Wk 4: Reading - The Art of Possibility - Response to Patricia Ort

Wk 4: Reading - The Art of Possbility - Response to Patricia Ort

Original Post by Patricia Ort
Week 4 Reflection on Chapters 9-13 of The Art of Possibility

Of all of the Zander's ideas, I think the concept of not blaming others, or yourself, for things that don't go the way you'd like is probably the most challenging. I don't know if it is a cultural thing or just a human thing to assign blame, however, we seem to start doing it pretty young. The fine difference in thinking that Ben Zander speaks of when he says we should be the board, not the chess piece, takes some practice.

As always, the Zanders made me really think about how a person could change their mindset in this way. When Ben Zander speaks of apologizing, he does it in a completely different way than I, at least, am used to. I think it is a good idea to apologize to others when we've offended or hurt them. But Ben's approach also includes not blaming himself. In the letter he wrote where he gave himself an A, he admitted his faults but didn't really say he was sorry to the violinist directly. He also didn't ask her to come back to the orchestra, although she did.

As usual, I spent some time thinking about how this might apply to working with the at-risk teens in our program. If, as Zander says, this approach allows you to turn relationships into effective partnerships, how might that work at our alternative high school? Right now, we are planning a totally different concept for next year. Rather than teaching in our own little boxes, the English teacher, the math/science teacher, and I (social studies/computers teacher), are going to team teach using a project based learning model. We are especially interested in building relationships with the teens who enroll in our program. Reading Zander's thoughts about "being the board" really fits the conversation about how to build good relationships with our new students.

I'm a creative person, so I really liked the thrust of Chapter 11. I think most people are happiest when they are creating. There is a special energy that fills you up when you are working in synergy with others, making something new and different and exciting. I think my colleagues and I feel that way, when we are not being distracted by things that seem to have gone wrong at school or are trying to find someone to blame for the situation. Hmmmm. I am glad we are reading this book at school. I think a shift in a positive direction would be very good right about now.
Posted by Pat Ort at 11:03 PM

1 comment:

Brett Wilson said...
I think perhaps one of Zander’s most powerful statements is this, “I have come finally to the realization that relationships with my colleagues, players, students and friends are always more important than the project in which we are engaged, and that indeed, the very success of the project depends on those relationships being full of grace.”

Over the past year, I have valued relationships more than ever before. I started attending a new church about year ago whose direction focuses on three short summaries of the Bible: truth, relationships and community. Through this, I have begun to appreciate and work towards having strong relationships that are indeed, full of grace. What joy and liberation that comes when you are willing to share in this kind of relationship! It quickly opens us up to a world of possibilities, as Zander says.

I think that in your situation, teaching at an alternative school, of how powerful of a position you are in to build relationships with those who truly need a healthy relationship that is full of grace and possibility. I wish you the best as you take the challenge of Zander’s words and prepare for next year.

May 25, 2011 10:23 AM

Image taken from http://www.flickr.com/ with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by Kriffster.

Wk 4: Reading - The Art of Possbility - Response to Jerusha Hufsteller

Wk 4 Reading: The Art of Possibility - Response to Jerusha Hufsteller

Original Post by Jerusha Hufsteller
Wk 4 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 9-12

Vision is a word used to explain what people would like to see happen in a particular area for the future. Before reading the Art of Possibility I believed myself to be a visionary. It isn’t hard to look at situations on imagine what could happen, or how to get from one point to the next. Perhaps my understanding of vision is not fully correct. Zander describes the idea of having a vision to be a framework for possibility (p. 168). However, within this framework a certain criteria must be met (p. 168). One criterion made me challenge my own personal visions for my life. A vision with possibility, Zander explains, is “stated as a picture for all time…no specific of time, place, audience, or product.” There should be a openness to allowing a dream/vision to grow into new stages, and not be kept in a box. This is someone I would like to grow into for my own personal life.

Posted by Jerusha at 12:17 PM

1 comment:

Brett Wilson said...
I appreciated Zander’s words we he wrote, “The foremost challenge for leaders today, we suggest, is to maintain clarity to stand confidently in the abundant universe of possibility, no matter how fierce the competition, no matter how dark the necessity to go for the short-term goal, no matter how fearful people are, and no matter how urgently the wolf may appear to howl at the door. It is to have the courage and persistence to distinguish the downward spiral from the radiant realm of possibility in the face of any challenge” (p. 162)

As you suggested in your post, sometimes the challenge is our own narrow view of possibility or at other times, it is the outside forces coming against as Zander points out. Regardless, it does take courage to live into that vision. However, when passion drives the ship, the obstacles seem to disappear and the realization of the vision seems all but possible. I hope this comes true for you and for all of us in the EMDT program.

May 25, 2011 7:18 AM

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by windsordi.

Wk 4: Wimba Archive

Wk 4: Wimba Archive

I was unable to attend the Wimba session to present my publishing/leadership project; however, I was able to collaborate with a few of my classmates and make the recommended changes that they suggest. The following are their recommendations and email responses:

(1) Laurie Kish

1. Slides are attractive, neat and very professional. Good detail in speaker notes as well.

2. I would recommend increasing the font a bit as it is a little small.

3. The photos you selected of the kids were perfect, you captured the seriousness when needed and the excitement in their faces to have music introduced in the learning experience, nice!

4. You also touched on a very important topic, reading fluency, the backbone to our children learning as we know that stronger readers make stronger students. Impressive results and work.

5. Nice diagram on slide 3 with the link between fluency and music.

6. I really liked your results graph, simple and nicely done, but I do have a question: why the 3 bars, I understand one is for C1, one is for C2, what is the third on for?

7. Lastly, I like the quote you added from a teacher on this experience, nice touch, I think i will use this idea for mine if that is okay?

8. You captured me and I know you will capture your audience so good luck with this and really a nice job.


(2) Dennis Dill

I love your topic and I can see how it can make a difference. Whereas, I am not a music person I was initially apprehensive because I though it was going to be all about the music, but I was glad to see that it about the reading.

I am impressed with your reserch, but I would like to throw out some thoughts...

You collected data was from one set of first grade students and you compared growth over two periods of time...my question...is there another group of students that is not included in anything you have done which you can compare data. I ask because you have illustrated improvementin your students, but how much can be directly attributed to your music integration versus natural growth. Is it possible to compare your students with another group of students? This could further prove your findings by showing that your music integration outgained a similar class during the same time period. I hope that this is making sense...my thought is that over the course of the year learning/fluency gains could happen with or without music, but if you compared your music class with another class you will have more validity.

I like how you are wanting to present to a music audience...have you given any thought to presenting to a non-music audience. I am sure your presentation will go over great with them, but I am thinking it is like preaching to the choir. Music people already know how music can help people learn...it is people like me (before Full Sail) that do not get it.

You have great content! Do you have any music samples that you used during your class? Beyond the gains...how did the students feel about the music?

I hope this information helps.

(3) Teresa Crawford

I took a look at your presentation and the ARP you conducted. I like it! The project itself was a good idea. Reading fluency and music as an intervention makes sense, particularly for the younger reading learners. I thought it was good that you used a small group of students to try it out. Your methods were very clear, and your findings are encouraging. I liked the photographs that you used on your slides, and your speaker notes have a nice tone. Very nice, Brett. I enjoyed it.

Changes

I did indeed change the font size to make it larger and easier to view, while also making clarifications to the graph so that the three bars were listed as prior to cycle 1, at the conclusion of cycle 1 and at the conclusion of cycle 2. Also, I considered Dennis Dill's recommendation about comparing my results with another class, but because of school finishing up last week and all of the teachers already gone that information is not available to me. My hope was that cycle 2 would be compared with cycle 1 in order to show progress and the strength of music as an intervention; however, for a future cycle three, his thoughts will definitely be included so that it can be tested with a larger target audience and to add validity to the project. I also felt that with the ability level of the students selected, the ARP was perhaps more credible with the direction that I chose. As far as an additional conference to present and share my findings, I have researched and chosen the International Reading Association. As Dennis suggested, I wanted to provide my research to those not as familiar with music, but that would find the information relevant.

Also, I have included a musical activity in my presentation similiar to what took place during the action research project, as well as some students' comments.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by rama_miguel.

Wk 4: Reading - The Art of Possibility

Wk 4: Reading - The Art of Possibility

I must admit that the lighting of the spark was a step up to responsibility for me. Zander could not have painted a greater picture than when he shared some history from the Middle Ages. People, during this time, would often carry a metal box with a small flame so that if they needed a fire they wouldn’t have to go through the laborious process every time. The beauty of this is that individuals would willingly and easily share their spark with others so they could find their way. This selfless, passion-filled kind of living is alert to others and is willing to partner with them. Zander writes, “It is about playing together as partners in a field of light.” What a beautiful image!

Passion and possibility are contagious. It seems that the reverse is also true (negativity and apathy) and many times dominates our living. We must remember though that it is not about us, but about others and that we have a lot to offer others. We are gifted. We are talented. We have a spark to share. We must live to pursue passion and dismiss fear and encourage others to do the same. What a challenge for all of us!

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by wickedboy_007.

Wk4 Publishing/Leadership Project

Wk4 Publishing/Leadership Project

My plan for presenting my action research project is to make request to present at the 2012 Ohio Music Educators Conference (OMEA) in Columbus, Ohio. I have been a member of OMEA for the past seven or eight years and attend the annual conference each year to listen to clinicians speak on relevant issues in the realm of music education. The entire four day conference that are hundreds of sessions to attend that speak of music technology, music advocacy, vocal techniques, instrumental ensembles, and many more.

By the recommendation Dennis Dill, I chose to select a second conference at which to share my presentation that is unrelated to music professionals. I selected the Ohio Council of the International Reading Association. I decided to select this group becase the project still remains relevant to their particular situation. The National conference will be held in Chicago next April. The Ohio conference, at the present, as no dates or information listed in regards to their conference schedule.

With the current economic situations in Ohio, any advocacy for music education is much appreciated and after assessing the data from my action research project, it seems to provide strength to this very issue. Understanding the relationship between music and reading literacy and how music can be used as an effective intervention will hopefully help the continuation of music education programs in Ohio.

Publishing/Leadership: Think Out Loud #1
Publishing/Leadership: Think Out Loud #2


Wilson_Brett_Publishing_Leadership_Project.key

Image taken from http://www.omea-ohio.org/.

Wk 3: Reading – The Art of Possibility: Response to Susan O'Day

Wk 3: Reading - The Art of Possibility: Response to Susan O'Day

I must admit that I really liked theses chapters of the book. There were a lot of statements that really resonated with me as a teacher and as a person in general. I know that theoretically I am the leader of my classroom, but I must admit that it is very hard to play the role of facilitator for my students and very easy to play the role of the sage on the stage. The idea that I should be listening for my students’ passion is something that I have had to work very hard at. So much rides on test scores today that it is difficult to turn over the reigns of learning to the students. It is hard to give the students the ability to flourish and direct themselves when I know what they need to know for the test. I will definitely have to work at finding some sort of happy medium when it comes to allowing my students to take the reigns in the classroom.

I must admit that I love rule #6. I am always telling new teachers to chill out because if they don’t they will not last very long as teachers. I would like to think that I am pretty laid back as a teacher, but my calculating self was in complete control my first 2-3 years of teaching. I tried to control every aspect of my classroom and I would get infinitely frustrated when everything did not work out perfectly. I eventually had to ask myself why I was not happy as a teacher. My calculating self believed it was the students and the school district. If I just moved to another school district everything would be better because they were the problem not me. My central self knew that I needed to relax so that not only would I be happier, but so would my students. Teaching in survival mode is no way to really teach. When I started subconsciously following rule #6, I started to notice that many of students were decidedly anti-rule #6. A student can’t be disappointed with receiving an “F” on a test if they assume that they were set up to fail from the beginning. They assume that the teacher does not like them and deliberately made the test too difficult to pass. Their calculating self is protecting them from having to take responsibility, but their central self knows that they failed because they did not study. They will “preach” to their classmates about this particular injustice, but in a one-on-one conversation their central self will allow them to acknowledge and, in essence, own their failure.

I really like the idea of learning from your mistakes rather than just focusing on the failure. It is better to acknowledge where you went wrong and get over it. I often see students that make a mistake while working on a project and rather than fixing it and moving on, they dismiss the project as too hard and unfair and completely give up. I always tell my students to try and you won’t fail. What I tell them is not necessarily true. You may try your hardest and you may very well fail, but the journey is worth the effort. I take the philosophy as a teacher that I will not fail a kid that is trying. I tell my students this because if I can get them to try and keep trying no matter how many times they fail then they will have learned something.

The idea that we, in essence, speak our reality into existence is something that I see everyday at work. I hear teachers say that these students are horrible, so the students behave horribly for them. They failed to realize that there may indeed be one or two “horrible” students in the bunch, but the other 145+ are just average teenagers. By labeling the students they close themselves off to any good things that may happen in their classes with those students. This is a shame for both the students and the teacher.

I really liked the idea of giving way to passion. Noticing what is holding you back is a process that can take a lot of time. All human beings can place blame for their short comings, but having to delve into the real reasons why you are stuck may force you to look at a side of yourself you don’t want to see. Allowing yourself to participate wholly is also another difficult step in giving way to your passion, because what happens if you fail? I firmly believe that in order to be an effective teacher you have to be willing to fail and fail often. Some of my best lesson plans came from some of my worst disasters.


The idea of BTFI is something that is very personal to me. When my father had a stroke on August 14, 2002, my family was not prepared for our new reality. He had spent 6 months in various hospitals and rehab centers when it came time to decide when to bring him home. It was never a doubt that he was going to come home because his greatest fear was to be put into a nursing home and forgotten. The whole family started going to rehab sessions with him so that we could take care of him when he got home. After about a month, we realized that this was going to be a lot harder than we all thought. In a meeting with the therapist, she stated that there was no way that we could bring him home because he would tear the family apart. We actually started to doubt ourselves and that reflected in our training sessions. We were trying to do everything their way and were not thinking about his pride or dignity or the fact that we love him. He became a chore and that was not right. After one particularly hellish session the therapist reiterated her beliefs that my father needed to be sent to a nursing home. I’m normally very laid back, but the wench ticked me off. I told her that the only way that he was going to a nursing home was “over my cold, dead, Irish body and since I was pretty sure that she was not going to kill me could she please shut up and get back to work. “ My father started giggling like a five year old…which really didn’t improve her mood. In that instant I realized that in our doubt we had forgotten about him. He came home two months later and has been home ever since. He actually got better after he left the rehab centers because we all said “F*** It” and did what we had to do to be a family.Posted by Susan O'Day at 5/21/2011 09:01:00 PM


1 comments:

Wk 3: Reading – The Art of Possibility: Response to Karl Peterson

Wk 3: Response to Karl Peterson

MAC Week 3 - Post 1 Reading
As I read this week’s reading assignment, chapters 5-8 of “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, I was slow in getting started. I admittedly was a bit distracted with mind chatter from an argument my wife and I had earlier in the morning. As I progressed further into the chapter on leading from any chair, I found I was getting back into the book. I loved the part where Ben talked about his trip to Cuba, where a local conductor working with a mixed group of Cuba and American musicians got frustrated and was ready to throw in the towel, Ben jumped in and had the Cuban musicians teach their American counterparts how to play the piece. Instantly, the two groups were playing it perfectly. Then they went to play a piece Ben had sent ahead for the Cubans to learn which had gotten hung up in the mail system and never arrived. The American musicians were then able to turn around and teach the piece to their Cuban counterparts and again the day was saved. To me this was a tremendous example of the lesson of leading from any chair.I then started in on Rule # 6. This chapter could not have come at a more perfect time, as it was completely relevant to the argument that my wife and I had just hours before. This served to completely change my perspective of the argument; it also led me to look at my wife and our relationship in a new light. I just wish I knew how to follow Rosamund’s lead and she did in the section on the inventor and the money man. The chapter as a whole spoke to me in a profound way; I now need to get a sign to hang over my front door that reads, “Remember rule # 6.” This way every time I would see it as I walked out of the house and it would be a daily reminder to not take myself of life so seriously.This also serves as a great lead in into “The way things are”. Learning to just accept things for being as they are can definitely have a profound impact on ones perspective and approach to life. You may never be able to change things in life, but learning not to dwell on the things in life that you cannot change and to just accept them for being what they are is huge. Why dwell on the fact that you are stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam that is going to make you late for an appointment? You can only get there when you get there. The over drive button on your shift level is not going to allow you to drive over the traffic that’s ahead. Why stress over the things that are out of you control? Instead would you not be better served to tell your self, this is what it is, I will get there when traffic will allow. Take advantage of the time to de-stress, instead of getting stressed. Go over what it is that you might want to say in your meeting, or to make some important phone calls that you weren’t going to be able to get to otherwise. Take advantage of that which is out of your control and find a way to make it work for you instead of against you. This chapter has tremendous possibilities in life.Lastly was the chapter on “Giving way to passion”. To me this chapter makes sense but was the least meaningful by far of this weeks reading. It certainly makes sense to follow the advice of the chapter title, but at the same time, it doesn’t have impact to me that any of the preceding chapters do. Perhaps this is due to the way that the chapter is presented. It is a much shorter and less example filled chapter than the first seven in the book. To me this approach didn’t give it the same impact that any of the others thus far have had.Posted by Karl Peterson at 10:13 PM

1 comment:

Brett Wilson said...

I too enjoyed the story that Zander shared about the American and Cuban youth orchestras. Zander is very insightful, and, for the most part, does a great job at illustrating his point with very detailed examples, one of which was this fascinating example of student leadership. It became very obvious that Zander and the Cuban conductor could not teach these students the new music in such a short period of time, but by enlisting the help of the students it was achieved and success was possible.

I also agree that rule #6 was rather valuable. So many times we get locked in and enslaved by taking ourselves so seriously. We need to lighten up and allow humor and laughter to help counter how we would normally respond to certain situations. I have found Zander’s writing to be quite relevant and helpful and it appears you have found it to be the same.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.
Some rights reserved by Leo Reynolds.

Wk 3: Think Out Loud #2 - Publishing/Leadership Project

Wk 3: Think Out Loud #2 - Publishing/Leadership Project

I have decided to take the advocacy angle as I develop my presentation for the OMEA (Ohio Music Educators Association) conference. I feel that music is a study that should be valued in its’ own right, but helping others understand the strong connections that it has with other disciplines, especially that of reading literacy will help its’ continued existence in the public schools even in spite of threatening budget cuts. The elements of music such as expression (dynamics, articulation, etc) and rhythm share a strong link with the reading literacy elements of fluency: rate, automaticity and prosody.

I still have a long way to go to finalizing my project, but the direction and layout has been established. I expect this week will be one that will allow me to focus a lot of attention to the success of this project.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by eloctre.

Wk 3: Wimba Archive

Wk 3: Wimba Archive

Again, I was unable to attend the live Wimba session because of other obligations, but enjoyed watching the archive. The session helped clarify some of my questions regarding the publishing/leadership project by providing a simple agenda of the upcoming Wimba session and clarified what is expected while also providing an alternative option of connecting with a few friends and having them provide feedback on the project itself. I appreciate the questions that many of my classmates have asked and how they have been answered very thoroughly.

It seemed that a large portion of the Wimba sessions centered on this statement by Zander, “The more attention you shine on a particular subject, the more evidence of it will grow.” This does appear to be true across the board. Whether it is financial struggles or problems at work or obstacles to your success, everything seems to fit into one of these categories when you are thinking on these. It seems that this attention is normally given to negative situations. However, consider the student who gave attention to possibility—where everything screamed of possibility. This is the place that I want to get to myself and for my students. I want to be alert to these instances and help encourage my students to do the same.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by Where There Be Dragons.

Wk 3: Reading - The Art of Possibility

Wk 3: Reading - The Art of Possibility

Zander’s humility and willingness to improve his teaching by listening to his students shone through in this week’s reading. After a few experiences of his own that he shares in the book, he developed “white sheets,” or blank sheets of paper placed at every music stand. The purpose of these papers are for students to write down any observations or direction of Zander’s teaching or conducting that might allow them to play the music to its’ full potential. As any teacher would be, he shares that he was bracing himself for the criticism that he believed would follow; however, he found that those “white sheets” have been nothing but helpful guidance. He also suggests that through this activity he is empowering his students to be leaders by simply allowing their voice to be heard.

Alongside this, he asks a most profound question, “How much greatness are we willing to grant people?” The teacher is in an undeniably remarkable position to answer this question one way or the other and the way it is answered makes all the difference in the world. A teacher who embraces the “white sheets” concept and empowers students and even works to fuel their passion grants much greatness. In order for this to happen though, we must commit to be a leader who is alert to students’ needs and passions and gives them opportunities for leadership. Regardless if it takes the form of blank sheets of paper, if a student can approach you as an educator and discuss ways to improve the learning without the fear of it being arbitrarily dismissed, the class atmosphere will be conducive to producing leaders. The great part of this is that while it helps produce leaders it also enhances the learning atmosphere for all students. It’s a win-win situation!

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by FMG2008.

Wk 2: DB Deeper: Podcasts in Education

Wk 2: DB Deeper: Podcasts in Education

I have not used these podcasts in the classroom before, but took this opportunity to find several related to music and technology that will be helpful to me now and in the future:

Music Education Advocacy Podcast
http://feeds.feedburner.com/GearPipePodcastsThis podcast features interviews with individuals involved in music advocacy events working to keep music education and to make known its’ use and benefits to school aged children. The mission of the podcast is for musicians or simply those who love music to donate to music education charities.

MusTech.net’s Technological Music & Musings Show!

http://mustech.podomatic.com/This podcast featuring, Dr. J. Pisano and Mr. D. Morton, discuss the connection of music, education and technology. Past podcasts have discussed how to effectively use tools such as GoogleWave and Skype for music performances and instruction. They consistently introduce new technologies and resources useful to my students and myself.

MusicTeachers911
http://web.me.com/musicteachers911/musicteachers911_music_teacher_education/musicteachers911_music_teacher_education/musicteachers911_music_teacher_education.htmlThis podcast is designed by a music educator to assist others to improve their music classes and performing ensembles. The podcast consistently interviews leading music teachers while also focuses on a helpful classroom top during each episode.

Music Tech for ME
http://www.musictechforme.com/This podcast focuses on instructing music educators on how to use and implement music technology. This audio podcast focuses on software programs related to music, one of which is Garageband.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by derrickkwa.

Wk 2: Think Out Loud #1 - Publishing/Leadership Project

Wk 2: Think Out Loud #1 - Publishing/Leadership Project

Over the last few days I have considered the direction of my final project, whether to choose the publication or presentation route. I agree that my action research project has merit because it evaluates the effectiveness of music as a literacy intervention tool. With budget cuts become ever so prevalent, especially in regards to the arts, understanding this research could help advocate for keeping music programs in the public schools. With this said, I hesitate for it to be published without running the project again with a different target audience. I desire for it be very useful and helping and feel that it has potential to save many music education jobs if presented effectively.

After thinking about it for some time, I think that the presentation route is the one that I will embrace for this project. I am a member of the Ohio Music Educators Association and I could easily see this research being presented as one of their individual sessions during the conference. Music advocacy is of great importance during these hard economic times, but regardless all classroom teachers should be knowledgeable of the usefulness of music.

Wk 2: Reading – The Art of Possibility: Response to Deborah Sanders

Wk-2 Reading "The Art of Possibility"

Original Post by Deborah Sanders

In the book “The Art of Possibility” (in the chapter entitled “It’s All Invented”) as soon as I began to read the words: “We perceive only the sensations we are programmed to receive, and our awareness is further restricted by the fact that we recognize only those for which we have mental maps or categories” I thought of an actual event in history that gives clear evidence of the impact and results of “perception.” On Sunday, October 30, 1938, Orson Welles’ "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, implanted a vivid and horrifying "script" into minds of radio listeners throughout the United States. The actions of the listeners, the army, and the scientists were all based on their “perception of fear and danger.” Their eyes could not see the actual creatures or the spaceship, however the audio images projected to the brain triggered fear. Perception triggers mental images in our brain. As a result of the “identification mechanisms” that were triggered -- they were set in motion to react. In this historical instance, the identification mechanism perceived this broadcast as a warning of actual, imminent DANGER. Newspapers recount the mass hysteria that resulted from a finely sculpted, radio script designed for Halloween entertainment. This event begs the question: “Had the listeners been informed from the very beginning -- or even intermittently during the broadcast -- that this was only a scripted story, would there been the same reaction? The manner, the timeframe and the context of data deposited as well as when, how and the amount of data is digested -- are all parts of the “perception” equation. The War of the Worlds -- it was all invented.

How will I be a contribution today?

Life presents us with challenges that we must all face in our own ways. Yes, some seem to have it easier than others -- causing comparison of people. A contribution that enhances the life of one person has a “ripple effect” in that more than one person is ultimately changed. What is more important to me though, is the quality of the contribution. In that regard, my contribution consisted of the bits of data that I was able to disseminate into the wide eyes and receptive brains of my students. Further, these students have a multitude of circumstances in their young lives, which inhibit the process of learning. Today, a child who came to me without speaking English could now speak in a complete coherent sentence. Today, another student whose parent was not able to provide necessary medical needs such as eyeglasses since September was able to obtain a free pair through my conversation with the appropriate resource agency. By expanding the educational process, I mold “diamonds in the rough” into finely chiseled 50 Carat wonders! This is done not only with a contribution of education -- my contribution also consists of loving, sharing, and caring -- “By any means necessary!”

1 comment:

Brett Wilson said...

I appreciated reading your post and how you connected the reading with Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds event in 1938. It is interesting to think about how these perceptions trigger images that, in turn cause us to react. It is valuable to mention again, as you did, that time, context and the delivery all effect how an individual perceives a message.

It is also true that our contributions actually make a difference, whether inside or outside of the classroom. I was challenged during my undergraduate studies to make journaling a habitual practice during teaching. The challenge consisted of journaling about two improvements that could have made the day more productive, but also two contributions that touched a students’ life, regardless of how insignificant it may have seemed to me. What a tremendous practice and reminder that our efforts do encourage and demonstrate kindness that we hope is passed on to our students. In spite of all the legislation taking place, I don’t believe there is a greater profession that allows us to touch the lives of individuals like teaching.

May 15, 2011 7:26 AM

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by bram_app.

Wk 2: Reading – The Art of Possibility: Response to Heather Anderson

Wk 2: Reading – The Art of Possibility: Response to Heather Anderson

Original Post by Heather Anderson

The Amazing Power of "A"

I have never liked grades even though I have always strived to get straight A's or high scores of some sort. Grades and scores on tests never really seem to describe my potential as a student or a person. I could get 100% in a class and feel like I have learned nothing. I could also try really hard and spend countless hours on a spanish essay, yet only recieve a B, because the teacher didn't believe I was capable of every achieving an A. Needless to say, I didn't always try my hardest to achieve the grades, but I always expected good grades.

After reading the third chapter in the Art of Possibilty, I reviewed my perspective of both giving and receiving grades. If there was no struggle to worry about the grade and the outcome in the end, would the student apply herself more during each lesson? Would she worry more about what she is learning rather than what label she is going to receive at the end of the course? I thought about my experiences throughout all of my education. Through high school, it was only about the grade, I don't remember what I learned or why teachers chose to teach us certain material. But in college, I started to pay attention to my learning more. I found myself enjoying studying the material and I could actually remembered what I learned! I stopped caring about the grades. But with this new found love and enjoyment of learning, the high scores and A grades came naturally.

I love the idea of giving everyone an A at the begining of the course or class. It tells the students that you believe in them and you believe in their successes as students and people. I would love to try this with my students, however my students are still very young and haven't had much exposure to grades, so they don't quite understand the pressure yet. I think I will try it with an older grade at some point to see how they act differently.

We should get rid of grades altogether, but unfortunately states think that numbers and grades are what defines a school and it's students. If that frame of thinking were to change, then I think everyone would be more successful regardless of who they are or what they are studying!

1 comment:

Brett Wilson said...

I share in your experience about working hard to achieve good grades and it was also upon entering college that I truly begin to appreciate what I was learning aside from the grade. Zander’s writing in “The Art of Possibility” is quite profound regarding the giving of an A and everyone being a contribution. After reading, like you, I was forced to reevaluate my grading and hope to incorporate some elements of Zander’s into my teaching. I think the point that Zander makes in his writing about students needing to fill that they earned their grade is so true. For a teacher to give a student an A without any sort of contribution is sending a message that is unwanted. However, for Zander to cleverly devise the activity of writing a letter of the person they hope to be one year from now is genius. Then, the hope is that the teacher will encourage them to so fall in love with that person that they work to become that person they praised one year earlier.

Giving each student an A does, in fact, as you mentioned earlier, send a valuable message that the teacher believes in the student and that possibility is something to be realized. It is also true that many states hinder this stress free, challenging atmosphere conducive to learning for the sake of numbers that they believe will indicate success. Thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding Zander’s reading. It was great to read your blog.

May 15, 2011 7:06 AM

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by massdstraction.

Wk 2-2 DB Quickies: CD Ownership, Music Sharing or Spontaneous Listening

Wk 2-2 DB Quickies: CD Ownership, Music Sharing or Spontaneous Listening

I am not sure of the 1^st song that may have touched me on an emotional level, but I will say that Christian and inspirational music does that on a consistent basis for me because of the message/subject and lyrics of the music. However, outside of this, I am deeply moved by choral music. I recently attended a music conference back in January where I had the opportunity to hear Capital University’s chorale. I remember sitting there connecting with their music to the point where it almost felt as if I was out of my body. I love listening to the intricate harmonies and passions that are noticeable within the voices of the choir. It was a great experience!

I’m not sure that I remember when CD’s came out, but, like many of you, I do remember when they were quite popular. Therefore, in this regard, I’m not sure that I feel that I have purchased the same songs more than once because the CD’s I have purchased I have not imported which provides me with a digital copy. I could understand the frustration, however, if importing was not an option.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by Tingy.

Wk 2-1 DB Quickies: CD Ownership, Music Sharing and Spontaneous Listening

Wk 2-1 DB Quickies: CD Ownership, Music Sharing and Spontaneous Listening

I am an avid music collector of all genres. Whether I am listening for personal enjoyment or using a short audio clip to teach from in my classroom, I enjoy having this strong relationship with music. I used to be a CD collector until it became much easier to purchase music online and organize the music by genre, artist or song title in iTunes. I consistently purchase music from iTunes or www.amazon.com, although I have discovered that www.mp3panda.com is much more cost efficient. I also listen quite frequently to Pandora radio or other Christian radio stations.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by dkalo.

Wk 2: Wimba Archive

Wk 2 Wimba Reflection

I really enjoyed the discussion during the Wimba session this week. I appreciated the fact that we were given the videos regarding copyright to watch in advance so that our time provided more meaningful discussion. The talk regarding fair use and creative commons was perhaps the most interesting portion of the night for me because of my ignorance in these areas. I learned that a teacher is given permission to use media in his/her classroom if the content could not be presented in any other way. However, even then, only a small portion is okay. I also realized that there are four main types of creative commons licensing and what each required of the user.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by joe bustillos.

Wk 2: Reading - The Art of Possibility

Wk 2 Reading: The Art of Possibility

Zander’s book was quite enlightening and motivating about the possibilities that lie ahead. He began by challenging the reader to break out of the confinement that our mind has put us in—the position of “it’s not possible.” Rather, once we enlarge the box from which we think, the possibilities become much greater, as well.

Zander provided two great concepts that I will walk away from with great hopes of application. The first is giving an A. He is quite right when he states that grades are really the comparing of one student to another and often show little of the transformation that has taken place within the student. Instead, he gives every student an A if they simply write a letter of the person they wish to be a year from now. He states his hope is that each student would fall in love with that person of which they write so that transformation becomes a passion of their own. One of the most amazing quotes from the book is this, “This A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into.” Expectations are normally piled high with thoughts of failure and unbelievable amounts of stress. Possibilities, however, provide positive, “take-charge” success.

The second is the thought of being a contribution. Life is simply about contribution. And it’s not about how much or if it’s enough, it’s simply, “Will you contribute today?” For students to believe that they are a gift to others would be more than life changing for most. I work in a school district where students’ spirits seem beaten and opportunity and possibility insurmountable. How much would this change if they believed this simple sentence, “You are a gift to others.” Zander challenges the students at the Conservatory to write about this specifically. I too plan to challenge my students to write in hopes that they believe it and that possibilities appear reachable.

Image taken from www.flickr.com with Attribution in Creative Commons.

Some rights reserved by p_c_w

Wk 1: Wimba Archive

Wk 1: Wimba Archive

I was unable to attend the live Wimba session because of obligations at church, but was able to view the archive. I felt like the archive was very informative and well structured. Although most of the content discussed during the Wimba session was in our week one assignments, I appreciated the extra clarification that was provided. I was also thankful for how we were given a glance at the course as a whole by providing a look at the presentation project due in week 4. It seems that each week we will be well prepared for the discussion during Wimba if we do the reading prior to attending. I feel rather confident with what is expected for the Literature Review, AR Website, abstract and final presentation because of the discussion that took place during Wimba.

Wk 1 Reading: Response to Hunter Looney

Wk 1 Reading: Response to Hunter Looney

Week 1 Blog Post 1 Reading: copyright issues, parts 1 – 3: information overload

by Hunter Looney

http://looneyslanding.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-1-blog-post-1-reading-copyright.html?showComment=1304792407350#c8965039826441718494

I really liked this video. For one it's funny. Secondly it can be shown to my students to help clear up potential copyright issues. I believed that it presented information vary clearly. It helped me tremendously on the Creative Commons. I have went to Creative Commons before but this video helped to clear up some of the uses of Creative Commons for me. I viewed the other videos in the assignment but this one was the most helpful for me.

I also was unaware before this assignment that parody is allowed under copyright laws. This is crazy. I had no idea. I also learned that Fair-Use is not a right but is a defensible position in court.

1 comments:

Brett Wilson said...

I too was most interested in the Creative Commons videos and discussion. It was great to have some clarity with how this connects with the copyright issues that we discussed earlier. The video was very creative and clear that the Creative Commons licenses make it obvious the rights associated with how you use the piece of media. What a great piece of media to explain this kind of thing to students!

Wk 1 Reading: Response to Dennis Dill

Wk 1 Reading: Response to Dennis Dill

This post is a requirement of the MAC course in the EMDT program at Full Sail University.

Wk1 Reading: Copyright Issues Part 1: Intro to Copyright

by Dennis Dill

http://boxbreakout.blogspot.com/2011/05/wk1-reading-copyright-issues-part-1.html?showComment=1304786041103#c785433102364013829

Copyright is a perplexing topic because at first glance it appears to be black and white, but in reality there are so many shades of gray in copyright law that I am surprised that every person is not hauled off to jail for a copyright violation. In a traditional learning environment most teachers worry about plagiarism, that is, students copying the work of someone else and calling it their own in a written document. However, as we progress into the 21st century written work is not the only work we need to worry about when it comes to plagiarism or copyright violation.

What a teacher uses in class or students turn in as an assignment copyright plays a major issue, especially when using multimedia. The use of YouTube can be a great tool, but how do we know we are safe from copyright violation. Just because some one places a movie clip on YouTube does not mean we are free use it at will. What about the playing of music? If we are playing music at a basketball game with paid attendance is this the same as playing music for our class who does not pay to be there. Would this answer be the same if the school was a private school in which students paid to attend?

All of these issues need to be understood to ensure that teachers and students do not violate copyright laws. Although, we could throw cation to the wind and run the risk of being sued for $250,000.00 and up to five years in jail...no...I think I will adhere to copyright laws.

1 comments:

Wk 1-2 DB Quickies: Classroom Presentation/Solutions

Wk 1-2 DB Quickies: Classroom Presentation/Solutions

This post is a requirement of the MAC course in the EMDT program at Full Sail University.

I suppose I answered this in the first discussion board, to a degree, but my school district has moved at a rather slow pace in keeping up with the new technological advances. The district as a whole, this year, just received two SmartBoards for each of our buildings, but in most cases, did not provide adequate training and so they are not being used to their potential. There is most definitely a lack of communication and neglect for technology that would help aid this problem. Personally, I have purchased a projector and flat screen TV in order to show online videos that highlight musical concepts and performances to my students. I have also helped encourage the use of google docs and other software pieces with the district.

Wk 1-1 DB Quickies: DIY Classroom Presentations/Solutions

WK 1-1 DB Quickies: DIY Classroom Presentations/Solutions

This post is a requirement of the MAC course in the EMDT program at Full Sail University.

At my school, technology seems to be moving at a rather slow pace. I teach music to nearly nine hundred elementary students and when I first arrived in the district four years ago, the only pieces of technology that I had was one teacher computer and a CD player. I now have a projector and a new TV is getting ready to be mounted in the next few weeks that I will be able to use as a monitor for students to view web videos. I have had difficulties, many times, trying to show these videos from YouTube and other sources that showcase musical experiences and performances. This site has been blocked up until the last few months, but because of the location of my desktop and the lack of wireless signal of my laptop, I am still forced to download the videos beforehand so that I can utilize the space in my classroom effectively. I believe the TV will help me with this problem next year.

The above photo was obtained from www.flickr.com/creativecommons with Attribution License in Creative Commons.