At this juncture, the implementation of my GAME Plan is on hold. I have attempted to set up an online blog through Angel, but have been frustrated with conflicting schedules. Our Instructional Technologist is often busy when I am free and visa versa. I still have a week to get this simple project done before the winter break begins, so modifying my plan does not seem necessary, yet. Recently, I have located resources on the Four Step Art Criticism process, which will be helpful in structuring my learning environment. The first steps were to have the students critique artwork in a class blog on a bi-weekly basis, alternating between critiques of student artwork and famous art pieces. Hopefully, I can get this accomplished according to my plan.
Our HEART committee has not met in December, due to the holiday rush, but my commitments to this committee have already been established for the New Year. As far as, engaging in professional blogs, I have established my blog, but more connections need to be made. By developing my own personal learning community, I think I will find more fruitful interactions between myself and other art educators. This will require more research and time on my part. Finding quality blogs that are of interest to me, as well as, researching group blogs is the next step. Then, I must establish RSS feeds on those blogs in order to follow the conversations and exchange of ideas taking place on a daily basis. Not finding time for this has been very frustrating, as well, because I am very motivated to construct a learning community. Maybe the winter break will give me enough time to build the interactive environment that I envision.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
My Efforts to Carry Out My GAME Plan
Standard 1C- “Any academic or creative process will be a richer, deeper experience if it is accompanied with some sort of reflection. My first goal is to create a student blog using ANGEL, our blended learning management system. I will utilize this blog to encourage them to reflect on each others artwork, and famous artworks, as well.”
Above is the first goal of the GAME plan that I described in my last post. In order to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate that plan, it is necessary to feel confident using the technology that our school provides. To prepare for a class blog, I will first need to form my classes within ANGEL, and then take my students to one of the school’s computer labs to register. This is an important step because, to date, I have not learned the process. ANGEL was newly launched this year, and getting the academic courses up and running was administration’s first priority. Now, that the demands on our IT Specialist are less acute, these few weeks before the holidays would be an ideal time to enlist his help in structuring my classes, and registering my students. After winter break, I will have six weeks to use the class blog with my second group of students. According to the action plan that I proposed, reflection on artwork would be required in a class blog every two weeks. By learning the first steps in conducting on-line instruction, with a due date in mind, I plan to proactively pursue a better quality learning experience for my students. If reflection is required as part of my on-line class structure, I no longer will be able to shove it aside in my hurry to introduce new projects. One site that promises to have great material for blogging is http://www.smarthistory.org/ My first impulse was to choose an abstract artist’s piece to discuss, since abstract art can be controversial, it provokes discussion. I thought that the video on Kandinsky’s “Composition VII” http://www.smarthistory.org/Kandinsky-CompositionVII.html relayed an important message about Abstract Expressionism, which involved the integration of the senses. I would be interested in reading responses to this website and the potential it might have for a middle school blog. I love the casual conversation between the art historians, but I question whether it would be too advanced for the middle school student, or maybe the material offered would be an excellent way to increase rigor in the visual arts classroom. I welcome any and all opinions.
Standard 5A
My second goal is to become involved in professional blogs on quality Web sites, such as, http://arted20.ning.com/ I have just begun to explore the site and it promises to be quite informative. Locally, I will increase my activities in our local HEART (Henry Educators of Art) Association.
Today, I developed a page on Arted2.0, and have posted my first blog. Although this sounds a bit ridiculous, I will include my new art blog in my academic blog. This is my first attempt to reach out to other art educators on a global scale to search for answers to on-line content in art education. The blog reads:
“My middle school has recently adopted a new leaning management system called ANGEL. This year only academic subjects have been required to develop heir classes on-line, next year, the fine arts will be asked to use ANGEL, as well.
My question to other art educators is.....
What would a quality art program look like on-line? What activities would best serve the middle school student? Does anyone have great websites that could help me develop the content of the on-line portion of my course? I guess I just need all the help I can get.
If we all work on this together, I believe it will serve us well. Soon all subjects in K-12 classrooms will have on-line access, and I would like to have the best advice available to offer content that is rich and relevant.
I want to take the leap into those cold, foreign technological waters...... “
My plan is to monitor progress weekly by keeping a reflective blog in ANGEL. As a staff, we are required to reflect each week, but I have made a minimal effort to fulfill that responsibility. If I make administrators, as well as, colleagues, aware of efforts to improve my practice, I will have a stronger motivation to stay “on target”. This approach will, also, involve a larger community in the evaluation of my personal goals and the fulfillment of those goals.
Finally, I need to develop a rubric for my students to establish the expectations of classroom blogging. Before I begin to develop and assign blogs, I need to have a goal in mind. Well, I guess I have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks, which means I need to stop writing and start researching☺
Above is the first goal of the GAME plan that I described in my last post. In order to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate that plan, it is necessary to feel confident using the technology that our school provides. To prepare for a class blog, I will first need to form my classes within ANGEL, and then take my students to one of the school’s computer labs to register. This is an important step because, to date, I have not learned the process. ANGEL was newly launched this year, and getting the academic courses up and running was administration’s first priority. Now, that the demands on our IT Specialist are less acute, these few weeks before the holidays would be an ideal time to enlist his help in structuring my classes, and registering my students. After winter break, I will have six weeks to use the class blog with my second group of students. According to the action plan that I proposed, reflection on artwork would be required in a class blog every two weeks. By learning the first steps in conducting on-line instruction, with a due date in mind, I plan to proactively pursue a better quality learning experience for my students. If reflection is required as part of my on-line class structure, I no longer will be able to shove it aside in my hurry to introduce new projects. One site that promises to have great material for blogging is http://www.smarthistory.org/ My first impulse was to choose an abstract artist’s piece to discuss, since abstract art can be controversial, it provokes discussion. I thought that the video on Kandinsky’s “Composition VII” http://www.smarthistory.org/Kandinsky-CompositionVII.html relayed an important message about Abstract Expressionism, which involved the integration of the senses. I would be interested in reading responses to this website and the potential it might have for a middle school blog. I love the casual conversation between the art historians, but I question whether it would be too advanced for the middle school student, or maybe the material offered would be an excellent way to increase rigor in the visual arts classroom. I welcome any and all opinions.
Standard 5A
My second goal is to become involved in professional blogs on quality Web sites, such as, http://arted20.ning.com/ I have just begun to explore the site and it promises to be quite informative. Locally, I will increase my activities in our local HEART (Henry Educators of Art) Association.
Today, I developed a page on Arted2.0, and have posted my first blog. Although this sounds a bit ridiculous, I will include my new art blog in my academic blog. This is my first attempt to reach out to other art educators on a global scale to search for answers to on-line content in art education. The blog reads:
“My middle school has recently adopted a new leaning management system called ANGEL. This year only academic subjects have been required to develop heir classes on-line, next year, the fine arts will be asked to use ANGEL, as well.
My question to other art educators is.....
What would a quality art program look like on-line? What activities would best serve the middle school student? Does anyone have great websites that could help me develop the content of the on-line portion of my course? I guess I just need all the help I can get.
If we all work on this together, I believe it will serve us well. Soon all subjects in K-12 classrooms will have on-line access, and I would like to have the best advice available to offer content that is rich and relevant.
I want to take the leap into those cold, foreign technological waters...... “
My plan is to monitor progress weekly by keeping a reflective blog in ANGEL. As a staff, we are required to reflect each week, but I have made a minimal effort to fulfill that responsibility. If I make administrators, as well as, colleagues, aware of efforts to improve my practice, I will have a stronger motivation to stay “on target”. This approach will, also, involve a larger community in the evaluation of my personal goals and the fulfillment of those goals.
Finally, I need to develop a rubric for my students to establish the expectations of classroom blogging. Before I begin to develop and assign blogs, I need to have a goal in mind. Well, I guess I have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks, which means I need to stop writing and start researching☺
Sunday, November 22, 2009
My Personal GAME Plan
In my professional life I have had many game plans, but I haven’t written many of them down. I will now endeavor to articulate a GAME plan as described by Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer (2010). GAME is an acronym in which the G stands for setting goals, A involves the actions one must take to achieve those goals, M is the process of monitoring those actions, and E is the necessary evaluation that must occur to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your GAME plan.
The articulation of this GAME plan is not voluntary. I must admit it is a class requirement based on the five 2009 NETS-T Standards. Thoughtful analysis and reflection is always a practice that encourages growth. So, like taking castor oil, I will do the best I can to improve my professional practice and grow. First, I need to choose two indicators of the five standards that will have the greatest influence in improving my professional practice. The standards and indicators are listed below:
Standard 1-
Indicator C- Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
Standard 5-
Indicator A- Teachers participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
Goals-
Standard 1C
Any academic or creative process will be a richer, deeper experience if it is accompanied with some sort of reflection. My first goal is to create a student blog using ANGEL, our blended learning management system. I will utilize this blog to encourage them to reflect on each other’s artwork, and famous artworks, as well.
Standard 5A
My second goal is to become involved in professional blogs on quality Web sites, such as, http://arted20.ning.com/ I have just begun to explore the site and it promises to be quite informative. Locally, I will increase my activities in our local HEART (Henry Educators of Art) Association.
Action-
Standard 1C
Often, in my rush to begin a new project, I neglect that very important step of reflection. To use the collaborative potential of technology would, not only, increase student enthusiasm in the reflective process, it would also, reduce the demands on studio time. Creating blogs for students to share ideas would add depth to the visual arts curriculum. Ideally, students would post a photograph of their finished project, and then add a reflection of the work in ANGEL. Then, students would need to respond to two or three responses of other’s posts to complete the reflection assignment. This reflective blogging would occur approximately once a month, as that is the average length of a project.
I would also; display famous artworks in ANGEL, and students would be required to post and respond once a month, in much the same manner as is explained above. In reflecting on their own artwork, and that of a famous artist, students could have meaningful reflective communication using the collaborative tools provided by our school through the process of blogging.
Standard 5A
Locally, we are sponsoring an Arts Festival in March of 2010, and I have agreed to enlist local businesses to volunteer items to sell in our silent auction. The money contributed to the HEART Association during the silent auction will help to purchase art supplies and equipment for the public schools. Hopefully, these contributions will also help train teachers and equip art rooms for the demands of the future. Globally, I will continue to explore new Web sites and collaborate on-line with communities of art educators, beginning with the afore mentioned, http://arted20.ning.com/
Monitor-
Standard 1C-
Every two weeks, I will assign a blog in which the students will respond. The first blog entry will be a reflection of their first project. Two weeks later, I will assign a reflection on a famous work of art, and this pattern will be maintained through the 12-week session. I will commit to this by making it part of my lesson plans that are submitted on ANGEL for administrative approval. The process of monitoring student blogs is already incorporated in the ANGEL system. Blogs automatically are submitted to the teacher for approval before they are released for all students to read. In this way, I can manage and record student progress.
Standard 5A-
By staying involved in our local HEART association, and assisting with committee work to make the 2010 Arts Festival a success, I plan to not only, stay engaged in our local learning community, but also, raise money for the improvement and expansion of the fine arts departments in Henry County. I will make a commitment to attend all meetings held by the HEART association, and try to attend any state conferences that are offered.
To become involved with global communities, I plan to add to my weekly calendar a block of time each week devoted to revisiting familiar blogs and wikis. During that time, I would also take time to explore new alternatives, as well.
Evaluation-
Standard 1C-
Administrators, parents, and students alike will conduct the evaluation of the visual arts blog site. Student performance will be evaluated with a rubric created by the teacher and students agreeing upon what expectations need to be met to achieve excellence.
Standard 5A-
In order to keep track of the time spent with local and global learning communities, I will need to record, in my calendar, planned commitments for the month, and also, record the “real time” spent on each activity. My measure of success will be if my planned time aligns with the “real time” I have spent on each commitment. Each month I will assess whether the amount of time spent on collaboration needs to be adjusted to better fit my schedule.
In developing a simple GAME plan, my hopes are to improve as an educator, rather than utilizing my usual random efforts in pursuing excellence. As a result, I am, actually, looking forward to analyzing the results of my more organized plan of action. Here’s to organization!
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), Retrieved November 12, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.
The articulation of this GAME plan is not voluntary. I must admit it is a class requirement based on the five 2009 NETS-T Standards. Thoughtful analysis and reflection is always a practice that encourages growth. So, like taking castor oil, I will do the best I can to improve my professional practice and grow. First, I need to choose two indicators of the five standards that will have the greatest influence in improving my professional practice. The standards and indicators are listed below:
Standard 1-
Indicator C- Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
Standard 5-
Indicator A- Teachers participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
Goals-
Standard 1C
Any academic or creative process will be a richer, deeper experience if it is accompanied with some sort of reflection. My first goal is to create a student blog using ANGEL, our blended learning management system. I will utilize this blog to encourage them to reflect on each other’s artwork, and famous artworks, as well.
Standard 5A
My second goal is to become involved in professional blogs on quality Web sites, such as, http://arted20.ning.com/ I have just begun to explore the site and it promises to be quite informative. Locally, I will increase my activities in our local HEART (Henry Educators of Art) Association.
Action-
Standard 1C
Often, in my rush to begin a new project, I neglect that very important step of reflection. To use the collaborative potential of technology would, not only, increase student enthusiasm in the reflective process, it would also, reduce the demands on studio time. Creating blogs for students to share ideas would add depth to the visual arts curriculum. Ideally, students would post a photograph of their finished project, and then add a reflection of the work in ANGEL. Then, students would need to respond to two or three responses of other’s posts to complete the reflection assignment. This reflective blogging would occur approximately once a month, as that is the average length of a project.
I would also; display famous artworks in ANGEL, and students would be required to post and respond once a month, in much the same manner as is explained above. In reflecting on their own artwork, and that of a famous artist, students could have meaningful reflective communication using the collaborative tools provided by our school through the process of blogging.
Standard 5A
Locally, we are sponsoring an Arts Festival in March of 2010, and I have agreed to enlist local businesses to volunteer items to sell in our silent auction. The money contributed to the HEART Association during the silent auction will help to purchase art supplies and equipment for the public schools. Hopefully, these contributions will also help train teachers and equip art rooms for the demands of the future. Globally, I will continue to explore new Web sites and collaborate on-line with communities of art educators, beginning with the afore mentioned, http://arted20.ning.com/
Monitor-
Standard 1C-
Every two weeks, I will assign a blog in which the students will respond. The first blog entry will be a reflection of their first project. Two weeks later, I will assign a reflection on a famous work of art, and this pattern will be maintained through the 12-week session. I will commit to this by making it part of my lesson plans that are submitted on ANGEL for administrative approval. The process of monitoring student blogs is already incorporated in the ANGEL system. Blogs automatically are submitted to the teacher for approval before they are released for all students to read. In this way, I can manage and record student progress.
Standard 5A-
By staying involved in our local HEART association, and assisting with committee work to make the 2010 Arts Festival a success, I plan to not only, stay engaged in our local learning community, but also, raise money for the improvement and expansion of the fine arts departments in Henry County. I will make a commitment to attend all meetings held by the HEART association, and try to attend any state conferences that are offered.
To become involved with global communities, I plan to add to my weekly calendar a block of time each week devoted to revisiting familiar blogs and wikis. During that time, I would also take time to explore new alternatives, as well.
Evaluation-
Standard 1C-
Administrators, parents, and students alike will conduct the evaluation of the visual arts blog site. Student performance will be evaluated with a rubric created by the teacher and students agreeing upon what expectations need to be met to achieve excellence.
Standard 5A-
In order to keep track of the time spent with local and global learning communities, I will need to record, in my calendar, planned commitments for the month, and also, record the “real time” spent on each activity. My measure of success will be if my planned time aligns with the “real time” I have spent on each commitment. Each month I will assess whether the amount of time spent on collaboration needs to be adjusted to better fit my schedule.
In developing a simple GAME plan, my hopes are to improve as an educator, rather than utilizing my usual random efforts in pursuing excellence. As a result, I am, actually, looking forward to analyzing the results of my more organized plan of action. Here’s to organization!
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), Retrieved November 12, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Reflections on Bridging Theories, Instruction, and Technology in the Classroom
*Reflection on My Personal Learning Theory-
During the first week of this class we reviewed four major learning theories as an introduction to our course material. As I reflect on these theories presented by Dr. Michael Orey, Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructionism or Constructivism, and Social Constructionism, I feel that my personal learning theory is still eclectic in nature. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) Each student is an individual with unique needs, desires, and learning styles, and no one learning theory is a prescription for success in learning. I still concur with Lever-Duffy and McDonald’s (2008) statement that:
“. . . . it is best to think of all [learning theories] together as the range of possible explanations of learning and to think of each individual approach as a unique and special addition to your collection. Then, as an eclectic instructor, you can choose to implement those parts of the theories that best match your learners’ needs and the characteristics of a particular lesson’s objectives” (p.18).
Yet, due to the nature of visual arts, I find that I emphasize the Constructivist/Constructionist Theories of Learning the most. I include both theories because they are equally relevant to my discipline. As Dr. Orey explains, Constructivism is a theory of learning in which students build their own meaning out of the information that is either, discovered by the learner, and/or presented by the instructor. Whereas, Constructionism is a theory of learning which is the most effective, when, in addition to the above, an artifact is built or created that can be shared with others. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) The creation of an artwork is as conceptual as it is technical in nature; therefore, artists must first, construct their own meaning and purpose for an artwork before they can begin the technical process of construction. It is difficult for one to exist without the other, even when the conceptual process is intuitive.
*Immediate Adjustments in Technological Integration-
When our new school year opens, I plan to begin the process of eliminating independent paperwork assignments. In the past, I have assigned vocabulary sheets, chapters in the textbook, and Scholastic Art articles for the students to complete on their own. Such assignments were problematic, due to the fact that the students would do a sub-average job on written work required in an art class. If class work became a collaborative, digital process, rather than an independent, paper bound process in drudgery, maybe work quality, and therefore learning, would improve. Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec (1986) described Cooperative Learning as students collaborating to “attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively” (as cited in Orey, 2001). Add to this the opportunity to produce their work digitally, using multiple sources, to produce a multimedia project; and I hope to improve work quality, as well as raise motivation. The paperless classroom I propose will be easier to establish this coming school year, due to the fact that we are implementing a digital learning environment, called ANGEL. Each student will receive a 4G memory stick to use at home and at school, and we will have the capacity to assign and accept work on-line. In fact, the system is similar to Walden’s on-line classes. I’m looking forward to exploring all of the new technological possibilities available next year.
*Long term Goal Changes-
As one long term goal, I would like to explore the introduction of technology into the production of artwork. I am impressed by the concept of a “new ‘digital literacy,’ in which students will need to know the language of camera angle, colors, soundtrack, and fonts in much the same way they need to know the grammar of written and spoken language” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 104). George Lucas (2005) compares this new phenomenon to the effects the printing press had on the reading and writing abilities of humankind. (as cited in Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 104) When the language of visual arts is placed in this light, it would be remiss of me not to research the possibilities of introducing technology into art assignments. My plan is to take small steps and use the software that I have currently and, also, use what is available on-line for free. I now have Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Photoshop Premiere, but I have discovered through this class, many other resources available on-line. The manipulation of photographs and video is a possibility, as well as, claymation and animation, with no extra cost to the school. Of course, the combination of various medias is an option, as well. Ideally, I would like to have the students develop their own digital portfolio for assessment at the end of the 12 week course, combining their multimedia projects with their photographed and critiqued artwork. The possibilities are almost overwhelming, yet I am pleased that art is being viewed as “real stuff, not fluff”. The importance of aesthetics in digital presentations is certainly on the horizon.
Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Holubec, E. J. (1986). Circles of Learning: Cooperation in the classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program three. Instructional Theory vs.
Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructionist vs. Constructivist Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Lucas, G. (2005, November 17). George Lucas and the new world of learning [Podcast]. Edutopia Radio Show. Retrieved August 28, 2006, from http://www.edutopia.org/php/radio/php
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
During the first week of this class we reviewed four major learning theories as an introduction to our course material. As I reflect on these theories presented by Dr. Michael Orey, Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructionism or Constructivism, and Social Constructionism, I feel that my personal learning theory is still eclectic in nature. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) Each student is an individual with unique needs, desires, and learning styles, and no one learning theory is a prescription for success in learning. I still concur with Lever-Duffy and McDonald’s (2008) statement that:
“. . . . it is best to think of all [learning theories] together as the range of possible explanations of learning and to think of each individual approach as a unique and special addition to your collection. Then, as an eclectic instructor, you can choose to implement those parts of the theories that best match your learners’ needs and the characteristics of a particular lesson’s objectives” (p.18).
Yet, due to the nature of visual arts, I find that I emphasize the Constructivist/Constructionist Theories of Learning the most. I include both theories because they are equally relevant to my discipline. As Dr. Orey explains, Constructivism is a theory of learning in which students build their own meaning out of the information that is either, discovered by the learner, and/or presented by the instructor. Whereas, Constructionism is a theory of learning which is the most effective, when, in addition to the above, an artifact is built or created that can be shared with others. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) The creation of an artwork is as conceptual as it is technical in nature; therefore, artists must first, construct their own meaning and purpose for an artwork before they can begin the technical process of construction. It is difficult for one to exist without the other, even when the conceptual process is intuitive.
*Immediate Adjustments in Technological Integration-
When our new school year opens, I plan to begin the process of eliminating independent paperwork assignments. In the past, I have assigned vocabulary sheets, chapters in the textbook, and Scholastic Art articles for the students to complete on their own. Such assignments were problematic, due to the fact that the students would do a sub-average job on written work required in an art class. If class work became a collaborative, digital process, rather than an independent, paper bound process in drudgery, maybe work quality, and therefore learning, would improve. Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec (1986) described Cooperative Learning as students collaborating to “attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively” (as cited in Orey, 2001). Add to this the opportunity to produce their work digitally, using multiple sources, to produce a multimedia project; and I hope to improve work quality, as well as raise motivation. The paperless classroom I propose will be easier to establish this coming school year, due to the fact that we are implementing a digital learning environment, called ANGEL. Each student will receive a 4G memory stick to use at home and at school, and we will have the capacity to assign and accept work on-line. In fact, the system is similar to Walden’s on-line classes. I’m looking forward to exploring all of the new technological possibilities available next year.
*Long term Goal Changes-
As one long term goal, I would like to explore the introduction of technology into the production of artwork. I am impressed by the concept of a “new ‘digital literacy,’ in which students will need to know the language of camera angle, colors, soundtrack, and fonts in much the same way they need to know the grammar of written and spoken language” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 104). George Lucas (2005) compares this new phenomenon to the effects the printing press had on the reading and writing abilities of humankind. (as cited in Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 104) When the language of visual arts is placed in this light, it would be remiss of me not to research the possibilities of introducing technology into art assignments. My plan is to take small steps and use the software that I have currently and, also, use what is available on-line for free. I now have Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Photoshop Premiere, but I have discovered through this class, many other resources available on-line. The manipulation of photographs and video is a possibility, as well as, claymation and animation, with no extra cost to the school. Of course, the combination of various medias is an option, as well. Ideally, I would like to have the students develop their own digital portfolio for assessment at the end of the 12 week course, combining their multimedia projects with their photographed and critiqued artwork. The possibilities are almost overwhelming, yet I am pleased that art is being viewed as “real stuff, not fluff”. The importance of aesthetics in digital presentations is certainly on the horizon.
Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Holubec, E. J. (1986). Circles of Learning: Cooperation in the classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program three. Instructional Theory vs.
Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructionist vs. Constructivist Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Lucas, G. (2005, November 17). George Lucas and the new world of learning [Podcast]. Edutopia Radio Show. Retrieved August 28, 2006, from http://www.edutopia.org/php/radio/php
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Social Learning in Practice
The social learning theories presented in this course have an intriguing premise that humans construct reality. As Kukla (2000) states, “Members of society together invent the properties of the world” (as cited in Orey, 2001). It’s the quintessential puzzle of the tree falling in the forest. If no one heard it fall, did the tree exist? That puzzle always made me puzzled. Initially, in our reading, I had to stop and think about the nature of reality. I’m still kicking this around, but I felt more comfortable with the constructivist’s assumptions about knowledge and learning. Knowledge is a product of the collective human mind and learning occurs when human minds interact. Essentially, we learn best when we “hang out” together. That sounds great to me because I am convinced that using technology through collaborative learning is the most effective way to educate our young people for the challenges that await them tomorrow. In his book The World is Flat (2005), Friedman recognized that “we are living in a time when learning and innovation are increasingly global. To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today’s students need to learn and produce cooperatively” (as cited in Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p.139). Well, constructivists and other social learning theorists would certainly agree with him.
Technology has become intricately laced into our current and future reality, and if we accept the views of the above scholars, our students will best learn about their “new world” through cooperative or collaborative teamwork. The structure of Web 2.0 facilitates collaborative learning with blogs, wikis, document sharing, and multimedia projects through the use of Web resources, to name a few technological tools. As a result, knowledge will become public property for us to share and access when needed. I have heard the proclamation that those that lived from the late 1800’s to see the first man on the moon witnessed unparalleled industrial and technological advances. What will they say about our generation? What will we witness in the future?
Friedman,T.L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Kukla, A. (2000). Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Science. New York: Routledge.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Technology has become intricately laced into our current and future reality, and if we accept the views of the above scholars, our students will best learn about their “new world” through cooperative or collaborative teamwork. The structure of Web 2.0 facilitates collaborative learning with blogs, wikis, document sharing, and multimedia projects through the use of Web resources, to name a few technological tools. As a result, knowledge will become public property for us to share and access when needed. I have heard the proclamation that those that lived from the late 1800’s to see the first man on the moon witnessed unparalleled industrial and technological advances. What will they say about our generation? What will we witness in the future?
Friedman,T.L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
Kukla, A. (2000). Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Science. New York: Routledge.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
My First Voicethread
My VoiceThread...http://voicethread.com/share/530268/
As I was brainstorming about the different ways that I could use VoiceThread in my classroom and the on-line learning environment, the ideas that popped into my head were numerous. I decided to settle on the most basic place to begin, instructional VoiceThreads. Demonstration and instruction are difficult in the art room because it is problematic for students to follow explanations of visual elements from a distance. I find that if I do limited group instruction and try to get to individuals and small groups for relaying detailed directions and techniques, it works much better. Yet, that small group experience exists only for that moment, and often, I need to repeat myself for absent students and the others who gave me limited attention. If I developed an archive of instructional videos and VoiceThreads, to upload onto my on-line classroom, I could use them to assist students that need repetition and get absent students caught up with the instructional material they missed. Then, I could use more of my time facilitating students in the process of creating and developing their artwork. Although the VoiceThread presentations wouldn't be as personal or interactive, I believe they would be better than whole group presentations, and definately better than a rushed reiteration of missed instructional content. I just need to figure out how to use the doodle tool because that would be invaluable for me. The school has provided me with a writing tablet that works beautifully in isolation, but I haven't figured out how to use the doodle in tandem with the spoken commentary on VoiceThread. Let me know if you all have some advise.
As I was brainstorming about the different ways that I could use VoiceThread in my classroom and the on-line learning environment, the ideas that popped into my head were numerous. I decided to settle on the most basic place to begin, instructional VoiceThreads. Demonstration and instruction are difficult in the art room because it is problematic for students to follow explanations of visual elements from a distance. I find that if I do limited group instruction and try to get to individuals and small groups for relaying detailed directions and techniques, it works much better. Yet, that small group experience exists only for that moment, and often, I need to repeat myself for absent students and the others who gave me limited attention. If I developed an archive of instructional videos and VoiceThreads, to upload onto my on-line classroom, I could use them to assist students that need repetition and get absent students caught up with the instructional material they missed. Then, I could use more of my time facilitating students in the process of creating and developing their artwork. Although the VoiceThread presentations wouldn't be as personal or interactive, I believe they would be better than whole group presentations, and definately better than a rushed reiteration of missed instructional content. I just need to figure out how to use the doodle tool because that would be invaluable for me. The school has provided me with a writing tablet that works beautifully in isolation, but I haven't figured out how to use the doodle in tandem with the spoken commentary on VoiceThread. Let me know if you all have some advise.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Constructionism in Practice
Constructivism and Constructionism are compared quite simply by Dr. Michael Orey in our DVD segment for this week. Constructivism is “a theory of knowledge stating that each individual actively constructs his/her own meaning”; whereas, Constructionism is “a theory of learning that states people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others”. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) My simplistic interpretation of these two definitions is Constructionism is Constructivism with an added component of “building stuff” to augment the learning process and to assist the student in making more connections with their current networks of knowledge. As a visual Arts teacher, I am a constructionist at heart, and a participant in project-based learning. According to Thomas, Mergendoller, and Michaelson (1999), as well as, Brown and Campione (1994), “projects are complex tasks, based on challenging questions, that serve to organize and drive activities, which taken as a whole amount to a meaningful project. They give learners the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time and culminate in realistic products or presentations as a series of artifacts, personal communication, or consequential tasks that meaningfully address the driving question”. (as cited in Orey, 2001) This is what I, humbly, believe I do in visual arts.
The whole truth is, the arts can contribute so much more to project-based learning than they currently are. In my research this week, I found a wonderful series of films in Edutopia that emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary education with the obvious inclusion of the arts. I was not able to view all eight films, but I will in the next few weeks. They call upon us, as educators, to realize the power of personal expression and multi-sensory learning, and to collaborate with each other in order to use the arts in all disciplines. What better way to construct project-based learning? Technology is an essential piece in creating artifacts, but I fear in the process of integrating technology into the 21st century classroom, that products produced with one’s own hands will lose their educational importance. Artistic expression is intimately connected with the human experience, and can not be minimized, even with the looming importance of technology in education.
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1994) Guided discovery in a community of learners. In K. McGilly (Ed.), classroom lessons: integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 229-272). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructivist and Constructionist Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Thomas, H.W., Mergendoller, J.R., & Michaelson, A. (1999). Project-based learning: a handbook for middle and high school teachers. Novato, CA: The Buck Institute for Education.
The whole truth is, the arts can contribute so much more to project-based learning than they currently are. In my research this week, I found a wonderful series of films in Edutopia that emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary education with the obvious inclusion of the arts. I was not able to view all eight films, but I will in the next few weeks. They call upon us, as educators, to realize the power of personal expression and multi-sensory learning, and to collaborate with each other in order to use the arts in all disciplines. What better way to construct project-based learning? Technology is an essential piece in creating artifacts, but I fear in the process of integrating technology into the 21st century classroom, that products produced with one’s own hands will lose their educational importance. Artistic expression is intimately connected with the human experience, and can not be minimized, even with the looming importance of technology in education.
Brown, A.L., & Campione, J.C. (1994) Guided discovery in a community of learners. In K. McGilly (Ed.), classroom lessons: integrating cognitive theory and classroom practice (pp. 229-272). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program seven. Constructivist and Constructionist Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Thomas, H.W., Mergendoller, J.R., & Michaelson, A. (1999). Project-based learning: a handbook for middle and high school teachers. Novato, CA: The Buck Institute for Education.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)