Since we're blogging about blogs right now... I know I mentioned this to some of you a while ago, but it's worth repeating myself, I think.  The American Alliance of Museum has their Center for the Future of Museums and they in turn have their blog:  http://futureofmuseums.blogspot.com

Recent posts are all about wearable technology ahead of the annual Museum Expo wherein vendors exhibit and hawk their goods to museum professionals, but I thought it spoke to some of your own recent blog posts.

Ellen

Who are the best Arts Ed Bloggers?

Well, someone else wondered the same thing and so the site, "The Art of Education" held a contest. This was the fourth year they've done so and the results are on their website. What do you think of their selections?

Do as I say. Not as I do. Or maybe I should just be doing better.

Apologies to all for neglecting our blog space these last few weeks. We'll try to do some extra posting to catch everyone up to speed.

In the meantime, I'll drop a quick link here for resources from the NAEA Convention which just took place in New Orleans! You never know when you might see a session that happens to line up with an interest or....gasp...thesis work? Check out this page for links to resources and this page for videos from some of the sessions (which aren't up yet, but supposedly coming soon!)

Museums....Unplugged?

Anyone else remember MTV Unplugged? Just the idea of an artist sitting down with a guitar in a studio and playing without any real amplification? That's where my brain went first, but maybe I'm showing my age.

This article posts an interesting question on if we're becoming too reliant on technology in museums. What do y'all think?

http://artmuseumteaching.com/2013/07/06/museums-unplugged-are-we-becoming-too-reliant-on-technology/

The Election is in the bag...or is it?

Looks like we get to endure another 6 weeks of election campaigning and political analysis with the news that Mayor Emmanuel will go into a run-off with candidate Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia. Not a total shock, but pleasantly surprising. So how did the incumbent Mayor with the 10-1 fundraising edge and a presidential endorsement not crush his opponents. Grassroots marketing by challengers probably played a part, but as you can see from this info graphic and analysis, big social media numbers don't guarantee wins:

http://thesixthirty.com/lifestyle/infographic-rahm-emanuel-crushes-other-mayor-candidates-on-social-media/

Moving forward though, social media and getting the word out to vote will likely be significant factors in determining our next mayor. What do you think?

Smithsonian Digitization Project

Here's an interesting article about the Smithsonian's current strategy for digitizing their collection.  It's easy enough to think about museums' digital presences and the potential the internet and other digital technologies hold for these, but it's important to consider the work that goes into making any of it possible.  The Smithsonian's use of a conveyor belt to blast through the process of photographing their objects is their response to other projects, like Freer-Sackler's, where it took 15 years to digitize 40,000 objects...

Wii Hacks

This one is a bit of an oldie now, but still one of my favorites. (And a TED talk just for you, Justin!) It demonstrates how we can repurpose tools and technology to provide low-cost alternatives to the big budget tech that is so popular in classrooms. Any other examples you all have come across?

Maybe we need less Tech in the Classroom?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/opinion/can-students-have-too-much-tech.html?_r=0

An interesting opinion piece on tech as a panacea for all that ails us in the classroom. But is it a condemnation of too much tech? not enough training in proper instruction with the tools? OR a broader societal issue? Interested to hear your thoughts!

Everyone loves the '80's!

Just a little something to get you all excited for our visit tomorrow. Now a quick show of hands. Who in the class wasn't born in the 1980's?

Museums & Selfies?!

Our conversation about artic.edu started drifting toward the social media side of museums and potentially the disconnect between AIC's social media presence and their website.  Here's something re: selfies and museums to think about.

#museumselfie day

Shifting the Paradigm - Sir Ken Robinson

Are we educating the wrong way? How can we teach in a truly 21st century approach? Sir Ken Robinson has some fantastic thoughts (and a great presentation)

In an Internat Minute....

What does a minute on social media look like? What did it look like last year? The sheer scale is mind-boggling. Check out this snapshot of a minute in 2013 versus another one year later.

http://www.techspartan.co.uk/features/internet-minute-2013-vs-2014-infographic/

Welcome to Cyberpedagogy!

This is the Cyberpedagogy class blog where we will create dialogue with your personal blogs.As stated in the syllabus:

Students will be required to keep an online blog and post to the blog at least twice each week. The postings should focus on issues in art education, responses to the readings, thoughts regarding current projects, or general commentary on life, society, and culture. Students are encouraged to blog more than the two required entries each week. Students will also be required to comment on each other’s blogs with questions, thoughts, etc. in the spirit of support and conversation. At the beginning of class each week, there will be a 5-10 minute period of individual blog review/commenting time to allow students to view and participate in their classmates’ insights. 

......also, have fun! blog about what interests you, confuses you, amuses you. about collisions of this class with your other classes, or a news article, exhibition, or piece of art you are working on. Use this platform for photographs, video, link/urls, poetry, etc. Excited to read your blogs and see the themes that emerge between ours as a class!