What's in a Name?

Naming my children wasn't too bad. The first one, my wife named so that was easy: Preston Avery. The second was a little more challenging because up until the baby was delivered we told it was girl. Low and behold as the little tyke was passed to me the doctor said. Congratulations dad, it's a boy! So after getting over the shock and deliberating for 5 days, we arrived at Asher Ellington. At least I got to contribute the middle name this time. But now I find my self at the name game again. NO NO! There are no more baby Brooks' waiting in the wings. I have to come up with a name for my world drumming ensemble. Prior to my move to this new school. I had a very successful drumming ensemble we called Nankama. It means "born to do this." The kids really identified with the name and it's meaning. As a group we performed all over the city at local and major events. I had the pleasure of play at Maya Angelou's 80th birthday celebration. But all that is in the past and now I am at a new school and I'm trying determine a name for this group. It's hard because we currently lack the cohesion of my former group so I find it difficult to come up with something that unifies us in spirit. Since we are at The Main Street Academy, my wife suggested Main Street Beats but we both decided that didn't sound distinguished enough. I am playing with the idea of MSADE (pronounced mmm-sah-deh) which would stand for Main Street Academy Drumming Ensemble. I know that names are important, so I want to make good choice and I want it to mean something. I have learned that names say a lot about who are whether we want them to or not.

Week 4- Response to Justin' s Blog

My Response:

This is the chapter that spoke most to me as well. Life has certainly thrown me some curve balls this year so I appreciate the call to let go of the victim mentality. However, I did struggle with the other half of that idea: absolving those who wrong you from any guilt. This is not just about forgiveness but owning the entire situation as your own. I'm definitely going to have to re-read this chapter a few times to really understand how and why this is done.

What Justin said:

Being the Board spoke directly to me this week. I did a lot of underlining in this chapter. There is always something to say for the unexpected result. That, after all is what grace is isn’t it? It is the unexpected forgiveness or the unwarranted gift or the second chance. I probably could be a story in Zander’s book. I feel that this entire school year has locked me into a position of being the “victim” in many situations. Of course, I look at it this way, when I should just say, how did these things get on the board that I am? Tracing things back, I can very much see how they became to be. Mostly due to actions I took. Now it is what to do with these circumstances. Every since reading this book, I have calmly said, it is the way things are. I often get misguided in thinking that somehow stressing and mulling over something that has already occurred will somehow give me a satisfaction of some kind. Now every second that passes could be used to look at what opportunities lie ahead, and focus energy on those. I have to keep reminding myself that I am still quite young, and that the world is mine. How interesting it is that I so often do not feel this way, that I am somehow trapped in my circumstances. This may sound a bit stifling, but of all the months of this program at Full Sail, nothing else has spoken to me the most to force me to look at things differently. Being the board.Here’s to opportunity!

Week 4- The Art of Possibilty (9-12)

Though the chapter entitled " Being the Board" challenged me the most, I feel I need to discuss the "Creating Frameworks for Possibility" chapter. This is the heart ans sole of the book. It attempts to explain how Art of Possibility is..well.. possible. Zander says to put this into practice we must:

1. 1. Create a new distinction that replaces our current framework


2. 2. Enter the territory or embody the new framework


3. 3.Follow what's on track or off track

The rules sound simple until they are further explained in an example where a teacher shaves her head bald as an act of solidarity and empathy for a student. This is not simply just thinking positively. Zander is calling people to live boldly and without thought to social mores. One would be building their own context for living. Part me wants to embrace this but the other part fears this is dangerously close to post-modern thought where there are no absolutes. I find that this has been my experience with the book overall. There are parts that I absolutely want to ascribe to but then there are parts that struggle to see the truth in. I can say however, that it has truly challenged my thinking which I think is the goal of any book worth reading.

Week 4: Wimba

I was not able to attend the week 4 Wimba session so I met with some classmates and critical friends to receive feedback. I found it very helpful. There main piece of advice was to point more to my lit review and AR in my presentation. I did not have to necessarily change the pages to my presentation but definitely share my research to help support my presentation. Also, one classmate mentioned that my presentation talked about social networking and my AR was about specifically using facebook. So with that, I decided to change my presentation to focus on facebook. Another student said that I should point out and discuss different social networks if I wasn't going to change my focus to facebook. Lastly, what was forgotten and of course pointed out was having 300 words "per page" in my note sections. That was something that was overlooked and I thought that it was 300 words total. I'm glad this was brought to my attention.

Week 4 Publish/Leadership Project

When deciding where to present, two conferences came to mind. The Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC) and the national conference sponsored by the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME). I chose the first conference primarily due to geography but also because of it's focus. What better place to present than to peers across my state who want to better use technology in the classroom. GaETC is open to all presenters who want to promote technology in the classroom therefore you can reach a full spectrum of educators. I chose the TI:ME conference because I felt I would have an audience who specifically understands the unique challenges faced by music educators. There is such a need for better means of communication between the teachers of the arts and parents. Because we are not thought of as a "core subject" we often are low on the priority list of parents wanting to be involved. This is unfortunate however, because it is often in my class where students really get to shine when they would elsewhere.

Publish/Leadership Project:files.me.com/mrbrooks625/g4tpj3

Think Out Loud #1: http://mrbrooks625.blogspot.com/2011/03/think-out-loud-1.html

Think Out Loud #2: http://mrbrooks625.blogspot.com/2011/03/think-out-loud-2.html

Think Out Loud #2

There's that feeling that you can see the finishline but getting there is taking everything you've got. I think that's where I am with this presentation. Who knew that coming up with 300 words per slide on a topic that I have developed over the last year would be tough; but it is! I find myself not wanting to sound redundant but not really knowing what to say. We'll see how this goes...

Week 3- Free Choice: It's About TI:ME!

Studying at Full Sail has really opened my eyes to whole new world of technology that I can actually use in the classroom. Riddle me this. How is it that I have taught in the classroom now for 7 years and am just now really investigating the organization TI:ME. TI:ME is the Technology Institute for Music Education. Eureka! There is actually an organization out there that help me specifically better integrate technology into the music classroom. Right in the mission statement TI:ME says they set out to "assist music educators in applying technology to improve teaching and learning in music." That's exactly what I want. I am really "jazzed" (pun intended) about taking my music class to the next level. I fully intended on going to the National Conference next year and in the interim, staying abreast of any updates that they put out. I suggest that any music educator at least visit the website to see the host of information that the organization brings to the music classroom. http://www.ti-me.org/

Think out loud #1

The only conferences that I have been to are music educators state conferences (in a couple of different states). These conferences tend to have it's on cultures which cause me to wonder what tech conferences are like. Having never have to one, this makes me a bit nervous. At the same time, I feel like I have something to share in the research I found in my Action Research which as on using social networking to communicate with parents to enhance and raise student achievement. I feel as if this is something that people are afraid of because of safety issues and appropriate use. Anyway, back to conferences… My wife went to the Georgia Educational Technology Conference this past November so when I saw it was one of the options of places to present, I thought I jumped at the possibility… in my mind at least, they have not started taking applications to present yet. Well, I look forward to making this presentation.

Week 3- Wimba Session

The wimba session this week really hit on a question that I had been contemplating myself: How is The Art of Possiblity different from concepts like " the power of positive thinking" or Ophrah's The Secret? My intial read of the text made me think that Zander was just giving new spin to an old idea but after careful consideration I think that this isn't the case. So how are they different? Well, Zander is not calling for people to simply just think positvely. He's calling for a whole new way to percieve the world around you. The good the bad and the ugly. I think that where the "positive thinking" fails and Zander succeeds is that there is room for unpleasantness a.k.a. real-life. He's not calling for us to be veritible Pollyanna's but to conceive that there is more out there than what we have allowed ourselves to experience. I think Zander wants us to take some real personal inventory about the ways in which limit, inhibit, or stifle our creativity. Zander is asking us to look at ourselves more critically than ever before. It's not a question of glass half empty or half-full but what 's really in the glass...

Week 2 Wimba: Copyright laws

Copyright issues… I have heard this term since high school. I clearly remember my band director getting on to us about making copies of our music and him telling us stories of other band directors in the county for getting and trouble and even loosing their jobs for violating these issues… I always wondered if he were telling the truth or just trying to scare us to not waste his copying paper.

I also remember taking composition and arranging in college as a music major. This particular professor had one class session set asside to discuss the importance of copyright issues and protecting you work or compositions. In addition he would tell us about how easy it is to violate these laws innocently.

Then there's the incident in when I was in college when Napster was big on the scene. The was a student on my floor who so being "prosecuted" for pirating and copying so much free music. I'm not sure if that was a rummer or not but I do remember all of a sudden hearing about the guy withdrawing from school. Hmmm….

Well, I never heard the actual definition (if I did I was daydreaming) of copyrights. However, I did know that it was extremely complicated. In week 2 Wimba session, copyright was defined as a permanently fixed work that can be seen or hear and that this work can only be used by the owner of the work. This covers and protects plays, films, books, and music. What I found interesting is that this lasts 70 years past the creators life and 100 years past a company's life, if you will.

Although this sounds simply defined I feel the use of/ permission is the complicated part. I feel that if one uses common sense and caution they can stay safe of breaking any laws.

Week 3: Response to Paul's Blog

My Response:

I agree with everything you said. For the most part, when I have allowed my students to see that I was a fallible human being, capable of making mistakes on a regular basis, not only has it earned their respect but it also given them the freedom to experiment and risk making mistakes of their own. This is so important in the classroom because we learn so much through our failures.

What Paul said:

would like to focus this blog entry on the idea of admitting your mistakes. This is referenced in Chapter 5 of the Art of Possibility when they described the typical behavior of those in positions of power who rarely admit to their mistakes. I learned how important this skill was in college when I was in charge of a group of 50+ peers who relied on my to make good decisions on behalf of the group at large. The person who led the group before me was very confident in his management and had a hawkish, boss-like personality. I never recall him ever admitting fault.

When I took over, I tried to be as humble as possible while still making well-reasoned executive decisions when needed. Whenever I made a mistake, I made it a priority to admit it publicly and share what I learned in the process. This helped the members to feel respected and also made my actions more transparent.

As a teacher, I make sure that my students understand this way of carrying themselves. I model it myself, never exaggerating that "I never make a mistake" or dismiss the mistake as trivial. Instead, I calmly and inquisitively analyze how I mistakenly came to the wrong conclusion and explain how I will do it differently in the future based on this mistake. I find that this makes kids more comfortable when they make mistakes and even encourages them to feel safe when participating in class.

Week 3: Reading "The Art of Possibility" Chapters 5-8

This weeks' readings really challenged my thinking.

In leadership positions I tend to be more of a delegator than a micromanager. In doing so I often fear that the efforts of my peers may eclipse my own. What if what they do/produce/contribute is better than my own efforts? What does that say about me as leader? But in the Leading from the Chair chapter, the Zanders contend that a good leader's goal is listen well and allow and I would say expect greatness from those you are leading. Being able to do so, is a testament to good leadership. This was a good segue to Rule Number 6. I think we could all stand a lesson in not taking ourselves so seriously. However, this means more than just not being so serious all the time but yet taking time to acknowledge that there are genuinely some wonderful things happening around you. That darn "calculating self" is always trying to quantify these experiences so it's hard for me to fathom operating solely in what they call the "central self."

I was also challenged to get rid of the shoulda-coulda-wouldas and live in the right now. I think most people find this a daunting task. But I guess that's the only way we can experience the passion that Zander says is possible.

Week 3: Response to Justin Baker's Blog

My Response

As a musician myself, I can relate to needing tunes as the backdrop of my thoughts. Right now, Debussy in hammering away as I work and I find he’s great for concentration. Concerning the “central self,” I think about the guy I am, late at night listening to Coltrane and I have forgotten the pressures and demands of the world. I like to be that guy more often just like I’m sure you miss the free spirited kid who listened to scores to fall asleep. I think that’s what Zander was getting at. Finding our own personal catalyst for creativity and holding on to that.
We are also both teachers, I can definitely relate to the feeling that maybe I’m stifling creativity in the name of order and control. It’s hard to find the balance though.

Justin Baker's Blog

As I finished reading this week’s passages from The Art of Possibility, I let whatever was in my iTunes playlist play on in the background. I find it often impacts the way in which I read the material, and also how I perceive it. Most of my reading was over the influence of Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho score from the Hitchcock film. If you don’t know me very well, you may find that an odd pairing – but you know me, you probably aren’t surprised. I would say much of my center self, as a Zander would put it, starts with the musical scoring of a film. I have always been fascinated by it. In fact, as a child I would ask for film scores for Christmas or birthday presents, and put them in my walkman and listen as I drifted to sleep. I’m sure my dreams were quite interesting. But this practice allowed my creativity to spark and think of all kinds of visuals – some being in a dramatic form, but sometimes just the image of the players in the orchestra – what they might be feeling or concentrating on to record this track. How many times did it take to record the perfect take? Then my mind went to the actual film it was created for. What process did John Williams go through to score Jurassic Park (which was a frequented score of mine)?

All of this thought was brought forth from reading this week. As a teacher of music, sometimes I wave the authoritarian stick quite a bit, hoping to instill a sense of discipline – the kind it takes to be a musician, and also hoping the dedication to a common goal would carry on through the lives of my students. After reading Leading From Any Chair I thought about my childhood, and then the teenagers in my classroom. How much engagement am I allowing them? In my courses of Radio, Film and Television that I teach, how much am I giving their insight? As a budding pipe-organist, how much am I enjoying the music being created? Most people would agree with my father’s description of his son as “high-strung” on just about everything – including myself. I tend to get extremely emotionally invested in the smallest things, and personally this has an effect on me, but also professionally. It is not a dampering issue, but still is something to note. As I read Rule Number 6, I realized how much life I could possibly be wasting by assuming my stride for excellence is of large consequence. Maybe I’ll try to enjoy life a bit more this week.

Week 2: Reading "The Art of Possibility" Chapters 1-4

I believe I had only read the first few lines of The Art of Possibility when I had the first aha moment. After reading the anecdote about the shoe factory marketing scouts, I called my wife in the room and re-read it to her. I posed the question " How can we train ourselves to think this way?!" Isn't that awesome?" Ironically, that's exactly what team Zander (Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander) devote chapter 1 to: changing how we perceive the world around us. The Zanders contend that obstacles in our lives only appear to be such due to the framework of our minds. Therefore we must adjust our framework or point of view. We have to consider what assumptions we are making, and then consider what we can "invent" that would offer the desired outcome. At first glance someone may say that this is simply the power of positive thinking or some type of eastern mysticism involving self actualization. I kind of think it falls somewhere in the middle where problem solving meets optimism.

In chapter 2 the Zander duet compares "the world of measurement" to "the universe of possibilities." The former is where most of us operate. We set measurable goals and work to reach them. The latter is where we want to be, where we are free of from the assumptions that the society and even we personally place on ourselves. But wait there's more!

In chapter 3 we introduce " the universe of possibilities" to our relationships making a virtual "A team" of people we are partnering with towards the goal of realizing our full capabilities. Is this a stretch? I don't know, but there is that old adage about birds and hanging out together right? So it stands to reason, that as we grow in this way those closest to us will be affected in a positive way or run for the hills and/or we'll attract new friendships with like minded people.

I really enjoyed chapter 4 about "being a contribution." Throw out the notion of successes or failures. Only consider that in some way I will be a contribution to someone else's life. How often do we think of ourselves as a gift to someone's existence?

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I admit the pessimistic side of me cringed a bit but I think that was the point.

Week 2: iPad in music class!?!?

Technology that can make a huge difference in music education doesn't always come from the most obvious sources. Howevery when random sampling of music teachers where asked which of any of the new electronic devices now out on the market has the most beneficial for altering the way we work and teach, many answered with the iPad. MENC, The National Association for Music Education's monthly publlication "Teaching Music" had an article on using the iPad in the classroom. I found this rather interesting since I have been trying to convince my wife why on I need one!

The article highlights favorite apps among music teachers. One that was mentioned is Percussive. This app allows your students to play on a virtual xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, or kalimba. This is amazing!! I can see my kids excitement level go up just from playing an instrument simulated on an ipad.

I have found myself many times looking for my tuner to tune an instrument before a performance. With Cleartune, one can play into an ipad which in turn tells you if you are flat, sharp, or in tune.

Another cool and useful app is Singing Fingers. This application lets you finger paint with sound. As you touch the screen color appears and sounds are made. This can help students with creativity and motor skills.

These were just a couple of the apps mentioned. Although this device seems far from musical or educational, it may turn out to be an invaluable aid in tomorrow, I mean today's music classroom!

Week 2 Response: Noelia's Blog

Noelia's Blog

My high school students just finished working with Microsoft Excel this past trimester and it was a surprising and encouraging experience for all of us. At first I was hesitating about doing a project with this software because I really wasn't so convinced that they would like it and even though I knew they could benefit from it not all students liked working with numbers and charts. So I started thinking what kind of project they could work with in order to make it more appealing and in order to integrate it with other resources so the process wouldn't become boring for them. I then thought about allowing them to think about having their small business in partnership with a classmate. I told them they had to brainstorm with another student (which was chosen randomly) about the kind of business they would like to have, what kind of products will they sale and how would they name their store. They also had to think about the amount of the loan they would borrow from me in order to start their business. I asked them to prepare an expense report using the formulas they had learn in class to calculate the amount they will spent to establish their business, the products in which they spent the most and the amount they will owe or have leftover. The report had to include the products image, description, quantity, the distributor(the website where they bought it), the total amount of the item and the total percentage. Along with the report students had to turn in a paragraph describing their business, the products they were going to sell, the targeted customers, the location and if they were going to buy the local or rent it. Through the process I could actually see them working in teams even if they were not in the same team and asking for feedback to make their reports look better and in the hallways I could hear them asking each other what kind of store you chose? What's the name of your store? The best of all is that I got them working with formulas and calculating with the application instead of using a calculator. They really saw the difference of having to prepare a spreadsheet instead of just writing information in a word processor. I was excited to see them excited and to see them exchanging ideas and helping each other to finish their business. They enjoyed the process because they got engaged by looking for products that they use and like in their real life (skateboards, clothes, technological equipment, music, instruments, video games, etc). Overall I am pleased with the results and the learning experience they got from it.

My Response
What an awesome idea! How creative! I'm glad this great lessons went well… Seems like they really saw the use and purpose of using a spreadsheet which is skill set they can use in life. Also the teamwork component is great! So often we have to work with our colleagues and this definitely prepares them for that. Nice idea to randomly chose their partners!!

Week 2: Tamika's Art of Possibility

Is it possible for a 35-year-old woman to transform her professional and personal life by simply understanding and identifying the source of my potential? Maybe. The first four chapters of the Art of Possibility are designed to get one started on such a quest. The authors encourage us to shift our focus, which will enable us to view opportunities in a new light. By utilizing the example of the nine-dot challenge, we are forced to think outside the box. Secondly, and especially as students and educators, we tend to focus on measurement such as standardized tests and grade scales to prove ones worth. However it is more to our benefit to embrace an optimistic outlook on life that allows us to step into a universe of possibility. When we take this stance to set the context and let life unfold we can start assuming that people, more specifically, our students can do well despite what the 12-point font states on their IEP. It’s time to move beyond the stress others may bring and start moving our young charges and us toward accomplishing great things. Lastly, if I can assume greatness of others then I can become a contributor to that greatness. By contributing to making others great I am making a difference that may be repaid in unknown amounts in the future. As Emily Dickinson once stated, “Dwell in Possibility.”

My Response:
VERY NICE!!! I like how you started off with the question asking if one can change their professional and personal life by identifying the source of their potential. I completely agree about that it's about changing one's mindset to view opportunities. You bring many good strong points. Thanks for sharing!!

Wk 1: Comment 2

@Tamika, Bravo!! Bravo!! That was awesome. Not only was this a creative way to explain copyright laws, it was cleverly done. I was hooked the moment I hit play. Good job!

Original post (video)

http://ttwit.blogspot.com/2011/03/week-1-copyright.html#comment-form

Wk 1: Comment 1

Justin!! Let me start off by saying it's great to be in the same course again!

I feel as though I am commenting on a comment but I had to express how much I agree with your sentiments. I have often heard it said that research on this level should be "contributing to the body of knowledge" and our AR projects should do just that. However, I too have hit several snags in the road as the ideas of execution that start off in my head and meet reality. I am really trying to wrap this up in a way that I have real "usable" data that is meaningful.

Original Post
"I must say that this Wimba session had a mixture of emotions. For one, there was a sense of relief, after hearing from other students that their Action Research projects did not go as smoothly as planned - just as mine had done. Joe really made me think about the real purpose of research here – it is not to turn in an assignment, or fabricate an idea of some collection of work, but actually contributing to the real world of experimentation, as it applies to real people in real schools. Since my Action Research depended on other participating teachers for action, some got behind or were not able to keep up to the schedule. After this wimba I realized that is precisely the data, not the deadlines, not meeting my quota, but answering the questions will this work in a real setting. It made me think about how to wrap up this twelve month experience."

Wk 1 (Wimba Post): Glance at the Week?

The week at a glance that was discussed in the Week 1 Wimba session (found in the syllabus) was created for people just like myself!! People who have so much going on that they need to have something to tell them when something is due. Not only does this magical chart do just that, but the week format helps you to be able to plan ahead. I'm thinking about making this chart my desktop pic!!! I can't tell you how excited I became when i saw this in the wimba session... It was like a light bulb turned on! Thanks!!

Wk 1 Reading: Copy Right?

After looking at the copyright under Week 1 assignments, it sounds like the copyright laws continue to change and evolve as technology continues to change.... Just a thought.

I really did not know how intricate the laws were. As teachers we teeter on a fine line because of the reproducible materials we often use or use on a daily basis. I have seen material and recordings used and copied without permission and it makes wonder how many (if any) laws are being violated.

I heard many stories of people breaking these laws leading to a host of consequences from verbal warnings to loosing their job to paying all types of fines. This can be nerve-racking to a music teacher (like myself) who is constantly a risk of violation and not even knowing. This is why it's important to study up on and be aware of the copyright laws.