Week 1 - 10 Lessons the Arts Teach

http://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/10-lessons-the-arts-teach

This site has an impressive list by Elliot Eisner that supports the importance of the Arts in education. Share it with your fellow colleagues and students.

Benjamin Zander's book and video got me to thinking about what I am teaching to my students everyday. I began asking questions of myself. Things that I haven't had time to think about the last few months. Why do we require 1 full credit of Fine Art to graduate from high school in Montana? What made the legislators in 1992 decide that this should be a requirement? And above all, how does this knowledge inform my teaching and the learning of my students. The site above links to many wonderful pages that provide answers to these questions.

While researching answers to these questions, I came across the following video of Jim Yong Kim's inaugural address at Dartmouth. This quote spoke to my questions, and reminded me of a few reasons that I hold a liberal arts education so closely to my heart and soul.

“There’s nothing more practical than the philosophical work of learning to be clear and coherent about our deepest values; nothing more practical than the artistic work of bringing shared values to compelling expression. They deepen our understanding of what has been and open our imagination to what yet could be. They provide the experiences of beauty and shared meaning which are central to building a more just world. Understanding what ennobles human life, and intensifying our capacity to experience it is the very purpose of…education. “

Week 1 - Content Proposal Media Project: AP Sketchbook

AP Sketchbook Ning site - Media Project under construction

My thesis is titled "The Lack of Online Peer Review for AP Studio Art Students." As my content proposal for my Media Project, I have begun creating a Ning site that will service this need. This site will provide synchronous and asynchronous interaction, collaboration and peer-to-peer review, support and feedback for my AP studio art students. I have been surveying our current and future AP Studio Art students as to what their needs are in this area, and what would be helpful and supportive in their quest to prepare an outstanding portfolio for submission to the College Boards in May. The Ning site is my attempt to provide this support to my students, but also to begin a journey that would allow AP Studio art students from across the country to blog, post, discuss and share their work with their peers.

Week 1 - Comment on Jorge's Blog

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010

From the Art of Possibility - I like this artist!

What a few positive words can accomplish in another person's life! 

As I was reading the Art of Possibility, I came across an interesting section about an experiment using labels to classify character or personality. Benjamin Zanders contends that labeling and grading with anything less than an "A" may really serve to destroy or inhibit self growth and worth. One such story was about an Asian student who was raised in a culture never to question authority, (teachers, and so on). This student was given an "A" even before taking test or course and then was asked to write a letter dated sometime in the future. But to write it as though the subject matter was in the past. This student was to write about "Why he deserved an "A" in this course?"


I found it intriguing that one can influence how others respond to their environment through simple positive gestures. Since I am interested in testing for systems that would help Autistic children break into social environments, this would be an ideal concept to apply.

Sources:
Zander, B., & Zander, R. S. (2002). The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life. Boston: Penguin (Non-Classics). (Original work published 1942)

Week 1 Reading – Invention, Practice and Giving

Podcast of Zander's story to Painting Website

I watched Benjamin Zander’s TED video and was mesmerized. I shared him with my high school painting class and my student teacher. They were inspired, she cried. I read the first 3 chapters of his book and was hooked. His stories and his enthusiasm were nearly viral.

Teaching visual art generally provides an opportunity for inspiring that “shiny eyed look” in students that Zander mentions. When Zander talks of the “invitation to possibility”, I feel transported. Something akin to the first time I visited Second Life with my buddies from month 1 – new and perfect. Invention is the key – I think I can invent new possibilities that allow new choices in my sleep after the last 10 months. I can realize the perfect life. I often answer just like that girl in the restaurant – perfect.

I am a yoga junkie, you see. And for those of you who don’t know, we “practice” yoga. Not until we get good at it, but for life. I knew that this book and the Zanders’ philosophy about life was for me when I saw that there was “practice” involved. Practice that involves transforming my life; I am in. Practice that involves perfection; intriguing. Practice that involves thinking “outside the box”, finally something a visual artist can understand!

Time to learn to “see”. Just like I teach “seeing” in visual art. Step #2 in the practice is possibility. There are these moments when we forget ourselves, and become part of the universe. I could easily make a list, a list of perfect moments. I am lucky, I have a lot of those. Onward to the next practice, now.  And glad to know that I haven’t “arrived” even though my world is “perfect” – just like the girl in the restaurant.

Which brings up giving. I am the poster child for “giving”. I am a mom of two, a wife, a teacher, a coach, a good listener, and “giving” is my middle name. I can write the letter about deserving an “A”, but just ask my kids, my husband, my students, or my players, friends or colleagues and you will get a unanimous chorus – give her an “A” before she “gives” herself to death! If I wrote this letter 10 months ago, defending my “A”, it would say that I never give up, that I truly care and that I don’t accept defeat or failure in myself or the people in my life. This is not out of a search for perfection but out of the “practice” of such a life. 

Jobe Cindi 2010021 RA3c Best of What? - Learning Management Systems & Org

Jobe Cindi 2010021 RA3c Best of What? - Learning Management Systems & Org

CindiJobe 2010021 RA2-History of VLE's - Learning Management Systems & Org

CindiJobe 2010021 RA2-History of VLE's - Learning Management Systems & Org

Jobe Cindi 201021RA5c CMS Teaching and CMS - Learning Management Systems & Org

Jobe Cindi 201021RA5c CMS Teaching and CMS - Learning Management Systems & Org

Learning Management Education Systems

http://www.learningsprings.com/

Just wanted to put a link out there for a site that I had visited today while browsing for some Learning Management Education Systems that contained some valuable Art and Technology curriculum choices. I am still studying the layers in this site, but I found the first few offerings to be well thought out and applicable to what I am already teaching in my art department. Check it out, and let me know what you think.


Artwork - Post Impressionist Collage by a student in Painting 1 at Glacier High School in Kalispell, MT.

Blogging

Blog #8 Reflection on Blogging

Social Networking has been my favorite new Web 2.0 tool that we have been exposed to this month. One of my favorite sites for referencing and exchanging ideas is Art Education 2.0, Using New Technology in Art Classrooms. http://arted20.ning.com/ It is a Ning creation, so it is powerful enough to host all our visual information, as well as track any link we might wish for. If you teach in the visual arts of any kind, including tech you should join this social network.  I always enjoy the “Current Projects” section where I check out ongoing project ideas to see if anything sparks my own creative juices.  The “Forums” section is excellent, providing solutions and comments to concerns and problems of every sort from elementary to high school and through every corner of the visual art realm.  This site hosts various groups that I can join to get more specific collaboration in my teaching area.  I have noticed that the elementary art group is the largest.  We high school teachers seem to be a little more into the general blogs but you can chat with any of the members. I also like being able to share photos and videos of art related travels, student work, ideas for projects, etc.

Although I first saw this site as a professional development tool, I now see its value in designing lessons that more frequently use other Web 2.0 tools.  I designed my Webquest specifically to use in my painting class to teach art history but also as a connecting discovery project.  I have begun sharing my Glacier High School Netvibes page with colleagues and will make it available soon to my students as well.  We have set up a shared Google Calender for the students and teachers in our entire school district art department to keep up with assignments and upcoming projects and activities.  A colleague and I recently team taught an in-service on Web 2.0 in our school district using this simple jottit page to help them connect with the links we were covering. It worked seamlessly!

http://digitalteaching.jottit.com/ You will find a couple of new links here that I thought were great fun to use in the classroom for presentation and research purposes:
 Prezi.com, http://prezi.com/128698/view/#34
 World Digital Library, http://www.wdl.org/en/ 

Blog #7 – Second Life

As an art teacher and artist, I found this site, http://www.virtual-art-initiative.org/Virtual_Art_Initiative/Projects.html Virtual Art Initiative, within Second Life to be amazing.  I have subscribed to the feed and will be receiving updates on their projects. These artists, musicians, writers, programmers and scholars are creating both individual and collaborative works.  I plan on sharing this process and the final projects with my Painting I & II classes as well as the AP Studio class. According to the Projects page, this Virtual Art Initiative maintains four sims in Second Life including two artists colonies.  The artists’ portfolios and artist statements are highlighted on the Artists page.blog

The Mind map on Education 2.0 blog suggested on the Second Life assignment this week is extensive,http://www.flickr.com/photos/jokay/sets/72157612171568581/show/.  I think I could see myself finding more ways to use Second Life in my classroom now that I have more connections to more “tried and true” resources. I like the link to Art Galleries and Museums as an art history and contemporary art resource for my high school art students.  This page utilizes connections to other sites in and out of Second Life as well, including a “walk through tour” of the Sistine Chapel in Second Life for example. For my advanced students, there are examples of Artists in Residence programs and an amazing “Open-Source” Museum of Open-Source Art (OSMOSA), created by a group of students from Brown University.

Through my browsing of all the incredible sites linked from Second Life, I joined the OPENSOURCE Art’s Flickr group at http://opensource.boxwith.com/collaborate.html.

And another called The Open Art Network http://three.org/openart/. This site included a quote by John Cage (1969).

"Computers are bringing about a situation that's like the invention of harmony. Subroutines are like chords. No one would think of keeping a chord to himself. You'd give it to anyone who wanted it. You'd welcome alterations of it. Subroutines are altered by a single punch. We're getting music made by man himself, not just one man."              --John Cage, 1969.

Yes that is the correct date. I was blown away as I read it, and am inspired by his insight, vision, and imagination.  This site was the most exciting link that I have come across and will follow it closely as the “open source” debate continues.  I was encouraged to see so many diverse virtual environments for education in Second Life. But was really even more impressed by the resources that I could link to. The Network News section in this website is the most informative information that I have found on Open Source Art, including Problems, Solutions, Protocols, Open Art Licensing and actual Open Art projects.

Blog #6 – Communities of Practice

Networks make it happen – now distance is not an issue and the world is as small as we want it to be. Knowledge is a competitive advantage, a social advantage, and an educational advantage. Interaction is the key to this globalization of information and communication. Instead of working collaboratively within a physical space, we can now interact through almost any virtual or real, world-wide community that we choose.  This is the beauty of a community of practice.

These networks are only as valuable, however, as the connections we make. Now that these networks are more visible and useful and connected through social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, wikis and other social forums, we can make connections with anyone for any reason. We can make connections with those people that have things in common with us, that we need to collaborate with, that our interests, research or paths collide with, or simply that we want to get to know better.  According to Etienne Wenger, who has written extensively on “Communities of Practice”, actually coining the modern term, “dynamic knowing” is the new database.  There are joint enterprises, mutual engagements, and shared repetoires of communal resources (Wenger, 1998) just waiting for us to collaborate within. He states that we need to engage people through participation and the process of creating, refining, communicating and using knowledge. This is exactly why Communities of Practice are important within the business world, but desperately so on the educational stage.
 http://books.google.com/books?id=heBZpgYUKdAC&lpg=PP1&ots=kcoa-l7z5g&dq=communities%20of%20practice&pg=PR8#v=onepage&q=&f=false

The following video shows why Art Education, as an example is just as important as any other curriculum area to this idea of community.  And why creative problem solving and collaboration is so easily taught through the fine arts as a bridge to understanding and connecting for people.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=112187&title=The_Importance_of_Art_in_Education

References

Community of practice. (2009, June 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:27, June 21, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Community_of_practice&oldid=29776733

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=112187&title=The_Importance_of_Art_in_Education

 http://books.google.com/books?id=heBZpgYUKdAC&lpg=PP1&ots=kcoa-l7z5g&dq=communities%20of%20practice&pg=PR8#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Social Media - Blog #5 ETC

Social Media has gotten a bad rap from so many educational and parental directions even though it is quickly being embraced as the best way to communicate globally in the 21st Century. The fear of Social Media that drives some adults is not present in the minds of our children. Although many adults have fostered a negative attitude toward this new social interaction, they are simply uninformed about the usability and permanence of what is disseminated through social interaction. Students, however, as digital natives are comfortable with the “power” of collective intelligence. Social media supports their innate need for social interaction through technology and provides easy access to every aspect of their lives – Social - How am I going to stay in touch?, Educational - How am I going to research a topic?, and Informational - How am I going to find, discover, or buy something I need?  They entertain themselves, make connections socially and can maintain every imaginable connection whether it be local, international, or cerebral. Building connections through shared media helps to build relationships, create ideas, and inform.  The web 2.0 perspective highlighted in the video below helps to explain the importance of Social Media and how it has brought our world closer together, allowed us to feel more informed, make better choices, and create social media dialogues that could never be imagined before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoWKkl5nA08&feature=player_embedded

However, the democratization of information through social media has garnered some negative print and TV media coverage from some factions.  Big business and education are beginning to get onboard, but many of us are still in the dark ages of understanding Social Media and the positive power that is holds.  Those businesses previously concerned only with the concept of advertising a product or service through traditional media now must strongly consider the Web 2.0 social interface as a formidable advertising and communication tool.  The list of possibilities is enormous.  According to Wikipedia,Examples of social media software applications include:

Communication

• Blogs: Blogger, LiveJournal, Open Diary, TypePad, WordPress, Vox,ExpressionEngine, Xanga
• Micro-blogging / Presence applications: Twitter, Plurk, Jaiku,fmylife
• Social networking: Bebo, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Orkut,Skyrock, Hi5, Ning, Elgg
• Social network aggregation: NutshellMail, FriendFeed
• Events: Upcoming, Eventful, Meetup.com

Collaboration

• Wikis: Wikipedia, PBwiki, wetpaint
• Social bookmarking (or social tagging)^[2]: Delicious, StumbleUpon,Google Reader, CiteULike
• Social news: Digg, Mixx, Reddit, NowPublic
• Opinion sites: epinions, Yelp

Multimedia

• Photo sharing: Flickr, Zooomr, Photobucket, SmugMug
• Video sharing: YouTube, Vimeo, sevenload
• Livecasting: Ustream.tv, Justin.tv, Stickam
• Audio and Music Sharing: imeem, The Hype Machine, Last.fm,ccMixter

Reviews and Opinions

• Product Reviews: epinions.com, MouthShut.com
• Q&A: Yahoo! Answers, WikiAnswers

Entertainment

• Media & Entertainment Platforms: Cisco Eos
• Virtual worlds: Second Life, The Sims Online,Forterra
• Game sharing: Miniclip, Kongregate

No longer can a business simply run an ad campaign that advertises on TV and print.  Businesses are now concerned about making connections through Tweets, following blogs, Internet forums, and even podcasts and wikis.  A global economy is now the norm, and everything is advertised and consumed worldwide from commodities, to services, to information. According to Collective Intelligence - The Vision [Video File], innovation is happening, whether we are ready or not.  Creating goods and services through these Web 2.0 practices is necessary and the preferred way to share these goods and services.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQe8dWTbE2U
References

psbobj (2007, May) Collective Intelligence - The Vision [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQe8dWTbE2U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoWKkl5nA08&feature=player_embedded

Social media. (2009, August 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:40, August 21, 2009, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_media&oldid=309300277