Having just concluded Daniel Pink's book and our recent five frame story project, I am currently thinking about the relevance of story to provide context and meaning in education. Eugene Lee, Socialtext CEO, perfectly illustrated this key concept during his October 23 visit to our 830 ITEC class.
Mr. Lee interlaced his lecture with very specific personal stories including a detailed story his career path, which led him to job where he has found alignment between his passions and his work. Mr. Lee also told several humourous and engaging story about the use of Twitter as a social and work tool. In the week since the lecture, I have actually relayed Mr. Lee's Twitter stories several times, in order to illustrate a point that I was making regarding the importance of social networking.
Mr. Lee's great use of story gave depth to his presentation and this has given me pause, as I have recently been struggling with a Power Point heavy work environment. It should be noted, that while Mr. Lee did have a perfectly fine Power Point with him it was the personal stories that made the impression.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Social Media for Online Learners...
In her article Moira Hunter discusses online tools, such as blogs, wikis and social networks, the use of which, is currently reaching a “tipping point” among adult learners. Hunter points out that blogs and wikis provide adult learners with a relative ease of use, customize-able interface, and a variety of privacy settings that are important to adult learners. Social network blogs allow the learner to be more self-directed in their own learning, whereas the learner can set up their learning space, and put all the information that they need in one spot. This can be very appealing to the adult learner who generally has limited time, and very specific motivations for learning. The article points to several factors which influence the success of online learning for adults. These are: ability to manage the online learning environment, interaction with online content, and interaction with online peers and instructors.
This article really coincides with where I am personally in adapting online tools for my personal learning. Having never really used a blog before, I can say that the ITEC 830 blogging experience has been a key motivating experience for me. I feel like I can track my progress in class through my reflections, and I can use the blog to post additional information that has been meaningful to my learning. In addition, I have to admit that I really like to have the interaction with my peers through the comments section with. Hunter emphasizes several times in the article that adult learners are have concerns with privacy and confidentiality, which I can relate to. The class blogging experience motivated me to start my own personal blog to share with my friends. I really gave a lot of thought to whether I wanted a private or public blog, but opted for private, because of my own personal issues with confidentiality. I think this might not be a chief concern for younger generations who are used to using social networking tools.
This article really coincides with where I am personally in adapting online tools for my personal learning. Having never really used a blog before, I can say that the ITEC 830 blogging experience has been a key motivating experience for me. I feel like I can track my progress in class through my reflections, and I can use the blog to post additional information that has been meaningful to my learning. In addition, I have to admit that I really like to have the interaction with my peers through the comments section with. Hunter emphasizes several times in the article that adult learners are have concerns with privacy and confidentiality, which I can relate to. The class blogging experience motivated me to start my own personal blog to share with my friends. I really gave a lot of thought to whether I wanted a private or public blog, but opted for private, because of my own personal issues with confidentiality. I think this might not be a chief concern for younger generations who are used to using social networking tools.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Story, Symphony and Meaning
As I was reading Daniel Pink’s Whole New Mind, several concepts really resonated with me. These concepts were: Story, Symphony and Meaning.
Story: As I have recently moved from more technical training to professional and leadership development training, I am thinking more and more about how to make training concepts more meaningful through story. As I read through the chapter on story, I could not help but think about one of the most personally meaningful books that I have read in the past few years. This is Po Bronson’s “What Should I do With My Life”, which is also recommended by Daniel Pink in the last part of the chapter on Meaning. Bronson’s book contains short stories on how various people made shifts in their careers to find more meaning in their life. Each story is inspirational in its own way, and I recommend it to anyone, who is thinking about a career shift or wanting to get more out of their work.
Symphony: Daniel Pink defines symphony as “the ability to put together the pieces…to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.” I think an aptitude for symphony is the most important thing for a curriculum developer to have. Someone who is able to help people see things, and patterns that they did not see before by making connections sums up the job of a training developer.
Meaning: My favorite quote is one that my father gave to me at a time that was struggling with what to do with my life. It said, “The secret of life is learning what you have to give.” As Daniel Pink proposes in his chapter on meaning, more and more people are trying to find purpose in their job, emphasizing true meaningful work over moneymaking goals. Having had past struggles whether to leave a higher paying job that did not fulfill my life purpose, I can certainly identify with this struggle. I have recently done research on generations in the workplace and have found that a common trait among the newest generation of workers is their strong desire to have meaning in their work.
Below is a picture and word story that I created to describe a time in my life where I was searching for meaning in my work. I was struggling between two fields, and could not make a decision, so I chose a third alternative. In the end, the third alternative helped me combine my two passions in a new way. I think this is a good example of a personal “symphony”. I tried to use a technique that was suggested in the book, so I wrote a mini-saga, which is an extremely short story, of fifty words no more, no less. My mini-saga accompanies the pictures. I have to admit that editing myself to fifty words was truly difficult, and I think I did give up some of the emotional value of the story. I am still struggling with connecting photos and story, but the process was a good learning experience, and I think combining mini-sagas with brief visuals is a good practice for making training and learning experiences more concise and meaningful. The voicethread tool was not very intuitive for me, but I think it has a lot of potential that I have not fully realized.
See my symphony mini-saga below:
Story: As I have recently moved from more technical training to professional and leadership development training, I am thinking more and more about how to make training concepts more meaningful through story. As I read through the chapter on story, I could not help but think about one of the most personally meaningful books that I have read in the past few years. This is Po Bronson’s “What Should I do With My Life”, which is also recommended by Daniel Pink in the last part of the chapter on Meaning. Bronson’s book contains short stories on how various people made shifts in their careers to find more meaning in their life. Each story is inspirational in its own way, and I recommend it to anyone, who is thinking about a career shift or wanting to get more out of their work.
Symphony: Daniel Pink defines symphony as “the ability to put together the pieces…to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.” I think an aptitude for symphony is the most important thing for a curriculum developer to have. Someone who is able to help people see things, and patterns that they did not see before by making connections sums up the job of a training developer.
Meaning: My favorite quote is one that my father gave to me at a time that was struggling with what to do with my life. It said, “The secret of life is learning what you have to give.” As Daniel Pink proposes in his chapter on meaning, more and more people are trying to find purpose in their job, emphasizing true meaningful work over moneymaking goals. Having had past struggles whether to leave a higher paying job that did not fulfill my life purpose, I can certainly identify with this struggle. I have recently done research on generations in the workplace and have found that a common trait among the newest generation of workers is their strong desire to have meaning in their work.
Below is a picture and word story that I created to describe a time in my life where I was searching for meaning in my work. I was struggling between two fields, and could not make a decision, so I chose a third alternative. In the end, the third alternative helped me combine my two passions in a new way. I think this is a good example of a personal “symphony”. I tried to use a technique that was suggested in the book, so I wrote a mini-saga, which is an extremely short story, of fifty words no more, no less. My mini-saga accompanies the pictures. I have to admit that editing myself to fifty words was truly difficult, and I think I did give up some of the emotional value of the story. I am still struggling with connecting photos and story, but the process was a good learning experience, and I think combining mini-sagas with brief visuals is a good practice for making training and learning experiences more concise and meaningful. The voicethread tool was not very intuitive for me, but I think it has a lot of potential that I have not fully realized.
See my symphony mini-saga below:
Thoughts on Locative Learning
After reading through recent articles on Location Based Education, such as Adam Greenfield’s article on Location Based and Context Aware Education and listening to Leslie Rule’s lecture on Locative Media, I have to admit that I am still struggling with these concepts and exactly what this means for the future of educational technology. I understand that learning in right place and context can help to create a more memorable learning experience.
A recent example: Recently a childhood friend of mine quit her high tech job to go back to school and get a PhD in Oceanography. She credited the memorable eco-trips of our grade school days, where we did field work on location in the wood, finding our own samples to examine under the microscope as sparking an interest scientific discovery. Now thirty years later she is taking part in lengthier “ocean eco-trips” where she goes out on a boat, collecting samples for her studies.
Another example: This summer, my husband and enjoyed a cross country trip where we stopped in the Black Hills to visit both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. After the trip we returned home and raved to all our friends about the Crazy Horse Monument, which we found very memorable. Both the museum and the theater attached to the monument gave a complete story of the still-under-construction monument, and each building including sweeping views of the real monument, putting the dramatic construction story in context. We spent over three hours at the monument and remember almost every detail. In contrast, we also visited Mt. Rushmore, which is just 30 minutes away from the Crazy Horse. At Mt. Rushmore, we looked at the monument first, then briefly popped into a completely separate museum to find out about the history and information. The disconnected story did not peak our interest as much, and we left after 30 minutes, and can recall virtually no details of the monument construction story. While both locative learning opportunities were similar, the Crazy Horse Monument was viewed in context of the story of its construction, while Mt. Rushmore was viewed separate from its story. Crazy Horse was more memorable.
While articles and lectures on locative learning have made me think about the importance of location and context to learning, and have brought to mind a multitude of examples in my own life, I have yet to make the leap in my understanding of how ever changing technology will play a role. I think this is because of my own biases against portable technology. I am the kind of person who has a purposefully low tech cell phone, which I often lose for weeks at a time. I often find portable technologies to be an invasion of my private time, which I view as a hindrance, rather than a help. I am slowly changing my paradigm as I learn more about GPS technology and the convenience of iphone, but I have to admit that it may be a while before I can personally make this leap. Right now the context is just not there.
A recent example: Recently a childhood friend of mine quit her high tech job to go back to school and get a PhD in Oceanography. She credited the memorable eco-trips of our grade school days, where we did field work on location in the wood, finding our own samples to examine under the microscope as sparking an interest scientific discovery. Now thirty years later she is taking part in lengthier “ocean eco-trips” where she goes out on a boat, collecting samples for her studies.
Another example: This summer, my husband and enjoyed a cross country trip where we stopped in the Black Hills to visit both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument. After the trip we returned home and raved to all our friends about the Crazy Horse Monument, which we found very memorable. Both the museum and the theater attached to the monument gave a complete story of the still-under-construction monument, and each building including sweeping views of the real monument, putting the dramatic construction story in context. We spent over three hours at the monument and remember almost every detail. In contrast, we also visited Mt. Rushmore, which is just 30 minutes away from the Crazy Horse. At Mt. Rushmore, we looked at the monument first, then briefly popped into a completely separate museum to find out about the history and information. The disconnected story did not peak our interest as much, and we left after 30 minutes, and can recall virtually no details of the monument construction story. While both locative learning opportunities were similar, the Crazy Horse Monument was viewed in context of the story of its construction, while Mt. Rushmore was viewed separate from its story. Crazy Horse was more memorable.
While articles and lectures on locative learning have made me think about the importance of location and context to learning, and have brought to mind a multitude of examples in my own life, I have yet to make the leap in my understanding of how ever changing technology will play a role. I think this is because of my own biases against portable technology. I am the kind of person who has a purposefully low tech cell phone, which I often lose for weeks at a time. I often find portable technologies to be an invasion of my private time, which I view as a hindrance, rather than a help. I am slowly changing my paradigm as I learn more about GPS technology and the convenience of iphone, but I have to admit that it may be a while before I can personally make this leap. Right now the context is just not there.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Jill Bolte Taylor Video - A Stroke of Insight
Jill Bolte Taylor is a brain scientist who dedicated her life to brain research, after being inspired to study the brain because of her schizophrenic brother. Bolte Taylor had a stroke at the age of 38. Because she was familiar with brain functions and the functionality of the left and right brain hemispheres, she was able to study the functionality of her own brain, through the experience of the stroke. Since Bolte Taylor had a hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of the brain, she had moments during the stroke where her left hemisphere functionality stopped working.
Bolte Taylor describes these moments of disconnection with the brain chatter of the left brain as "euphoric". She said that she had moments of expansiveness, where she could no longer define the boundaries of her body. She also explains that she had a sense of peacefulness. She describes the right hemisphere of the brain as being about the here and now...she said, "...in this moment we are perfect, we are whole we are beautiful."
On the flip side, Bolte Taylor describes the left hemispheres of the brain as the portion of the brain that separates the person from the environment. She explains what it was like to lose the functionality of her left brain hemisphere; the hemisphere that is responsible for categorizing and associating information from the past to possibilities for the future. In her lecture she describes moments where she had a flicker from the left brain, which told her that she needed to get help, since she was having a stroke, but then when she attempted to call for help she was unable to remember or identify a telephone number to call for help.
Bolte taylor concludes her lecture in discussing the possibilities for the world, if people were to choose to work more from their right hemisphere. She argues that we have the power to choose who and how we want to be in the world, and which hemisphere to work from. She suggests that if more people were working from their right hemisphere, more peace would be injected into the universe.
I was extremely interested in Jill Bolte Taylor's lecture, as I had already heard a very riveting interview with her on NPR's Fresh Air several months ago. When I was reading the first several chapters of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind", I was actually reflecting back on the Fresh Air interview, because I think Bolt Taylor's description of the the initial onset of the stroke to the time that she woke up in the hospital, give an extremely well painted picture of the division between the two brain.
Bolte Taylor is able to describe the complicated systems of the brain very clearly in terms that non-scientists can understand. As she brought out the real human brain in the lecture, I clearly saw the division between the two sides of the brain. Bolte Taylor expands on her explanation with the use of personal story, which really evokes relateable emotions that anyone can understand, even if they have not experienced a stroke.
Bolte Taylor, as a well-known and respected scientist, has been able to interconnect science, with personal experience, and has created a message which has generally not associated with medical science. The idea of letting go of the left brain chatter is generally considered to be associated with alternative or eastern style philosophies associated with meditation, yoga, etc. Perhaps Bolte Taylor's creditability in the science world will help to bolster these well-known philosophies in the United States. Perhaps there will be more of an integration between "western" and "eastern" style philosophies.
I feel like Bolte Taylor's thesis is really enthralling, but for myself, like many people, I struggle with how to put this into action. I want to let go of the left brain chatter, but how?
Check out the link to the Fresh Air Interview with Jill Bolte Taylor under the NPR links on my sidebar! It is a good one!
Bolte Taylor describes these moments of disconnection with the brain chatter of the left brain as "euphoric". She said that she had moments of expansiveness, where she could no longer define the boundaries of her body. She also explains that she had a sense of peacefulness. She describes the right hemisphere of the brain as being about the here and now...she said, "...in this moment we are perfect, we are whole we are beautiful."
On the flip side, Bolte Taylor describes the left hemispheres of the brain as the portion of the brain that separates the person from the environment. She explains what it was like to lose the functionality of her left brain hemisphere; the hemisphere that is responsible for categorizing and associating information from the past to possibilities for the future. In her lecture she describes moments where she had a flicker from the left brain, which told her that she needed to get help, since she was having a stroke, but then when she attempted to call for help she was unable to remember or identify a telephone number to call for help.
Bolte taylor concludes her lecture in discussing the possibilities for the world, if people were to choose to work more from their right hemisphere. She argues that we have the power to choose who and how we want to be in the world, and which hemisphere to work from. She suggests that if more people were working from their right hemisphere, more peace would be injected into the universe.
I was extremely interested in Jill Bolte Taylor's lecture, as I had already heard a very riveting interview with her on NPR's Fresh Air several months ago. When I was reading the first several chapters of Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind", I was actually reflecting back on the Fresh Air interview, because I think Bolt Taylor's description of the the initial onset of the stroke to the time that she woke up in the hospital, give an extremely well painted picture of the division between the two brain.
Bolte Taylor is able to describe the complicated systems of the brain very clearly in terms that non-scientists can understand. As she brought out the real human brain in the lecture, I clearly saw the division between the two sides of the brain. Bolte Taylor expands on her explanation with the use of personal story, which really evokes relateable emotions that anyone can understand, even if they have not experienced a stroke.
Bolte Taylor, as a well-known and respected scientist, has been able to interconnect science, with personal experience, and has created a message which has generally not associated with medical science. The idea of letting go of the left brain chatter is generally considered to be associated with alternative or eastern style philosophies associated with meditation, yoga, etc. Perhaps Bolte Taylor's creditability in the science world will help to bolster these well-known philosophies in the United States. Perhaps there will be more of an integration between "western" and "eastern" style philosophies.
I feel like Bolte Taylor's thesis is really enthralling, but for myself, like many people, I struggle with how to put this into action. I want to let go of the left brain chatter, but how?
Check out the link to the Fresh Air Interview with Jill Bolte Taylor under the NPR links on my sidebar! It is a good one!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Mobile, Wireless, Connected Info Clouds and Learning
The Emerging Technologies - "Mobile, Wireless.." by Mark Van't Hooft discusses the use of mobile and wireless devices for learning. The article points out the today's wireless devices along with the endless supply of emerging 2.0 technologies allow people to globally access personalized and customized information that can be controlled, remixed and accessed as needed. This data can be called up in a variety of different contexts. The article likens this to storing "information clouds" that the user can access when and how they want.
Because the hardware (mobile tools) and the applications (software) are readily available to many consumers, this situation can make it much easier for learners to customize their own learning "on the fly." The article points out that this is currently happening informally, but there are issues with developing formal learning utilizing mobile devices. An examples is given, in which a museum allows people to customize their museum experience using mobile devices. However since learners can only use the museum's mobile devices, this limits the learner to use unfamiliar hardware that can only be used in a specific context. In addition, the article points out that formal use of mobile devices in schools can be difficult because of the ability to keep devices current.
When I first read through this article, I felt overwhelmed at the suggestions that students would use mobile devices to go off and be responsible for their own learning. This type of learning feels scattered and and ambiguous to me. However, after thinking about it, and looking at my own learning experiences, I realized, that mobile and wireless devices are really just another tool, that could be used to compliment and further customize more traditional classroom education. They are a tool that could allow for more streamlined, customized fieldwork.
I started to think about one of my most memorable college educational experiences. While attending a study abroad program in Vienna, Austria, I studied art history, with a hardcore drill sargeant-type instructor (Those from the 1970s, think: Paper Chase). The in-classroom instruction was very, very traditional. Students were questioned in class and berated when they did not get the answer correct. With my bad German language ability, the only thing that saved me in this class, was that I could study by taking the streetcar to the famous Kunsthistorische Museum, and look at the actual paintings that I was studying. In this way, I took responsibility fo customizing additional learning that allowed me to practice identification, and do well in the class. (I can still identify a Breugel, Klimt, and Kokashka. No problem)
This was 17 years ago (before cell phones really). But what if I had been able to use my iphone to plan my museum visit, based on slides I had seen in class that day? What if I could go to the museum and take notes and pictures using my iphone? OR what if I did not live in Vienna? - What application could I use that would allow me access to the museum content and allow me to to organize my studying, even though I could not actually go to see the pictures myself. When I think about utilizing these devices and applications in this context, I realize, again, that these technologies can be a way to organize and make data more specific, rather than more ambiguous.
While the author points our a number of barries to using open technologies, including privacy issues, copyright issues, etc., these again, are issues that are brought up by many of the articles on emerging technologies. While the issues may be evolving, instructors have always had to deal with guiding students on ethical issues.
Because the hardware (mobile tools) and the applications (software) are readily available to many consumers, this situation can make it much easier for learners to customize their own learning "on the fly." The article points out that this is currently happening informally, but there are issues with developing formal learning utilizing mobile devices. An examples is given, in which a museum allows people to customize their museum experience using mobile devices. However since learners can only use the museum's mobile devices, this limits the learner to use unfamiliar hardware that can only be used in a specific context. In addition, the article points out that formal use of mobile devices in schools can be difficult because of the ability to keep devices current.
When I first read through this article, I felt overwhelmed at the suggestions that students would use mobile devices to go off and be responsible for their own learning. This type of learning feels scattered and and ambiguous to me. However, after thinking about it, and looking at my own learning experiences, I realized, that mobile and wireless devices are really just another tool, that could be used to compliment and further customize more traditional classroom education. They are a tool that could allow for more streamlined, customized fieldwork.
I started to think about one of my most memorable college educational experiences. While attending a study abroad program in Vienna, Austria, I studied art history, with a hardcore drill sargeant-type instructor (Those from the 1970s, think: Paper Chase). The in-classroom instruction was very, very traditional. Students were questioned in class and berated when they did not get the answer correct. With my bad German language ability, the only thing that saved me in this class, was that I could study by taking the streetcar to the famous Kunsthistorische Museum, and look at the actual paintings that I was studying. In this way, I took responsibility fo customizing additional learning that allowed me to practice identification, and do well in the class. (I can still identify a Breugel, Klimt, and Kokashka. No problem)
This was 17 years ago (before cell phones really). But what if I had been able to use my iphone to plan my museum visit, based on slides I had seen in class that day? What if I could go to the museum and take notes and pictures using my iphone? OR what if I did not live in Vienna? - What application could I use that would allow me access to the museum content and allow me to to organize my studying, even though I could not actually go to see the pictures myself. When I think about utilizing these devices and applications in this context, I realize, again, that these technologies can be a way to organize and make data more specific, rather than more ambiguous.
While the author points our a number of barries to using open technologies, including privacy issues, copyright issues, etc., these again, are issues that are brought up by many of the articles on emerging technologies. While the issues may be evolving, instructors have always had to deal with guiding students on ethical issues.
Class Reflections #6 - October 3
I have to say the experimental remote classroom could not have come at a better week for me...after spending almost a week sick from a terrible cough, it was so great to be able to attend class from home. If I had not had this option I might have missed class or I might have come to class, and coughed through the entire thing, bothering other people around me.
For the most part using the Eluminate tool did work for me, and I was able to follow class with the exception of a few times when the audio was garbled. I have been the trainer using a similar tool (WebEx). To use this tool, I actually had to practice quite a bit and run through the tutorial. I definitely think I if I was using the full functionality as a participant or moderator, I would need a tutorial and additional assistance on the tool.
I also think that although I got a flavor for the lecture, I really did miss out on being a participant. For me the online side conversation was good, in that you felt a sense of community with the other online listeners, but bad, because it did distract somewhat from concetrating on the lecture / presentations. I think that ultimately, this type of lecture would probably have the most success if all members were online, so that there was not a split community of people in the classroom and online.
For the most part using the Eluminate tool did work for me, and I was able to follow class with the exception of a few times when the audio was garbled. I have been the trainer using a similar tool (WebEx). To use this tool, I actually had to practice quite a bit and run through the tutorial. I definitely think I if I was using the full functionality as a participant or moderator, I would need a tutorial and additional assistance on the tool.
I also think that although I got a flavor for the lecture, I really did miss out on being a participant. For me the online side conversation was good, in that you felt a sense of community with the other online listeners, but bad, because it did distract somewhat from concetrating on the lecture / presentations. I think that ultimately, this type of lecture would probably have the most success if all members were online, so that there was not a split community of people in the classroom and online.
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