Preservation LINK's Blog

Feedback from Preservation LINK Students!!!

2011-12-05T23:04:00.037-06:00

Students were asked questions about their experience in the program, their beliefs regarding their abilities to do things well, whether they felt that their ideas counted, and their connectedness to school, community, and world...

Self-Concept, School Connectedness, and Community

As a result of their participation, over one-third of students experienced a positive growth in self-concept and in their attitudes toward their school and community.

Global Citizenship and Youth Activism

Over one-half of students experienced an increase in positive attitudes about being knowledgeable about world issues, their ability to make a difference in their world, parental monitoring, and using media to inspire.

I felt good to be able to share my work.

The writing [in this program] has helped me in my reading and writing class.

This class helped me make better stories.

I loved working with my classmates.

Making inferences [in this program] helped me in my reading class.

My favorite part was when we have to get in our circle and talk about our emotions.

Celebrating PLI's Creative Minds and Spirits at the DMA

2011-04-27T20:55:00.001-05:00

By Shaunqula Wilson

Bringing to our consciousness seemly familiar faces or landscapes that peak our curiosity about their history, their inhabitants, and their culture, images are able to carry us into a world full of unfettered possibilities. With camera lessons in mind and excitement in their hearts, the students in PLI’s 2011 Spring programs have done a wonderful job of capturing snapshots of life’s possibilities through photographs and collages. As adults, we must do all we can to support the creative spirits that grow to be our future artists, scientists, teachers, historians, and parents. On May 10, 2011, a reception will be held to officially celebrate the work of these students in a “Through the Eyes of Our Children” exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. We invite you to show your support of these creative spirits and attend an exhibit that features over 60 pieces of artwork from elementary school students in the DISD area. For more information, visit www.preservationlink.org.

What do you see?

2011-04-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

By Mary Caldwell

Recently I began a “looking” activity with my students. These activities are simple things that you can do as a teacher, guardian or parent that will get your student/child involved in taking notice of their surroundings. It helps make them more aware of things and it also helps them to develop a complete understanding of what’s happening around them. For instance, I walked into the school building yesterday with something noticeably different about my appearance. The adults gave me a second look but couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but just “knew something was DIFFERENT”. My students on the other hand took a quick assessment of my appearance and immediately identified what was wrong or out of place.

(Suggestions that you can use in your classroom: A missing shoe, earring, glasses, backwards sweater or jacket)

The following week, I did a visual literacy exercise with my students that was straight forward. I didn’t provide a title, I just simply asked them to look at a print of a painting and ask for them to tell me what the painting was about. Here are a few of the statements I received, “They’re fighting” “He’s trying to kill him”… “It’s not good, they are about to fight”….Then I asked them do you think this happened in the past, present or future? Their quick response was unanimous with the “past”. I then asked them how they came up with their answer know and one young man replied, “just look at their clothes…he’s wearing a dress with shoulder pads and he got a sword” This painting was obviously not in the context that they were used to seeing. Next, I asked how this same scene would look if it was painted with people from their communities. How would it be different? I got great answers in response as to how the weapon would be different as well as the clothes and the type of house the people would be in.

Doing this exercise literally invited them to think abstractly and use any prior knowledge that they owned themselves to decode what was really happening in the painting and also think about any changes that could be made to it to establish the painting differently.

What do you see?

Donato Creti
Alexander the Great Threatened by His Father, probably 1700/1705
Samuel H. Kress Collection
1961.9.6

Donato Creti

Alexander the Great Threatened by His Father, probably 1700/1705
Samuel H. Kress Collection
1961.9.6

Image from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.2011

http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?object=46105&image=8876&c=

A Natural Observation of the Transition from Student to Educator

2011-03-22T13:14:00.003-05:00

Written By: Shameka Hyatt

Once I saw myself side-anchoring for Robert T. Hill Middle School's morning news show and my name in print in the Lincoln Lantern for the first time, I knew the whole field of Journalism was mine to dive into. The feeling I felt on camera was an exhilarating one that I thought I would miss once I attended Lincoln Humanities/ Communications magnet, but print Journalism was a fitting substitute for an aspiring news anchor. Attending Lincoln for four years, I felt I learned nearly as much as the pros in the business knew to carry out their jobs. The magnet teachers I connected with and looked to as mentors, and the workshops offered, added even more to my craving knowledge base. Although many outside workshops and classes were available to me because I was a “magnet kid,” the SIGHT & SOUND program had to be one of the most rewarding ones. Graduating from Lincoln, I attended the program during summer 2007- before heading off to Texas Wesleyan University for my undergraduate career. In the semester long program at El Centro College, I learned the basics in video production and photography to create a project documenting South Dallas. In the program, I was not alone as peers from schools such as Townview were there to participate in the fun. At the end of the program, all students received four college credit hours and five-hundred dollars. Although nice incentives, the credits and the money were not the sole purposes for me and my peers to complete the program. We all actually had passions to learn what was being offered.

Now a graduating college student from Texas Wesleyan, I still have that fiery passion for Journalism and aspirations to be an anchor as I did as a student, but I can't say that much for the students I teach for the Fort Worth After School program (FWAS) at Eastern Hills High School. When I first applied for the job at Eastern Hills, I left the interview with such big envisions as getting a studio built in the school so a student-run morning news program could be started to inform students of happenings before their days began. I was not aware of the utter challenge it would be not only to get students interested in an already exciting field, but to get them enthusiastic about learning anything career-related to expand their narrow horizons of the world outside the school doors. My dreams for EHHS as a Journalism teacher were initially shut down so students could use my class as a computer class to play Halo and get on Facebook and Youtube. Whenever I tried teaching the students anything pertaining to my courses, which included Cinematography and Photography, boycotts occurred; which did not rule in my favor due to the program stressing a 20-1 student-teacher ratio more than anything else. Among the mostly lackadaisical students that attended my classes, one student reminded me of myself when I was in high school- eager to learn and explore different things. My co-workers and I would always talk about this one student; saying to each other, “if only all of them were as inquisitive and ready to absorb knowledge like him, rather than just wanting to stay for computer lab.” Having to play a tug-a-war between keeping my class heavily occupied and giving these students hands-on-experience that could benefit them later on in life, I was stuck in a bind about how to make my classes intrinsically appealing to the majority of the students rather than just a haven of the computer technologies most of them were unfortunate to have at home.

In need of some advice, I contacted Dave Herman of Preservation Link to get some advertising ideas for my Photography class. As I told him of my dilemmas and listened to his insights, one statement strongly caught my attention of my unbelievable reality, “One can only offer opportunity as a gift,” said Herman. Along with this he continued to say that, “it is up to the receiver as to when they decide to open the package and embrace the chance to be attuned to their growth and maturity.” Such words made me realize that it would take patience on my part to get to my students; but also that I must not give up on reaching out to them for the sake of a better welfare for them. After an enlightening discussion, I was filled with a slowed ambition to impact these students with what I had to offer little by little; a step at a time. My classes no longer strayed away from their subject matters because the students wanted to play computer games or just get on the computer because they would be offline at home. I strongly enforced to the students what my classes would entail; and that when they were ready to work on the creative projects I assigned, they could join. My envisions for Eastern Hills High School were coming back in the picture slowly. Who knows, maybe after a studio was built for the morning news show, a bi-weekly school newspaper could be put into circulation as well. I felt in charge and on a Journalistic mission again, and I still feel the same way as of now. Continuing to teach, I look at one day becoming a full-time Journalism teacher; instructing students who share the relentless passion I developed for journalism as a student. Only time will tell as I wait for the students to mature in recognizing opportunity in front of them, and to realize that “learning is a lifelong process” that continues beyond high school.

Former Preservation LINK student featured!!!

2011-03-22T12:00:00.003-05:00

This month, we are excited to bring a featured article written by Shameka Hyatt- a graduate of Preservation LINK's SIGHT & SOUND program. An amazing student and writer, Ms. Hyatt continues to make us proud as she illustrates what can emanate from an early interest in learning, hard work, and embraced opportunities along the way. In addition to her article, make sure you read her bio here

A Champion for the Ages

2011-03-22T11:42:00.006-05:00

By Shaunqula Wilson

On Monday, I watched one of my favorite child advocates, Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, discuss the obligation we have to address impoverished families and children. Ms. Edelman serves as an inspiration not only because of her steadfast commitment to the care of our children, but because she astutely and unabashedly conveys why we, as a national community (parents, educators, community, business, and government), must re-prioritize the investments we make in our children’s futures. I admire the fire that flames within this woman-knowing from whence she comes, what she has accomplished, and her ongoing quest to accomplish more. I invite to check out the clip of her below and share your thoughts with us.

An Opportunity to Lead

2011-02-17T10:51:00.005-06:00

“Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”
Langston Hughes

The Preservation LINK website has been updated and we hope you find the information useful. Explore the site and find information about the work that Preservation LINK and its partners are doing in the community to educate our youth. Dr. Wilson, Director of Program Research and Evaluation, along with PLI’s Resident Scholars, inform us about the implications of PLI’s work and there is a new section on the site that offers special curriculum and projects for teachers and students. Be sure to visit this section to find out how you and your students can be involved.

Preservation LINK has entered its eighth year working with students in the Dallas Independent School District. Over the years, we have seen many students take hold of a particular understanding and we, ourselves, understand that learning is first a choice and it begins with each individual’s willingness to listen and build from that. We simply don’t know what we don’t know, but if we are willing to learn how to listen, we will begin to understand. Our students today are as bright and full of promise and potential as they have ever been and we continue to be encouraged by that.

Join us in our mission to provide students with the skills set, attitude. and capacity to learn, grow, and become more confident in their abilities. Our success depends on individuals like you, who value the implications of PLI’s work and are willing to make a financial contribution to support the continuation of this work. Our website provides several opportunities for you, your friends, family, and colleagues to become a sponsor and/or make a donation today.

Let’s all work together to inspire the next generation of doctors, scientists, astronauts, authors, engineers, lawyers, mayors, generals, entrepreneurs, veterinarians, judges, professors, photographers, college graduates, journalist, inventors, educators. Building positive self confidence is fundamental and we look forward to your involvement as we reach new milestones.

Fostering Technological Skills that Promote College and Career Readiness

2011-02-13T21:16:00.001-06:00

Each day, students use their cell phone to text, check their social networks, or email. Despite this interaction with technology, many students are not engaged in a critical analysis of the media to which they are exposed. Nevertheless, the burgeoning of technology in all aspects of life requires students to be equipped with media-based and technology skills (e.g., information literacy, media literacy, and ICT (information and communications technology) in order for them to be successful and competitive-as indicated in the following quote:

“The growing technological world we live in requires students to embrace technology and the constant changes it brings to daily life. These include reading, writing, conducting research, understanding and using data, and using technology.”

-Texas College and Career Readiness Standards, 2009

Equipping students with the technology skills needed to be successful in whatever career path they choose should be a priority of media arts education. Media arts education requires some of the same types of critical thinking skills needed in the classroom and workplace and can reach students who are not otherwise being reached as it appeals to a number of senses and learning styles. Thus, it’s imperative that we champion the integration of media arts if we want to prepare youth to enter an economy that thrives on creativity.

A Year in Review

2010-12-31T12:00:00.008-06:00

Despite statistics illustrating overwhelming drop-out rates and simply apathetic students, we know that this is not the full story. Students with engaged parents and a dynamic educational experience can develop a thirst for learning that they maintain in primary schooling through adulthood. With a track record of providing successful media arts programs in and out of school, Preservation LINK’s focus on media technology, reading, writing, and interpersonal activities stems from the understanding that students who possess strong literacy, critical thinking, and social skills early on are more likely to experience overall success-no matter their background. We, as a society, we are better off when increased numbers of students can use their skills to create, persuade, and advocate as citizens of the world. PLI’s programs should be supported because they represent an investment in our children-a population from whom we should expect great returns.

During my evaluation of PLI programs this year:

I documented a number of things: children embracing the critique process as they suggested how a fellow classmate might improve their story and children originally reticent to speak in class progressing into children emboldened enough to describe plans for improving their own stories as well as share their career goals.

I noted an increase in the number of students who were able to confidently explain fact vs. opinion, inferences, and how to deconstruct an image. Students participated in lively discussions-eager to explain why they thought a particular picture conveyed happy times or hard work.

I saw some kids touch a camera for the first time, learn how to use editing software to create their own stories, and make money from the skills that they had learned.

In addition to conducting class observations and focus groups and reviewing survey responses, I spoke with parents, principals, and students. Collectively, their comments underscore the position that students are always making meaning-a view that was impressed upon me during my own years in school.

Thank you to everyone who has worked with and/or supported the evaluation of Preservation LINK’s programs this year-from the school administration and staff to the teachers, program volunteers, parents, and students. I invite you to share our website www.preservationlink.org with others and subscribe to our newsletter
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001FDXsbtgbFRom6mG9BBYUghyuR1npGSRh. Let us know what topics, research, and issues matter most to you.

Sincerely,

Shaunqula A. Wilson, Ph.D.

Director of Program Evaluation, Preservation LINK, Inc.

Addressing Global Citizenship Through Artful Discussions

2010-11-08T19:56:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone for joining us on October 30th, 2010 as Preservation LINK celebrated National Art and Humanities Month with a Creative Conversation at the Dallas Contemporary. Special thanks to Diane Sikes and Laney DeLay the Dallas Contemporary for providing space and art supplies. Karen Blessen, co-founder of Today Marks the Beginning, was on hand to help celebrate- gifting us with her warm spirit and keen artistry. Thanks to Dave Herman, Creative Director of Preservation LINK, for capturing photos of attendees as they created art and connected through conversation.

Karen Colbert, a Preservation LINK Resident Scholar and current graduate student, did a wonderful job of facilitating a project that she has been excited about since her recent visit with students in Malindi, Kenya. During her stay in Kenya, Karen used cameras donated by Preservation LINK and curriculum from its Point of View Photojournalism program to engage students at the Mahenzo Mission School. At this year’s Creative Conversation back in Dallas, TX, attendees checked out images captured by Karen and many of the Mahenzo students and got a chance to contribute to a collective artwork that, along with donated school supplies, will be sent to the school. Monetary donations that were made during the Creative Conversation will be used to ship the artwork and school supplies.

While speaking with teachers there, I shared a bit about Preservation LINK’s programs and learned about how these teachers view art’s role in helping to foster critical and creative thinking among their students as they teach such subjects as science, reading, and writing. We also discussed common classroom challenges, redirecting disruptive behavior, and the importance of nurturing a student’s confidence in his or her own abilities.

Mary Caldwell, also a Preservation LINK Resident Scholar and an elementary school teacher, is passionate about art’s role in enhancing how our students succeed in academics and as citizens of the world. Both she and Karen are working with Preservation LINK to collaborate with teachers and their classrooms as they explore media arts and global citizenship. For more information about how you can be involved, contact Karen Colbert at kcolbert@preservationlink.org or Mary Caldwell at mcaldwell@preservationlink.org

Preservation LINK Welcomes its First Resident Scholars

2010-11-08T19:41:00.029-06:00

Committed to creating a pipeline of artist scholars, Preservation LINK’s Resident Scholars Program engages individuals whose research interests intersect art instruction, art creation, and the impact of art. Residencies may span six months or can be held to for shorter periods. This program provides opportunities for teachers, students, and artists to conduct interdisciplinary research while experiencing a professional work environment that supports the application of their academic learning.

During their residency, artist scholars:

collaborate with artists and scholars in the fields of youth development and media arts
work with students within school and out-of-school settings
investigate how Preservation LINK’s instructional strategies, support services, and program features impact several student outcomes (i.e., interviewing skills, photography skills, filming and editing skills, youth activism, college readiness, career exploration, peer-to-peer teaching and learning, academic skill building, academic engagement, and student employment).

To be notified about the next call for Resident Scholars, please email your request to swilson@preservationlink.org and in the subject line enter “PLI Resident Scholar Program”

Click on the link below to learn more about Preservation LINK's current Resident Scholars. Click here to learn more about our Resident Scholars

Reflections from PLI's Summer 2010 Media Arts Course

2010-10-10T01:44:00.003-05:00

Below are just a few examples of how students have been impacted by Preservation LINK’s Summer 2010 Media Arts Course. Stay tuned for reports about all of our programs this year!!!

"[I learned] how to write or type a paragraph better than I did before and if I take computer classes I will surely more than pass that class"

"If I don’t know something I will ask others for help now. All of my previous school years, I felt ashamed to ask a question because I felt that other kids would think that I am not as smart as they are"

"[I learned] how to write a paper and to stay on topic and also how to journal about the things you learned through out that day"

"I feel that it’s [this program] a great thing because it can help kids out with their social life and maybe even help them figure out what they want to be in life-a teacher for instance"

"[The program] gave me a history lesson hidden by media arts fun and having fun and just hanging out with our classmates"

Social Media Revolution V.2

2010-08-10T12:28:00.002-05:00

During my years of personal and professional work, I’ve seen youth individually and collectively use media to share how they make meaning of experiences in school, at home, or in the neighborhood. Their experiences are now, more than ever, being conveyed through social media. Thus, using social media in media arts education provides an awesome opportunity to engage pre-teens and teens in activities that promote positive self-image, media literacy, social activism, and college readiness. If you don't believe me, check out the video below.

Media Arts Education, Sixth Graders, and the Dropout Rate

2010-07-10T12:29:00.002-05:00

I recently read an article in USA Today about an aggressive initiative to keep sixth graders coming to a Philadelphia school. Thinking about my most recent experiences with sixth graders and high school students in Dallas, I’ve found that part of what influences young people’s responses to adults’ expectations about their commitment to school and learning involves what cloaks these expectations. Media arts education, in particular, has proven to be an invaluable tool in creatively conveying these expectations while compelling young people to use their schema and unfettered imagination to embrace learning in a school context.

Just last week, sitting in a classroom on a college campus in downtown Dallas, I typed on my computer, recorded some notes, and video recorded middle school and high school students eagerly taking on a history project inspired by conversations about Juneteenth. Juneteenth, a holiday commemorated by many, is still unknown to many others. After some discussion, creative writing, and a visit to a Juneteenth program, students were charged with producing a project to reflect what they had learned and what information and talent they wanted to share as part of this project.

Although this form of learning and creative exploration was new for most of the students, I witnessed, over the course of just three days, 12-16 year old boys and girls in Preservation LINK’s Youth Media Leadership Club and SIGHT & SOUND Program excitedly run from classroom to lab while brainstorming elements for their production. One student, in particular, a sixth grader named Rodney, eagerly tapped on the arm of the lead instructor, Dave Herman, to ask if he could go look up pictures for the project. When I later joined the students in the computer lab, I overheard discussions about what historical content should be included, questions about whether the correct date for a particular event had been added, and queries from the younger student to an older student about would be responsible for looking up additional information. In the lab, Rodney beckoned me over to view the visual elements he had found and I watched him excitedly explain his findings. Over these few days, Rodney had embraced the role of a visual historian and his excitement over his ability to discover and share with the group was contagious. He, like many of his peers in the class, had seized the opportunity to convey their understanding of history, and they each had a particular role in shaping this project. I watched another student, after getting a brief lesson in how to command attention, confidently teach his peers about the images he had found and how he believed these images fit into the larger story that the group sought to convey.

The students were empowered by this project and I smiled as I thought about media making and its ability to enliven the learning experiences of these students and countless others. In the same conversation about how sixth grade experiences predict high school dropout and the massive amounts of media youth consume, there should be more discussions about how media literacy (i.e., the ability to analyze, evaluate, summarize, create) requires many of the same types of skills needed to be successful in most classrooms-whether the subject is algebra, geometry, physical science, language arts, speech, etc. I am convinced that more conversations in this direction, accompanied by more empirical research, will help us better tap into the creative strengths of sixth graders so that their personal investments in their education makes quitting high school nowhere near an option.