Online session with Module One focus

On Tuesday February 12th we have a MAPP Online session with Module One focus (but anyone is welcome to join. We will be looking at learning in and as Professional Practice.

6pm (time in London) 

Please comment below if you are attending. 

Sunday Discussion group - Knowing and Learning

This Sunday February 10th, we have our (around the) First Sunday of the month Skype discussion group. Any module  is welcome. these discussion group are an important opportunity to talk and listen about the ideas you are working with. 

We are kicking off the discussion with 'knowing and learning'.

These will be at:

9am (time in London)

or

8pm  (time in London)

Comment below to indicate which one you will attend and share relevant thinking/doing you have been mulling, reflecting on particularly in terms of 'knowing and learning'.

Algorithms, information, and 'we are not neutral'

Across the course we talk about Web 2:0 and how it has allowed access to so much more information than in the recent past. But we have also thought about critical thinking and exploring what ethical considerations there are around subjects. One of the points we touch on in the Handbook is that not everyone has access to the internet across the world. Those who have been on the internet longer have created environments that reflect their own culture and assumptions. Just as your professional practice might have a dominant culture created by the people in your practice before you.

This Ted talk by Joy Buolamwini and interview raises a really interesting ethical consideration you might not even have thought about. Watch both in order to think critically about the information and ideas. 

 

It is interesting to think about how you perceive yourself and how you are perceived can be so different. The idea of the 'gaze' is a wider theory that you could do more research into if you are interested in the idea of how we are perceived affecting what we can do or be. Are there places where you are invisible? 

There are interesting ethical considerations about what it means to objectify other. What makes us human? 

But even more important this post is about why it is so crucial to research beyond just writing a word in Google. Peer reviewed journals, our university library and looking at the bibliographies of books all bring you information in which you are creating your own/other pathways (algorithms) to information. 

Please comment below...

Some ballet, something beautiful for beginning of the month.

Beginnings

Your beginnings:I have under taken a number of creative processes exploring beginning. I am going to discuss two artistic projects that involved thinking about beginnings. Then maybe you can see if there is anything to learn from these practice-based examples that can be applied to the experience of your beginning the new term. Below I discuss some of this.
 But first something about beginning MAPP programmes at MDX. All you need in terms of information is on your Programme page. This is quite a different environment from the application process (which is on-line also). The Programme Page is on UniHub which is behind the University Firewall, so you need your University pass codes. It is in one place. We have tried to make it as simple as possible – like a one stop with folders for all the elements of the course on the same page. You need to be familiar with getting to and reading the UniHub for course information.  Next you also need to be familiar with getting to the Blogs which are on the internet in general and open beyond the University firewall, (especially the Supervisors blogs which have up-dates across the period of the course, and then the blogs of other students which is where the conversation happens.)  As you start, start with these tasks (UniHub page and Blogs). Being in touch and feeling you have all the information you need is key to starting confidently.  About beginnings.Working as an artist-in-school: during some project supporting arts in school curriculum I work with other artists. After the projects, we had a de-brief discussion. We talked about how our projects went in the schools we were in. The main point that seemed to come out of the discussion was that we all experienced more than one beginning. There was the official date we first went to the school – the official beginning. There was the moment when people in the school started to get on board, get used to us being there – the energetic beginning.Then there was also the point when things started to shift or change or be made – the effective beginning.There could be more, maybe think of kinds of beginnings you have experienced. Please describe them in the comments below. All three beginnings I describe above were important. They all supported the others happening. From this example applied to BAPP I think the important point is there is a start date September 17th 2018. Because it is Distance Education not much might feel like it happened. Not much might change – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t notice its begun don’t wait for the energetic beginning to happen because you need to start engaging with the course (start) in order to get to the energetic beginning. Even if you’re not in the flow yet you still have to start doing something it will flow into the energetic beginning. The effective beginning might happen in September or it might happen in two years time!! Again, you can’t wait for it to happen before you ‘start’ doing anything. I learnt from the arts-in-schools experiences that You have to start to start.
Another time I thought about beginnings was a workshop with Oliy Cart who make work for young audiences – like I do. We were talking about how you draw an audience into the start of a show. We were particularly thinking about how with young audiences this might be an unknown experience. It could be the first time san audience member had experienced a show. Obviously, how it begins is dependent on the content of the show. But think for a moment about the kinds of beginnings of shows you have been in or seen. 

How would you categorise them? For instance: One of my current shows for young people the performers are ‘asleep’ on the stage so that the young audience can come in and look a round and look at the performers. This is to try to have the beginning as un intimidating as possible. 







In another work (Passing 1: I right my own story) I have done (not for young audiences) the performance start with half the cast taking their shoes off like they had just come home after a night out. 
I could say that in the first description (my current children’s show beginning) is about getting everything laid out – knowing all the bits involved. Applied to this course maybe it would be about looking at all the dates for things, the handbooks & the blogs having a look round them like sleeping giants you have not yet engaged with but having a look to understand what they might be.The second piece (with the shoes) began with an ending. You could apply that kind of beginning to the course by thinking about what you are building on. To start this course by thinking about what you have done, what you want to build on what good and bad things come with you as baggage. What do you want to take off and what do you want to leave on as you start this new episode?Have a think about the beginnings of shows you have done again and see what they could tell you about beginnings in general. Share these as posts on your blogs (please put links to the post in the comments below). It would be great to hear them because we would read about the kind of shows you’ve been in or the kind of shows you’ve seen/that have influenced you. But it would also be great to hear what they meant to you or what you learnt from the experience.
Adesola


Photo 1: Joe CulletonPhoto 2: Scott Lipiec

Student Voice - leadership and creation

Our course has posts of Student Voice for students on MAPP. This means working with the Student Union to feedback to us and the University about the course - so we can co-create the learning space we all share. This is a great opportunity to get some training on leadership from the Student Union too.

We need two people who are currently on the course to take up this post. The deadline is by January 30th so please comment below - Comment in general but especially if you want to come forward as one of the Student Voice Leaders.

Adesola

Welcome to Winter/Spring Term 2019

On Friday January 18th and Saturday January 19th we have welcome / welcome back Skype sessions. Anybody is welcome 

These will be at:

Friday January 18th  5pm (time in London)

or

Saturday January 19th 2pm (time in London)

Comment below to indicate which one you will attend and share any thoughts, tips reflections on starting back / starting the MAPP term.