Wk 2 Response to - Katie Ross (includes original post)

CyndeeMay 13, 2012 6:41 PM

Katie, you already know how I feel about collaboration and a group's ability to remove the box walls (TEAM-together everyone achieves more).......I love our book this month! The Zanders are fabulous picture painters using word windows to show us how we are limiting ourselves and thus stifling creativity! My favorite chapter so far is chapter 4, but each chapter has a wonderful message and relevance to everyday life. I agree that mostly I am positive and looking for the way ahead, but there are those times or events in life that put a cloud over my outlook and push me back a step or two. I try not to let it get much past two steps before I pick myself up and come back fighting! Open mindedness is definitely the key to exploration and creativity, so I agree that we all need to give one another an A. Sometimes the A will fall short and other times it will shine to the A+. Everyone is different, and it is that uniqueness that brings the tools to the collaborating table that can remove any box walls and keep the creativity flowing. I know, that you have also experienced the great teamwork in our cohort over the last 10 months, so you understand my love for collaboration. We are all so much stronger as a team than we are when we stand alone. Thanks for sharing more of your great insights!
Blessings,
Cyndee

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012

Wk2 Reading Entry

It is all invented! I have found that as I get older it is very hard to think outside of the box. I think this is because we allow everyday life to get in the way of free thinking. The question is how does one cultivate a place that doesn’t allow the boxed walls to trap them inside the box.  For me and my team at work we regularly have brainstorming activates. Some of the ideas we come up with never leave the room some become new workshops for all the new students. However just having a team of people coming together all building off of each others ideas is enough to keep the boxes of the wall down in my environment….for the most part. I think working in a place that welcomes a collaborative attitude is something that has been invented to help us work on thinking outside of the box.

My thoughts and actions allow me to see the world as a beautiful place! Don’t get me wrong when my thoughts focus in on politics, diet, processed foods, I get sad.  I feel hopeless at times to the things I mentioned above and I can see how it effects my measurement of the world.  I try to use my positive energy and thoughts on seeing those things as issues that will one day change. 

Chapter 3 really hit home for me.  I struggle with not being so harsh on people and myself, and I’ve been looking for ways to help me not be so harsh.  Adapting the “ Give everyone and yourself an A” mentality is a great way to challenge myself to see the A in everyone.  Even to see the A in people who procrastinate, an A in the people who don’t put in as many house as me, an A in the people who gossip or have a negative attitude. Giving an A to myself is a great way to boost my confidence in areas that I lack confidence.  It’s saying that I’ve already done a great job no matter what the outcome is at this point.  Chapter 3 is going to stick with me for a while, I’ve even posted a sticky note at my desk with a big A, to remind myself to give everyone and myself an A.

How will I contribute today is a great question.  I will contribute by smiling at everyone I see.  They say that smiles are contagious so hopefully my smile will brighten someone else’s day today.  

Posted by Katie Ross at 9:56 AM 

Wk 2 Response to Lori Hobbie's Blog (includes original post)

CyndeeMay 13, 2012 6:13 PM

Lori, I love your idea! After 10 months of knowing and working with you, seeing your projects and the difference you make in the lives of your students, I think you would be a great asset to the Edutopia platform! I think it is more important to make a relevant contribution than to focus on the "scholarly" requirement, but this is a Masters program, so we may be stuck with that requirement (for now).
Even if you can't use it for the month 12 assignment, I hope that you will choose to apply for publication with Edutopia also. I see you as a very relevant contributor as a publisher in addition to your educator role, so I look forward to reading your publications in the future!
Blessings,
Cyndee

MAC Week 2 Leadership Post: Where to Publish?

I don’t know if Edutopia would be considered a scholarly journal but if it were possible, I would love the opportunity to submit my work with them for publication.  I have several reasons for this choice. One is that this is the onepublication that I personally take the time to read every month. I have gained an immense amount of encouragement and insight from being a part of the Edutopia Community and to be able to contribute to the work would be very exciting. Another reason that I would be interested in publishing with Edutopia is that I believe strongly that The George Lucas Foundation is in many ways setting the standard for 21^st Century learning and that is something that I’d love to be a part of.  If I cannot find a clear path to publishing with Edutopia, my plans B & C will be to apply for publication with the following journals, Journal of Education and Society or  Association for Advancement of Computing in Education.

Wk 2 Leadership - WHERE to Publish, THAT is the Question.....

After much searching and several disappointments over closed application deadlines, I finally found two conferences that are open and have appropriate target audiences for the presentation of my Action Research project on Enhancing Engagement with Technology.
My first "discovery" was the HICE, Hawaii International Conference on Education.  This particular conference impressed me as the perfect place to present my information for the following reasons:

1. I lived on Oahu, "The Gathering Place" for three years and saw first hand the lack of emphasis on K-12 education.  
2. Due to the multi-cultural and cross-disciplinary audience, I see this an opportunity to reach a much broader audience than in other conferences.  Over 35 countries are represented in the audience at this conference, which means the ripple of my information flow can potentially make more waves in more places.  
3. The collaborative nature of this conference makes my heart happy, because collaboration is what I see as a person's most advantageous method of learning.  
4. I love Hawaii, the people, the FOOD, the experience of being there, and it would make a GREAT excuse to go there to visit my best friend.  

My second "discovery" was the GaETC, Georgia Educational Technology Conference.  This conference impressed me as a great place to present my information because it is staffed by all volunteers and the focus of the conference is educator professional development.  You may wonder how a presentation on Enhancing Engagement Using Technology fits into the professional development realm.  My answer is that we still have technology reluctant educators in the field that are holding us back from making the leaping bounds we need for our children.

I listed my choices in order of preference, but would be willing to present at either or both locations.  The final decision will likely come down to the financial requirements of each conference.

Wk2 Reading - BE A CONTRIBUTION! Reposted. Friday's submission didn't post correctly

Our textbook, The Art of Possibility, Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Zander and Zander is very interesting and easy to read.  I am not a fan of self-help books, because I believe the only necessary self-help book is the Bible.  However, this book really makes sense when you take the time to read it, and think about the many levels of effects it offers in the advice it provides.  My favorite chapter so far is Chapter 4 entitled, "Being a Contribution". This chapter really puts into perspective how we limit ourselves and our accomplishments by the rules we emplace in our lives and our self-constraining walls.
Reading this chapter reminded me of many biblical principles and reminded me why I don't just try to "think outside the box", but I prefer to not get into the box in the first place.  Our contribution to life and the betterment of the human race and the universe is only restricted by our own self-doubt.  Changing our perspective on how we see ourselves contributing to life can open an endless amount of possibilities for making a difference.
I highly recommend reading this book.  It can open your eyes to how you are denying yourself the acknowledgement you need to see your God given gifts and use them to his Glory.
Below is an image of the book cover to help you easily find it in the bookstore.  Go get it, you will enjoy it!
Blessings,
Cyndee

Wk 1 Leadership - To Publish or To Present....THAT is the question

Initially when I was thinking about whether to publish or present my Action Research Project, I thought I would choose to publish it.  That was my gut reaction, because I feel more comfortable with my writing skills than my speaking skills.  This is not to say that I am uncomfortable with public speaking.  I can TALK.  However, I get my point across better in my writing.  I believe that is due to the structured process of writing, editing, and re-writing.

I also know that no matter how many times I practice presenting material verbally, I sometimes get off track during the "live" version.  I tend to ad lib when I am passionate about the subject and go off on tangents.  That problem is easily controlled in publishing, because of the non "live" aspect of the written word.

All of that said, ironically I have decided to present my research project.  I don't feel that my research project is scholarly enough for publication, nor that the outcome is what I envisioned in the first few months of EMDT.

Researching the various conferences in Dr. Bedard's list is proving disappointing, because I haven't found one yet that is still accepting applications.  I wonder if this is because of the time of year I am going through months 11 and 12 of EMDT.  Even though the list is noted as a "starting point", I really have no idea where to find a conference to present my project, so once again, Google will be my trusted source to try to find conferences.  Any conference suggestions are greatly appreciated, so feel free to respond to this post.

As month 11 begins, I feel the roller coaster starting up the steep incline of uncertainty.  With 10 months of roller coaster rides behind me in EMDT, I know I am on the track of another month-long exciting ride!  HERE WE GO........

MAC - Wk 1 Blog Response 2 to Rebecca Stuart (Includes original post)

Friday, May 4, 2012

MAC_Wk1_Reading:Copyright

WOW! There is a lot more to copyright than I thought. I had no idea about the public domain nor fair use. It makes sense but it is a lot to take-in in just a few short days. Here is what I understand from watching the videos...PLEASE correct me if I am wrong! Ideas cannot be protected by copyright law, only the form in which the work was made is protected (i.e., the song, movie, art, etc.). 


Is every work that you make already copyrighted or do you have to ask for the copyright for it to be copyrighted? I think that you don’t have to do anything for it to be copyrighted but that doesn’t sound right.

Copyright has nothing to do with using someone’s work....it has everything to do with having PERMISSION to use their work. If they give you permission to use it, it does not matter how you use their work because you have their permission to use it.

So, I had a light bulb moment when learning about fair use... Full Sail has taught us to cover our backs using fair use without us even knowing! How many of you have placed, “All clips used in this video are intended for educational purposes only.” at the end of your videos? If I understand it correctly, placing this in our video ensures all who watch it that we are not intending to use the video for any other purpose but to teach...which falls under fair use. You can’t claim fair use like you could claim copyright of your work. Fair use is there to support you in court if needed.

Creative Commons license allows you to easily share your work with the public. The Internet has made it possible to easily let people know what level of permission they have to use your work. The symbols of the creative commons license all tell the general public how you will let people use your work. I never thought about how beneficial this is to preserving our culture. It saddens me to know that great works of history are no longer available because their copyright has expired. I think that it is truly amazing that Creative Commons has made it possible for us to share our work so that we may try to prevent this from happening in the future.

MAC - Wk 1 Blog response 1 to Faith Olarsch (Includes Original Post)

Begin Faith Olarsch's original post with my response to it below:  

MAC Leadership 1

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
John F. Kennedy

I have decided to present my Action Research information because I feel as though this will lead to a more collaborative learning process.  I am far more comfortable with writing a paper and submitting my well thought out spell corrected words to be done with my idea.  My thought is that I have learned so many amazing tools that will make a presentation interesting and welcoming to outside viewers, and this is an excellent opportunity to showcase those skills to people who are not necessary linguistic learners.  I am viewing this exercise as a intimidating yet amazing learning possibility.  I would like to see this turn into a whole new world for my career advancement and social influence.  Another component in determining a presentation versus a paper is due to the conference list.  There is a specific conference that I would like to submit for relative to the exploration of interactive media tools, which I will write about in the next blog.

Read more at Brainy Quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/leadership.html#se0GSPqjpP2ppilh.99

Leadership by Faith Olarsch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.