Wk4_ Publishing Leadership Project: Individualized learning using multimedia tools

I don't think I have strong feelings for any of the options mentioned before: ISTE, AACE or Educause.  Who will have me?  :)  I do think I have something to share but I feel my project is not solid enough for publication to an international or national audience.  Gosh, so much of the time our heads were spinning, trying to figure out the challenge within the challenge and I bounced so many different ideas around; did I create a Frankenstein's monster of a project?  Individualized learning, passion-based learning, student-centered, inquiry-based, tech-rich... the list seems endless.  I am having qualms about sending this forth into the world.

• The link to my Prezi visual presentation
• The link to my speaker's notes.
• The link to Think Out Loud blog 1
• The link to Think Out Loud blog 2

Wk4_ Think out loud

Now to narrow down the WHERE of the presentation, since we must:

• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) is a natural option, since it is geared for tech use in K-12 education.
• AACE (Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education) is also good since my target audience used a variety of tech tools, from software to Web 2.0.
• EduCause is a nonprofit with a great mission statement to "advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology."  This would be more of a stretch for my project since I  teach ninth graders.  Would higher ed want to hear from me? 

Wk4_Comment 1: Leon

Leon posted:

Enrollment, what an excellent concept.  It is always a better approach to get people excited about the possibility of you, tell them what is exciting you, in turn they might catch your spark.  I defined myself as the board last week, and I was able to remain positive.  Things that happened that would normally steer me away or get me off course were defined as events, and when these events happened, I asked myself, “How did that get there?”  I practiced not taking events personally, it's not personal, it is an event that appeared on my board.  What a difference in my emotional state, and my ability to view things objectively, which gives me the ability to better play the game.  I think this change in myself will spark a change in others because I am an event on their board as well.  If I become a positive event in their life, all the better for the events in their game.  A change in myself should spark a change in others, I guess like a domino effect.  Truly, one person can make a difference.  I suddenly have the urge to make sure all of my relationships are good.  Become a positive event in my life and in the lives of others is the next move.

Clip Art:
Clip Art Heaven http://clipartheaven.com/search/sign.html
http://clipartheaven.com/show/clipart/signs/street_signs_3-gif.html

Wk4_Comment 1: Elaine Scott

Elaine wrote:

There are so many concepts of my life I can apply Zanders philosophies to both personally and professionally. However, as I write this passage, at this very moment my thoughts are with the five at-risk youth I am trying to work with. I stress trying because as life ‘is what it is’ for me, I had to realize it is the same for them. I may not be able to change them, well influence their beliefs is a better and more appropriate phrase. I can only lead by example, show them I sincerely love and care for them and want the best that life can offer, feed them positivity and show them the possible outcome.

How I pay-forward is in my passion and unending desire to help, I tell those I meet how I feel about them, I am not afraid to show or express myself. Even when my kindness is misunderstood or turned away it hurts but as the Zanders stated Life just is and there are things we have to accept. We make the attempts and if lucky and pushed hard enough sometimes the results are right on. Truth and reality, however, lets me know it may not always be that way. I am only responsible for the effort not necessarily the outcome. Which is why Zanders speaks so against blaming oneself.

I can only hope for the future of these five young men. I know that I have touched them in more ways than they express, for I see the changes, the smiles, the report cards, and occasionally I get an actual “thank you Elaine for helping me.” What is hard to muster is that it is not from all five of them. That two or three of them are showing signs of regression and that is difficult. I asked the questions still, “Why aren’t they listening to me? Why can’t they seem that the pathway they are choosing will hold the possibility of assured struggles? What didn’t I do right?” So I follow Zander’s advice and can only focus on the part that I played, while continuing to be there and just simply do the best I can for or by them. I have no power over all the circumstances in their lives. My job wasn’t to fix them but to show them a better way and hope that in those learnings, the young men would gain a better light of themselves just enough to make a change. I have left the spark at times I see it turn into a fire that ignites the positive changes I mentioned. So I will hope that if the fire goes out that maybe the spark I left will ignite again but at a time that may be better suited for them.

I have met many great and inspiring people during my journey at Full Sail. I hope that at some point I will get back on track financially and obtain that career that will allow me to work with others who have the talent of loving, giving, and receiving. I look forward to my growth for I know that I will continue to use that growth to inspire others and to watch all the imaginings come true.

I responded:

I empathize with you Elaine. It sounds like you pour so much of yourself into these kids and I agree it is discouraging to not see the 100% results that was, of course, your mission. Darn it, in the starfish story, it seems like those starfish stay in the water after the person throws them back in, right? All I can say is don't give up and take a moment when you need to, to acknowledge it is what it is and then look for what else could be. Also, since you are an inspiration to others, it is just logical to also look to gain inspiration from others. Nurture and BE NURTURED. I think women have a tendency to forget the second step. So much of our mythology, our fairy tales and folklore has to do with being a steadfast and willing sacrifice, with no mention of the times then others bolster us up in return. I can't take credit for this advice; I remember Oprah and her guests discussed that nurturing and renewal need to be a cycle so we don't burn out.

In the spirit of renewal, or at least renewed hope:
I have an idea. I read "We Beat the Street" cowritten by three doctors who made it out of tough Newark, NJ and the ups and downs that happened in their lives. Read it and through it you may realize that it may just be a wrong turn that is a wake-up call and gets them more focused on the good habits.

Wk4_Reading: inspiration and "we"

Image by codepinkhq in Flickr/ CC

I was brought to tears with Ben's teaching moment with his kids before he went to NASA and the response from the NASA personnel.   The kids really hit it on the head that we all need inspiration, and music and science on the cutting edge and pushing the envelope is inspiring.  It got me thinking that each one of us has the capability or in Ben's terms the possibility within us to inspire each other.  There is no scarcity of inspiration, but it builds and awakens in every person we contact.  Wonderful.

But I found myself boggled as well.  How would Ben and Roz engage with an enemy?  A person determined to be hostile no matter what?  I know Jesus said to forgive 70 times 7 but I find myself losing patience with people much before then.  After a couple chances, I tend to write people off.  And without delving into too many details, it's happened with a student.  This person was just prickly.  Mean.  He'd try to hit on the girls in class but would insult them without mercy when rebuffed.  He was loud about his hatred of homosexuals, and used his freedom of religion as an excuse to offend others in our class.

available at bluntcard.com

What would the Zanders do?  How would they write the story of "we?"  I understand that it is necessary to create that framework of we but how to do it?  I tend to be cynical and jaded like this poster:


Did I mention that on a field trip, after the announcement was made to board the bus with no food, this kid bought an ice cream and when I directly instructed him to come along since everyone else had boarded, he didn't even look up and muttered, "Hold
on, ________."  And the parents, when called just sounded bored?  And did I mention this family attends a church I used to attend and I think I scapegoated this kid (who undeniably acted poorly) with all of my stereotypes about these fake, preachy, holier-than-thou-people?

How do I get out of my own way and we-write (ha, ha that was a serendipitous typo for rewrite)  this, giving this kid a chance to be an actual human being with which I could have a relationship?

Wk3_Reading: One buttock playing or Rule number 6?

I finally got to chapter 8 and I must say I'm a little confused with Roz's sprituality/ nature musings.  But I basically get Ben's stuff about overarching themes, visions and long lines, and losing oneself to the passion of it all.

Here's my dilemma: when are you lost in the passion and when do you need to remember rule number 6?  I am nearly always passionate in the classroom, so much so the kids giggle as I read aloud or talk about heroes or jiggle them to get a discussion going!  But, when I try to convey the same passion to other adults, they, from time to time, sort of roll their eyes and probably wish I would shut up.  And I was trying to take a lesson from that, that maybe what I was "discovering" was not all that new or interesting to them and that I need to be a little less passionate, long-winded, and emphatic in talking about the issues I find vital.  Maybe I just need to lighten up!

Or am I just a one-buttock thinker?

Wk3_Think aloud

I'll probably pick a presentation since I really enjoy speaking with people rather than writing.  I'm sure the same amount of planning will be necessary for both, though!  I wonder if anyone would be willing to see a video I made since travel may be difficult in the next year.

Right now I'm not sure if I have anything astounding to say.  It might be easier if I knew personalized learning needed some defending, like if I could personally debate Arne Duncan.  What does my little project show?  That there are no easy answers, but kids seem to want more control and creative options?  Daniel Pink and Sir Ken Robinson could tell you that.  Why me?  How am I worthy?

I am starting to panic!  I wish I had asked better questions, so I could get better answers from the kids.  And who asks a noob to speak at a conference anyway?  This is craziness!

wk3_Comment 2: Response to Jenney

Jenney posted:
Publication versus Presentation

Well, I am leaning towards a presentation. I do not have time to write another paper worthy of publication.

With the advent of voice in powerpoint, I'm wondering why we need to type more words on a project? Also with the advent of YouTube or Viddler, couldn't we submit a link to our PowerPoint screen flow or actually "present" to our video camera and post it? Often my brain works faster than I can type, and believe me I can type pretty fast (80+ wpm when I get going). Also with typing my English/grammar cop comes out, and I tend to fix things as I type instead of waiting for a re-write. (I just fixed a missing comma in my compound sentence!)

So what am I going to present? Well, I wish that I was able to obtain some student work to show what they created in Creaza, but I was not thinking ahead and did not get copying of their user name and passwords. Also with Creaza, there was no publishing option.

Guess I'm left with my data.

Slide one: Problem...in my humble opinion, what is the state of language classroom?
Slide two: Brainstorm...solutions, what are some of the solutions that I see, or have researched.
Slide three: Implementation...what did my CBR project show? How did students react? Phase 1.
Slide four: Implementation...what did Phase 2 show?
Slide five: Future...where do we go from here? What is in the works for my classroom? Game? etc. 



I replied:
I second Matt's encouragement Jenney! We've all had our ups and down with this project, but you have been a rock! You truly have kept the bar high for all of us! Thinking about your videos in the past 11 months, presenting is a strong suit for you and I know that you enjoy that visual component much more than mere words on paper. I can't wait to see what you develop! I like the brainstorming you're doing so far...

wk3_Comment 1: response to Crystal

Crystal said:
Chapters 5 through 8 have been my favorite thus far. I highlighted much of the text for my own personal use to reflect on again later and I even stole a quote and put it on Facebook.

"Being present to the way things are is not the same as accepting things as they are...It doesn't mean you should drown out your negative feelings or pretend you like what you really can't stand. It doesn't mean you should work to achieve some "higher plane of existence" so you can "transcend negativity." It simply means, being present without resistance: being present to what is happening and present to your reactions, no matter how intense."- The Art of Possibility

What I read resonated with me and I know that I will be able to put it all into practice.Two items stood out to me the first being the story in Chapter 5 regarding the National Youth Orchestra of Cuba and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. It mirrored a story of my own that actually came about while doing my Challenge Based Research project. The story in the Art of Possibility talks about two orchestras coming together and having difficulty with each other's pieces of music. Each orchestra struggles to follow the conductor leading the pieces and all seems to be failing until one conductor suggests letting the students who know the piece lead the students who don't. This takes the pressure off of the unknowing students and allows the other to become natural leaders.

In conducting my Challenge Based Research Project, this situation occurred with my administrators. I had both experienced and inexperienced/newly hired ones in the same meeting. We were discussing the merits of creating a handbook and training manual for all administrators. Through discussion emerged a brilliant idea to start a mentoring program in which more experienced administrators could train and give guidance to new administrators while also allowing new administrators to bring some creativity and change to many of the processes. Needless to say it all worked out very well and we are continuing the challenge based research I conducted continuously into the future as a group of administrators working to make change within the University.

The other main "Ah-ha" moment that resonated with me was the Rule Number 6. I often have a problem of taking my self too seriously and reading this chapter put that "practice" into context for me. It allowed me to examine further how I take myself to seriously and when/if it does happen again how to diffuse it. I wish I could make copies of this chapter and give it to everyone I know, not to force it on anyone as the book says, but just to give others the chance as I have to realize that we all at one point or another take ourselves too seriously and this does us all no good in the long run. Live and let live, right?!
(photo credits: 1. Chair by misbrzi  2.Flickr

I replied: 

Great connection, Crystal. I too began to see this as the art of the win-win. The experience informed the newbies and the techies informed the luddites! LOL! I too was relieved in this section. The passage you quote is a great one. We don't need to create absolute fictions, but we do need to cope with reality in a way that enables us to move on productively, no? I like Ben's example about weather and Roz's example about ice. Either one of them could have given up and pouted and maybe they did for a bit of time. But then the creative reframing happened in their own perception and they were able to move on and enjoy themselves more. 

And I too, see how this can be related to not taking myself so seriously. Is it the New Yorker in us? That hit-me-with-your-best-shot attitude that needs to take a backseat sometimes to make way for other possibilities?

Wk3_ Reading: the way things are

THIS is the chapter I have been waiting for!  Ben and Roz have made the distinction that we need not whitewash, sugar-coat, turn-a-blind-eye or otherwise tinker with reality.  As long as we follow up-- once the fury, disappointment or other emotion has abated somewhat-- with the question "What else is here now?"  And I have to say it is true that disappointing to tragic events have ultimately led to  unexpected blessings.  I met my husband working a second job; my ex-husband was having, ahem, difficulty with the concept of child support.  Although I will not directly thank my ex for doing what he chose to do, I will generally be thankful (and the rabbi says to be safe always thank God) for the way everything worked out in my life.

So, I will not force myself to become a junior Mrs. Sunshine and Roses, I will however look harder for the positives among the perceived negatives.  I love what Ben and Roz say about the pessimists believing in their own fiction, because they focus on a lack, rather than on what IS.  I think I get it.  Much about life for so many people is unfortunately filled with misery and suffering.  But taking stock of what assets and positives exist despite obstacles is the only way to summon the courage to persist.

Resiliency is a word I've been focused on and I've been pondering how to help inspire student to persist despite difficulties.  And I think I need to share these ideas with them, so they can choose "positive self-talk" or other strategies.  I think I need to expose them to tools for their own resiliency toolbox.

Wk3_Reading: Lead from any chair

I found myself getting teary as I read this chapter.  I found it incredible and thrilling; the empowerment and active engagement of the players is exactly what I want in my classroom!  If I need white sheets, so be it.  If I need guest conductors, so be it.  In the past, when I've tried things like this, I've met with resistance and I think I let it discourage me too soon.  Wendy Drexler's study, which I have cited in my lit review described the resistance of kids who do not always welcome the added responsibility for their own learning, and I think this is similar.  Ben does not tell us of times when he chose someone too shy or just too disinclined to conduct that day.  I wish he had.  I need to know that it doesn't always work out in a sunshiny way.  I work with ninth graders who, for reasons entirely their own, do not want to cooperate just yet.  I think his question, "Who am I being that their eyes are not shining?" is a good question, but it needs to be tempered with a bit of reality.  Kids come to me with all sorts of problems, and my classroom approach is not a panacea!

I'm thinking of a particular boy this year, Zach S.  Zach's last name in our district is synonymous with problems; talk about the cycle of violence, poverty, crime and just general nasty attitudes!  A colleague, who is a distant cousin of Zach's, told me a little bit about the family and the drama that just seems to explode from every member.  The colleague felt very lucky to have escaped that family's vortex, having graduated college and become a teacher himself.  So, Zach's father's side of the family is a dramatically negative influence in his life.  I learned from Zach's mother and stepfather that Zach's parents had divorced but that his mother had to keep several jobs to keep the family financially afloat.  As the stepfather put it, Zach was left with a lot of spare time an little guidance; he resisted the structure and rules that came with a stepparent joining the family.  Zach told me when his mom was single he had been left in the care of an older brother who was cruel at times.  So, his upbringing led to his current problems.  Simply put, Zach was just fighting all of us.  He hated everyone, even me.  When I asked him  to focus on the task at hand, I noticed he wanted to debate me; wasting class time was his M.O.  I honestly can say I tried to reason with him, using detentions as time to talk.  I could sense his pain behind his defiance.   And that's how the school year went.  Assignments came and went and every time he missed a deadline, I offered him time to work after school, reminding him it was up to him to make some steps to get his work done and I'd be there to help him do it well.  I am proud that I never yelled or lost my cool with him; sure, I was exasperated, but I ended up saying, "Listen, I'm not battling or debating you here.  Let's just get this done..."  In the last weeks of school, I saw his attitude change and he did stay after and did a nice job on his final project.  I can't take any credit for what happened because I really think HE made it happen.  But my point is I may have helped it happen.  I'd revise Ben's statement about shining eyes to say, "What can I try to help his eyes shine?"  A teacher or conductor doesn't have absolute power but has power nonetheless.

And when I look back at the ten years of kids I've had in my class, I can't say I've had a dramatic impact on ALL of them*.  It's like the starfish story-- I make a difference for as many as I can.  Some kids smile shyly at me in the grocery store years later, others rush up to me to chat and still others avoid my eyes awkwardly.  But I think Ben would still give me an A, and I'm going to give myself an A, for sincerely trying every year, with every kid.  I think that's what counts.

*It IS exciting when you can hear back from kids as they graduate and beyond.  This weekend I was invited to a grad party for a girl who volunteered to paint backdrops with me for the school talent show year after year.  I grew to just love Tess!  At this party, the parents and the older sisters each told me separately throughout the evening that they were so glad I came and that they were so grateful for the "good influence" I had on Tess throughout high school.  Tess is planning a career in art therapy, so she will pay it forward to countless others.  I am humbled and grateful I have an opportunity to impact my local community in such a powerful way.

Wk2_Comment 2

Crystal Cusimano said:

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander was quite an interesting read. I have read many of these kinds of books before and this one struck me as taking a slightly different approach. The authors work their way through different scenarios, approaching them from different angles, exploring the idea of pushing limits and thinking “outside the box”.

Reading this book allowed me to begin to think more deeply about my role as an individual and the significance my thoughts, actions, and beliefs play in the whole of the human race as a connected collective group. Many times, especially in Western culture, we tend to stress individuality, but ironically in reality, we tend to think alike, stuck in similar patterns without looking at things with fresh eyes. The authors in this book work to get the reader to understand that there may be opposition or differences of opinion in what you believe is right or the right way of doing something and that you must push on because what you think and bring to the table is important.

Several things struck me in the reading and I’d like to touch on them and the significance they had for me. 

1. “Draw a different frame around the same set of circumstances and new pathways come into view.” (p. 1) and “ The frames our minds create define – and confine – what we perceive to be possible. 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 problems vanish, while new opportunities appear.” (p. 14)

As is true in the discussion in the book regarding the box game, so true is this similar statement. Many times I become so focused on solving a problem that I start limiting my thinking to solutions that seem to fit based on the criteria given or what I think I know instead of using them as a framework that can be manipulated.

Being in the EMDT program has taught me the importance of pushing boundaries and making a difference in what I do everyday by being myself. Just because it has been done a certain way forever (i.e. Many things in the educational system have.) doesn’t mean that is the only way or the right way. For this perspective on how I live and work, I am grateful.

2. “We propose to call our familiar everyday world the ‘world of measurement’ in order to highlight the central position held by assessments, scales, standards, grades, and comparisons. (p. 17)

This topic has come up in many discussions with my classmates. The majority of schools are run today on the premise that the grade is the final goal, when what we should all be realizing is that the grade is ambiguous. Students and many teachers get so rapped up into teaching to the test or toward high marks that no one really stops to think what that “A” per se is equivalent to and what it means, if it means anything at all! What measure of success and comprehension does it really show?

My point in all this is that the current way we assess people in life and students in the classroom is narrow-minded and antiquated. Everyone learns and sees the world in his or her own ways and using numerical or letter grades to assess a student’s progress or a person’s way of thinking just doesn’t work.  Most importantly as educators we must continue to work in our daily lives and in the classroom to open others up to the possibility that the current way may not be the right way or at the least that there are other options out there.

3. “This A is not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into.” (p. 26)

If giving everyone an A right off the bat was an option as mentioned in the book, it would alleviate in some respects the pressure students feel in class or that all of us may feel in our daily lives with the expectations we feel we have to live up to and open us all up to the possibility that we can do far more and be far more by exploring our passions and being creative than by being narrow-mindedly focused and stuck in reoccurring thought patterns.

4. “Naming oneself and others as a contribution produces a shift away from self-concern and engages us in a relationship with others that is an arena for making a difference.” (p. 63)

I feel that my classmates and I in the EMDT program have adopted this as our motto. We all believe that by working together as a team to help the way education is viewed and the system is run we can make it better for all. We do not seek individual recognition and in doing this we work even better at coming up with ideas and ways to push the current boundaries and become even better educators.

Overall, I must say this book helped me by guiding me in my reflections of how the topics discussed effect me in both my personal and professional life. It was refreshing to read something that instead of focusing on what is wrong with us focuses on what is right with us and was there all along.


Because I liked the video so much from the assignment as well, I'm sharing it here:

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Wk2_Comment 1

The link to Mike Skocko's blog can be found here.  I had trouble copying only the parts of the blog and not the sidebars and images!  Mike elaborated on his delight in reading the Zander book, and included exerpts of his own poetry.  His thoughts and those of the Zanders seem to be so harmonious, Mike said that it felt like rediscovering an old friend.  As luck would have it, he was reading this book as he vacationed, his family with another family.  Turns out Dave Ridge knows Ben Zander and together they toured with the symphony in Europe once upon a time.

I replied,

That’s so cool how stories and lives are intertwining! Kismet! Dave, I am wondering if you felt something extra playing with Ben and if you have a similar, shining-eyes life mission…

Mike if you read my blog, I’m am really struggling with letting go of the measurement part of my brain. The judgmental German seems to go through to the bone. Just the other day, my husband found an employee in a small lie (taking credit for someone else’s quick thinking) and I asked him why he didn’t acknowledge it; would this person continue in greater dishonesty or feel glee in putting one over on “the boss”? My husband must have decided “to give him an A” by letting the employee save face. Through the discussion, I still put so much stock in being “right” that I can make myself oblivious to the subtleties of human relationships.

Wk2_Wimba

Too bad I missed it because I really wanted to discuss the idea of creative remix.  It seems like copyright gets in the way; even if the original artists are cool with remix and adaptations, the "copyright holder" is the one we have to get permission from.  Hmm.  Again, Creative Commons can be a great resource and the symbols are easy to understand.  I even learned a way to bring photos/images into iPhoto and keep the artist name in the information section for attribution for every successive remix or redistribition.  But now I have to convince my district to allow access to CC on campus.  It's ironic our district has to pay for web blocking in order to get some federal money but kids can bypass all that on their phones anyway.  I know I do-- I've used my phone as a hotspot to show a video from YouTube for my class.

Wk2_reading- Am I open to this?

I spent quite a lot of time resisting the ideas in the book.  I mean, c'mon!  Everything is invented anyway so just imagine something better?  Isn't that what crazy people do?  Or my mother in law???  [Seriously, I refer to her as Mrs. Sunshine and Roses because she MAKES UP stories and then wholeheartedly believes in them!  You cannot persuade her with facts about ANYTHING.  Ever.  She's lovely and kills everyone with kindness and is basically annoyingly nice.  Well, she does have a racist and sexist side (in general, never to anyone she knows of course, as if that makes any sense), again, not to be dissuaded with facts or other examples.  She believes what she believes.  (She seriously thinks Tylenol makes her woozy and that capers packed in oil can be good to eat indefinitely)  C-R-A-Z-Y!

It also has me remembering the fundamentalist Christian religious fad from my childhood my dad referred to as "Name it and claim it!" as if you just tell God what you have faith He will provide or allow to happen, it will be so.  Or what about the movie, Field of Dreams: "If you build it, they will come..."  Come on!  If you believe in that silliness, I have a bridge to give you...

I am such a doubting Thomas, I have also avoided The Secret and other power-of-positive-thinking type books and videos.  I just don't/ didn't see how the belief in something could open my eyes to a "new" perception.  But the story Roz told about her dad and reframing her perception of him eventually led her to rediscover the letter he sent.  He must have sent it.  There it is physically in her possession and -- I'm a doubter of miracles for the most part-- therefore he must have sent it.  So how can she not remember???  Her perception of him as an uncaring heel of a father led her conscious memory to forget that letter!

So I'm a little more open to this and I'm going to try to live into it starting with my husband.  I already know that when I fight with him, I assume the worst.  Really.  I assume he's being a jerk, when really, he didn't realize what I would have wanted him to.  So, I shared this with him and told him I'm going to look at a card with reminders written on it like, "Rob is not your enemy; he loves you and is trying to contribute.  Give him an A."  So things are still going to happen, not according to my little precious plan or whatnot but my disappointment in him will be gone/ lessened.  I will treat him as my partner (or try to because I am less than perfect!)

I also need to think more about using this in my classroom.  I need to read on, to see how this really works with students.  I don't want asinine or lazy behavior because everyone has an A now.  I need to work on my semantics of delivery of the message.  How can I lead them to see that getting the A means working hard and even taking some risks is what gets an A.  I can see I am starting to sound like the measurement world again.  I stopped myself short of pondering a contract: "behavior for an A."  But I am trying still not not be too fantasy-minded!  Can ninth graders (who I hear are a handful from the teachers in the previous grade) respond to this and live into the A?!?


PS Is anyone else giggling like a lunatic over the irony of these ideas juxtaposed over the very popular and very dangerous world of measurement in teaching right now???  "Of course I'm a failure as a teacher if my students are not all passing the state test!!!  Even one child left behind is unthinkable!  Fire me!!!"  compared to, "What are you measuring anyway?  How can you reliably measure engagement and bright eyes?!?"

Wk1_Comment 2 to Tania

http://taniashavor.blogspot.com/2011/07/copyright-issues.html?showComment=1309668384330#c2028075770597448847

Tania said, “Fortunately I have had to learn and deal with copyright issues in the past. I have a BFA and in doing multiple projects that deal with a wide array of commercial and personal images.  I also understand copyright to be very personal to me as an artist. As a graphic designer however more often than not I have had to deal with a lot of pictures that sometimes accounted for a large portion of my hard drive space. Most of the time in a company setting that requires some pictorial representation these companies will invest in buying the rights to use images from places like Getty, istock and Corbis just to name a few.

The above image is an image created by hand (not digitally) which was inspired by a magazine ad. This drawing is a good example of how we can become creative with the images we see without using the actual copyrighted image.”

I replied, “Great discussion among artists! What is inspiration and what is emulation/ copying? I quit art because I questioned my own ability to say something unique and meaningful, without relying so much on others: I referred to myself as a human photocopy machine, not an "artist." 

I think with adaptation and innovation elements of other images can be used. In high school we tried to recreate the Mona Lisa with a new style and setting. It was a fun project and the resulting projects were interesting and funny. A student of mine adapted The Last Supper to include the faces and personas of fast food icons positioned like the the Da Vinci figures. The Mary/ Thomas figure was hilarious as Wendy with the red pigtails. Irreverent and funny. I consider her project creative because she was clever in her adaptations, even playful with the title of the original. But as Tracye said, it is difficult to know where the line is with adaptation and just plain stealing and image like Shepard Fairey did.”

Wk1_Reading response: Copyright, fair use and remix

In phase one, I found myslf really empathizing with movie creators because of the blatant piracy under Swedish law and Nigerian law.  But gradually, I found myself empathizing with the remixers as creative folks themselves.  The DJ Girl Talk convinced me he couldn't really do what he does without violating copyright law as it stands.  And Mr. Lessig also persuaded me to rethink copyright in terms of print media.

As a lit teacher, I know a thing or two about print.  I know I couldn't teach without print.  I know I sometimes, okay, often redistribute a newspaper or magazine article in class to discuss the ideas or the words themselves without prior permission of the author or publisher.  I might be protected with fair use as a legal defense, but I do what I do with full knowledge that I am somewhat living and working outside the law.  As do many print artists.  For example, my students know I like Twilight and the series.  I like it even knowing it is a remake or adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, just as West Side Story is an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (and Triolus and Cressida too).  And guess what?  Shakespeare didn't create that story either!  He stole it from Brooke who stole it from, well, you get the picture.  Stories, ideas, styles, words get recycled, emulated, copied and it's not necessarily a bad thing.  Some people respond more to one version over another-- just ask my students.  They have reasons for preferring any one of the star crossed lover stories.  And my action-adventure fans actually find it interesting to find out that the basic story premise of most action films is the hero's journey archetype.  Hero has problem, has to solve something or get something, has difficulty along the way and ultimately triumphs with a little help from friends.  Boom.  Archetype.

I saw a cool teacher website from a fancy prep school, I wish I had the link still so you could see it, but the students had to research a poet and complete a variety of tasks related to the poet's life and works, one of which was an emulation poem.  The student studied the master and created a poem following the style of the original and showing the original side by side.  Talk about remix!

I teach my students about allusion (the brief reference within a literary work to some other person, idea or literary work) and show them examples.  Shakespeare alluded to mythology and the Bible.  In his "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug28, 1963, Dr. King alluded to historical figures like Lincoln and his speech, current events and people and their speech such as George Wallace and his various segregationist ideas and words, nationalistic songs and African-American spiritual songs.  These men are well-respected, clever, creative wordsmiths.  But I want to point out that the very idea of allusion is one of remix.  If they had alluded to copyrighted material, they may also be criminals under current copyright law.

How is it different if a musician does the same with a song, remixing snips from various artists to create a sound of their own?  Is it okay for Kanye West to mention Gladys and the Pips in his lyrics but not include a snippet?  Is it okay for Flocabulary to mention "say my name" in their song "A Love Like This" but nor use any part of the actual recordings of Destiny's Child?  I agree with Mr. Lessig that we need some common sense in the law!

Wk1 _Wimba

Joe has a great demeanor about him and is an excellent communicator!  I only wish he had been available last Fall to explain CBR v. CBL and the lit review.  I feel it could have saved me a lot of time.  The analogy of a (neutral-stance) reporter, asking the researchers to speak for themselves is a good one.  When talking this over with Jenney this week, I thought about Diane Sawyer-- sorry Oprah, I love you but you are rarely neutral-stance-- having a panel of experts on the show to talk about their findings.  It would be Diane's job to introduce the topic or subtopic and then transition between each guest.  Once upon a time, in month one, Dr. Wyly said we should not report but synthesize and that was confusing to me-- how do I synthesize without inserting too much of my own opinion there [I think that is called yellow journalism?] or coming to definitive conclusions too early.  So, many thanks to Joe for clearing up some confusion!

I have more comments about CBR in my response to Jenney in another post.

Wk1_Comment 1 to Jenney

Jenney Grover said: "(insert record scratch here) WHAT?! We are going to apply to present or be published?! I'm wondering who the collective "we" is in the "we weren't getting as big of a payoff as we could get or should get given the amount of work that you guys have already done." Because the "we" if that includes me would mean that my payoff of a raise, job advancement, etc could be sufficient for me and therfore my choice to then go into retirement would be my choice if I chose not to get published. I'm really caught off guard by this even though a peer mentioned it in a conversation last night after class (I watched archive today). In month 1 (and 2) it was stressed that we could if we wanted to, but we wouldn't be forced to publish even though we'd be fully prepared to publish if we so chose. The analogy that has become forefront for this process is "It's all fluid"(always changing) in this Alice in Wonderland world.

I guess I now know what a fish feels like when I'm fishing. Oh this pretty lady is providing me with food, how nice is that?! "Swim little fishies over to my line." *gulp* Oh no! There's a hook! Swim away! Swim away! Nope, I'm snagged.





I was looking into getting published or presenting at some point in the future, but not necessarily with this project. The lit review is turning into a community written plan and not necessarily something that I would put my name on as a finished product. However, I am reworking it this week to see if I can salvage my voice.

As I'm listening to the archive, this song started running through my head.






The chorus keeps running through my head, "whatya want from me?" However, as I actually listened to the lyrics it fits this process pretty well.

"Just don't give up I'm workin it out 
Please don't give in, I won't let you down 
It messed me up, need a second to breathe 
Just keep coming around 
Hey, whataya want from me 
Whataya want from me 
Whataya want from me"


"Just don't give up on me 
(uuuuuuh) I won't let you down 
No, I won't let you down"

written by: Pink, Max Martin, and Shellback and released on Adam Lambert's November 2009 album "For your Entertainment".