EDUC 7718 Week #6

Roisin Macdonald

ED 7718 Week #6

This weeks prompts:

1. Conversation, discussion, presentation. What are they and how do they appear in your professional life? If you were to diagram the power relationships in each of them, what would the diagrams look like? Which are technology-enhances and which technology impeded? Is there anything about the current status and role of these in your present professional situation that you would like to change?

By definition (Merriam-Webster online dictionary):

• Conversation is an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people : the act of talking in an informal way. : something that is similar to a spoken conversation …
• Discussion is the act of talking about something with another person or a group of people : a conversation about something
• Presentation is  an activity in which someone shows, describes, or explains something to a group of people.

In my classroom life, presentation is what I do in front of the  class when I “present” new  concepts, discussion is the dialog I promote with my students regarding that content, having a conversation is talking with my students about something we have in common be it related to the content or how that content relates to their lives. To have a conversation with someone is to have a back and forth discussion, it can be between two or more “people”. The way I speak to a person or persons is dependant on the situation.  I guess if I had to make a diagram of it, it would be presentation first then discussion and finally conversation. Presentation being the most formal, prepared in advance communication.  If I were to present to the class, to a parent in a parent teacher meeting, a colleague or administrator I would be prepared in advanced. A discussion on the other hand would be a talk regarding a situation or idea. It can be formal or informal depending upon the nature of the “conversation”.  As described in its definition, conversation is an informal talk.  I have those all the time, with my colleagues, students, parents, administrators, support staff, security, office and lunch personnel as well as the custodian daily when I arrive at school be it short, it is still dialog.

As far as technology impeding or enhancing any of the three, that would depend also on what you are doing. Technology can enhance teaching greatly, whether it be the overhead projector or a smartboard. The use of Powerschool keeps tracking grades and assignments easier, it also opens the lines of communication with parents, they can actually track how their child is doing.  Of course there is also the distractibility of technology as people try to stay connected regardless of where they are or whom they are talking to.

I used to feel that all students should be open to communication with other students. That is be able to converse and work together in groups, even if only a pair.  That is, until I watched   Susan  Cain’s TED Talk. After watching and listening to Susan explaining introverts I, all of a sudden, saw those students I am always encouraging to get working in groups and not alone in a different light. I have a student who argues with me every week that he can’t work in a group and wants to work alone. Every week I put him in another group, he stays for a minute or two and then wanders off to work alone. This past week, I said OK to working alone, not only did he finish the lab ahead of all the groups but he had built a model that I used in subsequent classes as a reference. Although I will let this student work  by himself I still feel that he needs to work with others to some degree. Maybe I’ll have him help another student after he finishes his lab work on his own.

2. Feedback: Thoughts and suggestions

I like using google docs and getting your comments and questions. The discussion rubric works well looking at it from both aspects, as a student receiving a grade and as a facilitator giving the grade (Open Mic). I would not change that.

Reflection

Again, I am using google docs, as this week seemed like I had no additional time to figure out how to do a different medium. I am comfortable here...I’ll work on a new medium for next week.