I have been a PC user for the past fourteen years, and I am still using PCs in my work. However, I started using Macs after registering with Full Sail University last year. There is no win-win in this argument. It is a matter of opinion, preferences, and maybe, it is just what you have to use as part of your business environment. I still use both Mac & PC, though here are some of the facts, Mac is safer, as fewer attacks targeting it Mac OS X comparing to Windows. Design wise, I think Macs are more appealing and have a futuristic look and feel. Operating system wise, you can install Windows on Mac, but you cannot install Mac OS X on Windows.
I also think that the default programs (iWeb, iPhoto, Garage Band, etc) that come with Macs are better and useful compared to the ones that comes on the PCs.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Week 4 Entry 4: response to Mohamed
Week 4 Entry 3: Stress
One of the earliest problems I encountered in my life was the way I dealt with stress. When given a major project or a deadline, I usually work myself to exhaustion on the first day, first week, and often times until it's done. For example, I once created an original 50 page website on Apples in one night for a class project. Did I need to make it 50 pages? Yes. Did I need to do it in one day? My eyes still wish I hadn’t. It isn’t that I try and get it “out of the way”, but it’s more that I have trouble sleeping if I don’t know exactly what I have left to do. And even when I do know what I have, I check and recheck lists and outlines just to be sure its accurate. Even further, I have a very negative outlook on my own works (written, visual, etc) and it’s extremely difficult for me to be happy with what I produce. Maybe it’s a low self esteem or a keen ability to fish for compliments, but I have always been this way.
Knowing this when I entered the EMDTMS program had me terrified before the start of month 1. Aside from learning about educational gaming, digital literacy, and memorizing Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues, I also managed to deal with my stress in a much more normal process. The most important change comes in a thought process based on the words, “everything is going to be ok.” This simple statement (repeated throughout the day, over and over…) has left me with a sense of calmness and positivity. My girlfriend has learned to simply pretend to listen to me explain what I have to turn in, as she knows I’m only going through my list. Maybe my tendencies lean to an OCD diagnosis, but when I thought they would be at their worst, I actually made it out alive. Well, At least to month 11.
Week 4 Entry 2:reading: : Telling the WE Story:
I have been teaching for 4 years now, and I can remember when I first felt that I made a difference in a student’s life. My first year was rough, my second was a little better, my third year I was able to start an advanced class, which had me motivated to progress my standards and classroom procedures. Now thinking back, I remember the first time a student asked me for help on selecting which design school to attend. Assisting him through the portfolio process landed him in his first choice art school. Since then, I have had more and more students express a true passion for design and a desire to continue their education. Next year I will have a third level course that will focus on portfolio development, the TSA desktop publishing contest and becoming Adobe Certified.
It is difficult to make my students see their own potential, but it is still extremely important to me to try and at least make them think about it. This book has offered some very interesting incite to the ideas of possibility and positivity. I have told other teachers about it as well as my department head so we may hold a book study on it. I think it will be a great way to get the morale and creativity flowing in our department.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Week 4 Entry 1: Media Project
Monday, March 15, 2010
Week3 Entry 4: Response to Mohamed Mobile Devices & Education
Mohamed Bahrani said:
Newer generations are more flexible and accepting of new technologies. They are digital learners, open to new technologies and have the gift of multitasking, especially when it comes to computers and digital media. However, recently we noticed a movement toward small mobile devices. Laptops have become more like a fixture compared to the use of Cell phones, iPods, Smart Phones, etc. Having said that, when will these devices replace computes in schools? Or will they?
Looking at what iPhone applications and tools can offer, I can simply predict the use of such devices in education, schools, and businesses to enhance learning. Furthermore, I believe that we will witness the appearance of mobile LMS & PLE devices that are more compatible with each other and serve as user friendly cross platforms for people to manage & learn remotely from almost any place. Moreover, businesses that create educational games, calculators, camera, etc realized the advantages of mobile devices. Many of these products were building with wireless capability and come with dynamic IPs. Cell phone, mobile devises, and wireless communication technologies are evolving and invading almost all aspects of our live, and will play its roll in education too. Surviving in this competitive technological world requires flexibility. For me, flexibility means fast, Internet accessible, and practical small wireless devices.
Response:
The introduction of mobile phones in school has already begun, and through research for my thesis I uncovered some interesting applications. One of those applications was GoogleVoice, http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/2009/04/create-oral-quizzes-speech-to-text.html Google Voice allows users many adjustable setting in order to better fit the application of the product. Some of the suggested uses include using the application for English language learning by providing quiz questions and a voicemail box for the students spoken answers. This would be a great resource for quizzes from home allowing for more practice at school and this also lets the teacher grade from home or office rather than taking up class time.
Week 3 Thesis: entry 3
Introduction
Immigration has dramatically transformed the demographics of the United States, resulting in an increase of ELLs entering elementary and secondary schools. In fact, in some school districts across the U.S., ELLS have become the majority, and not the minority of the student body (Hinkle, 2005, p 45). With the growth of non-native speakers enrolling into public schools, the necessary adjustments of classroom instruction need to be prepared. What exactly can be done to promote a stronger sense of language acquisition with the overwhelming obstacles one encounters when entering a new country, often times overshadowing the importance of beginning or continuing education. Traditional methods of classroom instruction are no longer providing the appropriate knowledge comprehension needed for meeting necessary aptitude principles. According to the Texas Education Agency (2008), 26% of eleventh grade limited English proficient students met the panel recommended standard. With the concepts of multiple learning theories, enhanced web technologies, and examples of direct classroom implementation, educators may begin to actively engage English language learners in the classroom.
Thesis Statement
Following the growth of migrant students entering the classroom, the number of beginning high school English Language Learners (ELL) not achieving necessary academic content standards is also rising. Developing and implementing web 2.0 multimedia representations such as webquests, video tutorials, games, music, and film to support lessons on learning English in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes will offer an interactive way for students to become actively engaged. By introducing digital lesson enrichments instructors may allow for advancing intellectual capacity of the English language content.
Educational Significance
This research can be directly associated into the ELL/ESL classroom in order to offer new ideas on lesson presentations and visual/interactive representations. The research of new technologies intended to keeping students actively engaged is one that can affect all instructors, regardless of what is being taught. As ELL learners advance through the English Language Proficiency Standards, non-ELL instructors implementing the same strategies as discussed in this paper may lead to a higher success rate of said learners. This research may be adapted for all course instruction, not simply ELL. The topic may be of interest to instructors looking for appropriate uses of technological advances in the classroom. The topic can affect cross-curriculum cross-district and allow for individual interpretation of where and how to use technology in the classroom. One of the most common reasons for the lack of student motivation is the simple fact that the information is not being presented in an interesting manner. And while the goal of instruction is not an entertainment act, the drop out rate (according to Gunderson [2008], only 40% of ESL students complete graduation requirements) and low test scores still confirm that students are not being actively engaged. This topic has the possibility of producing an essential focus on the current ineffectiveness of ELL classrooms, and how applying innovative instruction through technology can assist in satisfactory course completion. While the focus of this topic is ELL classroom instruction, it can be applied to all other courses seamlessly. It begins with creating representations that cross all learning theories, and adjusting what is discussed in this topic, translated into your own course subject. The topic of advancing learning through applications of varying technologies is one that may be cross-aligned with and implemented in ESL classrooms, but it can also be transitioned into lower (elementary) or higher (post secondary, adult language learning) settings. This research will be reinforced by an interactive project presenting supplemental virtual activities of current ESL class lessons.
Definition of Terms
Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is a form of data collection used by some language programs to determine the proficiency levels of speech, offering direct feedback to the user. Beginning English Language Learners are students who do not understand or speak English with the exception of a few isolated words or expressions. The ESL content standards are based on the stages of varying language acquisition created by various educational agencies. The stages are broken down into five categories: Preproduction, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, and advanced fluency. Webquests are cooperative lessons completed online based on various subjects.
Literature Review
Technological Learning Styles
Gardner’s (1999) Multiple Intelligence (MI) theories offer a rewarding substitute for standard educational strategies by focusing on alternative learning styles, providing a larger opportunity for student comprehension. In the article titled “Applying MI in Schools” Hoerr (2002) states:
When curriculum, instruction, assessment, and pedagogy are viewed through an MI perspective, there are a myriad of ways for students to learn. When MI is the palate, the teacher relies on her wisdom to find the right brush and the right colors to make learning meaningful. (para. 3)
Hoerr’s research involved interviewing principals of 41 schools utilizing MI theories “78% of them said that their schools had realized gains on standardized achievement scores and 63% attributed the growth to practices inspired by MI theory" (para. 10). One of the more common trends among users of the MI theory is that it makes school fun for both the teacher and the student. The instructor is allowed to use diverse styles of presenting information and the students are able to take in more through their own learning style while also promoting use of their weaker points. When school can be more fun, the attitude of the students will become better prepared for receiving new information and retaining it for future applications.
The use of the internet in an academic setting provides various opportunities for diverse learning styles. Dede (2005) discusses how the internet offers several resources through changeable media platforms such as group collaboration, virtual environments, and instant wireless access. The research done by Dede focused on the usage of technology to support multiple learning styles:
Web representations are often non-linear and more closely mirror the associational network of human long-term memory. Potentially, this can result in a more effective style of learning, since rich associations among chunks of data are as important a part of knowledge as the information itself. (p. 6)
Dede speculates the forming of a new learning style based solely on technology, due to the development of technology and the every day uses by the average person. Dede refers to the new strategy as the “neomillennial” learning style, which includes media literacy of the student and “physical plant, technical infrastructure, and professional development” of the location and instructor (p. 2). Saeed, Yun, and Sinnappan (2009) suggest that “Today’s learners are flexible in stretching their learning styles and are able to accommodate varying instructional strategies including the use of emerging web technologies”. (p. 6) This article demonstrates the positive relationship of learning styles and technological instruction for a web programming class. Table 1 was developed from the study in order to match preexisting learning styles with new technologies:
Table 1
Technology Preferences for Various Learner Types
| Learning Style | Technology preference | Learning Style | Technology Preference |
| Active | Social Bookmarking | Reflective | Podcast |
| Sensing | Email | Intuitive | Blog |
| Visual | Vodcast | Verbal | Podcast |
| Sequential | Podcast | Global | Blog |
Implementing technology that can facilitate language learning as a result of extensive teaching strategies and learning styles might improve the achievement of academic performance in the ELL classroom. The combination of technology and strategic learning offers an extensive opportunity for students to demonstrate their own retention through individual intelligence. “Happily, we have in our grasp today technology that should allow for a quantum leap in the delivery of individualized services for both students and teachers” (Gardner, 1999, p 179).
Computer-Assisted Language Learning
According to the World Almanac and the Book of Facts (2008), 83,057 schools out of a total of 93,189 have computers on campus. Administrators and instructors can begin to take advantage of the ready access to computers by applying more structured applications to support course content. Levy (1997) describes computer-assisted language learning as “the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning” (p.1). The progress and application of CALL relies heavily on the development of software and hardware for academic use. While Levy focused mainly on university implementation, the educational structure and pedagogy can be transferred to the secondary and elementary levels. Goldfield (2001) explained that new professional development and training needs to be done in order to allow the need for computer-based tools in language learning. One of Goldfields main objectives presents the idea to hire based on the willingness of integration of technology, by simply adding technical attributes in job descriptions. Goldfield also depicts the rise of computer-assisted language learning with products such as Rosetta Stone, Transparent Language’s, Language Now and Traveltur (2001). Ybarra (2003) deconstructed the essential skills set for ESL students into four categories: Verbal Interaction, verbal development, Reading and Writing. In the article, Ybarra discusses varying studies done to better assist in English Language Learning. CALL influenced a positive experience in verbal interaction by offering students the chance to utilize computer books:
“These computer books are interactive stories that appear on the computer screen as an actual book with text and illustrations. There are also a variety of interactive choices students can use to read the story, including: real voices that read aloud, music, and sound effects. The story is also highlighted so readers can follow along with the text.” (para 6)
This lesson was archived by videotaping the experiences of groups of students who were instructed to read different stories via computer books (Ybarra, para 8). The English language learners practiced conversational language by communicating with partners through questions, discussions and opinions (Ybarra, 2003). In this study, computer books proved to be a reliable enhancement for classroom application by offering students an alternate mode of reading and allowing for collaborative discussion. Common facilitators for use in vocabulary development are visual versions of the vocabulary, such as images, graphs and other non-linguistic representations.
Hill and Flynn (2006) stated “ELLs cannot rely solely on linguistic ability to learn and retain knowledge in a new language, nonlinguistic methods of learning are particularly important for them” (p. 37). By allowing learners the chance to view materials through a varying blend of mixed media, the instructor expands the academic style of instruction to reach more students. Ehsani and Knodt experimented with the idea that CALL can positively affect language acquisition through the application of voice recognition. Automatic speech recognition (ASR) can offer innovative strategies for speaking a new language in pronunciation training (1998).
“A Hidden Markov Modeling (HMM)-based speech recognizer consists of five basic components: (a) an acoustic signal analyzer which computes a spectral representation of the incoming speech; (b) a set of phone models (HMMs) trained on large amounts of actual speech data; (c) a lexicon for converting sub-word phone sequences into words; (d) a statistical language model or grammar network that defines the recognition task in terms of legitimate word combinations at the sentence level; (e) a decoder, which is a search algorithm for computing the best match between a spoken utterance and its corresponding word string.” (Ehsani & Knodt, 1998, p 48)
The function of voice recognition software is to allow users to attempt and expand proper language speaking, and to present direct feedback: “Voice-interactive pronunciation tutors prompt students to repeat spoken words and phrases or to read aloud sentences in the target language for the purpose of practicing both the sounds and the intonation of the language” (Ehsani & Knodt, p. 51).
With 89% of schools having access to computers, the next step in implementing technology would need to account how students are in fact using the computers (Institute of Education Sciences, 2004). Fischer (2007) conducted a study in which the results were developed by a tracking device built into computer programs that language learning students use. The device has the capabilities of recording every mouse click, key commands and logs of text sent or received. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of computer software and the exact areas of clickable interest.
CALL researchers have a variety of methods at their disposal to gather observational data such as video taping and audio recording students as they work at the computer, but computer-based trackers have the inherent advantage of unobtrusively observing students’ behavior. (Fischer, 2007, p. 411).
This type of silent tracking produces a direct analysis of the student’s use of computer applications and offers incite to the balance of academic and non-academic selection. In this study, students read through text that included marked words that provided access to additional visual representations and the definition of the word. Data collection received from the tracking device concluded that students clicked on marked text twice as much as unmarked text. This form of information can lead to greater access to what students are actually clicking on and viewing, which might ultimately lead to stronger classroom enrichments.
Web 2.0 in the Classroom
Due to the rapid growth of technology and its implementation in education, the term literacy no longer only refers to reading and writing for language learning. Currently technology has required learners to become familiar and adequate with tools such as social networking sites, blogs, message boards and virtual worlds. Media literacy demands that students use, comprehend, and advance technology tools while they are being released. While the hasty expansion of online content and interaction has brought some concerns for some, most educational users are trying to discover how to implement the new technologies into the classroom. One of the major concerns of implementation is the lack of training on social media. Some instructors do not believe in the legitimacy of social media or video games in education, often times referencing Wikipedia as one of the causes of concern.
With web 2.0 taking the place of the much more linear web 1.0, the capabilities of team discussion and collaboration are increasing. In a digital age, web based group interaction is commonplace in education, corporations and many other organizations. A website presented by the University of Houston describes digital storytelling as “The practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories” (2009, p. 1). Digital storytelling is a great perspective on using new tools for presenting information. Storytelling presentations can vary from Art to ESL classes and from Health to Religion. The University of Houston website examines the steps into tutorials on how to develop a story from information found from various sources. Links to further advancements such as podcasts, blogs, film, wikipedia groups and other web 2.0 applications are available as well as references to possible software used. The use of film in the classroom was the focus in the article presented by Xiaoqiong & Xianxing, providing information on how implementing film in the ESL classroom can motivate students to learn English. The research was completed by providing students with a synopsis of the film, followed by presenting a transcript and audio recording of the film. Students were quizzed on the film based on the given materials, as a reward, the students who passed the quiz were allowed to view the film. This article reinforces the application of instruction through various learning styles in order to motivate students “Teachers see it as their job to motivate students by engaging their interest in classroom activities” (Xiaoqiong & Xianxing, 2008, p 235). This method of instruction enhancement allows students to exercise language skills such as pronunciation, listening while also providing the student with instances of appropriate social phrases or idiom usage (2008).
Socks and Rubenstein-Avila (2009) examined the quality of integrated technology in second language acquisition from eight diverse WebQuests. The study supplies the rubric used by the authors to determine the effectiveness of each WebQuest while offering resources and ideas for editing old and developing new WebQuests with consideration of ELLs. Some of the suggestions include visual representations, clear instruction and a user-friendly interface. This article reinforces the concepts of motivating ELLs by presenting information through a smarter technology like WebQuests, but questions the use of the web capabilities:
“Although WebQuests provide opportunities for integrating technology, content knowledge development and linguistic accommodation for diverse learners, especially ELLs, their use as instructional tools has yet to be fully used. We contend that even WebQuests that are rated highly for content may lack design features that address the needs of ELLs. Existing WebQuests rarely provide resource links to alternative modalities (audio/video), nor do they provide resources to access or build on ELLs’ linguistic and cultural background knowledge.” (Socks & Rubenstein-Avila, 2009, p. 46)
While WebQuests are available through simple search engines, the need for expansion and individual content specific alteration, including ESL, is necessary. Despite the obstacles, WebQuests propose a digital lesson that provides group-work, on-line research objectives and exercises English language competencies (2009). Kasper (2000) followed students working collaboratively to complete reading and written assignments through the use of focus discipline research and technology representations. Many of the assignments that utilized technology were project-based and student-centered. To emphasize the importance of multiple language literacy, virtual discussion boards and emails were used between participants of the study and other international students. “These electronic discussions provided students with a context in which to collaborate not only with peers in the physical classroom, but also with students in other parts of the country and the world” (2000, p. 4). To determine the varying progression of language development, participant’s previous assessments results were analyzed against current scores on reading and writing end-of-semester assessments. The use of technology, focus discipline research, collaboration and language learning strategies assisted in developing an effective educational schema:
“Focus discipline research appears to have been effective in enabling the students who participated in this study to develop and hone the multi-literacies they need to participate and succeed not only in ESL learning communities, but also in academic, social, and professional contexts beyond the ESL classroom.” (Kasper, 2000, p. 124)
Current/Past Solutions to Thesis Problems
According to the Institute of Education Sciences, ESL students are less likely to succeed in school (2006). The current ineffectiveness of ESL classes is alarming for educators, parents and students alike. Gunderson (2008) states, “ESL students are failing to learn to read and write English, and they drop out of school in significant numbers. It is scandalous that conditions have not improved” (p. 2). Currently, ESL instructors follow certain stages in determining levels of second language Acquisition:
Table 2
The Stages of Second Language Acquisition
| Stage | Characteristics | Approximate Time Frame | Teacher Prompts |
| Preproduction | The student | 0-6 months | Show me |
| Early Production | The student | 6 months-1 year | Yes/no questions Labels |
| Speech Emergence | The student | 1-3 years | Why? |
| Intermediate Fluency | The student | 3-5 years | What would happen if? Why do you think? |
| Advanced Fluency | The student has a near-native level of speech. | 5-7 years | Decide if |
To further analyze, Hill (2006) has deconstructed English language learning into two elements: conversational and cognitive proficiency. The English language fundamentals are described as:
This is the language of normal everyday speech, including pronunciation, grammar, and basic vocabulary. It is the ability to understand and speak informally with friends, teachers, and parents. This conversational ability is not especially demanding intellectually. It is the language that non-English-speaking children develop after about two years of living in an English-speaking country. (Hill, p. 18)
Gunderson (2008) introduced the problematic scenario of advancing ESL students being removed from the ESL program and put into mainstream courses, which in turn would eliminate scores in ESL academic reports. This is a problem that is not discussed on many academic platforms, but there remains a need for more research.
Proposed Solution to the Thesis Problem
The solution lies heavily on the availability and direct usage of technology in the ESL classroom in order to further motivate language-learning students. The accessibility of the technology-based lesson enrichments will follow the structure of link-centered websites, such as blogs with really simple syndication (RSS) features. Summerford (2009) has compiled a number of resources all into one easy to navigate website. The links provide information on possible sample activities, as well as many other ESL teacher resources. Websites such as these make the process of locating information to adapt as training and development much more accessible. Adding new technology into the classroom that is focused on multiple learning styles of the students has been tested in other subjects successfully, “our experiments with incorporated technologies and achievement of well-balanced academic performances across all learner types motivate us to extend the study to other courses combined with varied technologies” (Saeed et al., 2009, p 106). Elements of CALL have already been developed for language learning and instructional uses:
We propose not only that speech technology is an essential component of CALL, but that it is, in fact, ready to be deployed successfully in second language education, provided that the current limitations of the technology are understood and systems are designed in ways that work around these limitations. (Ehsani & Knodt, 1998, p. 47)
Combining the proven benefits of instructional elements of various learning styles, CALL, and Web 2.0 to the ESL classroom may assist in the necessary transformation and advancement of ELL academic achievement.
Integration of Proposed Solution to Current/Past Solutions
The implementation of the proposed technology based solution allows for instructors and students to visit a centralized website that features multiple ESL lesson enrichments. Users may search and locate rich media files for the classroom, or upload new content. The concept of the solution relies heavily on the involvement of instructors to grow and contribute to the website, which in turn would offer additional uses from varying applications. For example, an instructor may locate the site and begin to locate new strategies such as blogging, file sharing, and collaboration applications to reinforce English writing skills. A sample lesson plan is located in the Appendices at the end of this research. In the sample lesson, the instructor has created an enrichment utilizing email and blogging as a modern style of journal writing. Incorporating real time collaboration applications such as Google Wave for peer-reviewed journal entries can further develop the assignment and offer a new strategy of immersed language learning. This form of project encompasses multiple learning styles such as visual spatial, verbal linguistic, kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal.
Conclusions
English Language Learners have to meet appropriate results from English proficiency standards in order to graduate from high school. Currently, those results are not being met, but through development of technological implementation into ELL lessons, students may become more interested in learning English. Additionally, applying various technologies into the classroom can allow for further accommodations across all learning styles. With the direction of basic communication moving towards technologically based information, the classroom setting will need to follow.
Suggestions for Further Research
In a summit presented by the Federation of American Scientists ([FAS], 2005), the challenge of separating gaming for education and gaming for entertainment was introduced and discussed. The FAS deemed that more research and design needed to be done on gaming in education:
Since there is a public good and large social returns to the nation associated with improving education and workforce training outcomes, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and the National Science Foundation — in partnership with industry, educators, and the academic community — should support an R&D agenda that would encourage the development of educational and training games for K-12, post-secondary, and adult learners. (p. 7)
Gaming is just one of the many advancing technologies that can begin to be implemented in the classroom, but still needs to be reviewed further. Applications such as Second Life have the ability to reinforce language learning, but have yet to be researched. A proposed experiment may include a virtual classroom teaching language mechanics and a virtual lounge to facilitate conversational language. By combing the ingenuity of RSS feeds and the uses of new technology applications, training in educational technology will need to be part of the undergraduate studies of instructors and professional development adjusted to fit further advancements. Further research can be done on new practices of technology-focused training for classroom instructors.
References
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Fischer, R. (2007). How do we know what students are actually doing? Monitoring students'
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Sunday, March 14, 2010
Week 3 Reading: Entry 2-Pay it forward
It's not about us. It's about them. What are you doing to pay-forward from your universe of possibility?
I was a terrible high school student. We were allowed 5 absences each semester before we had to attend court for truancy, and I missed the first 5 Mondays each semester for 3 years. The thing was that I told my teachers I would be absent (sometimes), and my parents knew (sometimes). My goal was to attend as little school on Mondays as possible, while also passing every class I took. I failed two classes in high school, both due to the absences. I was a steady D student from grades 9-11, and my plan to miss often times backfired. (Like the one time I actually got sick after I had already missed 5 days. I was responsible enough to attend class anyway, getting through the day feeling my own inflicted misery.)
When I was a junior, I entered a Media Technology class that focused on a weekly video production presenting the weeks news and stories. I loved the class structure, creative freedom, and most importantly the teacher. I loved it so much that my senior year, when I could’ve had late arrival to school every morning, I chose to instead enroll in the advanced class and as the teacher’s aid in the morning. I had found an outlet for which not even my laziness could overpower. This one class changed the way I treated education for the rest of my life, as I strived to work hard from that point on.
My goal as an educator extends directly from this course: to provide learners an opportunity to explore the various elements of design in order to motivate and inspire creativity. I have tried hard the last 4 years to pay it forward, and when I have a student who seems uninspired, or unwilling to adjust his decision making because they think they have it all figured out… I think back to my high school days, and I welcome them graciously.