In Troy today, we officially started using the rhythm wheels software. The kids always complain when they have to take another pre- or post-test. It takes quite a bit of convincing to get them to take the test. Usually telling them they won't be able to start the fun stuff until they finish their tests works, but today it took more than that. I think many of them are just tired of learning math. They are fairly easily bored by the introduction to the culture behind the tool, and they know that when we start working with a new tool we start with the culture behind it.
The pre-test and cultural background took up most of the time, but there were some kids who were able to complete some beats and get them saved before time was up. Next time will be solely devoted to creating more beats and saving them to a CD they can take home.
Today's session in Albany was probably the best we have had so far. We told them to create a postcard with Paint.net, and many of the kids became very focused on their work. We had more students than computers, but we told them to work together and switch when one person finished their design. This seemed to work very well.
We had a different counselor than normal supervising them today, and we had far fewer counselors in training to distract the kids. The kids listened to the counselor, who was very strict and disciplined them before they got too out of hand. This made the students much easier to work with. We were all very thankful for this change. I'm not sure if the BGC finally listened to our requests, or if we just happened to get lucky today. We are all hoping we have the same supervising counselor next time.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
TBGC Session 6/ABGC Session 9
I used the session at Troy today as a catch up/ free session. There have occasionally been students who have missed days and have not been able to complete some of their crafts for this reason. There was a larger than normal number of students absent last session, and I wanted to give everyone the chance to make a shirt if they so desired. Unfortunately, most the same kids who were absent last week were also absent today, so my plan kind of backfired.
There were two students who were able to finalize their designs and make a shirt today. The rest of the students continued to make designs on the computer, worked on another basket, or experimented with some of the other CSDTs available to them.
Next session I am hoping we will be able to move on to the rhythm wheels software, because the students who have used it already seem to really enjoy it.
In Albany, we are starting to move away from using the CSDTs and more towards using design software. We introduced Paint.net to the kids today, and they seemed a bit more engaged in that than they were with the CSDTs. I think it may be because using Paint.net is a bit less structured and more open-ended, so the kids don't feel as if they are being forced to learn.
The counselors (or lack thereof) and counselors in training are still a bit of a problem. The counselors are not in the room when the should be to discipline the kids when they act up and don't listen. The counselors in training come in to talk with the students while we are trying to teach, play games on the computers we aren't using, or do other things to distract or aggravate the kids. This makes it very difficult to keep the kids under control and paying attention to what we are trying to teach them.
There were two students who were able to finalize their designs and make a shirt today. The rest of the students continued to make designs on the computer, worked on another basket, or experimented with some of the other CSDTs available to them.
Next session I am hoping we will be able to move on to the rhythm wheels software, because the students who have used it already seem to really enjoy it.
In Albany, we are starting to move away from using the CSDTs and more towards using design software. We introduced Paint.net to the kids today, and they seemed a bit more engaged in that than they were with the CSDTs. I think it may be because using Paint.net is a bit less structured and more open-ended, so the kids don't feel as if they are being forced to learn.
The counselors (or lack thereof) and counselors in training are still a bit of a problem. The counselors are not in the room when the should be to discipline the kids when they act up and don't listen. The counselors in training come in to talk with the students while we are trying to teach, play games on the computers we aren't using, or do other things to distract or aggravate the kids. This makes it very difficult to keep the kids under control and paying attention to what we are trying to teach them.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
TBGC Session 5/ABGC Session 8
The children in Troy are progressing much faster than I had anticipated. There were a few kids missing from each group, but everyone who was there finished designs for their shirts. The older group picked up on the software much faster than the younger group did. The older group was almost completely independent, asking only a few questions and making rather complex designs.
The younger group, on the other hand, had a very difficult time with the software. Even when reading through the tutorials with them, they were having a difficult time focusing enough to learn how to use the software. I decided to skip the tutorials about designing arcs and spirals with polar coordinates, because they were having a hard enough time understanding the concept of moving the shapes using cartesian coordinates.
When the instruction period was over and they were to make their shirt designs, the younger group was more uncooperative than normal. Some said they didn't want to make shirts or wanted to quit. One sat in her chair and refused to listen to anything I had to say. We finally managed to convince everyone to work on their designs, but they would continually ask questions about how to do the simplest things.
I have noticed that the younger group tends to give up more easily than the older group. When I try to help them, they just say they don't know how, even when I show them how to do exactly what they want to do.
This weekend I will have to go to the craft store and buy the supplies for their shirts so I can have them made by the next session.
The Albany session continues to frustrate me. When we arrived today, there were considerably more kids than what we normally have in the computer room. They were playing games, and it was very difficult to convince them to work with the CSDTs again. There were counselors in the next room working with another group of kids, and they would occasionally look into our room as well, but they lacked the physical presence that tends to make the kids less rowdy and more apt to pay attention. There was only one counselor in training present, and all he did was instigate the kids to do things other than work with the CSDTs. Talking to the administration has done little to help the situation, and the kids become harder and harder to work with each week.
The younger group, on the other hand, had a very difficult time with the software. Even when reading through the tutorials with them, they were having a difficult time focusing enough to learn how to use the software. I decided to skip the tutorials about designing arcs and spirals with polar coordinates, because they were having a hard enough time understanding the concept of moving the shapes using cartesian coordinates.
When the instruction period was over and they were to make their shirt designs, the younger group was more uncooperative than normal. Some said they didn't want to make shirts or wanted to quit. One sat in her chair and refused to listen to anything I had to say. We finally managed to convince everyone to work on their designs, but they would continually ask questions about how to do the simplest things.
I have noticed that the younger group tends to give up more easily than the older group. When I try to help them, they just say they don't know how, even when I show them how to do exactly what they want to do.
This weekend I will have to go to the craft store and buy the supplies for their shirts so I can have them made by the next session.
The Albany session continues to frustrate me. When we arrived today, there were considerably more kids than what we normally have in the computer room. They were playing games, and it was very difficult to convince them to work with the CSDTs again. There were counselors in the next room working with another group of kids, and they would occasionally look into our room as well, but they lacked the physical presence that tends to make the kids less rowdy and more apt to pay attention. There was only one counselor in training present, and all he did was instigate the kids to do things other than work with the CSDTs. Talking to the administration has done little to help the situation, and the kids become harder and harder to work with each week.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
TBGC Session 4/ABGC Session 7
The kids in Troy were very rambunctious today. We started the day with a post-test for the basket weaver, which will double as a pre-test for the graffiti grapher, which we moved on to today. Most of the kids complained, or informed me that they had already taken that test. I told them they had to do it if they wanted to move on to something new, which made them plod through it.
When everyone finished their tests, we started reading about the history and culture of graffiti. It was very difficult for the kids to sit quietly and listen while one of their peers read a section. Many were moving ahead too quickly to actually be reading the sections, others complained that the person reading was too slow, and some continued to remind us that there were 15 different pages to read. The kids all seemed very anxious to do something else today. I think it probably was because last time they had been doing something hands on, and this time they had to sit and learn again.
We arrived in Albany ten minutes early, and there were already many kids in the computer lab. Some were participants in our group while many were not. All the kids were playing games on the computers, and it was very difficult to encourage them to transition from games to math.
Some of the kids had already started virtual patterns to turn into a physical bead strip last time, so they finished them and were able to start making their beads. The kids who had not started a design were much harder to convince. They just wanted to continue playing games. One child's continuous argument is that it is the summer and he shouldn't have to do math. It didn't help that some of the counselors in training got on the computers to play games when we were telling the kids to do the exact opposite.
There were a few kids who finished their beadwork and were happy with it. They were excited to take it home. It's always nice to see kids proud of their work when we have all worked so hard to encourage them to do so.
When everyone finished their tests, we started reading about the history and culture of graffiti. It was very difficult for the kids to sit quietly and listen while one of their peers read a section. Many were moving ahead too quickly to actually be reading the sections, others complained that the person reading was too slow, and some continued to remind us that there were 15 different pages to read. The kids all seemed very anxious to do something else today. I think it probably was because last time they had been doing something hands on, and this time they had to sit and learn again.
We arrived in Albany ten minutes early, and there were already many kids in the computer lab. Some were participants in our group while many were not. All the kids were playing games on the computers, and it was very difficult to encourage them to transition from games to math.
Some of the kids had already started virtual patterns to turn into a physical bead strip last time, so they finished them and were able to start making their beads. The kids who had not started a design were much harder to convince. They just wanted to continue playing games. One child's continuous argument is that it is the summer and he shouldn't have to do math. It didn't help that some of the counselors in training got on the computers to play games when we were telling the kids to do the exact opposite.
There were a few kids who finished their beadwork and were happy with it. They were excited to take it home. It's always nice to see kids proud of their work when we have all worked so hard to encourage them to do so.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
TBGC Session 3/ABGC Session 6
The program in Troy continues to progress well. There was not much math instruction today, and much more helping the kids weave their baskets. All but one of the students completed their design on the computer and started their baskets. Three students were able to finish their baskets today.
Surprisingly, the students in the eight- and nine-year-olds are progressing more quickly than the ten- to twelve-year-olds. It seems that the younger kids are able to focus on a single task for longer, but get bored easier. The older kids are more interested in doing things other than learning about math.
Another student told me today that they never expected math to be so fun. They had expected the program to be boring when they signed up, but now they were enjoying it. It was nice to hear this from the kids. The ones who finished their baskets today seemed very proud of their work, and they were excited to take them home and show their parents.
Next week I think we will start using the graffiti grapher to design shirts for the kids and let them finish their baskets on their own time. Since some of the kids are done, there is not a lot they can do while they wait, and the kids who are lagging behind will have something to do when they have free time.
Albany is a different story. When we arrived today, we started preparing our makeshift beadlooms so the kids could make some beadwork. At 1:15 there were still no kids present, when they usually arrive at 1:00. We saw some of our group across the street from the BGC, so we went and talked to the counselor in charge and told them they were supposed to be at our program. The counselor brought the kids back, but by that time it was almost 1:30 and the kids were very unhappy that they had to learn math rather than swim.
We decided we wouldn't have enough time to cover the things we wanted in half an hour, so we left early. After talking to one of the senior staff members, we found that the BGC had to cut some counselors' hours, and the schedule was a bit jumbled right now. She assured us that it would be fixed by Tuesday.
Surprisingly, the students in the eight- and nine-year-olds are progressing more quickly than the ten- to twelve-year-olds. It seems that the younger kids are able to focus on a single task for longer, but get bored easier. The older kids are more interested in doing things other than learning about math.
Another student told me today that they never expected math to be so fun. They had expected the program to be boring when they signed up, but now they were enjoying it. It was nice to hear this from the kids. The ones who finished their baskets today seemed very proud of their work, and they were excited to take them home and show their parents.
Next week I think we will start using the graffiti grapher to design shirts for the kids and let them finish their baskets on their own time. Since some of the kids are done, there is not a lot they can do while they wait, and the kids who are lagging behind will have something to do when they have free time.
Albany is a different story. When we arrived today, we started preparing our makeshift beadlooms so the kids could make some beadwork. At 1:15 there were still no kids present, when they usually arrive at 1:00. We saw some of our group across the street from the BGC, so we went and talked to the counselor in charge and told them they were supposed to be at our program. The counselor brought the kids back, but by that time it was almost 1:30 and the kids were very unhappy that they had to learn math rather than swim.
We decided we wouldn't have enough time to cover the things we wanted in half an hour, so we left early. After talking to one of the senior staff members, we found that the BGC had to cut some counselors' hours, and the schedule was a bit jumbled right now. She assured us that it would be fixed by Tuesday.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
TBGC Session 2/ ABGC Session 5
I am very happy with the way the program at the Troy BGC is progressing. Today, the kids finished up their designs on the computer, and some started weaving their baskets already. I went out and bought craft supplies last night and taught myself how to weave the basket. I'm glad I did, because I hadn't expected the kids to progress as fast as they had.
The first group we had today was smaller and therefore more manageable. They were very well behaved and almost all of the kids in this group started weaving their baskets.
The second group was a bit bigger, and the transition was somewhat chaotic. I lost track of time and didn't realize the second group would be coming in, so I had a hard time regrouping and getting all the kids in the second group together to do some review before working more on their designs. The review with this group was difficult because they wanted so badly to work on their designs. When we finished with the review and told them they could all work on their designs, they became very excited.
There were only two girls in this group who gave us trouble. They were more interested in talking to each other or trying to find music on the internet rather than making their designs. Then when they found out the baskets they would be weaving were not large enough or authentic for their tastes, they said they wanted to quit. I told them to talk to the director of the BGC if they wanted to be done. They left, but I'm not sure if they ever talked to the director.
The rest of the kids who started their baskets today seemed to enjoy it very much. One even said that he had not expected math to be fun, but that he was having tons of fun making the basket.
The kids at the Albany BGC were a bit better behaved today than they have been in the past. We found out today that one of the kids we have had the most problems with has ADHD, and he had forgotten to take his medicine last week. This made me feel a bit better about the situation.
The supervision at the Albany BGC is still a bit lacking. The counselors who are supposed to be present during the whole session are in and out, and there are teen-aged counselors in training who sit in the back, watch the kids, talk amongst themselves, play on the computers, or encourage the kids to do things other than what we are trying to teach them. It is very difficult to try and teach the kids in the situation with which we are presented.
We were able to have the kids finish designs on the the virtual bead loom, and we are hoping to have physical bead looms ready by next time so they can start making some physical artifacts.
The first group we had today was smaller and therefore more manageable. They were very well behaved and almost all of the kids in this group started weaving their baskets.
The second group was a bit bigger, and the transition was somewhat chaotic. I lost track of time and didn't realize the second group would be coming in, so I had a hard time regrouping and getting all the kids in the second group together to do some review before working more on their designs. The review with this group was difficult because they wanted so badly to work on their designs. When we finished with the review and told them they could all work on their designs, they became very excited.
There were only two girls in this group who gave us trouble. They were more interested in talking to each other or trying to find music on the internet rather than making their designs. Then when they found out the baskets they would be weaving were not large enough or authentic for their tastes, they said they wanted to quit. I told them to talk to the director of the BGC if they wanted to be done. They left, but I'm not sure if they ever talked to the director.
The rest of the kids who started their baskets today seemed to enjoy it very much. One even said that he had not expected math to be fun, but that he was having tons of fun making the basket.
The kids at the Albany BGC were a bit better behaved today than they have been in the past. We found out today that one of the kids we have had the most problems with has ADHD, and he had forgotten to take his medicine last week. This made me feel a bit better about the situation.
The supervision at the Albany BGC is still a bit lacking. The counselors who are supposed to be present during the whole session are in and out, and there are teen-aged counselors in training who sit in the back, watch the kids, talk amongst themselves, play on the computers, or encourage the kids to do things other than what we are trying to teach them. It is very difficult to try and teach the kids in the situation with which we are presented.
We were able to have the kids finish designs on the the virtual bead loom, and we are hoping to have physical bead looms ready by next time so they can start making some physical artifacts.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
TBGC Session 1/ ABGC Session 4
Our first session at the Troy BGC went surprisingly better than I had hoped. I got there a bit early and was able to do one last quick promotion of the program before the kids all broke into their separate groups. We ended up getting a total of 13 kids to sign up, which worked out nicely. We were able to break them very manageable groups of six or seven kids.
It was hot again today, so the kids were less focused on learning and more focused on when they would be able to swim, but we were able to keep their attention long enough to get a good start. All the kids doing the program in Troy signed up voluntarily, so they have a bit more interest in the program than some of the Albany kids do.
We were able to introduce the culture and math aspects of Native American basket weaving to the kids. We also started doing some virtual weave patterns on the computer to get the kids familiar with the software. Next session in Troy we will have them continue working on their patterns, and hopefully everyone will have a design finished by the end of the session so we can start making baskets by next Thursday.
The program in Albany continued to disappoint me. We at least recognized most of the kids who were in our group this time around, but most of them were not the same as we had Tuesday. Many of these kids did not seem interested in learning about the software, or the math and culture behind it. Every time we turned our back, there was someone trying to play other online games, or just clicking through the information, rather than reading it. It is especially annoying when they try to use the program, and then ask us questions that are answered in the tutorials.
The staff at Albany is not a lot of help either. There is one counselor who is supposed to be with our group at all times, and it can be difficult to find them sometimes. There are also other volunteers not connected to our group who sit around and watch us. they never try to help us, and they often encourage the kids to do things other than what we try to teach them. I hope the Albany BGC gets structured a bit better in the near future, otherwise I don't have a lot of faith in the success of this program.
It was hot again today, so the kids were less focused on learning and more focused on when they would be able to swim, but we were able to keep their attention long enough to get a good start. All the kids doing the program in Troy signed up voluntarily, so they have a bit more interest in the program than some of the Albany kids do.
We were able to introduce the culture and math aspects of Native American basket weaving to the kids. We also started doing some virtual weave patterns on the computer to get the kids familiar with the software. Next session in Troy we will have them continue working on their patterns, and hopefully everyone will have a design finished by the end of the session so we can start making baskets by next Thursday.
The program in Albany continued to disappoint me. We at least recognized most of the kids who were in our group this time around, but most of them were not the same as we had Tuesday. Many of these kids did not seem interested in learning about the software, or the math and culture behind it. Every time we turned our back, there was someone trying to play other online games, or just clicking through the information, rather than reading it. It is especially annoying when they try to use the program, and then ask us questions that are answered in the tutorials.
The staff at Albany is not a lot of help either. There is one counselor who is supposed to be with our group at all times, and it can be difficult to find them sometimes. There are also other volunteers not connected to our group who sit around and watch us. they never try to help us, and they often encourage the kids to do things other than what we try to teach them. I hope the Albany BGC gets structured a bit better in the near future, otherwise I don't have a lot of faith in the success of this program.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Troy BGC Demo/ABGC Session 3
Regina and I went to the Troy BGC this morning to demo the different CSDTs we would be using in order to garner some interest for the program. It was very hot today, so it was difficult to keep the kids engaged. Some kids were legitimately interested in some of the programs, while others just wanted to play on the computers. It is hard to run a structured program or demo when there is little structure for the kids in place at the Boys and Girls Club.
In the end, we had six kids sign up for the program. After talking with the director at the TBGC, it was decided that we would come in on Thursday prepared to teach two sessions in the hope that more kids would be interested when they found they wouldn't be able to use the computers unless they decided to enroll in our program.
After Troy, we headed over to Albany. Only two of the kids in our group today had worked with us previously, so it was difficult to pick up where we left off because we had to teach the new kids what we had gone over in the last sessions. We need to talk to the ABGC staff and see if it would be possible to have a consistent group of the same kids for the remainder of the summer. It is difficult to progress when we have to backtrack every time we have new kids.
We let the kids who we worked with before to continue with their drawings from the last session. We had the new kids briefly go through the basics of the Graffiti Grapher, and then we had them start making their drawings.
All the kids were able to finish their drawings on paper, and most finished the electronic version as well. Next session we should be able to move on to the Virtual Bead Loom applet.
In the end, we had six kids sign up for the program. After talking with the director at the TBGC, it was decided that we would come in on Thursday prepared to teach two sessions in the hope that more kids would be interested when they found they wouldn't be able to use the computers unless they decided to enroll in our program.
After Troy, we headed over to Albany. Only two of the kids in our group today had worked with us previously, so it was difficult to pick up where we left off because we had to teach the new kids what we had gone over in the last sessions. We need to talk to the ABGC staff and see if it would be possible to have a consistent group of the same kids for the remainder of the summer. It is difficult to progress when we have to backtrack every time we have new kids.
We let the kids who we worked with before to continue with their drawings from the last session. We had the new kids briefly go through the basics of the Graffiti Grapher, and then we had them start making their drawings.
All the kids were able to finish their drawings on paper, and most finished the electronic version as well. Next session we should be able to move on to the Virtual Bead Loom applet.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
ABGC Session 2
We got to the BGC a bit early today to install Java on all the computers so we would be able to use the African Fractals applet for our session today. Some of the kids seemed like they really didn't want to be there. They didn't listen very well, and were asking how long they had to be there. The kids who seemed interested did get involved and seemed to enjoy themselves.
We had them first use the African Fractals applet to look at various fractal patterns in nature, and then to create their own. I'm not sure the kids completely understood what they were doing. They were more just drawing random lines that filled the screen after a few iterations.
After most of the kids finished with their fractal patterns, we saved them and had them move on to the Graffiti Grapher. We had them draw a design they would like to make, and then they started creating their work in the applet. Most of the kids got a good start on their electronic versions by the time the day was done. We will continue with this next week.
We had them first use the African Fractals applet to look at various fractal patterns in nature, and then to create their own. I'm not sure the kids completely understood what they were doing. They were more just drawing random lines that filled the screen after a few iterations.
After most of the kids finished with their fractal patterns, we saved them and had them move on to the Graffiti Grapher. We had them draw a design they would like to make, and then they started creating their work in the applet. Most of the kids got a good start on their electronic versions by the time the day was done. We will continue with this next week.
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