5 Stages of the Craft Model

The five stages of the CRAFT model are: 
1. Contact
2. Research
3. Action
4. Feedback
5. Teaching 

As for our project at Martin Middle School I think the two most important components from the CRAFT model for us at the 
moment are "contact" and "research." We have been having communication problems with the Middle School so that is why
the first two components are so vital in our project.

Since we have decided on changing our project to have a photojournalism focus the third most important component will be 
teaching. We will have to show the kids how to use cameras effectively and declare what subject matter we want. 

I found it very interesting that less than 1% white students go to Martin Middle School. Coming from a diverse high school 
the unbalanced percentages of ethnicities represented at the middle school is shocking to me. Interestingly there is a almost 
a quarter of whites in the community.

The second piece of research I think is interesting is actually a lack thereof. When trying to find information about Martin 
Middle School on google I found it very difficult to find anything. When trying to find information on the school no photos 
would come up on google. I am not sure but it would be interesting to see if the lack of information is due to parents that 
do not have access to computers or utilize computers as a primary form of communication with school activities.

The third piece of research that has been helpful is my research done on photojournalism. Since the direction of our project
has changed to having the kids tell their stories using disposable cameras I have tried finding effective ways to teach kids the
art of photography. A big possible problem with having the kids take pictures is that they don't know how to use the camera or
they take photos that are not of a quality we can use. The kids we are working with may or may not have an interest in 
photography but that is something we do not know yet and cannot control. One of my favorite TED talks I have ever watched 
is on an artist named JR who does a form of storytelling through photos. His video helps get me excited about this change of
direction and the opportunity that the project now holds. However I still need to continue researching how to teach the kids
the technical and artistic ways to best utilize their cameras because I have yet to find a source that I like. 
(Here is the link to JR's TED talk: http://on.ted.com/JRTEDTalk)