masterpiece academy final question

When the last presentation has been given, this is the question I will ask you to write on for your final reflection.  Please start a post or notes that will help you remember what's important.
______________________________________________________________________________

For the next few weeks the Masterpiece Academy will be your showcase.  As you reflect on this experience, and your overall experience in this course throughout the year, please address the following questions in a traditional MLA-style essay.  Then post about it to your blog in any medium (music, pictures, video, animation, [?]) that brings your thesis to life.  (You may embed the original paper if you can't think of a better way to communicate.)

Please Note: Everything on the traditional paper assignment counts.  Please proofread and/or ask a friend or relative to help with organization, flow, and mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, MLA style, e.g.)


Masterpiece Academy Question

Montaigne ended his essay "Of The Education of Children" this way:

To return to my subject, there is nothing like alluring the appetite and affections; otherwise you make nothing but so many asses laden with books; by dint of the lash, you give them their pocketful of learning to keep; whereas, to do well you should not only lodge it with them, but make them espouse it. (1580)

The word espouse originally meant "to marry" and took on connotations like "embrace," "love," and "advocate."  Have you espoused learning?  Explain your growth in this course via a narrative that portrays you as the dynamic protagonist in your own Bildungsroman.  Please include the following elements.

ELEMENT 1: You have been treated as colleagues and you have been given a great deal of choice in this course; this represents a high level of trust.  Did you and the others deserve it?  Earn it?  Honor it? 

ELEMENT 2: Fiction has been called "the lie that tells the truth."  Which works, authors, or characters did you read this year that rang true enough to make you feel like they described parts of you and/or your journey? (Please mention at least three.  It makes them sad when we forget them.)

ELEMENT 3: Have you re/connected with a passion that drives you?  If so, how will you continue your learning?  If not, how will you proceed?

ELEMENT 4: [Something about literature or this course that made you laugh out loud.]

ELEMENT 5: [A unifying theme that runs through a minimum of five (5) presentations; a quality of the content, or the speakers, or their communication techniques that strikes you as something important that we have in common.]  Please illustrate/support your point with specific examples from the presentations.

ELEMENT 6: Evaluate whether you completed the hero's journey.  Are you a hero?  To what extent did you respond to the call of adventure?  Did you find a mentor, conquer a challenge, and return enlightened?

ELEMENT 7: For old time's sake, sneak in a literary technique.  Don't make a big deal out of it.  I'll know it's there.

may 15

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "When You Wish Upon A Star" by Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards)]

Wave your mental magic wand and imagine the next three weeks as valuable, unforgettable learning.  What do you expect from the Masterpiece Academy and how can you contribute to making it the experience you envision?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy: logistics and (maybe?) a kick-off presentation on this short day

HW:

Applied Self-determination Theory, as expressed through your masterpiece work and/or literary exploration.

may 22

JOURNAL TOPIC:

Please reflect on the Masterpiece Academy presentations you've seen so far.  What have you learned?


AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 4

3
Robert (10)
Richard (20)
Ofelia (10)
Eli (12)

4
Leo (9)
Ana (5)
Jacky (8)
Giselle (10)

5
Uri (8)
Adamari (8)
Jesus O. (15)
Jesus L. (15)

6
Angel (10)
Maddi (10)

spring break posts

Here is what you need to post by April 24:

1. Your Masterpiece Academy Topic (idea or skill)
2. Your five resources
3. Your 10 Academy members (followers-- including a description of the person who knows more than you do)
4. THREE posts about what you did (explored, read, attempted, attended, etc.), what you learned from the experience, and how it helped you better understand your topic

today i heard something i never heard before

I am hopelessly behind in curating this week's Masterpiece Academy presentations (I'll post as much as I can this weekend between grading papers), but Mario just said something in a way I never heard or even thought about.  He was talking about milk:

"Cow's milk is great-- if you want to grow tumors.  Why are we drinking someone else's milk?  The only milk we need is from our mothers when we're infants.  If you're going to drink cow's milk, why not rat's milk?  Why not gorilla milk?  That would make the most sense; we share 98% of our DNA in common."

Gorilla milk.  Never thought of that.  And I'd love to see someone try and milk a gorilla.  I'm out.

masterpiece academy day 1/ period 4

Thanks Roxanna for the great presentation on makeup!  Apart from the how-to advice (which I doubt I'll ever use :), it was interesting to hear your perspective on how we present ourselves.  Some people have insecurities and imperfections that they cover up.

Someone asked the question, "How much makeup is too much?"  When it becomes the focus instead of the person wearing it.

History: during Queen Elizabeth's time, white skin was associated with a wealthy lifestyle.  In ancient Egypt they were into the dark eyeliner.

may 17

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Hotel California" by The Eagles; "California Dreaming" by The Mamas and The Papas; "California Love" by 2Pac]

Why do you think California so legendary for so many people around the world?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 2


3
Jose (11)
Luis (12)
Jay (10)
Angel (11)

4
Eriberto (5)
Patty (10)
Cynthia (15)

5
Alex (10)
Edmundo (10)
Frank (12)
Alvaro (10)

6
?

masterpiece academy day 3 / period 4

Most students can't imagine what their lives would be like without smart phones.  Daniel tried.  Here is his presentation:

Big Question Presentation by dpreston1441 on Scribd

Then Cesar gave us some winning strategies for going beyond our limits:

My Big Question by dpreston1441 on Scribd

Importantly, he also showed us what happens when we try to fool ourselves without proper commitment, sacrifice, and preparation:

may 16

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today the thinking is all about your thinking.  What are you thinking about?  Why are you thinking about it?  How is your thinking influenced by your feelings and your memories, your fears and hopes and expectations and rumblings in your tummy?  What can you do in this very moment to change your thinking in ways you think will help you think better?  Will this improve your life?  Ya think? ;)

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Complete sign-ups
3. Masterpiece Academy Day 1: Satchel, Etzell, Roxanna, & David
4. Notes/ MGOM

may 19

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Choose your own.  Or write about how it is that a 52 year-old successful rock star can be so (?) that he takes his own life.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy Day 3

PRESENTATIONS

3
Jaime (11)
Elvis (10)
Jason (10)
Adrian (10)

4
Daniel (5)
Cesar (10)
Erik (5)

5
Mario (20)
Jose (10)
Ricky (10)
Andrew (8)

6
Regina (10)
Jish (10) 

masterpiece academy day 2 / period 5

Alvaro brought us into the world of video games and showed us some video of his exploits.

For the non-gamers in the room, the experience was a window into a world of challenge, complex storytelling, and increasingly advanced technology and business models.
 
Alex brought us back to the real world.  Some 18 year-olds create million-dollar businesses or use million-dollar high-tech weaponry to kill.  Other 18 year-olds can't manage to do their own laundry. Or vote.  So, it's a good question:

Why Are We Considered Adults at the Age 18 by dpreston1441 on Scribd

Edmundo gave us some powerful ideas to consider about racism and labels.  I'd be personally grateful if you would spend some time considering his presentation-- and watching the video he embedded in it-- and considering how the ways we've been trained to think are changeable.  Thanks Edmundo, this is good stuff.  We can all do better.



Frank made the point that racism and nationalism aren't only powerful psychological and cultural influencers-- they are also American policy.  This was a powerful wake-up call.  Frank began by saying he loves America; it's every patriot's duty to ask the tough questions.  We need the courage to take a clear-eyed view of ourselves and make the world a better place for every human being.

Frank P.5 by dpreston1441 on Scribd

masterpiece academy day 5/ period 4

Sometimes the most powerful questions are about things that we see every day and take for granted.  Trevor asked us: Why do we operate on a seven-day week?

He traced the development of the calendar back through the ages, from cultural traditions to spiritual texts.  He shared a chart with the names of each weekday and the names of corresponding ancient Gods.  And he showed us this video:


For more, please visit Trevor's blog.

Adan took the stage next and talked about why we believe (or don't) in the existence of extraterrestrial life.  Check out his presentation here.

Why Are There People Who Dont Believe in Extraterestial Life by dpreston1441 on Scribd

Adan also showed us a video.  At first I thought it was a joke.  Then I realized that there are really, truly stupid* (*literally, intentionally resistant to new or dissonant information) people who live in the world. I can't bear to embed it here.  You'll have to ask Adan.  It's a near-perfect example of painfully unbelievable ethos mixed with misdirected pathos and totally flawed logos.  Yuck.

masterpiece academy day 1 / period 6

Many thanks to Jorge for the actors' workshop!

Jorge started out by taking us all out of our comfort zone (Confession: I don't actually have a comfort zone. But it sure looked like others had fun stepping over the edge!) and getting us actively involved.

Jorge made many good points.  And he was such a good speaker that I forgot to take notes all the way through.  So here are some highlights:

• Table reading and working with a script
• Delivery
• Connecting with a character
• Relationships in the industry

Below this paragraph you can see Jorge's Prezi. But really, you shoulda been there.  His enthusiasm and passion for his topic, combined with his extensive knowledge, was beyond informative and inspiring.  The dude gave a performance of a lifetime, and I have the feeling that someday we'll be watching him on a screen saying things like, "I knew that dude back when..."

may 12

I'm off campus today, so:

1. Write about whatever is on your mind and remember to leave your journal;

and

2. Use the time to gather/organize your information, develop your presentation, bounce ideas off your colleagues and get ready to kick off our Masterpiece Academy on Monday.

I will post our tentative schedule and our expectations / tools for evaluation later today.

Have a great day!

masterpiece academy day 1/ period 5

 Thanks David for the brilliant presentation on digital art! 

Highlights:

• I love art-- especially digital art
• Got my inspiration from Van Gogh and Monet
• I just wanted to draw a picture
• As the video progresses I went from a sky and flowers to something different-- I didn't like what I did in the beginning, and I'm never satisfied with the end 
• Anyone can do this if they're motivated
• Haircuts are art. Engineering is art. Everything is art and everyone is an artist.
• I decided to make this short because I didn't want my talking to be the focus, I wanted my art to speak for itself
• My art is different from yours
• Art doesn't define you, it's what you create that defines you
• My hope is this (here David points to the finished work on the screen)
• (Video used screen o matic)

Here's the video:




And just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Alexis gave a presentation on how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle.   He talked about nutrition, exercise, and a healthy mental outlook-- here's the PowerPoint:

Alexis on Healthy Lifestyle by dpreston1441 on Scribd

masterpiece academy day 2 / period 4

Eric got us started with a presentation on photography.  Since everyone with a phone is a digital photographer, Eric's tips should help make life look a little better.  Check out his Prezi:



If you're going to take pictures, you should take pictures of something adorable-- no, Internet, I'm not talking about cats.  DOGS.  Man's best friend.  The animal that doesn't judge you, who is always happy to see you, who doesn't give you a bunch of crappy excuses about why they couldn't do that project by the date you agreed on... DOGS.  Awesome.  For more, check out Patti's presentation:

Man’s Best Friend by dpreston1441 on Scribd

Cynthia ended the period by giving us some auditory to complement the visual.  She talked about the power of music.  Songs inspire us, help us concentrate, and sometimes even move us to tears.  These emotional responses are created by the dopamine that our brain releases in response to the music.  Visit her blog to trade favorite songs and ideas!

class photographers?

I was just reviewing my first Masterpiece Academy presentation post, and my pictures suck.  As you take pictures or video for your posts, if you get a really good one would you please email it to me so I can post it here too?  Mahalo.

april 6

JOURNAL TOPIC: ["Eat It" by Weird Al Yankovic; "Savoy Truffle" by The Beatles]

Describe your favorite meal in mouth-watering detail.  By the time I finish reading this journal entry I should be hungry and jealous.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Residual F451 Q & A/ status
3. Deconstructing my essay

*Tonight it would be a good idea to make sure you are up to date.  Tomorrow (Friday) we will have a Socratic seminar in which you will be expected to participate.  Over the weekend we will have an essay, and then it will be time for the Masterpiece Academy.  The students will become the masters.

may 23

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Write a short story that includes the following ingredients: an alligator, a cafeteria worker, a magic lamp, and an allusion.

--or--

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy:

3
Jocelyn (10)
Victor (10)
Emily (10)
Alex (10)

4
Blake (10)
Erik

5
Carlos (15)

6
Joe (10)
Gladdis (10)
Axel (10)
Junior (10)

may 25

JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today's the day.  But... the day for what?  Explain your answer.

--or--

You find a scorpion in your shoe.  The hard way.  Describe in detail.

--or--

Choose your own topic.

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Masterpiece Academy

3
Vivian (10)
Katie (15)
Elizabeth (10)
Nicol (10)

4
Kaylee
Angelina

5
Yamile (10)
Elyssa (10)
Amy (5)
Victoria (10)

6
Maira (10)
Elizabet (10)
Maria (10)
Daniel (10)