Synthesis Post

In reflecting on the work from this semester for this class, I went back and read all the posts I had made in my blog. I started seeing phrases that summed up more than just what I was writing about at the time.  They seemed to sum up the whole semester and the whole idea of nature and design of compelling experiences.  Here are the phrases I pulled out of my previous posts and why I chose those phrases. 

1. Realizations - this seems like it doesnt mean anything, but I feel that realizing what is compelling takes practice. realizing things only happens through awareness, and to be aware of something you have to have some knowledge of the thing in the first place.  For example, if you saw a white rabbit in the backyard, you might say 'cute a white rabbit', but if you were aware that a neighbor had a white rabbit as a pet, you would react differently.  I think this is what I mean about realizations.  These are things that hit you and make you think about something in a way that others might not think about them.  
2. See the meaning of something - Seeing the meaning is one that is easy for yourself, but is hard to see the meaning of something for someone else.  This phrase stuck out  because as a teacher, I have to see the meaning of what im doing in my class every day.  I have to see what the kids see and see why they would want to learn about it.  Seeing the meaning behind something is like seeing through it, being able to break it apart and separate all the pieces into their little parts and diagnosing what each part is.  Seeing like this is practiced and learned, not something that comes intuitively, so this is something that is not easy for everyone.  As a teacher you need to see the meaning in order to relate the meaning to the kids so they will want to understand the meaning too. 
3. Look at details - This seems obvious in a class about compelling experiences, but I feel that I need to explain why.  Details are what makes up everything.  You can look at a blade of grass and say cool, blade of grass, but if you really look at it you might notice how the cells are aligned, how the veins run in the blade, if there is anything that has been snacking on the edge or if there is a small bug on the back.  If you notice all those things about the blade of grass, you start seeing it as something more.  Looking at details is making more out of what you see by adding to the meaning and purpose of the detail by really analyzing what you see.  
4. recreating is hard, coordinating is harder, catching is impossible -  This one spoke to me because when we are teaching a topic, we tend to develop a lesson and then reteach it over and over again regardless of how its effectivenenss has faded over the years.  Recreating ourselves as teachers is hard, which is why people fall into a rut.  But as teachers we need to recreate our lessons often, evaluate what works and fix what doesnt so we are better able to coordinate the learning in our classrooms.  Coordinating is harder because to coordinate what we want to teach with what they want or how they want to learn is difficult.  It is something that as a teacher we also need to do on a regular basis.   
5. control what the viewer sees -In making things more compelling, we need to have the ability to control what the viewer sees, feels, and thinks for that matter. In doing so we can make an image or movie more thought provoking because we are narrowing the view for our viewer.  If we are able to control what they see then we can sort of control what they feel and think.
6. Why is more important than what -In the case of compelling experiences the why is often more important than the what.  Meaning why are you showing that, why are you putting that there, why are you doing that? Why is what teachers do, we teach kids because we know that they need this knowledge and that they need to know how to think.  Why is what we try to reach for daily.  Its not necessarily what we teach, it could be Shakespeare, Beethoven, Monet, Theory of Relativity, etc. But it is how we teach it that really makes a difference.
7. making people react -compelling experiences make people react in some way.  Anything that is compelling is also thought provoking, meaningful, and sometimes difficult to express.  As teachers we need to get them to react to what we are covering, otherwise they will learn little.
8. process not just result -when dealing with a compelling experience sometimes the process to get to the result is more important than the actual result.  An example would be making a movie, you have to go through all the planning, shooting, and editing in order to get to the end result of having a finished movie project.  All the pre-final stuff is what really matters.  That is where the learning process takes place.  This again goes back to the why is more important than the what.
9. make meaning come alive for others -Artists like Monet, Shakespeare, Bach are all great because they are able to make the meaning of their work come alive for the person experiencing their work.  They are able to relate the material to others in a way that many other people are incapable of doing.  As teachers, we need to be able to make the meaning come alive for our students by designing experiences that are compelling enough in nature to get a reaction from the students.
10. open our eyes -I think in designing compelling experiences for others the most important thing is to open our eyes and actually see what is in front of us.  Often times we forget to stop and smell the roses and forget that there is beauty and amazement all around us.  All we need to do is take the time to open our eyes and see it. 
 

In all, these phrases seem to sum up the class for me and what I've learned about working with compelling experiences, either making them or experiencing them.  I've learned that it is these types of experiences that make education great and really help students learn and advance their knowledge of a subject.  Overall, this class has helped me open my eyes and see what I am doing in my class and why I am doing it.  It has made me think about my projects and making them more thought provoking for my students.  It has helped me to see. 

WOA

wow, in making the work of art video I actually felt like I was accomplishing something.  I actually felt moved by the end result of the poem with the music and images.  Asthetic form is hard to quantitate, but in this I felt like I was actually making the asthetic look good.  I like this kind of project because it makes things easier to express. You dont have to find the words to explain yourself.  All you need to do is allow the music and images to speak for you. 

More on Fashion

So in making the video for my What Not To Teach episode, I chose to do the scenario in an animation and the comments with my voice and video.  In this I realized that the software I used for my animation would be really cool to teach my kids.  I think that this is a realization of what is fashionable in tech because kids like to do animation things and create their own stories and this is a way to use the web, animation, and curriculum all at the same time.  Fashion in this sense is what is cool to the kids and not necessarily what is cool to me.  I actually enjoyed making this part of my video. 

Fashion & Teaching

One thing I got from all the reading is that teaching should focus on what the kids are interested in meaning, what is in fashion to them.  For example, right now what is in fashion is things like video games (halo, call of duty, dance dance revolution, guitar hero), music (country and pop), and movies about teen life (napoleon dynamite type).  So as a teacher I should make sure that i keep up with these things that are in fashion and try to incorporate that into what I teach.  I am lucky in that I teach technology, so i can alter my projects a bit easier than some other subjects.  One thing that I think would be cool is to have the kids design a movie around a part of their own life that is unique and then choose a song that goes with it, not just the tempo but the meaning of the music.  Basically make a music video about part of their life.  I think that this would be compelling to them because they get to take at least 2 things that are very important to them and mix them together.  I also think that some kids would make up their own music to go with their movies. 
If we are going to truly make an impact then we need to focus it on the kids and what is important to them.  As teachers it is our job to make sure that they get something out of the experience we set forth in front of them.  The easiest and best way is to make sure that the experience involves something they are interested in.

Music Bridges & Learning Experience

Slaven's Music Analysis Project

Here is my music project.  I tried to upload it to youtube to post on fb, but they wouldnt allow the audio even though i had bought the mp3.  Anyway.  Here it is.  If you have problems let me know. Ill try to fix it.

Learning Experience & Bridges

As a child I took lots of different music lessons, among them piano, trumpet, voice, & French Horn. I was part of choirs, band, and concert band.  Its like anything else, if you slack off practicing then you start to forget what you learned.  This unit brought back memories of voice and piano lessons where my teacher would use terms like credenza, mezzo forte, mezzo piano, crescendo, etc.  I remember those days vividly because if I did it wrong she would go into a tizzy in Italian.  I never knew what she said, but I knew I had made her mad.

So to talk about the learning experience with this module.  It reinforced the terms that I had learned along ago, and taught me a few new ones.  I learned how to listen for analysis rather than just listen for pitch, tone, and tempo.  I liked that I could listen to the music and discuss how it made me feel rather than the mechanics of the piece.

Music is supposed to be something that moves people, its a form of art, therefore it is something that people feel strongly about and are moved by it.  So in this unit we spent time learning how to listen to the moving part of the songs, the hook, the rhythm, the dynamics.  All of these things are just as important as the pitch, tone, and tempo.

When it comes to making bridges between this unit and what I do in school.  I think that I could use this idea in a garageband project.  I think that I could ask them to choose a song that is personal to them and put together a movie that represents the music and then record themselves at the end explaining why it is important to them.  This would combine a couple of units and cross curriculum with the music department a bit.  I like the idea of it being personal to them because more students are likely to complete the project and do better with it as a result of the personalization. 

Another way to bridge this with education is to allow the students to create a song on their own.  Write their own lyrics and create the harmonies and melodies using something like garageband or audacity.  I like the idea of allowing them the ability to define their own meaning behind a music clip and apply it to a section of their song that will make the song more powerful.  This same idea could be applied to making a score for a movie.

In short, I think that this is something I know that I dont know enough about to teach it properly and would need to co-teach with a music instructor.  I like that it made me look more closely at music and opened up some  memories from long ago.

Imaginative Bridges

Im posting this to kind of make up for what i have been slacking on.  I realize that I wont get credit for it, but I know I need to do this.  At least it should help me work on the final project.  I am really not a blogger, so doing this is really difficult.  I dont like keeping a diary or journal and this seems very much akin to doing just that.  I think I would rather have to turn in a paper each unit about this topic than post something here.  So anyway here goes. 

Photography - I think what I learned most from doing this unit is that photography is supposed to be fun and that you should shoot what feels right.  I liked working on this project because it made me think about the images I was capturing and how that image might effect another person.  I had to look at the objects, in the view finder in the way that the person viewing my image might look at them.  I had to try to see the meaning that the object would have to them, if any.  Trying to view images in this way made me think about what it would be like to do this for a living and how that kind of constant observation would change me.  I think that it would force me to look at the details more and realize what the feeling is behind the object.  I would have to capture the moment when the moment was right, regardless of my own personal feelings about the image I was going to capture.  Another thing I thought about was how to get students, especially freshmen, to see things like this.  I thought about having them go on a cell phone hunt for something that was unique or something that would last longer than they would live or something that reminded them of their favorite memory.  Then having them write a short story about the photo and what the meaning was to them and what they would want others to see in the image.  I also thought about having them discuss what the meaning of their photo's were in a small group, but im afraid that with freshmen, they would be too inmature to understand that there are feelings behind these images and they might make fun of others for how they feel.  Anyway, these ideas are making me think of ways to get my photo unit to be more meaningful to my students. 

Movie:  I think what I learned from this lesson is recreating a moment is hard, coordinating a moment is harder, and catching a moment is impossible.  I do movie projects with my students often and I know how much work goes into a successful film.  I also realize that sometimes an idea just hits you and you have to go with it.  This project was difficult for me because I didnt know how to make a film more compelling by staging it.  I didnt want to just make a movie about something that I didnt care about but I felt that was what i needed to do.  I tried to write down ideas about what to make a movie on and it was almost impossible to get actors or time since I was home with a new baby.  This was probably the most challenging project in that I really had to think about what to do.  I got my idea from watching a video where a kid was reacting to something in an unusual way, I thought that would be cool, but hard to film.  Then on superbowl sunday, my son reacted in such a wierd way at having daddy eat the spider (sillyband) that I wanted to somehow recreate the moment.  I knew that recreating it would be next to impossible, but I still wanted to try.  So while holding my squirming newborn, we got our chance and tried to make it happen.  I filmed the entire thing so I would have some choices to go with in editing.  In the first instant my newborn cried because big brother was crying.  I really wanted that, but he didnt do it again, so we went with the spider act.  Doing this project made me think about what it would take to have my students make a movie that was emotionally moving.  I thought about the problems that could come up, things that might make others very uncomfortable.  I dont want that.  Having a group work together also causes other issues, they may not feel the same about the same things.  Another limitation to this with my students is that not everyone has a video camera and often will want to use mine outside of school, which I am not allowed to do.  So they have to create their video's in class.  This limits what they can do.  I thought about having them remake a commercial or scene from a show in a way that would better sell the item or better display the meaning behind the scene.  This seemed more doable because the kids would know more about these films and be better able to make it something more moving to others who watched them.  I think overall the movie section would be more dificult to work with in my class because of the limitations I have with my group.  Film is something where you can completely control what the viewer sees and in a way tell them what they should feel about what they are seeing by controlling the lighting, music, pace, and background.  It is this medium that can be most impactful on a person's emotions, but is the hardest to work with.

Architecture:  THis project was the least meaningful for me thus far.  I realize why the requirements were the way they were and that you wanted us to focus on the way the store helped sell the products using decorating, color, lighting, and arrangement.  It was the suggestion that we be descrete that made this project one I did not want to do.  I do not like being sneaky or underhanded and that is what I felt I was supposed to do.  As for what I learned from doing this.  I learned to look at the way the store was laid out to try to see what they were about,  was it effeciency of people movement, or trapping them in to get them to buy more stuff?  Were the colors meant to excite you, calm you, or remind you of what was being placed in that area? Were the arrangment of the product for ease of finding them or to decoratively display so you would think of what they would look like in your home? All are good things to think about when evaluating a store.  I think with this project I would have liked to compare exterior architecture and design while relating the design to what the content of the building was.  I think that relating signage, shape, and purpose would be something more interesting and easier to film.  When it comes to making architecture more compelling, I think of looking at how architecture has progressed throughout the ages.  I think of all the ways that buildings and monuments were constructed and developed.  I think of how the artist (architect) was thinking when developing this. I wonder what that person would have thought to see their building/ monument the way it is today.  I also wonder what that same person would do if their creation were destroyed.  How would they feel?  I know that when I create something I am protective of it and will try to keep it safe for a long time.  I guess when it comes to architecture, the why is more important than the what.

work of art: this project looks like it is going to be something I will really enjoy.  I want to capture things in a new way and make people see something they didnt see before.  I think that photographing the people's reaction to a homeless person's plea for help will be something more compelling than just a photo of a homeless person.  I think making people react is the point of making a photo. 

Bridges for Video

I think video is one way that a message can really get across to people.  I think that the process of making the video is often more compelling than the end result, at least for the videographers.  For example, I watched a video (above) that really spoke to me as a teacher and parent.  As a teacher, I realize that my kids are exposed to this more often than I would like and that it is my job to provide some sense of normalcy for them.  As a parent, it reminded me that my child will do what I do because I am their role model.
When it comes to linking video to a compelling experience I think about the whole process, not just the end result.  It starts with the idea for the video.  sometimes something strikes you and you feel like you just 'have' to record it.  Like the video above, someone probably saw a child reenacting their parents actions and was reminded how much a product of our parents we really are and felt that they needed to show it.  The next part that is compelling is the filming of the movie.  Sometimes things happen while filming that make you really think about it.  Something may happen that changes the course of the film to where you alter your purpose in making it.  Another compelling part is when the film is being edited.  It is often difficult to edit a film that means something to you.  You may find yourself trying to edit for your feelings rather than editing for the meaning of the film.  It is this editing that and working through the difference between feeling and meaning that makes that part compelling, at least to me. 
A link to education is in the idea behind the project.  I think that what will make a video project memorable is allowing the kids to design the video based on their view of the world.  For example, reading Romeo & Juliette then making a video that shows a part of that play.  The kids must internalize the script first, which means that they must derive meaning from the language of the play, then they must organize a film that will show off what they internalized.  this kind of project would really bring the play to life for them and really help them understand the meaning behind the words. 

feeding the fish

I need to feed the fish more often... maybe that would make me write in this more often?

Bridges for Photography

Doing our photo project made me think about what makes a good photo and how to capture that.  I think that the most important piece of advice I got out of all the reading is to "just shoot what feels right".  Getting out with a camera and just taking pics is what makes you a better photographer, because as you take more pics you start noticing how the light hits things and what composition of items are in the background and how they play into what the image means.  Also, when taking pics most people take pics that they want to remember, so the meaning is there for them, the difficulty is making the meaning come alive for another person.  We all remember going to a friends house and looking at their vacation pics.  BORING!!!!! We werent there so there is little meaning in their photo's for us, now if their photo's were to be more compelling (interestingly composed) we as a viewer might be more interested in looking at them longer.  I think that people need to take time to compose their shots, and most dont.  when it comes to my class project in photography I need to make that more clear.  That they just need to take pics of what feels right and try to make the pic interesting to more people than just themselves.  They can use editing or shot composition to do this but the photo should be more artistic.  Now how to do a project for this at school with limited cameras and limited time...

Blogging

I am so not a blogger.  I guess this is something that you really need time to do and get into.  My time here lately has been divided between doing the class projects (on time), taking care of my babies (4 mo & 4 yr), working, and keeping house.  Blogging on a regular basis seemed like a far second.  So, with that said time to get back on the horse and get things done. 

Video of Meaningful Photo's

Here is the video from the meaningful photo shoot.  I had almost as much fun putting together the video as I did taking the pics.  I chose the music because wonderful world describes what is around us all the time and all we have to do is open our eyes to see it.  I truly believe that looking thru a camera lens is a way to capture that beauty and preserve it for others to see.  I also think that being able to capture a moment on film is a gift.

Edited Photo's from Meaningful Photo Shoot

I was too far away from the Eagle to get a clear shot.  When I tried to get closer, he flew away.

Original Photo's from Meaningful Photo Shoot

Still More on taking photo's

I also went down to the Little Miami river bottoms area.  I remembered a covered bridge that I thought would make a good shot, simply because you dont see those very often.  While I was there I found lots of other shots of the river that were interesting because of the contrast between the water, trees and the snow.  While I was driving i saw what I thought was a bald eagle in the middle of a large field.  I stopped and rolled down the window. It was a Bald Eagle in southwest ohio.  I was very shocked to see that.  I got out and tried to get closer to the bird since I was only using a point and shoot digital and couldnt get too close to it.  I tried, then I tried to clean up the images.  I will post those here and on the face book page too. 
Taking these photo's was very interesting and fun.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy going out and just shooting. 

More on Taking the Photo's

Going to the cemetery was interesting.  It brought to light who the founders of Lebanon were and what kind of families they had.  it was interesting seeing how many children they had and how old they were.  What shocked me, but shouldnt have, was how many  young children died and how many were born into the families.  It was interesting that I found so few crosses in a town full of churches.  I found only 2 headstones that were a cross.  Where I grew up there were many crosses as headstones.  I thought that I would find the same here, I was wrong.  Back home it is common to see Celtic crosses, star of David, and other religious symbols on the stones.  Here there were many obelisk's, statues, and simple arched stones.  I was also shocked at how many were knocked over or broken.  I guess where I grew up people were more respectful of the dead.

Taking the Photo's

The assignment of taking a meaningful photo was something I thought would be difficult if not impossible to find.  All the things I thought about were from back home.  I decided to choose a place that was meaningful to me instead.  I thought that choosing a place, cemetery, regardless of where it was, would make taking the photo's easier. 

Please Feed the Fish

If you click on the fish area you can feed them.  They are hungry, please help out :)

Fish Moved

So I moved the fish... liked it better cuz its easier to play with

My Layout

I added a fish gadget to the bottom.  If you put your mouse over it the fish will swim to it.  I thought it was cool.  Plus, the fish are relaxing.