Success in the college classroom
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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
AJ Richardson
6/4/2010
Module 3: Group 1
When reading my article, I noticed a few things about the highlighted teacher of the week, Andie Brown. For starters, she is an older and more experienced teacher. More experienced teachers get to teach more of the, in the words of an old high school teacher of mine, “fun classes.” Brown teaches Advanced Composition, John Grisham and Social Issues, and Vonnegut: Science Fiction & Social Commentary. At my high school, we did not have such specific classes. The seniors either took Advanced Composition or a regular senior English course. My high school was newly placed on academic probation and the school had a budget that had sunk to the bare minimum. Although I admire what Brown does with her students, not all teachers could pull off what she does either because of lack of experience or lack of school budget.
Brown has her Vonnegut class get into groups for a final project. The curriculum ends in a unit over satire, so for the final project the students make satirical movie over a topic of their choosing. The students use iMovie when making these projects. I personally never got to use technologies like iMovie when I was in high school. I did make a film once for the Great Depression in my US History class my junior year. Our luxury to film with was an old camcorder from the ‘90s. We did not really have the opportunity to sit and watch the recordings and adjust what we were doing because we had a time limit of rental from library. We would sit and practice our movie several times, film it, and hope we did not make any mistakes.
One of the things Brown highlights in the article is that the students really come together and strive to finish their senior year strong with a great project. She makes it sound like it is the technology that makes them want to strive to finish their high school years strong. I had education class last fall, H341, and one of the things we discussed was using students as curriculum. I do not think the students pulled together strongly because of technology, rather they pulled together because Brown was catering to something the students enjoy. More than likely, the students that take her class know about the project before they enroll in the class. It is an assignment that they look forward to because it is a fun assignment that they will enjoy making. When a teacher caters their curriculum to the needs of the students, it makes the students feel like the teacher actually cares about them. It is my personal philosophy that students will also strive harder to do well in class when they have a strong relationship with their teachers. Brown is creating these strong bonds every year.
One thing Brown also includes in her article is how to acquire these higher technologies if schools do not already have them. The particular example she gives is that Best Buy has a grant program each fall. My particular problem with relying on grants is the fact that you have to rely on them. Best Buy can only give so much to school systems. It is rather difficult to gather things this way. I am currently employed at Target and one of things we do is give five percent of all money spent using the Target Credit card to a school system of the cardholder’s choice. That means for every $100,000 spent we give $5,000 to a school system. Not very many people have Target credit cards. It is our goal that .25% of all our guests open a credit card. That number is currently around .08% at the particular store I work at. Many people also close their cards. In the end, not much money is being donated by Target to education. Target, like other retail stores, try to give as much to the community as the can. I have seen how difficult it is for school systems to acquire things from grants and donations.
One of the biggest problems in education today is set curriculums. The state makes mandates that all teachers have to meet in their classes. For example, say a freshmen English class has to teach Romeo and Juliet, discuss certain parts of speech and grammar, and go over certain root words in the first nine weeks. The mandates are so powerful that high school has almost become robotic like it was in the ‘70s. The teachers are trying to just get through the curriculum and they lose focus on the real goal, teaching the students. My biggest question with the article is how Andie Brown was allowed to have students make big project movies like this in an English class. In high school it was almost unbelievable for me that my US History teacher was able to get us to film movies over the Great Depression. It almost sounds like she is doing it behind the backs of the administration when she talks about locking the door so you can turn the television off before you open the door. I think a big battle for teachers right now if teaching the way they want to, and not how the state wants them to.
Andie Brown has found a good way to incorporate new technology in the classroom. I really admire how she has found a way to teach the students in a way that they want to be taught. Fun senior assignments like this are things that the students will remember later in life. They will remember the unit over satire. They will remember working hard with their groups and pulling through to finish the assignment. Remembering what you learn is the biggest part of education, and Andie Brown is helping her students accomplish that.
Works Cited
Starkman, N. (2008). Teachers & technology: english with an edge. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2008/05/15/Teachers--Technology-English-with-an-Edge.aspx?Page=1
6/4/2010
Module 3: Group 1
When reading my article, I noticed a few things about the highlighted teacher of the week, Andie Brown. For starters, she is an older and more experienced teacher. More experienced teachers get to teach more of the, in the words of an old high school teacher of mine, “fun classes.” Brown teaches Advanced Composition, John Grisham and Social Issues, and Vonnegut: Science Fiction & Social Commentary. At my high school, we did not have such specific classes. The seniors either took Advanced Composition or a regular senior English course. My high school was newly placed on academic probation and the school had a budget that had sunk to the bare minimum. Although I admire what Brown does with her students, not all teachers could pull off what she does either because of lack of experience or lack of school budget.
Brown has her Vonnegut class get into groups for a final project. The curriculum ends in a unit over satire, so for the final project the students make satirical movie over a topic of their choosing. The students use iMovie when making these projects. I personally never got to use technologies like iMovie when I was in high school. I did make a film once for the Great Depression in my US History class my junior year. Our luxury to film with was an old camcorder from the ‘90s. We did not really have the opportunity to sit and watch the recordings and adjust what we were doing because we had a time limit of rental from library. We would sit and practice our movie several times, film it, and hope we did not make any mistakes.
One of the things Brown highlights in the article is that the students really come together and strive to finish their senior year strong with a great project. She makes it sound like it is the technology that makes them want to strive to finish their high school years strong. I had education class last fall, H341, and one of the things we discussed was using students as curriculum. I do not think the students pulled together strongly because of technology, rather they pulled together because Brown was catering to something the students enjoy. More than likely, the students that take her class know about the project before they enroll in the class. It is an assignment that they look forward to because it is a fun assignment that they will enjoy making. When a teacher caters their curriculum to the needs of the students, it makes the students feel like the teacher actually cares about them. It is my personal philosophy that students will also strive harder to do well in class when they have a strong relationship with their teachers. Brown is creating these strong bonds every year.
One thing Brown also includes in her article is how to acquire these higher technologies if schools do not already have them. The particular example she gives is that Best Buy has a grant program each fall. My particular problem with relying on grants is the fact that you have to rely on them. Best Buy can only give so much to school systems. It is rather difficult to gather things this way. I am currently employed at Target and one of things we do is give five percent of all money spent using the Target Credit card to a school system of the cardholder’s choice. That means for every $100,000 spent we give $5,000 to a school system. Not very many people have Target credit cards. It is our goal that .25% of all our guests open a credit card. That number is currently around .08% at the particular store I work at. Many people also close their cards. In the end, not much money is being donated by Target to education. Target, like other retail stores, try to give as much to the community as the can. I have seen how difficult it is for school systems to acquire things from grants and donations.
One of the biggest problems in education today is set curriculums. The state makes mandates that all teachers have to meet in their classes. For example, say a freshmen English class has to teach Romeo and Juliet, discuss certain parts of speech and grammar, and go over certain root words in the first nine weeks. The mandates are so powerful that high school has almost become robotic like it was in the ‘70s. The teachers are trying to just get through the curriculum and they lose focus on the real goal, teaching the students. My biggest question with the article is how Andie Brown was allowed to have students make big project movies like this in an English class. In high school it was almost unbelievable for me that my US History teacher was able to get us to film movies over the Great Depression. It almost sounds like she is doing it behind the backs of the administration when she talks about locking the door so you can turn the television off before you open the door. I think a big battle for teachers right now if teaching the way they want to, and not how the state wants them to.
Andie Brown has found a good way to incorporate new technology in the classroom. I really admire how she has found a way to teach the students in a way that they want to be taught. Fun senior assignments like this are things that the students will remember later in life. They will remember the unit over satire. They will remember working hard with their groups and pulling through to finish the assignment. Remembering what you learn is the biggest part of education, and Andie Brown is helping her students accomplish that.
Works Cited
Starkman, N. (2008). Teachers & technology: english with an edge. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2008/05/15/Teachers--Technology-English-with-an-Edge.aspx?Page=1
Friday, May 28, 2010
Podcast
I tried to create a Podcast through both Gabcast and Yodio. I can't quite figure it out though. The only thing I have to record with only does wma formatting. Yodio won't allow a wma format to be uploaded, and Gabcast turned it into some sort of file that had to be downloaded and my computer did not even recognize it. It's rather annoying, but I am going to keep trying to figure out how to make it work properly. Both Gabcast and Yodio could be a lot easier to use. Perhaps if they had a thing on their website that you could record with instead of having to upload something from your phone or your computer. Like I said though, I will continue to try and make it work.
I like the idea of podcasting. It is a quick way to learn information from people. They are more entertaining than just reading something from somewhere. I think if teachers used podcasts to go along with their lessons, students could learn a lot more material. It is just rather difficult for me to figure out how to make them.
Here is the link to my "would be" Gabcast. I will still try and get it to work properly.
http://www.gabcast.com/gc1/index.php?a=episodes&id=35096
I like the idea of podcasting. It is a quick way to learn information from people. They are more entertaining than just reading something from somewhere. I think if teachers used podcasts to go along with their lessons, students could learn a lot more material. It is just rather difficult for me to figure out how to make them.
Here is the link to my "would be" Gabcast. I will still try and get it to work properly.
http://www.gabcast.com/gc1/index.php?a=episodes&id=35096
Sunday, May 23, 2010
What is going on?
San Jose loses to Chicago in hockey? Tito Ortiz backed out of the fight? (Figures) The Suns beat the Lakers? Coke and Pepsi are on sale for 3.88 for a twelve pack at Wal Mart?
First of all, I hate the Chicago Blackhawks. They are my third most hated sports team behind the San Diego Chargers (1) and the Annaheim Ducks (2). The San Jose Sharks are my second favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings being the first. The fact that Chicago swept the series really angers me. San Jose, I expect better from you. You lost to the God forsaken Ducks in the first round last year. Pick it up! You're the best offense in the league. End the illusion of being a good team, and pick up the best goalie in the draft. Nabakov is terrible. TERRIBLE!!!!
Tito Ortiz, you are the biggest joke in the world of MMA. Maybe we all should have listened to Jenna when she left you. But we didn't. We all got excited when we heard that you and the Iceman were going to face off again, only to find out that you backed out of the fight. I can't stand Tito.
On a good note, the Phoenix suns beat the Lakers tonight. I really hope they win the series and play Boston in the finals. At the point, my beloved Celtics will add another title to their collection.
I had to betray Target and buy some soda at Wal Mart today. How can you turn down 24 packs of soda at $3.88? You don't, that's how.
"Building" bicycles at work tomorrow. Yay...
First of all, I hate the Chicago Blackhawks. They are my third most hated sports team behind the San Diego Chargers (1) and the Annaheim Ducks (2). The San Jose Sharks are my second favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings being the first. The fact that Chicago swept the series really angers me. San Jose, I expect better from you. You lost to the God forsaken Ducks in the first round last year. Pick it up! You're the best offense in the league. End the illusion of being a good team, and pick up the best goalie in the draft. Nabakov is terrible. TERRIBLE!!!!
Tito Ortiz, you are the biggest joke in the world of MMA. Maybe we all should have listened to Jenna when she left you. But we didn't. We all got excited when we heard that you and the Iceman were going to face off again, only to find out that you backed out of the fight. I can't stand Tito.
On a good note, the Phoenix suns beat the Lakers tonight. I really hope they win the series and play Boston in the finals. At the point, my beloved Celtics will add another title to their collection.
I had to betray Target and buy some soda at Wal Mart today. How can you turn down 24 packs of soda at $3.88? You don't, that's how.
"Building" bicycles at work tomorrow. Yay...
Friday, May 21, 2010
Yo
My name is AJ Richardson. A lot of my friends call me either A.Jizzle or Graves. If you're wondering why they call me Graves, I'm a big Butler basketball fan and a guy named AJ Graves used to play for them. After awhile my friends just started calling me AJ Graves. I am a Junior at IUPUI, and I am studying to be a history teacher at the high school level. I do hope to teach college someday, but that will be later in life. I am currently employed at Target. I have worked there for four years. I don't like it, but a job is a job right? I love listening to music. The majority of my music is heavy metal, but I have some lighter stuff in my collection as well. I like to exercise. I also watch a lot of movies in my free time. I recently saw The Hangover. I must admit that I was not that impressed with it. It was decently funny, but I can think of fifty other movies that are funnier than it. I am currently reading The Inferno by Dante Alighieri. I'm actually reading it for fun and not for school. If you need to know more, just ask. I'm probably the most friendly person you will ever meet.
Creating my blog was pretty simple. The only problem I encountered was finding a URL that wasn't already taken. After several attempts I found one that worked. Now I am here trying to find the best way to get everyone to know me.
Creating my blog was pretty simple. The only problem I encountered was finding a URL that wasn't already taken. After several attempts I found one that worked. Now I am here trying to find the best way to get everyone to know me.
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