MAC Wk 4 Pub/ Leadership Part 2

Publishing and Leadership MAC Blog Part 2

As I've done some further research over the last few days, I am growing more excited to apply for an opportunity to present at next year's MEIEA annual conference.

First, the conference is in California. In April. As a Minnesota resident, the need to escape the snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures by April of every year is beyond description.

Secondly, I think I've found a valuable angle and niche from which to approach my application. While the bulk of my Action Research was very reflective and personal in nature, my experience with the South by Southwest Music Conference could be presented as a "new models for off campus studies" topic which would have a much larger potential audience or application.

As it stands, my SXSW experience was almost a Cycle 1.5 type of activity. Throughout my whole project, I've been researching methods by which to improve student engagement in large group environments. Midway through my cycles, I had the opportunity to lead an off-campus studies trip, and almost simply due to the timing of the experience, I was able to use the trip as another "case study" or data cycle for leveraging technology in order to increase engagement in the classroom. Granted, in this case, the classroom happened to be an open environment (the city of Austin, Texas), but many of the same considerations applied.

Since so many colleges and universities offer off-campus activities, I believe my experience using technology in order to maintain academic rigor, monitor student well being, and encourage learning goals through the development of multimedia while at last year's SXSW event might be of value to others who are thinking of leading such excursions.

In the near term, I'm going to work on collecting my notes and data from that experience and formulate what we learned into a presentation application. With fingers crossed, I hope to share the results with all of you next spring. From California. Where it is warm.

MAC Wk 4 Blog 3

In a post this week, Sharon Jones was responding to the very powerful perspective of "WE" in our book this week. Her comments can be found here and my response is below.

Sharon,

I too have to admit that I found the "WE" perspective from the Art of Possibility extremely valuable to reflect upon. Not just for myself, but for my students as well.

One of my favorite quotes that I've used in the classroom almost every semester is an old joke from Roy Rogers which runs along the lines of, "I couldn't last a day without everyone".

Its true. When we think about it, especially in a developed economy such as ours, our communities are so intertwined with the lives and work of thousands of others. From those at the electric company, to those maintaining our roads, our society is certainly one created, supported, and stabilized through the collective efforts of a "WE" majority.

Not only is this concept of value, but I've also learned to appreciate a derivative version of "I" as well. Every moment, our bodies, lives, and minds and in motion. We learn, perceive, and react differently with each passing moment as both memory and stimuli shape our conscious environment. When examined from this angle, how much of a concrete identity does a single individual hold in a life that by its nature is dynamic? Thus, I try to remind my students that they are not children anymore, nor do I judge them or harbor ill will from a classroom misstep that might have happened a week ago.

While I'm not espousing a blind and unaware life path, we should not be held back by our historic choices or place in life, nor should we ignore that our world is one of a collective and much is owed to those who support and nurture us and many can conversely benefit from our reciprocal efforts as well.

This was indeed a fun book for the semester. Its been great to share it and explore with you and the rest of the class.

Thanks.

-Scott

MAC Wk 4 Blog 4: Publishing and Leadership

I have a confession to make.

Hello, my name is Scott LeGere, and I am a conference addict.


South by Southwest, MEIEA, the Billboard Music and Money Symposium, the Americana Music Conference, AES, Digital Music Forum East… The list goes on. I have attended many. I love flying to national conferences and having the opportunity to learn and engage with other motivated professionals and educators. You never know who you might be sitting next to in the conference center or lobby, and the excitement and energy of collaborative learning and sharing is quite significant.

However, only recently have I discovered an important trick in conference attendance: if you can finagle your way into a panel discussion or speaking opportunity, the registration badge is often complimentary!~

As such, I'm excited to try and register for next year's MEIEA National Conference as a presenter to speak on my Action Research Project. In the past, I've really enjoyed attending the MEIEA (Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association) National Conference as the main subject themes of the event correlate directly with the subject areas in which I teach at the McNally Smith College of Music.

Comprised mostly of teachers and instructors from media related institutions, this conference focuses on education within the music and entertainment industry. While not nearly as large as some other national events like SXSW, the attendees are generally very passionate about this subject area and throughout the last few years, I've been able to develop real and lasting relationships with colleagues around the country.

Later this month, I will begin reviewing my AR work to find the most appropriate and compelling angle from which to address my work and build potential interest for attendees. I'm looking forward to the challenge, and I'm excited for the opportunity should it arise.

MAC Wk 4 Blog 2: Comments

Jeff Kohls published a piece in his blog this week that addressed his time here at Full Sail and the relationships we've all built with our classmates. Much appreciate Jeff. Check out his post here, and my comments below:

Jeff,

It is very hard not to comment on such a post when you call out half of your classmates by name. Thank you, and let me respond.

Almost daily, someone asks me about my Masters program here at Full Sail. How's it going? Are you done yet? When will you have any free time again? All of these are constant questions that I field throughout the day. Matter of fact, one colleague is thinking about enrolling in EMDT next fall.

(If I encourage him, do I get a finder's fee?)

And as such, whenever I describe the program, I'm led into the deeper conversation of why I chose to pursue a degree to begin within. While it is difficult to pinpoint the specific inspiration of a moment that was easily 20 months ago, I invariably respond to such inquiries that I was looking to add more concrete knowledge and pedagogy to my own classroom practice.

Furthermore, as I researched a slew of programs, Full Sail's EMDT degree really stood out as it seemed to address educational psychology and curricula design with a technological emphasis. In all honesty, this seemed like an amazing combination that would perfectly fulfill the gaps in my own personal knowledge base around education that I was hoping to develop.

Now, nearing completion of the course, I've learned quite a few things:

1. Online education can be amazingly affective
2. Programs like this are very time consuming
3. "Working around your own schedule" (as so many institutional literature pieces purport is possible) is a misnomer
4. There is an unprecedented amount of resources available in today's modern communication tools to make real and lasting impacts in both analog and digital classrooms

Additionally, my Action Research project has been dealing specifically with technology based learning mechanisms in order to boost student engagement. And as I've worked through the literature, I've discovered that the most crucial element for success of any digitally supported educational initiative is careful and deliberate implementation of those resources. In order to create a portal or interface that really supports the needs of learners, an institution should:

1. Encourage group work
2. Allow participants to share historical and biographical information
3. Foster regular large and small group discussion opportunities
4. Distribute media through a variety of formats
5. Focus on project and media based assignments to complement the program's nature rather than rely on writing assignments alone

In short, the literature suggests that administrations and educators looking to develop a quality digital or distance program would mirror much of what we've experienced here at Full Sail.

It can work. This program has been so personally rewarding (and yes, challenging) that I feel absolutely blessed to have been able to participate and learn in such an environment. And to your post Jeff, without question, this learning and personal growth is directly related to the support, encouragement, and integrity of my classmates.

Collaborative learning doesn't work very well without collaborators. This cohort is truly a talented and passionate bunch who will only continue to make lasting and powerful changes in the lives of their students and coworkers.

Thank you all.

MAC Wk 4 Blog 1: Reading

MAC Wk 4 Blog 1: Reading


I now ride the bus. Every day, I walk 7 blocks to the Downtown Minneapolis 5th Street Station. From there, I catch the 94Express and ride into downtown St. Paul. If I'm a little early (a rare feat), I'm able to grab a seat by the window and sit relatively distraction free from the chaos that can be indicative of public transportation in a major metropolitan area.

I wasn't excited about being a commuter. For the last few years, I've tried to maintain a strict rule of living within a short bike ride or walk from the workplace. Still, when I received an invitation to teach Media Economics at the McNally Smith College of Music, I couldn't refuse the offer.

And so I commute. Initially, I was pretty against the idea. It was going to be inconvenient and take too long. On good days, the trip usually takes about 30 minutes. Yet, come January, I can only assume that a brief snow flurry will easily extend the trip to over an hour making the ordeal even more excruciating.

Yet what I've learned to do is to take this unique opportunity and reframe the experience into an opportunity. This new daily ritual is a break. A breath. And even a chance to read, prep for class, and watch the world go by. As it stands, only two weeks into the school year, I'm enjoying the bus.

In some ways, this process is akin to what the Zanders describe as "being the board"- readjusting your perspective regarding the systems of cause and effect that create specific situations. In this simple case, I've found that over time, this strategy (and the others already prescribed in the Art of Possibility) is real. We can pause, reflect on a situation, and draw from it a more positive conclusion or perspective than we had first held.

In one brief paragraph of analysis, the Zanders spoke of the strong reactionary powers that we have adopted as human beings. It is true, biologically and physiologically we have developed an extremely perceptive ability to sense potential danger. Clearly, this adaptation was instrumental in escaping predators and protecting early communities from danger. However, today, these same powers are likely a contributor to the negative feelings we can harbor towards new situations and events.

Without question, it is imperative that we avoid letting these receptive powers lead us towards a "downward spiral" of behavior or attitude. And, if we take a broader view towards the seemingly seismic changes happening in our schools, workplace, country, and world, our students especially need to be reminded of this concern.

Honestly, I think an excellent title for a teacher today could be that of one who "creates frameworks for possibility". I can see no greater nobility to extend to our young learners. The world is complicated. It is scary. And, being left to one's own devices without a roadmap, support, or self confidence building feedback, I'm sure today's students could develop severely negative opinions of the future and their place in it.

I'm really enjoying reading the Art of Possibility. It is refreshing, and I'm able to bring ideas and quotes straight from my reading into the classroom minutes later… after getting off the bus.

MAC Wk 3 Blog 3

Sharon Jones posted a very poignant blog that I had to respond to this week. Her post can be found here and my comments are below:

Sharon,

You couldn't be more right.

In many ways, I think our country has lost its middle ground. And by that, I mean our space for debate, discussion, and compromise. We seemed to have moved from an era or place of discourse to a populace filled with rebuke and judgement.

I fall into this trap quite easily also. All to often, many conversations with friends and family alike end in my exclamation that, "well yeah, they are idiots!".

As our schools, communities, and country alike are faced with a myriad of challenges, sometimes administrations of all ilk are forced to make specific dogmatic or pragmatic decisions. Within these scenarios, many of us are left out of the decision making process.

For educators, I think being left out of the conversation is exceedingly difficult. The decision to teach is not one borne out of fiscal gain. We teach because we care. Correspondingly, I've found that teachers generally care about a whole host of issues throughout their institutions that they might not have any direct control or responsibility over. This reality only further frustrates those of us that my girlfriend Kelly refers to as "heart" people. It is these very situations that contribute to the "well if I were the boss…" perceptions.

However, Sharon, your closing observations are absolutely spot on. In order to avoid this constant circular behavior and frustration, we need to focus on the small but immensely valuable impact and change that we can create in the classroom every day. Once the bell rings, the room is only occupied by us, and our students. Those small changes, approaches to curricula, perspectives in lesson planning, and technology resources we leverage build upon themselves to create real and lasting impacts for our students.

We can make a difference even if we aren't the boss. Step by step, student by student. Innovative web stream by innovative web stream. Or at least student by student...

MAC Wk 3 Blog 2

John Harvey had a very honest and open post about how difficult rejections and expectations can be. Check his post out here, and see my comments below. Thanks John.


John,

I agree, on several levels.

First, we are faced with rejection from an assortment of daily sources. I have a whole cadre of friends like you: artists, filmmakers, musicians, and other creatives of one ilk or another who are continuously faced with criticism.

However, it seems that despite this barrage of feedback, many of these same keep creating. My guess is that the initial motivation for creating in the first place had nothing to do with feedback or professional acclaim, but a need to share an idea, concept, feeling, or even message.

Your blog post is a perfect example therein. An initial project idea didn't work out, but you went ahead and created something. Not only did you create something, you shared it with all of us while discounting some of the aesthetic and technical aspects. Clearly, the message, not the F-Stop, focus or other technical minutia was the central element you wanted to share.

Personally, I think that when a creative develops some content irregardless of inevitable negative feedback, that creative piece is often the most honest and welcomed by others.

And, to your point that now is the time to start something, I've found that often, "starting" is never easy. Its the most inhibiting process of any project. Our inner voice questions whether anyone will like it, whether we'll be able to repeat an earlier success, or whether we'll never get another gig again.

Yet if we never start, or try once again, we'll never know will we? Trying is difficult. Starting is difficult. But, it can be immensely rewarding, and generally, I've generally found that once I started something, I usually wondered, "what was I so worried about?"

Well done. Thanks for the post.

MAC Wk 3 Blog 4: Open Subject

There is an ancient "Chinese Curse" which seems to be oft repeated these days: May you live in interesting times.

After reading another report on testing models and international education programming in last week's New York Times, I am convinced that we live in interesting times indeed.

Over the past 11 months, we have had the unique opportunity to study educational design theory through a media rich portal while the following is being debated and discussed in national and international forums:

1. The lack of creative aptitude and problem solving skills in today's school children
2. The effectiveness of No Child Left Behind
3. The sky-rocketing cost of higher education
4. The value of testing
5. How to teach meaning over fact in an age of Google
6. The validity of Wikipedia
7. The wiring of the entire world via the internet
8. Video in education
9. Online education
10. The crash of our financial markets and changing workplace needs
11. Unions vs merit pay
12. For-profit education and "career colleges"
13. Technology in the classroom: ie iPads or books
14. The notion of DIY-U and untethered / piecemeal higher education opportunities
15. MI and BBL
16…

The list goes on and on.

Yet, what continues to inspire and encourage me in this age of confusion and challenge (felt on behalf of my students who are seeking future employment and myself on how to empower them with appropriate skills and worldviews), is that we have been able to observe the international educational and social debates through the FSO portal supported by the expertise of committed educators. I believe that this is no small asset.

This past year has shown me what is possible in order to leverage today's modern communication tools within learning environments. And, what has been most apparent is that rarely did this experience ever appear to involve technology simply for technology's sake. Personally, I have really appreciated the balance between varying activities while an online student here at Full Sail. In nearly equal measure, our coursework from month to month has involved discussion, media development, research, reading, and a host of other "traditional" educational exercises.

Often, when the debate of educational (or political) change enters the public sphere, sentiments seem to sway dramatically towards one or another diametrically opposed position. While our program was certainly technology intensive, the deployment of modern tools was often used in order to simply facilitate a somewhat traditional or common classroom discussion or lecture.

I really feel encouraged by the wide swath of tools and resources that we've discussed and used. This week alone, our class has collectively shared over 50 video links that could be brought into the classroom. Or beamed to our students' laptops, iPhones, or iPads.

Yet still remaining is the challenge of finding the break in the day (or school year) to affectively implement these tools into the classroom. It seems that every morning I'm working through a giant jigsaw puzzle in my mind investigating a hundred different scenarios while trying to decide which link should be used in which class for which subject for…

Without question, my Action Research Project has been an invaluable opportunity. While reviewing my classroom activities student surveys, I've learned to see a much more immediate and true perspective of how affective my classroom is on any given day. As such, I'm learning to react at the "speed of observation" per the needs and expectations of my students in this complex world.

Returning to the classroom (albeit a new classroom) has been exhilarating. While the summer break is always needed in June, and I get ancy by mid-July, sometimes I wish we had another 2 months off to work this video into that curricula and this discussion blog into that course.

Or maybe, just maybe, mirroring every other individual journey in the game of life, we get a little further and a little better as time allows and patience is one of the best medicines for these "interesting" times.

MAC Wk 3 Blog 1

MAC Wk 3 Blog 1

We are surrounded by perfection. Whether we've turned on the television or visited any news blog, we are confronted with perfect people, that have perfect faces, and dress their perfect bodies in immaculately styled fashion.

In many ways, this unsurpassed perception and aura of success envelops us. Magic sporting events are constantly replayed on television, while equally surrealistic and virtuostic musical displays are frozen into our collective psyche through the radio and other mediums. Personally, I think that the proverbial bar has been set a little too high. And yet, we are constantly reminded of its presence in a cruel and ceaseless way as media distributors bombard us with a myriad of images, videos, and web streams.

However, countering this trend, authors like the Zanders' are suggesting we learn to see things "the way they are" and "embrace the passion and vitality" of honest performance rather than simply celebrating the staggeringly rare moments that escape classification.

Ben's anecdotes about performance and music were especially poignant as he recollected that Stravinsky chose a musician with less aptitude to play a particular line in The Rite of Spring. In Stravinsky's mind, as a "master" or virtuoso" would likely have played the particular passage with relative ease, the maestro realized that a more desperate player might imbue the concert with a greater sense of emotion or delicacy. In reality, the part actually needed to be desperate, conflicted, and even emotive in order to convey the message the writer had intended.

We often live in fear of measuring up in not only our professional lives, but also in our personal lives, appearances, and even relationships. Too often, individuals and society as a whole miss the fact that the excitement of anticipation or attempt can actually accentuate the moments we hope to experience in life.

In many ways, I found the Zanders's observations to be in line with those of Sir Ken Robinson and other contemporary thinkers. In his now famous TED Talk entitled, "Do Schools Kill Creativity", Robinson reminds us that if anyone is ever afraid of being wrong, it is quite likely that they will never try anything original out of fear of failure or rejection.

Personally, reading the Art of Possibility has been a very timely experience. As Newsweek, the New York Times, and other major media outlets have all decried the lack of creative acumen in our younger student population, I believe that it is high time for all of us to embrace realistic and personally applicable measures of "success" and accomplishment for our students.

Within my short lifetime, I have been witness to a variety of sublime displays of human prowess. However, if I set my daily barometer to the level set by the likes of Michael Jordan or Prince, I don't know if I would get out of bed.

Besides, there are some things that I aspire to do that I don't they could do either.

And I bet our students would agree. There are a lot of other jobs to be done in the world today…

MAC Wk 2 Blog 4: Open Subject

There are a million acronyms that teachers, businesses and governments will use to explain or simplify complex collections of information. Often times, the acronym can illustrate a progression of information, or simply tie together some relevant truism.

This week, the classic acronym "K.I.S.S." (Keep It Simple Stupid) is ringing particularly true in my classroom.

Last week, I started a new position at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota. McNally Smith is music focused media arts college which offers BA degrees in music performance, composition, business, and other disciplines. Starting on the 7th of September, I joined the Business Department and am now teaching Media Economics, Music Business History, and Ethics.

I am always motivated by new challenges, and I was especially excited to join the team at McNally and explore an all new classroom environment. However, I was not necessarily prepared to teach an entirely new slate of courses. Granted, I have been teaching media related issues for almost a decade, however one course in particular, Ethics, was quite new to me as a stand-alone subject.

As my close friends and family can attest, I barely slept the last week of August. With Full Sail's program still in full swing and a myriad of other commitments looming, I felt completely unprepared to digest a whole new set of texts and course materials while developing dynamic and motivating lesson plans for an entire semester.

Sometimes, actually starting can be the hardest point of a project. As the days passed, I found myself almost intimidated by the process. I didn't want to walk into the classroom without a complete and holistic view of the courses entire progression.

Not surprisingly, when I walked into the classroom Tuesday afternoon, I did not have the entire course elegantly mapped out for the next 15 weeks. Instead, I took a deep breath (almost out of desperation) and simply started talking with my students. Who were they? Why had they come to such a unique institution? What were their goals and aspirations? What does it mean to conduct one's self ethically in the workplace?

We had a wonderful class. And, as I reviewed the discussion notes from our first session together, I realized that their input had contributed to a litany of different conversation points which could manifest into any number of potential projects and activities.

Clearly, the stress of creating the "perfect" lesson had clouded my ability to follow the advice of almost every educational researcher and our entire program here at Full Sail: before you implement something, consider the audience, apply the material to their needs, and have fun.

Keep it simple. Start at the beginning. Work with your students and find points of entry to bridge the complex structures of the material that has to be covered, and make it relatable in a relaxed and engaging atmosphere.

In truth, this program and our journey together has been impactful beyond measure. I feel much more empowered and inspired to engage with my students and explore complex and important issues. Sometimes, however, I just need to breathe, reflect on the past year, and remember the basics.

Keep it simple stupid. It gets easier once you start. At least starting somewhere is probably what matters most.

I hope the week and school year has begun auspiciously for you all as well.

Thanks...

MAC Wk 2 Comment 2

Jodi Zeigler has a post on her blog this week that really resonated with me personally. Read it here and see my comments below.

Jodi,

You are not alone.

I too am an incredibly driven individual. And, while I've talked about my behavior and competitive nature with friends and family, I'm often at a loss as to what is driving these tendencies.

Furthermore, I too feel that I've practically "lost" an entire year to grad school. It is easy to feel caught up with your own world when a program or life event such as this can be so demanding.

In all, this has been a challenging year. I've lost touch with many of my regular friends and associates, and in many ways, feel somewhat isolated from my community. That said, I do think that a perspective that embraces contributions can help significantly. I feel blessed to be working in education, and I'm also incredibly thankful that I've had the opportunity to learn and grow with you and the rest of our EMDT cohort in such an exciting and inspiring environment.

Rest assured, you already are working towards contributing meaningfully in the lives of your students. This program is helping all of us broaden our horizons and preparing us for a rewarding and exciting career enriching young minds.

Good post, and god work.

MAC Wk 2 Comment 1

Sharon Jones has a very well written post about our reading this week from the Art of Possibility. Read it here. My comments are below:

Sharon,

I think you are spot on in suggesting that one of the Zanders' greatest strengths is the simplicity that they deploy in their writing style. However, in this week's post you have also eloquently and succinctly illustrated how the 6th Rule from the Art of Possibility can be reflected in our daily lives.

I agree, much of the positive or negative attitudes that surround our lives are self-determined. I've sometimes tried to describe this notion to my students through a discussion of "the little things". In short, I've tried to explain that it is often our reactions to little daily inconveniences, such as missing a bus, rather than drastic and catastrophic events which can positively or negatively shape our day.

More importantly, I really appreciated your observation that the behavior of our students, or traffic, or other such trivial daily events is rarely dramatically worse on any given day. Instead, it is our reaction to the myriad of other unrelated occurrences which lead to our perceptions of a good or bad day.

Personally, I sometimes find it difficult to choose how to respond to one of those "little events", but I'll certainly try to let my initial reaction or mood dissipate as quickly as possible. I've found on more than one occasion that green tea seems to make almost everything better…

Well put Sharon, thank you.

MAC Wk 2 Blog 1

MAC Wk 2 Blog 1: Reading

I'm really starting to enjoy the Art of Possibility as the issues that the Zanders raise continue to mirror concerns that I face almost daily as a teacher.


About halfway through the 4th chapter, the authors hit on one of the most difficult discussions that I have with students every semester. While building upon their theories from earlier chapters that many of our social norms are artificial constructs, the Zanders began to question the greater concept of grading. From the outset, I fully agree with their observations that grading can often be a very arbitrary process which sometimes provides very little information towards an individual's true comprehension of the material at hand.

As such, I regularly try to explain to my students that grades are not the final arbiter to success in life, career, and creative pursuits. Instead, grades are more akin to a valuable guide for concept retention that can help measure personal progress within a specific subject area. My overall goal when discussing this perspective with students is to help them feel less intimated by the prospect of a challenging grade. My hope being that students would be motivated to try new activities and / or difficult challenges unencumbered by the pressure that always achieving a certain grade point can create.

However, as the authors deftly point out, whenever you marginalize the impact of grades (or other such measurement tools), you risk completely devaluing the measurement all together. We risk trivializing the entire system of academic feedback if grading system begins to feel arbitrary or even "game-like".

This area of discussion really struck me as I was reading an article that raised similar concerns only earlier this week. In one of the most recent issues of Fast Company magazine, marketing guru David Boguski was trying to explain his abrupt departure from the industry he had literally been leading with a bevy of awards, clients, and accolades in tow:

"I wasn't attached to the idea that I was an ad-creative-director rock star. I don't believe any of that stuff. It isn't my legacy. I guess I just don't aspire to corporate legacy. I'm convinced that the greatness that matters more is the greatness people achieve through helping each other, through collaborating, more than the greatness that's achieved by grabbing all you can or getting all you can or building all you can. The 'you' needs to go away for there to be the real greatness to
things. So for me, the genuine part, it's a weird thing -- to get to the real you, you have to be less you."

I don't think it is a mere coincidence that the Zanders, Boguski, author and educator Seth Godin, and other cultural figure heads are merging around a movement that is based in both transparency and personal authenticity. Today, the internet and other modern mass communication technologies have brought a mountain of information, media, and entertainment to our fingertips. However, this influx of information has almost exposed us all to too much content, clouding our ability to judge and assess the quality of such media and digital information as well as our own identities and self worth. Authenticity is critical in today's world into only for consumers, but also for our students.

Authenticity is also crucial in our interactions with young people in the classroom. How are we assessing content? How are we motivating students to challenge themselves with individualized new opportunities and pursuits which would best support each and every learner?

In short, we need to help students see their authentic selves and highlight those talents and unique abilities that they, like all humans, possess. One of the greatest lessons that I've learned from the EMDT program here at Full Sail is that the ultimate value of many of the educational technologies we've discussed isn't it replacing the traditional classroom. These technologies and tools can all be used to augment the traditional classroom with more individualized opportunities to increase and enrich student-to-teacher interaction, material retention, and individual creativity in learning activities and assignments. I'm looking forward to implementing these resources carefully this fall to enhance the classroom experience, so that a room of 30 can ultimately feel like a classroom of one.

Later in the Fast Company piece, Boguski elaborated on his time away from advertising, "I've been messing around with this less-competitive version of myself, because the other doesn't make you happy. You can't win enough."

I think this is a tremendous observation that correlates directly to what we're talking about in class and the Zanders are raising in their book. No one can "win" enough, and within the obvious construct of grading, actually achieving an "A" is not necessarily enough to truly develop one's inner skills and creative aptitudes or acquire the vast myriad of diverse skill sets which are imperative to rising above today's political, environmental, and societal challenges..

Finally, I think Gandhi summarized these points best by declaring the following:

"Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning."

If we can learn to bring even a fraction of that encouragement and perspective to our young people, I think their learning and development could be significant. that's my challenge today.

http://www.fastcompany.com/alex-bogusky-tells-all

MAC Wk 1 Blog 3

Jodi Zeigler had a great post which brought our conversation regarding the Art of Possibility to the lives and perspectives of our students. Jodi's post can be read here and my comments are below.

Jodi,

Well put!

I too have been really inspired by our book for this class, but your post is the first time that I've been reminded that the ideas and encouragements that the Zanders share can be applied to our students as well.

Too true, our students are especially cognizant of the "measures" and socially constructed "pressures" that affect every day life. It is imperative for young people to learn to develop their own tools for measurement and personal progress. While critical benchmarks in life do exist, we need to caution young people who may try to live up to completely unrealistic situations or conditions.

Furthermore, we should all work as educators to do as you suggest and help our young people not perpetuate these same conditions.

Thanks for sharing, this post really got me thinking.

MAC Wk 1 Blog 2

Tamara Collins shared an interesting point in her blog referencing the Art of Possibility. Her blog can be found here and my comments are copied below.



Tamara,

The last paragraph of your blog post really grabbed me. I think you're absolutely right in suggesting that often times our assessments are based on whether or not the student is doing what we have told them.

Personally, assessment has always been a challenging aspect of the classroom. Early on in my teaching career, I would have to confess that much of analysis of student work was only slightly more sophisticated than "arbitrary".

And, while today I feel much more confident and consistent in my grading (armed with a bevy of rubrics and assessment tools), I still often find my self frustrated by certain student papers thinking, "That's not exactly what I wanted you to say in the essay". This is a challenge. We are grading based on our own personal perspectives and world views. This point of view doesn't necessarily account for the broader holistic learning that a student might experience.

I too am encouraged and inspired by our new text. I'm discovering that assessments should be diversified and broadened to allow students the opportunity to share and, per an earlier post on my blog, "re-present" what they have learned.

Well done.

MAC Wk 1 Blog 4: Open Topic

Yesterday, September 1st, I started on a bold new adventure. I attended my New Faculty Orientation at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul Minnesota where I will be teaching Media Economics, Music Business History, and other courses this Fall.


As part of our orientation, we had a variety of faculty in-service activities which included ice breakers, team building exercises, and teacher training. In order to support new faculty and prepare them for their courses this fall, the McNally Smith administration invited a variety of educational consultants and PhD's from the University of Minnesota to work with all of us prior to the start of the semester.

While I have attended a myriad of teacher training workshops in the past, this year's activities felt different. As we progressed through topics like "Why Learning Styles Don't Matter and What to do About It", "Making Assessment a Learning Experience", and "Understanding Challenging Students", I realized that for the first time in my teaching career, I was intimately engaged in the topics and theories being discussed. Subjects like Bloom's Taxonomy, rubrics, Multiple Intelligences, Learning Theories, assessment, and Kolb's Learning Cycle were known entities. I was able to share, discuss, and ask meaningful questions with the seminar leaders at a higher level than any other time in my career.

Furthermore, I was able to put the technical side of my EMDT experience to good use as well. As all of us new faculty shared the inevitable issues that arise within the classroom, I felt prepared to offer creative educational solutions which involved video production, audio podcasting, blogging, and other Web 2.0 technologies with my new colleagues.

Without question, this past year at Full Sail has broadened my knowledge base in education while also empowering and inspiring me to become an even greater part of the academic discussion within my new institution.

Still, despite my enhanced background in educational theory, many of the University of Minnesota staff shared some very poignant tips and information. Dr. Paul Ching raised two very good points that I thought I should share. First, he recommended challenging students to "re-present" information in a variety of forums and media in order to assess their learning intake of a given lesson. While it seems commonplace to "test" or "quiz" or students as to their specific learning input, I really like the notion of "re-presenting". This term suggests a greater level of involvement on the part of the learner. The connotation alone of "re-presenting" alludes to oral presentation or multi-media broadcast. In short, I found this simple idea really encapsulated much of what we've learned here while also reminding me to develop assessment opportunities that involve a greater level of student participation and activity than a simple quiz or paper.

Later in the day, while discussing the value of mind mapping, (MLT anyone?) Dr. Ching also advised teachers to have students "practice retrieval" of critical concepts and topics. Through this type of practice, students are constantly recalling earlier discussions, facts, and ideas in order to solve more complex problems later on in the semester. The theory being, the more information is accessed within the brain, the stronger the neural networks involving that information will become.

Again, these ideas weren't necessarily revolutionary, however Dr. Ching was able to illustrate these concepts and techniques in a very elegant manner which reinforced the value and simplicity of employing them within the classroom.

In all, I'm really excited for the start of the school year. I feel more prepared than ever to really engage with my students and leverage technology to create an engaging learning environment. That you Full Sail, and thank you McNally Smith for taking the time to support, train, and work with teachers in helping to make a difference in the lives of young people.

MAC Wk 1 Blog 1: The Art of Possibility

By nature, I'm sometimes skeptical about books like this. Self-help books that is. There was a trend- for years these books were coming out of the woodwork and every title and analogy imaginable was used to craft a somewhat glib yet optimistic view of the world.


Most authors seemed to suggest that if only we knew more about our personal strengths and how to find cheese, we'd surely all be much better off.

However, I'm coming to realize that "The Art of Possibility" is reassuringly different. First of all, the authors are basing much of their writing on science and clinical psychology, not "Hallmark Moments". This is a book rooted in science and scholarly research, and it shows.

Moving through the first few chapters, what really struck me was the authors' explanation that societally, we are often stuck within a perspective of a "Measurement Center". In short, we are constantly trying to organize our lives, careers, and aspirations along a series of presupposed societal benchmarks.

I could not agree more. The world around us readily defines what is successful, beautiful, and even good. As such, we are commonly pitting ourselves against a level of measurement that we personally did not create and are likely unattainable for the average individual.

I think that this realization is a critical point not just for working professionals and adults, but for young students who are not only struggling with the common challanges of school, but the more difficult and diffuse issues of identity and self-esteem.

Much of what has been discussed within the first few chapters of the Art of Possibility reminds me of some critical distinctions Howard Gardner raised in his seminal text, "Intelligence Reframed". While highlighting the social variability of "intelligence" early on in his work, Gardner used what I consider an extremely powerful analogy which I paraphrase below:

Imagine that you are a member of a tribe in the jungle. While individuals amongst the tribe would all likely possess a wealth of valuable skill sets, it is highly likely that the tribe would elect the most able hunter and provider as the leader of the group.

In short, the notion of individual "intelligence" as understood and valued by society, is variable based upon the cultural constructs of one's own individual community. Clearly, when measured against those skills often deemed as valuable here within the industrialized United States, we would likely have a much different vision and understanding for "intelligence" or "value" than someone subsisting in a jungle environment.

Humans do measure and analyze the world around them. Partly, I believe this phenomenon is a problem solving tool- we are trying to categorize and understand a very complex and dynamic world. However, per the authors, it is incredibly important that we understand the impact that our propensity for "categorization" or "measurement" actually is.

Furthermore, we are all reading this work together as a growing voice in the public sphere is raising concern about the creative aptitudes of tomorrows' graduates. The Chronicle for Higher Education, Newsweek, The New York Times, and authors like Seth Godin and Jason Fried have all ran headlines stories or written books about a perceived lack in creative competency in today's students. Many of these works purport that this "creativity gap" (as Newsweek described it) is due in part to our development of an education system that pre-defined "academic success" by measurement benchmarks such as memorization and fill-in-the-blank based assessments.

In all, I'm actually very excited to continue reading The Art of Possibility. I do believe that we as a society often unfairly judge and measure ourselves against ill-conceived benchmarks and it is imperative that we limit this behavior's affect not only on our lives, but the world view of our students.

ee cummings may have said it best:

to be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.