I have learned so much from my Kenan Fellowship Program this summer! With each session at our Professional Advancement Institutes I have learned about so many amazing tools and apps that I can apply in my classroom. I have become inspired not only by the professional development training but by the amazing teachers that make up our KFP 2014-2015 cohort. I believe this entire summer has been filled with “AHA!!” moments….each day that I learn something new is like a mini “AHA” moment. There is one “AHA” that does stand out in the crowd- a eureka if you will. When are the greatest eureka moments for you? Is it not when the problem before you is more challenging? One of my greatest challenges, and I’m sure the same goes for many of my fellow Kenans, was figuring out how to transform what I was learning at my externship site into an engaging curriculum! Following our time at NCCAT where we had an opportunity to discuss the curriculum in more detail with each other and the Kenan staff, I learned a very valuable lesson: Think BIG…don’t confine yourself, be willing to go beyond the norm, and know that a great lesson can only evolve from extensive review, and oftentimes failure.

With these ideas and a renewed sense of purpose, I spent days mulling over ideas, making random notes, and brainstorming. One of the best times for me to think, is when I am running or exercising…anything to take your mind off of the pain right?!? It was the Thursday following NCCAT and I was running along the bush-hogged path that goes around our land in Eagle Springs. It was then that I began to think…Why not go all the way! Can I really take the manufacturing processes into the classroom? Why not make a series of lessons that allow students to explore the manufacturing process first hand in a mini-production setting? No, we don’t have big machines and production lines, but we could design our own production process, use the materials available, figure out how best to make a product in the shortest amount of time without having excessive waste. We could have our own Quality Assurance Lab were we test our products, and a we could even determine how to manipulate the formula in order for the proper standards to be reached. Why not? Isn’t the best way to learn about a career through an internship experience? What if I bring the internship into the classroom? “AHA!!!!”

I hope that my AHA moment yields a successful curriculum, but regardless, I have learned so much! If my plan of action isn’t completely successful I truly believe that I will learn enough from the “failures” to rework it and make it work. BUT…yes I’m starting a sentence with but…I feel very excited and confident about about my lessons and I cannot wait to see how it goes!!

My greatest challenge has been narrowing my scope!! As I have already stated in my prior blog, there are so many aspects that I want to incorporate into my classroom- and I’m struggling to decide what to make into a full lesson and what to incorporate or embed into a lesson that I already have. After much contemplation and consideration, I have decided that I want to write a series of lessons that mimic the process that is completed at a food manufacturing company like Wright Foods. My lessons will progress students throughout some of the various key aspects of manufacturing: collaborating with the customer to determine production goals, develop product formulation, conduct quality assurance testing, packaging and label design, and cost analysis. I currently have it organized where the previous list will be completed within a four lesson series (each lesson is multiple days). Students will have the opportunity to conduct their own research, apply mathematics and science skills and knowledge, develop their graphic design skills, finance skills, etc!! I also want students to develop a stronger understanding of how food is processed- not only present day, but the evolutionary progression. I plan to write a lesson that will be two-fold. First, students will research the history of food processing, packaging, and storing. This will provide students with the background necessary to better understand why food is processed and packaged the way it is today (understanding why there are several different ways in which to do this depending upon several factors), and to have a heightened appreciation for the state-of-the-art technological process that is used today in a manufacturing plant such as Wright Foods. Students will collaborate together to document the evolution of food processing and packaging via a timeline. Secondly, students will dig deeper into the science behind Aseptic and Hot-Fill processing and packaging by writing a literature review! This will be a wonderful opportunity for students to learn how to 1) efficiently and effectively read scientific papers 2)how to use correct internal citations and how to properly write a work cited page 3) how to organize references, information, and data 4) how to properly write a scientific literature review.

My greatest challenge remains ensuring that I provide enough details and instructions for any teacher to pick the lesson up, and go! With that being said, I am really looking forward to going to our July Professional Advancement Institute II in order to speak with others, collaborate, and receive feedback on what I have done thus far. I am also looking forward to bouncing ideas around with others and spring boarding off of others ideas!

This has been such an amazing experience!!! I am extremely excited about taking what I have been learning and experiencing during my summer externship and incorporating it into my classroom! My greatest challenge thus far has been deciding where I want to start, and narrowing my scope to focus on one particular aspect at a time. Wright Foods is such a unique manufacturing company not only because of its unique state-of-the-art technology and energy-efficient/green packaging, but also because products are made as a collaboration between customer and the Research and Design Team (consisting of cooks, food scientist, and Product Innovation Specialists).

It is my goal to take my authentic experiences at Wright Foods to create and “mimic” these authentic experiences within my classroom. I hope to develop a curriculum that follows the path of manufacturing at a food production plant like Wright Foods, while also focusing on as many of the logistical aspects of the company in terms of cost analysis, efficiency, safety trainings, and etc. I believe that in order for students to see manufacturing as a future career location/path, they need to be aware of all of the different careers available within the plant, the education backgrounds, and necessary skill sets required to be a valid and able candidate. Within Wright Foods, these are some of the majors amount the Management Team: Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Food Science, Computer Science, Finance, Biology, Professional Studies, Human Resources, Business, and Marketing. This is a vast scope of undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees!!! Through my curriculum, I hope that students can become more aware of these degrees, and what career paths that could be available.

I also want to incorporate some standard discussions within my class that can be directly related back to my summer experience. For example, when students become less conscious during lab experiments with their safety and their documentation, I can provide specific examples where safety is applied and discussed constantly at Wright Foods and where proper documentation can affect hundreds of thousands in profits or losses. As expected, there is also a lot of simple science and math involved in the every-day production process: from determining what the rate of product flow will be based upon the proper sterilization temperatures and pressures within the pipes, to calculating density, properly using a scale, quickly calculated how much product should be produced in pounds, converting that weight to grams, determining how many cartons per case, and thus how many cartons are within a pallet of 150 cases. The list is practically endless and I plan to provide as much real-life application from the field into my classroom as I possibly can!

Finally, I am excited about the continued relationship with Wright Foods throughout the school year! We are currently discussing the possibility of setting up field trips for my students to come and tour the plant!! I am hoping to make this part of the Manufacturing Curriculum Finale so that students can take their “mini manufacturing” experiences from class and see them on a full scale!!

Continue reading The Challenge with Technology →

Where to begin?!?!??! This was one of the most amazing and inspiring experiences I have ever had as an educator!  If we could surround ourselves with motivating and encouraging people like this all the time, I truly believe that we could do ANYTHING!   As a way to continue that feeling of support and positive thinking, I now officially have a twitter account.  I am a fan of social media, but I have never used it as a platform- and I am hoping to evolve into a new type social butterfly with my twitter account.

I don’t believe it is possible for me to to select only one moment or one instructional tool to define as the highlight of my week at NCCAT.  I believe that my overall feeling- a culmination of excitement, renewed vigor, and feeling that anything is possible is my “highlight” and a light that I hope continues to shine throughout this fellowship and the years to come.  If were were to begin getting technical with this question, I believe that the highlight of my week physically would be when I jumped into the Nantahala River off of the raft bridge…..the technological tool highlight of my week would have to be Kahoot and the other tools that allow for immediate feed back from students using computers, tablet, and phones….the educational practice highlight of my week would be learning about Flipping the Classroom and how I can make this possible even with limited technology and internet access in my students’ homes.

I am very grateful for the NCCAT experience and I look forward to the next step in my Kenan Journey!

What do I hope to gain from the Kenan Fellowship program experience?  Good question.  I want to go ahead and document my thoughts tonight because I am pretty sure that my expectations will evolve with every day beginning with tomorrow’s events.  I use to be someone that could quickly verbalize what I expected out of any situation…what I wanted, how I wanted to do it, and when it was going to happen.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to learn that I don’t always know what I want, and I’m definitely not always sure of how to get there….where ever “there” is!  As I learn more, my thoughts shift, my ideas transform, and my mold become complete reformed if not thrown away completely.  So when I am asked what I expect to gain form this experience I answer with extreme reservation.  I think I know what I hope to gain, but I also anticipate the evolution of those hopes and I look forward to seeing where this unforeseen path will in fact take me!

For now, a brief outline of some hopes and expectations:

1. I will gain a heightened level  of professional development that I will be able to directly apply to my personal teaching style and to my classroom.
2. I will get to experience an amazing externship that truly bridges a gap between my own theoretical knowledge of science and the applicable settings that are all around me!–In this case, all of the science and technology that is incorporated into Wright Foods, a food sterilization and packaging plant.
3. I will be able to take what I have seen, engaged with, and learned about in the externship and incorporate it into my day-to-day discussion with my students.
4. I will be able to write an effective curriculum that will promote student engagement and excitement, and that this will potentially encourage them to pursue jobs in science/manufacturing.
5. I will be provided with support and encouragement from multiple people and programs that I need to complete this program effectively and beyond.  Support from: Kenan Faculty/Staff, Kenan Peers, School and District Administration, etc.
6. Something small, ok not small but a bonus maybe: I expect this program to help me learn to not necessarily reflect (I feel that I do that) but to better express my reflection….I have never been a person to journal or blog… I think that this blog experience alone will be a way for me to see a side of myself in a new light. It will be a time for me to really see what I find to be very important…to potentially pull out things about myself and my ideas of teaching that are on a more subconscious level.

I look forward to seeing what happens…what expectations and hopes are met and what occurs that I haven’t even thought of yet, even though it may end up being a very large part of my Kenan experience. Here’s to the future!

This is my last week of school with students!  We have been busy testing for the last five school days and it will continue through Thursday.  I am very excited to begin my internship next week at Wright Foods!  My mentor has been very supportive- and I am encouraged about what this summer will bring.  Our first meeting got the logistics nailed down and we were able to move beyond that and discuss what I expected to gain from the experience, what Wright Foods could provide for me, and how I was going to see all the avenues and careers paths that are available in a factory setting.  I am looking forward to beginning my first week in the “field” and figure out how best to utilize the tablet in documenting the days, events, and activities.

Hello Fellows! I am a high school science teacher with a passion for Chemistry and a love for NC State (which is quite apparent considering I have three degrees– all from State!! ) As a first year teacher, I have a lot of theory under my belt, but not a lot of real world application! I am looking forward to advancing my level of application through the externship and professional develop experiences; but I am also highly anticipating the knowledge that I will gain from all of your personal experiences in the classroom!