I'm not a professional horn player. Not even close. But I have played since I was 7. This is my tribute to the complexity of the French Horn and why it requires a certain degree of humor to play it.
Thanks to my nephew who gave me the idea.
You can support my various creative projects by clicking the link below or by subscribing and liking my YouTube channel.
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Lee.L.Chazen
#frenchhorn #frenchhornplayer #frenchhorns #music #nonsequitur #dryhumor #mashup
For example, I recently met someone at a retreat in the Eastern Sierra of California who was a former dancer in the New York Ballet and who studied under Mikhail Baryshnikov. He is now a care taker of the retreat center where I stayed. I had great respect for this man's dedication to a dream. As for me, I hold on to my pursuits and dreams the way some people love their children. You wouldn't abandon your children, would you? In that same way, I used to perform in symphony orchestras, traveled with our college's debate team and pursued a degree in political science. I run, hike, compete in trail races, play disc golf and get into philosophical discussions on metamodernism, complexity theory and the state of our political and economic systems. It's a balancing act because people in these different groups never meet each other -- but when they do, it's sometimes like oil and water. It's been like that for me since high school where I try to find the thread that connects all these different people and their ideas together. I've never tried to find a group where this all exists in one place, but it would be an ADHD / Renaissance dream come true.
I honestly believe that there is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts and if people from all these different interests came together in one place, it could be a place for paradigm shifting ideas, new inventions and who knows what types of new combinations of things. Now, I know what you're thinking -- they already have universities and community centers in certain cities. True, but notice how fields of study are separated into different buildings with different philosophies on different sides of the campus -- and students are forced to choose an identity. Even traditional schooling tells us that we must divide things into math, science, English, social studies, etc. and that it makes no real sense to try to combine such things (yes, of course there are exceptions. I taught at a high school that created thematic units of instruction that encouraged students to find connections).
It would be a dream to also find a way that this community could thrive economically. Imagine the creative and productive potential of such a community, where every imaginable skill would be available, for example, in creating content for the internet. Everyone would bring connections from different fields or areas of interest such that contracts and opportunities would flow. More left brain people do one thing. Right brain type people would do another. Visionaries and conceptual minded people would sit alongside GSD (get sh*t done) oriented people such that thought would be formed into action.
I have to add that I did my research in the area of self-organization and chaos theory as a model for education -- so I believe that a decentralized community where good ideas organically rise to the top has a much greater chance of success than traditional companies and organizations (where one might argue that brilliant ideas often don't see the light of day).
Let's put this another way. Companies generally do not recruit people in this way. Even with AI assisted job search tools, they've only figured out a faster way to scan through skills in traditional resumes. They still don't know what you truly know, what your innate abilities are, how you feel about certain things philosophically or the things that make you feel human or alive. They don't ask, typically, and they often don't care. Whereas, a truly revolutionary intentional community of the sort described above would ask these questions first.
I have to say -- if this resonated with anyone out there, you would change my heart and my view of humanity. As I sat down to write this, I wasn't even sure where it might go, but this is where it went. I was thinking this exact thing yesterday - that we might just have it backwards. In most academic pursuits, you start with a thesis and then find evidence to support your claim. Yet, there are many who say this leads to confirmation bias - that you are only finding things which support what you believe to be true - as opposed to sampling things and seeing what might arise. There's a name for the latter. Grounded Theory. I believe that if the right group of people came together around a central theme of, I don't know, finding a better way to live or a better way to make a living and enjoy being a human being - it might just work. It could even be started around a small set of questions, rather than a statement. Instead of restricting ideas with a tightly scripted purpose, you purposely keep it open because ---- open systems thrive!
Links to related work, ideas and examples are below:
What if you’re a jack of all trades and a master of the space in between all of them?
Thriving on the Edge of Chaos: An Argument for a Complex Adaptive Theory of Education
We do content. Please visit us at www.glidercell.com or write to us at ino@glidercell.com
#English #teachersofinstagram #education #edu #teaching #teachingideas #teachingenglish
Business is picking up for GliderCell and that’s why I’m running this ad. It’s simply at the point where I need to start bringing others on board. GliderCell is mostly in the education, edtech and business space.
We mainly offer:
New types of engaging and interactive courses for schools (e.g. game-based)
Gamification systems for businesses
General content writing for business and education
Content strategy and narrative
Strategy and brainstorming sessions (see HikeStorming)
Research
I am seeking three things currently (see below for details)
One: a business partner with management and marketing experience.
Two: a possible partnership with a company or organization.
Three: people to join the GliderCell organization.
First, you’re going to need some background. Anyone familiar with the early 1970s computer experiment, “The Game of Life” should know where the name came from. If not, take a look here. https://glidercell.com/about and scroll about ½ way down the page.
The theme of GliderCell is based on the emergent principle described above. GliderCell is about emerging ideas and creative combinations of things.
Brief History
It started out as a concept for an organization or think tank that would launch new, more creative ideas and systems -- things that the world needs right now. Through creative combinations of things, we would spark productivity and paradigm shifts in all kinds of areas, across many disciplines.
Here’s a quick example: About four years ago, a Tesla recruiter contacted me about creating a training program for the rollout of the Model 3. I had a clear idea in mind about how I would use principles I learned from “emergence” and “self organization” to create a program that would start from the bottom up, e.g. using service station engineers and mechanics to participate in the process of building the new vehicle since they had more front line experience with the design and effectiveness of the car. But, I needed more of a team and Tesla was not keen on hiring outside consultants.
As you can see, many of the ideas stemmed from design principles and theories of human behavior I learned while teaching -- where I discovered that a more lateral approach to learning worked better. basically, by giving students the power to create their own learning environments through games, they would be way more productive and engaged!
This turned in a major research project on how “self-organizing systems” work.
Some of our Products
A content strategy and content management system that improves in each iteration
A 20 page document filled with team building, problem solving and critical thinking activities that engage each type of learner and personality type
Interactive, engaging, integrated courses for 21st Century learners.
A gamification program to motivate and train employees in a corporate call center
Accomplishments
A program called The Global Challenge Project where students built their own learning environment.
a blog with over 100,000 views
Cool Stuff that no one else is doing (ok maybe some).
Creating courses for schools like “gamification 101,” disc golf math and the laptop and smartphone orchestra.
HikeStorming (the combination of hiking and brainstorming) not only as a way of staying physically fit and generating ideas, but as a way of networking and bringing in new clients
A self-perpetuating content system (need a software engineer to help in closing the loop)
Applying knowledge of self-organizing principles to create new frameworks for business and education
Interviewing people for a podcast while hiking and making that part of our marketing program (note: this is still in the experimental phase).
Seen in the picture above is metamodernist & model Kaela Atleework. She offers unique experiences to her residents and guests at Montaia Basecamp.
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What is your background in content creation?
After a career in teaching, I gained experience in creating content for websites, blogs, and social media. I have a background in different styles of learning and intelligence types, which I use to tailor my writing for diverse audiences. In 2008, I added social media to my skillset and began offering social media marketing and content consulting services under the name Zero Bubble Media. In 2014, I was employed as a Chief Content Strategist for a successful educational technology company, where I was responsible for creating a clear and easy-to-understand "common language" for their product. Today, as GliderCell, I offer content and copywriting services, including narrative creation, website content editing, manuscript writing, and content restructuring.
What kind of services do you offer as a UX Content Strategist?
I offer a variety of content and copywriting services, including narrative creation, website content editing, manuscript writing, and content restructuring. I also have experience in technical writing, UI, UX, IA, and creating "story brands." My goal is to help clients improve their online presence through high-quality and SEO-friendly content.
What is the primary goal of UX content strategy and writing according to you?
The primary goal of UX content strategy and writing, in my opinion, is to serve as a helpful guide to the user, making them feel welcomed and comfortable with the content, process, and navigation system. My aim is to empower and engage the user and help them take the necessary steps easily, always keeping the customer at the center of everything.This all requires clear, actionable writing, persuasion and attention to details.
What is your process for creating UX content?
I follow these steps:
How do you balance user and organizational goals in UX writing?
I approach UX writing with the user at the forefront, putting their aspirations, needs and emotions first. Inspired by the principles outlined in "Building a Story Brand" by Donald Miller, I aim to create a personalized and user-centric experience. This means considering what the user is thinking and feeling as they navigate the website, and making their journey as smooth and helpful as possible. By putting the user first, I can then effectively integrate the organization's goals into the content, creating a cohesive and effective UX writing strategy. I strive to create a website that feels like a conversation with a responsive and friendly customer service representative.
Yes, I have extensive experience conducting content reviews and audits. I have a proven track record of streamlining web and social media content to increase efficiency and effectiveness. I have a structured approach to content review, creating a "content matrix" to categorize information according to theme, purpose, usage, and intended audience. I have worked with teams including engineers, UX designers, graphics designers, sales, and management to revise and improve content for both SmartEdTech and Treasury Curve. I have even worked directly with CEOs, ensuring their vision is reflected in the final content. My skills in content review and audit make me well-equipped to provide valuable insights and recommendations for your organization.
How do you work with UX designers?
Great question! Communication is key when it comes to working with UX designers. I actually learned a lot about UX designers when I gave a presentation to the UX team at Cisco Systems in San Jose. I was there to talk about brainstorming techniques, and one of the topics we discussed was their communication challenges with the engineering team in China.
I understand that every person has their own unique personality, intelligence type, and way of processing information, so just like I would adjust my lesson plans to cater to different types of learners, I also adjust the way I communicate with UX designers. That's why I came up with the HikeStorming program, where people go for a hike and finish their thoughts or ideas on something while they're on the trail. It's a great way to communicate and collaborate with others in a unique and creative environment.
So, when I'm working with UX designers, I like to keep an open mind and be flexible with my communication style to make sure we're on the same page and that our goals are aligned. I also make sure to consider the language, culture, and personality types involved in the process, and I find ways to bridge any gaps in communication. And who knows, maybe we'll even incorporate some musical sound bites to convey the flow of the design!
Do you have experience crafting content for regulated industries?
Are we inserting old philosophy into new technologies? How do we improve globally when there is lack of imagination in our algorithms? Is there a serious disconnect between the type of person writing the code (and their type of intelligence and thinking) and the end user? I discuss this with a liquid democracy advocate Vladan Lausevic
#machinelearning #algorithms #intelligence https://youtu.be/5_l98-EClMc
If you were given the opportunity to completely reimagine education, what would you do? Would you instinctively go back to what you know – the world of textbooks, memorizing content, standardized testing, moving from one class to the next without seeing the big picture of what this all means? Would you create pressure situations where a student’s life comes down to a single moment in time where they are held accountable for information? Would you create large facilities where everyone gathers between certain hours in order to learn at the same time and place? Would there be a disconnect between subject matter and the student and their capabilities and what they might do in the world? Or, might we really try something different?
If you are not familiar with the Bildung movement, that is a good place to start.
“Bildung is a combination of the education and knowledge necessary to thrive in your society, and the moral and emotional maturity to be both a team player and have personal autonomy. Bildung is also knowing your roots and being able to imagine the future.”
In other words, one can be an individual or part of a team. One can appreciate their heritage while also thinking globally. One can learn about the past while preparing to solve both personal and global problems in the future.
If we are to understand Bildung, we must also understand metamodernity. In a nutshell, it is saying no one thing is true to the detriment of all other things.
As Lene Rachel Andersen says in Metamodernity: Meaning and Hope in a Complex World,
“Metamodernity can allow us to appreciate the entire historical human experience as a meaningful and connected whole […] We belong in it and it can allow us to seek out different kinds of knowledge and wisdom in different places for different purposes. Personal intimacy, faith, cultural heritage, satire, facts, knowledge, personal freedom, responsibility, and a sense of belonging and connectedness are all crucial. They serve different purposes in our lives, and each of them provides an irreplaceable part of a meaningful life in a complex world. Metamodernity offers to contain and promote it all.”
Another way to say this is e pluribus unum (In many, one). But, you would also have to say e unum pluribus (in one, many) since every person is unique and offers something of value to the world.
Based on this understanding, here are nine starting points for reimagining education.
1. Create more user-generated classrooms. People do best in environments where they have a “buy in” or take ownership or pride in their work — whether individually or collectively. This can reduce the stress level of the teacher and staff at a school to control behavior. There is a lot of evidence supporting the notion that heterarchical environments can produce more than rigid hierarchies. Students can work on building confidence and having tangible products to show, e.g. portfolios, upon graduation. Learning how to work in a self-organized environment is also a great way to prepare for one’s role in helping the world in some way.
2. Allow for student discovery outside of the textbook. Information evolves (see Calvin Andrus) and there are, obviously, multiple perspectives in the world. Yet, we believe in packaging or containing our content in textbooks. Wikis, blogs and some interactive texts allow students to actually interact with information. Keep in mind that up until blogs, wikis and social media, the Internet was sort of a “dead” environment, where all one could really do was read static websites. Think how much the internet exploded when we all found out we could participate in the “conversation!”
3. Move towards quality and away from quantity. Spreadsheets and numbers are nice. They keep classrooms and schools orderly (for the most part), but is that what we want? Automatons who fall in line with pre-existing categories? Grades and test scores look at a small percentage of who a student or person really is, so do we want to really mark someone for life with a number or letter grade?
Put another way, we know that people are diverse in their thinking, offer unique perspectives, come from different cultures, are part of a beautiful spectrum of humanity that has evolved over millions of years. Yet, we prepare our students for the world by neatly packaging educational content into textbooks. We compress and limit human thought through standardized testing and multiple-choice tests and assign value to each student in a centuries-old five-letter system (A – F). If problem-solving is what we need in the world, then why are we intentionally limiting the scope of human thought in our schools? Instead, let’s open up the door to portfolios of work, expressions of creativity or craftpersonship. Give every student a chance to shine in their own unique way.
4. Accept neurodiversity: We are learning in the 21st century how to acknowledge and appreciate cultural, racial, gender, class and generational differences. Might we also move in the direction of recognizing different ways of thinking and perceiving the world? If we all process information differently, we ought to be able to express those differences in understanding in an academic environment. Linear, logical, abstract, non-linear and hyper-creative students should all be welcomed in such an environment and need not fear a test geared towards just one or two styles of thinking.
5. Seamless learning environments: The idea that we all learn in a giant structure with other students at the same time and between certain hours of the day seems out of step with the world we are living in (especially in a post pandemic world). Though it’s great to have a school as a hub for learning, we could be more open to hybrid learning systems or systems where students collaborate with other students in different parts of the world who, for example, might be working on a similar project. A “global challenge” might be set up so that students from around the world work together to solve actual-world problems. At the same time, this could help create new opportunities for themselves and others in the future, e.g. partnerships. Using more game and project-like systems for learning, students would no longer be restricted to traditional schedules that may not be in sync with their sleep requirements. Seamless also merges indoor with outdoor so that students could participate in “place-based” or “experiential” learning programs like “HikeStorming” or school gardens. Quarterly “show and tell nights” might be a great way for students to show the community what they learned in these experiences.
6. Game and Project-Based Learning: We all grow up with games. Even animals play certain games as a way of preparing for their adult lives. There are very creative ways to gamify almost any assignment or unit of study. In fact, referring to number one above, students are probably the most adept at creating their own games. Token economy and level systems are also great ways to introduce students to both the positive and negative aspects of various economic systems. Numbers one and five above show how this can work.
7. Multipotentiality: Many schools seem to be designed in order to create experts or people with a specific skill set. Yet, is that what we need in order to solve problems in today’s world? Are we doing enough to produce students who can merge ideas together to form something new; who can bring in aspects of all areas of their interests and knowledge to form a new product or system or type of organization or method? Are we educating students so that they can find the whole that is greater than the sum of its parts? Will they be able to merge things together from different disciplines in order to find better solutions? Have we even thought much about interdisciplinary studies outside of higher education? You can read more about the value of a liberal arts education
8. Preparing for the Future. Visualizing our future affects what we do now. By learning with the future in mind, students would study things in relation to what they will most likely be doing in the future – whether that is a vocational school, college, apprenticeship work, travel, study abroad, uncollege, gap-year, entrepreneurship, etc. Assignments, classwork, games, projects, and tests could all be more geared towards these eventual outcomes. Adding some of the previous recommendations to this, one might encourage students to have an even greater hand in creating their own learning programs. Then, instead of tests, we might encourage students to develop portfolios of their work. One step further, they could get a head start on careers as athletes, artists, writers, entrepreneurs — even putting money away for such ventures through online fundraising or startup company revenue.
9.One Step Further. Under the heading of “needs further development,” we might even imagine something along the lines of [insert name of school here], Incorporated. Want to develop a scholarship program? Raise money for your school or classroom? Want to take a field trip to a faraway place? Would you or your class like to work on a program that addresses poverty, homelessness, or income inequality? Idea: Using the principles of self-organization and multi-potential, students and faculty emerge into “startup pods” and actually create real, monetizable products, ideas, and services.
Coming out of the pandemic is an opportunity to reimagine our institutions and what they can do. The ideas above are just some starting points, but it’s a conversation that will allow us to assess where we are and where we want to be.
Lee Chazen is an educator, writer, and musician based out of Sacramento, California.
Lee produced this video called “Thriving on the Edge of Chaos,” which tells a more personal story of how many of the above ideas developed.
