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.