Latest / Integrate This! Ed Tech Podcast / Straight Outta Compton: Student Ingenuity, Collaboration & Opportunity with Jose Gonzalez

Transcript

Straight Outta Compton: Student Ingenuity, Collaboration & Opportunity with Jose Gonzalez · Integrate This! Ed Tech Podcast

0:00
Hey, welcome to the Integrate This EdTech podcast.
0:03
I'm David Berner, joined by co -host Jeremy Mikla.
0:06
And we have with us a special guest today, Jose
0:09
Gonzalez. Jose is a 21st century learning specialist
0:14
at Compton Unified School District in Compton,
0:17
California. And I actually got put on to Jose's
0:20
work through talking with George Valenzuela.
0:24
And we were actually all at ISTE and I... Jeremy
0:27
and I met with George there, but we didn't actually
0:30
get to meet you in person at ISTE, unfortunately.
0:33
And you were doing a lot of cool stuff there
0:35
with your students and things like that. So Jose,
0:38
welcome to the show and we're happy to have you.
0:42
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And
0:44
I'm a fan of Jorge as well. He's done amazing
0:47
work. Jose, could you start us off a little bit
0:52
about just your story? I know we were going to
0:55
get into all the the amazing work of the students
0:58
that they've done and your work with them and
1:01
uh, but can you take us before Compton and Davis
1:05
and where you're at now like everything that
1:07
kind of led up to where you're at today Sure.
1:10
Well, i'm originally from cuba. I was born in
1:13
cuba and then so i'm kind of a late starter I
1:16
wasn't I didn't really get into education to
1:18
a later age and um, I started as a spanish teacher
1:22
actually I was gonna be um I had these dreams
1:26
of being in a university, and I was going to
1:29
teach comparative literature. And I had a minor
1:32
in Spanish, and so I got called into Compton.
1:34
It was a position to teach Spanish. And part
1:37
of I had a side gig that I would build gaming
1:40
systems for friends. And I thought after a couple
1:45
of years in the classroom, I was thinking of
1:46
going into administration. And a couple of things
1:50
happened that really changed my life. One, I
1:53
met this organization called Jen Yes, and their
1:58
philosophy was focusing on student voice and
2:01
student choice, having students becoming part
2:04
of the learning process. And I was so impressed
2:07
with that, I started tech teams at school. And
2:10
we were doing your typical things that student
2:13
tech teams would do, and then we would get into
2:16
more of activism and having the kids think about
2:19
issues that are happening in the community. And
2:22
the second big thing for me was Verizon. Verizon
2:25
has an innovative schools grant where they come
2:27
in and they provide iPads for all the school.
2:30
And I had applied for the position and that really
2:33
changed my perspective. I learned so much about
2:36
teaching, about using iPads technology. And I
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spent about five years at my previous school
2:41
doing that. And here at my current school where
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I'm at at Davis, there's a huge Verizon lab.
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Maybe I can just show you a quick. a picture
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of this lab that they built. And with this lab,
2:56
imagine walking for someone who's into tech into
2:59
a candy store where they have 3D printers and
3:02
AR, VR. And it was just amazing. And that really
3:06
opened up our world, that the kids were just
3:09
exposed to so much technology, the training,
3:11
the support. And that really, I guess, is what
3:16
brought me to here. Awesome and we were talking
3:20
about this a little bit before we started recording
3:23
but the You kind of said got to like Compton
3:26
gets a bad rap a little bit, right? like the
3:29
thing obviously the big the things that go wrong
3:32
there bad things that happen and It may be overshadows
3:36
some of the things that are being done that are
3:38
really incredible like like your work there So
3:40
how has your experience been teaching in Compton
3:44
and what drives you to teach? Part is that I
3:48
came from communities like the kids that I teach.
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Though I grew up in different ones, right? I
3:55
was in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, and then
3:58
California. And so for me, empowering kids that
4:03
are normally underrepresented has been a wonderful
4:08
experience. That's where my passion has been.
4:12
And my kids face all these challenges. And like
4:18
flowers that, you know, they grow to concrete,
4:21
they're striving, they're surviving. And to me,
4:24
it's just been a miracle. And then and then giving
4:27
that opportunity where they're creating, they're
4:29
being known for their works, for their activism.
4:32
It's just been a blessing for me. Yeah, Jose,
4:36
one of the things that you mentioned with I think
4:38
it was the Gen Yes project that you just mentioned
4:40
here was, you know, it really allows for. students
4:44
even to look out into the community and see what
4:49
is out there and, you know, recognizing things
4:52
that maybe issues that might need to be addressed
4:55
or concerns that they have or problems that they
4:58
see. And to me, this kind of is a little bit
5:01
of a window into getting going with project -based
5:05
learning, which is I think the basis of much
5:08
of your work that you do, which, you know, it
5:12
sometimes gets a bad rap, I think, overall. But
5:16
what's been your experience, you know, getting
5:19
kids involved in that project based learning
5:21
experience and how are you able to make it work
5:24
so well? Well, I think one of the wonderful things
5:27
about project based learning, it connects what
5:30
it creates an engaging environment, an environment
5:33
where kids are allowed to learn from their mistakes.
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So for us, normalizing failure was one of the
5:39
first things, right? Just like in real life,
5:41
we learned from our eras. And it provides engaging
5:44
opportunities where kids are connected to outside
5:47
issues. They get a chance to bring in those outside
5:49
real world issues. And the kids find that they
5:52
have a voice, that they have opinions that count.
5:56
And so, for example, one of the first projects
5:59
we work on is sustainability. We take a walk
6:02
around the neighborhood. And for the first time,
6:04
the kids are looking with the eyes of what is
6:07
sustainable, what's not sustainable. Why do we
6:10
have so many check cashing places? Where's the
6:13
green areas? Why don't we have solar panels as
6:16
compared to other neighborhoods? And they get
6:19
a chance to develop solution for that. My kids
6:22
have worked on a homeless project, building a
6:26
prototype or building prefab homes. And so it's
6:32
been... Like I said, just seeing the work that
6:36
the kids do is amazing. I think one of the most
6:40
common objections that I hear when teachers are
6:43
bringing up project -based learning, at least
6:45
from their perspective, is that It doesn't really
6:49
they feel that it doesn't do enough to cover
6:51
the standards that they've been told that they
6:53
need to teach. But in your experience, is there
6:56
a way to weave those in? And especially, I think
6:59
what happens is, you know, like you mentioned,
7:02
you know, where students get that voice and choice
7:04
that that then leads to them being engaged in
7:07
their learning process. I think it comes with
7:10
planning. I think if you're if the standards
7:13
are already integrated in the lesson plan. and
7:16
they're touched upon as the kids are either researching,
7:20
they're developing their ideas, they're brainstorming,
7:22
they're using the design process, they come up
7:24
with the prototype that they're trying to develop.
7:27
I think it's very academic. One of the first
7:30
things that I emphasize in the classroom is that
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the kids have to be articulate. They have to
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be able to describe to any visitor that we come
7:38
in the classroom, what are they working on? What
7:41
do they know about this project? So it's not
7:43
only just STEM. They're learning how to present,
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they're learning how to communicate. One of the
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great benefits of project -based learning is
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the collaboration component. They're learning
7:53
to work together and that involves a lot of communication,
7:57
learning the vocabulary and what they're working
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on. And it becomes multidisciplinary at that
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point as well. By all means, for sure. Whether
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they're, again, they're researching on sustainable
8:09
materials or they're using a technology to solder
8:14
printed circuit or the learning about electricity
8:18
or circuits or using AI or they're using a Virtual
8:22
reality it's all integrated and they're learning
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about the history of whatever there's researching
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as well What do you think a teacher needs to
8:30
change in their perspective towards assessment
8:32
when dealing with project -based learning? I
8:36
Think the assessment what better assessment in
8:41
the final product that the kids have produced
8:43
Right? Because they become very knowledgeable
8:45
in the process of researching it, developing,
8:49
going back to the drawing board to recalibrate
8:52
that prototype. And beyond that, it's something
8:57
that beyond any standardized test that they're
9:01
going to remember years on. I think those memories
9:03
are going to stay as opposed to some quiz or
9:06
test that I gave them to do. There's just there's
9:09
like so much learning that happens in the in
9:12
the process right that the product really Becomes
9:15
just that final point where they get to celebrate
9:17
all of the learning that they did to get to that
9:19
point They're learning about timelines. They're
9:22
learning about constructs right there what? What
9:27
type of materials am I limit to? What what's
9:30
my next plans? How do I take? an idea and make
9:36
it into reality How do I draw that? How do I
9:41
integrate it with the other ideas in the group?
9:48
And Jose, can you talk a little bit about that?
9:51
The projects that they're creating, the things
9:53
that they're doing, there's been opportunities
9:57
that are available through things like the Infi
10:01
Makers Award that you actually were named. an
10:06
award winner in 2024. And can you talk about
10:10
how that has helped provide opportunities for
10:14
your classroom? One, I was honored when I found
10:20
out. The prize money that I received, I was able
10:27
to use that. I'm pretty efficient, self -funded,
10:33
for so many of the prizes that we win. and so
10:37
we were able to buy more supplies. I was able
10:41
to take kids on trips that they normally wouldn't
10:43
have the opportunity to go to. For example, I
10:47
mentioned we had built an ROV and we had a chance
10:50
to take the kids out for hours on a boat to test
10:54
their prototype in off the Channel Islands. I
10:57
mean, those are opportunities that the kids don't
10:59
normally get, right? They see in other schools
11:03
to go on trips. to build, right now I'm looking
11:08
at building can satellites. So I'm using those
11:11
funds that I have to be able to divide materials
11:16
that we normally wouldn't have access to. And
11:20
how do you feel like that has gone in terms of
11:24
with the kids, like when they get those opportunities
11:27
that they're not able to see? like every day.
11:31
What what has that experience been like when
11:32
they have you got to see them test those things
11:35
out like the prototypes or the ocean vessels
11:37
and things like that? Yeah, well, just see the
11:41
lights turn on, right? I get a little emotional.
11:52
Yeah. Talking about my kids. Yeah. To see the
12:04
lights turn on, to see the kids outside the classroom
12:09
engaged, to see those aha moments when they take
12:13
in something theoretical, right? What's the displacement
12:18
of water? How does propulsion work? And then
12:21
to see it actually work in person, right? What
12:24
happens when I started all my connections? print
12:28
and solder that printed board and it actually
12:31
works or or or having the present and the panel
12:35
of experts and they have the answers because
12:39
they've researched and and they're able to articulate
12:43
what they know from their research and seeing
12:45
that prototype that they spend you know three
12:48
and four months working on coming staying after
12:51
school every day coming on Saturdays If we're
12:53
working with Brazil or India, that's 15 hours.
12:56
Sometimes they're coming at five and six o 'clock
12:58
in the morning. And so the engagement component
13:02
is what really is amazing. And I think one thing
13:06
that project based learning really does because.
13:09
It's addressing those authentic environmental,
13:13
social and community issues, and the kids are
13:16
engaged and they come and and, you know, and
13:18
you see the academics rise because the kids are
13:21
here. They want to come and they want to learn.
13:24
Yeah, do you feel like they You've seen a lot
13:27
of them taking on like just naturally taking
13:31
on Troubleshooting and things like that because
13:33
obviously so much of this is around solving solving
13:36
problems, right? There's exactly you know, like
13:39
the Ocean best vessels the aquaponics systems
13:43
the regenerative ocean farms those type of things
13:46
And we'll get into this space stuff too. But
13:49
what have you seen just in their ability to troubleshoot
13:51
things? Yeah, in my classroom, I present them
13:55
with problems. You know, many of my kids, and
14:00
how they're connected, for example, when we did
14:02
the ocean sustainability project. When I, you
14:07
know, the first things I do is I'm teaching them
14:08
about the different things that affect the Great
14:10
Pacific Garbage Patch, microplastics that are
14:13
in the ocean. Many of my kids are from Mexico,
14:16
Central America. I tell them about ceviche. They
14:18
eat, you know, the raw fish that's cooked with
14:20
the lime juice, right? And I said, well, there's
14:22
plastics in your ceviche. That sparks their attention.
14:26
Well, those are my family that's eating that,
14:28
or that's us that's feeding that. And so they
14:33
begin that process. They begin to say, what solutions?
14:38
What can we find to this? How can we deal with
14:40
that solution? Well, one group of kids made a
14:46
drone that would skim the water and pick up loose
14:49
plastic. in the Great Pacific Garbage Factory,
14:52
for example. Simple solutions like that, that
14:54
comes out of conversation. Because we're having,
14:57
the other thing is we're having conversation
14:58
in the room. I'm not saying, hey guys, you know,
15:02
find a solution for microplastics. We, they spent
15:04
a few weeks investigating, looking at articles.
15:10
We're discussing the issues. I'm giving them
15:12
in video. I'm feeding them in different, different,
15:16
what do I call it? Different bites, I guess.
15:20
So they're seeing it in different ways. By the
15:23
time those two weeks are done, they become pretty
15:27
much many experts on on the solution they're
15:31
trying to solve or the problem. Yeah, and that
15:36
that actually leads me into the my next question,
15:38
which is just what have you seen it do for their
15:43
their confidence? So like with a they they gather
15:46
information, they're learning about these issues,
15:49
they're coming up with solutions to problems
15:51
and then presenting that, right? So then what
15:54
have you seen it do for their confidence in themselves
15:57
as they talk about these topics? One of the things
16:00
that I find, and I'm not sure if that's indicative
16:04
in our community here, but I find that sometimes
16:06
my kids are really shy. You know, they come in
16:10
and they're quiet. Imagine me, the teachers tell
16:12
them, hey, you guys got to make noise. in the
16:14
class because my classrooms tend to be messy
16:18
and noisy because, you know, you're working,
16:20
you're cutting, you're drilling, and everyone's
16:23
discussing how to do this and that. And so we
16:29
spend a lot of time. And because we have a lot
16:32
of visitors, I'm always constantly getting visitors.
16:35
And I tell the kids at any time anyone's going
16:37
to come in the room, they're going to ask you,
16:39
what are you working on? And you're going to
16:41
have to be able to articulate that because I
16:43
can't. It's your project. You know more about
16:46
the project than I do. And so we spend a lot
16:51
of time then presenting in class, creating a
16:53
safe environment for them. They're learning different
16:55
ways to present. They're learning their technique.
16:58
They're honing their skills. So I see that confidence.
17:02
I had a couple of girls who would cry when they
17:06
got up in front of the classroom. And seeing
17:09
them in front of Fox News, they're just... sharing
17:14
what they know. To me, it's amazing. And I had
17:18
one girl who had a, she was, she had hearing
17:22
challenges and to see her just overcome some
17:29
of those disabilities she has and really sprout.
17:32
That's another. amazing not only the stem the
17:35
academic but on a personal level seeing the kids
17:38
getting the confidence to be able to speak and
17:40
and having them when I sometimes a little bit
17:43
uncomfortable speaking in front of the public
17:45
and here they're standing in front of two or
17:47
three hundred people and presenting on stage
17:50
yeah and you've not only been able to do that
17:54
with your kids in in Compton in California but
17:58
You've been able to take groups of students outside
18:00
the state, you know, and broaden their worldly
18:04
experiences a little bit too, including about
18:09
a year ago, maybe last summer even, getting a
18:12
chance to take a group of students to Hawaii
18:15
to participate in an educational technology conference
18:19
out there. What was it like to bring a group
18:22
of middle school, junior high age kids to Hawaii?
18:41
So Hawaii, like many of the trips that we've
18:44
taken, the first thing which is really wonderful
18:50
as a teacher outside the classroom is that, you
18:52
know, seeing the kids, some of them for the first
18:54
time, they might be on a plane, or the first
18:58
time they're away from home, or the first time
19:01
that they stay in a hotel, you know, so it's...
19:07
It's wonderful to get a chance to experience
19:09
that with them. And also the kids, to get a chance
19:12
to see them, you know, act like kids. It was
19:16
funny when we were in Hawaii, we had a small
19:20
debate because I was trying to get them to the
19:22
beach at Waikiki. You know, they said, guys,
19:24
when are you going to get a chance to go to the
19:26
beach? They wanted to go to the cat cafe. And
19:31
that's the cat cafe. Come on, guys, we have a
19:35
beach here. It makes sense because for our kids,
19:40
the beach is only 30 minutes away. But it's like
19:44
going to another country. So they don't normally
19:47
go to the beach. So the trips are wonderful,
19:53
especially Hawaii, to see them be themselves
19:57
and see them in another environment. And then
20:01
again, we've had issues where The projects are
20:07
mailed and they're a disaster when we receive
20:09
them even after I have marked them, you know
20:14
per student project fragile handle with care
20:16
the boat project looked like the Titanic when
20:20
we got it in Hawaii and In Denver we were in
20:24
Denver. We had a truck and the truck was completely
20:27
destroyed and the kids open up the box and they
20:30
were all crying and they were arguing and it
20:33
took them, let's go get some ice cream. Let's
20:35
go take a break and then come back. You know,
20:37
we spent about eight hours working on the truck.
20:41
In Hawaii, we had the same issue and they were
20:45
kind of expecting because we had the same thing
20:47
in Denver and Nitsi. And so what was nice is
20:51
that they were disappointed, but they got the
20:55
work. My hotel room was a mess. We had epoxy
21:00
and hot glue guns and glue, and they got to work
21:04
on it and we were able to present the next day.
21:08
So the day before, we spent three or four hours
21:10
working on the ship. In Hawaii, they had come
21:13
up with a prototype of an aquaponics ship. We
21:16
have an aquaponics system in our room. And so
21:19
each year, the kids have taken aquaponics. Last
21:22
year, they put it on a mansion on a diesel truck
21:25
and feeding the world. This time, they envisioned
21:28
putting it on a recycled shipping container vessel.
21:32
And so, they had built it. It was four feet long,
21:36
and we overnighted it. And then, so when we got
21:39
it, like I said, it looked like the tannic, the
21:41
file, and everything was crushed. And they spent
21:44
at least three or four hours working on it. But
21:47
seeing them put this thing together, and they
21:49
were working together, you know, just like in
21:51
the classroom. They collaborated together, working
21:54
together. Hot glue, the epoxy was all over the
21:58
place. We had to find something to clean it up.
22:02
And they were there. They were fresh the next
22:05
day. And I was so proud of them that, again,
22:09
another thing about project -based learning,
22:10
right? You're going to face just like in real
22:12
life adversity and block sometimes in what you're
22:18
trying to create. And yet, they were able to
22:21
overcome that. And they were like champions.
22:25
I shared with the audience what had happened
22:27
and I was proud of them, but to them, you know,
22:30
just that resiliency in a way to present and
22:35
articulate everything else. And then we explored,
22:37
we explored the island. We had a chance to go
22:39
to Polynesian Center. They learned a lot about
22:41
Hawaiian culture. I was moved because as an islander
22:45
myself, I was born in Cuba. My father had mentioned
22:49
breadfruit, but I had never tasted it before.
22:53
part of the Polynesian cultural center. They
22:56
had a Samoan village and they had some bread
22:59
fruits. It was an emotional experience for me
23:02
thinking about my father. But again, just seeing
23:07
the kids, being kids, but also many experts and
23:13
knowing about what they had studied and presented
23:16
and being able to present it was amazing. Do
23:19
you think the kids really get the gravity that
23:23
they are these experts, you know, and that they
23:27
deserve the recognition that they're getting?
23:29
Or does that just kind of pass them by? It passes
23:33
them by. You know, I see them like they've been
23:36
on TV three or four times. I am nervous. I'm
23:40
a hot mess. And they're just. You know, like
23:44
they got out of bed and OK, we got to do this.
23:48
I said, you guys have been on TV. All right.
23:50
You know, it's like, yeah, I think I think maybe
23:56
because they've been used to it is not a surprise
23:59
anymore. But yeah, I'm again always amazed their
24:07
composure and then now while they do. And I had
24:10
one girl again, a couple of not just girls, but
24:13
some of my guys too are very shy and seeing them
24:16
start and by the end of the class or maybe. towards
24:20
the end they're confident and able to present
24:23
a little bit better right it they can show they
24:26
can flip the switch between hey i've got to turn
24:28
it on and i'm going to be the expert and i'm
24:30
going to talk to the audience and show off how
24:35
knowledgeable and how passionate that i feel
24:37
about my my project but then there's still kids
24:41
and well what's for lunch or you know like Yeah.
24:46
Oh, hey, you know, like this game is going to
24:48
be on TV. Are we ready to watch it? You know,
24:50
like all of these other things that are part
24:52
of their normal life, they don't realize, you
24:54
know, and maybe one day they will write when
24:57
they write when they are adults or they have
25:01
their own kids and they can look back at the
25:03
experiences that they have. And they say, I hope
25:06
my kids have a teacher like Mr. Gonzalez. Well,
25:11
thank you. You know, I. It's a blessing for me
25:17
to be part of everything. I have learned so much
25:20
about the kids, about life, my own self. I mean,
25:23
it's an experience. And I think all educators
25:27
have similar experiences in their daily lives,
25:31
what they're doing in the classroom. Jose, I
25:35
want to talk a little bit about the experience
25:38
at ISTE as well. And so there's a there's a couple
25:42
things going on there because you have the different
25:45
projects that students were doing and then there
25:47
was the Spacecraft project and that was actually
25:51
done in coordination with a school or students
25:55
in Brazil. Yes, right And so can you talk first
26:00
about how that spacecraft project? Got started
26:05
and so just take us as listeners like through
26:08
Where does something like that start with your
26:11
students and then bringing in the collaboration
26:13
with the other school students and then working
26:17
together to piece that project together? So the
26:22
Brazilians we had worked on with them before,
26:25
we had done an evapotranspiration toilet project,
26:29
sanitation system, which I had no clue what evapotranspiration
26:32
until they came and invited me. And so we were
26:37
in a contest with the world's best school contest.
26:42
And the Brazilians, we were in the top 10 category
26:45
in the innovation category. And the Brazilians
26:47
had reached out to me, their teacher, an amazing
26:50
teacher, Enrique Lima, in his Colegio Militar
26:54
de Manaus, Brazil. And they're right on the Amazon
26:56
River close by. And he had invited me first on
27:00
the evapotranspiration. I thought about him.
27:02
He was so I thought, you know, these are guys
27:05
who were competing against and yet, you know,
27:08
just to reach out and the kind of person he is
27:11
and his kids are amazing as well. And so I had
27:16
shown the kids that project hyperbaron, which
27:19
was a million dollar project that they were doing
27:22
with engineers and and and on the outside world.
27:26
And we have been exploring what we've done. What
27:29
else can we do? with hydroponics, with aquaponics.
27:34
We put it on the truck, we put it on the ship.
27:37
Well, let's take it to space. And so the kids
27:41
started looking at the project Hyperbaron. That
27:44
was a generational ship. You know, we don't have
27:47
that kind of expertise. So we had the kids scale
27:50
it down. What could we do? And so we were looking
27:54
at, they started looking at nuclear propulsion.
27:57
and that we could get the Mars, I mean, the Saturn
28:00
in less time, I'm sorry, Jupiter's moon, Jupiter,
28:04
in less time. And so they decided, they just
28:08
started one, they had their group, one person
28:11
looking at the nuclear propulsion systems, they
28:16
were looking at how does the spaceship work?
28:19
What are the different components, the sleeping
28:20
components? They had to look at the hazards of
28:23
space travel. So I had them look at the radiation
28:27
and working together in clothes for so long.
28:32
I told them, you guys complain when you're in
28:33
a room sometimes if you're in clothes. Imagine
28:35
with your brothers and sisters. And so they started
28:38
researching all these. I would bring the materials.
28:41
We would look at online. I would try to sometimes
28:44
I'd bring experts in as well. We had brought
28:47
experts on biology and marine biology. And so
28:52
When I reached out to Brazilians and I said,
28:54
hey, we're doing a mission to Jupiter, Europa,
29:02
would you be interested? And they said, yeah.
29:05
And so he talked with his students. He said,
29:07
well, we're working on a system for sanitation
29:11
that will remove toxins from the water based
29:14
on the water lettuce, a plant that's found in
29:17
the Amazon. And we thought that would be great.
29:19
We have an aquaponic system, but we also need
29:22
to find a way to keep the drinking water and
29:26
the water for the fish and everything else. And
29:30
so they also said that we needed for doing repairs
29:32
that the fibers of the plants you could create
29:35
polymers from. My background is not in science.
29:38
I am not an engineer or a chemical engineer.
29:43
Professor Enrique Lima is. And so... We started,
29:50
the kids were meeting, we're meeting once a month
29:52
on Zoom. There are three hour differences, so
29:55
the kids are coming at seven in the morning for
29:57
this time. And we started sharing, I had the
30:00
kids on Duolingo learning Portuguese, bon dia,
30:05
I guess about as much as I can remember. And
30:08
so they were practicing, bon dia, and... my mind
30:14
is all the other terms, but they were learning
30:16
Portuguese. And then between Enrique and I, we
30:19
put them on a chat that we monitored and had
30:22
the kids, the kids were being kids, right? What
30:24
do you guys eat? What kind of music you like?
30:27
What do you do after school? What kind of games
30:29
do you like to play? And forming that relationship
30:32
with the kids. And so that took us through, and
30:37
like I said, they were coming in, staying at
30:39
the school in the mornings when we were talking
30:41
with the Brazilians, We're seeing where the progress
30:44
was. And then and on Saturdays we spent three
30:48
or four months. And and that's how I know the
30:51
kids are committed. The other thing I forgot
30:53
to mention that the kids that work on this project,
30:56
the way it works here for the eighth grade, they
30:59
can't really have a class with me. They have
31:01
to take algebra so they can only come from the
31:04
algebra class two times a week. They don't get
31:07
a grade from me. They get a grade from the algebra
31:09
teacher. So they come with me. It's not for a
31:12
grade. And so the kids were that committed that
31:16
they would show up here and stay after school
31:18
and work on this project, not for any grade,
31:22
but just to work. And perhaps maybe we were going
31:25
to go to Etsy. We weren't even sure. So that
31:30
to me, just again, I think the power of what
31:35
project -based learning creates. and the kids
31:40
are so connected to what they're working on,
31:43
that they wanna work on, regardless if they're
31:45
gonna get a grade or not. And do you feel like
31:48
the communication for that has really become
31:51
easier for you? Like, obviously, like it's, and
31:54
we could certainly talk about the technologies
31:56
that are available, but your ability to be able
32:01
to connect with your students, with other students
32:04
in Brazil. There's a lot of factors that go into
32:07
that right? It's not just like the connecting
32:09
as you mentioned It's like well they had to use
32:11
dual lingo to actually be able to talk to each
32:13
other and translate and that kind of thing or
32:16
it right so Do you feel like that's gotten? Easier
32:20
to do as you've done this process Yes, and you
32:23
know, just a disclaimer the kids didn't talk,
32:26
you know, they weren't fluent They did two or
32:28
three two or three little words. Actually the
32:30
Brazilians were fluent in English better than
32:32
my kids were in Portuguese so but they practice
32:36
the little words and but I think because the
32:40
kids have already have been used to working with
32:42
other schools and again, you talked about oh
32:50
You know, it's like oh well You know, so we talk
32:53
with the kids from India, we talk to the kids
32:54
from Brazil. I said, you guys are talking to
32:56
kids from another side of the world. I would
32:59
be excited when I, all right, you know, kids
33:03
are kids, right? I guess they don't really see
33:05
the magnitude of what they're doing into later
33:07
life. Yeah, and so speaking of magnitude this
33:12
so they they did present that ISTE and so you
33:15
talk a little bit about That that time there
33:18
and Jeremy and I were there as well as I mean,
33:20
yes Didn't get a chance to see it So can you
33:23
give us a little picture of how that went and
33:25
also like those that did interact with the kids
33:28
and learned about their project What was the
33:30
impact there? Oh, yeah and interesting. We had
33:33
two teachers from Brazil not from the school
33:37
that we were working with, but they had come
33:38
and we had told them that we were working with
33:40
the Colegio Militar. Yes, and again, just being
33:48
so proud of them and again, that they knew what
33:53
they knew. They had spent so much time in researching
33:57
this and practicing and knowing throughout how
34:01
everything worked. that they were so comfortable
34:04
that they could explain it. And I was a little
34:07
bit nervous. There was a teacher there who had
34:09
them for about five to 10 minutes, asking them
34:11
questions. And she came back to me and said,
34:14
yeah, your kids know their stuff. And I said,
34:17
well, thank you. It's not from anything I've
34:20
done. It's that they have taken the time to,
34:22
they want to be prepared and they've researched
34:26
and they thoroughly know what they know. And
34:29
I think the other thing is that My role has changed
34:33
in all this as well. I'm not a traditional teacher.
34:38
I'm not the sage on the stage. When you're working
34:44
in project -based learning, you're more like
34:46
a project facilitator, and the kids have permission
34:52
to correct me at any time, and many of the times
34:55
they have. I'm an old guy. It takes me two hours
34:58
what they learn in 15 minutes. And so if I'm
35:03
saying, well, you're coding this one is no, Mr.
35:05
G, that's it goes this way. But why don't you
35:07
come up and teach the class? And that's another
35:10
thing that we normalize in the classroom. I send
35:13
kids to other classrooms to teach a microbe.
35:16
It's how to code. They've gone to sixth grade
35:18
and taught that whole classroom. So the kids,
35:24
when they teach, of course, they have to know
35:28
their stuff. And so the whole environment is
35:36
a collaboration between us, between me and them,
35:40
between them and Brazil, them and the world.
35:44
And that's how ideas are flowing in the classroom
35:47
constantly. Yeah. And that's a idea that is very
35:52
foreign to a lot of schools and classrooms where,
35:56
but as you mentioned, really allowing space for
36:00
students to be the experts in a different capacity.
36:04
Like if they know something and like you said,
36:07
you don't know it, come to the front of the classroom
36:10
and teach it and it gives them the keys. And
36:13
I think that that obviously builds confidence
36:16
for them too, right? Because then they're. And
36:20
it's. Is that something that you have done for
36:23
a long time or is that? Fairly new. No, I think
36:27
at least seven or eight years, I think, as I
36:31
learned in project -based learning. And also
36:35
the other thing, too, is when I, because I also
36:37
train teachers as well, that they take risk.
36:41
And I think if the kids know that you're human,
36:45
you know, that you're capable of making mistakes,
36:48
I think they accept themselves more as well,
36:51
right? So... and the interaction is different,
36:56
right? I don't have, it takes, of course you
37:01
have to prepare yourself, but I think it also
37:03
takes some of that anxiety and stress of the
37:06
teacher because you see that you're a part of
37:09
the machine that you're, you're not, you know,
37:12
you're not, again, you're not the sage on the
37:14
stage. You're actually a component that you're
37:16
helping teachers. And I bring my knowledge as
37:18
well, right? The knowledge that I have been also.
37:21
I happen to be a model builder. So I spend 200
37:24
crazy hours building Star Trek vessels that have
37:28
Arduino, and they light up, and they have all
37:30
these lights, and they talk, and everything else.
37:34
I have more things to do in my life than spending
37:37
200 hours on a Star Trek model. So I bring those
37:41
skills, and I show them, how do you connect fiber
37:43
optics? How do you solder wires? How do you do
37:46
micro? when you do micro lighting and get effects
37:51
with the rocket, right, that you're gonna show
37:54
the picture of. So I bring in soldering, you
37:59
know, those are skills that I miss those, that
38:02
I think that we removed, right? The soldering,
38:06
woodworking. My kids are with drills and with
38:09
saws. They're learning to use those tools again
38:12
and working with their hands, which I'm part
38:15
of those both worlds. I tend to, you know, poetry
38:18
and literature and intellectual things, but I
38:20
also like to work with my hands. And that's,
38:22
I find that another thing I think that engages
38:25
the kids that there is not a lot abstract, they're
38:28
taking those abstract ideas and actually working
38:30
with their hands and building something with
38:32
it. Dan, I want to also touch on another thing
38:36
here too with your session at ISTE that you did.
38:39
Because obviously like you you're you've been
38:42
doing this for a while. You're very comfortable
38:43
You have probably a good routine and you know
38:46
how to work with the kids on these things But
38:48
your session at ISTE the AI plus PBL designing
38:52
STEAM projects that drive student success That
38:55
one was walking educators through how to do something
38:58
similar and you did it through having them look
39:01
at real student projects and that so With with
39:04
that how did what was it like working with teachers
39:06
during that session? to show them how they could
39:10
use AI with their curriculum standards to do
39:14
similar things. I think it's walking them through
39:17
the steps, you know, in the whole lesson, the
39:21
lesson planning process, how you integrate the
39:23
standards into the lesson, creating your timelines,
39:28
right? Being open about and giving kids choice.
39:34
There's different ways the choice can become
39:36
available, right? You can have Topics you can
39:39
bring topics and then have the kids pick from
39:41
those topics or you can have a blanket An idea
39:45
and have them select from there So there's different
39:48
ways that teachers can feel comfortable with
39:50
that as well And I think and you can incorporate
39:54
all the teaching strategies that we that you're
39:56
using right the collaboration Working with partners
40:00
think fair share all the basic strategies that
40:04
we use in teaching are the same things that I'm
40:07
using in the classroom. The only difference is
40:10
that I'm part of the, what is it, the clog in
40:17
the wheel, I guess. It's more integrated than
40:21
me just speaking up on top. So it's communication
40:24
that we're all sharing. Jose, this is, this is
40:28
definitely not something, you know, you said
40:31
you've been working on it for seven, eight years,
40:32
you know, it didn't just, it's not a thing that
40:35
just happened overnight. So if you were to give
40:37
advice to teachers considering changing their
40:40
mindset towards this or changing the, you know,
40:43
their approach to how they're operating their
40:46
classroom to the environment that you just described
40:48
here, what are two or three things that you had
40:52
to experience that kind of led you to like, hey,
40:57
you need to do this first before the rest of
40:59
it can be possible. Well, I think you need to
41:03
familiarize yourself with project based learning,
41:05
right? You need to read up in the materials to
41:07
make sure that you're well versed in it. Take
41:10
risk. I think, you know, I always tell my new
41:12
teachers, it doesn't matter if you don't know
41:15
everything. Take the risk. Normalizing failure.
41:19
One of the things I think that we see a lot in
41:22
education is that The kids have been taught,
41:24
I have to make this test. I have to score right
41:27
on the quiz. I have to. And when you change that
41:31
mindset and you normalize that, it's OK to fail.
41:35
Even the teacher can fail and make a mistake
41:38
as well. Mr. Gonzalez, that wasn't the right
41:43
code. And the step back and leave your ego, it
41:47
was intimidating. to not always have all the
41:52
answers, especially when we were working with
41:54
new technology, emerging technology, that I wasn't
41:57
completely familiar with, whether it was virtual
42:00
reality or many of the coding, that of course
42:04
I had training, but I was still in that state.
42:08
And I think allow yourself to be human, allow
42:13
yourself. One example on the learning from your
42:17
mistake. One of my girls was making a Hyperloop
42:23
and we're getting a battery to a copper wire
42:26
that would actually put a battery with a magnet
42:27
and it flows through, you know, it actually by
42:30
magnetic force. She had worked on that wire for
42:34
hours and she was frustrated. She threw it and
42:38
come back and said, go take a break. Come back.
42:41
And then we realized the wire that we were using.
42:45
Needed to be a nun a wire with that was did not
42:48
have a finish on it Mm -hmm, so we learned from
42:51
something that we had learned why it wasn't the
42:53
video we saw it works on the video Why isn't
42:55
it working for us? It was a pure copper wire
42:58
that didn't have that and then she learned also
43:01
in the way that she made the rotations of the
43:04
wire That that helped also in allowing the battery
43:07
to travel a lot easier than not so there's a
43:10
lot of things that we didn't know and She could
43:15
have, we could have probably looked it up in
43:16
a book and everything else and probably, but
43:18
I think that whole learning process was a great
43:23
example for her because that's something she's
43:27
always, she's going to come back and remember
43:29
that, you know, I made the mistake, but I held
43:33
on with it and I continued on. And I know how
43:37
many rotations I need to make that wire to make
43:39
it work. What kind of wire, what kind of band,
43:41
everything else. That's something she might remember
43:44
in her 50s and come back and think about it.
43:48
It's been really amazing listening to all of
43:51
the different things that you've done with your
43:53
students over the last several years. But what's
43:56
something that's coming up? Is there a next big
44:00
project? Is there another goal that students
44:03
are working towards? Because by the time we're
44:06
recording this, it's still relatively close to
44:09
the beginning of the school year, right? So there's
44:12
there's still a lot of learning left to take
44:13
place. What's on the on the agenda for that?
44:17
I get crazy ideas. OK. And and so sometimes they
44:22
work, sometimes they don't. So. Can satellites?
44:28
Satellites the size of a can. And and and so
44:32
I was looking at some kids. I want to reach out
44:35
to people who launched those weather balloons.
44:38
And also reaching out to Brazil, if we could
44:41
find a way that we could monitor the Amazon with
44:45
components that we can put in those canned satellite
44:48
and launch them. And so that's one area that
44:51
I'm thinking about. I don't know if we can make
44:55
this happen. I don't even know how to make a
44:58
canned satellite. So we're gonna have to do some
44:59
research on it. The other one is the kids, we
45:04
applied for a conference in Hawaii. And this
45:08
time, I'm collaborating with three schools in
45:10
Compton. And each of us are tackling an issue
45:13
that affected Hawaii. And my kids are working
45:18
on creating prefab home because we know there's
45:21
housing issues in Hawaii. And the kids are looking
45:24
at making prefab homes from sustainable bamboo
45:28
and coconut. They started doing preliminary researching
45:33
and looking up information on that. And so...
45:37
The other crew, one of them was looking at the
45:39
currents and how they affect coral reefs. And
45:44
I can't recall what the other crew is doing right
45:46
now. Again, I'm becoming an old man and I'm forgetting
45:49
things. We're not holding you to anything. So
45:53
that's what we're working on now. And hopefully
45:56
we'll find out tomorrow if we get. And then,
45:59
of course, our school board. So that's kind of
46:03
the direction that and I'm trying to see if it's
46:07
doable with the Ken satellites. Well, and if
46:12
you go to Hawaii again, you know you have to
46:14
take David and I with you, right? Let's go. Come
46:16
on. Ready to go. I won't take you to the cat
46:20
cafe. Cat cafe? Yeah. All right. Well, Jose,
46:28
thank you for. all the insights into the stuff
46:31
that you're doing amazing work. We want to get
46:33
into our lightning round with you. And these
46:36
are questions Jeremy and I go back and forth.
46:38
And we basically you have the floor on each one.
46:42
So they could be a one word response or they
46:45
could be as long as you want. So I'm going to
46:50
start things off here. And what was one of the
46:53
best moments from the Hawaii trip that had nothing
46:56
to do with the conference or presenting itself?
47:00
Oh, the kids were on a catamaran, and we had
47:06
a chance to take them on. First time they were
47:10
on the catamaran. Amazing. And of course, dear
47:13
teacher was seasick and had to stand in the middle
47:15
with his eyes on the horizon, but they were eating
47:18
chips and having a blast in the front. Yeah,
47:20
that was wonderful. What's one word that a Davis
47:24
student would use to describe your class? I would
47:30
say fun, engaging, fun, engaging, innovative.
47:36
I think at the kid's level, the first would be
47:40
fun. All right. What is your favorite current
47:48
book, show or movie? Oh, Project Hail Mary. I
47:56
just saw that a couple of months ago. I thought
47:57
that was a well -made movie. I'm a science fiction
48:00
fan, as you can imagine. I think I've seen that
48:04
movie twice so far, once on a plane and once
48:07
with my son, but absolutely. In fact, I just
48:11
saw this picture from some social media thing,
48:16
but it was the back of a car. It had this sticker
48:18
that said, this car powered by astrophage. And
48:22
I'm like, I got to find that sticker and put
48:24
that on my kid's car because he'd go for it.
48:31
Describe Compton in one sentence. Alive, Compton,
48:43
yeah. There's a lot of things going on in our
48:47
district. Yeah, we have a lot of stuff going
48:49
on, which is wonderful, wonderful stuff. What
48:54
is your favorite place to go in Compton? Just
48:57
for whatever reason you want. You know, when
49:01
for me is when we're walking around the neighborhood
49:04
and the kids eyes spark one because for the first
49:07
time they have been walking that neighborhood
49:09
for seven, 12 years that they get a chance. Oh,
49:15
that's there. And they hadn't seen it before.
49:18
Two different eyes now. All right. And we got
49:22
one last one here for you. David and I are putting
49:24
on a conference and it's tomorrow and you're
49:28
going to be our keynote speaker. and we want
49:30
to to have like that walk up song that is going
49:33
to play as you come across that stage to to get
49:36
the crowd ready for for your message. What's
49:39
that song going to be? We actually have a team
49:42
song. Oh, what one love is the Bob Marley song.
49:48
Let's get together. Be all right. What does that
49:51
mean? Yeah, one. I think you're the first person
49:54
to actually sing that. in your response, which
49:59
is cool. The kids, that was our team song. We
50:02
would sing it in the hallway when we came back
50:05
from successful trips or whatever. Cool. Well,
50:08
we actually, these songs that we collect from
50:11
our guests, we put them in our Integrate This
50:13
playlist for people to listen to. So one love,
50:16
your team song will be added to our playlist.
50:19
Oh, thank you. I'm going to have to let the kids,
50:22
when you guys come out, please, so I can show
50:24
them that there's songs out there. Yeah, sounds
50:28
good. Well, we want to thank you again for just
50:32
taking the time to have this conversation with
50:34
us and share all the amazing work that you're
50:37
doing with the students at Compton Unified. And
50:40
we really appreciate it. And I think it will
50:43
inspire other educators to do similar things
50:46
in their districts. So is there anything that
50:48
you want to plug that you have coming up or that
50:52
you have coming up with the students? I know
50:53
you mentioned potentially the Hawaii event or
50:58
where people can follow you or see the work that
51:01
the students are doing. What's the best way to
51:02
do that? I think I can I share my email. Is that
51:05
fine? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So J. N. Gonzalez
51:09
at Compton that K -12 that C .A. that U .S. I
51:14
would love to work with, you know, collaborate
51:17
with the school. I mean, we'd be fun to do more
51:21
schools in the U .S. and work together. I think
51:24
that those intercultural exchanges with the kids
51:28
are just amazing. And if our guests want to check
51:34
out the projects that the students did too, we
51:36
are able to share the document of the photos
51:39
and the project descriptions with them, right?
51:42
Yes, for sure. OK, great. Well, we'll have everything
51:45
in the show notes for the student to highlight
51:47
the students projects and we'll make sure that
51:49
your email is in there as well. And Jose, thanks
51:52
again. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah,
51:55
thank you so much. I appreciate it.