Surveys help with planning

It all started with M&Ms.

Yes, we were starving.
But, before we could munch, we had some work to do!

We learned these vocabulary words: horizontal axis, vertical axis, data table, units, bar graph.

We created two bar graphs by collecting the data (counting the colors) and creating a data table. Then, we plotted the data onto bar graphs. Each of us had different data and graphs. Then, we created a bar graph showing data from the entire class. We had to have a new data table. 

Sample bar graph

To the left is a sample of our work product. The top shows the individual student's bar graph, with some of the new terms added. The bottom shows our class's group bar graph.

Using colors allowed easier viewing. We had to change the labels on the vertical axis when we did the group bar graph.

Below, you can see the bar graphs displayed on the wall. (Above them is an activity we did earlier in the week on job hunting.)

Display of our work

On Thursday, we continued this activity by looking at the data table and graphs from our class survey last week. We were asked to show our preferences for topics for second quarter. Below, you can view the summary slide show that graphs our responses. Our recommendations will be used for planning learning activities. We also plan to create our own surveys on the computer later in the year.

Guest Speaker: The Journey to and through College

Sandra Pratt, Guest Speaker

On Wednesday, Sandra Pratt came to our classroom as a guest speaker. She is a teacher at Tiospa Zina and also a tribal member and a graduate of Tiospa Zina. She teaches health and theatre. She went to several colleges on her journey to her BA in theatre with a minor in Dakota Studies.

"I really liked being able to come back to Tiospa Zina Tribal School as a teacher to help our own kids, our community, to succeed," she noted.

Sandra shared her story of attending college. She went to several colleges, including Sisseton Wahpeton College here, and another college up in Canada. She graduated from the University of Minnesota: Morris.

When she went to college she had to face many fears.

• Am I smart enough?
• Will I fit in?
• Will I be lonely?
• How will I make it work with my responsibilities as a parent?
• What if I can't read all that is required?
• What if I can 't do this?

Although it was hard, Sandra faced all of these challenging fears and succeeded. She explained that in college, only two things are mandatory:

1. Hard work: You must do your best and work hard. 

2. Get your work in on time You will need to get a lot of work done and in on time.

She also told us several things to remember. In college, teachers usually want to help you, but you have to work hard too. It will take a long time, but each year you will be closer to graduation. It is important to have a support system of family and friends who help you keep on going. It's okay to try new things in college. It will be expensive but you will pay back your loans when you work. You will sometimes feel lonely, but everyone does. You can deal with it by making friends, joining in activities, and visiting home sometimes.

When you consider college, here are some things to think about:

• You will need to get good grades (a good GPA) in high school
• You will need to get all your work in on time.
• You should consider colleges that are tuition-free for Native Americans.
• You should apply for scholarships. They don't have to be paid back.
• You can get loans. You have to pay back loans. You should pay them back as soon as you can by paying a little from each paycheck.
• Loans can cover tuition, but also fees, book costs, and even living expenses during college.

Sandra also talked about the Dakota values that are important for college success. Waditake, bravery, is important because you will need to learn how to acknowledge your fears about things but then do them anyway. It might be scary to join a club, but that is how you can find new friends. Everyone there is new, so even though it is scary to meet new people, everyone is looking for new friends. It isn't easy making new friends if you are a shy person (as Sandra was) but if you feel good energy coming from them, go talk to them. Everyone is looking for a friend.

Our First Poll

We offered our opinions on what to add to our class blog. One suggestion was to create a way for us to give our opinions on class activities.

Here's our first poll. This poll is only for the members of our Technology for Life Success class. We'll have polls later that the public can answer.

Guest Speaker: National Guard

Staff Sergeant (E-6) Aldentaler, US Army National Guard, came to Tiospa Zina Tribal School today to tell us about opportunities in the National Guard. Twenty-three students came to our classroom. We hosted the speaker. He talked about the training, the pay, and what the soldiers in the National Guard do.

We learned that you can be in the National Guard while you are in high school. You train in the summer and on weekends. You get paid for training. Some people in the National Guard decide to go full time in the Army. If you are in the National Guard and want to go into the Marine Corps, you can, but you will still  have to do the Marine basic training. You would need to stay in the National Guard for a while and then try to get a transfer into another branch of the military.  Your commitment to the National Guard is for six years.

He also talked about taking the ASVAB test. The score you need for the National Guard is 31 to pass. This is also the minimum score for the military as a whole. It is important to prepare and study for the ASVAB. The ASVAB test will be offered at Tiospa Zina in October.  As a school, all Juniors must take it. Others can take it too.Talk to Megan if you are interested in taking the test. Some people can get into the National Guard even if they do not do well on the test. The recruiter can work with you to see if you can get in anyway. Sergeant Aldentaler is a recruiter.

There are a lot of opportunities in the National Guard. There are more than 80 jobs you can learn. For example, military police, mechanic, truck driver, accounting, medic, and others You get the opportunity to serve with honor. Your Oyate will be proud of you. You get to travel.  You get to make a lot of friends. You learn to be a leader. You are part of a team. It is good preparation for other careers such as becoming a police officer. You can also earn some college credits. The pay is pretty good. The job experience you get will tell your future employer that you have good skills. You can also get training in different work skills. You also have a chance to stay in shape. Every year you take a PT (Physical Training) test that includes a 2-mile run plus other things.

After the presenter left, our class evaluated his performance. On a scale of 1 (terrible) to 10 (excellent), he averaged a 9 for presentation (how well he presented). On a scale of 1 to 10, he averaged a 6 for interesting content (what he talked about).

Safety Tips for Adults

Creating our "tiny posters" and mind maps.

This article is all about safety tips for using the internet. The target audience is adults. This was a class activity. We read an article. We created mind maps made of "tiny posters" as part of this activity. We listed some safety tips below to help protect your personal information and identity. 

1. Be careful using unsecured wireless (wi-fi).

• Don't accept spam when using email.
• Don't click links that don't look legit.

2. Lock your devices.

Jameson and Tre show their mind maps.

3. Create a better password.

• Use numbers and symbols.
• Use lower case and capital letters.
• Use emoticons.
• Make a phrase from a book or song.
• Make it something hard to guess. 



Maggie and Tyrone show their mind maps.

• Don't pick a short password. Eight or ten characters is best.

4. Check your settings.

• Check for updates.
• Make sure you have tweaked your settings to be secure.

5. Develop good habits.

• Long passwords
• Don't leave your device unattended.
• Be vigilant about your phone password. 
• Back up to a flash drive and keep it somewhere safe.
• X out extra tabs.

6. Share selectively.

• Don't share personal information with strangers.
• Address
• Phone number
• Social Security
• Bank cards
• SSI/SSDI information
• Don't share financial information.



Raycee and Lorelei show their mind maps.

• Don't share pictures of young kids.

7. Be careful with your webcam because someone could be watching (spying). 

8. Don't click on click-bait.

Our First Post

Today, we subscribed to this class blog. First, we did a worksheet that explored the class blog. The URL (uniform resource locator, or internet address) of our blog is: http://collettitz.blogspot.com.

After putting in the URL, we explored the pages of our class blog and gave our opinions. We identified the parts of the blog we felt would be helpful to a visitor who does not know our class. We also gave our opinion about the "REMIND" text alert feature (see the sidebar to the right). We offered reasons why we felt this was a good feature, or why we felt it was not a good feature. Finally, we told the group what we felt we should consider adding to this blog. The main ideas were:

• Make a way to share opinions about what we do in class
• Add a list of names of the juniors and seniors in our class
• Explain the perks of subscribing to our blog.

Finally, we submitted our email in the box that said "Subscribe." There are several perks to doing this:

• you can get an email every time something is posted, 
• you can tell friends or family to subscribe and they can see what your class is working on, and 
• you don't have to return to the URL for this blog to see what's happening.

After we subscribed, we had to go to our email to confirm the subscription. The term is "opt in." It means to choose to join something.

Finally, we wrote this blog entry together as a group to see how subscriptions work.

Welcome to the New Year!

Didn't summer fly by quickly?


As we launch this new year, we will also be launching these two new courses:




Technology for Life Success 
and
Communications for Life Success

At least once a week, we hope to post information on this blog so that you can see what we are learning and doing in these classes.

You can visit this blog any time. Or, you can put your personal email address in the box and subscribe to receive an email each time something is put up on it.

Stay tuned for more!