Foundation
Meaningful Learning Story |
Learning Two Languages
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to two different cultures. I was raised in a Hispanic household with traditional customs, yet taught how to live the “American lifestyle”. At school, I learned how to speak and write in English, while at home I spoke straight Spanish. As a child, I didn’t realize the importance of having the ability to speak two languages, but now I do. I remember not having difficulties differentiating words from each language and I spoke the two fluently when I was old enough to put words together. I think the most rewarding part of learning English was that I was able to help my parents and teach them certain things that they may not have known in the English language. As I grew up, they learned more words and phrases in English. Although they did not pick up the language entirely, I was always there to translate for them. My mother told me that my first word was “agua”, water in Spanish. As I look back on that now, I realize that my entire dynamic has evolved. I now know more English than Spanish and I consider English my native tongue. In some instances, I have trouble speaking Spanish because I have grown so accustomed to the way of life in America that I have semi-abandoned my heritage that I was so tune with when I was younger. Through all the years of school and English speaking friends and acquaintances, I have lost my fluidity for the Spanish language. As the years go one, I continue to lose my ability to speak Spanish. My mother has also fallen victim to the American customs by marrying a Caucasian man and only speaks her native tongue to her friends or me. I was unable to choose how to speak Spanish and English, but I am glad I did. It is worth learning because I am able to help many Hispanic people who have trouble understanding or speaking English to others. It is also a great advantage to me in the work force since much of the population is Hispanic-based. Speaking Spanish or any other language is worth learning because it can be beneficial for you and others. It creates a door for people to communicate with one another and establish deeper networks. Although I do struggle with some phrases and words in Spanish, I am still able to efficiently communicate with people. I hope to improve my abilities and continue to help those who need it. |
CH. 1 Reading Response |
Reading Assignment #1
Meaningful learning to me means the ability to retain information because it will be beneficial to you in some way in the present or future. In the reading, the author explains that meaningful learning is taught best with five specific characteristics that make the task worth learning. Those characteristics include intentional, active, constructive, cooperative, and authentic learning. And with these characteristics, the author implies that the student will more efficiently learn material and information better than traditional teaching. The argument of this chapter centers on the idea that students are wrongfully tested over information in order to make the students and schools more accountable. Students are not fully engaging in the traditional learning process, therefore making testing a poor tool to measure intelligence and understanding. In order for material to be better comprehended, useful, beneficial, and meaningful to the student, the five characteristics previously listed can help the issues that the author is presenting in the argument. I completely agree with the argument that the author posed in the chapter. I believe that learning information is easier to retain if there is something memorable and interactive associated with it. For example, in elementary school when all the students were learning basic math skills, I remember being better at the word problems than when the problem was only number-based. This is because I was able to picture the numbers with an image or idea and the problem to solve it. I also specifically recall doing math problems with colorful plastic blocks. This helped me envision the problem rather than stare at a page with numbers and mathematical signs. I think technology would have been even bigger aids when I was younger to better comprehend these types of lessons. I support the moderate use of technology especially when it can help students learn in a more fun and educative way. Growing up in an era where technology was just starting to become more advance, I did not have the luxury of using things like iPads, laptops, and other things used today. Although we did have the “old school” computers, they were only accessible to us in the computer labs during school hours. I did not own a computer at home and rarely had access to one other than lab time, which were only twice a week. I owned my first laptop my freshman year of college. Even now, I am still a stranger to the technological world, but I hope to change that starting this semester. Technology is a great tool to use, but more particularly in an education setting. This is because technology can do and show things in ways that people cannot. Even in college, most professors use PowerPoint, eLC, email and other websites to connect to their students. Nowadays, students and teachers are finding easier ways to communicate with one another and if the resources are there, it is a convenience to use them rather than doing it the outdated manner. I think it is a necessity to use technology for educational purposes and I realized this through the text. People seem to be indifferent about using technology with students that are younger in age because they do not want them exposed to that “world” just yet. I believe using technology with students who are at a younger age can be beneficial, but it is also good for the students to learn through the traditional route. That is how I learned and I turned out to be a well-rounded student. My fear is that technology will over-run the old ways of teaching and the world will be clouded by those individuals who learned it the easy way”. Other than that, I support technology and the advancements that have come along the years. The chapter opened my eyes to the pros of technology and the endless possibilities that come from it. |
Article Summary |
Social Media Fosters Professional Learning and Collaboration
Everyday there seems to be advancement in technology, whether big or small. Throughout my life, I have witnessed a technological boom that has made monumental strives in the world today. As a young child, I was a stranger to computers and video games simply because they were not as common as they are now. I grew up in an atmosphere that did not encompass the art of technology. Although I am somewhat glad that technology was not common back in those times, I am almost certain that it would have made my life a whole lot easier. Nowadays, technology and social media are the most popular outlets. The majority of the adults my age seem to have a Facebook profile, Twitter, or Instagram. In the article “Social Media Fosters Professional Learning and Collaboration,” Baxter experiences the pros of social media and how it can provide an effective role on education and a career. The reason I selected this article is because I am a regular user of social media. I am no stranger to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social medial outlets. I have always wondered how these sites could either help or negatively affect your career. As an adult, I have been actively seeking jobs around the Athens area in order to make some extra money. I have encountered many applications that require the applicant to provide their social media information so that the company can monitor and investigate their potential employees. Some believe this is an invasion of their privacy, but then again it is on the Internet for all to see. Baxter touched on this subject briefly by stating that she is more cautious and careful of what she posts on the Internet, even if it is her personal account (Baxter, 2014). The article focused on how social media can be a benefit in the classroom and outside in the professional world. I learned that not only is social media a good tool to connect with your friends, it is also great to communicate with coworkers and expand your company through means of advertising. The Internet has made it extremely easy to make a website or page that will fit the needs or your company. You can then promote that page on various popular websites so that others are more likely to check it out. Information is much easier to get out than before. A click of a mouse is more efficient than sending someone a flyer or brochure of your company through the mail. Modern students are always finding ways to implement technology into their daily lives and going to school is no different. As technology advances, education has to advance with it in order to make it an experience that is irrelevant to the lives of the students. By using technology like laptops, iPads, etc. teachers are more easily able to connect with the students. They are more willing to participate and engage in learning tasks than when using traditional methods (Baxter, 2014). As a result, teachers are able to also learn the newest methods of technology that will help students learn more successfully. By teaching through technology, students will have a better time learning the material and can also take their new technology skills and apply it to later lessons. Learning has a snowball effect; everything that you learn, you can take a little piece from and apply it to something else, which furthers your learning. Technology will always be advancing, and our generation will closely follow. There are many websites and applications that have been specifically created to help a student with their tasks. For example, there are online textbooks with mock exam questions and a notecard application that can be downloaded on a smartphone for a more study on-the-go method. The majority of these websites have some sort of system that allows others to “connect with you”, usually through Facebook or Twitter. The question that I have for this article is what is next? How much more can social media promote a positive outcome to the workplace and education? There has been much scrutiny on how social media outlets have tarnished the younger generation by cyber bullying and inappropriate content. In a world full of good and bad, how will technology better or worsen the outcome of future generations? |