4/28/10

I think it’s really interesting that two people in out class are doing their projects on deaf students. Colleen and Jessica’s projects really interest me because I don’t have any exposure to deaf culture. Jessica has had exposure to it all her life, which helps her paper out because she knows first hand what it is like to be in that culture and everything that goes with it. Colleen on the other hand, has a different perspective because I’m assuming her family is all hearing. I bet she brings in new perspectives and they have different ideas because of the difference in experience. This could be very positive for Colleen, that she has an unbiased opinion and maybe focuses on different aspects of the deaf culture.

Maggie’s presentation is interesting because it does seem like a lot of special education students are minorities, so in a sense they are the majority of the special ed. world. I think it’s interesting that students in the mainstream system do better, and that is consistent I believe with the presentations on autism and ADHD. It is more beneficial to the students to be with other “average” kids than to just be with other special education students.

I really liked Eric’s connection to music and art scholarships to sports because I had never thought about it before. I’m not sure that I agree that athletes, or anyone for that matter, should be paid extra while they are in college… I’m not really sure how it all works, but as far as student athletes go, being on a scholarship or a full ride is pretty awesome. That should be enough to compensate for their time. Tuition is a lot, and to have that paid off to play a collegiate sport seems like enough to me. Maybe if paying them meant taking away from coaches, I’d be ok with that. But I don’t want to pay more than I already do to go to games. Collegiate games are awesome and incredibly exciting, but there’s got to be a cap on how much we pay to get in.

final presentations

As I've said in previous posts, I really thought it was great how our class covered a such a wide array of specific topics within the subject of education. So, today it was great seeing how Colleen presented her topic, deaf communication, in which Jessica too was writing about. Even though they both had a specific subject, Colleen's focus completely differed from Jessica's. It's a very intriguing topic.

Maggie - your topic was so specific and well thought out, it was great. There are so many perspectives within this, so I'm sure your point of view will add great depth. It's controversial, too, you definitely gave me a lot to reflect upon and decide an opinion about while you presented. It's going to be a great paper.

Eric - I've never thought about this topic, just thought about the entertainment value of college football and basketball, but you have a really strong thesis. I can tell you're really passionate. If you find the right sources to back up your argument, your strong ideas will really show through.

april 28th presentations

This last three presentation covered great topics. The presentation on deaf education, although the second, looked at different aspects of deaf culture. It was very interesting to think about how deaf people's brains develop and work differently than hearing people's. That can be used as a very strong argument for needing different education. Disproportionality in special education is kind of related to my topic on ADHD and again, gave a new way to look at special education that I had not thought of. In my middle school and high school we had a very large, diverse student population so I never really noticed that more minorities were in special education. One point that was brought up was that minorities get the wrong help. For example, they may need to learn english better than going into a special education classroom. I think teachers should make sure every student they put in special education truly needs it. The topic of college sports and athletics fairness it definitely a topic that I can relate to. I am a huge sports fan and agree that those students that play football and basketball bring in a lot of money for the university. In my high school it seemed to be the same way, the big sports got more attention and more money. I cheered all through high school an fortunately we were able to get great support from our school but other school's programs were very weak. I can only imagine how much more the revenue differs in college. Funding for collegiate sports should be more fair somehow but I am not to sure how to figure that out.

Disproportionally, Deaf Communication, and NCAA

Just a few comments this time, generally good job everyone.

Maggie- Disproportionally- Great topic, I feel that your question is precise and will allow you to answer your question within the allotted page limit. I felt as though you understood the problems of subjective testing. Labeling is a dangerous practice, as they often follow an individual for their entire lives. Your paper should shed some light on the inequalities of the practice.

Colleen- Deaf Communication- I thought you were well composed, and gave a great presentation. No Real comments, good job.

Eric- NCAA- 50% of student athletes graduate for higher education. I would be interested to know the proportion of basketball and football players that drop out. I agree with your thoughts that student athletes should not be treated equally, but I am insure how to solve the problems posed. Interesting topic.

April 28th Presentations

I would like to say that all the presentations over the course of the last few class periods have been great. The topics are all so different and most of them personal, yet they still have some relation to one another. I was really intrigued by a lot of them!

As for today's presentations...
Maggie-I thought your topic was very interesting because special education and its arguments are very broad. Your topic was something I've never really thought of, and it was great that you brought that issue of disproportionality of minority students to the forefront. Great job!

Colleen-Seems like you found great information! Even though our focuses are different, if you have any questions about deaf people or anything, feel free to ask!

Eric-I was actually considering your topic for my paper; it's something I've had interest in learning more about. You definitely seem very knowledgable, like Greg said, on the system and how it works. As long as you have more of a structure, such as the history then leading up to current systems, then I'm sure your paper will be great!

Presentations Pt. 4

Commenting on Emma's topic, I think that depression is a really important topic. Depression can link to so many college students, and some may not even know. Something that could be added into her paper that I think would be beneficial would be some news articles of studies that were found on students with severe depression. Having the one from UW was a good example.

Presentations Response pt. III

Again, such a range in topics.

Emma - I agree, too, that depression in college is a major issue - it can be overlooked as stress so easily, but I think that it's essential to recognize its presence. This paper will be be extremely informative.

Joey - Probably a really hot topic is technology in education. It affects everyone, it's useful, it's innovative (obviously), and archaic not to utilize. Because it's so hot, I'm sure there are many arguments for and against it, you just have to know where to look. What Mary mentioned about oral culture was really interesting, and I really hope you incorporate it into your paper.

Lastly, Katherine this may be the most original idea I've heard thus far. It's extremely interesting and the topic is an audience-grabber. I'd stay clear of being too history-heavy, and try to bring out your thesis as much as possible to add a new perspective to the current arguments.