Thursday, September 11, 2014

Flip Classroom # 1: Political Sociailization

Phase 1 - Home study - Do you have any questions about the Google Slides presentation?
Phase 2 - Contacting the NY Congressional Delegation.  Why did we do this actvity in class?  What was the connection to your homework?

Please post a question regarding the content we've discussed over the last two days?  Good Luck finishing the summer assignment.

26 comments:

  1. Phase 1: The only question I have concerning the presentation is: If the graders are looking for us to use specific historical examples, such as the Watergate Scandal, when explaining a topic such as Political Socialization on the AP exam? Other than that, the presentation was very self-explanatory and easy to understand.

    Phase 2: Today's activity in which we made efforts to contact a NY Congressman was an example of how students can become more politically active in their society. With the election being in about a month and a half, pressuring questions from a politically active student group could make an influence on the ways these politicians present their views if they now have to appeal to a younger audience as well as an older one. Through courses such as AP Government, students are educated on different aspects of politics including opposing views of Democrats and Republicans. We the students are then influenced to become more involved in the political races by supporting candidates who propose actions we would prefer be taken over others. By contacting the NY Congressman, we are becoming more involved by sharing our interests and feelings as well as posing concerning questions to those who wish to partake in running this country.

    In terms of the content discussed over the last two classes, my question is: Because Congressmen are elected every two years, opposed to every four like the President and every six like the Senators, do politicians running for election put more emphasis on public problems that would deal with more present concerns opposed to basing their campaigns on long-term goals?

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  2. Phase 1: In the presentation the videos discusses the power that the media has on the government and the citizens' opinions. So how can a "good" citizen be properly informed? Should they gather news from multiple sources through the internet and television or are there resources that provide the news without opinions and left out details?
    Phase 2: The activity we did in class was something new that I would have never thought could have happen. It showed how easily it is for people to get in touch with their representatives and in some cases even talk to them directly. In fact, it seems even easier to become politically active and to express your opinions with the people that represent you. It can relate to the homework because it can make a person more knowledgeable about what actually is happening in the government. Instead, of listening to the news, full of opinions and left out details, one could just directly ask their representatives about their opinions, stances, and actions that they are taking.
    We discussed a lot about the media and political socialization in class, but are there other factors? For example, do large companies like ISPs (internet service providers) also have a larger affect on how the government is operated? Since, many companies lobby representatives and spend a large amount of money to gain a bigger voice in policy making that will benefit their business. Does lobbying make the government less effective since representatives will prioritize a company's needs over the average citizen's needs?

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  3. We contacted the NY Congressional Delegation in class so that we could become a more involved and informed citizenry. We attempted to get real and honest answers about an issue occurring in the House of Representatives through communicating with the government directly. Pertaining to the Google slides presentation and the contacting of the NY Congressional Delegation, are citizens and the government most likely to receive the truth not through media, interest groups or political parties but through direct phone calls and emails? If the citizenry is being manipulated even during phone calls with their own representatives in the national government, is there any chance that the people will ever be fully informed about what is going on in U.S. politics?

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  4. Phase 1: No questions on the Google Slide presentation, though I would like to say I found it very helpful because I was able to take notes at my own pace.
    Phase 2: Contacting the NY Congressional Delegation activity helped to politically socialize the class. While the presentation told us what political socialization means, the classroom activity allowed us to slightly see what it is going on in politics. As growing to be informed citizens, our class did not simply watch the news and believe their warped truth. Instead the class took factual information and contacted congress(wo)men to learn what is truly going on with the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013.
    Question: This may not be a question that can be answered but, how can we, as students learn to become informed citizens? The problem is, how can people become informed if the news isn't giving actual facts and is instead manipulated the views.

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  5. Phase 1: I have no questions regarding the Google Slides presentation. It worked great and I had no problem watching it off my computer.

    Phase 2: We did the NY Congressional Delegation activity in class to demonstrate how as young adults we can get involved with our government. This can be directly connected to the homework assignment because we learned about what informed citizenry was. This activity was just one example of how we are connected to our government and that though one person may not be as significant, everyone's opinion ultimately is important. Say hypothetically we didn't do this activity, we still are somewhat connected to our government through linkage institutions even if we are not thinking about it.

    Question: For the class activity, we discussed H.R. 1010, but my question is how often are discharge petitions used and for what other issues?

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  6. phase 1: I dont have any questions regarding the google slides presentation.
    phase 2: The activity we did in class allows us, as students, to not only be directly involved in our government so that we can be well informed, but it also holds our government accountable for things that directly affect students, and others who may get in touch with them. As we have learned through the lesson as well as, more subtly, through our own lives, media often manipulates our view of the government, nearly to the point that we do not even have a clear picture of what is going on within our country.Getting in touch with our representatives directly allows us to get the information that pertains to us in the most unaffected way we can possibly receive it.
    Question: The HR1010 bill has been in committed since February; does the government not have some sort of regulation to ensure that something like this does not happen? If not, why not? Doesn't it seem unfair that a bill remain indefinitely in committee?

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  7. Phase 1- I have no questions regarding the Google slides presentation.
    Phase 2- The assignment we did in class, contacting the Congressional Delegation, connected perfectly to the homework. The homework was about how we as citizens are sometimes not properly informed with respects to what is actually occurring in our government. The activity showed that it is possible to get in contact with representatives through various forms of social media. This is very important because if we as citizens take the time to get involved and stay informed, we will actually know representatives’ views on certain bills or even what the bills consist of. Although this is possible we still must be aware that as citizens it is hard to separate the truth from lies; so even though there is this bridge of communication it isn’t always effective in obtaining information.
    Question: How are we as citizens able to know when the information we are given is actually keeping us informed?
    Is it possible for us to be aware of everything that is occurring in the government behind closed doors?

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  8. Phase 1: The Google slides presentation was very helpful in understanding political socialization and I do not have any questions regarding it.

    Phase 2: Contacting NY Congressmen in class shows how we as U.S. citizens can learn about what is happening in our government directly from the source. We should be able to learn the facts without being influenced by the media. Without fully educating ourselves, we would not be able to form our own opinion as individuals. This connects to political socialization because it demonstrates how we communicate with the government and how the government’s actions may change our political views.

    When we did connect to NY Congressmen on the phone they all seemed to lead us to the same answers about the Fair Minimum Wage Act. Are there any other actions we can take as students to find out more information as to why nothing is being done?

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  9. Phase 1: I really enjoyed the Flip classrooms. It definitely helps to learn from lectures, but giving us more time for hands on, group work, or discussions is much better than lectures. The slides help to replace the lectures while still staying interesting.
    Phase 2: The idea behind contacting Congressman and Senators is to be connected to our government. This helps us, students, really take part in our government and be active participants in politics. All citizens, voters especially, should show interest in politics. The activity helped to reinforce the idea that social media and technology has totally overhauled our access to our government. An email or tweet is much easier than letters. Times have changed and this activity tried to reinforce that idea of the importance of the linkage institution.
    Question: Why isn't our government interested in the ideas of younger voters? As our generation grows, we will have more of an impact on society, so why can't our place in society be established?

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  10. Phase 1: I have no questions regarding the Google Slides presentation.

    Phase 2: The purpose of this activity was to display how interest groups work. Interest groups are people who band together to lobby for certain changes in the government. Surely we do not have as much power as other groups such as the NRA and NAACP because of our history and size, but we still are able to have some influence. This connects to the homework because we created a linkage institution, granting us another avenue to be able to get in contact with our government.

    On the Google Slides presentation and during class, you have told us that we should be aware of when we are being manipulated by news media, political parties, religion, etc. Would you consider the content you have taught us in class so far manipulation?

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  11. Phase 1: I have no questions regarding the flip classroom. I highly enjoyed being able to pause the videos and go at my own pace, instead of rush to write down everything.

    Phase 2: The activity in class really opened my eyes to how easy it is to contact government officials. Political Socialization has made it easy for average students like me to get involved easily and have a voice in politics. Normally, I would not have the confidence or drive to contact a delegate, but doing it in class with fellow piers alongside me truly made it easy and gave me the confidence to get connected. Also, the fact that it is acknowledged that media is biased and sometimes not fully factual is important. It is important to know that an individual may only be getting one side of a story when watching media, taking political socialization into account,

    Question: Are there more acts that have been set aside by the Speaker of the House? If so, why is the Fair Minimum Wage Act the most focused upon?

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  12. Phase 1: i have no questions relating to the flip classroom. I found this way of learning and taking notes highly insightful and i think it works well.

    Phase 2: The activity we did in class was to show us we should take advantage of the opportunity we have to be politically active. It shows that we can get true answers and really learn what is going on rather than voting based on political party or based on what your friends and family say. The activity opened our eyes to interest groups, we are a small group of people but it makes more of a difference than one individual person, and those looking for more votes will notice that. Interest groups work to try and find out information, get answers, and get promote ideas. this has occurred through the past, and the activity showed us how easy and important it is to be a part of one of these making it easier to be politically active and aware.

    Question: How can we, as young adults, find a way to get true information about our government and what is happening without hearing some of the nonsense present media tries to pass as reality?

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  13. 1- I do not have any questions regarding the Google Slides Presentation
    2- In class we founded our own special interest group with a goal to get answers from current Representatives about the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013. This helped us to learn more about discharge petitions, floor votes, and what it means to be stuck in committee. This activity required us to contact our own government officials and ask them questions about an issue that could influence the way that someone might vote in the next election depending upon the response from the representative. Therefore, one way that the citizens can stay informed rather than listening to the media is to contact representatives directly like we did in this activity. In the flip classroom we learned about Linkage Institutions, like the media, and how the can mold people's political views into what they want and can also be very opinionated. However, by contacting the NY Congressional Delegation, we avoided influence from other sources by getting answers directly from Representatives that were elected by the people.

    3- Is there a particular reason why a Congressman's term is so short? I feel as if a two year term is too short to get anything done because most of the time they would be worried about getting reelected again and not hurting anybody’s feelings rather than being productive and getting things done.

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  14. Phase 1: I enjoyed the flip classroom a lot better than lectures during class periods. It was helpful having no interruptions and knowing any questions could be answered the following day.

    Phase 2: The activity in class was a great way to get high school students more involved in politics. Most kids take for granted the right to vote and think nothing of it. Creating our own interest group really showed to politicians that we contacted that there are people watching what they are doing, putting more pressure on them to act. It really got the class involved and caring about what was happening with decisions that affect us as a group. Contacting the representatives directly allowed us to avoid other forms of illegitimate information and get the truth behind what the representatives themselves felt. Although they almost always gave a neutral answer, they now know that there is pressure on the topic from a large group of soon to be voters.

    Phase 3: Is there a certain amount of time something can be stuck in committee? Is a discharge petition the only way to get it out or is there a way a higher power can move it along?

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  15. Phase 1: I don't have any questions on the google slide presentation. I thought it was better than lecture because I can have full focus on learning the content and I pause it and play it at my own pace.
    Phase 2: We did this activity in class to start making us aware of what is going on in our government whether it be local or federal. It showed us that we can go directly to the source for information and that we can be involved in what is going on. We must learn that it is important to know and understand what the government is doing so that we do not get manipulated.
    Phase 3: How many bills besides the Fair Minimum Wage Act are not being voted on that should be? Why is Congress allowed to just put off their responsibilities of deciding on laws until it is convenient for them?

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  16. Phase 1- I do not have any questions regarding the Google Slides presentation. I think that this way of lecturing us is very effective. It allows us to learn at our own pace and I was able to follow and understand the concept of political socialization rather than only focusing on taking notes.

    Phase 2- We did this activity in class in order to practice our skills of being involved in politics. Before participating in this activity, I would have never tried to contact a representative to try and create conversation between me and the government. After this activity, I now see the importance in contacting the government as well as how easy social media and technology has made it to become involved. Thus, this activity supplemented the homework. In the homework, we learned about the process by which people acquire political beliefs and how through media, interest groups, and political parties, people can voice such beliefs. In class, this was demonstrated first hand as we created our own interest group and expressed our curiosity about the Fair Minimum Wage Act.

    My question is whether or not there is some sort of expiration date as to how long a bill is allowed to sit in committee? Do they eventually get “forgotten” or are they one day addressed?

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  17. Phase 1- I really enjoyed the flip classroom because I don't like being rushed to take notes in class, so the ability to pause the video was very helpful to me. I also found the flip classroom to be less boring than an in class lecture because we are not sitting staring at a teacher like we do all day in school. I don't have any questions about the powerpoint I felt that the videos were clear and the charts provided on the slides were a good source to further explain the material.
    Phase 2- The in class activity was a great way to involve us in our politics. Many people our age may be politically socialized by the media and the influence of their parents and/or relatives, but there is a difference between being politically educated and exercising your political education. Not many of us get to exercise our part in politics very often being that many of us aren't old enough to vote yet. The in class activity allowed us to get involved in the government and have a voice even if it was a small one. Before this activity I never realized how easy it was for us to contact a Congressman and get information, and I think that it was an important lesson to teach us that we should reach out to Congressmen to get information and use our voice in politics.
    Question- Many of the people that answered the phones only had minimal information for us. How could we get in direct contact with these Congressmen or how could we contact someone else in their office that would have more information for us?

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  18. Phase 1- I have throughly enjoyed the flip classroom. This is because it allowed us to work at our own pace rather then conforming to one. I do not have any questions regarding the flip classroom and I look forward to them in the future.

    Phase 2- Our classroom activity was to contact New York State congressman and ask them why H.R. 1010 was put back into committee and hasn't been touched. I believe that this was a wonderful way to become active in politics and it has given me a new perspective on our government and how access able it is. I also look forward to more activities such as this.

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  19. I do not have any questions about the google slides presentation.
    We attempted contacting politicians so that we understand ways we can get involved in our government. We discussed the medias affect on politics for homework, but this activity actually showed us that it can be helpful when it comes to finding accurate information by contacting politicians via social media.
    My question is why did we attempt to contact these politicians when we already accepted the fact that it is very rare you will get a response.
    -Jamie ahlers

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  20. Phase 1: I do not have any questions pertaining to the google slides presentation. Although I don't have any questions I would like to add that the flip classroom was rather enjoyable. Being able to sit in the comfort of my own home and do this work seems to be better then doin it in a classroom.

    Phase 2: We contacted these delegates to get a real answer to a needed to know question. The media we see may be bias depending on the station and we were looking for an un-bias straight from the source answer, although it seems many of us did not get answers. Going back to media, that seems to be the connection between this activity and our homework. We learned about what some radio stations do to get certain people to look better over others and the same the other way around. Media is not always the go to when wanting to know an answer to a political question.

    I have no further questions on this topic that has not been asked by other students.

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  21. Phase 1- I have no questions regarding the flip classroom and the presentation. I was able to access all of the information and video links easily from my computer.

    Phase 2- The New York Congressional Delegation activity was intended to show us that, with a small amount of effort, we as young adults actually can connect to our government and not only remain informed, but also have our opinions heard. The activity directly relates to the flip classroom because essentially what we did was use one of the linkage institutions to attempt to get information about the Fair Minimum Wage Act. Each student used some form of social media to reach out to their assigned delegate. Although the large majority of us did not receive a response in the short time we had, the activity was still very effective. Personally, it served to show me that I actually can rather easily reach out to this giant, terrifying thing that many see the government as being and get answers to my questions.

    Question- Why are Congressional terms so short? It seemed as though the general acceptance was that we wouldn't get a response from anyone because they were afraid of leaning one way or the other on the matter because of how it would affect their re-election. But, if their term is only two years, doesn't that make it rather often that they would need to campaign and thus not want to provide legitimate responses?

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  22. Phase 1 - In regards to the flip classroom google slides presentation, I thought it was relatively smooth. I have no questions on it.

    Phase 2 - The activity we conducted in class with contacting the government directly was a brilliant showcase of how easy it can be for us to contact our political leaders, even as underage high school students. We did this activity to show political socialization in action and how it can have a large affect on both citizens and governments and the resulting relationship between the two. I myself learned that getting involved in the community and having an effect on politics is accessible and simple. Learning about political socialization and interest groups and then actually utiziling that information and translating it into physical action is a great way to fully comprehend concepts. I'm quite fond of this method and I'm excited to use it more as the course progresses!

    I have a question regarding the government in general. Why can't we as citizens question the actions of the government and have anything actually done to thwart corruption or wrongdoings by politicians? For example, it is speculated that politicians don't want to progress HR 1010 so that they don't have to take a stance before elections (which would ultimately cost them votes). While this isn't exactly formal corruption by any means, it's still "dirty" politics in my opinion. Politicians should work swiftly and efficiently and make decisions based on the people they represent instead of working to progress personal gain and power.

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  23. Phase 1- I do not have any questions about flip classroom, i really enjoyed the idea because i was able to rewatch parts of the videos i did not understand completely the first time and simultaneously was able to research other examples of political socialization to get a complete understanding of the topic
    Phase 2- We contacted the New York delegation to show how easily we can communicate with out representatives and seek answers from the people we elected to work towards our ideals. It also helped draw our interest in the upcoming election, now that we are almost of age to vote we ned to be more informed of what is happening in the world of politics and how our representatives effect our daily lives.

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  24. Phase One - I do not have any questions regarding the presentation. I believe that the presentation was very easy to follow along with and I rather enjoyed it. I believe that this is a great way to learn on our own and to get truly prepared for what college is going to be like and I look forward to do more of these flip classrooms.
    Phase Two - The reason that we contacted the NY Congressional Delegation was to show how we can receive answers and let our opinions and questions be heard by those who previous to this activity seemed to be so far away and not able to be reached. This activity connected to the homework because in both it showed how the Congressional Delegation does really react and listen to what is being spread all over the media feeds and how those stories and allegations really affect the world of politics more than we could ever imagine. It opened my eyes to see that we are just a phone call or even a tweet away from the people who make huge decisions that affect all of us and it is reassuring to know that our voice will be heard.

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  25. A) Hurricane Katrina is a completely different situation than Sandy. Hurricane Katrina had a much bigger impact on people and their lives. It caused destruction that I could not even imagine and left people suffering for many weeks without food and water. There was nowhere else to go for these people, they were trapped, and it is a shame that the Federal Government did not put in more of an effort to help quicker. Something should have been done to help the people who were suffering through this. This was way different than Sandy because although Sandy caused destruction it was nowhere near as bad as Hurricane Katrina. Also, after Sandy, there were houses to go to and get shelter, food water, and electricity that were not flooded. Also, people were not concentrated in one area with out basic needs such as food and water. The government should have been quicker to help after Hurricane Katrina and I believe that since they realized that they were quicker to help with a storm that was not nearly as detrimental.

    B) Almost everything should have been done differently the people were suffering and the government was doing very little to help. The government’s job is to protect the people so when there is a natural disaster they should pay more attention to the human beings that are suffering from the damage. More should have been done to get people out of the superdome, but more importantly more should have been done to get food and supplies to these people so that they could survive. More should have been done by the government to rescue people off the rooftops and from drowning because these are human lives that could have been saved that were being ignored. Overall, more action should have been taken by the government to help these Americans and they should not have tried to act like the destruction was not that bad. They should have sent way more buses, food, water and supplies, because I am sure whatever else they were using it for was not as important.

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