crazy concepts of a pre-service teacher

There has recently been quite a bit of discussion of late about PLNs and their importance both within the blogging community (N2Teaching, sharon_elin, kmulford, nnorris, etc.) as well as on social networking sites such as Plurk.  Eavesdropping and participating in conversations with teachers who are already in the field (some fairly new, some well-seasoned veterans) really has been an eye-opening experience.

(Uploaded to Flickr on April 17, 2005 by GustavoG)

It seems that one of the themes amongst these discussions relates to how the PLN (Personal Learning Network), particularly those portions of the network that have been formed in the virtual world of social networking, creates a tight-knit group of education professionals who are willing to share and learn from one another in ways that far exceed that of their RL (real life or real world) counterparts.

While I think it is incredible that we have had the opportunity to search-out one another and have been able to learn and grow from one another (often by leaps and bounds), at the same time I am saddened by the fact that more of the colleagues that we spend time with on a daily basis do not seem to be interested in the many benefits that have been created through the very bonds that we have been successful in forming.

As a pre-service teacher it is especially frustrating to me that my fellow students, the future participants in the educational realm, seem to see little relevance (for those who are even aware of the existance of the PLN) in creating a life long learning network of professionals who will help them along the way as difficult challenges and amazing possibilities cross their paths.  There are times that I would love to shout from the roof tops precisely how essential my network is becoming to me.  But, sometimes it seems like no one is listening…

At the same time, I feel fortunate to have discovered this seemingly guarded secret.  If I had to share my growing PLN with all of their colleagues and all the students who are Education majors throughout the world…well, it would certainly be chaotic, wouldn’t it?

Thanks to many different individuals tweeting about Wordle, I have discovered a new favorite toy. I think this is fun because it shows a creative aspect of who I am without the stress of trying to be creative. All I do is put in words and it creates a funky tag cloud that I can customize. So much fun! Be sure to click on the smaller thumbnails below to see a larger version of the images.

This first box is what my del.icio.us account tags look like:

The second is what my Shakespearian essays from the semester look like:

No matter how you slice it…they’re pretty cool.

Recently, a twitter friend of mine TJ Shay asked me if I would be interested in participating in writing a blog entry for the Worst Job Meme.  I immediately agreed! And, then wondered what the heck a meme was.  A few mild discussions later and some web research and I am ready to go!  So be sure to follow the links to the other blogs!  The people who I am tagging are: Kelly Christopherson aka - kwhobbes, Sara VanAbel, and Kyle Lichtenwald.

I have to admit…I certainly have had a lot of bad jobs.  In fact, I have had so many bad jobs that I am not quite sure what I should include in this post.  Should I reveal company names?  Work interactions?  Filings with the Department of Labor?  There really are so many options as to what direction this could go in.  Next, I began to wonder if I should pick a few things from just one location that I have worked at or if it would be better to choose a couple of different things from more than one job that I have had in the past.  Sadly, I have too many options to choose from when it comes to this particular topic.

For me, one of the more difficult aspects of this meme challenge is determining which of these “worst jobs” have lessons that can be applied toward my future teaching positions (although I am sure that I will find plenty of parallels once I am working regularly in the classroom).  Enough with the explanations, I could go on for days explaining the rationals that I used to write this blog post, let’s just get down to the nitty-gritty!

The official question for this meme is as follows: Looking back on your life, what was the “worst job” you ever had that ironically helped prepare you to one day become an educator?

One of the worst jobs I have ever had also happens to be one of the most fun jobs I have ever had.  What are the odds of that?!  When I was just eighteen, I managed to get myself hired to work at an oldies rock & roll radio station as a fill-in disc jockey.  I always used to joke that if they had given me a test about the music they played (or pretty much any music for that matter), they would have never hired me.  Although I appreciate music and enjoy listening to it, I have a tendency not to know who any of the artists are, what the lyrics are, etc.  Despite these obvious short comings, apparently I had a knack for talking to myself on the air because I was soon given my own night show and was even promoted to New Director, a job that I was completely unqualified for, in just a few short months.  Despite my hesitations, I wound up taking the position anyway.  At that time, anything more than minimum wage ($4.25/hour) was great!  Awesome job, right?  Well…not quite.  The owner of the station was a bit bizarre and always set-up the new hire to be the “watch dog” of the work place.  It was that whole “you are my eyes and ears” kind of thing.  Of course, even though I done some community theatre with one of my colleagues, the staff still did not trust me because of what had been done in the past.  Could you blame them?  This is my first lesson: Trust is not automatic.  It must be earned.  If you expect your students to trust you, then you have to prove you are worthy of that trust and sometimes it takes time (and A LOT of proving).

The worst part about this job was how it ended.  The owner took me into the breakroom, which happened to be open to all the other rooms in the office because there were no doorways.  He sat me down and told meright there and then (mind you, I was 18 and half the staff was within ear shot), “If you fail, that will cause this station to fail which will cause my other two businesses to fail and my wife to divorce me.”  Needless to say, I quit on the spot and left crying.  Well, technically I put in my notice for the end of the week - but it was Thursday anyway.  My second lesson: Be prepared for the consequences that your actions may bring.  Always have a plan B, just in case you need it (and a plan C or D if you want to really be prepared because you just never know what might happen).  This can easily be applied to a situation when technology isn’t quite your friend in the classroom or even when you have a sub for the day.

One of the more recent “worst jobs” that I have had was working at a company that handles global immigration.  I really must admit that my co-workers were really special to me while working here.  After all, if it was not for the support that we were able to give one another, then none of us would have ever survived; however, management did leave quite a bit to be desired.  Although the owners touted “low” turnover, in the twenty months I worked there we went through nearly as many employees in an office which consisted of only fifteen people.  As more and more of my friends and colleagues began taking anti-depressants and high blood-pressure medication, I should have realized there was even more of a problem than I believed there to be.  Of course, hindsight is 20/20.  My fourth lesson: Be sure to let those around you know how much you appreciate them and care for them, particularly in the most difficult of times.  If a complement is deserved, be sure to voice it.  It is the little things that make such a difference in how we treat one another.  Don’t let others get away with anything less.  I think this will be reflected in my classroom expectations of how we interact with one another.

Oftentimes the majority of the staff worked six or seven days each week frequently putting in twelve or more hours each day.  At one point, staff members were made to feel guilty if they left the office on time at the end of the day.  This scenario generally included a comment such as “Must be nice to leave early” (insert glance at watch here).  There was one manager that we called “Hitlery” (her name was Hillary), I am sure you can gather enough ideas from your own imagination to understand why.  For me, the kicker was when I had my gall bladder removed and dreamt that I snuck back to the office to do some work on my cases so they would not find out I was gone.  In this dream my supervisor even helped to smuggle me back into the office.  I cannot tell you how realistic this dream was.  Needless to say, I left the company within just a couple of months.  My fourth lesson: In all that you do, make sure it is something that you can believe in and take pride in.  The outcome of your efforts should be for the good of something or someone that is of importance to you.  This is part of why I’ve decided to become a teacher and something that I hope to instill in my students in relation to both classroom activities and things they do outside of the classroom.

While I can say that there are a few jobs I may wish to change various aspects of, I can also say that I definitely learned something from them and each of them have had a hand in creating the person that I have become.  Hopefully, I will be able to impart some of this “wisdom” to my future students as they sit in my classroom and listen to the stories of my past experiences.

Mama said there’d be days like this…

In an effort to ensure that my studies are completed in a timely fashion, I have placed myself on a very strict schedule. As a non-traditional (yes, over 25 and married) student who has returned to school to secure a teaching certificate (the first time, I attended I majored in theatre and chose not to finish because I was going to practice alternative medicine), it came to my attention that in order to complete my courses in just three years (despite the many transferable - amongst the non-transferable - credits that I brought with me) I would have to be very disciplined (read: take more than the required 12 credits per semester - generally 15 to 18 credits - and take classes during summer sessions - usually both sessions and often 1 to 3 courses during each 6 week period). With all these parenthetical explanations, it’s a wonder I have any idea what I’m doing at all.

As I come across classes that bore the hell out of me (I admit, that makes me feel guilty because I love learning, despite my apparent attempts to ensure that I burn-out), I ask myself what I would do to make them more interesting. Sometimes I have answers and sometimes I do not. Of course, the lack of answers is why I’m still learning about teaching and I hope that once I get through my methods courses I will have more of said answers.

It has also been drawn to my attention is the reason that some of these classes are so “boring” is because I’m not really that interested in them. This realization brings me closer to my future students who are also forced to take classes that are of little interest to them. Which brings me to the point: shouldn’t there always be choices? Why should a specific course be required? Why not a component instead? This would allow for students to still gain certain types of information with a slightly different focus or possibly even a slightly different type of delivery system. For example, say I’m a history buff, but I don’t really have much use for plays. Rather than take a class which focuses on Shakespeare’s plays, why not study what was happening in Britain and the rest of Europe and include the study of the English language during that period and how it has changed since then?  Another possibility would be to review some of the other writings and playwrights from that period and discuss the role Shakespeare played in influencing the English language and its expansion. There are really many options for customizing coursework that still includes information that students need, why not take some time to figure out what we can do to bridge the gap between individual interests and what is required?

In a completely different direction: something that I find really interesting is test creation. Believe it or not, I do step back to see what I enjoy. Working at Disability Services on campus, has given me the opportunity to proctor tests and exams as well as read tests to students who are taking them. This really has been very helpful as I get to see first hand how different professors put together their tests and how the results either do or do not make sense to the students who take them. Oftentimes, I find myself wondering why questions are worded in certain ways or if anyone proofreads these tests prior to their distribution. Although they do not occur as frequently as I would like, I feel like I learn a lot when I step into the room with these students and see the world from their points of view.

I have to admit that although I am not always enjoying what I do on a daily basis for class, I am certainly learning a lot from these experiences. A message to my future students: I will do my best to make the material as engaging as possible - but please keep in mind that that is not always as easy as you or I would like to think it should be.

I am not afraid to admit it and I will gladly come right out and say it: as always, I am a juxtaposition. It just so happens that in general (I emphasize “general” because not everything works or can be considered favorable in every situation) I am in favor of uniforms in school. Here comes the juxtaposition: I am not particularly fond of dress codes themselves.

I will also admit that I did not always feel this way, in either instance. I favor uniforms for much the same reason that I dislike dress codes: individual freedoms.  Dress codes by nature provide guidelines of exclusion. They tell you what you cannot wear.  They separate the acceptable from the unacceptable, often identifying very specifically those personal characteristics which should be squelched.  In that sense, I believe that dress codes are rather discriminatory of specific styles belonging to certain types of individuals.

On the other hand, I find uniforms to be far more inclusive.  Please be aware that I do not think uniforms need to be precise in the sense that there is no longer any individualism.  I am not in favor of creating miniature die-cast models and mass replication of students.   However, I think that  uniforms can create an opportunity for students to look beyond superficial differences and may even be used as a catalyst in the formation of friendships that may not otherwise have been given an opportunity to develop.

In that respect, I speak from experience.  When I was in high school, I had the pleasure of attending Interlochen Arts Camp.  The summer I spent there altered my outlook on life and provided a plethora of people and ideals that I would not otherwise have met or entertained.  I grew-up in a rather rural part of Michigan and even though I was very open-minded, my life experiences reflected that of a rural town.  The students I met were from all over the world with all types of believes and varying bits of knowledge.  What I did not realize until the very last day of camp is exactly how the uniform brought all of us together.  I was surprised at the clothing choices of some of my friends, simply because I had not seen those styles before and felt a bit intimidated.  I am certain that this is not the only situation when such occurrences come to life and I was glad not to have such trivialities stand in the way of some amazing friendships.  BTW…the opportunity to express ourselves beyond the uniform made a dramatic change in my choice of style following my return home.

Truthfully, I enjoy hearing other viewpoints on this topic because that is how each of us grow and learn.  So, please feel free to share your opinions.  The decision to sit-down and write this blog was inspired entirely by a conversation that I had tonight with @petrock on twitter. I enjoy speaking with @petrock because he is not afraid to share his opinions and always stands by his convictions.

As I become exposed to additional pieces of technology, I find myself asking: When does it end? Now that I’ve become accustomed to using Twitter, there are discussions of FriendFeed. I felt ahead of the curve because I was using Firefox instead of Explorer and then discovered Flock. I was then exposed to Del.icio.us and soon discovered that I should be using Diigo or Digg or Technorati. Not too long after that, a professor suggested that I use Goodreads, then someone else said that LibraryThing was the way to go. And, of course there is also Shelfari. I could go on and on, but…well, you get the picture.

In all this madness, I continue to ask: When does it end? Should I expect to keep up? I don’t pretend to be teetering on the edge of the latest happenings when it comes to technology, but I find it frustrating that as I get comfortable with using portions of a particular piece that several new ones seemingly pop-up. Of course, they always seem to be “all the rage.” Do I risk sticking with what I’m comfortable with rather than learn about the latest craze?

In all honesty, I’m really not sure what direction to head in when it comes to such things. Being a student, I am definitely in a learning mode. Which leads me to a concern: am I learning all I need to or am I being distracted by technology and not even learning that successfully in order to best teach my future students?

These types of questions are things that I will need to continue pondering…

It’s been several weeks since my last blog entry. For sometime now I’ve been asking myself what in the world I should blog about. I could write about stuff I’ve been reading in other people’s blogs, things in the news, posts on twitter, etc. There really are so many options that it can be intimidating to determine exactly where to begin - again.

I find myself being concerned about how I represent myself in my blog because of other people blogging about that very topic. Then, I worry about that for awhile. Of course, eventually I remember that I simply am who I am and that’s all I can be: myself. Exactly who that is, I’ll find out as time goes on and I’m forced to ask myself all the tough questions in life. Until then, I’ll just keep reminding myself to be who I am to the best of my abilities (regardless of what others may or may not think).

It seems that as a procrastinator I have discovered many far more interesting things to do this weekend other than my homework. So, I have to ask myself: Is the fact that I’ve been expanding my technological horizons acceptable since that has preoccupied my mind in lieu of the homework that I should be doing at this very moment? Maybe that shouldn’t even be a concern and maybe it should. Regardless, procrastination is not really what I’ve stopped by to discuss. Why, you may ask? Because, I have other pressing issues to share with you at this time.

One of the blogs I try to read fairly regularly is weblogg-ed. This evening, I discovered a post that includes (what I can gather) is a brand new term: produsers. First of all, I have yet to determine exactly how this word is pronounced: prahd-oos-ers, pro-do-sirs, prod-yooz-ers. And the list goes on. Beyond my momentary obsession with the actual pronunciation, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about the usage of the term either. Apparently, it comes from a new book Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and Beyond: From Production to Produsage.

Keep in mind that I haven’t actually read this book, just a blog and a bunch of comments about this book. But I have read a quote from the book that Will Richardson included in his blog:

“…teachers are now no longer positioned as experts simply by virtue of
their accredidation as experts, outside of the pordusage process
itself; instead they come to be seen as experts because of their role
as leaders of the produsage community. In other words, the argument
that they should be respected by their students is made no longer on
the basis of their role in the academic hierarchy, their positions and
titles, but by their established track record as produsers themselves.”

Keep in mind that some of the comments seemed to indicate that the idea that teachers could be experts at teaching was far-fetched. Some individuals seemed to think that there was no such area of expertise and that teachers, by necessity, should have an alternate area of expertise. In addition, the above quote seems to indicate that research/scholarship may be more important than actual teacher-student interaction.

In my mind, the students should come first. This means that teachers should be knowledgeable and have the ability to lead students to becoming life-long learners. Pedagogy is pertinent to this end. Frankly, someone who is an expert in a particular subject does not always make a good teacher (we’ve all been in that professor’s classroom at some point or another). While I think it is important that a teacher be well-versed in technology, I believe they also need to have the ability to communicate with and influence their students. That is more important than any amount of knowledge about a particular subject. If you cannot get them interested, how do you expect to get them to learn?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

If you really know me, you’ll know that I’m not really an “adopter” when it comes to technology. I’m not addicted to text messaging, I don’t constantly chat on my cell-phone, and I don’t even use IM or skype. I’m trying to find the balance of immersing myself into web2.0 without becoming too connected at the same time. As it is, I spend crazy amounts of time attached to my laptop (okay…I have to admit it: I originally typed “computer”…does that make me a dinosaur?) for class, for entertainment, for expanding my horizons, etc. I have to admit that I’ve just recently downloaded the web browser “Flock” which allows me to blog without even being near the Edublogs website. Pretty cool, huh?

Every day, I discover a few more things online that I never really even knew were possible. Not only am I exposed to new concepts (there’s an entire virtual world called Second Life with it’s own currency?!), but I’m also exposed to new vocabulary as well (schooliness, which - if I’ve gathered correctly - is a term that adults and students can’t quite seem to agree upon, that relates to how students’ actions are motivated by classroom assignments and their viewpoints seemed forced - particularly when it comes to blogging).

Today, I discovered something that may lead me to force myself to join Second Life. Yes, I’m considering it…really, I am. While I was on twitter today someone tweeted (yep - there goes that vocab) about Konrad Glogowski - and I thought to myself: what a great name - I have to check that out! Yes, believe it or not, I can actually be that superficial. As I opened the link to the Blog of Proximal Development, I was intrigued by the title and the first thing I noticed was a link to Second Life. As I read along, I became even more intrigued as this individual has created The Virtual Classroom Project which will have “Educator’s-in-Residence” and provide them an opportunity to design their ideal classrooms in the world of Second Life. If you check-out the link to the blog above, there is further information about the project and about the first person to be invited to take-part in the project. Honestly - I can’t wait to see how this turns out. Imagine the ways that this could influence how teachers think about their educational surroundings!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Tags: SecondLife, Web2.0, skype, IM, Flock, Twitter, Virtual Classroom Project