The first ice breaker of my English class aims to bring together an online section of students.


     Recently, for my English course, I put together a small page of info about myself. The page is meant as a quick, easy to read ice breaker, and will be posted entirely online. The online format will hopefully lead to greater communication between my asynchronous, online English class. The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly effected the way education can be administered, especially in the college campus setting. As we can no longer sit together in a classroom, professors must search out alternative measures to connect with their students. This Avatar Snap, inspired by the cartoon show Avatar: The Last Airbender, required students to share four divisions of art that they enjoy. The use of online resources, such as Padlet, was suggested. I elected to use Padlet which allowed me to layout my four paragraphs in an interesting way, place them on a background, and include an image to pair with each writing. I did have to somewhat stretch the definition of Art, as I could not come up with four traditional arts which I enjoy. I don't dislike art, I just don't enjoy it enough to justify writing a paragraph on paintings, or sculptures. My arts included Music, Cars, and Movies as some forms I enjoy, and I attempted to tie them into the arts in my explanatory paragraphs. I found this "snap" to be a n expressive way to introduce myself in the online format.

Image: Aang with Fire; Source: Insider

Link to my Avatar Snap


Comments

  1. Nora BernasheSeptember 15, 2020 at 1:11 PM

    Hi Mike, I agree with you on the fact that art in the original form isn't for everyone. Having a dedicated day just to look at art would be a tad bit boring to younger me, but like you id also like to broaden my taste in art. Watching movies just to watch them is something that I also tend to do, and it's a great way to discover movies that are hidden gems. I also use Spotify’s discover weekly, and it is a great way to find new music and to expand your taste in music.

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  2. Connor CarboSeptember 16, 2020 at 11:35 AM

    Hey Mike, I am a car guy as well to the extent that I enjoy looks of certain brands and styles. I'm a huge Corvette guy so I'm glad you like them as well. I'm curious to what your opinion is on race cars, as in NASCAR and short track racing cars like, Late Models if you have any knowledge in what they are. If you don't, I suggest looking into them as the cars themselves and short track racing is very unique and attracts a large crowd, mainly car guys.

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  3. Megan KensingtonSeptember 17, 2020 at 9:18 AM

    Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your ideas. Despite what your writing indicates, you are definitely a lover of the arts- we all are! I agree that the traditional interpretation of "art" (eg. paintings) is not my favorite, but there are so many forms that we can include in answering some of our core questions: "What is art?" "What is the purpose of art?" It's nice to see that you enjoy films and music, two very prominent art forms, but I was interested in your discussion of cars. I'm a fan of the Top Gear / Grand Tour guys and I think the way they describe cars often highlights how cars can be considered art in their own way.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2020 at 7:15 PM

    Hello Mike,
    I sympathize with your apathy towards art. I'm in no position to say that some of the categories you chose are stretching the definition of art, as I myself couldn't come up with more than two to write about. You also put a comparatively enormous amount of effort into your avatar snap. I am a little puzzled as to why you chose to use an image of a drinking glass to represent your interest in cars, seeing as there is no shortage of promotional images of cars in showrooms to choose from. It's such a strange artistic decision, though, that I have no doubt you could make an excellent case for its existence.

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