Summary of Learning

Summary of Learning by Rebecca Jett

For this summary of learning assignment, I decided to use a concept mapping tool called Mindmeister. I have used concept maps in the past (Bubbl.us) and found it to be a good tool to create a web about a particular subject. I decided to try a different concept mapping tool because I was not a fan of the way the webs look on Bubbl.us. After experimenting with the Mindmeister tool, I found a concept mapping tool that I like. There are several other features that I would have wanted to include in the map that I made, but I had to have a premium membership on the website to use them.

My biggest takeaways from my integrated expressive arts class is that there are several ways to integrate art into lessons that are related to a specific content area. Incorporating art activities into my lessons will help to motivate my students to grow artistically and creatively. Art is an extremely important thing for students to learn during early years of schooling. I want to be able to show my students the importance of thinking creatively through art assignments. The art standards are something that I will be able to include in my content lesson plans in the future. I plan to have an art center where students are able to create art projects during center time to encourage creativity. I plan on being able to provide my students with all the materials they need to create their artwork. Another takeaway that I am able to learn from this class is what a copy of an art lesson plan looks like. I really enjoyed the lesson plan template that was provided for each studio project that we completed. The format of the document was extremely helpful and informational as an example for lessons that I will include in my classroom.

Overall, I really enjoyed this class and feel that I was able to learn a lot from this course. This is the second class that I have taken where I am required to blog each week and I have really grown to enjoy it. I have gotten to know how Blogger works to hope to incorporate it into my future classroom where I will document things that my class is doing throughout the year.

Happy Holidays!!! ❄︎☃

Art Tech Task 5

For this art tool review I chose to create a digital story using PowToon. This application was generally a good tool to use to create presentations for students in the classroom. It is extremely customizable to fit what the user is looking for when creating the video or presentation. I do not think that my early childhood students would be able to use this tool however due to a somewhat difficulty in navigation. There are so many features to adjust and change I think it would be a bit too complicated for young students to use. Perhaps older grades such as 4th or 5th would be a good age to use this website. Overall, I enjoyed using this website and think that I will consider using it again in my classroom in the future.

For the digital story that I created, I discussed a potential lesson that I may include in the classroom one day. For this lesson, the teacher will place famous pieces of art at the front of the room and students will independently chose which artwork is their favorite, least favorite, and a piece that they think their parents would like. This assignment allows students to think about how a piece of art may make people feel differently. Students are also asked to think about other people's opinions as they are asked what they believe their parents would like best. This would be a great introduction to begin explaining to students the different art styles such as pop art.

1. What is the tool that you have chosen? What does it do?
2. What else do you know about the tool?
3. How can you leverage this tool to create integrated art experiences in your classroom?
4. Why would you use the tool in the classroom?
5. Could students use this app to create their own digital media artifacts?
6. What makes it easy to use?
7. What would challenge students?

Art Studio 4 Reflection

For this week's studio, we worked on creating a monotype print through a several stage process. We started the process by thinking about a character that we wanted to create. We thought about what age and gender, when color and type of hair, what color/shape of eyes our character had. I decided to draw a male teenage character with a happy expression and a large smile. Once we had an image in our head of what our character looked like, we were asked to start a sketch to illustrate our character. Next, we took a transparency sheet and laid it on top of the sketch that me made. We then remade the sketch on the transparency sheet by using markers to add color to the illustration. Once this step was complete, we proceeded to a table at the front of the room. At this table, we took a piece of cardstock paper and sprayed it with water from a spray bottle. We also had to take paper towels to dab up any puddles on the paper, it was extremely important for the water to be spread evenly across the paper. Once the cardstock paper is dampened, we then took the transparency paper and put it on top of the cardstock paper face down so the ink is on the same side of the wet paper. Next, we took a tool called a brayer to press the transparency paper onto the cardstock. A brayer is an art tool that is similar to a rolling pin. This then transfers the ink from the transparency onto the wet cardstock paper. Lastly, we peeled the transparency paper away from the cardstock and saw the image we made with markers on the transparency now on the paper. 

This studio was a great activity to use in a third grade classroom. I think the students will find the studio to be fun and exciting. There are several third grade common core standards that are met with this lesson as well. Students will learn how to explain their own ideas and understanding in a discussion. Students will also write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using techniques and details. Students will also be able to make real life connections between words and their use.

One area of difficulty I think students may have if this were actually implemented in the classroom is difficulty following the extensive amounts of steps that are to be put into the project. Perhaps to improve this, the teacher should show write out what each step of the process entails on the board so all students can see. Another way to improve this is have the teacher perform an example at the start of class so each student knows what to expect throughout the class time.

Art Studio 3 Reflection

For our third art studio, we watched a video of a short story called Rosie's Walk. Throughout the video, Rosie, a rooster, goes for a walk through the yard while a fox follows her. Once we finished the video, we were asked to create a collage illustration of a single event from the story. I chose the scene when the rooster walks up and over a haystack and the fox follows her by jumping into the haystack. For this collage, I simply used colored construction paper, scissors, and glue to put my illustration together. I placed the rooster ahead of the fox to show that he is following her. I also made the fox look like he was walking by showing movement with his front leg.

This lesson applied to many different learning standards. The visual art standards that were expressed were shape and space. Shape was exemplified when students had to decide what size to cut each shape out as before they put it on the paper. Space was exemplified when students had to decide where to put something on the paper in relation to something else on the paper. The visual art skills and techniques standard of exploring the tools and processes of visual arts was also addressed in this assignment.

This lesson also addressed a few english language arts standards as well. Students were asked to recount details from a text presented through a read aloud on the video. Students were also asked to describe the structure of a story such as the beginning and end of the story. Students also used information in their illustrations to help demonstrate an understanding of the characters, setting and plot of the story that was read to them.

I think one difficulty that students might come across with this lesson would be that they would want to simply copy almost exactly what they see in the movie or book. Rather than using their creative mind to create their own illustration, they may just make a replica of someone else's illustration. Perhaps one way to avoid this is to listen to the audio portion of a story only. This allows students to create and illustration in their head as they listen to the story before they put it onto paper. It would be interesting to see and compare students' illustrations of the same scene to see how each person imagined the story differently.

Art Tech Task 4

For this week's art tech task, I chose to create a movie using the iMovie application for Mac computers. My movie was about an artist known as Don Drumm. I chose this artist because he is a local artist in Akron. I think that this movie could be used in the classroom to inform students about an artist that is close to home. Also, Don Drumm uses aluminum  as his art medium which is very different from other artwork students are introduced to in school. This allows students to think creatively to create artwork with a variety of art mediums.

I thought this tool was awesome! I was able to create a short movie and it was super easy and user friendly to learn how to maneuver the application. There are two options for what users can create, trailers or movies. I decided to create a small movie for this assignment. I think that this tool could be used in the classroom to introduce a new unit to the class. There could be a summary of what will be taught and learned in the next few weeks as well as what is expected of the class. Technology is often not associated with the arts as much as music or painting. Showing students that you can use your creative mind to create a movie will help explain how technology can be incorporated in the classroom. At some points, I found the application to be somewhat confusing with all of the settings that can be adjusted. This became better with time as I maneuvered through the application to create my movie. Overall, I found iMovie to be an extremely helpful tool and look forward to using it in my classroom.

Art Tech Task 3

For this week's art tech task, I created an audio file of myself reading a portion of a short story. I had a difficult time finding a source to use from the list of tech tasks provided. I experimented shortly with several of the website given and found difficulty using many of them. I decided to try GarageBand out because I have used it in the past. GarageBand is an application on Apple computers that allows users to create music. I'm a big fan of Apple products and enjoy experimenting with the different applications that are available on the computers. I have found GarageBand to be a very confusing tool. I am a nonmusical person and do not know much about different instruments or other musical concepts. Because of this, I decided to do a read-aloud of a book rather than creating my own song. I read aloud a portion of The Popcorn Shop by Alison Low. I included this story as a read aloud in a lesson plan that I created for another class. Audio tools would allow me to be able to turn on the audio recording of myself reading the story so I don't have to actively read it to the class. Once I completed the recording, I shared the audio file on a SoundCloud account that I created and found to be very easy to use. I do not think that GarageBand would be a good tool to incorporate into an early childhood classroom. I don't think that the tool is very user friendly for a group of young students. Perhaps if the teacher is tech-savy enough to understand the application and believes that they would be able to teach the students to use the tool it would be a good resource for the classroom. Overall, I do not see myself using GarageBand in my future classroom unless I receive some type of further education on how to use the tool.

Art Studio 2 Reflection

The Jett Family: Nick, Becca, Chris (Back Row), Dad, Mom (Front Row)

For this week's art studio, we focused on secondary colors. Secondary colors are made when two primary colors (red, yellow, or blue) are mixed together. The assignment we were given was to draw a picture of our families on a piece of large paper using any color of oil pastels. I drew an image of my family standing in front of the fire place at my home. I included my two brothers and I in the back row behind my parents and my parents in front of us. Once I completed my drawing of my family portrait, we were asked to paint over our artwork with a secondary color of our choice. I chose to use the color orange for my portrait. To make this color, I had to combine red and yellow water colors together.

The visual arts learning standards that are incorporated in this lesson address color, space, and skills and techniques. Students learn about secondary colors and are able to make these colors using primary colors. Students are also able to learn about space as well as they draw their family on their paper. They can choose where they want each family member to be placed in relation to the other. Using a variety of tools such as oil pastels, and paint/paintbrushes, students are able to explore different skills and techniques they are able to make lines and textures.

This lesson also allows for incorporation of english language arts standards as well. Students recall information about their family as well as prior knowledge about primary colors to help answer questions. Students also learn to describe people, places, things and events with details and feelings. Children are able to draw and paint their family members while incorporating details and feelings in their work.

In an early childhood education art class, I believe it is important for teachers to show their students an example of the artwork that is to be created. With this particular assignment, I hadn't worked with water color paint in years and I didn't accurately remember how to properly use it for this assignment. First grade may be a student's first experience with this particular paint style and perhaps the teacher should show the example of the best possible way to mix the two colors together. Portraying an example for students to gain a better understanding of how to complete the task at hand would help them accurately accomplish the assignment.