Technology in the Classroom

There are SO many ways to use technology in art education. “As technology expands and improves, younger children are becoming more tech savvy”  It is important to use technology for many reasons, one reason is: “As technology becomes easier to use and early childhood software proliferates, young children’s use of technology becomes more widespread. Therefore, early childhood educators have a responsibility to critically examine the impact of technology on children and be prepared to use technology to benefit children.”  Knowledge and literacy in technology is becoming a crucial aspect to master in our society.  Children should be exposed to it in as many positive ways as possible. Another reason to have technology in the classroom is because teaching could be more effective when using it.  Teachers could use a Powerpoint to post pictures of artwork, to give mini lessons and backgrounds on famous artists, to explain procedures so that everyone can see… Another reason technology is important to incorporate in the classroom is because "Students gain a sense of empowerment from learning to control the computer and to use it in ways they associate with the real world." Technology is valued within our culture. It is something that costs money and that bestows the power to add value. By giving students technology tools, we are implicitly giving weight to their school activities. Students are very sensitive to this message that they, and their work, are important.”  Using technology and sophisticated means to teach children, sends the message that school is important.  Some ways technology could be incorporated in the Art classroom could be with:

·         Blogs to post the children’s artwork and get the parents involved and interacting with you

·         Google Sketch-up

·         Powerpoints to present the projects (children can create powerpoints too!)

·         Youtube videos on artisis

·         Internet to research things about their art project

·         Email to remind parents about art events

*http://www.ehow.com/list_6071749_ways-use-technology-elementary-classroom.html

*http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

*cct.edc.org

Arts and Crafts!!

I know that traditionally crafts were more about creating a functioning thing like pottery, woodwork, rugs, and baskets.  Now crafts are typically made not for functionality, but for the process of crafting.  I think with crafts, the outcome is less important than the process of creating. Some things I would consider a craft would be scrapbooking, quilting, and crocheting.  Art, on the other hand, is less about the process of making the art and more about the final piece and the emotion that is conveyed through it. Some things I would consider art would be a painting, or a sculpture.  However, I think arts and crafts are beginning to be intermingled.  Other mediums outside of clay and paints are beginning to emerge. Objects and things are being incorporated into artwork, and sometimes, the process of making the art brings the emotion that the final piece also has, therefore making the process art.  I think both arts and crafts are important in elementary art curriculum.  Children need to have the enjoyment that comes with crafts, and the fulfillment of creating wonderful things that comes with art.  Perhaps arts and crafts often overlap so much so that it is hard to determine the difference between the two.  Nonetheless, both have an important place in the classroom.

*tanglecrafts.wordpress.com/.../the-difference-between-art-and-craft/

Motivation

I am motivated by many things.  I am motivated by seeing myself do well and growing and expanding my pool of knowledge. I am motivated by grades and getting good scores and impressing other people.  I am motivated by fun and promise of good times ahead if I succeed.  I am motivated by negative things hovering over my head and threatening me.  I am motivated by goals and ambitions that I have for myself.  I am motivated by many, many things. Some things that motivate me might not be the best reasons for me to be motivated (fear, stress, fulfilling other people’s desires…) and some things are great reasons (goals, ambitions, expanding myself…).  I believe a lot of the things that motivate me, will motivate my future students.  When I am the creator of the motivation, however, I want there to be positive reasons why the children want to do well.  I will motivate them in as many positive ways as I can because I know that different people are motivated by different things.  I will have “fun” things to look forward to, I will have a grading system, I will have them create self goals, I will let them know when they are doing exceptionally well (perhaps even give their parents a call when they are doing very well),  I will spotlight exceptional things, etc…  I think children can all be motivated to their best, they just need the right kind of motivation. 

Artist Statements

Artist statements are little commentaries that accompany a work of art.  I think the best way to teach children how to write an artist statement would be to give them a worksheet with questions that they need to answer about their art.  For older children, the artist statement could be longer, for younger children, I would probably have them answer only a few questions about their art.

• Why do you create art and what does it mean to you?
• How does the creation of art make you feel? What emotions do you wish to convey about your art?
•  What do you call the piece and why? What materials did you use?
• What inspires you? How are your inspirations expressed in your work?
• What message are you trying to convey to the viewer?
• How is your work a reflection of you?
• What are your techniques and style?

I would instruct the children to answer the questions so that they all form a paragraph rather than a Q/A format.  Example:  I create art because I like to tell stories through pictures.  Being able to do that makes me feel like I am giving to others.  Creating art makes me happy.  This picture is supposed to convey a feeling of excitement. I call it “first rollercoaster ride” because it is a picture of a girl who is on a rollercoaster for the first time in her life.  I made it with crayons and construction paper….

I would definitely give the children an example, maybe for younger grades I would even write the artist statement and have them fill in key words.   I create art because_____________. Making art makes me feel _______ because__________. This piece is a picture about____________.... 

Artist statements will incorporate writing and have the children express themselves verbally as well as through the art.  They will have to explain their thought process and emotions which is an excellent skill for individuals to develop!

*http://www.ebsqart.com/Education/Articles/Business-and-Marketing/14/How-to-Artist-Statement/75/

Integrate Art

I think in many cases children are very hands on.  When they have the opportunity to incorporate arts with their other curriculum, children are able to absorb more.  Learning and retention will take place because they will be able to experience what they are learning first hand and have meaningful learning take place. 

Another reason arts are important to incorporate into other studies is because children typically associate art class with “fun.”  Children need to feel like every subject is exciting and enjoyable, EVEN MATH!!!  Having children do “art projects” that are enforcing their learning in other subjects will help them develop a strong foundation that learning is exciting and fun and enjoyable.  That foundation should help them as they move on to future classes and keep them motivated- and even entertained by learning.  They will come to associate learning (in all subjects) with fun, and what is a better motivator than fun?   

It is very important however, to not use the excuse that because art is being incorporated into other curriculum that it does not need its own time to be focused on in the classroom.  Art needs to be taught in a sequential, thorough way and incorporating art in other areas might not cover the important aspects that need to be covered.   Both integration and simply having an art class-time is necessary. 

Tools of Assessment

Formative-

·         Work together as a class going slowly and discussing each aspect of the process as it is happening to make sure the children understand and to help when needed.  You could have a class discussion on the important things you want to have emphasized in the artwork

·         Have the children pair up, or get into groups and have them give feedback and input on other people’s work based on the guidelines for the project.  Having them help each other should help them know what they need to improve on their own piece. 

·         As a teacher it is important to go around the room or have children come to you in a more personal setting and ask questions and give suggestions as well as telling the children what awesome things they are doing.  Have the children tell you about their art and what they like about it.

Summative-

·         Art shows

·         Class discussions

·         Critiquing

·         Rubrics

·         Journals

The most difficult thing to assess would be if a child were to produce a beautiful work of art; but the art created did not meet the requirements of the assignment.  In that case I would have to give the child a lower grade for not following the directions.  I would definitely praise the child for their creativity, I would explain why they would not be receiving full credit, and then I would give that child the opportunity to redo the assignment in a way that would give them the credit they deserved.  Part of school is learning how to follow directions.  When directions are not followed, learning (at least the desired learning) is not taking place.  Perhaps to make it clear for the children, and to keep everything fair and consistent, I would create a rubric for the children before they begin the artwork.

*Emphesis Art

*http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspx

*http://www.educ.state.ak.us/tls/frameworks/arts/6assess1.htm#sample

Classroom Critique

"The purpose of art criticism in schools is to develop students’ appreciation and understanding of how visual culture reflects the larger culture. Calling for reflection on the students’ part, and bringing together the students knowledge base, disposition, and seeking strategies, art criticism is a tool for the pursuit of meaning and value in art." (Emphasis Art)  For younger grades I feel like the critique needs to consist of all-positive reinforcement for the children.  I think it is important to simply conduct the critique in a way that the children are simply stating the things they like about the piece.  I would ask questions like, “What is your favorite part of this artwork?,” “What colors do you think s/he used best in this artwork? Why?”… I would direct the questions to incorporate the goal and successes of the artwork. If the artwork was a lesson on shapes, I would ask about shapes, etc.  Shirley Ende-Saxe is an elementary teacher who wrote some of her views on art criticism throughout the grade levels and had some good ideas!  To get the children talking, she asked a question about a piece of art a child drew, had the child come up, and pick who would respond to the questions asked about their piece. That worked for her classroom because the children had more to say when their peer was picking who would respond to the raised hands. For older grades, I would probably allow the individual being critiqued to say what they would have changed if they could about their piece and allow the other children to say what could have helped them do that specific thing differently.  It will be important to maintain a positive vibe throughout the room, yet I feel like children at this age would be capable of that. I would direct the questions to include more analysis prompting questions like “where do you think the focal point is?” or “what aspect of this piece was most advantageous in creating the desired outcome?”  Older children are probably able to go a little deeper and try to interpret other children’s artwork ; “Through art criticism activities in the classroom, students interpret and judge individual works of art. Interpretation is the most critical task of art criticism, but we recommend no prescribed order to follow.” (North Texas Institute for Educators)  Getting a feel for what the children in the classroom are capable of in a critique is important, as is asking questions that promote positive reinforcement and understanding of the techniques used. However, making critique fun and exciting will be the best way to get the children involved and learning.

*http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+elementary+critique%3A+talking+about+children%27s+art-a09048848                                                                                                                                            *Emphasis Art 

*http://www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/pages/teaching/tea_comp_artcriticism.html

Why teach art?

            There is an article in the New York Times by Robin Pogrebin I really appreciated concerning this question.  It is well understood that fine arts in the education curriculum greatly improve performance in other subjects.  As was reported in Pogrebin’s article,  James S. Catterall, a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that students who had more involvement in the arts in school and after school scored better on standardized tests.  The article, however, suggested that this argument is not good enough;“any superintendent is going to say, ‘If the only reason I’m having art is to improve math, let’s just have more math.’” (Pogrebin)  Researchers from an arts-education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education decided it was, therefore, important to find other justifiable reasons to support the cause of keeping art in the curriculum. “The researchers found that ‘Students who study the arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgments and justify such judgments,’” (Pogrebin) " In a curriculum crowded with academic subjects and factual learning, art is a welcome means of learning about oneself and the world. " (Emphasis Art) These kinds of skills will be crucial for children to have acquired by adulthood. They need these skills to succeed in life, and if art can help develop those skills, taking art out of the curriculum would be doing the children a great disservice. A web page from the University of Michigan suggested another aspect of the importance of having fine arts in the classroom that I hadn’t thought of.  “As a child progresses through school it is increasingly difficult for parents to be involved in helping with homework and schoolwork in general. This is because in many instances, parents lack or forget the knowledge that is required to assist their children in subjects such as math and science. Art provides a means for parents to be involved because they tend not to feel as intimidated by a lack of educational background in the subject. Art projects can be an excellent means for parent to encourage and become active in their child’s academic life.”  Parents need to feel like they are part of their child’s education so that they can consequently enforce the idea that education is important.  When parents never get involved with their child’s schooling, it makes the child feel like education is not important them and they don’t push themselves to succeed. Art in the classroom provides so many opportunities for development, and opens doors between parents and children concerning education.  I understand the value of art, and will supplement it in my classroom as much as I can. 

*The New York Times, Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Art in Schools, Aug. 4, 2007, Robin Pogrebin

*University of Michigan http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.burba/why_have_art_education_                        

*Emphasis Art