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conferences/who pays

updated thu 8 apr 04

 

Earl Brunner on tue 6 apr 04


Mel,

The only presentations I saw that were power point "might have been" the emerging artists one on Saturday Morning and one other.

The other one was the absolute worst presentation I have ever sat through. It was physically painful. And the only reason I stayed was that it was probably more painful for the presenter and he was trying. I found his subject fascinating; he just couldn't get it out - Place-Based Pottery and Porcelain by David Stannard. He has found some raw porcelainous clay in Alaska that is apparently extremely similar to the pitunze (sp) of ancient China that true porcelain first came from. I think he was really rattled trying to be a public speaker and then he had trouble with the technology. And some presenters at NCECA have horrible lecture skills. They stand up there and read.









----- Original Message -----

From: "mel jacobson"

Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 3:28 PM

Subject: conferences/who pays

> it takes nceca a year to talk to us. why don't they have an

> email data base...just send a note to all of us.???

> seems that in 2004 it would be possible. no money?

> if how some of those people show slides, take slides, use

> mics is any indication of the techside...it will be 2025 before

> they discover how to use email. has no one heard of

> powerpoint? if i was running that ship, no presenter would

> be allowed to step on stage without using powerpoint. it would

> be mandatory.





Earl Brunner
e-mail: brunv53@yahoo.com

mel jacobson on tue 6 apr 04


?

i have been involved in many conferences.
calligraphy.
clay
art teachers
tick conferences
hunting and shooting.
nceca
wood fire
clay
nceca
education
mea
nea
hea and all the other ea's. (education association.)

i have attended hundreds, been chairman
of some.
worked on many.

i always say:
`who made the money?`

i was just harping about one of the
calligraphy conferences....we started them.( a group from minnesota.)
kept the cost low, had volunteers. they were
wonderful, rich experiences...about the craft. anyone could afford to attend.

now the price is almost a thousand bucks to attend.
the conference chair takes 50 thousand bucks..
then the sub chairs get 10 each. all 12 of them.
makes my blood boil.

in so many ways, conferences are just
a big money making scam.

i don't know much about nceca. where the money
goes. not my business i guess. i just pay, make
sure the clayart room and stuff gets done.
hang with the vendors/friends. make renee` from
cm laugh, bug sherman...sit for long hours
at breakfast with friends. see feriz. sell a book or two.

they never cared for high school teachers in the olden
days. i felt like the poor ugly nephew. `who is he?, oh,
high school guy. too bad he is not a professor, and important like us.`
of course i made 40 percent more salary than they did, and
taught 190 kids a day pots, sent them the best kids
i had...help build their programs. (hey, i am not bitter,
things are better now. plus i chose what i did, and am
still very proud of it.) and, i would compare my retirement
check with any teacher in the world. i did not go to work every
day for snob appeal. it was about taking care of a family.
i found the highest paying job i could find.
anyway, who would teach anything and think it had snob appeal?

but, like phil was musing. where does the money go?
do the math....175 a head, almost 4,000 paid, and
how much for the vendors...lots.
scholarship funds, lots. i never know where it goes.
who gets paid. no one wants us peering in the books.
but, then, i belong. i paid my fee.
and, now and then i get the `oh, clayart, the amatuers`.
and my blood boils. but, then, we have instant communications.
it takes nceca a year to talk to us. why don't they have an
email data base...just send a note to all of us.???
seems that in 2004 it would be possible. no money?
if how some of those people show slides, take slides, use
mics is any indication of the techside...it will be 2025 before
they discover how to use email. has no one heard of
powerpoint? if i was running that ship, no presenter would
be allowed to step on stage without using powerpoint. it would
be mandatory.

anyway....i was just in from doing yard work. almost 70F
in minnetonka, green grass...had the hose out, watered some
stuff. thought of robin hopper, tending the most wonderful
gardens i have ever seen. mine look like a joke. robin's look
like something from northern kyoto.

i will be away for a bit. have to go east. fight ignorance.
see wonderful friends, talk, teach, judge a show. have a
good time. be with potters. nice folks, clayart spirit.
i love these times. washington d.c. with cherry blossoms.
nice.
mel



From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com

Dave Finkelnburg on tue 6 apr 04


Mel,
At least one person in the NCECA office does know, does follow Clayart.
Clayart posts about Adelaide Paul were definitely noticed there.
You are heard.
Regards,
Dave Finkelnburg, proud of you for the fine example you've set
with your generosity to Don Rush "Artimator" Tucker

----- Original Message -----
From: "mel jacobson"
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 3:28 PM
Subject: conferences/who pays
> it takes nceca a year to talk to us. why don't they have an
> email data base...just send a note to all of us.???
> seems that in 2004 it would be possible. no money?
> if how some of those people show slides, take slides, use
> mics is any indication of the techside...it will be 2025 before
> they discover how to use email. has no one heard of
> powerpoint? if i was running that ship, no presenter would
> be allowed to step on stage without using powerpoint. it would
> be mandatory.

Lisa Skeen on tue 6 apr 04


I'm sure I'll be corrected if I"m wrong, but it seems to me that if NCECA is a non-profit (which I would
think it is), their books would be open to the public, especially the membership. If you paid the full fare to
attend NCECA, you are a member thereof, and should be able to request a look at the books if you want it.

L. P. Skeen http://www.living-tree.net
Living Tree Pottery
Summerfield, NC


> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: conferences/who pays
> i don't know much about nceca. where the money
> goes. not my business i guess.
where does the money go?
> do the math....175 a head, almost 4,000 paid, and
> how much for the vendors...lots.
> scholarship funds, lots. i never know where it goes.
> who gets paid. no one wants us peering in the books.
> but, then, i belong. i paid my fee.

Kathy Forer on wed 7 apr 04


On Apr 6, 2004, at 5:28 PM, mel jacobson wrote:

> has no one heard of
> powerpoint? if i was running that ship, no presenter would
> be allowed to step on stage without using powerpoint. it would
> be mandatory.

Even if it takes until 2025, I'd say we'd be better off without
Powerpoint or Viewgraphs! Except for the technical presentations where
they can be very useful. So often they create a sameness which we're
better off without. Even Keynote.

I'd rather hear someone speak, or even meander banteringly, and show
plain images than have snapshots of their thoughts neatly packaged into
bulleted paragraphs.

"A good craftsman never blames his tools."
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=2868

of course, if you're David Byrne...
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt1.html

Richard Aerni on wed 7 apr 04


>On Apr 6, 2004, at 5:28 PM, mel jacobson wrote:
>
>> has no one heard of
>> powerpoint? if i was running that ship, no presenter would
>> be allowed to step on stage without using powerpoint. it would
>> be mandatory.

People either love powerpoint, or hate it. My own experience with it has
been that it tends to narrow the focus of the listener to the points
explicated on the screen. This can be both good and bad. (we will leave
untouched the subject of how make an effective powerpoint
presentation...most people tend to fill the screen way too much)

In my Constitutional Law course of a couple of years ago, all students were
required to use powerpoint to give a lecture on a chapter of one of our
books (vol. 2 of O'Brien's Constitutional Law and Politics, for those
interested). What I noticed is that as soon as the powerpoint presentation
began, students all around the room began writing madly, copying every word
from the screen, and essentially ignoring the spoken presentation. (which
brings up the issue of proper listening to a powerpoint presentation) It
would have been much more effective if the speakers had simply handed out
copies of their sheets for later perusal. The net result is that the
students missed all nuance and connectivity of the issues, at least in my
opinion.

My wife, a professor, hates powerpoint. She feels it turns her students
into robots. Her department chair believes in it strongly. He is a
techie. As you may surmise, my wife (an economist in the business dept.)
is not a techie at heart, is an avid reader in a department of skimmers, a
moral philosopher type in a department of "just the facts and figures,
ma'am" types...she is constantly battling her chair on the issue of
powerpoint. The college has invested a large amount of money turning
lecture halls into "smart rooms" which are wired, and connected, and way
cool. It seems sometimes that the rooms are becoming smarter than the
students.

I don't mean to turn this discussion around in another direction. I agree
that presenters should know how to present, in the same way that artists
should know how to display. It's just good plain common sense.

Richard Aerni