So what exactly is college readiness? Is it everything the media makes it out to be, or is it a whole lot more than that? I decided to do some research on this subject and make a kinetic text project to show what information I found. To clarify on any question you might have, the entire kinetic text mini project incorporated my ideas and well as some questions from media about what college readiness is about (common questions from the beginning like, is college readiness getting good grades over the years?). McAlister and Mevs's report about college readiness for Brown University really contrasts with some of the things the individual's I interviewed said. The authors said, "Create a college-going culture in school, support students through college planning process, and engage families in learning about and supporting college going" (McAlister, Mevs 12). This to me says that high schools are trying to focus more on preparing students for college...something Devon said they "do not accurately do." Devon said that high school's aren't preparing students for the work and critical thinking they are going to have to do in college. However, the article says otherwise, so what is going on here? I think they haven't been preparing students for college, and they are trying to change that.
My high school didn't nearly do this efficiently. They introduced us to CFNC and that was about it. The only thing my high school did that greatly helped me in preparation for college was offering the Allied Health 2 course that led to me getting my CNA (Certified Nurse Aide). Not only did I get my CNA in high school at no charge to me (other than cost of the exam), but it also helped me in deciding my major for college and what I ultimately wanted to do in life. That is one thing I greatly appreciate from my high school...giving me the opportunity to become a CNA in before college even started.
As the years go on, I do see an increase in high school's trying to prepare for their students for college by doing things like requiring the work keys exam, requiring the ACT for Juniors, etc. The ideas of college readiness intertwine no doubt, but like the point I have been trying to get across this whole project, I believe it depends on the individual. Not everybody will goes through the same things in their life (or at the same times), and everybody will have their own story. The media portray's this "idea" of college readiness as taking all these exams and scoring high on them, but that is clearly not the case. Other components like grades, social life, family life, sports, and other extracurricular activities play a key role in an individual's pathway to being prepared for college.
For my final blog post and revision, I struggled to figure out exactly what I wanted to do. At one point, I thought about combining my kinetic text with my photo essay (the ending of kinetic text "individualism," then bringing my story into it), but I figured it wouldn't be the best idea. In the comments sheet I got back from Lacy, she said, "You might say a little more in your reflection about what thoughts you got from other people to clarify where ideas are yours and where you are sharing other people's ideas. I mean this might be blurry, but it would be useful to share some of that." Since this was the only negative feedback I got back from Lacy on any of my three mini projects, I decided to tackle it and see what I could do to achieve what she was asking.
It took time to think about what I wanted to do to "upgrade" my kinetic text mini project, but in the end I decided to add on to the ending in order to incorporate some to the individual's ideas on the topic of college readiness from the names I had pop up towards the end. I interviewed a few of those people (exception of myself) and got their ideas of college readiness, and it turned out that everybody had something different to say about the topic. In conjunction with adding on to the project, I also changed the song to "Let Me Be Myself" by 3 Doors Down. I felt this song would be perfect for my kinetic text since the idea here is individualism and how everybody has a different story regarding college readiness. As well as adding on and changing the song, I also changed the design of the kinetic text, but that was just for looks. With that being said, I hope you guys enjoy my newly upgraded Kinetic Text 2.0 Mini Project!
Sources:
2. "College Readiness Definition." The Oxford American College Dictionary, through Google.com.
2001.
2001.
3. McAlister, Sara, Pascale Mevs, and University Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown.
"College Readiness: A Guide To The Field." Annenberg Institute For School Reform At Brown
"College Readiness: A Guide To The Field." Annenberg Institute For School Reform At Brown
University (2012): ERIC. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
Thomas, I actually enjoyed the end of your video, I felt like it showed a personal side of your topic and what it means to you, good work!
ReplyDeleteI like how you decided to dig into college readiness further because it's what I decided to do as well. I like the end of your video and especially when you asked your viewers what their story was. It got me thinking about everything you said here.
ReplyDeleteHow I like to see college readiness is as a recipe. For each cook, they want to make it their own but the basics are mostly the same. Family, school, and outside sources. To make it individual each will be measured differently. Some will have more impact from family members or others from friends or teachers. It's not a simple recipe - in fact it's a mixing pot that you could picture swirls to make different styles and colors. The finished product looks the same but it tastes differently.
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