Learning Project Update 9: Paywall Fatigue and AI Doldrums
While working on my learning project last week, I fell down the AI content creation rabbit hole. Crafting my query letter to publishers, I thought I had clawed my way back out. I was wrong. But I’m getting ahead of myself… as usual. My Week: Trying to (Digitally) Reinvent the Wheel After two and a…
Learning Project Update 8: Down the Rabbit Hole of AI Powered Content Creation & Publishing
Whew, what a whirlwind week! My brain has been all over the place and back again. To focus myself (for a second), my first goal was to complete my manuscript with feedback from my in-person and online community. Done! Second goal: Research Canadian publishers that fit my story. Also done quickly, giving me too much…
Beyond “Free”: A Critical Look at Coursera and OERs
Picture it: April 2020, roughly one month into our unprecedented global lockdown. Our heroine (ahem, me – it’s my story, so I get to be the protagonist) is going stir-crazy. Her then-undiagnosed ADHD flaring wildly, causing her to sometimes bounce off her home’s four walls. Anything for distraction, stimulation- Tiger King, Dr. Brené Brown podcasts,…
Learning Project Update 7: Scaffolding a Traditional Publishing Path
To recap, I focused on self-publishing options in my last post. Learning more about choices like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and IngramSpark was eye-opening; I had never seriously considered this route before, but I am now. And, to reiterate my original plan… well, I didn’t really have a plan past this point! I’ve said it before…
Learning Project Update 6: Publishing Options & Serendipity
If you’ve been following along on my learning journey, you may recall that this (publishing time!) is usually when I come to a thundering halt in progress! BOOM! BAM! For reference, I have recapped my original plan below: WEEKS 9-10: Great Big, Scary Dive into the Publishing Process Focus: Publishing options….the part of this tale…
CTRL C + CTRL V: One More Time
Watching Kirby Ferguson’s Everything is a Remix, reminded me that – like music, art, and literature – education is a remix. Every lesson taught, curriculum designed, and assessment graded combines past knowledge and pedagogies. For better or worse, I never teach in isolation; my methods are an open dialogue between past, present, and future influences.…
Learning Project Update 5: Community, Feedback, & Revisions
First off, I don’t know if anyone else got the license number of the flu that hit my school and home this last week, but…wow! Now then As a recap, here are some of my original plans for this week: WEEKS 7-8: Research and Build Writing Community Focus: Expand research and find/engage with a writing…
Likes, Lies, and Learning: An Educator’s Approach to Social Media
Like it or lump it, social media doesn’t seem to be going anywhere; unless you believe in the speculated Solar Maximum Internet Apocalypse of ’25. For the Gen Z and Alpha students we teach, Web 2.0 is embedded in how they interact, learn, and view the world. As educators, we can no longer merely acknowledge…
From the Mall to Discord: Our Transforming Third Spaces
“Let’s all go to the mall!” A common refrain in my ’90s childhood. From catching up with my friends at the food court, flipping through racks of CDs, and spending all my change at the arcade, my small-town boredom was often alleviated by strolls through the Frontier Shopping Centre. Fast-forward to the early 2000s: College…
Learning Project: Update 4: Searching for Community
As a recap, below are the goals I set for myself for weeks 5-6 in my original learning project blog: WEEKS 5-6: Character Development and Story Refinement Focus: Improve characterization and storyline Tasks and Resources: Wattpad (Writing Community): Explore online children’s stories for further inspiration and – gulp – share some writing to receive peer feedback. Goodreads…