Lesson Four for Learning Skills for the Tomorrow’s World
Lesson Four for Learning Skills for the Tomorrow’s World
4/6/08
As it was a lovely sunny day I decided to walk to the
University.
I arrived at the University all bright eyed and bushy tailed at
9.25 a.m. ready to meet the rest of my class in the entrance to the
library in the Art Design and Architecture side of the Uni.
I was soon to meet up with two other people who are residence on
my course, Samuel Harvey, [Hip Hop Guru] and Daniel Beaumont,
[Drummer extraordinaire].
We had a quick chat about our 20 minute talks and how we were
going to plan them out however it was not long before the teacher
turned up and we were on our way down to floor of the library to
switch on some p.c.s with dual processors and start researching for
our talks which were in two weeks time.
The first thing that we did was doing some warm ups.This helped
us both physically as well as mentally for the mini two minute
talks that we each were going to present to the class as ideas to a
subject that was going to be the product of our presentation for
twenty minutes.
The warm ups consisted of loosening up exercises for our feet,
hands, arms, shoulders and also our heads.
Apparently doing various exercises like this helps to balance
the left right sides of the brain. Thus when one is relaxed then
the confidence will flow from the performer and the presentation
will be a success.
The image below shows the brain and its various sections.
Apart from doing various stretching exercises including touching
the toes we also did vocal exercises such as one that went Fud Der
Da Dar.
Showing the vocal cords and voice box areas related to the warm
up exercises that we were doing in class.
This was all done within a standing people circle as perhaps
this helps to gather strength and unity within the social
group.
People standing in a circle.
Apart from the Fud Dud Der Dar exercise there was the vocal
exercise of moving the muscles around the mouth by pronouncing the
vowel sounds A,E,I,O,U.
Again this was done using the human circle.
We then did some breathing in and out exercises i.e. taking long
breaths in and out and the slower that you can control your
breathing the more relaxed you will be.
Illustration showing the different movements of the breathing
cycle.
After we had inhaled and exhaled it was time for each of us to
explain to the rest of the class what our three topics were going
to be for discussion for the final 20 minute presentation.
The first person who was to talk was Samuel Harvey [Hip Hop
Guru] and he said that the three topics that he had chosen for
discussion were.
Joseph Simmons.
The above photograph shows Joseph Simmons when he was with
RunDMC rap pop band in the eighties.
The next topic that Samuel was going to choose was Yoga.
The image underneath show’s various Yogic positions that are
practiced by millions of disciples around the world.
The third topic that Samuel Harvey decided to choose was
Ghostbusters.
One of the Ghost characters in the Ghostbusters films.
After Samuel had said which three topics that he would like to
choose he then went into more depth into his subject i.e. Joseph
Simmons.
Samuel basically said that the reason why he had decided to
choose Joseph Simmons is because he inspires him and gives him the
motivation to carry on in his quest for perfection within his
record company S.J.H entertainment Group. Also how he can inspire
other people.
Joseph Simmons is the brother of Russell Simmons who Samuel
talked about for ten minutes and did a power point presentation to
the rest of the class.
Samuel said that for his second selection he would like to do
Yoga as his talk.
Woman in various Yogic positions
.
The reason why he decided to choose Yoga for his talk is because
it is something that inspires him both from a physical and a mental
aspect of learning.
Samuel said that as it’s such a big topic Yoga that he would
find it hard to research into
and do a presentation on.
In the middle of Samuel’s talk Steve the D.J Harrison walked
into the class late and was complaining about his computer locking
up on him and that all his work is stored on the hard drive i.e.
over two hundred gig of home made tunes.
After a short talk on Steve’s computer problems the next person
was asked up for the subjects to tell the class which subjects he
would like to do for his presentation.
This was now Daniel Beaumont who was rather confident as to what
he wanted to talk about.
Daniel had prepared some notes and had the plan of his talk in
action before stepping into the class room.
This helped with his nerves in talking to people and also gave
him a backbone from which to work from.
The first subject that Daniel decided to talk about was American
Wrestling.
Daniel said that he could talk about how American wrestling
started and which companies operate in the wrestling industry.
Different match styles and the different controversial moments
within wrestling.
Daniel said that he could back the presentation up with
colourful pictures and videos to make his talk seem a lot more
interesting.
Photograph of American Wrestlers in the ring
For Daniel’s second talk he has decided to research the subject
of drumming and how he plays in a band on the drum kit. This I
would find to be somewhat of a vast subject to cover but I may add
a very interesting topic to choose.
Subjects that he could talk about relating to the drums are:
The history of the drums and also the percussion
instruments.
His involvement in playing the drums within his band and how he
began to play within the band.
The different drums and how they are set out across the drum
kit.
The photograph underneath shows a drum kit for a beginner.
For Daniel’s third topic he has decided to choose his writing
career.
During his spare time he enjoys writing and for many years he
has been writing fiction since he was very young. He started by
writing children’s fiction and that went very well and now he
fancies the challenge of writing a crime fiction novel based around
a psychological thriller.
Daniel showed that he can talk about various things and that he
has many interests at heart.
He said that he is going to an arts festival in Holmfirth soon
and that he will ask for advice from various writers who will be
present at the art’s festival.
Art’s festival in sunny climbs.
Advertisement for art’s festival in Sun Valley and Ketchum,
California.
Next up on the chopping block was Steve Harrison the D.J.
extordinaiare
Steve’s first talk is about the universe and the life and death
of a star and black holes.
This photograph shows the cycle of life and death of a star.
Photograph of the universe and the stars within the cosmos.
Picture taken by the Hubble telescope.
He said that he could talk in depth about this subject for
twenty minutes. Also provide colourful images and video footage to
make his talk that much more interesting.
For Steve’s second topic he has decided to choose to talk about
the history of Rave and dance music and how it has progressed
through the ages from 1988 to the art form that it is today.
A poster for the film,’24 Hour Party People’. The film was based
around a night club within Manchester, England called ‘The
Hacienda’.
For Steve’s third topic he said that he would like to talk about
the history and the development of the D.J.
How D.J.ing has changed through the ages and evolved over
time.
This being very similar too his second topic about Rave and
dance music and the history of.
The next person who was to speak was David Vause and he appeared
more confident that he did for his ten minute presentation using
power point on the Ming Dynasty.
I’m sure the exercises that were done earlier on in the class
helped him to calm his nerves for his mini six minute talks.
David said that the first talk that he would like to use for his
topic would be that of sound sculptures.
He is very interested in three of them one on the sea front
along the South shore in Blackpool called the ‘High Tide Organ’
also there is a sound sculpture in San Francisco called ‘The Wave
Organ’i.e. at the eastern edge of the Golden Gate bridge. Wave
Organ located on the eastern edge of San Francisco, California
Also there is a sound sculpture in Zadar, Croatia called the Sea
Organ.
Photograph showing the Sea Organ which is in Croatia.
The photographs underneath show the Blackpool High Tide Organ
which is located on the south shore on the Blackpool sea front
opposite the Black pool’s Golden Mile.
Black pool High Tide Organ on a sunny day.
High Tide Organ on the Blackpool sea front on a cloudy day.
For David’s second talk he has decided to choose the subject of
one of his poems which relates to the internet called’ The
Controller Mouse’.
David has said that the internet that people take for granted in
the world can have some sinister overtones that was the main reason
why it was set up in the first place.
A Brave New World concept of learning and how we are all
connected in a world wide web that is growing by the day.
The poem as he says is an allegory that people can agree with or
dismiss as poppycock.
The decision is there’s to make.
The poem apparently goes into how we are being controlled
possibly by other live forms who are giving us the human race
glimpses into there worlds.
Live forms that are from other planets and other dimensions that
are unlike us. Deep within space.
Above shows a photograph of a controller mouse used for a games
console.
? Are we being used as a game i.e. the human race?
Illustration showing the World Wide Web around the World
today.
David said that the World Wide Web or www. Could have
connections with Alien beings and UFOlogy
Alien talking to Governors within the Congress building about
controlling and conditioning of the human race on the internet i.e.
www.
Are we all being watched for outside our Solar System?
Artist impression of a UFO.
For David’s third topic he has decided to choose the subject of’
The Prisoner ‘sixties TV series that was run for seventeen weeks.
It was originally broadcasted in London on the first of October
1967 and was last aired on the fourth of February 1968.
The story of the Prisoner revolves around a former secret agent
who has resigned from his job and is held captive from unknown
powers that want to know why he has resigned from his job of major
importance.
All the characters in the series are given numbers and the
person who is in charge of the village where the series is set is
Number Two.
The person who takes the part of Number Two is answerable to a
big red mobile phone, mobiles been unheard of in 1967.
No one here’s the voice on the end of the line although Number
Two’s authority is undoubtly questioned as to whether he should
stay or he should go as the main person or should I say number to
give orders in the village.
When the red mobile phone rings Number Two always seems very
nervous and hot under the collar as he knows that his head could
roll and soon lose his position of authority.
Number two in the series The Prisoner talking to the unknown
authority on the end of the line.
Will Number Two’s job be at stake?
Patrick McGoohan who is the former secret agent is given the
number six in the series and each week we see him trying to escape
out of the village where the series is set.
Number Six goes through many interrogation and brain washing
exercises as to find out why he resigned from his job.
However there attempts at finding out why he resigned are
useless.
Above image appears in the opening credits of the beginning and
end of the series.
The big white balloon in the photograph is called Rover in the
series and it represents a symbol of authority such as the police
force.
When Rover is around there is a call for a speaker that
says,’Wait Be Still’ and everyone
Stops in there tracks. Rover lives under the sea and is
activated by the numbers in the control room i.e. The Green
Dome.
The numbers in the control room use the terms Yellow and Orange
alert for the call out to Rover.
Rover is really a weather balloon and the weather balloon was
picked because it could be used on Land Sea and in the air i.e. for
its versatility.
Number Six being experimented on in the episode AB and C.Just
before he goes to sleep he is given a night cap which has been
laced with drugs. He is then taken away to the laboratory for tests
into his dream worlds and characters are placed in his dreams to
find out why he has resigned.
Number Six knows all the time what they are doing and plays
around with the minds of the people who have kept him captive in
the first place.
Human chess is played in the series and Number Six is pawn to
King Four.
Various issues are raised with in the series The Prisoner and
one of them is voting for a new Number Two.
Photograph of Patrick Mcgoohan as number six in the episode
‘Free for All’
One of Number Six’s manifestoes is ‘Less Work and more
Play’.
After David had talked about his three topics that he would like
to do as one for his twenty minute presentation it was time for
Keir Fourman to do his talk.
Keir walked into the class room late and seemed to be completely
put on the spot when the teacher asked him what his three subjects
were that he was to talk about to the rest of the class were.
The first of Keir’s topics was related to Comic artists and in
particular Robert Crum and Joe Zachco.
Both artists are apparently pioneers in there field. I
personally know little about these guys’s as I don’t follow this
subject apart from read the Beano now and again.
For Keir’s second topic he decided to choose the subject of two
books that have been written by Jerrad Diamond.
The subject of the two books is mainly about how society has
changed over the years in different parts of the world.
Book two is mainly about the different empires through the ages
and there in packed on the human race.
The second book gives examples of different rulers in China,
Western and Eastern Europe and the America’s.
For Keir’s third topic he said that the second talk that he gave
was basically around his third topic so the third topic was what he
explained to the class on the second topic.
After we had each taken it in turns to explain to the class
which topics we were likely to do for our final twenty minute
presentation we then had a look at presentation skills and the
teacher listed lots of ideas for us to use with our presentation.
This I found to be very helpful as it only gave me more confidence
to talk to groups of people.
Within this personal development leaning circle.
Presentation Skills
The following are notes that were written up on the board in the
classroom on the 4/6/08 by the teacher.
1. Smart-APPROPIATE:DRESS
2. Dress Comfortable:
3. Eye Contact-Important for smaller groups:
4. Or for a BIG audience: Look just above there heads
Solutions:
DRINK Be aware of your body:
Hold Lectern [Helps with shaking hands]
Take a clip board/stiff sheet for speaking
+
THINK
DRIN K
Appropriate movement=Work the stage
WATER
PRACTICE.-------- in front of the mirror
Speak loud and clearly_ Warm Up Voice
Plan the day The Arrival
Posture stand straight:=Confident
Arrive on time = Good Image
= Time Set Up
= Not Rushing/Calm Down
= Lay of the Land
Rehearse
Presentations- out loud: w/actions
W/Supporting Media
Timings
Research = Know it: Plan it:
Structure = Generally Start/Middle/End
Intro you[MEAT]
Topic [Summary] [LOGICAL ORDER]=Middle
Conclusion Summary
Different Ways to Structure your Presentation
Kinaesthetic
Auditory
Visual
Cater for everybody
Confident/Knowledgeable/Human! [Humour]
We went for a break after this study and when we came back for
the second part of the day we went to find a book in the library.
Learning how the library works.
This was interrupted by a fire drill in which we all left the
building and assembled onto the front grounds by the entrance to
the university.
When the fire drill had ended we then carried on studying and
researching into our topic that was to be the main presentation
which is in two weeks time.
.
