Wk 4 Blog Post 4, Comments to Janene Neal

Comment to Janene Neal:

Janene I was very interested to hear about your experience this year with 2 of the extraordinary students within the class. I love that you found a way to take a potentially negative situation and find a positive contribution for the students. You are the spark for those students! You may actually be the first teacher who has used learning through technology to find a way to connect to these extraordinary students. You definitely applied rule number 6!

I plan to take your experience, and reflect on ways to do the same in the classroom with other students who need the spark of possibility. Perhaps this is the first time these students have been engaged and felt important. Great job! You are the difference!

Janene Neal's Post:

When I started teaching over ten years ago, I believe my whole body was filled with lighting ready to transfer to others. I wanted to relight a spark in my students, so they would be ready to take on the world.

Recently, I think my inner light has fizzled, and I see a dying light in my students.

Maybe it is the end of the year. Maybe I feel a little burned out. But when I read these last few chapters, I realized, I need to make a change in my thinking. I can still make a difference in my students’ lives. I can still light that spark.

How do I rekindle that feeling of making a difference? I know myself. I need to make a change with my professional life about every three to four years. Do something different like changing schools, positions, or curriculum. This really helps me with keeping my ideas fresh and new.

However, what about the students that have that darkness inside, but don’t want to let in the possibility of light? Every year, I try to motivate a student that just doesn’t want to work with me. Usually it’s a student that just wants to goof off, play around, distract others, and try to be the “cool/bad” kid. You all know them…we all have at least one in our class. This year, I just so happen to have two of them in one class. This is how I overcame this type of behavior. I gave both students a lot of leeway.

I let them work on a multimedia project together that consisted of a rap creation they created in Garageband Loops. I saw the spark...they showed the light.

Instead of me running around yelling at them to get to work, saying, “stop this”, or “stop that”, I provided my students with endless possibilities. My students found new technology knowledge, created a content skill rap song, minimized distractions, and had fun. I was able to do my job…which is mold young minds. WE all learned from this experience.

Posted by Janene Neal at 12:00 PM

Wk 4 Blog Post 3, Comments to Levonda Vickery

Response to Levonda:

I love the positive attitude you exhibit. I think your enthusiasm and energy show through and as soon as you are given an opportunity to show someone in education all that you have to offer, the spark will ignite and lead to amazing possibilities!

Getting to know you over this last year, I am amazed with your confidence and positive attitude. We need more teachers with your desire to use new technologies in the classroom, and your energy!

One thing that has helped me to at least get a few interviews, that may perhaps help you as well, is to include in my cover letter my action research website and online portfolio. My online portfolio is not fancy, but it has links to many of our projects. Here is my link if you want to take a look. I include the site on my resume as well.

http://web.me.com/kswartz3/kristiswartzportfolio/Welcome_Page.html

I actually was thrilled to get an interview yesterday at one of the only schools with even one job opening. The principal said there were over 425 applicants, and they only interviewed 18. I know my Full Sail experience got me the interview. I do not think I will get the position, but there is a possibility, and a spark! May it be so for you!  

Wk 4 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 9-12

I loved Zander's words in Chapter 9 about us having the "infinite capacity to light a spark of possibility" right at our fingertips and that "passion, rather than fear, is the igniting force."  Oh how true those words ring.  That not only should we ignite a spark in others, but be willing to catch any sparks they may throw at us as well.  I must say that reading Chapter 11: Creating Frameworks for Possibility was right up my creative alley so to speak.  I know that I am the happiest whenever I am creating new things or even watching that creative spark in both of my daughters.  My 15 year old is able to do things with video that I only wish I had been able to do at her age or to have even had the opportunity to learn with the tools and technology she has available to her.  

I loved the story of the teacher who shaved her head because of the student who underwent chemotherapy and the other students were making fun of her baldness.  What a great way to take charge of a situation instead of letting it get out of hand and head into that downward spiral Zander speaks of.  I have a dream to teach and believe that dream is well within my "arena of possibility."  Zander made a really good point about how a vision does not require one to win, but merely to play into the possibility.  His words on how a personal crisis can lead to the creation of a vision that turns a life of possibility sang out to me about the past year or so of my life and how I have taken the my job loss and divorce not as a sign of failure, but rather as a sign to have a new beginning full of possibilities and dreams.  This book has helped me to realize that all the negativity about not having a job and never even being called for a job interview to teach does not define who I am.  My thinking either positive or negative is what defines me and my actions allowing me to choose to explore my own world of possibilities in order to move forward in my life and ignite that spark in others around me.

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Wk 4 Blog Post 2, Publishing/Leadership Project

Image from Journal of Digital learning in Teacher Education Website

Image from Education Technology Research and Development Journal Website

My Publishing/Leadership Project consists of a journal article I hope to have published in the Education Technology Research and Development Journal which is the only scholarly journal focusing on research and development in educational technology. This would be a great place to share my project regarding educational technology regarding blogging about independent reading.

The other publication I would like to be published in is the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education. I am excited about sharing my Literature Review and Action Research Project regarding blogging as motivation to read independently. Interest in reading and reading independently are great indicators of student success. Blogging proves to be a way of bridging reading with technology. By combining an important area of learning with technology, educators can help students find success inside and outside of the classroom.

I would be excited to have the article published in one of these two scholarly journals. I look forward to receiving feedback from the Wimba session with classmates and look forward to making my article better.

Publishing Blog Post 1

http://swartzbloggin.blogspot.com/2011/05/wk-2-blog-post-5-publishingleadership.html

Publishing Blog Post 2

http://swartzbloggin.blogspot.com/2011/05/wk-3-blog-post-4-publishingleadership.html

Swartz_Kristi_PublishingProject

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AlcvhFVPHhYpPkbgdK84jKOIwbw6LwaUCFu92d_IAzE/edit?hl=en&authkey=CLWHxNQB

Wk 4 Blog Post 1, Readings

Flickr photo by Suzie T

This week after finishing The Art of Possibilities I reflect further on how this book has changed my perspective. I understand the idea of being ready to participate, offering the gifts we possess for the good of the community, and being open to others eagerness to catch the spark and share it with others. This is a great model for teachers today. We can participate in the students learning in our class sharing what we know and learning from our students’ gifts and knowledge. We can definitely instill sparks within our students creating students who catch the fever to learn and grow in everything they do.

The whole enrollment thing did throw me, however. I prefer to think of it as participation, as discussed in an earlier chapter. The idea of enrollment seemed redundant to me.  I look forward to others thoughts on enrollment.

My favorite part of this reading dealt with the Nelson Mandela address of the words of Marianna Williamson. The idea of this poem in regard to sharing our power and light and how that can spark others to shine their light as well, was inspiring to me. I actually read over this several times and typed it out to print at a later time. I love the idea of all people being born to manifest the glory of God within us, all of us. That was an inspirational message, and a spark, a light,  I hope to share my students through my actions!

Wk 3 Blog Post 5, Wimba Reflection

Photo by Kristi Swartz

I was interested to learn more about the Publishing/Leadership project through the Wimba archive. I am creating a paper for publication for my project. I did get a lot of information from this Wimba session to aid me in my publication revisions for my final submission to a scholarly journal next month.

I will be very excited to get a chance at the last Wimba session to hear about other Action Research Projects through this sharing session. There are so many ideas regarding technology and education that have been researched through our class this year. This sharing is a great way to find research-based ideas for our practice as educators interested in technology use in the classroom.

It seems like a lot of our courses consist of similar students, and although I love this, I am excited to find out more about other students’ Action Research Projects, as well. Looking forward to Monday!

Wk 3 Blog Post 4, Publishing/Leadership Project

Photostream Photo from ccNL Translation

I definitely think creating an article for possible publishing is the best idea for me and my action research project. I do have a lot of media that I can use to create a presentation later, or use for my final presentation next month, but I feel like publishing a research based paper could aid more educators in understanding the potential for blogging within the language arts classroom. When I was researching scholarly articles for my AR Project Lit Review, I did find a lot of information regarding blogging and the language arts classroom, but did not find information in regard to blogs for motivation to read independently. Since blogging has proved to be a motivation for reading independently among my students, it could benefit other teacher's students as well. Perhaps this scholarly article will be a way to reach educators around the world!

I have a rough layout of my publishing, and plan to refine what I have before next Monday. I look forward to the Wimba session next week to get ideas from classmates to make my publishing better!

Wk 3 Blog Post 3, Comment to Anne Alsup

From Anne Alsup's Blog Post

I love how you describe students developing areas of interest. If students can see what is good in each person within the classroom, they can learn to use their own gifts as they learn from others gifts, as well. In our Full Sail classes this year, we have been given freedom to express ourselves, as we desire within parameters. If we allow our students to do the same, they will contribute to the world in meaningful ways.  

I do think it important that we as teachers challenge our students to step out of their area of expertise, and grow in their weaker areas also. With the idea of personal contribution and passion, students will feel the goal is to grow, take risks, and contribute, not to excel at everything. So much in our world today says everyone must be great at everything;  we can shift these ideas and help students see everyone has varied gifts, and all students can grow from each other every day, by sharing those talents and growing our areas of weaknesses together! What a better world we would have at the end of the day without competition, but with inclusion!

This weekend an amazing thing happened at our area high school. The prom king and queen who were crowned this weekend were both downs syndrome students. The high school students were able to love these students for who they are, and see their amazing qualities, and reward them for being great friends. When they were crowned, all of the high school students at the prom cheered; not competition, but unity! May we hope for this from our own students!

Anne Alsup wrote:

The teacher, like the conductor of an orchestra is not the true power in the classroom. The teacher derives their power from the success of the student. Some teachers may see their role as enlightening their students with their vast knowledge, but I disagree.  Perhaps more can be learned from the conductor.

One of the most difficult issues that I faced during my action research project as I moved my classes from the traditional teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered model was the role of the instructor. Almost universally, students perceive the role of the teacher as supplying knowledge and answering questions, a notion that has been perpetuated by an arena of high-stakes testing. While this methodology has merit for the conveyance of basic facts and principles, it falls short of moving the student to transference of the principles at higher levels of intellectual and cognitive application.

It is not the conductor's role to play the violin, only to direct the violinist. Like the conductor, it is not the teacher's role to answer the question, but to ask the question and point the student in the direction of knowledge. My research indicated that the teacher should literally say nothing that would interfere with the students' thought process. Students should be encouraged to develop the ideas, based on their previous knowledge and define the concepts for themselves.  This approach transcends the power of the conductor and empowers learning to take place from any chair. Through this collaborative orchestra of thought, knowledge is generated beyond the scope of any individual effort.

Is it necessary that every student masters the laws of physics, understand Shakespearean literature or solve a quadratic equation? I think we know better. Our world would be a better place if each child could discover and develop their passion. Establishing graduation requirements and competency testing does little to promote passion for learning. It is time to apply Rule #6 to the educational arena.  Yes, we should have some basic requirements and children should be exposed to wide variety of educational opportunities, but the sooner we help children develop areas of interest, the better chance we have lessening the control of the calculating self and free the child to find the central self. Imagine a universe of possibility where each person is able to express their inner desires in a positive direction by contributing to their world.  A world in which each person participates in the part that they were born to play and plays it with unbridled passion.