This course was unique in that it gave me opportunities to not only learn about research, but also to participate in research as well. To begin, it was mostly about planning how our site visits were going to go. It was a lot of making calendars and getting ready for data collection. Towards the middle of the course, we were able to start visiting the middle school to interact with the kids. From this point on, it was pretty much collecting data and preparing for the video we were creating. The video itself served as the biggest learning experience for me personally. First, it gave me confidence with editing a video and making sure that audio is good. It also made me learn patience, as this was a project that we were continuously working on throughout our time on site. It was frustrating at first knowing that the video was going to take quite a while to produce, with us having to teach them about different aspects that go into a good digital story and edit it, but I think it was a valuable teaching experience for me. In the end, I think this class was one of my favorites so far in the CODES curriculum and was certainly the class that taught me the most.
Goal 1 (30%)
Works in collaboration with community members and develops social networking skills.
Throughout the second half of the semester, I was working with the middle schoolers to help them tell their stories and create their videos. This process helped me to develop the soft skills necessary to create meaningful connections and network. I was able to develop a good professional relationship with my group and I believe that I accomplished this goal. For my artifact, I would also use the video. Throughout the creation process, I was developing social networking skills.
Goal 2 (10%)
Recognize own cultural norms and suspend any bias or judgement.
This goal was actually pretty fun to complete. I got to learn about quite a few different backgrounds from my time with the group and I’m grateful for it. Of course everyone has their own biases, however, I believe that I have limited my bias by quite a bit. The experience I got with hearing these kids’ stories changed my outlook on things quite a bit. I’m really glad that I was able to have this experience.
Goal 3 (15%)
Ponder my intrinsic values and review why I hold them close.
This goal was actually inspired by someone I was working with this semester. He was a philosopher, so naturally he asked many thought-provoking questions. I thought it would also be a good opportunity to look a little deeper into myself. I was given the opportunity to do so with the reflections, where I tried to talk a little bit about myself and my thoughts and link them with the project.
Goal 4 (20%)
Experiment with several oral delivery techniques and leave others interested in my content.
I chose the video for the artifact because although most of my learning was oral, I feel as if I applied these skills best through the video. I tried to make the video interesting, and I made sure to get feedback on it before I showed it to the group. This semester had me speaking publicly quite a bit, so I picked up on a few things when talking in front of people. It’s also made me a bit less nervous as well.
Goal 5 (25%)
Bring new ideas to the table and think outside of the box for solutions.
After each visit, I got to thinking about what we could be doing to improve each subsequent visit and wrote them down. I also used this as an opportunity for self-evaluation.