Modern Dance Recital

I recently attended my older sister's modern dance recital at Winona State University. I really enjoyed it. Because I consider myself an artist I enjoy other works of art and this was really one. Many of the pieces had interesting themes that came out subtly and really made me think about what they were trying to show. Some of the performances though went right over my head. The ones I understood were very interesting and not only cool to watch but really made me think about a message or story the coreographer is trying to share. I think it would be very cool to try and go to more things like this in the future.

Elixer of Love

I recently attended the opera performance, Elixer of Love. The performers did an incredible job of keeping true to operatic form but I was not as bored as I usually am so they also did a good job of keeping it interesting. I can only imagine how much work it would take to put a production of that size together. My favorite part about it was the story line. It was a very clever Shakespeare like story with love, decit, and humor. Every character in the story had their certain part and all of the acters did so well portraying that. I think it would be very fun to partake in an event such as an opera and hopefully I will have the chance sometime.

Islam

This week for my personal learning goal I spent time learning about Islam. I read that portion of the book: Idiot's Guide to World Religions. I found it very interesting and realized that there was actually a lot I didn't know about the religion. I found many parallels with Christianity that I did not know existed. I also am now more able to understand the way their culture works and possible reasons for their fundamentalist groups. This really opened my eyes to the religion, people, and culture of Islam and I am now encouraged to explore more world religions to try and understand our world and the people in it better.

Healthier Sleep Patterns

My personal learning goal for this week in response to chapter 9 was to try to adjust myself to healthier sleeping patterns. My objectives for this were to cut back on caffeine, go to bed earlier, and to not waste time in the mornings by sleeping in. The methods I used to achieve this goal were: avoid going to C-Store to avoid temptation of buying energy drinks, hence hopefully the lack of caffeine will let me fall asleep earlier, and to set multiple alarms in the morning to make sure I get up. I measured my success by realizing that I was more tired more often, although I did accomplish more throughout my week. My attitude has changed in that I think caffeine helps me however too much leads to poor sleep patterns. This directly relates to chapter 9 because it is a good example of self-regulated learning. I set up a Winne and Hadwin 4 phase model. I also realized how my environment affects my sleep patterns and what I can do to help regulate them which is an example of social cognition.

Ethnic Arts Festival

I attended the Ethnic Arts Festival at Luther College. I found it very interesting. there were many booths set up on different countries with people who had either visited there or lived there. As I walked the hallways looking at different stations it was interesting to see so many different cultures juxtaposed. One booth I found particularly interesting was the South Africa Booth. I talked to someone who traveled there with a class over January and learned all about the Apartide. He told me about it and about what he saw on his travels. I also stopped for a while at the Brazil booth because I know someone who lived in Brazil for a year and I like to hear about other peoples' experiences there. I think the Ethnic Arts Festival is a great event at Luther. It lets many people tell about their cultural experiences and many more people learn about different cultures. When I was there it was not very busy and I think a lot of people missed out on this great opportunity.

Vagina Monologues

I attended the Vagina Monologues at Luther College. I think what they were raising money for is a great thing. All of the proceeds go to a battered women's shelter. There were many mixed messages throughout the show. Some of the monologues were very sad about women who were abused and some were about funny things. This was a nice contrast however I wasn't sure what to think about some the message of the show with so much variety. There was one monologue about a girl who was seduced and molested by a lesbian when she was a child, but the story was told in a funny and charming way which I thought was horribly not tasteful. There was also a monologue about how short skirts are not to show off sexy legs, which I found self-righteous and hypocritical. Most of the stories were charming and entertaining but I thought a few were unnecessary.

Does the internet and technology offer promise and hope for education and learning or does it just create additional problems?

I think that in many situations technology can make things easier for everyone. Teachers using it for grades, communication, and getting information off of the Internet are all productive things, but I have been in a classroom where the teacher could not get something to work and wasted time trying to figure it out. I have however been in more situations where a teacher has effectively used technology to increase learning and create a change of environment for the students. I believe technology should be used in classrooms of all sorts to advance learning. I find when problems happen it is because the teacher attempting to use it is not knowledgeable in what they are trying to do, so I find the fault not in technology but instead the user. A good solution to this is to require teachers to be more educated in technology when achieving a degree and have workshops for them so less class time will be wasted fiddling with gadgets instead of learning.

Controversial Issue: NCLB

I know that No Child Left Behind is a topic most people know about and it may be cliche to write about it now, but i do feel strongly about it. I didn't really know much about it until someone I knew told me they might loose their job and when I asked why I found out the school's budget was tight because they did not meet certain standards. I was confused why a school with below average students would be cutting teachers and I found out it was because of NCLB. I understand the basis of rewarding schools who meet standards and putting pressure on those that don't. But as it seems to me a school with lower scores should have more or better teachers, both of which cost more money. I also think that because it is so vital for a school to meet standards the teachers must teach to the test. This takes away opportunities for new and creative learning sessions and will lead a check list of topics. I'm sure this list would include very important things, most of which are probably already being taught in the classroom in which they are required, but leaves teachers feeling hindered in their freedom of lesson plans and more crunched on time. I think the idea of NCLB is great and I think it is important that the government set standards for students to meet. and NCLB is a step in that direction, but I believe it unfortunately leaves more students behind.

BSU Talent Show

I recently went to the BSU Talent Show in the Center for Faith and Life on Luther College Campus. All of the proceeds went to Save Darfur which is a organization relieving the victims and refugees of genocide in Sudan. I thought it was a great event with a great cause. There were many talented musicians and dancers who performed at it. Between each act a Darfur fact would be read about the happenings in Africa. Although these were somewhat depressing compared to the rest of the atmosphere I found it interesting and it created awareness which is what the event was really about. In the middle they showed a video about the genocide which showed some refugees and how difficult life was for them. Overall I thought it was a great event with a great purpose.

Why do we teach? What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning"? What makes for good teaching?

One of the simplest reason for why we teach is becasue someone has to educate our future generations. But I think that is the main reason for very few people. We teach because we care about the well being and the future of the students and we enjoy learning and exploring our subject area with other people. I know why I specifically want to teach. My teachers in high school were such a big influence on me that I want to positively impact students as well. Also I really love music and I want to make music for the rest of my life, and share my passion with others.

The point of education is "learning". If students aren't learning then the teacher is not doing their job. In order to learn students have to "work". Class work, coming to class, and even thinking about the topic can all be considered work towards learning. These should not be busy work that is no fun for anyone and is done just to get a grade, but something that the students can relate to and take something away from, that they will remember. Too much work can be overbearing and take interest and enjoyment out of learning.

Good teaching is accomplished when the students learn the information and retain it. This is most effectively accomplished by intriguing the students so they are truly interested and are more guaranteed to remember the information. If students don't like a topic or teacher, but remember everything from the class learning has still taken place but no one truly wants that. It is not enjoyable and much more difficult for everyone. If a student doesn't care they will not be involved and it is much more difficult for learning to happen. By being friendly and open, and making the subject important to the student it is much easier for them to be involved and easier for everyone to learn.

What is it that we are attempting to accomplish through teaching? / What makes for a good teacher?

I decided to become a teacher when I was in high school. I was fortunate enough to have some really incredible and influential teachers. I saw how they were impacting my life and the lives of my peers. I think that when I am a teacher, what I want to accoplish is exactly what my teachers did for me. To impact students lives by being able to share my passion for music with them. I hope that when students leave my band program they will have a heightened knowledge and appreciation for music of all kinds.

A good teacher is someone who can connect to the students. It is very hard to learn from someone who you do not respect or like. A teacher must be able to inspire interest in the topic they are teaching by being able to relate it to the life of the student. He or she must be very knowledgeable about their topic and able to answer or have the resources to answer questions of students. A good teahcer is someone who the students look up to for friendship, knowledge, and inspiration.