May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

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And. . they’re off. I personally have never watched survivor before so this is my first experience with the show. From what i can tell the groups didn’t have a good  opportunity to connect in episode one. To connect the show to the reading, it was easy to see the early stages of  Group Development Stages occurring on the show.   After the groups were divided you had the Forming Stage, noone really knew each other so everyone appeared to be polite to one another. In this stage both you could see members of both orange and blue groups trying to prove their worth. Examples were, Dale AKA the old man from the orange group making fire on day one and Drew from the blue group making a shelter for the group.  After the elimination challenge, in group orange you could start to see the beginning of the Storming Stage.  You could openly see the men and the women dividing already, while trying to figure out who should get voted off at the next tribal council. When you think about the elimination challenge, its interesting to see how the group goals connect to the motivation of the group. Its a cross between personal and group success in order to win the game. To win your group has to win, but you also have to consider that your group is also your greatest competition. In the blue group,  you could clearly see Jeremy had a hidden agenda when he started to approach all the women in his group to make alliances for votes. The contrast between Indivdual Goals vs. Group Goals is very interesting on this show and i am exciting to see how it plays out. What do you Guys think? About How the Groups are Developing? Who’s Playing What Roles, and What Strategies are the castaways already implementing?

First Time Ever Watching Survivor

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The first episode of survivor has two groups blood vs water. The loved ones were separated and they had to compete against each other. Each pair was put into a tribe called- Hunahpu which was (blue) and Coyopa (orange). The groups had to introduce each other so that they can bond with one another later on as a team. Everyone is able to see how the groups come together and motivate each other to win the opposite team.

As the show continues the groups start the forming stage by starting to be cautiously polite with one another. Everyone starts to show faces of the storming stage by noticing that one person builds status in the group. During the episode everyone in  the Hunahpu tribe saw that Jeremy built status after winning the first competition. With one person having greater status it brings others danger to the competition. Jeremy won the first challenge and is earned respect by his tribe members. Respect by others in a group will benefit him later on by having a better chance of stayinng in the competion longer.  The Coyopa tribe lost two challenges already and primary tension is their because they were not able to build that bond like the other group did. The Coyopa tribes  younger members come together except for Dale, the oldest. Due to Dales age  difference he struggles to fit in and he feels  like  he needs to stand out so that they  wont eliminate him. Dale is seen as the weakest but in my opinion he should of been seen as the person with more experience and knowledge. Dale starts a fire first in the group and brakes his  glasses apart to show his other tribe members that he is scarifying for them. With that the group starts to become stronger and every one seems to accept one another and Dale does not seem to be the target anymore.

When the Coyopa group starts building a shelter they put tree branches as a covering    and one of the group members notices that he has a bad rash on his eyes. They all ask him if he is okay and they notice that the branches are poisonous. So they all get together to change the shelter for other branches, this is an example of resolving primary tension. Since Coyopa has lost two competitions secondary tension kicks in because the men want to eliminate one of the girls while the girls want to eliminate one of the guys. I really enjoyed watching this show and I am looking forward to the other episodes.

A Very Green Quemada Canyon

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SDC14888

Blog #3

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This week’s readings were emotionally straining. As I read through them  I was rattled with number of thoughts and emotions. The statistics presented in each article were not only alarming, but despairing.  One of the stats that was especially startling was that black males are 50% less likely than white males to make it to 20 years of age. I knew that conditions were bad for the minority, especially for blacks, but I failed to realize that it was that bad. I was was also disturbed by how quickly I accepted what I read, because while alarming, these statistics are not very well hidden in our society. My thoughts went from, “Wow that is terrible, its that bad?” to, “well I guess that makes sense, when you think about it. Why are you shocked?”  in seconds.

The article progressed from statistics to history and presented evidence of court cases and discussed slavery. I particularly enjoyed this part of the article because it provided history, which I love, gave more facts, stirred my emotions, and presented a very compelling theory. I was a deeply grieved as I was reminded about slavery, and exposed in detail to the mechanics of such an inhumane ideology. But the author, Toby Jenkins, argued that slavery is in the framework of the current cultural, educational, economical, and psychological structure that is prevalent in the black community. For example slaves were not permitted to marry, and when they had children the babies were ripped from their mother’s arms, during infancy, and given to an older slave woman to be raised. The slave owners felt that less focus on family would result in more efficiency in labor from the slave. The results were not simply more efficiency in labor, but a conditioning of morality in family structure of entire race of people in America. Strong family values for black Americans today are scarce, because of their conditioning.

Jenkins presents the idea that all the oppression that Black Americans have endured has had long term effects in their culture. He goes on to say that America is not equipped to deal with the pressing issues of Black America. Instead of helping  to create change America cultivates the horrendous cycle of black oppression.

I agree with almost everything that Jenkins presents, in fact my only disagreement is in the hip hop section of his essay. I do appreciate that he touched on the subject of hip hop being a useful tool to educate black youth. I agree that it is healthy form of expression, it encourages healthy competition and demonstrates intellect. I also love the songs Jenkins chose to place in his article. Brown Skin Lady, and Mr. Nigga are prodigious songs in artistic ability, and, more importantly, in content of the American experience of a black male. What I can’t agree with, is Red Man and Method Man being in a conversion of hip hop. Jenkins’ point is valuable and astute, but Red Man and Method don’t make hip hop, they Rap.

blog #3 by Scott

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Reflecting on last Fridays class, I enjoyed the different topics we covered and discussed. Writing down my goals and sealing them in an envelope was a first for me, I believe. I liked the idea that it made me think hard about what some of my most important goals are. I think it helped me by making me step back and re-evaluate what my goals are at this time of my life. I also liked the fact that we were able to share are personal goals with the class, as I need all the practice I can get at conveying my thoughts to a group of people, as I plan to teach math to a group of students someday. I find this class very comfortable to discuss things with and I think that this class will help me become prepared for the future situations I will encounter. I also enjoyed discussing the no child left behind program and the new program recently implemented in our public educational system, common core. I feel the standardized testing of no child left behind held schools accountable and improved education, however, if that led to schools just cramming their students with the necessary tools to master these tests, and not actually learn all of concepts of these particular subjects as well as many other subjects not being tested, then that would be good reason to abolish this program. I like some of the things I have heard about common core, such as the increase in the teaching of critical thinking in the subjects. I hope it is a great success. During the last part of class we discussed some of the greatest cases ever decided by the Supreme Court. I had heard about most of these cases for many years and I thoroughly enjoyed reading and discussing these cases.

It is hard to believe that as recently as 1962, people rioted at a university in this country because a black man enrolled. It is equally hard for me to believe that as little as 139 years ago it was illegal to teach a black person to read or write. Have we come a long way in this matter? I think so.  Do we have a long way to go in becoming an assimilated and civil country? I think so, as well.  By reading the perspectives of other African Americans, it has helped me to understand their struggles with getting an equal education. Even after the legal end to segregation in 1954(Brown vs. Board of Education), the process of integration was very difficult and uncomfortable, as Nathan McCall mentions in the readings. He notes that his white teachers didn’t make eye contact with him and made him feel like he was not involved. I also learned how important the factors of African Americans past treatment has helped lead to these struggles. Frederick Douglas points out that it was common practice for Mom’s and their children to be kept separated, in order for the Mom to be a better servant.  Booker T. Washington makes a great point that the lack of a strong ancestral influence and knowledge holds black students back in the way that they do not have the expectations and role models that a white student most likely does. The educational experience for African Americans have come a long way and there are plenty of success stories out there, but for the main core of African Americans, we have a long way to go, I believe.

Blog Post #5

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As you reflect on what has been discussed in this chapter and your own leadership style, how would you describe your own style in relation to task and relationship orientations? What are your strengths and areas you can improve?

I feel as though both task and relationship orientations are relatively important. However, with that being said, I do see myself to be more relationship orientated over task oriented. I love interacting with people, so it is no wonder that I constantly find myself focusing on relationships. I think that one of my strengths is being able to relate to others often and if I have not found myself in a similar situation, I find myself showing support as much as I can and sympathizing with them in their situation. Confrontation was touched on briefly and that made me come to the conclusion that I believe that having strongly founded relationships causes for less confrontation and more “civil”, if you will, conversations and communication tactics with those you are working with. I think that when it comes to being task oriented the descriptors, in my opinion, often describe tasks that call for a more authoritarian leadership style. Now, this could just be my mindset on how I perceive authoritarian style and being task oriented. I think that an area I can improve on is being more clear from the beginning of what our end goal is, as that will helpfully explain why we are doing a task or assignment.

Reflect on the article. What were the most interesting elements? Which did you did you agree with? Hope to learn more about?

I feel as though more and more jobs are allowing people to work from home, especially with the advances in technology. I found it really intriguing that the people found the 30 listed behaviors as more important in virtual settings than face-to-face settings. As an individual who personally prefers face-to-face interactions over virtual interactions, I can see how this idea of virtual communication, behavior and leadership is prominent in today’s day. I hope to eventually become more comfortable with technology and learn how to make myself comfortable with working virtually as it may well indeed come in helpful with future careers.

Blog #3 African Americans in higher education

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Last week Julian told us to write our short term and long term goals. I was not surprised that we all had similar goals. I enjoyed this activity because it reminds me of how far I have gotten and how closer I am to achieving a few of my goals. The last time I had to write down my goals and sealed them in an enveloped I was in the seventh grade. One of the goals I wrote down was to go to college and here I am now. We also did an activity that involved moving around the classroom. We had a couple of minutes to answer a couple of questions regarding the No Child Left act. I enjoyed this activity because I retained more information about No Child Left Behind than I did from the readings. We also got to see a short video about Common Core. I did not fully understand how this new system will be better for students but I think that it is worth a try to see what the outcomes will be. After all I believe it’s better to try something new than keep the old system that clearly isn’t working.
This week we had two articles to read. The first article was The Challenges of Educating Black Males Within American Society. The title sums up the article because it was about the challenges African American men face in their life in America. This article was upsetting because not only do African American men face challenges to get an education, but to live past the age of 20 is a challenge itself. When I read that African American male adolescences have a 50% chance of dying by the age of 20, I felt angry. I felt anger towards this country and society because it is absurd that a group of human beings have a 50% chance of dying by the age of 20 in a free, first world country, in the twenty first century just because they have a darker shade of skin. No wonder African Americans are more likely to get involved with drug abuse and drug trafficking. They abuse drugs to escape their reality and since they have little employment opportunities, drug trafficking is an alternative. The second article was a bit similar to the first article. It was about the history of African Americans in education. In 1954 the supreme court ruled that segregation in education is unconstitutional. It has been 60 years since segregation in education became unconstitutional but segregation is still happening today in an implicit manner. African Americans face many obstacles in the education system, all beginning at an early age. I think every high school, elementary school and college should have outreach programs for African Americans to help them stay in school and get a college degree. Education is the power to end the vicious cycle that African Americans live in and society needs to step in and help because it is the moral thing to do. This country has been in war with other countries many times to aid them from terrorists but lacks to support its own citizens (African Americans) from the disparity they face every day.

 

 

 

Blog Post #5- Tasks and Relationships

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As you reflect on what has been discussed in this chapter and your own leadership style, how would you describe your own style in relation to task and relationship orientations?What are your strengths and areas you can improve?

The textbook provides a task-relationship  leadership continuum, which places both types of leadership orientation at opposite ends. The continuum depicts the gap that lies between the two, however in my opinion I agree with what the book states; most leaders fall midway. Which is where I feel like I fall in. My style is dependent on the situation. When the situation asks for it I can be very task oriented, very much like the definition that is found in the text. I keep everything very organized, create to do lists,  in occasions assign roles and schedules. By doing so i feel like time is spent in a productive manner and everything is finished in a timely manner. On the other hand I can on occasions focus my efforts in trying to make sure that the work atmosphere is “pleasant”. I feel like my strengths within these different types of leadership orientations show up when the outcome of the situation is positive. Areas where I can work on, would be choosing the middle ground. Meaning that although I don’t consider myself to be strictly on either of the two ends, I need to be able to better combine the two so that I don’t show any preference on any given situation/scenario. Sometimes I am so focused on doing things a certain way that I don’t attempt to include any other method.

Reflect on the article. What were the most interesting elements? Which did you did you agree with? Hope to learn more about?

A pattern that I found in the article was that for the most part the outcome of the questionnaire resulted in the preference of virtual settings rather than face to face settings. It was interesting to read how the preference in part had to do with communication. One of the questions in the survey had to do with the communication capabilities the leaders had with the team members. Those taking the survey agreed that through virtual communication it would be beneficiary to everyone to fully understand what was being expected of them, because it was easier to accommodate to everyone and get a clear and concise explanation that everyone would understand. I agree with this aspect. In part because it does allow for a clearer understanding and help minimize misunderstandings in communications. Mainly because everything is clearly stated for everyone to read, because it is in a written format and because you get the same message to everyone. Although it is not the best practice to enforce in all settings, simply because some individuals  do better with face to face interactions.  Something that I would like to read up on or learn more about would be practices in which you can do half and half. Incorporate both virtual and face to face interactions practices (similar to our class setting)as well as outcomes.

Blog post 3

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Last weeks class started off with julian engaging us in a interesting activity which was a letter to our future self. I found it kinda odd at first because i have never really wrote anything down to myself but, i found that it was a reminder to myself of why i am here and what my goals are in order to succeed. After we did a activity in groups the activity of the no child left behind questions was for me a step back in time and a reminder of how this seemed to affect only minority groups.  Not only did i grow up with the child left behind act but i feel it stayed with me and till this day affects me on a daily basis. I hope this act soon is soon abolished or replaced with a more realistic goal that actually thinks about is children and how it will affect them for the rest of their lives not just a school year. Next  really enjoyed learning about supreme court cases that have changed African Americans life’s for better and sadly how even now they still fight for rights.

The readings for this week were very eye opening i personally had no idea that an estimated forty four percent  of African Americans are illiterate. Living in america in a society that tends to call itself perfect compared to others i never thought the united states would have so many people without the american opportunity that we all seek,  in my opinion it includes writing and reading. Going back to 1641 when the Virginia courts made the distinction between whites and blacks every time i think about this i feel anger because did people not realize African Americans were human too? i guess this just blows my mind how can their be such heartless individuals. I say heartless because as i read i also read about blacks being separated from their newborns so they wont form attachments with each other, something we see today done to animals.  I guess that is  what they were considered to these slave holders, nothing but profit similarly like the caves today in the milk industry. As i read a quote mentioned by martin Luther king really caught my eye “psychological freedom a firm sense of self esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery no lincolniam emaciation or johnsonian civil rights bill can totally bring this kind of freedom” besides being so inspiring i not only see why he was such a great leader bu,t he knew that in order to succeed and defeat racism they had to convince themselves first that it was possible and that all the suppression they faced should not affect the way they see themselves and  like the white men are worthy of being free.

Rebecca Prieto Blog #3

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On Friday we started class with an activity that Julian provided for us. The activity consisted of us writing down our short term, midterm, and long term goals. I have done this activity before in multiple occasions but I think this was the first time I enjoyed it because we got to share it with others.  It was interesting to see that many of us had common goals some in a different order, others in the same, and other goals we just wanted to achieve in our lives some day .  We then sealed our envelopes and kept them to open them when we decide we are ready. I decide to open my envelope in a couple of years because I wanted to discover if my goals changed, stayed the same, or if I completed any of them. After we finished Dr. Hoffman directed us to the grades option in Blackboard where she corrected and graded our Who Am I papers. She also gave us feedback on what we need to work on for next time. I found this very helpful and look forward to trying the strategies she suggested.

Later we participated in a “Corners Activity” where we had to answer questions about the No Child Left Behind Act. I enjoyed the group I was placed in because we talked a lot about how it affected us when we were in school. I remember that there was a time period when all we did was practice for the STAR test we were going to take and I would always be very nervous because teachers and staff made it such a big deal that I always felt unprepared. After each group went around to answer the questions Dr. Hoffman read each of our answers and all of our answers were pretty similar. She went into more detail about what the NCLB Act was and I thought it was great to learn more about its actual purpose and not what we saw and experienced in the classroom.  It is sad that instead of helping the students like it was meant to it actually encouraged drop outs and children that were already struggling just continued to struggle as the pace in the class sped up. I hope Common Core works better and maybe be flexible to the needs of the students if it seems like it is not working out.

In this weeks readings about African Americans I was truly shocked about all the statistics I read about. I was truly saddened when I read that slave holders would separate mothers from their infants so they do not grow attached to each other and the mother will focus on her labor duties. I thought that was really heartbreaking that they were not allowed to be with their children.  Another aspect of the article I thought was sad but not surprising is that they are labeled as deficient, disadvantaged, dysfunctional, and in many cases just different and because of this they are given an inferior educational service. I always wondered if others thought that African Americans were “inferior” and “ignorant” then why would they always stop them from trying to learn and better themselves? In the article they answered this, it was because they wanted to be submissive while enslaved and if they were educated they would not be. Also revolts frightened the plantation owners that is why they limited information and schooling. It is horrible how African Americans were treated and are still treated in the school system because race has nothing to do with their intelligence. Even though the statistics always seem to be against African Americans and other races it makes me extremely happy how resilient they are and never give up. One of the reasons why I want to become a teacher is to give everyone their best chance no matter what race they are because that is what a teacher is supposed to do support and help their students.