#Artifact2

[angtamuc-blog]

Artifact 2 - In this fan art you can see how there are pieces from the storyline of the app Mystic Messenger. The Character, Ray, shown in above image is sitting in a relaxed manner going through his smart phone. Not much of a difference in how your or me would go about our day, in out normal daily routines of life; we can relate to this. In the app this particular image is not seen, but if you were someone who has played the game, then you would know how and where this perfectly created composition would fit in the storyline. But now a fan has created this particular medium to give a new visual form of understanding. 

He’ll put her before anything else. ~ I adore him so much!! I’m currently playing his route for the first time and he’s such a sweetheart. I think he deserves all the love in the world

[myartsyfacts-blog]

Reflective Essay

Timely Feedback

Giving the parents and students a timely feedback is very essential to the progress of the learners. Consulting to the teacher about the progress of the pupil that is right on time can help to improve the child’s development in to a certain subject. Improving the child’s performance can make the grade of the child higher. It is very important to have a timely feedback with the parent in order to them to be informed about the progress and performance of their child each quarter. It should be right on time so that there are still time for the child to improve their academic skill.

Accurate Feedback

Teachers are the one assigned to give accurate feedback to parents. An accurate feedback can help the parents trust the teacher. Giving accurate feedback that is aligned with the grade and performance of the child can make it easier for teachers and parents track the strengths and weaknesses of their learners. Accurate feedback provides the parents such information they need to help their child. Teachers must be true and honest when parents are consulting. Hence, parents and teachers should help each other for the learners.

Constructive Feedback

Giving a constructive feedback to parents makes a teacher more professional. It is important to gain the trust and respect from the parents of the pupil. In order to give a constructive feedback, a teacher must know how to present and talk to the parents appropriately. Respective the child and also the parents can make it easier for them to communicate with the parents. Teachers must know how to point the good side of the child’s performance; not just the negative side. 

[skchambers7-blog]

Field Notes 2

Artifact 2 is a cold read from the audition period of Grey’s Anatomy. I am impressed that fans were able to find this, much less that they remember the piece of script. I find this fascinating because it shows that fans really do reflect on the show as a whole, not just the acting within. This audition piece is how the actor T.R. Knight got cast in the show. Another thing I find interesting is that the person who posted this did not use the actor’s name. Instead they called it “Audition pages for George O’Malley” – the name of the character.

[theinfraredcaptor]

i have a ma9ic rin9 that let2 me chan9e throu9h the 12 6lood ca2te2 when i wear it, in addition two my 2pecific 6lood mutation 2ince i’ve let theo try it and one of them made him 6ri9ht red.

i’m a2kin9 if there are any people 2killed with artifact2 or a 6enevlent ma9ic anon that’ll alter my rin9 2o that in2tead of 6ein9 fu2chia when the rin9 i2 ticked all the way up, i’m a 2eadweller with my normal mutant red color.

[livgrebvid]

(Liv Greb) after critique

[georgehumcdns3600]

ARTIFACT 2: Canada 150 Logo

http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1469537603125

The Canada 150 logo is an official symbol of the Canada 150 celebration. Symbolically, each segment represents each of Canada’s provinces and territories and the maple leaf shape is distinctively Canadian. The logo was the winning design in a national competition aimed at students. Officially, this corresponds with the theme of youth engagement, as “young Canadians had the opportunity to participate and contribute in an original way to [an] important milestone in Canadian history” (Canadian Heritage 2016). However, this competition also drew significant criticism. For example, Stuart Ash, the creator of the 1967 centennial logo, criticized the design and the former Harper government for not commissioning design concepts from professional graphic design firms (CBC News 2015: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-150-logo-called-confusing-by-centennial-logo-creator-1.3154959). Kevin Mar, principal of Blue Planet Design, considered the contest exploitation and the equivalent of using unpaid interns instead of paying for professional work (Toronto Star 2015: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/04/28/controversial-canada-150-logo-design-contest-won-by-university-of-waterloo-student.html). Two main takeaways can be drawn from this artifact. On one level, it represents a rhetoric-reality gap with respect to youth issues. While the initial iteration of this logo was designed and chosen during the Harper government, it (understandably) remains in use. However, given the paltry award of $5,000 for the winning design, the winner and other entrants are arguably not being properly compensated for graphic design work. The competition overall can be seen as diversionary: under the guise of youth engagement, entrants (especially runner-ups) are effectively designing logos without proper compensation - especially galling due to the current youth issue of unpaid internships. This also reflects the overall politics of neoliberalism and austerity. Evoking Ninijean, the challenges of globalization and neoliberalism create a complex policy environment where expectations of government increase, but “the resource capacity and influence of the federal government would decrease” (2005, 32). While there are genuine expectations of well-funded festivity planning and youth engagement, neoliberal governments oriented against excessive public spending may seek alternative solutions (such as a competition) to save money. Given that the logo is also used in promotional material to generate tourism revenue, the private sector is benefiting from the public who participated in the competition. While there is not much that the Liberal government can do in response, they could have decided to properly compensate the winner given the logo’s continued widespread use.

Critical reflection and relation to other artifacts:

Personally, the process of the competition and initial iterations of the final logo are both disappointing. The competition reflects attitudes that devalue the work of younger Canadians, and a devaluation of creative work generally. The priority statement reflects tapping into the creativity of all Canadians, though this assumes another meaning where significant work (used for domestic and international marketing) for is done for a paltry sum. The process itself seems like there were a few wasted opportunities: as Matthew Hayday notes, employees of the federal government and state organizers sought to use festivities to foster a sense of national community given a vast geographic distribution (2010, 312). Rather than having internal boards assess the designs, there could have been a online survey that allows Canadians to vote for their favourite design. This would be a good way of using the internet to easily engage Canadians. While online surveys can be a superficial mode of engagement, this topic is fairly low stakes in comparison to a topic like electoral reform. This artifact can be contrasted with the 4Rs Youth Movement (artifact nine), which represents a more genuine attempt at fostering youth engagement through cross-cultural dialogue. Unlike the competition, where the end product of “engagement” is used for the government’s own ends, the 4Rs movement fits into the long-term goal of reconciliation and dialogue with Indigenous Peoples. This also highlights the different methods in which cultural activities can be promoted, with 4Rs representing a civil society organization partially funded by government rather than a direct government program.

[mistertomholland]

Another influential artifact from my childhood was the Warner Brothers movie Selena starring Jennifer Lopez. The movie tells the story of Selena Quintanilla Perez, a Mexican Tejano singer who, had her life not been cut short, was expected to become even bigger than Jennifer Lopez today. The film put a face and story to the catchy songs my parents were always playing and the film impacted me tremendously. Every time I watched it, I ended up crying. I was so upset and disgusted by the way such a bright soul was so selfishly taken from the world. Selena was a huge part of the Mexican music industry, and paved the way for Latin artists making it big in the United States. I found myself often wondering what it would have been like to grow up with her, to see her at the height of her fame. As cliché as it sounds, the film made me feel as if I knew her; another wonderful person in the Mexican American community. The film taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to regardless of status or background. Her strong character, selfishness and ability to see the best in people made me feel even prouder to be Mexican.

[weareteenpep-blog]

Artifact 2: Addiction

Focus Question: How can the media be used to address the process of addiction?

Summary: Macklemore, a conscientious rapper, released a song called "Otherside" in 2009. The song talks about addiction and his own personal struggle with drugs.

Analysis: Macklemore is an artist who is part of a genre that generally promotes the use of drugs and alcohol in order to fit a certain image. In his song "Otherside," he journeys through the process of addiction and his own personal struggle with drugs. In the beginning of the song, he talks about how he wanted to try lean (a drug containing the highly addictive substance codeine) because his favorite rappers were doing it. He didn't realize how addictive the substance was and quickly became addicted. During the song he talks about how he increased his usage of the drug and the detrimental side effects he experienced such as a cold sweat and itching. One of my favorite lines from the song is "We live on the cusp of death thinking that it won't be us." Addicts don't think that anything bad can happen from their drug use because they are in denial. In reality, they are putting themselves at risk by continuing to use drugs and could possibly have a drug overdose.

Macklemore emphasizes that if you live everyday with drugs in your system then it destroys what makes you, you. This message is so important for young people like us to understand. Though certain artists, television shows, movies, etc. may glorify the use of drugs; it's not a path that's worth taking. I love the song and I love how Macklemore raps about things that really matter instead of superficial topics like sex and drugs. He is a beacon of hope for our generation and promotes a message of positivity. "Otherside" clearly illustrates the process of addiction while also reflecting on Macklemore's own personal experiences. 

[katharineseducationportfoli-blog]

Artifact 2 Reflection

       Despite the fact that we lag behind in standardized tests, which countries like Korea, Japan, and China, spend training their students for we are still at the forefront of the workforce because we have, as Zakaria has stated above “...creativity, critical thinking and an optimistic outlook.” These are things traditionally assigned to a liberal arts learning, where you are not just trained to do one thing, which brings up the issue of language and assigning specific skills to one particular field that I brought up in my reflection of Artifact 1. In fact this artifact and artifact 1 are very similar, but I chose this because it emphasized a point that will connect to the next artifact as well; the issue of students, and education culture. Immediately after the quote I have picked for my artifact, Zakaria goes on to talk about the difference between U.S. and Asian educational systems, emphasizing that Asian educational systems are more memorization based and less conducive to creative solutions.

        This line of thought takes us back to the issue of memorization. Freire deals a lot with the problem of memorization in education in his book Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage stating that “What is important in teaching is not the mechanical repetition of this or that gesture but a comprehension of the value of sentiments, emotions, and desires…” (Freire, 48).  This idea that memorization should not the quintessential element of education is an important one, one that distinguishes different education systems from each other. And while I have established that some level of memorization is required for learning, in my third paper, it is important to acknowledge that a great education will go beyond simple memorization, encouraging students to question, critique, and explore theories. This will ultimately demonstrate an understanding of the subject and the ability to apply it to more unique situations that one might not have original considered. This ability, this skill, is something that many education systems don’t have room for, and in turn students don’t have an environment to foster creativity, and other skills.

        While memorization is useful for technical skills if we want people to have the best chance at choosing the future they want, which is one of the purposes I believe of education, particularly public education. We must provide our students with the best chance; a well-rounded education with some parts memorization but also the opportunity to apply said memorization to discover new ways of thinking and applying that knowledge.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage. Trans. Patrick Clarke. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 1998. Print.

Zakaria, Fareed. "Why America's Obsession with STEM Education Is Dangerous." The Washington Post, March 26, 2015. Accessed May 12, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-stem-wont-make-us-successful/2015/03/26/5f4604f2-d2a5-11e4-ab77-9646eea6a4c7_story.html.

[allegrasedproj-blog]

Artifact 2

“On the other hand, if an experience arouses curiosity, strengthens initiative, and sets up desires and purposes that are sufficiently intense to carry a person over dead places in the future, continuity works in a very different way. Every experience is a moving force. Its value can be judged only on the ground of what it moves toward and into.” (page 38)

This is a quote from John Dewey’s book Experience and Education. I think it goes perfectly with my theme for the portfolio in multiple ways. On the surface it talks about the important aspects of an experience in order for it to be thought of as a worthwhile experience. In Dewey’s mind (and I agree), if a practice sparks an interest that is strong enough to push a student forward into new ideas and new learning, it is productive. Not all experiences create new ideas or facilitate learning; not all experiences “move toward and into” things, but the ones that don’t (in my opinion) can be just as important as the ones that do. Moreover, this quote relates to teachers because it basically describes how to set up an episode that will result in “a moving force” that eventually helps students grow. It gives a concise enough explanation that is specific, but also leaves enough room for interpretation by anyone reading. This is perfect because there are so many teachers in the world and no two teach exactly the same. No two teachers would have their classroom work exactly same way and allow the students to come out with new knowledge and new experiences to think about problems the same way. Also, this quote doesn’t have to only apply to students’ participating in play based learning. It can also apply to a teacher’s experience observing their students, or just experiencing and learning things for themselves. We often forget that teachers are humans that need to keep learning new things, too. I really like how this quote can be looked at from so many different facets and has so many layers that diverge and converge in ideas. 

[myartsyfacts-blog]

Artifact 2: Mock Grade Consultation

[seniorhealthportfolio2012-blog]

Artifact #2

Topic: Bereavement

Artifact: A few songs from the band Promise of Redemption

Focus Question: How can you demonstrate strategies to prevent, manage, or resolve intrapersonal conflicts?

[georgehumcdns3600]

ARTIFACT 6: Ottawa 2017 Event

http://www.ottawa2017.ca/ottawa-students-to-add-youthful-momentum-to-canadas-150th-anniversary-celebrations/

This article highlights the engagement of students to promote involvement with Ottawa 2017 celebrations. Specifically, it mentions the partnership between Ottawa-area school boards and the Ottawa 2017 Bureau. Through this partnership, students have an ability to participate in and volunteer for Ottawa 2017 events. Overall, despite being a municipal initiative rather than a federal one, this artifact ties to the theme of engaging and inspiring youth. The header photo additionally (and likely intentionally) highlights the diversity and inclusivity of the initiative. This artifact is interesting because it demonstrates the role of the state in using its various components (in this case, education) to support large horizontal initiatives. It shows that there is a degree of coercion involved in some “youth engagement” programs, as it is likely that individual schools will make some participation obligatory (such as for mandatory volunteer hours required to graduate). However, this may help engage students who might not be otherwise. Similar to the Canada 150 logo design process, such programs help the state prepare and organize events. In this case, a pool of volunteers can support the official festivities. This artifact can also be contrasted with the 4Rs movement, which represents a more explorative and elective mode of youth engagement.

[georgehumcdns3600]

ARTIFACT 1: Department of Canadian Heritage Priority One

http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1456860096099/1456860154244

The main artifact chosen for this scrapbook is the first priority from the Canadian Heritage Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP). As mentioned in the introduction, this priority highlights the core themes of promoting diversity and inclusion, engaging and inspiring youth, promoting reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and connecting Canadians with their natural environment. Outcomes, such as promoting tourism, and key departmental activities, such as working intergovernmentally to engage youth, Indigenous Peoples, and ethno-cultural communities, are also noted. Priorities are plans or initiatives that a department focuses on for a given planning period, and articulate what is important for a given timeframe (Treasury Board Secretariat 2015: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/hgw-cgf/oversight-surveillance/ae-ve/cee/pubs/lex-eng.asp). In a high-level fashion, this priority articulates how the Government of Canada is organizing Canada 150 celebrations through its bureaucracy, along with the key values the government wishes to promote through the festivities. As a whole, the priority reflects the modern process of Canadianization outlined by Edwardson, wherein cultural vitality is aligned with economic interests and that there is a diversion of attention towards developing a Canadian identity promoting the myth of the ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ in spite of reality pointing to the contrary (2004, 25). While values such as multiculturalism, engagement, and environmentalism are promoted, other ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ values such as equality, social welfare, and peacekeeping are not explicitly or implicitly noted. This priority directly links Canada 150 with economic growth, demonstrating that attention is paid to the economics underlying cultural politics and identity formation. Within the priority, it is also explicit that these values are being projected both domestically and abroad. Through this artifact, it is clear that the machinery of government is being leveraged to promote certain values even if they are at odds with actual policies being implemented. Since the core themes are to be reflected in the projects that get promoted, there is a degree of hegemony in which values are promoted. This evokes Bruce Curtis’ argument, where administration and bureaucracy can be used to create an identity (2001,316).   Overall, these values present a framework that can be used to assess other artifacts in this scrapbook.

Critical reflection

This artifact is significant on a personal level for multiple reasons. As a public service employee, the values articulated here reverberate throughout the public service and will likely affect my work in one way or another. Given that the values promoted are aligned with Liberal values, the ostensible non-partisan bureaucracy is being used to promote a particular political brand. Alex Marland previously warned about the implications of political branding: it has a “tightening grip” on civil servants who are supposed to work on the public’s behalf (2016, xxiv). Rather than implementing a government’s agenda, public servants play a performative role in the promotion of a political party’s projected image. While I find that the core themes are agreeable, consideration must be paid to alternate visions of Canadian values that exist within a diverse country. If this is not done, then the public service risks siding with the governing party over the interests of the citizens (Nimijean 2005, 39). By not including dissenting voices, a lopsided image of Canada, one amenable to the governing party of the day, is presented, possibly alienating large swathes of the country. Overall, this artifact highlights the relationship between the bureaucracy and the governing party, along with the issues that can arise. Namely, this refers to the bureaucracy being complicit in promoting rhetoric over substantive policy, with actual policy consequences being ignored in favour of the image.

[katharineseducationportfoli-blog]

Artifact 2

“Asian countries like Japan and South Korea have benefitted enormously from having skilled workforces. But technical chops are just one ingredient needed for innovation and economic success. America overcomes its disadvantage — a less-technically-trained workforce — with other advantages such as creativity, critical thinking and an optimistic outlook. A country like Japan, by contrast, can’t do as much with its well-trained workers because it lacks many of the factors that produce continuous innovation.” - Fareed Zakaria, columnist for The Post, contributing editor for The Atlantic.

Zakaria, Fareed. "Why America's Obsession with STEM Education Is Dangerous." The Washington Post, March 26, 2015. Accessed May 12, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-stem-wont-make-us-successful/2015/03/26/5f4604f2-d2a5-11e4-ab77-9646eea6a4c7_story.html.