MAC_Week4_Blog1_Readings_Ch.9-12

Kindergarten Student
Symmetry Lesson


When I reflect on this week’s readings, as well as all the previous readings from this book, I must say that this book really hit home. I cannot explain how much this book has made me look at myself and the current state-of-affairs of my life and work. The way things are is excellent advice for me right now. I simply cannot state anything beyond that.

Wk4 Publishing/Leadership Project_ThinkOutLoud_Part2

As I stated in Part 1, I would like to publish my work to an art education entity. I would truly wish to publish it at the ArtEd2.0 website, because this site is dedicated to art teachers who are at the cutting edge of the field. There is also a group formed entirely of people interested in putting the new technologies into the hands of students so they can learn how to create digitally. However, this site has no setting for papers to be published.
Therefore, I would like to submit my paper to one of the two journals of the National Arts Education Association; to ACM SIGGRAPH Publications; or even to one of the ISTE journals. However, I would prefer to submit to the art journals, since the population is more specific (in terms of getting directly to the art teachers)

Wk4 Publishing/Leadership Project_ThinkOutLoud_Part1

Third Grade Student
Bryce 6.1 Image



I would like to publish my paper to an art education based publication. I believe that visual art needs to come into the 21st century and start embracing the new media forms. The kids are already immersed in a technology-rich environment and art teachers need to begin addressing the need for today’s student’s to start learning how to become creators of these media and not merely it’s consumers. The technology is here and readily accessible to start teaching it! However, colleges and university’s are continually churning out art education majors by the boat-load, who do not have training in teaching new media forms; and current art teachers (for the most part) do not have that knowledge either. Therefore, I would like to publish this paper in an art education setting.

Wk4Publishing/Leadership Project_Part 2 of 2: Painting With Pixels_Toward an Online Elementary Digital Arts Curriculum

Attribution Some rights reserved by notsogoodphotography

Although articles have been published recounting individual lessons or units of study within the digital arts field, few were created for the elementary level. There has been a great outpouring of articles, which have stated the need for the visual arts instructor to embrace and incorporate digital media into the visual arts program. However, to create such a curricula to be taught within an online venue appeared to be entirely unique. This researcher proposed to design and teach such a curriculum within a learning management system (LMS) to fully embrace the use of new media and to fully utilize technology forms familiar to students. The instructional goal was to teach basic 3D modeling skills by utilizing and tracking student progress through the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE). This research was relevant because it illustrated that elementary age children could be taught sophisticated software through an online environment. There is a need for the children of today to learn digital arts. Currently there is a void.

https://files.me.com/macdiva524/lqigpd

WK4_Publishing_Leadership_Project

Painting With Pixels

Fourth Grade Student
Bryce 7 PLE Image



https://files.me.com/macdiva524/lqigpd

MAC_Week3_Blog2_Response_Scot_Byrd

Attribution Some rights reserved by jontintinjordan

Scot Byrd

http://scotbyrd.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-3-art-of-possibility.html

"As I read this specific chapter it made me realize that this is the reason why so many teachers resist change. This chapter fit perfectly with the discussion board that we had this week as we talked about education and it's resistance to change. As I discussed earlier teachers don't want to look dumb, they don't want to feel bested or inadequate, and no one really does. If teachers could only remember Rule Number 6 I think that change would come much more naturally to the profession. Change would happen as we are up to just try something new, to give the students a different perspective, maybe something out of our comfort zone. Rule Number 6 would allow us as teachers to embrace change and roll with it, it would allow us to make a mistake in class and say "ah well" or to not have the answer to a technological question or hiccup in a lesson and say "we'll figure it out, no big deal". These responses are what make a classroom function as a place of real learning, and not just a room to instruct. Rule Number 6 would allow us to attempt something that we might not have had the guts to before and warn the students that you're not sure if this is going to work but hey we'll give it a try. Not only does this attitude by you allow you to be more free in your teaching but it also sets an example for the kids that it is ok to try and fail as long as you are willing to learn from your mistakes and not let it stop you from trying something else.
Rule Number 6 is a great lesson to teach ourselves so that we can better teach our students."

@Scot
Rule Number 6 is what allows us to be human and also humane. We are not perfect. People are not perfect. Striving for improvement is always a good thing, but to strive for perfection and then expect perfection is impossible. Remembering Rule Number 6 means that no we do not take ourselves too seriously and neither should we take others too seriously as well.

It is enlivening and freeing to know, hey its OK to try something new. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't. Kids need to learn this, you are correct! They need to learn that it is OK to make mistakes; its how we know we are learning. If we didn't make mistakes, then we didn't need to learn whatever it was.

I think it is a great way to look at life, and to teach our students!
Teachers are not superheros (although I know of a few that think they are)! We are in this together:teacher and student! Teachers make mistakes, but you're right; its an opportunity to learn something new! Sometimes the lesson is that 'you know that teacher so and so messed up the chemistry experiment, but it was OK because we learned that sometimes unexpected things can happen. That's life!

MAC_Week3_Blog1_Readings_Ch.5-9

Ben
Third Grade
"Painting With Pixels"
Online Digital Arts Student
2011


As of late, things have been very complicated. Saying goodbye to an inspirational leader. Greeting a new one who is an unknown commodity. Starting a new course from scratch. Trying to do a research study with a partially operative lab. Teaching and going to grad school at night. Trying to pay bills that just tend to pile up. Just trying to manage life had become extremely difficult. Facing wall after wall! That’s just the way it was. Too much! Something had to give, be let go. I decided to take a break from work and grad school. I slowed down. Lowered my expectations. Tried to start again.

That was this past December and January. Started back to work and back to school at Full Sail. By the end of February, I still had to give up something. Work or school. That the ways things were!

I chose to give up work. Full Sail gives me a new starting point and a future of new promise and hope. As I write this, I had to lower the expectations for myself, like the Zander’s wrote. This book could not have come at a better time in my life!

Things are not as intense now. I have given priority to my health and to grad school. Although this is a lowering of expectations of sorts, since I’m not currently working; it is in fact a new beginning. I am reinventing myself. My research project which hit roadblock after roadblock, brought to me the possibility of doing it online (a hitherto inconceivable venture)!

Since I’ve done the project online, it has so far opened a few doors, which were unknown to me six months ago. Kids at my school (before I left) were always running up to me and asking for the “Bryce site” (my ARP used the software Bryce 3D, which is a 3D modeling program) Students which I did not even currently have in my class were excited to get to use Bryce online. The fact that Bryce is free was the main factor in their excitement, then to learn it online! Well…you can imagine!

Now that grad school is winding down, I do find myself at that starting point! When I talk to people about the AR project, that I taught elementary kids an adult-level program, online, people (adult-people) have been very excited and encouraging! That light at the end of the tunnel might just be the glow of a few computer screens!