MAC Week 4 Project-AR Publishing/Leadership

Composing my presentation for the leadership/publishing project has actually been one of the most reflective and valuable experiences for me in the entire AR process. It was only at this point that I analyzed the value of my AR project in terms of the future of education, and why other educators should attempt similar projects. See, if I can’t see the importance of anyone else doing this project, isn’t the project itself sort of worthless? I think so.

I decided to do a keynote presentation as opposed to an article because the project itself is difficult to explain in words. It is the images and the video testimony and the links to articles and the explicit procedure that make this project easy to replicate. It would have been impossible to put all of that in a single article that would be concise enough for submission to a magazine or journal.

As I was putting together my presentation, it was important to me to put as few words on each slide as possible, while conveying the message mostly through my speech and meaningful photographs. I enjoyed the feedback I received after presenting in Wimba, as it was a way to informally present and then make necessary changes.

As I finish up the publishing project, I added one critical piece of media that my project would be worthless without; the student reflection. Two of my previously lowest performing students give a touching summary of the project and how it has affected them. If that’s not compelling, I don’t know what is.

I made a decision to submit a proposal to present this leadership/publishing project at the 2011 UCF Literacy Symposium. Teachers, education students and other education professionals gather at this annual conference to share best practices and research advances in educational media as it relates to literacy instruction. I had presented in 2009 with two other teachers on the topic of engaging the reluctant adolescent reader, which was nervewracking and exciting. However, I look forward to the possibility of presenting the project solo at next year’s Symposium. Teachers who attend this conference are always looking for ways to engage and excite reluctant and striving readers, and this project has certainly achieved not only engagement, but improvements in achievement levels as well. I do hope this project and it’s foundations in challenge-based learning and character education will be the beginning of the next generation of education, one that is student centered with a focus on educating the whole child.