Week 4 Comment 2: Drew's Blog

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Original Post:

The practice that really hit home for me in these last few chapters was “Creating Frameworks of Possibility.”  To me, one of the biggest things that holds each of us back is the assumptions we knowingly or unknowingly make about future decisions.  I feel like we often make choices and decisions based off a certain list of criteria that we are conscious of but we often are unaware that we have also taken other things into consideration.
For example, I can’t tell you how many projects I have dreamed up that have never seen the light of day because I assume that the timing would never work, the funding wouldn’t exist, or that it simply isn’t possible.  Then, a few months later, I see someone doing something similar where clearly all those things actually worked out.  They had the guts to throw out those assumptions and go for it by creating a framework for possibility.
The three steps that are outlined are a pretty good way to get started and I am doing just that now.  A close friend and I are in the process of forming a new production company and I am doing everything I can to rethink most of my assumptions on what a production company is, what they do, and what sort of projects we can take on.  That’s step one.  Step two is to get started and get into it.  We are working on that now, finding projects, talking with people that might be interested in engaging with the project by pulling out their wallet and finding ways to get our media in front of the public.  As we go through all of this, we will be careful to figure out what is helping us and what is hurting us and focus just on what is helping us.  I can’t say these are easy steps, but I think they will help us to create a company that fits us and helps us to choose projects that we are passionate about.


My Response:

Drew,

I like you, found it very interesting how people build these constructs in their head. I think that it is similar to people that have crazy fears of things, it is in their head! I like your outline for your production company. This chapter seemed to come at a perfect time for you to be able to reevaluate your process. It is so hard to think about what we don't realize we are thinking about, but when we take that extra moment to consider it, we find out how ridiculous the restrictions were that we put on ourselves. I hope that your company does well especially since you have taken this time to troubleshoot. 

Week 4 Comment 1: Sunny's Blog

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Original Post:

This is the largest hurdle for me, how to light a spark in others.  I have the administrators behind me to revive the educational access channel.  That was the part that I thought would be the most difficult, but unfortunately it is the instructors. I was surprised to see the remarks had to do with myself. After looking at how I act, I can see that I am nervous to ask for participation. I bet others see my reservation. If I ask how others will contribute with me with a twinkle in my eye, they could respond better to my enthusiasm. Once I create a video with the instructors, they do shine. I need to bring that shine out in the beginning conversation instead of at the end.

You lose your power when you blame others for not succeeding. Instead find a way to transform it to success. Make a difference and do not detach myself from the end result.

Show empathy to the teachers that fear the addition of one more thing to the classroom, but show them how it is a possibility. Make a list of things that add to and detract from the possibilities of success. Move people from the talk of why they cannot to how can we. Make it my vision, not incorrect or incorrect. Do not look at the movement as improvement, just a direction. Break down barriers and create possibilities. This will validate that the idea will make a difference.

Make LISD TV a story involving the entire LISD, not just LISD TV or myself. Make it a “we” story. Instead of the story benefiting LISD TV or myself connect it to all involved. Use the combining words of we, us, our when talking about the videos. Then remember this process will change and grow.

My Response:

Sunny,

I love how you really gave yourself a little pep talk here. Everything that you are saying is true and sometimes saying it loud makes you believe it, not just know it. Motivating others is hard, especially if you are nervous or having a rough day. I think that you are very reflective in being able to think of ways to combat that in the beginning. I also love how you are understanding of how busy a teacher's classroom can be and you don't want to stress them out with more. Instead, you want to help them see how it can become a reality. Great thoughts!!

Week 4 Leadership Post: Final Thoughts

 
My Choice
I am sure that you all have been holding your breath and wondering where am I going to present. Well, wait no more, I have decided. About ten minutes away I submitted my proposal to present at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology Convention. After reviewing for what feels like forever I found that this convention seemed the most down to earth and focused on the important material in education. This convention takes place in October 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky. I felt that my CBR project fit perfectly into their categories of social media and technology. My presentation is going to start with a summary of my CBR and conclude with my perfect phase 3 of using Schoology (educational social media) to increase parental involvement in the classroom.

Previous Leadership Posts:
Leadership Role Model
Publish or Present
Where to Present?

Leadership Project Presentation Link:
Google Docs Presentation

Week 4 Reading: Chapters 9 -12

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I know that I have said this a million times, along with others in this class, but I can’t help feeling it again. Chapter 9 starts out with lighting a spark and all I can think about is being a Christian. Being an example to others and sparking that light in them with everything that we do. We are called to be generous, like the 50 cents story. I really do enjoy this book but also find it funny that it portrays a lot of the same characteristics that we should be living already. I wonder how many people read this book and never make that connection. I have found that lighting this spark in my students, or letting them light a spark in my life makes all of the difference between an average class and breaking through to some real connections being made.

In chapter 10 the author talks about being the board. But what it really sounds like is learning how to forgive and have grace. In the example of the driver, the druken driver will get consequences according to the law, but as the victim, getting upset and blaming them completely also hurts yourself. If you dwell on it then you lose control of your own emotions, reactions, and mind. It is better to forgive and learn how to move forward with accepting the here and now, as mentioned in an earlier chapter. I think that this is a good idea for teachers. There are many times where a student has known exactly what buttons to push in order to get me to my limit. While what they are doing is wrong, if I react in pointing fingers and blaming them for the situation, I am only giving them what they want, a reaction. It is better for me to remember that they are students and in this preconceived notion, sometimes the teacher is the enemy and their teenage emotions get the best of them. One thing that I am not sure the author makes extremely clear is that this does not mean that they are not to receive consequences; it is more a conscious choice on how to react and deal with emotions. This also goes in line with Rule number 6, don’t take yourself so seriously. As a teacher I can’t get so worked up if a kid doesn’t listen to me, I can’t freak out. Or according to the bible, don’t throw your pearls before swine. If they aren’t in a place to receive instruction then I am just wasting energy and emotions freaking out about it.

This story of the teacher shaving her head in order to help the girl with cancer reminded me of Adam Sandler peeing his pants to make the elementary school student feel ok in Billy Madison. Changing the framework takes courage and belief that you are doing it in order to better the mindset of others and change their framework as well. I really like that one of the steps for this is to figure out what is on track and what is off track. Too often people have great dreams and then they don’t focus on them when they start executing them. At my school district this happens often and there comes a point where people stop believing in the ideas even if they are good because they never get completed. A vision with specific goals is so important to this cause.

Chapter 12 really brings together a lot of different aspects of this book. The biggest thing is to overcome the fear that is constructed in our minds so that we can tell the WE story together. Teaching in a school that is very racially diverse I deal with this issue often. I can’t count how many times I have had to mediate issues that have to do with different races. The fact that the issues have nothing to do with specific people never seems to dawn on them until after a fight or argument has broken out. The examples that the author gives about the marriage and the job raise are perfect examples of how to change into a WE story. This is a technique I often have to use with my students especially when it comes to their grades or lack of homework. I have to remind them that I want them to pass as well and together we can come up with goals for US to get them to pass. I want them to know that it is a team effort. This is definitely not one of the easiest stories or conversations to have, so it is important to not spiral downward.

Week 3 Leadership Post: Where to present?

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Since I have decided to present, I have been looking at various conferences around the nation. I started looking at tropical locations, but I am finding that a lot of conferences are already in session for the next couple of months. This made my search a little bit of challenge, but I thought outside of the box with my CBR project. Here is what I have decided:

Plan A:

I would like to present my CBR Project and its results at the 2012 AECT International Convention. It is in October, which will give me plenty of time to prepare for the convention. Also the final call for presentations is March 2, which will give me plenty of time to get my application fine-tuned to present to them. This is a perfect setting for me to describe how my CBR project used technology to increase parental involvement in my classroom. While it may not be tropical, Louisville, Kentucky would be a great place to visit, and meet a lot of great people in the same field.

Plan B:

The more I thought about what my presentation dealt with, the more doors opened to various types of conferences. My plan B is to present at the National PTA conference in California on June 21^st. I think that since my topic was parent involvement, it would be great to present in a setting where I can show how technology helped further that cause. This backs my research that states that teachers have to reach out to parents in order to get the strong parent-teacher conference.

Both options are great and I will have to narrow it down for the final presentation.

Week 3 Comment 2: Hutch's Blog

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Original Post:
I always think I'm going to struggle to find content for these blog posts so they don't read like book reports but somehow something serendipitously comes to to me at just the right time.

I think this video from Randy Halverson is a great metaphor for the message within the Art of Possibility, the idea that a world of possibilities is hiding in plain site.  We just need to learn how to see them.  This time lapse video is a compilation of 30 second exposures that reveals spectacular things in the night skies invisible to the human eye and standard video.


Temporal Distortion from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

What really struck me about the 4 chapters we read this week is the way they support each other.  I really identified with chapter 7 of the Art of Possibility - The Way Things Are.  I've always been an optimist, to the point where it has frustrated other people.  I hope moving forward I can use this strength to learn to lead from any chair as described in chapter 5.  I think the key to getting others to be inspired by our own dreams is to communicate them with passion as described in Chapter 8.  Chapter 6 stresses not taking yourself so seriously.  I think too often people get misguided by feeling they need to convince others they are right instead of respectfully disagreeing or simply presenting their own ideas with positive conviction.  I see this happen often in social media, especially Facebook.

I didn't realize it until writing this post but I took these lessons to heart earlier this week.  Recording artist Whitney Houston died suddenly this past Saturday at age 48.  Mixed with posts of sentiment there was a small contingent of my Facebook acquaintances who took advantage of the opportunity to communicate their opinions about how her life should not be celebrated.  These people posted images of soldiers graves with comments stating that true heroes deserved the media's recognition not a "washed up drug addict."...  I found these views misguided and in some cases offensive, not to mention incredibly passive aggressive.  If this is truly what you believe you would post comments like this every day, not just when a celebrity you don't care for dies and the media focuses on it.  I chose to remain quiet on all these posts and tried to ignore the threads of comments.  Eventually I decided to do some research and politely posted on each of my acquaintances threads some facts I found out about Mrs. Houston's charity work.  I noticed very few news reports were highlighting these fact that her proceeds from the sales of her recording of "The Star Spangled Banner" went to soldiers and servicemen and women, or her other charity work including her own organization that helped cancer and HIV stricken children.  None of my acquaintances responded directly to my comments, but several people "liked" my comments after I posted them.  I also posted my findings to my own wall which got several "likes" as well.  Nobody confronted my comments.

I think we could all learn to take ourselves less seriously.  No one of us is ever going to change the world or the way someone else feels with a single comment, no matter how aggressively you try.  By respecting each other and communicating openly and sincerely though we might just be able to help each other stop and think.

My Response:
 I agree with you that these chapters blended and worked very well together. I really like the fact that you focused on not taking ourselves so seriously. The scenario that you posted about Facebook happens all too often. One of my friends from high school uses Facebook to constantly tell the world her opinions. What usually happens is that people start commenting back and then all of these mini fights breakout all over her Facebook page. She genuinely gets mad at people and has lost friends over comments made on Facebook. REALLY!!! It is not that serious. If people feel strongly about something, it should be a way of life not a angered Facebook, attention getter post. I didn't really gather the moral of the story the same way that you did. Thanks for pointing out that we can all step back and respect each others communication and ideas. Do you think that it would make a difference if they always treated people like that as opposed to only when it is convenient to make a big show?

Week 3 Comment 1: Drew's Blog

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Original Post:
My favorite part of this week’s reading from The Art of Possibility was the 8th practice, “Giving Way to Passion.”  My life is dominated by my passions and I strive to follow those passions.  It is my passion for photography and the natural world that has led me to where I am today and it is my passion for education that has brought me to the EMDT program at Full Sail.  As I mentioned in one of my commenting posts last week, it isn’t the easiest path and often there is no path, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  For me, it is the passion that I have for my work that allows me to push the boundaries with visual storytelling.
It is also the passion (some might call it obsession) that enables me to get through the really tough times when things don’t go well, projects fall through, and money is tight.  It is the passion that gets me out of bed each morning excited about the opportunities that are out there.  There is a constant battle between the fear (as mentioned last week) and my passion.  Most days passion the passion wins but it is a daily challenge.  I must say, the good days are worth fighting through the bad days though…  Let go of your fear and give way to your passion!

My Response:
Awesome post Drew. I think that my favorite part of this week's reading was also the part about passion. This is something that inspires people and drives people to do great things. It is not always easy but the passion become the motivation to push through the rough times. I like your connection to last week about pushing through the fear. My husband is living his dream selling salt water coral and fish. He loves what he does, but everyday is a risk when he places new orders. There might be days were he gets a shipment where some fish died, or there was a tropical storm so his order was cancelled. It is because he is so passionate about his hobby that he pushes through and continues to do what he loves. Keep up the great work and I think your passion for education, photography, and nature has really done great things for the educational world everywhere. 

Week 3 Reading: Chapters 5 - 8

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This week’s reading talked about leading from any chair. I really enjoyed this chapter because I think that as a teacher it is important to understand where a student is coming from also. It is vital that we get their feedback so that we can ensure that we are teaching and they are learning to their full potential. At the end of every quarter I give surveys about the class and I ask them anonymously to give as much specific feedback as possible. This takes some level of maturity because at the high school level I get things like: we want naptime, we should have no homework, school should be optional and what about smoke breaks? Once I get past that crap, I really get to hear what they like to see in the classroom, what helps them and what I can improve for their behalf.

Last year at the end of the year instead of reviewing all of the semester myself, the students each had to pick a chapter to teach. I got to sit back and as a “student” visualize what works in the classroom, what doesn’t keep my attention, and what new things to try. It was an awesome experience and every single group admitted that teaching was harder than they thought it would be. Some students were mad that they had to keep quieting down everyone; that was the funniest part of the experience.

The calculating self is my worst enemy. I definitely need to lighten up and I love the rule number 6. I think that it is very easy to be your own worst critic. I know that one of my biggest faults is being a perfectionist. I think that nothing humbles a person like being a teacher. I learn new things from my students all of the time and they call me out daily. It is the best remedy for the disease.  I love the story about June. As a Christian it makes me think about what my mom used to tell me about praying. Don’t pray to change that man, pray that our heart would change towards that man. We can’t change everything and everyone else around us, but we can change how we react, deal, and live with things around us.

I really like the author’s point of view about dealing with the here and now. I think that it is really important to acknowledge what is happening before you can deal with it. I think of my students that whine and complain about every little thing and then are incapable of completing anything. We are not promised tomorrow, so we need to live in the present and deal with it realistically. This includes bad things and mistakes. These shape us as much as anything else and we must accept them in order to learn from them.

I LOVE the two steps to giving way to passion. I think of two things when I think of living with passion. The first way is living for God. This is something that you have to let take hold of you and you have to be willing to be shaped into whatever He would use you for. The other thing I think about is singing. When I step on stage, the lights hit me, and the rhythm guitar starts, I have to give myself completely to the music and get out of my head. Some of my best performances were when I was signing with all of my heart, not all of the notes were perfect, but the passion came through in the music. It moved people. This is how we should live our lives with everything that we do. This is the reason that my husband opened his own store, passion. This is the reason that I teach, passion. Without passion in our lives and work it would be easy to get bogged down and get complacent.

Week 2 Comment 2: Chris' Blog

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Original Post:

This was a great assignment. I was initially a little turned off because I really was struggling with the writing style. It seemed a little unorganized. I read quite a bit and haven’t struggled like that in a while. But, since I’ve never had a book published I guess I’ll keep opinions to myself.

As I read through the chapters, one thing seemed to keep popping into my mind. The chapters talked about “possibilities” and how “it’s all invented”, but at least for me the one thing lurking behind all the words was “fear”.

While trying to go through life assessing what is illusion and how it affects the way we think, I couldn’t help but try to put the assignment into practice. I started to do the exercises and found that more than anything; my thoughts were motivated by fear.

For example, due to defense cut backs, we have lost a large amount of contracts. This means that I will probably lose my job within the next month or two. I am terrified. So I have immediately begun looking for ANYTHING in the area that will allow me to stay in the area while my girls are in school. I would ultimately like to get a teaching position with Full Sail, but that didn’t even enter into my thoughts. Why? Fear. I am scared and have gone into what the book calls “scarcity thinking”. Time look like they are going to be tough, so my mind has put aside my desires and started to look for anything that will provide for my family. Strange that we would have this reading at such a perfectly timed point in my life.

I hope that I am able to step back and truly try to apply the philosophy of the reading. I want to be able to understand that there are more possibilities out there if I just stay open to them instead of letting circumstances completely dictate my life. It’s more challenging than I thought it might be.
My Comment:

Chris,

I might be in the same boat as you. I just found out today that I am going to be riffed in March. My first reaction was to go into a little bit of panic mode since right now my husband and I are living off of my income and health insurance. Then I read your blog post and started to see the reading in the same way that you did. Fear is something that can really make us think in such a confined place that we aren’t able to see all of the options. I feel very encouraged after reading your blog and re-reading my notes from this reading. I think that if we don’t let fear get the best of us, we will be able to think much more clearly. I also think that by not putting fake boundaries on ourselves we keep many more doors open. Also, we will be the brand new recipients of a Full Sail masters degree. 

I think that we can take this a step further and also remember this notion when we are dealing with people in our lives. I think that my school district only thinks of cutting teachers first because they are afraid of the budget and assume this is the only solution because it has been this way for so long. They are also living within certain boundaries. I am with you in trying to take these ideas and philosophies to heart and put them into action. Easier said then done, but I think that this reading was given at the perfect time to give us something to think about.  

Week 2 Comment 1: Drew's Blog

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Original Post:

When I first learned about the EMDT program and the CBR project, I knew that it would eventually culminate in either the submission of a journal article or a presentation at a conference. From the beginning, I was looking forward to doing a journal article because, while I have several published articles with my name as author, I don’t have any published articles as the first author. I thought that this would be a really good chance to finally get a publication as lead author.
 Unfortunately, as my CBR has wrapped up, I had very low turnout and completion rate for both of my phases. So low in fact that it is difficult to draw any conclusions or extrapolate on my data. The data I do have is more qualitative and anecdotal rather than strong quantitative data. Due to this, I am learning more towards doing a presentation instead of a paper.
On the positive side, the CBR project is media intensive to start with and that will come across much better in a presentation than it would in a written article. I also really enjoy giving lectures and am always striving to improve my speaking ability. While I have given several presentations in the last few years, it has been a while since I have presented to a professional audience and I think it will be a great challenge. I have a couple conferences in mind where I would like to present my project, Canopy in the Clouds, and the research I did in my CBR concerning the project. I think it will be a great presentation and I look forward to further exploring the opportunity next week.

My Comment:

I too was aware of the fact that at some point this project would culminate in sharing the data, but unlike you, I had no intention of publishing. If you have read my blog, you know that I don’t like to write. I am always nervous that it might not come across the way that I want it to or that the full impression will not come across. After the finishing the CBR, I am even more convinced that I should be presenting. Like you said, there is so much media that it would be better in presentation form. My CBR was a mixture of email newsletters and videos that my students made. Your Canopy in the Clouds CBR project will make an awesome presentation. I would fly somewhere tropical to see you speak. Maybe Hawaii…

Week 2 Leadership Post: Publish or Present

 Photo from nickoneill at Flickr Creative Commons

Well... Those of you that know me, know that I don't like to write papers and I don't mind speaking in front of people. With that being said, my choice seemed pretty easy. But to make sure that I have thought through my idea here is my out-loud thinking.

Pros to Presenting:
I can be outgoing and really express my thoughts with emotion.
I can use Prezi (which I love!)
I can possibly travel to a warmer climate to speak
I could see my name printed in big lights at a conference (maybe not)
I could meet and speak with many other great speakers in the same area
Something like technology is better understood with a presentation then reading about it. 

Cons to Presenting:
I may have to pay to fly somewhere
I could get nervous right before I go up to speak
There could be a technology glitch at the conference

Pros to Publishing:
I could save a copy of the final product

Cons to Publishing:
I don't like writing papers
I might pull all of my hair out
It won't have the same effect as when I am speaking about my research

Ok, I think my mind is made up...present it is!!!

Week 2 Reading: Chapters 1-4

Photo from ZeroOne at Flickr Creative Commons

The beginning of this book starts with the story of the two businessmen who see differently the potential of a shoe company in Africa. I just imagine my students who approach math problems from left and right field. It is crazy to me that we all can interpret or invent things differently. The example of the nine-dot test is perfect. I myself fell into the same imaginary constraint of a box limit. I can only imagine what our students could achieve if we could get them to take away the imaginary constraints.

This notion of the world of measurement is very interesting to me. I know that as a math teacher I definitely look at my world through a very logical and some time ridiculous cut and dry lens. But, as a Christian I believe that looking at everybody through these world and measurement based lenses is wrong. It judges them and in a sense implies that I know them and that there is nothing that can surprise me or change. I clearly know this notion is wrong and therefore the inner battle of balance begins. I love that the author points out that we think that life is all about surviving and getting ahead. I can’t tell you how many times my students have talked like this. They care more about learning tricks to get ahead in life than learning to become more intelligent or well rounded. The Universe of Possibility that the author speaks about is a world without bounds where people are not always competing but achieving great things by thinking outside of the box. Some of my most successful students are the perfect example of this. They are not concerned with popularity, grades, or perfection, just working hard and being creative. Since we can’t control life it really is crazy that people stress themselves out and wear themselves thin to try and control life.

It is interesting that the author brings up grades. I find myself right now a little stressed about grades and then I think about what those grades really mean. I know that I did everything to the best of my ability and that I truly understand the material, so what does the grade tell me that I don’t already know? This is a thought that I would like to translate into my classroom. I am in the process of switching my classroom to a mastery classroom. I think that a lot of my students could receive an “A” if they were truly allowed to hone their skills in my class instead of race to a test every other week. While I like the story of giving every student an A, and I agree that it would be less stressful, I don’t think it would work in all classes. What would be an alternative in a remedial math class? I love that the author mentions that a disengaged student may be the best student but they don’t want to be disappointed. I often find that the “troublemakers” in my classes are usually the ones that are very bored and very intelligent. What strikes me the most is that giving an “A” has more to do with an attitude and mindset with the people around us, then grades in a traditional classroom. I feel as though I can completely relate to Roz when it comes to giving her father an A. I also had to rethink my relationship with a father who was never around and died suddenly before I could have a true relationship with him. After rethinking and reproaching our relationship I was able to see how my husband truly loved me. If think that if I had never done that, I would not be as happily married as I am now. As a perfectionist I can see a lot of barriers that I myself build that restrict my own life and teaching. Imagine what a world where everyone though this way. The true test is giving someone an A even when we don’t like them or they might seem like a jerk.

Week 1: Leadership Role Model

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Being a leader is something that should inspire others to do great things. The leader that I look up to the most is my cooperating teacher from when I student taught. I learned so much from her and still to this day strive to be the same type of leader that she is everyday. There are many leadership qualities that she has that I would like to incorporate into my leadership style.

The first thing is that she is very organized. This is important because if you are going to lead, you need to know what is going on around you and be able to guide others in a way that is easy to understand. She is also very patient. As a leader this is key because not everyone that we are guiding is going to know what to do and that is why we are supposed to help them. As a teacher patience is so key because it may take multiple times of teaching the same thing before it clicks with a kid. She was also very humble yet confident. She taught and lived with conviction, but if she was wrong, she was not afraid to admit it to her students. I want to be able to teach boldly yet always be open to what my students think and say. One of the most fascinating things to me was that she respected her students and interacted with them in a way that didn’t make them feel less than her. When I teach I try to encourage my students to have intelligent conversations and debates with me and not to simply bow down and follow like a monkey. Lastly, my cooperating teacher never settled for good enough. Even though she had been teaching for almost 30 years, she never just reused a test or presentation. She would research new ways of presenting, teaching, and practicing material. She didn’t want to fall into a rut as a leader but instead she wanted to press forward and offer her students the best at all times. When I teach I also try to be innovative and present in a way that is engaging. This is also one of the key reasons I decided to take this Full Sail program, so that I could learn some of the best and creative ways to engage my students.

Week 1 Comment 2: Chris' Blog

Photo from  See-ming Lee 李思明 SML at Flickr Creative Commons

Chris' Original Post:

So, I initially was a little concerned that I may not have enough to talk about. I assumed that our posts would be on what we had to “read”. So I went through the assignments and all the links trying to piece together exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I finally figured it out and was really, really glad I did.

This week I watched a considerable amount of video on copyright law, fair use, etc.… It hit very close to home since I watch politics pretty closely. Copyright laws, reading assignments, politics; surely they can’t all tie in to one another this week Chris! Well, hang on to your hats kids.

Over the past few months I have been watching a few really amazing (cough sarcasm) pieces of legislation being pushed through congress. Well, trying to be pushed through anyway. They are SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). See, the entertainment industry, more specifically the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has fallen on some really hard times. They have become accustomed to living in solid gold houses and they aren’t really looking forward to having to change. It’s not that they don’t have the money. Why as a matter of fact Chris Dodd, the MPAA head honcho recently threatened congress with these words:

“Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake.” 1*

So paying members of congress to make sure that laws get passed that continue to line pockets in Hollywood is perfectly ok. No problems there. But asking Hollywood to come out with a different distribution method that gives customers what they want in the digital age is crazy talk.

I’d love to be sympathetic to Hollywood and their copyright issues. But unfortunately evidence exists elsewhere within the entertainment industry that digital downloading can be successful. I shall refer you to Steam, the online software distribution company. Estimates have their revenue for the year (2011) at around one billion dollars. And game software piracy has actually gone down over the past few years. Why? Because the provider found an original way to easily distribute a product without breaking any copyright laws, get the end user reasonable prices, and put cash into the develops pockets. Shocking.

I would also remind the reader that the MPAA also had this to say in 1982 when presenting their case before congress:

“We are facing a very new and a very troubling assault on our fiscal security, on our very economic life and we are facing it from a thing called the video cassette recorder and its necessary companion called the blank tape. And it is like a great tidal wave just off the shore. This video cassette recorder and the blank tape threaten profoundly the life-sustaining protection, I guess you would call it, on which copyright owners depend, on which film people depend, on which television people depend and it is called copyright.” – Jack Valenti (MPAA President) 2*

So, in 1982 it was the VCR. The industry also went bananas over the mp3 player but I won’t get into that. Now the boogieman is online piracy. Don’t get me wrong; I think they have every right to protect what they create. But taking away my Internet rights in America is not going to stop piracy in China. So I’m all for finding a solution that works for everyone. But I doubt that we will be able to safely navigate the waters of greed when the MPAA is at the helm.

My best solution for the entertainment industry is to let go of archaic business models and step outside the box. As I discussed, the online software provider Steam has created an incredibly successful business model! Why not at least take a look at why they are rolling in money AND being celebrated by the customer at the same time. Hollywood could create an online site that offers cloud technology where you can buy and store your movies and download them any time you want. I’m not even talking about streaming videos; just download what you’ve purchased from them. They could offer movie collection deals (Clint Eastwood bundle for example) or have daily deals where they rotate movies for 75% off. The deals could include good movies not “C” movies and they’d still make a ton of money.

It comes down to convenience in the digital age. A bridge can be created between producers and users that bridge copyright issues and cost if they will only step back, take a look at the future for once, and evolve appropriately.

A shiny new nickel to anyone that actually endured this entry and read it to the end….

My Response:
First of all I am pretty sure that you are going to have to pay out a lot of shiny nickels in the class. Maybe you should limit your paying to people who aren't required to read your blog, lol! Anyway, you brought up some really great points. Since we are in a digital age, media can be accessed anywhere in the world so creating more strict laws here is not necessarily going to protect all of the rights of the authors. I really like your solution to creating a more user friendly way of using the internet for movies and media. I wonder how long it will be before movies or dvds are rarely sold in stores. My husband and I have Apple tv, Netflix, and cable. I can't remember the last time that we ever watched a physical movie or dvd. If online resources for accessing this information would team up and work together they could defeat some of the illegal pirating by offering a more creative solution, just like BMI.

Week 1 Comment 1: Drew's Blog

 Photo from naixn on Flickr Creative Commons

Original Post: Drew Fulton

Working as a professional photographer, copyright is often at the forefront of my mind and often involved with my daily tasks.  My perspective on copyright has almost always come as the copyright holder, trying to figure out ways to prevent others from using my images without compensation.  After all, I do make my living through the creation and publication of my photographs.  This is a huge issue in the photographic world these days and something that people struggle with on a daily basis.  Image theft is rampant and the internet only makes it easier.
The thing about violating copyright that drives me nuts is that people do it without a second thought because most people know that they won’t get caught, or it isn’t worth the time of the copyright holder to prosecute the offender.  After all, there isn’t a police force out there that protects copyright holders (unless you are dealing with major movie/music/product piracy and then it is the FBI).  For the most part, someone like me would have to hire a lawyer, get a cease and desist order written, and then send it to the offender.  This is not a cheap endeavor and likely won’t result in any returns.  The reality is, if that person had just asked, they might have been given permission.  Instead, the culture is “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” and it drives me crazy.
One of the interesting things I found by watching these videos as they were primarily from the perspective of the user rather than the creator.  What makes it even more interesting is that a number of those people (primarily the documentary folks) are using the copyrighted material to create commercial products (documentaries) that they then copyright.  I find that when these discussions come up people want to use the work created by other people but they don’t want other people to use their work.
For a couple decades now, Internet users have had the expectation of getting things for free but this is a false premise.  We can see this transformation coming in the world of journalism where places like the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have finally started charging subscription fees for the content they provide online.  After all, people used to pay for the print version and they weren’t paying to simply have the physical newspaper in their hands, they were paying for the content.  Because the internet isn’t a physical object, people think it doesn’t have costs associated with it, but that is far form the truth.  The content still needs to be produced regardless of whether it is printed on your screen or printed on newsprint.  The value is the content and until we start to accurately assess this value, it is going to be difficult to regulate copyright violation in this new digital world.  I think we are headed that way, but we aren’t there yet.

My Comment:

I was really excited to read your blog after watching all of these videos because you deal with this for a living. It was very interesting to me that almost everything that we watched was geared more towards people that want to use copyrighted material, especially since whole topics were on fair use and Creative Commons. My husband is always complaining that there is no original music anymore because they all just copy each other. While I get frustrated that copyright is sometimes "too strict" I agree that original work should be the ultimate goal. You also brought up the fact that a lot of people know that they are using copyrighted material and yet they simply don't care or hesitate. I just had this conversation with my students regarding the re-use of music. They blatantly stated that nobody is going to sue them and that there are bigger fish to fry. While I want them to have creativity, I also want them to find some inspiration that is not based on other people's brilliant ideas. I think that this two-sided extremist battle is far from over and that if anything it is going to get worse before it will get better. As a photographer, do you use Creative Commons to post your work? Just curious... 

Week 1 Reading: Copyright Issues

Photo from OpenDemocracy at Flickr Creative Commons

So… copyright…wow!!!! I would like to start by saying that even though we were told about copyright when we started this program, it would have been really beneficial and inspiring to hear this stuff at the beginning of the program.

Intro:

I found it very interesting that copyright was an issue when the printing press came out. This makes sense because things could be copied much easier, but I always assumed that it was going to be started with artwork instead. The most interesting idea through this week’s readings is this notion that today’s culture is so media saturated that the rules are much harder to define. It is crazy to me that copyright length is so long since it will outlive the author or even the length of a company. I can see how this would make it much harder to “re-mix” this material. The ten (eleven) myths of copyright were interesting because they were some of the myths that I too believed in. As I have never had anything copyrighted before this program, I had never looked into my rights as an “author” of creative material.

Fair Use:

As a teacher I know that there are plenty of times that I have thought “fair use” as I am doing something in the classroom. As a student I can also think of many times where my teachers showed movie clips or gave us copies of material. Now when I think back on them, I don’t know if they would really be covered by fair use. I absolutely loved the Fair(y) Use Tale. It was a perfect and ironic explanation of copyright issues and fair use. I think that the graphic design teacher at my school could show it in her class as well. I found the notion of private censorship very interesting and I agree that history should not be lost because it is simply “protected” or hidden from the culture and nation that created it. This is where I love the idea of re-mix culture. In fact, some of the most creative masterpieces that my students have come up with involve remixing or reusing modern culture icons and media. As a teacher, I do find it helpful to think of the common notion that Mr. Professor mentioned: “If you can teach without copyrighted material, then it probably does not fall under fair use.”

Solution:

As a Full Sail student I feel as though I have become very aware of copyright laws to the point of being nervous of accidently breaking a law and going to jail… ok maybe not that bad. But Creative Commons has really been a great solution and has adjusted to our lightening fast society that is full of new media every second. It also makes me feel good to give back some of my work as Creative Commons licensed work.  My favorite video of all three sessions was definitely the TED talks video at the end of session three. The best things really are saved for last. The three stories really hit home all of the points that were made and it makes you question how this generation is going to grow and change with copyright laws, remixing and mashups. All I know is that if Glee is allowed to show these mashups, why shouldn’t our students be able to create something just as entertaining on YouTube? As was said in the video, “…they produce for the love and not the money…”

I still have one more question:

What about taking a screen shot or picture of something such as a picture of a dance or a screenshot of Facebook? How does this fall under copyright?