Week 4 Obama hope poster Thoughts on tech/media history

Interestingly enough I had just finished writing about the abundance of content on the internet, and how it is difficult for any one image to stand out and become iconic these days. Of course the original Mannie Garcia photograph would have most likely remained quite obscure as, while a quality photo (effective w flag backdrop) there are hundreds of thousands of photographs of Barack Obama. What graphic artist Shepard Fairey did was immortalize the image in the modern day speed of the internet and digital technology. Interestingly enough it also spawned an application in Facebook where you could Obamasize your very own photo, making the sharing and recreation of content complete. So who should get credit and who should get paid, if anyone. Seems it was a group effort, and to be sure while Obama probably doesn't receive royalties for its' reproduction, he is the model in the image, and the popularity perhaps helped propel him to the presidency...thus his reward. As for the photographers, Yes, Shepard Fairey created something unique, but credit must be given, and some financial compensation if possible should be paid to the creator of the image. As much as I hate to admit, this is a case for the lawyers or Creative Commons to work out so a win win situation can be reached. Without this, why would anyone bother to work hard to create new content just to have it taken by unscrupulous individuals for financial gain.

Sources:
Obama photo: Mannie Garcia (AP)/Obama image: Shepherd Fairey, retrieved from http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/09/milton-glaser-weighs.html on 05/02/2010

Wk 4 Publishing/Leadership project part 1 of 3: new digital learners

"This month you will research where you want to publish/present and post your finding in your class blog and you will create the article/presentation and post that as an AR web page."

I can understand how this would be adequate for a blog entry as it involves some thought and deliberation to identify the most suitable site in which to publish. I am not sure however if I can honestly stretch this into 3 separate blog entries, so apologies for not following the letter of the assignment.

As I look at the various journals that may be suitable I was first attracted to the International Society for Technology in Education or ISTE. More specifically, the JRTE, formerly the Journal of Research on Computing in Education. My concern is that the focus of my AR project was just that, action research. It wasn't a professionally written paper with journal posting aspirations in mind. That being said, I realize (and am grateful) that we have month 12 to get this put together in a presentable fashion that would be worthy of submission to professional journals. While my research was not ground breaking, it did practically deal with the issue of education new digital learners, and offer some techniques and observations for making this a successful endeavor. I hope that pulling it together in APA format will give it the format necessary without removing the practical uses for which it was created and intended.

Week 3 Random post...moving out, on, up?

I must say the media project is on the backburner for now as my life has been consumed this past week with moving from my cabin in the woods to an apartment in the city. I have spent the last 16 years here in the place I designed, helped build, landscaped, painted, plowed, chainsawed, sanded and adore. To say that it has been difficult to say good bye is an understatement of epic proportions. Of course I (and many others) tell myself that change is good, healthy, and essential for new growth. Yes I know this in my head, but my heart is stuck on my porch swing checking out the wildlife and change of seasons as I have for what seems like a lifetime. Thinking positively, I was lucky to have been able to sell it, and to people I know and am convinced will care for it as much as I have over the years. My final cabin day is this Wednesday, and then good bye to a very large part of me. I do realize that it really isn't me as my essence, creativity and love of nature, will follow me wherever I go, to the city or to my next cabin 10 years from now. What makes you you is inside, and I can rest easy knowing that I have lived up to Thoreau's quote about taking care of a patch of land, and also helping make my students lives a bit easier to in the years I spent teaching in the area. Thanks for the memories, time to create some more. gls

Week 3 reactions Christine Phipps

Christine

This past Wednesday I presented my media project to fellow teachers to show them what I have been doing in my classroom and learning through this program. I used a powerpoint to show to outline my presentation and just presented many ideas they can incorporate into their classroom.

I along with many people love technology when it works and unfortunately we had some issues during this presentation! It was pretty frustrating! The major problem was that my desktop/PC is the only computer hooked up to my projector in my classroom. So I had to take everything from my mac, make sure it was compatible with my PC, and check everything on the PC. Well somewhere in this process unbenounced to me my wireless internet was unplugged at the same time. So during my presentation the live links I had to support my presentation would not work. I took some time to reconnect the internet and start over but it was kind of embarrassing doing a presentation on the benefits of using technology in the classroom and it completely falling apart!

Beside the technology meltdown the presentation went over well and many of the teachers wanted more information about a few sources I provided. I really hope to motivate at least one teacher to start using more technology in the classroom!

Greg
Thanks for sharing your adventure. Sorry you had to spend all that time and stress to transfer only to have it go astray, though am sure the viewers appreciated your sharing and hope they were encouraged to give it a try. It also shows that the world does not end when thing we have planned go differently than we had imagined. I directed many musicals and plays in my years as a high school teacher and could always count on some tech glitch (sound, lights, prop etc) to add some interest to the show no matter how much I planned. It taught me to rely on the students involved and their ability to deal with the situation and above all trust that it would all be ok!

Week 2 response to Tessa Smoot

Tessa...

I have to say “The Way Things Are,” Chapter 7 has been my favorite chapter. There were so many things in that chapter that I could relate to.

When I was first learning how to ski, I remember how there were times with every time I hit a patch of ice I would fall. Like Roz, I also wanted to quit. And a few times I did. Right away, when reading “The Downhill Challenge” my attention was grabbed because I could relate to Roz’s story about skiing. I came to a point with skiing where I realized that I was wasting time sitting out. I also realized that with skiing I could set my own goals. If I lived in fear of ice and falling, I would fall. I loved this quote:

“Mistakes can be like ice. If we resist them, we may keep on slipping into a posture of defeat. If we include mistakes in our definition of performance, we are likely to glide through them and appreciate the beauty of the longer run.” p. 102

I also was encouraged by the story of the rabbi with good and bad news, along with the story of rain in Florida delaying a flight schedule.

“Attention is like light and air and water. Shine attention on obstacles and problems and they multiply lavishly.” P. 108

I find this so true. I know when I start focusing on all the problems and try to solve them; everything else seems to have something wrong with it too. It gets tiresome. And who has enough energy to keep worrying about worrying?

Greg
I enjoyed that analogy as well having been a skier and ski instructor for so many years. It really is the fear of falling that makes us tighten up and potentially causes a fall to be far more painful than if we relaxed an let it go as we give up fighting gravity. What is invaluable as a teacher is to help students overcome that fear, whether it is skiing, acting on stage or singing a song. I have found they remember that years beyond whatever activity they were participating in as a moment in life they did something they could not do before. That is the priceless gift of teaching.

Week 3 Art of Possibility Ch 9

I love the idea of enrolling someone into your idea instead of tricking or guilting them into the activity. So often we do this to friends and family with the idea that since we are excited about it they will certainly have to follow suit only to find out the insincere means by which you garnered their involvement bit you as they failed to share in your enthusiasm. I have learned that it isn’t worth the price, and if they are the least bit disinterested say it’s ok, and go about your activity, or find a willing partner to ski, hike, bike, shop, help you move or visit a friend. It is also wise to remember the old saying “tis better to give than receive”. We spend so much of our time trying to get ahead, keeping up the the damn Jones that the concept of giving is lost on many as a sign of weakness or wondering “what’s in it for me”. What is in it if you are aware enough to notice is not usually a material thing, but a feeling of happiness which could prove far more valuable. If we stop keeping score and simply do things out of a feeling of good will or see a need that could be met by our time and talent, then we truly have accomplished something. I do believe it all evens out, and to quote Sir Paul McCartney, “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”.

Week 3 Art of Possibility Ch 7

Being present without resistance, like fighting ice when skiing (perfect analogy btw) will make life more enjoyable not only for you but all around you. Best yet, it is contagious and can lead to many wonderful moments shared with others. It is important advice not to “should” on yourself because that sets people up for so many unfulfilled or unrealistic expectations or future outcomes that in the end weren’t really part of the plan at all. I learned a lesson fairly recently that you can’t fight reality, though you can sure adapt to it and make the best of whatever experience as long as you don’t fight it. I have also found that dropping judgements about things, people, life is probably the most freeing (and difficult) practice one can undertake. We are so accustomed to reacting to people, traffic, hairdos, accents, co-workers, weather, etc. often in a negative or defensive way. It is almost like we need to get them before they get us, or of course if with others can be the source of amusement if someone is different in some way. Such a valuable lesson to remember in life is that it isn’t what happens, it is how you react to it that will determine your future well being.
Anytime I have a myriad of things to accomplish and start to become overwhelmed I remember my sister telling me “what you focus on expands”. Much like the author telling us what light is shined upon gets attention, positive or negative. Same is true in theater as we want to place the actor or actress in the best light as that will be noticed. In the end it is what we pay attention to that will get noticed and hopefully cared for in some way or other.