Digital Reflection Project

First Educational Chat: #ELLChat

My first Educational Chat was quite an experience. I participated in the #ELLCHAT, which took place on April 30, 2012. The topic was on getting English Language Learners to think critically. There was a lot of discussion on Bloom's Taxonomy and how asking higher order thinking questions is key to getting ELLs to think critically. The chat was very slow paced compared to other chats that I have heard other people participate in. Often times, I would try to contribute to the conversation, however, with very little experience on teaching ELLs, I found it difficult. There were many experts joining in on the conversation and they were helpful in giving us beginners, such as myself, strategies to utilize in the classroom. Overall, I believe the educational chats are beneficial in so many ways. I find myself utilizing this helpful tool more often to assist me in the classroom.

Teaching Credential: Hope for the Future

I am excited to announce that I have already applied for my credential. I am extremely excited to start on the job hunt. I am looking forward to that first day of school when I have my own classroom. Having conversations with the teachers I have met so far just makes me even more excited to see what the future has in store for me. One of my cooperating teachers gave me words of wisdom about the teaching profession that just resonated with me, which I know most have probably heard before. She said, "Teaching is a craft." Immediately, I thought of craft as in craft in arts. I can see why teaching is like art, however, it did not connect with me. Not knowing what she meant by this, I searched  the phrase using Google and came across one teacher's website that could not have explained it any better. The "craft" metaphor likens teaching to a potter working at the wheel with clay. Through the master craftsman's sense of "feel," the potter knows whether to add more water or clay, precisely when the object is nearing completion and what additional work is yet required, or whether to recognize that this particular object is a failure and that it's time to start over. This metaphor also likens teaching to a chef de cuisine, a person who is able to transform ordinary groceries and kitchen staples into a feast. Gazing upon the ingredients, a chef de cuisine organizes a menu, works with the groceries and kitchen staples, and—in what appears to be a seamless transition from raw materials to six-courses—presents a feast that is as dazzling for the eye to behold as it is for the palate to savor. Not to be overlooked, however, is how in the middle of the process a chef de cuisine oftentimes will make subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle adjustments to the ingredients as environmental conditions intervene and threaten to turn one's first course, entree, or dessert into a disaster. Like these craftsmen, good teachers also have a "feel" about what they need to do if they are to translate their pedagogical intentions and plans into positive learning outcomes. The basic problem student teachers encounter, however, is that good teachers—like master craftsmen—have the "feel" down cold and are able to anticipate where matters are headed before they conspire to destroy one's work. Good teachers attend to cues in the classroom environment. For example, if a lesson is progressing well, good teachers continue along the pathway charted. But, when good teachers intuit that something in the classroom environment has the potential to derail instruction and learning, these teachers adjust accordingly so as to keep instruction and learning securely on track. My teaching craft is a working progress. It needs plenty of more work. The more experience I will gain with teaching, the more things I am able to add to my craft.

Last Semester in the Program

Just a little over a month left in the program and I am excited to see where my credential will take me. I had thoughts of teaching out of state considering how difficult it might be to look for a job here in Southern California. One of the teachers at Valley High School gave me useful advice on the job hunt. This teacher told me to find a job within the district in which I went to school. Word has it that people have more luck finding a job where they went to school. The Oceanside Unified School District will be my starting point and then I will eventually expand to other local school districts. It would be such an honor and privilege to end up teaching at El Camino High School, which is the high school that I graduated from. It would be exciting to meet up with all the amazing teachers that I have had in the past and who have been an inspiration to me. I guess it all depends what the future holds as many would say.

Life During the Program

During one of the orientations to the credential program, I remember one of the coordinatorscommenting on how "rigorous" the single subject program will be. I took this comment lightly because I felt I was already prepared of what was yet to come. I thought long and hard about the determination and motivation it took to get my degrees. So, I thought the program can't possibly be as bad. During the first week of introductions, one of my professors gave us an assignment in which we were given a template to schedule our daily routines. We had to schedule for study time, family time and personal time. Again, I did not think the program could be as bad. I truly was optimistic during the first few weeks of course work. As I got into the groove of things, I discovered what "rigorous" mean.When I look back to that day in September to the time now, I think about the sacrifices I had to make to get me to this point. Many people who were in the program last semester did not make it to this semester and I have even witnessed some in tears due to the strain that the program has placed on their families. My family has even mentioned to me that they hardly see me anymore and that I am always studying. Of course, they took it personal and sometimes I would not even have time to even explain to them why. I do not even have time to do the things I am use to doing such as read the newspaper or enjoy reading a good book. This semester is much more different. I am trying not to work as hard and I have made effort to be with my family as much as I can. The end of the program is near and part of my success I definitely owe to my family. They have been caring, supportive and understanding throughout this process and they are the reason why I made it this far with the program.

TPA: Teacher Performance Assessment

Completing the last task of the TPA was such a relief for me and I am sure it was for others as well. Throughout the program, the TPA was definitely a challenge for me. It was something that I dreaded each time the due dates were approaching because it was extremely lengthy, detailed and repetitive. Each TPA that I have submitted numbered to almost forty seven pages. In sum, for the TPA alone, I have written over two hundred pages of responses. I am sure others have written that much, possibly more, as well. I have mixed feelings about the TPA. Although the work was excruciating at times, the TPA definitely helped me with differentiation strategies and also allowed me to think more critically on how to plan instruction for a class with different types of learning needs. The repetition of the TPA taught me how important and crucial detail is and I am just so relieved that the TPAs are over and done with.

Professional Learning Committee

My first experience with a Professional Learning Committee meeting took place at Oceanside High School. Every Monday at 7:00am the teachers meet up with their departments and discuss the progress of each teacher’s class as well as discuss goals. From time to time, the assistant principal or the principal will visit these meetings and offer assistance if need be. The Professional Learning Committee meetings at Valley High School occur every first Thursday of the month during first period, which lasts for 53 minutes. The students do not come to school until second period. All the teachers meet in the lounge and review a list of students who either deserve or does not deserve the opportunity to stay at Valley High School as a fifth year student. The meeting is facilitated by the principal who calls out each name from a list and each Connections teacher either says “yes” for the student to resume as a student at Valley High School or “no” for the student to continue their education at adult education. The Connections teachers of course have to give reason behind their decision and sometimes there would be debates coming from different teachers who have had the student.  These experiences that I have gained from both high schools gave me insight as to how the professional learning committees are facilitated. I am looking forward to the meetings that I will encounter in the near future as I begin my career as an English teacher.

Clinical Practice II

This semester I am completing my Clinical Practice II at Valley High School, which is located in Escondido. I have had the amazing opportunity of meeting the staff as well as the students. I am teaching two periods of English 9 and one period of English 11. The students at Valley High School come to school with different circumstances. Some are behind in credits while others deal with other issues such as drug abuse, teen pregnancy and such. Some may think that teaching at this high school is quite the challenge considering the student circumstances; however, I feel that the students here at Valley High School have the same rights to education just as any other students would have in any other high school. Just because the students come from different backgrounds and circumstances does not mean that they should be taught a certain way. As time is coming to an end for the school year as well as the program, I realize how important the role of the teacher is in the classroom. The choices teachers make in the classroom are contagious because they can either make or break the learning experience of the students. The time the students are in their seats to the time that they leave the classroom is the most important time that teachers are responsible for. Every minute to every hour and every second to every minute is definitely time for learning, more so, time allotted for teachers to make a change.

Coaching Volleyball at Valley High School

I am really excited to announce that I am currently coaching a high school sport, a sport that I absolutely love and enjoy playing, which is the game of volleyball. I played volleyball ever since I was in the third grade and continued to play throughout my middle and high school career. Being a coach for the sport is quite an experience. I have been coaching for almost a month and the students are progressing really well. Of course, I was extremely nervous the first day of coaching just as I was with teaching my first English class at Oceanside High School. I found it necessary to take what I learned so far in the teaching credential program and apply what I have learned to coaching. After all, coaching is teaching. For the first day, I wanted to observe what my student athletes knew about the game, so I instructed them to play right off the bat with no rules. Based on skill level, I had a number of beginners and a few early intermediate players. From that point, I determined what I wanted students to learn and thought of my game plan in regards to coaching.  Observing what the students knew was my first assessment. From that first assessment, I determined that my student athletes need to not only work on skills of the game of volleyball, but also understand how the game of volleyball is played as is the case with all sports.  Since this is my first time coaching a sport, I have a lot of things to learn about being a coach. The more experience I will gain, the more better I will become as I add to my craft. This goes the same with teaching.

Coaching or Teaching is like riding a bike:

Imagine you want to learn how to ride a bike.

If you are terrified of cycling, you may need a THERAPIST to help you discover all the blocks and traumas from your past that have kept you from riding.
If you lack knowledge of cycling, you may need a CONSULTANT to provide technical information about bicycles, their features, how to use them, and maybe even how to be “ergonomically correct” when you ride a bicycle.
If you don’t know how to ride a bike, a MENTOR will actually climb on the bike right in front of you and show you how to ride it.
But if you are drawn to cycling and ready to ride, a COACH/TEACHER will stand by you as you get on the bicycle, help keep you steady as you discover your balance, cheer you on, give you a little push from behind when you need it, run along beside you with encouragement, and then let go so you can do it on your own!

Movie Review: The Children of Life

           The Children of Life is a documentary about a fourth grade teacher from Tokyo who teaches his students about the importance of life. The students document their true inner feelings through writing a letter, which is then read aloud in front of the class. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates. Mr. Kanamori states that good teaching should relate to student lives. One of the students wrote about losing her father, which was something she thought she would never be able to do. Writing about her father and reading it aloud gave her a different perspective on life, which allowed her to become more comfortable with expressing her feelings. Taking the feelings that were once bottled up inside and talking about it has made her become more content with her life. The next week or so, the student brought in the last piece of artwork that her father drew before his passing, which was difficult for her family to look at. There was another student whose father had passed away and Mr. Kanamori instructed that the students welcome him and make him as comfortable as possible when he returns to school. When the student returned to school, he was gratefulfor his classmates as they welcomed him. The students also wanted to write to the student's deceased father to explain to him that his son is in good care. Mr. Kanamori definitely made an impact on his students and they cried as the last day of fourth grade came to an end.
            Watching this documentary made me think of think of the impact that I would like to make on my students. I truly believe that students learn more if things are applied to their everyday lives.  I observed a teacher at Valley High School who does a phenomenal job with relating content to student lives. I noticed that the students are always attentive and also engaged during class. Through the program, we were taught to relate content in such a way in which students are relating concepts through text to text, text to self and text to world. For the class that I am currently teaching, I am working on relating concepts to student lives. The more meaningful a concept becomes to a student, the more that they learn.

Visit to El Camino High School

My visit to El Camino High School was a great experience. I had the opportunity to see how technology is being utilized in the Math Department. Upon entering the classroom, one would instantly notice the sea of iPads on the student desks. The students are accustomed to a classroom routine where they log on to their iPads and complete their bell work task, which usually is a Math multiple-choice problem. After the students completed the bell work task, they completed practice questions to help them prepare for the CAHSEE. As I roamed the classroom, the students were engaged and adamant about completing their tasks. I asked some students whether or not they learn best from the iPad and the response that I received was obvious. The students definitely enjoy the hands-on learning experience that the iPad provides. One of the main reasons why the students enjoy the iPad is that they can easily search for information themselves rather than wait for the teacher to help them who may be helping another student. There is also an application on the iPad that allows students to save their notes and work. They can either take a picture of their notes or even type in their notes using this app. The teacher even enjoys using the iPads in the classroom because there is a program that he uses which allows him to monitor student answers to problems. The program gives a breakdown of which students have mastered the content and which students still need help. The teacher can also work through a problem using an iPad, which can be projected on a screen for students to see which I thought was quite unique. I am an alumnus from El Camino High School and just was amazed at how learning has changed with using technology. I remember my Math classroom and wish that I were fortunate enough as much as these students are. As a teacher, it is important to understand how to meet the needs of the 21^st century learner, which is through technology.

Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns

Chapter 1: Why Schools Struggle to Teach Differently when each Student Learns Differently

1. Explain the difference between interdependence and modularity. How is education currently organized?

Interdependence: The characteristics of the way they fit together (the interface) cannot be predicted. In this case, an organization "must develop both of the components if it hopes to develop either component" (p. 29).
The architecture of the interface is proprietary because any other organization making this product will choose its own best-way of making it. Since it has to make both components anyway, one organization isn't interested in what another organization's components are like, or how they fit together.

Modularity: Specifies the fit and function of all elements so completely that it does not matter who makes the components or subsystems as long as they meet the defined specifications.

Education is organized with four types of interdependencies:

Temporal: You can't student this in ninth grade if you didn't cover that in seventh.

Lateral: You can't teach foreign languages in other more efficient ways because you'd have to change the way English grammar is taught; and changing the way grammar is taught would mandate changes elsewhere in the English curriculum.

Physical: There is strong evidence, for example, that project-based learning is a highly motivating way for many students to synthesize what they are learning as well as to identify gaps in their knowledge that need to be filled. But many schools can't adopt widespread project-based learning because the layout of their buildings simply can't accommodate it.

Hierarchical: Ranges from well-intentioned mandates, which are often contradictory, from local, state, and federal policymakers that influence what happens in schools to union-negotiated work rules that become ensconced in contracts and policies at state and local levels.

Chapter 2: Making the Shift: Schools meet Society’s need

2. Explain the disruptive innovation theory. What does this have to do with schools?

Disruptive Innovation Theory: Explains why organizations struggle with certain kinds of innovation and how organizations can predictably succeed in innovation. Disruptive innovation take root in simple, undemanding applications in what is a new plane of competition where the very definition of what constitutes quality is different from what quality and improvement meant in the back plane. The impact of this change in the definition of quality is that the disruptive products is the new plane are not attractive to the customers of products in the original plane. They don't want and can't use them. Because companies need to meet the needs of their customers, the companies that made the products in the original plane of competition have a difficult time engaging simultaneously in the new, disruptive plane as well.

"With education, the question becomes how to apply disruption as a positive force, propagating new ideas that are relatively simple to adopt and that offer an inviting, student-centric alternative to the often tradition-bound processes of many school systemsWith education, the question becomes how to apply disruption as a positive force, propagating new ideas that are relatively simply to adopt and that offer an inviting, student-centric alternative to the often tradition-bound processes of many school systems."

With education, the question becomes how to apply disruption as a positive force, propagating new ideas that are relatively simple to adopt and that offer an inviting, student-centric alternative to the often tradition-bound processes of many school systemsWith education, the question becomes how to apply disruption as a positive force, propagating new ideas that are relatively simple to adopt and that offer an inviting, student-centric alternative to the often tradition-bound processes of many school systemsWith education, the question becomes how to apply disruption as a positive force, propagating new ideas that are relatively simple to adopt and that offer an inviting, student-centric alternative to the often tradition-bound processes of many school systemsWith education, the question becomes how to apply disruption as a positive force, propagating new ideas that are relatively simple to adopt and that offer an inviting, student-centric alternative to the often tradition-bound processes of many school systems

Right now, schools do not seem fully prepared to exploit opportunities around disruptive innovation. Schools, like businesses, tend to stick to customary practices, even if it means beChapter 3: Crammed Classroom Computers

3. Why doesn’t cramming computers in schools work? Explain this in terms of the lessons from Rachmaninoff (what does it mean to compete against nonconsumption?)

Cramming computers in schools does not work because it will "never allow schools to migrate to a student-centric classroom. If change were to occur, Christensen states, there will be "no teachers to teach, then computer-based learning will, step by step, disrupt the instructional job that teachers are doing in a positive way, but helping students learn in ways that their brains are wired to learn and by allowing teachers to give students much more individual attention."

The Rachmaninoff recordings are successful if it does not compete directly with the live musician. Relating this to schools, cramming computers are successful if it does not compete directly with the teacher.


Chapter 4: Disruptively Deploying Computers

4. Explain the pattern of disruption

Disruptions fist compete against nonconsumption in a new "plane of competition." In that plane, the technology improves, and the underlying cost declines. The technology begins drawing applications from the original plane of competition into the new one.

5. Explain monolithic instruction. How does student-centric learning help this problem?

Monolithic Instruction is standardized or a "one size fits all" type education with no customization to tailor to the needs of students and their learning abilities. On the other hand, student-centric learning is when education is customized to fit the needs of all students with different types of learning abilities.

Chapter 5: The System for Student Centric Learning

6. Explain Public Education's Commercial System. What does it mean to say it is a value-chain business? How does this effect student centric learning?

Public Education's Commercial System

                1. Subject matter experts create textbooks and other instructional tools, which codify the concepts to be taught and the methods used for teaching them.

                2. Curriculum experts at the state and local levels then make decisions about which textbooks to adopt.

                3. Teachers deliver the content to the students

                4. Students are assessed based on what they were taught

The Public Education's Commercial System is a value-chain business in that the value added is linked to the process with the main functional parts. In time, student centric learning "will move mainstream when users and teachers start piecing together enough tool module to create entire courses designed for each type of learner."

Learning Media in New Environments

Dr. Wesch's culture shock experience in Papua New Guinea for the first time made me think of the first time I stepped foot in my homeland Samoa. Like Papua New Guinea, not much emphasis was placed on the media in Samoa at the time that I visited, which was in the year 1998. I have visited Samoa a few times since then and just was amazed at how things have changed drastically, but for the better. At the time when I thought Samoa was outdated in terms of the media, I can now say that they much rather are updated. As a result of the influence of the media, the infrastructure of Samoa has totally changed as well. Indeed, I believe some people struggle with the change, however, as Dr. Wesch puts it, the change serves as a vehicle for the development of a new future.Thinking about the positive changes the media contributes to a society made me think of how our world will look like one hundred, even thousands, of years from now. As a person, the message of the video made me think of my position as the "visitor" in the web world. I see the Internet as a tool, something there to fit my needs, however, I am slowly, but surely, realizing that it's not just a "tool" but "mediates relationships". I am making gradual changes to becoming a "resident". As an educator, the message of the video resonated with me in so many ways in terms of meeting the learning demands of my 21st Century Learners. "We need people to be more open, caring, daring , creative, collaborative, self-motivated and vivacious as learners." Educators are life long learners. In order to understand our students and deliver the knowledge they need, we must avoid the "authority figure" persona and promote collaboration. As a leader, collaboration determines how great of a leader you are. We as educators need to promote learning in a way that students become "knowledge-able rather than knowledgeable."

Welcome to Miss Leniu's CSUSM EDU Blog!

Hello Everyone,


My name is Lauren. I am currently on my last semester at California State University San Marcos. I received my B.A. in Literature and Writing Studies at CSUSM in 2008 and returned to the College of Education to obtain my teaching credential. It has been a long journey and I am extremely excited for my career in education as an English teacher.