Keith Lay

Week Four Publishing - Leadership

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:50:21 -0500

Dear colleagues,

This is a simplified version of the keynote that I plan to use as a presentation conduit for my AR project.

Professional media education is facing two major challenges: 1) how can education best meet both student and teacher needs for rich media assessments, and 2) how can teachers help students prepare to enter the media profession after graduation?

Affordable media production tools are enabling educators to assign audio, music, 2D image, 3D, animation and video based projects. But, do educators have enough time to grade them appropriately, and, more importantly, are they the best party to do the job?

The process of becoming a member of a profession includes authentic participation in the activities of the community at a level appropriate to the learner's competency. As a member's understanding increases, he or she is more able to participate in a more central practice until they become an acculturated member of the community.

A 'revealed' peer grading system [RPG] is my term for a media assessment system that answers these challenges in which peers anonymously grade each other. The unique aspect of this approach lies in the later step of the process wherein the names of the peers are privately revealed to both the assessed and the assessors. My action research set out to explore and measure the viability of RPG.

The system works as follows:

1. The student creates a media piece to fulfill the requirements of an assignment that includes instructions and a grading rubric

2. The student securely uploads their media piece onto a private server, called a 'workspace'. The workspace closes when the assignment deadline is reached.

3. Then, each workspace is opened to a teacher-selected number of peers that have also turned in the same assignment. The names of the assessed and the peer assessors are hidden or replaced with anonymous names.

4. Each peer-grader uses the rubric to grade their assigned peers and comments on the media, as well as uploads a grade broken down into rubric-based score into each workspace. 5. After all peer assessment is accomplished, the workspace is again opened to its owner. The real names of the graders is revealed.

Most of the available research on peer grading is focused upon revealing the lurkers and shirkers from the contributors in group work measurements. The best research on the use of technology for self and peer grading comes from a group of Australian professors led by Dr. Keith K. Willey at the University of South Wales who created SPARK (Self and Peer Assessment Resource Kit) in 1996 to facilitate group work assessments by group members. This body of research is very useful in the development of the RPG concept and application. It provides strong evidence that peer grading combined with collaborative peer learning activities yields many positive, measurable benefits to students and successfully encourages engagement with the class materials and their learning community. Willey concluded that self and peer assessment required both instruction on teamwork skills and opportunities to practice those skills. Doing so increased the development of teamwork skills and was deemed a crucial element in a successful move to the engineering profession.

Christine Greenhow found positive results when students were supported in assuming positions of authority; redistributing authority to students with the instructor taking a coaching role.

A culture-shift is needed in the classroom for the coming generations of media literate students. There is evidence to support that revealed peer grading could provide these students with an excellent environment for developing media literacy, critical judgment and professional dialogue skills. It can also increase a sense of connectedness among class peers. By employing SPARK-like metrics, the data collected by the peer collective can provide very useful assessment data to both students and teachers. Research in collaborative and professional education practices indicate that the processes in RPG will also encourage better judgment skills, professional ethics and values.

To test the RPG system, I invited ten audio professionals and two non-professionals who are all Full Sail faculty to take part in this research. Though all were open and interested in the RPG process, only four took part and followed through with the process. I made a video of the first 3+ minutes of one of my performances which was recorded in February. I mixed the tracks down to stereo without reverb and made it available for download by each professional.

Here is their assignment given to the professionals who contributed to this project along with a rubric chart:

Your Assignment: "String Orchestra and Soloist - final mix/pre-master" The owner of this recording would like you to prepare it for commercial release as a DVD and CD. Though the performance was excellent, the hall acoustics were not. Your goal is to produce a final mix that enhances the enjoyment of the music by allowing the buyer to believe that the acoustics of the hall were, instead, amazing. Decide upon the right kind and amount of reverb to achieve this goal. You may optionally employ any other processes that you think will help achieve this goal. Your plug-ins, levels and settings will be captured in a screenshot and made available to your peers to display your technique.

PART ONE: DOWNLOAD ASSETS BEGIN:
1.Answer the Dropbox invitation from keithl@me.com to get Dropbox access to the video for mixing. If you have not received it, please Email keithlay@fullsail.com. This will require that you download and install the Dropbox application. 
2.Read the assignment above. This assignment assumes Audio Workstation familiarity. 

DOWNLOAD VIDEO:
1.Open our shared Dropbox/K Lay Cycle One 
2.Copy the file Joyful Play_48-24_h264.mov to your hard drive 

PART TWO: MIX:
1.Open the movie file in your AWS of choice, keeping the video associated with the audio 
2.Read the assignment and rubric (above) 
3.Mix 
4.Make a screencapture (command-shift 3 or 4) of your open project. Make sure your screenshot captures all opened plug-ins to show settings and mixer levels. Name this file "Screenshot". If more than one screenshot if necessary to capture all of your plug-ins, name them "Screenshot 1", "Screenshot 2", etc. ConceptShare accepts common image file type. 
5.Save your audio mix with the movie as a .mov file. ConceptShare cannot upload audio files.  
PART THREE: UPLOAD:
1.Email keithlay@fullsail.com to receive an anonymous name 
2.You will receive an email from me with your ConceptShare workspace. You will only have permission to launch your assigned workspace. 
3.Rename your mix "Joyful Play [anonymous name] 
4.Open your workspace by hovering over the icon - press the "Launch" button  5.Upload your mix with the "Add A New Concept" button on the left side of the window  6.The site will convert your video to flash. Use these settings: 
7.After this download is complete, upload your screenshot(s) using the same method. Each item in your workspace will be a different 'Concept' within your workspace.  PART FOUR: GRADE YOUR PEERS
1.I will receive a notice from ConceptShare that you have uploaded your mix video. I will then email you a peer whom you are to grade according to the rubric. Your 'instructor' might also anonymously submit a mix.  
2.When grading your peer, use the green "Add Comment" at the bottom of the page at any point in the video. This will greatly enhance the value of your assessment. Be positive and constructive. Be prepared to defend your grade. 
1.After the Assessment period has closed, the anonymous names of the class will be revealed.  
2.If you feel that you have not been graded fairly, contact the peer who graded you and communicate your defense. A professional demeanor is critical in these discussions. If either party (Graded or Grader) behaves unprofessionally, contact your instructor for help.  
3.Grades cannot be changed without a case by case synchronous appeal meeting between both parties and the instructor. Non-professional behavior will be reflected in GPS accordingly.

The surprise - the scores were lower than expected. No one liked the others mix very much, apparently, at least using the rubric. I explored the differences between grades given. If the grader had a lower bar of judgement, then the graph might show the grades they gave as higher. Similarly, if their bar of quality was lower, then it might show up in their own work becoming lesser quality work and the grades they received might be lower than the median. The graph "Correlation between Grades Given...." chart displays the opposite! This will have to be studied further with a more sizeable test group.

The purpose of this research was to explore the validity of RPG in the following areas:

1) would RPG develop better judgment skills in its students?

2) would RPG teach professionalism?

3) Would RPG generate valid grades thus alleviate the burden of grading on the instructor?

A prominent feature of constructivist education theory is active learning where students are engaged, or 'active' rather than passively listening in the classroom. Problem based learning refers to a constructivist principled system used in medical schools that teaches through self-discovery through small collaborative groups. Savery and Duffy identified eight instructional principles which constitute a constructionist learning domain and suggested how problem based learning follows these principles. RPG employed five out of eight of these principles and through engagement and repetition, by:

1) anchor all activities to a larger task or problem. 2) develop ownership of the overall problem or tasks

3) design an authentic task

4) design the task to reflect the complexity of the environment

5) design the learning environment to challenge the learner's thinking

In teaching professionalism, a key challenge is the creation of curricula that employs the technology in a manner congruent with the profession for which it prepares. Revealed peer grading can create a student who can think critically and communicate professional judgment, thus advancing an objective of producing employees equipped for the 21st century. Though the grades were lower than those given by the instructors, through grading and carefully targeted rubrics, the system provides a wealth of assessment data without the teacher's direct involvement. This allows the teacher the ability to elect a role of their choice in the RPG process.

A culture-shift is needed in the classroom for today's media literate student. Revealed peer grading can provide today's students with an environment for developing media production literacy, critical judgment and professional ethics, values and dialogue skills. RPG can also increase a sense of connectedness among class peers.

wk 4 Publishing/Leadership Project blog 1 of 3

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:41:17 -0500

My Revealed Peer Grading [RPG] project is both a process and a product. The product is the actual mechanism embodying the process. For now, I have employed Concept Share software.

Publication of my project is plausible with many journals and conferences. I prefer to present my ideas in front of an audience and provide workshops to experience it rather than simply present a paper. My hope is that ConceptShare, a Canadian company which has supported my research by providing me with workspaces to achieve my cycles, will actually build the code to aptly employ RPG. At some point, they may even develop this project.

MAC wk3 response to Stacey Robinson

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:53:53 -0500

You are right about the finish line - the steps through it are much harder than from the starting line. And our mistakes - they are teachers, aren't they?

I'm guessing you resonate nicely with Zander's ideas. I see it in your "About Me" ( I am a change maker & making a difference in education is my life... mother of 2 and living a life of purpose...) - a lovely, strong declaration.

Thank you Stacey!

_________________________

week 3 reading

Does It Gotta Be or Not Be? That is the Question...

Wow chapter 7, The Way Things Are made me really stop! Sometimes settling for the way things are is a lowering of expectations, sometimes it's finding a starting point so that one can make things better. Where am I on this continuum? Well I must say that I am not at either end, I am somewhere in the middle. I like things to be easy for all, but that is not always the case which doesn't mean you have to always take an action one way or the other as the book states be a resistance. "It simply means, being present without resistance: being present to what is happening and present to you reactions, no mater how intense." (Zander & Zander, page 100)

I keep thinking about the movie "Bridget Jones", where the co-star told her "he liked her just the way she was", but instead of being who she reacted to those words and strive to be someone so she wasn't all to have a man. We tend to forget that things may be the way they are and that sometimes an adjust is necessary, but other times they are not. The challenge I believe comes from understanding not fighting so that all possibilities are open.

This chapter also addressed MISTAKES. We all make them and many times dwell on them way too long. Mistakes like everything else in life are just experiences that e must use to push forward and not stop us from knocking or building walls for progress. Mistakes are just mini lessons in the cycle and we must take each one are an learning experience to be better. I like the paragraph - 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.

The last point I want to touch on from this chapter is the way things are should allow us to dream and visualize the possibilities that out there. It will allow us to develop who we are and want to be in the universe. It should allow us to open doors with an open heart and mind. The way things are is in itself another avenue to the "Art of Possibility." (no pun intended)

MAC wk3 response to Patrick Welch

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:06:08 -0500

Debate is such a useful skillset - and I don't doubt that you have helped shaped many young men and women's abilities to expertly communicate their views. I don't recall reading anywhere that the Zanders ever referred to status quo, or to it's opposites, however in "The Art of Possibility".

Debate employs a combination of logic and theater: logic is an 'in the box' construction and theater can inspire. Isn't it best when both are there? Possibility and spark emerges from passion. Passion is not generated by logic. Instead of listening and choosing from the billions of views and ideas made available to us with which to agree or not, we listen to our inner life and march to our own drummer - like your dad might say!

-----------------------------------

One of the classes that I have the honor to teach is Competitive Debate. Debate class is often highly spirited, always competitive and at times downright contentious, after all debate is a scored argument and no one wants to lose an argument. So what is it that debaters argue about? All debate topics can be broken down into one argument, should we preserve the status quo or should we move away from the idea that it's just the way it is and do something new? I understand the importance of questioning the status quo and the importance of asking if we will do something better by leaving the status quo behind. I love that the Zanders constantly point to the power of possibility and a new way of thinking but there is a small caveat in their line of thinking, the status quo is not always bad, it is not always suffocating, and not always enslaving. I also know the Zanders were not talking specifically about social engineering and change as much as they are saying before you give in to the status quo at least process the other possibilities. An ancient Sanskrit says " Just because something is old doesn't mean it is bad or because something it is new that it is good, the wise man chooses the better of the two while a fool lets others decide for them." I choose to ask why not with my eyes wide open.

I remember once having the extreme pleasure of seeing the San Francisco Opera perform La Bohème in the auditorium at the high school I attended. The performance was magnificent; it was a very transfixing experience for me, unfortunately that was not true for all my peers. The opera was well into the third act when a fire alarm sounded and the performance stopped until we were apprised that the alarm was false, soon the opera resumed in the spot where it was interrupted. Shortly after resuming the opera the featured soprano launched into this beautiful solo and the fire alarm sounded again, this time the soloist refused to surrender to the moment she simply upped her volume and sang over the top of the alarm and soon the alarm was silenced and the soloist finished her passionate performance receiving a standing ovation as she ended. The singer's passion for wanting to express her character's pain in knowing that she and her love must separate because she is dying of tuberculosis could not be silenced by a fire alarm. The passion that the singer exhibited that night speaks boldly to reinforce that the story must be told no matter what. True passion is not discouraged by being told no or by fire alarms, on the contrary, it sings even louder and becomes more convinced of it message.

Giving a spark or fanning embers into a flame is one of the unspoken roles that teacher is asked to fill. As a teacher I must know my students well and when the opportunity presents itself, seize the moments as they present themselves. I think that it is also important that a teacher knows how much enthusiasm to extend, too much and it can add pressure to the student, not enough enthusiasm and the encouragement can seem hollow. I also think that it is important that if a teacher speaks encouragement into the life of a student that they continue on in that student's life to encourage and advise.

MAC wk3 The Way Things Are Give Way to Passion

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:59:31 -0500

Benjamin Zander discusses "The Way Things Are" in Chapter 7 and "Giving Way to Passion" in The Art of Possibility. This is the core of Buddhist teachings as well, as well as a large body of counseling/psychiatric practices.

After working lots a factory line and retail jobs through my early 20s, getting paid to do things that I really loved was such a joy. I became one of those people who find themselves on an upward trajectory for many decades. I taught college in my 20s and was lucky to be in teaching situations which invited new ideas. After a successful stage in commercial music production, I came to Full Sail at age 32 to teach Synclavier Digital Music system. I had a lot to say about how we could improve the curriculum. Again, I was taken seriously. Moving to Music History and Introduction to the Media arts, i poured ideas and love into very successful courses. Allowing Course Directors to create their curriculum invites ownership and passion. Such passion danced in step with growing notoriety in the field of classical composition and a healthy beautiful family.

But what goes up always comes down. A great boss means everything, I found, because not all of them welcome creativity. I moved up in the company carrying the assumption that I was to do what I'd done in the past - find creative solutions. I felt called to bring heart and a feeling of overall community to an unrecognized and neglected faculty and staff. Instead, I was to be a yes man, not allowed to push back. I was so naive to not know this! Crashing has such a hard won wisdom.

Accepting the way things are requires meditation and honesty. Such processing is helpful with a trusted spouse or friend. The pain involved might be something like what a tree feels when being pruned. It is necessary for health - and absolutely painful. Understanding your own part in things that go awry, uncovering unwholesome desires for status and access - Leaving something of yourself is like dying. Rebirth follows. Anyone who holds onto their spark has to get good at this process. I struggle with this daily.

The way through is holding out for our passion. But, passion can be confused with desire which leads back to disillusionment; which must be pruned off. And patience. Sometimes you know you're in the wrong place, but must wait for the time to leave to ripen. That's where leading from where you are becomes a powerful practice. Finding possibility in the narrow places. Crashes and the pruning have reshaped me. My passion for teaching is stronger, my artistic and scientific directions clearer. Top Gun Keith has died - and, as hard as it has been for me to accept this, my life is again full of sparkling possibilities without those beautiful folks flying the DC3 in the clouds.

MAC wk2 "meta" - Google

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:51:05 -0500

Here's a cool idea:

According to an article posted on Fast Company, Google has acquired a little company called Metaweb which is going to change how Google works.

First, entities are derived out of the many references to them. An entity is simply a single thing that many words on the net now refer to. The entities are built and stored in an open database called Freebase. These entities are smart, rather than boxes of associations to allow real usability in search strings.

Freemind and the video uses the example of the search string: Actresses over 40 with a current movie living in New York City" Metaweb connects 3 entities: "actresses over 40", "Actresses in a current movie" and "Actresses living in New York City" and gives useable results. That search brings up 'about 157,000 results', most which are not focused on the search. The challenge will be how quickly the meta engine creates new entities and adjusts them with the constant flow of data.

What a difference this will make! Good results from searches.... how about that?

MAC wk 2 response to Stacey Robinson

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:55:49 -0500

Ms. Stacey,

I see that you are a very valuable contribution to your students, your community and all who come in contact with you (me, too)! Your declaration is like a beautiful brass fanfare, brilliant and buoyant.

Thank you for sharing your Transformation with us!

------------------------------------------- Stacey's original blog entry below. Retrieved from http://scrblog2.blogspot.com/2010/07/transformers-more-than-meets-eye.html?showComment=1279486647691_AIe9_BHMBT593NnuR44DcQX8VJ_FwldqPyPooUizWecmR4G4H87v9lKuONT-lcfFwyaLmKT-wZKKmZPdA0K5MQcSa7sBSbwrFVE-6mouhs99t08ByYHzdy0evFLONYlhy1uQJe6ekW2O-AkCTjyJr0GSae-_h_14fjQC7zbSaJfkadA6E91S7Hlth3u25wcBXm4PjFQGEfNGKTpVi6onfxkF3l-SbnIzQkFiQwH2CTwcERx4mZ6Lec2MEAT6mMlILvVzpKwXGd4brQJYQVuPQ5d_XC85oN9B9dzDGYH78qNSL054YMF9JLs4CTqUo-zlM65TUv503hjHxu69Dl_VUAxKmxbO6nqe_cQTwVFsBLD8kZ0CJQBEEypsPEkQaXhN0KVzZ7IBUkry5N0Qj90QNiLUSt9EKqFOjAZtr-fJ22qLjyM-jevTjW3fi4JNABOVUQJGVz-m9G8sAL5WrHKZzTjKdSRVxmbpCPUBnW-e40fnqosxq9dEoQsUU43azcPwMKXZ22RKavU06VObRE-HtCkxhfhSl6AZxhS5979AyqTtWHqEMNn0fQU9CHD9x9nje0rRPPU2JftIU0y4BqzUGhkSDjVZSmFeJMpPkuoHB9Ev96LybbZYjO7wsIyFsEsLEV8U_jKktxid#c3084390836187985949

transformers... more than meets the eye!

Declare yourself to be a contribution.

Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.

I declare myself a contribution! Those are very strong words to let come from your thoughts of who you are, but it is important that you (I) make a difference whether it is small or big, but that it is a contribution. I must state that I never thought that the word or act of contribution as a game or a gift, but after reading, it is a game the game of life and being someone who believes in a higher being it is synonymous with the idea of having a purpose to contributing to others. "In the game of "contribution" you wake up each day and bask in the notion that you are a gift to others." (page 59) It would seem that most people who enter a career of service, teacher, nurse, doctor, firefighter, attorney, etc. search for this feeling of declaring him/herself as a contribution. The purpose to make a difference/contribution is not for a self reward, but for a greater impact that is seen or not!

Seventeen years ago I declared myself a contribution without even knowing that was what I had done. I knew that I wanted to have impact and make a difference in the lives of youth and it was easy then to accept that I didn't understand the why or how. The possibilities were great, but with time, experiences and others pessimistic views I allowed "my game" to be tainted. The success of my students was always the biggest picture, but all of that transformed me negatively, not realizing until now that all of that time, experience and others were (are) part of the "contribution" game. That part of the game pushed me to move to different possibility for touching the lives of others. "The contribution game appears to have remarkable powers for transforming conflicts into rewarding experiences." (page 59) I declare myself a contribution!

"Naming oneself and others as a contribution produces a shift away from self-concern and engages us in relationship with others that is an arena for making a difference. Rewards in the contribution game are of deep and enduring kind, though less predictable than the trio of money, fame and power that accrue to be the winner in the success game. You never know what they will be or from whence the will come." (page 63) As I ponder on that paragraph it took me back to my life the last three years, wow! I would have never believed that enduring those dreadful collaborations every Tuesday could be a contribution to me and me looking for a "NEW" more rewarding possibility. The relationship with most of those educators was like a bad arranged marriage, that only now do I see the positivity it offered and it was those transformers that rearranged and helped to release my disguise. With that experience I am able to re-declare myself to the game of contribution and know my gifts are opportunities for the "NEW POSSIBILITIES!" It is with that I was (am) able to shift and transform myself to make a difference in the lives of others just on new path!

My passion and commitment to continue to make a difference will leave a mark somewhere in the universe. I declare myself a contribution!

References

image retrieved fromhttp://www.dandare.org/FreeFun/Images/CartoonsMoviesTV/TransformersWallpaper21024.jpg

Zander, B., & Zander-Stone, R., (2000) The art of possibilities: Transforming professional and

personal life. London: Penguin Books.

MAC wk 2 response to Michael McCurdy

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:44:35 -0500

Michael,

Sounds like you're world view has been really challenged in recent years with a trial by fire. So has mine. We could continue to struggle as valiant heroes against the forces of ignorance. OR, we could turn on Rule Number Six and move on to where our central self (heart) leads us. That's what our families want for us.

I still struggle with it - being taught that I need to stand up and fight for myself. But, which self am I fighting for: my heart/soul central self, or my professional calculating self? I know which one I need to get behind..

________________________(Michael's original post below - retrieved from http://web.me.com/m1mccurdy/MAC/Michael_McCurdy_-_MAC-_Week_2_Blog/Entries/2010/7/17_Week_2_-_"Contribution_Maker".html# )

Being a contributor... does that mean that what I say matters? Perhaps being a contributor is best thought of as someone who is not worried IF their opinion has value to an organization or another individual but as someone who understand that their opinion is valuable regardless of the acceptance of that opinion.

This week's reading showed me that many of the strengths I have should never be shadowed by the upcoming life changes. I allowed my "calculating self" to manage my last two years of teaching. (It's never easy switching to a new workplace when you've been at one site for 7 years. The new place has new rules and demands.) And I just didn't enjoy being in an environment of constant measurement, even though I had numerous unsolicited praises and accolades from my other school site. I pushed aside my Central-self, which allowed so many wonderful things to happen before, and allowed my Calculating-self to run the show. I'm happy to know that as I begin a new career change (wherever that will be) that Rule #6 will be a guiding factor in my life. Life/family/work is too short for me to constantly calulate what can vs. what can't be. Instead I need to realize that I've made it this far. I have some wonderful memories, and this next phase of my life is going to be even better than the last.

I hope to show my new coworkers, employers/employees that "not taking yourself too seriously" makes life that much brighter.

(Lead by example...)

MAC wk2 The Art of Possibility - Contribution - Leadership - Rule #6

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:25:24 -0500

To contribute is human; whatever we do affects the communities to which we belong - whether consciously or not. Even a smile is a contribution. When we deliberately contribute to a chosen community in a positive way: that is, to give time, energy and attention to it - it is a valuable gift. However, this only works if the contribution is done out of pure generosity - or as Zander puts it - from the 'central self'. This part of us has many other names: Heart, Soul, Inner-Fire, Spirit, Small Clear Voice, God Self. No outcome is desired by our central self so we are not hurt if the gift is rejected, damaged or unnoticed. Teachers have a large capacity for this kind of contribution.

The calculating self, on the other hand, has an agenda when it comes to giving: there is always something it desires in return. When we contribute to be recognized as a more enlightened person we are doing it in order to improve our standing. The assumptions such a gift is made with is an 'it's all made up anyways' purely calculated construction to create or support a belief in ourselves. When this kind of contribution is rejected our calculating self is hurt. What a challenge this brings to living! Our corporate, social life in the US requires our calculating self to effectively navigate. We naturally fall to this mode of thinking in order to get our work done. This in turn defines our social status and/or income. This in turn can repudiate our calculating self-esteem. If we are doing something for a job other than what we believe in, we have dis-integrated and stress between the two kinds of living creates confusion and ill health. What a challenge it is to live true to one's central self in today's world because you have to be willing to surrender everything you own or have achieved.

Coming from a poor family from a poor area, I had always been mystified how smart and capable 'lower class' folks could be content with their financial scarcity and lack of social status. I spent much of my life climbing ladders and proving myself to the world. I wanted to make a mark! I wanted better. I learned most about myself when my work was rejected, my reputation damaged, my career sabotaged by another. My calculating self was hurt - and my world teetered. Leading from every chair, low or high, by contributing with the central self is the answer to the mystery of how 'poor people' can live in contentment. Those folks knew what I didn't all along.

This challenge of living is so much easier to do if I JUST FOLLOW RULE NUMBER SIX !!

MAC wk 1 response to Karen Smith

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:06:36 -0500

That is a sad story, Karen! It is too bad that the awful teacher who used grades as a carrot/stick motivator did not understand his students. Music students KNOW where they stand in their crowd regarding performance better than their teachers and don't need a prof trying to play god. Why did that teacher feel he needed to curve your small group to itself instead of to the assigned learning goals - because he probably never really saw your talents. Many teachers are dumb to the gift of their students because their awareness is strangled by their own senses of comparisons and career measurement. They cultivate a sense of failure, regret, or lack of recognition by blaming something or someone else for their not realizing their dreams. That guy really needed a Zander-boss around to give him what he needed. Then he may have been able to give it to the students who needed him.

I had heard of this book before, so since I always purchase the book because it is easier for me to read when NOT on a computer, I got one from Amazon.

My first thing I like is that Benjamin Zander is a conductor, so we sort of speak the same language. I haven't watched the video yet, from TED, because here in Haiti, the internet is so slow, I can catch 2-3 words or syllables, and then it begins spinning. I made it through all the piano things to age 11 and then he went back, but now, it's too hard to understand, so I'll watch it in America this weekend, when I get back home to say goodbye to our son and daughter in law, Matt and Sarah, who are headed back to Africa.
   I could tell it's good, as it had great examples in there about working outside the box. The 2 salesmen are great examples of looking at a glass empty and half full! It depends on my attitude about whatever the situation is.
   Also, he used the the square of dots with the instructions, but didn't state that you could go outside of square. I knew that puzzle, so I knew the solution.
   Anyway, there were good points. I had a bad memory flash when reading chapter 3, about giving out A's. I had a professor in college who taught music theory (6 quarters), music history (2 quarters), contemporary music (1 quarter), and private clarinet (9 of the required 12 quarters). In other words, I had him every quarter my Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years, 2 classes per quarter. One in a class and one private lessons.
   Although I had to work hard, I made A's in my private lessons, as I studied, practiced and worked hard. I worked just as hard for the classes under him, too. But, I almost always made a C. He did the bell curve. He gave out 1 A, 1 or 2 B's, 1 or 2 D's, 1 F. Everything else is a C. I was in a class with 3 or 4 people who were the valedictorians in their school. What ever his highest score for the quarter was, I was usually 1 or 2 points below it, and no matter what I did, I would make a C. Once, I tied with the second and third person, but because I had made the 4th person before, he broke the tie by using past times. I always made a C for his classes. It was very discouraging. I knew I was as good as the others with high grades, and sometimes, there were people that were 3 or 4 points below me, but I made the same C they made! I understood the frustrations of chapter 3. He was putting us against one another. We didn't fall for it. If he wanted us to hate each other for getting "our" grade, we didn't. We lost all respect for him. In fact, at one point, he was GIVING the A to a student who was missing class, sleeping around, but was a scholarship student like me and they didn't want her to fall down, so they did all they could. They sent me in the bedrooms to get her (I was a very dumb 18 year old who only knew to respect teachers and do what they say). They gave her the A's.
   We learned to give no respect to the man. No respect to any of the teachers who were doing this. We didn't try very hard for them, although we worked like crazy for teachers who were teaching us. Teachers who were really wanting us to learn, taught us. The teacher who Gave the grades out the way he did, got no respect from any of us.
   It was a terrible thing to learn in college. I have seen that is actually in any school. Teachers can be wonderful and some can be horrible. Too bad. They do NOT earn my respect. The ones who teach, they will have my respect in all ways.
   I don't know why this has to happen. Is is just human nature? Will I learn more about this with the rest of the book? I don't know. But as I said, that one really hit a sore spot that still hurts to this day. I hate thinking that a teacher will go that low. I don't even like to think they are, or were, a part of the same profession I am in. And that wasn't even getting into his personal life. I just won't go there. All I will say about that is I am grateful, for every young girl going to school today, that there are laws to protect them from teachers who do NOT earn the respect to be called teacher.
Posted by karensmithmusic at 2:10 PM

MAC wk1 response

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 02:31:03 -0500

Wk One Reading: The Art of Possibilities Chapter 1-3

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Oh! "The box" described as a universal guide to restricting one's own rationales that limits new actions in creating inventive logical choices. It is all invented, "Arts after all, is about rearranging us, creating surprising juxtapositions, emotional openings, startling presences, flight paths to the eternal." (Zander, B., & Zander-Stone, R., 2000)

In full awake fullness, we produce reasons for our actions that are rational, plausible, and guided by the logic of cause and effect, whether or not these "reasons" accurately portray any of the real motivational forces at work. Science states that it is through the evolved structures of the brain that we perceive the world. And the mind constructs.

So if seeing is what develops our perceptions; then why doesn't our minds construct new rationales for innovative new frameworks; design our own measurements of the world by directly entering into it's indifferences of the universal "reasons" and go directly pass the fears, doubts, and shame that restrict us from being creative, or innovative enough to enhance our happiness and support our lives and the universal guilds that surround us.

During the 90's a big rave of self help books were on the rise or "new age" references books; which, I came across a book that reminds me of the assumptions we put out there in the universe that constrict us from creating and developing new set frame works. The book called, The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn. It was a complete guide for learning how to turn defeat into victory, lack into prosperity, fear into faith, and resentment into love. It is all about stepping out of "The box"

Her teachings relates to the assumptions that we evolve by creating and inventing new measurements of the world which is change; in that she states that you can create anything you want simply by aligning your thoughts and words with the perfect good that resides divinely within you. (Scovel-Shinn, F. 1989)

I love this quote, "There is nothing permanent except change."--Heraclitus (540-475? BC)

I always believed that what you put out into the universe, whether it be said thought or in actions, positive or negative that it universally is given back towards you. It all can be invented outside "The box" that creates new possibilities for the world of measurements to guide one self for the future.

An assumption is a proposition that is taken for granted, as if it was based upon presupposition without preponderance of the facts; even science relies on our capacity to adapt to new facts by radically shifting the theoretical constructions we previously accepted as truth. (Wikipedia, 2010)

So, when I ask myself what would happen if I did this or that; What would happen if I reached outside "the box" and created new possibilities, only one book keeps standing out in my head, suggested by a doctor, I knew from working as a patient care technician in a cardiology unit two years ago, The Power of Positive Thinking, redirected my thoughts, assumptions, and ideals to establish new possibilities in my universe. I also found that it was ironic that back in 1990's, when I bought Scovel-Shinn's book, The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn, in search of recreating myself, that the author, Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking, (2003) had read and used Florence's philosophies stating, "The Game of Life is filled with wisdom and creative insights. That its teachings will work I know to be fact, for I've long used them myself " (Scovel-Shinn, F. 1989).

In the measurement world you set a goals and strive for it; in the universe of possibility you set a goals and strive for it to make "the change." In the universe of possibility you set the context and let life un-fold. A doctrine in the spirituality and personal growth fields holding that each individual has substantial or total responsibility for the events and circumstances that be fall them in their life (Wikipedia, 2010). William James said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is the human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." So, as I think, so shall I be. Fill the mind with fresh new creative thoughts of faith, love, and goodness. This process of stepping into the universe of possibilities can actually remake your life (Peale, N. 2003).

I believe that these teachings, by Scovel-Shinn and Norman Vincent Peale there are sufficiency regarding the reflections of the measurements of the world. When stepping outside "The box" and into inventing and creating positive choices that enter the universe of possibilities. In the realm of possibility we gain our knowledge by invention. Start, with giving yourself the A, so that the rest of the assumptions will develop their positive alignment in the universe of possibilities. These are the moments when we forget ourselves and seem to become part of all being.

References

Peale, N. (2003) The power of positive thinking. Simon & Schuster: Fireside Books. New York. P160.

Retrieved from http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption on July 6, 2010.

Scovel-Shinn, F. (1989) The wisdom of florence scovel-shinn: 4 complete books. Simon & Schuster: Fireside Books. New York.

Zander, B., & Zander-Stone, R., (2000) The art of possibilities: Transforming professional and personal life. London: Penguin Books.

1 Comment

Keith L

I find your essay to be thoughtful. I like that you brought the spirituality and personal growth topics into your blog. Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking quote flows along the same lines as Zander.

But, I differ with you in only one case: regarding logic in your opening paragraphs. Logic is 'in the box'. Few human interactions and endeavors are logical. Our perceptions are limited and often unnoticed, and provide a largely noncontinuous, often unrelated stream of sensory information that our minds can find patterns and create connections between to concoct a continuous 'reality'. Like the frog eyes. If we are walking down a path and mistake a rope for a snake - we still believe it is a snake until proven otherwise. Survival and competition thinking is fairly logical. Zander invites students to put away such logical, stuck in the box, conditioning by creating a safe environment where such learned habits are unnecessary. Then he sparks both their imaginations and ownership.

Nice summation. I enjoyed your writing. Thanks.

Sunday, July 11, 2010 - 02:30 AM Retrieved from http://web.me.com/jmwestern/MAC_EMD_613_Blog/MAC_Wk_1__Blog_Month_11/Entries/2010/7/1_Wk_One_Reading__The_Art_of_Possibilities_Chapter_1-3.html#

MAC wk1 A Recognizable Convergence of New Thought

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:41:53 -0500

The first three chapters of the Zander's book, The Art of Possibility (2000), restate an idea that is resonant in recent psychology, neurology, social science, spiritualism, physics and education which is: We have constructed a left brained world, and our health and survival depends on our learning how to integrate the right side, and body as well. In psychology, it emerges as techniques to integrate our many intelligences with our experience. In Neurology it is the discovery of the true nature of knowledge and perception (Jensen, 2008). In Social Sciences it is the understanding that the scientist must interact with their test groups, because they cannot be isolated from them (Budiani, 2003). In Spiritualism, Eckhart Tolle (Tolle, 2005) and many others teach that the insanity around us can only be transformed through surrendering our ego (left brained construct) to the emergence of a larger consciousness (integrated brain, body, awareness). In physics, the understanding that observers are in measurable relationship to the outcome of particle collisions and that all matter and energy are in relation (Zukav, 1984) - pointing to the possibility of infinite number of universes (Stenger, 2000).

Zander' and so many 'convergence' authors agree that many skills of competition strangle our creativity by constructing a reality built with limited sensory input into assumptive self-storymaking. This is basic modern psychology as well as ancient Eastern religious science. We only see and octave of light frequencies, missing a great deal around us. Our left brain creates a narrative out of disparate, unrelated sensory input that has been connected with our right brain's pattern-making ability. The book's premise is that understanding of the house of cards nature of our constructed experiences is crucial to our ability to break free from rat-race competitive, stressed-out lives and move into a more creative and engaged life.

I like witnessing this great convergence of science and spiritualism. Employing Zander's 'possibility' in real life is good for everyone: in business, in our relationships and in our self-understanding. I created a similar mentor based, non-authoritative relationship to my classes teaching popular music history, as well. I explained to my students that music is their experience, not mine, to place a 'now' importance of our class meetings in perspective. I explained that my opinions about music were irrelevant, and that their awareness of the many styles of musical expression they had never heard to be a great gift. And, of the music itself - the fact that no music style is 'better' than another, and that every listener is attracted to their music according to their unique mix of intelligences, experiences and desires. That concept recognized their own personal passions for music, as well as their future audiences'.

But we have a ways to go. Engagement with the emerging concepts requires careful navigation in today's world. Bringing such new techniques into the workplace or the classroom would bear fruit, but would first require a complete overhaul of our assessment system and governing values. Giving an A, for example, as described in "The Art of Possibility is a beautiful technique, but is not an assessment. An "A" is a measurement (old world), and as a measurement conveys how well the students met the goals of the class. The 'Giving an A' is rather a technique of providing each student ownership through their own creative self-visualization (new world). Inspiring students to the possibilities of the class outcome is quite brilliant, but itself is 'out of the box' in most education assessment methods. It may only work in music or physical education because they are demonstrative and imminently assessable. For example, either you can play a piece or not. Either you play that piece expressively or not. Either you can demonstrate 10 pull-ups or not. Musicians abilities are exposed. This cannot be said of most academic education where assessments are only made on specific objects (papers, projects, etc.) made for the purpose of assessment. There is no way to measure how much is retained after each assessed object. I do not believe that our society is yet ready, unfortunately. There are too many citizens who could not subscribe to subjecting their children to such life-changing concepts in public school, outside of their chosen religious, familial or political circles - and their voting voice is just as strong.

___________

Budiani, D. (2003) personal interview regarding COFS

Jensen, E. (2008) Brain-based learning: the new paradigm of teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Stenger, V (2000) Timeless Reality: Symmetry, Simplicity, and Multiple Universes. New York: Prometheus Books

Tolle, Eckhart (2005) A new earth: Awakening to your life's purpose, New York: Penguin Group, Inc.

Zander, B., & Zander-Stone, R., (2000) The art of possibilities: Transforming professional and personal life. London: Penguin Books.

Zukav, G (1984) The dancing wu-li masters: an overview of the new physics. NY Bantam Books

MAC wk1 Will computers eventually replace teachers in education?

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:50:09 -0500

The roles that teachers and technology play will certainly change; but they are too intertwined for one to take over the other.

How? The basis of constructivism is that knowledge is built/fabricated/realized through relationships that exist in our environment.

This is quite different than the classical point of view that knowledge is a mostly a function of computation - and that is the way we build computers - in that image of our brains. That image is more left brained now because our circuits are linear, being based on logic, but that is changing. The internet is providing a huge network across the earth, and many are postulating that, eventually it will hit a point that it becomes sentient, each computer behaving like a neuron in a geographically vast neural net.

The belief that computers will replace teachers reminds me of the lofty idea of the noosphere. The noosphere is a belief that a world of transcendent intelligence separate from mankind will be born out of the intellectual evolution of mankind. The EGG (Earth Global Consciousness) project is a part of The Institute of Noetic Sciences (Princeton). It compares 200-bit random number sequences synchronously emitted from 65 host sites around the world to find structure that should not exist. http://noosphere.princeton.edu/

Technology genius Ray Kurzweil believes that computers will hit what he calls a 'technological singularity'. This is the point at which, based upon current trajectories of computer tech, computer 'consciousness/ intelligence' with be indistinguishable from humans. He predicts it will happen in 2029. (so far, he's been right about his tech predictions). Even if this comes to pass, based upon the tenet of constructivist intelligence - computers as smart as people will not be able to completely replace teachers because humans will still be a part of the human learner's environment. Even if computers set about teaching other computers all about their world, they wouldn't be successful in doing it well unless there was human interaction involved because humans would be too important a part in their environment!

Constructivism = we learn from all directions

LMO wk4 E-learning is not yet "Deep Learning"

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 08:11:11 -0500

LMO wk4 UDUTU site Kimberly Coast

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:18:40 -0500

http://publish.myudutu.com/published/launcheval/14599/Course37076/Launch.html

Kimberly Coast created a beginning Spanish verbs language course on udutu at the above address. The course used media often, lending a freshness to the experience. The pace was fast, and might be a good refresher for someone who has learned the basics of the language in past. Verb conjugations are probably the trickiest but most important thing to understand in spanish (and every other language). This lesson is quite useful in that way.

After each test, the user had to press the forward button. I would have like the last page of each section (the test) to jump to the next section automatically. The tests were varied forms and interesting. Nice work, Kimberly!