Art in the Age of Networked Learning

Art in the Age of Networked Learning

“Media open and deliver to the “no-body’s land” between identifiable coordinates on the grid. What they deliver are not merely meanings made different by their arrival in unforeseen, incongruous contexts. Media deliver difference itself…media give body to relationality as they keep potentiality and difference in circulation and motion…Media thus are imbued with the potential for catalyzing new forms of corporeality, new embodiments, new ways of knowing and being human.”

– Elizabeth Ellsworth (2005). Places of Learning: Media, Architecture, Pedagogy.

Heidi May / [email protected] / www.ecuad.ca/~mayhInstructor, Foundation and Visual Art, Emily Carr University of Art and DesignPhD student, Faculty of Education, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy (Art Education)Canadian e-Learning Conference, UBC, June 17, 2009

Sunday, June 21, 2009

OVERVIEW:

art educators and new pedagogical possibilities when working with digital technology



OVERVIEW:


using online technologies to foster meaningful dialogue and imagery in studio art courses at Emily Carr University of Art and Design



OVERVIEW:



these courses are not about using the computer to make art, but rather about understanding visual principles and conceptual themes



OVERVIEW:




often use traditional media and then document the work for online presentation



OVERVIEW:




often use traditional media and then document the work for online presentation

there are obvious challenges, however, experience has revealed success in quality of work, active participation, and critical thinking



OBJECTIVE OF SESSION > to share examples of how art educators are embracing networked learning and to possibly spark new ideas in other areas of education> through group discussion at the end of the session, I hope to create dialogue between practitioners from different areas regarding innovation and creativity in networked learning

Questions to revisit > Are we that different from other educators? What can we learn from each other?




FIRST, SOME THEORY...

... making connections between curriculum theory and ideas related to networked learning



Networked Learning theory > Reconfiguring the Exchange of Knowledge

THEORY

“When it is told, it is, to the one to whom it is told, another given fact, not an idea. The communication may stimulate the other person to realize the question for himself and to think out a like idea, or it may smother his intellectual interest and suppress his dawning effort at thought. But what he directly gets cannot be an idea. Only by wrestling with the conditions of the problem at first hand, seeking and finding his own way out, does he think. In such shared activity, the teacher is a learner, and the learner is, without knowing it, a teacher -- and upon the whole, the less consciousness there is, on either side, of either giving or receiving instruction, the better.”

– John Dewey (1916). Democracy and Education.



Networked Learning



open communication

THEORY

theory > Reconfiguring the Exchange of Knowledge



Networked Learning



open communication

decentralizing the control

THEORY




Networked Learning



open communication

decentralizing the control

active learners as opposed to passive participants

THEORY




Networked Learning theory > Complexity Thinking

shift to collaborative and non-linear approach to learning

THEORY



Networked Learning


act of learning is one part of a complex system

THEORY

theory > Complexity Thinking



Networked Learning


act of learning is one part of a complex system

emerging knowledge

THEORY




Networked Learning

These diagrams illustrate the difference between the traditional classroom experience with the teacher at the centre in red (centralized network) and that of a teaching and learning experience that encompasses a complexity approach (decentralized network).

From: Davis, B., Sumara, D, & Luce-Kapler, R. (2008) Engaging Minds: Changing Teaching in Complex Times (2nd Ed.), New York: Routledge.

THEORY




Networked Learning theory > Rhizomean Curricular Landscape

THEORY

rhizome: a continuously growing horizontal underground stem that puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals



Networked Learning

live(d) curriculum: something in opposition to planned curriculum

THEORY


theory > Rhizomean Curricular Landscape



Networked Learning


it is about what happens ‘between’ the teacher and students - the exchanges of communication

THEORY





Networked Learning


it is about what happens ‘between’ the teacher and students - the exchanges of communication

the rhizome form is divergent, extending in all directions

THEORY





Networked Learning

Aoki calls for a curriculum that is between, in dwelling, layered...wherein the teacher is asked to embrace the tension of working in a space between planned and live(d) curriculum, leading out to new possibilities as opposed to mere survival.

From: Aoki, T. T, Pinar, W., & Irwin, R. (2005). Curriculum in a new key: The collected works of Ted T. Aoki. Studies in curriculum theory. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

THEORY




Networked Learning

Rhizomean Curricular Landscape

THEORY

Complexity Thinking

Reconfiguring the Exchange of Knowledge



Networked Learning

Rhizomean Curricular Landscape

THEORY

Complexity Thinking

Reconfiguring the Exchange of Knowledge

Art and Design+Networked Learning

Conversation and Dialogue

Peer Interaction and Accessibility

Collaborative and Active Learning



"Design education should integrate design concepts and skills with practical and theoretical knowledge through collaborative learning. Computer-mediated communication systems used in web-based education systems are quite appropriate for this principle by enabling global access to course materials as well as allowing interaction of participants at distributed learning environments at anytime."

"... They can no longer be passive participants in the studio...Moreover, they learn to improve themselves after their graduation, because they learn to use computer mediated communication technology."

- Sagun, Aysu et al. (2001) A Framework for the Design Studio in Web-Based Education, Journal of Art and Design Education, (JADE 20.3, NSEAD).

Networked Learning

Art + Design Collaborative and Active Learning

THEORY



Networked Learning

Art + Design Peer Interaction and Accessibility

"In the foundation art studio, these new technologies have considerable potential for supporting a new classroom culture in which students are challenged to become “active learners” and the traditional role of the instructor has evolved to support a different classroom dynamic. Social networking can be used to promote better peer-to-peer interaction, to facilitate collaborative problem solving, to provide an electronic record..."

- Collins, Dan et al. (2007) Social Networking for Learning Communities: Using e-portfolios, blogs, wikis, pod casts, and other Internet based tools in the foundation art studio, FATE in Review (Foundations in Art: Theory & Education), Volume 29.

THEORY



Networked Learning

Art + Design Conversation and Dialogue

Conversation within studio art courses is key to the learning process. The critique situation often leads to original ideas and it’s the type of experience that can not be planned ahead of time - non-linear and decentralized. With the online format, there is time to reflect, which allows for more insight from fellow students.

"...Sometimes in face to face classes there is not enough actual time to spend adequate time on each project so critiquing can sometimes become very generalized and less specific to each persons piece. Lots of time and effort goes into each piece that students create and I feel that the time and effort spent critiquing the piece should parallel this, the online environment achieved this better then any face to face art/design class I have taken. Of course all of that also depends on the instructor and students as well."

- Erica Hargreaves, Emily Carr online student, FNDT 109 Visual Communication, Spring 2008

THEORY



how can the theory actually be applied to art and design courses?



how can the theory be applied to art and design courses?

SELECTED TEACHING EXAMPLES:

- Working through process and dialogue > Moodle (CMS) Process Forums- Tracking and recording development > E-Portfolios- Teaching technical skills > Screenshot + Video Tutorials- Global access to resources > Podcasts- Conversation and group discussion > Chats (Text + Skype)- Individual self-reflection > Student Webcams- Collaboration, revision, and trust > Wikis



how can the theory be applied to art and design courses?

SELECTED TEACHING EXAMPLES:

- Working through process and dialogue > Moodle (CMS) Process Forums- Tracking and recording development > E-Portfolios- Teaching technical skills > Screenshot + Video Tutorials- Global access to resources > Podcasts- Conversation and group discussion > Chats (Text + Skype)- Individual self-reflection > Student Webcams- Collaboration, revision, and trust > Wikis

emphasized more within this particular presentation



MOODLE Working through process and archiving dialogue




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS

Student Example #1 “Abstract Representation”

Assignment: Create an abstract representation of a specific musical genre, with emphasis on basic visual elements - line, shape, colour and texture. The challenge is to find a place between realism and pure abstraction.

Idea = Knitting




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS



Idea = Feeding the fish


PROCESS FORUMS

Student Example #2 “Narrative Sequence”Assignment: Create an interesting narrative sequence based on an everyday activity, capturing the ‘rhythm’ of the event through placement of forms and colour. The objective is to challenge traditional narrative formats.




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS




PROCESS FORUMS



Posting the completed piece to the project Forum

















CRITIQUE



Instructor final comments


CRITIQUE




Peer Reviews > Strengthen writing skills and teach students how to be critical about art work.

WRITTEN REVIEWS




Peer Reviews > Strengthen writing skills and teach students how to be critical about art work.

WRITTEN REVIEWS

Peer Review

Casual Responses



MOODLE Working through process and archiving dialoguePROCESS FORUMS + PEER REVIEWS

Instead of just showing how online forums can be used as a pedagogical tool for creative process, which can be archived and accessed indefinitely, I also want to emphasize a much larger purpose I see with these tools > meaningful dialogue with others and with the self as a part of the teaching and learning process


“working through”




Freud coined the phrase “working through” as the point of therapy when the subject realizes something relevant and feels a need to replay and reanalyze things. I connect this to how one works through the creative process - how one tests out ideas, edits concept and form. Through this process, one actually learns more about why they are doing what they are doing.




“working through” (Freud)

both knowledge and self emerge in student-centred environment that embraces critical thinking






the self emerges within dialogue




Dialogue, according to literary theorist and philosophical thinker Mikhail Bakhtin, can be external, between two different people, or internet, between an earlier and later self (Bakhtin, 1981).






the self emerges within dialogue (Bakhtin)

“dialogue can be external, between two different people, or internal, between an earlier and later self” (Bakhtin, 1981)








online learning can create personalized knowledge






Within the study of epistemology, there exists the desire to distinguish between knowledge that is merely descriptive and knowledge gained through acquaintance, termed “personal knowledge” (Polanyi, 1958). For one to really know something in relation to a concept, object or act, one needs to express an understanding of meaning.






online learning can create personalized knowledge

online forums can be a place for working through knowledge, personalizing it through a dialogical process






I propose that online forums, when incorporated into curriculum, can function as a place for working through innovative concepts, both textual and visual, and that this dialogical process lends itself to contemplative self-reflection and critical discourse.



... other teaching examples >>



TEXT + SKYPE CHATS Conversation and group discussion

Moodle Chat




Multiple windows to view work and type comments simultaneously




Inserting archived chats into discussion forums for reference




Video chats allow for students to physically show work in progress



E-PORTFOLIOS Tracking and recording developmentExample 1) ART EDUCATOR: Dan Collins, School of Art Core Program, Arizona State University

“The students are required to develop an e-portfolio to track their participation in the class. These personal websites become sites for collaborative project development and "team investigations" that provide the class and me with the "state of the art" in the areas of 3D data capture, 3D modeling/visualization, and rapid prototyping or other 3D output.”

website

Student #1personal reflection


http://vizproto.prism.asu.edu/classes/sp09/vizprotoS_09.html


http://mhis429.pbworks.com/Feb+2-3%253A++Camp




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Student #2screenshots capture key stages









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Student #2screenshots capture key stages









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Student #3team project research









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E-PORTFOLIOS Tracking and recording developmentExample 2) ART EDUCATOR: Renee Van Halm, Foundation and Visual Art, Emily Carr University

Excerpt from student pdf portfolio

“The portfolios were identified by students as very valuable in complying a coherent view of the work done during the course...(this example) includes some peer reviews. The peer review is perhaps the most significant difference from f2f classes. Replacing the critique with text based responses in forums has two big advantages - everyone must reflect and "speak" to the work of their peers, the silent student is just not an option in online courses.”













SCREENSHOTS + VIDEO TUTORIALS Teaching technical skills















ART EDUCATOR: Kyla Mallett, Foundation and Visual Art, Emily Carr UniversityOn teaching “Digital Photo Essentials” course: “Instead of using textbooks and straight lectures to deliver technical information, I choose to integrate video textbooks like Lynda.com. Lynda.com is a database of online video tutorials that acts as a constantly up-to-date ‘video-textbook’...This allows students to learn certain aspects of the curriculum at their own pace, and addresses the different ways in which the ‘millennial’ generation learns...

The biggest benefit to me as a teacher is that I can focus my own attention (and my own voice) to the discussions around content, creative production and criticality. If the technical exercises are covered by this video textbook, then the time I spend either in the live or virtual classroom can be focused on ‘higher level’ discussions.”

www.lynda.com


Photoshop Tutorial


http://www.lynda.com

http://www.lynda.com

http://livepage.apple.com/

http://livepage.apple.com/


PODCASTS Global access to resources



PODCASTS Global access to resourcesART EDUCATOR: Jody Baker, Media, Emily Carr University

Interview with guest speaker

video conference screenshot



STUDENT WEBCAMS Individual self-reflection




10 second videos, audio muted




10 second videos, audio muted



WIKIS Collaboration, revision, and trust




Wiki example > Group project involving the theme of “collections” in which students choose a specific topic to research and compose into a visual format.




Wiki example > Group project involving the theme of “collections” in which students choose a specific topic to research and compose into a visual format.




website

ART EDUCATOR: Jody Baker, Media, Emily Carr University“There was little direction on my part. I built the basic wiki with the syllabus on the front page. I gave students credit for posting pages on the week's topic. And did they ever...rather than do class presentations, I had them post material on the wiki page for that week. They simply took off with it, adding youtubes, I added bibliographies, they did reading summaries that the other students really appreciated...there was often lively debate in the comment section of the wiki pages that continued long after the week was past. So we created an internal knowledge base for the students to draw upon as they worked on their final projects...I think we owe it to students to get them working on wikis and learn the platform. As we used to expect competence with typing, then wordprocessing, I now expect competence with wikis and blogs. ””

Week 4 from Media course: “The Politics of ‘bad’ taste”








website

ART EDUCATOR: Jody Baker, Media, Emily Carr University“There was little direction on my part. I built the basic wiki with the syllabus on the front page. I gave students credit for posting pages on the week's topic. And did they ever...rather than do class presentations, I had them post material on the wiki page for that week. They simply took off with it, adding youtubes, I added bibliographies, they did reading summaries that the other students really appreciated...there was often lively debate in the comment section of the wiki pages that continued long after the week was past. So we created an internal knowledge base for the students to draw upon as they worked on their final projects...I think we owe it to students to get them working on wikis and learn the platform. As we used to expect competence with typing, then wordprocessing, I now expect competence with wikis and blogs. ”









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what can we learn from dialogue between different disciplines?

Discussion

are art educators using online technology any differently than other educators?

can you think of a creative use of online technology to share with others?

Although web-based courses are increasing in numbers, research of what occurs within these new curriculum spaces, in particular critical dialogue across multidirectional conversations, is lacking. The internet can now be considered a tool in facilitating critical dialogue within peer-centered learning but we need to know more about how students learn in a networked society and how to ‘pedagogically re-engineer’ the curriculum.


Documents

Art in the Age of Networked Learning