Vince Lin

10/07/2023

EDUC 8215

Dr. Sarah Groski

CBLP Final Reflection

For this project, I made two connections: first, by connecting the project with the

community’s needs and helping 1199c organize their resources and present them to get attention

and get more funding; and second, by connecting the project with what I learned from this class

to gain new perspectives through engaging in community-based work. I mentioned at the

beginning of the semester that the biggest challenge for District 1199c is a lack of funding, and

that caused some problems. One problem is that the resources are not centered, and students and

staff couldn’t fully use those resources. So we came up with the idea to create a resource center

for all the members of District 1199c, and hopefully in the future they can use it when they are in

need. Another reason for us to create these resources is to hopefully get the authorities’ attention

so that District 1199c can get more funding. So far, I have accomplished most of my part,

including the Uber and Zoom tutorial, uploading lesson plans and slides, and modeling questions

in language learning and life Q&A pages. I will develop some additional resources and help

some team members with technical issues in the future, for example, where to insert a video in a

Google Doc. Our team has made great efforts too; most of the team members are working on the

rest of the parts, and they are able to ask questions to each other when they run into trouble. I

hope our effort can bring some attention to the struggle that District 1199c has and possibly raise

awareness of the lack of funding.

community-based project by connecting what we learned from the class. First, I started learning

all kinds of theory in the class through different lectures and reflection, but never down to earth

to get to know the struggle that a community faces, until I started working in District 1199c,

getting to know the students and staff, teaching students while learning about their problems. I

realized that community work requires empathy and responsibility. All of my students are

immigrants, and some of them are refugees. Because of the language and culture, their daily lives

become more difficult. I have a student who came to me and shared her struggle when she tried

to get a business license, but her English limited her action; she had to ask for some help with

translating and some paper work. I can feel her frustration because the first time I went to a

hospital in the U.S., my English wasn’t good enough to support me in explaining my symptoms.

Situations like this could happen a lot in our classes, and I tried my best to help my students

solve their problems. I am not only an English teacher but also a member of this community. I

want to be responsible for my students by asking for follow-ups and seeing what I can do for

them. During this process, I learned how to apply the theory from my class to my teaching, for

example, lesson planning skills, prepare students for reading by pull out their previous

knowledge or include more visuals in the slides, etc. And in the future, I will keep working hard

to help my students, both in life and in academia.

Reflect on my work on generating some sample questions for life Q&A support resources

on both life and language learning pages on Google Docs, as well as developing tutorials for

Zoom and Uber under the digital literacy resources and uploading some slides and lesson plans

under the language resources. Starting with developing comprehensive digital literacy resources

for Zoom and Uber, it would have required technical know-how and an awareness of user
experience to create tutorials that explain complex functionality for a wide range of students.

First,I recognized the main places where students would require help and comprehended the

capabilities and functionalities of Uber and Zoom. For example, on the Zoom page, I highlighted

some common features that we used often in our class, like name changing, reactions, and

joining the breakroom; on the Uber page, I added some features that students asked for a lot, like

adding payment and adding stops. Then, I designed the Google Doc. Technical writing, artistic

design, and instructional preparation are all combined. For students to easily read the document,

I put the article and tutorial video link in the front, and whenever students want to read the

article or watch the tutorial video, they have access to them. Then I highlighted the common

function on the following page and wrote the instructions step by step with pictures for them to

clearly see the instructions. Last, to ensure the content's efficacy and correctness, I asked my

peers to give me feedback on these two pages, and I revised the first draft based on their

feedback.

Furthermore, my work under language resources, which includes lesson plans and slides,

demonstrates an emphasis on instructional content and calls for pedagogical expertise and

knowledge of language learning approaches. During my lesson planning and creating slides, a lot

of English teaching knowledge was applied to the process. For example, I learned about

strategies to teach pragmatics and interaction. I included the discourse completion task, which

consists of a written response space and a scenario. I utilized the DCT to pose the question,

"Your kid is going to high school next year; what are some suggestions that you can give her to

help her do better in school?" while I taught giving advice. I felt that this was a particularly

interesting topic because it allows students to think about how to make suggestions in a specific

situation and connects to their real-life experiences. Students practiced the prescribed skills and
showed a high level of engagement. However, I also had some challenges when I created the

materials. For example, to learn how to organize and upload resources efficiently on Google

Docs while ensuring they are easily accessible and navigable for users, I included multimedia in

the Google Doc, so I had a hard time brainstorming ideas to keep the document organized.

Another challenge is managing access, and assigning viewing, commenting, and editing rights

can be difficult, particularly when working with large teams or outside partners. Data breaches or

unauthorized alterations could result from incorrect permissions. So I established clear rules for

who should have access and at what level.

and request that 1199c employees evaluate and update these policies on a regular basis in light of

shifting roles and project requirements.

The evaluation and improvement of the current digital literacy and language resources is

a top goal for the team leading the resource center project in the upcoming semester. Since many

of the students come from different backgrounds—many of them are international—digital

literacy materials should be understandable to novices while also being beneficial to more

experienced users. This entails keeping lessons for necessary apps like WhatsApp and Zoom up-

to-date and making sure they are easy to understand and visually appealing. Maintain a tiered

structure for language materials that accommodates different levels of ability, ranging from

advanced cultural topics to basic email writing. Maintaining the support folders' active

administration while making sure the language and life questions' Q&A parts are helpful and up-

to-date.

For the team in the next semester, a thorough and dynamic strategy is necessary for the

team that will be working on establishing the resource center the following semester. Digital

resources and language-learning materials should be added to the resource folder on a regular
basis. When it comes to digital literacy, concentrate on developing or finding beginner-to-

advanced tutorials for fundamental programs such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Google Maps. They

should also pay particular attention to accommodating kids who are not as tech-savvy. For

clarity, these resources should include videos and pictorial explanations and be easily available.

Provide a variety of resources in the language department that are suited to different levels of

ability, from simple email writing advice to sophisticated literary classics. This entails utilizing

applications such as ESL Bits or Libby and integrating culturally appropriate material to

encourage ties between students and their communities.

Improving real-time help and information sharing will be made possible in large part by

the support folder. Under the life and language topics, keep up with and frequently update two

Google Docs that resemble Q&A. To foster a collaborative environment where information and

experiences may be shared, encourage staff and students to participate fully. Frequently check

these pages to make sure that questions are answered promptly, particularly regarding important

subjects like language difficulties and job searching. Keeping the information current and

relevant requires the team to concentrate on both creating new resources and upgrading those

that already exist. This will enable the resource center to function as a dynamic platform that

promotes community support and ongoing learning, in addition to acting as a repository of

information.

The five of us broke up the project work so that we could make use of our individual

strengths as language teachers. Kalonji is responsible for developing Microsoft Office materials

as well as language resources with visual assistance, audio support, and basic vocabulary, with

an emphasis on the beginner level. As they work with students at the intermediate level, Cathy

and Yujiao will create resources with a more intricate vocabulary that includes idiomatic
expressions and antonyms. In addition, there are the Q&A, Gmail, Pearson E-textbook, Google

Doc, and WhatsApp sections. As the people in charge of the intermediate-to-advanced level,

Anne and I try to find resources that encourage reflective learning and critical thinking.

Resources for digital literacy include the Q&A sections, Google Maps, Zoom, Uber, and the

Online Dictionary. When working on this project, we experienced challenges when it came to

our differences in the standards of quality work. After we settled down with each other’s parts,.

We started discussing our opinions on how to organize the folder and documents. We couldn't

agree on anything. Some suggested that we just use Google Docs or establish Google folders for

every website or program. After everyone had their opinions, it was up to the rest of us to

determine whether or not they were trustworthy and feasible; if they were unclear and doable, we

would raise issues and work through them. There are moments when the negotiating process

causes uncertainty and dissatisfaction. It might be difficult to consider how to politely offer

counsel or raise issues with our peers, and it typically takes time to accomplish this. We could all

sense your frustration and work together to find a solution. So we finally settled on a template for

our resources that, for digital literacy resources, we would put an overview of how to use these

websites or apps, then we would highlight some commonly used features and create detailed

steps with pictures. And for language learning resource folders, we would create two folders for

slides and lesson plans for teachers to use. Lastly, the Q&A pages would include guidance and

sample questions for both staff and students to use. After we united the formality of the

resources, everybody had a clear idea of how we could better organize our work and keep it on

the same page.

This project offers District 1199c useful resources as well as worthwhile learning

opportunities in resource management and community involvement for me. Our team created a
practical and dynamic resource center by overcoming challenges, including quality standards and

a variety of needs. My future career will greatly benefit from this experience, which has taught

me the value of flexibility and teamwork. These are important abilities in every professional

situation. The ability to understand diverse perspectives and create accessible resources are

competencies that will enhance my effectiveness in any future role, particularly in fields

requiring community interaction and educational development.