Week 2 The Art of Possibility

I have been reading “The Art of Possibilty” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. It is an excellent book from what I have read so far. It is full of inspiring words of wisdom framed around actual situations they have experienced.

The construct and perception issue was very interesting to me. Many times life is all about the way we perceive a thing. I thought the analogy about the two shoe salesmen in Africa was awesome. I shared it with my class. I found myself wondering how much of my own unhappiness I contribute to by not having a healthy perspective.

I was reminded of the Matrix movies when I read the “Its All Invented” section. Creating the construct to suit our needs seems to be such a simple solution. It makes sense. In the movie Neo had to first get past his “in the box” thinking to achieve greatness.

I was drawn into the comments on the pathology that the book addressed dealing with the rationale for our decisions. It is true that many of our decisions are based on rationale and not on the true reasons for our motivation.

This book is extremely insightful. I have not thought in terms of the way we collectively see the world in the ways this book highlights. It is very true that through the various scientific eras we have been adding to our global paradigm (page 13).

In my opinion learning to recognize the world of possibility by identifying the measurement world was brilliant. It is very hard not to think in terms of measurement world limitations. Recognizing this makes you long for a world where that is not an issue- the world of possibility.

The process of “giving an A” was very profound. I have tried to teach my students to recognize the best in each other but this takes it to another level. I feel empowered to grow with even more people who come in my life now. The World of Possibility is a place I would like to spend a lot of time in.

In the Scope- Week 1 Free Choice

So its 2011 and the Digital Age is in full swing. History has given us such an awesome vantage point at this time. We are able to look back at the progression of the human race and learn from so many of the successes and failures of man. Our failures have led to some very trying times. Uncertain times. My great-grandmother's generation would be very skeptical at what appears to be a decline in morality and an inability to learn from her generations affinity for war. She probably would be concerned that technology has made life a bit too simple and that this will have some adverse affect on the people. I very easily could see her points, I mean look at our education system. Years ago America was the place to be because with just a little bit of drive and determination anything was possible. It was the place to be because every person understood what it meant to come together and influence progress for the betterment of our world. In the face of World Wars I & II, the Korean War and Vietnam they had no choice but to be strong and resilient and build a better future for us.

I am seeing a new breed of educator on the Horizon that remind me of these things. With declining results in our education system, waning enthusiasm from our students and a dismal job market many would give up, and let society run whatever course may be. Teachers, the cornerstone of all civilizations, that essential element in all of our cultures are striving to rescue our students. Whether its the creation of the charter school system or the fight for collective bargaining or the re-education of themselves, teachers are making it happen. Teachers recognize their role in preparing society for what is to come. The next wave of teachers are acquiring skills to make a serious impact on the world using best practices in technology. I am proud to be one of them and I am looking forward to making history. I hope that somewhere my great-grand is proud of what we are doing because I sure am proud of what she did.

Happy Mother's Day Grandma!

In response to JeVaughn Jones

Hello JeVaughn,

Your comments on West Indian music culture makes me think about the special contribution a vocalist adds to a track. I became aware of an issue regarding performing artists recently that many people are not aware of. Did you know that royalties do NOT protect an artist who performed a song unless they either wrote or produced the music? What that means is that someone who gave a masterful performance on a song would not get paid when the song comes on the radio unless they created it in some way. Could you imagine someone like Aretha Franklin not getting paid for “Respect” if she did not write it?

This is a serious loophole that slants favor in the direction of the record company. Some of the songs we love to listen to from back in the day apply here. Radio stations continue to play songs that they made popular but they are struggling to survive after their life of touring ends. Several artists have gone before Congress to get this corrected but record companies are angling to prevent it. They have lost tremendously in the digital revolution and do not want to do what is right for the artists who performed on songs like no one else could.

Chris Flo performing an original song at the ARTLC, May 2010


JeVaughn Jones wrote:

Although I can agree that many copyright issues have suffocated the creative flow of many musicians and artists, I can see where it is needed to protect the artists from not being rightfully compensated for something they worked hard to create. At the same time I have so many questions regarding copyright and I am sure that I am not the only one which is why there is such a wide spread of copyright infringement especially when it comes to aspects such as re-mixing music.

The videos for this week were quite enjoyable. I was very interested in all of the copyright issues within the rap/hip hop industry. Since most of the music is based off of sampling, I can understand how it must be looked over with a fine tooth comb. One would think though that it must be getting more difficult to accomplish this task as technology becomes stronger. 6 seconds of an original song can sound completely different with a little editing.

I come from a culture where music is essential to day to day functionality however, many West Indian artists uses American music as a canvas to create something new. Although the lyrics are the same but the tone and all of the musical aspects are different, does this fall into copyright infringement or fair use since only the lyrics or a portion of the lyrics are used? Since the music that is used in these remixes are created by popular mainstream artists, these would all be under copyright laws and not under creative commons. At the same token, I am not sure of what the copyright laws are in Trinidad and if the laws would even be transferable.

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In response to Deborah Sanders

Hello Deborah,

I am sure the Wizzz and your $13,000 payment taught your students extra lessons. They probably were not previously exposed to such a situation. Having to pay so much to do this taught your students a bit about copyrights and royalties I am sure.

In the case of the Obama Hope poster the alteration of the image was initially considered enough to escape persecution. Altering an image in my opinion is a lot like the sampling / remix situation in music. I believe adding the girl’s image onto the President’s birth certificate and in the situation room during the Bin Laden raid is parody, acceptable under fair use. Did the girl or her parents give permission for their part in it? Probably not but I believe that everyone who publishes images are fairly vulnerable to fair use distribution of their image.


Deborah Sanders wrote:

Way before I began teaching on a permanent basis I was a caregiver aunt as well as a mother. As a result, I was always involved in various school projects with either my sons or other children. It was during these times that I first became aware of the complexity and legal restrictions regarding copyright issues. When it became necessary to acquire photographic or clip art images for my little ones educational needs -- naturally, I choose to copy images from books and/or magazines. One of the places I frequently went to for photocopies at that time was Kinkos. In most instances I needed enlargements and sometimes laminating, which required going to customer service. When copying certain kinds of material I was informed by the customer service representative of the restrictions involved as well as the copyright laws that they were governed by. I became aware of the number of parents and teachers who would try to duplicate copyright material. I quickly learned the catch phrase “educational purposes” from a fellow parent/teacher. Presto! - if I advised the Kinkos representative that the copies were to be used for educational purposes, I would be allowed to make the necessary copies. This trick worked for many years -- until copyright infringement lawsuits increased - then my catch phrase became null and void. Educational purposes or not, the time came when parents and teachers were unable to duplicate copyright material for any purpose. This is where Creative Commons has become a delightful polish to my repertoire of image sharing ideas. I must say I’m learning and following the easy protocols which include: giving credit where it is due, not using the material for my own personal gains and, if used on a blog, I will provide the link so others will know how they can or cannot use the material.

Upon leaving corporate employment (IBM) and becoming more immersed into my academic interest in the field of education, I enhanced my theatrical talent and began producing plays for students to perform for their parents. During this time period the Broadway play “The Lion King” was an astonishing hit with the elementary students. Since there was no motive for personal gain, two other teachers and myself decided to produce our own version of this play. The year after that my colleagues and I came up with the idea to produce a play to obtain money for scholarships for music lessons, instruments and dance lessons for students in the Newark area. We had to pay $13,000.00 for the rights to produce our version of “The Wiz” - entitled “The Wizzz”. This experience gave me some idea of copyright rules and regulations.

As I watched the TED video -- the segment on Remix - Recreating/Reinventing a new piece of work proved to be another gray area of copyright regulations that digs deep into the soul of Creative ART! I was all but rolling over in my chair as I watched how the use of technology turned the esteemed, politically polished image of President Bush into a halariouse singing President! I can’t help but giggle when I think of the Royal Wedding’s little Bridesmaid. The 3 year old bridesmaid is holding her ears because the sounds of the air planes overhead is too much. She was so adorable, but she quickly became an exploited child. There is a video on the Internet that has gone viral. The Media interprets her jester as “Enough Already.” My question is: who gave the creator of the video free will to place this child’s face within clips -- such as -- The Donald speaking “You’re Fired”, the British singer Susan Boyle from American Idol, Tom Cruise’s famous jump on Opera’s couch, then on the President’s Birth Certificate and the situation room at the White House. Is this legal? Would this type of image usage be called a Remix -- is this Fair Use? Who is it “fair” to? I would be furious if this was done with the image of my child. These are the gray areas within the framework of copyright laws, which I’m unsure of.

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Week 1 Copyrights, Sampling and Fair Use

I think this is a great subject to include in this course and in the EMDT program in general. I am torn on the copyright issue of sampling. Having worked for hours producing music in the past I have gained a respect for hip hop production while at the same time losing respect for it. Having played musical instruments in the past I have great respect for musicians who compose and play original music. I do however take issue with a statement made in the Good Copy / Bad Copy. It was said that hip-hop producers are not creative. Although they have not created the music they sample, there is a very creative aspect to sampling. Are all samples creative? Absolutely not. The accessibility of sample based music creation tools has watered down the art form of sampling as created by the DJ. In the 1980’s innovative teens created the break beat. This was a highly creative form of music expression that grew from a love of music and a lack of resources. The turntable was the instrument. Sampling producers, although they are using rifts, bass lines and guitar patterns from other sources, those who are skilled can make phenomenal creations.

I believe what was not stated was how much of a passion these producers have for their craft (some of them) and that there is a certain amount of respect and tribute paid to the original artist who is sampled.

I don’t believe the future of music should depend on sampling. I believe if done to much it would eventually limit creative expression. Just as the music sampled was created I think musicians can and should find ways to push the music envelope forward. At the end of the day I side with the musician.


In looking at videos on copyright definition and fair use I am relieved that teaching is included in fair use. The “Disney video” produced a valid point about society’s need to stay progressive by referring at times to copyrighted material. I thought for a moment how life would be different if we did not have the ability to tap into great works previously created and reference these things for educational purposes.

I agree that fair use is about reasoning and logic. It takes the wise use of copyrighted materials to be able to use it in a way that respects the copyright owner.

It’s a scary thought to think that some of the most historical events recorded may not be available in the future because of royalties and unreasonable copyright protections. Something has to change about this. Certain materials should have a historical distinction that will allow for their use in order to preserve humanities legacy.

Wk1-2 DB Quickies: DIY Classroom/Presentation Solutions

I believe that we have done well with keeping up with technology although my wishlist is still pretty long! I am the director of a technology learning center and we have some pretty new pc's running Windows 7. All of the pc's talk to each other and are pretty reliable. We do a lot of multimedia creation like videos and music. We try to stay current with the latest trends in cloud computing, graphic design and web design (www.techcentapr.com- shameless plug). We are recent recipients of a grant that will allow us to do a lot more such as incorporating a Mac lab and a Smartboard. We will begin online classes, webinars in the summer to educate the community at large. We have expansion on our minds.

My wishlist will not be denied!

Wk1-1 DB Quickies: DIY Classroom/Presentation Solutions

The Intimate Obstacle!

During a digital literacy training I held recently at a middle school I wanted to project videos onto a large projector screen. It was after school and the av tech was not there. When we plugged up my computer the screen was upside down. I had this problem on my projector when I installed it, and I remember it being a real pain to figure out. We did not have a great deal of time so I tried to create a new atmosphere. I sold the presentation as an "intimate conversation" and had everyone move very close to the front, and showed the videos on my Macbook. It worked out better than I planned, the students got comfortable and became very involved in the conversation. Next time I will bring a projector but the fix worked out fine!