Foreign Language Poster

Questions and Solutions

1. How do you find a consistent curriculum?
   One curriculum that goes from 1st to 5th grade. Consider examples of other programs like Rosetta Stone and Muzzy as a reference tool.
   
2. How can you learn accurate pronunciation?
   Provide enough situations within the curriculum for words about daily life occur. This causes them to make a connection and use what they have learned regularly.
   
3. How can you learn other aspects of the culture through the program (family, culture)?
   Establish at least 5+ topics (food, family values, etc) and find connections between cultures and blend into curriculum/games learned in the program.
   
4. How do you work through other school programs (art, etc)
   New technology such as touch screens+ will help facilitate this through hands-on games and projects that are shared by both sides.
   
5. When and how do the students practice?
   It isn't probable that the students will be able to practice outside of school (in some cases) although they may be able to share with they have learned with their peers that are also engaged in the program. Also, establishing a consistent schedule when using the program.
   
6. How do you become initially connected with the other classrooms?
   Online registry, social network for teachers interested in the program.
   
7. What kind of technology will we use?
   
   Touch-screens, ipad, websites (computers with internet connection), iphones, wacom tablet,

1. How do you decide the "players" among a classroom full of students (interests, strengths)?
   This could either be worked into the curriculum as a game or could be answered simply through the teacher/facilitator choosing and each of the students would be paired based on their already established language skills.
   
2. How does the design engage a young audience?
   Fresh, fun colors, creation of characters, easy navigation/interface, legibility, age-appropriate type and content.
   
3. How does the teacher facilitate the virtual experience?
   Provide guidance after the program or going through the program (at least for the first couple of times so that the student becomes comfortable with the situation). Also, there may be work that the students must complete after using the program in the classroom that the teacher would then grade. They provide the set-up and environment. This may require a special version for the teacher.
   
4. What types of activities are included in the program?
   Games, readings, equations, problems to solve, cooking, art, hygiene, family life.
   
5. How do these activities cross cultures?
   Incorporating things like the history, values, schedules, occupations, vocabulary, and geography.
   
6. How do they initially communicate?
   Begin through the online registry. Teachers introduce to the classroom before the students actually interact. First "meetings" will begin through name introductions and establishing a virtual "profile" which could later link the children as partners in the program.
   
7. What games might they play on the program?
   Matching games, math competitions, spelling bees, geography, vocabulary and pictionary-like games.
   
8. How do elementary schools become a part of this?
   First, they must establish a program and foreign language teacher and a connection with another country of the language they wish to learn. They would find this connection through the online registry and/or talking virtually with the teacher from that school.

New Name/ New objective

Simpatico Down prides itself on being: contemporary, chic, and comfortable. Our Audience will include the dynamic individual who values the comfort of their home. Creating a system of elements that will present itself as spacious, unified, and pleasant. We want to communicate to our audience that the feeling of contentment is valued. We will achieve this through selective: imagery, used of inspired colors, and language. Our goal is to make the impression of sophisticated collections for homes.

Here is a word box for me to keep in mind:

chic, comfort, contemporary, spacious, unified, pleasant, dynamic, sophistication, cognitive, variety, adopting, and contentment

Definitions:

Simpatico: italian, to mean pleasant of congenial

Chic: adopting the most current styles (usually referring to fashion)

Comfort: a condition or feeling of contentment

Spacious: having a large capacity or area

Unified: consolidated

Pleasant: having or agreeable manners, appearances, habits, etc

Poster Phase 1

This is poster phase 1! When putting this together, there was so much information and little details written and visually that I feel like we threw it all on. From what we learned in interviews visual audit, and the mood boards we developed a visual language that speaks to children in elementary school. Since we have all the information on the posters it is time to edit and organize the information better. One main part that I need to work on is taking some of the written language and making it more visual.

Review Ivanhoe concept

After talking with Chris today he brought up some really good points about my first proposal. With this type of project I'm still unsure about how I see the end result, however I am excited to find out. Before I got too caught up in the Door to Door Org. Although, it is a great system, it is probably not the most appropriate for the Ivanhoe community. My new objective (and this could always change) but to contact local farmers and see if I can gather an arrangement of fruits, veggies, poultry, perhaps even make goods for the people of Ivanhoe. Within this bag of goods I want the Ivanhoe people to get more excited about eating and cooking. I want to try and create a system that eventually will transition into the community is apart and selling their goods. As of right now there is about three different actions, and with luck, they will come together.

1. The first thing to do is make out a list of different "healthier" foods that one family should be able to support on for a week. Then head off to Sunfresh, Wild Oats, Trader Joe's to compare prices on the basics that a family might need to live by. How much can fit into one paper bag even.

2. Interview or talk to the people of Ivanhoe to figure, how much they usually spend at the grocery store. What types of foods do they wish were more accessible, and how long those groceries can last. I want to first talk with Dina because I feel like these are borderline personal questions and my intentions is not to offend anyone.

3. Do some prototyping, With an estimate of a weekly budget, I got from Dina or resident go back to the grocery store and see if it is possible. What food groups get dropped. This step might seem like I will already have the answers I need, but by experiencing this, it will help my research to find those types of farmers around the KC area.

I'm a little unsure if this is the correct direction to be going in. As much as this will be a great way to get groceries for the residents, it is still a design project. In what ways can I visually communicate with the residents of Ivanhoe.

Possible Ideas could be:

-how they initially hear about it

-how they order the bag of goods. pen/ paper. tear section out of the local newspaper

- what type of bag does it come in, recyclable, size,

- what comes in the bag other than foods, recipe cards, tools for gardening

- more to come

Ivanhoe first proposal

Ivanhoe Project Proposal

Concept: Promote Door to Door Organics to the Ivanhoe community, as well as finding a way for them to order the groceries.

Door to Door Organics is a system in which they delivery groceries to your doorstep with seasonal foods.
- You order a "box" that can range in size and price, from $27-57
- The box includes weekly fresh fruits and veggies, and local produce
- (Online) they have categories that you can also order, baked goods, condiments & sauces, breakfast & cereals, coffee & tea, soups & broths, spices, nut butters,
and sweets
- Week to every other week you can order food
- Plan out weekly meals
-Payment credit or debit cards (trying to see if they can use partially food stamps, work with the new bank)
- With your purchases they also include in your box little recipes to try out that go accordingly to what you bought
- Tuesday's and Wednesday's they would deliver the food. If you have a certain work schedule they will work around it
- No delivery costs!
- With every box it is customizable, swapping out 5 fruits or veggies
- All the foods they offer are 100% organic, coming from local farmers

Ideas
- For Block Captains, since they do a good job, perhaps they get a discount or coupons
- Try to get a local cooking class to come in and do activities surrounding their new foods
- Branding D2D within the Ivanhoe community, making this system accessible for them
- Working with the new bank, perhaps they order there, or set up a way to pay easier for kind of a one stop shop
- Creating a compost with the extras that they have left over

Problems
- How can they order the food if they do not have access to a computer, it will be a challenge if its all printed pieces because they update their menu every week
- Order->mail-> D2D(?)-> Home, how can I make that an easier process
- How to reach the Ivanhoe Community, through posters, cards
- How will the payment system work
- What happens if the family does not cook very much
- In the end, will this help to solve the food desert problem?
- I'm not sure if this will be a huge problem but they do not deliver to P.O Box's
- Why organic? It is healthier but what are the deeper purposes

Hoppeful Outcome
- Better nutrition
- Getting families to cook dinner's together
- Softening the food desert issue
- Plan out weekly meals
- Educating younger kids about seasonal foods
- Support local farmer's
- Harvest Calendar
- Perhaps even having a barter system with D2D to sell their produce too (sense of pride)
- Ivanhoe creating a recipe book of what they cooked with these foods
- Tips on dry foods to stretch budget
- Bringing the community closer, to talk about what they purchased, cooked, didn't like

Contact
- Door to Door
- City Market Farmers Market
- S.N.A.P- the organization that allowed for food stamps to be used in the farmer's market
- Food and Nutrition Service
- American Century- they did something similar to this system this past summer. I would like to find out what some of the struggles and advices when organizing this.

Gathered Facts
- Most places that accept food stamps around Ivanhoe are gas stations and liquor stores
- The average low income family of four spends between $50-75 a week
- 400 million people use food stamps

Visual Audit/ Mood Board

Virtual Language Learning

MX: Interview

Dianne DeNoon, Blue Valley School District Education Support Services Team - World Languages

Why do you feel like foreign language education is important?
Because we live in a global society, not just in the united states, the more cultures they understand the better understanding of the language that is very deep routed to each other. 2 or 3 rd language helps SAT scores and just more intellgenet, important scientifically and humanity

-What is the biggest challenge in teaching foreign language in Elementary schools?
Probably- 1. the natural resource being able to dedicate the costs of a program. 2. The time you have to spend with it

-In general, what is the biggest challenge you face as a teacher in your classroom?
The number of students that they see, 2 or 3 times a week and that can be a lot of students. Only for 30 minutes or so at a time.

-What other subjects could facilitate foreign language learning?
In the area of foreign, it is content-less, we don't have anything to teach
Fo example: social studies is very important, geography, we would have math for patterns, art colors, shapes

-In your opinion, what are a few of the gaps found in public education, specifically regarding foreign language?
Gaps in articulation, corse to course, expressing easy transition, from class to class and not repeat

-In your opinion, at what age should foreign language education begin and why?
Ideally from birth
Or as soon as the student starts schools
Start at the age of 8- like other countries, probably because the other students have a sense of learning and also curious

-What are a few barriers of students that know a second language versus those that speak one? What are the social effects of this in the classroom?
it would be the opposite, students can be disadvantaged later in life, they will more easily a foreign language

Scandia Down Presentation

Sandia Down Presentation 2

1st Mood board

Three Ideas

1.) To create a system of local farmers to create a bag of heathy foods to be delivered to Ivanhoe.

2.) A program system that focus's on the teenagers in Ivanhoe. To try and make activities for them, offer counseling, or even tutors if they would want.

3.) Emergency phone's set up around the neighborhood, and that also could be street lights.

First Interviews

American Child, 8 years old, Emma
-What is your favorite subject in school and why is it your favorite?
"Math. It's easy."

-Why do you enjoy learning about that subject?
"Hm...um, uh. Because it's "plus" (addition) sometimes, some of it is hard though."

-What do you like to read?
"I like to read "I don't care" a story from my reading book today."

-When did you start using the computer and what do you use it for (games, school work)?
"I don't remember. Sometimes I play games on it. No school."

-What kind of computer games do you play?
"Well, there's one game, I think it's called the Bubble game. There are bubbles on different colors and you try to get as many as you can get."

-What do you enjoy doing after school?
"Swimming."

-Do you have siblings?
"Yeah. Lots."

-Do you help your siblings or classmates with schoolwork?
"Mm, sometimes. Today, my older brother had a question on his math and I couldn't get it. I forgot what it was."

-Do you have extracurricular activities?
"Dance and piano."

-If you could learn another language to speak what would it be and why?
"French, because, I don't know, it seems easy. I count to six in spanish though."

American Elementary School Teacher, 51 years old
-Why do you feel like foreign language education is important?
"Development of language, exposure to other culture, discipline of thinking through phonics."

-What is the biggest challenge in teaching foreign language in Elementary schools?
"That they would take it seriously. Also, pronunciation because they aren't actually in the culture."

-In general, what is the biggest challenge you face as a teacher in your classroom?
"As a teacher, the biggest challenge is to keep them motivated to move forward."

-What other subjects could facilitate foreign language learning?
"Definitely the arts. They help anything. Also, having a strong mother tongue, an understanding of their own culture and language they speak."

-In your opinion, what are a few of the gaps found in public education, specifically regarding foreign language?
"There are gaps in all forms of education. One of the biggest gaps that we forget about is that everyone has a self will. We don't allow a child to find it for themselves sometimes and try to teach them in our own way."

-In your opinion, at what age should foreign language education begin and why?
"If you want them to have a foreign language it should start at the very beginning. Fourth or fifth graders would probably work well. I think they should learn the basics of their own language first."

-What are a few barriers of students that know a second language versus those that speak one? What are the social effects of this in the classroom?

"Not a full understanding of one language--always crossing over and mixing.