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Showing posts from May, 2009

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My Alien Plasma

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  My Alien Plasma I made two digital artworks, each with a different approach. The first, Alien Plasma Neo, uses advanced digital editing to show a highly detailed energy being. The second, Plasma Alien, is a gestural painting that focuses on raw emotion. My interest in the 'energy being' theme comes from a lifelong curiosity about forces and life forms beyond what we usually see. I find energies and unseen phenomena fascinating because they represent transformation, vitality, and the mystery at the centre of my creativity. I want to explore how to visually convey inner power and life force, using both digital tools and painting techniques. I like experimenting with different tools to change an artwork. Comparing these two pieces shows how my intent shifts, much as a traditional artist might try out new media and methods. My first piece, Alien Plasma Neo, was all about hyper-definition and symmetry. I wanted to show this being at its highest energy, even down to the smallest en...

Social Networking and Teaching

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Simply put, Social Networking is big business.  In regards to schooling, there are high gains and big risks. Social Networking holds a significant skill-set which is increasingly becoming an important part of contemporary life. Students need to learn how to effectively and efficiently employ the tools for their working life. How do students gain the required skills set whilst advancing the required subject knowledge? Social Networking has added complexity to the teaching environment. It is not a question of open exploration, suck and see, or for the teacher to step aside and assume the role of a friend. The interconnecting role of a teacher and student should not be compromised. Teachers are the experts who set standards, who hold the knowledge required, who provide an instructional environment that enabled clarity of purpose.  This is not the era for teachers to provide a fuzzy environment where students have to guess what they need to know or are graded without knowledge of ...