Final Reflection: Blogger This is Not Goodbye!

            As I was creating my vocabulary blog entries throughout the semester, I noticed that many of the word I selected were based upon what was going on in my own life. For example, several words that I choose to learn more about were related to the home purchasing process that I was going through. I wanted to gain a better grasp on the home buying experience and thought that I should know the words well and could incorporate them into my own learning experience using our blogs. Several other of the words that I selected came from watching TV or movies, when I could pause and rewind words that I was unsure of and make note of them for my journal. What I found very interesting was that very few of the words I included in my vocabulary journal came for a dialogue conversation with others. I am not sure if this is because I could not remember the words long enough after a conversation or if new words just seem to jump out at me more when I am just docile and listening to others speak. I also noticed that I selected words that I could use again rather than just selecting big, funny sounding words that did not relate to my own life.

            I benefited from keeping a vocabulary journal in several ways. First, I became more conscience of the words that people were using around me. For example, when I was sitting in a professional development on the first Thanksgiving, I heard the term fowl used for the first time. Others seemed to know the word, but I had to use context clues to help me decipher the meaning. Later that evening I went home to look up the meaning of the word to see what the lecturer was actually talking about. In some respects, I forced myself to better understand unknown words, were in the past I would often not care or seem interested in looking up the meaning of unknown or new words. Second, I was able to learn a lot more about important events that were happening in my life such as purchasing a house. Most of the words that I did select had significant meaning to my life and I benefited from learning more about these words.

Prior to taking this course, I had not had a formal vocabulary or spelling test assignment since my high school days.  In high school, I found vocabulary and spelling exams to be the easiest types of exams because I had a stellar memory and could memorize almost anything.  I would study the night before or even ten minutes before the exam and store the information into my short-term memory, take the exam and then let all of the newly gained knowledge drip out of my brain.   As a secondary educator who frequently gives vocabulary exams, it was very interesting taking a step back into the role of the student. The quizzes made me think deeply on how my own students learn how to study and prepare for exams.  I do not want my own students to just quickly memorize the terms and forget them the next day. Taking vocabulary tests added to my own word learning by allowing me to change the way that I studied. Instead of studying the hour before, I started studying several days before the exam, giving myself more time to become familiar with the term and meaning. I found that studying days in advanced help me to store the definitions in my long term memory and that I remember several of the words meanings from the beginning of the semester.

Now that our semester is coming to an end, I have been thinking more about how I will encounter and remember new vocabulary words. During the course, I downloaded the Dictionary.com application on my smart phone so that I could look up definitions to unknown words I heard at anytime. I probably would have never downloaded this application if it were not for our vocabulary journal assignment. I will still use my dictionary application to look up unknown words. I am not sure that I will keep making blog entries; however, I will probably make notes of vocabulary words in my daily planner to keep track of new words. It was fun finding corky, new, and interesting words throughout the semester. I will need to find a new audience to share my new words with. I am sure my boyfriend and mom will make a great new audience along with my students.

            What I really liked about the vocabulary journal is that it was easy to keep up to date.  I could log into any computer at anytime I heard a new word and log into the Blogger website and write a journal entry.  I think that many of my students would absolutely have a great interest in using a website such as Blogger to keep track of vocabulary words.  If I had more free time, I would have loved to have viewed my peer’s blogs to see the exciting words that they were learning each week. It was awesome being in control of your own learning and this blog motivated to look up words that I probably would have never taken the tine to do before this assignment.

15.2 Bionic

When and where did I find this word: I first heard this word during the Thanksgiving break while I was watching TV. The first time I heard it on the Oprah Winfrey Show (2010) when she was interviewing the "Bionic Man." The second time I heard the word used was in the film "Employee of the Month" (2008). Based on what I know of the Bionic Man, I believe the word bionic has to do with strength or being a super human.

What the word means: According to Dictionary.com (2010), bionic is an adjective that describes a human who has electrical or mechanical parts to assist the body during dangerous tasks to make the body seem as if it is super human in performing tasks that are not typical of the human body. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bionic

My level of Familiarity: I have heard of the Bionic Man and Bionic Women because I know they were TV characters is an older TV show that was on before I was born. I knew that the word had to do with some type of strength as the bionic characters had enormous strength and were superheros. I did not know the first part of the definition that describes electrical or mechanical parts that assist the body. I am reminded of when I was in first grade and I used to watch the Power Rangers. The Power Rangers had a huge electrical fighting machine that they would use to fight which is a bionic mechanical device shown in the image above.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes, this term describes strength and was a popular TV character that most of my parents generation is very familiar with, and thus know the meaning of bionic. As our society is fascinated with superheros, I think I should understand this term well.

 

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: Yes, I think others should know this well because it is a term that many of our parents know because of popular culture and TV. Thus, I think that others should know the meaning when it comes up on TV, reruns, or in conversation.

15.1 Serendipity

When and where did I find this word: I heard this word last Sunday when I was watching TV. I was watching the movie "Employee of the Month" (2008) and heard the term serendipitous and thought that it would be a great word to learn more about.

What the word means: According to dictionary.com (2010), serendipity is a noun that means discovering something by accident or often refers to good luck and good fortune. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/serendipity+

My level of Familiarity: I first heard the term serendipity when I saw a movie with the title "Serendipity." The whole movie was about time travel. I was very young at the time I saw the movie and don't think I ever put the title and message of the movie together to understand the term serendipity. I did not have much understanding of the word prior to looking it up for my blog. The picture to the side is of the actors from the movie "Serendipity."

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes, this term has been used often in film and TV and thus must be a fairly common word. I like that serendipity can also be a term to describe good luck. I think I should know this word because can use this word to describe events in history that happened by accident.

 

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: Yes, I think that others should know the term well because often times we encounter situations that accidentally happen and can be described by the term serendipity.

14.3 Prima Ballerina

When and Where did I Find this Word:  I heard this word today with my boyfriends mother who during the Nutcracker by the RPO kept commenting on how beautiful the prima ballerina was. I have heard the term many times but had always just assumed that I knew the meaning of the word. I decided to look up the word to see if I knew the exact meaning.

What does the word mean: According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010) the term prima ballerina is a noun and is the lead ballerina in a ballet company. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prima+ballerina?show=0&t=1290992359

My familiarity with the word: I thought that the prima ballerina was the head or lead dancer, but after seeing the Nutcracker today and the many lead dancers, I was confused if I had a correct understanding of the term. The picture illustrates one of the many prima ballerinas who are casted in the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker travels through many lands with different ballerinas as the main focus of each dance.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: As a dancer in a dance company, I do think that I should know the term prima ballerina well. Although I am not a ballerina, it will still help me understand other dance companies and dancers roles better.

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: No, If you are not interested in ballet or do not plan on seeing ballets, I do not think that you would need to know this word well. It is more of a specialized term that people who enjoy the fine arts would probably know.

14.2 Flash Mob

When and Where did I Find this Word:  Today I searched in my browser for "new words 2009" and I clicked on the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. I searched through the list of words and was struck by the term "flash mob." Yesterday I was just watching flash mobs on Youtube.com. I was surprised to see that this word was a newly added word to the dictionary. As a dancer, I was so happy to see this word in the dictionary! :-)

What does the word mean: According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010), a flash mob is a noun and "a group of people summoned (as by e-mail or text message) to a designated location at a specified time to perform an indicated action before dispersing." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flash+mob?show=0&t=1290796921

My familiarity with the word: I first came across the term flash mob when one of my facebook friends posted a link to a flash mob at Ohio State on Facebook. I watched the video link and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a group of people dancing. I selected this term because yesterday I watched a flash mob of 50 people freezing in a grocery store for 5 minutes. I wanted to learn more about the specifics of a flash mob and now know that it is an indicated action and can be much more than just dancing.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes,  I should know this well because I would love to create my own flash mob with the dance company that I dance in!

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: Yes, often times random people are caught off guard by flash mobs that start out of no where. I think that this flash mob trend is growing more popular because of internet video sharing websites and I think we will be seeing a lot more of them in the future. Many of these videos have become internet sensations. For a more detailed look at a flash mob, please see the link I have attached. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQLCZOG202k

14.1 Bullycide

When and Where did I Find this Word:  Today I have not experienced any exciting new words because I have been searching for bargains online. In search of an interesting word, I typed "new words to dictionary 2010" into my browser. I clicked on the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and found a list of  entrants for a newly added words contest for 2010. A few words caught my interest such as the word bullyside.  

What does the word mean: The term bullyside is a noun and according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010), the term means "suicide by a victim of bullying." http://www3.merriam-webster.com/opendictionary/newword_display_recent.php

My familiarity with the word: In the bast I have heard of cyber bullying, but the word bullyside is completely new to me. I have heard in the media recently of many young people who have committed suicide because of cruel acts of cyper bullying.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes, as an educator I should be aware of bullyside. Many of my students come to school frustrated or tell me of events that happen outside of school. Students often turn to teachers for help or advice. Teachers and school personnel should be aware of bullyside and how constant threats and torment can be completely devastating and hurt students to the point where they are willing to hurt themselves or others. The picture above shows an example of cyber bullying.

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: Yes, as more people turn to electronic media to communicate, we have seen an increase in the amount of bullying that takes place online. Parents, school personnel, and even children should be made aware of cyber bullying and bullyside to try to prevent such cruel acts from occuring.

13.3 Bamboozle

When and Where did I Find this Word:  While surfing on Dictionary.com, I came across the word of the day section. The word posted for today did not interest me, however Sunday's word, bamboozle caught my interest because it just sounded amusing and fun to say.  

What does the word mean: According to Dictionary.com (2010) (where I found the word), bamboozle is a very that means "to deceive or get the best of someone" or to trick or mystify someone. http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2010/11/21.html

My familiarity with the word: I have heard the word bamboozle used on TV shows, but I was not quiet sure of the meaning. Once I found out the meaning, I do think that the meaning matches well with the obscurity of the word. I bamboozled my brother on April fool's day. The word just seems to fit very well with the idea of pranking or tricking someone.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well: Yes, I think I should know this word well because I like to play practical jokes with my family. Now I can tell my family that I bamboozled them when we play jokes on each other. I have attached a picture of fools gold, which as bamboozled many who thought they found the real thing, gold!

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: Yes, I think this is a fun word that others should now because people often play jokes on each other or are deceived by what we see. This would be a great word for others to use when they watch a magic show or play an April fools joke.