On Gill's study of the usefullness of video games

This reading proved to be quite interesting especially considering my recent dabbling in the programming software, Scratch. The study talks about how visual culture of video games influences the digital media work in a graphic design art classroom in the mid-west. The study took place in a high school classroom with mostly male students who admitted to taking the class because of their interest in video games and 3-d animation. I like the setting of the classroom. The study says the the teacher only acts as a guide or coach, rather than a Maya (the program they use for digital 3-D CG creating) expert. He allows the students to work around their own problems and learn the resource first hand. He would only give lectures/demonstrations when there was a common problem, and the solution would be beneficial to the entire group. This allows for the learning to be brought upon by the students themselves and also leaves room for peer mediation.

Some students (78%) also expressed interest in going into the field of video-game design itself which is something I found to be fascination. The connection between playing video games and learning how they are created was a prime motivation for these students to take this class. The students used the information they learn outside of the classroom to help them plan their animations, which they worked on in cooperative groups. I think facilitating groups to explore a new software is good idea because this way they can learn from one another and be assigned to different aspects of the animation.

I think this is relevant to our class for many reasons. One of these being the current project we are working on has not only to do with animation, but with an entirely new program that all of us know absolutely nothing about. I'm excited to explore Scratch in it's entirety. Hopefully I'll be able to make something really really cool. :D

My Video Remix

In this video, I had hoped to sync some comic relief with a huge issue facing this country today: Hydrofracking. Natural gas, after extracting it and separating the usable gasses from the Marcellus Shale will eventually lead to the creation of radioactive waste that is then plotted in dumps across the state. No matter how much we may rely on gas for transportation and power, I don't feel that the Earth should have to pay the price. The Marcellus is a prehistoric rock that took Mother Nature billions of years to produce. By drilling into the shale, we are interrupting it's leisure and taking it for... well, money. Not only that, but the chemicals leak into our wells and poison many farms and small town homes that are anywhere close by. Yes, this will create jobs, and yes, it will boost the economy, but the price, in my opinion is just not worth it.

Lesson Plan Response #2

                 It took my partner and I a while to think of a great idea for a lesson that only lasted 45 minutes. Nick and I knew that we wanted to base it off our "Representations of Home" presentation that we gave to the class a few weeks prior. After a meeting with our professor, he challenged us to make something 3-dimentional. We focused on the amazing art of Pepon Osorio and Gregory Crewdson and talked about how they represent a feeling of home in their works. After briefly discussing what the feeling of "home" could mean without being in a space of continuous living, we got the feeling that this would be a great idea for a lesson. By talking about what the "home" feeling is to some students, we could translate that same feeling into a different space.

My very first example, we were still working out the kinks with the sizes.

                 What we ended up making was a small 3-d box with a writing exercise that got the students' juices flowing. After briefly recapping the ideas we saw in the powerpoint presentation, I brought up the idea we wanted to use for our boxes. I was hoping for a bit more of a pre-creation discussion about the ideas and objects the students were going to use, but the class seemed pretty quiet and tired during our lesson. After realizing the questions I was asking was not sparking any interest, I looked at Nick and he immediately jumped into the lesson itself. I thought perhaps he could have rephrased the questions or gone about it differently, but what he did allotted the most time for the actual creating of the box. We then asked the students to write down some words, phrases or sentences that reminded them of their certain place. By having them write about the feeling and memories they have of this place, students easily reference their writing to make their 3-d box a bit more meaningful. While doing the lesson, we realized that we had completely forgotten to grab scrap paper for the writing prompt.. and quickly improvised by having the students use the back. It's interesting to note that Meghan pointed out how we should have had scrap paper instead because it was too distracting to have it all written on one piece of paper. As soon as Nick called the students to watch the folding demo, I immediately thought that they could have watched a demo from their desks, but he continued to give the step by step. I also noticed his assumption that everyone in the room knew how to make a “pop-up” but this was a part of my demo time and it made me a bit upset that he tried to completely skip it. When we sent students back to their desks to continue working, I walked around and made sure they were on the right track. For those who looked confused by the assignment, I tried asking questions like... “where do you feel most comfortable, if not at your house?” and “What is your favorite place to go with friends?” Mary told me that she messed up her paper, but she really just wanted to see if we had extras drawn out (which we did!) Marissa acted like a distraught student who did not like being at her house. I used some of the previously stated questions with her to which she answered each one with a shrug. After a while she wasn't giving me anything to work with so I told her, “if it's that hard, take some extra time to think about it, maybe next time you see your friends you will know.”

Rachel D's example! Great job, Rach!

I think the lesson itself went pretty well. We carefully decided who was going to say what, and although the roles were not as clean cut as the lesson we did at our fieldwork, I still think it was equal on paper. With that being said, it was still difficult for me to get a word in. What I wanted or planned to say was often already being explained by my partner which made my role during the lesson a bit uncertain. He sometimes interrupted my thoughts and kept going off in another direction than I had already planed. I know this is not really his fault, but our teaching styles are too different which makes it hard to teach in pairs. I figure when it comes time to student teach, I should be able to really take control of my classroom (or let's hope).

Tim Lefens Visit

I took Art for the Exceptional Child last semester, and it was here that I learned about the great things that Tim Lefens was doing. I know they had a hard time getting him to come but it finally happened and was a really enjoyable lecture to listen to. He was a very personable speaker and brought a great sense of energy to the podium. Some of the stories he told were really funny which made it easy to pay attention and take something useful from it all.

He began by explaining what inspired him to do art. The notion of limitlessness was his main aspiartaion. He quoted DiVinci saying "Body and spirit cohabitate against our wills, the body longs for the Earth, the spirit longs for the sky." I think by starting with this, we really know where his art comes from. He said that artist find real art only after letting go of themselves. I think this is so true, he was right in saying that not all fine art is good art.. only those artist who completely lose themselves in what they are doing, have potential to really impact viewers. He said that real art exceeds among the plateau, where there is a feeling of equality among artists, and strives to  ascend beyond that physical level. The best art speaks to the viewer... it hits home and evokes a strong sense of emotion. I agree with him fully on this idea. I'd like to think that some of my artwork does that for someone.
Lefens' belief that the conceptual aspects of art is not as important as the emotion that it evokes. If art has to be explained, it cannot be as powerful as just looking and knowing. For the making of it all, if it is planned it cant be as strong as losing oneself in the art-making and therefore making that ascend beyond the averages.

After religiously being taught to think of a "Big Idea" within my curriculum, I find Lefens' ideas are constrastive. The lessons we create start with a concept as to allow our students to create something with more meaning. But though students might not particularly grasp this idea, I feel like
 it may not be necessary for them to lose themselves within the making of the work. They want to do what is right, and what we, as teachers are looking for. Following a concept may or may not lead them into the art-making that Tim Lefens deems most note-worthy. In my own art-making, I try hard to think of a conceptual idea often, but sometimes... it just has to look nice. I might end up making something with no higher value to it, but it was the process of making that moved me most and if i like the result product, than it is deemed worthy of my own standards. So much attention is placed on being conceptual, especially at this school... but it is not the only way to produce something with meaning. It is, however a good way to motivate students to make something more meaningful which can result in the artist "losing themselves" in the art-making.


"If someone has to tell you it's art... it's not art."

Lesson Plan Ideas/Reflection

My partner, Nick and I have been trying to conjure an idea based off our "Representations of Home" presentation that we gave to our class a few weeks ago. We focused on the amazing art of Pepon Osorio and Gregory Crewdson and talked about how they represent a feeling of home in their works. Osorio usually uses concepts linked to nationality and feelings of displacement. Whether this be having to live in a culture different from one's own, or having to move out due to a fire... his themes of displacement can be reckoned (as seen below in "Tina's House").

Pepon Osorio's "Tina's House"

On the other hand, Gregory Crewdon's work has a dramatic and cinematic view of everyday American small towns. He photographs images on a huge large-scale set that he plans out very carefully to capture the desired image.

Gregory Crewdon's "Ophelia"

 
After briefly discussing what the feeling of "home" could mean without being in a space of continuous living, we got the feeling that this would be a great idea for a lesson. By talking about what the "home" feeling is to some students, we could translate that same feeling into a different space.
We were originally going to use a mixed media/collage/drawing on a flat sheet of paper... but this idea was pretty lame and after discussing it with our teacher, he challenged us to make it 3-d. What we ended up making was a small 3-d box with a writing exercise that got the students' juices flowing. By having them write about the feeling and memories they have of this place, students can easily reference their writing to compose a meaningful 3-d box. It was really hard to think of something that could be done in 45 minutes, but in the end, the students really had fun with it.

Here is Rachel D.'s example...

I even enjoyed making the teacher examples, which is always a good sign.

I think the lesson itself went pretty well. Though Nick and I planned what each of us was gonna say, I found myself unable to get a word in. After I finished what I was explaining, Nick would take over and just kinda keep talking. I know this isn't really his fault... and it wasn't on purpose... but our teaching styles are just too different which makes it hard to teach in pairs. I figure when it comes time to student teach, I should be able to really take control of my classroom (or let's hope).

Popplet Outline for my Narrative