I have two resources to share with you: 1) a video of our first Zoom Conversation: Discussing Discussions and 2) an amazing email about discussions I received from our wonderful colleague Jill Malone. If you have time for nothing else in this email today, please watch the video Jill included in her email — I am reasonably confident it will make you happy.
Conversation #1: Discussing Discussions
We videotaped our first live Zoom Conversation about discussion strategies. You can view it here (and count your time for flex) or you can visit this resource in Canvas (on’t forget to enroll in our PDP canvas site on your way). Curry Mitchell and Lisa Lane have some very creative and effective insights into discussions to share with you; I hope you will visit with them when you have time.
Jill Malone
In my Beginning Digital Imaging/Photoshop class, the very first project my students have to do is a “titled self-portrait” in which they create a composite image that expresses who they are, what they’re going through, and/or how they’re feeling at this point in time. In addition, they need to choose one or two words to describe that. What’s not allowed: any photos of themselves, their kids, their friends, their dog, their cat, the beach, their bedroom, their car, or anything else physically recognizable as theirs. I get all kinds of stuff, as well as all kinds of stories. Some are funny, many are sobering, and certain words tend to come up a lot. LOST is probably the most common, but there are others. DRIFTING, CONFUSED, EXPLORE, TRAVEL, RENEWAL, MUSIC, MOVEMENT. Here are a few student examples:
So how does all this fit into the “discussion strategies” I’m supposed to be addressing? Well… There’s a video created by Matt Harding back in 2012 which I find to be inspirational for my students who feel lost, confused, restless, worried, and who want to make a positive contribution to the world but haven’t a clue what to do or if it’s even possible. If you Google Matt Harding’s history, you’ll get this:
Matt is a 35-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. Matt achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he’d saved to wander around Asia until it ran out. He made this site so he could keep his family and friends updated about where he is. A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt an idea. They were standing around taking pictures in Hanoi, and his friend said “Hey, why don’t you stand over there and do that dance. I’ll record it.” He was referring to a particular dance Matt does. It’s actually the only dance Matt does. He does it badly. Anyway, this turned out to be a very good idea.
You’re welcome to Google the rest of Matt’s story, but in a nutshell, from doing what he did and from traveling and dancing and working with others, Matt figured out that maybe, maybe if we learned the dance steps of others instead of forcing our dance steps on them, and if we danced together (I trust you’re catching this rather long metaphor), it just might make the world a little smaller and a little better. His 2012 video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=26&v=Pwe-pA6TaZk has over 18 million hits, which means there’s a good chance you’ve already seen it. And there are comments like, “I cannot help but think that if more of us danced together, the world would be a better place.” and “If I could send 1 video to space for extraterrestrial life to find, i want it to be this.”
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