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 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.

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?

Today is the last day of the marking period. On Monday I will be greeting a whole new batch of students. It will be like the first day of school all over again. 

Before I move onto another semester, I want to reflect on something unexpected from this one. 

Last year, giving a test was unusual in my class because everything is so project-based. The whole pre-test/post-test thing was something I struggled with at first. I started by using Moodle to create the tests (this allowed me to access instant data and keep track of student scores) and tweaked them as I became more confident with the format. 

I learned a lot from the experience that I feel has made me a better teacher. I learned how to use technology to document learning and how to formulate questions that demonstrated both retention and application. I also learned from that process how much wording matters when you are creating questions for a test. I finally feel like now I have a test that covers the material taught and will show whether students retained and can apply information learned throughout their time with me in class. 

I am happy to report that students did grow. I am proud of the difference in scores from the start of the year to now. What I didn't expect was how much students would care about it, too. 

When I gave my pre-test, I kept the scores hidden from students because I didn't want them to freak out about the scores. When they finished up their finals, however, I did give students the option to get their pre-test score so they could compare. Now, if it was me, I am not sure I would have cared much about it. But that is not how my students reacted. 

Soon after I offered, there was a line at my desk with roughly half of the class wanting to know with one student simply saying, "I want to see how much I have grown." 

It is a moment of teaching gold that I hope to keep with me as we finish out the rest of the year. Kids care about how they do. They want to grow and learn and I sometimes forget how exciting it is that I get to be the one to help them do that. 

How do you handle pre and post testing results in your classroom? Do students show interest in finding out their progress? 

To celebrate the New Year, I had the chance to present at Oakland Schools this past weekend. It was a great Fine Arts conference, with an emphasis on Assessment and Technology. My afternoon presentation highlighted how teachers can use various technology tools to showcase student art, document learning, and manage workflow. 

After the conference was over and I read through the feedback forms from participants, one question seemed to recur - where do I start? 

When I started teaching Art I did not want anything to do with technology. I felt being tech savvy was using a projector and showing a PowerPoint. I purposely stayed away from Digital Media in college because I had no plan to teach it. It was not until my second year of teaching that I decided to try a digital project using Microsoft Paint. I had students create portraits out of letters. I felt the project was a success because students enjoyed it and the results were visually interesting. I let go of the fear I had of how more tech must mean less Art and was shown they can go hand in hand.

If you are on the fence with using tech in your class, I would suggest starting out small. Pick a short project that infuses concepts you need to cover and give your students a chance to shine. 

Two years later, I moved another notch towards creating an technology-rich classroom. I decided to use a website that offered teachers a place to house digital images of student work to share with families and friends. Artsonia is one of the best things I have done as a teacher for my students and my program. It not only gave a place to permanently store projects (which gave my students and me a place to go to for examples), but it also served as a visual representation of the learning taking place in my classroom. 

As we move to using student growth in teacher evaluations, this digital portfolio offers teachers a place to store and share student work as well as document growth. I also love how families can comment on student work and purchase items with their art on it that gives 20% of the funds back to the classroom. 

If you have a large class load and you are unsure of how to get started with this, consider starting with one project, grade level, or class and then slowly building. You will see a positive uptick in student and parent involvement as a result of this online tool.

Over the past few years I have added Video Production, Video Game Design, Collaborative Presentations, Skyping, and other Web 2.0 tools into my curriculum. The most recent addition is the use of a Learning Management System (Moodle) to organize and house class content for students. 

I know when I present on the environment I have created as a result of embracing and integrating technology, it can seem a little overwhelming. But this has been a process. I have built it over years of trial and error, adding a component here or there along the way. I know there are a lot of ways to get started, but I wanted to offer a few for those of you who are on the fence. 

What are some ways you started using more technology in student learning? Where did you start and where do you see yourself going in the future? I am interested in hearing how you developed a plan for integration and what made you get started.

So, if you would have asked me a year ago if I incorporate technology in my classroom, I would have smiled (probably smugly) and said "Duh!" I thought that because my students created projects using computers, I was incorporating technology in my classroom in a way that was clever and innovative. After spending a good chunk of time learning from others in my online PLN, I have a bit of a different view.

Well, about a week before school started last year I decided to do my pre and post testing for student growth using Moodle. It was a program our school used and I knew of another department who put their classes on there, so I thought I would check it out (mostly because it would grade the tests for me). I had given it a go a while before that, but was totally turned off due to the fact that it was kind of clumsy and really quite ugly.

When I was finally ready and started to really work with it, I was hooked.

I decided that if I could put my tests on Moodle, then maybe I should also consider having students turn their work in on Moodle, too. I had gotten multiple digital cameras from various grants and it was always a bear for me to have to take pics of student work for Artsonia. What if I had students take pictures of their work, upload it to Moodle? Not only did this work, but it also happens that Moodle will rename the files you download from your classes to be in alphabetical order matching up to the Artsonia roster perfectly! I also use this for students to write Artist Statements for their work and can use pair them along with test scores as evidence of growth in skill and understanding. And did I mention there are no more "no name" papers?

Then I started to think, if students are turning work in on Moodle, why not have students get their assignments from there, too? I like to think I am a pretty entertaining teacher - my knowledge and passion for art is something I am proud of, but I also realize that every now and again students will miss my class on a day when I am presenting, or that they may need another go at the information after the initial demo or presentation; some students might even finish way early and be ready to move on to the next thing. Using Camtasia and Screencast-o-matic, I started making videos of my presentations and demos for students to access over and over again if needed. Sometimes I even used them to intro to the class on my overhead and save my voice for more personalized instruction as I go from student to student around my classroom.

Now I understand that being innovative with technology is more than just having students create something with computers or consume something with it. It is about using it in a way that makes me more productive to be with students instead of in front of them all of the time. It is about merging my classroom into an environment of learning that allows me to make better use of my time and student's time so that we can be more productive.

I am definitely not totally there yet or have my Moodle class pages quite as pretty as I would like them, but I am still working on it. Here is a presentation given at MACUL 2012 by Cresta Wright that really helped me think of how to better organize my pages this year.

Do you use Moodle or another online class tool? How has it changed your classroom and what are some tips for making it work the best for both teachers and students?

Bonjour! I arrived home a few days ago and was struggling with what to include in this post. There was so much that I experienced and saw, great teachers that I met, and there was even time for just sitting and enjoying a cool breeze as it passed by my way. As I reflected on my three days in Paris, I realized that I was able to truly enjoy those moments because I allowed myself to be in there without any distraction. I left my computer at home, my cell does not work over seas, and when I did call home it was via pay phone at 6 a.m. Paris time. Each morning I managed to get up at 4 a.m. and was ready by 5; I used the time before our group met to walk to the nearest pay phone and call home to recap events. Luckily my husband didn't mind the midnight call and it was really great to be up and about before anyone else, walking the streets while listening the the birds chirp awake the day.

I am a huge advocate for using technology. I blend my classroom online and I am an avid user of social media. But just like anything else, there should be a balance. I am very thankful for having that and taking a break from the computer last week and I think I need to do this in the classroom as well.

No one should only teach using one method because not all students learn in one way. I hope to keep that in mind when my students enter my classroom in the fall. I will take my experience of being unplugged and use that same spirit when we go outside to be inspired or start a new project and take time to just experience the act of making art. Art is about being in the moment; so is living a full life. If I spend all of my time online and plugged in, then I am probably missing out on a chance to be out there in the world doing something. If I am always checking my cell or twitter or facebook, then I am probably missing the chance to really be in a moment with the person or people I am around. It might sound like common sense, but sometimes a trip to Paris isn't a bad way to be reminded that it is true.