curioser and curioser...
In response to a FableVision Ambassador, who asked the question "Do you have any ideas..."
I enjoyed our talk also. Stuff like this always gets me thinking in lots of interesting and creative ways. I'd like to CC Paul & Bill on this because I am sure they've got some great input to share. I'd be interested in learning more about the focus that FableVision wants to take with the ambassadors, and with the company in general. There's a theory of curriculum development called "backwards design" that applies to all sorts of different areas (sound familiar Paul?). Most people start with a general idea of what they want. They create activities, write tests, etc, but are never quite sure if they are hitting the mark. In backwards design, the initial focus is on what "enduring understandings" you want the students (the teachers, the parents) to come away with. You then decide what it will take to assess those understandings and finally create activities that will help participants learn what they need to learn to reach those goals. With an eye towards the end result from the very beginning, you are able to create a more focused learning experience.
How does that apply here? As I was listening to all of the things you wanted to do (blog, sharing space, ambassador profiles, etc), I heard all about the activities, but I wasn't quite clear on what "enduring understandings" we are trying to get at. In this case, it would be how to tie in the "corporate" mission of FableVision with what the ambassadors are doing. Are we looking for some Ish-missionaries to carry forth the vision to others in a grassroots sort of way? Word of mouth and passionate participants are a very effective way to spread the word. Does the company want to expand this program? In what ways? and for what purposes?
A focus on growing the business is a very legitimate one. Marketing, promotions, presentations, etc all serve the purpose to get out the word about product. However, there is another way to focus... on the mission of helping all learners discover their true potential. The products become a tool to achieve that mission but aren't the actual purpose of the company. It's a delicate balance because any business manager will remind you that you have to sell stuff to pay the bills. They are right but I tend to believe that if you sell the dream (as Guy Kawasaki writes about), the rest will fall into place.
There might already be answers to all of these questions that I am not aware of. I am sure that Paul, Pete, and the rest of the gang have thought through and dreamt about where it might all go someday. When you ask me for suggestions on what tools to use to bring the ambassadors together though, it would be helpful to have an understanding of what the purpose is for all of this effort. It feels like there is sort of a shotgun approach to what is being used... blogs, profiles, docs, etc, but not a sense of purpose (that I am aware of... these might already all be addressed). What value are we going to add to the lives of these teachers who so strongly believe in the mission of FableVision that they are willing to spend their time sharing what they know? How can we make it easier for them to communicate and collaborate? How can we go to THEIR space without making them go through a lot of extra work to come to OURS?? In what ways can we give the users ownership over the content and the technology so that they can create a space where they receive information that is personally relevant? And how do we do all of this without burning out the moderator/facilitator, who after all, has a day job and real life to attend to also? lol. There are lots of ways this can go... it's exciting really!
Just to give you a little background on myself... I've been a teacher all my life, really. Started playing school with my stuffed animals, progressed to organizing a personal library of books I'd check out to neighbor kids and playing school with all of them (I was always the teacher). I taught 4-H projects as a Jr. and Teen leader, taught patrons how to do geneology work at the local Family History Library, and taught more 4-H projects as a club leader years later. Of course, I didn't pay any attention to any of that and took the scenic route to my BA (9 years) because I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up (among other things). I earned my degree in lingusitics because understanding how people use language is really cool, and was hired to teach a 1-unit class about the internet in 1997 at the local community college (we talked about gopherspace and newsgroups!). From the moment I stepped into my first college class, I knew I had found my calling in life and I've been there ever since. My experience at Pepperdine (MA Ed Tech) helped me clarify my personal mission and gave me a voice to express my passions about teaching and learning. Currently I teach computer science at a community college and engage in lots of outreach to the K12 students in the area by drawing them in with lego robotics. College CAN be a fun place that they CAN come to some day!
My favorite moments are when I am sitting on the floor with a group of kids, when I light a fire of curiosity in students, when I am able to bring together teachers to create and collaborate, and when I have earned the trust of those who were afraid to take risks on learning and are now learning to soar (I call those my Jonathan moments- as in Seagull). I have lots of experience facilitating learning communities online and oncampus, formal and informal (from a 3000 member goat lovers forum to a national 4-H leaders forum to a group of local geeks who just want to have fun together). You happen to catch me at a very opportune time in my own quest to redefine exactly how I can best use my skills and passions to participate in something that I can get excited about again... I think this might be fun :)
So... do I have ideas? lol... just a few ;) I'm looking forward to the conversation!
I enjoyed our talk also. Stuff like this always gets me thinking in lots of interesting and creative ways. I'd like to CC Paul & Bill on this because I am sure they've got some great input to share. I'd be interested in learning more about the focus that FableVision wants to take with the ambassadors, and with the company in general. There's a theory of curriculum development called "backwards design" that applies to all sorts of different areas (sound familiar Paul?). Most people start with a general idea of what they want. They create activities, write tests, etc, but are never quite sure if they are hitting the mark. In backwards design, the initial focus is on what "enduring understandings" you want the students (the teachers, the parents) to come away with. You then decide what it will take to assess those understandings and finally create activities that will help participants learn what they need to learn to reach those goals. With an eye towards the end result from the very beginning, you are able to create a more focused learning experience.
How does that apply here? As I was listening to all of the things you wanted to do (blog, sharing space, ambassador profiles, etc), I heard all about the activities, but I wasn't quite clear on what "enduring understandings" we are trying to get at. In this case, it would be how to tie in the "corporate" mission of FableVision with what the ambassadors are doing. Are we looking for some Ish-missionaries to carry forth the vision to others in a grassroots sort of way? Word of mouth and passionate participants are a very effective way to spread the word. Does the company want to expand this program? In what ways? and for what purposes?
A focus on growing the business is a very legitimate one. Marketing, promotions, presentations, etc all serve the purpose to get out the word about product. However, there is another way to focus... on the mission of helping all learners discover their true potential. The products become a tool to achieve that mission but aren't the actual purpose of the company. It's a delicate balance because any business manager will remind you that you have to sell stuff to pay the bills. They are right but I tend to believe that if you sell the dream (as Guy Kawasaki writes about), the rest will fall into place.
There might already be answers to all of these questions that I am not aware of. I am sure that Paul, Pete, and the rest of the gang have thought through and dreamt about where it might all go someday. When you ask me for suggestions on what tools to use to bring the ambassadors together though, it would be helpful to have an understanding of what the purpose is for all of this effort. It feels like there is sort of a shotgun approach to what is being used... blogs, profiles, docs, etc, but not a sense of purpose (that I am aware of... these might already all be addressed). What value are we going to add to the lives of these teachers who so strongly believe in the mission of FableVision that they are willing to spend their time sharing what they know? How can we make it easier for them to communicate and collaborate? How can we go to THEIR space without making them go through a lot of extra work to come to OURS?? In what ways can we give the users ownership over the content and the technology so that they can create a space where they receive information that is personally relevant? And how do we do all of this without burning out the moderator/facilitator, who after all, has a day job and real life to attend to also? lol. There are lots of ways this can go... it's exciting really!
Just to give you a little background on myself... I've been a teacher all my life, really. Started playing school with my stuffed animals, progressed to organizing a personal library of books I'd check out to neighbor kids and playing school with all of them (I was always the teacher). I taught 4-H projects as a Jr. and Teen leader, taught patrons how to do geneology work at the local Family History Library, and taught more 4-H projects as a club leader years later. Of course, I didn't pay any attention to any of that and took the scenic route to my BA (9 years) because I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up (among other things). I earned my degree in lingusitics because understanding how people use language is really cool, and was hired to teach a 1-unit class about the internet in 1997 at the local community college (we talked about gopherspace and newsgroups!). From the moment I stepped into my first college class, I knew I had found my calling in life and I've been there ever since. My experience at Pepperdine (MA Ed Tech) helped me clarify my personal mission and gave me a voice to express my passions about teaching and learning. Currently I teach computer science at a community college and engage in lots of outreach to the K12 students in the area by drawing them in with lego robotics. College CAN be a fun place that they CAN come to some day!
My favorite moments are when I am sitting on the floor with a group of kids, when I light a fire of curiosity in students, when I am able to bring together teachers to create and collaborate, and when I have earned the trust of those who were afraid to take risks on learning and are now learning to soar (I call those my Jonathan moments- as in Seagull). I have lots of experience facilitating learning communities online and oncampus, formal and informal (from a 3000 member goat lovers forum to a national 4-H leaders forum to a group of local geeks who just want to have fun together). You happen to catch me at a very opportune time in my own quest to redefine exactly how I can best use my skills and passions to participate in something that I can get excited about again... I think this might be fun :)
So... do I have ideas? lol... just a few ;) I'm looking forward to the conversation!
