Greetings All!
Ben, Peter, and Beginner's Mind
In honor of Ben Rimes, who so generously gave his ideas and expertise from the field, I wish to share this short reading from Zen Mind: Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki read by Peter Coyote. I know from Ben's blog that Coyote's voice is important to Ben. So, Ben, if you can read this, and All, please enjoy...
At a (much) earlier time in my life I earned a tenth degree black belt in Sanchin Ryu karate. Tenth degree is the beginning of black belt degrees in that style. At that time I was pretty good at getting to the place of beginner's mind. Today I feel like I have monkey mind, or easily distracted mind, because I am immersed in so many wonderful experiences in learning with all of you through our ed tech program. There is so much with which to deepen my understanding! Peeragogy, entrepreneurship, hacking, design thinking, edupunks, and gaming--I feel like it could take years to really get to know each of these ideas--yet, I don't have years! And these ideas are in a constant state of change! I decided at the beginning of this degree to jump in with both feet. I'm in--and I love it :-) Now I must change my monkey mind to beginner's mind again...and again...as many times as it takes to allow this learning to show me what it needs me to do with it.
Gratitude
At this moment of reflection I am grateful to all of you for your contributions to my learning and for doing this with me. Here is a virtual group hug-love to you all. I sincerely thank you for all that each of you has given to me in this space and beyond. I appreciate and respect each of you!
Best and May We Meet Again
May your lights shine brightly! May you be always loved. I will miss our particular meld of shared inspirations and experiences. I look forward to seeing you again!
~Danna
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Ben Rimes: Thanks for Taking Our Calls
Hello Everyone!
Remi, thank you for bringing Ben to us through our course, and Ben, thank you for being a fun, intelligent, and active resource for us.
I've read most of your blog, Ben, read your interview about your online book club, and explored your district's website a bit. You are a busy guy!
It was a pleasure to meet Ben at the the iiE Gathering.
Ben, as you coordinate, collaborate, and lead in your district, how much do national and state standards come into play in your activity? And which standards are you using? There are so many now. I know many are adhering to Common Core.
As I write visual arts curriculum for our high school I look at so many standards! I try as hard as I can to meet as many cross-over standards as possible. There are the 21st Century Skills Standards, the Michigan Visual Arts Standards, National Visual Arts Standards, the ISTE Standards, Language Arts/Science/Math standards, STEM...
I wonder about your experience as the ed tech coordinator how standards come into play.
Thanks again, Ben! I have enjoyed your artistry and playfulness as well as your obvious grasp on tech tools :-)
~Danna
Remi, thank you for bringing Ben to us through our course, and Ben, thank you for being a fun, intelligent, and active resource for us.
I've read most of your blog, Ben, read your interview about your online book club, and explored your district's website a bit. You are a busy guy!
It was a pleasure to meet Ben at the the iiE Gathering.
Ben, as you coordinate, collaborate, and lead in your district, how much do national and state standards come into play in your activity? And which standards are you using? There are so many now. I know many are adhering to Common Core.
As I write visual arts curriculum for our high school I look at so many standards! I try as hard as I can to meet as many cross-over standards as possible. There are the 21st Century Skills Standards, the Michigan Visual Arts Standards, National Visual Arts Standards, the ISTE Standards, Language Arts/Science/Math standards, STEM...
I wonder about your experience as the ed tech coordinator how standards come into play.
Thanks again, Ben! I have enjoyed your artistry and playfulness as well as your obvious grasp on tech tools :-)
~Danna
Response to Kellie's App Smasher Video
Hello Everyone!
I will post questions for Ben very soon. Here I want to make a quick comment on Kellie's App Smasher idea. Can anyone else here remember when it was nearly impossible to work across programs? How did we ever live without all of this cool digital technology?
:-)
Danna
I will post questions for Ben very soon. Here I want to make a quick comment on Kellie's App Smasher idea. Can anyone else here remember when it was nearly impossible to work across programs? How did we ever live without all of this cool digital technology?
:-)
Danna
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Interesting Attribute of Google Blogger
Hi All!
I have read lots of blogs in the past, and even started one a while back, but I didn't really know what to talk about, so I didn't keep up with it.
In our coursework here in 632 and in 631 I am learning so much about ways to collaborate and communicate online. Last week we talked some about Google Analytics in 631 (thanks, Kellie) and I discovered, probably later than most of you, that Google Blogger has interesting analytics within the Blogger tools :-) I am fascinated by looking at the types and amount of info this analytic aspect of Blogger collects! I could see things as interesting as which type of computer accesses my blog :-) I find this so interesting to know the percentage of types of systems that have accessed my blog (more PCs than Macs.) I do not know how or if I will use this info, but it amazes me that I can know it if I want to!
I also wonder what Google does with this information.
~Danna
Hi All!
I have read lots of blogs in the past, and even started one a while back, but I didn't really know what to talk about, so I didn't keep up with it.
In our coursework here in 632 and in 631 I am learning so much about ways to collaborate and communicate online. Last week we talked some about Google Analytics in 631 (thanks, Kellie) and I discovered, probably later than most of you, that Google Blogger has interesting analytics within the Blogger tools :-) I am fascinated by looking at the types and amount of info this analytic aspect of Blogger collects! I could see things as interesting as which type of computer accesses my blog :-) I find this so interesting to know the percentage of types of systems that have accessed my blog (more PCs than Macs.) I do not know how or if I will use this info, but it amazes me that I can know it if I want to!
I also wonder what Google does with this information.
~Danna
Fuller Response to Horizon Reports for Higher Ed, 2012 and 2013
Hello Everyone!
Summertime Summertime Sum Sum Summertime
I feel like I got stuck in the mud a bit with regard to clear thoughts for you all during the last two weeks--so many life events happening! I go from grandma mode-- to support for close friend mode-- to artist painting portraits for a hall of fame presentation (sixteen portraits in a week to be exact!) ---to weddings and open houses...---to helping students make a little artist money during the summer-- to (trying! to focus) grad student....--not to mention that the kids will be back in school in about a month! No excuses--with my mere understanding of my human brain I have created a construct called "time constraints." I am looking forward to the day when I believe that I have all the time in the world for each task. :-)
from: http://www.soulseeds.com/fb-inspiration/2012/10/seed-of-hair-raising-optimism/
Response to the Higher Ed Horizon Reports
I saw that we were to read the 2012 version of the HR-HE, and was curious about whether the 2013 was available--it was. I read both.
First, I am thankful for the HR. It is a great tool in that it provides examples and resources to illustrate how tech is already in use and where to find more answers. There is an app for the Horizon EdTech Weekly--maybe you already have it. It's 99 cents.
The two most striking things that I noticed was how much things have changed in one year, and how things from the 2012 report are already common in 2013. Rather than explain each, I copied and pasted from the contents page showing a brief summary from both 2012 and 2013. I've explained only those that I didn't clearly understand before reading, starred below:
2012:
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
> Mobile Apps
> Tablet Computing
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
> Game-Based Learning
> Learning Analytics
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
**> Gesture-Based Computing
***> Internet of Things
2013:
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
> Massively Open Online Courses
> Tablet Computing
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
> Games and Gamification
> Learning Analytics
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
> 3D Printing
> Wearable Technology
**Gesture-Based Computing
-I learned that this is swiping, tapping, etc, all the way to a great experience that we had at the iiE Gathering at UM Ann Arbor where we went into a lab room and were able to put on a headset that allowed us to see in 3-4 dimensions and control the images based on our movements. Very cool stuff!
An iiE participant from Egypt experiencing the Virtual Reality Cave at the Duderstadt, UM
--I feel badly that I can't remember her name!
***Internet of Things
-I learned that these are small devices that are easy to attach to almost anything, they have a unique identifier; they can hold a small store of data or information; and they have a way to communicate that information to an external device on demand. Examples of the way they are used: RFIDs (radio frequency identifiers,) sensing temperatures, and Google experimented with Google Wallet--a secure sensor/transmitting system that allows purchases to be made from phones.
I noted elsewhere that MOOCs are already evolving! MOOCs went from not being mentioned in the HR-HE to "one year or less." We all know that MOOCs are booming right now.
HR provides examples of how these trends are applicable to the world of learning as well as general trends.
I appreciate this opportunity to examine the HR anew. I also appreciate Rachel's compare/contrast with the K-12/ HE reports. Thanks, Rachel!
How I Love the KIds! Dilemma
Choices, choices. Remi asks: what of your plans for future education? Doctoral pursuit?
How does the HR-HE report inform your future? Trajectory?
I've had this inner urging for a long time saying "pursue a PhD." I don't know if I'd call it a dream, but I have had a sense of knowing that I could "be one." I don't know if this makes sense, but I have this feeling of "already being there" with no paper to show it, as if I can feel the future, but I'm not physically there...does that sound crazy?
But I LOVE working with kids. LOVE IT-It's one of my "happiest places." What would happen to that aspect of my profession of 20+ years if I moved on to full time college teaching or "other" non-K-12...? Will I be as happily fulfilled as I am when I'm working one-to-one or with large groups of kids? I really don't know the answer to that. It may be subconsciously holding me back.
I've taught every level from pre-k to college in my career. Most of my time has been in secondary ed--which I love--mainly because they laugh at my jokes.
About six years ago (before my grandson was here) I remember volunteering in the Michigan Art Education Association children's tent at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. I had been a secondary level teacher for quite a while, and hadn't spent much time with the little ones in a long time. At the Art Fair I was delighted by my time helping five-year-olds make tulle and wire angel and fairy wings in the MAEA tent. My heart soared in the innocence of these precious beings! I can almost cry with joy at my memory of helping the little ones put on the wings: they looked directly into my eyes with such innocence and beauty--and I'd see them later floating through the crowds wearing their little wings. What a lovely memory! I highly recommend spending time with tiny ones at least once per year. I had forgotten what love springs from tiny little people-and they don't even have to try!
I love technology, too. I feel like I can't keep up with it, and there is so much happening that it makes my head swim, but I LOVE it!
Probably the smart thing to do would have been to pursue a doctorate after my first masters degree in ed leadership. To be honest, earning my first masters was motivated more by a bump in pay and the fastest masters I could achieve in the shortest amount of time while still being a great mom who attended all things and worked full time, too. My motivation was definitely NOT that I wanted to become a principal or superintendent, which is where most go with a masters in ed leadership. The best thing that came from earning my masters was that I also have established a teaching position that I love at a design college 45 minutes from my house.
I don't have to tell you that things in the world of tenure, long term public teacher pay systems, union power, evaluations, constant curriculum writing, assessment, technology and more have changed drastically during the past five years. I've had to reexamine my plan to happily continue working with kids and art until I retired at a place five minutes from my house.
-Postcards from the Edge
My love for my students is stronger than ever, but the relentless demands from sources other than kids is taking its toll on my joy in my K-12 experience. Also, I am physically dealing with some issues such as two pulled achilles and planter fasciitis that won't heal (going on four years) degenerative disk disease (metal plate inserted where my 3 of my disks were crushing my spinal cord) and heck, I'm getting older and less physically strong. (I'm sorry if I sound like I'm complaining! I don't like talking about it, but it seems appropriate to a reflection on where to go from here.) I was a runner who did 5ks every weekend through most of my forties, and now I can hardly walk down the stairs first thing in the morning! I can't stay off my feet long enough to let them heal.
My husband has always been an entrepreneur-mostly in the realms of restaurants, officiating and coaching sports, and sports in general. Except for a brief period in our long marriage I have been the only one with health insurance and retirement. To me this is an important consideration when weighing my options.
On the job at IHS I literally make thousands of pounds of clay each year, lift heavy boxes over my head while climbing ladders, run around on cement floors all day every day, and I have breathed sixteen years of clay and metal dust... and more... Is it time to be kinder and gentler to my body?
Sometime during my reexamination of my goals period I got a simple (magical?) postcard from UM-F Ed Tech. Being a very busy person, I skimmed it briefly, and put it into a pile of "later" documents.
---Later---Sifting through the "later" pile I saw the card again. I thought about it, and decided that spending more money on education would not be a good return on investment (ROI) based on my past experience, so I threw the postcard away and moved on from thinking about additional formal education.
Somehow the postcard reappeared. It was in my pile of papers again. "How did it get there?" I wondered briefly, thought I tossed it, moved on again.
This happened several times: I thought I discarded it, it reappeared in piles of paper or by floating to the floor at my feet. Finally, I paid attention and made an appointment to talk with Jeff Kupperman to ask a host of questions about the program. He answered all of them with the "right" answers (for me.) Next thing I knew I was accepted into the program and here I am, working on a second masters.
-Teaching at Kendall
I share mostly about my full time job at Ionia High School. I also have a job at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids. I absolutely LOVE teaching at Kendall, too. It's LIGHTYEARS easier than teaching at the high school for three reasons: 1) The students choose to be there 2) I teach the same content (Adobe CS software with upgrades, of course) year after year and 3) there are no rigid/crazy demands for proving that I am "making" my students learn. It's a very different beast at the college level. I love, love, love it!
At Kendall, like K-12 public, budgets are a concern. If they can get away with hiring many adjuncts as opposed to full time tenured profs, why would they make a fiscal decision to do the more costly option? Not to mention that there are less headaches with adjuncts with regard to politics, etc. I am pleased, though, that I have been able to teach at the college level with a mere single masters degree! YAY! Teaching at the college level was long a dream--a dream that came true.
-PhD?
The thought of working toward a PhD is exciting. I know I would love the intellectual challenge. I LOVE the people I meet in grad school. I LOVE learning and growing along with other people who also want to learn and grow. However, I am still paying off my student loans from my first masters degree and here I am, collecting more debt for my second. I am a dreamer by nature, but I have been forced to learn to have a foot in reality. It costs a lot to earn college degrees, even if one is fortunate enough to get scholarships or grants. I am in my fifties. I am the only one (along with my husband) who has ever paid for my schooling, and paying back student loans--and I am still thinking of working on a PhD! What a nut.
Most of my time is spent supporting other artists in their art making and learning. I have only rare times when I myself can make art. Through this ed tech masters I have been afforded unexpected and lovely opportunities to be a MAKER again! How I have LOVED using technology combined with my artistic abilities! It is so much fun--I am PLAYING again with being a MAKER of art. I didn't realize how much I missed and was starved for art-making myself. Always--my art-making experiences since I became a full time teacher have been related to becoming a better teacher OR I was doing commissioned work.
I have felt real JOY in the MAKING of things for my ed tech courses. I am so thankful for this, and it helps me to understand where I might go next.
-So...Where To for Danna?
I have talked with Jeff K and with the Dean of the School of Ed Services, Dr. Barnett, at UM-F about the possibility of a PhD. Dr. Barnett said that they don't offer an ed tech PhD at UM-F, but that they do in ed leadership. No thanks to the ed leadership, though that would have been the logical trajectory for most people with an ed leadership masters.
I am now thinking that whatever I do from here I would like to be involved in the MAKING part. I am in the developer track of the program. If there was an ed tech PhD, I might consider it.
I am excited about the possibilities. I am so excited for those in the program that I've seen move on to jobs in the ed tech field. Rachel, for one! I am so excited for her and love to hear what she is doing. How lucky for those folks who hired her!
Remi is an inspiring teacher and leader, too! I love your style, Remi, and appreciate all of the support you give to all of us. And you seem to be having fun being passionate as you teach and pursue your PhD.
When I graduate from UM-F in 2014 I will be very close to the 20 year mark at my current full time position at IHS. I am considering the fiscal rationale for all of what I intend to do in the next two years. I want to be smart about the retirement investment I've made for all these years teaching in Michigan public schools.
Do I think I'm up for the work of a PhD? Absolutely. Is it a wise financial investment in my family's future? I don't know. Do I intend to stay in teaching as I move forward? I don't know!
I love the times when I've been allowed to be an artist so much! I wonder if it is time to move in the direction of MAKING again and BEING an artist. Who gets paid :-)
This is what I do know: I am not ready to retire! I can see myself doing a whole new full-time career after retiring from K-12. In fact, I am energized every time I think about what's next.
I know I still have a lot to give.
I hope to find a quiet space in August to use the design process on my future as a working person. When I have results, I'll share :-)
-What I Won't Be Teaching
"How to be succinct when writing a blog."
Love to all,
Danna
Hello Everyone!
Summertime Summertime Sum Sum Summertime
I feel like I got stuck in the mud a bit with regard to clear thoughts for you all during the last two weeks--so many life events happening! I go from grandma mode-- to support for close friend mode-- to artist painting portraits for a hall of fame presentation (sixteen portraits in a week to be exact!) ---to weddings and open houses...---to helping students make a little artist money during the summer-- to (trying! to focus) grad student....--not to mention that the kids will be back in school in about a month! No excuses--with my mere understanding of my human brain I have created a construct called "time constraints." I am looking forward to the day when I believe that I have all the time in the world for each task. :-)
Response to the Higher Ed Horizon Reports
I saw that we were to read the 2012 version of the HR-HE, and was curious about whether the 2013 was available--it was. I read both.
First, I am thankful for the HR. It is a great tool in that it provides examples and resources to illustrate how tech is already in use and where to find more answers. There is an app for the Horizon EdTech Weekly--maybe you already have it. It's 99 cents.
The two most striking things that I noticed was how much things have changed in one year, and how things from the 2012 report are already common in 2013. Rather than explain each, I copied and pasted from the contents page showing a brief summary from both 2012 and 2013. I've explained only those that I didn't clearly understand before reading, starred below:
2012:
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
> Mobile Apps
> Tablet Computing
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
> Game-Based Learning
> Learning Analytics
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
**> Gesture-Based Computing
***> Internet of Things
2013:
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
> Massively Open Online Courses
> Tablet Computing
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
> Games and Gamification
> Learning Analytics
Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
> 3D Printing
> Wearable Technology
**Gesture-Based Computing
-I learned that this is swiping, tapping, etc, all the way to a great experience that we had at the iiE Gathering at UM Ann Arbor where we went into a lab room and were able to put on a headset that allowed us to see in 3-4 dimensions and control the images based on our movements. Very cool stuff!
--I feel badly that I can't remember her name!
***Internet of Things
-I learned that these are small devices that are easy to attach to almost anything, they have a unique identifier; they can hold a small store of data or information; and they have a way to communicate that information to an external device on demand. Examples of the way they are used: RFIDs (radio frequency identifiers,) sensing temperatures, and Google experimented with Google Wallet--a secure sensor/transmitting system that allows purchases to be made from phones.
I noted elsewhere that MOOCs are already evolving! MOOCs went from not being mentioned in the HR-HE to "one year or less." We all know that MOOCs are booming right now.
HR provides examples of how these trends are applicable to the world of learning as well as general trends.
I appreciate this opportunity to examine the HR anew. I also appreciate Rachel's compare/contrast with the K-12/ HE reports. Thanks, Rachel!
How I Love the KIds! Dilemma
Choices, choices. Remi asks: what of your plans for future education? Doctoral pursuit?
How does the HR-HE report inform your future? Trajectory?
I've had this inner urging for a long time saying "pursue a PhD." I don't know if I'd call it a dream, but I have had a sense of knowing that I could "be one." I don't know if this makes sense, but I have this feeling of "already being there" with no paper to show it, as if I can feel the future, but I'm not physically there...does that sound crazy?
But I LOVE working with kids. LOVE IT-It's one of my "happiest places." What would happen to that aspect of my profession of 20+ years if I moved on to full time college teaching or "other" non-K-12...? Will I be as happily fulfilled as I am when I'm working one-to-one or with large groups of kids? I really don't know the answer to that. It may be subconsciously holding me back.
I've taught every level from pre-k to college in my career. Most of my time has been in secondary ed--which I love--mainly because they laugh at my jokes.
About six years ago (before my grandson was here) I remember volunteering in the Michigan Art Education Association children's tent at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. I had been a secondary level teacher for quite a while, and hadn't spent much time with the little ones in a long time. At the Art Fair I was delighted by my time helping five-year-olds make tulle and wire angel and fairy wings in the MAEA tent. My heart soared in the innocence of these precious beings! I can almost cry with joy at my memory of helping the little ones put on the wings: they looked directly into my eyes with such innocence and beauty--and I'd see them later floating through the crowds wearing their little wings. What a lovely memory! I highly recommend spending time with tiny ones at least once per year. I had forgotten what love springs from tiny little people-and they don't even have to try!
I love technology, too. I feel like I can't keep up with it, and there is so much happening that it makes my head swim, but I LOVE it!
Probably the smart thing to do would have been to pursue a doctorate after my first masters degree in ed leadership. To be honest, earning my first masters was motivated more by a bump in pay and the fastest masters I could achieve in the shortest amount of time while still being a great mom who attended all things and worked full time, too. My motivation was definitely NOT that I wanted to become a principal or superintendent, which is where most go with a masters in ed leadership. The best thing that came from earning my masters was that I also have established a teaching position that I love at a design college 45 minutes from my house.
I don't have to tell you that things in the world of tenure, long term public teacher pay systems, union power, evaluations, constant curriculum writing, assessment, technology and more have changed drastically during the past five years. I've had to reexamine my plan to happily continue working with kids and art until I retired at a place five minutes from my house.
-Postcards from the Edge
My love for my students is stronger than ever, but the relentless demands from sources other than kids is taking its toll on my joy in my K-12 experience. Also, I am physically dealing with some issues such as two pulled achilles and planter fasciitis that won't heal (going on four years) degenerative disk disease (metal plate inserted where my 3 of my disks were crushing my spinal cord) and heck, I'm getting older and less physically strong. (I'm sorry if I sound like I'm complaining! I don't like talking about it, but it seems appropriate to a reflection on where to go from here.) I was a runner who did 5ks every weekend through most of my forties, and now I can hardly walk down the stairs first thing in the morning! I can't stay off my feet long enough to let them heal.
My husband has always been an entrepreneur-mostly in the realms of restaurants, officiating and coaching sports, and sports in general. Except for a brief period in our long marriage I have been the only one with health insurance and retirement. To me this is an important consideration when weighing my options.
On the job at IHS I literally make thousands of pounds of clay each year, lift heavy boxes over my head while climbing ladders, run around on cement floors all day every day, and I have breathed sixteen years of clay and metal dust... and more... Is it time to be kinder and gentler to my body?
Sometime during my reexamination of my goals period I got a simple (magical?) postcard from UM-F Ed Tech. Being a very busy person, I skimmed it briefly, and put it into a pile of "later" documents.
---Later---Sifting through the "later" pile I saw the card again. I thought about it, and decided that spending more money on education would not be a good return on investment (ROI) based on my past experience, so I threw the postcard away and moved on from thinking about additional formal education.
Somehow the postcard reappeared. It was in my pile of papers again. "How did it get there?" I wondered briefly, thought I tossed it, moved on again.
This happened several times: I thought I discarded it, it reappeared in piles of paper or by floating to the floor at my feet. Finally, I paid attention and made an appointment to talk with Jeff Kupperman to ask a host of questions about the program. He answered all of them with the "right" answers (for me.) Next thing I knew I was accepted into the program and here I am, working on a second masters.
-Teaching at Kendall
I share mostly about my full time job at Ionia High School. I also have a job at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids. I absolutely LOVE teaching at Kendall, too. It's LIGHTYEARS easier than teaching at the high school for three reasons: 1) The students choose to be there 2) I teach the same content (Adobe CS software with upgrades, of course) year after year and 3) there are no rigid/crazy demands for proving that I am "making" my students learn. It's a very different beast at the college level. I love, love, love it!
At Kendall, like K-12 public, budgets are a concern. If they can get away with hiring many adjuncts as opposed to full time tenured profs, why would they make a fiscal decision to do the more costly option? Not to mention that there are less headaches with adjuncts with regard to politics, etc. I am pleased, though, that I have been able to teach at the college level with a mere single masters degree! YAY! Teaching at the college level was long a dream--a dream that came true.
-PhD?
The thought of working toward a PhD is exciting. I know I would love the intellectual challenge. I LOVE the people I meet in grad school. I LOVE learning and growing along with other people who also want to learn and grow. However, I am still paying off my student loans from my first masters degree and here I am, collecting more debt for my second. I am a dreamer by nature, but I have been forced to learn to have a foot in reality. It costs a lot to earn college degrees, even if one is fortunate enough to get scholarships or grants. I am in my fifties. I am the only one (along with my husband) who has ever paid for my schooling, and paying back student loans--and I am still thinking of working on a PhD! What a nut.
Most of my time is spent supporting other artists in their art making and learning. I have only rare times when I myself can make art. Through this ed tech masters I have been afforded unexpected and lovely opportunities to be a MAKER again! How I have LOVED using technology combined with my artistic abilities! It is so much fun--I am PLAYING again with being a MAKER of art. I didn't realize how much I missed and was starved for art-making myself. Always--my art-making experiences since I became a full time teacher have been related to becoming a better teacher OR I was doing commissioned work.
I have felt real JOY in the MAKING of things for my ed tech courses. I am so thankful for this, and it helps me to understand where I might go next.
-So...Where To for Danna?
I have talked with Jeff K and with the Dean of the School of Ed Services, Dr. Barnett, at UM-F about the possibility of a PhD. Dr. Barnett said that they don't offer an ed tech PhD at UM-F, but that they do in ed leadership. No thanks to the ed leadership, though that would have been the logical trajectory for most people with an ed leadership masters.
I am now thinking that whatever I do from here I would like to be involved in the MAKING part. I am in the developer track of the program. If there was an ed tech PhD, I might consider it.
I am excited about the possibilities. I am so excited for those in the program that I've seen move on to jobs in the ed tech field. Rachel, for one! I am so excited for her and love to hear what she is doing. How lucky for those folks who hired her!
Remi is an inspiring teacher and leader, too! I love your style, Remi, and appreciate all of the support you give to all of us. And you seem to be having fun being passionate as you teach and pursue your PhD.
When I graduate from UM-F in 2014 I will be very close to the 20 year mark at my current full time position at IHS. I am considering the fiscal rationale for all of what I intend to do in the next two years. I want to be smart about the retirement investment I've made for all these years teaching in Michigan public schools.
Do I think I'm up for the work of a PhD? Absolutely. Is it a wise financial investment in my family's future? I don't know. Do I intend to stay in teaching as I move forward? I don't know!
I love the times when I've been allowed to be an artist so much! I wonder if it is time to move in the direction of MAKING again and BEING an artist. Who gets paid :-)
This is what I do know: I am not ready to retire! I can see myself doing a whole new full-time career after retiring from K-12. In fact, I am energized every time I think about what's next.
I know I still have a lot to give.
I hope to find a quiet space in August to use the design process on my future as a working person. When I have results, I'll share :-)
-What I Won't Be Teaching
"How to be succinct when writing a blog."
Love to all,
Danna
Friday, July 26, 2013
Ha! I see from the Horizon Report 2013 for Higher Ed that I had it backward! Downes and Siemens originally created the cMOOC and it evolved from there. :-) I'm learning, learning, learning! ~Danna
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Hi Everyone, Just a quick note: I found this through my readings through the Peeragogy Handbook. It is new to me and I plan to explore it... Good.is ... described as a social network for social good :-) ~Danna
Hello Everyone,
Remi: I checked out Third Teacher. I like the idea of giving ourselves permission to fail, and the respect for the process. I watched the Remake Your Class video. I loved how the space transformed. The whiteboard surfaces reminded me of the Dude--our scavenger hunt group used table top whiteboard surfaces and the upright white boards in our exploration of the Dude during our first day at iiE. I loved the note postings on the moveable walls, too.
I also explored the Open Grounds site you offered. It is reminiscent of iiE. I wonder if there are any spaces like this near me (Grand Rapids or Lansing.) I thought the collaboration spaces at the Dude were amazing!
Rachel, I would love to go the the Maker Faire, but I have commitments. I hope I can go another time!
Thanks so much for sharing,
Danna
Remi: I checked out Third Teacher. I like the idea of giving ourselves permission to fail, and the respect for the process. I watched the Remake Your Class video. I loved how the space transformed. The whiteboard surfaces reminded me of the Dude--our scavenger hunt group used table top whiteboard surfaces and the upright white boards in our exploration of the Dude during our first day at iiE. I loved the note postings on the moveable walls, too.
I also explored the Open Grounds site you offered. It is reminiscent of iiE. I wonder if there are any spaces like this near me (Grand Rapids or Lansing.) I thought the collaboration spaces at the Dude were amazing!
Rachel, I would love to go the the Maker Faire, but I have commitments. I hope I can go another time!
Thanks so much for sharing,
Danna
Fuller Week 4: Peeragogy, Community of Inquiry, and Artistic Appropriation
Wow! Thank you, Remi, for directing us to this amazing Peeragogy Handbook and related materials. I took the time to really dig in to the work to better understand and imagine ways in which I could implement it with my high school team of colleagues and my students.
Ethics? and the WHY?
As I worked through the material I kept coming back to ethics and the WHY of what we do as learners and educators.
Ethics? and the WHY?
As I worked through the material I kept coming back to ethics and the WHY of what we do as learners and educators.
I love TED talks and happened across Simon Sinek in the past. When I saw that Cornell and Johnson
referenced Sinek in their section on "Convening a Group" I revisited his talk. Here he is
with his idea of the “Golden Circle” and How Great Leaders Inspire Action:
Sinek says that the why? of the who, what, when, and where questions is at the center of the thinking of great leaders. He certainly said it better than I can. It is our beliefs that cause us to take action.
Constraints
Given that peer learning means that everyone can be a contributor--student, teacher, field expert, higher education researcher--there still must be constraints in place for the best kind of creativity to occur. Assumptions for design and structure of the group should be established at the beginning (http://peeragogy.org/convene/) along with a healthy openness. This is not to say that the group can't change over time--indeed it should.
In the Handbook section about research it suggests that the quality of the learning model is determined by the quality of the underlying representation of domain or disciplinary knowledge. (http://peeragogy.org/to-peeragogy/researching-peeragogy/)
Like the constraints on the design of peer learning and its groups, so must this blog be limited. I wish to draw a parallel between our learning around "communities of inquiry" and appropriation in contemporary art.
Connectivism, Crowdsourcing, and Hacking>---<Appropriation in the Arts
In the Handbook section on research they used a citation from Peter Sloterdijk to support their view that practice is the best way to learn. I followed that lead to hear Sloterdijk speak about a project called Ruhr. The goals for this project are collaborative and aim to reduce carbon consumption by 50% in 2020. Sloterdijk talked about the idea that people don't want to wait generations anymore for change.
A post by Gigi Johnson in the organizing section of the Handbook cites a project called Change11 as an example of a cMOOC, or a connectivist MOOC. MOOCs are already evolving!
In this interview Howard Rheingold talks about our need for a "crap detector" when using the Internet: (see 9:06-11:32.) I think this is a point about why it's important to have facilitators or guides in peer learning.
Collaboration, constructivism, connectivism, crowdsourcing, hacking, and peeragogy. These are all concepts that have been important to our learning in Ed Tech. I can see a connection between these ideas and appropriation in the arts.
Connectivism, Crowdsourcing, and Hacking>---<Appropriation in the Arts
In the Handbook section on research they used a citation from Peter Sloterdijk to support their view that practice is the best way to learn. I followed that lead to hear Sloterdijk speak about a project called Ruhr. The goals for this project are collaborative and aim to reduce carbon consumption by 50% in 2020. Sloterdijk talked about the idea that people don't want to wait generations anymore for change.
A post by Gigi Johnson in the organizing section of the Handbook cites a project called Change11 as an example of a cMOOC, or a connectivist MOOC. MOOCs are already evolving!
In this interview Howard Rheingold talks about our need for a "crap detector" when using the Internet: (see 9:06-11:32.) I think this is a point about why it's important to have facilitators or guides in peer learning.
Collaboration, constructivism, connectivism, crowdsourcing, hacking, and peeragogy. These are all concepts that have been important to our learning in Ed Tech. I can see a connection between these ideas and appropriation in the arts.
In New York a couple of years ago I listened to and viewed a keynote at the
National Art Education Association conference. The presenter was a contemporary artist who used the famous image by NickUt of the burned girl, Phan Thj Kim Phuc, within her own art. She did not cite Ut as the original artist. I was disturbed, and questioning the ethics of her use of that photograph, and at the same time, I understand that it is common practice for artists to "sample" from other works of art whether music, literature, film, or visual art. I think the keynoter confidently used the iconic image because she believes in contemporary art and her intention was not to steal, but to make something new, to invite conversation.
My first awakening to appropriation was through Warhol's Marilyn silkscreen prints.
Here are the Beasty Boys with Pass the Mic. They were sued for sampling from another artist's music, but they were found not liable.
A few weeks ago Remi was a keynoter at the iiE Gathering in Ann Arbor. Remi's presentation was enhanced by his use of photos of graffiti to illustrate his point. Graffiti artists "tag" on public and private property--a kind of hacking.
My first awakening to appropriation was through Warhol's Marilyn silkscreen prints.
Here are the Beasty Boys with Pass the Mic. They were sued for sampling from another artist's music, but they were found not liable.
A few weeks ago Remi was a keynoter at the iiE Gathering in Ann Arbor. Remi's presentation was enhanced by his use of photos of graffiti to illustrate his point. Graffiti artists "tag" on public and private property--a kind of hacking.
Is it right? Wrong? Art? Not art? Do they do this out of malice, or to create something new? Are the "originals"--Marilyn, Ut, and JJ Walker's "dyno-mite!" contributors even if they are not the distributors?
So, What's the Point? Wild, Wild West
I see parallels between artistic appropriation and the ideas of connectivism, crowdsourcing, and hacking. I'm not saying that people involved in peeragogy are thieves :-) I'm saying that appropriation in contemporary art and peeragogy are kind of like the wild west. The artists and peeragogists are daring. They see connections as bridges to new ideas, new art, collaborations, and evolved learning.
Is there really a new idea that has no roots in old ideas? Can we really escape "old" ideas?
Peeragogy and related concepts are tried by people who are passionate about the why of learning. They see value in making connections and in collaboration. Like artistic appropriation the boundaries may not always have clean lines. Within both realms the best creativity will come when each community of inquiry begins with people who possess relevant underlying knowledge.
So, What's the Point? Wild, Wild West
I see parallels between artistic appropriation and the ideas of connectivism, crowdsourcing, and hacking. I'm not saying that people involved in peeragogy are thieves :-) I'm saying that appropriation in contemporary art and peeragogy are kind of like the wild west. The artists and peeragogists are daring. They see connections as bridges to new ideas, new art, collaborations, and evolved learning.
Is there really a new idea that has no roots in old ideas? Can we really escape "old" ideas?
Peeragogy and related concepts are tried by people who are passionate about the why of learning. They see value in making connections and in collaboration. Like artistic appropriation the boundaries may not always have clean lines. Within both realms the best creativity will come when each community of inquiry begins with people who possess relevant underlying knowledge.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
FYI: Glogster Event and Invitation
I was going through my email spam in my work-related email and found this contest and opportunity. Sharing in case you are interested :-)
http://glogstersummit2013.eventbrite.com/
~Danna
I was going through my email spam in my work-related email and found this contest and opportunity. Sharing in case you are interested :-)
http://glogstersummit2013.eventbrite.com/
~Danna
Friday, July 19, 2013
Hello Everyone, I put a link to a video I found through Cameron Herold. It is simple and related to entrepreneurship. I thought I'd share...
Peace and Love, Danna
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Hello All, Here is my response for Week 3: Entrepreneurship, Design, and Education. If you have trouble viewing, please use this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyAGs0pVNMI&feature=youtu.be
Have a great week!
~Danna
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyAGs0pVNMI&feature=youtu.be
Have a great week!
~Danna
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Response to Kellie's Elaboration
Hi Kellie--and Everyone!,
Thank you for spending the time to write more about your ideas, Kellie. I think your experiences with your son and with your FIRST teams informs us greatly about how project-based learning engages the learner in so many positive ways. Your mention of the school systems of Germany and France reminds me of an article about Finland that Rachel brought to us in EDE 504. Finland is said to have one of the best public education systems. We are wise to look around.
When you mention that PBL could be organized around "big ideas" it reminds me of my undergrad when much of the focus in our training was on thematic units, cooperative learning, service learning, differentiated learning, and humanity-based. My undergraduate school of ed had all of the "right ideas" and "best practices" and I was able to freely use a lot of it in practice for many years. Things changed, and now it's as if we as teachers in individual classrooms are expected to "put on" or "inject" education into our students, like we would put a coat on them or shoot medicine into them. We know this is impossible without the learner's intrinsic motivation. Even if we could "inject" them or "put a coat on them" everyone is unique! They are not car parts on a factory line. I can see why there are researchers and educators investing time in game-based learning. It seems like a logical means to individual student motivation, especially through the use of technology.
I also spoke with Eric from France and found his perspective very interesting. I am glad you had a chance to converse with him, too.
It takes enormous effort and determination for classroom teachers to keep the creativity in their teaching and learning--and I am sad that it can't be as joyful as it once was. Many teachers I know keep fighting to make their work creative despite the intense pressure to conform to a cookie-cutter regiment, and where most of the required professional development time is spent teaming to "align curriculum." Many do service learning within their curricula, paying with their own money to support project-based learning within their classrooms--and in many cases by creating clubs that are solely volunteered time in efforts to give students learning beyond walls. Many of us are not supported by our districts as we try to do these types of environments for our students. Yet we persist. I am in awe of these heroic efforts by teachers.
I appreciate, too, being back in grad school, especially at UM, where we are immersed in activity that encourages and supports the creative development of pedagogy. I think ideals like game-based, collaborative, crowd-sourced, and place-based learning are great ways to engage intrinsic motivation. In a perfect world every individual could have public education this way.
Your idea of area schools working together (Ann Arbor example) is a good one, and I think districts are doing this to some degree. In our district, which serves a large rural area and where our students are deemed an "underserved population" our high school has been a hub for several surrounding districts for many years. We have a college (Montcalm Community College) and a vocational school (Heartlands Institute) attached to our high school. Students are bussed in from five other districts, and have been, for at least 20 years. Though we have had this type of education available for students in our area for a long time, we still do not have the same rich opportunities "down the street" from us like urban places--and money just keeps getting tighter--so there have been drastic cuts everywhere.
For example: if I want to take my students to the art museum I have to pay for it myself, or raise money to take them AND pay for my own sub AND district transportation--or private transportation-- in order for this to happen. The closest art museum is 45 miles from us. I have taken students there under these conditions, but it ends up costing me money each time. The larger cities/affiliated museums will often provide financial support, but it's limited to schools in their cities. They do not grant travel money or fees to students and teachers outside of their cities. I can understand. Still, trying to give my students education beyond our walls is a major task due to lack of support by the district. I can write grants from places like the MCACA for trips like these, but the amount of work it takes to manage a grant application and facilitation is more than I have room for in my overwhelming job--not to mention that with constant cuts and shuffling of teachers we never know where we may end up in the next year, and grants have to be written far in advance of the activity. I teach so many classes and so many levels that it's a tremendous challenge just to stay on top of the paperwork and documentation I have to do in order to comply with our district's expectations. I'm not making an excuse. This is my reality.
I am frustrated by the monied and legally powerful forces that say they want creativity and innovation at the top of educational outcomes in the US, and at the same time they chain (short chain) teachers and students to false measures of achievement. Why, if we all know that everyone is not the same, and we all know that creative learning is the best, do we crush and flatten everything so it stores more neatly, like they do in scrap heaps?
Thank you again, Kellie, for elaborating. I appreciate hearing more about your thoughts and the opportunity to interact some more... ~Danna
Hi Kellie--and Everyone!,
Thank you for spending the time to write more about your ideas, Kellie. I think your experiences with your son and with your FIRST teams informs us greatly about how project-based learning engages the learner in so many positive ways. Your mention of the school systems of Germany and France reminds me of an article about Finland that Rachel brought to us in EDE 504. Finland is said to have one of the best public education systems. We are wise to look around.
When you mention that PBL could be organized around "big ideas" it reminds me of my undergrad when much of the focus in our training was on thematic units, cooperative learning, service learning, differentiated learning, and humanity-based. My undergraduate school of ed had all of the "right ideas" and "best practices" and I was able to freely use a lot of it in practice for many years. Things changed, and now it's as if we as teachers in individual classrooms are expected to "put on" or "inject" education into our students, like we would put a coat on them or shoot medicine into them. We know this is impossible without the learner's intrinsic motivation. Even if we could "inject" them or "put a coat on them" everyone is unique! They are not car parts on a factory line. I can see why there are researchers and educators investing time in game-based learning. It seems like a logical means to individual student motivation, especially through the use of technology.
I also spoke with Eric from France and found his perspective very interesting. I am glad you had a chance to converse with him, too.
It takes enormous effort and determination for classroom teachers to keep the creativity in their teaching and learning--and I am sad that it can't be as joyful as it once was. Many teachers I know keep fighting to make their work creative despite the intense pressure to conform to a cookie-cutter regiment, and where most of the required professional development time is spent teaming to "align curriculum." Many do service learning within their curricula, paying with their own money to support project-based learning within their classrooms--and in many cases by creating clubs that are solely volunteered time in efforts to give students learning beyond walls. Many of us are not supported by our districts as we try to do these types of environments for our students. Yet we persist. I am in awe of these heroic efforts by teachers.
I appreciate, too, being back in grad school, especially at UM, where we are immersed in activity that encourages and supports the creative development of pedagogy. I think ideals like game-based, collaborative, crowd-sourced, and place-based learning are great ways to engage intrinsic motivation. In a perfect world every individual could have public education this way.
Your idea of area schools working together (Ann Arbor example) is a good one, and I think districts are doing this to some degree. In our district, which serves a large rural area and where our students are deemed an "underserved population" our high school has been a hub for several surrounding districts for many years. We have a college (Montcalm Community College) and a vocational school (Heartlands Institute) attached to our high school. Students are bussed in from five other districts, and have been, for at least 20 years. Though we have had this type of education available for students in our area for a long time, we still do not have the same rich opportunities "down the street" from us like urban places--and money just keeps getting tighter--so there have been drastic cuts everywhere.
For example: if I want to take my students to the art museum I have to pay for it myself, or raise money to take them AND pay for my own sub AND district transportation--or private transportation-- in order for this to happen. The closest art museum is 45 miles from us. I have taken students there under these conditions, but it ends up costing me money each time. The larger cities/affiliated museums will often provide financial support, but it's limited to schools in their cities. They do not grant travel money or fees to students and teachers outside of their cities. I can understand. Still, trying to give my students education beyond our walls is a major task due to lack of support by the district. I can write grants from places like the MCACA for trips like these, but the amount of work it takes to manage a grant application and facilitation is more than I have room for in my overwhelming job--not to mention that with constant cuts and shuffling of teachers we never know where we may end up in the next year, and grants have to be written far in advance of the activity. I teach so many classes and so many levels that it's a tremendous challenge just to stay on top of the paperwork and documentation I have to do in order to comply with our district's expectations. I'm not making an excuse. This is my reality.
I am frustrated by the monied and legally powerful forces that say they want creativity and innovation at the top of educational outcomes in the US, and at the same time they chain (short chain) teachers and students to false measures of achievement. Why, if we all know that everyone is not the same, and we all know that creative learning is the best, do we crush and flatten everything so it stores more neatly, like they do in scrap heaps?
Thank you again, Kellie, for elaborating. I appreciate hearing more about your thoughts and the opportunity to interact some more... ~Danna
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Response to Squire: From Information to Experience:
Place-Based Augmented Reality Games as a Model for Learning in a Globally
Networked Society
An Anecdote from Real Life
My grandson Jackson understood and
could complete and repeat operations on my iPhone before he was two. I’m not
saying he’s special (even though he is to me!) or that he intentionally made the mad birds crash into
the boxes to accumulate points. Usually,
he made the birds go backward and was oblivious to the points or levels. I’m saying that even though he was
pre-verbal he knew and could repeat his actions “tap” and “drag and release” to make something happen.
Now Jackson is three--and
loquacious! He uses several forms of technology including the iPhones of my family and me
(mine has many preschool games loaded onto it—chosen by Jackson,) my laptop,
his V-tech device, and other devices belonging to his parents and family.
Yesterday Jackson navigated to several
online games that he likes where he used the arrow keys, space bar, voice
instructions, music and visual cues to design robots, find letters to make
words, match animal images, colors and shapes, and more. Jackson knows how to
manipulate the iPhone itself. For
example: he can open and close
applications, navigate to folders, select games that won’t cost additional money
to load and play, take photographs and video, and turn the sound up and down or
off and on. I’m saying that
Jackson is a typical kid with access to digital media in the US. Like so many other kids in at least the
US, Jackson is a digital native (Prensky).
Also yesterday, Jackson and I
visited an awesome animal park where I bought him a little set of ten animals
that he chose. After the park we
came back to my house where Jackson has a little pool. While we used our hose to fill the
pool, Jackson spontaneously stuck a little penguin into the end of the water
hose with the water running. To
his surprise, the penguin popped back out with the water flow in a way that he found amusing. He created a little learning game
during which he repeated the action several times to see what would happen. Then
he put a different little animal inside there, with the water on and the water
off. Eventually, a little animal
got stuck and we needed to get pliers to get it out. This "just in time" activity had nothing to do with the computer, and was
important to his learning just the same.
And it was fun.
Through my own teaching experience
and more recently through meeting the designers of the Sonlig Project I
am aware that not all young learners all over the world have access to digital
media, Internet connectivity, or even a most fundamental necessity: the light
by which to read.
In terms of design I think we are
at the point of revisiting/redesigning age-old (at least to we in education) important
questions about how to best serve contemporary learners in all settings. The Squire example of
implementing the Sick at South Beach curriculum/game demonstrated a
way of taking learning beyond the school walls to encourage learner confidence,
role playing and place-based experience, problem solving, facilitation by
teachers, and “safe” discussion and conclusions among student
participants. Often when reading
research abstracts I get the feeling that the researchers are removed from the
research. I sensed in Squire (correctly or incorrectly) a genuine open-ness to
results and a willingness to further explore both aspects that worked and those
that revealed need for iteration in the design process. An example in need of iteration: while
using the game devices at the scene of possible water contamination, students
were so focused on the machines that they didn’t notice that they were walking
through goose poop, a possible source for solution to their problem.
After fifteen years of formal
teaching in public schools I still “know”
what is “right” to me as to how and what to teach to each unique group of students or individuals, whether I’m using the
most current technology or simply a stick in the sand. I have been open to and
tried many of the formal methods that others in the field have said are “best
practice.” I like that there are
structures through which I can teach, yet, I still rely on what I know about teaching and learning. Relationships, working together, having
fun, being curious and free to make “mistakes” are all fundamental to building
the confidence that is necessary to move forward, and in some instances, go
forward, back, sideways, and around! My “knowing” of what is “right” often seems at odds with the
standardized test-based structure of our public schools in at least Michigan,
and now with Common Core, the US. The
accountability movement seems to me to be anti-creative, anti-learning. That’s another discussion.
As a teacher in both high school
and college, and also as a university student in the field of education I can
say in my experience, the collaboration between university researchers and
teachers in schools is motivated by the love for students and their
learning. As both university
learner and teacher I can say that we, university researchers and teachers, are learning from each other by allowing
each the freedom to try things, the space to try again, and to use those
connections and resources to benefit the learning of our students.
I think the story of Jackson
creating his animal in the hose game is a perfect illustration for the role of
design of curriculum that features immersive game-based learning. It was generated by the learner, the
learner made conclusions (assessments) based on the immersive experience, he asked for help when needed, he adapted
and applied his learning to new situations, he tinkered with the technology,
and best of all, it was fun!
Afternote
I struggle with wanting my writing to be concise and on point, and I
find myself strongly magnetized to political issues whenever I start to write
about curriculum design, assessment, and schooling. Even writing about games and place-based learning veer
strongly toward my emotional reaction to the accountability movement and the
results of imposed, and in many cases—in my opinion—false markers of
“achievement” and “success.” As a result of this struggle, I worked and worked
on this blog post that needs to be short and to the point! That said, I
apologize for the late post.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
An Introduction
Hello Remi and Ladies of EDT 632! I am sincerely looking forward to working with you and getting to know you through this course :-)
I am Danna.
Through my affiliation as an Ed Tech grad student at UM-Flint I was so happy to be among amazing (an understatement) educators, collaborators, and innovators at the
iiE Gathering in Ann Arbor for four days last week. What a great experience!
I am Danna.
Through my affiliation as an Ed Tech grad student at UM-Flint I was so happy to be among amazing (an understatement) educators, collaborators, and innovators at the
iiE Gathering in Ann Arbor for four days last week. What a great experience!
 |
| Sia in the University of Michigan's Duderstadt Center's Virtual Reality Lab. |
 |
| Remi's keynote during the iiE Gathering last week. |
I am grandma to Jackson, age 3, who was painting at my house yesterday:
Here is a collaboration of a different sort by Jackson and "Mama" Fuller:
Jackson and I spend our days together every summer Monday and Tuesday.
Two weeks ago my husband Mike and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary. We have been best friends since I was 20 years old. Mike and I also celebrated our son Michael's 30th birthday last week and our son Jordan's 27th in May. Next month we celebrate Michael's anniversary of his wedding to our daughter-in-law Johanna :-).
My family has been a great support to me as I've earned my BA-K-12 visual arts--K-12 reading specialist, an MA in Educational Leadership, and now my MA in Education Technology. LIfe is good!
I just completed EDT 630 in Ann Arbor with amazing people, and am currently enrolled in EDT 631 and 632.
In the fall I will go back to full time work as the visual arts instructor at Ionia High School in Ionia, Michigan. Here is a link to my website there (always a work in progress!) I am currently trying to get my collection of this year's images posted showing the wonderful works of art by my beautiful students:
In the fall I will begin my 6th (I think) year as an adjunct instructor in graphic design at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I've learned so much in a short period of time in the Ed Tech program at UM-Flint. Here is a link to my web portfolio, also always in the process of change.
Enough about me! I want to hear about you! I'm looking forward to learning with you :-)
--Love and peace to all,
Danna
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)