For this challenge, I decided to use About.Me. Find the link to my new About.me page below. I chose this platform after I saw some samples of how streamlined it can be. Until recently, I maintained a Weebly website for my classes at school, which contained some of my professional contact information as well as a bio. Weebly is a fully customizable website-builder, and because I needed that website for several courses and for some of my professional initiatives, it was great for that. With About.me, however, It contains links on a single page containing a brief biography section and a photo. The fact that it exists to provide my professional information and interests makes it more appropriate as a tool with which to connect to other professionals. As this was one of my goals with this challenge, I invited viewers to contact me at my professional email address and to link to my professional YouTube and Instagram profiles to view my interests. I feel that if a person seeking a professional conversation with me, perhaps another science teacher, he or she would find it valuable to see which YouTube channels I subscribe to or what kinds of Instagram photos I post related to my career. I don't yet have a professional Twitter account, but as soon as I get one I will link it to my About.me page.
As I have been exchanging ideas with my Wilkes colleagues over the past 6 weeks, I am reminded of the importance of having these discussions for my development as a professional educator. I also believe that this is one area of my professional life that is lacking. Perhaps I can use my new About.me page as a way to fill this void in my professional life.
0 Comments
This week's experience of designing and hosting a webinar was 100% new for me. Here I hope to dig into the challenges and rewards of the process. Here is the link to watch a 12 minute clip on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_o9nbyGCnBk
As expected, the hardest part was thinking of something to do! What was my webinar going to be about? At first I thought to do something school or work-related, but that quickly faded and instead I decided that discussing a personal hobby would be a more natural fit. I have been a very amateur woodworker for a few years now and I thought it would be fun to host a webinar where I share how to create something with wood for free or quite cheaply. In the last five or ten years, people have been obsessed with pallet wood projects and so for this I decided to highlight a different material, plaster lath. Normally I am on the other side of this kind of video, watching someone else teach me how to do a skill, so this was something new. The second challenge was thinking about audience. I invited many of my family and close friends for this. Dr. Dembo's advice held true...only a fraction of those invited attended. On a whim, I also made my webinar public to see if anyone would happen upon it. No one did, but it was worth a try. I decided to use Google Hangouts as a free webinar program. It offered both live video feed and a chat space for question and answers if necessary. One challenge that I had to think about prior to hosting was how to deal with the flow of conversation. In Google Hangouts, anytime someone speaks their video stream or avatar dominates the screen. The text chat stream is also not present by default, so I had to 'lay the groundrules' for the webinar at the ouset. I asked each person to click to show the text chat stream and to click a video tile at the bottom of the Hangout so their video wouldn't keep jumping back and forth depending on who was speaking at the moment. I also gave them the instructions that questions could be spoken or typed. Even though I said this, I did forget to check the text stream frequently to see the questions being asked and to respond timely. This is something I now know for future webinars. Technical issues like lighting and the use of props was something I tried to prepare for but turned out underwhelming. I didn't realize that when not enough light is present, Hangouts will switch to a black and white video stream which presented issues when I was trying to show some color variation in the wood I was using. I also prepared all of my tools and props nearby, but the video would have had a more convincing feel if I had hosted in my workshop instead of my living room. It would have also had better lighting in my shop, but my wifi would not reach that far. Overall, I feel that the webinar went OK. I typed up a loose script that I had offscreen on my iPad. It helped but even though I practiced several times I did lose my place and had to refer to my script. I am glad I had it. Seeing as my family was in the audience, I did field a few questions jokingly. If I were doing a webinar professionally, I would have kept my jokes to a minimum. I like Google Hangouts for what I did in this webinar. I also think it would work well for my students because they all have Google accounts in our school district, so no personal accounts or emails would be shared. It also has the ability to be streamed over the phone which is convenient. One of the members of my audience was participating on a phone and it seemed to work well. If I decided to host a webinar in my class or have students host, I would highly recommend using Hangouts. I valued having this experience and would do it again. I really enjoyed being an audience member in a webinar. As an avid YouTube viewer, I think the added participatory nature of the webinar makes it appeal to me. Being on the other end as the host was a bit unnerving, but I welcome the challenge and the opportunity to put myself outside my normal comfort zone. For this week's assignment, I attended a webinar. The topic of this webinar was the use of social media in the classroom and was hosted by some lovely people with the National Blogging Collaborative. Aside from a few hickups at the beginning, the webinar went quite well. Here is my account of the pros and cons of the webinar format and my reflection of the experience.
The hosts introduced themselves and gave the instructions as to how to post questions. They made the audience feel comfortable with leaving if needed or to pose questions. They also invited us to ask questions. The hosts could quickly switch between what is shown to the audience (the whole panel of speakers, a GoogleSlides presentation, etc.) which made for a streamlined presentation. Another thing I liked a lot was that the GoogleSlides presentation contained links that we could visit if needed. The physical layout of the webinar screen was good. I included a screenshot of what it looked like below. Visual elements front and center, chat stream to the right and what I call a formal question forum below. I posed a question and one of the hosts, Chris Bronke addressed it. Only 29 people were in attendance and I believe that is including the 4 administrators/hosts. There wasn't much that I would consider a weakness. I could not seem to scroll down far enough to see where I could make a chat comment. A classmate of ours was also in attendance and he was able, so perhaps it was a personal laptop/browser issue. I could see myself participating in webinars for non-job related topics. I think it's fascinating to watch. There are a lot of YouTube interviews that I watch from public figures in science and skepticism like Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Neil DeGrasse Tyson. If they promoted webinars, I would definitely wish to attend. I could incorporate webcasts like this as student projects. Perhaps instead of doing in-class presentations, each week a team could present on a particular topic and it would be a homework assignment to be an audience-member that night each week for any student not presenting. Something like a science current events comes to mind as a good style. Another format that may suit the webinar format would be a debate. There are a number of interesting debate topics in science. Metric system vs imperial system of measurement; GMOs for or against; solar vs wind alternative energy sources. It seems sad to say, but posting a picture on a blog every day for a week was actually difficult for me. I am not a natural social media participant and generally resist posting my thoughts on the web. I've never considered whatever I might post worthy of public viewing. Nevertheless I am happy that I went outside of my comfort zone this week. I had no technical troubles trying to post photos to my blog, but I did find myself thinking questions like:
So this led to me discovering some things about myself. One is that I really don't enjoy putting pictures of myself online or even taking pictures of myself in general. I have a fascination with photography and I never prefer to look at photos of people. I instead gravitate toward landscapes, close-ups that reveal interesting textures, interesting juxtapositions and abstractions. This came through in my photos as I think they were largely an eclectic mix of non-human subjects. One thing I found myself doing was caring a great deal about what to title the photos. I decided I wanted to give the pictures a title after the first day. It felt like a little creative exercise for me. As I worked out a title, I wondered if it would be perceived as clever or contrived. Ultimately I just did what felt right at the time. Several of my photos were work-related. I don't think this is just a function of my spending most of my daylight hours at school, but also because my work is on my mind quite a lot. I specifically chose not to photograph my family. I see (vicariously…through my wife's daily searching) many people post pictures of their children on their Facebook wall and I don't think it is an exercise I wish to do. The permanence of the web scares me a little when it comes to this. If I post a picture of my son Ezekiel online, anyone could take that picture and it could circulate for years, not to mention he cannot even verbalize whether he would agree to my posting his images online. I doubt he would have an opinion on a matter like that as he is only 11 months old. But that doesn't mean I should post it anyway. My thoughts about the challenge itself centered around who the audience would be and whether I gained anything from it. As to who would be viewing these images or my blog, I have no idea. I have every reason to believe that a photo blog like the one I produced can only have value to the one who made it. I didn't really have any audience in mind as I took pictures and posted them. Having said that though, I feel positively about the experience. It was something I have never done and I do appreciate being pushed outside of my comfort zone. I would like to challenge myself again to produce a photo-a-day and to carry a particular theme through it. I also like the idea of the theme of art and science. I am a fan of art inspired by science and I would love to have a record of all of the cool sci-art I see throughout the year. I am a DIYer and amateur woodworker and would love to draw on some of these inspirations to try something creative in my wood projects. Always know where your model number is when your lawn mower breaks at the start of spring. Perfect timing as the grass is starting to grow!
The idea, rationale & initial thoughts: I have taken an idea from something I read in Dembo & Bellows (2014) which is to modify a film-watching day into a more involved discussion experience by adding a digital back-channel. The page number of Dembo & Bellows was not available to me because I have the Kindle edition, but the location number is 1020. This idea speaks to me for several reasons. Firstly, I LOVE to show short video clips to my classes. I tell my students it is great to hear things from more than just one idiot! The key there was 'short' video clips. The second reason this strategy speaks to me is it helps to solve a critical dilemma. Most full-length movies span more than one 70 minute block, so the time of the video itself is a bit prohibitive. If I would like to have any meaningful discussion about the video, that is more time that must be taken. And it is certainly worth discussing any movies worth watching in the classroom. I will be starting a unit on genetics tomorrow in my biology class and sometimes I show a great sci-fi movie from the late 90s called GATTACA. If you've not seen it, it is a solid, thought-provoking film; my students tend to think so, too. It welcomes viewers to consider eugenics and designer babies, perfect for our unit content, but it also gets into deeper things like whether we are defined and therefore limited by our genes. I can already tell that there are some young philosophers in my class and I wish for them to have this creative outlet. Discussing the movie as it's happening is one of the best and simplest ideas I have read regarding technology in a classroom. Perhaps I am too easily impressed upon. However, I look forward to giving this a try. My first inclination is to use TodaysMeet to accomplish this. I have been a participant in this Web 2.0 tool in some professional developments and I am impressed with its simplicity. I also believe it may be necessary to monitor the student laptop screens to ensure they are actively engaged in the film and any ongoing discussions and nothing else. My district uses LanSchool as a way to see student laptop activity in real time. I haven't developed a fond relationship with it as the learning curve for setting it up and using it is somewhat steep. But I am adamant about oversight in this situation, so I will make it happen somehow. I also must approach this ongoing, live discussion differently than I would a post-video discussion / debate. It may be interesting to give a quick three-question poll before the movie begins, probe their ideas as the video progresses and give them the same poll after. I also must develop questions that fit at certain points in the film at a time when what might inform or support their opinion is soon viewed. Lastly, the idea of discussion etiquette is now a bit more important as the discussion will happen on computers instead of in my classroom verbally. Because of this, I must spend at least a few minutes prefacing the discussion do's and don'ts. For example, whenever web-based discussions are had or examined in my classroom, I stress the importance of attacking ideas, not people. From this brainstorming session comes a pre-lesson task list:
Goals & Objectives I am using this film to get students to grapple with the implications of understanding our genetic code perhaps to the point of being able to manipulate it. Another goal is for students to connect parts of the film to our biology content. The objective is to have students engage in a meaningful discussion about the film in real time. I will utilize LanSchool to ensure students use their laptops for the intended purpose and remain focused on the assignment at hand. Instruction Here is a sample screen of the TodaysMeet including how I would address some of the rules of discussion. I would not use TodaysMeet to deliver my method for evaluating students. See below for my evaluative methods. Here is a list of questions with time cues to let me know when I would post them during the film. The numbers represent the time in an hours:minuts:seconds format and below that is the question I would ask at that time. Follow up questions are written in parentheses. The bottom half of this list includes "OPTIONAL" questions that could be posted in the TodaysMeet backchannel at any time. 00:03:25 In the opening credits, what connections to you see to our unit on genetics? (Point out DNA references you see or hear in the movie as they happen) 00:05:45 Do you think parents should be able to choose to have children free of disease? Why or why not? 00:16:20 What is genoism? Does it happen in real life? 00:19:42 Do a quick web search. What is the definition of “invalid”? What is an invalid in the film? (How has the film used language to direct our emotions in this way?) 00:22:14 Is Vincent’s dad a bad guy or is he protecting his son by telling him not to pursue his dream? Explain. 00:32:05 Do a quick web search. Is DNA found in hair? 00:45:11 Is the real Jerome happy with his life? 00:54:00 If you could “borrow a ladder” from anyone who would it be and why? 01:13:00 What traits or characteristics of Vincent’s are admirable? Which are bad? 01:17:00 “No one exceeds their potential, it simply means that we didn’t accurately gauge their potential in the first place.” FAVORITE QUOTE! (Do you agree or disagree?) 01:25:00 In the film, what motivates people to use genetic screening? 01:29:44 What is the difference between Vincent and his brother Anton? 01:35:51 Does Anton hate his brother Vincent? Support your answer with some evidence from the film. 01:42:00 At GATTACA, society is divided (valids and invalids), give an example of where or how OUR society is divided. 01:45:00 How do you feel about Jerome killing himself? 01:47:00 Do you think the doctor knew about Vincent’s real identity the whole time? Provide evidence! OPTIONAL Jerome’s middle name is Eugene. Why might this be significant? (what other biology words start with “Eu-“? OPTIONAL Is DNA the single best thing to define you? OPTIONAL Does your DNA belong to you? Is it your property? (is it yours after you throw it away, such as in a public trash can?) OPTIONAL Should DNA be allowed in court cases? OPTIONAL Alcohol abuse (and other addictive behaviors) have been linked to some genetic causes. If Jerome’s genes were so perfect, how did he become an alcoholic? OPTIONAL What did you learn from this movie? OPTIONAL Who was your favorite character? (Who was your least favorite character?) OPTIONAL Do you think Vincent would hurt others to accomplish his goal? Did he hurt others? OPTIONAL Was it reckless of Vincent to do what he did? OPTIONAL What if Vincent’s heart defect killed him before he reached Titan…does this change your view of what he did? OPTIONAL If modern science could tell YOU right now what your life-expectancy is, would you want to hear it? Why or why not? Evaluation Here is a sample screenshot showing the transcript that I would use to evaluate the level of participation from each student. I could easily use a "Ctrl+F" find feature to see how many posts a student made. I could also use the same function to read through their posts to assess the quality of their posting and whether they interacted appropriately. It is important to have concrete criteria to assess students during this discussion. I believe students should post a minimum number of times (at least 10). I also believe that at least 5 posts should include supporting evidence from the film. These would be my minimum requirements. I would also reward students for exceptional participation, perhaps with special DNA stickers! Conclusion I look forward to trying this out in my class this year. This will be my first use of a back channel using TodaysMeet and if it goes well, I could see myself adapting this model to fit other areas of instruction. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. CategoriesCopyrightArchives |