Have you ever noticed how your mood changes depending on the environment you are in? I surely have. Often times before I begin my homework I will spend five to ten minutes cleaning my dorm. Not only does this help me procrastinate a bit further, but it also helps me stay focused on my work. I have also noticed that if I do start studying in a messy room I will be distracted by the disorder. I might even stop what I am doing to put away of pair of renegade tennis shoes or to put my other textbooks/notes away. As an aspiring teacher, I am also going to spend a descent amount of time arranging my classroom. I don't want a bland environment. I want to have color, maps and art. I want to create a space were students feel a sense of home, not because I am going to bake them cookies, but because they feel like someone has put time and energy into creating a particular environment. Below is a few photos of a classroom where I had the privilege of teaching. I have spent quit a few hours of my classroom observation there, and with in the first few hours I was mentally rearranging/redecorating the room. The classroom wasn't unorganized by any stretch of the imagination, but I felt a few touches of color and decoration would go a long way toward creating a better atmosphere.
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| flickr: Chris M* |
"Killing Us Softly" is a presentation created by Jean Kilbourne. When Jean first noticed gender stereotypes in advertisements she started to collect them. This small collection turned into her life's passion of bringing awareness of how advertisements perpetuate gender stereotypes. This presentation really highlighted for me what I knew already, that “sex sells.” Even for me living in dorm it’s not uncommon to see poster advertising a hall program with the word SEX written on top just to get people’s attention. It is really unfortunate that while both sexes are affected by objectification, females get the brunt of it. Pope Paul VI in 1968 in his work Humanae Vitae predicted that if the widespread use of contraceptives was accepted that there would be:
- “General lowering of moral standards
- A rise in infidelity, and illegitimacy
- The reduction of women to objects used to satisfy men.
- Government coercion in reproductive matters.”
I think he was spot on.
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| Nick Schrunk |
Target, Apple, Ikea - what do these three stores have in common? Why do you buy an I-pod over an off brand mp3 player? Why do you shop at Target over Wal-Mart? Well, if you ask me the answers to the above questions is the same - good design. Not only do we consider good design to be: making objects functional, environmentally friendly, cost effective etc... but it also involves the aesthetic factor. I think Apple does a great job at making products that are extremely simple, yet beautiful. My brother is a Motions Graphics Producer for Red Bull in California. I think that his design aesthetic is much the same- simple, but beautiful. If you wish to visit his website - Click Here
*February Week Four- Fonts
I have always found it hard to remember the difference between serif and san-serif fonts. So I decided to spend some time learning more about them. Serifs are the "little feet" that stick out from the letters. Sans- comes from the French word meaning without. (At one time the font was also refereed to as gothic.) Therefore san-serif is the font without the "little feet." Another way to remember it is to think of a desert full of sand "san"- very bare, in the same way san-serif is the simple "bare" font.
Hopefully I will be able to remember the difference now.
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this is a really cool picture and a spin of of a bob marly song. I like the reference. Now I can remember what sans- and ser- mean because I will remember the picture and then I will remember the post.
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