Wk 4 Reading

The reading his was insightful is a few different ways.  In chapter 9, Ben Zander describes the story where he went to meet the cellist to ask him to play to ask him to play in the concert.  The cellist agreed because Zander went in person to ask therefore avoiding the secretary who claimed the cellist was too busy.  Though technology has changed the way we interact with each other, I think it is still important to do things in person. 

As part of my job as the yearbook adviser, I am responsible for organizing and planning picture day for the entire school.  I work closely with the school photographer to organize the event.  We have to manage where, how, and when to get 3,600 students through five picture lines.  A time saving measure is the use of preprinted sit cards.  The sit cards are given to the teachers to pass out to students.  Students take the card to the photographer who scans that card and takes the photos.  This makes the lines move quickly since it only takes seconds to take the photograph and identify the person.  In order to get the cards printed, I am required to submit a listing of all students in the school by name, grade, teacher, period, and student id.  In past years, I have had the list within an hour after the request is made.  However this year, the district has changed the major computer database for storing student information.  The new system has numerous possibilities but no one on campus is comfortable with the new system yet.  I sent my customary email asking for the list to the attendance secretaries.  After two days, I still had not had a response.  The photographer had been contacting me for the list so my stress level was soaring.  I decided to go down and discuss the list in person.  I spent a few minutes discussing the situation with those in the office.  Those were the most important moments.  I came away from the conversation with a plan and a solid understanding of the situation.  It turns out that no one knew how to make a list using the new system and the office had been swamped with students entering and withdrawing.  I explained why I needed the information and explained what I did with it.  I felt that we had come together to solve a problem.  Taking the time to discuss the situation in person made it possible to see beyond the words written in an email.  So much of communication is body language and voice inflection, in which both get lost through an email message.  I got the list two days later.  Right after the list was sent to my email, I got a call from the one of the secretaries asking if the list was what I needed.  I had the opportunity to thank her and tell her how much I appreciate her work.  I think it sounds better when spoken versus typed. 

I feel that most communication should still be done in person.  Though it may take more time, I think this is important for problem solving and working together as a team.  

Photo by Sheri Brinkerhoff

Wk 3 Peer Comment-Barbara

I love that you included a medallion that is important to you.  When I think about ‘The Way Things Are,’ I think about accepting where you are in life.  It becomes so easy to start thinking about how things should be especially when you are faced with trials in life.  I loathe the powerless feeling I feel about my own life at times.  Sometimes I begin to focus on the past or what I think the future will hold instead of the present.  Maybe this is a defense to avoid focusing too much on the situation at hand.  The challenges in life can tear us down and force us to rebuild ourselves in new ways.    ‘Taking the Road Less Traveled’ is well worth the effort.  That’s where all of the most interesting experiences in life reside.  If everyone took the same road in life, we would not live in such a diverse world.  I wish you luck finding a new career!  It is an adventure but it is also exciting to think about all of the possibilities available.  Completing this degree will open doors for you.  

The Way Things Are.

This is a subject dear to my heart. I bought the medallion above about 2 years ago and carry it with me precisely to remind me of this very idea: always be where I am, and that takes discerning and accepting 'the way things are'. Being mindful is a tough practice whether I am really busy involved with work, or just the opposite, sitting in space, just doing nothing. I have had quite a lot of practice having to accept where I am because I have felt the frustration of powerlessness many times in my life. Like the Serenity Prayer reminds us, it takes awareness and wisdom to understand what we can change and what must accept.

I have had to find this balance most strikingly over the past 5 years. My meddle has been tested to the max by the housing downturn, economy and general drying up of work in my profession, which has resulted in successive job loses and the long list of the other losses that go along with that. I have free fallen, hit the ground, and bounced around. I have given myself time to heal, and tried my best to move forward. Being a student at Full Sail is part of this moving forward, proceeding with the skills and experience I have and hoping to translate them in the new world of education.

The other side of that medallion says, “Take the Road Less Traveled”. This has been my mantra since I was a teenager believe it or not. That idea excited me and propelled me to do untraditional jobs that I have been fairly successful at. This mid-life crisis, thrust upon me by the real world of economics, has been the most difficult time in my life to find the acceptance of “where I am”, and the powerlessness of it has been the most devastating.

Until I found this medallion, I had forgotten how much this idea meant to me so long ago. I realized that "Taking the Road Less Traveled" still holds promise and excitement for me. It means living in possibility, once again. The flip side, “Be where you are”, has helped me connect the difficult times, the dark dots of my life, with those youthful bright dots of idealism, and feel that it was all worth it and still can be. It helps me accept and stay in the here and now. The medallion keeps me aware of the continuum of my life's possibilities, and helps me strengthen the threads connecting up living a whole life in possibility.

Just before I started this post, I was perusing the job openings in higher education that I might be qualified for with my past experience and my new EMDT credential, because, once again, I am unemployed. This afternoon I have an appointment with a career coach to help me re-frame my experience toward this new job market. So today, I will be acting upon and living in the possibilities of a new career, step by step on the road less traveled.

 Link to Barbara's Blog
Image of the Road courtesy of Microsoft Office Clip Art

Wk 2 Reading

Image by Sheri Brinkerhoff

All of the structure and ideals we use to bind ourselves into our lives are invented.  Only looking beyond the proverbial box can help us see beyond our immediate world.  I have often thought about how we create our own world based on our experiences. “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander is one of the most amazing book I have ever read. Unleashing the possibilities within should be the goal of every person.  It really is all invented.  Someone created the ideas we use to guide our lives.  What could we accomplish if we did not know fear?  Assumptions are the biggest hindrance for me in opening up to the realm of possibility.  It is so easy to make a judgment about someone or a situation.   

During the last week, I have focused on trying to stop making assumptions about situations.  I find that when I do this I have an easier time giving someone an ”A.” I have found that I have more patience with people because I try not to make assumptions or judgments about behaviors and actions.  It helps to think about how you are contributing on a daily basis.  I loved that the idea of being a contribution releases one from the cycle of success versus failure.  The chapter where the author describes his class after giving everyone an “A” is very intriguing.  I have toyed with the notion of presenting this idea to my students.  Though I do not think my administration would be receptive to the idea, I like the affect on the students.  It releases them from the cycle of success versus failure and brings them to a place where they can focus on their personal journey.   

An excellent education teaches students how to live beyond the course material.  This class is an excellent example of the concept.  Though the course is titled “Media Asset Creation,” I feel as though I have learned more about how I want to live my life.  Lessons taken from this week’s reading have affected my personal thinking in ways that will extend beyond the course itself.

 

Apple Challenge Based Learning

I am excited to be accepted into the Challenge Based Learning Pilot program through Full Sail University.  After working with the Apple Challenge Based Learning Pilot project during the last few days, I have seem my students take ownership of their projects in a way that I had never thought possible.  It is amazing to hear their ideas.  They came up with things I hadn't though of during planning.  Initially, I had a difficult time planning for open ended responses while making lesson plans.  I felt like every moment had to be planned out.  This is just how I learned to be a teacher.  I had bell to bell teaching embedded in my brain.  This has been a process of letting go of old ideas.  This is a good thing.  My students still have a ways to go before the process is over.  So far this has been a worth while journey.  Here is my challenge video.  I am excited to see where this goes...

ETC_Final Project

Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenarios Plan

For my Emergent Technologies in a Collaborative Culture class, we created a Relevant Innovative Learning Scenario. This is my plan and a video showing how it was implemented into my classroom.

Target Audience: 9-12 grade photography 1 and 2 students. My classes are diverse including students of various grade and ability levels in the same class period.

Materials: cameras, computers with Internet connection, project directions, projector

Objectives: Student will create an Edmodo account with 80% mastery. Student will photograph a given theme with 80% mastery. Student will critique the work of a fellow student using Edmodo with 80% mastery.

Procedure: Students will photograph 20 pictures that represent who they are as a person. The photographs will be saved to the student’s folder on our school server. The student will choose one photograph to upload to Edmodo for critique. Each student must critique two other classmates’ photographs.

Web 2.0 Tool: Edmodo. Edmodo works just like Facebook for the classroom. Students can create posts, upload files, and have discussions. The site is completely private and students only need a group code, user name, and password to register.

Social Participation/Social Learning: Students will collaborate to critique the work of their peers. I hope that students will gain valuable insight into their own work as part of an effort to improve the work of the entire class. Most of my students already enjoy talking about each other’s work. I am hoping some of the quieter students will have another option to express their viewpoints.

Making Connections: Students will use previous knowledge about how the camera works to take new photographs. Since the semester just started, I usually start with something relatively easy to accomplish then build from there. Students will gain new knowledge in critique techniques and contribute to improving the work of fellow classmates. If the site is successful, I can use it for more than just critiques.

Create/Produce: Students are creating a body of photographic work. The Edmodo site will give students the capability to share their work with other photography students.

Reflection: Students will be asked to reflect on the experience through the daily classroom journals. Students will analyze their experience using Edmodo and provide suggestions about what is or is not working.

PE5_Edmodo

My students are going to begin using the social networking site, Edmodo later this week. I have created a group for each class period. One of the best features of Edmodo is the ability to send a message to designated groups. I can type one message and send it to one class or all of my classes simply by designating the group recipient in the send box.

Edmodo also has built in assignment template. You can post assignment directions complete with due dates.

You can also create polls to send to your group. This option would be great for checking understanding through a short quiz.

Teachers have the ability to connect with other teachers through the Connection option. This screen shows a connection I made with a fellow teacher at my school.

My students are going to create their accounts later this week. They will create accounts using the group code. Then they will add profile pictures and upload photographs to be critiqued by fellow classmates. As part of the final project for Emergent Technologies in a Collaborative Culture, I plan to document my students’ journey using Edmodo. If this assignment is well received I plan to use Edmodo for more through out the semester.

BP1_Welcome to my Blog

Welcome to my first blogs posting.  I hope everyone has enjoyed spending extra time with their families over the holiday break.  It feels like I have been eating, sleeping, and socializing continuously for the last couple of weeks.  I have thoroughly enjoyed having the time to spend with my friends and family.  The time off has given me a chance to rejuvenate and reflect in preparation for the coming spring months.   I am excited for the upcoming experiences. 

Though it was nice to have a break, I am anxious to get started again working through this program.  I plan on updating this blog as I continue on my journey.