Week 2: Comment #2 Ashley May

Ashley Writes,
"

I read chapters 1-4 in The Art of Possibility on Sunday, but for some reason, I have been wrestling with writing this post.  It’s not that the reading was so confusing or that I had any misunderstandings; it was more of a “what to say and how to say it” kind of situation.  However, this evening I got news that my mother was in the hospital, and suddenly the urge to find a distraction led me back to my computer.

As I read through the chapters, I couldn’t help but think to myself.  I know I have heard this all before.  After about the fourth time I found myself saying this, it dawned on me; these are all Biblical principles being put into action.  I had heard this all before.  We have studied many of these same concepts in depth at my church.  Such titles as What You are Expecting is Expecting You, Your Thoughts Create Your World, and Confession that Brings Possession immediately came to mind.  You can click on any of the titles to purchase any of these titles or to read more information.    My Bishop, S. Terri Smith, always says, “The principles work if you work them.” It is show true.  Believer or non-believer, Christian or non-Christian, the principles of the Bible always work.  After realizing that this book was simply a repeat of teaching that I had already received being presented in a different light, I was able to read and enjoy more.  I was able to really get into what the Zanders had to say. 

There were a few points that stuck out to me that I would like to address.  First, Ben dealt with removing fear as an obstacle.  This was a prevalent theme throughout the first 2 chapters.  I had my “aha” moment when I (once again) realized that I am the biggest opposition to my own success.  It’s my thought patterns about my environment and myself that have to change.  I have to stop limiting myself to the box.  Instead of thinking outside of the box, I have to operate as if the box doesn’t exist!

The second point that I absolutely loved was when Zander said, “When you make a mistake, lift your arms high in the air and say ‘how fascinating.’”  I thought this would be a great exercise for me, personally.  I tend to put an extraordinary amount of pressure on myself to do everything and be everything.  What’s worse is that even though I know I cannot be perfect, I am still somehow disappointed when I am not.  This exercise will be great for me to start to take some of the pressure off of myself, and to allow myself to make mistakes. 

The third point that stood out was the story of the Taiwanese student.  He went form seeing himself as a 68, to seeing himself as an A.  It made me wonder, how do I see myself?  Why do I let others define who I am? Why do we all let others define who we are, even if it’s just a small part of ourselves?  This passage was extremely liberating for me.  It also reinforced things that I knew, but that I hadn’t yet learned.  I hope that makes sense to you!  It’s just like when people hear you but they are not listening.  Anyway, I am going to strive to do a better job of only caring about how I see myself, and giving myself that A!

The fourth and last point that I wanted to discuss was about making contributions, and about how that is like making ripples.   It immediately brought me back to Professor Rena Hanaway’s class.  Her theme was always  “making ripples,” and I really, finally, truly got it! It’s really about doing enough to cause a change in others, and for that same change to cause a ripple effect.  On a random side note, I thought it was rather befitting that I would reach this epiphany of sorts during the same week that I am hammering home cause and effect relationships with my 6th grade students! 

Well, if you are still reading, I would like to say thank you.  I naturally talk too much, and I’m a writer by nature as well.  Combining those two factors under stress can only lead to ridiculously long blog postings that someone will have to suffer through.  I hope it wasn’t too bad!  Until next time…

My Comment.

Ashley,

I think the three points that you brought up were valid and yet insightful. Your first point about removing fear as an obstacle rings true to me. I know as a teacher, I encourage my students to be creative and try to think outside the box.  How can I as a teacher foster an environment where thinking outside the box is comfortable, when I struggle with this concept myself. I love surrounding myself with challenges, and lately try to add one new/innovative event, concept, lesson what have you to my everyday life. Sometimes it is hard to operate as if "the box" doesn't exist because that box has been there for several years! When I read your third point about caring what other people think, I first thought, she is a "people pleaser." Now I'm not sure if you in fact are, from what I've learned about you, you are such a strong insightful woman and you strive for nothing but the best! But I however, can be a "people pleaser." I want people to be happy with me, never upset or mad at me. At times I find myself so worn out and tired from doing/acting the way that people want me to. It is those times, that I realize what I have gotten myself into. (Usually this means my husband, Mom or Dad pointing it out to me.) I think that looking myself in the mirror and seeing my own self worth, and not letting others define who I am is key to success in life. When I am reading The Art of Possibility, I often find myself thinking, the possibilities truly are endless! I really enjoyed reading your blog and from one christian to another, I found myself nodding and smiling at the points you made, because they too hit home to me. I love reading other peoples' blogs and seeing their highlights of the reading because they are so unique and so insightful. Thanks for the post.

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/528990

Week 2: Reading Writeup Chap1-4

The Dusty Old Light Bulb With A New Glow

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/227545

Authors Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander write, "We perceive only the sensations we are programmed to receive, and our awareness is further restricted by the fact that we recognize only those for which we have mental maps or categories for." This makes me feel like I am back in my educational physiology course in college (by far one of my favorites). But this statement is so true. For me this ties in not only well with the first chapter but all the chapters. We want to look beyond just the worldly measurements or constraints that we have learned or perceived up to this point in our life. We want students to think outside the box and not ever limit themselves in their capabilities, and of course we want them to feel like they are active contributing members of the world we live in.

Can I just say that the chapter that talked about "giving an A" was truly insightful. Often times I find that my students, and even myself, feel distinguished by a worldly measurement such as a rank in the class or a grade received. But I thought it was very interesting to see how students reacted once they realized they were given an A. They were perceived as being an "A." I could just see the Taiwanese student's light bulb illuminate the brightest it had ever been when he was explaining his thoughts.The authors, Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander,truly state it well when they say, " Students would be in such a chronic state of anxiety over the measurement of their performance that they would be reluctant to take risks."

Since I wrote my free choice post prior to writing the reading reflection, I hadn't yet gotten to the 'Being a Contribution' chapter. As you will see/read in my post, I was struggling with the idea that my AR project will actually impact others. I think contribution is a big part of our society. Often times if you haven't written a book, produced a movie, starred in a movie or done something that impacts more than 100 people, we don't feel as thought we have contributed much in life. One of my goals as a teacher is educate students so that their education will become their children's education thus creating active and educated members of society. So does this mean that I am striving towards contribution? You betcha! (But honestly, I never really looked at it like that prior to reading this book.)

I found this book to be a great refresher. It really helps me to see a whole new side of myself and the life that I live. I am really looking forward to reading more!

Week 2: Comment #1 Pamela Holifield

Pam says,
"
I really enjoyed the first two chapters of this book. I actually stated to feel like I was watching a TED video presented by the author of this novel . It read like a lecture. I find myself saying, "Where could we possibly go from the technology we have today?"  I have to remind myself that there are more blocks of stone to be chipped away at.

My mom tells me a story at how someone knocked on her door one day when she was young in the 1940's. A man was selling property on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. Her father slammed the door, and said, "That land will all be under water in a few years." If only he didn't see the square his mind made. Ahhh the Art of Possibility. "


My Comment,
Pam,
I can totally related to the book being like a written script to a TED video! I too read it like a lecture and the author truly did have some great points that really made me think, question and reflect. I love your little story of your Dad, and the following comment about the "square in his mind." Some people might read your post and say, "What does she mean by the square in his mind?"  They just need to think outside the box!

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/47549

Week 1 Free Post

You Saved the Best video for last in my opinion!

Larry Lessig’s video was probably the highlight of all the videos that I watched. It helped really drive home how all this is affecting our students, the people of the future. I especially how he drove home the change in the way we live and learn. For example, “We watched television, they create.” He makes some very poignant remarks that are funny but so true. He talks about how we can’t go back, but yet we need to embrace the technology and the opportunities that the students are giving, and that we need to do better for them (being the students).

 (Image from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/57387)

We, as parents and educators, need to educate more on copyright laws, but yet we need to encourage and foster a working creative environment for our students. We want them to succeed in all that they do and therefore should not allow them to remain stagnant but yet to build, compose, and create materials that they will take pride in and that will add value to the future of this world. I personally love the TED videos and have not yet seen one that I found boring or not interesting. I love to share these with my coworkers too.

Week 1 Comment #2: Bruchetta Jones

Bruchetta Jones' writes:

We had several videos to watch in regards to copyright.  It can be a very "sticky" issue, but in this post, I will try to clarify some common issues.

First off, copyright, as noted from Nathan Bamey of Expert Village, is a form of protection for original works in a tangible medium of expression.  In other words, if you create it, you have the right to protect it as your own.  Items that are protected are musical recordings, works of art, or architectural designs.  Not everything is not subject to copyright.  Improvisational works, titles, slogans, or items of common property are examples.

Copyrights are not forever.  For an author, a copyright can last their lifetime plus an additional 70 years.  For a company, a copyright has a duration of 100 years.  All of this does depend on the type of work, the date of origination, and countless other factors.

What was very interesting to me was the last video.  I have known about sampling for a number of years.  Listening to many R&B and Hip Hop tracks over the years, many I have found to be unoriginal, thinking back to "what song did they take?"  I did not know that filmakers have made a documentary about this process and so many people that I would have never imagined having a hand in hip hop.  I think that it is something that will continue for years to come, seeing that it is easier to me a "beat maker" with all of the programs and technology available.  It is so easy to be a musician today without knowing how to play an instrument or read a music note!

My Comment:

Bruchetta,

I too learned something new in that Copyrights are not forever, and they can be quite expensive to keep up with! After our music course, even in this program we learned quite a bit about composition of music. At first, I was intimidated, but then we learned all about garageband and its capabilities, and creating music seemed a bit less daunting. But to think of these “beat makers” and their sampling, in some ways I can see it being easier and others harder. For example, think about how much work we put into creating our own mixes? Granted over time this task would become much easier. Do you think that by sampling they are stealing or should they be covered under the fair use law or are they being innovative and creative in trying to keep great works still in the “mix” (pun intended). I just kind of wanted to get more of a feel for what your thoughts were on this.

~Britni

Week 1 Commen #1: Sarah

Sarah Baker-Dykes Writes:

The arguments and opinions regarding copyright issues could go on forever.  During his presentation at the TED conference, Larry Lessig painted a clear picture how parties on both sides of the “fair use” issue are not willing to compromise their stances.  In the meantime, our future, our children who are digital natives, have turned to piracy to create media and art by getting content off of the Internet. 

I understand the need for copyright laws and agree that the artists and owners should be compensated for their work.  However, when it comes to educating students, it’s a shame that the laws can’t be more forgiving seeing how instructors are making no profit from utilizing the content.  Students could be exposed to the new ideas and content that could help popularize the given content.  

(Image from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/699634)

My Response:

Sarah,

I too think that Larry Lessig did an excellent job of describing both points of view on the fair use topic. Sometimes I wonder who is to judge what is fair use when it helps to grab a student’s attention, help them develop a further interest in learning a topic, or even to show them more practical applications? On the other hand, I am reminded of a quote from the video Good Copy, Bad Copy and that is, “Copyright is an incentive to create.” Which raises a good point. Then of course I look at the other side and that is, look at all the great materials of the past that are just sitting on shelves, hidden deep within the files. Why not bring back and then build upon some of those other outstanding works?  Those are just a few of my thoughts after reading your post.

~Britni

Week 1 Reading: Write-Up

 (image from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/154884)

Copyright has always been confusing to me. I mean I know that when you use someone else’s work you must always give credit where credit is due but I had no idea that copyright had an actual (limited) lifespan. I also really appreciated the clarification of “fair use.” My first year of teaching, my fellow co-workers made “fair use” sound as though it was a given right, however it is not. There are limitation that we must be aware of. I also really appreciated the multitude of different points of view in the film Good Copy, Bad copy. One quote that I had to write down and think about was that copyright should not been as a limitation but yet “copyright is an incentive to create.”  This just really got me to thinking about analyzing copyrighted works, and fair use, and some of the ways this all effects not only teachers but also our students.

I am all about a shared culture, but I do believe that there still needs to be a copyright in place for those who want credit where its due. Creative Commons rocks in my opinion! I think they have not only the access but also the control that is needed. I see both ends of the spectrum. I see artists that want credit for their work no matter what, and I see people that are taking great works/materials, adding to them and creating new cutting edge innovative materials. Where exactly do we draw the line? Like with the sampling idea. This sampling takes so long and often times add in several pieces from several artists. I never really got my one questioned answered when it came to sampling, and that was, is sampling illegal? I did understand that there really is no written rule in regards to a set length when using media.