Transition from EMDT Month 11 to Month 12.

What an amazing difference I am noticing in my stress levels moving from month 11 to month 12. I felt so stressed over my AR project in month 11, yet as month 12 is starting, I actually feel like the amount of work I still need to do is possibly greater, but I am not feeling as stressed (at least that is how I feel right now) as I did at any point in month 11. I think most of that stress is stress we put on ourselves, and to that I must remind myself and all who might read this to remember rule #6. Yes the work needs to get done and it needs to be done professionally, but just remember not to take yourself so seriously. Relax, loosen up a bit and have fun with it. This ride we are all on has been long and challenging, but a lot of fun as well. We may be approaching the end of this particular journey, but it doesn't mean we have to stop enjoying it, nor does it mean that a new one doesn't lay ahead.

Wk4 Publishing_Leadership Project

Below you will find a link to my Google presentation for the week 4 Publishing/Leadership project. This is just a first draft, and is intended to be more for establishing talking points. The next version will include an overview video introducing the audience to World of Warcraft. Iw will also be drastically revised with a lot more graphics and a lot less bullet points. I also plan to drastically trim back the remaining bullet points much more. My goal for this presentation will be to present it at the SITE ( Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education) conference in March 2012.  My presentation can be found at https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AcwoYzE8DIGHZGY3aGJ4d21fMjRkYjk0MnR4OQ&hl=en_US&authkey=CNHP0sgG

MAC Week 4 - Post 3 Response to Jamie Steele's Blog post.

Below you will find a copy of Jamie Steele’s Week 4 reading blog post, followed my response to it. The his original post can be found at http://jamiejsteele.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-4-reading-lighting-spark.html

 Every time I think I have reached the pinnacle in this book, I am again amazed by the words that I read and seem to enlighten me. “Lighting a Spark” really spoke to me this week. The story itself is something I will revisit right after Spring Break every year from this point on. Why? It’s inspirational core. How it speaks to the idea of enrollment and “having no doubt that others are eager to catch the spark” (pg. 126). The faith that Zander put in his audience and the musicians he conducted to capture said audience, is not the norm. This behavior gives us a glimpse of what is possible when we have a passion for something and invite others to share in this emotion.

It also brings up another interesting point. I personally don’t believe that anyone can create such a transformative experience as we read about in this chapter. Everyone has gifts and Zander seems to have a gift of creating these types of experiences in those around him thanks to the experiences, he himself has taken part in. Thankfully, he is gracious enough to share his ideas with the rest of us so we can try and learn some of the techniques to enhance our own learning environments, whatever they may be.

@Jamie,

I agree, this is one of those books that once you read you/me/us/we should reread annually if not twice annually, there is just so much in it that you want to keep it fresh in your mind always. I also suspect that it is one of those books that one might come away with deeper meaning from the second and possibly third time through. I am finding that some of these ideas I need a daily reminder of. To the point where I am toying with the idea of getting WE tattooed on my wrist of just how important it is to keep that basic concept in mind.

MAC Week 4 - Post 2 Response to Thahn Kirby's Blog post.

Below you will find a copy of Thahn Kirby’s Week 4 reading blog post, followed my response to it. The his original post can be found at http://emdttkbach.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-4-blog-post-1-reading-ch-9-12-art.html

Week 4: Blog Post 1: Reading Ch. 9 -12 Art of Possibility

I really like the ending of the book, especially how it ties all the practices together in the sense that the theme that runs through these chapters I believe are about establishing and being part of a community.  One of the major themes we have learned discussed and practiced in this program is the idea that we are better together than as one.  It only makes sense that we read about this type of theme in a book such as this.  Chapter 9 is a continuation of the thoughts and lessons of 7 and 8.  Chapter 9 however speaks about extending those ideas to the point that everybody has the potential to be creative.  To see growth in our own potential we need to think that every interaction with others is an opportunity to help others find their possibilities.  I found the story about the at-risk school in London very heartwarming and a perfect example of this concept.  Just providing the opportunity to create music for those students opened a new experience and potential musicians.  This idea is not new and it brings to mind Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Drive Life.  By making connections with each other, helping others to find their own potential, we expand our own potential.  Another analogy I see in this idea is the Internet phenomena.  We’ve seen rapid growth in many areas of society in recent years because the Internet has allowed individuals to share ideas and concepts easily and more rapidly than ever before.  Connections with other individuals have opened up exponentially because of the Internet which can explain the reasons for the rapid growth.

@Thahn,

Thank you, I just took away a new perspective of the book that I should have grasped, but didn’t. You are absolutely right when you say “One of the major themes we have learned discussed and practiced in this program is the idea that we are better together than as one.  It only makes sense that we read about this type of theme in a book such as this.” I hadn’t thought of the book like that, but it completely makes sense. And that my dear friend, is half the reason, or so I believe, that they want us to be doing these response blogs. 

MAC Week 4 - Thinking out loud. Publishing/Leadership Project #3

After exploring the conference websites for CCUMC and EDUCAUSE, I tried calling both, I left a voicemail with CCUMC inquiring about presenting, only to later find a FAQ that mentioned that they would be finalizing the list of presenters in late May, and talking to someone at EDUCUASE who said that they had already finalized their presenters as well. The moral of the story being, keep in mind how far in advance conferences lock in their presenters. I am now looking into NERCOMP, which has yet to put out a call for presenters, nor announced their dates or conference location. That leaves me with the conference I think I will ultimately apply to present at, SITE (Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education). This conference is scheduled for next March in Austin, TX and is currently accepting proposals to present. Many of you might remember this as the conference that Dr. Siegel and Tom Lucas presented at this past March, in Nashville.

MAC Week 4 - Post 1 Reading

Regrettably, I am not sure how much of this weeks reading really absorbed as I am feeling a bit of mind meltdown from working on the Publishing/Leadership Project in addition to a busy week at work. But I did do the reading. I really liked the idea of "lighting a spark" and getting people enrolled. The way Ben was able to get those kids to enroll in themselves, when the media was declaring them a failure before he had even stepped foot into their school was amazing. I wonder where that 10 year old boy who conducted the orchestra is today? I wonder how many of those children followed through on there education, when the previous norm in their community was to drop out at the first opportunity?

For me "being the board" was the toughest idea in the book to comprehend, just as they said it is for most people. I am still not sure whether I actually understand it. I think that I might understand it on the most basic level, but there were many parts of the chapter that felt just out of reach for me.

"Creating frameworks for possibility" on the other hand very much had the felling to me of being basic logic, the only part that had that ah-ha feel to me was when they wrote about vision. The HP example shows exactly how one basic idea or vision can act as a spark, and how a spark can become a raging wildfire. As much as we can fall into that downward spiral, one spark can be life changing.

"Telling the we story" really hits home for me, it shows as I mentioned before just how much of an impact a little change of perspective can have. It also serves to remind me that I need to remember to think in the WE and not in the I, like many other things in life this is such a basic concept that has a tendency to slip away from us. Just weeks ago I preformed a wedding ceremony for friends of mine who I dearly love. In looking back at their relationship I noticed that so many of the difficulties they have faced have been a result of one or the other thinking in the I and not the WE of their relationship. As a result as I wrote what I wanted to say in the ceremony I kept that in mind. I wanted to remind them that as a married couple that they needed to embrace that WE thinking. The very next weekend I found that I too needed to embrace that same thinking in my own life. This like "remember rule #6" is one of those thing that I need a sign over the door for, or maybe a tattoo on my forehead.

MAC Week 4 - Thinking out loud. Publishing/Leadership Project #2

So I have been giving publishing more thought, and feel as though my AR project better lends itself towards being presented at a conference. Coincidentally I happened to run into my departments director, who started asking me about how things were going with grad school and she then asked me about my AR project. I filled her in on the Publication/Leadership project and a few hours later after she had an opportunity to investigate my AR website we talked more on the phone and was told that presenting at a conference would definitely be an option, she even went on to recommend several conferences to look into as possible places to look into as possibilities for presenting at such as EDUCAUSE, NERCOMP, and CCUMC. I have briefly looked into all three and CCUMC looks like it might be a good fit with my AR project. I am really excited about this prospect. I still need to look into what I would need to do to apply to be a presenter. The conference is in early Oct. in South Padre Island, TX. I think my decision has finally been made, now I just need to get my presentation made.

MAC Week 4 - Thinking out loud. Publishing/Leadership Project

At this point I am strongly leaning towards the publishing side of this project as I don't foresee any opportunities for me to be able to present my research anywhere, even though I think my project would be better suited for presenting than publishing. As such I am currently considering submitting to two publications, Learning & Leading with Technology as well as THE Journal. I am still waiting to hear back from THE Journal with the submission guidelines. So for now I think I will start writing with the intention of submitting to Learning & Leading with Technology, although I can’t say I am to crazy with some of their submission guidelines. In fact I have yet to find any publication that I feel is a perfect match for project, but the two that I am looking into are the best fits I have managed to find thus far. If anyone has any suggestions I am open, but running low on time.

MAC Week 3 - Post 4 Thinking out loud.

I am currently sitting on campus watching the preparations for yet another Yale Commencement. This is the thirteenth time I have been a part of this, and the seventh time as a Yale employee. Every time, at least since I became a Yale employee, I have watched these preparations, and thought to myself that this is what everyone at this university works for every single day. From the students to the professors, from the custodial staff all the way to the president of the university, this weekend is what every single member of the Yale community works towards, the entire time they are a part of it, regardless of whether they are aware of it. This time of year on campus always seems to invigorate me, and to remind me of just how important my work is as well as those of everyone else in this place.

I often find it an amazing thing how with time such thoughts slip from our minds, yet how quickly and abruptly they can spring back to mind. And yet so many people go through life oblivious as to such things. 

MAC Week 3 - Post 3 Response to Patricia Ort's Blog post.

Below is Patricia Ort’s blog post on the MAC Week 3 reading, this is followed by my response to it. Pat’s original post can be found at: http://edubabel.blogspot.com/2011/05/week3-discussion-reflection-on-ch-5-8.html

Week3 Discussion: Reflection on Ch. 5-8 of The Art of Possibility

This is good timing for this book.  Since my co-worker is also reading the book, I have had the chance to talk about the Zander's ideas with her, as well blog about it.  The concept of dealing with negative feelings by sticking with them and using them as a form of exercise to enable us to be able to handle and rise above greater challenges we will face in the future was novel.  It was also empowering. A fellow teacher who was given a difficult assignment used to say, "It is what it is." Not quite the same thing, but the idea of acknowledging the way things are, then moving on made me think.  I wonder if my way of giving way to passion and getting out of a survival mind set would be to take the leap of leaving my current position and looking for an opportunity to work in a really creative environment that embraces the use of technology in education. 

If so, what would that be? What am I most passionate about? The book has made me ponder these questions.  I also have revisited the ideas in the book and challenged them.  What gives the Zanders the authority to make these claims? Why do they resonate with me and with my colleagues? Is it because we recognize the innate truth in them, or because we want them to be true?

I also appreciated the bit about not taking ones self so seriously. Funny, but good advice. The discussion of leading from every chair is relevant to me because there is a parallel to teaching. Enabling musicians to be their best is really a lot like enabling students to achieve academically. The idea of giving the students a chance to lead is appealing, too. I have done that from time to time, but certainly not enough. I was reminded to make a point of giving students more opportunities to "be the teacher."  I know they really like to do that and it builds up their self-confidence.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book.  It has certainly encouraged me and given me a lot to think about.

@Pat

I think you are absolutely right in your assessment that teaching can be like “leading from another chair”. The teacher is like the conductor, and the students are the members of the orchestra. The teacher could be one of the greatest teachers in the world, but if he or she just stands at the front of the room and lectures, it will not have the same result as if they get their students invested in the process, by getting them involved and interacting with them. It is like we have often heard in the EMDT program, our Course Director’s often say something to the effect that they learn far more from us that we learn from them. I think there is absolute truth in that.

MAC Week 3 - Post 2 Response to Sue Parler's Blog post.

Below is Sue Parler’s blog post for the MAC Week 3 reading, followed by my response. This link goes to Sue’s original blog post: http://fullsailsue.blogspot.com/2011/05/mac-week-3-art-of-possibility-reading.html

“…his true power comes from making other people more powerful.”

As a softball coach, I often use the orchestra conductor metaphor to create an image that I can explain to others. I realize that my team is a collection of highly talented athletes (metaphorically, musicians); and my job is to make them play in perfect harmony – each feeling comfortable enough with her own contribution to be able to praise the skills of another. In so doing, I can see tangible evidence of engagement; through which we can achieve tangible evidence of progress in terms of better play. Wins and losses are never a barometer of our greatness – simply ask the question, “Are we a better team after the game, than we were when we started?” If so – we win, regardless of the score.

Because of their comfort in contributions to the team, I often have players step up and lead. Rarely is it the same player twice in a row. They lead by example and by words. Rarely is it the best player – it is simply one who perceives a need and steps in to fill it. They do not usurp my position as coach – they empower it.

That being said, the fifth principle, “Lead from any Chair” presents a conundrum. The book is written from the perspective of the leader. What if I’m in some other chair? Other than presenting him with the gift of this book, how do I get my leader to shed his/her calculating self? How do I draw him from his competitive measurement world and allow others to lead? Hmmm… ‘tis a puzzlement.

I gave him the book.

With regard to the seventh principle, “Be present to the way things are”, since I started at Full Sail last June, I have made this a practical goal. I have much to do and much in my head. But I owe it to those in front of me at that precise moment to be present to and with them. The glass half full metaphor crystalized this even more for me; as the full portion of the glass is the only thing tangible – real. Do not waste energy on the imagined – too much energy is already required in the real world, so be present to it.

Last Sunday, a friend of mine and I went to a farm – 32 acres of beautiful flowers, trees, gardens, and animals. It was a dismal day – gray and damp, with an occasional downpour. When we made the decision to go, we both said the worst that could happen is that we’d get wet, so what.

I adore nature. If I had to narrow it down to a single passion, I would say that the outdoors tops the list. I invest every Sunday morning in reconnecting with nature. I have often said that if I had my life to live over again, I’d be a Landscape Architect.

I walked around those gardens, jumping puddles, for two hours. Then we stopped at a little rustic deli for a good country lunch and headed home. It was a glorious Sunday.

Then I revisited my “If I had my life to live over” thought. Why live it over? I am who I am today by virtue of every experience I’ve had up to this point. I’m still here living. And I can pinpoint my passion. So I made a choice. Once I have finished the program at Full Sail, I’ll be returning to school once more – for Landscape Design. I’ve put in inquiries to several local schools and several online schools. I’m excited to see what develops.

Then I sat down on Sunday afternoon and read chapters 5 and 6 of the “Art of Possibility”. Imagine my surprise Monday night when I reached Chapter 8 – Give Way to Passion.

Serendipitous, wouldn’t you say?

@Sue

You pose a great question with regards to the “lead from any chair” chapter. What do you do if you aren’t the leader, but someone sitting in one of the chairs? I sat there thinking for several minutes about this question, and in a great many cases, it boils down to one of two things, 1) you could accept things for “the way they are” (see chapter 7 of the book for more on this), or 2) your solution. I think solution 2 is probably the better of the two, if the person actually reads it. I feel as though I am in much the same situation at the moment, however “Remember Rule #6” and “The way things are” are the chapters most applicable in my situation. I have bought the book for that person, but at this point, they want to read it, or are not open to reading it.  The person is caught in a persistent thunderstorm of life and is not willing to alter their perceptions and perspective and accept the things that they can’t change in their life. Instead the sit there in the rain drowning is self-pity over their situation. I have offered the proverbial umbrella, yet there the sit getting soaked to the bone. We can’t force them to take or to use the umbrella, but we can continue to offer it, in hopes that they might someday decide to use it.

MAC Week 3 - Post 1 Reading

As I read this week’s reading assignment, chapters 5-8 of “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, I was slow in getting started. I admittedly was a bit distracted with mind chatter from an argument my wife and I had earlier in the morning. As I progressed further into the chapter on leading from any chair, I found I was getting back into the book. I loved the part where Ben talked about his trip to Cuba, where a local conductor working with a mixed group of Cuba and American musicians got frustrated and was ready to throw in the towel, Ben jumped in and had the Cuban musicians teach their American counterparts how to play the piece. Instantly, the two groups were playing it perfectly. Then they went to play a piece Ben had sent ahead for the Cubans to learn which had gotten hung up in the mail system and never arrived. The American musicians were then able to turn around and teach the piece to their Cuban counterparts and again the day was saved. To me this was a tremendous example of the lesson of leading from any chair.

I then started in on Rule # 6. This chapter could not have come at a more perfect time, as it was completely relevant to the argument that my wife and I had just hours before. This served to completely change my perspective of the argument; it also led me to look at my wife and our relationship in a new light. I just wish I knew how to follow Rosamund’s lead and she did in the section on the inventor and the money man. The chapter as a whole spoke to me in a profound way; I now need to get a sign to hang over my front door that reads, “Remember rule # 6.” This way every time I would see it as I walked out of the house and it would be a daily reminder to not take myself of life so seriously.

This also serves as a great lead in into “The way things are”. Learning to just accept things for being as they are can definitely have a profound impact on ones perspective and approach to life. You may never be able to change things in life, but learning not to dwell on the things in life that you cannot change and to just accept them for being what they are is huge. Why dwell on the fact that you are stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam that is going to make you late for an appointment? You can only get there when you get there. The over drive button on your shift level is not going to allow you to drive over the traffic that’s ahead. Why stress over the things that are out of you control? Instead would you not be better served to tell your self, this is what it is, I will get there when traffic will allow. Take advantage of the time to de-stress, instead of getting stressed. Go over what it is that you might want to say in your meeting, or to make some important phone calls that you weren’t going to be able to get to otherwise. Take advantage of that which is out of your control and find a way to make it work for you instead of against you. This chapter has tremendous possibilities in life.

Lastly was the chapter on “Giving way to passion”. To me this chapter makes sense but was the least meaningful by far of this weeks reading. It certainly makes sense to follow the advice of the chapter title, but at the same time, it doesn’t have impact to me that any of the preceding chapters do. Perhaps this is due to the way that the chapter is presented. It is a much shorter and less example filled chapter than the first seven in the book.  To me this approach didn’t give it the same impact that any of the others thus far have had.

MAC Week 2 - Post 4 response to Terrance McNeil

This blog post is in response to that of Terrance McNeil’s Week 2 reading post, which can be found at http://thescopetm.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-2-art-of-possibility.html.

This is a copy of Terrance’s original post and my response to it.

I have been reading “The Art of Possibilty” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. It is an excellent book from what I have read so far. It is full of inspiring words of wisdom framed around actual situations they have experienced.

The construct and perception issue was very interesting to me. Many times life is all about the way we perceive a thing. I thought the analogy about the two shoe salesmen in Africa was awesome. I shared it with my class. I found myself wondering how much of my own unhappiness I contribute to by not having a healthy perspective.

I was reminded of the Matrix movies when I read the “Its All Invented” section. Creating the construct to suit our needs seems to be such a simple solution. It makes sense. In the movie Neo had to first get past his “in the box” thinking to achieve greatness.

I was drawn into the comments on the pathology that the book addressed dealing with the rationale for our decisions. It is true that many of our decisions are based on rationale and not on the true reasons for our motivation.

This book is extremely insightful. I have not thought in terms of the way we collectively see the world in the ways this book highlights. It is very true that through the various scientific eras we have been adding to our global paradigm (page 13).

In my opinion learning to recognize the world of possibility by identifying the measurement world was brilliant. It is very hard not to think in terms of measurement world limitations. Recognizing this makes you long for a world where that is not an issue- the world of possibility.

The process of “giving an A” was very profound. I have tried to teach my students to recognize the best in each other but this takes it to another level. I feel empowered to grow with even more people who come in my life now. The World of Possibility is a place I would like to spend a lot of time in.

@Terrance

I too loved the tale of the two guys who went to Africa to market the shoes. I found myself thinking back to it this weekend, as I had to go out of town to a wedding in a place I had never visited before. On Friday afternoon we checked into our hotel, which was supposed to be hands down the nicest in the area, and every time we turned around we were finding problem after problem, in a newly remodeled hotel no less. After having maintenance come to our rooms for the third time in 2 days we met with the maintenance manager, and we presented him with our revised perspective of the situation. His department was not to blame with the problems that we were finding, as they were always so quick to respond to them and to remedy them. The problems lay in two areas, first with the crew that did the remodeling in the first place, and secondly with the housekeeping staff for not letting the maintenance department know that these problems existed in the first place so that they could have been remedied sooner. This intern led to a complete revision of housekeeping policy (or so we were told), and a newfound respect on our part for the hotel.

MAC Week 2 - Post 3 response to Peter Binskin

This blog post is in response to that of Peter Binskin’s Week 2 reading post, which can be found at http://binskinsmindbogglingblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/wk2-reading-art-of-possibility-by.html.

This is a copy of Peter’s original post and my response to it.

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander (2000) is a great book to read! I think that having us watch the TED video of Benjamin Zander first was a great idea because it puts much of the book in perspective and gives the book a voice (I couldn’t get that joyful British voice out of my head as I read it). It really is a book of stories on changing perspectives and finding the joy of living in everything. It also asks us to look at a broader world of opportunities, not for what we can gain personally, but what we can gain by giving ourselves to those in our field of influence.

As a teacher the Michelangelo analogy was very strong for me. Do I see my students as infinite potential or am I just there to deliver the curriculum and compare them to other students? It’s a hard thing to rejoice in an individual’s abilities when the parents too are asking how are they doing compared to the rest of the class or the state. This measurement world is very strong and is continually being used as justification and blame on those who do not measure up and those who are charged with the job of raising people up to those invented standards. I have to admit that I myself have been focusing on measurements throughout this course and get stressed at each activity, wondering if I have done what is required to satisfy the course requirements rather than being a contribution to those around me in my academic community, both inside and outside the course.

One thing I can say is that I am quite energized by this book and I hope I can find a way to let myself give up my measurement driven way of thinking to something more uplifting. I’m enjoying this book so much that I am recommending my wife read it to give her tools to help with managing people at her work.

@Peter

I agree with your assessment of the book and this weeks reading. I unfortunately had not watched the video until after I had done the reading, but I too found the British accent to be a joy, and the video a perfect complement to the reading. I too am trying to get my wife to read the book now as I think that she would find it a great benefit as I myself do.

MAC Week 2 - Post 2 response to Kris Newton

This is a response to Kris Newton's week two reading blog post, which can be found at http://krisnewton.blogspot.com/2011/05/mac-week-2-reading-art-of-possibility.html.

Here is a copy of Kris's post and my response.

For this week of MAC, we were tasked to read the first four chapters of the book, Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander. At first, I really could not get into the book as I was trying to figure out the point of what the authors were trying to convey through the use of all the stories they told such as the conductor not feeling the tempo for the cello player to really get into it. In my own way, I guess I was actually looking at the book through the Measurement aspect that the book mentioned. Once it clicked, I started to notice just how true the book was in showing just how ingrained our perceptions are by this rule. When I came to this realization, I went back and re-read the chapters with this new thinking and the book and its stories made much more sense to me now.  As with the story of the kid playing the instrument for 3 minutes and being frustrated, that example is a prime one that is affecting all students and people today. They are looking for the instant gratification and are not wanting to put forth the effort or practice into their work to succeed and we, as instructors should really be encouraging them to practice without having to fixate about the grade, allowing them to take risks, which will help them learn.

I remember back when I was in 4th grade and I saw that 9 dots puzzle where you had to use 4 lines to connect them all. The teacher put those dots up on the board and then turned to all of us and offered a challenge, if one of us could solve it, we would not get homework for the week. The others were all excited about not having homework, that they stared intently at their papers drawing lines and the quick sighs of frustration that would come form them as they tried to solve it. I looked at the dots on the board and instantly raised my hand, letting the teacher know I wanted to do it. I walked up to the board and you could hear my classmates whispering that they are all going to end up having to do homework for the week.  Highly nervous, I placed the chalk to the first dot and drew my line. Instead of stopping at the last dot in the row, I continued on past that last dot until I could draw a diagonal line back through the diagram. I worked along solving the puzzle as the kids behind me groaned and snickered as I finished it. I put the chalk down and stepped back showing my work; all the dots were connected with only 4 lines. The teacher looked at me, smiled and complimented me on solving the puzzle correctly, to the gasps of all the other students.

Since that time, I have remembered so many different instructors use that to get their students to think outside of that box, but I was always the one who could go up and solve it.  This shows just how much we, as a society cannot think outside of that enclosed box, we are so focused on what we were brought up with that we forgot to really how to 'see'. When staring at the FedEx logo, what do many of you really see? Just words? Or can you see what the words hold inside of them? Can you see the arrow that the E and the X form? Most would never even notice that as we have been taught to only see what society wants us to see. This is how it is for many schools, they grade the students on their performance versus other students, like a competition, not letting them truly show creativity and that desire to think outside the box. We push them to perceive in that survival way, as the book made reference to a bit. We need to 'give them an A' so they cannot worry about their grades, allow them to learn from mistakes and take pride in pushing themselves to think differently. To do this, though, we need to learn to 'give ourselves an A' too, this way we can better focus on the student's abilities and let them flourish.  If we don't we are just keeping in times with old, outdated thinking and perception and we, nor our students can truly grow as individuals.

@Kris

I particularly like the observation that you make or more point out in your last paragraph with regards to the arrow in the FedEX logo, and how many people really think outside the box enough to actually take notice of it. There are similar examples in a great many corporate logos that go unnoticed, but only take just a little thinking outside the box to become quite apparent. I am glad to read that you overcame your early struggles with this reading and were able to grasp the point of it.

MAC Week 2 - Post 1 Reading

The Art of Possibility (or should it be the Art of Perspective?)

I have noticed on a reoccurring basis, throughout these last 10 ½ months that I have been in the EMDT program, a reoccurring theme. That theme has been the importance of looking at things from a different perspective. After reading the first four chapters of “The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life” by R. Zander & B. Zander (2000), that is the major theme that I walked away from the reading with. In fact I am a hard time looking at this book in any other light than that. That isn’t a bad thing, this I am certain of. As I have gone through course after course, and run into countless challenges, I have always had something occur that has forced me to take a step back and reevaluate the situation from a different perspective. Every single time this has happened, I have managed to find a way to work through or around the issue as a result. The four chapters of this book have only served to open my eyes to new ways or ideas on how to do this more frequently in my everyday life. I really like the ideas of “give an A” and “game of ‘contribution’”. I think these are fantastic ideas. My hope is that if I am able to implement some of these ideas into my life, I can reduce much of the stress that exists in my life and to try to view more things in life, thusly opening up more possibilities as a result.

Thanks for reading,

Karl Peterson

MAC Week 1 - Post 4 - response to Heather Taylor's Blog post.

The below Blog post is a reprint of a blog post by a classmate, Heather Taylor. The original post can be found at http://chibigoatess.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/week1copyrightassignment/#comment-3.

It is followed by a response that I posted to her post.

Copyright has always been one of those kinds of topics that I was unsure of, especially since I was part of the Napster generation.  At that time, I felt like that if you really liked a artist, you would still pay to see him/her/them perform and buy their stuff regardless if you could download it online.  During that time, I was also under the impression that as an artist or musician that getting your music out was more important than the money, but now a little older, I can realize and understand the financial implications.

While as an artist, I don’t want people taking credit for and making money off of my work, I don’t take any offense to someone remixing it.   Being an artist after years and years of artists before me, makes me feel like artists are recyclers and remixers in a way, by nature.  That doesn’t mean we should lose the ownership of our creations though.  I remember hearing about the Shepard Fairey story when when Obama was elected but I didn’t follow up on the conclusion until now.  I think it’s truly ironic that after having made such a big deal over him stealing the photo, now the AP are going to work with him on projects.  I don’t agree with Fairey’s actions, but it follows right inline with what Larry Lessig said about a generation that doesn’t care at all about copyright.  Mayer and Bettle made me much more aware of how much Creative Commons stuff there is out there, I think it would be valuable to show my students in the future as well.  ”Good Copy Bad Copy” really opened my eyes to how other countries view our digital “pirates”.  The Fair(y) Use Tale” was too clever in using Disney characters to describe “fair use”.

As a teacher, in the past, I’ve been worried about how I’ve used copyrighted items in my class, and felt that “fair use” was really vague.  If you talk to my high school students they download illegally, even when I’ve tried to explain why they shouldn’t, they don’t care.  I think that Creative Commons is a happy medium so that artists/musicians/etc. have a choice what happens to their work and the consumers can take on the mantle of creators.

This is my response to Heather’s above blog post.

@Heather

I too have always been too vague with regards to what was covered under fair use, and have always shied away from repurposing other people’s works out of fear of violating copyrights. While I still feel pretty vague over exactly what is covered by fair use I definitely have a better understanding of it now as opposed to just a week ago. I also think I am still just as likely to shy away from using other people’s works, with the exception of content found through Creative Commons. 

MAC Week 1 - Post 3 - Response to a blog post by Terrance McNeil.

The below blog post is copied and reprinted from Terrance McNeil’s Blog and can be found at http://thescopetm.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-1-copyrights-sampling-and-fair-use.html?showComment=1304905296947#c4067979372835603219.

This is followed by my response to Terrance’s blog  post.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Week 1 Copyrights, Sampling and Fair Use

I think this is a great subject to include in this course and in the EMDT program in general. I am torn on the copyright issue of sampling. Having worked for hours producing music in the past I have gained a respect for hip hop production while at the same time losing respect for it. Having played musical instruments in the past I have great respect for musicians who compose and play original music. I do however take issue with a statement made in the Good Copy / Bad Copy. It was said that hip-hop producers are not creative. Although they have not created the music they sample, there is a very creative aspect to sampling. Are all samples creative? Absolutely not. The accessibility of sample based music creation tools has watered down the art form of sampling as created by the DJ. In the 1980’s innovative teens created the break beat. This was a highly creative form of music expression that grew from a love of music and a lack of resources. The turntable was the instrument. Sampling producers, although they are using rifts, bass lines and guitar patterns from other sources, those who are skilled can make phenomenal creations.

I believe what was not stated was how much of a passion these producers have for their craft (some of them) and that there is a certain amount of respect and tribute paid to the original artist who is sampled.

I don’t believe the future of music should depend on sampling. I believe if done to much it would eventually limit creative expression. Just as the music sampled was created I think musicians can and should find ways to push the music envelope forward. At the end of the day I side with the musician.

In looking at videos on copyright definition and fair use I am relieved that teaching is included in fair use. The “Disney video” produced a valid point about society’s need to stay progressive by referring at times to copyrighted material. I thought for a moment how life would be different if we did not have the ability to tap into great works previously created and reference these things for educational purposes.

I agree that fair use is about reasoning and logic. It takes the wise use of copyrighted materials to be able to use it in a way that respects the copyright owner.

It’s a scary thought to think that some of the most historical events recorded may not be available in the future because of royalties and unreasonable copyright protections. Something has to change about this. Certain materials should have a historical distinction that will allow for their use in order to preserve humanities legacy.

Posted by Terrance McNeil at 8:20 AM

@Terrance

I couldn’t agree with you more. While I have only done limited work with regards to hip hop or rap, I too have a great respect for the work that goes into creating it. I also agree with your stance on sampling. Often times more work and creativity goes into working with and remixing samples, than went into creating the original recordings off of which the samples are based. This is definitely an area of copyright law in which there needs to be greater freedoms in the copyright laws, and the fair use rules that accompany them.

MAC Week 1 - Post 2 - Response to Blog post by Jeri Kennedy

This Blog post consists of a Blog post from my classmate Jeri Kennedy, which can be found at http://web.me.com/kjeri/Site_2/Media_Asset_Creation/Entries/2011/5/2_Day_of_longboarding.html#. Following Jeri’s Blog post is a response I posted in reply to her blog post.

This is a copy of Jeri Kennedy’s Blog Post.

Copyright Part 1 (Intro)

The documentary was riveting.  I was intrigued with the different cultures and how they were represented.  Nigeria being the number one producer of movies was quite a surprise and I liked their approach to the copyright issues.  Piracy is not a problem if the product goes directly to the public and pirated copies cost the same as the original copies.  The idea of having a blanket copyright fee or adding fees to phone or ISP billing is interesting but I am not sure it would be fair to all.  I considered some of our citizens that are on a fixed income that do not participate in file sharing and that would penalize them if they had to absorb the fees.  There is certainly not a simple solution and the problem just continues to get more complex as technology makes advances.

Americans, I think, tend to want the less expensive pirated copies when possible.  Additionally, we don’t like the corporate moguls that set the prices of movies and music and ensure they make a hefty profit.  There have been some music stars that have denounced their labels and worked to make sure the money does not prevent fans from accessing the music.  I think Brazil has the right idea - one we may have had long ago in America - that the music made available to the public is meant to advertise the musician in order to get fans for the live shows. 

We also have the technology that we could provide CD recordings of the concert available for sale immediately following the concert - I would LOVE that!

Copyright Part 2 (Fair Use)

The Disney clips were amazing!  I think the time they spent on finding the clips must have been extensive!  The movie was informative and entertaining.  I presume it has proven the legal defensive stance of Fair Use since I am sure Disney would have been litigious if possible.

Originally I was fairly pro copyright - protect the creator.  Then after watching the series of videos I began to reconsider.  Fair Use is still quite restrictive and limiting, though is better then having no access at all. 

I am concerned with being able to defend the use of copy written material as part of my teaching.  In the example of “To Kill a Mockingbird” used as part of a civil rights unit I would consider the movie or clips from it would not be NECESSARY to teach the unit, though it would be beneficial if it was included.  So in my estimation it would not fall within the Fair Use guidelines.

Copyright Part 3 (Creative Commons)

This is such a simple and useful solution to the copyright battle!  This concept is new to me, having never heard of it before starting this program, is absolutely the answer to this troubling problem.

I think Creative Commons is something that should be integrated into education beginning at the earliest years in schools.  Children need to be taught what is okay to use and encouraged to create their own materials.  It is crucial to build their knowledge base and balance it with embracing their need to create!

Questions.....

So when Dr. Seuss (copyright holders) began heavily marketing his characters a few years back, that was, i presume, to be able to renew the copyright and save it from being used for other purposes by absolutely anyone, correct?  That must have been before the change in the duration of the copyright.

How does it work with songs then?  I caught the end of the premiere of the new show, Voices, and the contestants were definitely singing songs that had to have been protected.  They were major hit songs by major artists.  Did they have to secure a license to perform them then or is there a loophole there?  We all know “Happy Birthday” and many of the songs Girl Scouts used to sing are protected so what is the difference?

At one time writers were told to copyright there material by sending it to themselves through the mail and leaving it in the envelope unopened until they needed it for litigation.  If I understand it correctly, simply having the finished product now automatically copyrights the material, or does it need to be published in some form such as posting to a web site, emailing, capturing on video, etc?

This is my response to Jeri’s above post.

@Jeri

I have been hearing about bands that have actually taken things further than just making CD’s of the concert available for sale at the end of a concert. There are bands that not only allow people to bring recording devices into their concerts, but also post to their own websites free downloads of recordings of their concerts, that they themselves have had professionally recorded. In many cases they do this be cause they want to share their music with their fans, and would rather that those fans had access to quality recordings, as opposed to poor quality bootleg recordings that didn’t do justice to their music.