Week 4: Publishing/Leadership Presentation

"Blank Business Card" (2010) The Stock Exchange. http://sxc.hu

I was all set to present during the Saturday Wimba session and missed out thanks to a power outage. I plan on going in and listening to the archive to see how some of my classmate's final projects sounded.

As fate would have it, a Skype call from Stacie Stoumbaugh with some great tips and hints earlier in the day led me to make some final changes to my work. So HUGE shout out to Stacie with her grammar help!

I'm excited to be almost finished with this program and look forward to moving towards the future.

My project can be viewed here: http://web.me.com/dinobot50/AR_Website/Publishing_Leadership.html

Week 4: Publishing/Leadership part 3

"Burning to Ashes" (2010) The Stock Exchange http://sxc.hu

I've made my decision and I think that I will be submitting to Computing in Education (AACE). I have mixed feelings about this as I am not in this career for the prestige that can be showered down upon me. My AR was specific to my classes and what I did worked. I'm finding so far this year that it's a different scenario with different students who no where near possess the amount of knowledge concerning technology that last year's students did.

Now my AR feels more like one of those studies that tries to convince you that something is a best practice. I really don't feel comfortable selling myself this way, and I don't feel comfortable marketing Full Sail's name.

Ultimately I pursued this degree to better myself and to fulfill my desire to be a life long learner. That was and always will be my only goal.

Week 4: BP: Texting in MY Classroom.

"You Have Mail" (2010) The Stock Exchange http://sxc.hu

Today I tried a grand experiment bases on a segment on CNN Student News that I show my students. This particular segment talked about how cell phone use is banned in school. I got to thinking about ways in which I could incorporate their use in my classroom, and I came up with a grand idea.

I was not only going to break a school rule regarding technology (again), but I was also going to enlist the parents.

We are starting our project creating citizenship web modules and I am introducing Google tools in the classroom. While the students were typing their essential questions in an outline on Google Docs I got the idea that maybe the students should create their own PLN.

I had them text "What is the purpose of government" to an adult such as their parents, grandparents, older sibling, or guardian. Each class of 22 students received at least 11 text messages with some really great responses. I posted all of them on the example Google doc for the students to refer back to. Some of the responses were even quite funny. In fact, no less than 2 students were asked by their parents if they were cheating on a test.

Week 4: Comment on Kathy Kellen's Blog

Wk 4 Reading "WE all Have a Story..."

Each of us has a story about our EMDT year. We have shared the same courses and course directors, yet each of us has had a unique experience, because of the "life" that "happened" during the past 11 months.
A huge part of my experience can be related to the "WE story"! (Zander, 2000) "The WE story points to relationship rather than to individuals, to communication patterns, gestures, and movement rather than to discrete objects and identities." (p.183)
The WE encouraged growth. WE are each other's cheerleaders, support, and have shared laughter, prayers and tears. Competition was set aside, instead there is appreciation of unique styles and the focus on the "unseen threads that connect us all" (p.183)
The WE helps me to see the possibilities beyond the end of this journey to the beginning of another.
I am SO thankful for my EMDT WE story!
Posted by kathykellen at 9:21 AM

Joe Huber said...
Kathy, I just have to thank you (and the entire group) for allowing me to be part of the WE, at least what I was comfortable with.
I appreciate the WE understood my idiosyncrasies and belief that online learning does not HAVE to be cooperative learning, but rather it CAN be.

I look forward to seeing the WE evolve through WoW.
August 26, 2010 10:45 AM

Week 4 BP4: That doesn't even COPYRIGHT! Yeah it does!

Faggotron.(2009, December 25). Upular [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVxe5NIABsI

One of the coolest things about using my iPod Touch as an CMS, PLN, and PLE is that I frequently find items that are just so down right cool that I feel compelled to share them. This is one that I found from an App that sorts Youtube videos by educational content. Not quite sure how this one fits, but it is truly entertaining.

Using copyrighted materials appears to be one of those areas of concern for most teachers, especially when it comes to those of us who have students creating digital media. Last year I had the advantage of having an industrious student who shared his musical compositions with his classmates so I didn't have to worry too much about using copyrighted music. However, I like to use Animoto, and I'm not quite sure exactly how copyright free some of their music is.

The above video will be a great example to show my students this year when we have our discussion about copyright and fair use.

Despite the Youtube username that he uses, Pogo is the name that the composer goes by when creating music. This is what a blurb on Last FM has to say about him:

" Pogo is the pseudonym for the emerging 21-year old electronic music artist Nick Bertke in Perth, Western Australia. He is known for his work recording small sounds from single films or scenes, and sequencing them to form new pieces of music. Pogo’s music and videos have attracted a large and devoted following that continues to grow every day" (Last.FM, 2010).

Pogo gives his compositions away for free on Last.FM because he technically does not own the intellectual copyright to any of the music or scenes depicted in his videos. Despite the fact that he is using Disney properties to make music, because he isn't making any money from this venture, Disney hasn't issued the cease and desist. It makes me wonder how much Disney is willing to ignore blatant use of their material since many a daycare center here in FL sport shabbily created "virtual facsimiles thereof" various Disney characters outside their establishments, and have done so for years.

It will be interesting to enter my students into a debate over fair use and let them voice their opinion on the matter.

Last.FM. (2010). Pogo. Retrieved August 24, 2010 from http://www.last.fm/music/Pogo

Week 4: Comment on Abbie's Blog

Wk 4 Reading - Deepest Fear

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous-
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
-Marianne Williamson


I found this quote in Ch. 11 (Frameworks for Possibility) in our textbook, and it opened up a world of possibility for me! I have so much fear in my life (which I mentioned in the discussion boards for this week) and this quote identifies the fear, reminds me I am a child of God, and encourages me to be myself without fear!


I also enjoyed the story in Ch. 11 about a woman named Alice Kahana and the very last thing she ever said to her brother. She has lived the rest of her life vowing to "not say anything that could not stand as the last thing she ever said." What if we thought about each thing we say to another human being as being the last? What would you change about what you say to your friends, family, and even strangers? I would change a lot of conversations I have...I would think more before I speak. What a great lesson to learn!

Week 4 Reading: Misplaced Blame or Beyond the Board

"BLAME" by Joe Huber 2010

"The first part is to declare 'I am the framework for everything that happens in my life'" (Zander, 2000).

It's easy to get caught up in the blaming game. Fingers are pointed and words are exchanged. Each side strives to make their point so effectively (and sometimes loudly) that they don't often hear what the other person is trying to say. Sometimes this is the outcome of the particular game that we have chosen to play. Far too often we feel like we are at the whim of some larger force or some grand scheme when, in reality, we have the ability to shape our own destinies simply in viewing the world from reality glasses.

Far too often I've seen the fault and blame waltz, and sometimes I've been a willing participant. After all, it's easy to blame a slight fumble or misstep on your dance partner claiming that they have two left feet or stepped on yours.

It's that system of reward and punishment that we use to measure accountability that facilitates this behavior. Consider that high stakes standardized test that is administered to our students each spring, and you'll see what I mean. Students either score high, which results in a reward for them (passing to the next grade level), reward for the school (A status earns prestige and more money), and rewards for the staff (continued employment). Should these students not do well on the test, they are held back, schools lose funding, and employees are fired. For two years in a row, my school has failed to make AYP, despite being an A+ school. The first year we were told it was the fault of the teachers because we weren't differentiating enough. The teachers in turn blamed the students saying that they failed the test on purpose or just weren't smart enough. This year there was another round of blame, but I didn't pay attention to it. I zoned out.

I would rather be the board than one of the players this year. Maybe those students who didn't win the game last year did so because they really didn't want to play it. At some point we have to realize that the rules were written by adults, for adults. Children are the innocent pawns that are forced to play the board game when they would rather play a video game. They are bored with the board.

In typing this I've just had an epiphany. I don't want to be the board, I want to be the playing field.

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

Week 3: Comment on Abbie's Blog

Wk 3 Reading - Be Present

The reading for this week really hit home, because it talked about something I really have trouble with: Being present in the moment. I often find myself worrying about tomorrow or trying to change the past - when I need to let go of all the resistance in my mind and just be in the here and now. I know my life would be more stressfree if I could begin doing this in my day-to-day existence.

A quote from our textbook that I found interesting can be found on p. 102:

"Mistakes can be like ice. If we resist them, we may keep on slipping into a posture of defeat. If we include mistakes in our definition of performance, we are likely to glide through them and appreciate the beauty of the longer run."

What an idea - include mistakes in our perception of getting things done! From a young age we are taught to do things right the first time, to expect punishment for mistakes, and to be too hard on ourselves. I want my son to know that everyone makes mistakes and they are a part of life - it is how you handle those mistakes that defines you. This book has been truly eye-opening for me...

Week 3: Comment on Stacie's Blog

STACIE'S BLOG POSTWk 3: Reading

YOU CHOOSE, WHICH WILL IT BE?

“But our universe is alive with sparks. We have at our fingertips an infinite capacity to light a spark of possibility. Passion, rather than fear, is the igniting force. Abundance, rather than scarcity, is the context.”
~Zander & Zander

As I read this book, I have to shake my head and laugh. I’ve read these concepts before. They are beautiful and positive; just what a downtrodden, negative world needs to hear. Then it hits me. Oh ya…this is all biblical truth. Yes. These are biblical principals spoken throughout the bible by Jesus himself. Take for example the 4 practices for chapter 9, “Lighting a Spark.” Every one of these principles is about investing positive life into others.

1. Imagine that people are an invitation for enrollment
2. Stand ready to participate, willing to be moved and inspired
3. Offer that which lights you up.
4. Have no doubt that others are eager to catch the spark.

The most amazing aspect of this book and the remarkable point of this chapter is that it is our passion that holds the spark, the igniter. Ben Zander has used his passion for music to invest positive life into the people around him. The spark he invests is positive thinking.

“The secret was, I believe, that I genuinely wanted to share the music with the children, and I trusted their ability to respond to it and to be partners with me in our whole undertaking (Zander & Zander, 2000)

The other message that spoke to me in the reading was the concept of “the downward spiral.” This is the idea that our negativity thinking limits our possibilities in every area of our lives whether this is work, family, or personal goals. I know that I personally can be caught in the trap of negative energy in a quick hurry, especially when I’m frustrated with my current circumstances. Being a teacher is so hard when we are fighting unmotivated students, ridiculous standardized tests, and a scary economic situation, and sometimes, the weight can pull me into a downward spiral. However, I’m reminded to find the positive in it all, and I can say without a doubt that I love working with kids and the slightest possibility that I might spark or inspire something within them. When I look at my career from that perspective, the rests seems to melt away for another day. In fact, I like the idea of lighting a spark and participating in enrollment so much, that I am going to pain the phrase “Light a Spark” on the wall in my classroom. I’ve already commissioned the art teacher, who is also my great friend, to begin painting. Hopefully this phrase will remind me on those difficult days why I do what it is that I do. After all we all have a choice to make. Will we be the negative force or the positive force in the lives of others today?

Week 3 BP4: If you E-create it, they will come.

Image "My Edmodo page" Joe Huber

As I sit typing this entry, I notice that my inbox is becoming inundated with mail messages. Upon further investigation I notice that all of this new mail is in the form of email notifications from Edmodo informing me that my students have begun posting to an assignment that isn't even due yet.

With Zander's help and advice, I've created AAA assignments that students get credit just for doing. This post involves students taking a practice naturalization test online and then commenting on whether or not they think that all U.S. citizens should take the test. Surprisingly, the students began to make additional posts to each other commenting on the scoring of the test, the validity of the questions, and why it is a necessary component to the naturalization process. They've completed my assignment, and they've created one of their own.

That surely is a testimony to why, as teachers, we should take the opportunity to sometimes just give our students an A. Especially when you consider that this all began on day 1 of school.

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

Week 3: Publishing/Leadership Part II

Image ChoiceinLife 1 from The Stock Exchange http://www.sxc.hu

I felt like I really needed to look at the submission guidelines for the various publications to see where I might be interested in, or be able to submit it for consideration.

There are many excellent sources to choose from, and Edutopia would have been my first. However, this past year they decided to eliminate the magazine portion of their organization and there weren't any links present which indicated that they would take submissions for consideration for inclusion on their site. I plan to email them to ascertain the new process for submission as well as for the guidelines to do so.

Since ISTE is another of my fan favorites, I decided to look at the requirements for publishing in thier Journal of Research on Technology in Education. Unfortunately the length requirements begin at 4000 words which is 2000 more than the allowed length for MAC.

After a bit more searching, I came upon Computing in Education (AACE). What I particularly like about this publication is that I can submit my AR project to a subject appropriate publication, which in my case would be social studies.

I'm getting closer to making my final decision, but I do realize that I need to do a bit more research into the choice of publication before I begin composing my paper for submission.

Week 3: Publishing/Leadership

Photo "Old Books" from The Stock Exchange (http://www.sxc.hu)

To Write a Paper or to Present...That is the Question

This is a very difficult question for me at this time. On one hand I detest writing and reading papers, but on the other I equally detest Keynote. One of the concepts that I'm having a difficult time dealing with is the fact that over the past 10 months we've learned so many interesting ways to deliver media, yet this is what my end result choices are reduced to.

At this time, I am thinking that it might be more in my favor to just write the paper. As much as the opportunity to present my findings at a conference excites me, I don't exactly know if I will be able to commit myself to any speaking engagements should my work be deemed worthy enough to deliver to an audience of my peers. That coupled with the fact that my AR was so personal to me and my classroom that I feel like speaking about it will be equivalent to "preaching to the choir."

Week 3 Reading: BTFI and "One Buttock" Teaching

Photo "Railroad Tracks" from The Stock Exchange (http://www.sxc.hu)

BTFI: Beyond the F*&% It.

With the return to school and the inevitable horror of planning week, I had the opportunity to express many FI moments. What I am particularly enjoying about the Zanders' book is how every time I pick it up to read it, it pertains to what is happening in my professional life. I had originally intended to get all of my reading done and finished so that I could focus on the publishing aspect of my final project, but procrastination got in the way. I have a difficult time doing anything when I'm given too much time. In the case of the readings, it worked as I've read each chapter at the most apropos moment.

I am the first to admit that I let planning week get too far under my skin. I do not work well with adults, and find that I'm better suited to conversation with my students than my colleagues. In fact, one of the big sticking points this year is the loss of our block schedule. Personally I don't care whether or not we have traditional or block, and most of the studies on either are told from the adult point of view. Our vote on the topic was last year, and the bitter arguments surrounding that time period still ring fresh in my mind. I had a FI moment, mostly due to my apathy on the subject, and created a BTFI moment when I told my students about the vote and asked them what they preferred. It would directly impact them, so in the absence of a strong feeling on my part, I let them be the deciding factor. I announced this to one of my team members this week, who now is confused as to why the opinion of the students matter so much to me. This is another BTFI moment in the making; it's too early to see how it will play out.

I decided yesterday that I've had my FI moments, now it is time to work towards the BTFI moments. I am going to teach like I'm balancing on one buttock and take those risks again. It seems like every 1st week back with just the staff produces a plethora of FI moments; it's the prospect of BTFI moments that makes me love my job.

"Where is the electric socket for possibility, the access to the energy of transformation?" (Zander, 2000).

Like Zander says, it's where you let yourself go and lean into your work. Where you dare to let go of the edges and participate. This is the kind of teaching that I do in my room. I used to call it "flying by the seat of my pants." Zander refers to it as being on one buttock. I can't plan ahead, and I can't do direct instruction. Both of those bore me, and when forced to do either. I've been placed in a situation where I am forced to accommodate a direct instruction and type "A" planner this year. With Zander's and Buddha's help, I have come up with a solution to my dilemma. It involves both BTFI and the one buttock method. We'll see how it pans out.

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

Week 2: BP4-My Thoughts on Returning to Work

Image from The Stock Exchange (http://www.sxc.hu)

It's been a bittersweet couple of days so far. I've moved into my room and decided for the minimalist approach this year. Far too often I've toted crates worth of belongings back and forth from work to home so this year I decided to eliminate all of the materials that I've collected and never used. It's a new feeling for me, and a much happier one so far.

After reading Zander's chapter on making a contribution, I felt energized to begin my new year. Then I happened to drive by work and notice that our parking lot was resurfaced. I don't know what this cost the school, and I'm sure that I could find out, but I do know that if the county were to do the same to the streets in my neighborhood, the cost for paving in front of my house would be $1200 split between myself and the neighbor across the street. I imaging that a parking lot would be pretty expensive. This came as more of a slap in the face when you consider that we are facing our third year in a row without a pay increase, we might be looking at a pay cut, and furlough days as well.

At what point does making a contribution become a truly altruistic endeavor? I'm getting really tired of hearing "you're lucky to have a job." I'd be truly lucky if I could afford to pay off my students loans, or make the mortgage payment without flinching. Zander describes packing away one's feelings, putting them in a box, and "bask[ing] in the notion that [we] are a gift to others (p. 58).

It's like we all learned in our undergraduate degrees, and maybe see every day. When the needs of our students aren't met and they are worried about food, water, shelter, or other basic necessities, how easy is it to look at each day with a smile?

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

Week 2: Comment on Abbie's Blog

Wk 2 Reading - Contributions

Wow...the next three chapters in our textbook, The Art of Possibilities, were extremely eye-opening for me! Ever read something that makes you feel self-absorbed, small-minded, and ashamed? That's how I felt when I read about making your life a contribution, instead of focusing on competing and playing games on a daily basis. Committing your life to being a contribution forces you to take the focus off of yourself and on to other people!
I don't think it was a coincidence that yesterday during the church service I attended, the pastor spoke about Jesus's life being focused around pleasing his Father. This is how we should live our lives, focused on pleasing our Father. I think one way of doing this is living our lives to be a contribution to others. I feel like I'm finally getting the message that is so desperately being directed at me.

Another aspect of the book that I connected with was Rule Number 6. I thought it was best put by the authors in the quote "Lighten up, which may well light up those around you." I'm going to post this on my desk as I start school again tomorrow - I think it will make a big difference with the way I look at things in the classroom!

Week 2: Comment of Kathy's Blog

Wk2 Reading "Leading From Any Chair"

As a musician, the "5th Practice of leading from any chair" (Zander, 2000 p.67) was a chapter I really resonated with! I have played for many conductors in my lifetime. My favorite was a man named Hugo Huss, and I played under his direction for multiple summers when I attended Symphony School of America. He was easy to follow, passionate about the music, and inspired me to reach a level of performance that I wouldn't have dreamed possible. I'd like to think that he would have embraced the concept of the "white sheets" (p.70)

I've led from different chairs in my playing experiences...Principal flute, 2nd flute, Piccolo....section member. My favorite chair is 2nd flute, supporting the harmony and being a strong voice underneath the principal...my college flute professor taught me much about that role, as we would play duets at every lesson and he would play 2nd! More often than not, I model that concept with my private flute students. When I think of my present teaching position, I "play the principal flute role" in the elementary piece of my position, but in the middle school instrumental piece, definitely the supporting role of "2nd flute"! Piccolo is probably my least favorite chair, because of its high exposure...nowhere to hide...totally out there!

May my eyes be more open to recognizing which chair my students lead best from, allow them to experience passion, and teach them to be a strong voice where they are most comfortable, and also risk the exposure of an "out there" chair!

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