"The Contender"

At first glance, Lipsyte's The Contender is a strange book to mix with Go Ask Alice - see previous post - as one takes place in white suburbia, following a "well-to-do" girl's struggles with drug addiction, while The Contender focuses of a young black male who tries to escape the negative life in the New York ghetto by becoming a professional boxer. To be honest, I too was confused at first, especially when I first began reading the book, as to what one had to do with the other. The narrators couldn't have been more different and the setting - aside from the time period - couldn't have been more different. However, when you read into the books, there is a faint light that suggests that, despite the stark contrast between the narrators, that they are perhaps experiencing something that is very similar, but in a different fashion.

When the reader is first introduced to Alfred Brooks - a notable difference from Go Ask Alice - he is a high school dropout on the fast-track to mediocrity. He has a steady job stocking shelves at a local grocery store, but sees no room for advancement or, the more concerning of the two, a reason to try to advance. His childhood friend James has begun hanging out with a bad crowd that try to coerce Alfred into joining them in their juvenile delinquency. When James is arrested for trying to break into the store that Alfred works at, the bad crowd beats Alfred senseless, sparking a new desire to become something. Alfred goes to to a local gym that trains boxers and signs up. At first, he finds every reason to be bummed out in life and to not train hard, but eventually the training turns his view of the world around. Alfred slips six weeks into his training and spends a night drinking and smoking pot with the bad crowd, and even gets to see James again. James has slipped into a criminal mindset and Alfred hints at his use of cocaine just before passing out from drinking. The next day he is coerced into a day trip with the bad crowd, only to have to flee from the car they took, as it was stolen. He struggles for a few days to recover and almost quits training, but returns and becomes a better fighter than ever. He eventually works his way to amateur fights and has three victories before his trainer tells him it's time to quit. Alfred is adamant about going with the fourth fight, and takes a Rocky style beating that costs him the fight, but gains the respect of those around him, and, most importantly, respect for himself. He then plans to return to school to get his GED, become a part of the Youth Leaders program in his community, and continue helping upcoming fighters at the gym. However, James appears again, for the third and final time, after trying to steal from the same store again. He is badly injured and Alfred manages to coerce into seeking medical attention and coming off "the junk" with his assistance. The novel ends as they walk through the snow en route to a hospital.

Again, this is seemingly heavy material for high school students to read, but it's a terrific moral and the "feel good" story that America loves to hear. To digress momentarily, I do believe I will be coupling this book with John Knowles's A Separate Peace, since they feel almost identical in a sense. However, when comparing this with Go Ask Alice, the critical reader will notice that both narrators live in a world where the have a "good" way of living and a "bad" way of living. In Go Ask Alice, the narrator has the "good" life when she is a square and is not on drugs. She seems to believe that her life is horrible, but it pales in comparison to each bout of her abusing drugs and the aftermath of those choices. Though she eventually swears off the life, it haunts her through her peers and is what ultimately lands her in the mental asylum. Now, Alfred, in The Contender, faces two different worlds as well. The "bad" world is perpetuating the stereotypical lifestyle of the ghetto resident that James and the bad crowd demonstrate. These kids steal, drink, smoke, and go to jail, while the boxers - the "good" way of life - seek to better themselves physically and advise Alfred on how to better himself with education and hard work. Unlike the unnamed narrator from Go Ask Alice, Alfred brings his baggage to the beginning of the story and is able to overcome it without the suggestion of his untimely demise shortly after the text. However, the critical reader will notice that the two struggle between these two ways of life and slip in and out of both of them, eventually choosing to live the "good" life, despite what is going on around them. This will be an interesting discussion to have with the students after they have read both novels.

"Go Ask Alice"

With my student-teaching semester quickly approaching, I've been struggling to juggle the responsibilities of moving to a new place, everyday life, and my high expectations for my knowledge base for the semester. If nothing else, I'll at least force myself through the reading that the students will hopefully engage in during the course of the semester. I've just - and I literally mean just - finished the book Go Ask Alice that is part of the reading list that my cooperating teacher has provided for me. Though I feel as if my high school and college careers have left me fairly well-versed in literature, this is one of the texts that I am not familiar with due to my affinity for the classics and "big name" authors. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Miller's The Crucible are the two that I will be most familiar with, as I read them in high school as well, and I will have some knowledge base for Knowles's A Separate Peace from my encounter with it in junior high and not long ago in field observations. It is the newer works - Go Ask Alice, The Contender, and Swallowing Stones - that I have no knowledge of their existence, let alone their content and value as literary works.

The reference is really no surprise...

For those who may not have read Go Ask Alice, it's a short but chilling tale of a teenager's struggle with drug addiction after being introduced to it without her knowledge. The unnamed female narrator begins the tale as a mousy, "square" girl who has the usual worries of boys, popularity, sex, and physical appearance, until she is invited to a party where she unknowingly drinks a glass of cola laced with LSD. From there, the narrator begins an "on again, off again" struggle with the dangers and strife that come with habitual drug use and recovery. These struggles land her living with her grandparents, clear across the country struggling to live, being raped by a rich woman and her boyfriend, in a homeless shelter, and in a mental hospital, to name just a few. The writing style is an easy read, as it is claimed to have been based on the actual diaries of a teenage girl, but the content is harrowing for the reader. There is little time in between the jumps from the narrator's love/hate relationship with drugs. For a cluster of pages she is a heroine who is fighting "the Establishment" by not conforming, but quickly falls back into missing her life at home. Once back, she is eager to begin her life anew after her experiences but always seems to be brought back to misery by her life, drugs, and finally her reputation. The book ends with no real conclusion, suggesting a new start for the narrator, but provides a disturbing epilogue that leaves nothing but questions.

This book may seem like heavy reading for high school students, but these worlds are very real and extremely tempting to them. They will only increase in temptation when the majority of them travel to college and live away from home for the first time in their lives. Aside from a "scared straight" use, the novel also presents the students with a surprising amount of challenges in literature. For one, the book is written as if the reader is the narrator's diary and is receiving each entry. This makes the book written in a heavily bias, first-person, stream-of-consciousness format that often leaves the reader wondering if the narrator is lying or exaggerating as well as moments where tremendous amounts of time seem to have passed, but only a few weeks have due to a lack of accurate dates. The first-person narration also provides the issue of the narrator's bias. Unlike works such as Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the narrator is detailing the events in her life as they occur, and not some time later. Therefore, the narrator has all the bias of a teenage female during the drug era of the 1970's in America. However, the narrator's absence of a name makes the character seem akin to seemingly any teenager who might experience these very common feelings, hardships, or "tough decisions." In total, this novel is certainly going to bring a gloomy atmosphere when reading it with the students, but will certainly provide the students with the passion needed to analyze the literature for it's strengths, weaknesses, purpose, and morals.

Slices of Life: What our Possessions Say about Us

As the holiday season approaches it brings with it the ever present "moving date" as I continue to further my education toward profession. Of the last four years, three of the holiday seasons have mean packing my possessions into as few boxes as possible, discerning what is necessary and what can be discarded or donated, how to transport it, and the other wonders that are incorporated with such a move. However, it is at this point, with such a distinct inventory of what one owns, that you realize, as Tyler Durden would have asserted, how much one's possessions own them in turn. While looking the things I discard or donate, I look at them and wonder if I should be doing that. These items, many of them not unearthed in years, bring back essential memories, fondness, trauma, etc. that it seems one forgets in one's routine life. For example: I donated several items of clothing that I should have donated years ago. A few of the items date back to when I was in the early years of high school, approaching the better part of a decade ago now, and were not acceptable to be worn in public at all. However, even as I packed these items away to be donated to those in need, I couldn't help but reminisce on the things that I had cognitively attached to them: My first date, my first cross country race, the first party I attended, my first kiss, and other socially important memories from high school. It seemed to me that for a moment, at least, our lives seemed very compartmentalized.

This perhaps plays upon the writing of a peer regarding his thoughts about flash fiction, as I had just finished reviewing it for him, but seems more likely to be a useful technique for reading analysis and writing in the future. As we begin to get older, it seems we gather more and more things that we essentially do not need, but hold an intrinsic, emotional value for us. Our students, who have not been on the Earth nearly as long as we have, should then have the ability to choose a handful of items to represent their entire life span. For example: If I were to track my life until my sophomore year, when I turned fifteen, I could easily clump my life together into five objects: a cow puppet, a Sonic the Hedgehog stuffed animal, a Gameboy, a bicycle, and a CD Player. Each of these would represent stages of my life that I can remember. (1) The cow puppet is something I still have from when I was a child, (2) the Sonic the Hedgehog stuffed animal was my favorite thing in the early years of my cognitive memories and my favorite game and television show, (3) I spent a good portion of my youth playing games and it only increased during this time, (4) I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was eight years old and it changed my freedom once I did, and (5) the CD player linked me to music and would shape my attitude, decisions, clothing, etc. from the time I was about twelve until I graduated from high school.

As an educator, this could be an interesting way to learn about the students in your classroom. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big project, although in younger years it most certainly could be, and could simply be a list with explanations. Seemingly this would be a great opening assignment for the students to accomplish so that they can learn something about themselves, the instructor can learn something about them, and perhaps their peers could learn something more about them that would cool off some of the highly judgmental airs that come with groups of students. Then the instructor could relate the assignment to the way that most narrative novels are written, as they are usually pieces of a much larger story that the author weaves together to demonstrate the significance of every piece. Seemingly just a thought, and can certainly be bent and shaped to whatever the instructor wants to do with it. Well... back to packing.


Oh, and Happy Holidays in case I'm not back before then!

Digital Storytelling: Tell Me a Personalized Story

A project that we were recently asked to do included the using a program call Microsoft Photo Story 3 which allows the user to create a digital storytelling session. As a typical literature nerd, I was both interested and skeptical of anything that claimed to be a method of storytelling in the digital age. From my perspective, and most students who traverse the classics path of literary studies, storytelling is something that one would envision as the bards of Camelot, the fantastic druids of old Ireland, or the way in which Chaucer constructs his Canterbury Tales. These are all prolonged storytelling session that, for the most part, are also accompanied by drinking, feasting, dancing, and often, music. This said, you can now see why I was skeptical as to how this would apply to a day and age in which people are becoming increasingly introverted, antisocial, and hidden behind the screen of a computer. However, I was actually quite delighted at this new evolution of storytelling.

Perhaps a necessary evolution in an age of audiobooks and eReaders...

In digital storytelling, the teacher or the students record themselves dictating the story, passage, poem, or miscellaneous literature of choice or assignment. However, this is not where the process ends. Instead, the users are asked to incorporate pictures and music to enhance their presentation - not unlike the Pecha Kucha (PAY-cha KEW-sha) phenomenon that is sweeping extended learning seminars across the country. With this, the user adds significant depth to their story. Music, as aforementioned, was almost synonymous with storytelling in the days of lore, so it is no wonder that the digital age would want to utilize this to their advantage. The pictures are not unlike props, masks, or other assorted things that actors would utilize in ancient storytelling and are certainly appealing to students who have become accustomed to image-overload with sites such as Imgur and Reddit that provide snapshots from across the world of all varieties and categories.

My love of flow charts is showing again....

As a future educator, this is, ironically, something I could see myself using with my students to not only entice them, but to further their ability to script coherent sentences, enunciate words properly, utilize proper grammar, and to increase overall eloquence. While the students might not realize it, a project such as this would assist them further down the road when they might need to give a presentation in front of an audience, create a tutorial video, or even direct a Webinar for a group of coworkers. It also hits almost every important aspect of a language arts classroom: reading, writing, speaking, and analysis. Not only that, the assignment avoids traditional essays and allows the students to interact with technology. What educator could ask for more?

Ah to be prepared for the challenges of being an adult...

Web 2.0: Edmodo

In recent times, social networking has evolved from the basic functions that it served over a decade ago. When MySpace and Facebook first came into being, they were simple information gathering sites and ways to communicate with potential roommates, respectively. Now, we've recently seen an overhaul in the MySpace site in hope of drawing back some of the people who have become tired of the constant battles that are fought with Facebook and Mark Zuckerburg over the supposed privacy that is inherent in such a site. From these sites we have also seen the birth of alternative social media such as Twitter, Tumblr, and even Google's attempt at social networking with G+. All have their individual uses and their individual appeals. These have become integrated and a core part of the the youth's lives and they are almost completely unable to separate themselves from these sites. Instead, they build profiles, personalize, and become one with their virtual identities.

This is something that the older generation doesn't understand and the new generation of educators remembers the beginning of. With this is mind, the creators over at www.Edomodo.com have created a virtual learning community that allows students to not only utilize a social networking interface that they are familiar with, they have created a site where students can personalize their profiles as well. This allows the students to not only contribute to their education via social networking format, they also feel as if they are their virtual individual. Similarly, the instructors are able to control what the students post, where, and what gets discussed, allowing the education full control over what is occurring without the worry that cyber-bulling might occur while students should be learning. Additionally, should a student step out of line or not follow disciplinary instructions by an instructor, the instructor can remove the student's profile from the class.

The benefits extend even further, allowing the instructors to create deposits for homework, tests, or essays that the students have completed, along with a calendar for the students and the parents to follow. With that in mind, there is also a way for parents to create accounts to follow their children, their due dates, and interactions with the teachers and other students. This is an excellent way to keep the student, parents, and teachers all on the same level while providing the students with a reason to want to be involved with a site that is a part of their education.

Limitations to a Technologically Driven Society

While we live in a society that is almost completely incapable of disconnecting from technology, natural disasters and other forces that are not controlled by humans can severely limit or render access to technology  to zero. Such was the recent case when the northeast portion of the United States as "Super-Storm" Sandy ravaged the coast, inland, and even mountains. While technology allows us on a regular basis to communicate with people across the world, to multiple people with the click of a mouse, and in languages that we might not be able to speak or understand, it is useless without the proper electricity and connection to the internet that most of society has become quite used to having.

When did charging electronic outclass saving lives?

During the storm, I was forced to evacuate my home and live across the state with some very wonderful people or face living in any of the overcrowded shelters that exist. While I luckily had a place to go, thousands of people didn't or chose not to go. This not only caused a problem for those areas in which people needed to be rescued, but it also caused an issue with the availability of electricity, available bandwidth for internet access, and created an issue for how to properly convey information to the public. When one thinks about this, it really comes down to how reliant we are on technology. Payphones are nearly a relic, now more likely to be used as a novelty phone in someone's basement. Instead, we have cellphones. However, these need to be charged in order to make a call or, for some, access the internet. We have become far to reliant on the latter in that situation as well. It was amazing that the actions of those saving people were noticed less than those who would stick an extension cord outside for strangers to charge their phones. What have we become?

My frustration knew no bounds...

Perhaps the most infuriating part of this whole process, save the total loss that a large portion of the population endured, was the absolute lack of information provided by the government. In this modern era in which, as aforementioned, we rely so heavily on technology that permits us to transmit information within seconds, why was there no update for days? Why did some of us never hear anything as to when we were allowed to come back? Why did the media decide to focus on the destruction of three spots and not broadcast the important return dates, information needed for checkpoints, curfews, etc. that were being put into place behind closed doors with no input from the misplaced? The answer is quite simple: the media loves a tragedy. Documenting the destruction that occurred would attract far more viewers than useful information. Similarly, this is why the governor of New Jersey and PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES were both allowed onto the island I live on to give a speech 7 days before I was even allowed to return to asses the damage or grab more clothing. We were told it was unsafe. We were told there was no power. We were told not to try to come onto the island. Yet, these key figures went with no issue, power companies restored power in a mere 3 days, and most folks had minor damage on our island. Why couldn't we communicate this?

For those who missed this insanity...

Web 2.0: Prezi

For those students who were progressing through school during the "tech bubble" era, as well as the teachers, PowerPoint was amazing technology that could save time and resources and still result in a high-quality finished product. Sadly, in the years after PowerPoint's conception, the program has turned into a staple for a boring lesson or presentation. These days, it almost seems as if no amount of sound effects, high quality images, or goofy animations can save a PowerPoint presentation from inevitably boring its audience. Yet, the style and ease of PowerPoint still exists as it is a fixed presentation that the students can take notes off of, the instructor can make it accessible for download, and it can be used year after year without having to locate old notes or possibly degraded pictures.

With that in mind, the masterminds at Prezi brought the world a new type of presentation. Instead of just advancing slide by slide, Prezi offers the instructor or presenter a more engaging presentation with the use of a "pathway" for the presentation to take. Presentations can now take the form of pictures, structures, or symbols and traverse them accordingly. Presenters can zoom into fine-print details and back out to important ones to demonstrate importance. These presentations not only show the information that is necessary, but can begin to activate higher order thinking skills as the students attempt to analyze how the structure of the presentation might apply to the overal concept being conveyed.                        

                                                                            This once again seems to confirm my affinity for flow charts...

And while you are here, why not watch a Prezi about Prezi:

Is it like an ouroboros if it's itself about itself?

Web 2.0: Google Earth

A recent assignment of ours was to explore the uses of Google Earth in the classroom. For this assignment I was paired with a fellow LitEd major, Melissa Ihle, and we were not only tasked with learning the technology, but also finding ways to apply it to the classroom at multiple levels. While were able to find several websites that were applicable to the languages arts classroom, I would honestly see less of a use of the program outside of tracking a travel novel or providing a modern view of the place where the novel takes place. However, the content area classrooms would see a significantly more effective use of this software. History classes could easily utilize Google Earth to show areal views of places that battles occurred, where significant landmarks exists, and do virtual tours of modern cities with the 3D Model option. With the extended Google Solar System option, eventually students will be able to study the planets in science class virtually.

It's quite pretty, but less useful...

However, outside of these two, very specific classrooms, Google Earth seems to have less value in a language arts, math, language (not cultural), or alternative classrooms. I do wish I had more to say about this technology, but I unfortunately don't see much about it that I can apply to my two passions. Maybe down the road as the program evolves and I gain more experience, I'll figure out a better use for this.

It's quite beautiful from space...

However the use of the Scoop.it! page was actually quite interesting. While it seems unreasonably similar to Pinterest after closer inspection, it's a great way to create a page, especially for students, where there is a significant amount of information. This could be extremely useful when teaching students how to do almost anything, but I'll pick research papers for the sake of argument. If one were to make a "research paper process" Scoop.it! page, one could easily include "scoops" to pages that have scholarly articles, primary sources, how to utilize MLA properly, how to not plagiarize, why Wikipedia isn't a scholarly source, etc. With all of this information in the realm of cyberspace, there is no chance for the students to lose, "forget," or "never receive" the information on the subject and it is constantly available to them.

It would be nice to never hear "You never taught that" again...

Technology and Physical Illness

Not long ago I spent about a week completely immobilized by what has now been diagnosed at the flu. During this time, getting out of bed was a hassle, let alone going to class and functioning as a normal human being. For this reason, I missed an entire week of classes, but luckily missed not fieldwork time due to remedial HSPA testing. Keep in mind, as well, that my classes only meet once a week, anywhere from two to four hours at a time. This is a significant amount of information to miss simply because of a physical illness. In the past, this might have spelled the end of a semester for students. Actually, I had this once before when I was in community college, and I was forced to drop my courses because I was already over the limit of absences and had fallen too far behind. However, thanks to the wonders of the internet, email, BlackBoard, and the Stockton goPortal, I was able to stay caught up on my assignments, with no real downtime. Additionally, I really didn't have to get out of bed, or if I did, it was a short hobble to my computer with all my blankets, tissues, medications, etc.

This is a fairly accurate representation of how I felt...

This is something that has become increasingly relevant in educational buildings everywhere. Scientists have recognized "sick building syndrome" and the effects that it has on the students' health. This is especially pertinent in low-income areas where students may not have the necessary medical attention readily available to them either due to financial hardship, lack of insurance, lack of parental assistance, or any combination of the above. To prevent these students from coming in sick in the first place, most schools have made it so that the students are able to keep up with their work online. Gone are the days in which teachers sent home huge folders of work to be done for the week that a student would potentially be absent. Instead, students and parents can download the homework, work on it together if the so choose, and submit it without leaving their home. This can further be enhanced with the ideas of the flipped classroom, in which students learn outside of the classroom and perform in the classroom, and technology such as WIMBA or Skype that allow the instructor to communicate and educate the student outside of the classroom.

These were not even dreams when I entered school...

While face-to-face is still undeniably important, the idea of having the information readily available so that students do not fall far behind is a relief for parents and teachers alike. The students will still lose valuable time in the classroom that cannot be accounted for in posted assignments, but at least they will not become discouraged because they are behind on the learning or missing too much work. This will also sort of the grading process for the instructor so that they will not be forced to deal with intermittent waves of work flowing in. I can see this potentially becoming mandatory in all, as it is already in some, schools and ultimately further expediting the learning process. I hope to make great use of this in my future classrooms.

Not how we do it, but basically how it works...

Smart Technologies: Useful Prototype or Flashy Powerpoint

One of the most recent technologies that we have touched upon in the technology course in Stockton is the SmartBoard hardware and software. This technology has become prevalent in a significant portion of classrooms across the country that have the technology budget that allows for it. The technology has replaced the projection technology that had previously replaced the transparency projectors that most students before the turn of the century had become accustomed to. While projection is just the basic function of this continually evolving technology, it is perhaps the most often used in the classroom on the SmartBoards and the technology similar to it (i.e. Promethean Boards). The pitch behind the hardware and software is the fact that the board can be used for more than just projection. The SmartBoards function similar to other technology with touch screen technology. The board allows the instructor and students to interact with what is onscreen, whether it be by marking up the screen with provided "pens," moving and interacting with objects simply by touching the screen, or by extended multimedia interaction. Below is a demo video for the technology for those who might be unfamiliar with it:

I'm not sure if "magical" is right, but it is fun...

However, despite the novelty of this technology, there seems to be a significant amount of shortcomings. Perhaps the most significant of all is the fact that the software, though similar to Microsoft PowerPoint, is absurdly complex and requires a significant amount of time to be dedicated just to learning how the technology works. The question then becomes: Who honestly has the time to learn to utilize something so complicated with so seemingly little payout? As I took time to learn the software, quite a long time, I came to see that not only is it strikingly similar to that of PowerPoint, but the features are sometimes more limited and frustrating than PowerPoint. While the physical interaction with the board is a great aspect for the kinesthetic learners in the classroom, the instructor has to ensure that the object that are not to be moved are firmly locked in place, with no exceptions. Forgot to lock something? It's definitely going to get touched, moved, and possibly edited. In addition to this, the technology seems to geared toward the younger classrooms instead of the older ones. The interaction, the animation, the colors, etc. seem to be something that is more focused on the early stages of learning rather than the later stages that require higher levels of thinking. Perhaps the last, and most important aspect, is that it is seemingly difficult to be certain of is whether or not the technology is actually facilitating learning and not just providing entertainment for the children in the absence of actual learning.

Learning or playing? Hmmm...

Perhaps when I have more interaction with the technology in an academic setting, there will be more answers than through simple speculation.

QR Codes: Technology's Best Kept Secret

Not too long ago we were introduced to the concept of QR codes. Despite the fact that this technology has been around for many years in Japan, it has only seen a recent influx into Western culture. However, despite its influx, there are still people who are not only unfamiliar with how the QR codes work, some don't even know they exist. Sure, they see them when they enter a tourist trap or maybe in the supermarket, but they don't think anything of it. They go about their day and don't think about it again. This is, for the most part, how I was living in our society. The only twist is that I knew QR codes existed. I was unaware that they had not only landed in Western culture, but that they had exploded in popularity with the prevalence of the SmartPhone industry. Once I was introduced to the fact that we are utilizing the QR code to an extreme, I began to notice it more and more. Now, I can't go a day without seeing at least one QR code, if not a dozen. These tiny, pixelated boxes are on every object from food containers to energy bills. I recently got my electric bill and, wouldn't you know it, there's a QR code on it. Now being technologically behind, I had to take this QR code into a virtual reader after scanning it, but it produced the company name and my bill! Amazing, really. One could say that this is becoming a faster and more efficient way of communicating than texting proved to be.

Here's an example for those unfamiliar. It'll take you to my website...

After the novelty of the concept wears off and one is able to think rationally again, the QR code seems to offer a fairly extreme set of bonuses and drawbacks. For now, we'll take a look at the bonuses. For one, these codes are easy to generate and usually free. You can simply search "QR code generator" in Google and a plethora of options are displayed. Not only can one make these QR codes in a matter of moments, but some sites allow you to customize the QR code with color or a graphic in the center. This makes the creation process fun and enticing for those who have an affinity for customization, the arts, or even a teenager seeking individuality. The wonderful part about these codes is that there is not knowledge gradient to use one. All one needs is a QR reader in their phone, iPad, or other tablet device and they can instantly access the information stored within these codes. They are also incredibly fun to scan as one never really knows what they are going to get when they scan them. Unless, of course, they are labeled. Hypothetically, these codes have the potential to transmit data without the worries that are plaguing the internet at the moment. There is no issue with copyright and there is no "file-sharing" to be worried about. A few months back www.reddit.com had a picture that showed a use of QR codes that makes an lexiphile like me squeal (see below). However, with every novel concept comes a drawback.

Using technology to promote reading the classics? Yes, please...

Despite the fun, the novel concept, and the ease of use, there are some drawbacks to this concept. For starters, the concept requires technology that is still very expensive for the average consumer. The Japanese have integrated software into even the most basic phones to read QR codes, while we are restricting the use of QR codes to SmartPhones. This is seeming foolish as, hypothetically, any phone with a camera could easily utilize the Augmented Reality software to read the codes. Instead, our phone companies want us to pay another $30 a month for a SmartPhone data plan and the hundreds of dollars that the phone will cost. Similarly, tablet technology has recently adapted, but raises the same issue: with what money? Since most of this technology starts with the huge price tag of $400 for the base models, average consumers are just not going to be able to utilize this. Perhaps the biggest drawback of this technology is its inability to be effectively used in the classroom. A project the requires the students to utilize their cell phones, though ideal for motivational purposes, would alienate students who might not be able to afford the required technology, and wouldn't be allowed in most cases by the administration. In the school that I'm observing this semester, cell phone use carries as much punishment as a violation of the strict dress code. So, with schools locking down the use of personal electronics, how is one to effectively utilize such a technology without coming under scrutiny of the administration?

Sometimes it seems that these are considered weapons in school...

All in all, this technology is quite intriguing. The future for its use and application seems quite hearty and hopefully it will become available to those who aren't willing to shell out the money for the most expensive technologies. Only the future will tell...

Being Smart: Social Taboo?

     When I think back to the time that I spent in high school and the nearing decade of higher education that is evolving, I can distinctly remember one thing about this time: being smart mattered more as the years progressed. In high school, it seemed that your intelligence level would isolate you if you hit a certain social grey area. Being not too smart, but very athletic made you socially popular, as did being on the opposite spectrum - that of being in the top ten students in the graduating class. As I progressed into college, it became evident that the first year of college was nothing short of thirteenth grade as adults. However, given the fact that loans had been taken out, savings had been depleted, or parents had shelled out a significant sum of money, there were many nights that were spent without sleep in order to excel in classes taken. As the years progressed, there was a gradual waning of the idea that the person who was excelling in a class was obnoxious to the desire to be that person. Now, as a person who continually strives for the best results possible, it seems almost silly that any student is averse to the idea of being smart. However, this is distinctly not the case. Instead, we see a society that seemingly suggests that being the "smart" student will not lead to a socially rewarding lifestyle. The societal suggestion is that being smart is only an acceptable choice when couples with some kind of athleticism and/or unimaginable amount of work due to a poor living situation.

How can students appropriately weigh their social life and school performance...

     This is generally disappointing as it has become much more typical in high schools, especially in low socioeconomic demographics. This has become most evident in my current fieldwork as the "smart" students, being those who are probably going to pass their first attempt at the AHSA retest, are often ridiculed or alienated due to knowing something that the majority of the rest of society would deem "common knowledge." I've seen the amazed looks of the students over the last few weeks when their fellow classmates are able to produce knowledge without the use of Google or a similar search engine on their SmartPhone. The shock quickly turns to alienation as a student will usually pick up on the negative vibe and provide a negative comment regarding the intelligence of the other student. This begs the question: Why is it considered a taboo to be intelligent? The answer seems to be: It's not cool. Well, it would seem to be common sense to adults that being "cool" is underrated as it does not pay rent, attract an ideal mate, or lead to living a fulfilling life. However, this is no longer the focus of most students as they struggle to maintain their social status. This severely disappoints me as I watch my students this semester. The ones who couldn't care less about their grade, the class, the law, and anyone's opinion seem to those who the class follows while the other students who are so intelligent that they will put the HSPA to shame are forced to keep their heads down or face social ridicule. How do we change this pattern?

This seems to be what I do on a regular basis now...

Hopefully in the next few years I'll start to figure out the answer to this...

Quality of Teachers and Motivation of Students

     Last night was the first class of the Fall 2012 semester, and it began with my Introduction to Technology for Educators course. Now aside from the obvious pitfall that the class meets for four hours straight on a Wednesday night, the class is quite entertaining, has already taught me quite a bit that I wouldn't have known, and has peaked my interest in the upcoming projects that are going to assigned. However, it is not solely the content of the course that has me under the assumption that this will be a class that is not only educational, but enjoyable. The content is coupled with the fact that I'm motivated to learn the new material, as well as the professor's own interest and enthusiasm for the course and its content. It is a sad thing to say that I cannot remember more than a handful of teachers during my high school years who would have honestly proclaimed that the content they were teaching was not only interesting to them, but that it was their passion in life. This seems to be a completely different scenario when an individual enter the classrooms of most college professors. These individuals, with few exceptions, present themselves from the first day of class as not only a professor who is eager to dispense their knowledge to those who are taking the class, but also as an individual who is still interested and learning about the subject themselves. These instructors manage to not only impart their knowledge to their students, but often times, in my experience, they are the most beneficial and enjoyable instructors.

Love what you teach!

     With the aforementioned I have set up three guidelines for what I believe to affect the classroom and saw in last night's class: enthusiasm of the instructor, quality of the course content, and motivation of the students to learn and succeed in the class. Since the quality of the course content is directly linked to the instructor's overall quality, I will couple it with the instructor's enthusiasm and rename it "quality of instructor." These two factors, quality of the instructor and the motivation of the students seem to be what directly influence the amount of learning in a classroom, the quality of learning that occurs, and how the students will feel about the course, the subject, and the teacher after the course has completed.

I've always liked "mind maps" and "flow charts..."

     As I began to touch upon in the first paragraph, it seems that the quality of the instructor is perhaps the most influential aspect in a course. Through personal experience, I can honestly say that I remember both the wonderful and horrible instructors I have had throughout most of my education. However, it is the instructors of the highest quality that I can still recall details from not only the course I took with them, but personal interactions, personality quirks, and other such intricate details. Those instructors who were not of the highest quality seem to all have faded into a single obscure classification of a "poor quality instructor." Instead of remembering what was conveyed in the course, I remember why I dislike the course, the professor, the subject, or any combination of the aforementioned. This is one of the main reasons that I found myself transferring colleges on a regular basis. My first experience in higher education was an architectural college where the instructors, in lieu of teaching appropriately, announced that "if the first three years [of the five year program] were not a review, then you have chosen the wrong major." Now, this is not something I let phase me as I have often been behind or left at a disadvantage in comparison to my classmates, but always found a way to catch up. However, after two semesters and an unreasonable amount of tuition later, I came to realize that this was not the school for me. I came to this decision, among other aspects, due to the low quality of instructors within building. For example, my Precalculus professor from the first semester became my Physics 101 professor the second semester. While he was not the greatest math instructor, I was also aware that I was not the best math student either, as I much preferred English and literature studies. However, the quality of his instruction did not improve. Instead, it appeared to deteriorate with the change in subject. The few times I attempted to approach him regarding a question to the content, I was always met with a response of "the information is all in your textbook." Combine this with English instructors who were content with calling mediocrity excellence, architectural history instructors who cared more about the quality of photos in the textbook, and drafting adjuncts who were more concerned with getting paid for their time away from their firm than educating and you have the formula for a terrible set of professors. Contrast this to the set of professors such as, but not limited to, Professor Kinsella, Professor Lenard, and Professor Hussong, and it is similar to comparing rotten meat to a steak from a five-star restaurant.

A daily exercise for the nervous Education student...

     However, it is not the sole responsibility of the instructor to ensure that learning occurs. There have been too many times to recount for each individually that I have overheard a conversation or been part of a conversation in which a student slandered an instructor who had done nothing wrong. Often times these days one can overhear conversations on a campus where students will often say: "Oh man, take X professor because you literally do nothing all semester," or "Oh you should drop that course. Professor Y isn't satisfied with anything and will just fail you on purpose." (For more comical extremes, one can simply reference Rate My Professors) Now this mindset, while absolutely unreasonable for anyone who craves education, can seemingly be justified by a student who is attending K-12. This is a scenario in which children are required to attend school with a variety of subjects. Some subjects are going to be their strengths and some are going to be obvious weaknesses. However, it would seemingly make sense to want to be well-rounded initially and, if possible, specialize by the last two years of your high school years. However, the aforementioned are most often heard on a college campus, which is seemingly odd. One would wonder why anyone would want to pay so much money to slack off through a set of classes and obtain nothing. It seems, at least to me, that the answer is that the students who enter college are often not mature enough or have the appropriate mindset to make the decisions that are required in college. The young lady who sat next to me today told me a story that relates to this topic quite well. She had mentioned during our discussion that she had taken a class with a professor early in her college career that she could not stand, but had unknowingly signed up for a class with him some years later and loved the class. She attributed this perhaps to her desire to succeed and graduate as opposed to her original attitude during her first few classes in college. This can often be seen on campus with students who either believe that they are going to be able to slack off the same way they did in high school or, in a sad but extreme case, those students who believe that they are going to attend a college, play a sport, party, and eventually get a professional athletic career.

I do sometimes wonder how to make studying less boring...

     To conclude this overwhelmingly and unintentionally long post, last night's class again proved that the appropriate combination of a high quality instructor - one who is interested in the subject, excited about the subject, and eager to share that knowledge - and motivated students - those who are motivated to succeed and obtain skills to succeed in their future - results in a class that is optimal for both the students and the instructor. I thoroughly look forward to the skills that I will develop in this class and how they will aide me in engaging students in a subject that has become classified as nothing short of "dull."