20% Project Final Reflection

20% Project Reflection Video Blog

Cal State San Marcos Writing Project Conference

Writing Project Conference

I attended the Cal State San Marcos Writing Project Conference on May 3, 2014. The purpose of the conference was to bring together writing professors from the GEW classes and other college level writing classes with high school English teachers. Together we looked at samples of student work and discussed what kinds of things we noticed about the prompt, directions, and the essay itself. We were asked to respond as if we had the opportunity to respond to the actual student writer about his/her essay and to think about how we would respond, what we would say and why we would say it. We took a look at writing from a Fall semester freshmen in a GEW class and we took a look at a college prep high school sophomore’s writing.

It was a great experience talking with college professors as colleagues and seeing what their expectations of students are and discussing how we can best prepare students in high school to meet those expectations in college.

Personally I also found it extremely valuable to see how a table full of English teachers grade an essay. I was able to use this opportunity to kind of calibrate my grading with theirs and I pleasantly found out that I notice all or most of the same issues and good points that they did. I was concerned about my grading scales and so this made me feel more confident in my essay grading skills. I am still very slow but at least I appear to be accurate and thorough.

MA Poster Session

MA Poster Session

The MA poster session was an interesting experience and it gave me a chance to speak professionally with students from the Masters program, professors from the college of ed, and administrators from schools in the area.

Patrick and I worked very hard on our ITU (Integrated Thematic Unit) Poster and website and I felt that our poster stood out among the crowd. It looked professional, colorful, inviting, and informative. We also set up two ipads which people could use to view our websites. We also had printed out copies of rubrics and lessons ready in case anyone wanted to get a closer look at those. I felt we over prepared but it was a good experience I would rather be over prepared than under prepared and regretting it. We received some great feedback about our ITU presentation and ideas. I really enjoyed talking about the project we worked on so hard and hearing what people had to say about our ideas on collaboratively teaching about the issues and history surrounding immigrants and immigration. Some highlights of our conversations included a lengthy and enlightening discussion on how to create a positive and safe classroom environment so that students with personal stories related to the issues discussed in class would feel comfortable and safe sharing their stories.

Guest Speaker GSA Club Carlsbad

Guest Speaker Reflection GSA Club Carlsbad High

Carlsbad High School has developed a strong Gay and Straight Alliance club on campus and have created a helpful teacher workshop that helps teachers better understand their LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bi-secual, transgender) students. Their workshop provided us with a wealth of useful  information such as:

• Information about the different identifications used by this community of students.
• Statistics about this community of students.
• Laws regarding how we as teachers are required to help this community of students.
• Personal stories of students presented to us in writing as well as from a few student volunteers at the workshop.

I have been a huge supporter of same sex and transgender rights to fair and equal treatment since I was a teenager. I have been involved in the community for years and yet even I learned a great deal today. For instance I never really knew the facts about LGBT youth. I didn’t know that 40% of gay and lesbian youth are homeless. I didn’t know that 60% of gay and lesbian youth report hearing homophobic remarks from teachers and school staff. I didn’t know that LGBT youth are four times more likely to commit suicide. These are horrific statistics but they tell a haunting true tale. That these kids are not getting the help and support they have every right to be getting.

I really enjoyed speaking with the club members and hearing their personal stories. One girl in particular I instantly connected with and we shared stories with each other. Afterwards she gave me a hug and told me that she was glad that teachers like me were going into high schools now. She nearly made me cry right there it was such a special moment for me. I love being able to connect and get to know students better. I plan to get more involved in the GSA club on campus and I plan to continue to stay involved in GSA activities at whatever school I end up teaching at. Supporting these kids the best I can is very important to me.

Guest Speaker Del Lago Academy

Guest Speaker Reflection Del Lago Academy

I was extremely impressed with this school and would absolutely love to work here in the future. This is a new school located about eight minutes away from my apartment in Escondido. Del Lago Academy is a brand new public high school. They are required to keep the same demographics as the city of Escondido which keeps this amazing school very diverse in terms of demographics. The school features new state of the art buildings and equipment. They have a particular focus on STEM.

At Del Lago Academy students are not referred to as students they are scholars. I love that terminology. It helps to build their culture of scholarly learners. The school appears to be very student focused. They have something called X block in which students decide what elective subject they wish to learn more about. They could choose Karate, cake baking, game design, etc the options are student chosen. They have no bells and instead students are expected to be responsible with their time and are expected to be in class at the scheduled time without the loud annoying bells as reminders. I believe this encourages and supports their scholarly focus and models a more college like atmosphere.

I was also very impressed with their use of villages. Students in a village share the same teachers. This allows for many collaborative opportunities for both students and teachers. Collaboration between content areas as well as within content areas is a huge focus for me. I really would like to work at a school that values such collaboration.

I felt the layout of the campus and the furniture presents a very positive college like atmosphere. Big open windows in every class feels very welcoming. They have many lounge and study areas to encourage student interaction. They have chalkboard walls by every classroom to encourage creativity.

I love how this school is a one to one ipad school and that every student is provided with their own personal ipad device. This allows for more innovative lessons and activities utilizing this provided technology.  

Overall this is a beautiful school with innovative ideas and a wonderfully positive scholarly culture. I plan to keep a close eye on this school for an opportunity to teach here.

Guest Speaker Reflection Principal Panel

Principal Panel

Through the single subject credential program we were visited by a few principals who provided us with information about the hiring process and what they look for when hiring a teacher.

We meet three principals:

Jose Manuel Villarreal: Principal of Juvenile Court System.

Advice to new teachers: Always put students first. This job is about saving lives. Use alternative educational techniques to engage students. Appeal to multiple intelligences and various learning styles.

Meg Jacobson: Principal of Vista Magnet Middle School.

Advice to new teachers: Have a willingness to collaborate with effectively and often with your colleagues. Use reflective teaching practices. Stay student focused and care about who your students are and how they learn.

Kyle Ruggles: Principal of La Costa Canyon High School.

Advice to new teachers: Be sure to survey your students, get to know your students. Teach in a variety of different ways and use a variety of different techniques and strategies. Develop connections with your students, parents, and colleagues. Bring technology into the classroom as much as possible and explain how you will incorporate it into your content area curriculum. Put the technology into the hands of students. Be sure to inspire and engage students with your curriculum. The more students care about your lessons the more likely they are to fully learn and retain your lessons.  

Advice when interviewing for a teaching position:

• Use professional language.
• Read up on the schools mission statement, beliefs, and culture.
• Explain how you are the perfect fit for that school based on what you know about that school’s mission and values.
• Don’t ask too many questions.
• Pace yourself but follow the time format given to you.
• Dress appropriately and professionally.
• Don’t be negative!
• Know yourself and know your story, beliefs, teaching practices etc…
• Explain any special talents or experiences that add to your teaching abilities and experience.

Reflection:

This was a great opportunity to get feedback from administrators in our area from schools and districts I’d like to interview with. I learned a great deal about how to best prepare myself for interviews and for my first year of teaching. One of the most valuable pieces of advice for me was “know yourself.” I think it is extremely important to know yourself and understand what your personal beliefs are and what kind of teacher you are and want to be.

Guest Speaker Idina Sullivan

Guest Speaker Idina Sullivan

Technology

• Near Pod-online and app for ipad
• Allows you to share presentation with students and allows students to interact with the presentation by answering questions.
• Advice:
• You need to have parents and students sign a responsibility with technology agreement before doing activities with tech.
• Do not use personal emails of students unless cc parents.
• Do not email students late at night. Try to email during school hours or near school hours.
• Remind 101-Program that sends text information to parents and students from an online site thus allowing the teacher to text information without using personal phone numbers. Parents and students set it up.
• SAMR- Big issue in ed tech :
• Tech is a tool not a learning outcome
• Integrate tech do not just use it.
• Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition.
• Substitution: “coffee is still coffee.” In the classroom instead of handwriting a report, type a report.
• Augmentation: “coffee is still coffee but now with ice and milk.” In the classroom they type it but they use word processing, online dictionary and thesaurus.
• Modification: “Caramel Macchiato.” In the classroom instead of assigning a book report or review have students design a newsletter.
• Redefinition: “Pumpkin Latte.” They have a trademark and we can’t make it at home. In the classroom this means doing things they could not do without these tools. i movie, powtown, piktochart, vuvox,animoto,screencast matic, thinklink, toontastic.
• Cannot require students to use technology for homework unless you are sure they have access to the tech.
• Movieclips.com for clips on topics related to your class.
• New York Times Visualizations
• Inquiry Based Learning

I was very interested in this guest speaker and I learned a great amount about integrating technology safely and effectively into the classroom. I was particularly interested in the new tools she presented to us namely NearPod and Ted Ed. I am using a Ted Ed interactive lesson on Shakespearean insults in my next unit.

20 Percent project working with ribbons

I saw this necklace on Pinterest and liked how the creator uses ribbon with beading. I went to the store and picked up some blue ribbon and a few fish pendants and decided to make my friend a birthday present. I fist just tied the ribbon to the fixings and put pendants on it but that didn't look very nice so I took it apart and tried to add some chain work into the design. That looked better but still not quite what I wanted. So I tried twirling the ribbon and chain and came up with this final design.

This Pinterest page inspired my design.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/120386320/heart-pendant-pink-and-purple-bead-and?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest


You can find more of the resources I've gathered through my Pin Board on Pinterest:

Follow Amanda Bevers's board jewelry making on Pinterest.

20% Project 2 necklaces

20 Percent Project: Jewelry Making

So I was extremely busy this week and only had time to do two necklaces. My favorite is the black one make of glass beads. I need to change the fixings on it though because it keeps coming undone. The other necklace was pretty easy to make I bought the chain from the craft store as well as the glass pendant and just put it together with some fixings. Next week I would like to work more with seed beads to make bracelets and I would also like to try making some bookmarks. I found a cool metal bookmark thing that I can decorate with beads. I think they will make great girt items and perhaps I can even sell some who knows! 

If you want to check out what resources I have been gathering please take a look at the Pinterest widget at the bottom of this post. :)

Follow Amanda Bevers's board jewelry making on Pinterest.

More Experimentation With Beading 20% Project

More Experimentation With Beading 20% Project

This week I went out to Michael's with some coupons and bought some new beads, fixings, and wire. I discovered that the stretchy elastic only works for bracelets on necklaces the weight of the beads and the necklace pendant tends to pull the elastic stretching and exposing the clear material in an unattractive way. The previous necklace I made I used some thin left over wire my dad had around the garage but that has run out so I researched online to see what the best wires were to use for beaded necklaces. 

This is what I found:

"Tiger Tail"-A flexible beading wire made out of strands of metal. Comes in many different colors and thicknesses. This is the one I decided to try out based on some advice online and from the sales clerk at Michaels.

However there are many other styles of beading string and wire materials this website provides a detailed description of some of these various materials including: Silk, Nylon, and Monofilament. Check it out for yourselves at: Learn About Bead Stringing Materials on About.com

Here are photos of my creations using the flexible metal wire.

For a look at some of the resources I have been gathering please visit my Pinterest Jewelry Making board via the link below:

Follow Amanda Bevers's board jewelry making on Pinterest.

Guest Speaker Ben Nakamura on Classroom Management

Guest Speaker: Ben Nakamura on Classroom Management

Ben Nakamura Principal of North Network Juvenile Court and Community Schools visited our single subject credential program class to teach us about classroom management. I was extremely impressed by his presentation and the classroom management techniques he introduced to us.

He started his presentation by telling a story about a boy raised by a mom with mental problems addicted to heroin and an ex-gangster father. His mother died of overdose and was found alone dead in a ditch one day. He was sent to live with his father the ex-gangster who regularly beat and abused him. At the end of the story Mr.Nakamura revealed that this was his story. We were all hooked and dialed in to his every word after that.

One of his presentation slides featured a very interesting and thought provoking quote:

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
― Haim G. Ginott, Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers

The part of this quote that speaks to me the most was the phrase “it is my response,” because that is the ultimate truth. It is up to me, the teacher, to create the safe, inviting, and fun learning environment I want. It is up to me to build lasting relationships of trust and understanding with my students. It is up to me to determine how best to help my students participate and learn. Mr. Nakamura speaks on this topic as well explaining that classroom management is up to us. It doesn't matter what kind of class we have or who the students are ultimately it is up to us to create the classroom atmosphere we are looking for.
Mr. Nakamura taught us the ABC’s of student’s needs based seemingly on Bloom’s taxonomy of needs:

Autonomy,

Belonging,

Competence.

He also taught us the 2 X 10 method which is taking two minutes out of every day for ten consecutive days to talk with a problem student in an informal and conversational manner appealing to their interests. Mr.Nakamura explains that this strategy will help build a relationship between you and the student that will hopefully prevent any major behavioral problems from arising in class in the future. I like this strategy because it allows me to get to know more about my students while at the same time preventing issues from occurring. My personal classroom management plans revolve around the idea of prevention over discipline.

Mr. Nakamura also gave us some great advice about interviewing for teaching positions. He said that his interviewing process involves giving teachers varied scenarios and asking them how they would handle the situations presented in the scenarios. Then if the teachers make it past that round of interviewing he gives them thirty minutes to prepare a lesson in the subject they are interviewing for. 

To help prepare us for this type of interview process while at the same time teaching us more about classroom management Mr. Nakamura passed out sample scenarios and asked us what we would do if this should happen to us. My groups scenario was about a boy named Cameron who refused to do the five minute warm-up exercise each day. Instead he would play around with other things in the class. When approached by the teacher he would respond rudely with, “Why won’t you just leave me alone you jerk!” When called upon to share my response I said that I would try the 2X10 strategy in order to try and build a stronger more positive relationship with the student and that I would also take a close look at my warm up exercise and see if I can design a more engaging and interesting exercise that might catch more of Cameron’s interest. I felt pretty good about my response and Mr. Nakamura said that I had a great response and that he had nothing to add. His response pleased me and told me that I was on the right track to having strong positive classroom management strategies.

20% Project Jewelry Making: Beading

Beading

Below are some photos of some beaded jewelry I made. I tried experimenting with different shapes and sizes, colors, and types of beads. Most of these beads are just some cheap simple plastic ones but I think they look pretty good. 

I used larger beads because they are easiest to work with. I played around with different sizes of the elastic cording going off of a few websites I researched. 

Cording Sizes and Info Website

I went ahead and bought the .5mm and .7mm clear elastic cording that they said was the two most common sizes.

My first jewelry set.

20% Project Jewelry Making: Step One Tools

Jewelry Making Tools: The Basics

1.  Wire Cutters
2. Round Nose Pliers
3. Chain Nose Pliers
4. Flat Nose Pliers
5. Crimp Tool

Recommended Extras:
Bead Stoppers

Here is a photo of the tools I bought and will be working with. In addition to the suggested tools I got a seed bead scooper, a bead reamer and this very thin and pointed tweezer like tool I don't know the name of. Most of these tools came in a nice little set I got at Michaels on sale. I plan on trying them out this weekend. :)

Please check out my Pinterest Board on Jewelry Making to see some of the sources I looked into to learn more about what tools to use and how.

Also here is a short video I found quickly going over some of the more common tools and their uses.






Visit Amanda's profile on Pinterest. Silver Jewelry's pin on Pinterest.

20% Project. Learning To Make and Sell Jewelry

20% Project. Learning To Make and Sell Jewelry

As a part of my credential program we are required to show our mastery of technology and our abilities to use it to learn and share by participating in an assignment called the 20% project. This project is based on practices that successful progressive companies like GOOGLE implement. These companies give their employees time to work on a project or idea that is all their own. This often leads to the invention of new innovative products and procedures. For my project I have decided to engage in a creative activity I have always wished I had more time to engage in and learn about, jewelry making. 

My goals:

1. Learn what tools and materials I will need to make jewelry.

2. Find interesting designs to try and recreate myself.

3. Make several different types and styles of jewelry.

4. Find out where and how I can sell my jewelry.

5. Put my jewelry up for sale. 

Stretch Goals:

1. Come up with my own style or design.

2. Create a how to video explaining how to create the new design I came up with.

CSUSM Arts and Lecture Series: Project Aware Reflection

Amanda Bevers

Cohort B

CSUSM Arts and Lecture Series: Project Aware Reflection

Project Aware was presented to us by RBV Assistant Principal Shannon Garcia and CEO/ founder of Project Aware Reginold Washington. They were supported by Narciso Igleseas who I believe is a teacher at a school for students expelled from other schools, and Jose Villareal whom I believe is a teacher at a different school but is involved in the program. They also had two teen guest speakers one a young African American girl whose name I didn’t quite catch and an older Latino teen boy names Ramero.

They explained how Project Aware was designed by Regi while he was in prison. He noticed that there were no programs to help teach young men how to stay out of prison so he designed one. This program evolved and branched out and is not helping at risk teens find the supports they need to be successful. The program is all about approaching behavior from an education standpoint and not a punitive one. It is about figuring out why students act out instead of just punishing for it. The program has successfully been implemented at RBV high and has resulted in a dramatically lower suspension and expulsion rate on campus. They are now branching the program out to other schools in the district.

Narciso shared some personal stories and explained how it is important to make content relevant to student’s lives. Shannon gave a presentation on how we need to focus on more than just the physiological needs of students. That we need to address the high levels of need on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. She also explained the “school to prison pipeline” scenario which details the statistics of the correlation between students who fail to complete high school and people who end up in prison. She suggests that intervention is key, not expulsion or suspension.

I felt that all of the information given in this presentation was extremely valuable and important to education. I agreed with all of the points they discussed and also believe in intervention over only discipline. Out of all of the amazing speakers however I was most moved by young Ramero’s speech. He shared his personal story of struggle and triumph over his behavior and his past. I never would have guessed that such a handsome, intelligent, and charismatic youth would have been subjected to such a hard life. One of the things that really impacted me was how he was able to forgive a peer for raping his sister and attempting to murder him. If a teenager can forgive all of that, than what can’t we forgive? He taught me that night that grudges and hate are not worth the trouble. He taught me to forgive.

I am extremely impressed with this program and hope that it spreads to more districts and quickly. When I get hired at a school this is one of the first things I look into trying to get my school to do.

Links:

CSUSM Arts and Lectures Series

Project Aware