Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Mary Kate at EMS



Hey my name is Mary Kate. All these things around me are my fun filled life. First of all I love to dance and play soccer. Those are my main sports I play. I like to listen to my music on my iPod all the time. I love my dog Pepper and a lot other dogs too. The beach is one of my favorite places to go. I have a shore house too. I also like to snowboard on big hills and go to Mount Snow almost every year during winter break. I like to shop at Hollister and Abercrombie I wear their stuff. The last thing I like to do is surfing at the beach.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Tori At EMS



Hi my name is Tori! This picture of me and the pictures around me is my life! I love to do sports especially gymnastics!!! It is my favorite sport! I am on level 8 and I am doing pretty good. Its hard but I love it. Another sport that I like is basketball. I am now on the basketball team for my school, and I do travel. I am really busy!! I love going on AIM. I am a HUGE Rutgers football fan. I like uggs because they are so warm on the inside and keep me warm in the winter, and I have the beach picture because I go to the beach every summer and have a beach house and I love the sun. So I hope you like my picture!!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Anna at EMS




I decided to pick this picture because it is a portrait of me and it has a place I love to go in the background. I go to the beach every summer and I love to go there. Summer is my favorite season and it's the best time to go to the beach so this picture really describes where I like to be and what I love.

michael at ems



My picture shows my shoe because I like to run. I run really fast and my shoes make me comfortable when I run. I took this picture on the floor while I was standing up. I took the picture in the hallway of my school. This picture is not at an eye level photo.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Elena at EMS



I posted my shoe as a self portrait because I love to do sports! When I have nothing to do I would go outside and play.

Andrew at EMS



OK well this is me, I am a 7th grader at EMS my favorite sports are ice hockey and soccer. My favorite hockey team is the New Jersey Devils and my favorite player is Zach Parise. I am the youngest child in my family of 3 kids and 2 adults. I have 2 pets 1 bird and 1 dog. When I am not at school or doing homework I like to hang out with friends and play videos games. In soccer I play left foward so I get a lot of scoring chances but I can never score. I am a big fan of the Devils I watch every game and cheer them on when I go to the games.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Self-portrait by Ana [RYSS]


"First of all, this is me in the picture. I took this picture to show that even though I have fun, I sometimes can be sad and thoughtful. The picture is focused on me and my feelings. I wear the bracelet you see because a friend gave it to me, and I like fashion."

Ana
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Ana [RYSS]


"I really like this picture. I'm in front of a mirror looking up. This shows that even though you are yourself, you sometimes don't even know yourself. In case, you're wondering, I'm in my room. This probably explains the closet in the background. The things on the top shelf in the closet add curiosity to the picture. This picture shows the real me and a part of me as a reflection. A reflection isn't everything. It's just simply a small part of you and that looks aren't everything. What matters is what's inside you."

Ana
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX




Domingo (Beto)
6th Grade
Southmore Intermediate
Pasadena, TX
I like to hang around with my friends. I like to play football, basketball, and soccer.
I like to play video games, and have fun! I'm in to cars, and trucks.








Theresa (Pelos)
8th Grade
Southmore Intermediate
Pasadena, TX
I have curly hair and I like to chill
with my homegirls! Sometimes I wear
contacts, and for the most part I cant live without
hairspray!! Eating hotcheetoes rocks! Oh ya i love fashion,
jewelry, and getting my nails done! Icant wait to go to Rayburn!!







Victor
6th Grade
Southmore Intermediate (SI)
Pasadena, TX





Karina
6th Grade
Southmore Intermediate (SI)
Pasadena, TX
Hi, My name is Karina and I enjoy my self in here because it is what I like to do ! In my pictures I took 3 kinds of pictures one was sad, one was happy, and the other one was funny. I have good grades in school , and I am right choice . I think some time you sounld be your self that my moto!




Daisy
6th Grade
Southmore Intermediate (SI)
Pasadena, TX






Olegario
6Th Grade
Southmore Intermediate (SI)
Pasadena, TX
What I like to do when I'm home, I sometimes go play tournament paintball. I'm tyring to start a team to go around the state and maybe around the country.I also like to play the guitar I'm almost a intermediate guitar player.



Marissa
6th Grade
Southmore Intermediate (SI)
Pasadena, TX
Hi, my name is Marissa I am in the sixth grade. These pictures right here are self portraits. The first one is when i'm not smiling. The second one is my silly face. The last one is my smily face. A little more information about me... I have a best friend thats in the seventh grade. Her name is Angelique. I also have an older brother thats sixteen and he's in the eleventh grade. That's all I have to say.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Eisenhower Students - Group Portrait



This is a portrait of the students in my 7th-grade digital imaging class. I took the photo in the new addition to our school. The students are holding the cameras we use in class. Our cycle ends in two weeks on December 21, 2007, just before our winter break. In January, when school re-opens, I will have a new group of students. Over the next two weeks the students in this class will be posting portraits and responding to the images posted.
Mr. Olejarz

Friday, December 7, 2007

Self-portrait by Daniel [RYSS]


"There is a light on my shirt, and it makes the letters and picture ... me inside the mirror ... stand out. There is a little bit of light on the Virgin de Guadalupe, which shows that I'm a Mexican. By looking at the picture (me), you can tell that I'm on my school's robotics team. I use a reflection so you are able to see more in the picture. You are able to see what's behind me, and it adds a little more interest."

Daniel
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Daniel [RYSS]


"I took this picture because it has a mirror, and you are able to see the back of me. So, you can see the front and back of me at the same time. I'm really concentrating on the camera. It has a lot of light because of the flash. I like the picture of the flowers in the mirror. It adds a little bit of nature. I use a reflection so you are able to see more in the picture. You are able to see what's behind me, and it adds a little more interest."

Daniel
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Self-portrait by Christian [RYSS]


"I took this picture of myself in front of my brother's flag and gun. This picture interests me because it is a picture of me and a little bit of me. In the back is the Mexican flag which symbolizes my Mexican culture and who I am ... all me! You also see an old school gun which also symbolizes me because I like old school things like guns, music and cars. And finally, you see me throwing up or making a sign with my hands and fingers which represents El Serro De La Silla, a mountain in Mexico that I love."

Christian
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Christian [RYSS]


"In this picture, you see a part of me and things about me. This shows my feeling of the control I have with video games. I like video games. And my feet in the picture show how silly I am. On my arm, you see a pink bracelet that my girlfriend gave to me. This bracelet means the world to me just because she gave it to me."

Christian
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Christian [RYSS]


"This picture shows my hand in the mirror throwing up or making a sign of my hometown, Houston. And the real and reflected me symbolize that I have two sides."

Christian
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Edgar [RYSS]


"This is my brother's truck, and you can see my shadow on the hood. I hang out with my brother and his friends all of the time. We're very close."

Edgar
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Edgar [RYSS]


"I was sitting down when I took this picture from the side. You can only see half of my face. I'm on the front porch of my house, and my mother is inside decorating the Christmas tree. I like the reflection of the tree and sky in the window behind me. I'm wearing a "Scarface" T-shirt."

Edgar
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Self-portrait by Elizabeth [RYSS]


"This picture I took represents who I am. In the picture, I'm at my house. As you can see in the background, there is a frame with a 3-D Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary represents my beliefs and culture. On the right top of the picture, there is a carved frame of Jesus sitting at the table and eating with his disciples. Finally about me. I had come from school and the picture shows how I felt once I got home. I was happy, but kind of mad because I wanted to stay at school with my friends. All I want to do is be free with no worries."

Elizabeth
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Ana [RYSS]


"When I look at this picture, I see trees, a truck, ice, a glove, the street and other details in the background and surroundings. I see life, nature and technology. The most important thing in the picture is the glove with ice on it ... me. I get a happy feeling from this picture because there's ice everywhere. It reminds me of a mystery case when there's a clue or something, and they wipe something off, and it stays on their gloves. It looks cold, but there's also a warm feeling because of the glove."

Ana
7th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Salvador [RYSS]


"This is me in my living room. I feel happy because I like taking pictures of myself. I think a good title for this picture is, "My Life". I want to show my feelings through my pictures."

Salvador
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Salvador [RYSS]


"This is me jumping. I like jumping and taking pictures at the same time. I'm happy because I want to show you one of my hobbies ... jumping. I like to jump, and I like the "D-generation" logo on my shirt. You can see family photos behind me."

Salvador
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Kevin [RYSS]


"I took this picture because I wanted to show that the Astros are my favorite baseball team. I thought it would be interesting trying to figure out why I was looking down. I took this picture from the front, and I really like the way it came out. I like the light because of the different colors and the shadow from my cap. You can also see the texture of the cap. The picture has a blueish color."

Kevin
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Kevin [RYSS]


"I took this picture from the bottom. You can see part of my room. I like this picture because of the shadow from my cap. The shadow makes the picture look different by adding different colors. I also like the angle because you can see the underside of my cap and part of my outfit."

Kevin
8th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Cathy [RYSS]


"I see a car, me, my car, trees and electrical lines. The sun is setting. My purpose in this picture is to show the motion out on the freeway and me inside my car."

Cathy
7th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Cathy [RYSS]


"I see shoes and concrete. When I look down, I see expensive stuff. I'm showing off my shoes with the diamonds. Diamonds are shiny, and I love them. I feel happy and sad."

Cathy
7th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Self-portrait by Cathy [RYSS]


"I see me, my car, seat and light. There's a sadness that has come over me. I feel blue until I arrive at school."

Cathy
7th Grade
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [RYSS]
Houston, TX

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Self-portraiture

The first project for the collaboration between the three USA schools will be self-portraiture using prescribed LTP guidelines ... a four step process for reading and responding to photographs. Students will be encouraged to "read" the photo using the kind of vivid, descriptive words they would find in a written story.

Students have been sensitized to self-portraits by viewing numerous examples and beginning to make comments. They will be handed cameras for a two-day period to experiment with this process. They will then write ... via LTP guidelines ... about their images. Students from all three schools will exchange comments about each other's images.

A fine article, Exploration of Self by Jeanne Ivy can be read at:

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~ivy/selfportrait/

Tom R. Chambers
Teacher, Technology Applications
Advisor, Photo Projects/Digital Art, After School Programming
Junior School
Raul Yzaguirre School For Success

Blog Archive

Instructors and LTP

Instructors:

Harold Olejarz is Art and Technology teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, Wyckoff, New Jersey, U.S.A. He began his career as a sculptor and exhibited in Soho, NYC, in the early 1980s. His work evolved into Performance Art and his living sculptures installed themselves in museums and public spaces in the US and Europe from 1985 to the early 1990s. He has been exploring digital media as both an artist and an educator since 1997. “Capturing the Moving Present,” an essay by Harold Olejarz, is included in Video Art for the Classroom, a National Art Education Association publication. Olejarz has made presentations on the use of digital media at state and national educational conferences.

Tom Chambers is Technology Applications teacher at Raul Yzaguirre School For Success [Junior Academy], Houston, Texas, U.S.A. He was Visiting Lecturer in Digital/New Media Art for the Fine Arts Department at Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, China, 2005-2007. He was Executive Committee Member and Juror (2003 - 2005) for the International Digital Art Awards (IDAA), and was instrumental in expanding the content of the IDAA to include New Media Art, and served as on-line New Media Director (2004 - 2005). Chambers has been a documentary photographer and visual artist for over thirty years, and he is currently working with the pixel as Minimal Art (Pixelscapes) which begins to approach a true, abstract, visual language in Digital Art.

Tanya Heard is Art/Photo teacher at T. H. Rogers School, Houston, Texas.

2007 - 2008 school year participant:

Dorian Gillespie is Art teacher at Southmore Intermediate School in Pasadena Texas. Prior to coming to Southmore, he taught at Bailey Elementary. He decided to teach and mentor students in the arts in order to give them an opportunity to learn and advise them of the many career choices an artist has. Although he did not teach art at Bailey, he was able to incorporate many art lessons into the curriculum. He has taught after school art classes for the University of Houston Clear Lake as well. Rather than become a professional artist, he decided to mentor as a teacher.

This blog was a part of the FotoFest LTP process:

2007 - 2008
2008 - 2009
2009 - 2010

Literacy Through Photography (LTP), the educational component of FotoFest International (Houston, Texas), is a writing program designed to help classroom students achieve better communication skills through the use of digital or film-based photography.

FotoFest has combined with the instructors and schools to pursue a pilot program ... blog approach ... for LTP.

Students increase visual and verbal literacy while building cognitive thinking skills, self-esteem, and awareness of each other. The LTP curriculum provides students with meaningful subject matter to help them write about their own photographs, their own lives, with confidence.

This blog, founded by Harold Olejarz and Tom R. Chambers continues to be a significant tool to help students with their written expression.