Welcome to my Navigation Path.
I like the analogy of a boat (hence the picture) because it takes a little longer for a boat to reach its destination.
While that may seem like a slower way to travel, boats can go to places planes cannot. Besides, being captain of my own ship means we can take some detours (time being what it is, not too many).
My goal with this course is two-fold: the first is to gain a better understanding of Bates & Poole’s SECTIONS model as well as Chikering and Gamson’s 7 Principles; the second is to use these models to create a framework for selecting, administering, applying, assessing, and guiding technology in a learning environment.
The reason I state a learning environment, rather than a classroom is because I am not in a teaching position, and my ultimate goal after the MET is to develop a photography curriculum for teenagers (and adults) that will rely on traditional tech (like textbooks) as well as digital tech, and one that can be used at the high school level as well as in an undergraduate class on the subject. Bates and Poole provide me with the main reason I would like to focus on the framework: “With technology developing at such a rapid pace, teachers and administrators are constantly being faces with the need to make decisions about appropriate technology for teaching.” Not everything has to be done digitally, but it can help.
While there are plenty of books and resources online (and in a myriad of formats ranging from DVD’s, to CD’s, to fancy graphs, to online communities, to online courses) most of them focus on either very specific aspects of photography, treat it too broadly, or focus on a few select technologies (often Photoshop and digital photography), and seldom with teenagers in mind. I should know, I own twenty three different books covering the subject, from textbooks of yesteryear, to current books on contemporary essays related to the subject, and more are on the way. I am also a member of several online photography communities.
This dearth of material, curricula, and resources for high school students is a tragedy on several levels. The teenage mind is much different than an adult mind. You do not show pictures of naked women to a boy (or girl) going through puberty. Morally it is wrong, and by law it is boder-line legal (unless it occurs in an advanced art class); nearly every book (and a number of other resources) hat attempt to teach the craft has them. The principles of lighting and photography can easily be taught without the need for showing flesh.
Another issue most materials and resources suffer from is Photoshop/Adobe. It is one of several options; I do not know of many teenagers who can afford it, even at the student discount of $400.00US. There are alternatives out there, and sadly, few books discuss them, and few schools use them, even though some are free!
Having a strong understanding of how to select technology for learning purposes is at the forefront of my ultimate goal: firstly, because photography itself is a highly technical field (a camera is a type of technology); secondly, because knowing what technology is out there and how I can eventually apply it will allow me to better create a curriculum based on principles, rather than just a specific technique.
If this seems too broad, I am sure that once I begin to formulate my thoughts on how to blend SECTIONS with the 7 Principles I shall have a more focused approach. I do know that for our “simulated” course that we are to design I would like to focus on a photography course for teachers–either how to use it in the classroom (i.e. teach it) or how to blend it into lessons.
Photography in and of itself, like the mighty pen and paper, transcends and goes beyond the issues that plague many books related to teaching and photography. From the ones I have read, many authors seem to have their own agenda, and their purposes go beyond teaching the principles of the craft.
As Joseph M. Williams did for writing, I hope to do to photography: to create something that will teach the clarity and grace of photography, without tainting it with agendas of some form or other, and with the support of technology. And like Williams I know the critics are out there; but the truth is when you are teaching a technique to impressionable minds you want to make sure it is done right, and once your students have mastered the techniques, then by all means let them debate on the controversial issues in the great marketplace of ideas.
Bates, A.W. and Poole, G. (2003) Effective Teaching with Technology in High Education: Foundations for Success. New York: Wiley, John & Sons, Inc.