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. 

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

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? 

Over the summer I have had a lot of time to reflect and plan for the upcoming school year. I have also had the chance to stumble upon some pretty amazing TV shows that I did not have time to catch earlier in the year. One of them is "Call of the Wildman" on Animal Planet. I have a particular fascination with the show because of my own run-in with an unwanted critter living in our defunct hot tub - both removed as a part of a birthday gift to myself once school was out in June. 

If you have not seen "Call of the Wildman" it is a show about critter capturer Ernie (aka Turtleman) and his adventures helping capture and release various wildlife from unwanted places. He not only captures the critters, he does so with his hands which provides the "Live Action" he is known for in each episode. As I find myself completely enthralled with this show (although each episode is very similar: person calls with a critter problem, Ernie tracks it using a variety of methods and his dog Lolly, Ernie finds the raccoon/possum/fox/rat/whatever and after much chasing is assisted in the catch by his friend Neal (and sometimes Squirrel)), I cannot help but be entertained by the lengths this guy goes to get the job done. Of course, this got me thinking about my job as a teacher and the lessons I can learn from the Turtleman. 

So, here are some pointers I hope to bring from this show into my classroom: 

1. You do not need fancy tools to get the job done. Turtleman will use a stick, bucket, and a bag for most of his jobs. Often times he only really needs his hands. Whether he is trapped in an old car with a raccoon or a saw mill with a porcupine, he is able to get most jobs done with the use of his quick reflexes and able hands. I am super fortunate in my district to have access to computers for all of my students as well as some awesome materials and equipment for making art; what I know, though, is that I don't always have to use the newest fad or tool to get across the lessons I need to teach or to have my students to produce quality work. Often times success comes from getting your hands dirty and involved with the materials and the Turtleman is a testament to that. 

2. It is okay to rely on your friends to help you. On most jobs, it seems that the Turtleman is able to get it done with his simple tools and friend Neal (you need someone else to do the Tornado to the bag once a critter has been captured). Sometimes, for the bigger and more complicated jobs, there are additional people called in to help. In my training and professional development as a teacher, I have acquired the knowledge, skill, and research to help me get through most challenges that I face. However, when I am trying something new or come across a situation that is new to me, I know I can turn to my PLN and they will be there to help me. Turtleman always knows when to call in a friend; knowing when you need help and how to ask for it can be important to completing any job.

3. Don't be afraid of the "Live Action" moments, embrace them. The most intense moments of the show are the "Live Action" ones. This term seems to be used whenever the Turtleman is about to get into a tight situation with a critter he is about to capture with his hands. Whether it is having a nest of rats fall on him in a crawl space or being swarmed by pigeons in a town hall attic, the Turtleman never loses his cool when these crazy moments take place. He stays focused on the job and gets it done. One thing I admire about the Turtleman is his tenacity to do almost anything to get the job done and I hope to bring some of that attitude when I approach teaching my students. I want my students to walk away from my classroom with a better capacity to create and understand art and rather than shy away from the chaos that can happen when learning takes place, I hope to use that energy to bring excitement and engage students in the process. 

4. Take time to celebrate and share a job well done. At the end of every job, there is a reward earned for completing the capture of the critter (and all are safely released into the wild elsewhere). In addition to the reward of baked goods or nominal amounts of money, the Turtleman celebrates his captures with a very distinct yell of "Yi-yi-yi-yi! Live Action!" This is often followed with hugs from his friends and the patrons who have called him in on the job. Knowing when to celebrate a job well done is important to completing any task and sharing those accomplishments with others can be just as important. Whether it is a placement of a competition or successful display in our school, I plan to take the time to celebrate the accomplishments of my classroom with students and share them with our community through our class blog and online gallery space. 

These are just some of the lessons learned that I hope to adapt to my classroom, but I am sure I could think of a few others as soon as I hit publish on this post. I am super excited about the start of school in a few weeks and hope to bring the same positive energy Turtleman brings to his work to my own as I start up the term in September! 

The picture above is a digital image of an analog image I took and made this week to demonstrate creating a print the Dual Enrollment class I teach for Kendall. Half of the class is spent creating digital images and the other is spent in the darkroom. 

After spending the last seven weeks evaluating digital images, I am really excited to move onto working in the darkroom. There is something so magical about taking black and white images, developing your own film, and then creating a print from one of your negatives. I was as giddy as any kid about to open a gift when it came time for me to demonstrate developing film and enlarging prints. I cannot describe the feeling I get when I first see the images, realizing everything was exposed at the right rate and that all steps worked along the way. 

It was funny when I came across a John Spencer post expressing a similar vibe this week. I love technology and working with digital images and blended learning has become a large part of how I teach. For all of that love, though, it will ever completely replace or supplement the joy I feel when I draw or paint or sculpt or develop a print with chemicals. 

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... 

I do not have children. I have been married for almost a decade and it has just not happened for us, yet. I am not in a big hurry to change. I like my life, but I hope to someday be a parent. 

Now, I am putting this out there because I have recently felt a little jarred from others who say, "Well, you have so much time to do (whatever I am doing in Arts Education or Technology), you must not have any children." And the reason is yes. I do have time because I don't have any kids. However, I am not sure having kids or not having kids is an excuse to do or not do something dealing with the advancement of something you care about. I know a lot of people with children who do a lot of things I admire and aspire to do (but I haven't found the time yet). 

It is just something I have been thinking about for a while. It has been bothering me (maybe because I would actually like to have kids at some point in my life) and I wanted to throw it out there. I have no idea what it is like to be a parent and I would never try and judge what others are doing with their time. I would hope that if I have children, I would want them to be the priority and the result would be a shift in how I share my time.

Be kind to others. What you say matters. You don't know what my history might be with wanting or not wanting kids - so instead of using it as an excuse to make yourself feel better about not doing what I am doing, please think before you speak.