The art of possibilities Chapter 3

Approve by striatic

Giving an A

Zander & Zander (2000) says that giving an A allows people to step out
of the measurement perspective but into a place of mutual respect.
What a liberating chapter. I went to work the next day and gave my
boss an A and it really works. I still wanted to leave my job, but it
was no longer because I didn’t like the work environment. I gave
myself an A too; suddenly I felt the burden of trying to prove my
worth disappear. I didn’t start slacking on the job, but I didn’t feel
like I had to take on tasks out of fear of not measuring up to my
boss’s expectations. This book is dangerous.

Reference:

Zander, R., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibilities:
Transforming professional and personal life. New York: Peguin Books.

The art of possibilities Chapter 4

I am by Camaal Moten

Being a Contribution

After giving out A’s I declared that I was a contribution. So I went
to work without the perspective a succeeding or failing but adding
something that was uniquely mine. By seeing myself as a contribution,
I was able to rediscover the joy of designing. Although the design was
later not approved, I was numb to the sting of disappointment and
didn’t see it as a waste of time.  Now if I could only apply that same
principle to my thesis.

The art of possibilities Chapter 2

Freedom by recursion_see_recursion

How are my thoughts and actions, in this moment, reflections of the
measurement world?

Zander & Zander (2000) define the measurement world as a perspective
that is supported by assessments, grades, standards, scales, and
comparisons.  In this world we worry about winning and losing, being
accepted, avoiding rejection based on one single assumption that life
is all about survival (Zander & Zander, 2000).  My most recent
thoughts and actions are most consumed with wanting to be accepted
amongst my peers in education technology. I don’t want to write a
thesis that will make people in the field say “So what.” I spend hours
searching for articles and trying to find what hasn’t been said
already, but I’m finding more commonalities than anything. I’m worried
about not graduating too because I’ve dedicated most of my time
focusing on my course work. While it was nice to get good grades and
approval from the professors, I’m disappointed on how I’ve handled my
thesis.  My thoughts and actions were totally focused on getting good
grades and competing amongst my peers.  Zander & Zander (2000)
encourages us that as we continually examine our thoughts, we will see
how it’s impossible to escape the underlying survival instinct. I
haven’t laughed yet, but I’m holding out hopes that it will come soon.
(Hehe, I just did) I had to laugh because I’m even trying to meet up
to the author’s standards and feel inadequate for not getting the
moment of laughter by the end of the chapter.

Reference:

Zander, R., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibilities:
Transforming professional and personal life. New York: Peguin Books.

The art of possibilities Chapter 5

Musical Chairs by -Vik-

Leading from any chair

I learned that leadership wasn’t about being selfish and having others
carry out your will, but knowing who you work with and allowing them
to contribute their passion to the overall goal.  As leaders allows
others to contribute, a greater respect is built for the responsibly
of leading a group. After reading this chapter, my perspective and
respect of my boss has changed.

The art of possibilities Chapter 6

Belly Laugh by Yogi

Rule Number 6

I spent most of my life ignoring rule number 6 in effort to get work
done. Zander & Zander (2000) define rule number 6 as not taking
yourself too seriously. I would run into people telling me that all
the time, but I never understood how to not take myself seriously. I
grew up only recognizing my calculating self or the part of me
concerned with surviving.  What would have to change in order for me
to be completely fulfilled?

Reference:

Zander, R., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibilities:
Transforming professional and personal life. New York: Peguin Books.

The art of possibilities Chapter 1

Recession African American Patriotism by hyperscholar

What assumptions do I make, that I’m not aware of, that gives me what I see?

As I reflected on this question, I was reminded of a daily assumption
that I typically make: the economy still hasn’t hit rock bottom yet
and it’s only getting worse. The underlying fear of losing my job, my
apartment, and being able to support my family creates a perspective
of “survival” for me. As much as I complain about my job, I continue
to go because it’s what I’ve come to know as a means to an end. I
dread Sunday nights, hoping that the next day will be Friday morning.
The underlying fear of telling my wife that I lost my job makes me
think I should only look out for myself. But at the same time, be
willing to take on tasks and burdens too heavy to carry only to prove
my value. I’m only trying to keep my job from being cut and
outsourced, while the news of dwindling ticket sells ignites the
underlying fear of being at the mercy of someone’s control.

What might I now invent, that I haven’t yet invented, that would give
me other choices?

Instead of living in fear of losing my job, I could create other
opportunities by looking for other jobs and freelance projects. I
continue staying at my current job because I assume that every other
company is struggling due to the economy. I have assumed that there
are no jobs out there, so I need to hold on to what I have. Like the
nine dot puzzle, it may be better for me to draw some of the lines
outside the state of Georgia, United States or outside the advertising
industry.

Wk3 Ron Smith Interview Interactive Q&As

Photo retrieved on February 22, 2009 from http://online.fullsail.com/index.cfm?fa=lesson.popup&itemId=32408

What type of technology do the students enjoy using at Hollywood High School?
Ron Smith’s students enjoy finding ways to mix video with Adobe Flash.
How does Ron Smith keep his class engaged?
Ron is willing to use anything to keep them interested, but tries to implement the latest technology in the classroom for students to test out.

• Podcasting
• Text Messaging

He also dedicates a lot of time preparing his lessons so he can later devote more time to implementing the technology within the class.
What technology do other teachers use and how does it differ from the technology students are using?
Unfortunately, some teachers are still using PowerPoint, while the students are more interesting in using Flash to create more interactive presentations.

What are the two biggest challenges with integrating New Media into the classroom? Why?
New Media projects often require a lot of preparation or pre-production time.

• Students often lack the patience to go through the pre-production process and want to immediately start creating things.
• Teachers often don’t have the time or motivation to invest effort in the pre-production process.

What applications is Ron Smith just beginning to use with his students? How are they different from other applications?
Scratch – Game development software created by MIT.
Google SketchUp – 3D modeling software that allows students to create their own models and import and export assets to Google Earth.
Blender – A high-end 3D modeling and animation software with it’s own game engine.

The software he uses is free or open source, which allows any student the opportunity to use the software in and outside the classroom setting.

At what school does Ron Smith teach? What does he teach and why?
Ron Smith teaches at the Hollywood High School in Hollywood California.

• He teaches Video Production, Web Design and Graphic Design.
• His desire is that students attend college for a degree in media production while simultaneously working in the field as a freelancer.

Reference:

Ludgate, H. (Director). (2008). Guest Lecture Ron Smith [Video Interview]. [With Ron Smith & Holly Ludgate]. United States: Full Sail University.

It’s all invented

Tiny, in a wheel by Benimoto

What assumptions do I make, that I’m not aware of, that gives me what I see?

It’s time for a little self-reflection. I’ll start with my assumption that the economy still hasn’t hit rock bottom yet and it’s only getting worse. My perspective to survive is caused by the underlying fear of losing my job, my apartment, and ability to support my family. I fear telling my wife that I lost my job, so at work I take on more tasks in effort to prove my value. As I struggle to secure my job, ticket sells continue to dwindle which reinforces my underlying fear of uncertainty.

What might I now invent, that I haven’t yet invented, that would give me other choices?

Instead of living in fear of losing my job, I could create other opportunities by looking for other jobs and freelance projects. I continue staying at my current job because I assume that every other company is struggling due to the economy. I have assumed that there are no jobs out there, so I need to hold on to what I have. Like the nine dot puzzle in The Art of Possibilities, I may have to draw my lines outside the state of Georgia, United States or change industries. It still seems as if I’m in survival mode.

Week 2 Last.fm Tutorial

"God is a DJ" by Bala

Pandora is similar to iTune’s Genius technology, but allowed users to listen to music without having to purchase the songs. The Pandora site offered users the ability to create a playlist based on music similar to their favorite artists.  Last.fm did that same thing as Pandora but went a step further and tracked the music played on the user’s computer through iTunes. Last.fm’s online interface is a lot easier to use compared to the standalone version. The online version allowed listeners to hear full-length tracks, the standalone version only played excerpts of songs. One thing I thought was great about this technology was the ability to rate songs to easily customize a user’s listening experience.

I’m reminded of my Multiple Learning Theories class, where we discussed the Multiple Intelligence Theory and how it was impossible for teachers to create a unique experience that matched a student’s learning style. Last.fm provided a simple survey for each song, which allowed them to hone in on the type of music a user may enjoy. If this same technique was used among students who are given a variety of types of lessons, it’s possible to obtain an idea of the types lessons that work best for a particular student. Teachers could pass these student profiles down, giving the next teacher an accurate perspective of a student’s strengths and areas for improvement according to the multiple intelligence theory. Students could then help create their own lesson plans like Last.fm lets users create music stations.

Week 2 Wimba Session

CC Buttons by creativecommoners

The second Wimba session was very informative. Professor Bustillos gave an overview of the creative commons license of images audio and video. Since the 70’s everything people create in a fixed form is protected by copyright. The advent of the Internet and new media forced those rights to be reconsidered, hence the invention of the creative commons. These licenses give people the freedom to add more detail usage right to content they create. I think the “Share Alike” license is a direct reflection on how the Internet has changed our culture. The “Share Alike” license promotes people to continue to add to the collective intelligence of an affinity group by constantly adding and sharing assets for the community to use.