Philosophy of Educational Thoughts & Values

Earlier in my blog I wrote about the importance of providing students with a holistic education. In my Educational Foundations class at the University of Saskatchewan I was offered a chance to do a creative final presentation regarding my philosophy of educational thoughts and values – so of course I made a video.

I hope you enjoyed the video, it speaks to a variety of differing thoughts. It was created using several different programs and then edited and fine-tuned using iMovie on a Mac.

ePortfolio of an Arts Educator

It seems like only a short while ago that I began the ETAD 470 course at the University of Saskatchewan. In that time I have learned about blogging, Internet safety, digital citizenship, acceptable use policies, Google Docs, Podcasting, Vodcasting, website design, WebQuests, ePortfolios, Wikis, Google Sites, copyright information, Creative Commons, website credibility and a variety of web-based tools and sites that are meant to support teaching and learning.  There are so many things I can incorporate into my classroom and so many more things to explore. If one thing has been made abundantly clear after taking this class, it’s that there is so much more to be learned.

To celebrate and broadcast what I have learned and what I hope to offer a future employer, I have created an ePortfolio.

Screen capture of ePortfolio

I hope that you click on the above image, take a look around the site and that you find it interesting. This learning thing…it’s never over…the real trick is knowing how to share what we know.

Here is the link: http://carlamyskoteaches.weebly.com/

This ePortfolio was created using www.weebly.com, a site that offers free and low fee website creation for two categories of users – individuals and educators. It offers several different themes and provides for the creator to make individual choices. Documents were embedded into the pages using www.scribd.com, a free service for uploading files to create a link or embedded code.

The Benefits of Arts Education – Vodcast

Take a peak at my very first vodcast! This vodcast was done as an assignment for ETAD 470 at the University of Saskatchewan.

The subject matter is one that is dear to my heart, the benefits and impact of Arts Education on the student. In this climate of financial worries and economic cutbacks and shortfall, the arts is often the first thing on the chopping block educationally. It is imperative that we start to view Arts Education as subject matter that is just as important as any core subject on the development of the student as a whole person. There are profound long-term benefits to studying the arts, and there are noted cross-curricular advantages as well.

I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Caroline Howarth, Assistant Professor of Drama at Concordia University College of Alberta, founder and Co-Artistic Director of Concrete Theatre, and freelance director at Concordia, University of Alberta, Citadel Theatre and Opera Nuova. Her work in Drama education has involved theatre for young audiences and has explored social issues and experiences that affect youth. Our interview took place March 2, 2013 in Google Hangouts with me at home in Saskatoon, SK and her at home in Edmonton, AB. The file was then edited in iMovie and uploaded to YouTube.

Drama online? Absolutely.

I’ve been thinking about the possibilities for doing drama activities online, and what kinds of activities or exercises would be practical. I think that the following activities would be practical online; many involve videotaping, podcasting, or vodcasting and a few research-related activities.

Monologues – Monologues could be uploaded to YouTube as a means of showcasing abilities within a class. The act of viewing themselves and their fellow classmates can help drama students improve their skills because they can see flaws and areas of strength.

Storytelling/oral interpretation – The animation site, commoncraft.com, offers some great opportunities to transform a story in an interesting way with little drawing ability. The telling of the story revolves around the voice and the visual to back it up.

Radio play – Podcasting is really the modern way of working with a radio play, and can be used for the production of a performance that is based on sound. These effects can incorporate digital sound through the process of editing.

Scenes – Vodcasting of scene-based performances would work well for the purposes of creating a commercial, an “awareness” video (like a public address) or “how-to” video – for example, “How to survive a zombie apocalypse” or “How to create a mask“. There are so many options on what a student could demonstrate in a how-to format in relation to stage/set/costume design. A student could do an assignment on the effects of colour or light and dark on mood. In the study of film, students could collaborate with students in other film classes anywhere in the world to create a documentary or fictitious story. The options are endless and how-to vodcasts could be done as screencasts instead, with instructions or samples in the large frame and the work taking place in the video frame.

Research -Students rarely have opportunities to research performers or performance styles of particular theatres. Digitally there is a real chance to further education into theatrical performance styles. For example, in a Modern Theatre class I had to do a report with video, a Powerpoint and a handout to show to all students in the class. This could be done combining several criteria and media into a WebQuest assignment.

Drama requires a performer, a performance space and an audience – the audience need not be live, but it could be set up like a large video conference where each performer enacts a production virtually or responds with critique as a group. If  a Drama classroom teacher is  looking for inspiration, I would encourage them to look at what Eric Whitacre, a composer/conductor/lecturer, has done with a virtual choir. The website is http://ericwhitacre.com/the-virtual-choir and a video of this was posted in an earlier blog post. Inspiration is out there, if you are looking for it.

The lightbulb’s clicked on, but I should probably turn it off

Occasionally you may see a post on this blog that is essentially a rant against some things I feel strongly about or things that concern me. This article is certainly one of those things. http://www.thespec.com/news/business/article/872638–federal-report-suggests-canada-unprepared-for-new-mercury-light-bulbs#

I am concerned that Canada will be banning incandescent bulbs within the year. I’m all for environmental awareness – I recycle, compost, turn off lights and things if no one is in that room, but I am concerned that the most publicized alternative to incandescent lighting is using CFL bulbs. There are high levels of Mercury within the bulbs and onerous disposal methods are required. I don’t want something in my home that makes me have to evacuate if it breaks. And, I have my doubts that current waste management practices are sufficient to protect our water supply. Wasn’t it in the late 1950s that Canada realized (quite rightly) that Mercury from testing ranges had contaminated some lakes and waterways, so they made smart adjustments and limited human and animal exposure to the toxin? But now they want to reintroduce it to our environment?

I feel that there are better solutions waiting out there and that we need to encourage development and investigation. Perhaps the Canadian government should host a contest where inventors, electronic engineers, and others compete to create the most environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient light bulb. At the very, least people need to go back to a way of thinking that encourages them to use electricity only when needed. Maybe there would be a market for more devices that are motion sensitive – if no motion is sensed, the item is turned off.

I spoke with my husband about this and he pointed out that most companies can’t afford to put their money into product speculation and that it would short change current clients. I understand, but I think that this is short-sighted. Society can’t sit and stagnate – we need to place more value on ingenuity than on the capitalistic continuum.

I don’t like CFL lighting. I don’t like some of the side effects that occur from using bulbs that flicker at a high rate, emit noise and cast such a pathetic light they can’t be used well to create art let alone see the ingredients of a recipe. What’s your solution?

Unbelievably imaginative uses for technology

I saw this TEDTalks video about a year ago, and I still find the music and the message haunting – in a good way. I think it shows the very best of what can be done to explore new and innovative ways of using technology in ways that are both interactive and compelling within the arts. I really find this kind of collaboration fascinating because it stretches the idea of creation from being a personal or solo thing to a global endeavour.

By the way, if you enjoyed this, there are a couple more Virtual Choir videos now available from this composer/conductor.

Using Educational Technology in the Drama Classroom

Welcome to my blog.

It is designed to fulfill the requirements of ETAD 470; Design and Use of Online Learning Resources at the University of Saskatchewan and to discuss issues in relation to education and educational technology.

This has started me thinking about methods and ways of incorporating interactive technology into my subject area – -Drama. More often than not, the media used in the Drama classroom consists of videos and music. In more advanced and well-equipped classrooms and school theatre spaces, computers with special programs are used to run lights and sound. Most Drama teachers don’t have access to SMART Boards, but there has to be a way of making the classroom (or theatre space depending on the school) more technologically interactive.

I really like the idea of using Wikis to create live, collaborative documents where every student has an opportunity to have input in a discussion or project. I have also thought about the idea of creating a classroom blog where students can share their learning experiences with a broad audience. The benefit of the blog would also be that students studying Film could share their creations and collaborate with other Film classes and Film Specialists (Directors).

I would love to read your opinion and suggestions on this and any other topic I may discuss in this blog. My hope is that by creating this interactive dialogue, I can create relevant teaching strategies for my students.