Flashback and Flashforward!

This blog is dedicated to:

Sydney, Timothy, Anita, Jessa, Jillian, Nicole, Katlyn, Amanda, Melissa, Heather, Michelle, Anita M, Brandi, Lindsey, Tara, Heidi, Jeanette, and Molly.

What an amazing group of passionate, dedicated, high spirited, and hard working students! I have never been so inspired to do my best work and challenge myself as I have this semester because of all of you. I wanted to reflect on our journey and be thankful for all that we have learned as well as taken away from our experiences at Indiana University South Bend. Thank you Sydney for being our  guiding light and seeing us through until the very end. I am extremely proud to be a part of this group of  future educators.

A journey through time proves to be an uplifting revival of the past. From Left to right, Brandi, Timmy, and Tara look stunning in their apparel. How could we even tell they were from the past when they looked so fabulous?!

This is so Purrdy!

Genuine smiles all around!

Lindsey, you can't even tell you're pregnant here!

Wow man this is far out!

We can do it!

Treats Anyone?

Trade Fair!

Emily looks like she traded and received a handful of items!

Brandi you are very creative and thank you for the lanyard!

Sweet tower of cupcakes!

Great semester with great friends!

Printmaking and Photography

This is one of my favorite sculptures on campus. Rumor has it that a male student made this sculpture and it was to be placed by the administration building. The student never came back to get the sculpture or the student owed money and never paid it. Another interesting mystery.

This is a picture of the Indiana University Bridge. I like to take color pictures before I shoot black and white film to see the image. Black and white film processing is expensive and taking digital pictures helps me to see if I think I will like the image enough to process the pictures black and white film.  I like the sense of urgency the sign creates located on the beginning of the bridge. When I went back to take the black and white picture, the metal sign was removed so I am glad I at least took the picture in color when the sign was still there.  The bridge then takes you to the back of the picture and leads you to wonder what is over the bridge.

This is the bridge located at Indiana University. I liked the color image so I then  took the picture again with a 35 mm camera using black and white film. I processed and developed the next two black and white pictures. I always think of the bridge as a walkway that signifies my education and adventures. Notice I did not take the picture with the sign because the angle was less dramatic without the metal sign so I took a picture and tried to convey perspective instead.

This is one of my classmates named Tab. I just love how she photographs. Her personality always comes through in all her pictures.

This is a lithograph print that was done on limestone. This is a very time consuming process. The limestone has to be sanded so that it's even and takes several hours.

This is a silkscreen print. I used five different colors to get the green that is shown. The first step is laying out the print. Next you put the screen over the print and with a white crayon you outline parts of the picture. You then add the lightest color and repeat the process 4 more times. This is a also a very fun but time consuming process.

I have been drawn to this image for a long time. This type of graffiti is called a throw up. A throw up is when a graffiti artist makes a stencil and uses the stencil as a way to tag their art quickly. this throw up is located across from Castle Point in south Bend.

This is a picture of a cabin located by South Bend Water Works.

This is a block print and  was made from a drawing that was  turned into a digital  image and sent it into a company that makes blocks for printing presses. The  blocks  are  used to make many copies of artwork.

Sensory Experience and Writing

I would use a sensory experience to promote students to write or draw during the weeks before spring. In order to provide a point of concentration,  I would talk students by awakening some of their senses. I would do this through using descriptions of how a room looked in the morning, where the light was shining, how the air smelled, how the air felt-was it humid and wet or warm and dry, and I would also ask students to think about their emotions and connections to spring. Some students do not have the opportunity to go on vacation.It's important to bring experiences in to the classroom so that students are able to  visualize experiences and then write about  them.

I would start off with an example such as this:

Its days away from spring and you just woke up in a bedroom. The bedroom faces east towards the morning sun. The light enters your room through a bay window. The bay window has sheer white curtains and heavy cotton- like material that drapes over half of either side of the window. The light penetrates through the curtains causing them to look like they have small pin holes scattered throughout the material. The light  creeps through the curtains  and shines on the interior frame of the window. This creates a beam of light that shines through the room. The light enters the room and  illuminates the middle of the bedroom floor and creates a perpendicular pathway to the door. The rays of light bounce off the floor and make the door brighter than usual. Just as you put your two feet on the ground you inhale the smell of wet socks. You look towards the window and notice it’s cracked just enough for the earth’s spring scent to waft through the air when small gusts of wind blow. As you follow the illuminated path of the sparkling sunlight you feel the warmth of spring and the crispness of damp morning dew. Just as you reach the blinding brightness of the door you begin to smell the crispiness of bacon and the sweetness of strawberries and sugar. The smell pulls you down the hall and just as you put your hand to your mouth to yawn, you realize you are in Michigan beginning your spring break. As you laugh to yourself for thinking it was a school day you slowly pull yourself up to the table at the bed and breakfast and dig your toes into the carpet as you stretch back as far as your chair lets you. As you let your body slowly out from stretching and then back down you help yourself to a heaping pile of bacon with your  hands. You then pour yourself a glass of tangy and pulpy orange juice straight from a pitcher. You are ready to eat and begin your day. You are ready to enjoy your spring break, you are ready to be in Michigan on the beach. 

I would tell students to write or draw about what they were going to experience that day,  how they felt about being on vacation, what they would do at the beach, and why they were in Michigan, etc. I would also record a CD that had sound effects relating to the sensory experience that I am giving to provide a more authentic experience.

Standing on the sidelines

I watch students play on the playground and I often witness bullying and violence. A great way to encourage students to develop skills in team sports as well as activities of particular interest is to interact with the students. Teachers can learn a lot of information about their students while observing their interactions on the playground. Students may be able to play on their own however, they need guidance and management while they interact outside. Teachers need to model to students that physical activity is important by interacting with the students. Teaching students through interaction also encourages teamwork and sportsmanship.

Websites for recess games:
http://www.gameskidsplay.net/
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002150/
http://www.thinkquest.org/pls/html/f?p=52300:30:7491057227037040::::P30_CATEGORY_ID:CPJ_SPORTS_RECREATION

Students are not just another brick in the wall. Students need to be encouraged on a diversified level to enhance their learning experience and provide multiple learning opportunities based on their individual needs. If we look at children as just another brick, we have failed to lay the foundation of student growth.

Students must be encouraged to interact with peers and learn to problem solve through play. Students should not be neglected of play. The emphasis on play is encouraged in early childhood however gets lost as the students grow older. Students need to participate in various activities that encourage play to become active participates in what they are learning.

 

Students emotions can be easily hurt. If students are taught to be just like everyone else they will not be able to make their own decisions in the future. If students are not allowed to play, they won't be able to deal with emotions and will have trouble problem solving on their own.

We must find ways to explore their world even if the world is inside a classroom. We must be able to bring imagination into the classroom through play as well as through individuality. We must encourage dramatic play and creativity in order to help students become more successful and improve academic growth.

Student Interveiws

Creating community in the classroom through interviews can be a great way to start of a school year. Students would use a list of questions to ask the other student. This is a great opportunity for students to get to know one another and practice their writing for the first time of the year. Students would ask each other questions relating to colors, weather, names, favorite books, favorite subjects, heroes, games, and future goals. After the students complete their interview, the students can use digital cameras to take a picture of the person who was interviewed. Using photography in the classroom can provide and enriching as well as personal experience for students. Students can use computers to upload pictures and type their interviews using Microsoft word. This is a fun way for students to get to know one another and learn how to engage with others. Students would then present the student who was interviewed to the rest of the class. After all the students have been interviewed students can display their interviews in the classroom. Interviews are useful for teachers to get to know their students interest, strengths, and qualities. Teachers can also use the original hand written questionnaire to individually assess students writing levels.

Decades Project

The Decades Project is an exciting way to present information on various decades, get into character, and learn new information. The decade of the 60’s proved to be one of the most exciting decades that I have learned about.  My partners and I made a presentation which included a time line of events, various props, and a power point with information and music. This presentation encouraged research involving politics, fashion, music, art, and inventions. My favorite part about the project was being able to interact with an audience. I also think dressing up in the attire from the 60’s allowed us to get into character and have fun with the presentation.

"And You're going To Be A Teacher?"

Not long ago I was playing Trivia Pursuit with family and friends. As I was playing I realized I did not know much of the Trivia questions and was generously reminded by the comment “and you’re going to be a teacher?!” I mentally chalked the comments up as fair game solely based on oppositional rivalry. Apparently this phrase haunts me and I would like to redeem myself by taking the box of trivial pursuit to the bathroom with me for now on. During my time in the bathroom, I will take the opportunity to study, memorize, and defeat my mouthy opponent one of these days. I may have no connections to the random questions whatsoever but I will drill those questions in my head until I can repeat the answer with the snap of my finger! Does this sound familiar? Should we get a box of questions with multiple choice answers and drill our students until they get the right answers; until memorization sets in? Hmm hmm…ISTEP?

I may not be a Trivia Warrior however if I am going to become a teacher I promise I will not make my students memorize facts without first trying to make alternate and personal connections. I will encourage my students to use games such as Trivia Pursuit to do exactly what the games states…PURSUE educational inquiries through their own personal exploration. 

Here is my random Trivia Pursuit question I picked that I don’t know the answer to. I will first pick the question. I will then attempt to look up and answer the question. My last step is to connect the question to my life somehow so when I play with that Trivia bully again I will at least get this question right! HA!

Who were the first U.S. civilians to be killed for espionage? 

The first U.S. civilians to be killed for espionage were “Julius and Ethel Rosenberg  for providing classified information to the Soviet Union about Americas atomic bomb development remain among the most controversial events of the early Cold War."

The most bizarre thing about my random trivia experiment is that I went to a play recently at Notre Dame about the Cold War. The play was called The Real Dr. Strange Love. So when I saw this question did my brain pick this question because I did not know the answer or because the question looked familiar? My personal connection to the question relates to the scene(In the play) where Edward Teller tells Robert Oppenheimer he was going to be accused for treason just like the Rosenberg’s. So when someone asks me who were the first U.S. civilians to be killed for espionage I will respond kindly – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

The current Jeopardy show hosted the first computer named WATSON to challenge and successfully beat Jeopardy’s all time winners. So does random information make you smart or is it the amounts of information you are able to recall make you more intelligent? This article discusses the challenges of creating a computer mega mind to answer questions and gather information from millions of resources similar to how our brain retrieves information on a much grander scale of course.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/television/New-Computer-Overlord-Watson-Conquers-Jeopardy-116366444.html

                                                             Works Cited

Paul S. Boyer. "Rosenberg Case." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 Feb. 2011 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

State of Education State of Mind

Becoming a great teacher can be an incredible challenge. The journey must begin with the passion to demonstrate effective teaching decisions in the classroom. The atmosphere we create as teachers in the classroom impacts the students daily. In order to provide a holistic experience in the classroom we must find a way to accommodate the challenges of testing, teaching methods, and positive experiences in the classroom. We must find the determination, will, and inspiration to become a new strength in the teaching community. The state of mind has many influences over how we interact, communicate, and teach effectively. In order to have success we must have the mindset to overcome the many challenges we will face in the classroom.

Promoting optimistic experiences through sharing stories offers hope to the negative aspects we often see, hear, and read about. The experience I would like to share is about a group of students who gathered to identify the equality of human emotion. The importance of understanding children and their differences among family, friends, and schools can be one of the most significant factors of their education as well as their future. In many cases students may look at their differences. I viewed a demonstration where students were asked questions based on some emotional aspects of their life while they were all standing in a circle. Some of the questions asked were as follows.

Has anyone ever felt sad?

Has anyone ever been put down?

Has anyone ever lost a friend, father, mother, brother, sister, or an animal? 

As the questions were being asked the students were required to move to various areas. As the students were moving, aha moments were happening all around, some at different times. You could see everyone looking at everyone while they all moved around. Some of the students started crying. The point of the story is that even though some of us look different we all have most of the same emotions at one point or another in our life. These commonalities, not differences are why we as human beings, charged with emotions, are scared to sometimes be different. After the students  could visually see everyone in the room move to different  areas of the room based on emotional aspects they have been through the students began giving each other hugs, not because they were asked to but because they were all the same, with similar  feelings at this particular point and time. We have to learn how we can relate to each other, how much more the same we are, and that differences are not bad they are just different.

Embracing positivity and encouraging emotional balance in the classroom can prove to be challenging but the above example gives me hope. Sharing opportunities concerning the state of education must begin first with the state of mind.

Artifacts and Community

Finding 5 artifacts that best defined me was a great way to look inside myself and reflect on my past and what I value in my life. The artifacts presented by classmates were personal and left the viewer with only an abstract idea concerning the artifacts. This encouraged me to imagine what the artifacts meant, how they were used, and how they felt. Each artifact opened a new door to a different fantasy and created wonder and excitement in my mind. As I focused in on the artifacts, I felt as if I was looking through a keyhole. I felt as if I was spying on someone’s life one scene at a time. This gave me an idea.


The Investigation of an artifact
Students would construct a personal narrative through journalism, investigation, exploration, and report their findings.Students would bring in artifacts and set the artifacts in a pile on the floor. The teacher would take pictures of the artifacts and print the pictures out. The teacher would give half of the class a picture of an artifact. The students would find the person that the artifact belonged to. The teacher could come up with questions as a class(provide an experience) about what types of questions they would like to be asked about their personal artifacts.The class would brain storm possible questions.


Examples of Questions
How old is the artifact?
Where did the artifact come from?
What does the artifact mean?




Students would be encouraged to write about what they thought the artifacts represented before they asked the other student questions relating to their artifact. The students would then use a Venn diagram to compare the differences or similarities about their thoughts of the artifact. The students would create presentations using power point, voice recordings, or video cameras to document their findings. The students would then share their findings with the class.The partners would switch the following week and investigate their partners artifacts.






In this assignment students would find many differences among their classmates as well as see how much they are the same. Learning and accepting others values will help students see different cultural aspects,beliefs, and feelings as well as build community. Interviewing another student about their artifact will also promote that students ideas and experiences are important. Sharing their thoughts about their artifacts gives them a voice about something they may be passionate about.