My Online Course

SO cool that @hootcourse merges social networks 4 their functionality in this course! w00t

2011-10-04T15:08:00.001-07:00

SO cool that this site stitches together social networks to provide their functionality in this course! w00t

Uploading Work to the Digital Archive

2009-06-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

Haiti/India/Jordan

Your final exam in my class is to back up your grad portfolio- ready work to the Envision Schools Digital Archive.

You will need to create an artifact in the archive and upload the work for each of the following assignments:

Arts:
What is Art
Art Movements Website-- your artist (not the group site)

Multimedia
Debate Argument Collages/ Artist Statement
Keynote Poem Project

Math
Needs Assessment Project
Basketball Unit Problem
Fireworks Unit Problem

English
Cuckoo's Nest Essay
Antigone Essay

Research Paper
Ben's Globalization Paper

Oral Presentation
Debate Exhibition (Video)
Creation Myth

Science
Molecule & Community Paper

WLE
Paper & Keynote

Spanish
Country Research Keynote

Using the Digital Archive:
Visit this page for step-by-step instructions on how to upload

To Upload:
- documents-- save them in PDF or RTF format and post
-images- save them in JPEG or PNG and save them to the archive or post to Flickr.com and paste in the URL
-Keynotes- Export from Keynote as a movie or PDF. Post to Vimeo.com or Scribd.com and paste in.
-Movies- Post to Vimeo.com and paste URL into URL section.

Uploading to the DIgital Archive Uploading to the DIgital Archive farmerfresh Envision Schools' DIgital Archive.

Publish at Scribd or explore others: cat archive

Keynote Poem Project- Due Date and Requirements

2009-06-01T08:42:00.001-07:00

Keynote Poem Project

Due 6/4 [haiti]
Due 6/5 [jordan/india]

Requirements

Must show mastery of Attention Method
every word in the poem is supported by visuals at every moment

Must include audio, text, and images skillfully chosen to communicate your poem's meaning

Must show mastery of Keynote as a tool for communicating your ideas
transitions, builds, and background images

Work for the Week of 5/26

2009-05-26T09:31:00.001-07:00

Haiti
11th Grade
11- record poem projects with audio and key clicks/ export video/ post to VIMEO/ publicize
Poem Projects Due this Friday

12th Grade
12- ESGP Madness
Show me your presentation before you present

Ghana/ Fiji
12- ESGP Madness
Show me your presentation before you present

India/Jordan
11- Triggering Builds with the "More Options" tab in the Inspector
Image searches with Imagination
ROUGH SLIDE SHOW DUE Friday!

Promote your best art works to the blogosphere

2009-05-22T00:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some great links to ways that you can publicize your favorite blog posts of the year. This will allow you to draw attention to your artworks and start your ascent to art superstardom!

http://www.theartrepreneur.com/knowledge/traffic_blog.asp

http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/blog-promotion/99-ways-to-promote-your-blog-for-free/

ESGP Data2Images Project Requirements

2009-05-20T12:02:00.001-07:00

For this fall’s exhibition you will be translating scientific data into engaging and interesting visual images to make the connection between a statistic and the reality that statistic represents. This is the first step towards that goal….

You will be given a small strip of paper with one or two sentences on it. It will give you some statistic about a real event happening in the world today. Your job is to

   Research the topic and be sure you understand the situation completely

Collect and create images which can represent the statistic in pictures
Create an image or small collection of images which

Shows the situation visually
Uses at least 6 of 9 Elements of Design
Line
Shape
Color
Form
Tone

Texture
Space
Motion (you can emulate this visually)
Sound (you can emulate this visually)

Shows conscious use of the Principles of Design for desired effect
                     1.

                        Balance
                     2.

                        Emphasis
                     3.

                        Proportion
                     4.

                        Unity/ Coherenece
                     5.

                        Rhythm
         4.

            You can use any combination of programs you need to, but your final output must be a .png format image file.
         5.

            REMEMBER-- every square inch of your image must be working towards communicating your message. If it doesn’t add to the meaning, it doesn’t belong.

ESGP Multimedia Project Rubric & Writing Prompts

2009-05-20T11:32:00.001-07:00

Multimedia Rubric With Student Friendly Questions

Multimedia Rubric With Student Friendly Questions farmerfresh

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Study Guides, Notes, School Work

11th Grade Poem Project> India/Jordan

2009-05-19T07:50:00.001-07:00

11th Grade Keynote Poem Project

ATTENTION METHOD KEYNOTE POEM PROJECT
You
will be creating a short animated and recorded Keynote presentation
which exemplifies the Attention Method. DO NOT spend too much time
choosing a poem. This is meant to be a short assignment to teach you a
few crucial skills you will need to do your Grad Portfolio
presentations in Attention Method style.
You must demonstrate mastery of the following skills:

Using a formal and inobtrusive theme, and using the centered master slides
Writing a script and noting where pictures and word slides will appear
Using the Magic Move & Anagram slide transition correctly
Using other tasteful transitions to emphasize readability and comprehension
Creating a presentation in Attention Method style
Using Background images/ semi-transparent shapes to create depth

What's the "Attention Method" again?

Every moment of the speech is scripted
All words and slides are timed to coincide and enhance one another.
Using the "Title-Center" Keynote slide Master
Having one word per slide to emphasize the main point of what you're saying
NO. BULLETS. EVER.
Using lots of slides, only a few seconds each, to reinforce what you're saying
Use images which clarify ideas or provoke a reaction, then take them down when you're done

Your Assignment:
Choose
a short poem [quickly!] or use one of your own. Content is not as
important as mastery of the skills. Annotate the poem in the way I
demonstrated (bold for word slides, [p] for "put a picture here") and create a keynote which follows your plan. Some poem selections are below.

Top 10 American Poems of the 20th Century

A nice collection of short poems (don't let the bad web design fool you. There are some good poems here).

11th Grade> NWEA Testing: Part II

2009-05-12T23:48:00.001-07:00

11th Graders>
After your NWEA testing, please take the survey which accompanies it. You are not done until you have completed this!!

12th Grade> Grad Portfolio Keynote Presentation Requirements

2009-05-10T21:53:00.001-07:00

ESGP Keynote Requirements:
1.    Balance between minimal and dense approaches (How much text is appropriate/necessary on the slide?)
2.    Presentation should emphasize and support, not detract from, or be, the oral defense. (it is not a media exhibition or presentation)
3.    Words and images are used skillfully to clarify ideas, not to present them.
4.    The student presenter leads and guides the presentation. The presentation does not guide the presenter.
5.    Clear cues about introduction, body (artifacts), and conclusion of presentation.
6.    Fonts, colors, and transitions support and are appropriate to the task. The presentation must be professional in appearance and application, such as you would find at a conference, or dissertation.
7.    Show abstract ideas (if any) visually and these must be integral to the defense of learning being put forth.
8.    The number of slides must be appropriate.
9.    Remember – The Keynote is a presentation tool.

ESGP Assessment Criteria for Presentaion Skills
❏ The presentation is well organized, well timed, and the supporting materials contribute to its clarity.
❏ Student communicates clearly and uses effective language to convey ideas and opinions in defense of
his or her learning.
❏ Makes effective use of Digital and/or Visual elements to demonstrate his or her learning evidenced in the portfolio.

Oral Defense Agenda
INTRODUCTION

Student will begin with a general introduction to the portfolio. (2 minutes)
What is your philosophy of education?
How do your artifacts support/connect to your philosophy of education?

BODY
For each artifact, the student will:

Introduce the artifact (2 minutes)
What was the purpose of the project?
What was the process you went through to get there?

Explain the artifact (3-5 minutes)
What are the ideas, concepts, and details that are present in your project?
What choices did you make and why?

After each artifact is presented:
The committee will ask questions for no more than 5 minutes.

CONCLUSION
After the student answers questions for the third piece:

The student will close the presentation with a comprehensive conclusion. (5 minutes)
How does this all connect with your philosophy of education?
How have your ideas changed as a result of these projects?
How can you use this knowledge in the future?
How has this work influenced your belief system and world-view?
How does your work compare with your personal ideas about this topic?
How did you use logic and reason in this project?
How has this topic helped you grow/change your thinking about the subject (math, art, History, etc.)?
How does this work show your mastery of the Leadership Skills?
What questions do you still have about these topics?
What has changed about your beliefs or understandings as a result of this discussion?
How does this portfolio prove that you are ready for college?

11/12 Digital Archive Tutorial

2009-04-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Digtial Archive Intro for Students - Graduation Portfolio Digtial Archive Intro for Students - Graduation Portfolio farmerfresh

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

India/Jordan Final Map Requirements

2009-04-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

12th Grade Keynote Poem Project

2009-04-27T00:20:00.001-07:00

ATTENTION METHOD KEYNOTE POEM PROJECT
You will be creating a short animated and recorded Keynote presentation which exemplifies the Attention Method. DO NOT spend too much time choosing a poem. This is meant to be a short assignment to teach you a few crucial skills you will need to do your Grad Portfolio presentations in Attention Method style.
You must demonstrate mastery of the following skills:

Using a formal and inobtrusive theme, and using the centered master slides
Writing a script and noting where pictures and word slides will appear
Using the Magic Move slide transition correctly
Using other tasteful transitions to emphasize readability and comprehension
Creating a presentation in Attention Method style

What's the "Attention Method" again?

Every moment of the speech is scripted
All words and slides are timed to coincide and enhance one another.
Using the "Title-Center" Keynote slide Master
Having one word per slide to emphasize the main point of what you're saying
NO BULLETS. EVER.
Using lots of slides, only a few seconds each, to reinforce what you're saying
Use images which clarify ideas or provoke a reaction, then take them down when you're done

Your Assignment:
Choose a short poem [quickly!] or use one of your own. Content is not as important as mastery of the skills. Annotate the poem in the way I demonstrated (bold for word slides, [p] for "put a picture here") and create a keynote which follows your plan. Some poem selections are below.

Top 10 American Poems of the 20th Century

A nice collection of short poems (don't let the bad web design fool you. There are some good poems here).

Senior Grad Portfolio Survey

2009-04-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Please take this quick quiz to let me know which arts pieces you intend to include in your ESGP.

ESGP Questionnaire
Loading...

12th grade> Arts Reflection- Due 4.24

2009-04-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

Arts Reflection Prompts

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Needs Assessment Map Project-- Due 4/28

2009-04-13T22:38:00.001-07:00

District Map Project
Due: Tuesday, April 28, at the beginning of your digital media class

You will be creating a map of your assigned district that will help you and audience members visualize what goes on in your assigned district. The requirements listed below are what the map needs to include at minimum. The most effective maps, however, will go far beyond these requirements, and will show visuals for other important patterns/locations/events in the district.

Assigned neighborhoods and their Zip Codes:
Bayview/ Hunter’s Point (94124)
Chinatown (94108)
Ingleside/Excelsior (94112)
Mission (94110)
Sunset (94122)
Western Addition/Japantown (94115)
http://www.usnaviguide.com/zip.htm
Your map needs to include:

1. The boundaries of your assigned district (these are zip-code boundaries, b/c that’s how the data was collected)
http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/overview/datacenter/maps/sf_zip.html
(Click on “view the San Francisco Zip Code Map”)
http://www.san-francisco-home.com/maps/ZipCodes.jpg
http://www.usnaviguide.com/zip.htm

2. Recreation Centers and Parks
Indicate which rec center you visited on 4/21
see printed-out “Neighborhood Service Area” handouts
http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_index.asp?id=1503

3. The path you traveled on your 4/21 field trip
you will take notes on this during your trip, and then will add this to the map

4. Education: Location of at least 2 schools in the district
http://portal.sfusd.edu/template/default.cfm?page=school_info.profiles.elementary

5. Health: Location of at least 2 health facilities and/or clinics
http://www.sfdph.org/dph/default.asp
(Under “Quick Search”, go to “Find a clinic by neighborhood or by name)

6. Crime/Safety: At least 1 area that has the highest crime rate for that district, and location of Police Stations
http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=23813
http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=47784
http://www.spotcrime.com/ca/san+francisco

7. Transportation: significant Muni lines, BART lines, and bike lanes
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mmaps/official.htm
http://www.sfbike.org/?maps

8. Economics: (this might be something you shade in, not a specific location. For example, you might shade the areas with the highest and lowest % of people living in poverty.)
http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en&_ts= Under “Fast Access to information”, type in the zip code you’re studying. You will get a list of statistics. To see maps of these statistics, click on the “map” links on the righthand side.

9. Community Resources (you can define this however you want- these should be organizations, businesses, or groups that attempting to help the community)
http://www.healthmattersinsf.org/ Under “search”, type in your zip code. Then it will list a wide variety of organizations and programs in your area.

10. ***VERY IMPORTANT***: MAP LEGEND
Additionally, you will need to create a “legend” (or a “key”) on a separate sheet that explains what symbols mean, and the complete names of the organizations you’ve referred to on your map.

Miscellaneous info and hints:

Your map will be 1 component of your group’s poster, which will be presented at exhibition night.

While the initial grade of your map will be in Digital Media, your complete poster (which the map is a part of) will be graded in Math Class. In other words, your work on this map will go into 2 different classes.

Divide up the work on this poster! Assign each group member to at least two of the requirements listed above.

In the process of finding information for this map, you will find a lot of quantitative data. Print those sheets out, or write them down; this will help you when you’re writing your Needs Assessment Report!

Artist Sites: Due Monday/Tuesday

2009-03-25T08:50:00.001-07:00

A new iWeb page (or set of pages) with a photoshopped background design about your artist, your artist research (written up in full, informative sentences), and placed in iweb sites on your server space.

Just as a refresher, here are your group and individual role research questions.
Arts Movement Research Guide Arts Movement Research Guide farmerfresh

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Science & Engineerin art research

Group Websites Due today

2009-03-23T08:15:00.001-07:00

Due on your blog today!!!

iWeb/Multimedia Geeks Your completed group project must be published to your server by the end of class. You must also post a link to your published site on your blog, and post your multimedia bibliography to your blog.
Photoshop Designer
You must post your two finished designs, your image bibliography, and a link to your group's published iWeb site.
Writer/Researcher
You must post your completed writing for the six web pages, your research bibliography, and a link to your group's published iWeb site.

Progress Post: Due on your blog TODAY!

2009-03-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

PShoppers- Your main page design, “back page” design, + image bibliography

Writers/Researchers: Your text for all 6 pages + your research bibliography

iWeb Geeks: Screenshots of your 5 (or more) 1024 x 768 iWeb pages completed in iWeb with navigation buttons

ThinkQuest Web Design Group Roles, 3/17,18

2009-03-17T08:25:00.001-07:00

IWEB/WIDGETEER GEEKS: TO DO TODAY

PSHOP DESIGNERS: TO DO TODAY

WRITERS RESEARCHERS

In Class Web Design Tasks

2009-03-12T08:47:00.001-07:00

Photoshop Designer

Create a compelling design using Creative Commons, Public Domain, & Fair Use images & multimedia
Photoshop a 1024 x 768 background design for your web page.

Keep a bibliography of your images and source URLs.

due today: a rough layout for your main page

Research Master/ Writer

Compile and deepen the group research on your Art Movement
Write the educational text for the Main Page section
Create a bibliography of your sources in MLA format

due today: Finished writeups for each page in your site map

Widgeteer/ Multimedia Geek

Research video, audio, pictures, and other multimedia which would enhance and deepen your audience’s understanding
Find blogs and RSS feeds which would add value to your web site
Learn to embed/widgetize your media into the final web page
Keep a bibliography in MLA format of your multimedia

due today: Identify videos and blog feeds you can integrate in your main page

Photoshop to iWeb TUTORIAL VIDEOS

2009-03-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Photoshop to Iweb

Cut Apart an Art Image so you can create a new art layout! PART I

Cut Apart an Art Image so you can create a new art layout! PART II

Resize the iWeb page size to give your creativity more space!

Turn off those cheezy navigation links

Anything can be a button

Invisible boxes-- make a link out of anything in your background!

ThinkQuest Project Description!

2009-03-06T12:27:00.001-08:00

Your 3rd quarter project will be to enter a website into the Oracle ThinkQuest Web Design Competition. In groups of 3 (chosen by me), you will research, write, design, and build a professional-quality website using Photoshop & iWeb.

The websites will outline your complete description of an Art movement (such as Impressionism, Harlem Renaissance, Gothic, Surrealism, etc.) and a showcase of the art of the major artists to emerge from that school of thought. The websites themselves will be designed in the style of the artists you are discussing. They will be also be designed in line with the best that we know about web usability, layout, design, and multimedia integration. The websites will only contain media (pictures, sounds, video) that we can legally distribute while respecting intellectual property rights.

Learning Outcomes
know and be able to describe a major movement in Art history, including its unique characteristics and the major artists to emerge from this movement.
be able to create attractive, functional, and media-rich web pages.
learn and implement effective & valid web design with multimedia & widget integration.
understand copyright, fair use, and creative commons licenses so you can use only legal media in your site.

Diverse Groups : Global Impact
The ThinkQuest Web Design Competition gives 10 points for groups that are made up of diverse students. They give another 10 for groups whose sites have a Global Impact. Our diversity at CAT is a great strength of this school, and we will use our strength in diverse groups of 3 students to confront the relevance of these movements in Art to a modern, changing world. I will choose the groups to reflect a diversity of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, cultural groups, levels of technical and artistic experience, academic enthusiasm, and any other criteria I can think of. Your job will be to actively discover your group’s collective strengths and challenges and work within them to create a professional piece. You will need to blog about your group experiences to document your collaboration, your artistic process, and how your group diversity influences your approach to the material.

Standards for Success
This project will satisfy your Creative Expression task for the Envision Schools Grad Portfolio (ESGP). This means that you will have to show proficiency according to the ESGP, and satisfy the requirements of the ThinkQuest Web Design Competition. Tricky, but do-able. It will be your responsibility and mine to make sure that you are meeting both sets of requirements. The ESGP Creative Expression task and the ThinkQuest rules are included in this packet. I have designed this project so that meeting all benchmarks will ensure that you are on track for success by both standards.

ESGP Requirements (in student-friendly language)
Technique-
A proficient website will show a skilled use of Dreamweaver or Freeway to display multimedia appropriate and relevant to your topic.
It will be of comparable quality to mainstream websites in terms of usability, validity, and design sophistication.
All artistic choices will enhance, not take away from, the message.
It will use only legal media and will include accurate citations for all intellectual property.
Point of View-
A proficient website will accurately and completely teach fellow students about a movement in art and its major artists.
It will go beyond simply sharing objective facts-- it will include a personal comment on this movement through the eyes of a modern and diverse group of teens.
You will be able to explain the moods and ideas you wanted to convey and the effects you used to achieve this.
Your ideas and feelings about the content are clearly expressed in the artist statement and evident in the work
Context and Connections-
A proficient reflection on this project will compare the web design choices you made with our exploration of web usability.
You will explicitly describe the unique features of your art movement’s style and how you chose to incorporate them into your design
Reflection-
A proficient reflection on this project will clearly outline the process you and your group went through to complete the assignment, from beginning to end.
You will describe your creative process using art-specific language
You will describe specific questions you received from your groupmates and how you addressed those questions
Process
A proficient description of your process will describe challenges you and your group faced and strategies you used to overcome them.
You will describe specific feedback you got from peers and Ted and how you incorporated this feedback in your final presentation.

Group Products
Each group will create a website which contains:
A main section which discusses the major features of the movement
Time period
major features of the style
design philosophy
historical context-- what was it a reaction against? what caused it?
Which other movements is it closely related to?
Which media did this movement affect? (painting? architecture? music?)
A synthesis section, where your group reflects on the relevance of this art movement to the modern day
A section about the group process, including your video artist statements, and selected quotes from your blogs.
A “Further Reading/Bibliography page where you share your bibliographic sources, image credits, and suggestions for further reading
In addition, each group member will independently create
One section which outlines a major artist from this Movement
Artist Name
Nationality
Birth-Death Dates
Medium they work in (paint, sculpture, lithograph, etc.)
Design philosophy
Relationship to the larger movement
How does this artist exemplify the style of the Movement?
How does this artist differ from other artists in this movement?
Group Roles

Each group will consist of three people. Each member of the group will need to produce:
Their own content section about a major artist from the group’s Movement, decorated in the style of that artist
A complete bibliography of their research sources and image sources
Students will use their blogs, Evernote, or a similar service to preserve notes
One third of the main section
Page Layout Design
Object Design
Widget/Multimedia integration
Twiddly bits (AKA animations and Javascript goodies)
Writing/Editing
An ongoing blog which outlines the way their group worked together and documents their creative process.
A 3 minute video artist statement

Artist Statement
(3 minute video, shot in iMovie/iSight, uploaded to Google Video, embedded in site)

In your video artist statement, you will describe:
What you have learned about your Movement and your Artist
How this Movement and Artist is relevant to you and the modern world
Major turning points in your group’s creative process and strategies you used to overcome those challenges
Specific websites you have looked at for inspiration, and how your finished work incorporates the best we know about web usability
Major features of your artist’s style and how you incorporated it into your design
Specific feedback you received and how you incorporated it into your final design

ThinkQuest Website Competition Evaluation Criteria 2009
Each of the criteria below is worth 10 points. Judges will evaluate entries in accordance with these criteria, entering a numerical score (0 to 10) for each of the criteria.

    Content(10 points)

        * Website expertly explores the chosen topic, evidenced by depth of information, supporting details and a variety of sources.
        * All content is accurate and current.
        * Media elements (e.g. movies, photo essays, digital stories) include a concise written synopsis that enhances the portrayal of the topic.

    Writing & Organization(10 points)

        * Content is written in English using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.
        * Writing is concise and easy to understand.
        * All content is effectively organized so as to hold the reader’s attention and ease transition between sections.

    Originality(10 points)

        * Website is creative and original in its approach to presenting the topic.
        * A variety of information sources are used, including primary sources such as interviews, surveys, personal observations, original artwork and multimedia recordings.
        * Written content, and where appropriate, photographs and artwork are clearly the original work of the students.
        * The majority of written content is not paraphrased or copied from outside sources.
        * Website structure, design and style are unique and original.
        * Please see Rules for information regarding plagiarism.

    Educational Relevance(10 points)

        * Content is written and organized for a student audience.
        * Team effectively describes its intended audience and relevance to teaching and learning according to the purpose of the website.
        * All content (e.g. written, media elements) is educational and informative.

    Global Impact*(10 points)

        * Team has selected a topic of global importance and maintained focus on this topic throughout their website.
        * Website proactively presents diverse viewpoints on the topic, with clear differentiation between opinion and fact.
        * Website intentionally raises awareness, presents action steps, and effectively engages others in addressing the issue and making a difference.

    Citations(10 points)

        * All sources used to research and create the website are clearly identified and credited, ideally as footnotes on the relevant page as well as on a summary citations page.
        * In-Text References are effectively utilized throughout the website.
        * If the website includes legally protected materials (e.g. copyrighted information, images, audio, video), permission to use these materials is clearly stated or noted as public domain.
        * Citations are credible and thorough enough to verify content.

    Collaboration(10 points)

        * Site Profile and website include a candid narrative on how the team worked together to create the website, divide tasks, share responsibilities, and overcome challenges.
        * Students share reflections on difficulties encountered, group problem solving, and teamwork as experienced during the competition.

    Team Diversity*(10 points)

        * Student team members come from multiple socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural groups, or have overcome other challenges to participate.
        * Team effectively utilizes their diversity to explore and present the topic.
        * Site Profile and website explain how the team is diverse and the ways in which this diversity is reflected in the development and content of the website.

    Website Structure, Appearance, and Function(10 points)

        * The site’s design and layout make it easy to use. Every page is visually well organized.
        * Colors, fonts, and overall layout are creative, artistic, consistent across the website and do not interfere with the ability to easily read content.
        * There are limited, or no technical problems (e.g. broken links, missing files, etc.).

    Media use(10 points)

        * Creative and purposeful use of media (e.g. images, audio, video, animation, games, interactive features, etc.) enhances the presentation of information by engaging the user more deeply and demonstrating key concepts.
        * All media elements are an essential component creating understanding and emotional impact.

    * The Global Perspectives prize is awarded on the basis of the Global Impact and Team Diversity scores.

Blog Post 9- Best and Worst Web Design of 2008

2009-03-01T23:13:00.001-08:00

Surf the following links and identify what characteristics make a web design truly excellent? Write a blog post in which you list 5-7 characteristics of bad web design and 5-7 characteristics of good web design (much like what I made in class).

40 most beautiful and inspirational website designs of 2008

10 Best Designed Web Sites in the World

Worst Web Sites of 2008 — #1-5

When you get done with your blog post about good and sucky websites, get back to researching your Art Movement and Artist. Don't forget to be thorough, answer in your own words, and be finished next class!

Group Diversity Blog Post

2009-02-26T14:22:00.001-08:00

post to your blogs:

In what ways is your group diverse?
age/ grade/sex/background/family/ethnicity/beliefs/orientation/other?
What similarities do you have that you didn’t know about?
What unique strengths do you bring to your group?
What challenges do you bring?

Art History Research Due next Thursday-Friday

2009-02-25T23:18:00.001-08:00

Where should I look?

An encyclopedia of art
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
World Wide Arts Resources
http://wwar.com/artists/
Art History Resources on the Web
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html
The ARTchive
http://www.artchive.com/

Don't forget to save the URL and bibliographic information for every piece of research you find....

Due Friday the 13th: Final Art Projects and Final Papers

2009-02-10T08:45:00.001-08:00

FINALS ALL DUE!!

This Friday, 2/13, your final What is Art Papers (Part I and II) are due along with your Final Draft of your Art piece. Follow the links to get the full requirements.

Blog Post 7: Rubrics --> Feedback for change

2009-02-03T08:12:00.001-08:00

(From the "Reflection" section of your final paper)

Interview a classmate you trust. Ask them to grade your art
project against the rubric and to give you warm and cool feedback. (In
other words, they tell you what they think is effective and they give
you ideas for how to push it forward).

Your Blog Post 7 is to record their warm and cool feedback on your work. Write at least 5-7 sentences about their feedback, how they scored you on the rubric, and how you can make the changes you need to get proficiency.

Grad Portfolio Creative Expression Rubric

2009-02-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the actual rubric I will be using to grade your project. The questions I made for you to answer are adapted from the bullet points in the "Proficient" column in this document. CreaExpressPerformanceRubric2008-2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: education class

Blog Post 6: Reflection: Tools and Technique

2009-01-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

This blog prompt is taken directly from the "Reflection" section of the Final "What is Art?" Paper (Parts 1&2). Do your best work now so you can just cut & paste later.

Describe the specific art techniques you used on your project using "art-specific" language. So instead of saying "I took a picture from its background", say "I used layer masking, the quick selection tool, and different layers in Photoshop to remove a picture from its background". You are trying to demonstrate that you have mastered the tools and techniques that we have been learning in class.

5-7 sentences

Final Art Project Requirements

2009-01-27T10:08:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

"What is Art?" Final Project Creative Expression Guidelines: Technique

These are the standards of quality that we are looking for from Grad Portfolio-level work. In addition, you must post as many "snapshots" of your creative process along the way to your blog-- I want to see a progression from an unfinished work to your rough draft, and progress from your rough to your final.

Music:
Must sound professional, intentional, and polished
Must have at least one original track from YOU (singing, rapping, instrumental melody)
Remixes must bring and additional value to the song
the original tracks you remixed from must be on your blog, with credits

Flash Animation:
1 minute requirement
background
sound
DOES THIS MAKE SENSE to an outside observer?

Videos:
2-3 minute requirement
live action footage (not just collected clips and pictures)
Must appear professionally polished
Sound levels need to be polished
skilled use of transitions
good use of music & sound effects

Websites:
professionally polished
must be completely your own design (no templates)
extra technique points for using freeway or dreamweaver
usability
images
image or J/S CSS buttons
synergy between design and content

2D Images
Gotta be polished & professional looking
layout
skillful use of the application
include layer masking, adjustment layers
present a point of view

Architecture Project
Must be structurally sound and symmetrical
Must appear polished and professional
must be placed in Google Earth or you must design the surrounding landscape

"What is Art?": Parts I & II Final Paper (due 2/13)

2009-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

"What is Art?": Parts I & II Final Paper
5-7 pages typed, double spaced
1250-1750 words

You will write a final reflection which specifically addresses all of the prompts below, one-by-one. It does not need to be in Essay format-- I'd prefer specific answers to each specific question. Please organize your paper into the following sections:

Technique
Point of View
Context & Connections
Reflection
Process

You may re-use any of the writing you have already done for your blogs or the Part I Final Paper, but you must make sure that you are specifically and satisfactorily answering the writing prompts below. Please do not try to fake your way through the answers. If you know your work does not meet these standards, be honest with yourself and with me. It just means that we have more work to do to get your work to a proficient level. Let's meet that challenge!

Technique

(Blog Post 6. See also: "Reflection" section, bullet 2) In what way does this work represent a skilled use of the software? Explain specific techniques you used in this software (like "layer masking" or "using the 'pull up' tool in SketchUp") and step-by-step ways you used these tools.
In what way does your choice of materials for this project represent a skillful and informed artistic choice? Explain why you chose to use this medium to work in, how (and why) you selected the raw images/samples/paints, etc to include in your project.
How does this work you've created compare with other works of this kind by other artists? Give specific examples of other works of this type (for example, other websites, songs, or paintings) and explain how your work builds on other works in this genre.
Explain in depth the different materials, techniques, and art genres you experimented with as you were making your final piece. Put as many "snapshots" of your creative process as you can on your blog. You want to demonstrate (and give proof) that you tried a lot of different ways to do your project instead of just going with the first thing you did.
Explain how the techniques you used add to and enhance the meaning or message you were trying to communicate. How did your technical choices (which program to use, what effects to add, what colors, images, and sounds to use) compliment the message you were trying to capture with your piece?

Point of View

(Blog Post 5. Please revise in light of your current progress). Your work of art must communicate a clear point of view about Art and about your intended message for this piece. In what ways is your point of view evident in the work itself?
(Blog Post 5. Please revise in light of your current progress). What is your definition of Art and non-Art? How is this definition shown in your artwork?

Context and Connections

Specifically describe the artworks you looked at when developing your definition of Art in blogs 1-3. How does your final work compare with the pieces you looked at? With other works of art you know?
Based on your exploration of Art, what specific characteristics does Art need to have? Explain your answers. How did you ensure that your final artwork has these characteristics?

Reflection

Discuss the specific stages you went through as you started reading, researching, thinking about, designing, building, and revising your project. Be as specific as you possibly can.
(Blog Post 6. See also: "Technique" section, bullet 1) Describe the specific art and technical techniques you used in "art-specific" language. So instead of saying "I took a picture from its background", say "I used layer masking, the quick selection tool, and different layers to remove a picture from its background". [blog post 6]
(Blog Post 7. See also: "Process" section, bullet 3 ). Interview a classmate you trust. Ask them to grade your art project against the rubric and to give you warm and cool feedback. (In other words, they tell you what they think is effective and they give you ideas for how to push it forward).
Compare your finished work next to an established, professional work of art. Give yourself warm and cool feedback as you compare what is successful and effective in both pieces. Use art-specific language.

Process

(Here, you can use major turning points from your Part I Paper. Add more to reflect your learning since then). Describe how your definition of art grew and developed over the course of the project. How did you become aware of, challenge, and develop your ideas regarding what Art is (and can be)? Discuss major turning points in that process.
What strategies did you use to overcome setbacks you encountered in the process?
(Blog Post 7. See also: "Reflection" section, bullet 3 )What feedback did you get from your peers and from Ted about how to improve your piece? How did you incorporate this feedback into your revision process?

Blog Post 5: Connecting your project to your definition of Art

2009-01-12T08:09:00.001-08:00

Post your answers to the following questions on your blog in 5-10 sentences:

1. What is your complete definition of Art? What is your definition of "not-Art"?

2. In what ways is your art project a good example of your definition of "Art"?

3. What moods or feelings does your art project communicate?

4. What has been the most difficult part of this project so far? How have you gotten over challenges?

Project To Do

2009-01-08T13:40:00.001-08:00

Project To Do:

Do Blog post # 4
What do you want the message of your finished project to be?
What artistic effects do you want to achieve?
Sketch your finished project on scratch paper, Photobooth it, and blog it!
Begin working on your final project. You can find tutorials for the software in yesterday's post (below).
Friday Progress Post! I want to see your project, whatever it looks like today. At the end of the period, post it to your blog.

Blog Post 4: "Setting Goals and Trajectory of your Project

2009-01-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

What is Art: Part II Final Projects

The ROUGH drafts of your final projects will be due on January 15/16 and will be your main grade for second quarter. By that time, you will need to have the following items on your blog to pass my class:

Your complete answers to Blog Posts 1-3
Your Part I Final Paper
Complete answers to Blog Posts 4-6
Two Friday Progress Posts
Your Final Project (rough)

Your job today:
“sets goals and trajectory of the process of creating the work of art”

BLOG POST #4
Find the project you chose to do below and use this document as a guide. Answer the first two questions on your blog today. As you progress through the list, post frequently so I can see what you’re doing!

***************************************************************************************************
A 2-D image or series of images in Photoshop or Illustrator. These can be images you shoot with a camera, compose from scratch, or remix from other media.

In a blog post, plan out your project over the next 2 weeks (with dates and deadlines)

What do you want the message of your finished piece to be?
What artistic effects do you want to achieve?
sketch out a basic idea of what you want your finished image to look like.
get familiar with the tools and explore tutorials on SmashingMagazine.com http://is.gd/ezL3 or other online resources
Post your unfinished work to your blog each Friday (in whatever form it’s in). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

A multimedia podcast/ vodcast made in GarageBand and/or iMovie.

What do you want the message of your finished piece to be?
What artistic effects do you want to achieve?
Write a script for the speaking parts of your presentation.
Create a storyboard of no less than 8 frames, showing major visual scenes from your project.
Get familiar with the tools and get to work!
Post your unfinished work to Google Video and link to it on your blog each Friday (even if it’s not done). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

A 3-D architecture project in Google SketchUp.

What do you want the purpose of your finished building to be?
What feeling do you want your architecture project to evoke?
Sketch your finished product on paper first.
Get familiar with the tools and get to work! http://is.gd/ezPz
Take screenshots of your project and put it on your blog each Friday (even if it’s not done). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

A website design. You can use iWeb, Dreamweaver, or our newest web design program, Freeway.

What do you want the message of your finished website to be?
What design effects would you like to achieve?
Sketch your finished product on paper first.
Decide which software bundle to use:
iWeb is very easy and a little restrictive http://is.gd/cxc
Freeway is a little less easy but very powerful and flexible http://is.gd/ezKS
Dreamweaver is not very intuitive, but very powerful http://is.gd/ec

Take screenshots of your project and put it on your blog each Friday (even if it’s not done). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

An audio recording or song using GarageBand. You can sing, rap, remix, or all three!

What do you want the message of your finished song to be?
What sonic effects would you like to achieve?
write out your lyrics and make a scratch recording of how they should sound.
Decide which software bundle to use:
get used to the tool with tutorials http://is.gd/cxc and get to work!
Post your song to MP3 format each Friday (even if it’s not done). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

A 2-D animation using Flash. I’m not as familiar with Flash as other programs, so this is for independent students only.

What do you want the message of your finished animation to be?
What creative effects would you like to achieve?
Write a script for the speaking parts of your presentation.
Create a storyboard of no less than 8 frames, showing major visual scenes from your project.
Take tutorials at http://is.gd/ezMy and get to work!
Post your unfinished work to Google Video and link to it on your blog each Friday (even if it’s not done). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

A fine art piece. For students who would like to get away from the computer, you can create a physical piece of art. This could be drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, junk art, or some other physical art piece. It might also involve dance, performance, and/ or writing. You will submit it to your blog, so it will have to eventually be in a digital format, but you can begin the process in whichever way you want to. Please know that you will have to do work outside of class time if you choose this option.

What do you want the message of your finished piece to be?
What creative effects would you like to achieve?
sketch out a basic idea of what you want your finished piece to look like.
Take tutorials
http://www.drawspace.com/

Post pictures of your work in progress every Friday (even if it’s not done). These posts will serve as progress reports for me and will be graded.

The ROUGH drafts of these projects will be due on January 15/16 and will be your main grade for second quarter. By that time, you will need to have the following items on your blog to pass my class:

Your complete answers to Blog Posts 1-3
Your Part I Final Paper
Complete answers to Blog Posts 4-6
Two Friday Progress Posts
Your Final Project (rough)

What is Art Part II

2008-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

What is Art Project: PART II

Now that you have put your ideas about art to the test, it is time to use them to guide you as you create a piece in the art medium of your choice. I want you to be free in your choices, but I can only provide so many real options for you to choose from. I urge you to take today to explore the various different programs mentioned below and choose one that you’d like to explore.

A 2-D image or series of images in Photoshop or Illustrator. These can be images you shoot with a camera, compose from scratch, or remix from other media.
A multimedia podcast/ vodcast made in GarageBand and/or iMovie.
A 3-D architecture project in Google SketchUp.
A website design. You can use iWeb, Dreamweaver, or our newest web design program, Freeway.
An audio recording or song using GarageBand. You can sing, rap, remix, or all three!
A 2-D animation using Flash. I’m not as familiar with Flash as other programs, so this is for independent students only.
A fine art piece. For students who would like to get away from the computer, you can create a physical piece of art. This could be drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, junk art, or some other physical art piece. It might also involve dance, performance, and/ or writing. You will submit it to your blog, so it will have to eventually be in a digital format, but you can begin the process in whichever way you want to. Please know that you will have to do work outside of class time if you choose this option.

You will be responsible for creating the benchmarks for this project so you can turn in a finished project on January 15/16.

By the end of this class period, take the online poll below to indicate which project you want to undertake.

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What is Art: Part I Final Paper (2-3 pages, due 12/11,12

2008-12-04T08:21:00.001-08:00

The final project for Part I of this project is a 2-3 page paper which outlines your ideas on what is and is not “Art”. Fear not! This paper can be made up of your blog posts (revised to fit together). This is the first part of your final paper for this project, and it is mapped to the graduation portfolio’s Creative Expression task rubric. You must answer all prompts fully and specifically to get credit.

I expect you to make generalized statements about Art.
For example, “Art should make us think in new ways”.

I also expect you to talk specifically about individual pieces of work you have viewed.
For example: “The art project about the starving dog was horrible, but it made me think about hunger, selfishness, and the artist’s role in a new way”.

What do you believe makes something “Art”? How is it different from “not-Art”?Specifically, what qualities does Art need to have?

Sometimes, works of art can have a literal meaning and a more abstract, metaphoric meaning. What role do moods, symbols, and metaphors have in your definition of “Art”?

What role does Art play in your life? What do you use it for? How can Art teach you things that more literal media cannot?

When you create your own piece of Art (as you define “Art” to be), what qualities would it have to possess? How will you ensure that it meets all features of your definition of “Art”?

Describe the process you went through to develop your definition of “Art”. How has it changed over time? How did you decide which pieces you wanted to look at and think about? How did these pieces change your thinking about what “Art” should and should not be?

Finally, create your own definition for what “Art” IS and what it is NOT.

Blog Post 3: Read & Respond to a "What is art?" post

2008-12-01T08:34:00.001-08:00

Here, you will find a list of blog posts from around the web where people are trying to explore what art is. Choose an article to read and then respond to it. Provide a link to the article in your blog so we can follow along.

1) Summarize their main point about art.

2) What evidence do they give to support their argument?

3) What underlying beliefs and values do you think went into this author's ideas about art?

4) Did they raise any interesting points that you hadn't thought of?

5) Was the art piece they were discussing effective? Was it "art"?

6) At this point, what is your definition of art?

Blog Post 2: What is "Not-Art"? Take the Poll

2008-11-19T22:06:00.001-08:00