Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Class 4: Coming up for Air

Breathe.  Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled program ;-)  Let's take a brief moment to honor what you have accomplished so far.  If you are not a self-identified tech geek, this has probably been a bit of a struggle.  If you are a self-identified tech geek, it may still have been a struggle trying to manage all that you have to do.  Life has an amazing way of getting in the way of what we intend to do.  Time is rarely our friend in shortened courses, so you definitely need to keep this in mind.  Due dates come quickly and mercilessly, but keep working and I'm sure everyone will make it just fine.  I can't stress enough that coming to the lab before class is a great way to work on assignments and/or receive help. . .bring those headphones, put on some music, and your assignments will begin to be more manageable.

Today, I want to introduce you to TaskStream, the NETS-T, and the style/format you will use to write your narratives for TPE 14.  You will be writing the first NETS narrative collaboratively with a peer in Google Docs. This way, you can receive feedback from both peers and me as you learn how to construct a quality narrative.  We will also discuss some of the assignments that are in Journals 6-10 even though Journals 1-5 are not due until next Wed.  This way, we can stay with the familiar and allow those with time to do some work this weekend. . .If time permits, I might also introduce you to a cool tool we will be using called Symbaloo. . .

Today's Question: What is something you have learned to do well without formal teaching?  How did you learn it?  (this could be a sport, hobby, musical instrument, etc. . .)


30 comments:

  1. Photography. As you have discussed in class it's amazing how much information is on the web. By reading articles, watching tutorials, and shooting a lot of photos I have gotten better. I also improved and got ideas by looking at other photographer's work.

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    1. I had taken a basic photography class with New York Institute of Photography and a couple of classes at Palomar College. Love to take good pictures especially portraits. Do have a Canon D50 but want an upgrade to D5, if my wife agrees. She never will on this one.

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    2. That's awesome. I enjoy portraits as well, mostly of my kids. I'm on the other side of the fence though. I shoot with a Nikon D80. I would love a full frame camera but the budget doesn't support that right now (and probably won't for awhile).

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  2. I'm a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself. I remember my mom and brother watched a lot of cooking shows like the Frugal Gourmet. Hamburger helper didn't seem close to anything interesting on those shows - after a while it is very bland. As a teen I asked if I could cook that night, and added some oregano and a couple extra spices to dinner. My family was amazed. People love my turkey. and I just about perfected my mother-in-law's abondigas. I'm still working on how to make beans from scratch.

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  3. I've learned psychology and philosophy very well (essentially the same topics) without any formal teaching or classes. My learning comes from my own natural emotional wonder. The wonder comes from an existential dissonance between the feeling of wanting to have a purpose and the feeling that there is no ultimate purpose. So whenever I come upon any information on either topics I would immediately be interested in it, remember it, interpret it into my current knowledge systems, and ask questions.

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  4. Singing. Love singing. I developed my own bass voice by just practicing and teaching others to harmonize. Wish I had formal training, though, since I still want to be involved with choir at church. Also wished I can have a barbershop quartet.

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  5. Sewing. When I was in 7th grade, I really wanted a new dress for Easter, but my parents didn't have the money. I got my mom to agree to pay for a simple pattern and fabric, then I set out to make the dress. It wasn't haute couture, but it fit and I loved it! After that I made most of my own clothes through college, draperies for my houses, kids clothes, wedding dresses for friends, etc. It's still a great relaxing hobby for me.

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  6. Writing. This is something that I started before even taking creative writing classes, and I have been so far on my own in my writing that in summer I was able to establish a begging of a novel by writing 125 pages in one summer.

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  7. To read music. I was always in sports, which left little time for any other extracurriculars. In middle school, we learned "Hot Cross Buns" on the recorder, but I wanted to play cooler songs. I got a recorder book with sheet music and studied the notes. After a few days of translating the notes, I was able to read sheet music. It came in handy when I wanted to learn songs on the piano, although I can only play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Heart and Souls."

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  8. Crocheting. I love making beenies! I watched one of my friends doing it and learned from that. It is very repetitive so it was easy to pick up. After accidently making a few that would fit a giant and a few that wouldn't even fit an infant, I started making normal sized beenies...I loved making them for all my friends.

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  9. How to surf. I learned how to surf by consistently going. My brother and I started at the same time and he had his license so we would go everyday after or before school. There were many times when I would get frustrated with it, but after a few years of going all the time I ended up being one of the better surfers out in the line-up. I ended up going less and less because of baseball, but my brother continued with it and ended up with a lot of sponsors and surfed professionally for a few years. This just shows with hard work and dedication anything is possible.

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  10. I cant play very well, but I somewhat taught myself how to play the guitar. You can get a lot of information online, such as chords and tabs. Also, a lot of my friends played, so I picked up a lot watching them. I am definitely out of practice now, but would like to start playing again

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  11. Cooking- although my husband definitely did try to "formally" teach me SOME things, but for the most part, I think I've taught myself. I love cooking, and would choose to have a home made meal rather than eating out most nights.

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  12. I love to bake. My mother is a fantastic cook, I'm still hoping to learn how to cook her staples when I'm not so busy and eating top ramen on the go. Baking is awesome, I also love to make recipes and turn them healthy. My biggest successes are when I can turn a calorie bomb kind of dessert into something healthy but still satisfying. During the holidays I always bake for both sides of my family, but it doesnt just taste good I make it look nice too. Maybe in another lifetime I could open up my own cupcake & goodies kind of a spot.

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  13. I suppose there are a few ways to answer this question! I LOVE to cook! I watched a lot of cooking shows growing up- but I would attest that as some sort of formal education. If "crafting" can be considered as something that one learns, then I am self-proclaimed crafter! I have made so many knick-knacks for costumes, formed projects for kids in the after-school program, repaired & refurbished old furniture, created art pieces that imitate famous styles, the list goes on and on. Although I have looked up a few techniques here and there, I love created something cool and new using what I am given.

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  14. I've learned to work with adobe Flash to create web animations and websites with it. I learned to use it by playing with it, asking questions on the net and practicing. It has been one of the most creative experiences i've had with a computer.

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  15. In learning Mathematics, I learned how to understand students difficulties with math. I was not born with the math gene. I had to work hard to earn good grades and understand the material. Thus far in my experiences tutoring math, I have seen I can communicate well. As a result of my endurance, I have keen insight into students' hang ups with the subject.

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  16. I suppose well is a matter of perspective. I am completely insecure in discussing myself and to what I feel I am good at. Being humble was of large emphasis in my household growing up. That being said, I have always felt that I am good at problem solving when it comes to working with people who come with very diverse perspectives. I am told by many that I am gifted in this area and for this reason am in a leadership position at work and on task force committees with the District. In regards to students learning, it is only effective if the adults in charge, can learn to work with the students development and interest at heart and not their personal/philosophical agenda. We need to keep the perspective open and flexible with an understanding that change will be happening.

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  17. Something I learned to do without any formal teaching is mechanical work on cars and small engines. I was able to learn this over the years by always attempting to fix my own cars or small engine tools. When I needed to fix an engine, instead of taking it to a mechanic I just took it apart and rebuilt it myself.

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  18. Child care. When I was 17 I started babysitting and working at a child care. I have worked with children ever since. I didn't have younger brothers or sisters for myself or my parents to look after, nor were there any other younger relatives in my immediate family that I saw often enough (and how others took care of them) to observe through out their development. I grew up in an immediate family of mostly adults. When I started working at a child care when I was 17, I was trained by another employee and learned a lot of the basics from her. I picked up the rest on my own. I observed, analyzed, and asked questions in order to "figure it out." A lot of things were trial and error, some things were common sense, and the rest was just being immersed in the environment.

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  19. I learned to ride dressage when I was a girl (a type of equestrian sport). I fell in love with horses, and my parents supported my passion by signing me up for lessons, horse camps, and Pony Club. I learned from others as well as lots and lots of practice. It didn't feel like work at all because I was so passionate about it.

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  20. I have learned to navigate the bureaucracy of higher education. I have learned it through trial, error, and a lengthy stay in higher education.

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  21. I'm going to say (though I don't really enjoy bragging) that I'm pretty good at philosophy. I self-studied the works of many different philosophers in high school, including the big leaguers Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and others. My friends and I began studying the science behind debates and arguments and enjoyed honing our skills together. This was especially true in our atheism vs. theism debates, wherein I would always argue for theism (even though I'm an atheist) just because I love debating so much.

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  22. Soccer, softball, and baking. I believe I learned how to play soccer and softball on my own. I did have coaches, but sports and being athletic were kind of natural to me.I was definitely a tom boy growing up. I always had a blast playing and was always wanting to become a better player. Now that I don't play as much, I have started to bake. I'm not sure how good I am at it, but my family and friends don't seem to be complaining!

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  23. I love to sing! It started out as me just singing along to songs when I was younger and my family would comment on my "voice." I've always had an ear for music, teaching myself about pitch and tone before I even started formal training (choir in high school). Singing is a hobby of mine that I basically taught myself, and I will always love it!

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  24. I have learned water polo and swimming. My dad was a water polo player and swimmer then coached so i have been on a pool deck since i was born. As i grew up i have played the game and also coached as i got older. As i become a teacher i also want to coach swimming and water polo.

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  25. Growing up I found that soccer came natural. Though I spent countless hours at practice and learning from others, I was always told that I was a natural at reading the field and my opponents movements. Having played for the past 19 years I find the sport be very relaxing and enjoyable.

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  26. When in college I decided I was going to learn guitar. I had tried before but I never put in the time to try and learn it. So every day I practiced for several hours in between classes everything from chords, tabs, etc. I still play often and it's been about 5 years now!

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  28. When I was in fifth grade, I started playing the violin. Although I had conductors and teachers, I was still mostly self-taught. I practiced on my own, and never got any private lessons. I continued playing in orchestras until I graduated from high school.

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