Ocracoke Visit – Stepping off the Speeding Train

October 29, 2006

Things have been very hectic for me these past few months between teaching, running the art program and my distance learning duties at CCC. I also conducted some DL workshops, attended (and presented at) the SPE regional conference and was honored (and got to speak) at the ECU Alumni Symposium last month.

Ocracoke Ferry view of Village of Ocracoke

So I packed a bag, grabbed my camera, laptop and journal and have been enjoying the peace and tranquility of Ocracoke and the hospitality of Ann Ehringhaus and Oscar’s B&B. It doesn’t take long for me to relax and unwind on this quant coastal Island. I’m able to put things in better perspective when I’m not back at home in Morehead City or working at the college.

Even the 2 + hour ferry ride is soothing. I read and napped on the way over then when I arrived it was only a matter of minutes before I opened my journal and starting writing. This place is so conducive for the creative process.

The following is my first journal entry from Friday evening. I have been writing all weekend and taking some photographs as well. I’ll post those in the next day or so.

Oct. 27, 2006 5:30pm

I’m sitting in the upstairs bedroom of Oscar’s House here on Ocracoke. It’s good to have 2 days of down time. I have this intense need to be alone right now. This is the room my x wife Stacy and my daughter Andei and I stayed for a long Fourth of July weekend when Andei was 1 month old. I remember it was extremely hot so we stayed inside in the air conditioning and sketched pictures of each other and the baby. It seems like yesterday BUT it was over 14 years ago. Crazy! It’s funny because one of my Ireland photographs is framed (see below) and hanging over the writing desk. How appropriate and I must admit a bit humbling. It is a close-up of my hand holding a pen at the kitchen table when attended the writer’s retreat in southwestern Ireland in 2002. The morning sun is lighting up my journal and the coffee cup in front of my hand. I gave the print to Ann about 2 years ago after I had my Ireland show and reception at the Secret Garden Gallery. Now that seems like yesterday as well. I miss Ireland and I miss my daughter Andei who is now living in Sicily, Italy. That’s story for another time.

Morning Journal and Coffee, Ireland 2002

Our lives can get so complicated, yet when you step back for a few days and really LOOK at things from the outside in you realize the complexity is all my (our) doing. I don’t have to let life get crazy, weird, anxiety ridden and complicated – it just seems to happen again and again in the midst of work, relationships and daily life.

Just when I think I’m on a better, stress free, healthy track I find myself getting caught up in things that detract from that “inner peace” and well being. Ocracoke has always been a special place to me. A place to regroup, let it ALL go and just connect with my spiritual self and dwell on the things that really matter.

This little room on the 2nd floor of Oscar’s B&B is all I need for the weekend. I can already feel myself winding down and the stress pouring out of my body. So many people including me get caught up in worrying about things and issues that we have NO control over. God seems to always sort it all out in the end so I wonder WHY I still let myself get caught up in that endless cycle of worry and anxiety.

more to come….

Some Thoughts on the SPE Regional Conference, Boone NC

Journal Entry

Oct. 16, 2006
6:45 a.m.

Fall Leaves Blowing

I just returned from the Regional SPE conference in Boone, NC last night. It was a very good one for a variety of reasons. Not only was the programming excellent, we were situated at a beautiful location in the Blue Ridge mountains at the height of the spectacular fall leaves change. John Scarlata and Mark Malloy did an outstanding job coordinating this years conference.

Fall Leaves, Boone NC

Cathy and I were presenter’s which of course was an honor in itself – I was very proud of Cathy for having the courage to share (and document) her difficult journey of her mother’s demise and death to Alzheimer’s disease.

Friday Night Reception – Printsharing

I got to do my presentation about online teaching and hopefully offered some new insight into the methodology (and technical issues) behind the world of distance learning as it relates to Photo-Education. The presentation is also on this Blog, called the Web Enhanced Photo-Curriculum.

John Baucom and Greg Bragg – CCC Students

To me SPE is more than just conferences, keynote speakers, dues, image makers and print sharings; it is really about relationships. Developing, renewing and nurturing relationships with people that have a love and passion for photography and photo education.

Christa and me & Old Friends

I look back when I was a graduate student at ECU over 20 years ago and my first SPE conference at Penland in 1986. I was overwhelmed by it all to say the least. Roger Manley talked about his exploits in Australia and Sally Mann shared her incredible work during an imagemekers presentation. SPE was all so new to me back then, yet I immediatley felt a kinship with these fellow photographers and educators. I met Tom Braswell, Bones, Gil Leebrick, John Scarlata, Cordelia Williams, Ken Bloom and Jay Phyfer at my first regional in Penland. Joe Champagne, my Professor at ECU Henry Stindt and I camped out in the freezing cold that weekend. Everyone thought we were crazy, but it was fun and invigorating. Since then I’ve continued to meet new people and develop special friendships with so many great photographers, educators and artists through both Regional and National SPE conferences and retreats.

Silly Snapshots

Sure it’s great to hear the speakers, check out vendors, and attend the image makers presentations; however what I truly think is so special about SPE is its members. The people in this organization are what make it so great. I spent the last hour of this past conference in Boone taking digital snapshots and portraits of Tom Braswell, Gil Leebrick, Joe Champaigne, Cameron Dennis and Bill McAllister. We were just being silly photographing each other in the big beautifully lit hallway of the conference center.

Tom, Gil and Cameron & Sam and Cordelia

It hit me while driving home through the majestic Blue Ridge Parkway that as much as I enjoyed listening to Sam Abell’s (National Geographic Photographer) photographic journey and attending some great talks, what it all boiled down to for me was the great friendships I have made over the past 20 years at the annual conferences and retreats. All I could see in my minds eye were 5 silly “old” guys taking pictures of each other and laughing loudly as we looked down at our little digital camera screens to see what we shot and shared those corny snapshots with each other. It really is all about taking photographs whether they be snapshots or serious imagemaking.

Tom Braswell & Joe and Mark

We all were doing what we love… taking photographs. SPE has been the hub for many like minded individuals to come together and share that passion for photography

Tom Braswell – Capturing the Light

The Web-Enhanced Photography Curriculum

or Yes…It is possible to teach Photography Courses online.

Click Image for Podcast Presentation Overview

A variety of strategies, online instructional design methods and techniques for incorporating Blackboard (Instructional Delivery Software) in the Photography (and/or) Arts Curriculum will be presented. It has been said that online teaching is more conducive for theory based courses – Keough’s presentation will attempt to de-construct this myth by showing a variety of photography and art courses actually in session (photojournalism, portrait photography, commercial illustration and computer art) being taught with web-enhancement. Techniques for incorporating digital images, video clips, external web resources, Blogs and Audio Podcasts will also be demonstrated in this practical “user-friendly” presentation.

The web-enhanced Photography Curriculum is capable of empowering both students and teachers to investigate and explore course material, photographic concepts, methods and techniques in a variety of innovative ways. The online environment also adds flexibility and accountability into the class no matter what the course content.

A major aspect of our instruction as photo educators focuses on effective communication and a fluid exchange of ideas, concepts, technical information and images.

Blackboard is a powerful instructional delivery TOOL affording students and teacher’s more creative options and alternatives for enhancing the learning process not matter what the course curriculum – in fact it is ideal for photography, art and programs that not only theory based, but hands-on and visual as well.

This is an exciting time to be an educator. The internet and new innovations in online instructional delivery is opening new doors for photo and art instructors around the country.

Over the past 8 years I have posted my photography and art course content (syllabi, course outlines, lectures, assignment examples, audio files and video clips) to my various course blackboards.

Students in the Photography Program at CCC are now able to access and review (once registered and assigned passwords) examples of past student work, assignments and a variety of specified course materials, in addition to receiving weekly progress reports, critiques and grades all tracking their progress.

A great example of this instructional tool in action is our Photojournalism and Portrait Photography Courses.

Our web enhanced photo curriculum has added a whole new dimension to our Photography Program. The studio/classroom/darkroom environment and the online environment are seamlessly interfaced to the point where we weave in and out of the two modes of teaching and communicating to our students fluidly with no compartmentalization in our teaching methodology.

Once students get used to checking their course Blackboards regularly, instructors can engage and challenge students to push beyond the limitations of the traditional classroom/lab experience. I even incorporate digitized video clips and podcasts that reinforce the key points of the material we are covering or that have been demonstrated in class.
http://www.carteret.edu/keoughp/Podcasts/podcast.gif
Portrait Photography Podcast Orientation
Renaissance Video Clip

Our students search the web to generate creative ideas for their own work and solutions to assigned photographic problems, in addition to sharing their findings with the rest of the class on the discussion board.

As the instructor I feel more empowered than ever before and I know my students do as well. I facilitate their learning experience using the web as a supplement (and instructional tool) for my regular classroom, studio and darkroom activities. It is also the primary place where my students are accountable for a variety of class assignments and projects.

Our classroom is now the world and students have the opportunity to explore the diverse world of photography like they never have before.

We also post examples of student work in our online classroom (to help them generate ideas) in addition to showing examples of specified class projects to help them with concept development.

We offer courses that are taught totally online (History of Photography, and Art Appreciation) in addition to hybrids of the traditional classroom supplemented with web (blackboard) components.

We believe online course delivery offers both teacher and student more educational options and alternatives and adds an element of flexibility and creativity into all our courses.

Students are now more responsible for their learning and are able to push themselves beyond the limitations of the traditional / studio classroom environment.

With the use of compressed digitized video and audio clips (podcasts) we are also able to give our courses a personal touch which takes the online course to a whole new level.

Click here for Photojournalism Podcast Orientation

The web-enhanced course reinforces accountability yet offers students a variety of ways for accomplishing course goals and objectives.

Once students understand your expectations and the methodology of the course you are able to engage and inspire students on a variety of levels over and above the traditional classroom environment. Each week there is a lecture / demonstration presented to the students on some aspect, technique and/or photographic process that relates to the specific course. Students are then expected to post progress reports and jpg versions of their images to a specified course discussion board.

This lets the instructor know he/she is moving forward with the assignment for accountability and then the actual print (prints) are due for critique the following week. So essentially each instructional module is treated like a workshop with a lecture/demo then lab time to accomplish the goals of the assignment. The blackboard is our way of keeping track of where students are on a given assignment and it demands ACCOUNTABILITY from the students. Lectures, podcasts, examples and video clips are also posted to the course blackboard for the students to refer to.

We can no longer totally rely on the archaic industrial age educational models to teach our students skills they’ll need to succeed and thrive in a highly technological, creative and entrepreneurial work environment.

This can no longer be accomplished with yesterdays outmoded teaching methods. The didactic talking head standing in front of neat rows of students imparting knowledge on a given subject is no longer effective or viable when compared to the way global businesses and industries conduct business over and through complex and secure digital networks. The photographic industry has embraced and continues to harness a variety of sophisticated communications and educational technologies such as video conferencing, Podcasting, streaming video, interactive online forums, blogs and digital informational / educational media (content) exchanges.
Click Here for DL Podcast
The web provides a vast amount of information for instructors who truly understand how to apply, channel and integrate this vast amount of viable web content into their courses. Distance learning provides the best (and most flexible) instructional environment for connecting and exposing photography and art students to the resources (and information) being generated exponentially around the world. Recently Carteret Community College applied and was accepted into the Apple’s ITunes University System. This will enable us to store and distribute our course content (instructional podcasts, video clips, music, ect.) in the ITunes Educational directory. Yes…this is a very exciting time to be an educator with all these new digital tools and instructional delivery systems available to us. Let’s take a look at a few online Photo courses in session now. Click Here for BB