Interactive White Board Flipchart

I had a great time with this activity.  I have never used a white board before, so I learned a lot with this process.  I can tell I am going to have to stop myself from spending too much time on these in my classroom.  I can see how it is a great tool to really catch student's attention by mixing things up. It will also be an excellent tool for me to have all of the online sources I am planning to use during a lesson all in one spot and ready to go.  I was able to tie in my color wheel theme for one of my slides!

I am also glad that we have the course pack with detailed instructions on the 9 different interactive activity ideas.  Thanks!

Morocco Inquiry Based Activity

The more we talk in classes about integrating technology into art class the more it makes sense to use inquiry based activities.  Especially for students who finish early or are advanced and need extra enrichment.

I decided to do an extra inquiry based activity for my optional page on my website.  And I chose the topic of Morocco.

One project that I really want to do in my classroom is a weaving project.  I felt that incorporating some information about Morocco in an inquiry based activity would be the perfect way to teach students more about the culture.  It will be a long project, so students will have time to complete it one at a time, if need be in the art room without using the technology lab.

Plus all these goats in the argan tree is really hilarious! I think students will get a kick out of that.

Scavenger Hunt

This week Rachel and I worked in a group taking photos of different types of lines for our art scavenger hunt.  We used our phone cameras and the dropbox app to complete the assignment.  I have got to say....I have really fallen in love with dropbox.  It is so helpful!  I love the convenience of being able to quickly have access to files when I'm on the go!

After finding the images we renamed them, resized them, and posted them to a picasa album is now on our websites.  

This is a tool that as an art teacher I know I will use often.  It is a great way to share photos and link them to my website in a slideshow format.

scavenger hunt

Resource Wiki

This week we worked on a resource wiki for art and music teachers.  This is a great way to save all of the resources that we have found online and share them with other teachers and students.  Sharing information online with other art teachers is really essential because there is typically only one art teacher at each school.  So it is great for us teachers to be able to have help from each other in different schools.  This is great for students and parents as well if they are interested in enrichment activities outside of school.

The process is a little time consuming to find the sites.  However, it will save time in the future, because you will know what is out there and will be able to know what lessons would be appropriate to integrate with the technology available for use.

Although it can be time consuming, as a whole you save time when you combine with the other authors of the wiki.  I would say it is a win-win.

Wiki Review

I found a great wiki called Art4cast http://art4cast.wikispaces.com/ that is written by Rosemary Mitchell from Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Utah.  She is an art specialist and she uses the wiki to communicate with the 30 teachers in her area.

Obviously a lot of the information that is on their wiki is specialized to their region.  However, there are a lot of videos and other information on it that can provide me with great ideas as an art teacher.

 There is a section which provides links to other sites and resources that relate to many different art concepts and subjects. There is a section devoted to art advocacy.  And I really enjoyed the film about their art-based community project "Procession of the Species."

I think it has a great layout and color scheme for an art wiki.  The links are accurate, it is up to date and relevant.  A helpful navigation bar is on the left.  I'm not a fan of the revolving text in one place, I find it distracting, but other than that I think it is a very successful wiki.  I think they must have a great art program from what it shows.

Inquiry Based Activity

I really enjoyed doing the inquiry based activity.  It was a really good way for me to see how I could apply the resources available online in a classroom setting that would be relevant to the information I would like the children to learn.
I really love the films at Tate Kids.  They are hilarious and a great way to learn.
The Moma Site for kids is also a really great way to learn about a few different artists and specific paintings.
The only challenge to using this in an art room would be having the technology available.  We might be able to arrange a visit to the technology room.  Or the students could take turns using the computer in my classroom.  It could be an activity that is available throughout the year when they finish another project early.  If there is no technology available in the art room it may not be something I will be able to use.

using WebQuests in the classroom

A WebQuest is a great tool to use in the art classroom.  I had not heard of one before we learned about them in class.  They are an inquiry-based lesson where all the information is found on the web.  You can learn more about WebQuests at WebQuest.org.  There are four important tasks in looking for a WebQuest.

 First you want to look at its use of technology.  Does it make use of technology that makes it better to use than a book or a worksheet?  Are all the links current?  Are the websites it links to reliable with good information for students?

Then you need to consider group work.  Group work is an important element that is desirable in a WebQuest.  And often each member takes on a role, which is a fun way to learn the information.  It makes each member take on responsibility.  If each member is responsible for an element of the project there is less of a chance of having people check out on the project.

Efficiency is an important element.  Does the WebQuest help you make good use of time?  Is it easier to find the relevant information through this source?  Is the site laid out well and does the navigation system make sense?

And then finally, does the WebQuest make use of higher order thinking?  Does it challenge the students?  Do they begin to draw conclusions and make decisions for themselves?

The Underground Railroad is a good example of a WebQuest that makes use of all four categories.

When I am teaching I can look back at this post and evaluate the WebQuests toward this criteria to find helpful sources for my classroom.