Assignment 1.1 White Water Rafting

The author described teaching as white-water rafting in chatper one. Although I have limited experience teaching due to my current career. I would like to fancy myself to be a teacher of life. I am the oldest sibling of one brother and one sister. I'm also an older cousin of many in my family. I'm a leader in my community and I'm a leader at my job. I see teaching as an every day experience, and I don't believe it should be limited to a formal classroom setting. I can still see the similarities and differences between white-water rafting and teaching. I have never been whitewater rafting personally, but I have engaged in other outdoor activities such as camping. According to http://www.howstuffworks.com/, "White-water rafting is an outdoor activity where participants paddle a raft through whitewater or river rapids." Depending on your location and the time of year or day the water may have rocks, waves, other obstructions, or the water maybe fast or slow. It can be an extremely exhilerating and rewarding experience full of adventure. I think that is really similar to teaching often time teaching has periods of calm followed by bouts of excitement and unpredictability. There are times when teaching inspires you and other times when teaching makes you feel discouraged. Sometimes there are alot of personality conflicts when it comes to teaching. There are also people who are stubborn and prefer to learn in their own way. For example I work in an Information Technology Warehouse where we store a lot of communication equipment ranging from laptops, desktops, montiors, cell phones, and servers. As apart of my duties and responsibilities I teach a class once a week for new Equipment Custodians. Equipment Custodians each have accounts in our database and they're responsible for keeping accountability and inventory for a set number of communication devices. During the course of my instruction, for the most part they go pretty much smooth, sometimes I run accross people with difficult personalities. Sometimes these individuals come from other bases, they've been through the training before, or they're simply impatient. Regardless this training is required anually and I am obligated to give them this information whether they choose to listen or not is their choice, but if something were to happen down the line they cannot say they were not informed. I also have them sign a training letter, I make copies, and then I file the paper in their account file. In chapter 2 we encounter the core assumption that skillful teaching is whatever helps the students. For the most part I agree with this assumption if students can learn material in a better way I believe they should be free to do so. That is why I offer to e-mail the equipment custodians a copy of the powerpoint presentation upon request so that they can study and review the information further. I guess the problem that troubles me the most is when I encounter idividuals who believe they are more knowledgeable about a particular subject. I think I will probably go to the grave experiencing this problem because there are times when I will run into inividuals frequently who are indeed more knowledgable about the subject. However I guess I can be more assertive and acknowledge their expertise but explain to them the requirements that I'm obligated to uphold.

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/water-sports/white-water-rafting.htm

Touch Decision

This assignment was particularly difficult for me because the decision that I have to make is very dear to my heart. I want to become a commissioned officer in The United States Air Force. Currently I am an enlisted member of the Air Force and I enjoy my career. I find my career very rewarding and challenging, however I think I have more to offer if I were given the oppertunity to serve in an officer capacity. The decision I have to make is whether or not I should apply for OTS as an active duty member or should I have a break in service secure outside employment and then apply.

Although serving in The United States Air Force as an officer is my first choice it is not my only choice. I have considered serving in other branches as well. The branches that I have looked at specifically include The United States Navy and the United States Army. As a military service member I respect the sister services and I hold them in high esteem. The other option was to pursue a teaching career using the troops to teachers program.

There are many pros and cons to each possible decision as well as a number of variables that I must consider. My first choice being the Air Force requires figuring out the complicated process of putting together a package and taking the challenging Air Force Officer Qualifying test while juggling my responsibilities as a student and an active duty airman. I also have a number of other obstacles that I must confront if I were to submit my package as an active duty airman due to some unfortuante events that have occured in my life. From personal observation, word of mouth, and other circumstances I know that it is difficult for enlisted men/women to make it through the board that decides whether or not an airman is qualified to attend OTS. The Air Force is actually in the process of drawing down on its officer ranks and is not seeking many new applicants unless they hold degrees in specific majors such as medical, technical, or foreign language. In order to be competitive your package must stand out significantly. A lot of airmen that I would consder top notch material were denied admission into OTS even though they were highly recommended by their commander. If I were not able to accomplish this task while in service I considered taking a break in service and getting a job locally, most likely I'll have my degree by this time, and then applying for OTS. Alot of the obstacles I have to overcome wouldn't be much of a factor if I were to apply this way. Which brings me to my second choice the United States Army. From my personal experience being deployed in a joint command environment I have become quite fond of the Army and I admire the professionalism exemplified by their personell. I could see myself serving in this capacity, however I understand that the Army profession may require that expose myself to danger more so than the Air Force and I may deploy more frequently for extended period of times. That doesn't seem too harsh to me at this point in my life because I am single without a family, but I can see the toll it may take once I decide to start one. I also understand that the war is coming to an end so deployments may not be as frequent as they were in the past and this may be a good step for me if the Air Force isn't working for me and I'm still dead set on being a military officer. Another option I considered was being a United States Navy Officer, however I am not too familiary with the Navy and the way they operate although I could always learn. I also know that the Navy deploys to sea more frequently and I'm not sure I could adapt to that lifestyle. My final option was to become a teacher through the troops to teachers program. This option seems promising it would be some what difficult to transfer back to civilian life after my military experiences but I think I could handle it. There are also other incentives that I have took into consideration for this program such as the $10k bonus for teaching in high need areas and not having to worry too much about deployments. The comfort of working some where close to home with young people and making a positive difference in the community.

As of right now I think the best course of action to accomplish my goal of becoming an Air Force Officer would be to continue to serve to the best of my ability as an enlisted service member, finish my requirements for my bachelors degree in Adult Education, and at the end of my enlistment take a break in service to make sure this is something I really want to do. Meanwhile I can research the other commissioning oppertunities that the other branches have to offer while working on my Air Force package simultaneously. Then I will apply to each service to see whether or not I get accepted and secure a job once I get out to cover my expenses until I get a training slot for a commissioning school

Now that I have selected my best choice I plan to finish my enlistment obligation, save some money to cover expenses when I separate, take the AFOQT so thats one less requirement I have to worry about fulfilling while I'm in, research the other commissioning oppertuntites, and focus on finishing my bachelors degree in Adult Education. I also need to coordinate with Optometry to get PRK surgery as early as possible because I would love to be a pilot. In order to make this a reality I plan to write a detailed plan including dates and objectives that I plan to accomplish. I also plan to write a weekly schedule to help better manage my time.

Assignment 4.2

When I begin to reflect back on this course and think about what I’ve learned I realize that I am predominately an auditory learner. I actually enjoy lectures, discussions, and independent work when it comes to learning new information.

            I could improve my learning more by creating some sort of way to interact with the new information being presented. For instance if I were in a lecture I could actively take notes while the speaker is speaking and ask questions about anything that I don’t understand in order to gain a better understanding. I could also highlight important text and phrases in text books or other reading material when conducting required reading assignments and rephrasing new information into my own words.

            Knowing that I’m primarily an auditory learner with some visual and tactile learning characteristics make me feel better prepared to learn new information. I believe having these learning abilities make me stronger as a learner because I have more than one way to learn. I can incorporate these new learning strategies to process new information. I can develop a daily habit of highlighting text and phrases while reading. I can also learn to engage in conversation with my peers about the new information in order to become more familiar and comfortable with the material.

Assignment 3.3

http://victorhugor.blogspot.com/2009/05/learning-styles-theory-at-controversy.html

I believe this article was very interesting and it touched on a lot of controversial issues when it comes to learning. The first issue I would like to address can be found in the first paragraph of the article where the author discusses the various methods that educators implement in order to assess the individual learning style of their students. Some of the methods implemented consisted of surveys and test, and I personally do not believe these methods always accurately reflect the actual learning style of students. I believe this because it is possible for students to lie on these assessments or they may have inaccurate perceptions about how they actually learn. I also think that anytime you label a person to learn in a certain way you close the door to other possibilities. I don't think you should limit a learner to a specific learning style because depending on the subject matter or situation it may be best for the learner to learn in another way or combination of learning styles. The author also hints that racism may play a factor in regards to learning style theories and I believe that this is not outside the realm of possibility. As educators I believe that it is important to remember that we may often deal with people from all walks of life with various ethnic, religious, gender, and economic background. One of my hobbies consist of bodybuilding and at one point I heard it described as an egotistical sport meaning it was selfish and all about personal self interest. I like to think about education in the same light. It is an ego driven sport. I believe there is a such thing as healthy selfishness or personal self-interest. Selfishness is not always a negative thing, however when educators who are placed in a position of authority are too selfish it may be detrimental to their students as well as themselves. A selfish educator is incapable of accurately acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of his/her students or unwilling and allows the entire burden of the education process to lie entirely on the student. An unselfish educator willingly acknowledges the strengths and weaknesses of his/her students and tries their best to address and meet each students individual strengths and needs. I understand that at times this may not be possible because of the teacher to student ratio and time restraints, but I do not think it would be wise for educators not to put forth an effort.

What's Your Style?

Learning Styles! What are they? According to the text book, "Learning Style Perspectives," by Lynne Celli Sarasin, "The concept of learning style has been defined as a certain specific pattern of behavoir and/or performance according to which the individual  approach a learning experience a way in which the individual takes in new information and develops new skills, and the process by which the individual retains new infromation or new skills." Personally I believe the concept of learning styles is beneficial to educators to better understand the individual needs and strengths of their students. However I do agree to some degree with the arguements that Cognitive Scientist have developed according to this website, "http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2009/12/report_debunks_learning-style.html." The basic conclusion of this article was learning style theories lacked significant scientific evidence to support their claims therefore," the 'widespread use of learing-style measures in educational settings is unwise and a wasteful use of limited resources.'"

Educators should create assignments for every learning style so that students have the best environment to learn in.

-I think it would be beneficial for educators to create assignments for every learning style, but I do not believe it is completely necessary if the majority of students learn best in one particular learning style. I think it is important as an educator to remain flexible with your teaching style and do your best to acknowledge the invidual needs and strengths of your students before introducing an assignment. What works best for one group of students may not apply to another group of students.
Too bad about learning styles, if a student doesn't learn what is being taught, it is their own fault.

-I believe this is an unfair stance to take as an educator. As an educator your primary responsibility is to help your students learn the information being taught in the best possible way that you can.Cater to their students individual needs and strengths. Only after you have exhausted all reasonable means of educating your students that I think it may be fair to take the stance that if your student doesn't learn what is being taught, it is their fault. Sometimes students are not motivated to learn or they have outside factors and variables that distract them or hinder them from learning such as conflicting roles of responsibility.
In order to best help learners learn, it is better for educators and learners to know their learning styles.

-I agree with this statement. Unless an educator knows about himself completely and how he/she learns they cannot accurately identify the learning style of others and help them learn better themselves. I think it is important for educators to be in tune with their very own personal learning styles so that they can help other identify with their learning styles and learn information better.

Learning styles cater too much and create too much hand-holding in education today...

-I think learning styles do create too much hand-holding to a degree in todays education system. At the end of the day I believe it is the students responsibility to learn the material being taught. Educators cannot be held entirely responsible for the success and failure of their students. Individual accountability has to play a factor at some point in the education process.
Survival of the smartest!

-At times life can be unfair. I think it would be naive to believe it is a level playing field when it comes to the academic environment. I believe success is relative to the specific values and beliefs that people have. I believe that the education system as a whole is only one vehicle on the road to success. However I believe the value of education is underestimated in todays society and sometimes taken for granted. Sometimes achieving the ordinary is an extraordinary achievement.