Blog Synthesis

It’s interesting to examine in great detail the nature and design of a compelling experience. I also believe it is a unique idea to explore NDCE as it relates to teaching from the perspective of other art forms. For me, finding imaginary bridges between the various art forms was an exercise in creative thinking.  And to take that thought a little further, I wish the course would have included one of my favorite arts, which is Literature. Since over the past few weeks we have looked at NDCE from the outside looking in, I want to explore the arts from the perspective of those on the inside and hope their words “teach” us something that is inspirational to educators.

Photography:

Ansel Adams is probably one of the most well known photographers of the last century. He was best known for his black and white landscape photos which had the ability to tell a compelling story without the use of any words. Sometimes as teachers we have to tell a story in the same manner. This includes showing photographs or images to enhance the learning experience.

"My childhood was spent near the sand dunes bordering the Golden Gate," Adams said. "At the age of 14, I went to Yosemite Valley, was deeply affected and infected with the grandeur of the scene, which mood has always followed me in everything that I do."

Film and Television:

The art of creating for film and TV appears to be a very intense process.  What I found most inspirational from an educator’s point of view is what influences people who choose this art as a career.  Like teachers, I presume that they want to connect with people and some filmmakers also want to teach with their art.  One of my favorite film directors/producers is J.J. Abrams. In an interview he stated what influenced him to become a filmmaker and compared it to creating games. I believe you could substitute much of what he said for what inspires many educators and also see it as similar to many of the imaginary bridges we created with the arts we studied in this course.

"I suppose everything you do, and everything that interests you—whatever you spend your time getting to know intimately and spend hours and hours doing—influences what you do. I don’t know if I can point exactly to how and what that influence is, but you can probably extrapolate a certain level of kinetic energy that the best games have to what the best movies have, which is a great sense of drama, a great sense of urgency. Not all games require this, but those that do, and those that are great, have characters you connect with and root for and [in this sense] often are like a good movie. And so I suppose whether it’s a novel or a great song, or a videogame, a well constructed story situation and character will always be impactful, and it’s inspirational for anything that you do moving forward."

Architecture and Interior Design:

This particular art is a very personal experience. We are all drawn and to some extent influenced by the spaces surrounding us. If the spaces where we live and where we work are comfortable, we feel better. The same thing goes for the spaces where we teach. These environments should be comfortable and safe for learners. As educators we know that the design of these places of these spaces can negatively or positively impact the learning and teaching experience.  Designer Preston Bailey spoke to this when he stated what influences his design style.

"Nature has been my biggest inspiration if you look at my designs you can see how I try to bring the abundance of nature indoors. I am also lucky enough to travel quite a bit for work and seeing the world really opens your eyes. It is impossible not to be inspired by all the different cultures and landscapes around the world."

Music:

Personally, I believe the NDCE process for making music is quite fascinating.  I learned that it is about a lot more than putting harmony and lyrics together. I suppose I identify with this process the most as a teacher because putting together a lesson is about a lot more than just subject matter and lesson plan. As educators we have to understand that opportunities for learning can take place anywhere and when you least expect it. Ironically when that aspect is properly identified the teaching experience can inspire students to great achievements, even to become singers and musicians.

 “… his grandfather, a plumber and music nut, had played him Vic Damone’s version of It Had To Be You when he was 12, and it awoke something in him. ‘I heard this melody wrapped around lyrics that were perfect for each other, [Buble said]." "A voice that was so beautiful, that hid behind nothing. And it spoke to me because it allowed me to be different. This was a way for me to follow my own beat and not be one of the sheep following what was supposedly edgy and cool.”

Fashion:      

The fashion module was my personal favorite and that’s probably because I keep up with the latest and greatest in fashion designs. I believe what fashion designers do is truly amazing. They create items that help people develop their own sense of style. As educators we perform a similar function through teaching subject matter that assist learners with developing valuable skills that will help them become productive members of our society. In a magazine interview, fashion designer Rebecca Turbow explained how her first education and exposure to fashion came from her parents and then from traditional schooling.

"Both my parents are artists. My mom is a photographer and my dad is a leather smith. I've been surrounded by art my whole life. My mom actually taught me to sew when I was pretty young. I would even do clothing designs on paper without realizing what I was doing. In high school, I started making my own clothes--mostly altering or adding on to other things because I never liked anything the way it was when I bought it. I also made a lot of jewelry--turquoise was the stone of choice--so when I started college, that is what I studied."

All of the above of course leads me back to the art that we did not study in this class but I wish we could have. Literature is full of compelling experiences. To write something, whether it is a letter, a script, an announcement, or even a lesson, can be a compelling experience. The one thing I enjoy about literature is that is influenced by many of the arts we studied in this class. Who hasn’t heard of a book written about photography, TV and film, architecture and interior design, music, or fashion? And as educators, books are a central part of our profession. So I will conclude this blog entry with an example of NDCE from author Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants). Enjoy!

"I stare at the screen (laugh). I pick some music...I guess I figure out what the crisis of the book is going to be and then I sit down and I get my first scene. But once I have my first scene I really just have to keep going. My method is I spend an hour and a half sort of revving up every morning and I’ll read what I wrote the day before and maybe do a little revising of it, and then just keep going. I just read that last tiny little bit until I feel like I can continue."