Final Project: part 2

This final project movie is a compilation of online information and videos and includes a student slideshow.  I chose to focus on the theme of "voice".  Autism is a progressive developmental disorder that is characterized by impairments in communication, social skill deficits, and repetitive behaviors or focused interests.  It is often said that "if you meet one person with autism, you have met one person with autism".   A common thread among individuals with autism, whether verbal or non-verbal is a difficulty with communication and social issues.  Technology is creating new avenues for communication and learning social skills that can assist individuals with autism in gaining a higher quality of life and a greater chance at self-advocacy and independence.   I hope you have time to take a peek.  Enjoy!

*After hours of waiting, walking away.. and waiting..  I decided to upload this version - sorry about the quality of the output.  

Research articles related to teaching with technology in art and special education:

Lu, L. (2008)Art cafe: A 3D virtual learning environment for art education, Art Education, 61 (6).

Gray, T., Silver-Pacuilla, H.(2007) The future is now: Application and innovation of technology in special education, Journal of  Special Education Technology, 22 (3).

Raskind, M.,Smedley, T., Higgins, K. (2005) Virtual Technology : Bringing the World Into the Special Education Classroom, Intervention in School and Clinic, 41(114).

Lock, R. H., & Kingsley, K. V. (2007). 20 Ways to empower diverse learners with educational   technology and digital media. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43 (1), 52-56.

Cihak, D., Fahrenkrog, C. Ayres, K.M., Smith, C. (2010) The use of video modeling via a video iPod                and a system of least prompt to improve transitional behaviors of students with autism spectrum disorders    in the general education classroom. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12(2), 103-115.

Wallace, S., Parsons, S., Westbury,A., White, K.,White, K., Bailey, A.(2010) Sense of presence and atypical social judgments in immersive virtual environments: Responses of adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, Autism, 14(199).

Bölte, S.,Golan, O.,Goodwin, M., Zwaigenbaum, L.(2010) What can innovative technologies do for Autism Spectrum Disorders?,Autism,14(155).

Müller, E., Schuler, A., Yates, G. (2008) Social challenges and supports from the perspective of individuals with Asperger syndrome and other autism spectrum disabilities, Autism,12(173).

Herrera, G., Alcantud, F., Jordan, R., Blanquer, A., Labajo, G., De Pablo, C. (2008) Development of symbolic play through the use of virtual reality tools in children with autistic spectrum disorders : Two case studies, Autism, 12(143).

Mason, C., Steedly, K., & Thormann, M. (2008). Impact of arts integration on voice,  choice and access. Teacher Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children , 31 (36), 36-46.

Final Project!

Along with my graduate studies in art education, I am also working on an add-on certificate through the Thompson Center for Autism Research.  My focus for the final was the "benefits of art and technology in the education of students with autism".  I worked with three very sweet kids to make a short slideshows of a project I titled "Discovering Fall". I only met with the kids a couple of times, so our use of technology was limited. - but we had fun!  The first day, I brought a few digital cameras and we went outside to take photographs of the fall trees.  Each student was assisted by a para and the kids really enjoyed venturing outside and pressing the button to capture images.  After our short photography activity, we headed to art class to make prints of leaves.  During our next meeting together, the students created collages from natural objects on the sticky side of contact paper. One of the students was having a difficult time transitioning, so I quickly pulled up his movie from the previous week on my laptop.  He was immediately attentive and then joined us for the collage art activity. The students were intrigued by the sticky feeling of the contact paper and this turned out to be a great way to make collages as well as attend to sensory needs.  After we finished the collages, the students each wrote their names (or initial) on a slide on the smart board.  My intention was to save the "signatures" from the smart board activity and include them in the slide shows.  However, my smart notebook skills are a little rusty and I did not manage to save the screen shots correctly.  The kids enjoyed seeing their pictures in the digital presentations and I enjoyed getting back into the classroom again.

    

Studio Thinking : Express, Reflect and Understand

Express

In Studio Thinking (Hetland 2010), the featured instructors are working with students to move beyond the basics and to “tell a story” in their work.   Abstract concepts such as finding relationships and making meaning in the work are difficult to convey to students.  Sometimes it takes a lot of prodding on the part of the instructor to get students to move beyond drawing things exactly as they see them and to encourage them to add emphasis or emotion to their art.  Other times, especially with younger students, all it takes is to hand them the paintbrush and they are on their way to creating a vibrant expression of the world around them.   One way to encourage students to express their voice is to assign sketchbooks or journaling.  It is also a good idea to ask open-ended questions about student work to gain insight as to what they are trying to convey.  I like the idea of using tracing paper over the student’s work to help clarify a technique or to show the student a new way to work.  This allows the student to visualize the direction you are giving, yet does not add the teacher’s hand to the student’s work.  Critiques are another way to encourage expression.  When the students have the opportunity to interpret their own artwork or the art of others, it fosters discussion and helps students expand on their ideas.  

In my own artwork, I tend to work more realistically.  I sometimes have a hard time pushing myself to be more expressive, however, I do feel like some of my vision or story shines through.  Even if a painting or drawing is from observation, my colors tend to be richer and have higher contrast.  I also like to tell a story and capture emotions in photography.  I will need to work on adding drama and vision to my own work – perhaps through an artists sketchbook.

Reflect

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" 

— Dr. Seuss   

The art room is an ideal environment to challenge students to think and reflect about their work.  The process of creating art requires exploring and questioning.  The practice of reflection includes learning to articulate the steps of the process and the reasons for choices.  Self-reflection is a good practice to get students in the habit of - even at an early elementary age.  When students learn to make critical judgements and are able to explain their work, the quality of student work is high.  Asking open-ended questions, encouraging students to stop and reflect and assigning written reflections and assessments are all ways to foster student reflection in the classroom.  Journaling is another way to get kids thinking.  Last year, I started most classes with a "warm-up" for the first few minutes of class.  This was a great time for students to reflect on the previous week's work or the work of an artist.  In the reading, the suggestion of keeping student portfolios is mentioned.  This is a great way for student to get positive feedback to and to reflect on their growth throughout the year.  

As an artist, I have learned to question and reflect on my own work but I still value the input of my peers or teachers.  When I have the opportunity to discuss my art and ideas with friends, I sometimes get that extra boost that I need to forge ahead and I gain a fresh perspective on approaches or solutions to my art.  I used to belong to an art group that met once a month - mostly just an excuse to get together .. but I valued the chance to share and reflect with friends.

Understand

Hetland (2010) discusses the idea of teaching students about the domain of art.  Introducing art through historical and cultural perspectives and fostering thinking about the processes of other artists.  I used to dig through my giant stack of posters and haul things out to hang up around the room when I began units.  Now, with technology and smart boards... I can quickly pull up many examples for students as well as images from local and historical places that relate to our assignments.  There are a tremendous amount of resources for both teachers and students to utilize today in order to be immersed in art and gain insight about the art of various time periods and cultures. Teachers can show short video clips, play music and show visual images to help foster understanding in the art curriculum.  I also like to display student work with the work of artists studied in class.  This is a great way to prompt discussion and for students to make connections.

The idea of introducing students to the "community" of art is also discussed in the reading.  I love the idea of students helping to design exhibits and take part in the planning and preparation for an art show.  I usually have the elementary students label their own work for the school art show and the older students will often mount and hang some of the work.  I would like to work on more ways to get kids involved.  A scavenger hunt could be fun - allowing the kids to look at art throughout the school and find "treasures" in their peers artwork.  I worked with a group of kids to paint a mural in a classroom at one of my previous school's.  We all enjoyed the experience and it is something that I would like to do again in the future.  Giving kids an opportunity to work on art together and for the better of the community is a great way to foster a sense of pride in our youth.  

  

Stretch, Explore... Play!

The importance of play can't be stressed enough when it comes to learning in school.  I really like the idea of children and older students learning when they are having fun.  In the art room, the possibilities are endless for learning through exploration and play.  Not only do students learn new techniques and explore creative ideas, they are also building foundational social skills and problem solving skills through play.

The reading assignment from the Studio Thinking text discussed the activity of "sketching" in clay.  I love this idea.  It is often difficult for students to visualize ideas and plan three-dimensional projects when they have had limited experience with the media.  Allowing them to play with the new materials during a free exploration time gives the students time to learn and to "think with their hands".  In the TED videos, Stuart Brown states, "If the purpose is more important than the act of doing it, then it probably isn't play".  I  like to let my students spend some time working with various media when we create collages and multimedia projects.  I will set up centers with a variety of materials or techniques to try out at each center. I usually do not tell them what the samples they make will be used for later.  The idea is to create a variety of work - trying out techniques such as stamping, watercolor resist, watercolor crayon... etc.  The pieces will eventually be cut up and used for a project.  I don't think I allow for enough opportunities for students to freely explore and engage in "process" oriented work rather than "project" focused lessons.

The readings and videos also touched on the fact that students will need guidance to be able to transition in and out of play.  This is a skill that will be beneficial to students across the curriculum and in daily life - being able to move between the generative and explorative mode of play and then regroup to produce creations or converge ideas.

Go for quantity:  Make art!  Expand ... stretch... unless we are actually "doing, the idea will not get anywhere.  This is the area that I could use the most improvement in.  Many of the readings and the books we discussed during our forum touched on the importance of moving out of our comfort zone.  This is essentially what "stretching" is all about.  I can't wait to spend a little time stepping out of my comfort zone and going for quantity - a necessary action to get back in the habit of making art.

Stretch and Explore

I finally took a picture of my "stretch and explore" personal assignment.  I have to admit, it was a nice break to just dive into a box of scraps and play around a little.  I actually "made" something!  I decided to repurpose/recycle/upcycle some old sheer drapes and a shrunken wool sweater.  The burgundy flower hair pin was made from scraps in my "scrap" drawer of fabric. I have not made floral pins until now, but they were super easy to make... I think I will make more. The sweater pin is actually leopard print - can't wait to wear it.

Visual Exercise

My theme for week 12 was "Pink".  I had the idea, but as is typical... I have a hard time moving past the idea stage.  I have spent a little time working on the composition as well as practiced sketching.  I have the small canvas ready to go.  Now, how to stay engaged?  I was feeling frustrated with the sketching because the pencil was not working for me.  I really just need to get to the little canvas and begin mixing - creating color!  I think it will be easier to stay "engaged" and to "persist" when I get a little messy with paint.  I should have a little time to work, uninterrupted, this week.  I will check back with more pictures on my progress.

"Scratching Takes Longer When You're Rusty"

I really enjoyed reading Tharp's reflections about the creative process. Yes, scratching definitely takes longer when you are rusty!  I am working on a painting to go with the theme "pink".  I have waited a long time to have a little pink around my house and I am thoroughly enjoying it!  Zola has the cutest pink shoes and I couldn't think of anything more perfect to use for a "pink" project.  I would like the painting to be small - 6x6".  To begin, I look around the internet at other interpretations of baby shoes.  Here is small sampling:

Next, I sketched for a few minutes and took a few photos of the shoes in different arrangements. 

Soon.... I will paint these darling shoes with a pale pink color scheme.  

The Kosslyn 4: Generate, retain, inspect and transform

4^th Grade Masks:

Generate  - We view art prints, power point presentations, previous student examples and a short video about masks.  We discuss the role of masks in various cultures.  I demonstrate how we will use paper mache (sometimes plaster) to cover a form and we discuss ways that the form could be built up/ changed.  I allow the students to sift through boxes of miscellaneous materials that they have available to use for the project.

Retain – The students sketch out their ideas in their sketchbooks.  They also list possible materials to use for embellishment.  If time allows, they add color to the sketches to further plan out the finished piece.   They will use the sketch as a blueprint to begin the construction of the mask.  I will ask the students to show me their plans when they need help. 

Inspect – Once the students begin working with the materials, they may need to re-visit their plan.  The idea may need to be re-worked if the 3-dimensional interpretation is not evolving the way the student planned it.  If a student is having trouble with the construction, it is often a teachable moment – a way to interject new ideas for constructing pieces out of materials such as tagboard and foil.  The students can offer suggestions to each other as to the methods that seem to work best for them.

Transform – The plan or idea is only the beginning.  I love it when students have an “aha” moment and choose to use a new material to suit their creative purposes.  The colors may need to change, the materials can be altered, the final presentation can be refined in a different way.  When the mask unit is complete, the students fill out an artist statement that tells about their idea, the purpose of the mask, the materials used and their personal reflection about the finished piece.

Week 12: Try.... try again!

It seems that when you are out of the practice of art-making, the frustration of tackling a new painting or creation can be very overwhelming.  I am often met with many obstacles when it comes to creating a new piece but the biggest roadblock and frustration is the mere act of “starting”.   I am an “idea” person.  I walk through my day-to-day life with oodles of ideas swimming through my head.  I also collect.  I collect bits and pieces of fabric, paper, found objects…. in anticipation of carrying out one of my creative visions.  In this sense, I do not have any trouble collecting materials and ideas… it is the follow through that I struggle with. 

When I am painting and something just does not look quite right, I step back, look at it from different angles, take a break and come back.  Sometimes just waiting and starting at another time can help me see a piece with fresh eyes.  Other times, I just scrap it and start anew. 

Our students can often become easily frustrated when they can’t seem to get a project to look how they have envisioned it.  We have to be patient with them and remember how frustrating it would make us if we invested time and thought into a project that just wasn’t working out.  PATIENCE… PERSIST… PERSEVERE.  I encourage my students to sketch out their ideas so that I can have a visual of what they are considering.  I also work on techniques next to them to show them new ways of tackling an idea.  I also like to show the students examples of my work that I have “reworked”.  For example, if a watercolor painting did not turn out exactly the way I envisioned it, I could go over it with chalk pastel to add more vibrant color.  Sometimes, I suggest that students re-work a project by refining it with another art media. 

Walk away.  I often encourage students to set their work at against the wall and stand back to get a fresh look at it.  If that doesn’t help, sometimes it works to try something else for a few minutes and come back to the project.  Each student is unique.  If we are observant of their behaviors and talents in the art room, we can have a better idea of how to intervene when they need or assistance. 

Allow opportunities to learn the media.  I know that personally, when I experiment with an art material, I am more confident when using it for a completed piece.  This is also true of my students.  I often give the kids opportunities to try out materials – the process being more important than the product.  This gives them more practice and new techniques to apply to their projects.  

Unitasking a little...

Visual Exercise

I tried many times last week to sit down for 30 minutes and draw after I put the kids to bed.  The honest truth is..... I fell asleep. (every time)  So, today I tried to "unitask" and draw in quiet solitude while the baby napped.  Well, she woke up.  I ended up unitasking "a little".  The "little" part is baby Zola.  

First, I decided to set up downstairs.  I grabbed a few supplies (including baby toys) and headed for my creative space. The room is actually uncluttered right now because we just had company.  I set the baby down on the clean and uncluttered bed and set to work on my drawing.  No music, no coffee, no clutter... just Miss Zola and I.  My drawing was going fine but soon.. the baby and I were both getting fidgety.  I started singing to make up for the lack of music. (note to self - now we know why kids "hum" in class) The baby eventually decided she was not interested in her toys anymore and I decided I needed better light.  So... off to the great outdoors.  We moved our things outside to the deck. Much better light and the baby was fairly entertained.  I would definitely have preferred to work outside the entire time.  Next time, if weather permits, I am setting up my project on the deck.  The drawing turned out alright.  I would definitely go back and rework some of it.....  but maybe with a little music and some coffee close at hand.  

* I also had a beautiful ginkgo leaf that I stitched to a piece of paper with gold thread. I wanted to include a picture of it here.  After several minutes of searching, however, I have decided that my house must have swallowed it.  

Week 10: Multitasking My Way through Life

I am a multitasker.  I always have been - even before technology.  I tend to work on more than one thing at a time and I am, as Rosen described, similar to the net-gener who could go through life with earbuds and music.  I was the doodler in class.  Even to this day,  I have to make a conscious effort not to fill my notes during staff meetings with borders and pictures.  When I teach, multitasking can be both good and bad.  It is good in that I can easily introduce lessons that require many materials and lots of individual attention.  I am also good at quickly adjusting lessons and improvising to meet the needs of individual students or the class as a whole.  I can re-fill paint while observing a table across the room and answering the question of the kindergarten student standing in front of me.  Many, but not all teachers are wired this way.  Multitasking, however, is not always the most efficient way to teach and/or work.  I believe that there is only so much we can do at once, which may be unique to the environment, the situation or the individual.  Often, I forge ahead in lessons... moving on to the next exciting thing... without slowing down to take the time to focus on a key element that may need clarified or to focus solely on reviewing knowledge, etc.

A true example of multitasking inefficiently:  A couple of days ago I was at the grocery store with my three children.  I am walking through the produce aisle, pushing a stroller, carrying a basket, picking out apples, keeping an eye on my 5 year old who is bouncing up and down.. and answering a call from my sister on my cell phone.  I turn to my 9 year old and ask him to please go and get me a red basket for our apples.  The woman standing next to me looks at me like I'm crazy.... it is then that I realize I have been carrying a red basket all along.  Embarrassed, I quickly hang up the phone and apologize to my confused son.  Are there moments when we don't have the capacity to multitask? Absolutely.

As a multi-tasker myself, I understand the feeling of needing to do more than one task at a time.  However, I also understand that we can get overwhelmed and that periodically uni-tasking is important to assure that we are not going about things in fragmented and inefficient ways.
I typically start elementary art lessons with about 10 minutes of quiet, focused time.  This gives the uni-taskers a few minutes of peace and the multi-taskers some time to focus before jumping into the creative chaos.  At the secondary level, this is a tough one.  A few summers ago, I taught three-hour art courses at Hickman.  Three hours is a long time, and when the rules say "no personal electronics" in class, the kids can get frustrated. I feel their pain. I added books on cd, music and the occasional youtube to our lessons, but it still wasn't enough for most of the kids.  While it may be frustrating to refrain from using headphones in class or to put away the blackberry, I feel that it is a life skill that young adults need to practice.  I also strongly believe that everyone can benefit from occasionally uni-tasking and quietly focusing.   Each teacher will need to adjust the class atmosphere based on the needs of the students, district technology policies, and the teacher's own comfort levels.  The key, is to being willing to acknowledge that our students have different learning styles and preferences for working, and vary the instruction and environment from time to time to allow for differences in learning.

Studio Habits:  Developing Craft and Learning to Observe
I really could relate to the information discussed in the "Studio Thinking" chapters.  I have instructed art at all age levels and I feel that learning to take care of supplies and to be able to manipulate materials and apply various techniques is essential to teaching art any grade level.  When students are responsible for materials and are comfortable using the media, they gain a sense of empowerment and are less inhibited in the art making process.
In the elementary art room, time is often limited to 50 minutes, once a week.  I do not like to spend a lot of time on isolated instruction of vocabulary and instruction on how to precisely use tools.  Personally, I learn best by "doing".  I tend to teach the same way.  I do spend a little time discussing, demonstrating and modeling class expectations and how to care for materials at the beginning of the year and from there, I embed these practices and instruction in the art lessons.  We can always use the "teachable moment" to teach vocabulary and new techniques as well as model the appropriate care of materials and techniques during our demonstrations.  It is great when kids learn new techniques and control of a media without even knowing that they are learning.  I like how the ceramics instructor in the reading explains that the clay should be a "partner in their creations".  Hetland (2010) explains, "As students begin to acquire technique, they begin to "think" with technique".  Partnering with the media, and thinking with technique are fantastic ways to direct our students in the art-making process.

Proposal

I have so many ideas but very limited time these days.  I have decided that what I need most is just plain practice.  I need to get back to the business of creating art.
I really like the painting of Aspens (at the bottom of my blog page).  I think I am drawn to the rich color and the contrast.  I also enjoy playing around with different techniques.  Back in my undergrad days (13 years ago) I was a fiber artist.  I love paper and sewing.  When it comes to drawing, I prefer charcoal or pastels.  I used to use oils but switched to acrylics when my first son was born.  I also really like taking photographs.
So..... what I propose is it to create a series of small pieces based on color.  I will try out various drawing, painting or multi-media techniques that I have been wanting to work on for awhile.  Rather than having my work based on one specific concept, I will choose a color each week and complete a piece based on the color.
In response to the fall season and the beautiful leaves, this week, I choose the color scheme "gold".  - I will post pictures and descriptions soon.

My Creative Routine

I don't really seem to have a routine to anything anymore.  My life is a bit of half-organized chaos.  I can say, however, that a few things have always remained constant to any creative process I use.  - I need a beverage, music or the television, visual references, and I prefer to work at night.  
I have always been a night owl and still prefer to work on projects at night - although, just trying to stay awake long enough to begin/finish something seems to be my latest set back.
I also have to have background noise.  I like to work on projects with music playing or a tv show.- Old episodes of Seinfeld or anything else that I can occasionally glance at.  I tend to feel more comfortable when my husband is home too.  I don't want him hanging out around my easel, but I do like it when he is around.(My workspace is in the basement which seems so far removed from my kids at night.)  If a project will fit on the kitchen table, it tends to end up there temporarily.  My "studio" is in the spare bedroom and I share this space with a shelf full of kids art supplies, my sewing machine and a guest bed (which is usually covered in fabric and supplies)  I am terrible about tossing things here and there as I work ... and my kids seem to have picked up the habit.  My creative space is often entwined with my 5 year old's creative mess.  I don't mind the creative clutter as long as I can find what I need and eventually get it put back so that I can find my supplies when I need them.
I am not really a "make it up as you go" kind of artist.  I usually have something to reference or some type of planning done before i begin projects.  Even if it is just a few swatches of color and an old postcard.  I tend to gather ideas and then get to the creating.  
I also always have something to drink. - usually coffee or wine.  Depends on my mood and what day of the week it is.  Coffee is a constant in my life that I just can't live without.  Even in my decaf days with the baby, I just love the smell and warmth of a cup of coffee.
I am in need of quiet and solitude but I can't seem to sit still if I do get a rare moment of quiet and calm.  I am inherently a high-energy multi-tasker.  It would be a stretch for me to create in quiet without music or a cup of coffee.

iLove Macs

This is a quick video showing one of the many children with disabilities who are using iPads as assistive technology.    iPods and iPads are great in that they have many applications available that are similar to those of assistive technology that costs thousands of dollars.  They are, of course, touch sensitive and may not be appropriate for all children.  There is also not a super tough, drop-worthy anti-destructive case for the iPad yet.  If students can benefit from the use of a WMD in the classroom and it fits into the students IEP, there may be cause to allow the student to use the device at school.  Something to think about when working with older students with special needs in the art room.

Week 9: Total Immersion?

“You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.” -George Lucas
     Second life and avatars in the classroom? I am not usually the type to shy away from a challenge, but I have to admit - this is definitely a giant hurdle.  I understand the attraction kids have to games and I am beginning to notice the multitude of options for technology integration in the classroom... but I will most likely put parameters on the social networking and virtual gaming inclusion in my art curriculum. 
     Several years ago (before smartboards, youtube and data projectors) I would have begun an elementary lesson on seascapes/ ocean with "sounds of the ocean" music in the cd player, stacks of themed library books at each table, and art posters displayed on a bulletin board.   Fast forward to today ... I would also be able to show clips from streamed videos of underwater scenes and crashing waves, images from google searches and the kids could scan their paintings and use them as images in digital collages... voice threads...as writing prompts.. or as backdrops for an animated cartoon.  If I wanted to take it a step further, we could post the paintings on the class blog and start a class critique or even visit virtual galleries to view famous paintings related to our theme.  

• The limitations:

The possibilities are endless with technology integration, however, I have to take a small step back and consider how much time I want to spend implementing some of these ideas in the art room.  Touring a virtual museum, for example, could be implemented fairly easily with proper access to the site and a data projector.  Immersive social networking opportunities that are authentic to the art curriculum, on the other hand,  will take proper planning, practice and monitoring on the part of the teacher.  I feel that a limitation to the application of virtual gaming and immersive social networking is TIME.  To some teachers, this will not be a limitation.... they are already immersed in this world.  To other teachers, this may hinder our forging ahead into new online worlds.  I love my job and I love teaching art - especially the hands-on, experimental, messy kind of art that involves paint, clay and glue.  I also enjoy sharing the world of art with kids by tapping into their interests. However, at some point, the teacher's work day must end and life away from teaching begins.  Total immersion for the students would mean total immersion for the teacher as well.  Can I count a virtual club toward career ladder?  Do I stretch my night a few minutes longer to check in on a social environment that I set up for the kids?  

• The possibilities:  

Learning should be fun.  Games are great way to jumpstart a lesson, reward the kids for outstanding behavior, or to teach and review a concept.  There are many sites with kid friendly, educational art games.  I have been using games, such as "Leonardo's Adventures", for years.  However, time is often limited in the classroom and games might need to be added to a class website for the kids to try at home.  My old class website (not updated since the fall of 2009) is yet to be unpublished and can be found here: www.fairviewart.weebly.com  Weebly is one of many free and easy to use web hosting sites. (It also has a blogging/ commenting feature that I did not enable based on the advice of the IT staff.)  Bookmarking or linking educational and fun sites could be an easy way to extend learning beyond the school day.  
Letting the kids create games centered around concepts is another great idea.  Many applications can be used to create games and animated cartoons that teach topics. Many suggestions, such as Alice.org, were given in the readings.  I visited  the Getty's "Whyville" virtual networking site and found it very interesting.  It looks very young, but if you visit the south beach and notice the teen style dialogues, you will see that it is definitely geared toward 9-15 year old kids.  I also downloaded the "Scratch" software created by MIT for kids to create animations that can be shared and remixed on their website.  
     Each teacher is going to have their own comfort level, and with proper planning and practice, will be able to immerse their students in an exciting technology savvy art education world.  For me, this means having the interest to research and try some of these technology applications and social worlds as a starting point.  From there, I plan to implement some of these ideas one step at a time. 

Pac-Mondrian game.  Fun!!

Art TECHIE Resources

I thought I would share this blog with my fellow classmates.  The tab "108 Web tools and Resources" is a convenient go to list of many of the sites we have visited throughout this class. - I will be adding it to my bookmarks along with Melissa's amazing techno-savvy site.

http://artjunction.org/blog/

Week 8: Digital Imaging Media in the Classroom

Art teachers are visual, art students learn visually, and kids love to take pictures!  For all of these reasons, digital imaging has a place in today’s art room. Ohler (2009) explains, “it is clear that many of the skills needed to command the new media collage would, by today’s standards, fit best into the art curriculum, where concepts of color, form, and collage are part of the everyday narrative“ (p.11)

So how do we begin?  Just as with any art lesson, projects that involve digital images and online sharing should be well prepared, clearly outlined and evaluated. 

As I have discussed in previous posts, lessons in digital etiquette are very important to give our students the tools needed to successfully and safely publish images online.  Copyright issues can also be covered in lessons about digital etiquette.  These types of lessons need not only be the art teacher’s responsibility.  Brooks-Young states, “Several states now require that educators teach online safety lessons annually” (p.80, 2010). Classroom teachers, media specialists and school counselors may wish to address these topics in their curriculum.  It would be wise to collaborate with teachers about teaching digital etiquette lessons.  The lessons could be taught in homerooms or the media center and subsequently reviewed in the art room. This would allow for more hands-on time in the art room.

            If projects are to be posted online, they should be teacher-led, structured assignments.  The teacher will need to mediate the material and set the privacy goals.  It will be important to check the district copyright, posting and viewing policies as they pertain to digital media (Brooks-Young, 2010).  Teachers will also need to make sure that they have permission before posting student photos, videos and images.  This can be handled through the general permission that parents may sign during registration as well as through individual permission slips and notes containing information about class blogs or websites.   It may be important to prepare for lessons by checking with the IT staff to increase teacher storage space, create a temporary class share drive, and unblock any imaging or editing sites that will be needed for the lesson. 

               Students love to take pictures and video.  Photos are a great way to document student’s lives, artwork and school field trips.  Digital cameras, cell phone cameras and Flip cameras are all relatively simple tools to use to create a collection of images (Brooks-Young, 2010).  Teachers will need to provide direct instruction to students on how to use the tools, how to upload and the specific criteria required for the project.  One method to devise digital media lessons is to use the “four D’s”: define, design, do and debrief (Churches, Crockett, & Jukes, 2010). 

            There are many ways that teachers can use pictures and video in the art room.  A few ideas of how to implement digital media in the elementary art room:

·      Create a cd cover:  The students would create a fictitious band and a cd cover for the band.  Photographs or drawings can be use in a digital collage for the cd cover.  Possible applications to use are photoshop, a blank powerpoint slide and other free online photo-editing sites.

·      Ambitious teachers can lead a student multi-media club.  The club could be responsible for creating the school’s morning announcements via video which would be viewed once a week by all classrooms.

·      Older students could create alphabet books for younger students- digital collages or voice threads.

·      Students can  create slideshows to document field trips and other school activities such as the school art show.

·      Teachers can create and embed video and picture tutorials in class websites.

I used one of many free online slideshow websites to create this slideshow of my family at Halloween and the CPS Super hero day.  I set the privacy to keep it from being published publicly through the site.  One drawback of a free site such as this is the advertising that comes with the slideshow.

 

Works Cited

Brooks-Young, S. (2010). Teaching with the tools kids really use. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Churches, A., Crockett, L., & Jukes, I. (2010). The Digital Diet: Today's Digital Tools in Small Bytes. 21st Century Fluency Project.

Ohler, J. (2009). Orchestrating the Media Collage. Educational Leadership , 66 (6), 9-13.

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The Photoshop Blues: Portrait Collage

I spent way more hours than I would like to admit (at the expense of my reflections) trying to navigate photoshop!  

Photoshop Lesson

I survived the text tutorial lesson.  Moving on.....

Photo Editing

Be Funky 

This website is easy to use, does not require registration and has lots of photo effects options.  The only drawback, if you were using it with kids, is the "premium" option that you have to pay for for some of the photo effects and the annoying ads at the top of the website. Otherwise, it was easy to play around with.  

Picnik

This editing site is very easy to use.  I liked the variety of fonts.  My 9 year old loves to change the font on everything.  He would probably really like the "action jackson" font.  

You don't need to register to use picnik but you do have to pay if you want to use the premium features.  Overall - a good choice. 

GIMP

This software is free to download and is very similar to photoshop.  However, just like photoshop, it will take some playing around with before you can create wonderful pics.  If you have experience with photoshop and working in layers, but don't want to spend the money... this might be for you.

A Much Needed Road Trip!

Ok - I have to give a HUGE thank-you to my sister who helped me stumble through my first collage in photoshop.  Jen lives out of town so she looked at my screen via skype.  I think my cluttered workspace was driving her nuts!  Anyway, she is in the process of trying to finish a rotoscoping video that is hours worth of work and thousands of drawings. So.. thanks again Jen. -my project seems like small potatoes in comparison.  

For this assignment, I was basically just trying to get the hang of using some of the tools.  I took my husband and I off the streets of Columbia and placed us on a highway in Colorado.  I did have some trouble cutting out the picture of us on the motorcycle and I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the magnetic lasso tool.   Another cool tool is the quick selection tool... but I haven't quite mastered that one yet. 

Sheryl and I had a conversation on skype about the lock on the background layer.  Something we didn't know is that background automatically locks and if you click on the lock and rename the layer, you can then edit the layer. (Thanks for the tip Jen) Don't worry Sheryl, I am also stumbling with this stuff. 

The step by step screen-casts were very helpful. - Thanks Melissa.   I could also use a photoshop fairy to hang around while I work on this stuff!  Moving on to the next assignment.......  

Digital Citizenship and the Art Room

Digital citizenship is such a vast subject to explore and there are many potential ways to implement media literacy and digital citizenship into an art curriculum.  I believe, however, that regardless of the approach taken, the most important element of helping our kids to be creative, respectful, digital citizens is to first and foremost practice effective teaching.  How do we effectively teach kids today?  In the art room, this involves many of the methods that we already practice such as offering a variety of hands-on experiences, fostering discussions about art, allowing for both independent and group problem-solving, encouraging a sense-of-self and promoting a positive, respectful atmosphere in the classroom.  

The children in our classrooms today are consistently “wired” and imminently affected by media.  A great start to teaching kids how to speak for themselves and sift through the vast array of information on the internet, may be to allow them opportunities off of the computer.  In the series “Consuming Kids”, Susan Linn discussed the importance of off-screen experiences in the emotional and cognitive development of children.  Linn states, “Creative play offers a foundation of learning, a foundation of critical thinking, a foundation of problem solving, a foundation of empathy and offers ways for kids to make life meaningful”.  She explains that kids today are often deprived of opportunities to exercise their imaginations.   I believe a great way to help children build a solid foundation is in the art room.  A strong elementary art curriculum and an effective teacher will foster all of the foundational elements that Linn describes. 

I have touched on some of the important aspects of art education “off screen”, however, I do understand and realize that our kids are immersed in media and spend many hours online both in and outside of school.  How do effective art teachers then teach media literacy and digital citizenship?  The approach may be different depending on the teacher, the grade level and the activity.  I believe that media literacy has an important place in the art room when we examine images both past and present. 

The video lecture series “Killing us softly” stressed the cultural climate of today’s media that often portrays women as passive, sexual objects.  How do we approach this topic with elementary students?  It can be as simple as choosing images and art examples for class that portray girls and women in a more positive way and counters the portrayal pushed by popular media.  The message of visual images can also be a good topic of discussion with young students.  Comparisons of historical paintings and images from popular culture can foster great discussions and create many opportunities for “teachable moments”.   

Teaching digital citizenship should be a school-wide effort and elementary art teachers can certainly do their part.  This does not mean that we necessarily have to teach entire units based on the ins and outs of digital citizenship.  My son’s school encourages students to be safe, respectful, responsible learners.  In the art room, these goals can easily be encouraged, discussed and modeled in a variety of ways.  We should never underestimate the power of the “teachable moment”. The teachable moment comes often and it is important for teachers to seamlessly introduce the concepts of safety, respect, responsibility and learning when the opportunity arises.  The concept of digital citizenship with elementary students can be introduced along these same lines.  For example, if a teacher is pulling up images for students to view when they work on an assignment, why not take the opportunity to quickly explain how you found the images and demonstrate how to safely browse for pictures.  (i.e. advanced search features on google, kid friendly websites, etc.)  If students are looking for images to use in their artwork or as part of a technology piece, the teacher can make available a bookmarked list of copyright free image search sites.  Take a quick moment to discuss how important it is to respect the art and intellectual property of others both in the art room and from online collections.  Many lists are already available and can be a good start when introducing the concept of “respect for others” to students.  A good list of creative image sources and information about copyright for kids can be found here at the “Teaching Pallette – Perfecting the Art of Education” website.

In the book “Rewired” by Larry, D. Rosen, Rosen explains that children intuitively know how technology works but do not have the skills to disseminate information and make informed decisions about the vast array of information available online.  The hands-on-learning that is so important to the cognitive development of young children is also important to effectively teach media literacy.  Rosen outlines six principles of media literacy that include the idea that media messages are created, may not always be accurate, have a point of view, send different messages, are targeted to specific populations, and are created for commercial reasons.  As art educators, we can assist students with deciphering information by teaching strategies for internet searching and demonstrating how to critically look at the information and images.  One way that an elementary art teacher can introduce the principles of media literacy is through a discussion and demonstration of how to find information on a particular artist.  If a teacher is already spending time researching an artist and finding images related to the artist to display for students, it could be a teaching opportunity to include the kids in the seek and find process.  As a parent, I often help my fourth grade son find information for school assignments.  One strategy that my son and I use is to type “for kids” as part of our google search.  For example, if you type in “Vincent Van Gogh for kids” in the search window, the second result that comes up is a link to a metropolitan museum for art exploration page: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/van_gogh/intro.html  After we find a good website that has been designed with kids in mind, we often bookmark it in a folder for him to easily access later.  This type of strategy has to be taught and we cannot assume that all parents are actively engaged in their child’s techno savvy learning. 

Media literacy and digital citizenship are concepts that will need to be added to our ever-expanding repoitor as teachers.  In our profession, respect for others, for intellectual property and for ourselves are extremely important.  To be effective teachers, we need to model, teach and encourage these qualities across all academic areas.  

Kilbourne, Jean (2010). Killing Us Softly

Linn, Susan (2008). Consuming Kids: The Commecialization of Childhood.

Rosen, L. D. (2010). Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and The Way They Learn. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Inspiration Mapping

This is my trial run of the "Inspiration" application.  (Brainstorming for an art club that is service oriented.) I can imagine many uses for this in the classroom and it could be a good application for class brainstorming - especially on the smartboard.  However.... for personal use, I still prefer good old sticky notes and spiral notebooks full of my chicken scratch writing.  

Simply Screenr

I used "Screenr" to create this screencast.  It is probably the only thing that I will use Twitter for but for the most part, Screenr is simple to use.  I don't think I would publish my screencasts publicly on twitter, but I do like that you can embed them in a class website or blog.  

Inspiration Collage

This is my inspiration board for 'upcycled'..'recycled'...'repurposed'...clothing.  Most of these pieces are made from reclaimed materials.  (Image searches used: Etsy, google, shopstyle.com)  It has been a VERY long time since I created something for ME.  I haven't really designed or sewn anything significant for myself since my wedding dress (11 years ago!)  I think it is time I re-purposed that pile of clothing that I just can't seem to toss out.  Hmmm.. maybe an accessory to go with my usual jeans and t-shirt?

Image Lexicons

week 6

I am only partially through the list and I am already on browse overload.  It is good to view options other than google images.  I love to have more tools in my toolbox....  The following is a list of three sites with an image that I downloaded from each.

Etsy envy!

I chose to review this site first, because I have used it for inspiration many times before.  I actually have a shop on etsy (nothing posted yet, still says "coming soon") - however, I have been browsing the images on this site for a few years now.  There are thousands of art pieces and they are divided by categories...  you also don't have to worry too much about the content because the site is moderated.

Flickr

This site has a vast amount of images and there is a gallery feature that you can use to set up a collection of your favorite images.- you must have a yahoo account to upload or to set up a gallery.  You can't drag pictures to your desktop (I suppose you could do a screen capture) but you can download the images that have not been disabled by the photographer. 

Image spark

I haven't signed up for this site but it seems like it has some potential.  There is a community library, tagging and uploading features and you can create mood boards.  You can also check out other people's mood boards.  

Intertextuality

Week 6 Reflection

I felt as if I kept shaking my head in agreement as I read through the article by Duncum.  Even before the age of the internet, images, text, music ... aspects of culture have been connected in some way.  In high school, my favorite - and by far my most difficult class was Humanities.  I loved learning about music.. art.. history... literature and the connections between the different facets of a time period... how time periods were connected, etc.   Flash forward to present time - I still love humanities studies and reading historical novels. (although my memory of dates and facts is terrible).  Duncum explains that the internet is a "vast network of connections".   Everything is connected and with hypertext, we simply click on a link to find a related piece of information to the text or image.   Intertextuality is multimodal.  Haven't educators, for many years, been trying to integrate the arts and academics so that our students can make connections and build on their learning? Often this requires making connections with dates and categories as well as with personal interest.  What if we could get students to search for connections and make meaning of images without attaching guidelines such as categorical or historical significance?  Duncum suggests that this is a way to connect students interests and knowledge.  By exploring relationships and making connections to images, students can brainstorm and expand on their creative ideas. Understanding that words and music affects the meaning of a piece or evokes an emotion is also essential to creating multifaceted art.  I wonder what my favorite high school humanities class from 1991 would be like today?  Ooooohhh there would be so many possibilities!

Duncum, P.. (2010).  Seven Principles for Visual Culture Education. Art Education, 63(1), 6-10.