Wk 4 Comments on Kwasida's Blog

Kwasida's original post:

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Week 4: Reading - The Art of Possibility

The last couple of chapters of the Zander's the Art of Possibility were empowering. The following were my take- a ways from practices 9-12.

-It's important to not about forcing, tricking or quilt-tripping someone into doing things your way. Enrollment is about helping to generate a spark of possibility for others to share.

- "Rename yourself as the board on which the whole games are being played. You move the problematic aspect of any circumstance form the outside world inspire the boundaries of yourself. With this act you can transform the world."

-  "Invent and sustain frameworks that bring possibility. It is about restricting meanings. Creating visions, and establishing environments where possibility is spoken-where the buoyant force of possibility overcomes the pull of the downward spiral."

-"Tell the WE story-the story of the unseen threads that connects us all, the story of possibility."

Wk 4 Comments on Nesdon's Blog

Nesdon's original post:




Posted on April 24, 2012

Lorenz Attractor

We are each, in whole and part, just small segments of a gigantic interconnected system, in which everything we do, every thought, word and deed, changes in some way the course or the unfolding of the universe. In the early 70’s, Edward Lorenz, working on chaos theory, used the example of a flap of a butterfly wing creating a tornado in Texas.
Many people see this as a metaphor, but in fact it is a mathematical and scientific fact. Chaos theory describes how very small differences in initial conditions can have large effect in the eventual development of the system. In fact in terms of barometric pressure, the main value meteorologists use to track weather patterns, what Lorenz realized was that tiny fraction of a millibar change that the flap of butterfly wing might cause, could actually, when plugged into a computer simulation of a weather forecast, be the difference between having a tornado form or not form some days later.





It is in this way that each of us cannot help but “be the board” and that it is always the story of WE that we are each telling. Our individual natures are in so many ways illusions, albeit powerful and seemingly concrete ones, but trying to see the reality of what is, the profound and infinite connection that exists between each molecule within us and without, and to take responsibility for our reality, in whatever miniscule ways we can (and our power is always miniscule when seen from a sufficiently grand perspective) can be very liberating and empowering.

My response to Nesdon's post can be found here:

Jessica Wunder on April 25, 2012 at 2:57 pm said:

 

Nesdon,

I loved your very first sentence in this post:“We are each, in whole and part, just small segments of a gigantic interconnected system, in which everything we do, every thought, word and deed, changes in some way the course or the unfolding of the universe.”By the end of this weeks reading, that was the idea I held in my own head. It felt like that idea: of interconnectedness (and the impacts we as individuals have on each other) was the true essence of the book.While I may have disagreed with certain aspects, ideas and approaches in the book, this overall ideal is one I agree with whole heartedly.I’ve always been fascinated by the “butterfly effect” of chaos theory, and I too didn’t realize it held it’s basis in scientific theory. Thank you for that.I also agree and appreciate your last sentence, which seems appropriate that i agree with your very first and very last statements, which deal with a connected nature. 

Wk 4 Reading: The Art of Possibility Ch 9 - 12

Image: manostphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Chapter 9 brings many ideas, among them passion (lighting a spark) and attitude. 

It was the latter idea, one of attitude, that got my attention as i read. The idea that it's not always what you are asking for, but HOW you are asking for it, that matters. People want to help, many more so than they realize, but it often takes the right approach to reach that well of good nature. 

Again, through artful language Zander reminds us that our own perspective on a situation greatly influences how we interact with others in that situation, even when we don't realize it. If we can change our perspective (into something more positive), we at least stand a change at changing the outcome.

It was this sentence that really lit the light bulb above my head for this chapter:

"Like a tap to a  kaleidoscope that shifts identical pieces of glass into different patterns, the scene changed before out eyes from bankruptcy to abundance with just the slightest nudge to the frame".  

The Art of Possibility, Zander and Zander, pg 116.

Beautiful.

And of corse, reality isn't always like this. Poor is still poor, whether quality, finances, etc. However, perspective and attitude can make all the difference between a closed door and an opened one. 

"Being the Board" (the next chapter, Ten) follows up nicely on this concept, although it does rehash some of the same ideas. The chapter discusses the idea of framework (or at least that's my interpretation of it). 

But then we move into Chapter 11 which directly states it's about framework, and then goes into more detail and more discussion of framework. 

So now i'm left wondering what it was i was supposed to get out Chapter 10. Or rather, what is chapter 10 really about?

It seems to be this weird in-between mixture of Ch 9 and 11. 

But the 12th, and last chapter sums everything up nicely i think. The result of everything said previously, the sum of all the previous ideas… that the life journey of an individual isn't really about just the individual, even if they think or desire that to be so. Everything we do influences someone else in some way, so we should do what we can to make those influences positive ones, to impact the society of "US".

I rather like that idea. 

Image: Sarunyu_foto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Wk 4 Leadership Project: Article and Sharing

My leadership project, the culmination of these last 11 months of hard work, is a paper that I plan to submit to at least two, if not three journals.

My paper pulls together all the parts of CBR we have been doing: research (literature review), implementation (methodology), data analysis (Results) and reflections (conclusion).

I plan on submitting to three journals:

http://www.nctm.org/publications/jrme.aspx

1. The  Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 

This journal is part of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, which is the organization that came up with a wide collective of virtual manipulatives for use in the classroom. It was here that I got the idea and many of the resources for my CBR project, and I look forward to being able to add my experiences with these manipulatives to the collective of information they provide.

http://www.aace.org/pubs/jcmst/default.htm

2. The Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching      

The title kind of says it all, as this journal focuses on instructors using computers to teach math and science and according to their site... "is the only periodical devoted specifically to using information technology in the teaching of mathematics and science."   
My project, studies and findings focus specifically on the proposed benefits, and results of actual implementation of using computers and tech to teach mathematics, so I think my article would be a good fit here

http://www.aace.org/pubs/ijel/

3. The International Journal on E-Learning

Is another publication I am considering, as they too focus on the results of actual implementation  of "E-learning". This has a much broader audience, including businesses and technical education, so I'm not sure if my article will fit in, but i would like to submit and see what they say.

You can read about the journey and steps I've taken this month to decide upon, create and consider publication for my article in these posts:

1. Wk 1 Leadership Blog Post: Leadership Role Model
2. Wk 2 Leadership Blog Post: To Publish or Present
3. Wk 3 Leadership Blog Post: Where and Who to Submit To?

And finally, you can find the actual article, in all it's rough draft glory here:

Improving Student Engagement and Motivation in College Algebra with Virtual Manipulatives 

Wk 3 Comments on Michael's Blog

Michael's original post:

Week 3 Leadership Post: Where Do I Want To Share My Project?

When I first discovered that I would be needing to share my work on a larger scale, I sort of freaked out about it.  After taking a deep breath and realizing what was being asked of me, the answers essentially became no-brainers.  There are a few options that I could have chosen, but I have decided to go with two in particular, with a few potential back-ups to mention as well.

My first choice is a well-known state convention that's as large as almost any national convention of its kind: The Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Annual Clinic & Convention.  Tens of thousands of music educators, professional musicians, exhibitors and students descend upon San Antonio, Texas every year to partake in all of the learning opportunities and other festivities that go on during this four day period.  Texas is a major player in the way music education is crafted nationally, so presenting my work here has great potential to have a ripple effect on a national level.

What makes my first choice a potential home run is how it directly effects my second choice.  The Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME) is partnering with TMEA this upcoming year, meaning that submitting for one organization is essentially submitting for them both!  My hope is that my work is of value to other music educators, and that I am given the opportunity to demonstrate that work for a very large and exceptional audience such as that which will be attending these conventions.

Some other places I had considered presenting are the National Association for Music Education, and The Midwest Clinic that occurs in December in Chicago, but their windows for submissions have already closed.

Posted 36 minutes ago by Michael

Labels: impact sharing TMEA week 3 TI:ME national leadership

You can see my comment to Michael's post here:

 Michael,

The first lines of your post made me smile, as they reminded me of my own post and the process I took to determine where I was going to submit.

It is a daunting process! It's easy to get "freaked out" and overwhelmed. And, as I mentioned in my own post, now is when it gets a little more "real", which, I think, causes the freak out to become even more pronounced.

But, like you mentioned, the reality of the situation is much less scary and complicated.
I'm glad you were able to find sources that meet your needs so well. I too am pretty excited to submit my work to the journals I found.

I wish you the best of luck! We're almost done. :)

Wk 3 Comments on Carl's Blog

Carl's original post:

MAC Wk 3 – Leadership: Is That Your Final Answer?

Apr 21

Posted by shuptrine

After digging a little deeper into all of the journals I listed in my last post I determined that I was way off the mark. The old adage is true, “never judge a book by its cover.” Most of the journals I found last week were either tied directly to a University and had limited, if any type, of distribution outside of the campus boundaries, or the focus and scope did not match my research.
So I started over and after a period of struggle where nothing seemed to be the right fit, I finally decided on the following two periodicals.
1. Techniques – Techniques is the primary publication of the Association for Career and Technical Education. I’m drawn to this publication for a number of reasons. First, my CBR was implemented in a CTE class. Secondly, they have an entire series within the publication dedicated to career readiness. This topic is directly related to my literature review, and much of my data indicates the challenge-based learning process enhances career readiness. I also had the opportunity attended a regional ACTE conference last week, and listened to many great presentation and participated in a number of excellent round tables. So needless to say I am still feeling a bit euphoric and would love to add my voice to this organization.

2. Contemporary Issues In Education Research (CIER) – This publication appears to be a bit more formal than the first but a few elements interested me in the CIER as well. The CIER has an open access policy based on the principle “that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.” I was turned off by many of the “members only” policies I found at many of the other journals I encountered. This makes me think of a bunch of old academics that close-minded to anything outside of their own research, so the open access policy of the CIER was a welcome relief. I also believe that my research about the CBL process along with career and college readiness fits nicely with their goal of “understanding cutting edge issues in education.” The only down side I discovered about this journal is the $60 submission fee and the $250-$450 publication fee. I suppose if they deem my article worthy this is a small price to pay to add my voice to the evolution of human discovery.

 You can read my response to Carl's post here:



Jessica Wunder | April 22, 2012 at 4:27 pm

Carl,
It was refreshing and interesting to read your post about digging deeper into the reality of the distribution of the journals you were looking into. Many people would simply have looked t the titles, submitted the papers and be done with it. Your dedication to really reaching out and striving to make a genuine difference in the methods and attitude in education is amazing.
I find I also admire your willingness to start over and re-start your search because the what you found didn’t meet your needs (and high standards). Again, I think a certain number of people would have said “whatever” and not taken that extra time.
Your comments about “feeling a bit euphoric” resonated with me. I too am quite excited about submitting to the journals i have chosen, and find myself nervous, excited, and anxious, all at once, at the idea of submitting.
I am glad my journals do not have the high publication fees yours does. Yikes! I must admit, again, your dedication is outstanding if you are willing to pay that publication fee. It would honestly make me think twice (Where is all that money going to anyway?)
But I wish you the best. I loved your last sentence: “I suppose if they deem my article worthy this is a small price to pay to add my voice to the evolution of human discovery.”
(even if I think the fees are too high myself)

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Wk 3 Leadership Post: Where and Who to Submit to?

 I must confess…that I put this particular activity/ blog post off for a bit. Or at least, I put it off by my standards.

I usually start thinking about my blog posts for the week, well, the starting Monday of the week. By the time i sit down and write them (usually Friday) I've spent several days already, if not the entire week thinking, and mulling them over, composing sentences in my head, editing, etc.

Image: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But this time I put it off. I'm not exactly sure why. Perhaps because the idea of actually submitting to a publication is kind of daunting, and this post makes that process more "real" but having us not only consider, but commit (in a fashion) to that process of submitting to a publication.

I told myself that I was putting it off because i thought this particular post would be easy: pick two journals to submit to, and write about it. Easy.

Whatever the reason (most likely, a mixture of both), I didn't really think about it too much. I put it off, and put it away in my mind.


So of course, when I set down this weekend to actually look at the publication list and decide and write my post, it wasn't quite as simple as I imagined.

The list was long and daunting.

Where to start?? Who to submit to?

How would i choose? What criteria would I use?

Again, another admission… I have to admit I just kind of sat and stared at the list for a few minutes, before coming to any sort of coherent conclusion. I just, took it all in.

After a few moments, sense took over and I started to come up with ideas for criteria and formulate in a plan.

I won't detail that particularly boring bit of process, but in the end two journals won out (and perhaps a third):

1. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education
(http://www.nctm.org/publications/content.aspx?id=10160)

Once I saw the name, I knew I wanted to check it out. Once i realized they were affiliated with the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), I knew I had to submit. The NCTM sponsored the website of virtual manipulatives that i used for my capstone project, and it was their site and information that helped a lot in brainstorming and research for my project. 
While at first when the process of submitting a paper was presented, I told myself i would mind or be upset if my paper wasn't accepted. But i have to say I'm kind of excited about submitting to the NCTM after reading all their work and using their resources. I really hope my submission is accepted to this journal.


and

2. The Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching
(http://www.aace.org/pubs/jcmst/default.htm)

My project was about using technology to improve student motivation and engagement with math and this appears tone an entire journal dedicated to that prospect. I'm pretty excited to submit to this journal as well.



I'm also considering the International Journal on E-Learning.
(http://www.aace.org/pubs/ijel/)

Because another one wouldn't hurt, right? I just need  to check their submission requirements to see how much extra time/work would be required to submit.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

and while this marks the "reality" of starting to create and submit a scholarly paper for submission, I find that if I'm honest with myself, I'm more excited by the prospect than scared.

And in another sense, this marks the "beginning of the end" of the EMDT program. This is both a happy and a sad thing to think about, but that's a whole other post in itself. Perhaps that will be next one.

For now, I have a paper to write!

Wk 3 Reading: The Art of Possibility Chapters 5 -8

As i have said before, I find moments where I agree with the text, and moments where I disagree.
But I really enjoyed the chapter on "Leading from Any Chair" the most. While in other chapters I found myself agreeing with parts of a chapter, but not others or even the majority, here I found myself agreeing for much, if not all of this chapter.

I really liked his image/example of a conductor, in making the point.

Luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This seance especially struck me that "….but his [the conductor's] true power derives from his ability to make other people powerful."

While it applies acutely to the example of a conductor, this idea can really be applied to anyone in a position of authority, and especially management.

As many grumbling employees in any position may attest, managers themselves don't always do a lot. It's often the employees below that do the "grunt" work (hence the term). But, a mangers "power" resides in his ability to empower those below him or her and inspire them.




I appreciate the idea of the "White sheet", and wish more working environments used them and used them *honestly*, where employees aren't afraid to give feedback.

Also by offering others the ability to provide feedback, and contribute, they feel like they "own" part of the conversation, business, practice, etc. When people have that sense of ownership, they do strive to do and be better.

And I think that should be the focus of any leader; to encourage others to become their leaders in their own right, and to constantly strive to be better.

This also ties into the 8th "practice"/chapter of giving way to passion. We as educators, and leaders, have the ability, and maybe even the responsibility to inspire and promote the spark of passion in our students, and even each other as fellow educators. I like, and agree with the idea that just as important it is to "find" one's passion, it's equally important to continue to nuture it, lest one becomes numb and forgets the purpose…  or, as it is more eloquently stated:

"Like the person who forgets he is related to the waves in the sea or loses continuity with the movement of win through grass, so does the performer lose his connection to the long line of the music when his attention rests solely on perfecting individual notes and harmonies."
The Art of Possibility, Zander and Zander, pg 116.

It is so easy to lose sight of the larger picture and your bigger goal, when you get stuck in the mundane, repetitive tasks that are required for that larger picture. I agree it's important to remember and get back in touch with that initial passion… however, I feel the chapter/author is lacking and disappointing in helping the reader to understand or find realistic ways to actually get back in touch with that passion.





This book, ironically, has a lot of potential, but falls short in the worst places I think.

There are many examples, anecdotes and stories of experiences and elegantly worded passages, but not always a lot of practical sense or advice.


Perhaps I need to read it again.

Wk 2 Wimba Archive comments

Wk 2 Wimba

The wimba gods have not been smiling on me this month. I had a bad reaction to something the night of the week 2 wimba and spent the night alternating between being sick and sleeping.

I look forward to attending in week 3. really!

I had watched all the copyright videos prior to the wimba session and prior to watching the archive, so this session felt much like a review.

I liked that there were intermediate polls to interact with the wimba session. Sometimes wimba sessions can be tedious and I like bits of interaction, even if they are simple polls. It was fun to test my own knowledge of copyright, taking the polls.

(I was pleased to see i got the first one "Copyright basics: Definition of Copyright" correct. )


It was good to see a discussion of copyright vs trademark vs patents. I know many people are often confused about the differences in these, and I frequently hear students make comments or assertions about copyright that really fall under trademark laws.


Again, much of what was covered in this session was review for me. It seemed that the wimba session mirrored/was a reiteration of the videos we were to have watched already.

I did enjoy the fair use section, as it was a good refresher, and i  think that is the one of the more important aspects of copyright, especially for educators.

 I was glad to hear the discussion about copyright and how the laws affect artists and education, in both positive and detrimental ways.
I liked the idea that was presented (I don't remember who said it) about creating/having a website to collect or act as resource to get "quotes" for using songs for educational use.

He had a good point about how sometimes it's not the cost, but the hoops one has to jump through to get permission to use a song that is the most difficult for students, educators and artists.

The entire discussion really highlighted how much copyright law needs to be revised, and I think, personally, that specific clauses/laws should be created for educational use. Yes, we have educational use under fair use, but as was discussed, the laws are unclear, and the process so difficult, that educators currently are left either 1. breaking the law, or 2. not teaching as effectively as they could.

It's a shame that so many educators struggle in the sea of laws of mis information. I think more educators need to have the kind of discussions that were held in wimba, and even asking for changes from our legislature.

Wk 2 Comments on Alison's Blog

Alison's original post:

EMDT Month 11 – Alison Oprea

The Art of Possibility Chapters 1-4

April 13, 2012

As I read the first four chapters of The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, I started to reflect on how their ideas impact me.  As I was growing up, there was an unspoken expectation that I was going to do “right” – go to college, get a good job, get married and have my 2.5 kids.  I was afraid to fail.  Because I was afraid to fail, I took no risks.  In college, my viola professor was desperately trying to get me to play a piece I was working on more passionately, but I just didn’t get it.  Trying to get me to open up, she told me to yell.  Yell anything.  Scream.  But I couldn’t do it – in fact, I couldn’t even make a sound.  To me, that was so wrong, and definitely NOT proper.  However, over time I started to realize that that was exactly what I needed.  All these ideas of what were right and wrong and what was expected of me were all things I had conjured up myself.  I was hurting myself in this “safe” place I kept myself in.  I began to take risks, and I began to see the world differently.  While I allowed myself an A in many things, I realize now that there is so much more I should be giving myself an A in.  Not only that, but giving others around me an A.  Changing that perspective and opinion in others, be it students, colleagues, friends or family,  I can only begin to imagine the difference in changing my life as well as others.
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You can see my comment to Alison's post here:

Alison,
I can definitely understand the "unspoken expectation that I was going to do “right” and not wanting to take risks because of that expectation.

However, my own life and experiences FORCED me to take risks, if i wanted to continue with what was expected of me. Eventually, I was able to separate myself from what was expected, and came to conclusions about what I wanted and started taking risks based on what *I* wanted.

But those initial issues in my life forced me to become comfortable with making (and assessing) risks.


Reading everyone's posts about this book has made me *really* think about how different experiences radically change people's outcomes on life and continues in a spiral to continue to affect how we think and act. This seems to be part of the central thesis of the book, along with how to stop that spiral.

I may not agree with all parts of this text, but it has definitely made me think and assess my own ideas, ideals, experiences and outlooks on life.