Two Meetings, Four Assignments

The time has come to begin our block scheduling.  This week, we only meet twice, and the hours in which we meet vary.  I hope you have all notified your employers to adjust your work schedules (if necessary) and are ready for longer class periods. 

This week, I have used a few of your suggestions from Wednesday's presentations for class activities  (every time I read this sentence, it never sounds right, so I hope you understand what I'm saying).  On Tuesday, we'll take time to reach out to potential interviewees for your Interview With an Industry Professional, complete three PLP activities, and discuss Mock Interview Competition preparation.  On Friday, we'll watch some videos about proper interview techniques, work on what an interviewer looks for in different interview questions, and role play answering challenging interview questions, as well as blog about our first week of block scheduling.  By articulating how the change in schedule has affected your sleep schedule (I know some of you have late arrival or early dismissal), your work schedule, and some things you found to be positive and negative about your experience.  We will revisit this entry when block scheduling ends and you'll re-assess your feelings about the experience to see if anything has changed (moderately or drastically). 

Since most of these assignments were suggestions you provided in your presentations, I will rely on you to structure and frame them as needed.  If I feel you need some more guidance, I'll be glad to add my two cents, but you should be able to organize and run your activities on your own.  I look forward to working with you this week.  See you all on Tuesday!

Let's Try This Again

Snow has really thrown a wrench into our plans.  We have to start with what we intended for last week.  Well, let’s try this again! 

So last week I lead a WBL Coordinator meeting and we discussed some of the resources in the WBL Toolbox.  During our meeting, I encountered a tool that we probably should have utilized earlier this year.  For whatever reason, I overlooked this task during our career exploration unit, but I want to revisit this task to make sure you have another solid gold artifact ready for Mock Interview Day and for your future real life interviews.  Before we do that, of course, we do need to finish the project that was started last week and present our findings.  I realize I wanted to do presentations last Friday, but we all got a little side tracked talking about the Health Science Academy Interview process.  That said, here's what we're going to do this week:

Tuesday:

Complete the Block Schedule Lesson Plan table I emailed you last week.  These should have been finished last Thursday, but I know our class discussions ate up a lot of class time, so we'll need to finish them in the 35 minutes we have in class.  I will not be in the building, but I doubt you'll need much more guidance than what was provided last week.  Here's a snapshot of the file I emailed you (your file is in MS Word):

**A side note: Your grade for last week is based off class discussion participation and time on task.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions**

Wednesday:

Each student will present his/her Block Schedule Lesson Plans.  You will begin class by emailing me your finished schedules.  I will display your file on the projector and you will explain the following:

• Which standards will we cover each class period?
• How will the activities work? **THINK PORTFOLIO ARTIFACTS**
• Lecture?
• Projects?
• Online?
• Written?
• Discussions? 
• Should we video them and add them to our class social media pages?
• Games?
• How will you be graded?

While you are not presenting, you should keep a list of every activity discussed during class.  Look for commonalities or similar themes in each presentation.

Thursday and Friday:

The activity I forgot to cover back in September was the Student Informational Interview, using the Informational Interview Guide.  On Thursday, we are going to discuss potential professionals who can be contacted to help us answer specific questions about your desired career.  You will then reach out to these individuals to determine when you can discuss their careers.  First you will call them and then you will send a letter (sample in the guide linked above).  I will walk you through how to send something in the mail in case none of you has any experience doing so.

After reaching out to your industry professional, you will read through the questions in the interview guide and select which questions are most helpful to you.  There are over 20 questions in the guide, and I think you can get some great answers if you highlight 8 to 12 questions that make the most sense for you.

Once this is done, you will write a blog post about your progress on this project.  Some (hopefully all) of you will have secured a meeting date/time for your interviews.  Others (hopefully only a couple) will still be waiting to hear back.  Either way, you will post about who you contacted, your experience preparing a letter to go out in the mail, your expectations of your interview, and how you plan to prepare for the interview (how you will dress, whether you'll bring a note pad and/or use your phone to log answers, what you are most interested in learning).  

That's it for this week.  I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Finish Your Lesson Plans and Begin New Project

So last week I lead a WBL Coordinator meeting and we discussed some of the resources in the WBL Toolbox.  During our meeting, I encountered a tool that we probably should have utilized earlier this year.  For whatever reason, I overlooked this task during our career exploration unit, but I want to revisit this task to make sure you have another solid gold artifact ready for Mock Interview Day and for your future real life interviews.  Before we do that, of course, we do need to finish the project that was started last week and present our findings.  I realize I wanted to do presentations last Friday, but we all got a little side tracked talking about the Health Science Academy Interview process.  That said, here's what we're going to do this week:

Tuesday:

Complete the Block Schedule Lesson Plan table I emailed you last week.  These should have been finished last Thursday, but I know our class discussions ate up a lot of class time, so we'll need to finish them in the 35 minutes we have in class.  I will not be in the building, but I doubt you'll need much more guidance than what was provided last week.  Here's a snapshot of the file I emailed you (your file is in MS Word):

**A side note: Your grade for last week is based off class discussion participation and time on task.  Feel free to email me if you have any questions**

Wednesday:

Each student will present his/her Block Schedule Lesson Plans.  You will begin class by emailing me your finished schedules.  I will display your file on the projector and you will explain the following:

• Which standards will we cover each class period?
• How will the activities work? **THINK PORTFOLIO ARTIFACTS**
• Lecture?
• Projects?
• Online?
• Written?
• Discussions? 
• Should we video them and add them to our class social media pages?
• Games?
• How will you be graded?

While you are not presenting, you should keep a list of every activity discussed during class.  Look for commonalities or similar themes in each presentation.

Thursday and Friday:

The activity I forgot to cover back in September was the Student Informational Interview, using the Informational Interview Guide.  On Thursday, we are going to discuss potential professionals who can be contacted to help us answer specific questions about your desired career.  You will then reach out to these individuals to determine when you can discuss their careers.  First you will call them and then you will send a letter (sample in the guide linked above).  I will walk you through how to send something in the mail in case none of you has any experience doing so.

After reaching out to your industry professional, you will read through the questions in the interview guide and select which questions are most helpful to you.  There are over 20 questions in the guide, and I think you can get some great answers if you highlight 8 to 12 questions that make the most sense for you.

Once this is done, you will write a blog post about your progress on this project.  Some (hopefully all) of you will have secured a meeting date/time for your interviews.  Others (hopefully only a couple) will still be waiting to hear back.  Either way, you will post about who you contacted, your experience preparing a letter to go out in the mail, your expectations of your interview, and how you plan to prepare for the interview (how you will dress, whether you'll bring a note pad and/or use your phone to log answers, what you are most interested in learning).  

That's it for this week.  I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Thinking, Problem Solving, and Flexibility

Albert Einstein once said, "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."  As you may or may not know, during the month of February, we will have a different schedule than normal.  Instead of our 7 period day that we are used to, we will move to block scheduling.  This new schedule presents some opportunities for us to work for longer stretches of time together.  Rather than our regular 45-minute class period, we will be working for an hour and forty-five minutes at a time.

That said, I have some ideas of what I'd like to do with our time during February, but I would like to give you an opportunity to work on your Thinking & Problem Solving Skills, as well as your Adaptability & Flexibility.

Below is a screen shot of the breakdown of our meetings for the month of February:

This week, you are going to look at our course standards and develop plans for our classes between 2/2/16 and 3/6/16.  During the 5 week stretch in which we will be working on block schedule, we'll have added class time to do some big projects and fine tune our skills in some areas such as:

• Movie Maker
• Mock Interview Prep
• Copyright vs. Creative Commons (already covered, but we can really get a good idea for what Creative Commons is all about)
• Analyzing the credibility of sources

There are obviously plenty of other project opportunities, but I really believe that block scheduling benefits us as a group, since we can work some projects from beginning to end during an entire class period or work on multiple related projects throughout the class period.

On Monday, I'll brief you on various types of assessment, but for the most part, we'll focus on portfolio artifacts as a primary means of assessing your mastery of the standard.  From there, it's up to you to individually fill in each block of classes.  On Friday, we'll have time for three of you to present your proposals.  I'll review your findings and make a decision on which projects/activities are best suited for our February meetings.

Thanks in advance for your dedication to making the most of our class periods during our adjusted scheduling.  I'll see you all tomorrow.

Goal-Setting and Self-Improvement

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a chance to relax and enjoy your Winter Break with friends and family, as well as earn some money with the extra time available to you.  Now that the break is over, it's time to get back to WBL.

When we return from break, we'll work on setting some realistic measurable goals for ourselves in the same way my daughter did with me over the past few weeks.  Check out my VE blog for the upcoming week for a detailed explanation of how I taught my daughter to accomplish a big goal over time. As a class, we will watch four videos about how to follow through with goals and then devise a plan to accomplish them over the course of the next four and a half months.  The goals we set in class can relate to personal accomplishments (ex: do 100 pushups in two minutes), professional growth (ex: earn a raise or promotion on your next performance evaluation), or school-related achievements (ex: graduate).

Regardless of the goals, there is a lot of preparation required.  You'll need to work on time management, techniques to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind, keeping periodic (daily? weekly?) records of your progress, and being able to work through adversity.  The things you've already learned about initiative, self-direction, and backward design will definitely help, but I've also prepared some videos from Tony Robbins for you to watch in class so that you can begin to get into the right frame of mind to setting and achieving these goals.  Below is a breakdown of what we will watch each day in class.  There will be simple blog assignments associated with the videos to make sure you actually record your plans properly.

Tuesday: How to Follow Through With Your Goals: Part 1
Wednesday: How to Follow Through with Your Goals: Part 2
Thursday: How to Follow Through with Your Goals: Part 3
Friday: How to Follow Through with Your Goals: Part 4

I realize my VE students will be watching these videos more than once, but this is actually a good thing.  My VE students can be relied upon to help contribute to the conversations and share some of the things other students discussed each class.  Further, their experience with these discussions will help provide a strong framework for how to conduct the class activity.

Get your pencils sharpened and get ready to work on making this semester your best it can be.  I'll see you in class on Tuesday!

2015 Semester Exam

I'm sorry I couldn't be in class today.  My daughter has a stomach bug and is staying home from school.  Please answer the following exam questions in a Word document and email them to me at mattspinella@gmail.com for a grade.  I will have your exams graded by 3pm today.

Part 1: Reflection Essays – 100 points (50 points per essay)

Compose two (2) reflection essays (minimum 200 words for each)on any of the following concepts covered this semester:

• ·         The importance of safety in the classroom and workplace
• ·         How to apply for an entry-level job (fast food, grocery store, retail, etc.)
• ·         Proper interview preparation
• ·         The importance of a resume
• ·         Electronic vs. physical portfolio
• ·         Digital footprint
• ·         Branding yourself

Your essay should include information you’ve learned, how you can apply what you’ve learned, and how your learning can help separate yourself from other job candidates or college applicants.

Part 2: Employability Skills – 25 points

Perform a Google search on your desired career and identify which knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are essential.  Be specific about your desired career (Examples: If you wish to be a CPA, will you pursue tax or audit? If you wish to be a nurse, what licensure will you pursue?).  Use current job postings and articles to compose a descriptive list of at least five (5) employment requirements.

Part 3: Ethical Conduct in the Workplace – 25 points

Often, in lower-level job settings (fast food, grocery store, retail), employees face ethical dilemmas.  Describe a scenario in which an employee’s ethics would be challenged, and explain at least two ways you could practice good ethics in the workplace.  Examples include:

·         Handling large sums of money

·         Inappropriate comments in the workplace

·         Alienating co-workers based on gender, race, religion, or sexual preference

·         Stealing merchandise

Part 4: Interview for a position at ABC Grocery Store – 50 points

Please write out your answers for the following questions:

1.    Tell me a little about yourself.

2.    What is your biggest strength and how can it help you succeed in your career?

3.    Tell me about one of your weaknesses.

4.    Tell me about a time in which you failed.

5.    Do you have any proof that you can complete the tasks required for this position? - Great time to show off the portfolio

6.    What do you know about this position?

7.    Do your grades in school reflect your work ethic?

8.    Tell me about a time in which you were faced with a challenge and succeeded.

9.    Why should I hire you?

1        10.  Do you have any questions for me?

I Good luck on the exam.  Have a safe and restful Winter Break!

Let's Put This Fancy Equipment to Good Use

This week, we're going to use our new camera to complete a majority of our tasks.  I haven't broken down the tasks into daily assignments.  Rather, I've laid out the work we will do and how we will do it.  Please see below for what we'll get done this week:

Class Photo:
We need to choose a day when we can get our class photo taken.  I will have a 6th period planner in to take our picture.  This image will be loaded to our Google+, Twitter, and YouTube pages

WBL Videos:
Well try to record the following videos for each student:

1. 20-Second Introduction
1. If you feel as if your video last week isn't sufficient, we can do these first
2. Placement (or Desired Placement) Description
1. What is your (desired) placement?
1. Those of you who are employed have been focusing on that job as your guide in completing our tasks, so please use your current job in this video
2. What are your job responsibilities?
1. Please be specific.  Discuss what you do and how you do it rather than just stating, "I work the register," or, "I clean up."
3. How do you conduct yourself on the job?
1. Again, please specify how you handle yourself with co-workers, supervisors, customers, etc.
4. How do you use literacy on the job?
1. Talk about employee handbook, safety manuals, reading updates or messages from your boss, etc.
5. How is numeracy incorporated on the job?
1. If you work the register or handle money, this is obvious.  
2. Also think about time management or budgeting (allocation of funds from your paycheck)

***You will use Monday's class to compose talking points for your videos.  

***We will complete our 20-second intro videos first and load all of them to our YouTube, class website, and Google+, as well as tweet them.

***After completing our Placement Videos, you will use the editing software on the school computers to make them professional.  Editing will be tough, so use one another as you work through the process

On Friday, you will compose a 200+ word blog post about what you did this week.  Please use the following questions to guide your entry:

1. What did you discuss in your videos?
2. Do you feel your videos are a good representation of yourself?  Would an admissions officer or scholarship panel be impressed by your submission?
1. That's the point of making these videos
3. Explain the purpose of having these as evidence of excellent work in an electronic portfolio.
4. What other activities would you like to do next semester to add to your portfolio?

That's it for this week.  Next week we'll focus on preparing for the mid-term.  See you tomorrow!