Collaboration, Community and Networks

Part of the principles of BAPP are networks and collaboration. (These are ideas that carry across the whole course.) 

In this course part of the idea of networks involves collaboration. But this is also a larger shift in thinking in terms of how we construct what interaction in society should look like or how we construct our Western history. 

Darwin offered a world of survival of the fittestwhich mirrored the Regency and Victorian period of empire building of his lifetime. What if we let go of the *metaphor of fighting that we use in so many descriptions of ideas and replaced it with collaboration.

Below Howard Rheingold explores how we can readjust to see history (and present day) from a metaphor of 'working together'rather than 'survival of the fittest'. I think this is really important because art is often involved in activism that brings people together through making together. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Working in a show or part of a cast also rely on cooperation, so as artists we are very familiar with the idea in our professional work but how can we learn from those professional situations of collaboration? How is collaboration a part of your practice?  What ethical considerations does the principle of collaboration raise in a creative process?

To push this idea further: The idea of cooperation is explored in many artists’ processes. Art activism often uses the idea of making something together as a way to value and highlight community. I feel collaboration has a part in the map of an artists practice. Where is collaboration in your practice, in your inquiry, in your field of work?

Does your experience in the network of the BAPP learning community mirror experiences in your professional practice? Are you bringing assumptions about working togetherfrom BAPP to your Practice or the other way around? 

Here is a video talk about collaboration and the work of a poet who uses collaboration as part of process. If you asked yourself how to collaborate each time you started a creative process or entered a teaching situation, what interesting ethical considerations does it raise - different for each situation I would think. In this way collaboration could be seen as a principle for learning not just an organising tool. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQVNE-MbKI

What do you feel? Comment below...

*An interesting book to look at on metaphor is LAKOFF, G. & JOHNSON, M. 1980. Metaphors we live by, Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Why blogging - being a living part of a network of information & community.

This post is a short 'bit' about the blogs and why the blogs. In the new Module One handbooks (ACI3611) we discuss the networked professional and suggest looking at some videos. Below is one we suggest watching. (I thought it would be good to see for the Module Two and Threes who have not had the new Module One handbooks.)The blog contribute to the structure of our BAPP Learning Network / Networked understanding. This is a network you are part of this term.

On this course we draw heavily from the theoretical concept of Connectivism developed differently by Steven Downes and George Siemens. Below George Siemens talks about blogs in terms that help explain why they are a part of the network of learning in BAPP ACI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx5VHpaW8sQ&list=PL521ADEA73AB9F2F3&index=94

Please comment on what you are thinking/feeling of this post below. It would be interesting to discuss some of the video content in our Twilight Tuesday Skype Discussion Group on October 16th or at the campus session tomorrow*. 
(*The sign-up for Friday and Tuesday are on a 'Session reminder Post'-NOT this post) 

Visit someones blog today and exchange an idea or conversation - visit someone's blog in the BAPP community you have not visited much before - explore.
Adesola

Campus Session info...

Campus Session October 27th. The session starts at 9am to noon.…it’s in-person at the Middlesex University Campus, Hendon. This session will be a chance to discuss your module, the whole course as well as meet other BAPP students.  It will be held in Committee Room 2 in the Town Hall. If you are not sure where to go, go to the main Reception in College and they will direct you.

Please comment below to let me know if you are coming.

See you there…

Adesola

The Summer begins….

Just finished sending out feedback today. Make sure you received it! This is your feedback only, your grades will be announced by the University next week. You can find them in the usual manor on the MDX web-site. 

Often I am asked what your grade means. Here is a helpful table:

For reference:

1^st/Distinction                        2i/Merit                                2ii/Pass                                    3^rd/Pass                                 Fail

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Please note:

17-18 – Compensation Allowed

19 – Compensation not allowed

20 Fail – Incorporating failure to participate in assessment necessary to achieve all learning outcomes. Compensation not allowed


As the summer begins I really want to keep the blogging going. I hope you will help me in making my blog a place people come to read, share and COMMENT!!! 

Looking forward to sharing the summer with you. 
Any thoughts? 

Adesola

February Second Tuesday talks

The Second Tuesday Group SKYPEs went well this week. We had a mix of students from across the modules. It is really useful to talk to people who have just done the module you are on or who are a step a head of you so you can see where things are leading. We talked from UK, China, Germany and USA.
We were:
http://ehbutterfly.blogspot.co.uk
http://ionaholland.blogspot.co.uk
http://pipspalton.blogspot.co.uk
http://julia-v-gil.blogspot.de
Lucy Jennings and
Ruth Woods
Visit their blogs and say hi too.

We talked about the anxiety of getting started. Trying to avoid the idea of 'confusion' and embrace the idea of 'not knowing yet'. If you are going to have a genuine  learning experience you are very likely not to know where it will end. You can't know the end at the beginning or you wouldn't be learning anything new. We talked about how if you are feeling 'confused': work out specific questions or identify particular issues rather than just see the whole thing as 'confusing'.

For Module Two we talked about how you do not need a specific question at this point just a bit of an idea of the general area you are in. Also that the word 'question' does not mean something to answer. But 'question' in the sense of something you what to know more about.

Tips people talked about were:

• Look at other peoples blogs especially blogs from people who have just finished the module you are on now. 
• Read the whole Reader/Handbook first so you get an overview of the whole module. You can just skim-read just to get the overall picture. 
• Work little and often don't wait to the 'end' to get everything done.
• Work out your time management across the term
• Work with peers

The next group SKYPEs are Tuesday March 11th, 11am (London time) and 8:45 (London time)

Trip

Hi this is a research project I am working on. I was talking to Iona and she said I should post it on my blog as part of getting the word out. What do you think? Does this sound useful? The idea is a response to my work with you on BAPP and students on MAPP. It seems as if a number of people what to make their inquiry question about how you keep growing and developing as a performer once you are not in a dance school. I feel like this could be useful to keep people going - what are your thoughts. I will be developing this both as a research project but also as research into how freelance professional dancers and choreographers manage. Got any ideas about how to get the word out? What do you think of the whole thing
Adesola

trip

Turning Research Ideas into Practice – Priceless projects

Research, development, networking and professional practice brought together.

The project aims to address the needs of three groups: freelance professional dancers, choreographers and arts spaces by bringing them together for short research and development residencies; residencies range from 3 days to two weeks, residences take place all round UK with the possibility of some international residences.

Freelance professional dancers can audition to become members of the trip company. As members they are invited to short working intensives with choreographers across the year. Participation is based on availability therefore if a dancer has a job during a residency they do not sign on to that particular residency.

If a dancer is available they make a commitment to the whole residency time period. Choreographers work with the trip company on the understanding that where a work is developed to the point of funding and/or touring, they will return to their original collaborating trip dancers when considering employment opportunities.

Choreographers who work internationally need to know dancers in the countries they work in particularly if it is not the country they call home. Trip  offers international and UK choreographers a group of dancers they can work with in UK at the stage before a commission or at the very beginning stage of commissioned work.

trip is part of the non-profit organisation, DancingStrong and is run as a ‘priceless project’. Working with the ideal of intellectual and creative exchange, trip seeks to engage the currency of reliability, professionalism and networking rather than relying on external funding (although additional funding might be sort for specific projects).

Like trip on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TripprojectDancingStrong

next audition for dancers June 7^th 2013, Hendon, send CV and photos to trip@dancingstrong.com

Aims and chatting

This week we had another ‘First Tuesday Coffee House Meeting’. Only three of us but it was a really useful chat.

Sarah

http://seraclops.blogspot.com

Sophie

http://sophiejones17.blogspot.co.uk

In terms of Module Two: we talked about trying out different types of ‘something’ when doing pilots – not just piloting ‘an interview’ but if you think you are likely to use interview as a tool in module three, then trying doing different types of interview. On SKYPE, in person, on phone, with open-ended questions, with set questions etc…

We talked about finding a range of key words as you think about what is important to your inquiry into for instance:

Sarah is thinking about ‘motivation’ and we added the words ‘inspiration’ and ‘passion’, which was the way Sarah was thinking about motivation.

In terms of Module One and onwards: we talked about how useful Journaling is for capturing ideas. How at first you might want to make neat organised journals but after using that tool for a while it becomes a place for thoughts that manifest in a range of ways – including pictures, drawings, and writing around the edges of the page!!

We talked about thinking about ‘what has made a difference to my practice’ as a theme to question yourself as you submit work for evaluation in May.

We said that the ‘First Tuesday Coffee House Meetings’ were useful because it is nice to talk across modules and also to have a conversation that can wander or has no aim at the beginning but is built from all the people in the group contributing.

The next ‘First Tuesday Coffee House Meeting will be May 7^th hope you can join us.

Adesola

How have you constructed your thoughts about...

This post is about looking at what three things mean to you and how you can interact with them:

A)    What it means to work when doing a work-based learning course,

B)   What campus sessions are / mean

C)   Notes about stuff on posts

I am starting with (C) – I am really excited about the SKYPE group calls plan see my post last week. If you want to do it my SKYPE address is in the handbook. This blog is open to anyone and everyone because I think the idea of open access is interesting and education needs to work out how to engage with the idea. But I don’t want my SKYPE address to be open access!! So I am not posting it, just look in the handbook. I have at least one person for each module discussion BUT for a group we need more than one so join in.. 

Looking at Blog posts this week I read Rhoda’s blog post about how much data she has. I think it’s really useful and not just because she mentions me!!! Have a look and leave her a comment on what you think.

http://rakparker.blogspot.com

Looking at (B). This relates to the open access ideas I hate to endorse too much use of Wikipedia but for the common understanding of something it is useful. Here’s what they say about open access.   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access

What do you think?

The philosophy of this course has something to do with the changes in how we can understand learning, information, knowledge and connection that the inter-net has raised. We see these issues in our everyday social life and work life. We begin the course by flagging it up, but this is for more than just how to get noticed for the next audition it is about thinking about how we interact and connect with each other. On this course we have decided to come together in the web 2:0 ‘world’ it seemed that because people are working or looking for work in the professional arena that the Internet offers two interesting concepts that we can use. Firstly, connection with each other out side of time and space as we usually use it. I am writing now, about things I care about and hopefully connecting with you but you are not ever in the same time or space as me even though we connect. Before internet maybe we could use a letter in this way to some extent but a letter requires a physical object that travels the distance between us. From my time and space to yours – the internet offers another way to address time and space. I am interesting this because of my work in embodiment.

So the internet and the blogs and lib-guides are our shared point of connection. That’s what that’s about – what do you think? How have to understood what the blogging is all about? You can see that from the perspective I have just described it is really important you post on your blog and comment on others. It is how you participate. So the campus sessions are not the places where we give you information that is on the web in Lib-guides, group emails & blogs. The campus sessions are places where we can come together to talk about what we think of the information. We then share out what we found. So not coming to a campus session is not about missing important information it is about missing connecting in a particular way – in physical person. You my be someone who needs this or likes to work that way but other than feeling sad about not working in your preferred way you are not missing key information. I think the coming together of people to talk is really fun and interesting. One of my advisees was really worried about missing a campus session and that is what made me think we should think of other ways to interact together in conversation – hence the group SKYPE idea (see previous post).

This course is not about us giving you information and you telling us back what we said. It is about you pulling the information and meaning toward you through a range of sources and us nurturing and encouraging that process. We are here to help you find meaning and value in the information. So not coming to a campus session does not mean you miss having us inject you with information.

How do you see the campus sessions? How are you finding the connections you make on the course with peers with advisors, with the handbooks, with other people’s literature….etc…?

Point (A) It’s a work-based learning course. To me that means work is central (your professional practice) so the course should not be an either /or situation: study or work. The point is you are studying your work. If you get offered a job while on this course do not see it a conflict – I mean maybe we are doing a good job of helping you open yourself to new possibilities and deeper thought and that has shifted your approach to something in a positive way or made you more attractive to employers. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that as you open the door into deep thought around your practice you get a job!!! Of course I am not saying you are validated by a paid job but think about the experience and see how things connect.

Of course work out with your advisor any admin problems if you are worried about getting work posted off for deadlines or less internet access but we are all imaginative people we can make it work. The opportunity is that the work will add experience to your study at MDX and the study at MDX with add depth to your work. That is point. If you are not finding that synergy then think about it because that is why we ask you to centre around your professional Practice in the work you hand in for assessment. Part of this course is about placing yourself in your work context, better understanding what you bring to your practice what your influences are, what you want to know more and more about. How have you seen the relationship between ‘work’ and ‘study’ so far? Have you noticed work informing study and study informing work? What is your experience in this?

Please comment

Keep up the good work

Adesola

Communities, how we voice 'together' in the Arts can impact on a wider society