Current Connections

[This assignment has a weight of 3x; it accounts for 1/4 of your grade in class].

Introduction

The ED503 class is divided into learning circles responsible for engaging the whole class in overviews and discussions of current connections to foundational topics and issues in the field of education. On four (4) occasions across the semester, your LC will take on this responsibility. Your LC will have about thirty minutes (~30 minutes) to discuss the work you are doing in this area. The schedule for these discussions can be found by following the LC Schedule tab or under the Calendar tab of the ED503 course website. Assigned readings are also posted on the course Calendar as well as on the Current Connection reading tab.

Classroom Discussion & Essay Procedures

Write a brief essay to synthesize the week’s assigned reading with your selection of a recently published (within the past two years) newspaper or magazine article. (~ 750 words not including the citation of the news article).

  1. Prior to class | Based on in-class learning experiences and engagement with the reading assigned for the week, research and select a related article published in a credible news source within the past two years. (Consider using the databases listed below).
  2. During class | Each LC member will have approximately 10 minutes to:
    • Discuss their current connection article, and
    • Develop the connection(s) of the article to the assigned reading, and
    • Encourage a brief discussion.
  3. Following class | Each LC member writes an essay (~750 words) emphasizing:
    1. Main themes developed in the assigned reading,
    2. How the assigned reading uses evidence, such as lived experience, references, and numerical data,
    3. Political, cultural and/or ideological perspective of the assigned reading,
    4. Connection(s) between the assigned reading and the selected current connection article.

Current Connection BlogPosts are due at midnight on the Friday following classroom discussions.

 Current Connections Assessment Rubric

OhioLink Databases

Newspaper Source This opens a pop-up window to share the URL for this databaseProvides full text for 245 regional U.S. newspapers, eighteen international newspapers, six newswires, and nine newspaper columns, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Los Angeles Times (for a total of 194 full text newspapers and other sources).

Nexis Uni by LexisNexis This opens a pop-up window to share the URL for this databaseAlternative Name(s) & Keywords: LexisNexis AcademicNexis Uni is the new version of LexisNexis Academic. It simplifies the search strategy for a broad array of content:
· print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs
· local, regional, national, and international newspapers with deep archives
· extensive legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790
· business information on more than 80 million U.S. and international companies and more than 75 million executives
Students can save searches to re-run in the future, create alerts on topics, bookmark documents, and create folders online for sharing.