I put all the individual artworks and collaborative artworks with text on on e webpage at http://explorations.sva.psu.edu/322/uganda-usa_f2010/art.html

This is draft, so if you see corrections needed or artwork or text missing let me know at kk-b@psu.edu

VoiceThread seems had some problems a few days ago, so that's why all the student uploaded VoiceThread were gone. It seems they restored it. Marietta's recording is still available and probably others are now restore. However, for the one that Marietta posted it would need to be set it to public to be viewed by others and work for the recording.

Here is the information on VoiceThread support forum in which a lot of students had work lost for a couple of days and then it was restoried. It seems it was an unusual situation as many teachers reported using it frequently over time in their teaching See: http://voicethread.com/support/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=894&page=1#Item_11

Hi Karen,

We could not meet on Wednesday as we had earlier planned with the students at MTSIFA. Instead, we met today and we sent our works via email to your email box so that you may post it to the individuals' groups. Our connectivity is still bad and we could not for example access the images in voice thread.

I have asked the students to request you send us the images as attachments so that they can make their contributions to the development of the joint artwork. We could also set up a meeting on skype sometime this weekend when we have less people using the internet. I will be available for a skype conversation.

We will wait for the images and then have my students make their contributions.

I have attached my artwork for the Transcultural Dialogues class. I am requesting you to send me the group artwork for my group 5 so that I may make my contribution. Regards, Bent Group 5: Repko, Jeffrey Treciak, Alessandra Tyska, Madeline macussbentley@gmail.com fkiiza@yahoo.com

Group 5: Repko, Jeffrey Treciak, Alessandra Tyska, Madeline macussbentley@gmail.com fkiiza@yahoo.com Jeff Repko's artwork "Sweet" is on his blog at http://www.personal.psu.edu/jor5090/blogs/art_322/blog/ and described below: I created this image after I read the dialogue, we had with our classmates from Uganda. I wanted to represent that America has many diverse cultures and backgrounds. When I thought about it, I kept thinking about the term "Great American Melting Pot". So I decided to show the "Great American Melting Pot" in the form of a lake, because I also wanted to show the diverse landscape. In America we do have many large cites, but around us is also great forests and wildlife. Not all of the United States is in the big city rush. Also the ability to travel freely was brought up. So I wanted to show that we are in between the cities and wildlife because we can travel freely through both divers and separate environments. Alessandra Treciak's artwork is is on her blog at http://aliecats.livejournal.com/ and described below: A lot of the views from the students from Uganda were that America is segregated. I chose to depict this misinterpretation by creating a white and black form. The white form is more open and larger, symbolizing their beliefs that America has more opportunities for white people. It is also open because we do have a lot of freedom in that we can travel from state to state without restraint, aren't contained at home because of family members we need to take care of, and have many opportunities to make a living. The black form is more contained symbolizing their communities in which families usually stay and live together. It also shows that even though they can travel freely, it is more difficult to go from place to place. The smaller form is also showing a misconception that blacks are not as valued and don't have as much to offer. I believe that segregation is almost nonexistent and that everybody is equal. Madeline Tyska's art

http://explorations.sva.psu.edu/322/uganda-usa_f2010/critiques.html

The URL above includes the collaborative artworks from all 5 groups developed from the dialogue as content.

Group 1, please post the URL with yours in VoiceThread so that I can add for voice recording interactivity.

We are at the final step 9 at http://www.personal.psu.edu/ktk2/blogs/uganda_usa/ which asks that you click on the "comment" button that changes to "record" and then record your responses to these 2 questions below, and add anything else you wish to add in your audio statement.

1. How is subjectivity constructed in the image, and whose subjectivity is constructed?

2. What prior knowledge is assumed

On Thursday 9th of December, our last class meeting for the semester, I asked the Penn State students in their designated groups (see DIIGO groupings) to create artwork that brought together the dialogue and the individual artworks in some way, and then to post this on VoiceThread. They will add audio comments in the next few days.

We hope that the MTSIFA art students will either do the same or suggest other directions to synthesize the transcultural dialogue for fall 2010. If willing to meet with Dr. Kabiito Richard at a time we can skype together, I will record audio responses over skype to the artworks posted in DIIGO, and add responses to the VoiceThread comments about these artworks. If the broadband is strong enough you can do this but if not as it is was not last March then this is another way.

You could create the collaborative art with "word clouds" using the text from the dialogue and wordle.net, or ImageChef or Textorizer. This can be layered with the individual images shared by those in the group. Use what has been contributed by those in your group to create an image and post on VoiceThread.

PPT, PPTX, and PDF are all supported presentation file types. No single file can be larger than 25MB with a Free account. if you enter the exact url of a file you can import it directly, but the link must be absolutely correct. Note that most 'links' to videos online do not point directly to the video file and so won't work. But do have the accurate file location of a video it should work.

Email as a group (reply all, or use DIIGO with a new topic) to develop your collaborative artwork with your group based on the contents of the dialogue and issues raised in that dialogue, and the individual artworks each has shared in your group. These should be completed to place into VoiceThread for audio comments by Dec. 9, the last class session for the semester.

Group 1:

Bach, Alice
Bieberfeld, Marietta
Clouser, Melissa
Isaac_skyman@yahoo.com
clevercat@yahoo.com


Group 2:

Parsons, Erica
Diorio, Katie
Guglielmi, Kathleen
Henchenski, Tiffany
gonzajacobkayigwa@yahoo.com


Group 3:

Kerchusky, Kimberly
Kwacz, Angela
Lefebvre, Jillian
hmulz@yahoo.com
Maloba Patrick patoxmlb@yahoo.com

Group 4:

Macchia, Lacey
McMahon, Chelsea
O'Hanlon, Michelle
ambxnex@ymail.com


Group 5:

Repko, Jeffrey
Treciak, Alessandra
Tyska, Madeline  
macussbentley@gmail.com
fkiiza@yahoo.com 

This is very exciting to see the Transcultural Dialogue begin. In the Penn State art education class last night we discussed the perceptions and questions posted by MTSIFA art students. The Penn State students responded after class to the MTSIFA student posts in DIIGO, and will continue to do so.

We only saw a couple of responses by the MTSIFA students on the Penn State student blogs (linked at http://explorations.sva.psu.edu/322/blogs.html), and the Uganda blogs did not have entries as of last night to respond. We will keep looking at MTSIFA blogs now also linked at at http://explorations.sva.psu.edu/322/blogs.html)

PSU students also bookmarked sites about Uganda and stated why. These bookmarked sites and comments are visible in DIIGO. We hope Ugandan students will comment on these posts in DIIGO regarding how well it reflects or does not their lived experience. We also hope that the MTSIFA students DIIGO bookmark sites that reflect their views of the USA and comment in DIIGO why.

Beginning Nov. 30th, all participants in this project should share an artwork each created inspired from something significant in the dialogues, and use the creation of the artwork as a means of inquiry--of reflective thinking and further broadening or challenging your ideas that you held prior to the dialogue. In sharing (by posting a photo of the artwork in your blog) you should decide how to bring the 3 artworks together from your group (i.e., a remix aesthetics) to create a single collaborative creative artwork of multiple perspectives. This will be posted in VoiceThread for further discussion.

By Nov. 30th, Dr. Kabiito and I will form groups of 2 from USA and 1 from Uganda since there are 16 students from Penn State and 7 from MTSIFA.

Here are the URLs for the blogs of the Ugandan participants:

Tusasirane Amrose: tusasirane.wordpress.com
Mucunguzi Bentique: visualconceptual.wordpress.com
Nalwadda Hajarah: hmulz89.wordpress.com
Kayigwa Gonzaga: gonzakayigwa.wordpress.com
Kiiza Frank: mr110percent.wordpress.com

Here are their emails:

Isaac_skyman@yahoo.com
gonzajacobkayigwa@yahoo.com
hmulz@yahoo.com
ambxnex@ymail.com
macussbentley@gmail.com
fkiiza@yahoo.com
clevercat@yahoo.com

Good start to developing the rubrics to assess meaningful participation in the Transcultural Dialogue project. One point that needs to be reconsidered: Ugandan broadband is strong enough to hear voicethread comments but not to record them. They will speak responses via skype, and I will record and post with their photo in their VT account during the critiques. You will need to use skype, facebook, and email to "Collaboratively ... create innovative semantical artwork."

Considering your teaching philosophy and insights gained about creativity, collaboration, remix aesthetics, and multiple perspectives, in groups of 4, discuss and then post on DIIGO (click "start new topic" and list your names) the rubric text for dialogue, artmaking, and reflection to fill in the cells of the rubric table at http://explorations.sva.psu.edu/322/projects/4_dialogue.html