Art History/Reflections/Ms. Barker

Ms. Barker's Reflections

30 August 2007 I am really enjoying the technical aspects of this class. I like puzzling out new technology, and haven't had the chance to play around with wikis. I've made several HUGE mistakes, and someone over in Germany was nice enough to get it all straightened for me and teach me how to do things properly. One of the biggest mistakes I made was when I created new pages instead of subpages: instead of creating pages that were a part of the Intro to Art History wiki, I was creating all new pages! Eeek!

Listening to Ms. Davis's presentation took me back to my Art History class at Furman, and I loved it. That was one of my favourite classes.

I'm looking forward to figuring out how to post the flyers that the students are turning in.

6 September 2007 I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! I've got to do better with this because I truly believe that it's such an important part of the class. Speaking of class, I was very impressed with today's discussion about self-evaluation. I heard some very discerning remarks today from people (about themselves) and was very encouraged by it. When you're willing to be honest about yourself and the quality of your work, you are able to GREATLY improve yourself. So, in that spirit, I have to say that I don't think I've been doing a very good job with this wiki. I really love trying to puzzle things out and learn new technology, but TIME is such a factor as it is with everyone. I hate to use that as an excuse... so I won't! I'll just say that I need to do better, and attempt to do so. I *did* get the rubric posted today, so huzzah! My next project is to get the first projects posted, and I think I've figured out the best way to do it. It's labor-intensive, but will work out well. Ok, back to focusing on reference now.

24 September 2007 The artist William Anderson came to our class today and used various photographs as a jumping off point to discuss greater social issues. Not only was it incredibly valuable to hear an artist talking about his work-- giving us an opportunity to better understand the work-- but it was a wonderful chance to hear History speaking. Mr. Anderson's parents were what he consistently described as "humanitarians" and this had a profound impact on how he sees the world. I was INCREDIBLY moved when he spoke of how he once met violence with violence, having been hit twice by a white sheriff and then shoving the sheriff down two flights of stairs. The emotion-- never overwrought, but even more powerful because of his restraint-- when he spoke of how committing that violent act made him "sub-human" was soul-stirring.

26 September 2007 (This is a continuation of my thoughts from Monday). I was disappointed in the shallowness of the student's questions. I wish that they'd thought more deeply about what motivated Mr. Anderson to take the photo, and taken the oppportunity to learn more about his social agenda. To have an artist in front of you, willing to answer whatever questions you put forth, and then to ask only superficial questions about the photo itself was a letdown. At least part of the purpose of this class is to have students react to art on an emotional level-- we're to look at it with our eyes, minds, and hearts. I hope to see more of this from the students.