Week 4 Wimba

This week in Wimba we discussed the art of possibilities, our Leadership projects and MONTH 12! The question was asked how is the Art of Possibility different from the Power of Positive thinking or The Secret.  I think it is very similar yet it doesn’t require readers to imagine it allows them take ownership and try to figure out what is it about me that is not pulling the best out of my people.

Only one Wimba session in month 12 and it is very important. We will have several videos that we need to watch before Wimba. Information on the Final Presentation will be given out along with a URL for that final presentation. 5 day before your presentation you must have a approval.

week 4 leadership role model

I ended up in music by no choice of my own. A counselor placed me in chorus because my health class was over populated. I did not know I could sing. Once I got there I met a teacher that would change the course of my life. Her name was Nancy Bishop.  Mrs. Bishop introduced me to music not just R&B or rock but classical and musical theater. She took me to see my first musical and sparked the passion for music in me that I now try to share with my students.  Mrs. Bishop exposed me to the arts, which I honestly believe changed the course of and possibly saved my life. I find myself saying the things she said to me to my students and taking them to the places she took me and teaching them the songs she taught me.  Mrs. Bishop made me feel like the best singer in the world, which is what a good leader does. She is with out a doubt my role model when it comes to leadership.

Week 4 reply to Mary

Mary,
 The second half of this post felt like you took control of my brain and typed my thoughts. Being the Board hit home with me as well. The last two months have been frustrated with work,home, and lack of time and I was placing the blame on everything but me. Putting things back on my board give me a different out look and allows me to think of solutions instead of complaining.
Great Post! Thanks for sharing.

week 4 reading: being the board

every chapter of this book has shifted my perception of my world a little bit. being the board tilted my perception even more. i, as many people do, often blame others for what happens to me. but in this chapter i was presented with a new way of thinking. putting the blame on others takes all of your power, it makes it where the situation seems helpless because it is out of your realm. instead in the new way of looking at things you take that power back on to your "board" you have control of situations, or how you perceive the situation. 

i try to apply all of the chapters i am reading to my own life and this one is no different. i have been really stressed out lately and often blame it on my kids, my students, homework, time. but this is taking the power away from me. if i bring everything back to my board then i can choose a different way to look at or view my world. i chose to have a family (whom a truly love and am thankful for), to work at a school with challenging students, and to attain my masters degree this year. as i sit here at the start of a holiday weekend completing homework with my youngest child on my lap my older one sitting next to me, a stack of papers to grade, and a husband urging me to hurry up so we can leave on our vacation, i have to think this is my life, this is my board and i love it.

Week 4 reply to Cynthia Madanski

Week Four: Leadership ~ Teachers are Leaders

The prompt for this post is "reflect on leadership role models whom you respect and whose example you would want to follow. Look at individuals or organizations that you admire and spell out what it is that attracts you and how you might incorporate this into your own leadership style."

In a school setting, few people in the public think of the teacher as a leader.  If asked who leads the school, almost every parent, school board member, and citizen will say automatically "the principal".  Many teachers themselves will reply the same two words as the answer to that question.  I am the exception to the rule as I disagree.  I don't feel that the principal leads most schools.  Teachers do.  That is not to say that there are not some amazing principals that develop a great relationship with parents and their staff who work hard to make their school a great learning environment.  But teachers are the ones who have a direct, personal relationship with students.  Teachers are the ones who know their students' strengths and weaknesses, and what motivates each of them personally.  Teachers are the ones who make a difference to individual students every day.  

I have been recommended each year for the past five years for an administrator cohort in my district.  The district will pay for an administration degree for the few recommended teachers, and these teachers are then expected to go into administration for a minimum of 5 years in our district.  While it is an honor to be invited, it is something I have no interest in.  A principal has to see the forest, teachers see the trees.  A principal must make decisions that benefit the school as a whole. A teacher has to make each individual student in front of him or her feel Important.  Priceless. Powerful.  Smart. Valuable.  No tree in my classroom is ignored or sacrificed for the better of the forest.  I would much rather be a leader in my classroom and have a direct impact on each student daily, than a leader in a more general setting and make decisions that trickle down to students, yet don't impact them on a personal level.

With that said, role models to me are teachers I have had in the past and teachers I have worked with.  Teachers like my high school Latin teacher Mrs. Pawlowski who taught me life lessons.  Dr. DeBruin who taught me as an undergrad to make Science hands-on.  Mr. Birr who taught me how an intervention teacher and classroom teacher can work together to make the most powerful learning environment possible.  Mrs. Rusgo who taught me that kindness is as important than knowledge.  Teachers are Leaders! Even if I eventually decide to leave the classroom after Full Sail, I will never forget the impact teachers have.


Cynthia,
Great Post! I really enjoyed the spoken word " What Teachers Make" by Taylor Mali. POWERFUL! I too have been asked to go into administration and I have the same out look that you do. I love music and I want to share that love of performing and creating music with my students to help them develop their and passion. 

Week 4 blogg

So it took customer services to reconstructed the link for me twice to get the books the Art of possibilities. It was well worth the wait. I was so behind in my readings because of the error I didn't think I would ever catch up. However I had read so many great things about this book on my cohorts blogs that I could not wait to dive in. The read has been so engaging mainly because of the music references that are used by our author Ben. I watched his Ted presentation long ago and reading the words just reminded me how true his work is. I think a great question to ask ourselves as leaders is who are we that are followers are not shinning. What a powerful self evaluation tool.

Enrollment is the ability to produce a spark of possibility for other to share. We should ignite passion instead of fear as we lead. This leads me to think how one producer can get a better performance out of a singer in the studio by relating the song to the artist passion.
Declaring that I am the framework of my of my life reminds me of another powerful book that I read a few years ago The Secret. Basically saying that I control my universe.
I have enjoyed this book and I will use some of the lessons taught in my personal life.

Week 3 leadership hub

I chose to share my project with GMEA. This will be a prime regional location for me to share my leadership project.  This conference will have several of my peers that are interested in motivating and engaging their students. It will be a great start to a grass roots effort to digitalize music education.

week 2 post

week 1 post

You can find my project by following this link. Leadership Project 

You can find the speaker notes to go with my project here. Speaker Notes

Week 3 reply to Mary Wilson

this book was well worth the wait, the book is like opening a door where you are suddenly blinded by bright light, at first it is so bright you cant see anything you just close your eyes and take in the new feeling, as you stand there longer you start to acclimate to this new environment and try to figure out how you can share this amazing feeling with others.

this is where i am with this book, i was amazed by the first few chapters. now my head is spinning on how and where to use these new found ideas. i have already told my mom, my sister and two teachers about this book. i have restructured my final so that the students will be able to express themselves in a way that is more comfortable for them instead of how i wanted it.

i had assigned a project as their final exam because most of my students do not do well on traditional tests and i thought a project would be a better way for them to express their creativity. i had one student who seemed really bummed about the project and really was not doing anything. when i asked him what was wrong he said he would rather just take a test, i immediately said no and got kind of mad that he had even asked, i mean i spent a lot of time designing a project that i thought the students would enjoy and excel at, so i told him to try the project and left it at that. lucky for him i read over the art of possibility and reflected on my decision and thought maybe i should not take my decision so seriously, maybe i should ask him what he thought of the whole thing. we had a discussion and we decided that i would make him a test and that would stand in for his final project. after the conversation i noticed he was smiling, he said mrs. wilson i probably look really happy on the outside right now, but on the inside i am ten times happier, i am jumping around and screaming, you have made me so happy. thank you for listening to me.

Mary,

I think the paradigm shift this book has brought you to is great. Taking the time to ask the student what would be best for him was great. I hope that you are able to use all the information you have gained productively.

week 3 reply to Rebecca Stuart

I’m not sure that I believe that we are all leaders. I do think we have the ability to make a difference in people.  We can easily do this just by being nice and being opened minded to the fact that we don’t know all the hardships that we all have in our lives.  We listen to people by opening our ears and really paying attention to what each one of us is telling each other. Sometimes we get so carried away in ourselves that we have a hard time stepping out and really paying attention to the people around us.

Rule number 6, I think is going to become my saying to myself. Sometimes at work I get so absorb in the task at hand or what needs to be discussed, that in a meeting I get upset when the meeting gets side tracked and people start telling jokes. I need to obey rule number 6. After reading this chapter I promised myself that when these types of situation pop up during my meetings to laugh with my team instead of look annoyed. We can all use a good deep belly laugh everyday and I need to start taking advantage of all the ones that are presented in front of my. So Rule number 6 welcome to my life!

I do a good job of being content with the way things are and also knowing when it’s time to push to make things better.  I have a very positive outlook on life so it’s very hard for me to focus on the negative.  Sometimes after watching documentaries about food and the earth I can sometimes feel “ well I can’t make a difference” but my positive attitude always speaks to my brain and reminds that sometimes one person can make a difference.  Sometimes we have to settle because we can’t change the situation and that doesn’t mean lowering expectations to me. To me that means just stepping back and focusing my energy on something that I can make better.

I express my passions by talking, breathing, and being a walking example of them.  I think it’s great not to care about some things and to just let go and let the universe do it’s job. I find that when I give something up to the universe it always does the right thing for that situation.

 

Rebecca,

Good post.  It is sometimes very difficult to have a positive attitude about the situations that life deals you.  When bad things happen it is so much easier to sulk and question.  It is important to remember that everything happens for a reason, and though we may never understand why some things happen, we have to appreciate the lesson that will come from the experience.  Stay positive and good luck in life!

 

Wk2 reply2

 

 The statement which Benjamin Zander states at the beginning of The Art of Possibility he talks about two salesmen going off to sell shoes in Africa, this is a fantastic example of how teachers should think of their teaching opportunities. You see, in his story he states that one of the salesmen sent word back home that the idea of shoes is hopeless because no one there wears shoes, but the other salesman sent a more optimistic letter back full of hope stating that he has the opportunity to get people to start wearing shoes. In the classroom we have to think the same way about our students. We should not focus on the fact that we have a large group of students who do not want to learn; rather we should focus on the possibility of finding new ways to get the students more excited about learning. This is what the EMDT program has taught me over the past 11 months. We have been given the tools to sell shoes to the shoeless, an amazing opportunity to teach those who have not yet discovered the joy of learning. 

In the book a statement is made that eluding to the idea that it’s (everything is) all invented. This idea details how humans perceive thoughts and ideas and relate them to the world in which they know around them. Some people take the world for what it is and say that everything is invented so let just make what we know better. Others see the world differently and use new facts and ideas to build new and exciting constructs in the world around us. We should be reminded that humanity is continuously working to become greater than the previous generation, and that no human in this history of the world has though that everything that can be invented has already been invented. It has evidently come to our attention that the quote most commonly used to test our willingness to invent comes from (but actually never did come from) the 1899 patent office clerk Charles H. Duell stating that "Everything that can be invented has been invented." It has been proven that this is one of those myths that’s gets passed around as fact from generation to generation, eventually being passed off as truth along the way.  It can be clearly seen that all aspect of the world can be improved upon by thinking outside the normal realm of logic and incorporating the new and exciting truths learned in your generation. By exploring the new and exciting ideas brought about by the EMDT program I know I create a classroom environment full of new and exciting ideas and learning styles.

Mechanix Illustrated, December 1958, Pg82

Joe, I did not have a chance to complete this weeks reading due to a bad link that was sent to me by the publishing company. After reading your post I feel like I have a good understanding of what I have missed. The story about the two shoe salesmen and how you related it back to education was great. I know several teachers that never see the positive opportunities right in front of them. Thanks for giviing me an idea of what the reading this week was about.

Week 2 wimba

I got a clear understanding of copyright more specifically the narrow road of “ Fair Use”. I understand not that if I use a song in the background but I am not teaching specifically about that song I will be in copyright violation.  I was driven home that Fair Use is not a right but a legal defense. I enjoyed the holiday music that was being play, even though it was out of season.

wk 2 Where Do I Want To Share My Project

I believe that educations digital transformation must be a "grass routes" effort. More specifically in music educations digital transformation must take place one classroom at a time. By giving my presentation at the Georgia Music Educators Association(GMEA) conference I could share my ideas about how technology can be used to motivate and engage chorus students to learn the fundamentals of music with other music teachers. The conference will be held in Savannah Georgia in January of 1213.

Week 2 reading eBook Error

I have been directing my school musical and I had my final performance last night. We did excerpts from "The WIZ" it went very well. Last night after the production I came home to do my post I was going to read and watch sports center on mute. Well I went to look for my book and it was on my Adobe book shelf. Weird ,because  I thought I downloaded it when I got the email. Well I went back to the email to download it and I got the error above. I contacted their tec support and I am waiting for them to resend the link for a download. Apparently they had problems with a lot of their last eBook shipment.  I have heard that this book is a good read so I am looking forward to catching up on my weekly reading.

Present or Publish 2

I would like to share my AR project with GMEA (Georgia Muisc Educator Assocation). I think this would be a perfect venue to share how effective technology can be in teaching the fundamentals of music. I will have to get on the ball because the deadline for next year is May 12.

wk 1 comment: 2

 Joe's Blog

Wk 1 Reading: We Can Copy, Right?

I graduated High School in 1999 and was starting my freshmen year of college when the mp3 boom began. I had just moved out of my parents house and moved into my first apartment with my friend Mike. We were the type of guys who loved to be on the forefront of everything especially the internet. My buddy Mike got a Job working for the cable company, who at the time were rolling out lightning fast (slow by today's comparison) cable modems. These modems were to replace the old dial-up connection that many of us first encountered in the old AOL days of the internet. Little did we know that this modem would open up a whole new world to us and put us on a path to total local celebrity status. We first entered a chat room in using a little known program called My Internet Relay Chat or Mirc for short. Here we found a whole community of collectors of a small music file known as an mp3. The first songs that we downloaded were the classics like The Beastie Boys Fight for your right (to party), or Ozzy Osborn's Crazy Train. Soon we discovered a new program making its way around the channels known as Napster. This was a revolution in the Person to Person, or P2P file transfer protocol that we were using in Mirc. The only difference was that you did not need to ask people if they had the file, here all you had to do was type in the name in their search engine and you were shown multiple hits of the file, and which location had the fastest connection to retrieve it. It was an amazing concept that me and my friend Mike wished we had come up with.

Soon we were having people come over challenging them to find the most rare songs they could think of, like Bob Marley's Guava Jelly or Slick Rick's original Ladi Dodi. With all these fiends coming over to complete their searches we amassed a large library of songs, and soon became the go to apartment for parties and music lounging sessions. Many people would ask where the music was coming from and I would reply "From my computer." No one believed me so I would always give them a tour and show them my setup and my playlist on the original mp3 computer program WinAmp. They were amazed, but many of my friends believed this was a fad and would soon go away like 8-tracks. I was so sure this was not a fad that I used the topic of mp3s and the future of music as my final persuasive argument in my public speaking class.It was a great time of my life broadening my love for music and making my first few year of college completely worth while.

Why did I start this blog off with this story? Because even though I believe an artist has the right to protect his work, I also believe that the trading of mp3's is not the nail in the coffin that record industry makes it out to be. I remember when I was about 4 or 5 years old hearing how the VCR was going to kill movies and ruin the art of cinema being seen on the big screen. The industry soon found out that the proliferation of home media not only helped the industry, but added on a whole new consumer base that they had never thought possible. I believe the same can be said for the mp3's. The proliferation of the mp3 only adds to the appreciation of music thus raising music to a new and higher standard than ever before. Before mp3's I lead a sheltered life, only buying the occasional CD for bands that the radio told me were popular. After I started downloading mp3's my musical education grew, exposing me to the rich sounds of reggae, the unique rhymes of rappers like Biggie and Tupac, and the eclectic sounds like radiohead. Mp3's forced me to broaden my horizons, listen to new bands on a whim, and go to more live shows and concerts than ever before. The mp3 was a game changer for many young people back in the early 2000's and I believe it still is for many youths today. The fact is, I spent more money on music after the mp3 age than I did before.

Sure there are those that abuse the system and take take take, but don't forget about those how give back. Today we see a plethora of  musicians trying to make a mark in today's industry who may not have ever had a chance before. Take Justin Bieber (no really take him, haha), he got his start by posting videos of his talents on YouTube, a video site with its roots stemming from the mp3 sub-culture of the early 2000's. With this new medium many more artist can fill the world with their talents, or lack there of, allowing the American culture to determine who is worthy of praise and who is not. This I believe is what the recording industry is afraid of, we the people now have the power to determine who is popular, not the gigantic spin machine that we call the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA now in today's world seems insignificant, the power is now placed into the peoples internet. Artists now see that they can produce and market their art on their own with only a simple $1000 computer and an internet connection. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame found this out when he released his own album off the internet all on his own and asked for donations instead of a set price. It are these situations that the big corporate giants hate because there is no need for a middle man any more.

The creation of the Creative Commons is the next evolutionary step of the P2P transfer protocol, that was so famously smashed with the demise of napster, bearshare, and limewire. This new P2P system places artist right directly on the property the individuals wish to use or listen to from their own computer. By placing the option of fair use back into the hands of the creator we limit the corporate stranglehold our ideas and though have been suffocating from for so long. Creative commons is a breath of fresh air for the little man who normal stands beneath the shadows of the corporate giants.
Joe,

Great post. I am a true music lover I find pleasure in every genre. I agree the Internet enhanced my musical taste by allowing me to hear more artist before buying the album. I also agree that some people take advantage and never give back. As an artist my self it is hard to download music and not compensate the creator for their intellectual property. Musical ideas have been recycled for hundreds of years now but the new laws pose a huge hurtle for this cycle of recycling musical ideas and motifs. Before the sampling era musicians would draw influence from other artist and recreate that sound to fit the idea floating in their head. Now sampling takes the exact idea and reuses it to create a new sound. I think there should be a standard rate to sample or reuse some ones material and if the new creations sales a certain amount then a lager portion should be given to the original artist. I know that wont stop the illegal use of creative ideas but it might start building a bridge.

wk 1 comment: Mary Wilson

Mary's blog

 week 1 to publish or present

although i have a strong fear of public speaking, i am leaning towards presentation of my work. i really want to spread the idea of gaming in the classroom to my fellow teachers and because i am passionate about my topic i think it will be easier to speak about it. or thats what i keep telling myself.

my first choice of conferences to present at would be the florida educational technology conference, although i know this is a huge conference it is one that is very close to home and addresses my peers in florida. i would love to be part of the change in the educational system in florida and i see this conference as a way to do that.

fetc is accepting applications through may 31st so i need to come up with something amazing. fast.

Mary,
I can not believe we are now in month 11. It seems team Quizknows has been through so much.I think you would be a great presenter at the FETC conference. You are very knowledgeable about you protect and Edmodo in general. If you need help with music for your presentation do not hesitate to ask.I hope you make the registration deadline. I look forward to your presentation.

publish or present

I have always been a performer all of my life. I remember when I was a young child my family had me dancing, singing and  speaking in front of our church. So for me there is no question I choose to present my AR project.

Copyright issues wk1

I am a singer song writer so this is a very interesting topic for me.  I did not know that the length of a copyright was 70 years.  I do see where this can provide a problem with the current state of technology. A common practice in pop music is sampling. In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song or piece. I was operating under some of the myths that were dispelled in the videos that Dr. Bustillos dispelled in his videos. This information leads me to want to dispel another copyright myth that is common among musicians. I have heard that if you mail a copy of your creation to yourself that is just as good as copy writing. I will have to research and see if this is true.

Learning that fair use is a defenses stances for those in teaching communities along with reports just to name a few was eye opening. In the future I will think twice about about fair use defense. I will work with in the lines of the law and just ask for permission.

Play Practice

Hello Young Thespians,

We are in the middle of putting on our spring production. I hope that you are engaged in your character and you are ready for the bright light. On this blog I would like you to let me know how practice is going for you. Lets work to make this the best production we can.

Break A Leg

Mr. W.