Week 4: Publishing_Leadership project

Below are the links to my presentation and speaker notes. They will most likely change before the final presentation, and maybe even after too. What you will be viewing is my AR project that covered the subject of College Access. My goal was to teach students to use the Internet and Web 2.0 tools to independently search for college and career information. I would like to present my information at the annual OCAN/OASFAA conference that will be held in December of 2011 in Columbus, OH.

Presentation:
http://prezi.com/dracmmxbgwm-/scanlan_tiffany_ar_presentation/

Speaker Notes:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ifEI-sa8KO5l12EOO6556WqDS9m1nByooIhFDq1JcYA/edit?hl=en&authkey=CK_uvMEP

Week 4: Think Out Loud #3

Whew-presentation done (for now)! There will most likely be changes before (and probably after) the final presentation, but that means I am still critically evaluating and learning about the process. I am also positive that my speaker notes will be used as a guideline but I will ad-lib during the actual presenting. I tend to go with the flow when presenting; sometimes this is a good idea, other times I get sidetracked and have to remember where I was everything gets covered. Knowing this also allows me to plan for "what if" situations so they aren't as unnerving when they do happen.

Also-it is a wonderful and weird feeling having only a month left of the program and to be putting finishing touches on everything!

Week 4: Think Out Loud #2

It still amazes me how fast events materialize. Planning for events in the future, especially fun outings, is a good idea but then it always seems to take forever to get to the date. Then in the blink of an eye it has come and gone. I knew this holiday weekend would be busy and I thought I had a good handle of my schedule BUT....ha! There were extra demands from family, friends and work. Certain projects have been getting pushed back and/or squeezed in (as many of you saw in our Thursday night presentations...) which drives me crazy! I have tried to remain clam and prioritize/schedule my time to get everything in and repeating to myself, "I will get everything done....I will get everything done...." So far so good-now it is onward and upward to my goals :)

Week 4: Reading ch.9-12

Wow-these chapters had a lot of self reflection ideas/exercises! Many of them sound like good practices, but would be tough to start (unless you already think in that manner...). The story in Chapter 9 explaining the Philharmonic concert and its funding was my favorite this time. The person seeking the donation was turned down, but by listening and being open to others ideas ended up with more than they had originally planned. I do believe that a little of Rule #6 was in play in this situation since the person had to relax and go with the flow; if they had been super serious they would have responded to the "no" answer differently and in turn missed on a wonderful opportunity for the whole community.

I also was touched by the story where the teacher shaved her head to show support of the student. The students probably expected to be in trouble (much like the teenagers in Brazil...) but the teacher turned their negative behavior and reactions into a teachable moment. Instead of a lecture she SHOWED them that it is ok to be different supporting the saying, "Actions speak louder than words".

Week 4: Response #2 to Kathy Valunas

Mac - Week 4: My Think Out Loud - Part 3

Arghhhhhh...... technology is so awesome when it is working without any glitches! My Publishing/Leadership project is going ok but getting it uploaded to my iDisk was terrible. One day my mobile me account works without any errors and the next, it wiggles with that stupid message "your ID or password are incorrect"! So after several hours of dealing with tech support from Apple, it is working again. I ended up creating a slide show presentation using Keynote even though I normally use PowerPoint. Tried Prezi but it was not going to give me the option of speaker notes so back to Keynote. I was a bit disappointed in that not too many of my classmates were creating presentations; most opted for a publication for their papers. But I love presenting so this is my preference. Managed to keep the slide count down to 15 so that is pretty good. I saw Curt's Keynote slides and his choice for the Zen presentation was such a great idea. Though it was tricky to whittle down the amount of text, I did manage to keep it simpler than usual. Well still have a few slides to complete with details so back to work. Laters loyal followers!

Week 4: Response #1 to Jason Peglow

Jason said:

And Then There Were None...

 

Photo by Jason Peglow

 Well... after this post I will officially be able to click on my final "I have completed this assignment" tab for the month 11 - Media Asset Creation class of our Full Sail University master's degree program. I must say that I am starting to feel a bit melancholy about this whole experience being nearly over. Having completed three masters degrees (counting this one) I know I am always so relieved immediately following graduation and ecstatic that I will have all this free time to catch up on my neglected household chores. But, soon after I begin going through withdrawal and I find I am looking through degree programs and course books to get my next fix. I think the yearning comes from my worry that I may end up old and outdated and ineffective in my profession and wind up like all these closed minded, closed doors crabs that speckle the hallways of my school. I never want to lose the passion for this job and always worry about the "burnout" syndrome everyone warns me about when I get here so early and/or leave so late. But, I love my chosen profession and plan to keep my spark alive for as long as I can.

I want to thank everyone that I have had the pleasure of meeting during my time at Full Sail. You are all inspiring teachers and you are all the reasons why we have hope for the future of quality and effective education. Good luck in month 12 and beyond!  

Tiffany Scanlan said...

Wow--it was like you were reading my mind! I too enjoy learning new things, going to school and working with students. I make a joke about how soon I will go back to school. When I am in school and stressed out with deadlines, papers and projects I tell my self I will be SO glad once everything is done. Then once I am done and the memories of the experience have dulled, I start thinking about starting again. You would think I would remember the feeling of pressure but no--it doesn't stick--and I am glad because, like Billy Madison, I think "Learning is cool! Horray for school!" haha!

Think Out Loud #1

Choosing a place to present-how intimidating! I looked over the list given, and checked a few sites for Ohio and came up with nothing inspiring. I had decided to not think about it for a few days when I received an e-mail asking for presenters for the annual OASFAA/OCAN 2011 conference. It will be held in Columbus (about an hour from my house) during the middle of December. I attended the conference last year and think it is a perfect fit for my project; plus it will help mix up the topics for the attendees. I ran the idea past my boss, who became excited and said "Go for it!". She did stress the due date, but I let her know that it will be done well in advance since it is homework. I am excited to get started on the presentation, and even more excited to share it with others. I just have to decide how I am going to present....Keynote, PowerPoint, Prezi.....hhhhmmmm.....

Week 3: Reading ch.5-8

The Rule of 6 is great! It is simple, to the point and there are no other rules to weigh it down. I have the habit of taking something simple and making it really complex and overworked, which then ends with frustration. I try not to take myself seriously but the calculating self sometimes works its way in and I over think things. There are a few people that know me well enough to tell when I am going down this road and are able to snap me back into focus, which I greatly appreciate.

I have also noticed other times when everyone others around me are being serious I will make a bad joke, quirky observation or lighthearted comment and am met with "the look" or dead silence. This is frustrating too because I then loose complete interest in what we are working on or discussing. If you can't have fun, or even a light moment, while working on something then why bother? I am not saying that every task should bring joy the entire time it is going on, but that people need to find some ray of light to make things manageable. For example, I wouldn't expect most people to be excited about doing their taxes (or wanting to giggle while figuring them...) BUT I know I find myself giddy when they are done....My ray of light, or Rule #6 moment, would be doing a funky dance and laughing like a little kids once the taxes are submitted and knowing I will not have to do that for another year.

Week 3: Comment #2 to Kathy Toth

Kathy's thoughts:

This week’s reading left me with a lot to think about and reflect upon.  

It seems that school administrators are passionate about control.  They take everything seriously – like test scores.  Test score data is ambrosia to the calculating self.  I see so many teachers (and me, too) who are simply trying to get to the end of the school year in order to breathe.  Why?  What are we taking too seriously?  Have we abandoned our passion for teaching our subject to stay out of sight of the control freak wielding the evaluation rubric?

We have in our building a kindergarten class with a reputation of being full of discipline problems.  Teachers who interact with this class settle for the way it is and expect bad behavior.  Guess what they get?  I was observed with this class and was told that when I told them to do something the look on my face showed that I didn’t believe they would do it.  Whoa.  Talk about low expectations!  We all expected poor behavior and got it.  OK.  So we have a class of five year olds full of enthusiasm and energy.  We need to throw away the reputation (the judgment), accept the way things are as a starting point and work to make things better.  Next time I see this class, I will not think, “oh, no, not Mrs. G’s class, just let me get through without major incident,” but I will think, “here comes Mrs. G’s class, show them your passion for art and help them create.”

Tiffany Scanlan

I agree completely with your thoughts on looking at "those" classes from a different perspective. I have had those reputable classes, who always seem to come from the same teacher, that you dread to see. Last year when I took over after the start of the year I was told by teachers and even the principal that one grade of students was a handful. I tried not to listen and make judgements for myself and at first they were ok. Then they picked up on the fact that I was a "nice" teacher and POW!!! Wow--what a learning experience! It is a great feeling though when you have classes like this and you find something that engrosses them completely which results in very few behavior issues. Good Luck the rest of the year!

Sunday, April 17, 2011 - 09:04 PM

Week 3: Comment #1 to Scot Byrd

Week 3 Blog 4 Wimba

This weeks Wimba forced me to think for the first time past Month 12. Before tonight I was looking forward to graduation and the end of the program, I was counting down the days till I could have some free nights and no worries. Now I am thinking about what did this all mean? where do I go from here and what will I do with all of this "stuff" in my head? At first this caused a peak in my anxiety that it will never end, but I then realized that all of this "stuff" will make me want to do more for my job and for others that I come into contact with. I was excited to think about how I might be able to make some serious changes in my school and in my career with the results and ideas that I now have from all of this "stuff".

With the thought of publishing my work or allowing others to post a presentation that I make on my findings and what I have learned as a result of research and experiences I get excited for what is to come. I get excited now to possibly expand my work and try out other methods on my co-workers and experiment with different types of programs to help teachers become better at what they do using technology.

I am still looking forward to free nights and no deadlines for assignments, but after tonight I am also looking forward to further pursuing my work and seeing what else I can do.

Week 3: Weekly Wimba

Wow-this year has flown by! I was starting to get really stressed about where I was going to present my project; I should have remembered Rule #6. As soon as I decided to NOT think about possible choices for a few days, I received an e-mails asking for presenters for an annual conference that would reach Financial Aid and College Access professionals from across Ohio (with a few outside the state too)! The conference would not be until December and would be a great opportunity based on my experience from attending the event this past winter. I presented the idea to my boss who was excited and agreed about it being a great opportunity, but she stressed the deadline of May 20th. I kind of laughed and told her my presentation would be done WAY before the deadline since it is homework! She knows that I have been working on something all year and has seen bits and pieces, but I think she will be shocked when she see the final project. It will be nice to bounce a preliminary presentation off of classmates (and professor...) since I am so close to the work. Since I have been engrossed in my work, I haven't been able to keep up with others AR projects (even though I had them bookmarked). It will be exciting to see what a handful of others have spent the last year creating--See y'all on Wednesday night!

Week 2: Wimba

After watching the archived version of the Wimba, the issue of copyright has now been cleared to watery mud instead of thick, pull your boots off mud. This is an area where there are so many fine lines and gray areas that it can be nerve wracking to think about often. The videos provided and the Wimba session did a great job of explaining the technical aspects of what is useable and when, but that is a lot of information to take in with just a few sittings. This would be a topic, at least for me, that I would have to spend many many hours working through to understand completely. The one semi-comforting thought is that there are lawyers who specialize in this area, so if need be I can always consult an expert.

Week 2: Reading-The Art of Possibility

What stuck me the most from this week's reading was the idea of giving an A to create a positive learning environment from the start. I plan on using this approach when I have my own classroom and have to use grades again. I noticed many of the students I worked with last year we overly concerned with getting an A in my class (Art) and were not willing to experiment or play with techniques. They wanted to know exactly what they were supposed to do, what it was supposed to look like and how they could get the best grade. It took them a little while to adjust to me repeatedly telling them to try things out and see what happens. They also wanted my feedback instantly when showing me a project, asking if they were done. I would simply reply, "Is that the best you can do? Are YOU happy with what you made?". Many times the students would go back and work on the project a little more; I think this was the first time a teacher had asked them if they were happy with what they made. I think if I had started out using the idea from the book, the students would have been more relaxed from the start and more willing to try out ideas. The one question that I still have about the giving an A process is what happens to the students that do nothing because they already have an A? What are the criteria for keeping the A and how do you motivate these students to want to keep the grade?

Week 2: Reply to Sherry Martinez

Reply to Sherry Martinez:

I too am a newbie to pod casts. I downloaded a handful of music related ones a few months ago, but have not listened to them yet. I was not super surprised at the variety of available pod casts but more so at the fact I have not tapped into this resource until now! I agree that I could be a life-time student and that pod casts are a good way to stay in touch with current trends, ideas, and happenings. If I had a captive audience, I would set a day aside each week to share an episode from a pod cast and have a class discussion on the topic.

Sherry stated:

Wk 2 - Free Write - Podcasts

I have recently, as in this week, become inspired by the use of podcasts in the classroom.  This is a great tool that I have overlooked.  I do my best to keep my students up to date with current events and other news that deals with Chemistry or science in general. But how awesome would it be to expose them to podcasts that are representing a different person's perspective.  This would be like an on-line field trip for many of my students.
Also, another area dealing with podcasts that I overlooked was that they are many tutorial podcasts out there.  I have used YouTube videos  in the past as a way to expose my students to other teacher's methods on various topics in Chemistry but have yet to use a podcast.  
The possibilities are endless when I think about the various avenues that I could use existing podcasts for.
Be inspired and find a podcast that would enhance your skills as a teacher or benefit your students.  The possibilities are endless.

Week 2: Reply to Kathy Valunas

Reply to Kathy Valunas:

I agree with your thoughts on people doing one thing for too long. When you start looking at your current employment as just a paycheck, it makes it really hard to do the job well (or at all). It is refreshing to be presented or stumble across new ideas that shake up your point of view. I believe a lot of times many people find it easier to say no and come up with excuses or reasons for not trying something instead of being open to new experiences. This is sad because of all of the opportunities they are letting pass by. I have taught myself to remain open to new experiences and learning new things and I have to admit that it is contagious. Not only do I continue to want to learn more, my mom has gone on to earn an associate and bachelors degree. We have also "infected" our friends with trying/learning new things by taking them with us to workshops and conventions. If this pattern keeps going who know how many people will be inspired to try new things!

I also like your use of the picture frame to put the photos in a different perspective. I was one of the few students that actually liked drawing with the grid or filling in the missing pieces of the picture and may have to borrow your idea sometime (as long as it is not copyrighted ha!)

Kathy stated:

Mac – Week 2: Reading Reflection – In the beginning…

Focal Window Frame. Artwork Image by Kathy Valunas

What a week and what made it even better was the time spent reading the Art of Possibility! As educators, many of the “oldies-but-goodies” or those trained in the old methods of the teacher being in total control, some teachers often find themselves in a rut. They are so accustomed to lecturing and staying inside their comfortable old boxes that they have a hard time even thinking about other possibilities. What was once passion has turned into drudgery and working for the paycheck, and not being able to even consider trying something new, fun, and exciting. I loved reading Ben’s words of wisdom and watching his videos that depicted him spreading his passion to others. His enthusiasm was most definitely contagious and students or the audience couldn’t help but have fun and “catch” the passion to use in their own lives. When I read, “…circumstances that seem to block us in our daily lives… based on assumptions… Draw a different frame around the same set of circumstances and new pathways come into view….” (2000) I was reminded of occasions when I would work with design students to overcome their creative blocks. I would have them make small ‘window-frames’ (1” x 1”) to place on top of magazine pictures or other images. By changing the view of images or providing a small focus area, students would begin to see new ideas and other possibilities. It is the same for teachers or participants in training. If you cause them to change their focus and ‘zoom-in’ on a smaller area to concentrate on and them give them reflective pathways to follow, they are more encouraged to explore or take ‘sight-seeing’ excursions on their own when they discover new things along the way. So it is not just the final destination that can keep us engaged or motivated to complete a task, but it can often be the extra goodies we pick up or explore along the path to the end of our journey that keeps the passion on fire.

Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA

Week 1: Free Post

My free post this week deals a little more with copyright. Some questions that I still have are:
Are there any original thoughts left?
What happens if you create something you feel is original, but someone claims it was copied from something you have never seen or heard? (ie: J.K. Rowling lawsuit...)

As a person who works better with images and colors, I have things pop into my head all of the time. Are these my own original thoughts or are they a compilation of images from my subconscious that have been in storage for years? How do you know the difference? Does the arm of copyright law disappear if subconscious images smoosh together into something else, or can anyone at any time be sued if someone can make some connection to another work? I am so glad I am not a lawyer that has to handle copyright cases; I think I would go batty!

Week 1: Reading (copyright)

The videos confirmed what I had always thought about copyright. It's confusing! I also found that I am guilty of the thought of "as long as I'm not making money off of it, it's ok". I do feel better knowing that there are allowances for use in education, which is where most of my concerns have been focused. The Fairy Tale video was a little hard to watch, but the point was clear. My question now is I wonder how Disney would feel about a "hypothetical" teacher using Scene It! as a fun educational tool in their classroom? It is a game that was paid for, but does that cover the used with an entire class???

I also enjoyed the clip about Shepherd Fairey. I have conducted a lesson on graffiti where the students made their own "tags" that were hung up like a brick wall in the Art hallway. At the beginning of the lesson when I was sharing examples, I made sure to stress that there is a difference between painting buildings with permission and doing it illegally. If I were to have a chance to do the lesson again, I could add a follow up session discussing Shepherd's work and others like him such as Ron English. The discussion would start with, "Is it ok to hijack a company's billboard, advertisement or space to make a social or political statement or to raise awareness?"  If you have not had a chance to watch the movie Popaganda, aired on the Ovation network, I would highly recommend checking it out!

Week 1: Peer Comment @ Danette Philpot

From Danette:
Copyright, it is has been a great topic of discussion in my other line of work of photography. It was not mentioned in the discussion, but each photo or digital image was created by a person. The average person feels that there is no harm for copying an image off the internet and posting to Facebook, twitter or their own personal website. Just last week the Professional Photographers of America polled several members on the use of copyrights and their imagines. The results were astounding! Of the 2,830 that took the poll, (84%) 2,392 photographers NEVER register their work. 41 (1%) ALWAYS register. 324 (11%) OCCASIONALLY register. These are professional that make a living at creating images. It goes to show not matter on what platform you create, educate yourself and protect your work.


@ Danette
That is a great point! I totally missed a teachable moment last year with my middle schoolers. Many of them were apprehensive about creating works from scratch (the former teacher had provided template like projects...). I had them search the net for generic pictures on Google images that they would then transfer as line drawings onto their paper. I was not grade them on the actual picture, but more of how they finished them. This seemed to really help the students when I had them do self portraits in the same manner, but for the other pictures the only thing I stressed was no logos. I could/should have spent A LOT more time on copyright with them!

Week 1: Peer Comment @ Kathy Toth

From Kathy:

Early in the EMDT program, we had the fear of copyright law instilled in us.  Now we are being encouraged to bend that law, if not out and out break it, for the sake of literacy and cultural progress.

My question is:  Who owns the rights to the video above?  I took the video (not a great video, I admit.  I wasn’t planning to until I remembered I could capture the moment on my iphone.)  There was no announcement before the performance, like I remember before Bob Dylan started playing, that the use of video equipment was prohibited.  But I did not write the song and I did not perform the song.  Do I need permission?  Can the songwriter sue me for using this video here on my blog?  The songwriter posted one of my videos on his facebook page.  We never talked about permission.  Can I sue him?

Common sense shows us the absurdity of the situation.  How would it benefit either one of us to try to maintain control over a three minute piece of video that should be freely shared with anyone interested in viewing it.

Imagine if early oral storytellers wielded the power of copyright we may never have had the tradition of stories passed on orally throughout the generations.  Our culture is richer when we share.

@ Kathy Toth

tiffany scanlan

Wow--I had never thought of that before! I like to take a few videos at concerts, which I then post on my Facebook page. It never occurred to me that I could be sued for doing this. The way I looked at it was they let us take the technology into the venue (which some shows prohibit) so it must be ok, especially when they allow taping at the shows. My videos are not good quality either, but are meant to capture the moment to share with others who may have also been there. I am also one that fell into the "copyright trap" of believing that since I was not making money on them there is not a problem. I have not had anyone contact me about my videos (except to say they liked them...) so I will probably keep going until I am told to stop :)