To be rich or not to be rich, that is the question.

First of all, everything Sir Ken Robinson said about schools killing creativity is simply true. He stated that we "stigmatize mistakes". If we did not make mistakes we would not learn and nothing would be new or creative . Also he states, "that we create a heirarchy of subjects", concentrating on the most useful subjects for the work field and discounting the options for fine arts careers. We need to "celebrate the human imagination". Creativity is a way to express ones self and release inner emotion which is one of the most beautiful actions that one can do. Why would we ever want to hinder that?
I also watched, Benjamin Wallace: Does happiness have a price tag? This journalist was supplied with a budget to go around tasting and experiencing the worlds most expensive luxuries. He sampled wine from 1947, called Cheval Blanc, that he said wasnt all it was hyped up to be. He was given apair of 800 dollar jeans made from the finest organic fibers of Japan and he said that he has not had one compliment on them in the months that he's had them. He tried numerous other things such as soap with silver leafs embeded, white truffles, kobe beef for 160 dollars, and when it arrived it was tiny. This man got to try a plethora of things that millionairs and billionaires experience everyday. While we sit in our dorms eating cans of soup that cost 1.00. Are those people happier than us? At the end of this mans presentation he said that a gathering of people were sat down and given a vairety of wine to sample. Each bottles price was marked falsely. The cheapest was labelled most expensive and so on. While these people drank their wine, they were also given MRI brain scans simultaneously. Not only did these people say they enjoyed the one with the higher price tag, but their brains scans said so too. This is hard for me to comprehend. Possibly everyone is different. Maybe if you have the money to spend and are willing to splurge on ridiculous items then it could possibly be rewarding? But I also think that those people should have MRI’s to get their head out of their you know what. With all the people suffering around the world how can one be so self-absorbed that they must spend so much money on material things. If the most expensive things make one happy, they do not know true happiness. As true happiness is completely free. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_wallace_on_the_price_of_happiness.html
To comment on a peers video; Alex's about war photography is truly a jewel. In our aesthetics class we were speaking about an aesthetic (beautiful) experience. Now, beauty comes in many shapes and forms. I think that you have an aesthetic experience if you stop for a moment, realize and appreciate all of the wonderful things you and your life have been blessed with. James Nachtwey's photography is beautiful, not only because of the composition or the angle but, because we realize how lucky we are. Also because, as Alex said, "he is spreading a powerful message of hope, and help for others". http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/JAMESNACHTWEY-2007_high.flv
K-12- Online Conference: Leading the change, Overcoming Entropy by Louise Maine
Entropy= chaos. Move from an disorganized pattern to an organized one.
This video was about how to kickstart change in the classroom, while promoting a healthy balance of energy, responsiblity, encouragement and support. Maine states "From entropy comes opportunities. To decrease entropy, we must uninvest in the conventions of previous ways of schooling." Much like Sir Ken Robinson, Maine sees creativity as a way to learn experience and grow, which is what education is all about. Maine also says "Talk about what you know, even if you do not consider yourself an expert." If you have confidence in your presentation and you put alot of planning intoit , the students will recognize your effort and hopefully see value and give you respect. Maine explains about the importance "for visual aspects" because they create energy, which also applies to the multiple intelligences. Encourage students constantly. If they fumble, they must try again and must be assured that mistakes are all part of the learning process, and that "the path need not be so narrow" meaning there are many ways to do things. Also in relation to Sir Robinson whom stated that from mistakes comes the unique Maine to encourages students to "Take risks, solve problems, and overcome obstacles". As a teacher "continual reflection and feedback" are very imporant to make students feel they are moving forward instead of backward; "be a coach".
This video showed me that being a teacher takes alot of time, energy and creativity on my part. I value hardwork and I know that it will always be worth it in end. To help at least one child find their inner selves or their inner creativity will be a mission accomplished and happiness that money cannot buy. http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=345