The value of the EMDTMS to my teaching has been revolutionary, although somewhat challenging to my new administration's ability to evaluate my teaching performance. Without a printer, many of the things we create in PreK-8th grade Visual Arts are not displayed or preserved for future viewing within the school. Because we often work on the computer, we do not generate the volume of "Make and Take" projects students in traditional art classes would bring home or post on bulletin boards. Playing interactive Art games creates great classroom experiences, but not enough evidence of learning in 50 minutes, once a week. The cost of ink to print resulting products is beyond my budget, even if I did have a classroom printer. I intend to balance these fun activities with additional traditional ones next year, at least until a printer and ink are in the budget. Grants to come...
However, the introduction of Internet Arts sites and interactive learning to Visual Arts has created great interest in students who started the year saying they disliked Art. Exploring the careers now available in the visual arts with Computer Graphics expertise has opened the eyes of many bored students. Motivation is enhanced and focus is expanded when mixed media are introduced in any lesson, even in mixed classes of autistic and regular education students.
Researching new methods of teaching and use of video for instruction has been possible via the Mac Book tethered to the Smart Board and Blackberry with permission of the "Barrier Breakers." In a district with outdated hardware and software, and servers so slow that it takes most of a class period to access one site, the speed and ease of this method of accessing the Web resources is a lifesaver. Interesting to see that this years ETech Ohio teacher survey asked if we were using this method. I suspect not 100 teachers in all of the state are doing so. Thanks Full Sail Tech Support for teaching me how to turn in a product this way! Innovation keeps this old lady fresh and invigorated to become a better teacher!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Week 4 Response to Brandon
Week 4 – The Art of Possibility
•June 27, 2010 • 2 Comments
This week’s reading was the last three chapters of The Art of Possibility.
Chapter 10 – Being the Board
I gotta say, when Ben started out by saying that the driver of the stopped car must assume some of the blame in the collision he outlined at the beginning of the chapter, he nearly lost me. But I soon came around to the idea that blame does not really do anything for anyone. Once you have established who is responsible for the bad thing that they are responsible for and they have received their lumps then all must move on. That can be a hard pill to swallow. Allow me to jump to a personal story that is a little off the path of the book. When I was about 8 years old I watched a talk show about people who had tragically, although accidentally, affected someones life. The person who had done the wrong would come on and explain the situation and how that situation had affected the other person, then the host would welcome the other person. First, this show is the reason I never got into a fight. I could accidentally impact someones life in a horrible way and I couldn’t bear the thought of that. Second, I was struck with how gracious the other side had been. One story sticks with me still. This woman and her sister were 10 and 8 and arguing over a Popsicle and the 8 year old pushed the 10 year old and she fell down a couple of stairs breaking her leg. Because of this break the 10 year old’s right leg never grew after that day causing some pretty crazy circumstances. Immediately obvious was the way she walked and because of that she had some difficulty getting a job and talked about difficulty dating but she held no ill will towards her sister. She had come to grips with her circumstances and had grown to see things from the perspective of being the board. I need to do far more reframing in this way, especially when my teaching isn’t seeming to go my way.
Chapter 11 – Creating Frameworks for Possibility
This is, in my opinion, the hardest practice to put into place. You must be fully aware to put this into place. What often gets me in trouble are my emotions. I can get so emotional when things aren’t going as they should and because of this I tighten up and only see what is wrong. To put this practice into practice one must always be in control, be able to step out of the situation to find those frameworks for possiblity.
Chapter 12 – Telling the We story
This is the practice I should most use in my classroom. When my students come into my classroom they may hear me talk about my plans for them. They may even have some plans of their own. But I need to do more fostering of the ‘We’ story. This opens up the opportunity for true creation, which is what theatre is all about.
Posted in MAC, The Art of Possiblity, Week 4
My response is that first of all, Brandon, I have cousins in the business in Austin, and ex-law cousins who run Banner Sign Media in Austin, and do a lot of work for Movie productions in Austin. But I don't know your last name, so I can't tell them to look you up. Please get your last name on your blog, in your link, or somewhere for those of us who aren't in the thesis track, because you never know who might be able to help. I may see one of my cousins this week and will tell her to look for you at Wallace Jr High, which I'm sure she will know, since she works for Pearson publishing, and used to teach Math in Austin ISD.
Now to the response to your post about the art of possibility. We who are passionate and artistic, tend to be emotional. This is not a bad thing, but my nephew has some words of wisdom for us when we feel the emotions rise. "Lower and slower" which means, speak softly, which automatically calms my own emotions when I do it, and speak more slowly, which has a similar effect. Give it a try, because I agree with you that emotions can get in the way of good sense and especially of good teaching. The less I can say, the more my artists can be free to create. Their responses to my stepping back and trusting their abilities and their "sparks" has led to some delightful new depth in relationships which have made continuing to mentor them after they leave my school, and now I do also, a possibility.
•June 27, 2010 • 2 Comments
This week’s reading was the last three chapters of The Art of Possibility.
Chapter 10 – Being the Board
I gotta say, when Ben started out by saying that the driver of the stopped car must assume some of the blame in the collision he outlined at the beginning of the chapter, he nearly lost me. But I soon came around to the idea that blame does not really do anything for anyone. Once you have established who is responsible for the bad thing that they are responsible for and they have received their lumps then all must move on. That can be a hard pill to swallow. Allow me to jump to a personal story that is a little off the path of the book. When I was about 8 years old I watched a talk show about people who had tragically, although accidentally, affected someones life. The person who had done the wrong would come on and explain the situation and how that situation had affected the other person, then the host would welcome the other person. First, this show is the reason I never got into a fight. I could accidentally impact someones life in a horrible way and I couldn’t bear the thought of that. Second, I was struck with how gracious the other side had been. One story sticks with me still. This woman and her sister were 10 and 8 and arguing over a Popsicle and the 8 year old pushed the 10 year old and she fell down a couple of stairs breaking her leg. Because of this break the 10 year old’s right leg never grew after that day causing some pretty crazy circumstances. Immediately obvious was the way she walked and because of that she had some difficulty getting a job and talked about difficulty dating but she held no ill will towards her sister. She had come to grips with her circumstances and had grown to see things from the perspective of being the board. I need to do far more reframing in this way, especially when my teaching isn’t seeming to go my way.
Chapter 11 – Creating Frameworks for Possibility
This is, in my opinion, the hardest practice to put into place. You must be fully aware to put this into place. What often gets me in trouble are my emotions. I can get so emotional when things aren’t going as they should and because of this I tighten up and only see what is wrong. To put this practice into practice one must always be in control, be able to step out of the situation to find those frameworks for possiblity.
Chapter 12 – Telling the We story
This is the practice I should most use in my classroom. When my students come into my classroom they may hear me talk about my plans for them. They may even have some plans of their own. But I need to do more fostering of the ‘We’ story. This opens up the opportunity for true creation, which is what theatre is all about.
Posted in MAC, The Art of Possiblity, Week 4
My response is that first of all, Brandon, I have cousins in the business in Austin, and ex-law cousins who run Banner Sign Media in Austin, and do a lot of work for Movie productions in Austin. But I don't know your last name, so I can't tell them to look you up. Please get your last name on your blog, in your link, or somewhere for those of us who aren't in the thesis track, because you never know who might be able to help. I may see one of my cousins this week and will tell her to look for you at Wallace Jr High, which I'm sure she will know, since she works for Pearson publishing, and used to teach Math in Austin ISD.
Now to the response to your post about the art of possibility. We who are passionate and artistic, tend to be emotional. This is not a bad thing, but my nephew has some words of wisdom for us when we feel the emotions rise. "Lower and slower" which means, speak softly, which automatically calms my own emotions when I do it, and speak more slowly, which has a similar effect. Give it a try, because I agree with you that emotions can get in the way of good sense and especially of good teaching. The less I can say, the more my artists can be free to create. Their responses to my stepping back and trusting their abilities and their "sparks" has led to some delightful new depth in relationships which have made continuing to mentor them after they leave my school, and now I do also, a possibility.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wk 4 Response
Google docs is down tonight for the MAC blog addresses, to see others, so I did one in response to a critical friend from last month and will try to get another one to do for tomorrow.
Wk 4 Publishing Leadership Porject 3 of 3
After much consideration, I have narrowed my Publishing Leadership Project submission choices to the eTech Ohio conference which begins accepting entries August 1st, so I will have to wait for that, but will also submit to the National Art Education Association Studies in Art Education.
Wk 4_Response to Donita Massing
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
FSO_MAC_W4_AR publishing 2 of 3
In 2006, I worked with a group of educators at Ohio State University to author a learning unit on Challenge Based Learning for the Ohio Department of Education's CTE website.
I was asked to branch off on my own and I came up with a learning module for the arts and communications career cluster with the guidance of OSU faculty leaders. Learning to apply my thinking to challenge based learning was the most difficult part.
As a result of this venture, my unit, Design & Attract, was published on the CTE website for other educators.
A staff member from the Buck Institute for Education saw my CBL project and wrote to OSU and myself to ask for permission to publish it in their book "PBL Starter Kit."
John Larmer was the staff member that I worked with on the publishing of my project. He sent me a copy of the book after its printing.
After watching a classmate's presentation on his action research on challenge based learning, I remembered my contact at BIE.
I will contact Mr. Larmer with my article and see if he is interested in publishing how I used Ning in my career-tech program.
Posted by Dee M at 5:56 PM
1 comments:
Lynne Koles said...
Donita, you are my hero. You have the drive and the contacts to be a superstar teacher and I am so excited to be getting mentored by someone so wise in the things I am new, but willing to learn. Keep working with these wonderful ideas and the contacts will continue to benefit your students in ways that those wonderful ripples may never stop. By the way, I just got a week of instruction for my new PBL New Tech High from a former BIE staffer, now with NEw TEch network.org who was fantastic. Blessings my Friend. Keep in touch and email me the ning site again, Loosing stuff is legend these days. Congrats on being done, too!
June 27, 2010 7:05 PM
FSO_MAC_W4_AR publishing 2 of 3
In 2006, I worked with a group of educators at Ohio State University to author a learning unit on Challenge Based Learning for the Ohio Department of Education's CTE website.
I was asked to branch off on my own and I came up with a learning module for the arts and communications career cluster with the guidance of OSU faculty leaders. Learning to apply my thinking to challenge based learning was the most difficult part.
As a result of this venture, my unit, Design & Attract, was published on the CTE website for other educators.
A staff member from the Buck Institute for Education saw my CBL project and wrote to OSU and myself to ask for permission to publish it in their book "PBL Starter Kit."
John Larmer was the staff member that I worked with on the publishing of my project. He sent me a copy of the book after its printing.
After watching a classmate's presentation on his action research on challenge based learning, I remembered my contact at BIE.
I will contact Mr. Larmer with my article and see if he is interested in publishing how I used Ning in my career-tech program.
Posted by Dee M at 5:56 PM
1 comments:
Lynne Koles said...
Donita, you are my hero. You have the drive and the contacts to be a superstar teacher and I am so excited to be getting mentored by someone so wise in the things I am new, but willing to learn. Keep working with these wonderful ideas and the contacts will continue to benefit your students in ways that those wonderful ripples may never stop. By the way, I just got a week of instruction for my new PBL New Tech High from a former BIE staffer, now with NEw TEch network.org who was fantastic. Blessings my Friend. Keep in touch and email me the ning site again, Loosing stuff is legend these days. Congrats on being done, too!
June 27, 2010 7:05 PM
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