AED 811 – Future Vision

May 1, 2020

For immediate release…

Pedagogical concerns in art continue to move toward new technologies and alternative initiatives. Utilizing pre-existing forms of art making applications and combining them with social media sharing platforms can promote learning outside of the classroom.  Teaching artist, Lance Rautzhan in collaboration with Penn State University’s The Information Systems: Design and Development Option (ISDEV) of the Bachelor of Science in Information Sciences and Technology Program are developing an application and social media platform to promote global diversity issues through arts-based collaboration.  While it is still under construction, you can learn more by viewing a mock-up of the App store landing page below.

Sound and Vision Live (SALVE) is an educational, interactive and generative art and social media platform application.  It prompts one student/user per day to create a self-portrait in response to a random word or phrase utilizing the various visual and audio functions of the SAV app. Self-portraits can reveal a lot about the artist including their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and gender identity. In order to promote dialogue regarding global diversity issues, each art response is passed on to another random student/user to remix and pass on.  All finished responses and remixes are posted to student/user walls on the SALVE social media platform. SALVE is distributed solely to teachers and classrooms around the world through an extensive application and screening process.

Concept and Features

• Generative self-portrait application for use in global art education initiatives.
• Create mixed media self-portraits and remixes with SAV app exclusive photo, paint, video and sound creation and editing tools.
• Initial self-portraits are inspired by a “prompt word” related to diversity issues sent daily to one student/user.
• In order to promote dialogue regarding diversity issues and perpetuate acceptance through collaboration, self-portraits are then passed from student/user to student/user to be remixed in a “dialogue chain”.
• Each student/user has a “finish” button that passes it on.
• In the spirit of gamified spiral curriculum, the application tools offer a “start over” button that allows a student/user to erase and start over a total of three times per self-portrait or remix before sharing.
• All self-portraits and subsequent remixes are saved to student/user’s wall after pressing the “finish” button.
• Student/user has 48 hours to remix and pass on.
• After 48 hours, a student/user turn expires and is passed on automatically without a remix saved to student/user wall.
• The more remixes saved to a student/user wall, the higher the likelihood that they will receive a “prompt word”.
• All student users will receive at least one “prompt word” to begin a “dialogue chain”.
• A merit based reward system is included to promote making and passing on self-portraits and remixes.
• All self-portraits and subsequent remixes can be located through a “prompt word” search or by scrolling the list of “prompt words”.

 

Notes for Teachers and Administrators

• The application and screening process is utilized to avoid divisive and/or offensive language and images from being introduced.
• SALVE will be monitored and censored for content that discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or gender identity.
• Although these censorship constructs may seem to violate free speech, social media platforms have proven over time to have difficulty discerning between good intentioned and interested users and trolls.In an educational context, it is important exclude those wishing to exploit SALVE in a negative manner.
• A lesson on self-portraiture should be introduced prior to introduction of SALVE.
• For your consideration, a WebQuest covering the subject of self-portraiture was designed and released in 2018 by Lance Rautzhan called “SELFIE MAGIC!”.   A link is available here: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=379489

 

Quotes that influenced the creation of this social media experience 

What this means for educators is first to recognize that globalization is not a homogenizing force, especially not in predictable ways, and that the study of visual culture involves the study of contextualized and localized meanings that are indeed diverse perspectives in an interconnected world. (Keifer-Boyd & Smith-Shank, 2006 pg. 145)

This is an exercise in the narrative reconstruction of reality for the purposes of creating a cognitive map that not only helps us make sense of the shifting landscape of the present, but also guides our travels in the future. (Anderson & Balsamo, 2008 pg. 242)

Contemporary culture can be viewed as ‘the collective heritage of a group, that is, as a catalog of ideas and practices that shape both the collective and individual lives and thoughts of all members,’ as well as something that ‘only exists in the act of being performed, and it can never stand still or repeat itself without changing its meaning” (Bauman, 2004 in Stokrocki, 2011)

Reference Technologies

1. Trope

• A generative ambient sound and visual application designed by Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers is the aesthetic motivation behind SALVE. In keeping with my belief that studio practice and pedagogical practice are intersectional, I began with this app. I list Eno as an influence on my work. I hadn’t explored Trope until I was prompted to write my initial speculative narrative that gave rise to SALVE. Since, I use it on a regular basis in my studio.

2. I/O brush

• As a painter at heart, I was immediately attracted to I/O brush.  I was excited about the idea of being able to sample any surface or texture and remix it.  It felt like the antidote to what I had perceived as an invasion of technology-based media that removed the hand of the artist. In hindsight and with experience gathered through explorations, I have come to recognize that new media in combination with traditional hands-on approaches is vital to the direction of art and art education.

3. VoiceThread and Soundcloud

• The use of these platforms to respond critically and thoughtfully is essential to the changing landscape of art and art education. The human voice is an intimate tool that brings an emotional value to online dialogue.  The idea of incorporating sound into SALVE allows for this kind of interaction.

4. Game-maker

• The potential of creating a game as an educational tool is fascinating.  I recognized it’s potential deeply while exploring gamification theory.  The spiral curriculum model and studio practice intersect here. I experimented with Game-maker because the games I was attempting to create or have students create were complicated.  But, the learning curve is long. I believe Game-maker would be useful if it was part of an extended project that included some training on the software as well. I included a restart and reward system in SALVE in keeping with the spiral curriculum model.

5. Zunal

• Zunal is the online WebQuest builder and host I chose for my WebQuest exploration. The resources included were extremely helpful and the platform is relatively intuitive. Most importantly, a hint to “hook” the student inspired the self-portrait as the subject matter of my WebQuest and consequently SALVE.  I include my Zunal WebQuest entitled, “SELFIE MAGIC!” as a teacher resource for introducing self-portraiture to the classroom before engaging with SALVE as an educational tool. The WebQuest portion of the coursework widened my purview regarding the potential of online learning. 

 

References

Anderson, S., & Balsamo, A. (2008). A pedagogy for original synners. In T. McPherson (Ed.), Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (pp. 241-259). The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Keifer-Boyd, K., & Smith-Shank, D. (2006). Speculative fiction’s contribution to contemporary understanding: The handmaid art tale. Studies in Art Education: A Journal of Issues and Research in Art Education, 47(2), 139-154.

Stokroki, Mary (2011). Visual Arts and Multiliteracies in a Digital Age. Advocacy White Papers for Art Education, NAEA, Section 2.