I Got a Book

I continue to make peace (of a sort) with Dreamweaver. I got a book on Amazon and it has become my DW bible. Screencasts are great but my "old school" is showing. The printed word is still my BFF. I've reluctantly accepted the fact that the dreams I will weave with this beast will be elementary. No second career as a web page designer for me! Ah well, there's always Plan B - astronaut. Sadly it's much more realistic. 

I think I approached the Dreamweaver thing with the unrealistic notion that I would "knock 'em dead" with some grand artistic vision. I've accepted that my products will fall far short of that "dream". But I'm finally okay with that. I'm content to dip my toe and move on. Maybe come back at some later date and step in a little further, we'll see. For now Dreamweaver, you and I will be passing acquaintances. Don't call me. I'll call you. 

Hard to believe our first year of TEAM is winding down. It's been quite an experience. So different from what I expected. It's been a much richer experience than what I had anticipated. I see now that the technical aspect of our learning plays a secondary role to the vision of leadership which we are expected to articulate. Much more challenging and yet somehow more gratifying. While we definitely grow technically (all those mini-p's and all that hands on work) I had not expected to examine my life as an educator so intensely. It has been amazing and it is ongoing. While we scratch the surface of all these new technologies we have also begun to scratch the surface of a whole new way of looking at education. I look forward to digging deeper. Feel a bit like a pioneer or maybe a prospector.        

Mozart, Velcro and Me

One of Pink's suggestions for honing one's sense of symphony is to listen to some of the great masters' work. During the vacation I downloaded a bunch of symphonies from iTunes and listened to them. Amazing!

I never really studied music other than the bits and pieces you get in school. Never learned an instrument which I believe hinders my appreciation of "classical" music. I have no real understanding of the art/science of musical composition. But this time I really tried to listen... put on the headphones and closed my eyes. It was quite an experience. As Pink points out these pieces are a great example of many different elements coming together to make a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.

Another suggestion of Pink's is listening for metaphor. Metaphor is a linguistic way of seeing familiar things in a new light. The inventor of velcro noticed burrs sticking to his dog's coat and came up with the idea for the now ubiquitous fastener. If we notice metaphor and practice thinking metaphorically we can open a door to our creativity.

I'm enjoying symphony...the music and the thought process.