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I found the Prensky reading to be relatively outdated as far as inspirational ways to use technology in the classroom today.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 That being said, I think that this teaches an important lesson: technology is outdated by the time a book is written about it.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).