Bridge to the Compelling World

When I started this class I was excited about the idea of the class but I had no idea what I was in for back in January. It all started with watching everyone’s introduction videos and seeing where everybody lived. I remember I didn’t want to make one. I am a “mature” student and not as beautiful as I was in my early years. I finally asked my daughter to tape me with her camera. My teenagers laughed at me and I was anxious. I thought well I have that done. At least I have my teenagers to assist me with technology and if I can manage to keep myself out of all future work I will survive.

Then came the photography unit and I took pictures of some of my favorite things, my Mom’s dolls and the trees in my backyard. I was thrilled with how the pictures turned out. I tried different angles and lighting and I was proud of my work. There were so many unique photos posted by the class. I had the chance to explore photography and in a way that I really appreciated. I thought hard about the architecture available where I live and enjoyed capturing them in photos as well and sharing them with the class even though it wasn’t the Casa Batillo in Spain or the sleeping compartments in Japan.

Then came the Brother/Sister relationship project with all the heart-warming pictures of my son and daughter. My daughter helped me find the music and pick the pictures. I enjoyed thinking about their relationship and capturing it with the video. That was my first experience of having my video removed from Face Book because of the music. The positive feedback from the instructors and the other students contributed to my confidence that I could be successful in the class.

Next was comparing the restaurants and really looking at how the atmosphere affects an experience. I shared one meal with my daughter and the other with my son. It was nice to get away from studying for a break. Then came, “The Rose” video where I had the chance to make a music video. I thought the class would go wild with this assignment but they were very serious and conservative with their approach. I got a chance to capture my son with our special song and I bought myself a dozen roses. The trip to the Dunes and the hot tub in the hotel room to bribe my son and I threw in $20. What a beautiful day it was a compelling experience to run the dunes. The final project of the piano video; was a heart-warming chance to video my son with his wonderful piano teacher. This was a special time and by then Marcus did the video without complaining at all. I have definitely enjoyed the adventures with my son and he has been a real trooper!

All of the students in this class have contributed so much to the experience. All during the semester, I couldn’t wait to see how each assignment was interpreted. It was interesting how creative all the students were with each project. I feel like I know the students in this class better than any other on-line class I have taken and maybe any college class, but I haven’t met any of them. I have seen Brenda’s grandfather make syrup; I know about Caroline’s yoga class and Crystal has some great dogs. Ashley’s cat enjoyed watching the snow fall in North Carolina. Hamayun has an adorable daughter Zora who he treasures. I have seen Brooke make pottery. I have been to many of their classrooms and seen their students from around the country. I have seen photos from the many places they have traveled around the world. I have heard many of their favorite songs. I am going to miss them all. The class I never met.

This experience was a chance to examine my life, my environment and my creativity. I am happy with what I found. I am satisfied with the work I created. The class answered an important question for me. How do I make my classroom a more compelling place for the students of today?

I am glad I was in the first video because I looked at it today and I am a different and more confident person now. I have evolved into a more technology savvy person. I am a person who looks at the sunset longer. I am a person that experiences music more thoroughly. I am a person who appreciates her family more. I am a teacher who can’t wait to apply what I have learned in the classroom. I am a person who will never forget this class and who is very grateful for the opportunities it has given me. This has felt like more than a class; this has felt like an adventure. I will miss this experience and I don’t want it to end but it must be time. It must be time to cross that bridge and venture out on my own to explore the world.

A Lesson Re-Fashioned by Nature

Teaching is sharing. Sharing knowledge, sharing experience and sharing exhilaration. Anytime we can take a lesson and find a way to bring the students into our experience, our wonder, or fascination, then we have accomplished our task.
When I started this assignment for fashion week I thought about a picture in the fourth grade text book that shows a small patch of a sand dune. It felt like injustice. How unfair to the students. That they might never see the magnificence of these awe inspiring sand dunes created by nature. What kind of a teacher would I be if I let that stand as their image of this absolutely breath taking eye candy?
When I was a teenager I made a promise to myself that I would make every effort to make a visit to Lake Michigan at least once a year because I love this area of the world so much and I live so close that there is no excuse for not enjoying it at least once a year. As teacher, we owe it to our students to find ways to reach deep into our imaginations and find ways to bring the world into the classroom.

International Bridge with Fashion and Education

There were many surprises in the readings this week for fashion. New ideas that don't make sense to me almost hurt my head because it is like I am trying to figure out what to do with this information where does it fit? The first one was the Afghan women risking prison to wear make-up and style their hair. I can't imagine taking such a risk but I think that is because I have never had anyone tell me that I couldn't do those things. I do feel better with my make-up and my hair styled. I watched students carry lip gloss and risk getting it taken away at school. I saw a student who is in second grade taking off her snow pants before she got close to school. It was below zero and she stopped and took off her boots, mittens, and coat. Then she removed her snow pants and put everything back on. She didn't want her friends to see her in those fat looking snow pants even if they were helping to keep her safe and warm.
The next surprise was the idea of Branding Nations. I understand that nations get reputations but I didn't think about countries having Branding Agencies. I can compair this to schools. If they get a bad reputation it is hard to get rid of that reputation. It can have negative effects on the whole community with families moving out and property values falling. Then the schools have less money for educating the students. Schools get reputations and sometimes they are based on word of mouth, or test scores or new building.

Intergenerational Music

I am compelled to share my experience with music that my son and I shared last night. His piano teacher invited us to a concert at a beautiful church. Takis Pazannis is his paino teacher and he is the accompanist for the Steiner Chorale. He tells us about musical opportunities in the area.

Steiner Chorale was performing and the MSU Jazz Ensemble directed by Sunny Wilkenson. Steiner Chorale is an adult singing group in the Lansing area which includes many senior citizens and the Jazz group is 11 young MSU students. At the end of the performance they sang two songs together, one of which was Can you Tell me How to Get, How to Get to Sesame Street? This was such a compelling moment.

The song is a pretty simple song but it has a catchy tune that so many people know. They did Jazz it up and there was a smile on everyone's face. Of course, I don't know this for certain because I was so captivated and cheesing myself that I didn't look at everyone. This is an intergenerational, magical moment brought to us by an educational program for children! This touched memories for everyone in the room.

During the time that Sunny was directing it was so enchanting to watch her direct. I have seen her sing before but to see her direct was a true reflection of her warmth. I could see the love of music in her movements and her love of her students. That is what teaching is about. If we could capture that in a bottle and use it every day in our classroom we would all be magnificent teachers.

Music in the classroom

I am a person that perfers silence when I study. I also do well on tests. My teenagers on the other hand have test anxiety and always play music at home when they study. I don't know why there is this difference but my guess is that most students today are used to having noise of some sort in their lives at home. Many have earphones on much of their life or tv's or computers.

The quiet work environment is not condusive to learning for everyone. Why shouldn't the student have a choice of listening to music if it helps them take a test? Sometimes I put on music in the classroom and a student will say they can't concentrate but most of the students prefer to listen to music. Then I will split the time half with music and half with out. Many educators need to lighten up and evaluate what is really condusive to a learning environment. Rules should have a strong presence in what is best for the learning of all students not just to have rules to make students miserable. Students are more likely to learn if they are comfortable in the environment. If a student is stressed then the test is most likely not going to be a true representation of their knowledge.

Imaginative Bridge with Music

Music is so much part of my life especially at home. My daughter was in choir from 6th grade through 12 grade. She has been in so many voice lessons, concerts, and competitions. My son has been in band since 5th grade and lessons since 4th grade. My father couldn't believe that I bought him a $300 drumset when he was only 10. Music is a priority for them so I made it a priority for me. Music has made wonderful memories for them and for me. It gave them a reason to go to school.

There is not enough music in our schools. In our district the elementary students get music once a week. Music should be a part of their day everyday. Behavior problems are often caused by boredom. Is there really a reason that students can't listen to music when they work? My daughter and son always play music when they do homework. The schools are so busy pushing math and reading but ignore the fact that music can help with both math and reading. I have never heard an elementary teacher say to the class for writing today you can write a song. A second grader could listen to a song and then write about what it means to them. I am excited about the posibility of trying this in the classroom. Music should be more of a priority especially for our younger students.

Imaginative Bridges with Architecture Commentary and Grading Papers

This week as I struggled with making meaningful commentary on photos posted by classmates it made me think of how sometimes when I review student's work I often put the same comments on most of the papers. It made me think of an instructor that I have that will write a commentary on my paper as long as the paper itself. Then I remembered how a teacher told me not to say "good job" to students because they are empty words with not much meaning and to tell the student what was good about the job. The combination of these events has made me think about how instructors should put more thought and creativity into the "grading process" and high light the positive aspects of a student's work. This could greatly increase a student's pride and motivate them to excel. If a student believes that you think their work is important and that you are going to spend time critiquing their work then they might take more time to complete the assignment.

Classroom Design

What if every teacher could design there classrooms? I would throw away all of the desks. I hate desks. I would paint the wall with some soothing color...maybe pale blue or green...or lavender...maybe all three. I would bring in big plants. I would have white boards but only the ones on easels. I would have a cupboard for each student to keep their coat and personal belongings but not all next to each other. I would have a refrigerator with water and snacks. Comfortable puffy furniture would be nice. A few tables with computers with soft office chairs. What if the students were comfortable and drawn to the space? What is the purpose of such cold classrooms? It seems like a punishment.

Imaginative Bridges with Architecture

Today I went to the library to take pictures of the architecture and the well planned design. When I did this I thought how wonderful it would be to have a similar design in our schools. The schools I have seen are all very cold. There are uncomfortable desks in a cramped and dull surroundings. The library is so warm and inviting. The chairs are so comfortable. When I enterred the building I wanted to stay a while. It made me think of students spending hours in hard seats day after day. Classrooms have 20-30 students crammed into a relatively small space. I have been in classrooms that are so full of stuff, the teacher has saved over the years, that it is difficult to get around the room. I would love to design a school.

Imaginative Bridges with Media

The project this week was to make a video using something to relay an experience or a relationship. I chose to do a video about the relationship between my daughter and my son. There relationship of course has seen good and bad times with most of the good times when they were younger. They have a strong bond but it gets lost sometimes in the fighting. The message for them is to value their relationship.
The message I found for teaching is that there is so much information to teach students that we have to find a theme or at least a focus when we teach or all will be lost in the details. I spent so much time going through thousands of pictures and feeling like it was millions. I know teachers get overwelmed with how much information we have to teach and we can lose sight of what is important. If we try to teach everything we will fail to teach anything. We have to sift through the information and pick what is really the important message we want students to walk away with and take with them throughout their lives.

What is Really Important?

On February 11th I was working out at the YMCA as part of my plan to lose weight. I was feeling good about it. I have been working with a trainer to get in more weight lifting. I picked up a 50lb bar to do curls. I got an instant headache. I had to sit down. It was on the entire left side of my head. I was immediately blinded by the light. After a few minutes I went and got my coat to cover my eyes. I found my husband and we left the Y. He insisted that we go to the hospital. In the emergency room in the hospital they ran a CT scan and came back and told me I had a brain anuerysm. Then they performed a percedure where they put a needle in my spine to see if the anuerysm was bleeding. This came back negative and they admitted me into the hospital. I was put in the Neurological Critical Care Unit. I was seen by various doctors and a CTA was ordered. I am allergic to iodine so they gave me meds all day so that I could tolerate the test. Nine O'Clock on February 12th they performed a CTA. On Friday the 13th I was exhausted and sore from all of the tests and the stress. I was told that the CTA was to determine what type of brain surgery would be performed and that a team of neuro-surgeons would arrive from Grand Rapids to perform surgery on Friday.
At 10am on Friday the 13th, a member from the team came into my room and informed me that I don't have a brain aneurysm. I waited all day for someone to discharge me from the hospital but I never saw a doctor again. The nurse finally got permission to release me at 7pm.
How is this relavant to this class? It is very easy to see all of the minor things in life and miss the focus of the picture. If a teacher is so focused on classroom behavior or the demands of the curriculum they run the risk of ignoring the important things in life like your health. Educators need to take care of themselves first so that they can be present in their lives.

Imaginative Bridges with Media

It is exciting thinking about how media can be incorporated into the classroom. When I was reading the articles about interviewing I thought how the students would love to interview students, parents and other adults. This would be a great way to add interesting concepts to the class. Often times the parents have interesting careers or interests but it is hard to get them to come in the classroom this would be a way they could participate. I have taken classes in diversity and including the culture and the family can be very beneficial.
I also thought that there are times when my instruction could be more powerful if it was on video I could go on location and make it a more compelling experience. Video taping field trips could help students learn by showing them the things they could have missed or to refresh their memory.

Media

The story telling articles made me think about the times I have had a class mesmerized while telling a story. I wondered why sometimes there is just the right moment to capitalize on the attention. One morning at the very beginning of the day I started talking to a student about my morning and how my dog had run away. Within minutes the whole class was quiet and around me listening to the story. I was concentrating on my conversation with just this one student and I was startled when I realized the whole class was listening. I think it was a compelling experience because I care deeply about my dog and many of the students have or want a pet. They were all in suspense waiting to hear if my dog was found. They were captivated by the police finding my dog safe but on the highway. The whole story was where was my dog and was she alright. It was very focused.

Imaginative Bridges

When I was looking at the many pictures posted on Facebook today I started thinking about how many text books are very boring. A teacher could make a class more compelling by incorporating compelling photos into a lesson. Some classrooms have technology that can be used to enhance lessons and I see some teachers using Smartboards like they are overheads projectors. I think taking that extra step can make the class more interesting for everyone. I know a first grade class that does great work with the students making books covering the year with photos and writing about the events at school. This could be a more compelling experience if the pictures were more compelling using some photography techniques.

Photography Unit

I think the difference between a teacher and a great teacher is that the teacher simply tries to get through the curriculum but a great teacher incorporates the arts into their teaching. What the photography unit has made me think about is how there are so many ways of looking at the same object or location and this can be applied to education.

I have tried so many different ideas with the camera...different lighting...different angles....different backgrounds...framing. This can also be applied to education. The same information can be presented in many different ways. I think many children are bored in school because they are just presented with worksheets day in and day out.

When I took pictures of my back yard I thought about how this would be a great way to show students different types of trees by showing them compelling pictures. I also thought about how cool they would think it was if they could take the photos and create their own book about trees.

Technology 882

I am just trying out this blogging site. I am both nervous and excited about the technology that I am learning in this class.