Mac Blog Post #4: Week 4 -Response to Bianca Woods' Project

"Introducing my Media Project:
Working With Angry Customers: A Customer Service Simulation

The project is a website containing a customer service simulator created in Udutu. It allows retail workers an opportunity to practice giving high quality customer service under the pressure of an angry customer.

My thesis is on the use of simulator software to rehearse skills that must be performed under high amounts of stress. The media project demonstrates just one aspect of the proposed software: branching dialogue."

Link to Bianca's Project:

http://web.me.com/biancawoods/Customer_Training/Course.html

Monique said...

This is a great customer service course. Good use of visuals and colors. Your project gave me a great idea to use with my students. I will use Udutu to create social skills interactive lessons. This will allow my students to practice appropriate responses to common interactions that prove to be problematic for them.

March 28, 2010 7:46 PM 

MAC Blog Post #3: Week 4 - Grace Under Pressure

"Grace comes from owning the risks we take in a world by and large immune to our control."

-The Art of Possibility: Rosamund and Benjamin Zander

This is the perfect definition of "grace". Many of my co-workers become angry and indignant when they observe how my students suffering from a range of emotional and behavioral disorders treat me. They do  not seem to understand that I do not take it personally. I expect this behavior from the population that I teach. Sometimes the most important thing that I can give my students is grace and understanding in the face of extreme opposition and negativity. Hopefully my modeling graceful behavior and not giving up on them will matter in their lives someday.

MAC Blog Post #2: Week 4 - Being the Board

"If I cannot be present without resistance to the way things are and act effectively, if I feel myself to be wronged, a loser, or a victim, I will tell myself that some assumption I have made is the source of my difficulty."
-The Art of Possibility: Rosamund and Benjamin Zander


I try to practice this in daily life. I usually do a good job, but sometimes I slip and have a really bad day. I recently ran into this concept with work. I have been feeling very unsatisfied with my co-worker's  comments and behavior towards me. It seems as if they do not understand me, my philosophies, or my reasons for working with behaviorally challenged students. Many of them comment that I need to work somewhere else where I can use all of my education and teaching talent. I realized after reading this chapter that I can set them straight by finding a way to help them understand and know who I really am, or I can continue to accept that fact that they do not, and take their comments in stride with this knowledge. Either way I will not be taking there comments personally.



*This chapter has reminded me to take the high road in life.

Week 2 Wimba –Media Project Check-In

I feel much better about the media project after this Wimba. My thesis is about using technology to engage learners at-risk of academic failure or poor preparation for adult life. My media project, which is the applied portion of my thesis, is an e-course. This course was created using the Udutu course authoring tool. It will serve as an example of e-Learning that can be used to support the education of at-risk students.

Week 1 Wimba Session: Course Intro, Media Project & Content Proposal

I really enjoyed the video syllabus! I had not thought of creating a video syllabus until I viewed the one created for this class. I will try to incorporate content like this with my students next year.  During this program I have really learned how to make media my ally.  I have now been empowered to solve many classroom problems with media content that I will create to assist in differentiating and engaging my special education students. 

MAC Blog Post #1: Week 4 - Media Project

My Project

My project is a udutu course on the Civil Rights Movement. It is an example of an e-Learning course to support my thesis proposal that technology such as e-Learning courses can be used to aid at-risk learners in completing their educations. E-Learning courses can be tailored to meet the needs of individual learners. E-Learning can be used to solve scheduling and time management problems for teen parents in high school. E-Learning can make higher education accessible to more people by removing scheduling barriers and leading many people into life long learning. One day it may be possible to earn a certification and even a degree by watching cable television. Media content providers such as Barnes & Nobel, Amazon.com, History Channel, Discovery Education, etc. may join forces with teachers using Udutu or other course authoring tools to make courses based on the media content these companies distrubute available to the public.

Media Project - My Udutu Course 

MAC Blog Post #4: Week 3 - Long Lines

Long Lines

" Like the person who forgets he is related to the waves in the sea or loses continuity with the movement of wind through grass, so does the performer lose his connection to the long line of the music when his attention rests solely on perfecting individual notes and harmonies. Like the person who, mindless that she has all of nature in her fingertips, blocks the expression of the life force, so does the musician interrupt the long line of passion when she limits her focus to the expression of personal emotion. local color, or harmonic events. Her narrow emphasis can produce a dull numbing performance."

-Benjamin Zander - The Art of Possibility

This statement is a very eloquent way of saying "you are trying too hard". I have found that the harder I focus on the elements of something, a lesson plan, a paper, a song, I lose the creative connection. I had a had time with my thesis for this reason. I was so focused on the details and structure of the paper that I felt that my words were stifled and did not flow well.  I often see this happen to my husband when he is trying to compose a song, write lyrics, or record his vocals. If he overfocuses he loses the energy in the song. We struggle when creating art to just be and enjoy the zone, safe in the knowledge that all will be well with the creation in the end.

MAC Blog Post #3: Week 3 - Downward Spiral Talk

Downward Spiral Talk


"Downward spiral talk is based on the fear that we will be stopped in our tracks and fall short in the race, and it is wholly reactive to circumstances, circumstances that appear to be wrong, problematic, and in need of fixing....The more attention you shine on a particular subject, the more evidence of it will grow."
-Benjamin Zander
The Art of Possibility

This is a powerful concept. This describes what happens in many teacher lounges across America. It is very easy to get sucked in by downward spiral talk.  Statements like: "It's about time they made some changes around here. It won't matter anyway though. Nothing will ever work out in our favor."; or "They will never make that improvement. It would be too much like right."; or worse "They will never learn. Don't even bother teaching them higher order thinking skills. Stick to direct instruction and remedial practice, they will never be more than remedial. As soon as you turn in the lesson plan with the proposal to use that game the prinicpal will shut you down. No one should ever try that again."  On and on and on the negative talk goes, extolling on the negative aspects of teaching, from policies to student achievement, nothing is going to ever work out right.  There are so many problems in education today that it is often hard not to get sucked down into the doldrums of the defeatist attitude that nothing will ever improve but only get worse. I have to deliberately force myself out of this thinking sometimes. The day that I am unable to avoid the spiral is the day that I will lose all love for teaching.

MAC Blog Post #2: Week 3 - Project -Thesis

Abstract

Everyday thousands of students attending public schools in the United States of America are at risk for academic failure. This risk derives from a mismatch between traditional educational methods that are often used in the classroom, and the methods that cognitive science has recently come to understand can provide the path to true learning for all. America's public schools are operating on an outdated platform based on questionable and often harmful academic practices. This paper proposes the use of technology to educate learners in K-12 schools that are "at-risk" of academic failure or not acquiring the skills they will need to live a productive adult life.

MAC Blog Post #1: Week 3 – Re: Cindi Jobe's "Do's and Don'ts for Sport Parents

Cindi Jobe's Post:

Do's and Don'ts for Sport Parents

(this is just a portion from this article that fits in well with "The Art of Possibility" that we have been studying by Benjamin Zander)

Do for your Children:

• Provide guidance for your children, but do not force or pressure them.

• Assist them in setting realistic goals for 
participation.

• Emphasize fun, skill development and other benefits of sports participation, e.g., cooperation,

competition, self-discipline, commitment.

• Show interest in their participation: help them get to practice, attend competitions, ask questions.

• Provide a healthy perspective to help children understand success and failure.

• Emphasize and reward effort rather than results.

• Intervene if your child's behavior is unacceptable during practice or competitions.

• Understand that your child may need a break from sports occasionally.

• Give your child some space when need. Part of sports participation involves them figuring things out

for themselves.

• Keep a sense of humor. If you are having fun and laughing, so will your child

• Provide regular encouragement.

• Be a healthy role model for your child by being positive and relaxed at competitions and by having

balance in your life.

• GIVE THEM UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: SHOW THEM YOU LOVE THEM WHETHER THEY

• WIN OR LOSE!!!

About the Author:

Michael A. Taylor an Instructor for the Stanford

University based Positive Coaching Alliance, a long-time member of the United States Elite Coaches Association

and a former gym owner.

Taylor, M. (2010) Do's and don'ts for sports parents. United States Ski and Snowboard Association
Retrieved March 19, 2010 from http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/ussa/en/formembers/parents/about.html

Thanks for this wonderful post! I have found that it helps me keep things in perspective with both my own kids and my students. I especially like the part that says "Provide a healthy perspective to help children understand success and failure. "  I have found that most people's misery comes from having unrealistic expectations themselves and others. Teaching children to have  a healthy perspective can aid them in finding true happiness in adulthood.

MAC Blog Post #4: Week 2 – Re: Bianca’s Proposal

“Training is key to the development of skills, but how best should these skills be trained? This paper shows that the problem of insufficient practice, particularly of skills that must be performed under stress, can be addressed using computer software and a distinct development method. Research indicates that significant rehearsal is needed for skill mastery, that stress degrades the ability to perform tasks, and that increased task practice can lead to improved task competency. This paper suggests that the solution to skill rehearsal requirements for high-stress jobs, taking into account research regarding the effects of stress, is the use of simulation software to provide a means for individuals to explore deliberate practice with the goal of skill mastery.”

 -Bianca

Your proposal sounds interesting and promising. I would definitely like to see your final project. The idea of using a simulation game to train corporate employees is exciting. It is very important for employees to be well trained, especially when performing under stress. Using a simulation game may make training more effective and interesting, increasing employee productivity. It sounds like your proposed project could be a cost effective and engaging new form of training. Good luck on your thesis and project!

MAC Blog Post #3: Week 2 – What Will My Contribution Be Today?

“Unlike ‘success’ and ‘failure’, ‘contribution’ has no other side”.

-      The Art of Possibility,

This is a wonderfully liberating statement! I live by the idea of not leaving anyone worse off for having known me, and hopefully better off after having met me. A kind of modified version of the Hippocratic Oath. I learned long ago that to be happy required living by my own standards. I have also chosen to measure success by my contribution. This is critical to my sanity and ability to do my job. I am often criticized by my co-workers for being highly educated and choosing to work with students with special needs and behavior disorders. “Why are you wasting your time here? These students don’t appreciate you. You need to be teaching gifted or advanced students somewhere else.” These are the types of comments I get daily. I realize my co-workers are just curious about why I am not “successful” or pursuing success. They do not understand that I am successful and working on exactly what I want to work on. They do not seem to understand my belief that at risk and special education students need a good and dedicated teacher even more than the gifted and talented students. Those students will often succeed no matter what. However, exposure to a good teacher for at risk and unmotivated special education students could literally save their lives. I cannot bear the idea of not being in love with ideas and learning about new possibilities. Unmotivated students live in this unfathomable state daily. I find success in seeing the wonder in a student’s eyes at experiencing a new way of looking at the world. I live to overhear students quoting me. These are the measures of my success. Although my students may not discuss intellectual topics with me or pass all the correct standardized tests, I enjoy my time with them, and know that I am making a contribution.  I do not measure myself against a norm, only against my values. Choosing to view my contributions rather than successes and failures allows me to love the storms encountered in my life, and the lessons they teach.

MAC Blog Post 2: Week 2 - Comment on Peer’s Blog

Monique said...

"I'll never forget the day that she told our class that she was glad the curriculum had been changed so we were now reading Macbeth instead of Hamlet because she thought Hamlet was just a whiner and if he had just stopped whining and killed his uncle right away everyone would have been infinitely better off... and no, I'm not paraphrasing loosely... that was pretty much how she said it. Here was an English teacher actually criticizing a play by Shakespeare... this was simply novel to my 12th grade self. In her jesting she created an environment where we students were actually allowed to criticize what we were reading as long as we could back up our opinion, and that was infinitely more valuable to me in university than being told I should be "less creative."



Your teacher sounds wonderful! I valued my teachers that allowed criticism of the content with proper evidence for our opinions. The ability to criticize is at the heart of critical thinking. I am always amazed that students are supposed to be critical thinkers, but that this requirement and expectation stops short of criticism. The ability to critique the ideas of others is critical to engaging in meaningful discussion on a topic. The concept that content experts and creators are infallible gods stifles creativity in students and prevents many from adding their own quality thoughts and opinions to the discourse. This concept is also at the heart of the insecurity of many students that leads them to stay out of a great many conversations.

March 14, 2010 11:07 PM 

MAC Blog Post 1: Week 2 - Project Proposal

Click the link to view my project proposal.

MAC Blog Post 4: wk 1 reading: Teaching Optimism

I recently completed a master’s program in education and cognitive science.  One of the courses focused on teaching thinking skills and cognitive assets to students. The book The Art of Possibility complements this course well.  I teach the asset of optimism to my students using the ABC approach discussed by Dr. Martin Seligman in his book The Optimistic Child. In addition I use techniques discussed by Dr. Daniel Amen in his book Mind Coach, on how to teach children to be more optimistic. I will definitely include tips and exercises from The Art of Possibility when working with my students in the future.

Optimism is seen as a cognitive asset because it appears to underlie perseverance, which leads to success against difficult odds. Surveys of successful people show that the more optimistic a person is, the more likely they are to keep going until they succeed. If one cannot see possibilities then one cannot see the possibility of success. I strive to teach my students explicitly how to see different points of view and possibilities. We examine case studies and we discuss possible points of view. Engaging in guided practice with an optimist that sees many possibilities seems to be the best way to scaffold people into thinking about the various possibilities and options in the situations life confronts us with. Many of my students suffer from depressive disorders. Seeing life from a negative vantage point is their default setting. I hope that trying to stay positive and teaching them the skills to help them do this will make a positive difference in their lives.

MAC Blog Post 3: Project

My project proposal is going to include my Udutu course created in the LMO class. This project is an e-course to provide background on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. This is an example of an e-course that can be used by at-risk groups to provide necessary background information for a history class to enhance classroom learning. It can also be used as a stand-alone e-course based on the needs of the target audience.

My thesis is about e-l earning and at –risk students. I have defined at-risk students broadly to include students having difficulties in traditional K-12 school settings; non-traditional students (such as working students with family obligations, and those that are incarcerated.); K-12 students with exceptionalities (both special education and gifted); English as a second language learners, and digital natives.  This is a very broad group that includes most students in public schools in the United States today. This research should benefit teachers and students in many classrooms. I will specify the issues that e-learning can address for each of these groups of students, and tools that can be used to create an e-learning support system to promote successful school engagement, completion, and life long learning by these groups.

An Illustrated Explanation of Disruptive Innovation in Education from Carl Anderson on Vimeo.

MAC Blog Post 2: Comment on Peer’s Blog

“Wk1 Project Content Proposal

I have incorporated Zoho Writer in my thesis as a mean to help new immigrants who have English as their second language. I have the notion in my mind, but it is not the same when I put it to work. There are many factors like lack of technology at home and the social challenge that verbal and written communications playing a major role for these immigrants.

I will continue to development of my content proposal and see how can I have a decent write up. The degree of stress I experience when writing English is extreme and half of the time the final product still needs more work at the end, but I do it over and over until it is complete.

I continue to make Screenflows and iMovies of how to use instructions for students and circling around how to read and use the results. Work in progress I will say.”

POSTED BY DUETIMESR AT 10:42 AM

LABELS: WORK IN PROGRESS, ZOHO WRITER

You definitely need to give yourself an “A”! Congratulations on the progress you have made in this program! I know for a fact that as driven and competent as I am, that I would not be able to complete this program in Spanish the way you have in English. People often forget how difficult it is to translate many things both cultural and language based, between languages. Keep going! You are going to succeed this time just as I am sure you have succeeded at a great many other things in your life. It is great that you are helping immigrants with English as their second language. This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. Immigrants are the foundation of American culture. Helping new immigrants to be included in this culture adds to American culture in an important way. Keep up the great work!

MAC Blog Post 1: WK 1 reading: The Art of Happiness

This weeks reading was amazing! This assignment validated my way of living and thinking. Often people call me a naïve Pollyanna, and do not understand the way that I choose to see the world.  I am always telling people, especially my students, that we can choose to be happy or we can choose to be miserable. I choose happy.  The story about the Korean student who chose to give himself an “A” as opposed to seeing himself as number 68 is a prime example of the way that I choose to see myself. This is difficult, and requires constant re-evaluation and metacognition on my part, but it is well worth it. The point of view espoused in the Art of  Possibility is the key to happiness.  I have found that self -evaluation and knowing thyself is the first step to happiness. The book speaks well to standards of evaluation and the role they play in point of view. When I lived by other people’s standards I often fell short and was miserable. When I validated my own opinions, created my own standards, and gave myself an “A” by accepting that my opinions and standards were just as valid as anyone else’s; I left the world of blame and inadequacy and entered the world of happiness. The ability to visualize oneself as successful is the key to the type of positive thinking that changes lives and creates the reality of success. This concept is the essential element in many self-help books like Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Seeing possibilities is truly an art that is at the root of living a magical and successful life.