“Making the pitch”
I love to watch things grow, especially in the garden. My capstone is this exciting metamorphosis of creativity and collaboration! It is growing in ways I never imagined…
Thanks to the guidance in Joshua Porter’s book: “Designing for the social web”, I have confidence this will be a successful environment.
It’s all about people!
- Unaware
- Awareness
- Sign up
- Return Visits
- Emotional attachment
Being in groups and being around groups and Not being in groups changes the way we behave.
Lewin’s equation: B=f(P,E)
An Individuals behavior is a function of both their personality and their environment.
We are profoundly influenced by the people we know and the groups we join.
Designing this interface for VT Art Trails that evokes communication and collaboration is a HUGE challenge.
It’s about more than $ it’s about attention.
The idea is to connect people.
WOW> Only 1.2 of 6.5 billion people on earth use the internet (that’s less than 20%)
The AOF method:
- Focus on the primary Activity
- Identify your social Objects
- Choose your core Feature set
Authentic Conversation
Build with the community
Provide clear benefits
What is the motivation for use?
___________________________________________________________
I have developed a questionnaire / marketing information sheet for “the pitch” of the project.
http://zonorus.marlboro.edu/~kwilson/images/VTarttrailsQuestions.pdf
I am beginning to be much more focused, and so much more articulate about my capstone. In a month I hope it spills out of my mouth like water hose on full blast!
Now we are a Movin’ and Shakin’
OK we are a rockn’ and a rolln’ here in capstone ville! I have been refining my scope and you can see this by looking at my mind map on mindmeister.com, take a look: http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/3928937
I have created a more refined area on the bottom right.
The concentration is focused on the business of being an artist. To provide quality information, forums, and classes. I have made a rather large stakeholders list and have been meeting with artists and others to be involved in this adventure. Oh what an adventure it is going to be!!
I have been establishing the grounds for VT Art Trails, and the hosting, and domain name.
Here we are!!!! Check it out: http://www.vtarttrails.com/
I’m off to the Joomla users group meeting at MCGC…I intend to gather much needed advice on the recommended structure of this site, and where and how to install Moodle.
This is an inspiration image, cause all things look better in fuschia!!!
Many layers
This process has so many layers, I still want to add the *rubrics*, I did spend time on the Rubric site, and I hope to put some together for Friday’s class.
Also, I will make podcasts for the portfolio class. I feel very strongly about F2F meetings, and it is going towards all online at this moment, so I will be adding my part of the lesson via a podcast. Overnight I was thinking that there is so much material to cover, and without a class time, or meeting where I can get a lot of information across at one time – the podcast is a great solution. It works on so many levels itself! It can be used to re-visit the class, review, or clarify, or audio may be preferred by some learners.
I will add images and make a multi-media podcasts-
Movin’ Thick as Molasses – 1.0
I was having a de ja vu today, I thought I was at my old job things were moving so slowly. You know when you have worked so much for so long, things start to get “slow” ? Well, my computer was doing just that. Microsoft, ugh, Word was having spasms all day, I make one change, for instance to make a text bold, and the whole document turns bold! I have to un – do…I do believe I have a bug so-to-speak in my Word, or computer of such as things were at a snails pace today.
It is my own fault, I added all these images to Word, and I should be using a layout program – I know better! But once I get going I’m pretty stubborn. 
So at my previous job, I would deem most projects: The molasses project, because my boss would act as though he wanted to do the job, when in fact he didn’t and stalled as long as he could, making up his mind was not a good characteristic of this gentleman.
OK I have uploaded my Final Project 1.0 [Total Molasses Project!]
[uploaded to Moodle and my Moodle!]
I really could keep working on this for another week, but I am giving it up now to stand at some point! This has been a very exciting process, and I am looking forward to comments on it, as I know there will need to be changes and it is really just a starting point. Oh Gosh!
My best
Kristen
Technology effecting our emotions
Technology effecting our emotions 
!
I really believe this goes to show how much technology effects our emotions, so fast it is alarming!
Technology can help us organize so quickly, and so many eyes can get information at once, tremendous impact can be made.
Earth Hour: http://www8.earthhourus.org/
The Google background was black. I have to say, when things change that are so familiar to you it startles you! I have been sifting through the social art communities I am a member of online, and it seems others were as startled as I :
One comment I want to make before his quote is the deviant art group is not very mature, as I read the tone of most comments. I omitted his title as this particular title was very crude…
“scared the crap outta me. i thought i broke my browser or something.
anyway yeah. turn off your damn lights etc.”
There were over 30 comments to his, and unfortunately only one person out of 30 new about it, however no one posted the link to Earth Hour. What are these folks even getting out of this space they are blabbing away in? They seem very disconnected to what is happening in the world.
A piece of the pie
Burnt as I may be (I can’t even make a pizza pie!)
I am making significant progress on both my Moodle CMS, and the Instructional Design Paper. (A bit late, yes, yikes!) I have such a different perspective now from this point of view of the student. I had to burry myself into just this design process (IEEE), and my course, and pretend no one else was alive, I felt like an ostridge – But with my head stuck in the computer. (HA!)
My biggest concern is my learner’s level of computer competency. This will drive the pace of the class, ultimately. I am ready and willing to be agile and flexible, and allow the students computer literacy to keep the pace of the class.
Concerns and thoughts in this process of designing the materials are…. how broad to be, how much content – should be understood, or absorbed, given?
Meaghan and I were chatting the other day about how incredible blogs are, I am adding it to my course structure, but how much technology can they handle?
I feel as though I am over conscious of time on the computer, as my work is ALL on the computer, my job, my school, and some of my art, all of my communication. There are points where I am so overloaded with technology I can’t think anymore!
I understand I can re-visit and re-structure the class if need be, but what is realistic?
I joined a social learning art space called: Art Education 2.0, Using New Technology in Art Classrooms. I have joined Facebook, and Deviant Art, and others for training in developing VT Art Trails. The Art Education site is really exciting and lively, I have posted the videos I created in my Multimedia class, and I have received excellent comments on them, quite helpful. I am looking forward to putting out there my Capstone. The creator of the site himself, Craig Roland has added me already as a “friend” I am excited to talk with him on how he runs this space. This is getting exciting!!!!
Leadership and Teaching
I have been revisiting my Change Management Plan I created for that class two trimesters ago with Catherine Seo. I have updated my MCGC page, and will be adding more, you can see the plan there and the power point I created for my presentation. All my classes are beginning to overlap each other and I see change management issues that need to be addressed in all kinds of systems and processes, and processes that need change management plans! They are so very connected to people and how we learn and teach and evolve.
The below is an image I created for my change management plan, and power point:
The invisible pen
I just finished a wonderful discussion with Miss Meaghan Meachem, a MCGC graduate, who helped me asses and develop my course structure for the ped final, and my Moodle site. I have been using an invisible pen – as my friend Josh said – you’ve been working on this for weeks! I know I have, and yes, I have felt as though I’ve been writing a tome with an invisible pen! Meaghan put it lightly: Stop over thinking this! you are being to broad – narrow it way down and simplify your course. I spent a half hour or so talking out my thoughts with Meaghan on my class and its structure and objectives, I feel excited and much more on track now!
Collaboration is key, and I am a talk to think learner. I work best when I engage in verbal conversations, to “work out” my thoughts.
__________________________________________________
I had an interview yesterday with the executive Director of Manchester and the mountains regional chamber of commerce. They are looking for part time work, and we were meeting to discuss a possible opportunity. After much thought about our meeting, which was very positive – The director fairly clearly explained the job, and that he really has no understanding of technology, and they really need someone like myself to help them get on track. It is truly amazing to me, to think that someone in a position of Ex Director of a Chamber of Commerce that he doesn’t understand: Technology IS the future. He made it clear that he struggles with technology, and has a limited knowledge and competency. Why does not he realize that technology IS the future, and that he needs to get his knowledge and understanding of technology up to speed because we live in a culture that is completely immersed with it, and to succeed and contribute to the community technology IS the answer!
He was so focused on this one little part: creating this newsletter. I don’t think he sees the big picture. He’s never heard of Open Source and the possibilities that are on the plate before him…they could grow the Chamber to where it should already be growing to…
So my conversation with him veered towards re-designing their processes, (here we go again process process process) to streamline them to align with their goals which are to serve the community.
He was essentially sweeping all the ideas under the rug thinking that they simply could not afford the cost of this new re-structure with technology. I see the opportunity like a golden egg! The most powerful and efficient way to inform the community, and streamline the business is to use technology.
Teaching visual learning in primarily text-based learning environments
The most frustrating and embarrassing for me was our last class session, when, as usual Elaine asks us: What was your biggest Ahh Ha moment , and what was your most confusing? I ponder the questions and respond by saying: most confusing is setting goals and objectives before having taught the course. The Ahh Ha: How vital images and multimedia are to instruction, and the question: what it means to be literate in a culture saturated with images. when it came to explaining myself regarding the latter, I was at a loss for words. I knew the answer but I could not explain it for the life of me! Wow what an embarrassing moment. So here is a shot at explaining it:
VISUAL AND MULTIPLE REPRESENTATION IN LEARNING MATERIALS: AN ISSUE OF LITERACY
Michael Sankey University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Aristotle once stated that, ‘without image, thinking is impossible’ (Aristotle 19). Felder and Soloman (2001) further suggest that most people are visual learners, and that if sufficient visual content were included in learning materials students would retain more information.
Kellner (2000) believes that literacies are socially constructed by educational and cultural practices and that they evolve and shift in response to social and cultural change, he writes:
‘…one could argue that in an era of technological revolution and new technologies we need to develop new forms of media literacy, computer literacy, and multimedia literacies that I and others call by the covering concept of “multiliteracies” or “multiple literacies”. New technologies and cultural forms require new skills and competencies and if education is to be relevant to the problems and challenges of contemporary life it must expand the concept of literacy and develop new curricula and pedagogies’ (p. 249).
If maximum benefit is to be extracted from information presented by modern communication technologies, as Kellner has suggested, both in terms of engagement and learning, a futures oriented approach must be adopted. Such an approach will prepare students to ‘read’ the world and communicate through multiple modes of communication and prepare them to function in our increasingly technological society (O’Rourke 2002).
Learners use a combination of Visual / Kinesthetic / Aural. And when multiple sensory channels are involved learning can become more effective. (Kearnsley 2000) And both memory and recall are improved. Multimedia will allow us to more fully cater for the multiliterate learner.
Offer a choice for the learner. Cognitive constraints: Dual Coding Theory, and Cognitive Load Theory.
___________________________________________________________
A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION OF “TEACHING PRESENCE” IN THE SUNY LEARNING NETWORK
Peter J. Shea, Alexandra M. Pickett, and William E. Pelz
I found this paper informative regarding distance learning. SUNY has designed a learning network called “teaching presence” I felt SUNY was a good model to look at because of their experience and success in distance education. * Create and sustain a cognitive presence online through Chickering and Gamson: 7 principles of good practice, and Anderson and Colleagues framework to measure faculty development, effective pedagogy, and stimulate satisfaction and learning.
