Friday's skype orientation -

Tonight we had our returning orientation.

We talked about the importance of knowing ‘the obvious’:

• When hand-in date is
• What you need to hand-in
• Making sure you are aware of different ways to exchange ideas and share learning (ie know the dates of campus and on line sessions, join the First Tuesday group Skype chats we have every month, &/or start a Special Interest Groups (SIGs) with other people interested in what you are doing, and get back into blogging!

We also talked about getting started by questioning your assumptions and allowing yourself to look beyond your comfort zone. Getting back into study is also about getting back into being comfortable not knowing (yet), having questions and trust you can be confused at times but you are on a journey. The ways to exchange listed above and your Advisors are all there to keep you from getting lost even when you are in a fog of confusion every now and then.

Asking what people got out of the conversation-

Lianne said ‘Don’t just stick to thinking about what you already know. I already knew about my own practice and I want to look beyond that’ …to see different perspectives on my inquiry question. She is posting about the conversation on her blog 

http://lianneclootholt.blogspot.com

Lisa A. talked about the feeling of being confused and the importance of looking at your feedback from your last Module as a way to start back at things. She is posting on the conversation too.

 http://lisaaxelson.blogspot.co.uk

Lisa M. said ‘it is good to hear other people talking from other modules’… somethings start to make sense as you move forward in your own module. She will be posting on her blog too.

http://lisameiklejohn.blogspot.co.uk

We have another returning orientation tomorrow Saturday September 26^th  in the morning at 11am.

What do you think? How are you getting ready to start back?

Adesola

Why being wrong is not possible on this course!!! the problem is about depth and possibility

Has it been colourful?

We are in week 5 (sort of half way through the term). I think this is a good time to start to think about where you are heading. Are you clear about what you are required to hand-in for assessment? Do you know the deadline date? It is a good idea to ask yourself why you have been doing what you have been doing? To take a step back and ask yourself what it has meant to you so far. How is it meaningful and how can you make it meaning full. In the middle of it all it can be easy to start to forget to link things find connections and you can end up jumping through hoops just because they are there!!

How has it gone so far? Please comment lets see what people are thinking, saying and doing? Do you have any tips for others or things that have been amazing or very hard or unexpected?

Adesola

Campus session, Module Three

I team taught this session with Paula. Paula did a great power point which she as posted on her blog http://paulanottingham.blogspot.com . I talked mostly about the Professional Artefact. This was about how you can start to envision what it will be. However you can not really start to work too much on the artefact until you have done some analysis. There were two really important points that came out of the session for me.

Firstly, analysis is not just summing up your data. Analysis is a critical look at the whole experience comparing three things – the literature (the ideas other people have said), your own experience including your experience of collecting the data, your reflective diary, and the experiences before the inquiry that led you to be interested in doing it in the first place, and lastly the data you collect. Looking at themes and resonance and contradictions across all three of these is called triangulation. Doing this is how you can critically look at the questions you posed at the beginning of the inquiry. Doing this unpicks everything and is always (whatever level of work you are doing), always disorientating, some what frightening and confusing because it is the point where you are opening yourself up to look for something new, to stretch yourself beyond what you know you know. But that is the heart of the inquiry; be brave. Because it is after data collection you might feel you need to tidying everything up not make a mess in your head but the data collection is not the climax of the inquiry it is just getting something to do the inquiry with. After collecting data it is not time to tidy up, its time to get cooking all the ingredence. See some of my past blogs.

Secondly, the artefact is NOT the result of the inquiry, like the answer to the whole thing. The artefact is as much about the process as the critical review paper you are writing.

So please think as if you are in fact handing in TWO artefacts. Two things that explain the inquiry.  The first is in the form of a formalise academic artefact – a critical review. The second is in the form of something that is found in your professional practice (culture) it is a professional artefact. We can not say what this will be because it is different for each person according to their work / profession. We can help in telling you what the first artefact (the critical review looks like – in fact we give you guide-lines on what it looks like how many words etc… and we also give you guide-lines on how to start making it – when the start drafting etc…). But just because we help out with what the academic artefact (the critical review) looks like doesn’t mean the critical review IS the inquiry. It is a result of the inquiry just as the professional artefact is too. The Inquiry – what you are documenting with the two artefacts is the activity and reflective thought you do. Many people think by writing (I don’t) so maybe making the critical review will be how you analyse the inquiry, but the professional artefact could just as well be how you work out what it’s all about. So think of the Professional artefact as another way of explaining your inquiry. So you can see you need to do the whole inquiry before you can be really clear about the content of the critical review or the professional artefact. But now is the time to start to open a space for what the professional artefact will be even if all you do is plan out time in your diary in early December when you will start working on it.

So in fact you will explain your inquiry in three ways through writing (critical review), through talking (oral presentation) and through x? (professional artefact. Each of these ways of sharing offer unique advantages for communication and have things that can not be communicated very well through them. Think about how you will use the three forms.

One more thought about analysis: I suggested it is like your inquiry was  a mountain. You don’t want to stand in one spot and describe the mountain. You need to describe it from all sides; give us a 3D view, with 3D (not one dimensional) people and ideas. Of course in the short time of 12 weeks you can only do so much. If people want an aerial view you don’t have to give it to them but you should know the direction to point them to get one. In other words you can say:

“XXX could be looked at from the perspective of YYY but it was beyond the scope of this inquiry for me to do YYY, however Robert Goodwill goes into this in his book XYXYY. “

Or

“If I were to look more deeply ino XXX I would have gone to get data from BBBB but I did not have time to do this and felt it distracted from my main interest in GGGGG.”

Here are some points people in the session said they thought were useful check their blogs for further discussion of the point.

1)   the idea that we have three ways to explain the inquiry – Alice Chambers http://alice-chambers.blogspot.com

2)   The artefact communicates to your industry. Its something that is seen in your profession that people can relate – Sarah Pearson  http://leyasgreenball.blogspot.com

3)   Try not to be consumed with one theme, analysis is about finding different perspectives and different angles – Victoria Ellingham http://www.victoriabapp.blogspot.com

4)   The inquiry is about different opinions rather than one solution – keep an open mind – Tiffany Newson   http://tiffanynewson.blogspot.com

5)   Try not to find your answer before the inquiry – find things as you go along – Rozane Ghaffor   http://www.rozana-g.blogspot.com

6)   The literture is your having a group of friend, it represent different point of view, some you agree with and some you don’t. But it is who you turn to explain your ideas. It is a group of friends who all say exactly the same thing – what you want to hear!!! – Rhoda Parker http://rakparker.blogspot.com

7)   The power point that discusses exactly what should be in each part of the critical review particularly the Introduction – Hannah Kenneally-Muir http://hannahkm.blogspot.com

8)   Talking your ideas through with some. Explaining what you did to someone who doesn’t know in order to organise your thoughts – Charlotte Ballot  http://clmbentertainment.blogspot.com

9)   The idea of triangulation the data, liteature and your experience – Corrinda Hall http://corindahall.blogspot.com

How’s it going for you? What do you think?

Adesola

Task 2c

E-mailed question: “I wonder if you could explain what exactly I need to do for task 2c...”

Answer: Write an short ‘essay’ (aprox.1 000- 1500 words) about your relationship with Reflective Practise

This means write about reflective practises that you have experienced, tried-out, and /or see in others. Maybe use the experience of keeping your reflective diary or blogging to frame the essay. But don’t just tell the story of your experience look at it through the theory of some the Thinkers mentioned in the reader (like Dewey, Schön; Kolb, Moon). Critically look at the theory. Try to quote from some of the people you reference. Try to use proper referencing techniques. Discuss whether the theory resonates with you and your experience; see if you can extend your reading beyond the books and Thinkers mentioned in the reader. (There are not many voices of women or non-white Thinkers in the reader see if you can find these voices too.)

It is a very short essay 1000-1500 word. I would post it on my blog to get feedback. Use this as an opportunity to learn about and practise academic style techniques, (language, citations) for writing. Does that all make sense? How are the tasks going for you all?

Positioning of Self

Positioning.

Thinking about the whole semester, that is the three sections of the WBS 3002. You may be starting the next section (Reflective practise) having worked through the technologies section. It is important that you think of the work as joined up. There are many threads in this module that continue across the whole course. So there are many ways that the three sections join up. It is important not to think of the modules as a long set of tasks to complete.

The module is not written from a positivist perspective. Positivism values the idea that there is one truth, one thing that is out there to find. This is what a lot of ‘science’ based ‘learning’ (research) assumes. That something is out there and it is up to us to find it. This kind of work would mean it made sense for someone to tell you what to do, where to go to get that truth. You would follow the instructions and find it! But we are not doing that. Simply ‘doing’ the tasks will not mean you will trip over some answer. This is not like ‘hide and seek’ or a ‘treasure hunt’, we hide the answer and you find it and get a BA (Hons) as the prize!!!

The tasks are ‘experiences’ / activities that we think will help you. It is not only ‘doing’ the task it is thinking about the experience of doing them and it is looking at how other people have done them that will give you the information we hope you derive from the module. This is why I think you should think of the whole module as one episode (not a linear progression through time). Each section looks at the same ‘thing’ but from a different perspective.  Like walking around the edge of a big circle looking into the middle, different parts of the circle will give you different views. The module is the circle and each section is a different point on the circle. What we are looking at is YOU.  At the end of this episode (module) we want you do be able to know more about what is in the middle … that is YOU.

First we look at YOU from the perspective of what you do and what you have done, and how you present the ‘working you’. Then we look at YOU from the perspective of how you think about the meaning of what happens to you, and how you make sense of YOU!!! This is reflection, your inner conversations, looking at how they are a part of your journey. Lastly we look at YOU from the perspective of how you fit into the community, population around you. How you are connected to your world. By the end we want you to feel you have a clearer picture of YOU and have a clear way to continue to question and look at YOU.

Why are we looking at YOU?  Because it is YOU who is doing the course. You are the vehicle being used to go on the journey of the course. This first module is to find out how the vehicle works, giving yourself a little MOT to see where you have strengths where you want to develop. Getting yourself a picture of YOU!!!

As a way to help underline the idea we are looking at the same thing in different ways in order to understand it, we have identified three perspectives. As you have read in the handbooks. 1) From the perspective of the tools (actions) technologies. 2) from the perspective of what you think, your inner conversations  3) from the perspective of what other people have said, referencing other people (importantly people who have published work or have their work recognised by a large group of people). The first part of the module was technologies based, it looked and had a number of tasks that meant practise using  different tools like Web 2.0 to get you started but it is not completing the tasks that is important, it is what you can (articulate you) get out of doing the tasks that is important. You can’t know what you can get out of them with out doing them but it does not stop at just doing them. The task is an experience you need to go on to make the experience meaningful and connected to what you want to achieve. That is where the work lays.  

So I see this module as you finding the place you are at. This is called positioning. You can then go on to interact with the ideas the course will introduce.  I might know I am interested in XXXX from my reflections, (I noticed all my diary enters mentioned this, it makes sense because when I look back I always felt I did better in XXXX, I tend to read better when things are paper but I enjoy the free flow of drawing I can use this to take notes. I work best at night I realised this when I started to notice I wrote better blogs at night. Etc….. So when I read Hegel next semester I might be aware I will be more willing to accept his ideas because I know I like…..I should question my dislike of Goffman because it might be because I think he is racist rather than the ideas he has about identity. I may not be sure what I think but now I know if I go for a long walk and write something that evening I might get through the block etc, etc…

OK reader I am really interested to know if this makes sense please let know (in a nice way!!!) 

BAPP first Campus Session

Campus session was fun. It was nice to meet some people starting the course. We looked at the technologies being used during this course. Throughout you will notice we are looking at ideas from three different perspectives. 1) The tools (technologies), 2) your experiences and ideas, and 3) the experiences and ideas of others. This first part of the module is very much about the tools you will be using (and already use). But we are looking at them in terms of professional practise, what they do to support or be un-supportive to your professional practise and what how you can engage with them to further your learning. We looked at the difference between web 2.0 and web 1.0 and focused on 2.0. The people who attended divided into three small groups and researched ideas about web 2.0 and how it is used and can be used.

There were some important points all the groups raised.

• The interaction (I am very interested in the idea of Interaction and Transaction these are ideas that Dewey, James and Pierce talk about all of whom I am studying at the moment). The Interaction that web 2.0 encourages.
• The reliability of information and /or the reliability of the person who is posting information.
• The appearance of a level playing field but in fact some information on the web is more hidden than other information.
• The importance of maintaining and actively managing your own identity and your own thinking.

All the presentations were really good. Some people started using citations and quotes these link to the 'experiences and ideas of others' I mentioned above.

Most important at this stage is just to get going using the technologies, starting your blog and visiting other peoples.

It is also important for me to share that learning (for me) is a process of being confused, feeling like I have no idea and then getting a clue!!!! It is not being really sure all the time. I am not saying try to be confused, just that is a part of the process so don't be afraid of not knowing. Before you can learn something new or grow you have to realise you don't know or you have room to grow first. This does entail a certain amount of trust in the guides you have (in this case the advisors). Luckily we are all a bit different so you can get a number of ways to look at something. The big idea is getting you thinking and doing.

Adesola