https://shuswiki.wikispaces.com/
Using Wikispaces was relatively easy. The site had a lot of support and guidance when it came to creating the wiki itself.
As far as comparing the two sites, Wikispaces and Google Sites, there is really no difference. Google is user friendly and much easier to use. However, Wikispaces, I felt, had a lot more options like tabs you could place certain things under like "projects" or "navigation options." This site would allow the user to be a little more organized.
Creating wikis, between both of these websites, has become relatively easy. It's an interesting tool that can be used for personal use as well as use in a class room. Between both these sites, I feel Google would be the best to use when teaching students. It's extremely user friendly and if I had students working together to create this wiki, it would be easier to teach than wikispaces. Although there's still more to learn about wikis, I believe it could be a useful tool.
12 February 2012
02 February 2012
Eng 110C ASSIGNMENT #2
Needs Analysis
As far as the observation and paper, I don't really have any questions. I've done an observation before at Sac State's ELI center and I believe this would be an excellent place to do another observation. ELI is based on preparing students to have a feasible knowledge of the English language as well as prepare them to use it in an academic setting. Students are from various countries, so the population is diverse. Next week, I plan on contacting the ELI center on how to acquire a time to come and observe a course. After my last classroom evaluation, I was really encouraged to continue to pursue a career in teaching ESL. I have no doubts this project will be encouraging, as well.
As far as the observation and paper, I don't really have any questions. I've done an observation before at Sac State's ELI center and I believe this would be an excellent place to do another observation. ELI is based on preparing students to have a feasible knowledge of the English language as well as prepare them to use it in an academic setting. Students are from various countries, so the population is diverse. Next week, I plan on contacting the ELI center on how to acquire a time to come and observe a course. After my last classroom evaluation, I was really encouraged to continue to pursue a career in teaching ESL. I have no doubts this project will be encouraging, as well.
29 January 2012
Eng 110C ASSIGNMENT #1
Conditions for Optimal Language Learning Environments
When I think about these conditions, I think back to when I was learning Spanish in high school, and even my experience afterwards. Although I took 4 years of Spanish in high school and I knew quite a bit about the language, I feel my advancement came from my job. I was working at a grocery store, at customer service, and I had the opportunity to exercise my second language in this environment. At first, it was very difficult for me to understand a customer who only spoke Spanish; I would ask the customer to repeat what they just said and repeat it slower multiple times before I understood to what they were referring. This reminds me of the first condition, “Learners have opportunities to interact and negotiate meaning.” Between each customer and me, we were able to negotiate and come to a basic understanding. Along with condition 1, condition 2 and 3 are also relevant to my situation. Condition 2 speaks of an authentic audience in “purposeful interaction” and condition 3 speaks of “authentic tasks.” Often times I was the only one at the store who knew any Spanish, I’d be called upon to assist the customers. Not only was it my job to assist them (this being the authentic task of condition 3), it was also a situation that presented an authentic audience (that of condition 2). Eventually, my knowledge of the language grew because I was able to do this quite often at my workplace.
I believe with the technology available to us today, we would definitely be able to support a majority of these conditions. From blogs or chat rooms, where written forms of the second language could be exercised, to technologies like Skype, where you could actually talk with someone of either authentic audience or another student trying to learn the same language. These two tools alone would be able to support all three conditions spoken of in the above paragraph (conditions 1-3). These would provide opportunities as well as authentic tasks and audiences. Perhaps more in areas where the written forms could be evaluated, conditions 5 could be employed. Teachers would be able to analyze a student’s writing and give feedback on their written work. However, there are always two sides two to everything. The sub-optimal learning environment involving technology outside of a classroom, would be lack of control. A teacher couldn’t control how much time or effort a student put into their work on a blog or in a chat room, or even Skyping. All in all, even with that lack of control, technology, especially today, has more advantages than disadvantages and can be a powerful tool in the classroom.
When I think about these conditions, I think back to when I was learning Spanish in high school, and even my experience afterwards. Although I took 4 years of Spanish in high school and I knew quite a bit about the language, I feel my advancement came from my job. I was working at a grocery store, at customer service, and I had the opportunity to exercise my second language in this environment. At first, it was very difficult for me to understand a customer who only spoke Spanish; I would ask the customer to repeat what they just said and repeat it slower multiple times before I understood to what they were referring. This reminds me of the first condition, “Learners have opportunities to interact and negotiate meaning.” Between each customer and me, we were able to negotiate and come to a basic understanding. Along with condition 1, condition 2 and 3 are also relevant to my situation. Condition 2 speaks of an authentic audience in “purposeful interaction” and condition 3 speaks of “authentic tasks.” Often times I was the only one at the store who knew any Spanish, I’d be called upon to assist the customers. Not only was it my job to assist them (this being the authentic task of condition 3), it was also a situation that presented an authentic audience (that of condition 2). Eventually, my knowledge of the language grew because I was able to do this quite often at my workplace.
I believe with the technology available to us today, we would definitely be able to support a majority of these conditions. From blogs or chat rooms, where written forms of the second language could be exercised, to technologies like Skype, where you could actually talk with someone of either authentic audience or another student trying to learn the same language. These two tools alone would be able to support all three conditions spoken of in the above paragraph (conditions 1-3). These would provide opportunities as well as authentic tasks and audiences. Perhaps more in areas where the written forms could be evaluated, conditions 5 could be employed. Teachers would be able to analyze a student’s writing and give feedback on their written work. However, there are always two sides two to everything. The sub-optimal learning environment involving technology outside of a classroom, would be lack of control. A teacher couldn’t control how much time or effort a student put into their work on a blog or in a chat room, or even Skyping. All in all, even with that lack of control, technology, especially today, has more advantages than disadvantages and can be a powerful tool in the classroom.
ENG 110C Spring 2012 First Blog!
Dear classmates,
Welcome to my very own blog. I've had this blog for a few years now. This particular blog site was fairly easy to learn to navigate through. I believe that teaching students to use this blog wouldn't be difficult at all because it's self explanatory. Also, it's Google, which is extremely user friendly.
I haven't written in my blog for a while, but you're free to explore it should you choose. Here's to a great semester!
Tara
Welcome to my very own blog. I've had this blog for a few years now. This particular blog site was fairly easy to learn to navigate through. I believe that teaching students to use this blog wouldn't be difficult at all because it's self explanatory. Also, it's Google, which is extremely user friendly.
I haven't written in my blog for a while, but you're free to explore it should you choose. Here's to a great semester!
Tara
22 June 2011
Mouth and Heart
The same call to follow Christ is also the same call to run and tell the world of His grace. It's one in the same. Throughout the Gospels we see that Christ is adamant and compassion-compelled to save a dying world and urges us to be imitators of Him. Of course, this can be done in many ways; get on a plane to India and set up a ministry, support a missionary, stuff like that. And just how grand those deeds are too!
But sometimes I feel like being a missionary is like making a professional sports team. I don't have the skills or funds to do those kinds of things. I'm just stuck here at home, going to school, and working my part time job. It's taken me a long time to learn that fulfilling the Great Commission to go and tell can be done right here where I stand, right there where you stand. You don't have to be a missionary to tell the world about Christ. You can be a courtesy clerk, a state worker, a student, you can be you and right there live out your faith by your actions. That's pretty intense! And it makes me exam my actions like maybe doing this or saying those kinds of things aren't the best testimony to my Holy God. Psalm 141:3-4 is the cry of a man who is surrounded by people who wish his worse, yet this man is asking that God guard his mouth and protect his heart from evil that when he is presented in front of his enemies, he may be a testimony to a God crushes evil and holds up the righteous. Of course, I'm not talking about crushing evil people, but I am talking about guarding my mouth and my heart that I may glorify my God with my actions and words. Christians need to be so severe in this aspect, especially here in America where so many people have been burned by hypocrites. Let me take this step today that my life may be a faithful testimony to Him who saves me from myself.
"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies." Psalm 141:3-4
But sometimes I feel like being a missionary is like making a professional sports team. I don't have the skills or funds to do those kinds of things. I'm just stuck here at home, going to school, and working my part time job. It's taken me a long time to learn that fulfilling the Great Commission to go and tell can be done right here where I stand, right there where you stand. You don't have to be a missionary to tell the world about Christ. You can be a courtesy clerk, a state worker, a student, you can be you and right there live out your faith by your actions. That's pretty intense! And it makes me exam my actions like maybe doing this or saying those kinds of things aren't the best testimony to my Holy God. Psalm 141:3-4 is the cry of a man who is surrounded by people who wish his worse, yet this man is asking that God guard his mouth and protect his heart from evil that when he is presented in front of his enemies, he may be a testimony to a God crushes evil and holds up the righteous. Of course, I'm not talking about crushing evil people, but I am talking about guarding my mouth and my heart that I may glorify my God with my actions and words. Christians need to be so severe in this aspect, especially here in America where so many people have been burned by hypocrites. Let me take this step today that my life may be a faithful testimony to Him who saves me from myself.
"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies." Psalm 141:3-4
01 June 2011
The Steps I Take
My higher education journey has been slightly more than interesting since the start. Attended a university for a year and a half, took off a year and a half to do my thing in the Reserves, go back to school at a snails pace, got denied entry from Sac State two years in a row, and finally got in all by the grace of the Lord (literally though). One semester down and 3ish to go, I'm pumped. Now, if only my job situation would just remain consistent, I'd be able to hammer out a degree in no time flat. If only...
A time or too last semester I was faced with my constant being at a state of compromise, it of course worked out in lieu of a few breakdowns and such, and God is sovereign, as usual. Of course, I stand at that precipice again for the billionth time facing the possibility of barely getting by funding-wise. My first reaction longs to be to scream "ARE YOU KIDDING?!" or something of that sort, to call a friend and whine to them, and to stress out. Which do you want me to do God? Go to school? Well, if you'd like that to happen then I need a constant job, ok? My flesh longs to react this way. Because in reality,in my own mind, I have only two options: 1) Work part time and finish school or 2) Work full time and never finish school. This would definitely be my first reaction a year ago, and perhaps six months ago.
But a second and more powerful instinct has kicked in, saying, "Hey there, your daily bread is all you need." Isn't that why the Christ has told us not to worry, because He knows that God will take care of things? Yeah, for sure it is. But do I really want to trust that now? When I have the option of taking care of it myself, taking it in my own hands and handling it? I think that this time I do. I deeply desire to step back and let go. I've let go of a lot of things in my life, why not this? Not to be confused with giving up, but letting go control and giving it up to the one who has the reigns in the first place.
My flesh desires to take action now and freak out and do all of the sort. It's what I've been doing my whole life, though that hasn't always yielded the best results. But this time, I've chosen to let my spirit be soothed by the Holy Ghost, who was always there and is always there and will always be there, and He is reminding me that my future was never in my hands and never will be. The Word says to keep in step with the Spirit. It has taken me years to learn to do this and still isn't my first or second instinct, though I desire it to be. So keeping in step today, at this moment, let my daily bread be all I need, whilst I put my trust in my Father, and my Father takes care of the rest.
A time or too last semester I was faced with my constant being at a state of compromise, it of course worked out in lieu of a few breakdowns and such, and God is sovereign, as usual. Of course, I stand at that precipice again for the billionth time facing the possibility of barely getting by funding-wise. My first reaction longs to be to scream "ARE YOU KIDDING?!" or something of that sort, to call a friend and whine to them, and to stress out. Which do you want me to do God? Go to school? Well, if you'd like that to happen then I need a constant job, ok? My flesh longs to react this way. Because in reality,in my own mind, I have only two options: 1) Work part time and finish school or 2) Work full time and never finish school. This would definitely be my first reaction a year ago, and perhaps six months ago.
But a second and more powerful instinct has kicked in, saying, "Hey there, your daily bread is all you need." Isn't that why the Christ has told us not to worry, because He knows that God will take care of things? Yeah, for sure it is. But do I really want to trust that now? When I have the option of taking care of it myself, taking it in my own hands and handling it? I think that this time I do. I deeply desire to step back and let go. I've let go of a lot of things in my life, why not this? Not to be confused with giving up, but letting go control and giving it up to the one who has the reigns in the first place.
My flesh desires to take action now and freak out and do all of the sort. It's what I've been doing my whole life, though that hasn't always yielded the best results. But this time, I've chosen to let my spirit be soothed by the Holy Ghost, who was always there and is always there and will always be there, and He is reminding me that my future was never in my hands and never will be. The Word says to keep in step with the Spirit. It has taken me years to learn to do this and still isn't my first or second instinct, though I desire it to be. So keeping in step today, at this moment, let my daily bread be all I need, whilst I put my trust in my Father, and my Father takes care of the rest.
04 April 2011
Easter Eggs
I work with kids who have autism and one of my kids goes to a christian preschool. Today the teacher was speaking to the class about Easter. She asked the kids why Easter was so important. One kid shot his hand in the air, "Because we get candy and presents from the Easter bunny!" Cringe. The teacher tried another willing child, "We get chocolate and hunt for eggs!" Not quite, she said.
She called upon a few more kids in hopes to get a better answer. While doing this she was drawing a cross on the white board. As for myself, I was desperate to hear a kid give the write answer. This was a christian school after all! These kids have to know at least the basics, right?
When she got through a few more ridiculous answers and finished writing Jesus on the white board, she asked what her drawing was. The kids answered "The Cross." And who died on the cross? she asked. Jesus! Right, so why is Easter important? she probed again. Nothing. The kids didn't get it and my heart was freaking broke. What are these parents doing if they can't even teach their kids about the basics of Easter? What is that school doing?
Easter is not about chocolate and easter eggs. It's about an impossible being made possible because of the love and justice of God coming to rest on his creation. Jesus died for you and me so we could know our Creator. So that we no longer needed to run the exhausting race of being good on our own and trying to fulfill that hole in our hearts that is insatiable unless filled with Christ. That's what these kids to know. And it breaks my heart that they didn't today. It's official: I disdain the Hallmark version of Easter. It's pathetic. May christians have the boldness to tell of the true meaning of Easter.
She called upon a few more kids in hopes to get a better answer. While doing this she was drawing a cross on the white board. As for myself, I was desperate to hear a kid give the write answer. This was a christian school after all! These kids have to know at least the basics, right?
When she got through a few more ridiculous answers and finished writing Jesus on the white board, she asked what her drawing was. The kids answered "The Cross." And who died on the cross? she asked. Jesus! Right, so why is Easter important? she probed again. Nothing. The kids didn't get it and my heart was freaking broke. What are these parents doing if they can't even teach their kids about the basics of Easter? What is that school doing?
Easter is not about chocolate and easter eggs. It's about an impossible being made possible because of the love and justice of God coming to rest on his creation. Jesus died for you and me so we could know our Creator. So that we no longer needed to run the exhausting race of being good on our own and trying to fulfill that hole in our hearts that is insatiable unless filled with Christ. That's what these kids to know. And it breaks my heart that they didn't today. It's official: I disdain the Hallmark version of Easter. It's pathetic. May christians have the boldness to tell of the true meaning of Easter.
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