PAEA Conference 2009

Ten Mercyhurst College art education students accompanied me to the Pennsylvania Art Education Association Conference including Austin Almendarez, Lauren Balint, Darlene Fahmey, Carli Hatfield, Betsy Morningstar, Kaylyn Stack, Meredith Stalker, Kevin Salem (not pictured) and Tyler Stauffer. Amy Breininger (interior design student) also attended. One of the students that attended, Darlene Fahmey, who presented a session called, Memory Boxes, received the Pennsylvania State Clyde McGeary Scholar's award and was honored at the conference. This is the third year in a row a student from Mercyhurst College has received this award.
















 



For the first time I recorded a co-presentation I did there there via a live stream: Teaching in the 21st Century: Web 2.0 Tools in Arts Education. A panel session on New & Pre-Service Art Teacher FAQ was also recorded.

For other sessions attended that were documented go to: http://artseducator20.wikispaces.com/PAEA.

Mind and Life Institute 2009 Continued...

Still thinking about the Mind and Life Institute and all the things I heard.... One of my favorite speakers (Peter Benson) talked about how teachers fail to recognize children's sparks (i.e. sports, arts, spirituality, animal welfare, nature, conservation, etc.). He discussed the consequences of not asking and engaging children in conversations about what they are passionate about... There is a lot of information on this website about sparks. Dr. Benson also talked about what excites and inspires children and how we don't do enough in the schools to help them develop their sparks. He wrote a book I intend on reading when things settle down called, Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers. Peter Benson also a lot of videos about his work with the idea of sparks.

It was refreshing to discuss this with the current art education students I am working with at Mercyhurst College. They had a lot to say about their own sparks as we took a "spark walk" around campus. I don't think we always take the time in higher education to talk to students about what excites them....

Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century

Mind & Life Institute: Educators, Scientists and Contemplatives Dialogue on Cultivating a Healthy Mind, Brain and Heart

I drove to Washington D.C. this past week to hear great minds discuss our education system and how we can evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This was an incredible meeting of the minds as the Dalai Lama, Daniel Goleman, Linda Darling-Hammond, Arne Duncan and many others discussed issues surrounding educating "compassionate, competent, ethical, and engaged citizens in an increasingly complex and interconnected world."

Neuroscientists and psychologists talked about learning theory and mindfulness and the need for developing compassion, empathy (and emotional intelligence in schools). There was also great discussion about what we can learn in education about contemplative traditions and how ideas could be borrowed for our educational systems. There was much research presented and information discussed about the importance of social and emotional intelligence and that it is undervalued and represented in our schools. The Mind & Life Institute (http://www.educatingworldcitizens.org/) was the most incredible professional development session I have ever attended.

I am working on compiling over 50 pages of notes: http://camillenischal.wikispaces.com/Mind+%26+Life+Institute+Conference

Daniel Goleman served as day 1 moderator. He talked about emotional intelligence and contemplative traditions.













Richard Gere was in attendance (pictured below in the center box seat).




























Linda Lantieri

Walkin Jim Stoltz Multimedia Presentation

Friends of Allegheny Wilderness hosted a very interesting multimedia event last night at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Erie, PA as part of the 25th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Walkin Jim Stoltz's presentation, "Forever Wild: A Celebration of Wilderness" featured folksongs and stories that were simultaneously performed with photographs taken by him and his friends during the 27,000 miles he has apparently walked during his treks in the North American wilderness.The great thing about the performance was that the proceeds directly benefit wilderness protections in the Allegheny Forest.

I have been thinking a lot lately about multimedia presentations, multimedia learning theory and edutainment so this performance using low tech slide projectors was very interesting to me. Sometimes when people think of multimedia and learning it seems they think of the latest and the greatest technologies used to present something. Walkin Jim's presentation reminded me that low tech can still be very effective in terms of learning and edutainment.

Multimedia Theory & the Formalist Theory of Art

As of late I have been reading a lot about multimedia theory, contiguity, eye tracking and art design theory in the courseware design class I am taking. This is a great book about designing multimedia instruction - E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (Clark & Mayer), but if you have an arts background be aware that you won't see reference to elements of art and principles of design in the design of multimedia theory. What I am realizing is how much formalist art design theory is lacking in multimedia design readings and how it could really add more substance to it. I can also see how people with arts backgrounds aren't aware of multimedia learning theory language either. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. This suggests the potential for crossover between multimedia learning and arts learning and the potential for combined research in these areas. This very much relates to a lot of the literature I have been reading about aesthetics, the senses and interactive environments. Very exciting!