Hi Kevin, Thanks for your article. It resonates with a few ideas that have been developing within our team of art and design lecturers around technical teaching. We have plans next term to set up a geek-club for peer teaching of emerging technologies. This is partly down to necessity due to cuts (which threaten to just keep on cutting here in England) but also because we think its a great way to learn together. Some students are learning to do clever things with complex technologies and sharing this kind of knowledge benefits everyone on a pay-it-forward model. This doesn't do away with the value of tutors with knowledge and experience of technical processes and concepts though. It's just a way to amplify the learning.
It's interesting to consider the difference between technical and 'other' learning in art and design. There is still lots of value in a set programme of study, workshops and activities to develop an awareness of materials, contexts, theories and histories. P2P is definitely an invaluable element. There is also the connected value of students doing it themselves - deciding what they need - taking responsibility for knowing what is useful to them. Thanks Kevin, Cheers Ruth -----Original Message----- From: Kevin Flanagan <[email protected]> Reply-To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity <[email protected]> To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity <[email protected]>, [email protected] Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] A brief history of P2P education in the visual arts. Date: Sun, 16 May 2010 15:43:00 +0100 Hey Marc, Have you any thoughts on the article? My experience is limited to my time as a student in Ireland and northern Ireland. I've visited other colleges in the UK for different reasons and I think I can say with some confidence that they share a common approach to arts education. Though I'm conscious there are differences I can't really comment on things in continental Europe, the US and beyond. I remember one tutor of mine openly questioning how long this model can last under the pressures of economic rationalization. I mentioned Middlesex because its current, I dont know a whole lot about whats happening there other than what Ive read online. Its a bit of a jump from visual art to philosophy I admit and I'm not sure how appropriate it is to extend my argument in this way to the humanities as a whole. Certainly the economic situation has intensified this process. Here in Ireland many art colleges no longer have funding for visiting lecturers. Twice in the past few weeks Ive been told of students organizing talks outside of college for exactly this reason. Its nice to see students proactive but its not necessarily for the right reasons. Kevin On 16 May 2010 00:39, marc garrett <[email protected]> wrote: > A brief history of P2P education in the visual arts. > http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/a-brief-history-of-p2p-education-in-the-visual-arts/2010/05/14 > > kevin flanagan. > > "As a student I found the emphasis on self directed creative exploration > and the development of ones own thinking and ideas invaluable. Learning > and exploring subjects of my own interest, on my own terms, in my own > time was incredibly liberating. This de-schooling inspired a new > confidence and appreciation for learning which had been lost during > years of difficulty in secondary education. This is not to say that the > courses where perfect. There where also some annoying restrictions. The > division of art students into separate departments of sculpture, print > and painting doesn’t make any sense when contemporary arts practice is > so interdisciplinary. This only made things difficult for students > looking for access to people, skills and equipment. Students and staff > often struggle to maintain fertile ground for creativity. Art materials > are expensive and studio space is at a premium. Finance for equipment > and resources are scarce and competition between departments is high. > More often than not finance is directed to more practical courses those > capable of proving their value through more objective examinations and > the ratings of postgraduate employer satisfaction. The value of the arts > and humanities is difficult to measure in strict economic terms and as > such they suffer. The recent decision to terminate Philosophy at > Middlesex University a major center for research in the UK could be seen > as symptomatic of this trend." > > See here for further details – > http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp > sectioncode=26&storycode=411482&c=2 http://www.edu-factory.org > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
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