If you didn't make Campus Session 2 - Read this. Notes & Reflection

After reviewing my notes from Adesola’s great last campus session I compiled my thoughts below to clarify in my own head but in case they were useful to others also.

We covered:

Learning through mistakes

Seeing familiar as unfamiliar

Looking at things differently

Action of doing it is more important than context

Notice when I'm learning/my own noticing’s

If you have not yet visited Aicha's blog i suggest you do as she has done an excellent job of capturing the days teachings/learnings and of corse Adesola's. 

For me the whole session was explaining and opening our eyes to the fact that information is only meaningful once you apply it to an experience.

Experience without noticing it will be wasted and never turn to knowledge. This is the point that Kobe discusses; “At what point do you start noticing experiences”.

Knowledge is just a current opinion / belief, you must open yourself up to new information/experiences and consider them to form new opinions, deepen your knowledge.

I'm very task orientated. So was falling into the trap of trying to make my site the best and visit and comment on the most blogs possible. After this last session though I realised that “sometimes the activity/process is more useful than the story/content” – Quoted from Adesola

The experiences we are currently having, is the setting up and the use of the various web 2.0 platforms. However the work we will get marked on, is the thinking part, reflection, noticing this process.

Campus session 18/10/11 - Viewing the familiar as unfamiliar

Hey guys

Well the last campus session was very enlightening again. 

We took part in a number of different exercises to illustrate different parts of this next task from Module 1. 

As we took part in each activity we were asked to look at (observe) what we had just done, to think about (notice) it and finally to evaluate it (reflect).

An example of this for me was a game where if we failed at the task we had to clap and jump up and down. It was not until afterwards when thinking about Observe, Notice and Reflect that i realised that i really have a problem with failing. 

I internally observed the game we had just played, noticed that i felt uncomfortable with the celebrating when we messed up and reflected. Leading me to a greater understanding of myself. I do not feel it is OK to fail, and definitely do not believe that it is something that should be celebrated.

What to do with this? - We all know that making mistakes is another very valuable way of learning. Indeed some say that you learn more from your mistakes than from you successes. So the feelings of mistakes not being OK could be quite an inhibiting belief to harbour. 

How to use this? - Now I am aware of it I can put an action plan in place to start over riding these feelings. 

What's my action plan? - Not sure yet...but I'll get back to you.

Our final task was to split into groups and attempt to illustrate one of the many points we discussed throughout the course of the session.

Our amazing group decided to tackle the aspect of viewing the familiar as unfamiliar from the Cumpus session. We did this through a series of thought provoking photographs. As you look through them, please take a moment to register your feelings, thoughts and evaluation of the image. Then when you read my own views on it note any differences as this, in part, illustrates how what is obvious (familiar) to you can be un-noticed (unfamiliar) to someone else and visa versa.

I would also encourage you to look at the views of the other three members of my group Charlie Ballard, Hannah Kenneally-Muir and Rhonda Parker as theirs will undoubtedly be different again (visit them again if they have not yet had a chance to post). 

Picture number 1

The first picture is actually on Adessola Akinleye's Blog and involves the four of us sitting on a bench. 

Before reading the next paragraph (My thoughts on picture 1) have a look and think, what are they looking at then come back to read MY thoughts.

My thoughts on picture 1

On the bench I was looking at the stone work on the university buildings roof and the gorgeous blue sky being broken up into different in natural yet smooth shapes in-between the struts. All four of us on the same bench with the same view yet, i'm sure, very different experiences.

Picture number 2

What is this building, what does it mean to you, what do you think of, feel

My thoughts on picture 2

I see a beautiful old period property that looks like a setting for a presidential home or a dolls house. A bit stark and soulless, square and uninteresting.

Corinda Hall: Professional Communication Technoliogies Further ...

Hey guys

Just read a great post on Corinda's page. It contains some very interesting views and some further avenues to explore for your own education.

Corinda Hall: Professional Communication Technoliogies Further ...: I am familiar with some web 2.0 tools but since starting on the BAPP course I have learnt about Google Mail, Google Docs and Blogging. I w...

This Blog is thanks to Aicha and the help she gave me on the use of the little B bog at the bottom of each post (it does the above, try it out to share great points others have posted). This is the power of the network.

Thanks for taking the time to share your learnings by post this Corinda

Stay safe - Phil

Task 1d Images

If anyone can help with advice on uploading photos to actually showing on your Blog page like Emily Benchleys (have a look if you haven't yet as she has a great looking site)? Same with the Youtube clip.
Anyway below is the link to my new flicr account (a selection of photos over the last 10 years)

Phil Carroll Photos

I'll put some more on there later when i learn the ropes a bit more and can make them a bit flashier.
Any light you technical geniuses can provide on the above would be greatly appreciated (I'll buy you a drink next time i see you)
Stay safe - Phil

Task 1c: Audio-Visual

Hi Guys.

This is only my second ever upload to Youtube (the first being yesterday for a job audition) a testemony to the skills I'm learning on this course.

I wanted to do this all in one take, no cue cards, warts and all, simply on my iphone at home. The reason for this decision is partly as i do not yet know how to edit things, but primarily because i am a huge perfectionist which easily leads me to procrastinate and I felt it was of the utmost importance, with my intended career in professional speaking, that i get used to people seeing me as i am, with no frills and spills, and doing it in one take as i will have to do in a seminar or lecture.

I hope you enjoy

Phil Carroll - Starting out on BAPP

Stay safe - Phil

Professional Communications Technology (draft one)

I feel like I've just given birth

Please, as a suggestion, keep in mind as you read this if enough references have been given. Does the discussion hang together and flow or go off on tangents. Let me know your thoughts so i can re-work & improve it as a piece of work. 

Professional Communications Technology (draft one) 

Hope you enjoy (stay awake through) my thoughts. 
Please do take just a second and leave me yours. 
Any of you have similar views on the Reader 1 or think that everything i've said above is a pile of poo. Things can only get better with your help. I won't cry for long i promise.
Thanks for your time and i look forward to reading yours.


Stay safe - Phil

Hands up who else feels a little lost!

Just a little thought to those other souls feeling as lost as me.

It’s really quite frustrating just how much I get in my own way. I am taking this Task 1b by the horns and just getting “something” down. I will “then” reflect on it and improve it, rather than trying to do all these steps at the same time and produce the final polished article. I know that this is the whole concept  of BAPP, certainly of this first module, but a life time habit is hard to break. 

To any of you others out there worrying, second guessing yourselves, procrastinating, over analysing (anal-lysing), sweating over producing something that is anything other than “perfect” GET OVER YOURSELVES as the Australians say and just do something, start, go on (I’ll try and listen to my own advice). In the words of Doctor Pepper – WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN.

Alan hit the nail on the head (I would expect nothing else) the other day in his post titled Starting out on BAPP Arts - Confused? If you have not yet read it is a very reassuring Blog. At the end he says “At the core of all learning is the unknown.”

The unknown by very definition is out of your current circle of understanding, things you do not yet know. And the unknown is always scary. That is great though, because that journey into the unknown and what you learn/feel along the way is what this course is all about. Blog it, we are all in the same boat. You are most definitely not alone in any of your fears/ doubts, you can guarantee that many others are feeling exactly the same.

Just some thoughts that may help someone (to myself as much as anyone else). 

Campus Session Review - 4th Oct

Hi every one

I thought I would briefly discuss yesterdays Campus Session as I certainly found it very helpful and hope you will/did too.

Those of you that weren't able to make it, you were sadly missed but here’s a brief overview of the main stuff that was covered.

Firstly Allan went through the Module handbook pointing out in particular pages 7 and discussing how we would be assessed and that by comparing each of the tasks you complete against the Success criteria on pages 8 & 9 you can better reflect on their format, appropriateness and adjust them your self to better fit what is expected from us.

The rest of the day was spent on looking at Task 1b and the Reader 1 as an exercise.

We discussed in groups each of the different sections from the reader1, with 5 key points in mind. Alan also suggested that these same key points could be used for examining other pieces of writing too.

1-the principle concepts within the discourse (the core idea)

2-the names of key researchers/commentators/originators of the concepts (good to attribute work to persons with the idea)

3-practical examples of how you think the concepts apply in practice (where have you seen it done well or inspirationally)

4-arguments about the limitations of the concepts in practice (where are the down sides or dangers)

5-any further thoughts stimulated by the concepts (any relevant points I could share)

We sat in our groups and discussed the text for an hour then all came back together to present our findings and thought. I believe that Paula will be uploading brief videos covering the main points from each group.

Hope that is of some help to one or two of you.

Have a look to see if it sill helps you in either your first or re-draft of Task 1b. Certainly everybody that I spoke with afterwards found it very enlightening.

Great to meet all of you today and with some of you put a real person to the blog.

I hope to see you on the 18th

Keep Blogging and commenting.

Stay safe - Phil

Task 1a: Professional Profile (draft one)

I really struggled with this task as I was unsure of the style of writing to use, or the intended reader. In line with the required task I have rewritten my CV (which I previously posted on Google Docs), and hopefully improved upon its quality by choosing the style I felt most comfortable with and one I thought would best fit my Biog. 

I hope that it is now a passionate, personal and inspiring profile as opposed to the clinical, concise and factual document it currently is. 

Any feedback or opinions would be greatly appreciated and welcomed. Is it too long, conversational, does it achieve the above goals, how did you feel reading it. Please feel free to give me both barrels, don’t hold back, as things can only get better (I keep telling myself). Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this.

(I even figure out how to rename the link...i think...if it works that is).

Phil Carroll - Professional Profile (draft one)

(I checked it and it works - WOOHOO!)

My CV

Hope you all had a great weekend. Here's the link to my current CV

Phil Carroll - CV

The photo has gone funny as it was uploaded to Google Docs. If anyone knows how to rectify this, or has any other suggestions, opinions on the CV its self then please do let me know.

Keep on Blogging!!

Stay safe - Phil

Test Blog from my iPhone

If this works then I have to give a big shout of thanks to Kenneth for making me aware of this aps existence. If it doesn't work then... Kenneth is a swine... Only joking mate, and anyway if it doesn't work you will not read this. Ok here goes the moment of truth, I feel like the first cave man to use a bone as a tool.

Can anyone technical shine some light on this please...Anyone?!?

These symbols:

are at the bottom of each post but i wondered what "click here to publicly +1 this as Phil Carroll" means. Is it not already public being a Blog. Also the "F, T M" are relatively self explanatory but whats the purpose of the "B" again is this not already Blogged, and if clicked where does it "Blog this" to?