Newsletter Sample

This is a newsletter I made that was then converted into a jpeg format and placed on this blog.

OUSD Middle School Diversity Project

Ashley Parks, Cynthia Rey, and I created this short movie about the current diversity issues in the Oceanside Unified Middle Schools: King, Lincoln, and Jefferson. The film was shot by Ashley Parks and me, while a majority of the photos were shot by Cynthia Rey. Some of the photos were taken from the North County Times periodical.

Journal 10: Diabled Students and Technology

Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged

by: Diane Curtis

This article and the accompanying video discuss how technology is benefitting the disabled. On numerous levels of interaction and through numerous devices disabled students are making great strides in their access and abilites. Technology has become a powerful tool for disabled students to bridge gaps and overcome some of their disablements in all subjects, from music, to writing, to physical interactions. I was extremely impressed by the community contributions to the disabled student who had is musical instrument stolen. I was also very glad to see these students moving on to succeed in higher education. I have seen some of this technology used in the classroom but never to the extent that was displayed in the video.

Why do disabled kids have so much trouble transitioning out of high school to continue their education?
Often times students are wrapped up in studying for high school exit exams and other exams that are required by the NCLB legislation that they don't have time to study and prepare for the experiences that are to come in the next few years of their lives. It is a big transition for them and they are not adequately prepared.

Why are the developments so slow for integrating technology for disabled students?
Many of the teachers are not up to date with technology and tech specialists spend most of their time focusing on providing resources for the majority population. I think that technology should be need based. Most applications for students able bodied students can be run as web based applications while hardware and software for disabled students is often more costly but must be purchased. We need to cut corners where we can and provide resources for those who need them.

Journal 9: Holding Back

Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learners?
by: Dave Nagel
This article discusses weather or not schools are inhibiting students by limiting their access to technologies. The complaints range from blaming the teachers to blaming the filters that are in place on the computers accessing the Internet. The article cites that young people are the leading users of technology, often in a much more sophisticated manner than adults, and they should have access to these important resources. Educators and parents feel that safety precautions are vital however they expect that the new and powerful technological resources that are available to educators are being used in the classroom. The article talks about the utility of gaming for understanding difficult concepts. Many were for gaming however very few were actually implementing it into their curriculum. Mobile learning technologies were also seen as a great way to engage students and make the learning more relevant and engaging. Most students have a cell phone and/or a mobile digital media player.

What are some steps that can be taken to add more opportunities for incorporating technology into the classroom?
Schools should develop a plan to increase the amount of technology used in the classroom. Together with administrators and technology staff, teachers should be looking for different ways to couple instruction with hands on and interactive technological materials. Teachers should also evaluate how their technology either worked or did not and then revise their plans.

How can teachers help all students to have the necessary devices to teach with technology?
Grants are the first thing that come to mind when considering how to make sure that students are provided the tools they need to succeed in as web 2.0 users. Also keeping lines of communication open between teachers, students, parents, and the community at large can help to foster involvement and encourage community contributions. People are more likely to help and participate if they are made to feel that they are a part of something.

Journal 8: Free Science Resources Online

Spotlight: Free Science Resources Online
by: Dave Nagel

This article is about where to find some free online resources for science. The article talks about three specific places to find curriculum, lesson plans, projects and other really cool and helpful resources. The three places are MIT, NASA, and the Smithsonian. The MIT site is cool. It has all kinds of demonstration videos which I found useful. I don't plan to teach science but I think this would be a really cool resource if I did have to teach science. The NASA site has cool instructional videos. The one I watched was kind of boring though. But there are some really technical tools that can be accessed through NASA's site. The Smithsonian had really cool articles and activities. I accidentally went to some of the humanities activities and found some that I really liked and would consider using in my own classroom.

How can these sites be used in the classroom?
There are numerous ways to use these sights in the classroom. The videos on the sites can be shown to the students even without a computer in the classroom. They could be saved and put on a DVD and then played in the classroom. Each site has numerous lesson plans on them which could be of immeasurable help to a new teacher. There are also links and activities for students on the sites that could be used in the classroom.

What age groups can use these sites?
All three sites are relevant to all ages K-forever. I found a lot of the stuff I was looking at to be very interesting and some of it to be far beyond my own knowledge level.

Journal 7: Collaborative Documents

The technology that I looked at is called Collaborative Documents, and it involves multiple people being able to contribute to a single project. Google Documents is a prime example of a collaborative document, but others include yourdraft, writewith, and whiteboard. All of these sites can be used as word processors and provide access for multiple users. In essence you no longer need to purchase expensive microsoft office software because it is all available through web-based applications. These applications not only make it free and easy to do your word processing but they make it free and easy to share and collaborate with others.

However during my searching I looked at a new application for facebook.com that allows student groups to work together in groups to accomplish collaborative assignments. The application has capabilities with scheduling, discussion boards, and task organization as well as a collaborative documents section. People using this application so far seem to be excited. The format is based on facebook's platform so it will be familiar to those who use it.

Jounal 6: Software Reviews

Kidspiration Review
I thought that the Kidspiration program was really cool and well put together. I think that it is a good resource for teachers to make hand-outs. However I think that this would be a much more useful resource for students to use to make their own documents and projects. I think that by asking students to use this resource to complete an assignment teachers can not only help the students to accomplish their ordinary learning tasks for their particular subject, but they will also be able to help the students to improve their build on their technological skills. I also think that this program takes into account audio, visual, and kinesthetic types of learners which is a great advantage.
As far as using the online tutorial, I also liked it. I have a very short attention span and I really liked that I could skip ahead if something was too mundane or already felt confident with my knowledge. I think that on-line tutorials are a great way to provide information to people that need extra help understanding something. I have actually recommended it to my parents and have subsequently had to spend much less time arduously explaining things to them.

iMovie
So iMovie is really cool. I found it super easy to use, not to mention that the capabilities are off the hook. It was so basic that I was able to jump right in and take some of my own footage to create a fun and exciting film. I loved this program and had a great time with it. I think that the ease of the softwares platform makes it a great tool for new users. This would be a fantastic resource for K-12 students. Just remember to save every so often because the program has a tendency to up and quit for no reason. This can destroy hours of work and be extremely frustrating.

I think that I could quite easily incorporate this program into the classroom. The film I made was done with a simple point and shoot digital camera that has a video function. I think that this software makes it possible for the most novice of users to become a film maker. It's GREAT!!!

Journal Entry 5: ISTE Article 4

Storytelling in the Web 2.0 Era

By: Glen Bull

This article begins with some general information about Web 2.0 and how technology is changing everything in our society. From work, to study, to play, all of our lives are effected by technology in big and small ways. The web is so pervasive that most applications and software can now be run via the web for little to no cost which in turn has given access to anyone who can access a computer that has internet capabilities. Cities like San Francisco have even installed free WiFi in some areas and nearly all cities provide free WiFi in designated public spaces like libraries or college campuses.

The article continues on to discuss how web technologies can be used free and easily to assign students storytelling projects for a number of different purposes. The sites are all free and provide a number of different formats for storytelling:mapping, time-lining, comic stripping, and presenting with audio/video.

How could this be used in a high school English class?

I immediately thought of William Faulkner's The Sound and The Fury or J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring trilogy for the mapping or the time-lining exercises. These books, as are a myriad of other fiction works, are strongly tied to where and when the events take place and the success of understanding the texts depends on the readers understanding of those circumstances in time and space. I think it would be great to have students complete assignments that increase their understanding of the subject matter.

Do you think it is appropriate to use site's like Myspace or Flickr in class assignments?

I think that it is important that educators carefully consider the material they present to their students. I think that sites like Myspace should only be used in courses that are post high school. I don't think that the students are too immature or that it is inappropriate; I just think that when working with adolescents we need to maintain an appropriate amount of control and that would not be possible when using such public and unpredictable sites.

Journal Entry 4: ISTE Article 3

Five Don'ts of Classroom Blogging

by Julie Sturgeon

This article dealt with the issues of classroom blogging. I found it to be very informative and helpful. Most of the concerns the article discussed I believe I would have known to lookout for, but through reading the articles discussion of possible hang ups I think I have a better idea of how to look for them. I really like the recommendation of spending some serious time with one's class to make sure that the students know their ethical accountability. I think that student misbehavior and inappropriateness is probably one of the biggest potential problems in granting the students access to the internet, and the article really addressed this issue. I think I also would have been likely to use the Google blogger, but, because of the article, I now have a good online blog resource that I can use with my students.

How could a blog be implemented in a high school English class?

I plan to have my students use a blog to submit almost all of their final drafts of writing assignments. I also plan to have students be required to use features of the blog to post their assignments. I want them to have pictures, links, music, video, and anything else they can put in that relates to their topics. I think that this will be a good way for students to begin a writing portfolio that can be accessed and analyzed as the students develop in their writing.

How will you use this information to make sure your students blog in a safe environment?

I plan to teach netiquette and spend time talking to students about their ethical responsibility to act in a polite and responsible manner when posting or chatting online. I think it’s a good idea to make students and parents accountable by having the students sign contracts and the parents sign permission slips. This way everyone knows right from the start who will be accountable for misbehavior.

Journal Entry 3: iste article 2

Speaking Math: Using Chat
By: Janet Graham and Ted Hodgson

This article details a test study of how using a chat room would work as a tool to teach mathematics. The study is very interesting, and I believe it shows some very compelling evidence that using this kind of technology could be very useful to students. The study showed the chats to be particularly effective with ELL students and students with learning disabilities. By taking their time with assignments and working to become more familiar with the terminologies through group discussions on-line, all of the students showed a marked improvement in their comfort with the material. I think that this type of learning is great because it takes the individual learning needs of students into account instead of presupposing that all of the students will learn concepts in the same time frame.

How can we be sure to make this technology available to students who don’t have on-line access at home?

I think that it is really important to make sure that this type of teaching doesn’t create more of a division between students from different socioeconomic groups. There is the potential to get caught up in the creating of such a teaching tool that some students may be left out of the loop. Teachers using this type of thing should be careful how they implement it and what their expectations are of the students. There needs to be a fair amount of access to the technology for all of the students in the class.

How could this be used in a high school English course?

I think I would use a tool like this as a discussion board. I have been in numerous classes that have required the students to post commentary on the class materials, and it always seems to me as a student that the class is much more engaged with the material. It is a great device for teachers to monitor their students and provide adequate support when necessary. Even as a student I can see which other students are more or less invested in the material and which ones probably need some assistance or encouragement.

Journal Entry 2: ITSE article 1

Social Networking for the K-12 Set
By: Jim Klein

This article details the resources created by the SUSD Teacher and Student Community sites. These sites provide tools and resources to help students and teachers better communicate, collaborate, learn, share, and grow with the community at large. The goals of the sites are to be approachable, easy to use, efficient and technology rich. They will create tech driven workgroups; opportunities to discuss social, ethical, and legal issues; and create effective leaning environments. The sites are closed and closely monitored by employee- and teacher-defined access controls. The sites offer employee and student profiles with sophisticated access controls, blogging tools, secure file storage and sharing, podcasting abilities as well as flash-based players. This technology allows for a massive amount of information to be accessed and shared. It has potential to not only provide current and cutting edge resources but allows for broader communication and closer ties to the community.

Why are technology resources so important for education?
Technology is the future of our global society. It is what makes us a truely global society. If are students are going to remain competative on a global level it is imperative they be familiar with technology advancements in our society. In many ways our nation is on the forefront of technology but is also in many ways lacking. Other nations provide much more access to technology for their youth than we do. I have experienced first hand how other societies are implimenting compulsary technology and educating their children.

What are some potential drawbacks to using technology in education?Some drawbacks to technology are the vulnerability of the online community. It becomes a major issue whether or not children are at risk of being exposed to something lewd or inappropriate when using technology. I think this is a major issue not only with education but also in the home.

Journal Entry 1:Introduction Letter

My name is Patrick Timothy Sullivan. I was born in Los Angeles, California in 1979. We lived in LA proper the entire time I lived in Los Angeles. I began my education at a family own school called Baxter Montessori in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. I lived in Echo Park until the age of four when my parents, my younger sister Katie, and I moved to La Costa in North County San Diego. The first school I attended in San Diego County was Carlsbad Montessori School on Pine St. in Carlsbad Village. In second grade La Costa Meadows Elementary School opened and I was a member of the first group of kids to attend the school. I continued going to La Costa Meadows until the summer before my sixth grade year. That summer my family relocated to Oceanside. There were no elementary schools close to our house so my parents enrolled us in Fairbanks Country Day School, a school my mother was teaching at in Rancho Santa Fe. It was a small school and I wanted to be closer to home so I changed schools the next year and attended St. Mary’s Star of the Sea in Oceanside for seventh grade. Catholic school didn’t suit me too well so I opted to return to Fairbanks for eighth grade and a trend of school changing will start to become apparent from here forward. I began high school at El Camino in Oceanside. The rough edges of the school didn’t fit with my parents’ ideas of a quality education so I again returned to Fairbanks for the third and final time. I did my tenth grade schooling with eight other students. I wasn’t into the small classes or the lack of diversity and wanted to be nearer to home so I finally settled at Vista High for the last two years of high school. Coming out of Vista I was young and dumb and full of all kinds of aspirations involving doing very little at all, so I enrolled in Mira Costa College and hung out there doing as little as possible for five semesters. I even managed to have a GPA one semester of 0.2. Don’t ask me what was going on; I really don’t recall. But I did my time and transferred to Sonoma State University up in the lovely rainy North Bay Area. My sister and some of my friends were attending UC Berkeley so I spent most of my time hanging out down there. The drive, rain, and most of the people I met in Rohnert Park were tedious and switching schools was (and still is) obviously my thing so I moved back to Oceanside and enrolled in CSU San Marcos. San Marcos was still very much a commuter school and North County San Diego an old bag of tricks for me. It fit my life well at the time and I finished up in four semesters with good marks and little difficulty. I think I was ready to get passed the undergraduate experience, and the time flew by. Before I knew it, it was 2002 and I was a BA of Literature and Writing Studies. I worked for a little while as a teaching assistant at Encinitas Country Day School, a Montessori based school. As I worked there I wondered what and where I would be next and finally just quit because I didn’t see myself progressing and stasis drives me crazy. I worked a myriad of odd jobs afterward until I finally decided that some more education would make me more competitive as a scholar of English. I began an MA program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It was a great time for me. I met a lot of new people and had numerous fun and new adventures. I think I became a much bigger fan of wine as a result of this excursion and now continue to be a coinsurer of the tasty beverage. I did two years at Cal Poly but didn’t really find what I was looking for from their program and I became a college drop out. I guess it doesn’t seem so bad when you have a BA already but needless to say I was disappointed in myself. So to help lift my opinion of myself I went on a serious adventure. My girlfriend Ashley and I moved from sunny Central California to the far east, Changwon, South Korea.

Because of my time spent at Fairbanks Country Day I was introduced to technology at a young age. In sixth grade I learned to touch type to a proficiency of 56 WPM. We used the early Macintosh models so I learned basic Hypercard and clocked a nearly insurmountable amount of hours on Sim City. I had quite a jump on the competition and could out do my parents by leaps and bounds at the age of ten. I was one of the original AOL users and learned how lame chat rooms were really fast. With the advent of the Personal Computer and their affordableness being the main issue, my parents were up and running with IBM and other PC's like Hewlett Packard, DELL, Sony, and so on. Computers have remained a large part of my life since my early childhood experiences. I don't play online games. I don't know Html very well. I'm not an over achiever by any sense, but I know what I'm doing so to speak. I currently don't even own a computer so I really am at the mercy of which ever computer I happen to be using. Because this is most commonly the schools computers I am using all of the new software updates available.

I am a strong advocate of transforming our struggling educational system and a firm believer in the importance of educational equity and social justice. I am happy to be a part of CSU San Marcos's cutting edge ideology and involved in improving my knowledge and resource base for education.

Music