My Analysis of Wobbling as a Technology Educator

My posture and wobble I analyzed this week was maintaining positive attitude and neutral bias when interacting with our Arcadia staff members and their technology issues.  I want to first stipulate, that my student workers and I are not being polite or appropriate with community members that call into describe and report their issues.   My awareness was that often, when we resolve technology tickets that come through the Help Desk, we may not be fully approaching these issues with the requisite open mind as people would describe their problems.  This could mean that in an effort to solve a staff member’s desktop or LMS issue quickly, I may make false assumptions or not ask the right questions to get to the real source of the problem.  The insights that I have found is that it is easy to become absorbed in my mindset of viewing a staff member’s unique needs through my own perspective.  The sign of a good technology educator is to have the self-awareness to know when I am not open to an educator’s issues.  When I stopped and took the time to really listen to what the educator describes, I found that I experienced the flow of stronger interpersonal communication.

For my student workers, judging their capacity to have a neutral bias is a little easier.  One pitfall that has befuddled our help desk has been incorrect ticket assignment/incomplete details.  It is a common enough issue that mostly all of our student workers experience poor ticket details or will triage in an incorrect way.  The way that I determine my student’s success is the frequency that an individual student will top assigning incorrect tickets.  I often ask myself, how am I addressing this student worker’s performance?  Have I communicated in a way that my message is received?  What I have found throughout this process is what I determine as growth from my student workers.  Ultimately, what wobbling has shown me is that it has results for education practitioner, it is just how it is applied.

Seek 6 Saturday #s6s Ed677 Spring 2018 Week 5

 

1.)    I decided to go down the rabbit hole, I decided to do more research on one of this week’s authors Bob Fecho.  While I found it neat that he went to Arcadia, I also appreciated seeing the consistency in his research.  In particular, I found it awesome that Fecho describes the larger complexity of the classroom and the opportunities for change.  Personally, I feel like this was cool to have the wobbly message reinforced throughout multiple mediums.

2.)    So today, I guess I am going to have a yoga theme Select 6 this week.  Perhaps with this week’s readings, I feel a special sort of connection.  In my undergraduate education, I took a year of Tai Chi.  From this experience, I feel an awareness of the concept of “wobble” that is described in this week’s.  Perhaps given my life circumstances, I need to have a reminder of growth and self love-this is why I have selected this article.

3.)    Again, keeping in mind the yoga theme this week, I find this website pertaining to incorporating yoga into the K12 classroom.   I will be the first to say, given my own educational background, I may not have the same understanding of the classroom such as my classmates.  However, from my own experiences, I enjoy the connections that this website tries to incorporate with the classroom.  From yoga poses for teachers to lesson plan ideas, I believe that this website is a fantastic find for any educator.  (Another great example of Connected Learning!!!)

4.)    Sadly, given the events in Florida, I think this article about the power of Yoga is very important.   With the focus on finding positive solutions to aggressive emotions, this article describes how yoga helps teenagers find non-violent solutions to their issues.  Given the description of wobble this week, I feel that this is an unfortunately timely addition to my selection.

5.) I went down the rabbit hole on the Iloveteaching.  When I was searching through it, I found teacher2teacher.  O.M.G.  All I can say is that it is the epitome of Connected Learning and Teaching.  

6.) And last but not least… (thanks to my classmate Kristin…) I am going to link to one of her posts… In a recent post, Kristin describes how she attempted to play using an unknown recipe.  For me, how she describes “progression”, and how to be reminded of how her students are learning.  This awareness of one’s self and one’s limitations is wobbling.  Thanks for the application!

ED677 #F5F Week 3

1. Thank you Christina for the trip down memory lane… When I was in high school, my sister and her friends, used to play The Game all throughout our high school. So to have you mention it again… Whew talk about Déjà vu.  I had to text my sister and one of my best friends last night to remind them… I lost the game… 😉
2. I have multiple members of my family that are MIT alumni. I will not lie, I tend to have my own initial thoughts about them when I hear about others describe them… So it was quite a refreshing change for me to read Resnick’s work and remember to move beyond my own biases.  I especially enjoyed hearing how Resnick collaborates and works alongside Lego toys.  It
3. I am a big NPR fan… (and WHYY member). For a long time, on many of the podcasts that I would listen too, Edutopia would be a sponsor of the podcast episode.  I have included a link to their Latest website article about how Reading Digital Games can be utilized.  In a way, I think this Edutopia section nicely encapsulates our class up to this point.  On its face, this article clearly about games in a classroom (thus incorporating ED677’s Play weekly theme).  However, this article was found in the Edutopia Latest section.  This learning section is an awesome application of how connected learning can be applied to enhance the classroom for teachers!
4. One of my classmates (shout out to Questteach blog!) found an amazing TED talk that I think incorporates an advanced application of the concepts that we talked about this week. This Australian speaker uses sports games metaphor, and it reminded me the idea of coaches as educators.  In order to master the open-ended “play” classroom, teachers have to morph their mindset, and consider themselves mentors or “coaches”.  I think it is really tough to adapt this hands off, encouragement approach for many educators.  The idea at the end of the day is to encourage and let students come to their own outcomes (even if that means “losing” or “failing”).  I think this is a difficult element for any educators, since it is easier to tell a right answer, but much harder to let students learn on their own.  Awesome talk…!
5. I really like this article from the NYTimes. I think it encapsulates the video game discussion that we had last night.  I like this article, because even though it is almost eight years old, it still reminds that the debate is not really settled.  As both the classroom and the educational technology evolve, there is still room for interpretation on what types of educational media can be utilized to convey content.

ED677 Make Play Contribution

So… I decided to use Panopto recording software to record my analysis on using Panopto creatively for educators.  Not to give too much away from my analysis, but I recognize that in an equitable Connected Learning Classroom, my familiarity with technology is a privilege.  My ability to see the unlimited potential in Educational Technology is something that may not necessarily be shared by many other educators.  However, it is my responsibility to help overcome initial reservation and bias against this technology to come to an informed outcome.  I will be the first to say that Panopto and its tools may not be the right medium for every educator or in every area, but I relish the opportunity to engage with educators to help them make that determination for themselves.

 

So with this in mind, I have included a link for my Panopto recording… I have tried to leave open so that anyone can view it (and you do not need to put in your Arcadia credentials…)  I look forward to hearing feedback from you guys!

 

https://arcadia.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b01d69f8-0b2d-4085-8fd5-a88200e9b366

ED677 2.4.18 Fill the fourth Box

For a long time, I ruminated on this 4^th wall box assignment, and I wondered what I would place within the fourth box.  However, as I was reading the Dewey Democracy speech, Connected Learning gave me my fourth box idea.  As Dewey was describing schools and how they compare/contrast with “society”, Dewey describes the social fabric where learning takes place, “held together because they are working along common lines, in a common spirit, and with a reference to common aims”.  These equity boxes describe some part of the common spirit, but they lack a crucial dimension as well.                               While obviously stacking the boxes to help others who cannot view the activity is important, what if some of our equity participants did want to be at that game at all?  What if the social definitions or norms of the community spirit included being forced to be at that game?  What if these equity viewers did not like this particular game or did not even want to be there at all?  A fantastic example of this maybe the Super Bowl this evening?  (For the record, I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so I am rooting the Eagles this evening.)  I am sure that we all know local Delaware county people (and you could be one) who no matter what, even if it means a local team like the Eagles winning a pivotal sports championship, do not care about football.  As a society, we should be able to help these individuals with their own likes and wants, even if it is contrary to our own norms.                                                                                                                                                        This is why I created my fourth box, Empowerment.  We are away from the baseball game, and we are away from other people.  My viewer is doing his/her own thing, whether that be going for a walk or viewing another sports activity at home.  Empowerment for me is allowing people to participate in society in their own way so society can receive everyone’s contributions along the common lines that they feel most comfortable participating.

 

 

ED677 Week 2 2.2 #F5F

1. I really do love this discussion of a meme. I think that the analysis and examples that follow are almost example of connected learning by itself.  By both defining the concept of how memes reflect cultural concepts, but then also including multiple examples of the forms that contemporary memes take, this meme definition relies on meme examples written by others (peers) to convey the meme definition.  I think this connected learning approach by encouraging readers to click and participate in researching memes is effective.
2. I realize that this may become a bit of a broken record with me, but I love this quote Educational Innovator blog describing how “…technology and innovation, in general, reproduce inequities unless there is a proactive agenda to not let that happen..” As I mentioned last week, when technology and connected learning is enacted, having a strong and cohesive policy helps to ensure that the connected learning/educational technology will have the most equitable results possible.
3. Overall, I love the outstanding Kuttner article critiquing the equity meme. While I did agree with all of Kuttner’s points-I do believe that he addresses the idea of deficit thinking.  Again, as I have mentioned before (and will more likely afterwards), connected learning offers the ability to enhance the equity of all learners.  However, if the boxes are not divided accordingly, these boxes can diminish the positive results that connected learning offers educators.
4. I also loved my classmate Mary’s reflections on the equity meme. I think her example of working with student’s with ASD illustrates Kuttner’s point better than Kutter.  While Kuttner limited his written analysis to economic mobility and racial discrimination, there are so many other forms of discrimination (including developmental and intellectual disorder discrimination).  When one engages in deficit thinking, it can make the oppression harder to address for others.
   Thank you Mary for reminding us about more forms of fairness!
5. I also love the various definitions of inequity within the edglossary. I think that the various definitions of inequity help to remind us that inequity exists in a variety of forms and that it essential that as we are focusing on using Connected Learning to create that equitable classroom, we do not have tunnel vision on certain components and remember that inequity can exist in a variety of capacities!

1/26/18 Find 5 Friday #F5F

• I loved this blog reflection from EduWeek. I selected this article for review because I think it serves as a fantastic counterpoint to our discussion this week.  While on its face it serves to talk about blended learning and the limitations of connected learning, I think that when it defines the negatives (of what Connected Learning is not able to do…), this article really serves to add so much more to our conversation of how Connected Learning can improve the classroom! http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2013/01/connected_learning_versus_blended_learning_new_terms_old_debate.html
• I don’t know if I have really mentioned it, but I am huge political news junkie… (and unfortunately nowadays, I feel like I am having too much of a good thing with news updates). I have been a NYTimes subscriber, and actively incorporate it daily so I can make sure that I have an informed opinion on contemporary events.  I found this connected learning/education section within the NYTimes, and while it does not necessarily surprise me that I would find something like this provided by the Times, it is awesome to find it on my own. https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning
• Christensen’s quote really stuck out to me as an example of a frequent issue that I find as I am exploring this week. “My error – and the error of the department that hired me- was to see these students as ‘disadvantaged’ instead of seeing their brilliance.”  I find that in the emphasis with Connected Learning to explore their complex and unique environments, educators can run into an issue to struggle to find a consistent language with which to measure a student’s outcomes.  While I do not fault Christensen at all with her views, I just wonder what way we can both measure a student’s outcomes but also not destructively label them as well…?
• From the readings this week, I have found it awesome that Dewey (a progressive education advocate who has influenced modern American education) still has a voice one hundred years later. I selected this blog because I think it echoes my views that Dewey’s reflections are even more relevant now than when he first mentioned them. http://blog.cambridgeinternational.org/reflections-on-the-100th-year-anniversary-of-john-deweys-democracy-and-education/
• I also found Danny’s contribution of last week to be reflective of the democracy principals that Dewey described within this week’s readings. Specifically his self analysis regarding the use of statistics within sports.  Personally, I think this is an indication of the complex self that Dewey mentions and how not all student learning occurs within the classroom. https://connectedlearning325628278.wordpress.com/

ED677 Spring ’18 Week 2 Marginal Syllabus Success

I think that Marginal Syllabus offers amazing potentials for the contemporary classrooms.  The idea that students can share their ideas and thoughts on information asynchronously and from their own places (whether it be at home, work, or in my case from a turnpike rest stop!) reflects the idea that connected learning adapts to the fact that students lead complex lives.

 

The one question that I find raised most often with equity though in Connected Learning is the managing of shared expectations when using a shared activity such as Marginal Syllabus.  At this moment within my educational career, I have taken multiple graduate level classes and in variety of forms (including online and inperson LMS discussion boards).  I also work in a career field (Educational Technology support where the expectation is become familiar and proficient with a wide variety of new educational tools (so my comfort level is expected to continue to evolve).  I feel that from my experience, I have a pretty good familiarity with how to use new educational tools to convey graduate level discussions.

 

I realize that my familiarity is a level of privilege that many users may not have.  For those users who have not had the same graduate education experiences that I may not have, or the ability to have exposure to various forms of technology-a Marginal Syllabus can be very daunting.  Concisely speaking (in what I think will become a common refrain for me), I think that Marginal Syllabus (as well as other Connected Learning tools) can only work when we account for equity for all students.  I consider equity in my example explicit instructions of tool use or video clips (like Christine provided… 😉 ) to ensure that all users have a clear understanding of what the expectations are as well as how they need to use these tools.   Providing this equity can maximize the experience and improve the process for all students across the board!

My professional success-from the K12 encouragement I received

When I was a kid, I was very much interested in reading.  I would readily admit that all of my K12 educators would confirm that as an acceptable form or learning.  However, I think my passion for reading has greatly influenced my current educational technology career.

 

When I was in high school, I readily expected to complete a pre law baccalaureate degree and successfully complete law school.  With that goal in mind, I took many social sciences classes and continually honed my analytical ability through reading and writing.  Many of the educators that I have had throughout my education have encouraged me analytical ability.  While I think my ability to learn through reading was innate, I know that without the support of my teachers, my analytical ability would not be what it is today.

 

I think that the implications for this reading analytical ability have influenced my current educational technology support career path.  In order to build educator rapport and acquire new technical expertise, I consistently have to be reading knowledge base articles and tech support articles.  Many educators believe that information technology skills are garnered through computer science classes.  However, the ability to read and learn new trends is by far a more crucial ability.  Furthermore, the ability to communicate (or read interpersonal interactions) enables me as an educational tech supporter to resolve not only technical issues, but have educators have confidence in my recommendations.  I successfully tie my technical ability to resolve educational technology issues within my current career to the encouragement of my reading ability that I received in my K12 education.

Joining a Higher Education Information Technology Support Network

The “teacher” network that I selected was Educause.  Educause describes itself as an organization that …” actively engages with colleges and universities, corporations, foundations, government, and other nonprofit organizations to further the mission of transforming higher education through the use of information technology”.   Educause also describes its members [in that they] “contribute to thought leadership on major issues, and highlight how emerging trends and technologies may influence technologies may influence the evolution in higher education”.  It is this contribution and highlighting that has me reflecting on its capability for serving as mentor network.                                                                                          Specifically, perhaps the biggest reason that I love Educause’s network is their focus on developing strategy for information technology within higher education.  As Higher Education professionals-I think Information Technology professionals can be guilty of only focusing on the short term solutions.  However, as support professionals-we often need to be the catalyst and the guard for a long term strategic solutions-in many ways comparable to the educational curriculums that occur within the K-12 classroom.  Educause helps formulate that strategy-so post secondary education professionals can develop the curricula for the classroom.                                                                                                                                                      One of the reasons that I think that Educause definitely exemplifies Rami’s example of writing professionals within the field.  Indeed-many of the articles that are found within the website are written by chief information officers (CIOs) at many prominent universities.  One of the many reasons that this website/exchange network is supreme is the fact that these CIOs write about their experiences, both the good and the bad about various strategies.  This focus on real world informational technology pedagogical principles really helps higher education IT professionals develop strong solutions.  This focus on “in the field” technology demonstrates the commitment to helping IT staff develop curricula, and also serve as an effective teacher network.                                                                                                                                                                            Additionally-there are some requirements for membership within Educause.  Rather than explicitly excluding certain groups, Educause positively states that it is open to post-secondary education institutions, as well as corporations with post-secondary education interests.  While this on the surface does seem somewhat not really exclusionary, these requirements do happen to limit the applicants for Educause.