Facilitator+Documentation


===****Collaborative Inquiry group meeting May 4, 2011** ** ===

Amanda reported that she prepared a press release and sent it to Patty at the I.U. for informational purposes. Participants were informed of Mara's latest message that had been forwarded to them.
There was discussion about how to man the show during the sandbox event on the last full day at the I.U. An attempt was made to arrange for a distribution of content area specialists and grade-level representatives to be present during each time period. The group determined that Ken, Mike, Amanda and Aimee would stay with our presentation while Andrew, Rachael K., Rachael Z. and Liz viewed the work of the other cig groups. Then Andrew, Rachael K., Rachael Z. and Liz would be with our material while Ken, Mike, Amanda and Aimee viewed the other group's efforts.

Amanda will produce a composite research poster and mount it on foam board to be displayed on an easel or a tripod of some type along with the individual posters that are already hung. Amanda will bring it to the I.U. on the last day. Prior to final production the content will be peer reviewed by the group and group edited. This work is due to be completed by Friday, April 6, 2011.

The final topic centered on the question "what next". What will the future hold for this group and the work produced after the project ends. This question should provide for discussion and brainstorming on the last afternoon, May 13, 2011.

**Collaborative Inquiry group meeting April 27, 2011**
**A Skype meeting was intended to held on the above date. Some participants were unable to log in due to internet troubles, some could hear but could not be heard and we were unable to get everyone into a single group call. This was exceedingly disappointing as there was much to be accomplished before the next face-to- face meeting. In an attempt to prepare for that meeting the facilitator created the following audio recording so the participants could at least be aware of the key issues we need to address. **

media type="file" key="failed skype.mp3" width="240" height="20"

**Collaborative Inquiry group meeting March 23, 2011**

A Skype meeting was held on March 23 at 9:00 PM. Present were Aimee Vacanti, Amanda Barber, Michael Bruno, Andrew Keener and Rachael Kelly. Discussion centered on three issues.

The main topic was a report on the progress of the traveling art show that is the locus for our research related to the inquiry question. Rachael Zenobi and Aimee Vacanti opened the traveling art show at Laurel Highlands Clark and Marshall Elementary. Amanda Barber hosted the show next and that was followed by Liz Gessner at Charleroi.

Amanda's report was very much like the previous one. Things are wonderful in terms of all aspects of the presentation. Student motivation and enthusiasm is high. Especially compelling for students were the pieces that had an interactive component. Amanda took her classes to the exhibit and acted as docent. This can be exhausting when there are so many sessions that are alike. Each piece was explained and discussed. It seems reasonable to conclude that this project and series of events continues to be effective and possibly powerful advocacy piece for arts education in the region.

The problems encountered were rather typical of public school with the interruptions and noise and visual pollution that occurs on a regular basis. As was the case with the previous reported settings these few hurdles pale in comparison with the positive reactions that the show has elicited. In general the project related to the inquiry is providing a wealth of data from which to draw conclusions.

Other topics touched upon at the meeting dealt with documentation of meetings and time, general plans for the next big group meeting on April 29 at the IU and documentation of the inquiry that will appear on the ning. Participants will need to do some ning-ing research in order to effectively tell our story on http://ning.iu1.org/. Focus on the impact on students and focus on the inquiry question are especially important in this documentation. The tentative plan is to get all the documentation organized and the final exhibit created by the end of the day on April 29.

The next cig meeting will be on April 20 at 9:00 via Skype.

A Skype meeting was held on March 9 at 9:00 PM. Present were Aime Vacanti, Liz Gessner, Amanda Barber and Rachael Kelly. Discussion centered on three issues.

The main topic was a report on the progress of the traveling art show that is the locus for our research related to the inquiry question. Rachael Zenobi and Aimee Vacanti opened the traveling art show at Laurel Highlands Clark and Marshall Elementary. Aimee reported that things are wonderful in terms of all aspects of the presentation. Student motivation and enthusiasm is high. Positive reactions by all constituents of the school community were reported and it is felt that arts-education advocacy was well served in this instance. Aimee took her classes to the exhibit and acted as docent. Each piece was explained and discussed. Students had opportunities to respond with questions and reflections. The responses by parents, colleagues and visitors to the school lead one to conclude that this event is an effective advocacy piece for arts education in the region.

The problems encountered were not big ones. There was a lack of bare wall space in front of which to mount the show and so there was a bit of visual clutter in the background. Aimee felt that it would be advisable to have the show at each school for a longer period of time. Interest was so high that the allotted amount of time for the show to run seemed brief. Andrew's piece, being very fragile, had to be regaled several times. These few hurdles pale in comparison with the positive reactions that the show has elicited.

Aimee recommends that people have a helper when installing the show and taking it down. In general the project related to the inquiry is providing a wealth of data from which to draw conclusions.

Other topics touched upon at the meeting dealt with documentation of meetings and time, makeup strategy for missed cir meetings and the research poster template that will be constructed on April 29th and used at the May general meeting in order to present the research findings of the inquiry. All CIG members have been given a copy of the template. At our next meeting we need to come to consensus as to whether or not to use Aimee's concept of a single group generated display.

The next cig meeting will be on March 23 at 9:00 via Skype.

Collaborative Inquiry group meeting February 16, 2011 A Skype meeting was held at 9:00 PM. Present were Michael Bruno, Aime Vacanti, Liz Gessner, Amanda Barber and Rachael Kelly. Discussion centered on six issues. The final presentation of the inquiry in conjunction with the traveling show was the first topic. The idea of a collection of research posters of the kind typically found at professional conferences to be displayed along with the show was formally approved by the group. Each person will create a poster using the format of the .tiff file below. The thinking was that this would provide information about the inquiry and documentation of the inquiry in a manner that is concise and not time consuming. The same material presented on a Ning would also serve to tell our story in a consistent and efficient manner.

Discussion or the nature of the exhibit centered around concerns about the quality of the audio recordings that are to be part of the exhibit. Discussion of microphones, digital audio recording and the group's willingness to share equipment seemed to resolve the issue of consistency between audio qualities of the various recordings.

Each person gave a brief status report on the progress of their efforts. All expressed confidence regarding the deadlines. Every person reported positive and  enthusiastic responses by their students and colleagues as well. Nobody reported any negativity from staff, administration or community members.

The exhibit schedule was reviewed and is posted on this wiki. Additionally the exhibit may be set up at the IU two weeks before our May meeting and be taken down after that final AE2.0 day.

Cig members were made aware ot what is being termed the "Guiness Project" Below is a message that will be sent to everyone on Feb. 21 that explains the concept and procedures.

first look at this __[]__ and this. __[]__

You will recall that last year when "Cello Fury" was with us we finished the "lesson" part of the session with an improvisation based on the sounds of found objects and their specific timbre which we shaped using tempo and dynamics primarily.

Since each participant has an Ipad the lesson this year will end with an improvisation inspired by the youtube videos above. We will have an improvisation where everyone plays along with Cello Fury.

In order to make this work with a large group that has never played together and with no rehearsal I developed a set of rules for everyone to follow that should hold it together in terms of tonality and modality.

Here are the rules:

1. Download and install the free app for Ipad titled “Virtuoso” (This should be carried out before the session starts)

2. Using only the notes labled C, Eb, F, G, and Bb create new and original music together with Cello Fury. (Eb (E-flat) is the black key between D and E. Bb (B-flat) is the black key between A and B))

Make “C” the most important note by applying some of these procedures: i. Playing more C’s than any other note (iteration stress) ii. Making the C’s that you play longer than the others. (agogic stress) iii. Make the C’s higher in pitch than the others (registeration stress) iv. Make the C’s louder in volume than the other notes. (Dynamic stress)

You don't need to do all of these. Iteration and agogic stress are the most useful.

Stay with the pulse and rhythmic patterns established by Cello Fury as much as you can.

Start when you feel like it and stop when the drum stops

Differentation: If you consider yourself to be musically below basic simply find the key labeled "C" and hold your finger on it. Or, tap on the "C" key a steady pulse along with the drum that you hear.

If you consider yourself to be musically basic then tap a pattern using just "C" and "G". Add some E-flats when you feel comfortable doing so. When you can do that then try adding the remaining notes.

If you consider yourself to be musically advanced then you may want to download some other apps that are demonstrated in the videos upon which to improvise for this masterpiece.

Attached is a drum track for you to practice with.

Incidentally, it occurred to me that this may be the biggest ipad band yet to perform. I did some research and found there is no such record in the Guinness Book of world Records. So I contacted the Guinness people, made a proposal and submitted it. We won't find out if it is accepted until after we do the performance, so lets assume that it will be accepted and proceed accordingly. We may, for a brief time, hold the record for the “Worlds Biggest Ipad Band”.

Participants reflected and had an opportunity to respond to Jamie's feedback on their documentation. Greater attention to pupil responses and motivation is a common thread. There is a need for multiple measures for documentation including movies, journals, formative tests, interviews and any other appropriate measures to document pupil creativity and motivation. This is just as if not more important than is documentation of the learning activities and outcomes.

The next gathering will be at the IU on March 4 unless there is a need to meet sooner.

code Collaborative Inquiry group meeting January 26, 2011 A Skype meeting was held at 9:00 PM. Present were Michael Bruno, Rachael Zenobi, Aime Vacanti, Amanda Barber and Rachael Kelly. Discussion centered on four issues. The final presentation of the inquiry in conjunction with the traveling show was the first topic. The idea of a collection of research posters of the kind typically found at professional conferences to be displayed along with the show was discussed. The thinking was that this would provide information about the inquiry and documentation of the inquiry in a manner that is concise and not time consuming. The same material presented on a Ning would also serve to tell our story in a consistent and efficient manner. The group will think about this concept and make a decision at our next meeting on February 16 at 9:00.

[[file:research poster.tiff]]
Equipment order discrepancies were discussed and participants will reconcile the original information they ordered against what was actually received against what appears on the documentation sheet that was completed at the IU on January 14.

A discussion followed about documentation of the inquiry on participants wiki pages. The documentations should be assessed in relation to the rubric that appears on this wiki and it should focus on and emphasize the inquiry and its impact upon students. The inquiry should minimize descriptions of classroom routine and maximize discussion related to the research.

Each participant gave a brief description of the nature of their individual inquiry work and where they are in terms of action plan progress.


 * Collaborative Inquiry group meeting January 14, 2011** ===

Present were Andrew Keener, Michael Bruno, Rachael Zenobi, Aime Vacanti, Amanda Barber, Liz Gessner and Rachael Kelly. Due to weather related issues and delays Ken Musko arrived late. Each member gave a status report on the progress toward our inquiry project. Two themes emerged. One is that students had some confusion on the pre-test. the other was to come up with a method of scoring the results in order that there is reliability and validity. Members discussed strategies concerning the logistics of moving the final project that is a mobile art exhibit from school to school, the order of presentation and the methods of moving the exhibit.

The goal is to have the project ready by Earth Day (which is also Good Friday this year) and to collect the follow-up data before the April 29th work day when the final presentation will be prepared for sharing with the ArtsEducator full project. The final resolution can be seen by clicking the link titled Calendar+for+Traveling+Exhibit http://yellowcig2010.wikispaces.com/Calendar+for+Traveling+Exhibit

Motion sensor

skype Jan 26 at 900

**Collaborative Inquiry group meeting December 8, 2010**
A Skype meeting was held from 9:00 to 9:35 PM. Present were Amanda Barber and Rachael Kelly. Topics discussed included the nature and structure of the pre and post tests for the project. The materials cited under the link called "pre and Post Creativity Activity" were reviewed and it was concluded that some students might be confused by the instructions unless the teacher gave some examples beforehand. It was also determined that greater specificity is needed pertaining to the survey questions and that some sort of likert-like scale ought to be used. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likert_scale) Because we are attempting to conduct a rigorous study the terms as they are now are inadequate. What is needed is something more precise. A likert scale where something like the polytomous Rasch model of measurement ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytomous_Rasch_model) can be applied would yield more accurate results than the present questions would yield.

Progress was limited because at this point in the project it is important that the whole group provide their input. Amanda intends to establish a place on this wiki for people to collaborate on this issue. Since all were not present Amanda said she would send out an email to bring folks up to speed.

Collaborative Inquiry group meeting Nov. 17
A Skype meeting was held from 9:00 to 9:35 PM. Present were Aimee Vacanti, Amanda Barber Liz Gessner Michael Bruno Rachael Kelly, Rachael Zenobi and Andrew Keener. Items discussed were:

code Structure of our final report Assessment part of our plan: How to assess creativity in students. An auditor from the US Department of Education who is joining our cig AE2.0 day 3. Ways to document pupil learning (authentic assessment) Progress status on your cig work project Nuts and Bolts such as equipment orders next meeting code

=== Also discussed were goals to be achieved by the end of the upcoming face to face meeting at the I.U. Understanding of SAS, NETS, and the nature of collaborative inquiry are content areas to be understood. ===

Discussion of a central theme centered around "Earth Day" was held and the group seems to like the idea. The notion that such a central theme will bring cohesion and unity to the project.

The next CIG meeting will be at the IU on December 3rd. The next Skype meeting is tentatively planned for December 15 at 9:00 PM.

Meeting November 5 at IU 1.
A face to face meeting was held in which inquiry ides were proposed discussed and adopted. The following assumptions are now to drive the inquiry:

1. Working on a large-scale collaboration improves student inspiration and motivation. 2. Working on a large-scale collaboration reinforces the idea of carreer choices in the arts. 3. Working on a large-scale collaboration reduces attendance problems and promotes teamwork 4. Working on a large-scale collaboration improves general attitudes about the arts.

From these assumptions evolves the following Inquiry question. How can working collaboratively cause improvement and/or growth in motivation and inspiration.

Participants will develop, organize and execute a large-scale cross disciplinary arts content project that will involve a number of students from a number of school districts. It will include visual art objects and original music compositions. The project will be multifacited and will be produced and exhibited in many venues. The project will have the capacity to be an event that continues on an annual basis after the AE2.0 project ends.

This study will attempt to measure the impact of the endeavor upon student attitudes and the frequency of ideas that students generate.

Attitudes will be qualified by a pre-experience survey and a post-experience survey in which student responsive will be compared. A measurement of the number of ideas generated and the frequency in which they are expressed in response to a given prompt can suggest conclusions about pupil inspiration or creativity.

At our next meeting each participant will give a status report that details what he/she has done toward the fruition of this project and what their next steps ill be.

Skype Meeting November 3, 2010
=== In attendance were Aimee Vicanti, Amanda Barber, Rachael Zenobi Rachael Kelly,Liz Gessner, and Mike Bruno. The meeting lasted 1/2 hour. Most of the time involved discussion of a traveling art piece. The next item to resolve is how does the project relate to our GPDP, How will student learning be impacted and how do we measure and document that impact. ===

Present were Aimee, Rachael Kelly, Andy and Mike
===Some concerns were: - How to get started (inspiration) - Time frames for completing the work - How it would travel from school to school We also decided to send out an email to the rest of the group reminding them to log all of their hours on the wiki, and get all of the serial numbers for ArtsEd purchases posted on the website before the November 5 meeting. Aimee agreed to send out the email along with some additional info===

Skype Meeting October 13, 2010
=== This summary was contributed by Mike Bruno and Andrew Keener. In attendance were Aimee Vicanti, Andrew Keener, Rachael Kelly, and Mike Bruno. The meeting lasted 1 hour. Most of the time involved discussion of a traveling art piece. We wondered: - What our inspirations would be - How we would incorporate both art and music classes - What grade levels would be involved - How the piece would be formed - How it could impact student learning One idea involved having an extreme contrast between the artwork and the music. This awkward juxtaposition of works would create an interesting, critical, discussion with students. Many ideas were tossed around but it was a bit difficult to make concrete decisions considering the low numbers in attendance. We did feel that if we went with the traveling piece idea the art teachers would have to begin the project by having their students create a piece of art, be it a drawing, sculpture, or computer generated image. The music teachers could then present the piece to their students and have them compose a short musical accompaniment that could be recorded and added to the artistic work. At the end of the meeting it was decided to meet again on Oct 27 at 9:00 PM to finalize plans and prepare for the meeting in November. ===

The yellow Cig met at 9:00 PM on a Skype conference. All members were there except Liz, who was ill.
===The meeting began with a discussion of a summary of the ideas that emerged from the brainstorming session of the preceding week. That summary can be seen on this wiki if you click the link titled "Project Ideas". Various new ideas were suggested and some older ideas were elaborated. In addition to brainstorming and developing project ideas there was also discussion about the nature of our deliverable for the final day of the project. Also discussed was the idea of starting an APP-ography that would be a collection of Ipad applications that people find useful.===

On September 24, 2010 This CIG group was formed for the purpose of exploring some area of mutual interest and concern that effects pupil learning.
===Members held a brief introduction and welcomed the new participants as most of the members had worked together in past explorations. Each member expressed something they had wondered about concerning arts education and their students.===

===After attending to some administrative requirements such as collecting paperwork, the discussion turned to a discussion of documentation types and qualities of documentation. Individual time trackers and a documentation rubric can be seen by clicking links on the wiki at http://yellowcig2010.wikispaces.com/ 2. ground rules A discussion about what ground rules did the CIG want to establish resulted in a decision to not have any with the option of establish some if and when some sort of problem happened. New members were informed about the wiki at cigdb.wiispaces.com to be aware of what this group had accomplished in the past.===

===Participants held an affinity grouping exercise using post-its to collect ideas. Post its with ideas were moved into collections that seemed to go together. A number of themes emerged. One theme of importance seemed to emerge. The group feels that students and parents (and school officials for that matter) are culturally deprived and are in dire need of exposure to art works and art activities. Some possibilities were discussed such as holding a festival, virtual field trips and similiar opportunities.===

ideas related to the upcoming work

 * === Documentation
 * Kinds
 * time tracker
 * What Will Be our final deliverable that tells our story

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 * === App.-ography
 * Content-specific applications

===

NEW BUSINESS

 * === Book Study ===
 * === Budget (to be determined after Oct. first) ===
 * === Conference Presentatons ===
 * === Establish a meeting day/time for the NEXT. meeting ===