learningIT

A co-worker passed on the following feature documentary (thanks Sylvie). It’s available for viewing on YouTube until June 14, 2009. Simply called Home, it is excellent with breathtaking cinematography. View it while it is free.

HOME is an ode to the planet’s beauty and its delicate harmony. Through the landscapes of 54 countries captured from above, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes us on an unique journey all around the planet, to contemplate it and to understand it. But HOME is more than a documentary with a message, it is a magnificent movie in its own right. Every breathtaking shot shows the Earth – our Earth – as we have never seen it before. Every image shows the Earth’s treasures we are destroying and all the wonders we can still preserve.

Website here.

Here’s a visual treat showing the expansion of the human home. Timely considering the current economic times. Could make an interesting discussion starter in class. If you need a recap of what’s going on financially, check out the Crisis of Credit Visualised which I posted here previously.

subprime from beeple on Vimeo.

Craig Roland over at The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet and creator of the Art Education 2.0 ning, invited bloggers to a challenge through the Green Friday Synchronized Blogging Event.

The theme for our Green Friday event is this broad question: “How might we use art or design to promote a healthy environment and a peaceful, sustainable world?” How you choose to respond to this question is up to you.

I must say, I really struggled to come up with something different, unique and creative. I’m not sure if I have anything innovative here but all activities basically raise awareness. I have thought about this for approximately two weeks and it even kept popping in my head whilst on holiday! (I would like to reconsider a greater way for these projects to reach a wider audience.)

Frustrated, I rethought what my strengths and interests were. Would it be easier to focus on a particular year group? Would it be more effective if there was differentiation? I kept going round and round asking more questions than I was getting answers for. I have therefore decided to post all brainstorm ideas I had. Perhaps collaboration with you could further enhance some of the ideas? The details are rather lengthy so I posted them on my wiki here. I’d love to add the other blogger contributions there as well (if interested, let me know…and for those living behind iron curtains, the PDF, pictured below, is here: environment-art-and-design-lesson-ideasv3).

Activity Summaries:

1. Design an eco-friendly home using Google Sketchup
2. Create word clouds with Wordle
3. Poster Design for Elementary using ComicLife or Glogster
4. Poster Design for Middle/High School using only graphics
5. You are an illustrator, create a children’s book
6. Several video tasks
7. Product Design: Invent an imaginary product that would solve an environmental issue
8. Recycled Art: create a sculpture or work of art using recycled or found materials, or create land art

Have a look at some International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and the Environment 1965-2005 for some good examples (go to their ‘Posters’ drop down menu).

Also have a look at The Miniature Earth to see what it would be like if the planet’s population was reduced to 100.

Other participants in this activity are linked below. Give their ideas a look.

The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet
http://www.artjunction.org/blog

Blissful Thoughts
http://blissthink.blogspot.com

The Carrot Revolution
http://carrotrevolution.blogspot.com

Jean Fitz’s Weblog
www.heartjean.blogspot.com

The Teaching Palette
http://theteachingpalette.com