Week2 Response to Steve

http://fsstevel.blogspot.com
Steve Wrote:

Why Teach?

After making the case that “it‘s all invented,” where “it” refers to our perception of reality, the Zanders invite us to re-define ourselves in the “University of Possibility.” Chapter 2 urges us to look beyond the confines of the “world of measurement” to stand “in the great space of possibility in a posture of openness, with an unfettered imagination for what can be.” Chapter 3 allows us the privilege of giving ourselves an “A.”  Release our selves from the imprisonment of measured standards. Become the self that you see earns that “A” grade.  This seems to be a great way to utilize the power of visualization, and improve ones ability to succeed.

At the age of 13 I traveled to Israel and visited The Dead Sea, the lowest point on the Earth’s surface.  After that experience, I saw a documentary about Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent to the top of Mt. Everest, the highest point on the Earth’s surface. It became a goal of mine to get as close as possible to Mt. Everest, and I achieved this goal in 1987 when I trekked 350 miles through the country of Nepal, reaching the Mt. Everest expedition base camp, and then hiking up to the peak across from Mt. Everest known as Kala Pataar.  I had now witnessed the majesty of the mountain the Nepalese call Sagamartha (Mt. Everest) with my own eyes.

The Everest trek fulfilled my dreams of seeing the highest and lowest points on Earth.  Metaphysically, I had experienced the highs and lows of the Earth, and a great deal of the in-betweens as well.  When I returned home, I became depressed.  I felt (mistakingly) that there was nothing else to learn.  I don’t know why, but I pulled myself together with a single thought.  I had seen the highs and lows of life; it was to time to give back. It was time to contribute. It was time to teach.  Reading Chapter 4 of the Zander’s book brought this memory back to my life.

My Response

Steve,

This is an awesome post. "...unfettered imagination for what can be..."
That could and should be the driving force behind any teacher. I absolutely love to see what my students come up with - the different ideas they have about how to approach sociological or economic dilemmas. I tell them all the time that they are far smarter than I am! (Some of them agree to quickly though...)
I appreciate you sharing your story about visiting the highest and lowest places on earth. I think that was a very cool analogy and I'm glad it led you into teaching! Even though you've seen the top and bottom of the world - there's a whole lot of good stuff right here in the middle!
Thank you for your reply to my post too!.

Week2 Response to Mavy

http://emdtblog.wordpress.com/
Mavy Wrote:

As I read this week’s chapter I was puzzled at early on as to how this book was going to be applied into our lives. I reread the chapter looking for the purpose of this book. This is what I got out of it.

I enjoyed reading Chapter 3 and 4 because it really touched home. As a child, I have always been taught to see the potential all human beings. I know everyone has the potential to achieve whatever they want. I am the type of teacher that when a student comes in, they are “A +” human being to me, with great potential, even if they are not showing it. Educators strive to guide them into believing they can achieve excellence.

The current educational system deviates greatly from the ideals many educators possess. Frankly, today’s learning environment strays away from encouraging learning; with that being said, it is funny (to which I mean sad) to see the system push students to compete with one another to the point where if don’t succeed, they are labeled a failure. For example, are students who cannot pass the FCAT in Florida to graduate failures? Considering grades, ability to handle high stakes testing, and overall character, the question deserves to be asked and scrutinized. Now the reading helped to better understand that when students go beyond the grade, and truly fulfill their true potential, they can amaze.

Another things I learned from chapter 4 was being a Contributor. I became a teacher not only  for what I can offer my students, but what I can gain as a learner as well. During my time teaching, I always strive to give my all for my students. I spent countless hours preparing and implementing my knowledge to my students; however, I have times when my students can contribute something new in thought or perspective about how they see art. I have afforded them freedom to contribute to the class and become an equal. I have learned that when we let students have a place where they can give more input then receive, they change their mindsets. I have revised lessons many times to improve the way I teach, as well as where students contribute, but one thing that does not change is that when I give my students the chance to feel like they are a contributor and share, all of them blossom. We work to improve each other and make a difference in lives are around us.

My Response:

Mavy, I really had the same reaction when I was reading the first couple chapters. I sort of didn't get the point of the book - and then I sort of got sucked in anyway. I definitely like the statement you made about being a contributor. So many educators seem to simply deliver information to students and then grade the student's output. Encouraging students to contribute something new and exciting is truly a wonderful way to approach teaching. 

WeekTwoReading

The Art of Possibility
c1-4

This is an interesting book stocked with stories and commentary surrounding attitudes towards productivity and contribution. In the first couple chapters I felt more as if it were a self-help book than one that would actually apply to the EMDT program, but nevertheless, I read on. By the time I completed chapter four, I didn't want to stop reading! Although the book thus far is more about mindsets and attitudes than implementing technology or lesson designs, there is poignant commentary for not only educators, but all professionals.
"In the realm of possibility, we gain our knowledge by invention."(20) Of all the sentences in the first four chapters, this one resonated strongly with me. I'm going to make a poster of it for my classroom! I have always strived to make my classroom one of possibility, but in the past several years I've tried to really teach history slightly differently. History can be a little dry, so I restructured almost all of my units in sort of a "choose your own adventure" sort of way so that students can discover and consider various possibilities. We do a lot of hypothesizing and predicting now. Students have learned to consider a particular option and predict the ramifications of their decisions. One example in particular that comes to mind is the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. Students had to compile a thorough reconstruction plan for the nation that included rebuilding the South, educating the freed men and women, creating jobs, reassuring the North of rebuilt southern allegiance, etc. The students were initially concerned that "they'd guess wrong" - that wasn't the point. Once they got over it, they realized that anything was possible in their plan if they could defend its purpose.
In what could have been a few day lecture of the actual reconstruction plans, students were allowed to invent their own solutions. At the conclusion of the unit, they were merely informed of what was actually done - many of their invented plans contained attributes of the actual reconstruction plans. Students gained a thorough knowledge of not only the historical reconstruction plans, but a deeper knowledge of what reconstruction of a broken nation might entail. I realized their depth of understanding when we later critiqued the Fourteen Points at the end of WWI.
I think it is important for educators to create an environment of possibility for students to invent and explore. It is a decidedly American trait to innovate and create and that's what students should always have the opportunity to do. (Of course they need to copyright it though...)

Week2 Wimba

What a great discussion - I'm sorry I was unable to attend. There were a few things that really stood out to me throughout the course of the session. The first was the culture of innocence that has long "protected" users of copyrighted materials. People frequently take clips and use music to supplement their presentations with no intention of copying or profiting from the usage. Abroad, cultural norms seem to support the copying, adjusting and rebranding of original works. Mavy's comments about Brazil really supported not only the culture of innocence, but the actual culture of sharing that exists in many other nations. Thanks for that insight Mavy.
The other part of the discussion that really stuck with me was the need for some sort of global understanding to protect both the creators and rebranders. I think Rhonda put it best that many people now create things and make them available via the internet. Many of these creators do not seek financial compensation for their works, but merely some sort of recognition because many have created in the spirit of sharing. I think this is sort of an important point because although large companies and artists who rely on their creations for income are fighting one battle, the millions of smaller creators wouldn't necessarily fight the same battles.

WeekOnePeerResponses

Bryan's Post

Bryan,
First of all - way to make a Wordle! That was a fantastic introduction to your commentary! I think you really highlighted the most important part for educators - the fair use portion. Sometimes when the discussion about copyright and trademark comes up there can be some panic amongst educators because we frequently do not review the legal ramifications of our educational piracy. It really is quite a relief that most of the things that we do fall under the fair use policies.
I do think that you're commentary in the last paragraph of your post is poignant - "To be safe...a content creator should always try to get permission from the copyright holder if they intend to use or build upon their original copyrighted ideas..." That is certainly true.
Thank you for your solid assessment of all of the resources. I think you have a very good and unbiased view of the topic.

Mavy's Post

Mavy,
That was a great reflection on all we've learned from the extensive resources provided! I think the part I liked about your discussion the most is that we simply have to "wait" until some more parameters are placed on copyrights.
I appreciate your recognition of the fact that we are in an incredibly transitional phase where copyright law could go either way. It's important that we continue to use things as appropriately as possible and with permission. I think we all can agree that, as far as education goes, we would never want to deprive artists of their work, we'd simply like to broaden their audience.
Using copyrighted materials in education is not really about any sort of personal gain - in fact it could build a consumer base for an artist. I think most educators use copyrighted material in order to broaden their students' horizons or teach things that the original art aimed to do in the first place.
Great commentary Mavy!

WeekOneLeadershipProject

I've been giving presentations practically all of my life. I was rather public when I was in high school and college. My first careers included public relations and finance - then I became a high school teacher giving presentations six times a day! This project poses the opportunity to revisit my presentation skills with a slightly different audience.
I have to admit that I'm hedging towards the published journal article, because that is something I've never done. The only things I've had published are comments and official statements on behalf of the companies I've served. But one must sort of admit where one's strengths are.
I would like to present a meaningful commentary on how urban students and urban teachers can harness the technology at their fingertips. The previous course on learning management systems really highlighted the importance of students being able to access class material from their proprietary technology (smartphones or other wi-fi enable devices). I think that a presentation geared towards this utilization would be of some benefit to the larger learning community.
In addition, I feel as though I could share the modest increases in actual  grades of my students during my action research implementation period. Although the increase was not astronomical, it did seem to demonstrate that students who were engaged in an online discussion outside of the classroom would ultimately become more engaged in the class. Additionally, the largest statistical increase came when I employed a platform that was accessible via mobile devices.
I think these findings are significant to not only urban educators, but to all educators. Although I would love to be able to publish an article, I feel as though I'd be better suited to make a presentation to reach the same end.

WeekOneReading

Copyright and Fair Use

Well there was certainly plenty of room for learning this week. I suppose I didn't consider the true ramifications of piracy until this point. It's of course understandable that artists should be compensated for their creations, but in the world of secondary education there is much sharing of ideas and materials without any obsession with earning. Perhaps it's because most secondary education professionals don't enter the career with their proprietary ideas in mind, but moreover I think it's an atmosphere of collaboration.
The part I found most interesting from this week's reading was that other nations, such as Nigeria and Brazil, have a totally separate view of piracy. It seems that those producers have identified a niche market where their products, even if they're adapted from an original work, have room to grow and change to produce a different type of entertainment.
I can really only poignantly reflect on my own teaching where I've used music and feature films to assist in illustrating points to students. Under the fair use law, I could have certainly communicated events or ideas without these materials, but they enriched the learning experience. For example, when I used to teach "Systems of Government", The Lion King was a staple in illustrating clips of the benefits and risks of a Monarchy. The clips I showed along with the notes and teaching made it stick in the students' minds. I think I've ruined the movie for most of my students because they all think of the structure of government now, but that just goes to show that a six second clip is not enough to illustrate the point!
I appreciate the efforts of both the artists and the consumers in this controversy. I think it's important that creators be appropriately compensated for their works, but for a high school teacher planning a unit, it seems almost ridiculous to contact Disney, Inc. for permission to utilize clips of a film. Moreover, the reinvention of music with either new lyrics or new beats, is a fantastic learning tool. I had a class this past year who re-wrote "We Didn't Start The Fire" with lyrics from 2000 on. It was a fantastic learning experience for the students and they ended with a product to be quite proud of.
I look forward to time when lawyers and executives are done with this argument. Compensation and protection is necessary for creators, but reinvention and different usage is also necessary for consumer/creators. One would hope that there would be no ill intention on the part of the consumer/creator;therefore, to the casual observer, one would hope the original artist would be flattered and pleased with the continued usage of their original piece.