Sara Kirkpatrick
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -Yeats
This video stands out as one of my favorite projects because it stretched me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to learn something new and in a new way. This was also my first time editing video. Stepping outside of my usual practice proved to be one of the most rewarding lessons of the last two years.
I have taught in the same classroom for 10 years. Redesigning my classroom with a developing and changing world in mind allowed me for the first time to consider how the computer lab could change and be used most effectively for students learning. Designing without limits helped me stretch my mind and the idea of "what is normal" into the question of "what is possible?"
Creativity
Research
Working with 600 students a week can be intimidating when contemplating change. Through exploring my own problem of practice I was able to focus on one student and his engagement in school. After developing strategies and testing I was also able to see how the strategies that worked well with him could also work well with other students. This experience with action research showed me that even when facing a daunting problem it can be broken down into smaller pieces to create a manageable process and solution.
Here you will find a research paper, but this was so much more than that to me. This research allowed me to look further into students use of social media in the classroom and whether or not it had meaning. This project reminded me that when students have choice they are more invested in their learning and will go to the end of the internet to learn all they can about their topic and that is where real meaningful learning happens.
In this video you will see the research has no boundaries. Together with my peers in Michigan, Saudi Arabia and myself in Wyoming we composed a video summary of our research into failure as a learning mode. Collaboration is powerful when you realize it isn't an obstacle in learning and instead enriches everyones understanding of a topic from multiple viewpoints.
This portfolio represents a change in my perspective of myself as a teacher. I now feel like I can do anything. I can be creative. I can be a researcher. I can step outside of my comfort zone and succeed. It has been wonderful to reflect and see how far I have come in that time. I recall at the start of the program thinking that there was no better time than the beginning to start stepping out of my comfort zone and that hopefully this mindset would keep pushing forward throughout the rest of the program. Looking back I see two new descriptors of myself that stand out through my work; being creative and a thoughtful researcher. I have always appreciated the arts, but producing them scared me. I have felt amazingly supported by my peers and professors through all of my video editing and "outside of the box" ideas. It has really imprinted an “I can do anything” mindset in me. The chance to read and perform my own research has changed me as a teacher. No longer do I find myself saying "we should try something new" without a stack of verified research behind me. It is empowering to try something out, see that it doesn’t work, try something else, and then not give up and keep trying until I find something that does work.
Showcase
In the designing of my first online course I learned how to make content accessible to all students at varying levels. Canvas had always come across as very white and not elementary friendly in the past, but I was able to use design and html coding to create an environment that is user friendly to the younger ages. Here you see that my creativity has gone from video design into a more web based approach.
This is my first experience at recording and editing audio. I really enjoyed finding background music that would bring out the emotion of my speech on the importance of creativity in schools. Writing is frequently the form I use to express myself, but stepping out of my usual mode of learning brought more feeling and passion to my work.
Infographics have become a staple in my learning productions. Making information quickly attainable is no easy task, but pays forward immensely. Since designing my first I have used infographics to go beyond just class assignments and instead to share accessible professional development with my fellow teachers at school.