Out of all the assignments and discussions for this course, I'd have to admit that the concept of Genius Hour, aka 20% Time, aka "Passion Project" was probably the most fun and intriguing. Google implemented the initiative for its employees in order to boost productivity for the company. Essentially, employees were pursuing their passions (while on the clock) in something that would eventually benefit the organization. From these "Passion Projects," Gmail and Google News developed from engineers' 20% time. I love the idea that a company values the passion of an employee so much that they would pay them to pursue an outside interest. As a busy person finding their niche in the world, I did my Genius Hour about my passion which is cardio dance fitness. I love cardio exercise and found Werq dance fitness at my gym to be really fun. I got certified to teach it over the summer but don't have the time outside of parenting, school, the gym, and these classes to really do much else with the certification. The idea of Genius Hour is more prominent in my Engaging eLearning course which is also neatly wrapping up right now. So I posted a link to my blog (artifact #1) that documents the process of pursuing a passion, however. Logistically I wasn't able to get my employer to pay me for the time I spent on my project, but I get the idea ;) . Ultimately, I didn't really do much else than what I've always done with my Werq certification. I didn't achieve my goal during the semester of memorizing all the routines, getting hired to teach at my gym, or subbing for my usual instructor. And I'm okay with that. There are only so many ways to slice the "pie" and only 24 hours in a day. But I still religiously went to class, was always in the front row, and did lead some songs here and there. I could certainly see the value of Genius Hour in my classroom. I have students for 320 minutes per week and 20% of that would be about 60 minutes per week (of in class time) spent on this project. While I'm not sure that I could have my students do this all year long, I think that it might be something interesting to try perhaps the week or two before winter break or summer break. I could see some of my students struggling with what to do or what projects to pursue. The geniushour.com website offers practical solutions for educators through all the stages of implementation. Artifact #2 The second artifact I chose for my reflection is the discussion about gamification. Here is my response below about my opinion in regards to gamification being a passing phase in education. "In giving this topic some thought, I explored the resources in the module and came up slightly confused. The Growth Engineering article states that “gamification is the process of applying game mechanics (points, levels, badges) to non-gaming scenarios (such as learning).” On the other hand, game-based learning is used to “deliver your learners a fully-fledged, interactive game. This game is used as the foundation, and the training content is added on, or woven into it.” In other words, gamification is similar to turning students into competitors where the classroom is the “world.” Game-based learning is learning that happens as a result of a game such as using a Jeopardy template as a review. The biggest difference between gamification and game-based learning is that gamification offers the learner more intrinsic rewards in the form of new challenges for the learner to achieve. There aren’t points and motivation is derived from the student being challenged at their level while working within their zone of proximal development. When I read about this in the article, “Five Differences Between education games and the Gamification of Education,” I realized that most likely gamification is here to stay. With the trend of personalized education prevalent in many aspects of school today, gamification is just another example of personalized learning." I chose to share this post as an artifact because gamification encompasses a lot that is current in education today. It involves technology, individualization, and differentiation. Trends in education involve all of the above and gamification is certainly reflective of this. In my opinion, gamification is not going anywhere and much like any trend in education, it will most likely evolve to fit the needs of learners and expectations of educational leaders.
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Gosh, I love when things serve a double purpose. In my "Engaging eLearning Course," a large focus of the class is this exact concept. See below ;) Here is my blog post from week 1. We are in week 4 right now and it's been something that I really enjoy reflecting and thinking about. It has translated into some other things as well. Feel free to read my other blog posts in relation to Genius Hour through the link on my blog for the 713 class tab. "Engaging E-Learning is my last class to complete this endorsement. I am taking two courses at the same time to save $175 instead of taking them separately. This blog post is most likely late, and I'm up late doing it. Genius Hour...sounds a bit "touchy feely." Sounds a bit outside of the pressure cooker I feel like I work in on a daily basis. But sure, let's give it a try. I watched a youtube video for more clarity on the topic and learned that it came from Google. The rationale was that if people were allowed to work on something that they were passionate about 20% of their "at work" time, and something that would contribute to the company, their productivity and enthusiasm for what the company expects would increase as well. When I looked at the overview document, I noticed the word "flow." The document states that in a state of “flow” you’ll lose all sense of time, because you are so focused on the task at hand. I immediately thought of when I take yoga classes because they all "flow" but I don't lose sense of time. In fact, I'm counting the minutes until it's over. Yoga will not be a part of my genius project. What do I do where I lose all sense of time? What do I do when my focus is so acute where the outside world just fades away? Well, that's easy. It's cardio. More specifically, cardio dance fitness at my gym. I started taking Danitra's Werq dance fitness class back in January of 2018. I was in the next studio at Lifetime taking a cycling class when I heard the music of Danitra's class begin. It was loud, it was hip hop, it was raunchy, and it sounded way more interesting than the music and format of a cycling class. Well namely, that instructor's cycling class. So I quietly gathered my things and went next door. Her class was loud, empowering, and challenging. It made me want to come back to learn the moves to all the dances and to be able to keep up with the girls in the front row who clearly were regulars. They made it look so easy. The Werq dance format is similar to Zumba but spans all types of popular music. Instructors can choose routines from a monthly subscription service where every Friday 2-3 new dances are pushed out through the Werq website. All the choreography is based off Billboard charts and what you'd hear on pop radio. Rap/hip hop is really big right now so most of the routines are that genre. It's so much fun and yes, I am in the front row. Always. I kept going back for Sunday morning class followed by Monday evening class. I usually work out 5-6 times a week and incorporated Werq into my routine. Those first few weeks I felt like I got hit by a bus. The level of intensity superseded the intensity of all my other workouts combined. Running 5 miles? Easy. Werq? Not so much. For the first couple of months, immediately after finishing and letting my heart rate go back to normal, I would sneeze about 20 times in a row. Literally 20 times. I guess when you exert yourself to a certain level physically it puts your body into a temporary state of being highly allergic to toxins around you that you usually are not allergic to. Hence, the sneezing. Fast forward to today. I still take Danitra's class religiously and we are friends. I don't sneeze either! I took the certification class over the summer and am certified to teach it. I subscribe to the website and anxiously await Friday's new choreography. I ended a bad relationship after I started taking her classes and am loving all the changes both physically and mentally dance class has provided me. I've led class routines several times and have attended some live Werqshops by instructors that push out the weekly routines. My goal was to teach full classes and get hired by my gym so that my membership would be free (that would save me about $100 a month) and get paid to teach (about $50 a class). So here's what my Genius Hour project will be about. I don't practice that much outside of class. I know the routines pretty well but not well enough to lead them. My focus for this project will be to spend my two hours learning the routines so well that I can lead them without my instructor present. This will give me the confidence to ask Danitra to lead more routines in class (which she will gladly let me do) and ultimately get my group fitness certification and get hired by my gym. I just need to put more time into practicing so that the choreography is seamless. At my school, my principal asked teachers to start some clubs that involve our interests outside of school to share with students. Danitra works as a school counselor and started a Werq group with some of her students after school. I want to do the same. On the Werq website there is choreography for different musical genres including songs/choreography that is age appropriate, empowering, and fun. |
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