Wk_4Response to Kathy's Blog

Each of us has a story about our EMDT year. We have shared the same courses and course directors, yet each of us has had a unique experience, because of the "life" that "happened" during the past 11 months.

wk_4Response to Stacie's blog

With privilege comes responsibility. As I read through chapter 10, “Being the Board,” I couldn’t let go of the previous phrase. Suddenly I feel like Rosamund and Benjamin Zander lost their minds and went into a euphoric, completely unrealistic state of thought and writing. If I step into my car, and enjoy the privilege of driving, I expect other drivers to do so as well. Of Course I am taking a risk that there are idiots out there who won’t comply, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held accountable. I understand the author’s viewpoint is on removing the blame because it leaves us powerless, but their example was full of faulty reasoning. While many of his points were geared toward the act of mistakes in trivial moments, he seemed to mistake the power of a legal system and holding to a law abiding standard with blame. While obviously an accusation must occur in order for justice to be brought, for the person in the hospital who has just been rear ended, it would be ludicrous to think they wouldn’t want justice to be served. Otherwise the drunk driver would continue to get behind the wheel after drinking.

wk_4Reading

While reading chapter 10, right from the first page, all I could think about is the commercial, I believe it is for a cable company, where they are having issues because their business is in the red. Instead of sitting down in the conference room with his employees, the boss sits everyone down in the conference room and holds a "blame-storming session" where they blame each other. Many times I feel that we find a million excuses as to why we are not able to do something or why we do something a certain way. Many times I wonder if peoples' lack of taking the blame comes from their lack of personal responsibility, which I'm about 100% sure that it does.
I love how the book talks about WE appear when we stop focusing on the fear and start talking about what really happened. We are such a egocentric people that we are all about ME instead of moving our focus to WE.

wk_4Publishing Doc.

To View my document that I would like to be published on both the local level and the national level, please click the link below to read.


DOCUMENT TO BE PUBLISHED

wk_4Publishing 3x3_Ah-Ha

Alright, I think that I have decided on which avenue to take on publishing my Action Research Project. I have decided to do a local publication and a more national publication. I want to do the Polk School House News because I think it is an issue in my county that many people's eyes need to be opened up to. I'm afraid if I only do a national publication, then those in my county will miss it.
I also want to make sure that my news gets out on a national news level and make more educators aware of a great need that needs national attention. So, I would like to post on the SABES website.

wk_3Publishing 2x3_@ New Ideas

I have also found a site that discusses the use of technology in Adult Basic Education. As I look over their website I see that my article would fit nicely on the website.
http://sabes.org/technology/news.htm (SABES) System for Adult Basic Education

Another site I am looking at currently is Us Department of Adult Basic Education site. Here there would be quite a bit of exposure for my AR project. Also, it focuses on Adult vocational ed which would be right up the alley of my project.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html

wk_1Publishing 1x3_Where am I going to do this?

I was thinking of publishing my Action Research project rather than presenting it. I don't feel that there are many avenues here in my county to present my work. Whereas, if I were to publish my work in an educational source/magazine I feel I may get more exposure for my project. I have been looking at publishing my project in Polk School House News. This publication is handed out to all Polk county educators monthly. This may get the word about the need for technology in Adult Basic Education.

Wk_3 Reply to Abbie Toy's blog

The reading for this week really hit home, because it talked about something I really have trouble with: Being present in the moment. I often find myself worrying about tomorrow or trying to change the past - when I need to let go of all the resistance in my mind and just be in the here and now. I know my life would be more stressfree if I could begin doing this in my day-to-day existence.

Wk3_Comment on Felica's Post

This week’s reading could not have come at a more perfect time: the end of camp. This week is the last week of a nine week camp. I started during the last two days of school in June and can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Campers and counselors are exhausted. Last week was the 2nd and final camp show of the summer. I am the Creative and Performing Arts Specialist for the 4, 5, and 6 year olds so it is my job to teach the song, choreography the dance, and practice with the campers. We start learning the song and dance on Monday and Tuesday, which leaves Wednesday and Thursday for practice and Friday we perform for the parents. This was definitely the campers’ favorite show. They all really enjoyed their time on stage singing and dancing for their parents. They are still singing the songs in the hallways and all around camp this week!

Wk3_Reading:7-9

Many times it only takes one little negative thought to enter your mind and change your entire attitude on a new situation. Instead of focusing on poor me stop and think, “What is really here? What can I make good out of this?” Many times it only takes a moment to stop and think about one or two positives that can come out of this situation. I am currently looping with the same group of student for the 3rd year in a row. At first I had an extremely bad attitude that I tried to keep stifled inside. Over the summer I made myself make a list of all the pros of going to the next grade level which I had never taught before. As I made my list, the looping didn’t seem like that big of a deal. I can handle this.
In teaching the more passionate you are about a topic or subject the more it shows in your teaching. When it comes to a topic I really do not look forward to teaching that year, I always ask other teachers in my grade level. There is bound to be at least one who enjoys it. I ask what it is they will be doing for the lesson. As they get excited, I get wrapped up in their excitement and feel better about teaching the topic.

wk2_Wimba

Oh my , Oh my! It is one thing to look ahead at assignments and think to yourself, "Oh, you've got this." It is a completely different thing, I believe it is call reality, when you view a wimba session explaining everything! Full Sail does such a great job helping us along the way so the initial blow of a huge assignment is not do devastating. I am thinking particularly of the AR website. I think I have that one done. However, the leadership project gave my stomach tons of butterflies. I'm sure after several deep breathes and more time, I will be able to tackle the leadership project.

wk2_Comment on Quinn Brown's blog

Wk2 Reading: Using My Contributions to Learn from Any Chair while Remembering Rule Number 6
Thursday, August 12, 2010



Success and failure is hard concept that not even I have mastered. I am far from it. As a student in school I knew the feeling of success and I stressed myself out to remain successful. I should have seen my success and my accomplishments as a chance to think outside of the box or take a risk. However, I saw it as a trap. I think that students are not able to escape the rules that have been set for the game of failure and success. In school students often see success and failure in a black and white perspective. They never see it in shades of grey, which they should. They don’t see the room they have to improve. They box themselves up in a failure or successful category. Zander & Zander (2000) mention contribution in Chapter 1. In the classroom students should contribute what they can to the overall learning experience. Contribution will turn into growth and growth will eventually turn into success.

wk2_Comment on Felicia's blog

As I was reading this week, I became reflective of my own life, goals, and actions. I was recently asked to fill in for someone and go down to Kentucky for a Habitat for Humanity trip. The trip was leaving in two weeks. I have a responsibility to camp and to my schoolwork, so I decided begrudgingly that I could not accept the offer. As I was reading about making contributions, I was constantly thinking of that service trip and the others I have taken part in. Every time I have gone on a service trip, I have been able to see my contributions and the contributions of others, and the impact that can have. It feels like a retreat or a mini-vacation. The atmosphere is clear, hopeful, and friendly. People treat others with such kindness and respect. Helping others with our own contributions is a magnificent feeling, which I believe can be contagious. It reminds me of the Liberty Mutual commercials where someone witnesses a good deed done for a stranger and then pass it on.

wk2_Reading_Beingch. 4-6

As I read chapter four I could not stop thinking this is how a teacher feels. So much of the time we teachers are judge by how our class scores look compared to other classes. What others need to realize is that not all classes are equal and though the scores may not be high in comparison I as the educator have contributed a lot to these students’ education. Not only that, but these students have also contributed to their own education. We are the ones who are with the students every day all day. I have had students come into my classroom and not be able to tell the difference between the letter “d” and the letter “b” or know any other sounds for vowels other than short vowel sounds. By the end of the year, after the student and I have worked so hard together, they are reading on grade level and have shown leaps and bounds of improvements. Where is the ‘test’ that shows those results?

On that same note, standardized testing has becoming competitive. For instance, a school in my current district has earned high scores on the last standardized test. Their secret? A new format for reviewing information and presenting new information. When we asked if we, a struggling school, could view their program we were told no because they were the ones who came up with the idea. Competition not contribution! Who are we doing this for? Our school so we can get better funding or the students who will one day be running our country? Such an injustice.

Chapter five kind of resonated the whole ‘allow the student to have a part in his education’ idea. Many times an educator believes that it is her way or the wrong way. She knows best, so just sit there and listen. When in all actuality, if we allow the students to take ownership in his or her own education the more meaningful it is to that student. Also, the educator may have years of experiences compared to his or her pupils, however, a new idea such as one being offered by a pupil may in fact benefit the class as a whole.

“If you can’t make fun of yourself, others will have no problem doing it for you” is what my brother use to tell me. Everyone has flaws it is how you deal with them that makes them less of a flaw and more of a personal characteristic. If you know yourself and don’t take yourself so seriously teaching is a much easier job than otherwise. When we let ourselves go it can sometimes result in an extraordinary learning experience for ourselves and our students.

wk1_Comment on QuinnBrown's blog

Wk1 Reading: The A is Invented
Friday, August 6, 2010



Chapter 3 of The Art of Possibility really resonated with me. As a child I played the game that Zander and Zander speak of in this chapter (2000). I wanted to be the best at everything I did. Receiving an A was the only option I gave myself at the young age of 7. The game is introduced to us at a young age in order to push us to do our best, but at some point it backfires. I was so engulfed in getting A’s as a child I would literally cry if I didn’t make an A. The grade became more important than learning. Chapter three reflects on using the A as a tool to allow students to explore their craft rather than the A as a letter grade to hold over there head.

Wk1_Comment on Larry Harris' Blog

MAC Week1 Vlog by Larry Harris Jr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Click HERE to view blog.

Wk1_WimbaSession: Course Intro

This week my Wimba continued to act up so I was unable to watch the live session. I was, however, able to go back and view the archive and boy am I glad that i did! At first glance the homework did not look as challenging as past month's. After watching the Wimba session I quickly realized there is still so much to do and the sand in the hour glass is quickly thinning out! As always, the wimba session covered the necessary information about what the class will be like and what to expect. It further went into detail about our blogging assignments and our Action Research projects. This is kind of the calm before the storm. There were many great questions raised during the session concerning how to label things and how to complete assignments correctly. It was a good session to view.

Wk1_Reading_Perspective

The Art of Possibilityis an amazing book. Very well written and easy to understand. I love how this book encourages you to mentally challenge everything you already know and everything you think you know. It is so interesting to think how each person and each creature's brain works differently and perceives things differently.
When we step back from a situation and ask ourselves, "What am I assuming" it makes things a bit more clearer in that we are broadening our own horizon and minds. We all have our universe in which we accept things as truth. Even children have a universe in which they see how things work. The quote about how competition drives success is very true for both young children and adults.
When we give others the opportunity to fail, learn from their failures and move on without criticism the more apt they are to walk away from that learning situation with a lesson. Many times we do not allow ourselves to make mistakes, however, we need to remember that a mistake to us could be a master piece to someone else. We need to keep our minds open and our creativity not stifled.

Take a closer look at what you think you already know… now think again.