Category: Group 2

https://cgscholar.com/community/community_profiles/baruch-fa21-eng-2100-gmwc/community_updates/143896

Screen sample of the module:

And the first video in the module…

My artifact is a two session lesson about Maya civilization for US/Mexico Border: Beyond and Before the Border. This lesson was very well received by past students in this course and a basic course of Latin American studies both for the fascinating content as well as the way the learned – in groups. So why make changes? During the course of our workshop, I realized that my “telegraphic” style of writing was not the best means of communicating with my students, and even less so, on-line.

The fact is that this style is connected in part to my philosophy of teaching/learning – that the student should make an effort to understand, interpret, think. I also like to give my students a lot of freedom in choosing, reading and expressing their ideas. The explicitness recommended by some runs counter to my ideas of intellectual maturity or maturing. Now I have taken a step back and looked at my presentation and see that it does not communicate what I wish it to with clarity. To this end, I am reworking the instructions to this lesson so the students will understand what I am looking for.

I have rewritten the instructions putting in more details, examples, deadlines while the assignment itself remains mainly the same. I was inspired and influenced by some of my colleagues posts.

                                                             MAYA CIVILIZATION

Part 1

I have posted a number of articles about  Maya civilization : Math, Writing, Astronomy/Calendar in Course Documents.

With your group, decide on each member choosing one topic which is of interest to them: Maya math, hierographyics (writing system), astronomy/calendar. You will read the articles I have posted (there is no need for further research). You will each become the “specialist” in that subject and get ready to teach the other members of your group about your topic.  For example, if you are the Maya math specialist you will be responsible for not only teaching about the numeral system of the Maya but also making certain that each member of the group has understood and learned from you. It’s up to each group how you communicate by text, telephone, email or another platform.

This is an important intellectual exercise in  distinguishing between what is important and what are details; that is what you should be focused on. This is something you can discuss together and arrive at conclusions,

Together the group will produce a short reflection   of 100 to 150 words  on how your group activity went. Did everyone cooperate? Were there problems communicating  your information to the other members of the group? How did you feel about teaching?  Good points? Frustrations?  What skills do you need  to improve in relation to collaborative learning? Any other comments about this exercise? Within the document , identify yourselves; for example, “I never taught a group before, it was awesome, to all of a sudden become the expert on math. I think, next time, I’d prepare more examples.” Jason   Note: this is a reflection of your process of group teaching and learning, please do not include any information about the Maya achievements.

PLEASE, INCLUDE NAME OF YOUR GROUP IN THE TITLE

This reflection will be Assignment 2 on Discussion Board. It will be due on Weds.Feb 9. If you have any special or delicate situation which arises from the group work, please communicate it to me privately by email ([email protected])

 Part 2

In  the first part of our Thursday, Feb 10 class, there will be time to discuss the different Maya achievements as well as to ask questions.

In the second part of class, I will present the situation of many Maya communities today, and their need to immigrate in order to survive.

Write a paragraph which will be submitted in “Assignments by midnight Monday, Feb 14..  Using your imagination, write a couple of sentences  which answer the questions 1.How is it possible that the Maya  civilization which was so dynamic and had made such strides in intellectual achievement could fall into such bad circumstances?  Here is a sample answer from my imagination: They were attacked and dominated by creatures from outer space. You can let your imagination carry you where it will . . . PLEASE: Do not research this; just enjoy your own invention.

Then write a couple of sentences in response to: What do you think you need to learn, in order to understand their present situation?  What information/ facts are you lacking to grasp the reality of the situation of contemporary Maya communities.

(This course objective of understanding the present in light of the past).

MATERIALS:

Mayan Astronomy

http://www.starteachastronomy.com/mayan.html

An excellent website on Mayan astronomy

https://maya.nmai.si.edu/sites/default/files/resources/The%20Maya%20Calendar%20System.pdf

This is excellent but after a couple of pages there are so. me blank pages and you need to scroll down to find the rest of the article.

 

Maya math

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybvb7oy_WV0

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAOm-i2ayWQ

 hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAOm-i2ayWQ

MAYA WRITING

http://www.famsi.org/mayawriting/index.html

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc01eng.html  (this has articles on math, calendar, writing and more about Mayan civilization

After meeting with the ever-sagacious Tamara, who provided excellent counsel that I stop trying to use everything but the kitchen sink, technically speaking, to engage students (okay, I’m paraphrasing), I’d like to focus on VOCAT for (1) students to annotate my asynchronous lectures and (2) enduring group work. But, I was unaware of the whole mobile-phone heavy aspect of VOCAT until last week, which has me a bit concerned. I don’t want to record my lectures into my phone and am not feeling too keen on students typing substantive annotations to one another’s work (or my lectures) over their phone (I could get over it, I guess), so, while still reeling from the positive effects of turkey tryptophan, I sent an email to the amazing CTL crew hoping for good news about a desktop computer-friendly modality. Pending that, here’s my artifact proposal for (2) enduring group work over VOCAT.

For the first two weeks, we’ll have some VOCAT warm-up exercises (self-introduction, thoughts about what might make an interesting research topic, annotate my pre-recorded lectures). In week 3, I’ll assign students to VOCAT groups based on thematic overlap in students’ research topics (= about 7 groups of 3 students each). VOCAT assignments will be hyperlinked (I hope) in our course homeroom, which is a B@B page.

Here are key parts of their research papers that I’ll be taking them through and their VOCAT analogues. I created a few of the assignments in the VOCAT course shell and will hopefully ask Christopher tomorrow how to properly set up group projects (individual and group?), enroll students to the course, and which project configuration boxes I should (not) be marking.

I guess I’m just not sure whether I’m scaffolding. I mean, I’m scaffolding the final paper because it’s broken into discrete parts…

1. Week 1: Having introduced yourselves over VOCAT, we’re all VOCAT experts now, right? (Not!) Here’s your next VOCAT assignment, and it’s CLASS-WIDE and always interesting. Conjure two ideas or questions about human existence and/or social life: anything you’ve every wanted to know more about but never had the time to pursue. These are called me-search ideas. Post a video of no more than two minutes (set that timer!) describing human experiences that interest you and that you might like to research. Only constraint? You kinda need to be able to access people who have experienced X, Y, or Z. Comment on at least one peer’s me-search idea by viewing others’ videos.
2. Week 2: CLASS-WIDE VOCAT: After viewing and annotating my pre-recorded lectures, you should know a bit more about the heart and soul, and mechanics, of qualitative research. So, select one of these me-search ideas and develop a research question. In a video of no more than 2 minutes, let us know what it is and how you plan on pulling it off. Comment on at least one peer’s research question by viewing others’ videos.
3. Week 4: GROUP VOCAT: Do background research through intensive use of library resources (academic journals, census databases, etc.). Post a video of no more than (you guessed it) 2 minutes, tellings us what articles you’ve found or frustrations you’re facing finding anything! Comment on both your peers’ video reports.
4. Week 5: No VOCAT. Write a 5-8 page (1.5 space) literature review summarizing other scholars’ research on your topic.
5. Weeks 6-8: CLASS-WIDE VOCAT. Design your research instruments: interview schedules and surveys. Tell the class how it’s going! What article that I’ve assigned about research instruments has been most helpful–why?
6. Weeks 9-10: GROUP VOCAT: Collect data: conduct your interviews and run your surveys. How’s it going? This is the most fun/frustrating part of qualitative research. Comment on both your peers’ video reports.
7. Weeks 11-12: GROUP VOCAT: Analyze your gorgeous data: this is called thematic coding. Comment on both your peers’ video reports.
8. Weeks 13-14: CLASS-WIDE VOCAT. Write and present a final paper that includes all of these elements = ~ 40 pages.

REVISING AN ASSIGNMENT

My objectives are to: revise an assignment and increase student engagement in a course in the department of Black & Latino Studies in Baruch College. The course is ANT/SOC/LTS 3021 US/MEXICO BORDER (Beyond and Before the Border). I am a Latinamericanist with a speciality and love for Mexico and this was my dream course which I taught in spring 2020. Six weeks into the course we went on-line. I had used Blackboard, but in a very limited and inefficient manner till then, but I was stuck! The students, however, seemed to love the material, the learning, research, conversations, etc. My on-line technological skills are pre-101, or remedial! I have read my colleagues posts for Post 2 and am in awe, however, I do want to gain competency in the tools which will enhance the learning for my students. In that light, as a pedagogue, my analysis is that I have to scaffold my own learning, slow but steady. For this reason, I will work on increasing student engagement by the use of blogs. This course as well as OTE have made me aware of the multiple tools and resources available such as blocks and Vlog to support student learning and engagement which I hope to master and use at a future time

The assignment I am going to revise is about the Maya civilization; it was a week long assignment (2 classes) and I had actually used it successfully not only in LTS3021 but also several times in our basic departmental course on Latin America (LTS1003) . The assignment entailed reading and group work. The students had to manage on their own to work in groups which I had created from the beginning of the semester. They loved teaching each other; the assessment was their group document as well as both written and oral feedback about their experience. They also made reference to what they had learned throughout the semester and in the final take home exam.

The ways I would revise it would include more clarity in the instructions and setting up the blog site so they could communicate with each other as a group or individually. Here is the unrised assignment:

                       MAYA CIVILIZATION

Part I

I have posted a number of articles about  Maya civilization : Math, Writing, Astronomy/Calendar in Course Documents.

You will each read and study ONE article before your next class. You will chose your article in coordination with your group so that there is at least one person in your group  who becomes a specialist in  Math or Writing, or Astronomy/Calendar. (You will be teaching each other later on). There is NO need to do further research, simple read your article carefully, slowly. THIS IS ALL THAT IS DUE  by your next class  so that you can  better appreciate the history of the Mayan peoples.

This is an important intellectual exercise in  distinguishing between what is important and what are details; that is what you should be focused on. This is something you can discuss together and arrive at conclusions

 Part 2

After you have carefully read and studied your aspect of Maya civilization, each member of your group will  present and teach the other members of your group.  It’s up to each group how you do this.: Telephone,,media, in person socially distanced,etc.).

2. Each  member of the group will write two sentences reacting to this group exercise – what worked, what didn’t , what skills you need  to improve in relation to collaborative learning,. You will have your name in parenthesis after  your two sentences and the entire document should be sent to my email  by Weds. Sept 16. On the subject heading you include

Name of your groups as well as your class (M/W) or  (T/TH). In other words, each group will send me one document.

MATERIALS:

Mayan Astronomy

http://www.starteachastronomy.com/mayan.html

An excellent website on Mayan astronomy

https://maya.nmai.si.edu/sites/default/files/resources/The%20Maya%20Calendar%20System.pdf

This is excellent but after a couple of pages there are some blank pages and you need to scroll down to find the rest of the article.

 

Maya math

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybvb7oy_WV0

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAOm-i2ayWQ

 hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAOm-i2ayWQ

MAYA WRITING

http://www.famsi.org/mayawriting/index.html

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc01eng.html  (this has articles on math, calendar, writing and more about Mayan civilization

1. Hi! Nice meeting you! Could you introduce yourself? What department are you from? What courses are you teaching or have been teaching? What are the classes you teach like, such as format or class size? Is there anything you want to tell us about your teaching, research, or other projects?  I am Tonia Leon, a Latin Americanist with a special love and attachment to Mexico. I teach in Black & Latino Studies Department. I have taught a basic course on Latin American Studies and another on US/MEXICO Border on-line. I will be teaching the course on Mexico synchronously on-line in spring 2022. My special interests are the indigenous cultures of Latin America, agricultural techniques in pre-Hispanic and contemporary LA, advances in ecology and solar energy, geography, cultural anthropology and pre-Hispanic poetry and philosophy.
2. Could you talk a little bit about that course you’ll be working on during this seminar? In order to understand the Border and its issues its is necessary to go back in history. To this end, I introduce the students to the indigenous cultural achievements and societal structures, the conquest and colony and the society which grew from this, as major issues in contemporary Mexico. I also deal with origins of racism at the border.
3. What are the listed learning goals of your course? They could be ones provided by the department, or ones that you have written for your syllabus? Please list them (pasting is fine!). Demonstrate their increased understanding of Mexico, its history and contemporary situation. Establish links between contemporary issues and historical events in MexicoGain insight into the rich heritage of its indigenous cultures. Become aware of the pressing social, economic, and political problems Mexico faced and is facing. Learn of the creative ways the peoples of Mexico have applied to environmental limits. Conduct research using library and on-line resources Become comfortable with oral participation and presentations.
4. What class materials are you planning to develop? What goals do you have for them? Reading selections from articles, news, books. Live presentations from ecologists and activists in Mexico and here. Movies and videos.

This is my very first blog

1. I’m Jen Whiting and I teach first year writing at Baruch (and other places). I study education at the University of Illinois, specifically law enforcement education (currently pursuing a doctoral degree).
2. I’ll be working on ENG 2150 (Writing II).
3. Writing II is an intensification of Writing I. This course encourages students to read, reflect on, write about, and synthesize ideas from a range of genres and literary forms. Students examine and learn how to employ different styles, various appropriate uses of evidence and counter-evidence, multiple methods of interpretations, close readings of texts, and, finally, literary-cultural contextualizations. As the course proceeds, students further develop competency in the use and evaluation of multiple external sources as they shape and express their own ideas and cast them into well organized, thoughtful, and persuasive argumentative essays.
4. The lecture series, essay prompts, and course guidance materials.

"Your thesis is like your first love: it will be difficult to forget."-- Hua Hsu, quoting Umberto Eco, in "A Guide to Thesis Writing That is a Guide to Life," New Yorker, April 6, 2015

How I use Posts: Usually, I just write a prompt for students to respond to, e.g., identify a point of special interest of confusion in my lecture. I'd like to make "posts" assignments more dynamic. Also, I'll be creating enduring work teams of about 3 students and would like to learn how to create the equivalent (?) of Blackboard's Discussion Boards, or something similar. 

Update: So I just came across another (?) description of what to post here for this assignment, so I've logged back in and clicked on block "verse" feature (I tried paragraph, but that didn't work) to update it. 

Aim for this seminar: to transform Social Science Research Methods 4110 from a hybrid to a synchronous fully online (Sociology and Anthropology Dept). I teach it in the spirit of a graduate research seminar. The 5 modules result in a whopping 40-50 page research paper Here's a link to an earlier version of the course--spring 2020. Yeh, that semester. 

Course learning goals: The goals of this upper-level course are to train you in the critical thinking, research, writing, and ethics skills that are the hallmark of social research* in sociology, anthropology, public policy, and some business research. You will acquire these skills through textbook readings, scholarly articles, diverse instructional media, and original research tasks that result in a final paper. I like to think of this course as “social” as well, because there is substantial peer collaboration in the production of your final paper.

* Social research makes grand claims to knowledge by using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to explain some aspect of human experience. While this course will focus on qualitative methods, the words (qualitative) versus numbers (quantitative) debate belies the dynamic and interlocking roles that qualitative and quantitative data play in how scholars investigate the social world. We will explore these issues at length.

Outcomes: The paper you produce for this course will equip you with core qualitative research skills and strengthen your ability to write clearly and persuasively. Moreover, by developing scholarly insights about your chosen final paper topic, you will be able to speak and write knowledgeably in job interviews and/or in graduate school applications when asked to discuss a subject that you know and care about. By the end of the semester, you will have acquired a valuable set of marketable research skills and, more important, a “sociological imagination” for understanding the most pressing issues of our day. 

My own research: Now I’m going to try to insert a video using the tools above. Ah, dead end. I got a notice that it’s not permitted for security reasons. Guess I’ll try posting an image of that dead end?

https://youtu.be/d2b7JKBWQTM

I tried inserting my YouTube URL instead and that seemed to work as long as I DO NOT USE the video embed feature of BLOCKS.

https://youtu.be/d2b7JKBWQTM

Short video of my 2016 field research in what is now eSwatini, interviewing chiefs and their advisors about their experiences of “traditional roles” assisting their communities with hardship, including famine and HIV/AIDS and TB.