journey of research. I know that what I have tried had a valid purpose behind it, and my objectives attempted to carry this purpose out to its fullest potential. I found a plethora of positives in my research in using the age-appropriate social network of Edmodo to carry out my AR project. And as social networking is the hot topic of the now, I cannot help but think what it will look like in 5, 10, or even 20 years from now. What sort of Web 5.0 tools will we have at our fingertips? Or will we even be using our fingertips to post a comment or share a resource then? I bring this point up because even though I feel I have made a solid contribution in developing a research project revolving around a technological trend today, what will I attempt to use in the future to motivate and promote engagement in my classroom? With all of the ups and downs in the field of education today, the future is something I need to keep one eye on and hope that it holds a refreshed spirit of the latest technology to assist the 21st century learner.
Showing posts with label Wk2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wk2. Show all posts
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wk2 BP Entry 4 - EDM613 MAC - AR Site and the Future
Well, well, well. It looks as if I have put the finishing touches on my Action Research web site. As I proofread it for the 1000th time, I still find things that I could have done better, and yet I feel that on the whole, I have accomplished much through this 
journey of research. I know that what I have tried had a valid purpose behind it, and my objectives attempted to carry this purpose out to its fullest potential. I found a plethora of positives in my research in using the age-appropriate social network of Edmodo to carry out my AR project. And as social networking is the hot topic of the now, I cannot help but think what it will look like in 5, 10, or even 20 years from now. What sort of Web 5.0 tools will we have at our fingertips? Or will we even be using our fingertips to post a comment or share a resource then? I bring this point up because even though I feel I have made a solid contribution in developing a research project revolving around a technological trend today, what will I attempt to use in the future to motivate and promote engagement in my classroom? With all of the ups and downs in the field of education today, the future is something I need to keep one eye on and hope that it holds a refreshed spirit of the latest technology to assist the 21st century learner.
journey of research. I know that what I have tried had a valid purpose behind it, and my objectives attempted to carry this purpose out to its fullest potential. I found a plethora of positives in my research in using the age-appropriate social network of Edmodo to carry out my AR project. And as social networking is the hot topic of the now, I cannot help but think what it will look like in 5, 10, or even 20 years from now. What sort of Web 5.0 tools will we have at our fingertips? Or will we even be using our fingertips to post a comment or share a resource then? I bring this point up because even though I feel I have made a solid contribution in developing a research project revolving around a technological trend today, what will I attempt to use in the future to motivate and promote engagement in my classroom? With all of the ups and downs in the field of education today, the future is something I need to keep one eye on and hope that it holds a refreshed spirit of the latest technology to assist the 21st century learner.
Entry 3 - Wk2 Comments to Tim Brehm: Required Reading
Wk2 reading – If only everyone thought like this!!!
Tim’s Wk2 BP:
To be honest I was really being bored to tears with this weeks reading, Art of Possibility, until! I came to a paragraph the just rang out to me. In this paragraph the topic of grades is discussed. I always had a problem with grades as a way of measuring mastery of skills, I just didn’t know why. Well the authors of this book gave me the answer I was looking for, letter grades just compare student against student, and say very little about the actual work completed by the student.
Every student is different and learns at a different rate and in different ways. Taking into account these differences, why should they all be measured on the same scale. How do we resolve this situation? I really don’t know, but it is definitely something that should be studied.
Reading the paragraphs in this book relating to grades had really opened my eyes to something that has been bothering me for a long time. Wouldn’t it be great to get a giant gathering of educators together and have a massive brain storming session and see what we could come up with? Makes me really wonder about the possibilities……
My comments to Tim:
Tim. I like your viewpoints on the reading this week. I think there were some dry parts of the first four chapters of "The Art of Possibility," but I think the highlight was the chapter on grades. I think that "Giving an A," if nothing else, gave me a refreshed perspective as to why I aspired to become a teacher in the first place. It's not like I went into college or my credential program with strong desire to know how to compare kids to other kids and then slap a letter grade to their report card every 3 months. No...I became an educator because I wanted to be a piece of a student’s education journey to assist them in discovering their strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between. This is the real reward about teaching and learning. But instead, our system still clings to the art of disability, as opposed to possibility.
p.s. Let me know when the next major collaboration session of educators happens. I am down for having a massive brainstorming session...could be scary...scary GOOD!
Tim’s Wk2 BP:
To be honest I was really being bored to tears with this weeks reading, Art of Possibility, until! I came to a paragraph the just rang out to me. In this paragraph the topic of grades is discussed. I always had a problem with grades as a way of measuring mastery of skills, I just didn’t know why. Well the authors of this book gave me the answer I was looking for, letter grades just compare student against student, and say very little about the actual work completed by the student.
Every student is different and learns at a different rate and in different ways. Taking into account these differences, why should they all be measured on the same scale. How do we resolve this situation? I really don’t know, but it is definitely something that should be studied.
Reading the paragraphs in this book relating to grades had really opened my eyes to something that has been bothering me for a long time. Wouldn’t it be great to get a giant gathering of educators together and have a massive brain storming session and see what we could come up with? Makes me really wonder about the possibilities……
My comments to Tim:
Tim. I like your viewpoints on the reading this week. I think there were some dry parts of the first four chapters of "The Art of Possibility," but I think the highlight was the chapter on grades. I think that "Giving an A," if nothing else, gave me a refreshed perspective as to why I aspired to become a teacher in the first place. It's not like I went into college or my credential program with strong desire to know how to compare kids to other kids and then slap a letter grade to their report card every 3 months. No...I became an educator because I wanted to be a piece of a student’s education journey to assist them in discovering their strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between. This is the real reward about teaching and learning. But instead, our system still clings to the art of disability, as opposed to possibility.
p.s. Let me know when the next major collaboration session of educators happens. I am down for having a massive brainstorming session...could be scary...scary GOOD!
Entry 2 - Wk2 Comments to Diane Milton: Required Reading
Wk 2 Required Reading
Diane’s Wk2 BP:
I am truly enjoying our required reading from Art of Possibility. Wow, I have been so encouraged and inspired. I look forward to reading this book each day and have already shared some of the things I have read with my husband and friends. Who doesn’t want to transform their life and make an impact on others along this journey? There have been some gentle reminders for me, as well as “lightbulb” moments that are causing me to reflect on how I act and react in situations. One “lightbulb” moment for me came when looking at the second practice, “Stepping into the Universe of Possibility”. Within the world of measurement we all fail and fall short of our own expectations or the expectations placed upon us by others. We determine whether or not we are successful based on measurement tools defined for us. I felt such stress relief after reading, “In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold”. Enjoy the journey and don’t get caught up on the little things. Flat tires, bugs on the windshield, and critters in the road, are all a part of the journey…laugh and let the moment be perfect without the world measurement of how the moment was supposed to be.
My comments to Diane:
Hi Diane. I completely agree with you about the reading this week. There were several moments that caused me to reflect on several practices of my own, both professionally and personally. This is always refreshing for me when reading a book like this because it opens brand new perspectives that I never thought about before. Like you, I also was impacted by the concept of how we are sometimes confined by a world that is marked in measurement and how well we perform. My eyes were opened with the thought of how within the context of a universe of possibility, we are given the freedom to sort of let go of that control and allow life happen. Through this lens, life becomes a journey that creates experiences to where it is ok to make mistakes and become everyday risk-takers. That to me was the highlight of this reading. Great post Diane!
Diane’s Wk2 BP:
I am truly enjoying our required reading from Art of Possibility. Wow, I have been so encouraged and inspired. I look forward to reading this book each day and have already shared some of the things I have read with my husband and friends. Who doesn’t want to transform their life and make an impact on others along this journey? There have been some gentle reminders for me, as well as “lightbulb” moments that are causing me to reflect on how I act and react in situations. One “lightbulb” moment for me came when looking at the second practice, “Stepping into the Universe of Possibility”. Within the world of measurement we all fail and fall short of our own expectations or the expectations placed upon us by others. We determine whether or not we are successful based on measurement tools defined for us. I felt such stress relief after reading, “In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold”. Enjoy the journey and don’t get caught up on the little things. Flat tires, bugs on the windshield, and critters in the road, are all a part of the journey…laugh and let the moment be perfect without the world measurement of how the moment was supposed to be.
My comments to Diane:
Hi Diane. I completely agree with you about the reading this week. There were several moments that caused me to reflect on several practices of my own, both professionally and personally. This is always refreshing for me when reading a book like this because it opens brand new perspectives that I never thought about before. Like you, I also was impacted by the concept of how we are sometimes confined by a world that is marked in measurement and how well we perform. My eyes were opened with the thought of how within the context of a universe of possibility, we are given the freedom to sort of let go of that control and allow life happen. Through this lens, life becomes a journey that creates experiences to where it is ok to make mistakes and become everyday risk-takers. That to me was the highlight of this reading. Great post Diane!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wk2 BP Entry 1 - EDM613 MAC - Art of Possibility Ch. 1-4
As I read through the first four chapters of "The Art of Possibility," I couldn't help but think of two things. Both are serious thoughts, but one more serious since it has to do with my daily life. So let's start with my initial thought. When Zander begins to compare the measurements of the universe to the universe of possibility, I immediately thought of the show Lost. I am deeply saddened that this show is done with, but it took something that was already invented, and expanded the universe with it by allowing the viewer to decipher what was happening, or what was going to happen, as the series unfolded. It basically took the audience to a realm of possibility that gave the brain the freedom to discover and learn from the dynamics of each character. And I believe that was the main reason why Lost was such a success.
Now, my second thought of this compare and contrast of a measurement world to a universe of possibility hits a little closer to home. In Chapter 2, the author presents the measurement world as a setting a goal and then going out and achieving it, compared to the universe of possibility as the individual creating the contexts and letting life basically take the reigns. I couldn't help but think of how the state of education has wrapped itself up in this standards-based, must reach proficiency era, and it has basically cornered itself in this measurement world feel.
As an educator, I unfortunately am caught in this web and try my best to reach the goals that I set for my students and myself. However, as I reflected on this way of thought, I realized that this world of measurement doesn't allow for much freedom when attempting to learn for the love of learning. In other words, I don't feel that I have the freedom to teach in a "universe of possibility" classroom because of all the pacing guides, rigorous standards, and scripted lessons that I "must" teach to in order for test scores to increase. Where has this universe of possibility within education disappeared to? And how am I as a teacher trying to reverse the effect and give my students the feeling that anything is possible when grades and performance are at the forefront? I would rather my students understand that taking risks and making mistakes are the priority. I would rather hear my students say to themselves, "How fascinating!" when they receive a D on a test or make an uncommon error. That is real life learning and having a vision in a world of possibility!
The photo used in this blog is from Flickr, under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
Photo attributed to:
"always make new mistakes" by elycefeliz
Now, my second thought of this compare and contrast of a measurement world to a universe of possibility hits a little closer to home. In Chapter 2, the author presents the measurement world as a setting a goal and then going out and achieving it, compared to the universe of possibility as the individual creating the contexts and letting life basically take the reigns. I couldn't help but think of how the state of education has wrapped itself up in this standards-based, must reach proficiency era, and it has basically cornered itself in this measurement world feel.
As an educator, I unfortunately am caught in this web and try my best to reach the goals that I set for my students and myself. However, as I reflected on this way of thought, I realized that this world of measurement doesn't allow for much freedom when attempting to learn for the love of learning. In other words, I don't feel that I have the freedom to teach in a "universe of possibility" classroom because of all the pacing guides, rigorous standards, and scripted lessons that I "must" teach to in order for test scores to increase. Where has this universe of possibility within education disappeared to? And how am I as a teacher trying to reverse the effect and give my students the feeling that anything is possible when grades and performance are at the forefront? I would rather my students understand that taking risks and making mistakes are the priority. I would rather hear my students say to themselves, "How fascinating!" when they receive a D on a test or make an uncommon error. That is real life learning and having a vision in a world of possibility! The photo used in this blog is from Flickr, under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
Photo attributed to:
"always make new mistakes" by elycefeliz
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