Reflection on technology tools #brandyourclass

While taking this course opened up my eyes too numerous technology tools that could be used in my art room. Two tools really stuck out in my mind as beneficial to being supportive in my professional life. Flipgrid and Virtual field trips. Both of these tools are wonderful to use during distance learning. It will help to keep my lessons flowing and also have my students communicating with me and their classmates and exploring around the world from their living rooms. 

Flipgrid: 

"is a website that allows teachers to create "grids" to facilitate video discussions. Each grid is like a message board where teachers can pose questions, called "topics," and their students can post video responses that appear in a tiled grid display."

During distance learning, it is very difficult to be able to see my students and to also hear from them. I would love to assign topics where they can critique artwork, express their feelings about artwork, and comment on each others art. I would assign an art project about an artist where I would have them listen to a book via youtube. Then, they would complete a project using step-by-step instructions and then use flipgrid to show me the completed artwork. Finally, students would use their 1:30 minutes to tell me one thing they learned about the process and how they felt about creating the artwork. Students would also be advised to leave positive feedback on one of their classmates posts so they can interact with each other. 

https://flipgrid.com/dd0267dc

Flipgrid will allow my art students to feel comfortable in their own setting to comment and share with me and their classmates. It will bridge the gap that occurs when we are remote learning and allows my students to feel a part of the art room while not being physically there. 

Virtual Field Trips:

"A virtual field trip is a guided exploration through the world wide web that organizes a collection of pre-screened, thematically based web pages into a structured online learning experience." 

To be able to travel the world from the comfort of your own classroom or home is a tool that benefits any teacher, especially an art teacher. How awesome would it be to visit the tomb of King Tut, Monet's waterlily pond, or the louvre? I remember as an art student in college having the professors changing the slides of pictures of the findings from King Tut's tomb and discussing each one individually. If I then had the ability to visit these sites virtually it could have opened up even more unknowns for me and allowed me to explore them more. At the time, I had no interest in learning about these subjects but now that I can virtually visit these sites and feel like I am there it has opened up such curiosity for me. I can only imagine now being the teacher that opens up this possibility for my own students. When I go to discuss Monet's backyard and how he went out all times of day to paint the waterlily pond I can show them exactly the spot and allow for a 360 degree tour. 

Monet's Garden

I hope this will open up endless doors for my art students. I would love to do a virtual field trip for every unit that I teach to help make more personal connections with the topics and hopefully spark some more interest in the love of art.

Thank you for opening my eyes to new technology that will help support my art lessons and make teaching remotely less stressful. 

Nearpod in the Art room

Nearpod in the Art room

Exploring Nearpod has been such a blast and I absolutely love this application. I am so impressed with the different challenges and activities that you can implement into your lessons or from a multitude of lessons in the library that are completely editable. I created a Frida Kahlo and Chris Uphues Nearpod that focuses on the artists life, art style and even fun facts. I was able to create mini challenges with Time to Climb, matching card game, embedded youtube videos and draw it, which allows the students to draw as an assessment. 

Frida Kahlo Nearpod

Now that we are living in a COVID world, remote learning is more common and may be happening for a while. Nearpod is a great application to help support my art history lessons and also keep it fun as a new way to explore the artist assigned. I recommend creating your own and also exploring the library and seeing where these lessons will best support your curriculum. 

Chris Uphues Nearpod

Mrs. R's Art Room

 Pinterest Passion Board

Barbara R.

Art and Literature Pinterest Board

It is very important for me to share my love of reading and art with most of my lessons. I try to incorporate literature in a majority of my art lesson plans and try to create a art project to help support the literature. I can still think back to my third grade class and remember sitting and listening to my teacher read aloud to us "James and the Giant Peach" and "The Indian in the Cupboard".  I would sit there and imagine the story playing out in my head and imagine the pictures and words coming alive. In my own art room, I make sure to have that same experience for my students and often read aloud picture books that support my art lessons. The Elements of Art are a major part of any art lesson and I had fun creating a Pinterest board that discussed different literature books that help support these elements. 

Line:

• Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman
• The Line by Paula Bossio
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Color:

• Mix it Up by Herve Tullet
• Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
• A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

Shape:

• Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh
• Perfect Square by Michael Hall
• Shape by Shape by Suse Macdonald

Texture:

• Spiky, Slimy, Smooth by Jane Brocket
• Soft and Smooth, Rough and Bumpy by Dana Meachen Rau
• What is Texture? by Stephanie Fitzgerald

A great tool is Youtube where you can usually find a read-aloud of any of these books so there is no need to purchase all of these titles. 

Art and Literature Pinterest Board

Mrs. R's Art Room

Social Media in the Art Room.

Social Media is a big part of my life. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are daily routines that I "check in" with throughout my day. In my professional life I have an Instagram page that showcases what is happening in my art room and opens up communication with my student's families. The only time I would use social media with my elementary students is when I am sharing what they are working on in the art room and what they are exploring in class. 

*Photos are from my instagram teacher page @mrs.rsartclass

Some fears I may have using social media is not having enough technology available for all of my students and also having the students practicing safe netiquette. If I was introducing social media to my students there would have to be an extensive safety lesson that is discussed and delivered before starting any projects. 

If I was able to successfully connect my students to social media safely I would be able to take them around the world without leaving my classroom. We could discover and learn about different artists, art styles and art from around the world. Virtual field trips would be an amazing way to travel safely in a 40 min. art lesson.