Teachers wanted now?

An editorial piece here - because I and I think many of your are more than a bit frustrated. So now the papers are saying that more teachers will be needed? Yet the responses from our students and graduates have been more about the expense and difficulty rather than the ease of getting into post-graducate teaching programmes. Something is not synchronised here - we need more teachers, good people are applying, and less people are getting places (and those places cost more).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/mar/27/labour-warns-of-teacher-shortage

Research reports for performing arts Equity CCS

Came to this website through Equity website
larger research reports on perfoming arts industry...

http://www.creativeskillset.org/research/index/index_1.asp

Campus Session 3 slides for Module 3

Final cs2 m3 13.3.13 from paulanottingham

Blog about drama teaching

http://dramaresource.com

Charity event from Alumni Laura Davitt

Hi Everyone

I am organising a Sponsored Fun Run for Barnet Mencap (the charity I work for). Please Please get involved its only 3K!!! 

Walk for Wendy

28^th April 2013

Please see the attached (2 pages).

The run is named after a friend and colleague Wendy Hodgson  who die last year to cancer. The funds raised will go towards the Happy Healthy Fun Day. The Fun Day is a multi agency event which looks at all aspects of health and benefits hundreds of adults with learning disabilities and their families.

Please support the Walk for Wendy by spreading the word, participating by walking or running and getting

sponsorship or helping out on the day.

This event is open to anyone aged 18 and over.

You can also donate on our Justgiving page you can donate onhttp://www.justgiving.com/walkforwendyHHFD

To get a registration pack please contact Shelley Gibbons (Shelley.gibbons@barnetmencap) or James Wheatley (James.wheatley@barnetmencap.org.uk) or call on  020 8349 3842.

Please display both sides of this flyer wherever you can and forward this to anyone you think may be interested.

Thank you for your support

Laura  Davitt     &   Shelley Gibbons

Project Coordinator         Community Projects  Manager

A fishy story with pictures

Finding the topic for an inquiry can be like fishing - think of a school of fish... swimming around like inquiry ideas - fleeting and moving shapes..

Fish need to be netted - the net is not big enough to capture all the fish in the sea - but only collects the ones that fit into your net.  This is like the way you identify and capture topics. After you have put the netted fish into your boat, you still need to ask some questions to further identify what type of fish you have caught.

Then a decision needs to be made on which fish (singular and plural) are the ones to concentrate on - to put into the container - to collect - in order to take to the kitchen and offer others as a meal of fish.

This is the the fish (singular or plural) that is served on a platter. First it is prepared through cooking - thinking through and theorising the ideas (fish) with expertise (cooking books telling you about good fish to eat) in order to understand the experience more profoundly. You need to know about the ideas (fish) but also how to catch and serve them...

At the end of the meal - others have eaten the fish - thought it was delicious - thought your fishing was really good - go away digesting your fish - and you now have the reputation as a superb fisherperson.
The end.

The Harlem Shake - what is going on?

Heard of it? Probably - a dance craze that has gone 'viral'.

Article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21624109

Module 1 - how do viral trends use communication technologies?

Modules 2 and 3 - Fads, trends, the ways that generations understand and develop cultural 'norms'. We have had people mention that performance trends , yes and visual graphic trends, are related to our work practice as external influences. This is where looking at the phenomenon by talking to other practitioners or a bit of expertise from your field - along with literature about the topic area you are looking at - helps to understand and gather knowledge about our social and workplace practice.

So the harlem shake as an example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJiSSAMNWw

Showing my age - remember the Rocky Horror fad - it happened a lot later in the states...

If I was looking at the Harvard Shake as a topic - or trends in dance - I would have to look at first hand knowledge because articles might be on the web - blogs editorials online periodicals - but they would not yet be in peer reviewed journals - so I would have to look at similar phenomenon to think about this particular dance craze.

Try it out as an example? and put in comments if you find anything to share and I will do the same.

Follow up - the Harlem Shake may have serious consequences http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21627500

but the journalist Yolande Knell has also signposted us to a webiste about the popularity of social media
http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press_Releases/2011/12/Social_Networking_Leads_as_Top_Online_Activity_Globally
from Reston VA so it must be right (?).

AND the Royal Ballet School has gotten in on the act - is it in your Patch of the world?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2013/feb/28/english-national-ballet-harlem-shake-video

Bobbie's Facebook

Bobbie Pingrim has done a FB page for SIGs - I have this link on my FB page at Paula Middlesex Nottingham.

Lisa's LinkedIn SIG

SIG creating and managing your own production company

Join Linked In

Child of our time - BBC programme

I have been watching Child of Our TIme with my daughters - anyone else watching this programme?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072bk8

Often people on the course do work associated with children's learning -  but home life and the consideration of cultural and social aspects of the times in which we live could be important to figuring out (analysing) your work. 

So how as people trained in creative arts tackle cultural and social theory to theorise their professional practice?


TO BE CONTINUED...

Where should I be now in the lwork for BAPP (Arts)?

The question I seem to be getting most now form people on the course is: 
Where should I be now in the coursework? 
(it is the third week - the week of February the 11th was the first week - 2 weeks at Easter are not counted - refer to the Calendar tab on the Libguide).

11Feb week 1
18 Feb week 2
25 Feb week 3
4th March week 4
11th March week 5
18th March week 6
25th March 7th week
1st April - EASTER - not counted - advisers not available if on holiday
8th April - EASTER - not counted
15th April 8th week
22nd April 9th week
29th April 10th week
7th May 11th week
13th May 12th week
20 May submission

The Module Handbook set out the criteria and requirements of the modules, so re-reading the handbook and perhaps scanning the Programme Handbook is a good place to start if things are not clear. 

There are in progression tasks/ or feedback in all the modules that help you keep  your pacing. Are you in front of or behind what your module handbook says? 

The Campus Sessions are 'think tank' progression devices - they are not just about being able to physically come to the campus - they are milestones in the coursework so the Campus Session can be used in your planning to see where you are and reschedule the work accordingly. 


Sharing your studies with colleagues is important - use the 'phone a friend' option (Natalie and I chatted last night to conquer some Eblogger problems) - or communicate via blogs, email, phone, FB, Skype - talk to others to clarify AFTER you have looked yourself and tried to make sense of where you are.  This course is about you going away with the skills to get work done - so it is not about only being 'told what to do'. 

For adviser 'tutorials' formulate questions for your adviser and ask them in a 'tutorial' or feedback session. 

So if you are scheduing work now and want to judge where you are in terms of progress - here are some examples - you might have others to add?

1. Ah! I am ahead of the game!  Great! I must be getting the hang of this...
2. Ah! I am a bit behind better catch up! I need to talk to others on the course, blog, and schedule a tutorial with my adviser
3. Ah! wow time has passed and I have not done anything - oh dear - better talk to my adviser to help schedule HOW TO catch up by putting more time into my coursework 
4. OR (this is usually by the 8th week or so if no work has been possible) think about my one self-deferral per module  - this is not indefinite - there is one self-deferral although we can discuss further action if you need to because we understand you are taking this course in the real world and the unexpected is always around the corner

Which are you? I think I am Number 2.... oh dear - better catch up!