Well this is it, the end of the semester! Everyone is finishing projects and studying for their finals. However there is one last thing to do, reflect! Yes we must reflect on what we have done throughout the semester, which has been quite a lot!

Yes this is where I will be putting my final reflection (and also in my blog section!) along with all the things that I will reference. You can look though my work by also going to the "More" tab and selecting one of my many works that strikes your fancy.

Looking back on this semester I would have to start on the very first day. I woke up that morning not really knowing what that day was going to bring. Other than this it was a normal morning; get up, brush my teeth, get dressed, etc., etc. Then I spent about 20 minutes looking for the classroom. Luckily I managed to find the room before class started (being late the first day of class would have been a bad start to the semester). I sat down with the rest of the class as we wrote our first page in our journals. The first topic of writing? What were your first thoughts this morning when you woke up?

A strange question to start a writing assignment with but still it made me think about what was on my mind that morning. My thoughts came back with me trying to think where my first class was and where my class after that was. I hadn't really thought about anything besides that. I then ended up thinking about what I was going to have to do for the rest of the day. But my thoughts were quickly cut off, writing time was up, first day of class was about to begin!

The next class session started out the same way, with another "writing into the day" that had me thinking, but this time it wasn't about where my class was. we were given a sheet titled "Trajectory Quotes" and asked to pick the one that was most interesting and write about it. The one quote by Jim Harrison caught my attention. His quote about standing on his roof at 19 and looking out into the swamp made me think of someone looking out into the future to try to catch a glimpse of what things will be like. However this made me think about what that would actually be like. I imagined it almost like looking down a long, straight road with a "Heat Haze" (Like the kind that you see on pavement on a hot summers day) distorting the view of the things in the distance. This would make it unclear as to what truly lied ahead and that the only way to see what was there was to walk there.

This was also the class where we started work on this webpage (My awesome webpage!) and wrote up our "About Me" section.   

For the next assignment in class I started to make connections between what we had done in the beginning of class and what was to be the theme (sort of) for the rest of class that semester.  This assignment was the Murray Cards. The first card made me realize that my research proposal involved a lot of "individual factors" like self-reliance, dedication, motivation, and hard work. Then another thought hit me, the first "Writing into the day" assignments were individual reflections based on questions. Our other reading assignments were also, at their core, based upon individual students. I was able to link this to my Research proposal. I was going to work on Standardized Testing and how effective they are at an Individual level. For this we also had to lay out a plan for our research proposal. This process was also part of the Murray Card activity and required us to ask different questions regarding our topic, the research we were going to gather, and any problems we may have with gathering information. This problem was what led me into the next "Writing into the day" assignment.  I had come to a dead stop with my research that I was gathering, after searching through multiple sources I realized that many of my sources (pretty much all of them actually) were very one sided against standardized testing. But I kept looking and soon found sources that were actually arguing both the good and bad of standardized testing.  I was able to assemble all of these sources into one list to be used for my final presentation. I assembled all of them into the Annotated Bib and gave descriptions of why I felt that source of information was good.

After this I had to begin work on the academic conversation (AKA my Standardized Testing Presentation). The start of my primary research actually came out my next “Writing into the day". I had to find a starting point and the only way I could do that was to come up with a method of gathering information about testing from those in my class. I then realized that the best way to gather information about testing was with...a test. I would say it was more like "a series of questions aimed at gathering results from a group of individuals" but that would actually be one of the many definitions of a test.  The draft for this conversation was split into two different parts. One part had us writing it in a narrative form of an argument already in progress that we jump into (While picking a side since it is an argument) and then jumping out of because we have to leave. You can think about this like someone trying to jump into a train to catch a free ride, realizing that everyone on the train is crazy, and then jumping back out of that moving train. The second part was one that I was a little more comfortable with since I felt I was able to get my information across better. It was an essay style format but instead of going with the usual "bland essay" writing style I added a bit of "My Style" of writing into the essay so that it made it more interesting to read (and also to keep people from reading it in the "Bueller teacher" type of voice). Overall the final Drafts of both of my Academic Conversations was very awesome (Well that what I thought about it) and I was very happy with all of the information I had gathered for it. However there was one issue I had with it.

I had chosen the essay style to be the format I wanted to use in my Final inquiry project yet I was not happy with the format. I felt that much of the information I had would just not work with what I had typed up for the second part of my Academic Conversation (Kinda like that feeling you get when you have one puzzle piece left and it doesn't fit anywhere on the puzzle.). So what I ended up doing was Re-typing (mainly re-wording) my essay so that I could fit my sources and my primary research in. After all the re-construction I had a finished product that I was proud of! It felt like a whole semester in the making (Technically because it was but that's not the point!).

Now we're just finishing up our class portfolios (The thing you are currently viewing!) and presentations! Even though class technically hasn't ended I must say that this semester has been very awesome (Along with having a huge OH MY GOD! moment when I realized how all of our assignments linked together through individualism). I loved this class and all the assignments were very awesome. Also for once the readings were actually interesting to read! (First off thank you for interesting readings and secondly for those who don't understand why I can stand boring readings go here --> HERE <--) After everything is said and done I must say that this class has been awesome and fun (Which is hard to find in many classes, trust me).

As many of you may or may not know, my research project is on how effective standardized testing is in today's classrooms. However after my battle with my computer (As seen to the right of theses words) I spent the good part of my time fighting with Google Docs' and just trying to get my questions to upload.
Even though this battle was very difficult I won and have successfully uploaded my questions to  Google documents! I also sent out an email to everyone with the link included. If you did not receive this email you can follow the link below (and also let me know if you didn't get the email so I can "work" with my computer a bit more.)
https://docs.google.com/a/uncc.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEJEQzl0RTUtYVVnNk55V2l5WnVEQVE6MQ

Now on to the main part of this blog, The presentation! My main plan is to use Powtoons to create my PowerPoint and to present my information. The only thing I'm currently waiting on is  my primary information which I (and my computer)  hope to have back by class time on Monday. As for now I am just Working with Powtoons to get familiar with all the tools and how to actually set everything up. I'm planning on having a great and entertaining presentation to present. Well I'm off to work a bit more on this project, see you all in class on Monday!

For this project my only question is for how we gather our primary research. My plan is to email everyone in the class a set of questions and take the answers from that and put it into a PowerPoint. 
Will this be a large enough group size for my research or should I possibly email this to students in my other classes to gather more information?

For my Research topic I have found quite a bit of research. I have a few books in mind and also quite a few articles and papers. However many of the things I've found don't point to good things for Standardized Testing.

Of the six books that I have found, five have a title that suggest that standardized testing is broken and is useless. Heck even on of the titles of  my readings is "The Case Against Standardized Testing". This already puts me in quite a predicament... I can't really research anything with  research that is "One-sided" with its opinions. Thus I must take up the task of finding information that "Supports" Standardized testing (I know Crazy right?). Trust me, I have looked previously. The closest i got was a completely sarcastic article about the "Wonderful" things standardized testing has done for our society. 

My articles seem to be much of the same. Several of them openly bash the method of testing with very little of them offering any support. Many I didn't finish reading because they came off as an "attack" of standardized testing because of the hardship it had caused the writer. 

Yes finding information against standardized testing will be as easy as searching "Standardized testing". However I'm afraid if I Google something like "Standardized Testing Pros" I'm going to find Google asking me if I meant " Standardize Testing Cons" or just telling me that no search results were found. Still my research will continue!

Dear Sippy,

               Hey there it’s Jon from your morning class. After some thinking I have my idea for what I want to research for my class proposal.  I want to look into standardized testing and how it still works in education today. I want to research how it is still used, if it is actually useful in this day and age and if it isn't what its flaws are. The main reason I’m interested in this is because I've always felt that standardized testing has played a big role in where I am now in education. I have to take two state tests every year that I was in public education since I could remember. I have to take another test for my SAT score to tell me (and other colleges) if I was good enough to get in to a college or not. And finally it seems like when we judge non-school related things we use a form of standardized testing. I just find how we have included it into almost everything we do that requires a rating to be interesting. I want to see if it’s really as useful as it’s made out to be or if it’s still in use because we have no other solutions.   

The first thing that we read in class that got me thinking about this was Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average.” For someone like to just fall into this “different” world of education just because of a computer glitch is strange. However for everyone else there that fell into these classes just because of letter grades and test scores, it seems unfair. I personally think that a Standard test is a poor way to judge anything about a person other than how they do when their given a standardized test! There is nothing “standard” about a person except the space they share and the air they breathe with others! For us to cast people into “remedial” classes like those in Mike’s story just based off of a letter and some numbers seems ridiculous.

The other article that got me thinking about this was the article about the Five-paragraph Essay. It just made me realized how far the idea of “standard” has gone in education. I personally was not a fan of writing essays with a prompt and a time limit. It’s not writing, its regurgitation of information in written form. The idea that you have five paragraphs to explain and/or discuss something is strange to me. It’s not even writing at that point because to me writing doesn’t have a defined “boundary”. Writing is a form of expression that can go as far as one wants it to.

Standardized test, to me, do not show any sort of educational talent except when it comes to taking test. I want to know why we still use it and if it is more beneficial than I think it is. And if the case is that it is not I want to understand the flaws it has and why we continue to use it.

Looking forward to our meeting Monday,  

Jon Osipovitch.

Well I have decided that I am going to be looking at standardized testing. and how to I have to gather results? With..More standardized style test! Yes, I am taking a look at standard testing and how effective it really is. But the only problem is...I have questions. Yes I know, I know...That should be a good thing when coming up with a standardized test of your own..but I'm not (or at least not yet). I need to figure out a few things about this process and how it works. I know! I'll make a "shopping list" style of questions I have, then I can look for the answers!

1. How Effective do test takers feel standardized test are?
 
2. How do these test Benefit the test taker? The schools? 

3. How do I gather Information from others?

4. What kind of Information should I be looking for?

5. How will I know which data to use? 

Alright I'll just come out and say it, I'm not the largest fan of writing. You can either link this to my planned major (many engineers aren't great with adding "fluff" to their writing) or my past experiences with "standardized writing". However you want to look at it I've developed a "depends on the situation" kinda attitude with my writing. Freestyle? No problem, I just write..Well..How I'm writing now. Set up some "Rules" to how I can write and I'm not really going to put my all into it. 

I'm not one for structured writing and I do have to agree with those in the article who say that its limiting and "cripples" writers. However I will agree that we all have to start somewhere in our writing, but we need to work our way out of this "structure". Heck it would look pretty goofy to go riding a bike around with the training wheels still on right? Well that how this "Five paragraph Essay" format appears to me. It, along with other similar methods, are just ways to get you comfortable with writing. 

I also find this idea of the equation to be a bit strange ( and overwhelming from the looks of the picture up there!). Yet I can get the point that is being given in this article. Writing is not suppose to be completely calculated and cold, its got to have freedom and flexibility!  You have to be able to say what you need to (or want to for this matter) without being limited by a structure. Besides, this is what makes writing interesting aside from its other aspects like story line or plot twist. 

I'll be honest, I've always felt that education had taken on a "study for the next test, pass it, forget everything and learn the new stuff" Kinda atmosphere. However this reading assignment took this feeling I had and blew it into a "Matrix conspiracy" sounding thing. Though I doubt agent Smith would make a good teacher the idea of this " play of power/oppression through education" and "Teachers filling their students (their Vessels) with knowledge"  sounded strange but logical.

We do come to class to learn but the Idea that what we are learning is lifeless and pointless? That almost seems contradictory! However I'm sure we have all felt this way before, even though we may not have realized it. If you've ever read "Absalom, Absalom" You may find yourself overcome by the feeling of "I don't really care about this" along with the feelings of fear and horror after reading just the first sentence (or by learning how long the first sentence is). When you don't care to learn about something you tend to not pay attention to the subject at all, thus preventing the teacher from giving you their knowledge about the subject, kinda like pouring water into a container with a lid on it.

This Idea of "Banking Education" actual provides a term to how I felt about most of my education (Along with a deeper context to). Surely I'm not just a container though, If I was then I would be able to remember things better, regardless of weather I wanted to know about it or not, Unless my "container" has a few leaks in it; I hope not! But anyways the Idea of having some of this "knowledge" bestowed upon us conflicting with what we have picked up outside of school, I.e Street smarts yo!, is very interesting and something I have realized that everyone will do. One way you can think of it is like Throwing a match into a container of gasoline, or even like pouring oil into a container of water. Either what has just been Bestowed upon you will result in an explosive contradiction of information, an argument with your teacher, or will possibly have no affect on you whatsoever, almost like you never even heard what your teacher was talking about.

The Idea of oppression doesn't stick too well with me though. I can understand being told your whole life that you will never be better than anyone around you (or even the opposite of this), but I can not see how "banking education" can chain you down. If this was the case than maybe those students in my class who slept the whole time and said that school was "a waste of time" were on to something. Maybe they had this "Matrix style education" thing figured out the whole time.