Week 4- Comments to My Classmates #2

Image retrieved and modified from FB profile pics.

Tracy's Comment re: The Art of Possibility-

Okay, I have agreed with most of the sections of this book up until now. I have to put my foot down on the Being the Board chapter. To a certain extent, yes, we need to take responsibility for the known risks we have put ourselves victim of. Take for example you decide to build a house on a flood plain as in the example in the book, you should not be devastated and blame others for the declaring yourself an unwilling victim of a known risk. However, we cannot always foresee the future, and sometimes, bad things happen to good people. I will not twist the situation so that I will somehow blame myself for every situation. It just might be someone else’s fault.

When you are in a position of leadership and you assume responsibility for failure at some level; I get that. I am the Yearbook Advisor for the district and try to allow the students as much freedom of responsibility and creativity as possible. However, when push comes to shove, the District will not blame or fire students; it will be the teacher that will feel the conviction. I am upfront and honest with my students while they choose every opportunity to put off their chores to make sure the Yearbook is completed in a timely manner. I call myself the Queen of the classroom and it has sent the appropriate message.  Time will tell.

My comments to Tracy-

Tracy, I see where you are coming from with regards to the ownership issue, however I think I may have another angle to approach the situation from.  The way I read the chapter, we are to not "blame" anybody, not others OR ourselves.  It is to take ownership for the possibilities that our behaviors afford us.  When we take a risk, such as buying that house, we must own every possibility that that experience opens for ourselves.  Yes it may be in a flood plain, but we may learn something and meet someone, and feel something that we could never experience from any other action than from buying that house.  The way a see it I want to own all the good things that come into my life, but in order to do that, I have to own the bad things as well.  But the bad things are more than just "bad things" they are opportunities to learn, opportunities to change, opportunities to walk away different from when and where you began and those things are valuable.  I think what the text is asking us to do is to change the way we look at things.  Yes, our administrators have the ultimate power to sign our pink slips, but is it not us who took the chance to apply, it is us who took the risk to think or act in a way that brings attention to ourselves, and it is us who then owns the opportunities that result.  So if our administrator does in fact let us go, the opportunities that open due to us being let go are also ours to own.  If we are not "let go" then perhaps we would never be afforded to opportunity to find our dream job or to meet that connection who changes our lives.

I think it all just comes down to changing our perspective.

Week 4- Reading- The Art of Possibility (cont...)

The first two thirds of the book, The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander, presented more than food for thought, in my opinion.  If the average thought provoking piece of literature is "food for thought" this book was enough sustenance to provide for a small starving third-world nation.  

The eight chapters prior have given a structure for acknowledging the less effective "thinking" or practices that we participate in and allow to effect our lives.  They also begin to layout the groundwork for what and how to change in order to live more efficacious and powerful life.

In chapter nine we examine the idea of owning responsibility for everything that happens in your life.  It is important to acknowledge the risks that we take and their importance, but also that without taking those risks, we would live without the rewards which comes with the outcome of those risks.  This chapter also speaks to the idea that we need to allow the things that happen in the pass to be processed and then left in the past rather than owning space in our present lives. 

Chapter 10.  In effort to pull all of these considerable ideas into one coherent plan of action we take in our role in laying out and carrying out a framework for which to follow. 

To sum up the book, I want to just comment on the final chapters.  The authors point out the importance of disassociating ourselves with the “us vs. them” mentality and putting focus on our ability to give concession to our connections and then go beyond and look at the places where we can foster those connections.

Life is defined by the experiences we accumulate.  I have a new appreciation for the title of this book.  There is an "art" to creating possibilities is our lives.  If we limit those possibilities than we are limiting the depth and breadth of our lives.  If we are not living life to it's fullest than what purpose are we serving.

Week 3- Reading- The Art of Possibility (cont...)

Reading on…               

In the chapters leading up to chapter 5 of Rosamund and Benjamin’s 2000 novel, The Art of Possibility, we are led through the journey of acknowledging and recognizing the need and the ability to see the world and it’s opportunities differently, the manner in which to do so, and the path to commitment to change.  In chapter five entitled Leading from Any Chair, speaks about how to turn the new plan of invention, and contribution, and action into one that can lead others in a positive and meaningful manner.  The underlying message rings loud and clear, “true power derives from (the) ability to make other people powerful”.  As I made the connection prior to James Redfield’s Celestine Prophecies and this piece, I found the idea intriguing and monumental that who we are, and the energy that we put out effects those around us, for the better and the worse. 

Following this belief and understanding, the next chapter is a rule that I need to spend some extra time working on.  It simply states that life is full of impediments or tribulations, but it is important to approach each as a learning opportunity and therefore one that needs not be fear or stressed about but rather approach with gusto and with the knowledge that not only can you make it through but that you will and you will be better for it. 

Chapter seven looks at the idea that the situations and areas in your life where you hold back are areas where you miss out and lose.  It pushes us to not only recognize those areas but to change, to throw ourselves into them fully, completely and without reservation. 

The following chapter discusses our power of passion and the ability and necessity to spread that passion through “sparking” that excitement in others.  We have a responsibility to inspire others, and inspiration comes from direct connection to others.  I truly like the idea that what ever passion you have should and is obliged to be shared with others because you never know what little spark might ignite a blaze. 

LMS- Which Way Do I Go?

As an attempt to take a deep and genuine look at what I perceive to be my student’s number one educational impediment, lack of organizational skills and tools, I am looking to dive into Learning Management Systems (LMS).  I have narrowed my personal choices down to two web-based applications, Schoology and Edmodo, however I think I really need to have a firm hold on what LMS’s are and how and why they are being used.  

According to Ryann K. Ellis, editor of Learning Circuits, the definition of a learning management system is that it is “a software application that automates the administration, tracking, and reporting of training events. However, it’s not that simple. A robust LMS should be able to do the following:

• centralize and automate administration

• use self-service and self-guided services

• assemble and deliver learning content rapidly

• consolidate training initiatives on a scalable web-based platform

• support portability and standards

• personalize content and enable knowledge reuse.

More important, an LMS should integrate with other enterprise application solutions used by HR and accounting, enabling management to measure the impact, effectiveness, and over all cost of training initiatives.” (Ellis, 2009)

And so before I really looked into what an LMS was, I had actually had quite a bit of experience with them.  I have taken about a dozen different online courses through several colleges and have varied opinions of them.  At the time I didn’t really pay attention to the planning and development side of using them, but rather the students’ end.  Through the years some of the particular issues I remember having were the ability to easily access particular features.  I am generally the type of person who does not read through the directions.  I jump in, head first and then if and when I hit a snag I will look for solutions.  (I know, I know your probably thinking that as a teacher I should probably not be taking this approach, but it is how I learn and what works for me.) I also had issues with the lack of options; often the system was so rigid that you had no room to be creative in terms of what and how you submitted work, or to what extent you could communicate with your peers.  I think another overall issue that I had was with the “feel” you got from using them.  You know when you walk into a room and it has the bold printed wall paper or wood paneling and the worn lime green shag rug?  It just gives you that feeling of clammy and outdated.  Some of the layouts or appearances gave me that same  feeling, that they were dated.  At the time I found this pretty ironic since ten years ago it was not nearly as common to take online courses and therefore I expected a very progressive and innovative feel to everything about the process. 

All being said, I have found a great LMS through Full Sail University which as a student has been efficient, creative, supportive, and down right student friendly.  However, I am looking for a much smaller scale operation, because as of right now I am looking for a LMS to serve up to 20 students all taking 4 core courses at the secondary level.  So, I am limited to what I, one single and somewhat “low on the totem pole” figure in my school, can accomplish and to what I truly need. 

            My pursuit was driven by the challenge of getting my students to be successful in terms of their independent and at-home assignments.  After many discussions with my colleagues, with administration, with parents and most importantly with the kids themselves, I believe the main (not the sole) cause of this problem is that the students just do not possess the skills and tools necessary to be independently organized and studious.  So I looked at what tools and skills they were being given and I realized that there was a major gap between the advancement of what was available and what we were teaching and encouraging them to use.  So I needed an LMS that was organized and efficient.  I realized that I had experience with both ends of that spectrum.  I think that every system I have seen has been organized but not always logical or convenient in terms of the user end.  I also needed it to “feel” cool, up-to-date, and contemporary.  I have young students and when I ask them to participate in activities or events that are perceived as “old” or out of date, I will inevitably get the eye-roll and will definitely not get commitment if I even get participation at all. 

            So with a bit of searching I found Edmodo and Schoology which both meet the needs I have described.   They both offer a centralized and automate administration which can actually be shared with more than one teacher if need be, such as in a co-teaching situation or if your administrator wants to have equal access to your classes.  They both allow the students and the teacher to assemble and deliver learning content rapidly, they both support portability which for me was extremely important.  They both also allow for the personalized content and enable knowledge reuse (through saving and archiving).  So in the next few days I will be narrowing down my choice between the two, which although it ay not seem, is quite a big decision.  I feel as though once I commit to one or the other, my students', my administration, and the parents will all buy or reject my plans for teaching based on how well I can deliver and educate through this platform.  I not only need to pick what is good for me in terms of teaching, what is good for the kids in terms of learning, but what will be best received from those who will not have their hands directly in the mix.  I am not panicking though, the choice will come, and When I analyze the perks and pitfalls of each I know the answer will be clear......er,...... I hope.

Citations:

Ellis R. (2009) Field Guide to Learning Management Systems. Learning Circuits. American Society for Training & Development.

All images retrieved Saturday August 28, 2010 from Flickr Creative Commons.