tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50634497687750660642024-03-13T22:23:33.442-07:00Michigan Art Education Association BlogThis will serve as a source to collaborate, communicate, and create with other Visual Arts educators from MI and beyond.MAEAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09889776180816739206noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-56182097485600061002017-01-01T23:59:00.000-08:002017-01-01T23:59:02.518-08:00Upcoming Art Education PD - January and February<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As we begin the second half of our school year it is a great time to keep your eyes open for upcoming art education professional development. Here are some of the inspiring art education opportunities coming up around the state and online.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dia.org/calendar/class.aspx?id=6057&iid=" target="_blank">Educator Evening: Gallery Engagement Strategies</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">January 20, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Detroit Institute of Arts</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Explore the permanent collection with DIA gallery teachers who will demonstrate techniques designed to encourage engagement and build critical thinking skills for students. Educators attending this event will also get an exclusive preview of the DIA’s new Lumin augmented reality tour and discuss ideas for using this tool with students on field trips. The DIA is the first art museum in the world to integrate this 3-D mapping and smartphone AR technology into a mobile, public tour.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dia.org/calendar/class.aspx?id=6001&iid=" target="_blank">"See What I See" Writing & Art Educator Workshop</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">February 4, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Detroit Institute of Arts</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In this 1-day workshop focused on 5th-12th grade art educators, participants will experience activities that bring writing into the art curriculum. Using the DIA’s collection as a classroom, we’ll use the morning to think about the artist’s journey, learn journaling and reflection strategies for personal and peer work, and draft an artist statement. In the afternoon, we will focus attention on writing about the work of other artists using the skills we’ve acquired. All sessions will be experiential and conclude with a conversation about incorporating the materials into your classroom teaching practice. At the end of the workshop, participants will leave with a set of activities that are intended to generate meaningful writing within the arts curriculum.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.artmuseumgr.org/2016/11/01/creativity-uncorked-design-your-own-tattoos/" target="_blank">Creativity UnCorked: Design Your Own Tattoos</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">February 14, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Grand Rapids Art Museum</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Grab a glass of wine and experience a lively and unforgettable night at the museum! Discover the tribal designs of Michigan tattoo artist Leo Zulueta, then create and print your own wearable temporary tattoos. Learn about modern and traditional tattooing methods and experiment with temporary tattoos and henna.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.theartofed.com/products/event/winter-2017-art-ed-now-online-conference/" target="_blank">The Art of Education Conference</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">February 18, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Art of Education Conference provides great professional development online on a variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights you can look forward to at this winter's conference:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some of the presenters include:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Mike Venezia</b></span> - a talented author and illustrator who played an important role in the development of the 'Getting to Know' series. Mike will explain why he believes art - and art teachers - are so vital to our lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Kelly Phillips</b></span> - <i>Infusing STEAM Concepts into a TAB Classroom</i>. Kelly will share some of her favorite ways to infuse the culture of STEAM into the art room! She'll share concrete examples of how she introduces STEAM concepts to her students in a TAB classroom, and demonstrate how these concepts can inform artmaking at every level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Janine Campbell</b></span> - <i>Choosing to Change, and Changing to Choice</i>. Moving away from the narrow view of what we are supposed to teach and what students are supposed to learn has transformed her teaching. Janine has challenged herself to instead give students the chance to find their own voice and connect to their work in meaningful ways. She'll share insights about what got her over the fear of change and what happened to her teaching when she said "yes" to choice.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Benefits to attending:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some of the benefits of attending this conference include a goodie bag mailed to your door, you'll have access to the video presentations for a year after the conference airs online, you can attend in your pajamas, you can earn eight PD hours that count toward your SCECHs, TED Talk style presentations, etc...</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074638382395350297noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-20627656243556928292014-09-28T10:56:00.000-07:002014-10-02T17:24:32.699-07:00Michigan Art Education Association 2014 Conference - "Art in The Heart"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It's that wonderful time of year again. We are one month into the school year and are finally getting into a great rhythm. We are building relationships with our students and developing classroom culture. Our students are creating amazing artworks and starting to tap into their inner artist. And the annual Michigan Art Education conference is just around the corner! The workshops and conference festivities can be found at <a href="http://bit.ly/1pzS1CY">http://bit.ly/1pzS1CY</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Online registration has opened up. Further information can be found at <a href="http://bit.ly/1DNnwEb">http://bit.ly/1DNnwEb</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The art educators in Region 8 are super excited to see everyone November 13 - 16th in Lansing, MI. We have a wonderful conference planned! </span></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: red; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Some of the highlights:</u></span></b></i></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Join us Thursday evening for the <b>Broad Museum Tour and Social Hour</b> 7 - 9 p.m.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Friday afternoon there will be a <b>Gallery Crawl</b> through some of our amazing galleries in Lansing.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Friday afternoon there will also be a <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Looking Glass: Fusing "Fun" Raiser </span>from 1 - 4 p.m. Learn about fusing with this year's student scholarship "fun"raiser! When you register, sign-up for a fifteen minute session for Friday and create your own dichroic glass pendant. Learn to score, break & chip glass at the fusing table in the vending hall (10 am - 3 pm). You can pick up your fired work on Saturday from the vending area. </span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Saturday morning's keynote will address <span style="font-weight: 700;">Implementing the New National Core Visual Arts Standards: What Every Art Educator Needs to Know </span>9:30 - 10:20 a.m.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Saturday from 1 - 3:30 p.m. <span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Frank Lloyd Wright </b></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><b>Homes Tour </b></span>Have you ever wondered what it is like to walk through a work of art? Then come and experience homes in the Okemos area created by master architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Hear the history of several homes from their current owners and gain their unique perspective of living in a masterpiece.<span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This year's conference is filled with tons of fantastic workshops that include but are not limited to ways to invigorate your curriculum, ways to promote your program and gain administrator backing, what are and how to implement the new National Art Education Standards, ways to nurture your inner artist, art room technology integration, fantastic keynote speakers, and so much more! </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Additional ways to get involved:</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><u>MAEA ARTISANS GALLERY</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Saturday, November 15, 2014<br />8:30 pm - 11:00 pm<br />At the Radisson, outside the Capitol Ballroom during the Kingdom Hearts Gala </span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Email any questions to <span style="color: #0563c1;">jillian.brunsting@gmail.com. </span></span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b> <u style="font-weight: bold;">K-12 Ceramic Exhibition Presentation</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Include photos of your students’ work in the <b><span style="color: #c0504d;">Kids ‘n’ Clay</span></b><span style="color: #c0504d;"> </span>presentation at the conference. You won’t have to bring your student work to Lansing or worry about the breakage. Send a jpeg of student work as early as possible to Darcy Schreiber at: <a href="mailto:Kidsnclay2014@gmail.com" style="color: #0000bd; text-decoration: none;">Kidsnclay2014@gmail.com</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">· Teachers may submit up to five pieces per level. Only one per student.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">· Please don’t send more than two images for each piece.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">· All pieces should be photographed with a white background.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">· Include Title, Student Name, Grade, School, Teacher Name with the images in the same email as the jpg photos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="color: #c0504d;">DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 3, 2014</span></b><b>.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">PHOTOGRAPHS NEEDED!</span></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Please help us document the amazing experiences you will have at the 2014 MAEA Conference this fall in Lansing. We are hoping to capture as much of the conference as possible through your eyes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We’ve set up a Shutterfly account and we’d love it if everyone could take pictures throughout the conference and upload them to our Shutterfly account.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Directions:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Take pictures at workshops, meals, while enjoying Lansing, during conference meals, or at keynote speaker events.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Log in to our group Shutterfly account (You do not create a Shutterfly account.):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Email – ealfoster@gmail.com Password – maeaconf</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Upload your pictures to the MAEA14 folder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Enjoy the photos uploaded by other conference attendees. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Questions???</i> - Contact Betsy Wellfare - <span style="color: blue;">ealfoster@yahoo.com</span></span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ways to Volunteer</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you would be willing to volunteer at the conference (to take tickets, etc.) contact Adrienne DeMilner (<span style="color: blue;"><i>adrienne616@gmail.com</i></span>).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Garage Sale Reminder</span></u></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Purge your classroom or home of unwanted teaching supplies. Bring donation items to the conference to sell (for a low cost) to people who may use them. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Garage Sale time and location corresponds with Region Meeting during lunch at the Lansing Center on Nov. 15, 11:30pm – 12:00 pm @ Banquet 1-4.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yarn Bombing</span></u></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Please create Yarnbomb-ed items from your Regions for the Silent Auction – Bring them with you to the conference registration. Proceeds go to the scholarship fund. - </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Silent Auction Donations</span></u></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you have art or craft you can donate to MAEA? Would you be willing to donate items for the Silent Auction? Maureen Roslanic (Retired Division Chair) is looking for donors. Funds raised by the auction will go toward the student scholarship fund. - See more at: http://www.miarted.org/#sthash.aYUZGuEC.dpuf</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Projectors Needed!</span></u></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">If </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">anyo</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">ne one might have any we could borrow/check out in November for the week of the 9th through the 16th. They will locked up each night in a storage room for safe keeping. Help like this would really be appreciated!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyone interested in helping us out with this can feel free to contact me at <a href="mailto:gerej@gowcs.net" style="color: #0000bd; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">gerej@gowcs.net</span></a>.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-68088295122339718502013-11-26T13:14:00.000-08:002013-11-26T13:14:06.486-08:00Getting Good At Failing Big
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As I was beginning my ninth year of teaching high school art
I spent a good deal of time this summer reflecting on how the past eight years
had gone. What were my frustrations? What were my successes? Which of my
frustrations could be addressed and hopefully resolved and which needed to
either remain on the backburner for another time or could be focused on and
hopefully turned into successes. I deciding to tackle the concept of failing at
creating art. The fear of failure is something we all face at various points in
our lives. It can either stop us in our tracks or it can push us to new
heights. I have faced this myself as an artist as well as almost daily in the
classroom with my students. How can we get kids to stop worried about failing
or ruining a work of art? Often the hardest part seems to be starting for some
whether it’s a fear of screwing up something that doesn’t even exist yet or not
even knowing where to begin. My new mantra this year has been “Trust your gut”
and “Fail Big.” I have found that when I follow my intuitions I have the most
artistic, as well as life, success. This has become an important lesson for me to
pass along to my students. I encourage them to allow time to think about what
they’d like to create within the guidelines of an assignment. Ask leading
questions to get them thinking about all the possibilities out there. And when
in doubt start with the first thing that comes to mind. This generally gets
them started.</div>
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Inevitably they will all get the point where they are afraid
to continue on with a work of art for fear of ruining it. That’s where the
“Fail Big” philosophy comes in. It’s sad to admit this but it took thirty-three
years for me to embrace this in my own art. I had this piece I was painting
last spring that I loved. Then all of a sudden I did something where I hated
it. I had a choice. I could stop there and let the piece of art die or I could
give it some time, some thought, and with a deep breath I could find a way to
fix it. After some experimenting and some courageous cutting I ended up with a
mixed media collage that I love. I realized that by forcing myself to problem
solve and find a way to make the piece work I ended up with an artwork that
never could have existed without forcing myself to push through the hatred
phase of creating. </div>
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This seems so difficult for students. They are so ready to
claim a work ruined and discard it or stop working on an artwork before
potential ruin could happen. Think of all the amazing works that aren’t getting
created because students are letting fear stop them or letting failure stand in
the way of finding a way to fix something. In an age of 21<sup>st</sup> century
skills and the need to help our students develop into problem solvers this
seemed like a much-needed focus for my classroom. I hung a large sign over the
door that says “Fail Big!” and that’s what we’ve been working on ever since. I
introduced the concept the first day to all classes and received many skeptical
looks. I created a Fail Big place for artworks that were going to take a time
out rather than allowing “ruined” works to go into the garbage can. This could
allow some other student to come along and see a future for one of those pieces
or for it’s original owner to reclaim it one day and give it new life. This
step of the process hasn’t happened yet but the other results of implementing
this have been astounding. We now celebrate failures as experiments. The
students know that when they try something that might not work it’s a chance to
learn something new that could be used in future artworks, even if it isn’t
necessarily successful in this piece. When someone adds something to the pile
we cheered at first as they gradually accepted the idea of embracing art
failures. And now I hear all over the classroom students discussing ideas for
how each can problem solve their way through an artwork, encouraging each other
to push through toward success, and when something truly doesn’t work
discussing how that technique or idea could work in a different art context. It’s
amazing! And the art that’s coming out of this is so much more creative and
daring than it had been in prior years. All in all I’d say that we are
succeeding at failing and I hope future semesters of kids embrace these ideas
as well as these groups have.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074638382395350297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-36813896728575682862013-10-24T04:43:00.000-07:002013-10-24T04:43:05.467-07:00Conference Season: What to do if you can't make it<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Amanda-R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Amanda-R.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #666666; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Artist Name: Amanda R</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every Fall I look forward to attending the <a href="http://www.miarted.org/" target="_blank">MAEA conference</a>. I know I will walk away feeling energized and full of ideas gleaned from sessions that are both relevant and will have great impact on my students in my classroom. Unfortunately, I am not able to attend this year's conference. If you are like me and staying home this weekend, here are three ways to plug into what is happening in Art Education even if you cannot always make it to the conference.<br />
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<ol>
<li><b><u>Check out Online Conferences.</u></b> With the use of Webcams, Screencasts, and Videos, there are several websites that are offering conference experiences for Visual Arts teachers who may not have the funds or flexibility to travel to their State or National Conferences. Websites like <a href="http://www.theartofed.com/" target="_blank">The Art of Education</a> (which is offering a <a href="http://www.theartofed.com/aoeconferencewinter2014/" target="_blank">Winter Conference</a> featuring a variety of sessions) and <a href="http://educationcloset.com/" target="_blank">The Education Closet</a> (which offers monthly <a href="http://educationcloset.com/master-class/" target="_blank">Master Classes</a> that are hosted by Arts teachers on various topics in Arts Education) are making it easier for teachers to catch up on Professional Development without having to leave their homes. A free conference that has resources from a variety of content areas that I have also presented for is the <a href="http://k12onlineconference.org/" target="_blank">K12 Online Conference</a>. Dating back to 2008, you can search through their videos and catch up on a variety of hot topics in education with several sessions created by Visual Arts teachers from all grade levels. Although this does not replace the time spent face to face with other Arts Educators from across the State, it does offer an alternative for those (like me) who are missing out this year. </li>
<li><b><u>Turn to Social Media.</u> </b>Even if I am not there, I can follow along with my colleagues and friends through their news feeds and capture bits and pieces to be inspired by through the magic of Twitter and Facebook. Although it might seem like you are being a secret stalker, take to your feeds during conference weekends and examine the pictures of demos, projects, and quotes that your friends are sharing. If something piques your interest, then favorite/like it and make note to ask more questions of your friend once they return from the conference. I have already gotten a lot of great ideas from friends in Indiana and New Jersey, whose Art Education Conferences were held earlier this month. Even though I was not there, I was able to share in some of the highlights through interacting with my attendee friends in our Social Media connections.</li>
<li><b><u>Plan for Next Year.</u></b> It may be too late to attend this year's conference, but it is a great time to start planning for next year. In 2014 the conference is going to be in Lansing. Don't wait until the last minute to decide to go; instead, use the year to start saving and planning and getting ready to learn and share next Fall. </li>
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If you are going to the conference, please share your resources below so that others can learn along with you, too! What makes for a great conference and what are some of your favorite MAEA moments of year's past?</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-6302634462156298542013-08-17T20:27:00.004-07:002013-08-17T20:30:46.509-07:00You're it! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MiqIDqkonh4/UhA4Kn4d6XI/AAAAAAAAAIM/k_pbR_rOOkY/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MiqIDqkonh4/UhA4Kn4d6XI/AAAAAAAAAIM/k_pbR_rOOkY/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Last May I had the opportunity to attend the <a href="http://tedxgrandrapids.org/2013-event/" target="_blank">TEDxGrandRapids</a> Livestream for Education event at Kentwood Fine Arts Auditorium. As we prepare for this school year, I wanted to take a moment and reflect on one particular speaker that has stuck with me throughout that day and over the summer.<br />
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The theme for this year's event was <a href="http://tedxgrandrapids.org/2013-event/" target="_blank">"Tag, you're it!"</a> That feeling was all around as we were encouraged to engage in conversation throughout the breaks in the day, participate activities like decorating lunch bags for the <a href="http://www.kidsfoodbasket.org/" target="_blank">Kids Food Basket,</a> or while listening to the speakers illustrate the power of being "it" for someone.<br />
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Although I took away great messages from all of the speakers who discussed ideas both big and small, it was Simone Ahuja's story of <a href="http://www.technomyte.com/indian-common-mans-innovation-mitticool-refrigerator-by-mansukh-prajapati.html" target="_blank">Mansukh Prajapati</a> that had the most impact on me.<br />
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Rather than write about it, I think it is best watched here:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UShwMKdhk90" width="560"></iframe>
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I am sure that there are moments within this that stuck out to you, too. As an art teacher, clay is a media we use for so many things. We use it to make decorative sculptures, molds, functional items... but not until I saw this story of how this material was "reframed" did I see what an impact it could have on a community and change their lives.<br />
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As I prepare for the start of school in the next few weeks, I am going to think about this story and how I can reframe my own situation to include innovative and creative solutions that help students find their potential and explore their ideas. I am going to share this story with my students and encourage them to embrace the moment they are tagged to be "it" for somebody.<br />
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What are you doing to prepare yourself for the upcoming school year? What pieces of motivation are you bringing with you to help foster learning in your classroom? How are you going to be "it" for your students this school year?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-38595335331234933382013-07-02T06:00:00.001-07:002013-07-02T06:00:49.875-07:00Summer PD<br />
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<img alt="MAEA Logo" border="0" height="119" hspace="5" name="13f9b6de99da6932_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.931" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs112/1101847021921/img/931.gif" vspace="5" width="183" /></div>
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<strong>MAEA SUMMER 2013 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS</strong></div>
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The Michigan Art Education Association in collaboration with Western Michigan University and Finlandia University invites all Michigan art educators to participate in the <strong><a href="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/file/UPLOADEDFORMS/SpringArTeacher2013-black-and-white.pdf" target="_blank">Summer 2013 Professional Development Workshops</a></strong>, recognized in 2009 as an NAEA Co-Sponsored Academy.<br />
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Running from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1716346726" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">August 4 - 9</span></span>, participants can select from seventeen 1, 2, and 3-day workshops with topics that range from studio practices to pedagogical innovations. In addition, we are honored to collaborate with the historic Pewabic Pottery in Detroit, location of a special workshop on once-fired ceramic techniques for the classroom.<br />
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Earn SCECHs or graduate credits, or come to simply renew the artist within and share ideas with art teachers from across the state. SCHECs will be awarded at three times the usual rate, so <strong>each 10 hour workshop will yield 30 SCECHs</strong> that can be applied to certification renewal or professional advancement.<br />
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<strong>For links to a detailed catalog of workshops, online registration, and lodging information please visit the MAEA homepage:<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001FGvxANwlCBXOylfJSxO9Hj0uRCfRpo9t4uLo2Q1xvtGIy06K_qmG3TT8oX1jo3so_PuLsDy02sUs2d6sePJk0RKXBBSepcADm3mz21cYyz-aBYZPERDjvA==" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">www.miarted.org</a>. For the best deal, take advantage of early-bird registration through <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1716346727" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">July 9</span></span>. </strong><br />
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For more information, please contact Bill at <a href="mailto:william.charland@wmich.edu" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">william.charland@wmich.edu</a>regarding workshops at Western Michigan University, or Melissa at<a href="mailto:m_hronkin@hotmail.com" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">m_hronkin@hotmail.com</a> regarding workshops at Finlandia University.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-86587282282818700392013-06-23T20:27:00.000-07:002013-06-23T20:33:16.762-07:00Make an Impact<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Gabrella-R-3rd-Grade-Screaming-Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Gabrella-R-3rd-Grade-Screaming-Face.jpg" height="400" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.miarted.org/Gallery_tour_Details.asp?page=7&portid=2013%20TOP%2015%20STATE%20ELEMENTARY%20SHOW" target="_blank">MAEA 2013 Elementary Top 15: Gabriella R.<br />Washington Elementary</a></span></span></td></tr>
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In many cases Art is the first on the chopping block when school budgets are tight; it can be easy to fall into the trap of anger over the cuts like the ones that were made in <a href="http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2013/03/lansing_school_district_to_rep.html" target="_blank">Lansing Public Schools</a>. For many kids, Art is their time to shine and express the things they cannot in any other way. Art is the place where students can apply the learning that happens in other classes and give their learning meaning. And it is not enough to just get a class called Art - Arts-specific teachers are necessary to the development and implementation of Arts instruction that fosters the creativity and development of the whole child. When decisions are made that undermine this, it can be both frustrating and disappointing.<br />
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Instead of getting into the same arguments about this, I am going to propose something else. Get involved with the public review of two major Arts education documents that speak to the power of the Arts and give clear pathways to achieving quality programs. </div>
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1. Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment Blueprint Public Review: </div>
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This Blueprint outlines the Gold Standard in programming for <a href="http://mi-arts.wikispaces.com/Blueprint+Review" target="_blank">Music, Dance, Theatre, and Visual Arts</a>. The document is open for public review until <b>June 30</b> and you can help shape this document into its best possible vision for the future of Arts education by filling out the <a href="https://s.zoomerang.com/s/MAEIA_Blueprint_Survey_Public_Review" target="_blank">survey</a> with your ideas and input to make it better. </div>
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2. National Coalition for Common Arts Standards Public Review: </div>
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The public review for the NCCAS work will be available on <b>June 30th</b> <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/NCCAS+June+30th+Public+Review" target="_blank">here</a>. You can read an overview of the framework for developing the new standards <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/file/view/FRAMEWORK%20FINAL1-13-13.pdf/398083540/FRAMEWORK%20FINAL1-13-13.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. To get started thinking about the new standards, you can view many informative resources including this <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/file/view/Framework%20Matrix%20June14.13Final.pdf/438719476/Framework%20Matrix%20June14.13Final.pdf" target="_blank">Matrix that outlines the Conceptual Framework for Arts Learning</a>.<br />
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One way to move forward and build stronger programs is to chart new pathways to get there. How do you think these documents will help Arts programs moving forward?</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-77045062625649765282013-03-14T11:36:00.000-07:002013-03-14T11:36:20.481-07:00One thing... NAEA 2013I have never been to a National Art Education Association Conference. Now that I have, I can completely understand why people go back year after year, saving up their dollars to try and make it happen. It was a great experience with wonderful presenters, sessions, and workshops and time to speak and learn with teachers from across the country.<br />
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Although there is plenty to share from the conference, I am still trying to process through it all. So, instead of giving every last detail I am going to select an image and share the big idea from the presenter/workshop/session. I hope to have time to delve a little deeper into some of the themes I am going to share, but I think this is a good starting point:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axHYHAORNiE/UUIE452I-sI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Xhr5H9i1w3w/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-axHYHAORNiE/UUIE452I-sI/AAAAAAAAAFY/Xhr5H9i1w3w/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Craig Roland, Ian Sands, Tricia Fuglestad, and Elizabeth Delacruz presented on being a part of a PLN (Professional Learning Network) through the use of online tools.</span><span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: Being Connected allows you the chance to share and learn from anyone at anytime and grow professionally. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VJaP6YRoC0/UUIE4xaKtcI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Zhy7W3YPz7Q/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VJaP6YRoC0/UUIE4xaKtcI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Zhy7W3YPz7Q/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the many stations in the Vendor Hall.</span><span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: There were lots of chances to try out new and interesting materials - Apparently they make such a thing as watercolor crayons! </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N9p8dsVoPKs/UUIE5fCLqoI/AAAAAAAAAFs/vPQ0TLefDys/s1600/IMG_0642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N9p8dsVoPKs/UUIE5fCLqoI/AAAAAAAAAFs/vPQ0TLefDys/s1600/IMG_0642.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teachers sharing about the Heart Houses/Haiti Houses projects.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: It is important to connect with teachers from around the country to see how they work with similar or different ideas, materials, and teaching situations. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-loK6HHeau_w/UUIE52psKUI/AAAAAAAAAFw/JUpd7mtuWsw/s1600/IMG_0648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-loK6HHeau_w/UUIE52psKUI/AAAAAAAAAFw/JUpd7mtuWsw/s1600/IMG_0648.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ian Sands and Robert Sandagata's presentation on New Weird Ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: Failure and risk-taking are a part of being creative and making art; do not be afraid to allow your students this opportunity in the pursuit of making something new.</span><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/61438233" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/61438233">Transfer Printmaking</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Learning about monoprinting with Julia Healy.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Big Take-away: Interesting process to create portraits and investigate people's histories within a community.</div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gt7s0Y_1fA/UUIE5gg_EEI/AAAAAAAAAF0/AS0h0hQvyqo/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gt7s0Y_1fA/UUIE5gg_EEI/AAAAAAAAAF0/AS0h0hQvyqo/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jesus Moroles speaks about his work as a sculptor.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: People don't know what they want; it is the job of the artist to show them.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3zlsurIe_g/UUIE6NV7KQI/AAAAAAAAAF8/30Gk4Ie7aw0/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3zlsurIe_g/UUIE6NV7KQI/AAAAAAAAAF8/30Gk4Ie7aw0/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Discussion with Wayne White, artist featured in the documentary "Beauty is Embarrassing".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: Art should flow between media - a sculpture is a drawing, a drawing is a painting, a painting is a puppet, a puppet is a performance - and it is all connected to experiences. </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvVSC0YGFmI/UUIE6aTM5FI/AAAAAAAAAGE/ijJylpC90W8/s1600/IMG_0721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvVSC0YGFmI/UUIE6aTM5FI/AAAAAAAAAGE/ijJylpC90W8/s1600/IMG_0721.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Michael Reyes with his High School Art Teacher who entered his work that received a National Scholastic Award.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: Art teachers have the power to change people's lives and help them realize the power they have within. </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fuXo9ir7k3E/UUIE6hmXTXI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vD1IevILqO0/s1600/IMG_0722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fuXo9ir7k3E/UUIE6hmXTXI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/vD1IevILqO0/s1600/IMG_0722.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brandon Foy spoke about how his National Gold medal from Scholastic changed his life and prepared him for his future as an artist and creative.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: Don't be afraid to work hard and put yourself out there; his viral YouTube video landed him a job with Microsoft in his early 20s.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slgCvZ-o3mQ/UUIE6YUz2gI/AAAAAAAAAGI/kptmhH2DuAY/s1600/IMG_0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slgCvZ-o3mQ/UUIE6YUz2gI/AAAAAAAAAGI/kptmhH2DuAY/s1600/IMG_0711.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">New Leadership team for the NAEA</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Big Take-away: There are a lot of exciting things to look forward with NAEA - including the next conference in San Diego, 2014!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you have a favorite moment from the 2013 conference, please share below with a link to images/posts/resources. What did you think of the event? What were some of the things you learned and how will they help you back in your classroom?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-74923748205444829842013-02-19T07:10:00.001-08:002013-02-19T12:13:46.430-08:00Flipping Art EducationFlipped instruction is something that has been gaining interest in my district for the last couple of years. <a href="http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/">Flipped instruction</a> is when you use a combination of online and face-to-face interaction to deliver content. There is a variety of methods to this and rather than re-explain, you can see them <a href="http://www.innosightinstitute.org/media-room/publications/blended-learning/blended-learning-model-definitions/">here</a>. <br />
<br />
One question that comes into play when thinking about Art Education, is how can you flip it? Or maybe better: Why would you want to? Art class is so hands-on, what really can flipping instruction do to benefit instruction in an art room. Here are 3 ways to Flip Art Education:<br />
<br />
1. Sub plans: Nothing is worse than trying to prepare Art sub plans. More likely than not, the person coming in to take over has little to no experience using Art materials and the students are probably going to have a hard time figuring out what to do without your guidance. A couple of ways to combat this through the Flip model is <a href="http://janinecampbell.weebly.com/1/post/2013/02/rethinking-subplans.html" target="_blank">recording a video of yourself explaining what needs to happen for the Sub to show students</a> (or if the kids have access to computers, they can watch it at their own pace). That way they can see what you want them to do and the expectation is more clear than a sub trying to decipher your notes. I also tell students to email me when I am out if they hit a snag in a project and I try to talk them through it via email. It makes the students feel in control and me at ease when I am not there.<br />
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2. Snow Days: Today was the 5th one in my district. I am not complaining, but it does mean that I have lost a week's worth of instructional time with students. Instead of completely giving up on a lesson or presentation that you were planning to give on a Snow Day, you could create a video recording of it and email it to parents/students to view before returning to class the next day. I try to keep videos like this to ten minutes or less. It never takes the place of me being there in class and not all students will take the time to view it, but it does offer students the opportunity to get prepared for when we return to class the next day. Those students who do view can then take the lead in explaining the process and help others get on track with what we are doing.<br />
<br />
3. Differentiate Pacing: What do you do with the student who is always ready to move onto the next assignment? What about students who are gone on vacation or sick? One thing you could offer is the resources for the assignment online. I house all of my projects on our Moodle page and students can check out what we are going to to do next when finishing their current projects. Sometimes I will make videos available that showcase an artist or go through a presentation I or other students have prepared. This allows students to move ahead when they are ready or get caught up if they are behind.<br />
<br />
Imagine less time lecturing or presenting about Artists in class and more time for making Art. What might happen when students share their learning with parents by watching those presentations at home? Think of the potential this type of model offers the Art classroom when it is employed effectively. There are many tools you can use to create screen castings or videos. Two I frequent are <a href="http://www.techsmith.com/" target="_blank">Camtasia Relay by TechSmith</a> and Quicktime on the Mac.<br />
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If you are interested in learning more about this type of instructional model and would like a chance to talk technology with other forward-thinking teachers, check out the upcoming <a href="https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Register/ECReg.asp?ievent=1058124&en=rwJYJ7MULcKQLdMZKeIRLcMYIrL2J8NVKpL0KaOWJqL9JkPVJjI0LdOZKnIYJiMeE" target="_blank">PD at the GRAM</a> this Saturday - it is only $5 for MAEA members. If you have used this type of instruction in your classroom, what are some tips or tricks you can offer others? If you have not, do you think you will? What are some potential issues that you see from using this strategy?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-78750486234506718792013-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:002013-01-11T10:32:23.182-08:00Transforming MindsHappy New Year! Even though I say I am not going to, it seems like every year I get sucked into some type of resolution. I start out with good intentions and usually somewhere around March realize I had gotten off track.<br />
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A couple of years ago, I started my <a href="http://www.bcwmsart.weebly.com/" target="_blank">class blog </a> as a New Year's goal. It has been my most successful New Year's venture to date. I find the documenting of student growth and work to be a great reflective tool for myself and something my students enjoy as well. That is why I was excited to spend my first Saturday of the year with Art teachers in Oakland Schools, talking about technology, assessment, and how they can work together in the Visual Arts classroom to meet a variety of needs.<br />
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Claudia Burns also presented at the Transforming Minds conference on the topic of assessment. Her helpful resources will soon be available on the <a href="http://www.miarted.org/" target="_blank">MAEA website</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_3ALG6CAAAwp7b.jpg:large" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_3ALG6CAAAwp7b.jpg:large" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claudia Burns presented at the January 5th conference in Oakland on the topic of Assessment.</td></tr>
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As we move into 2013, the topic of assessment is going to be more and more prevalent. We have to figure out how we are going to document student growth that will be put towards our evaluations. Claudia has really helped get the conversation going, by providing examples of assessment tools and sample assessments that could be used in the classroom. I hope to add to the conversation by providing examples of how the use of technology can aide in our effort with documenting student growth through my collaboration on this blog and <a href="http://www.janinecampbell.weebly.com/">others.</a><br />
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In addition to blogging, I also document the efforts in my classroom through <a href="http://www.artsonia.com/">Artsonia</a>. This online gallery offers teachers a place to house digital images of student work over the course of their schooling career. Imagine being able to have students go back after years and reflect on their progress in various aspects of art making. I also use Google Forms and Moodle to create tests that help me quickly assess student knowledge, without having to spend time manually grading them. If you are interested in learning about any of these tools, you can find me at the <a href="http://events.michigan.com/byron_center_mi/events/show/291378847-michigan-flipteaching-conference-2013">January 19th Flip Teaching Conference at Byron Center High School</a>. The event is free and lunch is provided - what more can I say!<br />
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If you are interested in helping shape the future of Assessments in the Arts in Michigan, you can apply to participate in the <a href="http://mi-arts.wikispaces.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Michigan's Model Arts Education Instruction and Assessment Project</a>. The deadline for application is January 21st.<br />
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What are some ways you are using assessment to document student growth. What are some tools available that help you show student growth?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-58554485663930973882012-12-03T19:53:00.000-08:002012-12-04T07:52:52.522-08:00Documenting with iPadsMy school recently passed a bond, which has allowed major technology upgrades to our classrooms. As a part of the equipment brought into the classroom, teachers were given iPads and taught basic methods of using them to deliver content and create resources for the classroom. I had been wanting an iPad for quite a while; there are so many <a href="http://ipadsinart.weebly.com/" target="_blank">great teachers</a> who implement their use in the Art classroom and I wanted to do the same.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, since obtaining the device my creation of "art" has not been as frequent as I would like - since I do not have a class set to use with students, I have not done as much with production other than using it to take pictures and video and make presentations for class. Although my digital paintings have been sparse, the impact that simply documenting work with the iPad has made a tremendous difference in my ability to reflect on what I teach and how students work daily.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/MVC-010F08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/MVC-010F08.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Artists Name: </span><b style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Katie M.</b><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">School: </span><b style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Grand Ledge HS</b></span></td></tr>
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I recently spoke with a colleague who had been evaluated and mentioned how they wished the administrator could have been there longer or at a different time. We have all been there. I know I have. That feeling got me thinking about how I can use the iPad within the teacher evaluation system to show more than just a snapshot of what happens within my classroom. Instead of just looking at a short period of time when the administrator was able to come in and observe, by taping various projects or segments of learning, I can start offering a more complete and better representation of what happens in the classroom. When using this in during the review of a classroom observation, it can reveal different experiences that occur and help give a more complete picture of what it is you do as a teacher.<br />
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I think that is why I appreciate blogging so much as a part of my daily practice. It offers me a chance to give a complete picture of what happens in my classroom and hopefully allows others a chance to understand what it means to be an art student in my school. I also get a chance to reflect on what worked and what didn't, which impacts what and how I teach in the future.<br />
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How do you use iPads in your classroom? Do you document learning activities through blogs of videos and have you used that to impact your evaluation? I am interested in hearing from others on this topic as it is something I am just starting to explore. I look forward to your comments and learning more about how you approach the documentation of learning in your own classroom.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-56167983354917827322012-11-18T18:09:00.000-08:002012-11-18T18:18:59.976-08:00Chance Favors the Connected Mind<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It’s been three weeks now
since I came home from the conference weekend in Traverse City. So much has
happened since then: the elections, the quarter ended, grades had to be
completed, new lessons begun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On Friday, Jan Cramer from
Battle Creek posted on Facebook: “<span style="color: #333333;">Tests and
projects graded, 50 Kindergarten empty bowls drying, student holiday art/cards
matted and framed, PLC meeting agenda copied, kiln loaded and firing, materials
ready to go for Mon. and Tues....this is how I spent my Friday night.” We can
all relate to her post, can’t we?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">Amidst all the
complexities of life I crave and cherish tranquil moments—moments that I allow
myself for creative reflection. Recently I came across this video by Steven
Johnson, considering “Where Good Ideas Come From”, also the title of his recent
book.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NugRZGDbPFU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">We can look at Facebook or
Twitter or Pinterest or texting or any other form of communication as a
distraction, another complexity but then again we can consider them <i>connectivity</i></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;">, which is what the 21<sup>st</sup> century is all
about, isn’t it?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">One of my biggest
challenges in my role as MAEA High School Division Co-chair is that very
notion: other than at the conference how <i>do</i></span><span style="font-family: ArialMT;"> we connect? I see this blog as a tiny possibility
that could grow into something far more than it is now. Jeanine has set the
blog up so that we have tabs for each level: HS, MS, El. And now: Assessment.
Lots of teachers are concerned about this area. So let’s talk about it! Let’s
take advantage of this way of connecting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">And if you have an idea, a
hunch, bring it up, and maybe someone else will have a hunch and maybe those
hunches will collide, mingle and create new forms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">So here’s the plan: I will
set up a schedule for high school teachers to start the ball rolling. I already
have ten of you interested in writing for the blog on occasion. I’ll e-mail you
and set up a schedule. It can be an interview, a lesson idea, a student success
story, or simply a creative idea that you want to talk about. Let us know if
you want to join the party, if you want to write, e-mail me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">If you are an elementary
or middle school teacher we have a tab for you, too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">But what I’d really like
to see is dialogue after the authors post an article.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: ArialMT;">Voice an opinion, an
affirmation, start a disagreement, share an example or tell a story. We’d love
to hear your voice! Claudia: <a href="mailto:burnsc@aaps.k12.mi.us">burnsc@aaps.k12.mi.us</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-67016761925265852752012-11-07T11:13:00.000-08:002012-11-07T11:13:42.853-08:00What did you Learn?It has been a couple of weeks since the MAEA Fall 2012 Conference, and I am still sorting through bags of handouts, sample materials, and pictures that are filled with great ideas and classroom inspiration. This conference had it all - great views of Traverse City, awesome sessions with expert teachers, and loads of ideas to take back and implement into the classroom. Here are a couple of take-aways that will be helping me through this year:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fbpJfvhIYjg/UJqxxaG2gJI/AAAAAAAAAEs/ENei3ALCXkQ/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fbpJfvhIYjg/UJqxxaG2gJI/AAAAAAAAAEs/ENei3ALCXkQ/s1600/IMG_0337.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
1. Assessment: Claudia Burns had a great Thursday night session on Assessment where teachers were able to share how they are working with the new evaluation requirement to show student growth. Teachers gave examples of how the implement both formative and summative assessment tools as well as the resources they use to help with pre and post testing. You will notice a new tab on our blog labeled "Assessment" - Claudia will be putting resource materials on there to help you get started or advance your understanding of how this works in an art classroom.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FF7gss5UUX4/UJqx823z_qI/AAAAAAAAAE0/_oBdSNer3Cs/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FF7gss5UUX4/UJqx823z_qI/AAAAAAAAAE0/_oBdSNer3Cs/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
2. Creativity: There were several sessions that had creativity at the heart of it. Adam VanHouten, September Buys, and Cindy Todd gave presentations dealing with aspects of creativity in the classroom. I enjoyed learning about various methods of instruction to help foster innovative thinking. Both Adam and September used www.prezi.com to create interactive presentations on how they apply this in their classrooms.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BVvOpOPaIA/UJqyJWEpn7I/AAAAAAAAAE8/F4M74p-HrWQ/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2BVvOpOPaIA/UJqyJWEpn7I/AAAAAAAAAE8/F4M74p-HrWQ/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
3. Workshops: The amount of hands-on opportunities this conference did not disappoint. Sharon Stratton gave an awesome workshop that not only gave great resources for using unusual materials like tar paper, bleach, and soap to make awesome works of art, but also included pop-rocks in her presentation (which was a sweet surprise). The vendors also did not disappoint with their samples and make-and-takes which helps when deciding if you want to purchase products on display.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--PBapj5jmuk/UJqyKj0xFzI/AAAAAAAAAFE/WG3Ngd8o5J8/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--PBapj5jmuk/UJqyKj0xFzI/AAAAAAAAAFE/WG3Ngd8o5J8/s1600/IMG_0361.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
4. Data: One of the best moments was the presentation by Dr. Root-Bernstein. His keynote on the link between the Arts and everything else put hard facts and figures to something we always have felt to be true: that when you invest in the Arts, you are investing in all other aspects of learning. It was a great talk and I look forward to reading his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sparks-Genius-Thirteen-Thinking-Creative/dp/0395907713" target="_blank">book</a> that goes into the topic further.<br />
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<br />
Overall, this was a great conference to attend. It was full of information and moments to connect with others. Conferences like these are important for our profession. What was your favorite part of MAEA 2012? Please share links, pictures, and information below so we can archive the highlights of this year's conference.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-42052769979986512492012-10-25T07:14:00.000-07:002012-10-25T07:14:58.116-07:00Ready to Go!Today is the start of the annual MAEA Conference and I am so excited! It is a great time to connect with other teachers from around the state and share information on what works best in Art Education. It is a time where I learn so much from my peers and receive the valuable resources that allow my classroom to thrive and grow.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Johnson.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Artists Name: </span><b style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Samantha J.</b><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">School: </span><b style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Heritage HS</b></span></td></tr>
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<div>
If you are attending MAEA this weekend, here are some tips that I have found helpful when attending any conference: </div>
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<div>
1. Have a plan: Go through the Conference booklet <a href="http://www.miarted.org/" target="_blank">(available online)</a> to help plan out what you want to attend and when they are taking place. Also have a back-up plan in case your first choice fills up too quickly. With the new mobile feature on the MAEA site, you can easily do this through your smartphone or tablet.</div>
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2. Ask questions: If you attend a session and you want to know more about something that was said by the presenter, make sure to ask. As a presenter, I want to make sure my presentation is relevant and helpful to the audience. If there is something that you want to know more about, just ask. </div>
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3. Check out the Vendors: I think my favorite part is checking out the booths from the great Vendors that come to MAEA. Not only do you end up with bags full of samples, but there are opportunities to participate in "Make and Takes" and talk with knowledgable spokespeople from the companies represented. If you have questions about purchasing supplies, new equipment, or other resources, this is a great time to connect and research through first hand experience. </div>
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4. Student Work: Make sure to take the time and check out the great student work on display. I am always amazed at the talent and creativity each year during our conference. It is also a great time to get ideas from other teachers by seeing how they taught a lesson so you can adapt it in your own classroom. </div>
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5. Tweet it out: Please use the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MAEA12&src=typd" target="_blank">#MAEA12</a> to tweet any important ideas or information you gained from this conference. This allows ideas to be shared from a variety of sessions - it will be like you can experience being in more places at once! When the conference is complete, I will post the resource here so that we can all enjoy the conference over and over again! </div>
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I hope you have the best experience this weekend at the conference. If you are unable to attend, follow #MAEA12 to get updates on the new lessons learned throughout this weekend of learning and sharing in Art Education.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-78559269182891710922012-09-30T09:09:00.001-07:002012-09-30T09:09:35.169-07:00Partnering with Parents<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fm7VZgXCLTE/UGht20TnOsI/AAAAAAAAAEc/exnwPiOtc3o/s1600/DSCN8697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fm7VZgXCLTE/UGht20TnOsI/AAAAAAAAAEc/exnwPiOtc3o/s320/DSCN8697.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 State Adjudication: Laura B.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we get into the grove of another school year, there are all kinds of demands that come along with the job. From organizing student work and supplies to participating in displays, shows, and competitions, there is a lot of work beyond teaching to do as the school year gets into full swing. One thing that I always find challenging during this time is figuring out how to engage parents into helping with these extra events. As an Art teacher, especially in the elementary level, you may have well over 500 students to keep track of throughout the year. It can be difficult at times to juggle rotating displays, depleting supplies, and mountains of papers that result.<br />
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Instead of bearing the burden on your own, here are a couple of ideas on how to enlist parents to help along the school year: <br />
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<strong>1. Just Ask</strong>. Parents are interested in what happens in their child's school and there are many who would love to spend a day in the Art room helping organize materials, displays, or assisting with students. To make this a successful experience, make sure you have a specific idea of what that parent will be doing when they come into your classroom as well as communicate those ideas beforehand to make sure you are both on the same page. <br />
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<strong>2. Communicate your needs in multiple ways</strong>. Email is just one way to communicate with parents about activities that are happening in the classroom. You can also start a blog, create a twitter account, or a facebook page to help keep parents connected (make sure you comply with your school's technology policy first). If you participate in <a href="http://www.artsonia.com/" target="_blank">Artsonia</a>, you can use their newsletter feature to be emailed to parents and then embed the form in your blog or website. <br />
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<strong>3. Take a poll.</strong> Google forms allows you to create a survey to share and gather information from others. I recently created a <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/bcpsk12.net/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFAtalhORlg0cTFJV1haWWthWm1LRlE6MQ#gid=0" target="_blank">survey for parents</a> to see how they feel about how the school year is going so far. The form automatically calculates the data and shows it to you in graphs or charts. This allows for parents to share their ideas and for you to get quick and honest feedback. <br />
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Do you have a great way for getting parents involved in your classroom? Please share your ideas below and help make this school year one filled with positive involvement! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-55188596548676599892012-08-15T18:12:00.000-07:002012-08-15T18:14:00.658-07:00Mattawan Tech Camp 2012<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Mourand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Mourand.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif;">Artists Name: <b>Christine M.</b><br />
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School: <b>Northview HS</b></span></td></tr>
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From Video Game Design, to management tools like <a href="http://www.classdojo.com/" target="_blank">Class Dojo</a>, and an endless amount of Free resources for consuming and creating content - the <a href="https://wiki.mattawanschools.org/groups/techcamp12/" target="_blank">Mattawan Tech Camp </a>offered a little bit of everything for the teacher looking to add digital tools to their curriculum. <br />
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The event kicked off with a lively and thought-provoking Keynote from <a href="https://twitter.com/rushtonh" target="_blank">Rushton Hurley</a>, whose presentation title included the words "Kicking Posterior." As an advocate for the power of digital tools in the classroom, Rushton shared his passion with the crowd and offered the impact we can have in our classroom if we allow students the chance to create and share content through the <a href="http://www.nextvista.org/" target="_blank">video production. </a><br />
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He continued this discussion in his sessions by offering us a load of free resources as well as things to think about. One thing I learned involved the search function in Google. Maybe you already knew this, but I hadn't ever seen the advanced search option in Google - did you know you can search for specific file types? He had us search for PowerPoint presentations using this method. If we can do this, so can our students. This got a lot of us re-thinking the presentation tool and how we can use it as a way for students to see what other students have created and synthesize it into something of their own, like a video or even use what they find to write a critique or summary of the presentations.<br />
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I also appreciated the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rushtonsresources/" target="_blank">resources</a> page filled with tools that I was seeing for the first time. One such tool is called <a href="http://www.psykopaint.com/" target="_blank">Psykopaint</a>. In this cloud-based program, you can upload pictures and then select artist styles ranging from Seurat to Van Gogh (and more) to paint your picture. You really have to check it out to see what I mean. <br />
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I had the opportunity to present at this conference, too. I discussed how I have used Video Game Design in the classroom. Sometimes as an Art teacher, I get a little narrow in my definition in what I should be teaching; Art History, drawing, painting, sculpture, and ceramics are key, but I have opened up to the idea that animation, video, digital arts, and video game design are also important aspects in Visual Arts education. You can check out the <a href="https://wiki.mattawanschools.org/groups/techcamp12/wiki/fd37e/Game_On.html" target="_blank">Video Game Design page</a> I created for the conference filled with links to important sites about how this skill can effect student achievement as well as how students can make them and various competitions students can enter. The <a href="http://www,artandwriting.org/" target="_blank">Scholastic Art and Writing Awards</a> will begin to accept games starting in September, so consider this as you start planning your curriculum. And if you don't know how to program or design a game, it is okay - you can still create a space that facilitates that learning for your students. I know that is the case in my classroom, at least.<br />
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Have you learned something at a Edu Camp this summer? Please share any new skills, tips or tricks below.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-30985112871368243862012-08-06T10:48:00.000-07:002012-08-06T10:48:38.396-07:00Gearing up for Another Year<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Vitale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/Vitale.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif;">Artists Name: <b>Samantha V.</b><br />
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School: <b>Lakeview HS</b></span></td></tr>
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In about a month, our classrooms will be filled with kids ready to dive into projects and materials. If you are anything like me, then you have been thinking about that for quite a bit of the summer and maybe have already had a few of those pre-school nightmares (you know the one where you end up with a class full of students revolting against your lesson or you run out of a needed material and no back-up plan).<br />
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Here are a few things that ease my stress when thinking about the new year:<br />
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1. Seating Charts - It is a simple thing that always does the trick for me when it comes to easing my stress over the start a new year. If you haven't checked out <a href="http://www.theartofed.com/" target="_blank">The Art of Education</a> yet, you really should. In a recent post about <a href="http://www.theartofed.com/2012/08/06/have-a-seat-5-tips-for-managing-your-seating-charts/" target="_blank">seating charts</a>, there are a list of great ideas for creating and organizing them. To add to their ideas, I would also include using sticky notes for student names on the charts (as shown<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/campbellartsoup/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2F2plnacvd" target="_blank"> here</a>). This allows you to only have to write it once and simply pull it off the paper and re-stick it to a new location when changing seats. I always have my seating charts done before the first day and greet students at my door to introduce myself and tell them where their seats are located. If there is an issue with a seating arrangement, I can quickly pull the sticky note with the student's name and easily place it on a new spot on the chart.<br />
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2. <a href="http://www.artsonia.com/" target="_blank">Artsonia</a> - I have been using this free online resource since 2007. I always try to get my classes organized before the new year with their rosters function and the fact that they allow kids to "graduate" into the next grade, makes that super simple. In addition to serving as a way for my students to share their work with the world, Artsonia does so much for helping raise funds for my classroom, supply ideas and tools for lesson planning, and documenting student growth. With the expectation of documenting student growth as a link to teacher evaluations, there's a lot of questions about how to do that in an art classroom. With Artsonia, documentation of growth is more manageable through the evidence of student artwork and accompanying artist statements. Artsonia has also added a lot of new features this year, as explained by Suzanne Tiedemann <a href="http://baart.weebly.com/1/post/2012/08/artsonias-new-features.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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3. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a> - So, this is a new one that I am adding to my back-to-school regimen this year. I have been using this resource since <a href="https://twitter.com/fuglefun/" target="_blank">Tricia Fuglestad</a> urged me into it and I am so glad she did. I have been able to connect to teachers and artists from around the world that have enhanced my growth as a teacher. If you are on the fence about it, just check it out and see for yourself. Here is a post about how twitter is revolutionizing the concept of <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/03/twitter-and-facebook-migh_n_1737333.html" target="_blank">Professional Development</a> and one specifically about how it works in <a href="http://www.theartofed.com/2012/08/03/the-art-teachers-guide-to-twitter/" target="_blank">#artsed</a>. <br />
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What are some key things that help you get prepared for school and out of the pre-school jitters? What is a tool or trick that you cannot live without? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-86022006429173584802012-07-26T10:39:00.000-07:002012-07-26T10:39:43.327-07:00Getting to the Core of Arts StandardsAs the summer winds down and another school year starts, many of us are looking for new and engaging lessons that both capture our students' attentions as well as teach them valuable skills that they will use to grow as an artist and person. When I am developing lessons, I use many factors to determine artist, material, and subject being covered. I consider what is being taught in other content areas as discussed in this past <a href="http://www.miarted.blogspot.com/2012/04/connecting-classrooms.html" target="_blank">post</a>, I also consider the student population and what they are interested in learning through the use of Google Forms discussed in this past<a href="http://www.miarted.blogspot.com/2012/06/flipping-assessment.html" target="_blank"> post</a>, and I pour over the Michigan Content Standards and Benchmarks that can be found <a href="http://www.michigan.gov/documents/ARTS_Standards_11402_7.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Just as all subject areas are moving from various State level Standards and Benchmarks to the <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/" target="_blank">Common Core</a>, the Arts are also being revamped through the <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">National Coalition for Core Arts Standards.</a> This group consists of teachers from various Arts disciplines who are working together to create "the Next Generation Arts Standards." In addition to including videos and documenting the progression of their work, the group is also looking for contributors to add to the discussion. You can find more information about this on their <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/" target="_blank">wiki</a> as well as see that Michigan is being well represented in the Visual Arts group by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1508853404" target="_blank">2012 NAEA Middle Level Teacher of the Year, September Buys</a><a href="http://thedailynews.cc/2012/02/07/greenville-art-teacher-september-buys-selected-to-serve-on-visual-arts-writing-team/" target="_blank">.</a><br />
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Some pieces of information I found particularly helpful when looking through their site was the draft for the <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/file/view/Draft+Overarching+Framework+Skeleton-C.pdf" target="_blank">Overarching Framework</a> as well as the <a href="http://nccas.wikispaces.com/file/view/State%20and%20media%20arts%20standards%20-%20FINAL%20-%202.1.2012.pdf" target="_blank">Review of State Arts Standards</a>. I highly recommend giving them a look if you are as interested in developing curriculum using outcomes as a guide via <a href="http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Backwards_design" target="_blank">backwards design</a>.<br />
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Even with these guides, the possibilities are endless as far as what and how we teach Visual Arts. It is hard to know what is the right way because there are so many different ways to do it. What are some things that you use to help guide you through the development of lessons? What lesson do you do each year that you feel is able to hit all of the marks both with content and artistry? If you have any helpful suggestions on how to create and execute lesson plans, please share below. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-58621454744656686192012-07-09T05:08:00.000-07:002012-07-09T05:08:43.843-07:00Lifelong Learning<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/S.-Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/S.-Lee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Geneva,Arial,SunSans-Regular,sans-serif;">Artists Name: <b>Stella Lee</b><br />
School: <b>Northview High School</b></span></td></tr>
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I recently engaged in a relatively short discussion with <a href="https://twitter.com/wmchamberlain" target="_blank">@wmchamberlain</a> (one of many teachers I follow on twitter) about lifelong learning. The discussion started with a question he posed asking what people were learning over the summer and I responded by describing that I have spent the summer teaching myself how to sew (with the immense help of both youtube and books ordered from Amazon). He shared that he was experimenting with art making. I pointed to a <a href="http://ipadsinart.weebly.com/" target="_blank">website</a> that I thought might help in his journey and he gave me some encouragement, too.<br />
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Even though the "conversation" lasted a few lines back and forth, it has got me thinking about the concept of lifelong learning and how we engage students in this. It also got me thinking about how I engage in my own learning and what motivates me to want to learn new things.<br />
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I have always had an interest in how things are made. It is one of the reasons I wanted to be an artist and it is also why I wanted to be an art teacher - I also enjoy teaching others how to make things. I have had a sewing machine since 2006, but did not start using it until about a year ago. Why did I not learn to sew earlier? It might be because inheriting the machine was the result of my mother-in-law's passing, it might be because I didn't want to pay for a class when I had other bills and monetary concerns to think about, but it was probably because I wasn't ready to learn how to do it yet.<br />
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You can lead a horse to water, right? Anyway, whatever the reason is for me not wanting to learn how to sew then doesn't matter now because I am engaged and interested and as a result have not only created things that I am proud of but have been able to share those creations with others.<br />
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As I reflected on my own process of learning (and the fact that a lot of it involved failure, frustration, retrying things, research on the internet, and some help from experienced experts), it got me thinking about my classroom and how I can infuse this experience there. If I want my students to experience learning the way I did then I need to create an environment where experimentation, investigation, and following interests are important. If I want students to be engaged, then I need to be open to the fact that they are all in different points in their learning careers and even though I may lead them to water, it is up to them to figure out when they are ready to drink... I also have to give myself a break (and my students, too) when they are not and realize that just because something doesn't work out once doesn't mean they (or I) should never try it again. The most important thing I will bring to my classroom from this experience is my story. I will share with my students how I learned to sew and how I taught myself by doing research, failing, taking risks, and finally achieving my goal. <br />
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There is a great lifelong learning opportunity coming up August 5-10 through the <a href="http://miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/file/uploadedforms/SummerPd2012-2.pdf" target="_blank">MAEA Summer Professional Development Institute</a>. Today is the early registration deadline and if you have been putting off learning something because you weren't ready yet, hopefully you will take this opportunity to learn in a community of experts that will guide and encourage you along the way. <br />
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If you have a learning story from this summer, or have taken a workshop in previous Summer PDI's please share your story below.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-66593914858107554332012-07-02T07:42:00.001-07:002012-07-02T08:58:01.666-07:00Getting HiredI have been very lucky in my educational career. When I graduated from college in 2004, I was able to secure a job by the end of May. When I needed to make a change because we were moving across the State, I was able to find employment well before school started. And even though I was pink-slipped three times in the course of a year, I was called back each time.<br />
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Everyone who has been hired has a different story for how it happened and having been on several interview teams, I have seen the inter-workings of what goes on when potential teachers are being vetted. I am not guaranteeing that these tips will get you a job, but here are some things that helped me get mine and what I look for when we hire teachers to be a part of our team.<br />
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1. <b>Make contact with a mini-folio</b>. A mini-folio is a short version of your larger educational portfolio that has copies of your cover letter, resume, certification, transcript, samples of student work, samples of your personal work, and letters of recommendation. This is the highlight reel of everything you have done in under 15 pages (my larger portfolio has well over 60). Most schools post that they only want you to fill out the online application, but from my experience, if you want to stand out against the horde of online resumes, put on a suit and personally deliver the mini-folio to the specific school where you want to teach. I did this for every job I have ever applied for and once received a call for an interview within 15 minutes of handing it off to the secretary.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/ComstcokPark_StoneyCreek_DianaGuevara_AW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.miarted.org/data/masterdata/uploadedfiles/image/UPLOADEDIMAGES/studentart/ComstcokPark_StoneyCreek_DianaGuevara_AW.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Geneva,Arial,SunSans-Regular,sans-serif;"><b>Diana G.</b><br />
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<b>Stoney Creek Elementary</b></span></td></tr>
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2. <b>Show and tell</b>. Now that you have an interview, it is important to think about what you are going to say to the many questions. As an interviewer, I am not just interested in what the candidate says they do in a classroom. I am interested in seeing how they engage with us - are they smiling, using eye-contact, energetic, and passionate about what they are saying... How you project yourself is just as important as what you are saying. Having confidence and conviction in what you say is important and it can give insight into what you might be like in front of your students.<br />
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3. <b>Use your portfolio, please! </b>It always amazes me when I have to ask candidates to see their portfolios. I remember taking that class where we put it together and not being able to wait to show off the hours of work I spent curating the collection of student samples and lesson plans. It is one thing to talk about a project or lesson or idea, it is another to show it in action. Make sure when you are answering questions you are thinking about something in your portfolio that illustrates the point. If they ask about a cross-curricular lesson, have your portfolio organized in a way that it is easy to flip to and point to the answer (it might be a good idea to practice this first). As an Art teacher, Visuals are important. When I am a part of an interview team I need to see what students have done as well as the candidate's own personal work. This helps me see evidence of what this candidate can bring to the team.<br />
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4. <b>Do your research.</b> Usually at the end of the interview, you will be asked if you have any questions about the job. Make sure to do your research about the school you are wanting to work and ask questions to clarify any specifics not already discussed. You can ask about schedules (like grade levels or amount of buildings you are in), classroom budget, participation in outside PD, technology concerns, or even use your knowledge to comment on something you know about the school. I always ask a question about the school's vision for the future of the program. It is important to see what they think about what you are teaching and how they see that job or department looking down the road. This gives you insight into your future as a part of that team.<br />
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5. <b>Don't forget the "Thank You"</b>. After the interview is done, be sure to send "Thank You's" to the teachers and administrators involved. It is a nice gesture that can also give you a chance to recap something you discussed during the interview. This can be done via email or by hand. If you do it online, you can also use it as a chance to send them a link to your online portfolio or professional website. Even if you do not get the job, it ends the process on a congenial note.<br />
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These are just some ideas that worked for me and I hope will land you the job you have been waiting to secure. <b>If you have any interview tips that worked for you, please share.</b> This is a very exciting time to be a teacher and good luck in your search!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-54027115631810748072012-06-14T09:03:00.000-07:002012-06-14T09:03:50.894-07:00Flipping AssessmentOver the course of the past year, there has been much discussion on flipping instruction, moving more resources online for students to access, and really changing the way teachers connect with kids through technology in the classroom. But what if we do more than just flip instruction? Recently I came across this tweet from a consulting firm that also applies to education: <br />
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Often times when teaching, we are putting on a performance that tries to engage students in new concepts, skills, and ways of thinking. Unfortunately, as dynamic as that performance may be sometimes just because we did it doesn't mean it reached all students. One idea I think is interesting in addressing this issue is the concept of flipping assessment. Instead of solely focusing on assessing students through projects, tests, and quizzes, turn the tables and have students assess how you are reaching them as a teacher.<br />
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This is something I have done informally on the last day of class so I can adjust and reflect on my performance as a teacher. Students write a response to the following: 1. What was something that I should change for next year? 2. What is something that should definitely stay the same?<br />
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Sometimes there are responses like "you shouldn't mark us down if we didn't bring in a project" or "you should let us sit with our friends all of the time" which is unlikely to be something that can always change, but often there are direct and pointed critiques of how lessons are taught and what could have been done differently to help them learn the topic more. It is also nice to receive the feedback on what went well. It helps you get an idea on what made the biggest impact on students and think about the circumstances surrounding the projects or lessons to make that so.<br />
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For my Digital Arts Camp, I tried a different approach. I used a Google Form to create a survey of why students participated in the camp, what they thought about the camp, and what could be done in future camps to make it a success. By using a Google Form, I am able to compile data and use that data to drive future decisions. This is a great tool to consider using in the beginning of the school year to create student interest inventories or types of learning styles. You could also use it throughout the school year to check in on student attitudes and feelings about the class. Because you can make responses anonymous, it allows students to freely divulge their opinions.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NL6hT4ogzWs/T9oIJKk0eWI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/6OWob3r_-58/s1600/whycamp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="75" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NL6hT4ogzWs/T9oIJKk0eWI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/6OWob3r_-58/s400/whycamp.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Form compiled responses to why students signed up for camp.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What do you think about being assessed by your students? Do you already do something like this in your classroom and how has it changed your delivery of instruction? Please share all related insights in the comments below. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-12389868624385304192012-05-12T11:29:00.000-07:002012-05-12T11:29:40.431-07:00The Pink Slip Experience<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmi01kV5REk/T66rC9Bsw-I/AAAAAAAAAD4/5eOCZ1XtGwM/s1600/blava.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmi01kV5REk/T66rC9Bsw-I/AAAAAAAAAD4/5eOCZ1XtGwM/s320/blava.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Geneva,Arial,SunSans-Regular,sans-serif;">Artists Name: <b>Bhavna G.</b><br />
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School: <b>Detroit Country Day</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Spring time is the season of flowers blooming and chicks hatching; unfortunately, it can also be a time where the pink slips are arriving for hundreds of educators. I came across a couple of teachers this past week who were both pink slipped and it prompted me to think about my own experience and offer some advice to those of you who have found yourself in this situation.<br />
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I have had the privilege of being pink slipped three times in the course of a year. My first reaction was of course disappointment at the situation, but I was also kind of surprised that the form is not pink nor is it really a slip. Instead, each was a neatly typed letter using technical language to tell me that I was no longer going to be employed and that if the situation changed, I would be called back (which thankfully I was, each time).<br />
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It was a dark time, but also a time where I gained a lot of strength and insight about who I was as a teacher and person. It is often said that true character is revealed in times of trial, and the stress of being pink slipped without knowing if you are going to be able to do what you love where you have established a home and career can be a very stressing moment in a person's life.<br />
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With that said, here is my advice to anyone who is facing a pink slip:<br />
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1. Chances are you will be called back. I know it is not comforting to hear, especially from someone who has not been pink slipped, but with the technical details of No Child Left Behind, the switch to full-day Kindergarten, graduation requirements for students, and the fact that other content teachers need their prep-time, an Art teacher is a needed thing for schools and they will have to find someone to fill the requirements (chances are that is you). You may have been pink slipped simply due to the nature of the seniority list, which was the case in my situation.<br />
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2. If you have multiple endorsements, make sure to make yourself open to teaching them. I am certified in both Visual Arts and English. My first teaching job was actually more English than it was Art. Visual Arts is my first love and I am incredibly thankful that I get to do it full time, but I am also thankful that I have an option. If you do not have a second endorsement, consider getting one as a part of your continuing education that is required per MDE certification renewal. You might even be able to use credits from your undergraduate degree to go towards this. Here is a <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michigan.gov%2Fdocuments%2Fmde%2FClasses_Taught_12-4-07_217692_7.doc&ei=caSuT-S_OInLgQeK7biICQ&usg=AFQjCNHL1QCZSjRQh_Ia5l1mrt9j1KcktQ" target="_blank">list </a>of what classes can be taught with each certification. <br />
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3. Update your Resume, Portfolio and website, and put yourself out there. Although you would like to think that the school you have taught at will call you back because there is no way they could go on without you, sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Now that you have experience under your belt, you will be able to use that to help get your next job. In each case of being pink slipped, my principal and other administrators readily wrote great letters of recommendation. Make sure to ask for those letters, and who knows, they might also be able to give you a lead based on their connections with other districts in your county. This <a href="http://k12jobspot.com/Michigan-teaching-jobs" target="_blank">website</a> helped me keep up to date on what was available when I was looking for a job in Michigan.<br />
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4. Realize that it is not about you as a teacher or person, it is about a budget. You cannot control this; you can not take it personal. It is not your fault and you can only move forward. Chances are you became a teacher because you have a passion for the subject you are teaching and a caring heart for kids. I never hear any teacher say they do it for the money; you would not be able to go in each day and do what is required of a teacher if the only motivation was that. What charges me up and motivates me are those moments when a student reflects on a work they have created as "The best thing they have ever made..." or the moment when they hoot and holler over an artist they are excited to study. If that kind of stuff gets you going then know that you are a good teacher and being pink slipped is not the end of things for you. <br />
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I know that this can be a tough time, but realize you are not alone. If you have advice or a success story to share from your own pink slip experience, please post it below - all advice and success stories are welcome!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-80376967427316659812012-05-11T11:24:00.000-07:002012-05-11T11:42:02.289-07:00TEDxcellent!what now<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I7v_UHLyY70/T61YwszNVLI/AAAAAAAAADk/TDAuheGEmVg/s1600/whatnow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I7v_UHLyY70/T61YwszNVLI/AAAAAAAAADk/TDAuheGEmVg/s320/whatnow.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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This is not so much a question or a theme, but a call to action from those presenters and participants at yesterday's <a href="http://www.tedxgrandrapids.org/2012-2/" target="_blank">TEDxGrandRapids </a>event downtown and the <a href="http://www.tedxgrandrapids.org/livestream/" target="_blank">Livestream for education</a> at Forest Hills Fine Arts Center. The day was filled with thoughtful insight into ideas surrounding education, science, technology, social culture, and design. But more importantly within all of the speakers segments, it was really a discussion about the human condition and hopefulness for "being the change you want to see."<br />
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From <a href="http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/05/tedxgr_were_close_to_having_he.html" target="_blank">highlighting</a> contact lenses that offer the ability to transmit and receive data, to using game play as a way of discovering self, clothing made of the result of feasting bacteria, and how to love those around us, the<a href="http://www.tedxgrandrapids.org/speakers/" target="_blank"> speakers of TEDxGrandRapids</a> offered the audience a chance to imagine the future and take part through initiatives like Community Xprize and <a href="http://ed.ted.com/" target="_blank">TEDed</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iGyQjoUVbCY/T61YxrRqEBI/AAAAAAAAADs/M6OZaE82yaQ/s1600/linda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iGyQjoUVbCY/T61YxrRqEBI/AAAAAAAAADs/M6OZaE82yaQ/s320/linda.jpg" width="320" /></a>One of the more emotional moments of the day included the story of <a href="http://www.lindaragsdale.com/all-about-me/grown-ups-version.aspx" target="_blank">Linda Ragsdale</a>, a survivor of the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WN/International/mumbai-massacre-survivors-forgive-attackers-anniversary/story?id=9167048#.T61S0FLYFhs" target="_blank">2008 attack in Mumbai</a>. Although she was shot and witnessed the murder of friends around her, including a young girl she had promised to teach how to draw a dragon, Linda does not harbor hate for those who committed such acts; instead, she challenges all of us to come from a place of love and peace when encountering others. Her story of the dragon is one that looks to blast myths and misconceptions behind what it is; that the dragon is a symbol of peace, "whose spiky scales are revealed to show he is made of hearts; all hearts have a point, each point leads to a direction" and you have to be the one to answer "which way will you go?" She chooses the path of peace, and during her 3 days in Grand Rapids will have worked with over 11,000 students in a community art project called "<a href="http://www.thepeacedragon.com/" target="_blank">The Peace Dragon Project</a>" to encourage them to do the same. Linda is an incredible person who was warm and inviting to each person she spoke with during our breaks at the Fine Arts Center. She is a genuine example of peace personified.<br />
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There are plans to continue this Livestream for education next year and I encourage you to participate. There were quite a few Visual Arts Teachers there, and it was a great time to connect and talk with others outside of our discipline about collaborative projects. Have you ever been to a TED talk or have a favorite one to share? Please leave your insights and share your "what now" moment below. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-7219586233488053832012-05-04T06:17:00.003-07:002012-05-04T06:18:28.059-07:00MI doodle4google finalist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hWhyhv-liG8/T6PW4_HKAzI/AAAAAAAAADY/fqpbJvFjsAU/s1600/doodle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hWhyhv-liG8/T6PW4_HKAzI/AAAAAAAAADY/fqpbJvFjsAU/s320/doodle.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Please support Janae, the MI finalist for this year's <a href="http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html#g=g3" target="_blank">doodle4google</a> competition in the 6-7th grade category. She is running to win the following prizess: <br />
<ul>
<li>The National Winner will have his or her doodle featured on the U.S. <a href="http://google.com/" target="_blank">Google.com</a> homepage on May 18, 2012.</li>
<li>He or she will be awarded a $30,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of his or her choice,</li>
<li>a Google Chromebook computer,</li>
<li>a Wacom digital design tablet, and</li>
<li>a t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it.</li>
<li>The winner's full time school (Navigator!) wins a
$50,000 technology grant towards the establishment or improvement of a
computer lab or technology programming.</li>
<li>Each of the other four National Finalists will win a
$5,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a
trip to New York for the final event on May 17, 2012, a Wacom digital
design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.</li>
</ul>
How can you help: <br />
<ul>
<li>May 2-10, 2012: The Public (YOU!) can vote online for Janae's doodle by visiting the Doodle 4 Google website here: <a href="http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/<wbr></wbr>doodle4google/vote.html</a> Be sure to click on the Grades 6-7 age group, and then scroll to look for Janae's name and design, Pinckney, MI and then vote!</li>
<li>One vote per computer is accepted, but you can also vote using your phone, iPad, SMART Board, etc.</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to Pinckney Schools and Janae for this accomplishment! Good luck!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5063449768775066064.post-15829653885692619522012-05-03T10:32:00.000-07:002012-05-03T10:52:02.657-07:00May FlowersMay is a time where not only flowers are blooming (although with this crazy weather some have been out since March); it is the time where students really are at their prime to show off what they have learned throughout the year and apply it to culminating projects and exhibitions.<br />
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If your district is anything like mine, you get to show off the year's worth of work through various shows in your building and at a district wide show in a central location. This is a great time for students, parents, and teachers to connect and really remark on the growths students have made throughout the year. <br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/theresamcgee" target="_blank">Theresa McGee</a> showed off her annual exhibition in this great Animoto video, complete with movies and pictures of the event.<br />
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What made this show for me was the effective use of <a href="http://teachers.d181.org/%7Etheresamcgee/theresamgcee/2012_QR_Codes.html" target="_blank">QR codes</a> to link to the artists being studied in each project. This is a great way to create an interactive show, involving the viewer to take part in the show by learning even more. <a href="http://www.davisart.com/portal/schoolarts/articles/9_11-tech4arted-the-hidden-identity-in-qr-codes-theresa-mcgee.pdf" target="_blank">Here</a> is how she explains the process of using QR codes in her classroom. <br />
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In a time where students are probably looking ahead to the summer break,
take a moment and pull them back in to enjoy the hard work and lessons
learned that has lead them to May. This last full month of school should be the time when students say "This is my best project," or "I never thought I could do something like this..." instead of checking out, already tuned in to whatever summer plans might bring. In the best case scenario, you will even have some saying, "I can't wait to come back next year, already!" <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0