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.