Eva Kavanagh at IADT Cyberbullying Conference

 

Absolutely great Cyberbullying Conference in IADT on Saturday 23rd March, organised by Dr. Irene Connolly - brilliant speakers and some fantastic (and sometimes terrifying) presentations. IADT's DL041 Animation 3rd Year student Eva Kavanagh did real-time visualisation on the conference's closing session, illustrating some of the issues and topics which had emerged through the day.

 

Thanks to Irene Connolly, Marion Palmer, Pavel (AV), Stefan Paz Berrios, Andrew Power, Annie Doona and Paul Allen.

 

Most of all - well done to Eva!

Animation Debs 2013

210313 - DQ Statement to the DL041 Stage 3 students

Because I was at the GradCAM Seminar, I couldn't make a statement to my 3rd Years when all of the DL041 Animation students got together on Thursday afternoon. So, Barry O' Donoghue agreed to read one from me... Thanks Barry.

My 3rd Years! Apologies, I cannot be here with you today – I’m at a Research conference in town. I will adjourn to Baker’s later in the day – I may become disgracefully intoxicated! I want you to hear this in front of the entire DL041 Animation community, of students and lecturers.

We have five weeks left after Easter but almost to a man, to a woman, I could progress every one of you through to Animation Stage 4 right now without batting an eyelid! You’ve done some great work and you’ve already grown incredibly through this Year. Many of you came into Stage 3 as babies and you have now grown into adults in my eyes. You have transformed. We’ve worked face to face, through Blackboard, through Youtube, Facebook, Tumblr, self-assessment, peer assessment and Journals. We’ve fought, argued, cried and laughed but I am incredibly proud of the learning you’ve achieved. As a group, you’ve won the IADT Christmas card, you’ve done realtime visualisation at the 2012 LIN conference, you’ve won a shot at 2 UCD Research films, done 3 or 4 music videos, a dog video, you’ve worked on 4th Year films, assessed portfolios, you’ve wowed Vivienne, Sydney Padua, Paperdolls, Tara, Eilis, Annie Doona, Donald Taylor Black, Andrew Power, Julian King, Gillian Boland and Geronimo with your maturity and sophistication! With Claire O’ Reilly, you’ve steered the exciting new Anim Soc, and you’ve kicked through your own project work, growing your learning through the year. Many of you have held down onerous jobs outside, or struggled silently whilst waiting for grants, or even chairs to arrive. Respect to you all.

For me, the greatest measure of your adulthood is that I would now like to count most of you as my very good friends.

Try to get some break over Easter, whilst I DQ struggle to make a film for Galway. You’re all exhausted, run-down, tired, ill, worried, even injured. Get some rest! We need you fresh and rearing to go for the weeks after Easter – one final push to clinch individual learning victory for each and every one of you. Keep me posted on your progress and thoughts through Journals! This means you.

People of DL041 – remember that you are the sexiest course in the sexiest Third Level institution in this country – it’s official according to the recent HEA Creative Arts Dublin Report. Everyone wants to be you. But only you are you! You’re already a gifted, talented and highly connected elite. All of you. Do not underestimate your selves!

Thanks to Barry, Laura, Damien, Keith, Geoffrey, Andy, Teemu and Steve for their mega mega inputs with my 3rd Years during this year. Most of all, thanks to you 3rd Years for being some of my finest students ever. I mean it. You inspire me. Thank you.

You are my friends. You are the future.

Maybe see you later.

Revisiting Practice Research

Revisiting Practice Research Gradcam

21st March, 10.30-4.00pm

What has come to be termed Practice Based Research has been in a feature of third level and research cultures of the last 15 years. Yet it’s emergence has not been a greeted with consensus nor has it been without challenges in both its traction or implementation. Each institutional setting has performed PBR in different ways.  Across many of the institutions involved in Art and Design on the island of Ireland, PBR has been adopted at the PhD level though Level 9 is now a prospect.

In this context, GradCAM with the Learning and Education in Art and Design (LEAD) network are hosting a platform that takes stock of where we are and where we have been with regards to this emergence and its surrounding debate. It will allow for a focused discussion on the nature and problems of conducting PBR in the Creative Arts, Art and Design and Media at this current moment. We are inviting a number of partners and contributors across the network to present position papers on what they understand by PBR or Practice Led Research and all of the permutations in between. However, rather than only leave it at this top level discussion for senior staff and supervisors, we also seek presentations from researchers recently graduated that ground and anchor the actualities of PBR in these institutions.

I like the way the descriptor has refused to describe such research as 'practice based' or 'practice led'. An incredibly interesting discussion and an obvious sense that IADT is trailing far behind in this postgraduate area.

2 Coursera MOOC - Distinctions!

It is with great pride (I know - I live a sad life) that I report having passed my first two Coursera MOOCs with Distinction! The results from both Emory University's 'Introduction to Digital Sound Design' (thanks to Professor Steve Everett) and Edinburgh University's 'E-Learning in a Digital Age' edcmooc (thanks to Jeremy Knox, Dr. Sian Bayne, Dr. Jen Ross, Dr. Christine Sinclair and Dr. Hamish MacLeod) have come though and I'm delighted. Thanks also to all the great MOOC students - boy did people take these courses seriously! Both MOOCs great (and quite different) learning experiences... My Coursera Certificates of Accomplishment have already arrived!

No more MOOCs for me until the summer at least! Two IADT Level 9, 10 credit modules to complete (Technology Enhanced Learning and Assessment and Evaluation) over the next few weeks.