AestheTECH

Image Chef is a neat little web tool that converts your text into a graphic image.  It is different from Wordle because the words do not change size with the frequency of use.  The niche is the shape of the graphic; all text is fitted inside the shape.  Classroom teachers could use this in a number of ways: as graphic organizers, visual reminders for phonics, brainstorms, etc.

This summer I have been thinking about incorporating animation into my curriculum.  Alas, as with many teachers, I have only one computer and limited funds.  Yet with the encouragement of some of my arted2.0 colleagues stop motion seems not just possible but a plausible way to expose my young artists to animation. I have visions of story boards and old digital cameras in our future...

Below is an example created by my 5 year old with very little assistance from me.  Summer sure is fun!

Just a little humor to get us ready for the new school year :-)

When questioned about assessment in the art room I often answer "we never stop learning.   This much learning can only be assessed through continuous observation.  Why don't you come by for a visit?"  Like most art teachers, I display student work in the school hallways yet, the final art product is ONLY one component to art education.  So many concepts are integrated into each and every learning activity, it may be hard to know where to begin with formative assessment - and honestly, I am looking for fun and creative forms of assessment!  Aren't we all?  

VoiceThread
VoiceThread is an online application in which users upload visual media and collaborate with others using audio, text and video commentary.  YES - Fun and interactive assessment!!!  VoiceThreads are just plain cool.

VoiceThread  provides a tool to facilitate student conversations using interactive Web 2.0 technology.  Students can engage in dialogue about images and publish the collective work of a classroom. Students can also upload their work and leave an audio or written reflection of their processes and learning. Additionally, classrooms have the capability to create stories by adding narrative to images. Students may work alone, with the class or across the country, leaving and receiving comments for other K-12 students and teachers.  VoiceThreads are also available for parental viewing. Furthermore, VoiceThread  offers a secure network for K-12 educators to create, store and share collective works.

Assessment in the ART ROOM
Recently, my kindergarten and first grade students spent time learning about Faith Ringgold - her art, her life, her books.  Inspired by Ringgold's story quilts and the book, Tar Beach, we created our own story quilts from paper, paint, crayons, markers & glue.  We took imaginary flying trips over our own community of Atoka, TN.  We wrote journal entries about what it would look and feel like to fly.  We explored pattern and shape.  We worked individually to create self portraits (using shape) and quilt squares incorporating pattern; we worked with partners to draw our local landscape and buildings; and we worked as a class to assemble the project into one large paper quilt.  As you will see, the end product is not only beautiful; it is inspiring to hear the children talk about their learning.

I have just begun recording student responses but you will get the idea... have fun viewing and listening to the VoiceThread.  Don't forget to check back once we return from spring break to hear from more of my students!

Click here for more information about VoiceThread and Engaging with Content and Building Visual Literacy.

The students in my PreK-5 art classes take pride in their work!  Here is a sample of some of their projects in the art room.

What is resilience?

word cloud created at wordle.net

Comments from online discussion among art educators!

"Resiliency is the ability to spring back from and successfully adapt to adversity. An increasing body of research from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and sociology is showing that most people–including young people–can bounce back from risks, stress, crises, and trauma and experience life success (www.resiliency.com)."

Nan Henderson, M.S.W., President for Resiliency In Action explains how resiliency happens.

Resiliency Wheel described in the above video, see the image in its original context at Resiliency.com

Take the Resiliency Quiz!

Portraits of youth... Do you see resilience?

Children are the focus of Gregory Smith's work in Brazil; street children and other children at risk.  Check out more of his amazing photography as well as heart warming (and heart breaking) stories on flikr.  You might also be interested to learn more about the Children At Risk Foundation – CARF (www.carfweb.net).

Questions for consideration:

1.  When/how have you observed resilience in your students?
2.  What are the characteristics of resilience?
3.  In the book; No Disposable Children, the the authors suggest     
     alternatives to punishment, or "get tough" strategies.  What strategies are
     already working (or do you envision) working in your classroom? 
4.  How does our understanding of resilience relate to the Art for Life 
     teaching model?

How can we (as art teachers) encourage and support our students to be resilient individuals in school and in life?

Please share your thoughts and leave your comment below.

Need more information and resources?
 Check out programs building resiliency through the arts.

Art advocacy for at risk youth (articles): don't forget to click on the article links in the side bar!

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia provides a safe environment where youth can creatively participate in various art experiences.

ArtWorks is an arts program uniquely able to reach out to at-risk youth while enriching communities.

YouthARTs - model programs, data to support the development of programs and toolkit for potential program developers.

What is Art?

This animation from Creature Comforts has been around for a few years but it is worth a revisit.  Teachers; has anyone used this in their classroom?  If so, what was the response?

Want to join in on the "What is Art" conversation?  Check it out on Seesmic!

Life is good in the art room.  My elementary artists have not only spent September and early October teasing me about my 90 year old posture (thanks to back trouble) but they have also been learning about Pop Art, commercialism, mass production and famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstien and Claes Oldenburg.  

Previously, I’ve written about my struggle to include technology in teaching and learning because of the lack of access from my classroom.  I am fortunate to write that I now have one computer with Internet access.  I do not however, have a student computer station so I continue to struggle with the best way to use the only computer.

So far I have been able to accomplish the following:

- Locate an awesome Andy Warhol game online (thanks to a fellow art teacher in the district!)

- Show artwork from our selected famous Pop Artists online

- Play digital videos of artwork via one of our school's LCD projectors

Instead of using transparencies of artwork on an overhead, I’ve put together a few short slide shows and set them to music from Garage Band.  Simple and basic right?  The kids dig it...  They love the addition of music and the only sounds heard during the playing of a video/slide show are similar to those heard at fireworks – “ooh,” “ahh,” “wow”… “a cherry on a spooooon!”  

Because I have only one computer, see my students once every seven days and have a glorious 40 minutes in which to ensure not only teaching but also learning and productivity take place, I have used technology mostly for whole group instruction.  I have found that some students respond even better to web based versions of art as opposed to demos of transparencies on the overhead projector.  My upper elementary students want to know where they can access the same information and they like to see that the artwork is accessible to them from home or in our school computer lab.

A few weeks ago, my class located Claes Oldenburg’s Clothespin on www.all-art.org and then in Philadelphia using Google Maps and Street View.   I was able to record the “trip” using Jing and I talked the students through finding the address, locating the area on the map and then zooming in for a closer look.  The entire field trip took about 5 minutes and we never left the artroom.  We were able to see the size of the Clothespin in comparison to its surroundings.  We also looked at  regular clothespin and had an excellent higher level conversation about why one item might be called art while the other is not.  My students loved the experience and left class begging to visit another of Oldenburg’s sculptures.

Here is the record of our trip – it was even more exciting than what it seems here (you will miss out on the audio... with my narration and the chorus of questions & comments from my students ☺