Your Art World by Sotheby’s

Posted on 16. Jan, 2012 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Neat Video

I was blown away by Sotheby’s Your Art World movie series! The viewer gets an unprecedented look into the world of creating and collecting fine art from the traditional to the modern. I certainly learned a lot about the selling and buying process of fine art. This series is broken into four short movies: The Artist, The Collector, The Rostrum and The House. The short films make it ideal for showing students how the fine art world is a thriving business. Yes, there are lots of careers in art from the gaming industry to advertising to design, but the fine arts are alive and not just for museums.

Below is The Artist preview, but you can view all four full length short films at Sotheby’s website by clicking here.

(Trouble viewing this video? Click here.)

Escape from Thorne Mansion Interactive

Posted on 07. Dec, 2011 by in All Posts, Multimedia, Music+Art, Tech Stuff

As a child I was lucky to live close enough to the Art Institute of Chicago to visit the Thorne Miniature Rooms.  I imagined how different my life would be living during the historical time periods depicted in the extraordinarily detailed 3-dimensional interior designs.  A new interactive game from The Art Institute of Chicago, Escape from Thorne Mansion, allows me to take a virtual leap back into those rooms.

The interactive adventure begins in a 16th century French parlor with a cryptic note explaining details to escape the mansion. Clicking on different areas of the image reveal verbal clues at the bottom of the screen and open doorways to gain entry into the next room.  Your students will enjoy the challenge escaping the labyrinth of rooms using the clues found along the way.

Escape from Thorne Mansion could be easily integrated with a study of linear perspective, composition, or design.  Alternatively, create a literature connection at school or at home incorporating the book, The Sixty-eight Rooms reviewed in an earlier post.

Connecting with Music
 Other than the light strum of a harp in the French Anteroom, the Escape from Thorne Mansion interactive missed an opportunity to couple era music with the room design. So, I’ve decided to pick up where the Art Institute of Chicago has left off and pair a few Thorne Room images with sounds from the time (click the widget to the right of the image to listen).

California Hallway, c. 1940

French Boudoir of the Louis XV Period, 1740-60

Japanese Traditional Interior, 1937

The Thorne Miniature Rooms create an amazing opportunity to connect history, literature, and music with art and design.  How else do the Thorne Miniature Rooms connect to your curriculum?

Vote Art Education in the Edublog Shortlist

Posted on 06. Dec, 2011 by in All Posts, In The News

The Edublog Awards nomination shortlist has been posted and were thrilled that The Teaching Palette is in running for the 2011 Best Group Blog category.

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!

Edublog Nominations

Posted on 02. Dec, 2011 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative

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:

DOODLE- Engage Multiple Learning Modalities

Posted on 22. Nov, 2011 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Neat Video

Great video from TEDTalks featuring Sunni Brown discussing the power of the Doodle to engage multiple learning modes. How can we promote learning in our classroom through the power of the Doodle?

Sunni is well known for her book GameStorming: A Playbook for Rule-breakers, Innovators and Changemakers she also spearheads The Doodle Revolution. To learn more about her visit sunnibrown.com.

Trouble viewing this video? Try this link.

The 10 Best Web Tools for Art Teachers

Posted on 21. Nov, 2011 by in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Organization and Preparation, Tech Stuff

The web is full of amazing resources to enhance student learning, get organized, and connect with other educators. Instead of trying to figure out the best online tools yourself, I’ve boiled it down to my top ten favorites for art education.

1. QR Codes.  These black and white pixelated squares can be found on TV, in magazines, and now in classrooms.  Using a mobile device with a camera such as a smart phone, iTouch, iPad or free software downloaded on a computer, a QR code can be quickly created to link directly to text, images, or web addresses.  Try it yourself by scanning QR code below:

Don’t have a QR reader? Type getscanlife.com into your Internet browser on your mobile device to download a free QR reader.  Now imagine using this in your classroom by linking to online resources, creating a scavenger hunt, providing the answers to quiz questions, or extending art room learning by sending students home with QR code resources. Read my article on QR codes for additional resources and ideas on how to use them in your classroom.

2. Create a Photo Peach Quiz.  Photo Peach is a super easy way to create an interactive quiz game using images.  Learn how to create your own quiz here.

3. Animoto.  Want to look like a master movie-maker? Simply upload images or video clips, select music, and click to create an amazing movie.  Just by registering for an educator account you get access to full-length movies without paying a dime.  (If you’re looking for a good alternative, Flixtime has some very similar features with a good selection of music).

4. Blabberize. What isn’t funny about an artificial talking mouth?  Start with any portrait, define the mouth area, and talk.  The mouth will follow your voice. Use Blabberize to present information about an artist, convey classroom rules, or give studio instruction.  While this may not change your teaching world, incorporating Blabberize into your lessons can certainly enhance instruction and get the students to take notice.  Check out this brief example: (Can’t see this video? Click here).

Tip: Use a screen-cast tool such as Jing or Screencast-o-matic to record your Blabberize and save on your computer.

5. Twitter. If you want to take charge of your own learning, Twitter is the way to do it.  Every resource I reference in this post I have learned because of Twitter.  It is all about following the right people.  See my list of art educators on twitter to get you started and develop your own PLN (Personal Learning Network).

6. Wallwisher.  Want to have a class critique and involve all your students?  Wallwisher lets you quickly set up a virtual “wall” so that anyone with the URL address can add a comment and interact.  One of my favorite features is the ability to moderate comments, ensuring all posts are appropriate.  Learn more about Wallwisher in this article and see how to embed a image in a wallwisher wall here.

7. Delicious is an online bookmarking tool I have been using for several years and blogged about it here.  Since your bookmarks are accessible online, you can access them from any computer.  Using multiple “tags” makes finding your bookmarks easy.  Thankfully you can import your existing bookmarks into Delicious, so you won’t lose your previously bookmarked sites.  (A similar, just as awesome, bookmarking alternative to try is Diigo)

8. Pinterest might just be the ultimate bookmarking tool for art teachers.  Instead of bookmarking using text, images are used instead.  The best way to describe Pinterest is with this video walkthrough:


Read more about Pinterest in my Tech4Arted column and join the collaboration starting with the iPhone/iPad Apps for Art teachers board.

9. Livebinder  I first wrote about Livebinder as a way to organize digitally here. Livebinder is an electronic binder used to collect web resources or your own files in one organized spot.  Here are a few examples of binders I have created for students and for my own professional reference.

10. Google Maps. I am a huge fan of Google Maps to help students connect art to our world. My favorite trick is to embed images into the placemarks on the map.  Watch video on how to embed an image into Google Maps.  Here is my example on using Google Maps to teach about Georgia O’Keeffe:


View Georgia O’Keeffe Life Tour in a larger map

Do you have a web 2.0 tool you can’t live without? Share it be leaving a comment below.  Also, check out additional resources in my Web 2.0 Tools Livebinder:

Wikipaintings: A Fantastic New Artist Resource

Posted on 20. Nov, 2011 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative

Google Image search is a quick and easy way to find an art image you need for a class discussion or powerpoint presentation.  However, a fantastic new painting encyclopedia, Wikipaintings may change the way you search for images.

Still in its early stages of development, the non-profit Wikipaintings already contains over 60,000 painting images.  Browse paintings by art movement, technique, genre, artist nationality, or keyword.  My favorite feature is the timeline scrollbar that places each painting created by the artist in chronological order.

I still love Google Art Project for the amazing depth and detail, but Wikipaintings is much better for understanding and visualizing the growth of an artist through his or her lifetime.  I look forward to seeing how Wikipaintings grows once it is open to contributors; maybe it will even expand beyond 2-D work into sculpture and installation art.

Lesson Plan Show Case 2011

Posted on 23. Sep, 2011 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative

Need a fresh lesson idea?  Check out the lessons submitted by some fantastic teachers for our “Show Us Your Favorite Lesson” collaborative.  Click here to view lessons. The winners of our drawing are …..(chosen by Raffle King)

$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.

 

Technology Tips

Posted on 09. Sep, 2011 by in All Posts, Clean-up and Transition, Cool+Creative, Organization and Preparation, Tech Stuff, Technology and Gadgets

For the last three weeks, I’ve been addicted to Pinterest, the virtual pinboard and ultimate idea generator for art teachers. I use it to gather inspiration and cool ideas from other art educators around the world wide web, such as how to more effectively utilize technology in the classroom.  Below, I’ve “pinned” all my favorite tech tidbits for you to browse. Many of the tech tips are things I’m already implementing in my art room, including the Mac keyboard shortcuts poster that I created for my elementary students (inspired by the PC version I found on Pinterest).  Below you will find several versions of keyboard shortcuts and wire organizing ideas.


 
Share your tech tips for making technology in the classroom a little easier
to organize in the comments section below.


DIY Clay Tools

Posted on 08. Sep, 2011 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, Techniques, Tools and Miscellaneous

Tight budgets and larger class sizes don’t mean clay has to be eliminated from the curriculum. Help ease your budget by repurposing items already in your classroom. Old tools will get a second lease on life and precious budget dollars can be spent on other needed supplies. Create a few of the DIY clay tools located below to expand your ceramic curriculum and give every student in your class the tools for success.

Click on any of the images to enlarge.

 

Below are clay project ideas collected in Pinterest. Just click on the image to take a closer look.

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