INspire me...Jason Gomez
Spam Musubi2/24/2018 Problem Type: Familiar I was born and raised in Hawai'i and there are many things I miss. One of these is the food. Hawai'i has a unique culinary palette, in part due to the many ethnic cultures that call these islands home. Now, living in the mainland, I have had to find many creative ways to satisfy my comfort cuisine cravings. A lot of the ingredients that were once so common in the islands are either not available, or very hard to find. Items such as taro leaves for lau lau, poi, alaea salt, and of course Aloha brand shoyu; all considered staples of any Hawaiian household. There is one unique Hawaiian food item that I've found actually quite easy to make no matter where I've lived. And this is the infamous Spam Musubi. Every time I've made this and brought it to work, either for breakfast or lunch, It's been a great conversation starter. But, for me, it's just food. I've found a great video on YouTube that shows the types of reactions that I usually get whenever I make Spam Musubi, or any other dish I'm so familiar with. Boldly, (2014), Americans Try Hawaii Food For The First Time, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1oQxlw6_5k Amazingly, though, most of my friends and coworkers have actually really liked the musubi I've made them. And, to my surprise, a lot of my friends that grew up here in New Mexico have grown up on Spam as well. Here's a link to a great article on why Hawaiians love Spam so much. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/Menuism/why-do-hawaiians-love-spam-so-much_b_1901306.html So now on to making one of the best foods in the world...the Spam Musubi: Here are the basic ingredients: Making the Spam Musubi, Instructions: Here is a great video from YouTube that shows my process in greater detail: Aloha To You, (2015), Aloha To You - How to make Spam Musubi, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdSwmBlUahk And, voila, there you have it. The Spam Musubi. A quick and easy go-to meal according to any Hawaiian local. My creative process in creating this "familiar" post differed than my previous posts. Since this was a process that I know, I had to focus on presenting this in a way that would cater to the eyes of viewers that were unfamiliar with the process. Some of the items that I thought were vital in creating this post were:
1. Creating a connection for the viewer. I thought by introducing the idea of comfort foods, the idea of my own comfort food would resonate. 2. Addition of video - The videos that I chose to incorporate were meant to increase engagement. This, I felt, would increase interest in a subject that may not be familiar with my audience. 3. Brief Instruction - The instruction (making the Spam Musubi) section of this post was intended to be brief. I incorporated this from my own experiences. I prefer to see instructions as a guide; to get the "gist" of someones ideas, in my opinion, are enough to see the whole picture. Long drawn out methods are sort of a bore. 4. Leave with the finished product - This sums up all of the preceding information presented. It allows my viewers to see my ultimate goal and the reasoning behind my post.
0 Comments
Problem Type: Past I created the "Active Shooter Preparedness Program" video in response to the several devastating shootings on school campuses across the United States. Following the most recent attack on students in Parkland, Florida, I feel that the contents of this video will prepare individuals for such an event. I created this video for my final project in my OILS 472 course in the Spring of 2017. I had integrated most of the contents and procedures in this presentation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov). Gomez, J. (2017) "Active Shooter Preparedness Presentation" YouTube After searching for material for this presentation, I felt that including information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was the most responsible and appropriate reference. Being that this agency is the official source of information for active shooter preparedness and training methods, the information I provided in my presentation demanded their vital expertise. I also kept a separate file of source links that I could quickly reference as I proceeded to create this video (pictured below). In creating this presentation, I first asked myself several questions regarding my audience. What information would be required? How should I present this information? What elements could I incorporate to increase engagement and knowledge transfer? I then answered these questions as I created this program. The first step in creating this video was to create the slides. For this, I used MS PowerPoint. At first, the slideshow was simply text and information. Once I was satisfied with the content, I then proceeded to improve the presentation's style. I decided to add elements such as slide transitions, text animations, and visual elements. I felt that these elements were needed to provide interest and to increase viewer engagement. I also felt like the presentation needed an audio aspect to increase engagement. At first, I originally recorded audio in my own voice. But, when I added this to the presentation, it felt and sounded off. So, I scrapped my own voice over and opted for another option. I remembered that I once had an online training in which a robotic voice was used. I searched many sources and tried many options to find the right "voice" for my video. I finally found a free text to voice generator that made the presentation seem more professional and engaging. (http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/) I wanted to add a video to my presentation that would tie all of the information that the viewer had learned. I added the video from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (listed below). By incorporating this video, it served to increase viewer confidence of the information that I provided in the presentation portion of my video. https://www.dhs.gov/options-consideration-active-shooter-preparedness-video ***This video has since been updated as of July 28, 2017*** I then uploaded this video to my YouTube channel. This decision was made for two reasons; it was too large to upload, and was more easily accessible for viewers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcZwTbgTUVo&t=32s Making this video presentation was a great learning experience, but very time-consuming as I've never created one before. There were many obstacles that hindered my creative process, such as how to incorporate all of the elements that I envisioned. To overcome these, I found resources for guidance such as YouTube videos, Google searches, and through the MS PowerPoint help feature.
The obstacles that I faced during this project also helped bolster my creativity. I was doing something very foreign and creative thinking allowed me to overcome these with success. When I didn't know how to do something, I had to turn to my creative side to find methods to learn. As a result, is a presentation that I am proud to have worked on. Hopefully, it will be useful in preparing others for such horrific events. My Risky Problem Type.... This past week, I submitted my proposal for my OILS 495: Field Experience, internship paper. This is one of my last three courses prior to graduating with my B.S. in Instructional Technology & Training degree. The first step in the process was to find an internship site in which to complete my field experience. Working at a college, I had tons of options to seek out. But, I narrowed these down to two departments in which I felt I could practice and apply the skills that I've acquired through my OILS education.... When envisioning my internship opportunity, Human Resources felt like the most natural fit. So, I met with the Director of H.R. to explore the possibility. The meeting went well. There was a single project the H.R. Director had in mind; assisting the Talent Manager with the New Employee Training sessions. I thought, 'this is great, it's just up my alley'. I immediately thought, 'done deal...I've found my internship site'! But, something in my gut told me to reach out to my other choice anyway; the College Advancement & Community Engagement team. Having this department as one of my choices satisfied my risky tendencies to try something different. The College Advancement & Community Engagement is a fairly new area of the college, specifically a new department only a month in existence. In fact, it's so new to our organization that it doesn't have a proper name yet. This department in the College Advancement & Community Engagement was created as a result of a college initiative to recruit and retain students. Not knowing exactly how my skills may apply, I met with the Integration Specialist, the newly created department head. As I sat and talked with Ms. M., she seemed so enthusiastic and upbeat. She asked me tons of questions, 'what interests me...what about my education would I like to explore...what can we do to further your knowledge'?. I explained about what I've done so far in my courses; from creating training proposals, exploring learning tools, to examining my own creativity. I asked her about the department and if she could explain it to me in more detail. She explained that it was all new, even to her...a sort of blank slate. But, she explained, this department if approved by the Executive Team, will definitely change the course of how we approach and manage our students. I was very interested in the thought of being part of something unknown; being part of something so innovative. My gut reached out to me once again, 'ummmm, yeah. This is a special opportunity dummy'! So, in a heartbeat but nervous trepidation, I told Ms. M., 'I really would love the opportunity to be a part of this' On Thursday, February 8th, I've accepted and internship with the 'Newly Created Office, with no name yet'. I am excited for the possibilities that await me, to challenge myself, and to creatively use the knowledge I've learned thus far in my OILS education. Storyboards Created Online using: www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator
Tamales!2/3/2018 I love tamales. My favorite being from El Modelo on 2nd street in Albuquerque. Ever since I’ve moved to New Mexico, I’ve always heard my friends, coworkers, or the little old lady across the way, talk about making tamales. What intrigued me was when I asked a couple of coworkers some pointers on how they prepared and made their own tamales. I found that each reply was so different than the other. I was thinking to myself, 'dang, this is going to be a long and challenging process!' But, I love eating them…now I need to make them. So, I proceeded into the unknown (problem type) territory and made my own tamales. Here are some of the ingredients that my coworkers suggested I use... I first started by roasting the pork shoulder in a dutch oven for 3 hours. I placed the pork into the pot and poured in enough water to reach 3/4th's up the side of the meat. I chopped a whole onion and added it to the pot. After 3 hours, the meat turned out too tough to shred. So, I decided to boil it on the stove for another 30 minutes, instead of placing it back in the oven to roast. I'm pretty sure that next time I do this, I'll just boil the roast instead as I think it would have saved a lot of time. I then rinsed the corn husks, placed them into a bowl of warm water and set it aside to soak. After boiling, the pork was tender enough to shred easily. I shred the whole thing and saved about 2 cups of the water with the onions. I added the shredded pork, the water, the onions, and the chile powder to a pot on the stove. I let this mixture simmer down until most of the water evaporated. I then started making the masa. For this I used Maseca, lard, and some water. By the way, I am so glad I had one of these to mix the dough.... I suggest using a KitchenAid...I found it made mixing the dough to the right consistency so much easier. I started out with 6 cups of Maseca, 1 3/4 cups of lard, and mixed in water until the dough became pliable like an elastic cookie dough. Once done, I began to assemble my tamales. Since this was my first time doing this I had trouble getting the dough and meat mixture to fit correctly into the husks. Frustrated, I found a couple of videos online that led me to success and conquered my frustration. GlobalGrub (2012) How to Assemble Tamales, YouTube I then ended up with over 2 1/2 dozen. Now, I was on to steaming them....a part of the process I wish I'd have prepared more for. I didn't have a pot made for tamales. But, I improvised. I used a high-walled stock pot that I bought years ago to make crab legs and a vegetable steamer basket. While this did do the job, I'd suggest not using the type of steamer basket I used...The dang tamales kept tipping over into the boiling water. I would suggest finding a steamer insert that has more of a flat surface as this would be more stable. (I've since ordered one on eBay for round 2.) After about an hour of steaming, I checked to see if they were done. I recall a coworker of mine say that when the masa no longer sticks to the husks, they are ready. But, I found my own way to test them...I ate it. And, yes, they were done. And, yes, it was awesome! Here is the finished product: So, my first foray at making the elusive tamale was a success...according to my own taste buds. Creativity helped in this venture in a lot of ways. It helped me in imagining the finished product as I was assembling the tamales. I asked myself, 'will this horrid mess resemble anything like the perfect tamales I adore at El Modelo'? Creativity also helped me improvise while I was in the middle of the process. 'Yikes, I don't have a tamale pot!...Oh well, this will work'. Finally, creativity allowed me to challenge myself to try something I've never done before. And, because of this, my freezer is stocked with bags of deliciousness as a result of my creativity. *If you have any questions or can offer any tips about making tamales for my next round, please leave a comment below. Thank you! My Creative Process:
|