I LOVE ORGANIZATION FOREVER AND EVER!

I am surprisingly a human being who is often frustrated very easily by disorganization. In this ever changing world of technological advances, it has become confusing and difficult to stay organized especially with electronic publications. It hurts my soul forever. I am thankful that Jeff and Rory included this extra fun activity.

The Organizing Your Online Life activity gave us the opportunity to explore new and exciting online organizers. I especially loved Kelsey's presentation on Evernote. Evernote is beyond awesome. We are constantly given PDF readings, and there's no place to put them. It would be nice also to just simply have the text as well rather than all the extra nonsense. Evernote provides a means to simplify PDFs and other online readings. Evernote is a program that I will most certainly use both personally and professionally.

Matt offered a great presentation on Google Drive as well. I am familiar with Google Drive already, but Matt was able to demonstrate new functions that I was not aware of. There are all these cool add-ons that are typically free. Google Translator is one of those such add-ons. I already use Google Docs extensively for class and even with students at Scarlett Middle School. The share feature makes group projects so much easier.

Blendspace is a newer online organizer specifically designed for teachers. I love how you can organize pictures, videos, etc. It creates a space to incorporate such items in an actual lesson plan that you can share with students. It's fantastically amazing.

It was a great opportunity to learn about all three organizers. I had a blast! Yay for organization! Now, I don't have to be frustrated and upset. I have the tools to use. Woohoo!

Games make learning extra fun! Yay Forever!

So, I'm not too sure if everyone knows about QuizUp! It's an application (app) that you can download for free onto your smart phone that’s extra fun! It's a form of Trivial Pursuit, however, it's one-on-one. You pick from one of the 400+ categories such as History, Literature, Sports, Grammar, Geography, Movies, and all other kinds of things. There are also specific topics for each category.

Once you have selected a topic, you face off against an opponent either a friend or someone random. The match begins! The game involves a series of questions: six normal questions and one bonus question. Each player has 10 seconds to answer the question from the four responses provided. It’s essentially multiple choice. The faster you answer correctly, the more points you receive. There is a maximum of 20 points for the normal questions and 40 for the bonus question. The highest point total is 160. The player with the most points wins, of course.

As you continue to play, you earn experience points for the categories that you participate in. Your level increases as you gain experience. The amount of experience points you receive depends on how well you perform during the match. The highest amount you can earn for a match is 300 points. There are several factors that make up your experience score: points scored in the match, finishing bonus, and victory bonus. Once you reach level 10 in a category and every tenth level after that you receive a title. The title I’m most proud of is: Pilgrim of the World for my success in the World Countries category.

You can download the app from your Play Store and link it with Facebook. It’s fun, addicting, and educational. I look forward to playing you guys!

Standardized tests fatigue my soul and other thoughts!

Yes, that's right. Standardized tests fatigue my soul. When we were first asked to examine the sample tests, my first thoughts were: "Ugh, I don't want to do this. Please, make it stop. I'm already tired. I don't care." I was not exactly prepared to take any tests even if they were only samples. I was already sitting on a throne of tiredness. It was late in the afternoon. Most of the time, I'm pretty checked out as it is at this point in the day. I want to go home. I am weary, and the last thing I want to do is take some stupid test that means nothing to me.

But, let's examine the actual sample test itself. After mustering up the last amount of care power I had left for the day, I grudgingly decided to check out the sample test for 12th grade ELA. I read the first question and thought: "Where in world is this information coming from?" It's like the question came out of left field. I didn't even know how to answer the awkward question. After staring at the test for what seemed like forever, I figured out that the texts that pertained to all the questions were located on the left side of the screen. This was beyond confusing to say the least. There were two texts and I had to scroll a ton to see both of them. At this point, I became angry and frustrated. I gave up. So, I kind of screwed around, moaned, and groaned until Rory directed us to stop doing the activity thankfully.

When I think about standardized tests in general, I typically get frustrated. Standardized tests do not account for creativity, ambition, curiosity, or persistence. They do not assess the understanding of truth, faith, love, hope, or any other meaningful part of the human condition. These tests are simply a hoop to jump through, nothing more. They're ultimately meaningless and dehumanizing exercises that accomplish nothing. How does reading some random blurb about random nonsense really matter or demonstrate my full competency? Life doesn't happen in a little bubble. Standardized tests are examining a bubble of knowledge or ability a person has. It's not a fair assessment. They fail to examine or assess the totality of what a human being is capable of. Ultimately, what's the point?  

I know I rambled for a bit. But, if I feel this way, certainly my students will feel similar or even worse. How can I expect my students to care especially since I honestly don't? Does this make me a bad person? Why should student performance on such tests be tied to my evaluation? The questions don't necessarily matter. What I must do as an instructor is teach the means by which to do well on standardized tests. If students can analyze primary historical documents, interpret meaning and context, write effectively, and think critically, surely they will have the tools to be successful in life and on a test.  I guess that's my hope.

On a completely different note, I loved the exercise that inhibited our abilities. It challenged me to be succinct and get my point across quickly. Overall, I think I performed admirably given the circumstances. Brevity has its merits.

Learning by Doing: Oral History Project

Dewey's concept of "learning by doing" is certainly an idea I wish to incorporate in my classroom. The best indicator of learned knowledge is applied knowledge. As a future history teacher, I would like my students to act as "historians."

In my U.S. History course, I was required to create an oral history project. While this project was time consuming, it was such a worthwhile and meaningful endeavor. The assignment consisted of interviewing a willing participant who was either a veteran or older than the age of 65.  Using a recording device, it was my job to interview my participant. The intent was to essentially discuss the individual's life journey in the context of historical events.

It was an amazing experience that has really stuck with me over the years. I believe that such an activity encompasses all facets of a high quality educational experience. The student completes the following tasks: (1) meet with community member, (2) create a primary document (transcript, recording), (3) use technology, (recording device) (4) create secondary document (analysis of the primary source in context of historical events). 

I think it may be challenging to expect high school students to complete this task. Nevertheless, it is beneficial for both the participant and the student. For instance, senior citizens may not receive many visitors and would love the chance to share their knowledge to young students. It gives the student the opportunity to actually create an artifact and analysis it, which are both higher orders of thinking. There is also the necessity of involving technology such as a digital recorder or even a mobile phone during the interview process. Overall, this kind of assignment would be an amazing experience for everyone involved and could even become part of an archive.