Week 4 Reading - The Art of Possibility Ch 9-12

http://www.el3mentsofwellness.com/living-in-your-possibilities

Reading through this book was like one big exhale.  Each of the chapters provided great insight and fit into my life at the very moment as I was reading it.  Maybe it was me allowing the possibilities of what I can learn from this book to take over.  Whatever it was, I found this book to be thought provoking, engaging and a reality check in so many ways.  Each chapter provided direct insight into thought processes that I needed to deconstruct and new ideas to approaching life.  It opened up my eyes and reinforced some lessons I have been learning through my own personal journey of growth.

http://www.en-derin.com/artworks/faux-photoshop-15-incredible-images-that-look-altered-but-aren’t

Sharing the things I've learned in this book is one of the main ways that I will "pay forward from my universe of possibility".  I think it will benefit those around me to see me processing things and living life a bit more open to understand the impact of this mind shift and hopefully see how it can work for them.  The possibilities are truly endless and my own creation of those possibilities for myself opens up my world to a brand new existence.  I am rejuvenated, I am free, I am able to inspire and reach more than I thought I could.  My passion and enthusiasm have always been what draws others to me and what propels me to share things that inspire me.  After reading this book, I think my spark will shift to an eternal flame.

http://asads.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/possibilities/

Week 4 Comment - Cindy

My comment:
I'm with you about being skeptical when first reading this book.  I surely did not know what to expect and was glad that I ended up pleasantly surprised.  This book definitely came into my life at a point where I'm going through some sort of journey and most, if not all, of the points are being reiterated to me.  I wholeheartedly agree with you that educators and administrators would benefit greatly from this book.  Anyone will honestly, but our field more so to keep us all grounded and not burn out.  I hope you are staying safe in this weather.

Cindy's Post:

Week 4- Reading The Art of Possibility

We must make our activities desirable to others, as desirable as a banana is to a monkey!

I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. At first I was skeptical but the further into the bok I got, the more I enjoyed it!!! This book could be related to all of our lives in one way or another, especially if you are in education.

The authors made a great point about using we instead of I. This is something we all need to learn to do. We are all in it together, good or bad. In order to be successful, collaboration and teamwork is needed.

Enrolling or sparking others is a must. Educators should create a spark in their students. To get anyone to do anything, we must create a desire in them. Make it endearing and intriguing. Our students must be provided with an anticipatory strategy to hook them in. As with any activity, the participants must be reeled in hook line and sinker. They must want to participate.

This is a must read for any educator! I firmly believe that this book will be beneficial for all of those in the world of education from administrators to educators to paraprofessionals. 

Week 4 Comment - Tiffany

My comment:
I agree with you about the part in the book where being the framework for what happens in our lives is discussed.  We really do only have control over ourselves and it's time we realize that whatever we put out is what's coming back.  The way we express ourselves and communicate pretty much sets the stage for how others will react to us.  When it comes to marriage, I also agree with you that love is not about self determination or sacrifice.  IT is building and growing.  I just celebrated my 10th year of marriage this month and we definitely are still growing together.  The best quote I've ever read which is great to keep in mind is the following "Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate". ~Barnett R. Brickner

Tiffany's post:

Week 4 reading: It's Just Better That Way

Our society today has changed drastically from what it was before. So many people use cell phones as a means of communication and even to handle business. I had to learn the hard way that some things just really need to be done in person. I love the story that he told about his father and how he father taught him a valuable lesson: "Some things are just better to handle in person". When texting no one knows your true emotion or how you said it so in the long run it can lead to more trouble when you could have just met up with the person to have the conversation.

I love this fact he stated in this book which says "I am the framework for everything that happens in my life". I work at an Elementary school and we all know that these grade level students are always quick to blame someone else when caught doing something wrong. In actuality, we as adults still have this problem sometimes. We blame someone else so that we can feel right!! I wish that he would have took the story from a different standpoint like this when talking about the car wreck issue. So here is my way of describing this story: A drunken, young girl immediately slams on her brakes to stop for a car in front of her and the person riding behind this young girl runs into the back of her car. In North Carolina if you hit someone from behind you are at fault regardless. If you look at the story, the person that would automatically be blamed in a line up is the drunken, young girl because she is drunk. So we must remember that we are the framework for everything that happens in our lives. We control ourselves!

Last but not least, Love is neither about self-determination nor sacrifice. It is a context in which two people build the life they want together. In a marriage, we may have to sacrifice some but the most important part is that we are building a life together and the more you build the happier you are as a unit.

Wk 4 Publishing Leadership Project

 The top two journals that I plan to publish my CBR journal article in are the Journal of Interactive and Learning Research and the Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education.  Technology in education is all about innovation and forward thinking.  Journals like these allow us to share among professional peers valuable research and information for what works.  They also provide a forum for educational leaders and professionals to collaborate on the results of valuable research.

The Journal of Interactive and Learning Research publishes various papers on the use of various interactive learning environments in education and training.  This journal presents articles that describe the impact on education and training of the use of systems such as assessment systems, collaborative, multimedia systems, simulations and games, and virtual reality based learning systems to name a few. 


The Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education targets preservice and inservice teachers to provide a forum to share information regarding the use of technology in various fields and departments in education.  This allows for teachers to have another resource to use in researching tools and techniques to incorporate technology into their classrooms.


Thinking Out Loud Post 1

Thnking Out Loud Post 2

Vereen_Stephania_Publishing.docx

Week 3 Comment - Sheri

My comment -
No matter where we are or what outside responsibilities take hold, life happens!  And when you have a family, life is that family over anything.  That's insane that your daughter had to miss the first 2 days.  AS important as those days are, we all know that things don't start truly swinging until about the 3rd day after all the paperwork and getting to know you's are out of the way.  When we have families, there is always a moment that will take precedence and make you realize that being with your family is exactly where you need to be.  It's sad that there are some people who place work above taking care of themselves and their family when the truth of the matter is, no matter how great you are at what you do, when things go downhill, your position is always dispensable.  I'm glad that Kaia is better!

Sheri's post -

Wk 3 Free Post-The First Week of School

The first week of school is my favorite time of the school year.  There is an excitement in the air that seems to dissipate as the year goes on.  Everyone is excited for the possibilities the new school year holds.  Students are buzzing about what teachers they like or dislike and what projects they will be doing.  Both students and teachers get a fresh start.  I love that each semester, I get a new beginning to reinvent my classroom.  The opportunity to try again in new ways is exciting.  

Every year holds its own challenges and rewards.  This year my daughter also had her first week of first grade.  She missed the first two days of school due to a sinus infection and pink eye.  My husband stayed home from work the first day so that I could go to my own first day of school.  When I got home after work, I had to take my daughter to the doctor.  She needed to stay home another day until the antibiotics could take effect.   I had to miss the second day of school to stay home with my daughter because my husband had a video shoot he couldn’t miss.  Though it’s a challenge to miss the second day of school, I was where I needed to be.  The situation made me evaluate my priorities.   My family will always be a priority over any job or career but I cannot help feeling guilty knowing that so people are depending on me.  My students where very understanding about the situation.   

Just like I told my students…it’s not ideal to miss the second day of school but sometimes you just have to roll with whatever life throws at you.  My daughter is feeling much better and was able to go to school on the third day.  Soon it will all be a distant memory and forgotten as new challenges begin to surface.

Image of Kaia by Portrait Innovations

Week 3 Comment - Edwin

My Comment -
That's amazing that you had an actual real life opportunity to apply the readings.  It definitely is no coincidence that your laptop crashed around the time as you are reading this section.  Imagine if we weren't even reading this book.  I'm developing some anxiety just thinking about it!!!  Needless to say, just goes to show that this program has managed to teach us marketable skills to improve our careers and life skills to manage our lives!

Edwin's Post -

WK 3- Reading

Photo by benny7am via Flickr

Timing is everything.  That can be said for the week I've had and reading The Art of Possibilityis the perfect timing for me to write this blog.  So I will start with the way things are.
When your computer's hard drive crashes and the program is about technology you have different ways to react.  I could have freaked out and stressed all day and night until I the computer got fixed but I thought about each aspect of school and solutions to each task instead of what I could not accomplish without my laptop that had everything on it.
That's where I think the reading is beneficial to the class and program as it gets me to think outside of the norm and not to take myself that seriously about things I may not be in control over like my hard drive crashing.  The book points to thinking in a spiral that will only lead to one direct or for different solutions.  The way the authors write their examples help to relate the story to the reader. 
The more I get into the book the more I think about a post I read last week from Bruce Kramer in his blog last week.  Since the book offers no tools but your mind and self thinking there are times that you feel a lack of control if you are not in a position to make changes.  With the state of the world it is today we are often worried about how to pay to survive instead of living.  I know this sounds pessimistic or a talking in a downward spiral, but as humans we do have emotions and worries.  All too often it revolves around money.  I start to think about this similar to putting the cart in-front of the horse and then I think about so the horse in now pushing the cart instead of pulling so in the end I answer my own concern about we can stress about all aspects of our life or we can look at each individual problem separate from each other and find solutions piece by piece.

Week 3 Free Post - EEK! We're really almost done!!!

http://www.hrmreport.com/news/workplace-stress/

I am battling a little bit of anxiety as we near the end.  Ok, more so like a lot.  I'm trying very hard to keep it all at bay because we all know anxiety breeds chaos which leads to Murphy's Law being activated in full effect.  But, I can't help it.  Finalizing the CBR has been so nerve wrecking and on top of that, iWeb is not totally being my friend as it should be.  I've heard a few stories of our peers who've lost their entire CBR in the earlier months and have had to do it all over!  Now more than ever, I'm trying to keep the power of positive thinking as my energy and stay calm as I go through these last few steps.  But the stress and anxiety are brewing under the surface, which leads to the extra harsh criticism from my own worst critic, myself.  

http://prprep.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/dont-have-a-cow-managing-your-stress-at-work/

Whether this is normal or not.  I guess it is a rite of passage for anyone nearing the end of a major accomplishment.  When you have something you've dedicated so much time and effort to, when you reach the point where it is almost done, something wicked settles in.  "What if it's not good enough?"  "I should have done it this way, but it's too late to change!"  "No one will care or appreciate this anyway."  And I'm sure many more of these wicked thoughts settle in.  But, I'm working hard to battle those away, to embrace the journey as it was and appreciate the connections and knowledge that was earned.  I'm trying to stay focused on the application of all that knowledge and how it has improved me in this time.  I'm trying to move from seeking validation, into seeking the opportunities and possibilities that this will lead to.  

Week 3 Reading - The Art of Possibility Ch 5-8

http://velvetoversteel.blogspot.com/2011/04/are-you-positive-or-negative-thinker.html

Every single day we have the opportunity to be a positive or negative influence to anyone we come across.  From the neighbor on the bus, to a passerby walking on the street to the people we may actually oversee or collaborate with at work.  Viewing our interactions from the perspective of how can we make a difference, forces us to reevaluate our impact during that interaction.  In the classroom, many teachers make the mistake of not actually listening to their students.  Our students are powerful motivators and provide immense feedback that can help teachers drastically improve their classroom process.  I think it is highly important to take a seat in the student’s chair every now and again to get on their level and understand your classroom from their point of view.  In turn, I always encourage projects where students get the opportunity to teach a lesson and impart what and how they learned a part of the content to their peers.  It’s all about empowering.  In empowering others we empower ourselves.  I think that’s the point chapter 5 was essentially getting to and I think it is something we can all benefit from adapting in any aspect of our lives.

http://www.pimpmyspace.org/comments/code/158495/

 “Lighten up, which may as well light up those around you!”  Chapter six, hands down, gives the best possible advice that applies to anyone in any situation of life.  Rule #6 is enough of a jolt to bring you down several notches and humanize yourself in a situation.  Life itself can bring enough drama, stress and unexpected situations that getting worked up and crating additional chaos only makes things worse.  The hardest lesson to learn in life is to take yourself less seriously and allow peace to guide you through the chaos.  Adding to it does nothing for you or the situation.  Live, love, laugh is such a gentle reminder on the simpler pleasures of life.  My best friend of 20 years actually has a tattoo of that phrase! 

From reading chapter 7, I think at this point in my life settling for the way things are is the starting point to making things better.  I’ve spent so many years with a vice grip on controlling many aspects of my life and even those around me to garner results that are acceptable to making things easier for me, that it in fact, makes things even harder.  When you lower expectations, you actually make a decision to settle for less than what you deserve.  When you settle for the way things are, I think you are more so allowing yourself to be present in a circumstance and embrace the options and possibilities of what’s to come.

http://www.abundancehighway.com/motivational-sayings-take-your-passion/ 

Chapter 8 tells us to give in to passion.  Tapping into passion can truly change the course of a day for someone.  Hitting that point where you are excited and energized by your own thought or creation, or just inspired by someone else’s turns the period into something more electric.  It gives meaning to what you’re doing and makes it all matter more than before.  There are days when I lack passion, when I’m just going through the motions of the routine.  I hate those days.  But there are others, when I feel what it means to be alive.  It can be sparked by small things, which I’ve come to accept as my passion.  When I see one of my kids enforce their independence by doing something as small as taking initiative in what they will wear or how they will approach a homework assignment.  That small moment where they show me they are growing up hurts just a little, but energizes me to feel like I helped them get there.  The moment when with just a sharing of a story or giving an encouraging word, someone says to me that I’ve inspired them send me to the moon.  It seems that my passion is in motivating, inspiring, and uplifting.  I feel like I’m serving my purpose, I feel the most present.

Week2 Free Post

http://junialeigh.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/influential-thoughts/

As a writer, I always found that by being honest in my pieces, impacts others more because they can find something that they can relate to.  As a teacher I noticed the same.  Being honest about my mistakes and what I may not know showed the students that I am a human being first and foremost, at some point in life I may have been just like them so I'm not their enemy.  When they see me admit to an error and take steps to correct it, they see the importance doing so and how it helps me grow.  When I don't know something, showing them that and showing the steps I take to find out teaches them it is ok to admit when you don't know as long as you find out what is correct.  When I first started teaching, I thought that as a teacher, I had to display some all knowing authority character.  I had to stop and think back to my student days and how I felt about teachers that were like that.  They were more unapproachable and we didn't take anything they said seriously because we viewed them as fake.  I didn't want to be that type of teacher.

Any student who has ever had me as a teacher says the same thing about me: I am real, I may be hard, but I help them and even though they work, they do more than they thought they could.  That reflection is consistent amongst all the grade levels I've taught and I am proud to live up to that.  Early on in my teaching career I came across a quote that I have tried to live up to every single school year that I've taught.  "Am I the teacher I would want my child to have?"  When I read that, I knew immediately that if I am not treating my students the way I would want a teacher to treat my child, then I am not being the best educator I can be.  I only want the best for my own children and I know that my students only deserve the best from me.  The day that I feel that I can no longer supply my best, then it is time to stop teaching.  

Week 2 Comment - Helen's Post

My comment:
Helen,
We definitely do share a piece of our brains as this whole business of giving an 'A' was hard for me to wrap my brain around.  I agree with your notion that if we gave everyone an A, what do they have to work towards.  In my experience and how I feel, setting expectations is important to show people how successful they can be.  How can we know our worth per say if we are not working toward something?  Is that intrinsic motivation really enough without any outside motivators?  This is definitely something I have to learn more about and practice to see the result of how it can work.  I don't think it is ever fair to set any student/person up for failure by setting unrealistic expectations, but building strength by setting expectations to showcase individual strengths I still think are key in doing so.

Helen's Post:

Week 2 Reading: Chapters 1-4 (WK2BLG1)

Credit: Notebook Gallery Software (SmartNotebook)

This week in my MAC course I have finished reading chapters 1-4 in The Art of Possibility and WOW what a STRONG and uplifting book. It was nice to first view the video from TED because it really set the mood for the book before I started reading it.  Benjamin Zander is such a strong speaker and is so methodical with his speech and writing. Both Zander’s are filled with such strong stories and examples and reflections for me as a reader that I found myself rereading each of their stories multiple times.

The chapter this week that hit me the hardest was “Giving an A”. It was such a power chapters filled with uplifting stories that constantly kept making me reflect upon my daily life as a daughter, wife, educator, and all around person.  Reading these stories that Roz and Ben had to share about their lives and experiences really made me think about what I was doing towards and with others within my life. Many times we by human nature judge things before giving others the chance to prove themselves and we need to watch these barriers we put up. We need to allow the creativity flow and allow people to make their mistakes and make their judgments but ensure that we are allowing them and giving them the A they deserve.  When I first started reading the chapter I thought it had to do with standards and I couldn’t warp my brain around giving all students an A…because I kept thinking…what do they have to work for or towards then…their motivational levels fall and their thought on doing their best does as well…but it wasn’t about standards and giving the A so that something was completed but allowing our learners and peers in our lives to live up to their potential and allowing them to be passionate and share their experiences with others. I was moved through these stories and examples in this chapter and I know this sounds nerdy…but cannot wait to finish this book to reread this chapter again. I already have it bookmarked to read in the months of January-February…the time of the year when our students and teachers, myself guilty of, fall into the winter blues and hopefully this will make me become more passionate and drive my students in their learning when I ‘Give them an A’.

I really want my students and peers and myself to really reflect daily on what steps have I taken that make a difference…good or bad…We all need this opportunity in our lives to be given an A by ourselves or others. Being an educator we need to open our students eyes to see what they CAN do and what they are possible of achieving...allowing them to push themselves and be passionate about the things around them and share it. We need to change our world of learning into being able to look deeper than skin deep.

Source:
Zander, B. & Zander, R. (2000). The Art of Possibility. Boston, MA:Harvard Business School Press
TED Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/eng//id/286

Week 2 Comment for Sheri

My comment:
I can't agree with you more that this class gives insight into how we should live our lives. I've actually been on a sort of personal/spiritual journey for the past couple of years and reading this book has reiterated so much that I have learned and allowed me to put into perspective so much more that I couldn't wrap my brain around. Once we make the conscious decision to release the efforts of judging and over thinking situations, things do become so much easier. And we may not realize it, but it is all in line with sowing seeds and putting out energies, depending on what you believe. You can attract so much more positive people and circumstances into your life simply by being/doing exactly what you'd want to experience.


Sheri's post:

Wk 2 Reading

Image by Sheri Brinkerhoff

All of the structure and ideals we use to bind ourselves into our lives are invented.  Only looking beyond the proverbial box can help us see beyond our immediate world.  I have often thought about how we create our own world based on our experiences. “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander is one of the most amazing book I have ever read. Unleashing the possibilities within should be the goal of every person.  It really is all invented.  Someone created the ideas we use to guide our lives.  What could we accomplish if we did not know fear?  Assumptions are the biggest hindrance for me in opening up to the realm of possibility.  It is so easy to make a judgment about someone or a situation.   

During the last week, I have focused on trying to stop making assumptions about situations.  I find that when I do this I have an easier time giving someone an ”A.” I have found that I have more patience with people because I try not to make assumptions or judgments about behaviors and actions.  It helps to think about how you are contributing on a daily basis.  I loved that the idea of being a contribution releases one from the cycle of success versus failure.  The chapter where the author describes his class after giving everyone an “A” is very intriguing.  I have toyed with the notion of presenting this idea to my students.  Though I do not think my administration would be receptive to the idea, I like the affect on the students.  It releases them from the cycle of success versus failure and brings them to a place where they can focus on their personal journey.   

An excellent education teaches students how to live beyond the course material.  This class is an excellent example of the concept.  Though the course is titled “Media Asset Creation,” I feel as though I have learned more about how I want to live my life.  Lessons taken from this week’s reading have affected my personal thinking in ways that will extend beyond the course itself.

Week 2 Reading - "The Art of Possibility? What the what?!!?"

http://www.cybernation.com/images/success/possibility_wall.gif

Chapter 1: I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading this book.  I guess I already put it in a particular “frame” and expected another textbook that should be relevant to this program to some degree.  To my surprise, Chapter 1 threw me for a major loop and actually struck a chord with me.   Challenging me to now really think of how I confine myself, my existence and even my own expectations of myself this chapter really got me thinking about all sorts of boxes I create in my life.  This particular quote towards the end of chapter 1 was so impactful that I actually copied it into my Facebook and Twitter statuses (an abridged version for Twitter though) “Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view.  Enlarge the box or create another frame around the data and the problems vanish, while new opportunities appear.”  I can’t tell you how often I see myself stuck writing a creative piece and can’t move forward because I don’t allow myself to truly be free in the creative writing process.  Or how many times I see my schedule as completely solid and when something unexpected occurs, it’s practically the end of the world because I initially think I can’t change my schedule.  Or when financial crisis sets in, and I feel like we are doomed because I’m not thinking outside the box and realize what other options are available that will ease the burdens.  I think this is something we all struggle with and since we are conditioned to actually fit things into neat little boxes to make them make sense, it becomes a struggle to deconstruct that pattern and try something “out of the box”. 

Chapter 2: Going through Chapter 2, I understand the concept of the world of measurement as basically the confines we fit everything into.  What makes us, “make sense “of the world and everything in it.   I would say my own thoughts and actions reflect the measurement world through my irrational anxieties of anything that involves change or the unknown.  Through my psych background, I know some of my irrational fears and anxieties are from learned or conditioned through certain life experiences.  As an adult, I’ve even learned to recognize where some of this comes from.  But I guess there is some comfort in my discomfort.  That although change and certain thoughts or things cripple me to the point of hyperventilating (heights, snakes, losing my children), I know exactly what they are, what triggers them and may even be more afraid of releasing them that I chose to hold on to them.  Now I know I’m probably going all over the place in this post, but while reading this book, I’ve been processing a lot of things in my frame of mind. 

http://www.funz.eu/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Think-Outside-The-Box.jpg

Chapter 3:  So the “A” is not an expectation to live up to but a possibility to live in to”.  That sentence initially turned me off.  It’s through expectations we can learn what we are made of.  What we expect of ourselves shows us how far we can go.  What we expect of others, defines what we will and won’t put up with.  I never thought expectations were a bad thing as long as they were relevant, clear and consistent.  I completely understand where this chapter is going, but I may not be at the place to embrace it yet.  Learning to deconstruct how to function without expectations is utterly challenging and to some down right impossible.  I know it is something that must be done to further understand myself and break down the barriers I’ve created in my life and hopefully teach my children to do this early on and not have to wait until some midlife crisis to breakdown all they’ve ever know (which is kind of where I’m at now).  Regardless, upon reading the rest of the chapter, I understand where the author was going and must just accept this as another challenge I have to learn to overcome; another miseducation I must learn to deconstruct.

Chapter 4:  I don’t care what you’ve been raised to believe, but it is practically universal to understand that contributing, giving, inspiring, doing anything outside of yourself for the benefit of someone else without expecting anything in return makes you feel way better than not doing any of the previously listed.  Sometimes it is a challenge for others to come outside of themselves long enough to see how much more of an impact they will make by giving a little bit of themselves.  When I counseled abused and neglected girl, I learned what an impact I was making and how I was contributing to the future of these girls.  When a handful of them found me through social networking years later and have told me what a word, or gesture meant to them even know showed me how true it is.  Spiritually, I know that that being a giving person only enriches you.  So I try to contribute as often as I can.  I teach my children to contribute.  I try to create the idea “if I have, you have; if I eat, you eat; if I can be happy, I should help make you happy.”  It’s the only thing that makes sense to me more so now than ever before.  

Week 1 Reading - Copyright

http://intechweb.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/hargreaves-report-on-copyright-the-answer-to-the-machine-is-in-the-machine/

In watching the videos on Copyright, I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see the video A Fair(y) Use.  I previously taught a research class and at the beginning of each marking period, I showed this video to my classes so that they can constantly be reminded about copyright.  The class was mainly project based learning and I learned the hard way about copyright when one of my students made a video using clips from a news broadcast and was challenged by fair use and they could not submit it to a contest.  It was an excellent project on top of that.  My classes worked closely with our librarian to also learn more about fair use and copyright to protect their creative work in my class.

The documentary Good Copy/Bad Copy was truly enlightening particularly at then end.  I was not aware of the prevalence of remixing in Brazil and how much those who seemingly don’t have much take time and effort to create such amazing hybrids of music.  I see kids these days doing the same things though.  Taking the technology and equipment that is available to them and doing things that are so advanced that it is downright amazing.  Larry Lessing's TED Talk about remixing culture led me to think about the questions: Are we really comfortable stifling that level or creativity?  Or do we need to find some healthy balance to encourage our future leaders and artists to flex their creative muscle?

Lastly, the clip about "Eye on the Fair Use Prize"  really pushed my concern regarding lost historical accounts.  I've always felt that what is captured in history will be how the future views the past.  Our perspective of the Greek Era or the Romans or even the missing accounts of African tribes and cultures prior to slavery comes from historical accounts and documents that are left for the future.  What we choose to omit only paints a partial view of all that really occur and is that really fair to those who must piece together a picture of our today?  I guess in some things, copyright can be a blessing and a curse.

Resources:

http://web.me.com/edm613/m11/wk1-reading1.html

http://web.me.com/edm613/m11/wk1-reading2.html

http://web.me.com/edm613/m11/wk1-reading3.html

Week 1 Comment - Cheryl's post

http://krazykk.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/260/comments/

Cheryl,
I must say, I am one to continuously ask about copyright because I always get too engulfed in the project, and forget what I'm allowed to do. When I taught the Research class, I took my students over to our librarian every marking period for a refresher on copyright so that they understand what they can and can't do in our projects. Funny enough, we used the Disney video as well at the school I taught at!

Cheryl's Post

Week 1 - Reading

This weeks reading assignment was very much on target for me.  I am in the library, and am asked copyright questions all the time.  This was very helpful.  I was amazed at the fact that copyright lasts a lifetime plus 70 years! WOW! That is one long time! It is a good thing that someone came up with fair use! Teachers would be in so much trouble if fair use was not around! Another thing that I thought was that those rappers with all the profanity and sexual innuendos throughout their music should be glad that someone would even consider using any of it.  I won't even subject myself to listening to that in the first place, let alone "borrowing" any of it! I am really behind in the times, as I have never heard of Danger Mouse and the album "Grey". I also did not realize that Nigeria was so involved in the music industry.  I really liked the "Fairy Tale" using the Disney characters! That was my favorite part.

Comment on Heidi Faber's post

Heidi,

Your perspective on the video “Eye on the Fair Use of the Prize” was definitely on point to me.  The amount of documented history that is no longer available to my own children now is staggering.  Unfortunately, what is happening is that information is once again being manipulated to omit the grit and reality of what occurred and replace it with a romanticized version of the truth.  We could all benefit from truly understanding the full scope of what occurred in history and not just allow what someone decides is all we need to know.  I agree that more of a stance needs to be taken so that people can make changes and have truly express what history really was about, the good, bad and ugly!

Heidi's post:

Week One Videos: Copyright Laws: One Viewpoint

The video “Fair Use Fairy Tale” was an accurate and creative way to relay the copyright information in an extremely relevant set-up. I will admit, I was shocked that a copyright now last a creator’s lifetime plus 70 years. I don’t see how the extra 70 years is relevant, the creator is dead; the family of the creator should not ride the creator’s coattails just to milk out more money. The lat I new, or thought I knew, copyrights last 75 years or the life of the creator. I used to agree with this when I learned about JD Salinger (wrote Catch in the Rye). He virtually vanished from society to escape the having to be hound by media to create a movie to his classic. He felt it would ruin the integrity of the book. However now days, I think media giants and influential “powers that be” have bastardized the original intent of the purpose of copyrights.

I think it is great that independent documentarians have stood up and created the “Best Practices in Fair Use” manual. What I don’t understand is why don’t people take more of a stand. If lawmakers can move the copyright length back to a lifetime plus 70 years, then with enough protest and civil disobedience it could be brought back to a more reasonable amount of time. I was particularly shocked by the video “Eye on the Fair Use of the Prize.” I think it is horrible and should be downright illegal for people to “lock away” our true history. It is truly a conspiracy of those in power to manipulate citizens (particularly young people that don’t have a reference) to make their political agendas reality. I find what was portrayed in that video to represent media using copyright laws to whitewash our history through lies of omission. I want to go beyond just “following the rules and sneaking around with Fair Use” people need to stand up and change these laws back to the people and not for profit makers.

I understand why copyright was put into place, to protect artists and creators, but like everything in America, copyright goes beyond protection…it has become a way for corporations to make ungodly amounts of money and greedily keep art to themselves that they really don’t appreciate anyways and the common man gets screwed. Art is not about money, art is about expression and that should not have a price (or a copyright). Fear of copyright infringement kills creativity. The idea of Creative Commons is a cool idea for getting the focus on art back on creativity, but when the video mentioned how the Internet made it so anyone could participate without asking permission. I must ask, why is that bad? It is everyday people taking back some kind of rights that laws and lawyers and corporations have striped away. These greedy people took copyright laws to the selfish, money-hungry place it has become and the Internet is the average person’s way of expressing their creativity and to fight back.

Week 1 - Free Post

                                      Image from: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2607306410_49af600bdd.jpg

I really wanted to kick off my free post by exclaiming how excited and utterly petrified I am to be so close to the end of this program.  We've learned so much through this program that it is hard for me to swallow that we are nearing the end.  When I got into this program, the format of having 1 class every 4 weeks was appealing until it started.  Then, I realized how challenging it can be.  I can appreciate the fast pace because it forces you to really stay focused on the class and what is being taught without a break to "forget" anything.  I also appreciate how each element of what we learned gets reinforced through all the subsequent classes.  Building our CBR project month after month is a great way to go through a program especially having elements of the CBR incorporated into each course so that we remain focused.  I surely did not know what I was getting myself into when I started, loathed the program at certain points because of all the work we are responsible for, and appreciate the program for all that I've learned that is also applicable immediately.

ETC_FinalProject

Here is my final project.  I chose to create a persuasive message communicating the need and importance of  using web 2.0 in the classroom.

You can also link to the video on Viddler here http://www.viddler.com/explore/stephania/videos/10/

PE5_GroupTable

So I got my first student signed up to the site:

He left a comment on the discussion board and that was fun to see.  At first I was providing the students with the class name and thought that they could just search the class and join.  It actually doesn't work that way.  They must join GroupTable and then I have to go in on my end and add them by their email addresses.  This can be time consuming if I had to add every student in all my classes (170 total).  But, it is a great way to get them on board and we can interact in a virtual class environment and it gets them using the program so that they can navigate it on their own when they start their own groups.

I also went ahead and posted the rubric for the group to get a feel of the document sharing.

I'd like to see if I can get to organize a chat with everyone, but that remains to be seen.  I have to get more students on here first.  This may take longer than I thought.

PE4_GroupTable

I wanted to get involved with using GroupTable because I felt that this would be an awesome tool to use for students to work in groups and have additional opportunities to meet with their groups virtually.  Then i also started thinking that I could also have my own class as a group.  I confirmed this when I read in the FAQs that there is no limit to how many members can be in your group.  So I added my Research class and 2 of the class periods as groups.  This way, the students can search for my class (I assigned my class a unique course prefix and code) and add that class to their profile and then in turn add their class period to their profile.  The students will also be required to create their own groups for their project so that they can meet together in their own area.  The main groups they must join for me are the class group for all students throughout the day, and the class period groups.

BP_7 Commercial

Here's my commercial for GroupTable:  you can also link to it here http://www.viddler.com/explore/stephania/videos/9/

BP4_GroupTable

GroupTable is a tool created to help groups manage their projects more efficiently.  What GroupTable does is provide a platform for groups to set up profiles on line and meet in real time as well as collaborate on assignments and have discussions.

This program is ideal for anyone who has a group project and does not have the ability to meet regularly to complete the work.  I signed up to poke around and see for myself how it works.

On the startup up page, you have the option to start with entering your classes.  You can put in your course name and number to add that class and help find others who are in the same class at your school.  While signing up you can put in what school you attend to make it so that you can find others in your school.  Full Sail was not included, but there were many other schools on the list.

After entering the class information, you can then move on to creating a group.  You put in your group name and you can go on to inviting members to join the group.  All members must be signed up to GroupTable though.

I went in and created a group just to see the feature in action and as you will see below, there are a few tabs specific to that group.  You can add an event or task to remind group members of tasks that need to be completed. YOu can enable chat and have a real time chat while all members are logged on (just like WIMBA).  You can also use the discussion tab to post questions for any group member or all group members to discuss throughout the day without necessarily having to be online together.

GroupTable is a tool created to help groups manage their projects more efficiently.  What GroupTable does is provide a platform for groups to set up profiles on line and meet in real time as well as collaborate on assignments and have discussions.  

This program is ideal for anyone who has a group project and does not have the ability to meet regularly to complete the work.  I signed up to poke around and see for myself how it works.  

On the startup up page, you have the option to start with entering your classes.  You can put in your course name and number to add that class and help find others who are in the same class at your school.  While signing up you can put in what school you attend to make it so that you can find others in your school.  Full Sail was not included, but there were many other schools on the list.  

After entering the class information, you can then move on to creating a group.  You put in your group name and you can go on to inviting members to join the group.  All members must be signed up to GroupTable though.

I went in and created a group just to see the feature in action and as you will see below, there are a few tabs specific to that group.  You can add an event or task to remind group members of tasks that need to be completed. YOu can enable chat and have a real time chat while all members are logged on (just like WIMBA).  You can also use the discussion tab to post questions for any group member or all group members to discuss throughout the day without necessarily having to be online together.  Lastly, the Binder feature allows you to upload and share documents between the group to collaborate on and edit.

This is definitely an awesome tool to use with an online class.  I started thinking that this can be used beyond a college class as well.  Having taught a Research class that was totally project based, a tool like this would have been ideal since it is not easy for middle school students to meet outside of class.  I think middle and high school students can get a great opportunity to learn how to collaborate online and complete group projects online, which will definitely be helpful for them to know in college.