What is a Hero and Who is Mine?

A hero is sacrificial,
A hero is kind and good.
A hero could be your big brother,
Or one who serves the homeless some food.

A hero is not just confined
To be being Asian, super, or a man.
A hero could be a Spanish teacher
Who lends a struggling student her hand.

So whether you have special powers,
Arrest criminals or fight fire,
Regardless of your impact on the many or the one,
That "one" could be the next hero, inspired.

My hero is Mother Teresa. Her selfless compassion for others makes her a hero in my eyes. She obtained fame not by an effort to do so, but by so avidly helping others that others could not help but be drawn to her. She laid down her own comfort  to serve God and others. She was an example of how one can impact, even save, the lives of others through focused, sacrificial services of compassion fueled by passion. I appreciate the idea that it is possible for anyone to be hero by the standards that she set.

AOW: Citizenship

What Is A Hero? Mariah Carey... Or Asians.

This Blog Inspired Me...

So, I never really blogged consistently until now. However, I really enjoyed writing this blog, and I found it inspiring me to keep up a blog outside of this one for the class. Well it is a bit more of a mixed-media type of set up, I figure that plays into different technological and other such literacies. Thus, I decided to post the link here for my other blog, too, and combine my TWO electronic literary worlds.

http://themostawesomethingslist.tumblr.com/

Just in case you want a fun break from the school-related writing!

What Makes A Hero?

Courage-Selflessness-Compassion-Motivation

AOW 11/9/11

Rough Draft Budget For Spanish Field Trip

     For my field trip, I will be taking my 8th grade Spanish class to Leslie's Bakery on Glenstone Ave. First, a request for the trip will be sent to the principle's office. Once approved, a permission slip will be sent home to the parents. The slip will warn parents of students with applicable allergies (peanut, dairy) to let me know in advance so that other plans can be made for the allergic students. Also, besides informing that parents of the travel plans for the day, the form will request that parents send students with two dollars each to assist in the cost of the bus, as well as any spending money the students might wish to use at the bakery.The two dollars and permission slips will be turned in the week before the trip. Students who are unable to attend due to neglect to turn in permission slips, or for other causes, will remain in the office with quiet work pertaining to the subject being studied (food unit). On the day of the field trip, first period students will load onto the bus at 8:50 a.m. We will arrive at Leslie's around 9:10 a.m. Students will be encouraged to show respect to those working in the store and to use vocabulary whenever appropriate. A head count will be taken before students enter the store. Students will be given adequate time to browse the bakery and adjacent Latino market, make purchases, and engage in conversation. At 9:45 a.m., students will return to the bus, head count will be taken, and students will return to the school at 10 a.m. dismissal bell. This way they will have necessary time to visit their lockers in passing. The same procedures will be duplicated for the next class beginning at 10:05 a.m.

AOW: Blake & Harry

Technologies Used In The Spanish Classroom

          Around The World In 80 Schools is a program for foreign language teachers that allows teachers from target countries to place "wanted adds" on the site. These adds request the teacher's name, what language and grade they teach, and hours of availability. Once a suitable partner teacher is found, the teachers are able to formulate a curriculum together that involves students interacting with each other via a Skype-like program. In this way, students from all over the world are able to experience language immersion from right in their classroom! 

Sam Hoover Interview

-21st Century Literacies: Being prepared to use the most means of communication to reach the most possible people.

I Noticed...
-Advertising literacies as a means of drawing in the crowd
 *Photography
 *Videography
-Livestream
 *Multiple technological and social media literacies used simultaneously
-Find what is fun and make it a priority
-He had a great handle on differentiated instruction
-"I have a camera that will be going constantly..." - Learn from yourself.
-Students have the world at their fingertips these days, so there is no question they don't have an answer to. This leaves everyone vulnerable and transparent. This opens the door for their feedback.
-Self-esteem directly correlated to "likes" and "retweets"; Failures give social media a more authentic touch.

I Wonder...
-If I could make my teacher site interesting  enough using those literacies to get my students excited for school Spanish classes in advance?
-It's not worth stressing over how all these literacies will pull together. Is it not better to use what you know?
-What technological items would be most beneficial to appealing to different types of learners?
-Has the ratio changed for how much the teacher is responsible for learning vs. how much the student is responsible for their own learning?
-Social media failures are the equivalent to authentic relationships?
-Should students and teachers be able to be friends on Facebook?

Applications to My Content Area...
-Make teacher sites interesting
-Film classes often to learn from your own teaching
-Use technology such as blogs and Twitter to keep parents and students in the loop
-Ask students for feedback more than just stuffing subject material down their throats
-Skyping in class is AWESOME!!!
 *Around the world in 80 schools program
-Text answers to questions in class