Wk 4 - Leadership Post

When I think about inspiring leaders, I don't have to look any further than this amazing cohort! 

The value of this program has been what I have learned through our interactions in cyberspace. 

There are characteristics that each of you possess that demonstrate leadership 

and are qualities I hope to emulate. 

I feel that it is so important to find wonderful women who are role models for leadership 

and this cohort is filled with such individuals.  

Vee has taken the opportunity to challenge the epidemic of Cyber Bullying and has shown focused dedication in developing a project that will change the lives of the young people in her community. Jessica I. is a shining example of organization, timeliness and attention to detail and these skills have aided in her creation of an innovative reading and writing program for her students. Melinda is always willing to jump right in and incorporate a new tool with the students in her classroom in a creative and unique way allowing her students to find their own voice. Karen was nervous about using technology at first, but is no longer afraid to text what she is feeling and has clearly shared some of her views with us :-) Carrie joined us only a few months ago, but she has quickly become Captain Barbosa who is always ready to keep us updated or reminded of important information. Debbie has taken risks and implemented incredible lessons that engage her challenging and diverse audience. Tracy has developed her AR project so as to empower lifelong learners. Katina created a project that has a direct and immediate impact on her students' as they search for future employment. Cherylee demonstrated her resourcefulness when she didn't allow the lack of a classroom to deter her from designing an after school digital storytelling program that had a waitlist! Jessica B. has shown that collaboration is vital to an engaging learning experience and has encouraged her students to work together. Tamarah has provided clear and reflective feedback to some of my posts. 

I am thankful for the lessons I have learned from each cohort member.  

I have only highlighted a few. 

I am really looking forward to meeting each of you 

and celebrating our many successes as we journeyed through EMDT.

Wk 4 - Comment Entry #2

Here is my comment to Tobin's final post on the Art of Possibility.

Wk 4 - Comment Entry #1

Here is my comment to Pete's reflection on the reading for this week. 

Wk 4 - Reading Entry

It has been almost exactly a year since I began investigating the EMDT program at Full Sail. I had been thinking about a master’s degree for quite a long time, but I hadn’t found the right program. It had been quite a challenge to think about going to grad school, working, and raising a family at the same time, but when I learned about EMDT something just clicked. The chance to really dive into the technology that I want to incorporate into my classes was intriguing and to get the degree finished in a year made it sound possible.

Go Lovely Ladies!

I knew I had made the right decision during our first month. I found myself in a group of dedicated, creative, supportive, intelligent women doing something I never thought I would do…creating a project completely over the Internet. Plus, we were in Second Life!!! It was a thrilling experience and I am still so proud of our work on that first project together. 

Month 2 brought many more experiences and a new group. From the Princess Bride to the Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, Sound of Music, Star Wars…these gentlemen I have worked with have become more than just partners in projects even though we have only met through a phone line or computer screen. We have spent countless hours in our “Treehouse” or a Google Hangout creating, editing, venting, celebrating, joking, and laughing. We have challenged one another to do our best work.

 About 5 months ago I joked with my team about creating a documentary about our AR journeys with the idea that we all come from different places, but have been brought together and have completed some amazing work because of EMDT. Reading the last chapter of Art of Possibility reminded me of this brainstorm. We live in different parts of the country, work at different types of schools, teach different types of students and yet, we have, for some reason, been brought together.  We have been through so many challenges together academically, professionally, and personally. I am a faith-filled person who believes that God has a plan for each of us. The plan may be obscured, but in time, opportunities and reasons will be revealed. I wouldn’t change the difficulties, frustrations or late nights because it is through the successes and failures that we grow into who we are.  It is how we interact with others during times of challenge and times of success that develop our character. 

So sorry for the mushy blog post. I guess the book just got me thinking about how grateful I am for each member of this cohort who has journeyed with me through EMDT. I appreciate your support, encouragement, and feedback. I thank you for your patience and for clarifying assignments. I have been inspired by each of you as you have shared your passion for learning and teaching over the last 11 months. You have encouraged me to accomplish things I never imagined...writing a literature review, creating music on a computer, making a movie in 48 hours, and designing a project whose impact continues to make ripples in my school community. I truly look forward to meeting you in the real world in a short 7 weeks.

Our journey is almost over and I am sure there are still some challenges ahead, but I know that WE can do this…TOGETHER!

Wk 3 - Leadership Post

Action Research Project Description:

Teachers face many challenges including the lack of time and training, which are paramount to successful incorporation of technology into lessons.  My AR project sought to engage the faculty at my school through Introduction of simple to use, high impact Web 2.0 tools. Cycle 1 showed that consistent training increased self-efficacy, which in turn encouraged the faculty to devote more time and energy into incorporation of new tools. One hundred percent of teachers involved in Cycle 2 rated face-to-face training as very or vitally important. Data from both cycles supported that opportunities to allow colleagues to gather while they are creating so that collaboration and technical support can be given increased motivation and implementation of new tools.

Format and Where I Will Present:

Pete Episcopo and I have been discussing our AR projects in depth since discovering that we were interested in deploying almost identical projects with our colleagues. Finally after 8 months of collaborating, we have an incredible opportunity to design and present our data together. The inclusion of both projects as one presentation will bolster our message and demonstrate the transferability of our work to other schools. We will be applying to present at the MacWorld/iWorld Conference in San Francisco, January 31-February 2, 2013 (http://www.macworldiworld.com/speakers/) and the Sloan Consortium Webinars (open dates) (http://sloanconsortium.org/webinar_listing).

We decided to apply to two conferences to give us a chance to present both in person and through a webinar format.  Both of these venues reach individuals who are interested in both technology and education. I am looking forward to getting the experience of presenting through a webinar format since I have attended a few and have been immersed in online education through EMDT. I am so glad that if I am to present at a conference like MacWorld, I will have a colleague and great supporter on stage with me!

Week 1 - To Publish or Present?
Week 2 - Where to Present?
Leadership Document - Storytable of Presentation

Wk 3 - Comment Entry #2

My comments on Jessica's Leadership Blog Post

Wk 3 - Comment Entry #1

My comments to Dan on his Leadership post.

Wk 3 - Reading Entry

Leading from any Chair, Rule #6, the Way Things Are, and Giving Way to Passion all present information that is true and helpful, but in no way unique or new to me.
I challenge my students every year to fully participate in class. I encourage them to question not just the scientific content, but the text itself and also my discussion and presentation. I want them to be empowered to fully participate in their learning and transition from elementary/middle school learning of reading, memorizing, and then repeating what they learned on a test. I hope to help them find ways to inquire, wonder, and explore their world and not just rely on another source to impart knowledge to them.
In order for me to truly welcome the questioning I encourage, I always need to remember not to take myself too seriously. I have become comfortable telling the students when I don't know the answer to a question. I give them ideas for resources for them to research the answer and ask them to share what they learn with the class. I do not find this a failure of teaching, rather I would have enjoyed having more teachers in my academic experience who could have admitted that they didn't know instead of dismissing my questions. I feel this demonstrates to my students that we are all still learning and working together to discover new information.
This give and take in my class keeps me interested and excited to teach the same subject year after year. The experience in my class is never the same and there are new scientific discoveries all the time. It is easy to be passionate about what I do. I love working with teenagers who are really craving to be engaged.

We start off as "one buttock" students...remember being that 5 year old who can barely keep their seat as your hand pumps in the air with an "oh, oh, oh" because you had the answer or a burning question? Over the years, we are taught to sit in our seat, raise our hand appropriately, and be quiet so you will be called upon. On the contrary, I want my students compelled to answer or ask questions. I love seeing their interest in a subject ignited so that they sit up straight and their hand shoots in the air...in many cases my students will blurt out answers or respond to each other directly. For many this may seem like chaos in a classroom, but in not taking myself too seriously, I know how controlled chaos can create a dynamic learning environment.

Wk 2 - Leadership Post

Ok, I have been waiting to use the DNA question mark in a post since I love this image. 

Pete and I have been talking about where/how to present since even before this month. Our work together over the past 8 months has shown us that we really do have something to share and by compiling our data and experience, our message is more supported, defined, and transferable.

Many of our first choice venues were closed to submissions since we have a short window of right now to submit. Luckily, It didn't take much to convince Pete to apply for a conference on the West Coast. San Francisco is wonderful in January and MacWorld is the place to be!

We are also interested in presenting through webinars. Having done 100% of our collaborating virtually, presenting virtually seems like a perfect fit. It allows us the opportunity to share our presentation with many without the expense of travel or expensive fees. We are also talking about leveraging technology and web tools and doing this through a webinar seems ideal. In this way, we will have the practice of presenting in person and online. Another benefit is that we can also be more flexible regarding when we present. The Sloan Consortium and Adobe Webinars are two that we have chosen.

Wk 2 - Comment Entry #2

Here is my comment on Melinda's post about our reading for the week.

For Melinda's complete post click here.

Wk 2 - Comment Entry #1

Here is my comment on Dan's post regarding where he wants to apply to present. 

Butterfly in the sky...I can go twice as high!

Wk 2 - Reading Entry

Giving the A

Start from a place of believing that all are working to do their best. This certainly makes a difference when working with students!  It also reminds me of month 2 with Beth when she gave us our first "No Risk" assignments. I worked so hard on those assignments despite the fact that as long as I completed the work, I would receive an A. I have to say they are still products of which I am truly proud and I completed them at the beginning of the program when I was completely new to tools like iMovie and GarageBand.

I work so hard with my AP students to get them to see that the grade does not define them as a person. I would love to not have to give grades, but the fact remains that I have to use some sort of widely accepted scale to rate my students. I do tell them that whether they spend 5 minutes or 5 hours on an answer and it is wrong...it is wrong. (You are correct if you imagine that they do not like this information.) I take comfort in knowing that I really want the doctors that take care of my daughters to have been top in their class and to have scored high on every medical school exam. (I don't actually know if this is true, but I am pretty certain that our pediatrician was top in her class since she is a rockstar!) It would not be the same if she received an A just because. I unfortunately found myself putting less stock in the authors' arguments because one of them was teaching music. I wholeheartedly apologize to my musician friends!

Yet, imagine if you could really embrace this at your school. Imagine that student who saunters into class unprepared, never turns work in on time and then days before the final exam asks for extra credit to raise their grade. Or imagine giving an A to that colleague who walks in just in time in the morning, complains about everything and yet will provide no solutions, and is mysteriously sick for important require meetings. For some reason I am more able to cut my kids slack than adults. I guess I expect some degree of immaturity from teenagers, but won't take it from the adults. This "giving the A" sure sounds like a challenge.

Wk 1 - Leadership Post

To Publish or Not to Publish?...that is the question before me. Each path (publication or presentation) will certainly stretch my skills. My Lit Review is the most serious paper I have written since college...I won't tell you how long ago that was, but it was in a different century. Figuring out how to navigate, pretty much on my own, through the development of a paper worthy of publication sounds a bit too daunting for me right now and I am not sure that my research is completed. I have an actual Cycle 3 set to begin in the fall as the IT Crowd members have unanimously asked to continue our work together! While Cycle 1 and 2 showed very promising results in the way of increased teacher self-efficacy, autonomy and use of new Web 2.0 tools, I am anxious to see if there are changes that occur with the group over the summer. I want to know if the changes that occurred are long lasting.

While I present to my students everyday, I have not had practice presenting at a major conference in front of peers. That sounds a bit nerve wracking. Again, my hope would be to find out more about the long term effects of the IT Crowd sessions. Here is where there is a possibility for a really amazing presentation. Pete Episcopo and I have been collaborating for the past 8 months. Now we have the opportunity to tell the stories of our AR projects together and really bolster our results and develop a truly engaging topic. Pete's project focused more on asynchronous training at a large, co-ed, public school in Brevard County, Florida. My project incorporated face-to-face meetings with faculty at a small, all girls, private school in San Mateo County, California.

CYCLE 1 DATA COMPARISON

While these situations seem very different from one another, we both encountered similar results to our implementation of teacher tech training. Not only are teachers asking us to continue working with them, but our groups have grown. Pete's work has him now designing the Bring Your Own Tech Initiative for his entire district. My work has led to the development of a cross-curricular Computer Applications course to be taught at the high school for 6th - 12th graders. How did we do it? Well, I guess you will have to attend our conference to find out.

Wk1 - Comment Entry #2

Month 11 Blog: Week 1 Copyright Post: by Tobin Herringshaw
Here is the link to Tobin's awesome audio post and below are my comments :-)

I love seeing how creative you always are! Thank you for including an audio post. I will have to give this a try in the future.

I can totally understand how your students would side with Girl Talk in the notion that he is creating unique expressions or products. I find this hard to decipher as well. At what point is someone really lifting music material and putting it into their own work and when are they just being inspired by another’s work? How is that moment/amount determined? There are no cut and dry answers…they are all grey.

You are so right about the technology enhancing what other creators will do. Technology can support and enhance creativity, bringing the ideas of visionaries into reality. I think about Star Wars IV. Lucas found ways to use technology to bring his dreams and stories to life. You can see how over the years, technology has continued to play an ever growing role in story telling. I don’t believe Avatar or Lord of the Rings could be told with the same effect without CGI animation.

Ok, back to copyright issues…Yes, I think Girl Talk is “standing on the shoulders of giants”. This is not unusual. Even the most innovative thinkers are using what they have learned and experienced in their creations. We are bound to borrow, share, and manipulate what others put out there. The challenge is in defining the line at which it was “your” work and is now “my” work. Another challenge is getting our students to embrace their own creativity and become the giants on which others will stand :-)

Wk 1 - Comment Entry #1

My Response to Pete's Post

Wow! This is the way to have a great conversation.

The only clear point is that there are no clear-cut answers or one size fits all solutions. I was at a conference last week where we discussed copyright, patent, and trademark in relation to genetics and personalized medicine. Companies and research facilities need to be encouraged to spend the money necessary to fund the research and development of new treatments and technologies, but how do we craft laws that provide protections while allowing others to explore the same part of the genome. (There I go being a science nerd again.)

Copyright in relation to media is a bit trickier and seems to be more of an issue in places where access to media is ubiquitous. Again the need to provide the original creator with some benefit from their creation needs to be balanced with the encouragement of creativity and the development of cultural expression.

Overall, since the waters get quite a bit muddied (as evidenced throughout the videos), a thoughtful solution is needed, I think, that makes this issue come to a resolve.  The solution is somewhere around the pay annually, use annually idea that you mention. I would also like to know where I can purchase a subscription to your music...I plan to pay :-)

Wk 1 - Reading Entry

FINALLY! I am so happy to be discussing this topic in detail now, but really feel that this discussion is long overdue. We have been creating work for 10 months without much direction in the way of copyright issues. This also goes along with my feeling that we have never really discussed privacy and security on the Internet. I am wondering what the rationale is for either not discussing these topics or leaving them until the end of the program?

Ok, on to the topic at hand. The resources provided were great and I especially liked the film Good Copy Bad Copy. Copyright was meant to protect products and the rights of their creator.  It was interesting to hear about the international views on copyright.  In Nigeria, copyright is not about stopping people from using your work, but for getting people to pay you to use your work.  In Sweden there were not any laws, which meant that the Pirate Bar could operate and a political party was created…the Pirate Party to protect privacy rights. They see it as file sharing and not copyright infringement.  I LOVED the Bush and Blair music video…hysterical and creative. I had to look it up.

Another significant aspect of the video was the almost cavalier attitude exhibited about an artist's property.  While the idea of new "art forms" comes into play (eg. Girl Talk and also the Grey Album), it seems there should be some kind of an agreement that makes it easier to get permission to use content and also to reward the artist with royalties.  A global solution is surely needed where everybody wins; artist, consumer/user of the copyrighted material, and the publisher.

With regard to Fair Use, it is interesting that "Fair Use" is not so much a legal tort but, instead, a platform where one can defend the use of copyrighted material.  I also realized the learning component requirement tied to the Fair Use argument places a burden on the user of the material to prove that the lesson could not have been completed without the use of the copyrighted material. Thank goodness I always show movies that enhance my lesson plans.

The access to media means that there must be a new way to think of copyrights. People want to be paid for their creations, but relying on a very strict copyright law can stymie creativity.  Freedom, sharing and collaboration will spur innovation and allow the invention of new art forms and types of expression. I mean, who would have thought that Bush and Blair could sound as amazing as Lionel Richie and Diana Ross?