Turning Off Comments

Photo: Marc Wathieu on Flickr.

Over the past year or so I’ve been getting a pretty high spam to real comment ratio on The Designer’s Review of Books, some of which are attempts to hack the blog install. So, in line with quite a few others, I have decided to turn off comments on the DRoB. Old comments should still be present, but you’ll no longer be able to post new ones.

It’s not an easy decision, because I like good discussion and dialogue, but much of this happens on people’s own blogs or via Twitter these days. By all means drop us a line if you would like to get in touch or send me a tweet.

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The Designer’s Review of Books

Entry 2 – Wk3 Comments to Bryan Antos: Art of Possibility Ch.5-8

Wk 3 Art of Possibility Chapters 5-8
Bryan’s Comments:
I started out as a PA at my company and then switched over to the edit side, the Yin to production’s Yang. So I loved the first chapter which seemed to be a lot about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes or using your knowledge to help someone else. I was one of the first PAs to ever make that switch and in just my first year as an editor, I was cutting the Super Bowl. That happened because we have intense, pressure-filled deadlines and if I’m editing with production in mind, it makes the whole process easier for everyone. I know what they want and I know what things slow them down.

However, “remembering rule #6” would not be a very useful mantra where I work. A major problem (especially for people coming in from another company) is the amount of intense hostility and shortness at times. You can’t just remember to not take yourself so seriously, you have 60 seconds to know whether or not you have video coming up. You can’t be relaxed. You have to be short, curt, and effective. Facts only. The difference here is that after that incident is over (or more likely: the show is over) you talk with the people involved and tell them no hard feelings. A good producer will work to rebuild after an ugly incident. But most people understand that it’s very serious, and the information has to be transparent and related quickly. Joke after the show, not during.

Not everybody can perform under pressure like that, and it weeds people out. I think that pressure is a good thing most of the time. You are working on instinct and it’s amazing what you can get done in a short amount of time. Now, I’m not like this in every facet of my life, but I am at work, and I am proud of that.

I will say, I did like the story about the two business partners…

The parts about nothing really being good or bad was very intriguing to me. I would say I’m an environmentalist, but when you think about it, what does that really mean? It’s really out of human selfishness. The same with NOT being an environmentalist. When you think about it, millions of species have become extinct. It’s the way of the planet. Greenhouse effects have heated the planet before. It’s the way of the planet. Is it bad for the planet if water levels rise? Not really. It’s bad for humans who have settled near those waters. I’m not advocating one thing or another, I’m just pointing out what book tries to: that good an evil are a human invention.

If anyone reading this hasn’t done so, I highly suggest listening to Bach’s Suite No.2 in D Minor as Chapter 8 talks about. It really is a beautiful piece of music. I suggest listening to Mischa Maisky’s version!

My comments to Bryan:
Bryan,

Once again, you have impressed me with your blogging talents! I totally agree with your thoughts on how Rule Number 6 isn’t a universal way of thought in many professions. Yours is definitely no exception! I think that people can take things too serious to an extent, but there is a fine line with that and being professional with the task at hand. Especially in a job like yours, along with the stresses that come along with mine in being an educator today. As much as I like to think I can apply this rule to my life, if I am being completely honest, I know that there are times where the seriousness factor must be in place 95% of the time. Can you imagine not taking myself seriously the majority of the day with 30 6th graders?

I also like your thoughts on not everyone being cut out for performing under pressure. I mean, you don’t have to look any further than your boy Jim Kelly. Ok, ok, that was cheap shot. But you’re exactly right in saying that performing under pressure is a good thing. If anything, making it this far in the EMDT program has proven that! Great stuff Bryan!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 3 – Wk3 Comments to Jacqueline Jones: The Art of Possibility Ch. 5-8

Wk3-Reading: The Art of Possibility, Chapters 5-8

Jacqueline’s Comments:
You know, if everyone saw themselves as a leader, individuals would take more responsibility for their own actions. And, they would appreciate what others have to offer to the team. I use to facilitate a leadership program in a company and we called it “niche” leadership. The concept promoted the idea that each person was a leader in their assigned roles and others depended on them. This concept is hindered when Rule Number 6 is violated.

I went through this period of time where I too myself too seriously. I am probably more challenged by my calculating self on a personal level. Now, if I can’t laugh at work, it is probably not the right environment for me. The example in the book where the executive posted “Remember Rule Number 6″ in the work area for all employees proves that sometimes the violation of that rule comes from the top. So, if we are temporarily trapped in an environment where Rule Number 6 is being violated, we have to lead from our chair and make a positive impact.

Chapter 7 was an eye opener because reality does have its place. In the opening dialogue, the Duck says, “The way things are stinks.” Here is a photo by Terry Border, the Bent Objects Artist, that illustrates this point. Let’s take for instance the how the economy has affected people. My Pastor shared a story about an executive who lost his job. He was unsuccessful in finding anything comparable to his previous position. He omitted things on his resume to get a job at Subway making sandwiches so he could feed his family. In that role, he lead from “his chair,” which was noticed by the higher ups. Well, within six months he was promoted to manager and later to district manager. He was what the Zander’s call “present” in the way things were but he did not accept it.

I love working in a creative environment. In fact, when I talk about my work as an instructional designer, people always respond with the word “passionate.” I am also fortunate to work around others who are passionate about what they do. I have been on the other side of the fence and it is not a nice situation.

Artwork by Terry Border: http://bentobjects.blogspot.com

My comments to Jacqueline:

Jacqueline,
Great post! Totally got a kick out of your Voki introducing yourself. I think it is absolutely incredible that we have the possibility of being creative. It’s a truly a shame that so many people waste the plethora of opportunities in a given day to release the inner creativity inside us all because they choose to look at their lives from a “calculated self” perspective. I think this is where much of what Zander speaks of anyhow. Through all the examples and stories that the book discusses I seem to always find myself thinking about the creative mind that we all have. Your story about the executive is really a great example of the “Leading from your Chair” chapter in the book. I think this is something that we can all be encouraged and influenced by no matter where we are at in life. Thanks for sharing Jacqueline!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 2 – Wk1 Comments to Andrea Shikes – Copyright

Week 1-Copyright

Andrea Shikes’ post:
Oh, the world of copyright. To be honest with you, it scares the crap out of me. As a teacher, I make my kids cite all the sources they use in research and creating presentations. As a student, I use things that are mine personally (pictures) to be sure that I am not violating copyright laws. It’s easier for me to use my own images, than to try and use something from Creative Commons and use it wrong. If I need music, I’ll create my own GarageBand loops or find something from freeplaymusic.com. I know I am not distributing my work for profit, but I still freak out to think I am possibly violating some law.
Good Copy, Bad Copy was interesting to watch. It’s eye opening to see so many artists and producers out there sampling from each other. I am not sure if I think it’s right or not. I can’t imagine music without other music. So many times, you hear a song on the radio that sounds like another song, or has been redone by another artist. This is more exposure for the artists, but at what point does the song writer get credit for this. Some recording artists are mega millionaires, but what about the song writers, the behind the scenes people, producers, mixers and so forth. When do they get all the public recognition and mega millions?

My comments:
Andrea. I agree with you about your feelings and fears on the issue of copyright. However, as an educator, I always feel that if we don’t attempt to push the envelope than there is no room for growth or change. For instance, Creative Commons is one of those envelope pushers that sort of stands up to some of the laws that don’t make things easy for us as teachers to enhance and provide an opportunity for students to create/re-create something different for their own generation. I think the fear comes in when we don’t fully understand how to go about copyright and Fair Use, and that is just an issue of learning the guidelines. I too can get a little intimidated with copyright stuff and possibly breaking a law or infringing copyright, but at the same time I don’t want my fears to cause me to shy away from giving the best to my students. Great post Andrea!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 3 – Wk1 Comments to Bryan Antos – Copyright

wk1 reading: copyright issues

Bryan Antos’ Post:
Every day I work, I create video for my company that is seen by millions of people. But that video is protected by copyright that my company owns. I cannot post my work on youtube or anywhere. And that’s a personal problem as I want as many people as possible to see my work. At the very least, I want my friends to be able to see it.

Additionally, not every piece is saved by my company. The best thing I ever produced (and was copied by Nike and NBA Productions, poorly, except for getting Marvin Gaye’s version of the National Anthem, which is awesome) is gone forever. That is sort of devastating to me.

I understand the point of copyright but there will always be pirating. The trick is to embrace the new techniques and create a legal version of that. 5 years ago I suggested making shows available for download and I got laughed at. Every single person laughed at the idea. And now it’s one of the biggest priorities of the company.

You just have to wait for the younger generation to get in there and try and change these laws. Like I said in a comment, the musical genius of an album like Paul’s Boutique cannot really happen nowadays. That needs to change.

But you really have to give the law some credit. Being able to use any copyrighted work for parody or education is great.

My Comments:
Bryan. Great post. I was feeling your frustrations as I read your blog post about the art that you create for your company, and yet, you don’t have the freedom to share what you have actually created because of copyright. I also think it is funny that your thoughts on making programs available for download were basically rolled over and pushed under the proverbial rug. Why does it always seem to be that when a great idea is produced, there is always the majority of the “big wigs” that think a radical way of thought is out of the realm of possibility?

I am curious though. Have you ever asked any of the ones that laughed at your idea five years ago about how they feel now? I hope that you have more opportunity to create change within your workplace and have the freedom to remix the culture that we live in! Good luck Bryan.

p.s. I wouldn’t have laughed.

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 3 – Wk2 Comments to Tim Brehm: Required Reading

Wk2 reading – If only everyone thought like this!!!

Tim’s Wk2 BP:
To be honest I was really being bored to tears with this weeks reading, Art of Possibility, until! I came to a paragraph the just rang out to me. In this paragraph the topic of grades is discussed. I always had a problem with grades as a way of measuring mastery of skills, I just didn’t know why. Well the authors of this book gave me the answer I was looking for, letter grades just compare student against student, and say very little about the actual work completed by the student.

Every student is different and learns at a different rate and in different ways. Taking into account these differences, why should they all be measured on the same scale. How do we resolve this situation? I really don’t know, but it is definitely something that should be studied.

Reading the paragraphs in this book relating to grades had really opened my eyes to something that has been bothering me for a long time. Wouldn’t it be great to get a giant gathering of educators together and have a massive brain storming session and see what we could come up with? Makes me really wonder about the possibilities……

My comments to Tim:
Tim. I like your viewpoints on the reading this week. I think there were some dry parts of the first four chapters of “The Art of Possibility,” but I think the highlight was the chapter on grades. I think that “Giving an A,” if nothing else, gave me a refreshed perspective as to why I aspired to become a teacher in the first place. It’s not like I went into college or my credential program with strong desire to know how to compare kids to other kids and then slap a letter grade to their report card every 3 months. No…I became an educator because I wanted to be a piece of a student’s education journey to assist them in discovering their strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between. This is the real reward about teaching and learning. But instead, our system still clings to the art of disability, as opposed to possibility.

p.s. Let me know when the next major collaboration session of educators happens. I am down for having a massive brainstorming session…could be scary…scary GOOD!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 2 – Wk2 Comments to Diane Milton: Required Reading

Wk 2 Required Reading

Diane’s Wk2 BP:
I am truly enjoying our required reading from Art of Possibility. Wow, I have been so encouraged and inspired. I look forward to reading this book each day and have already shared some of the things I have read with my husband and friends. Who doesn’t want to transform their life and make an impact on others along this journey? There have been some gentle reminders for me, as well as “lightbulb” moments that are causing me to reflect on how I act and react in situations. One “lightbulb” moment for me came when looking at the second practice, “Stepping into the Universe of Possibility”. Within the world of measurement we all fail and fall short of our own expectations or the expectations placed upon us by others. We determine whether or not we are successful based on measurement tools defined for us. I felt such stress relief after reading, “In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold”. Enjoy the journey and don’t get caught up on the little things. Flat tires, bugs on the windshield, and critters in the road, are all a part of the journey…laugh and let the moment be perfect without the world measurement of how the moment was supposed to be.

My comments to Diane:
Hi Diane. I completely agree with you about the reading this week. There were several moments that caused me to reflect on several practices of my own, both professionally and personally. This is always refreshing for me when reading a book like this because it opens brand new perspectives that I never thought about before. Like you, I also was impacted by the concept of how we are sometimes confined by a world that is marked in measurement and how well we perform. My eyes were opened with the thought of how within the context of a universe of possibility, we are given the freedom to sort of let go of that control and allow life happen. Through this lens, life becomes a journey that creates experiences to where it is ok to make mistakes and become everyday risk-takers. That to me was the highlight of this reading. Great post Diane!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 3 – Wk4 Comments to Pamela Hickman: Art of Possibility Ch. 9-12

Week 4-Blog Post 2-The Art of Posibilities Ch. 9-12

Pamela Hickman’s Comments:
This weeks reading was very good. I would have to say the whole book was very good I liked how it talks about like possibilities from every angle imaginable. I really enjoyed chapter 10 talking about our life being a game board. It seems like my students over the past couple of years have this sense of “entitlement” there is no self responsibility anywhere. I have noticed students will say “that teacher gave me an F” instead of “I earned an F in math.” This generation of kids are looking to blame someone every time something goes wrong in their life. I like how the booked refers to life a board and we are going to make choices and mistakes, but we have to learn from them. Sometimes we have to put our pride to the side and say “yes this is my fault how do I fix it?” I try to teach my students you are not entitled to anything the successes you get in life are earned, but so many students think that they are going to make millions of dollars have a perfect life without hard work. I hate to say this but that is not reality. People in general want to blame diffrent people for hardship and bad things, but the ugly truth is sometime we make mistakes and have to learn from them.

I lost my brother four years ago to this “game” called the choking game. I was so heartbroken over the lose of my brother. I just wanted to blame the kids that showed him how to “play.” I wanted to blame the God, but I didn’t want to blame him for doing it. I guess we never want to blame the people we love for bad things that hurt us. The ugly truth was my bother made the choice to play and the consequence was that he died at 19-years-old. I guess in that first year of losing my brother I just wanted life to stop and people to just piety my situation. I got alone with God and my Bible and realized life hasn’t stopped people will not continue to piety my situation. I began to think OK this has happened know what can I do to make a difference. My family and I began to give speeches to youth groups in churches in the area about the dangers of the “Choking Game.” My family and I didn’t want this to happen to another family so we are trying to make a difference through educating parents and teens on the deadly game. My challenge to everyone is this when God allows bad things to happen to you use it to help others. God allows bad things to happen to good people because He knows that we can handle the bad thing and use it for His Glory.

Posted by Pamela at 3:10 PM

My Comments to Pamela:
Pamela,

What a heartfelt blog post! I think it is interesting that human nature is always ready and prepared to point the proverbial finger at anyone but themselves when they should be looking at in the mirror in the first place to evaluate what they could have done differently (which I do believe has some biblical application). I think today’s student/individual spends so much effort on how to cast their problems onto someone else rather than “being the board” and looking at life from that perspective. I think as teachers, we shoulder a lot of the burden in attempting to persuade our students into believing that they can accomplish something great in their lives, but we also must realize that at some point the student must be the one that has to take that initiative and discover their own art of possibility. And as a educator, I am always trying to be a catalyst in each of my students’ lives to be the one that generates that spark of possibility that encourages them to take that risk that leads them down their “road of passion” so-to-speak. But at some point, I must be content with the fact that I have done my best to reach each student and now it is up to them.

Anyways, I was really touched and inspired by what you shared about your brother. I know that with the strength of God, you and your family have seen the positives that came from this event in your lives. As hard as that is to understand at times, those are the instances that God uses to give us clarity and perspective about certain aspects of this thing called life that we would have never understood before. Thanks for sharing Pamela!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers

Entry 2 – Wk4 Comments to Saray Taylor-Roman: Art of Possibility Ch. 9-12

wk4 reading – Chapters 9 – 12

Saray’s Comments:
I have truly enjoyed this book. It has open my eyes to the possibilities around me in my job, my marriage, and my life. In three years of teaching, I had caved into the downward spiral of the teacher’s lounge. In three years, just around the time to be granted tenure, I had become whom I swore to never be as a teacher. I had lost my vision. I had forgotten why I went into teaching.

My calculating self blamed my students for their lack of enthusiasm and work ethic in my class, blamed my department for lack of cohesion, blamed the administrators for lack of communication, trust, and leadership, blamed the parents for lack of involvement, blamed my master’s program for taking away too much of my personal time. I was taking myself way too seriously that instead of seeing everyone as a contribution, I saw them as obstacles. There was a clear distinction of the I and Them. There was no WE.

Then, came this book “The Art of Possibility” and the video that all of you watched was more a message for me than anyone else. When I watched it the first time on YouTube I cried as I realized no one was going to do change things for me, I had to take the initiative. I had to put on my shoes and start the walk…

Really, it was not until I accepted the way things are and that defined myself as the board that my perspective changed and I saw opportunities rather than obstacles.
I’m not saying that suddenly I’m living a fairy tale, but I was given the opportunity to dream,

to redraw my professional framework, to redesign the rules of my own invented game and, in the process, I’ve gained a refreshing vision and I’m starting to see the change: first in me, then in those around me.

Once, I had a clear vision of who I am as a teacher I was able to see the power of enrolling my students in my course. I have seen the power of enrolling the head of my department and the principal of our school to get an Apple Learning Lab with 30 mac books and a mobile cart for my classroom next year. It is now that I can, once again, be excited –like Zander’s friend when she was six years old and about to play the cello in the competition- right before I get to teach each of my classes and my students have seen the change and they want to be a part of it. Like Ben put it “enrollment is the art and practice of generating a spark of possibility for others to share.” (pg. 125)

Let’s share that spark!
Posted by Saray Taylor-Roman at 9:04 PM

My Comments to Saray:
Saray! Awesome blog on the last 4 chapters of “The Art of Possibility! You had some great insight on the book, as did I and many others in this course, that we will take with us into the fields of education and corporate training.

I think the part that struck me the most was your observation on Zander’s, being the board analogy. I like how you stated that it wasn’t until you accepted the way things are is what began to define you and that is when perspective changed. I can completely relate to this because there are times in education when it is so easy to get jaded because of the way the system is designed that we can lose sight of why we became a teacher in the first place. But it is not until we change our perspective and realize that we can only control what is in front of us everyday that causes us to view things differently and approach our practice in a refreshing and more effective way. Anyways, I enjoyed reading your post and enjoy the endeavor of lighting a spark of possibility for others!

The Education Experiment with Gregg Eilers