Task 1d

I know I have skipped a task but I will come back to it! I just need a little help with the video from my brother, I did say I wasn't very techno-logic!

I have managed to upload some photographs of me working at Disneyland Paris using photobucket.

Here you can see an interaction with me and a child. This was a very important part of my job, I had to create a magical atmosphere for the children and have a good connection with them. This was very helpful as I can use my experiences and put them into my teaching.

Involving the whole family was very important too! I will be involving the students' parents and family when teaching by inviting them to shows to see the students' progress in dance and drama.

Being identical to the character that the children had imagined was the most important and hardest duty of all!

Task 1b

As soon as I began reading the Reader, I felt a little apprehensive as I am not really very good at this technology thing. However, as I began to read further I realised that actually most performers and teachers use Web 2.0 to help develop their careers. I realise that this course is not only going to develop my thinking as a performer/teacher but also help me with technology too. I plan to open my own performing arts school, for this to be sucessful and popular it means I am going to have to update my knowledge online, for example; most performing arts schools have their own websites- I had a look at a few sites and found that using a website is a very good way of publicising a business. Schools have written information about the classes they offer, the age range that they teach, timetables of classes, information on private classes, contact details and prices. Some even have videos and a photo gallery on them! Making and maintaning a website is obviously something all teachers should do. It advertises and publicises your business.
My thoughts then went onto sites like facebook, youtube and twitter. These are easily accessible sites for everyone. Therefore, anyone can type your name into it and find you, this means keeping your facebook page and youtube channel professional and clean. There would be nothing worse than a director searching your name on facebook to get some information on you and there is a photograph of you from the night before!

We can all use Web 2.0 for professional use and I think it is a very helpful and quick method of communicating with other professionals. However, as Web 2.0 has its pros, I agree with some that it does have its cons. A main concern for me is that I was using Web 2.0 at the age of 12 without even realising. I had a Bebo account and a Myspace account. This is a scary thought that children are using social networking sites to talk to their friends, however, could be talking to someone they do not even know! It is very easy to set up a facebook account and more children are doing so everyday. As I said anyone could type in a name and it could be anyone that appears on the search page, even a child who is using Web 2.0 innocently.

Overall, I think Web 2.0 is great for developing careers and getting into contact with other professionals however, it is concerning that children can access it so easily!

Sucess within teaching

'The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If it comes at all it will come because it is deserved, not because it is sought after.'
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, 1807-1882

 

The beginning sentence of this quotation definitely stimulated my thinking. I came across it online when looking for books of poems to help the children I teach with their self belief. When teaching young adolescents I find that many of them say "I can't" when they find something difficult. This is a way of reassuring themselves that because they have tried and not picked something up straight away, they have given up. However, they have not necessarily tried their best. I realise that to be successful is not always to be the best of the best but to do the best that you can do. This will fulfill you and make you proud of what you have achieved not what you haven't managed to achieve.

'They can because they think they can.'

Virgil, Roman poet, 70-19 BC

I remember when I was studying dance and drama, if I didn't get a routine or acting method straight away, I would say to myself "why can that girl do it and I can't?" The problem is in the question, I said "I can't". The girl who picked up the dance quicker than me was saying to herself "I can". Whilst asking questions to themselves, children do not realise they could sometimes be putting themselves down and lowering their self esteems so they make it impossible for themselves to strive for what they could easily achieve with motivation and hard work. They are defeated before they attempt. As a teacher, I need to help them work around that fear of "I can't" and guide them towards "I can". At the moment I am trying a style of teaching called 'Individual' teaching, this is when the teacher determines the content and the student plans the programme, for example; I give the children a piece of music and I leave them to their own devices to choreograph a routine. I think this helps the children to develop their confidence levels, they feel like they have achieved something and leave the class having learnt something about dance and themselves. Alternatively, I may use the 'Learner initiated' style when the student plans their own programme and the teacher advises them. Using this method I can guide them with ideas, give them a head start and help them to finish their project.

http://www.sports-media.org/sportapolisnewsletter23newlook.htm- I found this website very useful for teaching methods so people may like to use this.

Task 1a

As I took a look at my CV today, I could see that there are many things it is lacking. Professional work at the moment is difficult for a graduate but when the majority of credits on a CV are from college, it seems we have to pick and choose what we want to put on our CV, carefully. I realised that when I am applying for a job or audition, I alter my CV to that specific application, for example; if I am submitting it for a free lance teaching job, I am likely to put most of my teaching work on there whereas with a Cruise ship audition, I would use all my dance experience to pad it out and minus the teaching experience. A CV is a professional representation of who you are and what you are selling yourself as. I realise, after taking a long look, that a CV is showing to the industry how you want to be portrayed, therefore it is important to get it right. It is not a process to be rushed if it is to be taken seriously. I like to see my curriculam vitae as a 'work in progress'.
The challege here was using the information from my CV to sound professional in my profile, however, a profile is a more personal approach of portraying 'you'. There is a fine line between enticing the reader, holding their interest and repelling them. Again, referring to before, even with a profile we are still publicising ourselves on the internet so we must pick and choose again what we want people to read about us.
This is a task I will be working on throughout my career, changing my CV to suit each purpose to get the best possible results.

My first insight to the world of 'Blogging'

This is my first blog that I have ever written and to be honest, the whole thing seems a little daunting. I would like to think that I am soon to become a techno, blogging wizz! However, it isn't the creating a blog I find scary.. It is what to write in the blog! Do I use this for personal study and notes or for formal use? Who to follow and what to read about? So many questions, but I suppose only time and practice will tell..