Blogging, not so uncool!

While surfing the web I came across a few really cool blog sites. They are listed below.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has a blog titled, Eye Level. It is really engaging. The blog that really caught my eye was about the movie Night at the Museum. The author relates the movie to artworks in the museum. The author even offers a thought provoking question: "What work of art would you choose for your very own Night at the Museum experience?" (Smithsonian American Art Museum) Eye Level talks about the latest art news but offers valid opinions and inspiration. Before leaving a comment they instruct the reader to keep in mind that any comments that are unrelated to the blog will not be published. Reading that reminded me of the article in which Jill Walker talks about the importance of reviewing blogs in a respectful manner. She reminds readers and students that it is important to remember that the blogger is a real person with real feelings. I think for the most part Walker thinks that it is important to be courteous to fellow bloggers. The blogger does have the ability to reciprocate the same response. Vegard Johansen made a good point about not commenting on blogs if you do not have a positive remark to make. I think that Johansen and Walker stressed the importance of constructive criticism done in a respectful manner. I believe people benefit from criticism or advice when it is helpful as opposed to outlandish, rude, and insidious.

As a learning tool, the blog has the potential to grasp the attention of many. The writing style is comprehensive. The blogger uses photographs and provides links to other websites. The learning does not stop at the website but extends to other sites. The blogger asks the reader questions that are not complex but help the reader better understand the content of the article. The blog presents the Smithsonian American Art Museum as an informal learning environment.

The blog also talks about upcoming shows and the impact on the community. This site is really rich with information and insight into the museum world. There is even a blog featuring Bill Viola, where he talks about his experiences with technology, art, science, and life. Bill Viola states, "Like it or not we are woven together in a way that has not happened in human history."


http://eyelevel.si.edu


(Bill Viola, Three Women, 2008, color high-definition video on plasma display mounted on wall; performers: Anika, Cornelia, Helena Ballent, Photo: Kira Perov)


The next blog site I found was truly informative. At first while I was browsing, I began to think to myself this blogger is really technical. The blog was swarming with information. It was too much to digest at one time so I began to skim through the collection. I landed upon a blog titled, Let’s Just Scare the #$%& Out of Them, Ok? It was published on August 22, 2008. The blogger talked about the dangers of networks such as MySpace. A police officer went to a high school with photos of a student. Before speaking to the student body he asked for a particular student to identify herself. Then he proceeded to show photos from her MySpace page to the whole student body. The student dashed out of the assembly in tears. The police officer embarrassed her. He justified his actions by telling a story of a young lady who was taken advantage of on MySpace. She was abducted, raped and killed because she was unaware of the dangers of social networking.

I agree that it is more beneficial for the students if the teachers educate them on the dangers of social networking. The blogger offers a suggestion to teachers: "Go to your principal or superintendent right now and ask her/him this: Would you really rather have your students learn about safety online from some “authority” figure who drops in and attempts to make them fearful, or from people who they know and trust and see every day in their classrooms who over the course of time in appropriate and balanced ways can educate them instead?" (http://weblogg-ed.com)

Weblogg-ed made me aware of the potential dangers in cyberspace and social networking. I also learned the importance of the teacher informing the students of the pros and cons of the World Wide Web. The architecture of the blog was kind of bland but the writing was well articulated. It wasn't an easy read due to the lack of pictures and variation in text but I did enjoy the speech bubbles, where the blogger is highlighting key points of the post. The blogger is educating teachers on the importance of technology in the classroom. At some points the blogger rambles on and on until he gets to the vital info. The rambling is something I find characteristic of some blogs I have browsed through. There are few parameters, the author has total control over the direction of the blog and has the freedom to be inconsistent in the post. There should be accountability of some sort. I believe the author should acknowledge his or her readers by writing posts that flow cohesively.

The Coolest Website Ever

http://kidzartblog.com/

I think this was the most comprehensive and engaging blog of all time.

The intended audience is parents of students, and educators who are looking for creative resources. The site is filled with easy lessons such as creating sculptural art using recyclable materials, tips on setting up a home studio, and the benefits of art in schools.

Excerpt from website http://kidzartblog.com: "At KidzArt, we’re committed to developing your child’s resourcefulness, imagination and originality to make them the innovators of tomorrow. Let us know your ideas and the different ways that you inspire your children to use their creative thinking and problem solving skills." I believe that KidzArt has developed a friendly site. The blog entries do not bombard you with information. There is adequate visual space between entries. The site uses pictures to show happy children presenting their artwork to the world. I think the pictures also illustrate confident children that are proud of their creations. In relation to participatory culture KidzArt creates a art community that consists of parents and teachers. This community is accessible by both groups. I believe this site can be used for networking and collective intelligence. The creators of this site want parents, children and teachers to be active in the art community. There is even a link on the left side of the page that allows you to search for art classes near you. There is a link to a parent's website, http://www.lovelongandprosper.com/cherylyn/?p=161, where she is videotaping herself and her son explaining an art piece.

Unwrapping the Benefits of Digital Media in the Art Classroom

Normally, when I use the term digital media I am referring to videos, graphic design, movies, and so on. From reading the article I learned that digital media is an unavoidable art form. The world is advancing at a very fast pace and many new things are being discovered by the use of a computer.

I believe that digital media should play a very important role in the art classroom. This past weekend I ran into an old friend. He will graduate from high school in May of 2009. He told me that he wanted to take digital art as a junior but instead was forced to take Drawing and Painting 1 as a prerequisite. I began to ponder the bridge between digital media and traditional art tools. Why was it important for him to take Drawing and Painting 1 first? I am quite sure there are many techniques and skills that he can learn beforehand that will enrich his experience in digital media. But why was it a requirement? From his unfortunate experiences with traditional tools and I am shocked that he was still inspired to take the Digital Art class. His willingness to take Drawing and Painting 1 as the first step to taking Digital Art got me thinking about the participatory culture. I know many high school students that are members of MySpace and Facebook. They enjoy uploading pictures that have been manipulated. They are adventurous adolescents that play with the color, line, and shape of the subject in the photograph.

Was my old friend apart of this participatory culture? Is that the reason for his headstrong decision to take Digital Art? I believe that digital media plays a huge role in the art classroom today. The art classroom should facilitate the appropriate learning tools and professional instruction for the youth today. If the students are involved in participatory culture, why not use their interest to create an informative learning environment. A lot of the ideas in the article kind of went over my head but I do believe that some of the things mentioned are attainable. I enjoyed the article. I believe that as teachers we have to at least try to keep up with the fast-paced changes in the technological world today. We can use games, software, and the Internet to build social skills, problem-solving skills, a healthy identity and aesthetic of the social world.

This semester I hope to learn the purpose and the benefits of teaching Digital Art. I have always dreamed of being proficient in Photoshop and Final Cut Pro just to name a few. I truly would appreciate a demo on software such as Corel Painter X, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe 9 (learning how to send and create files in Adobe, pdf), and much more. I would like to be knowledgeable of the Digital World. I can imagine a student knowing more than me about a program. How can I facilitate learning for the student if I don’t even know the software well enough to provide basic instruction?

I have taken three Digital classes since I’ve been at the Corcoran: Design with Pat, Digital Photography with Kim and Digital Art with Bill Newman. I have spent hours in front of Illustrator and Photoshop and still have not grasped the basic fundamentals. It is amazing. I often wonder how I completed all of those projects. I constantly question why I didn’t retain the information and tools taught during the class. I could open the application for Illustrator and immediately freeze, not knowing how to set up a template or to create an awesome piece like the digital art masters that I read about in art magazines.

My most enjoyabe memory of Digital Art class with Bill Newman was the day we printed on canvas. I was so excited. We were able to create a piece without many demands on how the piece should look. Bill gave us many options, we could print a line drawing on the canvas and then paint the piece or we could attempt to create something that looked like a painting. That class was a lot of fun. I believe that I benefited from that class because it was open to interpretation. I did not retain a lot of “how-to’s.” I think the purpose was to explore and learn through constructive play.