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.

Reflection: Art and Cognition

http://ashiro.posterous.com/left-brain-right-brain-art-and

Week 5
Wow - where do I begin with this post?  The arts are so important to education in so many ways!

Let's begin with the brain.  In short, experiencing and creating art is a whole-brain process. The mid-brain organizes and sends information, the parietal area processes the spacial layout, the temporal lobes process names and memory, the occipital lobe processes color, movement and form.   When we take in a visual image, it flows through the retina and optic nerves for processing and then connects with cognition and memory to double-check and filter the information.  Recall is used to help make sense of the information.

Memory and recall, cause and effect, interpreting the world around us, interpreting and relaying information, the use of fine motor skills, reciprocal communication, sensory exploration.... these are all important aspects of child development and educational learning.  Visual learning and arts education can include many of these aspects and can only enhance a child's learning.

The implications of brain theory are very important for students with disabilities.  Children who have autism, learning disabilities, and other processing disorders may have problems with the connections between different areas of the brain.  If viewing, experiencing and creating art accesses many parts of the brain... then the whole-brain experience would be beneficial to exercise cognition for exceptional children.  Some individuals with autism use visual images to help organize and interpret information.  "Thinking in pictures" is a way to attach pictures to pieces of information and helps the individual recall and interpret what is being said.  Temple Grandin has written many books about her personal experiences growing up with autism and "thinking in pictures".  As a side note - she will be speaking in Columbia on October 13th.

Integration of the arts into the curriculum can foster teamwork, community building and global awareness.  Students may feel more connected to their learning when they have the opportunity to explore their personal interests through art projects. The fine motor skills, problem-solving skills, social skills, and complex-thinking that are utilized in the art room are important to improving academic achievement and for future professional achievement.

Sense of self -- all students have the opportunity to succeed in the art room.  This is especially significant for students with language barriers, students with physical or mental impairments and students who may be at-risk emotionally or academically.  Students can gain a sense of empowerment when they have the opportunity to clarify their ideas visually and gain self-confidence when they are encouraged in the art room.

Reflection: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous technologies

Week 4
From my understanding, synchronous technologies are tools that we use to collaborate/ communicate live or at a given time.  For example, video conferencing such as skype and live chat sessions.  Skype is a great tool in that it is free to register and the communication seems more personal.  There is less room for interpretation as sometimes can occur with written text.  One disadvantage could be the required webcam and streaming capabilities.  Live chat or technology that involves text allows for immediate collaboration/ feedback without the need for a webcam or microphone.

Asynchronous tools such as, discussion boards and blogs can be good tools for collaborating because there is a written documentation or history of comments that can be easily accessed.  A few disadvantages would be the slower response time and the text interpretation.  Powerpoint presentations and youtube videos allow for narration and other unique ways to present information, but they are static and there is not any interaction between the presenter and the viewer.  Voice threads are good creative way to present information.  There are many advantages to voice thread - there are multiple options of formats that can be uploaded as well as various options of ways to comment. (text, audio, video)

A few classroom applications -
Skype : I am in charge of coordinating the mystery readers for Manny's class.  I was thinking that skype would be a great way for a parent who travels to still get the chance to be the mystery reader for their child's class.  It could also be used for presentations by guest speakers.

Voice thread:  There are lots of possibilities with this one.  I would like to try uploading the artwork of a class and allowing another class the opportunity to add positive comments or attach poetry, etc.  This would be a great way for buddy classrooms to work together.  - they could do the commenting during their weekly computer lab time.  I would have liked to have tried this out when I led mentor groups. We paired older elementary students with younger students who were at-risk (academically, socially, etc.)  The younger kids would really enjoy feedback from their mentors.  This could be a way for a teacher to practice using voice thread with a smaller number of students.

Class blogs - This a good tool to present information for the class about current assignments, etc.  It is also a good way to start a discussion with students - allowing them to add thoughts on their own time without the pressure of immediately forming an opinion during class.  Art work can also be showcased with the option for students/parents to comment.

Voice Thread

I thought I would try out voice thread with one of my kids.  Paddy was happy to help out.  He made this voice thread about Mr. Earl's (Fairview) turtle.  We sent it to his kindergarten teacher to show the class.  Maybe she will comment :)   I created a separate identity with Paddy's picture to allow both of us to comment with the same log in.   The only trouble we encountered was the video commenting.  My mac has a webcam but the voice thread video screen was black.  I ended up just letting Paddy record in photo booth and then uploaded it to voice thread as a slide.  Overall, I think voice thread is pretty user friendly - the doodle feature would be easy to use with a smart board.  Lots of potential for classroom applications.

Feel free to comment on Paddy's voice thread.  Sheryl -Thanks for commenting.  I will show him when he gets home from school.

This is an example of three classrooms collaborating on an art voice thread.
http://voicethread.com/community/library/K12_art_poetry_and_music_from_Erin_Berg/

Identity

Follow this link to see a collaborative music video.
Identity

Cool collaboration from the adobe youth foundation.

http://youthvoices.adobe.com

Social Kids Seeking Social Opportunities

week 4
With the soon to be released movie “Social Network” about the founders of facebook and the exploration of the social network topic on the Today Show’s education series – currently the notion of social networking in schools is definitely a hot topic!

I feel compelled to write about this topic from both the perspective of a parent and a teacher.  As a teacher, the opportunity to get kids thinking and connecting authentically through social networking is very exciting.  As a parent, I approach this subject with caution and anxiousness.

I appreciate the author’s attempt to use data as a way to dispel some of the fear around facebook and other social network systems (Brooks-Young, 2010).  However, Brooks-Young’s explanation of facts and statistics does not make the threat of online predators or cyber bullying, from a parent’s perspective, any less real or frightening. We will need to consider parental concerns if we approach social networking in the classroom. 

The reflective question has been asked, "Can the benefits of social networks, such as facebook, outweigh the risks...?”  I believe a good starting point to this topic would be to ask ourselves “Are their safer alternatives to use in the classroom that allow our students to hone their networking and collaboration skills?” How many faculty do we know who already incorporate online discussion and networking into their lessons? Is there a simpler way to begin?  We need to remember that this type of instruction will take time, careful planning and extra monitoring.  There is quite a bit of potential for positive outcomes for student learning, but some teachers may wish to wade in the water before fully plunging in.

We know that digital skills, collaboration/ teamwork, critical thinking/ problem solving, and work ethic skills are all desirable traits of today’s workforce (Brooks-Young, 2010).  Art teachers already inherently incorporate many of these skills in the project-based art room.  Utilizing the social networking interests of our students could be one more way to help our kids be successful students, workers, and global citizens. 

So how do we begin?  A good place to begin might be to create a network system specifically for the school.  Many suggestions were given in the reading, such as Ning and Elgg.  Some of these networks may cost money for subscriptions or third party implementation but the cost may be worth it to ensure the safety of students and to ease district administrator/parental concerns.  As an art teacher with great ambitions, but limited time, using a network that has already been designed for use by students and teachers could be an option.  Some networks to explore are ePALS, iEARN, and GLOBALORIA (Duebel).  Finally, an art teacher could simply begin with a class blog or website that allows students to comment and collaborate.  It is also important to remember that kids will need guidance. If we are to expect students to successfully participate and learn through online collaboration/networking, teachers will need to give clear expectations and demonstrate what is expected.

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

Duebel, P. (n.d.). Social Networking in Schools: Incentives for Participation. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from The Journal: www.thejournal.com