Week 1: My trip began by attending photography lessons in Columbus Ohio. I not only took lessons from Okello Dunkley, but then I had the privilege of private follow-up lessons from Ben Griffin. Ben and I went out to a local park and practiced all that I had learned. It was incredibly fun although it made me realize just how much more I needed to learn.
I think the lesson with Okello reminded me what it was like to be a student again. It reminded me what it felt like to be "lost", so lost that you are not sure of the question to ask to help yourself understand. Okello was a good teacher and so I didn't stay lost for long (most of the time). It is still an uncomfortable feeling to be sitting in a classroom and not "get it". During the lesson, every student had his/her camera out on the table in front of him/her. We were all touching, looking through, snapping pictures with our camera's while the instructor talked. It wasn't distracting. It was necessary for us to try manipulating the settings as we were learning about them. This reminded me of why I let my students manipulate objects as we are learning a new math concept.
The lessons with Okello were awesome, but without the follow up guided practice with Ben, I'm not sure how much I would have remembered from those lessons. Hmmmm, another lesson to remember for the classroom!
So anyway, here are some pictures from one of the practice sessions with Ben:
