Bibliographic Annotation 6 and 7

Bibliographic Annotation #6: Atlanta Transit Funding Bill Passes

Sigo, Shelly. “Atlanta Transit Funding Bill Passes.” Bond Buyer 1.34484 (2016): 24. Business Source Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

This article, in relation to the other articles, is the most intriguing but yet concise article. It is very short and sweet and just mentions that recently Atlanta passed a bill for a proposed 8 billion dollar MARTA expansion. It will significantly expand MARTA inclusive of almost all areas on the beltline and will forever unite a vast majority of areas throughout the system. The draft plan is due in shortly and will be voted on against the Atlanta Council. This is clear evidence of a positive of built environment architectural advancement. Many of articles, dated prior to this one, reveal issues and necessities with our Public Transit System. This article is almost “the prize” that the hard work and tirelessly nights of dedicated few were able to bring into fruition. Most importantly, MARTA’s Chairman’s and current CEO, Keith Mack. I think the only negative/weakness to this article is that we are unable to see any sort of outline/proposed plan; simply due to the fact that it is such a recent article. As mentioned before, this will tie greatly into my other annotations, because I will be able to show the improvement and hope that we have in our progression of creating a better transit system.

 

Bibliographic Annotation #7: Why Marta Ain’t Smarta

Monroe, Doug. “Why Marta Ain’t Smarta. “Atlanta 42.2 (2002): 216. MasterFILE Elite, Web. 19 Apr, 2016.

This article is a first-hand experience a MARTA user experienced and the reasons why they would not transport via MARTA ever again. Also, he explains the reasoning behind Marta’s failures and some advice from board of directors on what it needs to do to succeed. My personal favorite is when he calls out the majority of MARTA users as “out of sales tax area cheapskates”. This is a close-minded idea/concept where he generalized all uses into a single category without even looking into the deeper picture. In my eye, this brings a lack of validity to this article. Mr. Monroe simply speaks his peace of mind throughout the entire article and only is focused on his own experiences. It is a very short-sided view point, and many of his references in the article might lead someone to believe that he has some form of bigotry in him. I would say this is relevant to my research though, since it gives you a first-hand user experience from early 2000’s. A time period that we know MARTA was struggling and helps us to at least see more areas where they can definitely improve. The relationship to my other sources shown here is the negative light that MARTA shined throughout the early 2000’s. No one enjoyed taking the train and someone people even vowed to never do so again.

Architectural Roadblocks Within The Classroom

Reading Summary #6

Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage; it sounds so familiar to us nowadays, because those are words that are being used so freely to describe our society’s necessity to adapt and move forward in our way of thinking and teaching. Transform, Interact, Learn and Engage; or better known as, “TILE”. It is a an acronym used to discuss the forward thinking and innovative learning centers being placed within the University of Iowa’s Campus’. Nowadays, everyone is looking for new ways to learn faster and gather information quicker than the person to their left or right. This has forced the world to adapt and start thinking of alternative learning styles that can help the new generation of students learn how they are meant to learn. The traditional class room was a blockade to the built environment of our classroom and required restructure for us to excel to our fullest potential. I mean, let’s be honest, how well do you pay attention in a classroom like this?

UCT_Leslie_Social_Science_classroom

 

In this Journal of Learning Space, Vol 1, No 2; Sam Van Horne describes this necessity and backs up his claims based on factual evidence. Page 2, paragraph 2, he describes how even the size of the table made for the room is not by accident. In their findings, a table that is smaller than 7 feet would make students cramped but a table larger would promote table wide discussions. They were able to determine that a 7 foot wide table was the perfect size in diameter for promotion of collaboration and appropriate level of conversations.

TILE-Van-Allen3

In a day in age, where technology is advancing faster than we can keep it up; it is crucial that we seek these alternative atmospheres to maintain an edge on the learning curve and help develop students in a more modern sense rather than difficulty. Van Horne even explains this further on Page 5 under the section entitled, “Preparing Faculty to Use New Teaching Strategies: The Tile Institute Workshop”. They explain the intensive learning course and what each instructor must go through to help workshop their classroom into a cohesive course that utilized the new furniture. This, in my eyes, and I believe in the eyes of Van Horne, is the most important part of the TILE initiative. It is imperative that the seasoned instructors learn how to tailor their lectures to more of an activity sense to promote collaboration and an open learning environment with the common day student. It is a difficult bridge to gap, but a necessary one to ensure that the full benefits and resources are developed from the TILE classroom.

In comparison, Sam Van Horne is completely correct that the metamorphosis from a standard, Polaroid image of a classroom, to a more advanced collaborative and intuitive classroom is a necessity. We have the ability to shape, teach and develop the mind better than we ever had and with our leaps and bounds with technology it would be a shame not to do what is humanly necessary to achieve this feat. The research is there and it clearly shows that we (the vast majority) of students cannot learn in a maze of outdated architectural roadblocks within the classroom.

Digital Records #6, #7, #8, #9, #10 and #11

Digital Record #6

Digital Record #6

This was an interior painting inside the walls of El Myr. It was of a little village and it’s surroundings. The entire interior structure of this restaurant, I believe, was once a blank canvas for people to add their own drawings/piece of life for the world to see.

Digital Record #7

El Myr Interior Painting

Above is an image of a Swordfish painted by an individual. If you notice, the small boy in the image, he is portrayed as significantly smaller than the swordfish. Almost an image showing “larger than life” recreation of a natural occurrence that this boy might face while fishing. Each wall is filled with paintings that are painted over another image and it seems to always have the option to change if someone decides they want to freshen up the spot.

Digital Record #8

Digital Record #8

This is an actual picture of El Myr. This is the name of the restaurant and oddly enough the only location in the restaurant where you find an image of him. At least as far as I could tell. It is nestled in the rafters and is not drawn to by any means. We actually had to ask our server the purpose of this picture set off by itself.

Digital Record #9

Digital Record #9

Here is an image of the bar as we were heading out of dinner. It encompasses quite the variety of individuals. From “hipsters” to “business-men”. It is in all ways a replica of what the restaurant felt like to me and my girlfriend. It was a place in the foothills of Decatur but still welcomes all types of people. The ambiance was nice, music selection was from all genres and the types of people ranged on a wide spectrum.

Digital Record #10

Digital Record #10

Above is an image of El Myr’s crest. As you walk thru the entrance to the Cantina it is directly in front of you. Established in 1997 during the tail-end of Grunge era, this is the most played music genre while eating there but a variety was still heard to appease all types of music taste. If you look in the distance past the crest, you can see the artistic level this restaurant/cantina has to offer.

Digital Record #11

Digital Record #11

Not much of an interior image but this is the sign you see walking into El Myr. It is very dark and doesn’t seem inviting, exact opposite of the feel you are overwhelmed by as you walk in. Inside, I felt a surge of comfort come over me. The service was impeccable and the prices were low. It was an exciting experience and allowed people to come in and be who they were. Paint what they wanted. Say what they wanted. All in all, it was a restaurant that welcome any and all people and gave that person the ability to “write there name” on the wall. Well, of course until someone wrote over it.