Now that the masters is done. (sweeps dust off shoulder)

I would like to re-purpose this blog as a collection of general ideas that may or may not be worth sharing. Perhaps I will talk about technology in education, perhaps I will discuss plain old technology, perhaps I will discuss food, or decorating, or the art of dance fighting. Who can say where this blog will go, but one thing is for certain, I will gain some practical proof that I have web/publishing/blogging under my belt incase I decide to make the shift to SEO, Social media marketing, pay-per click, and the ad-words world. All of life is a resume, right?

Wimba wk4

I was not able to attend the wimba but I did have my article reviewed by Melanie Johnston, Tina DeLuca, and Bryan Hammitt. It was helpful to have their feedback because I am so familiar with the content in my article that it was hard to see if I covered all the needed information to make my article make sense. Both Tina and Melanie helped me to see that I was missing some things that would present the whole picture of my research. Bryan helped me by giving me a perspective on my research from a personal point of view that I have not had before. Everyone's feedback was helpful.

Tina's comments:
Hey Lauren, Just read over your paper, have a couple of comments. What form was the introduction to Google sites in, video, lecture? Which Google sites? Might want to list them in the beginning then just refer to them as Google sites for the rest of the paper. In the results section you mentioned how you demonstrated but you did not mention it in the methodology section. Otherwise looks great. 

Melanie's Comments:

Lauren, your article looks great. I would just cut some of the lit review out; The article itself shouldn't be more than 1500 words. Tina's idea was good also, might make it flow better. I take that back, it's supposed to be a minimum of 2000 words, so you are right on the mark! Great job! 


Bryan's commments:

Having taught at a high school for the last 15 years, I am a

good example of one the teachers illustrated in your group.  I grew up and graduated college before the internet was available, yet I teach learners who have never been aware of the internet not existing!  It is very hard to convince a group of teachers, such as my past self, that personalized learning can be achieved very well through the use of their own google site.  I am happy to hear that towards the end cycle 2, you had the majority of the teachers creating and implementing their own Google site and maintaining it with a positive attitude. Hopefully they’ll “Pay It Forward”.  Nice Job.

Wk4 Publishing Leadership Project

I chose to submit my article to the Journal of Computing in Higher Education. To be honest the only reason  I choose that particular journal is because it was the only one in which both the link worked and there was a clear evident process for submission. I could not find the details for submission on just about all the other pages, and in a lot of cases the links brought me to pages that didn't exist anymore. Hopefully this journal will be a good fit for my article, however I am not discussing computing in higher education. But I did do my research project on professional development which is not standard education.

Think out loud post 1

Think out loud post 2

http://web.me.com/laurenweber/schneck_lauren_PubLeadProject.docx

Thinking out loud post 2

I have decided to write an article for my publishing leadership project after much deliberation on which format to choose. I think that I have always wanted to try getting published in some form or another so that route ended up being the more enticing choice. I had a hard time getting the resource links to load for many of the journals listed as options. I figured many of the links might have been around a while and those pages may have been moved. I have decided to submit my article to the journal of computing in higher education, unless I run into some unknown issue. Writing the article was a bit of a puzzling process since I have never done it before but I just kept telling myself that all I needed to do was create a logical story of my research. Once I kept that concept in mind it was much easier. I am putting the finishing touches on my article and I hope that my peers can be honest with me and let me know whether I am way out of line or not. This whole process has been interesting so far.

My comment to Christian's blog

As I read through the chapter, lighting a spark, motivation of my students comes to mind.  I think about how they way, my body language, voice, comes across to my students.  I think about what I would do next time, and openness, the language to “enroll” my kids into the program, really see their need to do the work that was necessary to accomplish lesson goals.  I would say emphasizing the purpose of the lesson. 

The next chapter, being the board, taught me to reassess myself rather looking at others to blame.  The story of Cora was truly impacting, because he took the road of analyzing his situation and seeing what he could have different as a person involved in the trying situation. This taught me with my students and even people that I have a responsibility in the way I react and treat others.  I may not have control of what they do, but what I do is always in hands.  

MY COMMENT:

Christian,

I totally agree with you. This was one chapter in the book that I can agree with 100%! I think we do have the power to motivate and we do have the power to make choices that can lead us in positive directions. You make a good point that its not just about what you say, but how you react in your body language and tone of voice. Those messages confirm or disprove what you are saying with words.

My comment to Megan's blog wk4

So i looked through a ton of conferences and i had a difficult time figuring out exactly how to apply to present at one and what the stipulations for the presentation were. So then i decided that maybe i should just write an article to be published. I looked through several of the journals that i could submit to and this submission process seems a little more straightforward. So needless to say, it is now week 3 and i had started putting a presentation together, but i now think that writing an article may be easier, so i am leaning toward writing an article. If anyone has some tips for submitting to present at a conference let me know. Maybe you found one that was straightforward and easy to understand. I would much rather finish my presentation BUT if i cannot find a conference to present at then i will just have to write an article as well.
Look for a THINK OUT LOUD BLOG POST #3 next week for a final decision.


MY COMMENT:


Megan,

I am also doing an article and the issues I am having is the list of resources seems to be returning unfound pages. Are you having this issue? I don't know if it is my internet access or if a lot of the instructions on publishing have been moved from their original link locations. Which journal did you end up picking? I am interested to see if we gravitated towards the same one.

Reaction to the Reading wk4

(one of my husband's apps)

This week the reading really resonated with me and for the first time I was not at all skeptical of what I was reading. I do really believe that we all have something that we can "pay forward" so to speak, to someone else. No matter how boring or untalented you are, or feel that you are, there is something good that you can pass on to at least one other person. I totally agree with that sentiment and I think everyone else should as well. When it comes to teaching children giving them that spark of possibility is so important because something so small can be so very motivating to a child. I think that teachers need that spark of possibility even more than children in some cases because so many of them are jaded and cynical after years of experiencing let downs. I think that if I can inspire teachers to the realm of possibility with technology I will be successful.

I also agree with the notion that no matter what the circumstance, either how good or bad, my choices dictate my experience. I can choose to have a good attitude and make the most of what I am given or I can squander the possibilities at my disposal. This is true for a janitor and an administrator. Both can make the most of their environment or be very unproductive. No one is holding any of us back from using our full potential but ourselves.

Sharing inspiration is a hard one sometimes, because a lot of inspiration has to begin from within. I think that communicating the effects of inspiration is the best way to get others to find inspiration for themselves. Blogs, wikis and presentations are the best ways for me to share inspiration in my environment. Hopefully with those means of communication I can foster inspiration in others.

The last chapter hit on something that I really love doing and I have been able to do successfully, and that is tap into someone else's talent and make something better together than we could have apart. Fortunately my husband is that someone else! My husband is an awesome programmer who makes mobile applications for iphone, android and windows. He works for a very innovative company that is doing great things with the mobile platform and we have had the privilege of working together on many things. I have done some filming and video editing for his company that was incorporated into iphone and ipad apps. He trusts my creativity and instincts and I rely on his expertise to deliver the best product that I can. I love working with him and he and his co-workers inspire me very much to do new and innovative things. So yes, I have a WE story!

Reaction to the wimba wk3

The wimba session was helpful in making me understand the requirements for the leadership presentation project. I am still struggling with how I am going to present my project and I am not left with very much time to finish. I think it will be helpful to have the feedback of our peers to get the final project just the way it needs to be in order to finish out our year long efforts. It was interesting to hear everyone's perspective on the art of possibility as compared to Oprah's "The Secret." I must say I thought they did have something in common when I first started reading it. I am not fully convinced that they aren't somewhat similar, however I do think the art of possibility is more practical than the secret. I do think that there are practical steps that one can take to change their life outcomes versus just willing that it would happen.

Publishing/leadership thinking out loud post 1 wk3

I am not quite sure what I would rather do for my leadership project. I think that by nature I am more comfortable presenting something rather than writing, however, I do like the idea of going through the steps to be published. I think it might be fun to try publishing. I am a bit confused as to what exactly each option would entail. I don't like the idea of having to write another paper essentially, even though it has been said that wouldn't be the case. It still seems like a lot of work to go the publishing route. I do realize that both options are like to get rejected on the professional front, which is ok. I know that very few people actually get called on to present or to be published. I am also wondering how the leadership project will be presented to the class? Will we all meet and read each other's articles and or go through the presentations? In general I have a lot of questions.

My comment to Marsona's blog post wk3

wk3 Reading the Art of Possibility


The point that stood out for me in chapter 5 was the importance of embracing those you are in authority over or that you teach as leaders themselves. Being able to embrace them as important beings to the cause increased their aptitude to perform and help the musicians to connect with the job conductor and the better understand the his job. Also, leaders are everywhere, and the obstacle to overcome is being able to identify te moment to allow them to assume a leadership role and allow them to lead.

The idea expressed in chapter 6 to "remember rule number 6" is one that I can personally relate to wholeheartedly. I don't really know where this undertone in my life evolved from but i do relate to the concept very well. The idea that difficult people in our lives are made up of those whom we cannot control to give our own self a boost has really brought me to an ah ha moment. Within ourselves, it is important to do things that will bring personal satisfaction and be able to experience moments of reaching our goas. In calculating self while getting in touch with the central self is not an easy task, but it is the central self that controls our actions, how we think and sometimes even how we treat other.

"The capacity to be present to everything that is happening, without resistance, creates possibility." When I read that phrase, the words "what are my alternatives?" come to mind. I believe it is just apart of human nature to concentrate on things that are not the way, we feel, they should be. Undoubtedly, when we feel that things are not as they should be, we foster the attitudes of negativity unti we find our way to see alternatives. What I take away from this chapter is we have a choice to focus on what should be or what the possibilities are. It is often times easier to focus on what should be based on our personal standards and it takes work to embrace the reality of what is and focus on what could be.

Giving way to the passions in our lives can be somewhat a difficult taks when being bombarded by distractions and limitations that surround our every being. Chapter 8 suggests that we take notice to wht is holding us back and let go. Only ten can we participate in the bigger scheme of things that are a part of our lives and cause change within our communities. Once we recognize our barriers, then we are to get busy and get involved with moving forward to accomplish what it is the we have set our sights on.


MY COMMENT:

Lauren Schneck said...

I think you make a good point that it really takes a conscious effort to let go of the things that hold us back from being positive. I know that often times I think negatively when nothing has even happened to cause me to think that way. I think that I can sometimes get in a subconscious state of assuming the worst all the time and that can really cause me to be blind to the positive things happening around me.

My comment to Megan Sample wk3

Wk3 Reading: Art of Possibilities Chapters 5 – 8

I have a great example of how we can make a difference in the people we influence each day. I have a difficult time getting up and making breakfast before work so I typically end up stopping for some kind of fast food on the way to work. One day a few weeks ago I decided to give up the 7-eleven food and try a different place so I went to the Chick-fil-a.

The person taking and giving me my order could have easily thought, “I am a no body, just taking an order what difference does it make?” Instead she was a leader from right where she was seated. What I mean is that I approached that drive thru with a negative attitude thinking, “I don’t want to be up this morning, and really don’t want to go deal with teenagers either.” Just from the one interaction with the lady at Chick-fil-a, I drove off thinking, “I have some warm food, and I am awake. I should make the best of my day.” It really was simple all the lady did was take my order and hand me some food, but she did it in a way that made me feel like she was happy to be alive. I do not remember the exact words that we exchanged but I was in such a good mood, and I have eaten at that Chick-fil-a every morning since then, and each morning she leads me to a happier day.

Chapter 6 is what I live my life by. I am a firm believer in Rule Number 6. When we take things too seriously, we often get bogged down, life is too long to get stuck in the mud.

Chapter 7 really hit me hard. Some things such as the weather I have no problem accepting the way they are because it is clear to me that I DO NOT have the power to change the weather. When it comes to other situations such as how broken the public school system is, I just cannot accept it. I think if I learned to accept it then move on from there then I would have a better chance of making things better. I really enjoyed this chapter and I will do my best to just come to grips with things the way they are and go from there.

I am really passionate about soccer. It is weird because when it comes to many things in life I have the “Fuck It” attitude. I just don’t care when things go wrong. I live and think this way to avoid frustration and disappointment. When it comes to soccer though I am like the six year old running with her instrument loaded with excitement not b/c she just played but because she is ABOUT to play. I have this glow of enthusiasm around me before, after, and during playing, coaching, watching, or refereeing soccer.

MY COMMENT:

Lauren Schneck said...

You are right, just a friendly face and a smile can make a big difference in changing my attitude. If I put on a smile it can transform my attitude even if I don't feel happy, and at the same time seeing someone else be very friendly can cause my mood to change as well. You also make a good point that we do get upset about things that we can't change. I know that I constantly feel as if my district could be changed if enough people got involved, however I do realize that I can't make those changes on my own. I can tell that you are passionate about your work and soccer. It is nice to see that, keep up the good attitude!

Reflection on the reading wk3: chapters 5-8

I must say the notion that "the eyes never lie" really is true. There is a lot I can learn from my co-workers, my bosses, and the teachers I am helping, by really looking at their eyes when I speak to them. Looking in their eyes can tell me wether or not they are really into what I am saying and wether or not I am connecting with them. I can remember being half way through a seminar on technology and making eye contact with some teachers and instantly realizing I never had their attention. I need to remember that concept as I go on with my work.

Rule number 6 is something I feel I am grasping. I really don't take myself too seriously, and I don't think I am in danger of doing so any time soon. I do know though that people in my department do take themselves way too seriously, and I can see that it hinders a lot of things in their work life and becomes a stumbling block to success. I know that personally I have a hard time respecting leaders that are unnecessarily serious about themselves. I know it's not right to disrespect leaders and I would never do anything outright against them, but internally I loose a little bit of admiration when I see a leader being very serious about themselves all the time.

The concept of leading from your chair so to speak is something that I don't give enough credit. I know that there is truth to the concept that if you do the best with the position and resources you are given you will be successful. Sometimes it is hard to believe that when you don't feel that things could possibly get better. I know that I have to remind myself of that concept often even though I feel that what I have right now doesn't add up to very much.

Reflection on the Wimba wk2

The wimba session was an interesting discussion on copyright issues and the sometimes confusing creative commons solution. In talking about the musician who gave his music away on his website, I am reminded of radio head and how they released an album on their website allowing people to pay whatever they wanted for it. I remember thinking what a weird idea at the time, and yet they made millions off of that album. It was definitely a statement about the issues of fair use, internet music sharing, and the modern problem of record labels and their outdated approach to selling music. It was definitely and interesting experiment and I think the album gained attention from listeners that it wouldn't have otherwise attracted simply because they were giving it away. I think that artists in this day and age have a lot to gain from giving things away wether it is music, art or photography. It's an interesting debate that is far from over. I was also interested to hear the speculation on what will happen to our mobileme websites in the coming months. I also found it funny to hear that some people have gotten refunds. My husband renewed his mobileme 6 days before icloud came out and he was on the phone for 3 hours trying to get a refund and they wouldn't give him one. If I tell him that others were offered it he will be really mad! 

my comment to Ishia's blog wk2

Week #2 Reading Post: Inventing Possibilities By Writing Into the Future and Being A Contribution

The compelling idea that stood out in reading The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander was the assignment of having students write letters into the future as a requirement for earning an A. This activity takes me to one that I do with my freshman students:

During the final week of school, I ask students to write a letter into the future that they will read as a graduating senior. I suggest that they speak about goals, reflect on the past year, reminisce or a combination of those. I promise not to read them. The Zander activity is similar. Students write to themselves in past tense about their future. But this is where a major break happens.

Whereas, my intentions are for students to set goals to measure themselves and to reflect on past experiences for self-improvement, the Zander method challenges students to see the selves they want to become in the present. Whereas, my students assess themselves for growth and change by reading their letters from three years ago, the Zander method works as a teacher/student assessment to determine which path will exact the growth needed to change now. 

This gave me pause to consider that I am expecting my students to singlehandedly invent themselves based on a set of standards, when I should align with them on knocking down the barriers that block the infinite possibilities that are before them. My assignment, then, should occur 10 months earlier with a new intent on students “inventing” themselves based on their future self – validations. 

In a few weeks I will be teaching an experimental writing course for incoming freshmen. One of the things that I will try is giving them an “A” and making their initial writing assignments the “A” letter and observations on “Being A Contribution.” One of the things that I most enjoyed about Film Making Principles and Gaming class was the release of pressure I felt. Kathy would assign AAA (Absolute “A” Assignments) and Dr. Dan would just have us play games. Even without the pressure, I ironically dug deeper and challenged myself creatively. I think that this can work for my future students.


MY COMMENT:

Lauren Schneck said...

Ishia,

I think that you made a good point about the classes we had before with guaranteed A assignments. I did stop worrying about the requirements in those classes and I did engage with the materials more simply because I knew that if I just turned something in I would get an A. Although those assignments by nature allowed for more engagement and the material wasn't critical. That approach wouldn't work in medical school for example, but for creative classes like the ones we have encountered that approach worked. I am not totally sold on the whole idea but I do see the point in shifting the focus.

my comment to Maya's blog wk2

WEEK 2 READING: THE ART OF POSSIBILITY

To be honest I  am still unpacking this week's reading in my head, trying to assimilate it with my own philosophical view of life, the universe, and everything. (Which is not copyrighted because it is a title.)   The underlying gist of the Art of Possibility, is that we are the creators of our own lives and as creators we need to make sure that we are constantly thinking outside the box of our own assumptions and that we are not "painting ourselves into a corner."

In this week's readingt the author's discuss three concepts, that will assist the reader in finding their own way out of the corner/box. They are: It's All Invented, Stepping Into a Universe of Possibility, and Everyone Gets an A. Of these three concepts I had the most difficulty with the last one, as I read it, because I believe in holding people accountable for their actions, and if you are giving people an A it seems like you are giving them carte blanche. However as I read the chapter I came to understand that giving someone an A does not mean you are giving them carte blanche, it means that no matter what difficulties you might have with them that you always do your best to work with them and understand their point of view.

In general I agree with a lot of what Benjamin Zander, and Rosamund Stone Zander discuss in The Art of Possibility. I am a firm believer in the benefits of meta-cognition, or thinking about thinking for those of you who don't dig five dollar words. I am specifically talking about thinking about the way that  you think about things, which can be quite difficult. I would like to think that I am more often successful than not, but it is hard to rate ones own ability at being objective.

MY COMMENT:

Lauren Schneck responded:

Maya,
I agree with your stance on giving everyone an A. I think it leans a bit too much toward the "everyone is a winner" thing, where no matter how bad you are at a sport you get equal playing time and you get picked for the team. I think that disappointment is an important lesson to learn in life. The book was talking about these top students who needed to change their perceptions of themselves and not just see their ranking. Yes that mindset makes sense for that type of student, but let's be honest those students are not the norm. Most students need to be worthy of that A and are complaining that they are not, when they have done nothing to earn it. I think our culture has plenty of hand outs going around and free A's is not something we should add to the list without adding some other way to measure effort and intelligence.

wk2 Reading: chapters 1-4

Film poster for Office Space - Copyright 1999, 20th Century Fox

In the reading I found myself sort of skeptical of what exactly the driving point was. I do believe that most things in life are "invented, unseen rules of culture." Most of what we do is invented. 90 percent of the feel good teacher inservice topics that I have listened to are invented nonsense that means mostly nothing to almost everyone. There are a lot of unseen constraints put on our every day lives that we live in fear of, and can't stop our worrying about. My question was how is the authors point of view any different from the other invented things I encounter everyday? I am not quite convinced that the perspective of this book is much different than other things I have already heard. There I said it. I do agree that your frame of mind can change the way your life goes. Having a good attitude and choosing to see things in a positive light can make a difference, but other than that I'm not sure that I have taken away anything with more meaning than that. I am reminded of the movie office space, where Peter the main character spends all his time in the beginning of the movie staying inside the invented framework of what a good employee should appear to be. He then gets hypnotized to drop that unseen barrier from his mind and his worries melt away. He is honest about how he feels and what he does and nothing but success comes his way, although now he is the opposite of the model employee. Sometimes I think it would be better to not conform to all the unnecessary things in my professional life and just do the job the way I know it would best get done, yet somehow I don't think success would find me the way it did for Peter. As for the A thing... I totally feel an A is only a reflection of the fact that you interpreted what the teacher wanted successfully. It has little to do with your ability or intelligence. If I wrote one of those letters I would probably say I got an A because I assessed you (teacher) and your personality, read between the lines of your directions and did what I thought you wanted me to. That's it. I wouldn't write all that fluff stuff about how I became such a wonderful person after the class... unless of course I thought the teacher wanted me to write about fluffing myself up. There I said it.

The Wimba Session

The wimba gave me a lot of introductory information about what's expected of me in this class and how things will unfold. I was a little bit confused at first as to how which readings we were supposed to be blogging about because I thought it was initially supposed to be about the book reading. The discussion helped me realize it was geared towards the copyright readings. I am hoping that I understood all the lit review information correctly and the action research summary information. I hope that I can get everything together this month and get ready for our final presentations, I just sort of feel like I am always missing some important detail which is causing me to worry.

My comment to Megan Sample

COPYRIGHT ISSUES
I had not really taken the time to consider everything that was mentioned in the discussion videos. I think I fall into the generation of our “kids” as the guy in the TED video put it. I grew up remixing and creating my own stuff. I had heard of copyright and just assumed that as long as I was not making any money off of someone else’s work then it was alright. (this is NOT what the current copyright laws state BUT in only really rare cases do companies or ppl sue ppl for using their work without money) This to me seemed like the common sense approach which is clearly not how the law works. I feel that the purpose behind a copyright is so that someone else is not profiting off of your work (that is profiting money or fame). 
There is a problem with our current copyright laws. The laws as they are stated now are not enforcing the reason for their creation. They are instead punishing people for trying to be creative and share their creativity with the world. These laws need to be reformed FAST! People in my generation have little to no fear of copyright laws. Part of that reason is because the laws are punishing people for things that we feel should not be punished. For example, remixing someone’s work to get a message across in a different manner. With all the technology at our fingers and all the creative ideas running through our heads, there is no way that a law is going to stop all of us from banning together and sharing our creativity. With that being said a new copyright law system needs to be put into place. We (the younger generation) have no problem giving credit to the ppl whose work we use. We don’t even want to make money off of our work or their work. We just don’t want our hands tied with all these new technologies that we were raised with. The FAIR USE policy is in place and tries to enforce the common sense behind the copyright laws, yet many people are afraid to use other’s material under the FAIR USE policy because of 2 things: the policy is very vague and the public is not informed on the policy and how to use it properly.
Creative Commons is a great start for this change. Creative Commons allows an artist or producer to copyright their work but also allow others to use it in certain ways. I hope that more people will start to use Creative Commons so that we can continue to work off of one another to build better and different products/ creations.

Lauren Schneck said...

Megan,

I am not your age, although I feel like I still fall into that category you were talking about. I have been remixing things and creating things for about 10 years now and I too have not put much thought into the copyright issues. I know that I have never heard of anyone I know being prosecuted for it, so I have largely ignored it as others have. I also felt like if I wasn't making money off of the things I was using I wasn't doing any harm. I guess that in order for things to really change just not doing harm isn't enough to make sharing a better experience. I am happy that creative commons is starting the revolution in the direction of pro-sharing but as I have said before I think the stuff available for use is mostly things I wouldn't want to use anyway because of poor quality or lack of relevancy to what I am doing. Here's hoping that true artists can get involved and change that.

June 5, 2011 12:46 PM

My comment to Tina DeLuca's blog

WEEK ONE READING: CREATIVE COMMONS FOR EVERYONE

The long and short of copyright is if you are the creator it is yours and nobody can use it unless they have your permission or you pay a royalty. For educational purposes there is a thing called Fair Use. However, if you can teach with out it then it is not Fair Use. There is nothing fair about Fair Use but the way that you use the content is the idea. This is very important in my class room because one of the projects is to research alternate energies and make a brochure. In order to complete this project the students need to look on the web for pictures of said energy then a diagram of how it works. I have a couple sites that pictures are free but if a student does it at home how am I supposed to know if it is legal or not.

I like the idea of Creative Commons trying to balance the field of All Restricted and Public Domain. This will allow our students to be creative and still get credit for their work. With out all of the laws getting in the way. I do think that the creator deserves the credit for their work. Just not sure about the money. I thought the way they handle music CD sales in Brazil was very interesting. The CD’s are given to street vendors as a promotional tool to help bring people to a concert, that is where the artist make the money, not off of the CD’s or copyrights.

The 21st century student have technology at their finger tips they speak through video and songs remixing. If we allow them to do this in schools the projects would be fantastic. However, copyright laws stand in the way of that. Creative Commons has help some, but more people need to put things on there.

LAUREN SCHNECK

Tina,
I know exactly what you mean about needing media for student projects and worrying that you are breaking the law while simply doing a project. I am always looking for quality images and video that I can use for educational purposes and I am constantly nervous about whether or not what I am using is appropriate. I think you make a good point that creative commons not only protects the work of those who's media we are using but it allows for students to get credit for their work as well. I think that you are right, if children were free to create like they do on their own time, education would be a very different concept.

Reaction to the Reading

After going through the reading I have mixed emotions about how I feel about copyright and the best practice for creatives in the online community. I am reminded of Noam's screaming photos, the guy who took some photos of himself screaming and they were used all around the world without his permission. He posted them on flicker and they were used by corporations, non-profits, artists and many more. He had no idea his photos were being used so often and the most shocking part was that many claimed ownership of the photos, which wasn't so. That leads me to always question if the person getting credit in the first place is the rightful owner. I don't think that copyright on the internet is an easy issue to deal with and I don't know for sure how I feel about it morally. I think that if you post something online in a manner that leaves it un-copyrighted, or open to use that you are sort of getting what you asked for if someone uses it without your permission. I know that there are ways to make your images "un-drag and drop-able," copyrights can be posted next to the images and the xiff data can link copyright information to it. For photographers and artists, making deals with stock image companies like istockphoto is a great way to protect your stuff and make money off of it. But when it comes to things like flikr and facebook or other social media applications I feel that when you take that step to put your material online you are taking that risk. I think that creative commons has a great thing going to provide a place for people to share their media, and to allow those who need to use media to have a resource. I know that working in education there is always a need for media to use in all sorts of mashup type projects. Creative commons gives education a safe way to do that. However, I have to say that maybe I am not well versed in how to use cc, or I am just spoiled by google image search, but I rarely find good images or search results that cater to what I am looking for when I use cc. Maybe that is the heart of the issue, more people don't see the good that cc is trying to accomplish and therefore the selection of acceptable use images and other media is very slim. I don't think this issue is even beginning to run its course and come to a healthy conclusion for all those who are involved but all the more reason to talk about it and raise awareness to the concepts it carries.