Week 4 Comment #2 - Janene Neal

Janene's Post:
Wk4 The Art of Possibility Chapters 9-12

When I started teaching over ten years ago, I believe my whole body was filled with lighting ready to transfer to others. I wanted to relight a spark in my students, so they would be ready to take on the world.

Recently, I think my inner light has fizzled, and I see a dying light in my students.

Maybe it is the end of the year. Maybe I feel a little burned out. But when I read these last few chapters, I realized, I need to make a change in my thinking. I can still make a difference in my students’ lives. I can still light that spark.

How do I rekindle that feeling of making a difference? I know myself. I need to make a change with my professional life about every three to four years. Do something different like changing schools, positions, or curriculum. This really helps me with keeping my ideas fresh and new.

However, what about the students that have that darkness inside, but don’t want to let in the possibility of light? Every year, I try to motivate a student that just doesn’t want to work with me. Usually it’s a student that just wants to goof off, play around, distract others, and try to be the “cool/bad” kid. You all know them…we all have at least one in our class. This year, I just so happen to have two of them in one class. This is how I overcame this type of behavior. I gave both students a lot of leeway.

I let them work on a multimedia project together that consisted of a rap creation they created in Garageband Loops. I saw the spark...they showed the light.

Instead of me running around yelling at them to get to work, saying, “stop this”, or “stop that”, I provided my students with endless possibilities. My students found new technology knowledge, created a content skill rap song, minimized distractions, and had fun. I was able to do my job…which is mold young minds. WE all learned from this experience.


My Response:

Janene,

Wow, that was an inspirational read. That is so awesome that you were able to overcome the "cool/bad" kids in class and showed them a world of possibility. My favorite sentence has to be - "Instead of me running around yelling at them to get to work, saying, “stop this”, or “stop that”, I provided my students with endless possibilities."

I know what you mean too about doing something different like changing jobs or positions every couple of years to just get a refresh. I used to work at a job for exactly 2 years and then leave to find something new mainly because I didn't like someone or didn't like the way I felt at the job. It just always ended up being 2 years. The pattern stopped after a job I only worked for one year and then changed to the job I have now and have had for almost 4 years. I almost left again though and it was up until this class that I realized I had a good job and then everything just opened up for me. It was almost as if my negativity was holding me back, or I was holding myself back. Reading about how you were able to minimize distraction in class with technology is awesome because I know difficult it can be, I used to be one of the cool/bad kids. I really like how you ended your post too - "WE all learned from this experience." Thanks for the post, really inspired me!

Week 4 Free Choice – A Mac at work???

Image by Flickr user: Glenn Batuyong

About 3 weeks ago my new boss told me to write a list of specs of what computer I would use at a dream job.  So I asked jokingly “PC or Mac?”  With government contracting I had always been told, “Macs are not allowed on the network.  We don’t trust them.”  I never understood this, but my boss said, “OK, we will see what we can do.”  Of course I immediately got my hopes up because I knew it wasn’t going to happen.  7 years of multimedia training development and never once was I ever allowed to use a Mac.  So many years of blue screens of death, unwanted viruses and the occasional wacky Windows problems.  So many years of complaining out loud and having to apologize to clients when something is late because of a Windows problem.  Sigh.  The next step in the process was almost amazing.  Network services said “We do not allow Macs on the network.  We might be able to make an exception, but not sure yet.”  It was almost as if I won a life long struggle against an invisible oppressor just because someone was considering it!  Of course I had to wait to see what happened and a week went by and I heard nothing.  Last Monday bright and early I walk into the office and heard that the guy that was ordering my computer was looking for me.  When I caught up with him he told me that he ordered my computer.  So I asked with disappointment “Was it a dell?”  He said, “You said you wanted a Mac, so that’s what I ordered.  It was approved by network services.”  I don’t know when I actually get it setup on my desk, but wow I am still amazed!  Oh yeah, its a Mac Pro 8 core!

“Mac Pro unboxing photos, batch 1 #technopr0n” by Flickr user Glenn Batuyong used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.
Website Address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennbatuyong/4080838171/

Week 4 Comment #1 - Spencer Lunsford

Spencer's Post:

For me, being the board has all kinds of difficulties that come along with the notion.  I have been able to find solace in the blame game for my entire teaching career.  The students that come to me are usually several grades behind in their mathematics knowledge.  Much of this is due to (here comes the blame) teachers being "run off" by the bad acting children.  In fact the students brag about how many teachers they have been able to get to leave.  Having to accept responsibility of how I react to the situation will make me a better teacher from here on out.  Instead of being able to write off the students that are not understanding what they ought to have learned in the past, I now have sparks to light.  The students are on my board and I get to bring them to new places with new learning experiences.  I can fight the facts that they are behind, or I can find out where they are and bring them as far around my board as possible in the time we have together.  I can be just another voice telling them what they can't do, or I can be a refreshing fountain of encouragement.  The art of possibility is just that, an art.  Some people are naturals, others have to work hard at it.  The great thing about the art of possibility is that everyone can grow.

My Response:

Spencer,

Really deep insights on this.  Its great that you were able to see past everything and started to focus on lighting the spark.  I really like what you said too - "I can be just another voice telling them what they can't do, or I can be a refreshing fountain of encouragement".  The whole quote is brilliant and really shows the power of being the board.  I remember before I started reading this book I was upset at one of my co-workers for thinking that he knows everything about everything.  At first I didn't want to accept it and I became stressed because of it.  After reading this book I started to let it go, and after reading the chapter about being the board, it lifted completely.  I realized that there are people like that in every workplace and instead of not accepting it or dealing with it, I used it to build a more professional relationship.  I would continue to be the board, but lit the spark at the same time.  Now there is less tension and a new path to follow for success.  You are right too, "the great thing about the art of possibility is that everyone can grow".

Wk 4 Publishing_Leadership Project

My goal for publishing my action research is to try and go for two journals dealing with multimedia learning environments.

My first selection is the journal of interactive learning research (JILR), which was chosen for the wide selection of multimedia learning categories and papers they publish.  Since my research is about multimedia learning environments, I feel it will be able to stand on its own in this journal.

My second choice for publication is the interactive journal on e-learning (IJEL).  At first, I was a little hesitant to publish with IJEL, but after I researched more about them I feel that my research would be a perfect fit.  IJEL mainly publishes papers on e-learning and since my current field deals with e-learning, I think this will be good for both my professional environment and potentially the individuals reading the research.

I look forward to bringing digital storytelling into e-learning environments, and while I may not get published, I know I will still be able to take the research and use it in my professional environment.

Publishing_Leadership Blog Post #1

Publishing_Leadership Blog Post #2

Publishing on Google Docs

Tolar_Josh_Publishing.docx

Week 3 Comment #2 - Kris Newton

Kris Newton's Blog Post


MAC Week 3 Reading: CH.5-8 Art of Possibility

For this week, we had to read chapters 5-8 of the book, Art of Possibility. These four chapters were an interesting read as they mostly dealt with thinking positively and how to go about doing that to change the way you view things in life. I did find the concept that we had two selves, the calculating self and the central self, to be an interesting concept. I do agree that we as a species are always trying to one up others just so we can get ahead, regardless of who it hurts in the process. This concept of the calculating self is one that I can see in just about every aspect of our lives and in how many act and react to other people. Sadly, this is something that has been ingrained into us since an early age to be competitive and to look out for number 1 first and foremost. I do feel that if we could just shrug this notion off and treat others without seeing it as a competition or survival, we would be able to advance much quicker as a society that would allow others to flourish and be able to express themselves without worry or ridicule from others.

Another part in those chapters that stuck out for me was the 'Rule Number 6' that was talked about. This one dealt with not taking yourself so seriously on things. I am all for this rule, though there is a time to take things seriously. Allowing yourself to not be too critical of yourself when you make mistakes is one aspect that I follow quite religiously. Everyone makes mistakes and learning to treat those mistakes as a learning experience and not the end of the world helps you to see the overall picture that goes on around you in life.  This rule also keeps you from falling into that self-centered aspect in your life and shows you that you really do not need to be constantly controlling everything around you, as that is just about impossible to do so just take things with a smile on your face. All the drama that happens in a person's life can be turned around and looked at in a positive light as long as you keep in mind that it is just one aspect of life and not to let it drag you down into that downward spiral of negativity.

Really, these 4 chapters were more of a reminder that things are really not so bad as we perceive they are and need to stop thinking and viewing things so critically. Lighten up, think positively, stop trying to impose your will on everything and laugh at the silly things and your life can be a much more rewarding experience!

My Response

Kris,

You bring up a great point about humanity and how we are always trying to get ahead of each other.  I actually heard on NPR this morning that researchers found that the brain seems to be built to feed off of gossip and competition.  Just like when we start competing as if it were a survival of sorts, its almost as if we degrade ourselves into animalistic behavior.  For researchers to think that we are built for this doesn’t seem too surprising because it happens everyday.  What if we really weren’t built for it, but instead adapted to it?  I agree with you that chapters 5-8 were a great reminder about how things actually are around us.  As a species I think we were trying to evolve too fast and completely missed the opportunity to flourish, and in this process of competition and hurting others to make it on top, we started on a dark road towards conquest.  I like how you mention the drama in a person’s life and how it can be turned around into something positive.  This is so true and if we can start focusing on that then our competitive nature might gradually cease to exist.  It makes me think that there should be something encouraging and inspiring like the content in this book on the front page of every daily newspaper around the world.  Maybe then our species might recognize their calculating self and be able to open up to new possibilities lurking around every corner.

Here is the link about the brain and gossip from NPR - http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136465083/psst-the-human-brain-is-wired-for-gossip

Week 3 Comment #1 - Zoe Marlowe

Zoe's, Post:

Once again, Ben and Roz Zander’s book filled my mind with all sorts of revelations about myself as I read the chapters 5 through 8. It was interesting really because chapter 5 was very ‘ground breaking’ for me to read, and then chapter 8 capped everything in-between off with it’s BTFI concept. This was all a bit ‘Von Restorff” for me as the first and last chapters stuck with me the most in this section of assigned reading. As I mentioned last week in my blog, this book is one of the most interesting ‘textbooks’ I have ever read. It really is just a collection of interesting stories told by Ben and Roz about the different happenings in both their lives as an orchestra conductor and music teacher, and psychologist, respectively. I am enjoying both of their stories so much as I read each chapter, in fact I really have a hard time stopping reading and going onto something else because I want to keep reading MORE!

In the “Leading from any chair” chapter, I loved the question Ben asked himself which made him become a much better instructor and conductor. This question “What makes a group lively and engaged?” is really a marvelous question for teachers to ask themselves. It made me think of teachers asking themselves this, because just asking the question would make that teacher much more open to finding out how their students respond to the teaching methodology that was currently being used, and what changes could be made to get the student interest higher, thus making them more lively and engaged.

I loved that Zander placed a sheet of paper on each music stand for the purpose of obtaining comments from the orchestra players. The ‘white sheet’ idea could be used in so many areas of teaching, in order to allow comments to the instructor. I think this method could be used in college courses anyway, not necessarily high school, but it could work there as well. 

Another ‘take away’ from my reading of chapter five was a quote from one of Ben’s students at the school he teaches at: “Things change when you care enough to grab whatever you love, and give it everything.” Amanda Burr, student, Walnut Hill School.
What a lovely, insightful statement, and I can agree with it wholeheartedly.

Chapters 6 and 7 both had lots of interesting stories and wisdom, but perhaps chapter 8 sticks with me the most because of the BTFI concept, and the reason for this, is the fact that I am living proof of the BTFI factor in my own life because of choosing to complete this degree at Full Sail, and instead of locking myself into what I had originally planned to do after graduation, which was quickly get accepted into a PhD program, I decided to say “heck with that, I want to have fun and discover the world,” and now I am getting ready to embark upon the trip of a lifetime in Europe and the Middle East. I would never have done this ‘normally,’ but something changed in me as a result of this Master’s program at Full Sail, and with that, I let myself go and throw caution to the wind, and let my passion for photography and film (plus a few other factors) inspire me to take a whirlwind trip to discover what else is ‘out there’ for me to experience. I feel like this chapter of Zander’s book is dedicated to me and my transformation from who I was before Full Sail, to who I will be after Full Sail! Talk about everything just ‘falling into place”… oh my goodness more true words were never uttered!

My Response:

Zoe,

Great take away from the reading. I really like the stories too and I knew right away when I watched the video in week 2 that the book was going to be outstanding. One thing I noticed while reading the chapters for week 3 was that it reminded me of my experience at Full Sail. I feel this book is perfect to reflect on our experience with the program and to remember how much we learned and to see how many possibilities actually opened up for us. That’s awesome too that you brought your passion to the surface and decided to go see the world. To just let go is purely inspirational and I can’t imagine the rush you are feeling just thinking about taking your passion for film and photography into to other countries and to capture the life around every corner. Good luck with your journey and the future!

Week 4 reading - chapters 9-12: Sparks

Image by Flickr user: Sadie Hernandez

What a wondrous idea of catching someone’s spark.  This is something I started doing this past week after being inspired by this book.  I have been working on a script to control Photoshop to write text on hundreds of images and now I’m going to try and see if the script can capture the file names in a folder to see if it can apply those names to a list I’m programming dynamically.  This is all written in JavaScript and one of my co-workers loves writing code, so earlier this week I asked if he wanted to help out with it.  Sure enough he lit up and was ready for the task.

Later on that day we had a meeting about upcoming multimedia online trainers we were to develop and the topic of development came up.  Normally my task was to do most of the work – video editing, audio recording/editing, GUI (graphical user interface) design, etc, but suddenly I thought about the sparks and offered my tasks to whoever wanted to do them or help out.  There was a whole room of sparks.  Programmers with no experience in video editing or storyboard writers that wanted to do 3D modeling jumped up asking to learn so they can enter into a new world.  I could see a new realm of possibility open up and I can imagine that my co-workers saw the same too.  I came from an office environment where you were only allowed to do your job title, but now I am working with others to exchange skills and ideas.  It’s like an RPG.  Sure I can’t become a red or blue mage in the office, but I can surely give the magical powers of 3D modeling and animation, and in return I get a stronger relationship with my co-workers and as a bonus I get to light some sparks!

So, what am I doing to pay-forward from my universe of possibility?  I am giving others at work a chance to do something exciting and something they love so that their lives may be enriched.  This book rocks!

“Sparks.” by Flickr user Sadie Hernandez used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.
Website Address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sadiediane/4235516449/