Flashback and Flashforward!

This blog is dedicated to:

Sydney, Timothy, Anita, Jessa, Jillian, Nicole, Katlyn, Amanda, Melissa, Heather, Michelle, Anita M, Brandi, Lindsey, Tara, Heidi, Jeanette, and Molly.

What an amazing group of passionate, dedicated, high spirited, and hard working students! I have never been so inspired to do my best work and challenge myself as I have this semester because of all of you. I wanted to reflect on our journey and be thankful for all that we have learned as well as taken away from our experiences at Indiana University South Bend. Thank you Sydney for being our  guiding light and seeing us through until the very end. I am extremely proud to be a part of this group of  future educators.

A journey through time proves to be an uplifting revival of the past. From Left to right, Brandi, Timmy, and Tara look stunning in their apparel. How could we even tell they were from the past when they looked so fabulous?!

This is so Purrdy!

Genuine smiles all around!

Lindsey, you can't even tell you're pregnant here!

Wow man this is far out!

We can do it!

Treats Anyone?

Trade Fair!

Emily looks like she traded and received a handful of items!

Brandi you are very creative and thank you for the lanyard!

Sweet tower of cupcakes!

Great semester with great friends!

Printmaking and Photography

This is one of my favorite sculptures on campus. Rumor has it that a male student made this sculpture and it was to be placed by the administration building. The student never came back to get the sculpture or the student owed money and never paid it. Another interesting mystery.

This is a picture of the Indiana University Bridge. I like to take color pictures before I shoot black and white film to see the image. Black and white film processing is expensive and taking digital pictures helps me to see if I think I will like the image enough to process the pictures black and white film.  I like the sense of urgency the sign creates located on the beginning of the bridge. When I went back to take the black and white picture, the metal sign was removed so I am glad I at least took the picture in color when the sign was still there.  The bridge then takes you to the back of the picture and leads you to wonder what is over the bridge.

This is the bridge located at Indiana University. I liked the color image so I then  took the picture again with a 35 mm camera using black and white film. I processed and developed the next two black and white pictures. I always think of the bridge as a walkway that signifies my education and adventures. Notice I did not take the picture with the sign because the angle was less dramatic without the metal sign so I took a picture and tried to convey perspective instead.

This is one of my classmates named Tab. I just love how she photographs. Her personality always comes through in all her pictures.

This is a lithograph print that was done on limestone. This is a very time consuming process. The limestone has to be sanded so that it's even and takes several hours.

This is a silkscreen print. I used five different colors to get the green that is shown. The first step is laying out the print. Next you put the screen over the print and with a white crayon you outline parts of the picture. You then add the lightest color and repeat the process 4 more times. This is a also a very fun but time consuming process.

I have been drawn to this image for a long time. This type of graffiti is called a throw up. A throw up is when a graffiti artist makes a stencil and uses the stencil as a way to tag their art quickly. this throw up is located across from Castle Point in south Bend.

This is a picture of a cabin located by South Bend Water Works.

This is a block print and  was made from a drawing that was  turned into a digital  image and sent it into a company that makes blocks for printing presses. The  blocks  are  used to make many copies of artwork.

Sensory Experience and Writing

I would use a sensory experience to promote students to write or draw during the weeks before spring. In order to provide a point of concentration,  I would talk students by awakening some of their senses. I would do this through using descriptions of how a room looked in the morning, where the light was shining, how the air smelled, how the air felt-was it humid and wet or warm and dry, and I would also ask students to think about their emotions and connections to spring. Some students do not have the opportunity to go on vacation.It's important to bring experiences in to the classroom so that students are able to  visualize experiences and then write about  them.

I would start off with an example such as this:

Its days away from spring and you just woke up in a bedroom. The bedroom faces east towards the morning sun. The light enters your room through a bay window. The bay window has sheer white curtains and heavy cotton- like material that drapes over half of either side of the window. The light penetrates through the curtains causing them to look like they have small pin holes scattered throughout the material. The light  creeps through the curtains  and shines on the interior frame of the window. This creates a beam of light that shines through the room. The light enters the room and  illuminates the middle of the bedroom floor and creates a perpendicular pathway to the door. The rays of light bounce off the floor and make the door brighter than usual. Just as you put your two feet on the ground you inhale the smell of wet socks. You look towards the window and notice it’s cracked just enough for the earth’s spring scent to waft through the air when small gusts of wind blow. As you follow the illuminated path of the sparkling sunlight you feel the warmth of spring and the crispness of damp morning dew. Just as you reach the blinding brightness of the door you begin to smell the crispiness of bacon and the sweetness of strawberries and sugar. The smell pulls you down the hall and just as you put your hand to your mouth to yawn, you realize you are in Michigan beginning your spring break. As you laugh to yourself for thinking it was a school day you slowly pull yourself up to the table at the bed and breakfast and dig your toes into the carpet as you stretch back as far as your chair lets you. As you let your body slowly out from stretching and then back down you help yourself to a heaping pile of bacon with your  hands. You then pour yourself a glass of tangy and pulpy orange juice straight from a pitcher. You are ready to eat and begin your day. You are ready to enjoy your spring break, you are ready to be in Michigan on the beach. 

I would tell students to write or draw about what they were going to experience that day,  how they felt about being on vacation, what they would do at the beach, and why they were in Michigan, etc. I would also record a CD that had sound effects relating to the sensory experience that I am giving to provide a more authentic experience.

Standing on the sidelines

I watch students play on the playground and I often witness bullying and violence. A great way to encourage students to develop skills in team sports as well as activities of particular interest is to interact with the students. Teachers can learn a lot of information about their students while observing their interactions on the playground. Students may be able to play on their own however, they need guidance and management while they interact outside. Teachers need to model to students that physical activity is important by interacting with the students. Teaching students through interaction also encourages teamwork and sportsmanship.

Websites for recess games:
http://www.gameskidsplay.net/
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002150/
http://www.thinkquest.org/pls/html/f?p=52300:30:7491057227037040::::P30_CATEGORY_ID:CPJ_SPORTS_RECREATION

Students are not just another brick in the wall. Students need to be encouraged on a diversified level to enhance their learning experience and provide multiple learning opportunities based on their individual needs. If we look at children as just another brick, we have failed to lay the foundation of student growth.

Students must be encouraged to interact with peers and learn to problem solve through play. Students should not be neglected of play. The emphasis on play is encouraged in early childhood however gets lost as the students grow older. Students need to participate in various activities that encourage play to become active participates in what they are learning.

 

Students emotions can be easily hurt. If students are taught to be just like everyone else they will not be able to make their own decisions in the future. If students are not allowed to play, they won't be able to deal with emotions and will have trouble problem solving on their own.

We must find ways to explore their world even if the world is inside a classroom. We must be able to bring imagination into the classroom through play as well as through individuality. We must encourage dramatic play and creativity in order to help students become more successful and improve academic growth.

Student Interveiws

Creating community in the classroom through interviews can be a great way to start of a school year. Students would use a list of questions to ask the other student. This is a great opportunity for students to get to know one another and practice their writing for the first time of the year. Students would ask each other questions relating to colors, weather, names, favorite books, favorite subjects, heroes, games, and future goals. After the students complete their interview, the students can use digital cameras to take a picture of the person who was interviewed. Using photography in the classroom can provide and enriching as well as personal experience for students. Students can use computers to upload pictures and type their interviews using Microsoft word. This is a fun way for students to get to know one another and learn how to engage with others. Students would then present the student who was interviewed to the rest of the class. After all the students have been interviewed students can display their interviews in the classroom. Interviews are useful for teachers to get to know their students interest, strengths, and qualities. Teachers can also use the original hand written questionnaire to individually assess students writing levels.

Decades Project

The Decades Project is an exciting way to present information on various decades, get into character, and learn new information. The decade of the 60’s proved to be one of the most exciting decades that I have learned about.  My partners and I made a presentation which included a time line of events, various props, and a power point with information and music. This presentation encouraged research involving politics, fashion, music, art, and inventions. My favorite part about the project was being able to interact with an audience. I also think dressing up in the attire from the 60’s allowed us to get into character and have fun with the presentation.