This about sums it up...!

Yes, I actually took a screenshot of a Facebook post. My sentiments exactly...get in over your head and push through.

It just might reflect the feelings of many of us that signed up for the program!

Blah(g)

This unit on blogging has been thought provoking to me. I had no clue where to start, so I started from the beginning…. of my current life as a part time student. Why should anyone care what I spew forth on this page? Well, they don’t really have to. At this point, this has been an exercise to a) get some of the concepts and thoughts in my head flowing. (Sort of a forced reflection..?) b) get over the hurdle of writing (other than audio technical notes ) and having other people read it.  I love part a and still squirm over part b.

            I have a great deal to learn and discover about academic blogging. The article Blogging and Academic Identity starts with a very strong personal description. Estes (2012) wrote, “ As a blogger, I write about issues that arise in my academic work, but in a different context, a different style, with a different audience”(p.974). For my personality and learning style this is my bag (Austin Powers, 2008). Some of the journals and books we have read are very informative and are fantastic as reference material, the nature of the format is such that they are rather dry and lack personality or colour. (Very poor cocktail party material.) Will I read research journals or articles upon completion of this program? Honestly-no. Will I browse academic blogs? Most definitely yes! 

The potential for the related thoughts and work of the researchers or authors to write more accessibly to a wider audience is an effective use of technology in this area. I love this concept!

References

Estes, H. (2012). Blogging and academic identity. Literature Compass, 9(12), 974-982. DOI: 10.1111/lic3.12017

Reflectulation

Reflection has been such a huge learning tool for me. It could happen during the drive home after a gig with a band. Maybe I pull out an old album I had previously worked on. Perhaps a TV show comes on that I mixed. Thinking about how I could improve the way I taught a certain class. Usually, I have no set plan for looking back at a project to consider its merits or shortcomings. The questions I ask myself involve many angles:

·      Did the environment lend itself to success or failure? (This could be equipment, weather, timeframe etc.)

·      Did poor planning inhibit success?

·      Did good planning contribute to success?

·      Did the personnel help or hinder a successful outcome?

·      Did I put forth my absolute best and thoughtful effort?

These reflective questions usually spiral into more questions, and often become speculation. The ultimate question to me is how can I make it better next time? I don’t believe I have ever been truly content in an outcome and I always find areas to improve. Unfortunately, this does not always happen in a timely fashion. I reflect upon improvement when I’m really ready to do so, not when I think would be a good time to do it. I have come to the understanding that the challenge I face in my MALAT course is exactly this.

Our current course on research is still revealing methodologies, which are set to become invaluable to my success in this course, and will ultimately increase my focus on many areas of my professional life.   My goal is to fine-tune how and when I reflect. Situating myself within different research traditions, depending on the project I am working on will be the basis for the research I will be conducting on my own workflows, and how my professional self-improvement will benefit my results and those that I work with.

Currently, I feel I am grounded in several methods of inquiry.

                                          I speculate that this pie will change monthly... 

Mindful Inquiring Minds Want to Know

The changing skills required to navigate my winding career path have been reason to log more hours of (what I considered) research than I could have ever imagined. If post designator letters existed for my own unique (ok.. strange.) how-to research methods, I’d have them all! In my professional life, I am constantly faced with new challenges due to many factors. A new contract, new technology or new approaches to an old standard are among the most common reasons that I must adapt and spend time searching and learning. I am sure that everyone faces these same challenges. Personally, this helps keep me engaged in my work and keeps me driven to be better at it. I find that if something I’m involved with goes stale or plateaus, I usually move on to something new.

As I began my Introduction to Research course, I was curious to see how formally accepted research methods might be of benefit to my professional life. The reading involved with the MALAT program is becoming easier to digest for me, not with regards to the of comprehension of the material, but rather in the sense that I now understand that I will need a second or third pass before I can really begin to grasp what the author is teaching. I try to connect to certain points or concepts early on, to alleviate the overwhelmed feeling I can get with some of the material.   

My first reading of Mindful Inquiry in Social Research gave me some important concepts to keep with me through the unit. Bentz & Shapiro (1998), suggest that the researcher is at the center of the process of inquiry. They ask us to question exactly why exactly are we researching a topic? As well as who we are as the researcher and how it will affect our research process. The vast majority of research students are seeking knowledge they can put into practice, rather than becoming a researcher. That is my intent exactly!  Reading this gave me a boost of confidence, as it seemed to me that the door was open to different approaches rather than using strict, defined rules. (My rock and roll past still haunts me..)

Confidence, especially at this stage of learning something completely new, outside of an individual’s comfort zone, can be very helpful in development. I try to give my students this confidence immediately, keeping with the fact that sometimes they can learn equally as much from their mistakes as their successes. I must constantly remind myself to practice what I preach...

Refereneces

Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications Inc.doi:10.4135/9781452243412

Onward..

Through the navigation of course readings and class discussions, my eyes were quickly opened to some completely new and fascinating concepts. I found that leading off the MALAT program with the study of Learning Theories was a good starting point for me. I quickly situated myself as an experiential learner in many areas of my life. I had never pondered how I learned; I just knew that I needed to learn, quickly and often, in order to stay employed! If I am ever faced with working on new equipment in my broadcast career, I prefer (in a perfect world) to be left alone to tinker (take it apart & reassemble) prior to going on air, so I have a full understanding of the signal flow, should there be an issue during transmission. If the technical details are simply described to me I tend to get that glazed-over look I see on the faces of my students if I am talking too much.  JUST LET US PLUG IT IN!!! (Craig’s students, 2014)  Papert suggested that when the student is actively constructing an object, no matter how significant or insubstantial, the learning becomes internalized knowledge (Papert, 1991). Pap, I agree! I’ve got to get my hands dirty to really grasp a new concept or retain new knowledge. I find this to be a key approach in the course I teach for many of my students. I am truly excited to face my new batch of students in September armed with an enhanced perspective on different methods I might use to get through to every single student to help them achieve success, that’s the gig after all.

I promise not to categorize their learning styles on the first day…… maybe by the middle of the month..

I'll be able to do this course in my hotel, airport lounges...perfect! No sweat!

As I surfed through the few fully online MA course options, I end up selecting Royal Roads' Masters of Arts in Learning and Technology. It had me at technology. I have spent countless weeks/months and years figuring out various new and complicated bits of technology. I'm pretty good at it and I love solving all sorts of problems in this area. This little online course on technology should be a breeze.
Ha.
I have to write a paper ? APA? THEORY? COGNITIONITIVISMS?  Uh-oh.
I am honestly not sure what I was expecting. I normally get into something new and just figure it out. I'm pretty good at that too.  Not this time.
My brain is not wired for reading the style of writing we have been assigned and definitely not connected for writing these papers. I'm sure every paragraph I have written took me 7 times longer than the rest of the class. I haven't written a complete sentence since grade 11...
I fought my way through the early reading material for Learning Theory 501. My work schedule for this course had me in Augusta, Vancouver, Montreal, Paris, London, San Antonio & finally Miami. When it rains it pours..
Panic and regret was setting in but wait... I think I know an Experiential learner (me), Constructivism-that makes total sense.  I actually often use a situated learning model in some of my workshops at the college?!?!  
Mind-partially-blown-intrigued-interested-curious-still panicked.

Let's ease in to this....

  As my world of planes, trains and automobiles ( and hotels, bad restaurants, great restaurants, good beer, better beer...oh yeah-and my wife and kids......) keeps my spare time to a minimum, the idea of going back to school was a romantic notion for some. My mom looooved the idea. My wife looooved the idea. ( wait-how much $ ??) 

  As a freelance audio engineer I really have no employment roots in any one place. I go where the work is and it's often on the other side of the world. In the 19 years of my professional life (12 as a session drummer with a slow crossover to broadcast audio),  I ended up with my first real (...although part-time...) job in a real building rather than my usual office of loading docks in arenas and stadiums. It was teaching audio editing and mixing to the broadcast students at Humber College. The call came in mid December and I was on the gig 3 weeks later. My first day walking up to the same building where I studied music decades earlier, was nothing short of absolutely freakingly terrifying and bizarre. It was one of my how did I end up here moments. 

  Several years later, I absolutely LOVE the teaching job. The staff, the support from the college and the eager, uplifting students are more than enough reason to pursue a full time position, not to mention I get to share all things audio with them, which is both my hobby and my occupation.

   "Sooo Mr. Dean, I'm interested in a full time position. I need a what?"