The JUA was a big success this year. Lots of questions, reflections, research and intellectual challenges.
Here is the slide show I played at School Meeting today. Due to the video quality restrictions on YouTube the email sequence in the beginning isn't very easy to read so here is what it says:
"Hi Dan! I wanted to drop you a line and let you know how the JUA went this year. The JUA doesn't mean the same thing to everyone.
That's okay, it doesn't have to.
Some folks don't really get it.
Some folks CRAZY get it.
Some folks (probably most folks) are someplace in the middle.
But here's what I know for sure: This year I saw folks who's minds were expanded. Who were inspired and overwhelmed. Who learned something new and had their beliefs challenged. Who thought, reflected, researched and reached.
So did we study (real)issues from (many)perspectives using (new)tools? Yes. We did that.
But even though the JUA is over . . . . for some of us . . . . we can't let it go.
Now let me see if I can do that experience justice in a slide show.
Mar 13, 2009
Celebration Time!
JUA Product Selected as 'Featured Content'
I use a slide show hosting site called SlideShare to host all of the presentations that students made for their final projects. I just received the following message from the editorial team at SlideShare:
Nice work to the Redefining Fashion group - your work has been selected as feature content!
To find out more about the Redefining Fashion group visit their blog or see their presentation being featured over at the SlideShare Fashion and Beauty page.
Mar 11, 2009
Reflections
There is a tremendous amount of activity going on right now, mostly reflection, commenting and posting.
A couple of quotes stand out:
- "I learned something very valuable from this man, that you can't judge whether a person is eco-friendly or not by looking at them."
- "I liked the survey because it kind of took me out of my comfort zone and made me do something that I wouldn't normally do outside of my JUA experience."
- "The excitement to do community service is what the Boston Bruins are about. Not only do they participate in it but they love doing it. Bob Sweeny stopped by to tell us about the community service work he did. He told us that no matter what he did, he enjoyed it. It was a life changing experience!"
Mar 10, 2009
What's Next?
Here is the plan for Wednesday:
Wednesday Morning
- All students and faculty in class as normal
- Everyone meet in small groups from 1-4pm. Group leaders please let your group know where you will be meeting before we leave Boston
- Students review assessment rubric and expectations
- Students complete and return program feedback forms
- Finish any blogging that still needs to happen
- Work on final project
- Final project is due emailed to Mr. Mundahl by 4:00pm Wednesday afternoon.
- Staff meeting 4:00pm in the Master Classroom
All final projects that meet the minimum posting expectations will be published on your group blogs.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please let me know!
Updates
Groups are done blogging for the morning and are now heading out again for lunch and afternoon learning blocks.
- Great recap on the Athletics & Service blog about their discussion with the Outreach Coordinator for the New England Patriots
- Thoughtful reflection on the Discovering Justice Web site regarding their visit yesterday to the Nashua Street Jail
- Redefining Fashion did a hands on activity yesterday on the differences between different brands - read about it and see the slide show over on their blog
Teachable Moments
We plan and prepare for the JUA for months. Our leaders arrange meaningful meetings, interviews and experiences for our students. Then when we get to Boston we prepare and debrief each experience carefully including blog posts and other reflections.
And then sometimes an experience is waiting for us right outside the hotel and we have to stop everything and have a teachable moment.
That happened to the Power of Music group this morning when they came back from breakfast. It turns out there are union protesters outside the hotel picketing because non-union labor was used in the renovations that are going on here.
As we speak the group is interviewing the picketers and getting a quick intro to union politics and history. Later I think they are planning to create their own music from their experience.
Sometimes we plan and prepare, but other times the most powerful learning experiences are literally waiting for us outside our own door.
Power of Music
Ms. Finer was all set to go out with the Power of Music group this year. She had designed an incredible program for this crew and arranged meetings with several people here in Boston. Just days before the trip she broke her ankle and was unable to come down with us to Boston.
She has been an avid contributor to the groups through our online tools, however and tweeted last night to wonder how the PoM group was doing.
Ms. Shepp (who stepped in to guide the group after Ms. Finer was on the injured list) reports a big day yesterday. The group visited the Berklee College of Music where they spoke with an Assistant Professor to discuss lyric writing and the power of words and metaphors in language. After hearing about the theory side they traveled to the headquarters of WUMB a folk radio station hosted on the campus of UMass Boston.
There they learned about the power music has in the real world from a political and financial point of view. The conversation also discussed how rap music is today's 'folk' music of protest.
Not done yet, the group played at an open mic and had dinner.
Read more about their travels, adventures and reflections over at their group blog I think they are due to update it this morning.
So to answer Ms. Finer's original question I'd have to say, "pretty darn good."
Mar 9, 2009
First Day in Review
Posts are rolling in as groups return to the hotel, rest up, and reflect on their experiences from the day.
- Check out the Immigration blog to watch their sweet day 1 Vlog
- Going Green has a post about their visit to a green hotel and conference center
- Powerful Images has an interesting post with links to information about censorship and media bias
Learning Blocks Begin
Well - we made it down, despite the bad weather and delayed start!
Right now groups are doing a couple of things. Most of the groups are out on learning blocks. I just touched base with Ms. McEvoy's Athletics & Service group who is doing a teaching block in the conference room as they prepare for their person on the street interviews.
Ms. Frame's Discovering Justice group just got back from the Nashua Street Prison where they had a very enlightening look at one side of the criminal justice system.
I'll keep you posted as more groups roll in.
Mar 8, 2009
Weather Update
Update Monday Morning: The National Weather Service has upgraded the Hazardous Weather Outlook to a Weather Advisory. We will have a 1-hour delay. Please meet in the Dining Hall at 8:00am and check in with your group.
The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for tomorrow morning predicting about an inch of snow and some rain with temperatures above freezing in Boston.
At this time a Weather Advisory has not been issued.
Although the roads will be a little slick, the temperatures look to be above freezing so we proceed as planned.
If a Weather Advisory is issued I will update you on our plan possibly including a one hour delay in departure. At the current time that is not the plan, but I will keep you posted.
Mar 7, 2009
Pre Trip Engagement Statistics
Sometimes it is hard to judge the level of engagement with a big experiential education program like the Junior Urban Adventure. I know that each of the teachers and senior leaders is anxious and excited at the moment and I've had many students approach me directly to tell me how excited they are.
(click the map to see it full size, countries in green have visited our blogs)But I was asking myself, is it possible to quantify just how engaged our students, teachers and senior leaders are with the program at the moment? It turns out we can - and I can say I'm pretty darn impressed. Here then are some pre-trip engagement stats.
- 44 - The number of comments our students have left on posts on their group blogs
- 335 - The number of visits the JUA Portal (the site you are reading now) has seen since the JUA started heating up
- 11 - The number of countries we are drawing visits from. Our friends, family, colleagues and other educators and students from around the world are paying attention to what you are about to do.
- 1300 - The number of times group blogs have been visited
- 12 - The average number of minutes our visitors from the Philippines spend checking out our blogs
Mar 6, 2009
Pre Departure Logistics
First check out the slide show above - it's the same one I gave in School Meeting today.
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers:
- What should I bring? Click here to view the packing list.
- What is the standards of dress? Click here to read about Business Casual.
- What group am I in? Click here to view the final group list.
- Where we are staying? We are in a very nice hotel in Cambridge. For the purposes of Internet safety we're not publishing the exact location of our lodgings here. If you want to find out more please let me know!
- How will I be graded? The JUA is graded Pass / Pass with honors / Fail and appears on your report card. Click here to find out more.
- What kind of safety and supervision policies are in place for the trip? Click here to see our safety policies.
- Who will my roommate be? How many roommates will I have? There are four people to a room with two queen size beds. You will be with three other people from your group in single gender rooms. You may not visit the room or floor of the opposite gender.
- I don't see my question here, what should I do? Click here to read the FAQ or give Mr. Mundahl a call (603) 677-3546.
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