Monthly Archives: January 2019

Upstander

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This weeks lessons were very interesting.  Hearing the perspective of a male who was in the midst of the feminist movement was very interesting.  I am sure he has some gendered opinions on this superbowl sunday.  I found his views on feminism some that I have never heard before.  For example, he spoke of women starting the sufferage movement, and asking men’s permission to do so.  Also he stated that women need to know their history or we are doomed to repeat it.

The inkelwriter and twine stories were entertaining, sad, and thought provoking.  I have never heard someones intimate details in coming out to their parents, and I can’t image my reaction to my own children’s announcements as they grow up.  These stories reminded me of a student in my daughter’s class who is struggling with gender identity.  I chose to write my interactive story inspired by her struggle.  However, I has some serious problems with inkelwriter.  I could not save my work because every time I signed in, I was signed out due to inactivity (even after 30 seconds).  I eventually ended up screenshoting my work and posting it in a word document, because it would not save.  I believe I got most of my story saved below.  I would have loved to use inkelwriter more successfully, and introduced it to my students, but I do not think I will do that based on the trouble I had.

 

Brave Upstander-pq1wxz

 

 

 

Justice

Image

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This collage signifies images from the past and present that could start a conversation about welcoming people into our country, and the  fear and uncertainty that comes with that thought.

Justice Collage-26bx9oo

Resources:

https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/poll-donald-trump-picks-up-support-from-latinos/rces:

https://newrepublic.com/article/121935/why-hasnt-america-admitted-more-syrian-refugees

https://www.glamour.com/story/holocaust-survivor-impact-of-family-separation-deportation

https://myaccount.news.com.au/sites/dailytelegraph/subscribe.html?sourceCode=DTWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&mode=premium&dest=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/refugees-need-our-help-but-some-of-them-arent-what-they-seem/news-story/cec481fd07e03987112f5aaacd7d2f68?nk=0c85944781cc2a9f620b1331b0390c4b-1548171308&memtype=anonymous

https://www.eurweb.com/2017/08/the-struggle-for-black-homeowners-continues-as-housing-market-recovers-in-the-us/

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Response to the Film My Name is Ruth Gruber

Photographs and Film as upstander acts.  

This film was very interesting because Ruth Gruber didn’t seem like an activist by nature.  She was an intellectual, and a scholar who was interested in her own education, a humanitarian grew through these experiences.  When she returned from Germany where she received her PHD she began writing, and eventually landed the role of “simulated general” on the ship from Naples, Italy escorting refugees from WWII.  This was the assignment that changed her life, where she realized that she would dedicate herself to rescuing others through her words and photographs.

Ruth’s messages throughout the world were eye opening, and people started to care about the refugee crisis in our world.  She opened doors for those whose lives were essentially doomed.  She watched people being bullied, and took on the role of Upstander.  She could not sit by and let these  things happen.  Her words and photographs showed horrible situations, and encouraged those in power to take action against such injustice.

When she photographed the swastika on the British flag aboard the ship Runnymede Park, she illuminated a piece of horrible history that was supposed to be a secret.  Her photographs showed solid evidence that these refugees were being treated badly, and exactly how they felt about being treated this way.  Without these photographs and journal entries, three whole ships of people being discarded by the British would have gone unnoticed by the rest of the world.

She was a part of history, and changed lives through her actions.  High powered people such as the Roosevelt family called her a friend.  She was a pioneer in her own time, and she showed us that words, photographs, films, and media can inspire change and action.  If you believe in something stand up for it.  Ruth said  “Have dreams, have visions and let no obstacle stop you.”

 

Resources:

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gruber-ruth

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/18/nyregion/ruth-gruber-dead.html

AED 813- Public Pedagogy Meet and Greet

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Hello.  My name is Elizabeth Leslie.  I am currently teaching art education at an elementary center in NEPA.  I teach grades k-6, and I have about seven years experience teaching in a variety of settings, charter schools, catholic schools, substituting, and art studio lessons.  This is my second year in my current position.

I have chosen to talk about Facebook as a Public Pedagogy. I use Facebook in a variety of ways as an educator.  One way is through a private group of art teachers that share lesson plans, and tips and tricks specifically designed for the art room.  These forums are helpful and professional in nature, which is in stark contrast to how most people I know use Facebook.  The idea of Facebook (that I have gathered from observation) is to show the world your dream life.  As I was reading Hooks description of his high school art project, I was thinking of how people portray their “dream self” on their page.  Hooks talks about his assignment to create a “dream house” in his class, and how he felt like he had no realistic parameters such as a budget to tie him down during this exploration.  He felt free to create his own story through this artistic exploration.

People portray a picture of their life on Facebook that is mostly false (in my opinion).  No one is posting horrible pictures, and tragic stories (unless they need them for their go fund me page) about their days.  Most people are posting family outings, selfies with filters to make themselves look better, trips, beautiful scenery, etc.  This public forum is so fake, and as we listened to Chimamanda Adichie speak in her Ted talk on the dangers of a single story, we are giving those people around us an idea of ourselves in a single story.  For example, a “friend” of mine posts her entire day online.  Everything is happy, shiny, and perfect in her life online.  She is presenting a single story to the world about her life.  I am quite sure that she has ups and downs throughout the day just as the rest of us do.  But this picture she is portraying online is one of a perfect existence.  No one can live up to this standard of perfection, and no one should have to look at this and compare their own life to someone else’s.

I think Facebook could be a great place for educators to come together and share information with each other, if only we could do it in a more honest way.  We could portray the kinds of days that we really have at school, good, bad, and ugly, and really help each other through these experiences that we have.  I think the future of groups and forums on Facebook will be very beneficial to teachers and educators all over the world.

Resources:

Adichie, C. N. (2009). The danger of a single story. TEDGlobal [18:49 video]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

Read hooks, b. (1995). Black Vernacular: Architecture as cultural practice. In Art on my mind: Visual politics (145-151). New York: The New Press.