WK 3 Reading - Lighting a Spark!

In chapter 9 a great scenario was born!     As she remembered back to a time when she was ten and her father left on a train in his three-piece suit she thought about the answer her father gave her when he returned and she asked why he had to go.   He said, “Certain things in life are better done in person”.   In 1981 she had a task to complete and remembered the comment her father had made and realized what he meant.    She was trying to get Slava to come play at a special concert and tried to call and was shuffled off by his assistant who said he was booked until 1984 and she asked if she could get his number to talk to him directly.   Reluctantly she was given a time that he would there and she could call then.   She took her father’s advice and went there in person and after they exchanged words as she listened intently to him describing Dutilleux as a genius, she asked “Is it possible”?    The end result is he agreed to do it because of his passion.   She was able to light a spark.   We all have life lessons before us everyday.   The result is up to us… and what we do with what presents itself to us.   Do we just shrug our shoulders and say nothing and move on or do we take the risk and go for the gold!

WK 2 Reading

I love how positive this book is and he uses great analogies to show us something if we are open to it.   Chapter 5 grabbed my attention because as a teacher we are very much like the conductor spoke about here.   When we look at our students who are listless, we can decide they are bored or we can greet in them the original spark that may entice them.   A great question was raised "How much greatness are we willing to grant?"  

Now, we have to decide what we want to do when we step up the podium or head to the front of the classroom!

WK 2 Comments on Dana Kohl's Blog

Chapter 4: Being a Contribution

"The drive to be successful and the fear of failure are, like the head and tail of a coin, inseparably linked."-Zander

I have never thought of it this way, but one does not exist without the other. As I read this chapter for the week, I questioned why I should see the world in this light. What anxiety this outlook creates. I have always lived aspects of my life in survival mode, have to be something, learn something, and so forth. And as Zander found, the more accomplishments and achievements don't actually lessen the anxiety and tension. When will I arrive and breathe a sigh of relief? Now I'm thinking what about contributing? On a basic scale, I feel I do contribute quite a bit; however, I honestly can't say I've been living my life daily from a place of contribution.

This chapter embodies the power of positive thinking. Zander instructs us that by being a contribution "You instantly shift the context from one of survival to one of opportunity for growth." Such a simple concept, yet without it being brought to the forefront of my mind, or reminded on a consistent level, I can easily sweep it under the rug. I'm loving the shift...and now, according to rule 6, I have to not take my self so seriously. It's a work in progress.

Posted by Dana Kohls at 9:27 AM

1 comments:

loriluvboyds said...

Dana,

I loved how you brought out such a great point in our reading this week. We have all been in the survival mode at some point and in my case... too much of the time. Why add the anxiety and tension of feeling like it is going to be what it's going to be no matter what or are we looking at it wrong. The reality is there will always be things we can change and things we cannot so the power of positive thinking is a plus in my book. I know it is hard sometimes to realize we all contribute good and bad to our world but it is important to realize we have value and our contributions are worth something. I think your absolutely right that we need to take ourselves seriously and make life change for the better every chance we get!

September 13, 2010 7:09 PM

WK 2 Free Choice on Motivation

Great website:   http://www.motivation_tools.com/

This is a great motivational site to check out.   One comment made under the Elements of Motivation struck me.   It was as follows:  "People who have a vision control their destiny and lifestyle.   For people without a vision, their destiny and lifestyle is controlled by others".   We all have different thoughts on the word destiny, but the one thing we can agree on possibly is if we do not have a vision we do not know which direction we would like to go in.   

The graphic above is how teenagers desire to excel and is found on this site.   It breaks apart the path of intellectuals and non-intellectuals and what could possibly happen with them, but tells us how one things is evident... all students need alternatives because there are too many factors when deciding someone's fate.   This is worth checking out!  Let me know what you think!

WK 2 Comments on Donna Thomas' Blog

Preparing for the Final AR Web Phase

Donna Thomas

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Month 11 has finally arrived and it’s as if I finally get the Full Sail University process. Over these months, I’ve been given tasks that seem to be a part of a puzzle. From time to time, I wouldn’t always be on board with what was needed, but I knew it was necessary. As I prepare for updating and preparing my Action Research site for scrutiny by my professors, I see why we were given the opportunity to build the site month by month. This process gives the learner the ability to construct and deconstruct what has been done and gain greater insight on what not only our topic is, but the research process itself.

Lori Irwin

Donna,

Well said!   I agree that over time I didn't always understand the process even though they told us that over and over again, but it's clicking now and I finally realize why I struggle more than I should.    Even though I feel like the process is tedious at times, it is making me a stronger student and scrutinizing my work more closely.   The research process has been a real eye opener for me.    I'm glad to see someone else has gone through the same thought process.   Good luck with your last couple of weeks with this program.

Monday, September 13, 2010 - 08:43 PM

WK 1 Wimba

I was able to watch the archive for the Wimba session on August 31st and was taking notes like crazy!   There is a lot of information and your right when you say that September is a busy work month and a busy month for completing some very important assignments.    I found it very helpful that the information needed on our AR websites was broken down in a way that I was able to understand more of what is expected from me.   I do plan on checking into either Time Machine or Drop Box to back up my AR website.   Listening to the questions and answers given is always helpful because so many times I have the same questions.   I am nervous about all that is expected but hope it will continue to clear up with each step as we go.   Looking forward to the rest of this month...

WK 1 Free Choice - Ron Clark

I love true-life stories where educators make a difference in someone’s life.   When I watched the Ron Clark Story I was fascinated with his life story.   He was a North Carolina teacher who had an amazing record of success with students and he taught them to Dream Big.   This has been my motto long before I ever heard of Ron Clark.   But, he took it a step farther and quit his comfortable job and went to New York City to teach a class no one wanted.   Because he saw the potential in each one of them and did not give up on them, they are successful even today.   He has since then written many books and has an academy in Atlanta, Georgia that I was lucky enough to go and visit.  

First hand I was able to see how hard he was on them, but how much they were learning.   They also travel to all of the continents and the field trips are everyday experiences that he turns into a lesson.   He stands on desks, raps with lessons they need to learn, and teaches them respect for others as well as themselves.   His Co-Founder, Lauren Bearden has the same enthusiasm and it motivates me to be a better teacher every time I look at anything on his website.   He was able to purchase the building in Atlanta with money from a book he has written.   One day he was on the Oprah show and the next day his book was in the top ten best seller list and the proceeds went towards the purchase of the building.   The location was not great and he was vandalized quite a bit in the beginning.  But, he quickly realized he needed the locals who were drug dealers and prostitutes to see the benefit for them to keep it safe.   He went door to door selling his philosophy and now they are completely safe.   His story is worth checking out and he has a teacher’s club you can purchase that shares his ideas and suggestions for a powerful class.   Check him out!