april 30

JOURNAL TOPIC:

Recent research suggests that excessive texting and overall phone use may be linked to anxiety, distraction, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation. What does your experience tell you about this? Be sure to support your answer with specific examples.

***OR***

Why is it that some teachers are more effective than others if they all receive the same training? What makes someone a good teacher?

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Les Mis (OK fine, p. 520 it is :)
4. Last-minute ignite prep

masterpiece academy teaching notes

Here is a summary of the observations you made in class.  Please feel free to comment with any additional feedback.  Thank you for all the great ideas!

EXPECTATIONS

Do:

• Prepare
• Remember to bring whatever you need with you
• Organize
• Talk to us; don't just read off your paper or your slides
• Meet our eyes and share your enthusiasm & passion for your Big Question/idea/skill
• Give us at least one awesome thing to remember
• Be clear
• Be loud enough for us to hear
• Manage your time
• Show your confidence
• Involve your audience 
•  Dress for success
• Practice with visuals so audience members can see them easily
• Stay respectful until the end of the period (no rustling before the bell)

Don't:

• Bore us
• Wait until the last minute/ procrastinate
• Interrupt
• Don't crowd visuals with too many distractions
• Don't hesitate or repeat yourself
• Be shy

LOGISTICS

• Each presentation should be >10 minutes (including Q & A)
•  How are you presenting? 
• Do you need Internet connection or other online tools?
• Are you using PowerPoint or Prezi or Google Slides or ?
• Are you creating a video to show on YouTube, Vimeo, or another platform?
• What do you need?
• Materials
• Support

april 29

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Describe what you did to learn more about your Big Question/ Masterpiece topic over the break.

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Welcome to the Masterpiece Academy

• Process
• Developing and teaching your topic
• Calendar
• Ignite talks Wednesday

4. Les Mis

• About the reading
• About your lit circles
• Pages (if time)

welcome to the masterpiece academy

It's time for the inmates to take over the asylum.

Each student will show how s/he has become a master.  Each of you will teach the rest of us:

• How you decided what you're passionate about;
• The value your topic/field/skill has for us;
• How you learned more about the topic/field/skill by:
• Finding resources
• Becoming fluent in the language of the practitioner
• Seeking out a mentor 
• Collaborating and getting feedback from peers/blog followers
• How this has enriched your life and your experience in this course.

Per our conversations in class, your presentation should include:

• Visuals and/or hands-on experiences that bring the audience into your world
• Enough craft so as to convince us you didn't just throw something together for a grade
• Handouts or main points you think we should remember.

Please note that there will be a final essay exam based on the curriculum you create, so be sure-- as both presenter and audience member-- that you are getting the maximum understanding and value from everyone's presentations.

We will discuss general expectations and logistics today in class.

masterpiece sign-up

Please comment to this post to let us know when you would like to present your Masterpiece.  Please also include how much time you'll need, and whether you need any special arrangements for the room (furniture, equipment, visuals, etc.).  This is first-come/first-served, so if you see that there are already presentations for your first choice date, pick another.  Looking forward to your presentations!

AVAILABLE DATES

May 6 (40 minute period)

May 7

May 8

May 9

May 10
Diana Quezada (10 minutes)
Thamara Palomares (10 minutes)

May 13 (40 minute period)


May 14
Leo Diaz (10 minutes)
Angel Mata (10 minutes)

May 15
Wilkison Martinez (10 minutes)
Denisse Rivera (15 minutes)

May 16
Destiny Franco (10 minutes)
Adrian Marcial (10 minutes)
Carina Alonso (10 minutes)

May 17
Alondra Rodriguez (10 minutes)
Kate Castaneyra (10 minutes)
Angel Martinez (10 minutes)
Joaquin Ramirez (10 minutes)

May 20 (40 minute period)
Jacob Estrada (10 minutes)
Pablo Jimenez (15 minutes)
Kevin Fuerte (10 minutes)

May 21
Celeste Bretado (10 minutes)
Areli Garcia (10 minutes)
Brandi Torres-Cruz (10 minutes)
Efrain Gutierrez (10 minutes)


May 22
Danny Ambriz (15 minutes)
Marcos Castaneyra (10 minutes)
Alexis Cedeno (10 minutes)
Jocelyn Vega (10 minutes)


May 23
Maria Escudero (10 minutes)
Samantha Gonzalez (10 minutes)
Cristian Marcial (10 minutes)
Tatiana Valencia (10 minutes)


May 24
Joselin Valencia (10 minutes)
Jovanny Garcia (10 minutes)
Brayan Soriano (10 minutes)

ignite talks

Traditional speakers at professional conferences talk for an extended period of time, either as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, or panelist.

A few years ago a new trend emerged in the world of sharing ideas.  TED and other conferences made shorter talks popular.  These were kind of like the intellectual version of "speed dating."  At one conference where I presented, there was a series of "ignite talks"-- these were designed to be high-energy, exciting introductions to ideas that would get the audience thinking and hungry for more.  They were also required to be no longer than five minutes.  (You can see one I did at the 14:00 mark HERE.

On Cake Wednesday the week after Spring Break (May 1) every single member of our learning community will give an ignite talk.  There will be no passes, no "I forgot"s, no exceptions.

How will we manage this?

Our ignite talks will be no more than one minute long.

"Impossible!" you say.  Nonsense.  You can see links to last year's speakers and topics HERE, HERE, and HERE.




Here is what each ignite talk will include:

• Your big question/ masterpiece topic (1-2 sentences)
• One thing you did over the break to explore your question/topic (1 sentence)
• One thing you learned by exploring over the break (1 sentence)
• One connection you see between this course or something we read and your question/topic (1 sentence)
• What you're doing next (1 sentence)

Since we will not have time for audience questions on the day we give our ignite talks, please also create a post for your blog (title: IGNITE TALK) in which you write out these 5-6 sentences and invite commenters to contribute ideas or questions.  If you have any questions or technical challenges please email or comment to this post.

Looking forward to learning from you!

april 18

JOURNAL TOPIC:
How are you going to keep your momentum going over Spring Break?  What will you do to learn about your Big Question?  How will you remember and use what we've read in Les Mis?

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Discussion
4. BQ info & preview of life after break
5. Les Mis

DUE BY THE END OF SPRING BREAK, BY THE NUMBERS:

• A minimum of 25 (total) posts on your blog
• A minimum of 10 followers on your blog
• A minimum of 50 vocab words, 5 discussion questions (with at least 3 notes each), 15 connections, and 3 research notes on your group's lit circle doc
• ONE fully prepared ignite talk (see post above for details

april 17

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Get Myself to Saturday" by Michael Franti & Spearhead]

Franti sings:
There is a part of me that always needs to pray/ There is a part of me that wants to run away/ There is a part of me that can't go on today/ There is a part of me that always finds a way

What is your view on religion?  Does it unite people?  Divide people?  Help people?  Hurt people? Describe the role of religion in Les Misérables -- how it unites, divides, helps, and hurts -- and explain whether you think characters like Jean Valjean, Javert, and Cosette are better off because of it.

-OR-

Choose your own topic.


AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Les Misérables
4. Big Questions

MASTERPIECE:
Recruit at least 10 people to follow your blog.  This group should include at least one mentor (i.e., a person you respect for their knowledge, experience, wisdom, perspective, etc.) 

april 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
[*Please Note: Today there is no choice on the topic.  I want to see how what you thought of the sections we read yesterday.  If you need to review, please grab a copy of the book.]

Why does Hugo focus on the symbolic significance of the convent?  What is his tone toward the subject of religion, morality, and society?

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Discussion
4. Les Mis pages
5. Lit circles

april 15

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today is Tax Day.  Paying taxes means that we made money, and that we provide funding for services like fire departments, police departments, roads, schools, and other public works that we couldn't afford as individuals.  So why do so many people complain about paying taxes?  What is your opinion?  What do you think Jean Valjean would think of taxes?  Would his perspective as a prisoner be different than his perspective as a businessman/mayor?

-OR-

Choose your own.

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Les Mis
4. Big Question work

First: What a great bunch of questions!!


Now that you have an idea of your topic, it's time to learn more.  Here are three steps that will help you begin your research this week:

1. Go online and search the key words for your topic 
2. Identify at least 5 credible sources that have useful information
3. Create a post on your blog where you can copy and keep links to these sources

POST:
1. What did you find today?  How did you find it?  (title: MY BIG QUESTION RESEARCH; first sentences: "Some people think research is boring because they have to do it for a class, and it's usually about something that's not interesting.  But today I did research and it was awesome.  Here's how I did it.  _____")

2. Create a post on your blog where you can copy and keep links to these sources.
(title: MASTERPIECE RESOURCES)
You'll need to have this completed post on your blog by tomorrow, so that you easily reference and use the information to create your Masterpiece Academy lesson for us.  More on that tomorrow!

april 12

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Imagine that you know Jean Valjean, Cosette, and Javert really, really well.  Choose one of these characters and describe exactly what they want out of life.

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness/journal
2. Les Mis plan
3. Big Questions --> Masterpiece plan

memes for blind people

This morning I talked with Tatiana about her Big Question topic: Memes.  Just a little while later, I ran across THIS ARTICLE.  I love the way Big Questions make me more aware of so many interesting things to think about!

april 11

JOURNAL TOPICS:
It's been really wonderful to hear about your Big Questions this week.  Curiosity and passion are two of the qualities that make us uniquely human-- in fact, for our thinkers who are wondering how Artificial Intelligence will change the world, have a look at THIS.  Then, give the question some thought: What can computers and robots do best, and which jobs/roles in society are best served by humanity?  What human qualities are impossible for a machine to program, imitate, replace, or learn?



-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness/journal
2. Finish conferences
3. Finish self-assessments
4. Finish independent work for the week and post to your blogs & lit circle docs

april 10

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Who is Martin Verga?  Was Verga a real person or a character invented by Victor Hugo?  What does Verga have to do with the story?  Why does Hugo spend a couple of pages describing Verga's work?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness/ and repetitive practice as a key to learning
2. Journal
3. Self-assessments
4. Conferences
5. Independent work

everything we do makes an impression

april 9

JOURNAL TOPIC:
It's natural to wonder how things would be different if we were in charge.  If you were teaching this class, what would you do differently?  Why?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.
AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Conferences
4. Independent work: finish reading to p.500* & post notes; update blog; complete/add to journal; Big Question work

*You will need to finish this reading by the time class begins on Friday; we will have a discussion (and maybe a quiz) in class on the Minimum Day.  Please post reading notes on your blog and any vocabulary, connections, research, and discussion questions on your lit circles doc.

april 8

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today begins an era of choice.  For the rest of the semester, you may choose to write on the topic I suggest, or you may write about anything else that seems more interesting or important to you.

Think back on what we've read so far.  What characters/scenes/ideas are your favorites?  Why?

-OR-

Choose your own topic.



AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Les Mis
4. Preparing for the rest of the week

FOR TOMORROW:
Please get ready for your conference.  Bring your journal and your blog up to date, and be ready to talk about your Big Question.

april 5

JOURNAL TOPIC:
In a passage we read yesterday, Jean Valjean "Plainly perceived the truth: from then on she (Cosette) would be the basis of his life, so long as she were there, so long as he had her with him, he would need nothing except her and fear nothing except on her account."  How does caring for Cosette give his life such purpose?  What motivates you in your life?

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Independent work: blogs and lit circle docs
4. Individual conferences

POST:
What can/will you do this weekend to show what you've learned so far in this course?  (title: WEEKEND GOALS)

april 4

JOURNAL TOPIC:
As we've discussed in class, Jean Valjean is a dynamic character (that is, he changes as the book goes on).  What is the author's tone toward this character at this point in the book?  Use at least one example from the text to support your thesis.

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. We read
4. We work on our blogs/lit docs

POST:
Your reading notes from today (title: JEAN VALJEAN IN A/NOTHER STRANGE SITUATION)

april 3

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Please describe and explain your working process in class yesterday.  Did you set goals?  Did you discuss your work and/or collaborate with others?  Did you post to your blog and/or update your lit circle's doc?  Did you finish what you set out to do?  What do you imagine others (students, teachers) would say about your work?  How do you feel about your performance?

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness
2. Journal
3. Check-in on progress
4. Les Mis

POST:
What do you want to learn and get good at in this course between now and June? (title: ENDGAME)

april 2

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Think of something that you know with confidence, or something that you know how to do really well.  How can you prove your knowledge to someone who doubts you?

AGENDA:
1. Mindfulness (*you're on your own this morning, so the practice is up to you)
2. Journal
3. Today's journal is especially meaningful.  Today I have been asked to proctor an exam.  The exam is being given -- like so many exams these days -- because of a general sense in our culture that it's easier to trust data than people.  Which makes me think of your blogs and Lit Circle docs.  Please work hard on these today so that I can see progress.  If I do, we will pick up the reading tomorrow as usual.  If I don't, we will have an exam on what we've read so far.

april 1

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "(Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I" by Hank Snow; "Ship of Fools" by Robert Plant]

You have seven minutes to write an epic poem about a unified theory of consciousness and the history of the papacy concentrating especially but not exclusively on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Be brief, concise, and specific. Be ready to recite your poem from memory in any ancient language (except Greek) to the 2000 people who will be waiting expectantly on the field outside our room in eight minutes.

[OR]

Attempt to explain why people like the experience of making/being made a fool at least once a year.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Les Mis