Week 14

·     How can we help students develop their visual lexicons?

We can help students develop their visual lexicons by giving them ample opportunities (both inside and outside of the classroom) to explore a wide variety of images relevant to the 21st century. Their lexicons should not only include art history and more traditional art curriculum, but also elements of our visual culture, design, and 

creative endeavors happening around the world.

·     In what ways are social bookmarking sites (for both links & images) beneficial to the artistic thinking and research process?

I find social bookmarking sites extremely beneficial to the artistic thinking and research process. We are actually using pinterest in my sculpture class this semester to find images of contemporary sculptors' work and to share them with our classmates. This application allows for collaboration and sharing. Also, I am a big advocate of pinterest because I bookmark a wide variety of pieces of inspiration and organize them by category (or boards). I find it extremely important to streamline this process, it can be frustrating when you have to use multiple applications that do not correlate well. 

·     What strategies do artists use for keeping track of their inspiration?  How can technology help this process run more smoothly?

Artists use physical notebooks, artist journals, inspiration wires, magazine clippings, online accounts, phones, cameras and more to keep track of their inspiration. I also like to carry a pocket notebook to jot down or sketch anything that inspires me. Like I mentioned earlier, I find these strategies to be most useful when my inspiration is recorded in just a few places, as it seems that things get lost when they are scribbled onto loose scraps of paper.

·   How might mind mapping and other visual thinking strategies impact the breadth and context of a student’s learning of a given subject?

I think mind mapping and other visual thinking strategies help students to discover possibilities they may not have arrived at had they just visualized something in their head. Seeing words and connections on paper can be very helpful in organizing your thoughts and one of the most key pieces to learning: making connections.

What artistic thinking and research technologies are most beneficial to your studio environment and/or art classroom?

I used Inkflow for the Intertext exercise and discovered something incredibly useful about the application. I love the idea of being able to translate hand drawing to a digital medium. This is something I have wanted to learn how to do for a long time and I think that it could be of great use for a variety of projects. The application allows you to draw directly on the surface of the ipad to create an image or a mind map, or take a picture of notes and then convert them to a vector image. This task can be very time consuming when it must be done manually in photoshop. 

I also found the symbaloo application to be a great resource for an art classroom homepage, however I wish that it worked more seamlessly with social media. It appears that it is designed more for RSS feeds, but I think that the inclusion of pinterest and art blogs could be very beneficial as well. 

Read & React - Week 13

The TED talk videos were sources of inspiration to me in brainstorming ways to create a playful environment for future students. I find the idea of creating a place of security to evoke play very interesting. It does seem logical, after hearing the explanation, that to share our most wacky and playful ideas we must feel a sense of security, knowing that we will not be suddenly rejected or criticized. I believe that it is extremely important to create this sense of security as early as possible in your classroom. For this reason, I have thought often about what I want the first few weeks of school to look like in my classroom. Above all, I know that I want to often, almost always, incorporate this freedom to play.

I love the way Pink described the need for play in the 21st century, "a move away from sober seriousness as a measure of ability and the elevation of the next essential high concept, high touch aptitude: play." I am intrigued by the association of laughter and play with the right side of the brain. It seems natural to me that the logical left side of the brain does not master play nearly as well as its counterpart. It also reminds me of the brilliant ads featuring the left and right sides of the brain. I think it would be a great unit for students, to study the left and right sides of the brain and their functions. I think that it would also be a very meaningful exercise for them to figure out which side of their brain is dominant, and how to unleash the right side in the art classroom.

Play is a theme that I think needs to be applied outside of the art classroom, too. I believe students would be much more engaged and intrigued by other subject matter if there was an element of play intertwined. While I was teaching abroad in South Korea, we were told to always include games in the classroom, to give the students a sense of play while they were learning. I found this strategy to be very successful in that it created an exciting, student-centered environment in which to learn.

Results of the play assignment!

You can't really see the resin in the photos, but in person it looks like the thinnest sheet of glass sitting on top of your canvas. Super cool!

This week’s assignment to play got me curious enough to do something that I have been wanting to do for a while but somehow couldn’t find enough a good reason to do it. After studying the abstract expressionists in one of my art history courses, I became intrigued by the idea of creating freely, without a specific concept, plan or arriving at a particular meaning. I usually like to work this way anyways, but I do not usually work in a visibly abstract way. So I decided to whip out my inner Jackson Pollock and just paint what ever rose to my imagination. I also decided that I have been wanting to “play” or experiment with a resin coating on my painting, so I tried that, too! And I must say, I absolutely love the effect, which does not measure up in photographs. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to play this week, for one because it was fun, but more importantly, because it again made me realize the importance of giving my students time to do the exact same thing – play! Also, abstract expressionism can be very therapeutic, don’t you think??

What is the role of art education (or art educators) in teaching students to be media literate digital citizens?

What is the role of art education (or art educators) in teaching students to be media literate digital citizens?

Art education should play a major role in teaching students to be media literate digital citizens as it is an opportunity to teach visual literacy and engage students in critical thinking. It also, from an art advocacy standpoint, makes art education more valid in the eyes of the community. Visual literacy is a skill that all students need to be equipped with living in a world bombarded with thousands of images and messages every day.

After watching the documentary Killing Us Softly, the power and manipulative tendency of advertising was reinforced in my mind. Advertising and media are deciding what the “ideal” looks like and then packaging it up and selling it to the world. The problem here is not only that millions of people are being (possibly unknowingly) manipulated, but also that one of the main targets is children. I was unaware before watching Consuming Kids of the laws that were once in place to protect children from advertising. I am shocked that advertisers are not restricted in the messages they send children. For this reason, it is important that visual literacy starts at a young age. If children are being sold ideals through the media they consume, it is our job as educators to teach students to see past the product being sold to them.

Kuan Chung and Kirby’s article was very interesting to me as I have created a unit plan in the past teaching students about advertising. It is not only relevant as a career in the arts, but also as a major component of visual literacy. It would be very valuable for students to have the opportunity to deconstruct the media and advertisements they encounter throughout daily life. I think it would be very interesting to have students take a picture of every advertisement that they see throughout the day, for one day. I would imagine that we could learn something about the student by looking at their collection of images and the advertisers attempting to influence them. We live in a day and age where advertisers know more about the consumer than ever before, and it is important for young people to understand this concept.

Another form of media students could deconstruct is entertainment media. Students seek a variety of media types for entertainment in their free time, ranging from gaming and television to the Internet. It would be interesting to ask them to play a spin-off of hide and seek, looking for any references to products or services in the entertainment they consume. Often we are not consciously aware of the messages we are receiving as they have become so ingrained in our daily lives.

Media literacy could expand to a conversation about news media and the ways in which they intend to manipulate the public. News sources are known for slanted views and the intention to influence the public. Students should recognize that it is often difficult to see the whole picture through only one lens. This relates to VTS as it teaches students to recognize the differing perspectives of others.

I think that media literacy is an opportunity for integration with curriculum from other classes as well. For example, it would be a great opportunity to study history through imagery, architecture, advertisements and any other historical artifact. Students could study civil war through the prints that were created of battle scenes or the monuments erected in the name of fallen soldiers. Art history is an opportunity to combine visual literacy, the arts, and the context of world history. It is not only useful to a visual learner, but to all students as we live in an image driven world.

A 21^st century art education should without a doubt teach students to be visually and media literate citizens. Our students need to know how to deconstruct and interpret text that has crept into every moment of their lives. It is also a platform for arts advocacy as it is an essential skills for 21^st century learners.

Read & React

For this week’s read and reflect, I would like to start out by discussing a few of the ways I could use the technology we used this week in my future classroom. I want to be able to remember my ideas for these resources! J

Voicethread: I think this application is a great tool for reflection and critique. I love the idea of giving students the ability to talk about their artistic process, as another form of reflection. The incorporation of voice and photos would give them the power to show evolution of an idea and the reasoning behind their choices.

Mural.ly: While I loved the concept of this application, I personally found it to be very slow and not the most user-friendly. I know that it is a new application, but if it becomes more advanced in the future, I think it could be a great tool for creating idea boards, documenting artistic research, reflection, and particularly a personal aesthetic unit I have been working on.

Thinkling: This application is practically made for VTS! I think it would be a cool way to see how students critique a work of art before introducing VTS. It would be a great way to assess their ability to look and think critically before and after learning and utilizing Visual Thinking Strategies. Also, because it is collaborative, I think students would enjoy commenting on the thoughts of others and reflecting on multiple perspectives.

After reading Manning & Johnson, I realized that I had not thought of discussion forums as a useful tool until the authors talked about the way consumers use discussion forums. Many times have I relied on technology problems or further information about a product or service through discussion forums. In this sense, I think that forums could be made applicable and useful in education, but I think that a major factor in it’s success is the “friendlyness” of the software. I often find myself frustrated with Blackboard and other education sites because they function much differently than many other sites commonly used. For example, these sites usually do not have the option to search for a specific topic you would like to know more about. I find it more difficult to make connections on these sites because it is inconvenient to comment or reply. Perhaps one of the most important things for us to consider when selecting technology for the classroom is: how intuitive is this site? Will my students become disengaged because the technology is unreliable or inconvenient? I think for technology in the classroom to work successfully, it should work almost seamlessly and be engaging to its audience.

Topics in Digital Citizenship

Validity of information

I chose validity of Internet sources because the nature of the Internet is such that anyone can post information that is available to the public. This capability allows for a variety of information: truthful, untruthful, slander, etc. It is important that we teach our students to recognize that not all information on the Internet is true, in addition to how to seek truthful and valid information. One activity to use in the classroom could be a myth buster’s activity – busting artist myths. For example, did Van Gogh cut off his own ear? If so, why? Another activity could be a unit on appropriation. When appropriating, it is important to ask students to research the object/idea they are appropriating before doing so, in order to understand its full meaning. One valid resource I found that I would use in my classroom is: art21.com.

Posting etiquette

I chose this topic because I have seen many people post things online that I doubt they would say or do in real life. It is important to teach students the importance of speaking respectfully and thoughtfully, even in an online presence. I could teach my students about posting etiquette by giving them the opportunity to do VTS in a private online discussion board. They could share and consider opinions on artwork in a respectful, collaborative manner. Another strategy would be to ask students to create a work of art that compares and contrasts people as they are in real life  compared to digital life. A resource that I found for posting etiquette was Emily Post’s technology etiquette. http://www.emilypost.com/technology

Read and Respond

My first thoughts when reading about the digital citizen are that a digital citizen is probably a bizarre concept to many young people as they do not seem to separate the digital world from the physical world. In The Digital Citizen, the authors assert that digital citizens “are aware of the risks and benefits of the unparalleled degree of access we have to information.” I would imagine that for youth that have grown up with technology and the information age, they do not know anything other than an abundance of information. Knowing how many adults and researchers feel about this access to information, I wonder what youth who have never known anything different would say.

I found the six tenets of digital citizenship to be interesting: “respect yourself, protect yourself, respect others, protect others, respect intellectual property, and protect intellectual property. I found respecting and protecting intellectual property to be particularly interesting because of the arguments we have heard in favor of a society that values freedom of information via the internet and questions “intellectual property.” I personally believe that society should protect and respect intellectual property, but there are many people that fighting for a different cause. Could there be multiple forms of digital citizenship? Groups of digital citizens who hold different values?

Reading about respecting and protecting yourself online made me question whose responsibility it was to teach a student about the dangers that come with using the internet. However, with many schools bringing technology and social media into the classroom, I think that it is now the schools responsibility to educate students on appropriate internet citizenship and keeping themselves safe. It also makes me wonder, is the school now liable for anything the student does on the internet while at school? I have read that a teacher is responsible for the safety of his or her students while they are present in the classroom, but are they responsible, as well, for what they do on the internet while they are in the classroom?

As technology enters the classroom and gives students more freedom, I think that school must develop programs to educate their students on digital citizenship and the benefits and risks of the internet. It would be unfair to give young people this powerful tool without any information on how it should be used. As adults, we know that what you create and post on the internet will be there forever, but we must also teach this to our students.

Social Media reflection

What is your personal perspective on utilizing social networking sites (such as Facebook) for education? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Even though I would consider myself well-versed in social media, and a regular user of multiple social media platforms, I would have to argue that no one can truly know the long-term effects of social media, and especially social media/networking in education. Personally, I believe that it is essential for students to be well rounded in that they can take advantage of modern technology, but also understand how to build and maintain human connection. As I have said before, I think there is a beauty to being still and noticing deeply that we must also teach our students.

That being said, I have seen some wonderful applications for social media use outside of the classroom, but focusing on class content. For example, Michelle Livek has shared the way students use social media to connect with their classmates outside of the classroom. Students can see the development of others’ work by connecting through hash tags and other social media grouping strategies. I know that the art teacher at Douglass High School asks his students to tweet him images of art-related work that they notice in their daily lives. Perhaps the best use of social networking sites for education is for homework because chances are that students are already utilizing these networks outside of the classroom anyways. Why not allow them to fill their feed with exciting and personal content related to your curriuculum?

Read & React

Manning & Johnson’s chapter on Voice Over Internet Protocol was interesting to me because it sparked ideas for a lot of applications for the art classroom. One way that I could use this resource involves interviewing people who work in creative industries to show my students the many number of professions there are in creative fields. Another application could be interviewing artists around the world, a tactic we were planning to use just last semester in my studio thinking course. While I was teaching this summer in South Korea, I learned that the Korean government has begun hiring individuals around the world to teach English, via the Internet, students who go to school on remote islands. Clearly, this tool is very important for a variety of education purposes around the world.

I must admit that prior to reading this chapter I did not see much benefit to making yourself available to chat with your students. However, I began thinking about the many times I have used a form of chatting when involved in group projects, and in that case I have found the tool to be very useful. I am not sure that I would want to be “on chat” at all times of the day as I believe it is important to create some boundaries between work and the rest of your life.

When it comes to social networking and the classroom, I am hesitant to intertwine the two, at least from a personal perspective. I have known teachers who have created public teacher pages or classroom pages, and I think this is a much better strategy. As an art teacher, you could create a classroom page showing images of students’ work, project ideas, information about the curriculum and more. The concept of the page would be similar to the format of a blog, but could appear directly on the newsfeed of students and parents. I think the social networking component would work best if it were used to highlight the importance of a strong art program and how it relates to the community.

The Brooks-Young article made me again arrive at the same conclusion regarding social networking in the classroom. Social media and technology in the classroom does not typically work successfully when it is a free for all. I believe that technology should be a structured tool to use in education. Too many times I have seen students using ipads randomly throughout class, often watching music videos and checking Twitter. I think it is the teacher’s responsibility to create a measurable objective when using technology and monitor, to her best possible ability, the way the technology is being used. Perhaps, if the students had to show some type of product after using technology, would be one way to provide evidence. A screen shot or link could be enough to ensure students are using technology appropriately.

Skyping with Sadara

Here is evidence of my Skype chat with Sadara. Hope you are feeling better, Sadara! :)

Read & Reflect

While reading Maushart’s The Winter of Our Disconnect, a familiar scene came to mind: that of a family at a restaurant having all the children engaged with cell phones, Gameboys, you-name-it. When I am having dinner with my boyfriend, we both agree, neither of us will ever allow our children to forgo conversation with the human beings surrounding them for an electronic device while at the dinner table. Of course, I am not yet a parent, and do not fully understand the complexities that come with parenting. However, no matter what technological age I am living in, I believe in the human connection, and I believe it should always take precedence over that of a screen. Children are not the only people guilty of this phenomenon, I have seen adults so it just as often. It was common in meetings at a corporation that I once worked at for many people to answer and send email while in meetings! What is the purpose of a meeting when 5/10 are occupied by other tasks?

In many ways I relate to Maushart’s experience and support her findings. I think that it is critical to teach children the importance of a face-to-face human connection. I also believe that it is our job as art teachers to teach our students how to notice deeply, and that there is life beyond a screen. Especially when it comes to art, deep noticing and uni-tasking can be required to create successful work. Of course, every artist has their own preferred style of working, but it is our job to give our students a taste of a variety of styles, allowing them to learn what best suits them.

My field experience has left me with mixed feelings on the abundance of technology in the classroom. Just this week I had a discussion with two students regarding the use of their iPad minis in the classroom, an initiative started this year. So far, they said that the iPads were being incorporated into just one classroom and they use one app. To me, this seems like the school is not capitalizing on a powerful technology tool, and giving kids a distraction. When I walk around the room, I notice many students watching music videos and checking social media. I think that there must be a better way to use technology in the classroom. Perhaps if the teacher were more structured in the use of technology, allotting 15 minutes to research artists of a certain movement, for example. This way, the students’ technology use could be monitored in some form. I hope that I will learn strategic methods for implementing technology into the classroom, making the curriculum more engaging rather than providing yet another distraction.

Reflection on Unit-asking

Because I am normally a multi-tasker when it comes to making art, and most areas of life, I tried uni-tasking for this creative project. I chose to observe and paint a small pot of succulents. More than anything, I found the process somewhat meditative, I could focus easily on the shadows, shapes and colors of the objects, and found my brain sorting through other information as well, reviewing my day. In a way, I suppose you could say that this is still multi-tasking... is it unescapable?! I very much enjoyed painting an the plant from observation in silence. I was not expecting to feel this way, but found the exercise very relaxing. I had no choice but to notice deeply and reflect often on the choices I was making. I also wonder, though, did I enjoy this because I love art, and appreciate taking notice of details, or are all students capable of enjoying such a uni-tasking project?

My creative process

My creative process is... flexible. These days life is so busy that I am squeezing in art when I can, or when I feel I absolutely need it! I often find myself inspired when I am doing something the opposite of creative. It's like my creative soul is conjuring up all the fun I could be having! I also find myself inspired after a long run, a visit to a vintage shop, seeing an artsy movie, etc. Usually if I find time to create it happens late at night after I can't make myself do any more homework! :) Also, I absolutely love when I discover a chunk of time on a Sunday that I can dedicate to art, it's always refreshing and inspiring.

For the first time ever, I have an official art space. I can not tell you how much I love this. My boyfriend built me a huge art desk - it's so big that I had to choose, art desk or kitchen table - you can guess what I chose! This way, I have a space that can always be dedicated to art. I found that in the past, living with friends, I would try to clean up my stuff before and after making art and it made me less likely to get everything out.

I love to listen to music while I make art, specifically Jack Johnson and other happy music.  On occasion I will watch a movie or catch up on a show while I make art, too. Rarely is there silence. I think it will be a challenge to uni-task while making art - no phone, no music and no background noise!

Read & Reflect Week 5

Reading about new strategies for student learning and cell phone applications in the classroom reminded me of something I learned this summer while teaching in South Korea. In remote areas of South Korea, students are learning from a teacher who is not physically in the classroom. Teachers were spending so much time commuting to these schools that the government decided it would be much more effective and efficient to have English teachers skype in to the classroom from all over the world. Clearly, today’s classroom is unique from any other time in history.

I found the Prensky reading to be relatively outdated as far as inspirational ways to use technology in the classroom today. It seems that most students have smart phones, and very few have standard cell phones. I think the capabilities of a smart phone go far beyond some of the more basic examples provided in the text. That being said, I think that this teaches an important lesson: technology is outdated by the time a book is written about it. It is important that we include our students’ opinions and feedback when selecting technology for the classroom. Chances are, they will know about the most innovative forms of technology before I do.

The Rosen text made a point that I think is very true about 21^st century students: the preferred method of communication is texting. Texting is often the means of connecting with others and making plans. I think it should also be part of the conversation that some critical components of communication can be lost through texting. Texting requires no body language, facial expression, tone of voice, etc. In a way, one could say that it has been abstracted to become communication in its simplest form. I can see a juicy lesson being developed from this premise. What kind of information is lost in texting? What are the results? Miscommunication? Misinterpretation? Misunderstanding? I think this would be a very relevant conversation in a 21^st century middle or high school classroom.

App review: Toontastic

Toontastic is an iTunes App

Description: Lights, Camera, Play! Toontastic is a storytelling and creative learning tool that enables kids to draw, animate, and share their own cartoons with friends and family around the world through simple and fun imaginative play! With over 2 million cartoons created in over 150 countries, parents and teachers rave about the app... and kids can't stop creating!

Making cartoons with Toontastic is as easy as putting on a puppet show - simply press the record button, move your characters onscreen, and tell your story. Toontastic records your animation and voice as a cartoon video to share with friends and family on ToonTube, the app's global storytelling network for kids. 

"Kids and parents will agree: Toontastic is fantastic. The app offers a creative and engaging educational experience that builds a critical new bridge between informal and formal learning." -Michael Levine, Executive Director: Joan Ganz CooneyCenter at Sesame Workshop

Review: I found this app to be a great use of technology for young students when working with the themes of animation and storytelling. The app allows you to develop characters, scenery and a story-line. The user can then animate the difference parts of the story. I think that elementary, and possibly middle school students would love this application. Also, I love that students and upload and share their animated videos to TuneTube. I can just see students all creating their own version of a classic story, or creating a totally unique story perhaps with a common thread. The possibilities of this app are endless, and it's free! There is also a $20 version, which I'm sure offers a lot more possibilities. I found the app overall to be extremely user friendly, so I'm sure children would grasp it with ease. Judging by the reviews, it looks like this is a popular app with teachers!

Classroom Application: Like I mentioned above, I would love to see students each develop their own rendition of the same story. I think another interesting project would be taking one story or narrative and asking each student to create 1 minute of animation for a particular part of the story, then somehow combining them all to create a collaborative project. The last day of the project you could have a screening of the animated film! 

Visuals:

Read & React - 8900

I have heard in the news recent controversy over the issue of materials shared via the Internet. The Internet has changed the world; and this is no new piece of information. What we have not fully grasped is the many ways the birth of the Internet would change our laws and our lives. Not only does this new way of doing things complicate our previous system of doing things, but it also challenges our ability to adapt, as the Internet is one of the most rapidly changing entities humans have ever encountered. The development of the Internet has opened up a world of sharing – music, videos, photos, thoughts, opinions, news, information, you name it. With this free sharing, comes an expense. And those paying the bill have much to say.

I have mixed feelings about this topic. I do believe that it is a very relevant and important topic to discuss in the art room. Artists create for a living, and usually, it is in their best interest to have ownership and rights to what they create. As an artist, I want the work that I create to be protected. I have read stories of independent artists who have had their work produced in mass quantities in China without their knowledge or permission. I find that situation to be extremely different than Girltalk remixing bits of music to create new music, but I think that is the grey area that defines the complex copyright laws of the 21^st century.

I wrote down an idea that Joanna Brinkley shared in her TED Talk for artists who wish to beat the copyright issue and protect their intellectual property: make something too difficult to copy. I love this idea. I think it would be a fabulous prompt for the classroom. What could you make, that is so original, so deep, so complex, and so meaningful, that not only will everyone remember it, but also no one will be able to copy it! It reminds me of one of Sharyn Hyatt-Wade’s strategies for the high school classroom, ask your students to create a technique that has never before been seen. This asks your students to take risks discover the unknown. I think that this strategy can be applied to lesson planning just as it can be applied to creating. To engage our 21^st century students we must develop lessons that are experiential, one-of-a-kind and memorable. I also think it is important to teach them the power of a collaborative brainstorming environment. Equally as important as collaboration is teaching students to think and create in a unique and original way, developing personal aesthetic and meaning. 

Reactions/Classroom Connections - 8900

In an art education classroom, the topic of copyright, intellectual property, and ideation are extremely relevant. I recall having a discussion with my middle school art teacher about copyright after making a ceramics piece in the likeness of my favorite character, Spongebob Squarepants. She allowed me to make the piece, but explained to me that she would not be able to display it in the hallway because of copyright reasons. I understood her reasoning at the time, and still do now. I am not sure what I would do given this situation, but I think that I would most likely suggest for the student to create his or her own character from imagination. For this reason, I think that a discussion on this topic is very valid and relevant to today's students. One of the most interesting things that I learned from the videos was that each industry has its own limits on the protection of ideas and work. I think that these questions would make for great prompts in the art classroom:

1. Do you think copyright laws that have existed in the past are appropriate for the future?
2. Do you think downloading music should be illegal?
3. If you are an artist, and you sold your artwork via the internet, how would you feel if people downloaded it and displayed it for free?
4. What should the limits be on the limitation of ideas and intellectual property for the 21st century?
5. Are there any circumstances under which intellectual property should not be limited?
6. How do you apply laws to platforms that are designed for sharing... ex: Pinterest, twitter, etc.?
7. Why are copyright laws different across industries? Why does the world of fashion have such loose copyright laws compared to the world of music?

8900 - Read & Reflect: Prensky: Chapters 6-10

            This week’s readings I largely related to because I would say that I have grown up as a “digital native”. The examples that Prensky offers of students using technology in new and innovative ways are concepts that I am familiar with, or have experienced firsthand. What concerns me about the ever-changing world of technology is, will I be able to keep up?! I think that this is where a lesson learned from one of my other courses comes in. We have been learning about what it means to not only give your students the experience of a brave artist, but also to act as a brave teacher. One of the requirements of being a brave teacher is to allow your students to try new experiences, materials and techniques, even when you are unfamiliar yourself. In many ways, your students will provide you with the opportunity to learn from them. My contribution as the teacher will be to help guide the student to find meaning in the project.

            I loved Prensky’s criticism of the future of education on page 102. It is ironic that the very people we are designing the future of education for, are rarely included in what the future of education should look like. In the classroom, I as a teacher can take the opportunity to include my students’ input on projects and flexibly improve a lesson or unit as I go, so that they are engaged in the most meaningful way. I want my students to feel comfortable asking, “Can I try this? What if we? Why?...” These questions are questions that artists ask themselves every day, and for that reason I think that they are perfectly valid in the art classroom.

            I am very intrigued by the author’s mention of “passion-based learning”. The concept sounds exciting just be its definition. Any time that passion is a component of the learning process, it is likely that a memorable and meaningful experience has been created, two feelings that I often attribute to the experiences I have in a strong art program. I am fully supportive of giving children the opportunity to follow their own interests and fully engage in learning. However, I think that like all things, this must be a balance. Just because a student is extremely interested in the Civil War does not mean we should disregard their lack of math skills, for example. At the end of the day, our job is to prepare our students for life and their future education. To do so, we should absolutely ignite a passion for learning, while helping to develop them as a well-rounded individual.

8900 - Blogging brainstorm

In my future classroom, I think blogs would be a great resource for connecting the students and sharing and reflecting on their artistic process. I think it would be fabulous to incorporate other forms of social media into this element of the classroom as well, having them share instagram pictures and follow their favorite artists, as well as creating inspirational pinterest boards where they can take note of new techniques. The beauty of the digital world is the connection that can happen. Students can share exciting information with one another seamlessly, and without having to all be located in the same place.

I know that I would like for my students to regularly use artist journals as well in the classroom. I personally prefer a physical copy, something that I can take with me no matter how technology changes. However, I also think that there are millions of digital resources out there that cannot be captured on paper: ex: youtube, pinterest, stumbleupon, etc. I think that incorporating a blog into art curriculum should be meaningful and create new opportunity for the art classroom.

8900 Examples of artwork

Below are two examples of my artwork. In the past year, I have fallen in love with mixed media. I love to incorporate painting, collage, drawing, layering and vintage materials into one piece. My aesthetic is very whimsical and illustrative. I love to play!

The two pieces below are examples of my students' work from South Korea. They each created a "patch" of the identity quilt, having to include a silhouette of their head, something representative of their home, and some information about who they are and what they like to do. Together the blocks made a beautiful quilt (which is partially captured in the second photo below).

Blog Post 9 - Empathy

"Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else's position and to intuit what that person is feeling." That is a nice definition. I was also intrigued by Pink's statement that empathy is not "feeling bad for someone else. It is feeling with someone else, sensing what it would be like to be that person." While I did not yawn when reading Pink's description of his exhaustion, I have many times noted myself yawning after seeing others yawn or vice-versa. However, I have never fully understood why. Cognitive neuroscientist Steven Platek has attributed this behavior to a "primitive empathic mechanism." Does this mean that we are empathetic by design?

I have never thought about empathy as a marketable skill from an employer's perspective, at least for most industries. We associate empathy with organizations that are charitable, social work, those kinds of things... But, do we perhaps resent businesses for lacking empathy? When companies crumble and all the employees are left in the dust, the country often empathizes with the employees left behind. Would businesses be more successful if they invested more time and money, or really people, in the business of being empathetic? We all know how frustrating it is when we meet a bump in the road of life, and then have to sit on hold on the phone for hours just to correct the problem. I personally like to give my business to companies that have great customer service. And customer service, in a sense, is tied to empathy. They are empathetic of how it feels to be dissatisfied by a product or service. And as Pink points out, empathy is something that cannot be replaced by robots or people millions of miles away.

Will the next generation major in empathy??

Blog Post 8 - Symphony

Symphony was a familiar topic to me because of Dr. Unrath's spring class; my group was assigned to cover the synthesizing mind, one of Howard Gardner's five minds. The synthesizing mind and symphony are extremely similar concepts. The goal being to, as Pink says, "put together the pieces." Because I am posting this after the symphony group's lesson today (Oops!), I was able to recognize the many similarities between the symphony presentation given today and the synthesizing presentation that we gave our students in the spring. We asked the class to take two random notecards (with various random topics) and find the connection between the two, to find the symphony that they create together. Today in class, we were asked to do the same thing using various food items, peanuts, mints, cheez-its, very clever!

I even noticed that the symphony group had selected the same TED talk on metaphor that we had shown during our presentation. Metaphor is such a large part of using symphony and synthesis in thinking. Metaphor is a big idea, and often used in art. I think I mentioned in class that I would like to incorporate the big idea of metaphor at the Elementary level, inspired by "mix your metaphors."

I found this quote to be very inspiring. “Many engineering deadlocks have been broken by people who are not engineers at all. This is because perspective is more important than IQ. The ability to make big leaps of thought is a common denominator among the originators of breakthrough ideas. Usually this ability resides in people with very wide backgrounds, multidisciplinary minds, and a broad spectrum of experiences.

After reading Gardner’s chapter on synthesis I remember him suggesting that in the future we need more than minds that are genius in their own field, but minds that can recognize the perspectives of others fields and work together in a multi-disciplinary way.  This is no small task. But, I would like to point out that we often do this is the art classroom. J Asking our students to take big ideas from life experiences or content from other classes and give these concepts meaning through art making. Art has the potential to build a multi-disciplinary mind in our students, and a multi-disciplinary mind will be a powerful resource in the future.

Proposal

I believe that part of the reason many students do not consider themselves artists once they are older is due to the fact that they do not see being an artist as a viable career option. They have most likely heard somewhere along the way the term starving artist, or that artists don't actually make enough money to thrive. I know that I had heard this more than once growing up. However, the reality is that the creative industry is huge, and there are thousands of jobs that require an artist's mind. I am interested in developing a curriculum that engages students in learning about the variety of artists that work in the every day world and giving them the opportunity to try on that role. From animation and advertising to 3D modeling and magazine design, there are countless jobs that require an artist's eye and hand. I would like to give my students authentic experiences in these fields, so that they are aware of the opportunities for creative people. Also, I would like to bring in professionals from as many creative fields as possible to talk to students about the work that they do as an artist. I think middle school would be the perfect age to began exploring creative opportunities as students began to develop their identities. 

Blog Post - 7 - Story

When I read this line: "stories are easier to remember - because stories are how we remember," a lot clicked for me. Teaching using big ideas means teaching with story. Curriculum without story is simply an assemblage of facts, and facts alone, as Pink pointed out are extremely difficult to remember. We need to teach our students through memorable experiences, which will later become stories. Wow!

At the intersection of high concept and high touch, we find story. Story is high concept because of its innate ability to offer deeper understanding of one thing in the context of something else. It is high touch because of its emotional appeal.

It seems difficult for me to imagine a world that does not readily present any and every fact. I grew up with the internet, it came to life just as I began to write my own name. I remember being amazed by the online encyclopedias and being able to search for images of far away lands. The internet gave me the opportunity to explore my early interests. I wonder how my interests would have developed had I not had access to endless information. One of the most intersting things about the information age, to me, is that now people are regular creators and recorders of information. The majority of students regularly engage with sites that let them record the content of their lives. I envision that one day historians will write a large part of the history of our times based on the expression of the people. That is a big idea.

Living in an age that has an abundance of information and access to it, it seems that all children should be able to receive a great education. Most ikids seem to LOVE technology. Are we waiting for technology that engages students and makes learning fun? Could we break the cycle by giving children constant access to information and learning? I remember in my field experience watching the teacher allow kids with limited technology at home use the computers whenever they had free time so that they could play academic games. The kids seemed to love this. I wonder what educational computer applications would look like if Steve Jobs had created a series? :)

Blog Post 6 - Design

 The first few paragraphs of the Design chapter told a story that I knew I had heard before. A story that I would not forget, and will likely influence my future days as a teacher. The older students get, the less likely they are to believe that they are artists holding creative power. This is a problem. I want to teach my students from an early age that they are artists, and have powerful voices. The other part of the problem is driven by society's tendency to discount the value of design. I love the way that John Heskett simplifies design, "[D]esign, stripped to its essence, can be defined as the human nature to shape and make our environment in ways without precedent in nature, to serve our needs and give meaning to our lives." What a beautiful way to explain design. When design is considered in that context, design fills nearly every corner of our world, and shapes how we live.

L- Directed thinking - utility (logic)
R- Directed thinking - significance (creativity)

I thought the mention of L- and R- directed thinking was genius. When the two hemispheres of the mind work together, amazing things can happen. The problem is, in our current school system, we often ask students to only use these hemispheres separately. In art we have the opportunity to teach our students to use both sides of the brain. In my future classroom, I hope to develop not just the right side of the brain, but the whole brain, and everything in between.

Blog Post - 5

I love the way Eisner describes curriculum: the agenda for the development of the mind. It is slightly overwhelming to think that it is our responsibility to create a plan for developing the mind, but also shows the value that should be placed on curriculum development. Without a strong curriculum, we are not equipped to teach our students.

In my future classroom, I see myself monitoring curriculum by the engagement and understanding of the students, rather than strict deadlines to begin new units. I think that the art classroom is a place for exploration and there are opportunities that can and should be explored. The only way that this is possible is if the teacher allows the curriculum to be flexible enough to include experimentation. I want my students to know that their ideas and interests are important to me, and that they play a large role in the learning process, including the development of the curriculum. Just after writing out my thoughts above, I ran into this quote from Eisner, "To be able to make educational gold out of emerging activities in the classroom requires a high degree of artistry in teaching. Artistry in teaching is more likely to occur when the classroom provides a context for improvisation and where unpredictability, rather than predictability of activities and consequences in acknowledged." I hope that someday I will be able to teach using the artistry that Eisner describes.

"When birds have led their life in a cage, it is not difficult to understand that when the door is opened, they might now have a desire to leave." This quote from Eisner reminded me of the struggles students face as they grow older and have more years of experiencing, censoring their ideas and the thoughts that they are willing to share with the class. Unfortunately, the traditional school system is often based on one answer or one way of doing things. The art classroom MUST be the place where the spark of creativity and imagination is ignited for our students. The future cannot afford to lack in creative thinking.

The first phrase that struck me in Pink's A Whole New Mind, was "high concept and high touch." These two descriptions sound like they could be describing the type of curriculum we design in the art education program. We want our students to create conceptual art inspired by big ideas and make meaning through creation. I am eager to read more of Pink's book as I think it will line up perfectly with art education!

Blog Post - 4

"If children's artwork is examined in social rather than in individual terms, it becomes apparent that what they learn when working on a painting or sculpture is not simply what they learn from others as they become members of a community." For me, Eisner's statement about the learning that occurs in the art classroom connects to the way of learning through big ideas. When we ask our students to make work about big ideas, we are asking them to think about what they know, and express that knowledge through a very expressive medium, art making. This experience for students is a memorable one, which is why I am so supportive of an integrated art curriculum. Not only does this give students a deeper understanding of the material they are learning in their core classroom, but also gives society a reason to support the arts.

The art classroom also builds community, teaching students social norms and how to respectfully recognize the perspectives of others. In art, we have the opportunity to teach students about life. Eisner calls this concept situated learning, "the child is situated in a social and material context, and this context, viewed as a culture, teaches."

I love this phrases in the Eisner text, "life in classrooms looks more like life in life!" It sounds genius and innovative, but shouldn't this be how be teach children? I wrote earlier about the importance of not just teaching children for the purposes of school, but teaching them to prepare them for life. It only makes sense that to reach this desired effect, teachers should teach learning as it would happen in real life, constructing multi-sensory activities, diverse and dynamic in character.

I found that the introduction of A New Culture of Learning parroted a lot of the ideas presented in the Eisner text. "We believe that this new culture of learning can augment learning in nearly every facet of education and every stage of life. It is a core part of what we think of as "arc of life" learning, which comprises the activities in our daily lives that keep us learning, growing, and exploring. When I think of learning through this lens, it makes me question traditional methods - how could be ever expect students to learn through means that are much less engaging than the every day activities they are happening outside of the classroom? The art room is an opportunity for exploration and creativity. We can undoubtedly give our students experiences that are equally as exciting, if not more exciting, than the Angry Birds game they are playing on their ipad.

Blog Post - 3

Before reading Freedman's text I had not considered the ways in which objects from history are divided by modern disciplines. For information on the cultures that came before us, we seek information from art historians, anthropologists, historians, sociologists and more. Each of these groups claims specific objects from history and tries to decipher their meaning.

I am intrigued by Freedman's commentary on time and the way we arrange it in our mind. I often do think of it in a linear sense, however, as Freedman points out, time and things and events and ideas, do not always occur in a linear pattern. In textbooks we structure periods of time together by finding common characteristics that can be tied to periods of time. Time could also be perceived as a multi-dimensional space, from which we can see the collision of ideas and influence. This structure of time shows meaningful connections throughout history, perhaps this is the structure that reflects the synthesizing mind.

I related to Freedman's statement that much of what we teach are remnants of knowledge. It seems like we have so much to cover in such a short period of time that we learn and therefore give our students just a corner of the picture. I hope that I can develop a curriculum that allows my students to learn deeply as much as widely, allowing them to learn in memorable and meaningful ways.

After reading "Transmediation as a Metaphor for New Literacies in Multimedia," I found myself going back to this line in particular, "The existence of multimedia calls for multiple forms of literacy, forms that can represent the world of ideas, emotions, and events with multiple symbols." Simply stated, we must teach our students how to be literate in the 21st century way, not just the way of the past. I find it quite interesting that my computer recognizes the word lieracies as being misspelled. It does not recognize the possibility of a world with more than one form of literacy. And yet, on the very same machine that rules out this possibility, I can access many types of literacy, in the forms of images, video, motion picture, music, video games, etc.

The classroom that Semali describes fits perfectly with the structure of VTS. This line particularly made me think of the purpose of VTS, "critical engagement does not involve only passive reading and writing; rather, it involves an active textual analysis through a multiplicity of perspectives and critical methods." As we ask our students to view and make assumptions about a work of art based on evidence, we are engaging them in active analysis and asking them to recognize multiple perspectives.