Reflection Week 6
More travel and more successful posting from the road. Well, mostly successful. I’ll name it right...
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Hail in the summer? Only in Denver.
I picked a random TDC and the instructions were to make a video of something slow. This is a video I filmed about a month ago. It was 70 degrees out and hailing. This was the first time I experienced the crazy weather in Denver.
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Cast a Shadow Assignment – http://tdc.ds106.us/tdc1286/Was in…
Cast a Shadow Assignment - http://tdc.ds106.us/tdc1286/
Was in Washington, D.C. all last week for a conference so tried to capitalize on my location for some #dailycreate assignments. This is Scott Circle at sunset.
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Cast a Shadow Assignment – http://tdc.ds106.us/tdc1286/Was in…
Cast a Shadow Assignment - http://tdc.ds106.us/tdc1286/Was in Washington, D.C. all last week for a conference so tried to capitalize on my location for some #dailycreate assignments. This is Scott Circle at sunset. -
What Does it Mean to Teach?
A Reflection on Week 6 of INTE 5340
I had forgotten to read Chapter 6 last week, so this week I read both Chapters 6 and 7. Chapter 6 was quick reading, but Chapter 7 was like Chapter 2 - a lot of new ideas and research, and a lot of new vocabulary to digest. It made me think about my teaching, and my school, what seems to work and what could be changed. My written response to L&K ended up being a story about my school, in fact.
Here's a question - a lot is written about learning and learners and communities of learners, and almost nothing is written about teaching. In these communities of learners, whether digital and online or not, who are the teachers? And more importantly, who qualifies as an engaging and effective teacher? Exploring this question has been part of my focal theme, not just this semester but for decades throughout my teaching career. In my work this semester, I am acutely aware of being both a learner and a teacher. The learning is in mastering a technique or tool to achieve an end product. The end product, for me, is always an attempt to teach, either overtly or covertly. L&K left a hint in Chapter 7 where they mention mentoring (p. 221), and I hope they enlarge upon this in Chapter 8.
I posted the following:- My first and second TDC assignments
- My AnimatedGIF AB assignment
- My Response to L&K Chapter 7
- My Critique
- My four Peer Comments (1 2 3 4)
- and this Reflection
I would give myself a 9.5/10 for the week. I had fun putting a lot of late-night work into my animatedGIF assignment. I was happy to really focus on my theme of physics teaching this week. I was a day late posting my reading response, though. -
Parking Lot Footstool
It had been a week of cloudiness, but on the day this Daily Create was published it was gloriously sunny. My wife was so inspired she went out with her camera and took a zillion photos. I picked this one out of the pile, a photo of what Marcel Ducham... -
Reflecting from Spain
- How well do you feel you completed the requirements of the week’s assignment
This week was a little rough for me traveling and being out of the country. I managed to get all the assignments completed but one was a little late and I wasn't able to engage with my peers as much as I normally do. I was finally able to respond to comments on my posts and I got to read peer work this morning.- What gave you trouble? What did you enjoy most? What did you learn?
Obviously the wifi situation gave me a lot of trouble this week. One hotel only had it in the lobby and it was a very weak signal and the current hotel's wifi cuts in an out all the time (obviously I can't be too annoyed because I am in a beautiful part of Spain enjoying the sun and the beach) but it was still stressful. Another thing was the Blogger app on my phone doesn't let you use links but I was able to take screen shots of the fan fiction I read and hopefully people could read too if there chose.
I enjoyed learning about fan fiction, I had never seen it before and I liked reading different 'what ifs' and the crossovers between some of my favorite shows. I have also learned to have a great deal of patience this week with all the frustrations surrounding trying to get wifi!- What would you do differently? What questions to you have?
I guess there isn't much I would have done differently other than trying harder to get EVERYTHING finished before I left. I don't get home until Thursday but my goal is to start tomorrow and see what I can get finished.- What are some of the larger issues surrounding your work
I am feeling better about creating assignments related to my focal theme or at least finding ways to tie assignments into my theme.
Here's to next week!
Score: 9/10 -
INTE 5340 – Week 6 Reflection
This weeks reading assignment really hit home for me. Our team has been tasked this year to not only create a blended approach to our curriculum, but also consider alternative approaches of learner engagement and accountability – specifically shifting from ‘push’ to ‘pull’. More often than not our frontline staff contact members of our […]
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Is that the light I see?
Because I obviously don’t know how to follow directions, I ended up reading chapter 6 AND 7 this week. I have to say that there is something about this book that makes it an easy read for me to pick up and put down without being totally lost. Chapter seven was an excellent explanation for… More Is that the light I see?
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The Daily Create- Create a wonky poster
Hi All, Here is my daily create of Big Hero 6, we were asked to make a wonky poster! I hope this one turned out good! :)
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The Daily Create- Create a wonky poster
Hi All, Here is my daily create of Big Hero 6, we were asked to make a wonky poster! I hope this one turned out good! :) -
The Daily Create- Create a wonky poster
Hi All,Here is my daily create of Big Hero 6, we were asked to make a wonky poster! I hope this one turned out good! :) -
Digital Critique: Scrolling Mashup
Throughout my degree I have spent a lot of time surfing elearningindustry.com. This site, which contains a wealth of content from industry professionals, posts a number of articles relating to various topics in eLearning. I found a recen... -
TDC: Magical Light
Here is the Daily Create from Tuesday the 14th:Magical Light -
Reading Response: Lankshear and Knoble Chapter 7 – Social Learning
I really enjoyed reading this chapter of New Literacies this week because the authors hit on a number of themes that really hit home with me and my motivation for studying instructional technology. I will start my response by sharing a personal story.
When I started college, I attended the freshman orientation which took place the weekend prior to the first week of classes. At one point during the orientation, a student could attend a speech by of the professors of the program they wanted to major in (science majors attended a science lecture, engineer majors attended an engineering lecture, etc.). For those that did not yet know what they wanted to study (this was me), they could hear a lecture from one of the student development professors.So I attended the lecture, and the professor speaking made sure to make the point that it often did not matter what one studied in college because one could find a job doing anything. For example, English majors have become lawyers, Humanities majors have become HR representatives, math majors have become doctors, and so on. I know the professor was trying to emphasize to his audience that they should study what they love - which I think is a justified message. The thing that has bugged me since about that speech is that no one ever said HOW the humanities major became an HR representative. Becoming an HR representative still requires learning so where did that learning take place?Throughout this chapter, Lankshear and Knoble often referred to works published by Brown and Adler. One thing they shared from the book “Minds on fire: Open education, the long tail and learning 2.0” was that populations in the future “will increasingly depend on the availability of robust local ecosystems of resources that support innovation and productiveness “(2008: 17). I believe this is the answer to the question posed above. The paradigm shift from “pushing” education onto students to having them “pull” information based on their passions or needs is already in full swing.Lankshear and Knoble note that societies have historically depended on formal education to support such learning but that option seems to be running out of time (2011: 215). The authors note that the type of learning needed for future sustainability and viability cannot be obtained through traditional teaching methods of pre-set courses and curriculum. In higher education, decontextualized and abstract content absorption have proven to be ineffective means of innovation and productivity (2011:215).This appears to be a pretty hard knock on formal education. There still is value in theoretical and abstract content because it enables student to exercise their mind and develop critical and analytical thinking. However, as for innovation and productivity, such a method of learning does us no good. I go back to the example of the Humanities major turned HR representative. This example happens to be my wife’s own story. She studied something she loved which was Humanities. Upon graduation she found a job as an executive assistant for a financial planner. The position did not require any knowledge of finance just the ability to perform administrative duties. After gaining experience performing those duties for a year or so, my wife sought out another job as an executive assistant for another company. Her experience as an executive assistant qualified her for the job – not her knowledge of classical literature and art. Yet this time, she was the assistant to a vice president of human resources. Now exposed, indirectly, to a new competency which she personally found interesting, my wife began gleaning knowledge from co-workers over time. This enable her to seek out a position and obtain a position as an HR representative and begin her career in that field. Did it matter that she studied Humanities in college? No. But it did matter that she obtain some learning which she “pulled” from her social network.Such a practice takes place all the time. What we need to do is utilize the technological literacies which we have to magnify social learning. We can create the resources and give people access. In a way, it’s offering on-the-job training without having the job.I personally find this subject matter exciting and relevant in my work life. Formal education can still expand our minds and teach us how to think but social learning through organized platforms can enable us to glean the knowledge that we need and/or want.
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L&K Chapter 6
“How can we best distinguish between participating in social networks as an ‘organic’ dimension of... -
L&K Chapter 6
“How can we best distinguish between participating in social networks as an ‘organic’ dimension of... -
Flat Tire
A Response to Lankshear & Knobel, New Literacies, Chapter 7
I noticed that the left rear tire seemed low on air pressure. I finally measured the pressure, and sure enough had to add air. I kept an eye on the tire, and every so many days I had to add more air. Then I had to add air every day. Finally one morning, after adding air, the tire was noticeably low by the time I got to work. Thank God I work at a technical school, I thought, I'll just drop the car off at the automotive shop and give the kids something to do. When I had the chance I walked over to automotive and waited while the students were given their assignments. The shop was full of cars, most of them from paying customers. An instructor had a job list, and he barked out orders to the students using technical language that I vaguely recognized. The students got to work. "Oh I just have a slow leak in a tire," I said, a little embarrassed to be presenting such a puny task. "Which tire? Where's your car parked?" The instructor was perfectly happy to have a simple task, more real-world work for his students. I gave him my spare key. Later in the afternoon a student approached me in my classroom. "Mr Calhoun? Here's your key. Tire's all fixed, and the car is back where you parked it." He was very business-like, and obviously proud. We talked a bit, but he was ready to go back to work.
This kind of exchange goes on all day in the school. The young children of teachers attend the day-care program. Customers from the community are in the cosmetology shop having their hair done, or go to the culinary shop's Thursday lunches. Teams of plumbing or carpentry students head out to work sites in the community. The graphic design shop prints up agendas for that night's city council meeting. Eighteen different shops provide in-house real-world experience for the students. By the time they are seniors, many of the students don't even come to school during their shop week, they go to cooperative work experiences in the community and receive a paycheck. Seniors often have state certification in various applications by the time they graduate.
As I read Lankshear & Knobel's presentation of the concept of social learning, I kept being reminded of why I love working in my technical school. The students aremastering a field of knowledge . . . not only 'learning about' the subject matter but also 'learning to be' a full participant in the field. This involves acquiring the practices and the norms of established practitioners in that field or acculturating into a community of practice (quoting Brown and Adler, 2008, p. 218).
When I was in high school, students in the technical program were thought to be less intelligent. They were not prepared for college and were thus doomed to menial labor in the work-a-day world. What did it mean that one was prepared for college? I recognize this now as the "push" process described by Lankshear and Knobel (p. 226). In college one would finally join a community of practice. Or maybe not, maybe college was to prepare for graduate school, where one would finally join a community of practice. And possibly the joining of a practice might not happen until one was finally hired into a practice. The "pull" process exemplified by the technical programs in my school allows students to participate in a community of practice right away. The shops themselves are platforms that allow for learning by novices while still providing professional services in the real world.
In my own practice as a physics teacher, I am aware that very few of my students will participate in any kind of physics community in their lives. A push program would accomplish little - I have nowhere to push my students. What I can do is add my practice to the practices they experience in their various shops, where "physics" is happening all the time, and add one more facet to the pull process in which they already participate. -
Response to L&K – Week 6, Chapter 7: Social learning, ‘push’ and ‘pull’ and building platforms for collaborative learning
New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel, is divided into 3 parts; Part 1: New Literacies: Concepts and Theory Part 2: New Literacies: Some Everyday Practices Part 3: New Literacies and Social Learning Below is my response to Chapter 7, which falls under Part 3. My response to this […]
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Response to L&K – Week 6, Chapter 7: Social learning, ‘push’ and ‘pull’ and building platforms for collaborative learning
New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel, is divided into 3 parts; Part 1: New Literacies: Concepts and Theory Part 2: New Literacies: Some Everyday Practices Part 3: New Literacies and Social Learning Below is my response to Chapter 7, which falls under Part 3. My response to this […] -
Daily Create – Picture of a Shadow
This Daily Create was so fun to do! Reader’s were challenged to take a picture of a shadow. What made this one special for me is I’m staying at my Dad’s girlfriend’s place in Michigan on a vacation and she has a lot of really cool artwork and collectibles in her house. Therefore, this is […]
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Adam Savage & Alton Brown Comic-Con Walkthrough
Original Video - http://digg.com/video/adam-savage-alton-brown-comic-con-matrixStory FlowA... -
Adam Savage & Alton Brown Comic-Con Walkthrough
Original Video - http://digg.com/video/adam-savage-alton-brown-comic-con-matrixStory FlowA... -
Digital Story Critique #6, Week6 – image mashup
Digital stories can be as simple as a image. This image is from the 2005 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with a vegan message added. Drawing upon the “remix practices” and “literacy dimensions” highlighted by Lankshear and Knobel in Chapter 4 and reviewing the appendix (p. 127-140), I’ll be critiquing this Photoshopped image remix […]
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Digital Story Critique #,6 Week6 – image mashup
Digital stories can be as simple as a image. This image is from the 2005 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with a vegan message added. Drawing upon the “remix practices” and “literacy dimensions” highlighted by Lankshear and Knobel in Chapter 4 and reviewing the appendix (p. 127-140), I’ll be critiquing this Photoshopped image remix […] -
Something new for a far away land
Let me preface this post by telling you how nearly impossible it's been to blog from Spain...so much for being global...I couldn't get wifi to work in the hotel with a computer or an iPad. I apologize about the lack of links but that's asking a ... -
What Is Your Passion Archetype Character Buzzfeed Quiz
Archetype Collage (Buzzfeed quiz cover) What are your natural aptitudes? Based very loosely off of multiple intelligences. Are you the Artist, the Technologist, the Naturalist, the Performer, the Musician, the Poet, the Athlete, Puzzle Fighter, or the Renaissance Man or Woman?
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/421860690073254141/
Diana Ziv - http://zivcreative.blogspot.com.au/A Meaningful Assignment
This week I focused on Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory and Ken Robinson’s The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. In so many ways this scholarship resonated with chapter seven in the Lankshear and Knobel text as well as my focal theme ‘the importance of creative arts in education.’ I wanted to find a ds106 assignment that could help me synthesize scholarship with ‘new literacies’ application. The literacy dimensions and cultural appreciation in order to craft a Buzzfeed personality quiz that has humor and meaning is really challenging. To create a quiz in this nature, one must use writing skills, logic, artistic, and technical ability. This is exactly why I chose to do this assignment: WebAssignments, WebAssignments1641. I wanted to ‘apply’ multiple intelligences and share this theory with others. I believe understanding and application of this theory as teachers and learners, one can better know oneself or their students. This understanding leads to better study habits or lesson planning and engagement. It’s important to note that as a teacher, this would also mean catering to several different types of learners, thus, why it is important to practice creative arts disciplines through synthesis of core subject curriculums. If you are new to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, I suggest watching this brief video here.
After watching the video take a short self assessment test. With the results of the assessment in mind, then take the Buzzfeed quiz. The Buzzfeed quiz is intended to add an extra dimension to the concept of multiple intelligences. In that it suggests you may favor certain roles or archetypical characters. It is this idea of these ‘characters’ that makes the ‘just for fun’ Buzzfeed assessment inspiring. As opposed to Howard Gardner’s classification such as “visual-spatial,” the Buzzfeed quiz suggest you are an artist or a designer. Not just any artistic character, Salvador Dali, was in fact the artifact image I chose to represent artists. I think by using artifacts in this way, it has great meaning to the test takers. Perhaps more meaning than knowing one is ‘logical’ or ‘visual-spatial’? Or for test takers that are unfamiliar with the chosen artifact it gives them an opportunity to click the link for the source image and read about the character represented. All things considered, this assignment for myself, and I hope the test takers, is meaningful and fun. (This is for entertainment purposes but some may still find the quiz inciteful).Take the Buzzfeed Quiz
Crafting a Buzzfeed quiz
At first, I brushed off the Buzzfeed quiz as something that may be relatively easy to do. I’ve made quizzes before as an instructor, but actually, the dimensions to the Buzzfeed quizzes are far greater than a typical quiz you may give students in a brick and mortar classroom. For instance, every question requires a picture which then needs to be given appropriate credits and linkage. These images as cultural artifacts are intended to have meaning to a vast number of people. So the breadth of cultural knowledge to consider is challenging and then also the choice of one cultural artifact over another.Then there’s the questions - witty, meaningful, with a little bit of tact (hopefully not too offensive). Also embedded in each question there are three answers. For each answer, the quiz maker can assign a result and this is the tricky part. The way in which the answers are phrased (biased of course) can mean more or less probability for one result over another. For example:
Q1: I like to paint, draw, or create things.
A1: Yes, Creating art is my life.
A2: No, Art is boring.
A3: Sometimes, When I feel inspired.
If “No” is selected, I can assign that result to ‘logical’ or ‘technical’ based characters as they are, in my mind, the opposite of artistic. This is a stereotype of course but the Buzzfeed quizzes, in my experience, are intended to be funny and rely on these stereotypes. Just like a good comic makes his or her jokes relatable to the audience, they use artifacts that rely on stereotypes - it’s part of humanity and culture. Ultimately, these responses to the 20 total questions created 60 possible answers to sort through. I decided to make equal chances for each character result and after I tested this it was too boring. I tested the offline quiz and had a few friends and family members take it as well. I took the quiz at least 10-15 times and I tried to enter a frame of mind of each character to result in that character. I had to spice up the responses a little to make it more funny to engage the audience.I added the characters here for amusement. There are 10 different characters so chances are you will only result in a couple. I hope you enjoy the quiz!
The Artist
You might be good at creating compelling imagery, sculpted objects, or motion graphics. You observe the world and interpret it through artistic expression. You thrive in disorder and lack of income.The DesignerYou seek order and perfection in all things man-made. You may practice drawing, CAD, 3D modeling, and building structures… and sometimes you may also practice obsessive compulsive disorder.The TechnologistYou specialize in using technology to your advantage. You may be good at coding and (or) electrical engineering. You have an intimate relationship with your computer(s).The Naturist
You love nature. You often long to be outdoors. You may enjoy hiking, gardening, and taking care of pets or domestic animals. Baths are optional.The Performer
You like being in the spotlight. You may like to dance, act, or play and sing music on stage or in front of the camera. Your excellent at ignoring the strange looks in public transit for reenacting all the parts from entire plays.The Musician
You enjoy listening and (or) creating music. You find meaning and purpose in experiencing life through music and can’t live without it. When lacking inspiration, you may find interesting places to put tattoos and piercings.The Poet
You relate to the world through words. You may like blogging, writing in a journal, or creating poetry. Your favorite past time may be curling up with a good book or correcting your best friend’s grammar mistakes.The Athlete
You can’t sit still for more than 10 minutes. You seek physical activities and competition where you can exhibit your athletic tendencies. You were once diagnosed with ADHD and refused to take your meds… then proceeded to literally climb all the walls in your school.The Puzzle Fighter
You enjoy exercises in logic. You may be good at solving rubiks cubes, Pi, and the mysteries of the universe. You may enjoy studying the molecular structures of various types of cheeses through sniff tests.The Renaissance Man or Woman
You excel at many things and you find variety stimulating. You thrive when you can use your multiple talents to solve problems. When bored, you may find yourself looking for employment in a completely different profession or applying to graduate school… again. -
ds106 – Assignment Bank – July 17, 2015 – Visual – A-Z Food Photo Collage
Assignment: A-Z Food Photo Collage This is my A-Z vegan food collage.
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Artistic Fan Remix: Critique of Ken Robinson on Flourishing
Voice: Sir Ken Robinson, Director: Jim Batt, Artist: Molly Crabapple
As part of the continued practice in digital storytelling, in INTE 5340 MA ILT at CU Denver, I will consume a digital stories and offer critiques. Until now the course has focused on Jason Ohler’s assessment traits as criterions to assess stories. For the remainder of the critiques in the course, I will focus on “everyday remix practices” as described in the Lankshear and Knobel text New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning Third Ed by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel, on pages 127-140.Kind of Remix: Fanfiction short movies (if one must be chosen from L&K text)
Three Literacy Dimensions:
1. From making movie trailers: “May involve knowing how to include written text in the remixed video to help convey new storyline.”
2. From creating fanfiction: “Understanding the structure and purpose of narratives and using this to guide writing.”
3. From creating fan art: “Being able to draw/paint etc.”“May involve knowing how to include written text in the remixed video to help convey new storyline.”
Molly Crabapple, the artist creating the painted images in the video, does a great job of accentuating the narrative by Ken Robinson. She does this by very artistically including choice words into the story being painted. These words are painted large in some parts of the animation to emphasis points, other times the words are positioned by the cat characters such as holding a sign, or thought bubbles. This ultimately takes place to create another clever story using cat characters doing various things. Overall the combination of text and characters creates a new story while still supporting the narrative.“Understanding the structure and purpose of narratives and using this to guide writing.”
The creators of this animation clearly have a great understanding of the narrative provided by Ken Robinson. The whole animation keeps pace with Ken Robinson’s words, thus the animation had to be planned to keep up with spoken word. This must have been challenging because there are different pauses and pace throughout the narrative. In addition to adhering to the structure of speech, the narrative directly guided the paintings in relative time with each other. This seems like a very challenging process to keep sync but the animation makes this look effortless.“Being able to draw/paint etc.”
When I first watched this video I took for granted that Molly was painting this. I thought it was a marker or pen. Then I saw her splash paint on the page and I noticed the pool of paint on the sides and the brushes. I started to really pay attention to the craftsmanship and detail and it’s amazing there are very little, if any, visible errors. There is poetry in the creative expression by this ability to paint and what is being said in the narrative. That people are creative and talented and should “flourish” if given the opportunity to practice things which they are interested in.
