I was up early and texted my friend Dan who suggested we go for breakfast at Needle and Bean, a new place nearby that serves coffee and vinyl. I managed a cortado, but left the Bowie records for another time. I’ve been slowly adding to my collection, and now have about twenty albums, not all Zavid, I’m sticking to my rule of not buying things that I already own on CD or tape, or not replicating the vinyl collection that sadly was lost in a house move. It’s fun discovery, some older records that I passed over, which sometimes means a deeper dive into someone’s back catalogue, or new artists and their work, which is really interesting and exciting.
I needed that coffee though, it’s a busy week as usual, but feeling productive, getting through everything bit by bit. I am taking part in a writing program at the moment through NCFDD but struggling to establish a proper habit. My week is front-loaded, with meetings and teaching Mon through to Thursday, and more time Thursday afternoons and Fridays. This week we talked about some of the challenges and barriers to learning, and I struggle to identify specific things, but what I am finding is that I’m learning strategies for the long term that will help me to complete articles and papers, and find a better work/life balance.
A few thoughts on teaching and learning, tech futures, and acapella vibes.
Stephan
Teaching & Learning
A few things came up this week, mostly I had a moan on Monday to my group, about the perceived lack of engagement in learning activities. I say perceived, because to my eye, the students are not completing the learning steps on canvas, using their headsets, or joining in online discussion. As a result, I increased the amount that participation contributes to their overall grade.
Later in the week, I mentioned this to another couple of colleagues who agreed that they’d also had issues around expectations. In the last issue I talked about a lack of discussion, but now I’m discovering that it is going beyond this. We were wondering whether this is a hangover from the pandemic, or whether students are just afraid to take a chance on expressing opinion. It’s the formality of everything that is driving me a little round the twist. I’m a strong believer that learning takes place in the margins, that it should not be transactional. Learning evolves, it is a synthesis of different feelings, ideas, and understanding. That’s why there’s such an emphasis on discovery, and play.
In fact, we were talking about a new course that we’re developing that will highlight the need to slow down this process, take time with particular elements, perhaps sit a while, and observe. All this might sound like I don’t have a particularly good handle on what’s happening, and I suppose there are times when it feels opaque, that I would love to know more about how people are feeling, and what’s getting in the way. I have a few surveys to send out, and I’ll keep talking to students individually during crit and review, and hopefully find strategies where I can at least meet them where they are.
Life Lessons
I met this week with a mentor that supported me in my early years at CMU, and it was nice to reconnect over a cup of tea, and catch up with them. It is so wonderful to have such great advice and guidance, and they were able to draw some reflection from me, in terms of where I’m at, and the direction that I’m headed. When I first arrived, my remit was clearly to support the TEL initiatives in the department, encourage faculty to use the facilities in the new space, through teaching, and research.
Now entering my fifth year, there’s a definite pivot. Sure, people still find small interventions helpful in terms of TEL adoption, and there’s always a certain amount of way-finding. What I am finding myself doing more and more, is helping and facilitating projects that have wider impact; and this reflects a move towards creative scholarship, where alongside papers and articles, there are films, exhibitions, works of art, events, and happenings that are outcomes from research, and intellectual inquiry. It’s clear that forms of multimodal practice, perhaps the same ones that we’re asking our students to produce, are being adopted in scholarship, so that academics are just as likely to make a documentary, or audio piece, or immersive experience.
I’m wondering if I can do more to support this sort of activity, certainly it is rewarding working with people, especially if they are new to media practice, and unsure of the process of making. Along the way, I hope that I can make a few more things too, I’m aware that I have a great opportunity here, that I’m in a very privileged position, and that I shouldn’t miss my chance.
Lost and Found
Here are a few things I spotted this week that I thought I might would with you.
There’s a good article in FLTMAG about ungrading, apparently all the hip kids are doing this, so I’ll count myself one of them.
With Apple’s Vision Pro just around the corner, it’s interesting to read a few more articles about spatial computing. I had this discussion with a colleague this week, he was questioning why Apple was getting into the MX game so late, when Meta, and Microsoft had already developed headsets, with variable results, and that we’d see this as a short-lived expedition. I’m not so sure, that’s not Apple’s style; instead I’m hoping for an ecology of spatial apps, new ways to navigate and interact with objects. It’s also going to push the so-called “democratization” of 3D, it’ll be much easier to create in this space, and that it will inspire everyday creativity in the same way that users enjoy on TikTok or Snapchat.
Adam is back with a new season of podcast episodes. I listened to his chat with Jesse Armstrong, the writer of Succession, and then with his writing partner for Peep Show, Sam Bain, that was recorded years earlier, but never released.
Quite like this acapella version of Denver Luna by Underworld. It came up on SirusXM this morning as I was driving to my coffee meet. I’ve always enjoyed their stream of conscious style, like words being poured out of a jug.
Thank you
I’m looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend, there’s an artist market up on Washington Road, and our kid has a soccer game in the afternoon. We’re already looking forward to a weekend away, possibly around the winter break, and starting to look up places to stay.
The food trucks keep coming, this week it was Korean Corndog…no, me neither, although they were super tasty.
I’m hoping to get out into the countryside, maybe Sunday morning. The leaves are changing colour and it is starting to look like autumn out there.
I hope that you’re all looking after yourselves, take care!