Reflection #10

REFLECTION #10

Even though I have had experience working with computers a lot, it has always been under very strict guidelines in previous jobs and I had never really felt comfortable in front of one. I have also always worked on the Macintosh platform, and not the PC, so the idea of switching, was very strange to me. All of a sudden I am confronted with several websites and programs that I had never even heard of before and during the condensed Summer term, these assignments seemed formidable. I must say that the first day of class and the following day, I was not sure how I was going to make it through. I was asked to create a blog at blogger.com, when I had never blogged in my life. I was asked to buy LIVETEXT, which I had heard a lot about and had gotten the impression that it was terribly hard to use. I also was told that I had to submit all my work into TURNITIN.COM by going to yet another website to verify that I had not plagiarized. My first assignment, unbeknownst to me had a 41% plagiarism problem but I soon corrected it and carried on. All this was expected of me within the first 48 hours and I had a mental block about a few of these things mentioned and I felt that I had better swim fast or I would sink. I pushed myself to the limit and I learned that I could do it. The amount of work that was asked of us in EME2040 was astounding and so well worth it. I surprised myself on how well I wrote reflections and how I was able to maneuver the different programs all at the same time. I created a page for every program and jotted down all the id names and passwords used. Some had different requirements, so and I found myself with 5 different log ins and just as many passwords. What I feel I learned the most and the best was at creating a Digital story, which seemed daunting at first and in fact, it wasn’t at all. It turned out to be a very easy to use program. I was thrilled the way my PowerPoint presentation turned out. I had never used the program and was pleased to see how nice it turned out with the transitions and the music in the background that I chose. I was forced to keep on track and to not stay behind in any way because that would surely cost me with the amount of work being assigned to us every week. I learned to keep an open mind and to accept new challenges because looking back at the different programs mentioned here, I sometimes thought that I would not be able to handle them and get the projects done on time and of such good quality but I proved myself wrong. I read poems by authors that I had heard about my whole life and had never attempted to read and gave a critique on them afterwards. This class was eye opening and a wonderful experience. Besides the programs and websites utilized, what this class taught me the most was to keep an open mind, to persevere, and to not limit myself with narrow thinking.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Ernie Joya

Reflection #9

REFLECTION #9

Today the teacher is not alone, and works hand in hand with the latest technology. Even in schools where the funds are not what they should be, the methods used are a far cry from when we were all in school. Technology today helps the students stay focused and interested. The teacher today have at their fingertips, literally the world. They are able to utilize all the video resources and written report from decades past as well as images of any topic imaginable in a matter of seconds. Decades ago, the teacher would have to go to the library and seek, in an encyclopedia what a teacher is able to do today, in seconds. The imagery alone surpasses anything that teachers of the past would even dream of doing. Every day more and more advancements in the area of computer technology helps keep us all more connected & interested. Of course, while this makes it easier for the teacher to access information, in turn adds to the workload of the instructor. Just like we can’t imagine living without a microwave or cable TV with hundreds of channels, we cannot imagine not being able to research a topic using the World Wide Web. The possibilities are limitless and very exciting at the speed in which the information is brought to us and the methods in which it does.

In fact, some of the equipment used to today in the schools are not even things that the students actually use. A lot of the technology employed has to do with what is used for organizational purposes, record keeping, and keeping track of the schools progress. Better stride is being made to keep up technologically with the rest of the world when it comes to equipment being used by the students. There isn’t a single area of the school system that isn’t directly affected by technology. Students that have been away from the campus life for a few years will find astonishing, the number of programs and websites today catering to students, their classes and methods to check their work for plagiarism, accuracy and accountability. The American classroom by the same token is lagging behind when it comes to modern technology and unfortunately, often times more affluent neighborhoods are better equipped with the best equipment. A greater effort is being made to make certain that across the board, equal opportunity for all when it comes to the proper equipment. There are institutions that will not accept any work turned in by the student unless it is turned in electronically. There are others that will not accept any work turned in by the students unless it has been sent to Turnitin.com to verify that it has not been plagiarized and so on and so forth. Technology has made significant strides and there is no stopping it or slowing it down. Like technology we need to keep up because at the rate that it is progressing, we cannot afford to stay behind.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Ernie Joya

Reflection #8

There are 5 distinct Philosophies in Education, 2 falling under Teacher-Centered and 3 falling under Student –Centered, I was certain I fell under one particular philosophy exclusively. I learned that I strongly support the blending of several of the philosophies and would strongly urge others to do the same. I was pleased to find that I am more diverse and flexible and open-minded than I previously thought and that in having these philosophies on hand to serve as a guide or a tool, my teaching practices would benefit. My past experiences and personal beliefs played a roll in determining where I fell in the philosophies spectrum. I strongly feel that even though I may not feel inclined to use a certain philosophy, I should be open-minded and consider each classroom unique. The goal is to be a better teacher and even if I prefer a Philosophy over another, a particular class may benefit from a different one, and there is where one needs to analyze the classroom individually and choose accordingly. I support the philosophies of Essentialism because I was taught that way and the back-to-basics approach worked for me as a child. I feel that a core curriculum & traditional disciplines are vital and the very young need a blueprint or guide to help them along. I, on the other hand, being an open minded individual and an artist, prefer the Existentialist philosophies, because I feel that we aren’t all destined to be Mathematicians, Scientists, and English professors and therefore need to leave room for the self-exploration and the humanities that are prevalent in these philosophies. The Existentialism Philosophies are good to implement with certain students at certain points in their lives, especially those with inclinations towards the arts, music, and dramatic arts because of its' emphasis in the humanities. I need to mention my second choice, which is the Social Reconstructionism Philosophies, because I feel, that in small doses these can be very beneficial in K-8 as well, to promote early awareness of social ills. The beliefs are that the school is the ideal place to begin fixing social problems and I am particularly drawn to these philosophies because of my own personal experience of inaction and indifference during my K-12 experience. Except for the occasional paper drive, we lacked the knowledge and therefore genuine motivation and effort to improve society. In helping society and one’s community, students are helping and strengthening their own moral character. While reading, writing and arithmetic are inherent in both the Essentialism and the Perennialism Philosophies, the later stresses teaching values and character training, which I feel is important and very much lacking in today’s society overall. How does one choose one over the other and stick with it? I feel that one does not have to. If I were to sum it up, I would choose Existentialism above the rest and pepper the lessons with the core teachings, prevalent in Essentialism. The 3 R's seem destined to always be with us and we need to teach accordingly. Certain attributes in Perennialism are very attractive to me and I wish to instill in my students, some of the teachings of this Philosophy. Utilizing the very best each one has to offer.

Reflection #7

Reflection #7
I have had very little experience in creating photo stories utilizing the current technology In universities. I was unaware of the ease of use of some of these programs and the useful and creative way of conveying a point or a story as it is in this case. A digital story, I find to be very similar to PowerPoint and IMovie in the Macintosh operating system. The way I created mine is how I approach almost every project and that is to relate it to me and to my personal past experiences. I use association to make It Interesting to me and easy to remember and I do an outline in this case to convey my message clearly. The message and goal has to be thought out right away for everything else to flow. My message was to convey to the audience that Technology in the classroom is essential and without it we are not competitive with the rest of the world. Technology in the classroom is missing in a lot of instances around the country and that is very unfortunate. Children at an early age are very receptive and absorbe things like a sponge, waiting until middle school or high school to implement technology in the classroom is ineffective. Think of how difficult it is for grown ups now to adapt to the computer age. The same can happen to kids if they are made to wait too long when computers are not accessible. After having my message clearly defined, I went looking for my Images that would be compelling, attention grabbing and interesting. My goal was to have the audience stay focused, interested and possibly amused and enlightened. I chose to write notes on the side of my photo story to help me remember some of the key points. My images were very specific so I did not need the notes mentioned. I made sure that my images were of highest quality so they would not pixelize. I cropped them accordingly and began downloading images into my project in the order that I needed to see them. I moved images around if new ideas popped into my head and if I wanted to rework the storyline. I have a Mac at home but needed to work on it in a PC, so I brought along a cd of some music that I wanted to add to my story and worked on it in school. I wrote word per word what I wanted to say and made sure that I wanted the right transition and pacing of the changing of the slides/images. I chose different transitions so as to keep the audience on their toes. If the story is about technology, it is important to make sure that the finished product backs up your message. I added music to the background, after recording my voice and previewed the movie to make sure it’s what I wanted. It was my first project in Photo story 3, and I am pleased to say that the project came out very well.
The message being that technology in the classroom is essential to stay competitive, up to date, and current. This message was made very clear using compelling, interesting Images In a creative way plus using a soundtrack and a voicetrack over the entire project. As stated earlier, the notes on the side are an added benefit but are not mandatory, but recommended just the same. I highly recommend Photo story to anyone who wants to convey a message creatively and with ease of usage.

Reflection #6

REFLECTION #6

The Tele Collaborative learning method is like the Collaborative/Cooperative learning method comprised of 2 or more students working together towards a common goal. Since the method is rooted in Constructivism, the student’s past experiences, knowledge, background are taken under consideration and celebrated. In this learning method, it is taken to the next level where students are communicating with each other from possibly different parts of the world. Imagine how much a child learns when things are shared about the child’s background and family history? Now imagine the kids actually living and experiencing life in a different part of the world. From personal experience, I feel that students will not only learn and accept diverse cultures and customs, but also learn & accept their own and the customs of diverse people around them. The World Wide Web has been an integral part in making this happen. Many years ago, this was not possible, but now a student can have a real time conversation with another student clear across the globe. From personal experience, this method is very effective and life altering. There were a lot things I did not like about Miami back when I was in High school, but when I completed my first 2 years of college, I enrolled in a study broad program and headed to France. I had looked at other countries in Europe with rose-colored glasses and found everything to criticize about Miami, Florida. I came to realize all the wonderful things we have right here at home and how similar we all are. I learned that the little things that bothered me about Miami, especially the younger generation, I found evident in the young generation in France. We are all more similar than we think. I came back with a broader understanding of different cultures and customs and learned to appreciate everything a little more. It took traveling abroad for 5 months to learn all this. With TeleCollaborative learning, the learning can be done from home and it’s all encompassing. A student can travel all over the world without leaving their home, or classroom. The teachings are a group effort but individuality and personal achievement and expectations are emphasized. There are clear objective/objectives and every member is encouraged to participate, & is respected and given equal time to demonstrate their special skills, knowledge and contributions. In this case, another language may be thrown in the equation, possibly prompting a student to take up second language. This method of teaching takes diversity to another level. The advantages are the exposure to different cultures, languages, geography, world politics and the celebration of cultural differences. The cautions we must all take are the the strict regulating of sites visited by the students and the need to be set goals and expectations and have them be clearly defined. As we all know It is very easy to get distracted on the Internet and stray from our initial task at hand. Regardless of the debates, the advantages are many and it is a teaching technique that will continue to gain in popularity. Like the Collaborative teaching method, as long as any conflicts are resolved early on and rubrics are clearly defind and designed, excellence in results are to be

expected.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Reflection #5

REFLECTION #5

The Cooperative/Collaborative learning method is one that involves 2 or more students working together. I found this to be a very effective tool to utilize for an interpersonal way to get the lesson learned. In this day and age when students are very detached in their personal endeavors where they hide behind a computer screen and play video games, endlessly by themselves, group learning is very appealing. Cooperative learning can actually be achieved from different parts of the world or in a classroom, including a diverse group of different levels and gender and skills. The student is individually responsible for his/her contributions but they work as a group.

The students are able to share their particular strengths with each other and learn the other’s strengths and develop their own skills, including interpersonal skills as mentioned earlier. I learned that in these small groups, the learning must have a clear objective/objectives and every member is encouraged to participate, & is respected and given equal time to demonstrate their special skills, knowledge and contributions. This method of teaching is similar to the Constructivists method where there is great emphasis placed on the students personal experiences & past knowledge. Studies have shown that in a group learning environment, the student is often challenged and diversity is celebrated and this, in turn, helps the students with their self esteem. The goals are clearly identified by the teacher so the students have something to build on and the teacher is the learner once the goals are specified. A favorable aspect to cooperative learning is that students work together instead compete with each other, but I seem to think that a little competition is good, so interchanging this method with others is a healthy and diverse way to

teach. In the past 20 years this concept of small groups have taken off and is being employed ever more so. There has been considerable debate whether grouping students with similar abilities hinders the stronger students. Critics

seem to feel that the gifted students are held back and are baby sitters and in a group setting, some feel that the groups and/or the group leaders do all the work and the teacher gets off easy by not having to do as much. There is

also the debate whether Collaborative teaching heightens inequities of achievements for females & minorities etc. These finding have not been found to be rooted in facts but it is something to consider and debate. The pros, as mentiond earlier are the likelihood of diversity and the celebration of cultural differences. Regardless of the debates the advantages are many and it is a teaching technique that will continue to gain in popularity. And as long as any conflicts are resolved early on and rubrics are clearly defind and designed, excellence in results are to be expected.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182 Ernie Joya

for black arthur blythe

"for black arthur blythe" is a haunting telling of a young artist coming to terms with his need to be musically creative and at the same time push back the negativity that comes with wanting to be a musician.He knew that he had a lot to offer and the raw talent was obvious but he played in the shadows, afraid of further negativity and rejection. He had a life altering higher calling and came out of the shadows.The music was considered too out there for popular trends and culture but he persevered.As it must happen with creative individuals, there must be a time when they are stagnant and not creative and back to the shadows they go as it happened inhis case but he had an epiphany and realized that he had to aknowledge the past, regardless of how much negativity came with it, because the past had beautiful melodies that affected his music today, like jazz, post-pop, latin, etc. He eventually learned to live with the demons and came out of the shadows to play on the sweet sounds that he was born to play.

BIO

BIO:

My name is Ernie Joya and I was born in a town called Guanabacoa, in Cuba. My family and I are exiles from 1966 and have lived here in Miami since then. I am the middle of 3 boys, the yougest was born in Mt. Sinai hospital in Miami Beach and he is now an attorney and my eldest brother running his own roofing and lumber company. They each have two sons, all in elementary and middle school and are all doing very well. My parents are retired and living in Miami, near me as well. I went to school here except for a brief period when I attended school in Chicago and for 5 months, in a town called Aix-en-Provence, France. I am fluent in Spanish as well as English ofcourse, and am very comfortable speaking in French if spoken to me with kindness and at a tempo I can keep up with. I graduated from High School and took off to a study-abroad program and came back deciding I wanted to be an artist. I have always loved Art, World Music, reading and traveling. I enrolled in the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where I got my degree in Graphic Design, after completing my first 2 years of Miami Dade and getting my AA. Fast forward 20+ years and you will find me back in Miami dade getting my Bachelor's degree in Education, for the exceptional student. I had always wanted to teach elementary school and Art in particular, but with budget cuts being what they are, Art is out of the question.....for now. In the last 20 years, I had been employed by Macy's Inc in Downtown Miami and managed to consistantly like my job and travel and grow and learn a lot. Unfortunately all good things come to an end and we got layed off as the company took their central offices up north. I feel that Advertising may be a part of my past and not my future but I am still trying to land a job in Marketing while I put myself thru school. In the meantime I managed to open a small business in Dog sitting and plan on starting to Substitute teach in the Fall. I am also a Fine Artist and enjoying working in Oil and acrylic. I plan on having an exposition soon in the Wynwood area

Reflection #4

REFLECTION #4 Constructivist Lesson Plan

The Constructivist lesson Plan is basically a bridge from the past to the present in order to set a series of plans and guidelines in order to propel them to the future. It is heavily emphasized in assessing the progress of the student. The practice is a hands-on approach where the teacher is an observer and guides the students along thru the steps. The facilitator, which is the teacher prepares the students with situations for them to ponder on. The classroom is divided into groups and assignments are more clearly defined per group. The emphasis here is stressed on the particular students background and prior knowledge. This is what is called a Bridge, which is one from the past to the future. Instead of focusing on mere facts and theories, the students are inspired to participate and take an active role and passion in the given assignment. A series of questions are asked that create a hunger for learning. At this point the teacher questions the students to gain some insight into the student’s background and level of knowledge. The details of what is expected of the student are layed out in the form of an exhibit. The educator asks the different groups for different requirements. For example, the teacher may request a PowerPoint from one group and an oral presentation from the next. Once the presentations have taken place there is a time for reflection to react to the knowledge that has been demonstrated by the groups. The focus is learner-centered as opposed to teacher-centered. Even thought it is very student-driven, the educator will be interjecting ideas and thoughts in the process. There will be a series of questions that will be offered up by the instructor. The students are then expected to explain how they arr going to interpret their interpretation of the lesson learned? The students are encouraged to design a format that’s right for them in the way they will answer the questions and explain what they need to say without having to go about this the traditional way. If the student feels that it could be more compelling to create a song or a series of metaphors or role playing or utilizing photographs or a painting or a graph or a chart to get the message across, then so be it. In this collaborative method of learning, the groups can be separated into groups of 2 or 3 or 4 or more. The first step in this theory is to reel in the attention of all the participants with a situation in a way that’s compelling and interesting. The important questions are: Did the students learn anything new and what they learned, is it something that will stay with them? The attraction for me with Constructivist lesson plan is that it places emphasis on the past and without that there is no present or future for that matter. It is an important resource of information that the students carry with them their entire lives and why not tap into that natural resource in order to get to the next level of knowledge?!.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Reflection #3

REFLECTION #3 Inquiry based learning

We have all heard at one time or another that hands-on experience is the key. We have also heard that actually practicing and doing is a lot better than just sitting there and taking it all in. Reading about Inquiry based learning, I realized I knew a little more about it than I thought. There has been a habit of late for students to cram for a test to get that perfect score in that perfect test that is so vital and important for the school to receive the much needed funds to operate. What occurs with his method is that, yes, the student receives a glowing grade but the knowledge learned is no based on any truth and personal recognition and it is quickly disposed of because the student never truly connected with the knowledge learned. I have for quite some time used association with my learning. I try to associate what I am trying to learn with something pertinent to my life, my surroundings and me. This technique has proven very effective for me. It is important for the student to be more involved in the learning process and to allow the teacher to observe where the student is coming from, what they know and how to take them to the next level. Often times, because of the structure of the past or current curriculums, when a student questions a theory, if that question strays from the lesson plan, the student is informed that they will get back to that at a later time. The old method of learning about things, emphasizes the ends and this Inquiry based learning is learning the means to get you to that end. To not simply know the hard facts but to inquire as to why it is so and how do we know such facts and that in itself opens many doors. This method will prompt the student to get used to the idea of learning in a more creative way that stays with them a lifetime. The expression “Inquiring minds want to know” is true and students should be trained and inspired to want to know more, and possibly challenge it. Open discourse is a good way also to share a wealth of knowledge and information amongst students. Every individual in the room comes with a set of defined characteristics due to their particular background and upbringing. Imagine sharing all that knowledge with each other. Opening the world to the kids via the Internet and all the knowledge attained there. The complexities of modern society call for a technologically, skills adept people. Taking the questions regarding a subject matter to new directions and new heights. What may appear to be black & white is not. The teacher is more than that, he/she is a facilitator for hands on learning that goes beyond and asks why? and how? and when? and where? The more we know, the more we realize how much more there is to know and that realization is what creates a hunger in the students to take that knowledge to the next level.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Cite Soleil

The Cite Soleil poem clearly paints a picture that is often times too grim to see. The plight of Haiti and the Haitian people. Haiti has been for quite some time, a devastated country, with devastated infrastructure and devastated hopes that somehow manage to regain some energy only to have them beaten down with either political injustice or cruel mother nature or both.

Haiti was once a super power of sorts with great dignity and strength and has become the shadow of what it once was. Besides being a very poor country, it's been rocked with a devastating earthquake and deforestation that threatens to leave Haiti a forest in the

middle of the Caribbean.

As cruel as some of these unavoidable occurences are, there is also, murders, looting, violence and the cruelest of all, mistreatment of their very own women and children.

All this made even more harsh and cruel, when we realize that Haiti is so very close to the greatest country in the world. We don't have to travel to Africa, Asia or the middle east, to see the cruelest deck of cards ever handed to a people.

Reflection #2

REFLECTION #2

The Constructivist learning method being used today has gone through several revisions in the past seven years or so and now emphasizes several elements: from Situation & Groupings, to Bridge & Questions, and finally Exhibit and Reflections. This system is to enhance a methodology in the teacher planning and in the reflection process. The teacher explains a situation for the students to take in and students are then separated into groups along with the materials needed. The students then create a bridge, and they fill in the gaps between what they have already learned in the past and what they are truly interested in learning. The constructivist’s method is based on our past and how we construct what and how we do things today and our reactions and beliefs and we then interpret objects and events accordingly. I believe our experiences today and how we perceive them are formed by our experiences. Our knowledge is based on experiences and personal interpretations of them. The difference beween the Constructivist method and the Behaviorist method is that the Behaviorists are stimuli driven & consist of setting goals, as well as outlined practices to be done in groups as well as alone with the teacher’s guidance all the way to project’s closure. The Constructivist theory is also organized and has a process, but the Behaviorist uses a more traditional method emphasizing and placing great emphasis in motivation & reinforcement (stimuli) when planning and presenting a lesson. The students interpret the information based on their own life’s experiences and then the teacher steps in to guide them along. Implying skills & attitude do not necessarily equate to knowledge, and that knowledge is simply facts & information. Assessments are crucial to this theory and teachers design their situations based on the students’ interests and needs. Behaviorists focus on overt behaviors and observed and measure them whenever possible. The theory considers the mind, highly susceptible to stimulus and that it can be observed, dismissing the complex thought process occurring in the mind at any given time. Pavlov’s conditioning of dogs is a fine example of classical conditioning or stimulus substitution

likening it to Behaviorism.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

Reflection #1

REFLECTION

Lesson Planning is crucial on helping the educator to focus on specific tasks on hand to accomplish. It helps to stay on track, stay focused with goals to reach in a particular time frame. The Lesson Plans assist possible Substitute teachers and Para-professionals to step in when the situation calls for it without missing any of the curriculum planned for any given day. It helps the teacher to decide in which method to teach the lesson and the materials needed in which to teach them. There’s greater accountability and it makes it easier for Educators to try different technique and to go back and forth trying out what fits best for any given class. The Educator may prefer a particular method but not all classrooms are the same and there needs to be flexibility. There are various Lesson planning techniques and the ones covered thus far are Transpersonal, Constructionist and Behaviorist. There are attributes of the three Lesson Plans listed here that one would implement on any given day but the one that I most relate to would be the Transpersonal Lesson Plan method, placing greater emphasis on the individual and free self expression. There is

less focus on standardized testing and correlates more with the lives of the students involved. I would take under great consideration, the Constructivists method because I also believe that we are our past and we perceive things and interpret them in our own way because of where we come from and what we’ve done. I believe that every single thing we experience today and how we experience it, is due mostly by our childhood, upbringing, and we need to be sensitive to the emotional baggage the student brings in to the classroom. We experience things, good and bad, and act out accordingly and it may differ greatly from others, eventhough the information received is identical. Also notable in its past and current success rate is The Behaviorist method, founded by Madeline Hunter. It consists of Setting goals, and clear outlined practices to be done in groups as well as alone with the teacher’s guidance all the way to project’s closure. This series of techniques, have been used for decades and proven effective in it’s thorough, and traditional, manner of teaching . Areas I favor are reinforcement & motivation, as well as having a concrete methodology when planning and presenting a lesson and would put to practice as well. I would be hard pressed to decide on just one method, whereas incorporating all three and others would prove more beneficial.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182

we cannot but chuse to hear

The poem talks of the formation of the seas and oceans. The beauty of the slow and everchanging face of the underwater world. The life it holds and supports and breeds. The selfless giving and generosity of the seas that for thousands of years have been here and will be here long after we're gone, that is, if we don't destroy it first.
The innocent wildlife is what effects me the most about this catastrophe. The millions lost in tourism, the jobs lost in the coastal areas is all tragic, but pales by comparison, and we are aware of what is occuring and know that we did this to ourselves, that maybe with perseverance, we may get BP to shell out some cash for assistance, but the wildlife did not ask for any of this, and innocently, they dive into the water for food and get entangled in oil. The dolphins swim to warm waters and find themselves drowning in oil. The devastation will affect the environment for generations to come they say and the poem captures the angst of this wrong, just right.