Blog Synthesis

I enjoyed keeping a blog to share my ideas. It didn’t feel like work since the writings were so quick and short, but I also don’t feel I lived up to the course expectations because I didn’t write frequently enough. I would post once every two weeks to share my ideas on a topic and whenever I sat down to write another one, I found I didn’t have anything different to add. A lot of the topics we covered in class were very awkward for me. I had never spent 2 seconds thinking about fashion or how the editor tries to put a clip together or what makes music sound the way it does. I am a very shallow person when it comes to works of art, usually just taking things for what they are and not giving it another thought. When I would write in my blog though, I always felt like there was some connection that would jump out at me. I think because of my practice and education about teaching, it was easy for me to make bridges between the ideas I was learning about and my love for teaching.

My first post about photography was a little rough when I look back on it. I was still getting the hang of understanding the process of different works of art. I still agree with what I wrote about using technology to make something more compelling however. I just didn’t get into it in as much detail as I think would have been helpful for the reader. My second post was much more successful I think. I really enjoyed reading about the TV and movie editing and I related to it since I teach in a class that is not heavily enjoyed normally. Teaching algebra in the inner city is not a job that lends itself to having students with lots of intrinsic motivation. I must make it mean something and make it relevant and telling for our class to be successful. I think this post was an important step for me in the class because I felt like I could really start to make some meaningful connections.

By the time I wrote my third post I was heavily involved in the class and felt very good about it. As I was reading the information about the 3 aspects of interior design, my mind was racing with the pillars that teaching stands on, and what teachers need to do to be successful and compelling. I think the 3 ideas I came up with are still very true. Students must feel safe before anything can happen, students must be engaged for actual learning to take place, and students must see organization or else they will not recognize your teaching.

Looking back on my fourth post, it wasn’t as thought provoking as my previous two efforts. The idea of having a hook for teaching is very simple and did not require a lot of thought to put together. It is a bridge to the classroom, but just did not delve into the world of music we had read about. I think I had trouble coming up with more connections between music and teaching. Thinking about it now, I could have made a connection between the smaller points of a song and the smaller points of a lesson that make both compelling.

My last post about fashion is something I am very interested in. I think there is a great importance to the point I made about letting students try things for themselves rather than telling them how to do it. There is little to learn if someone is merely repeating an act that someone else did. If you think about the people who are successful and more important to society than most, it is the people who are making up ways to do things rather than relying on other people to tell them what to do. People who can do what other people tell them do are needed as well, but their value is minimal and can be replaced easily. If someone invents a new and improved process through critical thinking and that person will be irreplaceable.

Overall, my blog entries were effective methods of communicating the bridges I came up with throughout the semester. Writing in a blog is an easy, stress-free way to express ideas and I believe it led to some good breakthroughs. It was a good outlet to sharing ideas, and the comments from others helped make it more successful.

Fashion and Education

When thinking about connections between fashion and education, I noticed the way that one goes about learning how to be fashionable and to be educated. In the show What Not To Wear, people are asked to look at themselves in their own clothes and then shown some other options that would make them look better. They are then sent out to find clothes like these on their own and then after not having great success, they are guided a little bit more carefully. This is very similar to good education, although it too often does not work like this. Students need to try things for themselves first before being told how to do something. Then, once they have become invested through trying, they can be coached a bit easier and they are more receptive to a teacher's thoughts. Finally, if they are still struggling, then they can be shown how to accomplish the task at hand. Often times in education, teachers simply tell students how to do something without allowing them to try it first. This creates a disconnect that does not allow the learning process to proceed in the natural method that we saw in the show. Students of both education and fashion need to have a chance to see how their efforts have turned out and then given feedback on what they can improve on and what they have done correctly.

Music bridges to the classroom

Music uses a catchy hook to capture listeners attention and this is very similar to what a classroom teacher must do to capture the imaginations of students. There are many things that students can be thinking about when in class, but the goal is to get them to think about what content you are trying to teach. I teach math, so I would say my job is a little harder than most, but math also lends itself to having students discover the tricks that make it work. They are always there, but they are hard to discover and take effort. In music, when people listen carefully they can hear the reasons why a piece is catchy, but this takes effort as well. Music also compares to teaching in the idea that people and students can enjoy different genres and subjects, but often if they are exposed to new ideas and songs they can be swayed. Many of my students are wary of math, but if I can use a catchy hook I can win them over. Kind of like what Timberlake did to snag a Grammy or two.

Interior Design Post

I know that there are certain principles of interior design that are important - ideas of space, light and order. If I had to make up principles for learning in a classroom it would be - safety, engaging, and organized. Students must feel safe when they are in a classroom. Safe to speak in front of the rest of the class without being put down or laughed at, safe to not be physically harmed by others, and safe to ask for help from the teacher and not be mocked. Students also need to be engaged. When a student is engaged he is paying attention and can answer questions and learn from other people's questions and answers. This is key to understanding and learning. Students also need organization. When they walk in and the teacher is still getting an assignment up on the board, or re-arranging the desks, or to busy to welcome them and instruct them... chaos ensues. Being organized as a teacher is the first step to controlling your classroom and helping your students master your material.

1st film and TV post

As I was going through the readings for the film and TV module, there were many times where I would stop and think how closely an idea would relate to teaching. It was mostly during the story time readings, but also during the editing readings as well. For the story time readings, I thought about the idea of “So What?” and how it is important to think about what the students will think of the material I am presenting them. I teach freshman Algebra in the inner city to a population than has 3% of its students graduating from college. So the idea of asking “So What?” may be somewhat depressing, it is still important. Maybe it’s more important since my students will receive less education than the average student and I will not have to share their brain with as many other teachers. This means my storytelling must be even more compelling so that I can help them become successful and capable at something they will use for the rest of their lives.
I also related to the idea of being able to explain an idea in 2 sentences. Once students have attempted an idea, I like to be able to explain it as quickly and simple as possible. This will only work if they have an attachment to it, which is what I create by having the students attempt to figure out how to do something before I explain it.
During the editing article, I was struck by the idea of creating a time crunch situation and using that to make a situation more exciting and compelling. This is an idea I use in my classroom when there is a city test coming up, or just a normal test for my class. I begin reminding students about the test a week or so in advance and this week is usually when some of our best work gets done.
Also during the editing article I thought it was interesting about starting a new paragraph or section and giving viewers and understanding of this. This also happens in the classroom, as I have to make sure I announce that we are starting something new and that everyone will want to attempt the work so they can learn how to do it.

1st phototography entry

When I was thinking about creating two photos and making one more compelling than the other one, the way I thought about doing this was by using technology. I think using technology in teaching math is very important since it can help capture the students' attention. Technology can also give students different perspectives on theorems and ideas, and helps creates more engaging visual images. Geometer's Sketchpad is a computer program that takes constructions of geometric theorems to a digital and much more accurate level. It gives students power to create angles and parallel lines at the touch of a button and allows them to focus on what they see as a result. I used technology in my changing of a photo to make only one color appear against a background of black and white. It added a different aspect to my classroom and made the photo look much more interesting. I think being interesting is part of being compelling.