to be very frustrating that no matter how hard I tried, or how much I focused, all my hard-work wasn't getting me the results I thought I deserved. I just was not able to perform at the level that I thought I should, considering how hard I was trying. This experience made me think about the element of "empathy" that Daniel Pink discusses in his book A Whole New Mind. After the Zumba experience, I started to think of students that are my opposite in regards to intelligences. All those students who are strongest in the spatial and musical intellgences, might be more prone to struggle in the traditional academic classroom. Sometimes, no matter how hard they work they might not achieve the results they think they deserve. The Zumba experience, also made me think about if the moves were slowed down, or chunked, then I think I could learn them. This experience made me see the importance of "chunking" material for students in a whole new light. 

20% Project Update: Screencasting

I have a powerpoint that I would like to easily convert into a presentation on youtube with my audio lecture recorded. I have investigated some of the screencasting options that were suggested to me by my professor, and I also have researched some on my own. Here are my findings:

Screencasting Research
Screenr and Jing allow you to record for up to five minutes and seem to be very user-friendly.
I didn't like the five minute time constraint, because my powerpoint presentations usually take a little closer to ten minutes for various historical topics. Therefore, I decided to go with Camtasia which is Jing's "older sibling" according to the company website. What I liked about Camtasia is that they offer you a free 30 day trial, and to get it all you have to do is give your e-mail. Some other screencasting options offered free trials, but they involved giving them your credit card number, which I didn't want to do.

Camtasia Tutorials
I received an e-mail from Camtasia that gave me the direct link to the tutorial videos for Camtasia. I watched the first four videos which each averaged about 2 minutes. The first 4 videos are the basics of Camtasia, preparing to record, the actual recording, and the editing options. I also watched the tutorial videos on "smart focus to zoom and pan" and "callouts." The zooming option is similar to what happens on Prezi, but since I am doing a powerpoint, I don't really anticipate using it. What I was excited to discover was the addition of "callouts" which in essence are arrows that can focus on certain aspects of your presentation. I do anticipate using that during my powerpoint lecture. I also watched the "sharing" tutorial which discusses how to share the video through screencast.com, but it shows that one of the options is to share through youtube. I imagine that steps would be similar, so I am excited to see that it seems easy to share the video on youtube once I am done.

Game-Based Learning & the Classroom

Recently, I have learned a little about Game-Based Learning and how it can be implemented in the classroom. An article from the Huffington Post provided an excellent introduction to the theory of GBL and the positive impact it can have in the classroom. Basically GBL is the idea of how games can be used for the purpose of teaching and learning, and therefore how the use of games in the classroom can be beneficial to students and teachers alike. There is no doubt in my mind about the wonderful impact games can have in the classroom, I have witnessed the level of engagement, competition, collaboration, and focus of students during  a jeopardy game review lesson that I gave.
    This semester I have been volunteering the the kindergarten classroom of my nephew about twice a week for a couple of hours. Most of the time, I help with one of the groups, and each group session begins with a review of several index cards. One set of cards has the sight words that the students are working on, and another set has the letters on it. The letter index cards usually fly by, the students say the letter and then the sound the letter makes. But by the time I get to the sight words, most of the students are zoning out. After reading GBL article, I decided that I would consider how I could make the students in the group say the sight words, into a type of game. Without explaining any special instructions, I began showing the group the sight words, one at a time. Then, whoever the first student to read the sight word was, I would proceed to give that student the index card. Soon enough, the entire group was completely engaged because it had become a "game" without me explaining it was a game, or saying any special rules. The students were actively trying to sound-out and read the sight words. I then more or less gave out an even amount of index cards to all the students to keep them from becoming too competitive with one another. I didn't want to single-out one student simply because they took a second longer to read the word. Yet, I found this method to have been very successful. Even when I continued to play this "game" on different days with the same group, the game format kept them 100% more engaged than the traditional index card reading.

Mexican Chicken Enchiladas (Lasagna/Casserole Style)

My sister introduced me to a way that enchiladas can be made for a family, in an easier and faster way than individual enchiladas. Basically the enchiladas are made in a lasagna pan, much like a lasagna would be made, in layers that is. I buy most of the ingredients usually from Northgate Gonzalez Market, it's a supermarket chain that carries a lot of Latino products. But I have found that most super markets like: Albertsons, Vons, etc. carry the ingredients needed. This was one of the first things I learned how to cook for myself when I was doing my undergraduate work. As a novice in the kitchen, I think that this recipe was fairly easy to follow. The great thing, is that I always had left overs, that I could just heat up in the microwave later! This dish tastes great with a side of Mexican rice. Perhaps some other time I will add the family recipe for the Mexican rice!

INGREDIENTS:

• 30 count of corn tortillas (I like using the Guerrero brand)
• 1 red enchilada sauce can [28 ounces] (El Pato is the best one, La Victoria is the runner up, and Las Palmas is okay).
• 16-24 ounces of shredded Mexican Cheese Blend (usually this is a mixture of cheddar and Monterrey jack cheeses, but feel free to choose any shredded cheese you prefer). 
• Skineless and Boneless Chicken Breasts
• Garlic Salt Seasoning
• Optional: Sour Cream
• Optional: Chopped Black Olives
• Optional: Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add water to a large pot, fill it about 3/4 of the way (You want to make sure you can add the chicken to it  later and that it will fit in the pot, without the pout over-filling). Add a little bit of salt to the water, so that it will boil faster. 
2. Once the water has started to boil (you see bubbles rising), add the chicken into the pot. Let the chicken completely cook (this will take about 15-20 minutes). Check to see if the chicken is fully cooked by cutting it open, and seeing that the chicken is no longer pink inside. Then turn off the flame, and take the chicken out of the pot. I recommend letting the chicken cool on a cutting board.
3. Once the chicken is cooled, use your hands or a knife and shred the chicken. Then sprinkle on the garlic salt seasoning onto the chicken. Put the chicken in a bowl.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Now get your casserole/lasagna pan and set it on the counter.
6. Use a can opener to open the can of enchilada sauce. Then pour the sauce into a bowl.
7. Pour a little but of the sauce into the casserole/lasagna pan so that it creates a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of the pan.
8. Now take a tortilla and dip it completely in the sauce, and then put flat in the lasagna pan. Keep doing this until you have one layer of tortillas covering the bottom of the pan. This usually takes about 6 tortillas. It is okay for the tortillas to overlap each other a little bit. 
9. Now place a layer of the shredded chicken on top of the tortillas.
10. Now place a player of the shredded Mexican cheese on top of the chicken.
11. Now you will take the tortillas and dip them in the sauce, and create a new layer.
12. Repeat steps #8-11 until you reach the top of the lasagna pan. It usually takes me about 3 layers of tortillas/chicken/cheese to reach the top.
13. At the top of the last tortilla layer, only put cheese.
14. Now put the lasagna pan in the oven, and let it bake for about 20-25 mins. The Mexican enchiladas will be ready when all the cheese has melted!
15. You can have each person cut a slice and then if you would like, they can add a scoop of sour cream on top, and olives on top of that!

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Griffith Observatory for the first time! I went on the Saturday with my boyfriend Andrew, and some friends. Since it was Saturday, the parking situation was a little crazy. We had planned to go on a hike near the observatory, since we had heard there were trails; but instead we opted for parking down the hill (the only place parking was available at that point in time) and then "hiking" up to the observatory. Once we did get to the top, it was a pretty awesome view of Los Angeles (minus the smog) and of the Hollywood sign!

Inside the observatory, which I was surprised to find out included a free entrance, were a series of displays, and a lot of them had fun hands-on learning components to them. One of my favorite displays, was the one about the role of the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on the tides. I learned that in Nova Scotia the tide can rise and go with a difference of up to 50 feet! There was an awesome animation showing how literally a boat that would be docked in the sea, could all of a sudden be found at the bottom of the shore, due to the tides. We also stumbled upon an awesome photo backdrop inside the observatory, and I couldn't resist taking a picture.

We bought our tickets promptly at 6:00 pm, because they only the sell the tickets for certain show times are tiered time slots. After we secured our tickets, we stepped outside and experienced another beautiful view of Los Angeles from behind the observatory. 

In the evening we bought tickets for a show entitled "Time's Up" in one of the theaters. I was surprised that the ticket only cost $5 for students and $7 for an adult, I think the price was relatively cheap for the high-quality of the viewing in the theater. The theater was set-up kind of like an IMAX where the screen is above you and you might experience a bit of motion-sickness. I enjoyed the show because it was an amazing mixture of scientific facts with history from the times of the Mayan Civilization to the present day. I really liked how there was a discussion of what the Mayan Calendar really is, and how it doesn't predict the end of the world to be this coming December.

Tips on How To Develop Your Professional Learning Network (PLN)

I just wanted to begin by saying that I don't think the development of your PLN will necessarily look the same for any two people. Instead, I acknowledge that as individuals, we will pursue developing our PLN with different time constraints and webtools. That being said, I have decided to create a list of tips on how to develop your PLN, which I believe should be adjusted accordingly to how you think it will best benefit you!

1. Use Twitter/Tweetdeck & Diigo (or some variation of a webtool that lets you put together important links into an organized manner). Twitter has allowed me to find many useful online resources that are either about education or for use in education. It has not only expanded my knowledge of the Common Core, but has also allowed for me to bookmark several online educational sites and tools. I have been using Diigo to store most of the online sites and tools that I have looked at (because someone shared it on Twitter). But I must admit, I have not yet become a full master at using Diigo. Just last week, I had clicked on a link about 25 free educational sites, and I really liked it, but I did not "Diigo" it, and now I have not been able to find it again. When I found an interesting site with free online interactive graphic organizers, I found that I was re-tweeted by many people and organizations. It's nice to know that you can not only get thing from Twitter, but you can also give back. Tweetdeck is a life-saver, because if I hadn't been introduced to it, I doubt I would have continued to use Twitter. It is a great way for me to organize different #hastags that I am following such as: #edchat #historyteacher #ushistory #langchat. Without Tweetdeck, as I believe most, I would be so overwhelmed by the constant endless streams of Tweets. Tweetdeck is a great way to organize Tweets into hashtag categories, so I can better manage and search what I'm looking for.
2. Blog! As with most activities and learning, whether it be formal or informal, service, tutoring, etc... I believe that it is necessary to reflect, in order for true learning to occur. Blogging has helped me sew together the threads between my part-time job as a tutor, my role as an aunt, a volunteer in my nephew's kindergarten class, and my courses at USD. I even will blog about some of my own learning from this past weekend when I visited Griffith Observatory. This way the visit will not just be one thing I did over the weekend, but something I get to reflect upon, and therefore I get to share a little bit about the learning that happened for me.
3. Webtools: I have begun to use webtools I had never seen or heard of before, and some I like better than others. The reality is, that a bit of exploration and experimentation needs to occur with webtools, so you can find out what works best for you, and what is of most use to you. What I find is most driving my desire to try new webtools, is CURIOSITY. Ideally, I think that this is one of the best ways to propell learning, is to allow curiosity to drive you, so that you may have the energy and passion to discover new things, and therefore learn. Granted, some webtools will involve trial and error, but the curiosity of new possibilities is what keeps me going back to try new ones. It excited me to consider the plethora of webtools I will have under my sleeve for when I student teach next semester.
4. Organization/Lists/Planner: Personally, I still use a traditional planner to write down my homework assignments for my graduate courses. I like the dates format, and that I can make lists, and write when things are due, and see the week all at once. But, others may find using something like wunderlist.com to be useful, or maybe your planner is digital, or perhaps you like lists on paper or your iPad. Whatever it might be, just keep yourself accountable with some type of organization to attempt to blog  and use Twitter. Recently I find myself reflecting upon educational experiences and connections during my everyday life, so I have begun to make a note on my iphone about those thoughts, to later blog about them. Even when I am in a hurry, if I find some webtool that I want to blog about later, I just create a new blog post, write some notes and the url in it, and then save it as a draft, so that I can come back to it later and finish.

A Whole New Mind Part II Reflection: Metaphor & Empathy

 Metaphor:

The Articles of Confederation & Soccer

     This weekend I worked on the creation of a Powerpoint on the Articles of Confederation for my niece. At a later time, I hope to transfer my Powerpoint with audio lecture into Youtube. At the end of the lecture, I realized that my niece was still struggling to comprehend the problem of the states having more power than the government. My niece is an avid soccer player, and she truly enjoys the sport. I decided to employ a metaphor that compared the effects of the Articles of Confederation to that upon a soccer team. I asked my niece to imagine that situation that would arise if each individual player decided what position they would play and at whatever allotted time and point of the game they decided. I asked her to consider the chaos of all the player agreeing upon each facet of the game. I saw in her eyes a look of understanding, she now realized that the lack of strong executive power (a President) under the Articles of Confederation, caused the problems that would be the equivalent of a lack of a Coach on her soccer team. Pink writes in the chapter entitled "Symphony": "In fact, metaphor is central to reason...Metaphorical thinking is also important because it helps us understand others..."(139).

Empathy as a Powerful Tool for Educators

     Not only did I employ a metaphor to help my niece better understand U.S. History, but I also employed it as a means of putting myself in her shoes, to understand her confusion. Therefore, I employed what Pink describes as one of the six senses needed in the rise of the Conceptual Age: Empathy. Pink defines empathy in the following manner: "Empathy is a stunning act of imaginative deterring-do, the ultimate virtual reality-- climbing into another's mind to experience the world from that person's perspective" (159). Empathy can be a powerful tool for educators. In my example of tutoring my niece, one learner, I was able to see a huge success in employing the use of a metaphor and empathy. As educators, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the students, so that we can better see why they struggle, and then be able to become better educators.

20% Project: Online Educational Resources

My 20% project has been evolving on a weekly basis. I started out with the idea to make online video lessons for my niece and nephew that I tutor in Spanish and History. I have not made a video yet, but I have begun to explore a variety of online educational resources that I believe fit each of them as individual learners. So far, I have used Quizlet and Prezi, you can see an earlier blog post entitled "Update on 20%" for more about those resources. I still want to create a online video lesson, but I do feel like I am working my way up to it. This week, I assigned my niece a different studying method that I think fits her as a visual learner. I found a great website that has free interactive graphic organizers, and you can type directly into them and then save the document as a pdf. The graphic organizers are designed by Holt (click for link). Here is a screenshot of the types of graphic organizers available on their website:

The Essence of Connected Learning: Creativity & the Student

In the video "The Essence of Connected Learning"(click link) the point that I found to be the most "at the heart of the matter" was in regards to how we look at education. Connie Yowell discusses how when we talk about education we refer begin to the outcomes. She further describes the further underlying problem with this approach is that we don't look at how the learners or students are. She goes on to say that their "core question" involves the level of the student's engagement in the learning process. I think that this is the approach that should be taken by not only the teacher in the classroom, but really all educators. If the student is engaged in the learning process in an authentic manner, it only follows then that the set standards will be reached. Now, I understand that this logic is not perfect. But the bottom line is that if the student is not engaged authentically in the learning, then they most likely won't be gaining the content and knowledge that is expected of them.
     The discussion of mentorship and connectedness among learners I found to also be a key element of learning. I think that mentorship is especially important with learners that are struggling academically, because they can quickly develop into having a low self-efficacy. This can then only make the learner less likely to improve in school. Mentorship, can open the doors of opportunity by talking to someone about their gifts and aspirations, and the mentor can then help keep them on track in school and beyond.

Update on my 20% Project: Prezi & Quizlet

     This is the first week I decided to actually begin working on my 20% project. I asked my niece and nephew to tell me what specific areas they needed the most help on. My niece told me she was confused about Shays' Rebellion. I decided to use Prezi to make her a presentation, but I did it in Spanish, because she is in a Spanish dual immersion U.S. history course. The translation for that is, that her class is taught in the Spanish language regarding U.S. History content. My Prezi is not perfect, but it was my first time making a presentation through it. There is a way to embed audio, but it seemed like a complex and tedious process. So my only complaint with Prezi is that I think they should develop some way to insert audio via Prezi. Check out my presentation! Interestingly enough, I wasn't able to find one single presentation via Youtube or Prezi that covered Shays' Rebellion in Spanish. I think that this is something that hasn't quite been worked on. I find it to be very exciting to be going through uncharted waters. I also did a Google search for hashtags on Twitter used by dual immersion educators, but I didn't find one. I'm considering the idea of starting one...

Rebelión de Shays on Prezi

    On the other hand, my nephew is most struggling with his Spanish course and he needed help with studying his vocabulary list. I decided, since he has an ipad, he might be interested in Quizlet. So I created a flashcard deck for him, but what I like best about Quizlet, is this "scatter" game where you must match the word with the correct definition to make it disappear, and it is timed. Give it a try down below (even if you don't know Spanish) just to see how it works!

Using Free-Time Online for Civic Benefit

     In the video "How Cognitive Surplus Will Change the World" (Below) by Clay Shirky, he discusses the notion of a culture of generosity. He defines primarily in a concrete example of a daycare that started a "fine" for parents who picked up their children late, and how the number of parents picking up their children late actually rose, and remained high even after the fine was suspended. Yet, throughout the video he discuses the culture of generosity in the terms of how sharing of one's creative talents via online tools, can lead to wonderful civic projects, that can indeed be enjoyed by all.       As for how the "culture of generosity" can be employed in the classroom, I can see many possibilities. Ideally, I would like to have my students participate in some type of service project or social justice issue, in a concrete manner. I understand that the first step would be a create a culture of generosity within my classroom, perhaps through peer tutoring; where students are paired to help one another in the classroom. Then I would like to evolve this generosity to the level of the school, such as helping the students organize an appreciate luncheon for the custodial staff and other members that can be under-appreciated at a school. Lastly, it would be for the students to participate in a larger community project that hopefully touches their community. I know these are big ideas, and that it would not all be done in a short period of time, but I do believe that it would be an attainable project.       What it means to say that "Free cultures get what they celebrate," there is a reference to all of the "free time" that people use to create and share things online.  Shirky goes on to describe how we should celebrate people who use their free time to create online projects that have a greater civic benefit. That being said, it would be great to have a classroom blog that shares about the "culture of generosity" in the classroom, and potential service projects, that could inspire other educators.      On a last note, this weekend I plan to create a couple of videos for my niece and nephew on their course content. I hope that it will be useful to not only them, but perhaps their classmates, and others. Hopefully, my 20% project can be at least a small contribution that can be considered a civic benefit. It is my intention to make the videos spoken in Spanish, so that it can specifically target the students in Spanish dual-immersion middle school programs, like my niece and nephew.

"Filter Bubbles" on the Internet

     In a video and an article, Eli Pariser discusses the dangers of "filter bubbles" on the internet. He basically describes how search engines such as Google, and social media websites such as Facebook, are curtailing exactly what we see. At a first glance it may seem to be a positive thing, doesn't everyone want an individualized Facebook and Google search results? But the problem lies in the fact that Facebook and Google is doing this automatically for us, without us even realizing it. Even if we do realize it, there isn't a setting available to "un-mask" or "disable" these filters that the computer whizzes have set up with a program.  It makes me draw parallels to the problem of traditional history textbooks that barely consist of minority figures and women. The students then learn a history where these groups are usually missing, or just peppered in at certain stages of history, and then they just seem to vanish from history. If the student is not seeing them in their textbook, they are seeing a history that is incomplete. Similarly the Google results may be tailored to us, but we are also seeing a very incomplete Google search list of results.

In the video, Pariser shows two different Google results for Egypt. Although the date is much different, I decided to take a screenshot of my Google results for Egypt. What did you come up with? Different or similar?

Reflection Part I: A Whole New Mind by: Daniel H. Pink

     In the book entitled: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future Daniel Pink argues that we are in the midst of a new age in history. He coins this new age as the "Conceptual Age" where we need to be more Right-brained, while still utilizing the left-brain. Pink provides a historical context, by outlining the transition from an "Agriculture Age" to "Industrial Age" to "Information Age" to what he coins to be the "Conceptual Age" as seen in Figure 3.1 of his text (Pink 49). Pink explains that due to the outsourcing of jobs to places like India, mechanical and at times rote jobs, such as computer engineering, seem to be in danger in the U.S. He argues that since it is the Left side of the brain that is predominantly focused with linear and analytic thinking: "...sequential, literal, functional, textual, and analytic" (Pink 26); and these types of jobs are being outsourced  there is a need for a shift on the use of the right-side of the brain. Pink describes the right-side of the brain as encompassing the following attributes: "simultaneous, metaphorical, aesthetic, contextual, and synthetic" (Pink 26). Pink argues that the "Conceptual Age" is one that focuses more on the use of the creative right-side of the brain, but asserts that the left-side of the brain is of course still needed. He refers to an interesting synthesis of both side of the brains, in which the analytic business (left side) will need to be paired with the more creative artistic side (right side). The need for the right side, lies in the fact that it is no longer sufficient to simply create products like the factories did, in uniform ways, but rather the design itself is what needs to appeal to people to consume. What makes the product or idea unique and creative, and therefore beautiful.
     Pink's argument is very logical and supported with many convincing examples. In particular, I would say I would agree with Pink, because through a different lens he is further supporting the theory of multiple intelligences as proposed by Howard Gardner. As an educator, I have been exposed to the reality of the different ways in which students learn, whether it be that they are stronger visual, kinesthetic, auditory learners, or a combination of those learning styles. The multiple intelligences theory is one that my eyes have been opened to in the classroom. In particular I found Pink's discussion about the alternative SAT dubbed the Rainbow Project to be enlightening. It is an exam that is not constricted to mere bubble in the correct answer, but truly requires students to be critical thinkers with a creative edge. This critical and creative combination that Pink discusses, is one that I hope I can one day pursue in my lessons, learning, teaching, with and by my students.

20% Project: Mini Lessons for Niece & Nephew

    During this course I have learned about several different webtools. It seems that there are many options of webtools to use for when it comes to teaching. I am very excited about all of these resources, but I would like to narrow down on the use of one webtool for the purpose of creating mini lessons. I am currently tutoring my niece and nephew. The subject my nephew most struggles with is Spanish (Spanish for Spanish Speakers 1/2), while the subject my niece most struggles with is U.S. History (8th Grade). Luckily, I am a native Spanish speaker and did major in Spanish at LMU. Also, my other major at LMU was History, and my current program for USD is focused on History/Social Sciences. So subject-wise, I feel like our tutoring sessions have been going well. But for my 20% project I would like to use one or two webtools to create online videos that range from 5 minutes to 10 minutes max. I want these videos to supplement the material they learn on a weekly basis, so that it can provide a review from a different lens. If, the videos are as effective as I would like them to be, I've considered notifying their respective teachers, so that the link can be made available to their classmates. I think these videos would be particularly helpful for students who are audio and visual learners. It would be my preference for the videos to have dynamic pictures and graphics and diagrams that help organize the content. My "angle" to also make these videos different than perhaps a bunch of other videos that have been already done, is to relate the content to current events or examples that the students can perhaps better relate to. Then the material will perhaps hold more meaning for them, and therefore be easier for them to grasp it. I look forward to hearing feedback on what type of webtools to use!

Communities of Practice: Sursum Corda Service Organization & PLN

                                                 

While reading the "Communities of Practice" article by Etienne Wegner, I couldn't help but reflect on my undergraduate experience at Loyola Marymount University. While I was there, I was honored to be part of a service organization called Sursum Corda (See the coat of arms above). This organization serves on-campus at LMU and in the greater Los Angeles community at a variety of placements ranging from after-school tutoring programs to beach clean-ups to spending time with the elderly. All members are required to fulfill a required number of service hours, although most members seemed to go over the requirement. What made this organization distinct was that a part of each weekly meeting was dedication to "Reflection." Wegner discusses the importance of reflection within a community of practice: "A growing number of associations, professional and otherwise, are seeking ways to focus on learning through reflection on practice." Even though the members serve at a variety of placements, we all learned from each other during this special time in which we were able to hear a reflection from one of our own in regards to their service, and then further invited to reflect upon the service we had done.

The service component on our own, without the reflection piece in a community of passionate members with the common goal to serve, would not be as powerful. It is the reflection which invites us to think about our service and the relationships we developed with those we serve with and for, that truly create a change within us. It is the reflection component that invites us to learn about other types of services and social justice issues that are going on in our world today.Indeed, it is now that I see that what made this organization so special was not that we did service, or all jammed 50 plus members into a room every Monday night, but it was the fact that we created a community of practice. A community in which we wanted to reflect and learn from another, and continue to grow in our passion to serve.

The application of the community of practice in my PLN that I can most see, is the possibility of joining one of the official moderated education chats on Twitter. I have yet to participate in one, but my understanding is that there is usually a set topic and a variety of people can comment on it. I could imagine the plethora of knowledge, experience, and advise coming from a variety of professional educators with unique experiences in education. It sounds like a perfect space to learn, share, and reflect from one another; with people who share the passion for education.

As for an article challenging the theory of communities of practice, there is an abstract which identified a few elements as "short-falls" of communities of practice: "Perspectives of time constraints, organizational hierarchies, and regional culture are highlighted, and propositions bearing consideration when implementing a community of practice are stated" (Kerno). Even with the notion of the Twitter chats with a set topic has itself some time constraints. Although I heard the moderated chats usually consist of two different times to address the time constraints issue. Yet, if you are not available during the set times for whatever reason, then you are losing out. The concept of "regional culture" as being a challenge to communities of practice is an interesting one. The internet allows for me to easily get advise from say an educator on the East Coast, but perhaps I won't fully understand this because I am from the West Coast? I would further challenge this constraint, because I would hope that as educators we not only are equipped to teach our students about diversity and how to respect it and learn from people different than ourselves, but that we actually live this out.

My Passion in Education

     One of my main passions in education is my belief that as an educator it is my goal to instill in students the tools necessary for them to become critical thinkers. To this effect, I would say that it is my passion to really challenge the "factory-model" in a school, which simply expects students to mechanically produce homework assignments and projects. This is not to say that I don't understand the value of a curriculum that requires certain topics to be covered in a course. I understand that these ramifications are needed to for educators to focus on different topics in the classroom. One day I hope to have a history classroom, that will indeed explore the state-mandated topics. But I would like to have a classroom where the students are able to experience the role of a historian, that is, to be able to analytically look at primary documents. I want my students to be critical thinkers who look at primary documents and secondary documents and understand that these texts are filled with biases. I would like for students to understand history as an important subject to learn, not simply as a series of facts and events. Rather students should understand that history is rooted in a series of stories. It is these stories that change depending on who tells them. Furthermore, in regards to world history, I hope that students are able to connect to the larger message of tolerance for the diversity present within our nation, in our classrooms, schools, and the world.

      If I had to narrow down my passion to a research topic it would be how to teach history in such a way that creates critical thinkers. I would like to further research how to break away from the factory-model type of education to one that challenges the students to do more than simply complete an assignment. The fundamental philosophy that I would rely on for this type of research would come from Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The concept behind the research project would be that if a teacher is challenging students to become critical thinkers by analyzing history, much like historians do, then the teacher is stopping the cycle of producing students that are mechanical. Students will no longer be able to get by with just completing an assignment or just copying notes. Rather they will be critical thinkers who would become the authentic leaders that Seth Godin discusses in his book Tribes.

Storify for Tribes by Seth Godin

This Storify is designed to capture the ideas that most resonated with me from the book Tribes by Seth Godin.

Results When I Google Searched My Name & My Family's Guacamole Recipe

     When I read the assignment prompt asking us to "Google" ourselves, I thought that on the first try I would surely get some results that pertained to me. I was quickly disappointed when I realized that even though I have made strides in developing my professional learning network (PLN), it is apparent that my work is far from done. My initial Google search was of just my name "Alexis Mendoza", this is actually a very popular name so I got a plethora of results that didn't pertain to me specifically. The image is below:

    I decided that my next Google search should be more specific and I did actually get results that were connected to me directly. The Google search terms I typed in were: "alexis mendoza blogspot educ 578."

As you can see, this blog comes up as the second result, although I did of course use a very specific string of search terms. I must admit, that I was simultaneously disappointed that my professor's twitter account came up before my actual blog! I assumed that the specific search terms would surely yield my blog as the first result, but that was not the case. Lastly, I decided to search my professional "online handle" that I have begun to develop which is "amendo6". I found that this resulted in my twitter account coming up as the second top result. I was intrigued to see that my Quizlet account was actually the first result to be yielded from the Google search.

As for my status as a resident or a visitor online, I still feel that I am developing more into a resident. I was happy to see that my blog and twitter came up as results in Google, even if they needed more specific Google search terms. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my Quizlet account came up as a result for the "amendo6" Google search. I think Quizlet is a great educational tool whether it is used by a teacher, student, tutor, and/or parent. I have personally used it to help my my niece study for history exams. I have also explored some of the stacks of flashcards already made for my own studying. I am becoming more of a resident online, but I do know that I must continue to challenge myself to travel further down the resident spectrum, rather than reverting to more of the visitor side of the spectrum. That being said, I just reminded myself to have my Tweetdeck running in the background in an effort to stay up to date on various educational topics.

Since this blog post really forced me to consider my online presence, PLN, and the concept of being a resident; I have decided to share a bit more about myself. I am culturally Mexican, with both my parents being born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. Food and family are two very important things in my daily life, and that being said, I have decided to share my family's guacamole recipe (since I just made some). Please note that you will find no exact measurements of any kind in this recipe. The way we are taught to cook in my family is you kind of just adapt the recipe to your particular liking. So if you like more or less of something, you just adapt it. Tasting throughout the process is key!

Alexis' Family Recipe for Guacamole:

• Sliced Avocados
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Chopped Cilantro
• Chopped Onions
• Lime or Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper

1. First cut open the avocados, then slice them, and put them into a bowl. As you put them into the bowl, be sure to periodically squirt a little lemon/lime juice (this will keep it from getting brown and it gives the guacamole good flavor).
2. Add the chopped onion and tomatoes.
3. Add the chopped cilantro.
4. Using a spoon stir the guacamole until it becomes the desired texture.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add lemon/lime juice to taste.
Here's a picture of what my guacamole looks like, my family seemed to approve of the taste!

Reflection on Tribes by: Seth Godin

     Initially, I was a little hesitant about listening to an Audiobook. I would consider myself to be more of a visual and kinesthetic learner. Although, I have studied for standardized exams by using Itunes University audio lectures about different historical topics. What I liked the most about listening to the Audiobook version of Tribes by Seth Godin, was that the assignment asked us to tweet out quotes that resonated with us. I think that this part of the assignment gave me the opportunity to engage my preferred visual and kinesthetic learning styles. I was not only able to type out the quotes, but also see my quotes in a column I created within my Tweetdeck (see image to the left). I found this assignment to be an alternative to simply highlighting text in a traditional paper book. Also, it is nice to have the quotes all lined up for me to see, so that at the end of listening to to the Audiobook, I had my quotes in order.
     While listening to the Audiobook, I was forming my potential reflection ideas on the leadership Godin was discussing. Being able to scroll through my quotes from the Audiobook, helped me even further get my thoughts together before writing this blog post. Godin's use of the term "heretic" to describe people who basically go against the status quo and in his view, are usually the types of individuals who demonstrate "authentic leadership." Indeed, Godin even refers to how we are all called to be a heretic, or as he says "post our own 95 theses" like Martin Luther. Some of the branded "heretics" of history have now become individuals studied in history books as viewed as agents of change, ranging from figures like Martin Luther to Martin Luther King Jr. Godin's discussion of "authentic leadership" throughout the Audiobook really kept my attention. My definition of authentic leadership consists of an individual who is a "servant-leader." Indeed, much like Godin's assertion that leaders do not manage, I believe it is the task of a leader to draw out the gifts and talents that are unique to the individuals that they lead.

I want my students to be "knowledge - able"

In the video “Learning in New MediaEnvironments” by Dr. Michael Wesch his point about how media can “use” us was interesting to me. Overall, new media excites me; consequently my mind is conditioned in such a way that considers the negative effects of this new media, as merely an afterthought. For example, on Facebook I noticed a post from an LMU alum to the fact that we could see what was going on at Loyola MarymountUniversity (LMU) in live time. The live video is centered at the heart of campus where many activities occur. Initially my interest was peaked, I clicked the link and saw the live video. But then I just felt like it LMU was losing something special about it, by being constantly on display for all to see. LMU is a small close-knit private Catholic (Jesuit) campus. It contains for me fond memories of my undergraduate career. Although I approve of the video as surveillance for LMU’s Public Safety to use for the well-being and security of the campus, something special is lost.

            As for what this video means to me as an educator, I find myself as wanting to have my students be “knowledge –able” as opposed to “knowledgeable” as Dr. Wesch mentions in his video. This comment struck a cord with me, because it made me remember about a history classroom I was observing in. The class was AP World History and it consisted of a group of sophomore high school students at a public school. One of the students asked the teacher: “Why do we have to learn this stuff?” I imagine this question to be one that regularly surfaces in classrooms, and particularly in history classrooms. I was interested to see how the teacher would respond to this question. I was surprised when the teacher actually asked me if I had an answer to the student’s question. I replied that I did. I explained to the student how I thought it was important to learn about different cultures and histories, not for the mere facts, but rather to foster a sense of understanding and respect for the diversity that is found in our country. I want students to look at history and critically analyze it, to learn from it, so perhaps some historical “mistakes” won’t be repeated. I want my students to think like historians and be ready to deconstruct the biases in primary documents. I Above all, I want students to be critical thinkers.

Where I Stand on the "Visitors and Residents" Continuum

The “Visitors and Residents” videoby Dr. White discussed a new binary to address the types of individuals who are online. What I deemed to be the most interesting about this binary, is that he was careful to state how he meant these terms to represent the two ends of a continuum, and did not mean for them to necessarily be a dichotomy. It is my belief that dichotomies are often two restricting and not fluid enough to really describe where people are. The continuum approach for the types of people who are online seems much more appropriate. Throughout the presentation I quickly found myself placing some of my immediate family members, as well as myself, into the continuum. The description of the “visitor” as being “goal-orientated,” seemed to ring true for my mother. I would characterize my mother as using the internet much like the toolbox metaphor described by Dr. White. She stumbles onto the internet and rummages through the “toolbox” until she is able to complete the task she needs e.g. paying bills online. She checks her e-mail about once a week, but now that the e-mail comes directly on her new cell, she announced to me that she has decided to use e-mail more frequently as a means to communicate with her family in Mexico. I slowly see my mother as moving from the very early “visitor” stage of the continuum to more of a “resident” as her eyes are opened to the possibilities of better communicating with family through social media such as Facebook.

            As for where I see myself on the internet, I had initially at the beginning of the talk decided that I was definitely a resident of the internet. I have a Facebook and use it on more or less a daily basis, and I like to post pictures, and comment on friend’s pictures, etc. I indeed see the internet as a huge resource of tools, and am constantly excited to learn new things. In my family, I am the one who is usually turned to for the purpose of ordering specialty items online, or creating e-vites, or researching questions they have not been able to find answers to. But when Dr. White further complicated the “visitors and residents” continuum by placing it on an axis that considered the “institutional and non-institutional” I found myself reassessing my conclusion. Now I see myself as being more of a resident on the non-institutional quadrant. While, on the other hand I would say that I am currently a visitor on the institutional quadrant. I do now have twitter, this educational technology blog, and Edmodo, but I am still an aspiring resident on the institutional quadrant. I envision that by the end of this semester, I will be more of a resident in the institutional quadrant. I see myself as continuing to blog professionally as an aspiring educator.