It’s The End Of The World As We Know It!
Ok, well not really…but it’s interesting to think about, right?
So, it might not be the end of the world but it IS the end off this project as well as nearing the end of the class/semester. Through this winter semester, we have done a lot in learning about and putting to practice, many of the concepts of writing as well as teaching writing. We were all encouraged, during this blog project, to explore aspects of education that we found interesting and appealing as future educators. I believe that by allowing us to take this project into our own hands the way we were allowed to really put a higher emphasis on the meaning behind it. As students, I’m sure we can all relate to the teacher who gave an assignment with a very specific topic in mind. These, many times, were not done whole heatedly since there was little room for personal opinion and/or change. However, by allowing individuals (ourselves as well as our future students) to choose their own topics, things they care about, it is easier to make the assignments more meaningful as well as making sure that, in the end, pride is taken in the completed project.
I very much enjoyed doing this RSS project. I feel that the freedom we had, as well as the large amount of information we were able to uncover, was priceless. I was able to learn, not only a great deal more then what I already knew about my own topic, but also about the topics chosen by my fellow classmates. Similar to the effects of the doing a research project in school, where the teacher allowed you to choose your research topic. I was able to, also, learn a lot more about RSS feeds, aggregates and blogs. The countless ways that they can be used in the classroom, by both students and teachers alike, makes these technological advancements such an amazing attribute to our education systems.
As a class, we were assigned to do a “This I believe” essay. At first, these seemed a little unusual to me for an assignment in this sort of class. It wasn’t until we had heard some examples and started writing our own that I was fully able to understand the meaning behind the phrase, “This I believe..”. As student’s many of us have a somewhat clear understanding of what we want in life. However, as college students, this is also after more years of life experiences. As future educators, we will find our selves encountering student’s from every walk of life as well as every mental, physical and emotional standing. Writing our own “This I believe..” essays were a look into this future (at least for myself). I found myself looking deeper inside of me and realizing that there were things I believed in that I hadn’t considered a dominant part of my life. As a college student and future teacher, I believe that this is something that all students should come to realize in their lives and in many cases, the sooner the better. We have to show our students, especially the ones who struggle through their academic career, that it’s what they believe in that will make them who they are.
On my topic:
I have found so much more information about the Deaf community and culture then I ever knew before. I being able to sign up on Alldeaf.com (which is NOT a Deaf only forum), I was able to be in contact and read blogs/watch vlogs by other Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing/hearing people who share many of my similar intersts as well as learn, first hand, about the culture from those who live in it everyday of their lives. I believe that everyone should look into some aspect of a society that they are not directly related to and look at how others live. You can’t fully understand or accept diversity if you have not experienced or learned about how ‘the other side’ lives.
I would like to conclude this final entry with a few, more personal words. First of all, I think that we, as a society and especially as educators, need to reexamine the world around us. There is so much that needs to change if we are going to continue to life and breathe in this world. Government, politics, the environment, the education system, diversity, cultural identity, equality…
These are all things that we have to believe in and fight for in order to keep us together. Pro this or con that, it shouldn’t matter. Stand strong as an individual and stand together as a race: the human race.
And then I said…
Instead of ‘Bright Ideas’…
Techno-savvy Ideas is the way to go!
Professor Rozema was one of many presenters at the 6th annual Teaching & Learning with Technology Fair on March 21st, 2007. This conference was focused on how to allow teachers to take advantage of the new technology that is constantly being updated in our society. With presentations ranging from how to make the most of Blackboard to iPods and podcasts to virtual worlds in the classrooms, educations is adapting to the techno-age at such a pace that it is almost impossible to deny the impact it will have on our future leaders.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr. Peter Doolittle and no, for anyone wondering, he did not discuss how talking to animals can help in education. His opening presentation brought up many good points. His discussion included how different educators have different expectations for their students to learn. He gave a number of examples of how assignments, depending on the language used in the instructions or the purpose of the assignment, can either help students learn or simply make things more difficult. Bringing technology into the classroom is a very important part of connecting to the recent generation. Dr. Doolittle was a straightforward and clear speaking presenter when it came to discussing how we, as future and current educators, need to believe in the idea of giving students a chance to combine their interest in technology and the education they are receiving from us.
I also attended a presentation by Professor Gisella Licari, the only Italian professor at GVSU. Her Italian 202 class, along with a 5th grade class from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Elementary School (IHM), put together a collection of digital fairy tales. The elementary school students drew pictures, which were scanned and given to the GVSU students for them to create stories from. The connection between the hand-made drawings and the final images on the screen helped show the way to bring technology into all classrooms. Using the video programs, which were on the Mac system provided, the Italian students were able to take the images of the drawings, piece them together in a linear story and create a fairy tale in the Italian language. I was very impressed, not only with the level of technical aspects used but also at the combination of the two, formerly separate, art forms. Virtual story telling is a great way to engage students, especially those currently in younger grades, who have grown up with a generation of techno-savvy predecessors.
Sally Hipp, of the College of Education, gave a presentation on Blackboard learning systems, but more specifically, the use of Bb learning Units. I’m sure we’ve all, at some point, had to use Blackboard. Whether for checking grades, collaborative learning or just checking the syllabus because you forgot what the next reading was for your class in under an hour. Blackboard is a system that, while many teachers and professors use it frequently, many other do not use it or do not understand it’s full potential. This presentation focused on Learning Units. Since information can be easily uploaded onto the Blackboard site and made readily available to any students signed in, Learning Units are a great way to keep the students interactive with the material outside of the classroom. By having images, videos, articles, assignments and other such materials on Blackboard, students are able to get to what they need in a matter of seconds while still working on what they need to accomplish. They are also able to collaborate with other students regarding the information to further learning and group discussions. Allowing the students to have access to this will help in preparing them for the next class.
Finally, we had our very own Dr. Rozema. His presentation on educating with a computer generated world was very different from the other presentations. Dr. Rozema discussed how so many students (81%) already play some version of an online game, that why not put this popular concept to good use and apply it to the classroom. His project; “The Thoughtcrime Project”, was a look at 1984 by George Orwell through a virtual world called Second Life. Second Life is a mulit-user environment online people, in this case, students, could develop a character and persona within this world, having complete control over their appearance, attitude and anything else they wish to express. While in the world, they are able to interact with other students and discuss their opinions on the world, society or whatever else it is that is occurring at the time. This gives the students more freedom to be open and expressive without having the fear of ‘looking stupid’ by saying it in class. Through their alternate personalities (which they can change at will), they are able to, more freely, have in-depth conversations with their teachers and fellow students. By allowing the students to discuss these topics through a medium that they understand and relate to, we are allowing them to be-able to truly get their feelings out without holding back. This project is currently under-consideration for a $30,000 grant which would allow the Second Life world to become more of a reality to develop and, possibly, more accessible for teachers nation wide.
Overall, it was a very interesting conference. The many presentations cover many different technical disciplines, as well as different ways that other subjects can be taught with the aid of the ever advancing technology we have available to us.
Who Do You Think You Are?
“Hello, this is AT&T calling about your local phone service…”
The telephone.
Where would we be without it today? With our dependance on communication, whether it’s around the corner or across the globe, it would be nearly impossible for us to imagine a time without this extrodrdenary aid. However, there was a time, believe it or not, when the telelphone was a concept that was laughed at. Who on earth could make sound a voice travel a distance, much less countless of miles, with the help of a transmitter, receiver and some wire. Well, as we know, Alexander Graham Bell was just such a visionary who found that this was possible and we went out to prove it. And so, to many hearing people, Alexander Graham Bell is a hero and genius.
But what about to others? What other parts of Mr. Bell’s life do we know about? The Bell Telephone Company, founded in 1878, was named after him, as well as many other telephone companies to follow years later. It is known that he was the mastermind such inventions as the telephones, photophone (which is NOT a camera phone), metal detector, phonograph and a very primative form of air conditioner. But what about his family? How well known is it that AG Bell’s (as the name is often abbriviated) mother, a portrait paintner and accompished musician, was deaf and that his father taught otehr deaf people to speak using a method called ‘Visible speech’ which is very similar to the common day Oralist method. He laster, after teaching at different schools for the deaf, he married Mable Hubbard, one of his deaf students and together they had 4 children.
This seems like a happy story, right? Well, just consider a few things before taking all this too seriously. AG Bell also has the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing which has a goal to help those living with a hearig loss live independantly. The following is an exceprt from the organization’s website;
“The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) is a lifelong resource, support network and advocate for listening, learning, talking and living independently with hearing loss….With over a century of service, AG Bell supports its mission: Advocating Independence through Listening and Talking! “
So again, this is going on to promote the Oralist method of educating the deaf and hard of hearing of the United States. It must also be considered what else he promoted. While working towards ‘helping’ deaf people find their place in the hearing world through language, he was also fighting against their rights. Alexander Graham Bell was an advocate to make it so the deaf could not marry and reproduce. At the time, it was believed that deafness was transmitted through generations and by allowing these people to procreate, they were simply perpetuating the cycle of deafness.
I know it sounds crazy; the man of a deaf woman, who married a deaf woman wants this to pass?! It was true. At the time, like it is in some places still, Oralism is still the prefered method of education for the deaf, not because of it’s benifits (which there are fewer then with other methods) but it made the individuals less ‘different’ and more like the general, hearing society. So now what do we think about Mr. Bell? Yes, his inventions have been of great help to us in our lives and society, but were his intentions through out his life always so honest? This is something left for you to decide.
Whatcha Sayin’?
Unlike the popular (though annoying) Verizon ads, the question now is not
“Can you hear me now?” but
“Can you understand me now?”
In a world where communication is the key to getting ahead, both in private and public life, having more then one fluent form of communication is more valuable now then ever before. While many schools offer multiple foreign languages for their students to experience, it is important that this study continues during post-secondary education. In so many of today’s jobs, an employee is much more valuable if they can speak more then one language in order to better serve customers as well as to increase connections between other and bigger businesses worldwide.
However, this is not only to benefit them in their youth with diversity, but also in their older age as well. Studies in Canada, as of recently, have found that bilingualism can actually off set the onset of Alzheimer’s by, on average, of four (4) years. A Canadian newspaper reported the following findings;
“Toronto scientists, inspired by language research in children, uncovered evidence that Alzheimer’s begins affecting bilingual patients an average of four years later than unilingual ones. No drug now on the market provides as strong a protective effect. In fact, if everyone with the illness developed symptoms that late in their lives, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s would plummet 50%, the researchers say.”
In accordance to being bilingual comes the concept of being bicultural. Today, with the number of culturally diverse families around the United Sates it is important to remember that respect for both cultures within these families should be shown. For an example, when it comes to Deaf students of Deaf parents, it is necessary that the children are not forced to turn away from their native and ancestral culture. The differences between the Deaf and hearing cultures, though they don’t seem like they would be very different, in fact, are quite unfamiliar. For example, it is proper and very much expected in Deaf culture, to touch other people (in an appropriate fashion) to get their attention or to emphasize a point. In the hearing culture, that would be a taboo worthy of a shocked expression and/or a slap in the face. As teachers, it is imperative that we understand, not only the cultures from which our student’s are coming from, but also, our own as well. Alice Speights of University of Alabama wrote the following in regards to bilingual-bicultural education for Deaf students;
“Before schools can implement bicultural programs, educators must have an understanding of both cultures. Sign Talk Centre for Children (STCC), a reverse mainstream program, found that many of the hearing staff members did not even realize that they have a culture. “As majority members, they have rarely had to think about the values and traditions that are part of their culture. Deaf people, as a minority group, are extremely aware of their culture because they have fought so hard for its recognition” (Evans). Therefore, STCC began training in cultural mediation to help bridge the gap between the two cultures and to prepare the staff for cultural issues among the children.”
Finally, and maybe on a bit of an off topic, we have those who are against bilingual education. This is not limited to those who believe that D/deaf students should only be taught using a single method (ASL, Oralist, Total Communication), but also to first time English language learners. Former Speaker off bilingual educat the House, Newt Gingrich gave a speech on March 31, 2007 discussing the concepts oion and how, he felt, that it needed to be abolished. He was quoted by saying;
“The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. … We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto,”
Granted, this does not apply directly to the education of the deaf community. However, the simple wording of this speech clearly indicates that it could be moved in that direction. If Mr. Gingrich had his way, not only would every citizen need to ONLY speak English, but wouldn’t every deaf person need to learn to speak as well? By his own wording, ‘English should be the official language of the government’, so this would include disbanding ASL.
In the end, we have to look at not what we as a majority society see as being ‘right’ or ‘normal’ but what we as educators and, maybe even as parents, feel is right for our students and children. We are not striving for normalcy, but instead, equality.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Well? Do you? Do you hear what I hear right now?
Well, if you do, it’s the sound of progress
…..slowly
….slowing
….down.
Well, not completely. But there is still a lot of work to do. Within the hearing community to help the Deaf community, that is. As future teachers, it is important that we learn as much as we can about the different types of students we will encounter in our classrooms. So much time is put into discussing ADD, ADHD, learning disorders, cognitive impairments and second language learners but much less frequently talked about are the physically impaired students. Granted, I use this term lightly since I don’t personally believe in using the word ‘impaired’, but, for the sake of argument, I shall use it in this post.
One of the most important aspects of having a hearing impaired student in a classroom is the connection between the student, teacher and interpreter (considering that they require one). Interpreters are a major part of the Deaf community, since they are used to bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds. Though, with over 10% of the US population being deaf or hard of hearing, it’s amazing that the number of certified interpreters is so low. The last numbers that I have been given (Fall of 2006) state that the state of Michigan is ranked #5 of the 50 states in having the number of deaf and/or hard of hearing individuals living there. So obviously, we have a very high percent of people in need of the interpreting services. However, when accounting for the number of interpreters around, Michigan comes up a meager #45! So what is this saying? That as a state (and this is true across the country, too) we have such a high demand for interpreters but severely lack the supply of them to satisfy the need.
“There is a shortage of sign language interpreters in Iowa and on the national level,” she said. And that means sometimes being asked to work a pretty heavy schedule – being on call for a hospital or police emergency in between regular. “Most of us are booked two to three weeks in advance,” she said.
It is always important to remember that our first job as teachers is to make sure our students are in an environment where they feel comfortable and safe to learn in. By making sure the students know that their teachers understands their potential difficulties and have clear communication with them through the interpreters, the student will feel more at ease in the classroom. Linda Marie Allington; an interpreter, post-secondary educator and ESL instructor, gave a presentation at the Salt Lake Community College on Dealing effectively with literacy and communication in college courses. The following is an exceprt from her presentation that I believe is true for any level of education.
First let’s talk about teaching, and we are going to talk first about the direct communication issues that affect all teachers dealing with deaf and hard of hearing students. Most of us are familiar with typical classroom accommodations, interpreters of various sorts. Sign language, oral, cued, realtime captioning, other print accommodations such as C-Print, notetaking , assertive listening devices which we are using right now where we improve the audio access, advantageous seating so the person has the best visual and caption media.
It’s important for faculty to understand that most students require both visual and auditory access and the print access accommodations and it’s appropriate for the facilities to provide both because the duty in the classroom is not only to participate in the ongoing dialogue but to record for future study what’s going on.
Outside of the classroom, you can see how interpreters and the Deaf community has become more evident and easily accessible. It is more and more common to see ASL interpreters at large events such as sporting events, concerts, theater performances and presentations. Watching the people standing there, waving their arms around, can sometimes be confusing or even seem easy to those who do not understand exactly what interpreting means. However, there are times it can be very amusing, even for those who do not fully understand what is going on. Keith Wann is a CODA (Child Of Deaf Adults). He was born hearing to two Deaf parents, so his first language was not spoken English but ASL. Now, he is an interpreter and preformer who does comedy shows in ASL with the aid of a voice interpreter. What’s great about Keith’s performances is that it gives the hearing audience the experience of not understanding the comedy and relying on the interpreter to get the point across. The link below is to one of his shows called “When Two World Collide” which brings up some of the differences between hearing and Deaf culture. If you enjoyed this performance, I encourage you to laugh at some of his other skits on Youtube.com.
