Professional Development- Preschoolers!!!

I did my literature activity at a nursery school, due to time constraints. I prepared myself thinking, "this should be no problem!" Read them a story ask questions and just discuss thing they want to talk about, right? Nope. My group had mixed classes ranging from ages 2- 5. They were so cute and polite. The problem was me! I had spent so much time focusing on adolescents that I forgot children get bored, FAST! Next time, I will choose books that are  more interesting. I thought my Dr. Seuss collection was cool, but i was wrong. The boys were more outspoken and believe it or not they knew a lot more than I thought, movies, namely. I eventually had to do the fast forward version of Fox In Socks and turn the reading session into an alphabet game where all the kids could participate and talk at the same time. OMG! I was so out of my element. It was fun after I thew the middle school mindset out the door and just ran with it. The teachers laughed as I skipped thru half the book and made up the game as I went. It was quite an experience.   

July 30th/August 1st Reflection.

This past weekend was particularly stressful in terms of trying to get organized and get everything wrapped up in the course. Our interdisciplinary unit is still in the works, unlike some other groups who've already submitted their drafts/finals. It's okay, though. Some of us work at a slower pace, and nothing's wrong with that. I just hope that the quality of our finished work is acceptable, or better yet, outstanding once we turn all of it in.

With regard to my professional development, I mentioned on Moodle weeks ago that I work with the kids in the youth choir at church in terms of literacy development. I joined my church's youth choir when I was 5, and I can say without a doubt that it really helped my literacy develop a great deal. Putting music and lyrics together was the first step for me to get interested more in reading and learning the different hymns, then breaking down the songs line by line for comprehension solidified the deeper meaning behind each hymn we sang for Sunday school. It wasn't just about learning how to sing and read notes, but also about reading and understanding what we were singing. Now that I'm in the adult choir, I help mentor the younger kids who are now in the place I used to be in, and I believe it's a strong foundation for them as young readers to find and appreciate the connection between literacy and music. These choir meetings occur weekly, however, I just need to bring in a camera to document.

Interdisciplinary Unit



Nerissa did an awesome job. You are amazing with the computer graphics.  I also watch you fill in some additional pictures to complete a lesson plan.  Kathy, great job in filling the blanks and making sure everything is complete.  I am so happy the team worked hard on each lesson plan to make this assignment ready to upload.  Thank you much.

CoHort V Team B Interdisciplinary

Thank you Nerissa for having patience with an old woman and forgiving my old ways

Thank you Kathy for being the gift to add a few more things

And Thank you Geri, Melissa, and Phil for the added support...

Jessica

I'm excited...Motheread tomorrow...

I am looking forward to my fieldtrip tomorrow...Shirley Estoy and I will be going to the Motheread program....I don't know what to expect, but look forward to the opportunity to see and learn...

transactional theory - OMG

This was a difficult paper for me...I deal with science and facts...to use imagination and lots of feelings is new for me. Did I enjoy it...I think I struggled with it more. I like learning useful and applicable things; but to allow for the whimsical, and allow the free license of the reader to explore the possibilities is difficult for me. I am glad however to have learned that sometimes this might be a way to get things started; however, in the end, I feel more that teachers have a responsibility to teach what the intent of a literary piece is and not leave things to the imaginings of the reader.

The fog is starting to lift!

Crazy as it may seem, but I'm starting to miss class! Not just reading, since we are still under going the final leg but all these courses in general. As the grades are coming out and the long list of assignments are getting shorter, I'm starting to feel like I'm not busy enough. Like Linda mentioned in her blog, we can write up a 5 page paper with ease. Finding resources and writing/ citing in APA format is no prob. Lesson plans... shhaaa, what else you got! Not to say it was easy, but I know we all have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and skill from these classes. Now that it's almost time to put these skills to use, it's almost scary. I think I'd rather stay in class than teach a class, naw, I'm so ready! Fully armed and ready to take on some 7th graders! Good luck and God's speed to all!

Christine's English School

What a wonderful experience it was to work at Christine's English School, even if it was for only two hours! This is my student and I. We went over vocabulary, pronunciation, articles, reading, writing, idioms, and plain old conversation. I went into the lesson a bit nervous and left beyond happy. We shared a couple things in common. We are both in the construction industry and we both play guitar (I'm horrible and he has concerts!). I love teaching because as much as you teach you are, at the same time, learning!

Cohort 5 - Team A of Interdisciplinary Unit

Well, there was a start, and most had submitted a lesson plan. Most had all of the components, and yet not all have completed the task. Now it comes down to the wire, my stomach is in knots, my arms and hands feel jittery and all-over-anxiety, not knowing if everyone will step up and it all "magically" comes together!
There has been so much to complete for this one course (seem to be getting better at writing 5 page reflection papers!) that my head swims trying to keep up with all of it and the variety of courses. Wish I knew if our individual efforts have merit if there is less than 'target' work by the team. Only time will tell now, because as they say, we are in the home stretch!

Braggity,brag, brag

Since this is a reading and writing course, I'll share this here.
About a week ago I got my Praxis I scores back from ETS.
Reading 182, Writing 175
I didn't know what the scores mean. Since my score was higher in reading, does that mean I can easily understand what the author was trying to say? Since my writing score was lower, does that mean writing me not that good English? (heetee er,.. teehee!)

Anyways, I hoped that it was enough to pass.
I show it at the certification office to get my temporary certification, and the officer mumbled under her breath "wow, that's high". I find out later that not only have I passed Guam's standards, I've passed national standards.

I've found out what it really means. It means that I, a daughter of immigrant ESL parents, of former low socioeconomic status, a product of Guam's public education, am up to par with the nation. I plan to show this to my future students. I'll say "This is for all of you, especially those who came from a similar background. If I can do it , so can you!"
Against the haters, the snobs, and the odds,.... I hope they do well, so they can brag too!

Here's my actual reflection.

A few days ago, a very important movie came on that we should all watch, if we haven't watched it already: Pearl Harbor. As I was watching this movie, there were some boys playing baseball and they suddenly stopped and looked up to be Under the Blood Red Sun flying low to the ground with which they were playing. It just really brought me to thinking of our book and I was thinking that maybe they incoporated that on purpose because they read about Tomi and his friends. But I really enjoyed watching Pearl Harbor especially since we are talking about it as we are in this class.

I also realized that this could be a good character journal-the person that was actually flying the plane. What was he thinking, would he be able to take out innocent children playing baseball? What was going on through his mind as he was bombing Pearl Harbor?

Interdisciplinary Unit 2

Our final draft is up for Cohort V team B, and I do say that it looks really beautiful. We all did our parts, of course, consulting with each other. We had our ups and we had our downs, but we came through at the end. I am very proud of my group for putting something together so beautiful and lovely. It was great! Thanks guys! You are the BEST!

DEADLINE!!!

It's the third day since and still fresh in mind! July 28. Thursday morning. No class. Yes! I can go somewhere and unwind. Ring! Ring! The phone goes for several times before I answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey bro could you come its my birthday?"
Without hesitation, "Yeah, what time?"
"Now!"
I spent great deal of time at the party and its was 11pm, my heart was beating fast as I rested on the hammock. I began to wonder why. Then I start reviewing my calendar. "Oh shoot! My transactional reading assignment deadline!"
I rushed and sped  home to continue my adjourned task. "Click, click, click!" the computer went like the rain outside as it poured in the rusted roofing. Finally an output and it was 3am!
"Dad are you going to sleep?
"Coming.. "
"Lately you've been always staying up late.."
"Just a second love, I was supposed to send this last night before 12pm and it is late for submission already."
I sent for review.
...
I checked my Gmail: Extension for Deadline! YES!

POEM? REFLECTION? LITERATURE?

Time Zones

I just realized today that all the assignments are due in Guam Time. Unfortunately, I forgot that fact and have been thinking the time zone I'm in. So, I'm a bit disappointed in myself for being absent minded in that fact.

On the other note, I was glad to attend Union City's library here in California for my Professional Development. They had various activities to attend to read to children in various ages. It was pretty cool. They even had an activity for babies that couldn't walk. They read to the babies using objects and pictures, and the baby had to respond back by trying to jump on their mother's lap, therefore the activity was called lapsitting. Another activity I went to had volunteers come in the room and each choose a table, each table represented a different activity for each group. One activity was the volunteer/reader reads out the word, and the kids write down the word to see if they have the correct spelling. Another table had a reader read a story book full of pictures. Another table was tutoring a child in SAT reading. Various activities available in a room for an hour and a half. I am glad I attended this as it's not common in Guam to have this activity.

Int. Unit Compilation

"Breathe in!!!!," Linda says. It has been a very interesting week for all of us, but we managed to get it all together. Therewere some mis-communications along the way but in the end we forgave and ate an in-class buffet. Which we seem to put perfectly together each class meeting time.

I really enjoyed putting together the groups power-point presentation for their Interdisciplinary Unit. I enjoyed designing it and inputting everyone's wonderful lesson plans. I hope it turns out better than I would expect. "Breathe out!!," Linda finishes.

Ms. Christine's English School

I would like to share a recent experience I had with my partner Annie. We signed up for voluntary work at Christine's English school. We read the book Black Holes. We read it to three Korean kids ranging from the ages 11-12 named Minkyu, Johnny, and Mathew. We basically followed the directions given by Katrina who was their main instructor. We were told to follow her insturctions and Ms. Christines school curriculum. They were a bit naughty at times but were good kids and showed a lot of willingness to learn. We had them reread chapters 1-3 and reviewed them on what they understood from reading the chapters. They each took turns reading a paragraph each. I believe i It was a very interesting experience. I never realized that reading was a real struggle for a lot of people, well, of course, English, that is! Overall, I enjoyed the experience and meeting these cute rosy cheek kids.

MY MAC

My mac has never been used this much and I have never sat in front of a computer so much. I am currently doing two online classes and I am so thankful that I finished the other one today and not I can focus on our Reading class. I am so thankful for Dr. Rivera giving us an extension because I really want to turn in the best work that I can. I have learned so much from this class, not only about Reading but how to find resources to help me with my teaching. We are almost coming to an end in this class and I pray that everyone stays positive and just believe that you can do this.

Best of luck,

Angelo Barcinas

A Day for Books

I am slowly bringing my sleep pattern back to the one I need for school. I am normally a day person out of necessity, because school is from about early morning 7am to about late afternoon 4pm, but under normal circumstances, I am a night owl.
When I pulled myself out of bed to go to the Agana Library for the Reading program, I had only two hours of sleep under my belt, so I was quite tired when I arrived there. However, when I got there, the activity quickly woke me up. There was a crazy amount of kids today. The hustle and bustle of today's session was enough to energize me through the whole event. My daughter was very excited, and it was a task to keep her from tearing the place apart. Shirleen and Robito were there as well with their daughters and we had a great time. When the event was over, I felt great, as I helped my daughter pick out some books with her new library card. She loves her "story time" and, as I type these words, she is egging me on to read her one of the books. And, so ends a nice day in books!

Interdisciplinary Unit

We needed to make a few adjustments to our draft.  I made sure completed so I only have to worry about the next paper due.  I have 6 little children in my house right now and my mind is going in circles.  I need to focus.  Have a great weekend everyone.

July 30

First and foremost, thank you, Dr. Rivera for giving us an extension for our assignments! It has been a very busy week, but then again, the weeks prior to this has been just as busy! Everyday this past week from 730 thru 1230 I was involved in our church's vacation bible school and although I had a blast spending time with the kids and the other adults, my feet and the rest of my aching body has gotten a glimpse of what it would be like teaching and being on my feet for hours straight, most especially as a PE teacher! At any rate, I have yet to complete my transactional theory paper and I don't know if it's because I'm burnt out from all the work throughout the summer, but it's been one of the more challenging papers to write! One more week...keep on keeping on everyone!

July 30 Update

It's been a very busy assignment week. My cohort (3) has made a lot of progress with our Interdisciplinary Unit so I'm glad the draft is done. We just have to make the final changes to our slides before we submit the final version.
I actually got to feel some sunlight today. My husband and I went strolling around the island to enjoy the waves. It was nice to step away from the computer screen and be back in the world for a little while. I feel refreshed and ready to finish my assignments for this class and Dr. Sanchez's class.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Chin up because we are almost there!

Relaxing at the Library

Well, today, Randall, Robito, and I arrived at the Agana Library at 10am for the last day of the summer reading.  It was great!  We all brought our children and they all got prizes from the raffle, as well as cake and pizza for a snack afterwards.  The kids had a wonderful time and each child got 2 prizes each.  They invited us to come down every Saturday, which would be nice, but of course we must get ready for classes this week, so hopefully in a couple of weeks, we could all meet up there with our kids and just read and relax. 
Here is a picture of our little reading group.

Interdisciplinary Unit

My group, half of Cohort V, met and together worked on putting together our ppt presentation of all of our Interdisciplinary Unit and ten lesson plans of our different contents together. Nerissa has done a beautiful job designing the ppt, I loved it. Thanks also goes out to Kathy for taking our work and putting it together into the ppt.

Together, through thick and thin, we have done a wonderful job, and these lesson plans look great and it can actually be used in our different classrooms for next school year. Good luck and thanks guys!

Extensions....yay!!

I am so grateful for the extensions that you have given us, Dr. Rivera. And boy did we need it. Especially the many classes that we are taking at this time. This is truly precious. Time is valuable commodity, and giving it to us is truly blessing. Thank you, Dr. Rivera!

Couple Questions

Our interdisciplinary unit has been pieced together. We have contributed our content area lesson plans. I feel Nerissa must be commended for pulling it all together in a timely manner for both groups while having to deal with misdirected frustrations. I hope her effort and all her work is appreciated by everyone.

Dr. Rivera, after we turn in our rough draft, will you be providing us with feedback on how we can improve the final draft?

I am working on the transactional theory paper and I, too, am appreciative of the extension.

Will we be receiving feedback on our assignments thus far? I am trying to guage if I am, in fact, on target.

Interdisciplinary Unit and Transactional Theory

Hello everyone! So my group and I met up this week at "The Tree". That is a nice place. I had no idea that place existed. When I first heard this is where we were meeting, I thought it was "The Tree Top" and was thinking isn't this a bar?...but hey, it's a bar! Then when I got to the place, I realized it was like a Starbucks. And it was nice! Well, anyway, the interdisciplinary unit is going good. We each have our subjects and activities that we will be doing. I am doing the language arts and it's mixed with social studies. So I've got quite a few ideas. For my transactional theory paper, I just need to do a little more research and I should be good.

INTERDISCIPLINARY UNIT

Today was the day that we needed to submit our unit rough draft and I am so thankful that it was only a rough draft. I ended up fixing my unit because of the great work my Cohort did. I decided to do the Math unit because I thought it would be a great challenge. It was definitely a challenge but I ended up finding a great activity to base my unit on. I am using the game Battle Ship to teach students how to plot points on a grid. I decided to do that because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. There is still a lot to be done but I am confident that everything will turn out great.

Things are Coming Together

Our cohort got our Interdisciplinary Unit back after painstakingly piecing it together, and it looks great! There's that sense of pride looking at your work when it is done, and there is similar if grander feeling when a team effort comes together. I made only a few tweaks to my section, as we all continue work out the bugs, but overall, it's already a very beautiful thing.

The Transactional Theory paper is daunting, but I am learning as I go. If it wasn't for the extension, I would not have turned in the paper today and would have received a point deduction, so I am glad we can turn it in next week. Thanks again, Doc!

July 28th Reflection, Part 1.

So much has been going on, and I think that applies to everyone in the class. It's crunch time, and we're all feeling the burn. I went on LiveText to submit some assignments and came across the Learning Log/Blog assignment. We have to attach documentation of our learning log participation. (Dr. Rivera, would copying/pasting all my Blogger logs into a word document and then attaching that document suffice for this assignment?) I went through my past logs and noticed how they got shorter and shorter as time progressed. It seems that I started out with more to say compared to now, when I sometimes feel at a loss for words, because so much has been going on, and I can't find a minute to stop and breathe in/out and think. I think it has mainly to do with the quality of my work. I feel so lazy at times and then see myself as being unproductive, which further leads me to think that I can't or shouldn't blog about it, because it's not worth anything good. However, today's the 28th, and I'm going to push myself to complete the assignments on time. Good luck to everyone! We're almost done.

Alan C. Purves

Our draft is underway, and in the capable hands of our girl-genius, Nerissa, in the technology department.

I have been "googling" off and on for Alan C. Purves since Tuesday night, and I have not come up with anything substantial. All the internet has given me is that he is an esteemed author for writing across languages and cultures. This is his book. Buy it.

Has anyone had any luck finding something written by him that is easily accessible?
Any tidbit would be appreciated.

I blogged in an earlier post under Intellectually trippy about how the transactional theory of reading made me realize a new perspective of how a reader absorbs the written word and creates a poem. I'm finding helpful information along the way to the completion of my transactional paper, but that first paper by Probst is still the one that had the most impact on me.

Live text inquiry....

I guess this would be for Dr. Rivera but maybe would help others as well..

I stared posting artifacts on Live text and added them one by one, so each showed up on my dashboard. Then I noticed that once you start a label, it has a left side bar of all the assignments. So, i just labeled a file Dr.Rivera Portfolio.. and started uploading everything on that one page. Is that correct? It seemed to me that made more sense so everything is in one label... Just wondering.

Interdisciplinary Unit draft

I am confident that we all are done with our drafts to the unit plan, although we might make minor adjustments, the draft looks great.  Good job Cohort III.  I have started on my Transactional Theory of Reading paper and from my reading and understanding, I think I am more of an aesthetic reader.  I love to read for pleasure, therefore I get into the characters and the mood of the stories.  It takes me to another place and time, even if just for a little while, I welcome the change of scenery. 
I hope to encourage aesthetic reading in my class, therefore the students can see different prospectives from themselves and their fellow classmates.  It can also be used as a personal assessment tool, which can be used to learn more about the students in your class and where and how they perceive different issues that they read about. 

July 28 Update

I'm glad Dr. Rivera has extended our assignment deadlines but I'm still going to try and make the original deadlines. There are so many things that have come up last minute that as my husband always says, "You gotta stay ready so you don't gotta get ready."
I've been working on my Transactional Theory of Reading paper. I think that it is very beneficial to students--especially ethnically and linguistically diverse students--because it gives them the power to access the material on their own grounds, before translating the material into English. The Theory also provides a "safe environment" in which students can construct their own meanings without fear of judgment or penalty.
On another note, I'm sure everyone is busy with assignments as well as paperwork that needs to be processed for DOE Personnel. I hope everyone gets placed. There's a lot of confusion going on regarding teacher placement and it doesn't help that we are at the mercy of others. The last leg of the race is always the hardest and I hope everyone finds their second wind. We're almost there!

P.S. I just discovered that House of the Red Fish by Graham Salisbury is the continuation of Under the Blood Red Sun. It's a "suggested reading" for my cohort's Interdisciplinary Unit.

Professional Development

 From 3pm -5pm, we signed up and learned the schools curriculum.  Finally, Daniel arrives for his ESL lesson.  We worked on his workbook first.  He read 3 articles.  He was actually very good.  While he read, I helped him with words he had trouble pronouncing.  I wrote the words he had trouble with as he read the articles and went over it with him.  After each article, there were question and answer that we went through.  My first hand in teaching English other than my children.

Professional Development

 Katrina Baza teaching us the required curriculum for Christine English School.  All students are at different levels.  All five of us are assigned different students.  Katrina explained each student to us.  The student's ages we are assigned

range from 8 years old to approximately 40 years old. 

Professional Development

 Linda and Christine (owner of Christine English School)  My first hand experience with ESL.

 Arrived at Christine English School at 3pm and met with the owner, Christine Jin.  She signed us up and explained what she expected from us.  Ms. Jin is very professional and values learning a great deal.  She is very generous to accommodate us at her school in short notice.

You know you don't read enough when the books just JUMP out of the bookshelf at you!!!

This whole poem for two voices topic got me interested. So I went online hoping they would have an ebook to download on my phone (because that's my new way of "enjoying" reading). Unfortunately, they didn't have it on Amazon and by golly i wasn't going to spend $15 and wait 3+ weeks to get... So that was that. "Too bad, I figured." As time went on I keep reading posts about it and Dr. Rivera tells me which book specific book it is. That's great and all, but I already passed that stage. Then one night as I was walking thru my hallway, what's lying on the floor in front of my bedroom door... I've had it since 2005!!! Whhhooooooo! Creepy! :)

JULY 26 REFLECTION

My daughter and I enjoyed working on the Poem For 2 Voices. It gave us some daughter and father bonding time at least. I will definitely use this activity in the future.
Yesterday, was our last moodle forum. I was somewhat disappointed because I was already getting the hang of things and it had to end. However, I believe it was  a great way of communicating and expressing each other's ideas.

I'm drawing a blank,...

so hopefully, maybe any of you can help. I'm trying to think of uplifting books in history, but I keep coming up with solemn, or sad ending ones. Diary of Anne Frank, Sadako, and our very own Under the Blood Red Sun. I was just wondering, in order for a history-related children's book to be touching and meaningful, does the ending have to be a certain tone?

The Science Verse

I feel like a swimmer returning to shore, glancing every now and then at the approaching landmass. The swimmer knows this is usually the place where there is a strong undercurrent, and it be best to outstretch those arms, kick those legs and make those lunges forward to get some headway. If we don't work our hardest at this moment, as close as the shore is, we won't reach it if we don't try. Or worst, we could get washed up on the shore.

So I say to myself, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming....
Does anyone have a life jacket or a surfboard?

I'm glad we got to do Poems for Two Voices. It opened up a new avenue for me to teach my students, something I love to do onto something I love to teach-Science. I'm ready to teach my interdisciplinary unit to my students this year. I am confident they are going to have a thrilling experience the way we all had.

July 26th Reflection.

Today was a busy day on Moodle for me. I managed to respond to all the prompts and comment on others' posts. I really liked the two-voice poetry. I'd like to use it in my future classroom, but I know I'll have to really plan for it. I don't really have anything else to blog about since things are still up in the air regarding the rest of my assignments. I'm pacing myself while working on them...so we'll just see how it goes from here.

Trap the mind.

Owning nothing, I refer you to:  http://www.schoolandmotivationalposters.com/

Here is an image that I wanted to share with all of you.  With our interdisciplinary units of study pretty much complete, our papers basically writing themselves (*grin*), and all of us busy completing the rest of the requirements for this class, we have done our share of thinking.  And we started with one book: Under the Blood Red Sun.  I find it interesting how so many ideas can be introduced by and sprout from one source.  As we bring our own thoughts and perspectives into the mix, we get multiple versions of the story. 

This August, I will attempt to teach Science with a few different strategies that I had not planned on.  My hope is that reading and writing about science will allow my students the freedom to think for themselves, to unleash viewpoints--mine or not, to express themselves as active learners, and to have fun while doing so.

Dare I Say This...

Just when I was getting the hang of all these forums...and it ends. I'll probably hear about this, but it's true. The great thing about forums and blogging is whether or not you want to hear what I have to say, I still get to say it! It is an odd thing to place it all out there in cyberspace. I tend to shy away from posting my every thought and every step on a popular social networking site so this took some getting used to. Although, this of course is of no comparison, because we are conversing about relevant interesting topics and I have truly enjoyed many of your insights. Let's just say there's a lot more depth. Whether it is because we are being graded on it or not, I really appreciate not hearing about what people are thinking of eating for lunch, then knowing their exact arrival (checking in) to where they are eating lunch, and then a picture of what they are eating for lunch of course with a side of how great it is. Don't worry I still have the blog, even though the forums are no more.

Hope All Is Well

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is having a great week as we are ending the last week of our regular classes. I am having a lot of fun with my classes and it's motivating me to start the school year. I must admit, now that I have so much knowledge, I am a little more intimidated than I was last year, but in a good way. I feel incredibly energetic to start the school year. I hope everyone else is getting ready and is prepared-we are looking forward to a brand new school year with brand new students, and for some of us, brand-new subject/content area.

The Poem of 2 Voices was a really fun activity, a little difficult to master, but still a lot of fun. Our interdisciplinary team met tonight and that was a lot of fun and we got a lot done. Everything seems to be coming together so I can't wait until I have my final products because I will be so proud of myself, as everyone should be proud of themselves for not quiting and sticking out college. Have a good night everyone.

Where did the MIDTERM go?

It seems just yesterday when we had signed up for this class!  Where has the time gone? I would say most of us, more likely all, have had a busy past two weeks.  The Midterm self-reflection was a bit tricky.  Many of us questioned how many pages were assigned but could not find a definite answer to the question.  Nevertheless, the assignment is done and submitted.  Noting how many points were to be addressed with much insight, we needed a whole lot of room.  That being said, the self-reflection helped me define what I've done and what I still need to do.  I realized there were things I worked on with more diligence.  In general, I feel it was a great way for us to analyze our learning process.  And so...there's more to do!

Interdisciplinary Unit Reflection

I am so glad our team was able to complete the lesson plan drafts.  I had to research statistics on the War in the Pacific to use on my lesson plans.  I felt relief when I had completed this assignment for the draft.  I hope only minor corrections will be needed for the final draft.  I can't wait to see the draft. 

Literacy Autobiography Reflection

I get really excited when my children start to learn how to read.  I make sure they love books and reading.  I even purchased an eReader for my older daughter.  She loves to read.  For myself, I know it is bad but I am not much of a reader.  I would grab a book when I plan trips off island so I could read it on the plane to help me fall asleep.  I read a book instead of taking sleeping pills.  I have to admit that if a book is interesting, I end up staying up until I finish it.  But it is very rare.  Actually, when I was younger, I did read a lot but I think it stopped when I started having kids.  It is so funny because when I started this teaching program, my younger children were amazed to see me reading a different book other than their bedtime story books.

Reflection on the Syllabus

I was not familiar with what the assignments entail when I first read the syllabus.  I was not familiar with Literature circles, Graffiti Boards, etc...I was never introduced these strategies until now. I will be able to use it in the classroom now that I have the knowledge.

Reflection

I am enjoying the cooperative study group we have with our cohort, graffiti board, literature circle, blogging, and more.  It is a lot of work to be a teacher.  Trying to find creative Unit Plans, Lesson Plans, and powerpoints.  So much information to absorb. 

A POEM FOR 2 VOICES

One of todays topics on moodle was about "A Poem for 2 Voices." I found this assignment really interesting because it is something I have never done personally. The style of the poem gives you a dual perspective at the same time and I find it very useful in everyday life. A perfect example is a marriage. I speak for myself on this topic so please don't get upset. If we took the time to express our feelings as well as hearing our spouses side of things, our communication would be flawless. Although that may not always happen, it is something you need to take into consideration if you ever find yourself getting into a big argument. I find myself using this method in teaching because I want to show my students what perspective looks like.

Poems and Last Moodle Forum

I can't believe the class is almost over and we are on our last Moodle entry.  I enjoyed the entries because we were able to view other comments and other points of view. 
  Most of us have completed our  Interdisciplinary Unit or just finishing up.  The Poems in Two Voices was actually a fun activity and gives a chance for the creativity to come out in everyone.  Some sites also had activities to accompany the poems, which would be fun for students to do in class.  It would also help them comprehend the poems and work well in pairs or groups.

July 26 Update

I started reading up on Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory and I thought it was really interesting. The Theory is similar to the stance I have on art (which includes literary art). I think that everyone can find their own meanings in what they read and what they see. The connection that is made is part of the learning process, actually it's the main part of it. Individuality in the classroom should be praised and guided so that students develop positive and productive methods to express their individuality.
We also had to say goodbye to all the characters in Under the Blood Red Sun today (as far as posting reflections about the book in Moodle). So far, everyone has expressed enjoyment in reading the book. I think that it was a very good book choice for our Multidisciplinary Unit assignment. There are so many aspects of the book that each content area should be able to create a lesson or activity with little difficulty.
Well I'm off to tackle my paper on Transactional Theory!

I can't post comments!

Okay, I'm now getting mad at my computer. I wanted to respond to someone else's blog, but I can't for some reason. I type my comment, the press post. It leads me to resign in again with my gmail account which I do, and then I have to type the code of the letters I see. Then it just never posts, it keeps going in a circle from resigning in and giving me a preview of that I'm anonymous. But when I check the settings and top right corner of what is the sign in name, I'm logged in.

Almost walked into a heart attack this past saturday...

You know...the realization that I'm not superwoman came to light after our class on July 23. I am grateful for Cohort V Team B...you are inspiring and after I saw all the preliminary submissions, you have made me know that I can count on all of you. Wish were all going to be in the same school teaching next year...Can you imagine how awesome that would be.

Early Blog

Good morning, everyone! Just thought I should get a head start on the blog today since I have already finished the forums for today. Getting this done now should help me get on the other assignments for this class as well as assignments for other classes.
So today marks the last day with forums if my observation of the Moodle page is correct. Not sure if you would consider that a good thing. It means no more forum assignments, but it marks the point where nothing but the big stuff are left to be dealt with. I particularly liked the forums. I always enjoy writing a reflection. I can reflect on anything. Comes with being an ADD chatterbox. But, I hate research. I always take too long with research. I am too easily distracted, and research is highly dependent on focused attention. I understand I need to do it, of course, but I really need to get a good head start, keep my mind rested, and try my best to get myself into a good "flow mode". Meeting one of those three things is difficult for me, let alone all three. I'll just have to do my best.

Just uploaded my first article on Live Text

Hmmm... I hope I did it correctly. It seemed pretty straight forward, so, hopefully... There was a section for assessments. I wounder WHO will be viewing it and assessing. I'm glad things are starting to fall together, because for a while I was falling apart.

Just thought I'd share

Hafa adai fellow history junkies!
I'm in a good mood, because I just turned in my lesson plan draft. I'm feeling a little lighter!

I remember this a while back and it's if Facebook existed back in the day.
I thought it was brilliant.
Be forewarned though, there is a bit of swearing, and swaggering.
WWII on facebook

This other one is a spoof on military strategies. Genius.
tic-tac-toe.

Even though you may not be into history, I still think you would get a kick out of this.
Enjoy! I certainly did.

July 23rd Reflection.

I'm still processing that our term is half-way through. Now that the Praxis exams are over, I can refocus on schoolwork and hitting deadlines, because I've been slacking. It also doesn't help that I have a strained wrist at the moment. It's a bit painful to type - I feel as if some nerve is being pinched inside - but I'm bearing with it. Anyway, I look forward to meeting with my group this week to work on our interdisciplinary unit.

Two Down Plus Praxis 2- -

I didn't realize so many from this class were taking the Praxis 2 on Sat. I recognized some who were in the prep classes which had been 3 days/wk. (ALL DAY if both preps were taken). It was a long test in a VERY COLD room, and who even can imagine how they did. I want to believe that I 'passed' it, however, I want to really soar above 'just squeaking by'!!

I came home after the class that followed the test and felt that I didn't have two working brain cells left to rub together.... so I had an "adult beverage", some chocolate, and watched some TV on the computer. Sometimes, you just have to take a break!!!

Now there are 4 more classes to complete, some won't be finished before school starts, which is only a couple weeks away! I know that I am getting pretty good at pulling a 5 page paper together now.
Wait!! Is that a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel?? Or is it that of an oncoming train?? :)

Almost there.

Whew!! Got a lot to tackle and were almost there. Interdisciplinary unit here we come!!!

Dori and Spongebob as Icons??? "Just keep swimming..." (Tagging along to Arlene's post)

I use that song from Finding Nemo for my personal inspiration. Funny as it may seem, but Dori and Spongebob are real big motivational icons for me. If you think about their characters' persona, they don't let obstacles or negative events or people bother them, and they seem just fine in the end.
I think sometimes we take things to hard or to personal and then that's the end of our sanity. I like to see things thru a child's eye. Their reasoning and answer's to almost everything are so straight forward and simple. We tend to over analyze or over think when sometimes the answers are very easy. In the beginning of this program, I was overwhelmed by the fact that this program seemed very intimidating.
As I complete courses one by one I look back and see that it's not as bad as I thought. 

Congrats and Good luck to those that took the PLT!

I commend all of you that took the Praxis the other day. In addition to all that you are enduring, you still managed to conjure up enough brain power to make it thru the test. I hope you all did well. Good job!

Bath and Body Works

Reflections are like looking in the mirror after taking a nice long bath. You're refreshed and relaxed. But why do I feel like I'm in the calm before the storm? It doesn't feel like one of those banana tropical storm but a supertyphoon. Or better yet, it feels like that one lazy Sunday morning right before planes swooped down and attacked Pearl Harbor.

We don't see the pile of work we've already done because most of it has been uploaded, but have you scrolled down that long list of upcoming assignments we still have yet to do? Aye, Aye, Aye!

We are going to have to find some coping mechanism to see us through this. A manicure isn't a bad idea. At least when we're raggedly tapping on the keyboards, like me at 2a.m, you'll still have fabulous nails. Don't feel left out guys. You can get a manicure too. Then you can experience being what city folks call metrosexual.

Or we can sing a silly song with a positive message in it, like the inspirational hit in Finding Nemo by Dory, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimmng, swimming, swimming, swimming, lalalalala! (Don't think I didn't hear you sing that line!)

Now it's stuck in your head.

Midtern

What I love about midterm, it tells us that we are half way there. CV is da bomb, you guys are truly the best ever...see you all Thursday...

Laptop

I am hoping that this laptop can last me till the end of this class session. Lately, it's been giving me problems. It's not too old to use, but I guess with using it too much, it's about to reach it's age and give up soon. Last week it took one hour for everything to actually power on or start booting up on start mode. With a class that depends on internet use, this laptop can't die. I think at that time my laptop wouldn't turn on, we had to upload two materials online that day. I thought I would have to do my work all over again as the documents were saved on this hard drive. I'm glad I didn't have to do that. It would of been disappointing to redo work all cause of a computer failure. Crossing fingers this laptop will not go soon.

Half Way There

Mid-Term Reflection, a sign we are almost there!

What a busy week!

This week we had our interdisciplinary group meeting; we had to turn in our literature circle paper and mid-term self-reflection; and also take two Praxis II exams. They all were done in a timely manner and I am relieved this week is over. I am not sure if I passed the Praxis II, but i feel relieved and happy that I got to experience it. Since I will probably be on Moodle tomorrow, I am going to get some rest because those tests today really tired me out! Oh, but here is what our graphic organizer looks like, in case anyone is interested. I will elaborate on it later...if anyone wants me to.

A Fulfilling Day

I was up all night again. Those who know me well would not be surprised to hear that. I did not have to force myself though, my sleeping pattern is awry is all. I got a lot of work done through the night, both in Fee's class and this one, so I felt good about myself.
I tried to complete the professional development requirement today at the Agana Library. I met Robito and Geri there, but, alas, we were all turned away. They did not accept volunteers unless we had both a police clearance and a court clearance, so you can imagine our disappointment. We were running out of time. Robito and Geri left, but I stayed to experience the reading session. My wife and daughter came with me to the library, so we just had our daughter attend the session. I did not regret it. It looked like a great program! My daughter was entertained from the very beginning all the way to the moment we had to drag her out the door three hours later.
Through the session, however, I had a conversation with the Program Coordinator. I mentioned to him my dilemma being turned away for volunteering. He told me that we did not have to get court clearance or police clearance because we are not "volunteering" for anything. Instead we are fulfilling a requirement for a class. He told me that next Saturday we should just call him before we head down, that way he can intercept us and bypass the people at the front desk. He said that next Saturday will be a big day, so they would probably need our help anyways. I intend to go. My daughter will be expecting me to.

test for Geri

Test for Geri

July 23 Reflection

To keep you posted I already have PJ's and Renee's Unit plan and I hope that our cohort is pretty much doing their best to be on top of it. Tomorrow please!
Today, I went to Hagatna Public library hoping to work on the professional development task but sad to say I was not allowed because I still need court clearance. The last time I checked I only needed a police clearance and letter from UOG. What else?? I hope to accomplish the professional literacy development task the next time I will visit the place.
I also just concluded my mid term self-reflection, it was emotionally and critically themed for professional disposition.

Boy, Oh Boy!

My writing hand needs a reflexology appointment after some mad test taking this morning! And to think, I still have brain cells working to complete additional assignments! I'm definitely rewarding myself tonight (anyone want to join, feel free)!
On a lighter note, its the middle of the term and we're halfway through our summer. After completing the SPED assignments earlier this week, it's great knowing that through good time management and setting priorities in order, I feel like a heavy load has been taken from me! However, there is still more to do as the summer comes to an end, then it's a whole new ride starting on the 8th of August and I haven't even thought of all the things that ride requires as of yet! For now, I'll focus on what's ahead this week! The transactional theory of learning sounds like a hefty topic, so that's going to be a challenge this week. Hang in there everyone!

PLT

Well, like PJ and some other of our cohorts, I took the PLT today and glad that it is out of the way.  Now, I can concentrate on the other assignments that are due.  We will be e-mailing Robito our draft for the Interdisciplinary Unit, so he can put it together.  He's such a High Speed guy!  Anyway, I am sure that everyone did their best on the PLT and let's hope for the best.

July 23 Update

So today I took my Praxis Content and PLT tests. They were so much fun! I couldn't believe how easy they were! NOT!!! I'm sure all of us who took Praxis tests this morning will be clanking glasses soon. Cheers! On another note, posting my character journal in Moodle was a welcome release of stress from the tests. It was also great exercise for my poor fingers that have been crinkled into monkey grips for the past four hours. My cohort is staying on task with the Multidisciplinary Unit project so that's alleviated some stress. Our wonderful classmate Robito is going to be secretary for the draft. Thanks Dr. Butch!

“Under the Blood-Red Sun, or Under the Blood- Red Son”

072011ed641litcirclereflectaguon.r

“Under the Blood-Red Sun, or Under the Blood- Red Son”

“Meaning is not fixed; message never transparent; audience active at receiving meaning”

(“Encoding & Decoding”, 1973; Stuart Hall)

Literacy learning through cooperative learning strategies demonstrates the value of indigenous Pacific Islander, collectivist cultural, knowledge development. This reflection to “Under the Blood-Red Sun” by Salisbury briefly explores participation in literary circles as instructional reading strategy, to indigenous Pacific Islander students within a neo-colonial pedagogical higher education context. The indigeneity, or cultural meaning, of which gives Native meaning to the title “Under the Blood-Red Sun”. Or do we say “Under the Blood, Red Son”? When we begin to apply the perspective of an Insider- Native Pacific Islander, we give our people more than a voice, we acknowledge an exclusive identity of Oceanic peoples with a right to apply indigenous knowledge, developing indigenous meaning for ourselves, by our cultural standards. Such discussions of divergent pedagogy applications create a platform to explore the motivation and development of “interdependent”, as opposed to independent reader and writer development of Oceanic indigenous students enrolled at Guam’s Department of Education. As a product example, our Cohort II- Graffiti Board, we posted online: http://ed641summer2011.blogspot.com/2011/07/graffiti-board_15.html.

As Dr.Rivera point out, “Students become actively involved in the reading process when they realize they have an active role in determining meaning. These {literary circle} responses ensure that participation remains active,” (ed641handout; Rivera, 2011). Personal participation, of mine, in the literary circle included: reading the assigned text chapters, interpreting, analyzing, and synthesizing content within an interdisciplinary critical thinking model of indigenous articulation, (Diaz & Kauanui). Here, an observation towards the value of contemporary group learning identifies with the collective indigenous cultural values of traditional small group communication. According to Devito, individualistic forms of cultural communication have significant prevalence among European and American people; while Stuart Hall suggests the audience plays an active voice in the development of meaning. Therefore, in an individualist culture, meaning may play out to the favor of the individual in the audience (intended audience). Which remains divergent to our indigenous cultural upbringing on Guam, I Tao Tao Tano, forms group members to participate interdependently in group activities for the benefit of the group audience (actual audience). Only through colonization has the content of the ideas under discussion by indigenous Pacific Islanders changed, as well as the function of the actual and intended audience, and use of english as the primary language. However, the group form continues to exist today among people from Oceania. A possible cause of indigenous student participation decreasing in the classroom may represents a loss of indigenous voice caused by the overwhelming outsider-owned mass media attempts to endoctrine Oceanic peoples through commercialization. Therefore, such reading strategies represent a form of indigenous representation in the struggle to determine meaning for ourselves in a global context..

Classroom applications to motivate and develop confident and independent readers and writers depend as much on teacher cultural bias, as well as the cultural values of independent and interdependent students, making social contexts reality. Brofenbrenner’s Chrono System of socio-historical “ecological” theory, suggests student culture and lifestyle, determines the Macro-system of individual lives. Meaning the social contexts of external conditions of student life may bring a bearing on intrinsic motivation. Therefore, the self-determinedless students of the Oceanic (U.S. Insular Areas), live in a phenomanon void of self determination.

According to Ryan:

“intrinsic motivation emphasizes self-determination”, (Miller, 2011)

Over time the subjugation and oppression of peoples lacking self determination may seem to create a community of generations lacking intrinsic motivation in the classroom. The broader and deeper historical contextual understanding of such a pedagogy represents a space ripe for indigenous articulation. The long term impact over time of such phenomenon suggests a neo-colonial system of political economy at the expense of the under-served indigenous population. The harm evolves from the influential power bases of hegemonic forces acting counter to the counter-hegemonic narrative giving meaning to idigeneity - Gramscian style. So what can we as teachers do to promote self determination in the classroom? According to Brophy, Deci, and Ryan, we 1) take the time, 2) be attentive, 3) manage the classroom effectively, in a way that lets students make personal choices; 4) establish learning centers, and 5) create self-selected interest groups, (Miller, 2011). With the development of indigenous curriculum standards for globalization; we may find the intrinsic motivation we’ve been looking for-right inside.

Taking a brief examination of the reading strategy “literary circles”, the paper begins to explore the indigenous communication patterns applicable to educational theory of Euro-American perspective on Native Oceanic peoples. From personal participation in our own cooperative learning project, presented here, one may find observations from the perspective of an Indigenous Native higher education student. Surmising, literacy learning by groups demonstrates the value of indigenous Pacific Islander, collectivist knowledge development. For thousand of years our people have worked interdependently for the good of the group. Perhaps, only over the last five-hundred years of imperial contact, which lead to the current colonial and neo-colonial social systems, has the indigenous people of Oceania exhibited the group characteristic of independence versus interdependence as a norm. Discussion of such indigeneity occurs in a context of classroom applications to motivate and develop confident and independent readers and writers. Again, as suggested by Brophy, Deci, and Ryan, indigenous scholars may explore self determination development of indigenous students with a strategy towards a vision of Nationhood. That said, the book entitled “Under the Blood-Red Sun” by Salsibury lacks a voice of indigeneity. So for a Native to read, study the book and give feedback, the premise for the meaning comes from my experience as a silent reader, read aloud. Pay close attention to the shift in meaning the active audience here gives; the title changes due the change in interpretation, “Under the Blood, Red Son”! For one of Native descent decodes the message as follows:

Under the blood...for you too must follow

the Native has no voice

You, the native, smart enough to read this and figure out meaning

you, native, have to adhere to the call of the blood for our Nation; for with this blood comes a responsibility to the American Family; for you have a place;

the place of the son; the son of a different color; the red son you’re still my son; under

the blood you go; give your self for your new values!

References

“Encoding & Decoding”, Stuart Hall; 1973
ed641handout; Rivera, 2011
“Edge of Native Studies”; Diaz & Kauanui, 2001
“Fundamentals of Human Communication”, J. Devito, 2008
“Lecture Notes-Ryan”; Miller, 2011
http://www.pineforge.com/upm-data/13286_Chapter_2_Web_Byte__Stuart_Hall.pdf

Mid-Term Self Reflection

I just finished my mid-term reflection. Now I am just wondering if I did it right. Eh...

Multi-Tasking to the EXTREME!!!

OMG! I'm starting to see how all these classes compliment each other. It's kind of crazy though but it's starting to make more sense. We are seeing the connections and how assignments and projects are all tired together. It's becoming more relevant to teaching in an actual classroom. How neat! So instead of feeling too overwhelmed, we can identify what can be manipulated and tweaked to make sense and be a useful tool for another class.

Loved our interdisciplinary unit work yesterday

How appropriate that we worked on Liberation Day...More brainstorming ideas...anyways...I look forward to our meeting again on saturday and the sample lesson plans for the 2 weeks...If this is what happens in an actual school setting then I can see our students gaining in leaps and bounds.

Dear mama

you are appreciated.
(Yeah, that's right. I quoted Tupac.)

I am so grateful to be surrounded by so many strong female role models. There is my own mother holding down the fort, while I go to my classes, and study groups. I came back on-island to help her, but for the last couple of weeks she's been holding on so I can concentrate on my education. Yesterday, I joined other power ladies for a study session.
Just being around them, helped me alot. Jessica shared her logical way of attacking all the assignments from the gajillion classes we are in. Once I thought about it, I got a little jealous "Gosh donuts! Why didn't I think of that?" They brought food, ideas, laughter, and stress relief. Speaking of stress relief, Linda's organized list helped me visualize and narrow down what needs to get done, and when. Good stuff. On top of that, she massaged that darn painful crick out of my stiff neck and back. That woman is a miracle worker! I was able to go through the rest of the day stiff-neck free until I hunched over my laptop again later that night.

This summer is crazy hectic, but because of the support, we'll survive.
Keep on, keepin' on!

Pearl Harbor discovery

Here's a little news item that relates to the scenes in the book. Check it out.

I have been having trouble with my work since my dad died last month. I cannot seem to get it together. I was just about there when we got more bad news. My sister's father-in-law and his son, her brother-in-law, were murdered in Mexico the day before yesterday. The old man was the sweetest, kindest of people. Luis, the brother-in-law was a prominent doctor and friend of the governor of the state. My sister says that is why they were attacked.

You may ask what this has to do with the book. Tomi and his family and the other Japanese Americans are victims of racial and national prejudice. Tomi was shot at, presumably by Keeter. Prejudice and hatred is irrational and dangerous no matter where they appear. And the result is invariable tears and anguish. Fortunately for Tomi there are friends who stand up for him and hold him close. We all need such friends.

Happy Liberation Day!

I think it's ironic how our story is so related to our Liberation Day. It makes it more meaningful. We tend to forget how our lives today were in some way shaped by previous life changing events such as war. Last night I had a conversation with my father in law about how Spam came to Guam. Guess what? It was a direct relation to the war and how Spam was a staple food for the Army and then became popular with the locals. How cool! Anyway, just some thoughts to reflect on for this eventful day. Have a good one!

Midnight Reflection.

I've been on Moodle almost the entirety of yesterday finishing up assignments for another class. I'm pretty sure others know what I'm talking about. However, the whole time, I had ED641 in the back of my mind. I kind of felt bad; I felt like I was neglecting this course, but I know I'm not. That's why I'm on here, blogging about it, all for the sake of my sanity. I just needed to get the thought out onto something, somewhere; then, I thought, why not here? So there - my midnight spiel. Goodnight/morning.

Self-Reflection

Cohorts,
It is time again to recollect and reflect on our professional disposition. It reminded  me of a paradox that I have learned in one of our courses that we have conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more but accomplish less. We have learned to rush, but not wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies but we communicate less and less.
Anyway, making a self reflection is a self-assessments of what is "diffused"...

Intellectually trippy

Deep down I knew that an individuals experience shapes how a reader interprets something they read, but to see that so eloquently brought forth in Probst paper Transactional theory in the Teaching of Literature was, I found to be, intellectually trippy. I like how it stated that the relationship between reader and text, is like a river and it's bed. They change and mold each others' shape whenever they "transact".

Every reader is unique, and this was evident when we met up in our literature circle. We read the book, and created our point of view. Then we discussed our views, and it was enlightening to see others take of the story. Since our views differed from others we defended our position passionately. After this transaction, we still held our views but were slightly molded by others.

As a future teacher, we must realize there is no right or wrong way to read and interpret a book. Each student's view is valuable and should be encouraged to share. When they do share, we should teach them to look for insight for themselves, and not victory (pushing or insisting that other views are wrong) over their peers.

Through the written word and sharing of ideas, we change and mold each other for the better.

I keep thinking about the book and the characters. My content area is history so I know the dry facts of the attack, I know some of the stories of Our Noble Military Defenders, I even know some of the stories of the attackers. But the stories of the common people on the island that day was a closed book until this one.

One of my favorite books about the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 is a book that tells the story of the townspeople as the battle raged around their homes and farms. There are always innocents who get caught between the two forces. Sometimes, as at Gettysburg, the turmoil is over in a few days though the trauma lives on for years. Other times the forces engage for years and the trauma lasts for decades if not lifetimes.

Reading Under the Blood-Red Sun during the preparations leading up to Liberation Day brings home all the concern and worry that the war left in its wake. As I have mentioned elsewhere in this blog my Japanese wife has encountered some of that residual hatred and it left her feeling less than secure in the month of July. It only happened once and that was years ago but such prejudice, once experienced, can taint the rest of your life.

Happy Liberation Day to all and may all find forgiveness in their hearts.

Literary Circle

I know I am late when it comes to submitting my Literature Circle assignment but I must say that I am glad that I am done. It has really opened my eyes to new ways to improve class participation as well as working in groups better. It is amazing how we find ourselves stressing out but still capable of doing what is expected of us. Although this course is overwhelming to me, I have decided to do it the Army way, just Drive On! I also learned that we are still students of education and we always will be if we want to be effective educators.

CV is da bomb

All I want to say in this here blog is that I am honored to be a part of CV. Without that group, I don't know where I'll be, especially in this class. Especially to Linda for creating our "To Do" list. And with me being out of action, they were still able to send me notes of what I was missing and what I needed to do. Thanks to CV, and I really do love them all!

Literary Circle Reflection

As usual I am trying to upload, but the button disappeared. I finished my short paper on the literary circle. I also inserted some reader responses. I would like to use literary circles in my classroom in the near future because it will help me understand the many different reading and writing styles of the student. And also their learning capabilities will enhance.

Abstract Thinking

Another week, and another feeling of triumph for accomplishing something intangible, like conceptualizing the mechanics of this class. In Piaget's theory of formal operation stage, he explains that as we mature into adulthood, we develop abstract thinking. Abstract thinking is a level of thinking about things that is removed from the facts of the “here and now”, and from specific examples of the things or concepts being thought about. Abstract thinkers are able to reflect on events and ideas, and on attributes and relationships separate from the objects that have those attributes or share those relationships. (Project Learnet.org)

Doesn't it sound like this class?

Here we all are, higher learners struggling but persevering to master this abstract concept of on-line, distance learning. All the little parts that we do will eventually form part of a beautiful picture--like the abstract painting attached. I see myself in this painting walking the distance on a slick, lonely sidewalk, almost done.