14 journal entries/reflections

EDU 214-1008 Spring 2017

Valentina Columbo
Professor Joni Flowers

Assignment 1: My personal Essay

What I Learned.

I learned how to appropriately share information about myself. I learned about the diversity of

my classmates. I like to hear peoples story. We have a saying in my classes. Everybody has a

story. What that means we all have troubles and joy, we all have shared experiences. It helps us

to respect one another.

Strengths & Weaknesses

I find it difficult to condense information myself when I want to relate the big picture. Almost 60

years has brought me to where I am today I like to keep my personal life concise.

Student Activity I think understanding the different learning styles is essential to all students. It

just makes sense to cover all the bases, so we can include ALL students! My student

assignment will be a scavenger hunt to find out which activities students have in common.

Assignment 2: Design my classroom with clipart

What I Learned. I learned a way to navigate around Microsoft word 2013. To be patient and

pace yourself when the hours become long and task is not cooperating and the stress level starts

to settle in.
Strengths & Weaknesses

This assignment turned out to be way may more difficult than original thought. At the school I

have regular pre 2013 Microsoft word. It seemed easy to find and move clipart. At home I have

2013, although the lectures are great. There is no instruction for troubleshooting any hiccups in

which there is many. I was led to a great frustration. What should have simple; turned into hours

of work. I had to walk away from the project several times

Student Activity I will have my own students design their dream kitchen and restaurant. In the

fourth year of culinary their capstone is just that design, pick textiles, chose a menu and prepare

a tasting of food. This would be great practice.

Assignment 3 Flyer and award

What I Learned. I learned a valuable tool to make flyers that will be noticed. I always disliked a

random scrap of paper on the door with an announcement. I am actually going to use this skill

quite a bit.

Strengths & Weaknesses I found this assignment much easier than the last, I believe it is just

getting used to the computer task. I find as I explore more, I am becoming more comfortable.

The weakness is still navigating around Microsoft 2013. It is a little more of a challenge to

position a picture from the internet.

Student Activity next year I will have the students design the flyers for the caf, for opening,

closings and other announcements. I will also have the freshman design for their theoretical

restaurant. I will have to look into Google drive since we are a Goggle classroom.
Assignment 4 Using Weebly

What I Learned. I learned another way to get information out to my students. I learned how to

produce a basic website and for free. If I care to blog in the future; this would be a practical

solution.

Strengths & Weaknesses: This has been another exhausting assignment. The YouTube link

would not work. Other YouTube videos are hard to follow. I finally found some scattered

direction and trial and error pieced meal the assignment together. Another frustrating assignment.

From VARK; I need clear and concise reading direction in order to accomplish the goal.

Student Activity: I will have the students create a website and post pictures of their completed

recipes and what they learned. The pictures are worth a 1000 words as the camera does not lie.

The will be able to see their mistakes and grow from the experience.

Assignment 5 Computer Basics

What I Learned. I learned about the features that would be important in my unique class. Being

a cooking lab. We will not use an electronic device as may be used in a conventional classroom.

What is important to me may not be as important to other teachers. I think ultimately after doing

this assignment I would like to take a survey among my students to see what is important to

them.

Strengths & Weaknesses My weakness was trying to keep all the websites and cost in line. It

actually gave me a physical head and neck ache sitting at the computer doing research.
Student Activity I think the survey and have the students do a project based learning assignment

on understanding what is important for their learning at definitely at what cost.

Assignment 6 Productivity Software _Presentation Software

What I Learned. I learned how to add video and website linked to a presentation. Very valuable

tool to get information across in a fun manner for the kids. Instead of the same boring old slides.

They lose interest very quickly,

Strengths & Weaknesses: My weakness was in trying to type over the hyperlink to websites and

videos. After listening to the lecture several times. , I was able to comprehend the directions. The

other challenge was working partly on two programs with different versions one in 2013

Microsoft.

Student Activity When a student tells me they need to sit out from a laboratory class, instead of

missing the assignment, they will present a PowerPoint on the lab. They will have to search

information from the web, include my lecture and demonstration and in essence train themselves

and any other student that missed the class.

Assignment 7 Productivity Software_Spreadsheets

What I Learned. By looking at others examples I learned formatting and visual expression. By

playing around I also was able to view different looks.

Strengths & Weaknesses I learned by playing around too much without knowing what you are

doing can easily mess up the spreadsheet.

Student Activity Students will develop spreadsheet Showing students how to incorporate math

into culinary. It can be used to cost out recipes. In relation to food they can calculate; yields,

waste, as purchased pricing and edible portion pricing as well as selling price and percentage

mark-ups. The applications are endless.

Assignment 8 Technology in special Education

What I Learned. The different kind of various technology is used and available in the school

district.

Strengths & Weaknesses. This was an easy assignment it was just labor intensive and stressful

to get teachers attention for an interview at any time, after spring break it was a challenge.

Student Activity Students to develop and Initiate a student survey on what king of technology

they would like to use in the school.

Assignment 9 Evaluate Software

What I Learned. To format initially instead of watching presentation over an over to correct-

which made me dizzy. I had to work with the program to understand it.

Strengths & Weaknesses. I could not follow the video provided. The images would not link to

the internet and had to download and then insert my own, I found it more concise to go to Prezi

and watch their tutorials. Once I did that it was easy to follow.

Student Activity Create a 5-6 slide Prezi on making an international sandwich. Students will

sign up for an account and follow tutorial on how to make a Prezi presentation
Midterm

I learned that although I am a late bloomer as far as technology is concerned, that it really does

not matter. Technology is so fast paced that todays device will be obsolete tomorrow. It is just a

matter of navigation. Many of the apps provide similar functions.

There are so many apps and programs to investigate, it is probable more efficient to stick with

the programs that are engaging for students and provide data for teachers.

Most of these interviewees agreed on the digital divide, many are using Google in some form

and the School district mandates Infinite Campus grading at this time. I learned that parents

could be contacted through IC as well as Google Apps for Education (GAFE)

Student activity: Students will create a Microsoft Word document based on a topic they choose

as they research, draft and revise their documents. Then they can peer review and organize their

document using lists and tables, and enhance it using text boxes and shapes. A final edit is done

before the document is prepared and published as a PDF.

Assignment 10 Prezi

What I Learned. I learned about freeware and shareware, how long it would take me to navigate

the program. What I would surmise the students would take to navigate. How interactive the

website would be and where to turn to for help

Strengths & Weaknesses: I found a few websites I could use in my classroom. It is very

difficult to find something geared toward CTE and even harder to fine educational freeware for
culinary. It has begun to be a great need. Since we are eliminate books at our school. This is the

second time I experienced this. For me it is sad, but it is the future.

Student Activity Students will do a web scavenger hunt to find the best freeware they can apply

to their learning in Culinary. It can be about food, food history, Great chefs or any other culinary

educational site where they can interactively learn.

Assignment 11 Graphic Organizer

What I Learned. Graphic organizers can be a way to logically organize many thoughts into a

commonsense way to present and organize material

Strengths & Weaknesses. Graphic organizers remind me a lot of mind mapping. Some reviews I

have read refute mind mapping. I think each person gathers information and organizers material

differently. The school I work at would prefer Cornell note taking, a lot has been discussed about

books that you cut and paste foldable into. I think the graphic organizer has more merit.

Student Activity. Students will learn mind mapping or graphic organizing as another alternative

way to take notes. Colored markers, plastic templates and rulers will be provided. This will be

taught as additional material, in the first week of school, as part of a review on how to take notes.

Assignment Final

What I Learned. This turned out to be a well-timed project. I am leaving for a competition in

Hong Kong and had been training my own students after school for the last 8 weeks for a

competition on April 22. Now with less than two weeks for me I must, train for my competition,
select lesson plans for my classes during my absence and finish this course. I like the way this

project covers multiple venues. A graphic, a PowerPoint and the lesson plan. It covers all the

basis, for all the students

Strengths & Weaknesses. Time seems to be the only weakness here. I will start each new lesson

with a mind map and a visual aid as I rewrite my lesson plans for next year.

Student Activity Students will create a digital media team project on interviewing a famous

chef. Identify and use input and output devices to operate and interact with computers and

multimedia technology resources