I have shown that a blog, as a tool used for expression and design, can become an extension of a designer’s creativity and personality. The blogs I have reviewed in this body of work clearly demonstrate how designers can personalise a blog to provide a successful platform to showcase their work, communicate with peers and followers and market their unique products.
I have outlined the benefits that blogging can create for the jewellery design student. Not only is blogging a valuable method of recording design and creative development, it can be utilised as a platform for the student to increase his knowledge of and contact with the jewellery industry.
The feedback I have received from Xtine Stepcic, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Design Lecturer, has been most positive. She has repeatedly remarked on the overall improvement of the first year Jewellery Design and Manufacture students design work. In conversation she spoke of how the students are communicating much more readily with her, improving their working relationship. By having to write on their blogs weekly, their thoughts and feeling are being expressed well, allowing Xtine to understand and communicate with them better.
Xtine has asked me to extend the project to the second year Jewellery Design and Manufacture students. She believes that they too would benefit greatly from converting their design diaries to blog format.
I have demonstrated that blogging as a subject would be a meaningful addition to the University curriculum.
If blogging is introduced in the first year of study the students would continue with their blogs for the duration of their studies. This would provide the lecturers with the ability to track a student’s progress. It will also be a useful tool to both student and lecturer during the external moderation at the end of each year, allowing the moderator to view each student’s effort and progress throughout the year.
I have personally experienced the positive outcomes of blogging. Since beginning my blog, Oh Dear, Megan my work has been showcased on other blogs. I have been featured on Between 10 & 5 twice and, on the second occasion I was interviewed. My work has also been featured on Miss Moss, a popular South African blog and Rooted, a South African online magazine (click here to view interview). These features have resulted in positive feedback, inquiries and business opportunities.
The value of a blog to support, assist and inspire the artist or designer should not be overlooked.
Monday, October 4, 2010
CHAPTER THREE: DISCUSSION
I believe that the value of this research lies in understanding how modern technology, in the form of blogging, can aid the student in self-assessment and communication, which are vital areas in the formative education process.
The teaching methodologies practised in the Jewellery Design Department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology fall largely in the sphere of ‘formative’ or ‘continual’ rather than summative assessment. Formative assessment occurs while content is being taught and learned. The teacher's role is to gauge what the students understand and to what degree, to inform students of their progress and to help them set goals. Educators strive to make the learning experience as individual as possible, as this one-on-one approach is a far more ‘design friendly’ method of unlocking the student's potential. All the the readings and research that I have done for this body of work emphasise the benefits of formative education for both student and teacher.
“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all” Abraham Lincoln
Formative assessment is a self-reflective process and it is to this end that the blog appears to be uniquely positioned. Through the use of blogs, students can learn to assess themselves and their work and take control of their own learning. This would seem to be the core goal of outcomes based learning and teaching. The First year jewellery design and manufacture students that I’ve included in this study have, in my opinion, become more motivated and focused. Xtine Stepcic the first year design lecturer has, in conversation, confirmed these benefits.
”I have found that the students are much more open and willing to communicate with me. They are also finding it easier to express their ideas and designs to me and each other”
Formative assessment creates a bi-directional learning process. In other words, a dialogue is established between lecturer and student. This research report argues that the blog is a perfect tool to this end. The second vital point is that the communication in the design studio has become more free and less daunting. A critique now becomes less intimidating to the students and encourages constructive communication. This also supports language skills, a problem in our multi-lingual society. These positive aspects of blogging and formative assessment will greatly benefit jewellery designers both during and after completing their studies.
It is appropriate to now analyse the positive progress of the three Cape Peninsula University of Technology students featured in this study, using their blogs as a tool to track their development.
The first student, Miles Lawn was born and raised in Kuilsriver, Cape Town. He is 21 years old and attended Belville Technical High School where he majored in electrical engineering. In 2009, he completed the Access course at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and was originally planning to study Architecture this year.
One of Miles’ first blogposts is of a bridge designed by Calatrava. Architecture, and bridges in particular are a very strong theme throughout his blog, Mowfunk. As a lecturer Xtine followed his process through his blog. She was able to see his design logic progress from bridge to a piece of jewellery. She was then able to have an intelligent discussion about his work and plan with him the variations that will form his subsequent jewellery designs. Portraying one’s design and being able to substantiate the design process is something that I have come to realise is very important to the jewellery designer. I found this realization hugely valuable and shall carry this into my own future career. Articulating what would seem to many as simply common sense, has made me aware that design is more than pretty pictures or ideas but is in fact the culmination of an intellectual process.
“We are educating people out of their own creativity” – Sir Ken Robenson
Previously the ‘shy’ Miles would have found it difficult in a classroom critique to explain to Xtine his inspiration for his new design as anything more than a bridge. Formal classroom discussion prevents many a students from speaking their mind. Xtine can now engage with Miles’s creative process.
Through the blog Xtine can now track trends in the student's work and formulate a lesson to aid or encourage the class as a whole or individual students in certain areas.
The second student blog, White Wave by Genevieve Maurel, also gave me a better understanding of the positives of blogging. Genevieve's blog, as previously mentioned, is my favourite example of a student blog.
Genevieve originates from Mauritius and is 19 years old. She attended an international high school and was exposed to many cultures and individuals from around the world. At school she majored in Art, Design, Psychology, English, Maths and French.
When I initially introduced the first year students to the project, Genevieve's response was positive and enthusiastic. This positive response is evident throughout her blog. As well as keeping up to date with her design posts, Genevieve has also begun blogging personal pictures and poetry. She is using her blog in an extremely creative way by turning it into a mood board of her life. Genevieve feels safe to express herself freely on her blog and besides forging a relationship on a more personal level with Xtine, she is allowing herself to become more accessible to her peers.
Genevieve has included blog posts that comment on both social and environmental issues. She continues to find designs that have a substantial impact on her world. Her choices are slightly naïve but the blog is a format that allows Xtine to trace her creative jumps and teach Genevieve to justify her choices correctly.
Chrissane Louw, the third student under discussion is from Cape Town and is 19. She attended Jan van Riebeek high school in the city centre, where she majored in art. Her high school is predominantly Afrikaans speaking and her English is not very good. Chrissane is also very shy.
However her blog is not timid at all. She writes very confidently in her blog posts and her image choices are strong, as can be seen in her most recent posts. I find it interesting that different students use their blog in diverse ways. Chrisanne has styled her blog, Cinderella on clouds, in such a way that it has really become an extension of her personality.
It is evident that Chrissane has an interest in antique jewellery. When Xtine analyses Cinderella on clouds she will be able to steer Chrisanne’s design work in a direction that develops her interest into a body of work based on antique jewellery.
Another interesting positive outcome from this project is that the students have begun following each others blogs. They have now created a network. The students are able to comment on each others work and interact freely. The students have become aware of each others work and can draw inspiration from each other. This promotes discussion between the students and the lecturer in the classroom, making them more confident and comfortable in the classroom environment.
The students at first were hesitant at the thought of their work being public because they were not yet confident in their work or their ideas. I felt that one of the biggest challenges for the students when starting this project was writing their own artist statements and writing about themselves in general. They are in a transitional phase of their lives and education and many of them had never thought about what inspires them in life and in design.
Overall, I am very happy with the outcomes of this project and feel that it has had a positive effect on both the students and their design lecturer.
More than ever I believe that the education system needs to develop and move forward, embracing all the new technologies, as students are being prepared to take their places in this new technological age.
The teaching methodologies practised in the Jewellery Design Department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology fall largely in the sphere of ‘formative’ or ‘continual’ rather than summative assessment. Formative assessment occurs while content is being taught and learned. The teacher's role is to gauge what the students understand and to what degree, to inform students of their progress and to help them set goals. Educators strive to make the learning experience as individual as possible, as this one-on-one approach is a far more ‘design friendly’ method of unlocking the student's potential. All the the readings and research that I have done for this body of work emphasise the benefits of formative education for both student and teacher.
“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all” Abraham Lincoln
Formative assessment is a self-reflective process and it is to this end that the blog appears to be uniquely positioned. Through the use of blogs, students can learn to assess themselves and their work and take control of their own learning. This would seem to be the core goal of outcomes based learning and teaching. The First year jewellery design and manufacture students that I’ve included in this study have, in my opinion, become more motivated and focused. Xtine Stepcic the first year design lecturer has, in conversation, confirmed these benefits.
”I have found that the students are much more open and willing to communicate with me. They are also finding it easier to express their ideas and designs to me and each other”
Formative assessment creates a bi-directional learning process. In other words, a dialogue is established between lecturer and student. This research report argues that the blog is a perfect tool to this end. The second vital point is that the communication in the design studio has become more free and less daunting. A critique now becomes less intimidating to the students and encourages constructive communication. This also supports language skills, a problem in our multi-lingual society. These positive aspects of blogging and formative assessment will greatly benefit jewellery designers both during and after completing their studies.
It is appropriate to now analyse the positive progress of the three Cape Peninsula University of Technology students featured in this study, using their blogs as a tool to track their development.
The first student, Miles Lawn was born and raised in Kuilsriver, Cape Town. He is 21 years old and attended Belville Technical High School where he majored in electrical engineering. In 2009, he completed the Access course at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and was originally planning to study Architecture this year.
One of Miles’ first blogposts is of a bridge designed by Calatrava. Architecture, and bridges in particular are a very strong theme throughout his blog, Mowfunk. As a lecturer Xtine followed his process through his blog. She was able to see his design logic progress from bridge to a piece of jewellery. She was then able to have an intelligent discussion about his work and plan with him the variations that will form his subsequent jewellery designs. Portraying one’s design and being able to substantiate the design process is something that I have come to realise is very important to the jewellery designer. I found this realization hugely valuable and shall carry this into my own future career. Articulating what would seem to many as simply common sense, has made me aware that design is more than pretty pictures or ideas but is in fact the culmination of an intellectual process.
“We are educating people out of their own creativity” – Sir Ken Robenson
Previously the ‘shy’ Miles would have found it difficult in a classroom critique to explain to Xtine his inspiration for his new design as anything more than a bridge. Formal classroom discussion prevents many a students from speaking their mind. Xtine can now engage with Miles’s creative process.
Through the blog Xtine can now track trends in the student's work and formulate a lesson to aid or encourage the class as a whole or individual students in certain areas.
The second student blog, White Wave by Genevieve Maurel, also gave me a better understanding of the positives of blogging. Genevieve's blog, as previously mentioned, is my favourite example of a student blog.
Genevieve originates from Mauritius and is 19 years old. She attended an international high school and was exposed to many cultures and individuals from around the world. At school she majored in Art, Design, Psychology, English, Maths and French.
When I initially introduced the first year students to the project, Genevieve's response was positive and enthusiastic. This positive response is evident throughout her blog. As well as keeping up to date with her design posts, Genevieve has also begun blogging personal pictures and poetry. She is using her blog in an extremely creative way by turning it into a mood board of her life. Genevieve feels safe to express herself freely on her blog and besides forging a relationship on a more personal level with Xtine, she is allowing herself to become more accessible to her peers.
Genevieve has included blog posts that comment on both social and environmental issues. She continues to find designs that have a substantial impact on her world. Her choices are slightly naïve but the blog is a format that allows Xtine to trace her creative jumps and teach Genevieve to justify her choices correctly.
Chrissane Louw, the third student under discussion is from Cape Town and is 19. She attended Jan van Riebeek high school in the city centre, where she majored in art. Her high school is predominantly Afrikaans speaking and her English is not very good. Chrissane is also very shy.
However her blog is not timid at all. She writes very confidently in her blog posts and her image choices are strong, as can be seen in her most recent posts. I find it interesting that different students use their blog in diverse ways. Chrisanne has styled her blog, Cinderella on clouds, in such a way that it has really become an extension of her personality.
It is evident that Chrissane has an interest in antique jewellery. When Xtine analyses Cinderella on clouds she will be able to steer Chrisanne’s design work in a direction that develops her interest into a body of work based on antique jewellery.
Another interesting positive outcome from this project is that the students have begun following each others blogs. They have now created a network. The students are able to comment on each others work and interact freely. The students have become aware of each others work and can draw inspiration from each other. This promotes discussion between the students and the lecturer in the classroom, making them more confident and comfortable in the classroom environment.
The students at first were hesitant at the thought of their work being public because they were not yet confident in their work or their ideas. I felt that one of the biggest challenges for the students when starting this project was writing their own artist statements and writing about themselves in general. They are in a transitional phase of their lives and education and many of them had never thought about what inspires them in life and in design.
Overall, I am very happy with the outcomes of this project and feel that it has had a positive effect on both the students and their design lecturer.
More than ever I believe that the education system needs to develop and move forward, embracing all the new technologies, as students are being prepared to take their places in this new technological age.
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