Spanish

Photography – 5th Post about Life Touch Memory Mission

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“A team is not a group of people who work together. A team is a group of people who trust each other.”
– Simon Sinek

The power of photography has never been more evident than during my time on the LifeTouch memory mission trip. For 80 years LifeTouch has been one of the leaders in photography around the USA. They take school pictures, church pictures, family portraits and they work on safe identification cards for FK2A1044children with the US government. They are also now my friends.

From the president Señor Bill C. (who was also my roommate on the trip) to the video team (Donnie and Adam) the glossy print photo team (Haim and Matt) the goofy school photographers (Jay and Sean) to Jeff, Shari Dr., Shari Du., Mary, Becky, Jan H., Jan G., Sue, Tina, Amy, Claire, Haley, Brenda, Jamie, Heather, and AC – each of these amazing members of the LifeTouch family and organization demonstrated to me the power of organizational culture and the power of photography.

On this trip we took school photos of and for all the children in the community. For some this is the first photograph of themselves – ever. We also took family portrait photos and printed them on site!

 

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Finally a picture with his daughter!

For one man (shown at the right) this allowed him the chance to do what he could not do with his daughter when she was alive – due to our visit he was able to take a family portrait holding a picture of his deceased daughter (she died last year at the age of 19).

 

 

 

LUBELFIELD_MichaelIn addition, they took photos of each of us – photos we got to trade with workers, children, and adults in Rio Grande. To say picture day is routine will never be something I say. To consider picture day a passé routine will never be something I think.

The power of photography was also shared in the amazingly poignant candid shots the selfless and tireless LifeTouch crew gave to us as gifts. They made individual collages for us – they also uploaded images from DR to the home office in MN and then one of the LifeTouch team members (Shari) flew down to the DR with the photos during our trip. Their operation is impressive beyond words.

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Eduardo
Daniel
Daniel

The memory mission also allowed we educators to connect back home via a Live On Air Google Hang Out. I am so grateful to the 8th grade Spanish students at Caruso and Shepard, and their teachers, and our iCoaches and library information specialists and other staff who made the memory mission trip come alive and relate to their learning in school. Some cool extras related to the Google Hang Out included the engagement of several children from the area, one of the awesome translators, Daniel, and a little boy who stole hearts at home, 5 year old Eduardo (both shown at left).

The Deerfield Public Schools District 109 8th grade Spanish Google Hang Out is shown below, it allowed us to show how our motto Engage, Inspire, Empower crosses borders and time zones:

Though I speak Spanish and it got a whole lot better this week, I struggled to understand the Spanish question of one of our 8th graders, so I needed Daniel to help me translate Dominican Spanish and American Spanish on this trip! I had unique opportunities to more deeply engage in conversation with all people since I speak the language. I also got to help my teammates with translation, and I also got to work with the the translators to improve my ability to communicate. A proud moment for me – among many – is when Pedro, our enthusiastic translator extraordinaire “promoted me” from Translator in Training to Full Translator.

In front of the AASA logo on the Cecaini School
In front of the AASA logo on the Cecaini School

Thanks to the LIfeTouch team for making me feel like I was part of a “National Geographic” magazine! Thanks also to the photo sharing site they set up for us allowing all of us to share and post photographic images as part of our storytelling.

The next post will be about education and the realizations I experiencd about project based learning, interdisciplinary connections, and tying emotion to learning for lasting impact. The Dominican engineer and skilled laborers were some of the most effective teachers with whom we worked. They turned a mostly unskilled group into a school building machine.

Thank you for reading and commenting!

 

ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER
ENGAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

More supports for teachers! (English, Spanish, French, German)

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“Learn to listen and listen to learn.”
– Tom Izzo

This year we prepare for a myriad of changes.

I’m continuing with this series of blog posts descriptions of services, subscriptions, tools, programs, aids, SUPPORTS for learning that we are putting into place intentionally and deliberately to support teachers and students. Thanks to Dr. Jeff Zoul, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, as well as members of the DPS109 Leadership team, as well as iCoaches and teacher leaders, we have a PLAN to help teachers SUCCEED as they Engage, Inspire & Empower!

These tools are being shared in no particular order – the point/aim/goal is to share, celebrate, communicate, and publicize the many leaders and the many tools that will enable others to act – challenge the process, inspire a shared vision – and support improved teaching and learning! While company information and logos are shared it is not our intention to use this as “advertising” – we are simply sharing with whom we are partnering to support our mission. The name(s) of the people leading these services is provided – feel free to contact them with any questions or comments about the tools.

In some of the blog posts I will post multiple tools since some of the companies with whom we partner are sharing multiple tools. Many of these web based subscriptions will allow for 24/7 – school/home access! The possibilities are endless for our learning as we truly become a COMMUNITY of learners.

The content/subscription descriptions come directly from the company websites; and/or are heavily influencing the descriptions listed – website links to the source are listed in each section and sub-section.

(Kristen Paul and Chelsea Gray) Edmentum: Study Island:

This is a Standards mastery and test preparation program built specifically from state and Common Core standards for use with students in grades 3-8. Study Island includes Interactive lessons and activities that reinforce and reward learning achievement. Real-time progress monitoring that identifies student strengths and weaknesses. Study Island is ideal for self-paced, individualized learning or teacher-led, whole-class instruction. Teachers can easily guide students through the program, communicate expectations, and create class assignments. Students can work through questions using a standard test format, an interactive game format, printable worksheets, or a classroom response system.

http://www.studyisland.com/

(Svetlana Sutic) Edmentum: Reading Eggs/Reading Eggspress:

Reading Eggs is a comprehensive, online supplemental literacy programs for pre-K through 2nd grade readers. Grounded in extensive educational research, the programs build on and reinforce the five pillars of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The Reading Eggs lessons provide plenty of practice in developing key reading skills and the interactive activities can be repeated as often as needed. Teachers can easily access resources like teaching notes, student worksheets, spelling worksheets, grammar demos, and big books for interactive whiteboards. The bright graphics and repetition work well with a wide range of students, and the songs and fun activities make Reading Eggs a rewarding activity, where students experience success as they learn to read.

Reading Eggspress builds on students’’ love of reading and develops reading comprehension skills for 2nd through 6th grade students. Reading Eggspress motivates and engages students with a wide range of learning resources, lessons, motivational games, e-books, and rewards. Students can take a diagnostic placement test to ensure they are working at a level that matches their reading ability, or teachers can move students to an appropriate level.

http://readingeggs.com/

(Rachel Aspinall) Edmentum: PLATO World Language Courses:

Help your students become proficient and fluent in the language of their choice, preparing them for professional success and personal fulfillment. Plato Courseware’s World Languages library features 14 semesters of highly interactive, graphically rich mobile-friendly language curriculum to prepare your students for success in the 21st Century World. Reinforce language learning with game-based practice, available on our World Language Mobile apps. These supplemental activities improve your students’ listening and reading, helping them associate the content in meaningful ways, and incorporate vocabulary and other language structures.

http://www.edmentum.com/products-services/plato-courseware