Week 4 Stickam Group Discussion Reply to George McAllister II

Week 4--Stickam session


Our 4th week collaborative group session was (both) fruitful and insightful. Aside from the initial frustration regarding navigability (I was the last person of my group to be seen within my “Stickam”-video box), Stickam for video along with Skype for audio provides a completely engaging / interactive learning environment. We covered the four areas of creative commons licensing as well as affirmed the related symbology so that we might be apprised of both what to look for and how to properly ascribe sources when utilizing creative commons-related works. Additionally, we had an open-floor discussion about our 2nd text, The Art of Possibility (Zander, R. & Zander, B., 2000) and how it may possibly coincide, cross-reference, resonate with some of the ideas espoused in “The Secret” ideology, in general, and “The Science behind the Secret” class-uploaded video, in particular. As regards the text, we detailed varying interpretations concerning the notion of giving one an A (Zander R. & Zander, B, 2000). We talked about what this notion meant to us, personally, and how it may configure within a particular learning environment. As an additional thought concerning this notion, I think that the notion of giving one an “A” could be a particularly beneficial check point for an educator because it gives one a fairly reliable measuring tool for what a student might have “really” grasped (conceptionally). Similar to the freedoms granted with creative commons interactivity, a student (already having received their “A”) can solely focus on creativity, content, and substance--from a relatively more relaxed posture--instead of the “learning / teaching-for-the-test” mentality that, I believe, plagues many a classroom environment. Finally, we confirmed our navigation points as we discussed what ideas, thoughts, behaviors might beneficially carry us through to the next month’s course and beyond.


Sources:


photo image, George J McAllister II


Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility. New York: Penguin Books.


Youtube video: The Science Behind the Secret, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRhk5_4xOa8 retrieved on 7/30/2009


Friday, July 31, 2009

1 Comment Manage Comments for this Entry
Deb Quinn
I really enjoyed last night's class, I wish that we had more time to collaborate and to discuss the ideas presented in the class. Sometimes I feel like I am bursting at the seams, needing to discuss and share thoughts that come up during the readings and the videos that we view in isolation. Maybe someday we will have the time to get back to some of these topics and discuss them more in-depth. I agree with your thoughts regarding the idea of giving an A, and think that RaShida's idea of having the students describe what constitutes and A s a terrific idea! I have truly appreciated all of your interjections and ideas over the past month, thank you for sharing!
Friday, July 31, 2009 - 01:29 PM

Week 4 Just a Snipit of What I have Learned This Month!

GoAnimate.com: What Did I Learn This Month? by dquinn2000


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Part 2

The copyright lessons that I have learned through this class and from Creative Commons will be priceless when creating my final media project for EMDTMS. In the past I haven't thought too much about copyright laws because I haven't published work of my own, and with my student's projects it hasn't been much of a concern because of the "use" of the material (educational purposes), and the amount of content used was minimal. Now I think about everything that I would like to use and when in doubt I will not use it. But, I am now an educated user and I am very aware of Fair Use practices and very thankful for the Creative Commons solutions with copyright and attributions guidelines. I am also very thankful for having had the time this month to explore the tutorials offered and to gain a deeper understanding of the applications that I already have. I now know which applications I do not want to use for my final media project and the ones that I do.
I will be preparing a lesson and collaborating with our Media Specialist for the upcoming school year to teach my students about copyright laws and fair use. They are never too young to learn to recognize and respect the work of others.

Week 4 Reading

"Are we going to celebrate this moment or "survive" this moment? Our choice."
"Awaken Possibility in other people." (Zander, 2002)
"I Dwell in Possibility" by Emily Dickenson

Words to live by!
This is going to be an exciting new school year! I am filled with "Possibility"!

Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2002). The art of possibility: Transforming professional and personal life. New York: Penguin Books.

Image Credit:
photo by Deb Quinn

Week 4 Stickam Site

My experience with Stickam so far has made me feel like I have really been out of the loop. The first time I logged on and went live, I was propositioned immediately! (I won’t repeat it!) But what amazed me were all of the young people and I mean young teens that were using this as a social network. Every parent needs to check this out, as a parent myself I know that I have heard about social networking, but checking this out first hand was a whole different story. The only way to truly be informed is to become proactive, my fifth grade students just laugh when they see an adult fumble over a computer because they themselves are so adept at it. We need to channel their knowledge of these technologies to integrate them in engaging ways into the curricula.

Image credit:
Creative Commons by Tariq

Week 4 Reply to Emily & RaShida

Week 4: Reading... Being a Contribution

"What difference can saving a few of them possibly make?" Smiling, she bends down and once more tosses a starfish out over the water, saying serenely, "It certainly makes a difference to this one." (p. 55)

My senior year in high school I attended a leadership retreat, complete with ice breakers, a ropes course and a long line-up of motivational speakers. It was there that I first heard the inspiring anecdote that opened this chapter and first began to ponder the idea of "contribution." Participating in that leadership class was one of the first opportunities I had to collaborate with my peers, each of us offering a unique combination of ourselves to reach common goals.

In The Art of Possibility, Zander and Zander describe a "contribution" as the power to make a difference and the ability to reserve judgement on whether one's offering is good, bad, right, wrong or indifferent. It is the realization that our presence and intention is an immeasurable gift. There is no way of quantifying one's contribution as it means different things to different people at different times.

Entering the EMDT program, I again found myself pondering the idea of contribution. I was weary, being one of the few non-teachers in the bunch, that I would have little to offer my classmates and that I would drown in the wake of their varied classroom experience.

What do I bring to the table?

With each passing month, I become more aware of our unique personal journeys. Over time and through our continued interaction, I appreciate that we are all here for different reasons... relying on different strengths... building on different weaknesses... and reaching for different goals. My contribution is sincere and is reflected in the relationships I've built with each of my classmates - in counsel, in collaboration and in camaraderie.

Sources:
Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2002). The art of possibility: Transforming professional and personal life. New York: Penguin Books.

2 comments:

RRoberts said...

Quote: "There is no way of quantifying one's contribution as it means different things to different people at different times."

If I could only stop quantifying my own contributions. In life we tend to measure ourselves against what we've "invented" as Zander says. This is definitely one area I will have to build upon. Erasing the engrained towers that have cultivated my psyche for ages upon time. The feeling that brews in my belly is one of defeat and I must not let it remain, remembering it's all invented.
July 29, 2009 2:32 AM
Deb Quinn said...

Quote: "There is no way of quantifying one's contribution as it means different things to different people at different times."

What an interesting quote, it makes one stop and ponder its deeper meaning. Why is it that we are always questioning ourselves? I don’t mean to say that it is a bad thing, because it can be very valuable, especially when we are reflecting. As I am reading Emily and RaShida’s posts I only wish that they could step outside of themselves and see and appreciate all of the contributions that they have made to every class and classmate throughout this program. I don’t think that we will fully be able to appreciate the collaboration and camaraderie that has taken place over the past 9 months until the dust clears in October! This entire program has truly been a group effort, I really had no idea what I was in for, but the realization like Emily said becomes clearer with each passing month.
July 29, 2009 9:00 PM
Image credit:
photo taken by Deb Quinn

Week 4 Favicon tutorial

Okay, here is my favicon, but...the problem lies in adding it to my template. I watched two different tutorials and followed directions from blogger help, to no avail. I have spent way too much time on this and need to get back to work on thesis. I will get back to it when I have a clear head.

Week 3 iPhoto Tutorial

I have spent a majority of my tutorial time this month exploring applications that I already have on my computer. This extra time exploring my current applications was very valuable because I have discovered new ways to incorporate what I already have into my curriculum. The editing tools in iPhoto especially the Adjust pallet helps to enhance or to save photos that were not of good quality. This is especially important when dealing with limited time in the classroom setting, because you can edit photos to be used in a variety of assignments, such as digital story telling, slideshows, timelines, and iMovies just to name a few.

Image Credit:
Photo taken by Deb Quinn

Week 3 Reply to Professor Bustillos

Very funny video, but did you notice he said that his district dropped a macbook on him so that he could support a school-site that runs macs only and he didn’t know what to do with the thing. It’s all meant to be fun and games, but his “tech answer looking for problems” set-up brought up a whole host of memories from my thirteen-years as a public school teacher who at times was the site tech coordinator and sat on endless tech committees. I mean, who drops a foreign OS on a support technician and then says, okay you’re in charge of supporting this school site (plus all of the other sites he’s already supporting)? It’s been my observation that unless you begin with adequate tech support (as in training the tech support to handle the machines and potential volume of support requests), then you’re wasting your money in the initial technology investment. Not too many businesses could get away with that for very long.

Week 3 Comment on Todd Saperstien Post

tsaperstein said...

Debb, I love that video also. Being a college level graphic design instructor I get to see the long term effects of this issue first hand. The students in my program have chosen creativity for a living, yet they have lost the ability to think creatively. When I give the a blank canvas they look like deer in headlights. It's almost cult like, they need to be deprogramed before the can move forward. Maybe that's why I love my job so much. My goal is not just to teach them about graphic design, but to enrich their lives for ever and put the power of creativity back in their hands. When I see that light go back on it's like magic. There is no feeling in the world like it.

Great post, I can feel the love. I got your back Debb, you are not alone and I am not one for backing down.

Hey Todd,
You have the best job! You inspire your students to be creative and that it is OKAY to take risks. I would love to know what they are producing when you set them loose. I love to watch my 4 year old grandson color and play with play dough, and to just pretend! He makes up songs and some of the pictures that he has colored have won contests, because he is "allowed" to color his pictures how ever "he" chooses! They are amazing, his sunsets are filled with an array of colors. Keep doing what you do! It is more valuable than you know.

Week 3 Ron Smith interview interactive Q&A

1. Who is Ron Smith?

Answer:
Ron Smith is the lead teacher in the New Media Academy from the Hollywood High School in Hollywood, California.

2. What is the goal of the New Media Academy?

Answer:
The goal of the New Media Academy is to get students into the entertainment business.

3. How does this program help students obtain the goal of working in the entertainment field?

Answer:
The program helps the students by putting them into internships and mentorships to get them on a career path.

4. What avenues are students using to express their creativity?

Answer:
Students are using a combination of flash animation and video to express themselves.

5. What are some of the tools a teacher can use to engage their students?

Answer:
Teachers can use music, video, websites as well as listening to what they are interested in and using it in the classroom.

6. How are many of the teachers using technology in their classrooms?

Answer:
Many teachers today are still using powerpoint, and wordprocessing tools.

7. When a teacher is ready to use digital media in their classroom what advice would you give them to get them started?

Answer:
Preparation is the key for teachers using technology, they must prepare their lessons way ahead of time and have a back up plan.

8. What is some of the cutting edge technology that teachers are using today.

Answer:
One application that is free is called Scratch there is another application called Sketch up through Google.

9. What is one way that you could use Google Earth in the classroom?

Answer:
Google Earth can be used as a virtual field trip, where students can locate the 7 Wonders of the World.


10. Where do you see education heading in the future?

Answer:
Online courses that are richer than what they might get in the classroom.