Late last year, the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool was demolished due to structural concerns. Long Beach preservationists and conservationists sadly said goodbye to a well known landmark for the community, while a surprising niche of the community quietly shared in their woes. The "Belmont Benches" were utilized by skateboarders in Long Beach long before the many neighborhood skate parks appeared. I didn't truly recognize the value in skateboarder's connections to our built environment until I

Late last year, the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool was demolished due to structural concerns. Long Beach preservationists and conservationists sadly said goodbye to a well known landmark for the community, while a surprising niche of the community quietly shared in their woes. The "Belmont Benches" were utilized by skateboarders in Long Beach long before the many neighborhood skate parks appeared. I didn't truly recognize the value in skateboarder's connections to our built environment until I

  In what is being marketed as the "first book on Instagram", author Jason Sperling partners with artist Nik Piscitello to discuss some of the challenges of working in marketing and advertising. Each day, a new "page" in Look At Me When I'm Talking To You appears on Instagram, featuring a brief animation and accompanying text. The book is 160 pages long, and gives the audience just a piece of the story each day.  As the story unfolds, Sperling and Piscitello outline just how challenging it can

  In what is being marketed as the "first book on Instagram", author Jason Sperling partners with artist Nik Piscitello to discuss some of the challenges of working in marketing and advertising. Each day, a new "page" in Look At Me When I'm Talking To You appears on Instagram, featuring a brief animation and accompanying text. The book is 160 pages long, and gives the audience just a piece of the story each day.  As the story unfolds, Sperling and Piscitello outline just how challenging it can

Reading Lankshear & Knobel's reflections on online social networking was remarkably well timed this week. It seems like every month you hear about a new social media website or application, and lately Periscope has come up in multiple conversations. Periscope is a live video streaming app that is linked to your Twitter account, so I decided to download the app and see what it was all about. I will preface by saying I have almost entirely skipped the popularly used social media applications like

Reading Lankshear & Knobel's reflections on online social networking was remarkably well timed this week. It seems like every month you hear about a new social media website or application, and lately Periscope has come up in multiple conversations. Periscope is a live video streaming app that is linked to your Twitter account, so I decided to download the app and see what it was all about. I will preface by saying I have almost entirely skipped the popularly used social media applications like

How can time move so quickly, every moment so rich in experience and meaning? Sometimes, the beauty in a single moment is overwhelming. While I was sitting in my garden this week, a hummingbird joined me for a brief moment, drinking from the flowers. The sunlight filtered through the tall flowers and glinted off the colorful feathers as he swifty moved from bud to bud. The beauty in this single moment was captivating and stunning at the same time. An attempt to get a photo proved to be in vain,

How can time move so quickly, every moment so rich in experience and meaning? Sometimes, the beauty in a single moment is overwhelming. While I was sitting in my garden this week, a hummingbird joined me for a brief moment, drinking from the flowers. The sunlight filtered through the tall flowers and glinted off the colorful feathers as he swifty moved from bud to bud. The beauty in this single moment was captivating and stunning at the same time. An attempt to get a photo proved to be in vain,

It's been nearly 9 years since South Park aired Make Love, Not Warcraft. As a fan of South Park and a player of World of Warcraft, I've seen this episode a few times. While watching it recently, I realized that this unique mash up of two different areas of pop culture is a perfect example of the various dimensions of literacy that are involved in the production of fan fiction style work. As a collaborative work between South Park and Blizzard Entertainment, the episode is rich with an

It's been nearly 9 years since South Park aired Make Love, Not Warcraft. As a fan of South Park and a player of World of Warcraft, I've seen this episode a few times. While watching it recently, I realized that this unique mash up of two different areas of pop culture is a perfect example of the various dimensions of literacy that are involved in the production of fan fiction style work. As a collaborative work between South Park and Blizzard Entertainment, the episode is rich with an

Chapter 4 Reflection New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel   More than 17,000 years ago, humans painted murals in caves in southwestern France. Artists would venture their way through oxygen-deprived, dark cave passages to various locations and paint images of large animals, human figures, and abstract signs and symbols, taking their inspiration from life and the natural world. This is one of the very first examples of art imitating life, and

Chapter 4 Reflection New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel   More than 17,000 years ago, humans painted murals in caves in southwestern France. Artists would venture their way through oxygen-deprived, dark cave passages to various locations and paint images of large animals, human figures, and abstract signs and symbols, taking their inspiration from life and the natural world. This is one of the very first examples of art imitating life, and

Good 'ole Somerset, Wisconsin. My home for the first 18 years of my life. Ninety five percent of the kids I graduated from high school with I had known since Kindergarten. With a current population of 2,668, Somerset is technically a village. I would guess that my graduating class had less than eighty people but I'm not quite sure.    I haven't been back much since my grandmother passed away two years ago. While I was there last, I realized so much had changed. It is strange how a place can live

Good 'ole Somerset, Wisconsin. My home for the first 18 years of my life. Ninety five percent of the kids I graduated from high school with I had known since Kindergarten. With a current population of 2,668, Somerset is technically a village. I would guess that my graduating class had less than eighty people but I'm not quite sure.    I haven't been back much since my grandmother passed away two years ago. While I was there last, I realized so much had changed. It is strange how a place can live

I was 12 when the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City happened. I can't say I recall where I was when I found out or how I felt about it at the time. In contrast, I recall the exact moment I found out about the bombing of ...

I was 12 when the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City happened. I can't say I recall where I was when I found out or how I felt about it at the time. In contrast, I recall the exact moment I found out about the bombing of ...

Chapter 3 Reflection New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel   In the last couple of years, I have frequently come across articles and publications discussing the "Millennial" generation (born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s). Some authors have criticized their work ethic and personal habits, and others say that Millennials are changing the workplace in a radical way. Is the critique of the Millennial generation really any different

Chapter 3 Reflection New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel   In the last couple of years, I have frequently come across articles and publications discussing the "Millennial" generation (born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s). Some authors have criticized their work ethic and personal habits, and others say that Millennials are changing the workplace in a radical way. Is the critique of the Millennial generation really any different

  It all started with a set of magnetic tangram pieces. You remember the Tangram puzzles right? I had one in elementary school that was wood; seven flat shapes called tans that you could use to create numerous different shapes. The tangam has an interesting history, with rumored origins in China from over 1,000 years ago. The puzzles were widely popular in England and Denmark in the early 1800's, and at the end of the century became common in the United States. Apparently they also had a

What stops a father and son from being able to talk?    What stops any family or friends from being able to talk? How do we fall into patterns of nonexistent or superficial conversation with those we love? In Radio Silence, Duncan Cowles explores his relationship with his father, and attempts to understand the pattern of unspoken communication that has become the norm. His genuine and heartfelt approach to learning more about his father naturally brings the viewer to reflect on their own

  It all started with a set of magnetic tangram pieces. You remember the Tangram puzzles right? I had one in elementary school that was wood; seven flat shapes called tans that you could use to create numerous different shapes. The tangam has an interesting history, with rumored origins in China from over 1,000 years ago. The puzzles were widely popular in England and Denmark in the early 1800's, and at the end of the century became common in the United States. Apparently they also had a

What stops a father and son from being able to talk?    What stops any family or friends from being able to talk? How do we fall into patterns of nonexistent or superficial conversation with those we love? In Radio Silence, Duncan Cowles explores his relationship with his father, and attempts to understand the pattern of unspoken communication that has become the norm. His genuine and heartfelt approach to learning more about his father naturally brings the viewer to reflect on their own

What an inspired week I've had. A collaborative animation in progress, new projects for We Are The Next, and let's not forget about the installation that is still happening at the museum. Oh, and I've finally gotten into a bit of a rhythm with my course work and blog writing. I'll have to admit, while I thought I had a good handle on everything this week, I realized that I forgot to post my daily create from a couple of days ago. It seems that all the projects I've been taking on lately are

What an inspired week I've had. A collaborative animation in progress, new projects for We Are The Next, and let's not forget about the installation that is still happening at the museum. Oh, and I've finally gotten into a bit of a rhythm with my course work and blog writing. I'll have to admit, while I thought I had a good handle on everything this week, I realized that I forgot to post my daily create from a couple of days ago. It seems that all the projects I've been taking on lately are

It Is Time To Get Down//Martha Rich    The Jealous Curator podcast is a new addition to the blog and website with the same name, featuring curated experiences with contemporary art and artists. An interview with Martha Rich is the inaugural podcast, and The Jealous Curator captures stories about the artist life, art, and pop culture references through a casual but intimate conversation. Intuitive questioning and a genuine, curious perspective results in Martha revealing inspiration, meaning, and

It Is Time To Get Down//Martha Rich    The Jealous Curator podcast is a new addition to the blog and website with the same name, featuring curated experiences with contemporary art and artists. An interview with Martha Rich is the inaugural podcast, and The Jealous Curator captures stories about the artist life, art, and pop culture references through a casual but intimate conversation. Intuitive questioning and a genuine, curious perspective results in Martha revealing inspiration, meaning, and

  Certain sounds often have a specific place and time that comes to mind when we hear them. Maybe it's the sound of a train that reminds you of the neighborhood from your youth, or perhaps carnival music that reminds you of late summer. A collection of sounds from a particular era can paint a complex picture with social, political, and economical implications.    Think for a moment about life in the early 1900s in the United States. What sounds would you hear if you could step back into time?

  Certain sounds often have a specific place and time that comes to mind when we hear them. Maybe it's the sound of a train that reminds you of the neighborhood from your youth, or perhaps carnival music that reminds you of late summer. A collection of sounds from a particular era can paint a complex picture with social, political, and economical implications.    Think for a moment about life in the early 1900s in the United States. What sounds would you hear if you could step back into time?

Chapter 2 Reflection New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel   Have you ever spent a little more time than you intended on social media? Maybe it was Facebook, and after you fell down a rabbit hole of photos on your friend's friend's profile page you suddenly looked up and nearly an hour had passed. Why do we "watch" people on social media?   On StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson recently had an interview with Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter,

Chapter 2 Reflection New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning by Colin Lankshear & Michele Knobel   Have you ever spent a little more time than you intended on social media? Maybe it was Facebook, and after you fell down a rabbit hole of photos on your friend's friend's profile page you suddenly looked up and nearly an hour had passed. Why do we "watch" people on social media?   On StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson recently had an interview with Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter,