As we get closer to the National Art Education Association Conference this weekend, the anticipation is building for all of the learning and fun to take place. In addition to attending some much anticipated sessions and meet-ups throughout the conference, I am really excited to share ideas and practices that take place in my classroom. Luckily for me, I get to do quite a bit of it at this year's conference. I think I decided to get involved in so many because I am not sure I will be going to New Orleans in 2015. I am looking forward to attending other teachers' sessions and hope you are looking forward to participating in at least one of mine.

Here's the plan for #naea14:

I arrive in San Diego right before this and signed up to be a part of this - hopefully my plane does not have other plans for me… 

Artsonia "Speed Networking" session on Friday, March 28th from 5-7pm in Room Aqua 310 / Level 3 of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel

 I have two solo sessions this day.

12-12:50: Convention Center/Meeting Room 16B/Mezzanine Level
Flip, Blend, and Remix:
Learn how to integrate technology (like online assessment tools and portfolio builders) without losing the hands-on application of manipulating materials in the Art Classroom. Discover applicable and manageable methods to infuse technology in current curriculum as well as a road map for the future.

1:30 - 1:55 PM Convention Center/Meeting Room 12/Mezzanine Level
Dancing on Chairs (and Other Strange Strategies to Spark Student Engagement Starting on Day One)
Dancing on chairs to learn vocabulary and students evaluating teachers are just a few strategies for fostering a caring, creative environment—allowing students to be silly and have a say in their learning. Includes lesson plans, examples, and resources to spark student engagement! 

Sunday is all about connecting and collaborating! I am excited for the Sunday morning meet up and for everyone to show up in their #artsed San Diego gear! I will be ready with the magnifying glasses! I am also excited to start out the presentations with my good friend, Tricia Fuglestad and end the weekend with a great group! 

11-11:50: Convention Center/Meeting Room 33B/Upper Level
Look Who's Teaching! Students Direct Learning Through Video Production With Fugleflicks and Campbellartsoup
Video production turns students into teachers with an authentic audience. Be ready to integrate technology, turn teaching over to students, and rethink this emerging practice to empower your students. Best Practice Lecture

4:30-5:30: Convention Center Ballroom 20CD Upper Level
Come and see teachers share what they are passionate about in Art Education! I am going to share how I use clay and paint on the first day of school (I know, crazy, right). This will be a fun session with a lot of information in a short amount of time. I am excited! 

So, if you like Dawson's Creek, dancing, fast talking, and lots of arm gestures, you will not be disappointed in my presentation style. If you are interested in building an award-winning program whose students consistently place at competitions and connect with artists on a global scale, then you should probably take a peek in and see how I do so while leveraging the power of technology. 

In one week, Art teachers from across the country will flock to San Diego for the National Art Education Association 2014 conference. Here are 4 reasons I am super excited:

4. Escape from the Polar Vortex: Even though we are into our first weekend of Spring in Michigan, it still seems like winter. Flurries, barely above freezing temps, and cloudy skies have plagued me (the snow bank by my house is still as tall as me). Getting the opportunity to be in warmer weather is just the type of boost anyone from the Mid West will need to help fuel them through this conference and through the rest of the school year. 

3. Access to Resources: The conference offers teachers access to the vendors of favorite products. It is awesome to see live demos, participate in make-and-takes, and hoard the samples as you make your way through the booths. 

2. Learning New Things: One of my favorite things about attending any conference is taking back the new and interesting methods of instruction back to my classroom to benefit my students. Last year, one of my biggest take-aways was this printmaking process shown below. Being able to learn from teachers that are from across the country is something I value greatly! It helps me become a better teacher and bring back the best instructional resources and strategies to my students. 

1. Connecting with Others: I am most excited about seeing my friends from across the nation who I connect with regularly through Facebook and Twitter. I am particularly excited about our Sunday morning meet up (7 a.m. at the Hilton), where everyone is going to be sporting their #artsed San Diego gear! I feel really fortunate to have so many teachers to turn to for ideas, advice, and to share stories and resources throughout the year. It is an added benefit to be able to see them face to face at conferences like #naea14! 

This was the third time I have had the privilege to attend the annual MACUL conference. The first time was in 2010. That conference ignited the idea that I could do more with technology when I was willing to rethink how I wanted my classroom to function and how I wanted my students to think about their role in learning. I am walking away with the same feeling I did those years ago - an empowerment that I can make a difference in the lives of others, fostering positive change through the connections I make as a result of technology use both in and out of the classroom.

 In addition to hearing inspiring and thoughtful keynotes and sessions from Adam Bellow, George Couros, and Dean Shareski, I was invited to participate in some fun with the staged photo above resulting in the following tweets: 

I appreciated my time with them as they definitely practice what they preach. They find the fun in anything and take moments to say kind words and give their time to others they impact. Not a bad way to start a conference or spend your lunch. The Seinfeld references didn't hurt, either (the soup counts). 

This was my second time presenting at MACUL, and I got to do it three times! Each session offered a slightly different aspect of how I use technology in my classroom to blend learning, engage students, connect with others, and provide opportunities for my students to think beyond our classroom as they share their work with others. I was incredibly flattered by the positive energy and response from each presentation (especially to the dancing). 

It was awesome to finally meet so many people I connect with online and share what I do in my classroom face to face. I am really proud of the work I am able to do because of the support I am given from the place where I teach. I was also really excited to present with Tricia Fuglestad from Illinois, who was at MACUL for the first time! 

The presentation I am most proud of is the one I got to do with the people I work with everyday. Even though it was not the biggest session, it was the one that I felt offered others the full picture of what a school can look like when they have passionate teachers and leaders who understand and utilize the potential of technology in the classroom. It was powerful to see how learning can look when everyone is focused on student success both in school and beyond. 

There are so many things I could go on writing about, but instead I created the storify below that includes some of my highlights from the conference and what others had to say about my presentations. Thanks again for everyone who connected with me and I am excited to continue on those connections until we can all meet again at the next conference. 

As we get ready for NAEA14 in San Diego, it is time to plan for something that is just as important as going - getting the shirt to make the statement. After much discussion and debate on Twitter, here is something I whipped up in tribute to one of my favorite childhood game shows (WITWI Carmen SanDiego?) and two of icons of art (thanks again, Holly, for the inspiration). 

If you would like to show your #artsed PLN pride, download either the Dali or Nerdy Lisa and go to www.customink.com to get it printed on a Red shirt. You will have to do it soon to get it in time for the conference. There has yet to be a decision on when we will wear these, but it should be figured out soon (probably on Twitter). So stay tuned and hopefully we can have the same amount of fun we did last year in our Super shirts! 

Today was a pretty exciting. Not only did a student greet me first hour with an affirmative statement declaring that I am a good teacher, I was also able to give another student their copy of SchoolArts Magazine that features their work and spend some time with Dan Spencer to talk about my upcoming session at the Connected Education Unconference in April! 

If you are interested in hearing how I have navigated my classroom through the digital/traditional continuum and learning more about how you can, too, please come to the Unconference April 26th. If you are on the fence, here is a little preview of what you might expect to explore more about: 

I will also be presenting at MACUL on March 13th at 2:30 on the topics of blended learning and March 14th on Video Production at 11:30 and 1:1 classrooms at 1. I will also be presenting at NAEA in San Diego at the end of March. I look forward to sharing ideas and learning at MACUL and the Unconference this Spring! 

The last day of school before Holiday break is always a most exciting one. We usually have a host of activities for students to do as we celebrate the end of the calendar year and the promise of great things to come in the next. It is also one of my favorite times because it is the day the Scholastic Art Awards are announced for my region and I get to share with students which were selected and recognized by professionals in the field for Gold or Silver keys and Honorable Mentions. 

You see, the Scholastic Awards are unlike other programs out there. They are not a place where everyone gets a ribbon for just showing up. They are a competition where student work goes through a process of a blind jury and awarded based on skill, voice, and originality. The program also carries with it the prestige of past winners who have gone on to be movers and shakers in the industry (like Truman Capote (1932), Richard Avedon (1941), Andy Warhol (ca. 1945), Sylvia Plath (1947), Robert Redford (1954) and Zac Posen (1998)). 

So, it is kind of a big deal. 

I have submitted student work for the past 7 years and have been fortunate enough to spend each Friday before break sharing the exciting news of the selections with them. I feel like this year, though, I also have to include my PLN in the mix. Without their help, some of these entries would not have been possible. They helped push me as a teacher and spur ideas that inspired my students to go beyond the usual solutions and allow them to shine with award winning pieces. 

From Katherine Douglas' encouragement to put choice at the center of curriculum, the wacky and wonderful Photoshop ideas from the creative mind of Ian Sands, the captivating ways Tricia Fuglestad gets her kids to collaborate and tell stories with new media, to the traditional methods with a twist from Colleen Rose, there are countless ways these educators and many others through Facebook and Twitter have pushed me to push my students in new directions which has yielded award-winning results. 

I want to thank them for their help as I celebrate the winners from BCWMS. I hope they share in the success as much as we do when they look at the work below and find their influence: 

Life of a Fish, by Hallie Baker and Kiersten Woudstra

Rock, Paper, Scissors, by Cody Boogaart, Tyler Wall, and Tyler Toren

Saturday morning was spent with other Art Educators from around Michigan at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. As a panelist for this PD, I shared my experiences with using technology in Art Education and gave examples and methods for integration to others. One great thing that the GRAM Educational team set up prior to the event was the hashtag #gramteachertech to help organize and archive ideas and resources gleaned from the event. 

Several key questions emerged that I wanted to address in more detail now that I have had some time to digest the whole conversation: 

I look at the use of technology in the art room in three ways: 
1. Teacher Tool 
As a teacher I use technology for creating presentations, screen castings, research for projects, gradebook/attendance, and PD. I use technology to stay up to date with information in my field and also use it to give demonstrations through my ELMO, projector, and other digital tools. I have recently transitioned into a blended classroom model through the use of Moodle to house information and also receive student assignments. You can find more information on this on the Blended Learning tab of my website. 
2. Student Tool
 I also use technology as a tool for students to create with. They make videos or digital collages to express ideas and visually communicate messages - but this is not ALL that they make. My most successful lessons either start with a traditional method and end with a digital tool or visa versa. Just because we use technology to create with does not mean we forget about painting, drawing, sculpture and the like. For a well-rounded program, there needs to be time for both (especially at the lower levels). One thing I had to rethink as a teacher once I started teaching, was that Art isn't just drawing. Drawing is one form in which Art is made, but there are many different ways to visually represent ideas. If I only focus on one task or skill or genre, then I am doing my students a disservice.
3. Classroom Tool
The most important way I use technology is as a tool for organizing the classroom. My blog, Moodle page, and online student gallery help me stay organized and my students stay informed on what is happening in class. One of the easiest first steps to incorporate technology in the classroom without feeling like you are losing any traditional methods is to start an online gallery with Artsonia. This also allows for your students to have a broader audience for their work and can be a great advocacy tool with parents and the school community.

I strongly feel that if we approach technology integration in the Art classroom as a way of doing business, then we will see a shift of the Art class as being a marginal thing that could be cut to a central need of every school. 

Not having the resources to incorporate technology is something that I think every teacher struggles with at some time in their career. When I was looking to add a Digital Art component to my curriculum 6 years ago, I started by finding exemplar programs from around the country and researched how using technology in their classrooms had impacted student learning and growth. After putting together a proposal and working with both teachers in my department and administrators, I was able to acquire equipment and resources to get started. I also wrote multiple grants (one of which you can read about here) to help build resources for my program. The result is multiple local and national awards for Digital Art and Video projects that my students have made due to the investment. If you are serious about wanting to incorporate technology, talk with your administration about being a pilot teacher with iPads, or iPods, or Macbooks. Write out a proposal and look to other programs as models. If you hit a roadblock with your administrators, check out potential grants or partnerships. The big thing is to not get discouraged if you hear a "no" the first time. Change doesn't always happen fast, but it can happen if you are willing to be patient with the work. 

Ian Sands' video How Technology Helped Me Paint With Mud explores how students can turn in their work digitally rather than giving the teacher a paper in hand. He uses blogs and dropbox to help organize student product (as well as show process) for this. I use Moodle to help me stay organized with students turning in work. One benefit from this is that it solves the no-name paper issue. It also helps the process of posting images online and I am no longer dealing with piles of papers on my desk. It can completely change the workflow in the classroom and streamline many aspects of the job.

I want to thank the GRAM and MAEA for holding this type of PD for teachers. Technology is an important component to education and I think having these kinds of discussions with teachers is important. Here are a few other reflections from participants from the day: 

I still get looks from some people when I pronounce my love for Twitter. They crinkle their nose, roll their eyes, and whisper a "pa-shaw" when I tell them how much it has changed my teaching life. 

Sharing content and ideas is a great thing to do and tools like Twitter allows it to be done despite of location. It really allows for people to come together without the barrier of flight costs or language to communicate and exchange ideas of interest. Two things happened within the last day that really solidified my love for this online tool. 

The first is the image created above by Stacy Lord. She is a Middle School Art teacher that has been a part of my professional learning network for quite a while. We first met on Art Ed 2.0 Ning, started by Craig Roland, and have continued sharing ideas through Twitter. She created this AWESOME lego depiction of all of the people in our PLN. I love the fact that she took the time to make something as awesome and shared it online. I am honored that she included me in the professional community we participate in even though we have never met face-to-face. It was a great boost to my day and made me feel good on an otherwise snowy/slushy day.

The second thing that happened was the result of a classroom collaboration with Ian Sands, a High School Art Teacher from North Carolina. He tweeted that he needed some material for his students to animate. I, along with others, gave him links to our online galleries. The result were amazingly fun animations that my students LOVED seeing. I was so happy to see the reaction - everyone in the class was hoping to see theirs selected. It reminded students that when they make art, people are paying attention and even using it to make new art. The moment was truly priceless.

Neither of these things would have happened if it were not for Twitter and the connections I have made with great teachers from all over the place. So, as silly as it may seem to some, I do love Twitter. I am not afraid to say it because it has helped me do so many things through the connections with others - including how adorable I would be in Lego form...