tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45399176827263187452024-03-05T03:16:34.258-06:00summer learnin'... happened so fastdd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-59017804227330114342009-02-18T14:29:00.004-06:002009-02-18T14:43:34.386-06:00MECA & Moodle<div>For now, until I can get the powerpoint presentation uploaded to this blog, you can access it by going to the <a href="http://lms.mosspointschools.org/">Moss Point Moodle Page</a>.<br /><br />- Select 'Login' (<em>top right-hand corner of the page</em>)<br />- Select 'Login As A Guest'<br />- Scroll down to 'Mercer's Training Pages' at the bottom<br />- Select the 'MPSD: R. Mercer - Professional Development' class<br />- Scroll down to 'February '09 MECA Resources:'<br />- Select 'Doyle: Moodle & More' and enjoy!<br /><br />If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at <a href="mailto:djdoyle@mp.k12.ms.us">djdoyle@mp.k12.ms.us</a>.</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxG_J3OWpRFVeY2pV1UfHCpgSOt_c4JHjD3UubKSH6gbz4vzLHpZwWO-d95F0hEI54N1e92sVzciVsLIS-HMIBt6ViqwoG-GTZ5wmyaqXvNLnUNRjj5d-I5tH9dO0lPX9BXZx7HcFKR8iO/s1600-h/moodle12.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304240733591262130" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxG_J3OWpRFVeY2pV1UfHCpgSOt_c4JHjD3UubKSH6gbz4vzLHpZwWO-d95F0hEI54N1e92sVzciVsLIS-HMIBt6ViqwoG-GTZ5wmyaqXvNLnUNRjj5d-I5tH9dO0lPX9BXZx7HcFKR8iO/s320/moodle12.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-68646440007508433002008-08-15T09:53:00.003-05:002008-08-15T10:00:26.915-05:00Letter of Intent<span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>Senior Project Letter of Intent: Your Project Proposal</strong></span><br /><br /><strong>Introduction</strong><br /><em>For most of your high school career you have been subjected to classes you’ve had to take. While you may have had some opportunity to choose certain electives, it is likely that you have had little influence over what you’ve actually been taught. Your teachers—and your school district—have been making most of these decisions for you. </em><br /><br /><em>MPHS' Senior Project allows you to finally have direct control over what you learn. The Senior Project gives you the chance to choose a subject that has special interest to you. The first step that you must take toward creating this personalized "class" is to write a letter of intent, which serves as your project proposal.</em><br /><br /><strong>Letter of Intent</strong><br /><em>The Senior Project Letter of Intent is a formal letter that is addressed to the Senior Project Coordinator and identifies what you’ll be researching (your paper) and what you’ll be doing or creating (your project) this semester. It also includes your paper's thesis statement. The letter follows a predictable pattern:</em><br /><br /><u>1st Paragraph</u><br /><br />The first paragraph of the Letter of Intent reflects your interest in the topic you’ve chosen and clearly shows how what you’ll be doing is something new for you. In other words, not only must you describe why the topic is interesting, you must also show how it is a departure from anything you’ve done previously.<br /><br /><u>2nd Paragraph</u><br /><br />The second paragraph of this letter describes—in detail—what you will be researching for your 1800- to 2800-word paper. This paragraph should state your paper’s tentative <em>thesis or topic </em>and begin to identify the various sources you plan on using.<br /><br /><u>3rd Paragraph</u><br /><br />The third paragraph of the Letter of Intent begins with a transitional sentence that shows the correlation between your paper and your project. The rest of the paragraph describes your fifteen-hour project in detail, including what you will be doing to achieve your desired goals, who will be involved as your mentor, how it is a learning stretch and how it benefits the community as well as any other information crucial to the success of this project.<br /><br /><u>4th Paragraph</u><br /><br />The final paragraph of the Senior Project Letter of Intent is your disclaimer against plagiarism and fraudulent behavior. You are to include at least two sentences that touch on your understanding of plagiarism and fraud, and explain that you know the repercussions for these acts.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.pghs.org/english/manual/letter.htm">HERE </a>for a link to see basically how it is set up.dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-147029315971317372008-07-30T02:23:00.010-05:002008-07-30T04:35:20.688-05:00Blogging 101<div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">Click HERE to download PowerPoint Presentation </span></strong></div><strong><span style="color:#000000;"></span></strong><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">Contact: Daniel J. Doyle</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong> Moss Point High School (Moss Point, MS)</strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="mailto:ddoyle21@gmail.com"><span style="color:#000000;">ddoyle21@gmail.com</span></a></strong></div><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Blog Example Links</span></strong><br /><br />These are great resources for general blogging ideas!<br />- <a href="http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/blog/blogideas2.cfm">TeachersFirst.Com</a><br />- <a href="http://community.scholastic.com/scholastic?category.id=TeacherBlogs">Scholastic's Teacher Blogs</a><br />- <a href="http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/">TipsForNewBloggers</a> Blog<br />- <a href="http://blogicalconstruction.blogspot.com/">Blogological Construction<br /></a>- <a href="http://anne.teachesme.com/">EduBlog Insights</a><br />- SupportBlogging.Org: <a href="http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers">Blogs on Educational Blogging List </a><br />- <a href="http://www.blogherald.com/">BlogHerald.Com</a><br />- Center for Learning & Performance Technologies (<a href="http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/blogging.html">Blogging Tools</a>)<br /><br />K-5 Blog Examples:<br />1. <a href="http://mallonmessages.blogspot.com/2008/02/eric-carle-author-study-making-story.html">Mrs. Mallon's Marvelous Messages Kindergarten Blog</a><br />2. <a href="http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337&new_display_count=10">Ms. Cassidy's Kindergarten and First Grade Classroom Blog </a><br />3. <a href="http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=70186&blog_id=&listclass=10047">Ms. Gaudy's Second Grade Classroom Blog</a><br />4. <a href="http://blogs.oaisd.org/236">Mrs. Myrmel's Third Grade Classroom Blog</a><br />5. <a href="http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/angell.wrightw/class_blog">Mr. Wright's (Student Authored) Fourth Grade Classroom Blog </a><br />6. <a href="http://minilegends.edublogs.org/">MiniLegends</a> (<a href="http://alupton.edublogs.org/">Al Upton's</a> 8-9 year olds in Australia)<br /><br />Middle School Blog Examples:<br />1. <a href="http://mrmayo.edublogs.org/period-1/">Mr. Mayo's Student e-Portfoios #1 </a><br />2. <a href="http://mrmayo.edublogs.org/period-2/">Mr. Mayo's Student e-Portfolios #2 </a><br />3. <a href="http://barber.typepad.com/">Barber Middle School's Faculty Blogs </a><br />4. <a href="http://sunnywilliams.edublogs.org/">Principal's Blog </a><br />5. <a href="http://lmsilgunas.edublogs.org/2007-08-student-blogs/">8th Graders Using EduBlogs<br /></a><br />High School<br />1. <a href="http://blogs.timesunion.com/albanyhigh/">Albany High School Blog </a><br />2. <a href="http://highschoolsportsblog.hsgametime.com/">Game Time Blog </a><br />3. <a href="http://movieworms.blogspot.com/">The Movie Worms Blog </a><br />4. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/nomogum.blogspot.com">NoMoGUm: Mr. Doyle's English Classroom Blog</a><br /><br />Professional Development<br />1. <a href="http://blog.weareteachers.com/">WeAreTeachers.Com Blog</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/mosspitt.blogspot.com">MossPitt: Moss Point Teacher's In Technology Training</a><br />3. Classroom 2.0: <a href="http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=blogging">Blogging Tags</a><br />4. <a href="http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/archives/2008/07/entry_7592.htm">Around The Corner </a><br />5. Ewan McIntosh's <a href="http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/">Edu.Blogs.Com </a><br />6. <a href="http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/">The Fischbowl</a><br />7. <a href="http://weblogg-ed.com/">weblogg-ed</a><br />8. Wesley Fryer's <a href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/">Speed of Creativity</a><br />9. <a href="http://cliotech.blogspot.com/">ClioTech</a><br />10. <a href="http://novemberlearning.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1">November Learning</a><br />11. <a href="http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/">David Warlick's Blog</a><br /><br />Other Blogs of Note<br />1. <a href="http://www.ephblog.com/">EphBlog</a> (Williams College Alumni News)<br />2. <a href="http://paulocoelhoblog.com/">Paulo Coehlo's Blog</a><br />3. <a href="http://www.sleepinginthemountains.blogspot.com/">Sleeping In The Mountains </a>(Tim Patterson's Travel Writing Blog)<br />4. <a href="http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/litblog/">LitBlog</a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;"><span style="color:#009900;">Blogging Lesson Plan Links</span> </span></strong><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;"><span style="color:#000000;">Read Write Think - <a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=942">Blogging About Your Own Utopia </a></span></span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;"><span style="color:#000000;">Outside the Cave: <a href="http://outsidethecave.blogspot.com/2005/05/responsible-blogging-lesson-plan.html">Responsible Blogging </a></span><span style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://outsidethecave.blogspot.com/2005/05/responsible-blogging-lesson-plan.html"></a></span></span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;"><span style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://classblogging.blogspot.com/2004/09/format-for-blog-projects.html">Format for Blog Projects</a> </span></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Online Etiquette Links</span></strong><br />- <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/basics/netiquette.mspx">Microsoft Online Etiquette </a><br />- <a href="http://hopeblog.ethink.org.uk/our-blog-rules/">Hope CE Primary Blog Rules<br /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff6600;">Blogging Videos, et al.</span></strong><br />- <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=gb9VCfivwdM">Blogging and Google AdSense</a><br />- <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=MWYi4_COZMU">WordPress Tutorial</a><br />- <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI">Blogs in Plain English</a><br />- <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=BnploFsS_tY">How to Create a Blog with Blogger</a><br />- <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=yKoEZJseVXU">Why Let Our Student's Blog</a> <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ojdbQnS08">Vox Tutorial</a><br />- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM&feature=user">Information R-evolution</a><br />- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8&feature=related">A Vision of K12 Student's Today</a><br />- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCB4i7GJuM&feature=related">Three Steps for 21st Century Learning</a><br />- <a href="http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=fdff1302c9d01fb713d5">Did You Know 2.0</a><br />- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=related">A Vision of Student's Today</a>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-40068200687370070442008-07-07T08:21:00.014-05:002008-12-10T23:42:17.232-06:00MPHS Millennium Classroom<p align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220263746767826594" style="WIDTH: 193px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 168px" height="203" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-f3-qthoTHlXP5FUBT1FmXXy97-P2p38sjSw8LxonfOgJCaw4hdppqpoaeyw02Fcs2OrvWuMFJoTR35hEGYSN-njeYBqbkwz6h6SWEIPuQrLthaVb0LILLHbk7pdA8zGJtXpkidWRI3F/s320/DSCN0421.JPG" width="224" border="0" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8m886_7onivn6_ABXCGX_DLC51e9tlovg68dSTJL6en2Gorbj_CJIu-taI0cWdqzZZrA5CE_9BWU6CGEJfcQdtWnTnv_LHuZneiq-IBKCsXb9vrxD5YIserYuMbma-dWzTTqWykdP3O6/s1600-h/DSCN0335.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220263309084118354" style="WIDTH: 192px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px" height="180" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8m886_7onivn6_ABXCGX_DLC51e9tlovg68dSTJL6en2Gorbj_CJIu-taI0cWdqzZZrA5CE_9BWU6CGEJfcQdtWnTnv_LHuZneiq-IBKCsXb9vrxD5YIserYuMbma-dWzTTqWykdP3O6/s320/DSCN0335.JPG" width="324" border="0" /></a> </p><p align="center"><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Inspire - Inform - Involve</span></strong></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://ddoyle21.googlepages.com/EdTech.ppt">Click HERE to Download Powerpoint Presentation</a></span></strong></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Daniel J. Doyle</span></strong></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="mailto:ddoyle21@gmail.com">ddoyle21@gmail.com</a></span></strong></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong> </p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong></p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><p align="left"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pMcfrLYDm2U&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" fs="1"></embed></p><p align="left"><br />In student centered teaching, we center our planning, our teaching, and our assessment around the needs and abilities of our students. The main idea behind the practice is <strong>that learning is most meaningful when topics are relevant to the students’ lives, needs, and interests</strong> and <strong>when the students themselves are actively engaged in creating, understanding, and connecting to knowledge</strong> (McCombs and Whistler, 1997). </p><p align="left">- Students will have a <strong>higher motivation to learn when they feel they have a real stake</strong> in their own learning. </p><p align="left">- Instead of the teacher being the sole, infallible source of information, then, the <strong>teacher shares control of the classroom</strong> and <strong>students are allowed to explore, experiment, and discover</strong> on their own. </p><p align="left">- The students are not just memorizing information, but they are allowed to work with and use the information alone or with peers. <strong>Their diverse thoughts and perspectives are a necessary input</strong> to every class. </p><p align="left">- The students are <strong>given choices and are included in the decision-making processes</strong> of the classroom. The focus in these classrooms is on <strong>options, rather than uniformity</strong> (Papalia, 1996). </p><p align="left">- Essentially, "<em>learners are treated as co-creators in the learning process, as individuals with ideas and issues that deserve attention and consideration</em>" (McCombs and Whistler, 1997).</p><p></p><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The Ten Commandments (+ one)</span></strong></p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><p align="left">1. The following should be posted daily on board: Objectives & Competencies, Daily Procedures/Agenda, Bell-Ringer, Date, Assignments/Homework, Purpose.<br /><br />2. Lessons should be “project-based”, involving progressive/cumulative units (less or shorter lectures).<br /><br />3. Lessons should be “student-centered” (~75% student and 25% instructor) with the teacher working more as a guide or facilitator in the classroom.<br /><br />4. Lessons should connect objectives to real-life material/situations.<br /><br />5. Lessons should engage students on a higher order of thinking (problem solving, discovery, challenging)<br /><br />6. Create a “kinetic-classroom” (active not passive) with lots of cooperative hands-on and out-of-seat student engagement (group work, discussions, presentations, labs, etc). This fosters leadership skills, cooperation and professionalism. Cooperative Learning = Collective Understanding.<br /><br />7. Emphasis on technology (Activboard, flipcharts, Moodle, etc)<br /><br />8. Instructors should regularly seek student feedback on material covered, lessons and/or vibrant issues (evaluations, forums, suggestion-box, etc)<br /><br />9. Classrooms should be clean and organized to promote a structured and welcoming learning environment.<br /><br />10. Walls should be decorated with aesthetically and intellectually stimulating visuals directed toward student learning and motivating.<br /><br />11. Walls should display student work (refreshed on a regular basis). The following should be posted daily on board: Objectives & Competencies, Daily Procedures/Agenda, Bell-Ringer, Date, Assignments/Homework, Purpose.<br /></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-12185151828033353192008-06-18T13:03:00.004-05:002008-06-18T13:19:38.672-05:00SAAM Reflection: Talking to StrangersAlmost made it on time today!<br /><br />Reunited with Brian Mull today who focused on using our new iPods to podcast. Pretty excited about this, particularly for the student-run community-based radio station I'm hoping to start this July and utilize throughout the school year. This new project came packaged in two separate parts of inspiration. While at Williams, I was fortunate enough to land an <a href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=45431250&blogID=108532581">interview</a> with G<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_David_Roberts">regory David Roberts</a>, author of the epic S<a href="http://www.shantaram.com/">hantaram</a>. After hours of conversation, Roberts excused himself to answer the door of his hotel room in New Zealand. I could hear in the background familiar greetings, and upon his return was surprised to hear it was simply room service.<br /><br /><em>"When people are cleaning your goddamn toilet and shower for gods sake, you gotta look after them and theyre people you know? I want to know their names, their lives ... "</em><br /><br />And while I was held captivated by these simple words and unconscious gesture, he picked up right where we left off, telling a story of Johnny Depp and him playing a game of sitcom charades in the Bahamas.<br /><br />Secondly, it is inspired by a girl - the catalyst to all great endeavors according to Roberts' himself. In this case, by an adorable ko-ed who left an impression on me after meeting her for the first time at a friend's "christmas" holiday get together years ago; someone I've never really gotten to know, but one of those of whom you can immediately sense their positive <a href="http://www.celestinevision.com/">energy</a>. For an art class, she was<a href="http://kowashere.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/11/personalities_b.html"> interviewing locals </a>with whom she routinely bumped elbows and wanted to know more about. As a local, I was ashamed I didn't know half of what she uncovered.<br /><br />I've often told others that the more of yourself you invest in a place, the more aware and knowledgable you become about a locale and its people, the stronger the bond. Moss Point is a special place, with its own natural miracles, iconic landmarks, ingrained social issues and typical systemic problems. There are stories here floating on the salty sea breeze and falling from the old moss covered oak trees lining our streets. While I am still around, I owe it to experience to let the accent of marsh grass, the fisherman's religious forecasts, the grits, fried-chicken, mint juleps and ford trucks to seep into my soul just a little more than I already have ... so, at least twice per month, I hope to work with some studnets to find invididuals willing to sit down to talk with us ... maybe the woman who bags my avocados at the market or the old man that walks his dogs on the beach every night. Our own <a href="http://www.storycorps.net/">story corps</a>. To invest through conversation and interaction. I'm sure the return will be significant. Would love to eventually incorporate similar oral history projects in the classroom using audacity to edit and some form of voice recorder.dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-86829627447547502252008-06-18T10:06:00.008-05:002008-12-10T23:42:17.333-06:00SAAM Reflection: Art Is<em>“Personally, I experience the greatest degree of pleasure in having contact with works of art. They furnish me with happy feelings of an intensity such as I cannot derive from other realms."</em> ~ Albert Einstein<br /><br />Today we danced through a lesson on poetry and art, selecting a particular piece for evaluation and letting our dreams fill in the blanks that the artist left behind. I chose "<a href="http://eyelevel.si.edu/2007/02/saams_second_po.html">Dust Bowl</a>" by Alexandre Hogue because it grabbed my attention the day before while we were walking through the galleries. I've just finished reading "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awTx8iBm4u8">The Laramie Project</a>" about the murder of <a href="http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer">Matthew Shepard</a> and Hogue's broken bardbed fence surrounded by this desolate landscape seemed like an illustration straight from the play. After putting ourselves into the scenes we selected, we were asked to take something meaningful back out with us ... in the form of a poem.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDhHmKrjfaCxnONK3dhb7oT64cTju3BGhTdvbt0v0L8mgyg0Yy3sXfixRSwjgA8hk9tgnJDzLFh0HSVLhVHypHYbcOhecABUQ_K-tHnDEYHasXV4p5wt8JUIlu8LWB1LNZwcVrH0hQhYq/s1600-h/1969.123_1b"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213262753253486370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDhHmKrjfaCxnONK3dhb7oT64cTju3BGhTdvbt0v0L8mgyg0Yy3sXfixRSwjgA8hk9tgnJDzLFh0HSVLhVHypHYbcOhecABUQ_K-tHnDEYHasXV4p5wt8JUIlu8LWB1LNZwcVrH0hQhYq/s320/1969.123_1b" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p align="center">ambitious illusions of unnatural grandeur </p><p align="center">covered yet again by the inevitable sands of time </p><p align="center">washed like dry waves across an ancient face </p><p align="center">to clean away the delicate piles of dead skin </p><p align="center">the unintentional blemishes, the intentional scars </p><p align="center">and while the wind sings its rain song</p><p align="center">of broken hearts and fruitless labour</p><p align="center">and the sun closes her tired eyes to mourn another future buried by itself </p><p align="center">mountains to molehills when dreams become dust</p><p align="center">in the desert of our days </p><p align="center">no more echoes to reinforce the lies we tell ourselves </p><p align="center">only the space we once filled </p><p align="center">now a screaming silence letting us know </p><p align="center">that this war will never end ... and you will never win<br /><br /> </p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-28220479255782047702008-06-16T13:32:00.011-05:002008-12-10T23:42:17.459-06:00SAAM Reflection: Ain't No Place I'd Rather Be ...<em><span style="font-size:85%;">Do you believe in love and that we were meant to be?</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Two words can free us, so repeat them after me</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">‘I do’ from a boy in love to a girl called Tennessee”</span></em><br /><br />Bonnaroo was .... more than good. It was a nice kick, and a soft rub. But gone by too soon. I think I may have achieved short bursts of egotistical enlightenment between cheese-filled Venezuelan arepas and sun-soaked puddle naps. Or maybe I was writing someone else’s words down altogether… most likely I was just dreaming out loud. We painted, we sang, we danced and we slept with the worms ... comfortably.<br /><br />After allowing reality to pull me away from the tranquility of doing nothing at all but looking and listening, I followed the sunset away from Manchester and towards Nashville to switch gears from low to high (or vice versa). Missed the plane but missed myself even more so a good night's sleep was welcomed before taking off bright and early in the morning. I woke back up just as the plane's feet grabbed ground and tripped into the airport's men's room to trade my mud-caked reefs for a pair of glass slippers and an orange shirt to match the Dept. of Homeland Security's color level current warning then bought a pack of gum to remove from my mouth that bitter taste of coming back down to earth after floating in the clouds for four days. The juxtaposition was a bit jarring.<br /><br />We spent the afternoon at SAAM getting orientated, ate a <a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/03/48-whole-foods-and-grocery-co-ops/">Whole Foods</a> lunch and took a few brief museum tours ... all were very fulfilling. A few months removed from the Louvre, Pompidou and Orsay the halls and evenly spaced frames punctuated by cool, white sculptures was soothingly familiar. Like most things American, the lack of "classics" adorning the halls and galleries is quickly apparent. All our sculptures have heads. Instead of Monet we have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winslow_Homer">Winslow Homer</a>. Rather than Picasso, it's <a href="http://www.basquiat.com/">Basquiat</a> (although I couldn't find any works of his listed online - why is that?). Per my <a href="http://happenedsofast.blogspot.com/2008/05/art-is-sex.html">previous blog post</a>, I would much prefer to take in museums at my own pace and felt rushed from room to room, even getting lost at one point while staring at Mark Tansey's <a href="http://uncommon-sense.net/interests/art/tansey/interception.jpg">Interception</a>. Several <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/search/search_artworks1.cfm?StartRow=1&format=long&db=all&LastName=&FirstName=&Title=&Accession=1916.8.1&Keyword=">Tecumseh</a> alarms later we were out in the rain running and through the <a href="http://www.visitingdc.com/images/washington-dc-metro-subway.jpg">Star Wars tunnels</a> to our hotel. Had a beautifully informative night tour around the city and couldn't help wonder what these pristine monuments would look like in ruins as many similar testaments to grandeur around the world have been tragically reduced to.<br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRbwdMkvbnHplSNU-Lo8ncrRx_ab4LL-7DPEyEpADKRHwqE5sTXOJgc8E3Uo8OeJWNHUx2NfEOSRfZqzSUeYCpKcZ4MNJFN6MHsy-NVQTTnEcd2q7FBp4ZporH7Ry-BG7DiX6maZ6Y0Wc/s1600-h/interception.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212929689117606626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRbwdMkvbnHplSNU-Lo8ncrRx_ab4LL-7DPEyEpADKRHwqE5sTXOJgc8E3Uo8OeJWNHUx2NfEOSRfZqzSUeYCpKcZ4MNJFN6MHsy-NVQTTnEcd2q7FBp4ZporH7Ry-BG7DiX6maZ6Y0Wc/s320/interception.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-22778441862413793952008-06-16T10:56:00.007-05:002008-06-16T14:25:34.815-05:00Summer School, Week June 16-20Hey guys!<br /><br />I apologize for not getting this week's assignment up today; it will be posted tomorrow (Tuesday) first thing in the morning so you can get started. Until then, make sure that you have completed last week's blog assignment and continue working on your AP assignments.<br /><br />Feel free to email me if you have any questions/concerns.<br /><br />~ Mr. Doyledd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-85020713337126016552008-06-06T08:14:00.015-05:002008-12-10T23:42:18.233-06:00Summer School Extra Credit<p align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rSYz5-beaSs/SElAIhq886I/AAAAAAAAANA/3oQDVAMOpbs/s1600-h/images/American%20Art%20Museum.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208764959252345762" style="CURSOR: hand" height="167" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdc9AaCIx3HTsbz7LswI1OBOMiZ58Vmly-YXXX3ebe3TcVfO2RYSAw6dXtD-U4P4Jw2X5VSQZadUAmtlEBjzpbt0Rt3nvlsMe1D3dyGbfBHqhNxj-jIr70ByYtU4-ByVvDvhJlw6w0Lwr/s320/images%255CAmerican%2520Art%2520Museum.jpg" width="304" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left"><strong>Extra Credit Assignment for MPHS English III Summer School Students</strong>: In a couple of weeks, I'll be attending the Smithsonian Institute at the <a href="http://www.si.edu/">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a> (SAAM) in Washington, DC through a <a href="http://www.cisco.com/web/about/citizenship/socio-economic/21S.html">Cisco 21s Initiative</a> along with several other Moss Point educators and a number of teachers from other school districts. In order to prepare for the conference, we've had several assignments to complete. I'd like you to take a look at a few of these and complete them as well. Follow the instructions below and let me know if you have any questions.</p><p align="left"></p><p>1.) If you do not already have a personal blog, go to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Blogger</a> and create an account. Once created, email your URL address to me so that I can link it from my page. Anyone with a pre-existing blog, I would like you to create a new one specifically for this purpose and email that address to me as well. When you are blogging, I would like you to try to upload at least one picture and create multiple <a href="https://secure.webcom.com/glossary/link.shtml">hot links</a> within each post.<br /><br /><br />2.) Read the following two short essays; <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-read-a-painting.html">How to Read a Painting</a> and <a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_2158335_appreciate-interpret-art.html">How to Appreciate and Interpret Art</a>. Next, read<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344350,00.html"> this article </a>written about one high school student involved in a lawsuit with his school over a piece of artwork he drew. On your blog, write a short response to both the essays and the articles (can be separately or compared together).<br /><br /><br />3.) Select and read at least one posting at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s blog, <a href="http://eyelevel.si.edu/">EyeLevel</a> and respond to it on your blog. You can read my response to this assignment <a href="http://happenedsofast.blogspot.com/2008/05/art-is-sex.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><br />4.) First, read <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/21/AR2007032101135.html">this article </a>written about a group of Maryland high school students and a project they had to do with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Then, listen to at least one student podcast about a museum object available at the Museum website at <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/interact/podcasts/holton/index.cfm">SAAM</a> or at <a href="http://eyelevel.si.edu/2006/05/a_sound_take_on.html">EyeLevel</a>. Write a response about the student podcast you listened to and post it to your blog. You can read my response to this assignment <a href="http://happenedsofast.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-is-who.html">here</a>. </p><p>5.) Now you are going to create your own podcast, or rather, a <a href="http://www.gcast.com/?nr=1&&s=43086278">Gcast</a>. Created by the same people who run GarageBand, Gcast allows you to use your cell phone to generate voice recordings and provides free hosting for your audio file once you are finished. Go to the GCast site and <a href="http://www.gcast.com/user">create an account</a>. Once you've created an account, it's time to <a href="http://www.gcast.com/htdb/services/track1.html">record your podcast</a> (see Option 1). Select your best blog post and print it out. Then call the number provided by Gcast and read your blog post into the phone. When you are through, your recording should be posted for you on the Gcast site in your Master Playlist. Click where it says "publish from your playlist to your podcast", fill out the necessary fields, then click "Publish this Post". You've created a podcast, now you need to get the code to copy to your blog. Select where it says "<a href="http://www.gcast.com/htdb/popup/gethtml.html?u=http://www.gcast.com/u/ddoyle21/main.xml">Love this podcast? Add it to your blog or MySpace!</a>" to customize the podcast and retrieve the source code. Last step; copy and paste this code into a new blog post. Viola!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSYs4A1Chr-z1UX6y1P-8MExdkFm41Lf_OWbEcDaq-lY1_6uKvU_VLVr9WasdVfLoaOOo58UY7eprfqMfJasl1uKDEPi2ShEuB12MGd-ZmAWfhu2gpj6nUlX__TfYOe3LGLAePgqSFlKh/s1600-h/250px-Smithsonian_american_art_museum.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208764907125703394" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" height="130" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSYs4A1Chr-z1UX6y1P-8MExdkFm41Lf_OWbEcDaq-lY1_6uKvU_VLVr9WasdVfLoaOOo58UY7eprfqMfJasl1uKDEPi2ShEuB12MGd-ZmAWfhu2gpj6nUlX__TfYOe3LGLAePgqSFlKh/s320/250px-Smithsonian_american_art_museum.jpg" width="250" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eGi1dMtwfnc9N94V_BTlfIhqolYrir4MO_oQpxi0VHaW3L4EGKtMjkpJ4GjAFD-q4MbQIE3Jzmp9AnFPUGZpb4uopET7CL1GTyJthKf-e3FLEcZHX5d8Ogp-qhZp2rOrB2UWgyQX6Xay/s1600-h/lincoln_gallery.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208765073101664306" style="WIDTH: 178px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" height="217" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eGi1dMtwfnc9N94V_BTlfIhqolYrir4MO_oQpxi0VHaW3L4EGKtMjkpJ4GjAFD-q4MbQIE3Jzmp9AnFPUGZpb4uopET7CL1GTyJthKf-e3FLEcZHX5d8Ogp-qhZp2rOrB2UWgyQX6Xay/s320/lincoln_gallery.jpg" width="187" border="0" /></a> </p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-75814491108566115982008-05-28T21:53:00.004-05:002008-12-10T23:42:18.448-06:00What is a Who?First off, I listened to the majority of the podcasts posted and was roundly impressed by the insightful, articulate contemplation that these “high school students” expressed (<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/21/AR2007032101135.html">even if it took 50 attempts</a>). Whether I agreed with their analysis or not, I listened, left a tip and walked away a little bit jealous.<br /><br />The one that I’d like to respond to was <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/interact/podcasts/holton/geolot.mp3">May Geolot’s interpretation </a>of <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/search/search_artworks1.cfm?StartRow=1&LastName=Hopper&FirstName=&Title=Cape+Cod+Morning&Keyword=&Accession=&query=artworks&dosearch=Go&db=all&format=long">Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod Morning</a>. For several reasons; one, I had just finished reading a feminist blog by one of my friends that referenced a NY Post article stating <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/01072008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/bam__our_1st_woman_prez__246772.htm">Barack Obama would be our first woman President</a> and then naturally gravitated toward the 2007 theme “<em>Representations of Femininity in Art</em>” (which was never explicitly entertained in this podcast); two, I miss Cape Cod in the summer with its baking sun, <a href="http://www.sundaeschoolicecream.com/press_calendar_mag_boston_globe.asp">ice-cream counters</a>, cool breezes and low humidity; three, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawks">Edward Hopper rang a bell</a>; and four, <a href="http://www.houseofprocrastination.org/2008/05/princeton-vs-williams-which-school-is.html">Princeton was my first choice</a>!<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_O4wscbkZYLgBUgEXvV3Uq1gDwRRh6DfIArR8oo1QKjGo13jmOyEF5xYdqPhguq9mRuj-FYAXIyZDxIaJYq8tXQgQXEPwXUKFDUKtCIro7snKZjfMdxhWx9BY_BOzu0KNYCnlqaXyIToh/s1600-h/Cape-Cod-Morning-Print-C10083751.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205632653856590690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_O4wscbkZYLgBUgEXvV3Uq1gDwRRh6DfIArR8oo1QKjGo13jmOyEF5xYdqPhguq9mRuj-FYAXIyZDxIaJYq8tXQgQXEPwXUKFDUKtCIro7snKZjfMdxhWx9BY_BOzu0KNYCnlqaXyIToh/s320/Cape-Cod-Morning-Print-C10083751.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br />Sitting in a stuffy room as the sun sinks beneath the bottom branches of the oak tree out front with an empty bowl of ice cream and … now empty bottle of wine, Hopper’s earnest indulgences feel like the punch-line of a Sunday morning sermon. Hallelujah! I hear you, brother. Cheers. I’ll get the litany out of the way; alienation, loneliness, detachment, isolation. It is overwhelming, and, in that “misery loves company” sense, comforting. Born contemporaries, Hopper courts Dr. Seuss while Norman Rockwell dances with Disney. Both give us a different version of American life; “normal” scenes but witnessed through different eyes. Both are safe, nostalgic, simple and highly emotional. But while Rockwell gives pot-luck answers to his audience, Hopper asks tough questions that have no obvious answers.<br /><br />With art being about the expression of a world seen through the eyes of an individual, which may (if they eventually become “known”) one day resonate with a multitude of other individuals, Edward Hopper very consciously sacrifices himself before this eager <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pool_of_Bethesda">Bethesda</a> student and to the rest of the world. However, what really gets me, is that his paintings are not only confessions of self-expression but also brilliant works of social commentary, bending those ever-present beams of light inward to expose the shadowy insecurities that catch us all and hold our attention in those quiet moments of contemplation we don’t get enough of (or take the time for) any longer. They tell a story that has no ending and only a faintly insinuated moral or purpose. They conjur the sentiments of Thoreau, who some would call a sociopath and who once claimed, <em>"I've never met a companion as companionable as solitude."<br /></em><br />There is a great range of sociability which shifts with cultural movements, whereas today someone could claim 700 Facebook friends or a full inbox without ever making the time for (or consciously desiring) meaningful connections that extend beyond these superficial high-fives. Longer work hours, growing commutes, cell-phone and email relationships make us simultaneously more and less “connected”. With Hopper’s dynamic of urban (technological?) isolation, or, in the case of Cape Cod Morning, a solitary figure overwhelmed and caught between two contrasting empty spaces, we see this same ironic juxtaposition of socialization and compassion. A woman half inside and half outside. Is the light that shines in her face filled with internal “rejuvenation and hope” (as Geolot the Tiger feels) or is it taunting the same way a warm hearth would appeal to a homeless beggar gazing through the window of stranger’s home while <a href="http://www.carols.org.uk/the_little_match_seller_hans_christian_anderson.htm">standing outside in the cold</a>? There is an essential difference between solitude and loneliness, between Thoreau and, oh, <a href="http://abc.go.com/primetime/bachelor/index?pn=index">The Bachelor</a>, where one is disciplined and self-imposed while the other is forced and suffocating. Hopper delicately sits on this fence. He gives you glass-less windows that either paint a picture of possibilities or show you how much greener the grass will always be.<br /><br />Interesting, particularly if meant as a “representation of femininity”. <a href="http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1202492,00.html">What would he have done without Jo</a>?dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-91878668784003385072008-05-25T12:13:00.002-05:002008-05-25T13:37:46.738-05:00building blocks"<em>We called one school counselor the next day and told her that so-and-so was chosen, said Ms. Beck, and she said: ‘Thank you. You have just saved this child’s life.’</em><br /><br />... <em>There are so many good reasons to finish our nation-building in Iraq and resume our nation-building in America, but none more than this: There’s something wrong when so much of an American child’s future is riding on the bounce of a ping-pong ball</em>. "<br /><br />- from <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/opinion/25friedman.html?th&emc=th">Hope in the Unseen</a>, a NYT article by Thomas Friedman (author of <a href="http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/worldisflat.htm">The World is Flat</a>)<br /><br />This reminded me of the documentary <a href="http://www.theboysofbaraka.com/">Boys of Baraka</a> and the re-realization that with the right environment and the right resources anyone of our children would be capable of anything they can dream, but once resigned to the acceptance of an imposed stark reality that is out of their control then the challenges often become overwhelming and inescapable.dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-21432563754516309042008-05-18T14:58:00.006-05:002008-12-10T23:42:18.641-06:00it's a magical world, my friend<p align="left">Posted this here as well since I'll be blogging a bit about educational art and I think the comic below is an excellent example of a modern amalgamation of technology (right now, it is only offered online), creativity and a potentially strong pedagogical application. Sort of a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/arts/television/30ogun.html">Boondocks </a>meets <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780394747231&view=tg">Maus</a>.</p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.zudacomics.com/bayou"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201809815500960178" style="CURSOR: hand" height="259" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AsBqnrEEEEmE1Tb67YlHEC3H4HbrwZgh0glbentWPPjJtQPp3b5bpYgqVzOj6EbgjlKIaTTUGMAFXMs2eO-piX8mzqvpUlGlgnPYkcsLVeX0tCH2aWFqRNMLBkn_WNqjNBHtTScG_zgx/s320/bayou_promo_lr.jpg" width="360" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Click on the picture above to read "<a href="http://weeklycomicbookreview.com/2008/03/18/bayou-review/">Bayou</a>" by Jeremy Love.</p><p align="left">"South of the Mason-Dixon Line, lies a strange land of gods and monsters. Born from centuries of slavery, civil war, innocent bloodshed, hate and strife lurks a world parallel to our own. LEE WAGSTAFF is the daughter of a poor, sharecropper in a depression-era, Mississippi Delta town, called Charon. She’s an introspective, brave child and hard labor in the fields has made her sturdy and strong. One day, Lee and her father help the sheriff retrieve the body of a boy who’d been lynched and thrown into the river. Lee dives into the depths to tie a rope around the boy. While under water, she catches a glimpse of a strange world. Ever since that day, Lee hears voices in the trees and rivers. When Lee’s playmate, Lily, is snatched by BOG, an evil inhabitant of that place she saw, Lee’s father is accused of kidnapping. The worst thing a black man could do in the 30’s was harm a white child. Lee must pursue Bog into his world in order to save her friend before her father is lynched. Lee enlists the help of a benevolent, blues-singing, swamp monster called BAYOU and together they trek across a Southern Neverland in search of Lee’s friend. Along the way, they meet several colorful characters, like BR’ER RABBIT. Lee soon realizes that Bog has some sort of hold on all the inhabitants in this world and feeds off of hatred and strife in our world. As the racial tensions grow, Bog grows more powerful, so not only are Lee’s friends and father in peril, but all of Charon." <em><span style="font-size:85%;">(zudacomics.com)</span></em></p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-75058099526793420482008-05-16T09:08:00.020-05:002008-12-10T23:42:18.747-06:00"Art is sex"?<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHclQC8KLVzYgIU4eoebowmyLHsfjiLN7zgwSW5kx6j9VwQIwp_0v5nxcCPguKT6hW0wmMM2114vKje1lHTfbsJAhoa2uhbA2a2-fEz8vCFxbiwSGyqW67wW8X-BzLUFmVzBficBhCt73x/s1600-h/mona_lisa_narrowweb__300x462,0.jpg"></a></p><p><strong>EyeLevel Blog Response</strong>: <a href="http://eyelevel.si.edu/2008/01/seeing-things-a.html"><em>Art & Love</em>, 1.15.08<br /><br /></a>Longing, sure. Communication, yes. But sex? Either Howard is looking at art that I've unfortunately yet to see, his own definition of sex doesn't predetermine physical intimacy with another or he speaks in reverse-correlation like <a href="http://www.yodaspeak.co.uk/">Yoda</a>. Now, if he had posed the opposite (that sex is art) I would give the man a high-five and buy him a drink. Or, if he had stuck with the thought suggested in his posting's title I would read on without raising an eyebrow. Now, I'm hesitant to quote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Sex-Death-Meaning-Life/dp/0306810174">Woody Allen</a> in anything relating to this subject, but play along. "Sex alleviates tension and love causes it", is focusing on the physical associations while a reverse quote claiming that sex causes tension and love alleviates it could be more of an emotional assessment. Metaphors aside, the two words should not be synonymous. </p><p>Art IS an expression of love. And passion, devotion, commitment and even obsession. It is powerful to feel or attempt to imagine an artist's engagement with their work of art and admire their dedication to this creative commitment and the focus of one's life on making profound, even poetic (in a way), personal statements. It must be self-satisfying, though the lives and psychiatrists of many acclaimed artists may testify otherwise, but is also at the same time very much for the enjoyment of others. </p><p>Now, to get away from the expression and focus on the engagement, while I can understand how the experience of an art museum could potentially be efficacious for the casual couple or a reinforcement for a pair of seasoned patrons, I know that I would just as soon read a book concurrently then try to pace my way through another gallery with somebody else. Meaning, I wouldn't at all. At least not from my experiences. Then again, I've yet to gaze at <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=K8Pnjwu4a6k">Van Gogh </a>or read <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/28/ED78507.DTL">Lolita</a> while holding the hand of a lover so perhaps those rosey-hued lenses would fit nicely; know where I can find a pair? Some things are better alone while others are not and its prudent to avoiding blending those two (see first paragraph).<br /><br />Walking through a museum with my mother (yes, now we're about as far away from sex as you can get ... or are we?), who was the chauffer/tour guide/art historian and sandwhich distributor for me and my friends growing up, was about as awkward as agreeing with her on which clothing to buy from <a href="http://www.filenesbasement.com/our_story.jsp">Filene's Basement</a>. It's her fault I spent most of my childhood in plaid. She was an elementary school librarian who explained contemporary art or the Renaissance period the same way she would read <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/opinion/04karbo.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">Goodnight Moon</a> to a semi-circle of soon-to-be-napping nose-pickers. Biographical information would be laced with critiques on <a href="http://www.wcma.org/collections/modern_collection/Warhol.86.6.shtml">Andy Warhol's need for a haircut </a>and our pace would speed up whenever a statue bore its fruits for all to see as if any lingering looks would necessitate a stop at the confessional booths on our way back home. Because of this, I became practiced at the art of "getting lost" and would escape between Dada and Dali to wander around free from the bonds of maternal oppression.<br /><br />And so, I'll cite Freud when expressing this continued desire to walk away from anyone that I know and purposefully lose myself in the halls and corridors of museums. Maybe for similar reasons that I gew up prefering to hike alone in the quiet woods all day over pick-up games in the street or that I resist group religious exercises and prefer solemn, individual communion, I also tend to approach galleries with a certain solitary sanctity of thought and reflection. Similar to spirituality, anyone aside from the artist/creator (and sometimes even them, too) is simply an outside observer contemplating something they may recognize but could never entirely understand. Despite the outward separation, it's this shared connection, sometimes overwhelming, with the passion or patience on display that I feel would be significantly lessened if it were to come secondary to the connection you might have with the cute-coed at your side making your stomache flip.<br /><br />My sole attempt at love a la musee was while strategically following the most beautiful girl off-canvas in the Louvre a few months ago for far too long to admit comfortably. I paused where she paused and attempted to muse over her shoulder more than once. Right now, sitting in a humid classroom far from France, I can still smell her perfume, picture the green print on the sundress she wore and remember the way she walked from room to room (and feel the tension) ... but could not honestly claim to recall much in the way of the art that was hung on the walls. Must have been hypnotized by her smile. </p><p>I'm going to stop before this gets any more ridiculous.<br /></p><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHclQC8KLVzYgIU4eoebowmyLHsfjiLN7zgwSW5kx6j9VwQIwp_0v5nxcCPguKT6hW0wmMM2114vKje1lHTfbsJAhoa2uhbA2a2-fEz8vCFxbiwSGyqW67wW8X-BzLUFmVzBficBhCt73x/s1600-h/mona_lisa_narrowweb__300x462,0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5201059188361605506" style="WIDTH: 163px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" height="196" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHclQC8KLVzYgIU4eoebowmyLHsfjiLN7zgwSW5kx6j9VwQIwp_0v5nxcCPguKT6hW0wmMM2114vKje1lHTfbsJAhoa2uhbA2a2-fEz8vCFxbiwSGyqW67wW8X-BzLUFmVzBficBhCt73x/s320/mona_lisa_narrowweb__300x462,0.jpg" width="181" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /><br />... somebody tell me <a href="http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/colbert.htm">Steven Colbert</a> still has his portrait hanging in the <a href="http://eyelevel.si.edu/2008/01/stephen-colbert.html">NPG</a>. </p><p>... & our kids need to be a part of <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/education/rs/">this</a>.</p><p>... <a href="http://eyelevel.si.edu/2007/03/second_life_mee.html">one more</a>; do they put out wine and cheese, too? If so, Everyday Magic will be there.</p>dd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4539917682726318745.post-58603450461058273582008-05-14T17:51:00.003-05:002008-05-25T13:38:46.322-05:00great expectations ...looking forward to the summer (break) to attack<br />that list of things put off that's been getting pretty fat<br />and reflect upon the closing year<br />assessing where i'm at;<br /><br />we read a couple books, <a href="http://www.nomogum.blogspot.com/">blogged</a> a bit with my kids,<br /><a href="http://nomogum.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-03-28T05%3A55%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=4">writing prompts</a>, A<a href="http://nomogum.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-assignment-one.html">partheid</a> and T<a href="http://nomogum.blogspot.com/2008/03/alchemist-by-paolo-coehlo.html">he Alchemist</a><br />tried to mix it up with M<a href="http://moodle.org/">oodle</a>, but disabled the chat<br />posted forums, <a href="http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery2.php?instanceid=92966755">pics </a>and poems<br />archived <a href="http://www.memoryarchive.org/en/Category:Hurricane_Katrina">wiki's</a> on their past<br /><a href="http://brokenword.org/">big poppa e</a>, <a href="http://www.mosspointschools.org/schools/mphs/Pages/PoetryOutLoud2008.aspx">slam poetry </a>and <a href="http://www.mosspointschools.org/schools/mphs/Pages/iPodWinners.aspx">ipods for books</a><br /><a href="http://www.seniorproject.net/">senior project</a> so our grads are gonna get a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71584588@N00/2498254136/in/set-72157605096213799/">good look</a><br />without <a href="http://www.mosspointschools.org/schools/mphs/clubs/drama/default.aspx">drama</a> in my life<br />i might sleep some at night<br />but we're on <a href="http://youtube.com/user/ddazegoby">youtube</a> for you to scoop<br />and our shows were pretty tight<br />("ars longa, vita brevis" - Chaucer may have been right)<br />broke bread in Jackson with Moss Point pilgrims in <a href="http://www.ms-meca.org/">MECA</a><br /><a href="file://mp_admin/users$/djdoyle/My%20Documents/Moss%20Point%20HS/moodle">PowerPointing</a> to the promised land for <a href="http://www.cisco.com/">Cisco</a> inspectors<br />will try top it in Texas, during <a href="http://www.iste.org/">ISTE's</a> <a href="http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2008/">NECC</a> lectures<br />(and to avoid hungry vultures <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus">pecking at my liver</a><br />I'll finally activate my <a href="http://www.prometheanworld.com/us/server/show/nav.2210">ActivBoard</a> to more than a projector ...<br />and maybe lay a few <a href="http://www.prometheanworld.com/us/server/show/nav.2211">orange eggs </a>for expedient assessors)<br />in the meantime, its <a href="http://collections.walkerart.org/">Sherry Levine</a>-time at the <a href="http://www.si.edu/">Smithso-nian </a><br />will channel <a href="http://www.schlechtycenter.org/">Schlechty</a> and <a href="http://www.novemberlearning.com/?gclid=COD875WXp5MCFQptswod1RbdoA">November</a> for INTECH in New Or-le-ans<br /><br />and then ... chilldd adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018123172860338129noreply@blogger.com0