C4T # 4

I have had the pleasure of visiting some really interesting teacher blogs during this summer semester in EDM 310. Jabiz Raisdana's blog is no different. The first post I read by Jabiz was entitled,"I Wanna Rock", posted on May 29, 2013. In this post he talks about his idea of teaching the history of Rock and Roll. Unfortunately because he teaches middle school he began to feel that he would never get the opportunity to teach this course. However, he oversees an after school program that meets for a hour a week and he decided that instead of teaching his idea as a course, he could teach it as an activity. So he presented his idea to the activities director. At first it seemed as though the director was not on board with the idea, primarily because he worried about the time issue. But after some convincing Jabiz convinced the director that it was a good idea and that he would work hard to make sure it was successful. So he set his idea into action.

In my comment I introduced myself and explained that EDM 310 was a project based learning course. I also told him what he was doing was great because it could possibly open students up to interest they would have otherwise been unaware of.



The next post I had the pleasure of reading was entitled,Formula for Engagement, posted on April 17, 2013. In this post Jabiz talks about successful ways to motivate children. He begins be saying he has his eighth grade students who are completely engaged in his assignment. Even his students he has trouble keeping on track have fully thrown themselves into the task at hand. He says that they are so engaged he doesn't need to worry about social media distractions. As he stands watching his students work, he gives them the motivation they need to push forward. "You can either think of yourself as thirteen year olds writing for a teacher in English class, or you can think of yourselves as writers who demand to tell a story. There is a difference." He then explains that technology should not be used to engage students, it should be used whenever possible. He says, "Engagement is about passion and love for what we do." He says that engagement is about giving students one on one time to discuss their work and that its the teacher's love for the material that engages them. He ends by saying that the formula for engagement is simple, all that is needed is for students is high expectations and challenges.

I began my comment again by introducing myself.I then told him that his classroom seems fun and engaging. I also told him that the best way to motivate students is to give them that feeling of importance. I told him that I remember as a child how proud I felt when my parents displayed my art work, and that for some reason we think that once children reach a certain age, they no longer need that recognition. I then thanked him for sharing his experiences.