May is here (yay!) and we have an amazing giveaway for you . . . a free online class from The Art of Education!  Here are some of the class details:

The winner (chosen at random among lesson plans submitted during May) gets to choose the Summer AOE Class of their choice for FREE- Up to a $300 dollar value! (graduate credit is an additional cost).

The classes are taught by art teacher Jessica Balsley who set out to make professional development actually relevant and meaningful to art teachers. Although Jessica resides in Iowa, you won’t need a road trip to participate, all of the professional development classes are online and on your own time.  Jessica tells us that people have actually taken her classes while traveling across country, in a desert, and while sitting in a hospital room!  You can also add on graduate credit to help move along salary schedules or elective credits for a masters program or teaching certificate renewal.

We’re looking forward to some more great ideas from our readers this month.  Submission guidelines to be entered for a chance to win a free AOE class are listed below:

The deadline for submitting your lesson(s):

1. May Giveaway – 5/31/12
2. June Giveaway – 6/30/12
3. Or submit them all at once to be automatically entered into both remaining drawings.

Lesson plan should include:

• NAME
• Lesson Title
• Grade Level(s)
• Image of Student Artwork (Separate from lesson plan &  jpeg format)
• Website Links **optional**
• Tips for Success (i.e., classroom management, step-by-step, additional images, etc.) **optional**

Some exciting news from the box is the Prang Power program that helps teachers earn free supplies! The Prang Power program allows schools to earn points by turning in the UPC Codes from any Dixon Ticonderoga product. The points can then be used to “purchase” valuable everyday school supplies that teachers need for the classroom.

Congratulations to all the amazing art education blogs that made it to the Edublog finals!  Let’s show our support and put art education at the top!  It only takes 2 seconds to vote so be sure to do so in each category, EVERYDAY! Based on the extremely close vote tallies from last year . . . every vote counts!

• Best group blog – The Teaching Palette
• Best ed tech / resource sharing blog 2011 - The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet
• Best teacher blog 2011 - Brunswick Acres Art Blog
• Best educational use of a wiki 2011- Fugleflicks
• Best use of audio/visual/podcast – Dryden Art
• Best class blog – Art of Apex High School
• Best new blog – Dryden Art by Tricia Fuglestad
• Best educational use of a social network 2011 - Art Education 2.0
• Best twitter hashtag 2011 - #artsed
• Best free web tool – Artsonia

We love pointing out some of the more unique blogs to honor for the Edublog awards. Our one regret is that only a few blogs can be nominated when there are so many great educational blogs out there sharing ideas, resources and inspiration. So, without further ado here are our 2011 nominations:

• Best individual blog =  The Carrot Revolution
• Best new blog = Adventures in Middleschooling
• Best ed tech / resource sharing blog = Art + Tech + Education
• Most influential blog post = Art Teachers Hate Glitter “Dear Crayola” (Can a blog post really get Crayola to change a marker design?)
• Best twitter hashtag = #artsed  (just a little biased)
• Best teacher blog = Art of Apex High School
• Best free web tool = Pinterest
• Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast = Dryden Art
• Best educational wiki = Fugleflicks
• Best educational use of a social network = ArtEd 2.0

$10.00 Dick Blick Gift Cards

• Ellen Reynolds
• Angie Golden
• Tricia Fuglestad
• Lisa Ricciardelli

$100.00 DonnorsChoose.org Gift Card from Intel

• Janine Campbell

It is not too late to send in your lesson.  If you got a new idea from one of the lessons listed below, please consider sharing one of yours by emailing TPlessonplan@gmail.com and we will add it to our Lesson Plan page.

More Ways You Can Help

Additionally, Intel will make a $25,000 donation to DonorsChoose.org when 200,000 people view Wheezy Waiter’s humorous new video at Amazon by September 14. It’s that easy!

So remember to…

• view Wheezy’s Waiter’s new video before September 14.
• share this link with everybody you know before September 14.

So go…click and win a donation to help students across America! For the inside scoop on Intel’s campaign with Amazon click here.

Do you have a favorite art lesson that you would like to share?  Join The Teaching Palette’s annual reader collaborative extravaganza!

Don’t over think it. Keep it short, keep it simple… just share! Maybe it’s a lesson you just can’t live without or a new twist to an old idea.  All lesson submissions will be published on The Teaching Palette as a resource for you.  So spread the word – the more participants, the better!

The deadline for submitting your lesson(s) is September 15. Email all lesson plans to TPlessonplan@gmail.com. Just for submitting a lesson plan you will be entered into a drawing to win one of four $10.00 Dick Blick gift cards we will be giving away! *Update* Additionally, Intel has offered a $100 DonorsChoose.org gift card that we will be giving to one lucky teacher who submitted a favorite lesson plan!

Lesson submissions will appear on The Teaching Palette and look something like this:

Lesson plan should include:

• NAME
• Lesson Title
• Grade Level(s)
• Image of Student Artwork (Separate from lesson plan)
• Website Links **optional**
• Tips for Success (i.e., classroom management, step-by-step, additional images, etc.) **optional**

Check out our other “Show Us Your…” collaborative projects:

Art Room Showcase 2009

Art Room Showcase 2010: Space Organizing

Create a detail detective game. Use the amazing detail found using the zoom feature and take few quick screen-shots. Have your students match your detail to the correct location on the artwork. Learn more in this earlier post.

Integrate into other online media. The first of the three “Bedroom” paintings created by Vincent VanGogh is featured in Google Art Project.  See an example on how these Bedroom paintings are used in a Livebinder format.

Create an art scavenger hunt. Present a series of clues about a work of art featured by Google Art Project. Here’s an example (see if you can figure it out): Start at the Google Art Project home page. Clue 1. Painting is located in Spain. Clue 2. Created in a Cubist art style. Clue 3. Contains a musical instrument. Clue 4. Uses a neutral color scheme. Clue 5. Signed artwork in the lower left corner  (Click here for the answer.)

Explore Perspective. The zoom feature enables you to reach deep into a picture and see items otherwise missed. Does the artwork follow the rules of perspective? A few examples include Young Knight in a Landscape and Mary Enthroned with the Child.

Discuss copyright and fair use.  Older students can tackle copyright and fair use issues in our digital culture. Here are some resources to get you started: Columbia University, BlackBook, Curator the Museum Journal, The Official Google Blog.

Use Google Maps to Explore Google Art. See a thumbnail view the exact location of each museum in Google Maps while exploring the artwork room by room.

Compare and Contrast. Easily toggle between works or art using the collections feature. Compare by genre, media, or artist.

Integrate writing. Ask students to reflect on how viewing artwork in the context of a museum or with increased detail impacts their opinions about a work of art. Students can write out ideas and share with the class or use a Google Form for idea collection.  See an earlier post on how to create your own Google Form.

Create a Picture Book. Get inspired by Istvan Banyai’s picture book Zoom. Create your own picture book by printing detail images in a series that zooms out from an unexpected perspective. You can click here to see an example of an art collection zooming out. You can also create a group problem solving  and communication activity by giving each student one picture. Then have students try to organize images from most zoomed in to most zoomed out by using only words to describe their picture. Click here for activity details and an example using the Zoom books.

How do you plan to use Google Art Project with your students? Share your ideas in the comments area below.

Update 4/3/12 See the Art Lesson Plan from art teacher, Holly Bess Kincaid who was featured NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

Let’s add to the list! What art blogs are must-reads for you?

Since publishing our 30 Best iPhone Apps for Art Teachers last year (August 2009), we have discovered many new apps that are worthy of being added to our best list. Covering a wide range of interests and uses, below are the Teaching Palette’s 10 Best iPhone, iPad and iPod Apps for Art Teachers 2010 – the latest and greatest apps for art teachers and their students. Consider this an amendment to last year’s list.

Apps for Student and Teacher Use

Animalia Based on the beautiful illustrations from the classic book by the same name, this app brings “eye spy” to a whole new level.  Explore various artwork by hunting for hidden items.

Accudraw Update your traditional grid drawing system with technology.  Photograph an object or use one from your library and overlay with a grid to create precision drawings.

Faces iMake Appropriate for younger students, this app uses a creative mix of collage materials inspired by author and artist Hanoch Pivin. Upgrade to the premium version for additional features. See our full review of Faces iMake here.

KidsOrigami Beautiful images illustrate simple origami folding techniques for kids.  Just click on a paper crane, frog, etc. and follow the step by step instructions. Great for the analytical thinkers in your classroom. Recommended for late elementary and up.

Sketchn’ Guess Lite Available only on the iPad this app capitalizes on the larger screen size for game play. Players divide into two teams and try to gain the most points by guessing their team’s themes the fastest.  Features include a timer, score sheet, “Sketchn’ Guess” cards and several colored pencil choices for sketching in an easy to navigate format that allows for self directed play. Recommended for late elementary students and up.

fotobabble Great for an art critique or personal reflection, this simple app allows you to record and attach audio to a photo. Saved content can be posted publicly or privately accessible on the fotobabble website.

Art & Music If you enjoy integrating music into your curriculum, this is the app for you.  This app matches up music and art from corresponding time periods, ranging from Russian to the Classical West. (not iPad compatible)

Apps for Art History

MoMA AB EX NY Experience 200 Abstract Expressionist paintings all housed by the MOMA. Beautiful images of art that can be enlarged and displayed with additional information. The iPad app includes a selection of videos featuring comments by the curators, artist painting techniques  and art terms in action. My favorite video is The Painting Techniques of Jackson Pollack: One: November 31, 1950. There is also an interactive map and Art Terms glossary.

SmartHistory The closest you can get to Italy from home, this app gives an amazing virtual art history tour through Rome using various multimedia including video and google map locations.

French Impressionism Showcasing artwork from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, this app is perfect for Impressionism lovers. View detailed video descriptions, gallery views, and biographies including Monet, Seurat, Ceznne, along with many others.

Honorable Mention

ArtPuzzle HD (iPad) / ArtPuzzle Lite ArtPuzzle HD is set in an art gallery that you virtually walk through and unscramble over 70 famous art masterpieces. The iPad app features classical music, four levels of difficulty, information about each painting and the ability to save the image to your photo gallery. ArtPuzzle Lite is compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and offers many of the same features but, also has a quiz feature.

Art Start Created by an art teacher from Seattle, this idea generator can spark creativity in your students. Simply pressing the start button produces ideas for media, prompt, and color.

Learn about many other great apps reviewed for education though IEAR.