Plan for the week 30 July

Holiday Homework

Figure out if or how you could have used the rule of thirds on at least 3 of your folio images. comment appropriately in terms of how successful you think you works are in gaining viewer attention and concept.

Due by Monday 29th July (1st day term 3)

Plan for the week

Sorry this took a while, couldn't load the image to begin with...

Using this forum to post homework and class resources

Every two - three lessons, I plan to recap a pretty huge presentation I gave the class in Term One about elements and principles of photography. I want the students to be explicitly referencing these when they critique their work. last week I put their whiteboard plan for the week on as a new post, which I will also continue to do, along with their wee homework assignments specifically referencing the elements of photography. I am not sure if this should be a separate blog to this one, at the moment it is all wrapped as one...

Plan for the week

Almost All of My Students Onboard With Blogs...

So are they using them for the purpose I thought they would, and wanted them to?

My intention still remains that they are critiqing and reflecting on their work as pieces of Art. Some of the comments a few are making about their work are 'it looks nice...' which is not that. I also want them to engage with, and justify their concepts as much as possible. Students are not going to achieve those higher grades unless they do that, together with clear links to established practice and use of Art principles that mean something to that concept. Some students have yet to put anything up and I do think it is because they are terrified that they don't know what this is, in their own work.

My next focus is to pull back to the principles and elements of photography and teach these explicitly maybe for 10 mins at the start of each lesson before I let them delve back into their work, and to work with certain priority learners who are yet to fully come on board with this process. Hopefully within 2 weeks of this post, all of the blogs will be functioning and active every week and students will use sentences about their own work that discuss the elements and principles visible, putting themselves in the spotlight as the 'artist' worth discussing, at a higher level.

Notes from the first Group Critique for 2013

Critique (with the Year 12 students only) went for 1 and a half hours and they did alright. The following are notes from this critique. They are here as a record for the students themselves and could hopefully offer more insight into their work than you could glean from their blogs at the stage they are in right now. They are notes only and somewhat informal.

12 photography notes from the critique: June 12^th 2013

Zusje – not using the blog, subject matter is still life, had a thought to use her cactus which she has named Dorothy, but it doesn’t work. Her work looks like Vanitas so far. Doesn’t have many objects within it though. White space is used very well. Wants to extend her subject matter to include a candle and a bottle shaped like a skull. Has research Vanitas for 2.1 Painting already, so has a sound understanding of this genre to help get her stared in photography.

Thinks her photos so far are a bit weird and is not convinced. Likes the ones on her board so far.

Marissa – blog is going alright, changing her concept and putting up more photos that are in line with this. Is ok with the technology side of things. Needs to add gadgets for followers and reading list.

Overall concept is her relationship with her Nan before she died. Her presence. With starting again, still going to use the shadows and use them to indicate her presence. Has a teddy bear that belonged to her and is covered in beads wants to incorporate pictures of Nan when she was younger. Beads come off so could be useful for shadows too. 

Samuel – ok with the blog so far and is following 5 others. His work is about himself and his life with his family. Although willing to blog about it to quite an in-depth level, would rather people read what he wrote than he spoke about it out loud in class. All students to go online and comment please.

Danielle – thinks she has too much writing on her blog – I don’t agree. It looks good. Has included her note taking pages and visual thinking which is great. Overall concept is one of feminism and girly stuff, girls being decoration and treated as objects. Recommended reading “the Beauty Myth” by Naomi Woolf. Has used a jewellery holder which is a headless female figure. Taking away the head removes something of the personality and sense of person over object so this is an apt choice. Lots of lace and fabric. Could look at Rozi Demant for further inspiration, though she is a painter, she uses a similar voyeuristic kind of view of the feminine subject. Highly sexualised imagery. Probably blocked by the school system. Could use the lace as a ‘lens’ to extend ideas, re-shoot altering view points, looking down, looking up, voyeuristic nature of lifting the skirt and key holes…

Terence – struggled with getting started with the blog as he was away when we really got started with it. Is getting on top of it now, but is yet to publish the first post. Overall concept is his love of music and guitar. First three photos do currently lack a relationship. Wants to hold onto using the cover of passion and warfare from Steve something-or rather who inspired him to play. Teacher discussion about holding onto something as a subject for the wrong reasons e.g. Zusje’s decision to drop Dorothy from her work, which was the right decision… there is however, potential for Terence to use the album cover and the vinyl album as an object to create geometry, the grid and be a device rather than an object, therefore combining those objects with the guitar is more relevant.

Brooke – 80 views on her blog which is great so far, needs to figure out how to follow a blog and adding some gadgets to make it easier for others to follow her too. Overall concept – childhood memories, fashion vintage, inspired by her Granddad who is a photographer. Could be a very Art deco theme to the work if she wanted to, how could she incorporate op shop pieces of clothes, items on clothes hangers, think Drama room props for instance…Great Gatsby?

Hazel – struggling with the blog technically, but is keen to keep going – Samuel to help her out. Chose objects that mean something to her personally. Box, rose, family photo. Some successful photos using the drama room lighting rig. Editing using layers and colour/black and white areas within the same photo – these look lovely so far. Aperture is used well and could be used to more effect. Suggestion that she becomes a part of the photos as a presence, her shadow or her form but out of focus while her main subject is in focus either in front or behind her. Suggestion that she look at one of Danielle’s artist models – Madalina Wasiczek. Suggestion to try and use patterned cloth in the background but make sure it is out of focus and becomes just shapes to toy with.

'Ailine – needs to put more images and ideas on the blog, got side-tracked with the Michel Tuffery images she saw and changed her direction significantly. Now working with her own cultural identity, specifically Tongan/Samoan aspect of her heritage. Lava lava photo which is the main one on her block has good depth and lighting and contrast. You cannot tell it was shot in the corner of the art room. Could you use yourself interacting with the drum and wrapping the lava lava as well? Self-timer or someone assisting. Ailine suggested that she play around with the shutter speed whilst drumming playing with hands being blurred and being focussed and clear. 

Critique

To critiqueis to review or analyse something critically and carefully. The word critisise is the anglo-sised version of the word and generally seen in a negative light. Critique is the French variant and is seen as the more helpful verb. It all comes from the Greek word ‘Kritikos’ meaning skilled in judging. It is a very important part of any art making, writing or research based work. It always needs to be peer–reviewed and critiqued. What if there is something glaringly obvious that is of use, right in front of you and you have been staring at it for so long, you forgot to see it? You should not be scared of this process, you should want it to happen. It is helpful and necessary. 

That is the next step for our blogging students. They are going to take what is on their blog, and what they have in paper notes and have a group critique in class. This is usually like pulling teeth. However, 2 of my students have already used other online forums to discuss their actual blogs and therefore their work, many of the students blogs have been seen by staff members here at Hornby High School and I am hoping that in publishing their work and explaining it, even if it is just a little, they will have broken down that fear a little.  

The questions I want them to answer for this critique are:

-          What was your initial concept? Can you put it in one sentence?

-          How do your objects/imagery relate to this concept?

-          What are you favourite artist models and how do they relate to your concept and subject? If they don’t, does this matter?

-          Do you feel that your work is at the skill level required at level 2?

Beyond that, I want them to interact with each other, offer advice and support to one another and lift their general camaraderie with each other to a more 'professional' status.

Introduction - What We Are Trying To Achieve...

So, last Friday, I set my senior photography class a challenge; to create a meaningful blog about their work that could either replace their visual diaries or be a companion to them. The first student to do it well, gets lunch. Appealing to their stomachs and a short term goal. Our school is currently involved in the BeL initiative which is blended e-learning. I am seeing these blogs as being assessable for their NCEA requirements for 21, 2.2 and 2.3. I, however, don't know a heck of a lot about how to make one, so now I am doing the same thing, ABOUT the process of setting up volunteers in my class to take on this challenge and how I manage with BeL. This is fast becoming an inquiry-based learning project for me.

I have 11 students who are so far willing to take on the challenge. All are in Year 12/13 here at Hornby High School. All have made a good or impressive start to their body of work so far;

Danielle, Terence, Samuel, Hazel, Brooke, Reubin, Raquel, Marissa, Dayna, Ailine, Katie. As they progress, I will figure out how to link their blogs to this site.

I have also written up something of a digital protocol that I am yet to run past the students. It has been written in a way that links in with our school values; CARR - Commitment, Achievement, Resilience and Respect. I took some inspiration from www.digitalcitizenship.net but I am at pains to state that it is not in any way plagiarised. This is a very good site to learn from though. This is them so far...possibly too wordy, but fits neatly onto an A4 page. We have an internet agreement that has been in place for a long time, however, I don't feel that it covers how students post their own material as this is a newer way of facilitating the students learning.

Commitment, Achievement, Resilience, Respect

The School Values apply to how you express yourselves digitally also. You need to care about being good digital citizens. Every post you make, on ALL forms of digital media is traceable (includes facebook). It will reflect on you in time to come. It is NOT like the spoken word that, unrecorded could be forgotten. Your digital shadow is something that can linger for a long time.

Commitment: Be learning ready online too, prepared, positive and to the point.

It is your responsibility to act positively. In doing that, you will encourage others to do the same.

- Consider the intention of your comments that are digitally created. They should be always thought through before you make them. What is your point? Is it learning focused, productive, meaningful? Are you going to make your life better? The lives of others better? You are now responsible for the health and well-being of others, when you include them in posts and comments. How much of this responsibility do you want to hold, if you are not being positive?

Achievement Be the best that you can be online too.

- Aiming high with your intentions and outcomes online is just as important as anywhere else in your life. Except that online, there is a permanent memory of your intentions and outcomes. Again you become responsible for the health and well-being of others through online comments. You want to have a digital legacy that shows the world what a great person you are.

Resilience - have the confidence to try; connect with others on a similar journey.

- Putting yourself out there digitally IS scary and it is open to the world. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a go. 95% of what is online is uploaded by everyday people, who are not attached to a corporation of any kind. A lot is misinformation. If you are using these tools appropriately, you are expressing your own learning journey and potentially inspiring others to do the same. Educate yourself and connect with others doing the same things.

Respect – people, places, property, beliefs, access, welfare, security

- Other people’s websites are their PROPERTY. They may not have a physical nature, but you cannot rip them off. Other people will express views online that you may not agree with. It is not your place as a student to begin a full-scale online war with that person that becomes personal. Move on. Take care with your security settings and ensure they are appropriate. It is not a fun game to deliberately set about seeing if you can deceive and undermine the security of others online. All you are doing is undermining your own core values of being a good person. It is a serious legal breach to do this and can be followed up on.