Challenges

Well, this is just silly. This Jing assignment has given me fits. There I go whining again. Couldn't download it at my hotel in Savannah; it gave me a lot of trouble today downloading it. Finally, my sound didn't record. Think I need a new mic... or maybe a new sound card.

Anyway, I know its a week and a half late. Just wanted to do it anyway. For my own satisfaction, and to know I did all the work for the course, if late.

On the positive side, once I got it working, Jing is really neat. I think this may be a tool I continually use. But here goes....

iPod Reflections

Reflections on travel and on media.




See more Audio at TeacherTube.com.

Silly Video... sorry to be frivolous

Inspire - Enthuse - Provoke

Photosharing – Inspire, Enthuse, Provoke?
How can we creatively use photosharing sites to inspire, enthuse our students? For me a no brainer again. As stated in the discussions, I have often wanted my students to create a portfolio of some sort. The feature on Blackboard would not work for what I wanted it to do. I would like students to create a portfolio of their work, their discoveries, and tell us how they accomplished things. It needs to be open so that other students can visit, and it needs to be interactive. Photosharing could be a way to accomplish this.
It could also be used to showcase works of others, suggesting ways to accomplish a certain look or feel. One could put up resource images, that is if I want students to make a poster with certain elements in it, they could be provided there.
Not sure if I will use Photosharing or a blog, probably the latter, but I have game in my course where students add elements to a foundation image and tell a fairy tale that goes with their new element. A blog is far better than the discussion group method, you can see each image as the story grows..
Then I began pondering how I would use it in another course. Perhaps in an anthropology course putting pictures up and having students write stories on them, or research them. Likewise in the environmental course, place powerful images up and have students write about what they see. I recall an instructor once doing this in a Psyche course, putting up an image and having the students write about what they saw… tell a story surrounding the image.

Niche Social Networks.
I like the idea of niche networking. It appeals to me to have a network of like minded people. Whether it is mychurch or couchsurfing, the idea of bringing people together to share ideas makes sense. Around 2004 niche networks came into being.
Care2 is one such network. It was originally designed in mid-2004 to serve activists of all kinds and shapes, but recently focuses more on green living. Visiting the site, it has many green-oriented aspects, from the color combinations to the majority of topics. Looking deeper, you see political messages, an article on civil rights regarding National Coming Out Day, links to Obama speeches, and healthy lving. It serves “and is driven by” passionate people who want to restore the world’s balance.
At the top of the page it boasts 12 million members, 39 billion petition signatures, and 380,000 member blog posts. I think this makes a statement about the people who are interested in this site. Whoops, found new information. It was actually begun in 1998 by Randy Paynter, to make the world a better place. His basic premise was to make it easy for everyone to live a healthy green lifestyle and impact the causes they care about. Beyond that, he realizes that individual actions collectively make a difference. Small changes grow into large shifts across the globe. It begins with being informed, taking small steps to enhance your own life, then moving on to taking action to better the world.
I am not sure if there are other networks like this, but I believe so. I visited another in the course of developing an Environmental Stewardship course for Pacifica Graduate Institute. Wasn’t thinking of social networks at the time… but I think it was one. Ok, found it, http://www.newdream.org/ Certainly it is a community, thus I assume a social network. By the way, there are many neat things about this site, but one os the best is a format for getting rid of junk mail. It works.
Would I consider joining? Already did, prior to writing this. Also went back to New Dream and joined there as well.

Failure is Free… Make Lemonade.
Ahhh… now I am inspired. Steve Hargadon’s comments resonated with my Ning Experience and its lack of success. So much so I may be adding to my discussion group thread as well. Of course, what doesn’t work should be turned to opportunity.
So, I am embarrassed that I have spent the first weeks whining about my Ning site. Of course, I did make changes to it… I did invite this semester’s students to it (last semester I was so discouraged by it that I didn’t bother). I added new content and encouraged others to do the same. Still not much enthusiasm.
Ok. Steve’s comments are great. “You don’t really know what sites will take off or succeed.” Instead of stayed “married” to this site, or the format of this site… I need to change my expectations and purpose. The first thing I thought of when reading this was changing the content. Add tutorials. Do something new and cool. Well, that leaves the content still a little too much “all about me.” Its still “me” adding content, not my fellow collaborators. Thinking of this, I came to Steve’s #2, that content may not be as important as the collaboration. Ahhh…
So the trick here is to engage the participants. Again Steve comes to my rescue. “A network must fulfill some compelling needs.” What are their needs, not mine. Do we want to share tips and trick, do we want to share our successes? What will they get out of visiting the network regularly.
I don’t have the answers yet, working through the ideas presented in this article. But I will add some new content. Invite others to submit their ideas and tips and tricks. See if I can turn my failure into success. I love lemonade.

Not So Sure About Wikis

I found it particularly interesting creating a Wiki this week. I began to conflicted almost immediately. I was writing about an aspect of my work with the Yavapai-Apache Nation. First conflict? Did I really want everyone to be reading it? Community members, ILI (the competition), others I had worked with over time. While this is a thing I am passionate about, did I want to put my passion out there for the world to comment on.
Then, when I got to the history portion, it made more sense for me. My information was thin in areas. In others, it might be good for others to flesh it out. I could add informative content as time went on. In the sites I liked to, were great resources. Oops, I forgot to add the link to “digital storytelling in education”.
I found the film in the assignment section really interesting. It described how the instructor used wikis as a class notes resource. Students could add content from the F2F lectures and everyone had access to the same information. For a more academic course than what I teach, this would b a powerful way to use wikis. The idea of collaborative writing may help to inspire the act of learning… at last among students.
I can see a wiki used more for my Photoshop course, and perhaps I should have begun there. In it could be descriptions of how to do something, FAQs regarding the course and the software (hmm, that just gave me an idea). The best part might be students sharing ideas with each other. In several years of Photoshop, I posted a “game” on the discussion board, where students added content to an image over time, telling a story with it. Perhaps the wiki would be a better place for the game. I think I will do it. I think that learning should be “social” as described by Siemons and Tittenberger. If students can interact and share, they will learn faster. After all, we (instructors) all know that when you teach a thing, that is when you really learn it. It is clear that the need for social contact is important for online course, and any of these tools may contribute to those forms of collaboration. On the other hand, the web itself, online learning, and the inordinate amount of material that exists online has a terrible price in time, for everyone.
No conclusions… and not a very academic discussion.

Making It "Real"

Prescriptive Design Vs. Participatory Design (Constructivist)
This is an easy one for me, partly because of my background, and partly from seeing it in action. I have always been a proponent of Action/Activity/Project based learning. Didn’t know it had a theoretical name such as “constructivism”, I only knew that it worked. But our task is to compare and contrast, so I will begin there.
I will compare to the ADDIE model, one I would have once found pertinent. It is much like strategic planning involving analysis, where you find your target audience and analyze their needs; then design around that research. Next development, putting all the elements of the plan (or curriculum) together to form a cohesive whole. Then implementation where you put it to work, or deliver the instruction. Lastly, test and evaluate. Check the results, see if it works.
This aspect of strategic planning does work. It is a tried and true method of accomplishment. I am sure it works in traditional education as well, and has worked for generations. After all, it is based on knowledge, research and analysis.
Then I learned about project based learning. Working with the previous director of Digital Media Arts in Sedona, I adopted his methodology of giving the students the tools, then setting them about a project, where they would use those tools. Having to use tools, balanced with theory and philosophy “brings home” the learning process. Working on a project that is “real-life,” vs. a textbook exercise forces the learner to see (and use) the learning in a “real” context. One that has “genuine” implications in work and life.
This was not new to me. I am trained in “Applied” anthropology. This is not working with “stones & bones,” nor “exotic” people. Instead it is working with contemporary people to solve modern problems. The idea is to use anthropological theory and training to bring about societal change. Taken a step farther, participatory action research is a component of “Action” anthropology. It has become a significant methodology for intervention, development and change within communities.
Not long ago, I encountered a group of humanities students in a program seated within Depth Psychology. I taught a course in Ecological Stewardship and another in Environmental Economics. Tough courses for students of mythology and the inner psyche. They resented me and the class. Yet, when they realized there was such a thing as “applied” psychology and even “applied” humanities, they began to see the value. Several of them are doing “real” projects and teaching workshops that embody the things they learned in that course. Well… I learned a lot from them as well.
Working in Digital Media, using the tools of technology, I find that projects become more pertinent than ever. I have taught many workshops in Digital Storytelling. Such stories are learning projects in themselves. Doing such a story helps a person in their understanding of self, improves their writing skills, teaches skills such as photo manipulation, video editing, sound production, and more. Students and participants work on an authentic project, taking home a DVD at the end of the day. And that can go farther. Stories from workshops have been used in the Verde River negotiations, one helped in getting Page Springs Road designated as a scenic byway, and in protection of endangered species. At the YA Nation, we use our stories to teach the youth about their elders and of cultural ways.
So, at the end of the day, I think that project embody all the components of the ADDIE model. Any project, digital or handmade incorporates analysis (audience, need, content analysis), design (goals and objectives, content, strategy, interface design), development (authoring, media creating, processing), implementation (promotion, distribution, reporting) and evaluation. What may be lacking in the ADDIE approach are methods to engage, to promote interest. Working with bona fide projects, enthusiasm is built in.

Do's & Don'ts, Rules vs. Opportunities

Weblogg-ed – Our Textbook Author’s Blog
Well, maybe I didn’t dig deep enough, because I got stopped at his very first page: Don’t, Don’t, Don’t vs. Do, Do, Do. I have always been troubled by the secrecy and tightfistedness of institutional networking systems. When I once took a networking course, I realized what it was all about: POWER and CONTROL. Because computers give tools for “security” the rulers of the network are compelled to use them.
But reading his blog made me reflect. My first shock, was teaching a beginning computer class. ITS wanted to remove the games from all computers, especially employees. What better ‘mouse practice’ is there than Solitaire. Then, back to the early days at Sedona Center. As the new lab administrator, I constantly had battles regarding the openness of the network and our ability to use it creatively. In the end, we did win concessions and Sedona remains a “bit” less controlled than the rest of the YC network.
And today, working in a different institutional environment, I find things locked up tighter than ever. True, in the Yavapai-Apache Nation’s networking system there are many things that should be secured, but the limitations affect how I may do my work, which involves research, image acquisition from museums, and many more things. If I were to develop online language learning systems, I would likely not be able to implement them. An image database system, developed painstakingly over the last five years, might not be available to tribal members in our library.
I did dig deeper into our authors blog. Again and again I found notes on filters blocking computers, not only students, but instructors. Google docs blocked, You Tube, blocked, Google images blocked (September, 08). Then others in 2006, 2007. It does seem the institutions are not learning.
Who are learning is us… the instructors. After all we are here, exploring. Ruth fought long and hard to get Second Life approved. And think of the battles we lose. Apple Corp. has fought for technology freedom (hmm a new buzzword here?) for many years. They develop the tools for creativity. They open their arms (and heart) to innovative instruction. They encourage the use of technology in all ways for education. And they often put their money where their mouth is. As an Apple Distinguished Educator, this week I received over $2000. Of software for my own use, of course for educational development.
Want to connect with Apple? Visit http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/. To see what ADEs are doing, visit the link to “Apple Distinguished Educators Showcase” on the lower right menu bar. But with all these advantages, Apple’s favorite teachers still face the institutional mindset and fight their individual battles alone.
And then, what has this to do with a new pedagogy? Well, everything. How can we change with the times and along with the technology unless the pedagogy shifts along with us and it. We are living in a time when change is the “ideal.” We elected a new President because he promised change. Yet, overall, people are afraid of change. “Not in my backyard” is a pervasive stance, even in education. What if I am wrong? Will there be jobs out there for me if I fail? So our educational systems must change… and must take the risks. What have we to lose?

Forgot One...

I Knew I was forgetting one of "my rules" of teaching philosophy. Thanks for reminding me. I believe that learning should be project based, that is learning that is directly usable. If students accomplish something that is "real" and will be "useful" for them beyond the learning process, then they will get far more out of it.

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Philosophy –

Not sure how to express myself here. Like so many community college instructors, I come from my discipline background, and not from an educational one. But, as expressed in my introduction, I am a “Jack of all Trades”: anthropologist, artist, archivist, environmental steward, community involvement. Worse yet, I am addicted to all of those things.

So my philosophy adheres less of the “rules of pedagogy” as it does to “my own rules.” Let’s see if I can express them.

Open and Accessible – There are many ways this can occur… or not occur. By accessible, I mean that every student has the opportunity. This may mean accessibility to a computer, or it may mean getting help when they need it, or it may mean that we design our courses for ultimate understanding. Moreover, I think it means that WE, the instructors, are accessible. I try to be there for them, answering any and all questions, checking email frequently, willing to meet with them, and so on. It also means that my attitude is open and accessible. That I do it willingly and happily. That I work at providing a friendly demeanor from start to finish.

Relationship – In line with my ideas of demeanor, I find myself building relationships with my students. For me, an online course provides a broader opportunity for that relationship. I am closer with my online students than I ever was with F2F classes. Sometimes this is a little scary, I hear about domestic violence, illness, and other problems. Other times it is vastly rewarding, and we stay in contact for a long time. This is one reason for building the Ning site. Thus my students can share the experience for long after the class is over. Have to work harder on that one.

Enriching and Uplifting – Well, its easy with Photoshop, less so with anthropology, and was really difficult with my environmental stewardship course. Photoshop is inspiring, and almost all of my students complete the course, and do great work. Anthropology, and any academic course, especially a required one, it’s more difficult. I found that online discussion groups really worked and we learned a lot from each other. Blogs would be the same. My toughest experience was with the environmental course. The students came to it kicking and screaming. It was added to their curriculum and they were forced to take it, something deviating from their chosen coursework. But the discussions and the required tasks really opened a new area of thought for them. In the end… they loved the experience.

Fun – Most of all, it should be fun. Photoshop is fun. Ruth, Todd and Thatcher know how to make a class fun. This may be one of my highest requirements of myself for my teaching philosophy.

How Sick is This?

Hello yourself.