A Reflection on "Research on Interactive Whiteboards tell us..."

When I was in the public school system Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) were not available, or even an option.  The closest thing we had were over-head projectors, and educational videos.  I remember as a child whenever the teacher used those tools in the classroom it would be a thrill.  Looking back at why it made me so happy to see a TV rolled in the room, I think it's because it was a different way to be taught, and a different way to learn.  If I had the opportunity to have been taught on an IWB I wonder how much more I would have learned. 

I have learned the positives and negatives of using IWB's in the classroom from the article, "Research in Interactive Whiteboards tell us...".  According to the article, IWB's promise advantages for both teacher and student.  The positive affects of the board have much to do with the IWB software, which includes sound and visual uses. The uses of the IWB strengthen student's involvement, motivation, and attention.  A 2009 study by Marzano and Heystead revealed that out of 85 teachers who used, and did not use the IWB there was a 16-percentile rise in student achievement from using the IWB.  Although, 23% of teachers in the study had better student achievement when they did not use the IWB.  The 23% who did not see improvement had difficulty using the board.  In order for the IWB experience in the classroom to be successful, the teacher needs to know how to properly use the technology. 

In my future art classroom, I believe using a IWB would be very beneficial.  It would be a great tool for my students to watch art history videos on, or even go in front of the class and draw an example of a shape.  The use of drawing tools, and visual aids is a huge plus in the art classroom.  I will make it a goal for myself as a teacher to understand the technology fully before preparing lessons based on the IWB in class. 

Classroom Website

I have never had the opportunity of having a teacher with a classroom website when I was in the public school system.  Technology has changed a lot since I was in K-12 grades, and I am curious to know how much it would have helped my academic performance.  It was not until I started college that I began using the internet to gather information about my classes.

*Below is a screen shot of my classroom website that I have been working on in TPTE 486.

I have learned that using a classroom website has many benefits.  Students can use the site to look up information involving assignments, or even background information about their teacher.  The website allows students to use numerous tools to be successful in the classroom.  The classroom website can also be very helpful for the parents of the students.  Parents would be able to keep up with what their child is working on, and feel involved in the classroom. 

In my future classroom I will definitely use a classroom website for my students, and for the use of the parents of the students as well.  The website would be a great tool to share my student's artwork. I would hope to take pictures of my students artwork and post an online gallery to the site for parents to see. This would not only let the parents view their students work, but would help the student gain self confidence in their artwork.  I would also keep adding resource sites for my personal use in the classroom, and for my students use on class projects.  The classroom website is overall a great tool to have for the teacher, student, and parent.

Using Digital Images

The use of digital images in the art classroom is a must!  Art is all about visuals after all! Having posters of artwork available in the classroom is nice, but when presenting a new lesson on the Smart Board digital images are necessary for examples of famous artwork.  I have been experimenting with digital images, and using programs such as Photoshop, for a few years now.  Before pursuing my art education degree, I received my Associates Degree in Graphic Design.  The two years I spent studying computer art programs have benefited my college career in art and in education as well.

I discovered that using digital images in slideshows available on Google Presentation, and Picasa (also by Google) are much easier to create in a short amount of time.  Not only does it take no time to create, but it's so much safer and easier to save and retrieve. 

After completing the assignment using Google Presentation and the Scavenger Hunt using Picasa, I will definitely be using these tools for use in my future art classroom.  I will continue to use digital images in my lesson plans, but with these new tools I will use them more easily and efficiently.

Reflection on Resource Collection

Technology is not used often in my art education classes.  Art is mostly studio based, focusing on technical skills.  Of course I have researched art lessons before online, but I have never considered finding a website to assist my students in a lesson.

I discovered that art history and theory could easily be incorporated using technology. As I researched websites that could possibly help my students in the classroom, or even myself as an educator, it showed me a new way to teach art.

The websites I found were mostly related to art history, yet elements of art vocabulary, theory, and studio activities were available in others. As I mentioned before, I found that teaching art history and theory through internet resources seemed to be better for my art classroom.  For example, Smart History offers great information for high school students studying art history, styles, and themes.  Another site I discovered, Harcourt School Publishers - Art Express, offered great studio lessons for grads 1st through 5th.

In my future art classroom, I would incorporate findings from online research of the resource sites I discovered.  I would incorporate findings through my teaching, and have my students use and reference sites in class. The kid friendly art museum and history sites would be great tools for worksheets, or art history presentations. I will most definitely incorporate my resource collection in my art classroom, and continue to add to the collection.