Happy New Year!

Today I looked back at my blog for the first time since I graduated from Full Sail with my MS in Education Media Design. I'm thankful for this blog because it's a record of my journey through that program with personal and education thoughts and comments from teachers, fellow students and friends.
As I start a new year, I plan to use this blog to share my life adventures, rewards and struggles.
The year has started well with a new job offer, Redskins making it into the playoffs and an opportunity to start the year on my knees in prayer with my husband. What's in store for tomorrow? I don't know, but God's got my back.

WK4 Blog Comment Response #2 to Faith Olarsch

MAC week 4 blog 1 reading: The Art of Possibility byBenjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander

Used with permission from: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1387982

What if wewere the circuit board of our life?

Perhaps this book is all about being Zen.  I particularly like the portion of Zen that explores the lack of people living in a bottle.  I find that at times I am guilty of the desire to be unaffected by the outside world.  I like isolation, which is witnessed by the National Forest surroundings of my home.  I find that too many people clutter my thoughts too easily.  Yet despite this isolation we affect each other, and we are part responsible no matter which direction the outcome.  I would like to be more efficient in the game of chess, but the concept of being the board seems harder for me to grasp.  I understand that actions and reactions occur, and most of the time I do not assign blame.  There are times though, when feeling low, that I am bound by insufficient thought and overwhelmed with negativity. When those times occur action is required to re-establish a positive mode of thinking and being. 

WK4 Blog Comment Response #1 to Golda Lawson

wk4 reading: Art of Possibility – The WE Story

Telling the WE story has me reflecting on my marriage. We have been together for 15+ years. Part of our success is the ability to communicate. We talk about everything including small talk. Topics will vary and sometimes we will argue. Even though we may argue about things, we tend to in the end come up with the possibility of agreeing to disagree. It is because of this philosophy, we find that we cannot stay angry at one another. Agreeing to disagree allows for mutual respect. It is this mutual respect that gives us our inner strength within our relationship. Another thing that made us stronger is that we were friends first and later to become best friends. Best friends do everything together and support one another in their endeavors. I truly believe that I would not have reached my goal of obtaining a second Masters degree if we did not go through it together. It was the support network that we had that enabled me to achieve this goal. Now we will go through the process of working toward me gaining employment once my goal of this degree is obtained.

Share this:

• Press This
• Twitter
• Facebook

Like this:

Like

Be the first to like this page.

One Comment (+add yours?)

• 
  REPLY 
• Cheryl Jones-Gage
  May 24, 2012 @ 02:49:11
  Your comment is awaiting moderation.
  Golda, congratulations on your many years of marriage. The WE story does make you reflect on relationships both personal and professional. When we look at how life issues affect not just ourselves, but others, and we set out to purposely seek ways to look for the best solution for everyone involved, we can create a world were we can grow together and work to solving our mutual problems once we realize that we are all in it together.

WK4 Leadership Blog Post: Leadership Role Model Reflection

When I think about great leaders I think about people who were able to do what was right even though they knew they would face ridicule and even persecution or death because of it. I think of people who were born into impoverished violent drug infested communities and were able to find a way out and returned to help others out as well. I think of men like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. I also think of people like Dr. Ben Carson and Oprah Winfrey. I think a great leader is someone who can see beyond their current situation into a world of what can be and change their future and the future of those around them for the better. 
I also think that people matter and that we have to care about others. So to me, a great leader leads by example, considers all involved, and has the courage to do what is right even if it means moving in a direction that’s against the current flow. 

http://newtrajectory.blogspot.com/2012/01/remembering-martin-luther-king-jr.html

WK4 Reading: The Art of Possibility: Chapters 9-12

Ben and Roz Zander did a great job in chapters 9 – 12 of The Art of Possibility. These chapters have brought into focus the overarching theme of the book and helped me to realize that if I become the board, then I have control over my circumstances and how I choose to react to the people and situations around me.

As stated by Ben and Roz, this book was not intended to answer all of life’s questions or solve all of our problems, but it has certainly helped us to envision what is possible if we can simply accept what is, and find ways to invent what we need it to be.

Looking back over the entire book, the stories and musical influences that were shared will be treasured and shared with my students and those I come in contact with. I will remember to share the gift of ‘Giving an A’, ‘Leading from Any Chair’ and applying ‘Rule Number 6’ to my life.

number.jpgemdtkaren.blogspot.com

WK 3 Leadership Post

My presentation is based on my Action Research Capstone project which is focused on motivating students through online learning with the help of computers, iPads, cell phones and social media sites to complete assignments/lessons. It includes research that shows that when motivation and brain-based learning are combined within an online learning environment, creativity grows through collaboration and learning is enhanced. During implementation, computers were placed in the classroom and students could choose paper forms or technology tools like cell phones or computers to go online and complete their assignments. The results of this Action Research project showed that 100 % of students chose to use technology tools and were motivated to complete their lessons and enjoyed using computers or cell phones while doing so. I would like to present my project at Virginia Society for Technology in Education because I live in Virginia and I would benefit from collaboration with other technology educators in Virginia.

Virginia Society for Technology in Education 

Here is a link to my blog stating why I would like to present at this conference.

Wk 2: Where do I want to share my project

I would also like to share my presentation at the Online Teaching Conference 2012 because my research project is focused on motivating students through online learning. This conference would be a great place to share my knowledge and experience.

Here is link to the conference the my blog about why I would like to present at this conference.

Online Teaching Conference 2012

Wk 2: Where do I want to share my project

Having the option to publish or present gave me the opportunity to think about both of these possibilities and choose the one best fitted for me! 

WK1 Blog Entry: Publish or Present, Please Choose!

This is the link to my presentation "Motivating Students Through Online Learning and Technology Tools"

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pJROxnMEIUsISbrLmob8vJBbfiXM7rXMOrPeVuake3s/edit

WK 3 Comment #2 to Bill Harris

Week 3 Reading - Tearing Down Walls

http://social-creature.com/how-to-stand-in-the-face-of-powerlessness-for-a-new-generation

In Zanders’ Seventh Chapter of The Art of Possibility both Ben and Roz takes the
reader on a “journey of possibility” by given examples and experiences that shows
 us how we take negative experiences and turn them into “walls” of challenges 
instead of paths toward our journey of possibility. The antidotal quotes and stories 
they use seem common sense, many of which we know. They have a 

way of helping you understand why it is “OK” to view the world from the
“glass half-full” view instead of the opposite of half-empty. The focus of view 
that we should take should be on what is positive about the circumstance. 
In that ay we can focus on what moves us forward and not what holds us back.

I made an emotional connection as well as had an “Ah ha!” moment when reading the 

chapters of this assignment at two points. The first point; I teach teachers technology 

integration and continually hear from some teachers, “I can’t do this stuff”, “I’ll never 

understand this technology”, where am I going to get the time to practice”, or my favorite, 

“I haven’t needed technology in all these years, why do I need it now?” For most of these

 teachers their focus was on the “wall” or the technology. Many could not see the possibility

 in advancing themselves or their students through its use. Zanders’ explanation helps me

 to understand my role as an educational leader to reach them. Teachers often fear 

technology because they are afraid to make a mistake or “break” the computer. Zander

 says it is difficult to maintain an approach to things positively, “…in our competitive culture

 where so much attention is given to mistakes and criticism that the voice of the soul is 

literally interrupted.” This is where my leadership skills come in to make them feel secure 

both in training and when they return to the classroom.

The second point of encounter came from Roz Zander’s discussion of “The Wall”. 

In that section she talks about the “the wall” between a 16 year old boy and his parents. 

She addressed how the more the father talked about the wall that the boy put up the more 

the boy withdrew in the conversation. The only question I had when reading this section 

was how did Roz Zander get in my house without me seeing her? I had a mirror reaction

 to my now 25-year-old son when he was 15-16 years old with the same situation and

 circumstance. The conversations always centered on the wall and not what caused the 

wall or better still what would it take to fix it or tear it down. Discussions were usually

 “downward spirals” that inevitably led to a higher

 and thicker wall or as she puts it, “tend to look more and more helpless.” The 

long story cut short, leads to our finally remembering how much we loved each 

other and my realizing that he only wanted to be heard and seen as some value 

to the family. The wall fell down.

I am enjoying the journey.