Web Savvy

As I start to wrap up this class and reflect on my blog posts I realize that I used my blog as a journal. Some of my comments were more personal writings and thoughts, rather than trying to answering questions correctly. But I did find that in this class that the blogs were a little unorganized because some people were only apart of one delicious account and others were part of another which was a technical difficulty. This technical difficulty was distracting while trying to stay cohesive with the whole class. In my other online class we used webinars and personal talk so we could hear the professor talk. I like podcasts too because it gives another way to learn. Not just by reading, but by listening to a voice. Listening to a voice helped me synthesize information which I would like to see in classes like this be used more as part of participation. Overall, I think technology is a great tool, but some might argue it is taking away from the arts of real reading and literature... what do you think?

Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivation

What is the nature of interest? Where does an intrinsic desire come from? Does it appear magically one morning with the sunrise? What are your passions? What was the catalyst for your choice of major in college? Did you arrive knowing what you wanted to study and to be "when you grew up?" What about your leisure activities? How did you aquire those? Can you think of one thing you love to do that is disconnected from anything else?

The nature of interest comes from what we value in our personal lives and our experiences growing up. What did our parents believe in? Did I change my views or they same as my parents? As I grew older and in highschool I started to change my perseptions about certain things that differed from my mom (which was my caregiver). I started to think and challenge my own thinking. I would scaffold on subjects I learned and experienced I lived to build a opinion on it. My intrinsic motivation that was internal for my learning goals came from my past experiences. For example in school, I hated french class, but through extrinsic motivation like getting a good grade and getting participation points I started to believe I was good in french instead of thinking I hated it and I just couln't get it. I became interested after a certain period of extrinsic motivation which was connected with intrinsic motivation.

Interests in college and what I wanted to study was based on where I grew up and what schools that most of the students went to. My choice of study I choose based on interest which was politics. The tasks in college like my papers, presentations, and so forth were always valued. Because I paid for my own college, I had a choice to be interested in what I was studying or I could choose not to go. My task engagement and how I valued the task was intrinsically related to my grade in the class. As for graduate school, it is all about interest. Education and teaching is my passion. My passion for learning more than a test, but to learn about children and families in the community.

For leisure activities, I love to exercise. I love to be active because I was an ice skater all throughout my life.The intensity of the sport and physical side of it is what I loved, so my interest has carried on off the ice. I run, do yoga, bike, climb mountains, snow board. The physically challenging aspects of those activities is what I love and the motivation to be fit and in shape evolved from skating.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation I think are best used side by side or in a stages, because to get a student, athlete, teacher motivated they have to see the " what is in it for me" part of the game of life. How they value the task and their interest is vital and Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be used to promote interests.

goals

As I read Alderman the theories of motivation are all starting to run together and overlap. Because if one element of motivation lacks the rest are effected. Self- worth, attributes, self efficacy, and goals are interelated. Goals are important for anyone in any profession, sport, family, school exc... because it is the essence of making things better. Big goals are always followed by small goals. The steps it takes to get to one place to another and then finally the big place, the distant GOAL. I was a very luck child growing up in the world of figure skating. I was competitive on the national level and setting goals were always part of my daily workout... it wasn't the physical workout that tired me at the end of the day, it was my goal setting. Thinking about breaking down and synthesizing the big goal to come up with smaller ones was a challenge. Because I always wanted it all! It is challenging to work backwards from the ultimate goal back to what I was going to do tomorrow in training that would help get to the distant goal. Self efficacy and self worth were important because if I didn't believe I could reach my weekly monthly goal, my performance and training were effected because in the end.. it is your mind... and what you believe in!!! The hardest thing I had to learn is to believe in myself:) once I did that goals were accomplished, not without challenge, and I saw progress and attributed my task accomplishments to success... it only took my 15 years to do that.

Negative or Positive Thinking

Some claim that “negative messages have an even greater influence on lowering efficacy expectations than positive messages do on increasing efficacy.” Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree that negative messages have a greater influence on lowering efficacy. I believe it has greater impact because if you look at Alderman on pg. 72 the most important to self efficacy is Task Accomplishment. If the task is not completed then vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states become negative. Then the person who has failed the task startes to doubt there ability and effort can be compromised. If the task is complete then the sources are positive which improves self efficacy then the person can believe there ability is strong. failing has a bigger impact because it distrupts effort and self worth. Self worth is important in any thing and efficacy is very important in sports. Think about learning goal and performance goal and competitive sports. sports pyschology is interesting to think about when referring to failing or winning.

motivated or unmotivated

I am trying to sit here and read until my head comes off for these online courses I am taking this summer. And all I have to say, it is testing my own motivation and my ability to stay focused. It is hard when teachers (professors) aren't there to facilitate the discussion and motivate me to deeper thought.... ahhh my own self efficacy and the perspection of my own ability is fading after 5 hours in one place:)

inner city and motivation

This article is an in depth analysis of the predictors of achievement and motivation of inner city children. It is a study around the self efficiency theory and early childhood education http://www.jstor.org/stable/20152704

Member Project is headed up by Geoffery Canada, and I have been looking at his commericals. He really relates to inner city life and there is a way to make a difference and have the ability and effort to do so. It is more effort and the learning goal he is talking about and not performance. He says "change one block at a time" . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMZb-9EKbbY