Final Blog Post

While I saw a potential use for all of the technologies we learned in class, there were three in particular that I believe will be very beneficial tools in my future classroom. The Inspiration/Kidspiration project, the Multimedia/Power Point project, and the Google Earth project are all technologies that I plan on using with my students. Even though I'm not sure where in the K-12 spectrum I will end up teaching art, I believe all three of these technologies could be used at any one of those grade levels.

The Inspiration/Kidspiration project will really get students interacting with technology and with each other. When using this technology, I would definitely want to use a SmartBoard with it, so students get the full interactive experience of the technology. For younger children, using Kidspiration will not only help them in becoming more familiar with using technology and computers, but it is also a very visual activity, perfect for an art classroom. For older children, Inspiration would be the better tool. All ages would be engaged in this activity, both physically and mentally, because it is outside of the ordinary learning style students are used to from their other classes. It is a great tool to have students teach each other, and have them visually and physically engaged.

The Multimedia/Power point project would be great for a number of things in the art classroom. Again, it is a very visual technology. However, I will encourage and teach my students to think outside of the box when it comes to power point, for it can become boring very quickly and would not keep students' attention. If used correctly, such as having interactive buttons, sounds, images, etc., Power Point can be an engaging technological tool. Again, students can use PowerPoint as a tool to teach other students, which is the best way of learning. It, too, can be used interactively with the SmartBoard.

Google Earth is yet another technology I am planning to use in my future classroom. This technology however, is more for a class centered around Art History or Architecture, rather than a studio art class (although it still could be used there, too!) Particularly for architecture and art history, students can go on tours of the world and see things and places they wouldn't normally get to see, all without leaving the classroom. Google Earth is a great way to visualize distances and architectural structures in cities throughout the world, rather than just hearing or reading about them in class.

One technology I don't think would be age appropriate for younger kids is the InspireData project. I think this technology is too advanced for younger kids, especially around the kindergarten and first grade age. However, for older, high school kids, this would be yet another effective technological tool in an art classroom. It's interactive and engaging, and it could be used to have students teach other students and give presentations. But, like I said, younger students would have tremendous problems with this technology, and I think it should be reserved for older students.

Emerging Technologies

After exploring Emerging Technologies in class, such as games, interactive whiteboard activities, simulations/role playing, and virtual reality/worlds, I definitely see a place for some, not all, emerging technologies in my classroom. Games and interactive whiteboard activities would work wonderfully in an art classroom, because they're very visual and hands-on. It engages students, because it forces them to interact and learn in a different way than they're used to. Tools such as the interactive whiteboard could be used as a student-teaching-student activity, which is proven to be the best way for students to learn and retain the information. Also, just the fact that these activities are technological is beneficial to my students, because it's keeping up with the world they live in. Simulations/role playing and virtual reality/worlds however, I do not see being used in my future classroom. They are more of an at-home, personal hobby, rather than an educational tool.

Digital Nation

A) There were several ways in which Digital Nation depicted technology as being beneficial to learning. One way, for example, is that students today, living in such a technology-based, fast-paced, world, are going to be much more interested in learning if it involves technology. Another way is that technologies like the internet make sources much more easily accessible to students. Students have a world of knowledge at their fingertips.

B) While the technologies of today can be in some ways beneficial to teaching and learning, it can also be very detrimental. The segment title The Dumbest Generation speaks for itself. All of the fast-paced technology that students are using in their everyday lives is making it much more difficult for them to focus on just one thing at a time. Both writing skills and reading skills have gone downhill, according to college professors, and students are not even as well prepared for college as the generations before them. Considering our world is only advancing and continually learning, this is definitely taking steps backward.

C) Considering the use of technology has both pros and cons, it is difficult for me to say whether I believe it to be more beneficial than detrimental, or vice versa. I think that users of technology need to be aware of the dangers of it, and use it wisely. This video reminded me a little bit of the movie Wall-E, where the world got so dependent on technology that they completely forgot about every doing anything for themselves. While I realize that this is an extreme, it is still sending a good message. I do believe that technology is amazing and should very definitely be used in the classroom and in everyday life...I just believe there needs to be a good balance. The user needs to keep themself in check and not become too reliant on technology.

Newsletter Assignment

My content area is art, and I plan on teaching at the high school level. For this newsletter assignment, I chose the standard of Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts. Quoting from the Ohio Academic Standards, this standard ensures that students "understand the impact of visual art on the history, culture and society from which it emanates. They understand the cultural, social and political forces that, in turn, shape visual art communication and expression. Students identify the significant contributions of visual artists to cultural hertiage. They analyze the historical, cultureal, social and political contexts that influence the function and role of visual art in the lives of people."

So, from this standard I chose a benchmark of the 10th grade: "Explain the circumstances and events that influence artists to create monuments and site-specific works." I thought that this benchmark would be a perfect time to include word processing in the classroom, by having them create a newsletter about an artistof their choice that accurately describes that artist's background and influences in art.

Not only would this assignment fulfill the standard and benchmark, but it would also serve as a learner-centered activity. For this assignment, the students would learn just enough about the artist to be able to make their choice on who they want to pick to write about. From there on, however, it is the students teaching themselves. They would research and find the information on their own, using reliable sources, and then create the newsletter that they would later present to their fellow classmates, which puts them in the bottom level of the learning pyramid.

Wikipedia

I can't say that before this assignment I knew very much about Wikipedia. All I really knew about it was what I was told by my teachers in high school - that it wasn't a very reliable source, which led me to believe it was just a failed attempt at an online encyclopedia. I still went there as a jumping off point when writing papers, because I liked how its language and set-up were easy to understand, but I never used it as an actual source. Because my teachers spoke so negatively about it in school, I never had the desire to look further into Wikipedia or ever view it as a success. However, after reading about the history and the goal of the site, I finally have enough information about it to make my own informed decision.

The reason teachers don't want students using Wikipedia as a source is the same reason Wikipedia is so special. No other online encyclopedia allows countless contributors. Wikipedia wants anyone and everyone to be able to add to their information, but because of vandalism they had to enforce some form of a hierarchical system of editing. I think this is really smart. It allows everyone who is serious about subject, with valuable information, to add to the site, and makes it truly a worldwide community of contributors. Even the creator of the site is not solely in charge of its operation; it is ultimately run by a group of 7 founders.

While one still might stumble upon errors on the site, for the system is not yet perfect, Wikipedia is attempting something brand new, and I really respect it for that. I look upon the website in an entirely new way now. Actually, now that I know how often Wikipedia is edited, and about how serious its editors are, the site gains more credibility with me. I now trust the information I find on Wikipedia more than when I just thought that anyone could add and edit.

My overall opinion of Wikipedia is that it has more positives than negatives. While it's still not perfect, it's attempting something no online encyclopedia has done before. I think it is definitely a good place to go for simple information and a good place to start if you're doing research. I have a new-found respect for Wikipedia :)