The Final Blog Post....make it a good one.

 Please read through this post, and answer the questions by Monday May 15, and respond to two others by Wednesday May 17th.

Sunset on the Connecticut River ( Bent)

This is your final blog post of the class.  Before I suggest your topics for the week, I would like to thank you all for an extremely interesting class this year.  Although you all had various forms of senioritis during the semester, you were all willing to work.  I am proud of each one of you for the body of work you produced third and fourth quarters.  The sun is setting on your high school career, and I hope you look back and remember the time you spend with friends fondly because in a blink of an eye you will be all grown up, and flying from the nest.

Choices-Nantucket  (Bent)

The world is about to open up to you, so please choose wisely, travel if you can, study, and enjoy yourselves (but not too much).  You will find you still have so much to learn and discover, so never stop challenging yourselves.

Endless possibilities - Franconia Notch  (Bent)

What I would like you to reflect upon this week is your total experience now that you are coming to the end of the class:

What did you like about your project?

What was a real challenge in your project?

In what ways could you improve on the overall experience with the project?

In what ways have you grown as a person through this experience?

Why is risk taking a good thing?

How do you know the difference between a good risk and a not so good risk?

Did you push yourself out of your comfort zone in this class? How, why, or why not?

Straddling two countries the United States (right foot) and Canada (left foot)-Fourth Connecticut Lake Trail (Bent)

When you find yourself at another crossroad, straddling two thoughts (or countries), remember to use the skills you have either learned, discovered, or honed in this class, and make an educated decision on the next path in life.

Seek new adventures -Herveys Range North Queensland, Australia (Bent)

Keep your eyes open, and be up for the adventures to come...

The sun is rising on the next chapter of your life.  Hold your head high, hang on, and enjoy the ride! o If you are going to college, make it an experience of a lifetime.  Get out there and join everything you can.  If you are headed into the workforce, get out there and start planning for the rest of your lives.  If you are taking a gap year, enjoy it, and be safe if you travel.  If you are undecided, that is okay too, take some time to think about what you want to do.  The point is, you all have a lot to offer the world, and eventually you will find out what that looks like and means to you.

Sunrise (Bent)

Blog # 13: First Week out in the Field

Like the mountain range in New South Wales Australia, the future is before you...take advantage of this. (Photo Credits Bent)

Good Morning and welcome back to the last few weeks of the quarter and of your high school career. You are expected to come to class each Monday to check in, pick up a time sheet, and drop off the filled out sheet.  You are required to work at least 20 hours over the next 18 school days (April 24-May 17).  During that time, you also need to be putting together your final presentation.  '

Although you are out in the field, you are still responsible for blogging.  The following questions are due by next Monday, May 1st, with responses to two others by May 3rd.

What experience do you bring to your project?
You have been working towards this project since January.  How has the first week gone?  What did you do?

Blog 12: Down to the Wire and Setting you Free

The blog is due this Thursday April 13, with two responses to other students due by Wednesday April 19th.  

In honor of the first day of Kindness week (photo credits Bent)

This blog is one that will be helpful to both of us.  All I would like you to do is write your schedule of what you will be doing from April 24th through May 17th.  Once you have created it, reflect on just what you are showcasing in this actual project, and what skills you will be using to complete the project.

Blog 11 due April 10th with 2 responses due April 12th

We are coming to the end of the "in school" portion of this class...

You are now beginning part two of this class-go into it strong with your head held high and your expectations of your project positive.  You have from now until May 19th to dazzle me...do so by choosing the correct path out of the forest. (photo credits Bent)

This is the last full week of class before April vacation.  Next week we have a four day week, and yes folks there is a blog that week with responses due during vacation (wouldn't want you to forget about me).

This week is entirely dedicated to you working on your research paper because we all know that draft one is due Thursday for in class peer edits.  What I would like you to reflect on this week are the following questions:

1. Why in the world do teachers ask students do to research and then write about it, (torture is not an option for responding-Jack)?

2. What has been your approach to collecting information and writing this first draft, (besides me forcing you to create an annotated bibliography)?

3. In thinking back over these first 10 weeks (one week was vacation) of class, what have you learned about yourself?

4. What skills, if any, have you discovered or honed here that will help you be successful in college next year, or out in the real world next year?

5. Explain one thing that has not worked well in this class for you...this can be an assignment, a particular week, working towards your project, time limits, freedom, your motivation???? You tell me, as this will help me improve the class for next year.

Blog 10: Reflection on the progress over seven weeks

Ollie is deep in thought, as you should be in your post this week. (photo credits Bent)

We are seven weeks into this course, and you should be beginning to wrap up your work, and see light at the end of the tunnel. I would like you to reflect and write about the following questions:

Post due Monday April 3rd, with two responses to others due Wednesday April 5th 

1. What has surprised and frustrated you with your project and your research?  Do you have other surprises or frustrations?  Let me know.  (Do not just give a one sentence wonder here.)

2. What has been your biggest time waster?  (you or work...be frank and candid, I can take it)

3. How are you dealing with stress? AND Have you identified the stresses and ways to avoid or fix them?

4. This one may not apply to all of you: If you are behind, own it and discuss what happened...do not blame other people, or other classes, be up front and honest.  Take a good look at your performance and talk about it.

We have three more weeks of class...make them count before the sun sets on your work....do not let the fog roll in and complicate things.  Stay the course, and finish strong.  (This is corny I know, but you get the point: WORK)

Blog Post # 9: Belonging-Motivation-Checking In-Reflection

Knowing when to lean on others and work through projects (photo credits Bent)

This is blog post 9,and it is due on Monday March 27th with two responses due by Wednesday March 29th. Try to respond to two people you have not responded to before.

At this writing, this class has four more weeks of seat time....that really is not that many days.  For those of you who have routinely not worked in or out of class, get going....graduation is almost here. For the rest of you (the larger majority of the class) "stay the course" and move forward.

This week I want you to reflect and blog on the following:

1. How do you keep yourself motivated when you can almost see the end, but you still have quite a few things to complete before you arrive at the end?

2. Where are you in this class, behind, on track, ahead?  Consider where you are, and then blog about your performance as a student, be honest about it.

3. Why am I asking you to make this community connection?  Obviously I think it is important, but why?

4. How does the act of reflecting promote learning?

Remember, ticktock...the clock is winding down on your high school career.  Go out with your head held high, and a feeling of complete accomplishment.  You are almost ready to spread your wings.

The feeling of successful completion of your assigned tasks (photo credits; Bent)

Sailing into Success, even with bumps in the road. (Photo Credits URI Sailing)

Blog Post # Eight: The Bumpy Road to Success

In life there will always be success and failure, and often times you learn more from the failure than you do from the success. A good number of you have been successful with your project proposals; meaning everything has worked so far.  However, there are some of you who had great vision for success, but have been met with some bumps along the way; meaning you have had to make adjustments to your original project plan.

1) For all of you, what has been the the hardest part of this journey so far?  Share the failures and setbacks so far. (These can be as small as not doing your work on time, to as large as having to go back to the drawing board for a project.)  What insight have you gained from these "bumps" in the road?  How will you take this insight and use it to help frame out the remaining time in this class?

2) What part of your planning has been the most rewarding so far, and why?

3) Any stresses over the last week or so? What were they, and how did you handle them?

This Blog post is due March 20th AND two responses to others (choose some people you have not responded to) are due on March 22nd 

Examining leadership qualities through reflection

Leadership is a process of earning respect and gaining trust (photo credits Bent)

We are entering the fifth week of class.  So far you all have identified and reflected on skills you have through a series of exercises finishing with the creation of a resume.  In addition you have started research on both your project and your paper.  I admire your ability to juggle this in the final semester of your senior year, when in reality your focus is probably not a 100% on school and school related work.

This week your blog and part of your work on google classroom connect through leadership in a service-learning environment. This course is built on creating a service (your project) with the idea of learning from that service (doing the project-learning from it and providing a service to others).  To complete a project you need a leader, and guess what that leader is YOU.  Although you might be gaining some advice and direction from someone else, you are the leader of whatever your project is...you are the expert, and the person who others will/are counting on to follow through with your project.

Remember that the blog post is due on  Monday.  The scoring for the post is as follows: 25% for on time posts, 50% for content and grammar, and 25% for responding to two other peoples' blog by Wednesday of the post week.  

Note: For responses this week,  I am looking for something longer than just a sentence or two.  When you are commenting on other blogs, especially this one, connect with the blogger and really take an interest in what he or she has written.


Blog Entry Seven "Leadership" (due Monday March 13th) is asking you to examine leadership:

We encounter leaders in many different parts of our everyday lives; family, work, community groups, religious groups, sports teams, and social movements. We learn about favorite leaders from the past in history books and about those from the present through news media.  We value leaders for different reasons, including getting things done, promoting specific social values, and empowering others. Some people are born leaders and others are situational leaders.  For your blog this week, pick a leader from any area of life whom you admire and answer the following questions.

Part One: Someone you admire
1. Who is the leader you most admire?
2. How has this person demonstrated that she or he is an effective leader?
3. What qualities does he or she have that you think contribute to his or her being an effective leader?

Part Two: You as a leader 
Think about your own experience as a leader in different areas of your life: home, school, sports, work, volunteering.
1. Describe the best leadership experience you have ever had.
2. What kind of leadership style (see styles discussed in your handout) were you using in this situation? Explain
3. What effective strategies did you use in this leadership experience?
4. What personal qualities do you think contributed to your success as a leader in this situation? Explain how each quality contributed to your leadership success.
5. What effective strategies did you use in this leadership experience?
6. How might the effective strategies you used in this situation be used in your service project?

Make sure that you answer these questions in PARAGRAPH form...do not just give me one sentence wonders.  Dig deep and talk about your choice in detail, and then when responding to others, dig deeper and create a substantive response for that blogger to read.

This is Panda Bear, and he has an announcement for you (photo credits Bent)

I have been asked to list all the possible days we have scheduled for the library.  Just because I have scheduled time in the library does not mean go there first.  Please check with me, and then proceed, unless otherwise told on our mandatory Monday meeting in the classroom.  

The month of March the library is open to us on:
March 13-17th, but come to class on Monday to see what the week holds

March 20, 22-24, but come to class on Monday to see what the week holds (no library Tues)

March 27-31, but come to class on Monday to see what the week holds

April 3, 4, 7, but come to class on Monday to see what the week holds (no Wed, Thurs)

April 10-13, but come to class on Monday to see what the week holds (yikes this is the last week of class)

Look at the week of February 27th through March 3rd

Looking down the long road to research (The Great Wall of China, outside Beijing (photo credit: Bent)

This week you have a few items to work on:

• Blog # 6 is due next Monday the 6th of March with TWO responses to others due by the 8th of March.
• The beginnings of an annotated bibliography - due Friday March 3rd by 2:15 pm
• Meet with me-Monday in class-to discuss your progress and your progress report (the progress report is going live on Friday)

Blog Posts;Directions and Scoring:
Each blog post is due on a Monday, with two exceptions-the Friday before February break, and the Thursday before April break.  The scoring for the post is as follows: 25% for on time posts, 50% for content and grammar, and 25% for responding to two other peoples' blog 

Blog Post Six Due March 6th: "Getting Back into the Swing"- This week your focus is on finding relevant articles for your research paper, reading them, and creating an annotated bibliography to use when writing the paper. 
1) Examine how you approach searching for a topic.  
2) Provide at least TWO tips for others searching for articles.
3) Be honest, what do you think of annotated bibliographies?  
4) What was the most productive day this week, and why?
5) What was the least productive day this week, and why? 

Remember to respond to two other students.  Try to shake it up, and respond to new students instead of your buddies.

Welcome Back and Time is Ticking...

The sun is beginning to set on your high school experience (photo credits all- Bent)

Ollie says to stay on track...

and to remain serious about your deadlines because...

I have enjoyed reading your blog posts on resume writing and the juggling act the past week.  This is such an exciting time; the final leg of senior year.

this is going to be here before you know it...

and you will be headed off to your next adventure.

Keep in mind "spring fever" is a real thing...Ollie and I want to keep you on track and moving forward with your paper, your reading, and your project.  Use your calendar to keep you honest and on track.  When you feel that urge to not do work, resist it because you are almost done.






Before you know it, you too will be graduating and moving on to the next chapter of your life.  Do not wait until the last minute, and try to cram everything in; work at a steady and consistent pace.






I look forward to seeing you all on Monday to begin the last seven (7) weeks of classroom work.....remember you are all out in the field as of April 24th (the Monday we return from April break).  It might seem like a long way away, but trust me it is not.  I am always available to help in any way, and to push you when needed.  The projects all sound great, and I cannot wait to see the end products.  Keep up the good work!

Snow Day Thursday February 9th

Ollie wants a snow adventure 

Ollie's winter wonderland this morning

Ollie was patiently waiting to go out this morning, so after reading through a few of your blogs, we decided to brave the elements.








Once outside, we both realized that there was a lot of snow on the ground!  We played for a while, but even Ollie needed to come inside.

We are now back in the kitchen reading your blogs.  Both he and I are mostly impressed with your energy and willingness to accept the challenge of working on projects by yourselves.  It is scary to take this kind of risk, but once you dig in, especially if it is something you love, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.  I hope that you are enjoying your day off, but I also hope that you are going to come back ready and willing to work really hard....you only have a few short months of your senior year left....make those months fun and not stressful.  So, get going: read, write, and create....May will be here before you know it.

Update: I have read through all your Monday blog posts, and for the most part I am really impressed with the wide variety of projects in the works.  You all have so much to offer, and I cannot wait to see what the outcome will be for all of you.  Please return to your blog posts to read my comments, and for some of you there may be some additional work to be done on the post.

Snow total here is now at 16".  It is beautiful, but I am not looking forward to shoveling.  I am going to procrastinate (something many of you mentioned) and watch some tv until I can no longer avoid shoveling.

Both my daughters in Rhode Island  have blizzard warnings with 2.5 feet of snow expected.  Dana, at RWU, said that there was thunder snow in Bristol!

Dana's view at Roger Williams this morning.

What I see in the classroom setting

Take time to reflect on your progress. (Photo Credit Bent)

We are eight days into this course, and there is a lot of energy out there.  A number of you are getting right down to business with focus, while others are still coming to class with nothing.  This is your course, a way to show that you the senior can work interdependently and you can challenge yourself to do something new and out of your comfort zone.  If you are a procrastinator, this might be the time to break yourself of the habit.  If you are someone who has trouble focusing, take things one step at a time; make a list of goals, and follow it.

By this Friday, February 3rd, you need to show me proof of your commitment in the form of:
1. Completing all the work that is due this week
2. Inviting others to view your blog.  Be proud of it because it is your interests and talents being showcased here.
3. Completion of Blogs 1 and 2 (if you are behind)
4. Show me your book, and evidence that you have read some of it....

I love the project ideas so far, and I am here to help in any way I can, just ask me.

Course Description

This class is what you make of it..."the sky's the limit" (photo credit: Bent)

This course is a partially independent, hands on, and student driven.  The focus is an independent project based on each student’s passion for effecting change in their community and beyond.    Students will develop knowledge, skills, and values from direct experiences outside a traditional academic setting.  There are opportunities for students to grow intellectually, creatively, emotionally, and socially through personally designed learning experiences based on their chosen research and passion. 

Academic aspects of experiential learning: the student work generated complements more traditional course learning, and allows students’ choice for reading materials; thus deepening their understanding and strengthening oral and written skills needed to succeed beyond high school.

Major Course Work Submissions: Final Project Proposal and Plan, Research Paper, Reflections, Completed Blogs, (major grades), and Culminating Project Presentation (final)

Blog Posts;Directions and Scoring:
Listed below are the Blog Post DUE dates. Please respond to each due date.  The title next to the due date is the TOPIC of the blog for the week.  Each blog post is due on a Monday, with two exceptions-the Friday before February break, and the Thursday before April break.  The scoring for the post is as follows: 25% for on time posts, 50% for content and grammar, and 25% for responding to two other peoples' blog by Wednesday of the post week.  For example, your next post is due on Monday February 6th, and your response to others is due on Wednesday February 8th.

Remember you are doing the personal response on a Monday and responses to others on Wednesdays (unless otherwise noted)

Blog Post Due Dates and Topics (stay tuned....I have only added topics to Feb vacation)

Blog Post Three Due February 6th: Skills-Invited Guests-Fishing for Projects
Skills I have, skills I need, and skills I might be able to improve on during this course, and why this might be important for a leadership course?(see google chart).  This week your blog is up and running, so invite others to see what you are up to, but do not invite friends, think bigger picture.  By now you have an idea of your topic, or you are still fishing-Let me know how it is going.

Blog Post Four Due February 13th: What is the point of resume writing, and why is it so hard to showcase myself in resume form?  Where are you in your nonfiction book?  Share the title, author, and what you have read so far.  By now you should be thinking of a research topic-some aspect of your project- that you want to discover a little more about.  What are your thoughts on a topic?

Blog Post Five Due February 17th (this is a Friday one folks and you still need to respond to two others by Wednesday of your vacation): "The Juggling Act"- How are you doing with reading your nonfiction book, researching a journal articles, contacting possible project people and places, and creating a rough draft of your project?  Share your progress, and your highs and lows in this juggling act....and think of ways to improve your time management skills.  You are going to need them to make this all work.

Blog Post Six Due March 6th: "Getting Back into the Swing"- This week your focus is on finding relevant articles for your research paper, reading them, and creating an annotated bibliography to use when writing the paper. 
1) Examine how you approach searching for a topic.  
2) Provide at least TWO tips for others searching for articles.
3) Be honest, what do you think of annotated bibliographies?  
4) What was the most productive day this week, and why?
5) What was the least productive day this week, and why? 

Blog Post Seven Due March 13th: See Post

Blog Post Eight Due March 20th: See Post 

Blog Post Nine Due March 27th: See Post 

Blog Post Ten Due April 3rd: See Post 

Blog Post Eleven Due April 10th: See Post 

Blog Post Twelve Due April 13th (this is a Thursday one folks, and you still need to respond to two others by Wednesday of your vacation): See Post 

Blog Post Thirteen Due May 1st: See Post 

Blog Post Fourteen Due May 8th: See Post

Blog Post Fifteen Due May 15th (this is your last week of class...almost there): See Post 

Blog Post Sixteen Due May 22nd: This is a reflection on the process, your performance during the class, things I could change to help the next class next spring, and what your "take away" is for the class.  See Post