Bassett_Meghan_PubLeadProject.docx

You can access my Publication project here:

https://idisk.mac.com/lmtdply18//Public/Bassett_Meghan_PubLeadProject.docx

Enjoy!

Wk4-Blog#4: Free Blog

Well. I want to free blog, and I'm pretty sure I get one more free blog, so may as well!
So, I found out about a month ago that the State of South Carolina Department of Education does NOT accept Fullsail credits towards a step increase. MEGA SAD FACE there. We have an 'optional' union here that is not at all powerful, but was hoping to get some advice. I'm not sure whether or not I can appeal this, but the people at Fullsail and the people at the State department seemed very general in their responses to my questions, and basically wished me luck. Anyone have any pointers with how I can handle that?
That being said, in two weeks my summer starts. I CAN'T wait to get my own business going, even though I'm not quite positive where I'm going with that yet. I want to paint and sell over the internet, but I'm also looking into selling stained glass and mosaic candle holders, cup holders, etc. I've never looked into selling my own work besides friends and family, so it will be quite an adventure to get started. (With all the extra time not in classes, I should be pretty productive!!!)

Wk4-Blog#3: Comment #2 To Joanna Puello

Joanna Said...
MAC, Week 4, BP2: Reading the Art of Possibility
24 05 2011

Photo by Richard B. (MorgueFile)

My husband is an amazingly talented artist in many realms. He paints, draws, sings professionally, writes his own music, and gives seminars. He’s also his own boss. I’m an artist of a different sort. I write, play two instruments, act, and love to make my physical environment an inspirational place to be. We’ve been “self-employed” for years, and we’ve also been “self-UNemployed” many of times. Because we often have to pursue opportunities for income, it’s easy to feel frustrated and loose passion about the big vision. Or sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the big vision that we can’t see the next step. My husband has encountered endless obstacles in his musical career, and during the past two years, we have butted heads many times over what his long-term goals should be. My biggest desire for him is for him to be able to use his talents and abilities in their maximum expression. Obviously, he wants this, too. The question is how to get from here to there. In my opinion, the discussion and conflict that has revolved around this topic has been very healthy for both of us (even when it’s been hard). We’re still working through the details on some life-changing decisions, so I was extremely inspired when I read this remarkable quote in Chapter 11: Creating Frameworks for Possibility: “The foremost challenge for leaders today…is to maintain the clarity to stand confidently…no matter how fierce the competition, no matter how stark the necessity to go for the short-term goal, no matter how fearful people are, and no matter how urgently the wolf may appear to howl at the door. It is to have the courage and persistence to distinguish the downward spiral from the radiant realm of possibility in the face of any challenge.” (Zander, p. 163)

Meghan Bassett said...

I absolutely love that last quote. It’s so powerful, every time I read it I pull out a different part that hits me. I am impressed and inspired by your writing. As scary as it seems to be part of your life, dealing with the uncertain and rolling with the punches, and building on what you have accomplished without fear of being stopped…just wow.
I took the other road. I’ve always wanted to be an artist, but was too frightened to fail to try my hand at it. My family always said, have a back up plan. So I figured I’d be an art teacher, and become an artist in the process. I hope to get my own business started soon, and I am honestly inspired by you. I’m also inspired by how strong your relationship must be! :)

Wk4-Blog#2: Comment #1 To Spencer

Spencer Said...
EDM613 - WK 4 Reading - The truth hurts sometimes
For me, being the board has all kinds of difficulties that come along with the notion. I have been able to find solace in the blame game for my entire teaching career. The students that come to me are usually several grades behind in their mathematics knowledge. Much of this is due to (here comes the blame) teachers being "run off" by the bad acting children. In fact the students brag about how many teachers they have been able to get to leave. Having to accept responsibility of how I react to the situation will make me a better teacher from here on out. Instead of being able to write off the students that are not understanding what they ought to have learned in the past, I now have sparks to light. The students are on my board and I get to bring them to new places with new learning experiences. I can fight the facts that they are behind, or I can find out where they are and bring them as far around my board as possible in the time we have together. I can be just another voice telling them what they can't do, or I can be a refreshing fountain of encouragement. The art of possibility is just that, an art. Some people are naturals, others have to work hard at it. The great thing about the art of possibility is that everyone can grow.

Meghan Bassett said...

Spencer-
Well, you have me exhausted by your post! I know exactly what you mean about getting run off by students who push your buttons. I too know the students that brag about getting teachers to cry, leave, or flip out. Unfortunately with this generation, it’s something we have to deal with, and you’re exactly right in your interpretation of the chapter. How HARD it will be to change the way we, as teachers, see these students and handle them is the issue. For me, it feels like a constant fight against my instincts and it’s hard to break. I try to read this quote, and put it in my signature in my email, to make sure I see it everyday. Maybe it can help you too (you’ve probably seen it before).
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes." – Charles R. Swindoll

Wk 4 Publishing_Leadership Project

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-MA0TWCR5Bdp6W5dVptpgsdOrofEk_pn1UruLd2lGOU/edit?hl=en_US&authkey=CJum2coF
I want to publish my article on http://www.arteducators.org/ which is the National Art Education Association website. I think that this is the perfect place to try and publish my work because it is a National organization that is made up of all art teachers at various levels. Most Universities and school districts expect you to be a member of this group, and many use it as a place to find lesson ideas, go to conferences held annually, or find great articles relating to different areas regarding Art Education. I think it would be amazing to be published here because not only would I get my article into the hands of other art teachers, but I would make my screenflow videos available to an array of people that could use them and hopefully create their own. It would open up a new door to sharing amongst art teachers across the country!
I’ve been working with my publishing/leadership project, when I realized I was doing twice the work for no reason!!! Silly me. I started to compile my paper because I had planned on submitting an article to NAEA or SCAEA. Since we are showcasing our work to class next week, I also started a powerpoint highlighting the important parts of my paper. Then I realized I was putting together a presentation. Good thing is, I can take the parts I highlighted in my powerpoint to sift through my massive paper and edit out the pieces that aren’t necessary to get my point across.
So far it’s going well. I think I need to add a little more to the introduction to better explain what I am trying to accomplish with my action research project. I also need to weed through the literature review and cut out most of it, leaving just a sentence or two for each section of the paper. Lastly, I want to go through my Cycles and make sure to explain my results the best way I can without using too many numbers.
Maybe I’ll end up doing a presentation as well, so you never know if I may use both methods! I’m not writing off anything yet.

Wk4 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 9-12

Lighting a Spark
This chapter reminded me to let my kids go with flow a little more. I’m an art teacher, as most of you know by now, which means a few things. Number one, I have to give some set of instructions to make sure students are learning what they need to learn from my curriculum. However, sometimes I make them do a few specific things, but leave the rest up to their creativity. For example, we do two clay projects a semester in my class. The first, I require the students make a rattle. This is so they learn a few basic techniques like slipping and scoring to attach clay, how to create a hollow shell without letting the clay explode, and how to form objects out of clay. I have a few students that ask me to make certain objects that aren’t hollow, and I usually shoot them down. This is to try to keep everyone on the same page and make sure they are learning the same things. In reality, I should probably hear them out, see what they want to make, verify they know how to do what they are being taught, and let them run with their ideas. Let the spark of passion come and flow!
Being the Board
I like the idea of this chapter more than I comprehend its complexity. It is much harder to say you’re the board and to take responsibility for everything that happens in your life than to actually do it. At the end of the day, it is easier to point fingers than to accept that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. A good thing to try, but I’ll admit, going to be tough to implement and remember.
Creating Frameworks for Possibility
I like the quote, “She vowed not to say anything that she could not stand as the last thing she ever said.” I love the notion here, but in the heat of the moment how hard is it to live by? Setting a framework for possibility seems more of a change in mental state than something you think about. I liked the story of the teacher who shaved her head. Instead of trying to get the kids to stop making fun of the little girl with cancer, she made the baldness something she owned instead of lived with.
Telling the WE Story
The idea of telling stories and looking at everything from all angles and looking out for the best interest of all people involved is tough. I teach in the South, and my students still fly the rebel flags and talk about the South vs the North in the Civil War. It seems ridiculous to me that so many people want to put a gap between us, but also making everyone else feel like an outsider. Being from the North, I get comments about being a Yankee and trying to make everyone think like me. I think it would be beneficially to try to see things from all perspectives here. What can we do to get over this gap? Why do we all feel the need to keep this barrier between us?

Wk3-Blog#4: Free Blog

I’ve been working with my publishing/leadership project, when I realized I was doing twice the work for no reason!!! Silly me. I started to compile my paper because I had planned on submitting an article to NAEA or SCAEA. Since we are showcasing our work to class next week, I also started a powerpoint highlighting the important parts of my paper. Then I realized I was putting together a presentation. Good thing is, I can take the parts I highlighted in my powerpoint to sift through my massive paper and edit out the pieces that aren’t necessary to get my point across.
So far it’s going well. I think I need to add a little more to the introduction to better explain what I am trying to accomplish with my action research project. I also need to weed through the literature review and cut out most of it, leaving just a sentence or two for each section of the paper. Lastly, I want to go through my Cycles and make sure to explain my results the best way I can without using too many numbers.
Maybe I’ll end up doing a presentation as well, so you never know if I may use both methods! I’m not writing off anything yet.

Wk3-Blog#3: Comment #2 To Ann

Ann said...

Reading again from the Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander, chapters 5-8, we are encouraged to “lead from any chair”. Each of us wears a variety of leadership hats within the time of a day, week, month, year, even a lifetime. As parents, we lead our children; we are role models for how to behave within and outside of the family structure. As teachers, we model for our students how to embrace the learning process and to achieve it’s intended goals. As community members we work to integrate with and invite others to come together for the greater good. Active participation is the key. Participation is only a first step. Being active is vital to effective leadership.

Mr. Zander describes how he began to give “the floor” over to his musicians, to better listen to and understand what they might add to the process of playing and performing music. He presented them with permission to access the leadership position. I find myself in this situation in the classroom too. I try to recognize the best moments to maneuver students into position such that when they “take the floor”, their classmates are waiting to hear what they have to say, and respond with the expectation of leadership from the student. This is a means of promoting positive self-esteem and confidence for students.

Successful attempts at leadership in the classroom, whether reading a sentence correctly, or explaining a definition, helps students realize their potential for leadership. With ample opportunities to shine, they may increase participation in activities in other classrooms, or out in their community. As teachers, we help to determine “who is present” when we have the expectation and allow the opportunity that all students can and will “take the floor” from time to time.
Two students lead a class discussion.

Meghan Bassett said...
I like your description of effective leadership beginning with active participation. I myself, have felt like this year I have been isolated from my school community due to running home everyday to complete assignments for Fullsail! However, I believe I have been more active in my studies for it. Unfortunately, I have missed out on a lot of student games because of it. I feel like if students see you in the crowd at their events, they know that you care and therefore will care more about what you are trying to do for them. Active participation in your community is key!

Wk3-Blog#2: Comment #1 To Clarence

Clarence said...
Week 3 reading from The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

Leading from any chair
This chapter dealt with giving everyone the power to make a contribution to the team effort. People often loose interest in what they are doing because they feel disenfranchised. But a good leader leads by involving the group. I have tried this with some of my lessons with mixed results. Sometimes, the student appreciates that they can voice their opinion and will even suggest alternative ways of doing things. More often with teenagers, they become suspicious and worry that I am trying to trick them. They are not used to being encouraged to do an assignment their way. They are worried about their grade and want me to take them through each step the way I think it should be done. When this new approach fails, I am not disappointed, since I know that even one success is worth the effort. I am convinced that students want to contribute their ideas. They just need to be encouraged.

Rule 6
I want to write this down before the thought passes. I teach photography to a variety of teenagers. Rule 6 is probably the hardest for them. After all they are still in the childhood stage of the calculating self. Usually I give photo assignments ahead of time. I tell them to take 20 to 30 photos, they edit them to six that they turn in and one of those is picked for a grade. I show them examples from past classes and tell them my grading rubric. What they must do is figure out what will give them the best grade. When the picture is presented to the class, they are required to tell the class what is good, what is bad and how they would improve on the picture.
I want to try a new assignment. Next door to our school is an arboretum of sorts maintained by the senior citizens. What I plan to do is not tell them what the assignment is until we get there. Then I will tell them that they are allowed to take only one picture. They must think of it this way; there is no grade to worry about but only that you take a photo that expresses you at this time, one photo to express your life at this point, in this place. I am hoping that this could be a step from the calculating self to the central self that rule 6 is about.

The Way Things Are
This chapter is not so much accepting things the way they are, but accepting reality and working with it to create a positive experience. All my classes are different. What I have to do is work with them. Some classes go along and get all the work done while other classes disrupt my plans. I just have to work with what I have been given.

Giving Way to Passion
This was an interesting chapter. At first I thought that this is fine, but one could not go through life giving way to passion. It would be too exhausting. Then I kept reading. What I think they really meant was that one must use passion to see the connection between and among the things we do in life. If we let go, then we can connect the dots. I really liked the last paragraph…BTFI.



Meghan Bassett said...
Clarence-
I think the idea for the photography assignment is a great thought!!! I would definitely enjoy the assignment more knowing it's not graded, but at the same time allows me to express my emotions. The problem I see is that students who aren't necessarily self motivated, will make a mockery of it. I teach Art 1 at the high school level, so I range from students who are interested in Art and really love it, to students who don't care and just want the elective credit. So I know if I gave them this assignment, half would just take the first decent looking photo and not really think through the purpose of the project. Maybe requiring, and telling them ahead of time, that they will need to write a short explanation of their photograph (or present it) will make students think a little harder about why they are taking their one photo before taking it. Great idea though!

Wk3 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 5-8

In the first chapter Leading From Any Chair, I couldn’t help think about my mother. She works in a school as the secretary to the principal. The principal received an email last week that a report needed to be ran. He never told my mother or the person that was supposed to run the report, but my mom found out from another school. When she brought it up that he may have missed an email, he said he never received it. A few hours later, after going back to him again, he forwarded the email and said he had just gotten it (which we all know, emails are time stamped). Instead of admitting his own mistake, he, like the conductors, tried to let it slide and hoped no one noticed.
The mere act of kindness and acknowledging that other people help you do a job is severely under-used. If you give ANY kind of praise to people who are helping you, or even say thank you to them, it brings up esteem and also encourages people to continue to work hard for you. I guess we could all work on this in different ways. I personally could work on always encouraging my students in ways that they are doing well. I can be sarcastic, which doesn’t work well with all of my students.
The next Chapter, the Rule number 6, took a more person attack on a way I’ve been feeling for a week now. I was very betrayed by someone I thought I could trust. A friend of mine told another friend of mine something very personal, and very atomic. I knew that the word had spread, and I wasn’t sure of where it had started. I found out and instead of confronting the issue, I recoiled and hid from everyone. Here, I need to follow Rule number 6, and stop taking myself so seriously. People talk, and say things that aren’t theirs to say, and sometimes there are things that get said that we don’t want said. It’s a part of human nature, and if I really didn’t want anyone to know, I wouldn’t have said it in the first place. I’m still hurt, but I’m letting it go in my own time.
The Way Things Are…I’ve always tried to see the cloud with a silver lining, and look on the bright side of things. A much easier said than done thing to accomplish. I’m one of those people, once I start feeling negative, everything that’s negative seems to find me. I’m sure that has everything to do with the way I am looking at things, rather than the world being out to get me. If we can laugh and play with the bad things that happen to us, a much more light hearted attitude would be had by everyone around us!
I would love to give way to passion more. Sometimes we are so stuck in living life day to day we forget to give in to the natural flow of life an energy. I try to recognize the energy around me, but I’ll be honest…the only real times I feel a surge of energy run through me are when I’m by the ocean watching the waves, or listening to music and painting. Then I can truly let passion run through me and I feel at one with everything around me.

Wk2-Blog#4: Free Blog

Is it really only Tuesday???
I'm trying to think of the best way to present my AR project to the class...I'm thinking probably a prezi presentation to the links in my website. Obviously it will be more detailed than that, but it's a starting off point. I want to publish my article on http://www.arteducators.org/ which is the National Art Education Association website. I think that this is the perfect place to try and publish my work because it is a National organization that is made up of all art teachers at various levels. Most Universities and school districts expect you to be a member of this group, and many use it as a place to find lesson ideas, go to conferences held annually, or find great articles relating to different areas regarding Art Education. I think it would be amazing to be published here because not only would I get my article into the hands of other art teachers, but I would make my screenflow videos available to an array of people that could use them and hopefully create their own. It would open up a new door to sharing amongst art teachers across the country!

Wk2-Blog#3: Comment #2 To Ann

Ann said...
Ciao! Now here's something new from Ann Cannizzaro.

Accomplishment
Relationship
Transformation
outcome
framework
Partnership
Obstacles
Speaking
Stories
Innovation
Beliefs
Individual
Leadership
Invented
Tools
Yourself


A migratory “V” of words is expressed in the first chapters. Reading The Art of Possibility is an inspirational journey. It is an adult story of learning how to navigate change. I know that as I become older, I need to revisit my ways of thinking and points of view often. I am constantly adjusting my expectations on a variety of levels. My actions are based on “migratory” decisions and feelings that relate to each unique situation I find myself in. I am more careful about not making assumptions.

Many of the ideas in chapters 1-4 deal with perceptions, both seen and unseen. I have learned as an adult that I must work to take alternative perspectives into mind when I deal with difficult or unknown situations. This is important in dealing with students, parents, and my own children. I try to step into their shoes to make decisions and provide advice that suits the moment. This is not so easy to do, but it is an important part of building strong and trusting relationships.
The story you choose to share is the one people will judge you by. If you meet most conversations and interactions with others, with a smile and a positive response, a door is opened to further communication.
Giving an A to oneself and to others provides an opportunity for success. I have found that sometimes we need to have permission to succeed. It may be permission from our-selves, or permission from others. Why this is so, I don’t know, but I have seen it in action in many different scenarios. It is an approval measure, yes, on a scale of 1 - 10 perhaps. This measurement can stop us in our tracks or set us free.

The Art of Possibility conveys a message meant to compel one to embrace the “unknown” possibility in life and strive to make it known.

Meghan Bassett said...

Oh man, I couldn't agree more with your comment on trying to put yourself in others shoes. What a HARD thing to constantly do! You see how it affects you, but it's hard to look past that sometimes to really see where a student, or anyone for that matter, are coming from. For instance, i have a student (special ed self contained) who comes into my room and says how much he hates everybody and everything every single day. There is a point every week that I just get exhausted by his negativity and I can't even respond to him anymore. It's hard to constantly try to reach out to somehow who never reaches back. Every once in awhile though, I get through to him, and it makes all the time I've spent with him worth it. I love your V shape of words, what a great and creative idea!
I really like the idea that positivity is key in building relationships. Who wants to constantly be around someone who is always negative?

Wk2-Blog#2: Comment #1 To Susan

Susan said...

"One Buttocks Player" and "I Give You An A"


First of all, Benjamin Zander is a wonderful speaker and extremely easy to listen to. I was a bit confused in the beginning of the video with what exactly a “One Buttock Player” was, but then I caught his point. You need to look at the whole, not at the individual parts.
Being a science teacher, I am constantly telling my kids to think outside the box.


One quote from the book that stuck with me was, “…even science relies on our capacity to adapt to new facts by radically shifting the theoretical constructions we previously accepted as truth.” Although I do completely agree that a world without measurement would be really nice and relaxing, I do not feel it is actually realistic. The author states, “You are more likely to be successful, overall, if you participate joyfully with projects and goals and do not think your life depends on achieving the mark because then you will be better able to connect to people all around you.” One point Zander makes is that if grades were not given, people would be more willing to take a risk. However, I feel that also needs to be understood by the instructor. My sophomore daughter decided to challenge herself on her Spanish assignment. She refused to take the easy way by using given phrases and really worked hard on her assignment, but made some mistakes with it and was docked points for doing so. If she had stuck with the easier phrases, she would have achieved all of the points for her grade. That instructor was teaching her to just do it the easy way and don’t challenge yourself because then you will get a better grade. In my classroom, when I ask a student a question that they do not know the answer or to think they don’t know, I tell them to just give it a try, the worst thing that can happen is they are wrong and if they haven’t been wrong yet today they should try being in my life! This usually relaxes them and they give it a try. They frequently surprise themselves with being right or having a new way to look at something.

As I continued to read through chapter 3 I realized that the authors were not strictly referring to a grade, but to a teacher’s encouragement of his/her students and the manner in which the classroom is run and allowing students to be contributors.

I just hope that I can rescue one starfish!


Meghan Bassett said...

I agree with you that the instructor needs to understand that grades aren't everything. I know some teaches that tend to see in black and white, wrong and right, and find it hard to grade based on growth rather than right or wrong answers. Teaching art, I grade based on the individual student. I had a parent call yesterday to yell at me for giving her son a 'bad' grade. She had seen pictures of two students work in my class who did not look 'up to par' with her sons work and she wanted answers. I had to explain it to her like this; your son didn't challenge himself, Quite frankly, he gave up early, worked on other work in my class, and took 'the easy way out'. I'm normally the opposite of everyone else in academia as far as grading, but I like getting the change to see students work for what it is, and watch them grow instead of having them recite an answer they have been fed. Great points!

Wk2 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 1 – 4

Wow, I’m actually a little in awe at this textbook. The first two chapters remind me of my favorite quote, and a quote I try very hard to live by each day.
"The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude
we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the past... We cannot change
the fact that people will act in a certain way... We cannot change the
inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have and that is
our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I
...react to it. And so with you..."
I had a big move in front of me a few years back, where I had to leave everything behind and start anew. I could either be depressed by the unknown and the vast options of my future, or I could be excited or inspired by it. I chose the latter, and I’m so thankful that I chose that path because it led me to some really great things in my life.
In the third chapter, the author talks about giving everyone an A, and embracing mistakes as a learning tool instead of a negative part of the students music. I teach my students in Art a similar way, and using this quote often to enforce my ideas; “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” In art, mistakes can bring you to some of the most fascinating parts of your piece. Developing those mistakes can sometimes bring an ordinary piece of art into the extraordinary. Most students make mistakes, recognize it, become very negative and sometimes give up hope and consider themselves a failure. I try my very hardest to turn their mistakes into something they can work with and develop from. The hardest part is teaching them to like something they had not planned on creating. They tend to have ideas in their head of what they want to create, and when they cannot reach this goal, they get very disappointed. The art for me, is trying to get them to see the amazing qualities of what they made, not what they were supposed to make.

As far as contribution, I think we would do everyone in our lives a huge favor if we look at everyday as a gift, and every moment we are with others as a gift to ourselves and them. Going through your work week looking forward to Friday is no way to live life. Using this idea to look at how you are contributing to others everyday would make your life so much more fulfilled.

As I was reading this, my boyfriend asked me what I was reading. I said a textbook, which brought the question what it was about. I narrowed it down to a self help type textbook, and that it was actually very interesting and quite a good read. (I’ll admit, I teared up for parts of it, connecting to the stories by the author and others….call me a girl.) I’m going to go live by these 4 chapters, and return to read the rest after making my mom mother’s day dinner.

Wk1-Blog#4: Free Blog

Oh what a hectic week you have been! My students are either working on finishing up their Papier Mache projects, working on their clay projects, or painting glass panels in my room. It's been a little restless around here with all of the 3 dimensional work, but I never do get a chance to be bored!
As far as learning this week, it feels like there's a lot of information in week 1! I'm glad I had time last night to sit and watch the videos on copyright. Two I especially liked were the Disney (not Disney) clipped together statement (very creative, but must have taken FOREVER to make!) and the one on the DJ in Pittsburgh. The first was comical and made it's point by using clips from Disney movies to talk about copyright laws and how confusing they were. It was also extremely ironic, it being made up of only clips from disney movies, showing that a completely different creative innovative piece of work can be created by combining elements from other pieces of work. Obviously the Disney movies were not being copied, but they were being used in a completely different way that they were not intended to be used in. I suppose since it was used for educational purposes to teach the meaning and rules of copyright issues, that it was fair use.
Copyright laws kind of remind me of my students with rules. They always say things like, "Cops shouldn't give out tickets for speeding, people should just drive however they want, as long as their careful." Then I have to ask them, "Well how do you know what 'careful' looks like? What kinds of things make a safe driver? How would the police be able to prove that someone was being unsafe?" Then I continue to explain that is how rules get started, once people start fighting back, rules become stricter and more prohibitive in order to cover all bases. I feel like copyright started as a good a moral idea, but it spun way out of control and now it seems a little ridiculous.
The week continues, time to go back to my glass painting with my 3rd block. My one student decided to paint the whole window, and then scratch away a portrait of Salvador Dali. Is this a copyright issue? The photograph is below, I hope I don't get sued.

Wk1-Blog#3: Comment #2 To Judy

Judy said,
"I was introduced to some of the basic copyright laws and issues during my graphic design courses. Students in my classes who used other people's work for an assignment asked permission from the owners. Surprisingly, most gave permission easily as long as they received some sort of credit for it. I can see the pros and cons on copyrighting. As an artist, I wouldn't want anybody else to take credit for something I did. On the other hand, so much creativity can come from sampling and using bits and pieces of work that is already out there. Why reinvent the wheel? This is a tricky issue that will eventually have to evolve into some happy medium. As of now, owner's permission and creative commons is the way to go to prevent issues and legal problems."
Posted by Judy De Los Santos at 10:01 PM
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1 comments:

Meghan Bassett said...

"I'm not sure about you, but trying to find things my students want using creative commons search engines has been awful. I totally agree with you about reinventing the wheel.
My students tend to look things up on google and use them but change something about the picture. It's not necessarily artwork, but let's say they're using a photograph of a frog to draw from, would that be a copyright issue? Like you said, they use bits and pieces of things already out there. Personally I'm with you. I wouldn't want anyone copying my exact piece, but if I take a photograph and someone wants to use elements of it in a drawing, I wouldn't mind."

Wk1-Blog#2: Comment #1 To Rowdy

Rowdy said,
"Copyright has always been a major issue in my classes as I teach video production and broadcast classes.
I try to have a lesson on Copyright each year before we even start the course to try and explain the best I can to middle schoolers what Copyright actually is. Most adults don’t even understand Copyright law, so you see my struggle with teaching this to this age group.

In the video it was mentioned that a common misconception is “if I don’t charge for it, it’s not a violation.” This has been a common mistake in education and using it for “school purposes.” Many of our students and fellow teachers always seemed to try and use this excuse. One way I got around copyright when I was a producer for Texas Tech University, we actually had an ASCAP and BMI license that ended up covering the university as a whole, so we got to use several songs in our commercials without violating that Copyright.

A couple of areas that I still haven’t found a clear explanation are on parodies and fair use, the actual amount of footage you can use without permissions.

I liked all of the myths that were shown in the video. Maybe you can add the other violation of actually playing music you purchased to a house full of people or a classroom full of students being a violation of Copyright and distribution (unless of course, this has been changed again)."
Posted by Rowdy319 at 2:53 PM
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1 comments:

Meghan Bassett said...

"I agree with your final statement! While were busy trying to pinpoint copyright infringement, I guess copyright laws really could spin out of control and ruin all use of music and/or videos if were not careful.
I also wonder if parodies are fair use. I know my administrators have done parodies before without a second thought. Good luck explaining that to middle schoolers. Luckily they can understand rules, so hopefully you don't have any issues there!

Wk1-Blog#1 Cont: Copyright Issues part 2: What the Heck is Fair Use?

It feels like one of those things you need to prepare to fight for, even if you use it the ‘right’ way. How ridiculous, the law has so many loop holes it would be a full time job to be able to understand how to best use copyrighted material in a legal way.

Wk1-Blog#1: Reading- Copyright Issues

Being an Art Teacher, I always worry about my students copying work. In fact, one of my 4 rules in my classroom is no copying or ‘borrowing’ previously created characters. I do allow my students one project where they can use what they want, but that doesn’t get published anywhere.
The film brought up a great point when it comes to music. I sometimes hear a song and could swear I had heard it before. At times I have taken the time to think about it, at pinpoint what part of the song I recognized in the other song. They use such similar elements that it has to be so complicated to make a copyright infringement decision.
That being said, how much more recognizable would our work be, and how more into our work would our students be, if we could use samples of music that they can relate to? Not saying we should or could use them, but I think as far as education goes, it would be extremely useful if we could. For my screenflow videos, I use the tools taught to me in Music Theory and try to create my own music. In theory this is a great idea, but it’s time consuming and not always what I want.
I have to look a little more into artwork copyright laws at least for my students sake. My students aren’t obviously trying to steal anything from other artists, but are trying to emulate them to learn their techniques.