Wk 4 Presentation of Leadership

Original drawing by Patricia Ort

I believe I would prefer to present the results of my Action Research Project rather than simply publish a paper because I prefer the dynamic, interactive nature inherent in giving a live presentation. I a way, it would be easier to share my findings on paper.  I involved my students in digital storytelling.  It seems appropriate that I would share my findings in a similar format.

Those who have followed my Action Research blog entries, as well as my entries on this blog, will be aware that some very unusual circumstances made carrying out the project a challenge.  It seems to me that if I was still able to get such positive feedback from the students, despite the very erratic attendance (including the addition of students to my class list, far into the grading period), then these techniques would yield even more impressive results in a stable environment.

This is worth knowing, and worth sharing. I have identified Edutopia and ISTE as two possible venues for presenting my findings; however, I believe any venue where I would be sharing directly with educators who are serving in K-12 classrooms, would be good.  I think they would be best able to appreciate and use what I have learned.  In fact, I think they would be able to achieve even better results than I did.

Week 4 Publishing Leadership Project Part 2 of 2

Students playing along with Renaissance music. 

In part 1 of my Publishing/Leadership blog entry I said Edutopia was one place I would consider publishing or presenting the results of my research. I believe the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) would be the second place I would approach to share the results of my Action Research Project.

  ISTE serves educators and education leaders who want to improve teaching and learning by promoting the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education.  That exactly matches where I am now.  I spoke just yesterday to the woman who directs the finances for my school district, and part of the conversation centered around the excellent teacher training offered to our staff by the Technology Director. Despite this, many workshops have very low attendance. There have been several times a workshop I signed up for was cancelled because not enough people signed up. Workshops only need three people!  I am certainly interested in sharing with educators things that worked in my classroom, as well as learning more about what other people are doing.

  As an unintended consequence of my Action Research Project, the English teacher I work with used the green screen I build for a video tribute to Edgar Allen Poe. We also had a student recite the poem "The Raven" in front of the green screen, then laid in pictures suitable to the reading as a background for his reading.  The movie project I did with my world history class really produced two movies. The segment about Beowulf was so long, it warranted its own movie.  One of my world history students was with me for multimedia studies during our last trimester, continuing to sharpen his movie making skills by filming a science class field trip and turning it into a short movie.

  While this year's effort was challenging because of attendance issues, it really laid a groundwork for the use of videography, iMovie and Moviemaker, Audacity and Garage Band, and the use of digital storytelling in future endeavors.

I can also say that each time students participated in tasks directly related to our digital storytelling class, they were engaged.  I had personally thought that increased engagement might lead to better attendance, however, there were too many other variables at play among my alternative high school students for their increased engagement to significantly impact attendance.

  I believe this is the sort of thing members of ISTE and those who attend ISTE's conferences would be interested in hearing about.  I also believe that this experience has given me skills that would make my use of digital storytelling in the classroom more effective in the future.

To read part 1 of my Publishing/Leadership blog entry where I talk about my choice of Edutopia as one venue for presenting my research, please use this link: Patricia Ort Publishing Leadership blog entry 1

 A copy of the presentation I would share at an ISTE, or similar, conference can be viewed at the link below. 

Patricia Ort Leadership Project Presentation

Literature Review  Use this link to read my literature review about the effectiveness of digital storytelling when used in the K-12 classroom.

Week 4 Response to Joanna Puello

Photo by Patricia Ort

Joanna,

   The Zander’s book must be especially meaningful to you as you share their love of music and art. You must relate really well, too, to the relationship they have with each other.  Will finishing your EMDT masters impact the conversation you and your husband have been having about the life-changing decisions you mentioned?  I can relate with your quandary about how to get “from here to there.”  I really love working with technology in the classroom and would love to train teachers in this area, but there are always considerations about what path to take. There is also the balancing of what I think is best for my family with what might be best for my career.  You have shown a lot of energy and creativity throughout your ARP. I am sure you will be able to avoid that downward spiral and make the most of the possibilities that present themselves to you.

Joanna wrote:

My husband is an amazingly talented artist in many realms. He paints, draws, sings professionally, writes his own music, and gives seminars. He’s also his own boss. I’m an artist of a different sort. I write, play two instruments, act, and love to make my physical environment an inspirational place to be. We’ve been “self-employed” for years, and we’ve also been “self-UNemployed” many of times. Because we often have to pursue opportunities for income, it’s easy to feel frustrated and loose passion about the big vision. Or sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the big vision that we can’t see the next step. My husband has encountered endless obstacles in his musical career, and during the past two years, we have butted heads many times over what his long-term goals should be. My biggest desire for him is for him to be able to use his talents and abilities in their maximum expression. Obviously, he wants this, too. The question is how to get from here to there. In my opinion, the discussion and conflict that has revolved around this topic has been very healthy for both of us (even when it’s been hard). We’re still working through the details on some life-changing decisions, so I was extremely inspired when I read this remarkable quote in Chapter 11: Creating Frameworks for Possibility: “The foremost challenge for leaders today…is to maintain the clarity to stand confidently…no matter how fierce the competition, no matter how stark the necessity to go for the short-term goal, no matter how fearful people are, and no matter how urgently the wolf may appear to howl at the door. It is to have the courage and persistence to distinguish the downward spiral from the radiant realm of possibility in the face of any challenge.” (Zander, p. 163)

Week 4 Response to LeVonda Vickery

Photo Courtesy iStockphoto

LeVonda,

I am glad Zander’s book has been such an encouragement to you. It has also encouraged me and the other two teachers on our very small staff.  I can really relate to your comments about being happiest when creating new things. I think it is really great that you can apply the Zander’s practices to your situation. I think you must be an optimistic person to start with, but perhaps The Art of Possibility just fanned that spark of optimism again. With that attitude, things are bound to fall into place for you.   

LeVonda wrote:

I loved Zander's words in Chapter 9 about us having the "infinite capacity to light a spark of possibility" right at our fingertips and that "passion, rather than fear, is the igniting force."  Oh how true those words ring.  That not only should we ignite a spark in others, but be willing to catch any sparks they may throw at us as well.  I must say that reading Chapter 11: Creating Frameworks for Possibility was right up my creative alley so to speak.  I know that I am the happiest whenever I am creating new things or even watching that creative spark in both of my daughters.  My 15 year old is able to do things with video that I only wish I had been able to do at her age or to have even had the opportunity to learn with the tools and technology she has available to her.  

I loved the story of the teacher who shaved her head because of the student who underwent chemotherapy and the other students were making fun of her baldness.  What a great way to take charge of a situation instead of letting it get out of hand and head into that downward spiral Zander speaks of.  I have a dream to teach and believe that dream is well within my "arena of possibility."  Zander made a really good point about how a vision does not require one to win, but merely to play into the possibility.  His words on how a personal crisis can lead to the creation of a vision that turns a life of possibility sang out to me about the past year or so of my life and how I have taken the my job loss and divorce not as a sign of failure, but rather as a sign to have a new beginning full of possibilities and dreams.  This book has helped me to realize that all the negativity about not having a job and never even being called for a job interview to teach does not define who I am.  My thinking either positive or negative is what defines me and my actions allowing me to choose to explore my own world of possibilities in order to move forward in my life and ignite that spark in others around me.

Week 4 Reflection on Chapters 9-13 of The Art of Possibility

Photo by Patricia Ort

Of all of the Zander's ideas, I think the concept of not blaming others, or yourself, for things that don't go the way you'd like is probably the most challenging.  I don't know if it is a cultural thing or just a human thing to assign blame, however, we seem to start doing it pretty young.  The fine difference in thinking that Ben Zander speaks of when he says we should be the board, not the chess piece, takes some practice.

As always, the Zanders made me really think about how a person could change their mindset in this way. When Ben Zander speaks of apologizing, he does it in a completely different way than I, at least, am used to.  I think it is a good idea to apologize to others when we've offended or hurt them.  But Ben's approach also includes not blaming himself. In the letter he wrote where he gave himself an A, he admitted his faults but didn't really say he was sorry to the violinist directly.  He also didn't ask her to come back to the orchestra, although she did.

As usual, I spent some time thinking about how this might apply to working with the at-risk teens in our program. If, as Zander says, this approach allows you to turn relationships into effective partnerships, how might that work at our alternative high school?  Right now, we are planning a totally different concept for next year. Rather than teaching in our own little boxes, the English teacher, the math/science teacher, and I (social studies/computers teacher), are going to team teach using a project based learning model.  We are especially interested in building relationships with the teens who enroll in our program.  Reading Zander's thoughts about "being the board" really fits the conversation about how to build good relationships with our new students.

I'm a creative person, so I really liked the thrust of Chapter 11.  I think most people are happiest when they are creating. There is a special energy that fills you up when you are working in synergy with others, making something new and different and exciting.  I think my colleagues and I feel that way, when we are not being distracted by things that seem to have gone wrong at school or are trying to find someone to blame for the situation. Hmmmm.  I am glad we are reading this book at school.  I think a shift in a positive direction would be very good right about now.

Wk 4 Publishing Leadership Project Part 1 of 2

Students analyze Garage Band loops

Of the possible sites for publication shared with us by Dr. Bedard,  Edutopia seems most compatible with the kind of research I did.  While my research centered around using digital storytelling to teach world history, it is also very project-based in nature. In fact, given the very unusual enrollment and attendance issues I had to deal with throughout the project, I believe my results say more about project-based learning than they do about digital storytelling.

 Did students participate more fully when I used hands-on lessons and simulations? Yes. Did students complete tasks, and do them well, when they were part of creating the class documentary movie? Yes. Did students express positive feelings about the way we approached learning world history? Yes. Were there times students were reluctant to leave, or when we forgot the time because they were so engaged? Yes.

Having said that, carrying out this project has been one of the most frustrating things I have ever done because of two issues: enrollment and attendance.

My Cycle I actually started during our second trimester, but the project was interrupted by Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, and the beginning of the second trimester, which also brought with it a change in enrollment.  Our enrollment this year has been the most unstable it has ever been in the history of our Community Ed program.  After the Thanksgiving break, I lost two of the six students who were with me at the beginning of Cycle I.  Then, during the wrap-up of Cycle I and the implementation of Cycle II, the enrollment and attendance in my class fluctuated in the extreme.

I started the second trimester with four of my original six students.  Nine days into the trimester, four more students were enrolled, which was good because it gave me a bigger group to work with. However, these students had not gone through the foundational experiences I had used to create a background with.  This background was meant to be a springboard, allowing students to relate the experience of people at the fall of the Roman Empire with modern catastrophes.  I found myself repeating and backtracking to some extent in order to bring these new students up to speed.

Three and a half to four weeks into our 12-week trimester, three more students were added, and in the fifth week of the trimester, two more names were added to my roster.  Half way through week seven another new student was added, and in week nine yet another.  Although, technically, I eventually had 15 people on my class roster, I had one who attended five classes then moved away. I had one who attended once, two who came three times, and one who never came at all.

Of the students still on my roster at the end of the second trimester, I had the following attendance:
Days missed     Days enrolled
     27                        44
     10                        38
     10                        62
     16                        53
     17                        62
       4                        62
     25                        62
     17                        44
       4                        45
     32                        53
       7                        22

Two students eventually switched over to the GED program.  One moved to Mexico because her boyfriend was deported, so she moved to be with him. A couple had transportation issues related to not having money for gas to get to school.  A couple quit coming for no known reason.  It may be that after they missed so much, they knew they wouldn't get full credit and dropped out without officially dropping out.

In any case, it was maddening to try to accomplish anything, let alone the digital storytelling project, when I didn't know on any given day who would be there, and when people entered and left  my class at such random times.

On the up-side, even the students with poor attendance completed the main tasks associated with the digital storytelling project. All of the eleven listed above did research and created a storyboard based on their research.  Each of them also found copyright free images to use in their part of the movie. Most went onto ccMixter and found music they could use. All but one of them turned their research and storyboards into a script for the narration of their part of the movie. If you visit my action research web site, you will see there were some encouraging results. 

I do not know if I will be able to share my results on the Edutopia site.  I did send the following request, however.

As a student in the Education Media Design and Technology masters degree program through Full Sail University, I recently completed an action research project designed to discover if involving at-risk high school students in a digital storytelling project would enhance engagement.  Students participated in researching, planning, and carrying out a movie intended to be a documentary about the Middle Ages.

My target audience would be high school social studies teachers. I would like to share examples of the hands-on experiences students participated in throughout the project, with student feedback and examples.

I currently teach alternative high school students through the Sturgis Public Schools Adult/Community Ed program. This is my 21st year in the classroom. I hold a BS in Speech with an emphasis in theater and a minor in history. I also hold an MS in Reading (Reading Specialist).  Over the past six years I have immersed myself in the study of ways of integrating technology in my classroom, culminating in my pending completion of my Education Media Design Technology masters.

This would be my first piece for publication on another site, although I do maintain a blog of my own at www.edubabel.blogspot.com.  My Facebook URL is www.facebook.com/patricia.ort2 , however the best way to reach me is through my Google account at trishaweb2.0@gmail.com.

Week 3 Wimba Response

By Margaret Riel (http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Frankly, I have been sidetracked by last-minute demands at school.  This week's Wimba was a chance to get back on track and remember what I need to be doing for my month 11 presentation.  I am still a little bit at a loss about what to do with my presentation, and I'm not sure where I would present my findings.  The good news is I focused on engagement - which I can document. The bad news is that the poor and erratic attendance among students in my program really ground things to a halt toward the end of things and I am now limping along with three or four students to finish the movie - which was the culminating activity for the world history class.

I would love to try this again next year with a focus on increased literacy skills; however, right now I just need to wrap the ARP up. How do I sum up the whole project in 120 words? I'm sure I'm not the only one who has pondered that question.  The directions (again) in Wimba about how to structure the abstract were a good reminder.  I finally finished helping my team here at school create intake documents for the fall, so now I am going to focus completely on the task at hand. 

I need to clarify a couple of things, too.  I discovered that on my Blogger blog I can create separate pages with their own URL. I don't know if I can post Keynote there, though. And if I use my Mobile Me account, I will need to go over how to do that again. I appreciate my teammates in that respect. Although we no longer officially have teams, the friends I have made in previous team endeavors are the people I can rely on now when I am trying to figure something out.  Actually, a Keynote will be much easier to do than an iMovie.  But I'm a little rusty...

I am looking forward to seeing other people's ARP presentations.  I am sharing on Wednesday, which is one of the nights I don't have to teach.  Tonight I will probably go back through the first part of the Wimba to make sure I have all my ducks in a row. I have been a little distracted by changes that are going on with my program, but I can't afford to allow that to happen. Now is the time for that second wind people talk about!

 

Screen shot from Week 3 Wimba

 

Week 3 Response to Zoe Marlowe

Photo by Patricia Ort, glass art by Dale Chihuly

Zoe-

They say the best way to teach is through stories – so, I guess the Zanders got it right when they chose to share their discoveries in this way.  I also treacted to the comment in the book about making a group lively and engaged. As you know, student engagement has been the focus of my ARP.  The answer to that question is not always easy to find!

Using the white sheet of paper would be a real paradigm shift in the classroom, wouldn’t it?  I mean, college level teachers are used to doing a survey at the end of their classes, but most of us don’t get that kind of feedback. I’m not sure most teachers are brave enough to try that.  It takes a shift in seeing what your role is.

Thanks for reminding me of that quote about change resulting from grabbing whatever you love and giving it everything.  I’d say you are doing that right now, yourself. You finished your bachelor’s, went straight into your masters –where you have been a high achiever – and now you have the possibility of publishing your book, speaking at a conference, and, of course, travelling to England and Turkey. Seems like this is advice no one needed to give you J

Perhaps I will take some inspiration from you (and the Zanders) and see where it leads!

Zoe wrote:

Once again, Ben and Roz Zander’s book filled my mind with all sorts of revelations about myself as I read the chapters 5 through 8. It was interesting really because chapter 5 was very ‘ground breaking’ for me to read, and then chapter 8 capped everything in-between off with it’s BTFI concept. This was all a bit ‘Von Restorff” for me as the first and last chapters stuck with me the most in this section of assigned reading. As I mentioned last week in my blog, this book is one of the most interesting ‘textbooks’ I have ever read. It really is just a collection of interesting stories told by Ben and Roz about the different happenings in both their lives as an orchestra conductor and music teacher, and psychologist, respectively. I am enjoying both of their stories so much as I read each chapter, in fact I really have a hard time stopping reading and going onto something else because I want to keep reading MORE!

In the “Leading from any chair” chapter, I loved the question Ben asked himself which made him become a much better instructor and conductor. This question “What makes a group lively and engaged?” is really a marvelous question for teachers to ask themselves. It made me think of teachers asking themselves this, because just asking the question would make that teacher much more open to finding out how their students respond to the teaching methodology that was currently being used, and what changes could be made to get the student interest higher, thus making them more lively and engaged.

I loved that Zander placed a sheet of paper on each music stand for the purpose of obtaining comments from the orchestra players. The ‘white sheet’ idea could be used in so many areas of teaching, in order to allow comments to the instructor. I think this method could be used in college courses anyway, not necessarily high school, but it could work there as well.

Another ‘take away’ from my reading of chapter five was a quote from one of Ben’s students at the school he teaches at: “Things change when you care enough to grab whatever you love, and give it everything.” Amanda Burr, student, Walnut Hill School.
What a lovely, insightful statement, and I can agree with it wholeheartedly.

Chapters 6 and 7 both had lots of interesting stories and wisdom, but perhaps chapter 8 sticks with me the most because of the BTFI concept, and the reason for this, is the fact that I am living proof of the BTFI factor in my own life because of choosing to complete this degree at Full Sail, and instead of locking myself into what I had originally planned to do after graduation, which was quickly get accepted into a PhD program, I decided to say “heck with that, I want to have fun and discover the world,” and now I am getting ready to embark upon the trip of a lifetime in Europe and the Middle East. I would never have done this ‘normally,’ but something changed in me as a result of this Master’s program at Full Sail, and with that, I let myself go and throw caution to the wind, and let my passion for photography and film (plus a few other factors) inspire me to take a whirlwind trip to discover what else is ‘out there’ for me to experience. I feel like this chapter of Zander’s book is dedicated to me and my transformation from who I was before Full Sail, to who I will be after Full Sail! Talk about everything just ‘falling into place”… oh my goodness more true words were never uttered!

Week 3 Response to Meghan Bassett

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Meghan – Your mother must be a very patient and on-top-of-things kind of person. I guess the principal was afraid of losing face.  He was thinking with that survival mentality the Zanders speak of.  I agree with you about taking the opportunity to praise students.  I have to remind myself about that.  I naturally praise them when they complete a task well, but sometimes I think I miss out on opportunities to boost their spirits.

Have you taken the time to talk to the person who broke your confidence? I am glad you are allowing the negative emotions this caused you to help stretch you emotional muscles.  Still, once you’ve reached a place of being able to see things as they are, will moving on just mean letting it go? Or would you be able to have a quiet, sincere conversation with the person in question? Interesting insight, that if you didn’t want anyone to know you would have said it in the first place. I’m sure that when people share a confidence, it doesn’t mean they really want it to become public.

What would you say your passion is?  You spoke of the waves and the ocean (which sounded very nice), of music and painting.  If you could spend your life doing something that fills you with passion, what would it be?

My first passion is the theater – especially the tech side. I loved running the lights when I was in college.  But I have to say, filmmaking and animation are now a passion for me, as well.  I really just came to realize that this year.

Meghan wrote:

In the first chapter Leading From Any Chair, I couldn’t help think about my mother. She works in a school as the secretary to the principal. The principal received an email last week that a report needed to be ran. He never told my mother or the person that was supposed to run the report, but my mom found out from another school. When she brought it up that he may have missed an email, he said he never received it. A few hours later, after going back to him again, he forwarded the email and said he had just gotten it (which we all know, emails are time stamped). Instead of admitting his own mistake, he, like the conductors, tried to let it slide and hoped no one noticed.
The mere act of kindness and acknowledging that other people help you do a job is severely under-used. If you give ANY kind of praise to people who are helping you, or even say thank you to them, it brings up esteem and also encourages people to continue to work hard for you. I guess we could all work on this in different ways. I personally could work on always encouraging my students in ways that they are doing well. I can be sarcastic, which doesn’t work well with all of my students.
The next Chapter, the Rule number 6, took a more person attack on a way I’ve been feeling for a week now. I was very betrayed by someone I thought I could trust. A friend of mine told another friend of mine something very personal, and very atomic. I knew that the word had spread, and I wasn’t sure of where it had started. I found out and instead of confronting the issue, I recoiled and hid from everyone. Here, I need to follow Rule number 6, and stop taking myself so seriously. People talk, and say things that aren’t theirs to say, and sometimes there are things that get said that we don’t want said. It’s a part of human nature, and if I really didn’t want anyone to know, I wouldn’t have said it in the first place. I’m still hurt, but I’m letting it go in my own time.
The Way Things Are…I’ve always tried to see the cloud with a silver lining, and look on the bright side of things. A much easier said than done thing to accomplish. I’m one of those people, once I start feeling negative, everything that’s negative seems to find me. I’m sure that has everything to do with the way I am looking at things, rather than the world being out to get me. If we can laugh and play with the bad things that happen to us, a much more light hearted attitude would be had by everyone around us!
I would love to give way to passion more. Sometimes we are so stuck in living life day to day we forget to give in to the natural flow of life an energy. I try to recognize the energy around me, but I’ll be honest…the only real times I feel a surge of energy run through me are when I’m by the ocean watching the waves, or listening to music and painting. Then I can truly let passion run through me and I feel at one with everything around me.

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

Photo by Patricia Ort

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.

Week 3_Discussion Board Quickie 1

Courtesy iStockphoto

 Topic #1: Briefly share any experiences you’ve had when you’ve had a part in introducing a new program or a new way to do things at your job site. Please share any triumphs or frustrations you’ve had trying to improve the system or when you’ve pioneered or piloted some outside the norm.

  Twelve years ago our district decided to run an expulsion program for middle school students.  I live in a rural county, so the number of students who were in the program was small, even though we admitted students from other towns. Because the students had been expelled, they could not attend classes on campus.  Instead, we rented a large room in the local Youth for Christ building and ran our program there.  There were no guidelines or instructions, beyond the general mandate to provide courses appropriate to middle school.

  I fell back on my first teaching experiences in rural Nebraska schools for my model.  Another teacher and I split the subjects.  I gathered appropriate materials from among those our Community Ed program already had, along with a few extra purchased items. Over the course of three semesters, we provided a good education for our students, and included them in outside events like the Alcohol Awareness Program sponsored at our local ISD.  We did as many hands-on things as we could and were pleased with the progress our students made. The state auditors came to our district during the second year of our program and were very impressed with the program we were carrying out.  The district decided not to continue the program due to financial concerns, however.

  Today we are being asked to put together a school-within-a-school program.  Two other teachers and I are creating intake documents, working on suggestions for revising a handbook, and have been asked to create a crosswalk between Michigan’s Core curriculum and a basic curriculum for high school students, which needs to be ready by June 8. We have then been tasked with working on curriculum within each of our subject areas.

  I would consider the great teamwork my colleagues have developed during this year a triumph. I believe we can be very dynamic and creative. But frustrations abound.  One principle FSO has reinforced for me is the need to research and plan ahead before putting together an educational program (or class).  This is totally “throw something together so we have something.” We’ve been encouraged to take bits and pieces of other programs, to Google it.  Is that any way to put together a serious program truly intended to be effective with kids who are at risk of not graduating?

  Today I went to look at the rooms we will be using at the high school. I also talked to the tech director about the technology we will want for our rooms.  They are already equipped with data projectors and Elmo projectors.   I’d chalk this up to the plus side, as it would give us the ability to use tablets and do one-to-one with them in the classes.  I would consider that a triumph.

But I also learned that they are thinking about having us work 80% of our time in the high school during the day, and 20% at night in the Community Ed program. I guess they must think that because they were able to force us into similar hours this year, they can do it indefinitely.  No extra planning time was included for the nighttime classes this year, so I expect the same would be true next year.  Working both day and night made it very hard to pursue my own professional development. Every time a Wimba was on a Tuesday or Thursday, I had to watch it in the archive. Tuesdays and Thursdays were a wash for getting work done, too, so I had to try to stay ahead in order to make deadlines. Definitely a frustration.

  If there really is serious interest in developing a dynamic program to get kids on track to graduate, there should also be an understanding that it takes time to do this sort of thing.  I am sure we would each spend many hours after school working on different aspects of the program.  Assigning us to teach a couple of nights per week makes me step back and ask what our role really is.  Is there a serious desire to create a cutting-edge program at the high school? Or is this something else?

  Of course, I tried to consider this in the light of The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zanders. I have shared this book with my two colleagues, and it has proven to be very encouraging.  I don’t know yet if this situation will end in triumph, but I appreciated what the Zanders had to say about being present in the way things are.  I think I shall take their advice about leaving behind the struggle to come to terms with what is in front of me, and then move on.  It is what it is. Okay. So where do I go from here?

Week2 "Free" blog post - Why is it so hard for schools to change?

Courtesy iStock Photo

An instructor I had long ago once suggested that it is so hard to change schools because everyone has been to school. Everyone has a paradigm for what they think school should be like. No matter what research says, when you start trying to implement changes, people fall back on these deep-set beliefs, which become roadblocks to real change.

I would like to suggest this is true of teachers, parents, and administrators.  There is a reason for specialization in schools.  There is just too much to know.  I have spent the last year reading article after article about the effectiveness of using digital storytelling to support literacy.  On top of that, I am a Reading Specialist, with a masters from Western Michigan University in Reading.  Yet, in a short conversation with an administrator the other day, the idea of using digital storytelling to support improvement in reading and writing was totally blown off as some sort of "fluff" or fun thing to do that wasn't real teaching.

Back in the day, when I first started teaching, I actually taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Nebraska (there were no jobs in Michigan, of course). Over the years I have taught science and math as well as social studies, English, and reading. One thing I learned as a science teacher is that students come to school with their own explanations about why things work the way they do. They have compartmentalized "school knowledge" and "personal knowledge." They may spit out the "right" answer on a test, but in their hearts and minds they may not have changed their intuitive ideas about how things work, even after studying them in school. Students have to be led on a process of discovery so that, as they construct their understanding of a process, event, or concept, they shatter their old paradigms about things and replace them with schema that fit the research.

I think the same can be said of teachers, parents, and administrators.  The administrator I spoke to may be very well-versed in No Child Left Behind and all the bureaucratic hoops schools have to jump through, but she hasn't had time to study in depth the subjects her faculty are teaching or to keep up with new developments in all of these areas.  How can I lead her, and other teachers, and parents through a paradigm shift that leads them to accepting and supporting the use of digital storytelling as a legitimate means for improving literacy skills?  I think they too must be led through a process of discovery that will help them construct a new understanding of literacy in the 21st century, as well as of what digital storytelling really is and how it supports literacy.

Easy to say. I am now pondering how I would do that.  I do know that I would eventually like to be part of teacher training at a university, where I could help soon-to-be and new teachers discover the value of using digital storytelling across subject areas.  I would also like to use the things I've gleaned from my study of the literature to set up a new action research project for next year to measure for myself how digital storytelling can be used to increase literacy skills.

Week2_ Response to Zoe Marlowe

What you are getting at when you question whether Ben Zander’s practice of starting everyone off with an A being applied to a high school English class has to do with the characteristics of the groups he does that with. Ben Zander is working with high-level achievers (like the people in our EMDT program). It is fair to ask if that would work in a traditional high school English class, which would include students not especially interested in studying English. 

There is a lot to be said for high expectations.  Over and over again it has been shown that having high expectations of students results in better student achievement. For Zander’s students, the benefit may be removing stress and letting students move on without fear. Perhaps for high school students, the effect would be to change their perceptions of themselves.  The revelation that their teacher considers them capable of excellent work can motivate students to see themselves that way.  It becomes a very positive self-fulfilling prophecy.

iStockphoto

Zoe wrote:

Ben and Roz Zander’s book “The Art of Possibility” is one of the best books of its kind I have ever read. It is a complete ‘page turner’ for me anyway. I absolutely love it and could not close my e-book reader until nearly 2:00 a.m. I should mention here that I am not a very engaged, excited or avid reader of non-fiction, textbook-types of reading materials, with one exception of course, I do love Adobe Creative Suite instructional books. This ‘textbook’ is so different. I really did not feel like I was reading a textbook or a ‘how-to’ book for our course. Roz and Ben’s stories are all true, from their own life experiences, so I feel very ‘connected’ to them right away. While each chapter is a sort of ‘technique’ description, such as “Giving an A” and “Be a Contribution,” they are also a testament as to why these individuals are so successful in their lives. I can’t personally see how anyone reading this book could not improve something about their own life, no matter how small.

Zander’s concept of giving an A is really interesting to me. Because he is a teacher of a group of musical students, who play orchestral instruments, it seemed to me that they would be a really receptive ‘audience’ for that type of grading. I can also see it working in other artistic courses such as drawing, painting, graphic design, etc. However, I think it would be difficult to teach say a high school English course and start the semester giving all the students an A to begin with, and somehow expect them to ‘earn’ that A as the time goes on. I suppose every case of this is different, and I really did like the idea, it sounded like his class really took it to heart from some of the wonderful letters the students wrote to him which he published in the book. I really enjoyed the heartfelt letters very much.

On being a ‘contribution’ in your life to others around you, that makes perfect sense. No matter how busy I am, I try to be there for people who need me or need something. I am up to my ears in my AR project as well as these courses at the moment, plus I have other obligations to take care of. However, I am making time this week to help a long time friend of mine who is out of work. I have offered to create a new resume for him and to shoot some photos of him ready for his job search efforts. He is not as computer savvy as I am, and he needs the help. I am glad to do this because he is going to make the effort to look for work in an economically crippled town in this poor economic time our country is going through. I think it’s the least I can do to contribute to someone else’s luck.

I love the book, I think everyone should read it regardless of what their profession or schooling is.

Week2_Response to Bruce Neubauer

Your insight about school grades being “gamed” is well thought out.  I appreciated the examples you gave to support your view (laws of physics, etc.). There were a couple of bumps for me, too; however, the majority of their ideas were inspiring and worth consideration.  I guess, like everything, take it with a grain of salt.

Your comment about feeling special not being the same as being excellent reminded me of a phrase from the movie, The Incredibles, where the antagonist declares that when everyone is special, no one is.  On a tangent, some have suggested that just blindly telling children they can do anything is cruel, because it ignores the fact that no amount of positive thinking can make anyone be anything they want to be if they lack basic characteristics needed for the goal. For example, no matter how much “think-I-can” I put into it, I will never be an NBA star.  Those who espouse this point of view are not against encouraging children. They do, however, believe we should help a children find their own interests, abilities, and talents and help them to develop realistic goals, rather than blithely encouraging them to think they can do things that are really not suited to them.  Zander’s comment (and yours) about finding a child’s natural bent comes in there. Yes. Respect and honor the child by helping them achieve their natural bent.

iStockphoto

Bruce said:

“A cynic is a passionate person who does not want to be disappointed again.”

That quote was worth the entire price of admission.  For this is what The Art of Possibility is all about: Protecting my heart from becoming such a stone-cold realist that I possibly miss being something better, or making others better.     

At first glance The Art of Possibility reads like quasi-secularized-Buddhist theory.  Unfortunately, the universe does not operate on subjective feelings or perceptions.  Newtonian or Einsteinian, both still describe a physical universe that operates with mathematical precision.  Which leads me to believe Zander is either a confused cosmic humanist, or an apostate secularist.  Evolution (which is referenced a couple of times) is all about measurement.  That’s how less vigorous organisms (or less desirable traits) get marginalized in biology’s great game (to use Zander’s analogy) of elimination

Which is why I disagreed with the perception that school grades are gamed to compare one student with another.  The students at USC were not graded against their actual accomplishment, but with a random, arbitrary system.  Math is not arbitrary.   Grammar is not arbitrary.  So I’m not sure about the accuracy of connecting these particular dots.  Real skill is…real skill.  Would Zander allow The Art of Possibility’s final draft to be overseen by a person with second rate editorial or proofreading skills?  He wouldn’t.  No matter how many conservatory musicians are encouraged to feel good about their A, no orchestra is going to keep them on the payroll if they can’t play the notes.  Feeling special is not the same thing as being excellent.   

I liked the metaphor of chipping away at a child’s exterior to help them achieve their natural bent.  Absolutely correct.  I also liked the future tense A grade.  It places the student in the position to step up and take the responsibility for their success and growth.  And the monk’s story touched me.  I need to shift some ideas in my head about people in general.  The monks were looking for the Messiah in one another.  Not everyone is a Messiah, but everyone is worthy of such honorable respect.

Zander's ideas spoke to me.  He is proposing a friendlier, more organic approach with ourselves and with others.          

 

Personal Entry

I created this Wordle as an expression of some of the aspects of my Action Research Project (ARP).

Week 2 Discussion: Reflection on the Art of Possibility

Source: iStockPhoto

The Art of Possibility, written by Rosamund Stone Zander and her husband, Benjamin Zander, is turning out to be better than I first thought.  Initially, the title intrigued me. However, it took me until page 12 to really start to connect with what the author's were saying. By the end of the fourth chapter, I liked what I was reading so well that I ordered two more copies of the book to share with the two other teachers in my alternative high school program.

I especially liked giving people an A (including yourself). I think perception is really important. I could relate this idea with our approach to our alternative ed high school students. What if we did this with them?  How would it transform our relationship with our students if we did that?  The authors address the image of the teen, sitting in a resigned posture - as our alternative ed kids often do - and speculate how that would change if the students were treated like A students from the start. If we treat them like A students, and they treat themselves like A students, what would happen? I think I'd like to find out.

I appreciated the author's thoughts on our "world of measurement." This was especially thought provoking for me because I have been deeply frustrated by my work situation.  I actually have been doing a lot of surviving, especially over the past four years. I found the ideas in this book rather liberating. Now, if I can just maintain that mindset!  I am imagining my future just one year from now. What would I write if I were writing one of those A letters?

I liked the idea that "...resources are likely to come to you in greater abundance when you are generous and inclusive and engage people in your passion for life." I think this is true. It actually goes well with my own conviction that you make your own luck.  True, there are random circumstances and people I can't control, but I choose how I respond to them, and if I am positive and keep pressing forward, I will be ready when opportunity presents its self. 

I have to say, I also enjoyed the Ted video of Benjamin Zander. My 19 year-old son is a college music major and wishes to be a composer. I shared the video with him, certain he would especially like it because he has a particular knowledge of music. I was right.

I am looking forward to reading the next part of the book.  Reading it has also prompted me to do a lot of reflection.  If all goes well, I should be getting my EMDT masters at the end of June. If I leave the survival mindset behind and change my way of thinking, what will my attitude be as I complete my degree? What new opportunities will present themselves? I look forward to the next year with anticipation.

Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The Art of Possibility. Ch. 1-4. Penguin Books. New York, NY.

Week1 Wimba

I am happy to see I will only have to watch two Wimba sessions in the archive. Thank you space shuttle!

My take-away from the Wimba session was that the Literature Review I had already turned in needed to be recalled to make some formatting changes. (Actually, upon checking, the only thing I needed to change was the file name). Drat!  I also noticed a lot of the content was the same as in the videos that I watched on Joe’s blog.  I tried making a web to keep track of all the assignments (blog posts, discussion posts, a post about Wimba because I had to teach that night).  I am still doing the “deer in the headlights” thing, trying to make sure I don’t miss anything. Will I end up in month 11 purgatory? 

By NASA, via Wikimedia Commons

The conversation was good. We have a great group of people in this class, and the comments are always interesting.  I would like to see Joe’s web of the class, though. Somehow I feel like, even with the long Wimba, I am putting something in the wrong place or forgetting to do something.  On the other hand, the calendar seems to help clarify things a bit.  I’m glad things are due on Sunday, so I have time to sort everything out each week. I am now going to go and reformat my Lit Review, double check my blog entries, and confer with my teammates to make sure I haven’t overlooked anything.

Week 1 Discussion: Copyright - Response to Rowdy

@ Rowdy Granado

Rowdy wrote:

Copyright has always been a major issue in my classes as I teach video production and broadcast classes.
I try to have a lesson on Copyright each year before we even start the course to try and explain the best I can to middle schoolers what Copyright actually is. Most adults don’t even understand Copyright law, so you see my struggle with teaching this to this age group.

In the video it was mentioned that a common misconception is “if I don’t charge for it, it’s not a violation.” This has been a common mistake in education and using it for “school purposes.” Many of our students and fellow teachers always seemed to try and use this excuse. One way I got around copyright when I was a producer for Texas Tech University, we actually had an ASCAP and BMI license that ended up covering the university as a whole, so we got to use several songs in our commercials without violating that Copyright.

A couple of areas that I still haven’t found a clear explanation are on parodies and fair use, the actual amount of footage you can use without permissions.

I liked all of the myths that were shown in the video. Maybe you can add the other violation of actually playing music you purchased to a house full of people or a classroom full of students being a violation of Copyright and distribution (unless of course, this has been changed again).

Rowdy-

There seem to be a variety of sources on the Internet that describe how much of a work can be used without permission. I printed out a Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers PDF from Technology & Learning earlier this year.  It can be found at www.techlearning.com. There is also information at www.halldavidson.net.

I think some of the restrictions are unenforceable. According to the Technology & Learning PDF, you can view video as long as it is legitimately acquired, used in a classroom or non-profit situation “dedicated to face-to-face instruction,” and used for instructional (not entertainment or reward) purposes. They go on to say that video used for integration into multimedia or video projects must give proper attribution to the copyright holder. Students are supposed to be able to use 10 percent, or 3 minutes (whichever is less) of “motion media.”

Personally, I respect people’s right to their intellectual property, but I find many of these rules stifling. They can paralyze.  The more I read and listen to discussions about freely sharing music, art, written works, and other things affected by copyright, the more I am motivated to contribute to that effort. I think there should be a sort of “commons” database put together by teachers to provide a wide range of resources that can be used for school projects. I’d be happy to contribute pics and video clips to something like that. It would even be cool to collaborate with other teachers so that someone could put out a request and others could help them out. For example, if you need 3-5 minutes of an instrumental music track in a particular genre, someone in the group might be willing to produce that.  I’m all for being a renaissance person, but I can’t draw, compose, or create everything we might want to use for class projects myself.  And I can’t always find what I need on Creative Commons.

By the way, the image on this blog post is another photo I took myself because I was freaked out about accidentally violating someone's copyright. Anyone who wishes to use this photo has my permission to do so.

Week 1 Discussion: Copyright - Response to Holly

@ Holly Loganbill

In response to the videos about copyright, Holly wrote:

Copyright has been a very hot topic at school this year. I’ve been able to share the requirements with our teachers, who were very surprised to see some of the limits. It was distressing to learn that having students draw or write to a particular piece of music is an infringement, and “fair use” goes just so far. I’ve had to introduce my students to Wikimedia Commons for their images rather than Google Images, and they’re becoming pretty savvy about reading the copyright statements. It has pointed up a need to do more instruction on paraphrasing and giving credit for any new information gleaned from reading, even if the student feels they now know it themselves. We’re making progress, but it’s going to take time to get everyone on board. Awareness is an important first step.

Holly-

Even before technology became an issue, copyright was a sore spot with educators. There has also been confusion over the years about what we can do and what we can’t. This is not surprising, as different industries have sometimes tried to restrict the use of their materials to a ridiculous degree.  For example, when my sons were little, the movie industry wanted to prohibit day care centers from being able to show movies to the kids without paying a fee.  Really.

You are absolutely right about the instruction in paraphrasing. I have pushed mine to document all of their sources.  I plan to develop a more organized way of keeping track of that for next year. Are you developing specific sets of lessons to support the skills, like paraphrasing, that you spoke of?  You’ve done some good video with your kids. Have you thought about having them help you produce a video role-playing correct and incorrect use of intellectual property? 

By the way, the image with this entry is a photo I took myself so that I would not violate anyone's copyright. Anyone who wants to is free to use this picture.

Week 1 discussion: Copyright

Used by permission of Matthew White

I think teachers really get squeezed when it comes to copyright because many don’t know where to look for copyright free material that is also cost free.  The Internet is a really big place, and resources that seem obvious to some are not all that easy to find for others. FSO has really helped me with that this year. As other students have shared resources, I have finally begun to find places to get music that my students can use and which don’t cost me anything.  I still need to broaden that list of resources, though.

The drive to integrate technology into the classroom puts teachers and students in situations where they may need music or images they can’t make themselves.  Digital natives resist the idea that they can’t share the things they find on in the Internet freely, and in any way they like. I have spent all year reinforcing the idea that you can’t use someone else’s work without their permission.  We are doing better, but often kids have a specific image or piece of music in mind when they think up a project.  When they find out they can’t use those things, they have a hard time coming up with alternatives.  Actually, sometimes so do I.  I needed medieval music for my class movie.  I did purchase some music from iStock Photo, but it was a very limited selection. And no. I can’t make that in Garage Band.

I use online videos a lot, embedding them in my school web pages or blog.  I could never create all of that myself.  The rules about copyright can be a little slippery, too. Colleges, for example, can do some things that K-12 can’t, and vice-versa. And the rules change.  I have required my students to use copyright free sources and to document their sources.  However, it is still hard to be sure every item is safe and to check every student’s sources.