Reflection+4


 * __My First Day at New Foundations Charter School__**

My first experience at New Foundations Charter School was quite comical. I arrive at the school and sit in with the Vice Principal in her office to introduce myself. We discovered that not only do we have the same name, but we are from the same state and town, and went to the same High school!! I know that for many this is not a big deal but when you are from the tiny state of Connecticut in a huge state like Pennsylvania, it is a big deal.

So my experience began, Shira told me a bit about the school how it is for K-8 and they currently also have the grades 9 & 10 at a different location. She described to me how it is a school with a mission focused on Community, and community building. When she took me on a tour of the building I noticed that the majority of classrooms used technology such as, smart boards or computers, or interactive clickers. The presence of interactive clickers, computers and Smartboards, leads me to believe that I will see a lot of interaction from the students because of the innate demands of these technologies. There are also a few different computer labs, there is a PC lab for the elementary school, with a Mac cart that can be signed out, and for the middle school there is a Mac Lab. I believe that The New Foundations Charter School engages in a lot of technology and media use. Even in their math and art class they integrate technology and media. I believe that I will see a lot of teachers forming their classes around media texts, therefore incorporating important access skills in the children’s education. I will be on the lookout for the ways in which the teachers teach the kids to use technology, how the teacher present media, and how the students react to it. Vice Principal Shira, told me that they have been really working on a way to teach media analysis and how to distinguish valid sources to the kids, which I can imagine that I am going to be a part of. This also leads me to believe that I am going to see a lot of students using websites such as Wikepedia as sources for research papers.

Vice Principal Shira, told me about after school production programs that the kids can be involved in, which I can imagine I will see students that take an added interest in creating media. I also expect that in this school and media programs, I will see a lot of guided activities and instruction, instead of the teacher just showing and doing things for the students. In this special production group the program leaders will introduce access skills, concepts of media construction, analysis, and audience analysis. Overall I am very excited to see the classrooms in progress and work in and out of the classroom with students and teachers.