Wk 4- DB 1 Dream Teaching Environment

My dream teaching environment would be an octagonal space with good lighting, air flow, and feel inviting with colors of yellow to spark creativity, red for energy, and blue seating for tranquility. I would like a tiered area that would allow easy visibility for all participants. A ceiling mounted projection screen would be visible from both sides in a 360% manner throughout the room. Computers and piano keyboards would surround the outer perimeters of the room, allowing open area in the center of the room for brainstorming and rehearsal preparations. Open access to sites that could be used with supervision would be the ultimate finish to my environment. A teacher monitoring station which could view students work and interact with them as well as control all of the lighting, video and audio components of the room.

Wk 3 - Classroom Podcast Idea Sites

http://mustech.net/2010/05/03/the-monday-morning-music-mix-education-12

MusTech.Net provides you with the most interesting news to follow and wake-up to on Monday Mornings. So, sit back, grab your favorite coffee and “TAKE FIVE”…

http://mustech.net/2010/03/25/musicednews-com-launched-today-fresh

MusicEdNews seeks to be a beacon and island for the latest Music Education-related News in the vast sea of the Internet. While still in a state of newness and FLUX, MusicEdNews is already aggregating the “best of the best” of the RSS feeds related to Music Education.

http://www.podcastingnews.com/details/feeds.feedburner.com/EdtechMusician/view.htm

EdTech Musician
	A place for Music Teachers, Brass Band Enthusiasts and Educational Technology Professionals.

http://www.podcastingnews.com/details/www.nolanschmit.com/site/the_composers_notebook/rss.xml/view.htm

The Composers Notebook
	In each episode we will explore a different aspect of composing music from inspiration to performance. Enjoy “Composers and Coffee” our special segment of interviews with composers.

Wk 3 Response - Lighting the Spark

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Wk 3-Reading Comment-Patricia Duresky-EDM 613-MAC

This week our chapter reading in the "The Art of Possibilities" covers Chap.7, The Way Things Are; Chap.8, Giving Way To Passion: and Chap.9, Lighting A Spark.
In the discussion of "Abstractions", in Ch. 7 's "The way things are"- I found it significant and worth remembering, that we unwittingly treat certain concepts as a physical reality. This blocks us from seeing the way things really are and reduces our power to accomplish what we say we want. The clip from "Babe" was an example of being present with resistance. It's not giving up ( the cow), nor is it throwing yourself against a wall trying to get out ( the duck). It is simply allowing yourself your feelings about the situation and being fully present. We need to be objective about our tendencies to try to escape, excuse ourselves through denial and throw blame around.To be able to suspend a quick judgement until we can really see the facts of the situation. To see the way things are allows us to experience the situation without being over emotional.
In Chap. 8- Giving Way to Passion, is a title in which I immediately felt an affinity-being an artist, I can't imagine doing what I do , teaching what I teach ( the visual arts) without the drive of passion. As a Mother-there was nothing more important than for my three children to find something they love to do and make it their career, which all three did. One is a professional photographer, one's a chef and the other became a mechanic. I believe with all my heart-what I do is not just my occupation , it is my ministry- what I was created to do. There can be nothing more satisfying than waking each morning knowing you are doing in life -what you were created to do. I have found my destiny and as a teacher -hope to help my students find theirs.
Lastly -Chap.9 "lighting a Spark". Can you imagine someone who lives passionately, loving what they do not creating ripples or producing a creative spark? Passion ignites the soul and when mind , will and emotion work in perfect harmony, that passion is evident to all that surround you. Like Zander and his wife- the romance you have with your life, becomes attractive and draws people to what you love to do. When that spark or fire is carried with you and ignites everything around you- passion becomes a contagious element-spreading like wildfire. It's glorious to live within that fire.

Wk3 Publishing/Leadership Project Part 1 of 3: Thoughts

I am not really sure which way to go with the project proposal. I am not sure I have enough good material to present and I am apprehensive about the writing of a paper for publication. I think that perhaps I will explore the possibility of submissions to journals such as Music Educators Journal, TIME, and The Journal of Music Research. Although I feel my action research project was not a real success in the manner I had hoped for, it may prove helpful to someone struggling with similar circumstances or thoughts of exploration.

Wk 3 Response - Fair Use

1. • Coast, Kimberly says:

     May 18, 2010 at 9:07 pm

     I loved the Disney video! That was just fun! I think that the videos helped a lot to understand fair use and copyright laws. However, I still think that copyright law is a thing of lawyers and clearly financial. I have a friend that works in the US Patent office and I was discussing copyright law with him this week. It is a confusing thing to mess around with patented or copyrighted materials. I have songs and poems that I have written and I would hate for someone else to take them and get paid for work I’d done. On the other hand, when I am creating something for my students I find that I would love to use a clip of something that really illustrates my point. I think that properly understanding fair use would simplify the quandary that we as teachers find ourselves in from time to time.

     Reply

     • Steve Mohler says:

       May 19, 2010 at 10:26 pm

       @Kimberly
       I agree with your statement. The use of fair rights law has been a controversial issue for many of us for some time. I think that the financial aspect of most of the copyright material laws has become a harsh reality of our world. Too much of the world is money hungry and I think at times we just look for more ways to help ourselves financially. I too loved the disney movie and it helped to put things about fair use into such an easy to understand format. It was great.

       
       

Wk3 Reading - Here and Now

I particularly like the phrase about being present to the way things are is not the same as accepting things as they are. For me I have a difficult time accepting things in the here and now. Being accepting of working with what you have right now as opposed to wishing things were the way they use to be is a pitfall I find myself in. Particularly at this time of my career when educationally speaking programs of student involvement are rather low. I thought having created a program of high standards and quality performance should be enough for the general population. But society today deals a different deck of cards and I must learn to deal with what I have in my presence. I must deal with what is in front of me and focus on the here and now.

I need to allow my students to learn from their mistakes. To build upon a foundation. Being with the way things are forces us to distinguish between feelings, fact, and assumptions. I believe this is a problem are for me in my personal life and I really want to strive to be more in the moment, rather than living in the past. I don't feel it is wrong to dream and look to the future with plans for growth, but I do believe that I personally must be more aware of my immediate circumstances and work more in the here and now.

I want to direct my thoughts and attention to what things are good and not dwell on the negative. I want to be more effective with my circumstances. I want to be able to direct my focus more towards what they are and not what they should be. I want to focus my attention more on the good of here and now, not the problems that can grow.

I believe that I had, and still have, a passion for what I do, but, I want that passion to reignite. Allow myself to explode with enthusiasm and zest for what I love in order to portray it to my students.

Wk3 DB Quickie 2 - Scared of Technology

I think educators are resistant to technology because of errors that occur too frequently. The fear that I have found among fellow teachers, and my spouse, is the frustration of something going wrong with the technology and not knowing how to fix the problem. Other institutions and business seem more prepared for technological encounters. There is generally a team of troubleshooters for problems that may arise technologically. Teachers tend to feel very alone in most situations where they are handed some technology without training and told to use it.