The Chicago Artists Coalition is my kind of web site. I like the colors, the simplicity and clarity of the formatting, and manageable quantity of information on the home page. I love that all the members have online galleries and that this is displayed prominently on the first page...it was fun to peruse around in different people's galleries. This is another great organization to know about! They have done a very successful job making all of the info on their site accessible to people. It seems to match their mission of being advocates for the artist community; it's great to know there's somewhere to go for practical artist questions, like taxes, health insurance, jobs, studio space, etc.
They seem to be a well-established organization, and they probably have more resources to devote to their website than some of the others we've seen whose sites haven't been so put-together. The calendar has all I could ever hope for in an events calendar! There's a whole lot of info there, but it is easy to scroll the headings/dates for eye-catching events and then click on the links for more detailed info. A+ for CAC.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Chicago Artists Resource
The Chicago Artist's Resource web site seems indeed to be a useful and thorough "resource" for artists. I would appreciate some type of short mission statement on the homepage stating what they do or hope to do. I think this is important, especially since there is no place to go and find this information...the tabs immediately filter visitors to the website based on the type of art they are interested in...dance, music, visual, theater...oops, I take that back, there is an "About" tab at the very bottom, but since the pages are so long, I nearly missed it. I would recommend repeating that in tab or link format up top as well
The pages were a bit info-heavy and scrolly for my liking, but well-organized, and I found useful information easily. I like the democratic nature of the site in that anyone is invited to submit an artist story or banner art. I like the different banner art selections - they made the site lively. I understand that funding is probably limited, so the google ads on the right-hand bar are there to generate revenue, but I find them distracting...
The pages were a bit info-heavy and scrolly for my liking, but well-organized, and I found useful information easily. I like the democratic nature of the site in that anyone is invited to submit an artist story or banner art. I like the different banner art selections - they made the site lively. I understand that funding is probably limited, so the google ads on the right-hand bar are there to generate revenue, but I find them distracting...
Dear Blog
Dear Blog,
I wanted to apologize for neglecting you for these past few weeks. It's not you; it's me. I've been spending time with other technologies and art education-related activities...videos about hair, wikis, thesis proposals, unit plans for C&I, NAEA conferences, and the like. I really do have a good time when we get to hang out, but lately I haven't given you the time you deserve. I'd like to make it up to you in these last few weeks of the semester. I'll start by doing a web critique that is due in 3 short hours...
Sincerely,
Katie
I wanted to apologize for neglecting you for these past few weeks. It's not you; it's me. I've been spending time with other technologies and art education-related activities...videos about hair, wikis, thesis proposals, unit plans for C&I, NAEA conferences, and the like. I really do have a good time when we get to hang out, but lately I haven't given you the time you deserve. I'd like to make it up to you in these last few weeks of the semester. I'll start by doing a web critique that is due in 3 short hours...
Sincerely,
Katie
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Street Level Youth Media
Street Level Youth Media, an organization giving a media "voice" to underserved youth ages 14-19, seems like a pretty amazing operation...the website was a pleasure to visit. The interactive home page was fun (and no scrolling required), and once inside the site, I found it easy to navigate. The tabs and sidebars were logical and easy to follow. My only suggestion might be to add drop down menus, but then again, not having them made me go to each portion of the site, so maybe the lack of drop downs is meant to get people moving all around the site.
They seem to have a lot of interesting projects going on, in particular FAVC - Female Action Voicing Change, the Changing Community Project, and a cool Summer Arts Apprenticeship Program. The organization seems to be well networked, with its partnerships w/CPS , CAPE, and a bunch of other schools, including SAIC. The archive was fun to peruse, but I am surprised there isn't a larger archive - they seemed to have mostly current stuff, and I'm wondering if when they put up the new, they take down the old?
They seem to have a lot of interesting projects going on, in particular FAVC - Female Action Voicing Change, the Changing Community Project, and a cool Summer Arts Apprenticeship Program. The organization seems to be well networked, with its partnerships w/CPS , CAPE, and a bunch of other schools, including SAIC. The archive was fun to peruse, but I am surprised there isn't a larger archive - they seemed to have mostly current stuff, and I'm wondering if when they put up the new, they take down the old?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Mess Hall
Mess Hall-Chicago's website is a mess! I admit to reading Jess Kaz's blog prior to even going on the site, so maybe her post tainted my experience of the site. But, really, is it necessary to have every single link POSSIBLE on the homepage? I'm known for disliking the scrolly, text-heavy homepage, so as you can imagine, I'm not a fan of this one. I like their simple color scheme and blocky format, but how about some separate tabs for "links" and "Rogers Park resources"?
I like their calendar, how everything is there and color-coded and how each event is a link that - when clicked on - leads to more information. I've been frustrated by the lack of info on other websites, so this is great...only thing is the only way I could get back out once I was in was by pressing my browser's "back" button, which is slightly irritating. This is unfortunately true on not just the calendar page...
The Love Letter to Chicago is great (however, the links at the bottom don't always work....oops). The links that do work bring you out of the site rather than opening a new window or tab, which would be preferable. This is another great Chicago community art resource (and, wow, they're not even a non-profit!) but they could use a "shower," as Kaz suggests...
I like their calendar, how everything is there and color-coded and how each event is a link that - when clicked on - leads to more information. I've been frustrated by the lack of info on other websites, so this is great...only thing is the only way I could get back out once I was in was by pressing my browser's "back" button, which is slightly irritating. This is unfortunately true on not just the calendar page...
The Love Letter to Chicago is great (however, the links at the bottom don't always work....oops). The links that do work bring you out of the site rather than opening a new window or tab, which would be preferable. This is another great Chicago community art resource (and, wow, they're not even a non-profit!) but they could use a "shower," as Kaz suggests...
Pros Arts Studio
Pros Arts Studio seems like a great, home-grown Pilsen/Little Village community arts organization...with SAIC Art Ed's own (or former?) Giselle Mercier as its executive director. No doubt that this organization is up to great things, but they could use a little help conveying that visually and virtually!
While I admit that the low-budget, amateur website feel does give me a warm and fuzzy feeling (I realized I kind of miss blue links that turn purple upon visitation), I do have a few suggestions:
While I admit that the low-budget, amateur website feel does give me a warm and fuzzy feeling (I realized I kind of miss blue links that turn purple upon visitation), I do have a few suggestions:
- enlarge name/logo, especially on the home page, but throughout the site would be good.
- redesign that top menu bar...the orange grid thing has got to go.
- cut down on the amount of text throughout the site by at least half.
- choose a font & size to use throughout and stick with it; sans serif would be ideal!
- intersperse links throughout so different portions of the site talk to one another.
- the calendar could be spruced up...how about embedding a google g-calendar? This can be done very easily...
- what's with the "showcase" page...I don't get it.
- to end on a positive note, I think the photo selection is great.
The Chicago Art Department (CAD)
WOW. There are so many cool community arts networks in this city. The Chicago Art Department
seems to be no exception. It's great to be filing away all these great places to take (cheap!) classes post-SAIC.
At least its scrolly home page is light on the text. It has visuals, video, and broadcasts, which is pretty cool to see on a homepage. It gives just enough info on the first page to make me interesting in learning more. And learn I did. I learned a new word: "intermedia" which is sort of the digital equivalent for "mixed media." I heart the graphics on this site. I love how the sidebar changes with each different menu item. It keeps it dynamic, and they've chosen interesting images. Except I just realized these graphics only change for the first three sections, and then they stay the same...slightly disappointing.
The Events/Exhibitions is a little scant on information -- I thought the listings would be links with additional info, but no: disappointing. Nice embedding of flickr/youtube archives within their site. Resident artists: cool. Very alive site -- it definitely makes me want to visit in person someday.
seems to be no exception. It's great to be filing away all these great places to take (cheap!) classes post-SAIC.
At least its scrolly home page is light on the text. It has visuals, video, and broadcasts, which is pretty cool to see on a homepage. It gives just enough info on the first page to make me interesting in learning more. And learn I did. I learned a new word: "intermedia" which is sort of the digital equivalent for "mixed media." I heart the graphics on this site. I love how the sidebar changes with each different menu item. It keeps it dynamic, and they've chosen interesting images. Except I just realized these graphics only change for the first three sections, and then they stay the same...slightly disappointing.
The Events/Exhibitions is a little scant on information -- I thought the listings would be links with additional info, but no: disappointing. Nice embedding of flickr/youtube archives within their site. Resident artists: cool. Very alive site -- it definitely makes me want to visit in person someday.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
MCA
The Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago is a great museum in person, but how well does its website match up? Hmmm. Let's see. The design is not inspiring aethetically...i.e. what's with all the white space on the homepage. I think it could be tighter, more square. I *really* like that no scrolling is required on the home page. Finally. The flash presentation of different things going on in those bottom three squares is helpful; I in fact found out about a stencil screen printing workshop that may be very useful to an arts integration project I'm working on at MAS. Cool. I think they overdo it a little bit by having items at the store flashing by as well: that's just plain distracting. And the top exhibition info should remain static (I know there are two exhibits going on, but maybe just have a different one randomly come up and then stay static).
The menu bar has good headings, but they all sort of run together. Finding info is easy enough -- the categories are clear, but the translucent drop down menus w/small text and distracting pictures are hard to read. They have a good selection of podcasts.
The menu bar has good headings, but they all sort of run together. Finding info is easy enough -- the categories are clear, but the translucent drop down menus w/small text and distracting pictures are hard to read. They have a good selection of podcasts.
Monday, March 16, 2009
three walls
three walls in Chicago creates a network/physical space for contemporary artists and discourse about art. Cool!
In general, I liked the site. Nothing too flashy, but for the relatively small organization it seems to be, it has it together. I like the wood beam over on the sidebar. I am filing the following info away for when I'm a CPS teacher: "In conjunction with Chicago Public Schools and CAPE (Chicago Arts Partnerships in Educations) threewalls organizes an annual 'thinktank' for CPS Teaching Artists...CPS Teaching Artists spend one week in a series of lectures, followed by studio time and group discussion, culminating in self-directed exhibition/presentation at threewalls at the end of the program." You mean we can be artists and teachers at the same time?
My biggest criticism of the site is its calendar. There is a lot of interesting stuff going on at threewalls, and they could convey that more effectively. One single calendar that incorporated openings, events, talks, and residencies all into one would have been more effective than the separate calendars. I'd recommend grid rather than list format. I also wish it gave more information about the presenters; often just their name and the date appeared, so I couldn't see at a glance what these people were about -- this would have been helpful.
In general, I liked the site. Nothing too flashy, but for the relatively small organization it seems to be, it has it together. I like the wood beam over on the sidebar. I am filing the following info away for when I'm a CPS teacher: "In conjunction with Chicago Public Schools and CAPE (Chicago Arts Partnerships in Educations) threewalls organizes an annual 'thinktank' for CPS Teaching Artists...CPS Teaching Artists spend one week in a series of lectures, followed by studio time and group discussion, culminating in self-directed exhibition/presentation at threewalls at the end of the program." You mean we can be artists and teachers at the same time?
My biggest criticism of the site is its calendar. There is a lot of interesting stuff going on at threewalls, and they could convey that more effectively. One single calendar that incorporated openings, events, talks, and residencies all into one would have been more effective than the separate calendars. I'd recommend grid rather than list format. I also wish it gave more information about the presenters; often just their name and the date appeared, so I couldn't see at a glance what these people were about -- this would have been helpful.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Creative Audio Archive
CAA at Experimental Sound Studio made for a pleasant visit. It is simple with just the right amount of color/photos to keep it lively (in a subdued sort of way). It seems like they are performing an important niche service for indie audio. It would be great if they had a searchable library of some sort, so that even if audio files couldn't be accessed directly online (I know they'd need a huge server to do this), you could peruse around online to see what's available.
This little space in Ravenswood looks like a great spot. If I should ever need to record some sound, I'll keep them in mind ;-).
This little space in Ravenswood looks like a great spot. If I should ever need to record some sound, I'll keep them in mind ;-).
AREA Chicago
It was interesting to visit the website of AREA Chicago, because back last semester in our Eth-Ped class, we had someone (his name escapes me now) come in and talk to us about the organization and its mission. So now it's interesting to see how that lines up with how they represent themselves virtually. I would say they line up pretty well. It is definitely a great resource with lots to offer art education and activism. The search feature was great in terms of search (thesis) topics of interest and linking that with local events and people. Good stuff.
It is clear that they are going for a no-nonsense aesthetic...very simple, b&w, no frills. I think this is a fine approach, and it is actually kind of refreshing considering how flashy some websites can get. I also imagine they don't have a huge budget to devote to fancy web design, so it is understandable that it is bare bones. I wouldn't be opposed to an accent color here and there, or the links changing color for clarity's sake. I feel like a broken record, but I do not appreciate scrolly home pages, and unfortunately AREA's is (like many) very scrolly indeed. I think it is totally appropriate for the news archive pages to be scrolly; it was actually nice to have every article in the issue displayed right there on the left hand sidebar.
I found it a little confusing that "ART/RESEARCH/EDUCATION/ACTIVISM" appeared at the top but it is not a menu bar. It would be silly, of course, for these to be separate menu items since they're all related, but in any case, it's a little confusing...other than that, g'job AREA.
It is clear that they are going for a no-nonsense aesthetic...very simple, b&w, no frills. I think this is a fine approach, and it is actually kind of refreshing considering how flashy some websites can get. I also imagine they don't have a huge budget to devote to fancy web design, so it is understandable that it is bare bones. I wouldn't be opposed to an accent color here and there, or the links changing color for clarity's sake. I feel like a broken record, but I do not appreciate scrolly home pages, and unfortunately AREA's is (like many) very scrolly indeed. I think it is totally appropriate for the news archive pages to be scrolly; it was actually nice to have every article in the issue displayed right there on the left hand sidebar.
I found it a little confusing that "ART/RESEARCH/EDUCATION/ACTIVISM" appeared at the top but it is not a menu bar. It would be silly, of course, for these to be separate menu items since they're all related, but in any case, it's a little confusing...other than that, g'job AREA.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Stockyard Institute
The small arts/education non-profit, The Stockyard Institute, has a great mission and they seem to be doing some great collaborative work to bring different forms of arts, education, and social justice together. Their Projects>Pedagogical Factory section was impressive and another good place to get ideas for projects to do with students!
I appreciate the simplicity of the site and the straightforward navigation with the limited number of menu option up top. However, the site feels a little awkward to me. I am sure they don't have a huge budget for a fancy-shmancy website, but I think they could significantly improve the site by (a) increasing the font size several points, (b) generally orient things up a bit more on the screen so extra scrolling is not required to read the texts, and (c) somehow add more contrast to the titles (like "Press," "Support," "About Us," etc.) up top because they are sometimes hard to read against the background...which is cool, but shouldn't distract from the readability of the site...
I appreciate the simplicity of the site and the straightforward navigation with the limited number of menu option up top. However, the site feels a little awkward to me. I am sure they don't have a huge budget for a fancy-shmancy website, but I think they could significantly improve the site by (a) increasing the font size several points, (b) generally orient things up a bit more on the screen so extra scrolling is not required to read the texts, and (c) somehow add more contrast to the titles (like "Press," "Support," "About Us," etc.) up top because they are sometimes hard to read against the background...which is cool, but shouldn't distract from the readability of the site...
Touching the Sky!
If y'all didn't witness this art-meets-technology-meets-art ed. grad students hungry to make stuff & get in touch with their inner child, please check out the skyscraper project that Luthando, Meaghan, and I did at the Chicago Children's Museum...
Digital Literacy
It's funny - when I looked at our syllabus and saw that we were devoting class time to PowerPoint, I thought "isn't that kind of a waste of time?...everyone knows how to use PPT by now..." and then I had a flashback to some of the horrific powerpoints I gave this past semester and seriously re-thought my knee-jerk response. For example, those of you who were in my Histories/Theories/Philosophies class witnessed one of the worst PPTs ever created, and it was mine. What I did was basically cut and paste from the final paper I wrote about my school observations, added some images, and called it a powerpoint. While it was not a bad paper, my academic language and waaaaaaay too much text approach were ill-suited for a powerpoint.
I have - in fact - had so much training in how to write academically that I even find it hard to write on this blog in an un-academic style. I find myself going back and making my language more casual, nerdy and backwards as that seems...
I could not agree more with this quote from the Digital Literacy Toolkit website more: "While teachers and students have become familiar with the technical skills required to use images in multimedia productions, they lack a critical language to determine whether an image or a sound is used appropriately." In terms of a "web crit" for this site, I find it a little ironic that the site is so text-heavy and unexciting visually, but the set-up is very straightforward and in the "teaching" section, there are a lot of useful resources that I could learn from, as well as my future students.
I have - in fact - had so much training in how to write academically that I even find it hard to write on this blog in an un-academic style. I find myself going back and making my language more casual, nerdy and backwards as that seems...
I could not agree more with this quote from the Digital Literacy Toolkit website more: "While teachers and students have become familiar with the technical skills required to use images in multimedia productions, they lack a critical language to determine whether an image or a sound is used appropriately." In terms of a "web crit" for this site, I find it a little ironic that the site is so text-heavy and unexciting visually, but the set-up is very straightforward and in the "teaching" section, there are a lot of useful resources that I could learn from, as well as my future students.
Monday, February 23, 2009
ArtsEdge
The ArtsEdge site of the Kennedy Center is a more professional and expansive version of CAPE. I spent most of my time on this site in the "Teach > Lessons" section, and it is amazing how many arts integration lesson plans are available, and the search feature is particularly well-organized so that you can search by "arts subject," "other subject," and "grade band" (i.e. age group). I keep hearing from our art ed. profs how sharing, borrowing, and even "stealing" ideas is totally legit in the field of art education, and I am really starting to believe it, seeing how many different sites make resources and lesson plans available to the general public. After spending much of the weekend writing lesson plans for Curriculum & Instruction class, it is extremely helpful to know there are go-to places for ideas and that not every lesson plan I teach has to be conceived of solely from my own personal genius. Phew!
Art Ed. 2.0...social networking for art educators
First off, who knew that typography art was so popular? I found this video called "Typolution" on the site, and it is just like the sites we've been looking at for our project...I didn't know about this typography art niche, but now it seems like it's everywhere!
It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that this is a social networking site like facebook for art teachers, but once I got what it was all about and got "approved," it was pretty fun to peruse around. It's a good idea; more targeted social networking like this seems to serve a clearer purpose than the typical social networking sites, which can quickly become time-wasters. I like the photo and video galleries; if for no other reason, it is great just to scan through and get ideas. There are a lot of interesting discussion forums and blogs, from technology in art to classroom management to a "green" page with resources gathered by other art teachers -- I found a bunch of sites to bookmark for thesis research. This is a great site; it is already proving useful and should continue to be once we are art teachers...a particularly interesting artist I discovered is Chris Jordan, who does some pretty interesting work on mass consumerism (mostly photos).
I'd never heard about this "Ning" interface which allows the average joe to create a social network. I kind of like this since I feel like facebook is monopolizing the planet and becoming a surveillance threat...
It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that this is a social networking site like facebook for art teachers, but once I got what it was all about and got "approved," it was pretty fun to peruse around. It's a good idea; more targeted social networking like this seems to serve a clearer purpose than the typical social networking sites, which can quickly become time-wasters. I like the photo and video galleries; if for no other reason, it is great just to scan through and get ideas. There are a lot of interesting discussion forums and blogs, from technology in art to classroom management to a "green" page with resources gathered by other art teachers -- I found a bunch of sites to bookmark for thesis research. This is a great site; it is already proving useful and should continue to be once we are art teachers...a particularly interesting artist I discovered is Chris Jordan, who does some pretty interesting work on mass consumerism (mostly photos).
I'd never heard about this "Ning" interface which allows the average joe to create a social network. I kind of like this since I feel like facebook is monopolizing the planet and becoming a surveillance threat...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Community Arts Network
We know how I feel about long scroll-intensive/text-heavy home pages by now...while this one is definitely too scrolly for my simple tastes, once I got over my overwhelmedness I found lots of interesting articles and came to really appreciate the depth and organization of the site.
In the headlines, I found a good one on Going Green with Public Art Policy, which is not only interesting and relevant to all artists given our current "climate," but it is related to my thesis topic! I enjoyed reading the article, and then I found the sidebar list which appeared on the right-hand side to be helpful, as it listed other articles I might be interested in related to the same topic. I didn't notice when I was on the homepage because there was so much to take in, but once I was reading an article, I noticed the different categories that appear on the left-hand sidebar: disciplines/populations/social contexts/the field/resources. These links direct you to archives on the given topic, and I liked that I was able to subscribe to email notifications about the specific topic.
This site has A LOT to offer; my suggestions for improvement would be to streamline the homepage, perhaps add some more graphics and cut down on the text, perhaps with some links to the major categories: recent articles, blogs, news, forums, links, etc. instead of having everything right there.
In the headlines, I found a good one on Going Green with Public Art Policy, which is not only interesting and relevant to all artists given our current "climate," but it is related to my thesis topic! I enjoyed reading the article, and then I found the sidebar list which appeared on the right-hand side to be helpful, as it listed other articles I might be interested in related to the same topic. I didn't notice when I was on the homepage because there was so much to take in, but once I was reading an article, I noticed the different categories that appear on the left-hand sidebar: disciplines/populations/social contexts/the field/resources. These links direct you to archives on the given topic, and I liked that I was able to subscribe to email notifications about the specific topic.
This site has A LOT to offer; my suggestions for improvement would be to streamline the homepage, perhaps add some more graphics and cut down on the text, perhaps with some links to the major categories: recent articles, blogs, news, forums, links, etc. instead of having everything right there.
Monday, February 16, 2009
CAPE (Chicago Arts Partnership in Education)
The Chicago Arts Partnership in Education is a phenomenal website! I have read bits and pieces of the book they published on arts integration, Renaissance in the Classroom, and it is a great compilation of practical/theoretical resources about this topic. Highly recommended. The site is also a vast resource. An art teacher whose class I observed last semester was involved in CAPE and showed me a great archive of actual unit/lesson plans that integrate the arts. It can be found under the "CAPE: Research/Action Research" > "Examples." You can do searches by topic area or "strand," school, school year, or grade level. Definitely inspirational and useful material for when we start developing lessons for our thesis projects, particularly us MATs who will be working in CPS. Perusing the site, I managed to cut through the stressed out thesis feeling and get excited about the process. There are tons of examples of actual research questions linked to activities which sought to answer them. After all of the theoretical readings we've done about this, it's refreshing to see concrete examples, and plenty of colorful, thoughtful, and humorous kid art, in addition to lots of links to publications, events, and I signed up for their mailing list to get news about arts integration...great site.
Web critique: SAIC portal
The SAIC portal is a complex beast. Actually doing a critique of it has made me look at it in a slightly different light. Although I like to complain about its many downsides, I ended up looking into some of my criticisms to make sure I wasn't just ranting and complaining. I actually ended up learning a thing or two, which may make my portal-user experience just a bit more pleasant.
One of my main beefs with the portal is that it is incredibly dull from a visual standpoint. There is nothing about it that makes me want to dive in and get my hands dirty, which is probably why it has taken me until now to actually look into its different features. I think this is a justified criticism considering we are an art school and all and recognize the importance of visual appeal. About the only thing that adds any visual interest to the site is the slideshow of "featured SAIC art," which I do enjoy. But that is all. From the clouds up top to the gray-blue-blah-with-a-hint-of-red color scheme and the tiny font size, everything visual about it just makes me want to log on, do my business as quickly as possible, and log off.
But I promised I wouldn't just rant. I do not find the navigation of the portal particularly intuitive, but I have to admit that there is a lot of information right there, and in the portions that I do access on a regular basis (Peoplesoft, calendar, financial services), I have been able to eventually find the info that I need after enough clicking around. The titles of the tabs are not particularly helpful (i.e. I see no real distinction between "tools" and "services," so perhaps these two could be combined into one tab or the names could be further specified so that it is clear what is where). Actually, I just learned through the "customize me" tab that I can in fact rename them, so maybe that's just the ticket. I also just discovered the little buttons to minimize and maximize the windows on the first page, which is helpful, because sometimes I suffer from information overload and need to focus on one page. This is particularly helpful for email!
Lastly, I also discovered that I can send in my feedback about the portal (bottom right hand corner under "portal support"), and I can even request feedback. So I just submitted the following comment: "I think it would be extremely useful for all new students entering SAIC to have a mandatory orientation to the many features of the portal at the beginning of the school year, perhaps as a part of the orientation process itself. Or if this is not possible, offering voluntary training sessions throughout the semester would be helpful as well." We might all like the portal better if we'd had a formal orientation to it...we'll see what they say when they write back!
One of my main beefs with the portal is that it is incredibly dull from a visual standpoint. There is nothing about it that makes me want to dive in and get my hands dirty, which is probably why it has taken me until now to actually look into its different features. I think this is a justified criticism considering we are an art school and all and recognize the importance of visual appeal. About the only thing that adds any visual interest to the site is the slideshow of "featured SAIC art," which I do enjoy. But that is all. From the clouds up top to the gray-blue-blah-with-a-hint-of-red color scheme and the tiny font size, everything visual about it just makes me want to log on, do my business as quickly as possible, and log off.
But I promised I wouldn't just rant. I do not find the navigation of the portal particularly intuitive, but I have to admit that there is a lot of information right there, and in the portions that I do access on a regular basis (Peoplesoft, calendar, financial services), I have been able to eventually find the info that I need after enough clicking around. The titles of the tabs are not particularly helpful (i.e. I see no real distinction between "tools" and "services," so perhaps these two could be combined into one tab or the names could be further specified so that it is clear what is where). Actually, I just learned through the "customize me" tab that I can in fact rename them, so maybe that's just the ticket. I also just discovered the little buttons to minimize and maximize the windows on the first page, which is helpful, because sometimes I suffer from information overload and need to focus on one page. This is particularly helpful for email!
Lastly, I also discovered that I can send in my feedback about the portal (bottom right hand corner under "portal support"), and I can even request feedback. So I just submitted the following comment: "I think it would be extremely useful for all new students entering SAIC to have a mandatory orientation to the many features of the portal at the beginning of the school year, perhaps as a part of the orientation process itself. Or if this is not possible, offering voluntary training sessions throughout the semester would be helpful as well." We might all like the portal better if we'd had a formal orientation to it...we'll see what they say when they write back!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Web Critique #2: Hyde Park Art Center
The Hyde Park Art Center is graphically pleasing and very easy to navigate. I like the color/photo choices throughout, and I don't feel overloaded with information. It feels alive and dynamic. I like that each section has a different color. Everything that I might need to know quickly is right there on the first page...Calendar, Contact, Getting Here, Get Involved...and remains on the side-bar throughout the rest of the site
The visuals are well-chosen and images do not compete with one another, as they sometimes do on a site like the NAEA.
It is nice, on the one hand, to have all of the current exhibitions on the first page with visuals and the option to click on the link for more details. On the other hand, it makes for a very long, scroll-intensive first page. I prefer a clean, to-the-point homepage from which I can enter into the parts of the site which interest me. I think a nice, highly visible "current exhibitions" link would be preferable. Maybe one exhibit could be featured on the home page (and rotated), or something like that. Then the scrolling list could just appear on a separate page, as it already does when you click on "Exhibitions."
It is nice, on the one hand, to have all of the current exhibitions on the first page with visuals and the option to click on the link for more details. On the other hand, it makes for a very long, scroll-intensive first page. I prefer a clean, to-the-point homepage from which I can enter into the parts of the site which interest me. I think a nice, highly visible "current exhibitions" link would be preferable. Maybe one exhibit could be featured on the home page (and rotated), or something like that. Then the scrolling list could just appear on a separate page, as it already does when you click on "Exhibitions."
I like how, rather than simple links on the right-hand side bar and throughout the site, there is a heading and then a little blurb about the topic and then the "more details" link to click. The section on classes is particularly well set up. I've often found on community art center websites that course info is buried in a PDF catalog; an effort is not made to make the course catalog web-friendly. I really appreciated that each class had its own page, with details clearly laid out. Some neat classes - hope to try one out some time!
(Chicago) Education politics
So ever since I started to (a) live in the city of Chicago and (b) take first steps towards a likely career in public ed. a few months ago, I've been trying to understand the local politics of education. And how education figures into national politics, particularly as it is changing with Obama at the helm. It is a turbulent water to navigate, I'm learning. Some of my posts on this blog may try to catalogue what I learn from different sources and try to make sense of it all.
Some of my knowledge on the topic comes from SAIC classroom discussions, attending panels/talks (e.g. "Policy Priorities for the New President" at UIC and J. Kozol speaking about "Savage [racial] Inequalities" in public ed., newspaper articles, and the buzz from teachers' groups like TSJ (Teachers for Social Justice) and CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators)...
I understand things in this way: a large number of schools are "failing" (both nationally and in Chicago) to deliver the kind of education that allows students to contribute in a meaningful, "productive" way to society upon graduation. People do not seem to disagree on this point. Fractures become apparent, though, during discussions about what should be done to fix it. There seems to be a strong "privatization" current of thinking, a more corporate model of education favoring parental choice, application processes, vouchers, and commuting to the best school...which becomes more often a charter, magnet, or even private school. This model stands in opposition to a more traditional "neighborhood school" model where children of all abilities, interests, and parental involvement level are mixed and local school councils have a large responsibility in making important decisions for the school community. These clashing viewpoints are at the center of the Renaissance 2010 controversey. Here are some articles which I've come across lately which talk about some of these issues:
-Education Week magazine talks about the pros and cons of A. Duncan as Secretary of Education based on his work in CPS:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/13/18duncan.h28.html?tmp=1376262034
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/12/18kumashiro-com.h28.html?tmp=282759741
Some of my knowledge on the topic comes from SAIC classroom discussions, attending panels/talks (e.g. "Policy Priorities for the New President" at UIC and J. Kozol speaking about "Savage [racial] Inequalities" in public ed., newspaper articles, and the buzz from teachers' groups like TSJ (Teachers for Social Justice) and CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators)...
I understand things in this way: a large number of schools are "failing" (both nationally and in Chicago) to deliver the kind of education that allows students to contribute in a meaningful, "productive" way to society upon graduation. People do not seem to disagree on this point. Fractures become apparent, though, during discussions about what should be done to fix it. There seems to be a strong "privatization" current of thinking, a more corporate model of education favoring parental choice, application processes, vouchers, and commuting to the best school...which becomes more often a charter, magnet, or even private school. This model stands in opposition to a more traditional "neighborhood school" model where children of all abilities, interests, and parental involvement level are mixed and local school councils have a large responsibility in making important decisions for the school community. These clashing viewpoints are at the center of the Renaissance 2010 controversey. Here are some articles which I've come across lately which talk about some of these issues:
-Education Week magazine talks about the pros and cons of A. Duncan as Secretary of Education based on his work in CPS:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/13/18duncan.h28.html?tmp=1376262034
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/12/18kumashiro-com.h28.html?tmp=282759741
-This is about the protest that took place this past Wednesday at the Board of Education protesting the recent "list" of school closings:
http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/Teachers_demand_turnaround_moratorium,20128
http://www.chitowndailynews.org/Chicago_news/Teachers_demand_turnaround_moratorium,20128
-And lastly, an article about what Obama's economic plan promises for education:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/education/28educ.html?_r=1
Friday, January 30, 2009
a bit about me.
Perhaps you're wondering about my choice of URL. I'll start there: "froggyfille" has become a frequently used cyber-nickname of mine in recent years due to two of my interests, frogs and French ("fille" = girl en francais, by the way). I can't explain the frog thing, except that I think they're endearing little creatures, I loved drawing them when I was younger, and I now have amassed a large (enough) collection of non-living frog paraphenalia from friends. Never had a pet frog. Maybe someday. By now, most of you have heard the French thing...I majored in it, have studied/lived abroad, and worked at a bilingual school for the past number of years. French has thus become more than my second language; it is also a second persona of sorts.
I am excited to have finally made my debut on the blogosphere, to discuss all things art and education, two more things near and dear to my heart...and probably to yours too if you're reading this.
Here I'm cheating and quoting myself from an earlier posting for this class about what I'm looking for in this class: I look forward to having critical discussions about the possibilities and limitations of technology (in life and in the classroom) and how to use technology responsibly. I am interested in refining and expanding my own technology skill set for my own personal development and so that I can confidently teach. I think technology can be great in terms of helping kids who don't think they are artists ("I can't draw!") access their creativity through other forms like video, photography, web design, etc., so it definitely has a place in the art classroom.
Cheers!
I am excited to have finally made my debut on the blogosphere, to discuss all things art and education, two more things near and dear to my heart...and probably to yours too if you're reading this.
Here I'm cheating and quoting myself from an earlier posting for this class about what I'm looking for in this class: I look forward to having critical discussions about the possibilities and limitations of technology (in life and in the classroom) and how to use technology responsibly. I am interested in refining and expanding my own technology skill set for my own personal development and so that I can confidently teach. I think technology can be great in terms of helping kids who don't think they are artists ("I can't draw!") access their creativity through other forms like video, photography, web design, etc., so it definitely has a place in the art classroom.
Cheers!
Web critique #1 (class assignment)
1. Chicago Public Schools: http://www.cps.edu/Pages/home.aspx
Content:
-I enjoy a homepage which does not require scrolling, so I find the homepage a bit too cluttered/content-heavy.
-However, the choices of what content are featured are good. There seems to be a logical link to click next for just about any visitor.
-Upcoming events & news keep the site dynamic and current
-The range of topics, from small (school days off) to large (the “turnaround” controversy and explanation) is good
Design:
-It’s a pretty no-nonsense, no-frills site, which has its advantages, but from a design standpoint, it’s a little bit dull
-The color choices are not inspiring…they don’t make me excited about CPS…I definitely think more photos of students learning would enliven the site. No fancy scrolling photos or special effects. Just some more real life shots from inside CPS
-For example, on the Programs > Academic and enrichment > Arts Education page, a photo or two of children engaged in art activities would make a world of difference.
-I also think that more highly contrasting colors would help differentiate text boxes from one another. The use of lots of light shades of dull colors (grays, blues, pinks) – i.e. the teaching recruiting page is more dynamic and interesting: http://www.cps-humanresources.org/Careers/career_index.asp#)
Interface/Usability:
-Highly visible “search” bar in top right corner is good
-The “breadcrumb” trail on each page is helpful -- if ever you need to backtrack within the site, you know just where you are and where you’ve been
-The repetition of “Resources for: Parents, Students, Community, Partners, Staff” at the top right corner of each page is nice – gives confused people a place to go
2. The Art Institute of Chicago: http://www.artic.edu/aic/
Content:
-Good. It all seems to be there.
-Maybe there are a couple too many main menu choices up top on the home page, but none of the drop downs are too text-heavy
-easy search feature
-helpful to have the hours/admission displayed on the homepage, not a click away
Design:
-I like the different-colored & -sized blocks on the white background: it makes for good contrast (that was lacking on the CPS site) a neatness/cleanness that facilitates navigating around the site
-not enough contrast in the white background and the white drop down menus
-the font could be a point or two larger – it’s a bit small
-since they’re an art museum, they could mix it up a bit more from their block-y format, like on the “teens” page http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/teens/index.html
-I like that the photos change – keeps the site dynamic
Interface/Usability:
-I find it generally user-friendly, except for font size
-breadcrumb trail is again helpful
3. National Art Education Association
Content:
-There is a LOT of info on this site (and mostly useful, interesting stuff); seems that if you don’t know what you’re looking for, though, you might get lost
-a nice combination of visual and written content…archives of kids’ work, articles written by teachers, & administrative info
Design:
-I like the color choices and the irregular shapes
-rotating photos/text on home page are nice w/variety of fonts and interesting images make homepage interesting
-Like CPS, the homepage requires too much scrolling & has an overloaded feel! Less can be more…
Interface/Usability:
-Again, because there is so much content, things can get a tad confusing
-Having so many different stimuli pop up in all corners of the page gets me a little distracted from my original intention, but such is our web-cuoture I suppose ☺
Content:
-I enjoy a homepage which does not require scrolling, so I find the homepage a bit too cluttered/content-heavy.
-However, the choices of what content are featured are good. There seems to be a logical link to click next for just about any visitor.
-Upcoming events & news keep the site dynamic and current
-The range of topics, from small (school days off) to large (the “turnaround” controversy and explanation) is good
Design:
-It’s a pretty no-nonsense, no-frills site, which has its advantages, but from a design standpoint, it’s a little bit dull
-The color choices are not inspiring…they don’t make me excited about CPS…I definitely think more photos of students learning would enliven the site. No fancy scrolling photos or special effects. Just some more real life shots from inside CPS
-For example, on the Programs > Academic and enrichment > Arts Education page, a photo or two of children engaged in art activities would make a world of difference.
-I also think that more highly contrasting colors would help differentiate text boxes from one another. The use of lots of light shades of dull colors (grays, blues, pinks) – i.e. the teaching recruiting page is more dynamic and interesting: http://www.cps-humanresources.org/Careers/career_index.asp#)
Interface/Usability:
-Highly visible “search” bar in top right corner is good
-The “breadcrumb” trail on each page is helpful -- if ever you need to backtrack within the site, you know just where you are and where you’ve been
-The repetition of “Resources for: Parents, Students, Community, Partners, Staff” at the top right corner of each page is nice – gives confused people a place to go
2. The Art Institute of Chicago: http://www.artic.edu/aic/
Content:
-Good. It all seems to be there.
-Maybe there are a couple too many main menu choices up top on the home page, but none of the drop downs are too text-heavy
-easy search feature
-helpful to have the hours/admission displayed on the homepage, not a click away
Design:
-I like the different-colored & -sized blocks on the white background: it makes for good contrast (that was lacking on the CPS site) a neatness/cleanness that facilitates navigating around the site
-not enough contrast in the white background and the white drop down menus
-the font could be a point or two larger – it’s a bit small
-since they’re an art museum, they could mix it up a bit more from their block-y format, like on the “teens” page http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/teens/index.html
-I like that the photos change – keeps the site dynamic
Interface/Usability:
-I find it generally user-friendly, except for font size
-breadcrumb trail is again helpful
3. National Art Education Association
Content:
-There is a LOT of info on this site (and mostly useful, interesting stuff); seems that if you don’t know what you’re looking for, though, you might get lost
-a nice combination of visual and written content…archives of kids’ work, articles written by teachers, & administrative info
Design:
-I like the color choices and the irregular shapes
-rotating photos/text on home page are nice w/variety of fonts and interesting images make homepage interesting
-Like CPS, the homepage requires too much scrolling & has an overloaded feel! Less can be more…
Interface/Usability:
-Again, because there is so much content, things can get a tad confusing
-Having so many different stimuli pop up in all corners of the page gets me a little distracted from my original intention, but such is our web-cuoture I suppose ☺
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