Technology Integration Plan

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            I chose a lesson educating students on designing site-specific sculptures.  The students will gain an understanding of the factors that go into designing site-specific sculptures through creation of their own sketch and proposal.  I will begin the lesson with the NJ Core Curricular Standard 1.1.5.D.1 for Visual Arts.  It focuses on the elements of art and how using them to enhance function and purpose will have an effect on the individuals who will see it.  Firstly, I will display an image of Mark di Suvero’s sculpture Lao Tzu on the whiteboard.  This will be followed by a Q&A session to get the students thinking about such issues as why the sculpture may be outside, what it might be, and how it may have been made.  These are general warm up questions.  I will then hand out a visual organizer that I will display on my whiteboard.  I will ask the students to tell me elements of art that we have previously learned.  Once completed, they will fill in their visual organizers.  Once I check for comprehension I can prompt them for any of the elements they may have missed.  I will be utilizing NETS II communication and collaboration.  This supports individual learning and also supports the learning of others in the class.

            Next, I chose the NJ CCS from Visual Arts 1.4.5.A.2.  It deals with making decisions and judgments based on composition and different viewpoints. I would show the students Youtube video on Mark and Lao Tzu on the whiteboard.  I would ask the students to make sure to take note of background information about the artist, his techniques and personal beliefs.  But primarily focusing on his exact methods for designing sculptures for specific spaces.  Allowing students access to video and audio, and not just written text is helpful for students who are English language learners as well as students who’s first language is English.  In addition this is beneficial in giving the students a better understanding of the sculptures surroundings, a view of all angles as well as view its true scale in relationship to people.  I would then follow up by prompting the students with compositional questions about the piece and how these compositional decisions affect the sculpture and the surrounding landscape. I would then have the students break up into small groups and come up with a list of Marks methods for creating site-specific sculptures that they can use in creating their own sculptures.   This utilizing NETS IIII critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making.

            I then went on to the NJ CCS 1.3.5.D.3 from Visual Arts.  It deals with identifying common and distinctive characteristics of genres of visual artworks using technology and experiment with compositional approaches.  The students would continue to work in small groups, they will continue to use their visual organize.  Their goal would be to come up with ideas of where they could design a sculpture on school grounds. They will also discuss what function or purpose the sculpture could serve and create a list of important characteristics that they’re sculpture will and will not have.  Some of these will be based on the ideas from the Lao Tzu.  However, students are encouraged to come up with their own characteristics as well. After the group work students will do Internet research on their tablets to make sure that they have conceivable additions on their lists.  I am utilizing NETS IIII use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions. 

            Next, I will show the students how to take pictures.  Followed by instructions on how to write a detailed description, as if you are explaining the location to a blind man. Then, I will take my students to the agreed upon location to sketch out their ideas.   They will use tablet software to complete the work on the sketches.  Once there they will work in groups of 2 to take pictures and write descriptions.  It will assist them in the comprehension of how a sculpture is viewed, from different angles and points of view.   It will give them a reference for when they are back in the classroom. As well as help students to see art elements they would have normally missed.  They will use these as self-assessments to check their sketch for agreed upon characteristics and elements. We will be using NJ CCS for Visual Arts 1.4.5.B.3 to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a piece of art.  I am utilizing NETS II, communication and collaboration.

            I will then use NJCCS 1.3.5.D.1 for Visual Arts.  It entails working individually and collaboratively to create 2D and 3D dimensional works.  Students will complete their sketches and attach a written letter of proposal.  In their letter the student must explain how their design is suited to the specific location based on its elements, characteristics and the surroundings.  All sketches with attached letters will be uploaded to an eportfolio database that can be viewed on the whiteboard.  Students will give brief presentations of their work.   They will also be viewed by peers, the principal, as well as the student’s parents.   The NETS used is creativity and innovation.  
Link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar5ACq1X9PTsdGpocUhadUdoQmRnU3BTaVRpX1F6S0E#gid=0

Tips on Using Technology in the Classroom.

I was in my Art History class when my professor decided she wanted to show us a clip on You Tube.  She slowly navigated to the Internet and searched for her topic.  She unsuccessfully tried to raise the volume and make the video full screen.  This prompted correction by students who presumably all knew how to navigate You Tube very well.  She stated, “ I want to take a class on learning how to embed You Tube clips in my presentation”.   When I came across a list of tips for technology in the classroom I thought of my professor.

            Firstly, you need to embrace new technology resources.  So many teachers gets stuck in their way of teaching that they don’t take time to acknowledge and embrace new types of technology.  Why remain stagnant if there is a way to get students more engaged and create a deeper learning experience.  We should all aspire to work smarter.  Use the resources that are available to you.

            Create a social network of teachers that help each other with technical and content area specific content.  You could create a teacher specific Twitter.    Also, creating a resource that shows how to integrate technology is critical.  There are many teachers out there who man educational blogs.   Create a list of those you enjoy and follow these sites.  They can be supportive when you need to ask for help.

            Use technologies that will help students garner a personal connection.  Students will become engaged in their own learning if they are able to show parents and other students their accomplishments.  This can be achievable with the creation of Wikis, Podcast and Teacher Tube.

            Start small and slowly integrate technology into your classes.  If you go slowly you will be less apt to take on more than you can handle and make mistakes.   This way when you do encounter mistakes you will know how to deal with them.     And lastly, allow your students to help.  They may already have real world knowledge to share with you and can help with peer assisting others in the class.

Are You Flipped?

            Have you ever heard of the flipped classroom model?  The main idea is to flip the way that students get instruction, not it will be at home. The teacher creates videos and lessons and uploads them to blackboard.  The students will then watch the videos or access the lessons before they come to class. When the students come to class you can work on the expanding concepts and solving any problems that they encountered.  When students miss class for any reason they can still stay on track with other students.   In an average classroom more outgoing students engage with the teacher.   While students who are not doing so well may not pay attention or act out.  With this method the teacher has more time to devote to all students.  As students who are usually more engaged can work at a more advanced independent level and students who usually struggle have the opportunity to work out these issues with the help of the teacher.  Instead of going home and not finishing their homework, they are being assisted in the classroom atmosphere. 

            My professor in my READ 411 class uses this method.  Instead of requiring a course text all of our course reading material is uploaded to a Moodle site by content area.  We are assigned required readings and additional video content on a weekly basis.  We could simply read the information and watch the video and leave it at that.  However, knowing that he requires us to come to class with questions and commentary about the reading keeps us engaged.  It is a motivator in reading carefully, paying close attention, highlighting important terms and taking notes.  This shows me that the teachers approach is just as important as the classroom model.

            It also has benefits for the teacher.  Watching your own videos will force you to pay attention to the details of instruction, the visual representations and the developing assessment practices that are aligned.  You have to not only teach students how to do something but also make sure to show them the conceptual ideas.

Interactivity # 5

I interviewed an educator who teaches graphic design, introduction to engineering design and art to 9 through 12 graders in the Paterson school system.  The school he teaches in a small academy of 100 students that is based on engineering.  His current supervisor reinforces technology use.  They have a digital lab, smart boards and a library.  He was not sure if he had seen NETS/T standards before although he stated he had previously seen technology standards.  They were similar to the technology standards that he currently uses.  He indicated NJ Core Curriculum Standards are what is mandatory for him at the moment.  He had not come across the term NETS/T before and wanted to know if those were the standards for NJ.  Also, he was not sure if other teachers in his school were utilizing technology standards.

            The teacher had not come across any documentation of a push from the state towards using technology standards.  Technology standards are used depending on the administration, the theme of the school, or the inclination of the teachers.  It is not enforced unless you are a technology teacher.  

            As a graphic design artist he is more inclined than an art teacher with a traditional concentration to use technology, he has a natural affinity towards it.  He feels that because students are living in a world filled with technology it is important for them to know how to properly utilize it.  According to him every student is not going to be a painter but every student will use technology.

            In order to make implement the NETS/T standards a school district needs to be well funded.  They need money to purchase technology, hire staff to take care of the technology, and for professional development so that the teachers can implement technology into lessons.  He states that sometimes teachers get training but then there is no technology for them to implement.  There are not a lot of professional development opportunities within his school district and technology is not pushed by administration.

            I was not surprised by the answers I received because I interviewing a teacher from an urban environment.  I previously visited a school in Paterson that was supposed to be a technology academy but they barely had any technology for the students to utilize.  My school visits has opened my eyes to the lack of funding in many urban schools, it dictates everything.  I do not have any false expectations of the circumstances I will face as a teacher.  If NETS/T were not implemented in my school I would discuss implementing it with my administrator.  It could be applied gradually so that all teachers can easily become comfortable with the new standards.  We could begin with the younger students and build their proficiency and constantly provide assessments to gauge progress.  If it is a matter of funding for technology, this class has taught me that there are many free options available for students.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar5ACq1X9PTsdGRDdElKdHpSY3NXSlo4cEc2RGRicXc#gid=1

Media Literacy

                                                            What is media literacy?

 One of the lessons learned in Read 411 this semester is media literacy and how it relates to role media plays in our every day lives.  We discussed a project in which art teachers instructed students on dissecting newspaper articles in an effort to see how media messages are used to persuade its audience.  It opened the eyes of the students to see that commercial advertising is used to get its audience to buy things, public relations organizations promote a positive or negative image of a organization or government and advocacy groups try to persuade us to see things from a particular view point.  This would be an excellent project to adapt for the internet, television, Facebook and other technologies that students use on a daily basis.  Below is a great YouTube video I found that expounds on the issue of Media Literacy as it pertains to the news.  

Online Education for K-12

This is an online course.  I know others who take a few courses online, and I know individuals who attend online universities.  However, do you know that online courses are a growing trend for students in K-12?  Did you know that sometime in the near future it would be mandatory for primary and secondary education?  I didn’t, after all what have we been learning all semester?  We have learned that technology should supplant ones education, not take over the job of educator. 

            In the school year of 2007 to 2008 more than one million students took such courses.  So far it has primarily been used for make up courses, to offer additional courses that the school may not have the money for and also for advance placement courses.  However, should online courses be mandatory?  Budgetary restraints make this an attractive option for schools with deficits in their budgets but who is behind this push.  Is online education being pushed because educators believe it will be an asset to students, or is it being pushed by online content authors who see this moment as they’re opportunity to create a new source of income?  This is reminiscent of the influx of technology initially introduced into schools.  The same questions could have been asked back then as well.

            As college students we have had a lifetime of conventional learning to help us navigate through online courses.  However, primary school students do not have this advantage.  As a teacher we are supposed to offer students multiple ways to learn content.  As different students learn in different ways.  I admit by utilizing the computer a student will have the benefit of the pictorial, auditory, and also the written word.  But what happens when they have questions that can only be explained in person by a human being.  I myself have learned many things online and still needed a real person to help me completely grasp something. 

            Read 411 has provided me with a lot of strategies to ensure that students know how to acquire new knowledge.  Will a computer program be able to do that for our students?  How will plagiarism be prevented?  Will the makeup classes be so easy as to help a school boost their testing data?  These are all things we have to ask our selves and our educational institutions and not till we have sufficient answers should online classes be mandatory.

Technology and Teacher Development

I overheard my art history professor saying she wanted to learn how to use Youtube and other supporters as teaching apparatuses.  It got me thinking about how most of the art history professors that I have had used slides to teach.  I have only had one who used other methods.  She utilized virtual museums, Youtube, and other art specific websites that provided art documentaries whenever applicable.  So, even though we viewed slides about the Dogon Couple we were also able to watch a video depicting the process of art making, and the shift in Dogon culture from the past to the present.   This professor appeared to be in her early thirties and was the youngest professor I have ever had. 

            This caused me to question how the university handles professional development.  Does sharing best practices in the arts include best practices in technology as well? Does a teacher simply begin teaching in the way they were taught and continue that way through out their career?  How similar or different will professional development be within the school system that I will one day teach in and how can I supplement that?

            All of the classrooms I have been in that were not in the art building are wired for technological purposes.  They have overhead projectors that are equipped for watching VHS and CD’s.  It is understood that professors will most likely be using these things to supplement our learning.  In the art building only the two classrooms that are used for art history are wired like the above.  My studio classes have been devoid of technology that was not immediately associated with the type of art being taught.

             I have been a witness to the inconvenience this has caused studio professors who sometimes wanted to do a presentation, show a video clip or simply look up something really quickly.  This is the opposite as above, where the teachers wanted to use technology but felt they did not have adequate access.  As I plan to teach in an urban environment one day, I wonder which reality I will face.    How can you make due while still assisting students to the best of your ability?