Create Your Own Detail Detective
February 22, 2010 by Theresa McGee · Leave a Comment
Engaging students of all levels though a detail search of an image is a great way to introduce a unit or fill a few minutes of extra time at the end of class. A few of my favorite online sources include:
What is it?
Carpet Hunt
Albright-Knox Art Games
Getty Detail Detective
Can You Find the Detail?
However, you may want to customize your detail search to a lesson you are teaching. In this case, you could easily design your own in a few short minutes. The video below illustrates how to create a detail detective game using iPhoto (although our demo uses iPhoto, adaptations can be made using other photo programs):
Can’t view video above? Click here.
Here are the steps:
1. Photograph a print or pull a large image from the Internet to a photo manipulation program.
2. Duplicate the image several times.
3. Crop duplicate images in different areas
4. Project electronically on a screen or print image details for a low tech version.
Filed under: Techniques
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“Shhh” Noise Control
January 29, 2010 by Theresa McGee · 1 Comment
I love the buzz and energy of an art room filled with students actively involved in the creative process. Because of this, I allow my students to talk during art production, as long as they remain on-task and the noise level doesn’t become disruptive. However, some of my classes have a harder time with this freedom than others. Enter . . . “Noise Control“. This iPhone app has been very effective during times when I need students to keep noise down and raise concentration. While I can’t promise this will forever solve noise issues, a little extra help never hurts. Watch the video below to see how it works:
Can’t see video above? Click here.
Here’s a few tips to get started:
Filed under: Classroom Management, Off-task Behavior, Positive Reinforcement, Tech Stuff
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Quiz Games using PhotoPeach
December 13, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 2 Comments
One of my favorite ways to reinforce understanding of art concepts is through quiz games. In an earlier post I shared how to create your own art quizzes using MyStudiyo. Since then, I found another great visual quiz maker called PhotoPeach. This free online tool allows you to upload photos to create a slide show with captions and music. The quiz feature is enabled once your photos have been uploaded. I created the quiz below as a large group activity to help my students determine the differences between Realistic, Abstract Representational, and Abstract Non-objective art styles.
If you have trouble viewing the art quiz above, click here.
Want to try creating your own quiz? Start by registering for a free account with PhotoPeach. Next, upload your pictures and arrange them in your preferred order. You will then be prompted to give your slide show a title and choose a musical accompaniment. You can turn your slide show into a quiz by clicking the edit button and then selecting “edit caption and photos”. Choose a quiz question for any or all of your photos. The image below illustrates your options.
Filed under: Tech Stuff
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Artsonia: More Than Just An Online Art Gallery
November 4, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 1 Comment
If you’re an art educator, chances are that you have heard of or even have been using Artsonia as a place to “digitally hang” student artwork. When I started using Artsonia six years ago, I knew it would be good for my students; what I didn’t know at the time was how it would become an amazing art advocacy tool.
Artsonia has become better than any student art show I could host; it reaches more family and friends, regardless of geographic distance or busy schedule, communicates art concepts in project descriptions, reinforces student technology use, and generates funds for your program. It does all that . . . without all the staples and tape.
The benefits breakdown:
Ok, sounds good but. . .
. . . well here are some of the nuts and bolts to help you get you started.
Can’t see video above? Click here.
Permission slips. Depending on your school policy, you may be required to get permission slips for participating artists. Make your own or download and customize one of these templates: Casual or Formal (Microsoft Word format). Be sure to include a space for parent email addresses on your permission slip. Increasing participation from family and friends is the key to success in Artsonia. It is worth the extra time to enter emails – parents get an email each time artwork is published or comments are posted, continually keeping them in touch with the learning going on in your classroom.
Volunteers. I started using volunteers to help me last year (I don’t know why I waited so long). I keep a bin to hold artwork ready to photograph along with a binder holding class lists, and a camera (with extra batteries). When artwork is ready, I send out an email to my volunteer list. The first volunteer to “Reply All” agrees to photograph and digitally crop the artwork. The only step left is uploading – something I still prefer to do myself, but certainly doable for a volunteer. In the fall I do a training session and provide this Photography Tip Sheet and Guidelines for volunteers to reference.
Start slow and set a goal. My first year participating in Artsonia I promised to put up one piece of art for each student. I ended up adding more, but I felt like I didn’t raise any expectations too high for the students or myself.
Do you use Artsonia? Please add your school page and any tips in the comments area below.
Filed under: Positive Reinforcement, Tech Stuff
Tagged: Advocacy, Artsonia, artwork, digital, Funding for the Arts, gallery, online, Web 2.0 Email This Post
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LiveBinders to Manage Digital Clutter
October 10, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 1 Comment
I try to organize all the paperwork that lands on my desk, but somehow sculptural forms (OK . . . I’ll just admit it, piles of paper) take over. I’m not sure I am going to change the way my desk looks anytime soon, but I have found a great tool to get my electronic resources in order.
LiveBinders is a free service that helps you gather and organize your web links, documents, and videos into one tidy place. A LiveBinder is particularly useful when you want your students to access specific web-links for research or you’re teaching about a particular media, technique or artist and need to gather all your resources together. I created the following two LiveBinder links to use as extensions for early finishers and at home engagement:
The video below explains how easy it is to create your own LiveBinder :
(can’t view video? click here)
Create your own LiveBinder and share it with us in the comments area below!
Filed under: Organization and Preparation, Tech Stuff
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Georgia O’Keeffe in Google Earth
September 22, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 1 Comment
After watching the Lifetime movie about Georgia O’Keeffe over the weekend, I was inspired to share with you two of my favorite O’Keeffe teaching tools.
I am a big fan of Google Earth and look for every opportunity to incorporate it into my teaching. So, I created a Georgia O’Keeffe Google Earth file to help illustrate how the locations where she lived impacted her work. I also try and discuss the major changes in transportation technology that occurred during Georgia’s 98 year life (ultimately impacting her mobility between New York and New Mexico).
Interact with the O’Keeffe Google Earth file below and download here to save for use in your classroom studies.
The second resource I use is a song by Greg Percy called “Georgia”. To listen, click the audio MP3 button below.
Georgia
The first verse makes a direct connection to the geography that Georgia covered during her lifetime:
Do you use Google Earth, art songs, or other resources to teach art history?
Filed under: Music + Art Integration, Tech Stuff
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Present your Classroom Rules
September 4, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 2 Comments
The first week of school typically involves going over classroom rules and procedures. However, making these rules “stick” is a year-long challenge. The SlideShare PowerPoint below, created by an art teacher from Michigan, outlines her art classroom expectations and management solutions. This presentation could be useful to play periodically throughout the school year, during quiet work times, or even as students enter the room and get settled. Download for your classroom or use as inspiration for your own expectation presentation appropriate for your students’ grade levels. Click the green play button at the bottom of the screen to watch the presentation and hear the audio track.
Filed under: Classroom Management, Clean-up and Transition, Organization and Preparation
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Delicious Denial
July 22, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 2 Comments
I was once in Delicious denial; I had heard of Delicious as a social bookmarking site but really didn’t see the need to use it. Sure, sharing bookmarks with everyone else is a nice concept, but I already had spent hours organizing my own bookmarks in Safari and was just fine with my own little system. What I wasn’t willing to admit at the time was that my little system of organized bookmark folders was not very effective.
The chart below describes my reasons for finally making the switch to Delicious:
So what about your organized websites neatly tucked into a bookmark folder? When uploading to Delicious, the folders and sub-folders that you created on your computer will turn into tags – no need to redo anything! See how easy it is to use Delicious in the Tutorial below:
Can’t view video above? Click here.
So here’s where the “social” part of Delicious comes in: If you think a website is useful to others who also read The Teaching Palette, add the tag “teachingpalette” (one word). See the hundreds of art education resources we’ve already tagged here.
Useful Tips:
- When using compound words such as “art history” do not leave spaces in between each word as they will separate into two different tags. Instead write “arthistory” or “art_history”. (I learned this one the hard way)
- Use “tag options” to change or rename a tag.
- Bulk edit is useful for adding additional tags to large groups of bookmarks or making selected tags on bookmarks private.
- Keep in mind that although your bookmarked website will show up instantly in your Delicious account, sometimes it takes longer for the tags to register.
- Use Delicious as your search engine – type in a tag on the Delicious homepage to see what websites others have bookmarked.
- It never hurts to create a backup of your Delicious bookmarks from time to time. (Backup directions can be accessed when logged in)
Filed under: Classroom Management, Organization and Preparation
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The Importance of Art in Education
June 17, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 1 Comment
Yesterday the National Assessment of Educational Progress released the 2008 Arts Report Card. This survey and assessment compared 8th grade students in 2008 with those in 1997. Click here to view a sample question in the study then test yourself.
Here are a few of the findings in Visual Arts:
- “Students eligible for National School Lunch Program have lower average responding score in visual arts than those who were not eligible. There is a 29-point score gap between the groups.”
- “Eighth-graders in private schools have higher average creating task score in visual arts than students in public schools.”
Additional insight into the study can be found in a New York Times article.
Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, perhaps summed it up best:
“This Arts Report Card should challenge all of us to make K-12 arts programs more available to America’s children and youth. Such programs not only engage students’ creativity and academic commitment today, but they uniquely equip them for future success and fulfillment. We can and should do better for America’s students.”
This study reminded me of my unofficial job as an advocate for the arts. The TeacherTube video below makes a great case for supporting the arts in every community.
Arts advocacy articles you may find useful:
Age of the Right Brain
Visual Interaction with Art Boosts Academic Achievement
Why Arts Education is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best
Arts Appear to Play a Role in Brain Development
Three Rs Are Essential, but Don’t Forget the A – the Arts
Technology Makes Art Education a Bigger Draw
Update 6/17/09: NAEA, Maximizing The Nation’s Arts Report Card - Great review of 2008 Arts Report Card with key findings and links to news press articles.
Filed under: In The News, Neat Video
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Student Self Assessment with Google Forms
May 17, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 1 Comment
Self assessment and critique are great ways for students to reflect on their own work, comment on the creative process, or contribute to class discussion. Traditionally, I have had my students write a self assessment with various prompts on a separate piece of paper. I recently discovered the power of Google Forms for electronic collection of student responses.
Advantages of Google Forms vs. traditional pencil-paper responses:
- You’re going “green” by eliminating paper use (impress your administrator/principal)
- Integrates technology and builds 21st century skills (your students think you’re cool)
- Collects all data with student names and responses in one place (easy for you)
Example of teacher data collection (click for larger view)
Here are the basic steps to create a self assessment or critique:
- Create a Google account if you don’t have one already.
- Go to Google Documents and click New, Form.
- Choose your theme and title.
- First question should ask for student name (assuming you want to know who responds).
- Continue with questions as you might in a traditional format.
- Click Done and Save.
- Email link to yourself and use link for student access. Or, if you use a website, you can get the embed link.
Watch video below for a quick tutorial.
Can’t view video above? Try edublogstv.
The reality is that your students may not always have access to a computer in your classroom. In this situation you might consider using Google Forms following a computer graphics experience during access to the Internet or provide students link to access from home. Even if you try Google Forms only once in a school year, it helps manage some paperwork and collects valuable data about your students that you can use year after year.
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