It will all be obsolete

I've been planning for a presentation\workshop that I am giving in October to the FAEA. The theme of the workshop is incorporating web 2.0 technologies in the art classroom. I began researching and planning for the workshop last February.
Some of the technologies I will be presenting I use regularly others not as often but I had prepared to present on all. I wanted to show the participants options on blogs, wikis and podcasts. As well as other ancillary web based tools.
Well in going over my presentation I have found that about a third of the sites\web tools that I had prepared for had already gone through significant changes.
This fact of web 2.0 (I use this term loosely to cover a very large and fluid group of tools I access via various electronic devices) changes and evolves at a progressively rapid pace.
So what you learn now will not be applicable a year from now. This makes this new media both very engaging and frustrating at the same time. PB Wiki has changed significantly 3 or 4 times in the year or so that I have been using it.
This creates an environment of continuous learning and I think that the workshop that I will be giving will have to reflect that fact. Participants coming to the workshop will be learning how to use the web to learn. They will find that some of the presentation I may have discovered only the night before while Twittering or reading over my blog feed.
This reminds me of the way very young children everything is new, exciting and they never know what to expect the next day. An adventure.
I hope no one wants a paper handout, I would have to bring a printer with me and print as the workshop was given. Even then it would not be current.

MixBook

I've been playing around this evening with MixBooks. This tool allows you to create virtual books using images and writing. This evening I made a book using artwork made by one of my first grade classes.

View this book full size or get a printed copy at Mixbook


This book only took a little time to create and distribute via this blog and a wiki I created.
To start I used a digital camera to photograph the students art as soon as it was finished in class. these files were uploaded in mass to the MixBook site. Once there I placed the images on the pages as well as wrote the story. Total time was under an hour.

Strange Bed Fellows

I am far from a one issue voter; I’m more of a stir the pot, turn over the apple cart type thinker. But there is one issue that I will be taking a serious look at this voting season. That is the arts and art education. I think that the arts are the canary in the coal mine of our children’s education.
While our policy makers point to the easily testable subjects as gauges of the success or failure of the educational system. Often those tests depend heavily on lower level thinking and questioning. The arts on the other hand by their very creative nature move past the lower levels to the higher levels of application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. These are areas of critical thinking that will allow students grow as learners; developing the skills that they will need in the new economy that is developing around the information age of the 21st century.
Below is a link to the Art Vote page of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund with the different Presidential Candidates Arts Policy Brief.
Read and decide.

Science project looking for an art connection

So now all I have to do is figure out an art project that I could connect this with.

Student Web Pages

My students have been working on their web pages for about 3 weeks now. I began by training about 5 students (that is the number of laptops that I have set up in my classroom) on the use of PBWiki. Then these 5 were responsible for training the next 5. This way I could continue with the regular instruction of the class and students were responsible themselves for learning to create their web pages ans for catching up on what I had been teaching in class.
So far most students are accepting the added responsibility.
I have even had reports of students working on and teaching about web page creation during their computer lab time. I am especially pleased about this development because from my observation most time spent in the computer lab is spent playing "educational" games.
I'm hoping that from this other teachers will encourage students to use their time in the computer lab for the creation of more original works.

Art and The Test

From the
a story about standardized testing and the arts. In the article one paragraph caught my eye,
"From the while both the Department of Education and the federal government identify the arts as vital to a good education, the grades -- and the standardized testing approach -- fail to acknowledge the central role subjects beyond reading and math play in a child's education. Arts education may very well be the "incomplete" in these report cards."
In Florida the State Art Education is in the process of developing a standardized test for the visual arts.
Now is this a good use of our time? I'm sure that politically it is a good idea. A test will add legitimacy to the arts in the eyes of the ones that hold the purse strings. But will the students learn because of it? Yes, in the areas that are tested, but with 100 or so questions how large an area of art could that be? (Wow that sounds like what is said about the other test)
Unless the art test is perceived as only a part of assessing what a child has learned in art. In visiting other art teachers and their classes each class is as different as the style of art that each teacher prefers to work in. How can that variety be assessed in a single standardized test?

Student Web Pages

For the past few months I have been reading and studying about using web 2.0 in the classroom. I am now in the process of involving students in the creation of authentic writing about their art on their own web page. They are very excited about the prospect of reaching a very wide audience with their art and writing. I am using a wiki space called PBWiki and it is very easy to use. I have created a site for each class I teach and each student in that class will have their own page to work on.
This week I gave them all a very brief overview if the project. I started by explaining that we would be using a piece if art that we have been working on from the beginning of the school year. I photographed the art and the students wrote about their art. I showed the students how I use paper and pencil to plan out my web pages and that was what they would be doing.
I have always had a difficult time getting students to write about their art in my class but with the prospect of writing to the web most students took off. Many wrote on both the front and back of their papers. Whoa what a hook!
Another feature on PBWiki is the comment section. This allows students and others to make comments about a page and the content of that page. I think that this will also be a powerful tool in getting the kids reading, thinking and writing.
Next week I will be showing the students and interactive net safety presentation. The district is asking that we do this and I think that it is a good idea to explain to the students what to look out for while working on the web.
This should be fun.

Jive Foil Puppets

Presenter: July Davis

This fun workshop involved designing and producing a marionette-like puppet out of heavy foil, various paints and markers, beads and wire. Although the initials impression was that it would be an easy project. This was not in fact true.

The project used heavy foil that we used to cut out parts of our marionette. After the parts were cut out we connected them with wire and beads. After they were together we painted them and some also embossed the foil with designs. The end product was very cool but it is not something that I would do with my kids with out major modifications.

Drawing from the Students Perspective.

Presenters: Gena Brodie-Robbins, Amy Taylor

This was one of my favorite workshops. The pair started the class by explaining in a humors and entertaining way their way of approaching the art of teaching drawing. Gena and Amy added to this explanation research from many books.

The hand on part of the workshop was very interesting and covered four different approaches to teaching drawing.

If Gena and Amy offer this workshop next year I would recommend taking it, I know I will.

a recommended link: Click Here

How to Create Large Public Artworks for Children.

Presented by Paula Allen and Raquel Ache Leonard

This was a very cool workshop that combined individual works of art with a collaborative background. The diversity of media allowed for everyone’s strength to shine.

We started by making a doll using a muslin blank doll with bendable arms. For this we used many different materials, Sharpie markers, acrylic paints, fabric, beads, yarn, wire, and other things from a grab box of found objects.

For the background of the mural we used a 5x15 foot bolt of muslin. For creating the picture large sheets for hand made paper were provided. We tore and cut the shapes to form a scene of the natural environment of Florida.

FAEA State Art Conference

I leave tomorrow morning for the State Art Conference in Orlando. I am going to try bloging, podcasting, and streaming video from the conference. I would like to try and do real time streaming video but that depends on the connectivity at the hotel. Stay tune on this blog for more.

415

That's it 415 students to the Tampa Museum of Art in 4 days. 23 different classes grades 2 through 5. Some of my teachers have already had their students do some writing about their museum experience and they had a great time. The boys favorite piece was the American Detritus by Andrew Junge. Well the girls liked it too. I happened to be passing by when Mrs. Mallons second grade class was at this exhibit and they were all around it on their hands and knees looking under the sculpture. I imagine that kids are the few that have viewed American Detritus from that angle.

Over the hump

OK three down, one to go. We had the smallest group go to the museum today and for the first time all three buses that we ordered showed up, go figure.
Mrs. Halls TMH class came today. They are so much fun. We were in the gallery with the display from the National Sculpture Society and spotted the piece by Richard MacDonald called "Leap of Faith". Bobby began by trying to imitate the pose. Then the other six got into the act, I was very surprised when Ishmael got into the act. He twisted up into a pose I didn't think was humanly possible.

Day two at the museum

Day two of the art museum marathon and 117 more of my students have visited the Tampa Museum of Art. They all seemed to enjoy the trip in spite of the heat. The boys really liked the Styrofoam Humvee. But I think the hit of the trip was at the end. When we went out the get on the buses one bus and both drivers were missing. I figured that they had gone to lunch and would eventually return. The kids all sat along the curb and began pumping their arms up and down at the cars. Then it happened... a car honked. Oh what joy! They all cheered and began pumping their arms at every car that passed. By the time the missing bus and drivers arrived all the kids were focused on getting cars to honk and were hesitant to leave.

Visit to the Tampa Museum of Art

Today began the first day of a 4 day marathon field trip to the Tampa Museum of Art. Today I brought 6 classes of about 110 students and 16 parent/chaperons. Other that it being a little warm during lunch the students and adults had a great time. The docents at the museum told me that all the children were very behaved and interested in the art that they were seeing.
the students took advantage of any shady spot they could find.

Budget Cuts?

And we thought this couldn't happen.

Pipe Cleaners, Googly Eyes Cut From Elementary School Arts Budget

My First Podcast

I did it, I created a podcast in my class today. I was doing Art of the Day with a third grade class and they were have a good discussion about a work of art by the artist Mark Di Suvero. This summer I visited the Denver Art Museum and one of Marks works, Lao-Tzu is outside the museum. I took a picture of the work and showed it to the class. They came up with some really great impressions of the work.
http://bryant.mysdhc.org/teacher/0527bliss/Techinart/
This is a link to my podcast page. It's pretty cool how easy it is to do and the kids love it.

First week of school

The first week of school is over. I've seen all my classes and given the kids the rules and regulations of my class. Basically don't but me I won't bug you. My version of the golden rule.
The students were all very excited to be in school and happy to be in my class. They always light up at the potential of what is to come in my class and I hope not to disappoint them.

No time for art

180 days of school to go. Not that I'm counting but that translates into 36 classes of art each year for an elementary student. 27 hours a year, a little more that a day of art each year or one week of art in their elementary school career. Not much time when you think about it.
Especially now that in Florida art is no longer required in middle school. Oh yes there is a requirement in high school that a student take a minimum of 1 credit Fine Art, but of course this has been watered down to read: 1 credit in practical arts career and technical education or performing fine arts; or .5 credit each in practical arts career and technical education and performing fine arts.
So it could be that my art class is the only art exposure that a child may receive in their entire education. I take this responsibility very seriously and understand the effect on a child's future that I hold.
Now when I say 180 days to go you understand that I see that as not too many but not enough.