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Arting About

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I'm at at again. My late Mum taught me at home and I took an A' Level in Art age 17 before the 'usual' three A' Levels the following year. 

At the School of Communication Arts, London I went from copywriter to art director to possible illustrator in two terms - but did nothing with it.

Twenty years ago my mum was pointing me towards academics she know who taught art about taking an MA in Fine Art. I procrastinated, though I put a book together.

I settled into Life Drawing six years ago and printmaking this January.

A chine collé print showing the figure of a man against a stylised tree with fungi

Who knows what'll come of it. It keeps me out of trouble I suppose, though it is an expense to indulge: paper, inks, access to a press ... 


Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Jonathan Vernon, Monday, 13 Feb 2023, 12:02)
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Not Time to Study Because I'm used to filling my time with Studying

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What happens when you add a degree to you day job / life is that you get to a certain kind of freneticism, of always having something to think about and to write about.

So I have filled time left by the vaccuum of a Masters Degree with; Digital Editor for an educational charity (The Western Front Association), Head Coach of a swimming club (Hailsham SC), and a Town Councillor (Green Party, Lewes) and assorted hobbies. 

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H809 WK1 DAY 2 Nerves

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Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Sunday, 3 Feb 2013, 17:18

Lava%2520Lamps.JPG

Fig. 1. Lava Lamps - and how we learn - on a rising thermal and in coloured, slimy blobs ...

There is a physiological response to the first moments of a new module - I am nervous. This is like meeting the cast for a student play for the first read through. Intrepidation and expectation. As ever, I know no one, not the tutor or fellow students, though many of us have surely crossed paths on previous MAODE modules. We certainly have all of that in common so will have a set of themes and authors, favourite moments and gripes to share.

Visually I see this as my 'Lava Lamp' year!

The blob is starting to stretch and will at some stage take me away from the Master's Degree - now complete - and onwards either returning to learning and development in the multinational / government department arena of my past, or into research.

Lava%2520Lamp%2520Quilt%25201.JPG

Fig. 2. Lava lamp inspired quilt - illustrates this idea of the thermal. Is this how we learn? It's how I visualise it.

If you want the wordy, academic response then read Kolb.

PDP%2520thermal%2520Midshot%2520Cycles.JPG

Fig. 3. How I see learning occuring - as expressed during H808 - The e-learning professional

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H800:57 Learning design and moderating students online

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Edited by Jonathan Vernon, Tuesday, 17 Apr 2012, 07:12

Some thoughts on e-moderating from Gilly Salmon all from 'E-moderating'. (2003)

Perhaps we ought to call them Tutors or Associate Lecturers though, rather than moderators.

What do you think?

'It is worth structuring your course to provide participants with rhythm, enticement, flow and pace to their online study.' p63

'We have found that the first few weeks of being online is a critical time for group forming and confidence building'. p64

You've got to make a good first impression, enough, but not overpowering, leading the way?

'Participants in online learning are involved in a variety of communities of learning and practice at the same time, and have a myriad of other responsibilities. Some of these may be similar in values and beliefs and norms of behaviour to those of the course groups and some may not. You need to build enticement, inclusiveness and pacing to make your experience stand out'. p65

Should this come from the Tutor or from Learning Design? Who sets the pace? It depends on whether the module is an obstacle course or the shot-put.

'Long message take time to read and respond to (but may be more worthwhile than short ones). p66

I guess to stay friends with your fellow students and the Tutor you should keep the length down a bit ... but do they read it at all?

'Summarizing, archiving and weaving are the key skills for the e-moderator. They save participant's time, and enable participation in new ways. Furthermore, the more successful an e-moderator is, the more likely he or she will be overwhelmed by success in terms of many student messages'.

A note in relation to countries with poor fixed-lined telephone systems:

'Mobile connectivity through cellular systems will provide access to many more people who will 'leap-frog' over others, technologically, by missing out interim stages'. p70

And a note in relation what learning means.

'What we know of learning is that we want people to change what they actually do, we need to offer experiences that shuffle backwards and forwards between what they already know, and what they are prepared to develop, between specific details and their implications in wider contexts, and between practice and reflection.' (Harvey and Knight, 1996)

Meanwhile I have 60 pages of course work to read, take notes, and comment on ... and then comment on the comments of others in the Tutor Group Forum .. and then I can climb into a hot elluminate session.

(Or should that be a bath?)

REFERENCE

Harvey, L and Knight, P (1996) Transforming Higher Education, SRHE and Open University, Buckingham.

(52294)

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