"Enrollment is not about forcing, cajoling, tricking, bargaining,
pressuring or guilt-tripping someone into doing something your way.
Enrollment is the art and practice of generating a spark of possibility
for others to share."
If anything could describe how I operate with team mates and clients on a daily basis it would be the above quote from the Zanders book. After reading the story about the children and the orchestra I found myself in tears. Part of me realized that A) for the last year I have been in the presence of teachers that have that passion required in spite of all that has opposed them. What a gift that has been. B) All that I do is for something, even though I may not ever see the results in individuals 5 years from now.
The one skill I have learned is identifying and voicing my mistakes. In voicing them I am staking my claim in humanity. Jumping on the high road of moral superiority always proves to be cumbersome and bumpy. I love this quote: Gracing your self with the responsibility for everything that happens in your life leaves your spirit whole, and leaves you free to choose again. And thank goodness that we all get to!
This book while I thought in the beginning had very little to offer me has made my top 10 must reads.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wk 4 Response to Elaine Scott
Wk 4 Readings: My Focus on the Effort Ch. 9-12
There are so many concepts of my life I can apply
Zanders philosophies to both personally and professionally. However, as
I write this passage, at this very moment my thoughts are with the five
at-risk youth I am trying to work with. I stress trying because as life
‘is what it is’ for me, I had to realize it is the same for them. I may
not be able to change them, well influence their beliefs is a better
and more appropriate phrase. I can only lead by example, show them I
sincerely love and care for them and want the best that life can offer,
feed them positivity and show them the possible outcome.
How I pay-forward is in my passion and
unending desire to help, I tell those I meet how I feel about them, I am
not afraid to show or express myself. Even when my kindness is
misunderstood or turned away it hurts but as the Zanders stated Life
just is and there are things we have to accept. We make the attempts and
if lucky and pushed hard enough sometimes the results are right on.
Truth and reality, however, lets me know it may not always be that way. I
am only responsible for the effort not necessarily the outcome. Which
is why Zanders speaks so against blaming oneself.
I can only hope for the future of these
five young men. I know that I have touched them in more ways than they
express, for I see the changes, the smiles, the report cards, and
occasionally I get an actual “thank you Elaine for helping me.” What is
hard to muster is that it is not from all five of them. That two or
three of them are showing signs of regression and that is difficult. I
asked the questions still, “Why aren’t they listening to me? Why can’t
they seem that the pathway they are choosing will hold the possibility
of assured struggles? What didn’t I do right?” So I follow Zander’s
advice and can only focus on the part that I played, while continuing to
be there and just simply do the best I can for or by them. I have no
power over all the circumstances in their lives. My job wasn’t to fix
them but to show them a better way and hope that in those learnings, the
young men would gain a better light of themselves just enough to make a
change. I have left the spark at times I see it turn into a fire that
ignites the positive changes I mentioned. So I will hope that if the
fire goes out that maybe the spark I left will ignite again but at a
time that may be better suited for them.
I have met many great and inspiring people
during my journey at Full Sail. I hope that at some point I will get
back on track financially and obtain that career that will allow me to
work with others who have the talent of loving, giving, and receiving. I
look forward to my growth for I know that I will continue to use that
growth to inspire others and to watch all the imaginings come true.
-
Elaine,
I can so empathize with you. Everything you do with these youth summarizes why I get up every morning. At present I am working with 17 alcoholic/drug addicts. Ages vary from 18 to 64 which makes them a very diverse group. I have been in this field a while and have no desire to become an LCDC Counselor. However, I do have a passion for working with these people and their families. When I first started working in this field I made a lot of mistakes. The first mistake was I took it home with me. At times trying to figure out how to help them kept me awake at night. I later realized that I am only a vessel of what my creator intended me for. When I leave there now I know that something bigger than myself has it all figured out. My second mistake was I wanted to befriend them when what they really needed was some structure and guidance. I learned the hard way and still teach my employees that if you don't hold them to some level of accountability they will never respect me. They don't need me to enable them their parents do a good job of that. We measure results where I work. When clients commit to something I always ask "how will I know you did it?" which deepens the commitment. The statistics are stacked against these people and they are given a choice. 1 in 5 will stay clean and sober, but we have to start somewhere and awareness is half the battle. I happy to know that there are people that at least try to help youth before they get to the place I work or a center like ours.
Wk 4 Wimba Publication/Leadership Article
Growth,
Expansion and Technology
Tania
Shavor
Full
Sail University
July
29, 2011
Introduction
The feeling of being a fish out of
water comes to mind when collaborating for the first time with a multitude of
educators. When coming to the table with a sprinkling of education in a design
career, combined with 15 years of experience in drug and alcohol addiction one
can only put forth as much as the mind will allow it to create. The research
pieced itself together after coming up empty on anything addiction or treatment
based that would prove cohesive. The project morphed into “No Child Left
Behind” and the deeper the research went the more it could be linked to
systems, in both fields, where a need was identified for outside participation
from families. Education was the main focus of the research with the burning
idea of how it could be integrated with changes elsewhere. If nothing else this
research could prove groundbreaking in the addiction recovery field, but the
feedback from these educators was vital to broadening the understanding of what
a large planning issue and a lack of funds could lead to. It is intended that
this writing might be published in one or two publications namely; Educational
Technology Research and Development and/or the Treatment Research Institute.
This publication will be appropriate for either publication, as it will cross
reference in various places to a corporate setting rather than a traditional
education setting.
Project Overview
The goal for the project and
research that came with writing this paper did not come easy in the early
stages. With one foot in addiction and recovery, and the other foot in
education it was vital to find a common ground that would be bendable in its
application at end result. Program development, elearning based
training and systems of accountability were the challenges faced by the
facility that held this writers current employment. As a whole the focus needed
to be on various delivery methods in adult learning, development of learning
systems using MI Theories. The problem at the time was stretching far enough to
not limit the scope of the research in the minds eye. Questions pondered dealt
with looking at how a learning structure could benefit communication in a place
were technology has always carried an element of intimidation. Also, how a
business structure could benefit school administrators and how education could
reach a place where face-to-face, person-to-person contact was tried and
true. It all came down to asking
new questions as they apply to most recent problem areas.
Data
Collection Process
The targeted audience for this
information-gathering phase was guidance counselors and families of students. A
demographic breakdown was provided in the scope of this research in regards to
economic status, age range and educational background with regard to families of
students. This breakdown provided a clear overview of how implementation of
proposed design goals would shape a plan for future reform and include the
entire gamut of the population that needs to be reached.
Response was not what was expected. During cycle one a certain fear was experienced from participants and 4 out of
5 of them requested that they remain anonymous when it came down to name, school
and even to the area of the ISD that they teach or counsel in. I will name
these schools for research purposes Schools A, B, C and D. Of all the schools
chosen for this research are middle schools.
School A
Demographic-
White
42%
Black
7%
Hispanic
48%
Asian
2%
Native American 1%
Economically Disadvantaged 40%
School B
Demographic-
White 13%
Black
9%
Hispanic
77%
Asian
1%
Native American <1%
Economically Disadvantaged 75%
School C
Demographic-
White
28%
Black
14%
Hispanic
55%
Asian
3%
Native American <1%
Economically Disadvantaged 61%
School D
Demographic-
White
53%
Black
10%
Hispanic
29%
Asian
7%
Native American <1%
Economically Disadvantaged 25%
What was
discovered from the data is that Schools A & D teachers and counselors had
more time to spend with children addressing behavioral problems and non-testing
related matters. These two schools were also recognized schools for being
academically superior to other schools in their district. In addition these two
schools have had the funding based on their academic performance to make
technology available to their students where Schools B &C were just the
opposite. Money is the main focus of the academic experience. The focus is not
on providing disadvantaged schools with the necessary tools for success but on
creating fear in job security as a motivator. Independent school districts rely
on state and local government for funding, however, in some cases each school
has its own funding sources aside from what they receive from state or local
sources i.e....parent resources. So, in short, the better the demographic in
regards to economically disadvantaged children the better programs are set up
in these schools. If you live on the border of a poor school district your
child will attend a school that doesn’t have the resources for developing new
programs or adding resources to further education, because the parents that
send their children there don’t have any money.
Instructional Goal
The overall goal to achieve
is to define a need in cycle one and what educators feel the immediate need is
that would benefit school systems the most if only one could be implemented.
Talking with various teachers and a sprinkling of counselors proved helpful to
shape the direction of the final outcome of this project.
Learning
Domain – Cognitive, Affective, psychomotor
This is strictly a research
project designed to gather information for future design of a cross platform
database that would house educational videos, games, quizzes, study aides,
tutoring and motivational exercises for parents and children who are enrolled
in the public school system. Eventually the system designed would touch
cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
Cognitive-All cognitive data would be contained in the above-mentioned assets.
Affective- Hopes that this system would in fact boost affective learning skills
in the class room through the use of tutoring programs already in place but
offered in a different format using computer based tutoring as an option
instead of having children just use face to face tutoring as an option. For
instance:
Its 7pm in the evening and Megan is
working on her algebra homework; she comes across a problem she cannot remember
the rule to. Her book seems obscure in the way the directions are laid out. She
seems to be more of a visual learner and needs to see a similar problem worked
out to refresh her memory.
Learners
like Megan would have the option of videoconference with a tutor that is part
of the main frame laid out by an entity working with this particular school
district or have access to a database of videos on her particular lesson.
Psychomotor- These skills would be used in the actual hands on computer
knowledge. Through tutorials, these skills would also be taught to ensure an
optimum user interface experience.
Tutorials along with educational games would ensure psychomotor skills
were included as part of the learning experience.
Learning
Objectives - To make parents and teachers aware of
alternative delivery options for all types of communication and the simple
truth that sometimes these options cost little or nothing to make a small start
in hopes of a bigger solution.
Instructional
Approach -
Step One: Insure that you set up your
specific field of research to include a diverse group that will provide you
with various results.
Step Two:
Set up interviews at times that are convenient with the professional you want
to obtain information from.
Step Three:
Be sure to ask questions about what the demographic is, how many people they
reach on a regular basis and how effective they feel their means of
communication is.
Step four: Ask them what
they feel they are lacking and what ideas they have suggested that may have
been denied due to budget restrictions or possibly a simple fear of change.
All of these
questions have been extremely helpful in determining which parts of this
education experience would be integral to filling certain gaps in school or
company structures.
Literature Review Introduction
In
2001, the Bush administration implemented the No Child Left Behind Act that posed challenges for guidance offices
in public school systems. Counselors were redirected to focus more heavily on
academic progress (IBM, n.d.). The state of Texas reported that school guidance
counselors spend 20 to 30 percent of their time on non-counseling related
activities that do not support student outcomes (IBM, n.d.). The purpose of
this literature review is report challenges being faced, which range from budget
restrictions to a lack of knowledge. The purpose of this review is to look at new
structural systems being developed and technologies that can alleviate burdens
on counselors.
Current Specific Challenges
Many
researchers have gone before us attempting to change the face of education. As
far back as 1986, it had been documented that technology had taken a minimal
role in education with promises of more technology in the future (Molenda, 1986).
It is also important to point out that the systems approach was considered and
widely used for training of the military in 1986; however, in 2011 the
educational system still has not been given proper consideration (Molenda, 1986).
Other countries like England have far exceeded anything currently in place in
the United States (O'Brien, Burton, Campbell, Qualter, & Varga-Atkins, 2006).
It
has been questionable as to why schools were not meeting the specified rules
for parent involvement or why programs were lagging. Language barriers and a
lack of policy being written indentify two areas, which pose a challenges. Free tutoring for following year
students with the option of school transfer was not holding up mainly because
there was a lack of participation in tutoring programs. According to Warkentien
and Grady (2009) the percentages of parents receiving information of free
tutoring and the student’s actually taking advantage of the tutoring is
alarming. Of the students
attending low performing schools for 3 years with no improvement, 59.9% did not
take advantage of free tutoring and only 21.7% used available resources. A
possible solution to this could be as simple as changing the method of delivery
for information to parents and services to students. However, budget
restrictions at school and at home are often barriers to allowing this to
happen. Gathering the data to report back to the US Department of Education for
the Annual State Report Cards was another challenge that school systems battled
with and the need for a unified system of data reporting appeared to be
evident. Virtual school communities can be a cost effective way to start to
collaborate with all necessary participants (Sabella & Halverson
(2004)).
Emergence of Structural
Systems
Countries
like England it seems started a networked approach around 2004. It developed
into an idea of integrated children’s services under what they called Every
Child Matters which is very similar to NCLB but with more structure. There were
five sections divided as such: Be Healthy, which covered the child’s, physical,
emotional and mental well-being. Stay Safe that protected children from
violence, abuse and exploitation. Enjoy and Achieve that covered the education,
recreation and happiness. “Make a Positive Contribution developed to help
children with decisions affecting him/herself and the community. “Achieve
Economic Well-Being” which helped ensure educational progression, freedom from
poverty and increasing life chances. A system like this one would offer the
structure parents needed and the enthusiasm for being a part of it (O'Brien, et
al 2006, p. 399).
Structural
systems can include a multitude of different technology based
environments. When discussing
structural systems, as related to gathering data, one company stands out among
current reviews. According to IBM (n.d.) a framework was built called On Demand
Workplace. This system was created so that school systems could adhere to
transformational change strategies. Its framework allows all school personnel,
parents, researchers, legislators, and health care workers a single portal
environment. Within this portal,
all parties on a real time basis can easily access documentation for
interventions. Broward county
school system in Florida implemented the first phase of a four-part project in
2006 called Project Knexus, which has connected administrators (IBM,
2006). As reported in IBM (2006)
the Broward county school system is large, having 231 K-12 schools and 274,000
students. Connolly (2005) stated the program had been making progress and made
getting in touch with guidance counselors easy with online appointment making.
However, some parents only have access through public libraries.
Technology for Parents
A
struggle with consistent technology seems to be one of the main stumbling blocks
in adhering to requirements laid out by the government. According to Merkley, Schmidt, Dirksen,
and Fuhler (2006) communication in place happened through notes, phone calls,
newsletters, parent-teachers conferences, home visits, weekly folders, open
house and a sprinkling of email and web based communications. With many
communities email has become popular along with student portals. In Merkley, et
al (2006) a tutoring clinic example was shared where a password-protected
environment was used to facilitate communication using audio files and video
files of the children in tutoring activities. According to Thompson (2008) there is no real supporting
research that proved email is an effective way of communication. In Mitchell,
Foulger, and Wetzel (2009) ten tips for effective Internet communication were
laid out. The most interesting of the suggestions were support discussion
forums, Internet access for parents without computers, and orientations to
improve technology skills. Discussion forums have proven to be affective in
many online universities because feedback is critical in an environment that
can be isolative.
As
outlined in Mitchell, et al (2009) programs that allowed families to check out
computers for home use was critical with growing technology demands. After
doing much research, the resources used only scratch the surface. Understanding
and implementing technology in school systems is of dire importance. Apple Inc.
has revolutionized the iPhone 4, iPad, and Macbook computers with a program
called Facetime (Gaylord, Shaer, 2010). Facetime is a program that has
revolutionized video chatting and taken it into the 21st century
with HD imaging. In addition to Apple’s advancements the use of Skype to
videoconference is free on any computer as long as both users have a free
account.
Conclusion
America must explore ways to
optimize a cohesive system that will work across the board and enable the
growth and expansion of public school systems parent to school communication.
As it seems today many educators, administrators, and especially guidance counselors
are struggling with a way to get parents to be accountable. The systems in
place are not failing, however, the cohesiveness of effective communication is
lacking. The No Child Left Behind Act
was thrown into play in 2001 with little or no advanced notice to school
systems. Demands on the guidance system have been challenging and the need for
a solid plan to assist counselors to deal with program development is what
needs to be addressed.
References
Connolly, P. (2005). Broward school system gives parents an
edge. InfoWorld, 27(46), 42.
Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.
Gaylord, C., & Shaer, M. (2010, October 20). Apple event
brings MacBook Air, OS X Lion, and FaceTime for Mac. Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved from MAS Ultra - School
Edition database.
IBM. (2006). Broward
County schools and the transformational power of IBM on demand workplace for
education. Retrieved on November 19, 2010, from
ftp://ftp.boulder.ibm.com/software/studies/Broward_G225-4435-00.pdf
IBM. (n.d.). IBM executive brief, k12 education on
demand workplace: Enabling education transformation. Retrieved on October, 10 2010, from http://www-935.ibm.com/services/hk/gbs/bus/pdf/xb-ibm-k-12-on-demand-workplace.pdf
Merkley, D., Schmidt, D., Dirksen, C., & Fuhler, C.
(2006). Enhancing parent-teacher communication using technology: A reading
improvement clinic example. Contemporary
Issues in Technology & Teacher Education, 6(1), 11-42. Retrieved from
Education Research Complete database.
Mitchell, S., Foulger, T., & Wetzel, K. (2009). Ten tips
for involving families through internet-based communication. Young Children, 64(5), 46-49. Retrieved
from Education Research Complete database.
Molenda, M. (1986). Toward transformation: How the use of
technology to improve instructional productivity depends on classroom
structural reorganization. Retrieved from ERIC.
NCLB rules for parent involvement. (2007). Gifted Child
Today, 30(1), 6. Retrieved from Education Research Complete 23660288
Sabella, R. A., & Halverson, B. (2004). Building Virtual Communities in School
Counseling. Retrieved from ERIC.
Sabens, F., & Zyromski, B. (2009). Aligning school
counselors, comprehensive school counseling programs, and the no child left
behind act of 2001. Journal of School
Counseling, 7(31). Retrieved from ERIC database.
Speth, T., Saifer, S., and Forehand, G. (2008). Parent
involvement activities in school improvement plans in the Northwest Region (Issues
& Answers Report, REL 2008–No. 064). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for
Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory
Northwest. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs
Thompson, B. (2008). Characteristics of parent-teacher
e-mail communication. Communication
Education, 57(2), 201-223. doi:10.1080/03634520701852050
Topor, D. R., Keane, S. P., Shelton, T. L. & Calkins, S.
D. (2010). Parent involvement and student academic performance: A multiple
meditational analysis. Journal of
Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 38(3), 183-197. doi:10.1080/10852352.2010.486297
Warkentien, S., Grady, S. (2009). Students' use of tutoring
services, by adequate yearly progress status of school. Statistics in Brief. NCES 2010-023. National Center for Education
Statistics, Retrieved from ERIC database.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Wk 4 Response to Jenney Grover
Wk4 Publishing/Leadership project part 2 of 2: WHY
Option 1: Well my top choice is ISTE. There is a South Dakota regional Technology In Education (TIE) every year. April 15-17, 2012 in Sioux Falls, SD. But since this is at the state level, it probably won't count. I'll probably still apply as it would be a great excuse over my birthday to go back home!
Option 2: But of course it would be fabulous to present at the annual ISTE conference which will be in San Diego in 2012 (June 24-27).
--- There is a student showcase section that would be great to bring a few students to show their work with Language classroom and technology.
--- Presentation of Research papers (peer-reviewed).
--- Model Lesson would provide an opportunity to show attendees how to students learn in my classroom with Web 2.0 tools and distance learning of language.
The Theme of my presentation could fall under one of these:
--- School Improvements
--- educational visions
--- Digital Age Teaching & Learning
--- Achieving the ISTE NETS for students
--- Differentiated Instruction
--- Games & Simulations (ideally in the future once I get the game completed)
--- Language Learning
--- Multimedia/Video/Digital Storytelling/Newscasting
--- Podcasting
--- Technology Integration
--- Virtual Environments/Virtual Reality (ideally in the future once I get the game completed)
--- Web 2.0/Web/Internet
--- Virtual Schooling/E-Learning
--- Developing/Locating Digital Content/Learning Objects
--- Distance Learning
--- Instructional Design
--- Student Engagement/Collaboration/Support
--- Virtual Learning Technologies
--- Virtual School Programs
Option 3: AACE - Advanced Computing in Education. October 17-21, 2011 in Honolulu, Hawaii! Well, dang! Who wouldn't want to go to Hawaii! Sign me up!
1. Sector or Application Domains: Informal Learning & K12
2. Major topics relating to or technologically supporting E-Learning.
Content Development
Implementation Examples and Issues
Instructional Design
Standards and Interoperability
Tools and Systems
3. Specific Topics Examples:
Accessibility
Asynchronous Learning
Authoring Tools
Building E-Learning Architectures
Collaborative Learning
Developing, Integrating, and Delivering E-Learning Solutions
Distance Learning
Electronic Publishing Tools for E-Learning
Human-Computer Interaction (ideally for the game)
Multimedia-based E-Learning Systems
Simulations (ideally for the game)
Virtual Classrooms (ideally for the game)
After reading this, I'm super excited! Maybe I am smart! Maybe I am worthy to present! However, my big fear is that I'll get up there and hear "that was dumb, pointless, boring, worthless, etc". Guess I shouldn't feel that way since I've already had one HUGE South Dakota company ask me to speak to their researchers about online, distance learning. Guess its the pesky shame-based horrible voice in my head. I think the BEST thing that happened this week was listening to a successful Hollywood actress say that she deals with "the voice" as well. So how do we shut up the voice? Guess maybe continuing to step out of my comfort zone and to keep doing what I'm passionate about. It's my life afterall, and I've already wasted 34 years to this stupid voice! One movie quote (sorry can't remember the movie or the exact wording): if you don't feel like a *** then act like *** and soon your feelings will follow. "fake it til you make it" or "act as if".
***disclaimer: No I am not hearing actual voices. No need to call my counselor aunt nor my counselor friend. No blogger was hurt in the writing of this blog.***
***UPDATE*** As I was preparing some videos to input into my powerpoint, I ran across this option for Second Life. I sure wish the under 18 version was still around. Maybe at some point there will be an educational version for schools. This would be a good venue to talk about how to use Virtual Reality in classroom and how to incorporate worlds into the language learning classroom. This will be on my list for next year.
-
I so agree with the AACE conference. This conference sounds more
inclusive for people like me who are in corporate world. I especially
love that some of the topics there include content development and
implementation. I saw a phone the other day that looked as if it was
trying to replicate the idea of augmented reality. The dude held his
phone up in camera mode and in the air he could see comments that other
people had left there with his app. I was like Whoa!! I couldn't help
but think that this would be an excellent app for field trips for
students, kind of like a real world virtual reality!!
Wk4 Publicaton/Leadership Project: think out loud post
I was so excited to finally be able to view some of my classmates outcomes. In doing this I was able to form new ideas for my own projects at work. Amazing how that works! I am looking forward to continuing to have access to FSO in hopes that I can continue to monitor new ideas that come out of this program. Collaboration is such a gift that has grown on me in being present with all of my peers here. I was pleasantly surprised at how everything I needed for this project had already been written and how my ideas have transformed since I first wrote them. I enjoyed this month because I was able to measure growth.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wk4 Publicaton/Leadership Project part 2 of 2: Publications
 |
| Treatment Research Institute |
I have currently sent for information on how to contribute to this list of research. This place of research more closely matches what I do at work. When researching for my AR project I also cross researched how or if the addiction field had allowed technology to emerge in the work place. I came up with very little. I would like to contribute in a surface way to possibly open some minds to the possibilities.
Wk4 Publicaton/Leadership Project part 1 of 2: Thoughts
This research has really stretched me in the sense that I don't want the paint myself in corner. I originally started my AR project off the way that I did (in education) because it was very similar to a need for expansion in the treatment and addiction field. I see a definite need for a technology bridge to be created between institution and home. While I feel strongly about the need for it in the public school system something about the politics of it makes me shy away from exploring that option further at this time. However, am willing to publish a general idea of what I am thinking so that others may develop an approach as I did in this case where there wasn't enough data in my field of work.
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