Mr. D'Amato - My Education Blog

https://soundcloud.com/dubl-dd-1/audio-recording-feedback-and-assessment-within-my-classroom My recording can be found on Soundcloud 

Did you complete all the readings and reflect or annotate notes?     - I completed every single reading and annotated all of them. Then when I was going to reflect I would usually re-read them to make sure that I was pulling the proper and important information.  Did you submit artifacts that demonstrate mastery of each lesson? - I would like to think that I did, a lot of lesson plan drafts needed work but I would fix them up in accordance to the professor's suggestions/critiques.  Were you an equal participant in your groups? yes, I worked hard with my group to make sure that we completed all of the work in a timely fashion.  How active were you in our class chat rooms? - About as active as one could be during a summer course. I toned it back eventually because I noticed I was by far the most active and it felt a bit odd.  My Grade- Anywhere in the "A" range I would say. 

audio link I believe that this article took a very unique approach. It used a comparison to how humans and apes only have a 2% difference in their DNA but that small percentage lead to a huge difference in the development of our species. The article takes on the point that being able to have multiple ways of media very easily has changed literacy for the better. There are now ways for people to create media or literacy just by using the web; along with this, they can have multimodal literacies very easily with technology that almost every has, a phone. People process information differently depending on the means of communication that is being used. For example, someone may learn better from reading or someone may learn better from listening to someone read. There are also people who would rather watch a video that combines audio and visual literacy to get the message across. Another option could be the type of text that someone is reading, how the article is broken down, or literally ...

This was very interesting because I never noticed how different the advertisements for the two genders are. The male advertisements have a deep voice that sounds like it is going on a scary mission. The lighting of the graphics seems to be darker and more adventurous. For the females, the advertisements have a higher-pitched female acting like everything is flowers and sunshine. There is no scariness and it makes it seem like girls do not want to go on adventures. Very interesting tool, I have never thought about any of the lego marketing before.  If I were to look at this critically then I would also say that Lego is failing to look at how gender is a social construct. By creating toys or commercials like this then we are forcing the children to lean towards one behavior rather than the other. While some conservative-minded people might think this is good, we should also question why we even do it. Why are we forcing certain people to act a certain way because of their gender? Whe...

Why did we decide college and career ready is more important than civic and community ready? What does this mean? I believe that as a society we are more worried about people being "successful" in the real world rather than them becoming a good citizen within their own community. The common belief may be that if someone is ready for college and ready for a career then they will be forced to be good citizens in the community. However, we can see that this is not always the case for everyone and people often focus strictly on the education aspect of getting good grades rather than learning from experiences. In order to create a better community, we need to change our goal, Beck says   " Critical literacy has as its goal the development of responsible citizens, able to confront social inequities in their many forms and take action against injustices." (Beck) I think it is important to create people who will positively affect the community rather than focusing on grades...

What did you learn about the topic? I learned about the importance of spelling and its relation to pronunciation and reading fluency. Before learning about this topic I did not make the concrete connection between spelling and reading. If a student is able to spell by sounding out then they will also most likely be a more successful reader. I also learned that problem-solving techniques for spelling are very similar to reading. Spelling is also very important for writing and making sure that your audience is able to understand the points that you are making.  How did your group planning go? Very easy, we made an iMessage group chat and discussed what we should do.  Did you communicate well? Yes, everyone in the group said when they would be able to work on certain aspects of the project and it was easy to communicate. Everyone felt comfortable texting and it made it easier to communicate as we are always on our phones. We also all have similar schedules so communication was al...

Moving Slowly https://soundcloud.com/dubl-dd-1/historical-poem-recording There was a dark and eerie feeling that day  January 20th, 2017 It was the Presidents' Inauguration. It was senior year of high school for me  And life was already feeling shaky. I had a teacher who dressed in all black Because she was mourning the victory. I was not into politics But the hatred would drag me in.  Why did everyone hate this man? What history was I missing? Little did I know about what was starting,  The instability would reach a high, The country would begin parting,  I was stuck in the middle  Already confused about my future,  Now I have a country in shambles And major protests to digest.  voice recording 

3 Things I learned.   Disciplinary Literacies is believed to help the students in all aspects of their schooling. Teaching so that the student will be able to learn about all types of information. Whether it is education or not.   Helping kids move across multiple domains will be the most effective way for these students in the future. "You are trying to give access to knowledge production and critique" Disciplinary reading versus disciplinary writing. Necessary Knowledge and Bridging Knowledge "is hard to define but it is the space between the knowledge the child brings to the table versus what they need to take away from the text. "  Need the knowledge to get knowledge from the textbook.  We need to think about the roots of the information that the students are learning, we need to build upon prior knowledge. Subject area text and disciplinary text need to be more closely related.  2 Things I am still wondering:  What if the prior knowledge leve...

     I believe that we should teach students strategies to learn new content knowledge. One of the hardest or most complicated parts of learning is being able to comprehend new information; if we are able to supplement the students with the proper skills to do so then they would be more effective in the long run. I believe that the way we teach these strategies can be changed for the better. For example, we can teach the students about the strategies through some type of literature that will also increase their content knowledge. In order for this to be effective, the students must have an interest in the content and it is up to the teacher to do so.      I believe that in the long run, teaching strategies to students would be more effective so that they will be able to properly comprehend more advanced information. If you are given the tool kit and how to use the tool kit then you will be able to be much more effective with it. But if you are given informa...

    One of the main reasons for the type of education that we have in the United States is because of the economical structure that is built-in. For example, who is profiting off of the education system the most? If you look into it deeply enough it is mostly white people who have a story to tell in their own way, but by doing this they are attempting to erase the important stories of minorities in this country. Their story is just as important and needs to be included into the education system more; their needs to be more truth-telling  in order for these deep-rooted lies to be uprooted.       Assessments are a large part of our education system within the United States, therefore,  how these assessments are created is an important aspect that should be looked into properly. Many of the teachers within this country are white and are often teaching non-white students, however, if both the student and the teacher are coming from completely differen...

     The question is: If the definition of literacy always shifts can we know what meaning-making means?      I argue that no matter how far the definition of literacy shifts that we will always be able to make meaning of something. In order for literacy to be, one must be able to gain information or understand some type of story from it. How this story is told or how the information is given is not the most important part. Certain types of literature may be more amusing than others but if you are able to receive a message of some sort through it then you will be able to make meaning of it.       We can look at the music for example; there are tons of genres and not everyone likes every single genre. However, when you go and listen to a genre that you do not like but listen to the words being said or the type of beat being used then you are able to gain information about the song.      Often we think about how literacy has...

The sky holds so much information that I would be able to ramble on. The sky controls or takes part in our use of time. When it is light out, most of us are awake but when it is dark then most of us go to sleep. This is natural for us or so we think. This dates back as far as man can think and the creator himself designed it perfectly. The sky never fails to be unique yet consistent. Thanks to the sun, it is either light or dark outside depending on the fluffy clouds. The sky creates wonder, where does the sky lead to? We are staring off into space and the rest of our universe. Within the sky, we can see planets, planes, clouds, moons, or even meteorites. Nothing about the sky do we as humans control, except for the amount of pollution that we pump into the atmosphere. There is s omething calming about the sky and the lack of control. The sky helps control my mood for the day, however, even when it is raining I still feel joyful. The sky holes so many wonders that man will never answe...

SUMMER CAMP  It is the summertime, I arrive at the camp, I have my backpack with all of the necessities,  I head up to the Pavillion where I will meet the campers that I am responsible for, We do our check-in and then eat breakfast together while chatting about what we should do, Most of the time they want to play gladiator dodgeball or gaga,  We head to our first activity and will stay busy until the afternoon, I love being a counselor at a camp, It brings me so much joy, It is a stress reliever,  It is my passion,  It is what I love doing. 

     Within the revisions, I added more details to the experience I have with coffee. I explained the coffee as my "warm blanket" and expanded on how it made me feel. The peer that I did the revisions with recommended to organize the writing more and make it more of a story. To do this, I started in the early morning and described the routine that I follow. As a morning person, I enjoy keeping things simple and relaxing. In order to add a negative side to the story, I discussed how coffee or this blanket of warmth can stain with just one touch. If there was anything that I could change about my "warm blanket" it would be that I could wear white without fear on the way to school. I also went into detail about what I do if I am heading to an 8am and have no time to make a fresh cup of coffee. It was important to mention the word "addiction" because it does make me the morning person that I strive to be although I would not say I am necessarily proud ...

    In front of me, the bitter but somehow sweet aroma of my fresh ground dark roasted black coffee fills the air trapped in my bedroom. This coffee is the warm blanket that guides me through the morning and even night like a well-trained guide. As the warm blanket touches my lips, my lazy eyes jolt open and I am excited to face the challenges of a new day. But this warm blanket does not know its importance, its bitter taste comes with a staining touch if you are not careful. How have I become addicted to this bitter blanket of warmth?        One would say it has captured my heart because I can not go without it. When I think of something that has captured my heart, I think of something that hurts to go without. Just one sniff or site and I need it; if I do not have it then my head starts to pound. I will start to wonder where I can find the closest dark blanket of warmth.        Some early mornings, I am too lazy to...

Growing up, I always struggled with reading but for some reason, I was always decent at writing. I always thought about writing as a social construct or medium for me to explain myself through. Whenever I would write, I would do it similarly to how I would talk but more cleaned up. Writing also always helped me shape my thoughts, being able to see the words on the paper made me realize what was right and what was wrong. Writing allowed me to escape the reality that we were living in for a short time and say the things that I wanted to say or even experience. When I write, it could be a creative story, a real experience, a poem, or even a song. All of these will directly relate to the emotions that I am feeling within a certain moment. Expressing my feelings through writing has always been beneficial to mental health as it allows me to ‘speak’ to an audience that does not respond instantaneously. Reading to me was always very confusing because I saw words on the page and was actively sa...

My literacy mantra is closely related to ‘in order to understand you must read or listen’, whenever I speak to someone who disagrees with me I do not want to argue but instead I want to debate with them. What information do they have that I do not have? If they end up having information that I respect and believe then I am willing to change my perspective or possibly come to some type of agreement. Literacy is all about learning and if you are willing to learn from anyone (obviously with caution) then you will be much better off in this world.   Almost every child learns in a unique way, but as a teacher, it is completely necessary for you to attempt at identifying the most effective way for each student. It is also important to draw interest to literacy in many different ways but especially by including topics that they will enjoy.  When I was learning in elementary school, I learned best through seeing how the teacher thought through a process, and then I modeled around that...

On this morning, the dark heavy clouds filled the sky and stacked on each other like jenga blocks. The birds sang a triumphant song, it was my first day of running a 5k every single day that summer. As I walked down my front steps, I felt the bounce in my sneakers and the humidity encompassing my body forcing me to sweat. My lips were moistened, it smelled and tasted like a fresh misty day. It was time to start my fitness journey, my mind was ready but my body was not. I was about to be flooded with sweat, racing with thoughts, empowered by the sound of slipknot.

This coffee is my dark black blanket of warmth. Inside this cup of coffee, there is a joy to be found and warmth to be gain. Not only that, but it also wakes me up with just one use. The dark blanket of warmth is there to guide me in the morning or even at night when I'm feeling very tired. This dark black blanket of warmth is what gets me out of bed and ready to take on the world; it uncovers my lazy eyes and pushes me out the door. I bring it around with me throughout the day to make sure I feel secure to make sure I feel okay. This dark blanket of mine forms to anything it wants, it will even stain those who try to absorb its love. I am addicted to this dark blanket of energy and love. How come I can not go without this dark blanket of warmth? How has it captured my heart? It is a very occasion that this blanket of warmth and I disagree about anything. It is nice to have something that does its job every single day and does not complain. The more I see it, the more that I want i...