Delicious Denial

Posted on 22. Jul, 2009 by in All Posts, Clssrm Mgmt, Organization and Preparation

deliciousI 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:traditional bookmarks-vs-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)

The Art Institute of Chicago Launches Interactive Website

Posted on 27. Jun, 2009 by in All Posts, Art Games, Cool+Creative, In The News, Multimedia, Music+Art, Reviews, Tech Stuff

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We were excited to view The Art Institute of Chicago’s new Modern Wing at the educator open house. The new edition designed by Renzo Piano makes the Art Institute of Chicago the second largest art museum in the United States. The layout and design of the new galleries that now house the museums 20th and 21st century art collections are impressive but, as educators we were truly amazed by the new Ryan Education Center.

The new eduction space boasts five classrooms, three huge studios, the new Crown Family Education Center and the new David and Marilyn Fatt Vitale Family Orientation Room. Not only are these educational spaces truly state of the art but, have one of the most sought after views in the city as they look onto Millennium Park. The image above was taken on my phone in one of the new studios.

Along with the fantastic educational space , The Art Institute previewed new interactive software and resources featuring pieces from their collections.  This July they lunched that material online in an interactive website for kids called the Curious Corner. The site is geared more towards the elementary age child but, also has resources for educators and parents. Visitors can choose form three different categories of interactive games such as Story Time, Match Up and Play with Art. The Match up section is one of our favorites it lets you match texture, shape or sound. Below is a short clip of some of the interactive games children can explore on the site.

(Trouble viewing this video? Try this link.)

Below is a couple of ideas for utilizing the Curious Corner in the classroom.

  • Use the “Story Time” games as an introduction to teaching children about the messages, stories and meaning behind many pieces of art.
  • Use the “Match Up” sound game as an individual activity for analyzing the parts of a work of art. As a student matches each sound to different area of a piece of art they will notice new details and better understand what is happening in the image.
  • Use the Cornell Box section of the “Play with Art” game to have students create a still life that is meaningful to themselves. Print the completed computer still life images and have students use the grid drawing processes to enlarge the image. Choose a media such as colored pencil or chalk for students to add detail to their personal still life drawings.
  • Use the “Match Up” game as an introduction or extension activity for concepts like texture and shape.

Share how you could utilize this site in your classroom in the comments section below?

Blogs That Promote Unconventional Discussion

Posted on 06. May, 2009 by in All Posts, Art Games, Books, Tech Stuff, Technology and Gadgets

SchoolArtsWe were thrilled to see The Teaching Palette as a featured blog in the May/June issue of SchoolArts Magazine!  If you missed the article, “Building Your Personal Learning Network, Part 2,” by Craig Roland, you can read it here.

Like an artist that visits a museum for inspiration, we visit blogs to challenge our teaching and thought process.  Put simply, a blog is like a living website; it continually digests and shares information.  Considering our forum, we thought it might be appropriate to add to the SchoolArts list of blog resources:

There are some amazing art classroom blogs certainly worth exploring out there, so please list yours or any you follow in the comments area below!

Art Education Resource blogs:

Art Inspiring Blogs:

  • Esty – that place where artists sell their stuff has a “Handmade Blog” too.  Great inspiration for art projects.
  • Vi.sualize.us Inspiration in Imagery.
  • Hongkiat Great for digital media and Photoshop users.
  • Museum 2.0 The name says it all.
  • WebUrbanist Great alternative art and architecture.

General Education blogs:  (because we are all in this education thing together)

Blogs are most useful when you are notified that new information has posted; either through RSS feed or via email.  Keep up with new postings on The Teaching Palette by clicking here.

National Arts Education Public Service Awareness

Posted on 30. Sep, 2008 by in All Posts, Cool+Creative, In The News, Neat Video

Back in May 2008, the Advertising Council joined Americans for the Arts and the NAMM Foundation to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to promote the benefits of arts education.  The 30 second commercial was one of the ads.

If you need to quickly impress parents with stats and facts about the benefits of arts education, check out the campaign website.  As it states, kids need a daily serving of the arts just like they need a well-balanced nutritional diet.  Unfortunately, most kids don’t get enough art – in or out of school.  Be sure to visit the site as it also features a number of resources, activities, case studies and a nice list of 10 simple ways parents can get more art in their kids’ lives.

The Arts:

  • Improve kids’ overall academic performance.
  • Show that kids actively engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement.
  • Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more.
  • Teach kids to be more tolerant and open.
  • Allow kids to express themselves creatively and bolster their self-confidence.
  • Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.