Day 2 - SETTING UP AND EXPLORING FURTHER...



MICHELLE:

After a good breakfast we worked a little on the blog and podcast set up.  We ran a dummy talanoa about our purpose behind this trip and what we hoped to take back to our schools.  We practiced recording, listening back to see if the structure of discussion was sharp, to the point - holding interest.  The blog is set up and profiles added...now all we need is a picture. We discussed how were are going to post the podcasts, when we were going to post them, how we would link them to the blog.  There's a lot more to it than just record and post, we need to work on our editing skills.

We took a break from set up to head to Universal Studios (can't come to LA and not do a theme park!).  By about the 3rd ride, motion sickness set in so I pretty much spent the rest of our time there "people watching" with Nardi while Mary covered every inch of the park.  I was in awe of the studio tour and how clever film makers are at using a variety of sets and effects to make movies look so real.  The themed areas were incredible...almost unfathomable especially the Harry Potter area and Hogwarts.  Just Wow!

We decided on a quick dinner in a Mexican cafe on the way home, it was delicious and reasonably priced.

I spent a lot of time thinking about the culture of this place and the influence of America as a leading western nation.  What I noticed while people watching today was that there was next to no Native American and very few African Americans at the park as tourists.  Most were pakeha.  I wondered why?  Is it a place not valued by Native or African American people?  Is cost of entry a factor?  Maybe it's just because it wasn't school holidays when we were there?  There were no themed areas or reference to culture in terms of indigenous peoples - not in displays, language or environment.  

It's been a very full day so will definitely sleep well tonight.  Heading up to Phoenix tomorrow so early start in the morning.

MARY:

Universal studios were clean and welcoming.

Interesting as soon as you walk out it is a different world. It doesn't look clean and isn't welcoming.


Principals work in an environment where young people are, do they want to be young? Although we love tamariki, do we really work in this space because children are pure, vulnerable, precious, unforgiving, tough etc. is this something we missed out on and or unconsciously want or need to be around this energy?


Spent the rest of the day thinking about the foundations of our podcast for the audience we are trying to capture


The following statements are my thinkings in its raw form


Creating an podcast has been challenging and a bigger job than I anticipated- I am enjoying it as I sit comfortable

in this space or I would get bored


Creating a pod has made me think!!!


Establishing a

  • Kaupapa- conversation or interview?

  • Kaupapa- ummm, nodding, etiquette, I can hear myself do this a lot

  • Kaupapa- 1 topic at a time. I (We) tend to do this a lot.

  • Kaupapa- not longer than 30 minutes 

  • Kaupapa- not over talking the person I (we) are talking to

  • Setting up a sound. Picking up on the right music for the audience

This has made me think about who Principals are. What sounds would draw them? Music that can capture a

wide audience. Young, old, range of ethnic groups, values and beliefs.

  • Voice recording and editing really takes some work


Progressive country- I have found that this country has thought about everything- nice to sit back and enjoy a country as a change to (my personal feeling) that there is a problem and I can think of some solutions. Is that a teachers mind set?

NARDI:

Today I started my personal learning journey about podcasting.  The digital world does not excite me like a good game of basketball or some form of competitive game but I view digital learning as a necessity to stay abreast of our students and the ever changing world.  I genuinely thought to podcast it only involved talking into a microphone, pushing a button and then walla . . . there it is.  How hard can it be right!!! How naive I was!  Intro music, voice overs, Outro music.  ideal length of time, editing, conversation vs interview,  etc etc.  You digital natives out there, be kind and patient to those of us who prefer to be outdoors walking trails, diving for kaimoana and actively being involved in the world of sports.

Prices have certainly increased post-covid especially once you do the exchange rate (NZD$1.00 to USD$0.58).  I have particularly noticed it in food.  I bought a Mexican Salad dish with a drink for lunch from a takeaway type shop (not a sit down restaurant) and it cost USD$18.92 (NZD$31.00).  A Starbucks grande coffee is USD$7.99 plus tax (NZD$13.71 plus tax).   Not good for those of us who enjoy a good daily caffeine fix or two.

Universal Studios never ceases to amaze me.  There are so many facets to the movie world and once finding ones niche' to contribute to the end product it must be pretty exciting.    I do wonder . . . How many schools still value the Performing Arts and genuinely give it the time and energy it deserves to bring out the creative mind and flow?  I wonder how many Taika Waititi's, Jan  Campion's and Peter Jackson's are sitting in our classrooms waiting for an opportunity to do their thing?  And lets not forget the costume designers, make up artists, editors, musicians, cinematographers, prop designers etc etc.  

Looking forward to hearing the stories and view points of others as embark on our journey.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAY 8 - VEGAS REST DAY...

Image
MICHELLE To start the day today, Nardi and I drove out to the Hoover Dam to see the sights.  It is awe-inspiring in terms of its size and feats in engineering.  Like everything here it is BIG and in reading the messaging and history plaques around the walkways it was interesting to read about those who were the big thinkers and drivers to build this massive structure.  One thing that both Nardi and I questioned was the lack of mention of the people of this land.  Was there any consultation with the indigenous in the development of this place?  Why are there only white men acknowledged in its creation?  Whose eyes was this story told?  What other stories could there be? On returning to the hotel, I spent the day working on updating my posts and listening to recordings to reflect on the messages and stories we had heard so far.   In the evening we went for a stroll along the strip, caught the tram to other hotels and looked around...still not c...
Read more

DAY 11: CONFERENCE - CULTURAL CAMP DAY

Image
  We woke up to a temperature of 1 degree and sleet.  Made our way to Saskatoon University for the Cultural Camp day.  While walking to campus we called in to the local elementary school and had a chat with the Principal Shari .... Shari is in her first year of Principalship.  She is excited to be in the position and is happy in her school.  She told us that principals in Saskatoon get moved around every 3-5 years so they don't stay in schools for long periods of time.  I know that New Zealand used to do something similar with teachers back in the day, where they were placed in schools and moved around - giving them experience in different areas, particularly rural schools.  I wonder if this would work now in NZ?  It would only be successful if all rural schools had housing and they weren't necessarily teaching/principal roles. The cultural camp was a great experience despite the sleet and freezing wind.  There would have been between 80-100 ...
Read more

DAY 6 - MONUMENT VALLEY TO FLAGSTAFF...travel day

Image
After rising to the glorious views of Monument Valley this morning we spent the day on the road to Flagstaff.  On our way we detoured to Chinle on the Navajo reservation to have a korero with Michelle Woody a teacher at Chinle Elementary School.  She teaches reading in grades 5&6.  It was interesting learning about what teachers teach at this level and how they teach it.  I had many questions about the 'standards' which they tested every two weeks and the curriculum.  My wonderings were about how the curriculum and the standards fit together...were they teaching to the test or to the curriculum.  With the many sites and documents she shared I was astounded by the amount of admin work that she did to monitor student's progress and check and recheck standards.  Michelle and her team had an obvious passion for the progress of the children they teach and listening to her speak about her students she obviously knew them and their families very well....
Read more