Start Over Date 2018

447. The Franken Assignment: Going Beyond the Essay (1:01:02)

Date:
2018-10-24
Main contributors:
Mary Borgo Ton, Institute for Digital Arts & Humanities
Summary:
Are you eager to try new forms of assignments but are not sure where to start? Looking for resources to help students build engaging and interactive final projects? In this workshop, we'll explore alternatives to the essay, ranging from digital maps to interactive digital posters to video and multimedia. Like essays, these assignments give students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of course material, but they go one step further by helping students learn and refine digital skills. As we consider examples, we'll discuss best practices for designing assignment instructions and grading rubrics as well as identify local resources for training, tools, and equipment. Presented by Mary Borgo Ton.

448. The Freedom to Freelance—Find Your Why, How and When (1:00:02)

Date:
2018-10
Main contributors:
Saylor, Dana L.; Delmonte, Andrew; Heffernan, Kevin
Summary:
This workshop will inspire and motivate you to pursue your independent career or, for those already established, share new ideas. Creative entrepreneur Dana Saylor, Buffalo-based architectural historian, artist, preservation advocate and event planner, leads the session, with presentations by other talented and dynamic professionals. Topics include: small business types and basic finances; social media strategies, including how taking a stand can garner engagement with your desired audience; and why emotional vulnerability can be good business. With rotating breakout sessions, you’ll get face-time with each of the presenters and plenty of opportunity for lively discussion.

449. The Mallet: Making a Maul in a Baiku Yao Community (08:07)

Date:
2018-04-19
Main contributors:
Jon Kay
Summary:
In 2017, folklorist Jon Kay traveled to Southwest China to join a team of researchers from the United States, the Anthropological Museum of Guangxi, and the Nandan Baiku Yao Eco-Museum who were documenting the basket and textile traditions of the Baiku Yao people in Nandan County, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The members of the research team visited a home in Manjiang village to inventory the baskets collected and used by a local family. As the fieldworkers worked photographing and measuring baskets, Mr. Lu Bingzhao came into the house and picked up a mallet, which he showed everyone and then went outside. Kay did not speak Mandarin or the local Baiku Yao dialect, but felt Mr. Bingzhao had something he wanted to show the team, so he followed the man outside and saw him lay the mallet on the trunk of a small felled tree for measurement; Kay realized he was going to make a mallet, so he grabbed a camera and began shooting. Mr. Bingzhao worked as the children played nearby. Neighbors and family members stopped by to visit as they returned home from picking greens. Mr. Bingzhao worked steadily as people came and went. With heavy chops, he used a billhook to quickly remove the excess wood. With the same tool, he then shaved the mallet’s handle smooth, using a pulling motion. Finally, at the end of the video, just as he completes the mallet, he gives it to his daughter-in-law. Technical Note: The video was shot with a Canon 90D camera with a RØDE stereo microphone attached to the camera’s hot-shoe mount.