My first iMovie

Although I have used MovieMaker a number of times, this was my first success at using iMovie. The last time I tried iMovie, I just about had a conniption since I was so unfamiliar with using Macs.  This time around, I was much more patient and determined to be successful.  This might not be the next Oscar winner, but it does have images, sound, and transitions.

  I didn't get around to adding a title, but these photos were taken during a family trip to Duluth for a wedding.

A Reflection on an Online Debate

Debate topic:  Public schools are failing American students and therefore should be dismantled.

1. What were some things that you did to create your role through use of language, information in/images used for your bio?

I explained my role (charter school administrator) with brief descriptions about my "experiences" at our school.  I drew largely from personal experience with different charter schools, their students, and their administrators

2. What arguments were you making to convince other roles to support your position?

My primary argument was that we should not dismantle the public school system because we do not have a plan to replace it.  A secondary argument was that the problems identified in the public schools are exacerbated by societal problems that are beyond what a public school system can remedy.

3. What evidence or reasons were your employing to support your positions? Do you think that this evidence or reasons were effective in convincing others to adopt your positions?

Again, I drew from personal experience. Because the debate stemmed from issues surrounding charter schools as a solution to the problem in public schools, I felt that my professional experience was a huge asset for me (I work for a company that takes over "failing" public schools and manages them using a charter school model).  I used actual examples of situations in our schools to support my arguments.  I wish I had spent more time planning and sorting my thoughts to create more cohesive, well-supported ideas.  The debate over the role of schools, assessments, standards, and standardized tests is something that I internally dialogue daily.  Due to a business trip and poor internet connection, I didn't learn about the topic of this debate until 2 days before it happened.  If I could do it again, I would spend more time developing my role, arguments, and evidence.

4. Which roles had the most versus least power in this role-play? What are some reasons that these roles did or did not have power? What were some strategies that the roles with power employed?

I'm not sure that any roles stood out to me as having the most power; however, it seemed that the roles played by Rick and Erin had the least power.  I think this is because they were so belligerent and one-sided.  Roles that were more insightful and interested in multiple perspectives had more credibility.

5. Were there differences between your personal beliefs and those of your role? Did your own personal beliefs on this issue change at all due to the role-play?

Yes and no.  I agree that the problem is much bigger than the public schools.  I believe that we are crumbling as a society; however, I also believe that we have a responsibility to do the best we can in the situation we are given.  I'm not entirely sure whether charter schools hold the answer to "fixing" public schools or not.  The topic is so multi-faceted that it is hard for me to break my opinion down into a simple pro or con.  Nothing was brought up that I hadn't already considered.

6. How might you use an online role-play in your teacher to address certain issues or teacher about an event or text?

To be honest, I don't think I will.  This was a great activity for graduate students, but I still have questions about how beneficial it would be in an elementary, middle, or high school classroom.  In addition, I plan to stay at my job for quite some time.  Whether I like it or not, our schools are not going to have enough technology to make something like this a realistic possibility anytime soon.  Furthermore, our schools operate using a very structured, traditional, teacher-centered teaching method that would not endorse this kind of activity.  While I don't always agree with that stance, it is a reality for me, as well as all of the teachers and students at our schools.

Picky about wikis

Hello, my name is Lisa. And I do not like wikis. I apologize, Rick. Despite your many attempts to demonstrate the potentials of this medium, I still have not become a fan. I have created wikis, joined wikis, edited wikis, imported images and videos to wikis, but I still have not been won-over.  I would even insert hyperlinks to my previous wikis for you to critique, but I guess I deleted them out of sheer embarrassment and frustration.

I can certainly see the benefits of wikis. They can be used to collaborate and share information. You can add images, links, and all kinds of other fabulous things.

Here are the reasons I do not like wikis:

1. Because multiple people can edit a wiki, something that I might not want changed or deleted could be modified by someone else.
If I do not allow others to edit a wiki, I might as well just create a website. Maybe this is the controlling, only-child side of my personality coming out, but I think it is a legitimate concern. It might be valuable to look at previous comments, edits, or dialogue. This is an option for email, blogs, and websites that allow comments. This is not an option for wikis, at least not that I am aware of.


2. The pbwikis that I have worked with are cumbersome.
Wikis have so many links and pages within pages, that they are often difficult to navigate.  It can be overwhelming and confusing.  Maybe I just haven't seen--or created--one that is organized in a way that suits me.

3. The pbwikis that I have worked with are unattractive.
I can't help it.  Any website, blog, or wiki MUST be visually appealing and reasonable to navigate.  If not, I generally will not bother with it unless I have no choice.  Yes, this can be harsh.  However, I believe that an inherent quality of digital media is that it should be user-friendly and appealing.

4.  I don't trust the content on wikis.
With so many people contributing information, I do not trust them as sources of credible information.  Wikipedia is the best example of this.  Yes, there is a lot of information on this site.  Yes, it can be helpful.  No, you should not trust everything you read on it.  No, you may not use this as a source for your research paper.

That said, I still think I might create a wiki for my final project.  I might also create a website or do something entirely different.  I'm still not quite sure.  Like I said earlier, I think there is potential for wikis; I just need to figure out how to make it work for me.

I have started a wiki that may or may not turn into something more for my final project.  I've been thinking all week about what I could create a wiki about that would be helpful to me or others.  So far, I have not come up with any great ideas.  Tonight I was hoping to spend more time sorting it all out, but I'm stuck using the computer in the lobby at my hotel (I'm traveling for work this week).  The computer is ridiculously slow and has frozen up several times on me.  Fortunately, I set up my wiki and wrote most of this post before I left.  Nonetheless, I was hoping to have a base of the wiki started tonight.  Alas, I am at the whim of technology.  I PROMISE I'll work on it next weekend when I get home.  I'm thinking I might use it as a way of gathering, organizing, and possibly presenting information and ideas for my final project.  I'll keep you posted about that.