In the Nick of Time
Posted on 21. May, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision
Marianne Williamson in her book “The Age of Miracles” has a chapter called “The Nick of Time.” In that chapter she discusses the possibilities from creating a vision from a spiritual perspective.
“We’re living at a moment of quantum possibility now, not just in terms of our physical age but in terms of the history of the world. It is like the universe is splitting in two — which perhaps it is.
Neither we, nor the world we live in , will go much further down the road in the current state. We can either let go gracefully of the people we’ve been, becoming ever more transcendent, or we can let go angrily, our lives becoming more bitter and chaotic.
Rebirth is a gradual process giving embrace and welcome to the person we really wish to be.”
She offers this meditation.
“Close your eyes and imagine the life you want. Now allow yourself to focus your inner eye on the person you would be if you were living the preferred life. Notice the differences in how you behave and present yourself: allow yourself to spend several seconds breathing in the new image. Hold the image for several seconds and ask God to imprint it on your subconscious. Do that every day for ten minutes or so.”
This is what we are asking people to do when they create a TEL.A.VISION vision video. We ask youth to imagine the preferred life by creating a vision video and watching it regularly. She follows with this quote, “If you share this technique with certain people, the chance are good they’ll tell you that it’s way too simple. It’s up to you what you believe.“
Viktor Frankl and the Importance of Vision
Posted on 15. May, 2010 by Ringmaster in Power of Vision
In this rare clip from 1972, legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl delivers a powerful message about the human search for meaning — and the most important gift we can give others.
TEL.A.VISION Helped Me Create a Doorway to Discuss ALC Student’s Futures
Posted on 03. Feb, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION Stories
By Tom Wendt
St. Croix Valley Alternative Learning Center
I recently used TEL.A.VISION with two of my classes at the St.Croix Valley Alternative Learning Center (SCVALC). The students got into it. They took ownership of their videos. They all finished the project. The software was simple to use and there are online lesson plans to follow.
TEL.A.VISION got the students looking ahead; looking to their future. It was a doorway to open for me to have discussions on where they are headed and what they are doing.
I’ve often said that the hardest students to work with are those who have no direction. When a student has dreams and goals you have something to work toward. If you don’t have goals and you get knocked off course there is nothing to help steer you back. TEL.A.VISION gave them a foundation of goals that they can go back and change over time.
I’d highly recommend TEL.A.VISION for Alternative Learning Center students.
My experience with TEL.A.VISION was excellent!
Posted on 01. Feb, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION Stories
By Eric Paquette
Dunwoody Academy students at their computers
I am a high school writing teacher with a large special ed. population in my classroom. I found the visionary aspect, the creative freedom and hands on approach empowered previously unengaged students. Since the project I have seen that by referring back to the goals set in the video students are connecting daily work to long term goals in a more concrete manner.
From the first day that we started using TEL.A.VISION there seemed to be an instant connection between the students and the program. The special ed. students in my class seem to be more comfortable writing, and processing information on the computer than with a pencil and paper. TEL.A.VISION allowed them an opportunity to have success in the classroom in a format that permitted them to focus on what they were saying rather than the format that they were using.
I would recommend TEL.A.VISION to ANY teacher trying to get students to rise to their full potential
Here is a sample video by one of the students.
Digital Story Telling with Homeless Students
Posted on 02. Jan, 2010 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION Stories
Lanise Block enjoyed using TEL.A.VISION in her classroom and decided to use it in a “Digital Story Telling” project with the homeless. She was surprised by how well the project was accepted by her students.
7th Graders realize ” I Can Make A Difference in the World”
Posted on 28. Dec, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision
Mr Amaral, a Global Concepts teacher, is beginning his third year of bringing TEL.A.VISION to every 7th grader at Oakland Junior High. Here is what he had to say about TEL.A.VISION. “TEL.A.VISION makes my students think about themselves in the world. It helps them think about what they could be. It is an opportunity for them to take control of their lives and realize they can make a difference in the world.”
“I see past students in the hallways almost every day who tell me how cool the vision video assignment was and how they still watch it. One 9th grader told me she watched her video the other day and has decided not to be a lawyer but instead wants to become a teacher.”
Here are what some of Mr. Amaral’s students said in their blog posts:
“I learned I have the capability to do whatever I hope and dream for my life.”
“I was so proud of my telavision!! I encourage others to do this to, it is a great experience.”
“My mom and dad were very proud of me when I did my tel.a.vison project. My Mom’s eyes got a little teary.”
“This was our best homework assignment we did all year.”
“Now that I put it out there for everyone to see my goals and dreams there are more people who are believing me and cheering me on.”
And finally there was the girl who had not completed an assignment all year who completed her TEL.A.VISION. She wrote in her blog,”It’s about time that someone asked us what we think.“
TEL.A.VISION Featured on B2E News Alert
Posted on 12. Jul, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Media, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION News
We visited with Anne Wujcik at the National Educational Computer Conference in Washington DC. Anne is, among other things, the Editor of B2E News Alert, Business Education Intelligence from QED and the Heller Report.
Anne Wujcik —Friday, July 10, 2009
George Johnson, founder and CEO of TEL·A·VISION, is a man on a mission. TEL·A·VISION ‘s mission is to inspire youth to identify and express their unique gifts in service of a better world for all. It does this by providing tools that make it very easy for anyone to create a Vision Video.
The technology is powered by One True Media, a TEL·A·VISION partner and maker of online software that allows people to easily create and share video montages. The vision comes from the hearts and souls of students who use their videos to share their passion, explores the possibilities or frame their dreams.
The TEL·A·VISION web site features six tutorials that walk the user through the process of creating a Vision Video. There is a complete Curriculum Guide to help teachers or adult mentors lead students through the Vision process from start to finish, supported by video tutorials that explain the process of each unit. As George shared some of the Vision Videos with me and talked about the students who had created them, I could see how powerful this tool could be, not only for goal setting and developing communication and technology skills, but for helping educators learn more about their students.
TEL·A·VISION is a technology platform for everyone (I could see myself using this tool, though I have resisted manipulating video and even photos, to date), but its focus is the special ed and at-risk student. George talks about special education teachers who use their students’ videos to help regular classroom teachers see beyond the students’ particular problems to their potential. TEL·A·VISION offers teachers new insights into students’ goals, values and dreams, opening the door to enhanced communication and a better understanding of their needs and how to help them succeed. Check out a few student example videos at http://telavision.tv/student-examples
Vision Videos Empower Students – District Administration
Posted on 12. Jul, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Media, Power of Vision, TEL.A.VISION News
A new Web-based tool, Tel.A.Vision, inspires young people to dream the possible dream.
By Mary Johnson Patt June 2009
District Administration Magazine, the magazine of School district Management, completed a three page article on TEL.A.VISION in its June/ July NECC issue. Here is an excerpt: 
In early March, as he addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., President Obama spoke at great length of the reforms he believes will give Americans “a complete and competitive education, from the cradle up through a career.” The proposals he laid out for improving early childhood education, K12 standards and assessments, graduation rates, teacher quality and college funding will be debated for months to come by thousands of school administrators, teachers, parents and politicians. It was the voice of a single teenager, however, that helped drive the president’s messages home that day.
At the end of his speech, Obama quoted Yvonne Boroquez, a California student whose high school class recently made a video exploring the impact of the economic crisis on their dreams of higher education and professional employment.
“It was heartbreaking that a girl so full of promise was so full of worry that she and her class titled their video ‘Is Anybody Listening?’” Obama said. “I am listening. We are listening. America is listening,” the president assured Boroquez and her classmates.
“We have a huge vision deficit in this country,” Johnson explains. “There is so much fear and negativity, especially in the media. I decided to start a movement about bringing more hope and possibility into the world, and to do it by helping kids create little three-minute visions of what they want their life to become.”
Enter Tel.A.Vision. Johnson’s free Web tool gives today’s tech-savvy youth everything they need to create and share “vision videos.” A Tel.A.Vision is essentially a highly personal montage combining a student’s written hopes and dreams with still photographs, music and computer animation—created with tools available online at www.telavision.tv.
Research points to the importance of instilling hope and optimism in youth
Posted on 15. Jun, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision
University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Iris Borowsky, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues found that one in seven adolescents believe that it is highly likely that they will die before age 35, and this belief predicted that the adolescents’ would engage in risky behaviors.
“While conventional wisdom says that teens engage in risky behaviors because they feel invulnerable to harm, this study suggests that in some cases, teens may take risks because they overestimate their vulnerability, specifically their risk of dying,” Borowsky said. “These youth may take risks because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake.”
This fatalistic view varied notably across social groups with significant differences by sex, race/ethnicity, family structure, and receipt of public assistance. More than 29 percent of American-Indian, 26 percent of African-American, 21 percent of Hispanic, and 15 percent of Asian youth reported believing they would die young—compared with 10 percent of their Caucasian peers. Nearly 25 percent of youth living in households that received public assistance also shared this belief.
“Our findings reinforce the importance of instilling a sense of hope and optimism in youth,” Borowsky said. “Strong connections with parents, families, and schools, as well as positive media messages, are likely important factors in developing an optimistic outlook for young people.”
Native Americans, blacks and low-income teens – kids who are disproportionately exposed to violence and hardship – were much more likely than whites to believe they’d die young.
“We know some things about how to promote optimism and hope in youth,” Borowsky explained. “Parents matter — involved, caring, connected parents,” she said. “Schools matter — school connectedness, creating a climate where students feel a part of their school and safe at school, and media matters — given the power of media to convey both positive and negative messages to a large audience of young people.”
Big News From TEL.A.VISION
Posted on 05. Jun, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Media, Social Media and Vision, Supporters, TEL.A.VISION Stories, Web 2.0
5th Graders at Clear Springs Elementary on Parents Night
The BIG news is that TEL.A.VISION is becoming a non profit. Actually, it has always been a not for profit but we are just making it official. This will allow us to seek funds from foundations and individuals. I know that we will probably be rejected 10 times before we find someone willing to help fund us so if you know any organization or individual willing to be one of the first to talk to us let us know.
It’s hard to believe we launched only 8 months ago. In that time our partner Haberman has done a great job of getting us in all of the local press as well as the Christian Science Monitor. We had a successful TEL.A.VISION Day with a 24 hour broadcast of TEL.A.VISION videos on the Internet ( Thank you Steve). In May we did our first NYC press tour and from that will be covered in a 4 page spread in District Administration (Thank you Sue), a feature in Family Circle and have been told we will be in Scholastic and Time For Kids.
We have some exciting partnerships we are working on.
- Having 6th, 9th and 12th graders in the Minneapolis Schools create vision videos as part of graduation requirements,
- Working with TIES Education,
- Partnering with Youth Services of America to create Service Learning videos,
- Working with The Discipline of Peace and Culture of Peace Initiative to create Peace videos,
- Discussions with SEARCH Institute and Templeton Press on creating a Vision Curriculum with Dr. Benson’s New book “Vision“
- An invitation to visit the staff of the Fetzer Institute.
While all of this holds great potential the most rewarding work has been to see the difference TEL.A.VISION is having on youth. Three projects stand out.
- Working with the Divas of North Minneapolis. The Star Tribune did a nice article on them.
- Spending a day at Angelo Patri Middle School in the Bronx with 18 young people creating a new vision for their school ( The video is below). Their Vide Principal cried when she say it.
- Parent night at a Clear Springs Elementary in Minnetonka, where 75 people showed up to view amazing videos created by 5th graders .
We’ve started a new contest called “100 words for $100“. Tell us how you have used TEL.A.VISION and win a chance for $100.
Thank you all for your support of TEL.A.VISION. If you would like to receive regular updates on TEL.A.VISION sign up in the upper right hand corner.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/media/22/5f91fe900f19f6ff/5e1a2196f0735bb8.flv
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