Arts and Tech Blog

Web page authoring is an aspect of technology and the Internet that I have wanted to learn for a long time.  Although we may only be scratching the surface of dream-weaver, and not learning any html coding, it excites me to finally have some instruction in the basics of the program.  The idea of having my own web page, be it for personal or classroom use is really exciting.  On the page I could display my student’s or my own art work, and maybe even sell some.  Web Page authoring is something I may even have to take an entire class on once I have finished my masters for certification. 

As we begin the non linear powerpoint assignment I am also excited.  Not only do I get to work within my content area, but I get to produce a presentation that I will be able to use when teaching.  We have decided to focus our presentation on Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, and I was amazed at the number of images he created that I had never seen before.  This assignment seems like it may be one of the more fun projects to complete, and a welcome change after writing a paper.

VOTE – 11/4/08 – Make your voice heard – VOTE

After writing my research paper on the many educational technologies and their effects on multisensory learners I began to reflect on my own classroom.  Although I try to create an active learning environment for my students, I question my effectiveness on achieving this on a multisensory level.  The research I completed made it clear that approaching lessons and activities from a multisensory level helps reach more individual student learning styles and therefore helps to improve achievement levels.  The addition of new interactive educational technologies, and technology in general to approach lessons on a multisensory level can only complement good instruction in the classroom.  Although the technology available to me may be limited due to inequity in distribution and availability, it is my goal to utilize what I have to the fullest to create the multisensory learning environments described in my research.  I am fortunate to teach studio art classes in which students must create and therefore become an active part of their education when they enter my classroom as opposed to passive learning environments they may encounter in other classes.  After reading about all the positive benefits of a multisensory approach to education it is my goal to continually modify my instruction to appeal to multiple senses of my students.  I hope that by integrating new educational technologies and practices, I will continue to motivate my students to not only appreciate the arts, but enjoy coming to, and actively participating in class.

A special thanks to my students for making every day of teaching an enriching challenge, and making it easier to deal with the hidden politics of teaching in a public school.  Sometimes I feel like I learn just as much from interacting with my students, as they do from me. 

As dull as a PowerPoint presentation can sometimes be, it is refreshing to learn how to create presentations that do not rely on the premade designs, transitions, sound effects, or that have to follow a preset order.  Although I already knew how to create my own slide background, it was great to learn how to find and embed sounds, images, and even videos.  But, what was really interesting was the PowerPoint presentations using action buttons so you are able to switch from slide to slide without going in the traditional order.  I immediately thought of numerous lessons that I could teach in my art classroom using this type of PowerPoint presentation.  Everything from art trivia games to presentations about an artist using famous paintings with action buttons hidden in different areas of the painting.  This would make the art history lessons, and terminology reviews more fun and interactive for students.  It amazed me how much I did not know about what I thought of as merely a slide show making presentation tool.  The ideas learned are things I would love to implement in my classroom, if I could only get a digital projector to use.  Unfortunately, in my school these projectors are allocated to the traditional academic subjects first, and because of this I rarely have the luxury of being able to use one.  I guess I always have the option of dropping the cash out of pocket to have the use of a projector all of the time, but they are expensive. 

AT&T text to speach was another great resource introduced by Dr. Ransom.  What a great program to be able to type out something, and have it converted to an MP3 or WAV file.  You can even choose which voice will be speaking for you.  Another great example of how the resources page on our course website is full of amazing links and programs. 

On a side note, as the cold weather takes its frosty grip on the Western NY area, lets keep in mind those that are less fortunate than ourselves.  Donate any gently used coats, gloves or hats that you no longer use to those that need them. 

Delicious.com is probably one of the greatest web services that I had never heard of.  This social bookmarking tool not only allows me to access my frequently used websites from any Internet capable computer, but collaborate with other users with common interests.  In the brief amount of time I have had to spend playing on delicious I have found everything from art history resources and online design magazines, to free add ons for Adobe Photoshop.  The bookmark search engine makes it easy to access the information you need without having to depend on flash drives or remembering the URL of the site you need. 

It seems as though I touch on social networking websites in every blog post I make, and this post will be no different.  Webkinz, which seems to be something like a Facebook or Myspace for children seemed like a strange idea to me.  Maybe its the skeptic in me, or maybe I have watched too many episodes of Law & Order SVU, but I worry about a social networking site aimed specifically at children drawing people that will eventually show up on Dateline – To Catch a Predator.  Its not that I think children should be denied social networking opportunities, but as I have said before and will say again, this networking needs to be supervised by parents to ensure responsible use. 

Lastly the YouTube video containing the chicken PowerPoint was not only comedic, but illustrated one of the dark sides of technological presentation tools.  Too often presenters depend on the slides and limited information in their PowerPoint slide show instead of mastering the information being presented.  Presentation tools such as PowerPoint offer so many options to speakers, however presenters sometimes spend more time creating flashy slide shows instead of mastering their material. 

A special thank you to the Buffalo Sabres for their strong play early in the season, lets hope that this level of play can be sustained for the long 82 game season.

The most recent class touched on the idea of being a lifelong learner, something that I believe is necessary to be an educator.  The wiki newbie in the video explained that by using this new technology that she is not very familiar with she was able to have her students collaborate with a classroom halfway around the globe.  This is not only amazing, but shows the importance of learning new technologies to teach children new concepts.  Being a lifelong learner is essential to being a good teacher in my opinion.  Children are constantly exposed to new things outside of the classroom, and it is our job as educators to keep up with the rapidly changing world.  By using social collaborative learning tools such as wikis, teachers are drawing on the digital era that these students have grown up in, while educating students. 

The blog search tools will be interesting to use.  I really liked some of the art education blogs that were given as examples during class, and look forward to searching for blogs about some of my interests.  With the election quickly coming, I will be checking out some political blogs to see what other people’s opinions are regarding the candidates.  A classroom blog is something that I would love to use at my school, but due to the inequity of technology amongst my students, I would have to be careful about making an assignment out of it.  Maybe an extra credit activity for students would work. 

The digital footprint is something I have been thinking about for a while.  As a new facebook member, I sometimes cannot believe the photos that people will post of themselves and others.  I think that facebook is a wonderful social networking tool, but what if students, parents or administrators find pictures of one of their teachers with drinks in their hands?  And, as the new ad campaign shows, just because you delete something, it does not mean its really gone.  I can see the reason why facebook and my-space need to be regulated very closely by parents, and the adults that have pages.  People need to be more conscious of what they post on the Internet, and who could be viewing the materials put there.

This post is dedicated to my late Grandmother – Patricia Meyers – you will always be one of the most influential women in my life, I will never forget the strenght you taught me.

Sometimes you find the most amazing things you never knew about.  As I was introduced to Wikis and how to use them, I realized that this is possibly the greatest way to complete group or class projects.  It amazed me that I had never even heard of a Wiki before now, and had regularly completed group projects during my undergraduate classes just a few years ago.  The idea of being able to add information to a page anywhere and at anytime makes group work so much easier to complete.  No more working around everyones schedules to try to find a common time.  Add to the page as you like, communicate with the group or class with the discussion board or via email.  Simplicity is such a wonderful thing. 

That being said, if only the internet had a filter or fact checking system.  When people dedicate entire websites to selling dehydrated water and tree octopuses, it makes me think that there has to be some sort of way to control the misinformation that is seemingly everywhere.  Although you can find some very funny websites, there are far too many intended to distribute misinformation in the name of altering people’s perceptions of the world (such as the MLK website being run by white supremacists).  I know I have said this before, but it is the duty of parents and teachers to cooperatively show students how to determine the validity and authenticity of information on the websites they use. 

And now a special thank you to edublogs for driving me insane with the scheduled maintainance.  I checked probably 100 times between Friday and Sunday evening waiting for it to be over.  At least I was able to memorize what the logo looks like and the little apology they had written.