Webquest Idea

My webquest idea is to have students combine science and art by making 3-D images. You need to know how the eyes work in order to properly make a 3-D image students will learn this and will also learn how to make 3-D glasses. These 3-D glasses will be used as a tool to make their 3-D artwork. I want student to explore the difference between 2-D and 3-D and how to bridge the gap between these two different dimensions of art. Students will be asked to use net art applications like neave.com and flikr.com and also computer programs such as photoshop.
In my teaching philosophy I mention I want students to think about art and functionality and how they can be interchanged, these 3-D images function as both art and science. I also mention in my philosophy that I want students to find beauty in unexpected places and with this project students have to take photos of things that represent them which may make them think a little bit deeper about the world around them.

3 Real World Examples of Net Art

1. Rotoball (Rotoball is a website that involves a group of students. One student is given they have 15 seconds to transform the ball into anything then it is passed to the next person.)
                 The technology that is used is used to get students creative and quick thinking since they only have 15 seconds to change the ball.
                 The technology helps students to loosen up and help to get their brains thinking creatively.
                In the future i would use this website as an exercise before class to help students thinking fast and creatively.


2. Diigo.com (We used this sticky note website in Art Ed 322 to help keep everyone connnected even when we were out of class)
                 This technology helps to keep students connected and organized.
                 In the future I would use this website to help students keep up with deadline and perhaps artwork critiques that we do not have time to cover in class.

3. Using Webquests in Art Ed by Samantha Melvin
       Samantha just took a PBS class, where she discovered a new way to approach a lesson. She has connected her big ideas in the Art Education classroom with an online webquest called Freedom Thoughout the Ages. This webquest focuses on artists that demonstrate freedom through their art work.
www.freedomthroughtheages.weebly.com
               This technology can be used to help teach students in a more exciting, more accessible way and lessen the authority teacher vs submissive student dynamic that is sometimes present in the classroom.
                    I would use this technology in the future to help my students learn more outside of the classrooom or in a technology based classroom.

Artwork in Response to Uganda

The Long Reach, Tiffany Henchenski, 2010

The above image represents America, how I see it. I think America is beautiful and ecletic but I think Americans sometimes focus on the wrong things. The Ipod represents America infatuation with luxury items and the "good" things in life. The words "it is greener here" represents the state of mind that Americans have, many think if I have this new gadget, if I have this, if I have that my life will be better. The human hand that says lost is in between two hands that read want and need. The hand represents Americans. We strive for this better technology, this better life, and sometimes ignore the natural beauty around us

Response To Uganda

The following was my response to one of the Ugandan students we are collaborating with:



 Tusasirane Ambrose,

America has alot of positives and negatives. There are alot of talented people in the USA but I would not say we are all geniuses. Most Americans try very hard not to be discriminative but there are alot of examples of discrimination not just towards race but towards gender, age, body size, sexual orientation, and alternative lifestyles. I would not say that blacks are not appreciated unless talented, Americans work on a basis of proving yourself, if you want to be recognized you have to do something that merits that. If I want to be recognized as an artist I have to present myself as one, I must do art and maybe sell my work or study art or try and get my work into a gallery/ museum. No one is automatically deemed important until they prove that they are. No one is barred from doing what they want to do here, if you want to ride a train you pay your fare and go. There are opportunities for artists here but there is alot of competition to get you work recognized and put into a gallery or to get funding for projects. If you love art and want to be and artist then America can't hurt your chances in any way. I love living in America and i would suggest a visit to everyone. Like all countries there are bad points and good points to America. The US is definitely not Utopia but its not a horrible place either.

Uganda: Perceptions and Questions

I do not know much about Uganda. I know it is located in Africa but other than that I am not familiar with its history or its culture.  I'd love to know more about Uganda and I'm really excited to be working with you all. What is Uganda like culturally? Is there any food or music that is unique to Uganda? What do you do for fun?

Objects that Represent

     My object is a culmination of two ring-like objects. The first is smaller and is worn around my waist. It is a nice dark pink. I choose dark pink because it is one of my favorite colors. This first ring represents myself; it represents my actions and my beliefs, the things I know and the things I say. The second ring represents my students it is much larger than myself, it glows brightly and surrounds me. The ring is a reflection of myself and yet it could stand on its own it does not need me to wear it. They are both rings because similarities, my students and I will share innate things like where we live, where we go to school, the fact that we are living, thinking and breathing. They however differ in size and color because of the differences we will have, like things we think and life choices we make.

                               A snapshot of my object on Second Life. Courtesy of Kimberly Kerchusky

World of Female Avatars: Net Art and its Perks

            The Net art that I will be interpreting and critiquing is titled “World of Female Avatars”. This particular piece of artwork deals with thoughts that women have about their body, whether that be about how beautiful they feel or how much control they feel they have in everyday life. When you first arrive at the site,  “World of Female Avatars” is spelled out at the top of the page in caps and the color pink. Next you see floating pink circles drifting slowly downward. These circles represent a woman’s thoughts. If you click on one it will display a thought written by a women about her body.

            The use of the Internet is powerful with this particular piece of work because of the secret nature of the Internet. Women can view this work from their homes and not worry about who is viewing them while they view the work. They can relate to the thoughts that other women have written down and are sharing anonymously about their bodies. Also the Internet is available to many people at once. A larger audience is able to view the work at one time rather than a select few at a gallery. If this site was projected up on a wall in a gallery however, it may have a very different feel than it does when you view it here on the internet. When projected on an entire wall it may give these women more of a voice because it is more of a statement than the online counterpart.

            What is interesting about this work is that it is dynamic and interactive. Women from around the world can submit a statement about how they feel about themselves and if you choose the right pink circle you can see these statements. The site is always changing and being updated by newcomers making it dynamic. The fact that you yourself can submit a thought and the fact that you can click on the pink circles makes it very interactive and collaborative.

            Since the artwork is constantly moving and not static, I would have to note that it is a nonlinear piece of net art. The circles and text are defined by lines but the piece as a whole I would consider to be nonlinear.

            This artwork is based on the concepts of women, sexuality, objectification, body image and self esteem. The use of pink for the title “World of Female Avatars” and the circles on which you click is very symbolic of the female gender. The images that come up with the statement from those who have contributed also have to do with the female in today’s society; some of these images include dolls, females with wings, artworks with the female body, etc.

            I personally think this website is great for what it brings to the table socially.. Perhaps this website will help a woman to start a dialogue with herself about why she does not feel comfortable in her own body or why she loves her body so much. I like the fact that this is women relating to other women. A woman can view this and find comfort in it. I think it works well as a therapy, revealing how you feel to yourself and maybe having the courage to change if you are unhappy.   

Avatars: Barbie for the 21st century

       Avatars are a crucial part of online communities such as Second Life. Without avatars it would be hard to take part and interact with not only the other avatars in Second Life but also the objects in Second Life. If you did not have an avatar you could not sit, or stand or fly on the objects that exist in Second Life. With that said I do not think avatars play any bigger of a role than a doll that you would play with in reality. You dress your avatar, put make up on your avatar, create your avatar to meet your aesthetics. The same concept of master and puppet goes for the movement and where you walk your avatar to and the situations you create for your avatar. Second Life, I feel, is like a new version of playing with Barbie dolls. You set the stage, you arrange where you want certain things to go, you move your avatar and you dress your avatar. You chose what your avatar is saying and doing and most of the situations that happen on Second Life are based off of real life situations. You sit in a chair, you can view artwork, and you can make your avatar visit other worlds just like you made Barbie go to China when you were younger.

My Start Up Avatar

I do not think Second Life frees us from social issues or could help with social issues. The first reason is because Second Life is an escape, it is a new imagined world and people cannot connect this imagined world with the real world. Anything is possible in Second Life, your avatar can be half animal half human, it can fly, it can do great things that we cannot do in the real world making it not real and inherently not something most people can apply to reality. The second reason why Second Life cannot help with social issues is because it uses a money system and I feel like when people view this money system they inherently think that more is better and if you have more money on Second Life you automatically have a better avatar or a better account, when really you have the same avatar as everyone else your account just has money tied to it. With a money system in place it is hard to extinguish this idea of socioeconomic class, the more money your avatar has the higher the class it is part of. The third reason I do not think it will help with social issues is because you know that the person with the half gargoyle half zebra avatar is still a person, you accept the fact that the person has decided to be this action figure today but you still accept the fact that this is a human you are communicating to. It may be easier to become friends with this person because you do not have a physical barrier, you do not have to worry about what you look like, if this person is judging your physical attributes. But lets say you have a hatred of a group of people that your new Second Life friend identifies themselves with just because you are friends with them online does not mean you will recognize this friendship in reality. And just because you are friends with this select person it does not mean you will automatically let go of your beliefs about the people he identifies with. Second Life also does not give us the ability to make our person have a disability, such as being in a wheel chair, being an amputee, being someone who is significantly obese and even if it did give us this option for someone who is not disabled making our avatar have a disability does not have the same effect as if we physically experienced this disability.

I dressed my avatar in some sweet red pants.

Seeing as I do not think avatars address any social issue, I do not think I could make a lesson plan that involves that type of criteria but I do think avatars can lead to a creative outlook on functionality and body parts. I would have students think about the advantages of having frog legs versus human legs the advantages of having wings and so on. I would then have them create their perfect enhanced body on a piece of paper first and then translate that into an avatar on second life. I think this lesson would open doors for creative thinking about perhaps engineering certain equipment that would help the population physically.

My avatar was not showing up so this is a snapshot of my ghost avatar.

As a teacher in an increasingly technology based world, I would like to think creatively but also realistically. I want my students to be aware of reality, of real social issues and how these issues can be changed using technology but also by being a physical force. I want them to be aware of how making something visual can be more powerful than having to rely on auditory communication.  I want them to be able to think creatively about problems and how to solve these problems and not rest on what others tell them. If my students can do this and I can see these landmarks of thought then I know I am succeeding as a teacher.

Visual Metaphor: My Teaching Philosophy Animated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R87KSBu7mfI

     The following URL leads to an animated video of an apple rotting and coming back to life as apple juice. I chose the symbol of the apple because it represents knowledge, learning and more specifically an idea. The apple in the animation represents how my future students think about art, beauty and functionality. Before they enter the classroom they have this idea of what is and what is not art, they have this idea about beauty and functionality.  The apple rotting represents the effects I hope my teaching has on these specific ideas. I hope to introduce them to new things, different works of art and different mediums, new concepts and ideas that are outside of the mold. As a teacher I would hope these new ideas could break down what they know and open up a world of creative and critical thinking. The water that is spilling on the rotting apple represents my students' own power to take an idea and make it more, refresh and replenish the idea. And the ending scene where the apple juice bottle appears where the apple once stood represents the finishing of an idea. I chose the bottle because a bottle can always be refllled it can always be used for something else and can take on a whole new life which is what I would like my students art and their lives to do. I want my students to know that if they are not happy with their current contents it can be spilled out and filled with something newer and something better. If they are unhappy with themselves they can turn themselves into something new, like an apple into apple juice or a bottle recycled into something else.

      The above paragraph is the visual metaphor that I would like to get across as a whole though the animation but there are specific parts of the animation that represent the five things I want my students to take away from my teaching that I wrote in the previous blog. I have an explanation of which part of the animation represents which of the five things below.

1. Life is what you make it, if you want to be happy then do what makes you happy.
      The symbolic process of the apple turning into the bottle of apple juice represented this idea for me. If you are not happy with you're current state it can always be altered.

2. Everything is beautiful, you may have to look closer at some things, beauty can scream and beauty can whisper and you should pay attention to both.
      I think the apple rotting and transforming is a beautiful thing. Whatever you take from the animation, whether the colors or concept are both inherently beautiful just in different ways.

3. Think creatively about functionality and art and how they can be interchanged and how they can inspire each other.
      The apple inspired the apple juice, without the apple you would not have the juice. On a surface level apple juice lasts longer than a picked apple making it more functional but also a creative idea someone had.

4. Art is always changing and one single idea is not a bad idea it may just need to be expanded. Do not doubt yourself but do not settle either, think of ways that idea can make a bigger impact.
     The apple is singular where apple juice has many parts and maybe more advantages than the apple itself.

5. Art can give you a stronger voice. Art can help you find your voice if you have lost it.
     You can always take something small and make it bigger such as an apple into a bottle of apple juice. 



   This idea about my teaching philosophy has brought me to think about incorporating my philosophy with the interfaces discussed in my first blog. I think VoiceThread would be a great interface to help my students find their artistic voice. VoiceThread forces students to collaborate with others through doodling and talking. As  the teacher I would make these doodles have more weight so students can make a collaborative piece of art while still thinking of what they are trying to get across visually, and metaphorically. The tool iStopmotion would also be a great interface to use in order to communicate an idea, there could be a discussion about the functionality of animation to communicate this idea and how would different audiences receive and interpret the film. We could also discuss how taking a singular idea and turning it into an animation can make a bigger impact on consumers and help them to visually vocalize their ideas.

2020 Vision: Art, Life and Teaching Philosophy

What are five things that are really important that you hope your students learn from you as a teacher in 2020?


As I contemplate this question and my teaching philosophy in general I can't imagine not teaching life lessons as well as art lessons and the connection between life and art.

Five Things, The Basis of My Philosophy:
1. Life is what you make it, if you want to be happy then do what makes you happy.
2. Everything is beautiful, you may have to look closer at some things, beauty can scream and beauty can whisper and you should pay attention to both.
3. Think creatively about functionality and art and how they can be interchanged and how they can inspire each other.
4. Art is always changing and one single idea is not a bad idea it may just need to be expanded. Do not doubt yourself but do not settle either, think of ways that idea can make a bigger impact.
5. Art can give you a stronger voice. Art can help you find your voice if you have lost it.

Art Education + Technology = A Creative Future

 
      A Pedagogy for Original Synners is an article written about the future of teaching and the role technology will have on teaching. The authors, Anderson and Balsamo, believe that the classroom will take on a virtual reality, science fiction setting. Students will have technology strapped to their bodies and communicate through brain waves so instead of saying what they think, they just think it and it is sent to the teacher. The article is written creatively but also helps the reader to start thinking critically about the future of education. The article makes valid points about how learning may soon be based entirely on how you retrieve information and think critically about that information. The article also argues that students will become more socially aware because of the nature of technology and its ability to help people communicate from around the globe.

      This talk about future students and teaching had me wondering about the future of art education. I still hold that reality based art has more of an impact and is more visceral then that of art created virtually but with the growing reliance on technology and the fascination with technology based creation has led me to think about different ways art students can create. Different interfaces such as iBrush and Easel help to make traditional art by mimicking the tools and motions of traditional drawing and painting but also add in a element of digital photography. Other interfaces such as Frig Magnets and Voice Thread are interfaces that would allow communication and artful collaboration between people all across the planet. In Voice Thread specifically you can communicate through doodling and talking. iSTOPmotion and other animation programs would be able to communicate a students ideas through moving images instead of one solitary image. All of these interfaces are great tools for students to visually communicate what they want. As a teacher it is important to utilize these as tools and design lessons that combine these tools, ideas of aesthetics and critical thinking about a subject. The iSTOPmotion program would be a good tool to use in connection with identity, have students animate what they like, what they feel and what is their identity.

Sources: Anderson, S., & Balsamo, A. (2008). A pedagogy for original synners. In T. McPherson (Ed.), Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (pp. 241-259). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.