10-Rep Learning ~ Teague's Tech Treks

Learning Technology & Tech Observations by Dr. Helen Teague

May
25

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Memorial Day Weekend ~ Saturday

Category: History, Holidays, Poetry, Post Feed Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

The Significance of Red Poppies to Honor Those Who Gave The Ultimate Sacrifice

Red Poppies Graphics FairyRed poppies have been a symbol of the aftermath of battles. The pairing of Red poppies and mourning for soldiers’ sacrifice has been linked to the Napoleonic war when red poppies (Palaver rhoeas), would be observed growing over soldiers’ graves.
Professor Michael was professor at the University of Georgia at the time the war broke out, yet she took a leave of absence to volunteer at the New York headquarters of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). Two days before the armistice, Professor Moina Michael read the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. The poem was published in the magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal.
Inspired by John McCrae’s poetic verses, in 1918, Professor Michael wrote her own poem in response, which she titled “We Shall Keep Faith.”

We Shall Keep the Faith
by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

silk red poppies
Professor Michael gave fabric blooms to her academic colleagues to wear in remembrance of soldiers.  After the war ended, Professor Michael returned to the university town of Athens, Georgia, and thought about the best way to continue her practice of remembrance.
She began to craft and sell red silk poppies to raise money to support war veterans as they returned to the United States.
Over time, Professor Michael organized a campaign to create a national symbol for remembrance which would be a poppy in the colors of the Allied nations’ flags entwined around a victory torch. At the beginning of 1920, she secured a pledge from Georgia’s branch of the American Legion, to adopt the poppy (minus the torch) as its symbol.
In September, 1920, the National American Legion voted to use the poppy as the official U.S. National emblem of remembrance.
American Legion Family - National Poppy Day

                                                                 References
Pruitt, S. (2017). The WWI origins of the poppy as a remembrance symbol. History.com.
   https://www.history.com/news/world-war-i-poppy-remembrance-symbol-veterans-day

National American Legion (2021). The Poppy Story. https://www.legion.org/poppyday/history

Apr
26

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Weekend Ed. Quote ~ April 26

Category: #STEAM, Art Integration, Post Feed Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

“Something told me to draw or die. It was shown to me what I should do.” ~ Minnie Evans, Artist, folk art

Minnie Evans, untitled

Minnie Evans, Untitled

 

 

Quoting Source: Perry, R. A. (1992). Free within ourselves: African-American Artists in the Collection of the National Museum of American Art. National Museum of American Art in Association with Pomegranate Art Books.

Image Source: artnet.com/WebServices/images/ll00058lldDD3JFgUNECfDrCWQFHPKcEpjG/minnie-evans-untitled.jpg

 

 

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Apr
19

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Weekend Ed. Quote ~ April 19

Category: #STEAM, Art Integration, Post Feed Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

“I have no imagination. I never plan a drawing, they just happen. In a dream it was shown to me what I have to do, of paintings. The whole entire horizon all the way across the whole earth was out together like this with pictures. All over my yard, up all the sides of trees and everywhere were pictures.” — Artist Minnie Evans

https://www.petulloartcollection.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Minnie-Evans.jpg

 

 

 

                                                           References

Starr, N. H. (1969). The Lost World of Minnie Evans, The Bennington Review (111), 2 (Summer 1969): 41.

Image Source: https://www.petulloartcollection.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Minnie-Evans.jpg

 

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Apr
14

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The A in STEAM – Artisitic expression as a result of Imagination or Nature?

Category: Concordia University, Post Feed, STEAM Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

Note: This post is a supplemental resource from a recent professional development session for educators.

Does Artistic Expression Emanate from Imagination or Nature?

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer. As a friend and colleague with fellow artist Vincent Van Gogh, in 1888 the two artists parted company after a conceptual argument that could not be resolved. Gauguin argued it was important in artistic expression to work from imagination, while Van Gogh maintained paintings should be based on nature.
Imagination versus realism remains a distinguishing topic of discussion today.

What is your opinion? Personally, would you tend to agree with Gauguin’s viewpoint or Van Gogh’s viewpoint? As an educator working with students does your view change on whether art is based on imagination or nature?
Have there been instances in your professional practice in which you have had conceptual disagreements with colleagues? 

In 1891, Gauguin and his wife, artist Mette-Sophie Gad moved from France to Tahiti. Among his works created in Tahiti was a three-paneled work of Symbolism called “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?” Painted during a period of poverty, obscurity, and intense grieving over the death of his daughter, Gauguin’s work asks questions that are universal.


Image Source: KazoArt

Gauguin’s work featured artistic experiments in Synesthesia. According to Wikipedia, “Synesthesia has historically referred to a wide variety of artists’ experiments that have explored the co-operation of the senses in the genres of visual music, music visualization, audiovisual art, abstract film, and intermedia.”

 

                                                                                        References

Bouye, L. (2021). Gauguin and Van Gogh, an explosive friendship. KAZoART. https://www.kazoart.com/blog/en/gauguin-and-van-gogh-an-explosive-friendship/#:~:text=But%20it%20was%20above%20all,should%20be%20based%20on%20nature

Synesthesia in art. (2022, August). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia_in_art

Sep
2

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Weekend Ed. (and STEAM) Quote ~ September 2

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“I wanted the piece … to conjure up an intuitive awareness of the long movements of time required for the creation of a canyon. I also wanted in some way to pay homage to Native Americans, to whom this canyon was a sacred place. And I wanted to capture in music that magical moment which everyone experiences when they first see the flat, treeless High Plains fall dizzyingly away into the colorful vastness of the Palo Duro Canyon itself.” Composer Samuel Jones, Notes to Symphony No. 3 (“Palo Duro Canyon”).


YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/xiGNcHLEgKc

 


YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/h1j8UW1ySUs

 

Read more about the Palo Duro symphony by Samuel Jones: http://samueljones.net/works.html

 

 

 

#PBSReaders4Life

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Apr
6

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What is a group of deer called? Little STEAM videos for procedural tasks in the learning environment

Category: #STEAM, Post Feed Tags: , , Leave a Comment

STEAM infusions of photography slide shows and short movies can enhance procedural tasks and task completion in learning environments.

 

Some classroom tasks across the curriculum that benefit from STEAM video/slide show infusions:

~Opening Procedures – As students enter and assemble

~Retrieving supplies, passing papers, uploading files, proofreading, peer review of short papers

~Class activity transition

~Inseat, calm break

~Learning Center station rotation

~Closing procedures

 

What else should be added to this list? 

 

#STEAM

 

Oh, and a group of deer is called a rangale!

Mar
30

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STEAM Icebreakers, Deep Space and Tolkien!

Category: #STEAM, Concordia University, Post Feed Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Let’s look at a few Icebreaker connections from Math… J.R.R. Tolkien… Deep Space!

The most distant individual star ever seen has been spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA said Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The star is believed to be 12.9 billion light-years from Earth and about 50 times as massive as the sun. The new star, coded as WHL0137-LS, was found on March 30, 2022 using gravitational lensing of a galaxy cluster.

In a wonderful STEAM connection, Dr. Brian Welch, lead researcher of the team of astrophysicists and astronomers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore gave WHL0137-LS the star name, “Earendel.” (Remember our Tolkien Reading Day Icebreaker from March 25? )

The star’s name, Earendel, is inspired by J.R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy writing!
In Tolkien’s book, “The Lord of the Rings,” Eärendil is the name of a character, ahalf-elf mariner who travels the seas carrying a jewel, or “Silmaril,” called the morning star. This star “has the wonderful name of Earendel, and that’s actually from Tolkien,” NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller explained. “It means the dawn star, and it’s an Old English word. It’s lovely. And this is a star, literally, from the dawn of time, the dawn of stars forming. This is the first star, the farthest star we’ve ever seen, and I think Earendel is a beautiful name for it,” Thaller said.

Now, it’s your turn! What Icebreaker questions would you create? Consider the “7 Pieces of Art Inspired by the Night Sky” website and/or numerical data.

Artwork Resource: Show students some artwork from digital sources:

7 Pieces of Art Inspired by the Night Sky: https://www.darksky.org/7-pieces-of-art-inspired-by-the-night-sky/

From Space.com: https://www.space.com/hubble-most-distant-star-tolkien-name-earendil

Super short movie from the Wall Street Journal – https://www-wsj-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/hubble-space-telescope-spots-most-distant-star-ever-seen-11648655351

From NetAtlas: https://newatlas.com/space/earendel-most-distant-star-hubble/

Here is some of the numeric data for the star, Earendel that would make great class Icebreakers!

  • 12.9 billion light-years from Earth – how many miles is this? (for an approximate result, multiply the length value by 5.879e+12). See more https://www.calculateme.com/astronomy/light-years/to-miles/
  • 1000 times brighter than our Sun.
  • 50 times the mass of the Sun
  • 2nd brightest star is Icarus, 9 billion light years away

 

 

#STEAM

Jan
20

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EDP Cycle – Crowdsourcing the Beta Test!

Category: #STEAM, Concordia University, Post Feed, STEAM, STEM Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

The EDP Cycle remains relevant! There is one phase of the grade 5-12 EDP cycle that every classroom participant can relate to, whether student or teacher, and that is “Build a model or Prototype.” In the K-4 EDP Cycle, this component is labeled “Evaluate.”

EDP 5-12 model EDP K-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “Build a Model or Prototype/Evaluate phase is continuously being applied in business using the word Beta test. Here is an example from current business news that fits with all of the snow of the Winter season. 

The Snowbot is a square robot that shovels snow! Here it is in action! 

https://youtu.be/rOnQM6gnYO8 


‘https://youtu.be/8W6yC-u-8_A

Currently in development and Beta text by the company – https://www.thesnowbot.com/pages/become-a-beta-tester

STEM/STEAM Application:
Have you ever participated in a Beta test?  It might be a fun class activity to show the Snowbot videos to Students who would serve in the role of Focus Group participants! What do you think about this and/or what other EDP applications come to mind when viewing the Snowbot videos?

Oct
1

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Weekend Ed. Quote ~ October 1, 2021

Category: #STEAM, Post Feed Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

On the importance of connecting STEAM units to thinking inside the box…

The Arts 2

“In working with such a variety of schools, teachers, and students, as well as buildings, schedules, and budgets, the common and most important element in every situation was the dedication and determination of the staff to make STEAM succeed. This is where thinking inside the box was very useful. Teachers always have limitations with regard to, well, everything: budgets, schedules, space, and so on. STEAM not only encourages but also thrives on big ideas. By having to work inside the box, teachers developed incredibly creative solutions to most problems. In spite of the greatly varying accessobility to resources and staff time limitations, all schools were very successful in implementing STEAM.” ~David Sousa and Tom Pilecki, From STEM to STEAM: Brain Compatible Strategies and Lessons That Integrate the Arts, page 63.

 

References

Sousa, D. & Pilecki, T. (2018). From STEM to STEAM: Brain Compatible Strategies and Lessons That Integrate the Arts. Corwin Press, p. 63.

 

 

 

 

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Sep
24

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Weekend Ed. Quotes ~ September 24, 2021

Category: #STEAM, Creativity, Post Feed Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

On the importance of connecting innovation with creativity…

The Arts 2

“All innovation begins with creative ideas. Successful implementation of new programs, new product introductions, or new services depends on a person or a team having a good idea-and developing that idea beyond its initial state.”
~Amabile, Conti, Coon, Lazenby, & Herron, 1996, p. 1154.

In 1999, researchers Sternberg and O’Hara provided the pioneering framework of five possible relationships between creativity and intelligence:

  1. Creativity is a type of intelligence

  2. Intelligence is a type of creativity

  3. Creativity and intelligence are overlapping constructs (they have some traits in common)

  4. Creativity and intelligence are part of the same construct (they’re basically the same thing)

  5. Creativity and intelligence are distinct constructs (there is no relationship between them)

 

Here is a blog post (non-peer-reviewed) on creativity with some engaging design features and easy readability: What is creativity? The ultimate guide to understanding today’s most important ability by Kelly Morr at this link: https://99designs.com/blog/creative-thinking/what-is-creativity/ 

 

References

Amabile, T. M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Herron, M. (1996). Assessing the work environment for creativity. Academy of
management journal, 39(5), p. 1154-1184. http://people.wku.edu/richard.miller/amabile.pdf 

Morr, K. (2018). What is creativity? The ultimate guide to understanding today’s most important ability. 99 Designs.  https://99designs.com/blog/creative-thinking/what-is-creativity/

Sternberg, R. J., & O’Hara, L. A. (1999). Creativity and intelligence.

 

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