MAC Week 4 Reading: Scrap Book

As a celebration for completing "The Art of Possibility" I have created a scrap book that covers the 12 practices.  I used Mixbook.  Show your students, they will love it!

The direct link provides a better experience: http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/education/art-of-possibility-scrap-book-5508673

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Wk 4 Publishing Leadership Project

One of the places I would like to get published with is the International Society for Technology in Education.  This agency actually has three publications under it, so I am looking more specifically at the Journal of Research on Computing Education.  The audience seems to match my Action Research project parameters, being that they are Educators of technology and decision makers. My research specifically focuses on the the benefits of web 2.0 technologies that are implemented in traditional school settings.  My only fear is that the acceptance rate is 15%.  They also expect a word count of at least 4,000 words, so it certainly looks very involved.  Publication, though, would be most victorious!

The other place I'm considering is the Educational Technology Review.  This also seems to have a demographic that would be interested in my research.  They seem to offer a wider variety of articles and don't seem as rigorous as the ISTE.  Since you can't have the same article printed in two publications, I might consider the ISTE first, then I would submit to the AACE after I get the rejection letter.

• Publishing/Leadership Thinking Outloud Blog # 1

• Publishing/Leadership Thinking Outloud Blog # 2

• Wood_Michael_Publishing

MAC Week 4 Comment 2 Brian Thomas

Brian's Post

Week 4 - Reading: New Ideas

I am truly amazed at the gift of working with people that Benjamin Zander has. His story in chapter nine was amazing.Knowing how tough students can be on performances, especially classical music concerts it’s truly a testament to his ability to engage a crowd, no matter who they are comprised of. I must say that I was inspired by this chapter to really try to create a spark in my classroom next year with the endless possibilities of learning.

I appreciated the apology story about Cora the violinist. I think it was a great reminder of many of the other points in the book but most importantly to remain humble, appreciative, and understanding of other people’s situations and circumstances before forming an opinion or casting any form of judgment.

The story about the teenage orchestra in Sao Paolo was just great. I can recall chaperoning situations that I had challenging students and issues and also recall responding to them aggressively early in my career. However, I learned that dealing with the person and the cause for the action is much more effective and sensitive. I really liked this story because it gave me another great strategy for overcoming those challenging chaperoning situations.

My Response

Brian, I also share you your sentiments regarding the crowd Benjamin had to contend with.  The perception of the people was such that these lower class students would have no appreciation for the fine arts.  Benjamin, of course, did not just magically conduct and everybody was all of the sudden amazed.  He did a lot of preparation to get this desired effect.  He put in thousands of dollars of his own money to get the projection he needed.  In the same way, I know I spent my own money for a laptop so I can use multimedia to keep students engaged.  If my classroom did not come with a projector, I believe I would have to buy one.  Of course, engagement is the best classroom management strategy.  The misbehavior often comes from a lack of engagement.  I thought your insight regarding the anger in chaperoning situations was interesting.  My wife works in a Family Law and Criminal Law court room.  She said that some of the toughest kids get talked to with more of a calm demeanor from the judge.  This is because the students are used to getting yelled at, so the calm tone seems to get their attention more.  However, the anger approach tends to work best on kids who are generally good, and so a quick yell keeps them on track.  Although anger seems to only work in the short term.  I believe if Benjamin came out those kids with authority and anger, the results would have been quite disastrous!

MAC Week 4 Comment 1 Heather Taylor

Heather's Post

Derek Key, January 18, 2009 “Sparklers”

I loved the idea of passing the spark.  Sometimes if you can get just one student interested in what you’re doing; it starts a chain reaction and the rest are clamoring to know what is going on.  The comparison of the magnanimous explosion to the subtle transfer of sparks inspires me to think of new ways to spark my students.

At a beginning teacher conference I attended, one of the presenters brought up a point that I will never forget.  He said, “The only person you can control in that classroom is yourself.”  Considering yourself “the framework for everything around you” is hard to grasp, yet I have some inkling of what it means.  It’s not that you are in control of what is going on, but more how you react to what’s going on.  It’s not thinking that the world is out to get you, but rather that the world is the world, and there are so many different actions going on all the time.  It’s not dishing out blame when things don’t go the way you planned.

I think it was brilliant how the little girl with leukemia’s teacher, chose to shave her head to create a different reality in her class.  I’m not sure I have the guts to shave my head.  I thought it was fabulous how Zander took a bad situation, the students up on the roof disturbing guests and made it into a positive situation.  Rather than deflate the students and put them in an awful mood for the upcoming concerts, he allowed the students to introspectively look at their actions and reflect on what exactly they were trying to accomplish in Brazil.  He didn’t fly off the handle like many chaperones would have and jump headfirst into a downward spiral.  “How can you know where you are unless you have a point of reference?”  This concept really makes me think about some of my students that have had to move around a lot and never really had a “home”.

Richie Preiss, "We see what we want", July 26, 2010

The concept of WE is sometimes hard to get across to my students.  For instance, one day my 4^th period class was in the computer lab, which is a part of the media center, only separated by a false wall.  My students were being exceptionally loud, and the librarian and I had spoken to them about it several times.  There was another class in the library using laptops, and my students expressed blatantly that they had no concern for the other class being there, or the appropriate volume to use in the library, and said, “You know we’re loud, why did you bring us in here?”   The passage about terrorists really struck a chord as well, because of some of the racist remarks made by my students towards Middle Easterners.

My Response

Heather, I appreciate your response to the "spark" practice.  Getting students inspired is certainly an art, as its rewards are quite obvious.  This principle shows why teachers are often the targets when invading armies try to control the people, such as the Nazi occupation.  That spark can also be used in the wrong way, as in the spread of government propaganda.  That spark, therefore, certainly exists.  You are right in that there are very few things the teacher can actually control. Sometimes getting even one student to buy in to what you are doing makes all the difference.  I remember watching that old teaching movie, The Blackboard Jungle.  When face with opposition, the teacher targeted the leader of the pack. Once that student became engaged, then the others followed.  I believe part of creating that spark is making the material relevant to the students.  That is where the textbooks seem to just fail.  For example, when I give the students the same writing prompt to an ethical issue, I get mediocre responses.  But when i let the students choose an article from Newsy.com and respond to the article of their choice, their responses were far better.  Sometimes that spark appears in surprising places, such as the Antony the Conductor did from the book.  For example, there was a girl in class who didn't talk very much, but when she was allowed to comment on some sports articles, she wrote volumes of commentary.  Who would have known that sports were her "spark"?  Sorry to hear about your library incident.  Some referrals were certainly in order there.

MAC - Wk 2 Publishing/Leadership project part 2 of 2: Places to get published

One of the places I would like to get published with is the International Society for Technology in Education.  This agency actually has three publications under it, so I am looking more specifically at the Journal of Research on Computing Education.  The audience seems to match my Action Research project parameters, being that they are Educators of technology and decision makers. My research specifically focuses on the the benefits of web 2.0 technologies that are implemented in traditional school settings.  My only fear is that the acceptance rate is 15%.  They also expect a word count of at least 4,000 words, so it certainly looks very involved.  Publication, though, would be most victorious!

The other place I'm considering is the Educational Technology Review.  This also seems to have a demographic that would be interested in my research.  They seem to offer a wider variety of articles and don't seem as rigorous as the ISTE.  Since you can't have the same article printed in two publications, I might consider the ISTE first, then I would submit to the AACE after I get the rejection letter.

MAC Week 3 Comment 2 Jason Reed

Jason's Blog

This photo was taken at Disneyland

as the Harney Middle School

Bella Voce performed

Reading response from chapters 5 through 8 of The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.

I first have to say that every time I pick up and read this book, it relates to things that are happening in my life.  Chapter 5 discusses how to lead from any chair, and more specifically it refers to experiences being a conductor.  It talks about the power that an orchestral conductor has in the music world and how conductors can often be dominating.  I can attest that these traits can still be seen today because of the many conductors that I know or have worked with.

I direct 6 different choirs at the middle school level and never really gave much thought as to how my students view me.  I often do what I need to do to get the results that are needed.  After reflecting on my teaching and classroom management I realized that what makes my teaching so effective is that I build a family environment.  Everyone feels safe in the classroom and I often encourage student ideas, which gives them a sense of ownership. 

I really enjoyed reading about the effectiveness of the “white sheets” where students can write down their criticisms and observations during rehearsals.  I am going to start trying to use this in my rehearsals to see what my students are thinking and find out how I can better serve their needs.  It will also be a great way to have more personal feedback about my teaching and conducting.

The other chapters (6-8) had many great ideas as well to offer. Chapter 6 talks about the Rule Number 6, which basically means to lighten up.  I find that I already do this in my classroom by adding humor to my lessons.  I often use humor to effectively get my points across rather then coming off demanding and authoritative.  I have found better success in the over all sound of my choirs by lightening up and this principle is one that everyone should follow.

Chapter 7 talks about the practice of the way things are.  This chapter discusses how we should accept reality the way it is and work with reality to created more positive experiences.  There are some things that we cannot change and it is our goal to be happy and positive.  There are always positive ways to look at every situation and it is important for us to focus on the positivity to ensure our own happiness and the happiness of others around us.

Chapter 8 discusses the practice of giving way to passion.  This was another chapter that really spoke to me.  Most people view me as a passionate individual who is driven for success.  I often use my passion for helping others and success to inspire and motivate myself.  Sometimes I do set up barriers on myself and releasing these barriers is something that I need to first work on.  I found that this chapter was more about channeling ones energy to help convert passion into action.  This practice is not an easy thing to accomplish however once we can tap into our inner passion and drive we can accomplish 

My Response

I appreciate your thoroughness and detail when describing the chapters in the book.  I wanted to speak to the idea of the "white paper".  Feedback is certainly a valuable  commodity.  Companies practically bend over backwards to get customer feedback, offering trips, prizes, and the like if you fill out one of their surveys.  It seems that they are even moving into Facebook to build a customer base.  Like Redbox always asks questions of its "fans".  I never feel compelled to answer those questions, as I don't have time to spend answering such frivolous questions only to increase some corporate bottom line.  However, the point is that getting feedback is certainly recognized as being valuable, but as a teacher, getting such feedback is a threat to power.  We open ourselves up to criticism and self-doubt.  The more students feel like they have a stake in things, the more they will question our decisions and even the assignments we give them. Therefore, the notion of even allowing such feedback is a package deal, in that we must accept the assumption that student performance speaks louder than our instruction.  Like a conductor, if our performance is measured by student performance, then we have no choice but to distribute power to them.  The "white pages" is more than a novel idea, it is a political revolution!  I have provided an exit survey for my students with these prinicples in mind and have found it helpful.  Here is link so you can take a look at it; but you don't need to answer them, of course.

English 12 Course Evaluation

MAC Week 3 Comment 1 LeVonda Vickery

LeVonda's post

Wk3 reading – Art of Possibility Ch 5-8

Rule #6

While reading chapters 5-8 this week in the Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, I found chapter 6 to be quite a refreshing point of view.  What a great rule to remember about not always taking ourselves so seriously.  I am sure that we could all take that rule to heart at some time or another.  This lighten up attitude helps us explore our central and calculating self.  I know that I probably could have taken these lessons to heart during my divorce a couple of years ago.  Sometimes we are so absorbed with ourselves and our own feelings that we don't allow anything else in.  This chapter teaches you how to look inward and observe your own behaviors in order to put your best foot forward.  I love how the authors use different stories to illustrate each chapter and help you make connections to better understand the concepts.  


Chapter 7 leads into the way things are allowing you to distinguish between your assumptions and the facts.  We all make assumptions about things in our daily lives and allow our feelings to cloud our judgement of the actual facts, but when you learn to actually accept the way things are it allows you to move forward.  This sentence really seem to strike a chord with me, "shine attention on obstacles and problems and they multiply lavishly" (p. 108)  I realized that since the position I had at the TV station was eliminated last February that I was more and more focusing on the negative.  Its been over a year since I lost my job and with my unemployment about to run out things have been looking quite dreary for me to support my family.  I have filled out application after application for teaching or basically anything at this point to allow me to support my family only to be turned down time and time again or not even called for an interview.  Believe me that I know just how tough it can be to look at the bright side in my current situation, but this time has allowed me to pursue my Master's degree at Full Sail in order to increase my marketability and skills for the ever growing job market.  I may not be able to control the circumstances for which I have currently been handed, but I can try to stay optimistic and hope that an opportunity presents itself.  After all it is that exact "possibility" that has kept me going even when my life seems at its darkest.

My Response

I'm sorry to hear about your job situation. It certainly is tough out there in the education world.  Even tech coordinators, which would be like a dream job, are being removed.  I hope that this degree will open more opportunities for you. It makes me think of when I used to go to teacher job fairs. Like the book suggested, I focused on the positive when I went and I went at those recruiters with all the energy I had. My attitude was that I was the best teacher they could hire.  I had a business card made with my picture on it (below), a nice suit and tie, 10 pristine copies of my resume, and had many copies of my collection of letters of recommendation.  I remember having the same attitude even when I was a brand new Intern.  The funny thing is, both teaching positions I actually got hired for were NOT the people I "pushed myself" on.  These opportunities came from the fallout of all that energy I put forth.  Both postions were from Districts that were not even at the job fair, but word got around about my zeal and those Districts called me in for interviews.  For me, it is a reminder that God is always in control and that it is because of him I had these jobs.  That keeps me humble.  Humility, as the book also suggests, is the only way we can "lighten up".

Good luck to you.

(information is for demonstration purposes only)

Week 3 Wimba session: Art of Possibility

In this Wimba session, there was much discussion regarding the details of the publishing and leadership project.  People were suggesting various ways to upload their slides. Joe mentioned that those students who are using slides should simply post a link to a YouTube video if they want to incorporate video.  I agree that YouTube is an excellent choice, since we would be using their seemingly infinite storage.  My High School English students have been using YouTube to post their own multimedia projects. Although it is blocked with District Filters, teachers are able to access YouTube from their LAN desktops.  There were also comments regarding the readings. I have posted my detailed commentary on Chapters 5-8 in a separate blog entry.

One thing that was made clear to me through this Wimba session is that I am to adjust my publishing project to the publication I am shooting for.  I also understood that the actual publication would most likely take place after graduation.

MAC Wk3 reading - Teacher as Conductors

(note: only the PRO version allows me to stop the Auto Play, so enjoy the music :)

As a reaction to my readings from 'The Art of Possibility" I made a SlideRocket show with some of the ideas I will use in my own teaching.  It may not look like much, but putting all my thoughts into a few concise ideas certainly took a lot of digestion of the material!  I hope you enjoy it.  By the way, SlideRocket was introduced to me by a student. It's definitely worth your time to check it out.

As a side note, I thought I would mention to my readers that purchasing the audio book was very fulfilling. The book is read by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander themselves.  It also has the classical works Benjamin is speaking within the context of the chapters, so you can really hear, musically, the principles he is speaking of. I think listening to these orchestral pieces is vital in your understanding of the text.  I got mine with a $7.49 monthly membership from Audible.com.  I downloaded to both my Droid and iPhone.  I highly recommend it!

MAC - Wk 2 Publishing/Leadership project part 1 of 2: Time to get published

Microsoft Clipart

Some Background

My research evaluates the benefits of implementing web 2.0 technologies into a traditional classroom.  I used Google Docs as a platform to implement the technology and basically compared two 12^th grade English classes; where one had access to technology and the other did not.

The Decision: Get Published

I love presenting.  I do it almost every day with 180 High School students. However, I learned early on not to talk the entire day, that is, if I expected to have a voice left.  Student-centered learning? That didn’t come about through some extensive research, no, it came about through the fact that I couldn’t talk all day!  Now, back to the issue at hand.  As much as I love presenting to audiences, publishing my research seems to have more advantages.  Speaking might give me a willing audience and they might very well glean a lot from my presentation, however, being published seems to have a longer effect.  Before the internet, I would not have thought this.  Being published in some paperback magazine, later to be tossed or archived in some University basement would have the same, limiting effect.  Because of search engines like Google and EBSCO, I feel that my research can be easily found and accessed.  My research can also be listed with similar research, which makes my piece a contribution to the greater understanding of technology and its effect in the classroom. 

MAC Week 2 Comment 2 Heather Taylor

Heather's Post

Week 2 Reading - Be the Contribution

This concept of considering how you are going to make a contribution to the world makes me think of one of my favorite quotes by Gandhi. I was brought up this way, to consider others and how you’re impacting the world. That’s most of my reason for becoming a teacher, to contribute to future generations, to make a difference in the world. I was taught from an early age to give back; at the age of six, one of the kids in my class lost their home to a fire, and I picked out toys to bring to school for him. I was taught to help others, just like I was taught to write my name or tie my shoes, and I was taught that getting praise isn’t the important part, but knowing that you helped them was what was important.

I loved Ben’s story about the retirement home because it shows that no matter where we are in life, as long as we are drawing breath, we can make a contribution to the world. It also shows that while sometimes we are dreading doing something, that by actually starting it opens the door for us to gain so much. Contributing is such a reciprocal act, we think we are giving to someone else, but we gain so much from the experience itself. There have been points in my life where I felt like a failure, and now that I look back and reflect, I can understand that it’s probably because I felt like I wasn’t contributing to the world. Like the story of the men selling shoes in Africa, a positive mindset is vitally important to what you do. Contributing to the greater good, can give you extraordinary results.

I often get frustrated with my students because some of them are so focused on “me, me, me” that they lose sight of everyone else in the room. Sometimes I get a great deal of backlash, when I ask them to consider others, for instance by being quiet in the library so another class can work. Now I have some students that would practically give you the shirt off their back, but these others hurt my heart. I can appreciate that teenagers feel like they are under the microscope, but I am saddened and horrified by a society that doesn’t enlighten them to the truth.

My Response

It sounds like you were raised with some good values.  Now I know who to go to if I ever get in trouble.  From the book, Being a Contribution is certainly another excellent way of thinking.  I like it because it makes us proactive and not being “an arm chair quarterback” full of complaints.  During teacher meetings it is natural for us to get into whirlwind of gripes and complaints regarding our students.  I takes a leader to find strategies we can use to address those problems.  Notice, I did not say solutions. Solutions in education are few and far between.  This is because every students is truly a different person.  Don’t get discouraged because of the few. Their problems are usually wide and deep and require a “whole village” to get them out. However, like the book advocates, celebrate in the few who are victorious. Then hopefully you drag a few more students along on the way.

MAC wk2 reading – Another day, another A?

students get an A

"Give them an A", or so says the authors of the Art of Possibility by Roz and Benjamin Zander.  As a High School English teacher, I'm sure my students would surely welcome this chapter!  At first, the notion seems unrealistic.  Zander gives excellent examples of how his music students set personal goals of what that "A" would require of them.  I then thought of doing the same with my students, but then something came to my mind that the chapter didn't quite address.  I mentally walked through the process.  Tell the students to write a letter of what it would require of them to get the "A".  They could list study habits, strengths, and measurable objectives.  Time would pass.  No homework turned in.  Student fails the reading tests.  Time to bring out the letter they wrote, so long ago.  I sit with them and remind them of the commitment they had made.  More time passes.  Still, no improvement.  Don't they feel guilty for not measuring up to the letter they wrote?  Then I took this scenario and multiplied it times 75, which would be the average number of students who would need "the talk".  Mission failure.  See, I believed that this "give an A" method would only work with highly motivated gifted students, such as those musical geniuses under Zander's tutelage.

And then it hit me.  I finally got it.

 In fact, as Chapter 1 illustrates, everything was just a matter of perspective.  The reason the "A" wouldn't work is because I was stuck in the old behaviorist paradigm, where a system of punishments and rewards was the only way to measure and to motivate students.  I needed to look at things from a fresh perspective.  I began to understand that the "A" represented the best that students had to offer of themselves.  It represented not a system of measurement, but rather, a celebration of ability.  In that regard, I thought about project-based learning.  I thought about the stories my students were writing and how each story was a reflection of their own minds and spirits.  To me, that is differentiation.  That is celebration.  And in fact, most students earned that "A", because what it stood for had changed.

images from Microsoft images

MAC - Week 2 Comment 1 Brian Thomas

Brian's Post

Week 2 Reading - A Revelation

I think the thing that I learned most from the first two chapters of this book was something about myself. This “thing” is something that I’ve had to deal with throughout this course and upon reflection, throughout my entire life. I’m talking about the types of books that speak to me and the type that I really cannot in any way relate to.Unfortunately, this book seems to be of the latter. I would classify it as more of a philosophical get-in-touch-with-your-inner-self type book. After finished up the first couple chapters, I felt a rush of all the books I’d read come back to me – those I enjoyed and those I did not (regardless of the genre or content). As an individual with a severe case of concrete logical-mathematical thinking, I realize that my brain has a particularly hard time processing text that is deeply philosophical, yet reading a physics, chemistry, or calculus text is relatively easy. As is reading any manual on whatever the topic. And I find some of the statements in the book particularly hard for my brain to accept. Take this passage on p.20 for example: “The pie is enormous, and if you take a slice, the pie is whole again.” (Zander, 2000) Now, as we all know, if you subtract a part from the whole, as long as the part is > 0, you no longer have the whole, as is insinuated by the authors.

Poor mathematics aside, the awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses in reading opened my eyes to the difficulties that some student may have in reading such texts as I enjoy, and quite truthfully, this was my greatest take-away from the first couple chapters.

So, that aside, I do see the value of thinking outside the box, as explained in the text. Another part of the text that resonated with me was the part about scarcity thinking. I believe as Americans, we have really fallen into that mind-set and try to accumulate as much as we possibly can, without much regard for those that have little to nothing.

Moving into chapter three was fearful (because it was much longer than the infinitely long previous two chapters combined) but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the authors take on “giving an A” and thought at length about what kind of effect that would have on a student population I might be working with next year.

Ironically, I didn’t really start to get into the text myself until I watched the TED talk (which I had seen a couple years ago) and remembered how much I enjoyed watching Ben Zander. And at that point, I decided to give the book an A, and have enjoyed it much more ever since.

(image from the cover of The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander)

My Response

    I appreciate you discerning certain types of books.  A scripture in the Bible says “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).  This means the life we live and the words by which we live must be closely monitored.  When studying the Bible with new converts, I often ask “which is more important? Life or Doctrine?”  Of course, it is sort of a trick question because both are equally important, much like the wings on a plane.  Reading the Art of Possibility provided little in the way of direction, so I can see your frustration.  It certainly offers insightful ideas from a couple of very intelligent and wise authors, but ultimately, we have to make sense of it all and base our decisions based on their “practices”.  

For myself, I appreciate the quote about the shoe salesman in Africa.  Sometimes changing our perspective can certainly provide solutions to complex problems.  Perhaps the logical/mathematical part of you can see it as a social experiment, like some sort of AR Project with people.  What’s more important, that as educator’s, we are in a position to change the thinking of our students. I already gave my students the speech about the shoe salesman in Africa to help them get a different perspective on their homework.  Will they do their homework now?  Maybe it affected 1 person.  For that reason, it was worth the effort. 

MAC - Week 1 Blogpost 4

Wk1-1 DB Quickies: DIY Classroom/Presentation Solutions

Microsoft Images

Topic #1: Briefly share an experience about using media (visual and/or auditory) in class or during a presentation, focus your comment on any work-arounds or solutions you used when the tech wasn’t quite working or when the tech wasn’t adequate to do what you had originally planned.

Comment thread:

Michael Wood says:

Problem: I remember when I wanted to show my High School seniors the 2007 film version of Wuthering Heights. I used a retail disc and played it on a standard DVD player. The problem is that the captions would not show up. This was a film with an English cast that had some very heavy accents. It was wonderful for the atmosphere of the film, but the students certainly needed those subtitles. The DVD said it had the caption technology, but it required the television to decode the captions. I was using a projector/DVD player set-up, so there was no television to decode. If the students watched this video without the captions we might be wasting valuable class time and worse, students could get disengaged.

Solution: I hooked up my laptop to the projector instead. I played the DVD using Windows Media Player. I turned on the captions from within the player (right-click). We were in business! All captions were easily seen.

Microsoft Images

Wk1-2 DB Quickies: DIY Classroom/Presentation Solutions

Topic #2: Tech in your workplace: How has your workplace kept up with tech or not kept up with tech? What kinds of tech things have you bought to use in your classroom/presentation?Please give examples (and have a little fun with the idea…).

Comment thread

Michael Wood says:

Our workplace, as most of you probably report, is about 7 years behind in technology. We have high-speed Internet and even have Wi-Fi in the High School Library. However, the computers are 7-year old Dells. We are running Windows XP and are restricted to earlier versions of Internet Explorer. This means the computers tend to chug along as they attempt to crunch all the multimedia out there. Sometimes it sounds like my computer is about to take flight as the CPU fan ramps up in speed. The District got 600 new computers, but they will replace the 10-year-old computers first.

I cannot do my job without my own laptop. I have had a laptop since day one of my teaching career (5 years ago). I simply can’t operate with all those administrative restrictions over software and having the threat of them taking it all away, or I would have to wait for an administrator if something went wrong. I used to plug my personal laptop into the District network, but they left me a note one day that said “please don’t plug your personal computer into the District network” and they left the Ethernet cord laying lifeless on the desk, unplugged from my laptop (kind of creepy). All this while I was supervising recess! I might have to resort to what other teachers do, that is to use our iPhone or Droid to access our own personal network. Of course, that means $50 a month, but they’re worth it right? Right?

Week 1 comment 2 - Tricia Atkinson

Tricia's Post 

Week 1 Reading: Copyright Issues Part 1-3

Wow, where to begin. That was a lot of information to digest about copyright. I really appreciated all the different perspectives of the various videos that we looked at how each one interwove more details about the history of copyright and how it has transformed into its current state. For the sake of organization and clarity, I will respond to each section of videos separately.

Part 1: Intro to copyright

I never knew how copyright started and it made sense that it was books, being the earliest printed form of creative expression. I am curious why the concept of a fixed time on copyright ever came about. Did our ancestors have a notion of the benefits of some sort of eventual creative commons-type remixing? It seems that if instigated by the creators, copyright law would have been inherently forever. I think the fact that it was not says a lot about humans’ realization of the transience of culture and how future generations have a need to feed and build off of previous content, just as, in my opinion, children observe and emulate their parents' characteristics, but in their own special way.

I appreciated the 10 Myths being explained, and learning what exactly is not protected. I think the source of conflict in copyright law is its subjectivity. There are so many aspects that are dependent on interpretation. What is common property of our culture? The Good Copy/Bad Copy absolutely emphasized this idea, and the fact that the architecture of copyright law, although designed to protect, actually ends up curtailing cultural enrichment and new creation. I thought the Grey Album was such a fascinating concept, which uniquely mixed styles, races, and perspectives of music in a way that was aesthetically and musically genius. In my opinion, it seems like their should be some correlation between how much work a new artist puts into remixing work, and how much right they have to using the original. I know that completely contradicts intellectual property, but I am just trying to figure a way to tell the difference between something like the Grey Album, or even NWAs 100 Miles and Running, both totally new and unique creations with a ton of work put into them, which I appreciate and respect so much, versus someone who maliciously copies and tries to secretly promote a replica as their own. There is just so much difference in quality between copyright issue situations, and they are considered the same violations under law. If someone took my art and spent a lot of time and effort remixing it into a totally new and unique thing, I would celebrate them. Of course, it would be nice to get an attribution nod. It would be a completely different thing if someone blatantly copied and said it was their own.

Part 2: Fair Use

I absolutely loved the Fair(y) Use Tale, and recognized it as a sort of pun and direct illustration of the point that some things that are traditionally copyright violations are actually useful and poignant. Everyone knows that the work is Disney; it is how it is remixed that is the feature of the piece (as well as the example of the content explored, cleverly).

I still really don't understand this concept about Fair Use being a legal defense but not a right. Does that just mean that we have the potential to be protected, but only if we interpret it correctly? I don't agree with the vindication that if a unit can be taught without a certain free-usable copyrighted item, then it should not be used. That is so subjective. Yeah, technically, I could teach a unit on the Renaissance by reading an Art History text out loud. But would students be engaged, enriched, inspired, and transported without a video tour of the Sistine Chapel? Who is to say that a group of students does not deserve every angle, every perspective, every visual option that is deemed applicable? Wouldn't NOT showing everything tha

t we ourselves would want to see be limiting their perspective and censoring their creative development? As discussed by the documentary film directors, sometimes it seems that there is more benefit to society, more embracing of Art and Science, when the law is broken, than there is harm to the copyrighter. It is a real quandary that we find ourselves in with today’s media-saturated environment. I agree with the film makers who were making the point that sometimes copyright law unreasonably infringes on the preservation of our cultural history. At least they have a standardized statement now to refer to, which somewhat alleviates the guess work of fair use. It is important to look at the original purpose of copyright protection and compare it to what is actually being preserved when history and culture are private property.

A quick note on Shepard Fairey and the Obama poster:

Being an artist and high art teacher, I am highly aware of the issue of copying other people’s work off of the internet, digital manipulation, and young people’s opinions on the process and style that is produced. I have been following the Fairey case, and am absolutely shocked that the results were not made public to give me some kind of closure on my own mixed feelings! On one hand, I agree that the opinion of just grabbing something off the web is ok cause I’m changing it is wrong; and yet, on the other hand I recognize the incredible potential of using other people’s work as inspiration and a starting point in the creative process. The last thing I wanted to mention about the case is that it seems to me that when you are dealing with a public figure-head, there should be more leniency in the transfer of images. I mean, how else could Fairey get his photo? Take it himself? As a famous street artist though, he should have known that it would blow up and at least ask the photographer’s permission.

Part 3: Creative Commons Solution

Creative commons truly is the saving grace of copyright law oppression. Its not perfect, but at least there is some forum where people who recognize the importance of cultural sharing can post without fear of misuse (at least if you find out about it). As an Art teacher, I recognize that all art and creation is a form of remixing in some way. That is how humans work. We are influenced, we reflect, we learn, we respond. I really enjoyed both the Mayer & Beetle animation (that character sounds like a girl- Cartman, it was hilarious) and the Larry Lessig TED talk. I never understood the symbol delineations completely before and now feel more confident about interpreting them. I thought Lessig made a great analogy between the Supreme Court’s “common-sense” decision about allowing planes to fly over land without permission, and using common-sense in support of a read/write culture. His re-mix examples were awesome. He is so right about the youthful generation and their general apathy and being accustomed to always breaking the law: having no respect. It is the old adage: if you make the rules too extreme, there will be rebellion. I thought it was interesting when he said that today’s copyright laws are criminalizing the average person, and that we need to emphasize artists’ choices to share and be flexible about their content. There is definitely some catch up work to do in the nature of the law in response to the rapidly changing digital culture.

Image Attributions:

In order of appearance

Copyright question.svg. By: Editor at Large. Unknown Date. Wikimediacommons.org

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Questionmark_copyright.svg

Parents Obey. By: Daquella Manera. 2008. CreativeCommons.org

http://search.creativecommons.org/?q=parents%20obey

Shepard Fairey Poster Photograph. By: David Shankbone. 2009. WikimediaCommons.org

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Shepard_Fairey_Obama_Poster_in_Denver_Colorado.jpg

Copy.Right.Now! By: Heinrich Boll Stiftung. 2010. WikimediaCommons.org

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Flickr_-_boellstiftung_-_Reader%2C_Copy.Right.Now.jpg

My Response

    Wow, you certainly had a lot to say regarding the videos. I liked how you were very detailed and referred to specific aspects of the videos.  In regards to your conundrum about remixes like NWA’s “100 miles and running”, I agree that these artists created something new an unique, though they borrowed other sources.  I think there is a point when a piece can be altered enough to justify it being a new creation.  In a way, that piece of art simply evolved into a new context.  However, giving some credit in the liner notes would be a nice gesture and would help us discover more artists. 

Regarding Shepherd Fairy’s case, I think you’re right about leniency when using images of public figures.  However, Shepherd certainly made money from his creation, so the photographer should certainly be compensated.  After all, it was the photographer who had to probably put on a suit-and-tie, load his camera, probably fly into DC, leave his family behind, and wake up at 5am to get that photo taken (not to mention the extensive post-production involved).  I used to take pictures and videos when I worked for Public Affairs in the Army.  All those images, as I saw it, were property of the Army so they had free access to all my material.  However, anything outside the Army would be carefully filtered.  However, should someone have to compensate me if they used one of my images?  After all, the Army is a paid through taxes.  Are my images, then, a public work and is free of copyright?  What do you think?

I appreciate your sentiments that we, as humans, are influenced by other work.  This is certainly true.  For that reason, I don’t necessarily enforce copyright law when High School students are creating work for my class.  This is because we are busy learning expression and design concepts.  What is working?  What doesn’t work?  Students are in the process of making design decisions.  In that regard, I say let it go.  Should the students move past that and actually get serious about producing art, then they will most likely attend an Art School where copyright will be enforced.  At that point, those few students will be ready anyway.  I don’t think there should be any restrictions when it comes to education.