Master(piece) calendar

Jesus    6/4 (2nd)    

Zoe    6/4 (1st)

Carolina    6/7

Gabby    6/1

Gitzel    6/8

Dael    6/10

Narciso    6/9

may 28

for our MOM: 

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Isn't This a Lovely Day?" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong; "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers]

How does music change from generation to generation? Why aren't there more artists like Ella Fitzgerald today - and why do young people like you, and even like ME 😜, still love her music?

may 27

for our MOM: you don't have to think in order to breathe. enjoy that.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Going the Distance" from the soundtrack of Rocky, composed by Bill Conti and performed by the London Screen Orchestra; "The Distance" by Cake]
As author Hunter S. Thompson put it, "The only way to know how far you can go is to go a little to far." How will you know how far you can take your Masterpiece?

- OR -

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Our MOM
2. Journal
3. Ladies and gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post to your blog in which you share the experience of giving your ignite talk, and describe at least three things you learned from others' ignite talks. (title: WE HAVE IGNITION)

pasterpieces

 Here are some past masterpieces:

https://drprestonrhs14exposcomp.blogspot.com/2014/04/achieving-impossible.html

https://drprestonsrhsenglitcomp13.blogspot.com/2014/06/learning-without-ceiling.html

 

https://drprestonsamlitsmhs1617.blogspot.com/2017/05/masterpiece-academy-day-5-period-4.html 

 

https://drprestonsamlitsmhs1617.blogspot.com/2017/05/masterpiece-academy-day-3-period-6.html 

 

https://drprestonsamlitsmhs1617.blogspot.com/2017/05/masterpiece-academy-day-2-period-5.html 

 

https://drprestonsamlitsmhs1718.blogspot.com/2018/05/masterpiece-academy-day-5.html 

 

https://drprestonsamlitsmhs1718.blogspot.com/2018/05/masterpiece-academy-day-3.html

may 26

for our MOM: bzzzzzzz. imagine hearing that, and then imagine turning the volume all the way down until you experience total silence.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Rearviewmirror" by Pearl Jam]
We've talked about collaboration, and we're helping each other as we go along. We've also talked about research, and each of you are gathering 15+ resources to inform your work. What about learning from the work of other students who have become learners and then masters? Would it help you to see previous Masterpieces? How/why? Please explain your answer.

- OR -

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Our MOM
2. Journal
3. Looking over our shoulders at the past even as we stumble/march/leap into the future

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post to your blog in which you describe at least two things you learned from reviewing past masterpieces. (title: STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS)

may 25

for our MOM: bzzzzzzz. imagine hearing that, and then imagine turning the volume all the way down until you experience total silence.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Marigold" by Foo Fighters; "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal]
When we're kids, we know bees by their sting. As we get older, if we're well-informed, we come to appreciate bees for the honey they make, the plants they pollinate, and the many other contributions they make to our ecosystem. In the end, though, these are all stories we tell, and meanings we make. They're just bees. What are the bees in your life? Describe something you tell yourself a story about and/or have feelings about.

- OR -

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Our MOM
2. Journal
3. Welcome to the beehive

the magic of learning: webinar recording and notes

 

It's one thing to spend time in the company of an artist, a master craftsman, and an uncompromising intellectual; in this conversation, Jamy takes things to a whole 'nother level. The man is a mensch. Thanks once again to Jamy, acclaimed magician and author of The Conjurer's Conundrum, for taking time to share his perspectives on critical thinking, scientific skepticism, and the magic of learning/ learning of magic. 

We were joined by learners who work with me, Jamy's publishers, attendees from Japan, Canada, New York, Ireland, and - in a historic first - my son's room down the hall. Here is the recording, followed by a timeline with links and notes. I hope you find a rabbit hole worth exploring further. If you’d like to contribute an idea or a resource, or if you’d like more examples and links to the coursework I do with learners on the public internet, please contact me – I look forward to continuing the conversation. 

 

THE PREGAME SHOW

Before the webinar even started, Jamy dived right in and we discussed a few things worth sharing:

• The profile Adam Gopnik wrote about Jamy for The New Yorker, which Jamy described as, "The best thing written for the public in my lifetime about magic."
• Christopher Hitchens
• Books by Adam Gopnik (with honorable mentions for Angels and Ages - "We are all pebbles dropped in the sea of history" - and Paris to the Moon, a collection of essays about Gopnik's time in Paris with his wife and infant son)
• David Remnick (at The New Yorker)
• Hendrik Hertzberg - sounds sorta like Remnick - Gopnik's editor
• Spit-take
• Mark Stutzman
• The New Yorker's profile of Ricky Jay
• "Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants" directed by David Mamet
• Keith Richards' biography
• Neil Gaiman (Jamy is a credited advisor in the acknowledgements to Gaiman's most famous book, American Gods)
• Amanda Palmer
• Amanda Palmer's TED talk: "The Art of Asking"
• Richard Saul Wurman (honorable mention: Richard Saul Wurman on a course blog post I wrote about BIG QUESTIONS)
• Chris Anderson
• Kickstarter

  THE MAIN EVENT 

From here on, the notes and links correspond to the timing in the recording. Enjoy! 00:05 The publishers of Jamy's new book, The Conjurer's Conundrum 00:30 Open-Source Learning 00:55 Neil Gaiman 01:56 Penn & Teller (Jamy has been a friend and associate of Penn & Teller's for decades; he was a writer, magic designer, and associate producer on their FX variety series, "Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular" circa 1998-99) 03:59 "All Along the Watchtower" performed by Jimi Hendrix (to illustrate Jamy's point by comparison, here's the original version by Bob Dylan) 04:51 Jamy's mentor Johnny Thompson (Jamy wrote Thompson's collected works, "The Magic of Johnny Thompson," published by Magicana) 05:26 Alex Boyce 05:57 Tannen's Magic 07:36 Lou Tannen 08:39 Michael Weber: "We don't keep secrets from you. We keep secrets FOR you." 09:46 Ricky Jay 09:50 The Prestige 11:16 From The Conjurer's Conundrum: story of the white owl exhibition by Mark Wilson 11:45 The Asrah Levitation 15:04 "The audience needs something, the audience is seeking something. And if I give them what they need, and I have a little patience..." 16:03 Leon Festinger 16:48 http://honestliar.com/ Website that focuses on Jamey's skeptic activism 17:04 Karl Germain: "The conjurer is the most honest of professionals." 17:25 James "The Amazing" Randi / "In many ways, the founder of the American skepticism movement." 19:52 "It's the awareness that what's being done is impossible. That makes magic interesting, compelling, engaging memorable, because it violates people's knowledge and experience. It creates that cognitive dissonance, what my friend Whit Haydn calls a burr under the saddle of the mind." 21:25 psychokinesis 21:42 "Neuro-linguistic programming is merely a self promoting self-sustaining industry that has absolutely no substantial science to support it." 24:40 "The scientific skepticism movement is basically a pro science movement." 25:25 "Bad thinking leads to bad decisions and choices, which leads to bad outcomes. And the anti-vax movement is the absolute crystallization of that... The world became more dangerous for my kids in school because of the anti-vax movement." 28:43 "Magicians have crossed paths with issues of critical thinking and rational inquiry - and promoting that - for at least 400 years in the literature." 28:58 First book written in English about magic: The Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot, 1584 31:09 Artscience by David Edwards 34:27 Brooklyn College 36:36 David Laibman: Marxist economist, ragtime guitarist, inspiring professor 37:56 "If you're going to be an artist, you need to do three things..." 40:51 Autodidacts 43:06 Jamy's sword of social justice was forged as a student activist, beginning as a trick-or-treater for UNICEF when he attended the Woodward School in Brooklyn. Jamy would go on to help close his high school twice and take over his college. 45:48 Dr. Strangelove 45:56 First Earth Day during college --> Jamy becomes a wolf handler 48:06 Robert Kennedy: "There are those who look at the way things are and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask: 'Why not?'" 48:45 Edward Tufte (Jamy - the only person to co-author one of Tufte's books - co-authored the chapter "Explaining Magic" in Tufte's book, Visual Explanations published by Graphics Press) 49:02 National Capital Area Skeptics 49:06 Chip Denman 57:31 Jamy talks to a UX/UI audience about empathy 1:02:36 Danny Hillis 1:04:16 Mistakes Were Made But Not By Me: Why We Justify Foolish Decisions, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris 1:09:26 Occam's Razor 1:10:39 Ernest Hemingway on evaluating the credibility of sources of information: "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shockproof, shit detector." 1:10:56 Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan 1:16:01 Marshall McLuhan: "Anyone who tries to make a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either." 1:18:12 William Conrad 1:19:42 Bubkes  

Thank you for joining, watching, and/or reading. For more on the magic of learning, contact me - for more on the learning of magic, contact Jamy.                                  

may 24

for our MOM: there's a lot of noise around. See how much you can take it in, let it go, and tune away from it, toward your own inner quiet.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "It's Quiet Uptown" by Lin Manuel Miranda, from the musical Hamilton]
Why do we search for peace and quiet? Why is it so hard to adapt when we get some?

- OR -

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Our MOM
2. Journal
3. ???

how will I know it's a masterpiece?

Based on what we learned about ungrading, the feedback processes we've used this semester, and our discussion of Masterpiece feedback, here are some elements to keep in mind as you work:

• A deliverable that we can experience
• 15+ credible resources that informed your work
• Assessment/s that help us reflect on our learning
  

may 21

for our MOM: pause before each inhale and exhale. in that pause, feel the completeness of the previous breath.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King]

How do you know when something - a chore, a learning project, a repair, a game, a relationship - is truly complete/over/finished? How do you feel in those moments?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: the elements and criteria we've agreed on for our Masterpieces.

DELIVERABLE:

Please make sure that your blogs are up to date, including journals, mental/physical fitness entries, and posts - and please make sure that your Masterpiece work is on track with your schedule.

may 20

for our MOM: with each breath, see how open you can be: to letting air in and out, to ideas and feelings drifting around, and to the sense that you are right here, right now.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Open Arms" by Journey; "Into the Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers]

What's on your mind today? Is it something from the news? Something a family member said or did? Something from your masterpiece? Something you're curious about? Something you ate? Why is your dog looking at you like that? Why do you think this particular thought came up when you first read this question?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: Open-Source Learning forum. As we practice mindfulness, and write in our journals, let's consider the questions and ideas we want to explore.

DELIVERABLE:

Please publish a post on your blog in which you describe today and three things you learned. "The things you learned" is as open as the conversation: maybe it was the content we focused on, or the process itself, or something about you or a colleague that you noticed along the way. (title: KEEPING AN OPEN MIND)

may 19

for our MOM: master each breath. inhale for a count of 5 (or 10), and exhale for a count of 5 (or 10).

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Master Blaster (Jammin')" and "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder]

What insights and advice would you give to a person who is considering joining the Open-Source Learning Academy for 2021-22?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: The students are becoming the masters...

*NOTE: Today is going to be brief. We all have lots of work to do! 

DELIVERABLE:

Please invest at least two hours working on your masterpiece today. If you get stuck or need feedback or support, please reach out.

may 18

for our MOM: if you see dots when you close your eyes, connect them.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Connected" by Stereo MCs]

We make connections in so many ways. Connections between people, ideas, even neurons. It's easy to see the value of social connections when we compare belonging with loneliness. What is the value of connecting different ideas and even fields in your masterpiece?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: The Interdisciplinarity 

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post on your blog in which you describe the benefit of exploring multiple disciplines together, instead of isolating them from each other. (title: THE INTERDISCIPLINARITY)

may 17

for our MOM: now. now. NOW.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Right Now" by Van Halen]

Think about this moment. This moment is the most modern moment of your life. Everything you've ever experienced, and everything else that led you to be alive in the first place, has led you to this. Write about THAT.

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Since your journal focused on the building blocks of your life, I decided that we'd consider the building blocks of your masterpiece together: 

• Key Interests
  
• Previously Programmed Courses
  

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post on your blog in which you describe how you will integrate the pieces of your PPCs that came up in today's discussion. (title: BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST)

 

masterpiece feedback

Thank you for all of the great ideas you shared today!

Here are some highlights that made it into my notes - if you see anything that is incomplete or inaccurate, or if you think of a question or something you'd like to add, please feel free to share in a comment to this post. I will use this

STYLE OF FEEDBACK

• Comments (in conversation during masterpiece)
  
• Comments (on blog posts)
• Responses to informal and formal assessments
  

CONTENT OF FEEDBACK

• Compliments ("I spent a lot of time and energy on this, and I want to know what worked for everyone")
  
• Constructive criticism / what can we learn from what we did suboptimally (I like words that mean exactly what I'm trying to get across, and I'm sort of over words like "bad" and "wrong" - suboptimal means, "below the highest level or standard, or not done in the best way possible"
  
• How the quantity and quality of our data/evidence/information supported the main points of our Masterpiece
• How well we explained concepts and the connections between ideas
• Any information we can clarify or add to in ways that help each other understand
• How effectively the data, media, and structure of our Masterpiece helped everyone understand and remember new information
• How effectively our personal style of communication helped everyone understand and remember new information
• Specific observations on points of interest to us (which we have to share with you in order for this to work - for example, since Zoe wants feedback on the plot of her story, it will help for her to mention that at the beginning of her Masterpiece so we can keep our eyes/ears open for that element)
  

gah!

It's taken me all semester, but I finally messed up our blog. Can anyone send me a screen shot of our daily post from yesterday (May 13)? I just accidentally destroyed it. Mahalo.

may 14

for our MOM: this is the only Friday, May 14, 2021 we will ever have. breathe it all in.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "It's the End Of the World As We Know It" by R.E.M.; "It's the End of the World" by Herman's Hermits] NOTE: Don't let the titles stress you out. It's just the end of the week. dp

Dig out your notes on ungrading and feedback. Or review the webinar notes and our notes on the academy blog. Before our semester ends, what kind of feedback do you want? What will be most meaningful for you to know about the way your work product is received as you continue to improve and grow?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: 

• OSLA for the 2021-22 school year
• Feedback on your feedback
• Finalizing our plan for Masterpiece feedback
  

DELIVERABLE:

It's the end of the week! Can't believe I'll only be typing this on a Friday three more times... please make sure your blog is up to date - journals, mental fitness, physical fitness, and blog posts... Mahalo.

may 12

for our MOM: take all the time in the world. you have two minutes.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Time Is On My Side" by The Rolling Stones; "Time In a Bottle" by Jim Croce]

The time for talk is done. The time for GTD is upon us. Does time motivate you, stress you out, have another effect, or not matter? Please explain your answer.

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Our calendar, schedule, and work flow for the rest of May and June

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post on your blog in which you describe - to the day - what you will do and when in order to successfully deliver your Masterpiece. (title: END GAME)   

NOTE: This will require careful thought and planning, so don't worry if it's not polished - we can revise tomorrow, but your first draft is due on your blog by 5:00pm today. Mahalo.

may 11

for our MOM: breathe. know it.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone; "Short Memory" by Midnight Oil]

It seems like there are different ways of learning, remembering, and knowing. What's the difference between memorizing, practicing, quizzing yourself, and other ways you have acquired concepts and skills? Yesterday I talked with a friend and both of us realized we still remember phone numbers from when we were kids -  what kinds of things do you remember over time? Events? Middle names? Songs with phone numbers in the titles and inappropriate lyrics that you heard during your friend's birthday party at the roller skating rink? How are your long-term memories related to when/how you originally learned them?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Assessment: how we can help our colleagues know what we know (part II)

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post on your blog in which you describe how you will assess whether your masterpiece "got through" - how will you know if others know what you know? (title: YEAH, I KNOW)

Publish the 10 items you think others should be able to answer after your masterpiece. (title: HOW I'LL KNOW YOU KNOW WHAT I KNOW)

may 10

for our MOM: breathe. know it.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Knowledge" by Green Day; "Recuerdos De La Alhambra" by Andrés Segovia]

"Oh yeah, I know that guy." What does that even mean? What are we talking about when we use the word know? How do we know when we really know someone or something?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Assessment: how we can help our colleagues know what we know

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post on your blog in which you describe how you will assess whether your masterpiece "got through" - how will you know if others know what you know? (title: YEAH, I KNOW)

may 7

for our MOM: receive each breath as a gift

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Give It Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers; "Break My Baby" by Kaleo]

As the saying goes, "It is better to give than to receive." What is it about giving that feels so good?

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal/ wrap up the week and publish
3. Frankenclass: Masterpiece artists at work

DELIVERABLE:

Publish a post on your blog in which you describe the gifts you received today. Specifically, describe two suggestions that you KNOW will improve your masterpiece, and one you are considering. [title: GIFTS]

Jamy Ian Swiss on critical thinking, scientific skepticism, and the magic of learning

I’m excited to present an opportunity to learn from Jamy Ian Swiss, author of The Conjurer's Conundrum.

On May 18 at 2:00pm PDT, Jamy will join me for a webinar featuring empathy, honest deception, critical thinking, and scientific skepticism. There is space for 100 attendees, and you can register by clicking HERE. You can also read more about the event and Jamy below. If you'd like to contribute questions in advance, please send them along, and if you have a schedule conflict, don’t worry – let me know and I’ll send you a link in coming weeks with the recording and annotated notes. Hope you can join us!

All the best,

David

 

JAMY IAN SWISS ON CRITICAL THINKING, SCIENTIFIC SKEPTICISM, AND THE MAGIC OF LEARNING

As Marshall McLuhan famously observed, "Anyone who tries to make a meaningful distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know a thing about either."

Jamy Ian Swiss is living proof. The author of The Conjurer's Conundrum, Jamy is a world-class magician who has appeared on Brain Games and The Late Late Show. Jamy has consulted for Neil Gaman, Amanda Palmer, and Penn & Teller, among others. He has also performed at the Smithsonian Institution, The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, and he created Monday Night Magic, the longest running off-Broadway magic show in New York City.

These are impressive credentials, but there is more here than meets the eye. According to Jamy, most magicians fall in love with magic somewhere around 7-10 years old. Of course, lots of people fall in love with lots of things around that age, but the magicians are the ones who stick with it.

Some magicians become skilled practitioners; and within the community of practicing magicians, there is an even smaller group, comprised of those who seek the inner circle. These are the magicians who embrace the practical demands, historical legacy, and culture of magic entirely. When you learn about the lives and practices of people like Ricky Jay or Richard Turner, among others, you realize that magicians are some of the most dedicated learners and teachers in human history.

I've often said that learning is magic. It is equally true that magic is learning.

The practice and history of magic also carries some important lessons for us in today's world. As Jamy writes in The Conjurer's Conundrum, "We can all be fooled."

Card tricks and sleight of hand are undeniable reminders that we don't know what we don't see. As one of my students put it in Academy of One, "Magic is like that. You think you're paying attention to something, and then you realize that you're not really getting the whole picture. Your mind talks you into believing what you're seeing. It's like when you're walking on stairs in the dark, and you think there's another stair. But you take the step and there's nothing there; your foot finds only empty space, or the floor jumps up and trips you."

Please join Jamy and me for a conversation about learning, critical thinking, deception and delusion, scientific skepticism, and rational inquiry. Register HERE.

_________________________

If you have a few minutes and you'd like to see Jamy at work ... enjoy!

 

march 6

for our MOM: as you breathe, feel your energy building

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: " ...]

Describe a time you built something wonderful. Something truly amazing - to you. It doesn't matter if it was tiny, or if it worked, or if it looked crap to everyone else.

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Frankenclass: Masterpiece artists at work

may 5

for our MOM: as you breathe, feel how it is to remember something worth celebrating

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Free the Slave" by Kaleo; "One More Time (Otra Vez) by Super Junior, Reik]

What's the deal with America and Cinco de Mayo? What is the actual history of the holiday, and why does this country turn everything into an excuse to party (looking at you too, St. Patrick's Day...)

- OR - 

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: cognitive dissonance
4. Masterpiece applications: how we can use what we're learning

 

may 4

for our MOM: imagine that, with every breath, you are becoming stronger and more rooted in the space where you sit

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Hey Gringo" by Kaelo]

What do you think of the school board's vote yesterday? Should students be returning to campus at this point in the pandemic and the school year? If you were in charge, what policy would you make?

- OR -

Read this article and write a response to it. (We can also discuss.)

- OR -

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: Yesterday's folks teach the other 3 about attention based on yesterday's conversation
4. Masterpieces: cognitive dissonance

DELIVERABLE:
Please publish your complete/updated notes and ideas about yesterday's and today's topics in a blog post (title: CURRENCY FOR PAYING ATTENTION).

may 3

for our MOM: take your time. count. for each inhale, count to five. for each exhale, count to five.

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck]

What counts in life?

- OR -

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. our MOM
2. Journal
3. Discussion: May I have your attention?
4. Masterpieces: Attention & cognitive dissonance

DELIVERABLE:
Please publish your notes and ideas about today's topics in a blog post (title: CURRENCY FOR PAYING ATTENTION).