Serendip Studio

Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

Liz Garbus

Liz Garbus graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University in 1992 and is a Fellow of the Open Society’s Center on Crime, Communities, and Culture. In 1998, Garbus achieved international public and critical acclaim for her Academy Award-nominated film, THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA. Garbus has also spoken at a number of film-related events, including the 1999 and 2000 Independent Feature Film Market, panels and workshops at the Sundance Film Festival, as a Guest Lecturer at NYU, and she has served on juries at several major film festivals. SOURCE:http://www.sfjff.org/film/biography?id=4696&last=Garbus&first=Liz&role=Director

Jennifer Phang

JENNIFER PHANG wrote and directed the award-winning feature film HALF-LIFE, which premiered domestically at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and internationally at the 2008 Tokyo International Film Festival as a Grand Prix Nominee. LOOK FOR WATER, Phang’s follow-up project, was selected for the 2008 Sundance Screenwriters Labs, won the L’Oréal Woman of Worth Vision Award at the Tribeca All Access, and received both an Annenberg Film Grant and a Cinereach Grant from the Sundance Institute. - http://urbanworld.org/narrative-shorts/advantageous/

Najwa Najjar

Writer and director Najwa Najjar has worked in both documentary and fiction. Previous work includes several award-winning films including Naim & Wadee'a (2000), Quintessence of Oblivion, Blue Gold (2004) and They Came from the East (2004). In 2009, she produced a collective of short films: Gaza Winter. Her debut feature film Pomegranates & Myrrh (2008) picked up 10 international awards; was sold worldwide and released theatrically. Najjar has been a speaker on numerous panels about cinema and a jury member at several international film festivals. -Festivalscope.com

Carmen Marron

Carmen Marron had no desire to ever become a filmmaker. She was a guidance counselor in south Phoenix, and was working with kids; in an area similar to the community she grew up in- a rough neighborhood in Chicago. She met kids who reminded her of her friends growing up; who kept making the same choices that ruined their lives. Seeing that film and television was a way to reach out to kids, she decided to write a script about characters that mirrored their lives and hopefully inspire kids to make better choices. http://movieline.com/2011/05/09/meet-carmen-marron-hollywoods-most-improbable-auteur/

Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha is one of Britain’s most proven and respected filmmakers. She began her career as a BBC news reporter and directed award-winning documentaries for the British Film Institute, BBC, and Channel Four. Her first feature, Bhaji on the Beach, was nominated for a BAFTA and won the Evening Standard British Film Award for best newcomer. What’s Cooking?, which opened the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, was the first British script invited to the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters Lab. Bend It Like Beckam was an audience favorite at Sundance in 2003 and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA; it remains the highest-grossing British film ever in Great Britain. http://sundance.bside.com/2010/films/itsawonderfulafterlife_sundance2010

Image Credit:

IMDB

Kasi Lemmons

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Lemmons started her career at age 19 as a hostage in the telefilm 11th Victim. She went on to do Off-Boradway stage work for the next 10 years in such productions asRomeo and Juliet, Balm in Gilead, and The Avenue U Boys, before returning to the screen. In 1988 she started working in films like Spike Lee's School Daze, Vampire's Kiss and Silence of the Lambs, as well as more telefilm work. She even landed the role of Alex Robbins in the television series Under Cover. Following the advice of her husband, actor Vondie Curtis-Hall, she decided to direct a screenplay she had penned calledEve's Bayou, and went on to achieve this goal with flying colors. Besides being the highest grossing indi film in 1997, it also received the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, seven NAACP Image Award nominations, and a special first time director award created just for her by the National Board of Review. She continued to act for the next couple of years in films like Gridlock'd and 'Til There Was You, but focused much of her attention to writing and working with scripts like The Passion, The Impersonator and Privacy. In 2001, she reprised her role as director for the film The Caveman's Valentine, starring Samuel L. Jackson. -Tributemovies.com

Image Credit:

Image by Brian Davis

Glossary of EduTech Jargon

Submitted by blendedlearning on Mon, 04/15/2013 - 10:50pm

The jargon in this field gets pulled from both the computer and the educational industries and can be daunting for the uninitiated. Feel free to submit any additional terms you come across.

adaptive learning. A system designed to achieve the individualized results of working with a human teacher or personal tutor one-on-one using technology. Using a combination of assessments, tasks, and other methods of gathering feedback from students, computers tailor the material and emphases presented to each student, making computer-based instruction highly individualized and interactive.

authentic assessment. Using “real-world tasks” (i.e., a project, a presentation, or a paper) rather than quizzes, to assess students mastery of concepts and skills. Assessments are often based on a rubric.

blended learning. Term used to describe educational approaches that involve both traditional classroom and computer-mediated learning. Under some definitions, the computer-mediated component must reduce time spent in the classroom.

courseware. In most cases, used loosely to describe any digitized resource suitable for in a classroom -- including, for example, a video of a lecture, a text file lecture notes, or a .pdf of a worksheet. Not necessarily interactive.

What will schools be like in 100 years?

Submitted by et502 on Mon, 04/15/2013 - 4:24pm

Just Dewey It

Hi everyone!

I was thinking about the school-drawing prompts from both our group (Just Dewey It) and the group presenting about creativity (CHES)... So this event caught my attention.

I've been following Lynda Barry, an artist/cartoonist/all around awesome person, on Tumblr. She recently hosted a workshop doing something similar to our prompt - but involving kids in the process of imagining. Here are some photos from that event: http://thenearsightedmonkey.tumblr.com/post/47543409124/some-photos-from-the-counter-factual-campus

and here's the poster for the event: http://wid.wisc.edu/content/uploads/2013/03/Drawing-Jam.pdf

Intersections between art, imagination, and planning.. wish I could have gone to this!

et502's blog

Students Face Tougher Test That Outpace Lesson Plans

Submitted by laik012 on Mon, 04/15/2013 - 4:04pm

I have started reading the newspaper more often and I found something really striking today. The article “Students Face Tougher Test That Outpace Lesson Plans” is self-explanatory demonstrates the issues of our current education system. In my field placement, I often do wonder how much of the school’s curriculum really focuses on the children’s individual needs and also considering their limitations. To what extent is the education system really heading towards the right direction especially if these children’s’ lives are affected by early exposure to stressful situations in this vulnerable childhood development period? Perhaps this question hasn’t been addressed in our class. In terms of literacy, are parents really pushing their children to read beyond their level as fast as possible? Where is the value of failures, mistakes and patience?

laik012's blog

Fieldnotes 4/12

Submitted by abenjamin on Mon, 04/15/2013 - 3:17pm

Glittery Life

New Spring term this week. (still working with Ms. A and Ms. B)

4-6 yr olds with Ms. B

9:30-11:30am

New boy, E (now there are two boys in the class)

E and A (girl) go to school together

E seems relaxed, gets to drawing in sketchbook right away, talks with other kids, tells me his full first name, but he goes by the shortened version

Today: Matisse Fishbowl paintings (sketch). Mixed Media, pink paint table and background, tempera paint patterns, tank, etc. Paper leaves and flowers, red tissue paper flowers in background

More planned out than usual, Ms. B mentions to me, I agree, comment that’s especially good for the first day. (she laughs, jokingly offended by my comment…)

Paint for the first half, then wash up

Story and snack: Ms. B reads while I clean up

E doesn’t want to sit during story time (he doesn’t have a snack), seems comfortable (happy?) standing for this time

After story, go to gallery. New show of animal art

Play I Spy (introduce to Eli, he asks and makes sure that everyone gets a chance)

Rather overexcited in the gallery, larger class, moving around a lot, not slowly, hiding things behind pedestals

Back to rom, add paper and tissue paper to paintings. When finished, kids go into other room to play (as usual) Some don’t feel like playing, stay and draw in sketchbooks. One doesn’t want to play or draw, seemed content to sit with us while others drew.