This blog post reallyhas has nothing to do with the Ted talks video it is more about this course. What do I think about this program so far? Well, it's been okay but it's nothing special. It's not exactly what I was expecting but then again when I was asked if I wanted to take this course, all I was told was "You'll get to use computers". I think this the main reason people actually signed up for this course is because when you tell a high school kid that they're going to get to use electronics in class, they immediately assume the course is going to be fun. I really do enjoy using computers but not when all the assignments are blogging. The only legitimate reason I enjoy blogging is because it allows me to give my honest opinion about this course. The English side of FFP has been great so far because it's really not that different than taking the normal english course. It's the civics/careers side that I have a problem with. We have barely done anything that has to do with civics or careers so far and interim reports have already come out. I also think that it would of awesome if they (being the teachers) had actually explained what we would be doing in this course rather than just saying we would use computers. If I was given an outline that told me about the course, there's no way I would of taken it. My issue with FFP is not because of the teachers but because of all the stupid blogging assignments we get. Ted talk videos are probably the worst kind of assignments we get; they are so incredibly boring and reply hard to write about. This course is really not what I expected and I think a better curriculum is in order.
The point of all the blogging is that you're writing for an "authentic audience" which means that, because other people will read it, you'll be more likely to write better without needing marks to motivate you. We've found that people do end up with better writing skills after the course, likely because there's so much more writing done. It's a lot more projects and fewer tests which works for some people.
ReplyDeleteWe've been doing tons of civics - but maybe it's not clear what that means. Civics is all about being an active citizen and actually doing something about problems in our school, city, country, world. Civics is about politics, but it's more about our participation within a democratic system. So we looked at types of activist actions then wrote letters to political figures. And this unit of careers is all about figuring out what you're like which was the point of all the personality exploration quizzes.
I agree, though, that people need to know more about the course and be able to sign up for it with course selections. Last year, not enough people signed up, so they added people randomly, and some people in the course HATE using computers! That's tricky to work with. Personally, I think if enough people don't want to take the course, they shouldn't run the course. Unfortunately, the teachers have little say in how they advertise or fill the class.
Hang in there!