Another Response to Pam's Kingdom of Possibilities MAC Wk2

Pamela King Wrote:

Week Two: Giving Myself an "A"

Picture by WxMom on Flickr
I have always seen the glass as half-full. Like ATT I like to "Rethink Possible" The name for my blog: Kingdom of Possibilities is because I like to believe in the possibilities. I really enjoyed reading the book The Art of Possibility by the Zanders. Below is my example of what I would write to Mr. Zander to receive my "A". Enjoy!

Dear Mr. Zander,
I got an “A” because I realized I am my own person, and I am responsible for myself. I no longer procrastinate and blame my family members for my lack of action. I put myself and my education first. I made the time to complete my tasks. I listened to my heart and went forth with my education. I let no one hold me back from achieving my dreams. As I look forward to graduation, I truly feel a sense of accomplishment, for I know that I did it! I believed in myself and found the strength to be myself. I love my family and I know they love me and are proud of me for pursuing my dreams. I know that I am an important part of their lives and that without me they would not be the wonderful, creative, hardworking people they are. For it was by example, my positive attitude, work ethic, pursuit of my dreams that they have exemplified in their lives. Thank you for believing in me and my dreams.
Sincerely,
Pamela King

My response:

Lori Buder said...

Pam, You did a great job of exemplifying the concept of giving yourself an A as told by the Zanders. I imagine actually doing the exercise gives you an experiential memory of the concepts and helps make it more a part of your life. I am confident that you will carry the concepts into your world and share with your students.
Lori

Response to Pam's Kingdom of Possibilities MAC Wk2

From Pam's Kingdom of Possibilities Blog

Pam Wrote:

Week Two-Thinking Outloud " Where should I present?"

Working on my CBR project was very enlightening. I wish it would have worked out a little better then it did. I choose my project because I wanted to motivate the students to want to create visual book reports. I still feel like I need to refine my presentation style so I can get more results. So, the question is who/where would I like to share this information? My first thought was I would write up a brief proposal to present at the Texas Association of Gifted and Talented convention. I have previously been selected to present there. But Joe, said to think outside the box…..so I thought that I may like to write up a proposal to present at the Texas Libraries Association convention. They will be in Houston in 2013. They will be in Dallas 2012. Due to lack of school funds I do not know if I would be given persmission to attend this spring's event. My CBR project would definately be relevant to present at the librarian's convention.

My Response:

Lori Buder said...

Pam,
I think presenting to your usual group would be a good choice. You can also try presenting to the bigger audience as an alternative. I imagine that presenter may be eligible for financial assistance to attend. I think you should take your best shot!
Lori

Think Out Loud MAC Wk2

This week I needed to start thinking about whether or not I wanted to try an present or publish my CBR project to an organization. Either one seems like a challenge to prepare right now.  I just started a multiple credential program this month and am beginning two fieldwork placements in school psychology and school counseling. Friday, I was lost for an hour with no gas on dirt roads in a rural area. It is difficult adjusting to the new area, home, school and work environments since they are happening simultaneously.  I looked at the different publications accepting submissions and the possible presentation opportunities.  I am at this point unsure which would be a better choice.  I am leaning towards applying to present since it feels like there would be a longer time for final preparation.  My CBR is somewhat out of my usual field of study and since my study sample was small, n=4, I am unsure how well grounded it is. In counseling, we generally require a sample size of at least 100 for our statistical analysis. 

Response to Chanda's Hot Spot Blog MAC Wk2

Image from Chanda's Hot Spot Blog

I am currently trying to decide what will be more beneficial for me as an educator of whether or not I should present or publish my final project.  I am the type person who love to engage with individuals in a hands on way, because of this, my best option might be to present my final project.  The only down fall or hang ups I have with presenting is that my wonderful experience during my capstone project will not be published.  There is a lot of information I want to share with others about my experience in implementing my challenge and the results I got from it.  I know that the information can be shared in both forms of the project, but which form would be more useful and meaningful to my audience is the problem I'm facing in making a decision.  I feel that I'm leaning more to the presentation of the experience because of my learning style and personality but my final decision has not yet been met.  With a little more research and analyzing, I feel that I will make the best choice for sharing my information to my audience or the world in a timely manner.
From the book, The Art of Possibilities by Zander & Zander, I'm currently viewing the world a little different and making decisions based on the new acquired knowledge.  I feel this book was a great resource for teachers and other professionals when making their mark or place in this world count but in a positive way.  I say all of this to say, my capstone project was a great experience, my students, co-workers, parents and administration were very supportive and I would love to share this information in a way that would be beneficial for others in similar professions to help reach their goal in motivating students to read and write through the use of technology.  I am open to any comments that would be helpful in my decision making.  Like the authors in The Art of Possibilities contributing to others or this world is great.  So be a contributor and give me some positive feedback.
Thanks

My Response:

Lori Buder said...

Hi Chanda,
I believe doing a presentation would have an artifact that covers your research. There would still be a record of your experience and you could inspire others with your gregarious personality. I think it would also give you an opportunity to interact with your peers in a way that print would not.
I agree that the Zander & Zander book changes your outlook. It is an inspiring piece of work.
Lori

The Art of Possibility Chapter 1-4 MAC Wk2

Book Cover

The book, The Art of Possibility by Zander & Zander, offers a new perspective on how to view reality.  Broken into a series of practices defined separately by chapter, the married couple of Rosamund Stone Zander, a therapist and Benjamin Zander, a conductor and teacher, provide their unique way of viewing the world.

They believe our view of the world is made up of the stories we tell ourselves about what is true and if we change that story we can change our lives.  Practice one is to realize that our perceptions are an invention.  We construct meaning out of our experiences. Practice two: Step into the world of possibilities.  Since it is all invented you must ask:

What assumptions am I making, that I’m not aware I’m making, that give me

what I see?

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

choices?

Practice three: Giving an A.  By giving yourself and others and A you can see the potential. “This A in not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into” (p. 26). This will change the way you deal with others and yourself. If you reduce the judgment you will have more possibilities.

Practice four: Being a contribution. If you think of yourself as a contribution you will not have the same perspective of success and failure.

I read along while listening to the Zanders in the audio version of the book. I found this much more rich. You could hear their voices and inflections and they included music in the transitions and some background.  I find the Zanders point of very positive and useful perspective. It is more impressive because they have person success.  I have an MS in Counseling, Child and School Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy that leads me to take a particular interest in the psychology of success.  They use a positive approach that can be easily followed.  Often changing our viewpoint can change our anxiety levels and our outcomes.  I am enjoying the many examples they use to illustrate their points. I too believe that trying to meet teacher expectations can negatively influence our performance.  In the EMDT program I found it refreshing and easier to do better when given positive feedback on work. It made me want to do better not just do the basics to get the grade. For the TMD course, Michelle always gave positive feedback.  I have always received high grades in school but getting positive comments made me feel differently. Yes, an A+ can be seen as positive but it was much different getting direct feedback.  She was the most positive instructor I have had in my decades of taking classes and it really mattered. I felt more motivated to do a good job. It did not surprise me that she was she had successfully won competitions while in the US Army training soldiers for combat. She makes you want to work for her. Similarly, I thought immediately when I viewed Benjamin Zanders TED lecture that he would be a great teacher. They say it is not the expertise of the teacher but their level of enthusiasm for the subject matter that makes students learn.  After viewing Zander’s lecture it is fascinating reading his philosophies.

Reference: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/eng//id/286

 

Wimba Wk2

From Wk2 MAC Wimba Archive

From Wk2 MAC Wimba Archive

This week's Wimba archive was a continued discussion about copyright and fair use.  It covered the basics need for fair use to be a defensible legal position: teaching, news, critical commentary and parody.  We were given information on using the 11 different copyright options of Creative Commons. Finally, there was a discussion of the upcoming assignments to prepare for presenting our capstone project in a public forum.