Living Communities and the QR Code

05 Jan Living Communities and the QR Code

On 18 December I visited Perth Museum and Art Gallery to deliver a workshop (as part of their Living Communities project) using one of my favourite applications AudioBoo!
The brief from the Living Communities project leader was as follows: “We’ve a group of young people from four Perth and Kinross schools (3 primary, 1 secondary) arriving to see work they completed in the summer which is now being exhibited. You have 45 minutes with each of the groups, what can you do?”
I’ve been using AudioBoo for some time recording my kids review books and films and then tagging the physical objects (book/video/dvd case) with a QR Code linked to the AudioBoo. Here was an opportunity to do something similar but so much more interesting…

Taking groups of 6-7 young people at a time same I recorded our young artists talking about their work and the experience of taking part in the workshops – tapestry, ceramics and Roman re-enactments; their audio (posted to AudioBoo) would then be made available as part of the exhibition (along side the artwork) via QR Code. Visitors to the exhibition would be able to view the artwork and hear about the experiences of the artists!
Reflective practice and social media at it’s best! We tested the ability of the young people to remember what they had done – the value in it and what they had learned – and provided them with an audience who may well see the work in a different light as a result. The audio, quite literally, speaks for itself!

I see this method as a great example of how we can encourage, in an enjoyable way, the development of young people’s critical and creative thinking and how they express those ideas and opinions – enriching their understanding of the work, it’s purpose and giving their voice, as well as their work, an audience.
It’s obvious from their comments that having work on display is exciting to them and gives the the work and the process deeper meaning.
Just to be clear, from the outset the young people were made aware that the purpose of the AudioBoo exercise was to create content that would be shared as part of the exhibition and also online.
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)
With regards to the CfE this really simple exercise covers a reasonable number of experiences and outcomes. A variety of levels are covered from Literacy: Listening and talking, Creating texts; Expressive arts: Art and design; Technologies: ICT to enhance learning;…
These outcomes relate purely to the AudioBoo exercise but, of course, they build on, and enhance, the outcomes of the original projects – tapestry, ceramics, re-enactments, etc.
So it is really exciting and rewarding for me to take simple exercises like theses that fit squarely within the prescribed learning strategy of the CfE but cover design and media in ways that schools/teachers are not always confident or capable of delivering. I’m also very grateful to Living Communities for presenting these opportunities and I am very much looking forward to the forthcoming workshops in January and February – so watch this space!
Below are a couple of ‘Boos’ from the session – for the rest you’ll have to visit my account or visit the living communities exhibition at Perth Museum and Art Gallery sometime during January/beginning of February… check press for details, etc…

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