Week 2 Feedback & Week 4

I have archived the individual GooClasses (IBA1, IBA2, IBA4 & IBA5), so EVERYTHING will run through the single GooClass for everyone from now on!

Lectures. That Euro lecture is the ONLY "long & boring" one in my repertoire. I usually do it early when we have everyone's "new" energy & I split it across 2 days - no longer possible, due to DL (sorry). If you look at the Q1 Plan, I decided to shift (mostly) EVERYTHING into "seminars" for the Block days, with W set aside for formal assessment or lecture. But, trust me - my lectures tend to be more engaging and lively than the Renaissance one (which set the stage for European exploration, really). I can always fall back and share some more Aztec culture with everyone - maybe even sample it with someone who may become REALLY annoying. Ask the ToKers - they suffered through a 4-day lecture on Reason & I believe it went well (based on some feedback).

WILs are UP TO YOU! Let your style flow. But, you MUST address questions 3-5 in some way. I have you open with 1 & 2 as a therapeutic venting opportunity (along with 5) while you actually "reflect" upon the past week. The purpose of the WIL is to have you move the week's info from short/medium-term memory into medium/long-term memory. They also let me know what else is going on in WHS, your lives, and what seems to be working (or needs tweaking). These should be deep & thoughtful - not just copypasta from others or mundane gibberish to fill some sort of word count (that does NOT exist, by the way). You can also look forward to some leeway on due dates - but NOT ALWAYS! While "due" Fridays/Mondays, I tend to not read them until Tues. But, again, don't push your luck ... especially when soccer season ends (then until softball begins).

Readings will become more difficult. If you found Zinn, Skidmore, Crosby or Sale difficult, you may find the primary sources even more difficult. We'll read letters, diary entries, speeches, and more. You'll have to analyze and connect them to one another and other information from videos, basic textbook snippets, and even a brief Romo lecture/diatribe. But stick with it. You'll learn together - bounce off ideas, questions, quips, etc. with one another. Nobody knows EVERYTHING (well, none of YOU do, at least - I DO know everything, yet choose to feign ignorance of many things so as to appear as a lowly basic being so as to make you feel more comfortable in my presence). If you do NOT know, ASK - someone else also probably has the same gap. Nothing more to write than that. 

Seminars. I know a large class can be difficult (believe me, I KNOW!) - especially IBA2. If/when GMeet allows for breakout rooms, we'll definitely give them a GO. Zoom is fantastic, as we know, but I know it is NOT secure. I do not want some 4chan mongrels hacking and dropping QAnon, porn, or other crappy stuff onto our screens. We may do what I did Q4 - set up mini-seminars with smaller groups over shorter class periods. With this Block schedule, I think we can make it work, but it gets exhausting and repetitive for me (hey - you're honest with me in your WILs, so I'm honest with you on my blog). We'll figure out what works best as time goes by.

Notes. These should also be FOR YOU! At this point, I hope you have something about the lessons from the Renaissance, as well as some core principles held by Kohn, Zinn & Skidmore somewhere in your journal. You should also be aware of what von Daniken, Crosby & Sale present. Definitely keep track of their respective biases. Oh, and Aztec religion ... can't forget that, can you? Basically, you should always have some summary of what you read or did (for) each day. For most Pre-Seminar GForms, I'll ask for some sort of summary, so you can simply copy&paste to/from that entry and your journal. Know that I will SHARE EVERYTHING with you. Slides, summaries, notes, even my annotations (if I can find them) will be posted AFTER the respective seminar (hey, I gotta keep some secrets for any reveal!). 

Work Time is HOMEWORK. There is no "independent work time" that is assigned during the 2hr block. I give you a break if we are going to exceed 60ish mins, but I do not require an "exit ticket" during the final 5 mins - so I think giving you your homework to complete BEFORE we meet, then letting you go a bit early is reasonable. 

Tech problems prove that ... Poo Happens! That old "dog ate my homework" has a much easier (if not more bogus) excuse nowadays, doesn't it? Just don't expect to use the excuse too often. If you have a problem, FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX/PREVENT IT! Ask the MPS IT gurus for help - that is their job! Wifi can go bye-bye and play hokey pokey at important times. That climactic scene is ramping up and the Netflix connection has an error and gets stuck at 99% - AARRGGHH! Just deal with it as best you can. Install your updates, restart Chrome, restart the whole machine, offer something to the internet gods ... just try to figure out the problem and fix it. 

Late Work is NOT ACCEPTED. I have provided the Q1 Plan on this blog so you can read ahead (if you want/have the time), and I will post assignments on GooCLass at least 1 week (maybe even 2) ahead of the due date. WILs are not officially posted until Weds PM/eve, but you KNOW what that regular assignment requires. You are given extra days already. There is no way to code things differently within GooClass, but WILs are DUE Friday Eve, but I accept them through Monday & read them on Mon-Tues. Seminar Pre-Work is exactly that and I generally read your submissions the afternoon/evening before we meet. You cannot submit them at 1AM on the day we meet, even worse if you try to sneak it in just before or even after we have started class. I use your Pre-Work comments to frame some of the discussion.

Emails are becoming a problem. The sheer number and frequency - often from the same people - is becoming ridiculous. Most of the questions are easily answered by (re)reading the directions, text/calling a friend, or simply checking the Daily Agenda (even this blog). While I always welcome your queries, I do not have the time/energy/patience to respond to the same people seemingly always asking similar questions. Frankly, it shows a lack of respect. This whole DL thing is taking  A LOT of time - MUCH more than the beforetimes. I post/publish EVERYTHING and try to be as thorough as possible. 

Lastly, I know some of you may be struggling not only with DL, but with me & my style. That Kohn paradigm is a doozy. But you need to become more self-sufficient and find value for new/unknown (even icky!) things from within yourself. You shouldn't learn in order to get a grade, impress me, check a box, or please someone else. It should be for YOU! You'll not only appreciate yourself, but you'll also actually learn, remember, and know MORE. My expectations are pretty simple, but you MUST follow directions and exhaust every possible "fix" before whining & claiming you did not know. Check the Daily Agenda, blog, peers, even within yourself. THEN pester me (email or text). Keep it short & I am much more likely to read it as the preview and send a quick reply. If you identified something that is the result of my error (rare, like a talking unicorn that poos actual chocolate fudge ice cream), I will admit my boo boo and correct the matter ASAP. Or I'll just deny it, go change the assignment/announcement/expectation and say you read it wrong. Either way, my humbleness or slyness helps me win. 😋

Toodles ...

Week 4 To-Do

1.  Read Pages 105-119 in the WHITE Booklet (Crosby, Sale, Woods, web) by Monday 9-28 for Seminar 1.4 Eden in America.

2.  Write & Submit WIL 1.3 by Monday 9-28.

3.  Read Pages 103-104 (WHITE) and pages 13-14 (GREEN) by Weds 9-30 for our look into slavery in LA. We'll spend A LOT.

4.  Watch Circular Flow Videos by Thurs 10-1.

5.  Prepare for Exam 1.1 on Weds 10-7

    (Do NOT spend a lot of time reviewing things - especially if you've already read them)

a. Adams (Prehistoric Mesoamerica)

b. Skidmore (Why Latin America)

c. Zinn

d. Crosby (Conquistador y Pestilencia)

e. Aztecs (Lecture)

f.  Renaissance & Reformation (Lecture)