Favorite Things from NAEA Convention, Baltimore

Posted on 19. Apr, 2010 by in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Cool+Creative, Educators in Art, In The News, Neat Video, Tech Stuff, Techniques

This year was the first time I traveled outside of my home state to attend a National Art Education Association (NAEA) Conference. If you ever have the opportunity to attend, it is an experience you will never forget.  Listed below are some of the my favorite activities, observations, presentations and tidbits of information I picked up from casual conversations in Baltimore:

  • I had never heard about Merlot (peer reviewed online resource of teaching and learning materials). A quick search on Merlot turned up this awesome Cave of Lascaux interactive explorer.
  • LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the American Visionary Art Museum. Although I was not allowed to photograph inside, I spent about 20 minutes outside admiring the sculptural forms.

Once I finally made it inside, the theme of the museum became very clear by the words and messages incorporated into the art.  Watch this entertaining video featuring the art of Chris Robert-Antieau to get a feel for what the museum is about.

My favorite Visionary Museum message through art: “Some stare though me and refuse to see that we are different branches of the same tree.”
-Athlon Clark

  • Loved Tricia Fuglestad’s information on Interactive Whiteboards – so inspiring!
  • Attended a fantastic session titled “Why Didn’t I Think of That?” presented by Lauren Kolesar-Eatinger and Elizabeth Willett.  My favorite trick was a yarn organizer. Start by cutting out the base of 2-liter pop bottles. Next, turn them upside down and hang from the wall and walla! . . . yarn dispensers.  If you teach elementary art, you must download their full classroom management presentation (PDF 5.5 MB).
  • Delicious bookmarking was mentioned during several sessions I attended (my must-have online tool – read earlier post on Delicious here)
  • Sent a message to Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan about the importance of creativity in education.
  • Jackie Cassidy reminded me of Animoto for Education. Watch Tricia Fuglestad’s Animoto of  NAEA ’10 in Baltimore.
  • Participated in a “5 minute idea” in a creativity presentation. Start by presenting students with paper and two lines (curved and/or straight) drawn in sharpie marker. Allow children 2 minutes to draw anything incorporating the lines in their imagination.  Everyone holds up their paper and shares their title (an important requirement).  Give them one more minute to add something in the foreground and background.
  • Discovered an amazing YouTube video (below) from Sarah Brooks and watched her fantastic use of Prezi on Web 2.0.  I also loved the Macro Photo Project she included as part of her presentation.

    • Took the plane home with the Artsonia guys and learned some top secret plans to make Artsonia even better.  (Pressure’s on guys!)
    • Learned about some great web resources from Jean King.  Special needs: I Can’t Draw Syndrome and ArtPromote.   Character development: Powerful Projects.
    • Inspired by Samantha Melvin’s teaching empathy through art curriculum.
    • Discovered a timeline of Carrie Mae Weems life!
    • Make your presentations Sticky by Craig Roland was a crowd favorite.
    • Saw a great video presentation on Universal Design Learning by Kathy Rulien-Bareis.  Her methods are very useful for creating an adaptive classroom addressing special needs.  Watch her video segments one, two, three, and four.
    • I got a chance to present an art experience that that incorporated science, writing, social/emotional development, and technology into the art curriculum.

    Tons of additional great resources from conference presenters can be found online.
    Did you attend NAEA Conference this year?  What did you discover?

    Expand Your Art Room Budget with Grants

    Posted on 29. May, 2009 by in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Cool+Creative, Organization and Preparation, Tech Stuff

    head_nonprofitAs I was ordering supplies for next school year, while wrapping up the current school year, I noticed how much less I was able to get for the money. So how can we stretch our budgets and find additional resources to teach the curriculum?

    One way to supplement the material needed to teach the curriculum is through grants. Half the battle is locating a grant that applies to your field. The other half is finding the time to complete the application process for the grant. As this school year comes to a close, consider using this summer to explore available grant opportunities.

    For example ClassWish is a new nonprofit that offers an alternative to the traditional grant process. Teachers visit the site to create a wish list of the things they need to equip their classroom. ClassWish helps attract parents, alumni, local business and other potential supporters to see what is needed and to inspire their help. Their contributions are tax-deductible and ClassWish provides a receipt and ships the supplies directly to the teachers at the school.

    Below is a list of other grant opportunities:

    • Adobe Youth Voices The Deadline is tonight! Eligibility requirements are that you must be a public or tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization. School or out-of-school program that serves low-income, disadvantaged middle and high school youth. And it must be located in San Jose/Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Boston, or Ottowa.
    • DonorsChoose A nonprofit web site where teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. Then individual donors can visit the site and choose different proposals to support.
    • Best Buy Teach Awards Grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 is awarded to educators based on teacher applications stating how they would incorporate student use of technology into their classroom.
    • National Endowment for the Arts The Arts Endowment’s focus is on identifying and supporting model programs and projects that provide in-depth knowledge, skills, and understanding of the arts to children and youth in schools and communities.
    • Illinois Arts Council A variety of grants to support artist-in-resident, artist fellowship and quick start micro grant for schools and school districts.
    • Target Through national sponsorships and local grants, Target supports thousands of arts activities, festivals and outdoor concerts.
    • Grant Gopher Helps locate grants and teaches you how to apply for grant money and avoid scams.
    • Fund For Teachers Enriches the personal and professional growth of teachers by recognizing and supporting them as they identify and pursue opportunities around the globe that will have the greatest impact on their practice, the academic lives of their students and on their school communities.
    • Calypso Systems Opportunity for K- 12 schools to apply for classroom presentation technologies such as projectors, amplifiers, speakers, CATV tuners, microphones, button panels, and graphical user interfaces.
    • Missouri Arts Council Funds projects with an artistic component that helps meet the nonprofit organizations strategic goals.
    • DCCAH DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities offers several funding programs for individuals and nonprofit organizations located in the District of Columbia. Individuals are not required to provide matching funds. Organizations are only required to provide matching funds as indicated.
    • Expressing Youth Voices in Pittsburgh Tell us how you would transform Pittsburgh’s public spaces with your artistic vision. We are looking for well-designed, sustainable public art that expresses the voices of youth. Winning ideas can receive up to $25,000 in funding to implement their “Art in Public” Deadline for entry is May 20, 2009. Public voting begins June 9, 2009.
    • We Are Teachers A micro-grant that’s awarded based on number of votes by other educators. Just click on past winners to see how the process works.

    Need help with the application process? Check out Grant writers on Ning for writing support.

    If you know off any local, regional or national grant opportunities for the visual arts, please list it in the comments section below. Let’s help our fellow art educators gain access to the tools they need to teach. Remeber, The Teaching Palette has an international audience so no matter how small the grant opportunity, please share it. You never know who’s reading. Thanks!

    Click here to view an expanded list of grant opportunities in our latest post “Supplementing Your Art Budget”!