Linked Learning is transforming
secondary education in Oakland into a personally
relevant, wholly engaging experience for all levels of students,
exposing them to previously unimagined college and career
opportunities. Linked Learning is a flexible approach bringing together
college prep academics, demanding technical education, support services, and
work-based learning that, together, help prepare students for success in
college, career and life. In an effort to promote more
systematic records and promotion of Work Based Learning activities, the
College and Career Readiness Office asked pathways/academies to participate in
a contest to submit student blogs.
Linked
Learning Blog Contest: And the winners are…
We are pleased to announce the Top Five Linked
Learning Blog Contest entries:
1st Place: Tien Mai
2nd Place: Roche Washington
3rd Place: Ayrianna Nelson
Honorable Mention: Juan Ledezma
Honorable Mention: Isabella
Llamas
All five students are part of the Education
Academy @ Skyline High School. As a result of the winning entries, the
Education Academy will be awarded $850 to support promotional materials for
recruitment.
Congratulations to all the students who
submitted entries, and a special congratulations to our 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd Place winners, whose blog entries appear below.
________________________________________________________________
1st Place Winner – Linked Learning
Blog Contest
My Summer Internship at the Native American
Health Center
By:
Tien Mai
As part of the Education Academy Peer Education
class, I participated in a summer
internship at the Native American Health Center. This work-based learning experience consisted of assisting
departments and working with young
children at one of their school-based health centers. I spent about five weeks interning, doing office work, and
being a person who the students can look up to.
Native American Health Center is a non-profit
organization serving California Bay Area
Native population and others. They help underserved populations with medical needs
for all ages. Not only do they have a
main center, they have also developed many school-based
health centers at middle and high schools.
I developed many skills during this summer
internship, I learned to manage time
effectively and to stay on track and not get distracted. I had to think creatively in order to make fun and informative bulletins for the students and staff. I
was able to gather and organize information
I found through the Internet, magazines,
brochures, and resource papers. When I was not sure, I asked many questions to clarify everything.
________________________________________________________________
2nd Place Winner – Linked Learning Blog Contest
My Experience as a Reading Partner
By: Roche
Washington
In the Education Academy at Skyline, I participate in Reading
Partners. This work-based learning experience consists of me going to Cox
Academy Elementary School every Monday and Thursday. During these two days I am
with a 5th grader, helping her improve her reading skills, vocabulary, grammar,
etc. I read to her for the first 10 minutes and then she is given a lesson that
we both work on together. The lesson helps her with a particular reading skill
and on how to be a good reader. At the end of every lesson I write a summary of
our session and keep track of the things that are important.
Reading Partners is dedicated to transforming struggling young
readers into confident readers. The mission is to help children become lifelong
readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with
measurable events.
During this work-based learning experience I am able to develop
new skills and practice ones I already have. For example patience, because kids
who struggle are not at the same level as you. You have to go at their pace and
then improve. Another skill is observing effectively, to know what we need to
work on together and improve. I ask questions during our session and make sure
she understands the lesson. It also gives me an opportunity to work with
children and make a difference in someone's life.
________________________________________________________________
3rd Place Winner – Linked Learning
Blog Contest
My Summer Internship at Merritt College
By:
Ayrianna Nelson
During the summer of 2012 I participated
in a program called ECCO (Exploring College and Career Options) in which I did
an internship at Merritt College. My mentor's name is Ms. Marta Zielke.
She has been involved with the Spanish-speaking population at Merritt
as a counselor for many years. I found working in an office
atmosphere very fulfilling. The first thing I had to do was
set-up a blog for the Centro Latino Program, which has a summer
bridge program for incoming freshmen. One of my jobs was
to explain to the students how to use the blog and the
Facebook page also created for the program. I also created an Excel spreadsheet with all
of the contact information of the student in the program.
I was amazed at how much extra effort my
mentor put into each individuals’ education and progress. One
of the things I learned was a greater respect for the community college
education system. I plan on doing my undergraduate education at Merritt
in the coming school year.
Internship Host Ms. Marty Zielke, with OUSD
student Tesia Tuia and Linked Learning Blog Contest 3rd Place winner
Ayrianna Nelson
Labels: Linked Learning Blog Winners, oakland, ousd
