Week 4 - PBS Video: Digital_Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier

Here is a fascinating video shown on PBS and shared through arted2.0. With all our discussions this week surrounding our teaching environments and dream jobs, I thought this documentary goes a long way in describing the world we are teaching within and our students are learning within.



Retrieved on March 24, 2010 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/

Week 4 - Comment on Bianca's Post

Week 4 - Post 1 - Getting past the wall

Posted by Bianca at 10:51 PM 

*sigh*

I had the worst problem getting started on my media project. Well, to be more specific, I had the worst problem getting started on themedia portion of my media project. I'd had my idea, a branching dialogue customer service simulation in Udutu, solidified since our first week. I had the whole idea all mapped out, but when it came to actually creating it in Udutu I had the most terrible time getting started. I hummed and hawed and vaguely poked in its general direction until just finally getting it properly rolling and working today (status update: got a great chunk of it in order and I feel confident about having it more than 75% done by the time I do my presentation).

It's not that I wasn't excited about the media project; in fact, I was kind of elated to be putting my thesis materials into practice finally. It's more that I'm starting to just get TIRED.

I've been pushing myself in both my school and work life for the past 11 months and it turns out pushing myself past exhaustion is finally starting to catch up with me. I just want to crawl into a fetal ball and sleep for a month or so to recover. Alas, there's still 5 more weeks to go, so no recovery hibernation for me just yet.

I thankfully hit a second wind (or, well, maybe eightieth wind to be more accurate) today and getting the project to work finally will definitely get me through this week at the very least (although I'm hoping the delight of finally getting a breakthrough will boost my energy for longer).

I'm hoping this will all work out like the exercise class I took the other week. It was my first yoga/pilates/tai chi-style class in a long time and around the middle I honestly thought I couldn't go any further. Not long after that, though, I caught a second wind and by the end of the class I felt fabulous.

So here's to us ALL catching that second wind, making it through the rest of the program, and coming out the other end feeling amazing and refreshed... or, at least surviving the next 5 weeks. Yes, just surviving would suffice ;)

(Anime self portrait made with the help of the Anime Face Maker v1.0 by ~geN8hedgehog, which is an excellent stress reliever, might I add)

Week 4 Media Project: AP Sketchbook - Ideas in Motion

I've made some changes to the media project since our Wimba session Monday night. At Bob's suggestion, I emailed Ning and asked about the possibility of removing the advertisements from my site due to its educational use. I haven't heard back as of this posting, but I am hoping for a positive response.

I have also made a few cosmetic/design changes to increase readability and make a very visual site a little less "busy". I truly appreciated the opportunity to share everyone's projects in such a safe and productive environment. Thanks to all of you. Especially Jorge, who is now a member!

Please visit my site: AP Sketchbook-Ideas in Motion

Week 4 Readings – Being the Board, Creating Frameworks, and Telling the WE Story

Grace under fire, being the board. 

Apparently, this well-known compliment that is given to those of us who keep ourselves together when all around us is crumbling, comes from owning the risks that we take in a world out of our control. I like this phrase, I like what it stands for, and I like others who demonstrate its power. I think I may get it tattooed on my forehead…well let’s not get carried away, but I will keep it at the top of my list of goals. Be the board, show grace under fire:

Show grace under fire – life is probably less stressful that way.

Be open-minded – then the world is a more interesting place.

(Art Trek trip to Spain, 2008)

Be a good friend – you can’t have too many friends.

Be patient, and apparently kind too.

Affecting Change, creating Frameworks.

Thankfully, at least in this country, we have a choice each day to live our lives in any way we choose. What are the possibilities? This is the question we should be asking ourselves. How can I affect change on those around me, on myself, on the world? I suppose that it is impossible to truly make these considerations on a daily basis. But if more people, especially those of us that hold children’s lives in our hands, were to take a moment to care and share and support those around us, I am sure that we would have more successes and fewer failures.

Reflection. Telling the "we" story.  I know that over many years in education and coaching, I have received thank-you’s from students and their parents about positive ways that I have affected them. I always appreciate the end of the school year or season, because it is a time of reflection. I think that is why the thanks come out. We reflect back on the time together, what we meant to each other, and how we got through the hard times, and how we celebrated the best times. The “WE” story really doesn’t have to be anything BIG, it just has to be special. Taking the time to care is really what the “Art of Possibility” by Zander is all about. Putting the needs of others first, sharing the wealth we each have inside our hearts, minds and souls. When we do these simple things, the rewards to us and them are enormous.

Tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. when 14 high school art students (we call it Art Trek), myself, and a fellow teacher of mine head off to Italy, we will all be experiencing the possibilities of a choices in life. One of travel and art, and culture and opportunities that await because we aren't afraid of the possibilities. We are champions of possibilities. We are one BIG possibility waiting to happen! and it will be worth every sacrifice to experience it. We will create memories, we will make friends, we will grow in our understanding of the world, and we will come back changed forever. The reflections will be spectacular this year! 

So, if you are a teacher, volunteer to share extra-curricular time with your students. Go to their concerts, school plays and sporting events. Be a club advisor or coach. Help them with community service. But most of all, get involved. Who knows, your reward may be to accompany them on a trip of a lifetime!

Week 3 - Other Connections to Zander's Work as it relates to Competition

Anna Jobe - ski racer 

I am posting the following as a great guideline for those of us that are coaches, teachers and parents so that we remember to keep our perspective. I am spending the next few days watching the Junior Olympics and am reminded every moment of this competition of Benjamin Zander's words. He speaks about our "universe being alive with sparks" and that we have "an infinite capacity to light a spark of possibility". He also says that "passion, not fear is the igniting force". As I watch these young 8th and 9th graders, full of sparks, possibility and passion for their sport, I feel so very lucky to just observe. The advice marked in red below is the best I have found to help us keep our perspective and to help the children we teach, coach or parent to strive for their best, not to be afraid of failure, and to embrace the challenge. 

© 2006 USA Swimming and The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. All Rights Reserved.

Do's and Don'ts for Sport Parents

(this is just a portion from this article that fits in well with "The Art of Possibility" that we have been studying by Benjamin Zander)

Do for your Children:

• Provide guidance for your children, but do not force or pressure them.

• Assist them in setting realistic goals for participation.

• Emphasize fun, skill development and other benefits of sports participation, e.g., cooperation,

competition, self-discipline, commitment.

• Show interest in their participation: help them get to practice, attend competitions, ask questions.

• Provide a healthy perspective to help children understand success and failure.

• Emphasize and reward effort rather than results.

• Intervene if your child's behavior is unacceptable during practice or competitions.

• Understand that your child may need a break from sports occasionally.

• Give your child some space when need. Part of sports participation involves them figuring things out

for themselves.

• Keep a sense of humor. If you are having fun and laughing, so will your child

• Provide regular encouragement.

• Be a healthy role model for your child by being positive and relaxed at competitions and by having

balance in your life.

• GIVE THEM UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: SHOW THEM YOU LOVE THEM WHETHER THEY

• WIN OR LOSE!!!

About the Author:

Michael A. Taylor an Instructor for the Stanford

University based Positive Coaching Alliance, a long-time member of the United States Elite Coaches Association

and a former gym owner.

Taylor, M. (2010) Do's and don'ts for sports parents. United States Ski and Snowboard Association
Retrieved March 19, 2010 from http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/ussa/en/formembers/parents/about.html

Week 3 - Readings Ch 7-9 on Expectations, Passions and Sparks

I know someone who was born prematurely at barely 30 weeks, weighing under 5 lbs, but you would never know by her zest for life. She is my hero, and happens to be the hero of most of our family, including her brother and both her grandfathers.  She is one that lives what Benjamin Zander "preaches" and one that lives this sort of "Life of Possibility" if you will. This person NEVER settles, but she is also never overbearing, dramatic, or difficult. She has a passion for many things, and does them well, but i think ski racing is unequal to any other passion in her life.

 Heart of a Racer - Do You have a Dream? 
This video is about a small part of her life, but one that lights a spark. She doesn't just compete for herself, but she makes all those around her better. She doesn't just get excellent grades, but she helps others in the process. She is one of the people that Zander is talking about, and she was seemingly born this way. Everyone is her friend and everyone wants to be better at what they do when they are with her. Even I...so check her out. It would not surprise this Montana mom if her daughter was famous for just being an amazing human being some day. Although that is enough for me and her family, I think this young woman has bigger plans. 

Week 3 - My comments on Donna's post

Friday, March 12, 2010

WK 2 Blog Entry 4 - Random Musings

My world seems built on the concept of feast of famine this year. Either I have a few projects to complete with long deadlines and plenty of time or everything bombards me at once and all needs to be accomplished at the same time - usually in different places.

This month is a "feast" month: more like a binge. Work, school, and family commitments have all merged into one heady time-management nightmare! Makes me ever more thankful for my support network - how would I get through all this without it.

I know we are all under the same deadlines, but still, I have to ask; whose bright idea was it to have the thesis, media project and presentation all due at the same time?? I know that come midnight March 22nd I will collapse with relief in a hotel somewhere in Georgia, and hopefully will have had enough time to prepare the materials for the photographers I'll be training at 7 am on the 23rd. I take that back, on the 22nd I'm in North Carolina. Hmm. I see yet another late night road trip heading my way. I'm glad I love my work!

Note to self: Must remember Rule #6! :)

Week 3 Media Project - My favorite thing to do this week is...

...to watch for new posts to our AP Sketchbook - Ideas in Motion website. So rewarding! Thanks to Ace, Paula, and Kelly, and their portfolios, along with some of our other students, we have begun the maiden voyage.

AP Sketchbook - Ideas in Motion Please check out my Media Project site that highlights the work of our AP students at Glacier High School as they begin the process of posting, commenting, critiquing, sharing and building a digital world of their work. 

This site has been the culmination of an EMDT journey that has not only been educational, but also rewarding. When a teacher has the opportunity to create something new and exciting, and her students "buy-in" and participate, it is truly inspiring. I have had the best week managing this site as my students create their pages, post their work and share their ideas. Learning and growing has never been so much fun!

When summer comes, and we test our ability to work through this Ning site for our AP summer assignments, I know that we will find it to be not only valuable, but rewarding. Thanks to my students and their willingness to share, we are building something new and special. I am so proud of them and I feel privileged to be one of their teachers.  

Week 2 - Commenting on my favorite musician's blog

1 COMMENTS:

Cindi Jobe said...

So, Bob, I am highlighting some of your comments when I paste this blog to mine, not just because I liked them, but also because I found your banterings pertinent to the blogs, observations and critiques that my students will be doing on their NING site. Thanks for your observations. They were right on! Collaboration is my new love in the classroom but also online - who knew that I would find interaction and teamwork to be valuable in an online program! I want my students to understand the importance of sharing and trusting their classmates with their artwork.

MARCH 10, 2010 7:07 PM 

Week 2 Wimba - Wimbas are cool, archives are a let down

The topic of group collaboration is what really makes a Wimba Session. 

Watching the archive is a great way to get the information covered, but it is like watching your friends play outside from your bedroom window while you are in bed sick. I really did miss the chat and banter as I went through the archive and thought about just typing all of my comments and having everyone guess where the conversations were. 

Anyway, I did gain a sense of relief (sort of) through the session. Completing 75% of the media project by Monday the 22nd doesn’t seem so bad. I even scheduled how to get it done. Now I just need to figure out the thesis paper aspect. I really wish our class would get a bit of a break and this paper would be due on the 28th instead. Especially since we missed the month 9 introduction of getting the media project done. At least I can dream. 

One question that came up as I watched was, what are the other 2 things that the review panel looks at? Joe said there were 4 and mentioned the thesis paper and the media project. My guess is one s the content proposal, is the 4th the presentation? I guess we will learn all about it next month. I did like the brief passing statement of blogging v writing a paper, I need to pass this along to a somewhat hesitant English teacher. 

Some of the other things of note took place within the context of the conversations. I really need to get Donna’s eye strain exercises as the strain is an issue for me these past few days. I really appreciate the listing of the proposal due date and find it really funny that a lot of people misread it. “Due the next tomorrow” This is going to be a line I use often. It works well on an A/B schedule. It is sad that the copyright sessions are not happening. I have a lot of experience with the law and still learned quite a bit in the sessions last month. I highly recommend going through the website to my classmates as it is pulled together in plain English and highly organized. 

Just to push the buttons, I often like to with the classmates, I’ll end by saying Joe’s shirt was cool.

Week 2 - Open Art License

At Open Art, I found an introduction to The Pool, an online environment for sharing artwork, text and code." I was intrigued, because I have visited so many sites supporting online galleries and portfolios but nothing with the "meat" of this site. Check out the video on their research, and see what I mean. At least for me, this is cutting edge stuff.

A Dip in The Pool from Jon Ippolito on Vimeo. Retrieved March 10, 2010 from http://pool.newmedia.umaine.edu/index.php#

Week 2 - Contribution, Leading and Rule #6

Coaching Soccer - Leading, Contributing and of course, Rule #6!


How much greatness are we willing to grant? How will I contribute? What will my commitment be to the task at hand? How seriously should I take myself? Can I laugh at myself and can I admit my mistakes? These are a few of the questions that Zander brings up and these are questions that I have asked myself on more than one occasion as an art teacher or coach, but also as a parent. Many times in my life these roles have intertwined and overlapped because kids need parenting whether they are yours or not.

I do know that things change and meaning is made when we care enough to invest ourselves in the process at hand. When we trust in the people with whom we are working, teaching or coaching, we often gain more than what we invested. I find, like Benjamin Zander that it also helps to put yourself aside sometimes and just concentrate on the task at hand. Don’t try to lead, just try to make the opportunity available, be supportive, and see what happens. Usually, amazing things happen when we least expect them because we aren’t being super-critical, super-sensitive, or hyper-vigilant.

I really like Zander’s Rule #6: Don’t take yourself so goddamn seriously! I wish that I had know about this rule when I was younger and would ride the volleyball referee when I was coaching, or couldn’t let of go of a bad loss when I was a head women’s soccer coach, or when my son, daughter or husband would do something I disliked.

As a woman of over 45, I now “get” this rule, and find myself living within my emotional means more often than being too serious. I always assumed that this “enlightenment” came with age and that the “zen” attitude I had fostered in my midlife was something I had grown into. Now that I think about it, although this observation is somewhat true, I am finding that I have learned Rule #6 from other great people in my life who have modeled it for me. 

Week 2 - Content Proposal

Content Proposal

The Lack of Online Peer Review for AP Studio Art Students

EDM-665 On Line Course Development

EDM-613 Media Asset Creation

Education Media Design & Technology MS Program

Full Sail University

Prepared by:

Cindi A. Jobe

March 5, 2010

Thesis Abstract

Designing a Ning social network site that assists Advanced Placement Art students in portfolio creation would be a valuable utilization of Web 2.0 technologies in education. The AP art experience is meant to be rigorous, culminating in the creation of a portfolio submitted to The College Board. Missing in the process has been an available network of peers and teachers with portfolio experience to provide support outside the classroom. Students deserve the opportunity to experience a technologically advanced pre-assessment process that can provide that support. A Ning site utilizing a collaborative environment through social networking would solve this problem for AP students. The ability to share and critique artwork online would better prepare these students’ portfolios for AP presentation.

 Introduction

Problem Addressed

Social networking is a daily ritual for digital natives, a demographic in which most of the high school population falls. Although new Web 2.0 technologies have proven to engage and motivate our students, very few advanced, college-prep students are presently receiving instructional design that properly utilizes these trends in their classrooms (Solomon & Schrum, 2007).

The lack of online peer review opportunities for Advanced Placement (AP) Art Studio students as they prepare portfolios can be solved by designing and utilizing a Ning social network site that students and their teachers could access for posting artwork, commenting and critiquing and even for formal evaluation purposes. Educational technology can be applied through the usual pedagogical methods of analysis, evaluation and creation as students and teachers interact using traditional assessment methods but through more progressive online means.

Target Audience

This website is designed for a single classroom of AP art students preparing portfolios within the College Board program and their teachers but it could grow to include a larger demographic. This website design could be modified for other learning environments or age groups. Former AP Art alumni now in the college ranks could also be encouraged to check in to offer advice and support with invitation.

Sharing the project

This project was created using Ning. The final output is a social networking site, which hosts student artwork, video of work in progress, a blog for students to comment on the work, individual pages for each student to present their work, and support information such as links to AP Central and other applicable resources. The project will be shared through access to the website, but could be introduced through a screenflow tutorial that takes the viewer on a tour of the site, its pages and the information hosted on the site.

 Goals and Objectives

Instructional Goal

The instructional goal of this media project is to address the problem of the lack of online peer review in AP studio art by encouraging collaboration and interaction of these students and their teachers through a Ning social networking site. As AP Art teachers lead their students through the process of creating their portfolios, there are very specific problem-based standards that are required by the College Board for inclusion in the portfolio that will be linked, discussed, and created as part of the Ning website process.

The goal will be to address critical questions concerning design quality, idea development, and invite discovery, interpretation and understanding (Daley, 2009). Critiquing through a social network allows for asynchronous communication, but can also be the beginning of synchronous interaction through other formats, such as IM or chatting. As students develop connections with other students in the AP program that participate on the site, they will begin to develop peer review relationships naturally with those students whose comments make connections for them.

Learning Domain

Students will primarily gain learning within the cognitive and affective learning domains during this instructional process. Within the cognitive domain, students will identify projects to interpret as artwork, brainstorm ideas and analyze their worth as an art project, design and construct visual artwork to solve the problem, share and defend their artwork online, and also provide feedback for others artwork. Within the affective domain, the student will assign appreciation to artwork, define the Elements and Principles of Art in the work, discuss and respond to suggestions from peers, demonstrate an understanding of the critiquing process, and then attempt to revise their artwork based on the suggested revisions. According to Project Zero’s “Studio Thinking Project” (2010), one of the three classroom structures that every instructional art opportunity should engage in is critique. This process provides structure for reflection, gives pause to observation, and allows students to focus while work is in progress.

Learning Objectives

·      Students will investigate formal and conceptual issues as they relate to their AP portfolio, blogging and discussing these ideas online and in their physical sketchbook.

·      Students will create artwork that involves informed, critical decision making through brainstorming, discussion and production, posting the progression and finished work on the AP Sketchbook Ning site.

·      Students will apply prior knowledge of the Elements and Principles of Art in their work, posting photos and videos of their creative process.

·      Students will participate in critiques of their work and that of their peers to develop independent thinking skills while they respond to the suggestions of their peers and teachers on the Ning AP Sketchbook site. 

Presentation 

Instructional Approach

With the onset of 21^st century online communities, one learning theory that has further established itself in online learning is Communities of Practice. Lave and Wenger (1998) state that a primary focus of this type of learning theory is the social participation. There must be a shared domain of interest where members interact and engage in activities through practice. Social networking, for example, would help inform art students as they gain interactive assistance with their portfolio preparations. This form of peer and teacher review can balance the stress of the portfolio process with the joy of creativity.

Although the kind of e- portfolio utilized in a study by Ellison and Wu (2008) is of the literary type, their research transfers comparatively with other e-portfolios, supporting the above learning theory. The benefits and similarities of the electronic portfolio within the digital environment of a social network combined with blogging aligns nicely with a typical classroom critiquing situation in AP art. The benefits of an online social network increase the amount of interaction and therefore the scope of feedback.  Ellison and Wu (2008) report an increase in student engagement via this act of portfolio creation and peer online review. This process is more learner-centered and therefore more advantageous to the student as it harnesses self-expression and intrinsic motivation. 

Online photo galleries and social networking are also highlighted as positive ways to promote interactions between artists. Although taken from a college population, Cifuentes, Carpenter, and Bula (2006) highlight many facts that apply to an Advanced Placement high school student’s portfolio experience. One educational rationale discussed by these authors is the promotion of collaborative online interpretations and the enhancement of visual literacy. Many students at the AP Art Studio level have never looked at another student’s work of the same level, other than those within their own classroom or program. These authors describe the online interactions of their students through their online collaborative environment, Seeing Culture as a form of telecollaboration. They recommend online tools such as weblogs, RSS, wikis, and other social networking sites. They suggest that learners should be allowed to publicly express their thoughts and opinions, post artwork and sketches, and freely comment on each other’s work.

Lesson Structure

The Ning website will be introduced initially to students through a visual “visit” of the site by the teacher to introduce the website itself and it’s purpose in the class. The students will be taken through a step-by-step process to develop their own page on the Ning site, something like an artist’s statement. Students will then begin by adding still photos of their first chosen project and blog about their own work. Their next assignment will be to visit other students’ pages, and comment at least once on two other students’ work. Following the initial introductory assignment, the students will begin telling the story of the process of their first e-portfolio project for the site. A demonstration will be provided to show the inclusion of video, commentary and even music so that the process can be fun and educational. This digital story of the process of creation will then be uploaded to their page on the site. This ongoing process of interaction and collaboration will continue with a basic schedule of posting, blogging and reflection until an e-portfolio” of the student’s work has been created. The culmination of the lesson will be the presentation of the actual final portfolio online, critiqued by the student’s peers and teacher before submission to the College Board.

Evaluation

Since reflection and engagement are inherent in this project, and project-based studio learning is the vehicle, formative assessment will be evident in the daily process of each student’s learning through self-reflection and finally culminating in their portfolio presentation. According to Sabol (2004) art classroom assessment should include feedback on a number of criteria, including the Elements and Principles of Art, creativity, technical skill, personal expression, and improvement or growth. These criteria are also included in the College Board AP Central website as a performance based visual exam. The unifying idea for the portfolio is that the student focuses on making decisions about how to apply the principles and elements of art to create works of art that convey meaning within their portfolio presentation. (http://apcentral.collegeboard.com)

In terms of ongoing evaluation, the AP art students and their teachers will be able to evaluate the success of the project based on the scores received on their portfolio submissions through scoring and comments from the readers of the College Board. Built into the actual Ning site itself is also the reflection and feedback process online. This social networking process is a valuable and practical vehicle for the ongoing discussion and critique of what aspects of the Ning site helped with artwork and portfolio creation and what should be added for the following year’s site.

References

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Beatie, D. K. (1997). Assessment in art education. Worcester, MA. Davis Publications, Inc.

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