Journaling

I hope you are all well today, and I appreciate the questions you asked in the comments, and I will get to those, but first I’d like to go back to the textbook from your reading yesterday. On page 544, in the review, there is a “Life Skill” activity. 

It tells us to “Keep a calendar and a journal. It also tells us to “write in advance all the tests, reports, projects, and extracurricular activities that you have coming up for a month.” 

Then, it tells us to write in our journal how we feel each day, and asks us to see if there are any patterns.

Do you find it strange that this idea of journaling how we feel each day is in the section about our Immune System? If there really is a connection between our Immune System and upcoming tests, work, etc., then do you think it is it a good idea to journal? (Disclaimer: we are going to be journaling for this class)

Task: In the comments, please let me know your thoughts on journaling, since there are so many options for how it can be done. Video, speaking, writing on paper, writing on white boards and taking a picture, Google Docs, etc. Tell me what makes journaling easiest for you? 

As I think about journaling feelings, I remembered my wife shared with me a very recent podcast episode by Brene Brown, and I invite you to listen to it here. (Please let me know if you can’t access the link).

There is another MedCram update if you are interested in more specifics about the Immune System, this video addresses questions asked by Mana and Sarah from yesterday’s comments.

Oh, and I shared yesterday’s post with Dr. Preston, and he tweeted about it. You can see that here if you are interested.

Learning and the Immune System

I really enjoyed reading your reaction papers to Dr. Preston's TED Talk. One paragraph stood out to me:

"We can apply the basics of Prestons Ted Talk to our current situation: COVID-19. Like he said, if multiple people with their unique and original input all collaborate we can create spectacular work that could not have been achieved otherwise. To me it seems that the world is in such a state of shock that we have forgotten how to reach out and use our peers for help. The only thing that we have partially done in unison as a world is go into shelter and place. Although it is a very stressful time, we need to work as a group to help solve this coronavirus pandemic." K.M.

It’s making me wonder how we can pull together as a class during this time so we can collaborate to create something spectacular. I know that at least one of you creates YouTube videos. Some of you are trying to learn new languages. Some of the students in class are still getting up everyday and getting themselves ready like school is still going on, because it makes them feel as if they are at the top of their game, or at least close to it. Many people are feeling confused and frustrated with the switch to online learning.

It’s important to take a deep breath, step back from everything, and get centered, especially when we feel OVERWHELMED with information, expectations, noise, and worry. 

I’d like to devote some time to learning about the Immune System.

1. Please read pages 542-544 in the textbook, the link is in Google Classroom.
2.  Then watch this video from MedCram. As your assignment, I’d like you to develop 3 questions about the Immune Response that you could bring into a Socratic Seminar.

Please write your questions in the comment section below. I am developing HOW we will do the Socratic Seminar, through online methods, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Finally, if you’d like to see what Dr. Preston is up to with his students, you can see his class blog here.

What a Wonderful Moment for Learning

My friend David said "What a wonderful moment for learning" back in 2013. I think he has said it many times before and since. Learning continues to take place every day, sometimes it means locking in certain patterns and behaviors, which can be comforting, and sometimes it means breaking down things we thought before, and rebuilding from the wreckage, which can be stressful. Maybe it's the other way around. In any case, learning- (making new neural connections) can be stressful. Let's review what I've asked you do this week: First, I want you to think of the Life Balance Wheel. Here are a few examples:

Remember the purpose of ranking yourself was to get a "snapshot" self-assessment of your life at this time.

Next, I had you reimagine these parts of your life (the 6 Components of Health) into some other type of model. Here are a few examples:

Then I asked you to make a PSA. Here are a few examples:

Then, I had you take some screenshots of your computer to prove you bookmarked sites.

Next, I would like you to watch this TED Talk. A little history: the speaker, David, lives in Avila Beach. Right now, he teaches English at Santa Maria High School. He and I worked together a few years ago when I taught at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria. We have a connection, and we still learn from each other.

Ok, so, take a deep breath, invite your family members to come over and watch as well, and just listen to David's TED Talk.


After you watch the video, please refer back to the Google Classroom "Learning" Post.