To be tied and burned at the stake

Well, at first I had a positive reaction from the "Paperless Claaroom" idea, but my excitement was short lived. FIRE. FIRE. FIRE. Alarms were going off all day today. I now regret even suggesting the idea. Two other group members and I debated about it most of the day on the discussion board, and I ended up losing my temper, not at their objections or considerations to the project, but at how they were talking to me. We haven't held a vote, but I consider it a void proposition for the group at this point. I did ask one of the group members, that is the most even-tempered and a thoughtful supervisor, if I could nominate her for group leader--she probably does not want my endorsement at this point. It would be like the Osama Bin Laden endorsing Hillary Clinton. Anyway, one group member went to our professor and pleaded her case. Dr. A said that she thought we could both do as we pleased as our ideas fit under the same umbrella of "virtual labs." So, I can proceed as I wish, and the others can proceed as they wish.

I still feel like I have again separated myself from the group, and I am just really confused at how to navigate the people and personalities of the group. I am struggling with how to get along in this situation. I know that I have very high expectations of myself and others, and that frustrates people. I know that I am hyper-sensitive to other people's emotional and mental states...I tend to absorb people's energy like a sponge and react on a personal level to it all.

I am going to have to practice stepping back, not always being the one to ask questions. I just single myself out by doing that. A physicist friend once told me that he never asked questions in High School. He said it was not that he didn't want to discuss, explore, inquire; but, he was told by his classmates to be quiet and don't make things "more complicated" than they have to be. I feel like this. I have to learn to just keep my inspiration to myself and only share it with those who can dialogue about it without feeling threatened. Tomorrow, I must forward. I am going to start writing my Educational Philosophy and stay off of WebCT for awhile. I need a psychological break.

Until next time...

Posted "Paperless Classroom" Idea to WebCT

I posted the "Paperless Classroom" idea to WebCT, just to see how the group will react, if they will be interested, will they want to cut my eyes out? We'll see. Dr. A didn't say one way or the other, but I get the feeling she doesn't want me to leave my group, so I will just do whatever is thrown my way. Perhaps, if the group doesn't take the idea, I will go at it alone for my professional portfolio.

She has asked for us to present to her on Friday. She wants to know the things we have done for the project thus far, so that should be interesting.

Until next time...

Meeting Covered in Flurries, YakPak Service Interrupted

Last night was our scheduled meeting. YakPak on PBWiki was down, so we had to fall back to the chat room in WebCT. Two other group members and myself also went on conference call. After 30 minutes of nothing being accomplished, I just said I had to go. Looks like another meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, which I won't be able to attend because I have finals in another class. I know I don't do well with working with others, but this has to be the most exasperating process that I have even been through. A friend suggested that I should just sit back and enjoy the ride, but that's not my style. This is a rare opportunity to learn something and produce a result that can be beneficial to so many teachers. Should I just relax and let the product happen as it may or should I try to take another route? I emailed Dr. A today, flushing out other possibilities. Here is the email:

Dr. A--

"You know that I have been frustrated in my group, but currently, I have settled into the "ethos" of the group and have climbed in the box with them. I think what they are doing is thinking out of their boxes, for most of them. Integrating "virtual labs," which I think we have termed computer driven interactive media, into their curriculum is something novel and interesting for them.However, Pink suggest in his book that flipping an idea can give new, original perspective: so, I took our proposition, "Using virtual labs as a way to reach right-brained learners" and flipped it. I started to see that maybe we should be asking "How can knowledge about the whole-brain learner and 21st century learning skills be made part of technology

My specific focus on technology would be would be what I call "The Paperless Classroom." It will address issues of not using textbooks, project-based learning, student driven curriculum design, and technology proliferation (I don't use integration in this context because it applies a force from without. Proliferation suggests a dissemination from within). I would like to look at the Alabama COS and present an Internet based alternative to the common Language Arts Classroom. Ultimately, I would like to combine the objectives of the Technology COS, the Language Arts COS, the Mass Media/Communication COS, and the History COS to create a year long integrated curriculum, but for the time that I have left, I don't think that is possible, so I will focus on Language Arts.

I have been studying a lot about constructivist principles and want to propose that these changes in the way we educate along with immersion in technology is a very innovative way to teach and to improve education for students of all ages. What do you think? Do I have enough time left? Will I be penalized for leaving the group? Your advice is appreciated."

I am awaiting a response. Oh yeah, I reserved my URL for my on-line student literary magazine today. "Meta-Poiesis" will be a something one day...take a look at the place holder www.meta-poiesis.com

Until then...