Entry 3: The field trip to the Dallas Holocaust Museum

On Wednesday February 12, 2014, all four of my American History II classes took a field trip to the Dallas Holocaust Museum. It was previously mentioned in my past newsletter and I felt it would be best explained in a blog than my next newsletter.  I had Mrs. Kacey Durban, who is the head of the English department to help supervised as we went to the museum and we left campus at 8:00 a.m.  We arrived at 8:30 A.M and we began our at the Core exhibit.

 The exhibit gives visitors a view of the Holocaust by focusing on one day during the Holocaust. This exhibit illustrates wartime heroism, Jewish resistance against all odds, and government and diplomatic indifference to the fate of Europe’s Jews. They show that the decision to do the right thing to stand up against the forces of brutality, hatred, and evil can be made under the worst conditions. They also demonstrate that the decision to stand by and do nothing can perpetuate human suffering and cost lives. The exhibit also highlights the first European box car brought to the US. This car was used to transport Jews to concentration or extermination camps.

We also go to experience traveling exhibition entitled The Color of Memory: Art by Two Daughters of the Holocaust. The exhibition consisted of the work of two artists, Julie Meetal and Veronique Jonas, whose paintings and sculptures embody the searing effect of the Holocaust on their families and on the Jews of Europe during World War II. Julie Meetal’s exhibition, Out of Ashes, is a series with eleven paintings, one large sculpture and three smaller pieces. The work directly reflects the Holocaust stories of her Hungarian parents and the larger fate of European Jews. Veronique Jonas’s series of twelve paintings, entitled The Color of Memory, poetically envisions the experience of her family and the Jewish community on the Greek island of Rhodes.

We finished the exhibit at 12:00 p.m. and that’s when we went to the conference hall to eat. The guest speaker was announced to be Mike Jacobs. Mike is from Poland, where he joined the resistance. His parents and siblings were all murdered at Treblinka. Mike was eventually sent to a work camp and then transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in August 1944. He survived marches to Mauthausen and Gussen II. Mike was liberated in May 1945.  After he gave his testimony we had lunch that was catered by Spaghetti Warehouse. The students asked question while we ate and we were privileged to learn more about Mike Jacobs.  We finished everything by 2:00 and we thanked Mr. Jacobs.

This field trip was a awakening to my students and on our way back to the school all they could talk about what they had just heard and witnessed while at the museum. I would like to at this time to thank the parents for letting this trip happen because this trip enhanced their learning in ways I couldn’t. I would also like the parents that meet with us because they were able to experience a form of education with their children. Third I would like to thank the Dallas Holocaust Museum for opening their museum to us and taking care of everything from the catering to making sure they could provide the best education for us. Finally I would like to thank Mr. Mike Jacobs for be our speaker and being open to us about everything.

In regards Mr. Vega

Blog 5: How Teachers Make Cell Phones Work in the Classroom

When the article started talking about using cell phones in class automatically assumed it was talking about using it for social media or texting like I used it for class.  The article brings up some interesting facts mobile learning. It apparently touches on just about every subject that any technology addresses: social media, digital citizenship, content-knowledge versus skill-building, Internet filtering and safety laws, teaching techniques, bring-your-own-device policies, school budgets. The issues associated with mobile learning get to what is already happening in class everyday. Students communicate and collaborate with each other and the teacher. They apply facts and information they’ve found to formulate or back up their ideas. This already happening In Ramsey Musallam’s A.P. Chemistry class at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco, cell phones are a natural extension of the way he communicates with his students. As soon as kids walk in, Musallam sends out a text blast through Remind101.

Students usually work in groups, and when they have a question, they call him over. He uses this to advantage He arrives with iPad in hand and records his voice and his writing on the iPad, which he immediately uploads to the class website so other students can benefit from the explanations instantaneously. This way he eliminates on repeating the same question. The teacher asks students to take a multiple-choice quiz and send in their answers through a poll on their cell phones. The students’ votes are immediately displayed on the projector that’s hooked up to Musallam’s laptop. He cans see the results and see what he needs to work on or he could go on.

There another teacher who uses the phone, but he uses apps that can help him enhance in teaching as well. He Uses Socrative, an app that shows real-time poll results for both multiple-choice and short-answer quizzes, he challenges his students at the end of class to answer specific questions in order to get a broad look at whether they understood the concepts discussed that day. The tool also allows students to read each others’ responses, which allows for a deeper level of analysis. To be able to ask a question of 30 students and get response instantaneously just speeds up the learning process, rather than waiting for individual students to respond.

            The article point out the Cons out as well. An example is not everyone has a cellphone or even as much as Smartphone. 

Reflection in my classroom

Well like every article this one had some great points and on others not so much. I don’t like the idea of using Cell phones in the classroom for a lot of reasons.  First off like the article pointed out it’s excluding those who didn’t have a phone or the ability to text.  Also I was a student once and I had classmates who would” took advantage of the anonymity of the polling to text inappropriate statements. If a student decides to bring his or her cell phone to school, there is a possibility that they would use it in class while no one knows. Then, once they get used to doing that, they will start texting while they take a test. This can cause a big increase in cheating. This goes to me being a student again I would use my phone for everything else. Cell phones should not be allowed in school. I think that they are a huge distraction and interfere with the students' learning.  I will not be using them in my classroom.

Blog 4: Tech Made Easy: Keeping It Simple in the Classroom

The article point’s out that maybe having one computer in the classroom can make things easier. The article makes an acronym called KISS.  KISS stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid," a slogan borrowed from the U.S. Army. One way to make it simple is the teachers can put the students in hypothetical dilemmas, which would be both fun and instructive. An example it gives is for social studies teacher. Teachers could buy software that would set up the student to role-play. The Role plays cane be the U.S. president, the American secretary of state, and other roles to see their every day life.

One of the things today, is that most high-tech schools don't teach true computer science. They do introduce the latest software programs, but by the time today's students reach the workforce, most of this technology will be long gone, significantly changed, or not even important no more. Schools should just teach computer skills. Junior High and High school students will benefit the most out of using the computers. In Elementary schools, computers can take time away due to often spent teaching students to do things on a screen they can more easily accomplish with paper, pencil, and crayons. Judah Schwartz, professor emeritus of MIT and Harvard and the founder and former co director of the latter's Educational Technology Center, thinks that the calculator's ruins student because the students don’t pick up the process to do the formula. They limit the student knowing how numbers and place value actually work.

 Japan practices something different than us in its elementary schools. In science classes exercises typically begin with a simple question, followed by active exploration with basic materials such as water, dirt, and so forth. Rather than rushing from topic to topic because of time, Japanese students focus on individual problems. They examine them from every angle as much as they need. Technology is rarely used in any lesson.

Reflection in my classroom

Well this article had some great points and on others not so much. One reason I don’t like they compare us to Japan is because Japan has only one race and one language while United States has several languages and several races. America is called the melting pot because there are people from everywhere around the world, they have different cultures and different custom.  So we cant be compared to Japan or any ether country.

 Another thing is America has focused on standardize testing. An incredible amount of pressure is placed on teachers to ensure an increase in achievement on standardized tests. This pressure is often wielded by administrators who draw attention to the test by reviewing scores with the entire staff and applying praise or reprimands based solely on test scores. Curriculum is sometimes modified in schools to cover specific test-taking skills and topics. Significant time is devoted to test preparation, including review worksheets and practice tests.  Due to this we cant spend weeks on one single thing like Japan.

This article would be great to help all teachers if we didn’t have standardize testing.  All the technology short cuts we take is because of that tests. 

Blog 3: Assistive Technology: Enhanced learning for All

In today’s article we talk about Technology helping Children with special needs. Educations for students with disabilities are not only involved with one on one teaching, but they are now in the classroom with regular students. Assistive technology has made it possible where all children can participate.  Assistive technology is a federally mandated service and equipment for students with disabilities. This can be from triangular Pencil grip, a talking calculator, a large computer monitor, or a voice amplifier. This came to existence because the 1997 federal law called Disabilities Education Act. This act states that school districts must provide technology to students who not only need it, but qualify for it to have a free, appropriate public education.  Another option that is now open in schools is older Students who are licensed can help the students who need help that are students with disabilities. Now with technology parent-teacher communication can become easier to help the children’s need.

Reflection in my Classroom

            The light bulb moment with I had with this article there are many ways to help students with the help they need. When a student is struggling try to help the students as much as possible. What ever exceptionality they may have I need to do my best to meet that need. In order to help the students succeed.  I must work closely with the Special Education teacher to help the student in their work. I must know how all the technology works and be familiar with it to help the child succeed.  My goal is not to separate them, but work together for the greater good of learning of the students.