This school year has been an adventure. I moved to a new LMS, changed my curriculum, and have learned a lot along the way. In some ways I feel like I am at the top of my craft, in other ways I feel like I am a first year teacher again. The self-doubt and questioning creeps in as second semester is around the corner and I have to take a moment to regroup before I can move forward with a new batch of kids.

The one thing that has been churning in my brain as I reflect on these changes and is something I suspect happens with a lot of teachers: the want, no more like the need, to be better. 

This can manifest in a lot of different ways. It can show up as a Green Eyed Troll (GET), coveting what others have and tearing them down with snarky remarks or quick judgements; it can turn into a pity party that is demoralizing and often debilitating; or it can morph into something positive. I am not going to claim that I haven't looked at what other teachers are doing and have that nagging voice from the corner of my mind telling me that I should have thought of that first - or worse - they did that so much better than I did. It happens. I give myself a second to dwell, take a deep breath, and then push forward. Wasting time worrying about what other teachers are teaching in their classroom does not make me a better teacher in my own classroom.

It can be easy to forget that this is not a competition of what classroom is the best or which teacher has it right (because there is no such thing). We are all working towards the goal of learning for our students and I would guess most every teacher out there is trying different methods to reach their learners and propel them towards success. Some things work, others don't, and a lot of it can be in flux depending on the climate of the classroom and make-up of the learners. To be jealous of that, or make yourself sick thinking you are not doing enough is counterproductive and will not get you or your students where you need to go. 

I am excited that I work in a profession where I am learning things all of the time. I am motivated by those who push my thinking and inspire me to try new methods and reach all of my students. I feel so proud of the recent accomplishments my students have made and continue to make. 

But even with all of that, I know I am not done being better than myself. 

I had a great time last week facilitating an MAEA Summer PD workshop on Technology in the Art Classroom. We were very fortunate to have the wonderful facilities of Byron Center High School to demonstrate what is possible when you effectively employ technology in the classroom and allow your students to interact and document their learning through various tools. As you can see from the pictures above, there was plenty of hands-on messiness for this workshop and proof that more technology does not lead to less hands-on learning! I have to give a HUGE thank you to Schoology and TechSmith Education for helping me put together such a great workshop. I got a ton of positive feedback and their help was crucial in making that happen! 

This was my second year as a workshop facilitator for MAEA Summer PD - I hope to do it again next year! 

I had an awesome time at WGVU Studios last Wednesday for the PBS LearningMedia Summit. As a 2014 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovator, I had the opportunity to share my experiences with using this resource in my classroom and some insight on why it is SO valuable. If you have not checked it out, you really should. Like now. Stop reading this and go sign up for a free account. You will be wondering why you hadn't sooner, I promise! 

In addition to sharing resources, it was great to meet other teachers and the members of WGVU Studios. Their passion for helping teachers and bringing opportunities to students is something that left me extremely pumped for the upcoming school year. 

I feel that these learning opportunities have helped me feel more prepared to enter my classroom after a long summer of hiking, travel, and making art. 

What has helped you feel more prepared about entering your classroom this Fall? Any tips, websites, or new ideas you can't wait to share? Feel free to comment below. 

The 2014 National Art Education Conference was a blast! I learned a lot, shared a lot, and laughed even more. The conference really blew me away and filled my head (and suitcase) with new resources, ideas, and theories to start implementing in my classroom. The sunshine of San Diego was an added benefit to the weekend. Here is a reflection on the 4 reasons I thought #naea14 would rock, and why I was right: 

4. Escape from the Polar Vortex: The weather in San Diego did not disappoint. I am so thankful for the little time I was able to spend outdoors, walking to and from sessions. It was a beautiful weekend and a nice escape from the snow-covered lawn I returned to in MI. 

3. Access to Resources: I was in awe of the amount of resources available to teachers at this year's conference. From samples, to lesson plans, to the new standards, there was a lot to stuff in my suitcase and bring back to my classroom. 

2. Learning New Things: From the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Emerging Themes session to talking with colleagues, I learned a lot of really cool things at the conference this year that will inform my teaching and get me thinking about other opportunities for my students. 

1. Connecting with Others: It was amazing to meet up with the #artsed #pln at #naea14. It was great to share stories, ideas, and of course, dance. 

To learn more about what happened at the conference, check out the Storify below:

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. 

I had the great honor of being the closing keynote for the Ohio Art Education Association Conference in Toledo, OH. I was invited to speak at the conference after meeting their conference coordinator, Sarah Danner, at the NAEA Conference in Fort Worth. 

We were sharing a shuttle bus back to the airport and I started talking about some of the things I was doing with technology in my classroom and she quickly offered me the invite. Every time I have had the opportunity to share my story with others, I hope they walk away with their thinking stretched of the role technology can play in their classrooms and how it can offer students authentic audiences for sharing their work. 

The 2013 OAEA Conference Theme was "Reflecting the Standard." When I heard the title, I started thinking about what the "standard" is and who gets to decide that. As I started preparing my presentation, I decided that the standard can be something we all set through our expectations and outcomes in the classroom and it can evolve over time. It is also something that as Arts professionals we can help educate others on through research and practice.

As a part of the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment project, we created a blueprint that outlines the "gold standard" in Visual Arts education. Part of the issue when doing this, is the Visual Arts is a subject area that is so used to being cut and diminished, when it came actually outlining what the standard should be, we had to do so without all of that baggage of what has been done in the past to cloud our vision. Students deserve quality Arts programs - and that means that the standard must include certified teachers with quality contact time and sufficient resources to provide that. 

In the Visual Arts, we are poised in a unique position because we get to be the place where all other subjects come and play; we create learning opportunities that make those concepts have meaning through application. When we fuse technology to that mix, we can truly reflect the standard of not only what quality Arts education looks like, but what quality education looks like, period. Many look to the STEM to STEAM movement for this, but I think it is just something we need to start embracing as a part of how we interact with Art and share with the world. After giving my presentation this weekend, I began to think of how I integrate technology and created the chart below:

This chart based on the most recent project I did with my students dealing with printmaking, but it can be used in almost all of my lessons. When we started, students worked digitally using the presentations they were provided and the images they selected. They then took those images that were either generated through searching online or pictures they took and transferred them to their plates for the more traditional means of art making. After creating their prints, students then turned back to digital means to share online on Artsonia with their family and friends. And it might seem like the process stops there, but in many cases, students then mashed up their project with others in Photoshop for their Photoshop Priday pieces and uploaded them again. These type of processes for meaning making allows students to demonstrate understanding in a multimodal manner and participate in complex transliterate tasks. Before deciding you do not have time for that, or that digital art is not "real art," I would challenge you to first ask: Who would want to cut a program or limit the access for students to Arts programming that is demonstrating the skills and tasks that is offering those methods of teaching and learning? 

I had a great time sharing this past weekend and hope that it demonstrated what is possible when you integrate technology into the classroom and allow your students more ways to communicate their vision and share with others. The video below is a condensed version of my presentation that was originally created for the 2012 k12online conference.  You can also find more resources on blended learning and technology integration throughout my site. 

How do you blend learning or integrate technology in the classroom? 

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: 

Ever since our school moved to a 1:1 system a few weeks ago, my classroom has changed. I have been a strong user of technology for the past 5 years with my students, so I didn't think it would change so much once students got their Macbooks, but I was wrong. It has changed dramatically. 

As we are all still figuring out the best way to incorporate these devices into the everyday, one thing that I am pretty excited about is what I was able to do for a day like today, when I am unable to be with my students. Usually sub plans are the worst to deal with as a teacher. You know that no matter what you try to write down, nothing is going to substitute the expertise and ability of you as the teacher being there (that is why many teachers say it is just easier to be there than to be away from the classroom). 

With the help of our 1:1 system, I am feeling a little more at ease today. Instead of just writing everything down for the sub, I copied the plans for my students and emailed them what needs to be done. Instead of relying on a sub to try and figure out what they are supposed to be doing with their watercolor projects, I created a screen-casting of the demonstrations and posted on our Moodle page. I also encouraged students to email me with questions so I could help them if they get confused. 

Even though this is no substitute for me being in the room and helping kids in real-time, it is way better than what I had to rely on before. I am also able to see the kids work as they are handing it in through our Moodle page and give them feedback where needed. 

Technology has the capacity to do amazing things and this is one that seems obvious, but one I really wasn't expecting. 

How do you handle having a sub in your classroom? Have you used screen-castings to help the sub?

If you follow my classroom blog, you would have seen that this past week we have been using MacBook Airs almost daily to help get ready for the 1:1 rollout next semester. I feel very fortunate to be one of the pilot teachers in my building with this equipment and have been experimenting with ways I can enhance what I have always done by blending in their use. 

I am a pretty big tech advocate and it has become a natural part of my curriculum. So, when it came time last week for me to present various printmaking artists and techniques to my students, I figured I would take the opportunity to blend in the use of technology for note taking as I lectured. In the past, I would have had students take notes on paper and then turn in a summary of what they learned. I would have ended up with piles of papers (some without names or incomplete) that I would rifle through to grade. 

Since I had access to computers, I decided to have kids take notes in Moodle, turning in their notes and summary digitally. When I had envisioned this, I planned for it to be very similar to the old process of note taking. Kids would write down segments of what I said as it related to the artist on the screen and blend it in with their opinion. And this did happen. But so did something unexpected, which completely blew my mind. 

As I was talking about artists, students were taking notes and then some started to do something more. Instead of being passive sponges for the information, students stepped out of that role and opened a new tab in their browser to do further inquiry on specific pieces of information they found to be particularly interesting. Before I knew it, kids were searching images for artists beyond the ones I had on the screen, wanting to know more about their cohorts and contemporaries as I brought them up (Shepard Fairey being a major one). 

When this happened, those students shared the information they found back with me and the class. They asked me more about what peaked their interest and contributed content. I no longer became the single point of information; students stepped into the role and started to fill information gaps that they wanted patched. 

I was really taken aback by this occurrence. It was not something I had envisioned within the realm of what I had planned. I am really excited about this development because it changes the way I have to present information. Instead of it being a static exchange from me to my students, it can develop into an organic growth of information that begins with me but ultimately is guided by the student. 

When we do this type of learning activity again, I will encourage this type of inquiry. I will also take the time to model the behavior so all students feel comfortable doing their own investigation beyond that is being covered by me. This experience of unplanned learning really flipped what is possible during a lecture and I look forward to sharing what happens when we do this again.

What are some instances of unplanned learning that you have encountered? How have you used those moments to transform the way you deliver content or plan learning activities? I am interested because I have an idea on how to move forward with experience, but know I can learn more from those of you who have transformed instruction due to moments like these. 

When I was in college, I used to get pretty excited about the juried exhibition that occurred at the end of each semester. I am a competitive person (mostly with myself) and I was always striving to get as many works in as possible.

It seemed, though, each time the professor selected work for jury, I ended up disappointed. Not because I missed out on having work chosen for the show, but because it seemed inevitable they would always choose the piece I disliked the most. The moldy corner painting from my painting class, the misshapen ellipses from my drawing class, the silly plant assignment from my color course... I could go on and on with how there were other, more noteworthy works in my portfolio that could or should have been selected, but there is no changing the past.

That is why when it comes to displaying student work, I will not select pieces. I leave it up to the artists. If they ask my opinion, I try to stay out of it. I remind them that they are the artist and have to make that choice. The students are the ones showing off their works to an audience and I want them to feel happy about what is selected for display. I am also interested in what they believe to be their best work. It helps me learn something about their aesthetic and what trends occur with the projects I teach.

I am not sure if it is the best way to get work ready for display, but I think it offers my students the option if having a say in how they are represented. I think that is always a good thing. You can check out student work at The Van Singel Fine Arts Center now until the 21st.

How do you go about getting work ready for shows and exhibitions? Do you let students choose, or do you pick for them?

So, it seems like I am always reading posts about what education can learn from something else or how it is like something else. I always admire people who write these kinds of posts, so I figured I would give it a go myself. Here is my attempt at connecting two things I love dearly -- teaching and Fraggle Rock.

Last year I brought up one of my favorite Jim Henson creations, Fraggle Rock, with my students and to my shock and dismay they had no clue what I was talking about. I really should not have been shocked, though. The show was only on for around 4 years and I was watching it mostly because my older sisters did (I was only 3 when it first came out, after all).

Due to the wonders of the internet, I am able to re-watch the episodes and have noticed some key reasons I think I fell in love with this show so many years ago. In fact, I think they are the same key components that will help me in my classroom when I start next month.

1. "Play the day away" - The purpose of Fraggles is to play, explore, dance, sing and have fun. I want my classroom to be that kind of environment where students happen to learn a lot of substance while having fun. Fraggles learn their lessons through discovery during play and of a slew of musical numbers. My favorite days teaching are the ones where students groan and moan in protest to cleaning up because we are having "too much fun." When we start up in September, here's hoping we have more days like that than not.

2. "Architecture is meant to be enjoyed" - My favorite group in the show are the Doozers. They work and work, day after day, creating elaborate structures only to have them eaten by the Fraggles. That is their purpose. They create so others can enjoy what they have made. In Art class, I hope to teach my students to create Art for themselves to satisfy their need to say something with visuals. I also hope to teach them that is important to share Art with the world and that it takes guts to put what you make out there for others to enjoy. Some of it will be good, some maybe not so much, but the point it that it is meant to be enjoyed. If you don't ever put yourself out there, then you will never know. I hope through our displays online and in person, students will find much enjoyment in sharing their work with others.

3. "Get friends - friends help" - Even if the advice comes from an unlikely source, like a giant trash heap, it is something that no one should ever be scared of doing. It is okay to say you need help with something, especially if you are not sure how to tackle an issue. I think this is something I have become better at as a result of working with my online PLN. I hope to create a secure enough environment in my classroom for students to turn to each other in times they don't understand and ask for help (as well as me, too).

Without going on too much more about how Fraggle Rock emulates a classroom, I will point out one more thing. Sometimes you have to be a Doozer and sometimes a Fraggle. Doozers are all about working and getting things done and doing them because that is what is supposed to happen. They are structured and thrive off of work and purpose. Fraggles on the other hand play and sing, dance and explore - they discover their world through adventures both in and outside of Fraggle Rock. In both cases, things are better when they work with others and collaborate to create. Sometimes we have to plow through the tests and assessments and skills delegated by the State and National standards and sometimes we get to the real joy of discovery and exploration that learning can bring. Just like anything else in life, I guess it is all about balance.

In case you are like my students and have no clue what Fraggle Rock is, I included their first episode below. It is a treat and I hope you enjoy it!