final review

Looking back at the past semester we have done many projects that will be wonderful teaching tools for me in the future.  I'm going to review my most favorite projects below.

The photos are from my favorite slide from the flip chart in different stages of use. And that clue's you in the the flip chart was indeed my favorite project!

 

First the flip chart was really relevant and helpful for me.  Since I am older, I never used a white board or promethean board in class as a student myself.  So for me this was really the first time I have used it myself.  I really learned a lot and enjoyed the process of making the flip chart.  It was a great opportunity to learn the different techniques and see the different resources that are available for us.  In one of the classrooms I observed in the teacher used her promethean board for the intro for each lesson. This really caught the students attention and showed that she was prepared.  I think it also helped to keep the flow of the lesson organized so that she could
present it in the way she had envisioned without getting sidetracked.

My next favorite project was imovie.  I put this one here because it was totally new information for me. And also I can see the relevance that it would have in my classroom.  I could see how it would be helpful to use even in my blog by creating these little movie slideshows for parents to see their children's work. For example, I could make a highlight real for each student.  That may be really time consuming!  I could make one for each graduating 5th grader.  Or I could occasionally make one for a class project that went really well.  I could make them for myself for a portfolio of my students' best work.

I really enjoyed the inquiry based activities.  This is something I had never heard of before.  And I feel that as an art teacher it is a way to incorporate technology into the classroom.  I actually liked it so much that I made another one for one of my optional pages on my website.  I used it in conjunction with my art education class to make a multicultural learning center.  I feel that with these kind of activities pre-made, I can send kids to the computer to work throughout the semester if they finish projects early.  Or we could visit the computer lab and work on them together.

The website was another favorite with me.  It was great to get some ideas for layout and information that is helpful on a website.  Also, it was nice to learn tricks that make it user friendly and professional.  I have had some previous experience with websites, but this was still a new tool and I still learned relevant information pertaining to teaching.

The blog was really useful as well.  I have a lot of experience with blogging. So, it wasn't really new information.  But it is good to reiterate that blogging is important for the educational experience for me, for my students, and as a way to communicate with parents.

The resource wiki was another much appreciated project.  I have actually already turned back to that several time to use the sources.  I know it will come in handy in the future.  It's also great to get the perspective of other future art teachers and all work on that together.

I know that doesn't incorporate all that we learned in class but those areas listed above are the ones that I found most helpful to me in the future.

Thank you so much Dr O'Bannon!

Website

The website has been a great project.  I always look for one with my own children's teachers.  I think it will be a great way to communicate with parents in the future.

I do have my own photography website, which I put together myself using a pre-made template.  In a lot of ways it was similar to the google sites tools that we used.  But it was still different.  And it was much more expensive.  I am glad that I got the opportunity to use and learn this tool throughout the semester.  It is always good to have some free tools to use!  Because we worked on the website throughout the semester, I feel that I have a good understanding of how to use google sites.  I will feel confidant in my ability to change things or even to make a new site in the future.  It is great to know how to add the navigating bars to the bottom of pages.  Things like that really make a site user friendly. And that is a very important aspect of communication on the web!

I am also glad to have the projects from this semester all organized in one place. I will talk more about my favorite projects in my next post!

Digital Story

I was so happy to learn a little about imovie.  I have never used it before. Coming into this unit I had zero knowledge about imovie.  And honestly, the thought of trying to use it was very intimidating.  Now, I feel I have some of the basics down.  Although, I also learned enough to know that there is still a lot more that I don't know.  For example, I wanted to remove a photo that I had originally put into the program and I couldn't figure out how to do it.  I did figure out how to replace it.  Otherwise I might have started all over!  Sad to say.  I definitely did learn enough to be brave enough to try it again and try to go more in depth with my next imovie project.

I had fun with this project.  I think it's a great way to review information.  For example, the way I used it in this project was as a how to.  In this instance I would teach the lesson in class and then use the video as a great tool for students to be able to review the process.

This video is useful for a unit on visual culture where we talk about the importance of knowing that professional photos show unrealistic standards of beauty.  They are fun, but it's great to have the information and be informed!

Blogging in the Classroom

I have been a big fan of blogging for a while.  I started with a personal blog and then started doing a photography blog.  I really haven't been able to keep multiple blogs going at once.  But I do love the idea of having a blog for my classroom.  As an art teacher I would use it mostly for the parents to know what is going on in the classroom.  I really want them to see more than just a finished product.  I want them to know that there are concepts their children are learning behind the art work.

Another plus for having a blog for art teachers is being to share lesson plans and inspiration with each other.  One of my favorite art photography blogs is done by one of my daughter's past art teachers.  She blogs more about what she wears.  I think it's hilarious and inspiring.  Letting parents get to know you is a great way to gain supporters for your program!

Digital Diagram

This week we worked on the digital diagrams.  Over all I liked this project.  It is a simple tool, but I can see how it could be useful in the classroom.
Personally, even though this project was fairly simple and straightforward I had more problems with it than I have had with any of the other project so far, just as far as the requirements were concerned.  For example, it was difficult for me to think of a concept in art with three subsets and three or more subdivisions.  I actually made four rough drafts on paper before I came up with my final concept.  And then there was of course the controversial issue of the textbook.  In my art ed classes we have never used a textbook at all for planning any of our lessons.  So the first time I have been asked to even look at an art textbook has been for this class.  Secondly, I felt that the rubric was unclear as to the purpose of the textbook/when it was needed.  And then also I haven't been able to get my file to load to my website.  I have tried Safari and Firefox, multiple computers, and uploading from my desktop or from dropbox, all to no avail.
All in all, it's been an interesting learning experience.  It's good to be exposed to new and different tools.  If my school owns this software I may use it if I see a good fit for it.  However, I think for my teaching area, it wouldn't be commonly useful.