Your Websites (Semester Final)

If you are looking for your websites I put the links on the page titled Semester Final. The tab is at the top of this page. The names that are underlined are links to your sites. If your name is not underlined is is because you have not emailed me the link to your site. Remember that the semester is one day from being over and if you have not submitted your site’s URL to me I will have no choice but to enter a zer0 for your semester final grade.

Semester Reflection, Fall 2008/09

Honors Art

Reflection, January 20 2009

Information Distribution Systems

Fall Semester, 2008

Our goal was to develop sensitivity to the many ways information is distributed to us as we grow and learn. A sophisticated literacy is required to read, filter and process the information we are inundated with on a daily basis.

Our investigative methodology typically involved a syntagmatic approach consisting of four steps per topic. We wrote a paper responding to a prompt, which informed our artifactual response. Our artifactual response was explained in a rationale paper, which was followed by a group reflective exercise involving, formal, contextual and intuitive criticism.

Multiple Intelligences, Multiple Modalities

Prompt: Who is Howard Gardner & Why Should I Care?

This prompt question was used to begin our investigation. We learned how intelligence exits in multiple manifestations. It follows that information must be distributed differentially to accommodate a greater community of learners.  

Information Distributions Systems: Mark Making

Prompt: How do haptic, palimpsestic, sous rature strategies and/or occurrences in drawing become systems of information distribution?

Artifact: We explored this idea through a series of full-contact drawings of Mr. Miller.

Information Distributions Systems: Education

Prompt: How have information distribution systems varied from class to class and from teacher to teacher in your school experience? From which have you benefited most and least?

Artifact: We submitted a project proposal for this topic, but we had no limitations regarding media, size or quantity.

Information Distributions Systems: Political Ideology

Prompt: How can inanimate objects such as those observed in our still life be used to promote political ideology? Describe at least two historical antecedents.

Artifact: We created a series of drawings and one “more monumental” piece referencing the objects in Mr. Miller’s still life installation.

Information Distributions Systems: Cubism as Visual Language

Prompt: How was Cubism viewed as a “new visual language, fragmented, simultaneously disintegrating & re-forming”? What were two influences on this development? Compare and contrast the two primary manifestations of this language.

Artifact: We referenced Mr. Miller’s still life installation as we graphically commented on a visual language that went against 500 years of artistic tradition.

Information Distributions Systems: Family Values

Prompt: What kind of information is valued within your family structure and how is it distributed?

Artifact: We constructed “books” referencing this query.

Information Distributions Systems: Religion

Prompt: What role do relics, shrines and ceremonies play in religious information distribution systems?

Artifact: Due to time limitations we were unable to construct an artifactual response. We had a choice between writing the prompt paper and writing a proposal for a project we might do in response to the topic if we had no material, time or financial constraints.

In addition…

Community Connections

We go into the community twice each marking period to review an art exhibit. We then produce a review of that work in terms of formal, contextual and intuitive criticism. Venues include local sites as well as gallery openings at the First Friday events held each month in Philadelphia. Gallery exhibits from other states and countries have been reviewed over the course of this project.

Sketchbook

This is an on-going project in which we complete a minimum of six thematically related pieces in a sketchbook each marking period. Works must use both sides of the binding, incorporate mixed media and use text as a design element. As the result of student creativity and ingenuity, the Alternative Sketchbook has come to exist. This is proposed to the instructor for approval.

Semester Final

We were required to create a dedicated web site or blog of our choice displaying the written and artifactul work created over the course of the semester.

Portfolio Students: End of Semester Reminder

Happy New Year!

I hope you have been monitoring this site and are working on your final assessment piece. This is the web page described on the tab above titled Semester Final. Those of you working with Mr. Hunter or Mr. Dixon should feel free to stop by my room if you have questions or concerns.

Remaining obligations:

Community Connection #2: Due Tuesday, 1/6/09

Sketchbooks: Due Thursday, 1/15/09

Web Sites (Final Exam): Your website address is to be sent to my school email (dmiller@wsd.k12.pa.us) by the end of the day on Thursday, 1/15/09

Self-Assessment Paper: Due Tuesday, 1/20/09

IMPORTANT NEWS for HONORS ART STUDENTS!!!

Happy New Year! We have short amount of time left in the semester and you have a lot to do so I’m going to exercise my executive privilege and make some adjustments.

Community Connection #2: This is still due Tuesday, 1/6/09.

IDS: Family: The artifact and rationale paper that were due on Wednesday, 1/7 are now due on Monday, 1/12 (artifact and rationale paper). We will have our wrap-up reflection on that day in class.

IDS: Religion: Please note that I am changing this drastically. Rather than doing the prompt paper, artifact and rationale paper I want you to carefully read the assignment as it existed in the previous post and then type a paper describing your thoughts on the topic and what you would have done if you had no material or time constraints. This is a conceptual project proposal that you might choose to follow up on at a later date. This paper is due on Wednesday, 1/14.

Sketchbooks: These are still due on Thursday, 1/15.

Semester Final: These are due on Thursday, 1/15. You are to email the link to your site to my school email address that day (dmiller@wsd.k12.pa.us). I will be making a list and checking it twice throughout that day. On Tuesday, 1/20 we will view your sites on the Smartboard in class.

SO… I am essentially removing a major project (IDS: Religion) from your work load so you can put your best effort into our other endeavors.. I can’t stress enough the importance of your semester final. I have super high expectations for your websites. They will be the “portfolios” of your efforts and learning in my class for the semester.