My WebQuest Reflection

p://pss5097.wix.com/contempcartography#!gallery-forum/c17mh     : OUR WEBQUEST

 

The group that I was a part of successfully collaborated on the WebQuest, where much of our work was interchangeable and created as a unit rather than individually. We edited and gave feed back to each other as work was being created and added to the website. I searched most of links and a number of photographs used for our website and created the “construction” site as well as wrote out the Conclusion and “Draft” section with one of our teammates.  I also planned out and added the ten day schedule on the teacher page. Yet, as stated before, much of the website was an equal contribution from all team members.  I think this project is a great source for future art educators and broadens the students understanding of what art can be considered. It is also a great source for my teacher resume as well as a potential lesson plan for adding technology into the classroom. This project could also be used as a collaborative project where students also got to have the choice of working together in groups or individually,  and were given time to brainstorm as a class and help facilitate each other’s learning while in the process of building. However, If I had to change something I would have liked the teacher to facilitate the students’ work and make sure that they followed instructions more clearly. I also would not have allowed the teacher to let the students digress from the point of the WebQuest.

When considering the four C’s within the WebQuest, it was a new way for students to gather information about an art form, such as cartography, in which many were unfamiliar with. The students became consumers in which new ideas could be created from the many links provided after visiting art history, instructional, and architecture and mapping websites. With this acquired knowledge the students could comment on already existing work by reworking existing ideas (in this case architecture) and making it their own in the form of a map. The students then would contribute ideas and opinions in a class discussion and critique, and the work was ultimately uploaded onto their school website. Lastly, the teacher could be used as the commentator where as the head facilitator, she could direct the students learning and show the thoughtfulness of artwork, such as their maps, to the community by posting the work around the school and on school websites. By showing the students work to a vast audience, an entire community can see the students knowledge and understanding of art grow.

Art Educators Web 2.0

         After searching for art education 2.0 examples, I found a tech webpage through “Pearltree” (http://arted20.ning.com/), which integrates profiles, personal data, forums, blogging, photo/video uploads and RSS for a community of art educators. The purpose of all of the site’s interacting is for art educators, and those interested in other professional atmospheres, to learn and teach one another new ways of using, communicating with, and integrating technology within what is already being learned in the classroom. There are lots of new project posts and ideas, as well as updates to ongoing projects. This is a great forum and communication system for futures teachers like myself and would definitely consider joining.  The only problem I found with the site is that not all pages can be viewed if you are not a member, and someone that only wishes to view are participate in a project may not have that opportunity if they do not choose to join. Some of the projects were also rather simple, so my advice would be to submit or share more challenging projects, which the site has less of.

 

         My WebQuest Idea is to create a project that integrates technology with traditional art forms and facilitating experimentation and play throughout the process of creating and exploring. If the students were accessible to cameras or computers, I would want them to incorporate  and integrate digital media and found images with classic art materials. A loose Idea for my WebQuest is to let the students go on a virtual scavenger hunt through only museums and well known art websites where they are to either sketch or take screen shots of different patterns and designs that they find and enjoy in art pieces. It could be a pattern found as the background of a famous painting, or even a design found on a sculptural piece. If they liked specific textures in art pieces, these could also be used. The students would use these patterns/designs as the background for their art project. Segmenting a canvas or large sheet of paper into four sections, the students would fill three with a found pattern/design and create their own in the forth quadrant. On top of the backgrounds will be four different perspectives of their favorite shoe. They can draw the shadows of their shoe or even negative space if students wish to create abstract pieces. They are also free to use different mediums to sketch out their shoes, such as graphite, drawing on a computer, paint, sharpie, and so on.

 

The Converging of Two Ideas

    Based off of my interface reaction from my first blog entry, I believe that my teaching goals and philosophy from the second blog about providing technology in the classroom that can be interactive and experimental holds true. In my teaching philosophy I want my students to be able to play with their materials, especially when it comes to technology, and it can be especially exciting and interactive in the classroom. My second blog entry and my video illustrate students playing with light and shadows while being recorded. This is similar to the first blog’s response on how interactive and performance art that uses technology can be a great method of art making in the class room outside of “traditional practices”. It is also more available than those camera/texture brushes and canvases that are costly. My philosophy of playing with technology also relates to the idea of students using their entire bodies to create art and making it creative, an interface idea I was interested in exploring in my first blog. The playing and interactiveness would give the the freedom to create and expand their knowledge of what art is and how it can be significant in the classroom. I am hoping that with the interrelated ideas found in both blogs inspires students to produce art that is memorable and fun.

What A Question

During last week’s Art Education tech class, we were given a question to visually answer before writing down our responses: “What are five things that are really important that you hope your students learn from you as a teacher in this imagined teaching context in 2020?”

After imagining a well balanced studio filled with bright, positive students in a classroom filled to the brim with teaching and learning materials of all sorts my list abstractly was composed of the follow (in no specific order):

5 most important things that I want students to learn in my classroom are

1. That art is significant and important not only in the classroom but in everyone’s life, whether people realize it or not. “Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it” -Robert Motherwell

2. Teaching students a variety of art making methods and techniques, from throwing and building with ceramics, to printmaking, to digital and performance art involving technology. Students should not be limited to only drawing because it may be the most accessible and convenient art making practice. I also find it important for the students to play and experiment with their materials, so limitations can be avoided.

3. I want my students to learn determination, and have a willingness about their work ethic. Having drive is something that they can use through out their lives. I want my students’ to learn what passion for art is, and how far they can take their ideas and work if they use it and run with it.

4.The easy route is usually to give up, but having confidence and believing their ability is another “thing” I would like my students to obtain. I want my students’ passion for art to thrive not their frustration, and learning that failure is not defeat but a way of learning is an important perspective I believe students can go far with. If the are not afraid of failure and confident in themselves, it will make an easier more positive learning atmosphere regarding art.

5. Creativity. Although an over used term, I want my students to understand that it can be taught and learned rather than having it or not having it. With practice, and willingness to learn, their creativity can churn out brilliant art!

Here is a short animation that was recently made in my art education technology course, and it pertains to the second “thing” that I wanted my students to learn. The video regards to teaching and utilizing art methods such as digital and performance art using technology, and in it you will see students PLAYING with lights and shadow and in the process make performance, interactive art.

Introducing “Light and Shadow Art as Play”:

 

Thoughts on Technology and Human Interface Idea

Many of these new art based technologies are actually very interesting however I’m not sure I would use all of them in my future classroom. If I had high school students, I cannot imagine using the I/O Brush and canvas due to it’s large brush and simple 2D illusion of texture. They would not be able to depict details with such a large brush and the texture shown on the canvas would simply be an illusion of real texture, with the flat canvas still being smooth, not textured. My fear with this brush is that they would not need to learn to draw the detail seen through the camera, because it copies everything onto the canvas screen. However, if different sized brushes were made, I would be all for this!

The several interface projections and interactive projectors would be very fun to have in a classroom, especially with youngsters. The cost of owning such a thing seems daunting. Yet it would be great to have because students can use their bodies to create and interact with art work causing activities to be memorable and creative. This idea of using your body and not just your mind relates to Anderson’s article and how we need to start accommodating technology and innovation into our teaching, especially since 2020 is not that far away! This is something that I will have to work on, considering that I am not exactly tech-savvy. However I am motivated to learn about these technologies so I do not fall behind the born digital generations of the future that Anderson and Balsamo described.