e-ArtTimes Editor '11-13
e-ArtTimes Design '11-13
Maria Mason
design@wiarted.org 
Click on the files below to download archived editions of ArtTimes & e-ArtTimes
2011
2010
2009
2008
|
e-ArtTimes is your WAEA quarterly newsletter. Watch for it in quarterly mailings.
Visit the archive (left) to access past newsletters. Current articles are listed on each of our board members pages. Click here for our board member page. This quarter, Winter 2012, we've focused on technology use in the classroom. Technology and the Changing Roles in Education
by: Erica Becker, ArtTimes Editor “What does good instruction look like in the year of 2012?” and “How does technology influence the structure of education?” are two questions that Wisconsin Art Education board members explored for this edition of the Art Times. It is a challenge to maintain the vision of the classroom teacher as “the expert” filling the preverbal bucket of student knowledge. Research has concluded that today’s learners are forming their understanding of the world through technology and their social groups. The question becomes how does the educator embrace the social mind of the student and use technology to present curriculum. Moving away from the Sit and Get Traditionally educators were viewed as the authority on their content area giving lavish lectures to a knowledge hungry student body. The students’ responsibility was to be quiet, prepared to learn, and follow instruction. This model in today’s society is no longer relevant. The lecture is no longer the strategy for instruction in education. Today the student must take an active role in information gathering and transformation of knowledge. They must be able to guide their own learning, define goals, make design decisions, and evaluate their own progress. Teachers are no longer the facilitators, but become a mentor through an apprenticeship program. They provide guidelines, resources, and support to direct student learning, as well as, facilitate student grouping. Incorporating technology into a project-based learning or cooperative learning environment increases motivation and self esteem. Using social media in the classroom establishes a safe collaborative environment where students are able participate in group discussions at their own pace, ask questions without drawing attention, and learn from their peers’ correspondences. These sites provide the space where students can mentor each other, comment and critique each other’s work, and develop higher order skills. Technology also assists students with developing professional products that not only demonstrate learning, but an increasing understanding of design and communication. These products drive students to be aware of their audience while offering real world experience. It also encourages student to participate be global learners connecting and interacting with individuals from different locations. Our students are digital learners who are eagerly researching and communicating outside of the classroom. Our challenge is to bring that enthusiasm back into our classroom by integrating social media and allowing the student to actively direct their education. Getting Your Feet Wet Here are some tips to incorporating more technology into your life and instruction.
Here are a few technology tools to start with: prezi.coma web-based presentation application and storytelling tool YouTube.com video sharing site Audacity audio recording, editing, and mixing site Mybigcampus.com safe online community to post resources, assignments, and host online discussions Ning.com safe online community to post resources, assignments, and host online discussions Thinkquest.org safe online community to post resources, assignments, and host online discussions Pinterest.com an online pin board to organize and share images, sites, and videos WAEA 2011 Conference Highlights On October 27 & 28, the Wisconsin Art Education Association hosted its 61st Annual Fall Conference in beautiful Eau Claire. The conference focused on “Tools for Creativity”, which created a platform for sharing, networking and collaborating between presenters, vendors and special guests. Hosting the conference at the Eau Claire Regional Art Center gave it a nostalgic feeling, which provided a sense of tranquility and comfort. New features to the conference were the Vendor Meet and Greet, which provided conference participants the opportunity to spend time with the vendors and learn about new materials. This was a great addition that allowed us to make a personal connection to vendors who are consistently improving and introducing new art materials to push our creativity inside the art classroom. Another was inviting an art student to present a presentation on Recycling T-shirt Fashion. As an art teacher, witnessing a student present to a group of art teachers is heartwarming, personal and nerve-racking. A ball of emotion grew watching every move and following every word hoping to ensure no errors in the delivery. After this presentation I was able to talk to some of the art teachers at the presentation. They stated that they loved the idea of recycling those old t-shirts, giving them a new life, and being on the receiving end of a student-directed lesson was quite the experience. Lastly, hearing our 2011 Keynote Speakers; Kristen Dexter, Barb Reinke, Ben Schumaker and George Tzougros speak about the power of creativity, networking and creating opportunities for our art students to share their artistic talents with the world provide me with that extra boost to keep pushing and pushing to advocate for Art Education. This is just a small sampling of what happened at the WAEA conference. Throughout the month of November and December we will be sharing more conference highlights so stay tuned. Sincerely, Frank Juarez WAEA President | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
