Archive for year: 2014

In this episode of Survivor, we focus on the membership dynamics within each tribe. After spending a fair amount of time with each other, most of the members have begun to establish strong relationships with one another. Hunahpu (blue) and Coyopa (orange) both exhibited positive and negatives characteristics as members and as a tribe.

As in Chapter 3, I noticed how Schutz’s Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation (FIRO) Theory had played a part in the tribes. In his theory, Schutz explains that there should be a balance among three common needs that people search for within a group setting – inclusion, control, and affection. In this competition, I’ve already noted how there can be an imbalance that can impede members’ needs. For example, in the Coyopa Tribe, Val struggles to feel and be included in the tribe as a significant member. After the first challenge in episode 1, she was sent to Exile Island and lost important time that would have gone to group development. Due to this, Val was unable to begin create friendships and alliances as the others did. By the time she returned, her members had begun to establish themselves with one another. In the Hunahpu Tribe, John and Alec act as oversocial members where they try to bring attention to themselves.

The members within the tribes show aspects of the three categories – task roles, maintenance roles, and self-centered roles – Benne and Sheats Functional Group Roles. In the Coyopa Tribe, I noticed that Josh plays a strong part in the maintenance role. He tries his best to stand neutral with the tribe members, hoping to get along with each of them while also seeking his goal of winning by strategically eliminating select members.

In this episode of Survivor the teams are more aquatinted with one another as they have adapted to their new life and the people they have to work with and count on to further on. In the episode one of the members of the blue team lost the flint and this made the person who lost it feel bad and guilty. Feeling that the other members of the group are looking down upon him. This shows the need for inclusion, how he relies to feel included, involved, and accepted by the other members. When you do not have this you may feel under social. Also in the blue team the men at the beginning of the episode felt the need to show the women in the group of their strengths, where the men would lift logs and other items. This shows their need for affection to be liked and a productive group members.

The first challenge comes around. The challenge involved the need for patience and a steady hand. The challenge was against John and his girl friend Julie. Where Julie was the winner of the challenge because she had patience and a steady hand. John on the other hand was struggling as he did not have a steady hand and was loosing his patience during the challenge. During the challenge he seemed to exhibit some sign of aggressiveness as he was loosing to his girl friend.

After the challenge Natalie needed inclusion and affection due to hearing that her sister was kicked from the other group. This had a large tole on her and it was hard for her. The other members of the group felt for her and comforted her.

Later on in group yellow they find out more about who John is and his past. This makes the group feel uncomfortable around him and has some members agitated and having conflicting feelings about the guy.

In the last challenge of the day the blue team wins, though during the challenge there were some emotional times. The mother and the daughter for an example when they battled each other. The daughter hurt her lip and was bleeding. This concerned the mother as it made her feel bad and made her feel it was her fault and it had the daughter emotional about it as well. The batter tend to exhibit aggressive behavior between the people who battled each other as it was a type of combat which was one on one

Yet again the yellow team is forced to vote someone off the island

Being involved in an EdTech class has made me more curious about what people have to say about technology in education. I have been observant with these certain topics online. First of all, the EdTech class has allowed me to see Twitter in a different perspective. I used to use Twitter as a way to share my thoughts and feelings and read my friends’ feelings and thoughts, but now I use it more of a way to get information and share the information I have learned about. It has also given me the consideration to use Twitter as a way to communicate with students and parents. Just like it mentions in this article http://www.nea.org/home/32641.htm, you can have students thinking even after class by tweeting them! Therefore, students can be thinking about concepts even when they step out of the door. Not only can Twitter be a great way for me to communicate with students, but also to network other ideas with other teachers. Follow other teachers and see what they have to say about the education. This article gave me a different perspective of how Twitter can be implemented in teaching.

Another way this class has developed my curiosity about technology in education is that I recently attended the Ventura CABE conference. One of the workshops I attended was a Technology workshop, where the presenter went through certain apps on the Ipad that can be implemented in the classroom! Since I have been following on Twitter educational technology accounts, it has given more access to articles. One article in particular that was posted by @Edudemic was about tips for keeping students on task while on devices. This was very relevant to me because that is one aspect of technology I worry about and that is having students not be on task. One tip I liked was “Punish” with paper. If I were to see some students not on task, then the following day I can take away the privilege of using technology and use paper instead. I can replace their technology exercise with a paper and pencil exercise. This allows students to know that they do not have to use technology like everyone else, especially if they do not follow directions.
For other tips, feel free to read the article http://edudemic.com/5-tips-keeping-students-task-using-tech/

Another education technology account that I follow, is @TechnologyInEd, and they have retweeted a post from another account. This article that was reposted taught me ways on how technology is aligned with the Common Core. They have discussed how one way to differentiate instruction is to have some students read digitally. They give different ways how it can be beneficial. For example, they can mark up the text they are reading by highlighting, underlining, making fonts bigger or smaller, and/or bolding text. This allows students to mark up what they learned, don’t understand, or what they found interesting. Students can also expand their level of thinking by being able to click on links of other articles within the article they are already reading. They continue to keep reading new and different material.  This information was all new to me! For further information on the article, feel free to read http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=78401

Yes, but there’s so much more!

“Chopping Block” it is a very grim beginning for an episode. I foretold that someone in the orange tribe was going to be voted out. As i watched tons of skeptical issues showed up for the orange tribe. And at last the one person who was caring less for the image he has brought to his tribe. John. was voted out in the end. But before we go to that let me discuss one thing about an issue that was brought up in this episode. Sportsmanship. Sometimes playing it cool is good but other time that cool can turn cold when you can’t maintain an image of what others can see you as. As the two tribe scream at each other John decides to take action and try to swing people to vote for Baylor. Which in turn dug his own grave and gets voted out.

Chapter 8, group C’s presentation chapter, talks about Group conflict.

On this episode/ episode 3 Yet again Hunapu loses. and Coyopa takes the Immunity Idol. Now with stakes running so high to who is needed in the team many suspected John. The two teams go tooth and nail against each other from seeing Val. being voted out. They found out about Johns’ past and now a harsh conflict within both two tribes and Johns own tribe internally.

John goes for the “Compromise” strategy. He tries to swing his members to vote with him. Trying to make sure that he can make his plan work.  but as stated before he takes it too far and gets voted out.  On the other hand, or in another view point, the girls , the two left, are fighting their own war front among the guys. with the member diversity gender plays a huge role and the girls are afraid their role being female will just knock them out of the competition one by one.

I do not believe Hunapu is going to recover that quickly. Their group cohesion is off and their group mentality is faltering.  And few members of the group is looked upon as a hindrance rather than an asset. Therefore it is not look too good for the orange team.