Week 3 Reflection

     From missing 2 Honors Chemistry classes last week and one this week, I felt somewhat discouraged and confused.  This confusion let me realize the value of all the technological connections we have in this class.  I didn't feel like I knew anything about density or the labs we were doing, but before our first assessment I was able to find notes right from the iPad used in class on Google drive and was able to catch up on tweets because of the ChemT3am hashtag.  I caught up in enough time to be sufficiently prepared for our first assessment.  
      This week we finally had a chance to discuss the grading scale that will be used in this class.  I love the idea of being graded on our understanding rather than a few assignments or quizzes that we may or may not have understood.  I understand that we will be rated on assessments rather than graded.  I am also happy to learn that assessments will be no more than 10 or 11 questions.  In other classes an overwhelming amount of questions throws off a grade but for these exams we will be judged on a concise understanding  check which is much easier to comprehend and complete.  I am also happy to know that I can reassess a standard if I would like.  I'm that person who lets nerves get the best of them on exams or when asked a question on the spot.  It is encouraging to hear that that is not my only chance to get a good grade but if I feel I preformed badly and can fix it, I have that opportunity.  Overall this week has taught me a lot about the working of Honors Chem which will help me get through a tough Junior year to come. 

Week 2 Reflection

This week in honors chemistry 7th hour we have really laid the basis for the rest of our year. We used measurements to find relationships between volume and mass. We carried out these ideas by presenting on whiteboards. Whiteboard activities are proving to be some of my favorite because I believe they are one of the most efficient ways to present and discuss this type of information. We are getting exposed to everyone's results, showing us where our results agree and where we could have gone wrong. This has been really helpful to start the first steps to chemistry and made me more confident in experimenting and finding results. This week has also helped me to figure out some things about chemistry that I never really thought about, such as particles or what is truly happening on the lowest level and really given me insight on these ideas.

Week One Reflection

     So far in Chemistry I have seen a new side of learning.   The teaching style in this class is seeming more like assisting or helping instead of ordering and instructing.  The activities have been thought provoking and interesting instead of the usual class instruction made to teach a certain topic.  This style has helped to give students an open mind and take a new approach to challenges and learning.  We've been taught that there may not be one right answer, but when you come to a consensus we can all be correct in some form.  There are steps to learning or grasping a concept but they all start with an open mind.  Learning and teaching take on a whole new meaning in this class.
     I have also started to discover the positive side of social media.  Instead of discouraging the use of social networking and electronics, we have learned the importance of all being connected with each other and with our world.  Social media like blogs and twitter have already benefited our learning experience in just one week of school.  We can all learn from not only the help of the teacher but from each other and thanks to the media we are being encouraged to take advantage of, we can do so freely and effectively. 
     We have also learned the importance of taking on whatever we are thrown.  The phrase "Challenge Accepted" is one we are all prompted to say whenever something is asked of us.  Even if something seems to difficult we should take the challenge and do what we can to make the best of it.  So far this class has been opening my eyes to a new kind of learning and bringing back my faith in school and teachers.  I feel that this year I will be able to effectively learn at my own pace and really understand instead of learning just for the sake of a test. Overall, this is a whole different genre of learning and teaching and we're in for an eye opening year.