Lesson Presentation: Sell That Logo

Melinda and I have been working very hard to create a lesson plan to teach to our class.  In our lesson, "Sell That Logo", students were introduced to different symbols and how symbols are used in advertising.  Our lesson called for the students to work in groups, or design teams, which gave the lesson a realistic feel for designing at a design firm.

Preparing for the lesson required much thought and organization.  Because students were working in groups we needed a way for each student to keep busy while at the same time contribute to the group in a positive way.  We decided to start the class organization promptly as the students walked in the classroom.  Each student was asked to check out our bulletin board outside of the classroom so that they would have an idea as to what we would be doing in class that day.

Once students entered the classroom, they were given a post-it with a number that directed them toward the table that they would be working at with their group.  By doing this right away, it saved time and was a great way to mix up the groups that students would be working in.  

When the bell rang, we began our class by presenting a quick slideshow of different logos that were easily recognized.  We spoke about how symbols are used in logos to simplify an image, as well as how certain symbols have hidden messages inside.  

                                                           

After the slideshow, we discussed the topic of teamwork.  What does a team do?  What different kinds of teams are there?  We then introduced the term Design Team.  In a design team there is a group of individuals working together to create a design for a client.  In each design team we created 4 jobs that each student would take on.  We created posters about each job which were hung in the back of the room for reference throughout the lesson.

Graphic Designer:  in charge of final image chosen

Editor:  in charge of final text chosen

Team Manager:  in charge of keeping the team on task

Project Manager:  in charge of presenting the logo to the class

We allowed time for each group to pick the tasks that they would be taking on in the design team and had them write it down on an index card so that we could collect it and double check that each person was on task.  From there, we went on to a demonstration about how they would be creating these logos and presented the materials that they would be working with.  There was a quick demonstration about the exacto knives, and we presented our teacher examples.  We had one example deconstructed so that we could show the steps that we took to create it (ex. color, text, slogan).  The other examples were of the logos that we created for the different clients that we had.  

These examples sparked a lot of interest in the class and everyone was eager to start working.  So we asked if anyone had any questions, and let them begin work. 

The students had 15 minutes to sketch out a design, apply color, create slogans and determine text for the different scenarios that they had received.  The scenarios ranged from a client wanting a new logo for their restaurant to a client wanting a new logo for the President of the United State's airplane.  Every student got right to work at creating their logo, however many students felt rushed in the creating process.  If I were to do this lesson, I would certainly allow for more time for them to play around with different ideas so that the could be happier with the logo that they were presenting.  Here are some examples of the student's work.

At the end of the period, the Project Manager in the group presented the logo to the class, who were prospective clients.  After the presentation of the logo, the class were to fill out a "Client Response" worksheet about the positive aspects of the logo as well as what they could do differently.  Each response was very constructive and offered many good ideas for the presenting design team.  

Overall, I think that this lesson was very successful and opened up many opportunities for follow-up lessons.  Every student was really interested in the topic and I think that by allowing students to work in high-pressure, realistic circumstances gives them a taste of what a real job may offer.  

Final Fieldwork

So my fieldwork at New Paltz Middle School has winded down, and I think that it was very successful.  Ms. Sturgis allowed Melinda and I to really engage with the class and the teaching process.

For our lesson that we taught the class, we began with the theme of bullying, which was being taught throughout the grades 6-8.  From that theme, Melinda and I came up with the idea of using the website Post Secret as inspiration.  Each student would write a secret they had about the theme of bullying, leaving it completely anonymous.  Melinda, Ms. Sturgis, and I filtered through the secrets and typed them up to make sure that they were appropriate and anonymous.  The next class students would be handed out a different secret which they would depict on a poster that could be displayed around the school to remind students that bullying truly does happen.  Some examples that we showed the class were taken from Post Secret and we also created our own example to show the class.

"Any time someone said something stupid I'd write it on a post-it, and put it on the back of my door & laugh about it later."

We showed a few different youtube videos that really grabbed the attention of the students.  The students even gave input as to what youtube videos they knew that we could screen before showing other classes.  The Bully Project is an upcoming movie that uncovers the many ugly and sad aspects of bullying.  It also shows students that bullying really does happen, and they can make a difference to put an end to it.

As an introduction to the project, we agreed that post cards depicting the secrets with a focus on a positive solution to bullying was a good place to start.  These post cards would then be posted around the school.  Each grade would then branch out into their own projects.
The 6th graders would begin working on life-size silhouettes that would be displayed around the school that would be placed where bullying may occur.
The 7th graders would be using the website Wordle to create an image from different text about bullying and their feelings about the subject.
The 8th graders brainstormed as a class, because the focus of their project was a video project depicting bullying and how it can be stopped.  Students could take inspiration from the situations that had been presented through the Post Secret cards.  These students' videos will be shown on the morning announcements.
Ms. Sturgis found a video that we showed for inspiration for the video projects was this:

The students were really excited about these projects and were very engaged in the topics that were being discussed during class time.  Bullying is a very serious subject and all of the students were very respectful and serious about the discussions.  I think that this lesson has a high impact on students and is important to present in all schools at all grade levels.

Documentary Video Project

For my 2nd video project, I created documentary exploring the lives of swimming.  I incorporated found clips of interviews of different Olympic swimmers about their daily routines, and also filmed parts of my daily life as a collegiate swimmer.  I hosted an interview with a team mate about the sport and explored different struggles and strengths that I see in the sport that correlate with thoughts of Olympic swimmers.

Here is the documentary that I created!

Video Project: Mash-up

Artist's Statement

Tis’ the season for some holiday shopping on Black Friday once again.  The one day where people line up hours early to get into stores and bombard the doors once the second hand strikes the hour of admittance.  For my video mash-up  I decided to work with the idea of the Black Friday shopping rush and mixing it with something as high tension and exciting, a horse race.  Many aspects of these two ideas parallel each other, such as the horses out of the gate and the people being let into the stores, the race to be the first horse to cross the finish line and the person to get the first good sale, and the winner’s circle with the happy customers leaving with their purchases.  Black Friday is hyped up for its sales, and who can resist during times when our economy is so low.  I decided to exploit the madness of this shopping day and express how mad it really can get.

Tim Lefens: A.R.T.

Today I went to a lecture presented by Tim Lefens, the creator of the A.R.T. Program.  A.R.T. stands for "artistic realization technologies".  I was first introduced to this program in the course Art for the Exceptional Child, where we learned about art for students with disabilities.  

In this lecture, Lefens spoke about a few of his theories.  many dealing with the way that we as artists live our lives.  

1.  Death Bed Theory:  What painting would you want to view hanging across from your death bed?  Is it something beautiful?  Peaceful?  This made me really connect with what I believe art is.  I have always been a firm believer in creating art for the beauty of it.  As an answer to this, I would like to have a large colorful painting, that would submerge me in its beauty, which is a concept that Lefens spoke of as well.  Losing oneself and letting go of oneself when it comes to creating art.  It should be every artists goal to completely let go and not be held back by anything when it comes to creating. 

2.  Truncated Pyramid Theory:  Over the years we have diminished what "great art" is.  We have cut off the top of the pyramid and the only thing left is the "joke art" according to Lefens.  I feel that this is a bold statement because I feel that many artists still today grab my attention and inspire me through their works.  I can still go into a museum and lose myself in a work of art.  

3.  Double Funnel Theory:  Lefens describes creating art as a double funnel.  One needs to diminish themselves to nothing.  To cramps themselves so when they are completely compressed, they can expand and let go larger than they ever have before.  One needs surprise in order to get the free feeling of a masterpiece, and by letting go to create piece, this can be achieved.  

Lefens states that one cannot be drawn in by anyone or told by another what great art is.  For each person it is different.  Different people are attracted to different things.  We are all individuals.

He then brought all of these theories back to his program of A.R.T.  All of his students are severely limited (quadriplegic) when it comes to mobility, and the use of a laser allows them a sense of freedom.  The smallest movement when the right distance away may create a large motion on the wall.  The ability of choice allows these people freedom, something that they are not always given because of their disability.  

I found this lecture very interesting and very inspiring.  It showed me that I should not be drawn to a certain type of art or to create a certain type of art because that is what is being asked of me.  I need to stay true to my inner artist and create the type of art that I love.  

Tim Lefens wrote the book Flying Colors and also has a website.  Check it out for more information about A.R.T.

Video Projects

So we have been working on a couple of projects using video.  I have never worked in iMovie before and it is very similar in format the the GarageBand program that we used in the previous set of projects.  I think it is a little more complicated however, because not only are you mixing video, you also need to consider the audio as well.

For my first project, a mash-up, I am combining the madness of Black Friday (the busiest shopping day of the year) with a horse race.  There are many correlations between the two ideas, and I am lining up video sequentially.  For instance, the cars pulling into the parking lot and the horses getting prepared.  The people lining up outside of stores and the horses getting corralled into the gate.  The doors opening and the gates opening.  And at last, the mad dash to the good sales with the race for the finish line.

For my second video, I am creating a documentary.  I am using the idea of the sport that I partake in, swimming.  There are many aspects of swimming that are glorified by the many medals that are won by Olympians at the Olympic games.  But what people really do not often realize is the hard work and training that these athletes put in.  As a collegiate athlete, I often find it harder for us because we have a similar training regimen to these elite athletes, however we also have to balance schoolwork in order to participate in our sport.  In my video, I am exploring the feelings of my fellow teammates about the sport as well as using found videos from Olympic swimmers about their training and feelings on the sport.

I look forward to posting the video on here to show my exploration and final product!

Network Publics and a Response to Danah Boyd's Article

For many teens, social networking is a must in order to keep in touch with friends and be able to stay in the social loop.  I find it interesting in the article that it is stated that "Although the luster has since faded and teens are not nearly as infatuated with these sites as they once were, they continue to be an important part of teen social life"(page 1).  I actually believe that these sites are more popular than ever.  Majority of students with access to the internet, have social network sites and I believe it might be rather a normality of daily life which creates this view that the interest is not as high.  It is not a new thing in other words, and because so many people are involved in it, it is not as abnormal and fascinating to explore anymore.

The social networks explored in the article are Myspace, Friendster, Xanga, and Facebook.  All of these sites allow teens to have accessibility to others connected to such networks as themselves.  They are allowed to delve deep into the lives of their peers and search them.
The idea of Network Public was brought up in Boyd's article, and the meaning of this is "a collection of people who may not all know each other but share 'a common understanding of the world, a shared identity, a claim to inclusiveness, a consensus regarding the collective interest.'"

Below are different properties that separate unmediated publics from networked publics,
Persistence: This is the fact that information posted online can be replicated, copied, or reproduced. Enabling communication, but also extending the period of existence of any speech created
Searchability: We may not be able to find one another in a town or state, but by a couple of clicks on a keyboard, a person can be found within seconds. Words or things they may have said can be found just as easily
Replicability: This is similar to Sweeney's article about cloning. Anything in the networks public can be replicated/repeated or copied. It can be made over and over or be used again and again by different individuals
Invisible audiences: This can cover parents, community, administrators, anyone who has access to the internet. It is virtually impossible to know all of those who come across our path online. 

I have been taught throughout my life what is appropriate to put online and what is not.  However, certain sites do not give the option.  Many students have changed their privacy settings so that they are not searchable on search engines such as Google, however on these sites, they are susceptible to searchablility from their peers, who have access to view their network.  I believe that many of these teens do not understand the concept of virtual privacy and many of them find out the hard way through internet bullying.

There is actually an instance that came up in my fieldwork, where a student was threatened via a social network.  These are very serious matters, and as a teacher, is something very important and fragile that we need to pay much attention to.  I feel that it is important to not only teach students the importance of privacy and information that they may reveal on these networks, but also see it as a harmful tool that may increase issues in every day life.
In our fieldwork, Melinda and I are working with the concept of bullying and using websites such as postsecret.com and thebullyproject.com that will help students to see what these ways of networking, although at times very exciting, can also have a dark side.