Awards Chair
Ann Schedivy-Tollefson
awards@wiarted.org

Submit nominations to:
awards@wiarted.org

Check out the NAEA website where a PDF explains the various awards. Page 9 of this pdf has the NAEA awards nomination form that is fillable and must also be submitted with the nomination packet. There is also a standardized Vita Form on pages 10 and 11 that you can fill out and print.

Click here to download the 2011 Fall Conference Awards Brochure

Wow!  When I was asked how I use technology in my classroom, my mind swarmed with ideas.  Since I teach K-12, the variety of ways I use technology becomes overwhelming when I think about it.  I often think I am not using much, but then I break it down into the grade levels.  

 
Here is a sampling:

• First graders are using laptops to visit on-line coloring pages and paint programs that will prep them for PhotoShop and other software tools later.  One 1st grade teacher is using a website called smallblueprinter.com. Here students interactively plan the walls, windows, doors and spaces to make floor plans for buildings.  In Art class, I use a flip camera to digitally record commercials based on product packages the students design.
• Third graders use a website that allows them to browse completed tessellations and then create their own tessellation online before they develop one on paper.
• Fourth graders research art history and put information into a Timeliner program. It allows flexibility with formatting the timeline when presenting information.  
• Fifth graders research artists online, gather information to answer specific questions, and present information and images in a tri-fold brochure-using Publisher.  Students practice good spelling, layout and appropriate content.  This is paired with a mini-museum sculpture they design.
• Sixth graders use PhotoShop on a damaged photo and see the amazing results!  They repair the photo digitally using tools such as the healing brush, patch tool, and more.  They use creativity on a second photo where they can blur or melt parts of a face in an image. This experimentation is rewarding to them (we know how excited they get about learning when they have freedom to explore the potential of a new tool).
• Seventh graders have a menu of project areas to select including some select Photography.  When they work, they can borrow a school camera and take photos to fit their theme.  We discuss the functions of the camera and ways they can digitally edit in PhotoShop (if they don’t achieve a desired result with just the camera.)  In digital photography, the computer plays a large role.  
• High School art students are expected to keep a digital portfolio in art class with the potential of being burned to a CD they can use for submission to an art school or a competitive exhibit.  In many classes, the teacher’s webpage is a resource for students to go to when they are looking for links, resource materials and homework guidance.  I use my webpage for posting the links they need to do research before starting a project in class. It is easier to direct students where you want them to go online if you have those links already planned and accessible.

Our school district has Smart Boards in nearly every classroom (not the art room yet), I-Pod and I-Pad carts for checkout at the library, as well as Computers on Wheels (affectionately known as COW lab) carts that can be used in the classroom by some (or all) students while other students may be working on studio activities. At the high school building I do have a projector that is connected to my computer which allows me to project images largely, even though there is no Smart Board.  At the elementary building I have connected a TV to my computer for showing images larger than my computer screen.

Last summer I took a Web 2.0 class, which showed me new ways students and teachers can use web tools (eliminating the need to purchase software).
If you have questions about the technology mentioned, just email me by clicking the address under my image to the right and ask!  If not, go for it and explore what seems useful to you.  I will be glad to fill you in on the web tools I learned.

What have you been using in your classroom?  Have Smart Boards been a useful tool in your art room?  I would love to hear from you!