BDB introduction

Sebastian Pappalardo - BDB introduction

Below are my answers to the initial questions we received as part of the BDB group:

As preparation for this meeting, we have three questions for you to think about / things to do:

• Could you please bring an object to present yourself: who are you as a professional?

The selected object is my computer, as my life is very much mediated by hardware, software, technology, programming, interfaces, interactivity, audiovisual (in particular).

This technological overlap is a modus vivendi as well, since I have always surrounded myself with cables and hardware from a very young age and have consciously chosen to project my artistic expression using this medium

• How did you arrive at the point where you are now?

I was always fascinated by the magic of audiovisual imagination, in a strangely holistic way my technical and creative careers somehow interweaved for the last decades. As I learned more about computers I also learned more and more about the technology to produce sound and image. I eventually became an experienced professional and opportunities opened to share my experience with future creators

• What will be your learning goals, and your focus for the BDB?

I am very pleased and eager to learn. I feel BDB can be very important for me, my goals are to learn tools that will help me understand how I project my ideas to the environment, how this can be interpreted by others, and how to make my interaction with the class useful and inspiring. I am also excited to learn from my peer tutors and from my colleagues in the education department. I feel I understand the relevance of our role and hope to find a way to present myself as an educator in a personal yet universal manner that builds on dialogue and empathy.

 

Please think about situations you encountered in your development as a tutor or instructor so far: what would you like to learn to cope with these situations? 

Adaptability, anticipate sudden changes in my workflow and need to resolve content in a rather short notice.

Giving the students all the support they need without the capacity to follow up on their process (as instructor)

 

Competencies

Professional identity

You in relation to your target group

How does your development during the BDB translate into your professional teaching practice? This can be about your personal teaching style.

Developing a more complete teaching and learning experience, Work on my capacity for awareness and understanding the group and also be aware of how my teaching practice is experienced by the group

Didactical competent

You in relation to your target group

How do we organize our education; what is the organization of information? It’s not about the educational content. Long-term effects may be hard to measure, but can be a topic of awareness at this moment. Educational logistics.               

Segmenting between technical knowledge, methods, skills (how to operate the creative tools) and artistic, intellectual knowledge (information that can help us make creative vision decisions)

Creating an atmosphere of dialogue to make feedback accessible immediately.

Pedagogically Competent

You in relation to your target group

The target group can also be the participants of the BDB as a case study. This competency is about relationships with others. Options for personal growth.        

Creating a sense of communion by avoiding unnecessary authoritative attitudes and approaching the interaction with the target group not as a challenge but as part of a collective effort to create understanding, empathy and resolve to face common challenges

Organizationally competent

You in relation to your target group

This can be about; how you work within your team, and/or within your educational structure. 

How do you balance tasks in relation to a given time? How to maintain a healthy work-life balance?          

I try to reach out to colleagues and find out about their program and their reference material, I try to synchronize my reference to provide a cohesive framework for students and  colleagues. When possible I feel scheduling lessons/ sessions together can be helpful to create and project consistency. 

Specialist

You in relation to your target group

This refers to your professional life outside the WdKA-education. Perhaps you have knowledge/experience derived from other activities, and how do these influence your role as tutor/coach. Recognizable and relates to how you communicate it in your portfolio.       

I try to keep a healthy dialogue between my multiple roles as a professional in the creation and production of AV events and media and my role as an educator. I find both activities complementary in many ways. Consequently, I always try to save the last weeks of contact to allow for conversations dealing with the specifics of each project, making accessible my experience as a professional to tackle conceptual and production challenges during this crucial period.