2b Exploratorium

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points

2b Exploratorium

2. Contains the sources you used with links to these sources .25 points

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploratorium
-http://www.exploratorium.edu/
-http://family.go.com/travel/things-to-do/california/san-francisco/poi-282162-exploratorium/

3. Contains a brief paragraph how it connects to your study of humanities. 1 point

The Exploratorium is a very unique museum. If I needed to describe the Exploratorium in only a couple words, I would probably describe it as "hands on." It differs from most museums in the fact that it's extremely interactive. I believe that this museum is a very successful example of a teaching style that Freire advocated. Freire believed that students learn the most when they are "active learners" and aren't just having a bunch of information "pumped" into their minds. If there is anywhere where active learning is encouraged, it's the Exploratorium. I haven't been there since I was in elementary school, but I still remember much of the museum distinctly. If I had, on the other hand, simply gone to a normal museum, I probably wouldn't be able to recall what I had seen. The popularity of the Exploratorium proves what Freire asserted, that kids do well in a learning environment that is interactive and leaves room for creativity.

4. Contains the following "analytical elements":
a. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point





Unlike most museums, the Exploratorium is not a relatively quiet place full of contemplative, calm people. Instead, it is a loud, bustling building full of energetic kids along with their teachers and/or parents. Everywhere you look, there are interactive exhibits with people crowded around them, intrigued and smiling. Most kids find conventional museums "boring," but almost every child can find at least one interactive exhibit at the Exploratorium that interests them. When you look into these children's eyes, it's almost as if you can see their brains spinning; it's apparent that the things they're doing and seeing will stick with them for a long time.

b. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75

The Exploratorium is about creativity, interaction, and making learning fun. Creativity and interaction are apparent by simply looking around inside the museum, kids everywhere are participating in hands-on experiments and letting their minds imagine and explore. It's also evident that they're having fun, which can be seen in the smiles on their faces and their excitement when telling people about the museum and how much they learned.

c. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5

I chose the Exploratorium because I remember enjoying it so much as a child. To be honest, most museums don't excite me much. The way that most museums are set up, walking around looking at and reading things, simply doesn't hold my attention for very long. The Exploratorium is different though, it's fun, interesting and memorable, which is why I chose it.

d. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point

While it is clear that kids enjoy spending time at the Exploratorium, I'm curious whether they actually learn more here than they do at a conventional museum with hands-off exhibits. Are the things that they remember just fun times and enjoyable activities, or do they actually get a grasp of science concepts and important information?

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5

I chose to respond to Nicolette's post about Yosemite (http://ichbinfreiburger.blogspot.com/2008/09/2a-yosemite.html). I learned quite a few different things from Nicolette's post, but one of the things that I found interesting was that the word Yosemite is supposedly derived from the Miwok word "yohhe'meti" which means "they are killers," referring to the violent native tribe that inhabited the region. Although I've done a lot of camping and outdoor activities, I've never had the privilege of going to Yosemite. The closest I've been was when I rafted the Merced river which is a little beyond the outskirts of Yosemite. Nicolette's descriptive explanation of Yosemite only made me want to go there more. Yosemite does relate to the foundation of this class, as she explained in her post when she discussed Yosemite's history. This beautiful national park led to the creation of many more parks and as Nicolette said "the national park has been the backdrop of various political and cultural changes to taking place in California."

2a Sacramento Valley/Coloma

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points

2a Sacramento Valley/Coloma

2. Contains the sources you used with links to these sources .25 points

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento_Valley
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloma,_California
-http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=484

3. Contains a brief paragraph how it connects to your study of humanities. 1 point

I chose the Sacramento Valley because it is where I spent two months this summer. I worked at an outdoor adventure camp called Rock-N-Water, where I was trained to guide on whitewater rafting trips, creek hikes, backpacking trips, and rock-climbing trips. Sacramento Valley, and Rock-N-Water specifically, relate to my study of Humanities in a few different ways. First of all, RNW is found in the very small, yet important, city of Coloma, CA. The city has very few citizens, but it has a very rich and extensive history. Another way that this city relates to Humanities is because of the unique population that lives in it. Because the South Fork of the American River runs right through Coloma, most of its inhabitants are rafters, especially in the summertime. There is a unique atmosphere and community in Coloma that could even be described as a rafting "culture."

4. Contains the following "analytical elements":
a. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point

I chose the town of Coloma, California in the Sacramento Valley. Coloma is a very small town; it only takes a few minutes to drive from one side to the other. The two most significant aspects of Coloma are its history and the rafting. Coloma was the city where gold was first discovered in California by James W. Marshall. Near Coloma's downtown, you will find the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, which is a popular tourist and field trip spot. Coloma's downtown consists of about 20 buildings, many of them abandoned. There still are a few shops open though, like The Argonaut, a old-fashioned shop that sells candy, soda and homemade ice cream. Coloma would probably be mostly a ghost town if it wasn't for the seasonal influx of rafters. Besides downtown Coloma, the rest of the town is mostly occupied by several rafting companies, stores that sell rafting gear, a few places to buy professional rafting pictures and various places to eat. Anywhere that you go in Coloma in the summer, most of the people will probably be wearing boardshorts and many of the vehicles driving will have rafts or kayaks on their roofs.

b. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point

As I said in the previous question, Coloma is mainly about history and rafting. Almost every person that you find in Coloma is probably either there either because they are going rafting or there to visit the Historic Park where gold was first discovered in California.

c. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 point

I made the choice that I did because it has been about six weeks since I've been at Rock-N-Water in Coloma and I've been missing the camp and the community very much since then. When I think of Coloma it is bittersweet because I absolutely love it there, but it's a little sad that I probably won't be there again until next summer. Mostly though, thinking of Coloma brings up good feelings because I love rafting and have countless memories there.

d. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point

I know that Coloma was once a booming town and that the discovery of gold there was the main thing that sparked the exodus of so many people to the West. However, I'm curious to know how long the town of Coloma was a gold-mining hub and when the city was mostly abandoned.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I chose to respond to Rachael's blog entry (http://rachaelcourt.blogspot.com/2008/09/assignment-1-c.html). From her blog I learned that Freire became the minister of education in San Paulo and also taught at Cambridge and Harvard. Rachael originally learned this information from Chris' blog. The fact that he was the minister of education and taught at Universities in the US is not necesarrily something that is different than what I learned in my own experience researching him, it was just another interesting fact that I seemed to have missed. It seems like the more I learn about Freire, the bigger I see that his scope of influence was.

Assignment 1c

The first blog I read was Shannon's. From Shannon's first post I learned that she will be transferring at the end of this year. From her post about Paulo Freire I learned that one of the main reasons why Freire was so concerned about the lower class was because he grew up during the Great Depression. He didn't just know about poverty, he knew poverty itself. He experienced it firsthand. As Shannon pointed out, this experience led to his passion for literacy and education for people in the lower class. The second thing that I learned from Shannon's post was that Freire taught 300 sugarcane workers to read in just 45 days. Like Shannon, I also believe that this is an amazing accomplishment! One of the ways that this information may relate to our studies is to show that our past has a very significant influence over our lives. Events or experiences that take place in people's upbringing can, and often times do, impact decisions and passions much later in their lives.

The second blog I read was by Danielle. In her first post, Danielle mentioned that she lives 8.9 miles away from the main SRJC campus. In Danielle's second blog I, first of all, learned about Freire's book, titled Pedagogy of the Oppressed. She explained some of the concepts that the book went over, including how oppression has been justified and overcome and the banking approach to acquiring knowledge. She also mentioned that 750,000 copies of the book have been sold and that it was dedicated to the oppressed and those who fight by their side. The second thing that I saw in Danielle's post was her explanation about how Freire felt that action should be connected to values. He felt that people should gain knowledge so that they can go out and make a difference in the world. What she pointed out can apply to our study of humanities in the specific areas of oppression and values. I'm predicting that both of those things will come up frequently in our studies in the next few months.