I found this article on @EdWeekOpinion written by Larry Ferlazzo who is an English and social studies teacher. It caught my attention because students are reimagining education for this upcoming year. This was done through a teacher named Neema Avashia who needed a way to structure a unit that would fit both the students in-person and online which she named “reimagining education.” She wanted to do this because the education system has failed students and she wanted them to be part of the unit planning. Through the unit, there were different phases. Phase one focuses on students' education autobiography, phase two on students conducted research on American education, and phase three was for designing their ideal schools. Some students made their school schedule later in the day and asked for classes that are meaningful. Not only that, but they also reimagined the perfect teacher and classroom. Also, some took away the letter grade system because they believe it didn't motivate students.
This was a very interesting article that every teacher should read. It really opened my eyes to see that we need to listen to students because it’s their education. We know different approaches and techniques, but we need to ask them what works for them. They need to be included in the decisions too.
This week I saw this post by @E_Sheninger and it caught my attention because of the reasons “fosters active participation“ and “develops sense of community.” It caught my attention because students are able to feel comfortable as they continue to use their voice to express themselves about topics they are interested about. Not only will it benefit them in the classroom, but outside of school. For example, in their future jobs, and participation in a protest. This leads to the second reason because if students are able to share their opinions in class they can listen to issues their peers believe to be important. They are also able to talk about issues they would want to resolve in their community.
This week I listen to a recorded chat on Twitter. I missed it by a couple of days. It was organized by @educatoralex called Personalize Learning with Google Arts and Culture. I was not aware Google had this. The chat was given by Tammy Lind and she was very helpful in how to use this in the classroom. During the chat, Tammy asked the audience to look at a painting and point what they saw. Yet, after that, she asked if we saw “kids playing baseball” and obviously it was not visible until she told us that we are able to zoom in into the paintings. It was incredible to see the fine details through the computer. Plus, every piece of art includes a description, history, and where they are being kept. Additionally, during special dates, it showcases special art about those dates and information about them.
Tammy Lind, only focused on the tabs with collections, themes, and experiments.
The collection section focuses on museums and it includes art that has been shared on Google Arts and Cultures. She explained that they all contain the same setup. One feature that I loved was the use of “peg man” because if it’s on the collections we can have a virtual tour of the museum. This would have been helpful with my unit on art and museums last semester. It gets better when she explains the option of looking at the world map and selecting art from a particular place in the world.
Themes pull from all the museums all over the world and it groups art into similar concepts. On the other hand, in the experiment section, they have games like visual crosswords, puzzles, and coloring books. Moreover, in the tab titled “Teaching and Learning Culture” they have tips for teachers who would like to use this, and they have art for every subject. They also have downloadable lesson plans which are very interactive.
This week was a refresher on the benefits of using Twitter, but a challenge to actually use it. I love reading about what can be done on Twitter because it can help all teachers connect with other educators, yet my struggle is using it with the students. I can start with a small Twitter activity and build on it each week. As stated in the article, many students don’t use Twitter and it’s our responsibility to each teach them. Students are focused on Instagram and TikTok, but Twitter can be their educational social media. Not only that, but this week I am very proud of my small accomplishments on Twitter because I not only retweeted, but I also shared my opinion on two. It made me feel acknowledge because they liked my post. It used to make me feel very intimidated. I started to follow more Spanish teachers in order to grow my PLN, but next week I want to be able to interact with them on Twitter.
This tweet really resonated with me because I felt like this the past semester. It was extremely difficult to focus during meetings because many were long and pointless. I appreciated when professors focused on our mental health for at least the first five minutes of the class.
Find#1: I started to follow @LatinxEducation which focuses on empowering the Latinx community in North Carolina. It stood out to me because of their pinned tweet on an article called “An open letter to Ever López and all Latinx youth in North Carolina” It explains the incident that happens to Ever López who carried his Mexican flag around his shoulder during graduation. The principal asked the young man to remove his flag and later escorted his family out. It breaks my heart to read this. During graduation, I proudly wore my sarape sash to honor my roots and parents. I highly encourage everyone to read this article.
Find#2: I found a post by @mrmakemathsense after a search on the hashtag #teachbetter. It makes me realize that I should be using those reflective questions on my students. We should be asking them if the material they are learning brings them happiness and if they feel pride in their work. As teachers, we should always make sure students are proud of the work they do. It makes a huge difference in their confidence in the classroom.
Find#3: I started to follow @lamaestraloca, @AdrienneBraden, and @senorjordan to add to my PLN. I decided to follow them because they are well-known Spanish teachers. Two of them use TPR strategies and I’m excited to learn how to apply them in my classroom.
Find#4: I rewetted a post by @KyleNiemis where he asked teachers podcasts they use to improve as educators. I would love to find one to listen to during the summer. I find podcasts extremely relaxing and a way to enjoy my coffee. I would like to see if there is one specifically for Spanish teachers.
Find#5: I found a Spanish meme on Twitter. It’s true. “Pedo” or fart can mean so many things in different contexts in Mexico. Such as “¿Que pedo?” as in “What’s up?” or “ What’s the problem?.”
I found this article on @EdWeekOpinion written by Larry Ferlazzo who is an English and social studies teacher. It caught my attention because students are reimagining education for this upcoming year. This was done through a teacher named Neema Avashia who needed a way to structure a unit that would fit both the students in-person and online which she named “reimagining education.” She wanted to do this because the education system has failed students and she wanted them to be part of the unit planning. Through the unit, there were different phases. Phase one focuses on students' education autobiography, phase two on students conducted research on American education, and phase three was for designing their ideal schools. Some students made their school schedule later in the day and asked for classes that are meaningful. Not only that, but they also reimagined the perfect teacher and classroom. Also, some took away the letter grade system because they believe it didn't motivate students.
This was a very interesting article that every teacher should read. It really opened my eyes to see that we need to listen to students because it’s their education. We know different approaches and techniques, but we need to ask them what works for them. They need to be included in the decisions too.
Week 3 Summary
This week I saw this post by @E_Sheninger and it caught my attention because of the reasons “fosters active participation“ and “develops sense of community.” It caught my attention because students are able to feel comfortable as they continue to use their voice to express themselves about topics they are interested about. Not only will it benefit them in the classroom, but outside of school. For example, in their future jobs, and participation in a protest. This leads to the second reason because if students are able to share their opinions in class they can listen to issues their peers believe to be important. They are also able to talk about issues they would want to resolve in their community.
Week 2 Summary
This week I listen to a recorded chat on Twitter. I missed it by a couple of days. It was organized by @educatoralex called Personalize Learning with Google Arts and Culture. I was not aware Google had this. The chat was given by Tammy Lind and she was very helpful in how to use this in the classroom. During the chat, Tammy asked the audience to look at a painting and point what they saw. Yet, after that, she asked if we saw “kids playing baseball” and obviously it was not visible until she told us that we are able to zoom in into the paintings. It was incredible to see the fine details through the computer. Plus, every piece of art includes a description, history, and where they are being kept. Additionally, during special dates, it showcases special art about those dates and information about them.
Tammy Lind, only focused on the tabs with collections, themes, and experiments.
The collection section focuses on museums and it includes art that has been shared on Google Arts and Cultures. She explained that they all contain the same setup. One feature that I loved was the use of “peg man” because if it’s on the collections we can have a virtual tour of the museum. This would have been helpful with my unit on art and museums last semester. It gets better when she explains the option of looking at the world map and selecting art from a particular place in the world.
Themes pull from all the museums all over the world and it groups art into similar concepts. On the other hand, in the experiment section, they have games like visual crosswords, puzzles, and coloring books. Moreover, in the tab titled “Teaching and Learning Culture” they have tips for teachers who would like to use this, and they have art for every subject. They also have downloadable lesson plans which are very interactive.
Week 1 Summary
This week was a refresher on the benefits of using Twitter, but a challenge to actually use it. I love reading about what can be done on Twitter because it can help all teachers connect with other educators, yet my struggle is using it with the students. I can start with a small Twitter activity and build on it each week. As stated in the article, many students don’t use Twitter and it’s our responsibility to each teach them. Students are focused on Instagram and TikTok, but Twitter can be their educational social media. Not only that, but this week I am very proud of my small accomplishments on Twitter because I not only retweeted, but I also shared my opinion on two. It made me feel acknowledge because they liked my post. It used to make me feel very intimidated. I started to follow more Spanish teachers in order to grow my PLN, but next week I want to be able to interact with them on Twitter.
This tweet really resonated with me because I felt like this the past semester. It was extremely difficult to focus during meetings because many were long and pointless. I appreciated when professors focused on our mental health for at least the first five minutes of the class.
Week 1 #F5F
Find#1: I started to follow @LatinxEducation which focuses on empowering the Latinx community in North Carolina. It stood out to me because of their pinned tweet on an article called “An open letter to Ever López and all Latinx youth in North Carolina” It explains the incident that happens to Ever López who carried his Mexican flag around his shoulder during graduation. The principal asked the young man to remove his flag and later escorted his family out. It breaks my heart to read this. During graduation, I proudly wore my sarape sash to honor my roots and parents. I highly encourage everyone to read this article.
Find#2: I found a post by @mrmakemathsense after a search on the hashtag #teachbetter. It makes me realize that I should be using those reflective questions on my students. We should be asking them if the material they are learning brings them happiness and if they feel pride in their work. As teachers, we should always make sure students are proud of the work they do. It makes a huge difference in their confidence in the classroom.
Find#3: I started to follow @lamaestraloca, @AdrienneBraden, and @senorjordan to add to my PLN. I decided to follow them because they are well-known Spanish teachers. Two of them use TPR strategies and I’m excited to learn how to apply them in my classroom.
Find#4: I rewetted a post by @KyleNiemis where he asked teachers podcasts they use to improve as educators. I would love to find one to listen to during the summer. I find podcasts extremely relaxing and a way to enjoy my coffee. I would like to see if there is one specifically for Spanish teachers.
Find#5: I found a Spanish meme on Twitter. It’s true. “Pedo” or fart can mean so many things in different contexts in Mexico. Such as “¿Que pedo?” as in “What’s up?” or “ What’s the problem?.”