Connecting Dominican Republic and American Culture

Dominican Republic and United States Cultural and Book Studies

7th Grade Social Studies

Multi-Discipline Studies

The 7th Grade Social Studies will read The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph. This book takes place in a small village in the Dominican Republic and tells the story of a 13 year old named Ana Rosa. It discusses hard issues such as the government trying to take away land from her family, parental drinking issues, biological/adoptive parents, and family members dying. This book explores the culture of the Dominican Republic and also can lead to discussion about hard issues in our world-- no matter where you live.

This novel functions as an ‘educational technology’ because it is an avenue and tool of learning that students can learn from. This novel for middle school is a tool to teaching and encourages reflection and investigation.  I believe that it is an effective technology because the students can relate to a student about their age in a different country. Maybe the American student and the Ana Rosa are facing the exact same issues or may be feeling similar emotion. This book is one medium to learn about a different culture that is not dependent on technology. Physical copies of books will be more beneficial in this situation that digital copies. Students can tell how far along they are in the story by simply holding the book (not figuring out percentages). By knowing where they are, students can make educated guesses as to how the story will progress. Also, students may need to follow along with their finger, and on a digital copy, that would turn the page. In addition, having physical copies of the novel will reduce the stress of making sure that all the students have electronic tools (or if it has enough battery) that will support the digital copy. Since students are using technology throughout the project in other ways; I believe that using a physical copy will be simpler. 


Cultural Connection

Through Skype Classroom, I will connect to a a teacher and classroom in the Dominican Republic. After navigating through Skype Classroom, it is very encouraging to see how many teachers connect with other teachers throughout the world. Using Skype, I found a school that is being built. Though it is not open now, it is a school I could connect with when I become a teacher a few years down the road. The project is called Hostos, and it would be a wonderful source for American students and Dominican students to learn about each others’ way of life- to see the similarities and differences. It would be very a very meaningful experience for the Dominican and United States students to Skype each other. I would connect with the teacher and learn about her teaching experience. It would be rich to learn tactis that she uses and tactics that I use. We would talk about similarities and differences with out students and possible subjects that our students could discuss together over Skype. My American students would collaborate with each other to create questions to ask the Dominican students about life, school, friends, challenges, emotions, and various topics over Skype. Dominican students would also ask the American students about their way of life.

Problem Solvers

Students will choose an issue that is represented in the novel that the students read (i.e. biological vs. adoptive parents, home/ land evacuation, alcoholism, family members dying). Students will find two articles online about the issue that they choose (could be a study or a news report). Students will respond to various questions and topics such as: 1) What is the issue? How are people’s lives affected by the issue? 2) Are there solutions or coping mechanisms to help with the issue? 3) What are conflicting forces in your issue (man vs. self, man vs. others, etc.) What is the stance of each side 4) How has this issue affected your life or someone else’s life that you known? 5) How did this issue affect Ana Rosa’s life?  6) How does this issue affect lives in the United States and in the Dominican Republic? 7) How does your first article portray the  issue? 8)How does your second article portray the issue? 9) What can YOU do to find a solution or help with the issue?

Students will reply with 3-5 sentences for each question in a blog. For this social studies assignment, students will learn how to blog. They will apply their knowledge, their research, and opinions into their post on their blog. Although students may not have used a blog before, prior experience (specifically in their social studies class with Google Plus and Twitter) will aid in their navigation through the creation of the blog process. The teacher will be available for discussion and aid, but part of the assignment is for the students to discover on their own.
Students will interact over the blog by responding to each other’s posts and affirming quality points that other have make.

History of Technology

Students will engage in a discussion about the development and history of technology. Students will be challenged to think about how American students could have communicated with Dominican Students before Skype Classroom. Before Skype Classroom, students and teachers could have used e-mail and possibly phone calls (thought that would have been very expensive). Before those two, mailing letters would have been the means of communication. Each of these forms of communication evolve from one to the next. They may seem “revolutionary” but truly, technology takes baby steps. The “next” technology only makes sense because it closely relates to the prior one.

This also applies to blogger. Before blogger, students could have emailed the teacher their responses. Before email, students could have typed their educational artifacts. Before typing, handwritten homework did the job. Each of these are closely connected but simply take the next step. Students will discuss this in class.

Skype Classroom and blogger were chosen for this assignment because of beneficial progressions that they have made from the last technologies.  Skype Classroom allows for students to SEE and HEAR the other students, not only read about the other students’ experience or hear about it. It is more multi-faceted learning and seems more like a face-to-face interaction. Blogger has also made advancements to allows for a good educational technology implementation. Instead of simply just writing an assignment and turning it in, or typing it and emailing it to the teacher, students can compile all of their thoughts on the blog. This way, other students can access and read the posts easily and respond to them. In addition, students can keep more organized by having their posts in all one spot.

Limitations of Technology

Though there are many positives to the technology that the 7th grade students will be using, there are limitations of the technology.Students will engage in discussions in small groups and the large class to talk about what Skype Classroom cannot do/or has trouble doing. Skype Classroom can show images and give off sound, yet it cannot send smells, taste, touch. Skype Classroom is limited by internet connection, what is the Wi-Fi is weak, disconnected or not available? Skype classroom is also stopped by not allowing students to absolutely understand the other school’s setting and community. It is limited to a screen and a camera instead of being fully engaged in one another’s surroundings.

Students will also bounce ideas off of one another about the limitations of blogger (in small and large groups). For example, pages are limited to 1 MB in size. Total storage for pictures has a maximum of up to 1 GB. Blogs have a limitation of design and format. Also, the full expression of one’s voice and attitude about the subject cannot fully be explained in a blog because of the reader’s interpretation of the post.

Technologies always have limitations. That does not mean that we should not use them; it simply means that there is a cap on what can be done through and with them. Though we may not be able to fully experience the Dominican school, we could still see a tour and hear an explanation. Students need to understand that technologies have caps and that technology is not the savior of the world; it simply is a medium to help us understand the world a little more. Though blogger has limitations, there are still many positives such as the large amount of posts that one can make and the option of commenting on other people’s posts. The limitation of not understanding someone’s voice or attitude is the limit of writing in general. Students will learn to communicate effectively through writing because that is a lifelong skill that is needed.

Storybird Bias

Bias of Storybird

I used Storybird for a recent project assignment for students to write about an influential person in their life. You can read about here (it includes the links to Storybird as well).  I found Storybird a very positive and useful sight for classroom use. It is important to analyze each tool that teachers use online and weigh in all the factors, such as bias.

Storybird has multiple positive biases. For example, it favors classrooms whose teachers want students to create a story but want to save time and be efficient. It also is biased positively toward students who struggle artistically (all artwork is predetermined in groups by artist for the user to use). Storybird  benefits those who have experience with various online tools and are familiar with cues; for the more experience one has technologically, the easier they will be able to maneuver around the sight.

Storybird has biases on the flip-side. Storybird requires its users to only choose from certain artwork once someone has chosen their theme. Users cannot mix and match artwork. Though this limits flexibility, it calls for students to critically think as to how they can keep their theme in a creative manner. This is biased towards the artists that submitted their artwork to be used (to make sure the artists names are being published online). In addition, Storybird is biased because they are trying to sell final products of the books people have completed. Storybird knows that people cannot have hard copies of their creation unless purchased. Therefore, marketing is a part of the scheme and affects the webpage design.

Analyzing Storybird by no means discounts all of the positives or negatives. It is simply important to look at tools with a discerning eye and encourage students to do the same.

Technology and Society

Technology and society affect each other, whether we put forth the time and the effort to realize it or not. At times, we control how we use technology, but more than we know, technology controls us. If we take a look at social media on a large scale, technically, we get to choose how to portray ourselves (witty, professional, crazy, etc) because we are the ones posting pictures, writing bios, and posting. However, at the same time, that technology controls us because it is intentioned to be set up to keep luring us in to spend more time on the social media (thinking we can catch a glimpse of one more funny tweet or one more cute picture). In addition, social media affects us because it creates this expectation for what a person's profile is to look like or tweet is supposed to sound like. Social media knows that it can entertain us, so they keep taking measures to do so.

Now that we understand a tad more on a large scale, let us look at technology and the classroom in a more detailed manner in relation to Google docs which is used in the Westward Travel Assignment (This Westward Travel Assignment is for 8th graders after they have completed a Unit on the Oregon Trail. Check it out!). The classroom environment consistently affects how we use technology. If the teacher consistently simply asks assessment questions and requires a sentence answer, that is how the students will use google docs too, even if google docs has more tools and storage than simply that for students to expand and show creativity. If in the classroom, students barely collaborate with one another and the teacher by bouncing ideas off of one another, the sharing tool of google docs will barely be used. However, if students are used to discussing ideas and opinions in the class, they will be more likely to take advantage of google docs by collaboratively working and sharing their work and ideas with the google docs features. Technology will not change teaching; it can only enhance teaching if used in the right way. For these reasons, collaboration and analytical creativity  shall be worked toward everyday in the classroom, whether using technology or not. I believe that by building up these two traits of collaboration with other and creativity (not simply blanket answers), students will produce the best results in this Westward Travel Assignment.

In this assignment, technology also affects our classroom. Google docs will affect our classroom by having the students be technological focused. All the work will be turned in on google docs, and most of the student collaboration should be done online. Therefore, students may be more isolated focusing on their computers. Computers force our attention straight ahead because there is a physical barrier between us and other people. Hopefully the quieter volume of our students is positive, meaning that students are communicating with their partner via google docs. Google docs also affects us in using technology basically the same that we use Microsoft Word. Students most likely will not explore new ways to use google docs because we, as humans, use technologies, much like the technologies we are most comfortable with.

Influential, Encouraging People

 I have created an activity and assignment for 5th graders that encourages them to pinpoint and recognize those who have had influence in their life. The activity begins by reading a story as a class on Storybird, an online "short, art-inspired story" generator. This book is about a grandmother who shares creative stories with her grandson; through this storytelling, the grandson becomes a story teller himself. The students will then be asked to examine their own lives and choose someone who has encouraged them in an endeavor, hobby, or attitude and write a Storybird on the person and influence. The assignment sheet depicts the expectations of 8 pages of writing for the story. I created a story about my German teacher in high school, and how her high spirits impacted me. Students will turn in their final story on the assignment's webpage.

I truly believe that this activity will be beneficial for all students. For students have the freedom to choose topics and people that they can really connect to. When students have choice, we all know how much more self-motivated students are. Students will be working at their own paces; it is not a speed competition. Storybird is a site is easily navigable, which limits confusion and encourages creativity. Everyone has at least one person in their lives has someone that has given them hope, so this is a topic than all students can relate to. It will strengthen students' writing skills and storytelling skills.

Substantial time would be given in class to allow equitable access to computers and internet since not everyone has access at home. The class would go to the media center or have the cart of laptops delivered to the classroom to ensure that each student had an individual computer to work on Storybird during class time. If students wanted to spend time outside of school, I would encourage them to use a computer at home, the public library, or the schools' other resources.

Using Storybird instead of having students create their own stories with individual drawings and homemade books comes with trade-offs. Using Storybird helps students become more comfortable with technology and become more technologically literate.  If parents or guardians desired, the final piece of work could be made into a book. In addition, Storybird can be accessed from any computer or device with internet and can easily be shared with the teacher. In the classroom, it is time-saver because it limits the needed amount of time doing rough drafts of writing and drawing many pieces of artwork. It is very neat and can be easily edited. Multiple students can look at a specific story at one time too, and the link can be sent to family and friends. 

However, there are a few negatives of using Storybird versus creating a home-made book. The students do not gain experience writing a rough draft, second draft, and final draft of their story. In addition, students do not have as much freedom with the pictures that they want to use. Students do not experience putting time and effort into creating drawings that fit their story. Also, they would have to purchase a hard copy of their story created.  After the students complete their Storybird, they will complete an online survey and identify trade-offs of using Storybird- the positives and negatives.  
 

Overall, I believe that this activity will spark creativity and encourage thankfulness, allowing students freedom to write about what they are passionate about.

Hi! I am Cara Lutes, and I'm going to be a sophomore at Drake. I'm from Maplewood, MN, and I am on the Women's Basketball Team here at Drake. I am an Elementary Ed major with endorsements in Middle School, coaching, and ELL/ESL. I thoroughly enjoy frolicking, jumping on trampolines,  playing board games, and sidewalk chalk. Oh and for the record I have O- blood type (rarest type! super duper exciting I know). I also have an obsession with knowing people's middle names (mine is Marie for future reference).