Phelps Art Appreciation Reading Assignments

Welcome to Art Appreciation with Meg Phelps

Greetings!

Greetings new students! I'm happy to have you here in my online Art Appreciation Class. I love teaching Art Appreciation, and I hope to share with you my excitement about looking at and using art.

Some of you probably already love art. Some of you probably think you don't like art. Whichever one you are, in this course we are going to learn to consider artworks from a lot of different perspectives. We will think about it, break it down into its different parts, and practice discussing it together. Whether you love art or hate it, at least from now on you will know why!

One important rule: If you don't know....ASK! This is a place to learn and there are no dumb questions!

Scroll down for more important information on this class!

We are a fully online class

How this class may be different from what you expect:

Right now, almost all classes at Ventura College are online due to the COVID-19 shutdowns. A lot of teachers have had to take their existing, regular, in-person classes and convert them to remote meetings using Zoom. However, this particular course is not a face-to-face class that has been converted to online instruction, rather this course is one that has always been an online course, and I have been teaching this as a fully online course for many years now. Because of that, it will look and feel different than some of your other courses that are just temporarily online. Please read on for more information on how this course is different.

Fully Online...

This is an asynchronous, fully online class. Asynchronous means that there are no times that we meet all together at the same time; instead the course materials are available to you 24/7, on-demand, and you can complete them at whatever times work best for you (paying attention to due dates, of course!). In this course there is no attendance required for orientation or exams, and no required live meetings. Online courses such as this one were not merely converted to remote instruction because of the shutdown, they have been carefully designed to serve the needs of students who choose to work in the online format for the convenience and different learning environment it offers.

...But Not Self-Paced

Although this is a fully online class, it is not an independent study, or self-paced class. We still work together as a class, and will be working through the course material at the same pace. Each week there will be new unit modules that must be completed within the weekly time-frame, and opportunities to work together and discuss the concepts and ideas we learn each week.

Canvas LMS

"Canvas" is the name of the learning management system (LMS) that Ventura College uses to manage online courses. All of your course work will be delivered in and be completed in Canvas. There are some other website that we will use for various things, but they will always be presented through Canvas, and you will always find instructions, directions, and links to everything you need in our Canvas course. Please note that Canvas is not compatible with Internet Explorer or Safari web browsers. I find that Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome work best with Canvas.

Ready for Online Learning?

Learning in a fully online class has its advantages, and its challenges. When you get into the Canvas course homepage, you will see two orientation modules to help you get started. You will find lots of information on this course, and also lots of information on resources to help you prepare and stay on top of your online learning experience. If you want to get a jump start, look at the Ventura College page for online students here: Ventura College Distance Education

We Are An Accelerated Class

Get ready, because this class is fast and furious! Accelerated classes go faster than regular classes, so there is more work each week, and they run on a different schedule than the regular semester courses. Be sure to watch the calendar, know what assignments are upcoming, know when due dates are, and make a plan to keep up the pace!

We are a "Zero Textbook Cost" Class (you're welcome!)

I am really proud to say that I have been a ZTC course since 2014 (way before it became popular, just sayin...). I always believed that textbooks were an unfair racket, and the endless edition changes were just a little bit about improving education, and mostly just about making money for authors and publishing houses. We live in the information age, and we have access to tons of high-quality online resources, so let's take advantage of those!

Open Educational Resource

There is no required textbook. Instead, we use free, online, open-source content. Each unit will have a reading assignment with links to selected essays and videos you will need to complete the assignments. Much of the content will come from the excellent OER resource, Khan Academy and their partnership with SmartHistory. The video below offers a short preview of the SmartHistory videos on the Khan Academy.

Here's My Teaching Philosophy ...

It's my job to make sure you are successful in this class.
I promise to help you if you are struggling, unsure, confused, overwhelmed, or anything else that gets in the way of your success.
I believe in being positive, pro-active, and solution oriented; there is always a solution and if we work together we can find it! Please join me in believing in each other.
I am a human, I work many jobs, I am crazy busy, and I make mistakes; but I am also really nice, I'm on your side and rooting for you, and I will do my best to understand you, where you are coming from, and what you need.
I believe 100% that you can be successful in this course. I believe in the growth mindset, and highly recommend you believe in yourself too! Check out the growth mindset here: Growth Mindset on Khan Academy
I design and organize the course to maximize your success. The way I do things may not always make sense to you, but I promise that every choice I make is about helping you succeed.

Who Am I?

I love chocolate
I live in a tiny house; I can vacuum every room from one outlet
I live with and love my soulmate
I am a part-time instructor
I am equally a cat and dog person
I am too young to have all this grey hair
I respect difference and believe that diversity is the healthiest option in every circumstance;
I am learning to check my privilege, expose and undo my internal biases, and become a better ally all around
I chose this background because it is sparkly and makes me feel kind of fancy
I'm "Your Teacher Meg" -- you will hear me refer to myself as that throughout the course. I don't like "professor" it sounds like a lofty position way above everyone else, and I don't think of myself that way. i think of myself, first and foremost, as your teacher. So..I'm "Your Teacher Meg!"

#1 Tip for Success

There is one thing you should know to be successful in the course, and that is to always use the modules! The course is organized into Units, and each Unit is presented in its own “module.” A module is a collection of all the information you need for that unit, including files, links, pages, announcements, assignments, discussions, quizzes, or anything you will need for that unit. The modules are extremely important! You should always use the modules as your primary way to get to the course content. If you are not using the modules, you will be missing important information. Please do not use the Canvas “To-Do” list, or the calendar, or any other means to find your assignments, if you do that you will end up with incomplete information, which might cause a problem. Your best bet, and my #1 Tip for Success is: Always use the modules!!!

Contact Me

If you're going to ask a question, you need to know where to send it! Here are four ways to contact me.

email: mphelps@vcccd.edu
Text Me using the ⁠Remind⁠ App (see Canvas homepage for details)
Message me from the Canvas "Inbox" (use the link in the left Canvas Menu).
Online Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday at 10:00 -11 am. From the course go to the left menu and click on "TechConnect Zoom" to find the join link.

Also, please remember the following:

What Class are you in???

Please refer to the CRN in all your correspondence. I teach more than one course at VC, so if I know what class you are in you will get a quicker reply. If I have to go online and look you up, it will delay your reply.

Response Time:

I will do my best to contact you within 24 hours, but it is possible that I might not be able to if my kids are sick, I have a big project at one of other my jobs, if someone was buying margaritas last night, or if I forgot (sound familiar?). If you haven't heard back, feel free to nudge me with another attempt.

Want a sneak peak?

Here's some artworks that we will be studying this semester. Some might look familiar, some new, but you will learn to understand them all! Enjoy the preview...

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