Hello there fellow METers! My name is Jen; I’m a crazy American who is currently in London attempting to find a home to stay in for this term. (Hence my delay in posting… I left the morning this class opened and have had spotty connection since!)
This is my 7th (or 8th, depending on how you look at it) MET course. (I am also enrolled in ETEC 522 this semester.) I started the MET program last September and have been enjoying my time here immensely! Outside of school, I am a Lego Engineering Instructor. (Yes, this is a real job, and yes, it is as amazing as it sounds.) I get to teach children engineering/physics concepts through play. We have a great time!
Other than school and work, most of my time is spent creating. Whether I am on stage, filming, shooting (both in front of and behind the camera), or editing, I am always most comfortable, productive, and happy when I have a creative project to work on. Last semester, I chose to focus research on fandom (a collective appreciation for a particular piece of media/performer represented by various forms of expression) and its possibilities in education. I am very proud of my work in this realm, especially since it is a personal passion of mine.
I have been able to meet, connect and develop both relationships and new media texts through my exploration of fandom. It is a truly fascinating social phenomenon with varied implications on the creation, and policing, of both existing and new media texts. I have included the picture above to represent a small branch of the fandom tree that has come under quite a bit of controversy in the world of copyright and free expression: fanfiction. Fanfiction is an area of expression that I have been narrowing a focus down to in my exploration of the educational benefits of fandom. I hope to continue my research with the goal of reaching reluctant writers and promoting the advancement and development of overall literacy.
Hi Jen,
Hope that you are enjoying your studies both on-line and in England. I was fortunate enough to have a 22 hour stopover in London this summer, and can sympathize with your troubles finding a place to stay – it is difficult to find any place in London, period – but at least they all speak English! If you are a fan of the stage, I’d love to hear what you think of Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe (or even the dramatic reading of Taming of a Shrew if you were lucky to catch it). Also, if there is any Lego Engineering courses on 17th century playhouses needing an instructor, please let me know, and I will happily e-mail you my résumé. What a cool career in education you have got!
Looking forward to seeing more from you here and in the discussion forum,
Kyle
Hi, Jen.
What a cool job/career! I may seek you out one of these days… I may be doing a module with my 7/8 class on computer programming and robotics that uses (I think) Lego Mindstorms and Alice.
Hi again,
The owner of an after-school centre where I work just recently got his license to operate a software design studio, and was asking me about programs that could expand Language Arts and Socials education on-line. He is also interested in developing application involving Lego. I remembered this post on your job as a Lego Engineer, and hopefully you can let me know who to get in touch with to develop/make use of Lego brand for educational purposes. The idea I am cooking up is called the Lego Chamberlain’s Men, and it would be a virtual learning environment similar to the Lego Batman/Harry Potter video games, except for exploring Shakespeare plays. By posting this message, I have virtually copyrighted the idea, and I’d love to get your feedback on the next step to developing this educational software.
All the best,
Kyle Stooshnov