Week 4 Presentation by Dena Richardson

My presentation is named Techniques for Motivating and Engaging Students. My objective is to allow my audience to explore the various tools available in web 2.0 that will assist them with their instruction.  I can present to educators at the Bermuda Union of Teachers annual conference.  This will allow me to reach a wide range of educators.  The grades will vary from Pre-K to Grade 12.  I think it would be a wonderful opportunity because web 2.0 is very new for us in Bermuda and most people have not heard of it.  This is why I think Techniques for Motivating and Engaging Students would be the workshop to take to allow educators to bring something new and innovative to their personal settings.  My presentation will give them some examples of web 2.0 but the audience will be given time to explore and try tools of their choice. 

Link for week 2- Think Out Loud
http://drsmacblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-2-think-out-loud.html

Link for week 3- Think Out Loud
http://drsmacblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-3-think-out-loud.html 


Link for week 4 - Presentation by Dena Richardson
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AeScGMxz4JS_ZGc4cHpxNzlfMjJnYzZtZm5mag&hl=en_US
 

Week 4 - Peer reviews

Wk 4 - The Art of Posibility (Chapters 9-12)

In reading through the final chapters of The Art of Possibility, it was something written in the final pages that seemed to sum up everything for me. The authors wrote "choose the practices that express yourself." This seems to incorporate each aspect of the book, each chapter, and combine it into one simple answer. An answer that many of us probably already know. That we need to chose what works for us.

photo taken by Alicia Welch

That simple statement can be true in many different instances. We have to find the theory, the plan, the style that works for us. We cannot do things simply because someone else has done it that way. We can not be held accountable to something that may work for you, because it just might not be what is best for me. In those simple lines, "choose the practices that express yourself," I have been given the freedom to take and use what I can. The author seems to recognize the individuality in each of us. In removing the stress of having to try everything, I have been given the power to know and understand myself.

1 comments:

Dena Richardson said...

I agree with your comments Alicia. I also remember reading something at the end of the book about this is not a book of answers it is a book of tools. This may not be the exact words but I think that is why you have had the opportunity to look within yourself. I also think that this book was good to help us make connections to us and reflect on situations. Good Job Alicia.

September 24, 2011 5:01 AM  

Week 4 - Art of Possibility blog (ch. 9-12)

When talking about “the board,” I am challenged to remind myself that in every situation I am in, I WILL have an influence; that influence will have far reaching effects on the results that I am trying to obtain. As a teacher, this plays a vital in the success of my students. Many times, students will harbor things inside due to something I have said or my personality or attitude. It is up to me to make sure that I am on guard of how I position myself on the board.

Framing possibility…how many times have we, as educators framed possibility? How many times have we taken advantage of every opportunity to capture the right moment at the right time and turn it into an opportunity for success? I think we have these chances everyday. However, I personally believe that these opportunities can be captured best when we rely on our instinct, not necessarily our training. Too many times, a situation arises and, in our head, we are “trained” to do something different, simply because it’s “by the books.” However, it is at that moment, we hold the key to something valuable in our hands and we must ask ourselves, which door will we open?

1 comments:

Dena Richardson said...

I liked how you interpreted these chapters. I agree with you. The board is a tool that is a work in progress. You continually have to work on the board. I also agree with your statement on framework. There are opportunities every day but it depends on whether we want to use them or not. Good job. Reflections on both Mike Mankins and Alicia Welch blog.

Week 4 - Art of Possibilities

A Spark

Passion rather than fear is the igniting force.  Abundance rather than scarcity is the context.  Enrollment is about giving yourself as a posibility to others and being ready in turn, to catch their spark.  These are all powerful statements.  I think the message was : Believe in yourself and go for the park.  Afford yourself the opportunity of possibilities if you have the passion.   Don't fear what might happen.

The word"no" can be daunting but if we look at it differently it may provide another opportunity.  It was mentioned that education is important and we shouldn't just focus on the academic person.  I agree fully with this statement because not everyone is academic but I do believe that everyone has the gift of opportunity.  I also believe that everyone has something to offer if given the opportunity.

Being the Board
It does't make sense to pass the blame because it isn't going to fix things.  It is a difficult task and I think it comes with maturity.  Somethings you may have made a fuss over ten years ago wouldn't be worth your time and energy today because as individuals you would have grown. Fussing, complaining and arguing are not going to solve the problem.

Creating Frameworks
This section reminds me of the book Chrysenthemum  by Kevin Henkes.  Chrysenthemum was teased because she was named after a flower.  Her music teacher was named after a flower as well and when the teacher told the students that she was named after a flower as well their attitude changed.
We need to use the framework of possibilities  to  opportunities and offering a new way of doing or seeing things.

Telling the We Story
This basically tells the story of  "we" not "me".  How can we fix the problem.  What is  best for us.  Not I want or it is all about me.  That does not provide opportunities.  This section suggest that we offer suggestions and work things out.  Often in a disagreement it is about me or I and the tension is still there.  If the situation is approached differently with the "we" approach the outcome would be more positive.

I have really enjoyed these readings.

Week 3 Peer review or comments

Friday, September 16, 2011

Week 3 Art of Possibilty Chp 5- 8 by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander

Chapter 5 Leading from any chair
Photo by Nele's

The author has a very profound perspective of leadership. The author says we should look for passion and commitment. The silent conductor the person who leads is one who recognizes the opportunity to lead from where they are. How can we have teachers arrive at this perspective of leadership from any chair? I believe exploring the 21st Century skill collaboration could easily help are students discover and model the silent conductor, wouldn’t this be nice?

Chapter 6 “Rule Number 6”.
I needed this chapter. I love to laugh and tend to do this quite often at work but more with the students that the teachers. As an administrator, I am going to practice taking myself less serious. I have a good relationship with the teachers but believe their perception of me is getter done. I want to enjoy the process more. I like the question, what would have to change for me to be fulfilled? (pg. 87) I know, me? No one else or anything has this power. I am rediscovering my Central Self and scaring the hell out of people around me.

Chapter 7 “The Way Things Are”
Own the reality your in, what I am doing that. No you’re in denial. I once learned a valuable lesson 2 + 2 = 4. I use this mathematical statement like the authors use the way things are. I use to live in the world of “should”, “should of”, and “could of,” what if”. The reality of 2+2=4 means, if you add all of the realities around you up the product is your reality. When you deal with what is real you can then begin to perceive the real options offered in the reality.

Chapter 8 “Giving Way to Passion”
BYTFI (pg.121) yes, I love this book. Sometimes we allow systems to systematically take passion from us. This is so tragic, the lost of passion. Passion is a driving force for creativity and living authentically. When passion is lost we are lost. Two suggestions appear on pg. 114. Discover where you are holding back and participate fully. I want to use these suggestions as it relates to technologies possible impact on learning. Let’s go big or stay home.

2 comments:

Christine Shikenjanski said...

Les, I so enjoyed reading your posts. I found it interesting that your thoughts mirrored my own in many respects. For me I tend to get bogged down by the stresses of not setting limits for what I can do. I am the type of person that takes on too much. In doing so, I forget to let others lead, I take myself way to serious at times, I sometimes forget to embrace the idea the way things are is reality and because I am so overwhelmed I often don't participate. Like you I love this book and will be embracing BTFI (pg. 121).

September 17, 2011 2:21 AM

Dena Richardson said...

Les I like your perspective on these chapters. It is a little different from mine but I agree with your view. Especially the part about our passion. I think we allow the system or systems to interfer with our passion. I also love Rule Number 6. I think if we take it on we will have health problems so I believe in rule #6. I love to laugh at well and I surely know how to lighten up. I don't take on unnecessary STUFF.

September 17, 2011 9:32 AM

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Wk 3 Response to Reading: The Art of Possiblity

Remember Rule 6
Image downloaded from
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As a teacher we are always “leading from a chair”.  I can’t make my students learn, I can’t make them succeed.  My goal is to guide them, engage them, and help them create that inner desire to succeed on their own.  I understand the idea of asking what is wrong with me if they are not succeeding, but I also think that this can take away some of the personal responsibility of the students.  Students need to also participate for the relationship to work.

I love, love, LOVE Remember Rule #6.  I totally live by this!  I vow to never take myself too seriously and try to lighten up the mood with humor whenever possible.  I have found that this helps to ease tense situations…also defusing a situation with humor often times allows both parties to leave with their dignity (save face).  I am also not opposed to their Have the best ______ ever scenario ::wink, wink::

I also found the inner battle between the calculating self and central self very intriguing.  After reading this, it was easy to ascertain which self tries to be dominant in certain situations.  While I usually stay in the central self, there are time where I find my calculating self trying to rear it’s ugly head.

The way things are is such a difficult concept sometimes.  There are times when you just want to vent, cry, scream and not accept the injustice of certain things.  However, in the end, there usually isn’t much you can do to change the situation, only your reaction to that situation.  I try to highlight this with students when we talk about childhoods and the situations in which we were raised.  I was raised in a difficult situation, where I was always in that survival mode with a drug-addicted parent until I entered the 6^th grade.  I told my students that I could have held onto this difficult background and let it guide my adult life.  Instead I chose to realize that this was the situation and that I could rise above it…I didn’t let my inability to change my past alter my future.

Week 3 - Think Out Loud

I think I went over and beyond in my introduction therefore this part is a little difficult for me.  I am not quite sure of the expectation but I think I am suppose to say where I will present.  My project will be a presentation and I would like to share the Web 2.0 tools with educators.  My workshop would be called Techniques for Motivating and Engaging Students.  I would like to present to all grade levels as web 2.0 tools are for all grade levels. I would also like to introduce the communication tools such as schoology, blogging, twiducate just to name a few.  I have already done a small presentation for seven educators ranging from grades 1-4 and they have spread the word because they really enjoyed it and found it to be very effective.  This was part of my phase 1 and 2 cbr project.  As I am not in the United States I have chosen a place in Bermuda that I could do this presentation.  The Bermuda Union of Teachers provide professional development for teachers and I could do the professional development at their annual conference or I could do sometime throughout the year.  As educators in Bermuda we have to have some many credit hours of professional development a year in order to keep our teacher license.  So the opportunity will be there for me to do a presentation as a professional development workshop.  It would be really great if administrators and principals could attend.   This would allow them to see how there teachers will benefit from this workshop and they will also benefit.  This could be a stepping stone to change in our thinking or a shift in paradigm.

Week 3 Art of Possibilities

Any Chair
 Leaders sit in all types of chairs.  We have leaders of our country, of our schools, of our communities, and of our organizations, just to name a few.  So the concept of any chair does apply.  As educators our job is to lead our students in the right direction to prosper into life long learners.  Some types of leaders were mentioned in this chapter that stood out and one was the insensitive management type leader.  These types of leaders may take us further down in the reading when we meet the wall.  It also brings to mind the two types of self.  The calculating and the central.  The calculating is the more dominant one and I think that is where the insensitive mangement leader fits in.  I thought the statement, " A leader does not need a podium, she can be sitting quietly.  The leader maybe anyone of us."  I thought that was powerful.  People in higher positions can just supply the tools and allow the work to be done.  It would lmake the work environment a bit more pleasurable to work in.  There are leaders in everyone, it just needs to be brought out of the individual.  
Rule #6
I love this rule.  Lighten up and have a sense of humor, that helps to alleviate the stresses of life.  Enjoy life while you have it because no one is promised tomorrow.   I also agree that it is important to look at yourself in the situation and ask is it me.  It may not be you but at least you have explored the possibilities.  I also got the message that you should take the opportunity to explore your inner self.

The Way
 This concept should have a balance.  I agree that sometimes it is easier to accept things as they are rather than fuss over everything. On the other hand right is right and wrong is wrong, therefore you have to be careful of what you accept.  There were a few statements that I withdrew from the text.  " When we dislike a situation we tend to put all our attention on how things should be rather than how they are."  "A storm sweeps overhead showers and thunder only to be followed by clear patches of blue."  "Nature makes no judgement. Humans do."  These statements are so true.

The Wall
The wall is not a good place to be because communication has shut down.  If you can not communicate, you will not be able to resolve anything.  " The practice of being with the way things are allows us to alight in a place of openness where the truth readies us for the next step and the sky opens up."  I agree with this statement.

Giving Way to Passion
The message I received was get on with things that matter to us.  There were two ways:
1.  Release those barriers of self that keep you separate and in control.
2.    Allow yourself to be a channel to shape the stream of passion into a new expression for the world.

Week 2 - Art of Possibilities

Wow!  I really enjoyed the reading.  I made so many connections, it was great.

It's All Invented


The first paragraph told me a lot.  It's amazing how we can do or look at the same thing but perceive it differently.  That's what makes individuals unique.  I believe there is possibilities in every situation.  It is like students in our class.  We create possibilities for them regardless of their academic ability, race or gender.  How we perceive things makes the difference.  It also reminds me of how Bermudians complain about traveling from one end of the island to the other.  The island is only 21 square miles long.  It takes an hour at the most to drive from one end of the island to other end.  On the other hand we would travel overseas and drive for hours without complaining.  It is was how you perceive the situation.  


Stepping into the Universe- Possibilities


The way we look at possibilities depend on our situation.  In some instances it a can cause people to be selfish because they want to get as much as they can.  On the other hand they may not even see the possibilities awaiting them. 


Giving


This section of the reading really perked my interest.  Verbal or written feedback is more rewarding and meaningful compared to a grade.  I agree with Michaelangelo's statement, "inside every step of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one needs only to remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within."  Everyone has strengths but we just need to find them.  I enjoyed the letters written to Mr. Zander.  They were great!  It is ok  to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.  Grades are invented.  I found that interesting.  I never looked at it that way but I agree with that statement.  That is the same as attaining degrees.  If you can't do your job effectively, your degree is useless.  It just means that you are paper smart and this has been a big issue here.  People can talk the talk and they get away with things.  Reading this chapter had me reflect on many situations in life.  In Bermuda the focus is on young black males.  It seems to be a connection with this chapter.  It was mentioned that people did not feel valued therefore negative things happened. This could be the same situation with some of the black males.  They may not feel valued therefore negative things happen.  This does not only apply to this situation but that is what I connected with immediately.  


Contribution


Society has programmed us therefore it may seem as if you don't know who you really are because you have to live up to others expectations.  They infringe on you and have you questioning yourself.  Even if you have contributed you are still asking, was that ok etc.  I have done that throughout this course if I am uncertain of the expectation.  I think that is a normal reaction because you want to be successful.  To see yourself as a contibutor is much more rewarding and it seems to alleviate some stress. I think I need to pay more attention to trying to make myself and my students think of ourselves as contributors.







The Art of Possibility talks about things that most adults know already but fail to put into action because we are trying to measure up. Measure up to the things mentioned in the first chapter.  We often think that the things we believe that are possible for us will happen only after we have accomplished certain things in life. It could be a job advancement, money, joining any number of organizations, improved education that will make us measure up to whatever standard we have set for our selves.
The chapters also discuss the things we as teachers try to instill in our students. In addition to the academics we try hard to instill in them the importance of character, helping others and not being selfish. These are things that middle school students have to practice to make it something they do without being encouraged to do so.
Every level of growing up that a child does sets a new standard to measure them selves by. Hopefully what they learn as a result of trying to measure up helps them to free themselves to develop natural abilities not measured by peers or any other standards.
 

Written by christinelhart

Dena Richardson said:

September 11, 2011 at 2:24 am

I agree with your statements made in the first paragraph. As I stated in my blog, the way we perceive things make a difference. This will refer to the comment about some people don’t feel as if their possibilities are for-filled unless certain things are done. This is how we are conditioned to think. I think that Art of Possibilities mentioned that as well in their writing. They talked about how the brain works.

Wk2 - Reading - It's All Invented

I have really enjoyed reading the first four chapters of this book, and I can undoubtedly say that I have learned more about life from those pages than in any other book I have ever read.

While all of the practices in these first four chapters were eye-opening, my favorite was "it's all invented". What a truly remarkable notion, that life is just a game to be played and that I should create possibility myself and others around me. This hit me hard, and I sat at my desk for awhile after reading it to think about how I could do this in my life to help myself and my family and friends. My first thoughts went to finance, and some budgeting difficulties I had been having that were beginning to affect my marriage. It was a bit difficult because it was my first try seeing it in a new light, but it wasn't too long before I came up with quite a few ways to erase my hardships in this area. After this I turned to some other things that had been bothering me (finding time for hobbies and time to help and visit with family, becoming a better teacher), and I tried my new thinking on them as well. In such a relatively short time, I had created so many new possibilities for all of them. It really works! I thought that I had a good grip on reality before, but it turns out I didn't even know what reality was. I wish I had learned this so much earlier on.

Personal Photograph - Schuylkill County Relay for Life 2011

2 comments:

DragonflyLand said...

What an eye opening experience. How empowering it most of felt to feel like you had control, or that the ball was back in your court. I also had some similar thought while reading that chapter. I hope that when I need to use it I am able to step back and analyze how to make things look brighter.

September 10, 2011 10:10 AM

Dena Richardson said...

Yes, I have to agree with you, the first four chapters have been great reading. I see that you made connections from the reading and that is great because it allows you not only to digest the material but understand it easier. I made connections as well and I must agree it was a learning experience for me as well.

September 10, 2011 7:30 PM