NDCE Top Ten

Here are my top ten ideas I have learned in NDCE:

10) Music can tell a story

I really enjoyed the music module because I have always thought that music choice says something about the listener.  For example, the music choice of some of my students terrifies me. The lyrics on some of those songs are just so appalling that I wonder what a mind that can appreciate those lyrics is capable of. I see, now, that it's not all about the lyrics. In fact, some of my favorite songs have lyrics that have absolutely no significance to my life, but I love them anyway. I may not know the technical stuff of music, but I like that you don't actually have to have a reason to like a song; it's all about how it makes you feel.

9) Architecture and experience

In comparing retail spaces, I learned a lot about what makes some architecture and interior design more compelling.  I never would have thought to notice the lighting in a subway, but now I see that it's very institutional and surprisingly uninviting!

8) Fashion is more than keeping up with trends

I tend to view fashion is a luxury that I've just don't particularly appreciate.  I've been a fashion victim for as long as I remember because I always considered myself blind to what looks good. I like bright colors, so I wear them with little consideration beyond "I like bright colors." Since the fashion module, I started asking myself why I liked certain looks and how those looks could be enhanced with a little more consideration. My color choices effect my mood, and shoe choice is not necessarily about utility. I'm still a fashion victim, but I'm starting to take note of fashion choices and which choices actually project who I am.

7) Appreciating the little things

After taking the course, I feel like I've been walking through life with blinders. If something isn't completely obvious to me I tend to overlook it. Now I see that a) I've been missing out on the little things and b) those "little things" can change everything.  I was an English major in undergrad, so I understood the way in which things are worded can change the overall meaning. Beyond words, I'm out! I didn't think about the timing of words, the audience, or the acoustics created in the room can have an effect as well!

6) Mixing nature and design

In my understanding of it, nature is that which occurs naturally, and the design is how one manipulates what occurs in nature. At the beginning of each project, my knee jerk reaction is to analyze the details that occur naturally with the experience and explain their significance. Now I see that it is much more than what occurs naturally; very small changes can make a boring experience seem exhilarating (like playing music and ordering pizza to spice up house cleaning).

5)  Office Space

I mentioned in many of my blogs that my classroom is incredibly bland.  I have a MSU flag up on the wall, some red white and blue paper covering the boards, and flag banners. It's awful. My students have always complained about it, but that particular concern always goes on the back burner because of ACT prep or report card pick-up or some other event that requires preparation.  My room is still a work in progress, but I put a free-standing globe in the corner and you would have thought I installed carousel in my room. The kids love it! They spin it and put their finger on the place they're going to travel and it's great. Who knew!

4) Making a house a home

Since taking the course, I have started to take a closer look to my surroundings, namely my apartment.  My apartment has some natural charm in the architecture. The ceilings are arched and the light in my living room has a dimmer. The light fixtures are on the sides of the walls, so it creates a warmer light. All of these things were handed to me, and I have done nothing to add my own personal touch. Since this class, I have added a piece of artwork in the entrance, a coat hook, a new gray bedset and matching pillow shams, and picture frames. Now when I come home, it feels like a safe place just for me. I never thought these details mattered, but I love how the feel of my place has completely transformed with just a few touches.

3) Video creation

I consider myself to be relatively technology savvy, but I have never created a video presentation.  Not only did I learn how to do it, but why creating a video can enhance your own understanding of the project and create a more specific and creative depiction of what I have learned. My students love to do creative projects, but I've never been able to incorporate them in class because I was not experienced enough. Now I can incorporate more creative projects in the classroom!

2) It doesn't have to be all or nothing

As I've mentioned, my living spaces have always been untouched with any artistic flare. Whenever I thought about touching up my apartment, I was instantly defeated because there was too much to do and I couldn't get started. I thought to myself, "oh I should paint," but the idea of buying all the equipment and covering my floors quickly talked me out of the project. I thought, "my bed is such an eye sore," so I would look at buying new bedroom furniture and eventually back out of the whole idea when I realized how much it would cost. Then I went to Target and bought a wall hook and some tools. I screwed the wall hooks up, put some of my favorite purses on it, and now my apartment actually feels like my space.

1) Manipulating an experience to make it better

For some reason, I have always considered myself outside of the experience.  The experience is what it is, and there's nothing I can do to change it. I had no idea how wrong I was.  People don't go out to eat because they're starving. They don't go to the movies because their tv isn't working. It's all about the experience, and those details that make the experience worthwhile.  Now I go over some of the experiences I've had or created for others, and how those experiences could have been that much better if I had done this or that. I'm excited to incorporate these few manipulations to transform a mildly entertaining experience to something you can't forget.

Fashion Imaginative Bridges

After reading about and analyzing some fashion critique, I am starting to see that fashion is more than just what color or prints are "hot right now." Fashion is more of a way for an individual to express themselves. There are all kinds of different fashion ideas and perspectives, and finding one that works for you is how "fashioning" works. To connect this to education, I know that teaching and learning is not one size fits all. Some like to listen to lectures, others prefer to work individually, some really enjoy working in groups. Although these are all very different ways of teaching and learning, it is important to note that understanding the individual learning styles in the class is important to understand when creating a curriculum. I know I am never going to have a class that collectively prefers the lecture/note-taking structure; in the same token, all students want to have a positive experience in the classroom. Just like I prefer the color pink and flip-flops, but my best friend prefers earth tones and Sketchers, understanding and respecting those differences makes all the difference.

Imaginative Bridges in Music

After reading the piece by Aaron Copland, I am starting to see music in a new way. He said in a number of ways that a a musician's goal is not necessarily to create beautiful music, but to create a work of art that the listener may interpret however he or she pleases. Music is more than just lyrics and sounds, he described it as a feeling that cannot be put into words. I have never thought of music in this way, and I can see the connection to works of art and teaching. In my teaching, I have certain skills that I am trying to get across to my students. I could stand up in front of the class and explain to them when to use a comma and when to use a semicolon, but that in and of itself will not teach them how to use punctuation. It takes a work of art to get that lesson across. I don't always know how I am going to getting certain skills across, but I do know that it takes a myriad of approaches to reach a myriad of different students.

The Music Module

I just listened to the NPR skit about Somewhere of the Rainbow and I am honestly blown away. Among the many things that go over my head, music is in the top two. I couldn't tell you why I do or do not like a song; generally speaking if it makes me want to dance I'm in. Apparently, there is a lot more to it than that! I've never been a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz (except for it's ties to capitalism v communism), but now that I understand the music and how it ties into the journey, I must say I'm hooked!

In the skit about what makes a great opening, I am starting to think about some of my favorite songs (which vary depending on my mood). It is interesting to think that after the first ten seconds, you can kind of imagine what you're in for. This makes me think about experiences in the classroom.  When I introduce a new unit I have to think about how my students can be sold on the topic. For example, I could say it's February so we're going to study Civil Rights. Or, I could say "see where you are? Take sixty years away and you would be marching in the streets trying to gain entry into a place like this." (This of course makes sense because I work in a predominantly African American neighborhood).

WOA Project Blog

After completing the work of art project, I am starting to make connections between taking an ordinary experience and making it more interesting by adding just a few adjustments. For example, I chose to focus on the experience of cleaning my apartment. Although seemingly mundane, when spiced up it can be quite the experience. It's a time to let go of all the stress from the work day and transform into "Susie Homemaker" as I like to call it. Putting on an old shirt, shorts and bandana, playing some music and letting loose all make cleaning house more than a chore. In the same token, small details can be taken into consideration in the classroom as well. The other day I had a lesson in my class, and later I thought if I had just changed the seating chart around it could have created a little more opportunity for collaboration, and ultimately the lesson would have been a bit more lively. I was never able to see the importance of the small details; I thought that something so little probably doesn't matter. I'm starting to see now that the little details make all the difference.

Work of Art Module Entry

After reading Eisner's work on aesthetics, I have tried to make the connection of these modes and how they play a part in the classroom.  Initially, I wanted to focus on a review game for my work of art module. The reason I wanted to focus on this particular lesson is because I was trying to make studying for a test more compelling by turning it into a game. I soon moved away from this topic because I wanted to think about the terms outlined by Eisner in more profound ways. With this, I chose to analyze the compelling experience of cleaning my apartment. I can easily understand how different forms are utilized in literature in an effort to make an experience more compelling (as I am an English major), but I had a harder time making a connection to other experiences like art and social science. Eisner said, "what we are able to see or hear is a product of our cultivated abilities."  To me, this means that only once we have acknowledged that an aesthetic form is present, then we are able to analyze that form and use it consciously to create an experience that is more compelling and memorable. Seeing what is not there is something I have grown to appreciate a lot in this course.  As I mentioned in the beginning, a lot of detail tends to go over my head. My apartment is empty, my classroom walls are boring, but I'm starting to understand that there is more to it than merely decoration. These details help emit feeling, mood, and overall impact of the experience itself.

Tale of Two Retail Spaces Project

It's a little bit over the time limit but I hope you enjoy!

Cubicles and open space

After reading the use of space and interior design, I'm starting to see how it can play a part in my classroom. As I've stated before, my classroom is not terribly inviting. I have a couple of posters up and an ACT word wall, and that's about it. I have put thought into the organization of desks in my room. I understand the importance of collaboration in learning and so my desks are grouped into four and are facing different directions. After the novelty has worn off, I change it up again. In reading about Chiat I started to wonder whether my desk is set up as somewhat of a private office. He is against having anything like that, as well as cubicles, and I like the sound of it. Because most educational studies is surrounded around the idea of student-based learning, my desk should be in the mix, rather than offset to the side.

Week 6

This week's reading was all about interior design. As I've said before, I have absolutely no eye for decorating. However, that doesn't mean I can't learn. My apartment is plain and without hardly any decoration and character, but I am starting to see the potential it has. In the same way, I can see that the small details and placement of objects and ideas in the classroom are just as important to consider. For example, perhaps I never noticed before that Jerry is sitting next to Shaniqua, and they dated last year and sitting them next to one another makes the experience of my class uncomfortable. I used to think these details were just drama that I did not want to consider, and that it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. However, it is attention to these kind of details that make all the difference and can change the entire experience.
My classroom itself could use a little sprucing as well. I'm one that likes clean lines and everything in it's place. The outcome of this is a very plain and empty room (but clean no less). It is not inviting, it gives very little character to the content I teach or to who I am (which I know the kids like to know). The arrangement of desks in my classroom could use another gander as well. I've made it a point to organize the desks in a way that surround the smart board. However, I have great windows that give a few of the Chicago skyline; perhaps the classroom should be centered around that. All in all I am starting to notice details in my classroom that I never paid any mind to before.

This is the video I made for the module. The setting for video is my niece's birthday.  The actual focus, or subject, of the video is my other niece, Kate.  When I set out to make the project, I was not sure what I wanted the final project to be. I knew I wanted both of the girls in the video, but I did not want the cliche'd birthday party scene.  Growing up, I was the youngest and I remembered how I often felt alone and left somewhere in the background in comparison to my sisters. Especially on a celebration like a birthday, the other sibling always feels left out. With that, I decided to focus the video on Kate.

Kate and Grace are very different from one another. When Grace is happy about something, everyone knows it. She is not one to suffer in silence and is, all in all, a very expressive little girl. This video takes place on her fifth birthday, which she has been counting down the days for the last two months. Like most kids, any day that is all about her is something she prepares for way in advance. Kate, on the other hand, is different. 

When Kate was born, she rarely smiled or made any noise (outside of crying).  She was a very late bloomer when it came to any kind of communication, and only recently has she started to speak up.  With her demeanor consistently changing, I find it very interesting to try and understand what is going on in her head.  When I look at her I can tell she's thinking, but it's hard to say what those thoughts may be. 

The video starts out with my trying to get Kate to smile. She makes some motion to let me know she realizes I'm talking to her, but stands her ground and does not smile.  The video continues with different pieces of the day, while always panning back to Kate (who is usually alone or seems deep in thought).  I tried to juxtapose video clips with her and Grace in an effort to show the contrast in overall demeanor. Grace is always running around, smiling, or playing with the dog, while Kate is completely enthralled with her little barbie doll. 

The video continues with Grace showing interest from one thing to another, while Kate maintains her composure and focuses on one thing at a time. After the clips came together, I started to realize the video was becoming fairly depressing. This was not my goal initially, but since that was how it was coming together, I decided to run with it. I chose clips that showed Kate in solitude while the action clips were focused on Grace. 

The dog played a unique element in the video because he is always trying to capture the attention of any human, whomever will pay him attention.  My thought was to make a kind of connection between the dog and Kate; the dog is much more clear about what he wants. He does not make anyone second guess what he wants, he just wants someone to play with him. Kate, on the other hand, is more solemn in what she wants, and therefore it is harder to provide that which she is trying to receive. 

In the end of the video, I chose to change the color scheme to black and white in an effort to reiterate the focus of the video: Kate. I wasn't sure how the end of the video would affect those watching, but to me it felt like Kate is wise beyond her years, and there is more to her than we can appears. I hope you enjoyed my video!

Week 4: Bridge between film and teaching

When I think about the possible connection between film and art, I think back to my favorite high school teachers, Mr. Christner. He the class as a 45 minute show set with commercial breaks (in which he would crack jokes here and there within the lecture). That always stuck with me, and I remind myself of this at times when I am teaching. There should be some level of entertainment within the educational system. People, by nature, what to be entertained. I don't think that necessarily takes away from the rigor or goal of education, if in fact the goal of education is to create new boundaries for our students to explore in their own minds. Sometimes I will catch myself being content if the kids are quiet and working. Seeing as how I teach at a high school on the west side of Chicago, these are precious moments. However, the other side of me knows that chances are they are just memorizing (at best) and will probably not make an impact on who they are as people.

Week 3: Photo Design Elements

Upon reading various materials about photography, I re-learned some ideas that I had come across in a photography class I took in high school. I remembered the importance of angle, placement, and interrupting objects (i.e. an airplane coming out of a subjects head). I took what already knew (but forgot) about photography and built on it with more compelling aspects of photos. The "Rule of Thirds" is not something I have ever heard of, but I can see how it makes a difference in filling white space and increasing the movement of the photo. The lighting is something I need much more practice with as I just bought a new camera about a week ago and have very limited experience with changing the settings. Overall, I really enjoyed the project. As I said in last week's post, I take very little notice of art in my personal life. My apartment is completely without decoration, and I've never been up to date with what is "fashionable." I usually rely on the keen eyes of my friends to tell me what looks good, otherwise I come out looking like a Raggedy Ann doll.

Photo Module Project 1-30

Here are the two photos for my module project. The idea of the photo was to convey the importance of my studies in my own life. In the first photo, I have taken a picture my laptop, textbook, and glasses atop my bed. My bed is where I complete most of my studies and so it has some significance to me. The shot is taken overhead in an effort to incorporate those objects I deem important. It gives a sense of a spatial overview of my apartment and where I spend most of my time completing my studies. The first picture is set in no particular order, with very little thought about object placement, lines or an overall consideration for aesthetics.  Although the main objects appear in the first photo, the overall appearance is unappealing and, as a result, meaningless.

The second photo is the "work of art."  I decided to zoom in on the textbook and my glasses in order to focus the subject of the photo, which is my studies. I placed the laptop behind the textbook because I feel it is secondary to my studies (since a book convey's more of a studious affection).  I placed the globe in the background purposely in order to make a loose connection between my studies and the goal of becoming more worldly.  The last object I wanted to fit into the image is a picture of my niece, Kate. The reason I incorporated the picture of Kate was to include not only the importance of my studies but of my family as well.

Week 2: Elements of Photography

Upon reading various articles about photography, I am beginning to make a connection between art and teaching. In comparing pictures because of their lighting or composition, I can see how subtle changes can make a photo much more beautiful. In relation to my classroom, I can see how Jade making a rude comment can totally change the mood, feel, and overall quality of the lesson. If I can take out the opportunity for rude comments, or explain that they are unnecessary, then the feel of the lesson would be entirely different. I like the idea that a small change can have a few impact, I just need to first be aware of it.

I am also starting to consider the composition of my classroom. I have never had an "eye" for art, and I put very little effort into the overall makeup of my classroom (and my apartment, for that matter). I'm always noticing how my friends' apartments are always so much more welcoming because they have pictures and decorations; I just never considered putting in the extra effort in my own space.