Reflections on SCED 4200

I think a lot of us had a difficult time with this class, especially those in disciplines like music, art or physical education.  I think the people who had the easiest time with assignments and applying these strategies were English majors.  As a French teacher I had a difficult time trying to see how I can truly apply the teachings and strategies that we learned throughout the semester.  That said, I DID learn some valuable information and things that I can implement or modify to help students learn in my classroom.

I think one of the major contributors to my teaching practices was learning more about digital literacy and critical literacy.  I want my students to explore the vast amount of information that there is in French and francophone culture.  I won't be able to take students to see these cultures firsthand, but with the internet I can show them up-to-date information from around the globe.  I remember when I was in high school, we just took the out-dated textbook, and the teacher's view for face value and never questioned any of it.  I want my students to know about other subcultures within the broad culture.

As far as learning vocabulary, I am going to be teaching very specific, very simple vocabulary in French.  It is the "learn-as-you-go" method to teaching.  Just as we learned English by hearing others speak and people speaking slowly to us, my students will learn vocabulary and verbal skills as they need them.

Conversation and communication are the most important elements in my teaching philosophy.  After every section the students will have the opportunity to speak and use the vocabulary and knowledge that they just learned.  This reinforces the grammatical rules and helps the students remember words.

I want to critically reflect on this class, because that is what I was taught to do and what I am supposed to teach my students.  I will be honest, but not rude: I don't think this class should be for every discipline.  I don't believe that there is a "cookie-cutter" course that blankets all subject matters.  I don't believe that every single item that we covered applies to every classroom.  For example, I can not see how critical literacy applies to physical education.  I never once read text for P.E. classes growing up.  The point is to get physical activity, but I understand that you will learn new "vocabulary" if you are learning things like "run a route."  I also don't think this applies to music much at all.  You go to music class to learn how to play an instrument.  I played the trombone in middle school.  If I had to read texts, study vocabulary, and write reports on the trombone, I would have dropped band in a heartbeat.  

I did enjoy this class though, not because of the subject matter but because of the people in the class.  I liked seeing how other people can apply these teachings in their own discipline   I know some students did not like this class because they didn't know how it applied to them.  I did learn things that I want to adapt to be able to work in my classroom, but everything that was covered (in my opinion) does not apply to me.

Give The Teachers What They Want

Sometimes this is exactly how I feel in my classes.  I sometimes feel like I don't learn anything from class, I am just trying to give the teacher what they want.  There are many times in my school years that I have just done what I thought the teacher wanted.

One example was from my English 2010 class.  Every paper that I wrote in that class had something to do with learning a language or living in a different country.  For the final portfolio we were supposed to include all of our papers and a summary paper.  I wrote up the summary paper and wrote it in an order that made total sense to me.  I met with my teacher (it was a mandatory meeting) in which she would give some advice on my final.  When she read my paper she pulled out some scissors from her desk.  She proceeded by cutting my paper into five or six sections.  She rearranged the sections and explained that the paper "flowed" better in that order.  I thought the order made no sense and I didn't like it at all.  I almost felt like she was destroying my work.  Did I leave it the way that I originally had it?  NOPE!  Why?  Because I wanted an A, and I got it.

I recently entered the Education Department.  I have learned some great techniques on how to teach in a foreign language class, and I have decided how I want to teach my class.  I also learn the exact opposite of what I just learned.  For example, in one class I learned that we are supposed to be among students and let them do the majority of the talking and learning. (I am the "facilitator" or "architect".)  Then I go to my next class where I learn that I am supposed to dominate the classroom and stay up front with a vigilant eye on the class.  (I am large and in charge.)

I have to come up with lesson plans that totally contradict each other.  I have to do this to please the teachers and to "get the A."  I will probably implement some lesson plans and totally throw out the others.  It all comes down to my Fry quote above: I "just learned how to pass classes over the years."

I hope that everything that I teach in my class will be useful to students in their future.  If I have them do an assignment, there will be a reason behind it, be it culture, language or some other objective. 

Technology in Life and in The Classroom

I love the new digital age.  I think it is amazing how fast we can connect and share information with the simple touch of our fingertips.  I use devices every day, pretty much from the time I wake up until the time that I fall asleep.  Technology is the one means that keeps my family connected.  Let me go over some of the things that keeps me busy.

My iPad

I am not going to lie, I LOVE my iPad.  I have everything on there.  When I eat my breakfast in the morning, I check my Facebook, emails, the News, the weather, my schedule (personal and school), and maybe even play a game or two.  I keep my life organized with this amazing tool.  I keep all of my appointments in my personal calendar.  I keep a "to-do" list, and it reminds me if I need to do something.  I receive and send emails on all of my accounts with one simple app.  It has all of my contacts on here so I can easily look up an email, address, or phone number.  It even has it's own phone number that can call, but I mainly use this to text my wife while I am sitting in class.  I also read in bed before I go to bed at night.

I take and edit pictures and videos with my iPad.  In a couple of hours I shot, edited, posted and shared this trailer all from this tablet:

I use this iPad in class and at work.  I can read my text books on it, I can download and mark up PDF files from Canvas.  I can take notes and even write papers.  Online clouds enable me to seamlessly transfer all of my papers and projects between devices like my phone and home computer.  I can access the paper from any computer that has the internet and print it from there.  At work, I can down load the PDF for my time card, fill it out, then have my supervisor sign it directly on the iPad, then I submit it.  I can even create my own PDF files by taking pictures of pages in a book.

I put all of my school papers and personal finance spreadsheets on my 7 GB SkyDrive.

I have over 50 GB of free space on my Dropbox where I store my pictures.

My 5 GB Google Drive is used for school projects where I need to collaborate with other students.

Everything that I write on my iPad is uploaded to the 5 GB iCloud.  

This are just some of the online cloud drives that I use to store all of my information.      

My family stays connected through digital text.  Phone calls are extremely awkward in my family, so we stay in communication over the internet.  Facebook and Words With Friends let me know that my family is still alive.  If I ever want to contact my Mom, all I have to do is send her a message on Facebook.  In fact, yesterday I wanted to thank my mom for some baby clothes that she send up for us.  I sent her a message on Facebook, and I said to my wife, "Let's see how long it takes her to see this message."  She had seen it before I could even finish my sentence.

I love being able to work with students and teachers via Google Drive.  I think this is the way that technology is going these days.  Students know how to work a smart phone or tablet before they are in Kindergarten.  I see this as a pro and a con.  

Pros:

I think it is extremely important for children to know how to run technology.  Technology moves SO fast these days and kids need to stay up-to-date to be able to survive in the competitive world.  It is a basic requirement for nearly every job to be able to operate a computer.  Students need to know how to navigate the internet to find information and connect with others.  They also need to know how to type on computers and read digital text.

Cons:

I HATE short hand text writing:  "Hey, U goin 2 da party? Yer invited 4 sur :) !"  I think it will be very difficult for students to write and spell correctly when they are writing papers if they learn to read and write in short hand.  Another con is that giving a device that has unlimited access to things to a student can be a recipe for disaster.  Kids also don't take care of stuff.  They will drop, break, throw, spill-on, jump-on, spin and any other inane thing you can think of to stuff.

As a teacher, I think it would be awesome to have an interactive PowerPoint pulled up while I am teaching and have the students follow along on their own devices.  Textbooks can be on iPads, saving the school money.  Papers can be submitted on line, so real paper doesn't have to be used.  Real time instruction and help is available.  Feedback is a breeze.  Technology is the way to go, you just have to be careful how you do it.

The Secret World of Clark's Reading History

As a parent-to-be I want to get my daughter started off right.  That is why I read to her.  Though she is still snuggled tight in the nice, warm cocoon of my wife's womb, my personal believe is that she can hear us as we read to her.  (Unless she is deaf...)  I believe that intelligence is linked to literacy.  I want my child to be as smart as she has the capability of being.  So, as we read Disney storybooks to my wife's stomach the hope is that her listening and reading habits are being formed.

I don't remember being read to as a child.  I believe this hindered my intellectual growth as an adolescent.  In fact, this had lasting effects on me.  I struggled to read up through high school.  I would have "ADD" moments where I would read and my mind would be off thinking about the Jazz game or what was for lunch that day.  I couldn't focus and it would give me headaches to read.  I would read a page and absorb absolutely nothing.  I even avoided long comic strips in the Sunday paper.

I HATED reading out loud in class (which is still a phobia of mine) because I would frequently come across words that I didn't know.  To this day when I read in public my anxiety level and heart rate skyrocket.  For some reason I replace words from the text with words of my own.  I will omit and add words at random. One day I was reading a paper with a friend, as I read he would constantly correct my reading mistakes.  Finally he stopped and quite bluntly exclaimed, "You really need to learn how to read."  I think that was a defining moment in my life.

The total number of books that I read in grade school can be counted on my hands.  Reading is still not my most favorite pass time.  I will say that I have read more now that I ever have before.  I am proud to say that I read the whole Hunger Games trilogy.  It may be a small task for some (my wife) but it was a big one for me.

I actually do like to read, the subject matter is just a little different.  I LOVE to read in foreign languages.  I will read grammar books, text books, and even shampoo bottles.  I have the Bible in 4 languages and will read any one of them on any given day.  I think I read better in other languages because I have to focus to understand.  I retain more when I read in another language.

My efforts to read to my child are focused on putting her in a better state than I am in now.  I want her to love reading so that she can be as smart as she is fully capable of being.  I also want to implement this in my teaching.  I want my students to be able to read in a foreign language and to comprehend it.  This includes reading out loud, something that I was never really taught how to do in French.

Who am I?

Who am I?

I'm Clark Dee Abraham.

So, yeah.  My name is Clark.  This blog will be a little bit about me and who I am. 

I grew up in "Southern" Utah in a small town called Richfield.  As one can see from the map, Richfield is pretty central in the state, but everyone thinks that Provo  is "central" so anything below Provo is "Southern Utah."

I was born and raised there until I moved to Logan to attend Utah State University.  I fell in love with Logan and have made it my new home.  I have lived here (with a couple of exceptions) ever since 2003.

I am happily married (sorry ladies) to my wife Krystal.  I am very proud of her and am lucky to be with her.  She graduated from USU with her Masters in Social Work and is currently working at the local health department as a substance abuse councilor.  The best part is that we are expecting our first baby, a little girl, in June.  We are both very excited.

I love languages.  I studied French in high school and college and graduated with my BA in the langauge.  My studies took me to France twice where I studied French while living with French families.  I also served an LDS mission to Italy, where I learned the Italian language.  Upon return from my mission, I traveled to Chile to begin learning Spanish and minored in the language.  In my wives family there are 3 deaf siblings.  So when I married into the family, I took it upon myself to learn ASL.  I have also been doing tests with the FBI for a translation position, and will hear back from them any day.  Meanwhile, I am getting my teaching license to be able to teach French in a secondary level.

I love everything Aggies.  The Utah State ones that is.  Especially Aggie Basketball.  I also like the local teams: Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake.  I love playing sports (though I'm not that good at any of them) and I like watching pretty much all sports.  

 I also enjoy photography. (I took the picture to the left)  I also LOVE to make movies.  Check out the video at the bottom for some good ol', home-made, video fun!

Anyway, that's me.  I hope you've enjoyed this blog post about me bragging about myself and my accomplishments.