Journal Entry 11

Today I was able to observe John’s class. It was a nice experience to be in a school again. However, with the pandemic, the energy of a normal school was not there.  It felt like I was walking through a ghost town.

 With being back in the hybrid model, John’s goal is to reconnect with his regular students and form new connections with his new students.

 In class, I really appreciate the one on one time that he gives to each of his students. He makes sure if his students are ok and that they are on track with their assignments.

 I also like how casual his classroom environment is. His students are free to have casual conversation and story time with John. It builds up a sense of community.

 In my personal opinion, I like the smaller environment that hybrid gives. For the students who choose to stay online, they can work on their own time and for the students who choose to attend in person class. They have the chance to work closely with the instructor to get the support they need.

 I was also privileged to observe Julie’s animation class room. Her approach to the class is more personal. I like how she can read the students body language to know if her students’ needs help or not. I think I would like to try to do that in my teaching practice.

 A challenge that I have noticed with both John and Julie is that they have to divide their attention between the online session and in class session at the same time but they say that it comes with the territory. They will try their best to overcome it.

Journal Entry 10

I have not been attending the shadowing at the walker. My schedule has been clashing lately. I also had to reschedule my observation with John for next week . We agree on me observing Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Journal Entry 9

This week was really uneventful. I was not able to attend my shadowing at the Walker. Also, John and I have been talking about coming in to observe his class for the spring quarter. We have agreed on me coming in next week to observe.

Journal Entry 8

Monday:

This week is finals week for the students!

John and I laid out the expectations and goals for this week. Students were given the time to turn in any missing work and finish their final projects for their final critiques of Wednesdays.  

 John and I have made ourselves available for the students who may need help.

 After class, John and I talked about our hopes for the next quarter. The hope is to reconnect and build connections with the students.  Making up for the time that was lost through distance learning.

 Also, planning for the hybrid experience and what will that be like.

 Tuesday:

 No class- Time was given to the students to focus on their work. 

 John and I were available if any students had questions.

 Wednesday:

 Finals Day!

 Today was dedicated to critiques and congratulating students on their hard work. :D

 All but one group showed up to critique and all did great work! I was so proud of them.

 Group one started out strong, though shy.  They participated in the chat and explained their thoughts and feelings about the experience.  They were so proud of the work they had produced.

 Second group was lively and was excited to be done with the quarter. They ended really strong!

Unfortunately, the third group did not show up to the last day of class and all but one did not turn in their finals.  Which was a frustrating thing to encounter.

 Lastly, the fourth group, they all had extremely strong works and were proactive in their critiques. I was amazed.

 I was so proud of all the participating groups! I felt like I was worried over nothing. 

Journal Entry 7

Monday:

Today I feel panic. Out of 24 students only 9 turned in their animation assignments. I personally feel that I did not do a good job but John assured me I did well. It is hard to connect with students while being in a pandemic and harder when there is no feedback coming from the students. It’s hard…

 Other than that, the deadline for the animation project has been extended to the end of the quarter and I have made myself available for students who need help with their animations.

 Tuesday:

There was no class today, time was given to the students to finish their projects.

 I have been feeling frustrated with the lack of work coming from the students with this project.

I think it is because of the pandemic and how it is taking a toll on the morale of the educational system. Teachers are overworked and the students are checked out and there is no way to fix it.  It is evident in the lack of connection between the students and teacher.  Though the Teacher may care for the wellbeing of the students and try to reach out, it does not mean anything if the student does not reciprocate as well.  

 Wednesday:

 Today is the introduction of our final project. The project incorporates manipulating still and moving images and combining then into one. It is called a cinemagraph. It seems to be a fun and easy project after the animation project.

 John presented a demo to the class and let the class go early to focus on their work.

 Thursday:

No Class- However I have made myself available for questions.

 Friday:

Today, we went over how to export  the cinemagraphs and answered commonly asked questions. Afterwards, we let the class go to work on their final projects.

 John and I stayed to answer any questions- no one stayed.

Journal Entry 6

Monday:

Today was an exciting day!  I taught part 1 of 2 of the Animation projects for this week. The goal for this project is to make a 10- 30 second animated clip using the students name, initials, or character that they have created. It’s a time-consuming process That I hope the students will spend their time wisely on.

 Teaching was an awkward experience because I could not see the student’s faces and was not able to tell if my content was engaging for them. It’s because having a camera on was not a requirement for the class. So, it felt like I was talking into the void. However, John reassured me that he felt the same way and I did great on the presentation.

 Upon teaching the lesson, I had observed some things I could improve on.  First was tripping over my words and saying “um” a lot. The way I can remedy this is to practice my lesson more often before I teach it.

 Second was using animations terms but not explaining the definitions of those terms. For example, animating on twos and ones.

Lastly, since I was nervous, my lesson was quick. Once I feel myself speed up, I try to slow down.

 After everything was all done, I felt extremely proud of myself.

 Tuesday:

Today was part 2 of 2 of teaching my animation lesson plan. John let me introduce the class with expectations and reminders for the week. Then we delved into the introduction to the 12 Principles of Animation PowerPoint and started the frame by frame animation process.

 I felt a lot better than yesterday. I was stumbling over my words a lot less and slowed down considerably.

I was proud of my 12 principles powerpoint. I hoped that with the animated gifs it would keep their attention.  

However, with the Frame by Frame animation, I felt myself getting nervous again and as a result made several mistakes with the presentation. At the end, John reassured me that it was ok for the student to see me make mistakes because they can see the thought process of hours to troubleshoot when problems arise.

 I was proud of myself. :D

 Wednesday:

Today was a work day. However, I have made myself available for any students having trouble. Only one came by.

 Thursday:

Today I went over how to export a video file from photoshop. The presentation was short and simple. I was not nervous at all. Since no one had any questions, I let the class go early so they can work on their assignment.

Friday:

No class- class time was given to the students to finish their animations and rough drafts are due at the end of class.

Journal Entry 5

Feb 22,2021

Hours: 1

 Today’s class was extremely lucrative. I met in the learning hub with Aki. We talked about how we are feeling in the observation and broke in groups to share our experiences.

 I was grouped with two of my classmates. One was observing 1st graders and the other was observing adults with special needs at a community center. Both of their experiences were great! Full of many things that they have learned and individual challenges. What I like about both of their experiences are that they are similar in some ways. For example, both have to work with their budding artist on their level, respecting who they are despite their disabilities. That is the mindset that I want to bring when I teach. All have to offer in their way.

 Afterward we came back to our large groups and learned how to give meaningful feedback that is more than just “ I like it.” We had to find 10 things that we saw about Jean- Michel’s piece and describe why we like it and why it was working for us.

 I found that this type of feedback was extremely useful and hope to bring it to my practicum’s next critique session and share this method to my students!

 Why I want to be an artist and why it is important to me:

 Ever since I was young, I have always loved art. Naturally, I thought it was the right path to go on, but little did I know that it was going to be hard. It turned out that there were more people who were skeptical than supportive and tried to turn me away from it. To them, it was not lucrative. However, I see it as a way of life.

 Being an artist transcends being an occupation or a hobby. It is a mindset in how to see the world. Whether it is through color, shape, pixels, or captured image. Art gives an important insight in a perspective that would otherwise go overlooked.

 I believe the art has the power to revolutionize the world, and is more important for everybody to see and process the world than just facts and statistics.

 Feb 23,2021

Hours: 1

 Today is an optional troubleshooting day for the class and two students showed. They have brought so many wonderful questions regarding photoshop that John and I tried to answer. The experience of trouble shooting was awkward. Only because the students did not know how to share screens or felt awkward about turning on their cameras. John also showed a couple tips and tricks with clipping masks that I will definitely use in my classes going forward.

 Besides troubleshooting, we had an in-depth conversation with a student about their feelings and their future in art.

 As of right now, they are feeling anxious with learning new tools and wants to go back to the method that they are used to create art. John reassured the student that great art takes time and practice. They should not hold themselves to an unrealistically high standard when starting out.

 I appreciate John for doing that. His approach dealing with student with anxiety is very thoughtful and was made to build the student up. If something comes along like that in my practice, I want to be able to tend to their emotional needs as much as possible so that they can grow.

 Feb 25,2021

Hours: 1

 Today I talked with John about planning a lesson to teach the student for the following week. I will be teaching his class about animating on photoshop.

 Feb 26th & 27th ,2021

Hours: 2

 The Thursday group was full of energy! Everybody was participating and gave really impactful feedback. For this class, we used the “critique sandwich” approach for student feedback which was easy to follow. However, on the following I chose to use the Hub Learning approach to critique and it was tougher than I thought it would be. I find myself going back to “ I like it” a lot. It didn’t help that Friday’s group was unresponsive most of the time and felt like I was forcing it. I think I will practice using the Hub Learning approach more often so it would sound more natural and sincere when giving critique.

Journal Entry 4

Feb 16, 2021

Hour: 1

Today John introduced a new assignment for the class. It is a photography project where he wants his students to take 20 new photos and edit 8 of their favorite ones. He also went over the basics of how to take a good photograph. He stressed that it is not the equipment, it is how you used the equipment.

In the overview, he talked about lighting, composition, perspective, and different camera settings to make the project a success. This was really neat because I am also learning new things with the class.  After the overview, he offered troubleshooting hour for the students if they have any additional questions.

Feb 17, 2021

Hour: 1

Today was half business day and a half critique day. John set up meetings with students who have missing work or falling behind in his class and worked out individualized agreements with them so that they can be successful. It was a nice thing to do, especially with distance learning. 

Afterward, we did a makeup critique for the students who did not turn it in on the day it was due. Only two students participated but it was a fun group. Even though the students had a hard time figuring out photoshop, they were so lively and animated during the critique. 

Other than what was on the agenda for the class. Today struck me on an emotional level in why I want to be a teaching artist. As a teaching artist, I want to inspire and form a relationship with budding artists, especially when they are in high school and middle school. I feel that this period of time is crucial for their development and providing support will set them up for success in whatever direction they choose to go on. Weather in a career or otherwise.

What I like about observing John’s class through PiM is that he takes a humanistic approach to his students. He sees them as people rather than numbers in a classroom. John works with his students on their level and accommodates their needs as necessary. I also like that in his classroom there is very little classroom hierarchy and mass production of students with no direction. He believes that every student has a direction and he wants to ensure their success. 

Journal Entry 3

February 8,2021

 Observation went well! I was introduced to the class and got to meet John’s Media 1 Class. It is a prerequisite class comprising grades 9-12. It was wonderful meeting all the different personalities.

 Today introduced a new project to the class that will be due Friday. The project consists of making a poster of social issues that the students are passionate about, however it does not have to be serious.

 Afterwards, he showed his students the fundamentals of photoshop. It was neat because I am also new to the things he was teaching the class and even encouraged me to do the assignments with the class.

 February 9,2021

 Today was a tech trouble shooting day. It is for his students who are having trouble with operating photoshop or have any additional questions about the assignment at hand.

 Only one student came by.

 February 10, 2021

 Today John was assigned a new assignment today. It is a Typography poster that further explains how photoshop works. It is a neat assignment where the students find quotes that they like and manipulate type into an eye-catching poster.

 Since not a lot of students went to the tech hour, he showed the class more about how photoshop works and provided resources the student could access if they were having more trouble.

 February 11, 2021

 Today is an exciting day! It’s critique day for the Freshmen and Sophomore in John’s Media 1 class. At the beginning, John explains how critique was going to work, he reiterates that critique is for personal growth and not a personal attack on any one or their skills. Which I can appreciate very much!

 The freshmen and Sophomore group were very shy at first but slowly warmed up. Their works were so unique! I love hearing about their processes and struggles with photoshop!

February 12, 2021

 Today we are doing the second round of critiques but this time it is with John’s Junior and Senior group. This group was more energetic than the first group. The critiques were more in detail and it was really fun engaging with the students. I was able to show my project and have the students critique mine. It was a fun time! For the students who did not turn their assignment, John had extended their deadline until Tuesday and will offer  more tech time for the students who are struggling.

Journal Entry 2

As of right now, I am still waiting for my background check to come back. It has been two weeks and I have yet to hear anything. Last time John and I spoke was last week and we have decided to start when the background check comes back. 

I am starting to get confused about what I have to do for the practicum. Otherwise, I am ok. 

Great news! I have just received an email from Aki and I am cleared to observe!  I have contacted John about it and waiting for his reply back! 

Journal Entry 1

Hello! My name is Thao Doan and I am a Sophomore at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. I am currently majoring in Animation and minoring as a Teaching Artist.

As of right now, I am currently waiting for my background check to come back so I can get started. In the meantime, John Raasch and I have connected. He showed me the ins and outs of Pim’s online distance learning and has gotten me set up with my own Pim account.

 This year John will be teaching Intro to Media, Yearbook, and Lighting and Portraiture. He thought it was best if I observe his prep hour and Intro to Media class alongside Julie Fouler (another teaching assistant.)

I am excited and can’t wait to get started