Generation Global Students’ Self Reflection Paragraphs on the video conference Wednesday, February 28th, 2018.
Katherine Lopez said, “This was our first video conference and we took steps to prepare for the event. We spoke about the importance of knowing the difference between discussion, debate and dialogue. We also discussed the importance of respecting each other’s views. In the sense that not everything said by the other students would sit well based on values, beliefs and morals. We would have to set our emotions aside in order to conduct an intellectual conversation. During the actual video conference with students from Cranford Community College in Hounslow, London, England we spoke about the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s legacy and how it has impacted us, our community and the way we view things. In all honesty, it went well.”
Fatiha Boujia had this to say, “When I first started the class we learned about differences between discussion, debate and dialogue. To prepare ourselves to have a dialogue with each other, we did research on Hounslow, London, England and its demographics. We also researched what life in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s was like since we were reading King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” I think the video conference was a great experience because it allowed us to talk to people from a different part of the world and we don’t always get the opportunity to do so in an academic setting. It also allowed us to ask questions about the country and not just look at what the media shows and says.”
Elliot Yeates’ comment was, “Over the course of a few weeks, a small group of selected students were chosen to participate in a Generation Global Elective class in which the culminating activity was a video conference with students from another part of the globe. For our first video conference, we met and dialogued with students from a high school in Hounslow, London, England. During the weeks leading up to the event, we prepared for the online meeting by exploring respectful dialogue and how it is used as well as doing thorough research on the main topic. During our class time, we engaged in educated dialogue with each other and crafted a list of questions that we would ask the students at Cranford Community College.”
Necoll Brea’s reflection was this, “This was our first time doing a video conference so we took the time to prepare ourselves a couple of weeks before the event. We did things such as reading Martin Luther King’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’, we also created a list of questions to ask the students of Cranford Community College relating to Dr. King and his legacy, in addition, we dialogued and completed worksheet activities regarding respecting the opinions and views of others. This was a learning experience for me because for our next video conference, I will ask more questions, be more vocal and to just loosen up a little bit. Other than that, I am willing to give video conferencing another try.”