Days past & Curriculi

Like Elizabeth I thought it best to use the ASSURE model to tighten up the lesson planning for my digital narrative project.

Analyze Learners
For this lesson I selected college students with a focus on art as my target audience. I expect these students to competently analyze, critique, and discuss ideas about visual aesthetics, and artistic concepts.

State Objectives
Students will be able to discuss the use of symbols and references to iconography in art. Also students will be able to display an understanding of allegory and parable generally and as it relates to art.

Select Instructional Methods, Media and Materials
I will us a roundtable discussion methodology, a symbol dictionary, slides of historical uses of symbols in art.

Utilize Media and Materials
Start by defining the topics and terms at hand. Watch the narrative video and keep track at the different types of symbol and possible allegories that could be found.

Require Learner Participation
Have students participate in conversation regarding the presentation. Provide examples and meaning using the symbol dictionary, or have the class reflect and review the types of symbol and meaning that could be used in there own artwork.

Evaluate and Revise
I used the Understanding by Design evaluation flow to organize my thoughts on reviewing and revising this lesson plan; below are my results.

Teacher:
1.Were you able to fit in all of the planned segements of the lesson?
2.Was the session focused on the objective? Was I able to adjust appropriately while staying in scope?
3.Was I able to teach or was I simply managing the classroom?
4.Was I forced to focus on specific students due to any circumstances created by the activity. Planed or unplanned?

Student:
1.Verbal quiz before and/or after?
2.Are students able to accurately use vocabulary that pertains to iconography and symbol usage in art?
3. Were students able to understand techniques and use them effectively?
5.Did students learn and retain information about symbol, allegory and artists discussed.
6. Will students take these ideas and apply them to their own work?

Activity:
1.How long were students engaged with the activity? Was their excitement or boredom?
2.Was it a relatively balanced activity across the student body?
3.In the end, did the activity teach to the objective?

Day #10-ish: Ich habe um einen Fotoladen gelernt

I love learning new stuff, it truely is part of being a self proclaimed nerd. On top of learning I really love learning new thing about something I already know a little about. Today that was Photoshop (or Fotoladen as I often call it (not really (but sometimes)). I forget all of the things that can be done in the program, it also seems so great to get a refreasher on a tool that you may often think you know how to use. I have posted my instructions on my blog. Can others do the same, as I want to know how to remove more bubble gum from the sidewalk?

Photomerging tool from About.com

Using Photomerge to Create Panoramas in Photoshop CS

This is the tip I will be sharing in class today. It is a simple but under utilized tool in Photoshop. Many people are even unaware of it since it was only added in CS and they go about mearging photos in the old fashioned way.

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Previously introduced in Photoshop Elements, the Photomerge features has been brought over to Photoshop CS and enhanced to accommodate much larger images. Photomerge automatically arranges and seamlessly combines multiple images to create a panorama. Photomerge can be accessed from the Automate menu of the File Browser, or from the File > Automate submenu in the main Photoshop menu bar.The first thing I did with Photoshop CS was use Photomerge to combine 11 images shot in two rows with five across the bottom row and four across the top. Photoshop CS had no problem automatically arranging all 11 of my images for a seamless merge. However, if you do encounter a situation where Photoshop can’t place all the images automatically, you need only drop them close to where they belong, and Photoshop will snap them into place.

Once your images are arranged, the Photomerge dialog offers several tools to refine the composition. Along the left side there are tools to rotate, zoom, pan, and set the vanishing point. You can choose to have Photoshop perform a normal merge or apply perspective correction. When perspective correction is enabled, you can also choose to apply cylindrical mapping, which reduces the “bow-tie” effect often caused by perspective correction.

The advanced blending option makes transition areas as smooth as possible by blending across a wider area where there is less detail and across a smaller area where there is more detail.

As you adjust the settings, you can preview the results in the workspace. At any time you can save your progress as a Photomerge Composition File with a *.pmg extension. This way you can reopen the composition and work with it more from the point where you left off.

Once you’re pleased with your composition, you will want to go ahead and let Photoshop create the merge. Expect it to take some time to process if you’re merging more than a few very large images. The status bar will show you the progress.

Normally, Photoshop will combine, blend, and flatten the layers, leaving you with a completed panorama. If you prefer, you can check the “Keep as Layers” box to have Photoshop arrange the images into layers and let you perform the blending yourself. Unfortunately, you can’t use “Advanced Blending” and “Keep as Layers” together. Generally, I prefer to let Photoshop do the blending. This sometimes leaves some uneven areas which may need to be corrected, but it is usually less work than doing all the blending manually.

For best results when shooting pictures for a Photomerge, follow these tips:

Use a tripod, and ensure that it is level before shooting.

If you can’t use a tripod, lock your arms and legs and pivot your torso to capture all the shots.

Line up the markings in your optical viewfinder with the horizon to help you keep your shots aligned when you don’t have a tripod. (Tip submitted by Harald)

Capture between 20 to 30 percent overlap between images.

Avoid scenes with moving objects in them.

Correct for any significant color and exposure differences in the shots before merging.

If your camera offers a panorama shooting mode, then by all means, use it!

(Link)

Constructing & Experimenting – Day #8?

I have little to say this week but it was important to acknowledge that I really appreciated the the two presentations this week. The ideas of constructivism and experiential learning are fundamental to many of the techniques art teachers use on a daily basis.

I especially enjoyed hearing more about constructivism as I have believed this was a primary way in which people learn and retain information. Some of the questions I now wonder are:

1. Is informal (especially self-taught or on-the-job) learning more likely to be constructivist?

2. Is their diffinative reseacrh that proves the effectiveness of this style of learning. That is also to ask if there their are assessment tools that individual teachers can use for themselves?

I am sure these questions are basic and probably boil down to my own ignorance but I have looked for these answers twice on the Internet to no avail. Does anyone have a good link with more information on these items?

As for the technology portion of last class – thank you Heather. I am feeling much more comfortable about the narrative project and am confident that my classmates are feeling more confident as well. I am excited to learn others tips and tricks next class.

Multi-intelligentsia and the Path to Greatness

Imagine your 20 years old, you walk into the tutoring center and one of the foremost psychoanalysts of the 20th century is your instructor. How do this happen? Howard Gardner did it with Erik Erikson. So here is my question. There are smart people in the world, right? No one is denying it, but how do they choose specializations? How do they become great?

I know, I know… I’m off chasing some rabbit – but here is my thinking. Did you choose to become an educator or did inertia choose that path for you? Did Erikson show Gardner a door he could not resist walking through, or was Gardner convinced that he was smart and could master any field, he saw the renown of Erikson and considered the possibility that the universe had presented him an opportunity to become great as well?

I keep asking myself why I am becoming an educator. As part of my career I have always trained people and I feel that I have become strong at working with adults, especially older adults that don’t typically care to understand the process, but simply want to reap the results of technology. At some point I felt the need to combine this skill with my passion for learning about art. That has always lead me to think that I have found myself here via inertia. Is that some how better or worse? I am not sure but it does make me feel more comfortable knowing that someone previously has found their calling and found “success” by stepping into a path presented to them by inertia.

Okay, okay – I’ll get back on track.

This week Elizabeth and I presented our introduction to Howard Garder’s multiple intelligences. The subject matter was great to research, it is a perfect match for our program (and I should probably have already have known this stuff). I really enjoyed the discussion of our individual types, though I must admit I was hoping someone would secretly turn-out to be an analytical learner. I have considered Heather’s question of “Does society value certain types of learners more then others?” and though I know we do, I am really not sure how much we might value (or not) certain types. For instance: Do we really value kinesthetic learners, like football players; or musical, as in rock stars? Is there really a learning type we don’t value in some way? Perhaps Intrapersonal learners are less respected in our culture?

Learning Styles

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learning/readytolearn/thinker_quiz/

Please click on the link above when asked to take the test in our Multiple Intellegences lesson.

Thank You,
Elizabeth and Nathan

Day #7 – Learn’n & Prep’n & Question’n

This past Thursday Elizabeth and I got together to prepare our learning theory presentation on Howard Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences and I must say I am amazed at how in integrated in popular knowledge this idea has become in such a short period of time. Frames of Mind his book that introduced the foundation for the idea of multiple intelligences was originally printed in 1983. I was thinking about it and I think the first time I was formally introduced to the idea in Psych I in 1994, which means this idea went from unknown concept to one of the leading theories in thinking in under a decade? If the abstract expressionists had been so lucky.

Which brings me to another question I have been pondering. Is culture a top-down phenomenon? That is to ask – Are academics, and societal leaders sitting around determining how society should be molded? They send out a decries, and modify their friends business models to make sure that the masses have no choice but to take part in the appropriate choices? Or is this some crazy conspiracy theory, does culture still shift naturally without the influence of the rich and powerful?

Lastly, what do we all need to learn to be able to make our digital narrative pieces? I could use a video reminder session. I movie would be fine. Also as I have said previously I have no idea about audio but I am trying to figure out Garage Band and it seems fairly straight forward. Thoughts anyone?

Field Trip & Day #6

This week was crazy for all of us, so now I am a blog entry behind. I will try to make up for that a little this week. Are you ready?

Last Week – Art & Media House:

So I had been to the gallery of the LAYC’s Art & Media House once previously, but I did not recognize the expansiveness of the facilities or programming. It is wonderful to see art-centered activities happening for the youth in our community. I would have loved a program like this as a teenager, but instead all I had was time to get in trouble. I was most impressed with the quality of production value, and how the organization attempts to provide tools that give students skills, which are valued after their school experience. Our time there was valuable as well, as it provided good models for our upcoming digital narrative project. Before the trip I thought I had an understanding of digital narratives, afterwards I had a better understanding about the technical differences between this style of narrative and a video. The details about filming and the South by Southwest example were also very strong and provided a significant amount of information regarding the issues that we need to consider when creating our own visual work. Lastly, there is something so good about learning something outside of the classroom; it is not that I don’t learn in a class, there is simply a freshness about learning in a different space.

This Week – Back in the saddle:

Behavioral – I have to say some of this is still a little fuzzy. I think the general ideas we are discussing, but I don’t understand how a half-century of psychology would disregard individual cognition or perhaps even free will. Classical and operant conditioning make sense in theory, and I am confident that psychologist have a firm understanding of this conditioning occurs but it seems odd to me that from a behavioralist perspective they would not consider all of the other factors that go into that type of punishment or reinforcement for them to be successful. Again perhaps this is simply my novice understanding of the idea, also my understanding is that there are not too many pure behavioral scientists running around in the postmodern psychological world.

Freedman – I feel that the book itself gets better each week, or as my understandings of the concepts expand. I really like her perspective and the way she would describe and idea synchronizes well in my mind. I did particularly like the Conceptual Forms table (p.39) I feel it brings some insight into your teaching style and perhaps where you see your art going from an artist’s perspective. I of course also like the discussion on aesthetics; this is something I think about daily. I often wonder what and why we find things visually intriguing; currently I am on a huge Jessica Stockholder kick. I cannot stop asking myself why her art is considered “good”. Most of all I cannot figure out why I like looking at her work. Her work holds it’s on stylistically, and historically. I believe she is a formalist at heart; talking of her work in form, volume, depth, color, and line. However there is something some much more fresh about her work then a large abstract painting (though I know in my mind it isn’t really much different). How can this be, and how is it allowed in our world, where the currently approved aesthetic for fine art is about shock/awe, or is gross to the extent you no longer care to even look?

Thoughts?

Day #4 and Going Strong –

I am sure that I should be opening my blog entry with content and not fluff but I cannot resist. So here we go – Does this class seem to fly by for all of you? I just feel the first half of a workday is about three times as long as the first half of my day when in this class.

As for today’s class (Power Point Style):

• In hindsight I really liked the Freedman reading:
  • I agree that the material is somewhat challenging, but that is also what makes it solid.
  • Through the discussion and the questions I feel like we were all able to grasp the material and talk about it intelligently with one another. What more could we ask for?
  • The three items that most interested me:
    • The concept that members of the “art world” should easily understand this thing we call art. Especially including the Fred Tomaselli story. (p65)
    • I like the Expert-Novice developmental model as an idea to consider when educating adults. After considering the stage-by-age model I would believe that in reality most people develop in some combination of the two methods.(p72)
    • Lastly I love that Rosenberg coined the phrase “craft plus inspiration” which is what I received a lot of in public school. (p73)

• The Short Term Memory Test was a great way to break up the class and introduce to issues with observers of Slide Presentations.
• The Power Point Activity was a little concerning, I think about if I was going to do someone else’s taxes for instance. I would want training of some kind, or a instructional manual for guidance, but as we saw in the presentations today. Some people apparently believe they can design and attempt to inform audiences in what ever way they desire. Though obviously they will fail. This does bring forward the question, even after this course, and our degree, are we truly qualified to present information in this way? I have been leading the presentations off and on for a few years and I am still slightly hesitant to go out there before some good presentation editors have taken a look at my materials. I think we should all have these methods of quality control.
• The End.

3rd and long – Must convert

Our last meeting was exceptionally interesting. Afterwards, I suggested to my wife that all artists should be required to take some coursework on IP and copyright law. The debate definitely creates a sense of responsibility for users of information, which could lead to fewer violations of copyright protection. It was great to have a third-party come and discuss the issues and ideas around copyright. Also I found the documents and checklist most useful.
Since our last meeting, I have thought mostly about the Found Art assignment that was due during this class period. It seems to connect with me directly as contemporary artists. The point that I can’t seem to drop is outside of this context and/or perhaps outside of the digital format I would not have considered many of these uses offensive in regards to copyright. However in this context, with this type of examination, I felt like we were all somewhat susceptible to litigation for breaking copyright law. I feel that Bridget’s Duchampian piece is a good example. She used an image that is recognizable, which likely means that she has used “ the heart” of the piece and generated something new with it. But of course she would used the heart of it, as an artist, she would be looking to communicate something intriguing, provoking. Why else would an artist sample someone else’s image? With that said the image is significantly different from an aesthetic perspective. The image was cropped, zoomed in, moved to the right and placed in front of a new environment. For all I know she is making fun of the space behind the Mona Lisa as some sort of parody. Which could bring to mind, what is parody really? Does that mean it’s funny? If a judge didn’t find something I made in parody funny could he convict me? I seem to have more questions then answers still.
Lastly I liked the Creative Commons information. I shared it with several people over the weekend that use videos and music for their art. It really coincidences well with the open source movement.