Reflection Entry on Course

Taking this course, has forced me to look into the Nature and Design of everything I see and experience around me. This art is literally everywhere. I also, always try to look at whatever I do and connect it back to education. For example, I currently work two jobs. One is at a finance and investment company; the other is serving tables at a restaurant. I constantly look for ways to transfer what I am doing now into my future profession as a teacher. I see my job at the investment company as one that requires a lot of organization and procedural processes. These skills are required in teaching a classroom of students as well. The connections I have made are the same as the imaginative bridges, which I have been making throughout the course in the various frames of art we have studied each week. Making these connections can at times be uncomfortable and difficult because I have not been in a classroom for about a year now. I have to pull from my internship experience from last year, and push myself to really think about it. But, through this exercise, it has made me really miss being in the classroom, and continue to hunt that much harder for my future job.

The biggest lesson, in the Nature and Design of Compelling Experiences, is that it must be compelling for ME. If I have passion and truly believe in what I am presenting, then it shines through in what I have created. I think about this when teaching students. If I hate math, and my students know that I hate math, why would they want to learn any math at all from me. But the teacher, who is ENTHUSIASTIC about mathematics, gets students involved and eager to learn. Whenever I would plan a lesson for my second graders last year, I would always consider the personal connection. In my work of art segment on Twilight, I tried to convey my passion for reading the books through descriptive words and audio to give a sense to my viewer that the series was truly loved by me. In my work of art segment on film, I created a video about moving away from home and the struggles I faced in that decision. This was a very personal topic for me, but I hope that the intimate feel of the film created an intrigued and attentive audience. I remember when I was teaching last year, I launched a GO GREEN project for my class. It was something I was passionate about and created a passion within my students as well. By the end of the project we had done some really nice things for our school, and my students were left with a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. That was because it all became personal for them. I believe this is the most important step in a nature and design process.

Then comes the design. The design of the experience should have specific goals for what the creator wants his or her audience to FEEL. In our architecture module, we studied the design of retail spaces and how they were designed to make someone feel a certain way when they walked in the room. I studied one ice cream shop in particular, which made me feel like I could just indulge in the finest dessert pleasures. When we look at a classroom, how does it make a student feel, and how does it enable students to learn. The design of a space and surroundings has an amazing impact on how we experience it. I was especially moved by two work of art videos in particular on body language and storytelling. It reminds me of reading storybooks to students. I have seen some pretty amazing teachers and librarians read stories to children, which are absolutely captivating. Reading a story in this way, does not just come by picking up a book and reading the words out loud. The reading is DESIGNED and practiced. The voice, the pace of reading, and the mood are all aspects, which are created to give the students a particular experience of the content. I have always admired good story readers.

Lastly, I want to comment on the experience. I think it is important to note that everyone’s experience of a particular work of art is unique. I can see that in the comments left by my cohorts on everyone’s videos. Everyone has different things to say about the work of art. Each person brings his or her own background, beliefs, and preconceptions into an experience, and therefore the output will be different. I think this is very important to consider in teaching, because each student will understand something in his or her own unique way. This is when a teacher needs to assess student learning and differentiate according to the individual. I also believe, though, that through this course, an experience can be designed so that the output is very similar. There will be many agreements, some disagreements, and a few never before mentions. But that’s just because we come from a world where everyone is individual and entitled to his or her own opinion and feelings. I really appreciated this course and the creative works of art shared by my colleagues. This class has added a whole new dimension to my teaching.

Learning and Teaching Styles

Thinking about the work of art in fashion in comparison to the work of art in teaching, I think about STYLE. I blogged earlier about someone's style of fashion and how it can define your personality. I can form an imaginative bridge between fashion style to teaching and learning style. I think a person's learning style drives their teaching style. For example I know that I am a very visual learner, so I like to teach using lots of visual aids. I also recognize that my students all have different learning styles and it is my job to make sure I am differentiating my instruction to reach all of my students various learning needs. For example, an auditory learner may better learn their spelling words by hearing them spelled out loud, whereas a visual learner like myself needs to see them spelled out on the board. So, in my spelling lesson I would do both. Read the word, write it on the board, and ask a student to spell the word orally. Some students learn better independently and some learn better with a partner, so I would give students the choice during a lesson.

The Link Between the Design and Experience of Fashion with Education

Fashion is our topic of discussion this week. To me fashion is an expression of who you are and how you feel. When I am feeling good about myself, what I'm doing, and who I'm going to see, I like to wear nice fashionable clothes. It is an expression of the confidence I feel. The quality and time put into the fashion shows how I feel about myself. The appearance and style of clothing however, are a snapshot of my personality. I like to add a scarf to a spice up an outfit because my love of scarves came from my experience in Europe. When someone experiences my fashion, they are getting a glimpse into me, how I feel, and my personality. This can be applied to education very easily. When a student feels confident about the work they are submitting, the work will be presented in a clean manner and will be done well. It is our job as the teacher to motivate students to do good work and give positive encouragement to aid in their success. When a student is not feeling confident about the work, for example if they are feeling as if they are incompetent and do not understand, there is a lack of motivation to put in a valiant effort. The teacher is responsible for designing lesson plans and assignments, which create a positive and motivating experience for the students, providing self confidence in the acceptable output, which therefore makes students feel successful in the classroom.

The Work of Art in Music in comparison to The Work of Art in Education

This week we are discussing the work of art in music, more specifically "the hook". The hook is described as a musical or lyrical phrase that stands out and is easily remembered. It is usually repetitive, attention grabbing, memorable, and easy to dance to (according to Wikipedia). It is defined as "the foundation of commercial hit song-writing. Although it is hard to pin-point the exact attributes to the hook, it is appealing to listeners. When I think about the hook, I think about the part that gets stuck in my head. I relate this to education in terms of what we want students to remember in the lesson. I know when I have something I really want my students to remember I try to create little tricks or catchy sayings, that will spark their memory of the content. For example, when teaching my second graders about cardinal directions, I taught them the phrase, "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" to remember the order of north, east, south, west. This gets stuck in their head the same way the hook of a song gets stuck in mine.

The Bridge Between Interior Design and Education

While I was working through this module, thinking about organized space, I was making connections in my mind to educationally organized space. One of the most important and critical aspect of teaching, aside from the actual teaching, is the classroom in which we teach! A question that often reoccurs in job interviews is, "What does your classroom look like?" A classroom, enables learning to take place, so the way this environment is designed is crucial. Some things to consider:

How are the desks going to be arranged? Will the students sit in groups or at individual desks? What will the classroom library look like? How will the furniture be arranged so there is space for "traffic to move" safely and conveniently? Where will the teacher's desk be placed? How does technology play a role in the arrangement? Is there enough storage space? How will students access materials?

Because I do not have my own classroom yet to base this off of, I think about my past experiences in classrooms, most fresh is my student teaching internship. I really appreciated Susanka's point about "light to walk towards." In the classroom I interned in, we had a large wall of windows, which I liked to open the blinds and let the sunshine in. After the students came back from lunch (this was 2nd grade), I would close the blinds and turn one set of lights off during silent reading time, to calm the students down after a rowdy lunch recess. I also think about Susanka's point with "shelter around activity." This reminds me of our reading area. It was located in the corner of the classroom, with the bookshelves used as mini walls to separate the reading corner from the rest of the classroom. There were beanbags in the reading corner for students to use to get comfy as they curled up with their books. Every part of a classroom is designed for a particular learning experience. I guess you could add architect to the many hats a teacher wears!!

Architecture: What qualities of your experience are influenced by what qualities of the designed environment?

In this week's module, we were asked to visit two retail spaces, both which were in the same niche, and evaluate their interior design. In my evaluation I focused on the product which was being sold, in relation to the architectural design of the store which sells it. Because I have such a sweet tooth, I decided to evaluate an ice cream shop and frozen yogurt store. Here is my evaluation:

Coldstone Creamery-

As soon as I walk into the Coldstone Creamery, the scent of freshly baked waffle cones hits my nose, and I notice the elaborate signs taking up most of the wall space, listing millions of choices to fit my heart’s desire. Coldstone offers a unique “ice cream experience” in that the ice cream and toppings are hand-folded together on a giant cold slab of stone. The slab of stone is at the center of your ordering experience. The huge signs on the wall have endless descriptions specifically written with adjectives such as, “gooey caramel,” or “fresh-baked brownie,” to make your mouth water. The Coldstone Creamery logo is seen everywhere from the employee hats and shirts, the ice cream cups, and the signs located all over the store, including a large sign above the ice cream making station. The creamery is set up so that you order and walk down the line as you watch your special ice cream prepared on the cold slab of stone. At the end of the counter is a large freezer showcasing even more elaborate ice cream cakes than the one in your hand. Overall the interior design of the creamery, is inviting and rich from the deep red color of the brand, to the intricate and detailed signs- all fitting to the product. The tables and chairs are arranged in groups of 2 to 4, and look as if they invite customers to indulge in a “dining experience,” because a trip to Coldstone is not going to be “fat-free” or “low-calorie,” it is going to be a special occasion of pure sugar pleasure.

Yogaberry-

The bright lime green and fluorescent purple sign of “Yogaberry” drew me in to this cute frozen yogurt shop on my first visit. I repeatedly go back because Yogaberry is not just any frozen yogurt, it’s organic and always fat-free, which equals guilt-free. The first thing I notice when I walk in are the little green round stools at each white table, which reminded me of sitting atop large “berries” like in the store’s name. When I walk up to the counter my eyes immediately admire the toppings station filled with lots of fresh cut fruit, and I mean FRESH. Then I notice the simple design of the menu signs hanging on the wall. There are six flavors, one of which changes weekly. They all say “fat-free” underneath them to remind you that this stuff isn’t bad for the waistline. These signs are simple and to the point emphasizing “organic.” I also notice a poster listing reasons “Why Yogurt is Good for You.” The space is designed to be bright, open, and simple. The Yogaberry logo is seen all sorts of places such as the employee tee-shirts, on the glass window, and on the display with Yogaberry tees and sweatshirts for sale. The seating area has a large bench seat stretching along the wall, and little green stools on the opposite side. The stools are fun and unique. The seating area seems like a short-term place to enjoy your yogurt for about 15 minutes and be on your way. The architectural design of the store reflects this guilt-free simplistic design of the product of which it’s selling. Overall, I feel this space was designed with minimalism in mind, reflecting the organic simple yogurt.

Designing my own compelling experience.... Video Module 2

Module 2: Create a video of something meaningful, which conveys an essence of something. A very creative project. Here is what I came up with and my critiques. I will include my director's commentary first.


Humitz Director's Commentary

When I first started thinking about where to begin with this project… I was at a loss. I love creative projects, but struggle with such an open theme. I could go anywhere and do anything with this. So I started my brainstorming during a recent trip to Savannah, GA, thinking I might go with a “long ago” theme, since I was taking so many pictures of the historical town. That led nowhere, and I decided that if I was going to make this compelling and meaningful, I had to get personal.

I had written in my blog about my experience of moving away to Florida from Michigan, with a couple friends, one of whom I don’t speak to anymore. It is something I have been struggling with for a while, along with being homesick and so far away from everyone I love. I knew this is where I needed to go in my video, because it is so prominent in my life right now.

The story begins with the excitement of moving somewhere new and different. You can hear our excitement when crossing the state line. I left this part unedited because I wanted the audience to feel the raw emotion coming through, and anticipation of what we were embarking upon. I decided to convey my story through a letter written to someone back home. I wanted to leave the “someone,” left unknown and open to interpretation. But you can gather it is someone I love and care a lot about. The letters start out cheerful and with no regret. I chose the song, “White Houses,” by Vanessa Carlton, because it is one of my favorite songs and felt really connected to the story in my song. Following the first letter are images of my new life and enjoying my new home. I left these images flipping pretty swiftly and without a fade out, as a way to lead up to the climax of the story. Every story has a problem and we are just on the brink of it. After the video of us dancing in the bathroom I let the following pictures stand a bit longer. I did this to create a dragging sense, and notion that the problem is coming. I aligned this with the lyrics of the song, and wanted to “choreograph” the images with the music. When the song hits the word “mistake,” I wanted to time my written “mistake” at the same moment to create more drama leading up to the betrayal. This is also when I started fading one picture into the next, because it was getting more emotional. My favorite part of the video is when the beat of the music speeds up with the quick rewind of all the photos that led up to the climax. This is a detail that I really put a lot of work in, although I realize that to the only slightly attentive viewer could easily go unnoticed. I chose to rewind the pictures, like I was thinking backwards of everything that had happened leading me up to this point. Like a spiral out of control. When the music slows down I stand on the images longer again for sentimental value. I wanted to end the video with a sense that I wasn’t a victim to this betrayal, but instead rose above it. I ended with the waves in silence, because I felt it left a sense of wonder… like where will I go next. I also wanted it to convey peace and that despite the drama and disloyalty- I’m going to be okay.

Finding your story...

Life is all about stories.... telling stories, listening to stories, remembering stories, living stories... As a child our favorite times were spent at story time, and as teachers we love sharing stories with our students....

As I am working on my video module for this week's class, I am sorting through what story it is that I want to tell. I really connected to last weeks readings, especially, "Storytelling: The Film-maker as Story-teller." I found myself making a lot of connections between the article and education, all of which are helping to guide my planning with my video project. These connections are referred to as imaginative bridges, in that they are my own cognitive link between the design and experience of art, and the design and experience of education.

The article explained that a film needs to have a purpose, an answer to the question of "so what?", and a reason for the audience to even watch it. This is the purpose of the film. I found a strong link between the need for the film to have a purpose, much as a teacher needs a rationale for teaching a lesson. Kids ask all the time, "why do we need to learn this?" and a good teacher will always have an answer to that question. There must always be a reason for every task, lesson, assignment, or activity. If not, participation and motivation are completely lost, just as attention is lost in a movie with no real purpose.

I quote the article, "This is the most important element in a good story, whether it's a film, or it's told orally, or written in a book, whether it's a happy emotion, or a violent emotion-- or whether it's sad or funny, it has to have an emotional punch-line." I really liked this quote, and found an important imaginative bridge here, because it backs up my strong philosophy of relating lessons to students' own lives and constantly making connections between the lesson and the real world. This makes learning meaningful and keeps students engaged. When I think about my favorite films, I can relate them to my own life someway, and when I think about the things I learned best in school, was when I could relate to it.

In planning for my video module, I am strongly taking in the advice that, a story does not always need to start and flow in chronological order. In fact, many great stories, start somewhere in the middle, and keep our engagement trying to figure out what happened in the beginning to create this event. The story should begin where it will spark the interest and hook the audience. We tell student's this all the time when they are writing stories, to find an attention grabber. As teachers when teaching a lesson, we could also keep this idea in mind, to begin a lesson where it is most likely to grab interest, and go from there.

To wrap this up, I want to end with this objective taken from the article:

To have a person really experience something- the sooner the audience experiences the story and REALLY feels something, the better the story is.

I end there because this is my written goal for my video module. I also end with it because I can again relate it back to education, if you replace the word "story" with "LEARNING", and that is my goal as a teacher.

Making a photo meaningful...

This week's module was focused on photography. I took a photo of the beach, my new home. When I took this photo, I was thinking about my longing for my family and familiarity, while in this new beautiful place. I wanted to capture that longing, so when I held my camera, I angled it so the lines on the beach drew you far away into the distance. This was representative of the distance between me and my loved ones. I also included the waves and the sunshine as a symbol of dreams and hope in this new place of opportunity. The sunshine is very spiritual to me, a comfort, that everything happens for a reason, and that there was a reason why I came to this place.

When I read the article, "Elements of a Great Photo," it reminded me of the rule of thirds. When I took this photo, I wanted my focus to be the lines on the beach, which are placed in the right third of the photo. I also used the angle of the sun to give the photo a spiritual glow. This photo was originally posted on Facebook for my classmates to add commentary, and one cohort suggested a theme of symmetry. While, symmetry was not originally intended when I took the photo, I liked the idea. I had posted two meanings this photo had for me: 1) A longing for home and 2) fulfilling a dream. The symmetry in the photo between the light side and the dark side, could also mimic those two meanings. In the same article, "Elements of a Great Photo," it stated the 'storytelling' is probably the most effective technique in creating a meaningful photo. Storytelling gives a photo the power to convey a mood, which moves the viewer in some way. While I am not a professional photographer, I use this theme to help describe my story through my photo.

The Experience of Being Compelled...

A compelling experience is to feel so moved by something that it urges you to think and feel beyond the experience and own it within your life. We have all felt this way in different moments, and these moments stick out in our minds as significant because of the compelling experience. It could be a movie we see, a song we hear, or a conversation with a stranger, but it changes us.

I think about a compelling experience I recently had in my decision to move to Florida from Michigan. The beach, new people, and the future unknown all enticed me. I moved with a friend I've known since middle school and had reunited our friendship after college, when living back in our hometown and through conversations about doing bigger, better things with our lives. While I would never regret my decision to move, I have recently had a falling out with my friend I moved here with and we are going our separate ways. I watched the movie, "My Sister's Keeper," and was so touched by the story. It made me think about how precious time is, and how I want to put as much time into the personal relationships in my life, which I hold dear. Now this is not a story of how my friend and I have reconciled, because we haven't. It's actually how I focus more of my time and energy on the people in my life who I love and love me. I heard this quote today in another movie, "Post Grad", "What you do with your life is really just half of the equation. The other half- more important half- is who you're with when you are doing it." This philosophy shapes me and my whole purpose for living. I was moved by these two films, and embrace their themes.

This type of experience is hoped for by teachers when trying to interest students in learning.
When a student feels moved, it encourages them to take ownership of their learning. When a teacher can have a breakthrough with their class and the students get a feeling in their hearts, a moving moment, a light bulb goes on, and they are intrigued and COMPELLED... a teacher has truly done their job.

This blog will explore the ideas and themes of compelling experiences through the arts and in relation to education and creating these moments within the classroom.