Facilitating Learning/Debunking Myths on Immigration

So this week in class we talked about facilitating learning and what facilitation meant to us. I thought of facilitation as helping others to achieve learning in new or necessarily different environments. We also went over how each of us had different ways of learning and understanding different aspects of knowledge. My strong point was the visual/spatial method that included the ability to create mental pictures and comprehend different images. When considering this, I realized I had a very active imagination and I have been applying that to everyday situations. I like to visualize what I am really learning and paint a picture in my head to really get a handle on things. I am more of a hands on person so experiencing things first hand
is the most crucial way for me to learn an attain ideas.

For most of this blog I wanted to talk about the diversity even I attended on March 22 about debunking some of the myths about immigration. Before attending this event, I realized how very stereotypical I am about immigration believing the myths that are out there. One myth was based around how illegal immigrants really don't want to be citizens of this country and are just here for the jobs. In actuality they would love to become legal citizens of our country but the process that they must go through is an incredibly long, hard, and painstaking process. It is nearly impossible for them to become legal immigrants. Geof Fischer, who was leading this discussion gave an example of one man which took him nine years to finely legalize his papers along with thousands of dollars. Our culture is very opposed to immigration, people believe that immigrants take our jobs but in reality they are usually taking the jobs that pay very small amounts that no one else is willing to do. They are essentially stimulating the economy in some ways. Another myth that came about was that these immigrants bring more crime into our country. Once again in actuality, illegal immigrants have lower crime rates than that of native born citizens. The last thing illegal immigrants want around is police, they are more likely to stay in the shadows than gain attention toward themselves. You may watch on the news how near the border their are more decapitations and murder than ever but crime rates have actually dropped at the border. It's just the difference between more coverage now than their has been in the past.

Geof also gave us a number of students here in Iowa high schools that are illegal aliens. Could you guess that that number is somewhere between five thousand and eight thousand students attending school in the shadows. Some people see these children as assets for our country in the future. These children end up hitting a barrier once they grow up and are unable to expand their education beyond high school. Believe it or not their are some programs out their helping these students get into universities on visas to keep them in the country. These students can be an asset to the future of our country just as we are. These are just a few myths and facts about immigration today in our country. I could go on for a much longer time but it would never end.

To conclude my blog their are around twelve million illegal or undocumented immigrants living in this country to date. These people live in the shadows of our everyday lives trying to make a living for their family and themselves. It's interesting how one single document can define the life you live.

Communicating Effectively

This week in class we discussed communicating effectively. I think Brandon and Chelsee did a great job leading the class. I thought the activity that they had chosen was very good. It was interesting to see how components changed as each person had their own perspective at looking at things. We each perceive some things a little bit more different than others. We all have our own point of view so it is important to understand the way one person communicates with others.
My favorite way to communicate is usually with smaller groups. When I'm interacting with large groups, it seems a little bit harder for me to focus and listen well. I become a lot more engaged in a discussion if it is with a smaller group because I feel as if people will listen more to what I have to say. I just feel like I am more of an active listener when in a smaller class per say than in a lecture hall. Since being a freshman here at Iowa State, I know I have increased my communication skills. From meeting new people and friends to discussing some topics in class, I have been able to become a better speaker and listener than I was in high school. Being a student at college basically requires one to become a more effective communicator.
I communicate with different people in many different ways. When I'm around my friends or family I feel very relaxed and calm. I can talk about anything and seem to listen very well and pay attention usually because it seems more important to me. When I'm in class or with a professor, it usually depends on the professor. In some of my classes, I feel like the professor is trying hard to get our attention and keep us focused by keeping us engaged in the class, but for other professors it seems like they don't even try. The most effective way for communication with me and with other people is usually face to face. Depending on the person, I can be very good at communicating. If I feel that person doesn't seem interested, I honestly probably won't even try to actively pursue a conversation if that person isn't even remotely interested.
I was pretty apprehensive about using Twitter. I thought it might be a waste of time for me but after a while I now realize that it can be a very important way of staying in touch with others and communicating with other students and friends. I think it's a very friendly way of saying whats on our minds. We could use Twitter with our students as a way of becoming closer as a mentor and student. It is a useful way to get used to some of this new technology in our society. One way I think we could get them excited about Twitter is just to let them see how much we use Twitter and how much we enjoy it. If they see how much we enjoy it, it might rub off on them. To keep tabs on my students and communication between us, I plan to use email, texts, and facebook. If that doesn't work, I might have to use some drastic measures. Have an awesome spring break everybody.

Developing Cultural Sensitivity

This week in class we discussed the topic of cultural sensitivity. It was Jenna and Cory's turn to lead the class this week and I think they both did an exceptional job. The question at the beginning of the class asked about what strategies we use to show sensitivity toward culturally diverse people. One main strategy of mine was to show respect. Showing respect can have a great influence on someone the first instant you meet that person. Treat someone the way you would like to be treated. As a person I always try to put myself in that person's footsteps and try to see where they have come from and who they really are. I make sure not to judge someone without really knowing who they are first. As my mom once told me as a little kid, never judge a book by it's cover. Being judgmental can prevent you from learning more about someone without giving that person a chance. I always have an open mind and are always ready to learn more about someone. The activity that we participated in during class was very interactive. It really had me thinking about my personal perspective towards some differences along with some of the other student's perspectives about a particular difference.
That activity that we partook in after Cory and Jenna were finished involved our personal dimensions. Their was more than one dimension that I thought was very important to me. The first dimension involved being a student. In my family, my brother and I were the first to attend an actual college. I was not only proud of that but in my time here I have recieved numerous scholarships through academics that I am also extremely proud of. One other dimension that I am really proud of was being a country boy. Living on a farm my whole life has really given me not only a hard work ethic but to have fun at the same time. Working on a farm with all my three brothers and parents is really fun. We joke around and still get the job done. The relationship we develop as a family only gets better.
I shared many of the same dimensions in the class with other students including that fact that some of us have come from a more rural background that were very proud of. Everyone in the class had their own answers that somewhat centered around the fact that we really respect where we have come from and what it has done to us as a person. In the future, I plan to think about other cultures and the amount of diversity that is out there in the world today. Coming from a small town in northeast Iowa I didn't see much diversity as Cory said in class. When you move to a larger school it really hits you to see how different things really are. I realize now in the past years here at school that their are many differnces in the world and not everyone is the same. I have respected these differences more than ever and will continue to do so.