Finally...posting FINAL projects!

Hello. As promised, although much later than anticipated...here is a collection of what you all did as your Multimodal Response to Literacy or your Response to Freedom Writers! Great job everybody!!!

Real life connection to Finn!

I was watching the news and saw this video...it is heartbreaking! Think about how these students fit into some of the discussions we've had so far this semester...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WMTTrOrKVI

Here's the background information for the clip from youtube:

A Dream Comes True! Students meet President Obama on March 19, 2009! In addition, see President Obama's reference to Village Academy in his first speech to the nation about education. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/...Follow up with KCET.org/socal beautiful tribute to this project!This project sprang from discussions held in our Advanced Placement Literature and Composition class during the reading of F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby, says Mr. Steinman, AP Lit. teacher at Village Academy High School (Pomona Unified School District). They opened up, shared deeply touching details of their current travails, and felt compelled to share their sentiments with those who were in a position to not only listen to them, but implement policies in order to make things better for them and the country they love dearly. The sentiments expressed in this project are true, heartfelt and totally unscripted. Students sat themselves down, the camera began to roll, and the resulting footage is as true as it gets. Spoken with innocence, directly, and with the courage rarely seen by teenagers today, the video was totally edited by students and is meant as a means of expression by which positive action will hopefully be inspired to evolve.

Making Connections

Now that we are about half way through Finn's Literacy with an Attitude, think about ways to make connections with your Content Area Methods class and others by sharing ways to MOTIVATE students to succeed in your future classrooms. Be sure to make explicit connections to Finn.

Digital Text Examples Spring 2009 Semester

Here is a list of links to the digital texts done this semester:

IN SCIENCE:

http://rodolfosscienceblog.blogspot.com/

http://thinkwarming.wordpress.com/

http://dyu637.blogspot.com/

http://www.freewebs.com/anju1977/

IN MATHEMATICS:

http://mathematiciansof637.blogspot.com/

http://home.cogeco.ca/~jtadla/



IN ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS/ FOREIGN LANGUAGE:

http://questgarden.com/77/22/3/090302092431/

http://mmemuir.blogspot.com/




IN HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY/SOCIAL STUDIES:

http://gilvesyworldhistory.blogspot.com/


http://zunal.com/webquest.php?user=25060



http://warof1812hist.blogspot.com/



MULTIDISCIPLINARY:

Science/History: http://by2teachers.blogspot.com/

English/History: http://sites.google.com/site/vimyridgeproject/

Please double check that your link appears here - if it doesn't, please email me the link asap.
Feel free to look at others and comment...

Literacy with an Attitude

So, you've already read chapters 1-3 and each section had some interesting discussion...here is where you can post any comments, thoughts, questions, etc. about what you've read so far.
I am unable to upload the powerpoint presentation here, but you can find it when you log into Blackboard.

ALSO, I am compiling a post that will include live links to the newly designed digital texts, so email me your link and/or bring a hard copy of your digital text to class this coming week.

What's so 'special' about Special Education?

Now that we have completed the first part of our course, I'd like to ask...are you overwhelmed yet? We spent the last four weeks discussing special education and strategies for our classrooms, but I noticed that some of your strategies are just good practices in general. I can't wait to read the research papers that you are writing because I think that most of you will reveal your true approach to accomodating a specific case. I'd like you to do two things (besides the reading) while we are on break:

1. Upload any presentation materials - including powerpoints and handouts.
2. Post a mini-reflection about your learning/thoughts/assumptions about 'special education'.

ENJOY the break!
PS

Do schools kill creativity?

Here is the link to the Ken Robinson talk we watched the first day of class:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

If you feel you didn't get to share your thoughts that first day, OR you have had new thoughts in light of our class reading/discussions, please feel free to post a comment.