Hope everyone's semester is off to a good start, learning new techniques, concepts and more. My calendar is booked, and I keep giving out pointers to my students helping them stay ahead of the curve this semester. If anyone would like to chat about how to set up your week, month, semester, I am here to share my experience.
-Heather
"You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
- Maya Angelou
Faculty Spotlight: Chris Gardner, Graphics
Personal Path to Education in Sierra Leone
Ever since I started my doctoral dissertation in 2014 I wanted to start my own education program. Actually, this probably goes back to my high school days in Germany. My dad was in the Air Force; and therefore, I went to quite a few schools all around Germany until my graduation from High School in 1992. All the schools I went to seemed to have the same educational pattern. There was no flexibility or possibility to grow according to one’s strength.
Gen Hybrid Systems, LLC (www.genhybridsystems.com) was formed with underlying the idea to create an education system that would span across continents and has the ability to expand young student's minds with the help of technology. I also wanted to break into a market that lets me add classes to their curriculum.
Sierra Leone had been a haven for education many years ago – before the civil war destroyed the country. Kids oftentimes come from small villages and have to walk to school for many miles. A very high percentage of those kids, especially girls, drop out after primary school and end up on the wrong path in life. My hybrid-based education system will give those kids the ability to learn online, which will make up for lost time and in turn will hopefully improve their grades - increase the graduation percentage.
People in Sierra Leone are open minded and inviting. My first visit was with school officials in Freetown, SL. This very vibrant city was a good starting point. From there I started my inland venture. The town I ended up in was Kamakwie, mostly due to the Wesleyan Senior Secondary School!
The Wesleyan School (Wesleyan Senior Secondary School Kamakwie | Facebook) offered a partnership with GenHybrid Systems. In December of 2021 we completed their first, very own computer lab. First classes started this month and we are planning on expanding by June of this year when I will head back to Kamakwie for another visit. We also hired a computer savvy instructor to give 5th graders through 12th graders an entry to software/hardware centered computer classes.
My hope is for young minds to start learning from each other with the help of technology.
“Anyone can take pictures. What’s difficult is thinking about them, organizing them, and trying to use them in some way so that some meaning can be constructed out of them. That’s really where the work of the artist begins.”
– Lewis Baltz
Candlestick Point San Francisco: 1984–1988
“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.”
— Joan Miro
"Why do you want to make a picture that has been seen 1000 times."
—Keith Carter
Mora: The Fireflies images seem to be emblematic of your manner of working and your imaginative trajectory. Can you tell us more?
Carter: Fireflies was originally a mistake — a failure in my mind. I had meant to make a sharp image of the two young boys standing in a pond at twilight, playing with the jar. But they were completely absorbed, paid no attention to me, and wouldn’t hold still. When I developed the film, I was completely disappointed. The only point of focus was the tip of a magnolia leaf — everything else was a motion blur. It was my wife, Pat, who came out to the darkroom and said I should print it. She is an extraordinarily thoughtful woman.
•Communication Arts Photography Competition Deadline March 4th, 2022 - Student entry fees are discounted.
Submission guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at: https://www.commarts.com/competition/2022-photography.
•SPE - Society for Photographic Education - Virtual Conference.
Check out the website for the many virtual talks and more. https://www.spenational.org/spe-events
•Eclectic Women Exhibit, Savidan Gallery, March 5, 2022. 1310 South 3rd Street, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89104 www.savidangallery.com If you have an exhibition, talk, film to promote email me the info: heather.protz@csn.edu.
Important Dates:
February 21, 2022
March 25, 2022
April 11-April 17, 2022 May 16, 2022
- President's Day - School Closed
- Last day to drop with a W
- Last day to change from credit to audit
- Spring Break
- Commencement
Tutoring:
Shane Smith is tutoring on the NLV campus Wednesdays from 9-2 and on the WC campus Mondays 2:30-5:30 & Fridays 2-4. If you need help outside of class, he is your guy for photo!
Look for this newsletter fortnightly! Thought this was fun - A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (2 weeks). The word derives from the Old English term fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights” What do you want to see here? This is for all students, alumni and anyone interested in the CSN Media Tech program. Feel free to communicate your ideas.
Please share what you are doing, what you have accomplished, things that inspire you. In the upcoming weeks we will share work done by students in and out of the classroom. There are some fantastic class projects. If you would like to be featured send a link of your work and a short email with the details of your project.
Sign up with your email so when you graduate you will continue to stay informed as to what the Media Tech program, faculty, students, vendors and alumni are up to.
