MAC Week 2 Reading - The Art of Possibility, Chapters 1-4

Image by Flickr user TommyGUNZ

I found this week's reading material to very intriguing.  At first glance, the practices in to book read as if the authors are purporting that if you put on the rose colored glasses and drink the Kool-Aid, your outlook on life will change and you can think away your problems and stress.  As you read on, the writers address this simplification of their argument and point out that they are not proposing we all ignore the harsher realities in life. From my reading, I feel that they are saying when faced with an aspect or outlook on life that has an obvious negative and positive viewpoint, why not choose the positive one.  This would not work in every situation, but in most non-lifethreatening situations, it would.  I can choose to view my students as lazy, disaffected, apathetic slugs and leave it at that; or, I can choose to take the next step, recognize that they are choosing this academic lifestyle for a reason, try to find out why they are, and work with them to over come these issues and help them be successful.

I loved the parts in chapter 3, "Giving an A," where the authors described teachers moving from the role of assessors who measure students against the standards into the role of mentors who help students strive to achieve the standards.  I don't feel that how I just wrote that clearly articulates the principle from the book, but if I could get my students to buy into the fact that my desired role as their teacher is to help them improve as a reader and a writer over the 9 months they are in my class, that I'm not the enemy giving them busy work but rather on their side guiding them, I think it would really improve the performance and the climate in my classes.

This is not to say that my classes are hostile and my students are making gains everyday, but I can feel them fighting against me, even as they do what I ask of them.

I love the idea of writing letters at the beginning of the course in which the students tell themselves what they will have accomplished by the end of the course.  It is a backwards way of goal setting that really never sets a goal, but gives context and purpose for why they are taking the courses I teach.  I've never really asked students what they expect to gain from taking my English II course, partly because it's a state requirement and they have no choice in the matter.  I have the feeling that if I were to ask them, they would have difficulty articulating anything beyond "to pass the Ohio Graduation Test in March" because they probably haven't ever thought about what they expect or don't feel that it even matters.

I'm planning on incorporating both writing assignments described in chapters 3 and 4 into my course next year.  I think that the letter would force both the students and me to really consider what we expect out of the year and build a constructive dialogue.  The second assignment, focused on the contributions that they make, can go a long way to help students see that they can have positive influence in their environment.  I know of students who do not make positive contributions in school because they are so focused on taking care of themselves and their siblings while their parents are either working or absent.  If they can have those contributions, and others similar situations,  validated in school, then maybe they will gain some confidence that will enable them to attempt making positive contributions in the school academically and socially.

Maybe I'm dreaming right now, but as John Lennon said, I'm not the only one, and hopefully some others will join me someday.

MAC_Week1_Comment2

Screen capture of Paul DeVoto's Blog Post

Paul's Text:

After watching the myriad of videos on copyright, I still have questions, and that’s just not right, man!

As an educator in today’s digital age, I want my students to engage in digital content in a way that inspires them to bring their best to the world. I want them to able to reuse, remix, and add onto inspiring media that they connect with without having to worry about legal trouble.

Watching the videos about copyright, it is clear that there needs to be a balance between remix-freedom and copyright violation. A personal example I can relate to has to do with music. My friend's band, Alma Desnuda, has music for sale through iTunes, Amazon, and other online sites. If somebody were to put one of their songs online, it would take away from valuable revenue that they need to make it. So where is the balance?

That's hard to determine, especially since some unwarranted usage can actually increase exposure and therefore awareness of your brand. An example that comes to mind is the Chris Brown song that was played for this wedding video. The wedding video actually generated a lot of buzz for that song! So by having his copy-righted music used in this way, he actually benefitted.

As many of my peers have said, it's a fascinating debate and I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You're right, Paul.  This week has provided me with the most comprehensive overview of issues related to copyright, and I'm still not completely comfortable. But, I think everyone needs to be in search of the sweet spot that lies between the extremes.  This year our school newspaper staff chose to begin using images with Creative Commons licenses in the publication because we don't have the man power to get all the diverse images we need. It's been a great solution.

It's interesting that you posted that wedding march video.  Based on our "reading" this week, I think that the music in that video could be defended as fair use because it might qualify as incidental music and, more importantly, without the song, the video could not have the same effect.  The music is integral to the purpose of the video.  But, the fact is we'll never know for sure unless someone takes the video creature to court.  Until then, we'll sit in the grey area and wait it out.

MAC_Week1_Comment1

Screen Cap of Mike Padilla's blog post

Mike's Text:

As a teacher of video production in a High School, my students always like using copyrighted material in their work. Whether they add music, clips from movies, or pictures into their work, a good majority of it is copyrighted. Since it's all for educational purposes and it doesn't leave the classroom, it's never been much of an issue, but all of the videos certainly opened my eyes to the issues with copyright materials.

The film Good Copy/Bad Copy was quite informative and entertaining. I'm glad it featured DJ Danger Mouse because I remember listening to his remix album of Jay Z rapping of mashed up Beatles beats. I remember thinking it was such a great album and I was interested in how the legal issues all panned out. I also had no idea that Nigerian cinema was so huge! That segment was particularly interesting because of the amount of bootlegging that goes on in Nigeria and also how they feel that releasing movies straight to video helps to combat piracy.

Though I thought some of the editing in the film was a bit odd, I really liked how they showed the issue of piracy and copyright from all parts of the world and both between music and movies. I also liked some of the comments in the movie, such as how "freedom drives a more vibrant economy" rather than control. As a huge fan of music and movies, I thought the issues brought up were both relevant and informative and it will certainly be interesting to see how this is handled down the road. As one of the interviewee's in the film said, if they close down piracy in Europe, it'll start up in China. If they close up in China, it'll open up in Russia, and on and on.

Lastly, the videos on Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons were also very informative. I especially liked the video A Fair(y) Use Tail. I thought this was so innovative and brilliant from an editing standpoint and I wonder how long it took them to do this!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My journalism students seem to share the same thoughts as your video production students.  I think the main difference is that in a journalism class, the "educational purpose" defense has not held up because copyright infringement is legally recognized as one of the nine forms of unprotected free speech, even if you give attribution.  Also, the journalism industry doesn't have a sector that capitalizes on the use of second hand media, such as the documentarians in the movie industry featured in the fair use videos.

This is not to say that you should change your practice. I'm not here passing judgement.  When I have my English students create videos, I'm more lenient in regards to the use of copyrighted material when it is not going to leave the room, but I do require students to give credit to the original copyright holder.

I enjoyed Good Copy/Bad Copy, also.  I hadn't heard of The Grey Album, but I've since downloaded it. I have listened to Girl Talk, and I enjoy how he adds new nuance to the music when he remixes all of the songs over top of each other.  It's quite impressive, if you haven't heard it

MAC_Week1_Wimba

by Flickr user Marcus McBride

The clock image is honor of the fact that I'm submitting all m work this week at the 11th hour, almost literally.  I hate it, but as we all know, life sometimes doesn't cooperate with our plans.

Now, you may be sitting in your seat cringing that I'm about to list a litany of excuses about why I'm working late on this, but have no fear, that's not my purpose in this post. I'm hear to talk about this week's Wimba session.

So how does this all relate to Wimba? I'm about to tell you!

I was greatly comforted in my predicament today as I watched the archive and our course director explained that his focus, in regards to deadlines, is that they help make sure things get accomplished, but that they should not be the main focus. Rather, the fact that the work gets done should be the focus.

(If I have that wrong, feel free to correct me in the comments, Joe.)

Don't fear, however, that I'm going to be a complete slacker this month.  I know he said this not the time to judge a pageant, and I'm not doing that, but I am directing a musical that opens on April 1 and runs through April 3.  Yep, I started the EMDT program last year the month after the musical, which means that now I'm finishing the program the same month as the musical. This month is going to require intense focus and organization, but I think I'm up to the challenge.

All that was said for to reasons: 1) it's a disclaimer for if I'm completely dead at the end of the month, and 2) it explains why I'm so appreciative of how the Wimba went this week.  I need to know when things are due so that I can plan ahead.  It was also great to get the opportunity to hear what to expect and what is expected from each week's projects, along with some of the common pitfalls to avoid.

I'm excited to get to attend the future sessions, and hope that I keep my head in the next three weeks.

MAC_Week1_Reading_Copyright

By Flickr user ntr23

Ah, copyright. Important but frustrating at the same time. I feel fairly comfortable with copyright law because I've been teaching it in my journalism classes for the past few years. The videos that were presented as our "reading" material for this week were excellent at covering a topic that is, in my opinion, the epitome of a necessary evil.

It was interesting to view the videos in all three sections and see that many of them referred to the fact that the current generation of students see nothing wrong with violating copyright laws.  It brought to mind a few recent examples I've encountered.  The first is was in my journalism class.  For the first issue of the school newsmagazine this school year, the staff had written two opinion columns debating if the TV school Glee was becoming too sexual.  When it came time to create the cover for the issue, a student used a great photo graph of one of the characters from the show in a contemplative pose, and put the following headline in a thought bubble from the character's head: Is Glee becoming too sexual?  It was a great piece and a great cover, but the picture is copyright protected and the student did not get permission to use the photo, and when I questioned her about it, she felt she had done nothing wrong.  Because we publish in house, the issue went to print with the image and received great reviews on the cover.  The students chose not to put the issue online, however, to avoid any issues with cover image. We have since had many discussions about the fact that using copyrighted material without permission in a journalistic endeavor is both illegal and irresponsible and have take steps to gain access to promotional materials from the major networks and movie studios through their press websites.

The situation that came to mind was a blog post by Jason Robert Brown from last summer. Mr. Brown is a composer with a few shows that have been produced on Broadway.  In June 2010, he began posting email transcripts on his blog that illustrated his view on copyright and its importance.  A teenager girl had  engaged in a debate with him about her unlicensed use of his songs in auditions, and he returned with his thoughts that this was personally detrimental to his ability to make money from his work.  If you have time, I encourage you to read the conversations they had because this series of correspondence illustrates the mindset of many students and young adults when it comes to the ideas of copyright in relation to the internet. In the end, neither side of changed their opinion.

Both of these examples highlights for me the importance of educating students about the nature of copyright, fair use and creative commons. If they are not informed, students will continue to apply this philosophy in the academic sector, leading to greater and greater instances of plagiarism, which will continue to water down the validity of our educational system. I am shocked many times a year by the fact that students think that because it is on the internet, they can use text verbatim in their papers.

Now, before I finish, don't think that I'm a huge proponent of Copyright and don't support the causes of artists like Girl Talk and Danger Mouse.  I have Girl Talk's latest album All Day (which is awesome, and I'm listening to it as I type) and was excited to see him featured in the doc and to learn that he's a skinny white guy from Pittsburg.  I love Creative Commons and think that it is a mission worth furthering in the next iteration of our media culture. I've recently introduced my newspaper staff to it, and it's a great way to get images when you can't afford a stock photo house subscription.

I guess where I find myself is in the middle, crying out, "In all things, moderation."

I joined another reading challenge...

So I worked on making a list of books for the first reading challenge I signed up for this year, and added Turn of the Screw by Henry James.  Then I found the Gothic Reading Challenge, so I put the two together and decided to join this challenge as well. That means in addition to the 6 or so books I'm reading for the "Books I Should Have Read..." challenge, I'll also be reading 5 books with gothic elements in them. But, with a list of 45 (and counting) books I'd like to read in the next year, I can squeeze them all in.
As for my 5 books, I'm open to suggestions beyond Turn of the Screw.  The only other one that comes to mind right now is Jane Eyre, which would fit both challenges because I didn't read all of it when I was supposed to read it in college.

Books I should have read in school, but didn't challenge

Tonight I signed up for the Books I Should Have Read in School, but Didn't Challenge on Dana Huff's blog, Much Madness is Divinest Sense.  Dana is a fellow high school English teacher in Georgia whose blog I've followed for a few months.  She has transitioned her blog into a more focus literature blog lately, and I'm excited to have the challenge to finally get around to reading the books I should have read by now, especially since I'm an English teacher.  So, now all I have to do is pick my books (suggestions are now being accepted in the comments).

For more information about the Challenge, check out Dana's blog.