![]() Learning something completely new has it's ups and downs. There were moments of frustration during my Network Learning Project (NLP) along with moments in which I felt accomplished. I have been blogging about this experience and it has helped me remember that you have to start somewhere to get anywhere. In my first blog about creating fondant I explain which online tools and resources I researched that helped me get started with my Learning Goal. My Learning Goal was to create a cake using fondant frosting utilizing only online resources. This starting point set the stage for me and what my end-goal was hopefully going to look like. My second blog dissects which resources worked and which did not. Twitter (#fondantcake) and Instagram (#fondant) were great visual resources to see what fondant cakes should resemble. On Pinterest, I was able to find a blog by Amy Locurto called How To Make Fondant. I Screen-Casted this to explain how and why it was helpful. I also noted how I found the ingredients I needed to purchase within the grocery store. Some ingredients were harder to find than others. For example, I searched Meijer for glycerin for at least an hour. I could not find it anywhere. Eventually I had to google where this was located and found that it was in the pharmaceutical department (surprise)! In my NLP process I discovered that I would have to substitute different kitchen tools in order to successfully create my fondant. In order to smooth out the fondant once it is was placed onto the cake I had to use a measuring ruler instead of a cake smoother. I also had to replace a double boiler with a sauce pan and a glass bowl in order to not burn the fondant mixture. This was a challenge because the glass bowl did get very hot at one point. I made sure to watch closely so I did not burn or wreck my fondant mixture. In my video I demonstrate that once the fondant mixture was cooled (almost a full 18 hours later), it was time to roll out the fondant. I used a kitchen roller to roll it out and fit it over a 9 inch cake. My cake was already baked and ready to be decorated. While rolling out the fondant, I used the kitchen roller to glide the fondant over the cake. This was very tricky because I did not want to fold or dent the fondant. I also did not want to ruin the cake. It was a little stickier than expected because I had to work around the frosting that binds the fondant and the cake. I was successfully able to lay down the fondant and smooth it out with the ruler. Once I trimmed the edges with a knife the cake was completed! Learning through visuals and play was the name of this game. Baking is not something that has ever come naturally to me and as I reflect on how I competed my NLP, online resources were a great way to learn how to create fondant. According to James Paul Gee, a Professor of Literacy Studies, Powerful teaching and learning comes from a variety of ways outside of the school setting. Loosely organized cultural and social settings called "affinity spaces" connect people from all different backgrounds who are brought together to learn due to similar passions and interests. I found that communities outside of a traditional school such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Reddit were extremely helpful to my learning experience. Learning something new is not always easy and quick. It is a process that takes time, collaboration, trial and error. I chose creating and using fondant as my NLP because I am passionate about learning how to bake. I love to cook for people and having a new skill to share with others is something I can now say I can do. Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) states that there has been developments in how humans learn. This sheds light on what society expects of our nation's educational systems (pg. 4). This puts teachers in the driver's seat. I believe that if I can learn as much as I did from technology when creating fondant then my students can too. I must give them access to own their learning and advance their skills to align with America's fast-paced expectations. In the future, I would be interested in challenging my students to a similar task such as a "Network Learning Experience" using online resources. Below I have posted a video synthesizing my NLP experience. For more information on this process click the three blog buttons below. Thanks for joining me in my journey!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |