Week 2 Miscellaneous

This has been an interesting week.  The turmoil in Egypt has been so interesting to watch.  Revolutions fascinate me-I love reading about history.  These people are so impassioned that they are willing to die to make the change.  I don't know enough about it to make the judgement call.  I have been reading about it.  What is interesting is the revolution itself.  In much the same way, this country was founded by similar individuals who had had enough of the current regime and risked their lives to make a change for the better.  What bothers me is that the generation I am teaching in high school have little or no respect for what our ancestors died and fought for.  They reluctantly stand for the pledge of allegiance and I am not certain they could all say the words.  They laughed that a popular singer sang the wrong words of the national anthem on t.v.  It is said that in rehearsal she got them all correct.  I felt it was just a commentary on her generation.  I would not be surprised if many of my students could not sing every word correctly.

I was raised in a very patriotic household.  We tear up at the national anthem.  My mom's favorite song of all time is Ray Charles singing "America, the Beautiful."  It is such a blessing that we have grown up without the struggle of war in our streets, without the threat of car bombs and without bloody bodies in the street.  Yes, we have had an occasional terrorist attack, but they have been so few compared to much of the world.  Do our students understand that what is going on in Egypt happened here?  Do they understand that our liberty and peace came with a price?  It is a different time and a different setting than Egypt's, but nonetheless, there are lessons there for our students.

God Bless America,
Lis

Week 2 Comment on Bryan Antos' blog

Lisa Young said...

Bryan Antos wrote: “ Playing these games for hours upon end has helped me with lateral thinking and questioning what is presented in front you. But the sad thing about society is that from the moment you enter school, you are trained to be part of the group; to follow rules and not question. It continues into professional career as well. People rarely react negatively to conservatism and status quo, but present a radical idea and you suddenly have a lot of attention on yourself.” @Bryan- I agree with you. I love my kids that did learn to think through these types of games-you can usually pick them out in a high school class within the first week. So sad that more children don’t play them. We must change schools, but I don’t know how. I also agree with you that when you shake the status quo, you suddenly have authority figures questioning you. Again, I find this sad. Why can’t they listen first? So much in the world changed (for the better) when people questioned the current system. Alas, people, such as myself, have obligations and bills, etc. So I must go along with much of it in order to keep a paycheck coming in.

February 12, 2011 4:37 PM

Week 2 Comment on Catherine Yoho's post

Lisa Young said...

“"Let's pretend we're on an adventure...," to, "Why did you fail that test?" It's no wonder so many children become disengaged in school, and from their families. They are being asked to perform within the box of expectations rather that thinking outside the box and in a world of possibilities. With the pace of technology changing the world we live in, we NEED to encourage the wider thinking outside the box, filled with the potential of creativity, and ever expansive thinking.” C. Yoho

Catherine, I agree with you completely! However, we must change the system and start with the younger grades. I do not know the answers, but I do know that many students are stuck in this mode of “feed me.” My high school students want me to just feed them answers that they can memorize or walk them through step by step in the hands-on projects. I must be honest that when I try to give them free reign to be creative, I find it difficult to give them grades. And I MUST give them grades, even if I don’t really want to. However, I remember when there was a movement (short lived) to do away with grades. It was horrible in that there was no accountability, nothing for colleges to compare to. I don’t think the system that was tried is the perfect solution, and I most certainly do not claim to know what is, but I agree that we must find one. My daughter is unbelievably creative and I do not want that “squashed” in the typical classroom setting. In fact, I took drastic measures to make certain that it won’t be! I love watching her think outside the box, even if she sometimes comes across as a little eccentric.

February 12, 2011 5:09 PM

Week 2 Reading-The Art of Possibility

I love this book.  It doesn't really tell me anything brand, spankin' new....it just reminds me and in a perfect way!  I love being around people like Ben Zander.  Mind you, I have never been around him personally, but have watched videos of him and read this book two times.  So fun and upbeat.  I love the premise of starting students with an A and often try that with my students.  His students are perhaps a little more motivated to do well seeing as how they are in a university setting and under his tutelage.  My students often did not choose my class and are just getting through an elective.  Sigh.  I wish my kids were more excited.  I love to learn.  Absolutely love to learn.  And I love to have fun!  I have believed for a long time that you can choose to be happy -it is a choice-and I love the way Roz and Ben talk about it as the possibility.  I think I will try throwing my hands in the air and saying "how fascinating!" next time I mess up (which will not be long from now, I assure you).  
I also loved Roz's story regarding the rafting trip-saying "toes to nose" until they were sick of hearing it. I am doing a similar technique with my students this week while learning about interviewing skills.  I am having them here and state the same things over and over.  But I assure them that this will pay off when they go on an interview-these thoughts will hopefully be so engrained in their little minds that they will remember all these tips!  
If you have never watched the video of Ben Zander on TED.com, then I highly recommend it.  Looking forward to living out the concepts in this book!
Lis

Week 1 Wimba Session

Wow, sorry I missed this one!  This is about the time the flu had me in its all powerful grip.  No way was I turning on the camera and trying to follow along!  I did watch all videos on Monday, actually, so that if I had been there, I would have been checking all green check mark requests!  This class is certainly an exciting one, and a jam-packed one.  I can do it!  My pastor was talking today on that very subject!  So I will claim Phillipians 4:13 and press on!  I can do all through Christ who strengthens me! 
Okay, it was a good sermon, but back on subject.  I know much of the month doesn't apply to me, as I am Thesis Track, but it is a parallel universe.  I, too, must make certain that everything is done and up to par so that I can present and make it through Month 12.  Please forgive me if I become a pest, but I have already booked the trip to Orlando for me and my daughter to come to graduation!!!  Okay, back to the sermon this morning......

Week 1-Content Proposal

Wow, having taken a break from the program for awhile, this is a great way to jump in and get my feet wet.  APA is always a struggle.  I don't know why, but it is.  I think that is what bugs me the most.  I know I am a smart enough person, so why is this so difficult for me?  I always loved grammar and anything that made sense, had rules or formulas was a cinch.  Maybe it is just the overwhelming nature of a master's level program and wanting to get it right and still deal with all of life around me.  When I dealt with all those rules before, I was a full-time student.  Ah, that's the ticket! 

The Content Proposal was a little more time consuming than I think it was meant to be, but that is par for me.  I get overly wordy and then have to go back and cut out half my paper and rewrite until it makes sense.  I hear that many great writers do the same thing.  Hmm, maybe I will write a novel once I finish this program!

Week 1-Comment on Bryan Antos Blog

"Additionally, not every piece is saved by my company. The best thing I ever produced (and was copied by Nike and NBA Productions, poorly, except for getting Marvin Gaye's version of the National Anthem, which is awesome) is gone forever. That is sort of devastating to me.........
But you really have to give the law some credit. Being able to use any copyrighted work for parody or education is great."

Bryan- I cannot imagine how that feels to not own your work and then it is not used and gone forever?  Ouch!  I have so many friends who are artists (various types) and I know they would also be devastated.  I guess that is the nature of your business, however.
You also are one of the few people I know who publicly acknowledge the use for parody or education.  Many people do this, but I do not think they even think about is i right or wrong.  I see that as a problem with the high schoolers I am teaching.  They see nothing as sacred, everything should be theirs for the taking.  Not asking, mind you, taking.  They see no problem with piracy or stealing.  They only think it is a problem if you get caught.  Scary. 

Week 1-Comment on Andrea Shikes Blog

Oh, the world of copyright. To be honest with you, it scares the crap out of me. As a teacher, I make my kids cite all the sources they use in research and creating presentations. As a student, I use things that are mine personally (pictures) to be sure that I am not violating copyright laws. It's easier for me to use my own images, than to try and use something from Creative Commons and use it wrong.

zellzmom said...

Andrea, I agree with you so much that I stated much the same thing in my post! I am so worried about making a mistake in giving credit, that I just use my own stuff! I like the idea of using freeplaymusic.com. I did not know about that and haven't explored it. As someone who makes many podcasts, that is exciting!

February 6, 2011 7:15 PM

Copyright Issues

Copyright issues can make my head spin.  I have gone over and over it and watched countless of videos and yet, I question my self all of the time.  I try to be very careful and make certain that my students are as well.  I check and double check before using any pictures.  I love the invention of Creative Commons and applaud the cause-yet I even find my self scared to use items from here!  I here teachers state some of the common "myths" such as "Well, I am just using it for educational purposes".  Hmmm, I hope that holds true for them.  I am afraid that something created for "educational purposes" will end up on the web and it will be a problem...for everyone.  However, I do believe that people should be able to use some material without the hassle of asking permission.  I remember for one of my projects in this program, I found the perfect song for the background of a video that used about one and a half minutes of a Frank Sinitra song.  The professor informed that I could not use it without permission.  We both agreed that less than 25 people would probably ever see it and that, in fact, statistics say that most videos on YouTube are viewed by less than 100 people.  In the end, however, I didn't chance it and used a ditty I created in GarageBand.   I am certain that before the law gets changed drastically, I will finally get a grasp on it!