Saturday, December 12, 2009
Volunteering News
I heard from the classroom teacher today and I will be volunteering Thursdays from 10:00-10:45. It is a first grade classroom. I'm so excited to be volunteering. I really enjoy working with kids and helping them learn.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Feedback
Good news! (crossing fingers, knocking on wood)
I heard from one of the elementary schools and they are VERY interested in having me volunteer. I spoke with a woman named Vicky and she seemed thrilled.
She has a teacher in mind that is trying new things in her classroom. I'm hoping she will welcome the help. This could be a great way for me to meet students and families to tutor and to build relationships with the teachers.
I also heard from one family through my craigslist ad about tutoring. It was for a 5th grade student in math. We shall see if this pans out.
I'm re-listing my ad on craigslist every few days. I'm hoping to find some great families that are looking for a great tutor!
I heard from one of the elementary schools and they are VERY interested in having me volunteer. I spoke with a woman named Vicky and she seemed thrilled.
She has a teacher in mind that is trying new things in her classroom. I'm hoping she will welcome the help. This could be a great way for me to meet students and families to tutor and to build relationships with the teachers.
I also heard from one family through my craigslist ad about tutoring. It was for a 5th grade student in math. We shall see if this pans out.
I'm re-listing my ad on craigslist every few days. I'm hoping to find some great families that are looking for a great tutor!
Ad
12/4/09
I posted an ad today...
I put this out just to see what kind of feedback I get. It would be nice if I can make some money while tutoring, but will entertain the idea of tutoring kids for free if they agree to commit to the tutoring sessions. We shall see...
Hi, I'm an experienced 1st and 2nd grade teacher. I have taught for seven years. I have my California and Virginia teaching credentials. I have tutored for children about to enter kindergarten through 6th grades.
I am currently in graduate school at Pepperdine University. I am majoring in Learning Technologies. Part of this program is to implement an action research project. My project is on being the better tutor. I am looking for families with children in primary grades that are in need of a great tutor. I will meet with your child 1-2 times a week depending on their needs. I want to have ongoing communication with the parents, teachers, babysitters, nannies, basically anyone that is a part of your child's educational life.
I know this is a busy time of year, I'm hoping to start this project in January. I would like to meet with you, your child, and if possible the teacher to discuss your child's needs.
I need families that can commit to tutoring sessions from January-May. I am a reliable, honest person. I'm hoping that this is a wonderful experience for us all.
Thank you!
Mary
Please contact me for more information. I have numerous references.
I posted an ad today...
I put this out just to see what kind of feedback I get. It would be nice if I can make some money while tutoring, but will entertain the idea of tutoring kids for free if they agree to commit to the tutoring sessions. We shall see...
Hi, I'm an experienced 1st and 2nd grade teacher. I have taught for seven years. I have my California and Virginia teaching credentials. I have tutored for children about to enter kindergarten through 6th grades.
I am currently in graduate school at Pepperdine University. I am majoring in Learning Technologies. Part of this program is to implement an action research project. My project is on being the better tutor. I am looking for families with children in primary grades that are in need of a great tutor. I will meet with your child 1-2 times a week depending on their needs. I want to have ongoing communication with the parents, teachers, babysitters, nannies, basically anyone that is a part of your child's educational life.
I know this is a busy time of year, I'm hoping to start this project in January. I would like to meet with you, your child, and if possible the teacher to discuss your child's needs.
I need families that can commit to tutoring sessions from January-May. I am a reliable, honest person. I'm hoping that this is a wonderful experience for us all.
Thank you!
Mary
Please contact me for more information. I have numerous references.
Letter to schools
12/2/09
I've been working on a letter to give to schools to state my intentions. Paul has also volunteered to write me a letter to give to schools.
Mary E. Diehl
Pepperdine University
Masters of Arts, Learning Technologies 2009-2010
My name is Mary Diehl. I have my B.A. from the State University of New York at Potsdam in psychology and elementary education. I have taught first and second grades for seven years in Florida and Virginia. I moved to California a little over a year ago and have earned my teaching credentials.
I am currently a full time graduate student at Pepperdine University. As part of the curriculum I am conducting an action research project. My focus is on tutoring to improve students’ learning. I would love to work with your school as a volunteer and build a relationship with you school community. Beginning in January I will work with the teachers, students and families tutoring primary grade level students. I am willing to tutor at no cost.
Thank you for your time!
I look forward to hearing from you,
Mary Diehl
I've been working on a letter to give to schools to state my intentions. Paul has also volunteered to write me a letter to give to schools.
Mary E. Diehl
Pepperdine University
Masters of Arts, Learning Technologies 2009-2010
My name is Mary Diehl. I have my B.A. from the State University of New York at Potsdam in psychology and elementary education. I have taught first and second grades for seven years in Florida and Virginia. I moved to California a little over a year ago and have earned my teaching credentials.
I am currently a full time graduate student at Pepperdine University. As part of the curriculum I am conducting an action research project. My focus is on tutoring to improve students’ learning. I would love to work with your school as a volunteer and build a relationship with you school community. Beginning in January I will work with the teachers, students and families tutoring primary grade level students. I am willing to tutor at no cost.
Thank you for your time!
I look forward to hearing from you,
Mary Diehl
Friday, December 4, 2009
Lit Review
This is a work in progress. I am currently working on revisions.
Being the Better Tutor by Using Twenty-First Century Learning Skills
Mary Diehl
Pepperdine University
Graduate School of Education and Psychology Department, 2009-10
Author’s Note
This action research project was conducted by Mary Diehl under the instruction of Dr. Paul Sparks in the course Participatory Action Research, EDC 638 A-D. This class is one of the major components of the Masters of Arts, Learning Technologies program at Pepperdine University.
My passion has been to educate primary grade level students and to get them excited about learning new ideas and concepts. I believe that primary grade level students are capable of using technology to aid in their education. This is one of the reasons that I chose to implement 21st century skills throughout my tutoring sessions.
Introduction
Tutoring, or one-on-one instruction, has been used around the world. In 2003, South Korea 83.1 % of elementary students received tutoring and in Bangladesh a 2005 study was conducted of 8,212 households and 43.2% of primary grade level students received private tutoring (Bray 2005). While that number may not be as great in the United States, tutoring is increasing in popularity.
Tutoring is losing the negative connotation that it may have had in the United States. Many teachers use peer tutoring in the classroom. Tutoring is now available on the internet. One can find numerous tutoring agencies as well as private tutors around the country. Private tutoring, when done properly and by a knowledgeable adult tutor, can give that student an advantage they may not otherwise have in the typical school setting (Schacter 2000).
The focus of my action research project is to provide primary grade level students with proper and progressive tutoring. I plan to incorporate twenty-first century skills in the tutoring process. I plan to incorporate one-on-one tutoring as well as computer-based tutoring. My focus will be on reading and writing skills but I will also help students with math, social studies, and science needs.
21st Century Literacy Skills
Twenty-first century literacy skills is a term used to explain the skills that an individual should poses in order to be a fully functioning and contributing citizen in the 21st century. One hundred years ago, knowing how to farm or sew would be a worthwhile skill. Times have changed and so has the focus on which skills our children should posses. The skills needed in the 21st century include‘academic skills, thinking, reasoning, teamwork skills, and proficiency in using technology’ (Metiri 2003).
I plan on using these 21st century skills in my tutoring sessions, focusing on academic basic, technological, and visual literacies, inventive thinking, and interactive communication by use of online means, and effective use of real-world tools. A quote from Bill Gates that I relate to is that we should ‘use digital tools to help customers solve problems for themselves’ (1999). This explains how we, as educators, should be using computers and other digital tools in the classroom (Metiri 2003).
Having a tutor that is the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) is important for the learning process (Vygotsky 1978). The tutor may not know all the answers. But knowing, and sharing with the tutee, how to problem solve is important.
By using the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) students are interacting with one another, their teacher, and the tutor to increase their skills and knowledge (Vygotsky 1978). Tutors and others will provide guidance for the tutee to complete the work they may otherwise have difficulty completing.
Having a Plan
Tutoring can be an important part of a student’s academic career if conducted properly. Tutors must be more knowledgeable than the tutee (Vygotsky 1978). Tutors must coordinate with the other educators in the tutee’s life; this includes teachers, both past and present, parents, and anyone else whom may be teaching the child (Deeney 2008). Knowing the students past will aid in the tutoring process. Tutors must know what skills the teacher, the tutee themselves, and the parents feel need to be worked upon. The tutor may decide to assess the tutee’s knowledge further in need be, but seeing the previous assessments will give the tutor a starting point. If the tutorial instruction in not in line with the classroom instruction it may lose value. The tutoring sessions need to be relevant to the tutee and be put into practice. According to Deeney (2008), there are six important steps in the tutoring process. In Deeney’s study, when the tutors followed these steps, the students benefited.
1) Gather information
2) Conduct instructional gap analysis
3) Develop an instructional plan
4) Implement, monitor, and communicate
5) Reflect and adjust
6) Assess Gains
Incorporating 21st Century Literacy Skills
21st century skills will be used throughout the tutoring process. As the cycles progress more skills will be introduced and put into use. Each tutoring session will be highly interactive, meaning the tutor will be interacting with the tutor (VanLehn et al 2005).
Incorporating interactive technology into the tutee’s instruction will occur in the cycles of the action research and as the student becomes more knowledgeable with technology usage this will increase. In a later cycle I plan to form an interactive community and provide synchronous and asynchronous communication among students and myself online (Metiri 2003). This will provide many students with social interaction while learning (Vygotsky 1978). By using technology the tutee’s visual and auditory systems will be engaged in the learning process (Mayer 2001). According to Mayer, by using these two sensory systems the tutee has a better chance of retaining the information. With the use of technology along with one-on-one tutoring the tutee will be learning by interacting with others. The greatest learning gains are found in an interactive tutoring experience (VanLehn et al 2005).
Going Forward
This year, I will be finding students that need help academically in language arts to tutor. I will meet with these students at a minimum of once a week for an hour. Prior to the first cycle I will discuss with the child, their parents and their teacher the skills they feel need to be the focus. I may decide to assess the child’s skills further.
I will help the child develop their skills and base our sessions on the classroom teacher’s lessons. It is important to keep in contact with the parents and the teacher for routine check-ups, so we are all on the same page (Deeney 2008).
In a later cycle, I plan on implementing a computer-based tutoring program. While we will continue to meet for one-on-one tutoring, students can also meet with me and each other synchronously and asynchronously online. This will be a safe place for students to ask questions and, in turn, to answer the questions of their fellow students.
At the end of this action research project, I hope to show that primary grade level students have increased their knowledge and reading skills by my tutoring services using 21st Century literacy skills.
References
Bray, Mark (2005). Private Supplementary Tutoring: Comparative Perspectives on Patterns and Implications. Oxford International Conference on Education and Development ‘Learning and Livelihood’
Deeney, Theresa A. (2008) Coordinating Supplemental Reading Instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic; March 2008; 43, 4 Educational Module p 218-225
Gates, William (1999) From Business @ The Speed of Thought: Using a Digital Nervous System, Warner Books, USA
Mayer, Richard E. (2001). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, United Kingdom
Metiri Group (2003). EnGauge 21st Century Skills for 21st Century Learners
Schacter, John (2000). Does Individual Tutoring Produce Optimal Learning? American Educational Research Journal. Fall 2000, Vol.37, No. 3, p 801-829
VanLehn, K., Graesser, A., Jackson G.T., Jordan, P., Olney, A., Rose, C.P. (2005). When is Reading Just as Effective as One-on-One Interactive Human Tutoring? The Cognitive Science Journal Archive
Vygotsky, L.S.. (1978). Mind in Society. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Being the Better Tutor by Using Twenty-First Century Learning Skills
Mary Diehl
Pepperdine University
Graduate School of Education and Psychology Department, 2009-10
Author’s Note
This action research project was conducted by Mary Diehl under the instruction of Dr. Paul Sparks in the course Participatory Action Research, EDC 638 A-D. This class is one of the major components of the Masters of Arts, Learning Technologies program at Pepperdine University.
My passion has been to educate primary grade level students and to get them excited about learning new ideas and concepts. I believe that primary grade level students are capable of using technology to aid in their education. This is one of the reasons that I chose to implement 21st century skills throughout my tutoring sessions.
Introduction
Tutoring, or one-on-one instruction, has been used around the world. In 2003, South Korea 83.1 % of elementary students received tutoring and in Bangladesh a 2005 study was conducted of 8,212 households and 43.2% of primary grade level students received private tutoring (Bray 2005). While that number may not be as great in the United States, tutoring is increasing in popularity.
Tutoring is losing the negative connotation that it may have had in the United States. Many teachers use peer tutoring in the classroom. Tutoring is now available on the internet. One can find numerous tutoring agencies as well as private tutors around the country. Private tutoring, when done properly and by a knowledgeable adult tutor, can give that student an advantage they may not otherwise have in the typical school setting (Schacter 2000).
The focus of my action research project is to provide primary grade level students with proper and progressive tutoring. I plan to incorporate twenty-first century skills in the tutoring process. I plan to incorporate one-on-one tutoring as well as computer-based tutoring. My focus will be on reading and writing skills but I will also help students with math, social studies, and science needs.
21st Century Literacy Skills
Twenty-first century literacy skills is a term used to explain the skills that an individual should poses in order to be a fully functioning and contributing citizen in the 21st century. One hundred years ago, knowing how to farm or sew would be a worthwhile skill. Times have changed and so has the focus on which skills our children should posses. The skills needed in the 21st century include‘academic skills, thinking, reasoning, teamwork skills, and proficiency in using technology’ (Metiri 2003).
I plan on using these 21st century skills in my tutoring sessions, focusing on academic basic, technological, and visual literacies, inventive thinking, and interactive communication by use of online means, and effective use of real-world tools. A quote from Bill Gates that I relate to is that we should ‘use digital tools to help customers solve problems for themselves’ (1999). This explains how we, as educators, should be using computers and other digital tools in the classroom (Metiri 2003).
Having a tutor that is the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) is important for the learning process (Vygotsky 1978). The tutor may not know all the answers. But knowing, and sharing with the tutee, how to problem solve is important.
By using the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) students are interacting with one another, their teacher, and the tutor to increase their skills and knowledge (Vygotsky 1978). Tutors and others will provide guidance for the tutee to complete the work they may otherwise have difficulty completing.
Having a Plan
Tutoring can be an important part of a student’s academic career if conducted properly. Tutors must be more knowledgeable than the tutee (Vygotsky 1978). Tutors must coordinate with the other educators in the tutee’s life; this includes teachers, both past and present, parents, and anyone else whom may be teaching the child (Deeney 2008). Knowing the students past will aid in the tutoring process. Tutors must know what skills the teacher, the tutee themselves, and the parents feel need to be worked upon. The tutor may decide to assess the tutee’s knowledge further in need be, but seeing the previous assessments will give the tutor a starting point. If the tutorial instruction in not in line with the classroom instruction it may lose value. The tutoring sessions need to be relevant to the tutee and be put into practice. According to Deeney (2008), there are six important steps in the tutoring process. In Deeney’s study, when the tutors followed these steps, the students benefited.
1) Gather information
2) Conduct instructional gap analysis
3) Develop an instructional plan
4) Implement, monitor, and communicate
5) Reflect and adjust
6) Assess Gains
Incorporating 21st Century Literacy Skills
21st century skills will be used throughout the tutoring process. As the cycles progress more skills will be introduced and put into use. Each tutoring session will be highly interactive, meaning the tutor will be interacting with the tutor (VanLehn et al 2005).
Incorporating interactive technology into the tutee’s instruction will occur in the cycles of the action research and as the student becomes more knowledgeable with technology usage this will increase. In a later cycle I plan to form an interactive community and provide synchronous and asynchronous communication among students and myself online (Metiri 2003). This will provide many students with social interaction while learning (Vygotsky 1978). By using technology the tutee’s visual and auditory systems will be engaged in the learning process (Mayer 2001). According to Mayer, by using these two sensory systems the tutee has a better chance of retaining the information. With the use of technology along with one-on-one tutoring the tutee will be learning by interacting with others. The greatest learning gains are found in an interactive tutoring experience (VanLehn et al 2005).
Going Forward
This year, I will be finding students that need help academically in language arts to tutor. I will meet with these students at a minimum of once a week for an hour. Prior to the first cycle I will discuss with the child, their parents and their teacher the skills they feel need to be the focus. I may decide to assess the child’s skills further.
I will help the child develop their skills and base our sessions on the classroom teacher’s lessons. It is important to keep in contact with the parents and the teacher for routine check-ups, so we are all on the same page (Deeney 2008).
In a later cycle, I plan on implementing a computer-based tutoring program. While we will continue to meet for one-on-one tutoring, students can also meet with me and each other synchronously and asynchronously online. This will be a safe place for students to ask questions and, in turn, to answer the questions of their fellow students.
At the end of this action research project, I hope to show that primary grade level students have increased their knowledge and reading skills by my tutoring services using 21st Century literacy skills.
References
Bray, Mark (2005). Private Supplementary Tutoring: Comparative Perspectives on Patterns and Implications. Oxford International Conference on Education and Development ‘Learning and Livelihood’
Deeney, Theresa A. (2008) Coordinating Supplemental Reading Instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic; March 2008; 43, 4 Educational Module p 218-225
Gates, William (1999) From Business @ The Speed of Thought: Using a Digital Nervous System, Warner Books, USA
Mayer, Richard E. (2001). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, United Kingdom
Metiri Group (2003). EnGauge 21st Century Skills for 21st Century Learners
Schacter, John (2000). Does Individual Tutoring Produce Optimal Learning? American Educational Research Journal. Fall 2000, Vol.37, No. 3, p 801-829
VanLehn, K., Graesser, A., Jackson G.T., Jordan, P., Olney, A., Rose, C.P. (2005). When is Reading Just as Effective as One-on-One Interactive Human Tutoring? The Cognitive Science Journal Archive
Vygotsky, L.S.. (1978). Mind in Society. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
Monday, October 26, 2009
AR Thoughts
I've been looking up tutoring agencies here in Santa Monica. I'm interested in thier policies and rates.
I have also contacted a local school to see if they were in need of volunteers. This would get my foot in the door, I would be able to meet teachers, parents, and kids. Plus, I would be able to help kids in the schools. I'm hopeful that the elementary school will contact me to volunteer. I think this will help me find tutorees.
I have also contacted a local school to see if they were in need of volunteers. This would get my foot in the door, I would be able to meet teachers, parents, and kids. Plus, I would be able to help kids in the schools. I'm hopeful that the elementary school will contact me to volunteer. I think this will help me find tutorees.
AR IDEAS
New Action Research Ideas
Below is a list of things I’m interested in or could possibly work for my AR Project
Tutoring- Start up a tutoring business.
How to find new students to tutor
Advertising
Business idea- Provide and connect families with prescreened tutors (know student needs match with appropriate tutor). Get qualified tutors (background checks, qualifications, credentials, etc.) and have them tutor students. Basically, I would do all of the grunt work for the families in need of tutors.
Explore other tutors.
TUTOR IN 21st century skills- 16-20 items deeper level learning. *GOOGLE IT*
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ (I subscribed to site 10/21)
One on one learning benefits b/c,
Focus on: Content area, not really social learning (interaction between kids), look into what others are doing for tutoring (non traditional ways), learning disabilities adhd
Foa: Being a great tutor in some way (?) What is the factor (?)
Look for articles for AR
Church- Ask Megan if I can help out with her church (perhaps with children’s group).
I’m not sure what her church’s needs are at this point. One downside is that Is that it’s in Orange County and I’m not too familiar with her church community, but may work! I will be meeting with Megan on 10/24/09
Yoga – I love yoga, not sure what I could do with this, but it’s a big part of my life
Dog
Foster, walking, getting people interested in fostering/volunteering
Cooking – in the past year have become very interested in cooking
Start a cooking group, place to share recipes/altered recipes,
Restaurant
Would love to start a small restaurant. I have a few fun ideas that I would love to try at some point.
Healthy eating/living
I’m into taking recipes and making them healthier. I love goodies and I try to make them with a healthy twist (so you can’t tell the difference!). My boyfriend always asks ‘are you going to tell me this is a healthy brownie?’ (or whatever other goodie or meal I’ve made)
School
Melody’s brother’s private school in santa monica. Hopefully, I will be hearing from him this week. This would be ideal….if I’m able to continue/modify my previous AR project ideas.
I could try to contact another school in area. I don’t know people in the schools personally since I just moved to area. But, schools are usually up for free help (I am anxious because of what happened with 1st AR, I would prefer to have it more in my control)
Volunteer – I am interested in giving back. I have a lot of time and would love to
help others. Below are some Volunteer ideas.
School- getting more people to volunteer in schools. Become mentor, free tutors, teacher helpers, office helpers, etc.
Shelter/homeless-contact local shelters to see what needs they have
Animal shelter- help local shelters, have drives/fundraisers to benefit animal shelter, get more volunteers, more foster homes for pets
Below is a list of things I’m interested in or could possibly work for my AR Project
Tutoring- Start up a tutoring business.
How to find new students to tutor
Advertising
Business idea- Provide and connect families with prescreened tutors (know student needs match with appropriate tutor). Get qualified tutors (background checks, qualifications, credentials, etc.) and have them tutor students. Basically, I would do all of the grunt work for the families in need of tutors.
Explore other tutors.
TUTOR IN 21st century skills- 16-20 items deeper level learning. *GOOGLE IT*
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ (I subscribed to site 10/21)
One on one learning benefits b/c,
Focus on: Content area, not really social learning (interaction between kids), look into what others are doing for tutoring (non traditional ways), learning disabilities adhd
Foa: Being a great tutor in some way (?) What is the factor (?)
Look for articles for AR
Church- Ask Megan if I can help out with her church (perhaps with children’s group).
I’m not sure what her church’s needs are at this point. One downside is that Is that it’s in Orange County and I’m not too familiar with her church community, but may work! I will be meeting with Megan on 10/24/09
Yoga – I love yoga, not sure what I could do with this, but it’s a big part of my life
Dog
Foster, walking, getting people interested in fostering/volunteering
Cooking – in the past year have become very interested in cooking
Start a cooking group, place to share recipes/altered recipes,
Restaurant
Would love to start a small restaurant. I have a few fun ideas that I would love to try at some point.
Healthy eating/living
I’m into taking recipes and making them healthier. I love goodies and I try to make them with a healthy twist (so you can’t tell the difference!). My boyfriend always asks ‘are you going to tell me this is a healthy brownie?’ (or whatever other goodie or meal I’ve made)
School
Melody’s brother’s private school in santa monica. Hopefully, I will be hearing from him this week. This would be ideal….if I’m able to continue/modify my previous AR project ideas.
I could try to contact another school in area. I don’t know people in the schools personally since I just moved to area. But, schools are usually up for free help (I am anxious because of what happened with 1st AR, I would prefer to have it more in my control)
Volunteer – I am interested in giving back. I have a lot of time and would love to
help others. Below are some Volunteer ideas.
School- getting more people to volunteer in schools. Become mentor, free tutors, teacher helpers, office helpers, etc.
Shelter/homeless-contact local shelters to see what needs they have
Animal shelter- help local shelters, have drives/fundraisers to benefit animal shelter, get more volunteers, more foster homes for pets
Saturday, October 17, 2009
ideas
I have hit a bit of a wall. The action reasearch that I was planning fell through. Perhaps this is a blessing in dsiguise? One can only hope!
As per Paul's request I'm coming up with possibilities for my Action Research (again). I'm trying to think outside the box. I want something that is in my control so that it will not fall through again. Here are some activities that I am interested in and may work.
New Action Research Ideas
Tutoring- Start up a tutoring business.
How to find new students to tutor
Advertising
Church- Ask Megan if I can help out with her church (perhaps with children’s group)
Yoga
Dog
Cooking
Restaurant
Healthy eating/living
School
Melody’s brother’s private school in santa monica
Volunteer
School
Shelter/homeless
Animal shelter
As per Paul's request I'm coming up with possibilities for my Action Research (again). I'm trying to think outside the box. I want something that is in my control so that it will not fall through again. Here are some activities that I am interested in and may work.
New Action Research Ideas
Tutoring- Start up a tutoring business.
How to find new students to tutor
Advertising
Church- Ask Megan if I can help out with her church (perhaps with children’s group)
Yoga
Dog
Cooking
Restaurant
Healthy eating/living
School
Melody’s brother’s private school in santa monica
Volunteer
School
Shelter/homeless
Animal shelter
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sibelius and my learning
SIBELIUS
(Ok, quick note, sorry if this seems to be all over but I took notes as I was going along)
Me? A composer? I don’t know that I would take it as a ‘profession’ or that anyone would actually pay me to compose, but it looks like fun.
I’m thinking back to the days when I was a little girl learning how to play the piano or flute (which didn’t last long, I lost interest quite quickly). What do I remember… hmm…not too much.
Alright, so I’ve played and played with Sibelius a lot now. I guess it’s time to get down to business! I just adopted a cute little dog on Saturday and want to show him off. This is something I will post on my blog for my family on the east coast to view as well. So, I created a short little video of his first 24 hours in his new home. I really wish I took a little video of his bath (so cute), but I was more worried about cleaning him up than catching it on film ;).
Now it’s time to compose…wish me luck!
Yea! I put it together, it’s a little rough and probably won’t win me any awards but I like the way it turned out. After a lot of playing I took the video of Casey, our new dog, and wrote down the times when he was doing what (playing, eating, etc.). Then I chose my instruments that I wanted to represent each activity. I created the music piece according the mood that I thought Casey was portraying. I think he could be the next Clooney.
After creating the video and the music piece I couldn’t figure out how to copy the music. So I took out my new video camera (a Flip) and recorded it. Then I played both videos at once and recorded it yet again with my camera. I’m sure there are many ways that I could have gone about doing this project, but the way I did it worked out ;).
There were many times during this activity that I hit ‘road blocks’. I was having trouble downloading the program, then I had to figure out how to use the program, using my new camera, creating a short video from various clips, matching music to video, choosing instruments to match mood (or my perception of the mood), putting those two pieces together, and then recording the whole project and putting online for my Cadre-mates and family to see.
For some of my ‘road blocks’ I used the knowledge of my friends in Cadre 12. Many were helpful and I noticed that there were many people willing to lend a hand to anyone that needed a little help. I also learned from trial and error. I have a tendency to rush right into things and I hate reading directions. I know, it’s bad, but I love to learn on my own. Some teachers call it ‘discovery learning’... I would probably save myself some time if I did read the directions, but I think I might have a little ADD or maybe it’s just impatience. Either way, it worked out and I completed and actually enjoyed the process of completing the project.
It was interesting to think about my learning process. I knew nothing about Sibelius and little to nothing about composing music. And just to make it a little more interesting I had to throw in a video of my new dog. Again, it was taped with a new device and using a new program as well. Do I like to make things more difficult? Maybe. I know that I like to make things interesting, for me and for people that will be viewing my work. I was concerned about it being boring. Again, maybe this has to do with my lack of patience (boredom = lack of interest). Something else I learned about my learning is that I now know when to ask for help. This use to be difficult for me, to admit that I didn't know. But, we can't know everything. If I don't ask for help when I need it then how will I learn? I think this is a major improvement in my learning. I think that I/we feel safe in this program and with my cadre-mates. We know no one will laugh at us if we have a question. It's a reassuring feeling to know that I have 24 cadre-mates' minds to tap into.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wrapping up the summer
We are wrapping up the summer session this week. It's shocking how quickly it has gone by!
Tonight we are giving our presentations on Web 2.0 tools. Hopefully, everything runs smoothly for all groups. But more probable is that a group or two will experience technical difficulty lol.
We are trying something pretty cool. We will be presenting using Eluminate. However, when we are presenting I will be using Solodox to view Aura's computer. So I will let the class view my desktop where I will have Solodox open. My Solodox will be viewing Aura's computer and everything she is doing. She will be showing proposal templates, etc. on her computer. The whole 6:00 class will be able to see everything she is doing. It is a very interesting concept.
Aura and I were talking about this last night. It is a little creepy that someone can view what you are doing on your computere without you really knowing. It's very "big brother". I was told at my previous elementary school that they could "see" everything at anytime. Creepy stuff...
Tonight we are giving our presentations on Web 2.0 tools. Hopefully, everything runs smoothly for all groups. But more probable is that a group or two will experience technical difficulty lol.
We are trying something pretty cool. We will be presenting using Eluminate. However, when we are presenting I will be using Solodox to view Aura's computer. So I will let the class view my desktop where I will have Solodox open. My Solodox will be viewing Aura's computer and everything she is doing. She will be showing proposal templates, etc. on her computer. The whole 6:00 class will be able to see everything she is doing. It is a very interesting concept.
Aura and I were talking about this last night. It is a little creepy that someone can view what you are doing on your computere without you really knowing. It's very "big brother". I was told at my previous elementary school that they could "see" everything at anytime. Creepy stuff...
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wikinomics
August 14, 2009
One of our assignments this past week was to read the book Wikinomics by Don Tapscott. I found this book quite interesting. I also viewed a video of Tapscott on YouTube. As a teacher, it was interesting to see how wikis and social networking can influence a company.
On story that I found intriguing was the story of Rob McEwen, the CEO of Goldcorp, Inc. from chapter one of the book Wikinomics. His company went outside the norms and rules of the gold-mining industry. They held a “contest” and gave otherwise sealed information out the public and asked for their help finding gold. This was unprecedented but it worked. They made billions.
Although this was seen as a risky move, it worked. I’m surprised there aren’t other companies in that industry that have tried something similar. I realize that it’s hard for people to accept change and new ideas but things change and sometimes change isn’t all bad. This idea potentially could have been molded to work for other companies.
There was an idea that was shared that I think could be truly world changing. The idea of governments using wikis. It is definitely an “out of the box” idea. We elect officials to make decisions for us. By using wikis they can see and hear what the public truly feels. Former President Clinton was planning on using wikis (circumstances prohibited this). Canada is now working with Tapscott to implement wikis. I am excited to see how this works out.
The Wii now has a feature where you can watch the same movie with a friend who is at a different location. You can create a character of yourself and you can talk to one another. This could be useful to families and friends that are across the county or across the world.
It is amazing what technology can do for our world. In just a few short years things have changed drastically. We feel connected online, we have friends, take classes, communicate, watch movies, post pictures, find directions, etc..
All of this makes me excited for the future. Will we continue along this path of invention and innovation? Will more good than bad happen as a result of our technology usage and ideas?
One of our assignments this past week was to read the book Wikinomics by Don Tapscott. I found this book quite interesting. I also viewed a video of Tapscott on YouTube. As a teacher, it was interesting to see how wikis and social networking can influence a company.
On story that I found intriguing was the story of Rob McEwen, the CEO of Goldcorp, Inc. from chapter one of the book Wikinomics. His company went outside the norms and rules of the gold-mining industry. They held a “contest” and gave otherwise sealed information out the public and asked for their help finding gold. This was unprecedented but it worked. They made billions.
Although this was seen as a risky move, it worked. I’m surprised there aren’t other companies in that industry that have tried something similar. I realize that it’s hard for people to accept change and new ideas but things change and sometimes change isn’t all bad. This idea potentially could have been molded to work for other companies.
There was an idea that was shared that I think could be truly world changing. The idea of governments using wikis. It is definitely an “out of the box” idea. We elect officials to make decisions for us. By using wikis they can see and hear what the public truly feels. Former President Clinton was planning on using wikis (circumstances prohibited this). Canada is now working with Tapscott to implement wikis. I am excited to see how this works out.
The Wii now has a feature where you can watch the same movie with a friend who is at a different location. You can create a character of yourself and you can talk to one another. This could be useful to families and friends that are across the county or across the world.
It is amazing what technology can do for our world. In just a few short years things have changed drastically. We feel connected online, we have friends, take classes, communicate, watch movies, post pictures, find directions, etc..
All of this makes me excited for the future. Will we continue along this path of invention and innovation? Will more good than bad happen as a result of our technology usage and ideas?
Friday, August 7, 2009
Hopping Around The Country August 7, 2009
This program is wonderful. I am able to travel to the east coast to visit my family and keep up with my classwork at the same time. Had my computer not had issues logging on, I could have done work on the plane online. However, I was able to complete all of my reading for the week during the long plane ride across the country from Orange County to D.C.! Yea!
I love the fact that we use Skype to communicate with one another once a week. It is a wonderful tool to feel "connected" to one another while doing work in various places. I understand what Margaret meant when she said that one hour was about the maximum before people start to become unfocused. I was struggling a little bit after that hour mark this week. I'm sure it had to do partly with traveling and running around visiting the family.
I'm in upstate NY now visiting more family. I'm staying with my brother now and he has wireless so access to the internet is not an issue. I'm going to be going to Maine on Wednesday and there is NO internet access at that house. Over that past couple of years when I was in Maine and taking online classes I would go down to the local coffee shop (the only place in the area with internet access for customers ;) ). I need to figure out what I am going to do for our Skype meetings on Thursday and Tuesday. I'm sure that the small shop is not open from 9-10 PM EST. I'll get it all figured out by the time I leave on Wednesday.
I love the fact that we use Skype to communicate with one another once a week. It is a wonderful tool to feel "connected" to one another while doing work in various places. I understand what Margaret meant when she said that one hour was about the maximum before people start to become unfocused. I was struggling a little bit after that hour mark this week. I'm sure it had to do partly with traveling and running around visiting the family.
I'm in upstate NY now visiting more family. I'm staying with my brother now and he has wireless so access to the internet is not an issue. I'm going to be going to Maine on Wednesday and there is NO internet access at that house. Over that past couple of years when I was in Maine and taking online classes I would go down to the local coffee shop (the only place in the area with internet access for customers ;) ). I need to figure out what I am going to do for our Skype meetings on Thursday and Tuesday. I'm sure that the small shop is not open from 9-10 PM EST. I'll get it all figured out by the time I leave on Wednesday.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22, 2009 Website
I've been home for a few days now from VirtCamp. I definitely miss everyone there.
I've ordered all of my books and I'm hoping that they will arrive in the next couple of days. I also ordered and received Adobe CS4. Bill had mentioned that using Dreamweaver was an easy program to use when building a site. I was so excited when the package was delivered today, but yikes... it takes a while to go through everything. I'm playing around with Fireworks and I'm really liking some of the things I'm putting together. I want to make sure that I do a nice job on my website, even though I know we will be updating and improving the site throughout the year. This is my first time making one from scratch and it's a little scary. Hopefully, I can put something together that is appropriate.
I guess this is yet another time that I have to not worry about it being perfect from the start....it's a difficult task for me, but I will get there. :)
I've ordered all of my books and I'm hoping that they will arrive in the next couple of days. I also ordered and received Adobe CS4. Bill had mentioned that using Dreamweaver was an easy program to use when building a site. I was so excited when the package was delivered today, but yikes... it takes a while to go through everything. I'm playing around with Fireworks and I'm really liking some of the things I'm putting together. I want to make sure that I do a nice job on my website, even though I know we will be updating and improving the site throughout the year. This is my first time making one from scratch and it's a little scary. Hopefully, I can put something together that is appropriate.
I guess this is yet another time that I have to not worry about it being perfect from the start....it's a difficult task for me, but I will get there. :)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The End of Virt Camp
July 19, 2009
We have completed VirtCamp and as far as I know everyone will be continuing with the program, thankfully. At the end of the day I had a hard time saying goodbye to everyone. I know that we will be in touch online, but it was really great to make those real-life, in person connections with my cadre-mates. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Orlando.
We presented our projects and I was so excited that our robot went to the top of the obstacle. I was disappointed that our entire cohort didn't get a second chance to coordinate our robots. We didn't have one pass of the lego warrior go smoothly. I really would have like to have had a second go at it. I was feeling a little incomplete that we didn't try again. It's probably part of me that wants to have everything work out perfectly. I don't think I'm a perfectionist completely, but then again, maybe I am sometimes. Everyone worked so hard on their projects and I just wanted our cohort to have the satisfaction of having our robots coordinate. I think if we tried another time it may have worked out or at least one or two of the lego warrior passes may have worked.
I am concerned about my blogs. During out cohort learning circle time Paul reviewed how important these blogs are to our action research projects and the curriculum. Sometimes, I have a difficult time sharing my feelings, especially publicly. I have a difficult time letting people really get to know me and see my feelings. I am pretty sure I know where this fear comes from. I suddenly lost a very close friend when I was in college (I was there when she passed) and it's sometimes difficult for me to build deep relationships and open up completely with many people. I am going to have to get over that fear and be willing to open up. I understand that we need to reflect on the process and reflect on why we are feeling or acting a particular way. I guess this is one of my truly first reflections on why I am feeling fear about the reflection blogs...
We have completed VirtCamp and as far as I know everyone will be continuing with the program, thankfully. At the end of the day I had a hard time saying goodbye to everyone. I know that we will be in touch online, but it was really great to make those real-life, in person connections with my cadre-mates. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Orlando.
We presented our projects and I was so excited that our robot went to the top of the obstacle. I was disappointed that our entire cohort didn't get a second chance to coordinate our robots. We didn't have one pass of the lego warrior go smoothly. I really would have like to have had a second go at it. I was feeling a little incomplete that we didn't try again. It's probably part of me that wants to have everything work out perfectly. I don't think I'm a perfectionist completely, but then again, maybe I am sometimes. Everyone worked so hard on their projects and I just wanted our cohort to have the satisfaction of having our robots coordinate. I think if we tried another time it may have worked out or at least one or two of the lego warrior passes may have worked.
I am concerned about my blogs. During out cohort learning circle time Paul reviewed how important these blogs are to our action research projects and the curriculum. Sometimes, I have a difficult time sharing my feelings, especially publicly. I have a difficult time letting people really get to know me and see my feelings. I am pretty sure I know where this fear comes from. I suddenly lost a very close friend when I was in college (I was there when she passed) and it's sometimes difficult for me to build deep relationships and open up completely with many people. I am going to have to get over that fear and be willing to open up. I understand that we need to reflect on the process and reflect on why we are feeling or acting a particular way. I guess this is one of my truly first reflections on why I am feeling fear about the reflection blogs...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Day Four Virt Camp
7/17/09 Day Four
It has been a long day. We finally got our robot to work properly!!!! When we were going to go to test our final robot Mike accidentally broke the contraption that our robot was supposed to scale. Now our group and the other cohort have to hold together the sides of the contraption. But the good news is that it is working. We had to try so many different models and it is very satisfying to know that we completed the project on time. I am very excited to see it our cohort run their robots tomorrow!
On another good note we finished our learning circle video. Aura worked very hard organizing the videos, pictures, and music that we gathered over the past week. I am very impressed with how well it has turned out. I can't wait to show our cadre.
I am very excited about this program. Being here this week and being given these tasks to complete in learning circles gave me some insight as to how the program is going to be run. I am comfortable with the relationships that I've built this week with my cadre-mates. We have learned to be comfortable asking for and giving help. I'm sure this will make the whole experience better.
It has been a long day. We finally got our robot to work properly!!!! When we were going to go to test our final robot Mike accidentally broke the contraption that our robot was supposed to scale. Now our group and the other cohort have to hold together the sides of the contraption. But the good news is that it is working. We had to try so many different models and it is very satisfying to know that we completed the project on time. I am very excited to see it our cohort run their robots tomorrow!
On another good note we finished our learning circle video. Aura worked very hard organizing the videos, pictures, and music that we gathered over the past week. I am very impressed with how well it has turned out. I can't wait to show our cadre.
I am very excited about this program. Being here this week and being given these tasks to complete in learning circles gave me some insight as to how the program is going to be run. I am comfortable with the relationships that I've built this week with my cadre-mates. We have learned to be comfortable asking for and giving help. I'm sure this will make the whole experience better.
Day Three Virt Camp
July 17, 2009 (for July 16th :) )
Well yesterday was interesting.... I am excited over the robot project, but still a little frustrated with each project that we try not working. I really want to make the robot successful by the time we need to present on Saturday. I feel lucky that my group works so well together. We know how to work as a team and we are focused. We are able to delegate tasks which in turn helps us to complete the robot more quickly. Which is definitely a good thing since we had to build so many!
I wish that we had kept our original robot in tact just in case our new robot does not work properly. Then we could use the original and the rest of our cohort will feel some satisfaction that we have completed the task. That is one thing that I worry about, that the other three groups will successfully complete their task and we won't be able to finish ours.
On another note, I was feeling a little bad because I missed where Margaret had gone for the library search. I realized last night that many other people missed it as well. I'm sure we will get it all figured out. I was searching around the library tab, but didn't find the page that looked exactly like the one Margaret was on.
Well yesterday was interesting.... I am excited over the robot project, but still a little frustrated with each project that we try not working. I really want to make the robot successful by the time we need to present on Saturday. I feel lucky that my group works so well together. We know how to work as a team and we are focused. We are able to delegate tasks which in turn helps us to complete the robot more quickly. Which is definitely a good thing since we had to build so many!
I wish that we had kept our original robot in tact just in case our new robot does not work properly. Then we could use the original and the rest of our cohort will feel some satisfaction that we have completed the task. That is one thing that I worry about, that the other three groups will successfully complete their task and we won't be able to finish ours.
On another note, I was feeling a little bad because I missed where Margaret had gone for the library search. I realized last night that many other people missed it as well. I'm sure we will get it all figured out. I was searching around the library tab, but didn't find the page that looked exactly like the one Margaret was on.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Day Two Virt Camp
How in the last 24 hours has your perception of community changed or been challenged?
My perception of the term "community" has been altered slightly in the past 24 hours. While I understood there was more than one way to view a community I think that I have learned there are far more than I ever could have imagined.
A community could be your family, your friends, your classmates, the people in your church, your coworkers, or the people in your yoga class. We are all involved and a member of many communities and our communities change throughout our lives. However, a community does not have to be face to face like many of us were raised and have experienced. People have changed and the way we interact has changed. People are communicating online. People are finding other people with shared interests online. It is a place to build a community with people that are like minded.
As we begin our studies at Pepperdine we are forming a community. We are a group of people that have agreed to attend Pepperdine University to study Learning Technologies. We will be communicating for the most part via the web. We will be a community of learners. We will not gather together in the physical sense, we will gather online to share ideas.
Although this is different from the traditional definition of community we are still a community. As technology develops it becomes easier to form these communities. I think this can be a great way to use technology. However, I think it is still important for people to form communities in the more traditional sense as well.
My perception of the term "community" has been altered slightly in the past 24 hours. While I understood there was more than one way to view a community I think that I have learned there are far more than I ever could have imagined.
A community could be your family, your friends, your classmates, the people in your church, your coworkers, or the people in your yoga class. We are all involved and a member of many communities and our communities change throughout our lives. However, a community does not have to be face to face like many of us were raised and have experienced. People have changed and the way we interact has changed. People are communicating online. People are finding other people with shared interests online. It is a place to build a community with people that are like minded.
As we begin our studies at Pepperdine we are forming a community. We are a group of people that have agreed to attend Pepperdine University to study Learning Technologies. We will be communicating for the most part via the web. We will be a community of learners. We will not gather together in the physical sense, we will gather online to share ideas.
Although this is different from the traditional definition of community we are still a community. As technology develops it becomes easier to form these communities. I think this can be a great way to use technology. However, I think it is still important for people to form communities in the more traditional sense as well.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Day One Virt Camp
July 14, 2009
Today is the first day of VirtCamp. After being so excited about starting school again (and a little nervous) it is finally beginning. The campus is beautiful. I am pleasantly pleased that everyone that I've met so far has been super nice and very outgoing. I think that this will make the year much easier knowing that the rest of my cadre is friendly and helpful. It is so nice to actually meet the others in the program. I have taken other online graduate level courses and it is nice to be able to meet everyone first.
Bill, Paul, and Margret have gone over the program. One aspect of the program that I like is that it is not being "taught to" us. We are active learners and our lives, careers, and backgrounds will help guide the program. I'm hoping that I'm able to secure a job so that I'm able to get the most out of this program. I am a little nervous about this but I'm sure that it will all work out.
I think that the most important aspect about my experience at VirtCamp so far is meeting my cadre. I am a lot more at ease meeting them. Everyone that I've had a chance to meet is very easy to get along with. If this is a preview as to how the year will go I know I will have an excellent learning experience.
Today is the first day of VirtCamp. After being so excited about starting school again (and a little nervous) it is finally beginning. The campus is beautiful. I am pleasantly pleased that everyone that I've met so far has been super nice and very outgoing. I think that this will make the year much easier knowing that the rest of my cadre is friendly and helpful. It is so nice to actually meet the others in the program. I have taken other online graduate level courses and it is nice to be able to meet everyone first.
Bill, Paul, and Margret have gone over the program. One aspect of the program that I like is that it is not being "taught to" us. We are active learners and our lives, careers, and backgrounds will help guide the program. I'm hoping that I'm able to secure a job so that I'm able to get the most out of this program. I am a little nervous about this but I'm sure that it will all work out.
I think that the most important aspect about my experience at VirtCamp so far is meeting my cadre. I am a lot more at ease meeting them. Everyone that I've had a chance to meet is very easy to get along with. If this is a preview as to how the year will go I know I will have an excellent learning experience.
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