Week 3 Wimba Session: Art of Possibility

Well, as I waded through my brainwaves of confusion for what I am going to be doing for my Publishing/Leadership Project for week 4 and Month 12, I feel I have a better grasp on what I will be presenting. You know those times when you think you have a clear idea and plan as to what you will be doing to execute something? Well, that's what I thought I had going for me until Wimba session 3 hit me. I was way off with my initial thoughts on my leadership project, but I think I've straightened myself out now. Thanks for clearing that up within this session Joe! It was much appreciated.

Now, "The Art of Possibility" discussion was very enlightening. I enjoyed watching the old "Right Now" video from Van Halen. I think I was in like 8th grade when that came out. I wanted to go and get my white-washed jeans, peg my pants, and go ride my old school Powell Peralta skateboard! At any rate, the message was clear with how the video portrayed the message of "choice." As I read "The Art of Possibility" I really was getting the message about how to fully understand that we are in control of creating the possibility for making change. We as educators have a choice whether or not to create a learning environment that is meaningful and conducive to our students. It is not going to just happen through pacing guides and administrative duties that are pushed down our throats from the leaders above us that are not in the classroom. Teachers need to realize that above all the state standards and bureaucracy that is attached to education these days that we still have the power to provide the education that our students deserve. So, the book really opened my eyes into how choice is still out there for educators to take power in.

My favorite chapter in the book so far was the 2nd chapter on how we measure ourselves from a worldly perspective, but rather viewing life as a universe of possibility that we have control of. "The Secret" was mentioned earlier in the Wimba session and I remember the huge uproar that this created, especially since Oprah endorsed it. I think what this book missed on was the fact that there is still action that needs to be taken, other than just positive thoughts or vibes, when true change is desired. More than likely, things are not going to happen if you just think it. Rather, we make it possible by creating an environment that makes students want to learn through change. This is how students, and teachers, become ok with the possibility of making mistakes and therefore taking more risks through this thing called life.

The photo used in this blog is from Flickr, under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

Photo Attribution:
"Old School Skateboard" AdolfGalland

Week 2 Wimba Session: Copyright Issues

I listened to the Wimba archive for Week 2 regarding Copyright issues, Fair Use, and Creative Commons. As I listened to the interaction and the discussion, I couldn't help but think of how these copyright laws make things very difficult for us as educators to enhance our teaching with media that increase student engagement. However, I am extremely thankful for organizations like Creative Commons that are making an attempt to enable educators a way to integrate forms of copyrighted material into their teaching.

I also enjoyed listening to several of the questions brought up by my colleagues. The two that stand out was Cheryl's question regarding karaoke and Saray's question regarding the use of lyrics to teach Spanish. As I listened to the answers from Mr. Bustillos, the most important thing to consider is whether or not the lesson can be taught without the media used to teach the lesson. If it can, then the media must be removed according to Fair Use policy. As hard as that might be to swallow, I do understand that that is the right thing to do when it comes to what the law states and how it operates in the classroom. The other thing that I found fascinating was the fact brought up about the use of a DVD purchased for private use. I was shocked to hear that if one was watching a DVD in the private confines of one's home, and the volume is loud enough for outsiders to hear, there could be copyright violations! What? That blew me away. It made me want to go out and by sound tight windows immediately. Above anything, the Wimba session really caused me to realize and understand the seriousness of copyright and how to consider the legalities of how it effects my integration of specific forms of media in my lessons. Great Wimba session for Week 2. Thank you.