The Power of Possibilities and Presentations

My classmates in the Stockton College Master of Arts in Instructional Technology degree program know that I'm a big fan of TED and I belong to the wiki Teaching with TED that's managed by Dr. Ellen Gerstein. I love both these resources.

Today, I was reading "The Big Fresh Newsletter" from Choice Literacy -- Language Arts teacher that I am-- and the topic was summer reading recommendations. Author Karen Szymusiak recommended a TED video presentation featuring Benjamin Zander speaking on music and passion. She also recommended Zander's book The Art of Possibility,Transforming Personal and Professional Life and said she found it to be encouraging.

It's sometimes difficult to remain positive in the changing landscape of education and the challenges of life in these times." Szymusiak continued, praising Zander's book, "I wasn't disappointed. Zander and his wife set out to write an unusual how-to book to encourage readers to consider the unlimited possibility of our lives." And, I thought, "Isn't that one of the most important objectives for any of us teachers?"

You don't have to twist my arm to watch one of these TED talks and so I spent the next twenty minutes fascinated and moved by this man's contagious enthusiasm. Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic but this talk is as much about the power of positive thinking and acting even in the face of stark skepticism.

After watching this TED talk, I went back to the newsletter to see what the editor, Brenda Power, an author herself, might suggest. She recommended Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds and called it "a must read for a professional book - it really makes you rethink everything about how you present information, or even what public presentations are about."

And, of course, that got me thinking of Dr. Ackerman's last class when she was giving us presentation tips. So I previewed Reynolds' book on Amazon -- very Zen-- simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Like Karen and Brenda have, I may put these two on my summer reading list. I have an interest in learning how to stay positive and how to convince people of their potential, of the many possibilities of their lives.