Welcome to the AK-CSS Members Forum! Please sign up to join the discussions.

Replies

  • :-) I think the more our group gets to know each other, the deeper the comments. At least that's what's happened in the past.
  • Also,I really liked your explanation of the ongoing thread; the online discussion where one point of view is balanced with another and through the process move the groups thinking forward; I think it is useful. In addition, I think that a student (in this case us) must be willing to use and be part of the process in order to see the leaning dynamic taking place. For me, after 10 years of teaching and a fair amount of blogging (with its comment thread) this particular method of discussion is still fairly new. But, it is clear that the commenting process following a discussion question is instructive unto itself. I guess I ran out of characters, time to wrap it up.
  • I think I've told you that you ROCK already. And in the classroom (speaking of methods) I would NEVER do that. I try to say Good Point to every comment so that some don't feel like they have a corner on good answers and others feel like their answers were only mediocre. So: Good Point!
  • In college I minored in philosophy and had a speacial affinity for Existentialism: the philosophy of the individual and how one gets meaning in their life. I want to try and tie this concept into the teaching of American history. In my own experience students do not get that excited about history at the HS level and teachers often need to go beyond the "mere teaching of the curriculum, content, and standards" to get to a method of teaching that gets students interested and excited, in short: a method that gives meaning to their experience of learning history. This could happen in a thousand ways and all will have the content and curriculum as a basis. But as history teachers we need to bring our courses alive, we need to go beyond lecture and discussion; we have to get the students talking and thinking about history. It is not an easy task, but I think many of the things that are being modeled in American History Digitized are powerful tools for us to bridge the gap.
  • Try "Man's Search for Meaning" By Victor Frankl

    Mark Broz said:
    Not too sure yet, oddly enough I have been on a bit of a fix for books addressing this topic, My Ishmael, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Alchemist. Granted they are all fiction, however they have themes within them addressing topics like pursuing our dreams (Alchemist), our mortality (Tuesdays), and what our legacy will be (Ishmael). While I may not be able to put my finger on a concise answer, I feel some combination of these themes are involved.
    WELCOME!
    Here's the place to put your great thoughts on THE MEANING OF LIFE!  Forest Gump stuff!  :-) 
  • To create happiness, peace and love within the relationships of our lives.
  • I believe this is task 6 in weaving our conversations. It is interesting to see what came to people's minds as a short reply on the meaning of life. For me there was a lot going on in my head: finish the assignment, learn what is going on, think about philosophy and post it. Weaving will help us to communicate and hear each other in this virtual classroom.
  • What great topics to pursue! I haven't read ISMAEL, maybe I'll put that on my list! :-)
  • Not too sure yet, oddly enough I have been on a bit of a fix for books addressing this topic, My Ishmael, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Alchemist. Granted they are all fiction, however they have themes within them addressing topics like pursuing our dreams (Alchemist), our mortality (Tuesdays), and what our legacy will be (Ishmael). While I may not be able to put my finger on a concise answer, I feel some combination of these themes are involved.
  • For me today, it is family and friends.
This reply was deleted.