Name Search...

Whilst thinking about my critical reflection and looking back on what I have learnt within the module, I considered the use of professional profiles online and how that can interfere with the ethics of the career I would like to pursue.

 

Currently I am teaching and have been for several years now but it isn't until now that I have considered the ethical issues that may affect me in the future.  This is an important time to really think about what obstacles could affect me and my future practice.

 

I decided to search my name in Google and see what results it would have.  The one advantage I have is the rarity of my name.   

My name search

Majority of the searches that came up were for a designer of the same name.  Along with this came my twitter profile and my linked in profile and a professional picture.  The only one which would unsettle me is my twitter account as I only use this on a social level and it could be seen as unprofessional if you were to look back at past posts.  What I decided was best to do was to change my privacy settings so that my tweets would no longer be available to view.

 

Whilst this still means that my account pops up through a search, it now ensures that only my accepted followers on my account are able to see my tweets and they are no longer visible through a search. 

Task 3d: Critical Questions and Issues

 • Do some very specific ideas emerge about your networking and sources? 

Looking into the world of networking has made me realise the amount of networking which already exists within my professional practice.  The level in which I currently network however, is not as high as when I was in the performing world.  I think this is certainly a very important part of performing which I have previously touched on.  I can image that as I progress further into this course, it may become beneficial for my learning to expand my professional networks.  This will also help me in the future to connect with like-minded individuals who may have more insight into the profession in which I would like to progress into.

• Are your ideas, position or concerns shared by others within and/or beyond your professional area of work? 

The majority of my friends are within a similar field to myself and as they get older, like myself, they are starting to look into alternative career choices.  This is especially true when it comes to performing which unfortunately can be seen as a short-lived career.  As a community of mutual friends, we have always supported each other and provided forms of networking when it is required or suitable for the individual.  This is mirrored from the views of Robert Axelrod as the 'tit for tat' scenario with the theory of cooperation.

 • Does sharing ideas and communicating with others shift your thinking, planning or practice?  

I would say that in general my thinking is not particularly focused and I change decisions frequently.  Although this can have negative effects, this allows me to explore options and decide the most practical and realistic outcome that is appropriate for myself.  Therefore, sharing ideas and maintaining regular communication with others helps me to expand my already existing knowledge to very often have an effect on my thinking, planning and practice.  This is certainly a valuable learning process for myself to progress in the future. This brings along the idea of social constructionism.

• Does critical reflection help you decide what really matters and the actions to take? 

As someone who tends to not make spontaneous decisions, the use of reflection has become an important part of my learning.  Reflection has enabled me to look at what works, and what doesn't.  This in turn gives me ideas of how to rectify a situation which is not having a positive effect.

My journal has been a way of helping me decide what matters and what actions to take within future sessions.  This is not always apparent but is certainly a useful tool to help me reflect.  


• To what extent do concepts and theories assist you in thinking about your professional networking in different ways? 

The theories that I looked in to are all present within my thinking.  Some of these have a more prominent effect on my networking whilst others seem to be dependent on the situation.  Now that I can identify these theories and how they can be used within networking I can apply them in different ways in order to achieve the outcomes that these theories predict.  

 • Are you left thinking differently prior to this part of the module? 

My thinking has not drastically changed from this part of the module but it has highlighted what I was already aware of in terms of networking.  I think this awareness is important and without this I wouldn't have the same understanding as I do now.

Part of this learning has emerged from the engagement of the whole experience of understanding the idea of networking.  I am 'turning experience into learning'(Boud et al,1995).  

Task 3b: Theories relating to networking

The concepts detailed in Reader 3 (Middlesex University, 2014), were not something I was aware of but have come across in my professional practise.  Looking into these has made me think how I have used these within my current networking and how they can apply to my future networking.


Concepts of the Professional Network

Cooperation

Cooperation and Game Theory were at first quite hard aspects for me to absorb.  Although the idea of cooperation is certainly one in which I come across in my everyday life, the depth in which it can be used as a strategy were not familiar to me.  

Axelrod, a researcher into the concept of cooperation, asked the question 'Should a friend keep providing favors to another friend who never reciprocates'. (Axelrod, 1984) (1).  

I cant say that I have come across this situation, but I am aware that this does happen in the performing world.  The knowledge of an audition can be like gold dust.  If only a limited amount of people know the details of an upcoming audition, then you are essentially giving yourself less competition and therefore a better chance of being noticed.  I have a very close group of friends and within this network in the past we would share information on upcoming auditions that we had the knowledge of.  This was a 'tit for tat' strategy of cooperation which we all used.  

Axelrod realised that this was a common approach after setting up players in games of the Prisoner's Dilemma.  I tried the game for myself using a variety of strategies to see the effect, and sure enough the mutual use of cooperation seemed to be very effective.      

Cooperation could be a useful networking tool to enable an exchange in information to help open new doors.  I don't like to think of this as a tactic or strategy but more of a mutual form of help and direction.

Affiliation

I have certainly used the concept of affiliation within my practice and can now identify that this is a common way to create new networks. 

The world of performing and teaching is very social.  You are constantly surrounded by people and some of those you naturally affiliate with, possibly because you have mutual interests or even to relieve a situation in knowing you have someone to talk to. 

It is only with a growing confidence and consistency of being exposed into social situations that I have found the use of affiliation to be that of a common one. 

Affiliation can be a provider of a 'network of support that will help us when we are in need'. (Crisp & Turner, 2007)(2)  This can be seen as just one of the desires to create such an affiliation with individuals.


Social Constructionism

The idea of constructionism is that by use of networking and interaction with others we can 'construct' meanings.  We do not discover these meanings but by sharing experiences  and knowledge we can create our own understanding of the world.

Michael Crotty looked at writers who pointed out that within the world an 'actual meaning emerges only when the consciousness engages with them' (Crotty,M 2005)(3).  In this sense relating to networking it is the conscious effort to socialise with others that will create a meaning to be understood.

It is by the way that we 'engage' with the world that constructs these meanings according to the theory of constructionism.

I find this theory particularly hard to grasp and although I can see links to the idea of networking, I am still unsure as to how relevant it may be for me, especially in terms of progressing.  Surely if you are networking, then the idea of constructionism is an unconscious result of that?


Connectivism

Networking to me is all about a way of connecting to learn.  Connectivism is the theory of this and suggests how we can use the knowledge we have gained from connections based on the knowledge that we already have.

'Within social networks, hubs are well-connected people who are able to foster and maintain knowledge flow' (Siemans,G 2004) (4)

As previously mentioned one form of networking that I have used has been Facebook groups.  One group in particular is described as the 'Dance Teachers Hub', and this group allows a variety of dance teachers of different organisations, backgrounds and styles to constantly add and supply knowledge to each other.

'The starting point of connectivism is the individual. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual. This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed.'  (Siemans,G 2004)

Everyone has their own level of knowledge which almost works as an ever-growing pool of information.  The networking formats that I currently use allow me to stay fresh and updated with relevant information in order to deliver a sound  level of practice. 


Communities of Practice

'A community of practice is a set of relations among persons, activity, and world, over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping communities of practice.  A community of practice is an intrinsic condition for the existence of knowledge...' (Lave, Jean and Wenger, Etienne, 1991)(5)

In terms of networking this is one of my most preferred methods of learning.  I would describe one type of community I belong to as a practical engagement with others.  As a dancer and teacher I have spent most of my educated life as a practical learner.  This in turn has become a poular way for me to network.

Myself and a group of dancers who are still working along with others who are now teaching have a regular dance class set up by a previous colleague I have worked with.  This type of community allows us to share choreographic ideas, information on auditions and possible cover for teaching classes.  Without this community of practice, we would have one less form of networking.

REFERENCES

1. Axelrod,R (1984) The Evolution of Cooperation. Preface. London: Penguin 

2. Crisp,J & Turner,R (2007) Essential Social Psychology (2nd Ed). Affiliation and Attraction. London: Sage 

3. Crotty,M (2005) The Foundations of Social Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process. Constructionism: the making of meaning. London: Sage

4. Siemans,G (2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theaory for the Digital Age
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm (Accessed 2 December 2014)

5. Lave, Jean and Wenger, Etienne (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Chapter 4: Legitimate peripheral participation in communities of practice. Cambridge University Press

Task 3c: Sources of Information

Information can be found everywhere.  Yes the internet and Web 2.0 is now a big pool to source information from but do we sometimes forget that we can use each other for information?  I decided to look into the benefits of the varied sources of information I use for my professional practise...

Websites

I love google!  If I have a question that I don't know the answer to, I am more than likely to google it.  With sites like Wikipedia, we have information at our finger tips.  I have very often used this to support my teaching, for example if I can't remember the definition of a ballet term or if I need to get words for a song I am planning on doing.  In the same way I use the web to search for inspiration.  If I am struggling to devise a themed session plan then I use a teachers site where others post their session plans to help others.

Books/Articles

Since joining the world of blogging I have been reading more articles.  Some of which have given me ideas for dance classes, particularly those that improve the technique or flexibility of dancers.  Although I would say I have a sound knowledge of appropriate exercises, what works for one, may not work for the other so it is always useful to have other ideas. 

Books have been very vital to the teaching I do in dance schools.  The syllabus of ISTD has changed several times since I did my training at college.  Because of this, the use of syllabus books have been my bible to learn new exercises.

Facebook

As previously mentioned in tasks I have joined several 'teaching' groups on facebook.  These forms of communication provide a great location for other teachers to share their knowledge and to learn new things.  These have proved a great source of information for finding new pieces of music or themes to suit a new piece of choreography.

Face to Face

An obvious choice to find out information about something is to speak to someone face to face.  This has been an important part of working in a professional environment when there is important information you may need to know.  Within my practice in schools I have found that unless you ask fellow teaching members, you will never be told all the information which should be vital to teaching in a school environment.  This is an on going form of communication I use to find out information about students which may aid my teaching methods and to also give feedback to teachers about student progress.

Visual

You tube has provided some great videos for me to learn new positions, movements and styles of dance.  I was recently asked to deliver African dance for a term and so the use of you tube helped me to understand the style and to also as a visual aid for the students to see some traditional dance.  Pictures have also helped when organising costumes for a particular era, just a quick click on google and there you have an array of images to show the style of clothing you need.

I am currently working on a Bugsy Malone themed medley for an upcoming show so put together the document below with varied images to inspire costume, style and movement ideas.  The sources of these images came from a simple google image search using a variety of search words to gather images of interest.

A compilation of images to inspire me

Information will always be essential for the line of work I am progressing towards, and what a great way to learn.  I find that varied sources and styles of information can create different ideas and manifest exciting inspiration that will hopefully inspire others in the same way.

 

Task 3a: Current Networks

When I originally considered the use of networking, I didn't feel like it was a huge part of my professional practice.  As I thought back on the progression of my career (which has been very varied) I actually realised that without networking I probably wouldn't have discovered so many spectrum's to the industry I have been associated with.

I have considered the following questions...

• What are the current and different ways (tools) that you have, or do, engage your professional network?

Diagram showing my current networking tools



I put together this diagram as a visual aid to show the range of different tools I currently use.  Previously as a performer I very often used tools that would act as a network for auditions.  These sites have now become extremely popular and are now in the position where they are making money from subscriptions as opposed to free roaming and the use of setting up your own online CV.

 

Since making the transition into teaching I have found other ways to network which in some cases has led me into employment.  Without the use of these tools I would have not found employment so accessible. 

 

All these tools work in different ways and vary in their professional status.  Sites such as 'linked in' and blogs may be seen as a more professional way to network.  However, I have several Facebook groups to which like-minded dance teachers input posts to find teachers and to even ask for advice.

 

I feel that networking is no longer a professional tool and can now be used as just a simple text from friend to friend, or even a Facebook message through a mutual contact.  I have used different variations of all of these tools and even the more casual of them has been effective in one way or another.

 

 • Are there methods, approaches and technologies that you use socially that might apply and help you develop your professional networking?

 

I have recently joined a teaching agency which I actually connected with through Linked In.  I wanted the opportunity to gain a more varied experience in schools so decided that by joining an established agency I can network whilst working in schools as I continue on this course.  Through this style of work I hope I can develop my professional networking and set myself up for when I have finished my degree. 

 

I have also been using, and will continue to, communicate to mutual friends via Facebook, email and personal meetings.  These professionals are already established within education in similar or the same fields as what I am interested in progressing into.  So far their knowledge has led me to taking on this degree and considering my options for the future.

 

 

 • When you reflect upon current networks, can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purpose they have in mind?

 

I think anyone who uses networking as a tool is very wise.  There is nothing to lose by communicating with others, especially others who may have an insight or more experience to offer you.  Recently I was in this situation where someone contacted me on Facebook after seeing a post I put on a dance teachers hub group.  This fellow teacher was asking my advise on the degree I am taking and what it involves.

 

I believe that networking is an important tool to use to gain possible contacts for job opportunities.  This has been a very valuable way for me to gain varied work and maintain a relationship with others that I may need to return the favour too.  Luckily I have a large circle of friends who teach which has been helpful to many of us at times to locate someone who is suitable and available to cover classes.

 • What would your ideal network look like and why?  What realistic things could you do to work towards developing your ideal network?

For now the networking I use is suitable for what I need and I have recently been very aware of the fact I have take on this degree and so need to allow free time to focus on that.  I have always been luckily in that I have always managed to fill up my days sufficiently with enough work to gain experience and earn a regular amount. 

 

As I continue in this process I know I will need to expand my current networks and branch out further into education.  At the moment all my experience in teaching has been in Primary Schools and Dance Schools.  To get to where I would like to be, I will eventually need to develop into Secondary education and use a different network of teachers.  

 

I have recently registered myself on the following website http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching to look into options for the future and was sent an email with details on a 'Train to Teach Roadshow'.  Events like these can be a valuable way to network with already established professionals and get an insight into what this line of work involves.

 

'Get into teaching' website

 

    

 • What tools and methods do you need to use? What do you know about your current, and intended networks, and importantly, what do you not know?

I think for the future that I need to stay on top of my current networks and keep online profiles and CVs up to date.  Although I have set up my own Linked In profile I haven't really used this in terms of networking so think this would be a useful tool to help develop new circles of professionals.