Task 2b; Reflective Writing

 Task 2b; Reflective Writing;

For Task 2b we are asked to focus on the process of reflective writing, referring back to the previous task of keeping a reflective journal. Throughout this blog I will be engaging in my reflection, looking at the tools I used, the outcome, what I will continue to do and ethical considerations.

''Reflection and Reflexivity are the essential elements of reflective practice'' (Bleakley, 1999, p.317)

From the past week I have been writing everyday reflecting back on the days activities, sometimes I wrote about the whole day and others just about one event. I started writing in diary fashion, noting my feelings but keeping it pretty basic and not too in depth, this was to get use to recording my day on paper as it's something Iv not spent time writing down for years. Over the next few days I developed the way I wrote and started to change the framework. Using lists one day I separated it into the places I was throughout the day and wrote my feelings at each place, this helped me see where my feelings changed and think about what made this happen. Another day I did a bubble chart of one event and had ideas,feelings and notes coming from it. I wouldn't use this method again as it seemed very unorganised to look back on. After looking at the Handbook I tried the 'Ways to Write' diagram to record my day. This framework separated my thoughts into different sections but again I wouldn't continue to use this way of writing in the future. Writing from another persons/object point of view was the next step I wanted to try, for this I looked at my day I spent with my boyfriend. The person I spend most of my time with in London and share most of my honest thoughts and feelings with, the harsh reality of this was unpleasant at time and as I wrote my day down considering his thoughts I realised how much of a negative impact I may have on him when talking about certain situations. Since then I have thought more about what I should reflect upon on my own instead of with my closest friend.

When reading about reflective writing in the Reflective Practice book I came across 'The 5 stages'. Stage 1 was called the 6 minute write, this was when you write continually for 6 minutes about anything that comes to mind whether it be related to your practice or not, or make sense.

''Awareness of anything other than the writing can inhibit the flow, so allow the writing to follow its own track and leave the writing rules (grammar, logical sequence, etc.) until later'' (Reflective Practice - How to start: The 5 stages. P136)

For this I used a purple gel pen which instantly took a more calming affect on my thoughts at the time and the what I wrote down. I wrote everything that came to mind, my surroundings, feelings, thoughts and managed two pages of A5 paper by the end of the 6 minutes. I got lost into the writing and found the time pass by before I knew it. Reading back I enjoyed the things I noted down and I  knew I would use this way to reflect more at the end of each day. The second stage was called 'The Incident, Narrative, Story', within this stage there was a section on types or writing and an example of a reflective piece converted into a poem,

''Give the story your own title. Make it positive, so if the incident was problematic, try renaming it with the title more empowering to you.'' (Fook, 2012)

I was interested in the idea of changing my piece of writing into a positive poem picking out different sentences, words that inspired me, I thought about keeping it private but later read that Stage 4 was about sharing your writing with peers,

''Your writing has the power to influence another, and they you.'' (Reflective Practice - Jane p143)

Purple Pen;

Sounds of piano
Airing out
Nature surrounds me,
Rest recharge sun on my face
Yesterday, Next week
Reflect, mentally, recharging physically
Wellness
Think about what matters
Looking into my own life,practice
Always positive
I do love the feeling
Healthy
Sounds of piano
Light, emotionless
Fluent Journey.



From reflecting in different ways over the past days it became clear to me that the same feelings accrued when talking about my current practice. In Task 2a I spoke about my current role as Dance Captain, this is was a role I was given last minute and the first time having more responsibility with colleagues I'd previously worked with. Upon reflection I wrote about my struggles mentally with the role and wanted to find a way in which I could take control of my feelings to help me at work.
Kirsten Jack a first year student nurse wrote about her first hospital placement caring for a man 'Harry' who she struggled to control her emotions over as he reminded her of her father that passed away in similar circumstances. She found reflection helped her work and care for Harry without becoming emotionally attached.

''Through reflection I was able to make sense of my feelings of fear, anxiety and real heartbreak, and come to an understanding of how my grief as a daughter differed to that of a student nurse.'' (The man in the green pyjamas - Kirsten Jack)

This piece Jack wrote made me think about how I can work in the same way with my emotions about my role, I started to break down why I felt the way I did and what/who caused this. That then made me think about Klobs Learning Cycle from Readers 2, and how different people learn in different ways,

I firstly looked at myself and reviewed how I learn, Reflective observation is something I use most day to day, this relates to dance a lot as I see someone do a movement/routine then copy what they have done, this also relates to my blog. I was unsure where to start when creating my blog so I used reflective observation and active experimentation to give me guidance throughout the process. Also when using a social media application for the first time we use reflective observation to inspire us and help us get started. When teaching I tend to use Abstract conceptualisation when I'm unsure of a situation or working on the spot to set spacing for a dance. I was unaware of how many different types of learning there are and since researching these it has given me more of an understanding how to apply myself to my practice.


Ethical Consideration;

Referring back to my reflection at work and after reading about Reflexivity, I looked at questions a reflexive minded person would ask themselves, one question I consider a lot when working is ''how and in what way we're my actions perceived by others?''
Thinking about this question and Klob's learning cycle made me realise that I need to be mindful when working with my colleagues. I need to take into consideration different learning stages and have overall more patience, The uneasy thoughts and feelings I had are not because of a certain situation but because everyone is different and has different interpretations of my instructions. This task has been the most rewarding so far and will help me move forward as a performer, teacher and work colleague.

Task 2a; Reflective Journal

Task 2A; An intro to My Reflection,

For Task 2A we were asked to keep a journal of our everyday events to reflect from. As I missed the campus session with Adesola on Rizome Learning and Theories I decided to do my own research alongside looking a other students blogs.

Rizome Learning and Theories;

 The diagram on Rizome Learning was so helpful and easy to understand, as I said when talking in Task 1d I find it easier to look at am image to help me understand a certain message or task. The diagram clearly show blades of grass relating to the tasks we are given the three main being communication,network and reflection. The squiggly lines underneath are the roots underneath the soil that nobody sees, this show how we explore each section of the task and how they are linked together after researching in our own time to get the ideas/answers. The image of the cloud above the blades of grass suggests that in order for the grass to grow you need the correct tools eg Water for the grass to grow. Overall the diagram helped my understand the idea of Rizome learning and I will defiantly create my own images in the future to help with information I don't understand.
Moving onto Theories, again drawing an image of what I took from its meaning helped me see how important it is and relates to my professional practice. Imagine my practice is an apple the theory would be the core of the apple, meaning that the theories are the core of my practice and through reflecting I will discover the theories and explain how I found them. To do this I will be keeping a journal of events and reflecting on them to understand and learn from my experiences. I will also be thinking about the ethical consideration and the thoughts, ideas from other people/students/work colleagues and how their thoughts matter to my practice.

'When we write our reflections on events we not only create meanings for ourselves, we produce a version that can be communicated to others'.   (Stephan Brookfied - Reflective practice-4th edition Foreword)

How I already reflect;

Before receiving the task to keep a journal of events to reflect from I unknowingly did it everyday before starting a job or task. When thinking back to the past at the start of the day I would reflect on my actions before doing them which would plan out how I wanted my day to go 'Reflection-in-action'. At the end of the day I would rethink these events and if they had gone to plan, If they hadn't I would rethink these going the way I had wanted them and see if I felt different after, this is something I started to do after reading 'The Secret'. I stopped rethinking the events going a different way later on in the day as I didn't find it helped me as much however, I still think about events before they have happened to see how I want to day to go. By keeping a journal Im finding it interesting to look back on my day and the process I use to reflect upon 'Reflection-on-action'.

'.. But there is something fundamentally different about writing down your understanding of, and reaction to, a situation'.            (Stephan Brookfield - Reflective Practice 4th edition-Foreword)

Thinking about what Stephan Brookfield said, what I think about a situation and what I write about it are very different descriptions. I find I go into a lot more depth when writing about something and helps me break up the process, an example;

As dance captain of a new show and an old one with half a new cast I have a lot to consider before each rehearsal, I re space the show according to who is missing, which seems to be someone every week and write down notes alongside each number in a format that will be quick and efficient when teaching. I have to consider my audience as half the cast being new and the others having done the show previously means I have to break down how I explain certain things to certain people whilst maintaining a professional manner.
Once Iv taught or given all the notes for the show I think how my other colleagues have processed this information and if I did it well, after all their performance is based on my feedback. I realise that if they had an opportunity to comment what they would say or if they would change the way Iv taught something.
I also have my directors opinion to think about, his view on the show is very important and I want to work under his views so every week when he watches he will talk to me after the show to say what wet well/not well and I will alter my planning for the next week.
After the show I have to take a step back and think about how everything went, I can't watch the show as I'm also in it so I have to observe things that happen throughout the night and write them down in preparation for next time. I reflect on how I think the show was and how I could of improved for the next week. This happens twice a week for two different shows so it's a lot of preparation and organisation beforehand. Reflecting on this is a great way to get my thoughts on paper and find reasons why I work in this way. I'm looking forward to Task 2B Reflective Writing and going into more depth with my practice.

Summary of Task1

Summary of Module 1;

With this being the first Module it was like walking into the unknown and learning how to put pen to paper again, after receiving the Handbook and Readers 1 it became more real that this was an independent course and totally on my terms. That being said since working through the tasks and researching my own practice at my own pace I have throughly enjoyed Module 1.
It's so refreshing to see other students ideas on their blogs and how differently people interpret each task, it's almost as if there is no wrong just your own reflecting on your practice.
I firstly organised my time in my diary to get an overall view of how many tasks there were and how often I would need to work each week. I tried to stick to this schedule as much as possible allowing myself a few days off in between each task to think about what I'd written and what was next.

The first task was really interesting as I got to look at all my CV's at once and compare their strengths and weaknesses, picking out points on each CV that relate to each job. Also how to organise my information and knowing how much to put for an employer to see. Moving onto Task 1B, this was probably the task that required the most reading and research for me. Not knowing what a lot of the content meant, I spent a lot of time reading before making my own attempt on PCT and how to related to me. Another section in task 1b I struggled with was the Ethical Consideration and different positions and interpretations, but after a Skype call with other students and Paula it became clear how to relate these to my practice and putting it in writing.
Task 1C and D gave me the freedom to research my own images and ideas of what the topics meant to me so far and uploading a video to introduce myself and talk about how the course related to my future and to show my input with PCT. I also combined images of my own social networking pages to see examples of how I work, for this I used an image of my Instagram account showing different photos from jobs and my showreel that was uploaded onto YouTube.

Overall I now have a clear understanding about what Professional Communication Technology is and an in depth knowledge of the different topics that I researched. It's taken me just over 3 weeks to complete this first Task and I'm confident to move onto Task 2 after a feedback session from Paula.

Task 1d; Photos

Task 1d; Photos

For Task 1c we have to research a series of images that relate with Modlue 1 so far. Below I chose a few photos that relates to Web 2.0 and Communication Technologies. The images show how one person can share ideas via social media and how many people can be connected by Web 2.0. I find it sometimes easier to look at images that represent a meaning, these are what I found that relate to the different tasks we have done so far. Also the images of my Instagram account and YouTube video shows what applications I use the most to represent myself and the layout I use.

Task 1c; Visual Intro

Task 1c; Visual Intro


Task 1c is to upload an introduction to yourself and the course via a video. For this I uploaded my clip on YouTube where I already have an account for other dance videos and linked it below. I talk briefly about myself, why I wanted to start the BAPP course and how it's going so far.

Task 1b; Professional Communication Technologies Draft 2

Professional Communication Technologies - First Draft



Technology in our world today;

In today's world technology can be seen to control us, nearly everyone has one if not more devices, children are getting younger and younger using technology, and the way we think, learn and live depends on it. I feel I am the last generation to have grown up without technology taking over my everyday life, to now depending on it for nearly everything. How quickly our world has improved technically and how the younger generation has the ability to adapt to this lifestyle so quickly.

Web 2.0 in the workplace;

Professional communication and information technologies are used extensively in society today and throughout the workplace, it has increased the level to achieve and is a quicker and more sufficient way of learning, it also allows people to work or study from anywhere in the world. Schools have unlimited access to resources and tools through easy to use devices they can interact with, this supports teachers and students to work together in a structured, expeditious manor. This takes the idea of hard work out of the children's mind and replaces it with fun learning.
Web 2.0 is encouraged by businesses as it draws colleagues together, sharing information and ideas in the workplace. Skype and other video sharing networks allow conference calls for businesses to connect together over the world instantly. It is also encouraged for the general public to use as much as possible, many shops or places of interest will have devices to get feedback or ask for help.
We use Web 2.0 constantly in our everyday life, but it brings me back to my thought earlier on how I grew up without most devices until a certain age, life today is made so easy we don't even have to leave our homes, with this being said is it improving our future, or making the people of the future inactive?


Reflecting on my own relationship with PCT;

 After researching Web 2.0 I realised I use most communication technologies, allowing me to research and network my business whilst keeping up with my private life. For a freelance performer networking is key, for this I use a number of different ways to grab a potential employers attention. Facebook and YouTube are normally the first places an employer will look to see how you present yourself and the level of your profession. It allows me to interact with with fellow colleagues, video share ideas and photos regarding auditions and jobs. I have instant access to my emails so I don't miss any job requests, updates and news whilst on a current job or keeping social with family and friends. I can quickly interact with the world, sharing my pages,thoughts and style whilst gaining experience from other people anywhere in the world.
I use a few social media applications daily including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and occasionally Twitter. I think the majority of people use the same but I try and focus mine of different areas of my life. Facebook has all my family contact on where they can keep up to date with my life and work, it also shares a lot of my work posts and photos but I try and limit to what goes on there or what other colleagues tag me in. I am in control of my Instagram and is most work related, I try and post every few days from jobs or previous performance photos to keep my page fresh and busy, I enjoy this application the most as I have the freedom to customise what I want my audience to see and tag what the post is about. Twitter is what I use the least, I find the application day to use but don't find myself on it as much as the others. When posting I try and retweet or post Arts news or a piece of information I find useful to my career. YouTube is were I can showcase myself as a performer and upload my showreel. I then copy this into emails and job applications as a quick way of seeing who I am. Most castings today are done through showreel especially overseas contracts.

Looking at Tim O'Reily an early advocate for Web 2.0's meme map, it shows what is recognised for an application to be classed under Web 2.0. It suggests different concepts and decides and if it comes under communication process or interactive. The diagrams also looks at how an application can transform text from being published to other people being involved. This relates and highlights the "play" and "trust your users" from the diagram and also looks at the behaviour of the Web 2.0 application.

Different positions and interpretations;

There are different aspects to consider when looking at Web 2.0, below I will talk about the 3 main competencies,
Architectures of participation is related to Web 2.0 as it enables the users to interact in an active and passive way, according the English Oxford dictionary the meaning of participation is,
"The action of taking part in something"  (https://en.oxforddictonaries.com/definition/participation)
Web 2.0 allows you not only to take part in something but to also to create it. This being said it is only achievable if you have the right tools provided.
If we don't have time, money, skills, infrastructure, etc then we will be unable to participate in something (Hamilton 2000)
Web 2.0 is created as an easy to use network allowing everyone to use, interact and change information whilst sharing it around the world. It also means the user is free to do much more with the information and customise their platform to their choices and needs.

Web 2.0 is supported by remixable data and transformation, this means the data can be reused and rearranged by its users. It's gives the freedom and encouragement for the people who see the information to participate with it.
"the consumer is also the producer" (Valtysonn 2010, page 205)
A great definition by Valtysonn on Web 2.0 that explains that today information, images, videos etc can be shared and changed by other users. This can be challenging in today's world as people like myself network and promote their business online, for the information to be accessed and changed by everyone means I have no control over where my information is going, but it is also one the key selling points for Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 allows communities to go beyond their networks and into others, changing your space whilst linking your pages with others. Users can interact and support applications such as Wikipedia whilst sharing and discussing information via blogs and social media pages. I can research practitioners, jobs, news on the arts and discuss this on Facebook, Twitter etc with other people in the industry. We are constantly relating information to each other and trying to expand our knowledge on our profession.


Ethical Consideration;

Speaking earlier about how my information can be seen and shared by a wider audience, it is important to consider what you post.
Web 2.0 is an amazing way to market and promote myself as a business however, getting to the right audience is important. Keeping my private and work life separate is key and constantly building a good online reputation for my employers/viewers.
Considering that there is a younger audience always watching and learning from you is also important. In the future I wish to teach and help young people in the industry, in order to do this I already need to create a professional and inspiring environment around me.
"Social media services and apps can also be used as educational tools, but there are important issues to consider including privacy, appropriate content, security and your comfort level with the apps and services". (connect safely.org)
I think teachers are most in danger with social media as you are always being watched not only by student but by their parents and other practitioners around you, it's a tricky business but also so rewarding if you use the tools in the right way for yourself and your students.
When using Web 2.0 your also need to consider where you get your information from and copyright purposes.