Week 4 Free Choice: Wrap up

photo courtesy of Morguefile

This month has been an interesting journey.  The book came at a perfect time as my plans for what come next are at the forefront of my thoughts.  As the EMDT program inches closer to conclusion, I am left both relieved and disappointed.  While I will relish my free time and the new possibilities, I will miss the intellectual stimulation and class interaction.

Week 4 Peer Response 2

Torrey Proctor wrote:

I learned in chapter nine that I should enroll people for positive missions, and expect to give of myself in return. Our perception is like a nudge to a kaleidoscope in that it shifts instantly. All of the self-help information that is being provided in this book is easy to swallow. I found myself taking the books lessons to heart and applying them to my life.

Chapter ten was about naming yourself as a board and note a chess piece. Being the board releases the stresses that come with the measurement of who wins or loses the game. This chapter made me think of a high school student that makes me angry at times because he contributes nothing to class. I sometimes feel the student doesn’t belong in class. Now I’m seeing it in a new light. He belongs and has more to learn then the students that already get it. I should take this student on as a challenge to help him or accept that his behavior is the way things are. My favorite quote of this chapter is, “there is no great music-making without such risk taking.”
Chapter eleven reminds us to do things that are on-track and not off-track. This books definition of off-track means doing things that contribute to downward spiral behavior. I’ve listed my favorite quotes from this chapter below.
“I am here today to cross the swamp, not fight all the alligators.”
“Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.”
“Leaders who become their vision often seem uncommonly brave to the rest of us.”
Chapter twelve is about focusing on WE as a team or group. Never label a human being as the enemy. The only enemy is revenge, fear, hate, and righteousne
ss. I like the idea that truth, no matter how harsh it is, is better then revenge bottled up and consequently released.


My Response:

Your insight on chapter 10 is right on the mark. I try to remind myself frequently to be the board. When dealing with teenagers, winning against them only further alienates them and destroys the relationship with that student. I also find it helpful to remember the book's take on reality and perception as being self created. This helps me to diffuse any anger or frustration I feel when things are not done the way "I" think they should be.

Week 4 Peer Response 1

Photo by Melissa Lodhi

Curt Isakson wrote:

“A distinction is not a standard to live up to, but a framework of possibility to live into.”

The Art of Possibilities, Rosamund Zander, and Benjamin Zander, 2000.


Instead of commenting on just one part of the last chapters of this book, I would like to write down a few simple thoughts on the whole book:

This book has really got me thinking about I interact with the people around me, and how I react to the environment that surrounds me.  I have to remind myself that reality is simply my reality and the perspective I view it from can be so fluid from day to day and moment to moment. I believe that it is up to me to create my world and to make sure that I try to tackle it from a positive and educated viewpoint and keep the WE factor in mind always.  I cannot say I have had a book that has stuck with me so well as the Art of Possibilities.


My Response


I agree with your observations wholeheartedly. One of the most important concepts to me has been the one about my reality and perspective on what is happening. This is extremely important in dealing with students, as their reality and perspective are completely different. I now look at student behavior very differently and try to take my person stake out of it. I also gained tremendous insight from the book, A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle, which has very similar concepts.

Week 4 Reading: Being the board

“Being the board” opens a new world of possibilities.  No longer the victim of circumstance, one can redefine their current situation to one of possibility.  In the current educator climate of budget cuts and random accountability, it is difficult to find the element of possibility.  Each email I receive outlines further disaster to come.  If teachers are unable to discover the WE and teach from a place of possibility, the real losers in the game will be the students. 

Like all revelations in this book, the practice of “being the board” and finding the “We” instead of the “Us and Them” is an ongoing process.  I have begun to ask myself how I can redefine situations without falling victim to the negativity and blame.  The insight gathered from this book offers a new way to handle current challenges and I hope that this information will help provide growth for myself and for those I come in contact with.

Photo courtesy of Morguefile

Week 4 Publishing_Leadership Project

Publishing Project Blog

My top two choices for presenting my project are the following:

Florida Dance Educators Conference or FDEO Facebook Page

National High School Dance Festival

The FDEO conference will take place in Miami, October 27-29 2011.  The website for NHSDF is not currently updated to the 2012 information but we do know that the festival will take place in Philadelphia March 8-11, 2012.  The reason that I chose these two venues is because I am interested in sharing this information with other high school dance teachers.  My approach included a strong movement component and the relationship of anatomy concepts to movement analysis was crucial in this study.  Both venues allow me to have access to other teachers in my field and offer the opportunity for both presentation and discussion as well as ongoing collaboration with participants. 

Presentation url

Think aloud 1

Think aloud 2

Week 4 Think Aloud 2

Image by Melissa Lodhi

I have decided to do a presentation as my Publishing Leadership project.  While there was some definitive evidence of success in my action research project, the subject still needs additional research.  The main benefit of the project was seen in student engagement.  Conversations with critical friends have encouraged further exploration as well and in particular, the suggestion was made that the use of 3-D software would result in transformative learning and long term may prove even more beneficial.  Through the process, I did learn some important instructional lessons and through a presentation, I think I can highlight areas for further research.

This AR project has numerous applications and offers a starting point for further exploration.  According to my review of literature, past research has also found the need for further analysis.  I am interested in sharing my insight with others in hopes that they might conduct their own exploration and share their results in return.  I believe this approach will impact future instruction and will cater to the digital natives of the future.

Week 4 Think Aloud 1

Image by Melissa Lodhi

For my publishing leadership project, I would like to present at the Florida Dance Educators conference and at the National High School Dance Festival.  Understanding biomechanics and anatomy concepts are so important in effective dance education and with the limited time we have with students in the classroom, we need the most effective means possible to deliver the information.  Both of these conferences will allow me to reach numerous peers and to share a process that was enlightening and informative.  I believe that this audience would be extremely receptive to the findings and would offer their own insights in regards to the project.

When beginning the project I had a strong desire to be published, but based on the results of the project, I believe a presentation offers a much better way to continue the research and to acquire feedback on present and future results.

Week 3 Free Choice: Abstract

It is funny that while one definition of abstract is "a summary of a text", another definition is "difficult to understand; abtruse".  Hopefully mine will adhere to the first.

It is an interesting challenging to condense a year's worth of work into 120 words or less.  For guidance, I went to the model sight by Roxanne Deleon.  This gave me an excellent example of what an abstract should look like.  By sticking precisely to the steps laid out in the assignment, I was able to consolidate the work into the limited space required in the abstract.  The process was not as difficult as expected and I think that all of the required information is included.  I look forward to getting feedback and moving on to the final month of the program.

Week 3 Peer Response 2

Photo by Melissa Lodhi

Everett Jones

These chapters are really geared towards myself and friendships that I have.  The example in chapter 5 about the conductor that doesn't know his members of the orchestra personally, but would like to.  The members hold him in such a high esteem that they send messages to him through those in the hierarchy.  He receives all praise for how the orchestra sounds, yet he does not perform and instrument at the concert.  I think it is important to acknowledge all that are part of the larger picture.  Especially if they are all working towards a common goal.  The results tend to have a better outcome.  When people are acknowledge, they tend to have a personal stake in the goal and perform better.

Chapter 6 gave an example of how when we lift away our personal judgements of people, that we may see them in a more positive manner.  I honestly think that each person no matter how evil some may seem to be, possess at least one thing that is positive.  Sometimes focusing on that, brings out a person that we never thought we'd see.

I learned from reading these chapters that I have to set up my life and relationships so that positivity embraces them both.  My daily decisions and choices not only effect myself but those around me.  Focusing on those things that make me happy in life, can hopefully overshadow those obstacles that do not.

My Response

I think the conductor analogy is very effective in analyzing relationships especially in the leadership capacity.  In order to be successful, we need all of the stakeholders to feel valued and for them to play an active role in the pursuit of the goal.  That requires letting go of ego, acknowledging mistakes, and engaging participation.  Thank you for also pointing out the chapter 6 idea of removing judgements.  I am working on that now and hoping for more positive interactions with those that I previously found to be “difficult”.

Week 3 Peer Response 1

Posted by BNHendrickson at 12:25 PM


In the Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander, as I read chapter 5, I at times switched out conductor with educator. (I think that often times we feel like the conductor to all the various student personalities and learning levels.) As educators, we at times could boast and take too much pride in the success of our students, for example on the year end exams. But in actual reflection we the teacher's couldn't be successful without the hardworking, studious, and intelligent student, right? I love the idea of being more of a facilitator and aiding students in their success. Too many times lately have I experienced/seen students wanting to be spoon fed. And at that point what are we teaching our students by doing that? I enjoyed the scene where Maestro Guido Lobeps Gavillan and his Cuban Philharmonic Orchestra and how what he saw as failure turned into an amazing peer teaching moment. Their reactions were very similar to what I have seen numerous times in the classroom, the environment becomes energized! What a great "aha" moment.


I do feel that my overall mood/demeanor will effect the environment that I am in. If I am depressed, sad or grumpy, in my opinion I am going to bring down those with me. But if I am happy, positive and upbeat my energy is bound to rub off on those around me. I really liked the game that Roz described, "Have the Best ____ Ever." It is a good challenge and in the end will create positive results. I personally am happy 95% of the time, those around me will see me with a smile on my face, and almost always get those around me to smile back. (That is a personal mission that I seek to accomplish everyday, to make people smile!) But one thing that I find helpful is to take any situation and try to find one good thing about it! For example, say my car breaks down on the way home from work. I might say, well good news is, I don't have to cook-pizza delivered it is! You would be surprised how your mood might lighten/lift a bit. Sometimes when you have something that is bringing you down, you must first figure out what exactly it is that is holding you back. Once you have figured this out (prayed about it)

Publish Postand searched (sometimes going outside the box) for a solution. You can get past it. I agree that often times you might have to dig for that passion or tap into some of that "energy and vibrancy" of your environment to overcome this rut that you are in.

This book is being read at the perfect time of my life as sometimes I feel like I am spinning my wheels. It's really helped me to think outside the box, and remember what is important and also how to think on the more positive side. Ultimately, for me it comes down to what I value the most, and the fact that I will reach my goals, I just need to see all the possibilities in perspective.




My Response


I like your idea of finding the positive in any situation. Something that has helped me this year is to look at situations from the outside and see the humor in them. I know production/show time is always very stressful and completing this Master’s program at the same time made it twice as difficult. There were times when the students were acting crazy and I instead of getting crazy myself, I just looked at it objectively and thought, “This is really hilarious. What would I think if I was watching this from the outside and did not have a personal stake in what is going on? At times it is just chaos and madness.”

Week 3 Reading: Seriously?

During the last few days, I have spent a substantial amount of time asking myself, “Are you taking yourself too seriously?”  In most cases, the answer is yes.  When things don’t go the way they should or the way I think that they should, my normal reaction is frustration.  This is usually a result of being driven by the calculating self instead of the central self.  This weeks reading has sharpened my awareness of internal motivation. 

In many ways the reading from The Art of Possibility mirrors concepts delivered in Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth.  Instead of calculating self, Eckhart uses the term ego.  Realizing when this aspect of personality is at work is a major step in redirecting thought patterns.  The calculating self, or ego, is really just a survival mechanism that loses its purpose in adulthood and serves to hinder relationships.

These steps are not easy but reading them again has helped me to refocus on awareness and presence.  Breaking habits in behavior and in thought is a challenging endeavor but is the only way for me to evolve as an individual.

Photo by Melissa Lodhi

Week 2 Free Choice: Buggy

Photograph courtesy of Morguefile

The AR website has been a great source of frustration this week.  While all of my information was already posted, I had major issues with formatting.  Actually, the formatting and alignment looked fine in the application, but every time I published, it went haywire.  In iWeb, the numbers and paragraphs were perfectly aligned but the published site had lines waving in and out.  First, I tried to put in additional text boxes and move them around to line up.  FAIL.  Next I tried to go back and forth between the published site and iWeb, moving things left and right to match up with where things belonged on the published site.  FAIL.  Then I went in and deleted the preference files and cache for iWeb.  FAIL.  Finally, I consulted discussion boards online and read that sometimes the text boxes themselves can be the problem.  I had to copy and paste all of my text in a Word document, reformat in Word, delete the old text box, then put in a new one and copy and paste all of the reformatted material.  SUCCESS.  Who knew the text would be the hardest media item to integrate into the site.

At this point, I think I have just about maxed out my Mac.  My machine is not the one supplied by Full Sail because I already had one before starting the program and opted out of the new purchase.  While my machine is adequate to complete the program, I am asking a little more than it is capable of.  At this point, I need to run a disk utility, or wipe it clean, or set it on fire to stop all of the bugginess but I am afraid to kill it before the end of the program.  For the remainder the program, I guess I will have to keep going through FAIL, FAIL, FAIL, SUCCESS.

Week 2 Peer Response 2

Photo by Melissa Lodhi

Curt Isakson

One of the most compelling points bought across in this book, and what has stuck with me the longest, was the concept of giving an ‘A’ for a particular project to free one-self of the grade, and to let a person fully experiment, fail, or succeed without the worry of getting a bad grade.  I believe this can be a wonderful way of letting loose the chains that bind us creatively.

I find myself in this course having to make decisions about whether I do what I really want to do (which usually is more involved), or just make sure I fit the criteria for the grade.  Many times I have made the conclusion that I want the grade and have not taken it as far as I wanted to.  The projects I am most proud of though are the ones that I really didn’t care about the grade and did what I felt was right in my mind.

This course has used this concept many times, and I use this same idea in the classes I teach.  A ‘no-fail’ approach to some of my learning environments really brings out the best in my students. 

My Response

As a teacher, I provide many opportunities for students to do creative projects that have an automatic "A" as long as they put in the work.  This works especially well with choreography projects and film projects.  I like for them to experiment and I find that the creativity and effort levels on these projects are excellent.  In other teaching situations, though, I find that I need the motivation of the grade to push them to complete the work and to do a thorough job.

Week 2 Peer Response 1

Trina Dralus

Photo by Melissa Lodhi

                                                  

                                            

After this weeks reading, I feel inspired and motivated to see the possiblities in myself and in everyone around me. I am in love with this book. I have so many favorite quotes and pages that I could write forever. So I will try to be concise in my feelings and inspirations from the Art of Possibility.

The first thing that inspired me was from the TED video when Benjamin Zander said, “I’ll never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing that I ever say. It is a possibility to live into.”

I mean wow! I know this will be a quote I have to remind myself of daily possibly hourly, but what a way to live your life.

The next thought that struck me was the whole idea of the book, that being to think beyond the constraints of today and imagine the possibilities. Thinking outside of the box and allowing the possibility of recreating your paradigm often leads us to the perfect solution. Life really is all about how we invent it. Each new paradigm gives us the opportunity to see things that we may not have seen before. Exposure to different ideas and mind-sets allow us to see other ways of doing things, which can be very powerful.

My next moment of clarity occurred while reading the comments made on competition. So as good as competition can be to motivate one to push harder, it can be a strain on friendships and lead to a solitary journey. This makes me think of Race to the Top, a program that bases teachers’ pay on test scores. The new Govenor of Florida says healthy competition will improve our school systems, but is this the type of competition we want? Is our ultimate goal for teachers to retreat from collaboration and work alone?  Won’t this lead to thinking of our children as liabilities and of each other as an obstacle to overcome? Will this lead to more effective practices in teaching? What kind of example will we be setting for our children? This seems to me like the opposite of seeing the possibilities in each other, which makes me very sad.

Giving an A was a very moving chapter for me. When we look for the beauty within or give an A to ourselves or to others, we see the possibilities that exist in all of us. The measurement world often gets in the way with Standardize testing and curriculum maps and so forth. Chipping away at the stone to find the passion and the brilliance in each of us will add beauty where none was seen before. This giving an A comes from a place of respect, not from how others or myself measure up to arbitrary standards. This acceptance or A gives us room to realize who we really are. I feel this program at Full Sail has done that for me. Sometimes I feel like my work may not be A work if you compared me to other students in this class, but somehow I get an A as well. This has allowed me to realize things about myself that I did not realize before. I grew up feeling stupid because I struggled while learning to read. I was diagnosed with Dyslexia, which I thought meant that I was dumb and couldn’t learn like everyone else. As I have grown and become more educated on Dyslexia and on myself I realize that only half of that is true. I do learn differently then others, but I am not dumb. Seeing many of those A’s has helped me to realize this- finally. I can finally see the possibilities in myself.

One of my favorite parts of this book is where Zander (2000) stated “The freely granted A lifts you off the success/failure ladder and spirits you away from the world of measurement into the universe of possibility. It is a framework that allows you to see all of who you are and be all of who you are, without having to resist or deny any part of yourself” (pg. 46). This is life changing.

The starfish story found in chapter 4 is a type of inspirational story that we focus on at my school. During our Professional Learning Communities, which is where my team of 2^nd grade teachers meet monthly to reflect and learn from a book we are reading together, our mantra is based on the starfish story. Our Literacy Coach has given each of us a starfish as a reminder of the importance of reaching each child.

This is just another reminder that I want to be a contribution to my life and to others. I firmly believe in this, and I need to remind myself that the how’s and whys are not as important as just showing up and giving my all. I can’t wait to read the rest of this book!

Zander, R. S., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility. Boston, MA:  Harvard Business School Press

Posted by T. Dralus at 5:06 PM  

My Response

I agree that the chapters we read were truly inspiring.  I liked how you tied in the ideas with "Race to the top" which weighs heavily on my mind as well.  I agree that this type of competition does not inspire innovative teaching or value the real contributions made to students.  Like you, I fear this will result in an environment of distrust and will discourage teachers from working with challenging students.  

Week 2 Reading: Presence

Photo by Melissa Lodhi

This has been one of the most important readings that I have done over the course of this Master’s program.  Its lessons are vital to my contributions as an educator.  As a young teacher, I often misread the intentions of students and tried to bend them to my will and what I thought was best for them.  I was frustrated when they failed to engage or seemed sullen or defiant.  After many years, I began to engage them in a different way, I guess giving them the “A”.  In this way I have made much stronger connections with students and have seen them make contributions of their own.  Along the way, I sometimes lose sight of this power and get caught up in daily successes and failures.  This is a wonderful reminder to remain present and to pursue opportunities to make a contribution, not just achieve personal success.

By seeing life as a game in which perception is the only reality one is able to put things in perspective.  Much of the anxiety and stress I face is the product of my own desire to meet invented expectations, which have been constructed by myself and by others.  I am now practicing giving the “A” in my relationships and at work, focusing on contributions, not just winning.

The approach laid out in the book is not easy to ingrain in daily habits.  While I agree with the concepts in theory, it is hard to consistently put them into practice.  Old thought patterns continue to crop up and I must constantly remind myself that the obstacles are all invented.  This has definitely given me something to work on and a new way to approach life.

Week 1 Free Choice: Original Art

photograph by Melissa Lodhi

All of this discussion about copyright has gotten me thinking.  How much of the art that we see is truly original?  Should we be crediting all of our sources of inspiration?  When we choreograph a dance, we are using a vocabulary of movement created by someone else.  At times we are not even aware that we are duplicating something that we have seen or performed because the idea resides so deeply in our subconscious.  Music and visual art often are in the same position.  It is a narrow road between using something as a source of inspiration and stealing content.  I think current copyright regulations go too far and are to the point of stifling creativity.  The level of technology available to the masses affords everyone the opportunity to be a creator.  This should be the time of the greatest artistic innovation in history.  Hopefully, legal hurdles will not crush the artistic spirit.

Week 1 Peer Response 2

Mike Colleti

Wk 1 Reading: Copyright Issues, parts 1-3

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

First of all, the TED Talk video: ReMix Culture by Larry Lessig, was a great way to end this week’s video barrage. It put the whole copyright lesson into a capsule that made the most sense to me. And, I will definitely use the video as one of the closing elements of the Mass Media class I currently teach. It just ties all that we are reading and studying about together.

I agree that there needs to be a meeting of the minds on both sides of this issue, as some compromise needs to be agreed upon. If not, creativity will be stifled, or worse than that, become illegal. I can’t help but think of Fahrenheit 451, the great Ray Bradbury novel, and the use of firemen and book burning to control our existence, or even George Orwell’s classic 1984, with Big Brother watching our every move and Thought Police punishing thought crime.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for protecting what is mine, and everyone deserves that right as well.  However, if we were not allowed to take what already exists and make it better, where would we be now?  Our technology advances can be traced back many generations of creations, all taking it one step further in order to make something new.  Sending electricity through wires led to sending controlled impulses (telegraph) through wires, which led to adding sound (telephone), and then taking the wires away (radio), first without sound and then with voice, and then adding pictures (television) and so on.  Yes, I know there were copyright and patent battles and agreements throughout the process, but the creativity was not stifled.

We have provided our current generation with the greatest technology at an affordable price.  We need to let them take this material and stretch the limits of what that technology can do.  Whether it is through an organization like Creative Commons, taking the legal high road, or through “subversive” unauthorized experimentation, isn’t the idea that our children are exercising their minds and learning new things what is really important?  As Larry Lessig said in his closing of the aforementioned TED Talk video, [our kids] “live life knowing they live it against the law…in a democracy, we ought to be able do better at least for them…”

My Response

I agree that we need to protect what is ours but you are right that with most societal advances, someone took an existing idea and made it better.  But on the flip side, some make minute changes and then call someone else's work their own.  I am reminded of the whole Vanilla Ice scandal when he used the "Under Pressure" music for his "Ice Ice Baby" song.  He only changed one note and called the work his own and was all over the media defending that fact.  In this case, it was just ripping off someone else's work.