Wrap-up

I hope you had nice time with my facilitation. I think I am slowly understanding what Web 2.0 pedagogy is really about through the role of facilitator. I have learned so much from you, and thus would like to share with you what we discussed here.

Four important issues emerged from your comments.

1. Consumerism and Visual Culture
: First of all, Ashley and Minjung brought up the relation between visual culture and consumerism. As mentioned in video, visual culture is deeply related to consumerism. For instance, advertisement is not merely about the product. It is beyond that. Critical perspectives or critical thinking is crucial in terms of recognizing the meanings behind of visual culture.

2. Responsibility for environmental crisis
: Christine raised a very important issue about responsibilities of individuals, manufacturers, governments, and global society for environmental crisis. Whose responsibility is it? As Christine mentioned, everybody needs to work on these issues simultaneously; in the level of individual, in the level of manufacturers, in the level of government, and in the level of global society.

3. Technology and Consumerism
: Rob gave us a big picture to ponder about technology and consumerism. How many infrastructures are necessary and how much energy and resources consumed in order for us to check an email using a computer? Mary Elizabeth also stated how much we are dependent on technology and consumption.

4. The role of art educator
: Jeniffer and Minkyung brought up the important role of art educators. Elizabeth gave us a thoughtful comment saying that art educators and students can explore questions and solutions together. Lindsay also suggested that art educators can teach environmentally sound practices by modeling the choice of materials for art making, and making explicit in the art lesson to consider where the materials came from, what resources were involved in the production of art materials, and how to take care in consideration of waste, disposal, and recycling. Michelle provided a good example of art class plan.

There were valuable suggestions to read and visit on line.

* Websites to visit
(1) PBS Art 21 episode : Consumption
(http://www.pbs.org/art21/series/seasonone/consumption.html#
(2) GreenMuseum.org (http://www.greenmuseum.org/archive_index.php)
(3) The video related to ecological awareness and web 2.0 technologies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDR0-QgqiEk
(4) Eco Art Blog (http://ecoartblog.blogspot.com/)
(5) Arts and Ecology (http://www.rsaartsandecology.org.uk/)
(6) Floating point by Tiffany Holmes (http://tiffanyholmes.com/Projects/floating_point/HolmesColab/docs/index.html)
(7) OneClimate Island (http://www.oneclimate.net/getting-started/island)
(8) Second Life - OneClimate Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/OneClimate/128/128/26/)
(9) A video related to consumerism (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GECJcW2Ifm4)

* Texts to read
(1) How arts communicates (http://artsociety.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_art_communicates)
(2) From Real Life to Second Life: Global Warming Activism in the Metaverse (http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/12/11/from-real-life-to-second-life-global-warming-activism-in-the-metaverse/)
(3) Green Global Voices: Web 2.0 environmental activism(http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2008/04/23/green-global-voices-web-20-environmental-activism/)
(4) Garoian, C. & Gaudelius, Y. (2008). Spectacle Pedagogy. State University of New York Press

I very much enjoyed reading your comments and continue to ponder the valuable resources that you provided. Thank you so much for your considerate and thoughtful comments, and useful and worthy suggestions.

Thanks all, again.