A.T. Week 4Social Media Debate

What is your personal perspective on utilizing social networking sites (such as facebook) for education? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

I decided to weigh in prior to reading and then after for comparison sake.
I cant help but wonder at the power of social media.  It seems on one side, everyone and their brother uses it as an emotional purging dumping ground. A place to vent things which in my opinion are far too personal. It makes exhibitionists of many young people. Its a place where cyber bullying is prevalent, predators lurk and it is difficult to gage what people really mean. I see videos of kids "performing" things they should not really be putting up on a public site. It worries me that so many at such a young age are putting things about themselves online and its there forever.... I could go one but we all know this already.

On the other side.... I see glimpses of hope.  I have always told my students there is power in numbers.  Face book seems to be a place where numbers are eager and waiting to join a cause, like a link, etc. (Although I question if people really always know the deeper aspects of what they like)  After the terrible incidents in Libya/Middle East and continuing unrest due to the YouTube anti Muslim movie..... (another issue all together...ethical use of the Internet cross international boundaries....  hmmm  what about that..?..) Ive seen pop up on face book photos of Muslim people hold up signs of apology, and Americans doing the same.  (Which I HOPE are real)IT COULD be a powerful tool.... In my town Ive seen people organize benefits for others, reach out to a family with a lost pet.  There have been moments when a teen has been missing and with in an hour her picture is on Facebook and the community spreads the word and the person turns up.  Good things.

So can it be used as a educational too?  Maybe.  We have such a strong association with what Facebook has been and represents, I would be concerned that in a school setting, the temptation to "socialize" would be big. A certain consciousness is required, one that transcends the narcissistic tendencies of many of the users of Facebook. It is really a question of whether or not a group of students could maintain an ethic with in the constraint of a classroom.  (it might be interesting to use in s sociology class though.... or a psychology class???  LOLOL  there's a way to get unfriended.... ha ha ha)

OK... after I read, Ill write more.

Post Reading:

As I am reading, I am saddened and  surprised at the description of society portrayed for teens in the Brooks and Young chapter.  That is simply not the reality where I live.  But then I live in a small city.  That said, lets look at a statement on page 48 by danah m. boyd

"What does hanging out provide?  First, social and emotional reprieve-downtime as well as support and validation.  Second, potential introduction to new ideas and cultural artifacts.  Third and most importantly, hanging out is where youth learn to make sense of social norms, peer relations and status.  This is where culture is transmitted, interpreted and reproduced."

     Its absurd to me the main hang out for kids is online.  Its reinventing social norms, none of which include how to behave when you are with people.  Its all based on illusion.  It goes back to the connected yet disconnected theme.  Do we really want to buy into this ?  Maybe its cause I am older, I don't know.  It just seems to me that , YES, the way teachers teach needs to change, but jumping into technology head first feels very wrong to me.  It is our responsibility to make sure students get balance in their education. Are we really preparing them for an unknown future if they do not know how to learn any other way but electronically?  To me its akin to a 6 year old discovering a candy store and loving it and making up new candy's and only wanting candy, but as parents we know if that's all they eat it means bad news for health and so we persevere with vegetables and whole grains allowing candy if there is a balance.... 
Because kids are seemingly turning to social media for that need....  are we sure we want to further isolate them for interaction by diving deeper into a virtual world in education?  Let them hang out!

NOW, that said, I can see a private group being formed  (perhaps through Ning) to collaborate with a classroom far away.  Imagine if MySpace had remained a site for musicians and composers...I do see the benefit of such a sharing site... (I'm not a total kill joy here).  If there were strict guidelines...and elements described on page 53, Purpose, Focus, Collaboration and Moderated.  Nothing associated with "social"  . AND then with in the real time classroom, interaction is real too... THEN maybe I see a place. 

Yes... education my evolve from the dark ages.... but there are many many ways to do that, yes, technology is woven into it.... but it is only a part of it.  I revisit the idea that kids will get excited bout learning things IF they feel it has value in there life.  I think we need to becareful to think that just because they like the iPad, doesnt mean they like what they're learning on the Ipad.... 

Artistic Thinking Week 4 Skype/Screener

For your entertainment...  :)

http://screenr.com/5cQ8

Artistic Thinking, Week 4 Expeimenting with voice thread

https://voicethread.com/share/3392883/

Artistic Thinking Week Three/ Enrichment

Artistic Thinking: Week Three,  NewsWeek Article Read and Reflect

" When faculty of a major Chinese university asked Plucker to identify trends in American education, he described our focus on standardized curriculum, rote memorization, and nationalized testing. “After my answer was translated, they just started laughing out loud,” Plucker says. “They said, ‘You’re racing toward our old model. But we’re racing toward your model, as fast as we can.’”   I recall being alarmed years ago when I learned of this. I have to also chuckle at the "creativity training".  That said, it may very well be where a good deal of American education is finding itself.

     Creativity is not the property of art.  Its is inherent to LIFE.  Educators need to stop lumping that and other amazing human traits into the ARTS basket.  They say that a chain s only as strong as its weakest link.  I would venture to say that where creativity is concerned, it will only thrive as intensely in a classroom to the degree the teacher recognizes, embraces and lives it.  That is true in ALL classrooms.  There are some incredibly creative science/language arts/math/history/art teachers in the world working there proverbial tails off while there is a disproportionately lager amount who do not believe they are creative and that will be attended too in the arts.  Further, many art teachers believe they are creative when in actuality, they are not as creative as they think.

"Researchers say creativity should be taken out of the art room and put into homeroom. The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false trade-off. Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process. Scholars argue that current curriculum standards can still be met, if taught in a different way."

     Creativity is NOT a what, its a HOW.  It comes from with in.  When a teacher recognizes the creative process in a student, they nurture it.  Let it grow and inspire wonder and investigation.  So what if it deviates from the curriculum?  How many people remember what was in a curriculum 20 years later? If teachers have to use a standardized curriculum, that curriculum should serve as a jumping off point.  “When creative children have a supportive teacher—someone tolerant of unconventional answers, occasional disruptions, or detours of curiosity—they tend to excel. When they don’t, they tend to underperform and drop out of high school or don’t finish college at high rates.”

     The National Inventors Hall of Fame School is a good example of this and the project they did with their fifth graders....  The standards and curriculum become pieces to weave into larger ideas and projects. "You never see our kids saying, ‘I’ll never use this so I don’t need to learn it,’ ” says school administrator Maryann Wolowiec. “Instead, kids ask, ‘Do we have to leave school now?’ ” Two weeks ago, when the school received its results on the state’s achievement test, principal Traci Buckner was moved to tears. The raw scores indicate that, in its first year, the school has already become one of the top three schools in Akron, despite having open enrollment by lottery and 42 percent of its students living in poverty." Real life context.  Connecting learning to life.  It requires flexibility on the teachers and schools part... But isn't flexibility a trait that can serve us all for the unknown ahead of us?   There is only right now.  We can not prepare kids for a concrete future because everything changes so quickly (like the way they move through and use technology).  Perhaps in this way technology can serve them, and again I see maybe I need to examine that thought some....(for the positives of technology)

     I tell my students they should question EVERYTHING.  Question me, what they're learning, why it matters etc. Check it out.  Dig deep, and while your asking us "why?", ask yourself why you're asking.  Goes both ways....  ;)

Artistic Thinking Week 3 R&R

Artistic thinking Read and reflect.

     As I am reading the chapters for week three, I continue to feel my “not so sure” button being pressed.  Several things stand out for me that have larger implications for these ikids and their futures.  For instance, in Chapter 3 (pg 56) of Rosens’ book, a thirteen year old is quoted when explaining texting “Talking on the phone is way too intense and takes too much time.”  This sets the alarm bells off for me.  As I watch youth become more and more connected digitally with less and less depth, what makes us think using mobile devices for education is going to facilitate deep leaning?  OK, now, one might argue that if we teach them to use it that way perhaps it will flow into the social world, but I am uneasy about it.  This mobile technology is not designed for deep communication , relating or learning.  Its designed for speed.  A quick hit of something. Boom, read a fact and move on. (I do recognize its potential for depth) This is why sites like stumble upon are so popular with teens (at least from my personal observation of kids here).  Its fun to stumble upon a piece of interesting information, but in observing kids using it and asking them about it , it is rare one of them takes that topic they “stumbled up” and does further deeper research.  They’re  immediately onto the next nearly effortless thrill.

I watch my older daughter who goes to a school where there is a one to one lap top requirement . There is campus wide Internet/WIFI so they are always connected.  While using the WMD’s or participating in MVLE’S, they seem to have the same attitude towards learning they would have whether its on a computer or out of a book. My observations come back to its about creating a love of learning.  If they don't feel personally invested and connected to a topic, they aren't going to dive in to learn it, whether its on a computer, on a mobile phone or from a book. Instead, if they are not connected to content, they will text, face book, play a game etc during class. (lack of etiquette even when its been explained) Conversely....  Ive also watched my daughter sit for hours and learn garage band to experiment with music....  Id post a snippet of what she does but I'm sure Id be infringing some copy right law.....Investment in what they are learning is the key to all. 

Rosens book also points out the idea of human interactivity.  That we must accept students are multi-taskers...  While I don't disagree, why not let that manifest through interaction, let them chatter to each other as they work?  Have real face to face time?  For example (using Woodland as usual)  Our kids have tremendous freedom, they can get up and move around, talk during probably 75% of the class time, there is constant face to face chatter while working on assignments, and more times than not, it is about the assignment, and when its not, it doenst seem to matter.  Regardless, the attention remains in the room and in real time, not some virtual thing which requires them to shift landscapes quickly. 

     I have to say that with out MVLE's, I would not be in this program.  I suspect the longer I participate, the more ways I will see I might be able to integrate technology into what I do with my kids.  It certainly appeals to me as a grad student... although my eyes often sting at the end of a long screen time session....

Brainstormed WMD

I remain hesitant that WMD’s have (at least a big) place in the classroom.  Some of that may be simply because the population I work with doesn't make a big deal about it in school, maybe only half of them have a cell phone. THAT said.....  Using it as a homework device may be a different story.  The idea of a cyber-social landscape could be put into play.  They’re doing it anyway... So why not use it for homework or out side of school activities? Use that to get them doing short brainstorming ideas, or each student has a specific piece of information to report on and tweet it to the others, collect the tweets etc.....

Ironically I have been looking into the possibility of doing a pod casting class but haven't had the time to research it.... This reading in Brooks-Young has re kindled that interest and maybe even makes me think there might be a small place IN (my) school for a WMD...In fact,,,,  that might be a good final project for me to do.... Design a class around that idea....  Am I biting off more than I can chew Melissa? What do yo think?

Artist Thinking Week 3 :A little of my work and Students

Hmmm  what to post here.  As far as my own work goes I am an artist of extremes maybe?  Either really huge, or really small.  I prefer to push materials or ideas.... if someone tells me "I dont think you can do that with glass" (or anything), "I say why not?"  And find a way (or explode glass trying....) I thrive on the intensity of the process.  I sort of teach that way too.    So here are a few examples of my work... some of which you may have seen other places....


I love working with fire.  I have a studio in my basement and all my work is done in a torch.  For awhile I was just doing intricate glass beads but I soon realized I wanted to create mini environments. Since I could not work with a glory hole and other traditional equipment, I invented my own way of creating the orbs I wanted.  Many of them as large as 3 inches across.
       When I am not doing hot glass, I also love stained glass.  I taught myself that by teaching my middle school kids how and I now do that class every so often.
     I also work with Charcoal and those are quite large.  They also take a long time and often I will have a work in progress

up to a year.  (Im busy and my kids distract me too.....  sigh).  In my spare time (HA!)  I do set design for the local community theater.  These sets are from the past two winter shows, Annie (thats my other daughter as Annie in Blue) and Suessical.  Admittedly, my daughter is usually in the show so I am just being a dutiful parent....  but I love the challenge of it.

AS far as student work, I strive to give them as much creative freedom as possible while also introducing them to a wide range of media and once and awhile throw in some technique.....
 This mosiac to the left is on my classroom wall. It was a group project I did one year with grades 3-8. The larger piece to the top right here is actually my daughter Sage when she was in eighth grade working on a portrait piece. The one under hers is also an eighth grader.
The wild portrait below was completed by a fourth grader when we were working with personal narratives and expressive use of color and oil pastel.
The large charcoal drawings were done by 6-8th graders and most of them are 24 x 26.

Artist Thinking Week 2

CLASSROOM REFLECTION – Teaching & Reaching the iKid

Attribute	Relevance	Classroom Application
Which attributes are most important?	Why is this attribute relevant to the art classroom/ art education?	What are ways I could teach to or include this attribute in my classroom?
1. virtual interaction/relationship	While they may be global citizens, they often don’t know the person standing right next to them,	Create collaborative projects where team work  happens in real time with face to face communication…
2.Experimentation/imagination	They see possibility in all things and do not judge easily until the process has completed itself.	Open ended projects assignments which allow for creative freedom
3.choice	Choice nurtures ownership and investment	Multiple solutions to a problem/ choices about media and even idea.
4. instant gratification	Sometimes students are not willing to stick with the discomfort and frustration to see the creative process through.	Create projects which allow for multiple layers of “gratification” as the PROCESS progresses.  Each building on the next.
5. plugged in constantly.	I personally see this as a problem.	Un plug them….

 ReMix Manifesto Response:

EVERYTHING  comes from something else.  For me its about intention.  Creativity in general, in its purest form, to me is the free exploration of that inspiration.  The purpose of that inspiration is not exploitation.  How can one person OWN an idea.  Its a bit like the native Americans perception of land ownership... 

Creativity is inherently communal.  Nothing happens in a void (well maybe except for the big bang..... And isn't that an idea as well?). We all are a part of it we are all free to dip into the creativity pool and glean from it what we will and contribute our own unique perspective.  Like the movie sorta is.  Brilliant!  Love the big idea behind this.

Fascinating!  I had not thought of this before, writer quote and site all the time but now with the advent of technology barreling through our youth, they are making films and music like never before, even digital art, taking one image and altering it to use another.  Citing should be fine. But what about collage?  I am constantly cutting images photographed by someone by the thousands, cutting them altering them and re assembling.  Is this a violation of copy right law?

Creative culture...  Conscious creative culture.

The concept that ideas can be property is preposterous.  Nothing exists in a void and again it comes back to underlying motivation... Greed.

Wait a minute, based on copy right... Is movement copy righted?  A particular pirouette? The box step? No one could dance anymore.

I loved this film and it simultaneously made me furious, and nervous.  I would love to show this to my students but they are only middle school and they are from a small town at that.... Too much profanity :(  The ideas behind it however.... Will bubble up.

Three questions for classroom use (with my middle schoolers)

1. Can an idea be property?
2. What is the difference between copying one persons idea with a spin of your own on it, AND being inspired by someones work and responding.
3. How do you feel when some one is inspired by your idea and uses it.

NET GEN:

The advent of the  internet and technology has allowed me, as Gen X to flirt with the reality of the iKid.  It has afforded me a freedom to surf the  potentials as they do (if I dare)  How else could an old fart like me pursue a PhD from a tiny town in Northern MI?  I am in essence creating a healthy marriage of the old and the new....  Uniting the passion and potential of now with experience of then.


I agree that choice nurtures creativity.  Choice implies investment and responsibility.  Like Google and other  more progressive employers, my school allows our students’ choice in their learning. As a teacher I choose what I teach and am often engaged in personal projects which relate and over lap with what my students might be doing.  Its all connected and mutually inspiring.

I do believe personal relationships suffer in this ikid generation.  As a mother and a teacher in a small town where relationships extend well beyond the classroom, I do observe that there is indeed a narcissistic side (different that prior generations).