Week of 3/22 Assignment

I was extremely impressed with the way that the New Children’s Museum integrated new media into every art piece in their museum.  From the second you walk into the museum you are entering art (the animal sounds you hear walking through the entry door) that is the perfect attention-catcher for kids.  The museum goes way beyond pure entertainment because every exhibit and piece has a specific educational purpose.  The educational aspect of the piece could often be found on individual cards to be passed around, in a blurb on the wall, or in one of the many videos constantly being played throughout the museum.  Any one of the museum guides could also help explain anything in the museum extensively, and with excellent ability to tailor the information to a younger crowd.  I very much enjoyed our time at the New Children’s Museum and will keep it in mind if I ever need a fabulous field trip to show my classroom how art is not only connected to all other aspects of life, but also extremely fun and cool!

Week of 3/8 Assignment

Like every other aspect of human life and culture, it was absolutely inevitable that art would be impacted by technology as well.  We are very much in the digital age and I feel that the various developments in art with a technological flare are not only valid art forms, but innovative, unique, and beautiful.  Photography is the art form that stands out to me the most because I feel that all students are capable of learning how to take incredible pictures.  The example of the September 11^th commemoration “Tribute in Light” stands out to me especially.  These two beams of light are an artistic statement in real life as well as in the photograph.  The capacity of photography is that it can capture live art and preserve it for people to enjoy and appreciate long after it is gone.  The beauty of photography is that it can be personalized to each individual photographer and reflect what they personally see as art not according to anyone else’s rules or ideas.  I think that this has the ability to be an extremely powerful art form that can reach students of all ages and backgrounds.           

            I was so intrigued by Luz Chung’s presentation on social justice and got a great deal out of her visit.  This was the first time I was presented with Paulo Freire’s radical idea of critical pedagogy and I must say I feel that I might be a convert!  I absolutely agree that as teachers it is vital to engage and encourage every individual student in our classroom as well as establishing a relationship with the parents.  I feel a way I could create a common ground for all students would be to encourage them to create and start an organization or group working to help a social justice issue, such as protecting the environment.  I believe that the best way for any two people to form a close and authentic bond is by working and serving together.  Therefore, I feel that by encouraging students to do this would forge an all-inclusive curriculum for students.  

Week of 3/1 assignment

Our visit to SDMA has been a highlight of the course so far for many reasons.  I absolutely love seeing all that San Diego has to offer; it is always refreshing to get off of campus and enjoy the city.  I was extremely impressed with the modern art museum and thought that it had remarkable collection of pieces from all over the world.  I think what made the experience unforgettable was our personal curator.  He was so knowledgeable of every piece of art we viewed and his passion for the subject matter oozed through his tour, consequently inspiring me as well. 

            With the realities of the present day social and economic limitations, not all students will ever realistically have equal access to resources such as this wonderful museum.  I feel that museums, SDMA being a perfect example, do everything in their power to be available and accessible to the greatest amount of people possible.  The specialized tour that our curator created specifically for us as future elementary teachers goes to show how willing they were to accommodate our needs.  It is so refreshing to have such an incredibly positive experience that truly excites you about the subject matter.  This feeling of passion and encouragement is exactly how I felt during and after our trip to SDMA and I am confident that this museum will yield similar results in every student that is fortunate enough to visit it.