Page 10 - Sanger Herald 4-4-19 E-edition

Lifestyles
SANGER HERALD • 2B • THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019
Students embrace a virtual world of learning
Sanger
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Christian Gonzalez demonstrated his foray in virtual reality without a pause.
Like creating an avatar and coding a virtual world, actually a number of them, was nothing more than a routine assignment. Like he can relate wholeheartedly to protagonist Wade Owen Watts in Ernest Cline’s future-forecasting novel “Ready Player One,” where Watts lives in a tower of trailers Jenga-style and attends class via headset.
“My topic was radio electro-magnetic infrared waves,” Gonzalez, 13, said with the confident delivery of a grad student explaining a project for a corporate research benefactor.
He revealed his avatar and various data fields — about a mobile phone, microwave radio and more — that fulfilled the requirements of his topic. But then after receiving a confused expression, he explained how the properties of the Merge Cube brought his coded images into the real world view of his tablet. Display Daily writer Len Scrogan said the “intermediating device,” or Merge Cube, brings “a tactile and kinesthetic experience into play.”
Very cutting edge (at least to one who learned
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Christian Gonzalez demonstrates his virtual world and shares his opinion of tech trends.
education specialists named by former Gov. Jerry Brown to California’s Computer Science Strategic Implementation Advisory Panel. The panel’s members were charged with drawing up plans to make sure teachers are prepared, schools have enough resources and the state’s new computer science standards are implemented fairly and effectively, according to EdSource.org.
Miller said what her students learn now will no doubt benefit them as they continue their education and seek jobs as adults. But she said this is just a start and that technology will evolve.
“This will be the Oregon Trail when they go to college,” she said.
Her students said they could envision something like a “Ready Player One” approach to virtual reality in education. Valeria Mercado, 14, created a couple of worlds to illustrate her project centering on Central Valley agriculture.
“It’s really useful,” she said.
Isaac Contreras, 13, agreed. “Ah dude, it’s cool,” he said. “The first time I used it, it wasn’t the best. AsIgotusedtoit,thenit started getting easy.
“A lot more people could use it. It could help them, especially with math. I did a hotel type thing. In the
future, it would be nice to own one.”
Contreras thought big. He built a virtual race track around the property just to see if he could. He also created a more conventional project that focused on the region’s biggest money-making crops. The top for Fresno County was almonds.
Steven Soto, 13, did Kings County crops. He explained why. “I was curious,” he said. “What I’ve seen is milk is the highest value.” He said working with the system and on the app “wasn’t that hard.”
Gonzalez said two nights before the presentation that day, he’d watched “Ready Player One,” which was directed by Steven Spielberg. He said he has a lot of fun working with the virtual reality program and sees the potential. And as for Cline’s futuristic version coming to life, he said, “Yeah, in a couple of years or so. Maybe.”
Then he thought a bit. “I’m pretty sure,” he said.
Could be. Could be. Or to quote Eric Idle from an early Monty Python sketch, “Say no more. Say no more.”
All in good time.
The reporter can be contacted by email at nemethfeatures@gmail.com or by phone at the Herald at (559) 875-2511.
to type on an IBM Selectric) and a little like “Space Jam” without Michael Jordan or Bugs Bunny. Gonzalez’s fellow classmates demonstrated similar efforts with animated avatar-like results on a variety of topics, many including the agricultural industry.
Just another day in Janell Miller’s eighth-grade science, technology, engineering and mathematics class at Washington Academic Middle School.
“I have good kids,” Miller said.
Her class took advantage of a grant Miller received from Ruiz 4 Kids, the
nonprofit affiliated with Dinuba-based Ruiz Food Products Inc. The grant, just $322, was part of the nonprofit’s Mini-Grants for Teachers Program, which Ruiz’s Blanca Santana said provides teachers with money for creative ideas they wish they could provide for their classrooms “if only they could find the money.”
The cash, which is contributed by Ruiz employees, paid for a year-long subscription to an educational app called CoSpaces and other VR-related materials. Miller said it was money well spent, while Santana said, after viewing
students’ projects, “This is the best part of my job.”
“I’ll write another grant application next year to have continued access (to CoSpaces),” Miller said. “My goal is to continue to integrate computer science with whatever, whether it’s plant science, engineering, math.Andwedoalotof programming.”
Miller maintains a list of available jobs in various tech fields on her classroom wall and said she makes sure her students know why learning at the most advanced levels could provide them with a good career.
A year ago, she was one of 12 technology and
Sanger News & Community Calendar
To get an item into the calendar, email details to nemethfeatures@gmail.com or call Mike or Sharon at 559-875-2511.
Sanger Academy Charter’s drama department stages the production of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” at 5 p.m. April 4 and 5 at 2207 Ninth Ave. The first show includes dinner. Tickets for the dinner show are $20 and can be pre- purchased starting March 23 at the school office. Tickets for the second show don’t have to be repurchased and are $3 per person. Details, 559-524-6840.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Community Breakfast is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. April 6 at the American Legion Hall, 1502 O St. Cost is $6. Cub Scout Pack 322 and Boy Scout Pack 322 will assist. The VFW breakfast is usually the first Saturday of the month.
Junior Giants’ signup has begun. The free league is for children 5 to 13. The season extends from June to August and operates with volunteer coaches and team parents. Both are needed. The league now has a softball division. Details, Joaquin Zamora jzamora@ci.sanger.ca.us or 559- 876-6300, option 2.
The 12th annual Plant Give & Take is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon April 6 in Reedley at the First United
Methodist Church parking lot, 1461 11th St. across from the Post Office. The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Community Volunteers Central Valley. This free event is FREE to the public. All types of plants, seeds, bulbs and cuttings for the home garden will be exchanged. Give what you have and take plant. Free. No experience necessary. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer gardening questions. Details, 559-277-2151 or 559-908-1118.
Mid Valley Disposal and the City of Sanger plan community clean-up from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 27 at the Sanger City Yard, 333 North Ave. The event is for residents only. Proof of residency is required by showing a driver’s license or city utility bill. Details, 559-567-0523.
AMVETS plans its fish fry from 5 to 8 p.m. April 5 and 12 at the Eagles hall, 225 J St. Details, George 559-286- 5667.
U.S. Rep. T.J. Cox has invited high school students in California’s 21st Congressional District to submit original works in his 2019 Congressional Art Competition by April 19. Categories include painting, drawing and print. The winner receives a $3,000 scholarship and two round- trip tickets to the national reception in Washington, D.C. Details for submission can be found at cox.house.gov.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church stages “The Passion of the Christ” at 5:30 p.m. April 17 at the corner of North and Bethel avenues. The event, which features live actors, starts at the church hall. Details, 559-875-2025.
A re-enactment of Jesus’ Last Supper will be performed
at 6 p.m. April 18 at Sanger Faith Community Church, 738
PASTOR’S CORNER
West Ave. Details, 559-284-0095.
Proteus Inc. is now offering vocational training to all Sanger students. Training includes EMT, auto mechanic and forestry options as well as tutoring, career guidance and work experience. Details, Linda Galvan 559-891-0135.
The Sanger Eagles’ taco nights are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month. Breakfasts will be from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. every second Saturday of the month. The location is 225 J St. Details, Jim Batten 559- 875-6820 or Denny Noller 559-392-1936.
Abundant Life Ranch, which provides camps and events that give children an up-close experience with horses to boost their confidence and self esteem, plans an Open House County Fair from 4 to 7:30 p.m. April 12 at 21415 E. Weldon Ave. just east of Sanger. Details, 559-787-2752.
Going Beyond Simulcast with Priscilla Shirer is planned from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 13 at the Annadale Baptist Church, 1311 14th St. Cost is $15 and lunch is included. Details, 559-978-1435.
The Sanger Community Task Force meets at 8:30 a.m. May 7 at Sanger Community Center, 730 Recreation Ave.; May 21 at the Wilson Resource Center, 610 Faller Ave.; June 4 at SAM Academy, 750 N St. Details, 559-250-6433.
Sanger Chamber Business After Hours Mixer schedule. Events begin at 5:30 p.m. April 16 at Sanger Library, 1812 Seventh St.; May 21 at Mid Valley Disposal; June 18 Kings River Winery, 4276 S Greenwood Ave.; Aug. 20 Zataris, 1441 Seventh St.; Sept. 17 House of Pendragon, 1849 Industrial Way No. 103. Details, 559-875-4575.
Leading through uncertainties
James Schiro, who was the CEO of Goldman Sachs, Pricewaterhouse and Zurich Financial, died too young (at 68, my age).
Schiro was one of the world leaders in the global financial industry and in investment strategies. One of his quotes on leadership caught my attention.
“People don’t like change, but they can manage change,” he said. “The one thing people can’t handle uncertainty. I think it is the job of leaders to eliminate uncertainty.”
Schiro’s right! Change is uncomfortable. Change forces us to evaluate the way that we have been doing things in our lives and to alter time-honored
behaviors. Change means that the rhythms and habits that we create for our lives, ordered around the activities of our lives, have to be altered.
Humans thrive on good rhythms and routines and habits. We make our habits, and then our habits make us. Most of our life rhythms are functions that our bodies and souls engage in that we don’t think about any more. We just, as the saying goes, “Go through the motions.”
Change means that we need to begin to think and perhaps rethink what we are actually doing. Thinking is hard work. Another leader said, “Leadership is helping people to move through change at a rate they can tolerate.”
As Schiro says, we can manage change. We can
actually say to ourselves, “I’m in the midst of change, change is uncomfortable but things will get more comfortable as we go along.”
A s uncertainties
come, normalcy becomes elusive. When life isn’t normal anymore, we have to come to a “new normal.”
The second part of Schiro’s quote gives us pause to think even more. From a leadership standpoint, this idea makes a lot of sense. Uncertainty in a leadership system is never helpful. When an employee or a person who works in any organization asks himself or herself, “What am I supposed to do? Who do I report to? Is my role important? Does it
make a difference? Why am I doing what I am doing? How will I be evaluated? What will determine my success?”
It’s never a good thing.
A good leader constantly helps to eliminate uncertainties by answering questions up front. A good leader affirms on a daily basis the certainty of these things by clarifying. “This is the specific task, this project is important and crucial, this is where we are going as an organization, this is how
important you are.” Uncertainties might be
eliminated in a system that clarifies a person’s importance. Serving for 45 years as a pastor, I can say that there are uncertainties
that can’t be eliminated. Life is full of uncertainties. A good leader sometimes needs to be honest and say, “I actually don’t know what the future will bring. I am not sure how things will end up. I have studied everything that can be studied, but I honestly don’t know what to do in this
particular situation.” People, I have found, prefer honesty in the face of uncertainty over gossamer laced platitudes. So, in the end, it isn’t the elimination of uncertainty that is called for. It’s the recognition that uncertainty exists and the leader will be with them through the thick and the
thin of things.
Jesus said it this way,
“Behold, I will be with you, even until the end of the age.” Jesus didn’t say that we would understand
all facets of life or of our changes or of our futures. Jesus didn’t say we would understand the uncertainties of our lives. He said, “I will be with you, through all of life’s uncertainties.”
This is the ministry of presence. Ninety-two percent of success is just showing up and being present. For me, that is why Jesus is someone I can be certain of. Adapted from Graham Baird — 2014
Pastor Sam Estes is city advance director and facilitates the Sanger Community Task Force that meets the first and third Tuesdays every month. He can be reached at pastorsam@ communitiesinc.org.
Pastor Sam Estes