My name is Evan Black and I'm studying to teach English at the secondary level. My minor is Spanish and I will also receive my certification for that as well. I see a lot of connections between the two fields, especially as it applies to literacy, as both focus on language and its use in society. The goals of the Spanish class are more utilitarian in nature since most students will enter it with little to no experience with the language, so much time is spent on basic learning. English classes in America are more in-depth, exploring the language in its complexity and usage in literature and interpersonal settings. All these aspects of language interest me, and I want to help my future students develop a similar appreciation for words and the power they can give us all in our personal lives and in society as a whole.
I also hope to incorporate several forms of media in the classroom, mostly due to the fact that my love of words has developed through many different sources in my life. Growing up I was an avid comic book reader; at the time I had difficulty seeing how this could be considered a form of literacy, mostly due to society's view on the medium. I also participated in tabletop roleplaying, which encouraged me to explore the nuances of character development and the relationship the character has with the plot in which it finds itself. Finally, I wrote a script for a short fan film with my friends that helped me understand how words on the page can translate into images on a screen. I'll probably talk more about how these activities have shaped my literary experiences in my next post.
Also, I've cultivated a strong artistic talent over the years (my parents say I stopped drawing stick figures before I had even learned how to write), engaging in projects both personal and professional. One of the major endeavors at this point in my life is a project I've worked on for two or three years called Nereus. It's essentially a scientific speculation on extraterrestrial planetology and xenobiology, where I design as plausible a planet as I can and populate it with equally plausible alien flora and fauna, then provide articles and illustrations for my imagined species. Geeky, I know, but after reading about my other hobbies are you really surprised at this point?
After showing people my artistic work I'm often asked why I'm going into teaching English instead of Art. The answer is that, quite frankly, art has come too naturally to me. When I think about teaching others how to develop their artistic talents my mind draws a blank. The process is too subconscious for me to articulate, and I don't know how I could help students learn the same.
By contrast, my interest in language and literature is something that I've developed over time. In other words, I had to learn to like English, and because I had to learn it I can understand when students have to learn to like it as well. It's for that reason that I believe I'll have better success teaching English than Art.
That's all I can think of to introduce myself. If there are any questions just add a comment on this post and I'll answer them as I can.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Friday, July 8, 2011
Picasa Assignment: Science Meets Imagination
For this assignment I've decided to feature some of the artwork I've put together for a project I've been working on. Students could learn a lot from this project, especially those with an interest in biology and/or artistic creativity.
Here are three of the pictures from my Picasa folder:
Here is a link to the rest of the album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101295983434828474540/Jul82011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK2Mna-UodirogE&feat=directlink
Here are three of the pictures from my Picasa folder:
Here is a link to the rest of the album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101295983434828474540/Jul82011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK2Mna-UodirogE&feat=directlink
Friday, May 27, 2011
INST 4015 Blog Assignment: Educational Blogs
For my assignment this week I'm supposed to review and analyze several educational blogs.
The first one from the list was called Collaborative Class Blog and is run by Brian Crosby and his 5th grade class. It has links to the class's other online activities such as the wiki, links to other blogs they follow, and a list of entries and participants. It seems a little cluttered and busy, given all that information, but I'm sure for the purposes of the class and their collaboration it's handy to have all that information in one place.
The most recent post is titled "What Do You Think Will Happen?" and it talks about a scientific experiment involving air pressure. Not only is the project fun and kinesthetic, but the blog entry encourages all who read it (whether they're in the class or not) to share their own hypotheses about what will happen as the different items are lifted into the air by a high altitude balloon. This level of inclusion is just what the internet is capable of; if only more teachers and classes would use it this way!
The 2M Gems Blog is maintained by, you guessed it, the 2M Gems. I'm not sure if this is the name of a class or an academic club at their school, or what. Based on the material I read, they seem to be a younger group of students; it's exciting to technology being incorporated into education like this, but having said that, I must say that one item of technology seemed to detract from the readability of the blog. In the entry "WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BAYS?" a program called lino is used to compile and present the material. Consisting of apparently randomly placed text boxes and images much like on a bulletin board, it requires the viewer to drag the "board" around within the window in order to see everything. This makes it hard to absorb and process the material, and while I'm not sure with the full capabilities of lino, I don't know if it's a good tool for this kind of collaboration.
One blog that attracted my attention in my search is called Moving at the Speed of Creativity. It's run by an educator named Wesley Fryer, and it highlights events or projects he's discovered in his own searches through Education circles. One post he made is about a class in Oklahoma who made a music video celebrating the purchase of 4G iPods. Their video clearly demonstrates the incorporation of learning on many levels, from the creativity involved with writing lyrics to the efforts involved in choregraphing and filming a video. Another entry focused in on a single student-- Fryer's daughter, incidentally-- as she digitized a portfolio of written material she'd been compiling since first grade by reciting the material into a microphone. Fryer mentioned that at least her grandparents would be interested in hearing her recital, but I think that immortalizing the material with her own expressive voice can even be an inspiration and legacy for students in future generations.
The second section of this blog assignment involves following blogs through RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Since I already have a blogger account, and another blog, there are come blogs I already follow on RSS: Furahan Biology and Allied Matters and This Orb. However, since these are only peripherally associated with education, and the assignment points out that I should subscribe to two new blogs, here they are: Resources for Teachers and Graham Wegener's Open Educator. I look forward to taking a step deeper into the field of education by more closely following those who share the same interest/profession.
The first one from the list was called Collaborative Class Blog and is run by Brian Crosby and his 5th grade class. It has links to the class's other online activities such as the wiki, links to other blogs they follow, and a list of entries and participants. It seems a little cluttered and busy, given all that information, but I'm sure for the purposes of the class and their collaboration it's handy to have all that information in one place.
The most recent post is titled "What Do You Think Will Happen?" and it talks about a scientific experiment involving air pressure. Not only is the project fun and kinesthetic, but the blog entry encourages all who read it (whether they're in the class or not) to share their own hypotheses about what will happen as the different items are lifted into the air by a high altitude balloon. This level of inclusion is just what the internet is capable of; if only more teachers and classes would use it this way!
The 2M Gems Blog is maintained by, you guessed it, the 2M Gems. I'm not sure if this is the name of a class or an academic club at their school, or what. Based on the material I read, they seem to be a younger group of students; it's exciting to technology being incorporated into education like this, but having said that, I must say that one item of technology seemed to detract from the readability of the blog. In the entry "WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BAYS?" a program called lino is used to compile and present the material. Consisting of apparently randomly placed text boxes and images much like on a bulletin board, it requires the viewer to drag the "board" around within the window in order to see everything. This makes it hard to absorb and process the material, and while I'm not sure with the full capabilities of lino, I don't know if it's a good tool for this kind of collaboration.
One blog that attracted my attention in my search is called Moving at the Speed of Creativity. It's run by an educator named Wesley Fryer, and it highlights events or projects he's discovered in his own searches through Education circles. One post he made is about a class in Oklahoma who made a music video celebrating the purchase of 4G iPods. Their video clearly demonstrates the incorporation of learning on many levels, from the creativity involved with writing lyrics to the efforts involved in choregraphing and filming a video. Another entry focused in on a single student-- Fryer's daughter, incidentally-- as she digitized a portfolio of written material she'd been compiling since first grade by reciting the material into a microphone. Fryer mentioned that at least her grandparents would be interested in hearing her recital, but I think that immortalizing the material with her own expressive voice can even be an inspiration and legacy for students in future generations.
The second section of this blog assignment involves following blogs through RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Since I already have a blogger account, and another blog, there are come blogs I already follow on RSS: Furahan Biology and Allied Matters and This Orb. However, since these are only peripherally associated with education, and the assignment points out that I should subscribe to two new blogs, here they are: Resources for Teachers and Graham Wegener's Open Educator. I look forward to taking a step deeper into the field of education by more closely following those who share the same interest/profession.
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