Observation and reflection

     This was an interesting exercise for me in that as I walked around my house, there was little that inspired me to sit and draw. (well... that i could do justice too in 30 minutes) Eventually I decided upon a space, a hallway which traversed several rooms. Drawing for the sake of drawing is not something I generally do. ..(anymore anyway)
   Soo, since I usually have music on and avoid the phone and other distractions, I kept my phone with me and no music. (no food or beverages and dogs wrestling at me feet... oh joy) The no music part was not an issue other than I missed the comfort of it.  BUT the phone.... calls and signaling e mail was a pain in the butt.  It made it difficult to keep sinking into the drawing every time I was interrupted.  NOW.... if the drawing had been something I was emotionally invested in, it may not have been as difficult but still very annoying.
     The frustration reminded me of times when my kids might be feeling apprehensive about what they were drawing.  I do not like what I drew, BUTTTTT I also recognize given another two hours the drawing would have taken shape and come alive... so I got to work through that feeling in an alternative setting...

     Its always useful to remember that frustration can be a catalyst for growth.  Its good to remember what that feels like....  its easy to say "Hey!  keep going!  You're doing a fabulous job,!"  When the person hearing that feels apprehensive and not so sure.

  I reflected for a bit on this.  My students are all in art because they choose it.  No one is there because they are required to be.  So as a teacher, I operate from the disposition that participation is a choice and therefore perseverance is a requirement...

    Ill probably go back to this drawing.... after 35 minutes its marginally acceptable to me. ..

Week 11 Artistic Thinking Preferences for art making.

Week 11

My personal working preferences are dependent on the medium and intention. I often get sudden visions and insights (often at inconvenient times, such as three AM or in the middle of a dinner with friends)  I will try and scribble down the thoughts and insights for later but often the moment is gone.  Even when I plan out something,  an image or idea I want to manifest, by the time I actually start a piece I surrender to the process and find myself creating something that feels like what I want but doesn't look like what I thought it would look like.

If I am working in my glass studio... Glass starts out (sometimes) organized, and my tools (usually) are where I can see them, but that lasts the first twenty minutes...., I have music on but after a few minutes the concentration is so profound I often don't hear it and its off with out me knowing.  The glass requires an all intensive concentration that does not allow wandering thoughts or even for me to get up and take a break much until the piece I am working on is done.  I often feel like an alchemist when I am working with glass because I am changing the physical state of a material completely.  From solid to liquid and back again.  I am also pushing the medium in ways that are unusual because I can not afford the actual glass set up Id like there fore have adapted and created ways of achieving things I want in unconventional ways.

If I am drawing, (another room, not my glass studio) I also have music on, OFTEN LOUD and I often, have a lovely bottle of red wine breathing as I draw. (yes, I drink  it along the way) I find in general, art making is a solitary process for me.  Its always been that way as most of my work is about something deeply personal. The drawings evolve over time, most of them taking 3 to 6 months.  I will work intensely for awhile and then stop, letting it breathe too. If I am interrupted with the glass or the large drawings the process is abruptly halted for that time.  I get very irritated if I am texted or called. Sadly, my iPod is also my phone.... Will work on changing that I think...Because that is the case I spent three years getting up at 4 AM to work in my glass studio.  (No, there is no wine there) I had two younger kids and it was the only way I could work.

      I feel like my art is not limited to the intentional pieces I create.  That everything I touch and do is a creation. (Even my thoughts) Art or rather, creating, is not limited to the visual, but My home, my children, my relationships and my teaching even.  I create projects along with the students at school more often than not.  While these projects are somewhat edited (since some topics and imagery is not appropriate for school) they are sincere and unite me with my students in ways that are difficult to articulate. 

Creating is a heart process that I surrender too. There is very little concrete thinking once it has begun.  It a process of complete surrender to the deep flow of the universe. (Did I just say that???  good grief) I really could talk about this for a long time.... but Im already at 600 words.. 

Week 9 Read and React/Artistic thinking

Week nine, read and react.

Social Network.  Is not any community of people who interact day to day with a specific focus (or not) a social network?   I keep reading over and over about how school has no time for face to face due to curriculum constraints and so on, while I know this is true for most, is this not a major red flag that we have to create virtual reality for kids to interact with in the educational environment???  Are the ___________(guys who have control over education) not alarmed by this? I clearly have been away from the real world of public school too long and live in my own virtual world of my charter.   

Where I see opportunity for the virtual classroom is individualized study.  If students can follow a passion, stray from the rigid curriculum and follow a path that may not be in a binder, then I see the value.  It may afford them an opportunity to access information that the school may not otherwise have. BUT.... Will many educators then argue that they have more to keep track of? (from personal experience, yes, but it is worth it) Could they in essence, create their own classroom with in the classroom?  That goes with them everywhere? Sure.

I tend to question everything.  I do not believe there is one right answer.  Each teacher has his or her own circumstance and relationship with unique young people.  It is in this that each educator must ask themselves, what needs to be emphasized here?  WILL a virtual classroom benefit my students?  Do they already know how to relate and have a strong sense of self identity? 

Education is too big and there are too many people involved to make blanket statements about anything.  It is my circumstance and my experience that influences everything I write.  I am not objective.  If I were still in Baltimore County I may argue more for the technology here.  They were a different population. Even with in the several schools I taught in, each had different needs. (and funding)

The chapter suggests that teachers should be making pod casts/vod casts for learning. Im sure there are places for this and it could be an interesting way to deliver material.  I would argue that the students should be making there own response with podcasts, vod casts etc.  Let them learn how to manipulate and communicate in that manner and present them in real time and in relationship with other students in their classroom and then perhaps partner with other schools.  It is with this type of technology I see more global learning possibilities.

In regards to video games.  We have a wii.  I occasionally use it, and I like it for winding down and that my 12 year old is at least active when she plays it.  We also had SIMS games and frankly, I found them to be poison.  I originally purchased them for the reason the books states, build and planing cities etc.  Thats cool right?  I had all the same initial thoughts and excitements the author expressed. But both my daughters became obsessed with them, their moods were noticeably different after playing them.  Temper tantrums, it was bizarre and addictive behavior. I eventually destroyed the games and they are not allowed in the house.. The behavior issues went away. Now perhaps in an educational setting where kids can be monitored with specific criteria, there would be less obsession.  But like anything, left to their own devices, I do not support SIMS games.

Don't get me wrong, I am certain there are incredible  educational games and tools out there that I am un aware of.  I am in support of exploring them.  

As for Avatars and virtual worlds, Im just not sure.  I feel this needs to be navigated very carefully. If kids are not able to express themselves fully and comfortably in real time, I worry what will emerge in virtual time/place.   I understand the argument that kids who are shy might be more open if they are not face to face, but I question, how will this help them be less shy face to face?  Is this a skill that is now secondary?

While I see and appreciate the virtual world and avatar tool as something really cool and giving kids who may not other wise be exposed to cultures and art and so on opportunities to do so, I continue to worry that with out very deliberate balance we are going to loose this I-generation to the screen.  I also wonder, with the inequitable school funding, if some of the wealthier school districts (who likely have students who might afford the cost of travel and such) are the ones who also will be exposed to this technology rather than the poorer districts?  My school would likely not be able to afford the technology required for this sort of experience.  (Internet might also be a problem) 

I need to investigate second life.  It would be interesting to have students create avatars and then do a real compare and contrast with the real self.  What qualities did you enhance or add?  Did you eliminate things?  Why did you make the choices you made?  etc....  Im always trying to help my students understand what motivates them.  That they  are responsible for the experience they are having (in terms of how they respond)  SO an avatar project might be interesting as an art assignment... a portrait of sorts but about character traits rather than likeness.  It would be interesting to have them create avatars of the teachers....  what are their perceptions of us?

Post Script. I spent a few hours exploring second life and I would say my first experience was not positive.  My computer kept freezing (its only a year old and up to date)  I found the site difficult to navigate.  When I did visit some art museum I found them disorienting and not at all like visiting the real thing.  Im sure my biases are coming through here. But I can not see how this would be useful at this time in the context of my own school.

Amy's Avatar.....

OK.... so.. Hopefully she will not disappear like all the rest of my stuff!

Creativity Project/ Artistic Thinking (updated!)

OK... so below is a... well hyper speed version of my keynote... but I think the Ken Robinson videos came through ...  I resorted to copy and pasting the individual pages below, but I do not think the video came with the big pages.  Forgive the cut and paste... I had to get something up after 8 hours of working... :)

Another amazing TED talk all adults should listen to.

http://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak.html?source=email#.UH7pQeKti85.email

Came across this ted talk which I LOVED thiking about limitations.  Well worth the 4 minutes from

the perspective of teaching a well as students who struggle.

http://www.upworthy.com/how-seizing-your-limitations-can-be-the-key-to-creativity

Week 8 Read and React/ Artistic Thinking

I loved the opening to chapter one.  The image of the man who believed his life was so in order but in a split second everything he that was, was no more. Perhaps he should also have a hard copy old leather planner.....  theres something to be said for real time back ups.
It is absolutely true that brain processes are emerging faster than ever....  but I want to question the assumption that it is advancement.  How do we know?  Is it these new neural pathways making this assessment or is it the old, in awe of the new?  Would it be prudent to keep both parts of our brains up and running?  What happens when we experience a technology meltdown such as the man getting into the cab, will our brains be able to fall back on other knowledge to solve a problem with out the click of a button?
        The social concerns is another layer.  Again, which brain are we looking at this with?  The old brain where social interaction is valued and understood?  Or the new.  The author expresses concern about misread social cues, or facial expressions.  Will we even notice in ten years?  Will summits happen and world leaders even meet face to face?  Is technology becoming a form of big brother?  (There are cameras just about every metropolitan area.....)
It concerns me (with my older neural pathways laid down before this digital age) that kids are becoming so virtual they do not even know how to behave in nature let alone with each other. They are rapidly developing "nature deficit disorder"  How are we going to get the future generations to care about a world they have no connection too?  Traveling through both worlds and finding a balance is a must.
     The data reported by the Kaiser Foundation study "young people eight to eighteen years of age expose their brains to eight and a half hours of digital and video sensory stimulation each day" (pg14) is somewhat disturbing.  At the expense of what?  For what?  Who is studying what they are doing in front of a screen and how it is impacting their lives/  Their health?  Their perception of the world? It is reports such as this one which sends off the warning bells about immersing education in the digital world. It is likely prudent that ethical and digital literacy issues be taught in school, but I still feel strongly that its use should be balanced by real time hands on learning, exposure to nature and interaction with each other.  The study where it illustrated how quickly one could activate new areas of the brain is fascinating but again makes me wonder if the native digital generation is NOT activating other areas which the 'immigrants" already have...  Is it beneficial to have both areas up and running? "While the brains of todays Digital Natives are wiring up for rapid fire cyber searches, the neural circuits that control the more traditional learning methods are neglected and gradually diminished.  The pathways for human interaction and communication weaken as customary one-on-one people skills atrophy" (pg. 21) I believe it is going to be especially important that as education evolves, that we the teachers continue to stimulate ALL areas of the brain.
    "Continuous partial attention" I think this is an apt term to explore, compare and contrast with the concept of multimodal learners....  the age of the multi taskers may not amount to more that "Continuous partial attention" . If some people are placing their brains into a "heightened state of stress" (pg. 18) how can this benefit a person? Especially a young person? It seems for all intensive purposes to act as an addiction. From what we saw in the documentary earlier in this course, there is evidence to support this.  Techo brain burn out seems the perfect term.
The research into where information in the brain is processed and its explanations for teen age behavior are enlightening.  Having  a 16 year old and spending time around groups of them, I notice the typical narcissism but it goes beyond that.  Its an unawareness of how what they do is impacting others.  Even tiny things.  It has stunned me at times, but now reading this article it makes complete sense.  It also worries me.  I can not imagine this behavior carrying though to their adult years.  Imagine how the inability to empathize could impact the world?
          The chapters also equate these digital natives with higher IQ's, but I am curious where creativity falls on the spectrum.  Most experts agree the creative process is not an instantaneous event but a deep drawn out process, often with veins of frustration.  DO todays digital natives have the fortitude to dive into deep long term projects?  Is this where our responsibility lies?  Designing problems and creating environment where deeper learning occurs and utilizes technology as PART of that process but is not the whole means to an end.
     The brain is clearly an incredible thing and capable of so much.  Why not use as much of it as possible?  I am assuming this class qualifies as mental aerobics.....And since I am apparently moving from dial up to high speed in axon transmission rate.... Im feeling encouraged! (for me anyway.... like the chapter says....  we don't know yet how the new neural circuitry of the digital natives will affect their aging brains....

Week 6 Inspiration board/pinterest

Well, I dont usually look to art formally for my own inspiration, but there are most definitely things I LOVE when I see them and when I look at them I cna see roots to some of my own works.  So here is a screen shot of some of those things.  I wanted the whole thing to show up but was uncertain how to make that happen....