Thursday, December 25, 2014

big questions: next steps over winter break

Hi Everyone,
Thank you for a very inspiring and thought-provoking Finals Week.  Special congratulations to Imanie on her work in Belize-- her video & presentation left a powerful impression on us all.

I will be posting more after I get back to town December 29; in the meantime, here are next steps for you to take over break and a list of everyone's Big Questions.  Please feel free to comment with additions, corrections, suggestions, questions, etc. etc.

Enjoy your time with friends and family.

Best,
Dr. Preston


NEXT STEPS
Now that you have experienced a full semester of Open Source Learning and you have identified a topic worth pursuing, it's time for you to take charge of your own education.  Here is how to start:

1. Write a post for your course blog in which you:
  • Describe your topic;
  • Explain how you came to be interested in your topic and why you care about it so much;
  • Predict how learning about this topic will enrich your life and provide value for learners and others in your community who read/see what you do;
  • List the academic disciplines and/or skills the topic requires (for example, game development requires an understanding of psychology, math, coding, literature, music, history/social studies, and many others);
  • Map out how you will begin learning about your topic (it's OK if you don't have a formal plan yet-- in fact, learning how to make a plan in this area may well be your first step);
  • Describe the resources you will need (wave the magic wand I just handed you and imagine for a moment that time, money and access are not obstacles. Who do you want to meet?  What materials do you need?  What types of experiences will you seek?);
  • Consider which tools you will use to tell your story.  Will you continue posting on your course blog?  Will you start a new blog, and if you do, will it be on Blogger, or WordPress, or Tumblr, or another platform?  Will you use other media and collaborative tools to curate, remix, and share your learning?  Do you have ideas about what would be cool but you're not sure what's out there? 
  • REMEMBER: At this point you are merely dreaming/thinking out loud.  It's important to express your thinking even if (especially if!) you're not sure of something, or if you have questions or doubts.  Plus, we learners are all in the same boat; these are the moments that restore a small sense of humanity to the learning process.  Imagine the comfort you'll provide to a student in New York or New Delhi who stumbles on your post and realizes she's not alone after all.  For us, certainty is overrated and uncertainty is a GOOD thing.  Have a look at what some very bright people have said and written about this.
  • ALSO REMEMBER: If you're still thinking of this as "homework" or an "assignment" you're missing the whole point.  This is you deciding what you think is important and telling the world about it.  Don't ask how long it needs to be or whether it fits a five-paragraph essay format-- it's time for YOU to decide how to most effectively express your thinking.  (And don't worry, if we don't understand something we'll ask!)  This is your chance to explore fearlessly so that you can: a) get the best information, b) learn something and/or get better at doing something, and c) begin to make a name for yourself in a community of interest, critique, and respect.  Therefore, you shouldn't just answer the items above to check boxes.  Go deep.  Take the opportunity to make this thing your own.  And, at any point you have questions or need help, reach out to Dr. Preston and your peers (and your friends, families, employers, mentors).  We're here for you and we want you to succeed so that we can all hit the ground running when we meet again in January.
2.  Find a fiction or non-fiction book that relates to your topic.  Read it over break and complete a literature analysis on it.  Post the analysis to your course blog.

3. Start a conversation with at least three other people in our network about their topics, and post to your course blog about your conversations (at least one post per conversation).  Networks function most effectively when their members actually network; this is a great way to get ideas and create innovation, and you will be surprised by the benefits your colleagues can offer!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

finals week

Seems like we met just yesterday.

Soon we'll be congratulating each other on graduation and we'll part ways.

Right now, in this moment, we have the opportunity to reflect and imagine.

AGENDA:
1. Nourishment and storytelling
2. Performance/status conferences
3. Big Questions/Masterpieces
4. Over the break...

Monday, December 15, 2014

december 15

The Journals have been written and (mostly) read.  The Grades are in progress.

The Order of the Day:

1. Please evaluate your performance this semester by answering the following questions.

  • What did this course and the instructor ask of you?
  • What did you ask of yourself?
  • How much time and effort did you invest in what the course/instructor asked of you?
  • How much time and effort did you invest in what you asked of yourself?
  • Where does the sidewalk end for you?  Next semester can we meet in a field beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing? 
  • What is the biggest question on your mind right now?
  • Since you've spent so much more time with you than anyone else has, and you know exactly what you attempted and accomplished, what letter grade would you assign to your performance this semester? 
2. Return/discuss Friday's exam

3. Organize/prepare for the two-hour final

3. Preview of January 14, 2015

 

Friday, December 12, 2014

december 12

JOURNAL TOPIC: [Psych. There isn't one. If you haven't turned yours in, please do so now.]

AGENDA:
1. Final

HW:
Please post whatever you want considered for your semester grade by tonight.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

nathan's final review

Yesterday Nathan presented a strategy for review that he thinks will help us succeed.  Today is his show.  Looking forward to it!



december 11

JOURNAL TOPIC:
What have you learned so far in this course?

[***THIS IS THE LAST JOURNAL TOPIC FOR THE SEMESTER.  PLEASE TURN IN YOUR JOURNAL WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WRITING.***]

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Review for final tomorrow

HW:
Last chance.  Think back.  Think ahead.  Then focus on right now.  Finish any work you want considered for the semester grade and review one last time for tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

student: "airlines suck"

I used to like traveling by plane.  Now I don't, unless it's business or first class and someone else is paying.  Check out Mollee's account of her recent trip to the midwest.  Can Denham's Dentrifice be far behind?

december 10

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes are a video: "People Are Awesome"]

Are you awesome?  Why/why not?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Poetry remix presentations
3. Final schedule/logistics
4. Review (continued tomorrow)

HW:
1. REMINDER: All literature analysis work and any other catch-up assignments are due (either on your course blog or on paper) by the end of the school day on Friday, December 12.  Scroll through this blog for work on days you were absent, or consult American Literature Class Assignments for a more concise list.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Monday, December 8, 2014

december 9

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd; "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" by X]

Using the word "final" to describe end-of-semester tests gives the wrong impression.  Learning is never over.  Think back on the semester and reflect on what you've learned, whether it was about the course content, your own thinking/habits, or even something that you couldn't stand and never want to do again.  How can you use this information to your advantage in the future?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. In-class essay

HW:
1. Review vocabulary for final Thursday

december 8

JOURNAL TOPICS: (today's tunes: your inner soundtrack)

What will you do this week to demonstrate your progress in this course?  Are you prepared for a final that reviews everything we've done since August?  What do you need to do prepare?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Beginning of the End

HW:
1. Finish literature analysis work
2. Do the work you committed to in your journal and post to your blog or turn in hard copy ASAP

Friday, December 5, 2014

there must be a mistake

I came in this morning expecting to read a pile of essays and make sure I wasn't missing any opportunities to give people credit for their work as we head toward finals.

I found only FIVE poetry essays.  This was an in-class essay.  It was supposed to be collected by the sub and piled on my desk.  I can't for the life of me figure out how only four people in period three (including the one who wrote in pencil) and one person in period seven turned it in.

Anyone want to help me understand this? 

I sincerely hope that:
  • Your remixes are finished and posted to your course blogs;
  • You have posted literature analyses; and
  • You remember to turn in your journal.
Have a nice weekend, but not at the expense of your grade.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

december 3-5

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3

Journal Topic:
Are all poems created alike?  What makes them similar or different?

Agenda:
Write a five-paragraph (minimum) essay in which you compare your poem with one of the others on the adoption list.


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4

Journal Topic:
How does "Another Brick in the Wall" change and/or become more meaningful when it's experienced as a video instead of a song?

Agenda:
Remix your poem with your group.  Select media that will enhance the poem's meaning for your online audience.


FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5

Journal Topic:
Are you caught up on your work?  What do you still need to do this period?

Agenda:
Post your remix to each group member's blog.

december 2

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Another Brick in the Wall" & "Money" by Pink Floyd]

When the teacher disciplines the boy for writing poetry (in the first song, as we saw in yesterday's video clip from "The Wall"), the boy's words are the lyrics for "Money" -- another Pink Floyd song.  As you listen to both tunes today, ask yourself what you and your classmates think about while you're supposed to be thinking about what the teacher tells you.  Why is money and a fantasy world of success more compelling to the boy in the song/movie than the area of an acre?  What elements of the life you imagine for yourself grab your attention, no matter what else is going on around you?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Preview of coming attractions through Friday
3. Copy your group's poem
4. Answer the basics on your own paper/blog:
  • What is the significance of the title?
  • What is the tone of the poem? 
  • What is your mood as you read it?
  • Is there a Shift?  Where?  From what to what?
  • What is the theme of the poem?
HW:
1. Post the answers to your poetry questions (title: INTRO TO POETRY) with a brief (2-4 sentence) explanation of how thinking about these questions helped you understand the poem.
2. Work on literature analysis #3

Monday, December 1, 2014

december 1

Last week most of us ate too much, so:

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Junk Food Junkie" by Larry Groce; "Whole Foods Parking Lot" by DJ Dave; "Alice's Restaurant Massacre" (abridged) by Arlo Guthrie]

Your friends invite you to a fancy restaurant in San Francisco for your birthday-- all expenses paid!  The waiter brings you a soda, calls you "sir" or "miss" and hands you a menu.  With horror you discover that each dish consists of insects and road kill in various states of decay/disembowelment.  How will you handle the situation? (Careful: if your friends eat here, they must be zombies/foreign agents who are trained to deal with this sort of thing.  They may turn on you if they consider you rude.  You can't just leave.  If you don't eat you'll have to talk your way out of it in a way that doesn't raise suspicion.)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Why I busted a reporter on Twitter
3. Adopt a poem
4. Group ask/answer:
  • What is the significance of the title?
  • What is the tone of the poem? 
  • What is your mood as you read it?
  • Is there a Shift?  Where?  From what to what?
  • What is the theme of the poem?
HW:
1. Take inventory on your semester/blog