Tool #11

Wow, I'm finally at Tool #11! It only took me a few days. I wish I was getting more than 9 hours of credit for those three days. One of my favorite tools was this blog, 11 Tools for the 21st Century Learner. I always considered myself kind of tech-savvy, but I wasn't until now. Before, I thought including a video from the web in one of my lessons was super sweet. I now realize that I was barely touching the surface of all that is available. These tools have truly empowered me with all that I can do with technology in my classroom.

Not only will I have netbooks and an iPad in my classroom, I will bring a fresh outlook and an abundance of tech resources. A new facet has been introduced into my lesson planning. As Tim Gun would say, "Use it thoughtfully." I will spend more time on the front end of my lessons, but the extra time spent to get the technology right will pay off. The lessons will be engaging and relevant.

I was really surprised at how many technology resources the district already has in place on the SBISD intranet. It makes lesson planning so much easier when using a central source. I was also surprised there is a test. I assumed these tool postings were the assessments.

But, I made it to the end, and I'm done!

Tool #10

Discuss at least three things you would want to make sure your students understand about being good digital citizens.

• Safety is critical. Students need to avoid giving out any personal information about themselves. They need to be wary of anyone or site asking for their personal information. Tell an adult.
• Etiquette is essential. Report any incidences of cyber-bullying. Do not go to unapproved sites, including email, while working on assignments in the classroom. Remember, every click is traceable!
• Verify your sources. Check multiple listings. Just because you found it on the internet doesn't make it true.

Share at least one of the resources mentioned on Ed Tech that you plan to use instructionally?
Instructionally? Is that a word? Anyway...BrainPOP is a great resource for teaching internet etiquette. There are a few engaging videos on the subject that my students would definitely take something from. I will definitely use them.

How would you "teach" the idea of digital citizenship to your students?
I like the idea of role play for this type of teaching. I remember how successful the anti-bullying role playing presentation at our school. The students totally got into it. I could present the students with situations and on-line scenarios for them to act out.

How do you plan to share the idea of digital citizenship with your parents?
This would be a campus-handled situation. I think the principals and counselors would be the appropriate presenters of this information to the parents. Many of the parents have children in other grade levels. As an art teacher, I need to make sure I follow the same practices as the school. We need to be consistent from classroom to classroom on our campus. This topic could be addressed on Open-House Night.

Tool #9

Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective?
The curriculum-based objective is what we are teaching. Technology is a tool we can use to teach that objective. Technology appeals to many learning styles. There are different types of tools to choose from. Some are not appropriate or the best choice for teaching an objective while others are perfect. I must be thoughtful about matching the right technology tool with my objective.

Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers?
It is too easy to assume that a student is on task because they are working quietly at a center. With some of these apps and tech tools, there's no end product to grade at a later time. So, planning ahead what type of written or recorded student reflection is an ideal way to ensure the student was on task and the object was met. Of course, active monitoring is always a must.

Visit two links. Which sites did you like? How could you use them as stations? How can you hold the students accountable?
I really liked Thinkfinity and LearningGamesforKids. I found a game where the student would match the artwork with the artist. It's fun and tests their knowledge of the art masters. There's no product to grade, and a written reflection seems unnecessary. Active monitoring seems the best way to assess the matching game. Thinkfinity is awesome. You can actually do a search based on state standards. Many of the interactive lessons will have a product that can be assessed whether it is a printout of an art creation or a written solution.

List two apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. What do you see that station looking like? How can you hold students accountable for their time?
Hello Crayon and Faces Wild+ are both really cool apps I could use for the iPad in my classroom. The K-2 classes could use Hello Crayon to complete an extra credit assignment that reinforces the TEKS that were covered in their regular lesson. An example extra credit lesson for Hello Crayon would be, "Draw and color a picture of an animal using only warm colors. Using another warm color, add interesting texture lines. The background should be cool colors." I could use Faces Wild+ with the 3-2 grade classes. After creating their photography art, the student could write a short story to explain their silly scene. There would be printouts and writing samples for assessment.

Another way the students could use the iPad in the classroom is to photograph their own artwork, write a reflection about it, and catalog it.

Tool #8

I'm excited about having the net-books and iPad in my classroom. One thing I learned is that the district has an iTunes account that I can set up on the iPad. I know it sounds silly, but I really thought I had to set it up myself with my own credit card. Another thing I learned is that there are many free apps available. Some of them are drawing and doodling apps. I'm really interested in some of the photography apps.

One app that stands out from the crowd is the MoMA app where students can access beautiful high-res images of important artworks, art history and information about the artist.

Since I see the entire school each week once a week for 45 minutes to an hour, I'm thinking the best use for this technology would be extra credit work. I would have an assignment available for those students that finish their art lessons early. For the older students, the assignment would involve selecting artwork from the MoMA app and writing about it. They would need to describe the artwork and then write about what they like about it. How does it make them feel? Instead of just doodling in an app, they would be using the app for a self-directed writing activity for extra credit. For the younger students, the extra credit assignment would involve producing a drawing or other type of artwork using one of the apps available. 

Tool #7

For my flat classroom project, I will work with Lee Darter, an art teacher in Woodbridge, VA on a postcard art exchange. Students from Edgewood will design three seasonal-inspired postcards throughout the year using various art mediums such as print-making, digital collage and watercolor. The VA teacher will have her students do the same. The students will personalize their postcards, address them to a student at the other school, add a message of friendship and include a question. On a prearranged date in the fall, we will mail the postcards to each other.

When we receive the VA postcards, I will display them on a bulletin board for everyone to enjoy. We will then create a new set of postcards and repeat the process of pen-palling on a prearranged date in the winter. Questions can be replied to, new questions raised, and friendship notes can be included.

After the 3rd round of original art postcards have been sent out in the spring, we will use the iPads to share FaceTime with the other students. It should be fun to see the faces behind the artwork. We can also use the time to discuss the similarities and differences of the seasons in Virginia and Texas.

To accomplish this project, I would need my computer and iPad to nail out the specifics with Lee Darter in Virginia. Various art materials such as scratch foam, paints, block ink, and markers would be needed to make the postcards. The digital art would require a set of computers, so I would need to check out a class set of laptops. We would need postage stamps. In May, I would need the iPads for the students to visit with each other via FaceTime. I am really looking forward to this and can't wait to get started!

Tool #6

I created a Wallwisher board for my students to post images on. This year, the Oliver Foundation will begin its program to fight obesity on our elementary campus. The students will use what they have learned about healthy food choices in a still-life lesson this fall. They will begin by finding and posting images of healthy foods on this wall. These images will be used as inspiration for our collages.

I intend to make use of Google Docs in my classroom as well. Students can review and sort the information they collect and create final lists. Not only can these be used on their art lesson, but we have a "nutrition week" in the spring. The students can use the information on their posters.

Tool #5

Here's my Wordle I created based on the Elements and Principles of Art. It was easy and fun.



 I can see the students creating Wordles to describe a particular piece of art. If it was a Mondrian piece, I would expect to see Wordles that include these words: square, rectangle, primary colors, red, yellow, blue, black, white, straight and line.

Here is a short video I just created in xtranormal.



The process involved writing dialogue, selecting characters and setting. In my classroom, students could create a monologue describing the steps they took to create their art using xtranormal.

Tool #4

Google Docs is pretty easy. Being proficient in MS Office made the transition to Google Docs a breeze The tools are so similar.

I created a chart in Google Docs to share with my team and get their feedback. It's a list of the classroom consequences we decided on. By collaborating on the design of the chart, we will have one, shared chart that will hang in each of the Fine Arts classrooms. It will be clear to the students that the expectations are the same whether they are in Music, Health Fitness or Art.

I sent a form to a handful of art teachers asking them to add items to the lis of high-volume inventory they regularly order from the SBISD warehouse. This process seems to be working as a successful way to gather info.

Google Apps is a great tool for my campus Fine Arts Team, but it will be invaluable for use between the district's Visual Arts Department. There is just one art teacher on each elementary campus, and this would make sharing lessons, ideas and information much easier than emailing attachments.

Tool #3

Video 1: I love this video. It's about art and self-expression. I just found it and intend to incorporate it into my introductory lesson at the beginning of the school year.



Video 2: This is an Animoto I created of my students' work at Edgewood Elementary.

Here's a photo of some of my students working on a Spark Park mosaic for a fundraiser auction here in Houston.

Regarding copyrights, I like what Ngoc had to say about committing this to memory:

Under certain conditions,U.S. Copyright Law provides for the educational use of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright holder.

Tool #2

It's funny. I love reading what other people have to say on their blogs, but I am hesitant to share my own ideas with everyone...and I mean every person out there. I'm sure I will get over this insecurity quickly as I become more proficient with my blogging. One of my favorite bloggers is an art teacher and friend here in the SBISD district. Natalie's SmArt Class can be found at http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/. It's a great resource for fabulous art lessons, classroom tips and more from her and her many bloggers listed on her blog. I'm thinking about teaching this lesson I found about cats.

 

Tool #1

Creating my blog was fairly easy and quite fun. Making my Voki was easy too, but I had some difficulty publishing it to my blog. I kept getting a "failed" response with each attempt. I'm hoping my husband can help solve the problem since he has been successfully blogging for years.